Wordless Wednesday

I am lucky enough to be their Mother.

~ Sam

DIY Owl Snack Jar

I love to put snacks and treats in fun and interesting jars for myself and my kids.

 So I took an empty Owl lotion container, a jar and spray paint and here are the results.

I love how bright and cheerful it turned out and how it looks on my counter top!

Who wants ordinary when you can easily create something like this!

Puppet Monsters Review and Giveaway

My son has seen the commercial  for these puppets many times on tv. He always makes me watch the whole commercial then tells me how cool they are and how monsters say "Raaaaaaaw".  The puppet is a hat that kids wear and put their fingers into the hand holes. Super easy to use and can be fun imaginary play. I let my son select the one he wanted, which was the red one. I like the yellow one too since it looks like a bird.

The puppets come with a base puppet and you can buy accessory kits to make different faces on your puppet. The hands, eyes, mouth and hat/horns are easy on and off like using a button on a coat. When you order your Puppet Monster online you get a free accessory kit with your order.

We had fun playing with the Puppet Monster. We took turns wearing the hat and giving puppet shows. The best was when he surprised his Dad with it and yelled Rooooaaaarrr like a monster. Then he took off the hat and told his Dad, its ok it me not a real monster. Hes so funny. He even likes to wear it as a regular hat when we go out. We do get looks and giggles though.

You can take advantage of a special offer for our readers for your order with promo code PUPPET at check out for an extra $5 off.

GIVEAWAY You can enter for a chance to win your own Puppet Monster for your child. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway








 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts March 9, 2 2013 and ends on March 24,  2013 at 12:01 am EST. Winner will be emailed and has 72 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. I was sent a product to review for this post.

Cowboy Dinner with Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken #MealsTogether

My family loves to eat chicken. We have it at least every other night. There are so many ways to cook it and many options to serve with it. Since I have started working I do not have as much time to cook whole chickens like I have in the past. There is a great flavor that comes with whole chicken that you can't get in breast or legs. I have been looking for a product that is easy to make and with great flavor for chicken. When I heard about Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken at Sam's Club I knew I had to try it.

Dinnertime can be more than just a time to eat, we like to have themes and make it fun. We eat everyday of course but that does not mean we cannot make it a reason to celebrate. My son LOVES cowboys, Woody the cowboy from Toy Story and horses. He has the boots, hat, toys and yells YeeHaw when he rides his stuffed giraffe around the house. He even thinks he Papa (his grandpa on my side of the family) is a cowboy since I did not know how to explain where Texas is. I told him its where the cowboys who ride horses live. So he know thinks his Papa is a cowboy and last time I was on the phone with my Dad my son asked me about Papa's horse lol.

We decide to have a Cowboy Dinner this week to make an everyday dinner a special occasion. We planned our menu around the new Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken. I was thrilled to be able to have a premade flavored chicken to just stick in the oven to reheat giving me time to make delicious side dishes.

For my Cowboy Dinner I will be serving:
Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken
Jalapeno Cornbread
Hasselback Garlic Potatoes
Ranch Beans with Sauteed Red Onion
Corn on the Cob

Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins Recipe

• 1 cup ground cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers (seeds removed)
• 1/3 cup corn kernels (can or fresh)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

-Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

-In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl beat the eggs with a whisk until the yolks and whites are blended then whisk in the milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Then add the corn kernels and diced jalapeno. Pour into cupcake liners half full. Add shredded cheddar cheese to the tops of the muffins and 

bake.

-Cook for 20-25 minutes until toothpick can be placed in and come out clean. 

1. 
   
2. There is a brand of Ranch Beans is very special to me. My Mom served these all the time when I was a kid with potatoes and chicken. I absolutely love them and the flavor brings back a million memories of summer nights of BBQ and swimming. I love it when a flavor of food can make you feel sentimental. I plan to make the Silver Spur Chicken flavor one that brings back memories of fun dinners with my son.

The easiest part of the whole meal was the Silver Spur Chicken. I opened the package placed into a glass cooking dish and cooked it until it was warm. The aroma of the smoked chicken cooking filled the house, it smelled like a BBQ. My whole family loved the dinner. The chicken was delicious and I told my husband I made it myself. I let him think I had for about half of the meal but did tell him it was a premade chicken when he grew suspicious of how good it was lol.

