Family Summer Fun with Dinner and a Movie Night

I love spending time with my family. My grandsons are always up for some fun time with me, so I try to plan things they will enjoy doing.

I thought that Dinner and a A Movie Night would be perfect for an evening of Summer Fun. I went to Walmart to shop for things that the boys would enjoy eating. Their favorites of course, are pizza and ice cream, so that made my shopping trip super easy.

We all love eating Nestle drumsticks in my family, so they were an easy choice for dessert. The hardest part was picking out what kind to buy!

My items from Walmart for my #GrabSummerFun Party

Tombstone Pizza is a family favorite so I got a few of them for dinner. I also grabbed some chips and dip, fun paper plates, and 4th of July pinwheels for the boys. I love Dinner and A Movie Night, and it's so easy too.

I have been enjoying finding fun projects on Pinterest. Summer projects help keep my 5 year-old grandson active while school is out. I found this super easy painting project that I knew the boys would love doing.

The American flag, just in time for the 4th of July! His Mom, my daughter, just loved this, and I was very happy that we had decided to do this project.

My littlest grandson was still working on his and needed help. He looks clean here but by the time he was finished, he was covered in paint and we had to change his shirt. I really love Pinterest for all it's inspiration and great ideas. We found the hand print flag craft idea on Pinterest from SheKnows.com.

I had wanted to have dinner and our painting project out on the deck this evening but it was raining hard.
We didn't let that stop us from having fun, and my grandsons loved their Tombstone pizza!

Yes, we love our Nestle Ice Cream! After our pizza, it was time for dessert and the movie. The boys love these mini drumsticks because they are the perfect size for little fingers to hold them.

Our movie choice was "Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked". I loved Alvin and The Chipmunks when I was a kid, and it's nice to see they are still here. Cute movie too.

As we were watching our movie, we just had to have one more Nestle drumstick!

Our Dinner and A Movie Night was a lot of fun for us, and a great way to spend a rainy, summer evening.
I look forward to doing this again soon. #GrabSummerFun

 You can read my Google+ Story about my shopping trip to Walmart to shop for Nestle and Tombstone items for my Grab Summer Fun Family Night.

 *I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Nestle #CBias #SocialFabric  #GrabSummerFun All opinions are my own.

Larkspur Landing Hotel Roseville CA

For the second half of our Road Trip to Northern CA we will be staying at the Larkspur Landing Hotel Roseville CA. We were thrilled at the offer to stay here since it will enable us to extend our visit with family and friends. We are looking forward to all the extras Larkspur Landing offers. The Healthy Start Breakfast sounds like a great way to start the day. My kids will love the selection of food offered. The complimentary chocolate chip cookies, tea, coffee and hot coco will be a nice way to treat ourselves.

Larkspur Landing Hotel in Roseville CA offers their finest linens and their signature FeatherBorne®  Bed, outfitted with high thread count sheets, a quilted down comforter, a premium duvet cover and a selection of delightful pillows. Their fully equipped kitchens come with premium appliances, dishware and earthen pottery cookware. The living room areas feature oversized desks where you can work and think, complimentary wireless Internet access, an iPod docking station and a flat screen LCD TV with a DVD player to help you relax.


All of the suites feature the following amenities:

• The FeatherBorne Bed
• Complimentary Internet access (wired and wireless)
• Fully equipped kitchen - appliances, dishware, cookware and silverware
• Oversized work desk
• Flat screen LCD TV
• HD TV programming
• iPod docking station
• DVD player (complimentary DVD's are available from the Larkspur Library)
• Lather bath and body products
• Cordless telephone and voicemail
• Hair dryer
• Iron and ironing board

Discounts:

AARP Rates
Seniors save up to 20% everyday!

AAA Rates

Book the AAA rate and save 10-20%!

We look forward to our stay at the Larkspur Landing Hotel in Roseville CA. The suites have an in room kitchen, internet access and a DVD player. All things I will need while traveling with my family and still blogging. They even have a fitness center and complimentary laundry rooms.



You can learn more about Larkspur Hotels on Facebook and Twitter.



*I was not compensated for this post. We will be guest of the Larkspur Landing Hotel in Roseville on our Road Trip Summer Vacation Event.

What does a Squirrel Say?

My son loves animals. All of them, even the ones that scare me such as snakes and lizards. He always asks me what does ......... say? Like a cow says moo, a sheep says baaa, a duck says quack, its always what do they say and not what noise do they make. Since obviously they must be talking to him right?!?

The little Dr. Dolittle I have can spot an animal anywhere even though he wont seem to see his book or juice right next to him since he tells me Mommy you get it. He makes me laugh on a daily basis! But what we cant seem to figure out is what does a Squirrel say?? This afternoon a spunky little squirrel was perched in our front tree making wild noises at us. A squeak and growl like sound that I have not heard before. I was a bit alarmed that we may have been in "his" territory. We were looking at the fruit on our front tree and I think its his daily snack. He got so loud I went back inside! Yes I know hes a tiny squirrel but I did not want to get leaped on for taking his fruit.

