Help me win!

So, I've taken a break from giveaways for the past few months, though I did manage to still win a lip smoothing salon pack from the one I did splurge my time on. I stumbled across this one and have decided that I HAVE to win!

I want these:

So I'm blogging about the great giveaway of a $100 giftcard to eye buy direct, courtesy of "Livin' in a Little White House"

I'd tell you all to go enter, but I really NEED new glasses! Having a toddler has been a little rough on the eye wear around here--my frames are scratched to nearly opaque and Eric's have been redesigned for a more angled face...

...or a cyclops.

Here's hoping I win!

You're Invited!

Thanks to everyone who's expressed interest :o) Want in? Call me to schedule a specific time. I'll see you there! I might even bring treats...

New Projects

So I'm busy with school and packing and yardwork, which means I'm suddenly in the mood to get seriously crafty. Here are some new projects on the horizon. Interested? Let me know, we can make them together!


A toddler neck pillow, since his poor head flops around in his forward-facing car seat!



A toddler bag, so Scotty can carry his own gear and diapers instead of commandeering my purse!


Looking for something different? Check out this great site for easy step by step tutorials.

Portrait Party: continued

Our portrait party is in the works! We need to pick which day works best, so vote in the poll in the right side bar! Pick every day that will work for you.

The tentative plan is to meet at the waterfall area by the bell tower on BYU campus. Times will be available from approximately 4-7pm on the date of our choice, and you can either pick a specific slot or we can make it a come and go format. I'll bring treats, so come hang out!

Have any friends you think would be interested? Let me know!

Portrait Party: update

Ok, I think I'm really going to do this :o) BUT, I need a few more people, so let me know if you're interested! Sorry that the previous link didn't work--please check out her work and see for yourself.

Shanda's new site! You can catch a glimpse of my cute boy (and even a shot of me) in her gallery.

Want great pictures for super cheap? post a comment. let me know.

Portrait Party

So, I found a great photographer through Craig'slist this past week! She's trying to expand her portfolio and get business going, so she offered me a free half hour session and 5 images on CD. I figured I had nothing to lose, but I had no idea I would get such great pictures FOR FREE! I do have an adorable son, but still, these are super professional--and Scotty just threw rocks into Utah Lake for the entire session.

I think her work is so great, and I know many of you are looking to get affordable pictures of your cute kids, so I'm thinking of hosting a portrait party. Here's how it works. I pick a location and invite my friends (and their kids). Every guest gets a free 20 minute shoot, including individuals or groups as needed, without paying any session fees! You can bring any people or props you wish, and photos will be edited and posted to a secure site within a week.

There is no pressure to buy any
of the portraits taken!

CD

Guests can purchase a CD with their images
5 images - $15
10 images - $25
15 images - $35
20 images - $45
all images - $55

Prints

8 wallets - $10
4x6 - $10
5x7 - $10
8x10 - $15
11x14 - $20

I might even make it more of a party and provide food and treats to keep us entertained. Anyone interested? Let me know! I have to have at least four people to schedule...

check out her website as well!

P.S. if you want to see Scotty's pics, let me know and I'll email you a link.

Family Art Day (Provo)

Tuesday, June 10th, BYU's Museum of Art is hosting a Family Art Day!

The event is free from 10am-3pm.

The colorful visual puzzles and mind-bending optical tricks of Walter Wick, author and photographer of the popular “I Spy” and “Can You See What I See?” children’s books, are the inspiration for this year’s Family Art Day celebration.

Family Art Day will feature games and activities based on the images of Wick’s imaginative and playful world presented in the museum’s current exhibition of his work, “Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos, and Toys in the Attic.”

Families with children of all ages are invited to this free event. For more information about Family Art Day, contact the Museum of Art at (801) 422-8287 or visit the museum’s Web site at http://moa.byu.edu.

Freesale Saturday

I've been meaning to post this all week but the time has gotten away from me. Don't forget about the freesale this Saturday!

Saturday, May 30th
10am-12pm
on the lawn at 500 N 100 E

Women's clothes, men's clothes, baby clothes, sweaters, coats, movies, home decor, yard care supplies, etc. Bring anything you have to give away! Anything left will be taken to Deseret Industries. Please invite your friends and I'll see you there!

