The Mommy Saver: Moms Saving Money, Time and Sanity

Mac N Cheese with Hidden Cauliflower

2015-05-14T11:51:00.001-07:00

I'm REALLY pregnant and my ~~ankles~~ cankles are very pronounced these days. Yet, I still wanted to make some homemade macaroni and cheese along with dinner last night. I always serve a vegetable with the meal, and maybe one teeny tiny top of a broccoli floret will get consumed by my kids. Last night I had an idea -- a brilliant idea. I made my cheese sauce with 2 full cups of cauliflower. Much Vitamin C was consumed last night. My husband, who tends to hate cauliflower, was even fooled! I cannot believe how well this meal both tasted and hid the veggies!

Cauliflower Mac N Cheese

One 16 oz bag of frozen cauliflower, steamed
One stick of butter
2 7oz bags of shredded cheese (I used mac n cheese blend)
One box of pasta (we used macaroni, but I've used rotini with good results too)
1/3 cup of heavy cream
1 tsp of garlic
salt to taste
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs, divided
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook pasta according to directions and drain.

In a food processor, chop the stick of butter and the steamed/drained cauliflower to a fine consistency. Add the cheese, cream, garlic, and salt and use the chopper to mix.

In a baking dish add half the pasta and half the cheesy cauliflower mixture. Then, sprinkle the top with half the Panko crumbs and half the Italian seasoning. Repeat with the second half of the pasta, cheesy cauliflower mixture, Panko crumbs and Italian seasoning. Finally, sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese if desired. Bake about 30 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are slightly brown. Deliciousness!

A Newcomer's Guide to Creation Northeast

2015-03-17T12:07:00.003-07:00

Last summer I attended a day at Creation NorthEast in Shirleysburg, PA. Although I've lived only 30 miles from the largest Christian music festival for the past 12 years, I had never made the trek with my youth group. (They went, but I didn't.) The night before I scoured the internet for some good FAQ, but found little. So, I am creating one.

What can I bring?
You can bring just about anything into Creation, except fireworks/sparklers, alcohol and drugs. Coolers are completely fine. You'll see them everywhere. Umbrellas are also fine. I left mine home assuming they were a No-No, but there were tons of people with them and they didn't really obstruct views. (I'm referring to umbrellas that one normally uses for rain, NOT beach umbrellas). No pets.

What should I wear?
Since Creation is at the end of June, it will likely be hot. Modest attire is required (no crop tops) so shorts and T-shirt is the norm. Half the crowd seemed to be wearing a shirt from the many Christian colleges given them out for free. In the evening it does get cooler, so be sure to pack a sweatshirt or jacket. Shoes were a question for me and a debate about our youth staff. I chose hiking sandals because they could just rinse off if they got muddy. I mentioned how next time I'd wear old sneakers as there were speakers in the woods and sticks and sandals don't mesh. Our youth pastor mentioned how miserable that would be if it rained, which is why he chose sandals. Be prepared though--it is very dusty and muddy.

What should I bring?

WATER. LOTS OF WATER. It is hot, and unless you want to spend a day's wages on water alone, you'll want to bring some. I drank 6 bottles of water, 2 iced coffees, and one can of soda during my one day there. Our group brought two coolers with water and soda (I'd go heavy on the water side of this) and just left them at our tarp all day.
A tarp. At Creation it appears your territory is marked with a tarp. You can place your tarp as early as 5:30am. We got there at 10am and still got fairly good seats, but off to the side. Then, we placed camping chairs on the tarp.
Camping chairs. We left ours at our spot at the main stage, but others would carry them to the fringe/indie stages or speakers.
Water. It's that important.
Snacks. There are tons of food trucks there. Think county fair. But I brought along some crackers and a cereal bar so I didn't spend too much on food. The food prices were fair for event pricing. For lunch I had a chicken gyro for $8. An ice cream cone was $3. For dinner I had a "gourmet" chicken salad sandwich on a pretzel roll for $5. My iced coffees (two different stands) were $2 and $2.50. Milkshakes were $3-$4. There was also Chinese, pizza, burgers, pretzels, hot dogs, sausages and more I can't recall.
Hand Sanitizer. The restrooms are either portopotties or outhouses. The portopotties had hand sanitizer inside, but by the end of the day many had run out. I brought both hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes for before I ate.
Ziploc bags. We were fortunate it didn't rain, but if it had, these would have been helpful to protect expensive things like cell phones.
Emergency ponchos. You can find these at dollar stores or mass merchandisers for about $1. These would be nice in the event of rain and they are small and light.
A towel or paper towels. We had a spill on our tarp. Glad I had a towel.
A small blanket. Not a necessity, but it was nice to have when our group was eating lunch near the food area. Plus when it got chilly in the evening.
SUNSCREEN. Wow, this should've been mentioned before. You are in the sun all day. This is a must. Apply liberally and more than once.
Sunglasses. It's sunny. The main stage must face east, because as we looked at it in the evening, we were staring right at the setting sun. Sunglasses.

What is the day like?

We arrived fairly early in the morning for a bunch of teenagers and their leaders: about 9am. We paid for admission and were kindly directed to a parking spot. It was muddy. We had to walk quite a bit to the area of the main stage where we sought out a spot that was not already claimed by blankets or chairs. We were fortunate to still find a great spot near an aisle on the right side. We set up our chairs, cooler, and blankets and headed out to look around. There were other stages (such as fringe), a leader's oasis room (air conditioning!) and lots of food carts. What surprised me was the food was pretty reasonably priced for food stands. I enjoyed iced coffee from two different stands. We looked at a schedule and marked out what bands and speakers we wanted to see. We split between Main Stage, Fringe Stage and a speaker that was in an area in the woods. (Note: if you want to see the speaker in the woods, bring something to sit on or bugs will find you!) The day was very relaxed and we had plenty of time to enjoy some awesome music. The teens in our group enjoyed visiting the vendor and getting lots of giveaways as well. After the last band, we headed back to our car and had no trouble exiting the venue (maybe a few minutes of traffic) and back on to the road toward civilization.

Even though I don't have too many questions here, Creation is in a less than 4 months (June 24-27, 2015), so I'm going to post this. If you have ideas for other questions, please comment below and I will address them from my experience!

Kleenex Brand Review

2015-01-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

I’m a member of the Crowdtap Kleenex Brand® rewards program, and Kleenex® Brand sent me their tissues with lotion and their anti-viral tissues to review.

Prior to receiving this sample I thought there was just one brand of tissues with lotion. I didn't realize Kleenex also made lotion tissues! Two of my children came down with colds and having lotion tissues in the house was great to sooth sore noses.

These lotion tissues were a big hit.

With so many illnesses going around the country presently, this product gave me piece of mind that illnesses one child brings might not be spread to other children in the home. Kleenex Anti-Viral helps insure that germs in the tissue won't necessarily be transferred to other surfaces on the way to the trash. #crowdtap #sponsored #KleenexBrandBelievers

I didn't receive any monetary compensation for these reviews, but I did receive the products for free.

Kleenex also wanted me to share a $1.50 off coupon with my blog readers, but it doesn't seem to be working right now. If the link is repaired, I will update this post to reflect it!

Ten Ways to Save Money on Groceries

2014-08-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

This past spring I did a calm grocery run while my youngest was at preschool. I was on a "savings high" as I waited in the lobby for class to finish.

"I'm so excited! I just spent $78 on groceries this week AND earned enough to save $30 in gas," I excitedly told the parents and grandparents waiting with me.

"How do you do that? I spend $250 a week on our family of 5," one mom said.

"I spend $250 a week and it's just the two of us!" a grandmother added.

"Uh...we eat a lot of chicken," I clumsily responded. Really, I was just trying to internally figure out HOW someone could spend $250 a week on groceries.

Yesterday I stopped by a friend's house and the same conversation came up. Her grocery budget is $500 a month, but she regularly finds herself spending $650. She has separate budgets for paper products/household and eating out, so the grocery money is truly just spent on groceries. I tried to give her some ideas, but it's hard with kids running around and tangent after tangent entering our conversation. I think I started somewhere with "we eat a lot of chicken."

Now that I have a chance to sit and think, I thought I'd come up with a list of how to keep the budget under control.

Have a Plan, but be flexible.

