Thrifty Thursday!

I am always on the hunt for a good thrifted item or two, always hitting up the local shops to see what's new. The great things is during the summer time my thrifting goes up to a whole new level with yard sales! It is a whole new level of thrifting, it opens all kinds of finds and deals that people are aching to get rid of which means a steal of a deal for me!

I picked up this mid century shelf at a yard sale for only $20! It is solid wood and in perfect condition. I am going to paint it white, line it with wallpaper on the background and put it in Ashley's room. Her stuffed animals and trinkets will look great on it!

I also snagged this mint green candelabra for only $2 at a local sale! It is beautiful, solid, a little aged looking and even has some candle wax still on it, perfect!

The weekends ahead excited me, I can't wait to score that next find! I really do believe that one (wo)man's garbage is another (wo)man's treasure!!

How about you? Have you found any great yard sale treasures or scored something great second hand? Do tell!!

Coupons to start the week!

Paper products

• $2.00 off 2 Double Quilted Northern Ultra Plush
• $1.00 off ONE (1) Brawny 2-Giant Roll
• $1.00 off 1 Quilted Northern Ultra Soft and Strong
• $0.55 off any ONE (1) Hefty Zoo Pals Product

Breakfast items

• $1.00 off any (1) Jimmy Dean Snack Size Sandwich
• $1.00 off ONE Delights by Jimmy Dean Flatbread
• $1.00 off 2 Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Cereals
• $1.00 off any TWO Kashi Cereals
• $0.70 off ONE Kellogg's Special K Nourish™ Bars
• $0.50 off ONE BOX Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
• $0.75 off Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch cereal
• $1.00 off TWO BOXES General Mills Big G cereals
• $0.50 off any ONE BOX Chex cereal
• $0.75 off ONE BOX Multi Grain Cheerios cereal
• $0.50 off ONE BOX Original Cheerios cereal
• $0.75 off ONE BOX Fiber One cereal
• $0.75 off any variety Oatmeal Crisp cereal
• $0.50 off ONE BOX Reese's Puffs cereal
• $0.75 off Cascadian Farm product
• $0.55 off any TWO (2) Bagel-fuls 4ct

Pet Supplies

• $10.00 off one BREEZE Litter System
• $10.00 off one BREEZE Litter System
• $1.00 off Spot Shot Carpet Stain & Odor Eliminator
• $2.50 off one Purina ONE beyOnd dog food
• $1.10 off (2) packages of Friskies cat treats
• $5.00 off Any Two (2) PetArmor products
• $0.99 off 1 bag of Dog Chow or Puppy Chow
• Buy 3, Get 1 Free SHEBA can entrees
• $0.50 off one Woolite Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner

Fruit of the Loom

• $1.00 off Fruit of the Loom Men's Easy Care
• $1.00 off Men's Fruit of the Loom Underwear

Fragrance

• $2.00 off Any Katy Perry $9.00 or more Fragrance
• $2.00 off Any Tim McGraw Fragrance Purchase

The first weekend of the summer...

Fresh Lemon Chiffon Cake

The beginning of summer in our family means the summer birthdays are upon us! Patricia, Laura and I all celebrate our birthday's during these summer months.

We are starting the first weekend of the summer with our mom Patricia's birthday. It will be small, intimate and lovely gathering with food and family.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend too!

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Cirque Dreams Splashtastic Show and More!

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is our favorite place in Northern CA to visit. It has all the things that make an amusement park fun, rides, animal shows, good food and a friendly staff. The main thing we are looking forward to for our trip is the new Dolphin Show  Cirque Dreams Splashtastic. 

I was very excited to see the new show in the dolphin arena. I read about the show less than a month ago and have been waiting to see it. It is created by a Broadway Director and the creator of Cirque Dreams. The cast of the show are from 9 countries to create a well rounded and entertaining show. 

The show was great! The costume and set design were very colorful and entertaining. The aerial acrobatics were amazing, there was a woman on a high rope swing and woman doing super cool hula hoop tricks. The was a set of men that were doing feats of strength! It was neat to see how strong they were. There was a balancing act that was neat to see but when on a bit too long. My son was losing interest and asked where the dolphins were. It was a great show, a nice addition to the park. I only wish there was more dolphin action. We sat too close to the speakers and did get a bit blasted by the music, next time we will sit higher up. It was fun to see, I am glad we took the time to see it.

My son LOVES animals so each time we saw one, he would ask for another one. We saw sting rays, seals, walruses, penguins and sharks!

