Yesterday, we had the pleasure of attending an advanced screening of the Disney movie The Secret World of Arrietty in Boston. Since we were so close to Chinatown, we decided to have lunch there. Although our 8 year old has been to dim sum before, our 5 year old twins have not. We thought this would be a fun experience since we had read the board book Yum Yum Dim Sum to them so many times. Although we had hoped the children would be more adventurous with trying new foods, it was a nice treat for all of us.
I recently read an article about how to be romantic all year round and how you should not wait until Valentine's Day to show your love for your spouse. There were some great ideas in this article, many of which did not require a lot of time and money. One idea that really inspired me is the one about a monthly gift. I think picking up a little something for your spouse once a month just to say that you were thinking of him or her would be fun, romantic, and would add some anticipation to a marriage. This should be a low pressure gift, perhaps something little that you saw while you were out that made you think of your spouse.
For those months that you do not just happen to see something you think your spouse would like, I enlisted my husband to help me make the lists below. These are lists you can turn to if you need a back-up gift idea.
Monthly Gift Ideas for Your Husband . . .
1. A favorite cake, pie, or other dessert that needs to be specially ordered from a restaurant or bakery 2. A 6-pack of one of his favorite beers that he rarely gets to have 3. A movie he had mentioned once that he wanted to see a long time ago, but never did 4. 9-holes of golf 5. A tie (if he has to wear them often) 6. A clever novelty t-shirt 7. The latest book by his favorite author 8. The latest issues of a few of his favorite magazines that he does not subscribe to 9. A video game he would like that you can play together 10. A container of munchies or treats to keep at work
Monthly Gift Ideas for Your Wife . . .
1. A jar candle in a scent you think she'll love 2. A charm to add to an existing charm bracelet or necklace 3. A favorite cake, pie, or other dessert that needs to be specially ordered from a restaurant or bakery 4. A mixed bouquet of flowers 5. A movie she had mentioned once that she wanted to see a long time ago, but never did 6. The latest book by her favorite author 7. The latest issues of a few of her favorite magazines that she does not subscribe to 8. A new scarf (if she likes to wear them) 9. A pair or two of fun novelty socks that fit her personality 10. A few shades of nail polish or lipstick you would love to see on her
If you have any ideas about small thoughtful gifts to give to a spouse, I would love to hear them. My husband and I are going to try this, so I will certainly need more ideas for the future.
Go here for more great ideas about how to show your love all year long.
I made these little pies over the holidays after being inspired by Jenny's Kiss Pies on the Picky Palate blog. The few things I had changed about the recipe are that mine use both Hershey's Hugs and Hershey's Kisses, I used a different brand of refrigerated pie crust, and I tried to raise the seams on top of my mini pies to make them resemble stars . . . not sure if I succeeded there though. Regardless, they seemed to be a big hit at Christmas dinner, so I thought they might be suitable for a Valentine's Day dessert as well because of the hugs and kisses theme.
(Click any photo to enlarge)
Recipe: Hugs & Kisses Mini Pies
INGREDIENTS:
1 package of two refrigerated pie crusts
12 Hershey's Kisses (unwrapped)
12 Hershey's Hugs (unwrapped)
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
granulated white sugar
powdered sugar
nonstick cooking spray
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2. Unroll one room temperature pie crust on a large piece of wax paper. Cut out a dozen 3" circles using a cookie cutter, glass, or an egg poacher like I did. You will need to combine and roll out the scraps of dough to make the last 2 or 3 circles.
Step 3. Place a single Hershey's Hugs or Hershey's Kisses in the center of each circle. Then wrap two sides of the dough up and around the candy, pinching the two edges together. Repeat this with the remaining two sides. Then seal in the candy by pinching all the seams together. Place the formed mini pie on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil sprayed lightly with cooking spray.
Step 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the second refrigerated pie crust.
Step 5. Separate the egg white from the yolk. Discard the yolk and whisk together the egg white with a tablespoon of water.
