and i'm live

Well, I just moved all of my blogs over from my blogger page and I'm live right here: scroungingmomma.com!  AH! 

I am currently looking at about 50 post-it notes that I scribbled blog post ideas on. I can't seem to stop my mind. It's EXPLODING with creativity and excitement. The future is so bright, my friends. 

I told you I am committed to blogging daily. Blogs are not written and posted in an hour. They take a lot of work and recourses. Research is necessary! My picture game will be upped a lot.  Perfection will be strived for with every post.  That being said, my daily posts will start Monday, August 31st. 

Please subscibe to my blog in the mean time to stay up to date! Thank you for supporting me every step of the way. The encouragement & kind words are taken to heart. I am greatful for the blessings in my life and for the opportunities ahead of me! 

here's to the future

Over the past few months I have inconsistently been blogging about whatever felt right. My topics are all over the place because there is so much I want to say and share. I recently had a discussion with my husband, Harry, about our future. I told him my number one goal was to work at home, full time, indefinitely. He then asked me the question I avoid at all costs. "Well, what do you want to do to make money from home?" I make money from home now, but the things that I do are not exactly paving my career path.

You may have read my post "Narrow It Down" where I discussed all these crazy ideas that I have. Since that post I have added and subtracted more things than I can count. My brain is wild. I feel like the number one reason that I struggle to "narrow it down" is fear! Fear of rejection and fear of failure due to lack of confidence! I am working on that confidence thing and making a decision. 

I have committed myself to YOU!  Here, is where I feel I belong. So, this morning I started my research.  I was reading up on blogging success and methods of blogging. A lot of them are one topic blogs. I don't want to be like that. Moms have more than one job! Heck we have more than 10, but I won't get into that right now. I also read that consistency is important and blogs should be posted daily. Yikes! Okay, well I have a solution and an answer to my concerns above. 

I have made a commitment to blog every day (Monday through Friday). Every day of the week represents a different topic that I KNOW (from experience) Moms will benefit from. So, without further ado... here is the future of the Scrounging Momma.

Homemaking Monday
Being a stay at home mom is the hardest job I have ever had.  The pay is crap and the labor is hard both mentally and physically.  I want to talk about organizing, schedules, and stuff we can do to keep us sane and our kids happy. 

Real Talk Tuesday
The Scrounging Momma was started to talk about my journey as a stay at home mom. I still want to talk about my journey.  I want to keep things personal & real. 

Work It Wednesday
You know all of those "mom & baby" work outs? Yeah, on Wednesdays we will talk about those.  Running late is my usual cardio so this should be interesting.

Thriving Thursday
Doesn't everyone want to work from home? Most moms either want to be home, but can't afford to eliminate their income completely. Or, they are already home, but would like more of an income. Thursday I will talk about ways to save money and ways to make money from your couch! 

Foodie Friday
This will be my favorite day of the week! I love food and sharing it with those I love. Recipes, health tips and kitchen tricks, will all be shared on Fridays.

I am very excited for the future of The Scrounging Momma! Not only will I be blogging daily, but I am working on a new look and a new website! This all can't be accomplished over night so stand by for my new launch date.

To get a sneak peak of the new look and updates you can "like" me on Facebook!  

setting the record straight

As you know I am a big advocate of breastfeeding.  I had the opportunity to speak with a local news paper for National Breast-Feeding Awareness Month.  The first thing I said to my husband was "I can't wait to blog about it!"  So here it is!: South Jersey moms promote breastfeeding from the start. 

I was so excited to tell my story about nursing my son because I, like many other moms, experienced pain and difficulties in the beginning of my journey.  Breastfeeding isn't easy!  The article was posted online prior to being ran in the paper.  As you see in the link above it was titled  South Jersey moms promote breastfeeding from the start. I was shocked when I saw it run in the papers because it was titled "Shunning the Bottle."  


First, if I had known that it was titled as such I would have never agreed to speak with anyone because I don't shun the bottle! In fact, my son has had multiple bottles because before I was a work at home mom, I was a full-time banker and I had to pump at work and my son had bottles.

Secondly, half of my words were taken out of context. The reporter asked me if there was anything else I'd like to add before the interview ended. I said, yes! I'd like to add that just because I openly discuss and support breastfeeding doesn't mean that I put down those who decide on different feeding methods.  I'm happy to see moms caring for their children, and just because a baby receives formula and a bottle doesn't mean that they are doing something wrong.

I'd like to share with you WHY I discuss breastfeeding openly. I share because I didn't have it easy. It wasn't that I just had thrush and it sucked. That was one of the easier issues I experienced.  In the beginning, Harry would feed every other hour. Do you have any idea how exhausting that is? No I couldn't have anyone else feed him so I could sleep a little longer because if I did I would've woken up in terrible pain. My son had a small pallet, so even when he was latched correctly he made my toes curl.  I had an over supply, so even when I finished feeding my newborn baby FINALLY fell asleep, I had to stay up and pump or else I put myself at risk for infection and set myself up for a lot of pain.  My son literally, chewed (without teeth) part of my nipple off.

