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Deal E-mails for Savings and Fun

Posted on July 23, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Raise your hand if you receive daily e-mails from Groupon. My e-mail not only has something from Groupon each and every day, it also has items from Living Social and Double Take Deals. There are probably a few others, but these three seem to have had some great local and national deals in recent weeks.

Just before Passover, I bought the boys subscriptions for the National Wildlife Federation magazines through Living Social. It was a very good deal and was the perfect Afikomen gift. The boys have been keeping up on animals with Big Backyard and Ranger Rick. The best part is they love reading and getting something special in the mail.

In the past, we have also bought deals for local bakeries to have an extra special treat at Fluffalicious or Sweet Temptations. For a while, nothing really caught my eye. A week or so ago, I saw a half off coupon for a local restaurant that we really enjoy. I bought two of those and we used one of them for lunch this weekend.

This weekend, I bought two other deals. TechyDad and I are hoping to go on a date night one day soon. We have never been to The Melting Pot and have always wanted to try it. Thanks to Living Social, I bought a $30 voucher to use for $15. Not too shabby for a fun and different date.

While looking for something to do with the kids, a Groupon for frozen yogurt store that is new to the area caught my eye. My parents told me that they had tried it while visiting my brother once. We bought a deal and used it for something special after shopping on Sunday. Enter Lemon Tree Frozen Yogurt into our lives.

So many options different froyo flavors and lots and lots of toppings.

The boys had a lot of fun experimenting with items since we had the amazing Groupon deal. Check out the fun look at Lemon Tree:

The coupon e-mail deals are a great way to try a new location for fun, food, or something else. What deals have you tried and enjoyed with one of these companies? If you know of other great deal websites, please share below.

Categories:
deals food glorious food Local Business me moments photos shopping

Smiles in the Summer

Posted on July 22, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Time to be honest. Summer vacation can be a stressful time. I love spending time with my boys, but there are days when the fighting, bickering, and other sibling squabbles get old. Then, moments like this happen out of the blue and for absolutely no reason at all…

There was no prompt. I was just lucky enough to have my phone close by to capture this amazing moment. The boys simply curled up on my bed to stay cool and read. JSL rolled over by NHL. Where something could have happened, it didn’t. Instead, NHL pulled his little brother over for a kiss. A genuine sweet moment between two siblings. There was no screaming, yelling, or complaining. The only things I noticed were smiles like this…

The moments like these make the others fade away a little faster. I will cherish these moments because our 18 summers together are happening way too quickly.

P.S. One other message to get out there today:

Happy Birthday to Uncle I! We all hope that you are having a wonderful time and can not wait to see you all soon.

Categories:
birthday Disney jsl me moments nhl photos sahm summer vent

A Kermit Sized Surprise

Posted on July 21, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL,

Last Sunday, I decided to head out just with you. Our goal had been to look for a birthday present for NHL. Since the three of us are together every day, it is hard to shop and make things a surprise. When I asked you where you wanted to go, you said to the mall with Build-A-Bear. I agreed to take you there, but told you that we would only look.

When we walked into Build-A-Bear, I watched to see if you noticed the bin of Papa Smurf dolls sitting there. After a while, you stared to ask to make something. You saw Kermit, a cute bear with stars, and then Papa Smurf. You had been asking for Papa Smurf since he came out just after you made Snowflake.

I sent a text message to Daddy. I mentioned that you had some birthday money and perhaps if you really wanted something after your rough week we could let you. When Daddy agreed, you were not sure if it was a trick. Then, you narrowed it down to two choices.

After some time to think about it, you decided that you really wanted to bring Kermit home to your friends. Yes, Kermit had a special place in your heart because he was also a puppet. We both had a lot of fun together during this time. I think to this day you are still shocked that you were able to make him.

In the end, the smiles on your face, the laughter, and the adventures that Kermit has been on have made it even more of a wonderful experience. I can’t wait to watch Kermit continue to bring you comfort. More about our fun making him soon.

Love,

Categories:
Dear Kid Saturday fun jl jsl Local Business me moments photos shopping

Crafting with Mod Podge

Posted on July 20, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It has been years since I have done a major craft for ME that is not knitting. I love painting, making pottery, and doing other interesting items. Yesterday, I wrote about getting supplies to make slime with the boys. One of my Pinterest boards is filled with items that I would like to make for me, gifting, or beyond.

What you may notice with recent posts are a lot of items that involves decoupage or more specifically Mod Podge. In the photo above, you can see the Mod Podge photo-letter collage. I think that would be SO amazing to make for a teacher, grandparent, or other person with special memories on it. I have done similar items in the past, but not in a long, long, long time.

Since I really want to test these out, I went to the store to check out the section of Mod Podge items. This is what I saw:

In my quest to figure out what I want to try first, a friend told me about a website that is all about Mod Podge. Mod Podge Rocks is a blog written by Amy Anderson with lots of projects and more. Actually, if you look in the photo on the right at the book, that’s hers. There are so many ideas my head is spinning and I have to limit the amount of time that I spend looking. I have a feeling I may try Mod Podge earrings, sparkle sneakers, or the photo letter.

So my question to you this week:

Have you ever done a Mod Podge project before? Please share that below or some other craft that you enjoy doing when you have some time.

P.S. If you are interested in checking out what is inside the Mod Podge Rocks!: Decoupage Your World book you can click on that link. It is to an Amazon Affiliate link where I will receive a small percentage from the sale. I know that I am thinking about purchasing the book soon.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #212

Categories:
Aloha Friday arts and crafts me moments photos Pinterest

Summer Fun from Pinterest

Posted on July 19, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Last summer, we had a lot of rain and I was constantly trying to figure out what to do with the boys inside. Rain has hardly been an issue this year. Instead, heat and humidity are making it hard to spend too much time outdoors. This is where Pinterest has been helpful. I have found some very interesting items to try out with the boys.

My Pinterest Crafts for kids, Crafts for ME, Summer Fun, and Educational Fun at Home boards are places I go to for ideas. While out and about with JSL the other day, I confused him with some purchases. Here they are:

Thanks to a pin that I noticed the other day, I knew that I needed liquid starch and clear glue (not the easiest to find) to make slime. When I saw the glue on the shelf at the store, I went on a hunt for the other missing item. The food coloring is already at home. Next step, we will follow the directions on Tot Treasures: Explore the Art of Play to hopefully make slime like the pin below:

Source: tottreasuresnorthbay.blogspot.com via TheAngelForever on Pinterest

Now we have everything all set to make our own slime and you know I will be taking photos along the way. What other items have you made, or seen that you would love to test out with the kids (or yourself) this summer?