Using Time Wisely

Organized to save money, energy, and time

You are here: Home / Archives for Family Activities

2014: AMC’s Summer Movies

by

2014: AMC’s Summer Movies

Photograph Credit: AMC

Stretching out these long summer days, AMC’s Summer Movies provide an affordable activity for winding down the evening.

With 100% of the proceeds going to charity, AMC’s promotion benefits the Will Rogers Institute and the Autism Society of America.

AMC’s summer movies show every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday ONLY at the 9:30 p.m showing.

For the 9:30 p.m. showing only, the cost is $3 per ticket.

The schedule for AMC’s Summer Movies is as follows:

June 23-25: Anchorman 2 (PG-13)

June 30-July 2: Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG-13)

July 7-9: Non-Stop (PG-13)

July 14-16: RoboCop (PG-13)

July 21-23: 300: Rise of an Empire (R)

July 28-30: Pompeii (PG-13)

August 4-6: Need for Speed (PG-13)

August 11-13: Ride Along (PG-13)

Though these showtimes are recorded on their website, check the listing for your local AMC’s participation and to purchase tickets.

Keep on using time wisely while enjoying these long summer days and nights. Happy planning!

Question: How often does your family watch a movie at the theater?

Chick-fil-A: Cow Appreciation Day – July 11, 2014

by

Chick-fil-A: Cow Appreciation Day – July 11, 2014

Photograph Credit: Chick-fil-A

One of our family’s favorite days of the year is on the horizon. We are so excited because Chick-fil-A’s Cow Appreciation Day is Friday, July 11, 2014.

Last year, we left for our family vacation to Florida on this special day. We were treated all day to FREE Chick-fil-A from South Carolina to Florida.

My favorite stop was in Gainsville, Florida, where the cow was dressed in a Florida Gator cheerleading costume.

With the big event 2 weeks away, it is time to get out the cow gear. If you dress from head to hoof in cow attire, then Chick-fil-A will reward you with a FREE meal.

Not into costumes? Well, you can still receive a FREE entrée with partial cow attire (e.g., shirt, hat, tail, etc.).

Chick-fil-A Created Costume

In case you need some inspiration for your cow costume, you can download the Chick-fil-A Cow Starter Kit. Just print out the parts and place them on cardboard, poster board, or stick them to your clothes.

If you do the latter, you might want to safety pin the items as they will fall off with tape. I can speak from experience as we were constantly picking up parts of our costumes when we taped them to ourselves. It was fun but a bit of a hassle.

Our Family’s Created Costumes

Knowing that this event comes around once a year, I waited for a sale on t-shirts and painted our own shirts. Then, my parents gave us Chick-fil-A cow bells which were fun last year.

Chick-fil-A: Cow Appreciation Day - July 11, 2014

Easy Costume

Another option is to cut holes in a white t-shirt. Wear a solid black shirt and add the holey white shirt on top. Add black shorts, black shoes, and a crown with ears/horns for a complete outfit.

Get creative because you have two weeks to get mooo-ving. Cow Appreciation Day is lots of fun (our family in 2011 and 2012) with some locations offering FREE coupons and giveaways that day.

Be sure to mark your calendar for Friday, July 11, 2014, and enjoy your FREE meal or entrée for your investment of time. Happy appreciating the cows!

2014 Summer Reading: Series Recap

by

2014 Summer Reading: Series Recap

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Having focused on summer reading during most of June, one may have missed a post.

Seeing a listing of all the summer reading programs with links to more details is helpful to many.

In concluding this series, the following list includes all the posts, listed alphabetically.

I have also linked to the post with the summer reading deadlines to help us in using time wisely. Enjoy this series recap!

Summer Reading Programs

    1. Barnes and Noble
    2. Books-A-Million
    3. Chuck E. Cheese
    4. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
    5. Everyday Snapshots
    6. Education.com
    7. Half Price Books
    8. H-E-Buddy
    9. Junie B. Jones
    10. Pizza Hut BOOK IT!
    11. Pottery Barn Kids
    12. Public Library System
    13. Scholastic
    14. Showcase Cinemas
    15. Simon Kidgits Club
    16. Sylvan
    17. TD Bank

Summer Reading Program Deadlines

Program Deadlines

Happy summer reading!

