Wacky Wednesday

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Tasty Tuesday - Kids In The Kitchen, Part 1

I don't know how many of you have children, but I have three. They are always wanting to help out in the kitchen. Although it is almost always more work to have our children "help" us around the house, I believe it is crucial to their well-being. Not only will it help them learn how to function and contribute in their family, but it will also teach them to enjoy helping out. As they get older, they will know that it is expected and that it is fun to be a part of the family!

So today I'm beginning the series Kids In The Kitchen. To help me out, would you please vote in the poll on the right side of the screen? I'd love to know how many children my readers have! :)

Since my children are still toddlers, I'd like to start out by talking about ways that younger children can help out in the kitchen. If these seem like ultra-easy tasks, don't worry - there is more to come for the older kids! Now, there are some obvious things that young children cannot and should not do in the kitchen (like use the oven or boil water), but there are lots of other things they can help out with, such as:

1. Help stir muffins, pancakes, waffles, cake mix, or any other batter.
2. Help make cookie dough balls or cut-out cookies.
3. Add raisins to oatmeal.
4. Sweep the floor. (They make mini brooms just for kids)!
5. Dust table and chairs.
6. Clean patio door window.
7. "Wash" dishes. (This is sometimes more of a mess than a help, but kids love the water)!
8. Take out trash (Our kids take out the small bags or the "stuff" like milk cartons).
9. Add toppings to homemade pizza.
10. Carry dishes and cups to sink after meals. (I try to only give our kids plastics for this reason).

What do your kids enjoy doing in the kitchen?? What ways have you found to include them?? If you have any ideas or links to point me toward for this series, feel free to leave me a comment! :)


Other parts of this series:

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Tax Day Freebies!!

Thanks to iMommies, NewsObserver, and MoneySavingMom for some of these great deals!

Valid Tuesday, April 15th Only

1.) Free Donut with any Dunkin’ Donuts hot coffee purchase: A coupon is not required (click HERE to access proof of this offer on the Dunkin’ Donuts website). Thanks, Elizabeth!

2.) Fifteen (15) free prints from Walgreens Photo: Orders must be placed by 11:59pm (Central Time) on 04/15. Click HERE to order online, and enter code TAXDAY at checkout. Thanks, KD!

3.) Free Basic Version of H&R Block’s TaxCut Online: This is not a reward for procrastinating - it just looks like one! Click HERE. Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

4.) Free Tax Return Hard Copies: Make copies of your 2007 return at Staples or Office Depot (all locations). Staples is offering free copies, up to 20 pages; and Office Depot is offering up to 25 pages. (You can also request hard copies from the IRS - click HERE for details.)

5.) Free Tax Day Greeting Card: If you want to remind someone else to finish his or her taxes, American Greetings, Hallmark and other online card companies will let you send free "happy" or "freak out" tax day cards. At American Greetings' site, search by "tax day."

6.) Free Champagne: I don't personally drink, but I've heard that some Charleston restaurants are offering a free glass of champagne to anyone with a post office receipt or online confirmation of filing.

Money Monday - More Kroger Mega Sale!

I went to Kroger this weekend to do our regular weekly shop and found that the Mega Sale was still going on, so I stocked up some more on lots of free stuff and some cheap stuff!

I spent just under $30 and saved almost $50! WOO HOO for double coupons!!!!


Our chicken was on sale again for $1.57/lb so I grabbed a few more packages, got a few essentials (we were pretty well stocked at home already), and got 20 of the sale items. Since I have been stocking up on all the great deals lately at Kroger and Meijer, I don't think I'll need to do any more shopping this week. Spending $30 is a pretty great week for me, since I typically spend $50! :)

Great Beginner Deals At CVS!

If you have never been to CVS before with the intention of making money by playing "the CVS game", this is a prime week to begin!

In order for this week to profit you in the best way possible, you will need to have the coupon inserts from the past several Sundays. This week, you can spend just $1 out-of-pocket and get $26.48 back!!

