My Financial Time-Saver

If your a mom who handles the bills, this "say it ain't so" recession might be making you go a little crazy. How I bring down the stress-o-meter is to know where our money is going. Enter Mint.com my financial saviour. After the initial big leap of faith of entering your financial information, mint.com will categorize all your purchases, show your cash vs. debt analysis, and set and monitor budgets. You can check your budgets on your cell too, which makes keeping a tight lid on unwanted purchases easy.

B2S Shopping Begins!

It's the middle of July and I've already started my back to school shopping! The first purchase is for my tween, who is definitely a rockstar not a diva. I purchased this Hollister messenger bag from Hollister.com for $15.90! What a great deal. Hopefully this bag can take the weight of all of her textbooks.

Tea with a Diva

Like many Divas, I tend to not do any research because I know someone else will do it and tell me all I need to know. This weekend was no exception. I knew where I was going, what time I had to be there, and who was coming with me.

As we graced the steps of this fabulous mansion in Washington, D.C., I new I was headed for a treat when I received a visitor badge that read: "I'm Fabulous! Hillwood Museum". Finally, a place after my own heart!

My friends and I decided to first have tea. I thought we would have tea in a tranquil, beautiful place. Unfortunately, it was the complete opposite. The "cafe" was tight and as a result loud. Umph, maybe that was just us!

The tea presentation was o.k. Not fabulous, however, like my button would have me believe. But luckily the tour of the mansion grounds made up for it!

Thankfully, I was provided with the audio tour earphones or else I would have missed this wonderful opportunity to learn about a 1930's Diva. The Hillwood Museum was one of the residences where Marjorie Merriweather Post lived. Just a little background... She was the sole heir to the Post cereal fortune (courtesy of her dad) and was also married to E.F. Hutton. Remember when "E.F. Hutton talks, people listen"? Yeah, that's him!

Ms. Merriweather-Post collected various Russian art, Sevres porcelain, and other French artworks. In addition to her artwork, there is a fabulous rose and Japanese-style garden. As part of her will, Ms. Merriweather-Post bequeath her estate to be turned into a museum.

For anyone visiting the Washington, D.C. area, I would highly suggest visiting this museum.

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My Head Keeps Spinning....

I stopped working over 2 years ago and I feel as though I'm more busy now than before! Does anyone else feel this way? As a teacher for over 4 years and a mom of two (at the time), life was chaotic but manageable. Like most teachers, I brought work home which made it difficult to concentrate on my kids and their homework and activities. Often I brought papers to grade while at karate or swimming but everything got done with no enormous pressure on me. But now, whoa! I am a stay-at-home working mom with a new baby boy (7 months) and I literally feel like my head is spinning. During the day I try to keep up with the laundry, the groceries, and the dishes but fail miserably. My lil' one (we'll call him lil' rock), is just now getting the hang of keeping his food down (that's a whole other blog) and is just now finding his groove with eating, napping, and playing. Now that he's in a happy place, I am trying to focus more on my business but since it's coming in third, it's hard to find the energy to promote my dream.

Is it the 3 kids which makes life so hectic, my dabble in my own business, or my desire to be the "good mom & wife" who has dinner ready, dishes clean, and laundry folded? Perhaps, it's trying to do all three. What's the solution? Cut the kid activities? Drop the business? Give up on the image of the "perfect home"? That seems like the best solution but only if everyone else does.

Share your thoughts and suggestions for managing your family and career.

Summer Fun

With school ending in the next couple of weeks, parents are eagerly looking for fun places to take the kids.

Here are my top 5 Sites For Summer in the Maryland & D.C. and best of all they are all FREE:

1) Visit on of the many Smithsonian sites for an awesome adventure. One of the great things about living in the DMV is being able to visit one of the many muesums that are part of the Smithsonian. Some top kid attractions are the Zoo, the Air & Space Muesum, and the Natural History Muesum.

2) Every loves a free concert and Gaithersburg and Rockville have some of the best! Here are my top picks for both cities:
Gaithersburg's Monday & Thursday Morning children's Series at the City Hall concert Pavilion at 10:30 A.M.

June 26 - Dixie Power Trio

June 30 - RTT (Rock-n-Roll concert for the kids)

July 7 - Girl Authority

July 28 - Mariachi Band Children's Concert

Rockville Town Square's Kids Day is Tuesday. Kids will enjoy performances and activities between 6PM and 8PM. Kids eat free in most restaurants in the Town Square , check the Rockville Town Square for more information.

3) Rockville Town Square also offers free movies on the square. Showtimes are Saturday starting at 8:30PM. Get there early to pick a perfect spot and then enjoy your favorite movie under the stars.

4) If you're looking to add some culture and art to your kids life, check out the National Portrait Gallery exhibition - RECOGNIZE! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture. The exhibition runs until October 26, 2008 and focuses on Hip Hop's influence in film, graffiti, paintings, and photograhy.

5) Visit the U.S. Botanical Gardens in Washington, D.C. Even though it's not part of the Smithsonian, it's still FREE. Kids will enjoy the indoor Rain Forest, the Butterfly Garden, and the Conservatory Entrance (so special, I don't want to ruin it!!!)

What's It Rated?

As we welcome summer, I plan to institute a new rating system for items I review. Products, concerts, books, etc. will, of course, be rated on a HOTNESS level. So here we go...

5 Guitars = Rockstar




4 Guitars = Rising Star



3 Guitars = Local Artist




2 Guitars = Garage Band



1 Guitar = Karaoke