Thursday, January 31, 2013

The Lone Ranger Sneak Peek!!

 

Is anyone else excited to here that Johnny Depp is staring in The Lone Ranger this summer? Oh boy!!

Here is a sneak peek for you :)
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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Thrifting on a rainy Tuesday

Today it has been raining all day. The two little ones and I were feeling cooped up this morning so my Mom and I loaded up the kids and headed to our local Goodwill for some Thrifting. Sometimes the thrift store can be hit or miss, but today must have been our luck day because we scored some good stuff at a great price! Here are a few of our finds:


The San Fransisco 49er's are my husbands "TEAM" and we are going to be celebrating the Superbowl in a big way! We both love football and the Superbowl and what could be more fun than having your team in the big game? I have been scoping out the stores and thrift stores looking for fun ways to decorate on a dime. Today we hit up the Goodwill and found these great Football glasses, and for only 69 cents a piece they were a steal!! Just imagine them full of root beer with a fun straw!! Can't wait :)






Another great find today were these sweet little shoes for Miss Ashley from Old Navy and for only 99 cents you can't go wrong! Could you die over those red and white bows on the back?!






And lastly I am always scoping out the game section. You have to be picky in that department, making sure it is new or still has all of the pieces. It is far and few between that I actually purchase a game but there are sometimes some good ones for kids. Zingo was only $1.99 and has all of the pieces, I am pretty sure that both of the boys can play this one. It says ages 4-8 but Liam is pretty good at matching pictures so I am sure we will all be playing this as a family tonight.

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Sunday, January 27, 2013

MOD MOM FURNITURE LAUNCH SALE - SAVE 15%





We love fun kid's furniture and room decor. Your kids are only little once so let them enjoy fun quality items. I know my sister and I had a great room set that we had even until teenagers. We repainted them a few times for fun too! 



Right now there is a sale going on at Inmod. We have reviewed an Owl Clock in the past from their company and were very pleased with the quality. The sale is to SAVE 15% Ends Thursday 1/31 so don't miss out on the MOD MOM FURNITURE LAUNCH SALE!

As seen on ABC's SHARK TANK and The Nate Berkus Show, Mod Mom Furniture is eco-friendly, made in the USA, mom-designed, Amish-made, and built to last!




To learn more about Inmod you can  Like Inmod on Facebook,  Follow Inmod on Twitter  and Follow Inmod on Pinterest.
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Friday, January 25, 2013

Friday Coupons!!!


Breakfast

Snacks

Meals at home

In the Home

Personal Care

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Then and Now of laundry basket fun!

Then: 1989 - Laura, David Jr and me (Sam).


Now: 2013 - JJ, Liam and Ashley


This afternoon my Mom and I were going through a box of pictures from when my sister Laura and I were kids. There are so many great ones of Laura and I along with our other siblings, so many occasions, vacations, pool parties, and candid moments in life. I love them all but the top picture stood out to me today. When I saw it I was reminded of my how fun childhood can be and of a few pictures I had taken of my own children recently doing the same thing!

Right after Christmas time my kids discovered the greatness of playing in a laundry basket. I put the basket on the floor and the second I did they were all in it, pulling each other around, pushing it, and just hanging out in it. The excitement level was high, and they must have forgotten that two seconds before that they were all fighting!

I loved capturing them and the excitement they had over the basket. I loved it mostly because they were excited to be playing together. Sometimes it feels like all they do is fight. Like I am the referee and they are all on different teams. Them against me. Most of the time there is no winner and someone always ends up crying.

So when I get these moments I am going to take them and remember that my Mom did what I am doing now. She did it with five children (yikes) and she did it with grace and pleasure. I am sure she too felt like the referee, but she too took those good moments and captured them on film. I hope to do the same so that one day, years from now, my children will be looking though old pictures with their children and see the "laundry basket" fun has been in our family for years.
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Wordless Wednesday


The waiter says to me, have you ever ordered the Godiva Cheesecake before? I say No, he replies its super rich and chocolaty, well I say thats exactly why we want it, then he says your little guy is going to be bouncing off the walls. I smile and say thats what we want to order. Thanks waiter who more than likely was not old enough to have children for your advise, we are celebrating a birthday, my kid wants chocolate I dont care if he gets messy or bounces off the walls, hes 3 and wants a treat!
 LOL ok so its a not so Wordless Wednesday!
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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Jump Jump Around or Not

Oh the sweet smiles for the first two jumps

Have you ever seen in the mall those jumping rides with the harness and trampolines? Our mall has one and all Holiday Season my son said he wanted to go on it. I was a worry wart and never let him. I thought oh me might get scared, he might get hurt, all the things a mother might think. But it was my husband's birthday and we were at the mall buying video games. Our son asked pretty please with a cute big blue eyed held tilt and a smile. There was another child already jumping so we watched and I asked him are you sure you want to. He told me yes its fun he wants to. When it was his turn they wanted to weigh him first lol you must be 30 lbs apparently. He was smiling as the lady took him up on the trampoline and strapped him in. He jumped once then twice but then she turned on a machine that was lifting him a little higher to get a big jump and thats when he got scared. Oh the look on his face, he was sad, would not jump and just hung his head down then looked over to his Dad with a sad face.