Pull out the following coupons for your trip:

$2/1 Benefiber (from 4/13 - this coupon was also in the paper a few weeks ago) - use both if you have two coupons
$30/1 Contour Meter (from 3/16)
$2/1 Pepcid EZ Chews (from 4/6)
$1.50/1 Softsoap body wash (from 3/30)

Also, pull out these inserts to be sent in for manufacturer rebates:

$5.50 MIR when you buy Pepcid EZ Chews (from 4/6)
$5.99 MIR when you buy any (1) Benefiber product (from 4/13)

Now, fill your cart with (2) Benefibers (supposedly these start @ $4.99, but I'm going to say $6.99 since that's what I saw them for), (1) Contour Meter, (1) Pepcid EZ Chews, and (1) Softsoap Spa body wash (or more if you have more coupons!).

These are the deals you're going to be using:

Buy 1 Softsoap Spa @ $4.99, Get $4.99 ECB (Limit 5)
Buy 1 Pepcid EZ Chews @ $7.99, Get $5 ECB (Limit 1)
Buy any 2 Benefiber, Maalox, Gas-X, Ex-Lax, or Perdium products (prices starting @ $4.49 each), Get $10 ECB (Limit 1)
Buy 1 Contour Meter @ $14.99, Get $14.99 ECB (Limit 1)

To get the most "bang for your buck", purchase your items in this order:

If you don't have a CVS Extra Care Bucks card, get one before you begin your transactions! They have them at the register. Also, don't forget to scan your card at the electronic kiosk (if your store has one) for extra coupons!

Transaction #1:

(1) Contour Meter @ $14.99

Total: $14.99
Use $30/1 coupon (They will have to adjust this coupon down to $14.99).
Total OOP: $0
ECB earned: $14.99


Transaction #2:

(2) Benefibers @ $6.99 each
(1) Pepcid EZ Chew @ $7.99

UPDATE: I've been told the Pepcid EZ Chews have gone back up to $10.49, which kind of spoils this deal. However, you could still do the deal and come out $2 ahead - you would just have to fork out the extra cash (or pay with ECB) and then wait for your manufacturer rebate to get your money back.

Total: $21.97
Use (2) $2/1 Benefiber coupons, $2/1 Pepcid coupon, and $14.99 ECB (from previous transaction).
Total OOP: approx. $1
ECB earned: $15 (a $5 and a $10)


Transaction #3:

(1) Softsoap Spa body wash @ $4.99
any random $1.50 item that you need

Total: approximately $6.49
Use $1.50/1 Softsoap coupon and $5 ECB (from previous transaction).
Total OOP: $0
ECB earned: $4.99


You now have $14.99 ECB to use later! You got a Contour Meter (donate to someone with diabetes), a body wash, 2 Benefibers, and a box of Pepcid EZ Chews for just $1 OOP!!! In addition to that, you can send it to get another $11.49 in cash with your manufacturer rebates!

Please let me know if you try this! I know some people have been reporting the Softsoap body wash as out-of-stock in many locations. But make sure you get a rain check if that's the case! Also, please let me know if you see any mistakes. :)

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!! :)

Weekend Worship - How Can I Know I'm A Christian?

My husband and I went to a conference this evening at a local church. One of the speakers spoke about how he discovered a few years ago that he was only going through the motions of Christianity and had never actually been saved. He mentioned that someone had pointed him to the book of 1 John as a place to find out the "criteria" of a true believer. I want to share these 10 things with you from 1 John so that you too - if you are a believer - can have assurance in your salvation and know that you are a Christian.

A true convert....

....Admits he is a sinner.
....Lives a life of obedience more than a life of disobedience. That is, he finds himself doing more of God's commands than not doing.
....Doesn't harbor hatred or bitterness but instead offers love and comfort.
....Doesn't love the world or the things of the world - that is, the practices of the world.
....Proclaims Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
....Has a hope and a long for the return of Jesus Christ.
....Desires to serve and help other Christians.
....Loves being with other believers.
....Rejects false teachings.
....Remains in the truth and perseveres in the truth.

