Guaranteed Low Prices at GlassesUSA Website Review

 I have a funny story about eyeglasses to share. When I was first dating my husband I had no clue he needed glasses since he wore contacts every time I saw him. It wasn't until we were on a date at the State Fair did I realize he wore contacts. He got some dust in his eyes from the animal exhibit and went over to a water fountain to put a bit of water on his face. I noticed he was careful not to get it in his eyes and asked him if he wore contacts. I was so curious from that point what he would look like with glasses!

When I did finally get to see him in eyeglasses I thought he looked so handsome and smart! He explained to me how he would wear them in the evening and early in the morning but would put on contacts when he would hang out with me. Now 10 years later I still think he looks handsome with glasses on!

Anyone who wears glasses and has kids usually has at least one pair broken at one point!

Over the years we have purchased eyeglasses for him from many places. Sometimes with good results sometimes they turned out to be horrible. One thing we had not thought about was ordering glasses online. For the last two years I have been online shopping and blogging I have found there are many great and reliable places to shop on the net for everything.

I liked these ones! The red on black looks great.

Being the Frugal woman I am I did not want to spend more for the convenience of not having to go to the store to get glasses online. GlassesUSA.com is a website that offers many great selections with reasonable prices. They also have a money back guarantee. With a purchase that is so personal as glasses a guarantee such as that one is a must! They have a facebook page where you can get discounts and sales updates from. Another cool thing on the site is the "virtual mirror" where you can upload a picture of yourself or use a webcam to see what the glasses would look like on you. You can even send pictures to your friends of you trying them on to get another persons option.

I would love my hubby to get these CK oranges ones! I love orange!

If you plan to order glasses anytime soon you should visit GlassesUSA.com to see their selction of Retro frames, Designer frames, Fashion frames (this section had a frames I loved) and even Rimless frames. The "deals of the week" section features a selection of glasses that every frugal mama would love!

You can save 10% with the coupon code: Mommy10
They also have a few summer discounts I can share with you
-Take 20%off any order over $100 and get free shipping with the code FS20 (expires 6/25; free shipping -valid on USA orders only)
Take $25 off any Transitions lenses with the code Trans25

*This is a sponsored post. A sponsored post does not effect my opinion. I gave an honest story and opinion.

Sesame Street and YouTube saved the evening!

I have loved Sesame Street since I was a kid. I had a giant Elmo doll even as a teenager! Snuffy, Big Bird,
 Cookie Monster I love them all. My son loves them too. I love that he enjoys watching the characters I watched as a kid. He has had a DVD about eating your fruits and vegetables starring Elmo that if I put it on he smiles and gets ready to dance. My husband cracks up at how we dance and I sing the words to the songs to my son. He now mumbles while I sing, I know he is trying to figure out how to talk and its so cute to hear him do so. He sways with the music and jumps when the Count tells him to.

The other day my son was in an unusual mood. We have been slowly trying to ween him his binkie and its been rough. He relies on it when hes grumpy or sleepy and the other night he was both but could not get to sleep. I had my computer out so I googled elmo and youtube hoping to find something he had not seen before. I was so happy to find Sesame Street had their own YouTube account where they upload stuff to watch.

At first I was clicking on the classic vids like Elmos song and Rubber Ducky by Burt and Ernie. Then I looked in the suggestions box to the side and found singers and actors that have done a Sesame Street song. I found a few I had not seen before. (Sadly we don't get Sesame Street on our tv since the switch to high def tv). I was so happy to be able to share Sesame Street with my son using our computer. Plus its free to watch!

My son sat on my lap quietly watching the videos I was sharing with him until he heard this one. He got down and danced for a few times of watching it then climbed back onto my lap and fell asleep. It was very sweet and he fell asleep without his binkie! Thank you Sesame Street!

I found a song that is now my FAVORITE song! I wanted to share it with everyone!

