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Welcome to The Smart Mom Manual. I'm Winnie Yu, mom blogger at CompletelyYou.com. My daughters, Samantha and Annie, are 14 and 12. Like most moms, I'm still trying to perfect the balancing act that we all know as motherhood in the modern world. Please don't hesitate to write to me as you read my blog. You can also tweet me @Completely_You. I look forward to hearing from you!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

How I Learned to Love Coupons

By Winnie Yu for Completely You



When I was single and carefree -- and certainly more flush with disposable funds -- I rarely used coupons. I thought they were tacky and time-consuming. But now that I’m a mom who manages a household, coupons have become a necessity for financial survival.

Every purchase is worth a quick check for coupons, from groceries to spa services. A shopping excursion with my daughters? Check on RetailMeNot.com for 20 percent off on clothing at Old Navy. Printing photos for a scrapbooking project? Enter the company name “Kodak Gallery” and the words “promo code” into a search engine and get 50 free prints if you’re a new member. Looking for a massage? Check Groupon and snag a $45 hour-long rubdown.

Of course, the coupons I use most are for groceries, cleaning products and toiletries. Every Sunday, I scour my newspaper (I get two editions just for the coupons!) and file them in an alphabetized packet. At any given time, I probably tote around $50 worth of coupons.

So when I recently dropped my packet of coupons at Target, I broke into a cold sweat, thinking of the money I’d tossed away. I retraced my steps through the paper products, where I’d last remembered seeing them. Luckily, another shopper returned them to me in the parking lot before I had a meltdown.

Funny, what brings me joy these days.

I hate to think I’m emotionally attached to my coupons. And I hate to think I’m miserly. I’d prefer to think I’m just being a smart consumer, someone who will pay less for the same product or service, by simply forking over a tiny piece of paper. The money saved allows me to make my coupon-free purchases sans guilt.

Apparently, I’m not the only one who has become a coupon aficionado, as you can see here:

All About Coupons infographic shows the impact of coupons on the lives of Americans since 1887 when an Atlanta businessman printed the first-ever free coupons for Coca-cola.
Brought to you by Valpak

Truth is we live in tough economic times. And as a wise man once said, a penny saved is a penny earned. With inflation, it’s probably more accurate to say a dollar.

Like this post? Comment below or connect with us @Completely_You
For more great health and lifestyle content, visit the parent site of my blog, Completely You
Photo: @iStockphoto.com/PinkTag


Winnie Yu is Completely You’s mom blogger. She has two daughters and is the author of seven books, including New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding and What to Eat for What Ails You. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Woman’s Day, AARP Bulletin, Prevention and WebMD.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

‘All Done’: A New Kind of Checklist


By Winnie Yu for Completely You



For years, I followed the common wisdom of creating a to-do list to help me keep track of everything I needed to do. I jotted down phone calls I had to make, groceries I needed to buy, bills I had to pay and everything else that I had to accomplish in my jam-packed days. I kept it reasonable -- no more than eight items or so -- knowing that too many to-dos were likely to make me freeze up.

Even so, some days, just looking at my to-do list was enough to make me break into a cold sweat. And then, as each item was crossed off, I’d feel the burden lift until I felt completely light and relaxed by the end of the day. Then I’d do the same thing the next day.

Making a to-do list achieved what I needed most at the time: an organized way to keep track of things that had to get done. (Here’s how to write a smart to-do list.) But for my sanity, I’d prefer to keep another kind of list: an all-done list.

You might wonder, why bother? Unlike the to-do list, the all-done list doesn’t overlook the things we do that come so automatically to us moms, things that don’t necessarily wind up on the to-do list but still manage to get done. The laundry. The phone call to mom. The banking. The dog walks. The trips to the recycling bin … you get the idea.

So now, if I want to give myself a pat on the back at the end of the day, I write down everything I did that day -- from carting the kids home from track practice to purchasing a birthday card.

After all, if we don’t celebrate our achievements, who will?

