Name: Donna
Age:      34
Home:  Illinois
Occupation: I was a Marketing Mgr. before I became a SAHM about 2 years ago.

Family:
Mike 37
Mickey 3
Sara 10 mos.

Hobbies:
I enjoy scrapbooking, reading and surfing the net.

What Funny Things Do Your Kids Do/Say:
Ever since my daughter was born my son insists his name is Big Boy.  It's pretty embarrassing when he introduces himself that way.  My daughter imitates everything she hears!  My favorite is when she imitates the dog barking. She also the song I'm a little teapot and will tip herself over at the appropriate time.

The Most Rewarding Thing About Parenting:
Enjoying watching them grow and develop - it's so amazing!

The Most Challenging Thing About Parenting:
The most challenging thing to me is knowing when and how to discipline.  The second most challenging thing is getting my 3 year old to eat! The third most challenging thing is keeping foreign objects out of the baby's mouth (lol)!  She grabs everything!

Favorites:
The baby loves "Goodnight Moon" and her Fisher Price fish tank.  My son loves monster trucks and hot wheels and doesn't go anywhere without them.

Money Saving Tips:
I've learned all my best money saving tips from Mommysavers (and I use them all!) so everything I do has been listed here.  The one thing I've done that has made the most dramatic change in our financial situation is set a budget.  It's really incredible how much money you can save when your really paying attention to where you spend and set limits.  For years I was afraid to set a budget because I thought it would make us feel deprived but it actually has the opposite effect.  It's so reassuring to know that you have money set aside for specific purposes.

Best Bargain Ever:
My best bargain ever is a Ralph Lauren winter coat I got at a thrift store $4.

In the Kitchen:
I try to make extra portions when I cook dinner so I can put one in the freezer.  I also use the crock pot a lot.  One of my favorite and easiest crock pot recipe is:

2-3 lbs Beef (pot roast, round steak, etc.)
1 envelope of onion soup mix
1 envelope of brown gravy
1 bottle of beer.

Brown the meat and cut into bite size pieces and put in crock pot.  Mix the onion soup mix, gravy and beer and pour over the beef and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. 

Organization:
Again, most of my organization tips I've learned from Mommysavers.  Eliminating clutter is one of my biggest ongoing chores. Reading/filing and/or throwing away mail as soon as I receive it has really helped me keep clutter under control.