Free Sample of Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil

Right now if you head on over to Targets Sample Spot you can get a free sample of Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil. All you have to do is fill out a few questions and your good to go!

It'll take about 8 to 10 weeks before you'll receive your sample.

We're FINALLY Getting Somewhere!

After several months of talking about it, my husband and I were finally able to start trying to grow some grass. Not that kind of grass ;). While I was out at a girl's night dinner, he and baby E went to Lowes to gather the supplies that we needed and a few other things. We're trying so hard to get our yard looking great, but between schedules and rain. It's been pretty hard.

Anyways, here's what we're starting with (lovely, huh?)...

Once we finished getting over the fact that our neighbor decided to cut a random section of our front yard, we pulled out the grass seed and started to spread it out.

We picked up Scotts Snap Sun & Shade as well as a small hand held spreader

   

Now, we picked up the sun and shade one because of the fact of where we live. Our yard is covered mostly with trees and although some sun sneaks a peak during the day, we seem to consistently receive shade. So, we had to think of that kind of condition.

...so let's hope we get some grass!!! :)

Baby E's 6th Month Favorites

Baby E has seriously grown up! I cannot believe that she's 7 month's old now, time has seriously flown by. It feels like just yesterday we were in the hospital waiting for our turn for a c-section. Anyways, Baby E still plays quite a bit with her toys from months prior, but these items have started really stick when it comes to play time. We've even ventured into play with items around the home... you know paper (LOVES PAPER), crinkly bags (she's supervised... no worries), the dogs (poor things).... however, here are a few things that she's really started to enjoy. 

   

Cosco Beep Beep Walker, Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Remote, Fisher Price Lil' Laugh and Learn Jumperoo

I think the thing she enjoys the most besides these toys is just being outdoors in her exersaucer. We have one specifically for when we go out and she loves to play in it out in the shade. It just seems to make her day when we're able to go out and play. 

Does your 6 month old have any favorite toys or activities? Share below we'd love to hear!

Summer Reading Programs

I cannot believe that summer is almost here! I remember when I was little that each summer my mama would order summer book kits (from Scholastic) for us and we'd participate in a variety of summer reading programs (libraries and Book It!). Of course, there were always AWESOME prizes... what kid doesn't love that!

With that, here are a few summer reading programs for your kids this summer...

We Give Books: Read For My Summer ~ This is a 10 week program where children can read books on-line at We Give Books or in print. It's designed for children age 1 year through age 10. This program includes fun interactive tools and activities to help each book come to life. Sign up to receive more information regarding this program.

Local Public Library ~ Don't forget to check out your local public libraries to see what summer programs they may be offering.

Scholastic Summer Challenge ~ Here you log in your reading minutes for some great digital prizes and be able to participate in the World Record Challenge.

American Girl ~ They haven't said much yet, but this program runs from May 1st - Aug 26th. The website offers a variety of free reading events, activities, printables, and a variety of other items.

Book Adventure From Sylvan ~ Here kids read several books (pre-chosen on the website) and then take a comprehension quiz (about 10 questions) on the books that they've read. They earn points for how much they've remembered about the books after they've taken the quiz. Once they've earned enough points they can turn them in for some great prizes!

Barnes and Noble: Summer Reading Imagination's Destination ~ Kids read 8 books and record them on their Reading Log, they then return to their local Barnes & Noble to receive a free book from the pre-selected list.

Pottery Barn Summer Reading Challenge ~ Here kids are invited to read with them  the pre-selected books at their story time and once kids have finished reading all the books on the list they'll receive a prize!

Junie B. Jones Summer Reading Club ~ I just wanted to share with everyone that right now that if you enroll your child in the Junie B. Jones Kids Reading Club they'll receive a free copy of Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (while supplies last).

You'll also receive a starter kit filled with the free copy of the above book, activity pages, membership card, as well as various updates regarding all things Junie B. Jones.

The starter kits will arrive sometime in July.

Pizza Hut's Book It ~ I remember this program, did it all the time when I was little!   They have a read aloud challenge where all you have to do is read for 20 minutes each day for 5 days a week, that's it. Then you record your progress for the 8 weeks and be entered to win The Very Hungry Caterpillar Pack.

TD Bank ~ Here all you have to do is read 10 books during the summer and record them on your Summer Reading Form. You then take the form to the nearest TD Bank and will receive $10 in your Young Savers Account (new or existing). It looks like you can earn upwards of $50... That's pretty awesome!

Half Price Books: Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program ~ Kids read for at least 15 minutes each day during the months of June and July with parents/kids adding up the total minutes. Parents must initial each week. Once kids have read a total of 300 minutes they can return their completed logs for HPB Bookworm Bucks for each month. This is for kids 14 and under AND parents can read to those who are still just learning how to read.

