Sunday, July 31, 2011

Harry Potter

We like to do theme birthday parties at our house. We have had a variety of them over the years. With girls, it seems a lot easier to include costumes as part of the theme. Last year, it was princesses and everyone got princess dresses to wear. For my son, it can be harder. Trying to find costumes for boys to fit the theme is not always easy. Last year was Phineas and Ferb, I'm not sure what I could have done for costumes there.

This year, it could be different. Harry Potter is the theme that my son chose for his birthday party (any ideas on a cake? - this is the first theme chosen by my kids that I am not familiar with). There seem to be a number of different Harry Potter costumes available. My son of course would want the Harry Potter one, but you can also find Gryffindor robes, Quidditch robes and even Voldemort (now if I had read a book or watched the show, maybe I would know the difference and could come up with a theory on what type of robes we could use. There are even accessories available too.

Even if we don't dress up at the party, my son has decided that the Harry Potter Robe would be part of his Halloween costume this year too. He will wear his shirt and tie from First Communion. We still need to pick up a wand and some glasses to finish accessorizing, but we have a few weeks until his party and Halloween. Here he is in just the robe:
and here is what the picture on the package looks like. The shirt and tie and glasses definitely help complete the look.


CVS Scenarios - week of 7/31

I visited CVS more in the last week than I have in months. I am not sure I will be there a lot this week, but I am certain to stop by at least once. There are a few deals that are free or near enough free to make it worth the trip.

Transaction #1
1 - Bic Soleil Shimmer
2 - Skinny Cow Candy Singles

-$3 Bic mfg coupon
-$.99 BOGO Skinny Cow Candy mfg coupon

Total $3.98 OOP, earn $3 and $.99 ECB.

Transaction #2
2 - Revlon Super Lustrous Lip

-$3 $3/$10 Cosmetic CRT
-$1 Revlon mfg coupon
-$1 Revlon mfg coupon

Total $6.58, pay with $3 and $.99 ECB and $2.59 OOP. Earn $6 ECB.

Transaction #3
1 - Gillette Pro Glide Razor

-$4 Gillette Pro Glide mfg coupon

Total $5.99, pay with $6 ECB adjusted down. Earn $5 ECBs.

Total OOP for the day is $6.57, with $5 ECBs to roll and $30 in product. A savings of about 81%.

For more deals and scenarios, check out Money Saving Mom and Deal Seeking Mom.

CVS $5 Challenge
Transaction #1
2 - Skinny Cow Candy Singles

-$.99 BOGO Skinny Cow Candy mfg coupon

Total $.99 OOP, earn $.99 ECB.

Transaction #2
1 - Bic Soleil Shimmer

-$3 Bic Soleil mfg coupon

Total $2.99, pay with $.99 ECB and $2 OOP. Earn $3 ECBs.

Transaction #3
1 - Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Toothpaste

-$1.50 Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Toothpaste mfg coupon

Total $3.49, pay with $3 ECB and $.49 OOP. Earn $3 ECBs.

Total OOP of $3.48, with $3 ECBs to roll and $13 in product. A savings of about 78%.

For more $5 scenarios, check out the CVS $5 Challenge.

Never the Bride - Book Review

I just finished reading Never the Bride, by Cheryl McKay and Rene Gutteridge. The book is actually a novel based on the screenplay for a movie, which according to IMDB will be released in 2012. McKay actually was the writer for the movie screenplay, as well.

One woman's quest for the ultimate proposal and happily ever after - would be a good subtitle for this book.

As the story begins, we are introduced to Jessie Stone, who is stuck on a highway with a blow-out. As we get to know Jessie, we learn that she is a romantic, that has had trouble finding Mr. Right and living her own happily ever after. One of her best friends is a guy that she has a huge crush on. She keeps hoping one day that he will see that they are right for one another. She tries speed dating and online dating services, but always finds herself alone. Then, God shows up one day, in the flesh, and asks her to give up her pen and journals and let Him write her love story. It takes a lot of faith, but she agrees to allow Him to write her a love story. As the story evolves, she is full of doubts and frequently questions and challenges Him.

One of the things that Jessie does a lot of is dream up wedding proposals. She even starts a business and a blog based on love and dreaming up amazing wedding proposals. This part of her totally reminds me of a friend - my friend has even said before that she could open a business and help guys have the perfect proposal. Of course, my friend, unlike Jessie, has a man in her life - one who she was regularly dropping hints on the makings of a great proposal. I'm happy to say that they are recently engaged, but can you imagine asking someone that dreams up proposals to marry you? I think it would be a challenge. Of course, Jessie will tell you "it's all about heart."

I can't tell you how the story ends, but I can tell you that I really enjoyed reading the book. It was a cute story and I imagine that when the movie is out (at least, when it makes it to DVD) I will probably watch it.

I also am interested in reading their novelization of the movie, The Ultimate Gift. It is a movie that I watch every holiday season. McKay and Gutteridge worked together on it as well.

Would you mind ranking my review? By ranking my review, you are also entered to win a free book from Waterbrook Multnomah*.

No compensation was received for this post. A complimentary copy of the book was provided by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers through the Blogging for Books program so that I could read it and offer my review. *Blogging for Books is now giving away free copies of select titles to blog readers. When you rank a review you must first enter your email address. They will randomly be pulling email addresses from this database and mailing out free books each month to blog readers.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Kroger Cart Buster Savings Event - a Giveaway

I can remember shopping at Kroger, even as a little girl. The memories that I have of shopping there as a child, seem a little random, but they are my memories. For some reason, really not sure why, on occasion I would head to Kroger with my neighbor when she would go grocery shopping. I remember that we would buy a candy bar, but had to eat in the car, before we got home. I also remember that their deli had the best nacho cheese dip. It was always such a treat when we would get their chips and nacho cheese.

"Have you heard? The Cart Buster Savings Event is back at the Kroger Co. Family of Stores, beginning July 31st with storewide savings in almost every department! During the savings event, summer deals are just getting started. Browse the aisles and load up your cart with everyday items from brands you already love."
    "From July 31st through August 17th save on tons of brands across more than 100 categories from General Mills, PepsiCo, Unilever, Heinz, Mars, Wrigley and Kimberly Clark. Look for some of your favorite participating products like, Honey Nut Cheerios, Yoplait , Pillsbury Pepsi, Doritos, Gatorade, Smart Ones, Ore-Ida, Cottonelle, Viva, Breyer’s Ice Cream, Axe , Snickers, Pedigree and Orbit. Look for big savings storewide at the Kroger Family of Stores, which includes Kroger, Ralphs, King Scoopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Fred Meyer, Pay Less Supermarkets and Scott’s food & Pharmacy. Don’t let the savings stop there! Make sure to follow the Cartbuster “Deal of the Day” beginning August 3rd and running through August 16th.* Download exclusive offers, on more of your favorite brands, directly to your shopper card, by visiting www.cartbuster.com, beginning Wednesday, August 3rd."

Want to stay in the know about special events at your local Kroger store? Be sure to check out Kroger on Twitter and Facebook. For information on the Cart Buster Event and information on the Deal of the Day offer at www.cartbuster.com.

Giveaway!
Thanks to Kroger and MyBlogspark, I have the opportunity for one A Busy Mom of Two reader to win a $25 Gift Card to Kroger (to help make the Cart Buster deals even sweeter!).

To enter leave a comment sharing which Kroger family of stores you will be shopping at.

Additional Entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

Follow ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter.

Follow Kroger on Twitter.

Tweet about this giveaway. You may complete this entry once per day. (You may use the following or write your own: Enter to win a $25 @Kroger Gift Card. @ABusyMomofTwo. Ends 8/12 http://bit.ly/q9LgUV #myblogspark)

Follow A Busy Mom of Two. Subscribe to updates in your feed reader or in e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know that you signed up, or that you already subscribe.

