How to Afford to Eat Organic for $100/week

Have you ever said, "I wish I could eat organic, but I can't afford to." ? I know I have. But honestly... working in my business... reading stories about pink slime and pesticides... I've really started to re-think my priorities. Yes, organic is more expensive, but what's more valuable than the health of my family? If I spent less elsewhere, I'd have plenty of money leftover for organic. So I'm making small changes at a time. I started with the milk, because I've still got to little ones, 5 and 2, who need to drink it. And my next foray into organic is produce, especially ones where we consume the skin (like apples) or ones that grow in or close to the ground (like carrots and potatoes).

I love the fact that here in Fresno we have many more options to buy organic than just Whole Foods (which some friends jokingly refer to as "Whole Paycheck"). Don't get me wrong, Whole Foods is a beautiful and lovely shopping experience, but for someone who cringes at paying $8 for a carton of strawberries, ringing up at the cash register can come as a bit of sticker shock.

Luckily, we have countless Farmers' Markets around town... many which include organic farmers (make sure to ask). We have Costco and Trader Joe's, which many of you are already fans of, and I recently discovered Kristina's Natural Ranch Market on Barstow Avenue in Northeast Fresno. Every Saturday from 7am-Noon they also serve as host to the first and ONLY completely Certified Organic Farmer's Market in the area which highlights many of our local farms, and food providers. My friend Tara at the raw food vegan restaurant Revive Cafe in downtown Fresno also runs Whole Farms. You can subscribe to the fruit/veggie CSA Club and they have a variety of price points ranging from $25 to $80 per month! They also teach you how to use your produce in different recipes, so you're not stuck with a bunch of kale or cauliflower going to waste in your fridge.

I also ran across this on another mommy blogger's page, When Pigs Fly. The author, Jennifer, has some good and practical tips on how she eats organic on a grocery budget of $100/week. Read on...

Here are 10 things I do to feed our family organic foods on a $100 weekly budget:

1. Make a menu prior to shopping. Plan meals that will include meat every other day, versus having it in every single dish.

2. Only buy what you need for the week. For example, if I am stuck buying a whole five-pound bag of organic potatoes, because they don’t sell them loose, then I try to plan another meal that will use the remainder of the bag.

3. Don’t make recipes that require excess or specialty ingredients. Many specialty ingredients can be substituted for something else you already have on hand. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

4. Substitute any dinner leftovers as lunch during the week.

5. Stay away from specialty stores! Although they have a great selection of unique items, you typically pay more in your overall bill. For instance, I get my organic meat cheapest at Costco, but since they don’t carry a large selection of organic produce, I shop for those items at a local grocery store. I recommend visiting a few different stores and browsing their organic selection. Take note of their prices to get a feel for which store might save you the most money.

6. Use coupons! Although they are harder to come by, there are organic-based coupons available online. Take time to email your favorite companies too, for the opportunity to receive coupons by mail.

7. Learn what is important in organic form, and what you can still buy in conventional form. The key is to stay away from as many preservatives, fake sugars, additives, and chemicals as possible. The fewer the ingredients, the better for you.

8. Get your apron ready! I make a lot of our snacks from scratch. In doing so, most of the food budget can go towards organic produce, meat, and dairy. This is much cheaper than buying the organic prepackaged snacks that are often priced as high as $5 per box! To save time, I double the recipe of whatever it is I am making, and freeze the second batch for later.

9. Know your limitations. As I am shopping, I actually jot the price of my items down, next to the item name on my shopping list. Before heading to check out, I do a quick add up of my groceries. If I have gone over budget, then we put some of the “non-necessary” items back.

10. Keep it simple. I learned that not every meal has to have a meat, side dish, vegetable, and bread. I try to keep it simple, yet healthy, often producing one-dish meals.

How to Print Instagram Photos

OK. I'm obsessed. With Instagram, that is. For those of you who have a smartphone iPhone or Android... and aren't on it, shame on you! Even if you are not a photographer, this free app allows you to take amazing, breathtaking, professional-looking photos. It's opened a whole new world to me, as I document the beauty and precious moments around me. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and there's no place where this is truer than Instagram. I've "met" IG users around the world, who offer me a glimpse of life in places I can only dream of going. If you're already on there, find me and follow me under @tvnewsmom.