If you are unsure of your salvation or are interested in learning how to have a personal relationship with your Creator, please email me. I would be more than happy to share with you the peace and joy that comes from knowing Jesus Christ! :)

Fitness Friday - Snacks To Suit Your Stomach

Snacking between meals can be good for your diet, but it's important to keep your grazing habits in check. Here is a list of 20 treats tallying less than 150 calories each:

• 1 York Peppermint Pattie: 140 calories
• 1 ounce banana chips: 147 calories
• 1 packet O'Coco's Original Organic Baked Chocolate Crisps: 90 calories
• 20 Baked Tostitos Original Bite Size tortilla chips: 110 calories
• 1 mini bag Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop Gourmet Popping Corn: 100 calories
• 1 container Dannon Light & Fit yogurt: 60 calories
• 1 package Quaker Mini Delights Chocolatey Drizzle mini snack cakes: 90 calories
• 1/3 cup Bing Bing Cherry peeled snacks: 150 calories
• 21 raw almonds: 147 calories
• 1 Starbucks Mocha frappuccino bar: 120 calories
• 1 medium apple, sliced, with 2 teaspoons smooth peanut butter: 135 calories
• 1/4 cup Woodstock Cherry & Ginger Almond Crunch Granola: 115 calories
• 1 ounce Polly-O string cheese: 80 calories
• 1 Quaker Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola bar: 120 calories
• 7 Snyder's Multigrain Pretzel Sticks: 120 calories
• 3/4 cup edamame: 142 calories
• 10 raw baby carrots with 1/4 cup hummus: 144 calories
• 1/2 cup Cracker Jack: 120 calories
• 1 1/4 ounces Glenny's Low Fat White Cheddar Soy Crisps: 140 calories
• 1/2 cup TCBY Hand-Scooped Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Frozen Yogurt: 140 calories

This information was taken from Fitness Magazine.

CVS Scenarios For This Week

Sorry this took me so long to post! Being sick last weekend just sucked all of my energy and I'm apparently still recovering. I didn't find this week to be ultra fantastic, but since these scenarios mostly revolve around things I actually need (deoderant and diapers), it turned out to be a fairly decent week:

Transaction 1:

(2) Degree deoderants @ $2.50 each
(3) Sunsilk stylers @ $3.49 each
(2) Covergirl TruBlend Whipped Foundation $10.99 each

Use $1/2 Degree coupon, $1.50/1 Sunsilk coupons, and BOGO Covergirl coupon from this week's paper and $2/1 Covergirl coupon from CVS's Reinventing Beauty catalog. (Or if you still have $2.50/1 Sunsilk coupons from a few months ago, those would be an even better deal!)

Total before coupons: $33.96
Total after coupons: $15.47
Pay with ECB, of course! :)
Receive $17 ECB back (a $5 and a $12).


Transaction #2:

(4) CVS Rapid Release pain reliever @ $3.99 each
(1) Lumene Body Aktiva @ $1.99 each

If you have one, use a $3/$10 CVS brand coupon.

Total before coupon: $17.95
Total after coupon: $14.95
Pay with $15 ECB.
Receive $17.95 ECB back (a $1.99 and a $15.96).


Transaction #3:

(3) pks of Huggies diapers @ $8.99 each

Use 3 $1/1 Huggies coupons (and if you have a $4/$20 CVS coupon, use that too).

Total before coupons: $26.97
Total after coupons: $23.97 (or $19.97)
Pay with $17.95 ECB. Total OOP: $6 (or $2)
Receive $10 ECB back.

What deals did you find at CVS this week??

Thrifty Thursday - Free (Or Nearly Free) Family Activities!

I haven't decided if it will always be Thrifty Thursday from now on, but for today...that's what we're going with. :)

I found these ideas at Clarisse's Financial Notebook:

Monster Sundae - get the biggest serving bowl you can find, and as a family make a huge sundae. You can have various kinds of ice cream or just one kind - it's up to you. But get creative with the toppings and sit at the table and enjoy. Yeah it's a mess, but it's fun to get messy!

Picnics - Picnics are not only for the park. I have had many picnics in other public places. In Nashville we have this HUGE hotel called The Opryland Hotel. Inside the hotel, there is a conservatory and another part called The Delta. It has plants, a little water taxi, and a big water and laser show. We will pack up a picnic lunch, go to the hotel and eat it right in front of the water show. We make a day out of it. If you have any place like that you can go, grab a picnic basket and have fun!

Local Festivals & Community Celebrations - If you can watch the local news or read the paper, then you will find that many of your local communities will have festivals and celebrations that are free to the public, and they can be rather interesting. In Tennessee, we have one town that has a Mule Day celebration (sounds totally lame, but it is actually quite fun and interesting for the kids). In my town we have the Strawberry Festival every May. There's a parade, all the strawberry foods you could ever buy (and they are really quite cheap since our town is known for its strawberries), and they even have activites and games for the kids.

