This page is a shout-out to products, ideas, and services I’ve loved and used for at least 3 years. None of that love-at-first-sight stuff that doesn’t stand the test of real life.
Some links are affiliate links, which means I may receive compensation (and support my blogging habit) at no extra cost to you.
A 10 Year Journal
I keep a 10 year journal and have for 8 years now. I’m sure you can buy one somewhere, but mine is just a document on my computer and phone that I write in (almost) daily. The twist is that I’m writing under the heading for today’s date, followed by the current year. So I’m always seeing previous years’ entries for that same day.
It is a game-changer for a mom who experiences long days and lightning-fast years. I was never a journaler until I promised myself I only had to write 1 sentence each day. I often write more, but only if I want to! And what I’ve captured is truly priceless for me and my kids.
Here’s what I have under May 8th:
2019 -True story: I thought I was watching Caitlyn diligently complete her math, intent on writing the answers on the page. Then she announced with firm resolve, “I’m going to invent a new number.” She had been designing it and naming it when I thought she was doing multi-digit multiplication. The best was the name. “Exodus.” “Maybe ‘x’ for short. Nope. ‘Dus.’”
YNAB
You Need a Budget! This is one of the very few subscription services I pay for. It’s saved me so much money over the years because it add intentionality to spending, but it also tracks things I’m awaiting reimbursement for, can get tax credits for, etc. It’s intuitive, motivating, and time-saving for me. Since I manage our family’s finances and file our taxes myself, using YNAB helps me keep Scott in the loop with very visual representations of progress. It has massively improved our effectiveness at meeting our long-term financial goals. They have a free 34 day trial, and the onboarding process is friendly and simple if you want to give it a spin.
CamelCamelCamel
Camelcamelcamel is free (no signup!) and very worth checking before you purchase anything on Amazon. It simply tells you the price history of the thing you’re interested in. Often there are significant variations on price, and if you set an alert you’ll be notified if the price drops to a level you’re willing to pay. This frequently saves us $5-$10 per item, which has added up to $100s over the years. If I was going to buy a Kindle Paperwhite, for instance, I’d plug in the Amazon link to camelcamelcamel and it would pull up the recent prices. It looks like if I’m willing to wait a few weeks, there’s a good chance the price will drop $30+!
Related: I always check the “Other used/new” link on the Amazon product page to see if the item is available for less. Frequently, just agreeing to damaged packaging or a small cosmetic imperfection will save me >$10. Here’s how I saved $30 on my pressure cooker:
I can’t officially recommend that pressure cooker because I’ve only had it a year. (My previous one was run into by a tricycle traveling at high speed. Long story.)
Related: When I’m comparing products on Amazon, I plug them into fakespot.com (no signup!) to see if the reviews are legit.
Rakuten
Right before I purchase things online (with the exception of Amazon, since they rarely have deals there), I take the extra minute to go to Rakuten.com . They frequently offer cashback for any purchase you make when you click from their site. As of May 2020, they’ve sent me checks for over $700, and that’s for just buying what I was going to buy anyway. My referral link gets you an extra $10 if you try it.
Children’s Reference Books
This Encyclopedia of Animals has seen 100s of hours of use by my kids over the years! Just last week, my boy enlisted various species in two opposing armies and made extensive battle plans.
Related: We picked up a full set of World Book Encyclopedias for free on craigslist.org, and there were also many reasonably priced (<$20) sets listed at the same time. If you’ve got curious kids, they may just devour these. Our kids are frequently flipping through them and bringing interesting tidbits to share to the dinner table.
Air-traffic Controller Headphones
I initially thought my friend, a father of many children, was joking when we recommended these, but I have praised his name for that recommendation many times since.
Have a headache? Have an overwhelmingly loud child? Want or need to stay “in the thick of things” but just need to turn the volume down a good bit? Try getting some stylish safety ear muffs. (Plus we use these to mow the lawn, to give to the distractible kid to use while doing schoolwork, etc. They get near daily use around here.)
Simple Timer
Never underestimate the power of a timer. Yes, I have one on my phone, but phones bring their own distractions and I don’t like leaving my phone with my kids. I have a half dozen simple timers kicking around and I use them to “beat the clock” when we have a job to do that we don’t love, to have my kids work hard for a short burst of time, or to remember to change the laundry, etc.
Related: I use a wristwatch as well. Needing to have my phone on me and open it up to check the time is counter-productive for my productivity and my desires to connect with my peeps.
The Only Picture Hangers We Use Anymore
Beehive Picture Hangers are one of those genius products you can’t believe isn’t more widely known. They make the process of hanging pictures practically painless, and even better… it’s super easy to change out pictures, switch frames around and re-hang. We have artwork all over the house (including a picture of Christ in each of the bedrooms) that we move around to keep things fresh.
Ending the Night with “Three Goods or a Golden”
Bedtime is a bit tricky sometimes, because I’m usually wiped out. Surprisingly, despite having spent all day together, my kids are still wanting my company. I’ve found that sharing with each other either 3 good things that were part of that day or one golden moment (shared in detail), gives a little structure and an end point to our nightly chats. I don’t do this every night with every kid, but with enough regularity that they ask for it and often are thinking of what they want to share. That is a major added bonus because it curbs complaining and helps them look for the good.