Chuck E Cheese ~ Here all kids have to do is READ everyday for 2 weeks and they'll receive 10 tokens.

Do you know of any other places that are hosting some summer reading programs? Share with us, we'd LOVE to hear... no matter where you live!

Barnes & Noble On-line Story Time

Right now, if you head on over to Barnes and Noble's website you can visit their on-line story section in which they offer books that are read by authors and celebrities. 

You can also view several other books that have been previously read. The books read by the authors themselves are highlighted in blue and celebrities are highlighted in purple. These stories include:

1. Pinkalicious read by the author Victoria Kann
2. Guess How Much I Love You read by the author Sam McBrantley
3. Green Eggs and Ham read by Rachel Ray
4. Tickle Monster read by the author Josie Bissett
5. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie read by the author Laura Numeroff
6. The Kissing Hand read by the author Audrey Penn
7. Splish, Splash, Splat! read by Molly Ringwald
8. Ladybug Girl at the Beach read by both of the authors Jacky Davis and David Soman
9. Charlie the Ranch Dog read by the author Ree Drummond
10. Strega Nona read by the author Tomie de Paola
11. The Polar Express read by the author Chris van Allsburg
12. Where the Wild Things Are read by the author Maurice Sendak 
13. Olivia read by Ana Gasteyer
14. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day read by the author Judith Viorst
15. Smash! Crash! read by the author Jon Scieszkar
16. Fancy Nancy Bonjour, Butterfly read by the author Jane O'Connor
17. The Pigeon Wants a Puppy read by the author Mo Willems
18. The Very Hungry Caterpillar read by the author Eric Carle

Free Carseat Canopy With Code

 Right now, if you go to www.carseatcanopy.com and select any carseat canopy you can get it FREE (all you pay is shipping and handling) using code "FAMILY2013." A $49.95 value! That's a pretty good deal! You can even get the Whole Caboodle Set which comes with a car seat canopy, a minky car seat slip cover, minky head support pillow, replacement umbrella with minky lining, and a baby lap blanket. Using the code it'll come down to $29.95 + 12.95 shipping and handling with come down to $42.90. Not to bad for a $135.00 value.

Remember to get these discounts use code "FAMILY2013"

Definitely makes a great gift for those new mama's to be :)

Some Fun On A Rainy Day

Since it's been raining/thundering/lightening/hailing around our house these last few days I decided that we needed to do something different. Literally. Baby E was getting completely bored... exersaucer, walker, mama, toys, and pulling the doggies ears just wasn't cutting it anymore.

So, I grabbed a few items out of the cabinet and decided to concoct something. I mostly noticed that we had barely any flour left in one of our bags... so I thought "hey, why not use it up" and I did.

Here's what I used:

~ a cup of flour
~ 1/3 cup of water (started out with a 1/4, but that wasn't enough)

Then I just dumped the flour into a bowl added the water slowly, mixing while I went and VOILA a flour ball.

Once, I got the consistency that I liked; I gave the flour ball to Baby E and let her have at it :).

She wasn't quite sure at first and then....

We played and we lifted...

And squished and pulled it...

We even ate it. I don't have any pictures on that one cause I kept pulling it out of her mouth ;).

Do you guys have any other great ideas we can use on a rainy day?

Bookshelf Additions Part 2... Well Part of Part 2

So, I was really excited to show the rest of Baby E's bookshelf additions. Literally, I had typed everything up and was ready to take the pictures when I stepped away for a moment. I mean a moment or what seemed like a moment.

I then came back to this....

These were her bookshelf additions... Can you guess what they are?

I was so beyond upset. But, I guess when you leave things near where a puppy can get to them... this is what happens.

FREE Mother's Day Card from Snapfish

Here's just a little freebie love that you can print for mama on Mother's Day (05.12.13). Snapfish is offering a free print at home Mother's Day card. They have some absolutely adorable cards that you can print. It's definitely worth a look into especially if you couldn't find the perfect card or just are not able to get out this year.

There are even a few extra's that you can print out such as a breakfast in bed kit, made by me cards, flower origami, and the salon des fleurs party kit.

Enjoy!

Organizing Baby E's Ridiculous Amount Of Clothes

~*~ Sorry for the ridiculously poor quality of all the photos... my cameras been acting up as well as it was a stormy and gloomy day ~*~

So, for several months now Baby E's clothing has just sat in this tub just waiting... Waiting for someone to save it! It's honestly driven me nuts with how it looks, but with a 6 month old you just don't always have the time.

So, I ran upstairs and grabbed these little baggies... you know the ones that come with your comforters and what not's. They were honestly just storing some old coat hangers that need to go back to my mamas... I just keep forgetting to take them back.

