As I said before, we try to fill our Easter baskets with less candy and more fun.  Outdoor toys and board games are the favorites, but my kids also like DVDs and other non-caloric treats.

Here are some coupons to get you started if you’re going shopping for Easter basket goodies this weekend!

Tell me, which coupons would you like to see more often?

Disney Wreck It Ralph Book – 4 Books, $0.99 Each
Dr. Seuss – 5 Books For $5.95 + Free Backpack

$1.00 off Crayola Giant Coloring Pages

$1.00 off any $5 purchase of any Crayola product

• $1.00 off any one MY LITTLE PONY Figure
• $5.00 off LITTLE PONY WALKIN TALKIN PINKIE PIE Toy
• $2.00 off BABY ALIVE KICKS & CUDDLES NEWBORNS Doll
• $2.00 off any ONE Cabbage Patch Kids Cuties item
• $3.00 off 2 BABY ALIVE Food or Diaper Refill Packs
• $5.00 off one NERF N-STRIKE ELITE ROUGHCUT Blaster
• $5.00 off one SESAME STREET LOL ELMO Toy
• $2.00 off MR. POTATO HEAD toy
• $2.00 off 1 PLAY-DOH Playsets
• $1.00 off PLAY-DOH Case of Colors 10-Pack
• $2.00 off PLAYSKOOL HEROES™ Toys
• $5.00 off Draw Something or Words with Friends
• $3.00 off CANDY LAND or CHUTES AND LADDERS game
• $3.00 off one OPERATION Game or BATTLESHIP Game
• $5.00 off Won’t Back Down on DVD or Blu-ray
• $5.00 off Ice Age:Continental Drift DVD or Blu-ray
• $5.00 off Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days on dvd
• $2.00 off Rio on Blu-ray™ + DVD + Digital Copy
• $2.00 off The Sandlot 20th Anniversary Blu-ray
• $2.00 off Diary of a Wimpy Kid Rodrick Rules

Are you signed up for Kellogg’s Family Rewards?  I love this….it’s easy to get small “prizes” and the codes are easy to enter.  They have lots of good printable coupons, too.
Kellogg’s Family Rewards – Get exclusive coupons and earn rewards from your favorite Kellogg’s® brands.

[Read more…]

Welcome to the Greet The Spring giveaway!  This event is hosted by This Flourishing Life and Generations of Savings.   We all thought it would be fun to welcome spring with some fun new gifts.  Every prize package in this hop is valued at $25 or more.  Good luck!

Spring Break is heading my way and I would really like to be at the beach for it.  Unfortunately that’s not in the cards this year.  If I can’t be at the beach, at least my NAME can!   Nature’s Notebook offers custom photos with writing in the sand.  This is a really unique, personalized gift that will be cherished forever.  You could use this as an engagement announcement, a baby’s nursery, or just because it looks so cool.   Note to the guys—wouldn’t this be a beautiful way to ask “Will you marry me?”   If you need some inspiration, check out Nature’s Notebook Idea Catalog.  [Read more…]

As a mom, busy teacher, and a woman who tries to have a life, I really don’t have a lot of time on my hands. I certainly don’t have time to stand in a store for hours and deliberate over products, trying to figure out if my child will like it or what the best choice would be for a birthday gift.   I turn to blogs for mom-tested suggestions, and I think a lot of my readers do the same.  One of my blogging goals in 2013 was to participate in more giveaways.  I love sharing new brands and online websites with you, and giving you opportunities to win those products is a real blessing to me.   I’ve been searching for the best giveaway hops with a variety of themes to meet as many needs and interests as I can.  Here are a few of the upcoming events I’m participating in.  If you’re a blogger, join up with these free hops and get involved!!  If you’re into winning, be sure to write these dates on your calendar and check back for your chance to win.
If you’re interested in sponsoring any of these events, please send me an email.  I’d love to work with you! [Read more…]

Well, after finding out that my daughter might have broken her foot but might not have (how can there be indecision on something like that?!) I was homebound for the weekend.  While she watched TV on the couch, I got a little bored and wanted to dig in some dirt.  Thankfully a fun package arrived…..check out this Big Bag Bed from Smart Pots.  I couldn’t believe how quickly it arrived, since it was just mailed out on Monday.  It was so lightweight and easy to manage that I didn’t have to wait for my husband to get home and help me put anything together. So yay!!  I had a weekend project!  Container gardening is easy and fun, plus it’s a great way to get your kids outdoors.  If you haven’t tried it yet, just take a look at my Big Bag Bed.

Have you seen Tangled?  You know that part in the movie where Rapunzel is searching for some blank space on her wall so she can paint some more?  I’m a little like that in my garden.  I stand in the yard and look around with my eagle eye, trying to find a bare spot where I can stick something into the ground.   I’ve got my garden going in three different places: my countertop, my sunroom, and my backyard.  Well, four if you count my porch.  But that’s for another day. [Read more…]

I received this delicious-scented baby wash and immediately thought, “They’ve bottled that baby smell!”  Here’s the story…..

