Elf On the Shelf Day 8

Day 8 Astro used canned snow in the living room, kitchen, and bathroom.

Doc Mcstuffins Doctor Bag $16.50

This is one of the hottest toys for preschoolers right now. Everyone is sold out and Amazon is still at $40. You can get it at Disney Store for only $16.50

Elf on the Shelf Day 6 and 7

Day 6 Reading the Christmas Story to friends.

Day 7 Just a Swinging

December Photo-A-Day Challenge

I love taking pictures and I will be participating in this photo challenge. There are very few rules and you can have a nice camera, point-and-shoot, or even just your phone. I would love to see others participate. So each day come back and leave me a link to your pictures, even if it is just posted on Facebook or twitter. I will check them out :) Find out more about this challenge over at iHeartFaces. Come on join in!

Elf on the Shelf Day Four and Five

Day Four~ The boys were acting up. They fought a lot and just stayed in trouble. So Astro brought a note from Santa asking them to behave.

Day Five~ Astro fishing.... The boys LOVED it. When Caleb used the bathroom (as soon as I moved Astro) he laughed un uncontrollably because he was making the fish swim..... BOYS lol.

Free Christmas Kindle Books

I love Facebook and following ALL types of blogs. I seen this post and wanted to pass it along. For The Mommas has a list of Christmas Kindle Books that are FREE Right now. Please note, you don’t need a Kindle to read these books, you can download them to a free Kindle app or your computer. ALSO please remember Amazon prices change all the time.... get these while they are FREE!

Wordless Wensday: Astro Night 3

Cookies for Breakfast?!? That Elf and I need to talk.

GONE Step2 Wacky Water Sprinkler Table $8

Right now you can score a Step2 Wacky Water Sprinkler Table for only $8! This was 49.99, what a GREAT Easter or birthday gift!

Talking Santa $10 from Avon

Through today only, Avon has extended their free shipping on ANY order when you enter the code codeblack at checkout. You can score this  Interactive Talking Santa on sale 75% off down to only $9.99 (regularly $39.99!). While supplies last!

*Avon exclusive. Voice-activated Santa answers preselected holiday questions, which encourages kids to read. Santa's mouth moves and his body sways when he talks. Comes with reference book and instructions. Uses 3 AA batteries (not included). Plush. Imported.

(Found on a Savings Message Board not sure who to give credit to)

Adventures of Astro the Elf Day 1 and 2

So I love Christmas, it is probably my favorite holiday. I rarely get gifts and that is okay with me! I love to give and more than that I love the magic of the season. We teach our children the story of Christmas and Jesus' birth but we also have the magic of elves, Santa, and the whole lot. So it is no surprise that two years ago we added the Elf on the Shelf tradition. Aaron was 4 and at first he actually did not believe.... it took some convincing. Two years later he and Caleb (3) can not be more excited. I started hearing around Halloween, "When is Astro coming back Mommy?"

WELL..... HE IS BACK :) Astro returned two nights ago, so lets see what he has been up to!

Night one... he is back. Hmmm is that socks on my tree?

Night Two... Why yes a an Elf in a Marshmallow bath!

Okay so my kids LOVE Astro. Mommy and daddy have to remember to move and do silly things but they love him. I can not tell you how often I wake up in the morning and have forgotten to do something. So there I am 5am running around the house trying to come up with something to make my kids laugh. OH word of warning.... they won't drink magic green elf milk. So help me come up with silly ideas for Astro. Also do you have a great Christmas tradition? Feel free to share it here.
 

Report Card Time: How do you reward?

So my son is in first grade. He has adhd and o.d.d so as you can guess school work is an issue in our house. He gets NO special treatment at school and we focus a lot of our attention on his work at home too. Well his report card came in today......

A's ...... 7
B's ...... 3 (87%, 89%, and 90%)
S ..... 1 

So here is my question..... how do you reward good grades? Our local Dairy Queen rewards A's with ice cream but I want to do something to show him we are proud of him too.  Please share your thoughts below.

Wordless Wenesday~ Tiger Cub

Bob cat badge, 3 belt loops, camp badge, and Immediate recognition badge!

DIY Laundry Detergent

So I know you have seen people making their own laundry detergent. I have to tell you I was more than skeptical. I read recipe after recipe and I was so confused. I wanted something I knew was going to work and work well. I also did not want to mess it up..... I mean this is supposed to save me money right!Well I found it after looking at so many recipes. I took the common denominators and made it MY way. I am in LOVE, my husband is in LOVE, and I think I have about a year before I will have to make more. How wonderful is that!!

HERE is what you need:

* 2 Boxes Borax Soap (found in Detergent aisle) $8.00
* 1 Box Baking Soda Washing Powder $4.00
* 1 Container Oxy Clean (I bought the Kroger Brand) $4.00
* 2 Bars Fels Naphta soap or Zote soap $2.00
* 1 Bottle Scentsy Washer Whiffs $12.00
* OPTIONAL 1 Scentsy Dryer Disk $7.00 (for two)
TOTAL $30 for 1 year of Laundry Detergent

I bought a 5 gallon bucket and poured the borax, washing powder, oxy clean, and washer whiffs into the bucket. I took my metal cheese grater and grated the two bars of soap and threw that into the bucket. Put the lid on the bucket and shake it. (I counted this as my arms workout for the day lol) I used the Coconut Lemon Grass Washer whiffs because they are yellow and so is the fels naptha soap :)


The great thing about using the Scentsy Washer Whiffs, is that you have a ready made bottle to put your detergent in for easy reach. I fill the bottle up with my dry detergent and then use the built in cap for measuring. It does NOT take a lot of detergent to get really clean clothes.  I only use about a 1/4 to a 1/3 of a cap!

