Momfluence Mother's Day Gift Guide

Featured Products

Chic and Carry Wristlet - Make mom’s quick trips out with baby much easier with this great product.



Miessence Organics Mothers Day Set - Every mom deserves to be pampered once in awhile, and these organic body products allow her to do just that.



Sara Lee Simply Sweets Pies - Sara Lee’s Simply Sweets line gives you a delicious way to treat Mom this Mother’s Day with a fast, easy and delicious dessert.




Children Should Come With Warning Labels - Patti McKenna offers a humorous take on motherhood, giving mom a chance to laugh, cry, and identify with her tales.



Roundhouse Designs Desktop Mobile - Roundhouse Designs origami mobiles and wall art are handcrafted creations that make a unique Mothers Day gift.



Roundhouse Designs Jewelry - Roundhouse offers a wonderful selection of handmade jewelry, with styles that are perfect for every mother on your list this Mother’s Day.



Heart of A Mother - Heart of a Mother is a gift book filled with touching tributes to Mothers and Grandmothers, inspirational short stories, poems, proverbs and quotations.




Protect-A-Bed - Protect-a-Bed waterproof mattress covers provide protection from allergens, dust mites, and bedbugs, helping to extend the life of your mattress and mom to sleep a little sweeter.




Ultimate Woman Vitamins- Make sure that mom is getting everything she needs to stay healthy and active with the Vitamin Shoppe's Ultimate Woman vitamins.

More Great Gift Idea

April Cornell Shoulder Bag

BabyPlus System

Not Just Any Old Day Keyrings

Menu For The Week Subscription

For My Mother Reflection Journal

Vintage Body Spa

No Throw

Me Time Sportswear

Peek-A-Boobs

Kind Notes

Aventine Hill Bath Products

Treadlight Eco Snack Kit

Name Your Tune CDs

Things Remembered Charm Stories

Diaper Clutch

HJ-112 Pocket Pedometer

Lia Sophia Riverside Necklace

Lia Sophia Beaujolais Necklace

Lia Sophia Mandalay Bay Necklace

Lia Sophia Athena Necklace

Lia Sophia Love Dust Set

More Great Gift Guides

The Mom Maven

MomECentric

All reviews listed in the Momfluence gift guide were product provided. 

Featured positions were purchased by sponsors. Member gift guides are not affiliated with Momfluence. 

Marshalls Winter Wonderland of Savings

Okay, so I am a self proclaimed last minute shopper! Anyone with me? So, when I was contacted to participate in Marshalls Winter Wonderland of Savings Promotion I was very excited! They sent me a $25 gift card to use at Marshalls to finish some of my last minute shopping.

In case you haven't heard of Marshalls they are a group of stores that provide the same quality merchandise for 20-60% less than department stores and high end boutiques. These excellent prices are not just holiday magic. While other retailers are cancelling holiday orders, Marshalls buyers are swooping in to make purchases for less, which they then pass on to shoppers. Now that’s spreading some holiday cheer! From great gifts, to designer clothing and shoes to entertaining and seasonal décor items, Marshalls has everything you need for a holiday season worth celebrating.

So on Christmas Eve (yes I did say last minute!) I headed to my local Marshalls to see what I could find. The store looked great and was playing some really festive music. They still had a really great selection of items even though it was Christmas Eve. I wasn't really sure who I had in mind to buy for, but I did know I wanted to find some great bargains!

First a quick stroll through the shoe department (you can never have enough shoes). If you are looking for great designer shoes this is the place for you! But, I wasn't here to shop for myself, so I moved on!

My next favorite thing, bags and purses! This is where I found these cute little Bring It On bags by Nike.

These cute little bags fold up really small and tight to fit in your purse or diaper bag so you always have your own eco friendly bag when you take a quick trip to store! I'll take 3, one for mom, one for a friend and yep one me! I just couldn't resist! I wish they would have had more.

Next, I browsed through the gift section. Wow, they had everything you could ever imagine! Bath sets, cookbooks, frames, vases, gourmet gift sets, pet items, tons of kitchen gadgets, pots, pans, home decor, books the list goes on and on! The thing I really like about this section of Marshalls is that they have really unique items. Just when I think I can't find something for that hard to buy person on my list, there it is right in front of me at Marshalls and at a great price too! I have to remember to come here next time I need a cool birthday gift.