Will.i.am sings "What I Am"

My Top Ten Time Saving Tips for Moms

After being married almost 8 years before my son was born being a parent was new to me. I never had to think of time constraints or time management like I do now. Adjusting to the fact that a helpless little person needed my every moment was rough at first. Of course I savored every second of it but it was definitely something I had to get use to. I had to find ways to get stuff done for him, for me, for my husband and for our home. 

I still consider myself a new mom even though my son is 18 months old.  I find myself constantly running out of time to get done my "to do" list for each day. Thankfully I have learned a lot in the last 18 months on how to do tasks and chores in a way that saves me time.

My top ten time saving ideas are:

1. Use a baby carrier!
I found it so much easier to be able to do things like fold laundry while sitting on the couch, talk on the phone, read emails and so much more if I had my little guy in his carrier. He always wanted to be held and I was worried about him wiggling around so I always held him with two hands making it impossible to do anything else.


2. Cook meals in advance while your kids are napping.
I found if I made the meat or entree part of a meal in advance even if it was only for a few days it made it so much more simple to just steam veggies or boil rice to go with the meat I already had cooked. I alwasy do this while he is napping since he needs my full attention when hes awake and I need to pay attention while I cook or it turns out burnt or under seasoned.


3. Use the internet to help shop and pay bills.
Going to the store with kids can be a time drainer. Although its cute they want to help and want to be a little shopper on days when you need to just get it done it can be frustrating. If you know there are certain items your family needs monthly you go use places like Safeway.com or Alice.com to get stuff sent to you without having to do anything! Our internet and phone have online bill pay so you do not have to even fill out a bill and mail it just a few clicks! 


4. Make a Cleaning schedule.
I find myself getting lost in household chores and then I run out of time to do other things I need to do. I have days of the week I do things like the floors, the bathrooms, laundry and cooking. It makes it easier to not feel guilty about certain tasks I might not get done. If it is not my "day" to do it then I won't use my time on it and will get other things done. 


5. Use digital coupons and rewards cards.
I cannot tell you how many hours I spend clipping coupons only to have them expire, left at home or not even need. I use to cut all of them out just in case or to give to someone. It can be a time drainer to clip and organize them all. I am a couponer and love to save money, with our budget its a must but as they say time is money! So I use digital coupons loaded onto my rewards card. I load every deal and every coupon onto the card just to be sure I have it if I need it. I load coupons from the stores website as well as 3rd party coupon sites.


6. Make lists, even lists for your lists!
I know this may seem simple but for me I would be lost without my lists. I write things down for my son, the house and for blogging! I find this helps me to not waste time trying to remember this or that or having to go back to the house for something I forget. Which saves time and gas money! 


7. Know you limits and be ok with it!
Time is a finite. Theres no getting more or making more time. Knowing that you only have so much time in the day to do stuff is something to remind yourself of. Being ok with not accomplishing everything yo wanted to can be stressful but don't let this overwhelm you. Sometimes we can all be time wasters worrying or over thinking things. My mother in law gets stressed about house chores by being overwhelmed by the whole picture. I always tell her one room at a time and you will get there. 


8. Have two diaper bags.
For me I have a regular diaper bag and a mini back up one in the car. The back up one has non perishable snacks, diapers, wipes, a binkie, a stuffed animal, extra outfits, a coat, band-aids, hand sanitizer, an extra tshirt for me and emergency phone numbers in it (in case you lose your cell phone, no one remembers phone  numbers anymore!) I update it as we use stuff and my son changes clothing and diaper sizes. I have friends that have to run to the store or go back to the house when we are on playdates to get the item they forgot to put in the diaper bag. Me I just go to my back up bag and continue with the task at hand!



9. Buy extras if its on Sale.
Running out of diapers or baby food or the all important tp can be a time waster! When my son was first born I was naive to think I could just run to the store to get something. I learned real quick to get more than one of something if I see it on sale. This doesn't just save time but also money! 