2014 Summer Reading: Program Deadlines

by

2014 Summer Reading: Program Deadlines

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

With over 15 different summer reading programs, I need to know the program deadlines to keep me on track.

Desiring to participate in as many programs as possible, I keep a master record of the books each child has read.

Using that list, I fill out or assist my child filling out the needed forms or logs to redeem his or her summer reading reward.

In using time wisely, we record the same book to multiple programs.

By far, the requirements for our library’s program exceed the requirements of all the other offers. Our library requirements are 48 books or 12 hours.

To keep us organized and on-track to prevent missing a great opportunity, the following is a listing of the 2014 summer reading program deadlines:

June 30

Everyday Snapshots

July 6

Half Price Books Feed the Brain – June log

July 26

Public Library System Summer Reading (this varies by location)

July 31

Pottery Barn Kids Summer Reading Challenge

August 10

Half Price Books Feed the Brain – July log

August 13

Showcase Cinemas’ Bookworm Wednesdays

August 15

Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Spark Your Greatness

August 16

Books-A-Million Summer Reading Program

August 31

TD Bank Summer Reading Program

September 2

Barnes & Noble Imagination Destination

September 5

Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge

October 1

H-E-Buddy Summer Reading Club

December 31

Chuck E. Cheese Summer Reading

Varies by Location

Anytime

Child’s 6th Birthday

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

If your summer is as packed as ours, then I know squeezing in summer reading requires some creativity. Knowing the value of keeping our kids reading, we press on. Knowing our deadlines gives us a goal to track our progress.

In using time wisely, keep exploring, discovering, playing, and reading this summer. July is right around the corner, and there is still so much swimming, playing, and reading to do. Happy summer reading!

Request: Please add any summer reading programs I missed to the comments with either a link or as many details as possible. Thanks!

2014 Summer Reading: TD Bank

by

2014 Summer Reading: TD Bank

Photograph Credit: TD Bank

Money, money, money!

Yes, this last summer reading program in our series encourages children to read and rewards with money.

In 2013, this program had 35,845 participants, who read 358,450 books, and earned a total of $358,450.

Those are impressive numbers. Sorry, parents, this program is for kids.

If your reader is asking for cash and looking for ways to earn more money, then encourage him or her to read and participate in the TD Bank Summer Reading Program.

TD Bank Summer Reading Program

Participants

Children in Kindergarten to Grade 5 are encouraged to participate.

Program Length

This program is valid June 1, 2014 through August 31, 2014.

Goal

Encourage children to sharpen their reading and money-saving skills.

Requirements

Read 10 books this summer, print the Summer Reading Form, and record the titles read on the form.

Redemption

Take the completed Summer Reading Form to your nearest TD Bank.

Reward

Submit your form to receive a $10 deposit into a new or existing Young Saver account.

When children bring in their completed Summer Reading form, TD Bank employees can show them how to fill out the personal savings chart and make their $10 Summer Reading reward grow.

TD Bank Summer Reading Program Benefits

Earning an extra $10 for reading is perfect for current TD Bank customers. For those who do not have an account at TD Bank, the adult will need an account before a Young Saver account is issued.

The Young Saver accounts (where the $10 reward is deposited) are for minors and must be linked to a parent’s account. To open a new account at TD Bank, you will need, at the minimum, your driver’s license, Social Security card, and agree to have a credit check.

If you choose this program, the $10 deposit is a wonderful reward for reading 10 books. Teaching children how to manage money starts when they are young. The TD Bank Summer Reading Program aims to encourage children to read and manage their money well.

We have reached the last summer reading program in our series. With so many options, I trust your family can find a variety of ways to encourage lifelong readers. Some of these programs have changed since 2013, but the opportunities for reading and earning awards abound.

In using time wisely, keep one reading list and use that list for multiple programs. More on that topic is coming tomorrow. Happy summer reading!

More 2014 summer reading programs: