New Preschool Programming: Cartoonito’s Birthday Party

Abby H.1 Comment

Do you have preschool-age kiddos? WarnerMedia Kids & Family is inviting all preschoolers, parents, caregivers, and educators across the country to enjoy a free VIP virtual birthday party for Cartoonito, a new preschool block launching on HBO Max and Cartoon Network.

The one-hour interactive event coined as “Nito’s Birthday Party,” will take place at Cartoonitoparty.com on Monday, Sept. 13 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET and will feature exciting sneak peeks, breaking news, and special guest appearances from the stars and creative teams behind upcoming Cartoonito shows. RSVP to the VIP experience HERE.

This looks pretty exciting. I love educational cartoons. Even though my kiddos are older, I sometimes put on educational cartoons on the TV when we are doing crafts or building legos in the living room as background noise. You’d be surprised how much kids brains suck up when they have their hands occupied. We have HBO Max, so I’ll be putting on Cartoonito in the next few weeks while we are painting rocks (the next requested craft).

Fun & Crafts for the Whole Family: Shrink Plastic Crafts!

Abby H.1 Comment

Most of us Gen X kids remember shrinky dinks. They’re still around. You can buy craft kits at Dollar Tree, Five Below, local craft stores, or on Amazon.

Recently I found LOL Surprise shrink plastic kits at dollar tree and I picked a couple up.

We were also recently given shrinkable plastic by the sheet. And this is great because you can draw your own designs, cut them out, hole punch them, shrink them in the oven, and end up with all sorts of cool stuff.

If you’re not familiar with Shrink Plastic, it is super fun and simple craft with anyone who can color can do. However, it does require adult supervision at some point during the craft, cause you have to use the oven.

To do this craft you will need the following items:

Before…
After…

You are looking to make a specific design, you will need to print that image out onto a piece of white paper. And then you will trace it onto the shrinkable plastic using a pencil. Word of advice: most shrinkable plastic shrinks significantly if you start with an image that is the size of a silver dollar, it will come out about the size of a dime.

Also important to note, punch a hole if desired, in the plastic before you shrink it. Once it has shrunk and is hard, it is almost impossible to put a hole in it. Especially without damaging the plastic.

Once your design is traced/drawn onto the plastic, color it with permanent markers. I like these markers.

Once your design is colored, punch a hole in it as desired/needed. Then cut your image/design out of the sheet, trim up any sharp/pokey edges. Use a nail file if needed. You can also file the plastic after it has been baked/shrunk and cooled down.

Most shrinkable plastic sheets will come with the heating/baking directions for the plastic, but it’s usually less than 10 minutes. And you will need to keep an eye on it. That is the step where you do not want small children around.

In the past, I’ve made wine charms, this year I made all kinds of cool stuff, including zipper pulls for the kids’ backpacks, I made keychains, I drew our family’s SCA heraldry/devices. I also made some little charms for a charm bracelet for my daughter.

Next up I will be drawing food and making little toy food for my son’s Playmobil characters to eat. While some of his sets have come with food, he is missing things like french fries, hamburgers, pizza. All things that the Playmobil guys in his adventures want to eat.

Upcoming Heart Conditions Project $75

Abby H.

AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the subject of Heart Conditions.

  • Open to: Pericarditis Sufferers
  • To be considered complete the pre-screener survey here.
  • Compensation: $75 (if chosen)
  • Videoconference Wednesday, September 8th or Thursday, September 9th 2021 – 8:00AM 7:00PM ET (1-hr)

Egg Bites: Quick, Easy Cook Ahead Breakfast (Starbucks CopyCat)

Abby H.1 Comment
These are so good!
Ready to get into the oven.

I love the bacon and Gruyere Sous Vide Egg Bites at Starbucks, but… I’m frugal and those little dudes ain’t cheap.

So Sunday night, I set out to see if I could make them. This was a test batch, so I only did 6. I’ll be making more in the future. They are super easy to make, and you can customize them with ingredients you like.

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 T butter
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/3 sour cream or Creme Fraiche
  • 4 Oz chopped/shredded cheese (I used Kerrygold cheddar)
  • 1/3 cup bacon pieces (I use the ones from Costco)
  • salt and pepper to taste
greased cups in the shallow baking dish with water.

NOTES:
I used small glass bowls from dollar tree, but you can use a muffin tin, custard cups, whatever fits into a shallow baking dish (I used a 9×13 baking dish).

Directions:

  1. Spray cups/muffin tin with spray release, set aside.
  2. Fill a shallow pan with 1-2 cups water (start with 1). You want the baking cups/muffin tin cups to be covered in water on the outside, but you don’t want to water to get into the cups.
  3. Set the cups/muffin tin into the water bath pan.
  4. Sauté onions in butter until the onions are clear (about 10 minutes). Take off the heat and allow it to come to room temperature.
  5. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, and sour cream until combined.
  6. Add cheese, bacon, and onions to mixture.
  7. Stir well to combine and add salt and pepper.
  8. Give it a quick mix and ladle it into the greased cups/ muffin tin.
  9. Bake 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees
  10. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10-ish minutes.
  11. Run knife around the edges to free egg bites from the cups and allow to cool on a plate.

