I love Chipotle and it's quite a treat for me when I get to eat there! So when I heard about their "Boo-rito" Halloween promotion, I was thrilled. If you dressed like a burrito or taco between 6 and 10 tonight, you got a FREE burrito! My family wasn't quite as thrilled as I was, but they humored me and we all dressed up like burritos and tacos.
When was the last time your family fun night included something like this? Or a heartwarming moment like this? Or something that make your kids laugh hysterically? Or even roll on the floor laughing? All this AND free food from Chipotle! That's my kind of Family Fun night!
During the month of November, Alyssa over at Kingdom First Mom is hosting The 30-Day Giving Challenge. I am planning on participating and I hope you will too.
This is a great way to be intentional about your giving. Get your whole family involved. Come up with ways that you can give of yourself...your time, talent, and resources. Here are some suggestions to get you started!
*Drop off a flu fighting kit for a family who is under the weather (Include soft tissues, hand sanitizer, chicken soup, crackers, and a book or DVD to pass the time.)
*Offer to babysit (free of charge) for a family who may need a night out.
*Take flowers to a local nursing home and give them to someone who doesn't regularly get visitors.
*If you know of a family who doesn't have much this year, drop off all the fixings for a great turkey dinner.
*Go through the drive-thru and pay for the person behind you in line.
*Rake leaves or shovel snow for a widow or elderly neighbor.
*Drop off a meal for a new mom or an under-the-weather family.
*Buy a stranger a cup of coffee.
*Take a few of the extras you have in your stockpile and donate them to a local shelter or food pantry.
We all have something we can give...every single day. I hope you'll join in!
I've been thinking about doing a fun little post to wish all of you a happy Halloween (or for those of you who don't participate in Halloween, a little something fun to make you smile!) Unfortunately, other than slapping up a few pictures (so I could show off my adorable family) and using some horrible puns, I was at a loss.
Then I saw that Mary at Giving Up On Perfect (which you really need to check out if you don't already read it) was doing a Carnival and Giveaway (with really cool prizes). I wanted to be involved in both...until I read she was looking for stories of costume catastrophes, holiday mishaps, and not so perfect Halloweens.
I didn't have any of those kinds of stories...at least not that I could think of off the top of my head. We've only trick or treated one time since we adopted the girls and other than the price of the costumes, it went pretty well. (Look how cute they are!!!)
I racked my brain for something that would apply. I even dug out a box of photos to see if it would prompt some memories.
It's funny how many things you forget (or try to forget) about until you look at pictures...
Like the Halloween before we adopted the girls. We were down in the Bahamas staying at Atlantis for some meetings I had for work and our company did a big costume bash. My hubby and I went as Elvis and Priscilla Presley. The picture below (which happens to be the only one I could find that was decent enough to share without cropping) was taken with Dr. Gadget. He's pretty darn cool, but I digress... Somehow I blocked that costume catastrophe from my mind. I was at Atlantis...a zillion miles from home...and let's just say my dress could have used a little more cloth on the top half. I don't think I even realized how bad it was until I saw the pictures! I wouldn't let my hubby post any of them on Facebook or anywhere else once I saw how indecent my dress was. My costume....disaster. My husband...he totally rocked his Elvis costume. He probably had 30 strangers ask to have their pictures taken as we walked through Atlantis...And what's even better, the costume made my normally shy hubby quite bold. When the Tina Turner impersonator got up to do her show, he just got out of his seat and joined her in the front of the room. He even danced!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend spending time with your family! :-) Thanks for indulging my desire to show off my family!
Today is Mega Swagbucks Day and that means you can earn Swagbucks in larger denominations (10,20, 50, 100). They guarantee over 10K Swagbucks will be awarded in Mega Bills! Make sure to head on over and do a few searches. Remember 45 Swagbucks will get you a $5 Amazon gift card. You can easily earn 1 or 2 Amazon gift cards a month with just a few searches a day!
For those of you who haven't heard of Swagbucks, it is a free way to search online (it's powered by Google and Ask.com) and earn rewards for doing it. You can learn more about Swagbucks in this post. Have a great weekend!!!
Halloween is just around the corner and we're a little too old to do the trick or treating thing at our house. However, that doesn't mean we don't still want some free stuff! Looks like we'll be swinging by Taco Bell and Chipotle on Halloween. FREE BlackJack Taco on Halloween: Stop in to Taco Bell between 6pm and midnight and receive a FREE BlackJackTaco.
