Though I have been working on this blog off and on for a few years, I've struggled to define exactly what my focus should be.
Until, a few weeks ago.
Oddly enough, inspiration for my focus came from an advertising campaign that Special K is running right now encouraging women to "fight fat talk."
It made me think, not only about the ways we damage ourselves with this talk, but about the things we say in front of our kids- about our bodies, about food, about food and our relationship to it.
It made me realize why I cringe when I see a recipe that claims to be "guilt free."
It made me realize why I'm turned off by talk of fat and calories and working out.
It made me realize why I'm not comfortable simply focusing on "healthy," eating, or "healthy," foods.
I would venture to say that most of us have been in an abusive relationship with food at one time or another. As a child, I watched food become the enemy. First it was calories, then it was cholesterol, then it was fat, then it was carbs…
As each new food became the enemy, there were new rules, new reasons to feel guilty, new reasons to see food as something to work against, rather than to work with...
So here goes. Here's my focus. When it comes to my kids, I want to help them develop healthy relationships with food. Because right now, healthy food, or unhealthy food, I think that what many of us struggle with is our relationship with food.
We overindulge and feel guilty.
We restrict ourselves and feel cheated.
We see food as the enemy.
We have taken food and turned it into chemicals and numbers.
We look at the obesity epidemic and think we simply need to change the food, change it's chemical makeup, change the amounts, change the numbers.
I think that this is a relatively new phenomenon and I think it may be at the root of our problem.
In the past, food served several purposes. At its best it provided enjoyment and nourishment. At the very least, it provided sustenance.
Perhaps we need to start over. To get to know food all over again without all of our preconceived notions.
We don't need new diets.
We don't need new foods.
We need a new relationship.
With food.
How is your relationship? What can you do to enrich your relationship (and your children's relationship) with food?
Let's be honest. This time of year, there isn't much interest in teaching kids to be healthy eaters. This gives me a chance to have some fun posting about other things that people ARE interested in!
Here are 7 (more) last minute, homemade gifts that kids will love and that you can create with minimal effort, ability, time or money! (Everything used for these was purchased at Dollar Tree-- or were things that I already had around the house.)
What's more fun than a set of magnetic poetry? A kit to make your own! This way, kids get to choose their own words and then reuse them again and again in new (and amusing) ways.
Materials: Magnetic Tin, Fine Point Sharpie, Magnetic Vent Cover (From Dollar Tree!) Sticky Label or paper and Mod Podge (optional)
How To:
Cut vent cover into strips (mine are 1.25 inches wide) and then cut the strips into varying lengths.
Make a label for the outside: "Make Your Own" Magnetic Poetry
Materials: Plastic Sheet Protectors, Plastic Envelope (Could also use a binder), Dry Erase Markers, (optional) microfiber cloth for erasing, Black and White Pictures printed on printer (not photo) paper.
How To:
Print full size photos of people who are special to the child receiving the gift.
Put pictures in plastic sheet protectors- if putting in a plastic envelope, cut off the end of the sheet protector with the binder holes.
Check out coloring pages here (the ones I used) or here (a Pinterest board full of fun pages)
Print as many as you wish. You may choose to use a theme or to print a variety of pages. A few of the links (from the ones I used) have letters… you could choose to do all of the letters in the alphabet or all of the letters in a child's name. You may also choose to do all Christmas pages (I'm doing this and bringing it along to one of our Christmas gatherings for all of the kids.) If the gift is for a boy, I highly, highly recommend the Lego Man coloring pages! My boys will sit for long periods of time coloring these over and over!!
Put coloring pages and crayons, markers or colored pencils in plastic envelope (mine were two for a dollar at Dollar Tree!)
Follow this idea for swaddling a baby and do the same with your mini-swadde. (My daughter had the idea of making a set of different swaddles to go with a doll.
Optional, find or make a small bed or basket for the doll. (We made ours from a cardboard box which I cut and taped to size and then covered with brown wrapping paper that came in one of our Amazon boxes!