Next stop, kids section. They had so many nice name brand toys at great prices. I saw a lot of things that looked really neat that I had not seen in the local toy stores. I was already done shopping for all the toys on my list so I figured I better not buy any more! I decided to look at the clothes. I found these 2 really cute Carters items for my 3 month old nephew. As I was heading toward the checkout lines, I spotted a section of Pittsburgh sports items. Lots of Steeler, Penguin and Pirate stuff. My hubby is a huge sports fan and I found this nice Penguin t-shirt for him and a really cool Steeler hat for my son.








My hubby is also a hunter and a baseball coach and I found this really nice Duoflod Varitherm shirt to keep warm on those cold days outside. I looked around a little more and managed not to buy anything else for myself, but I found some really great stuff I want to go back for after Christmas!

So, off to the checkout! Here is the breakdown of what I purchased

3 Nike bags ------------- retail $24.99 ~ Marshalls price $4.99
Carters Christmas onsie --- retail $7.99 ~ Marshalls price $2.99
Carters onsie gift set ---- retail $12.00 ~ Marshalls price $6.99
Pens t-shirt ------------- retail $16.00 ~ Marshalls price $9.99
Steeler fitted hat -------- retail $16.00 ~ Marshalls price $7.99
Mens Duofold shirt ------ retail $24.99 ~ Marshalls price $12.99
TOTALS --------------- retail $151.95 ~ MY PRICE $55.92!!!!!!!!!

I saved over 70% by shopping a Marshalls. Now that's a deal worth sharing.

Now it's my turn to spread some post holiday cheer! I have a $25 T.J. Maxx gift card to give away to one of you! T.J. Maxx is owned by the same company as Marshalls and they have the same brand name merchandise at rock bottom prices!

Main entry: complete both parts to be eligible
1. Subscribe to my blog via reader (left sidebar) & leave a comment telling me who you would shop for with the gift card 1 entry
2. Follow my blog (left sidebar) & leave a comment that you are following. 1 entry
Bonus entries:
1. Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/craftymamaof4. Leave a comment.
2. Follow TJ Maxx on Twitter http://twitter.com/tjmaxx. Leave a comment.
3. Post my giveaway on a social networking site like Twitter or Facebook and leave a link to your post in your comment. Can do this 1 time each day.
4. Post a link to my contest on your blog. Leave a link to your post in your comment.

5. Grab my button (right sidebar) and post it on your blog.

PLEASE don't forget you leave your Twitter ID or email address in one of your comments for notification. I will not hunt you down if you win.

This contest will end at 11:59 pm on Saturday, January 3rd. The winner will be chosen by random.org. The winner will be posted on this site on Sunday, January 4th and will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.

Thank you to Marshalls and TJ Maxx including me in this exciting promotion! I had a great time shopping :)

Good luck!

Quick Yummy Candy Treat

Looking for something quick to make for a last minute gift? These are so easy to make and the kids can help too!

Here's what you need

~Snyders "Snap" pretzels - they are square and look like graph paper

~Rolo candies

Here's what you do

~Heat oven to 250 degrees

~Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

~Arrange pretzels on cookie sheet

~Place 1 unwrapped Rolo on top of each pretzel

~Bake just enough for the Rolos to soften, but not melt

~Remove from oven and place another pretzel on top of each Rolo and smash down to make a sandwich

~Cool

Fill up a jar with candies, wrap the lid in a pretty piece of fabric and ribbon, attach a gift tag, and you are ready to go! Wanna give a little more than candy? Attach an instant lottery ticket to the jar too!

I give these out every year and everyone loves them!

Eco Friendly Present Wrapping

So, are you wondering how you could do your part this holiday season to reduce paper waste? I thought of a great idea while shopping a my local Giant Eagle Grocery yesterday. I was in line and they had a display of their reusable grocery bags. Along with the usual store ones, they also had Steeler bags for sale!

