Thinking and Organizing on a Quiet Sunday

Do you ever feel like you just have too much "stuff"? I have been trying to sort through my things lately and really trying to decide what I need to keep and let go of. It's hard to get rid of things that once meant a great deal to you.

But I am getting rid of the old to make way for the new. I don't mean just Things, but new life experiences as well. At least this is what the books say you need to do!

I have these three little finger puppets that I am keeping for sure. I bought them for my daughter Megan when she was six years old. When she moved out, she left them behind and now I keep them on a shelf just to remember some very happy days. It is a quiet weather day today and a quiet day to think about just what matters.

Here's hoping you all have a happy Sunday!

A Typo That Annoys Me

Can you spot the typo in this sign? It annoys me! I've sent emails but it has not been fixed. We also had a road sign near the freeway that said "Feeway" instead of "Freeway" that one made me chuckle since yes as tax payers the freeway is not free. But the other one in a kids play AREA makes me so annoyed! Its been this way for a few years now.

I think the typo is why my son gets a little wild here, it is after all talking about a Greek god of war.

I'm Off To Hunt For "Vintage" Treasures

I love the word "vintage". I mean it is so much prettier than the word "used", right?

I love the hunt for vintage items, that is for certain. So today I am off to the thrift shops to look for whatever I think is great. I'm definitely on a budget so my purchases won't be too extravagant. But you just never know what twenty dollars can find you. Some of my most treasured things have come from yard sales or thrift shops.

If I find anything fabulous, I'll share it here with all of you.

Happy Friday!

Sports for Toddlers??

My son loves to play sports. Hes only 2 1/2 but hes really good at all sorts of sports activities. Its the one time he will follow directions and listen to what is being told to him. We have watched Golf, Football and Baseball on TV since he was first born. He would be so quiet sitting there watching and learning. He is awesome at throwing a football, he grips it right and can hit a target I set up for him. With force too, I have missed catching it and have been hit in the face many of times. He also is great with a bat, a little too good sometimes lol. I always seem to a target for being hit in all his sports. But I encourage him to keep playing and have fun with it.

Golf is something that he does that amazes me. He putts slowly and with care keeping his head down. Something that took me years to master. He loves to watch it on TV and shouts Golf and makes the swinging motion with his arms and his hands together like he is driving. He loves to practice in the living room. He gets a bit wild with using his driver but he has a blast.

Dont mind all the stuff on the floor, those are hazards for the golf game lol

My question is about soccer. I have seen some leagues he can join but they are for Mommy and Me groups. I am concerned about there being a bunch of parents on the field getting in the way and being helicopters too much. I want him to learn to take direction from a coach and to listen to one or two adults in charge not the 20 or more parents there. He will have shin guards and I know he will fall over get a few bumps and bruises but thats apart of learning a sport. I am wondering if at his age 2 1/2 will it be worth the money we have to pay.

Have you ever had your child in a Mommy or Daddy and Me group for organized sports? If so what are your thoughts or advice.

Gorton's Seafood “Fisherman’s Friday” Blog Review and Giveaway

Our favorite seafood brand Gorton's has launched another great sweepstakes called Fisherman's Friday. You can enter for your chance to win weekly - NOW through May 8th! Discover the unexpected side of seafood with Gorton's! Gorton’s is giving away more than 100 weekly prizes on “Fisherman’s Friday.” They also have a truly spectacular grand prize to give away. In total, prizes are worth nearly $10,000!

I enjoy eating Tilapia its my favorite white fish. I buy the Gorton's ones all the time (sometimes its BOGO at Safeway making it a super deal). Well last time I served it for dinner my son would not eat it. This was odd to me since normally he likes it. But lately he has been somewhat of a picky guy when it comes to textures of food. I saw the New Skillet Crisp variety in the store and thought I would give it a try for my son. It says its lightly coated and I think that was why my son was not eating the other one. He picked out the fish from the middle of the batter. We tried the Classic Seasons one and it was great! Plus it lower in calories than the other Gorton's breaded fish. We will still of course be buying the fish sticks, we all love those! 

This is a pic of a recipe from Gorton's it looks delicious!

In honor of the Fisherman's Friday Sweepstakes I am hosting on our blog a giveaway for 2 Gorton's Seafood for a FREE Product coupon. There will be 3 winners each getting a set of 2.

GIVEAWAY on this Blog:


Enter to win 2 FREE Product Coupons by mail. There will be 3 winners!

To Enter This Giveaway:

What Gorton’s Seafood recipe is your favorite? 

 

 *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. 

 

-Go to http://www.gortons.com and sign up for the e-newsletter +1

 -"Like," tweet or share a Gorton's recipe +1

-Enter the Gorton's Seafood Fisherman's Friday Sweepstakes +1

-Like on Gorton's Seafood Facebook +1
-Follow Gorton's Seafood on Twitter +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. Can be done once a day for the duration of the giveaway)

Celebrate Fisherman's Friday #Win @gortonsseafood FREE Product Coupons at @FrugalFamTree #Giveaway ends 5/8 http://www.frugalfamilytree.com/2012/04/gortons-seafood-fishermans-friday-blog.html



 *Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts April 12th, 2012 and ends on May 8th, 2012 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 the item reviewed in this post for free by the company or PR company that represents them. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize.

Novica Review and $35 Gift Certificate Giveaway

Novica is a lovely place to shop online. You get to select from beautiful items from all over the world while helping artisans in need. For Mother's Day its a wonderful place to get some jewelry or a bag for yourself or your own mother, grandmother or mother in law. They are handmade  items that come with a little card that tells you about the artist. Some of my favorite items are the handmade jewelry pieces.

