Summer Fun on a Budget

     Do you remember the Disney movie Up? The Fredricksen's save all their spare money in a glass jar for their dream trip, but life keeps bringing them obstacles, so they have to smash into their jar of savings time and again.

     While most of us don't keep an actual glass jar of savings, metaphorically we know exactly how smashing that jar feels. We all want to take the kids for a fun summer vacation, but sometimes it's just not in the jar. Luckily, we have some cheaper, or even free alternatives to the large amusement parks or that trip to Spain. Here is a list of ideas. Some do require travel expenses depending on where you live or other small fees, but are mostly pretty affordable options for some summer fun.

• State parks. State parks are great for hiking, picnics, swimming (when it's allowed), or even a weekend getaway. Chances are you have one close to you.
• Don't have a state park nearby? How about your back yard? Young kids like being outdoors and they definitely like doing things out of the ordinary. Try popping a tent in your back yard and "roughing it" for a night or two. They'll never forget playing games in the tent and telling spooky stories.
• Local playgrounds make for a nice day along with picnics. Try going ahead of time to plan out a fun scavenger hunt.
• Do you have farms near you? Some farms offer tours. Look into it.
• Museums. Museums are everywhere! Do a quick search online of your area and museums and you'll probably find a few. Check your local library to see if they offer discounts or free passes.
• Pet stores. This one might sound strange, but going to the pet store to watch the bunnies play almost always makes for a smiling face. 
• Free factory tours are fun too. Places that make snacks or candies often have free tours to watch how it's made. Kids really enjoy seeing what's on the inside and they often get a free sample at the end of the tour.
• Don't forget your local library. Most have game nights, movie nights, story times, and even hang out times for teens. If your library doesn't, make the suggestion.
• Local pools are always a fun way to get kids outdoors. Most even provide swimming lessons for a small fee.
• Check with your local home improvement store. Some have workshops once or twice a month for kids to build their own masterpiece for free. Also on that note, craft stores have craft times for kids-usually at a small fee.
• Check to see if your church has a vacation bible school. These usually last for a week. Some are all day while others last a couple hours. Ask if there is a fee.
• Is there a railroad near you? You may be surprised at how affordable a train ride is.
• If you are bent on going to an amusement park, you may be happy to hear there are still some free admission amusement parks around. You still have to pay for rides and food of course, and there may not be one quite near to you. You can find a list of remaining free admission parks here.

    These are just a few ideas to get you started on a fun summer journey. The possibilities are endless when you think outside the jar. ;)

     Do you have more free/cheap ideas for summer fun? Share them with us!

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Your Baby's Back There!

     Every year we see numerous cases of very preventable and very devastating deaths of children being forgotten in the back seats of cars. This is something that we can all keep from happening! I'm not here to pass judgement on a single person that has had this happen, but I do want to help remind others of the most precious cargo they will ever drive around.

    I've seen lists before of things to do to remember that your baby or small child is in the back seat. On almost every list it says to leave something like your purse or phone back there so you remember to check. It's sad for me to think that grabbing your phone or purse is on your mind more than your child, but if it helps save a life, I will add it to my list also. Some of these you may roll your eyes at and call me crazy, but I want to help prevent as many of these cases as possible-even if by stating the obvious. So here we go. Here are my tips to help:

• ALWAYS check the back seat if you have children - even if you know they aren't with and you feel like a mental case. It takes, at most, 10 seconds to see if anyone is back there. Just look! Even if your child can talk, check! Kids sometimes falls asleep in cars and if they are quiet you have the opportunity to forget they're back there. I follow this rule always.
• Place your purse, cell phone, work bag, wallet, hat, reusable grocery bags, or whatever in the back if you think you are distracted. Put whatever you have to in the back seat to remember to look back.
• Start your car early and put down the windows or start the air conditioning. It's hot in there. Seat belts and buckles get hot too! Load up the diaper bag, backpacks, or whatever else you will be taking with when you start the car to make it easier.
• Tape a checklist on your dash, visor, steering wheel, and/or door. Put "CHECK FOR BABY" as number one in large red ink. 
• Talk to your baby throughout the car ride. Even if they are sleeping you can sing to them. Babies love to hear your voice anyway.
• Don't leave your child in the car to "run in quick". Take them with. It's not worth the chance. Even if you let the a/c run, someone could drive away with your child. Not worth the extra minute it would have taken to get them out.
• Leave early so you aren't rushing!
• Place a baby item in the passenger seat to remind you he/she is back there such as a sock, shoe, or toy.
• Obviously don't try driving under the influence of anything - even prescriptions. Read labels and know what the side effects are. Some don't even allow you to drive. Some can alter your state of mind and judgement. Be responsible.
• Be sure to teach these tips to newer drivers who may be taking your kids out such as older siblings or babysitters.
• And back to the first point, ALWAYS check no matter what! Don't allow yourself to be so distracted you can't take the time to check for life.

