Non-Candy Classroom Valentine’s Ideas
The other day my sister was a little irritated that her local schools don’t allow candy with their Valentine’s. However, the more we thought about it, the more it made us happy. There are SO many cute Valentine’s that don’t require sugar and they are just as fun, if not more so. Here are a few different ideas that you can use this Valentine’s Day.
- The Crafting Chicks have this super cute You are the “Spring” to my Step Valentine- with a free printable!
- If you have a smaller class, these Chapstick Valentine’s are adorable.
- Who doesn’t love a glow stick? This Valentine’s with a glow stick also has a free printable!
- Get a cute crazy straw and say Sip Sip Hooray, it’s Valentine’s Day!
- Grab some bubbles from the dollar store and say ” You Blow me Away Valentine!” free printable here.
You can find all of your materials on Amazon. Get them ordered and printed out now and start assembling them this weekend. That way you’re all set for the big day.
Valentine’s Day With Your Kids! Fun Ways to Celebrate Together!
Valentine’s Day is the day of love. That doesn’t mean just your spouse or significant other, you can celebrate with your children as well. They’re anxious to feel loved and need us to express that to them, and who doesn’t love a reason to celebrate! Not all children feel loved through gifts so think of your own child as you come up with some fun ways to celebrate the love you have for them. Here’s a few way we plan to celebrate this year!
- Pink Pancakes – my kids love when we color our pancakes before cooking them! It adds a fun touch. You can even get create and make different shapes or letters.
- Strawberry milk – this is a must to go with our pancakes
- Heart Attack – the night before Valentine’s day I cut out hearts and write love notes on each one. The tape them to their door that night for them to wake up to. They love seeing all the different things I write and it usually stays up for a week or two.
- Letters – when was the last time time you wrote your kids a letter letting them know all the reasons you love them? Now is a great time to do so.
- Heart Hair – My girls love when I take the extra time with them doing their hair. The one on one time means a lot to them and although I’m not that talented they don’t mind.
- Valentine’s Craft – my girls also love crafts, so I try to find some type of Valentine’s day craft we can do together after school. We’ll sometimes invite neighbors over to craft with us too.
- Special Dinner – woman aren’t the only ones that like a candle light dinner. Pull out a couple candles and make it a special dinner for the kids too.
- Sugar Cookies – I know we just got through the Christmas holiday but why not pull out the cookie cutters and make some yummy heart shaped, Valentine’s Day themed sugar cookies. It’s a great way to bake together and take some yummy treats to the neighbors you love as well.
- Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards – usually while Daddy is at work we’ll make special valentine’s day cards for him to come home too. You could even put together a welcome home poster to hang on the garage door.
This is just some fun ways we celebrate Valentine’s Day together with the kids. Hopefully you can find some ways to show those you care how much you love them this year.
Expenses to Consider Before Buying a Pet
Do you have pets? Are you considering getting a pet for your family? Pets are such a wonderful addition to our lives and our families, but there are definitely expenses that come along with adding these family members in. That’s right, pets do become a part of our family.
If you are considering taking on this responsibility, here are some of the expenses to consider before buying a pet. If you plan well, you will rock this pet ownership thing!
Expenses to Consider Before Buying a Pet
Initial Expenses
If you are adopting an animal (example: cat or dog), many people end up spending roughly $500 for total expenses including all supplies (leashes, collars, beds, houses, etc), initial medical costs, etc.
Food
Quality dog food is very important and it’s also not cheap. The actual cost will, of course, depend on the size of your dog, but you need to take into account how much you will be spending on food.
Sure, you may find cheap food on the shelves of your local Walmart, Target or whatever…but please don’t scrimp on this expense! It’s important that your animals eat a healthy diet. Healthy food can keep your animals at a healthy weight and can prevent skin issues as well as other health concerns.
Veterinary Expenses
Animals need to see the veterinarian on a regular basis. They need vaccinations regularly, plus just like humans, animals need regular checkups. It’s important for their health to make sure you stay on top of their needs. This expense will change depending on what kind of pet you have and what health issues may pop up, but many people suggest putting aside $500-$1000 per year for vet expenses.
Pet Damage
If you have ever rented a home, you know that landlords often charge a pet damage deposit. There is a good reason for this. Pets are animals and they don’t always understand what they are doing. Whether they scratch at the doors, tinkle on the carpet, or chew on your belongings, stuff can happen.