We had a wonderful night having a cowboy dinner party. My son ate so much food he took a nap after dinner! In theme with the dinner my husband and I watched a cowboy movie, True Grit with Matt Damon. I have a celebrity crush on Matt Damon that makes my husband laugh! We plan to buy more of the Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken next time we are at Sam's Club. I have a few more recipes and theme dinner ideas I would love to share with family and friends.

This was so cute, he was saying MMMM and had his eyes closed. My boy loves good chicken.

If you live in CA or TX you can try Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken at Sam's Club today, Saturday March 9th 2013. Most Sam's Club sampling run from 1pm to 4pm. Other areas of the US will have this delicious chicken in stores soon.

You can read my Google+ Story about the Silver Spur Demo I attended at Sam's Club.

*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 the makers of Silver Spur Chicken. #cbias #SocialFabric #MealsTogether. All opinons expressed in this post are my own.

Frugal Friday Coupons!

Diapers Galore...

• $2.00 off ONE Pampers Easy Ups Trainers
• $1.50 off ONE Pampers Swaddlers Diapers
• $1.50 off ONE Pampers Cruisers Diapers

Personal Care

• $1.00 off Any One (1) Caress 6ct Bar or Larger
• $1.00 off one Bronkaid product
• $10.00 off your next purchase of alli
• $2.00 off ONE (1) NUTRISSE haircolor
• $5.00 off any TWO (2) Almay Cosmetic Product
• $1.00 off Rimmel Bronzing Product

Food Stuffs

• $1.00 off Truvia OR Truvia Baking Blend with sugar
• Buy Spooners cereal, get 1 Spooners cereal free
• $1.00 off HORMEL COMPLEATS meal
• $0.75 off 1 YoBaby or YoToddler Organic Yogurt

Cleaning

• $1.00 off any one Soft Scrub cleaner product

While waiting for the Spring flowers

Spring is in full swing at our house and it feels like we are finally getting out of the winter blues, well trying to at least. Here in Washington the winter months are long and Spring takes a while to get here even when it officially starts. We have been cooped up in the house for what feels like forever, I have been trying to keep the boys busy.

We color, play hide and seek, build forts, watch movies and enjoy playing the Wii and all of the Wii games we can get our hands on. The boys love the fact that they can get up and "Just Dance" and I love the idea that they are not sitting around playing video games. The Wii is interactive and it gets them up and moving. By the end of their play time they are a bit wiped out and ready to slow it down. I love the energy burner that the it can be for them and balanced with other activities it can really keep them busy on these cold and wet days. I also like that sometimes I can get a few things done while they get in a game or two, and we all know that time doesn't come often!

Not only do the boys like to play it together but we often have a family fun night of bowling and tennis. It is not just for kids and now that the Wii U is out it is looking more and more enticing for our family. It has a touch screen controller, precision motion controls, and full HD graphics, all things that make my husband say "we need that".

Although Spring is right around the corner and we are dying to get outside more often it is great to have ways to keep ourselves busy. I am always looking for fun and interactive things to do with my bunch, they are busy boys with lots of energy to burn.


*This is a sponsored post.. The opinions are 100% mine and may vary from others.

A Girl and A Dog wait for a Boy and a School Bus

Everyday Ashley and Chewie (Boston Terrier/French Bulldog) wait for JJ to come off of the school bus after a day at Kindergarten. 

They wait together in the window hoping to catch a glimpse of the big yellow bus. 

It is so sweet and melts my heart every single time.

A Quick and Healthy Meal with Minute Rice #LoveEveryMinute

Like many families these days we have a full schedule daily, and every other Wednesday after dinner I have a standing meeting as a member of the board at my son's preschool. Making a delicious, quick and healthy dinner can be a challenge on those days. I feel like I am always trying to rush out the door right after dinner ends, the easier and quicker the better for me on those days. For a quick dinner the other night I made Teriyaki Steak and green beans served over Minute Ready to Serve White Rice. Growing up my husband says he had rice with almost every meal (he is 1/4 Japaneses) and now it is a staple item at our house, along with steak and some sort of a vegetable to go along with it. So it was a no brainer for me when it came time to prepare my meal with Minute Ready-To-Serve Rice!