So this next one requires a little more effort, but it's definitely worth it since I love this place!!!
I LOVE (and I mean I big pink puffy heart LOVE) Chipotle! If you dress like a burrito, (hope you have lots of free foil), you'll get a free burritto or burrito bowl from 6pm to close on Halloween. Also, just one more reason to love Chipotle...they have an iPhone app for ordering! How sweet is that!
There are probably others as well, but since Chipotle and Taco Bell are two of our favorites, I thought I'd share them with you. As with any good deal like this, always call to make sure your local stores are participating.
This morning was one of THOSE mornings. I wanted to say something like "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." or "A penny saved is a penny earned." but neither of them quite applied, so I was stuck with "This morning was one of THOSE mornings." Not nearly as clever, but I digress...
I have a routine for school mornings. I'm pretty good about following it daily. The first thing I do every morning when I wake up is check for school days. I have the page bookmarked on my iPhone and when my alarm goes off (which is also on my iPhone), I check for school delays. Since it's still fall and we rarely have delays, I wake up the kids and we all get ready.
When I woke up this morning, I had that "Uh-oh" feeling you get when you oversleep. I glanced over at the clock to see that it was 7:45...which is 20 minutes after the time we LEAVE for school. I jumped out of bed, yelled up to the kids that it was 7:45 and began the morning craziness. Since I'm still on pain meds for my never ending dental problems, my hubby took the kids to school. I was extremely impressed at how quickly everyone made it out the door and to the school.
And then I got the phone call...you know the one. "There's no one in the parking lot. Is there a delay today?" So I checked my phone and sure enough...2 hour delay. Some schools in the area were even canceled. Apparently there was quite a bit of fog this morning. So, my sweet hubby brought the girls back home. I made eggs for everyone, spent some time hanging out with my kiddoes, and then they all headed back to school! What a morning.
If you have one of those clever quotes that would apply, please send it my way. Maybe your clever quote will what I need to remind me to take a few extra seconds to save lots of extra minutes.
Guys Are Waffles, Girls Are Spaghetti - Book Review
Thanks to Thomas Nelson and Mama Buzz, I had a chance to review another fun book. This easy to read book is great for teens who want help understanding the opposite sex better (and I mean really...we could all use some help in that area!)
In this hilarious, yet amazingly insightful book, discover the secrets behind whyguys and girlsthink and act so differently. Guys' brains have little compartments like a waffle, and there they keep most aspects of their lives separated. Girls brains are like spaghetti, because they tend to keep everything in their lives connected. Learn how to talk so a "waffle" will listen, and how to understand the "spaghetti-ish"conversations that you will encounter your entire life. Learning about waffles and spaghetti will make a difference in real-lilfe issues like dating, sex, friendships, body language, and communication skills of every kind. So dig in for the insights you've been craving.
When talking about the difference between guys and girls, it's hard to put those differences into a word picture that makes sense. After reading Guys Are Waffles, Girls Are Spaghetti, the title did just that (and it made me a little hungry, I'll admit it)! This book is quite funny and written in a way that teens will enjoy. With chapter titles like "Crying in the Bathroom", "Talking More Better", "Shoot Your Barber", and "Your Brain Doesn't Work...Completely", you can't help but be amused. But what's even better is that while you're being amused, you're also taking in some good info. Like you'd expect with a title like this, the book is chock full of info on understanding the opposite sex. It starts with basic info on chromosomes and brain structure and operation and moves on to cover communication styles, listening styles, dating, and sex.
Although this book is great for interpersonal relationships, it's also great at helping your teen understand himself or herself better. This book sparked some great conversations with my daughter about why she acts the way she does, what she learned about the way boys act, and even some interesting conversations about boundaries in dating. (She's not allowed to date yet, but when she is, I want her to be very clear in her boundaries and expectations!)
If you have teens around your house, this would be a great book to keep on your bookshelf (and even if you don't, you and your hubby may learn something you didn't know!)
*Disclosure: This book was provided to the Mama Buzz site and Mama Buzz reviewers, free of charge, in exchange for today's blog tour*
It's KFC's 2nd Annual "UnFRYDay" and they're offering a FREE piece of Grilled Chicken today when you come into their store! No coupon necessary. As with any Freebie like this, I recommend calling your local store first to make sure they are participating!