Awesome Valentine’s Day Gifts for Your Kids
Do you have kids? Would you like to spoil them this Valentine’s Day? I don’t know about you, but I love to make our Valentine’s Day celebrations family friendly. We plan fun, family friendly activities and I like to spoil the kids with gifts.
Amazon is the best place to find awesome Valentine’s Day gifts for your kids no matter how old they are or the types of stuff that they like.
Awesome Valentine’s Day Gifts for Your Kids
Echo Dot
If your kids love gadgets as much as mine do, your kiddos will likely love to get an Echo Dot. These can be so much fun! My kids and I play music games with our Echos. My kids love to pair their Echo Dots with their smart bulbs too. I swear everytime I walk into my son’s room he has his bulb set to blue or green. He loves it.
Personalized Children’s Book Valentines Day Gift
Would you like to bring big smiles to your child this Valentine’s Day? Then present them with this super fun personalized children’s book. I love personalized gifts! Your kids will know that this gift was made just for them.
Melissa & Doug Decorate-Your-Own Wooden Heart Box Craft Kit
Is there any better Valentine’s Day gift than a gift that encourages your child’s creativity? I don’t think so! I love seeing my children’s imagination and creativity in full bloom. This Melissa & Doug Decorate-Your-Own Wooden Heart Box Craft Kit is such a fun way for your children to create a heart-shaped Valentine’s Day gift.
Many kids get left behind with a sitter on Valentine’s Day so their parents can have a date night together, and this is just fine. However, when you surprise your children with a gift for them, they are going to be so happy to know that you thought of them on this day!
Fun Family-Friendly Valentine’s Day Activities
What are your Valentine’s Day plans? I know that I have mentioned it before, but I’m just not that big of a fan of Valentine’s Day (weird for a woman to say, I know). That said, I do love to spend time with my family, so any opportunity to do that, I’m jumping at it!
Here are some of my favorite Fun Family-friendly Valentine’s Day activities for my family and I to do. I hope that you have a wonderful holiday with your babies and your special someone too!
Fun Family-Friendly Valentine’s Day Activities
Movie night
Write out a list of family friendly movies that everyone likes, or has been wanting to see, and sit down with the family to decide which one everyone will enjoy. Then pop up a big bowl of popcorn and cuddle up with the kids to watch your movie.
Head to the park and enjoy a picnic
When was the last time you enjoyed a picnic with your family? Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to do just that! Sure, maybe it’s not hot summer weather, but you can dress warm and enjoy the crisp, cool, air with your picnic.
Go Bowling
Head to the bowling alley, grab some of those sweet bowling shoes and start tossing the ball at those pins! Bowling isn’t the peak of romance, so it is likely that bowling alleys won’t be too busy on Valentine’s Day. The kids will love it!
Bake Together
Gather up the ingredients for your favorite baked goods and enjoy some time with the entire family baking together.
Your kids are going to love each and every moment spent with you this Valentine’s Day! Whatever you decide to do, your family is going to be better off having spent time together and you are going to be thankful to have not stood in line for hours just to spend too much money on Valentine’s dinner.
5 Yummy Finger Food Recipes For Your Super Bowl Party
Guys, I really don’t care too much about football, but I do care about yummy food. This Sunday while all of you are watching football, I will be chowing down on delicious food. Here are 5 recipes that would be perfect to make this Sunday, they are relatively easy and the best part…no utensils required. Score!
- Perfect Bruschetta by The Garlic Diaries
- Crab Rangoon by Rasa Malaysia
- Cheesecake Factory Avocado Egg Rolls by Damn Delicious
- Fruit Skewers by Cooking LSL
- The Best Guacamole Recipe by kristines kitchen
What is your favorite things to make for the big day?
The BEST Cheese Ball For Your Super Bowl Sunday Party!
I love Superbowl Sunday! It’s time together with family, chatting, cheering and enjoying being together. But even more so, it’s yummy treats and snacks all night long! In all our years of get togethers and parties, I’ve found the yummiest cheese ball to take to all your gatherings. And better yet, it’s easy!
1 Packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2 cup of Mayonnaise
1/2 cup of Milk
8oz Brick of Cream Cheese, softened
3 cups Freshly Grated Cheddar Cheese
(Green Onions & Bacon are optional but not necessary)
I’m mix together the dressing mix, mayo and milk in a bowl. Add in your cream cheese and mix well. Once it’s all been combined, mix in your grated cheddar cheese (don’t use the pre-grated cheese, get the block and grate it). Place either in a bowl to dip out of or place on plastic wrap and form into a bowl. Place in the fridge to harden it and you’ll be good to go.