Go into the grocery store with a list. If you are short on time, then stick to the list. Do not be tempted by the delicious looking Wavy Lays.
If you are not short on time, go up and down the aisles looking at discontinued and sale items you may have missed in the flyer. I've been fortunate to notice some great deals on soup for my husband's lunch last week. Unfortunately they are discontinued so I hope he doesn't like them too much! This week I noticed pre-packaged snacks on sale for $3.99 (normally $6.49). This didn't really phase me, as I usually just buy bigger bags and pre-pack myself. However, there was a $1 coupon on each pack. This made each snack pack only 25 cents (a good value in my opinion). We rarely buy these, but they make for a quick grab for snack time at school.

Don't Buy Junk (all the time).

A little hypocritical considering my last post about snacks, but I don't regularly buy chips, soda, cookies, candy, or ice cream for the kids to eat at home. We drink milk or water, and occasionally juice or lemonade. The fridge is always stocked with fruit, yogurt, cheese and veggies. (We do buy goldfish crackers in bulk). I will occasionally bake cookies or muffins for a yummy treat but when I hear "I'm hungry," the children are directed first to fruit.

Only Buy Items On Sale at a Good Price.

This is a huge tip. Of course there are exceptions, since milk is unlikely to go on sale, and sometimes store brand cheese will be cheaper than name brand on sale. You'll want to learn (maybe keep track in a notebook) what good prices are, and stock up (see below) when you know it's a good sale. But don't allow yourself to buy 5 boxes of Red Beans & Rice simply because you want them. If you must have it, buy one box, and wait until they are on sale to stock up. Also pay attention to what the sale is. A savings of 20 cents on a $5 item isn't really that great.

Plan Your Meals Around What You Have and What's On Sale.

Every Saturday or Sunday I will look at the weekly flier, take inventory of my freezer, and decide what we are having that week. If chicken breasts are on sale for $1.99, I know this is a good week to stock up and make some freezer meals. Likewise, if nothing good is on sale, it's a good time to pull out some of those freezer meals.
When money is extra tight, try eating only what you have and get creative with it! A couple I know ate for a month and a half just out of their pantry! Of course milk, eggs, and fruit/vegetables (unless you have canned) will need added to this, but think of the savings if that is all you are buying!

Keep It Simple.

A simple marinade can be made with a bottle of italian dressing. $2 of chicken plus $1 marinade, plus $1 for a rice side and $1 for veggies makes a meal of $5. A recipe which requires you to buy 10 new ingredients may be nice for special occasions, but very expensive for daily use. Most of the recipes on this site are simple and inexpensive. I like simple.

Know Good Prices and Where to Buy Them.

I think I already said this, but let's reitterate. Take butter for example. I remember when butter was $2 a pound all the time! Now, I think the store brand runs $3.50 regular price. I know that if I ever see butter for less than $2.50 a pound that it is a good buy and to stock up.
Milk at the small fruit market across the street is 50 cents a gallon cheaper than the grocery store we normally shop at. They have other items that are less expensive as well. And many items that are more expensive (that I don't buy there!).
Be sure to account for gas when price comparing. I walk to the small market across the street. Even though the potatoes I needed for dinner might cost 50 cents more at the small market, it would cost me 1.80 in gas (8 miles there and 8 miles back) to drive to the grocery store and back. Paying more for the local market saves in this case!
Finally, don't forget about that kale you have growing in your garden exponentially or the farmer's stand down the street.

Stock Up Only When You Know It Will Be Eaten.

Per above, butter is something that we will use before it goes bad. Cheese as well. However, stocking up on something that you aren't certain you will use, will result in stuff getting thrown away once its out of date.

Use Your Freezer.

When you see a good deal on meats, buy and freeze. I find it best to put all my ingredients in a bag first so that all I have to do is thaw and cook/bake the meal. I've also made casserole type meals in disposable metal tins. I find the best prices on these at a paper supply company instead of a grocery store. I also stock up on store-made stromboli when it is buy one get one free.

Check the coupon fliers/online ads/swagbucks/store promotions.

I have friends that are extreme couponers. They make off with amazing stashes of deodorant, pet food, and side items that they pay next to nothing for. I'm impressed, but it is not my forte'. I check the coupons each week, and only cut out those items I normally buy. For example, saving $1 on Frozen Yogurt when you don't normally buy it, means you are actually spending $3 more than you would've in the first place. This means I cut very few coupons, since most coupons are for processed items I try to avoid. However, it is also great when I can save an extra couple of dollars at the end of my order because of clipped coupons.

Try to Shop Alone.

Today I took the whole family shopping. We stuck to the list. Really, all we needed was milk and black trash bags. My teen asked for Oreo minis to pack in her lunch this week. Not something I normally buy, but they were on sale for $1.99 so I allowed it. We also got her some sandwich food. My husband wanted to buy artisan hamburger buns for dinner this week. I was planning to bake them myself, but laziness got the best of me and I agreed. He also wanted to buy bacon to put on our burgers. We buy only nitrate free bacon so I hesitated due to the cost, but agreed because I figured I could use some of the pack for another meal, too. As we were checking out I noticed the bacon rang up at the wrong price. I notice this kind of thing all the time. Our grocery store used to have a great policy where if the item rang up incorrectly, you got it free. I got a lot of free stuff this way. Now, if it rings up incorrectly, you get the item at the correct price. Ha! That's how it should have been in the first place. I left the children and husband continuing to check out while I ran back to double check and take a photo of the shelf tag. I was right and the cashier adjusted the price. When we got home I unpacked the groceries. Somehow I missed a 2 liter of soda (see my second point) and a 5.99 pack of premium cheese. I just laughed. Hubby knew I'd say 'no' so he snuck them through the check out when I wasn't looking. It also explains while our small order cost more than I thought!

I hope these tips will give you a good start to saving some more money on groceries. It does take time to plan ahead, study the sale flier and work it all together so that you can save, but it all adds up. I figure taking the time to plan ahead saves us about $75 a week (at least that's what my store receipt tells me). I'd much rather take the 30 minutes to study my flier and plan, than to have to work extra hours to cover that, wouldn't you?

Today Only! Free Jamocha Shake at Arby's!

2014-07-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the late notice, but I just found out! Today only, Arby's is giving away a FREE Jamocha shake 12 oz without any other purchase necessary!

And if you go to this link to print out a coupon: http://coupon.arbys.com/50/ , you can type in your child's (okay, or yours because I know you want one too) for a neat personalized coupon. The kids are going to flip when I tell them we are getting milkshakes!

How to Make Those 2 Ingredient "Pancakes" Everyone is Talking About (Banana and Egg)

2014-07-20T19:04:00.003-07:00

How to Make Those 2 Ingredient "Pancakes" Everyone is Talking About (Banana and Egg)

Pancakes without the added calories and simple to make. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it kind of is.

The banana ice cream trend (whipped up frozen bananas) really did seem amazing, so I had high hopes for this trend, especially after seeing a picture of the "pancakes" all fried up to look just like real pancakes. One morning I had some extra time before the kids left for school, so I tried it.

I took one overripe banana and 2 eggs. First I mashed the banana in one container and whipped the eggs with a fork in another. Then I mixed the two ingredients together, as coconut oil melted in my frying pan. From experience, the more you whip the ingredients, the fluffier they will be. My first batch seemed a bit like a crepe.

Simple scoop any size amount (silver dollar or larger) onto the hot pan, wait about a minute for it to solidify and flip for 30 seconds more.

I prefer to enjoy my pancakes plane and the warm coconut oil definitely added to the flavor. It was good, but DEFINITELY not like a pancake. My kids enjoyed their pancakes with real maple syrup on top.

Although this recipe served three, my children are small and don't eat much. I would say this makes 2 small portions or one hefty one.

Recipe for Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 overripe banana
1 tbsp coconut oil (or butter) for pan

1. Melt coconut oil in a pan
2. Mash banana with a fork.
3. Whip eggs with a fork.
4. Mix ingredients together, whipping well.
5. Spoon a pancake size amount into hot pan, flipping when the batter solidifies (about 1 minute).
6. Enjoy.

Free Gas with Giant Food Stores (PA) Gas Rewards

2014-06-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how long gas rewards were out before I started paying attention to them. I think it was at least a year. A YEAR OF FREE GAS I MISSED! It wasn't until I was running our soccer club's snack stand with another mom that she told me how they hadn't paid for gas in months that I started to pay attention. I've never been one to stock up too much. I save money on groceries by only buying things on sale (with exceptions like milk) so I wasn't too keen on buying things in a box in a circular just to save money on gas. I also only like to buy things that I'll use up in the next month or so, unless it was going in the freezer. After my fellow soccer mom pointed out my error in reasoning, I did the math. This week, if I buy 9 boxes of brownie mixes at $1.39 a piece, I'll save 40 cents per gallon on gas. Nine boxes of brownie mix cost $12.51. Forty cents off 25 gallons saves me $10. So, I'd essentially be getting the brownie mix for $2.51. Adding in coupons to this mix would be super. I still keep it to things I'd normally buy or are a substantial deal. Last week I got Milk N Cereal bars (which we'll save for fall when we are running late for school) and Panko bread crumbs (which I buy regularly to make my own chicken fingers).

But it gets better. This week there is also a 300 bonus points (30 cents) for a $50 purchase and 4x gas points on Visa gift cards. If I put $500 (the max) on a visa gift card and pay the small fee (a few dollars), I'll now have 2700 gas points. This is $2.70 off a gallon of gas and this was all in one shopping trip for a gas savings of $67.50, more than the groceries I just spent. True, I just spent $50 in groceries and $500 on a gift card, but I'll use that card in place of a credit card until it is used up.

And here is the kicker that will probably not last too long: not all gas stores use the same ratio for points. Which means that my $2.70 I'll earn this week at my store, is actually worth $5.40 at another store nearby. Yep, a free tank of gas and then some. At current prices, this is a savings of $135 on gas - in one week!

My advice: pay attention to the gas rewards!

How to Make a Frog Cake

2014-06-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

Meet Mortimor Frog...in cake form. For her third birthday, our youngest daughter requested a frog cake. Now, this is not just ANY frog, but the cartoon frog that her dad has been drawing for 23(ish) years. Of course no cake pan exists for this specific design, so we had to improvise.

We used a sheetcake, and cut around the the edges with a knife for shape. The eyes are cupcakes. The star tip works great for the rough edges left behind from cutting, but you could also do a crumb coat (thin layer of frosting) throw the cake in the freezer for a bit, and then frost again (thus sealing the crumbs in the crumb coat!).

To view more about Mortimor Frog, check out his home at www.amphibian.com

How to Make Breakfast Sausage at Home! Nitrate free!

2013-07-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently retweeted this recipe, and I was so excited to try it. With the exception of "real" maple syrup, I had it all in my kitchen already! My husband has recently decided to avoid ALL nitrates. We had already cut down on major sources (such as lunchmeat), but due to family history, he felt it best to avoid them all. This means special bacon, hot dogs and no sausage.

And then I saw this recipe: So simple, I cut the sausage into little patties and cooked them on my stovetop. We cooked some unformed sausage to use in omelets with dinner. And there was a fruit salad, too. The rest of the batch is in my freezer waiting for another day to be eaten.

Savory Maple Breakfast Sausage Recipe

How to Homeschool: Different Philosophies of Education

2013-06-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

We are about to complete our second year of homeschooling. We started after my daughter attended Kindergarten and cried at times because she wanted to learn "hard stuff." Homeschooling allowed her to move at her own pace and accelerate those subjects she loved (for her its reading and math). But our two years of homeschooling have been completely different, and I'd like to share to give hope to any new homeschooling families. First some frequently asked questions:

But doesn't she miss her friends? (Or, isn't important to be around other kids?)

Alex is in ballet, tap, Awana's, Sunday School, soccer, and weekly homeschool co-ops and field trips. She has play dates. She sees her friends a lot! She also chooses which friends she wants to schedule playtime with, instead of being with the same kids all day who may or may not give her the kind of socialization we both want.

I think homeschooling would be too hard. How would I know what to teach?

There are a gazillion different homeschooling options available. From cyber schools where you work with a teacher, to curriculums such as Sonlight that include everything you need including detailed plans and explanations, to simply deciding on what your child should be learning and crafting your own curriculum (keeping in mind state laws and related state standards).

What if we don't like it?

You can always send your child back to school. Homeschooling isn't for everyone! But we are glad we tried it the past two years.

Let's Talk Curriculum and my Experience in Homeschooling

Now let me discuss our experience in homeschooling. My philosophy of education has changed while I've been teaching and I have homeschooling friends with various styles as well. Some friends have a school room and a set school day. Other friends don't want to have their homes be set up like a classroom and allow learning opportunities for their children all day.

I started out with Sonlight curriculum for our 1st grade. We purchased Core B with Grade 2 readers and Singapore 1A and 1B math. The boxes came with wonderful, beautiful, delicious books bursting full of scrumptious knowledge. We were so excited to get started. Both my little girls loved it. We loved reading on the couch, on the porch, at the beach, at Disney World, at our picnic table...get the point? I would absolutely recommend this program.

