Archives for 2014

Chick-fil-A: May Calendar Card Deal – FREE Entrée Salad

May 24, 2014 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Chick-fil-A

For our date night, Paul and I headed to a local Chick-fil-A, without a playground, for dinner and conversation.

We used our May calendar card deal where we both chose the new Chick-fil-A grilled market salad.

This entrée included blueberries, strawberries, apples, and feta cheese on a bed of lettuce topped with grilled strips of chicken. We also received packets of granola and nuts for extra seasoning.

We both liked our FREE entrée salad. I can also recommend the Chick-fil-A Cobb salad as I snagged one with another calendar card earlier this month.

My Cobb salad included tomatoes, corn, bacon, cheddar cheese, diced eggs, and carrots on a bed of lettuce. A packet of crispy red bell peppers gave the salad a pop of flavor.

If you have a Chick-fil-A calendar card, remember to snag your FREE entrée salad of your choice before May 31, 2014. Happy savings!

Question: What is your favorite salad ingredient?

End-of-the-School-Year Thank You Notes and Gifts

May 23, 2014 by Tracy

Accepting a teacher’s offer today to allow my girls to join her class’s movie afternoon, we stayed at school until pickup.

With the movie running for about 2 hours, I brought in a few projects. While watching my girls and listening to the movie, I wrote out thank you notes.

Since I typically seize these types of opportunities, I usually come prepared with a few different projects.

Today, I had my stack of thank you notes along with my blogging notebook and curriculum catalogs. Needing to get the thank you notes written, I consulted my list and started writing.

Before the movie ended, I had all my thank notes complete which freed up time this evening to prepare the gifts of homemade sourdough bread. Yum!

My bread starter needs 3 ingredients each week. I store the liquid starter in my refrigerator until I need to feed it the three ingredients. With a 4-step process, my sourdough bread takes 2 days to make, but I only spend around 10-15 minutes in those two days actually making the bread.

This morning when I entered the kitchen, I was met by this overflowing bowl of dough ready for the next step in the process.

After dividing the dough into 6 bread pans, I left the dough to rise. This evening, I baked the bread and packaged the gifts for a couple special friends and my children’s teachers.

In planning our end-of-the-school-year thank you notes and gifts, I chose to hand write notes and bake loaves of bread.

If you have a signature cookie, bread, or snack, then you have the makings of an end-of-the-school-year gift. Pair your specialty with a thank you note and dote on your favorite teachers and friends. Happy planning!

Question: How do you prepare for the end-of-the-school-year thank you notes and gifts?

Half Days, Clothing Swap, and Cleaning Adjustments

May 22, 2014 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Fotolia

Encouraging my children to enjoy these last days of school, I am doing the same. No longer am I surprised when my planned week falls apart.

My plan rarely occurs these days, but I have learned to use time wisely to accomplish what I can in the time given.

For this last week of school, I was planning to knock out a couple projects. Well, those plans were derailed when my daughter’s classes were reduced to half days.

With dropping off in the morning, picking up at lunch, and then in the afternoon, I’m not home much this week.

Previously, this would have been a pain. However, I worked with another mom to carpool for one of the pickups which gave me some extended time at home to swap my children’s clothes. With most of my children’s winter clothes packed up, I only have a few more loads of laundry to go before finishing the transfer to spring and summer clothes.

In addition to the laundry, I have kept up my new cleaning routine which is very calming to me. Though I cannot always get to the cleaning daily, I can clean weekly which is a great system for my ever-changing schedule. With this goal, I was able to re-clean 3 upstairs rooms today. So, I’m on my way to a clean home this weekend.

This week can either end in disappointment from taking the long way around these projects, or I can embrace the changes and smell the roses along the path. The half days, clothing swap, and cleaning adjustments are part of my using time wisely journey.

Whether you are winding down the school year, planning for summer, or trying to get through today, adopt a can-do attitude. Know where you want to go, but feel free to take the boardwalk or the path around the lake to get there.

Plans change, but you can still arrive at your destination while using time wisely. Happy choosing!

Question: What adjustments are you making this week?

Sonic Drive-in: 50¢ Corn Dogs – May 22, 2014

May 21, 2014 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Sonic Drive-in

To celebrate National End of School Day, participating Sonic Drive-in locations will offer 50¢ corn dogs all day on Thursday, May 22, 2014.

To find a participating location, check this store locator.

With the end of school coming to a close, take time to celebrate.

The 50¢ corn dogs are only valid on Thursday, May 22, 2014. Happy celebrating!

Question: When does the school year end in your area?

2014: Summer Bowling – Kids Bowl Free

May 20, 2014 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Kids Bowl Free

Keeping children active and engaged takes creativity.

If left to themselves, then my children would watch movies, play video and computer games, and sit most of the day.

Though I don’t mind them playing or watching, they also need to be up, moving, and active.

To reach this goal, I look for FREE or inexpensive activities and then schedule a couple outings each week throughout the summer. If you are gathering options for this summer, then Kids Bowl Free is a FREE national program.

Kids Bowl Free gives every registered child 2 FREE bowling games each day, every day, all summer long. The age limit, promotion dates, and available bowling times are determined by the individual bowling alleys that participate.

Child’s Registration

To get the FREE games, find a participating location (available in the United States and Canada) by clicking your state or province on the map. Once directed to your local alley, register each of your children. You will need to re-register each summer as the program resets, and the information from last year does not transfer.

There is a limit of 6 children and one bowling location per e-mail address. So, if you have 4 children and two available bowling alleys nearby, then you will need two e-mail accounts. Use one to sign up each of your 4 children at one location, and then use the other e-mail account to sign up all 4 children at the second location.

Using two e-mail addresses also works if you have more than 6 children. Just sign up half of them under one e-mail account, and the rest of your children on the second e-mail account for the same bowling location.

Once registered, you will receive a weekly e-mail each Sunday with a coupon for each person for each day. Before you go to the bowling alley, you will need to print your vouchers for your FREE games of bowling. Shoe rental is not included with this offer, so plan to spend around $3 per person for shoe rental.

Adult Registration

If you want to bowl with your children, then consider purchasing the Kids Bowl Free Family Pass. New this year, you can purchase one of four options which allow each named family member to bowl 2 free games each day all summer long. Again, shoe rental is not included, but you can choose the option that best fits your needs:

1-person Family Pass: $19.95
2-person Family Pass: $24.95
3-person Family Pass: $29.95
4-person Family Pass: $34.95

If you purchase the Family Pass, then you will get an e-mail confirmation to use immediately. Then on Sundays, you will get the coupons for each person for each day to print. You can register at anytime for the Family Pass by logging into your account, so wait until you are ready to go to the bowling alley before ordering.

In using time wisely and looking forward to summer plans, register your children for Kids Bowl Free. Though this activity is not FREE due to the shoe rental, bowling is a great way to keep your family cool and active this summer. Happy summer planning!

Question: Did you find a participating Kids Bowl Free alley in your area?

« Previous Page