One thing that I miss so very much from when my kids were babies is the the precious smell they had after their bath.  Holding each one of them, warm and soft, just before they fell asleep was such a sweet moment.  Someone once said to me, “Don’t you just wish you could bottle that smell?”  And I did.  I so did.  Thankfully, it’s possible to still get that moment.  My kids have such sensitive skin that we have to avoid heavily scented cleansers, even those that are high-dollar brands.  Actually, everyone in our family suffers from eczema, especially in the winter when our skin becomes dry and chapped.  When I received Mommy’s Bliss to try, I used it first to make sure I didn’t have a reaction to it before using it on my children.  After using it, I didn’t want to give it up!!   My son wanted to try it, too, so of course I obliged.  When he first used it, he asked for more.  A toddler who wants MORE soap?!   Yes, it’s true.    I really liked that this is a 3-in-1 baby wash, so it can be used on all their tender parts.  There are no sulfates or parabens to toxify your darling’s perfection.  And the scent.  The scent!!  It’s divine, like ambrosia.  The lavender scent is very gentle, not overpowering, so you might not even notice it really.  But it’s just heavenly when it washes over a baby.  I love to hold my babies close and breathe deeply when hugging them just before bed, and this scent stays with me until I see their sweet smiles again in the morning.  It truly is this Mommy’s Bliss. [Read more…]

I’m not into pastel spring decor with eggs all over it.   When I’m spending money on home accessories, I want to spend on things that will look good all year ’round.  I’m really loving the cool furniture and throw pillows that Zinc Door is featuring  right now.  They are offering 15% off all throw pillows.  The throw pillows we have on our couch are gorgeous, handmade by my mother-in-law when my son was born. Still, it would be nice to freshen things up with some new items in our house.

One of the spring cleaning tasks on my list is to clean out our bookshelves.  We need to go through those books that my kids have outgrown, the books that I’d like to read again but realistically never will, and make some room for new reading material.  This  Noir Ming Bookcase would be such a beautiful focal point in my living room!  Another area that I’ve got to tackle is the desk.  We have only a few drawers, so the desk is extremely cluttered. A simple fix is to find a desk with multiple drawers. The Noir Hammered Zinc Desk is a timeless beauty and I can’t imagine what I would do with six drawers of chic storage.   I don’t even want to think about getting the winter clothes put away and having to drag out the spring stuff.  I’d much rather just buy this Noir Hampton Tall Boy Dresser and have a good excuse to get it filled.

If you’re ready to add a little va-va-voom to your room, remember that from now through 4/14, Zinc Door is offering 15% off all throw pillows with promo code throws. Adding bright and colorful accessories will help any room in your home pop! Happy Springtime to you!

These are my affiliate links. I only promote products and deals that I think my readers will enjoy!

Whether you’re headed to graduation day as a parent or as a student, congratulations — YOU MADE IT!

Oh my, I remember my graduation days. All 3 of them.  High school graduation seems like yesterday, but it was many, many moons ago.  One thing I haven’t forgotten in all those years is how expensive those graduation announcements cost.  We ordered them through the school.  They weren’t even customized—just embossed pieces of paper that were folded into fourths.  I added a little “graduation card” that looked like a cheap business card to the inside.   They cost around $4 each and had zero personality.   By the time I graduated from college, I had not a penny to my name so I couldn’t even afford announcements.  When I finally got my Master’s degree, no one cared anymore about my graduations.  So make this one count, especially if you hope to have more!

It’s great that Tiny Prints can help you do just that. For one week only you can get 10 FREE Graduation Announcements or Invitations, just enter code GRAD2013.  These are much snazzier than my school’s pitiful printer copy versions.   Tiny Prints has over 300 designs to choose from, plus they are personalized with pictures of the graduate, your own text, and more.  This baby is going in the scrapbook, so you need to make sure it looks awesome, right? [Read more…]

It’s been a while since I posted a list of free NookBook downloads!  I’m really getting swamped with my “to be read” pile and haven’t been downloading the freebies lately.  So I’m catching up with these.  The prices go back up almost immediately, so if you’re interested in these get them while they’re free!

Some of these titles are free for both Nook and Kindle.  Unless otherwise specified, clicking on the book cover image will take you to the Kindle page.  Be sure to verify that the book is still free before clicking “submit” or you might get a surprise if the price went up!    Which books look interesting to you?

This is the Nook link.

The Kindle version of Everybody’s Daughter is $1.99.

This is also free for Nook readers. [Read more…]

Welcome to the St. Patrick’s Day Good Luck Giveaway Hop  hosted by MamaNYC and Moms Bookshelf & More! In order to kick off and celebrate St. Patrick’s, we have teamed up with a great group of bloggers to bring you some amazing giveaways!!. This event will run until March 19th, which means you will have plenty of time to enter all of our giveaways. Good Luck……. and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I am always SO grateful when St. Patrick’s Day falls on a weekend.  April Fool’s Day, too, for that matter.  Since I’m a teacher, I’ve enjoyed at least 28 years of pinching and pranks (counting my own school years, thank you very much.)  At least this year I can say that had an opportunity to get all buff before the pinching started by using the goodies in my Bulu Box.  Getting a box in the mail each month is just fun.  After all, doesn’t everyone like to get mail?  And getting to try fun new products in sample sizes is a great money saver, since you can find the items that you like.  There’s even a gift within a gift…..the box came with a special card that can be redeemed for points on the Bulu Box page!  That translates into Bulu cash.  Nice!  [Read more…]