Amy’s Notebook 04.24.08

April 24th, 2008

This kitchen stool idea is so cute (@ Daily Danny)

I bet my children would love this banana bread (@ ljcblog)

This gak recipe would be a great project for me to do with the kids on a rainy day (@ pollywog’s cakewalk)

This chicken and broccoli casserole sounds so yummy (@ Divine Domesticity)

I want to try making sourdough bread (@ The Kitchn)

When the kids get a little older, I want to try geocaching (@ Skip to My Lou)

These vintage potholders are so stinking cute (@ Design Sponge)

This is a great tutorial on making your own custom blend laundry detergent (@ Be It Ever So Humble)

I want to make some of this rainbow Jell-O (@ Do Better)

This is such an inventive kitchen makeover (@ Brownie Points)

I love this list of knitting resources (@ Looking Towards Heaven)

This is a great guide to starting your seeds indoors (@ Scribbit)

Here is a great round-up of menu planning resources (@ I’m an organizing junkie)

I want to make these nature cans with the kids (@ Plum Pudding)

I love these shaving cream art project ideas (@ Design Mom)

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Posted in Amy's Notebook | 11 Comments »

Earth Day Reflections

April 23rd, 2008
We had a great day together, celebrating Earth Day yesterday. To celebrate we spent the entire day outside and I made sure we had lots of stuff to do while we were out there. I gathered all of our supplies together and grabbed two water bottles for the kids to keep them hydrated while we were outside. Apparently, Ethan had been discussing Earth Day with his teachers because he looked at me and said, “That bottle is not a 7, right? 7’s are BAD and I can’t drink from them.” For a moment, I felt a little bit of panic as I looked on the bottom to reveal our numbers. It appeared we had an acceptable number, but nothing like a kid to keep you on your toes.

We took our chalk outside and Ethan drew this beautiful picture of the earth. Emily helped by scribbling her own little pictures with him.

I picked up this little journal from the dollar store and told Ethan that he could fill the pages with whatever things he saw in nature. He put together some really beautiful pictures of all the things he saw. Then I wrote the alphabet for him and he filled in the book with pictures of things that started with those letters. This kept him busy for about an hour and he loved showing his book to his daddy.

While Ethan documented in his journal, I took some pictures of some of the beautiful things in our yard.

Then I plopped myself in a chair and started my new book from one of my favorite bloggers, Soule Mama. If you are looking for ways to be more creative with your kids, I would highly recommend this book.

We had a wonderful day and didn’t turn the television on once! The evening was spent building forts, drawing pictures, playing in the bath, and special stories. It was a quiet and lovely Earth Day!

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Posted in Family | 3 Comments »

Giveaway: $25 Starbucks Gift Card

April 22nd, 2008

It is time for another bloggy giveaway carnival and I am going take the plunge and participate again. Because I am oh-so-unoriginal and always think you shouldn’t mess with a good thing, I am sponsoring the same exact giveaway as I did last time.. $25 Starbucks Gift Card! The last contest was such a roaring success that I want to replicate that again. Yeah, I know…boring and unoriginal.

To enter, please tell me one issue you struggle with when it comes to your family finances. I will use your questions as material for my site. It can be anything, anything at all. The more original the better.

The winner will be picked on Friday at 8PM! Make sure your name is clickable or that you leave me your email address so I can contact you!

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ParentsConnect is sponsoring a fabulous giveaway on our site. They are offering gift packs with a Nickelodeon umbrella, t-shirt, and a Barnyard Book for two of our lucky readers. To enter, please submit a comment HERE and tell us one of your best parenting tips. Entries are due by April 29th (Tuesday) at 8 PM Eastern Time. I am sorry but this contest is only open to US Residents (including PR and CAN).

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Posted in Giveaways | 378 Comments »

Celebrating Earth Day

April 22nd, 2008

Happy Earth Day, everyone! I hope that you all will be celebrating this special day. We are looking forward to celebrating Earth Day as a family, not just today, but every day. My son is still talking about Earth Hour and just asked me yesterday when we could do this again. He has even been learning about how special our planet is at school and I was so excited to hear him talking about the ways he could make the world better. These are proud moments for a parent as we talk about this often with Ethan.

I never thought I was one of those kinds of parents, but here I am dumping all disposable items, cloth diapered my baby, making my own cleaners, line drying my clothes, carrying my reusable bags, gardening, and am wearing 80-90% of my clothing from the thrift store. Many of the choices I have made came from a financial standpoint, but have evolved into more of a commitment to going green than I ever imagined. Step aside, hippy moms, there is a new eco-chick in town!

Stumped for ideas? Here are a few to help you celebrate this day in a big way-

80+ Green Sites & Resources (@ Mashable)

Earth Day Crafts to Do With Your Children (@ Kaboose)

How to Celebrate Earth Day (@ WikiHow)

Earth Day Ideas for Kids & Classrooms (@ Amazing Moms)

Making Earth Day a Family Day (@ Crunchy Domestic Goddess)

Earth Day Every Day (@ Parents.com)

Celebrate Earth Day (@ EcoKids)

Let’s Make This Earth Day a Real Earth Day (@ The Good Human)


Sound Off: How do you plan to celebrate Earth Day with your kids?