Like A Busy Mom of Two on Facebook.

Share this giveaway with friends - on your blog, on Facebook or by posting it on a giveaway link-up. Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared or leave a link to the giveaway link-up. You may have one additional entry for each giveaway linky that you submit it on.

Leave a comment with a link to your blog where you have either my button or have a link to A Busy Mom of Two in your blog roll.

Giveaway will remain open until August 12th at 6 pm. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected using a random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. I will be receiving a Kroger gift card. The Kroger gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by Kroger through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Roku Streaming Player Coupon Code- Winner!

Congratulations to JP, who was selected as the winner of the Roku Box Streaming Player coupon code.

The coupon code was sent to the winner. Thanks everyone for their interest. Be sure to check out the other Giveaways going on now on A Busy Mom of Two - you can find a list on the upper right hand section of the blog.

CVS Deals - 7/30

I headed out to CVS this morning to pick up a few more items to complete the gas card deal. I had to do two transactions, the one item didn't ring up as much as expected and I was a little short.
3 - Herbal Essence Stylers
3 - Herbal Essence Conditioners
2 - Kids Activity Books (clearance)

-$3 Herbal Essence WYB one mfg coupon
-$3 Herbal Essence WYB one mfg coupon
-$3 Herbal Essence WYB one mfg coupon
-$1 Herbal Essence mfg coupon

Paid with $1 and $1.99 ECB and $3.26 OOP. Earned $10 Gas Card. They only had Shell, so I will wait to get a card later. I'm not sure if it is just Shell and BP available or if some other stores might have others. I will have to do some calling to see. The BP in town closed a few years ago, so it wouldn't be of much use.

this post shared at Super Savings Saturday.

Roku Streaming Player - Coupon Code Giveaway

I have an extra $20 coupon good for one Roku 2 XS direct from Roku. They retail on their site for $99 and right now shipping is free. The coupon code expires on Monday.

I can't yet offer a review or feedback on the product, as we have just ordered one for our selves. They seem pretty cool though. You can read about the product on Roku.com. They are very small, check out this picture:


If you would like to be considered in this giveaway, send me an e-mail today (Saturday, July 30) by 7:00 pm. At that time, I will select at random one winner from all interested e-mails received. I will send the code to the winner this evening, so that the purchase can be made by Monday.

Please only enter if you have intention to purchase with this code. It expires Monday, so you would need to buy it this weekend.

Friday, July 29, 2011

DaGeDar - a Review and Giveaway

Have you heard of this new toy - DaGeDar? I hadn't heard of it until a few weeks ago, when we were invited to check it out. "A game of speed, challenge, and above all racing, DaGeDar is unlike any toy you’ve ever seen before. Each DaGeDar is made from a weighted ball bearing, and has a character face and code."

The story behind DaGeDar and Dimension 33 was sort of interesting to read - I never new so many things were tied to the number 33.

When the box arrived and I told my son that I had a new game for him, he was excited to open everything. He had everything stacked and ready to open, as soon as we gave him the okay to open them after dinner. (My daughter, of course, wanted in on the fun too - "it's not fair" is one of her favorite expressions. Funny how she doesn't seem to find it unfair when she gets something and he doesn't.)

We assembled the High Speed Score Zone Raceway and some of the balls. You release the balls down the ramp, they do a loop and then jump from the track to the scoring zone. The technique and skill of the "Ballers" come into play as they adjust the ramp position. We soon learned that too steep or too flat weren't good options - once you found the right angle, the ball had the right speed to complete the inverted loop and to jump into the 100 point score box. At first, the unsupported ramp seemed a little awkward, but we soon positioned it against the couch in our basement. This way, it doesn't topple over between turns.

The kids seemed to really enjoy the High Speed Score Zone Raceway. Next, we opened the Rapid Fire Power Launcher, which can be played on it's own or hooked onto the Raceway in place of the ramp. I found that my kids had a little trouble releasing the ball with any force. I was able to do it, but for my 4 and 7 year old, they weren't getting the right pull and release to make it happen. We quickly returned to the ramp on our Raceway.

There are some features that I really like about the toy. First, NO BATTERIES! Second, I like that there are several series of DaGeDar balls, that the kids can collect and trade. They even sell carrying cases that will allow you to easily transport up to three balls. Third, I like to believe that playing with the ramp and seeing when the ball will and won't make the inverted loop and the way the speed impacts where the ball lands in the scoring zone will make physics touchable - certainly, I'm not suggesting that kids will fully understand the physics behind it, but much like the displays at the science center, the hands on experience still builds a seed in their brain that someday will make the Physics and Calculus seem more relatable.

Here is what my son has to say:
    "I like DaGeDar because it is a good toy to play with when you are bored DaGeDar is fun too. I like how the DaGeDar balls can race to the finish! I like the dragon ball I want the skeleton horned fire ball and the mummy one too with another ball case as well. And two more tracks called stunt jump track and battle jump raceway."
I think that he was missing some punctuation and sentence structure, but it is summer and he is still only 7 (even if he does point out that he will be 8 soon).

I feel that DaGeDar is one of those toys that the kids will have interest in for a while, lose interest in and then find again. I have seen this happen with other toys - including a car track that my son got when he was much younger. So far, I have found that they will play with it for a little while and then be done - it won't fill an afternoon the way some toys will. I do wonder though, when my son's friends come over if it will have a renewed and extended interest. Sharing the track with his sister certainly isn't as much fun as competing against a buddy. Also, as his friends learn about DaGeDar and if they start to get their own Balls, I think that it will further heighten his interest in the toy.

The DaGeDar website features a whole section on how to play with the DaGeDar - including an elimination tournament for up to 15 friends. I think it could be fun to have a few of the tracks and have competitions to see who could master each one.

Giveaway!
One lucky A Busy Mom of Two reader will receive a DaGeDar basic ball set and a spinner or carrying case to enjoy with their family.

To enter: Leave a comment sharing who would get to play with the DaGeDar.

Additional Entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

Follow ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter.

Tweet about this giveaway. You may complete this entry once per day. (You may use the following or write your own: Enter to win a DaGeDar Basic Ball Set. @ABusyMomofTwo. Ends 8/11 http://bit.ly/qRMDHt)

Follow A Busy Mom of Two. Subscribe to updates in your feed reader or in e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know that you signed up, or that you already subscribe.

Like A Busy Mom of Two on Facebook.

Share this giveaway with friends - on your blog, on Facebook or by posting it on a giveaway link-up. Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared or leave a link to the giveaway link-up. You may have one additional entry for each giveaway linky that you submit it on.

Leave a comment with a link to your blog where you have either my button or have a link to A Busy Mom of Two in your blog roll.

Giveaway will remain open until August 11th at 6 pm. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected using a random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. We received DaGeDar balls, raceway and accessories through MomSelect and BSM Media. The DaGeDar Basic Ball Set and Spinner or Carrying Case is being provided for the Giveaway. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family.

Samples and Freebies

Requested:
John Frieda Frizz Ease Hair Care Sample

Received:
SoyJoy Bar
5 Free Books from Scholastic
Honey Nut Cheerios sample and coupon
Pantene Free Product Coupon
Dentek sample

Thursday, July 28, 2011

BCowan Bags - Special Offer ends tonight!

There are only a few short hours left to take advantage of the discount that BCowan Bags is offering to A Busy Mom of Two readers.

You can find the information here.



Box Tops for Education - a Giveaway!

I can hardly believe it, but school will be starting back up in less than three weeks. In fact, three weeks from tonight, we will be celebrating the first day of school with a special dinner out (it's a tradition we started years ago - we go out the first day and the last day of school - not that we don't go out other days, but they are special days).