Step 6. Lightly brush the top of each mini pie with the egg wash.
Step 7. Lightly sprinkle granulated white sugar on each mini pie.
Step 8. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the crust has browned to your taste. Once they start to brown, you should watch them carefully because they go from a little brown to very brown quite quickly.
Step 9. After the mini pies are completely cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar. I used a mini spoon-size strainer, but you can use a sifter also.
For a large party, I doubled this recipe to create 48 mini pies. Because of the raised seams, these browned more quickly on top than Jenny's original Kiss Pies. Like I said, they were a huge hit. They are very tasty and I do think people feel less guilty to indulge in a miniature pie than to take part in full-size servings of pies, cakes, and cookies.
All ingredients for this recipe were purchased with our own funds and no compensation was received for sharing this recipe with our readers.
Valentine's day is only one week away. I really meant to share these Valentine's Day word searches a couple of weeks ago, but I was sick for almost a whole week and am just getting caught up.
Like all the other word search puzzles I share, these have 3 levels of difficulty . . . one for grade school-aged children, one for Pre-K through 1st grade, and one for preschoolers where the first letter of each word has been highlighted. All puzzles have an answer key that you can either print or just save to your computer for reference. As always, these puzzles are free to print.
TO PRINT: Make sure your computer's printer is on and ready to go. Click on the desired image to enlarge. Then right-click on the image and select print.
Grade School Level
Preschool to 1st Grade Level
Look for more puzzles to come. The next one will most likely have the theme of Springtime. If you are looking for a specific theme, feel free to request one by leaving a comment or using my contact form. If it is one I think my readers would enjoy, I would be happy to create word searches in that theme and share them on 3G2S.
For years, LeapFrog has been doing its share to support literacy in preschool and early grade school classrooms with the Tag. Give. Read. program. Since the launch of this program in 2009, LeapFrog has donated over $1.5 million worth of Tag Readers and Tag books to classrooms across the U.S., affecting the education of more than 20,000 students. One of those classrooms was a pre-K class from one of our very own local non-profit preschools, so I have seen these Tag School Readers in action first hand.
Does LeapFrog want to stop at $1.5 million? Not a chance! LeapFrog and DonorsChoose.org continue to work together to get Tag School Reader Bundles into classrooms in need. If you are not familiar with DonorsChoose, it is an organization that allows teachers to request support for particular classroom tools and equipment that the school cannot afford to provide to them. Then donors can contribute to the classroom of their choice. All these donations of varying amounts add up to reach the monetary goal, so even the smallest donations count.
Currently, there are over 200 classrooms requesting LeapFrog Tag Reader systems and books. You can read about each and every one by going to DonorsChoose.org and doing a keyword search for "LeapFrog." To make your donation go further, if you decide to support one or more of these classrooms requesting Tag Classroom Readers, LeapFrog will match your donation dollar for dollar and will continue to do so until they have matched $50,000 in donations.
As a thank you for reading about their efforts, you are invited to enter to win the following prize bundle (a $170 value) . . .
Thank you to LeapFrog for providing a prize pack for our contest prize and for giving me a DonorsChoose.org gift card for taking the time to participate in this campaign.
Our children had a bit of spending money saved up from gifts for Christmas and their birthdays and some lucky money from Chinese New Year. (Can you tell why December and January are their favorite months of the year?) So, the whole family made a visit to the mall this past weekend. It was actually our first trip to the mall since October because we try to avoid it during the peak holiday shopping season.
In the interest of time, the boys and girls eventually split up. My daughter wanted to go to Claire's and there was certainly nothing of interest in there for my husband and two sons. If you've never been, Claire's is an accessory store that sells everything from fashion jewelry to bags to cosmetics. My daughter ended up choosing a pair of Heart Skip A Beat Shades, a pair of clip-on earrings, and a little compact with lip gloss and eye shadow in it. I had explained to her that the make-up would just be for playing in the house and would not be opened until her Dad says she is big enough to play with make-up. She was fine with it and it now is sitting unopened in her dresser drawer (and probably will until she is 30 if Dad has anything to say about it).
