Linksys E4200 Wireless Router Review and Giveaway

For years now we have had wired internet. Cords all over the house and constantly having to find new ways to hide the cords from my son. I have know about wireless internet but did not make the switch. Now that my son is getting closer to being two years old he is all over the house and likes to mess with everything. Now that we have made the switch and have the Linksys E4200 Wireless Router installed I wish I had done it sooner.

Before we had a cluttered mangled mess of cords that were in our office leading to bedrooms and the living room. I would put them away when not in use and now I don't have to do a thing. Its wonderful.

The Linksys E4200 wireless router is perfect for anyone interested in building the ultimate connected home. The E4200 is the first building block that can handle gaming consoles, HDTV streaming video, Roku boxes, eReaders, smartphones, and anything other wireless device that needs screaming connectivity. Also, with back to school fast approaching, now is a great time for parents to make sure their homes are well-equipped for their kids to succeed academically and maximize learning from home to school.  A simple and cost-effective way to make the home an ideal learning environment is to transform the home into a learning hotspot with home wireless.

Today’s middle and high school students have grown up with mobile technology and feel most comfortable in a wireless environment for anytime/anywhere studying, interactive web research, easy collaboration and communication and parent accessibility.  The wireless home learning environment also more closely aligns with how they use technology at school. The Linksys E4200 router from Cisco lets parents easily set, use and manage their own home wireless. The E4200 is also perfect for college students setting up wireless in their first home away from home.

You can buy it at Target and Best Buy. Even if you don't need one for back to school its a great holiday gift for anyone with wireless internet in their home for great security and high speed performance. I know my husband was excited about playing the XBOX 360 with the wireless router and me being able to take my laptop anywhere in the house.

GIVEAWAY

 

Win a Linksys E4200 Wireless Router for your home or office

To Enter This Giveaway: 

What is your must have home office product?

 *Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

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. 

-Like Cisco Linksys on Facebook +1

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

-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1

-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day) This means you have the chance to get 2 extra entries a day.

-Add our button to your blog and leave a link of where it is located +2 (right hand side) 

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts September 18, 2011 and ends on September 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 provide the item in this review for free by the company or PR firm representing them. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others

Wedding Anniversaries

This weekend there will be two wedding anniversaries being celebrated in our frugal family. I was married a year and a day after my sister and even our sons were born around the same time 3 years apart. We think alike lol!

Sam and her husband have been married for 11 years. They were high school sweethearts and so darn cute together! They have the cutest pics of them at school dances together. My sister adores her husband and he adores her. They really are perfect for each other. Now 11 years later they are happier than ever with their two boys and little girl on the way. I couldn't be more happy for my big sis!

My husband and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. We are so happy to have our sweet little son to celebrate with. We are having a frugal anniversary celebration by going out to eat with a gift card I won on facebook to a local restaurant. I was so jazzed I won it! Then we will go to the park to watch our son play on the playground. Its simple and sweet! I am not the romantic type and we have done the flowers, the candy, the jewelry and all that stuff. This year I want to celebrate that we are a family.

My sister and I really are lucky girls to have married men we consider our best friend.


This is not our wedding cake but when I saw this cake I had to post it. This is awesome!

Barney: Big World Adventure Movie DVD and Timmy Time Hide and Seek DVD Review and Giveaway

We adore Barney and this movie was great. My son sat in awe when he heard other languages being spoken. I love the idea of Barney traveling and seeing other cultures. If your a Barney fan this is a great movie to own on DVD to share with your little ones.


PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

It's a super-dee-duper journey of dinosaur-ous proportions when Barney™ and his playground friends take a balloon ride around the world in the all-new Barney: Big World Adventure - The Movie coming to DVD, Digital Download and On Demand September 13, 2011 from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment. This colossal adventure features preschoolers' favorite loveable, huggable T-rex, Barney, on a trip to Spain, Kenya and China where he meets new friends and learns about various cultures.
Trusted by moms and adored by children, Barney displays sharing, caring, imagining, dancing and learning on television, online and through live events, home entertainment, toys and publishing. The Emmy® award-winning series, Barney & Friends™ is one of the top-rated preschool shows today, airing on PBS KIDS® and Sprout®.

