Simply Budgeted

What the heck is going on?

2011-07-07T20:31:00.001-04:00

I am in the process of moving from Blogger to Wordpress and the timing of my host stuff happening is up to ... well I don't know. I am given funky timeframes that changes will take effect such as 48-72 hours. That is LESS THAN helpful. It is like the plumber saying they are going to come between the hours of 9 am and 7pm to fix the only toilet in your house. Thanks dude for your help ... not really. (As a note, we have more than one toilet and they all work right now ... ::knock on wood::. )
All that being said if you suddenly can't get to anything by going to simplybudgeted.com. If this happens, go to simplylivingonabudget.blogspot.com to find the blog. I hope to get a redirect up right away but some times right away isn't really right away, ya know?

Bear with me the next few days!! Thanks and if you have a question, just let me know at simplybudgeted at gmail dot com!

Wednesday Randoms

2011-07-06T11:00:00.000-04:00

What is the purpose of Wednesday Randoms? Well honestly there isn't one besides to share something random. Maybe your child did something new, maybe you baked something yesterday, maybe you are behind at work, maybe you got in your work out today or maybe you didn't. Anything is game. Well anything that is appropriate. If it isn't appropriate, I will delete it. Here are mine ...

Last summer class update ... I got 2 A's! YAY!
The blog updates are in works. Nothing you can see yet but a lot of planning has started. As a result of the whole update process, I have decided to my blog from blogger to Wordpress. This scares me yet I am determined to figure it out. If you have tips, let me know!
I spent my holiday weekend baking. I think I had some pent up baking inside me. I will make a separate post with those details but I had missed my kitchen ... and mixer!=P

I really hope some of you leave a comment with maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some comment love!

Monthly Meal Plan: July 2011

2011-07-05T11:45:00.001-04:00

Here is the background to the monthly meal plan ...
Last year, we did weekly meal plans. Well we did weekly meal plans most of the time. I say most of the time because some weeks we forgot to plan. Life got busy, school work was out of control, the preschool business started, the family all got sick. You name it, life happens. When I suggested a Monthly Meal Plan late last month, I was sure my husband would declare me nuts for good. BUT ... he was on board. He was on board so much he tried to find a monthly meal planner online. There were none to be found that worked for what we wanted though. So being the Excel junkie that he is, he made a calendar he could fill in a meal for each day.

Part of my accountable in doing this is posting our Monthly Meal Plan each month.
So I know June is half way over so why bother posting this. I want to show you we did plan ... well some. See the bottom for more details on that.

I didn't like last month's graphic. I am thinking that might work better in the new blog design but as you can see that design isn't here yet so I am trying to keep it simple this month.

Our Family's July 2011 Meal Plan

Friday, July 1                English Muffin Pizzas
Saturday, July 2            Smoked Chuck Roast

Sunday, July 3              take-out Mexican
Monday, July 4            Butterflied Chicken
Tuesday, July 5            Spaghetti
Wednesday, July 6       Grilled Shrimp
Thursday, July 7           Chicken + kale + cooking cream
Friday, July 8               Shrimp Stir-fry
Saturday, July 9           Chuck Roast skewers

Sunday, July 10           Chicken Fried Steak
Monday, July 11          Leftovers
Tuesday, July 12          Sloppy Joes
Wednesday, July 13     Pasta Night
Thursday, July 14         Chili (frozen)
Friday, July 15              Fajitas
Saturday, July 16          Matthew's 2nd Birthday Party (Pepperoni Rolls + Hog Dogs!)

Sunday, July 17            Sandwiches/Subs
Monday, July 18           Enchiladas
Tuesday, July 19           Breakfast
Wednesday, July 20     Chicken + pasta + cooking cream
Thursday, July 21         Homemade pizza
Friday, July 22            Leftovers
Saturday, July 23          Leftovers

Sunday, July 24            on-the-road
Monday, July 25           Beach Week Challenge
Tuesday, July 26           Beach Week Challenge
Wednesday, July 27      Beach Week Challenge
Thursday, July 28          Beach Week Challenge
Friday, July 29              Beach Week Challenge
Saturday, July 30          on-the-road

A few notes ...

This month we just planned dinners. Breakfast is a free for all and everyone just eats what they want that day anyway. Lunch is divided up too. I generally take leftovers or a salad to work. The kids eat what my husband whips up and sometimes he eats that or ventures off on his own.
The dinner ideas are once again inspired by our freezer. I wanted pork chops for some crazy reason but we don't have them so they aren't on the menu. Such is life.
What is up with that Beach Week Challenge? It isn't a cheat. I promise! We are headed to the beach that week. Funding for the beach week vacation is very, very tight so we are going to see what we can do while at the beach. Watch for recipes, etc to go up that week as we blog our way through Beach Week ... the family with three kids under age 5 version of Beach Week that is!=P

If you are looking for answers on monthly meal planning, ask the questions you have! I don't know that I have the answer for you but I will look for them!
If you want the empty Excel spreadsheet formatted like a calendar, let me know and I will send it you via email. Just send me an email at simplybudgeted at gmail dot com.

Have you tried monthly meal planning? How did it go? Any tips or suggestions?

Book Review: Spring for Susannah

2011-07-05T09:30:00.003-04:00

I recently had the chance to get a copy of Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond thanks to BookSneeze.com.
Details ...
Hundreds of miles from home, Susannah faces an uncertain future as a mail-order bride on the untamed Dakota prairie.

When her parents die suddenly, and no suitors call, Susannah resigns herself to the only option available: becoming a mail-order bride. Agreeing to marry her pastor's brother, Jesse, Susannah leaves the only home she's ever known for the untamed frontier of the Dakota Territory.

Her new husband is more loving and patient with her than she believes she deserves. Still, there is also a wildness to him that mirrors the wilderness surrounding them. And Susannah finds herself constantly on edge. But Jesse's confidence in her-and his faith in God's perfect plan-slowly begin to chip away at the wall she hides behind.

When she miscarries in the brutal Dakota winter, Susannah's fledgling faith in herself and in God begins to crumble. Still, Jesse's love is unwavering. Just when it seems like winter will never end, Susannah finally sees the first tentative evidence of spring. And with it, the realization that more than the landscape has changed.

She looks to the future with a renewed heart. Yet in her wildest dreams, she couldn't predict all that awaits her.

My thoughts ...
I really enjoyed this book. I made the mistake of starting this when I had a lot to do though. The mistake is that I couldn't put the book down. I found myself reading it as I ate lunch and as I had a few minutes waiting on something. I just needed to know what happened next!
During the book, Susannah grows from being a shy lady to a strong frontier woman who handle her own. The story of Susannah shows confidence in yourself is not only a result of the events around your but those around you that believe in you. This is a great life lesson for those who are looking for the inner strength to keep going each day. I can't wait to see if there is a follow up to this book!

You can buy it new Amazon.com for only $10.25 in paperback or $9.74 for the Kindle edition!

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Friday Favorites: Johnson's Shampoo

2011-07-01T15:32:00.006-04:00

Up this week ...

Johnson's No More Tangles Shampoo

I discovered this product a few months ago when I had Johnson's coupons and Harris Teeter had Johnson's shampoo on sale. I went in planning on getting the classic yellow kind. You know the kind. It works great so why change. Then I saw this. My girls have some crazy hair some days. I had the detangler spray and even the detangler leave-in conditioner but this shampoo skipped step. I like skipping steps. I have to say this shampoo has really helped my girls. They don't fuss as much and it is the same as the yellow variety in that they don't fuss if it gets in their eyes.

So if you have a crazy haired child or multiple of them like me, check this out. Now my only problem is finding on sale again but I will take the step saving problem!;)

Did you miss my last Friday Favorite? Find it here!

If you have a suggestion for a Friday Favorite, leave me a comment and let me know.
If you have a blog post that includes a recipe, tip, or article you wrote that you want me know about, leave me a comment and you might see it in a future Friday Favorite!!

Cereal Spark: Week 4

2011-07-01T14:02:00.005-04:00

I am excited work on this series of reviews with General Mills and MyBlogSpark!

When it comes to fighting childhood obesity, there is a lot to love about cereal. Frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights. That´s true of men, women and children who choose sweetened cereals.
* Teen girls who eat cereal are less likely to become overweight than non cereal eaters.
* Boys´ cereal consumption is associated with lower body mass index (BMI).

For more information, go to www.cerealbenefits.com.

As part of this Cereal Spark series, I will have shared information I have learned about the health benefits of cereal. This is the post of this series so I hope you have enjoyed it!! so keep watching for a weekly post for one more week!

I am excited I have been offered the opportunity to offer one of my readers a Week 4 gift pack of their own which will include 6 sample sized boxes of cereal and on the go container!

This drawing will end Friday, July 15th at 11:59pm EST. I may pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.

This giveaway is open to US residents!!!

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: What information would be valuable for parents (or adults in general) to get from cereal companies to help understand the benefits of cereal?

Additional Entries:
1) Like Simply Budgeted on Facebook: http://facebook.com/simplybudgeted. (worth 2 entries!) (Maybe you can leave me a comment while you are there!)
2) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
3) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT #Win a cereal gift pack with on the go container @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/jnbO33 #giveaway #breakfast #myblogspark ends 7/15

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!)
4) Add my blog button to your blog. Button is in my sidebar! Leave a comment with the URL and where to find the link.
5) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
6) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.
7) Leave a comment in a Simply Budgeting series post! Leave a comment here with what you did. (worth 2 entries!)
8) Enter another giveaway. Leave a comment with the giveaway entry number (once per giveaway) (Worth 2 entries!)

NOTE: I was sent a Cereal gift pack in support this review by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Wednesday Randoms

2011-06-29T08:45:00.002-04:00

Last summer class complaining update ... I have one homework assignment left. It is due tomorrow but I will be darned as I am finishing it today. I just need to get it done so I can be done. I did get an A in my 1 credit class already!:)
I have a huge list of things I want to do once my class is done. Actually, there is no list. It is all in my head. I really need to make a list otherwise I will be annoyed that none of it gets done.
Do you like the new little button on my sidebar? The site updates are slowly coming and are on that huge to-do list. Hopefully you like them as they come along. I am getting super excited!
My Little Dude's 2nd birthday is coming up. I better start planning something since his party is on the 16th!

I really hope some of you leave a comment with maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some comment love!

Mamavation Monday: Walk ... Run ... Week 3

2011-06-27T09:15:00.000-04:00

It is Mamavation Monday time again!

Last week was week 3 of the Couch to 5k walk/runs. I survived doing all three walk/runs and avoided an asthma attack the one day by really focusing on my breathing. I take that as a success. I am still doing my walk/runs on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

This week is getting rough so my husband tells me 4 minute runs with 1 minute in between. There is a very strong chance I will repeat this week but we will see how it goes.

As for weight, I decided to not weigh in today. Monday's weigh ins seem to suck so I am going to do my weigh ins on Tuesday. So I may update this tomorrow or I just might post an update about a week behind. We will see how this plays out.

Mamavation TV is on tonight! To find out details check out the information here! (I miss Mamavation TV every week because it is on too late for this East Coast girl ... if I am up that late, I am doing homework. blah.)

Pamper's Giving Back to Little Miracles Program

2011-06-27T08:30:00.002-04:00

I am excited to share with you about the 50th birthday of Pampers and the opportunity I had to participate in their celebration!In celebration of its 50th birthday, Pampers is recognizing how much parenting has changed over the years, and is sharing their belief that every baby is a little miracle that deserves to be celebrated, supported and protected, by unveiling its Little Miracle Mission campaign – a program that delivers acts of kindness to miracles and their families while encouraging parents to support others.

The brand recently kicked off the Little Miracle Missions campaign by delivering a giant act of support –donating care packages to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) across the country. Celebs Joey Lawrence , Ali Larter, Mark Consuelos and LaLa Anthony were on-hand in New York City to personally deliver a care package and thank you basket to Mt. Sinai Hospital and their staff.

The public can easily participate in the Miracles Missions programs, and support little miracles across the country, by logging on to Pampers Facebook page (Facebook.com/Pampers). Pampers is also asking everyone to pay-it-forward by participating in the first Little Miracle Mission- to congratulate and offer support to an expectant mother with a gift or surprise gesture. Once more than 2,500 people pledge that they have achieved this mission, Pampers will respond by giving baby showers to expectant mothers nationwide just in time for Mother’s Day. Pampers will issue different missions throughout the entire year to celebrate all aspects of parenthood, and with the help of parents, family and friends, they hope to touch the lives of every baby born in the next year.

As part of this program, I partnered with University of Virginia Children's Hospital. They do a lot of work with children in the community and well from all over since they are a research hospital. When asked what they needed the most right now, I was told comfort items for those in treatment and for the siblings of those in treatment. So my kids and I went out shopping and ended up with Play-Doh, coloring books, crayons, and card games. These will be delivered to the hospital this week!

Now here’s where you come in! We’d love for Simple Budgeted readers to get involved in these random acts of kindness, too. Pampers would like to challenge you to find a way to celebrate, support or protect a new little miracle in your community by donating a $50 Visa Gift Card to you. Now what you do with that gift card is entirely up to you, but the challenge will be for you to decide its best use!

Some ideas we’ve heard is to use the money to purchase diapers for a family who could use them, use the money to prepare meals for a family, or even use the money to host a larger fundraiser for a family. We’d love to see your creativity come to life!

This drawing will end Monday, July 11th at 11:59pm EST. I may pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.

This giveaway is open to US residents!!!

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Tell me your idea for using the gift card to support a new little miracle in your community!

