For those of you not familiar with a CBC, it stands for Cross Blog Conversation.

I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to have some heart to heart CBC’s with Janet of Educate Empower Enjoy — “a site dedicated to helping women educate themselves, empower each other, and enjoy our crazy lives!” How cool is that?? In addition to runing a pretty fabulous blog, Janet is a full time working mom outside the home in the field of Special Education.

In preparing for this assignment, (Yes, Kelly gives her interns HOMEWORK!) I realized that Janet and I have something in common. In fact, I’d venture to say that many of YOU share this same commonality. We struggle with our weight. It’s not a pleasant subject, but in the interest in helping our readers and families improve their health, I thought it a fitting subject..no pun intended.

I want to THANK Janet for being so brave, open and honest to discuss this with me–and you! So, let’s get this conversation started…

Janet, you list top 4 reasons for wanting to become “healthy” not “skinny”. What do you believe the difference between the two to be? Do you think the number on the scale matters? Why or Why not?

Follow me to Janet’s Blog to read her answers and questions for me. Then, follow me back here at FF. See you soon!

This week’s Buzz A Mom is Shynea Hunter of Penny Pinching Diva fame.

Shynea is a SAHM of 4 boys–yep ALL boys! She and her family live on one income, as many families do. Her blog started out as a place to chronicle her family life but has taken on a life of its own as she has shared her techniques for stretching her family dollars as far as they can go.

She is a masterful at CVS’ing, coupon clipping and saving money any way that she can so that her family can feel and look like they “live large”! You’d never know it’s on a budget. Cee Tindall and Edie McRae, two FAB interns at FF, dug deep this week for you so that we ALL can learn to pinch a penny…’till it screams!

We’ve heard a lot about CVS’ing. What exactly IS that? Where do you start?

CVS’ing is so much fun. But besides that, it has saved my family SO much money on our daily hygiene products. I no longer have to pay for toothpaste, shampoo, deordorant, razors, diapers, and so much more.

What CVS’ing is playing the drugstore game at CVS; combining your coupons with CVS’s sales and ECB (Extra Care Bucks) to get the most savings possible. I do it because my family lives on one income right now, and a big portion of our budget went to our daily hygiene products. We have two babies in diapers, so if you’re a mom, you know that that isn’t cheap. [Read more...]

In an effort to live the “Law of Frugality” and help our kids adopt the “waste not” attitude, my cooking and ‘left-overs’ storage habits have gotten a major overhaul.  One little gadget that I’ve grown to LOVE is my Tupperware Rock’n'Serve.

Last Summer, a girlfriend down the street had a Tupperware party and I reluctantly went.  (No offense to you Tupperware Diva’s out there.)  That night, I purchased a “Rock’n'Serve” set because the hostess swore on the life of her child that this thing could go from freezer to microwave to table in literally minutes!  She also  promised to buy it back from me if I didn’t LOVE it…needless to say, I’m a sucker for a challenge, but I’m also a BELIEVER in this awesome microwave cooking gadget.

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Two interns here at FF, Edie McRae and Cee Tindall, have once again combined efforts to interview another special lady for our Buzz a Mom series.

Kelli Claypool, of Brief Case Diva fame, is a successful Business Coach, Writer, Blogger, Marketing Diva, Mother and Wife.

So how does a woman who can’t stand the sight of raw meat navigate the kitchen?  With goggles, gloves and Pink Stilettos, of course!  Let’s zoom in to the interview to find out more about this intriguing Diva!

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Does your table seem less “welcoming” now that you’ve tightened your purse strings?

Never fear! We, at Family Foodies, are here to let you know that you can eat WELL even on a shoestring budget!

I spent some time this week going through some of my favorite recipes to see what I could do to “trim the fat” so to speak from the cost of the meal without sacrificing TASTE! I have two words for you: Mission accomplished. [Read more...]