Family

  • Book: “Space – The Ultimate Guide To The Universe”

    One of our girls loves planets, space and astronauts.  A family member gave her the “Space: The Ultimate Guide To The Universe” book a few years ago and it has been a huge hit!  It has been carried all over the house and gone on several road trips with us.  The book has pictures and information about space travel, astronomy, universe, solar system, stars and galaxies as well as posters of the universe and glow in the dark stars.  It has a lot of information packed in the variety of descriptions and colorful pictures.  The recommended age for the book is for 8 and up but if you have a child that loves space, astronauts, and planets then I would recommend it for them even at a younger age.  You’ll have to read it to a younger child but if they enjoy space as much as Karlie does then it will be a hit, not to mention educational!

  • Recipe: Crockpot Pearsauce

    Homemade Pearsauce

    Our neighbors were generous and gave us a bunch of delicious pears from their tree.  The girls were thrilled to have pears to eat.   It is amazing the variety of yummy treats you can make out of pears from sliced pears to smoothies and more.

    The girls LOVE applesauce so I decided to try my hand at making Pearsauce (much like Applesauce but with pears). You can do this with fresh picked pears or ones that you buy on clearance at your local grocery store.  I was thrilled at how well the recipe turn out which is perfect for lunches and as a side for meals.

    Crockpot Pearsauce:

    • 4 Pears
    • 1  tablespoon Lemon Juice (or 1 fresh squeezed Lemon)
    • 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
    • 1/2 cup Water
    • 2 Cinnamon Sticks (or 1 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon)

    1.  Wash the pears.   Peel, core and cut your pears into cubes.

    2.  Put the pears in the crockpot.  Mix the lemon juice and water together then pour over the pears.  Sprinkle the top of the pears with Brown Sugar.  Place the cinnamon sticks on top (or sprinkle ground cinnamon)

    3.  Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.  When the pears are soft, drain any extra liquid, mash them with a potato masher, fork, or blender.

    4.  Store in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator or freeze to enjoy at a later date.

    I tripled the recipe to fill up the crockpot since we had quite a few pears.  You can add more or less of the cinnamon based on your family’s preference.  It is a pretty easy recipe.  Love being able to leave it in the crockpot and come home to a wonderful smelling house.

    Bowl of fresh pears from our neighbors tree, thank you for sharing!

     Wash the pears

    Peel the pears

    I used a potato peeler to peel the skins off the pears.  It was really easy to get them off.

    Cut up pears

    Quarter the pears then cut them into cube like shapes.

    Crockpot full of fresh pears.

    I filled up the crockpot with sliced fresh pears.  Squeeze out the lemon juice and mix it with water then pour it over the pears in the crockpot.

    Adding the final touches before cooking.

    Sprinkle the brown sugar over the pears and add the two sticks of cinnamon (or sprinkle ground cinnamon over pears)

    Ready to Cook the Pearsauce

    Cook in a crockpot on low for 4 to 6 hours until tender then mash, blend, or mix to make into a pearsauce (or applesauce) like consistency.

    Close up of our first batch of Pearsauce

    You can make it smoother or chunkier based on your family’s preference.  The house smelled amazing when the pearsauce was cooking.  The girls had their first helping the next morning for breakfast and asked if there would be enough to eat for lunch and dinner!  I am very excited it turned out so well!  I divided this batch up – some to eat this weekend, froze a container full for later and filled up several small containers to stick in the girls and Jake’s lunches.  A big thanks to our sweet neighbors for sharing their pears with us!

  • Deal Chicken: $20 worth of Educational Supplies for $10 at School Spot

    Deal Chicken has a great deal in Greenville, South Carolina!

    $20 worth of Educational Supplies for $10 at School Spot!

    School Spot Deal Details:

    • Login and purchase $20 worth of School Supplies for $10
    • Redeemable in store at School Spot – 1042-A Woodruff Rd, Greenville, SC 29607, (864) 284-9305
    • Store Hours: Monday-Thursday from 10 AM. to 6 PM and Friday-Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM
    • Must be used in one visit.
    • Not valid on tax or gratuity.
    • Certificate cannot be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer, coupon or promotion, teacher discount or clearance item.
    • One certificate per person per day.
    • Only valid on regular-priced items.
    • Expires 12/31/11

    Great deal for teachers, parents of little ones, homeschool families, preschools, daycares, churches, teacher gifts, or anyone else wanting educational material in the Greenville area.

  • Fresh & Healthy: Deep Freezer Goodies – Purple Grapes, Blueberries, Bananas, Green Grapes, & Strawberries

    Freezing Seasonal Fruit - Blueberries, Bananas, Strawberries, Purple & Green Grapes

    This summer we were able to stock up on some fresh produce, including fruit.  Thanks to friends sharing their goodies, time picking produce as a family, and clearance items at our local grocery store we have been able to fill up a section of our freezer with delicious fruit.  The girls have been enjoying Smoothies the last couple of months and were super excited to stock up on some of these great items.  They are already planning on having smoothies after school because they will not be able to share them with me over lunch.