I am in the midst of back to school shopping. My son wears a school uniform, so that part is easy and I am already done with that shopping. I've started picking up school supplies, but still have a few more things to pick up. One trip that I still need to make is a back to school trip to Sam's Club. We still need the tissues on the school supply list and we generally buy these at Sam's Club. I also find that I can pick up a lot of lunch box and snack items at Sam's Club. Their value packs of granola bars, puddings and more are great to have on hand for packing in lunch or a quick after school snack.

In August, Sam's Club and Box Tops for Education will be having a Back to School Event. When you purchase participating Box Tops Items, you will find 6 Box Tops on a Pack! What a great way to earn bonus box tops for your school. Have you ever checked out the Box Tops for Education website? I didn't realize how new the program has contributed over $340 million to participating schools! In addition to clipping Box Tops for your school, did you know that you can also earn eBoxTops for your school through online shopping and more.

    "Earn more cash for your local school at Sam’s Club this August with the 6 Box Tops on a Pack promotion. When you purchase participating Box Top items, you can collect even more Box Tops on some of your favorite General Mills brands such as Honey Nut Cheerios, Nature Valley Oats 'N Honey Crunchy Granola Bars, Totino’s Pizza Rolls, and more! Sam’s Club has your favorite back to school items from computers to clothing, and at the best values."

Giveaway!
General Mills through MyBlogSpark, is providing me with one $25 Sam's Club Gift Card to giveaway to one A Busy Mom of Two reader.

To enter: Leave a comment sharing a back to school shopping trip memory. Perhaps from your childhood or from getting your own kids ready to go back to school.

Additional Entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

Follow ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter.

Follow Sam's Club on Twitter.

Tweet about this giveaway. You may complete this entry once per day. (You may use the following or write your own: Enter to win a $25 @SamsClub Gift Card. @ABusyMomofTwo. Ends 8/8 #myblogspark http://bit.ly/or3Z5o)

Follow A Busy Mom of Two. Subscribe to updates in your feed reader or in e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know that you signed up, or that you already subscribe.

Like A Busy Mom of Two on Facebook.

Like Sam's Club on Facebook.

Share this giveaway with friends - on your blog, on Facebook or by posting it on a giveaway link-up. Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared or leave a link to the giveaway link-up. You may have one additional entry for each giveaway linky that you submit it on.

Leave a comment with a link to your blog where you have either my button or have a link to A Busy Mom of Two in your blog roll.

Giveaway will remain open until August 8th at 6 pm. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected using a random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. The Sam’s Club gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

CVS Deals - 7/27

I made a quick stop at CVS yesterday after work to pick up some Vitamin D. I knew that CVS value vitamins were on a BOGO sale and that they were part of this week's gas card offer, so it was the right time to buy (plus I was out!). I looked for the Softsoap, but they were out, so I got a rain check. While there, I also checked to see if they had any of the items I had rain checks for in - sure enough, they finally got back in the 5ct Zyrtec that was free after ECBs about a month ago.
1 - 300ct Vitamin D
1 - 300ct Vitamin C
1 - Papermate Pens
1 - Zyrtec 5ct

-$5 Zyrtec IP (no longer available)

Paid with $17 in ECBs (I had gotten a $5 CVS Beauty Club one when I scanned my card at the magic coupon machine) and $3.72 OOP. I earned $1, $1.99 and $6 ECBs.

I checked my receipt and as expected, only the vitamins that I paid for count for the gas card offer. I will have to head back in to pick up some of the shampoo/conditioner that is included to complete the deal. I learned that the CVS that I was at only had BP cards. I don't usually use them, so I will be checking to see if any of the other local stores have different gas cards.

This post shared at Super Savings Saturday.

Annual Lasagne Day

My how times have changed...when I shared about Annual Lasagne Day in 2009, Spaghetti Warehouse was offering free Lasagne. This year, their offer is still sweet at just $5 for their 15-layer Lasagne entree, complete with bread and soup or salad. Their bread is good and their butter makes the bread even more addictive.

To join in on the fun, like them on Facebook and you will be able to print their coupon.

The $5 Lasagne Entree offer is only good today, July 28th.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Hormel Foods - Sampler Pack Giveaway

One of my benefits as a Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger is that from time to time, I will have the opportunity to host a giveaway for my readers. One A Busy Mom of Two reader will win a Reader Sampler Pack, which includes:

  • A reusable Hormel Foods grocery bag


  • Hormel® chili with beans


  • CHI-CHI’s salsa


  • Hormel® turkey pepperoni packs


  • Hormel® Always Tender coupon



  • To Enter: I shared about my Weekend Barbeque Challenge here, where I had the chance to create three courses using Hormel Foods products. Visit Hormel.com and find a recipe that you would like to try that uses one or more of the above products. Leave a comment on this post sharing which recipe and what product it uses.

    Additional Entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

    Follow ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter.

    Tweet about this giveaway. You may complete this entry once per day. (You may use the following or write your own: Enter to win a Hormel Foods Reader Sampler Pack. @ABusyMomofTwo http://bit.ly/nIXEQv Ends 8/4. #giveaway)

    Follow A Busy Mom of Two. Subscribe to updates in your feed reader or in e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know that you signed up, or that you already subscribe.

    Like A Busy Mom of Two on Facebook.

    Like Hormel Foods Recipes on Facebook. (don't forget while you are there you can enter to win their sweepstakes)

    Share this giveaway with friends - on your blog, on Facebook or by posting it on a giveaway link-up. Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared or leave a link to the giveaway link-up. You may have one additional entry for each give-away linky that you submit it on.

    Leave a comment with a link to your blog where you have either my button or have a link to A Busy Mom of Two in your blog roll.

    Giveaway will remain open until August 4th at 6 pm. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected using a random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

    No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine or that of my family. I am currently a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program. Each post written for this role, serves as an entry into a grand prize giveaway. Hormel provides materials and resources to assist me with my posts.

    Three Years!

    It just occurred to me that July is my Blogiversary Month (yes, I'm sure that is a made up word, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is in some dictionary somewhere). To help celebrate my three years, I am going to be posting some giveaways over the next few days.

    Be sure to check back each day to see the new giveaway!

    Thanks everyone for reading and making blogging so much fun.

    Tuesday, July 26, 2011

    To The Top Tuesday Blog Hop



    I'm joining in the Tuesday Blog Hop at Mommy Pr and One Little Mister.

    Add your blog to the list below and check out the other blogs.

    You can get the code for the button and the linky here.



    Monday, July 25, 2011

    Mamavation Monday

    I didn't get anywhere last week, despite my best efforts. I think the culprit was a busy weekend with less than stellar food choices. Couple that with the fact that I am trying to avoid letting a cold get the better of me by drinking tea (with honey), fruit juice, gatorade and more.

    I am glad to say that I walked everyday last week. Saturday, rain in the morning and rain again in the evening had me resort to an indoor walk - used Leslie Sansone Walk At Home DVD. I walked at least 3 miles everyday. With the humidity, my normal walking partner did not join me other than Monday, so that was the only day that I did the 3 mile walk/1 mile run interval that I have started, with a plan of doing that three times a week. I was successful on the weekdays, in coming home from my walk and doing some strength training - chest/back, abs, arms/shoulders, abs, legs. When I did the walk dvd, there was strength training built into the second mile.

    The weekend aside, last week was a pretty good eating week. The biggest thing was not having the candy at work. The supply dwindled early in the week and by the end of the week, I wasn't in the habit of walking by it, so that is a good thing.

