It’s hard to leave your children with a day care provider, nanny or other care giver while you are away working, but many of us have to do it everyday. It’s harder when you are not happy with the level of care your child is receiving. Sometimes you have to break up with your daycare provider in order to ensure your child is getting the best care. Here are some tips on how to make the break up conversation go easier:

• Speak to the Director or Owner. Schedule a face-to-face meeting with the owner or director of the day care center when you feel things aren’t going the way you’d hope. It’s important that the message be delivered directly to the top of the organization so they can make positive change for other parents.
• Keep the conversation positive. It’s hard to take bad news so be considerate of the person you are speaking with. This doesn’t mean you have to sugar coat the information; just be sure to keep your cool so the person listening will pay attention.
• Be honest. If you tip toe around the real issues of why you are leaving, they will never know what to fix and other parents are just going to be in the same position you are.
• Provide written notice. Many day care centers have strict withdraw policies. Avoid penalties by reviewing the center’s policy before you take your child out. Sometimes immediate withdraw is necessary, no matter the financial penalty, but other times you might be able to save some money by giving two weeks notice (or however long the policy states). Be sure to give notice in writing to avoid any communication problems or extra charges.
• Don’t burn bridges. You never know, but you may need, or even want, to return to the facility one day. Sometimes, in hindsight, what you are worried about today may not seem so bad later.

Photo credit: amdavis

A friend of mine just sent me a quick Instant Message to say, “hi.” In it, she confessed that she thinks of me every time she sees Erin Burnett on TV. Erin is a financial guru for CNBC. This two minute conversation made my day. Why?

I looked at Erin’s Web site and saw her photo — she’s attractive, stylish and looks smart too. So, someone out there thinks that I look as good as this. That makes my day.

I’ve been seeing a lot of ads and promotions for alice.com and decided to give it a try. Count me in on something that can save me valuable time. I signed up for the free account and began to search the site for items I typically purchase. Initially I was disappointed with the number of product offerings, but after searching more I found plenty of things that I normally buy. Although, I would hope they can expand soon.

Here’s what I purchased:

• Hair conditioner
• Paper towels
• Baby formula
• Tissues (each box counts as one item)
• Coffee
• Storage bags

You have to buy six items for each order, but shipping is free. This is the selling point for me. The second they start charging for shipping I’m outta there.

The box came and all of the items were in order. Nothing spilled, all packed neat and tidy. Who doesn’t love getting a big box in the mail?

This bottle of conditioner came with an alice sticker over the lid and not a drop spilled.

All of the packaging is “EarthAware,” recycled film, which is pretty cool.
Pricing

Pricing seems fair. I did some quick cost checking on a few items and think they are in line with my regular grocery store. I am sure you can find items cheaper if you price check and shop around, but I think alice.com is about convenience as much as price.

Site Features

The site has a lot of unique features that help frequent buyers streamline his/her purchases. Here are a few highlights:

• Ability to put items in your cart, but not purchase.
• Save items for future purchase.
• Note how often you buy items and set reminders.
• Online coupons are automatic.

Planning Needed

One sticking point for me is that you really need to plan this shopping adventure. Don’t wait until you need an item to buy it from alice.com; buy at least a week before you need it. Also, communicate with other shoppers in your home. I purchased the large size of paper towels, but failed to tell my husband (see above photo). While I was eagerly awaiting my alice.com order, my husband came home with the large size of paper towels. Now we have a year’s supply of paper towels.

Overall, I am pleased with my purchase and want to place another order. I just need to find out how online ordering falls into my monthly budget and make sure my husband knows I’m making a purchase - we don’t have room in the house for more double orders.

(Disclosure: I was not paid for this post, nor did I receive a gift card for my first purchase.)

This was at a hotel I stayed at last year and I just couldn’t resist taking the photo. Every now and then moms just need a sign like this to tell everyone that we need some alone time.

Baby photo credit: doriana_s

• If you have simple PhotoShop skills you can follow my easy to use instructions to download this free photo frame (shown above) and add your own image inside the red frame. Instructions are at the end of this post.
• There’s time to make chocolate covered strawberries. And, they’re quick and easy. The kids would have fun with this project.
• Valentine’s Day crafts for kids.
• If you’ve got some time today or even tomorrow you could attempt to make a Valentine’s Day cake that will *wow* everyone who get a piece. There’s a surprise on the inside — when you cut into the cake it displays a red heart. The baker shows a simple tutorial on her blog. You’ve got to see it.
• One of the allrecipe.com users, Celeste, submitted a photo of a Valentine’s Day (or I should say Night) picnic she created for her and her husband fireside at their home. Looks very romantic.
• RealSimple.com has a Valentine’s Day dinner menu that claims to be “stress-free.”

When all else fails, wait until the kids are in bed and put on a movie. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you are together.

Photo Frame How to:

1. Open valentinewrap.psd in PhotoShop.
2. Click (highlight) on the “Insert your photo here” layer.
3. In a new window, Open your photo.
4. Size your photo to 375 x 500 (width x height). (Go to the Image menu, choose Image size, type in your dimensions and click OK.)
5. Drag your photo to the open valentinewrap.psd file. Since the Insert your photo here layer is highlighted it should show up behind the red border.
6. Save the file as a JPG. (File Menu, Save as.)

DOWNLOAD THE FILE NOW.

Enjoy!