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Posted in Kids Crafts | 4 Comments »

At the Car Wash

April 22nd, 2008
Two shallow containers of water with just a drop of dish soap.

Mommy’s ah-ha moment! Two shower loofahs, instead of sponges, so my children don’t completely soak themselves.

Two cars that have been sitting idle in the garage all winter.

Two little children assess the task at hand.

Working hard.

Hardly working.
Hours of enjoyment for all!

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Posted in Family | 5 Comments »

Redbox Code 04.21.08

April 21st, 2008

Today’s free code for a Redbox movie is 6XQ15B. This code is good for one free movie and you can use it until midnight tonight. Enjoy a free family movie together!

Side Notes:

– If you want to rent more than one movie for free, bring more than one credit/debit card. You can use the same promotional code, you just will need different cards to charge it to. The charge will be zero as long as you return your movie on time for the next day.

– When entering in your free movie code, you need to enter it FIRST before picking the movie. On the very first screen, click the, “Rent with Promo.” Enter in the above code and then make your selection- the amount should then total zero.

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How Our Garden Grows

April 20th, 2008

Welcome to my little garden. After my earnest attempts last year, I realized that the place I had planted in was far too shady for any good growth. After much thought and careful consideration in my yard, I decided to plant our garden alongside our patio. It is a sunny location that is close to the house, so it will make it easier on me to maintain it and water it throughout the summer.

This year I planted Italian flat leaf parsley, basil, rosemary, cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, green peppers, cauliflower, and broccoli. I had some troubles finding vegetables this year so I am either really late to the gardening party or too early. I don’t think I am that late considering our crazy Midwest weather, but who knows? I am hoping that our little bit of earth will help to combat the higher grocery prices this year.

I am really excited about enjoying some fresh produce from own yard again. I am also looking forward to the children helping me pick from and maintain the garden this year. Ethan was so excited to help water and also helped to hand me the plants as we did our initial planting. I can already feel that this is going to be another great year for us and I love our new garden location.

How is everyone’s planting coming along? I hope your gardens are doing well!

In the spirit of good gardening and outdoor projects, here are some great links to some other fun reads:

33 Backyard Projects You Can Do (@ Tip Nut)

DIY: Build Your Own Garden Box (@ casasugar)

Planting Potatoes In Old Tires (@ Stop the Ride!)

The Children’s Garden (@ Shakyard)

Get a Good Sack and Get To Totin’ (@ Modern Cottage)

Buying Bulk Gravel (@ Clever Dude)

Rolling Out the Beauty (The Lylah Blog)

Garden Without Spending A Lot of Green (@ Not Made of Money)

Thrifty Containers for Tomatoes (@ You Grow Girl)

Creating a Kid-Friendly Garden (@ Parent Hacks)

Making Compost at Home (@ How to Compost)

The Big “O” (@ Innstyle Montana)

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Posted in Life | 7 Comments »

A Drizzly Saturday

April 20th, 2008
Ethan’s prayers were answered and we had a drizzly Saturday. The drizzles weren’t so bad that they couldn’t play outside, but Ryan had other plans for his Saturday that required total concentration.

We have just a few more rows to go and finally our patio will be complete. We had to rip the entire patio out last summer because a tree (which we removed) had uprooted the patio, making it a treacherous terrain to walk on and bumpy ground for our patio set. Ryan’s parents redid their entire landscape in their backyard and let us take their old brick. Using our brick and mixing it with the new brick, we are making a cool design and the only cost to us has been time and sand to level and fill in the cracks. I think it will be really great when it is done, we just never expected it would take this long to complete.

The kids played in their rainy day suitcase for over two hours while Ryan was outside working. I sat on the couch and happily snapped pictures of them and worked some more on my little beginner knitting project.

This instrument that I picked up from the thrift store has been a hit with both of them. Emily was strumming a little tune for us. I love that this is a nice and quiet instrument, even if they try to play it loudly.

Quiet little Saturday at home- what could be better?

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Posted in Family | 1 Comment »

Freebie Friday: April 18, 2008

April 18th, 2008

Thanks to Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, for helping again with our list this week. She had a great list and has tons more freebies available on her site. There is now a part two to the home baker secrets post so be sure to read that for more yummy recipes. Heather was also featured on Frugal Hacks this week with a round-up of some really great freebies!

Health & Beauty
o.b. tampon (free sample when you enter sweepstakes)
Prilosec OTC (Walmart sample)
Sunsilk (New Waves of Envy available)

Food
Sunkist Lemonade Stand (for kids ages 7-12)
Kroger Reusable Shopping Bag (credit on your Kroger Shoppers card)

Entertainment

Home & Garden

Pet Care
Science Diet’s Nature’s Best Dog Food (get sample after playing Natural Ingredients game)
Yappy Treats

Reader Freebie Alerts:

I have seen commercials lately from McDonald’s about a free iced coffee. I thought it came and went, but today I was at a McDonald’s (in Raleigh, NC) and there was a big ad on one of the windows that said “Free iced coffee (sample size) every Wednesday for the month of April, 11am-2pm.” I don’t know if this is just a NC thing but there are two more Wednesdays left this month so I thought it was worth sharing with everyone! Hope this helps! :o)
~Ashley

Thanks, Ashley! Has anyone else heard anything about this in their hometown? Please share in the comments!


