Wednesday, August 25, 2010

A.C. Moore Today's Alex Bottle Cap Bananza!

A.C. Moore
We missed Last week's A.C. Moore's FREE Make and Take
and it looked like a good one with the Fuzzodles Monsters!
We have been busy getting ready for a new school year!!!!


But today Make and Take looks really Cool!!!
Make an Alex Bottle Cap today (Aug. 25th)
From 3pm to 5pm

I wonder if they would let the me (the "Mom") make one too!?!
Lol =)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Gamer's Armory

My Boys and I are Very Excited about a new store in town called The Gamer's Armory! They are a game store of very different games than the ones you see walking down a game aisle at Target or Walmart! They do historical and fantasy games plus they have a space set aside for playing games or cards, my boys are now into Magic Cards (which they do sell there)! They have been online for awhile but just opened their store! My older boy can meet his friends and hang out which is great since he is going into one middle school and his best friends are going to a different one!!! It's nice that there is some place other than the skating ring and mall for the middle school age kids to 'hang out'!!!!!!
They are also doing events like weekly Board Game night every Wednesday Night starting at 6pm!!! You bring in your favorite board games (and cards) and play, maybe even make new friends!!! Click here for more Calendar Events for Ladies Bunko Night, ASL Night, Kids Game Night, Casual Play Magic Night (Thursday August 12 6-9pm, we will be there!), and Warmachine/Hordes Demo and Tournament!!!
We did enjoy Game Night!!! Playing Lego's Minotaurus!!! Very kid friendly atmosphere, even w/ my 3 year old and two 8 year olds being on the louder side and playing on the very cool tables were no problem!!!
My Boy's can't wait to learn how to play the game that involves the very cool tables!!!
So if you live in our area and have boys 8+ (or like to play these games yourself) I highly recommend coming and checking them out!!!
~Enjoy~





A.C. Moore Pencil Toppers

A.C. Moore's FREE Make and Take is a Sculpey Bake Shop Clay Apple Surprise Pencil Topper!
Today (August 11th)
3 to 5pm!!!!

~Enjoy~

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Bendaroo @ A.C. Moore


A.C. Moore's FREE Make and Take this week are Under the Sea Creation Bendaroos!!!
When: August 4th
From 3 to 5pm


Tuesday, July 27, 2010

A.C. Moore Color Blanks Mini Kits

A.C. Moore's FREE Make and Take this week are Color Blank Mini Kits!
Wednesday, July 28th
from 3 to 5pm!

This one looks like a good one! My boys collect toys that look similar from gum ball machine, these look bigger and you can make them look how ever you want them!!! I will be dragging my boys to do this one tomorrow!!!
~Enjoy~

Friday, July 23, 2010

Photo Mat Fun!

At A.C. Moore Saturday, July 24th
From 1 to 3pm
Make & Take Family Photo Mat!!!
~Enjoy~

Creative Wrapping!!!

When I have time and energy I like to try and add a little more personal touch to the presents we give to the children's friends and the children in the family!
Got this pretty paper at the dollar store and thought why not add a flower on top!!! So I searched on the internet 'paper flowers' or 'tissue paper flowers' and found a cute how to make Giant Paper Flowers on youtube! And look how pretty it came out!!! Perfect for a 3 yr. old little girl's birthday present!!! Hope she likes it!!!

As for the boys you can't go wrong w/ SpongeBob!!! Just bought a cheap plain yellow bag and used construction paper, a permanent marker and a red pen!!! It came out so well that it looked like it was store bought!!! Just turned a $1 bag into a $4 bag! I bet you can guess what kind of present is in side!!! Yep, SpongeBob books and a SpongeBob Movie for an Awesome Boy!!!
This one was a little out there!!! Can you tell what we were going for?
We (meaning the kids and I) love the GEICO commercials so for one of the boy's friends we thought we add a stack of money that was: "somebody's watchin' me"!!!
Lol!!!
Did you see it now?
We liked it and so did the friend but it did get destroyed in the unwrapping of the present!!! That's what boys do!!! Lol =)
~Enjoy~

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Bakugan Battle League At ToysRus!!!


Join the Bankugan Battle League

A Ride Home... And a Cool Train!

Some times it is not the destination it is the RIDE to
(or in our case from) that we have the most fun!!!