Like this post? Comment below or connect with us @Completely_You



Winnie Yu is Completely You’s mom blogger. She has two daughters and is the author of seven books, including New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding and What to Eat for What Ails You. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Woman’s Day, AARP Bulletin, Prevention and WebMD.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentine's Day: Not Just a Romantic Holiday

 

By Winnie Yu for Completely You



Back in the day when I was young and naive, I thought Valentine’s Day belonged only to people in love: boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives and partners who spent their days locked in kisses, hugs and long, loving gazes. These were the people who bought the red heart-shaped boxes and gave each other cards inscribed with sentimental poems.

Now, I prefer to think of Valentine’s Day in a different light. For me, Valentine’s Day is a chance to reflect on all the people who have enriched my life -- not just my spouse. I think of my children, who have blessed my life in unspeakable ways; my parents, who gave up their home in Taiwan to come to the United States to raise a family; and my siblings, who have been with me from the get-go. I am reminded of close friends who are always there for me; my in-laws who have been more than generous and kind; and even my dog, which gives me the purest love of all.

Delving into my past reveals still others who have made a difference in my life. College professors who instilled the confidence I needed to pursue my dreams. Bosses who paved the way to first jobs. Editors who gave me that plum assignment. The list goes on and on.

To find these special people, all you have to do is open up your eyes and heart, and look. These people are there. Some are center stage; some are lurking in the wings. Still, others are tucked away in the nooks and crannies of your past.

No, Valentine’s Day is no longer the romantic holiday I once thought it was. It’s certainly not just about chocolates, roses and fancy cards. Instead, I like to think it’s about loving the people who make up the mosaic of your life.

Like this post? Comment below or connect with us @Completely_You



Winnie Yu is Completely You’s mom blogger. She has two daughters and is the author of seven books, including New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding and What to Eat for What Ails You. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Woman’s Day, AARP Bulletin, Prevention and WebMD.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Moms Need to Make Music Too

By Winnie Yu for Completely You



When my kids were at the tender age of 3, I thought music was so important that I signed them up for music classes. While my husband introduced them to The Beatles, the Pixies and the Rolling Stones, I took on the task of musical training and coaxed Samantha and Annie into taking piano lessons. Samantha never took to the piano; she went on to play the flute instead. Annie fell in love with the piano and added the trumpet to her repertoire.

But something happened on the way to teaching my children about music. I rediscovered my own love of making music and began to play my flute again. I started by picking up my old lesson books, and then I bought some new ones with orchestral accompaniments on a CD. For a while, I played alone in my living room.

Then, six years ago, I finally mustered up the courage to join a community orchestra. The first night was sheer terror. I hadn’t played in a group setting since my sophomore year in high school. I’d forgotten how to count long rests, and I fumbled my fingering as I attempted to play the new music. Trying to keep up with the other musicians -- who seemed so much more skilled -- left me exhausted by the end of the night.

But I went home, practiced and returned the following week. I’ve been playing with the group ever since.

These days, my weekly orchestra rehearsals are as entrenched in our family schedule as Annie’s piano and trumpet lessons. Every Monday night, I rehearse with 50 or so other instrumentalists. We play classical pieces, show tunes, jazz and anything else that strikes the conductor’s fancy.

For those two hours, I am totally absorbed by the music on my stand and the sounds around me. The soul-stirring string section. The rhythmic pounding of the percussionists. The throaty sonorous sounds of the bassoon. Even counting the beats during a long rest have become a form of meditation.

Twice each season, we perform for nursing homes, senior centers and the public, bringing our love for making music to an audience. It’s volunteer work, done from the heart.

Playing music has taught me how important it is for moms to make room for hobbies in their busy lives. Whether it’s playing an instrument, scrapbooking or enjoying any other hobby, moms need an activity that takes them away from their daily duties and lets them focus on something they can do strictly for pleasure, not obligation.

So take time to think about what you enjoy doing, and then make the time to do it.



Like this post? Comment below or connect with me @Completely_You
For more great health & lifestyle content, visit the parent site of my blog,
Completely You

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/snvv

Winnie Yu is Completely You’s mom blogger. She has two daughters and is the author of seven books, including New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding and What to Eat for What Ails You. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Woman’s Day, AARP Bulletin, Prevention and WebMD.