Summer Reading Program

Summer Reading Program at the Provo City Library is just around the corner. For those of you who like to read, this is a great way to win prizes! The children's program is great for infants on up--get rewarded for feeling like a good mom and reading to your kid(s)!

The kickoff is this Saturday, May 30, from 9am-6pm in the Provo City Library Ballroom. If you want a free T-shirt for your kid come to the kickoff party! Registration continues through June 27. Bring your library card.

Other summer library activities:

CANOPY CAPERS
every Tuesday and Thursday in June and July at 12:00-12:30 pm under the canopy on the south side of the library. Storytelling for families. Bring your lunch, pillows and blankets!

SUMMER STORY TIME
every Wednesday in June and July from 9:30-10:00 am and 10:30-11:00 am for toddlers and their caregivers in the Story Circle.

SUMMER BOOK BABIES
every Wednesday in June and July at 11:30 am-12:00 noon. Age-appropriate stories, songs, and finger plays for babies (0-12 months) and their parents/caregivers in the Story Circle.

Freecycle Swap

Provo Freecycle (like Craigslist but all free) is hosting a yard sale swap tomorrow!

Saturday, May 2
10am-12pm
547 E. 600 N. Provo, UT
(if it rains it will be under the covered parking garage)

Everything is free--please bring someone of your own to exchange. Have stuff you were going to take to the DI? Bring it here first! They'll take whatever is left over to the DI for you, assuming it's easily transportable.

Right now there are a few bags of stuff we'll be putting on the front lawn...
stuffed animals
random plates, bowls, kitchen utensils
men's clothes (average size is M)
women's clothes (average size is S/M)
a few baskets, kids toys
coolers
cd/radio
large desk
blinds
double stroller (one of the brakes isn't working I was told)
computer (this will go by free raffle to someone who could really use it-- its a
mac all-in-one that has the capability of hooking up to the internet and works
great to type on for reports, etc.)

plus everything everyone else brings!

Looking for free but informative?

Check out your local public library! Many libraries are currently handing out passes good for free admission to local zoos and museums free of charge.

Many also offer regular story time programs for kids, summer reading programs with rewards and activities, and adult seminars.

At the Provo library:
Gardening basics: getting started on a vegetable garden
April 21, 7 pm, Bullock Room #309
no registration required

Coming up:
Becoming credit wise (May 19)
Safely preserving foods (June 16)

Provo library also hosts free Monday night programs from 7:30-8pm, including stories and puppet shows, in the ballroom.

Home with a kid during the day? Check out their amazing story time programs! there are multiple age ranges.

Book Babies (0-12 months)
Friday at 10 am

Mother Goose (13-24 months)
Friday at 11 and 11:30am

Toddler Time (2-3 years)
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10:10 and 11:10am

Story Time (3-5 years, check-in at the children's desk)
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10 and 11 am sharp
*Children are signed in and attend story time without their parents, doors close promptly on the hour

Spanish story time (all ages, all in Spanish)
Monday 7pm, Friday 10:30am

Provo's Hidden Gems: Part I

Ok, it's April, but still gray and cold outside. I personally spend hours wandering around outside every week to keep my son entertained, and in so doing, have stumbled upon some less well-known places. For those of you who live in or around Provo, enjoy!

Part 1: Food and Clothing for Less

Smith's Food and Drug (350 N Freedom) has a student fresh values card that takes 5% off every shopping order. Essentially, all of your food is tax free! Smith's also has 2 Redbox rental stations. Their weekly ad comes out every Wednesday and they participate in the Shortcuts electronic coupon program.

Walmart (1355 Sandhill Rd, Orem). Never fails. Not the best shopping experience but the deals don't get any better. Bring store ads for all the local grocery and retail stores and Walmart will price match (if it's the exact brand and size). If you have the time and energy to spare, it's worth the haggle.

Honk's Dollar Store (650 N Freedom) offers good deals on basic cleansers, office supplies, stationary, gift bags, etc. Every Tuesday every dollar deal is reduced to 88 cents! My favorite buys: scented diaper disposal bags (a life saver for that between breastfeeding and pottytraining stage!) and knock-off teddy grahams.

