Summer Snacks

May 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

With the decision by the school board last night to shorten the school year, summer break is coming fast. As a side note, why did I never get a shortened school year? I feel slighted now! Anyway, I have already been trying to stock up summer snacks to arm Brian for the hungry,  hungry kids that will begging for snacks as soon as breakfast dishes get in the sink.

My last score was GoGo SqueeZ Applesauce on clearance at Walmart. I admit that I stocked up a bit too much. I had to rearrange a whole shelf in the garage to fit  my new stash of applesauce. oops! That is OK though as it will be gone by the time school starts. I will be looking for some other cracker deals here soon. My other standby snack is yogurt drinks or cheese sticks which the kids love!

With summer coming, it seems that fundraiser season has ended here in this area which is one of my alternate snacks sources. I often find catalogs on the counter at the office or little kids at the front door. I love supporting the kids and hope each time I see them that the fundraiser idea is something our family can use and not more wrapping paper or things to dust! I think we all have our favorite fundraisers to support though. I admit the ones I enjoy the most are the cookie fundraising books! This is something I can always use in a pinch for snack time. Sadly, I am going into summer with none left from the last fundraiser I bought from because I used them for a last minute snack for Brian to take to Bible Study a few weeks ago.

What are your standby summer snacks for the kids? Do you have splurge summer snacks too? Leave us a comment and let us know.

 

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Do you have Peppa Pig fan at your house?

May 4, 2012 By 1 Comment

First, do you live near Charlottesville, VA? If you do, you can get a free ticket to see Sid the Science Kid at the Carmike during the Saturday morning shows! Find details here! Don’t live near Charlottesville? Don’t fret! You can find a local theater near you here!

 

About Sid’s Backyard Campout

Pack some food and bring your backpack because Sid, Gerald, and Dad are gearing up for a big adventure!  They’re setting up tents for a campout in the backyard!  Dad is eager to share his love of nature and demonstrates how to have a great time outside with the simplest of necessities. They look for animals, cook their own dinner, marvel at the stars in the sky, roast marshmallows, and sing songs around the campfire.  Join the adventure and sing along!

 

About Peppa Pig …
Peppa is a loveable, cheeky little piggy who lives with her little brother George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. Peppa’s favourite things include playing games, dressing up, days out and jumping in muddy puddles. Her adventures always end happily with loud snorts of laughter.

Peppa Pig: Muddy Puddles and Other Stories shares 12 story vignettes with the Kidtoons family. Each story provides a peek into the world of Peppa as she encounters every day scenarios. As Peppa discovers the world around her, our young audience has many opportunities to learn and grow.

Sophie was sent Peppa Pig gift set with merchandise currently only available in the UK: Peppa DVDs, Peppa plush beanie, My Extra Special Sticker Book, Peppa portrait, Peppa coloring book, Peppa workbook and Peppa First Sleepover.

Sophie seriously loves Peppa Pig. She loves the oink, oink and is often heard saying that after the show. I can say there is a whole selection of Peppa Pig shows recorded to our DVR player for her enjoyment any time of the day! So to say she was happy to have a Peppa Pig DVD and book and other goodies is an understatement for sure! Want to see a happy girl? Here she is ….
Do you love Peppa Pig or Sid the Science Kid at your house? Leave a comment and let us know.
Filed Under: Charlottesville, Kids, Simply Family, Simply Local Tagged With: , , , , ,

Friday Favorite: Strawberry Shortcake Magazine

April 13, 2012 By 2 Comments

Friday Favorites is another almost weekly feature here at Simply Budgeted. The whole point of this feature is to share some of our favorite finds. Anything is game. Food. Cleaning supplies. Kid stuff. Garden favorites. Recipes. Anything that I really like and want to randomly post about.

Reminder/Disclaimer/Whatever: Everything in Friday Favorites is something that we use and bought on our own.

 

Strawberry Shortcake Magazine

Details …

Join Strawberry Shortcake and all her friends in her super, fun-filled magazine. Each issue is packed with stories, puzzles, games and educational activities that are designed to encourage the skills needed to succeed in school while having fun with their favorite ‘Berry’ friends. Published 8 times a year for girls 3 to 8.

Our Thoughts …

That picture explains it all, doesn’t it?! Brian picked up this magazine last week when I was sick with strep. He had taken the girls grocery shopping and they saw these at the grocery store. Brian splurged. I have to save that is the one of the best impulse buys ever. Those magazines kept the girls so quiet. Oh my goodness! They worked TOGETHER on them and really loved the activities in there. Plus there are stickers which makes it even better.

After a little looking online, you can subscribe to these magazines! I think this going on Grace’s birthday list for as family member gift idea. She will be so excited and it will be great to have gift that keeps showing up in the mail for her. Plus the added peace while she works on it will be priceless!