Additional Entries:
1) Like Simply Budgeted on Facebook: http://facebook.com/simplybudgeted. (worth 2 entries! ...maybe you can leave a comment on a post while you there ... I miss seeing comments over there!;))
2) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
3) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

#Win a $50 gift card to help a little miracle in your community @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/ifDnTt #giveaway #giftcard #pampers ends 7/11

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!)
4) Add my blog button to your blog. Button is in my sidebar! Leave a comment with the URL and where to find the link.
5) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
6) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.
7) Leave a comment in a Friday Favorite or Wednesday Random post! Leave a comment here with what you did (what post and what comment #). (worth 3 entries!!)

NOTE: I was sent a gift card to participate in this donation effort in support this giveaway by a PR company associated with this effort. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Friday Favorite: Parchment Paper Muffin Liners

2011-06-24T10:15:00.001-04:00

Up this week ...

Parchment Paper Muffin Liners

No not the muffins this time but the cute little muffin liners. I saw these over on Tidy Mom's Berry Muffin post recently. (You can find her on Facebook and Twitter too!) I have NOT been able to get them out of my head. So when I realized last night I only had enough sugar for one recipe of banana bread, I knew it had it become muffins. Since these muffins were gifts for the Vacation Bible School teachers (6 teachers between 2 kids!) and that was all I was making, they needed to look cute so I decided this was my excuse to try these parchment paper muffin liners. And then I started praying I didn't mess them up since I didn't have more sugar to make more! aye.

They turned out amazingly cute. Adorable if I must say. I will definitely make these again. This might just my excuse to get a mat and rotary cutter though! I used the preschool paper cutter to cut these out. I tried scissors to start with and that was totally not happening! So you will either a really steady hand or a good way to cut straight lines.

For the regular muffins, I made 4 inch by 4 inch squares. I want to try them on the jumbo muffins next. I think I would double the size of the squares for the jumbos.

I then just cut the kitchen twine into pieces. (I was too lazy to go get the twine like Tidy Mom has in her pictures from the basement ... hey it was late, give me credit!) The tricky part was tying them on there. I had to hold the muffins against me and pull the string tight enough to be a little tight on the muffins.

Oh and the best tip actually came from Tidy Mom ... spray the muffin pan with cooking spray before you put the liners in. This helps them stay in the pan.

Now they weren't all beautiful. Some of the liners didn't hug the edges as well as others. I think this takes practice and pushing it against the edge firmly.

I can't wait to keep making these as it was a really fun but easy idea. Plus it makes something simple look over the top chic! ;)

Did you miss my last Friday Favorite? Find it here!

Cereal Spark: Week 3

2011-06-24T08:30:00.001-04:00

I am excited work on this series of reviews with General Mills and MyBlogSpark!

Did you know?

Cereal is a great breakfast option because it is the number one dietary source of many key nutrients including iron, zinc and folic acid. Frequent cereal eaters tend to have better nutrient intakes.
A typical breakfast contributes more than 30 percent of needed calcium, iron and B vitamins while delivering less than 20 percent of daily calories.
In addition, ready-to-eat cereal is the top source of whole grain in kids´ diets.

Big G is the only leading line of kids' cereals to contain at least 8 grams of whole grain (48 grams recommended daily) and a good source of both calcium and vitamin D in every serving. In addition, cereal is an inexpensive but nutrient-dense option. On average, a bowl of cereal with milk is approximately 50 cents per serving.

Do you look at the nutrition labels to check for items like whole grains? I look for that little whole grains icon that is on boxes now. It is a great little reference and way to remember to look and include whole grains in your diet!

As part of this Cereal Spark series, I will continue to share information I learn about the health benefits of cereal so keep watching for a weekly post for one more week!

I am excited I have been offered the opportunity to offer one of my readers a Week 3 gift pack of their own which will include 6 sample sized boxes of cereal and cereal dispenser!

This drawing will end Friday, July 8th at 11:59pm EST. I may pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.

This giveaway is open to US residents!!!

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: What are some easy ways you help your child (or even YOU) get necessary nutrients like vitamin D, calcium, iron, folate and zinc into the foods they eat?

Additional Entries:
1) Like Simply Budgeted on Facebook: http://facebook.com/simplybudgeted. (worth 2 entries!) (Maybe you can leave me a comment while you are there!)
2) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
3) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT #Win a cereal gift pack with cereal dispenser @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/mDnKBq #giveaway #breakfast #myblogspark ends 7/8

Sugar Free Ring Pops

2011-06-23T21:06:00.006-04:00

I am thrilled share with you about Sugar Free Ring Pops and the samples we were sent to enjoy!

I am excited to have the opportunity to review Ring Pops. While the new Sugar Free variety is a very nice twist for kids who don't need extra sugar (i.e., my kids ... they have an insane amount of energy any way!) I really wanted to sample these because my kids haven't been introduced to Ring Pops. Well that and I am one of those moms who loves sharing stuff she remembers having as a kids with her kids. Yes, I am annoying like that.
So the other afternoon the kids all got one Ring Pop. Thankfully, they were happy with their color choices. They were each given a plastic bowl too so if they wanted to put it down they could (this seriously is a AWESOME IDEA if your kids are younger!) Then came the sticky mess. Holy sticky mess! My 3 year old kept running to the bathroom to "wash the sticky off". At some point it just become funny. My little dude was a HOT MESS. My almost 5 year was just a little lady sucking on hers and kept wondering out loud why it was like a "paci". haha.

Then came the question ... where can we get more of those? And that is the story of how I apparently created little Ring Pop monsters!

I am excited I have been offered the opportunity to offer three of my readers a sample pack of Ring Pops. Each sample pack includes three Ring Pops!

This drawing will end Thursday, July 7th at 11:59pm EST. I may pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.

This giveaway is open to US residents!!!

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Tell me if you remember eating Ring Pops as a kid or what flavor of Ring Pop you want to try!

Additional Entries:
1) Like Simply Budgeted on Facebook: http://facebook.com/simplybudgeted. (worth 2 entries! ...maybe you can leave a comment on a post while you there ... I miss seeing comments over there!;))
2) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
3) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT #Win 1 of 3 Ring Pops Packages @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/lVZG4T #giveaway #ringpops #candy #sugarfree ends 7/7

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!)
4) Add my blog button to your blog. Button is in my sidebar! Leave a comment with the URL and where to find the link.
5) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
6) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.
7) Leave a comment in a Simply Budgeting series post! Leave a comment here with what you did. (worth 3 entries!!)

NOTE: I was sent a sample pack in support this review by a PR company associated with this product. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Wednesday Randoms

2011-06-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Are you tired of summer class updates? I am and I am the one giving them! 1.5 weeks left ... I CAN do this. I will finish these darn classes. I am behind in my homework again ... for my reason this time see random #2.
My kids seem to have forgotten how to sleep which means I have gotten no sleep recently. Well 2 of the 3 kids. Little Dude is sick ... or is getting molars ... or both. Monday night he didn't sleep AT ALL. =( Last night he slept but I didn't because he was with me all night. =/ My Sophie is out of sorts it seems is having a hard time falling asleep suddenly. Not sure what is up there but she did sleep last night even it was in the chair in her room.
I want to bake like something crazy. I could spend a whole week baking and be happy. I refuse to let myself bake because I behind in my homework though.
The preschool is hosting an Open House on Saturday and we are not ready. ACK! I hope my husband is able to get the cleaning done and at some point I can help in the garden that goes to the new preschool entrance! (People don't have to go through my house any more! YAY!!)

I really hope some of you leave a comment with maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some comment love!

Mamavation Monday: Walk ... Run ... Week 2

2011-06-20T12:49:00.005-04:00

It is Mamavation Monday time again!

I was late posting last week but I did get in my post! You can find it here if you want catch up!

So last week was week 2 of the Couch to 5k walk/runs. I survived doing all three walk/runs. oh my goodness. I am still doing my walk/runs on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

I am not looking forward to week 3. I am running? I don't run ... how am I doing this?

As for weight, I didn't get the update I wanted on the scale. I was up 1.2 lbs. I can not eat enough it seems so I am trying to watch what I eat this week to make sure I am making good choices.

Mamavation TV is on tonight! To find out details check out the information here! (I miss Mamavation TV every week because it is on too late for this East Coast girl ... if I am up that late, I am doing homework. blah.)

UPDATE: I felt the need to add a little update today. Maybe I should change my weigh in to Tuesday mornings ... anyway. I was back down to my starting point this morning so down 1.2 lbs from yesterdays weigh in ... let's trash that weigh in and go with today's!;)

Simply Budgeting: Budgeting Your Time

2011-06-19T07:00:00.003-04:00

In April asked ... do you live a savings lifestyle? Last month, I didn't post a series post. My time was not organized last month and I admit it.

This month I hope to spark conversation around organizing and budgeting your time. Your time is one of the most valuable assets you have. It is why you are paid for any job you do. It is also why you pay others to do jobs for it.
I know I need to get better at organizing my time because I have so much pulling at it these days. One of my biggest struggles in budgeting my time is my graduate classes. It is very helpful to my schedule that they are online but also requires more focus for me. I am striving to work on them now so I can finish while my little ones are still little. The balance is trying now and I can't imagine it getting easier ... maybe it would but I don't have faith in that theory. So here I struggle trying to balance my family, my job, my homework, and any other activity I throw in the mix which does include my blogging time. So that is why sometimes my posts are as often as they should be (in my opinion.) This is one of the first things go when I get stuck. At the same time, I really try to make sure I have time for the family with a key there being sure I get home in time for dinner. We eat dinner early (about 5pm) so this can be a challenge some days.

I know I work best off lists. I have a list in front of me right now. If I don't have a list, I find myself lost doing other stuff that while it probably needs to be done, I then wonder what I wasted my time on that day. I also have my planner. My planner helps me plan ahead and even work ahead if I can. It also gives me more places to have check marks. You see, I have this obsession with check marks. I love to see that stuff is getting done and that motivates me to keep going.

So my questions this month are ....

So how do you organize your time? What works and doesn't work for you? Maybe you have a tip to share that will help another reader so take a second and share how you organize and budget your time!

Do you have a budget question/idea/topic/blog post? Let me know in a comment or email to simplybudgeted at gmail.com!

DIY Wedding Cake Series: Final Results

2011-06-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Final Results! (I am posting about trial 1 and trial 3 then the final cake success thanks to the products provided by Wilton and Duncan Hines!)

Background: My sister got married in this May. She found the cake she wanted. It is simple and beachy which is perfect since she was getting married on the beach. The cost for a wedding cake that feeds 125 people though was priced "starting at $600". gasp!!! So my mom and I decided we could take on making the cake for her. What the heck were we thinking?!

I was so pleased to partner up with Wilton and Duncan Hines for this effort. They have provided some products to helped us "practice" and get to the final cake!

So here was the ... Final Results.

We once again used the Wilton Tired Wedding Cake Pans! So logistics came into play here in that we all live in Virginia and the wedding was in South Carolina. The place we were staying had an oven but we were getting there late Thursday and the wedding was on Saturday. So the decision was made to bake and freeze the cakes. They would travel down to South Carolina in a cooler ... frozen. We had no idea if this would work, just prayed it would! Thankfully it did work. I made one a cake a night in the nights leading up to our departure date (minus the night before we left which was a good idea because I needed that huge cake to freeze!) The three smaller tiers all were placed back in their baking pans (they were wrapped up) to travel. The largest pan didn't fit in the cooler so that cake was on its' own. My biggest fear was that they would fall apart on the way down there. Thankfully this didn't happen and they all made it to South Carolina in one piece.

As for the icing, we made a decision to use the Wilton pre-made icing you can buy in tubs. You can buy this in a million different places .... Walmart, Joann Fabrics, Amazon.

For starters ...

Wilton Performance Pans Round Pan Set, 3 Inches Deep are the Cake Pans we used for all of the trials and final cake. The Confetti Cake Mix was used in Trial 3 and the Final Cake!

The Final Product ... Ta-da!

Here is a close-up of the final cake

The cake table all decorated at the reception

The bride and groom cutting the cake

Overall this experience was a success because the bride had the cake flavor she wanted and we save a significant amount of money in their wedding budget. Would I do this for just anyone? No way. It was a ton of work but I am happy my mom and I were able to pull this off for my sister!

This is the last post in the DIY Wedding Cake Series. I hope you enjoyed seeing this experience unfold!

Note: I was provided with Wilton cake pans and coupons for Duncan Hines cake mixes in exchange for the review of their products during the DIY Wedding Cake Series.

Friday Favorite: Garden Treasures Dispenser Value Pack

2011-06-17T10:00:00.001-04:00

Up this week ...

Garden Treasures Bird Seed Dispenser Value Pack

Details ...

Price: $9.88

Bird Seed Dispenser Value Pack

Easily pour bird seed
No scoops, no mess
Large dispenser holds up to 10 lbs
Small dispenser holds up to 7 lbs

My thoughts ...
We bought these several years ago. The larger dispenser we actually use for our cat food. It is easy to pour into their bowl and doesn't take up much space. It is really perfect.
The smaller one I do use for bird food but I use it as a scoop to get the bird food out of the container it is kept in. We don't actually use the lid for that one but there was a two pack and we are making use of both of these.

If you look for these at the pet store, you will probably pay double the price because they say cat or dog on them. In reality they could be used for any storage so the next time you are in Lowe's look in the bird food area for these containers!;)

Did you miss my last Friday Favorite? Find it here!