I have to tell you...I'm in a rut! I don't know what the problem is, but I just don't feel like being creative (or healthy) for that matter. With my tooth feeling the way it does, I'd be happy to just eat Kraft mac and cheese for the next week, but I don't think my family would be appreciative. If you have suggestions for quick easy meals (that are healthy and don't contain potatoes), I'd love to see them! In the meantime, it's another boring week at our house! I'm still trying to have at least one veggie per meal and I'm also trying to use the crock pot at least one night a week.
Monday - Mac and Cheese and hotdogs with brocolli
Tuesday - Crockpot Chicken and biscuits with peas and carrots
Wednesday - Pizza
Thursday - Spaghetti with meat sauce and mixed veggies
Friday - Tomato soup, Salad, and Grilled Cheese
Saturday - Steak, Baked Sweet Potato, and Salad
If you'd like something more inspiring than my current week (and really, who wouldn't), head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday or for someflexitarian, vegetarian and raw menu ideas and recipes, head on over to Chive Talkin.
It looks like this week we will have 2 inserts: Red Plum and Smart Source. I have to say that I've been pretty disappointed in the Red Plum inserts we've been getting in our region. If you'd like more info on what to expect in tomorrows paper, head on over to Sunday Coupon Preview.
I wanted to let you all know that the very talented Julie over at Leelou Blogs is working on my blog makeover. I'm sure you are as excited as I am that my blog will soon be pretty. Thanks for being so patient as I've tried various blogging platforms...and more recently, as I somehow managed to lose about 5 weeks worth of blog posts. During the move, I also lost all my Google Followers, so please follow me again! I'd really appreciate it!
October 24: Free Hot Chocolate and Cookie from Barnes & Noble
On Saturday, October 24th, Barnes & Noble is offering a FREE small cookie and Kids-size Hot Chocolate in the Cafe. Limit one per customer! I was pretty excited when I saw this coupon in my inbox. Our family loves to spend a few hours at Barnes & Noble looking through books! And who can pass up free hot chocolate on a cold rainy weekend (at least where I live!) Click here to print off this coupon and a few others!
Yesterday I bought the new Veggie Tales Christmas movie at a nearby Christian bookstore and it came with this...Yep, you guessed it! A Bob and Larry cookie cutter. This is a family blog, so I'll just say this...
We will not be making these cookies. I don't have enough decorating skills to make this look like a cucumber and tomato. I can't imagine sending these cookies to school with my children!
If you're anything like us, each week (or month), you end up throwing away something slightly unrecognizable in your fridge. According to Prevention, the average family throws out 122 pounds of food per month and wastes $590 a year on food that eventually spoils! That's a serious amount of food and money! For us, we have found that having a meal plan definitely helps with the amount of food we're tossing. Check out these other great tips from Prevention. They'll help you keep food fresher past their expiration date! It's definitely worth checking out. Some of these were things I'd never heard before!
Today is Mega Swagbucks Day and that means you can earn Swagbucks in larger denominations (10,20, 50, 100). They guarantee over 10K Swagbucks will be awarded in Mega Bills! Make sure to head on over and do a few searches. Remember 45 Swagbucks will get you a $5 Amazon gift card. You can easily earn 1 or 2 Amazon gift cards a month with just a few searches a day!
For those of you who haven't heard of Swagbucks, it is a free way to search online (it's powered by Google and Ask.com) and earn rewards for doing it. You can learn more about Swagbucks in this post. Have a great weekend!!!
Kristen over at We Are THAT Family is celebrating her 2 year blogoversary with a carnival and to help her celebrate, she's asked us all to share our "THAT family" moment. She's even offered prizes. Since I have plenty of "THAT family" moments, I thought I'd share a few with you.
For starters, there was my first day of being a mom in the United States. I'd just my 2 daughters home from Ukraine and we had to spend the night in New York City before flying to Indiana. As we ate at the very nice, upscale breakfast buffet at our hotel, my daughter was sampling various foods with the serving spoons...and putting the serving spoons directly in her mouth! Everyone was staring and I knew we were definitely going to be "THAT" family!
Or two weeks later when my daughter announced that she made a new friend. I asked who it was and she loudly said "The boy over there in the black body". Everyone stared at us!