We were coming home from an unsuccessful Story Time, Lila spent most of the time at the train table, when.....
Cole noticed a wilted french fry left over from snack yesterday on the floor of the van! Can we say "eewwww"!!!!!
And lets just say thanks to Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cole got the FRY TOUCH,
then Jesse had it, then Me, Cole again, and last but least Lila!!!
LOL =)

And to top it off we were stopped by a train on our short ride home!!!
A lot of people saw the arms go down for the train and started U-turning to head to the bridge down the street (the train goes on the bridge and the cars go under) but having kids in the car you learn that the trains going by (even the long long long boring ones) are Super COOL!!! So we stop and wait to watch the train.....
And we got Super Lucky!!!!
It is not every day in our area that you see MILITARY TANKS go by on a TRAIN!!!!
I have lived her for over 15 years and have never seen a train caring military vehicles go by!!! We see them at the fair or some other event but not on a TRAIN riding through town!!! And a TANK!!!! Can we say "SCORE"!!!
To add to our surprise they had a couple different military vehicles on it!!!
I am so glad my kids have taught me to be patient and we did not U-turn missing this VERY COOL TRAIN!!!
~Enjoy~

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Today at A.C. Moore

Today's A.C. Moore's Make and Take are
Prism Floss Zipper Pulls!!!
(3 to 5 pm)
They would look great on a backpack
and you can even put your Silly Bandz on them!!!
Very Cute!!!
Click HERE to find a store near you!!!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Yumm-E Funnel Cakes!!!

Last week A Thrifty Mom posted a recipe on how to make Funnel Cakes that they had done at the grandparents' house for fun, I looked at all the ingredients and thought "We could do this too!"
So after dinner one night this week we made them!!!
They were super easy and tasty!!!
WE LOVE FUNNEL CAKES!!!
Click here for the recipe: Funnel Cakes
Now we don't have to pay (what was it about $2 for 10 tinny) funnel cake sticks at BK or wait till the fair!!! Kids have already asked if we can do this again on special occasions and my answer was ABSOLUTELY!!!
~Enjoy~
(We did!)
(Sorry my son is shirtless in the pix he was in his pj's and I can't believe at 8 the boy thinks that he doesn't need to wear a shirt to bed! Lol =) Boys what can do!!!)

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Family Movie Night w/ Walmart

Walmart is teaming up with NBC to bring you a great Family Movie Night!
NBC is playing The Jensen Project Firday July 16th 8/7c
(that's tomorrow night!)

Walmart is doing the dinner and snacks!!!
Every thing you need for $10!!!
1-12" Marketside Pizza $5
*Ultimate, Supreme and Pepperoni
1-Orville Redenbacher's Popcorn $2
1-Pepsi 2-Litter $1
*Assorted Flavors
1-Pringles $1
1-M&m Theater-Size Candy $1
*Assorted Flavors

**Hurry because the deal ends Tomorrow!!!**






Tuesday, July 13, 2010

At A.C. Moore this week...

Every Wednesday this summer A.C. Moore has a make and take FREE activity, this week (July 14th) they are doing Yarn Striped Pencils. Prefect craft for getting ready to go back to school since year round school are already heading back into the classrooms!!!
The Kids' Summer Fun Wednesday is from 3 to 5pm and is for ages 4+! (our store did not turn down my 3 year old who wanted to do one of the activities when we went last time)
And on Thursday, July 15th 3 to 5pm they are doing a Silly Bandz Trading Party!!!
If you have an elementary school age child then you probably know all about the oh so popular Silly Bandz!!!
The Trading Party is FREE and they want kids to bring in their Silly Bandz and trade w/ (and make) new friends!

Please click HERE to find a store near you!


Monday, July 12, 2010

Making Tissue Paper Butterflies

When Lila was able to pull up and stand in her crib she could reach her mobile. That was a sad day I loved having something for her to look at as she was laying in bed and I had to take it down. So I took some things that I had around the house to make her something new and colorful to decorate her ceiling with!
Butterflies!!!

Lucky Me that I had all the things I need to make pretty butterflies without spending any money!!! Not that any of it is costly, lol =) I used tissue out of presents given to us (Lila's and mine had the pretty girly colors and got blues, greens out of the boys presents), the clothespins used for a game at the baby show (yep I still had them)! And to hang them I used the ribbon from the free balloons at the grocery store!
All you have to do is fold the tissue paper in half so both side have the great coloring then fold it like an accordion, find the middle and put that in the mouth of the clothespin, and last fluff out he sides!!!
I really can't wait till Lila is old enough to do this one with me since we will always get new pretty tissue paper!!!
They make great party decorations just string them up with some ribbon and tape!
Lila's Room!!! And when the air is running or the window is open for a breeze they will flutter!!! Really cool for a little girls room!!! Super easy and cheap =)
~Enjoy~

An Attempt at Onion Rings!

cOle's Onion Rings!!!
So Cole was flipping though the pages of one of my cook books Better Homes and Gardens Family Favorites Made Lighter and came across a baked recipe of Onion Rings and wanted to make it! And we did, but we could not get the bread crumbs to stick to the onion!!! But they easy to make and where still tasty!!!