Cereal Spark: Week 2

2011-06-17T09:30:00.003-04:00

**This giveaway has ended. The winner is comment #98! Thanks to all who entered! **

I am excited work on this series of reviews with General Mills and MyBlogSpark!

Do you ever read the cereal boxes you buy?
I know I grew up reading cereal boxes. Why? Well I grew up eating cereal which meant my brother and sister did too. As the oldest, sometimes your younger brother and sister are annoying so I would make a wall around around my cereal bowl to block them out of my sight. Hey, I was young, this was acceptable behavior! Since I had my cereal box wall, I didn't have much to do minus reading the cereal boxes. So needless to say, I read a lot cereal boxes.

Maybe you didn't make cereal box walls or maybe you just don't read the boxes but I challenge to pull out that cereal box and read it while you eat your cereal in the morning. Read the nutrition label and the ingredient list. Do you like what you see? What would you change? Maybe it is time to consider a different cereal if you don't like what you see but hopefully you find you are getting a great start to your day with what you are eating!

As part of this Cereal Spark series, I will continue to share information I learn about the health benefits of cereal so keep watching for a weekly post for two more weeks!

I am excited I have been offered the opportunity to offer one of my readers a Week 2 gift pack of their own which will include 6 sample sized boxes of cereal and bowl/spoon set!

This drawing will end Friday, July 1th at 11:59pm EST. I may pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.

This giveaway is open to US residents!!!

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what you look for on a box of a cereal you buy! If you don't read labels, do you think you will start reading the boxes?

Additional Entries:
1) Like Simply Budgeted on Facebook: http://facebook.com/simplybudgeted. (worth 2 entries!)
2) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
3) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT #Win a cereal gift pack with a bowl and spoon set @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/iB1mV4 #giveaway #breakfast #myblogspark ends 7/1

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!)
4) Add my blog button to your blog. Button is in my sidebar! Leave a comment with the URL and where to find the link.
5) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
6) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.
7) Leave a comment in a Simply Budgeting series post! Leave a comment here with what you did.

NOTE: I was sent a Cereal gift pack in support this review by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Monthly Meal Plan - June 2011

2011-06-15T12:00:00.002-04:00

If you noticed that there was an April Meal Plan and no May Meal Plan, you were right. Big mistake on our part. See the first week of May was crazy as my sister got married so we figured we would meal plan after we got back. It didn't happen. I don't know what we ate but I guess we ate something or another seeing as we are still here. It was a disorganized mess though.

Here is the background to the monthly meal plan ...
Last year, we did weekly meal plans. Well we did weekly meal plans most of the time. I say most of the time because some weeks we forgot to plan. Life got busy, school work was out of control, the preschool business started, the family all got sick. You name it, life happens. When I suggested a Monthly Meal Plan late last month, I was sure my husband would declare me nuts for good. BUT ... he was on board. He was on board so much he tried to find a monthly meal planner online. There were none to be found that worked for what we wanted though. So being the Excel junkie that he is, he made a calendar he could fill in a meal for each day.

Part of my accountable in doing this is posting our Monthly Meal Plan each month.
So I know June is half way over so why bother posting this. I want to show you we did plan ... well some. See the bottom for more details on that.

I am going to see if this graphic works this month. The clunky format I have been using is taking me forever to type up and well I just need to get faster at getting this up!

Our Family's June 2011 Meal Plan

Update: I am not loving this graphic but don't have time to fiddle more right now. So click the graphic to get a "big" version of it you can read. Improvements to come ... hopefully sooner rather than later!

A few notes ...

Yes, breakfast is empty. We decided we aren't all eating the same breakfast. If I make muffins, the kids eat those and maybe I will too. Breakfast is a free for all it seems with the focus on making healthy choices. As for lunch, we have been focusing on leftovers and on-the-go meals. My husband has had the kids busy doing activities this summer so they are eating picnic style lunches on a regular basis it seems. Once again, the focus is on healthy choices.
The dinner plans have lots of holes in them. Why? We were tired of planning out every dinner and we need to clean out freezer. So the empty nights become "get creative" nights. We have also been trying to cook a basic meal like the ham dinner last Sunday. We then use what is left to create multiple other meals.
This week's shopping list is tomatoes,cucumbers, sour cream, milk, and eggs. We needs some basics and then a few fresh items that we are getting from the garden or CSA yet.

Wednesday Randoms

2011-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

My summer classes are kicking my butt. I do not like summer classes. It is nice they are done and over with but the homework due every couple of days kills me.
The weather here is amazing this week. I wish I could drag my laptop outside to work on days like this. 70s ... if there was a place was 70s year round, I would be there! lol
I have a new addiction to Hulu in that I put on shows I forget to record and let them play while I do work. It isn't like I actually ever just sit and watch a show anyway so the background noise is a nice treat!
I need start planning my Little Dude's birthday party. He will be two next month. Two! I can't believe it.

I really hope some of you leave a comment with maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some comment love!

Cereal Spark: Week 1

2011-06-14T13:00:00.004-04:00

**This giveaway has ended. The winner is comment #53! Thanks to all who entered! **

I am excited work on this series of reviews with General Mills and MyBlogSpark!

I grew up eating cereal. We had week day cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios was my staple pick) and weekend cereal (anything with sugar). We didn't get to eat weekend cereal during the week. Big no-no there. I kept this up until a few years ago actually. I guess once you get in the habit, it is hard to break it?

All that being said, I was excited to read up the General Mills effort to reduce sugar in their cereals. My kids vary breakfast between cereal and other options but I always have four boxes of open cereal in the cupboard it seems ... and then the stash in the garage pantry. I haven't given them the weekend cereal rule I used to have. So I read about how General Mills has reduced the sugar in the their kids' cereals, I was really thrilled. Now I still love it when my kids go for the plain Cheerios but I know I don't buy as many boxes of those as I did when they were babies and lived off those!

I do know that when my package showed up with the individual cereal boxes in it, my kids went nuts. We were headed out of town so they each picked two boxes and their breakfast set for two days! I need to remember those small boxes are out there when we travel in the future as I don't always have room to pack one from my stash!

Here are a few ... "Did you know?" Facts about cereal!

Cereal is one of the healthiest breakfast options you can make (See video below to learn more)
Packed with nutrition, cereal provides a great choice for breakfast
Studies have shown that kids who eat breakfast tend to perform better in school and have fewer disciplinary problems. They also have shown that breakfast also tends to help kids stay alert.

As part of this Cereal Spark series, I will continue to share information I learn about the health benefits of cereal so keep watching for a weekly post for four weeks!

I am excited I have been offered the opportunity to offer one of my readers a Week 1 gift pack of their own which will include 10 sample sized boxes of cereal and milk pitcher!

This drawing will end Friday, June 24th at 11:59pm EST. I may pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.

This giveaway is open to US residents!!!

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Tell me which cereal benefits are most important to you and your family!

Additional Entries:
1) Like Simply Budgeted on Facebook: http://facebook.com/simplybudgeted. (worth 2 entries!)
2) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
3) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT #Win a cereal gift pack with a milk pitcher @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/mAGgdM #giveaway #breakfast #myblogspark ends 6/24

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!)
4) Add my blog button to your blog. Button is in my sidebar! Leave a comment with the URL and where to find the link.
5) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
6) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.
7) Leave a comment in a Simply Budgeting series post! Leave a comment here with what you did.

NOTE: I was sent a Cereal gift pack in support this review by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

CardsDirect

2011-06-14T11:00:00.000-04:00

I recently had the chance to review a product from CardsDirect thanks to my involvement with Double Duty Divas!
Details ...
CardsDirect lets you custom order cards at a reasonable price! Their selection includes birth announcements, thank you cards, and even photo cards! You can put a custom message on the cards or leave the inside blank. You have choices in the card size, the card paper, and even the envelope! Each option notes what the price change is for changing your pick in your order price. One limitation is that you need to order at least ten of the same cards. If you order Thank You cards and leave them blank on the inside, this is super easy. At the same time, I know when we order invitations, I always buy at least ten of them to give out to family and friends.

My thoughts ...
The ordering process at CardsDirect was super easy. The hardest part was trying to pick what to order to be honest. I started off with birthday invitations for my Little Dude but I didn't have my act together as to when I wanted to have his party. So I kept thinking about what we needed cards for in the coming days. I remembered that my husband needed to write Thank You notes to a couple of his preschoolers who gave him end of the year presents. All of my Thank You cards are well ... girlie. So I went on a mission to find a Thank You that looked manly and could appeal to little kids since that is who at least the first three of these needed to go to! I was so pleased to find that card that I found. The quality of the cards is really great. The envelopes are nice envelops that will hold up to mail banging them all around like they do!

So if you are looking for the ones I ordered, they are the Simply Blue Thank You cards. I didn't even notice the name when I ordered these but how nice is that name!;) I went with the Jr. Folded size, 130 lb Premium Satin Paper, and the White Recycled envelops.

Now maybe I can get my act together and get my oldest's 5 year old friend party date and time set. Then I order her birthday invitations and have them ready to send all of her new Kindergarten friends when school starts! (Her birthday is the first day of school so her party will be soon after that!)

NOTE: Thank you to CardsDirect for providing the products for review. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are 100% mine.

Mamavation Monday: Survived Week 1

2011-06-14T10:20:00.004-04:00

Well I am a day late but it is Mamavation Monday time again!

I know I said was recommitting last week and then I didn't post yesterday. Yesterday I was an allergy mess. I was lucky to get through the work day. Then we took the kids to the library summer reading program launch party. My homework didn't get done and it was due yesterday. That is how bad off I was. If something had to give, it was blogging and now here I am catching up!

So last week I did all three Couch to 5k walk/runs. I am doing my walk/runs on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. That meant that Saturday morning I had to get up and get moving before we left for a quick overnight at the in-laws. Since no prior packing had been done, it would have been so easy to skip and leave on time that morning but I didn't. I went out.

Since I am a day late posting this, I can tell you that I did walk/run one for this week ... two more to go. I will be sore for sure tomorrow.

As for weight, I did my weigh in yesterday was up a pound from last week. The food we ate while not at home was not good choices. aye. I did jump on the scale this morning before I went on my walk/run and was back to my weight last week so no change. I am good with no change because I know I was moving. Hopefully this week will bring a positive change but at any rate, I will keep the goal of moving because it feels good.

Mamavation TV was on last night. You can check it out the theme for the week here though!

Family Bowling this Summer

2011-06-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Are your kids out of school yet? The schools here let out last week but the preschool session ended in May. My kids are craving stuff to do. So my lovely husband has set-up a calendar of activities for them. We need free or low cost activities in our house. It is summer ... there is no preschool income so no extra spending money really.
Last summer we discovered the AMF Summer Bowling program that lets kids bowl all summer. My kids all had feet too small for the bowling shoes last year so we didn't even have that expense. I did buy shoes for my husband and I online. My are a sweet lilac purple color ... I love them!;)
Anyway this year, I knew my oldest needed bowling shoes and well renting them adds up. But if one of the kids has something here at my house, they all expect something so they all have shoes this year. If you are going to go on average about once a week then buying your shoes is worth the cost!

Back to the bowling program ... the kids get two free games a day. If you buy the adult pass then up to four adults get two games a day. That is a bargain!

I had to use this picture of this little guy because he reminds me of my kids. Even my little almost two year old can push the ball down the ramp. He then jumps up and down when the ball (finally!) hits the pins! It takes a lot to beat a happy moment like that ... good family memories right there in the making!

Our goal is to go once a week ... we went last week and had to remind the kids of rules so many times we only played one game. That is OK though because it was an air conditioned evening activity that we all got to enjoy.

If you haven't checked this out yet, go check it out at AMF's Summer Unplugged Site. Oh and you can find AMF on Twitter and on Facebook so link up there too!

Now if you have a good bowling tip, let me know. I know I could use any good tips and feel blessed that we use the bumpers ... for the kids, of course!;)

Note: I participated in this campaign as a member of One2One Network and am eligible for a prize drawing. All opinions stated in the post are my own.

Wednesday Randoms

2011-06-08T08:19:00.003-04:00

My summer classes are keeping me too busy to keep up here. I apologize but hope to get through them so you can see more updates and well content here!
The kids have changed their sleeping schedules to include getting up super early. 5am and 5:30am are not cool times for them to wake up.
I am so sore from my run/walk yesterday. I wonder how I will get through tomorrow's run/walk. aye.
I really need to find my Wednesday Randoms graphic and edit it to be Simply Budgeted. I wonder what computer it is on ... hmmm.

I really hope some of you leave a comment with maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some comment love!

Mamavation Monday: Recommitting

2011-06-06T14:30:00.000-04:00

It is Mamavation Monday time again!

Recommitting. Recommitting to what? To me ... and to my Mamavation Monday posts. I have let myself have a big, great big break from being active and I don't really enjoy it. At some point, something had to give though and that is what gave for me. It happens, I accept it. I am going to recommit to my Mamavation Monday posts too. I have started and stopped several times lately. I am going to keep posting for my sake not the comments of encouragement I hope I get left. At this point, I almost feel like I have been around too long just hanging onto it all. I know I don't have the time to commit to be a Mamavation campaign mom as in the shows are just too late for this East Coast girl and heck if I am up, I am doing homework that is due that night. Not a good combination. I do love the Twitter hashtag and taking a few minutes so comment on others posts on Mondays. So I will keep up with that better even though it is harder without Tweet Deck!

