I want to be more Crafty

I have always been a big fan of DIY, Crafting, Scrapbooking and Sewing. I have found I love to read the books and see the pictures but somehow never can seem to get around to it. I even have a Handy Stitch in the closet I purchased 8 years ago unopened. When my husband tries to include it or my books at a yard sale stating "You dont use it" I have a mini panic attack lol. The crafty woman inside me NEEDS it! I have done a few craft projects here on the blog and for a year did hand crafted soaps. It was really fun. Last yard sale I sold all my soap making supplies for $20. It made me sad to do so but I thought I would not have time for it. I have realized as a mom I need to have hobbies to keep me intact with myself. I adore my son and like that he can be crafty with me. SO I am not giving up on myself to be more crafty and DIY. I will start a project that I have been collecting items for about 10 years! I know get to it already right!!

Do you recommend a book or company or brand of supplies or website that would be a good place to start?

On The Go Time Toddler Book Review

Being the Busy Mom I am we are constantly On The Go! My son recently has started to be more involved with the shopping and has an opinion on things. He can get bored or upset and its reflected in his behavior. He can by sweet as pie waving to people and smiling and on the other end throwing a fit yelling NO. This book On The Go Time was a cute one to show him that sometimes when we are out and get upset we have to try to calm ourselves. Also it shows kids can be moms helper and it shows kids about being out on the go.

I like these books from Free Spirit Publishing since they are colorful and simple for kids to understand. My son to this day is a super helpful cleaner and loves to wash his hands and blow his nose. Is it from the books we reviewed last year about it, 100% maybe not, but I do know he listens and learns when we read. My behavior along with the reinforcement of a story helps him to learn. I now have this book in his diaper bag to be able to read it if a melt down occurs or I feel he needs a reminder of he is moms helper.

Each book also contains a section of helpful tips for parents and caregivers. Here are a few tips from On-the-Go Time to keep toddlers moving as you do your holiday shopping this year:

• Keep to a schedule. Make it easier on everyone by running errands or scheduling appointments in between your child’s meals and naps. This will ensure your child is rested, fed, and ready to go. Don’t try to cram too many stops into one trip—this often leads to frustration, tears, or meltdowns.
• Make a “go-time” list. Your child will do a lot better on-the-go if you’ve made a visual schedule ahead of time. On a piece of paper, draw a representation of each place you’ll be going: a book for the library, an apple for the grocery store, a stamp for the post office. Then your child will know what to expect and look forward to.
• Get ready, get set. Before you leave home, give your child a chance to use the bathroom, get a drink and snack to take along, and choose a favorite toy to bring. Make sure you always have a handy stash of diapers and wipes, underpants and extra clothes, raingear, juice boxes, small toys, and other essential “go-time” supplies. It’s helpful if your child eats beforehand or brings along a snack—especially if you’re running several errands. Full tummies mean calmer children!
  
  

  You can learn more about Free Spirit Publishing and their books by being a Facebook fan or Twitter follower.

  
  

  
  

  * I was not paid or compensated for this post. I was sent a free copy of this book for my review by the publisher/PR company. The opinions are 100% mine and may vary from others.

Hulk Hogan’s Main Event Sweepstakes

Majesco Entertainment Teams Up with Channel One News for ‘Hulk Hogan’s Main Event Sweepstakes’

Schools Can Win Money for Their Athletic Program and a Visit from the Hulkster!

Hulkamania is ready to run wild in a school lucky enough to win the Hulk Hogan’s Main Event Sweepstakes, presented by Majesco Entertainment Company and Channel One News.
 
The sweepstakes, which runs through November 18, asks teens to describe the “main event” in their school. Professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan will visit the winning school and present a $3,500 check to its athletic department, a Kinect™ for Xbox 360® system, and copies of Hulk Hogan’s Main Event, the first full-body motion-based wrestling video game.

Three runners-up will win a Kinect for Xbox 360 bundle, as well as copies of the game that is in stores now. 

To enter the sweepstakes, visit www.channelone.com/hulk-hogan-sweepstakes. For more information about Hulk Hogan’s Main Event, please visit www.HulkHogansMainEvent.com.

Why Nana Has Been Absent From The Blog

It was a struggle for me to decide if what happened in my life was appropriate to write about here. I know we all have a tendency in Blog Land to keep it happy, to keep it light, to only show others the lovely and admirable parts of ourselves. But real life comes with the not so pretty parts, and the reality is that a single day can change everything we thought we knew to be true.

In July, my marriage of 35 years ended. It has been difficult, sad, and at times, overwhelming. Some people have asked me what happened, why did such a long marriage end? I could say that the children grew up, that we grew apart, that my husband grew into someone I didn't recognize anymore. All of this is true, but of course, it is not the whole story. I have spent two thirds of my life being married. Even when that person isn't there anymore, they are. You can't erase someone from your mind, even if that's exactly what you'd like to do. But there does come a time when you know it is best to try and move forward.
That time has come for me.