One show we have not been able to see is the Elephant show. There are so many cool shows if you plan your day right you can see many of them. My son always asks about it and this time we set our phone alarm to make sure we saw it. Before the show we were able to see the trainers give the elephant a bath, we were so close to the elephant it was amazing!

Of course one of the cool parts of an amusement park is the RIDES! We stick to the kid rides as my husband and I are not thrill ride kinda people lol.

We had a WONDERFUL time at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. I love going several times a year since they are constantly having theme days and new events. We feel lucky to live close enough for a day trip to a Six Flags park. Its family friendly and we always have a great time having fun. This time I took my mother in law with us. She has never been to the park and was amazed at how much there was to do there. She rode many of the kid rides and even got on a horse on the merry go round. She said she had not been on a merry go round since my husband was a little kid. I love that at Six Flags even Grandma can become a kid again!

Anytime my son spots one of the Looney Toon characters we must stop to talk to them, give them a hug and take a picture. So cute!

*This is not a paid post. We were guest of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom for the day.

Weekend In Pictures - Annual Father's Day Hike

View of our 2nd Annual Father's Day walk!

My husband talking to Liam about something while carrying Ashley in the pack, what a man!!

 I was there too, and I even carried Ashley around for a bit to lighten his load :)

This kid!! So thankful for his wonderful Dad.

Father's Day was a great day around here. We started a family hike on a trail by our house last year and it has officially become an annual Father's Day event. I love it when traditions come about in such a natural way. My husband is an amazing father and my children and I are so very lucky to have him. He is works so hard for our family and always has time for a little fun, he is simply the best!

Cascade Platinum Cleaning Packs #myplatinum #sponsored

*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating


The more I work the more I realize how I need easy one step items for my life. I do not want extra time spent on silly things that have easier solutions. One of those things is dishes!

Last week we had a couple friends over for dinner and I made sauteed veggies and sauteed potatoes to serve with chicken. I always use a stainless steel pan and a little bit of oil. I do not buy non stick pans so I need a good dishwasher detergent to get my dishes clean. I do a little pre-soaking in the sink and then into the dishwasher.

I use a natural dishwasher soap and it can be a little tough to get dirty pans clean with it. I want to avoid extra chemicals and streaks on my dishes but it does not always get my dishes clean the first time. For my latest food creation I am planning to use Cascade Platinum Cleaning Packs

My pan after cooking!

After cleaning the pots and pans from my dinner party I was surprised how clean the pan was. I do not always like to use a normal chemical detergent for everyday dishes but I can see Cascade Platinum being helpful for those days I need to use many pots and pans.

Cascade Platinum:

•       Delivers Cascade’s ultimate clean for dishes
• Scrubs away tough 24 hour stuck-on food
• Eliminates the need to pre-wash dishes
• Provides exceptional dishware shine
• Contains the Grease Fighting Power of Dawn

Clean Shiny Pots and Pans

As a blogger I love to make my dishes look beautiful. I want the food to stand out against the plate. I want the dishes to be perfect! Plus no extra scrubbing after the cooking!

Do you like to take pictures of your food? Show off your food photography skills for a chance to win prizes from Cascade and KitchenAid in the My Platinum Instagram Contest. Enter here : http://tinyurl.com/PlatBlog 

Gail Simmons the Top Chef Judge and Food + Wine magazine editor uses Cascade Platinum!



I know I will be entering the contest! I love to cook great meals, snap a photo and share on Instagram. I get so many great food ideas from there.

Please be sure to include both the #MyPlatinum hashtag and tag @MyCascade in your entries to the contest.

You can learn more about Cascade Platinum on their Facebook Page.

The Power of Dads! Oral-B Flash Giveaway #powerofdad

#spon: I'm required to disclose a relationship between our site and Oral-B. Oral-B may have provided us with content, product, access or other forms of payment. All opinions are my own.

Father's Day means so much more now that my husband is a Dad. Before of course it was special to celebrate our own Dads for the great men they are but now my husband and I get to celebrate him. Now I know how my Mom must have felt to see us kids get excited to give our Dad homemade gifts and cards. My son has made a drawing for my husband that I cannot wait to give to him on Sunday. It warms my heart and makes me smile knowing my son has a great Dad.