So what am I going to do, I agreed maybe on a whim, maybe out of lack waking up but to do the Couch to 5k program with my husband. Since it is a 3 day a week program, we can alternate days and trade early morning kid duty. This was inspired by the fact he ran in a 5k this past weekend. The kids and I handed out water to the runners with other people from my office. Someone had to watch the kids since they are too little to join in and I only have a double jogger. Since the cause fit my husband better, he became the runner and I became the volunteer. It was inspiring to see everyone run for a great cause. So we will run and next year, someone else will get the kids while we both run.;)

All that being said I will take today as my starting weight (again) and go from there. More to report next week as tomorrow is my first Couch to 5k day!

Are you ready to watch Mamavation TV tonight? You can check it out here! (It is past my bedtime so I miss the show every week!=/)

Wednesday Randoms

2011-06-01T08:16:00.003-04:00

Summer classes are in full swing. Homework is kicking my butt. I really need a question answered by the grader for my one class and I still haven't gotten a response.=/
We finished out patio on Saturday. YAY!! This means the Preschool Open House can happen this month and it is set for preschoolers to use in the fall. We still need to finish mulching but I can't do more mulch in this extreme heat. I am hoping for a cooler Saturday or Sunday to be honest.
Our first CSA veggie pick-up is on Friday. I am looking forward to that. Plus I am off this Friday so I get to do the pick-up!:)
Oh and why is my schedule of posting here so crazy lately? I fully blame my work, family, homework, and blog balance of not working. I will get it figured out at some point! Thanks for hanging in there with me!:)

I really hope some of you leave a comment with maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some comment love!

DIY Wedding Cake Series: Trial 3

2011-05-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Trial 3! (I am posting about trial 1 and 3 then the final cake success thanks to the products provided by Wilton and Duncan Hines!)

Background: My sister got married earlier this May. She found the cake she wanted. It is simple and beachy which is perfect since she was getting married on the beach. The cost for a wedding cake that feeds 125 people though was priced "starting at $600". gasp!!! So my mom and I decided we could take on making the cake for her. What the heck were we thinking?!

I was so pleased to partner up with Wilton and Duncan Hines for this effort. They have provided some products to helped us "practice" and get to the final cake!

So here was Trial 3.

What was trial 2? Trail 2 was a lame trial on my own where I tried yet another icing recipe. The taste was there on that recipe but I couldn't get it smooth.

We once again used the Wilton Tired Wedding Cake Pans! This time we used ALL FOUR cake pans and made what would be actual cake. For the largest cake pan, we tried using the cake pins that are recommended for large cakes so they bake even.

As for the icing, we made a decision to use the Wilton pre-made icing you can buy in tubs. You can buy this in a million different places .... Walmart, Joann Fabrics, Amazon.

For starters ...

Wilton Performance Pans Round Pan Set, 3 Inches Deep are the Cake Pans we used for all of the trials and final cake. The Confetti Cake Mix was used in Trial 3 and the Final Cake!

Making the Cake ...

So making the WHOLE cake took more work ... a whole Saturday and several week nights. I made three of the layers prior to that Saturday. My mom made the candy decorations prior to the practice day. So we had to make the big cake and then decorate. Oh and when making the big cake, we had level the cakes. That was a lot of work. Here is a picture of that effort ... now just figure out who took this horrible picture. hmmm I was totally not picture ready that day. Oh well.
The Final Product ...

Ta-da!
Here is the final practice cake with the REAL cake topper on it!!
We did learn a few lessons such as putting the "sand" on before we layered the cake. We also figured out how we wanted to group the candies (mostly in groups of three.)

What the heck do you do with a practice cake that feeds 100+ people? Well my sister took the bottom layer to work and the top layer to her future in-laws. I took the second layer to a church function the next day and then the third layer to my work. whew. That was a LOT of cake! My sister left before we took the cake apart because she didn't want to see that effort. haha

Look for posts outlining the Final Cake in the next Saturday!!

Note: I was provided with Wilton cake pans and coupons for Duncan Hines cake mixes in exchange for the review of their products during the DIY Wedding Cake Series.

Friday Favorite: Pet Water Fountain

2011-05-27T07:00:00.001-04:00

Friday Favorites is another almost weekly feature here at Simply Budgeted. The whole point of this feature is to share some of my favorite finds. Anything is game. Food. Cleaning supplies. Kid stuff. Garden favorites. Recipes. Anything that I really like and want to randomly post about. Reminder/Disclaimer/Whatever: Everything in Friday Favorites is something that I use and bought on my own.

Up this week ...
Pioneer Fountain Big Max- Stainless Steel Details ...
Pet fountains help your animals to drink more water because they are attracted to moving water. In the past the only option you had for an automatic pet fountain was a plastic one. Now finally there is a stainless steel pet fountain that looks like it belongs in your kitchen. Our stainless steel drinking fountain is extremely easy to take a part and clean. It is 100% dishwasher safe and is made from high grade stainless steel. There has never been a fountain that looks or works as well as this one does

My thoughts ...
We bought this in an effort to encourage our one cat to drink more water. We have three pets though (2 cats and 1 dog) and I wanted to get down to one big water bowl (we have had two). So I went with the Big Max version of this fountain. The great news is all three pets are drinking from it!!
My TIP is that you have to fill it up before plug it in or it makes a HORRIBLE noise. This scared our dog away from the bowl until he saw the cat drink from it.
I have put a pitcher of water near where the water bowl is an just about every time I walk by it, I add water. You are suppose to keep it pretty full according to the directions.
All that being said, the pets are drinking from the new bowl which is what I wanted!

If you are looking for a new pet fountain or maybe are like us and are trying to encourage a pet to drink more, check this pet fountain!

Did you miss my last Friday Favorite? Find it here!

Cover Your Hair

2011-05-26T16:40:00.003-04:00

**This giveaway has ended! Thanks to all who entered. The winner is comment #15!**

I recently had the chance to receive and review to beautiful headbands from Cover Your Hair.

Details ...
At Cover Your Hair, you can find some of everything ... Hair Clips, Hair Accessories, Baby Hats, Baby Headbands, Snoods, Head Scarves, Headband Bandana, Head Coverings, Head Accessories to name just a few things. Whew!

When they asked me to pick something to review, I didn't even know where to start. I then remembered I hadn't picked to hair accessories for my girls to wear at my sister's wedding. They were flower girls in her wedding and had these brightly colored dresses that my mom made them. As I looked through the Cover Your Hair site, I found the Girls Sprinkle Stones Flower Hard Headband!
My Thoughts ...
So here are my girls modeling their hairbands before the wedding ... aren't they super cute?

They really loved these headbands. I actually had to hide them before the wedding because I was afraid they would break them (they tend to break headbands). Thankfully these haven't broken even though they continue to pull them out to wear them!

I am pleased to announce I have been provided with the opportunity to giveaway a surprise box of products valued at $25 to a reader!!

This drawing will end Friday, June 10th at 11:59pm EST. I may pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.
This giveaway is open to Worldwide!!!

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what what your favorite product is at Cover Your Hair!

Additional Entries:
1) Like Cover Your Hair on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hairaccessory
2) Like Simply Budgeted on Facebook: http://facebook.com/simplybudgeted. (worth 2 entries!)
3) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
4) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT #Win a $25 surprise box from @CoverYourHair! @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/iAlgq0 #giveaway #hair #hairaccessory ends 6/10

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!)
5) Add my blog button to your blog. Button is in my sidebar! Leave a comment with the URL and where to find the link.
6) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
7) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.
8) Leave a comment in a Simply Budgeting series post! Leave a comment here with what you did.

NOTE: I was sent a product in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Berenstain Bears

2011-05-25T08:30:00.003-04:00

I recently had the chance to get a copy of both Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple and Gossip Gang.

The Berenstain Bears: Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple AND
The Berenstain Bears' Gossip Gang
Details ...

Nearly 50 years after their debut, Jan and Stan Berenstain’s The Berenstain Bears return with two new books that teach children the importance of keeping one’s faith and loving one another.

In HERE’S THE CHURCH, HERE’S THE STEEPLE, young readers will get to experience one of their favorite rhymes through fun, liftable flaps that allow them to tour the Chapel in the Woods and its Sunday school.

In GOSSIP GANG, Sister Bear learns how upsetting gossip can be when the same friends she’s been gossiping with turn their gossip on her. When Sister was talking about other people, she felt special, but when the tables are turned, she realizes how hurtful some words can be. This book also includes a set of stickers to make the story even more fun for young readers.

My thoughts ...
Did you read The Berenstain Bears growing up? I did. Loved reading the The Berenstain Bears books. These are same great stories you knew then but new ones. I love finding items that I remember from childhood to introduce to my kids and well books are a great way to do this. These book like all the The Berenstain Bears books teach great lessons. These books are ones that if my kids don't grab them for reading time then I grab them because I enjoy them. I always love to find books that I pick in their collection!
Oh and Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple is a lift the flap book AND Gossip Gang has stickers. How do you beat that?!

If you remember these books from when you were a kid then, you should check out these great newly released books!! You can buy The Berenstain Bears: Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple
new Amazon.com for only $6.99! You can also buy The Berenstain Bears' Gossip Gang
for only $4.99!

NOTE: I was sent a copy of these books in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Wednesday Randoms

2011-05-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Summer classes started on Monday. I am not thrilled. BUT I am done July 3rd. I can do this. Then I get a little break! (YAY, blog time!!)
Every day this week and weekend has rain in the forecast. I think the weatherman gave up and just said 40% chance rain every day.
My husband dug a big place in the back area for the new preschool shed. Now to build the shed ... did I mention it is big? ack.
I am ready for our CSA veggies. I need my local produce fix. Is that bad?

I really hope some of you leave a comment with maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some comment love!

Fanboy and Chum Chum

2011-05-24T16:00:00.000-04:00

I recently had the chance to receive a copy of Fanboy and Chum Chum.

Fanboy & Chum Chum
Details ...

Put on your cape and your tighty whiteys for full tilt fantastic adventures with Fanboy and Chum Chum! Meet Fanboy s favorite comic book hero Man Arctica! Help the duo outwit the likes of bully Boog the Chum Chum obsessed Yo and evil Janitor Poopatine s quest to wipe out all the gum in the Galaxy Hills school district! Join them as they first meet Kyle a wizard expelled from Milkweed Academy and Dollar nator a tough talking videogame sent back in time to loan Fanboy a dollar! Plus other adventures into the imaginative and the absurd!

My Thoughts ...

I had never heard of Fanboy and Chum Chum before I received this DVD. Yes, I do live under a rock sometimes. Sorry! So I asked my preschool teaching husband and he of course had heard of them. He said our kids may have seen the show but it wasn't something they watched often. That being said, I wasn't sure how this DVD would go over at our house. I mean it wasn't Dora or Chuggington. The kids weren't sure about Fanboy and Chum Chum to start with but I think they got into the movie a little bit. While this isn't a favorite in my house right now, I will hang onto it because I think as the kids older, they will like this even more than they do now. I mean what kid doesn't like a super hero in a cape?

You can buy Fanboy & Chum Chum for $14.99 on Amazon!

NOTE:I was sent a copy of this DVD in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Guy Fieri Food

2011-05-24T08:30:00.005-04:00

**This giveaway has ended. Thanks to all who entered! The winner is comment #45!**

I recently had the chance to get a copy of Guy Fieri Food from MorrowCooks. Be sure to check out their blog titled, The Secret Ingredient Blog!

Details ...

Bursting with personality, fun, and flavor, Guy Fieri Food is the first-ever cookbook from the Food Network superstar, host of NBC’s popular game show “Minute to Win It,” and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Diners, Drive-ins & Dives and More Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. Filled with more than 150 original recipes, gorgeous full-color photos, and loads of great cooking tips, Guy Fieri Food is an absolute must for any Fieri fan!

Book Description

If you've checked out my Diners, Drive-ins and Dives books or visited my restaurants, Johnny Garlic's and Tex Wasabi's, you know I'm down with all types of good food—and that I'll do what's required to track it down. In Guy Fieri Food, I'm cookin' it my way, from the perfect recipe for Pepper Jack Pretzels (from Mr. Awesome Pretzel himself—that's me) to how to pull together a Red Rocker Margarita Chicken sandwich to a full-on vegetable Guy'd (bet you didn't see that one comin'!). Before I'm finished I'll have you throwing parties with everything from Bacon-Jalapeno Duck appe-tapas to Chicago Beef Pizza to Johnny Garlic's Cedar Plank Salmon.

Fact is, I've been cookin' it, livin' it, and lovin' it since I was just a kid, and it's a privilege to help you bring home some of my own classic, big, and bold flavors.

Get the full details on the bookpage!

My Thoughts ...

We love to watch Guy's shows here at our house. He is a lot of fun to watch and not the same old boring cooking or food show. So when I heard Guy was coming out with his first cookbook, I knew we had to make room on our cookbook bookcase (yes, they have their own bookcase) for his book. Looking at the cover of the book, I knew the book was really part of Guy. The cover just screams his personality! That theme continues through the book. The cookbook does contain many great recipes but it also has many great stories from Guy. This makes it a great read and not just a reference book to sit on your cookbook bookcase! ;)

I am excited to share a recipe from Guy Fieri Food. Here is Guy's Watermelon Pork Tacos!

Watermelon Pork Tacos

Pork
1 pork tenderloin, silverskin removed, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
1 tablespoon seeded, minced serrano chile
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Salsa
1 cup watermelon cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup seeded English cucumber cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 Haas avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Lettuce "Shells"
1 romaine lettuce head

1. To make the pork, combine all the ingredients in a resealable 1-gallon plastic bag and marinate for 30 minutes.
2. While the pork is marinating, whisk together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the salsa. Very gently fold in the vinaigrette. Chill.
3. Trim off the soft dark green end of the romaine. Cut off the root end and separate the leaves to create 4-inch-long lettuce "shells". Rinse, dry, and chill the leaves.
4. Preheat a grill to medium. Discard the marinade. Grill the pork for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat, let rest 3 minutes, and roughly chop into 1/2-inch pieces.
5. Fill the lettuce shells with the pork, top with the salsa, and devour!