10. Have a space for yourself.
This is along the lines of organizing. It will help you to have stuff you need like bills, letters, books, your cell phone all in one spot. Also it gives you a place that you can unwind and have just your stuff there. Metal clarity is a big time saver. Even if its just your own shelf in the closet or if you can a small desk in your bedroom this organizing spot to do your personal tasks will make them easier to get done and give you time later to be with your kids rather than trying to do both at once.




**I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here. 

Buddy Fruits Review and Giveaway

I am a big fan of food in a pouch for kids. My son loves to be able to hold what he is eating and since hes a wild boy its easier to have his fruit be blended. Buddy Fruits are super easy to take on the go. He drinks them down and loves them. He loves fruit thankfully and these are perfect for him. I place a few of them in our on the go cooler for him on these really hot summer days. We recently tried the fruit snacks. He liked them but I had to of course break them up into tiny pieces for him. I ate the majority of the fruit snacks since they were really good!

He wanted to hold every pouch of the Buddy Fruits. He knows what they are when he sees the packaging. We received a new flavor that my son had not tried before and he loved it. The Mango Passion and Banana is his new favorite. We try not to use the word no in our house. The last thing I want is to hear LW yelling no at me! I try to use alternatives but when it comes to his food ingredients I am ok with no. Buddy Fruits has a list of Nos that I like:

• No preservatives
• No colorings
• No additives
• No fat
• No genetic modification
• No water added
• No dairy or gluten
• No-thing artificial

Soon they will be introducing fruit and milk pouch smoothies. I am sure my little guy will love them!

 

 

GIVEAWAY: 

Win a box of Buddy Fruit Pouches and Fruit Snacks like I reviewed.

To Enter This Giveaway: 

 What is yours or your kids favorite fruit?

 *Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address*

 

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on. 

-Follow Buddy Fruits on Twitter +2  
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-Follow Frugal Family Tree on GFC (top right hand corner) +2

-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree + 3

-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +2 
-Share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +2 for each share you do. (can be done once a day)

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-Enter other current giveaways on our blog +1 for each entered

 

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts June 22, 2011 and ends on July 3, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. I was provided for free the product mentioned for this review. The opinions are 100% mine and may vary from others.

Big Train Blended Ice Coffee Drink Review

Big Train Coffee (my son would not leave the shiny packaging alone lol)

I cannot live without coffee. Seriously I am a beast if I do not have a few cups everyday. But here in California it can be so hot even early in the morning making a hot cup of coffee is out of the question. Starbucks is way to expensive and the one near me I swear they water the drinks! I complain but no one seems to care. Their blended coffee drinks taste like ice more than coffee!

Adding the powder to my ice and cold coffee.

I recently had the opportunity to try a few of the Big Train Blended Ice Coffee drinks and oh my they are good! I love iced and blended coffee for the summer mornings and for after dinner. They cool you off and taste delicious! Their mixes were great! You can make them cold with ice or hot for the winter. They can be mixed with milk or coffee too. I love having options! I tried the Caramel Latte, Java Chip ( my favorite one!) Coffee and Kona Mocha. I really enjoyed the great  flavor and the chocolate pieces in the Java Chip were really good. I love that Big Train is a California company and trains are a huge hit in our house so it was a perfect fit.

My Java Chip Blended Ice Coffee Drink. Now all I need is a Big Train mug!

Making your own coffee drinks at home is definitely one of the great ways you can be frugal and still indulge! Have you tried or wanting to try the new McDonalds Strawberry Lemonade drink? Well I have a great recipe from Big Train to make your own Strawberry Lemonade drinks at home. Here is the recipe from their blog. You can be serving these all summer for you and your kids!


I like smaller coffee shops where you can try new stuff and feel like your barista is your friend! Ask your local coffee shop to start carrying Big Train Coffee and Big Train Chai products!