Need:
Nonstick spray coating
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 Tbs margarine, melted
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (optional)
(it had a kick so we put less in the second batch)
2 medium mild yellow or white onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick & separated into rings
2 slightly beaten egg whites

Spray large baking sheet with nonstick coating. Stir bread crumbs, melted margarine, salt, and red pepper (optional) together. Spread crumb mixture on a sheet of waxed paper. Dip onion rings into egg whites, then into bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated onion rings in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake @ 45o degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until onions are tender and coating is crisp and golden! Makes 4 servings!

And if you can get them coated better then mine please tell your secret b/c the bread crumbs just slid off the smooth onion rings!!! lol =)
~Enjoy~

Friday, July 9, 2010

Thomas and ToysRus

ToysRus is doing a Thomas and Friends Day and if you have a toddler or two (or more) you probably know who Thomas the train!!! I bet it will be a busy day at ToysRus with storytime, games, and coloring fun!!! Plus special offers!!! My toddler is a girl and you bet she will be there too having fun!!! Lol =) To find a store near you please click HERE!
Join us for a Thomas Play Date!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Painting can be so relaxing...

So this week has been a little stressful on me....
It started at the end of last week when I had to pack up my oldest child (11 yr. old) to go on his first week LONG summer camping trip with his boy scout group! Then I had to LET HIM GO!!!! BY HIMSELF!!!! This is the first for us so it was very hard on me and my 2nd child (8 yr. old)! So when the kids started painting I sat down to paint too and boy was it relaxing to just sit and paint with them!!!

So if you are feeling stressed think about painting with your kids or coloring, doodling, sketching, drawling.... or what ever it was you did as a kid that kept you calm and happy!!!! I may have to whip out my old coloring books (yes I still have a few from my childhood somewhere) to keep my mind off of the unknown of what my child is doing at camp right now, is he ok, is he eating, is he miserable or having fun?!?.....

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Carmike Cinemas Summer Kid's Series

Our closest Movie Theatre is a Carmike Cinemas and I am excited
to find out about their Summer Kid's Series!!!
Ever Tuesday at 10am this Summer you can see a different movie
for a $1 and a drink + popcorn for an other $2!!!
$3 is a great price for a morning in out of the Hot Sun!!!
Please click HERE for a Theatre near you!!!
(please contact the manager at your local Carmike theatre for more details)
(check your local theatre for features and showtimes)

Borders Kids' Event! Ramona and Beezus

Borders is doing a Special Kids' Event
Saturday July 17th
2:00pm
Click here for a store near you!
Ramona and Beezus Event July 17

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Smoothies!!!

One of are new favorite snacks are SMOOTHIES!!! There are tons and tons of different way to make them and they are good for you!!! (shhhh, don't tell my kids!) Are favorite is strawberry yogurt w/ frozen strawberries (the ones we picked at the strawberry patch), banana, kiwi, w/ a little splash of fruit juice! It is a great drink to cool down on a hot day! Plus you can turn them into popsicles!!!

All you need is yogurt your favorite fruit and/or berries and something to blend it all (blender, food prosesser, magic bullet....)!!!

~Yumm-E~
~Enjoy~

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The Magic of Chalk!


Something that I have been doing with my kids ever since my oldest was about 3 was making roads, race tracks, and towns out of chalk for their cars! If you have a side walk, patio, or paved drive way and children you should have chalk! I bought a big bucket of chalk early this spring and it is already half gone! Which means my kids even at 11 and 8 still love chalking up the driveway and racing their hot wheels!!! Lol =) And the nice thing about chalk is that it is cheap (you can often find it at the dollar store) it washes way with rain, hose, or a bucket of water and even though the kids can become covered head to toe in chalk dust, that too washes away very easily!!!

And who said that chalk roads are for boys,
my little girl loves to play with cars too!!!

And now it is nice that the boys are old enough
to make the road I can kick back and watch the
creativity! They spend hours making the "track"
and then another half an hour to hour playing on it!!! They add very creativity things to their race track(s), like lava and water obstacles (they loved the 'Hot Wheels World Race' and 'Hot Wheels AcceleRacers' movies which has given them tons of ideas for race tracks)!!!

So on a day (morning or evening after dinner) when it is not to hot outside
chalk can be a MAGICAL thing, an entertain thing, for a couple of hours!!!
You can join in the fun and magic or sit back and watch the creativity!!!
~Enjoy the Summer~

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Our Solar System!!!



A project that I have been wanting to do with
the boys is making the Solar System!!! I have looked into getting the styrofoam balls but that gets costly so.... I thought we should try Paper Mache! How hard could it be? I googled how to make the paste and found a very cheap and easy recipe:

1 part flour to 5 parts water, boil for 3 minutes, wait till it cools!!!
Sounds easy and very cheap =)
I also read not to do more than 4 layers (should probable tell children to do 2 since they will over lap with out realizing). Let them dry completely before adding more (up to 4) layers and repeat till you get desired feel to your project!

