Heading out to the movies this weekend?  I am excited to see People Like Us, it sounds like a really great film.    Did you know that you can save on your movie tickets if you have a Visa Signature card?   It’s available on Fridays only.

Here’s the info, taken from the website:

Movies are always better with a friend, so treat yours to 2- for-1 tickets! Each Friday from May 4 to August 17, Visa Signature cardholders who purchase 2 or more tickets through this page will receive 1 of the tickets free of charge, while supplies last.

Tickets must be purchased on a Friday for a Friday show time. Limit 1 movie ticket per Visa Signature card purchase, per 30 day period following the date of a purchase in connection with this offer.

Sounds like a good deal!!  Plus I love the convenience of buying movie tickets ahead of time.

Here’s a clip from the film to tide you over:

Headed to a summer birthday party?   Print off a couple of these coupons before you shop.  My kids love Barbie Mermaids and Thomas trains, so these would be a huge hit at our house.

Most of us know someone who has a substance abuse addiction, or might even personally have one.  From the outside, it’s sometimes easy to say, “Just quit!”  In his book Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting!  Robert Boich makes it clear that getting clean is a lifetime daily commitment.  He writes from the heart and gives the reader and inside look into his not-so-pretty walk to sobriety.  I received this book to review and enjoyed reading it. [Read more…]

This game retails for $39.99  (it’s $34.99 pre-owned at Best Buy!)  and is selling for $9 at Amazon.  You do have to pay $3.99 shipping; still, I think this is a great price.

(This is my affiliate link.)

Here’s a free short story download for this weekend.  It’s historical fiction which is one of my favorites!  Just click on the book cover to go to the B&N page.  Enjoy!

Remember that time that you told your best friend, “If someone invented xxxxxx  they would become a millionaire!”  Well, why shouldn’t that person be you?  Moms are always solving problems and coming up with MacGyver-like ways of making a quick fix with little more than duct tape and some spit.   Huggies Mominspired recognizes the resourcefulness of moms and is providing an amazing opportunity for creative moms to make their inventing dreams a reality!

The details:

• Grant recipients will receive $15,000 in seed capital as well as business resources to help turn innovative ideas into real-life inventions.
• Applications for the 2012 Huggies MomInspired grant program are currently being accepted through July 31, 2012.
• Moms can learn more and submit original, innovative and viable new business and product ideas now at HuggiesMomInspired.com.
• Grants will be announced and awarded in fall 2012.

You can read about previous grant winners on the Huggies MomInspired site.  You only have until July 31, 2012 to apply so get busy!!

I’ve written many a grant in my career and have received thousands of dollars in funding for classroom projects I’ve envisioned.  Here are some grant-writing tips that work for me:

• Know the criteria for judging.  How long should your proposal be?  How many pages can you submit?  What will the judges be looking for?  Read the rules for the Huggies Grant on this page.  I can’t stress this enough!!
• Have a very clear idea of what you want to accomplish.  It doesn’t have to be rocket science, but you do need to be specific and brief.
• Come up with a catchy title.  I am convinced that this idea alone is important, because it shows your creativity right off the bat.
• Know how you will spend the money.  Do your research and come up with an itemized list of needs.  Even if you’re not asked for it in the grant application, it is helpful to know if your project can be completed with the funding.
• Give yourself plenty of time to complete the application.  Don’t wait until the last minute.  A computer glitch or a medical emergency could take you out of the running.
• PROOFREAD.  It’s a no-brainer, but check and double-check spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and your math.  Ask a friend to look it over before you submit.
• Don’t get discouraged.  If you don’t get the funding through one place, try another. And another.  Eventually someone might really like your idea and be willing to support it.  After all, you’ve done the work—-now it’s time to show it off!

GOOD LUCK!!   I hope one of our creative readers wins this grant money!

I received the Huggies MomInspired information from MomSelect.  By posting this information I will earn a chance to win a gift card.  The grant tips are 100% mine.

We recently put in a pool.  The pool is beautiful, but the area surrounding the pool is a wasteland. It is an empty canvas of  TN orange clay, which my dog loves to roll in.   I’ve worked all summer to plant flowers, bulbs, and shrubs to get it looking green again.   I bought 2 pounds of 100% wildflower seeds to plant in the hillside around the pool to try to get something growing there.  My kids want to help me plant seeds for about 30 seconds, then they are finished.  Their technique is the direct sow method.  Actually, they just want to grab a handful of the seed, throw it down in a big pile, repeat a few times, then run and play.   They just don’t have the fine motor skills to pinch and sprinkle the seeds evenly.  I needed a way to get the seeds put in the ground a bit more uniformly, but wasn’t sure how to help my kids do that.

Then I came up with this method for smaller areas.  I tried it on some marigold seeds that I got for 25¢ each.  Let me know what you think. [Read more…]

SoLoLaDeals just released a new code for $3 off your purchase. This code is only available through midnight tonight, so take advantage.  Here’s how you can use it to get FREE (after credit) sunglasses.

1.  Log in (or sign up) at SoLoLaDeals.  You get $5 credit after your first purchase.

2.  Look for the SharpShades deal (picture below).

3.  Enter code TAKE3TODAY.  This will take off $3, making your total $5.

4.  You’ll receive a voucher for $20 off at SharpShades.  You’ll also get $5 credit in your SoLoLa account.  This makes your sunglasses free!
Of course, you can also use the discount to get one of the other deals.  I’m getting the Knot Genie which I’m hoping will help my daughter not be so squealy when we brush her hair.

Share this deal with your friends, because it only lasts today!

(Disclosure:  This post contains my affiliate link. )

Disclosure: I received this book for review. Post contains affiliate links; opinions are mine.

The cover on this book doesn’t do it justice.  I am one of those people who absolutely chooses a book based on its cover, and this is one that I would have passed over.  What a mistake I would be making!  Too Far Under by Lynn Osterkamp was a potluck of themes…..paranormal, psychological thriller, murder mystery.  I just loved it. [Read more…]