If that doesn't sound yummy to to then, I am not sure what would. I honestly can't wait to add this our menu next month. We will have to leave out the oyster sauce as I am allergic to oysters but I think it will still taste great.

You can buy this on Amazon.com right now for $18.97!

I am pleased to announce I have been provided with the opportunity to giveaway a copy of this book to my readers!

This drawing will end Tuesday, June 7th at 11:59pm EST. I may pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.
This giveaway is open to US residents only!

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what what your favorite dinner is from our April Meal Plan. (See extra entry #1 before you head over there and get TWO entries super fast!)

Additional Entries:
1) Leave a comment in on the April Meal Plan post! Leave a comment here with what you did.
2) Like Simply Budgeted on Facebook: http://facebook.com/simplybudgeted.
3) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
4) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT #Win a copy of Guy Fieri Food #cookbook from @MorrowCooks! @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/ki5qv0 #giveaway #book #recipe ends 6/7

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!)
5) Add my blog button to your blog. Button is in my sidebar! Leave a comment with the URL and where to find the link.
6) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
7) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.
8) Leave a comment in a Simply Budgeting series post! Leave a comment here with what you did.

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Mamavation Monday: Another Monday

2011-05-23T18:20:00.002-04:00

It is Mamavation Monday time again!

I have nothing to report this week. It seems to be a standard post for me these days. My eating isn't that off. Maybe a few extra treats as I just have a hard time say no but that isn't the problem. I know I can say no. I can't seem to find the motivation, energy, or time to be active. Work is as a busy time with extra hours, we are trying to get the yard/garden/path in order before it is 110 degrees outside, and school started again today. It is always something. I don't know where to add the minutes because I can barely convince myself to get out of bed in the morning and I just crash at night after I finish the "must-do" list for that day. It just isn't there.

It is on my mind to figure this out. I know I will but I don't know what will make this change for me yet. If you have ideas, let me know. I seem to be out.

Are you ready to watch Mamavation TV tonight? You can check it out here! (It is past my bedtime so I miss the show every week!=/) Oh and if you are in the 5 before or after me, I will comment tomorrow, I promise!!

Princess Parables Books

2011-05-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

I recently had the chance to get a copy of both Princess Grace and the Lost Little Kitten and Princess Joy's Birthday Blessing.

Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten (Princess Parables)

and

Princess Joy's Birthday Blessing (Princess Parables)

Details ...
PRINCESS GRACE AND THE LITTLE LOST KITTEN
Remember how the tale of the lost sheep reveals God’s love for each and every one of his children? In the story, the shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep in his flock to find the one sheep that is lost. Authors Jacqueline Johnson and Jeanna Young team up to inspire young girls with a retelling of that famous parable in PRINCESS GRACE AND THE LITTLE LOST KITTEN, part of the Princess Parables series (Zonderkidz; $12.99; February 2011). Together these authors reach out to little princesses everywhere with a story they will love.
In PRINCESS GRACE AND THE LITTLE LOST KITTEN, one rambunctious kitten slips away from a litter of five, to the dismay of Grace, a young princess who happens upon the kittens. The princess and her sisters exhaust themselves looking for this one kitten as the others stay close together. Princess Grace learns the parable’s lesson that God will go to any length to bring back one of his lost children.
Drawing from a timeless tale to weave tender, lovely language that young girls everywhere will enjoy and illuminated by beautiful designs from acclaimed illustrator Omar Aranda, Johnson and Young bring the beloved parable to new life.

PRINCESS JOY’S BIRTHDAY BLESSING
The parable of the banquet gets all dolled up in Jacqueline Johnson and Jeanna Young’s precious tale, PRINCESS JOY’S BIRTHDAY BLESSING, part of the Princess Parable series (Zonderkidz; $12.99; February 2011). As in the parable, the young princess learns that God welcomes everyone to his celebrations.
When Princess Joy’s sisters ask all of her friends to her upcoming surprise birthday party, they expect the castle to be swarming with princes and princesses eager for games and treats, including an enormous birthday cake for Joy. But almost every invited guest offers excuse after excuse, puzzling the disappointed sisters.
Princess Joy and her princess sisters learn that just like in the story of God’s great banquet, it is not so important who comes to the celebration, but the love and simple friendship that is shared.

My thoughts ...
I was drawn to the books at first because my oldest daughter is named Grace and well she firmly believes that she is a princess as does her little sister. So I knew they would love the princess story in these books and I wasn't wrong about that. I didn't know that I would love the stories in these books. They both offer great lessons to the girls in a setting they know ... princesses! I love they get to see the stories about God and the gifts He gives us in a format they will catch their attention. They have started to remember the stories already which is always good for warming a mommy's heart!

If you have little princesses in your life, you should check out these great books. You can buy Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten (Princess Parables) new Amazon.com for only $11.04! You can also buy Princess Joy's Birthday Blessing (Princess Parables) for only $10.39!

NOTE: I was sent a copy of these books in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

DIY Wedding Cake Series: Trial 1

2011-05-21T07:00:00.010-04:00

Why do I say Trial 1?? Because this was trail 1 of 3! (I will post about trial 1 and 3 then the final cake success thanks to the products provided by Wilton and Duncan Hines!)

My sister got married earlier this May. She found the cake she wanted. It is simple and beachy which is perfect since she was getting married on the beach. The cost for a wedding cake that feeds 125 people though was priced "starting at $600". gasp!!! So my mom and I decided we could take on making the cake for her. What the heck were we thinking?!

I was so pleased to partner up with Wilton and Duncan Hines for this effort. They have provided some products to helped us "practice" and get to the final cake!

So here was Trial 1.
I am going to admit that Trial 1 happened last year. It was a long time ago. I just haven't had time to write this post when I got behind with everything else late last year.

Trial 1 was red velvet cake mix. My mom picked this. I have no idea why she picked this. My sister wanted the confetti cake mix (Duncan Hines variety has one but I learned it can be tricky to find!) But red velvet cake mix it was for this round.

The Wilton Tired Wedding Cake Pans were easy to use. They were actually much easier to use than I thought they would be for a insanely huge cake! The lifesaver for me, the designated cake baker, was the guide that told me how many cups of batter to use in each layer. This is key!!

During Trial 1 we used several different icing recipes. I don't even remember which ones we used by now but they were all "voted off the island" .... errr, cake.

Sorry for the pictures in this post ... this was my effort to make them a manageable file size. I am not loving it but will work on my skills!;)

For starters ...

Wilton Performance Pans Round Pan Set, 3 Inches Deep are the Cake Pans we used for all of the trials and final cake.
Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Red Velvet Cake Mix, 18.25-Ounce B ox was used for this trial. The Confetti Cake Mix was used in Trial 3 and the Final Cake!
Making the Cake ...(Me, my Mom in the background, and my two girls)

(The two baked cakes)

The Final Product ...(My two girls licking that bowl to the bottom and the bride-to-be in the background!)

(The final cake ... the cake topper hadn't been ordered yet so that was a picture of it! LOL)

So the end result was getting to where we wanted to be. We realized we could bake cakes in these pans AND get them out of the pans!! We also realized the edging job we did was horrible! LOL I don't know if we were scared or if we just happy we made something at this point. I do know the whole icing issue topic was a big area of concern. We needed an icing that tasted good and was easy to make smooth!!

Look for posts outlining Trial 3 and the Final Cake in the coming Saturdays!!

Note: I was provided with Wilton cake pans and coupons for Duncan Hines cake mixes in exchange for the review of their products during the DIY Wedding Cake Series.

Simply Budgeted is Coming ...

2011-05-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

So I should probably tell you what I am doing around here.

I am not leaving. I am just renaming this blog. I love Simply Living on a Budget. It is a mouth full though! My Twitter name, user name in a million different places, and email are already simplybudgeted. So my blog will officially become Simply Budgeted at some point this summer.

So you can still get to the blog through http://simplylivingonabudget.blogspot.com BUT you can also go to http://simplybudgeted.com! How simple is that?

What is changing? The look and feel around here.

What is not changing? The fact that I still hope to show you how to live in your budget! What you get now you should still be seeing but hopefully you find even MORE to love about this site in the coming months!

The change will probably happen slowly ... as I have time. I will be planning a BIG kick-off for the renamed site though!

Overall I hope this becomes one of the key places you visit each day in your limited time that I know you all have.

If you have comments or suggestions, leave me a comment! Oh and if you found found Simply Budgeted on Facebook, Like Us HERE!! I don't post a lot because I don't like it when blogs/sites clog up my personal feed. It is a great way to find the latest news though!!;)

Food with Friends

2011-05-20T10:30:00.000-04:00

I recently had the chance to receive a copy of Food with Friends.

Details ...

Includes 7 Episodes :

El Dia de Las Madres from Egg Hunt
The Grow Show from Snacktime Playdate
Green Iguana help Abuelito Plant a New Strawberry Farm! from Diego's Magical Missions
Help the Bee! and Save the Squirrel! From Save the Dinosaur!
Eat! from the Dancey Dance Bunch
And
Happy Chinese New Year! from Celebrate with Kia-lan!

My Thoughts ...

My kids LOVE this DVD. It changes from all different shows they they enjoy. So while I have said they love Dora, I think they really enjoy that this isn't Dora show, after Dora show. When we drove back from Myrtle Beach from my sister's wedding, this was the DVD they wanted to watch. They watch it the whole 8 hours it took us to get home (well the slept some but I didn't change the DVD.) I lost track of how many times I changed the DVD on the way to the beach.

What do I love? My little dude thinks the Blues Clues episode on this DVD is super funny. He busts out laughing several times during the show. As I am driving (or riding) along, I can help but smile or laugh when I hear him laugh at the show. He has the best laugh and to know how funny it is to him is just great for me! :)

I hope there are more of these multiple show DVDs coming out soon. They are big hit with my family. The fact this one is about food and eating good is as an added bonus to us as we try to remind our kids that we strive to eat healthy foods in our house (minus the baking I do! =P)

You can buy Food with Friends for $13.49 on Amazon which is a great deal with the suggested price of $16.99!

NOTE:I was sent a copy of this DVD in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Friday Favorite: Ladybug Girl

2011-05-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

Ladybug Girl saves ants in distress, jumps through shark-infested puddles, and even skips along the great dark twisty tree trunk—all by herself. It doesn’t matter what her brother says, Ladybug Girl is definitely not too little!

In this sweet and cheerful story by husband and wife team Jacky Davis and David Soman, one not-so-little girl discovers how to make some fun that is just her size, right in her own backyard.

My thoughts ...
My oldest daughter saw this book at Sam's Club one day. She wanted it sooo bad but I just wasn't willing to pay Sam's price for it.
She was lucky enough that the Easter bunny brought her this book and also realized that there is a WHOLE series of these books. The Easter bunny was generous and also brought her Ladybug Girl at the Beach, Ladybug Girl Loves..., and Ladybug Girl Dresses Up!. (The Easter bunny was into books instead of candy this year!)

She loves these books. I like that they are shorter in length but good for her almost five year old age. It seems that some books are still too long for her and her attention lost with a hundred words on each page.

So if you have an almost 5 year old or some one near that age, check these books out! Your little one will love them for sure!!

Did you miss my last Friday Favorite? Find it here!

Wednesday Randoms

2011-05-18T11:00:00.001-04:00

I got an A in my Spring Semester graduate class. YAY! My summer session class starts next week. Not yay there. =( Good news is I am only take a class the first half of the summer so that is a YAY!
Our grass is horribly tall right now. It is embarrassing. This rain has made it grow so much yet it is too wet to mow.
We have been in a baking mood at our house lately. Christmas sugar cookies on a stick were the project on Monday night. (The kids picked out all Christmas cookie cutters.) Last night it was Strawberry Banana Bread. The kids had this for breakfast this morning. It was tasty but next time I will change the recipe some!

I really hope some of you leave a comment with maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some comment love!

Wednesday Randoms

2011-05-11T11:30:00.000-04:00

I forgot my hot tea at home this morning. When I realized it, I started to cry. Stress much? ugh.

This week is so busy ... wedding the veggie garden out back is adding to time we don't have.

I won tickets to see Imagination Movers on Saturday. The concert is outside. It is suppose to rain. hmmm.

My belated House Party for Singer Sewing is on Sunday. I can't wait! I want play with my new sewing machine so bad. (I bought the one with the discount I got.) I hope I have time to play before Sunday!

I really hope some of you leave a comment with your feedback to my questions/thoughts and maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some input!

Daddy Plays Guitar CD

2011-05-11T10:50:00.000-04:00

I recently had the chance to receive a copy of Daddy Plays Guitar Lullabies.

Details ...
DADDY PLAYS: Guitar Lullabies is more than just beautiful music. This recording was created to be comforting for infants yet also relaxing and enjoyable for all children and adults. Through this unique collection of bedtime favorites and original compositions I hope you can enjoy the intimate, shared musical experiences with your baby that I do with mine. Daddy Plays is my personal journey to bring honest, simple and beautiful music for children to the industry of children's music.