You can follow Big Train on twitter and be a fan on facebook.You can buy Big Train Coffee online and mix it at home like I did. Its so great to be able to add as much or as little of ice, milk, and coffee to your drink without having to ask someone to do it for you!













*I was not paid or compensated for this post. The opinions in this post are 100% mine and may vary from other opinions. I was provided for free the products mentioned in this post for my review.

I am a Sweeper!

I love to enter sweepstakes! It takes just a bit of time and I have won some cool stuff. No cars or cash prizes but I am sure eventually odds are I will! I just won a pair of crocs shoes and a carseat booster from the Huggies Rewards program. If you buy their diapers or wipes its worth saving the codes and entering them!

Do you as a reader enjoy me sharing cool sweeps I find? I like to share them for fun.

Here is one I found today:

Tree Top America to the Core Trivia Contest

We drink a lot of apple juice around our house so this was a fun one to enter! 

Do you know of any good sweeps going in right now?

Happy Father's Day! Lion King 3-D Coming to Theaters September 16th

 

To celebrate Dads like Mufasa in the Lion King Disney is announcing today that The Lion King 3D Version will be in theaters September 16th, and on Blu-ray & Blu-ray 3D October 4th.

I am very exited about this! I loved the Lion King movie and still know the words to the song "Circle of Life" and the other great song "Hakuna Matata". I have watched the old version with my son on DVD and he loves all the music. The 3-D version is going to be really cool.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the loving Dads like Mufasa out there! 

Mommy and Me Day!

Mommy and Me Day at Raley Field

I have always wanted to be a Mom. I knew one day I would be ready and we could have great adventures. This year when I saw on the morning news about a Mommy and Me day at the baseball park Raley Field where the River Cats play I knew we had to go. I had never been to Raley Field so I knew it would be fun to see. I love baseball and my little guy has an awesome throwing arm!

It was very exciting to be there! So many kids and their Mommies on the baseball field. There were jump houses, giant balls to roll, baseball playing and parachute fun. We did a little of everything, well at least attempted it! We got in line for the jump house since most of the kids seemed to be the same heights as my son but when I started to ask ages most kids were 2 or 3 I let him try to see if he wanted to go in but he seemed apprehensive so I let him climb down and we went over to the giant ball to play.

We were provided snacks by Raley's and Sunnyside so we had a little picnic on the baseball field. It was so nice that we were able to sit and play on a real baseball diamond! The grass was heavenly! I want grass like that in my yard. My son smiled the whole time running around, throwing his tennis ball ( I forgot to bring his baseball and glove!) I was thankful I had some sort of ball for him to throw in the diaper bag.

My son next to Dinger the mascot

He got really excited when the River Cats mascot Dinger made an appearance.  All the kids were surrounding him getting hugs, high fives and autographs. My son stood there surronded by other kids staring and in awe of this big giant Cat! He LOVES cats and I think this was to him "the cats meow!" He waited his turn patiently to get close enough to Dinger to give him a hug. He grabbed his leg and hugged it! It was the sweetest thing ever! He would have stared at and waved to the mascot all day if I let him. I told him it was other kids turn and pointed him in the direction of the baseball diamond. Hes a bit to small to get the concept of running the bases but for me it was exciting! I have played softball off and on from 5 years old until about 12. I loved it and my sister Sam and I were on the same team a few times. I have great memories with baseball and I look forward to making more fun baseball memories with my son!

Plus Mommy and Me day was free to get in, free parking and we got free goodies to eat and a Raleys Moms Panel tshirt. I am a panel member so I thought that was really cool! We are hoping to be able to watch a game this season since the ball park seems very kid friendly and has a play area for kids during the game.

Raley Field

Do you have any great Mommy and Me days in your area?

