Archives for January 2014

1-28-14: The Day Atlanta Stood Still, and Opened Their Hearts

01/29/2014 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

In case anyone is wondering why schools in the South close down at the mere mention of snow, take today in Atlanta as an example. Students and faculty are spending the night in a handful schools across the metro area, emergency shelters are opening up to provide stranded motorists a place to stay after spending HOURS in standstill traffic (usually because they ran out of gas!), GADOT reports over 940 accidents today, folks are opening up their homes to others in need across the metro area: the city basically shut down.

Why? [Read more…]

Keep on saving! :o)
--Barbara
**Remember, y'all, this post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Filed Under: around town, random ramblings

Rhyming with Preschoolers – review

01/26/2014 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

I recently had the opportunity to review Rhyming Unit Mega Bundle: 17 Rhyming Activities with my 4-year-old daughter. Boy, did we have fun with this one!

My 4-year-old daughter and I enjoyed doing a few of the activities this weekend from this bundle – and reinforced her skills with rhyming all at the same time. First, we did a quick matching game with a set of rhyming cards – she read the words (paired with pictures) and found another word card in the same rhyme family. As an extension, and completely on her own, she started making rhyming sentences with the word pairs, like “The fox was in the box.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Frugal Parenting, literacy, product reviews

Homemade Pita Pizzas – A Surprise Treat!

01/24/2014 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

I have made quite a few mini homemade pizzas over the years with my daughter, most with mixed results at best. In the past, we’ve used tortillas or a few layers of a flaky biscuit, and I’d sneak in some sort of veggie -either in pureed form, or very finely chopped.

But this week, I tried something a little different. I’d bought a package of pita bread (on clearance, of course), and had ONE left. My kids apparently are big fans of the pita bread. Sometimes I’ll make pita PBJs, or toast a little turkey and cheese inside one. Or just slap some honey butter on it, and they’ll go to town.

So, I thought I’d give it a whirl turning it in to pizza. Wow! Was I surprised! Here’s what we did, and why I think one secret ingredient helped make them super-relish! Best of all, it’s such a simply process, my 4 1/2 year old daughter was able to create her own, with minimal assistance. [Read more…]

Filed Under: picky tot pleasers, recipes

Why Now’s a GREAT Time to Try Ibotta!

01/22/2014 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

If you’ve been dragging your heels on trying money-making smartphone apps while shopping, now is the time to give it Ibotta a whirl. Remember, it is absolutely FREE to join Ibotta, and you are not obligated to offer ANY private information in order to start earning! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Vitamix Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

01/01/2014 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Vitamix. Chicken. Tortilla. Soup. Recipe. Well, first, I have to brag. My husband is -without a doubt- the luckiest sunnuvagun I know. He was perusing through Goodwill a while ago, and found a variable speed Vitamix blender for just under nine bucks. Yep. A true-to-life Vitamix. For nine bucks!!

We immediately put it to use, playing around with different fruit and veggie combos. And then we stumbled upon this recipe for Tortilla Soup. The rest -as they say- is history. I’ve been making -and thoroughly enjoying!- my mom’s chicken tortilla soup recipe for a few years, even though I know it’s more “comfort” than “healthy.”

To be honest, when we first made this soup, I was skeptical. But once it was made, I was hooked! And my recipe for the baked tortilla strips compliment it nicely, too!