Scavenger Hunts - Who doesn't love a good scavenger hunt? A group of adults can even participate. All you have to do is be a little creative and plan ahead. Our neighborhood had a Halloween scavenger hunt that resembled the Amazing Race. We had to drive in teams of 2 (not husband and wife either!) and we had to complete certain tasks. One was sweeping the floor of our local Papa Johns and another was helping someone wash their car at the car wash for 1 minute. lol. It was really fun to race around and try to beat everyone else. You could do that with your kids - just break up in teams of 2 (or whatever works) and try to find certain items on a list. You don't buy them....just find them or take a picture with your camera phone or digital camera.

Make Your Own Movie - Kids love to be on camera, so why not have them dress up and act out a movie - if you own a video camera or a digital camera with video capabilities. When it is finished, you can watch it and enjoy your own brand of entertainment.

Camping - You can go camping in the back yard. If you can get your hubby to go along with it, make a fire (yes, that means digging up the beautiful grass) and make some smores. What is better than that?

Science Experiements - Make an erupting volcano together. Go outside and look at the stars - try to spot some constellations. There are a ton of safe experiments you guys can do at home that are not only educational but fun.

Go Hiking - get out and go hiking. Maybe you and your kiddos can learn how to use a compass - or better yet, teach them how to find directions WITHOUT a compass. You never know when things like this can come in handy! But don't get yourself and the kids lost - remember safety first!

Playgrounds/Parks in the early evenings. Usually about dinner time the parks and playgrounds clear out. Some of our local playgrounds don't have a closing time because with adequate light and observability from the road, it's still a safe place for kids to play at all times of the night. If you have an area like this - take your kids out at dusk and have the run of the playground with them. It's amazing how quickly the same old playground can turn into a pirate ship or castle for a princess. Play with them. Most of the equipment can handle 150-200 lbs. Be a kid again and have fun with yours.

Go Shopping Without Buying a Thing - We always did this when we were kids. We didn't have a lot of money growing up, and as a pick-me-up for us (and I think for herself too) my mom would take us to Toys-R-Us and let us pick out 5-10 things we wanted. She would just let us play and have the best time there. We all had the agreement that we wouldn't be buying ANYTHING, but we could play all we wanted and we could put the things in the cart that we really wanted. We would just leave the cart behind and we'd leave without spending anything. Sure the Toys-R-Us people probably hated us, but it was my mom's way of shopping without shopping. When I first started on the Dave plan, I LOVED to shop, so to get it out of my system, I did the same thing. I pick out all the things I wanted, and I'd either slowly put them all back, or I'd walk away from the cart. It helped curb those cravings to shop. But I honestly see nothing wrong with going to a store and letting your kids play - as long as they try to pick up afterwards.

Downtown Parks - In a really nice park in Downtown Nashville, they will have MANY free activities throughout the year. Sure we have to drive to get there (about 45 min), but it is worth the drive once we get there. They usually have a Shakespeare In the Park even. Once a year they have the Celebration of Diversity, where you can watch many different cultures display either their dance, art, history, and food. It's fun and free. You may not have anything like this in your town, but if you have a major metropolitan area, I'm sure they have activities like that.

Symphony Centers - Many symphony centers will have 1 free night a quarter or every 6 months. This is on a first come, first serve basis, but it is a good way to either get a date with your hubby OR introduce your kids to the symphony. They usually cater to families on these nights too.

Art Centers, Museums, and Tourist Attractions - Like the symphony center, many of these places have a free day every 6 months to a year. As long as you get there early, there's usually not a problem with parking. In Februrary the Bellmont Mansion had their free day in Nashville.

Performing Arts Center - this is mostly for you and your spouse, but you can volunteer as ushers at the performing arts center, and you will be able to watch the show for free. Usually you have to stand through it, but considering the cost of tickets, it is worth standing and maybe opening a door or two if people need to go to the bathroom.

Movie Night - Clear out the furniture and either move the mattress or pile up all the blankets and pillows you own into the middle of the room. Curl up as a family and watch a flick. Popcorn, drinks and candy optional, but highly suggested!