So, I choose to talk about breastfeeding because I want to cheer those moms on that decide that they want to do it! I will not apologize to anyone for feeding my son in public, and I will not apologize for discussing my greatest accomplishment. I will also not stand for seeing any mom put down in any way for how they decide to feed their children. 

sad & blue with nothing to do?

Lately I have been feeling a little down in the dumps.  I was getting jealous of my husband for showering without rushing, being able to leave the house without packing up 3 bags & a baby, and even because he "got to go to work"! I sat down with my husband and explained to him how hard it is, mentally, to be home all day. I realized that there were days when I didn't do anything except try to make my son happy.  My husband made me realize that I need to sometimes put the baby down and do what I need to do. So, that has been my goal over the past week. I have been letting my son cry it out- lord help me because it breaks my heart- while I did something that made me feel good.  At first I thought to myself what on Earth can I do when I have no money.  I am sure a lot of SAHM have this same dilemma so I complied a list of things to do that cost basically nothing!

• Clean something: I am not talking about the normal things we have to clean like the dishes and bathrooms. Clean something that will make think "ahh I am so glad I did that!" This week I cleaned my car, my son's stroller, and my entire living room (the fun part is that I rearranged my furniture). 

• Clean out that refrigerator & pantry: I don't mean with a sponge and I don't mean throw away old food! I mean what do you have in there that you can make something special & different. I had a ton of jalapeños in my refrigerator so I made pickled jalapeños and jalapeño hot sauce. I also had some leftover strawberries, cream cheese & heavy whipping cream so I made vanilla cupcakes with whipped strawberry cream cheese frosting.  You don't have to be creative to do this either! Take a look at what you have and google your ingredients with the word "recipe" after it. 9 times out of 10 you'll get an interesting recipe what will not only occupy your brain, but it'll get rid of the ingredients in your refrigerator that may have been thrown away. 

• Polish your piggies- Who doesn't have a bottle of nail polish sitting around? Self pampering can feel just as refreshing as spending a day at the spa. Currently I have pink toes. :)

• Pick a new book: Well, you're probably thinking that books cost money. Here's a secret... go to BookBub and signup RIGT NOW.  It takes 2 minutes and you totally won't regret.  They send you an email of book deals that may interest you based on what you tell them when you sign up.  I usually get a free book downloaded to my kindle app everyday. It's awesome and I feel like getting lost in a book is the best way to relax & unwind. Don't have a kindle? Download their free app to your iPhone, iPad, or phone and read your ebooks on there! 

• Pickup that camera: About a week before I left my job I begged my husband for a fancy camera.  I have always had an interest in photography and I felt like I needed a hobby. It's a great hobby to have because there is always something/ someone (like our little cuties) to take a picture of.  I spent good portion of the day taking picture of my four legged babies and my little man. What I love about taking pictures is that I really see how much better I get each time I use my camera. I also love to learn techniques and new ways to use my camera. I do a lot of photography research! 

• Take a coffee break- There is something about a sweet little cup of tea or coffee that makes me feel warm & happy. It doesn't even have to be hot! I have been making homemade frappuccinos with leftover cold coffee. Drinking them is one story, enjoying them is another! I made it a mission to enjoy them this week.  

• Get outside: Yeah, yeah, yeah... I am sure that you've heard this 100 times, but sometimes just going outside to water my plants and tend to my chickens makes me feel awesome. Walks are great too, especially because it helps get little ones to sleep.  

• Write! You don't need to write anything fancy or even anything that anyone will ever see.  I find when I have a lot on my mind, writing it out makes me feel better. It's like someone is listening and not judging me or trying to lessen my burdens. (Yes, I know others have it worse, but it doesn't make my troubles any less heavy in my heart!)

The hardest part of all of this was letting my son cry it out. It isn't easy, but sometimes our mental stability is more important.  If were not happy it's hard to enjoy our children.  

What do you like to do with your spare time? I'd love to hear from you! 

girl look at that body

This is the picture I posted of myself this past weekend. I didn't post it for praise, to boost my confidence, to get attention or any of the vain reasons that may have been perceived.  

I woke up that morning to go fishing with my husband and for the first time in years I wasn’t ashamed of my body, which is hysterical because of how much my body changed after having a baby.

Let’s be honest… once you have a child you will never be the same, neither mentally nor physically.   Regardless of what I look like now, or before, this day, I woke up, threw a bikini on and smiled. Not because I believed I looked awesome and liked the way I look, but I liked why I look the way I do. I lost my pregnancy weight because I solely breastfeed; if you want to drop the lbs. quickly and safely that’s the secret. However, don't expect it to be as easy as that. Breastfeeding is like a full-time job and I worked extremely hard (and long, late night hours) to get where I am today. I can honestly say it is one of my greatest accomplishments and I am very proud of myself. My son has not had one ounce of formula and he is almost 7 months old. Let me clear the air now- I have nothing against formula or moms who don't breastfeed! I think we are all awesome and sometimes formula feeding is what is best for children! 