    Please remember all these tips and share them with your friends. I know we sometimes rush around, but it's important to remember our biggest priorities are right behind us.

     Do you have more tips? Please share them!

 

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June is National Fresh Fruits N Veggies Month!

     June is National Fruit and Vegetable month here in the U.S. and there couldn't be a better time. We have plenty of choices this time of year in our markets. The produce section is busting at the seems with wonderfully colored foods.

     We have all heard we need to eat our fruits and veggies to grow up strong, and most of us know it's sometimes a hassle getting the young ones to follow suit. Many of us are worried they aren't getting enough so we supplement with multivitamins or nutritional drinks. Here is a wonderful link to the CDC website to give you a good visual idea of how much the fruit you're eating equals out to in terms of cups.

     If beyond that you need to know how many of each you or your child should be consuming in a day's time, you can also swing by the CDC's fruit and veggie calculator here. You will be asked your age, sex, and activity level and the calculator will give you a good idea of the amount you should shoot for.

     Sometimes we run out if ideas on how to keep the kids interested in their vegetables and fruits, but fortunately the internet is booming with some wonderful and creative ideas! Sometimes just arranging the fruit into fun art is enough to catch a child's eye and tummy. I like these ideas on Pinterest. I've also seen a lot of great fresh-fruit cakes. I like this one from food.com because it looks quite easy to manage on your own. I'm also a big fan of fresh fruit for breakfast. In many parts of the world, they would turn their noses up to the bacon and egg idea. Fruits are a large part of breakfast ingredients in most places.

     Juicing may also help you get to the amount you're aiming for and it can be quite fun trying out new variations. Juicing is also great for sneaking in vegetables for the extra-picky eaters. Often you can mix some in without detection from the little ones. "Ants on a log" was always another favorite of mine to help with the veggie dilemma. Sometimes melting cheese on broccoli, asparagus, or other vegetables can help. Hey, veggies with cheese are better than no veggies at all!

     We all know a diet high in fruits and vegetables will help reduce the risks of obesity, cancers, strokes, and many other problems, and sometimes we ignore this important information. Let's make a conscious effort the rest of June to fit more great foods into our diets and see if we can't keep it going!

     Do you have a great fruit or veggie recipe to share? I want to hear about it! You can leave a comment or email me at amerimommy@gmail.com!

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Make Your Dad a Character In a New Book

     Today's post is short and sweet, but I wanted to share this wonderful opportunity with all my readers. First, though, I hope all the dads out there had a wonderful Father's Day. With that said, FarFaria has a wonderful opportunity for you to show your dad how much you love him by giving him a pretty awesome Father's Day present.



     You may remember my past post about the fabulous FarFaria app available for iPad and Android products. If you don't, you can find it here. The wonderful people from FarFaria are holding a sweepstakes called "My Dad, My Superhero". You can enter to have your dad immortalized in one of the FarFaria stories as a superhero! The grand prize winner will receive a printed copy of the story along with a bobble head which, get this, looks like dad's superhero character from the story!

     It's super easy to enter. You fill out your name and email and let them know why your dad is a superhero. You can find all the details here. Also, if you share the link with friends through email or social media, you can earn more entries for yourself!

Go check it out and good luck!



 

 

 



   
   

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My Titan Chains Review **UPDATE**

    Those of you who have read my previous post about Titan Chains will be happy to know I finally have an update for you! If you haven't read the first review, I recommend you do to get caught up. You can find it here. You'll learn what Titan Chains is and what kind of work opportunities they offer.

     So, as you know, Titan Chains was kind enough to send me a free kit to test out and review for all my readers. I was so, very excited for this opportunity because I know a lot of people are looking for work-at-home opportunities, but finding one that isn't a pyramid scheme and/or scam is next to impossible unless you have many years experience in a field.

     The last time I posted about Titan Chains, I had received the deluxe kit and I was starting to work on the wrap. I worked on the interchangeable wrist wrap, which is the one you will work on if you decide to give it a shot. I'm not going to lie to you -it's tough. It is very fun and exciting but it is tough. You will not pick this up in a day. When you order your kit, you will most likely use all the materials in it for  the sample wrap you need to send in before you are able to fill orders for the company.

     It is difficult learning how to work with the wire at first. I worked on a few wraps before I felt okay enough to send them my work. I had just about every issue you could think of come up while I was working on this. I wasn't knitting the wire correctly, then I was doing it right, but not tight enough. I got the chains stuck on the mandrel more than once and had to use a hammer to get them off ... it was pretty funny. I did have a ton of fun with it, though. I've never done anything like this before. The process of learning is exciting and I always feel achieved when I learn something new. If you are a crafty person and you enjoy using your hands, I recommend trying it out. Even after just a couple chains, I could see myself getting faster and the quality of my chains was improving.

     Once I finished one that looked pretty close to the sample the company sent for me to reference, I packaged mine and sent it back to them. The company asks you to notify them with a tracking number once you send it so they can get it back to you as fast as possible. I did notify them, but I never sent a tracking number and I still got my sample back within a few days along with paperwork.