I've been thinking about what to get for my son's 3rd birthday. And I realized over the past year, I've been snapping countless photos of him and his sister and posting them to IG... occasionally to Facebook and Twitter... but hadn't printed anything out. Of course this is common among us 21st century snap-happy smartphone users... where our memories are stores digitally. But I just see it as allowing us to pick and choose the best... instead of having to waste time and money on printing a whole roll of film just for one frameable print. These are a few of my favorites, but I had no idea where to start when it came to putting these on paper or canvas. I'd love to create a wall of these... alongside his baby pictures (which sadly, are the last time I really had anything of him printed and framed).


I stumbled upon a great guide... so that's why I am sharing this article originally published in Geek Sugar by Kelly Schwarze. So print away!

Instagram is the easy way of creating dreamy iPhone photos in a flash. The filters work their magic so well that nearly every picture comes out looking like a keepsake. Making those memories permanent can be just as easy with these tools for turning Instagram photos into a lasting work of art.

1. PostalPix — Use this iPhone app to print four-inch squares from your Instagram library for only 30 cents each. Fast shipping, matte finish, professional quality resolution, and the convenience of mobile shopping make this our first stop for Instagram prints. They even sell just-right square 4-inch wooden frames.
2. CanvasPop — Those filtered photos are worthy of an at-home gallery. Create a high-resolution 12-inch square or 20-inch square stretched canvas print for the temporary price of $30 and $60, respectively. Buy multiple canvases for an artful wall vignette.
3. Printstagram — The company offers multiple ways to print Instagram photos, but the 20-by-40-inch posters will make the most stunning addition to a living room wall. Between 50-400 photos are arranged in a clean grid on thick, archival paper for $25.
4. Blurb — Haven't looked at a photo album in a while? Blurb brings back what now seems like an antiquated way of sharing photos with a modern, Instagram twist. Softcover books with 20 pages of Instagram photos runs $11 and a hardcover is $22. Christmas present, perhaps?
5. Postagram — A fun way to show people you're thinking of them, Postagram mails a postcard with popout Instagram photo and message to friends for 99 cents each. A thoughtful alternative to a birthday e-card!

Three more ways to print Instagram beauties after the break.

6. Instagoodies — Print books of one-inch stickers of your favorite Instagram photos. Attach stickers to the computer monitor, phone case, or wallet for a quick flash of happiness.
7. Boo Box — For photos worthy of the mantlepiece go for the Boo Box, which places four-inch Instagram photos in bamboo shadowbox frames beginning at $20.
8. Stickygram — Take a cue from your mom and turn your refrigerator into bragging grounds for your works of art. For $15, Stickygram makes a set of nine photo magnets from your favorite images.
9. TeenyTile — As the name implies, TeenyTile crafts two-inch tiles from your Instagram pics for sticking on your fridge (thanks to the included adhesive magnet), or whatever you choose to create with them. Each tile is priced at $4.
10. Artflakes — Images get sticky with this company that takes your regular ol' Instagram pics and whips them into vinyl four-inch stickers. Buy them up in packs of 10 ($21), 25 ($42), or 50 ($63)
11. Casetagram — Create a custom iPhone 4/4S case with this company that prints your Instagram on a slim-fitting shell. You can customize how your pics are arranged, then Casetagram prints them on a white or transparent case for just $35.

With so many resources to print Instagram photos, you could easily decorate an entire house with iPhone memories. How do you share your mobile phone photos?

Best Drugstore/Do-It-Yourself Beauty Finds

I Love me some Dior DiorShow Mascara. But at $25 a tube... it's an indulgence for my makeup-loving self. With the amount I wear every day for my job, I constantly need to replenish my supply. And that adds up. So instead, I buy Maybelline Great Lash Mascara for $5 and under. The iconic pink and green favorite is just a great every day mascara. The wand grabs and separates hard-to-reach hairs, fattening up every lash without lightening my wallet.

Which got me thinking... about my favorite drugstore and do-it-yourself beauty finds over the course of my makeup-wearing adult life. There are plenty of products out there that get the job done just as well, if not better than their department store and salon counterparts.

1. Eyeliner: I have long used MAC's liquid eyeliner in boot black for $18.50. I love the firm, tapered tip of the applicator. But recently I found a much cheaper alternative that I LOVE! L'Oreal's Telescopic Precision Liquid Eyeliner ranging from $5-$9.50. It has the same kind of precision felt tip for less.