I decided to use these guys cause (1) it's saving me money, (2) who can afford a million bins for clothes, (3) they're getting out of my way by using them. No, really we just can't afford right now to buy storage bins to individually store Baby E's clothes as well as have the space in our attic to store all of it. I'd rather have everything in one place than spread out. 

Now, while I was looking through the baggies I found these space saver bags. I was beyond excited! Really... cause I some how end up destroying them as I go along. Don't ask, cause I don't even know. 

I placed the bags onto the floor and piled up Baby E's clothing. One pile was her "newborn and 0-3 months" and the other pile was "3 months and 3-6 months."

I then neatly organized each into separate piles of the variety of clothes she has.

Her newborn and 0-3 months:

Her 3 months and 3-6 months:

I seriously didn't realize how much clothes she had in the beginning until now. Literally. But there again, I guess when your child seems to still be wearing newborn and 0-3 months at 4 months old you end up accumulating a lot. Also, there are several duplicates and she seemed to be more comfortable in sleepers than anything else during her castings. Maybe that's why we have so many...

I then just placed everything into the bin. Newborn on the bottom.

After I had vacuum sucked her clothes together. I decided to take all of her winter items such as her buntings and place them together in a comforter bag. I then just placed it on top of her clothes.

I did the same with her warmer blankets. 

I also took the clothes that don't quite fit her yet and placed them into the dog bed comforter bag. Hey, it's still a storage bag!

I then added it to the side of the bin and VOILA, everything together for at least the moment. 

Do you guys have any ways that you've stored your baby's clothes and extra items?

Free Junie B. Jones Book When You Join The Reading Club

I just wanted to share with everyone that right now that if you enroll your child in the Junie B. Jones Kids Reading Club they'll receive a free copy of Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (while supplies last).

You'll also receive a starter kit filled with the free copy of the above book, activity pages, membership card, as well as various updates regarding all things Junie B. Jones.

The starter kits will arrive sometime in July.

Enjoy!

More Teacher Deals

Here are a few more teacher deals for Teacher Appreciation Day:

At the Chesapeake, VA TAPS (Teacher and Parent Store) store; teachers, staff, and faculty all will receive 7 feet of lamination for FREE as long as each show their VALID SCHOOL ID.

At The Mailbox, they're celebrating teachers for an entire week offering valid coupons off a variety of purchases. All of these great deals expire on 05.12.13. 

$2.99 Flat Rate Shipping
on Your ENTIRE order
Use Code WTMR

Buy 2 Theme Books, Get 1 Free
No Code Needed

Buy 2 Organize Now Books,
Get 2 Free
No Code Needed

Buy 1 Mix & Match Games,
Get 2 Free
No Code Needed

Buy 1 Monthly E-Book,
Get 1 Free
Use Code 1Web

Additional 40% off Clearance
Use Code WTMQ

At  Educational Insights you will receive 40% off all sale items, just use code TA1340.

For Teacher Appreciation Day (05.07.13) in Virginia Only!

Here are a few freebies/deals in Richmond and the surrounding areas. Please understand that this is for the areas in Virginia only on May 7, 2013.

Qdoba: free entree with your valid faculty ID from 5pm to 9 pm

Chesterfield Towne Center: A night of fun and relaxation for teachers

Chick-fil-a: This seems to be in the Short Pump area only, but check your local ones to see if they're participating

Chipotle: if you bring in your school ID, you'll receive a buy one get one free on menu items. this event goes from 4 pm to close. 

Happy Nurse's Day!

Just wanted to share this delectable freebie from Cinnabon in honor of those special women/men who work 12+ hour shifts to ensure that we're comfortable/feeling better. All you have to do is show your healthcare ID badge to receive a free classic roll or minibon roll (only 1 per nurse). 

Thank you to all the nurses out there... including my mama, granny, as well as several aunts and friends who have touched the lives of many. 

Thanks, mojosavings!

Teacher Appreciation Week Gift Ideas

Here are some great gifts for teacher appreciation week:

Some ADORABLE ideas
 from The Country Chic Cottage.
The Ball tags are even included 

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This cute letter made from

 crayons can be found

 here at Polka Dots and Chalkboards.

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Just an absolutely sweet
 gift for any teacher from Domestically Speaking.

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Some simple ideas for
any teacher gift from I Saw That Going Differently In My Mind....

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Keep Calm and Teach On Frame from Call Me Crafty Al

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Simple way to give a gift card from eighteen 25

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Simple supply kit from less cake more frosting

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A sweet simple idea to
brighten any classroom
from i should be mopping the floor

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A CUTE little printable from Bloom Designs

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A Supply Cake Idea from Three Pugs and a Little Boy

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Sweet drink from lisa storms

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Beyond simple and a huge necessity from lil luna

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Who doesn't love a little nail
polish and  nail file from she's kinda crafty

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If you have any other great teacher appreciation gift ideas share them with us, we'd LOVE to know!