With all his bobbing and tail flipping I still could not pick one sound I could replicate to tell my son what a Squirrel says. 

Do you know what a Squirrel says? :)

I almost did not see the little squirrel in the tree until it started making noises. Can you see him?

New Superman Ultimate Flight Ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Now Open!

Being a Mom of a little boy and a Auntie to 2 little boys super heroes are a norm for me. There is Batman, Spiderman and Superman! Those are the main characters you see on products and clothing. Who would not want to be super right?!? Now at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Northern CA there is a new roller coaster, Superman Ultimate Flight. While the kids are too small to ride it we are going to get the "big kids" aka husbands to ride the new roller coaster. I am so getting my brother in law on it first!

Ride info from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom:

The familiar refrain, “It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s SUPERMAN!” will become part of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom’s lexicon with the official announcement today of the park’s exciting new roller coaster, SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight. The ride, created in a partnership between Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment, is NOW OPEN!

This one-of-a-kind launch coaster features the tallest inversion west of the Mississippi and will rank alongside the tallest coaster inversions in the world. At 150 feet high, riders will experience lightning speeds of 62 miles per hour, with two upside-down twists and two vertical rolls over a track length of 863 feet.

-Height: 15 stories
-Maximum Speed: 62 mph

-Track Length: 863 feet

-Capacity: 12 passengers per train

-Restraints: Pull-down lap bar

-Features: Launch coaster using electromagnetic propulsion, two upside-down twists, two vertical rolls. Tallest inversion west of the Mississippi, ranked alongside the top tallest inversions in the world

We will be at the park riding the NEW Superman Ultimate Flight ride on 7/11. At Six Flags 7/11 means its 7/11 Slurpee Day! Six Flags with the Exclusive 7-Eleven Coasters After Dark Event. That’s right — They are keeping select rides open AFTER the park closes on July 11 only!

How can you attend?? Purchase a Slurpee® Drink at select in-park locations after 7:11 p.m. on July 11 and receive your VIP wristband for access to the event.*

Visit www.slurpee.com for more information on how you can celebrate 7-Eleven Day!


*We will be guest of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom for our visit. This is a free info post and I was not compensated.

Making A Difference With Champions For Kids and Post Bowls Of Hope Simple Service Project

~Posted by Patricia


I am so proud to be participating once again with Champions For Kids and the Post Bowls For Hope Simple Service Project this month.

This wonderful project is all about supplementing local food banks and other helping organizations with breakfast and lunch items for low-income children. During the summer months, 5 of 6 children who have access to local food programs during the other months of the year, lose that access during the summer. This means that millions of children go without breakfasts and lunches because their families may have difficulty providing these meals for them.

Post Cereal teamed up with Champions For Kids to help fight childhood hunger, and to help provide the breakfasts that children need to be and stay healthy. Did you know that 5.6 million Americans seek out food from food banks or other resources? I didn't know this until I read about these important facts while participating in this project.

My Post brand cereal to donate #PostCFK

I went shopping at my local Walmart for Post Cereals to donate. The Post Bowls of Hope project is encouraging everyone to host a food drive in whatever way is possible to collect food for donation. I am having a small food drive with my family, and we will donate our items to my local food bank.

I had intended to invite my family over for dinner for my food drive, but a serious medical emergency in my family prevented that from happening. Instead, I asked them to drop off their donations when they could. I was happy that we were able to collect breakfast items that are so badly needed, especially cereal.

I took my 5 year-old grandson with me to make my donation. I feel it's very important for him to understand that we need to help others when we can. He does understand what "donate" means, and he loves helping me out. My grandson thought it was very important that other kids have their cereal to eat in the mornings just like he does. This guy loves his cereal!

I'm making my donation to the Kingston Food Bank. We have donated here before and I just love it's director and wonderful volunteers that help so many others in the community. #PostCFK

I am so happy to be working with Champions for Kids and Post Cereals to help children in need.


 You can read my Google+ Story about my shopping trip to Walmart to shop for items to donate to the Kingston Food Bank for my Simple Service Project for Post Bowls of Hope and Champions for Kids.

* I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Champions for Kids #CBias #SocialFabric

Happy 4th of July 2012

Pie from Women's Day magazine

Happy 4th of July!! We hope your day is filled with love, laughter and good food!

Better Homes and Garden craft

Another Day At The Market

I know I write a lot about Pike Place Market here in Seattle, but I just can't help myself.

Do you remember the scene in "Sleepless In Seattle" where Tom Hanks is in the Market and buying groceries to make dinner for that silly woman he was dating? And what about the restaurant where he was talking about Cary Grant with his buddy Rob Reiner?

Those places are here in the Market, and every time I see them, it makes me happy. In fact, every time I watch "Sleepless In Seattle" I get happy in a teary, ridiculous, nostalgic kind of way.

So I was at Pike Place Market on Sunday with my daughter Megan, and my son David. We played tourist and went in all the shops, looked at the flowers, the food, the people, and just generally hung out and had a good time.