I pair this with a Scentsy Dryer Disk in the same scent of the Washer Whiffs. You just throw the bar in the dryer and then take it out, throw it away after the scent is gone. Scentsy says the dryer disk lasts for about 15 loads, yet I have gotten 40+ loads out of mine at times. When I lay down in bed I feel like I am in an exotic paradise and I know my clothes have not been washed in tons of chemicals and I did not break the bank to clean them!

Do you make your own detergent? Tell me about it, if you try this one I would love to hear your experience too!
 

Wordless Wednesday

Thanksgiving Hostess Gift Idea

Who is ready for the holiday's? The weather is cooling off and fall is in the air. We have made our plans to travel to Maine to see my husbands family for the first time. I can not wait to take the kids, and I even bought Faith a special dress to wear on Thanksgiving. It got me thinking how blessed I am to work for a company that makes it so easy to shop for dinner hostess gifts. How great would it be to present "Tom" to your dinner hostess!

Mommies Lasagna

So have I mentioned I LOVE pinterest before? I love being able to find new recipes without trying hard; and I have to say most of what we have tried has been great! Insert dinner "Mommies Lasagna".

The original recipe (at least where I found it) is link at Being Grown Up, and she calls it Million Dollar Spaghetti. Now let me say, I HATE spaghetti. It was one of those meals we ate 2-3 times a week because I lived with my grandparents. My grandfather was disabled and my grandmother worked long hours at a hospital with little pay, insert a quick easy meal. My husband and kids LOVE spaghetti..... let me just say I was thrilled when I found this recipe. To me though it tastes like a very simple lasagna with half the effort, hence Mommies Lasagna.

The Ingredients are:

1 lb. of Ground Beef

1 can of Spaghetti Sauce

8 oz of Cream Cheese

1/4 cup of Sour Cream
1/2 lb. of Cottage Cheese
Whole Stick of Butter (I omitted this & sprayed pan)
8 oz. of Noodles
Bag of Sharp Chedder Cheese

I also added onion powder, garlic powder, salt, Italian Seasoning,  and a small amount of basil to both the cheese mixture and the sauce. This is NOT in the original recipe but hubby and I do not care for bland food.

Preheat the oven to 350, boil the noodles, and brown your hamburger. While all this is happening mix your sour cream, cottage cheese (will NOT taste like cottage cheese) and cream cheese. Blend good, I used my kitchen aid and added the spices in at this time. After your burger is cooked add your spaghetti sauce to the pan. Spray you 10x13 baking dish, lay your noodles in, cover and spread on the cheese mixture, cover with your sauce, top with your shredded cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes long enough for cheese to melt AND cheese mixture to warm. The original recipe calls for baking without the cheese for 30 minutes then with cheese for  15 but I like to make things simple and since everything is already cooked you can add the steps together to make the dish hot.

Mom tested.... Kid approved. My boys actually said it was the best thing they have ever eaten. (I hope that is indeed a compliment lol)

Keurig and K-Cups $100 with Kohls Card

My anniversary is September 28; we will celebrate four years marriage. I think the one thing my husband may love more than me is our Keurig. He bought my the Keurig® B40 Elite Coffee Brewer for Christmas two years ago, after I begged and begged. Well two months ago it went to the afterlife for Keurig's and it broke my husbands hear. If I had let him he would have ran right out to pick up another one. I needed a DEAL and a DEAL I got!

Kohls is haveing a killer deal. The Keurig® B40 Elite Coffee Brewer is $149.99 right now. The Keurig® B60 Special Edition Coffee Brewer is on sale for $149.99 normally $189.99; they also have a killer deal on the new Vue Brewer but as the coffee packs cost more I did not upgrade to this one!

Right now Kohls also is having their Kohls cash promotion. For every $50 spent you get $10 to use in the store. Look at this. A Special Edition Brewer and one box of K-Cups for $100 after Kohls cash! I can not wait to see his face on our Anniversary; I think I will wrap it in a bow!

Total after tax, free shipping since the total is over $50: $126.57 minus $20 kohls cash and I paid $106.57 that is almost $50 cheaper than the brewer itself. Use code Style30 to get the 30% off your entire shopping cart; only valid with Kohls card.

Homecooked Breakfast on a Schoolday?

WHAT?!? Yes you read the title right. Homemade breakfast on a weekday. I love giving my kids pancakes and french toast on a weekday before school, especially during the winter. The problem is I am not made of time, I enjoy my sleep, and I have three four kids, counting the husband, to get ready every day. Here is my solution:

The next time you are at the grocery store pick up an extra loaf of bread. I take one day, usually Sunday, and make up all my 'extra' food. So I would make up an entire loaf of french toast. This usually takes about 6 eggs and about 1/2 cup of milk and a dash of vanilla. I love my proctor silex griddle as it makes cooking time a breeze.

I pile them up on a plate and beat the kids with a stick and chase the kids away as they cool.

Next I place a SMALL square of wax paper in between the slices and place them in a ziplock freezer bag. Pop them in the freezer and pull out slices to microwave during the week.

Cost Breakdown:
Loaf of Bread~ .99
6 Eggs~ .50
1/2 cup milk~ .25
$1.74

For $1.74 I can feed my kids a home cooked breakfast and it does not take me longer than 30 minutes on a Sunday. When I cook pancakes for breakfast on the weekend I over cook them and do the same process. There is ALWAYS pancakes and french toast in my freezer. SURE beats $3 and $4 a box for the store bought frozen stuff. I also get to hear I am a good 'cooker' from my kids every day :)

Wordless Wed: My Middle Started Headstart