Family Fun

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 10 Free Points

    Receive another 10 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!

    Take this survey and receive you free points – https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PampersFacebookSurveyMay2011

    The code expires on May 6th at 11:59 PM so make sure to add it to your account right away!

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!

    For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 5 Free Points

    Receive another 5 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!

    This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

    Use Code:  YIYY9Y6DPDPD6DT

    The code does not have an expiration date on it so make sure to add it to your account within the next few days!

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!

    For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!

  • Book It! Reading Program for Elementary Kids & FREE Pizza!

    Pizza Hut Book It

    Book It! was a program I participated in when I was in elementary school!  Book It! is a National Reading Incentive Program that was developed to help elementary age children improve their reading skills.

    Students earn a Free Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut when they meet their reading goals each month.

    The Book It! program is open to ALL students who are in Kindergarten through 6th Grade at public schools, homeschools, private school, or parochial schools.

    Register your child by September 1, 2011 and Book It! will send you the program materials and coupons.

    Check out their website for printable charts, reading lists and certificates to keep the kids motivated and help you track your children’s reading progress.

  • Walgreens – FREE Photo Collage (8×10)

    Get a FREE 8×10 Photo Collage from Walgreens just in time for Mother’s Day!!!

    • Log in to Walgreens Photo Store
    • Upload a Few Favorite Pictures
    • Create Your Collage
    • At Check Out Enter Promo Code – FREECOLLAGE
    • A Second Promo Code You Can Use Is (you may have to do separate transactions) – FORMOM
    • Select to Pick up your Collage at your local Walgreens Store.
    • Coupon Code Expires May 7, 2011

    Great gift for Mother’s Day that is personal and within the budget!

  • Family Outings: Teaching About Gun Safety & Target Practice

    Daddy with his two little girls following him!

    We have been teaching the girls about gun safety because we have a lot of family members who hunt, fish, and target practice.  Recently we took the girls to the Shooting Range to teach them a little more about gun safety and to target practice.  We think it’s important to demonstrate to the kids safety with the serious items such as guns.  It was quite the fun adventure for the family.  Daddy was patient and good with showing the girls the basics.  Karlie was ready to put up a target in the house for practicing with her nerf gun.  They both wanted to know if Daddy would take them back to the range again.  Glad they had fun.  The range was a busy place and great opportunity to spend quality time with the family.  It was pretty cute seeing Jake in hot pink ear plugs too.

     

    Here are a few pictures from our Family Outing to the Shooting Range:

     

    Remember to bring your ear plugs!

     

    Daddy and the Girls!

     

    Daddy getting set up!

     

    Targets are Ready!

     

    Going over all the gun details and steps with Karlie!

     

    Daddy helping Brina reload the gun.

     

     

    Karlie getting into target practice!

     

     

    Brina getting her practice at target shooting.

     

     

  • Fresh & Healthy: Downtown Farmer’s Market (Saturdays) Fresh Produce & More!

    It is the beginning of produce harvest for a lot of local farmers which means the Farmer’s Market is opening.  Many local communities will host Downtown Farmer’s Markets to help connect the farmers with the local people who want to purchase fresh fruits and veggies for their family.

    Families in the Greenville area who are looking for some fresh in-season vegetables, fruit, local honey, gourmet foods, seafood, fresh flowers, diary products, coffee, nuts, baked goods, handmade crafts, woodworking and a wide variety of other goodies from more than 50 vendors can come to downtown Greenville  on Saturday mornings starting May 7th through October 29th.

    Downtown Greenville Farmer’s Market Details:
    • What / Where – Downtown Greenville’s Saturday Market (Main Street at McBee Avenue, Greenville, SC 29601 )
    • When – Saturdays from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM ( May 7 to October 29)
    • Cost – Free Admission (the only cost is for the items you purchase from the local farmers / vendors)
    • For More Information / Activities – Saturday Market Live / 864-467-4494

    Downtown Greenville has music and special events during the Saturday Farmer’s Market.  Please go to their events section for more information on upcoming musicians, cooking demonstrations, and special events.

    Easley just started a Downtown Farmer’s Market a few years ago.  It is smaller than the one in Downtown Greenville but for a small community it has a lot of amazing produce to offer.  Each year it has grown bigger with more vendors offering their fresh produce and goods to the local community.

    Downtown Easley Farmer’s Market Details:

    • What / Where – Downtown Easley Farmer’s Market (205 North 1st Street, Easley, SC 29640)
    • When – Saturdays from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM (April 9th to End of Season)
    • Cost – Free Admission (the only cost is for the items you purchase from the local farmers / vendors)
    • For More Information / Activities – Easley Farmers Market / 864-855-7900

    2011 Special Calendar of Events –  Easley’s Farmers Market:

    • May 7 – Smoke House &  Sparky
    • May 14 – Parent Magazine & Fun Kid Activities
    • May 21 – SunLit Moon Entertainment
    • June 11 – Parent Magazine & Fun Kid Activities
    • July 2 – 2nd Annual Pie Baking Contest & July 4th Celebration.
    • July 23 – Square Root Entertainment
    • More activities being scheduled check back often

    Photo by Natalie Maynor &  Swami Stream

  • Family Outings: “Moonlight Movies” Series starts Tonight at The Peace Center Amphitheater

    Moonlight Movies 2011
    Looking for a fun family activity tonight and you live near Greenville, SC?  The “Moonlight Movies” Series Starts TONIGHT at The Peace Center Amphitheater sponsored by Fidelity Investments!
    Event Details:
    • When – 8:00 PM (at sundown) on Wednesday, May 4, 2011
    • Where – The Peace Center Amphitheater & Wyche Pavilion (300 North Main St., Greenville, SC 29601)
    • What’s Showing – “Father of the Bride”
    • Cost – FREE
    • Who – All Ages / Family Friendly Activity (movies will be rated G or PG or family friendly Not Rated)
    • Food / Drink – Bring Your Own Beverage and Food or you can buy a wristband
    • What to Bring – Your Family, Lawn Chairs, Blanket, Picnic, Drinks, and Snacks
    • Not Allowed at the Event – No Pets / No Smoking
    • For More Information – Greenville Moonlight Movies / Phone:  864-467-5741

    If you cannot make it out to the movie tonight there will be more “Moonlight Movies” events coming!

    Future “Moonlight Movies”:

    • Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at 8:00 PM – “Batman”
    • Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 8:00 PM – “Winchester”
    • Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 8:00 PM – Viewer’s Choice

    Even if you do not live in the Greenville area I encourage you to check out events in your local city.  Many towns offer free events that your family can enjoy.

    Photo by Metromix Greenville

  • Recipe: Ashley’s Strawberry Jam

    Freshly picked strawberries, ready to make into jelly!

    After our family went on a  Strawberry picking adventure this past weekend I got together with a good friend, Ashley from Reflecting On The Simple Things in Life on Monday morning and made some of her amazing Strawberry Jelly.  The gallon of strawberries we used for the jelly was from Sandy Flats Farm in Taylors, SC.  We had a lot of fun catching up while making strawberry jelly.  Thankful for friendships and time together making delicious goodies for our families and to share with others.  The recipe for the Strawberry Jam is one Ashley generously shared with me.  We made 23 jars of Strawberry Jelly in a couple hours.  Our cost for the strawberries was $8.00 for a gallon.  I went ahead and bought a set of jars since I didn’t have enough, Ashley had the sugar and pectin on hand.  If you go to Yard Sales you should be able to pick up more jam jars for a better price.

    Ashley’s Strawberry Jam:
    • Two pounds of fresh strawberries
    • 4 1/2 cups of white sugar
    • 1 box of Sure Jell premium fruit pectin
    • 6 canning jars
    Wash and drain strawberries.  Remove stems from strawberries and slice.  Blend sliced strawberries in blender or food processor.  Measure 3 3/4 cups of crushed strawberries and 4 1/2 cups of white sugar.  Make sure to measure out the sugar ahead of time because you don’t want to stop in the middle of making the jelly and have to measure it out.  The jelly can easily burn.
    Stir 1 box of fruit pectin and 3 3/4 cups of crushed strawberries into a large sauce pot on high heat.  You can add 1/2 teaspoon of butter to help reduce the foaming if you’d like.  Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that doesn’t stop when stirred.  Stir in sugar quickly.  Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly one minute.  Remove from heat.  Pour quickly into clean jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops.  Cover with lids and screw bands on tightly.  My Mom would always finish with putting them into a pressure cooker to seal the lids.  I was always scared of pressure cookers because I thought they would blow up on me so she told me that most of the time the jelly is so hot that it will seal the lid on its own within 30 minutes.  But to be safe, in case it doesn’t seal, always store the jelly in the freezer.  Majority of the time all my jars have sealed but I still store the jelly in the freezer, just in case.  This recipe makes about 6 cups of strawberry jelly.
    Jars of fresh Strawberry Jam I made this week, there are a couple not in the picture because I already gave one away to our neighbor and opened another one to eat!

  • Fresh & Healthy: Flash Freezing Fresh Strawberries

    Our family went Strawberry picking recently so we have been busy making strawberry goodies.  The day we picked the strawberries we separated them out into containers for the ones we wanted to eat immediately and ones we wanted to freeze to eat later.  We chose to flash freeze our strawberries whole.

    How to Flash Freeze Fresh Strawberries:

    • Rinse the Fresh Strawberries with cool water
    • Place on wax paper in a pan
    • Cut off the stems of the strawberries
    • Put the strawberries on the pan evenly spaced so they are not touching each other
    • Put the pan in the freezer until the strawberries are completely frozen (usually takes several hours for them to freeze completely)
    • Once the strawberries are frozen put them into freezer bags (I usually put them into Quart or Gallon, 2 cups or more at a time)

    When you flash freeze the strawberries they will not stick together when you take them out.  You can take as many or as little strawberries as you like throughout the year. Here are some of the pictures of the process below:

    Rinse the fresh strawberries!

     

    Line the pan with wax paper.

    Cut off the strawberry stems, place on wax paper & stick in the freezer!
    Layers of Flash Frozen Strawberries!

    Bags of Flash Frozen Strawberries - measured and dated for future meals!