Bonus: Check out this basket of babies… then find a basket and make multiple babies for a homemade "Basket of Babies."
Regifted Treasures
"One man's (child's) trash is another child's treasure."
Cost: $0 Crafty Abilities: None Time: ??
Materials: Container to hold the treasures, Collected small items that your children no longer play with or that you no longer have use for…
How To:
Search your toy bins, junk drawers, under the seats of your car ;), Goodwill box, anywhere that little treasures may hide. Those little items that may seem like trash to you or your kids are treasures to another child who has never seen them before… and somehow, they become even more fun when gathered together into a "treasure box."
Put the items into a container (raid your recycling!)
Give to another child (or trade… I think that this would make a great pre-school or playgroup swap!)
Letter/ Number/ Word or People Jewels
Cost: $1-$2 Crafty Abilities: Minimal Time: Under an hour
Materials: Magazines, Large Glass Jewels (from Dollar Tree), Bag or pouch, Mod Podge (or homemade Mod Podge)
How To:
Find letters, numbers, and or words in magazines (or for the quick and easy version, create a word doc and print them.) *You may also choose to print pictures and make people jewels- I recommend black and white on printer paper.
Make sure that the letters are the right size by putting a jewel over the top of it, before cutting.
Cut out the letters.
Mod Podge them to the flat side of the jewel by painting Mod Podge on the jewel, laying the letter on the Mod Podge and then painting additional Mod Podge over the top.
Allow all of the Mod Podge to dry. If you choose, paint over the back with a solid color (I didn't do this, but this will give the back of the jewels a neater appearance.)
Put the jewels in a a bag or sack. (A little jewelry pouch would be perfect!)
Jewel Sorting
Cost: $1-$2 Crafty Abilities: None Time: ??
Materials: Glass jewels (I used large and small of various colors- again, from Dollar Tree), various (not fragile) bowls, tins, cups, etc.
How To:
Collect or find plastic or metal bowls and containers (I found mine at our local thrift shop)
Put glass jewels and containers into a container or bag.
Give to a child and watch them play! (I honestly couldn't drag this away from my child long enough to take a picture of it today!!) *Be aware that these jewels would be a choking hazard. Use your best judgement and make sure to only give it to a child who would not put the jewels in his mouth.
Do you make homemade gifts? Do you actually have "crafty abilities," (unlike me :) )What have you made?
This time of year can be notorious for being rushed and stressful. While I have still been up until midnight too many nights these past few weeks, this Advent has been *slightly* less stressful than past years. Here are a few of the reasons why-- My Saving Graces:
1. The Blog: Efficient Mama
A few months ago, I discovered Rachel's blog, Efficient Mama. Rachel is a fairly new mom, but seemingly has a peace about motherhood that I could have only dreamed of as I stumbled through parenthood with my first child.
First of all, I love the pictures of her hubby and her from their night out… I love seeing pictures of bloggers, it helps me know who is "talking." These pictures give me a sense of her personality… she is just too cute!!
Secondly, this post highlights what I see as a beautiful, "humble confidence," in her mothering. While she made a choice that many people disagreed with, she did what she felt was best for her and her son, and she was ok with that.
I often wonder what it is that connects me to certain blog. I think, more than anything, it's when they say something that continues to resonate with me and haunt my thoughts long after I've read it. Rachel's blog has been that way for me.
One thing, in particular, that she said, was in her "Advent Unplugged," post. She was talking about needing to cut back on using internet and watching TV and said, "I find myself hungry for the words of other adults during the day."
As a parent, I have had this struggle, but have never been able to articulate it. When I read, "Hungry for the words of adults," I immediately felt a sense of recognition, "Yes, that's it. That's what it is."
Knowing why I have become so dependent on the internet is helping me to, first of all, give myself a little grace, and secondly find more effective ways to combat it.
2. Promise not to judge? Paper Plates
And yes, these are my beautiful used paper plates because as I went to take a picture, I realized we are "all out!!"
This time of year can definitely have a tendency to get overwhelming.
And, nothing overwhelms me more than seeing a sink full of dishes. So…
"Guilt free," use of paper plates for breakfast and lunch, right now, are helping me to survive.
3. The Piano Guys
A few weeks ago, while reading through some five favorites posts, someone (and I sincerely apologize because I forget who!!) shared this video and I was hooked!
Not only have I watched it over and over, but I have watched many of their Christmas videos.
They never fail to ignite the Christmas spirit.
My second favorite video is this one… Every time (except if I try to catch him on camera) that I start this one, my toddler pulls a chair over the counter so that he can stand in front of my computer and shake his little bum to the beat!
4. #31 Days of Yum
I am still new to Instagram and trying to learn to love it. Until I discovered #31daysofyum, I didn't see any use in at all. However, I've been really enjoying seeing the food pictures that other "Instagrammers," have shared and have even found inspiration.
Thanks to this "gram," from "goeatyourbeets," I realized that every dinner doesn't have to be a "recipe," and doesn't need need involved 10 different pots, pans, trays, and bowls.
It inspired this...
Chicken thighs, veggies (I had sweet potatoes and carrots, so that's what I used) spices, broth, bacon--Bake.
This one dish dinner was really easy, practically mess-free (one dish!!), and has become a new family favorite. I'm already making it for the second time in two weeks!
5. Online Shopping
Yes, this is a commercial (because I am an Amazon affiliate and do get a commission fee if you buy something after clicking an Amazon link at my site) but, honestly, I would be remiss, if I didn't mention that shopping online, specially, at Amazon has absolutely been a "Saving Grace," to me this year.
Every time someone asks me if I have finished my shopping and I say, yes, I realize what a blessing it has been.
Thanks to shopping on Amazon, my shopping is done. I didn't spend time chasing deals. I didn't see all of the things in the stores that may have made me question my decisions, or think that I needed to buy something that I hadn't thought of before.
I didn't have to return things that I bought and didn't need. I didn't overbuy. I thought about what I wanted to get for someone, searched for it on Amazon, checked the reviews to make sure it was all it claimed to be, and bought it. Done.
And, thanks to Amazon Prime, all of my shipping was free. I didn't worry about whether or not I spent enough to meet the threshold, I didn't buy something extra to "earn," free shipping. I bought what I came to buy, that's it.
Shopping this year, has been less stressful than it ever has been before.
So...
As I wrote this, I thought about the fact that I still have one $5 Amazon card that I earned from Swagbucks sitting in my account, and I won't need to use it for Christmas presents… I am done.
Then, I thought about the $25 "gift," ($25 off of a $25 or more purchase) I received from Kohl's because one of the gifts I ordered from then arrived late (and by late, I mean a few days after it should have… I hadn't even noticed.)
This morning, I thought about spending both of these… I even spent some time searching Kohl's, and then I realized…
I don't need to. That gives me an amazing amount of peace, and I would like to share some of this, if I could. So, as I wrote this post today, I arrived at the idea of having a "flash" 24 hour giveaway to help someone else finish up their their Christmas shopping.
The Amazon card can only be used online, but if you have Prime, 2-day shipping should still get the gift to you in time for Christmas. The $25 Kohl's coupon can be used in store or online.
Cardboard tubes? Extra piece of wrapping paper not quite big enough to wrap that box? Join me over at Just Us Four where I'm sharing an easy (easy, I promise!) recycled (using items you already have on hand this time of year) ornament/ craft you can make with your kids!
And, a special welcome to Just Us Four readers! I hope you'll stick around for a while! Be sure to follow Teaching Good Eaters on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter so you won't miss a post! Plus, now you can follow on Bloglovin! Just look for the button at the top of my sidebar.
While you're here, you might want to check out these posts:
Several years ago, Jessica Seinfield (Author or Deceptively Delicious) and The Sneaky Chef, gained quite a bit of notoriety for advising parents to puree vegetables and beans and then sneak them into the foods that they serve their kids.
Since that time, quite a few "experts," have come out either for or against these "sneaky," practices.
Quite a few parents have asked me where I stand on the issue, and my response, is somewhere in the middle, and depends, quite honestly, on where you and your children are in your food journey.
In general, my advice can be summed up, pretty much in one sentence: Don't hide it, if you don't need to.
If your kids aren't picky yet...
If you are just beginning your journey of feeding your kids. If your kids have not yet gone through a picky phase, there is no need to be sneaky. There is no need to assume that kids won't like vegetables.
Go ahead and add extra vegetables to everything and anything you wish, but don't assume that you need to be sneaky. Let your children see what is going into their food, and, if they are old enough, allow them to help.
If your young child is going through a picky phase, you may want to play down the appearance and/ or texture of vegetables or other "offending," foods during this phase.
Puree vegetables and add them into sauces.
Peel and shred zucchini rather than chopping zucchini "green," and all.
However, the mantra continues… "Don't hide it, if you don't need to." Use scaffolding to slowly increase the amount of vegetables that you include each time you make a dish. Once it is clear that your children like what you serve, discuss the ingredients and allow them to help you make it.
I do not advise, however, that you make a big deal out of "revealing," the "secret," ingredient. This reinforces the idea that it's something that they shouldn't like.
For example, if you make zucchini muffins, don't say, "Guess what was in those muffins… zucchini, and you liked it!" Instead, act as if it was no big deal. You could say something like, "Would like to help me make more of those zucchini muffins that you liked so much the other day?" As if they knew they were zucchini muffins all along ;)
If picky eating has become the norm...
If your kids are already deeply entrenched in their pickiness, or if they have severe food aversions, give yourself the grace to do whatever you need to do, to get the most possible nutrition you can into your kids. This may involve being sneaky.
However… again, don't hide it, if you don't have to. The end goal should always be for children to knowingly eat and enjoy a wide variety of foods (and this includes vegetables!)
Overall...
Don't make a bunch of extra work for yourself (you won't likely stick with it!) Include vegetables in ways that are natural and that embrace and enhance the natural flavors of the foods. (Making and freezing a bunch of purees to me, seems like a bunch of added work and is most likely, not natural to the way that you cook or to the way that your family eats. Instead, think about ways to add compatible vegetables to things that your family already loves -like adding onions, black beans, and/ or zucchini to taco meat.
Make meals for your family that include vegetables, rather than special "kid foods," with vegetable purees. (Teach kids to eat real food, rather than "kid food.")
Steer clear of desserts with small amounts of vegetable purees as a way to sneak veggies into your kids. Desserts should be an occasional treat. If you are using desserts as a way to sneak healthy foods into your kids, you are simply teaching them to eat and desire more sugary treats.
Always focus on the idea of "teaching," rather than, "sneaking." If you are serving your child a meal that has added vegetables which they may not be aware of, your intent should be to expose them to new flavors, rather than to fool them.
1 lb. ground beef, chicken or turkey (or 1/2 lb. ground meat and 1 cup chopped zucchini)*
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 t. chopped garlic
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t salt
dash pepper
1 T Worcestershire sauce (I like Lea and Perrins because it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup)
1 T ketchup (I prefer Simply Heinz)
1/2 cup broth (chicken or beef)
1 cup baked or boiled sweet potato
1/2 cup boiled or roasted red pepper
hot dog buns (or Romaine lettuce leaves for GF)
*We have a family of 6 big eaters… so I use a whole pound ground meat and around 1 cup zucchini. I then adjust the other ingredients by adding just a little bit more of each.