Since Claire's was having an incredible sale on all their winter hats, scarves, gloves, and other warmwear, I picked up this Sock Monkey Hat, convertible mittens, and Panda Earmuffs for her for just $4 for all three items!
When we got home, she just had to model everything we bought. We put on as much as we could, but the earrings wouldn't work with the hat and earmuffs. And here she is . . .
We purchased all products mentioned here with our own funds and did not receive compensation for sharing this shopping experience with our readers.
If you have a Silly Monkey Story to share, sign Mr. Linky below with the link to your blog post (not the link to your main blog page). Please do not forget to visit the other participants and leave them comments to let them know you stopped by!
Diamond jewelry is the official modern-day gift to mark the milestone of 10 years of marriage. Our 10th wedding anniversary has come and gone. In fact, this year my husband and I will be celebrating our 12th anniversary. When our 10-year anniversary did arrive, I thought to myself that ten years did not feel like a long time. No, we did not feel like newlyweds. However, although we have gone through so much together, it still felt like there was a whole lifetime in front of us of reaching goals, making new ones, and watching our children grow inside and out.
The official gift for 20 years of marriage is platinum. I have decided to declare that the gift should actually be platinum AND diamonds. By 20 years, our oldest will be thinking about college and the twins will be entering high school. We would be in a completely different phase in our lives. Now that is something worthy of diamonds!
If you read my shopping blog or follow me on Pinterest, then you know that I have a thing for rings and that, for diamond jewelry, I am a fan of jewelry designs by Simon G. When I have an extra moment or two, I enjoy browsing for uniquely designed rings, especially engagement rings. Although I am always drawn towards princess cut diamond engagement rings, I always go back to round cut diamonds, like the one pictured here from Kranich's Jewelers. I absolutely adore my round cut diamond solitaire platinum engagement ring, but it is fun to wonder once in awhile . . . What if we went with a bridal set? or Maybe we should have chosen a sapphire engagement ring? In the end, I would never trade in my ring for anything, but I would want something different in platinum and diamonds for our next major milestone.
Have you experienced a fairy tale romance like that between Snow White and her Prince? Well, here are 8 different Mirror Mirror themed printable Valentine's Day cards for you and your children to enjoy. Simply click here to view all 8 cards. After all, what better way is there to celebrate Valentine's Day than with a classic romantic fairy tale?
This retelling of the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is actually more modern-day than classic. Lily Collins (of The Blind Side) plays a Snow White that actually fights back. Even more interesting, Julia Roberts, who has always been known for her sweet smile, plays the evil Queen.
Other members of the cast are Armie Hammer (as Prince Alcott), Sean Bean (as the King), one of my favorite actors, Nathan Lane (as Brighton, the Queen's servant). Personally this trailer has made me curious as to how wicked Julie Roberts can really be and how the seven dwarfs translates into a band of highway robbers. To find out, look for Mirror Mirror in theaters starting March 30, 2012!
I received a gift card as a thank you for taking the time to participate in this campaign.
People who know me know that I’m a sucker for cute reusable bags. We use ours so frequently that they end up tattered and worn and need replacing. When I got the offer for bags from SnapSac, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.
SnapSac is unique because their bags "snap" shut in three different places: folded up for easy storage, inside the small inner pocket to hold in loose items, and in the front to secure your cargo from falling out. These bags also come in a range of sizes like I’ve never seen before. Their largest tote is, by far, the biggest reusable bag I’ve ever seen.
The Grocery Tote is very tall at 17 inches and perfect for transporting 2 liters, gallons of fluids, cereal boxes, and any other tall items. The Petite Tote is ideal for small grocery trips, purchases such as shoes, or transporting take-out home from a restaurant. The Super Tote is a perfect library bag, in my opinion. It comfortably holds even large books and is sturdy enough to handle the weight. The Mega Tote measures at 28” wide by 19” high, so it truly is mega. The possibilities are endless for this monster of a tote; days at the beach, overnight trips, transporting toys, library books, groceries… You name it, this tote would hold it. The Lunch Tote is a perfect bag for keeping your lunch hot or cold and is the exact size to hold a day’s lunch for an adult or child. Finally, the Cool Tote is a great small cooler for up to 3 pounds of ice and products. It features a plastic lining on the inside, so it is completely leak proof. I foresee many trips to the lake using this cooler for our beverages.