My Thoughts ...
My girls have a CD player in their room and I had a lullabies CD in there for some time. I hit play when I leave the room after they are tucked into bed. The same CD had been playing forever and it wasn't that good. I was so excited to get this CD. I actually stayed outside the door to listen to part of it the first night I hit play. I have since heard more and I really enjoy it. The guitar music is great to listen to as it is so simple and clear. The first song on the CD is Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. When it came on, my younger daughter exclaimed "It is Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star!" She had never identified this song on the other CD so I loved that she knew what she was listening to finally!

You can buy this CD for $14.99 right now! It is well worth the cost for a nice relaxing music for your children!

NOTE:I was sent a copy of this CD in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Mamavation Monday: Survived Another Wedding

2011-05-09T17:52:00.004-04:00

It is Mamavation Monday time again!

Saturday my sister became a married woman! I thought I might die. I used to have a small wedding coordinating business. It was fun but took a lot of time and energy. Then I had Grace (my oldest) AND we moved. I never started it back up after we relocated. I totally forgot how much my feet would hurt after that.

All that being said, my family survived a trip to Myrtle Beach and back ... we all came back so that was good. It took us 8.5 hours to get there and 8 hours to get home. I should add the maps say it is a 7 hour drive so feel my pain.

As for my weight loss this week. ha. There was none but there was no weight gain which was impressive for some of the crap I ate. I did make the cake so I was darn sure having a piece of it! At any rate, I was happy to not come home plus 5 pounds or something crazy.

This week is a hard deadline for a work assignment for me so I don't see scheduled work outs in my future this week. I am going to drink my water and watch what I eat. I must get to the store for some fruit and veggies. We are majorly lacking those as we cleaned the fridge/kitchen before we left!

Nothing much fun but that is how it is.

Are you ready to watch Mamavation TV tonight? You can check it out here! (It is past my bedtime so I miss the show every week!=/) Oh and if you are in the 5 before or after me, I will comment soon, I promise!!

How to Save on Your Graduation Party

2011-05-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

A graduation, whether from high school or college/graduate school, is an event warranting a great party. However, a great celebration doesn’t have to be a ridiculously expensive endeavor. The main point of a graduation party is to commemorate the great times you shared with your family and friends. Plus, you want to celebrate a great academic achievement that will guide you in years to come. While planning your graduation, remember the main objectives of the party! You don't need to have a seven course meal and Swarovski-crystal embedded party favors to give your guests a good time. In fact, something more casual and intimate will probably be more memorable for both YOU and your friends. Here are some tips to help you throw an event without racking up a ridiculously long bill!

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION: Try an Outdoor Event
In order to make your event more intimate and full of sunshine (or moonlight), try to use up available space in YOUR OWN BACKYARD. This way, you won't have to pay a venue or restaurant for ridiculous rent out costs. If you live in a relatively urban, compact city, where backyards are sparse, try to use your building rooftop or your building events' room for the party! Another option: use one of your friend's backyards. After all, what are friends for?

Guest List: Be Cut Throat
Let's cut to the chase: You don’t need to invite your mom's best friend's cousin's boyfriend's stepdaughter. She probably doesn't care that you've graduated, and she will probably drink up all the alcohol at the party anyway. Normally I would say, "the more the merrier." Not in this case. Be strict when it comes to your guest list. You only need to invite close family and friends. That way you can spend your time actually ENJOYING your company. Plus, you won't have to pay for your mom's best friend's cousin's boyfriend's stepdaughter's dinner/lunch/drinks.

To USE or NOT TO USE (Your Fancy China)
In deciding on the cutlery for your graduation party, it is important to do a rough cost-benefit analysis. Do you have enough silverware and plates for your guests? Find out if it would be cheaper to use your existing dishes or if it would be cheaper to buy disposable plastic/paper cups and plates.

Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Words, Not a Thousand Dollars
Professional photographers can be expensive and INTRUSIVE. Instead, use a family member (or rotate family members) to capture special moments at your party. Another option: find a photographer or videographer on Craig's list. They will usually work at your event for free (and provide you with a link to your photos), provided you let them use your event photos on their website.
Entertainment: You Don't Need a Man to Do the Same Thing Your Boom Box Can (No DJ necessary)
OK, so a boom box may sound outdated. Still instead of hiring a DJ, make a long list of your favorite tunes, and let your iPod/Laptop do the work. Connect the device to some speakers, and you are good to go!

Author Bio:
Donna Reish, a freelancer who blogs about best universities, contributed this guest post. She loves to write education, career, frugal living, finance, health, parenting relating articles. She can be reached via email at: donna.reish13@gmail.com.

Do you like these tips? Do you have your own tip to add?
Let me know if you are enjoying these guest posts!

Friday Favorite: Melissa and Doug Memory Game

2011-05-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Friday Favorites is another almost weekly feature here at Simply Living on a Budget. The whole point of this feature is to share some of my favorite finds. Anything is game. Food. Cleaning supplies. Kid stuff. Garden favorites. Recipes. Anything that I really like and want to randomly post about. Reminder/Disclaimer/Whatever: Everything in Friday Favorites is something that I use and bought on my own.

Up this week ...

Melissa & Doug Travel Memory Game

Details ...
These fabulous, travel-style games bring new fun and convenience to old family favorites with innovative flipping pieces that won't get lost! Includes one game board, seven double-sided game cards and a two-player scoreboard. Ages 5+

Choose from among fourteen fun themes, slide a card into the gameboard, and start looking for matches. This handy memory game includes one game board, seven double-sided game cards and a two-player scoreboard. There are no loose pieces and everything conveniently stores in the board. Great for travel! Measures 11.7" x 8.7" x 1.2".

My thoughts ...
My kids saw these at Snip-Its, a kid's hair cut place here in town. (We take Little Dude there since he has super fast growing hair ... that is another post.) So I went on Amazon when I got home and looked these up. I ordered three. It is too much for Little Dude who isn't even two yet but I knew he would be into it before too long. Sophie who is 3 loves this so I take the 5+ recommendation with a grain of salt. She does have a harder time switching the cards out but totally gets the "game". Grace who is 4.5 thinks this is the best game ever. I got these for our trip this week because the girls can play in their seats on their own. No batteries. No noise. Well besides the "I got a match" screams which make me smile like a school kid! They don't really play against each other but love playing on their own. I was a memory game junkie as a kid so I am thrilled to see my kids loving these.

If you have an upcoming trip or just needs some piece while on the road to town or while wait for a sibling some where, check they out. You can find them on Amazon HERE. (This is the best link on there as the other Amazon links have high shipping rates ... something to keep in mind when shopping there!)

Did you miss my last Friday Favorite? Find it here!
If you have a suggestion for a Friday Favorite, leave me a comment and let me know.
If you have a blog post that includes a recipe, tip, or article you wrote that you want me know about, leave me a comment and you might see it in a future Friday Favorite!!

Chugginton: Chuggers to the Rescue

2011-05-05T08:00:00.004-04:00

I recently had the chance to receive a copy of Chuggington: Chuggers to the Rescue.

Details ...
Honk your horns for the worldwide hit television series that delivers action and laughter from CHUGGINGTON! In these six traintastic episodes, Brewster, Wilson and Koko find fun and excitement while helping each other out of jams, learning emergency rescue skills and taking on new responsibilities! There are jetpacks, storm machines and daring escapades too. Join the chuggers as they learn about patience, accountability, following instructions, and how to get the job done in Chuggers To The Rescue!

My Thoughts ...
So my Little Dude loves Chuggington. As I said in my last Chuggington DVD review, he gets a lot of Dora and princess movies thanks to his sister. He claims this one though. He is taling more and will "chug" when he sees the DVD or is watching it. If you ask him if he wants to watch his DVD he gets a big smile on his face and nods his head. The really great part of both Chuggington DVDs is that all my kids enjoy them. My girls love trains so they don't think of these as "boy shows". If we can get peace in the van during our drives that makes us happy so knowing they all like this movie is a big help to me. Plus the episodes teach great little lessons like listening to instructions!

If you have a Chuggington lover or a maybe just a train lover in your house, you should check out Chugginton: Chuggers to the Rescue! Maybe you will start hearing "choo-choo" around your house or out of the back of your van from your little chuggers!

You can buy this DVD on Amazon for $10.99 right now which is a bargain off the suggested price of $16.99!

Psst ... did you catch my review of Chuggington: Let's Ride the Rails? Check it out!

NOTE:I was sent a copy of this DVD in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Wednesday Randoms

2011-05-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

I am done with my Spring graduate class! YAY! I am still waiting on my grade but my assignments are all turned in. I am enjoy the freedom until May 23rd when my summer class starts. blah.

My sister's wedding cake is done and frozen. Well by done I mean baked. It will be iced and decorated down in South Carolina!

I need to pack. The to-do list is growing by the minute. Why did I think it was a good week to schedule make-up kids activity classes? Some days, I just don't think!!

I really hope some of you leave a comment with your feedback to my questions/thoughts and maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some input!

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World

2011-05-04T11:00:00.002-04:00

I recently had the chance to get a copy of The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World thanks to BookSneeze.comDetails ...
Sure, it's the Happiest Place on Earth, but how much do the 45 million-plus people who visit the Disney World theme parks annually really know about it? From where to find all the hidden Mickeys to the truth behind Madame Leota's ring at the Haunted Mansion, readers learn all about the hidden magic that permeates these fabulous resorts in this tell-all handbook. Readers also get the insider's take on:

The smell of home-baked cookies on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom

The Fountain of World Friendship in Epcot that contains water from rivers and oceans around the globe

Walt Disney's opening day speech tapped out in Morse Code in Frontierland

The eco-friendly benches (recycled milk jugs) in the Animal Kingdom

Two versions of The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Complete with secret tips from Disney's Imagineers, this book is the perfect in-park companion for Disney World fans.

My thoughts ...
We aren't headed to Disney soon but I still remember my trip to Disney World with my family back when I was in high school. See my dad said we had to wait until my sister was old enough to remember going because he was "only going to take us once." That is my dad for you!

We are thinking and dreaming about trip to Disney with our kids. They are still in that magical stage where Princesses are real and well Disney is all magic at that age. We are hoping in the next couple of years that will happen. All that being said, my husband has never been to Disney World so when this book came, he grabbed it and started going through it to see what all was there. He was asking if I remember different things from my visit there. Now I am lucky to remember what I wore yesterday but I did remember a few places to my surprise!

The tips and tricks in this book are great. It makes me want to plan our visit now but I know that reading through this book, probably several times before then, will make our trip even better when we finally manage to save up for it. Until then this book is great for Disney trivia and well learning about the park prior to heading there!

Have you read this book yet? Do you have any great Disney tips to share?

You can buy it new Amazon.com for only $8.58!

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Dora the Explorer: It’s Haircut Day!

2011-05-03T16:30:00.000-04:00

I recently had the chance to receive a copy of Dora the Explorer: It’s Haircut Day!

Details ...
America’s favorite explorer is back with Dora the Explorer: It’s Haircut Day! This four-episode DVD set includes “Dora’s Hair-Raising Adventures,” where Boots receives his first haircut. In addition, celebrate Dora’s twin siblings’ first birthday; join in on a spaceship adventure; and hop on Pegaso, the flying horse constellation! Created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, Dora the Explorer: It’s Haircut Day! will be released on DVD on TODAY!!!

My Thoughts ...
My kids love Dora. Dora is a regular pick for our mini-van DVD player. You see we live not close to much of anything so any trip is at least a Dora show. It works out nice. The day this arrived, it went into the van. It is still there. When this DVD started, my 4.5 year old exclaimed "I haven't seen this one yet!" Yes, honey, it is new! New Dora shows are even better in our house because they are new.

This DVD is already a favorite for my kids. One of my favorite parts of Dora shows is when my 3 year old starts doing what the movie says like clapping. It always brings a huge smile to face as I am driving along to hear her start clapping in the back of the van. Maybe that is silly but I know they are getting something out the DVD.

If you have a Dora-lover in your house, you should check out this DVD. I hope you get the reaction of "I haven't seen this one yet!" and clapping from your living room or the back of your van too!!

You can buy this DVD on Amazon for $13.99 right now! Maybe this a good end of the school year gift? Or just a new DVD for the van rotation!!

NOTE:I was sent a copy of this DVD in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Mamavation Monday: Let the Wedding Begin

2011-05-02T10:41:00.002-04:00

It is Mamavation Monday time again!

Last week, I don't even know what happened to last week besides it was really busy for some reason. I can't even tell you why it was so busy because we had a pretty normal schedule most of the week. hmmm. At any rate, I maintained. I was happy with that since I found little time for myself minus the fact that I did finish my last homework assignment for the semester early. Thank goodness!

This week is going to be crazy. We leave for my sister's wedding on Thursday and get back Sunday. I will be thrilled to maintain during this time. My to-do list is growing by the minute and I wonder how I will finish baking her wedding cake. This was a good idea a few months ago. It really was! I know it will turn out fabulous ... they always do. I am just starting to hit my wedding planner groove (I gave that business up a few years ago) but adding the family packing and travel aspect to it might drive me crazy. If nothing else, my running around like crazy will burn any extra calories I consume so that is a plus.

A better, new plan happens after we get back. I should of thought better and taken a day off after this trip. What was I thinking? It will all be good though!

Are you ready to watch Mamavation TV tonight? You can check it out here! (It is past my bedtime so I miss the show every week!=/)

Growing a Veggie Garden on a Budget

2011-04-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

As evident by recent news headlines, produce and vegetable prices are predicted to skyrocket through the roof within the coming months, increasing as much as 4.5 percent nationwide—the highest price inflation for fresh fruits and vegetables the country has faced in three whole years. While there is no way to stop consuming vegetables –after all you need them for health and nutrition— if you are looking to save money, an excellent way to avoid costly retail produce and vegetables is to simply grow your own. Continue reading below to learn how to start your very own small vegetable garden on a budget.