As always… Amazon links are my referral links. If you click on them and then make any purchase, I will receive a small referral fee. This post is linked up to Teach Me Tuesday
Legos seem to top most lists of boy toys. However, the problem is that building sets are fairly expensive and usually only get built one time before the pieces join our random Lego bin.
Fortunately, our boys do use the random parts to build their own creations which are usually some variation of this:
Last year they were really into the "lego guys," so, instead of getting a set of legos for Christmas, they got a set of Lego people which was a huge hit!
This year, however, I have stumbled on, what seems to be a home run for Lego fans: Pleygo! Have you heard of it?
It is, essentially, Netflix for Legos.
You pay a monthly membership fee, create a wish list, and they send you a set. You build it, play with it, and then send it back. Within a few days (they send out the next set as soon as they get notification that the last set was sent), they will then send you a new set. (They don't penalize you for lost pieces… we have already "tested," this part of their program ;) )
We are now to the point where we have more than enough Legos in our collection, and yet my boys still want new sets, so Pleygo fits us perfectly.
We are just finishing up a free trial and I'm thinking that we will continue, at least for the winter months. My plan is to intercept the next box, wrap it up, and then surprise them with an extended membership.
Are your kids Lego fans? In my opinion, it's definitely at least worth trying a free month! (Here's my referral link… Go to: Pricing and then look under "Super Fan," for a box that says, "Start Your Free Month")
My oldest son discovered these a few years ago and all 3 of my boys play with them all the time. During the summer, my son brought them every time we went to the park. Within minutes, all of the boys in the park would be gathered together taking turns doing tricks with the boards on the slides and cheering each other on.
My favorite thing about them is that they inspire my oldest to creativity. Just last night we needed to ask him to disassemble his cardboard skatepark which had taken over our hallway for weeks.
I did manage, however, to salvage the oatmeal container half pipe that he created… I was really impressed with his creativity!
When my oldest son was two, he loved playing with the Hess trucks that our neighbor had. Since boy toys were new to us, I just figured that Hess was a toy brand… I didn't realize that they came from Hess gas stations (which we didn't have near us.) They sell one new toy a year, usually around this time, and many people consider them to be collectible.
The good news/ bad news situation of this is, that, because they are collectible, you can buy new ones on Ebay or Amazon, which is what we have done. I've bought them for my own boys and as gifts. When buying for my own, I buy the used ones without the boxes because they are much cheaper.
There are lots of different options to choose from…
Five years ago, my oldest son got the "Batman House," for Christmas. It has probably gotten more play time from my sons (and any other boy who visits) than any other toy we own, and it is still in the exact same condition as the day we bought it. (Sadly, they no longer make the model we have, which is much better, in my opinion than the newer one.
They do sell the older model on Amazon and ebay, but you will most definitely pay a premium. Actually, as I'm writing this, I'm also texting with a friend of mine who decided to just "bite the bullet," and buy it, because she knows it will get a lot of play.
Compared to all of the cheap plastic toys that are produced these days, Imaginext is very high quality. At this point, we have an "Imaginext Community,"and it's not uncommon to see knights, superheros, and pirates playing together ;)
Last but not least… You may have seen Snap Circuits in catalogs for $80-$100 or more. But, what the catalogs don't typically show you, is the Snap Circuits Jr. set, which you can usually buy for $20-$30 (I scored ours at a garage sale for $2… one of my most exciting finds-ever!)
The junior set, simply has fewer options and experiments than the larger sets, but is still lots of fun (Makes 100 projects rather than 300 or 500.) All of my kids (except the baby), love playing with it. They do sell an add on kit to expand the Junior so that you can do more circuits. I think we may add that to our wish list at some point.
By the way, it's says that it is for ages 8-108… my son started playing with it at around age 5.
I'd love to know… what are the toys your kids play with all the time?
Boys or Girls (though I do have one daughter, she doesn't honestly play with toys very much- she's always playing outside , reading, or doing something imaginative or artsy… she has been joining in on the Pleygo subscription, though. The last set we got was from the Lego Friends collection.)
This evening my daughter and I made gingerbread cookies together.
Since my husband and I, along with one of my sons, don't eat wheat, I decided to try to make them gluten-free. I searched Pinterest and was led to a variety of blogs that shared their version of a gluten-free gingerbread cookies. I could even read the comments to find out how the recipe worked for other people who tried it, and I could hear the stories of the people who made them.
While the cookies didn't really turn out-yet (edible, but really dry…) the fact that I was trying to make them at all, made me think about the ways that blogging has been changing our food culture.
Ten years ago, I was experiencing a bunch of health issues that didn't seem to have any solutions in the realm of traditional medicine. I finally gave in and went to see an MD that was also a naturopath.
The first thing she did was to put me on an extremely limited diet that basically cut out everything I ever ate.
And. It. Was. Hard.
I had no idea what to eat, and I felt like I was completely alone in the process.
"I don't know what to eat! All I ever ate was pasta!" I complained to my doc.
"You can still have pasta. Get rice pasta."
"But I can't have tomatoes!! I have no idea what else to put on pasta!!"
And I didn't. I didn't know what to eat, what to cook, or how to cook it. I didn't know anyone who didn't just eat what they wanted (unless they were on a diet where they were just cutting out calories or fat…)
I started experimenting. I started cooking. I started trying foods I had never even thought of trying before (Salmon! Sweet Potatoes!) I started liking foods that I never thought I would (Salmon! Sweet Potatoes!)
But, through it all, I was pretty much wading through the waters alone.
Fast forward 10 years and blogging has completely changed the landscape. There are thousands of blogs dedicated to special diets. Not only can you find recipes, tips, and advice, but you can find and connect with other people who are going through the same things that you are.
Not only that, but now, instead of having a doctor tell me that I need to change my diet, or explain how to do it, or convince me of why, I read blog posts that make me reconsider how and what I'm eating. I'm challenged, in a good way. I can make informed choices about what I eat and what I feed my children without really even having to try. I interact, I read, I follow. It's fun. It's empowering.
As social media expands, information is spread at lightning speed and, when it comes to food, I think that this is a very good thing!
We can now see that not everyone eats the way our family, or circle of friends, or even, our community eats.
We are introduced to foods we have never heard of. We see real people eating and cooking things that are completely outside of our comfort zones. The first time we see it- it seems exotic, the second time- interesting, the third time- we're curious… and without even realizing it, we are suddenly buying and cooking foods that we never would have imagined. We are introducing our kids to foods that have never even graced our own plates.
We can now see that changing eating habits is possible. We can hear stories over and over again, from many different people about how a change in diet can change your life. Can change your child's life.
Yes, I think this is a good thing. I think that things are changing. I think that bloggers are going to change the world one post at a time :)
Want to see what other people are eating this December? Want to expand your food horizon? Join me in the Instagram #31daysofyum challenge!
I am not a big shopper. I don't like spending money, I never have, it gives me anxiety.
Unless… I'm buying gifts, and unless… I can get a good deal. Because of this, I have always enjoyed Christmas shopping. I love to wander stores at Christmas time. I love the decorations, the music, the goodwill…
I know that there is a dark side to Christmas shopping. I know that sometimes it starts to feel so consumerist. I know that not everyone is in the Christmas spirit. But, when it comes to Christmas shopping, I put on my blinders and, generally, only see the good.
However, the past few years, Christmas shopping has gotten harder… with 4 kids, my opportunities to get out alone to shop are extremely rare, and the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seems to be getting shorter and shorter.
And so, I have begun to embrace online shopping more and more. While the aesthetics are lacking, the excitement of the deal has greatly increased.
In the past, I shunned Black Friday and crazy sales because the intensity, for me, was not worth the "deal." However, online, I can satisfy my inner cheapskate that adores a good deal, without overwhelming the sensibilities of the part of me that wants to savor the process.
I finally feel like I am starting to be a "pro" at online shopping and I do almost all of it on Amazon so, before you start your Cyber Moday shopping, I thought I would share a few things you may not know about shopping on Amazon.
(I am going to start by saying that as a blogger, I am an Amazon associate. This means that if you click on an Amazon link from my site, and then buy something (anything) at Amazon, I will get a small percentage of the sale. So, yes, there is incentive for me to promote Amazon, but it is also, truly, how I do a large percentage of my Chirstmas shopping for the reasons that I will be explaining…)
Never Pay Shipping: I can't stand paying for shipping and I avoid it at all costs. One of my favorite ways to do this is to either spend $35 or more on eligible items, or to use Amazon Prime, buy Prime eligible items and get all of my shipping free, no matter the amount.
Amazon Prime costs $79 a year which may seem a little steep. However, here's the deal: If you join and do a one month free trial, that will get you from here until Christmas with completely free shipping for FREE.
However, if you do choose to join, this also comes with their video streaming which is almost identical (and some would say better) than Netflix, for less than what Netflix costs a year. ($8 x 12= $96.) So, you can ditch Netflix, pick up Amazon Prime, and get free shipping!
I always check Amazon before buying on other sites : Before I buy from anywhere else, I always check Amazon first. This is usually a good way to gauge whether or not I am getting a deal, and I can also check the reviews. They also now have questions and answers. Customers can post questions about the products which are answered by others who owned the item. I have found this very helpful when deciding whether or not it's worth buying something at all.
Earn free gas with gift cards: Most grocery stores that sell gift cards and offer gas points have Amazon gift cards. I know that my grocery store is currently offering $0.20 per gall per hundred dollars spent on gift cards. So, if you buy $100 in gift cards to use at Amazon, and put 20 gallons of gas in your car, you will save an additional $4.00. While this may not sound like much, it adds up and really requires no extra effort.
Swagbucks:I basically discovered Amazon shopping because of Swagbucks.Swagbucks is a search engine (like Google or Bing, but with the bonus of being rewarded for searching.) Instead of using Google, I use Swagbucks to search. Swagbucks then randomly rewards you with Swagbucks which you can save up for rewards. The best bang for you bucks rewards-wise is to use 450 Swagbucks to buy $5 Amazon gift cards.
But, here's the even better part! Now, Swagbucks has a shop and earn feature. Today on Cyber Monday, you can earn 9 Swagbucks per dollar when you shop for toys on Amazon (you can also earn in several other categories, but not all Amazon purchases are eligible for Swagbucks.) Therefore, if you spend $100 on Amazon after following the link from Swagbucks, you will earn 900 swag bucks. This will earn you $10 in Amazon gift cards that you can use on a later purchase (these are not immediately available, however.)
If you don't use Swagbucks, you can support small businesses: How can this be? Amazon has a great Affiliate program which even beginning bloggers can use. That means, that if you follow a link or an ad to Amazon from a blog, that blogger will earn a percentage of the sales (no matter what you buy.)
Recipe for Cyber Monday Shopping:
Step 1: Join Amazon Prime (This is my affiliate link) Write a reminder on your calendar for just short of a month from now to remind yourself to cancel, unless you decide to keep it after Christmas is over.)
Step 2: To maximize savings, buy gas cards at the grocery store… skip this step if you want to shop now.
Step 3: Join Swagbucks (Again, an affiliate link)
Step 4: Search for Amazon on Swagbucks and follow this link for your toy purchases.
(Step 5): If you choose not to use Swagbucks or if you aren't buying Swagbucks eligible items (like technology) Go to a blog of your choice and click on one of their links. ( I can't get the link to work right now, but I have an Amazon Toys ad near the bottom of the lefthand side of my page;) )
Step 6: Search for toys (and other items) on your list and see if you can get a good deal!
Want to see what I found today? Check out the Current Hot Deals in my sidebar!