My Mother in Law loves the Steelers, so I figured I would pick one up for her as part of her Christmas present. Then I thought (scary I know) why not use the bag to wrap her presents in instead of wrapping paper or a gift bag! Instead of having a pile of paper to throw away, she will have a bag to use when she goes shopping.

So, next time you are shopping pick up a few and use them to wrap your presents this year. If you really have some time on your hands (haha), you can match the bags up with your friend's and family's favorite stores. Most major retailers have their own versions of these bags, Toys r Us has some cute ones that would be nice to use for kids presents.

Homemade Green Grocery Bags

A few months ago a came across a pattern to make "green" grocery bags from left over material and it has now become an obsession! I made 16 of them for Halloween for everyone to use as trick or treat bags and I am now making them for everyone for Christmas. They are really easy to make and everyone loves them.

The pattern calls for a front pocket, but I don't put one on, instead I embroider the front panel of the bag (when you are making a lot it goes faster without the pocket). If you don't have an embroidery machine, you can just leave the pocket on or do some sort of iron on picture.

Here is a photo of one of the Halloween bags:

Here are photos of the bags I am making for Christmas. I was going to personalize the embroidery according to each person's interests, but that got to be too much, so I decided to go with simple monograms for everyone.

I did make special bags for the teachers.

I did a lot of my sewing the weekend after Thanksgiving while visiting family in Erie. My cousin and I sewed while my mom and aunt watched the kids! I was great. The men in the family were facinated by my embroidery machine. It was really funny. When my uncle realized how much I could do with my machine, he came out of the cuboard with a handful of shirts he wanted my to embroider with his name and business name!Here is the link to the blog where I found the pattern http://www.annthegran.com/cs/blogs/memory-book/archive/2008/09/05/designer-grocery-bags-who-d-have-thought.aspx

Someday I am going to have time to actually make a few for myself!

If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I will get back to you. Happy sewing :)

Holiday Favorites Take 2

Make a Homemade Music CD

For the last 4 years I have made my own mix CD's for friends and family for the holidays. I put my favorite Christmas songs on it each year and everyone really looks forward to receiving these from my family.

Making Your CD
I use Windows Media Player.

1. Put the holiday CD you want to use songs from into your computer and open Windows Media Player. Click rip at the top , this will put your music on your computer

2. After you have ripped you CD collection you want to create a playlist.

3. Drag and drop the songs you want to include into the playlist block at the right of your screen.

4. Arrange the songs in the order you want them to be

5. Once your playlist is complete go to the top menu and click burn. This is when the songs will be transferred to a disk you have placed in your computer. You will need to use CD-R type disks.

Don't have any songs? Try Amazon.com they have lots available for purchase. Until 12/31/08 you can redeem Pepsi points (available on Pepsi Products) for music.

Make a Case and Label for Your CD

I use Microsoft Word.

1. Find the Mailings and Labels tab

2. Click on LABELS, this opens a new window

3. Click on OPTIONS, this opens a new window

4. Go to LABEL VENDORS and find AVERY us letter and choose this

5. Find label 5693 jewel case insert, click OK then click NEW DOCUMENT

6. Here is where you create your label, the top block will be your cover and the bottom block will be your playlist. Here is what mine looked like

7. Print on cardstock, cut out, fold and place in a slim jewel case, available at Best Buy.

8. Next, make a label for the CD.

9. This depends on the CD label package you buy. Follow the instructions in your package to create this label. Here is what mine looked like:

Well there it is, I hope you can follow it okay LOL. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment and I will help you.

Good Luck!

Homemade Jam

I love to make homemade jam for the holidays, and everyone enjoys receiving it. I did not make it last year and everyone was waiting for it! OOPS! If you have never made jam before, trust me it is not as complicated as it sounds, it is actually pretty easy to do but it is time consuming and can get expensive.

Here we go!

Step 1 – Get your supplies ready

Some things you need before you start:

• Jars – I like to use pint jars and give everyone a variety of different flavors instead of large jars of just one flavor. Jars can be reused year after year.
  
• Rings and seals - The rings can be reused each year, but you must purchase new seals every time.
  