Habitat for Humanity Re-Store (626 N Freedom--right next to Honk's). This place is amazing for several reasons.
1) You can drop off almost any extra building materials you don't want to store or dispose of.
2) You can buy supplies for a quick fix at insanely low prices--a gallon of oil based paint is only $1. Great for paintbrushes, wood stain, nails and screws, or odds and ends.
3) They offer monthly home maintenance classes for free.
4) They offer a tool-rental system just like a public library that lends tools for personal use free of cost.
5) This place keeps any kid entertained for at least 20 minutes because it is full of gadgets, gizmos, and interesting people!

Kid to Kid (2250 N University Pky, #26--next to Cafe Rio in the Movies 8 complex). Kids grow way too fast to pay full price for clothes, shoes, socks, toys, strollers, etc. The provo store has a great selection of kids clothes in all sizes, as well as two racks of shoes, a variety of toys, and a surprisingly good selection of maternity clothes. All products are gently used, look brand new, and most are name brand. My favorites:
1) 3 pairs of socks for $0.99--and I get to try them on his wriggling feet to know how long they will last!
2) Every Tuesday at the Provo location is grandparent's day. Simply show off a picture of your adorable grandchild and get 10% off your entire purchase. (I love to shop Tuesdays when my mom is in town visiting!)
3) A walled in kids zone full of toys to keep my monkey occupied while I browse.
4) If you really need to stock up, pick up a frequent shopper card to earn a free purchase. These cards are now accepted at any location.

Deseret Industries (1415 N State St) In addition to accepting donations and helping you recycle your used stuff, the DI has some great bargains. My favorites: cheap games (I've bought Racko for $1 and Scene It for $1.50) and kids shoes ($2-$3!)

Plato's Closet (592 E University Pkwy, Orem--just across from University Mall) Kid to Kid for moms :o) If you don't mind gently used clothing or want to spice up your wardrobe with something trendy, this is a great place to pick up fashion ideas or that perfect pair of jeans or shoes on the cheap. Also, if your wardrobe is "classy and trendy" enough, you can sell your gently used clothing and accessories for some easy cash.

Ross Dress for Less (222 W 1300 S, Orem). No shopping list of mine would be complete without Ross--I owe almost my entire wardrobe to this store, including my amazing red heels and all my favorite pairs of jeans. The Ross in Orem isn't the best ever, though their petite section is expanding and offers some great options for walking the fine line between forever teenaged and frumpy mom. If you ever need help finding something great, call me--I never fail.

An easy St. Patrick's Day project

Thanks to my friend Staci, who was always creating random cute things for me when we were roomies back in the day.

Make leprechaun hats out of styrofoam cups and green markers! Simply draw whatever pattern you want on the outside of a styrofoam cup. If you want to get super fancy, make a simply design on the inside lip of the cup.

Then, bake the cup in the oven for a few minutes and it shrinks to leprechaun size. The edge up the cup curls up to make a brim.

A preview...

I'm crafting again. Thanks to Linds for passing this great idea on to me....and congrats to my friends with adorable little girls and to my husband's genetic programming for letting me make dresses for your cute girls as I have none of my own :o)

Here is the pattern/instruction link and her cute little girl showing off her new look.

If you are interested in learning how to sew this is a great starter project! You use the back part of the shirt for a pre-made bodice, the front part for pre-sewn buttons, and elastic in a simple casing for ruffled sleeves. All it requires you to sew are a few hems. You can get as fancy or as basic as you want by adding trim!

Here are the BEFORE shots of my handiwork:

Marian

Olivia

Callie


Ok, I wasn't going to post this yet (surprise!) but they're just too cute.
So, here are the two I've finished.

Am I amazing, or what? (trust me--they're just THAT easy.)

Birthday Clubs and Freebies

Reading a friend's blog reminded me about all the freebies you can get on your birthday! Many places offer freebies with no advanced planning, but here are a few of my favorites that require a membership to their birthday club (i.e. an email list or website registration)

Birthday Club Freebies!
Cold Stone Creamery - free ice cream creation
Red Robin - buy one get one free burger (coupon good for 14 days)
Sweet Tomatoes - buy one get one free buffet (this is our favorite place!)
Tucano's - free meal (during the month of your birthday)


Kid's birthday freebies!
California Pizza Kitchen - free meal for kids under 10
Denny's - free meal for kids under 10 (can sign up in store)

also, Wendy's and Burger King both have kid's clubs for a free birthday meal (sign up in store)

Anyone else have favorite birthday freebies?