Mama Knows Best

Archive for the ‘Hobbies’ Category

Exploring my options.

May 8th, 2012

Jessica

Not knowing what you want to be when you “grow up” is kind of frustrating, especially when you are on the verge of thirty years old. Before I had children, I knew exactly what I wanted to be. There were no questions or second thoughts. After children, I am stuck on wanting to be a stay-at-home mom. Not even in my wildest dreams would I have pictured my self being in this very spot ten-fifteen years ago.

Knowing that I will be a stay-at-home mom again soon, I have found myself wanting to explore various paths. Do I finish school and start a career in a few short years or do I pick up hobbies that could potentially generate income? Oh, the possibilities are endless.

Something I always found interesting was welding. I am not talking about making giant tanks or cylinders, but rather art. Throw on a pair of tillman gloves and go. I have seen some amazing pieces of metal artwork and it would be awesome to be able to do that with my own two hands.
I would love to design and sell my own clothing, too. Nothing too fancy, but how cool would it be to see people wearing your designs?
Elementary education has been on the back of my mind a lot lately, too. I’m not sure I would want to teach anything other than K – 2nd grade. Who knows?

As I said, there are so many possibilities. For the next two or three years though, I will be staying right here with my babies. I will take my time figuring out what I want to do so that this time, I can do it right.

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Got a secret.. Can you keep it?

May 5th, 2012

Jessica

For those of you who have not heard, I will be leaving my job at the end of this month to stay home with my children. It was not an easy decision to go from a two income household back down to a one income household, but we have figured out how to make it work for us.

Once I finish tying up some projects around the house and getting readjusted to being home, I will be looking into opening a daycare. I am not sure if I want to do all three shifts or just pick one or two of them, but I have a little time left to figure it all out.

During my adjustment period, I will also diving into crafting a little bit more. Here is the portion of my bucket list of the things I am hoping to learn before summer’s end:

Sewing
Making hair accessories
Knitting and/or crocheting
Screen printing shirts
Learning to become more frugal

I know it is not the most “impressive” list to say the least, but they are things I am very much interested in learning. Who knows, maybe someday I will actually be able to live out my dreams of owning my own boutique.

Want to learn more? Start googling ideas to add to your bucket list or making a list of things you want to learn before the summer is over. Leave a comment here, sharing your ideas with me. I’m always up for learning something new and maybe, just maybe y’all have some ideas I have not yet thought up!

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The many things I’ve learned.

May 1st, 2012

Jessica

It may not be an important message regarding life or what I would do in certain situations, but things I’ve learned about flipping homes without breaking the bank and what will bring in the biggest bang for your buck. My family is very much into home renovations, beautifying older homes and then re-selling them at later dates. With the exception of my father, who absolutely dreads older homes and all the unknown aspects of them.

On Monday morning, I had the same ‘ol appraiser come to my house as my family has had in the past. He knows our family and our work. He is the one who taught us about getting the biggest bang for our buck and with that, we’ve learned a lot and taken it with us on each and every single house we have owned.

As he wrapped up the inside portion of my appraisal, he complimented me on all the work, upgrades and craftsmanship that has gone into the house thus far. Everything we have done on the inside has improved our home’s value by the thousands. A word that is always good to hear when you’re into the flipping game.

Here are a few things I have learned about upgrading an older home:

Replacing plaster walls with drywall may not always be cost effective. You have to weigh out the pro’s and con’s, as well as pricing out the drywall and installation. If you have no clue about dry walling, I recommend hiring someone to do the job. A half-assed drywall job could lead to a disaster down the road. In the case of my house, I chose to put knock down on the walls rather than put up new drywall. It saved me over a thousand dollars in the installation fee and disposal fee for the plaster/lathe.
A good, deep cleaning and a new coat of paint can make the world of difference.
You have to know when to call in a professional and when it’s okay to do it yourself. Or if you’re fortunate, like myself, you have a talented group of family members and friends who know a thing or two about home improvement.
One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Shop around at surplus warehouses, resale stores or Craigslist. My kitchen cabinets came from Craigslist, from a man in Detroit. The cabinets are in excellent condition and the $1600 I paid for them saved me over $5000 purchasing them brand new. It’s amazing what kind of deals you can find, if you have the patience.
If you have a beautifully sided home, don’t plop down a metal building on the land, unless of course you are a farmer. Mismatched building finishes can actually lower your value. Not by a lot, but if you’re looking to flip houses for profit, every little bit helps.
Lastly, I don’t recommend purchasing a home in a less than favorable neighborhood. Unless of course, you can afford to purchase a few of them at a time. If the neighborhood is less than desirable, the chances for re-sale are lower. People want to live in clean, friendly neighborhoods, not the ghetto.

Posted in Hobbies, Home & Garden

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Sam’s Club and P&G Baby Essentials $10 Gift Card Offer and $25 Gift Card Giveaway

February 17th, 2012

Jessica

When my children were younger, I remember making a trip to Sam’s Club to purchase formula, diaper and wipes for them (along with bulk packages of other household goods). I could save a bundle of money shopping this way and who doesn’t love to save money? I still make monthly trips to Sam’s Club to purchase my daughter’s pull-ups, but also diapers and wipes for my nephew (whom I love and adore to pieces).

Don´t miss out on precious moments by wasting hours at the grocery store and fussing over budgets. Discover an easy way to save on baby essentials from P&G by buying them in bulk at Sam´s Club® this February! Purchase all the basics for baby at your local Sam´s Club store to save time and money with this limited-time $10 Gift Card offer.

Stock up on P&G products at Sam´s Club in February so you can afford to give your baby quality products and a little more mommy time
Pick up any two of the following baby products to receive a $10 Sam´s Club Gift Card toward your purchase made between Feb 1st and Feb 29th:
- Pampers® Swaddlers® or Pampers Cruisers® Diapers
- Pampers SoftCareTM Scented Baby Wipes
- Similac® Advance® Powder or Similac Sensitive® Powder
- Dreft® Liquid Laundry Detergent
Register for your Gift Card at SamsClub.com/giftcardoffer by March 14, 2012

Courtesy of Sam’s Club and P&G, Mama Knows Best is giving away $25 towards your next purchase at Sam’s Club! To enter, simply leave a comment below or drop me an email. Contest ends February 26th @ midnight EST.

All information, the prize pack and gift cards have been provided by Sam’s Club and P&G through MyBlogSpark.

Posted in Hobbies

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About Me

I'm Jessica, a twenty something single mother of two children. Currently working as a certified nursing assistant and Executive Assistant to the Pajama Mommy Community, with dreams of becoming a nurse and/or going into business for myself. Most of my enjoyment comes from spending time with my family and friends, cooking, baking, blogging, crafting, photography, decorating, gardening & scrapbooking.