Fun, Kid Friendly Super Bowl Party Ideas
Who else is having a Super Bowl party this weekend? What team are you rooting for? Honestly, while I actually really enjoy watching football, I don’t often watch football, so I’m not a fan of any particular team. You better bet I will be watching the game though! I will be having some friends and family over and I am ready to have a nice time.
We are making this a family friendly gathering which is how we like to do things. That’s why when I plan parties and family gatherings I make sure that it is going to be fun and kid friendly!
Here is my list of fun, kid-friendly Super Bowl Party ideas. Let me know which ones you try out and also let me know if you have any other ideas! I like to mix it up and we end up having lots of family gatherings throughout the spring so I could always use more ideas!
Fun, Kid Friendly Super Bowl Party Ideas
Let Your Kids Be In Charge of The Decor
Would you like the kids to have an amazing time at the Superbowl party? Here’s one way to do it. Take them to the dollar store and let them go hog wild having fun choosing the decor pieces. Suggest some football themed napkins and table covers, but give them the ultimate choice. They will love knowing that they had a say in it.
Have a Separate Space for the Kids.
Many children don’t have the interest or patience to sit down and watch a football game. That doesn’t mean that you want them to run around being noisy while the grown ups are watching it though. Why not prep a separate room for them to enjoy. Hook up a second TV, get lots of toys out, etc. This will give the kids lots of options!
Serve Easy Foods
With kids at the party, you need to have foods that are both easy to cook and easy to eat! I like burgers or hot dogs, chips, fruits, cookies, cupcakes, etc. You don’t want anything that will easily make a big mess or even something that requires sitting down when you have rushed kids coming in to eat for 5 minutes.
The BEST Blueberry Muffin Recipe
Have you noticed blueberries on sale lately? I sure have. My kids like to eat a few fresh blueberries, but then I’m left with most of the carton uneaten. With that carton I decided to try and find a good blueberry muffin recipe ….I found it! This recipe and picture above were featured in the New York Times cooking. It’s truly amazing. My kids eat them so fast that I tend to double the recipe. They are great for lunches too.
Jordan Marsh’s Blueberry Muffins Recipe by
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup softened butter
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups blueberries, washed, drained and picked over
- 3 teaspoons sugar
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Cream the butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk.
- Crush 1/2 cup blueberries with a fork, and mix into the batter. Fold in the remaining whole berries.
- Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with cupcake liners, and fill with batter. Sprinkle the 3 teaspoons sugar over the tops of the muffins, and bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.
- Remove muffins from tin and cool at least 30 minutes.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day Without Buying Gifts!
Can you believe we’re almost done with January? That means Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Have you decided what you and your loved one are going to do to celebrate? At the beginning of this year we became debt free and with that we’ve become more conscious of what we’re spending money on. Together we’ve agreed that we won’t spend money to celebrate Valentine’s day but that doesn’t mean we can’t make it special. Here are some ways to celebrate without spending extra money!
- Spend the day together – do you work this Valentine’s Day? If you have enough vacation time saved up why not take the day off and spend it together!
- Make breakfast in bed – create your significant other’s favorite breakfast and serve it to them in bed this Valentine’s day. You can even serve it on a cute tray with a single flower if you want.
- Plan fun FREE activities to do together – there’s so much to do that’s just outside the front door. Create some fun free memories together like going snowshoeing (you could borrow someones gear), head out sledding, hiking, a library date, watch the sunset or rise together and so much more.
- Plan a romantic dinner at home – pull out your nice dinnerware and cook up a favorite dinner. Make it special and cook it together or have it ready for when they get home from work. Anything to show you were thinking of them and going the extra mile.
- Write a letter – this is a simple way to show someone you care. You could leave it on the table for them to find when they wake up. Put it in their wallet or in the car to see on their way out the door. It doesn’t have to be lengthy, just heartfelt. Or, take it one step more and write little love notes on post it’s and place them around the house.
- Invite friends over for a potluck dinner – don’t want to be alone? Why not invite others over to enjoy the evening together. Make it a potluck so everyone is bringing something fun to eat.