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All the totes, except the Lunch and Cool, have an inner pocket for storing money, library cards, wallet, etc. and all of them snap closed in 3 places. The Lunch and Cool tote have external storage pockets and a long “purse strap” type handle for carrying. I love that they fold flat and snap shut, so they take up minimal space and I can even carry them in my purse.
All the SnapSac products are extremely good quality and the people at SnapSac are very prompt and nice. When the bags first came to me, the Cool Tote had a rip in the plastic lining that would have prevented it from being leak proof. SnapSac quickly rectified that situation and sent me a replacement with their apologies. The time they were notified to the time they sent a replacement was literally just a couple days. They truly guarantee their products and care about protecting their reputation. I would highly recommend these bags to anyone in the market for good quality, reusable bags.
You can buy all these bags on their website individually or in bundles of 3 and 6 by visiting www.snapsac.com. The bags come in two color schemes: neutral and pop. The bundle that has all six bags mentioned retails for $29.99. Through February 9th, 2012 you can receive 25% off your entire SnapSac.com purchase when you checkout using Promo Code: GarnetSapphire25. You can also receive Free Shipping on any purchase over $25 within the continental U.S.
Thank you to SnapSac for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing additional product for our contest prize.
See these three children? They may be cute, but they each cost a lot of money to raise. Although I have not focused on it, I have shared a bit about how tough the past few years have been for my family financially. To sum it up, before we could fully recover from my husband losing his job two years prior, my husband lost his job again nearly 3 years ago, took out a student loan to go back to school to change his career path, and eventually found a job in the right field. However, it was not quite enough to cover our household expenses when combined with the income I make working from home. That is probably a story that you have heard too many times in recent years.
One of the steps we have taken to better our situation is get a home loan modification. It took us a year and a half to actually get our mortgage company to help us, but eventually they did. Although we do not generate any new credit card debts, we do have some very old ones that we had to stop paying on because of our circumstances. We also have a lot of medical bills hanging over our heads, and need to put together a plan to pay off debt once we are in a more stable financial situation. To help us feel like we are being proactive in the present, there are a few household expenses we are trying to reduce.
3 Ways to Cut Household Spending . . .
1.Drink filtered water - Our family of 5 was accustomed to drinking spring water that we purchased by the case and by the gallon. Although it took us a little while to get use to it, I have to say 85% of the water we drink now is from our countertop water filtration system. Our children have sets of reusable bottles that I keep filled for them. We are lucky that our tap water is safe and tastes just fine. I would say we save around $300/year by doing this.
2.Switch from cable to streaming video - We have not done this yet, but are seriously considering replacing our cable service with streaming video on each television in the house. Each box would allow that television to access video from services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. My husband estimates that we would save about $840/year if we do this.
3.Bringing lunches from home - My husband can buy lunch for just over $5 from the cafeteria at work, but he could bring lunch and cut that cost by quite a bit. Even if he picked out some quality frozen entrees on sale instead of taking leftovers, the cost would be about half. It costs my son $2.50 to buy lunch from school. Packing a lunch for him from home would also cost about half of that. Taking lunches from home is something my husband and 2nd grader already do, but only about 50% of the time. We can certainly do better. Between the two of them, even if they only saved $10 a week, that would be $520/year.
I know that saving $1500 in one year is not going to significantly help us pay off bills faster, but it is the difference between our children being able to take part in playing soccer and taking a dance class or not. I think those experiences are worth a lot more than the amount of effort it takes to make those few changes.
If you have other ideas about how to cut costs around the house, I would love to hear them.