Store in fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in microwave for 30 seconds-1 minute.

Substitutions:

  • If you are a vegetarian, omit the bacon. You can substitute the same amount of chopped veggies (bell peppers, and spinach are two of my favorites).
  • If Cheddar cheese isn’t your jam, goat cheese, gruyere, mozzarella are all good choices.
  • Finally, bacon can be swapped with crumbled sausage.

QUEENPINS is opening in select Cinemark Theaters nationwide 9/10/2021!

Abby H.

Have you heard of the new movie, Queenpins? It opens on September 10, 2021 in select Cinemark Theatres, and streaming exclusively on Paramount+ on September 30, 2021.

You catch the trailer here. It looks pretty funny. I love Kristen Bell!

Inspired by a true story, QUEENPINS is an outrageous comedy about a bored and frustrated suburban homemaker, Connie (Kristen Bell), and her best pal JoJo (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), a vlogger with dreams, who turn a hobby into a multi-million dollar counterfeit coupon caper. After firing off a letter to the conglomerate behind a box of cereal gone stale, and receiving an apology along with dozens of freebies, the duo hatch an illegal coupon club scheme that scams millions from mega-corporations and delivers deals to legions of fellow coupon clippers. On the trail to total coupon dominance, a hapless Loss Prevention Officer (Paul Walter Hauser) from the local supermarket chain joins forces with a determined U.S. Postal Inspector (Vince Vaughn) in hot pursuit of these newly-minted “Queenpins” of pink collar crime.

Additionally, the QUEENPINS team is hosting an incredible sweepstakes.  QUEENPINS is giving away $500 a day for 21 days starting September 9th through September 29th.

Visit Queenpins.Movie to enter the Golden Coupon sweepstakes. Enter daily to increase your chances to win.

  • Ways to Enter
    • Submit your entry at Queenpins.Movie 
    • Share your Queenpins ticket stub with #QueenpinsSweeps on Instagram or Twitter
    • Post a picture of your girls night out watching Queenpins and use #QueenpinsSweeps on Instagram or Twitter

9/6/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgHappy Labor Day! I hope you all had a fun, relaxing weekend. The kids and I spent most of it playing with Legos, or swimming with friends.

No trip to the grocery store this week- I did go buy ice (our icemaker is STILL broken- Looking at you Sears) and popsicles, but we have enough groceries to get us through the week. I may have to buy milk… We’ll see.

Getting the fam to eat more fruits and veggies has been my personal mission this year, and thankfully, Yasukochi Family Farms has my back.

Veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $25, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $25. Seriously. It’s a deal. I did a great deal of meal prep today after the box was delivered- You can see some of what I did over on Instragram.

And I’ve been getting a lot of really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I have made my own and you can find them for sale here on my Etsy Store.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. The Ancient Grain bagels from Einstein Bros. are the current family favorite. I pick them up on Mondays when a dozen is only $7. I slice them and freeze them to keep them from going bad too quickly.

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year, but so far, there is nothing on the menu that appeals to the kids.

Dinner: We’ve got a pretty good schedule down for dinners. We have nuggets (vegetarian for the boy child, chicken for the rest) on the nights that we have respite. It’s quick prep and clean up, and I can serve it on our cafeteria trays with other fingers foods (we have trays like these) like cut-up fruit, crackers, and cheese. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday: Korean BBQ Beef, Rice, Roasted Veggies with Haven’s Kitchen Gingery Miso
  • Monday: Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce, Garlic Cheesy Bread, and fruit
  • Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner (probably waffles, eggs, sausage, and fruit)
  • Wednesday: Nugget night: Nuggets, crackers, cheese, fruit
  • Thursday: Cheeseburgers ( topped with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms), chips and dip, and salad
  • Friday:  Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Leftovers, fruit

Please stay safe you guys!

9/3/2021 Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.

It’s Friday, Friday, Funday! We’re celebrating with pizza. And there are some pretty cool freebies and deals this weekend!

If you are looking for birthday freebies, fret not! I put together a list new for 2021- Check it out here.

Most of these freebies and deals are online. I know y’all are vaxxed and ready to party, but I’m trying to keep you safe. Keep up the social distancing with strangers, wash and sanitize your hands, and cover your mouth and nose if you are going to be around strangers. The kids and I still mask up when we go out, and I’ve got hand sanitizer at the ready.