I am so lucky and blessed to have the love and support of my three amazing and beautiful daughters. Laura, Sam, and my nineteen year old daughter Megan, who is smart, and lovely, and wise beyond her years. I not only call these three women my daughters, but I also call them my friends. I don't know what I would do without them. My two wonderful sons have also been there for me with their own love and kindness. Obviously when parents split up, the entire family is effected, even when the children are all grown up, and have families of their own.

I am trying to realize that we are still a family, just a family in a different way. I also know that divorce happens everyday, marriages end, and families must change from what they used to be, into who they are now forced to be. It takes strength and courage and grace to build a new life. It takes time and faith that you will somehow come out a better person. That who you are now will lead to the person you want to become. That is the hope that I have for myself.

I love that my daughter Laura started this blog, and that she was kind enough to invite her sister Sam and I to lend our voices here as well. I look forward to being here again with all of you. I would like to get to know you. There are so many wonderful and amazing women who are blogging today. I am excited to put my own small voice out there with all of you and see what happens.

Birthday Themes

With my son's birthday coming up I have been trying to think of a cute theme that he will enjoy. Since he will be two this year he is at a point where he knows what he likes and request things. Last year I did a Winnie the Pooh theme with a Thomas the Train cake. I know crazy right I was mixing themes. I am totally that way, I have been spotted wearing strips and polka dots as well lol. But this year I was trying to do something my son really likes.

He loves Thomas the Train, Barney, Elmo and Cats & Dogs. Now how will I try to make that into a theme that he will say his sweet "Oh Wow!" to. I love it when he is that thrilled he says "Oh Wow!" it makes me smile so big.

Do I let him pick it out while we are in the store or should I surprise him?

What do you do for your kids?

Cowgirl Chocolates Review and Giveaway

I have to admit this time around in my pregnancy that I have a mean sweet tooth! I mean I need cake, cookies and chocolates. I try to pull in the reins and only allow myself little treats here and there but sometimes it is hard. So imagine how excited I was when chocolates arrived at my door step, Cowgirl Chocolates to be exact! Cowgirl Chocolates is not your average chocolates, they are a rich European Chocolate and come in mild and spicy or a combo of both.



Now I love chocolate but was a little skeptic of the Spicy flavors, after all I am fighting heartburn left and right here.

First we my husband tried the Spicy Mint with milk chocolate and he really liked it. He is a big mint fan anyways and said that he liked the idea of mint having a spicy kick to it! I was not brave enough for all that spice :) Then we tried the Spicy Raspberry in dark chocolate. Although my husband is not a fan of dark chocolate, he actually enjoyed this one the most. He said there was something great about the mix of raspberry filling, dark chocolate and SPICE!! To me it was a bit too spicy, can you say wimp? Next we moved onto the Mild Green Tea in Dark Chocolate. My Mom was the only one who was really a fan of this one. I think that we are not that big of Green Tea fans anyways, so the taste was a little foreign to us. Lastly my favorite was the Mild Hazelnut in Milk Chocolate, it had enough spice to know that there was something different about this chocolate, but not enough to take away from the Hazelnut and Chocolate taste. Needless to say I am a wimp when it comes to spice, but what I liked about Cowgirl Chocolates is that they seem to have a chocolate for everyone and every taste bud!

What a great gift idea, Cowgirl Coffee Mug with Truffle Bars.

Want and need to know more about Cowgirl Chocolates? Check out there Truffle and Bar Flavor Guide, there are so many choices you might need to sample them all.


GIVEAWAY

Win a $10 Gift Certificate to CowgirlChocolates.com

To Enter This Giveaway: 

What item do you want to try the most from Cowgirl Chocolates?

 

 *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 Cowgirl Chocolates on Facebook +1

-Follow Frugal Family Tree on GFC ( right hand side) +1

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

-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Share this giveaway on Facebook ONLY,  using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day) 

-Copy and Paste This Tweet on Twitter and leave me the link (to find the link click on the time stamp under your tweet)
 Enter to #Win Cowgirl Chocolates @FrugalFamTree #Giveaway ends 11/28 http://www.frugalfamilytree.com/

 

-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 November 14, 2011 and ends on November 28 , 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. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize.

Veggie Tales Little Drummer Boy Holiday DVD Review

We are new Veggie Tale fans in my home. Since my son was born almost 2 years ago I have started buying and renting Veggie Tales DVDs. I adore them. They are a fun and cute way to teach my son about Christian stories and values in a way he can grasp. Even before he was born I thought Veggies Tales we so cute when I would see them in the store. 

The DVD came with a set of Drum Sticks. My son loved them using the couch, the floor and even me as a drum.

Last Christmas we watched The Toy that Saved Christmas and we loved it. I was a great movie to teach kids Christmas is not just about the gifts we get and the true meaning of the holiday. This year I was excited to see that there was a new Veggie Tales holiday movie to share with my son. 

I enjoyed watching The Little Drummer Boy with my son. He sat with me watching and listening.  The overall theme of the movie is forgiveness and giving as it teaches about the birth of Jesus. Junior Asparagus has to learn to forgive his friends over a misunderstanding. The new funny song "The 8 Polish Foods of Christmas!"made me laugh since I am half Polish! 