Now, weight was never my concern it was those darn stretch marks that had me wanting to wear a parka.  I have been beating myself up about the marks I gained from my pregnancy. I believe it is my fault because I was almost 200 lbs. the day before I had my son. One too many Oreos with peanut butter! So, when I put on a two piece and didn’t cringe it’s because I realized that they were tiger stripes. Do you moms have any idea how awesome we are? I mean HELLO! We created HUMANS! That’s pretty freaking awesome and I am PROUD of my battle scars.

Moms, please don’t hate your mommy bodies. In fact, I’d be pretty upset to hear if you do, because we created a miracle while with these bodies.  Hating our mommy bodies would be like hating what sunshine and rain does to plants; they both create beautiful fruits and why should we hate the fruit of our loins? At the end of the day my son was worth every pound and every mark I gained. 

So, why did I post this picture? I posted it to show my flaws and show that I am no longer ashamed of them! 

get it together

My child has been sleeping for the last TWO hours, which rarely happens. As soon as I slid him off my arm and carefully shut his bedroom door behind me, I ran to my computer to work on a task I have been so excited to tackle.

Since I had my son I have struggled to find an organization method that has worked for me. I tell my husband all the time that I need a desk so I can leave my papers out and they're not forgotten. Yet, here I am typing away at my kitchen table, haha! Kidding! 

I have slowly been working on organizing my life in my head. I realized that there are three things that need to happen so that I can stay on top of my life and all I have to do.

#1  I need something to motivate me/remind me to look at all the tasks I have written down.
#2 I need a command center or something similar because all things need to be in once place and easily accessible.  I don't want a gigantic filing cabinet with a desk and all of that fancy stuff in our spare bedroom. Reason being is I will not go in there, I never go in there because it's full of stuff I don't want to see.

Hold that thought... of course he's awake! I am really am excited to see him, but darn it I was just getting into the good stuff! :)

Okay he's in his bouncer so I have a little bit of time before he gets board and screams his head off.

#3 I need things to slap me in the face. I can get organized very easily, but staying on top of the process is the hard part.

Here is how I plan to tackle those three goals:
My Motivator: My husband always asks me "What did you do today?" He doesn't mean it as in, what the hell did you do all day, but he's actually curious. I got tired of not being able to answer him so I started keeping a journal. I tally how many times I've changed our son, write down the times I fed him, when he naps, household chores I accomplished and anything else I did throughout the day, even if it says watched TV! This is my number one motivator. I don't enjoy doing nothing and this helps me realize when I need to do something productive and when I have a super successful day. It's fantastic.

One Place & Easily Accessible- CHECK: Okay binders are my best friend now; I use them for everything. I have created a mobile command center with a binder that will keep everything together. The best part is that it's all portable so I can take it wherever I wish! I will break down the details on my binder when I really put it to the test and tweak it as needed. To sum it up, it tracks my spending, income, bills, to do lists, leads and notes for my businesses, meal planning and goal tracking.

A Slap to the Face: Consistency. I have determined a plan to make me more consistent. I put my binder next to my bed with all the tools I will need. Every night I will look at my calendar and binder and determine what needs to be done the next day. The best part is, guess what's staring at me when I wake up. You got it! My binder again, slapping me right in the face.

Can you see my OCD shining through this post! Details and updates are to come! I think I will even include FREE worksheets!

special request

If you don't know me then you most likely do not know that I love my Nutribullet. I usually use it for healthy meals on the go, but sometimes for sweet treats & pick me ups.

A friend of mine just got a Nutribullet and asked me to blog about my favorite recipes, so here we go!

This is the one that got me HOOKED! If you're not sure about drinking veggies then you want to start here.  This tastes good and is super healthy.
-1 part strawberry
-1 part pineapple
-1 part spinach (you can substitute kale, but it's a bit stronger)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
-fill to liquid line with coconut water
*blend to perfection!

Citrus Goodness
-1 small clementine
-1/3 cup pineapple (with juice)
- handful of kale
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- fill to liquid line with coconut water
*blend it up!

Berry Boom
- 1 part broccoli
- 2 parts berries of your choice
- 1 part cucumber
- fill to liquid line with water
* blend until smooth!

Super Green & Super Good
- 1 part green apple
- 1 part kale or spinach
- 1 part cucumber
- fill to liquid line with OJ
* blend blend blend!

Need Caffeine? This is my new favorite 
- fill cup just below the liquid line with ice
- 8 oz. strongly brewed coffee
- 1/3 cup chocolate syrup
- fill rest of the way with milk of your choice (coconut, cow, almond)
- add some sugar/ sweetener
* blend to Frappuccino consistency!

A Sweet Treat
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
- 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
- 1 tablespoon peanutbutter
- add the desired amount of milk
* blend and you have a milkshake!

There is SO much you can do with a Nutribullet! I don't always have coconut water so sometimes I use other waters or juice (or both). I just use what I have. I don't always love the taste, but I just drink it anyways. I am getting amazing amounts of nutrients from one drink and I feel guilt free when I enjoy that donut later!