I asked if he was scared he of course said yes and wanted down. The lady was nice and got him down and gave us our money back. When he got his shoes on he smiled at us and was no longer sad and ready to go. I asked him maybe we will try again another time and he said yes. I am so glad even though I knew my sweet boy might get scared that he tried. It did not work out but we will try again sometime. Maybe next time we can get in a few more bounces!



Scared and not wanting to bounce

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Monday, January 21, 2013

Recipe: Spinach Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes


I LOVE spinach and I have been trying to find ways to get my son to eat more of it. He looks at me odd when I try to get him to eat a salad with spinach in it so I decided I would add it to pasta that he loves.

I made a basic Pesto Recipe with a little Spinach added.


Ingredients

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups, packed, coarsely chopped basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup cooked Spinach
  • 1/4 tablespoon pine nuts
  • 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 to 1/3 cup olive oil

Boil Pasta in large pot. Saute in olive oil spinach and garlic. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil and season with salt as necessary.

Add sliced cherub or cherry tomatoes to dish after mixing the pesto mix into cooked pasta. You can add more Parmesan cheese to the top of the dish for more cheese flavor. Serve on a bed of fresh spinach.



Note: I used way too much pasta for my dish, I would have liked way more pesto spinach mix per bite :)


My son LOVED this dish! 


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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Frugal Mall Shopping: 3 items Under $20


Since starting my job over 4 months ago I have needed many new outfits. I LOVE having this excuse to shop! I often buy items here and there to build up outfits when I find stuff on sale. Working at a mall makes it super easy to know when deals are happening. I often find myself shopping on my lunch break to find super deals! Yesterday I went to JC Penney to see what sort of clearance deals they had. I found many great items.

After trying on a bunch of stuff I decided to keep my budget at $20. If I can shop $20 at a time getting great deals I can build my wardrobe without too much damage to my paycheck. :)

Part of my New Years resolution has been to add color and lots of it to my wardrobe. I find myself wearing black, brown, grey and tan. Nice colors but I want fun colors!


 I found a pair of turquoise corduroy pants normally $40 for $5. What color top would you wear with these pants?


A light colored cowl neck sweater top for $8 normally $35. I have the cutest boots and leggings to wear with this top!


A fun patterned shirt that is light weight that would look great with a pair of dress pants I have only $4.

I even put a super cute pink skirt for $6 and emerald green top for $4 on hold for my next work day. I LOVE buying clothing when its on sale!

Do you know of any great mall deals going on right now??
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Friday, January 18, 2013

Frugal Friday - Coupons!


Breakfast
Health & Wellness Meals at Home In The Home Personal Care Pet Products Tasty Treats Personal Care
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Thursday, January 17, 2013

My Shoe Obsession Frugal Style

I have always loved shoes! Its the one thing that can snazzy up an outfit easily. Now that I have been working in the shoe industry it has furthered my obsession in a wild way! I am always looking at people shoes to see what they have on. I have even made a shoe must have list for the ones I need for my collection. 

Good shoes though can be expensive. As a frugal person I love to find a great deal on name brand shoes. I dont want Target or Walmart shoes, part of the fun is having the fancy ones! And when I get an awesome price, well it makes it even more fun to wear them. 

Over the last two months I have purchased several great pairs that I adore. The best has been the last two pairs I bought. Both super comfy and under $40 for the both of them!!



Sperry Top Sider in Hot Pink! LOVE these

Nauralizer Boots So comfy its crazy! 



Now I have hot pink shoes off my shoe must have list I am now looking for a few more, Leopard Print flats, red heels and cute rain boots.

Have you found any websites to buy name brand shoes for a low price? I am always on the look out for places to buy shoes. What trends do you think there will be for 2013? I was thinking I might need emerald green ballet flats!  
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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Wordless Wednesday



While out shopping the other day I was that Mom.

You know the one with the unruly kids who climb on all of the furniture and who have to touch everything!

Ugh.
 
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Monday, January 14, 2013

Martha Stewart Double-Chocolate Brownies




I LOVE BROWNIES! So over the weekend I made Martha Stewart Double-Chocolate Brownies and they were amazing!! Here is the recipe, try it out, you won't be disappointed.

 

 

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
  • 6 ounces coarsely chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.
  2. Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until butter and chocolate are melted. Let cool slightly.
  3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.
  4. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.
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Friday, January 11, 2013

Frugal Shopping Bath Body Works, 6pm and Disney

This time of the year there are a ton of great deals to take advantage of. With the holidays behind us there is no reason per say to shop other than a great sale. I have looked online to find a few to share with everyone.