You can find the Strawberry Shortcake Magazine subscription on Amazon for a great price!

 

I want to add that we were lucky enough to get a visit in our email from the Fairy Hobmother! You might have seen other bloggers mention this when talking about www.appliancesonline.co.uk. It was a great surprise in our inbox this week for sure!

Filed Under: Friday Favorites, Kids, Memes, Simply Family Tagged With: , , , , ,

Wordless Wednesday – Spring Fun in the Backyard

April 4, 2012 By 6 Comments

Yesterday, I came home from work and found this in the backyard. (No it wasn’t new, it just wasn’t set-up when I left at 6am when everyone else in the house was still asleep!)

Pop Quiz … how many kids are in the picture?

Leave us your link to let us know where your Wordless Wednesday post is …

 

What is in your yard this spring? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Filed Under: Kids, Memes, Simply Family, Wednesday Randoms Tagged With: , , , , , ,

National Craft Month – Dinosaur Train

March 29, 2012 By 5 Comments

The folks at Quilting treasures sent some of their new Dinosaur Train fabric in celebration of National Craft Month!

They put out four craft projects that include a bulletin board, lampshade, picture frames, and book covers.

I decided to work on the bulletin board for Matthew’s big boy room update I am slowly working on! He loves dinosaurs (as much as he loves cars!) so I am combining cars and dinosaurs in his room as I update the decor!

Here are the supplies I needed for the bulletin board:

As a note, I didn’t use the braid the directions stated to use, I just went with a flat ribbon.The directions on the project sheet were really simple to follow so don’t worry about trying to figure out what to do. Oh and this project is no-sew … get out your glue gun and you are set!

Ta-da! Here is the finished bulletin board …

This project only took me about an hour and half (with a four year old “helper”). I was happy it was a short project I could sneak in on a Sunday afternoon when the house was a little quiet. Plus I could get the need to work on a craft out of my system for the week! Now I just need to get Brian to hang it up in Matthew’s room!

NOTE: Fabric is not intended for children’s sleepwear.

What would you make with this fabric? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Filed Under: Kids, Promotional, Reviews, Simply Family Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Chuggington: Brewster’s Little Helper

March 27, 2012 By

 

Chuggington: Brewster’s Little Helper

Details …

Honk your horns for this all-new collection showcasing young trainee, Brewster, as he discovers adventure and responsibility in Chuggington. In these six traintastic episodes, Brewster gets some unexpected help from Zephie, cleans up a mess in the recycling yard with Koko, does a sign-reading exercise with pal Wilson, and even meets his hero Action Chugger! Together Brewster and his friends learn valuable lessons about friendship, patience, following instructions, and completing daily tasks. Join the trainees as they ride the rails of life in Brewster’s Little Helper!

Our Thoughts …

Little Dude loved seeing a new Chuggington DVD come in the mail. Besides cars … he love trains. Choo-choo. All you have to say is train and you will hear him say “choo-choo”! I love the part of the Chuggington shows that shows the trains learning to listen. We need a lot of listening practice at this house so it is always great to reenforce that topic in other ways than mom or dad saying it! If you have a train lover at your house, they will love this newest Chuggington DVD for sure!

This DVD is half price at Amazon right now! Head over there and add it to an Easter basket …

We have been given the opportunity to giveaway copy of Chuggington: Brewster’s Little Helper!

 

Details:
This drawing will end Tuesday, April 10th at 11:59pm EST. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in the comment form so you can be contacted if you are a winner! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.

This giveaway is open to US residents only!

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Tell me who the train lover is at your house!
Additional Entries:
1) Follow us on Facebook HERE. Worth two entries so leave two comments here! (Psst … we love comments on Facebook so maybe you can leave us one!)
2) Follow BOTH SimplyBudgeted and This_Cookin_Dad on Twitter. Leave THREE comments with your twitter name.
3) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT #Win a copy of Chuggington: Brewster’s Little Helper @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/GS7VsR ends 4/10 #giveaway #dvd #chuggington

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!)
4) Subscribe to the daily email here at Simply Budgeted. It is at the top of the sidebar!;) Please leave five comments. (worth 5 entries!)
5) Like this post on Facebook (the like icon is up at the top of the post!) Leave three comments (worth 3 entries!)

Filed Under: Giveaways, Kids, Promotional, Reviews, Simply Family Tagged With: , , , ,

Wee Believers Floor Puzzles

March 26, 2012 By 1 Comment

We recently had the opportunity to review two of Wee Believer‘s Floor Puzzles, the 2-in-1 Easter Floor Puzzle and the 2-in-1 Noah’s Ark Floor Puzzle.