- Treat yourself to an at home spa – you can treat yourself to a fun at home spa session or create a spa atmosphere for your loved one. Draw a bath and add a bath bomb, play some soft music, light some candles and grab your favorite drink!
Easy Ways to Save on a Disney Vacation
Are you planning a trip to Disney sometime soon? Disney vacations can be extremely expensive, but they don’t have to be. There are some tips that you can follow that will make your trip less expensive!
Disney trips are a blast and they are well worth taking, so anytime you can make them work for your budget, it is worth it. For many people, a Disney vacation ends up being one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences for families. Do you want to take a Disney trip? Here’s how you can make a trip like this a little bit more affordable.
Easy Tips to Save on a Disney Vacation
Be flexible on your timeframe. While your ticket prices are going to be the same regardless of when you go, you may find your flights to be cheaper and even your lodging to be less if you go during a different time of year, or even during the week instead of the weekend.
Buy Souvenirs beforehand. You have several options here to save money on your Disney souvenirs. I highly recommend buying your souvenirs before your trip at Amazon, or, alternatively, once you get to your lodging near the park, check out the local Walmart or Target to find inexpensive souvenirs.
Pack your own food. Before you book your hotel, make sure it has a mini fridge. With a mini fridge, you can store your own convenience food so that you don’t have to buy all of your meals at restaurants.
Buy multi-day tickets. If you plan on going for more than one day, it’s important to buy multi-day tickets. These tickets are discounted over single day tickets.
Have you ever been to Disney before? How was your trip? Were you able to save money on your vacation? What tricks did you use to save?
Easy Tips to Save on a Vegas Vacation
Are you dreaming of taking a vacation to Las Vegas? A little over a year ago I took my first trip to Las Vegas and had an AMAZING TIME. I am not a big gambler and it didn’t really occur to me that Vegas was anything more than a play center for gamblers. We had some friends that wanted to go so we thought, well, why not?!
Oh my gosh it was an amazing time. It’s not cheap though. Our first trip there was 4 nights and think we ended up spending close to $700 and that didn’t include our flights and hotel. (eeeek). We decided to head back about 6 months later, but this time I did the planning instead of our friends and oh my gosh, we saved so much money. We seriously had an amazing time and for our entire vacation airfare, hotel (at Mandalay Bay), and expenses we spent about $1100.
Easy Tips to Save on a Vegas Vacation
Be flexible on your dates. If you are stuck on taking a trip during one specific weekend, you are going to be stuck with the prices you see. If you are flexible on your dates, you are going to be far more likely to find cheaper deals. Also, consider flying out on Tuesday or Wednesday as those seem like the cheapest days to fly into Vegas.
Check out Groupon. I know you all know how much I love Groupon, but boy oh boy I have found some amazing deals at Groupon during our Vegas trips. We bought 2 of our dinners on Groupon, we also splurged on a couple’s massage ($50 for one hour!). You can also find deals on shows in Vegas by checking Groupon. You can also find drink deals on Groupon as well!
Research restaurants around you. Many of the resorts in Vegas have lots of restaurants within them. A simple search should tell you the price range in each restaurant. Make sure to check these out before you sit down to eat. For our trip we went to a restaurant that was in the $12-$15 per plate range for 2 of our dinners and then we hit up a taco shack on Fremont for dinner #3 and it was less than $5 for our meal!
Super Bowl Party Planning Tips
Are you planning on having a Super Bowl Party? Super Bowl Parties are so much fun, but they can also become very expensive if you let them! Follow these Super Bowl Party Planning tips to make yours the best party of the year, without anyone even knowing that you kept it on the cheap!
Have a great party, my friends!
Super Bowl Party Planning Tips
Make it a potluck. I don’t know about you, but whenever I go to a party, I expect to bring something. As soon as I get the invite, I respond with “What can I bring? Seriously, don’t feel weird or stressed at all about asking people to contribute. It can be as simple as sending out an invite that says “SuperBowl Party at my house, PotLuck Style!”
Make a budget friendly dinner. One of my favorite things to make when I am having a party that includes dinner is pork roast. I do this because it’s so easy to make and it’s so inexpensive. I can get a huge, good-quality pork roast for less than $10 and that will feed a lot of people. Plus, pork roast is extremely versatile When we are having a party, I make one of two things out of pork roast:
- Pulled pork sandwiches – These are a great option for a SuperBowl party, because it’s easy carry-around food that you don’t have to worry about sitting at the dining room table for.