Bath and Body Works Semi Annual Sale! Some lotions are shower gels are only $2.25 to $4. Perfect for Valentines day coming up. Here is a link to a coupon for $10 off of $40 to use in store only. Good until 1/13/2012 so hurry!

$4 for Butterfly Flower Lotion
$2.25 Cool Citrus Basil Lotion


Western Chief Boots on sale right now at 6pm.com Love these!

$29.99


Pink Crocs at 6pm.com only $19.99






Extra 25% off at Disney Store for the Twice Upon a Year Sale with code BONUS25

King Triton doll only $6.99
Toy Story Tumbler only $3.99


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Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Holiday Review



Did you get a chance to check out the Holiday Event at Six Flags? We had a few of our friends check out the one in Vallejo CA at Discovery Kingdom. 


The park was filled with holiday decorations. Trees, presents, photo opp places and holiday cheer everywhere! There was hot cocoa to enjoy along with the regular treats like funnel cakes. 







One of the great parts is the lines for all the rides were super fast! The summer time the lines can be really long so it was great to be able to ride many rides in one day. Some rides were shut down along with a few animal attractions but there was many Holiday themed animal shows like the Dolphin show.








They also had a snow-globe you could have your picture taken with you inside the thing and the toboggan sledding run, the lines were a little long but it was worth the wait for the fun. We enjoyed treats while we stood in line.


The animals are always a big draw to Discovery Kingdom and even the smallest of animals like this baby spider monkey were fun to watch. The baby monkey was interacting with the Santa hat our friends little girl was wearing for over 5 minutes through the reflections in the glass. Its those little moments at the park with the animals that make it a joy to return to Discovery Kingdom.






 After wandering the park for hours taking in all the magic of the Holiday Season they rode a few more rides, had dinner and waited for the tree to be lit for the night. Over all they had a great time. Our friends definitely recommend the Holiday Park event at Six Flags. If you did not have a chance to check it out this year there is always next year where I am sure it will be filled with snow and magic!









Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is closed for now and will reopen in March 16th 2013. They have many great new attractions coming to the park including:






Cirque Dreams SPLASHTASTIC: The Most Amazing Show Above H20


Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is pleased to present the premiere of Cirque DreamsSplashtastic, featuring a dazzling dramatic mix of mesmerizing dolphin performances along with spectacular Cirque Dreams feats that will create and entertainment experience beyond your wildest imagination.
This dynamic visual spectacle combines the Cirque Dreams acrobats’ amazing feats of strength with the graceful leaps and bows of the popular marine mammals at the park. The teaming of the internationally renowned company of acrobats, aerialists and astounding Cirque Dreams acts alongside the dolphins will amaze in the air, over water and throughout the Dolphin Harbor Theater.



  * I was not paid for this post. We were guest of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom for the Holiday Events.
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Coupons, Coupons and more Coupons!


Tasty Bites
Health & Wellness
Personal Care
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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza Night with the Mini Murph and $30 Giveaway

I don't know about you but after all of the holidays and cooking I have been doing, a pizza and a movie night sounds like a good idea. Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake is our "go to" place when it comes to good pizza. I love that you walk in, pick your pizzas and they are made right in front of you, wrapped up, instructions attached and you are on your way. So easy and so convenient.

The only struggle with having a pizza night at our house is that the kids want it plain, pepperoni or just plain cheese. That seems to be how it is with most kids. Not us adults, we want the works! The more toppings the better if you ask me.

So when I heard about the Mini Murph Make 'N' Bake Pizza I was thrilled! The Mini Murph is a pizza making kit for kids that includes Mini Dough, Pizza Sauce, Whole-Milk Mozzarella and your choice of peperoni or cheese toppings. Each comes in it's own little pizza box (so fun) and the boys thought this was great. They loved building their own "special" pizza that they could enjoy and no having to share with your brother here! This is a great idea for a birthday party, sleepover or like our family fun night. And with the Superbowl just around the corner this would be a hit for sure!



Here is the Mini Murph, so cute!

The boys all ready to make their own pizza's.

So busy...


Just a little taste test...
Cheese me!!
Our 2 year old really got into it :)

Pizza for the adults was also consumed...Yum Pepperoni and our favorite, The Cowboy Pizza.

 
Our boys reaping the benefits of their hard work!





While the boys were busy making their Mini Murph's I put our pizza's in the oven to cook. Did you see The Cowboy, looks good right? Well it is!! Just take a look at the menu, I know you will find your favorites. 


Enter to win a $30 Gift Card to Papa Murphy's Pizza in the Rafflecopter form below. 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway



*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Jan 10,2013 and ends on Jan 25, 2013 at 12:01 am EST. Winner will be emailed and has 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize. I was sent a product to review for this post.
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