So we blow up some balloons to the sizes we wanted, dipped shredded news paper into our past, and started layering our planets!!! (Oh and it gets quit messy so put down some news papers on your work area)!!! Finding a place for them to dry were children would not mess with them was a little hard to figure out.... I ended up stringing them up out of reach of the toddler (big girl now that she is potty trained, lol)! I used paper clips and safety pins pining very carfuly so not to pop the ballon on the opening of it so I could hang them up!

Now that they have had the weekend to dry Monday we are going to do another layer! Then we will probably add one more layer I am thinking Wednesday and by Friday I am hopping to PAINT them!!!!! And last but least by Saturday HANG them in the Boy's Room!!!! Yay!!!!!! =) Will post the finish planets when they are all done!!!!
Wish us luck!!!! =)





Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Story Time!!! Reading Program = Free Book!!!!

(my childrens' "Passport" for B&N)

Most book stores offer free Story Time for young children, which is a great way to spend a hot 1 indoors! Barnes and Nobles is also doing there Summer Reading program this summer!!! Children between 1st to 6th grade log 8 books that they read, the author name, and places that the book took place (visited) and turn in there "Passport" in by September 7, 2010 and they can pick out a FREE BOOK from B&N list of free books!!! Plus a chance to win the complete autographed set of The 39 Clues books!!!! Please check out all the details plus print out your own "Passport" HERE or visit a B&N near you!!!

You can also check out other book stores and libraries near to see if they are offering a summer reading program or Story Time!!! We are still looking for a reading group for the middle school age that interest my 11 year old over the summer (he loves reading)!!! I think we will try are local library!
~Enjoy a good book or 8~

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Free Movie!


Another great thing to do on a hot day, as many are in summer, or a rainy one is the movies! The Regal Entertainment Group is showing some free ones throw out the summer!!! I have heard that it is a fun way to spend your morning and we are looking into checking it out!!! If you would like to find a theater near you please click Here!

(Lila kickin back at the movies)

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Father's Day Treats!

My Hubby loves a good sweet but with back to back birthdays and a wedding I am all caked (and cup caked) out! I think I have gained a few pounds just in the last couple of weeks!!! So I wanted to make something different for Father's Day.... My husband loves the holiday corn flake wreathes so I thought I would use that recipe to make them into ties for Father's Day! It is very similar to rice crispy treats so they are very sticking to handle but I think they came out pretty well! And very tasty!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

A Simple Science Experiment w/ Wild Flowers....

The first week of Summer Vacation is over and we are still working on getting a schedule going, hoping we get a more organized next week!
But early this week we went on a nature walk (we saw a box turtle and picked black berries) and picked little wild white flowers. So when we got home Cole (my 8 year old) and I thought it would be cool to magically change the color of the flowers!!! So he picked green since that is not a normal color for a flower and we put the flowers in a small cup (well a shot glass since we never use it! Lol! now it has a kid friendly purpose) and put green food coloring into the water!!! Then waited....
and waited....
and waited....
(could not use the flash on the last 2 b/c it would
take out the green color on the petal)
Cole thought his green flowers were really Cool!!!
What color should we do next?

Friday, June 18, 2010

Cooking w/ Little Ones

One thing we started to do last summer was making the boys pick out a different (or some sort of variety) meal each week and cook it for diner! They complained about it but once they got started they did not mind cooking! And dare I say my middle child even love this activity (maybe b/c durning that one meal it is just him and me or he really likes to cook!)!
Cole Cooking Shrimp Alfredo!
(and it is so easy just a bag of frozen shrimp, a jar of
alfredo sauce, what ever noodles they like, and a
good side!)
Jesse's meal is a little more, Enchiladas w/ Mexican Rice and Quesadillas!

Both these Meals are picked out by them b/c it is their favorite (which is a great way to start the summer)! And they are learning how to make it so that they can grow up knowing how to feed them selfs with out a drive throw window or a delivery guy! Not that there is any thing wrong w/ that every once in a while!

So this active starts w/ the kid picking out what meal they would like to 'help' with then you sit down talk about what goes into it, make their own (or you can write it out for them) grocery list! Then while you are grocery shopping they can pick up their items off the shelf and cross it off on their own list (keeps them busy while grocery shopping and you can always add other favorite items to look for)! Then on their day to make the meal they can help read the directions, get the ingredients out, pour, mix, stir, making sure they don't handle anything hot or leave them alone while thing in the kitchen are still hot, make sure everything you ask the kid to do is age appropriate (my son in the first pix is 8, I would not ask my 3 year old to stir w/ hot pan, she is better w/ stirring cake mix, they are not hot!).

Cooking Meals are a good way to work on reading and following direction recognizing items, and even math as you are comparing prices! Plus if they are writing the list out they can work on spelling! And they are learning a valuable skill they will use all their life: How To Cook!!! If your lucky they will sprinkle in a little "Love" w/ every meal!