    This week started out good on the exercise front. I just hope that I am successful in fighting this cold. I figure that staying active is a good thing. I am trying to get to bed earlier in the evening to allow my body ample time to rest, but still time to exercise. Since tomorrow is the ab day, I should be able to start about 15 minutes later than I do normally, and still wrap up at a good time (earlier than normal actually) - allowing a little morning shut eye. I keep taking my vitamin C, zinc and gatorade - we will see if I conquer or not.

    This post shared at Mamavation Monday. This week's carnival is sponsored by Organ Wise Guys and Fiber Choice. The question is: What nutrition lessons have you learned from your kids? I have learned that enjoying your food one bite at a time allows you to really savor food. Have you ever watched a child eat M&Ms, they take them one piece at a time - I find that if I do that, rather than putting a handful in my mouth, that I enjoy them and consume less. I've also learned that they want to eat what you eat, so if you eat well, so will they. That certainly provides motivation on eating better.

    No compensation was received for this post. By participating in the carnival, I am entering to win a prize pack from the sponsors.

    Menu Plan Monday

    I can't believe the weekend is already over. It was a very good one, and reasonably not busy. Saturday, we had a birthday party at a friend's house, complete with Pony Rides for the kids. Both kids really enjoyed the experience. Then, we made a quick stop at Toys 'R Us to pick up some deals.

    I made a big shopping trip to the grocery this week, as I had FoodPerks! that were expiring at the end of the month. Unfortunately, they were out of/didn't carry some of the things that I had hoped to pick up. I was able to pick up contact cleaner and solution (with discount, it was the same price as Walmart and I earned FuelPerks) and about 12 Birthday cards, because my stash was getting low. I saved over 33% on my total grocery bill.

    Sunday
    Salisbury Steak

    Monday
    Dinner at our Favorite local Mexican

    Tuesday
    Cheeseburgers

    Wednesday
    Open Face Turkey Sandwiches

    Thursday
    Pizza

    Friday
    Chicken Patty Sandwiches (kid's request night)

    Saturday
    Grilled Chicken

    Breakfast is cereal or oatmeal each morning, although sometimes at school the kids will have pancakes or french toast. Lunch is typically sandwiches, frozen meals or leftovers for everyone.

    This post shared at Menu Plan Monday.

    Sunday, July 24, 2011

    Office Max - MaxPerks Rewards Deals

    I am thinking of heading out to Office Max this week to take advantage of two Max Perks Rewards that they are offering this week.

    1 - Backpack, Tote or Messenger Bag

    Get 100% back in MaxPerks Rewards. Rewards available in September. Can be done up to two times per member.

    1 - Office Max Multipurpose Paper, 500ct

    $6.99 OOP, earn $6.98 in MaxPerks Rewards.

    Walgreens Scenarios - week of 7/24

    I haven't been to Walgreens in a while, but we are back in swim lessons, so I will be close to Walgreens this week and think that a stop just might be in order.

    Transaction #1
    1 - Dentek Flossers

    -$1 Dentek IP

    Total $1.99 OOP, earn $2 RR.

    Transaction #2
    2 - ScUnci No Damage Pony Tail Holders

    -$2 RR

    Total $1 OOP, earn $3 RR.

    Transaction #3
    2 - Oral B Toothbrushes
    1 - Sharpie Highlighter (w/ in ad coupon)

    -$2.49 Oral B BOGO mfg coupon (or if that type isn't included, use the $2/2 Oral B mfg coupon)

    -$3 RR

    Total $0.18 OOP, earn $3 RR.

    Transaction #4
    2 - Irish Spring Body Wash
    1 - Arizona iced Tea (w/ in ad coupon)

    -$.50 Irish Spring mfg coupon
    -$.50 Irish Spring mfg coupon

    -$3 RR

    Total $2.50 OOP, earn $4 RR.

    Transaction #5
    2 - Planter's Nuts

    -$4 RR

    Total $2 OOP, earn $2 RR.

    Transaction #6
    1 - Skintimate Shave Gel (w/ in ad coupon)
    3 - Arizona Iced Tea (w/ in ad coupon)
    1 - Sharpie Marker (w/ in ad coupon)

    -$1.50 Skintimate Shave IP

    -$2 RR

    Total $.38 OOP.

    For the trip, the total would be $8.05 OOP, for $28.04 in product, a savings of about 72%.

    For more scenarios and deals, check out Money Saving Mom and Deal Seeking Mom.

    Walgreens $5 Challenge
    To make it an under $5 visit, simply skip Transaction #4 & 5:

    Transaction #1
    1 - Dentek Flossers

    -$1 Dentek IP

    Total $1.99 OOP, earn $2 RR.

    Transaction #2
    2 - ScUnci No Damage Pony Tail Holders

    -$2 RR

    Total $1 OOP, earn $3 RR.

    Transaction #3
    2 - Oral B Toothbrushes
    1 - Sharpie Highlighter (w/ in ad coupon)

    -$2.49 Oral B BOGO mfg coupon (or if that type isn't included, use the $2/2 Oral B mfg coupon)

    -$3 RR

    Total $0.18 OOP, earn $3 RR.

    Transaction #4
    1 - Skintimate Shave Gel (w/ in ad coupon)
    5 - Arizona Iced Tea (w/ in ad coupon)
    1 - Sharpie Marker (w/ in ad coupon)

    -$1.50 Skintimate Shave IP

    -$3 RR

    Total $.38 OOP.

    The total OOP for this set of scenarios is only $3.55 for $16.54 in product, a savings of 79%.

    For more $5 Scenarios, check out the Walgreens $5 Challenge.

    CVS Scenarios - week of 7/24

    I'm a little bit unsure of what I will do at CVS this week. There are a few free/near free deals that will be on my list and perhaps a few others.

    In addition, I know that I need to pick up some more vitamins for myself, so I may try to do the gas card deal. What I am not sure of is whether I will get the regular amount of the vitamins or the actual amount after B1G1 sale. I likely would pair this with the Herbal Essence/Aussie deal, to take advantage of the $3 mfg coupon that is available.

    Transaction #1
    1 - Papermate pens
    1 - U by Kotex

    -$1 U by Kotex mfg coupon

    Total $4.48 OOP, earn $1.99 and $2 ECBs.

    Transaction #2
    1 - Crest ProHealth Rinse

    -$1 Crest Mfg coupon (I think this is for the right size, I have a $2 one that is for a larger size)

    Total $1.99, pay with $1.99 ECB. Earn $2 ECBs.

    Transaction #3
    1 - Cheez-It Snack Mix
    1 - Oreo Cookies
    2 - Lorna Doone Cookies

    -$1 $1/2 Nabisco Cookies and Crackers mfg coupon

    Total $4, pay with $1.99 and $2 ECBs and $.01 OOP. Earn $1 ECB.

    For the trip, the total OOP is $4.49, with $1 ECB remaining, for $13.47 in product at sale price. A savings of just under 70%.

    For more deals, check out Money Saving Mom and Deal Seeking Mom. For more $5 Scenarios, check out the CVS $5 Challenge.

    Update: I meant to include the following, but missed it.

    Transaction #4
    1 - ReNu Solution

    -$2 ReNu Mfg coupon

    Total $5.69, pay with $1 ECB and $4.69 OOP. Earn $6 ECBs.

    If I had remembered it, I would have made it transaction #1, combined #2 and #3 and here is what the net would have been:
    $4.95 OOP
    $1 ECB to roll
    $21.16 in product
    a savings of 78%.

    Actually, a much better scenario.

    Saturday, July 23, 2011

    Toys 'R Us Deals! - 7/23

    A few weeks back, I had received a Toys 'R Us circular that had a $10/$50 coupon attached. I had set it aside, hoping that I might get up to the nearest Toys 'R Us before the coupon expired. As I was cleaning up the counter yesterday, I came across it and saw that it was expiring today. After flipping through the circular and their weekly ad, I decided that when we were out today to go to a birthday party, that I would try to stop by.