- Carnitas – Everyone of our family and friends seems to love my carnitas. They are simple, easy to make and delicious! Plus, wrap them in a tortilla and you have a meal that can be eaten anywhere.
I put a pork roast in my crockpot and cook it on low through the day and it always ends up super tender and delicious!
Make sure you will be able to play it. Okay, this doesn’t really have to do with keeping your party on budget, but I promise your party won’t go so well if you can’t watch the game! Especially with so many of us streaming our entertainment these days, you need to make sure you have the channel or programming needed to stream the game.
10 Inexpensive & Fun Family Winter Activities
How many of you guys love the snow?? I’m still trying to get to that point. It’s winter time which means most of us are covered in snow and cold weather. If you are in that situation, then you’ll want to check out these fun 10 inexpensive activities that you can do with your family.
- Sledding- try a new location this winter
- Build a snow fort
- Ice Skating
- Snowshoeing- many ski places will rent these for super cheap
- Play fox & geese – check out the rules here
- Build a snowman- even make a family
- Make a snow angel
- Skiing- check out this post to save some money on skiing
- Snowball fight- use your snow forts as bases
- Lay down in the snow and watch it fall on your face. Enjoy a still moment.
Online Classes You Can Take for FREE!
Often when someone talks about furthering your education that means heading back to school. But did you know there are tons of online classes you can take for FREE? This is a great way to advance your education for work or help land you a new job. There are classes on programming, graphic design, online marketing, language, and more! Here’s a few I found that might interest you.
- Copyright Made Easy (Udemy) (8 lectures, 1hr 36mins)This class is a beginning coarse to copyright laws. You’ll be able to understand the benefits that intellectual property brings and learn how to apply copyright law to your content.
- A Layman’s Guide to the Financial Markets (Udemy) (6 lectures, 1hr 4mins)
The course is an introduction to the world of financial markets and its terminologies. It introduces you to important terms and concepts in a simple and easy to understand manner. It can prepare you for a deeper study of the financial markets and my advanced level courses. The format is through a video series so that the concepts are clearer . - 5 Tools to Maximize Leasing Properties (Udemy) (7 lectures, 35 minutes)
This course is all about leasing commercial real estate property types from start to finish. From the perspectives of the agent, tenant, and landlord, this course provides a practical analysis of the important issues involved with leasing commercial real estate. - Forensic Psychology: Witness Investigation (FutureLearn) (8 weeks, 3 hours a week)
This course will explore the psychology of eyewitness testimonies. This sounds like a fun coarse to take in which you’ll get to see if the skills you’ve learned can help solve different crimes using evidence from cameras and police investigations. - Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy (Coursera) (6 weeks, 4-6 hours a week)
For those looking to learn more about the environment, this is a great option. You’ll study about existing legal issues governing pollution, water law, endangered species and more. - JavaScript (Codecademy) (8 weeks, 5 lessons)
Learn the programming language of the web. Many have taken this coarse and learned to develop everything from simple games and more. - Java Tutorial for Complete Beginners (Udemy) (75 lessons, 16 hours)
If you have no prior knowledge with programming, this is a good place to start. Although they have a lot of lessons, each one is broken down to under 20 minutes. - Make a Website (Codecademy) (4 projects, 4 quizzes)
Want to learn how to start your own website? This short coarse will teach you who to build your site from the beginning using HTML and CSS. - Diploma in C Programming (ALISON) (10-15 hours)
This program is wildly used in operating systems. It could be a great coarse to take and have knowledge in when applying for jobs. - Learn Adobe Photoshop from Scratch (Udemy) (36 lectures, 8 hours)
You can have a great solid foundation in Photoshop with this coarse. Find out how to use the different tools included in Photoshop. - Online Advertising (OPEN2STUDY) (33 Videos)
With this coarse you can find out more about digital platforms, social and mobile search, and how online ads are priced and delivered. This is perfect for anyone looking to make income though online advertising. - Chinese in 9 Weeks: Introduction Course (81 lectures, 2 hours 18 minutes)
In this course you will learn the fundamental conceptsupon which you can easily build your Chinese language learning. By the end of this course, you will be able to conduct a simple conversation in Chinese with basic expressions, as well as the relevant reading and writing skills.
If you have a specific subject you’re interested in learning about, take the time to search online. You never know what kind of information you can learn through these free online classes that are offered.