SYNOPSIS

Climb aboard a big balloon with Barney, Ben and Emma as they embark on a super-dee-duper world adventure! The friends visit everywhere they can imagine in this all-new movie! Together they encounter princesses and kings, musicians and magicians, puppeteers and artists across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. As the trio experiences new cultures and languages from around the world, Barney demonstrates the importance of the most universal language of all: friendship.

I thought this movie was perfect to watch at this point in my sons development. He has been playing hide and seek with me this last month. He will go hide in places I have cleared out for him to be baby safe for him. I don't like him to feel that everything is not for him so we had two drawers and one hall cupboard just for him. he makes me laugh so much when he hides in the hall cupboard I can see his feet sticking out and when I ask "wheres my baby?" he giggles and squeals. He even hides being his bed and toy box. We never taught him Hide and Seek he just figured out that its funny to make it so mama has to come looking for him. Its super cute and he really likes watching Timmy Time.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Ready or not, here he comes! Preschool favorite Timmy and pals Yabba, Paxton, Bumpy, Mittens, Stripey and the rest are back for five all-new, antic-filled, good-hearted episodes in Timmy Time™: Hide and Seek, available on DVD September, 20 2011 from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment.
With slapstick humor and not a single line of dialogue, "Timmy Time" follows a day in the life of preschoolers, where they learn lessons about friendship and trial and error to which every young child can relate. "Timmy Time" airs on Disney Channel's Disney Junior programming block for kids ages 2-7 and their families, airing in more than 99 million U.S. homes. The show is created by Aardman studios, the Academy Award®-winning creators of Wallace and Gromit.

DVD SYNOPSIS:
Come out, come out wherever you are to join Timmy and his preschool playmates for hide and seek and so much more! From finding the perfect hiding place for noisy Paxton to making paper boats with a sneezy Stripey, Timmy and his friends uncover adventure and surprises filled with fun and laughter in these five adorable stories that the whole family will enjoy.

• "Timmy Tries to Hide" - The class is playing Hide and Seek, but no one wants to hide with the noisy Paxton, who keeps giving them away. Timmy finally helps Paxton by hiding with him behind some hay-bales. But they're so well hidden that when it comes to Snack Time, no one can find them!
• "Timmy Gets the Job Done" - It's time for spring cleaning in the Preschool, but all Timmy wants is to go outside and play. Rushing his chores, he ends up making more of a mess, getting himself into trouble and being sent to sit on the Naughty Stump. Timmy finally learns to finish his jobs properly so he can join the others in their play.
• "Timmy Goes Bang" - After hearing thunder during a storm, Timmy becomes fixated with loud noises, banging anything he can find! But poor Apricot is frightened by all these sounds, until she finds something to bang for herself...
• "Timmy Wants the Beret" - Ruffy is wearing a beret... and Timmy wants it! After successfully getting hold of it, Timmy also takes Otus' hand-puppet and Mittens' wagon! But he doesn't know what to do when his beloved teddy-bear goes missing...
• "Timmy Afloat" - The class is making boats, but Timmy has been paired with a very sneezy Stripey, who keeps ruining his efforts. When Stripey accidentally breaks Otus' boat, Timmy is forced to give the little owl his boat. Finally, Stripey's sneezing comes in handy and pushes the pair's new paper-hat boat to the finish line!

GIVEAWAY

 

Win a copy of Barney: Big World Adventure Movie DVD and Timmy Time Hide and Seek DVD

To Enter This Giveaway: 

Which do you like to teach your kids about more Dinosaurs or Farm Animals? 

 *Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

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. 

-Like  Timmy Time  on Facebook +1 
-Like  Barney on Facebook +1 

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

-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1

-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day) This means you have the chance to get 2 extra entries a day.

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

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts September 16, 2011 and ends on September 26, 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 provide the item in this review for free by the company or PR firm representing them. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others.

Frugal Fun!

I remember many fun days as a kid with pillows, blankets, chairs and couch cushions to build forts. Its so simple and FREE to have fun in this way. My son has a blast when I set him up a mini fort to read his books in and just hang out. He is too little to use chairs to make a fort so I just use a blanket and a couch cushion.

He often will curl up and take a nap in his fort after giggling and rolling around in there. After I took this picture I realized I could use another cushion as the roof to make it more fun and used a smaller blanket to make a flap door. I climbed in there with him and he could not stop laughing.

It was simple, frugal and fun! All it requires is some mama engineering and a bit of my time!

Bogs Facebook Promo

Most people in my life know I want to be a farmer! Its a dream of mine to have a farm full of growing veggies, fruits and animals. I had a mini glimpse of it as a kid when my family lived on 10 acres in Southern California. We had a chicken coop that we ate fresh eggs from, corn that grew in the front part of the property ( Sam and I put a dried corn on the cob in the microwave! It worked too but I don't recommend it) and our Dad planted rows of carrots, radishes and green onions. I loved living there and it sparked my love for farms.

Since I don't have a farm yet I do some gardening and buy items that make me feel more like a farm girl! Bogs has awesome shoes not just for farming or gardening but for work shoes, rain boots, outdoor activities and even on some of the boats on the show Deadliest Catch. So cool!

I Love these!

Right now Bogs is running an exclusive Bogs Facebook promo through the end of September.

Any one who "likes" Bogs on Facebook and shares what they'd like to do in their Bogs this fall through our Exclusive app can receive a special promo code valid for a $25 gift toward minimum purchase of $100 on Bogsfootwear.com. All they have to do is go to our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/bogsfootwear.com to click "like", then "Unlock the Download" to share and receive the Exclusive promo code and video content from Bogs.

How great is that! I love promo codes and discounts when I shop!

And I Love these!

Panda Cuddlee Pet for $7.99

PANDA CUDDLEE PET

It's a pillow and a cute stuffed animal in one! Perfect for naptime, movie nights or long car rides! Get in on the craze! Now's your chance to get these at a steal of a price!

DEAL PRICE: $7.99
MSRP: 19.99
Measures 15"x15"

You can get this great deal today only.

HP Photo at Walmart

The majority of the time when I need a photo printed asap I log on to Walmart.com and order my prints. The 1 hour photo is reasonably priced and very convenient. They are ready when I get there to do my shopping. Much easier than standing there with a wild 1 year old while I try to use the machine. Plus they have great deals and items to choose from that you might not notice if you are in the store. 


Coming soon HP will be launching more items and services at Walmart and Meijer stores across the US.
HP will make it easy for you to do more with your photos than ever before, and turn beloved imagery and fine art into home décor or fun photo gifts.

 
Photo books and more, made while you shop: Customers can now create photo posters, photo books, calendars and greeting cards in-store or online with same day pickup at over 2,600 Walmart and all Meijer stores throughout the U.S – perfect for last-minute gifts or special keepsakes.

    

Order online, pick-up in store: Consumers can now visit Walmart and other retail locations to create and order posters, photo books and more from the convenience of their own home, and pick them up the same day.  This service makes it easier and more convenient for consumers to turn their snapshots into treasured gifts and keepsakes during their shopping experience.

   

HP Faux Canvas: HP Faux Canvas is an affordable wall décor that enables you to turn personal photos and licensed content from paintings into decorative art. From Van Gogh and Monet to National Geographic photographs, HP offers an affordable solution to decorative art work. The initial offering that will be available exclusively at Walmart starting around only $20.

 I look forward to the new products for holiday gifts and more. We will be reviewing a HP Faux Canvas soon. I can't wait to share my thoughts on the quality.

To stay up to date on HP Photo products you can follow them on twitter @HPPrint

So Many Firsts

As my sweet little nephew is having his first week of preschool. I reflect on the simple firsts we have been experience for my little guy. I love that about kids, the first this or that. Its so new and sweet.

For my little guy its been new foods. Hes not a picky eater its more like I am a picky mama on what I give him. Thankfully and I am sooo thankful for this he loves to eat meat and veggies. Carbs like breads and pastas not so much. This week he has tried two new things that made me smile.

The first is Polska Kielbasa. For most people its not a big deal. But for me its like a right of passage. It sounds silly but being almost half Polish its the one thing we eat that feels like its part of our family. We ate it all the time as kids and LOVE it. I like to BBQ it, put in with peppers and pasta, pan fried with veggies and potatoes and with cabbage and red potatoes instead of corn beef. I beamed the whole time he was eating it. I made him a bunch and he gobbled down every bite! 

The other first was a drumstick ice cream. He has had ice cream before but never an official drumstick. He held it for a while like it was something odd. It was cute! I showed him to bite it and he laughed at me. He ate it in reverse he ate the whole cone then the chocolate topping than the ice cream on the inside. Its not the healthiest of frozen treats but oh my are they fun to eat! 

Trying new foods can be fun! What foods has your little one tried this month?

Preschool days are here

As JJ starts his 1st week of Preschool, I can't help but think about that baby face he once had and wonder how he grew up so fast? I love this kid more than he knows. Good luck son on your next big leap in life, Mommy is always here to catch you.

JJ 8 months old, funny hat and all!

Olive Garden Review and Giveaway

Whenever my girlfriends and I talk about getting together for dinner or an occasion the conversation usually leads to the Olive Garden. We have had many events, birthdays and even one of my baby showers there. Also when my husband I are talking date night I seem to bring up how yummy the Olive Garden is and we usually end up there. With the Olive Garden you know that you are going to get bread sticks with your choice of soup or salad with your entree. How could you go wrong? Recently the Olive Garden has brought back the Never Ending Pasta Bowl that has a total of 42 combinations between the pastas and sauces, that's 7 pastas and 6 sauces!!




For only $8.95 you get the Never Ending Pasta Bowl (aka all you can eat) with unlimited salad and bread sticks. We just had to check it out and boy were we in food heaven!! We brought the boys along because JJ's favorite anything is pasta, he would eat it every meal if I let him. To start off we chowed down on some bread sticks and salad. YUM.






The first pasta bowl I ordered was the Penne pasta with Five Cheese Marinara and it was amazing! I loved the sauce so much I was dipping my bread stick in it just to make sure I did not leave any sauce or cheese behind. Cheese, cheese and more cheese please!!!






My husband ordered the Penne pasta with Roasted Mushroom Parmesan with Sun-Dried Tomatoes. He is a mushroom lover so this was right up his alley. He said that the mushrooms were great and it gave the dish a lot of flavor.





For our next bowl we changed it up and this time my husband ordered the Fettuccine noodles with Pizzaiola Meat Sauce. It was pretty good, classic he says.



I picked the Fettuccine noodles with Alfredo sauce, again another classic that you know you can't go wrong with. It was pretty good but after my Five Cheese Marinara not much else compared, but still really tasty.






We enjoyed our meals and the experience. Everyone is always so nice at the Olive Garden, so along with the great food you always get great service. To show everyone just how much we enjoyed ourselves here is a picture of me scarfing down my food and because I posted this one of myself I am putting one up of the husband too!! Haha Oh and JJ at the end cause he loves the Olive Garden too!!!





GIVEAWAY

 

Win a $25 Gift Card to Olive Garden

To Enter This Giveaway: 

Visit the Olive Garden website and tell me what Never Ending Pasta combo you would like to try.

My favorite is the Penne pasta with Five Cheese Marinara!

*Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

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 Olive Garden on Twitter +1 
-Like Olive Garden on Facebook +1

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

-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1

-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 
for each share you do. (can be done once a day) This means you have the chance to get 2 extra entries a day.

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

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts September 12, 2011 and ends on September 24, 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 provide a gift card to Olive Garden for free by the company or PR firm representing them. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others.