Recommendations
Walgreens: 30 Books for $2
Walgreens Deals (books on clearance) I went to Walgreens to stock up on some of their deals this week. The best deal I got was in their clearance aisle where they had a bunch of their books, coloring books, and activities books on clearance. Since I went a little later in the week not all the advertised products were available and I had several Register Rewards that were expiring this week so it worked out well. I spent $2.27 including tax at Walgreens for this transaction. I picked up a couple other items (including food which you will see in a later post this week) but this was my best deal at Walgreens this week. The books will be great for upcoming road trips and other fun activities with the family.
- 10 – Disney Books (on clearance for $0.49 each)
- 10 – Disney Activity Books (on clearance for $0.29 each)
- 10 – Disney Coloring Books (on clearance for $0.29 each)
The total was over $11 with tax before using discounts & coupons. Here are the coupons I used on the thirty items.
- Used $9 Walgreens Register Rewards
Walgreen’s Register Rewards will expire two weeks from the date they are printed so you will need to make sure to use them before their expiration date. I always keep the ones that are expiring the soonest on top of the stack to make sure to use them first.
Another important fact regarding Walgreen’s Register Rewards you will need to know if you haven’t used them before is you can only use 1 coupon per item. If you use a manufacturer’s coupon for every item you are purchasing you will not be able to use any Register Reward for that transaction. If you do have a coupon for each item then check Walgreen’s weekly ad because they will have items on sale each week for pennies up to $1 that you can use as “filler” items but they won’t raise your total too much. Once you get started using coupons and rewards you may discover, like I did, how to purchase many of your health and beauty items for nothing or very little. Since using coupons and reward programs I rarely pay full price for any of our health and beauty items plus I usually have extra to share with guests visiting us or to give away.
For those of you who shop regularly at Walgreens I encourage you to share how you were able to save this week! Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household. In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save at Walgreens.
Song: “Blessings” by Laura Story
The phrase “What if blessings come as raindrops, what if your healing come through tears” has been stuck in my head for a couple weeks now. I have rejoiced in blessings and shed a few tears with family and friends over the past few weeks. I would love to think all blessings come from great positive events in my life (and in the lives around me), however, it is during those hard times that we turn back to the truth and our strength is renewed. As I look back over the “trials” in my life I have caught a glimpse of how God is using those times to help me grow and make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Book: “A Dog’s Life: Autobiography of a Stray” by Ann Martin
Since we have been traveling a good bit this summer we have been able to check out a few audiobooks for the family to listen to on the road trips. One of the recent audio books we listened to was “A Dog’s Life: Autobiography of a Stray” by Ann Martin. The book follows a young dog named, by her mother in the traditional way of naming a pup, after the most important things in her life. Her name is “Squirrel” and her brother’s name is “Bone”. It is full of touching stories as well as the adventures and perils of being a stray. The book is simple enough for children to follow yet engaging for the adults to enjoy as well.
Teaching Our Children: Encouraging the Kids to Read During Summer Vacation
Our reading tree! I was trying to come up with a visual prompt in our home that encourages our children to read this summer. The girls LOVE it when they are read to and could do it for hours but since they are starting to read on their own I wanted to find something that would help motivate them to read a little more. I came up with the idea “Spring into Reading” since we technically started it in the Spring and I wanted to boost the girls reading skills.
My Mom graciously made the tree for me and my Sister in Law Becky helped cut out a bunch of the leaves. The purpose of the tree is simple find a visual way for the girls to see their reading progress. Each member of our family gets a different color of leaf. When that member reads a book to the girls or they read a book on their own they get to put up their leaf.
We have started to fill out our tree with leaves and hope to get an after summer break picture up for you to see what we accomplished. If all goes well I hope to see more and more of the girls leaves going up throughout the summer as their reading skills increase.
Spending Time with Grandma!
We were so thankful that my Mom was able to come visit us for several days. She went with us to Savannah for my cousins graduation and time at the beach. The girls love spending time with Grandma and were thrilled to hang out together.
Grandma Penny helping the girls do their workbooks! I think Grandma Penny was much more patient then Mommy doing the workbooks!
Grandma Penny reading books to the girls! The girls love it when Grandma reads them books. Today they relaxed for a few minutes on the front porch with a stack of books to read together. Thank you Mom for reading to our girls, they LOVE their time with you! I am thankful for a Mom who takes the time to be with our family. The girls have many wonderful family memories because of moments like these!
Song: “Praise You in the Storm” by Casting Crowns
This song got my attention after a recent event with dear friends who lost a little one. I rarely know the answers to the “storm” that is going on in my life or in the lives of others, but I have the confidence in knowing that God is in control of every situation. My prayer for each one reading this is that you have family and friends to rally around you and pray with you during your storms. The storm passes much more gently when you have hope in something greater. We may never understand the reason behind the storm until much later.
Book: “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” by Siegfried Engelmann
School is out for the summer but that does not mean the learning time is over for the kids. Actually in many ways the pressure is on for Moms and Dads to continue teaching our children so they don’t forget everything they learned over the school year. Our girls are starting to read and since I want to help them over the summer I asked around about great books to help them learn how to read even better. This book “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” by Siegfried Engelmann was recommended to me by several of my homeschool Mom friends. We just started this book in June and have already seen some of the benefits. It is not the most exciting book for parents to teach from because it has a lot of repetition, however, that’s a big advantage when your child is first learning to read. It has been hard for me to stay consistent with all the traveling we are doing this summer but when we do the book the girls seem to enjoy it and it helps build their reading confidence. The first few lessons were pretty “easy” for the girls since they just finished kindergarten but I anticipate it getting a little harder and challenging as we go.
Have you used this book with your child?
Do you recommend it or have any other teaching materials for recommend to young readers?
Free Audio Book: “The Millennials” by Thom S. Rainer & Jess Rainer
FREE Audio Book Download
For the month of July Christian Audio is offering a free download of their audio book “The Millennial” by Thom S. Rainer and Jess Rainer. This audio book “presents the first major investigative work on Millennials from a Christian worldview perspective”. If you want to read the book then this is a great opportunity to listen to the book for free when you download it from Christian Audio in July. Make sure to submit your order by July 31, 2011 to get your free audio book. Thanks Christian Audio!
Giveaway: $10 Barnes & Noble Gift Card
I am doing another giveaway on Blessings Multiplied!!! The winner of this giveaway will receive a $10 Barnes & Noble Gift Card! As a Mom of fraternal twin daughters I am always looking for ways to save a little extra when buying books for the family. Our family loves to read and as we continue to teach our girls how to read I want to share a Barnes & Noble gift card with my readers. Barnes & Noble is a wonderful place to relax and pick out fun books for the whole family.
- Sign up to follow my blog (if you haven’t done so already) and leave a comment below telling us how you follow Blessings Multiplied.
- You can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing one of your favorite books (you have read for yourself or read to your child) this summer!
All comments must be made by July 31st at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing. On July 31st I will randomly draw a winner from those who have entered the giveaway.
Song: “Something Beautiful” by Newsboys
What a great song, thanks Newsboys. The song is about new beginnings. When God does a work in your heart you see “something beautiful”. Having a fresh start to life, a new day, week or year is refreshing, encouraging and exciting. We have many amazing reasons to see the beauty in our lives. Are we looking for “Something Beautiful”?
