Today is National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day and there have been a lot of natural and unnatural disasters in the news lately and I am sure that many children are hearing about them.

While I was at my college the other day I found a brochure titled “Tips for Talking to Children After a Disaster – A Guide for Parents and Teachers”. It is put out by the US Department of health and Human Services. It is a lengthy brochure so I figured I would summarize some of the highlights that may help others. I have added to them and am listing them in my own words instead of the clinical language they used.

1. Provide children the opportunity to talk about what they are seeing and hearing.
2. Admit you don’t know it all.
3. Don’t talk over your child’s level.
4. Keep the lines of communication open over time. More questions may come up in future weeks or months. Let the children know they can come to you with questions about anything not just the disaster events.
5. Take time to create a family emergency plan. Your children will be more receptive to it now and it may make them feel as if they have some “control” over future events.
6. Keep an eye on what your children are watching on television. If possible don’t allow them to watch broadcasts of the disaster without you.
7. Let your children know that any emotion they feel is alright.
8. Try to focus your child’s attention to the good things happening surrounding the disaster such as people reunited or heros.

If your child is having other issues relating to a disaster or any major life event please do not hesitate to speak to a counselor.

When I heard about the new TLC Extreme Couponing Show I was so excited that finally couponers would be recognized for their success in saving money. That was until I watched Good Morning America .  I was horrified, my jaw dropped and I slushed down in my chair.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  It portrayed couponers as crazy obsessed hoarders.  It showed all the things that we couponers teach NOT to do at our coupon classes. We have all dumpster dived but I certainly would not show that on National TV.  That will only cause chaos and more and more people doing this, getting hurt and newspapers and recycle centers to start locking their dumpsters due to liabilities and showing your kids in it.  Will it get to the point where we will no longer be able to get coupons this way?  I'd like to say shame on Good Morning America for doing what they did.  They never called any of the sources and  just did their own story.

You see, we couponers have had this negative stereotype over our heads  with stores, cashiers etc.  Most of the time it's because of a few bad apples who do things like using wrong coupons  for the wrong items, clearing store shelves, not leaving any for others and of course coupon fraud.  I have even stopped linking to certain blogs because they constantly post using coupons the wrong way.  Many of us have worked hard for years teaching "Good Practice Methods" at coupon classes, talking to store managers etc.

I do know that Nathan (who is a very nice person) calls ahead to his local Kroger store to make sure that the store orders enough stock for a sale and they will do special orders for him. I talked to Nathan and had a wonderful conversation with him over the phone and he did say he was a little worried about TLC making it look like he cleared the shelves and how new couponers might get the wrong idea. It's amazing how much he is able to donate to the needy and that's what TLC should be focusing on.  So for him let me point out it is NOT OK to clear store shelves.  It causes regular customers to complain to store managers because they do not get the regular sale price, then store managers get mad at couponers and change their rules!  Let me also say it is NOT OK to take coupons off people porches unless you have permission! That is theft.  I did like how Joyce showed you could save money and not clear the shelves.  I am glad they ended with a more positive note with Nathan.

I had hoped that TLC would mention the positive side of couponing.  What you can and shouldn't do to save money.  I had hoped they would talk about how many moms use couponing to teach their kids the value of money and how they give back to their community.  I had hoped they would talk about offering free coupon classes to their local community to help people fight the rising costs of the economy.

Couponing can be a great source for saving people money but it should not come between family time nor should it take over your home. It should be used in moderation and a way for you to pay it forward to your community.  Stockpiling can be very beneficial to helping you save money but you can go too far.

I am not going to point fingers at those who went on the show but I do hope that TLC will rethink any upcoming episodes they plan on doing and hopefully take some of the things I have mentioned along with other couponers to use in their stories. (Coupon Ethics) I'd love to know what you thought?

Check out our posts on Coupon Etiquette,  Are You Really Saving Money,  Coupon Fraud, and Coupon Tips. Follow us on Facebook for more deals.

P.S. I know this may stir up a can of worms but I'm ok with that. I will let comments come through as long as they are not degrading and mean. However I will not spend a lot of time responding as I have a full time job, feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

Chevy Girls: Proud New Owner of a Chevy Traverse from Melissa Garcia on Vimeo.

Yesterday we became the proud new owners of a 2011 Chevy Traverse. Sunday we walked up and down the mile of cars  trying to figure out what to buy. Looking at all the features and how much room each vehicle had. For the price we just kept coming back to the traverse.