Over the last year I have watched my husband become the most together Dad ever! Last Fall I started working full time and my husband is Mr. Mom. He cooks, cleans, takes care of our son, takes him on adventures and teaches him many things. I am amazed at how mellow our son has become and how happy he is. I though for sure he would need his Mama 24/7 but I was wrong. I feel like I admire and love my husband even more seeing the kind of Dad he has become. It amazes me at the way he knows what my son means among the whining and toddler babble, the way he knows just how far to let a temper tantrum go before intervening and how he lets our son wear one cowboy boot with one slipper out if the house because it makes our son happy, hes a great Dad. If my husband was not the Dad he is I would not be able to work on my career like I have. We really are a great team and I appreciate him more than I can tell him. 

At the park having a pizza and popsicle party

One of the things my husband has been teaching our son while I am at work is brushing his teeth properly. My husband bought him a cute Snoopy toothbrush and they brush their teeth. I have yet to get my husband to sing the toothbrush song but I am working on that lol.

GIVEAWAY
To celebrate the Dads in your life and keep their smile bright I am hosting a giveaway for an Oral-B Deep Sweep TRIACTION™ 1000 power toothbrush! My husband will be getting one for Father's Day that I know he will love. We have been looking at these brushes but yet to buy one. I know he is going to be surprised! 






a Rafflecopter giveaway

 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts June 14, 2013 and ends on June 16,  2013 at 12:01 am EST. Winner will be emailed and has 24 hours to respond before another winner is selected. 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.

Father's Day Idea: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Vallejo CA

I asked my husband what he wanted to do for Father's Day and he said surprise me with something fun, outdoors, the whole family can be there, good food and a great place to make memories. That could be many things, but for me I thought Six Flags!! We love going there as a family to enjoy the rides, eat the food and see the animal shows. Our son loves the dolphin and whale shows and even our nephew was just talking about the dolphin show that he saw at Discovery Kingdom last summer on their vacation to CA.

This year the dolphin show has a new theme, Cirque Dreams Splashtastic. The new show features a dazzling dramatic mix of mesmerizing dolphin performances along with spectacular Cirque Dreams feats that will create and entertainment experience beyond your wildest imagination.

This dynamic visual spectacle combines the Cirque Dreams acrobats’ amazing feats of strength with the graceful leaps and bows of the popular marine mammals at the park. The teaming of the internationally renowned company of acrobats, aerialists and astounding Cirque Dreams acts alongside the dolphins will amaze in the air, over water and throughout the Dolphin Harbor Theater.


We are so excited to be going to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to celebrate Father's Day and see the new Cirque Dreams Splashtastic!! My husband loves riding the kids rides with our son and eating tri tip sandwiches. This time I want to catch the elephant show, we seem to miss it each time. There is always so much to do in one day. Oh and the go carts, we want to ride those too.


*This is not a paid post. We will be guest of Discovery Kingdom.

Simple Dessert: Pears & Greek Frozen Yogurt

As a mom that works outside the home I do not have time on some days to bake or make an amazing dessert. On those days I keep it simple by purchasing tasty and somewhat healthy items. No cooking, easy clean up and to my son ice cream with a sweet topping. I found Greek frozen yogurt and jarred pears at the dollar store. This dessert was sooooo good and only $2! Great buy and my son loved it.

Do you have any simple and inexpensive healthy desserts?

Happy Hump Day Coupons!

Health + Beauty Products

• $3.00 off RoC MULTI CORREXION anti-aging product
• $3.00 off RoC RETINOL CORREXION anti-aging product
• $1.50 off TWO Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Shampoos
• $1.50 off any (2) Boost Nutritional Products

Fun + Games

• $3.00 off SCRABBLE or CONNECT 4 Game
• $3.00 off any one TWISTER or OPERATION Game
• $4.97 value Crayola when you Buy $10 Crayola Color

Meat

• $1.00 off any one Butterball refrigerated item
• $1.00 off one (1) Butterball Frozen Turkey Burger
• $1.00 off any 1 LLOYD'S Barbeque product
• $1.00 off two VALLEY FRESH products
• $1.00 off 1 HORMEL Refrigerated Entree
• $0.55 off ONE package of Hillshire Farm Lunchmeat
• $1.00 off ONE meat-free Gardein™ frozen entree
• $1.00 off HORMEL ALWAYS TENDER meat
• $1.00 off 2 HORMEL NATURAL CHOICE products
• $1.00 off 2 HORMEL Pepperoni packages

Storage + Saver Products

$1.00 off FoodSaver Zipper Bags, value $7 or more
• $1.00 off a FoodSaver Heat-Seal Bag or Roll
• $5.00 off a FoodSaver Handheld Vacuum Sealer

A trip to our local Fire Station!