Or the time when the girls were still learning English and liked to try out new words without knowing for sure what they meant. When I talked to the girls about decorating our family room, one of the girls suggested "bosoms on the ceiling." When I asked if bosom was a Russian or English word, she proudly told me that it was "English word mama" I asked if she knew what it meant and she told me that she didn't. I explained what bosom meant and neither of the girls believed me. When I typed it in the Russian/English translation software, the girls cracked up...and for the next year, whenever they referred to anyone's chest, they called it their bosom. (it's totally funny to hear 10 and 13 year old girls talk about people's bosoms)!
Those 3 were just in my first 6 months as a mom! I could share plenty more, but I'm afraid my kids wouldn't be too thrilled! :-)
Head on over to We Are That Family and congratulate Kristen! She's awesome and so is her blog!
Today is Mega Swagbucks Day and that means you can earn Swagbucks in larger denominations (10,20, 50, 100). They guarantee over 10K Swagbucks will be awarded in Mega Bills! Make sure to head on over and do a few searches. Remember 45 Swagbucks will get you a $5 Amazon gift card. You can easily earn 1 or 2 Amazon gift cards a month with just a few searches a day!
For those of you who haven't heard of Swagbucks, it is a free way to search online (it's powered by Google and Ask.com) and earn rewards for doing it. You can learn more about Swagbucks in this post. Have a great weekend!!!
Today is Mega Swagbucks Day and that means you can earn Swagbucks in larger denominations (10,20, 50, 100). They guarantee over 10K Swagbucks will be awarded in Mega Bills! Make sure to head on over and do a few searches. Remember 45 Swagbucks will get you a $5 Amazon gift card. You can easily earn 1 or 2 Amazon gift cards a month with just a few searches a day!
For those of you who haven't heard of Swagbucks, it is a free way to search online (it's powered by Google and Ask.com) and earn rewards for doing it. You can learn more about Swagbucks in this post. Have a great weekend!!!
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review Redefining Beautiful by Jenna Lucado. It's not often enough that I read a book challenging teenagers to look at beauty differently, to redefine beautiful as "what God sees when God sees you. Although this book was written for teens, I think women of all ages struggle with "ugly days" and insecurities and would be encouraged by reading this. It is funny and insightful and although the subject matter is deep in places, it's an easy read.
Redefining Beautiful has great insights on the connection between a girls self image and her relationship with her dad. Jenna encourages girls to develop healthy relationships with their dads because so much of a girl's view of herself, others and God is shaped by this relationship. The good news is that even if your relationship with your dad isn't all it's cracked up to be, the ultimate relationship is the relationship with your Heavenly Father...God.
I asked my daughter to write down her thoughts on the book and this is what she shared.
For the past couple of weeks I have been reading a book called Redefining Beautiful, by Jenna Lucado with Max Lucado. My overall impression on this book is that it is extremely helpful, especially when times come when you don’t feel beautiful. I love books and I read a lot of them. Many of them have like a lesson learned at the end. But this book is like a guide through life. There are times when someone comments on our looks in a negative way and Redefining Beautiful has the answer.
From my point of view, as a 14 year old, I think there are two main points in this book. Number one: feeling beautiful just the way we are, because God created us in His image. Thinking about that just blows my mind. Number two: having a healthy relationship with our earthly father and our Heavenly Father. Dads are great. And I understand that many girls out there don’t have a father. I feel sad for those girls, but if that’s the case there is always, always our Heavenly Father. And I know that I can trust Him. I didn't grow up with a dad. I was adopted two months before I turned 12. Having a daddy has really changed the way I feel about myself. I have someone who tells me I'm pretty and makes me feel safe. Although I'm adopted, I even look like my daddy. People who don't know I'm adopted tell me all the time that I look like my dad. I am a lot more confident knowing that my dad is around. I don't have to worry about my weight or how I look, I know he loves me no matter what and I know that God is the same way!
I encourage moms out there to read the book and have their daughters read it too! I know it's sparked a lot of really good discussions in our house!
Thanks Jenna Lucado and Thomas Nelson! Keep up the good work!
When was the last time your family fun night included something like this?
Or something that make your kids laugh hysterically?
Or even roll on the floor laughing?
All this AND free food from Chipotle! That's my kind of Family Fun night!