      After they have checked it, they send it back to you with a critique and helpful tips or they will tell you it was great ... I guess. My chain did need some work, but I was impressed with the amount of helpful tips and feedback they sent. It showed me that they really took their time in looking at my work and they tried to come up with ways to fix any issues they saw, which was awesome.

     I'm very happy with the service I received from Titan Chains throughout my experience with them. I always got a quick and courteous response. I feel like they are really committed to people doing well when working with the company. Their tutorials are pretty easy to follow along with because they also provide pictures, which you will need for referencing. They never gave me any reason to believe the business was a scam. I would say they even go an extra mile to help you succeed.

     My best advice is this: Don't do this thinking you will get it right the first time or overnight, because you probably won't unless you've done this type of thing before. Do go into this thinking it's a project and that it could be fun to learn a new skill and eventually profit from it. There really is a certain amount of work involved. Don't give up right away and make sure you have time to invest in this. An hour a day may not be enough. You wouldn't go into a brick and mortar company with an application saying you can only work an hour a day, some days a week would you?

     I really did enjoy working on the chains, but for right now I don't have the time to invest in them. You do have a deadline to meet once you are filling orders for the company and it wouldn't be fair for me to waste their time with late orders.

     So, based on my experiences with this company, they definitely get my stamp of approval!

     If you have questions, please feel free to ask. I would also really love to hear from anyone who has gone on to work with Titan Chains and get paid.

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My Jonty the Dinosaur App Review

      I'm always very thankful when a company reaches out to me for a review of their product, so I was very excited when a marketing consultant contacted me for a review of an app called Jonty - The Dinosaur Who Could Not Go to Sleep. It's an interactive bedtime story for your kids and it's a lot of fun! 

      Jonty the dinosaur has a very busy day, so once bedtime rolls around he has difficulties falling asleep. I think most of us have experienced the thousands of excuses children come up with to evade shutting their eyes and dosing off, and Jonty does too. It's relatable for children and parents alike, which makes it even more appealing to me. 

     The overall feel of the app is very bedtime appropriate. It has nice, soft illustrations, gentle and soothing background music, and the storyline is just the right amount of exciting for bedtime. Plus, it hasn't become old news once you've read through it. You can make the story unique by adding to it over and over again. The kids loved adding objects to the story to make it their own, which is nice because they are getting a story and a bit of a game all-in-one.

     There are different modes to choose from on the main page of the app. We can choose to have the story read to us, add to the story, have the story play automatically without interactions, or we can choose to read it ourselves. I love the last option for children just learning to read, because if they get stuck on a word all they need to do is press that word and the narrator will say it for them.

      The app is longer than I expected, which was a nice surprise. I can see the disappointment in the eyes of children when you read a story that doesn't meet their expectations, and that didn't happen with Jonty. I was very pleased with this app and I do recommend it to anyone with children probably up to the age of 10 or so. Jonty has nice illustrations, a fun storyline, and it's a great way to wind down - this app definitely gets the Amerimommy stamp of approval. 

   
Have you tried Jonty? What did you think?

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Another Facebook Recipe: banana/apple oatmeal cookies

      I don't know about all of you, but I really like when people share recipes on Facebook. Some of these are so creative and so easy it's almost a terrible folly not to at least give it a whirl. The last recipe I shared with you all was for pancakes made with just bananas and eggs. I have to be honest by saying it wasn't a total success. I've also seen other people say the same thing I said - it was more like a banana omelet. You can find that post here.

      This next recipe, however, was definitely a success in my book. I saw the recipe floating around a few times and actually, I've seen a few variations of the recipe and I'm not sure where it came from so I'm just going to share how I did mine. But the first time I saw it I was like, "oh, heck yeah". It's really easy to make and it's actually pretty healthy. It doesn't take long to prepare and bake at all and, honestly, I have made them for breakfast. It's great for kids because they think they're getting cookies but really they are getting a better breakfast than any cold cereal offers. You could serve it with a tall glass of juice or milk and some yogurt and have some happy little campers. So let's get down to it!

      What you'll need is:

• 3 ripe, smashed bananas
• 2 cups oats 
• 1/4 cup milk (almond milk is great for a good taste and fewer calories. I tried it with almond milk and with 1% and both ways were good)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

      Basically, you just smash up your bananas, mix in all the ingredients until it is well blended and place the mix on a cookie sheet in cookie-sized shapes. They don't really grow when you cook them, they just harden so you can place them fairly close together without worry and you can shape them and have fun with them. I didn't spray my cookie sheet with anything and I had no problem getting them to come off the pan. I set my oven to 350* and let them in for 20 minutes. I would say you can get about 12 cookies out of this recipe, depending on how large you're making them. That's it. Kids love them and they are quite healthy, so thumbs up to whoever thought up this creation! 

       Thanks for playing along and if any of you have alterations you made to this recipe, please let us know!

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