What I Like:

• Blue Tooth capability
• XM Radio
• On Star
• Leather Seats/Heated
• 3rd Row Seats & how much room it has
• Kids can control their own air in the back as well as their own music with headphones. (no more I'm too cold or I'm too hot)

Changes I'd like to see:

• I don't like the cup holders in the side of the door. If you have little ones, drinks will slosh when you close the doors. I'd rather have cup holders in the middle or on the sides of the seats.
• There is no room to hang a handicapped hanger on the rearview mirror because of the way it's made. (that's important)
• I'd love to see a small cutout on the passenger side for the bluetooth phone cord to come out so that it could still be in use by the passenger but still be plugged in.
• I wish it had a little more cargo space but what we have is fine.
• Also in the 4 weeks we have driven the car we've gotten 2 sales calls in the car through the On Star phone (not from On Star itself.) We thought this was weird and quite annoying.

With these changes it would be the ultimate dream car! We are drawing to a close with this program and I have thoroughly enjoyed it!

Safety first in this home. Seat belts CHECK,hands free phone CHECK.One of my favorite things about the Chevy Traverse is the hands free calling. With just a few simple words such as store,dial and call. I can make phone calls with out my hands ever leaving the steering wheel. The sound is clear and loud and very easy to use.

I am so excited to be a Gotta Love Chevy OK Girl. Yesterday I picked up a brand new 2011 Chevy Traverse, oh how I love that new car smell. I will be test driving it for a month. Chevy will be sending us on a different mission every week so that we can show you the different features the Traverse has.  What are my favorite features so far besides that my children can control their own temperature in the back seat?  Well... the video above says it all I think LOL.

This week's mission is going grocery shopping, one of my favorite things to do of course with coupons in hand. Look for another post this week on that mission.

Did you know that consumers who visit any Oklahoma Chevy Team Dealer and test drive a Chevy Malibu will receive a $50 GC to use at Nonna's,The Purple Door or Painted Door? ( OH YEAH!) Just go to GottaLoveChevyOK.com .

Also, look for a really nice contest coming up soon. I won't tell you the details yet so you will just have to subscribe our blog or check out the GottaLoveChevyOK.com .
website.

Disclosure: The Girls On The Go campaign is sponsored by Oklahoma Chevy Team Dealers who give selected bloggers a new Chevy Traverse to test drive for one month and ask them to blog about the experience using the vehicle. Girlfriend Getaway allows for some fun projects and will provide me and the other participants with gift cards to allow me to fulfill them.

If you haven't already Join Bag It forward and you can help needy kids get school supplies plus enter to win a computer for yourself!

Join Bag It Forward

The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward is charity blog meme, bloggers are able to raise $10 per blog post for Adopt-A-Classroom by writing a blog post or Facebook note and donating a virtual bag of school supplies . Elmer’s will donate $10 per each post written for Adopt-A-Classroom, up to $10,000.

HOW CAN YOU JOIN? It’s easy.

• Participate in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward by giving away a virtual bag of school supplies and creating a blog post or Facebook note with specific rules described below.
• Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom.
• You can give as many virtual bags as you want.
• The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward will officially begin at 12 AM EST on July 22, 2010 and end at 11:59 PM EST on September 10, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted.
• The blog post link has to be submitted in the comment section below for your participation to be counted.
• In addition copy and paste the following text into your blog post:

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

• Copy and paste these rules into your blog post or Facebook note.
• Create a post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
• Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
• Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
• Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
• Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by September 10,2010).
• Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

For more info Check out CraftyMamof4's Blog

Most of you know I just recently attended a blogging conference called BlogHer. Walmart was my sponsor so I spent some time with my fellow Walmart Moms in the Walmart Booth and here is where I spent time learning the most. These women are amazing. I don't get to see them often enough. The moms that I most enjoyed talking to was Amy from Mom Advice and Colleen from ClassyMommy.

Amy and I share the same passion for frugal ideas and just before BlogHer I had gotten my hair cut & colored for free.Turns out it's the same color as hers. Someone in the booth asked if we were sisters LOL. Amy shared with me her comments on using boxed hair color and how it has worked for her. I never thought I would use boxed hair color but if you have seen Amy in person you know she is cute as a button. So when and if I am not bartering for my hair appointments I will now be using boxed hair color. Thanks Amy!