Certain Dri Deodorant Review and Giveaway 100 Days of Summer Sweeps

I have to admit sometimes my "natural" deodorants don't work as well as I need them to in the 100 degree plus summers of California. I was going to attend a job fair this week and it was 90 plus and I was dreading the heat. I also worried my deodorant would not work and leave those embarrassing  armpit spots! I know TMI lol. Thankfully I remembered I had Certain Dri in my bathroom and I put it on instead of my natural deodorant. No one wants to make a bad first impression for a job! I was impressed that it worked awesome! I must say its not one I normally think of as brands but I will now keep my eye out for it for coupons and sales!

If you have not tried Certain Dri you should enter the giveaway here f course and also the "100-Days of Summer" Giveaway on Facebook hosted by Certain Dri. It is a Celebrate the season of fun in the sun every day this summer!  For the 100 days from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Certain Dri is giving away one Certain Dri Anti-Perspirant every day. One random entrant will be chosen to receive a Certain Dri Anti-Perspirant (roll-on or solid) each day from May 27, 2011 to September 3, 2011. Every Friday at noon E.T., all seven winners from that week will be announced on the Certain Dri Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/certaindri

GIVEAWAY: 

Win a Deodorant from Certain Dri

 

To Enter this Giveaway:

 

What is your best tip to stay cool in the Summer?

 *Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address*

 

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on. 

-Follow Certain Dri on Twitter +2  
-Like Certain Dri on Facebook +2

-Follow Frugal Family Tree on GFC (top right hand corner) +2

-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree + 3

-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +2-

 

-Share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +2 for each share you do. (can be done once a day)

-Add our button to your blog and leave a link of where it is located +5 (right hand side) 

-Subscribe to our Emails +2 (right hand side)

-Enter other current giveaways on our blog +1 for each entered

 

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts June 17, 2011 and ends on June 30, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. I was provided for free the product mentioned for this review. The opinions are 100% mine and may vary from others.

 

Celebrating June National Dairy Month with a Picnic #SafewayDairy

Our local Safeway Store!

In my house we LOVE to shop at Safeway! I love the deals combined with BOGO and coupons. Its a frugal shoppers haven. I can remember shopping at Safeway for at least the past 16 years! My mom shopped their first when I was a teenager and its still my fav place to go. I always get my son a free cookie too, another tradition my mom started. And when you get a free cookie you always need to be sure to get some milk! 

I always have dairy products in our fridge. I never let a day go by without my son and I having a glass or two of milk. Yogurt is often our dessert and cheese always a snack. To celebrate National Dairy Month we had what I call a light and easy dairy picnic. We are not big meat eaters in our house but we do love to eat dairy products. So I thought we could enjoy our favorites at the park then have fun on the swings and slides. 

Planning for our #SafewayDairy picnic

First I planned out our meal with the sales ad and the coupons I had. I always first look at the ad from the mail or go online. Online I can also ad my Safeway coupons and personalized deals to save even more money. After we made our plan we gathered our coupons, sippy cup and my sons best friend his stuffed giraffe. Thankfully I managed to trade the cookie for the giraffe with my son. I am always afraid he will leave Gaffe as he is called somewhere and forget him!

Enjoying his free cookie while we shopped!

When we got to Safeway the first thing I did was get my son a cookie. A cookie makes sure he will sit in the cart for 15-20 minutes while I shop before he wants out. He always waves at the cookie lady and occasionally will say "To Too", it means thank you in Bubba talk! After the cookie round up I went to the dairy section to pick up the coupon booklet to see if I could find something I did not have. Sure enough there was a Daisy Sour Cream coupon that made me switch brands from my original plan. 

I love the selection of brands available at our Safeway

National Dairy Month has allowed for some awesome sales on Safeway Dairy products. The cheese we purchased Sargento was on sale and I had a coupon! I bought the 4 cheese mix for the quesadilla I had planned. We purchased Daisy Sour Cream and Oikos Greek Yogurt for my spinach dip. I love fruit and so does my son so we bought a premade cheese plate and some fruit for a cheese fruit plate. For dessert I got yogurt. I love to eat it and now my son loves it and that makes me happy! I know many kids do not like dairy products or are even allergic. I am thankful my little man can enjoy them for flavor and the nutrition. He does not like meat very much its hard to get him to even try. I want him to get protein so I love that he can get it in the dairy products he eats.