    I went under the assumption that my total after sales needed to be $50, but after the way that everything rang up, I'm thinking that I could have possibly done a before sale total.

    This might look like a Crayola ad, it's not, there just were some great deals from Crayola that I could use.
    1 - Crayola Masterworks Art Set 200 pc (reg $34.99, on sale for $24.99)
    3 - Crayola Dry Erase Crayons (reg $3.99 each, on sale B1G2)
    3 - Crayola Dry Erase Markers (reg $3.99 each, on sale B1G2)
    3 - Crayola Doodle Pads (reg $4.29 each, on sale B1G2)
    1 - Crayola Dry Erase Crayons and Dual Board (reg $9.99, on sale for $6.99)
    1 - Crayola 18ct Kids Paint (reg $5.09, not on sale, but to appease my youngest assistant shopper)
    1 - TailBall Outdoor Game (reg ??, on clearance for $7.98)

    -$10 $10/$50 coupon from circular

    Total $47.84, saved $49.94. The art set is a birthday gift for my niece, who loves to do crafts (shh, don't tell her). The Dry Erase markers are a school supply that we need every year, so I figured that with the B1G2 sale, I would just set the others aside for next year. The Dry Erase Dual Board and Dry Erase Crayons seem like a good diversion to bring along on our vacation - we have many hours in which to provide entertainment. Plus, I just think that the Dry Erase Crayons are an interesting concept. The TailBall game is an attempt to offer my kids one other backyard diversion - so that I don't have to hear that there is nothing to do.

    The one thing that we had hoped to get, but didn't was Crayola 48ct Crayons. As my son said, how can they offer 8, 16, 24, and 96 but not have 48 count? Oh well, hopefully someone has them on deal so that we can pick them up for my son's school supply list.

    I feel pretty good about everything that I got and really, a savings of over 50% (the $47.84 was only $44.92 before tax) is pretty good.

    This post shared at Super Savings Saturday.

    Friday, July 22, 2011

    Thursday, July 21, 2011

    FyrFlyz

    Recently, we had the opportunity to check out a new toy called FyrFlyz.

    When you look at the toy, sitting on the counter,
    it doesn't seem like there is much to it. But, when you turn on the two LED lights and head into a darkened space, you can create quite a light show.

    You can check out the cool light show my 8-year old did with one FyrFlyz:


    Both of my kids have really enjoyed playing with these toys. I am sure there is a "technique" to create each of the many tricks that they share on the package and on their website, but we mostly just played with them and probably never did the same thing twice. That was okay with us, we had a great time just playing.

    The toy is being released this summer and should retail for under $10. Select Toys'R Us are carrying them currently, but the toy is planned for national release in August.

    No compensation was received for this post. We received two FlyrFlyz through MomSelect & BSM Media. In addition, my son will receive a gift card for submitting a video. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

    Wednesday, July 20, 2011

    Questions About WordPress

    It seems that I am doing it again! I'm sneaking in a reverse WFMW post, but I need input and the crowd on WFMW is a very knowledgeable bunch.

    So, over the past three years that I have been blogging and reading blogs (I can't believe it has been that long), I have seen many blogs make the move to WordPress. I have heard that it is better, but never any real specifics.

    So, here are my questions (feel free to answer any or all in the comment section):

    What are the pros of moving? What are the cons?
    What specifically is better on WordPress? What is better on Blogger?
    Do I need to know more programming/HTML type stuff to operate on WordPress?
    Can I customize the layouts/features like I have on Blogger?
    What resource would you recommend for learning more and/or helping me compete a move if I go that route?'

    This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.

    Tuesday, July 19, 2011

    Real Utensils Instead of Plastic

    I have previously shared how my family made the move to cloth napkins for everyday use. My husband was skeptical when I first implemented this idea, but over a year later, it is still working well for us.

    Then, late last year, I made the move to using dishes for parties and gatherings, instead of paper plates. This has been working out really well for us. Now that we are in picnic season, I have been pulling out the plastic plates from our cupboards for the kids to use - I just feel that they are even more drop proof.

    Plastic ware had some challenges for me. We always seemed to use the plastic ware at different rates. I generally would purchase the bulk packs at the warehouse club to get the best value on plastic utensils, but with the uneven use, I found myself having to pay more to get a box with a single type of utensil. As a result, it seemed that before every party, there was always the question of do we need to run out and pick some up - will we run out part way through the weekend, or do we have enough. I was always worried (just because I am me) when I had to pick up something new and the plastic ware didn't match.
    (my party silverware in my organizer basket for party use)
    Well, a few months ago, I finally made the move to real utensils for parties and gatherings. I was able to get 36 place settings of forks, spoons and knives at Sam's Club for under $30. To help keep it together for storage, I picked up a stacked organizer at Target for under $10 (I don't remember exactly how much).
    I can't calculate (well, I actually probably could - but won't) how much we have/will save by not purchasing plastic for all of our events, but I know that in the long run, it will be a net cost savings and it certainly has simplified life around parties and gatherings.

    That Works for Me.

    This post shared at Frugal Friday.

    Hormel Foods - Elevate The Everyday™ Summer Dining Sweepstakes

    Hormel Foods has a promotion going on right now through their Facebook page.

    The Elevate The Everyday™ Summer Dining Sweepstakes can be entered by selecting Like on Hormel Foods Facebook Page and then completing a simple form.

    What can you win? "Enter to Win the Ultimate Summer Cooking Accessory!"

    Grand Prize: One Outdoor Grill ($500 value)
    First Prize: Two Grills ($200 value each)
    Second Prize: Ten Summer Grilling Coupon Prize Packs ($45 value each)

    Promotion ends on August 5th, so be sure to stop by and enter. You can find the promotion rules here.

    No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine or that of my family. I am currently a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program. Each post written for this role, serves as an entry into a grand prize giveaway. Hormel provides materials and resources to assist me with my posts.

    CVS Deals - 7/18

    I headed to CVS last night after work, which was a good thing. Turns out my ECBs had expired already about 1 week ago. The cashier informed me that the policy had changed and ECBs really do expire. Just like the CRT, they will only take the ECBs for 7 days after expiration. I guess I better watch the length of gaps between CVS visits.

    I used up a rain check for Coppertone, I decided with it being on sale, it was an opportune time to redeem it. I still have the rain check for the Zyrtec 5 ct, but my store is still out. The coupon I printed expires this week, so I need to figure out if another store has it or if I can reprint the coupon.

    2 - Coppertone Sunscreen
    2 - Pantene Conditioner
    2 - Oral B Indicator Toothbrush

    -$1 Coppertone mfg coupon
    -$1 Coppertone mfg coupon
    -$3 $3/2 Pantene mfg coupon
    -$2 Pantene CRT
    -$2 $2/2 Oral B Indicator mfg coupon

    Paid with $8, $3, $1 and $.50 ($12.50) in ECBs and $6.52 OOP ($5.43 + $1.09 in tax) and earned $8, $2 and $2 ECBs. The Pantene and the Toothbrushes were free after ECB and coupons, so the $7.02 in cash and ECBs was what I paid for two 8 oz bottles of sunscreen, seems okay to me.

    This post shared at Super Savings Saturday.

    Favorite Blogs

    Oh no! My favorite blog list has disappeared from my side bar. Has anyone else had this issue? Is there a fix?

    Obviously, one option is rebuilding the list. That sounds easy, but I'm not sure that it is. I know I have a few bookmarked in my favorites, but some of them, I do not.

