Are you new to Crystal & Co.? Welcome to my site. I am a Dallas mom blogger and I am so very happy to have you here! I know there is a sea of mom blogs out there and I am thrilled that you have taken time out of your busy day to stop by mine.  Let me give you a quick tour so that you know what to expect here and so you do not miss out on anything!

Mom Advice

This site is all about mommy solutions and resources.

You will find some of the best mom advice on the internet here! Over 100 readers share their ideas and tips every single week.

 Meal Planning

I am a firm believer in meal planning. Every Monday you will find a new meal plan from me with links to all the easy recipes I am preparing for my family.

If you struggle with getting dinner on the table for your family, I can teach you how to meal plan.  I am proof that you do not have to be the most organized mom on the planet and it is so much easier than you think!

Easy Recipes

As a mom of many, easy recipes are the only kind I make. I refuse to stand in the kitchen for hours just to get dinner on the table- my children would tear my house down!

My recipes have short ingredient lists and require little to no babysitting. My slow cooker is a blessing!

Recipe Types:

• Chicken Recipes
• Beef Recipes
• Pasta Recipes
• Crockpot Recipes

 Craft Tutorials

Even though I am the only girl in the house, I love a good craft and so do my kids. If you look in my Nav Bar you will see the topic Crafts.

You can get to all of my tutorials from there, or, better yet, click by category to find something special you can make for every holiday. The best part? Most of the tutorials include a free printable!

Crafts By Category:

• Valentine Crafts
• St Patrick Day Crafts
• Easter Crafts
• Teacher Appreciation Crafts
• Fall Crafts
• Christmas Crafts 

 Ways to Save

We are a large family and a frugal family. My husband owns his own business and I am a stay at home mom. We live on a budget and still have a great life!

My car is not brand new, my house is not fancy, but I am at home with my kids enjoying their childhood. Amen, sister!

Save Money:

• 30 Ways to Save Money at Home 
• Thrifty Resources 
• 20 + Sites for Printable Coupons 

Homeschool Resources and Activities for Kids 

We homeschool four of our children. I share all of our homeschool journey as a resource for other moms. Homeschooling was not something I was 100% confident I could do, but it is something my husband really wanted. We are almost at our one year mark and we are plugging along and enjoying every step of the way. I love to share what works for us and what our homeschool day looks like.

I also share some of my pointers for navigating through dyslexia issues in public school. This was a nightmare battle for us.I share our experience and tips for 504 meetings as well as accommodation and modification suggestions. My stepson is now homeschooled, so this is no longer a battle for us but I can relate to what you are going through if this is part of your story.

I also have tons of activities for kids shared on my site. I love to create lists of things you can do with your kids that are free or inexpensive.

Activities for Kids by Season:

• 80 Ways to Entertain Your Kids During Spring Break
• Free or Inexpensive Things to Do During the Summer (No Matter Where You Live) 
• 35 Winter Break Activities
• 10 Outdoor Winter Activities 

Blogging Tips

This blog will be 5 years old in April of 2013. I have learned things along the way, on a technical side, that I never expected to know. And it was hard to find other bloggers who would help. All the secrets of blogging seem to be…. well, secrets.

I am here to share with you my tips on how to blog and grow your site.  We are adding lots of videos that are full of top notch information as well as posts that share my tips on exactly how I have grown this site from 100 pageviews a day to 140,000 a month.

Learn to Blog   

• Use Pinterest to Grow Your Site  (video)
• How to Use Twitter (video)
• Linky Party Strategies- 50 Parties in my Niche
• How to Improve Your Blog
• 16 Twitter Tips
• Can You Make Money Blogging?

 

All of the categories and topics that we discuss here are covered in the Nav Bar and/or the Topic Graphic in the sidebar about half way down the page.

Also, make sure you subscribe to get Crystal & Co., once a day emails delivered to your inbox, and follow us in all the social media channels which you can get to from my Welcome Box in the sidebar.