Mark Your Calendars
April 19 – Walmart 1 Million Reuseable Bag Giveaway starts at 8 am
Starting April 22- Macy’s Celebrates Earth Day– -Free Sapling for the First 100 in each store on 4/22
Free Tote Bag for the First 150 in each store on 4/26, and 4/27 and free Kid Power Activity Book for everyone on 4/26 and 4/27
April 30 – 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin-Robbins to honor America’s firefighters
May 1 – Carvel Free Artic Blender or Blended Coffee from 4-6 pm
May 5-11 – Cinnabon celebrates National Nurses Week with free Cinnabon Rolls
May 15 – Free Iced Coffee at Dunkin Donuts 10am-10pm

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Posted in Freebies | 9 Comments »

MomAdvice Weekly Recap: 04.18.08

April 18th, 2008

My son is back to school and Spring Break has ended. We had so much fun this past week that he was very reluctant to return back to school. I think I made it a fun vacation for him and I hope that you all enjoyed your spring breaks with your kids too!

This has been a wonderful week for my family and I just want to thank you all for your sweet comments and congratulations on achieving one of our financial goals. It has meant so much to me to read those and I promise to share next week a more detailed explaination for how we were able to accomplish it.

In the meantime, there is PLENTY of stuff to read! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some special time with your family.

Featured Article:

Goodbye, Old Friend: Asking Jealousy to Leave- I pull into the parking lot and park my beat-up car between a Hummer & a Mercedes. I let out a sigh and turn behind me to find him sitting in the backseat between my two children. “You can leave now. You aren’t wanted here,” I say. He looks back at me, absently, dismissing my request with a blank smile….. Continue Reading

Blog Entries for Fun & Discussion:

Rainy Day Survival Kit –I have been wanting to work on this project for some time, and since it was miserable weather all weekend, it seemed like the perfect time to tackle this project. I went to Goodwill and found a plain leather suitcase for $5. I gave it a good scrubbing, when I got it home, and proceeded to decorate it with some knick knacks from my craft supplies … Continue Reading

Being Busy or How Technology Takes Over Our Lives– Technology is a great thing, but it can also cause a disconnection between ourselves and the people in our lives. I will use my cell phone use as a perfect example for how it has helped my relationships grow and how it can also take away from my relationships….Continue Reading

Spring Break ’08 Cost Breakdown– We did so much over our spring break, that we took the last day off to just rest. The kids were tired and so was I, but we finished the weekend off with a yummy dinner and another free Netflix rental…”Alvin & the Chipmunks.”…Continue Reading

This American’s Dream– When the American dream consists of a McMansion, giant flat screen television, and an expensive car, I often feel like my American dream seems modest and unremarkable….Continue Reading

Our Debt-Free Party– We finally celebrated our debt-free party, after making the final payment on our credit cards today. I wanted to make sure that it was really special and that the kids would be an active participant in our joy and elation of all we did to work towards this day…..Continue Reading

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Giving Away the Mother Load!

ParentsConnect is sponsoring a fabulous giveaway on our site. They are offering gift packs with a Nickelodeon umbrella, t-shirt, and a Barnyard Book for two of our lucky readers. To enter, please submit a comment HERE and tell us one of your best parenting tips. Entries are due by April 29th (Tuesday) at 8 PM Eastern Time. I am sorry but this contest is only open to US Residents (including PR and CAN).

New Real Mom Reviews:

Phosphate-Free eco+ Dishwasher Detergent

Kraft 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese

Hane’s Childrens Clothing Line

Featured Recipe of the Week:

Key Lime Pie With a Graham Cracker & Oatmeal Crust

Forum Discussions:

Do you live green? Use eco-friendly cleaning products? I found this website…Join the Discussion

Has anyone had experience with bananas leaving a stain that won’t come out? I had no idea this might happen. My daughter went a little nuts with her banana at daycare one day, and got a lot of it on her pants. She also had some dirt on her knees from crawling around outside (it was a rare nice day here in the Midwest)…. Join the Discussion


Play it Again, Momma!

Did you miss these posts the first time around? Here they are for your reading pleasure!

Taking a Look at Our Electrical History

It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know

Ask For Your Discounts

Budget Friendly Ideas for Kids Rooms

Car Repair on a Budget

Disney or Bust

Not enough of me yet?

WSBT: Affordable Birthday Parties

Frugal Hacks: Preparing for Those Rainy Days

Blissfully Domestic: Dressing Your Kid Like a Celebrity…Or Die Trying

Michiana Family Magazine: Goodbye, Old Friend- Asking Jealousy to Leave

Kenmore: Make Meal Planning Easier

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Posted in Announcements | 2 Comments »

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