15 Ways to Save Money on your Utility Bill

15 Easy Ways to Save Money on Your Utility Bill (she: Kristina)

ByKristina

Hello new friends! This is Kristina from Mother’s Niche and I’m thrilled to be the new Family Contributor here at “Or so she says…” A little about me: I live in Utah with my husband and two adorable little girls. I come from a family of 8 kids originally, but after my mother’s “happily ever after” received some major bumps in the road, she re-married to a man with 7 kids. Did you read that right? Yes, I am now one of FIFTEEN kids. Try and swallow that one! The blend of families has been a great one though and I love each and every one of my siblings. Having a love for family life, I received my degree in Marriage and Family studies and currently blog about motherhood, traditions, and provide printables and projects to make your life as a mother easier!

Moving on…

I’m here to save you money today!

lego party
| | |

Lego Party Favor Bags (she: Jessica)

ByJessica

Hi, my name is Jessica. I’m so excited to be here as the newest craft contributor! I blog over at Cutesy Crafts where I show off all of the fun things that I make for my kids and my home.

Recently, my son had his 6th birthday party. I always like to make some sort of handmade party favor. Last year, the theme was superheroes. His theme of choice this year? Legos! Seriously, that boy would sit and build Legos all day if I let him! I thought it would be fun for each of the boys at the party to draw a face on their own Lego party favor bag. They turned out so cute!

I bought some cute little 5 1/2 inch tote bags at the craft store and stenciled each bag with a Lego head. I made these stencils using vinyl, but you can also use the freezer paper method. Download the Lego head template here and just cut it out with scissors. Center the stencils on the bags and paint with a matte fabric paint. For the best results, start on the stencil and paint in toward the center. This prevents paint from being pushed under the stencils.

First Day of School T-Shirt Tradition (she: Jeanie)
| | |

First Day of School T-Shirt Tradition (she: Jeanie)

Byjeanie

Today is a BIG day in the Create & Babble family! My first and only grandchild (“only” until February!) starts Kindergarten today! Yes, today is Jordan’s first day of school. I’ve been wracking my crafty brain to come up with an original photo idea for his big day. There a a lot of great ideas…

10 Great Homeschool and Educational Ideas (& Link Party!)
|

10 Great Homeschool and Educational Ideas (& Link Party!)

ByMariel

Hello, weekend!  Last weekend I shared 10 Great Back to School Ideas, and since we still all have school on our mind, I thought this week I would share 10 Great Homeschooling and Educational Ideas!  This is a round-up of some of my favorite posts on ‘Or so she says…’ all about fun ways to…

Win an iMac & San Diego Vacation! (Back-to-School Giveaway!)

Win an iMac & San Diego Vacation! (Back-to-School Giveaway!)

ByMariel

Hello, super cool giveaway. That’s all I have to say. Okay, well actually I have to tell you about these rad prizes. Quite possibly the raddest I’ve ever offered! Check it out…

The iMac: 21 .5-inch: 2.7GHz iMac with 2.7GHz quad-core, Intel Core i5 Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz, 8GB (two 4GB) memory, 1TB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M with 512MB

San Diego Vacation: Get Away Today is offering a 2 night San Diego hotel stay, and 2 adult tickets of the winner’s choice to SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, or the safari park. If they book the package in October, kids are free! This package is valued at $500-600 dollars. The package is subject to availability and must be used by October 2014.

The chance to win is probably worth following some super talented ladies on Pinterest, who pin awesome stuff anyway, right?? I’ll say.

Cookie Butter Pretzel Dip (she: Cathy)
|

Cookie Butter Pretzel Dip (she: Cathy)

Bycathy

Hello, Or So She Says readers!! It’s Cathy from Lemon Tree Dwelling, back with another fun recipe to share with you. This time, I’m using Cookie Butter! Anyone who has ever tasted Cookie Butter can tell you just how amazing it really is….so amazing that, once you’ve had it, you can’t stop thinking about it! Which leads you to do things like eat it by the spoonful straight from the jar, and tell everyone you know about it, and come up with as many different ways as you can to use it (mostly because eating it straight from the jar only feels acceptable for so long….)

Well, with the start of the school year rapidly approaching, I thought it might be time for me to start dreaming up some Cookie Butter after-school snacks. I have two kiddos in school this year – one starting kindergarten and another starting second grade, and both of them LOVE Cookie Butter!

snickerdoodle granola bars
|

Snickerdoodle Granola Bar Recipe (she: Tanna)

ByTanna

Hello again!  I’m Tanna from The Hub of our Home.  I’m so excited to be back here at ‘Or so she says…’ sharing another recipe with you today, Snickerdoodle Granola Bars.  These granola bar recipe is amazing!  They have all the flavors of a great snickerdoodle cookie, but in a chewy granola bar form. My kids aren’t…

October is Kids Free Month in San Diego! (she: Kimberly)
|

October is Kids Free Month in San Diego! (she: Kimberly)

ByKimberly w/Get Away Today

San Diego is one of my all-time favorite vacation destinations with so much to offer year round. I normally visit at least once a year and have visited San Diego during each of the four seasons. I honestly don’t know that there’s a “best” time of year to visit if you’re looking at weather, crowds and seasonal events, BUT if you have kids, I have a secret that will probably affect when you decide to vacation in San Diego. OK, it’s not necessarily my secret. I would say it’s San Diego’s Best Kept Secret… Each October the best San Diego attractions join forces and offer free admission for kids – ALL MONTH LONG! When you consider your kids get in to most attractions free and your school aged kids have a Fall Break scheduled, October seems like the perfect time for a San Diego vacation.

Each of the top attractions have different rules and ages, so here’s what you need to know:

‘Sweet Treat Hunt”, Fun Way to Cheer Up Kids ~ Giveaway Too! (she: Veronica)
|

‘Sweet Treat Hunt”, Fun Way to Cheer Up Kids ~ Giveaway Too! (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello my friends!! Many of you are getting ready to start school, but here in Tennessee, school has been in session for two weeks. I know – CRAZY! So for us, the fun has begun. I think starting school is a mixed bag for most kids. It never seems to be the easiest transition for everyone. Some of my kids have not had the best beginning and have struggled for different reasons. Not everything has been school related. Some of it is just normal icky things that life throws your way. But a struggle is still a struggle. Needless to say, it’s been a tough couple of weeks. Watching them struggle has reminded me of the challenge of being a mom.

One of the hardest things about being a mom is knowing that we can’t fix EVERYTHING. We have to watch our kids face challenges, we see them struggle to make sense of things, we see their heartaches, and there’s only so much we can do. But, the key is that there ARE some things we can do.

Bosch Mixer & $100 Gift Cards Giveaway ~ Ruthie’s Birthday Bash!

Bosch Mixer & $100 Gift Cards Giveaway ~ Ruthie’s Birthday Bash!

ByMariel

Today is Whats Cooking with Ruthie’s 2nd Birthday! Nutrimill Bosch and some of your favorite bloggers have come together to make it an extra BIG party! We are celebrating in true blogger style with a huge giveaway- check out these awesome prizes…

Grand Prize: Bosch Universal Plus Mixer with Cookie Paddles, Blender, and Slicer Shredder additional attachments PLUS a $50.00 visa gift card to help start you baking right away!
Runner ups: 3 additional winners will each get a $100.00 gift card to one store of their choice William Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, or Target
PLUS all the winners will receive a copy of Whats Cooking with Ruthie Family Favorites Cookbook ebook that is set to release this week. Whooot-hoot!

Come on in to enter!!

10 Great Back to School Ideas (& Link Party!)

10 Great Back to School Ideas (& Link Party!)

ByMariel

Hello, weekend. How about 10 great Back to School ideas from ‘Or so she says…’?!? I say, ‘yes.’ Check them out… you’ll find printables, crafts, lunch box ideas, educational fun, and thoughts on bullying. Some good stuff! When you’re done, be sure to link up YOUR great ideas below. I love to see what y’all come up with and find fun new things to share on Pinterest! As a bonus, everything you link up will also be featured on two other really big blogs!

Apple Pie Enchiladas by www.whatscookingwithruthie.com
|

Apple Pie Enchiladas (she: Ruthie)

Byruthie

Hi all my friends at Or so she says, it’s Ruthie from Whats Cooking with Ruthie and I’m so happy to be back to share a quick and easy dessert recipe with you all this month, Apple Pie Enchiladas! Can you all believe how fast the summer is flying by? My kids start back to school next week and I can hardly believe it! So, with fall coming right around the corner, I thought it’d be fun to share some delicious Apple Pie Enchiladas!

* Click ‘Full Article’ to read the rest of the post and print off Ruthie’s delicious recipe!