Around January or so, Alex got really interested in China. So, we took a break from the curriculum (because we could) and she ventured into some deeper study about China. Same thing happened at a later time about the Philippines. It was pretty cool that we could just stop and focus on what she loved. Jumping forward a year, her current interest is being an architect, so she is currently designing a home with a free online design program. I love being able to nurture and feed her interests.

Okay, back to Sonlight. Like I said, I would absolutely recommend this program. However, the university-trained teacher and perfectionist in me wanted to do everything in the curriculum. The material states repeatedly NOT to attempt this as its just not possible. Sonlight wants to give you options. I tried it anyway and constantly felt like I was behind. But I wasn't. Why would I be behind?! If I could go back in time, I would have not attempted to do everything and just enjoyed the time and learning that was occurring.

Forward to Year 2: I had planned to school year-round, but I gave in to the "but all the other kids have off school" whining. Then I discovered what every teacher notices...regression. Math that she had mastered in June was gone by September. (We are scaling back, but still continuing this summer to avoid regression). When school started in the fall, I decided to not purchase the next complete year of Sonlight right away. Instead, I did homeschool the "hard" way. Knowing my child's educational needs and strengths, I crafted our day based on what we wanted to learn. I purchased just a few books. We paused the math curriculum when she needed more time in multiplication facts and telling time. We read books that challenged her for "reading class" and other books for fun reading. (We are currently reading through the Narnia series together). Language Arts focused on parts of speech, journaling and various writing skills. Imagine how my heart felt when she wrote and illustrated a book on her own for fun. For Mother's Day, she wrote her own poem. History we read more in our Sonlight books and are about to embark on a study of the 50 states. Science is whatever cool non-fiction books we find from the library and apply (like the poisonous black and white caterpillar that turned out to be just Japanese beetle larvae.) I also read through the standards for our state to make sure I'm not missing any areas that she might need should we send her back to school. And for us this year, it works.

If we continue to homeschool next year, I'm pretty sure we would purchase another complete Sonlight core. Or maybe do something different when fall comes.

The wonderful thing about homeschooling is the ability to change things up and find out what works. Any questions? Leave them in the comments.

The children are making homes with thatched roofs like they were reading about in history.

How to Make a Diaper Cake

2013-05-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

I really thought making a diaper cake was one of the hardest yet cutest things someone could make for a baby shower. I figured my sister-in-law's baby shower was the time to try. Surprisingly, its very easy! Takes a little time, but not too much!

The first step is to wrap all the diapers with rubber bands. I've heard you can skip this step, but it is harder for the diapers to stay rolled. The color of the bands doesn't matter as they'll be hidden by ribbon.

The next step is is to make the bottom layer around another gift item, such as baby lotion. Secure your layer in place with a big band.

Repeat this step to make the second layer.

The top layer is created around a baby bottle for my cake. My then 7 year old assisted greatly with the process up to this point.

Adding an "It's a Boy" lollipop and cute elephant for the cake topper. And tying ribbons around the layers to hide the rubber bands.

And there you have the result. Easy, beautiful, and practical!

Vacation Idea: Trip to Gaitlinburg and the Smokey Mountains

2013-05-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

I never did post about the second half of our Moonbow vacation. We had visited Kentucky and saw one of the only 2 naturally occurring moonbows in the world, ate some chicken liver at the first KFC, and went horseback riding for the first time. Then, we hopped back in the minivan and drove to Gaitlinburg.

Our first stop was the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. I stumbled upon an amazing SAVINGS before our trip. By showing our homeschool group membership card, our family paid LESS THAN HALF of the regular price for tickets! This is an amazing deal and a great museum to offer such a substantial discount.

We stayed at a cabin in the woods but a short trip from town. We also saw a very tame black bear while staying there. No, we didn't try to pet it!

Here we are hiking in the Smokey Mountains after a morning of ziplining with the older daughter. No photos here either...didn't want to drop a camera from 50 feet in the air!

On our last day we visited Dollywood and rode this ride that reminds me of another park I'm seriously going to have to blog about someday. Maybe many days as much as we visit it!

This was my favorite attraction at Dollywood: high ropes course. I could've stayed on this all day!

The hands-on attractions for the kids were great, too. I would definitely recommend Gaitlinburg!