So I've kinda been with holding a secret from you guys.I have been very timid about blogging about it because I didn't know how all my frugal friends would react. You see as a stay at home mom for 10 years I was so frugal that I would never buy anything for myself.I didn't really take care of myself. My husband and the rest of my family would say go buy yourself something but of course I would go to the mall and end up spending it on the kids. When I went back to work my whole attitude changed. I hated it. I didn't want to work, I wanted to stay home. Once I started having to buy nicer clothes for work something happened. It was like a spark went off in my head. I loved looking nice. I started getting compliments at church and from people around me on the way I put pieces together or accessorize. Yet I still felt a little guilty at spending money. Then somehow a light bulb went off or ... OK maybe it was my husband. He said to me honey you save us so much money in all the other areas that it's OK if you spend money on yourself. I was like DUH, why didn't I think of that? I've turned into a Fashion Diva now. My once goal of just simply wanting to save money has turned into a goal of saving money so I can enjoy the finer things in life.

I wanted to share my shopping experiences with you guys but I didn't know how warm the welcome would be. As I talked to Colleen in the Walmart booth she really encouraged me. She reminded me that this IS MY blog. I should be comfortable sharing anything with my readers. She also reminded me that there are many people out there who want to be frugal but long to splurge on themselves. She said Melissa you always look so cute at conferances you should be sharing your finds with your readers.Thanks Colleen! Love You!

So that's it! This Frugal Mama is now a Fashion Diva. I love shoes, purses,clothes and of course.. I love to accessorize. Now that doesn't mean I won't try to find it on sale (because I just can't get over that hump) but I won't mind splurging if it's not either. I work hard at what I do and I should feel good about treating myself and all you other Frugal Mamas out there should too.

I will be sharing any fashion deals I find here but I will also be using my Royal Family Blog just to post great items I find that are not on sale.

In case you didn't know, I've started a 2nd blog called The Royal Family. Here you will find stories about my family, topics on Social Media, interviews with celebrities, random funny thoughts, inspirational stories, videos and lots more.  This will be a more intimate setting for my readers where they can get to know me. It still has more work to be done as I would like to go to the thesis theme there also.  I hope you will join me over there so that I can get to know you better as well!

I don't know about you guys but the temperature here in Oklahoma has been over 100 degrees every single day this week. I thought I would share few ideas on how I keep my family cool and still stay within a budget.

Make your own Popsicles - Every kid loves Popsicles and lets face it us adults do too.It's a quick and easy way to keep your kids cool and you can use just about anything around the house. Kool Aid, juice,even yogurt. My kids aren't big yogurt eaters but there is just something about freezing it that they like.

Make your own Squirters- Fill empty dish washing bottles or ketchup and mustard bottles with water to create some water fight fun. They are easier to fill than squirt guns and you can be green at the same time.

Drag out that Yard Sprinkler- Instead of buying all those expensive pools that tear up or get holes in them pull out that old yard sprinkler that probably cost $5. You will be surprised how much fun they will have. Plus all the running they will be doing will keep them happy and healthy. If you set up multiple ones you can have an obstacle course that kids can do to see if they can get to the finish line without getting wet.

Water Balloon Fights- Grab a package of water balloons at your local Walmart or Dollar Tree for around $1. Fill them up with water and send the kids outside for some fun filled water wars.

Don't want to clean up the aftermath with all those balloon pieces?  Fill up a bucket of water and give your kids sponges. They're soft, they get you wet, and there is no messy clean up.

How about water balloon yo yo's?

• Fill the balloon with water but not enough to make it stretch.
• Next blow it up so it's half air and half water.
• Knot your balloon
• Tie a rubber band at the end of the knot.
• Kids can decorate with markers, paint etc.

Kool-aid Art- If you have small children have them sprinkle unsweetened kool-aid on white construction paper and tell them to run an ice cube all over it. As the kool-aid melts, you will have fun swirly art that smells oh so good!

These are just a few of my ideas. I would love to know what you guys are doing to beat the heat!

More Frugal Tips

I just got off the phone with Life Church and I am helping them coordinate donations for our neighbors. I can't hardly walk down the street without crying! So many people lost everything! There were many things the church hadn't thought of when we spoke so we quickly made a list of what people need! If you have any of the following items below to donate please contact :

Life Church
2001 NW 178th St
Edmond,OK 73012
405-478-5433
Please let them know that ConsumerQueen sent you. They would like to keep me informed so that we can work together! I have so much to do that contacting THEM would be best. Those who have emailed me asking to help our family please contact Monica@mommybrainreports.com .

Items Needed for Flood Victims:

• Trash Bags
• Fans
• Cleaning Supplies
• Towels
• Food
• Bottled Water/Drinks
• Bandaids
• Sunscreen
• Bug Spray
• Clothes
• Toiletries
• Laundry Soap
• Extension Cords/Power Strips
• Baggies
• Boxes
• Antibacterial Wipes
• Baby wipes
• Paper plates
• Paper towels

I will keep adding to the list as I think of things!