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2013: Black Friday and Cyber Monday Survival Tricks

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2013: Black Friday and Cyber Monday Survival Tricks

Photograph Credit: iCLIPART

The mayhem is about to commence. During Thanksgiving week, stores are gearing up for deep discounts, crowds of customers, and money in their safes.

In preparing for the crunching numbers craze, I found these Black Friday and Cyber Monday survival tricks to make the best use of our time this shopping season.

Black Friday

  • Tips – Yes, take the store advertisement with you.
  • Store hours
  • Apps – Without a smart phone, I cannot confirm the usefulness of these apps. However, I trust the source from which these recommendations came.
  • Early online deals
  • Amazon deals

Cyber Monday

Our 2012 Black Friday Experience

Though Black Friday is quite popular, our family has found Cyber Monday and on-line deals a better option. Last year, we missed a Black Friday deal for a 40-inch television priced at $250. We chose to spend time with our family rather than wait in long lines at the store.

Fast forward to a week before Christmas when Amazon put a better quality 40-inch television on sale, we snagged it at the $250 price. We received the television on Christmas Eve at our doorstep, and our television was one of our favorite deals of 2012.

As you scour the advertisements and find really great deals on items you or your family needs, know your bottom line. If the deal does not match your need or your budget, then let it go. There really will be other opportunities.

In using time wisely, use your knowledge and your Black Friday and Cyber Monday survival tips to maneuver through the deals to find the ones that best fit your needs. Happy hunting!

Question: For what item(s) are you searching this holiday season? 

Super Bowl Food Ideas

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Super Bowl Food Ideas

Photograph Credit: Flickr (alsis35)

Woo hoo! Super Bowl weekend is on the horizon. Have I mentioned how much I love football season?

Though my Florida Gators had a rough, OK, bad season, I’m glad to see Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos going to the Big Game.

My husband, Paul, is a Denver Broncos fan, so there will be lots of orange and blue in our house Sunday night.

I do like the Seattle Seahawks, and I’m glad they made it as well. But I like the way Peyton Manning plays and will still route for the Broncos.

If you have avid football fans and need some chow during the 4+-hour game, then try a few of these Super Bowl food ideas:

With all these great options, I’m sure you can find something to keep the football fans fed during the afternoon, evening, and into the night.

Many of the slider and BBQ recipes could be doubled and cooked in the crock pot. Love using our crock pot during parties as the food can stay out and warm for hours without spoiling.

Wishing you all a wonderful Super Bowl celebration!

Question: Who do you think is going to win the Big Game: Seattle Seahawks or Denver Broncos?

XXII Olympic Winter Games Activities

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XXII Olympic Winter Games Activities

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Department of Culture, Media, and Sport)

Excitement is in the air as the Opening Ceremony commences tonight. With my son studying Greece culture and literature and participating in a class Olympic exercise this year, we are ready to celebrate the world coming together to compete.

My girls are looking forward to the ice skating, my son is not particular, and my husband and I enjoy the curling events. To increase our excitement and check for our favorite events, the following schedules and activities should keep us busy for the next 2.5 weeks.

Olympic Winter Games Schedule

  • Sochi 2014 is the official website for these Russian games. All the events are listed on a chart highlighting the days of competition. When you scroll your mouse over each highlighted day, a drop box shows the times, type of event (qualifying, short program, etc.), and any teams that are playing.
  • Another great resource is NBC Olympics featuring videos, back stories, and television viewing schedule with channel lineups.

Olympic Winter Games Activities

  • Spoonful offers 16 crafts to celebrate the Sochi games. The international recipes look like a fun family activity as well as the sports score cards. Now your family can judge the competitions, too.
  • Activity Village is packed full of information for these Olympic games. From a listing of all the countries participating to activities for many of the events, you are sure to find some fun activities to include in your family fun. I really like the “Learn to draw the winter Olympics” activities as the instructions are step-by-step.
  • With over 120 pages, the 3 Dinosaurs Winter Olympics printable pack is geared for children ages 2-9. These activities focus on writing, math, and language.
  • Enchanted Homeschooling Mom has created a 100+ page Winter Olympics Pack 2014. Designed for children in pre-K through 6th grade, this pack provides the history behind the events and background on the host city of Sochi, Russia.

With all these wonderful XXII Olympic winter games activities, my children will enjoy learning and practicing with many of these worksheets. Though my son will probably pass, my girls will flock to the activity sheets and drawing sketches.

As you watch your favorite events and cheer for your favorite team, we will be watching along with you. Go USA!

Question: What Olympic Winter event is your favorite?

An Entertainment Backup Plan

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An Entertainment Backup Plan

Photograph Credit: Fotolio

After today’s events, I am considering creating an entertainment backup plan. Lest you think Murphy hits our home each time we entertain, let me assure you that we entertain quite a bit without incidents.