With the warm weather in full swing around here we are spending more and more time outside and the boys are riding their bikes and scooters anytime they can. Honestly Jayden had an ill-fitting helmet and Liam didn't even have one, mind you he was always on a three wheel trike, but with him wanting to ride bikes with his brother I knew they needed proper helmets. Through Jayden's Elementary school I found out that our local fire department comes to the Elementary schools to fit and give any student in need a helmet for free. All of the helmets are donated by the firefighters so any donations are welcome. Since both of the boys needed new helmets we made our own trip to our local fire station so they could each get fitted for a helmet by a real life firefighter!!

 Liam getting fitted for his very own super cool red helmet!

 Look Mom it fits!!

 Jayden's turn, he had a lot of questions for the firefighter :)

 They even got some cool stickers and a lesson on always wearing your helmet.

A perfect fit for both! Having the firefighter tell them how important it is to wear a helmet was great, they have been seriously on top of the helmet wearing because a "real life firefighter" told them to!!!

Check with your local fire station and see if they offer something like this available, it was a great experience the boys are still talking about.

Heart Healthy Recipe for Summer Tailgating with Save Mart Supermarket #FreshFinds

*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 their client. #FreshFinds All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

My son thinks race cars are cool. He loves the Cars movies and the first time he saw a race on tv he yelled "Wow Mom thats so cool!" We have had friends tell us about the races in Sonoma but we have yet to attend one, perhaps when our son is a little older so he can actually stay in his seat we will attend a race. For now we are happy to have a home tailgating party and watch races on tv. 

We headed to Save Mart Supermarket to buy food for our Race Party for the Save Mart Toyota 350 race. We are planning a heart healthy meal to health promote the cause of Nascar driver Jeff Burton who is raising money to help fight heart disease. At times tailgating and home tailgating can turn into a bunch of junk food and goodies but we are planning something delicious and good for you.

I made my menu list based on items that are heart healthy and on sale at Save Mart. I plan to serve one of my husbands favorite drinks I make, Wine Fruit Punch. It is like a Sangria without the traditional brandy in it. To contrast the sweetness of my drink I am serving Chicken Tacos, Sauteed Veggie Skewers and Cheese & Olive Bread Rounds with Guacamole. 

  I am planning to serve food that is hand held and easy to eat while watching the races. I like to serve food with skewers and toothpicks. Its fun to eat and less messy! I am making potatoes sauteed in olive oil with red onions and red bell peppers. My mom has made sauteed potatoes for many years. I love them so much I make them all the time. So much healthier than a deep fried potatoes.

I love cooking with my family. We get to bond while we make a meal. My son was having a hard time not eating things while we waited for friends to arrive.

Simple to make! These were a huge hit with our friends that came over for dinner. 

I want an appetizer that is not cooked. On a hot day like this one at 108 degrees we need something cold and light. Many times at a party we put out bowls of chips or other salty snacks. For the summer we like more of a lighter and healthier snack. In the intense heat with salty junk food can make you feel even more drained, not a fun way to have a party. I made my appetizer with bread rounds, cheese, guacamole and olives. My son really liked these, I was surprised since he can be a picky eater. 

For the main course I made chicken tacos with cilantro, red onion and cherry tomatoes. These were one of the best tacos I have made. I made them with boneless chicken breast. I left the skin on to cook topped with taco seasoning but then took of the skin before I cut the chicken to serve it in the tacos. It was a perfect flavor! 

This is a great way to serve a drink for grown ups that is not heavy like a beer. Typical tailgating usually involves beer but for us we like to have a sweet and refreshing wine punch. I make mine with different fresh fruits and juices to change the flavors. I selected strawberries, cantaloupe, kiwi and oranges with Mango Lemonade & Sierra Mist Natural for this party. I made the kids a non alcoholic version using blueberry lemonade.

Sweet, fresh and so tasty! 

We had a fun time at our Save Mart Race party! We enjoyed good food as we watched some older races on tv. I am excited that Danica Patrick will be racing this year. After the day cooled off from the 108 degree weather we went to the pool to cool off, after waiting at least 30 minutes to swim after eating. That is what they say right?!? :)

You can see my shopping trip to Save Mart and the live lobster tank by reading my Google+ story. 

Connect with Save Mart for other Heart Healthy Recipes for your Summer Parties on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.