2. Primer: Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer is by far the best on the market, a makeup artist's dream. But it's $36. Ouch. My fellow TV News girlfriends introduced me to L'Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Pefecting Base, for $8-$13. It really improves skin texture and makeup just glides on. It's a silky, lightweight formula that leaves your face velvety soft to the touch.

3. Eyelashes: Ardell Duralash Naturals, $4.
Just a few of these well-placed natural fibers will make you appear genetically blessed in the lash department. Thanks to their knot-free base, these lashes fit right between your own.

4. Nails: Sally Hansen 5 Minute French Manicure Kit, $8.50-$12. The French manicure pen is simple to use and gives you an instant tip. Get this kit and you don't need to go to a salon any more to get your nails done. Also to try... my favorite nail color of all time is Revlon Vixen. Almost identical to Chanel's Vamp ($35) but a mere $5.

I also love getting gel manicures. But I can't afford to spend an hour of my time and $30-$40 every time I want a new color. I invested $60 in an at-home kit made by Red Carpet Manicure. Use it twice, and I've already recouped my costs. There's a UV light so you can cure the nail color, and everything you need for a perfect-looking salon manicure that lasts weeks.

5. Skincare: The Oil of Olay Regenerist Line. Consumer Reports rated it higher than the fanciest, expensive brands for effectiveness.

6. Foundation: With HD television, my foundation is vital for a smooth, flawless look. Imagine my surprise when our makeup consultant recommended Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse, $8-$15. It's a cream-whipped foundation, great hydrating coverage for my dry skin, as well as a nice not too matte, not too shiny finish.

7. Lipstick: Maybelline has created a superstar lip color in its Color Sensational line. Long-lasting, crisp color and a creamy feel. Red revival is a top seller... a sexy, true red. $1-$13.

8. Makeup Wipes: Costco used to carry these Kirkland Facial Towelettes right next to the baby wipes and diapers. There's a reason for that. Moms with young babies are often too tired to wash their face and deal with makeup removers. These are a godsend. $20-$30 for 300 count.

9. Hairspray: Many of the girls in our newsroom use Tresemme Tres Two Extra Hold. $3.50-$5. It keeps things in place, but doesn't really flake when you brush it out. Anchor hair that can weather any storm!


10. Friction blocker: This is a little magic in a stick. Whether you're going dancing or chasing down interviews, Band Aid's Friction Blocker ($4-$8) prevents all those painful blisters and soreness from rubbing from those uncomfortable (yet cute) shoes.

There are tons more... would love your feedback on any you've tried and loved/hated or want to add to this list!

I'm back! (Bad blogger!!! Bad!!!)

Every blog I've ever read on blogging says one of the keys to a successful blog is to be consistent. Well, judging from the fact that my last entry was FIVE MONTHS AGO... I'd say I failed.

In my defense, the holidays came along, and so did Pinterest and Instagram... two highly addictive social networks. So my time online was spent lusting after beautiful photos of places and recipes and things, instead of investing in this project I had once started with so much excitement and expectations.

But 2012 is a new year. And so TV News Mom has returned. Just like any resolution, I don't want to promise anything I can't deliver. So I won't make any grand promises, but I do have a renewed desire to write again, and I will do my best to keep it informative and interesting.

My first topic will be my favorite do-it-yourself at-home beauty/spa products and treatments that save you time and money.

Complete Without Kids?

Does a life without children give your marriage a better chance of surviving? This author, Ellen Walker in "Complete Without Kids," touts the benefits of living life as an adult, not a parent, enjoying the financial, health and personal benefits associated with childfree living. Could I even imagine a life without my kids? How would it be different? At the risk of sounding like a terrible, ungrateful mother... would you indulge me, just for the sake of exploring this author's argument?

What a whirlwind month September has been for me and my family. We've undergone a major schedule change, for the first time in six years, I am working normal hours. It's taken some adjustment... for my kids' entire lives, I've been waking at 2:30am and leaving my sleeping family behind. Mommy's never been there to wash the sleep from their eyes, comb their bed hair, tickle the the grumpiness away, take them to school. The schedule wasn't easy. In fact, it was brutal. I justified it by telling myself and anyone that asked that it was the most family friendly arrangement. As if I only worked part time, because half my shift they were sleeping anyway. So I wasn't missing out as much even as a full-time working mom. Every morning, whether battling my own morning sickness or sheer exhaustion after a night up with a sick child, I told myself: afternoons and evenings at home make everything worth it. But how good is a mother and wife who is tired, irritable, and mentally/physically unavailable? As the years on mornings took their toll, I could no longer say with confidence, that it was all for the best. In fact, I thought, there's no way I would still be doing this... IF I didn't have kids.

So... if I didn't have kids, I would have moved to another job or changed shifts years ago. Pursued my dream to reach network news. Gene and I would have moved to a bigger city... SF? LA? San Diego? We would have traveled more. Spain...Cancun... Tahiti... places we talk about wistfully now... someday... maybe for our ten-year anniversary. Imagine all the disposable income! Instead of spending $2,000 month on childcare, we would have developed time consuming expensive hobbies. Golf? Tennis? For sure more shopping. Wine and dined our way through our favorite Top Chefs' restaurants across the country. EVERY night could be date night.

But we do have kids. And so we sucked it up and did the best we could. We stayed in Fresno because my parents are in town and could help care for the kids. So when the opportunity arose for a shift change, I didn't hesitate. Normality! Sleep! Nights with my husband! Time to watch our favorite TV shows like Glee and Modern Family live, not on Tivo. Maybe I should have paused. Maybe I should have really considered how much less time I would have with my children. Three hours a night max. Rushing to pick them up, rushed dinners, and rushing to shuttle them to dance class or to the gym before bed time. But this was a decision I had to make for me and my husband. A combination of the two munchkins and the crazy schedule was not conducive to a strong marital relationship. We were becoming strangers who never spent quality time together... which is a dangerous road for a marriage to head down. In that respect, the author's argument rings true. Kids can challenge and change a relationship to the point where you can lose yourselves to being parents first, a couple second. But at no point, did we blame them for any of our grownup problems.

Would life have been different without kids? ABSOLUTELY. More spontaneous. More fun. More adventurous. More about ourselves. But more complete? I would argue otherwise. See, that's the thing about having children. They come with a life-changing lesson on selflessness and responsibility you can't learn any other way. And it's a damn hard lesson to learn. They bring out the best and worst in you, challenge you, test you, and make life about so much more than self-fulfillment. They have shaped me, molded me, made me into the woman, wife, friend, sister, daughter, and coworker that I am today. A stronger yet gentler, smarter yet humbler, happier and more grateful version of myself. In a word, I am complete... with kids.

Are Working Moms Less Depressed Than Stay-At-Home Moms?

It's us versus them. It shouldn't be this way. But even among my friends, there's a sort of competition and mistrust between working moms and the ones that stay home.

Working moms try to assuage the guilt they feel over someone else raising their children by emphasizing the fulfillment from their career, the example they're setting for their children. Stay at home moms try to hide their envy of their working friends by raving about the quality time they get to spend with their children and the milestones they get to witness along the way.

But "stay-at-home mom" is a total misnomer. The ones who do it, will tell you, it ought to be called "go everywhere mom"... because you're running errands, shuttling your children around, doing everything for everyone but yourself. And therein may lie the reason a recent University of Washington study found stay-at-home moms are more likely to become depressed than their working counterparts. This was, in some part, because these moms received little feedback or appreciation for their daily "work," high expectations and no compensation, and minimal interaction with peers. The study's authors concluded employment is ultimately beneficial for women's mental health, provided the woman maintain a work-life balance. If employment is not an option or desired, she recommends stay at home moms find opportunities to create happiness for themselves, whether that includes hobbies or alone time.

But the study also found, working moms who try to be supermoms put themselves at an even greater risk of depression. Accepting that they can't do it all, and making tradeoffs (i.e. leaving work early to pick up the kids), were key to the moms' overall well being. The reality is, most workplaces are designed still for employees without childcare responsibilities. So reject the myth of the supermom. She's not happy... or she doesn't exist. Chances are, underneath the polished, successful, she's-got-it-all facade, is guilt, frustration, or a feeling of a lack of control... all factors that could lead to depression.

So even without this latest study, countless moms could have told you... being a mom, whether you work or don't, is the hardest job in the world. Whether you enjoy it, is up to you.

