by Jamie Jeffers | Aug 2, 2017 | Parenting Tips, Saving Money
Your child wants to join the band, but you’re wondering how much this is going to cost you! Learn when to rent and when to buy that school band instrument.
Your kid runs in from the school bus and throws a paper at you. She got to see the band teacher today and he brought some neat instruments with him! Now she’s got her heart set on playing the flute.
But the first thing you think is “How much is this going to cost me??”
Playing in the band is a wonderful opportunity for students! It’s a great way to feed their right brain, and provides them with lifelong benefits.
But the cost of joining the band can give pause to most parents. Let’s figure out whether you’d be better off renting or buying a school band instrument, and how you can keep the cost affordable.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 19, 2017 | Parenting Tips
Love it or hate it, a school routine keeps the wheels turning. Put these 6 ideas in place and rock the new school year!
Summer break always brings mixed emotions.
You probably don’t miss alarm clocks and keeping up with school supplies.
Then again, getting back into a routine of the school year does make life flow more smoothly.
Over the years, I’ve found some awesome resources that keep our family on track when the school year begins. Here are 6 things you can do to rock the new school year!
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jun 29, 2017 | Household Tips (Chores and more), Parenting Tips
Don’t let summer bucket lists get the best of you. Try these Mom hacks to simplify life so you can focus on what really matters…the best summer yet!
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Have you ever tried to create the perfect summer bucket list? Maybe you’ve made a list that makes you eager to scratch everything off in record time.
Proof that you’re giving your kids the best.summer.ever.
It’s funny how we don’t realize that the simplest things are the ones we enjoy the most until it almost too late.
It’s like that amazing deal you found at the store. You love it… until a couple years later when you’re carting it out of the house to a donation box, because no one ever used it after all.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jun 26, 2017 | Parenting Tips
Choose one of these Mom approved most durable backpacks for your student. Buy once and save year after year!
When my oldest was going into kindergarten, I took him to the store to choose a brand new backpack.
He was so excited to find one with his favorite super hero! And off to school he proudly went.
But by Christmas break, that backpack was ripped and ruined. The cheap material wouldn’t stitch back together. (Not that I’m much in the seamstress department to begin with.)
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jun 21, 2017 | Parenting Tips
Inside: Are your kids always bored? Let’s talk about kids these days…and it isn’t about screen time. Here’s an idea you might not have considered.
Summer is here, and the battle with boredom has already begun. Life these days is hectic as we try to keep up with busy schedules and bucket lists. So when there is down time, kids aren’t sure how to handle it.
If you’re like me, you love the idea of having a slow summer. And you regularly tell your kids that it’s ok to be bored. But in reality, when the kids get bored, they spend more time bickering with one another.
I think there’s a solution that’s easy to overlook in today’s times. I’m so thankful to The Humbled Homemaker for letting me share my thoughts on this subject today! Be sure to click here to read Why Your Kids Are Bored At Home (And It’s Not What You Think).
Welcome to Medium Sized Family!
Are you new to the Medium Sized Family blog? I’m so happy to have you here! I’m Jamie, wife of one and mother to 5 kids. We’re digging out of debt and have implemented a #yearofno that helped us pay off thousands so far.
Here you’ll find money saving tips (including a popular series every Friday called The 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week).
Some posts you might like to start with:
I’d love to learn more about you! You can leave a comment here or join us on our Facebook page (where we’re ALWAYS chatting about something!)
by Jamie Jeffers | Jun 12, 2017 | Large Family Life, Parenting Tips
This list of fun things to do with the family is a must have. Keep it on hand and draw ideas from it all year long.
As you scan the latest school newsletter, one certain date catches your eye.
Because next to that date are two little words that demolish your usual schedule.
“No school.”
Why the kids have a random day off of school in October is neither here nor there.
Either way, you need to figure out what that day is going to look like.
Hey, I’m all for having a lazy day where we sit around in pajamas and do nothing. (For once.)
And letting the kids learn to be bored can pay off big time.
But if you want to go just.one.day without the kids at each other’s throats (because he said no girls are allowed upstairs…and she hit me first)…then what you need is a plan.
And after you print off this list of fun things to do as a family, they’ll be too busy having fun to fight.
Well, fingers crossed anyway.
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I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