    If anyone knows of a solution, let me know please. Otherwise, it is on my to do for tonight.

    Monday, July 18, 2011

    Mamavation Monday

    Well, I've been up and I've been down. I've been enjoying my food and I've been working out. At the end of several weeks, I am right where I started. I think that I have come to a new focus today (except I ate out lunch because I failed to pack).

    I have been continuing to meet a friend at the track a few mornings a week. I have decided that my body is not responding to walking. I was walking 3 - 4 miles / day and having no impact, even when I was eating right. So, I started mixing in running. I am not a runner, never have been. I am currently running about 2/3 of a lap every other lap around the track. So, on my 4 mile walk today (1 mile back and forth to the track and 3 miles around the track), I netted about 1 mile of running. Not too bad. Doing it interval style is working for me. I'd like to get to the point where I run every other lap. On the other two days a week, I am simply walking and then doing Ab Ripper. I figure that if I mix it up, walking can be effective. I am also trying to fit in some strength training.

    As far as eating, I have returned to starting my day with a protein shake. I started to wonder if I was fueling my body correctly after a work out. I certainly have more energy as a result. We will see if long term it fuels me and allows me to better lose weight.

    I am back and I want to have a success story this time.

    This post shared at Mamavation Monday.

    Sunday, July 17, 2011

    Menu Plan Monday

    We had a fun-filled, family and friend-filled weekend. I picked up some groceries to get us into the week, when I made a run out for a few things for our weekend gatherings.

    The menu seems simple this week, which is probably a good thing, since we ate a lot this weekend with all of our picnics.

    Sunday
    Cereal
    Leftovers
    Chipotle

    Monday
    Macaroni & Cheese with Chicken

    Tuesday
    BLT

    Wednesday
    Turkey Roast

    Thursday
    Pizza

    Friday
    Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

    Saturday
    TBD

    Breakfast is cereal or oatmeal each morning, although sometimes at school the kids will have pancakes or french toast. Lunch is typically sandwiches, frozen meals or leftovers for everyone.

    This post shared at Menu Plan Monday.

    CVS Scenarios - week of 7/17

    It's been a few weeks since I have been to CVS and a few weeks since I have even really looked at the deals. I had hoped to stop in last week to get the free Balance Bar, but the timing just didn't work out. My ECBs are nearing expiration, so a trip to CVS is definitely needed soon - even if just to pick up grocery items.

    Transaction #1
    2 - Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner

    -$3 $3/2 Pantene mfg coupon
    update:
    -$2 Pantene CRT

    Total $3.97 $1.97 OOP, earn $2 ECBs. (FREE! with CRT)

    Transaction #2
    2 - Oral B Indicator Toothbrushes

    -$2 $2/2 Oral B mfg coupon

    Total $1.98, pay with $2 ECB, adjusted down and $0 OOP. Earn $2 ECBs.

    Transaction #3
    5 - Fructis Shampoo/Conditioner/Styler

    -$1 Fructis mfg coupon
    -$1 Fructis mfg coupon
    -$1 Fructis IP
    -$1 Fructis IP
    -$1 Fructis IP (need a second computer)

    Total $11.67, pay with $2 ECB and $9.67 OOP, earn $5 ECBs.

    Transaction #4
    3 - Pepsi 12 pk

    -$1 $1/2 Pepsi Peelie

    Total $9, pay with $5 ECB and $4 OOP, earn $3 ECBs.

    For the day, the total OOP is $17.64$15.64 with $3 ECBs to roll for $37.62 in product, a 56% 61% savings.

    For more deals and scenarios, check out Money Saving Mom and Deal Seeking Mom.

    CVS $5 Challenge

    Transaction #1
    2 - Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner

    -$3 $3/2 Pantene mfg coupon

    Total $3.97 OOP, earn $2 ECBs.

    Transaction #2
    2 - Oral B Indicator Toothbrushes

    -$2 $2/2 Oral B mfg coupon

    Total $1.98, pay with $2 ECB, adjusted down and $0 OOP. Earn $2 ECBs.

    Total OOP of $3.97, with $2 ECBs to roll for $10.95 in product, a savings of 69%.

    For more $5 Scenarios, check out the CVS $5 Challenge.

    Saturday, July 16, 2011

    Weekend Barbeque Challenge

    I mentioned a few weeks back about how I love grilling out in the summer. Well, this month's Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program event was to host a Weekend Barbeque with friends. The challenge - come up with a meal plan that uses three different Hormel Food products as ingredients.

    I love a challenge...especially when it involves food!

    We had some friends coming over for game night, so we invited them all to come over early for dinner. I started my quest by checking out HormelFoods.com to see all of the brands that they offer. I did some exploration on their site looking for recipes that I could include, but then I also stopped by AllRecipes.com for some inspiration. I love that I can enter ingredients and categories to search. I quickly came up with ideas for the first few courses and struggled with dessert. I had made the cinnamon tortillas with fruit salsa before, but wanted something more substantial for dessert. After gaining ideas, I took creative license on a few ideas and made them my own.

    We started our meal with a bit of an appetizer - Chips and Dip. I started with the Chile Ole Dip recipe on Hormel and tweaked it a bit. You can see my version of the Chili Cheese Dip recipe here. I sprinkled it with a little bit of shredded cheese at one point too. It was a huge hit - I really enjoyed it, ate way too much dip but it was very tasty.

    Then, for our main meal, I made a salad and offered crumbled Hormel Microwave Ready Bacon on the side as a topping for the salad. I served it with the Poppy Seed Dressing that I normally have on Spinach Salad and Feta Cheese (so pretty much my Spinach Salad with a substitution of Romaine for Spinach).

    We had Turkey Burgers on the grill, using Jennie-O Ground Turkey as our base. We are very used to making the frozen pre-made patties. We had issues with the burgers starting to fall apart when we were first cooking them. They turned out fine, but we decided next time we would grill them on a cedar plank instead of directly on the grill, in hopes that we don't have as many challenges. No real recipe here, I added an egg, some bread crumbs, some barbecue sauce and some seasoning. They seemed to form nicely in patties. They may not have been pretty, but they were tasty! (After reading some posts online about burgers falling apart, many people noted that you shouldn't turn them too frequently or pushing down with a spatula, I know my grill master was pushing down on them, so maybe that is the solution!) We also had some macaroni salad as a side dish.

    Then, came dessert. I wasn't sure how to take a line up of mostly savory foods and create a desert. It felt a little like being on Chopped. I decided that using ChiChi's Tortillas would be the best route to making a dessert. In searching on AllRecipes.com I came across an assortment of "enchiladas" and "chimichangas" filled with fruit. That was all the inspiration I needed. I had some apples in my refrigerator that I needed to use up and had been wanting to try making some spiced apples, so I went the route of Apple Enchiladas. I prepared spiced apples, rolled them in tortillas, topped with the remaining sauce and baked. They were very yummy. You can see my recipe here.

    After dinner, even more friends showed up and after getting the kids settled in for the night, we went downstairs and played a few games. It was a wonderful evening - good food, good friends, good times.

    No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine or that of my family. I am currently a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program. Each post written for this role, serves as an entry into a grand prize giveaway. Hormel provides materials and resources to assist me with my posts.

    Wednesday, July 13, 2011

    Wanted: Facebook help

    Okay, so I recently have created a page on Facebook for A Busy Mom of Two. It seemed that so many other blogs were doing it (I know, I follow many of them on Facebook!), so I thought maybe I should do it. I tried to set it up a few months ago and when it didn't work, I pulled it down. Recently, I have been noticing that many programs are requesting that things are also shared on Facebook. I have been skipping exploring those opportunities because I am not on Facebook. I decided that it was time to start it up again.