Boy or Girl at Just Seven Weeks

Reposting this fascinating article. Would you take a test like this? Is it worth knowing what you're having as early as possible? What about the ethical concerns?

By LINDSEY TANNER - AP Medical Writer | AP – 4 hrs ago

CHICAGO (AP) — Boy or girl? A simple blood test in mothers-to-be can answer that question with surprising accuracy at about seven weeks, a research analysis has found.

Though not widely offered by U.S. doctors, gender-detecting blood tests have been sold online to consumers for the past few years. Their promises of early and accurate results prompted genetics researchers to take a closer look.

They analyzed 57 published studies of gender testing done in rigorous research or academic settings — though not necessarily the same methods or conditions used by direct-to-consumer firms.

The authors say the results suggest blood tests like those studied could be a breakthrough for women at risk of having babies with certain diseases, who could avoid invasive procedures if they learned their fetus was a gender not affected by those illnesses. But the study raises concerns about couples using such tests for gender selection and abortion.

Couples who buy tests from marketers should be questioned about how they plan to use the results, the study authors said.

The analyzed test can detect fetal DNA in mothers' blood. It's about 95 percent accurate at identifying gender when women are at least seven weeks' pregnant — more than one month before conventional methods. Accuracy of the testing increases as pregnancy advances, the researchers concluded.

Conventional procedures, typically done for medical reasons, can detect gender starting at about 10 weeks.

The new analysis, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, involved more than 6,000 pregnancies. The testing used a lab procedure called PCR that detects genetic material — in this case, the male Y chromosome. If present in the mother's blood, she's carrying a boy, but if absent, it's a girl.

Tests that companies sell directly to consumers were not examined in the analysis. Sex-detection tests using mothers' urine or blood before seven weeks of pregnancy were not accurate, the researchers said.

Senior author Dr. Diana Bianchi, a reproductive geneticist and executive director of the Mother Infant Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, called the results impressive. She noted that doctors in Great Britain are already using such testing for couples at risk of having children with hemophilia or other sex-linked diseases, partly to help guide treatment decisions.

The research indicates that many laboratories have had success with the test, but the results can't be generalized to all labs because testing conditions can vary substantially, said Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, a genetics professor at Florida International University. He was not involved in the study.

Simpson noted that using gender-detection blood testing for medical or other reasons has not been endorsed by guideline-setting medical groups and some experts consider it experimental.

Dr. Lee Shulman, chief of clinical genetics at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said the testing "isn't ready for prime time."

He said his hospital doesn't provide the blood tests, and doesn't offer more conventional techniques, including amniocentesis, to women who have no medical reason for wanting to know their baby's gender.

"I would have a lot of difficulties offering such a test just for gender identification. Gender is not an abnormality," Shulman said. "My concern is this is ultimately going to be available in malls or shopping centers," similar to companies offering "cute" prenatal ultrasound images.

Recent research found that increasing numbers of women in India who already have daughters are having abortions when prenatal tests show another girl, suggesting that an Indian ban on such gender testing has been ineffective. The expense of marrying off girls has contributed to a cultural preference there for boys.

Evidence also suggests that China's limits on one child per couple and traditional preference for male heirs has contributed to abortions and an increasingly large gender imbalance.

There's very little data on reasons for U.S. abortions or whether gender preferences or gender-detection methods play a role, said Susannah Baruch, a policy consultant for the Generations Ahead, an advocacy group that studies genetic techniques and gender issues.

Consumer Genetics Inc. a Santa Clara, Calif.-based company sells an "early gender" blood test called "Pink or Blue" online for $25 plus $265 or more for laboratory testing. It boasts of 95 percent accuracy, using a lab technique its scientists developed from the type of testing evaluated in the new analysis, said Terry Carmichael, the company's executive vice president.

Carmichael said the company sells more than 1,000 kits a year. He said the company won't test blood samples unless women sign a consent form agreeing not to use the results for gender selection.

The company also won't sell kits to customers in China or India because of fears of gender selection, he said.

Medical techniques that can detect gender include amniocentesis, usually done at around 16 weeks, using a needle to withdraw fluid surrounding the fetus to identify abnormalities; chorionic villus sampling, done at around the 10th week to detect abnormalities by examining placenta tissue; and ultrasound, most accurate at around 13 weeks. The first two methods can slightly increase risks for miscarriages.