Spontaneity is in the Bag

Summer fun is coming up.  We are gearing up around here for time with our grandbabes, Princess Emma and the great nieces and nephews to visit.  Of course we do not have kiddos in the house every day so there are a few things we need to plan for.  Along with lil road trips that we will get to do from time to time.  I have been so lucky as to have some great ideas shared with me.  So of course, I am going to share with you too. 

First I loved getting a spontaneity bag ready for the car. Convert a hanging travel cosmetic case into a case full of fun and hang it from the seat back in front of the kids’ seats.  We filled it with travel packs of crayons, coloring books, mini toys (like from the fast food joints), snacks that can handle hanging in the car and bottles of water with sports tops on them.  Some of the snacks I included were Twizzlers Candy or Twizzlers Nibs Candy since they are one of our favorite non fat candies.  There are also Lances Peanut Butter and Cheese Cracker packages too.   I have to giggle as I have seen the grandbabes trying to make different 'works of art' with the pull n peel Twizzlers.  Have you ever done this?

I also have short day trip ideas on a note pad in the glove box.  There are kites in the trunk along with some great kick balls.  I have looked up online all the different things we can do in this area.  So yes, there is the local park.  But we can also do the lake for a day swim trip.  Pop over to a local dairy to see how it works and they also make cheese there.  We have a several big game sites in this area too where we can see wild animals that are uncommon for the area.

Parenting expert Colleen Burns was kind enough to talk to me recently.  It was even video taped.  So I will let you see her great tips for yourself.  She was willing to answer my questions for simple games and outdoor activities on a budget.  Colleen also explain how to prepare a “spontaneity bag” for spur-of-the-moment summer fun and she  gave tips for getting my kiddos out into nature whether it’s in the backyard, the neighborhood or off the beaten path.  Thankfully we currently have all the grass out of our front yard.  So it is a massive dig site for the kids.  Tons of buckets and shovels are on the porch with the ever present sidewalk chalk and bubble toys.

Here is Colleen.  Yes, that is my funny twangy voice on the phone with her.  If you want to try and win your own Lance sponsored Spontaneity Bag, pop over and share your own tips with them.


By the way I am entering a contest for a Twizzlers Landmark Summer promotion prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.

My Dad was a Pot O'Gold

I miss my dad.  My birth dad.  Here at the Christmas season it weighs heavy on my heart.  He was only in my life for a few years but he shared so much of himself with my family.  Every year he would come to my home for the holidays.  It was so special to have him here.  Having not been raised with my birth father, we had to make our own bonds.  After the holidays my mom would always go and spend a couple of weeks with him.  She loved this time away.  Being with her friend once again. 

This is how we found he was dying of cancer.  Our last Christmas he was unable to come see us.  Said he just had a bad cold that would not go away.  He did not want to infect us.  We missed him but understood.  After the holiday Granny M went to spend her two weeks with dad.  He did not have a cold.  He was horrid, lost so much weight, visiting doctors and finding out that he had lung cancer and there was not much to do.  I miss my dad!

I wanted to tell you because he shared so much of himself with me.  He found out that I love chocolate.  So he made sure always bring me some special with each visit.  The chocolate of his choice for me was Hershey®’s Pot of Gold gift boxes.  There was so many different flavors.  He would make sure I was able to have several different kinds.  I loved those special lil chocolate from my dad. 

This year I am going to continue to share the Hershey®’s Pot of Gold gift boxes with Dear Hubby and College Girl.  I know that they will recognize the packages.  And that they too will see that my dad is still here with us in the lil ways.  I am lucky too!  I am going to have some special Hershey’s Pot of Gold Chocolates sent to me too.  How?  As a prize pack since I a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.  That's nice!

Heart of Haiti

Have you heard about Heart of Haiti? 

Heart of Haiti is helping to rebuild Haiti through "Trade, Not Aid." This is a new way of helping.  Instead of funding charity they are creating jobs for Haitian artist.  Each artist can produce beautiful quilts, metalwork, ceramics, and paintings.  Through the sale of Heart of Haiti products, artisans are able to earn life-changing income for themselves, their families, and their communities. This enables repairs to homes, pay school fees, and feed and clothe their families. The income also allows them to have access to better nutrition, improved education and healthcare.  Each item is designed by a Haitian master artisan and produced by hand in Haiti from recycled materials.  This has helped employee 350 artists.  You are able to purchase these items at Macys.  And most are affordable in the range of $25-$60.

I am writing this post to spread the word about Heart of Haiti as a Mom Bloggers Club member I will  receive a Heart of Haiti pendant as a thank you.  Isn't it pretty?

Summertime Fun Giveaway

Image by law_keven via Flickr

We so enjoy having the grandbabes here for a week. But we had to come up with a frugal way to enjoy a week of entertainment. Of course we all loved going to the zoo (using coupons to cut cost) and feeding the giraffes there. Did you know their tongues are purple? Well they are.

We have also had trips to the park to play on the new equipment that was set up this year. And my porch is beautiful from our colored chalk art work. I also love having bubbles blowing contest. We timed this right before bath time. Half the work done for us with the soap bubbles being all over them. Our mini play ground in the side yard is not half bad either.

But one of the best was a late night cookout of hot dogs and the best part--S'mores!



It is a bit tricky with a two year old but we managed the fire part with finesse. Our 6 yr old had the neighbor kids joining in and sticky goodness was all over them. College Girl was the biggest kid there!

I remembered this when I found out about the S'mores prize package over at Mom Bloggers Club. You can get ideas for your own S'mores at www.SmoresSmiles.com.

Another good time was seeing an all new video of "Balloonatiks: The Collector's Set". We had it on today at nap time. The two year old needs to rest but the other kiddos here just needed to be quiet so he could conk out. Well my granddaughter and Princess Emma set up camp on the love seat to meet the characters in the DVD. I had to giggle at the names, Sqeeker, Sparky, Bouncer and Airbrain to name a few. Of course they had a good cause to save Hot Air City from Dr. Popemoff. I was surprised to learn about the paperbacks, series of comis and game and a interactive website all for the Balloonatiks.

We also were lucky enough to be able to offer a giveaway for you too. You can get your own copy of Balloonatiks for your kiddos. Pop over to the site and tell me which character you would like the most. You can also visit their facebook page . Entries are with the normal comments. Another for following me anywhere....here, facebook, twitter...leave a comment for each place you follow me at. Make sure your email is with you profile or on the comment. I will have a winner withing two weeks.
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this DVD to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.

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