In this Veggie-version of a holiday classic, Junior Asparagus stars as The Little Drummer Boy, a lonely child who finds the true meaning of Christmas when he stumbles upon the birth of the baby Jesus.  A story of generosity, hope, and love, this timeless tale will warm the hearts of children everywhere!


Featuring the song "The Little Drummer Boy" with Dove and Grammy award winning artists BeBe and CeCe Winans! Also includes the new Silly Song "The 8 Polish Foods of Christmas!"
Bonus Features:

• "Little Drummer Boy" Music Video
• Behind the Music of "The Little Drummer Boy"
• Visit a Drum Factory with Junior!
• Family Activity- Make Your Own Drum
• Singalong Songs
• Interactive Book Preview: "Christmas is Finally Here"

Running Time: Approx. 45 min.

Veggie Tales online store has great Holiday Sales including two that have Little Drummer Boy.
 Special Offer #1 and Special Offer #2.
In addition to the Little Drummer Boy sales they also have  8 great Veggie Tales DVDs for only $6.97 a piece for the Fall Sale.

If your a Veggie Tales fan like my family you can follow Veggie Tales on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with Veggie news and get sales info.



*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 a copy for my review.

Maybe you should be on TV?

Have you ever watched a fun reality tv show and thought oh hey I could be on that show! Not the dramatic ones where people are acting insane but the ones where its home design or makeover?

I definitely have and searched a few places that I like to watch their shows to see if they were casting anywhere near me or if I fit the casting criteria.

I found the casting list for TLC and HGTV and they have a variety of shows listed.

This one I am sure most of us have heard of:

EXTREME COUPONING
Are you interested in participating in an upcoming episode of Extreme Couponing? If you have the expertise to get amazing deals and accumulate fantastic stockpiles of goodies, we'd love to hear from you! E-mail us at extremecouponingcasting@gmail.com.

I love to coupon but I am not the Extreme kind but if you are or know a person who is it would be cool to have them be on the show. If I lived where there was double coupons I know Id have an awesome stock pile!

Homeowners in Los Angeles casting Design on a Dime

I found two HGTV opps for a Home or Room makeover for home owners in Los Angeles CA. That would be so fun!

You can read all the opportunites for TLC here and all the HGTV here.

If you get on a show totally let me know! I have seen two bloggers I "know" (dont really in person know but feel like I know lol) on TV before and I thought it was so cool! It be even cooler if it was one of my readers!

Snapily 3D and Animated Photo Ornament for the Holidays

Christmas time is my favorite time of the year! One of my favorite parts about it is having a tree. I always have to have a real green pine tree as big as I can fit with my ceiling! Its a tradition that has been in my moms home and one I carry on to my own home. The smell of the tree when you come home from shopping or when you wake up and come into the living room is awesome. Ornaments are the key to a wonderful tree. I am the type of person who like a tree filled with different ornaments and each of them have a story to them. I dislike the display types of trees that all match and look perfect. They are great for departments stores and some people like them but for me I need my tree to be unique!

Since my son has been born we have been getting ornaments that we can put pictures in and ones to make his hand prints. I am always looking for whats new and unique with ornaments and Snapily has a 3-D and Animated Ornaments that look really cool.

Your favorite photos are personalized on your choice of either a 3D or animated Snapily ornament. Hung with a high quality ribbon, the ornaments slight movements will show off images of your loved ones in 3D depth OR flip Animation.

Snapily's flip animation allows you to view 2 images in a single space, so the ornament will rotate to reveal both of these photos - for a doubly great experience! Simply upload your images to create a personalized ornament that can be used for the tree, as a stocking stuffer and gift tag, AND an alternate for the traditional holiday card.

In addition to ornaments, Snapily offers greeting cards, photo cards, business cards, notebooks, backpack tags, and much more!

You can find out more and often find coupon codes and sales info from Snapily on their facebook and twitter accounts.

*This is a sponsored post brought to you by Snapily.com and all personal opinions are my own.

Kitty Cats with Swords?

My son adores cats and dogs. He goes nuts over them and loves to say "kitty cat" and "DOG" he yells dog it cracks me up. He can spot one anytime were in a car or out and about. I am allergic to cats so sadly we cannot get one but we do have a dog that he adores. He and the dog do a hop dance together that is super cute ( I am considering it for a funny video contest!)

We recently bought the Wii game Puss In Boots and he wont stop playing it. I know gasp hes only a toddler and I let him play video games but the boy loves it! The game is really easy to play we set it up for him and he makes Puss in Boots battle with other sword fighters. Its sooooo cute! He says "kitty cat" then wildly shakes the Wii remote all over the place. He even makes sure he puts on the wrist strap before he plays and will take it off set down the controller and clap when he does good. He makes me smile so much with his little personality.

He also realizes that Puss is wearing shoes. He points to the shoes on tv and says "shoes" and then "kitty cat" its super cute! So now his favorite game to play and constantly wants to play and will not share the remote is the Kitty Cats with Swords game Puss in Boot.