    Why don't you come and join my new community onFacebook? You can find my page here.

    Right now, there isn't much going on, but it is still a very small community! My intent is to use Facebook to share about deals and such that I come upon that I might not have the time to do a blog post on. I also hope to use it to have more conversation, so that I can learn more about you.

    I would also like to share my blog feed to my wall, so that you can quickly see that I have posted something more.

    Here is where I need help - for those of you that are sending your feed to Facebook - how?

    I set it up and the feed posted to Notes and shows up on my wall, but only right then when I set it up. I was content at first, thinking Hey I did it! Unfortunately, I continue to publish here but my feed never posts to Facebook. Are others doing this manually?

    Also, is there an easy way to post a link to the blog instead of the whole post being on the notes page? I ask because I can't seem to link through the post to the blog. This won't work so well if I am trying to share about a giveaway or someone wants to stop by the blog to comment on something else.

    Any help or feedback would be helpful! Since this isn't working for me, I'm posting this at Works for Me Wednesday to see if I can get a little reverse Works for me Wednesday tips.

    A Weekend Away is Still Away

    When I was a child, I don't remember life being this busy. Perhaps it was because I was a child, perhaps it simply was that there was less going on. I know that I didn't personally do much with sports as a child - I played one season of soccer in elementary school, but my next foray into sports wasn't until high school when I joined swim team and ran track (my cross-season sport). I did Girl Scouts and once I was in junior high I was on the Science Olympiad team and Hyperbole. My two brothers each played baseball and soccer. I think that one or both also did Boy Scouts for a while. Even with three kids, my family seemed to have time to go on a week long vacation each year, a couple of camp outs and time to visit friends that had moved away. I remember nights spent at Grandma and Grandpa's house, trips to the circus with my aunt and her boyfriend and later husband, Friday night Bingo with Grandma and Grandpa, and so much more.

    Life seems so busy lately, that I find myself really treasuring those times when we can get away as a family. Whether we are heading to the zoo for the afternoon, or a weekend getaway, the best part is spending time alone together. Time away from the normal distractions of life.

    I would love to be able to plan week-long trips, but the reality is that if we don't plan it ahead of time, it is difficult to find more than a few days on our calendar that are free. This craziness that I call life, really makes me value the weekend getaway. Sure, my husband and I took long weekends away before we had kids, and those were great, but with the kids they are even more special.

    Whether we are having a true stay-cation or heading someplace semi-local for an overnight or two, making the most of the time as family is my goal. I want to create memories for my children. I want for them to think back as an adult on the fun things that we did. Things that they will treasure. Sometimes, we are more successful than others. Sometimes, there is little that we can do to impact that.

    Frequently, we turn spring break into a stay-cation. Over the years, we have fit in a variety of activities. Some of our favorite stay-cation activities include visiting the zoo, spending time at the science center, mini-golf outings, bowling and playing at the park. These are all wonderful and fun, but sometimes you just need to get away from all of the everyday distractions at home. So, we try to fit in several mini-vacations (weekend getaways), throughout the year.

    One of our favorite destinations for a weekend getaway are Indoor Waterparks. Living in North Eastern Ohio, most of the year, outdoor water activities are limited, so heading out to an indoor waterpark is a great thing. When you spend your days splashing in the water in a heated, indoor space, it is easy to forget that there are 6" of snow on the ground outside. Fortunately, we have access to a number of indoor waterparks. I think that there are 7 or 8 waterparks within a 2 hour drive of our house and if we expand that out to just over 3 hours, I think we pick up another 2 or 3. We mix it up and visit different ones each time. I think that we have only been to a couple of them more than once.

    Another destination that we choose is a zoo and/or science center in another city. We'll book a room at a hotel or suite in the area and will spend a day at each. It may not seem like an excursion, since you can do those same things at home, but for us it is still a get-away. We get to stay in a hotel, eat out for dinner and (at least until we get home) there is no laundry/dishes/etc to worry about. Just family time.

    Parks (the state/national kind) are another destination that we choose when we are getting away for the weekend. Last year we took the kids up to Niagara Falls for the weekend. They were impressed with the waterfall and we got to sneak in a visit to the Niagara-on-the-Lake wine area for some tastings and purchases. The kids really got a kick out of being able to taste their own "wine" - it sure looks real when you are drinking grape juice out of a fancy wine glass.

    Most recently, we spent the night at a local state park. There were some challenges with the visit, but overall, it was still time away with the family. We did a little bit of hiking (very little, but that's a story for another post), we swam a couple of times, we made dinner in our cabin, played some games of Yahtzee and Steal the Old Man's Deck and generally unwound together. I thought it was okay, despite the challenges, but I think that the others might have focused on the challenges. At the end though, we still made memories...knowing my kids, I will hear about the GPS that didn't work for months to come.

    As I started out saying, to me getting away, even just for a weekend, is still a getaway. It is about having time alone together and building memories as a family. It may not be a big, fancy vacation, but a series of weekends can have the same impact and is a lot easier to fit into our busy schedule. This works for me.

    Monday, July 11, 2011

    Menu Plan Monday

    We had a great weekend. We spent Saturday shopping and exploring at Lodi Station Outlets. Then, Saturday evening, we went out with friends to the track for the evening. The food was very disappointing, but the company was wonderful. Sunday, we headed out of town for a quick family getaway to Punderson Manor State Park. Things weren't completely as expected, but it was still nice to get away for a little family fun. We capped it with a lunch out on Monday, to use our Living Social Deal that we had purchased for Spaghetti Warehouse. We have two cookouts planned for this weekend. So, our Friday and Saturday menus will be similar, we will just mix up the sides.

    We went as a family to pick up our grocery needs for the week, as well as some deals for the future. I used that $.75 Breyer's Blast coupon from Facebook and Coupons.com (2 printed per site), combined with Giant Eagles buy 3 for $10 get the fourth free instantly deal, to score 4 tubs of Breyer's Ice Cream for only $4 total. When you consider that the "regular" price is $5.79 per container, getting for 4 for $4 is pretty good! (I kept wanted to say 1/2 gallons, but with two product downsizes bringing us to 1.5 quarts, I'm not really sure what to call it anymore.)

    Sunday
    Cereal
    Leftovers
    Spaghetti

    Monday
    Bagels
    Spaghetti Warehouse
    Leftovers

    Tuesday
    Tacos

    Wednesday
    Chicken Patty Sandwiches

    Thursday
    Skyline Chili

    Friday
    Cheeseburgers/Hot Dogs

    Saturday
    Cereal
    Sandwiches
    Cheeseburgers/Bratwursts

    Breakfast is cereal or oatmeal each morning, although sometimes at school the kids will have pancakes or french toast. Lunch is typically sandwiches, frozen meals or leftovers for everyone.

    This post shared at Menu Plan Monday.

    Sunday, July 10, 2011

    Lodi Station Outlets: A Real Departure


    When I first started shopping at what is now Lodi Station Outlets, it was just another outlet mall. It had the standard assortment of stores and a food court. Then a few years ago, it underwent a rebranding and a transformation. It went from being an outlet mall to being a shopping experience. Where once were just walkways and grass, now there are train tracks and trains. They used the names of historic local train stations to name the stations on the Lodi Line. Part of their goal was to help preserve the heritage of Ohio's rich train history. You can read more about their stations here.

    I was first drawn to the (now) Lodi Station Outlets when I was expecting my son. I liked the outlet malls over the regular mall for a few reasons.