    Here is a great Smoothie Recipe:

    There are many variations to smoothies, may be sharing a couple more favorites over the next few weeks.  Add a handful of fruit you have on hand, a little cream (milk or yogurt), blend,  and you have a smoothie.  If you want a little extra sweetness you can add a touch of honey.  Usually after adding the fruit that is plenty sweet for us but we have tried a variety of different ones.

    Another great use for strawberries is as a healthy sauce!  When we have pancakes or waffles we blend up a cup or two of fresh strawberries to use as a dipping sauce in place of the traditional syrup.  It is healthier and fresher plus the whole family enjoys it.

  • Yard Sale Deals: Clothes & Shoes

    Some of the coordinating items we picked up at a local yard sale!

    I was thrilled at the neat people I met during some of my yard sale adventures.  One yard sale I went to this summer had twin girls that were a year older then my girls.  The best part about shopping at their yard sale is I was able to stock up on some coordinating clothes for the girls from sweaters to jeans, shirts, skirts, boots, and even clogs!

    I purchase 63 pieces (including shoes) for $12.00 making them approximately 19 cents each.  The red clogs are super cute too, we’ll see how well the girls like them!  These items are perfect for the upcoming school year and are in good condition.

    The day I went to this yard sale was overcast and raining until after 7 am that morning.  Half of the places I went to never even brought out their items so it was a slower day.  The yard sale where these items were discovered was just starting and it was after 10:30 am on Saturday.  They were just pulling out their items and setting up.  I am glad that we took a few moments to check this one out, it really was a great way for me to stock up on clothing for the girls.

  • Blockbuster Express: Coupon Codes for FREE DVD Rentals

    Are you looking for a fun way to relax with your family this week or over the weekend?  Blockbuster Express has FREE rental codes available right now:

    • Code –  33TTDR8
    • Code –  23PGAR7
    • Code – 52KRVF7
    • Code –  48RMAQ5
    • Code – 79AGSF6
    • Code – 48TPLD5
    • Code – 26MMKC3
    • Code – 99JMMF9

    The above Coupon Codes are good through midnight Friday, September 16, 2011.

    • Code –  73PGAR8
    • Code – 27KRVF6
    • Code – 54RMAQ6
    • Code –  36MMKC4
    • Code – 39CHAH2

    The above Coupon Codes are good through midnight Monday, September 19, 2011.

    The coupon codes can be used to get DVDs from your nearest Blockbuster Express kiosk.  Some codes may only work online so make sure to reserve your rental before picking it up.  A credit card required to rent.  The codes are valid on $1 movies not on Blu-rays or new releases.  Make sure to return you DVD on time to avoid paying any late fees.

  • Gift for the Teacher on the First Day of School

    Over the summer we picked up goodies for the teacher.

    Items we packed in the goodie bag for the girls school teacher.  We did get a list of items that she requested for the classroom and added a few more to fill up the bag.  The girls had a lot of fun picking out the items and packing it up.

    • 2 boxes of Kleenex
    • 1 bag Animal Eraser
    • 1 Notepad
    • 1 pack of 3 reptile Sticky Notes
    • 2 packs 8×10 Filler Paper
    • 18 Glue Sticks
    • 2 bottles Germx
    • 1 box 24 Crayons
    • 1 package Fall “Reward Sheets”
    • 1 package “Certificate of Recognition” Sheets
    • 1 bag Candy Bracelets, Rings, and Lipsticks
    • 2 boxes of pencils
    • 2 pencil containers
    • 2 Spiral Notebooks
    • 2 Capsule Animals
    • 1 Mini Story Book
    • 5 Clip Bracelets “Kids Doing Good”
    • 4 Sandal Notepads
    • 1 package Highlighters
    • 1 box Paperclips
    • 1 package “Great Work” Certificates
    • 1 package “Star Student” Certificates
    • 1 package “No Homework” Certificates
    • 1 package “Free Time” Certificates
    • 1 package “Note From Your Teacher” Rocket Postcards
    • 1 box Bandaids
    Teacher goodie bag ready for the first day of school.
    Rocket Postcards for the teacher!

     You can probably guess which one of the girls picked out this goodie to put in the bag.  They were very excited to put together items for the teacher.

    Teachers goodie bag

    The teachers goodie bag was ready and packed on the first day of school complete with a note from us.

    Thankfully most of the items we found on clearance over the summer, from the Dollar Tree, or had in our stockpile from shopping at a variety of stores. So far the only item(s) that we have seen come back home from the goodie bag has been two band aids from Karlie’s nose dive on the playground the first week of school.  Luckily it was just a surface wound.  The teacher already sent us a note thanking us for the items, which was really nice too.  Did you send your teacher any goodies?  If you did what did you put in the bag or box?

  • Living Social: $20 Gift Card to Whole Foods Market for $10!

    Living Social currently has a great Nationwide Deal!

    $20 Gift Card to Whole Foods for $10

    Details of the Gift Card:

    How to get your Gift Card:

    1. Sign up or login into your Living Social account
    2. Available in Select Cities (if not showing up in your current location Go to Greenville, SC or Boston)
    3. Purchase the Whole Foods $20 gift voucher for $10
    4. Your virtual gift card voucher will be pending in your account until September 14, 2011
    5. The virtual gift card voucher will expire on 12/13/11