Art Project Idea: Eric Carle Style Illustrations

2013-05-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

I recently had the task of teaching a single art class at my daughter's homeschool co-op. Being the avid lesson planner I am (its my favorite part of teaching), I WAY overplanned. I decided the artist I wanted to teach about was Eric Carle. He has illustrated childhood favorites such as Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. He completes his work by painting tissue paper and then making a collage with the painted tissue paper.

Step one was to paint the tissue paper. We used paintbrushes, toys with wheels, rollers to make designs, fingers, anything we could get to put paint on the paper. Since I knew I would be short on time, we completed some paper at home before bringing it to class so the students would have dry paper to cut. In the future, I would simply devote an entire class period to the tissue paper decorating.

Once the tissue paper was all painted, we set it aside to dry. I read the students Brown Bear, Brown Bear to demonstrate a piece of Eric Carle's work. Then the students decided on an animal to create and made it! I was surprised how little help they needed with this part!

Baby Shower Idea: Diaper Raffle

2013-05-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

I attended a baby shower once that included a special prize raffle for those who brought a pack of diapers or wipes to the party. I thought this was a brilliant idea! (And who doesn't like the chance to win something?!) When I planned my sister-in-law's shower, I decided to incorporate the surprise diaper blessing at her shower. You can see the prize sitting behind the starter pack: a beautiful bouquet of live hyacinths! As each guest arrived with their gift, if they also had a pack of diapers or wipes, they filled out a slip to put in the basket. And the mom-to-be went home with a slew of diapers!

Hopscotch and Letter Practice

2013-05-06T05:38:00.001-07:00

I really can't take the credit for this one. It was all my 3 year old! She decided to play hopscotch, but wrote letters instead of numbers. The teacher in me started to think of all the learning opportunities here! You can do letter recognition as you hop, or letter sounds, or even throw the bean bags in succession to make words (B-A-G). Be creative!

How to Make a Perry the Platypus Cake

2013-05-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Oh there you are, Perry!

My kids are HUGE Phineas and Ferb fans. Okay, its not just the kids. We love a funny show that is squeaky clean we can enjoy as a family. For her birthday, one of our daughter's requested a Perry the Platypus cake. This required a little creativity as there isn't an already made cake pan for that!

Also, as we decided for some reason to have the kids' party the same day as the family party we'd be eating this cake at, it had to be easy!

Ingredients:

Large handful of orange starbursts (or other pliable candy)
2 Large Marshmallows
2 Hershey Kisses
Toaster Waffle (such as Eggo)
Your favorite Cake Mix

If you look at the image, we decided to bake a plain 9x12 sheet as a base to feed more people. Perry's body is a loaf pan. I also used leftover batter to bake a small cake which was cut into his legs attached at the side.

Toast the waffle, and attach the tail with toothpicks. The eyes are made with the "pointy" end of the kisses inserted into the marshmallow. To make the feet, unwrap the starburst and microwave them a few seconds until they are pliable. Then shape into feet or beak. Not the most aesthetic of cakes we've made but our little girl was thrilled!

Quick Breakfast Recipe: Turkey Spinach Egg Cups

2013-04-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

Today I impulsively made a breakfast that was blowing up my Facebook feed this week. Our house is very much a "some cereal and fruit because I'm still half asleep" kind of house. Occasionally I might make cheesy eggs if I'm feeling extra motivated.

This recipe originally called for ham, fresh basil, and egg, but I only had turkey and thought the spinach made a nice complement to the dish.

It's simple: take a slice or two of turkey lunchmeat (or ham). We try to buy the nitrate-free varieties. Place them in a muffin pan, letting them go over the edges, making a cup. Add a little spinach if desired, and then crack an egg inside your meat cup. Bake at 400 about 15 minutes or until your egg is done enough.

This was so easy!

Breakfast Dessert Recipe

2012-07-11T03:24:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently shared a delicious summer breakfast idea: Honey Nut Cheerios with vanilla ice cream in place of the milk. Yummy! I told Elaine how excited I was to try it and she joked that she thinks she gained 3 pounds that week!

Not wanting to join her in fictional weight gain, I "healthified" her idea, using banana soft serve (click for recipe) instead of ice cream. I just used plain banana this time though, and, as the photo shows, I had no Honey Nut Cheerios.