The picture above was on a produce truck parked in front of the Market. It was so colorful and pretty that i just had to take a picture of it. And really, when is the last time you saw a truck like this at your local supermarket? Just another reason to love my Seattle.

Posted by Patricia

Boba is launching Project Lending Library #ProjectLL

We have worked with Boba Baby Carriers a few times on our blog. We like the quality of their carries and recently carried the youngest of the Frugal Family Tree kids all over Nevada and a few airports in one!

At Boba, they especially admire and have great gratitude for babywearing groups and lending libraries, and the amazing individuals who run them. These groups, which range from semi-informal sharing groups to well-established non-profit organizations, help teach parents all over the world how to use carriers and wraps correctly, and give them a chance to try them out for free. Boba salutes these groups for spreading the babywearing love! That’s why for the entire month of July they are concentrating efforts on recognizing and equipping these groups with more carriers and wraps for parents to try.

Through July 31, 2012 they are taking nominations for U.S. babywearing lending libraries and groups with the goal of partnering with at least one new library in each U.S. state, to which Boba will donate a free Boba Carrier and Boba Wrap!

 To help spread the word, get the most nominations possible, and thank you for taking the time to nominate, Boba is giving away a Babywearing-aholic Prize Pack to one lucky nominator. Every person that nominates a lending library will be entered to win the prize package, which includes one Boba Carrier and matching stuff sack, plus our organic teething pads. (One entry per valid nomination, no limit per person. Winner will be chosen at random from all confirmed nominations received via the form to the right)

You can read more about the Project and Nominate a group here.

Preparing for a Summer Fun Family Night with Nestle and Tombstone

I just adore being a grandmother and spending time with my grandchildren is a true joy in my life. I think I'm very lucky to have these four marvelous little people to love.

We always enjoy getting together as a family, and I love trying to come up with creative ideas to have fun with my grandchildren. We had Dinner and A Movie Night a few months ago and it was such a big hit with everyone that I decided it was time to do it again. Summer is the perfect time for casual, fun family gatherings and  there is no such thing as too much fun in my book!

I headed to my local Walmart to do a little shopping for our Dinner and A Movie Night. My two little grandsons love ice cream and pizza of course, so that is what is on the menu. Nana likes to make them happy!

We have all loved Nestle Drumsticks in our family for years, so they are the perfect choice as a treat to have while we watch the movie. But with all these choices of drumsticks, I just have to get a few different kinds!

My family always enjoys Nestle Tombstone Pizza so that's what I've chosen to get for dinner. I love pizza with tons of toppings, especially veggies, but the kids only like pepperoni pizza. I'll buy a few of the Tombstones so that there will be plenty of pizza for our fun night.

My cart full of Nestle Tombstone #GrabSummerFun items from Walmart

I have picked up some chips and dip, pinwheels for the boys, bubbles, and some fun paper plates. I'm hoping we don't have any rain so that we can have dinner out on the deck, and the kids can blow bubbles and play with their pinwheels before we eat.

I have also found a cute painting project on Pinterest from SheKnows.com for them to do. It is so simple and easy for young children to do, and I love the 4th of July theme. The boys love painting and this will be fun. Here's hoping the sun shines!

On the evening of our little party, it is pouring down rain. I am disappointed that we can't eat outside and the kids can't play outside either. But we will just eat inside and not let the rain stop us from having fun. We always like to #GrabSummerFun indoors or out!

I'm making the classic and super simple onion soup and sour cream dip to go with potato chips. I know some people might think it's a little out of date but I fondly remember my parents making it all the time. I still love it and so does my family.

It is so easy preparing for our Dinner and A Movie Night that I feel almost like I'm cheating! But easy is good, and as long as my family has fun, that's all that matters.

I'm previewing a couple of movies to see what we should watch. The kids love Alvin and The Chipmunks, but I also want to choose something that will appeal to the grown-ups too. But who doesn't love Alvin? I know I still do!

This preview looks pretty cute and age appropriate for the little guys. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked will be our movie this evening. My preparations for dinner and A Movie Night are easy enough that I can relax and enjoy myself with my family. Can't wait to get started, and I am getting a little hungry for that Tombstone pizza and Drumstick ice cream. I'll let you know how our night turns out!


You can read my Google+ Story about my shopping trip to Walmart to shop for Nestle and Tombstone items for my Grab Summer Fun Family Night.

 *I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Nestle #CBias #SocialFabric  #GrabSummerFun All opinions are my own.

Building Another Raised Garden Bed

We had so much fun with our first raised garden bed we decided to build another one. My son has been great about helping water and picking "appies", for some reason all fruits and veggies are now apples. We planted watermelons, squash, pumpkins and green beans in the new container and its looking great. This has been such a fun project for us this summer. Our tomato plant is making so many big tomatoes I cant wait to pick some and add them to a salad.

I have seen many great gardening ideas on Pinterest too. Have you checked out our Gardening Board yet?
Do you have a garden inspire board on Pinterest? We would love to see, leave us the link to check out.