Game Night - Actually use those board games you've bought and been given as presents. They are not only fun, but they give you some together time. If you have to bribe your kids to play, then you can have a prize for the winner. Doesn't have to be anything major - maybe 1 free day of chores or 1 trip to the mall....whatever they might be into.

Arts & Crafts - Not the typical arts and crafts stuff. But how about tie-dying shirts, painting on the lawn - non-toxic stuff of course (it comes up with a couple of mows), face and body art, costume making, etc. For older kids (teens), how about letting them decorate their rooms with some artsy stuff? You can paint and glue stuff to lamps and shade to "make them your own" at a really low price.

Service Projects - Get your family involved with helping others. It will not only bring you closer together, but you are helping someone else. You will be teaching your children how to help others and how to serve others without expecting anything in return. Maybe help do yardwork for a widow on your street, volunteer at a nursing home, children's hospital, or homeless shelter. Maybe you can get your kids to donate some clothes and toys to a battered women and children's shelter. They can deliver them with you and see how appreciated their items are. Get them involved - it will teach them to be givers in society.

Wacky Wednesday - Bird Craps On Blogger's Head

Today a bird crapped on my head. Yeah...a nasty, black, disgusting zoo bird.

You might think that would be enough of a summary, but I feel the need to tell you details. So here goes...

My day began early this morning when my son awakened me around 7am. I ushered him back to his room and told him to read some books. Thankfully, he obeyed.

I knew we had a morning planned at the zoo and that I had to get my three children breakfast, pack lunches, change everyone's clothes, fix my daughter's hair, find shoes for the children that walk, take everyone potty, pile everyone in the van, and be on my way by 10am. The part I failed to think about was...well, most of that.

At 10:10am, with snacks (i.e. our "lunch") in tow, I pulled out of the driveway. We headed to Burger King to grab breakfast. Yeah, I'm a bad mom. We were scheduled to meet some friends at the zoo at 10:30 and so far we were running about 10 minutes behind schedule. As we pulled through the drive-up, my friend called. I apologized and said we would be on our way in just a minute.

After waiting a few more *precious* minutes for the french toast sticks, we headed toward the interstate. While I was driving, I realized that I needed to get in touch with a friend of mine. What better time to call than while my kids are eating quietly and I am doing something that comes oh-so-naturally, right? WRONG.

About 5 minutes into our conversation, I realized that instead of heading northwest like I needed to be, I was instead heading south. Nice one, Heidi. I glanced at the clock. It was 10:35. *Sigh*

Fast forward...

We got to the zoo around 11 and, after I apologized profusely to my friend (we'll call her Sue) and her family, we entered the zoo. The day was beautiful and the weather was perfect. Well, okay - 10 degrees warmer would have been nice, but whatever. Since the day was so almost-perfect, we decided to eat lunch outside.

Sue was in the middle of giving her daughter a bottle when she suddenly had to dash off to grab her runaway son. I picked up the bottle and continued to feed the baby.

Here comes the good part....

As I was holding the bottle, I heard and felt a small *plop*. Oh, crap! I had been watching the birds and knew there were some in that tree above me. I looked up to see a bird directly above my head. Disgusting! As Sue returned, I said to her, "Please tell me there is not bird crap in my hair." She looked and said she did not see anything. Whew!

A few minutes later as we were cleaning up our lunch, we saw a spot of bird poop on the table. "Oh, that's where it landed!" Sue said. Sure, I thought, but why would I have felt that?

Fast forward again....

Tonight I was getting up from my chair at church and Sue said to me, "Hey, put your head down - you've got something in your hair."

"POOP?!" I exclaimed.

"Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry, Heidi!"

"There actually IS poop in my hair?!?!"

"I swear, I didn't see it before!"

So there you have it. A bad friend who did not see BIRD POOP in my hair. My husband made up some lame excuse about how bird poop isn't white until it dries and that's why she didn't see it before. But let's put that aside...mainly because it's ridiculous. SHE DIDN'T SEE BIRD POOP IN MY HAIR!

Come on, Sue! You really dropped the ball on that one!

I showered as soon as possible after getting home and am pretty sure I got it all out. Ok, so it was just a tiny bit, but....EWW!!