The Sewing Mom

I can’t believe it, but our granddaughter turned 2 this past week! She is the cutest little girl ever and I am looking forward to getting to see her again soon. Her parents had a huge birthday party for her, over 40 people! My step-daughter was even asking me questions about party etiquette and I told her that we have never had that size of a party for our own daughter who is now 13. When our daughter turned 2, it was just the 3 of us celebrating together with a cake I had made for the day!

It’s funny the choices we all make, how they can be so very different. I do believe though, that as parents, no matter what decisions we make for our children, we have their best interests at heart. I recall a very difficult decision I had to make when our daughter was little and that involved what to feed her. My husband had been laid off from his job and so we were on a very tight budget and I was always having to find ways to save money, but I didn’t want money to be a deciding factor in what to feed our baby. I know my daughter-in-law went through the same difficult decision just 2 years ago.

There are so many baby formula choices. Thankfully, Consumer Reports recommends buying store-brand formulas because they are nutritionally comparable to Enfamil® LIPIL® and other name-brand formulas. They’ve also said that the store brand of formula at a local Wal-Mart (Parent’s Choice) cost 50 percent less per ounce than a leading national brand. So, not only can choosing a store brand formula over a national brand save you money, it’s still a healthy choice for the baby. There is a baby formula savings calculator available at the Parent’s Choice website that helps anyone see just how much money they can save.

I know that I always purchased powdered formula. It may take a little extra work, but it’s definitely more economical. The money I saved allowed me to purchase other things for our baby!

I only worked a short shift this morning then took me daughter to her orthodontist appointment. Following that we did lunch and then some back to school supply shopping. I’m thrilled with how thrifty we were today!

We managed to get a 5 subject spiral notebook, a package of 6 single subject notebooks, a package of 12 pads of store brand sticky notes, 2 packages of writing pens, a package of loose leaf paper and a multi-colored pack of highlighters, all for only $17! I can only hope that the remaining supplies on the list can be found as inexpensively! I just have to say, I loved shopping at Staples today!

We actually have started the back-to-school shopping process all ready! Yesterday we loaded up on notebooks and construction paper and today my daughter bought a new lightweight jacket at the mall. I know it’s only a small start, but, at least it’s a start. When we got home from our little shopping trip today, I found an interesting brochure that had arrived in today’s mail and it pertained to saving for college. I have to tell you, I’m scared to death that we are not going to be prepared in a few short years when our own daughter heads off to college.

We had very good intentions all those years ago when she was born and we started saving immediately. Unfortunately, since then, several things have happened over the years that have caused us to deflate that college savings and so we are no where near financially prepared. Seriously, there are so many things to consider even beyond tuition and books. Obviously there are living expenses if our daughter moves away from home to attend college. I think it’s important now to start teaching her how to attend college on a low budget!

I can still remember my college roommate and I eating lots and lots of baked potatoes, popcorn and nacho cheese made in a hot pot! We rarely ever ate out, we didn’t have the money to do something that extravagant! I don’t want to be getting those calls on regular basis either, you know the ones, “Mom, send money”. It’s critical that she know how to live on a budget!

I know some parents send their kids off to college with a credit card, but I’m not sure in today’s economy, if that’s a good decision or not. I do like the idea of sending her off with a re-loadable gift card like Sears offers. It’s pretty cool because the student gets a card and the parents also get a card. So, I could add money to the card either online or at a Sears store and then my daughter can use her card to make purchases at either Sears or Kmart. That’s pretty simple and I wouldn’t have to deal with credit card bills. Sears CampusReady program is simple to use and helps kids be ready and parents stay on budget.

Sears CampusReady on Facebook where it can help students and parents get ready for college. There is a 3D program to help design your dorm room. Not only is this a fun program, but think how well it could help decide what will and won’t fit into a dorm room. This can keep all of us from over spending on dorm junk. There is also a “Gift Getter” program that allows a student to list things they’d like to have and friends and family can see their list and consider purchasing those items as gifts for the new student. (I really like that idea!) If you know anyone getting ready to head off to college, I definitely recommend checking out CampusReady on Facebook to help in the planning process.

Let me introduce you to “Turtle”.  She is a young girl who is one of the main characters in the novel, The Westing Game. This fabric doll, the cotton shirt, and the bead bracelet, were all hand made by my daughter (see previous post).  The denim pants were hand made by my sister Karen a few years ago for another doll that my daughter owns.  The pants were rolled up to give them the look of capris to better fit Turtle.  The fabric for the shirt was given as a gift from my other sister Grace, so this has definitely become a family projet. The shoes are actually infant shoes that we purchased.

The total cost of making this doll and her attire was approximately $20 and the pride that came with the project is immeasurable.

My daughter’s birthday is less than 2 months away and I have no idea what she’d like to do. She will be 13 and I think that is a birthday that deserves to be celebrated in a very special way. The last year and a half have been somewhat difficult for her because she left her friends behind when we relocated to Texas. She had so many true friends too and many she had known since she was in preschool.

I really would like to do something special so I’ve continued my research into going to Branson, Missouri. There are a lot of activities we could do, for example, did you know that there are over 100 shows at 49 different theaters that we could go see ranging from rock-n-roll to country to gospel and everything in between? Or, if we wanted to be outdoors we could go ride the Ducks. The Ducks are WWII amphibious vehicles that you ride in to get a tour of the area. Typically they will go from land into water (they float) and back to land. It’s a great way to see the more natural areas outside of downtown Branson. There are even local caves in the area that can be explored.

Mini-golf is prevalent in Branson and that’s one of my daughter’s favorite activities. While she and my husband were putting around, I could probably sneak off to one or two of the many quilt shops located in the area. Later we could take in one of the many museums, perhaps the Hollywood Wax Museum.

Of course, when we become too worn out to go on, we can always return to the sanctity of our luxurious room at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel which will also allow us to take our dog along. The are located near all the shopping and entertainment venues and have plenty to do at the hotel including a wonderful spa that would be awesome to take advantage of. If I book now I can take advantage of the Winter Escape Packages that Hilton is offering at the Convention Center Hotel and the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing another one of their full service hotels in Branson.

My daughter is due home from school in a few minutes and I think I’ll talk it over with her. If she agrees, I’m making our reservations pronto!