Tonight was not the case. Everything was going well. I had picked up the pizzas from Papa Murphy’s this afternoon, the house was cleaned, and homework finished.

With the oven preheated, I placed the pizza on the top rack, set the timer, and sat down to rest.

Ahh!

The Incident

Paul came home and was hanging up his jacket when we saw a flash in our kitchen. Checking the light bulbs for outages, we found none. Not seeing anything else, we wrote it off to a power surge.

About 20 minutes later the timer sounded, and I went to the oven. Well, everything was dark.

At this time, I realized that the flash was from the oven. Paul reset the breakers, and then we checked the unit. The oven light and the stovetop worked fine. However, the oven had shorted out. Bummer!

Thankfully, I have wonderful neighbors. I called up one and explained the situation. In typical southern hospitality, she invited me down to use her oven. I enjoyed the time listening and playing with her children while the pizza finished baking.

Considering a Backup Plan

Our dinner turned out well, got off to a little late start, and we had a great night. We are not sure how we will fix the oven. But for now, the rest of our week sports a cooktop menu, so we are good to go.

Though this experience turned out fine, I began thinking about what I would have done had my neighbor not been home. I had called my nextdoor neighbor first, and she was not home. But the second neighbor I called was able to help me out.

Not that I plan to keep numerous options available when we entertain, but I have started thinking about our entertainment backup plan, which definitely includes my fantastic neighbors.

I’m thinking that I might want to choose a cooktop, oven, and freezer/microwave option. Of course, if the power goes out, then I’ll need a grill option. Happy creating!

Question: Do you have an entertainment backup plan? If so, would you be willing to share it?

2014: March Madness – NCAA Basketball Tournament

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2014: March Madness – NCAA Basketball Tournament

Photograph Credit: NCAA Tournament

March Madness has started! The conclusion of the college basketball season culminates with the Big Dance, also known as the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Last year, I posted a video of my son and daughter making their picks when they were 1 and 2 years old. (Love that video as it takes me back to when they were little.)

As a sports family, we love March Madness. Having dealt with the criticism of how poorly the Florida Gators performed during football season, I am thrilled that they are currently ranked #1 in basketball. My husband is a Duke Blue Devil’s fan, so it may come down to a showdown.

For those unfamiliar with March Madness, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) hosts a single-elimination basketball tournament each year comprised of 68 college teams. Though the ladies have a similar competition, our family focuses on the men’s Final Four tournament.

March Madness Online

In 2013, Paul created a group on the Yahoo! Sports page for our family. We entered our picks, and the program kept track of our scores. Our son won the family competition hands down.

My only regret from last year was that I did not print our brackets. About a week after the tournament ended, I went to get the results, and Yahoo! had wiped out those groups to make room for fantasy baseball.

This year, Paul created a group with Sports Illustrated as Yahoo! would not setup a group without verifying a phone number. We did not wish to disclose that information, and Sports Illustrated did not require a phone number.

With the online version, all selections must be made by Thursday, March 20, 2014 at noon. This is the deadline for our bracket through Sports Illustrated. If you choose another online bracket, then check their deadlines to participate.

Once all our family members fill in their brackets, I will print them – even if the games have not begun. I want to be sure to have the brackets for this year. I can always go back to see who won the games and record the winners.

My children get excited about making their selections. The following embedded video is of my children making their 2014 first round picks. (Please pardon my youngest child’s manners as she is still learning proper etiquette, and I did not notice her actions while I was filming the event.)

March Madness on Paper

Prior to last year, Paul and I printed copies of the tournament bracket, made our picks, watched the games, and recorded the winners.

2014: March Madness – NCAA Basketball Tournament

Photograph Credit: Sports Illustrated

If you prefer a paper version, you can print a bracket from ESPN, CBS Sports, or Sports Illustrated.

You can choose how you want to score your brackets. For our family, we followed this guideline for each correct selection:

    • Round 1: One point
    • Round 2:  Two points
    • Round 3: Three points
    • Round 4: Four points
    • Round 5: Five points
    • Round 6: Six points
    • Round 7 (Championship): Seven points – we also guess the score.

If you have a sports fan in your family, then you will probably hear about March Madness, the Final Four, the Big Dance, or the NCAA Tournament – known by lots of names.

This competition continues to bring enjoyment to our family complete with bragging rights. In using time wisely, we love the bonding that this FREE activity brings to our home.

Watching the games and tracking the scoring heightens the competition. The games begin on Thursday, and the deadlines for the online versions are fast approaching.

Setting up a family group takes minutes which is a great use of time for this FREE family, group, or club competition. Happy choosing!

Question: Does your family make selections for the NCAA Basketball Tournament?