Do Research
If you don't have the slightest clue on how to start your own vegetable garden, it's imperative that you do some research so that you know what you are about to get yourself into and be aware of some of the more cost effective techniques such as transplanting. There are tons of great books on the subject that can be found at your local library or by simply doing a Google search. Whatever you do, just make sure to plan ahead.

Borrow, Don't Buy
While growing your own vegetables will ultimately save you a bundle in the long run, sometimes it can get pretty pricey just to get started, especially if you don't own any planting tools and equipment. Instead of rushing over to the nearest garden center ask friends, family members and neighbors if they would be willing to loan you any supplies that you might need such as pots, shovels, shredders, weed-eaters and a pair of good gardening gloves. Some of the larger garden equipment is extremely expensive to purchase and maintain. And since you'll only need some of these items a few times during the season, see if you can borrow them first before forking out any money.

If there are no green-thumbs who might have planting tools in your family or who live on your street, you can also consider renting some of the larger garden equipment for a fraction of the price at major retail stores like Home Depot or smaller rental companies. You can also consider scouring thrift shops for some of the smaller items, like pots and smaller shovels.

Sharing is Caring
When it comes to purchasing seeds to plant in your small garden, typically you get way more than you actually need. A good way to get a variety of vegetables and not waste any of the left over seeds that you do not need is to start a "trading system" with a friend or neighbor who is also interested in gardening. This way if you purchase 3 packets of seeds, for example, and so does your neighbor but of a different variety, you can ultimately still plant 6 different types of vegetables.

To get a better bang for your buck however, no matter if you instill a trading system or not, is to choose vegetables for your garden that will "re-seed" themselves such as arugula, turnips, kale and Swiss chard. Some perennial vegetables will re-seed themselves as well, such as asparagus, artichokes, cardoon and some onions. To make sure you don't waste your time and money trying to grow vegetables that don't particularly grow very well in your area however, check out your state’s extension office.

Make your own Compost
Having a successful vegetable garden doesn't mean you have to spend a small fortune on soil fertilizer. In fact you can actually make your own compost that triples as soli fertilizer, mulch and soil amendment. To learn how to make your own compost, follow the few tips provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Additional tip: Always remember you can preserve your vegetables or freeze them for later use.

Attribution license to photo: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/

Guest Blogger:
Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.

Do you like these tips? Do you have your own tip to add?
Let me know if you are enjoying these guest posts!

Simple Budgeting: Do you live a Savings Lifestyle?

2011-04-29T20:30:00.000-04:00

Last month I talked about My Dirty Little Secret.

Why did I wait until the last minute for this month's post? I was waiting to be inspired. My inspiration came at lunch yesterday with some co-workers. It was a ladies lunch and only four of us made it this time so we had the chance to talk together a lot.

I mentioned that my husband was making chicken chili for the chili cook-off at work (it was today) because we had a lot of chicken in our freezer. I stated that I hardly ever pay full price for meat.

One of the ladies at the lunch is in her 50s and two grown sons who are out on their own. She said she was so happy to be past pinching pennies for milk and bread. She went on to say how great it was to walk into the store and buy whatever she wanted not looking at the prices.

I honestly can't imagine this. My husband and I have had the conversation on if we were suddenly rich, what would change for us. We have some stuff around the house we would want to do, student loans to pay off, if it was enough for me to quit work even better BUT we always say our shopping wouldn't change much. Why would we pay full price for meat?? It doesn't make sense to waste the money we do have even if we have a lot of it.

I told the ladies this at the table and I looks of craziness. Maybe my standards are high in that I expect to save 50% off my total every time I leave Harris Teeter. Maybe I do spend extra time cutting coupons and looking at ads/blogs online for deals. I can't imagine paying those full prices though. Right now we don't have the money to not shop like this but if we had extra cash just laying around (if you have that, feel free to share =P), I know we wouldn't run out the door spend it.

So my question this month is .... do have a savings lifestyle or are you in a savings fad? Think about it. Let me know by leaving a comment!!

Do you have a budget question/idea/topic/blog post? Let me know in a comment or email to simplybudgeted at gmail.com!

Friday Favorite: Chipins

2011-04-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

This weekly feature isn't all about food. I promise. I just couldn't wait to post about these!

Up this week ...

Popcorn, Indiana's Chipins

Details ... (on the White Cheddar kind)

We just looked up the word “cheesy” in the dictionary, and we didn’t like the definition one bit. In our book, cheesy means glorious and delicious, and when it comes to the white cheddar on these insanely crispy chip'ins, cheesy means all sorts of right. So bust open this bag, try some of the crunchiest, cheesiest, most delicious chips ever, and let’s redefine cheesy once and for all. Enjoy, and Munch Better™.

My thoughts ...
I have admitted before that I am a popcorn junkie. It is true. I accept it. I saw these at Sam's Club last week and had to get them. This is odd because we rarely impulse buy on food at Sam's Club and I don't like to huge bags of stuff to just try. But these were POPCORN CHIPS. I should add, I am not a big chip fan but these said POPCORN.

Did I mention my addiction yet? Yeah so these popcorn chips totally have not helped my popcorn addiction because they are amazing. The kids LOVE them too. I find I can't eat just one but I don't have to eat the whole bag so this is nice. Sam's Club at the White Cheddar kind so that what we got. I am in love. Serious love. The only reason the bag isn't empty yet is because I shoved it to the back of the cupboard so I could forget about it. It isn't really working but has made them last longer.

If you come across these in the store, you need to try them. If you have tried them, let me know what you think.

Oh and you can find Popcorn, Indiana on Twitter and Facebook so follow and like them!;)

Why are there TWO link widgets at the bottom of posts?

2011-04-28T19:08:00.003-04:00

Yes, there are two You Might Also Like sections at the bottom of each post. nRelate is new. I am testing it. I am not willing to ditch the old one until I decide if I like the new one. You see, I am not good at the whole decision thing sometimes.

So for at least a week ... maybe two there will be two of those widgets at the bottom.

If you have one you like better than the other, let me know. I would love input! Leave me a comment here, send me an email at simplybudgeted at gmail.com, tweet me, or write on the Facebook wall!

Silk for Milk 10-Day Challenge

2011-04-28T09:30:00.002-04:00

**This giveaway has ended. Thanks to all who entered! The winner was comment #52! **

I recently had the chance to review Silk Pure Almond milk as part of the Silk for Milk 10-Day Challenge!
Details ...
Silk has issued a Silk for Milk 10-Day Challenge. Have you tried this Challenge yet? They have made it super easy by creating suggestions for Everyday Swaps, Busy Family Swaps, and Everyday Chef Swaps!
I love the Popsicle mold suggestion on the Busy Family Swaps suggestion list. I think my kids would go nuts for those!! Especially my little guy who is teething and takes anything cold he can get right now!!
My Thoughts ...
We have been a fan of Silk milk for awhile. My favorite is the Almond milk with the vanilla flavor. I was excited to learn about this challenge as it is really easy to make switches to Silk products. I have used them in my cereal in the mornings ... I am a big cereal junkie for breakfast. I have also just poured myself a big glass to drink while eating a cookie. mmmmm.

One thing I am looking forward to trying this summer is some ice cream made with the Silk Pure Almond milk. We love to make our own ice cream and I think this will make for a super yummy treat!

You can find Silk on Twitter and Facebook. Plus HERE is their coupon link!!

I am pleased to announce I have been provided with the opportunity to giveaway a coupon for a free Silk product and a Silk Chico Bag to a reader!!!! You can start your own Silk 10 day Challenge!

This drawing will end Friday, May 13th at 11:59pm EST. I may pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.
So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what your first switch would be (from milk to Silk!)

Additional Entries:
1) Head over to Facebook, like Simply Budgeted on Facebook HERE: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Budgeted/129997329472 Leave FIVE comments saying you did this!
2) Leave a comment in the latest Monthly Meal Plan post! Leave a comment here with what you did.
3) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
4) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT #Win Free Silk Milk & have your own Silk Challenge thanks to @LoveMySilk! @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/kU91eW #giveaway #silk ends 5/13

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!)
5) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
6) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.

NOTE: I was sent a the product mentioned in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Wednesday Randoms

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

I actually turned my homework in early. It was due Monday and I submitted it on Saturday morning. That felt good! One more assignment left for the semester.
My bunny cake for Easter was a hit. It was super cute too!
We should do more mulching but I just think we don't care right now. oops!
My husband's plant shelf thing fell over in the wind yesterday morning. All of the seeds he started two weeks ago are gone in a pile of unmarked dirt. He is so sad.=(

I really hope some of you leave a comment with your feedback to my questions/thoughts and maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some input!

Shari's Berries for Mother's Day

2011-04-26T08:00:00.005-04:00

** This giveaway has ended. Thanks to all who entered! The winner was comment #19! **

I recently had the chance to review the Cheesecake Trio & Full Half Dozen Giant Dipped Fancy Berries thanks to Shari's Berries whom included me in their Mother's Day promotion event including Strawberries Covered in Chocolate for Mom!

Details ...

6 Fancy Berries
3 Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
Item #30005204

A delectable assortment of individual serving mini cheesecakes including a Classic New York cheesecake, a rich and smooth white chocolate cheesecake and a luscious chocolate Rocky Road cheesecake. Enjoy these decadent desserts with six Fancy Berries.

My Thoughts ...
Ever want Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Delivered? The service at Shari's Berries is great. The items came in a box with a cool pack so they stayed fresh and cold! I picked this item as an early birthday for my husband/Mother's Day celebration. My husband's birthday is May 7th so it always near Mother's Day and we try to combine the celebrations.
He loves cheesecake and I love chocolate covered strawberries so this was a perfect sweet treat for us. The strawberries were definitely giant in size. I have picked a lot of strawberries in my day and these were insanely huge! The chocolate was nice and rich but not too sweet. Yum. The cheesecakes were beautiful. They are so pretty in the little box and can be frozen for up to 2 months after you get them. That might just happen to one of these. I did get a few bites of the one cheesecake and it was yummy too.

If you are like me though, your biggest problem will be deciding what to get at Shari's Berries. The selection is so amazing that each time you click a link you find something that looks so good!

Want to order something now for Mother's Day?! Get 15% off your order with the coupon code BERRYGOOD. So when you think about Mothers Day Chocolate Dipped Strawberries ... think Shari's Berries for sure!

I am pleased to announce I have been provided with the opportunity to giveaway a $50 gift card to Shari's Berries to a reader!!!!

This drawing will end Monday, May 9th at 11:59pm EST. I may pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.
So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Tell me which product on Shari's Berries site you would order if you win!

Additional Entries:
1) Like Shari's Berries on Facebook HERE: http://www.facebook.com/SharisBerries Leave a comment saying you did this!
2) Since you are already on Facebook, like Simply Budgeted on Facebook HERE: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Budgeted/129997329472 Leave FIVE comments saying you did this!
3) Leave a comment in any of the Wednesday Random posts! Leave a comment here with what you did for each comment.
4) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
5) Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT #Win a $50 gift certificate to Shari's Berries - @SharisBerries @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/fRDWC2 #giveaway #giftcard ends 5/9

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!)
6) Follow me publicly through the Google Friends Connect on my side bar. Leave a comment with your name that you subscribe with.
7) Subscribe to my blog using the Subscribe To option on the sidebar. Leave a comment stating you subscribe.
8) Leave a comment in a Simply Budgeting series post! Leave a comment here with what you did.

NOTE: I was sent a the product mentioned in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Mamavation Monday: No Excuses

2011-04-25T11:35:00.002-04:00

It is Mamavation Monday time again!

So last week I worked my butt off outside moving railroad ties with my husband, digging, moving pavers ... oh and mulching. My body hurt. I still have a nice purple bruise on my knee for all of that effort. I figured I would lose weight with all of that. I was doing good at maintaining for most of the week. I kept telling myself I was adding muscle because I know my calorie burn was way up. Then came Easter with Reese's peanut butter eggs. I have this thing for chocolate and peanut butter. It is bad. I enjoyed a few too many and as a result went up 0.78% from my last number. ugh.

So this week, I hope to get a couple of walks and well more mulching. The mulching not only requires some major loading the mulch into the wheelbarrow but walking up and down our back hill. The hill is a killer after about the tenth time up and down. The Easter candy is hidden away and I know I won't look for it so that is good. Hopefully more activity in the afternoons/evenings plus less candy will bring good things next week!

Are you ready to watch Mamavation TV tonight? You can check it out here! (It is past my bedtime so I miss the show every week!=/)

Wednesday Randoms

2011-04-20T20:18:00.002-04:00

We seem to be better health-wise as a family. Knock on wood and say a prayer that stays true through my sister's wedding. Please ....
I am behind on blogging! Have you noticed? Yeah. I am "off" this week but we are working in the yard. Pictures to come of our money saving effort. It is soooo much work.
I am debating what hurts more ... my knee from step #3 or my arm from step #2. Some how I had no injuries on step #1. I am praying for none on step #4 (the last step in the effort.)
My homework is due Monday for my graduate class and I haven't started it. oops!
I just remembered that I am suppose to make two desserts for Easter dinner on Sunday. One is no issue strawberry trifle for my sister. The other is a bunny cake for my girls. I should figure that out here soon! Any ideas on a bunny cake?

I am sick still coughing. This is the never ending cough I have. It must go away soon. It must.