    First, many of the stores feature outlet pricing. I say many, because there are quite a few stores that now actually manufacture a separate line for their outlet stores. They sell those along with some items from their regular stores. Some of these items are a good value and others are not much different than what you find at a sale in a regular store. When I was a kid, I can remember that going to outlet stores (not conveniently grouped in malls) meant that you had to dig through stacks of clothing and products to find your size and then you had to inspect it because what was sold at outlets was a mix of seconds and last seasons products. Sometimes those seconds were missing buttons (easy to correct) or had a bad zipper (not so easy for me to correct), sometimes the fabric was cut at a strange angle or seams were twisted, sometimes there were holes or other defects, but you generally could get amazing deals. Many of the outlet stores (now conveniently grouped in a mall setting) still offer great deals, but they are mixed with these separate lines that are not always as deep of a discount.

    Second, I liked that they featured many unique stores that I couldn't find at other locations. Stores like Carter's and OshKosh B'Gosh. Sure I could buy Carter's or OshKosh B'Gosh clothing at many retailers, but this was the only place where I could go and purchase from their full line. I could buy this seasons clothes discounted slightly from regular price or comparable to sales at other retailers, but I could also pick up clothes from last season (or even last year) at a significant discount. Couple that with the coupons that are provided by many outlet stores, when you sign up with your e-mail, and I could get some great values.

    Third, I liked that I could park relatively close to the store(s) that I wanted to shop at and could quickly get in and out of the outlet mall, as compared to the regular mall where the stores I wanted always were scattered about and I had to walk a good distance from where I parked to the stores. To that end, Lodi Station Outlets is well arranged in my opinion. The Children's Place, Gymboree, Carter's and OshKosh B'Gosh are all practically in neighboring store fronts and across the walkway you can find Motherhood Maternity. Love that!

    The addition of the train and train rides to Lodi Station Outlets was a win/win opportunity from my perspective as a mom. Having something fun like a train ride to help incentivize the children to come shopping with me, to listen, to stay close and allow me to have them try on clothes is a great thing. As we move from store to store, the kids are always excited to catch a glimpse of the train driving past. There is just something so magical about watching trains, and having them full of waving passengers adds to the fun. Then, at the end of our shopping, assuming everyone behaved, we can all climb aboard for a trip through and around the outlets. The only drawback is that even when I just need to stop by to pick up something quick, they still want to ride the train. Of course, seeing their mascot Chugga Chugga Charlie is another thing my kids look forward too. They like to see him, but getting them to do more than wave can be a challenge.
    The outlets also feature a playground for the kids, and an adjacent amphitheater. You can even host your child's birthday party at Lodi Station Outlets. For your party, you get the use of a party room, goodie bags for the guests and can select from several Lodi Station Outlet Food Court vendors for the lunch. The birthday child even gets to be the train engineer as the party guests take a train ride.

    I will admit that until recently, most of my outlet shopping at Lodi Station Outlets was for my kids. Then, I left the expectant mom/children row of stores and explored the other rows of stores at the outlet. They have a lot to offer. I have gotten many great deals on shoes and clothes for myself. It is difficult to get to spend time shopping in stores for me, but with the train ride as incentive, I can do it!

    Yesterday, the family and I had the opportunity to visit and explore Lodi Station Outlets as part of their VIP Blogger Day.

    We started our day by enjoying lunch at their own Steam Cafe. The Steam Cafe serves an assortment of sandwiches and salads, a daily special and of course, a full offering of smoothies and coffee drinks. My son and husband each enjoyed a turkey sandwich with a pickle and chips and a cup of MelloYellow (it seems like a treat when you find a restaurant that serves MelloYellow). My daughter made a departure from the menu and ordered a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. It came with chips and fruit snacks. I tried one of their specials, the Summer Plate. It came with three scoops of my choice of egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad and cottage cheese, as well as lettuce, tomato, a hard-boiled egg and some saltine crackers.

    After enjoying our lunch, we got set up with Premiere Passes. These passes, available for purchase, allow you to ride the train on each visit for a year. Train tickets are $3.50 for a ride all day pass on the weekdays. On weekdays, the train makes stops at all of the stations throughout the Outlets and riders can hop off and on at these stops. Tickets are $3 on the weekend for a round-trip ticket and are for a specific departure time. On the weekends, the train does not stop at the stations, other than Central Station, but rather makes an approximately 15 minute loop through and around the Outlets.

    Then, it was off to shop. I had a quickly compiled list of some things that I wanted to look for - some of which, I wasn't sure I would find, but gave it a shot.

    We stopped first at the Crazy For Scrapbooks store looking for Googly Eyes for my daughter's latest craft project. They have a wide assortment of scrapbooking supplies, but only one kit that contained Googly Eyes and since we didn't need all of the extras, we decided to skip it.

    Then, it was off to the kitchen store. I had a covered cake pan that I had thrown out just that morning, as it had started to rust and was leaving rust marks on the other dishes in my strainer. I was able to find exactly what I was looking for and for only $5.29 with tax.

    Next stop was to The Children's Place. This is one of my favorite stores. They generally have a wide selection and offer good discounts on the clothes that they have. I have signed up for their e-mails and regularly get coupons in my e-mail. Today, I was shopping with an additional 20% off coupon. I was able to get two pairs of jeans, a t-shirt and shorts for my daughter and a pair of shorts and two shirts for my son. In total, we spent $37.43 with tax. Not too bad for seven pieces of clothing!

    Next, it was into Carter's. We were shopping for a baby gift and quickly found some cute pants and a monkey shirt. While in the store, we ventured back to check out their clothes for older kids and found a shirt for my daughter. Here, our total was $17.01 with tax.

    We perused a few stores like Reebok and Adidas, while my husband looked to see if they had anything for him. He liked a few shirts, but didn't find one in the size/fit that he was looking for.

    Our next stop was at the VF outlets, my daughter and I heading to the women's store and my husband and son to the men's store. He didn't find anything, but I picked up a pair of slacks, a pair of capris and three pairs of black socks. There was a $5/$35 coupon in the Lodi Station Paper, so my total wound up at $33.88 after coupon.

    Next, we stopped at one of their newer (at least to me) stores, 4th and Goal. This store carries a selection of sports memorabilia and team gear. We watched a replay of Derek Jeter's 3000 hit on their TV and then picked up two pairs of Yankees socks, one for each child and my husband grabbed a 1991 Classic MLB Trivia Board Game. Here we spent $8.50 with tax.

    Our next stop was at the Black and Decker Outlet, another relatively new store to the Lodi Station Outlets. This store featured a wide selection of household appliances (toaster ovens, coffee makers, dust busters), yard tools and tools. My husband was able to pick up a Refurbished Cordless Trimmer for only $30, after 10% off coupon from the Lodi Station Paper. According to the staff, the refurbished products could have a different color plastic or could have been sent back to the factory for a missing part. They even carry a full 2 year warranty. My husband commented that he felt the prices in this store were very reasonable and that he would come back when he needed tools.

    At that point, we were shopped out. The kids were anxious to ride the train, so we dropped off all of our goodies in our car and headed back to the Food Court and Central Station. We boarded the train and enjoyed the relaxing 15 minute train ride through the Outlet property. After our train ride, we headed over to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for some ice cream to cap the day.

    Thanks to Nichole and Lodi Station Outlets for inviting us to participate in the Lodi Station VIP Blogger Day. We had a great time and were able to find some great deals.

    Here is what we got while shopping on Saturday, minus the trimmer:
    I am ready to return and do some more shopping. The kids are ready to go back and ride the train anytime that we are ready to take them. Imagine that, my kids asking me to take them shopping (well sort of)!

    No compensation was received for this post. As an invitee to the Lodi Station VIP Blogger Day, we were received a $100 gift card to shop at and experience the mall, vouchers for free lunch and ice cream, complimentary train tickets and a Premiere Pass good through 2012, and a bag with goodies and coupons from many of the stores at Lodi Station Outlets. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family.