Freebies:

Free Personalized Chateau Souverain Wine Labels
Free Mr. Orange Multipurpose Cleaner Sample
Free Donut Wednesdays at Dunkin
Free Magnetic Eyelashe Kit, Mascara, Tweezer & Mirror
Free Urinozinc Prostate Immunity Support Supplements
Free Rael Beauty Miracle Patch Dark Spot Cover
Free Foaming Hand Soap Tablets
Free Pretzel with the Wetzel’s Pretzel App
Free Yankee Cande Birthday Gift
Free Redbox Rental
Free Bodyarmor Drink at Pilot Flying J
Free Joolies Date Snack Packs
Free Books, Journals, Stickers & More
Panera Members – Free Bagel Everyday in September
12 Free Backyard Beans Coffee Co. Cold Brew Cans
Free Mylanta Gas Minis Sample
Free Sample of Coach for Men Cologne
Free Curion’s Prestige Beauty Products
Free Milwaukee MX4 4-Cutter SDS PLUS Rotary Hammer Drill Bit
Possible Free $125 Alcoholic Beverages Research Study
Verizon Up Rewards – Free $3-$5 Amazon or Starbucks Gift Card
Kellogg’s Kitchen Insiders – Earn Free Gift Cards
Free Core Organic Bar at Target
Free Tylenol Extra Strength Cold Multi Action Capsules
Ulta – Free Lancome Anti-Aging Face Serum for Your Birthday
Free Kim Crawford Wines Illuminate House Party Kit
Sephora – Free NARS, Laneige, Moroccanoil or Kerastatse Mini Set
Free Subscription to GQ Magazine
Free Kinderlyte Oral Electrolyte Solution Products
Free Sample of Rituals Sakura Body Cream
Free Happiness Digest by Ellen White Book
Free Boots Ingredients Collagen Serum

 

Deals:

Treasure Beach Wooden Sandbox ONLY $56.91 (Reg. $106)
Michael Kors Charlotte Saffiano Bag ONLY $75.65 (Reg $398)
Funko Games Back To The Future $9.88 (Reg. $21)
Buy 2, Get 1 Free Books on Amazon
PAW Patrol True Metal Mighty Meteo Track Set $9.57 (Reg. $20)
Multipet Gumby Dog Toy ONLY $2.85 on Amazon
Kate Spade Staci Medium l-Zip Wristlet ONLY $29 (Reg $119)
Reversible Micromink Faux-Sherpa Throw ONLY $13.99 (Reg $40)
Nautica True Comfort Standard/Queen Pillows ONLY $6.99 (Reg $20)
Tramontina 9-Pc Non-stick Cookware Set ONLY $19.88 (Reg $40)
Powerbeats Pro Wireless Earphones ONLY $169.99 (Reg $250)
Extra 15% Off your Entire Order + FREE Shipping at Coach Outlet
Nostalgia 16 Cup Air-Pop Popcorn Maker ONLY $10.93 (Reg $30)
Paw Patrol Ride-On Vehicle ONLY $16.41 at Walmart (Reg $40)
Little Green Box Board Books by Dr. Seuss ONLY $9.11 (Reg. $20)
MUK LUKS Marsha Sandals ONLY $16.99 (Reg. $45)
Free Kindle eBook This Month on Amazon
Rainbow Pebbles Stacking Stones ONLY $18.56 (Reg. $35)

Fetch Rewards: Cruise into the long weekend with more points!

Abby H.

Load up for the long weeekend.

Labor Day is this coming weekend! A lot of you are planning BBQ’s or family get-togethers, and here are some special offers to help you save money this weekend.

If you haven’t signed up for Fetch Rewards yet, or want to learn more, check out my post here. Find the Fetch Rewards app in your app store, and when you download it and scan any receipt, use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score 2,000 bonus points. I’ve earned over $250 in rewards in 2021 alone, just by purchasing my regular groceries and scanning in all of my receipts (grocery, mass merchandiser, gas receipts, restaurants, you name it).

It is simple, takes minutes, and the points really rack up!

P&G Good Everyday Rewards: Earn rewards and Help others with every purchase.

Abby H.

This program is so great! I love that you can save money and P&G helps others in need.

P&G Good Everyday is a Rewards Program for your favorite brands, like Tide, Crest, Dawn Bounty, and 60 more.

Earn up to $150 + in Rewards annually for Brands you already use and love.  Enter for chances to win Free P&G Products.  And, P&G Donates to Charity on your behalf.

More participation = More Rewards and More Donations.

 

September Sprouts Farmers Market Monthly Freebies!

Abby H.

Sprouts is hooking us up and helping us stay healthy! Every month on the Sprouts app in the Digital Coupon section, there are between 4-6 free items (they are marked “SAMPLING PROGRAM”).

Quantities are limited on the app, so if you are interested in any of these, I recommend that you add these coupons (by opening the Sprouts app, click on digital coupons, and click on each coupon in the lower corner where the little green circle is) to your app ASAP.

Not all Sprouts locations will have these freebies, so I suggest trying larger Sprouts location in your area.

 

 

This month the following items are available:

  • Free Primal Kitchen Frozen Bowls
  • Free Bob’s Red Mill Oat Crackers
  • Free LivBar Superfood Energy Bar
  • Free HFactor Hydrogen-Infused Water
  • Free Honest Tea Product (16 oz)
  • Free Chobani Oatmilk (52 oz)