It was a good dessert I felt guilt-free about eating!

Truth be told though, I'm still going to try it her way once I get some vanilla ice cream! The kids are going to flip!

Another Swagbucks Extravaganza Today!

2012-06-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

Keep an eye on the Swagbucks Swidget as today is a day there should be a lot of codes for free "bucks!" The Swagbucks Swidget is on the right hand side of this blog! If you aren't familiar with Swagbucks, it is a search engine that rewards you with Swagbucks for using it. You can then trade the bucks for "Swag" like Amazon Gift Cards. I've earned over $200 in amazon giftcards since I've joined! Click here to sign up!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream from Bananas Recipe

2012-06-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is just bananas, cocoa powder and peanut butter

I am so excited about this. Let me repeat: SO EXCITED! Last year I noticed a product that made "ice cream" from bananas. Of course, it contains no dairy, so not really ice cream. I wanted that product. I imagined myself losing 50 pounds instantly, but it was a little pricey and had mixed reviews. I didn't get one. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I stumbled upon a blog post where the writer (Sorry I forget where) just used a food processor. Duh! Why did I think I needed a special machine for this? I can't believe I fell for that!

Last night I cut up 3 whole bananas into slices about half an inch thick. I stuck them in a freezer bag overnight. This morning I dumped the bananas into the food processor with a dollop (probably about 2 tbsp) natural peanut butter and 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder. Then, I turned on the food processor. It was loud. I let it run a minute or so, and then shut it off. I repeated this a few times, scraping the top occasionally. Then it happened... instead of chopped bananas, the concoction turned creamy and looked JUST LIKE ICE CREAM! I excitedly dished out some for my 2 kids and myself. We had ice cream for breakfast! And it was healthy!!! I honestly didn't really detect much of the banana flavor. My husband, who I insisted try a bite, said it tasted just like bananas. I'm thinking of all the possibilities: banana and cherry, banana and pineapple, chocolate banana, coconut banana, banana walnut... lots of ideas. You need to try this! I couldn't believe how well it worked! The grocer is going to wonder why I'm suddenly buying so many more bananas.

Mint Hot Chocolate Recipe

2012-05-13T17:52:00.001-07:00

Want a quick and easy way to spice up your hot chocolate? Try a candy cane. My daughter begs me to buy her mint hot chocolate from the coffee shop, but I didn't want to spend $3 for it. I had this idea and it worked!

We make our hot chocolate with Ovaltine and milk. To add mint, simply use a candy cane to stir and it'll add the mint flavor. Yum!

Time Saver: Sock Sorting

2012-03-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

"I've revolutionized the whole sock-sorting industry!" I excitedly told a friend last month, "This is totally the best idea ever!"

I'm pretty sure there isn't really an industry devoted to sock-sorting, but this is a time saver that is really working!

Before we had a family sock basket. When laundry was put away, the socks were thrown in the basket to hopefully be matched. Hopefully. What actually happened was most of the family took to wearing mismatched socks. We were trendy.

This way everyone has a basket or box on the dryer. When socks come out of the dryer, they are immediately sorted by person. Then, the socks with matches are put away. It works!

Another friend bags socks by person and washes the bag. What ideas do you have for this task?

It's a Turtle!

2012-02-19T06:41:00.000-08:00

This was a quick breakfast my mom made for my youngest daughter this morning as we are in town visiting. Super fast and creative!

It's made from a strawberry head, blueberry detail, waffle body, and sausage legs.

Gift Idea: Homemade Rice Bags

2012-02-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

The last of the homemade gifts: a rice bag. My 6 year old can use a sewing machine (with supervision!) so this was easy. It's basically making a pillow (cut squares, front to front, sew 3 sides, turn right-side out) and filling with rice instead of stuffing. (Then sew closed).

She gave these as gifts to relatives. If you are 2, like her sister, these are great for playing catch inside. Everyone else appreciates that you can microwave them about 30 seconds and have a nice hot pack to put on ailments.

Gift Idea: Personalized Hat

2012-02-08T14:12:00.000-08:00

This idea came from an old issue of Family Fun magazine and my 6 year old made it for one of her BFFs. You take a store bought hat $1, use embroidery floss for one eye and attach felt and a button for another eye. The teeth are fleece glued onto the rim. Important note: Do not use iron set glue!!! (As you can see, it messes up the knit).