I really hope some of you leave a comment with your feedback to my questions/thoughts and maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some input!

Mamavation: Ice Cream

2011-04-18T15:26:00.003-04:00

It is Mamavation Monday time again!

So last week, I don't even know what I planned. I still watched what I ate pretty good. I ended up working extra hours and trying to balance a crazy to-do list. I made it through the week and was happy with that. The ice cream place here has 5 cent ice cream cones once a year. Grace, my oldest, had wanted to go out to get ice cream for weeks (we rarely do this!) So we decided to go get ice cream. I do have to say it was the best quarter (5 ice creams), we spent in a long time as the kids enjoyed it so much. Sometimes you just have to give in and be a family. I am glad I gave in and joined them for this as I will remember it as the first ice cream cone Grace ate!

Last week, I lost half a pound. It isn't much but I will take it as the scale moved down and that is the right direction. (I have a bridesmaid dress to wear come May 7th!)

This week, I get to work my butt off in the yard. Literally. I am off work this week to help landscape. We are making a path so the preschoolers can go in our back door directly into the preschool space instead of tromping through my living room each day. We had 19 cubic yards of mulch delivered on Friday. Between yesterday after church and this morning, we spread probably a third to half of it on the playground. Next up are the flower beds and path. Can I say now my back is killing me?! I expect work off some calories this week outside for sure. Any days it rains are my inside cleaning days. And to think someone asked me if this was my "staycation". If yard work and cleaning is a staycation, I don't ever want one of those!=P

Are you ready to watch Mamavation TV tonight? You can check it out here! (It is past my bedtime so I miss the show every week!=/)

Friday Favorite: Angel Food Cake Mix

2011-04-15T11:45:00.000-04:00

Up this week ...

Duncan Hines Angel Food Cake Mix

Details ...

Ingredients
Sugar, Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour [Flour, Niacin (A B Vitamin), Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid], Wheat Starch, Egg Whites, Leavening (Monocalcium Phosphate, Baking Soda, Cream of Tartar), and Corn Starch. Contains 2 Percent or less of: Natural and Artificial Flavors and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.

My thoughts ...
I saw this cake mix while running through Walmart one day. I love Angel Food cake but it is a pain to make so I just buy them ... until now. Of course I wen home and realized I didn't own a tub pan. How is that possible?! (I have fixed that since then.) So I made this in a bunt pan and it worked. It came out nicely!! Yum. I ended up in Walmart for something the other day and grabbed another cake mix. They are less than $2/box at our Walmart so that is a great deal since a made Angel Food Cake is generally at least $4!

Did you miss my last Friday Favorite? Find it here!

If you have a suggestion for a Friday Favorite, leave me a comment and let me know.
If you have a blog post that includes a recipe, tip, or article you wrote that you want me know about, leave me a comment and you might see it in a future Friday Favorite!!

CSN Stores: Bedding

2011-04-14T11:00:00.000-04:00

I recently had a chance to do a review with CSN Stores! Every time I poke around CSN Stores I realize just how much there is to find. The hardest part I have of working with CSN is that they just have so many choices. Last time I picked a Calphalon pan. That pan is still a work horse in our kitchen!

This time I opted to review the Greenland Antique Chic Bedspread Set. It is $56.99 for a twin up to $89.99 for a king with free shipping right now!
My review ...
We LOVE this quilt. We have had a quilt on our bed for years. The first quilt latest us a long time. It finally had so many holes my husband decided I should stop repairing it. So we found one on clearance at an outlet store. It was nice but the fabric choice was HORRIBLE and it started falling apart within a few weeks of having it. So I was unsure of ordering a quilt without seeing the fabric but the reviews made me decide to go for it.
The colors are perfect for our bedroom. Plus they don't scream "GIRL" so my husband doesn't feel like he is in a little girl's room instead of our bedroom. That is hard to find in case you haven't tried to find that in a quilt!
I am so thrilled we have this on our bed now. I love that is bigger so it actually drapes down the sides of the bed. Plus it has shams that match so now we actually make our bed all pretty!

If you are in need of bedding, check out the options CSN Stores has. You might be surprised. I know the price on this quilt was half of the others I looked and cheaper than the clearance sale one at the outlet center that fell apart on us!;)

Head on over and see what you can find from CSN Stores!

NOTE: I was provided with a gift certificate in exchange for this review. I paid the difference between the gift certificate and the cost of the item I reviewed. No other compensation was received. All thoughts included in this review are my own.

Wednesday Randoms on Thursday

2011-04-14T08:15:00.000-04:00

Yeah I know it is Thursday but Wednesday just didn't happen!

I am sick still coughing. This is the never ending cough I have. It must go away soon. It must.
We get a whole bunch of mulch tomorrow. The plan was for a massive spreading effort on Saturday. Now it is suppose to rain all day. ugh. Next week is Spring Break for the preschool so we have some massive outdoor plans. I hope the rain holds off!!
Did you see my link to the Facebook page? Look at that nice little icon on the sidebar!Go "like" me as it could mean good thing around here if I can get that built up nice and solid!

I really hope some of you leave a comment with your feedback to my questions/thoughts and maybe your own randoms this week. I would love some input!

Facebook Page

2011-04-12T18:42:00.005-04:00

Are you on Facebook? I have debated about a blog Facebook page up and down. I have had one for awhile (a few of you have found it actually without me announcing it!) It seems Facebook is around in the blogging world so I am diving into the Facebook pool.

See this nifty new icon on my sidebar?
Click it and it take you here (http://on.fb.me/h5EX20) ... one guess to where "here" is. OK, you don't need a guess, it is the link to the Facebook page!

A few notes, the name change to Simply Budgeted has started on the Facebook page. At some point this summer this blog will be renamed and will go to a dot com URL. YAY! Why? Because I am a dork and used to code so the challenge of doing this the ONE semester I don't have a graduate class has me way too excited. I say the name change has started but it has always been there in my Twitter handle and my email. I have just decided shorter is better for my URL. (I hope you agree and I don't lose all of you or might just cry!)

I won't post a lot to the Facebook page. I promise. I unfollow blogs on a regular basis if I feel like they are clogging up my feed with their blog posts. I will probably just plain forget some days. My dork side of my doesn't like automatic feeds between blogs and Facebook so unless I find one I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, I won't use one.

If you want to hear me ramble about random stuff, check Twitter. I post more randomness about my day or my nutty kids there and don't expect that to change.

Any suggestions? Love or hate for Facebook? Tips to share? Let me know. Leave a comment here or heck, write on my wall!;)

Mamavation Monday: Hello again

2011-04-11T09:00:00.004-04:00

It is Mamavation Monday time again!

Where have I been? Life took over. My work assignment changed, remember I work full time outside the home. This change made the at-home balance harder and I had several weeks I was just happy to make it through. My graduate class is still going. It is almost over but also means the summer one is almost ready to start. I am not ready for the sprint pace of that class for sure. So excuses are excuses but something had to give and this gave. A lot of my blog gave and so did my workouts. My little tracker spreadsheet is proof of that.

Last week, I said I would fix this scale going in the wrong direction issue. I said I would at least ride the stationary bike. Then I got sick. So sick with little kid crude. So since I knew working out wasn't going to happen, I decided to watch was I was eating better. I know I had slipped in this area ... mostly in more sweets and less activity. So watching what I was eating did help and I was down three pounds. Now I am about 5 lbs off from where I was in January and then from that another 15 from low last summer. The problem last year was I stopped losing weight and my clothes kept fitting. I want ... need to fit in those summer clothes again so here is the resolve to get back down and then to the past where I got stuck last year. So while I got my body shape to change some last year, now I need to get the scale to move. Hopefully I can find a way to do that this year because so far I have been pretty stuck in what I can stay committed to do.

And the question of the week ...
How would you like to alter your family’s nutrition and eating habits? Do you have a plan to do this?
We meal plan monthly. You can see the meal plan for April HERE. This has really helped us stay on track. Plus the summer garden will go in soon. (The seeds were planted in the starter area last night.) Then there is the CSA we are members of ... we have hopes for lots of veggies this summer.

Are you ready to watch Mamavation TV tonight? You can check it out here! (It is past my bedtime so I miss the show every week!=/)

Friday Favorite: Cookie Pops

2011-04-08T15:00:00.000-04:00

Up this week ...

Cookie Pops

Details ...
What are cookie pops? Cookies on a popsicle stick. The cookie recipe used was this one from All Recipes. I did take the suggestion to add a cup of sugar and teaspoon of vanilla. The icing recipe used for the white icing is the one I posted here from Clinton St. Baking Company cookbook. The popsicle sticks I found at Walmart (in mini-baking section next to the gift wrap!) I also found the bags there but I shouldn't have bought the tapered bags. I had to cut them all shorted to use them. That was a pain! The colored icing was the Wilton tubes of icing from Walmart. Hey, I forgot I had signed up to do these and I was so glad I cheated on that color icing come 11pm when I got to that part of the process!

Oh and you bake the cookies with the stick them. Push the stick into the cookie but not all the way through then bake. Because you do this when you bake them, you limit how many you can fit on each cookie sheet. I think I maxed out at 6 per cookie sheet.

I made cookie pops in the shapes of flowers since my sister's bridal shower was a Spring theme. I went with all different colored flowers (OK ... my girls picked out the colors!) The cookie pops were displayed in "grass". I had a basket and then this tin bucket that I put Styrofoam blocks into. I then put this grass looking stuff over the top to cover the Styrofoam! (That grass stuff was a HUGE mess but it looked nice!)(Note: This picture was after my kids had raided the selection in this tin bucket!)

My thoughts ...
Simple, huh? In concept, yes. In a time commitment, no. I now know what these suckers cost several dollars each if you buy them online!
Would I make them again? Probably. I learned to not do it all in one night and this recipe makes a TON of cookies!
I put a little saying on the back of each of them. I just taped a little piece of paper on the bag. I had to print them all and cut them out though!
It said ...

We shower the bride with gifts, its true.
But this shower gift is just for you!
Amy and Jason, May 7, 2011

They got rave reviews at my sister's shower so that made my 1am stint and almost lateness to the shower worth it. Everyone asked where they were from which always make one feel proud!
The only problem is that my Little Dude now LOVES cookies on a stick. I see cookie pops showing up at his birthday in July. I better get started on them now!;)

Did you miss my last Friday Favorite? Find it here!

If you have a suggestion for a Friday Favorite, leave me a comment and let me know.
If you have a blog post that includes a recipe, tip, or article you wrote that you want me know about, leave me a comment and you might see it in a future Friday Favorite!!

You Have Questions ... Maybe I Have Answers

2011-04-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

I realized today that there a lot of questions in my comments that I haven't answered. Shame on me. So I am going to try to go through so of the ones I found in one of my meal plan posts ..

How often do you shop for groceries?
We head to the grocery store and/or Sam's Club once a week. Some times it is both place, some times it is just one of them. It all depends on what we need. We primarily shop for groceries at Harris Teeter because they have the best sale/coupon deals. At Sam's, we generally get milk and produce. Buying milk at Sam's most weeks pays for our membership on its own. We also get HUGE bags of sugar, flour, bread flour, spices, Nesquick, Tang, Lemonade, string cheese, Orange Juice, generic medications, fruit snacks, and eggs on a regular basis at Sam's. I no longer buy diapers, baby wipes, or dog food at Sam's. I do better with sales/coupons! Sometimes I will get yogurt, cheese, cat food, bread, and other random treats. It just depends on my stash and my inability to say no some weeks!

I meal plan for a week. Why would I want to meal plan for a month?
Simply put ... it saves time. You are already looking at what you have and in the mind frame to plan. It takes a few minutes for each week to be honest.

Do you freeze a lot?
We have some dishes that we freeze to make easy meals. Taco meat, sloppy joes, meatloaf, soups, and pasta bakes all freeze super easy from our experience. All of our meat is frozen ... well just about. I only buy meat when it is on sale. We maybe pay full price for meat twice a year. I just have a hard time doing it.
This month we have a lot of chicken on our menu because our freezer is full of chicken. We had so much chicken I was going to pass up the B1G2 (buy one, get two free) chicken breast sale at Harris Teeter last week. I ended up getting it and giving it all to my mom though! (Babysitting payments come in all sorts of ways these days ... especially since she would never let me pay her!)

I make up my shopping list when I meal plan so I do it weekly. I wonder how I could meal plan monthly.
This month we went shopping in the freezer and pantry to see what we had. We wrote out a whole list and then started making up meals from the list. This was PURE GENIUS on our part by the way. Meal planning went even faster! So my weekly shopping list for our dinners is 2-3 items. Everything else on my list is milk, staples (OJ, pantry items like lemonade, etc), and sale/coupon match-ups. Remember we only buy meat on sale so meat bought this month probably won't be used this month. My pantry is actually really stocked right now so I will probably skip some sales this month (gasp!) Then again it is hard to pass up two GoGurt boxes for 25 cents each at Harris Teeter even when you are stocked up on yogurt. The kids will eat it so it won't go to waste!

Who does the grocery shopping? (OK I added this one!)
Most weeks we grocery shop as a family. Yes, all FIVE of us. Why the heck would we do this? We are teaching our kids to behave in the stores. Plus they are learning how to shop (for what is on your list not everything that looks yummy!) As they continue to get older, they will start to understand the savings I rack up at the grocery store. And yes, one of us has been known to leave the store with a kid that is acting up. It happens!

Have a question for me about our meal plan? Or shopping? Or I don't know ... anything else? Leave it here or send me an email at simplybudgeted at gmail dot com!

I will make it a point to answer questions more often!