 

For Mother's Day I selected a classic pair of Pearl Earrings. The earrings are cultured pearl dangle earrings in .925 sterling silver called Full Moon made by an artist from Bali,  Nyoman Rena. They are beautifully crafted. I love that I can wear them with jeans and a tshirt and they are still perfect for a dress and heels. All women need a simply and classic pair of earrings like these.

Novica has many great gifts for Mother's Day including bracelets and necklaces.

GIVEAWAY
 

Win a $35 gift certificate to Novica.com

To Enter This Giveaway: 

What item from Novica would you like to have for Mother's Day?

 *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 Novica on Facebook +1
Follow Novica on Twitter +1

-Follow/Add to your circle  Frugal Family Tree on Google+ ( 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. Can be done once a day for the duration of the giveaway)

#Win a $35 Gift Certificate to Novica.com from @NOVICA at @FrugalFamTree #Giveaway ends 05/06 http://www.frugalfamilytree.com/2012/04/novica-review-and-35-gift-certificate.html

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts April 12th, 2012 and ends on May 6th, 2012 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.

What we have been up to...

Hi there!!





The weather has been AMAZING here this last week and we even had a sunny Easter weekend! We have enjoyed many trips to the park, picnics and even a few BBQ's. In the great state of Washington you learn that these nice days can be far and few between, so when they are here we take full advantage! Bring on the sunshine :)

Starbucks “Find the Roast You Love Most” Sweepstakes

I love to share Sweepstakes with everyone since its like the free lotto lol. You cant win if you dont enter. I like to enter online sweeps from companies we enjoy their products and its a prize you will like. We wanted to share this easy to enter sweepstakes from Starbucks coffee to help introduce the Blonde Roast coffee.

Earlier this year, Starbuck launched new that organizes Starbucks coffees by roast – including new Starbucks® Blonde Roast – to make shopping for coffee easier. In addition to Starbucks Medium and Dark Roast coffees, the new Blonde Roast meets the needs of the 54 million coffee drinkers in the U.S. who prefer a lighter-bodied, mellow coffee.

Starbucks is excited to announce Starbucks “Find the Roast You Love Most” Sweepstakes to encourage coffee-lovers to explore the full Starbucks Roast Spectrum. Through April 30, customers can enter online to win a trip to Seattle – home of Starbucks – for the winner and three friends, including a personal coffee cupping experience with a Starbucks Coffee Master and coffee-fueled local fun. 

 For more information and to enter, visit: http://starbucks.com/sweeps.

 P.S. I hope I win so my family and I can go see Sam and Nana! :)

*I was not paid for this post.  I was provided a sample of Starbucks Blond Roast for free by the company or PR company that represents them. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others.

Brand Influence

Call me crazy but do you ever want to buy something for the packaging or the bag it comes in? I love the bag that your purchase goes in at Crate&Barrel. The simple white bag with black lettering is wonderful. The Starbucks logo, Im addicted to it! I have noticed so many more things since become an insight shopper. Its weird to see the influence brand power has on me and the people around me. Its like when I took a few film classes in college, now I cant just watch a movie, I see the plot building, the hidden symbolism and the protagonist antagonist battles. I cant just look at an ad, now I have to think about what its saying, what its implying. Good grief I think its causing me to think more!

Love this logo!

What logo or brand is your favorite?

Odwalla Game Day Challenge and Champions for Kids Simple Service Project

Once again I am honored to be participating in a Simple Service Project for the amazing organization called Champions for Kids. This service project is all about encouraging kids to go outside and be physically active so that they can be healthier.

Champions for Kids has teamed up with Odwalla Juice to make this a fun and delicious way to be active.

I am shopping at Walmart for sports items to donate to a charity or organization that benefits children. Walmart's low prices help make my donation dollars go further and I appreciate that.

I am also purchasing Odwalla juice for donation. Odwalla is so healthy for children and adults. Kids love it's great taste. I will donate this and some fun sports items to a local community center or after-school program.

Odwalla juices contain healthy ingredients like vitamins, antioxidants, and protein. That makes it a better choice to give to kids than so many other drinks that are available out there. I know these healthy drinks will be appreciated.

Walmart always has a great selection of things to choose from. These rubber balls are a good choice because there are so many games kids can play with them.

I wanted to participate in this project because I know about the benefits that kids get from being physically active. My own children participated in many team and individual sports through-out the years and they loved it. I'm happy to help in this small way so that other children might be able to be more active and healthier.

Here are the items I've selected to buy and donate. Balls and jump ropes are always a great way to have fun. Using a jump rope can provide a great way to have a lot of fun, either by yourself or with friends. I've picked up two regular jump ropes and one that can be shared. There's a fun paddle ball game where the ball sticks to the paddle.

I've also gotten bubbles and sidewalk chalk. I'm sure all this can be used by programs that provide care for kids and need help in providing toys and equipment for them to use.

I've asked my neighbors to join in with their donations and one of them gave me three almost new bike helmets for kids. Helmets are a must for safety and I know some kids just can't afford them so they don't wear one. I'm very happy that I have these helmets to give.

I'm hoping to get more items to donate to this great project. The weather here is getting much nicer and these items will be great to go outside and play with. Healthy Odwalla juice is great to drink after playing, too.

I'm excited to be dropping off my donations soon and I'm proud to be a part of Champions for Kids and be participating in this project.

To learn more about Champions for Kids and how you can get involved in a Simple Service Project, visit their website, Facebook and Twitter pages.


 You can see my shopping trip to Walmart for kids sport activity supplies and Odwalla juice by reading my Google+ story.

*This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.
All opinions expressed in this shop are my own and your experience may vary. #Cbias #OdwallaCFK