• Large pot – This will be used to boil the jars, rings and seals prior to filling the jars.
  
• Pot holders – Don't want to get burnt!
  
• Ladle –The smaller the better so you don't spill when filling the jars.
  
• Tongs - You need ones that grip well so you can get the jars out of the boiling water.
  

Step 2 – Prepare your jars

Wash all jars, rings, and seals in hot soapy water. Rinse thoroughly. Put everything in a large pot full of water and place on medium heat. Once the water begins to boil, turn the heat down but not off. You need to keep the supplies very hot for them to seal easily.

Step 3 – Choose and prepare your fruit

When making my jams, I use a combination of fresh and frozen fruit.

Fresh Fruit

When using fresh fruit, it is important to choose a mix of under ripe fruit (not green) as well as just ripe fruit. Peel any fruit that has a thick outer skin, such as apples or peaches. Remove any seeds or stems. Then cut the fruit into chunks and puree in a food processor or blender.

Frozen Fruit

I like to use frozen fruit because it allows for more variety in the off season, plus it is generally cheaper. ALDI has good mixed fruit and mixed berry varieties. Choose frozen fruit that does not have added sugar. Place fruit in a glass bowl to defrost. Once it is defrosted, place the fruit along with the juice in the food processor or blender and puree.

Step 4 – Choose your recipe

For each recipe you will need fruit pectin. This can usually be found in the store where the canning supplies are located.

Here are a few of our favorite jams:

Strawberry Nectarine Jam

3 cups prepared nectarines

1 ½ cups prepared strawberries

6 cups sugar

1 box fruit pectin

Strawberry Banana Jam

2 cups prepared bananas

2 ¾ cups prepared strawberries

6 ¾ cups sugar

1 box fruit pectin

Banana Bread Jam

3 cups prepared bananas

4 cups sugar

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 box fruit pectin

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp Fruit Fresh powder

1 ¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

Triple Berry Jam

6 cups prepared frozen mixed berries (Aldi)

OR

2 cups prepared strawberries

2 cups prepared raspberries

2 cups prepared blueberries

4 ½ cups sugar

1 box of less or no sugar needed fruit pectin

Blueberry Jam

6 cups prepared blueberries

4 ½ cups sugar

1 box of less or no sugar needed fruit pectin

Pineapple Strawberry Jam

3 cups prepared strawberries

8 oz crushed pineapple in juice

5 ½ cups sugar

1 box fruit pectin

Peach Jam

4 ½ cups prepared peaches

3 cups sugar

1 box less or no sugar needed pectin

2 tbsp lemon juice

Carmel Apple Jam

6 cups prepared apples

2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

1 box fruit pectin

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

Step 5 – Prepare your recipe

Use the following steps to make each recipe

1. Place prepared fruit in large non stick pot
   
2. Stir in pectin; any lemon juice or spices
   
3. Add ½ tsp. butter to reduce foaming
   
4. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (won't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat stirring constantly.
   
5. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute stirring constantly.
   
6. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with metal spoon.
   

Step 6 – Jar and seal your jam

1. Remove a jar, a ring, and a seal from boiling water. Shake off excess water.
   
2. Don't forget to use your potholder when holding the jars!
   
3. Ladle hot mixture into hot jar leaving 1/8 in headspace.
   
4. Wipe jar rims and threads with a paper towel soaked in hot water.
   
5. Place seal on jar and tighten ring.
   
6. Place jar UPSIDEDOWN on a cooling rack and leave inverted for 8 – 10 hours. During this process you may hear the lids "pop" when they seal.
   
7. After allotted time turn jars over and check the seal. Press the middle of the lid; if it springs back the lid is not sealed. If it is not sealed place it in the fridge for several more hours. If this still doesn't work reheat the jam and the jar and try again using a new seal.
   

Tips

Mix only one batch of jam at a time.

Most recipes yield about 8 cups of jam.

Use Microsoft Word to make personal labels using address labels.

Make up baskets that contain a few jars of jam ,some crackers and fancy spreaders. Make great gifts.

Tell family and friends you would love to refill their jars next holiday season if they give them back when their jam is gone!

Don't forget to have fun!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me!