He LOVES Simply Lemonade! He kissed it when I put it in the cart!

We also purchased some other items to go along with our picnic supplies. Simply Lemonade is a favorite in our house and my son LOVES it! I bought some to drink on our picnic. He was so happy he kissed the bottle when I put it in the cart! On the day of our picnic he wanted the Simply Lemonade right then and there and grabbed it from the fridge, I saw what he was doing and grabbed it too, it hit the floor cracked open and I was only able to save half of it in another container. They need to make shatterproof bottles! We picked up some Safeway salsa, Safeway bakery bread, canned and fresh fruit, garlic, mission tortillas that I had an awesome coupon for and another brand of lemonade that was on sale and I had to buy.

Our basket full of Dairy Products!

For dessert I purchased my favorite and my sons favorite yogurt brands. I love the Activia Blueberry Cheesecake flavor. I had a coupon and it was on sale, I was jazzed about that! My son loves and I mean LOVES Yo Baby yogurt. He sticks his face and hands in it to get the last drop. The banana flavor is his favorite and of course we had a coupon for that too! With our cart full of yummy dairy food for our picnic we checked out and headed home. 

June National Dairy Month Picnic supplies

For our light and easy picnic I made Spinach Dip with bread slices, Fruit and Cheese plate, 4 Cheese Quesadilla with Salsa, Yogurt for dessert and Lemonade to drink. We don't own a microwave and have not for over 10 years, only use stainless steel pans and do not like to eat from charcoal but still managed to have a delicious fresh picnic at the park. 

Ingredients for my Spinach Dip

YUM!

For the Spinach Dip I mixed sour cream, greek yogurt, and crushed garlic with Safeway brand frozen spinach. First I thawed and drained the spinach, drained thoroughly is important. Then I mixed the greek yogurt and sour cream. I put twice as much greek yogurt than sour cream and a ton of garlic. The other stuff was simple but nutritious and delicious. With a 18 month old I try to keep things simple for him to eat and me to prepare. I made him his own small part of spinach dip without the garlic so he would like it.

We had a great time at our #SafewayDairy picnic. We ate all of our favorite dairy foods and it was simple and easy to do. A picnic can be a huge event or a small simple one as long as you have your family there its a great time! I loved seeing my son sitting at the park bench like the big boy he thinks he is. He climbed down to have his second yogurt so mommy wouldn't take a bite of it. He ended up a mess but he was happy and that makes me happy! I really enjoyed eating our Safeway Dairy products while we watched dogs run in the grass, kids playing on the playground and my son eating every bite of food I gave him. He can be a picky eater but loves Dairy food! 

After we finished our yogurt I cleaned up our picnic table and we went on the slides and swings. I had a wonderful day and know we will be back at Safeway for our cookies and dairy favorites next week!

Enjoying his Yo-Baby Yogurt

There is a fun instant win game and sweepstakes in celebration of #SafewayDairy and National Dairy month you can play and enter here. The site is called Pack Your Picnic with Dairy and has recipes and info on it as well. I saw an advertisement for it in my local Safeway. We have played once a day all month and fingers crossed we win!

Pack Your Picnic with Dairy Sweeps and Instant Win Game Ad

I loved celebrating June National Dairy Month with a picnic!

What are your favorite Dairy Foods? 

Do you have a favorite food you like to take on a picnic? 

Am I the only one who always thinks of Yogi Bear while on a picnic?!? lol Called my son Boo Boo a few times just for fun!

**This project has been compensated as part of the June Dairy program for Safeway. I already love shopping at Safeway and my son and I love dairy so this was a great project to be apart of! My opinions are my own and my compensation did not effect my review.