2-in-1 Easter Floor Puzzle

Details …

This 54-piece jumbo 2-in-1 floor puzzle features a joyful Easter Resurrection illustration on one side and a serene Wee Believers animal friends scene on the other.  With an impressive finish size of 3 x 2 feet, this puzzle makes a precious family or classroom activity.

Our Thoughts …

Grace went to town on this puzzle. We had to remind her to share the puzzle solving process with the other kids. Here is what they ended up with.

Oh the side says, “Spring!” Grace is working on reading and that is a word she knows so she was excited to read the puzzle to everyone else!

2-in-1 Noah’s Ark Floor Puzzle

Details …

This 48-piece round 2-in-1 floor puzzle features Noah with an uplifting Wee Believers® animal march illustration on one side, and an enchanting undersea wonderland on the back, making a fun-filled family or classroom activity.

Our Thoughts …

I love that this puzzle is round. It really challenged the kids since it was a round puzzle. Brian was helping the kids with this puzzle and you can see them sorting the edges.

In progress …

I some how missed the final version of this puzzle but here it is. This side is labeled the back but I love the verse on it so it is my favorite side of this puzzle!

Brian managed to “flip” both of the puzzles like they were pizza pies without them breaking so the kids could see the other side. The problem was that after he did that, they kept wanting him to just flip them so they could see both sides over and over and over again!

We are excited to learn about Wee Believers and love their slogan of “Toys … where Faith meets Fun!”

Are floor puzzles a hit at your house too? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Filed Under: Kids, Promotional, Reviews, Simply Family Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Wordless Wednesday: Three of a Kind

March 21, 2012 By 23 Comments

This week has been a sick week at our house so far which left me digging through some old pictures to find one to share. After everyone has been so sick (minus Grace), I was excited to see some smiles from my kiddos. It is hard to get a picture of all three of them … this one is about two months old now but this is them, especially when I try to get a picture!

 

Let us know where you Wordless Wednesday is …

Filed Under: Kids, Memes, Simply Family, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: , ,

Wordless Wednesday: Down For the Count

February 1, 2012 By 20 Comments

It isn’t often we get two kids napping at the same time. (Three never happens these days!) Brian took this picture yesterday since Little Dude and Sophie decide to both give up at the same time!

 

 

Let us know where your Wordless Wednesday is so we can come leave a comment!

Filed Under: Kids, Memes, Simply Family, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: , , ,

Monoglide Hand Shower by American Standard

December 20, 2011 By 1 Comment

  Details …

The Monoglide Four-Function Hand Shower from American Standard offers the convenience of a multifunction hand shower controlled via a simple slide of the selector button. Made of an easy-grip material to ensure safe operation, this button lets you toggle between the four spray settings. Your hands stay clear of the water stream and free for shampooing and cleaning. The Monoglide includes a check valve to prevent cross flow of hot and cold water, has an easy-to-clean spray face, and offers the comfort and convenience of a standard 2.5 gpm flow rate.

Ergonomic Design with One-Button Operation
The Monoglide Hand Shower provides the convenience of four functions and a single selector button for quick and easy customization of your shower. Simply slide the button on the handle to change settings.

With this hand shower, changing the spray pattern while showering is easy to do even with wet, slippery hands–no need to touch the face of the hand shower and block the water stream.

Four Spray Patterns and Consistent Flow
The Monoglide offers four spray patterns: wide full spray, soft and drenching aerated spray, therapeutic massage spray, and power mist spray. Whichever spray option you choose, a pressure-compensating flow control device will provide consistent flow over a wide pressure range. The hand shower offers a standard 2.5 gpm flow rate.

Easy-Clean Design for Effortless Maintenance
The Monoglide requires little to no maintenance. Easy-clean, non-clogging spray nozzles make it a snap to rid the spray face of calcium and lime deposits–just wipe them away.

Our Thoughts …

Remember when I wrote about Oh the Noise and how I hide in the bathroom from the kids?  Yeah that is still true. The kind folks at American Standard sent us the Monoglide Hand Shower as part of that post. I was so excited for a nice shower head in our bathroom that everyone seems to use. The spray settings are great and I enjoyed finding the one that I love. The hose is great for washing the dog and makes that effort so much easier!! Plus since we are on a well out here, we love the water saving feature of this shower head. So if you want to escape and hide in the bathroom or just want to upgrade your shower head, check out this shower head!;)

Oh and Brian said the installation was super easy and fast!!  This product is available on Amazon right now too!

 

NOTE: The product featured in this review was provided by American Standard. All thoughts and opinions expressed are our own.

Filed Under: Home & Garden, Promotional, Reviews, Simply Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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