Teriyaki Steak and Green Beans over Rice

• Thin cut steak (your choice)
• Teriyaki Sauce (for marinating and serving)
• Green beans
• Minute Ready to Serve White Rice

I soaked the steak in the teriyaki marinade for about 2 hours in the fridge before I cooked it to really capture the taste. In reality you can cook the steak immediately after you soak it if you are really looking to save time.

While the steak cooked on the stove I cut and cooked the green beans in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

The last thing to do was pop in the microwave the Minute Ready to Serve White Rice, it cooked so fast and looked great! Normally making the rice is a process and can take upwards of 30 minutes at our house, the 1 minute rice was a time saver for sure!

I topped our Minute Rice with the green beans and teriyaki steak. It was a huge hit at our house with my husband and I. Our children were a little less impressed with the mixing of the white rice, green beans and steak. I put each item separately on their little plates and they ate it right up. I love it when a meal comes together that we  can all enjoy and is both quick and healthy.

Minute® Ready to Serve Rice is an ideal portable solution for lunch or breakfast because you can eat it on the go, straight from the cup. In just 60 seconds, you have fully cooked rice for any meal or snack. You’ll never get bored with your lunch since there are 10 flavorful and wholesome varieties. If you’re looking for a healthy option, Minute® Ready to Serve Rice provides easy portion control since it’s conveniently packaged in two individual single-serve cups.
Visit http://www.minuterice.com/ for recipes, including Minute® Ready to Serve Stir it Up recipe ideas and more information about the Minute® Rice family of products.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Ready to Serve Rice.

Spring Styles with DownEast Basics Pin to Win Sweepstakes

Spring is here!!! For me March 1st marks the start of Spring Fashions. I am thinking about new colors, styles  skirts and swimwear. I am loving the use of green and coral color, lace and layering I have seen in stores. I went to my local mall to check out what DownEast Basics had for Spring. Last summer I went to a blogger event on my bday and was happy to be invited again.

DownEast Basics is celebrating the new styles with a Spring Fashion Pinterest Sweepstakes. One lucky winner will receive a $500 gift card to help bring in the warmer temperatures with a new, fresh look. You can check out the DownEast Basics blog for more info on the rules to the contest.

Be sure to name your board "Spring Styles with DownEast" and the @DownEastBasics and #SpringStyle hastag. Then email your board to downeastcontest@fizzbrands.com

I will be making my board today to enter the sweepstakes and will share it on Facebook and Twitter. I would love to see yours, tweet it to me @FrugalFamTree or post on our FB fan page wall. 

I loved all the new colors in the store! I saw many items that have been added to my Spring wish list. I work in an environment that fashion is a must. Looking good is about feeling great in what you are wearing!

DownEast Basics clothing is affordable and stylish. I love how comfortable the clothing is. The displays are a great way to see how the items can be paired together for a complete look.

I was able to find a few items to add to my wardrobe that are stylish and functional. I found some great leggings in a periwinkle color, a colorful scarf and cute earrings. My son of course loves the earrings since they are animals. He was acting a little too wild in the store and we had to go before I could finish shopping but the stuff I did manage to get was wonderful. I will be back for more Spring styles when I am shopping alone lol

 *I was given a blogger gift bag for attending this event. This is not a sponsored post.

Friday's To-Do List

 

I love Friday's.

It is an end to an almost always crazy week around here.

The thought of all of the adventures we may or may not take over the weekend gives me a charge! 

I also love To-Do lists. 

The idea of checking something off of my list gives me a sense of accomplishment. 

Something I used to get when I finished a project when I was in the "working world".

Now a days I am lucky if I can finish a load of laundy! 

So here is my To-Do list for the first day of March. 

I may or maynot get them all done, but there they are.

And they are written on my newest purchase from Michael's, it's a thick pad of paper with mulitiple To-Do list sheets and for only $3! SCORE!

Happy Friday Everyone and Have a Great Weekend!!