Hurry, Hurry, Art DVDs for 62% Off!

This set is being discontinued! Get it while supplies last!

These 12 art instruction DVDs retail for $79.90!

YOUR PRICE is $30.00 - 62% off & includes *FREE SHIPPING! ~ While Supplies Last!

*Free shipping applies to USA orders only.


Let your child's inner artist shine with this exciting series of instructional DVDs created just for kids! Featuring 26 projects spread across 12 volumes, Mike's Inspiration Station: 12 DVD Boxed Set will draw out the budding artist in every child with fun and nicely-paced lessons in traditional mediums like drawing, painting, and sculpting, plus unique activities like making clothespin puppets and fridge art.

Geared toward ages 8-13, the series encourages kids to craft right along with host Michael Cariglio and his biblical buddy, Booker T Bible, a talking, animated Bible who offers creative inspiration with Scripture references. Let Mike's Inspiration Station inspire your child's creativity and get some fun art project ideas and fridge art in the process!

Download the COMPLETE Supply list containing master for all 12 DVDs as well as broken down by lesson.

Inspired Wednesday - Refresh Your Resources

A few months ago a friend told me about a used curriculum sale in a nearby city. She said that, in addition to curriculum, there would be an abundance of books - just good books - and that I might want to go.

I put it on my calendar with the goal of having next year's units outline before the sale so that I could look for the appropriate resources.

I didn't get there.  While I have a few concrete plans, I'm far behind where I want to be in my plans.

I did make it to the sale, however, and it was a wonderful experience! 

Not only were people selling curriculum for prices far below what I've heard (FIAR for $5, anyone?  TT for $20?) but there were quality books to go along with all of it.  

I saw Christian novels for kids.  I saw nonfiction history and science books.  I saw mystery books, cookbooks, and how-to books.  I found American Girl books for twenty-five cents each and a whole box full of Encyclopedia Brown that someone had marked 'free.'  I even found the math book I wanted to use for My Little Man for only $5!

It was a wonderful morning.

After nearly two hours of digging through boxes of books, I left with two big tote bags overflowing with books of all kinds - and two boxes of plaster of paris stacked on top of that.  I'm not sure what we'll use that for exactly yet, but I know it will come in handy.

We spent some time 'out' in the big urban sprawl for Father's Day after that, and the kids were as good as gold.

Why? 

They had their noses buried in book after book every minute we were in the car, eagerly reading about the Sioux and Josefina and all sorts of other things.

They're excited to get started for next school year, and although I don't have all of my plans in place, I'm excited again, too.  I love the resources that are available and how a 'new' book can inspire all sorts of ideas.

It's going to be a great year.

Some other great places to find inexpensive books are:

• yard sales
• thrift stores
• library sales
• public school sales
• public school employees -they often know when used books are being discarded!

Where do you go for your school resources?  Have you started collecting them?

Last week Nancy at There Is Grace shared a review of the recent animated movie Epic.  I love that this movie demonstrates strong moral character, especially doing what's right even when it's had.  We need more of those kinds of movies! To find out more, visit There Is Grace - Nancy, please visit our Inspired Wednesday page and take the "I was featured on Washed Up Inspired Wednesdays' button back with you.  

<center> <a href="http://anestintherocks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="A Nest in the Rocks" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_9UXxvpHihP2_LX14wtPFiUPHRfXtxSHNJodSzTZt0lgD04c9FszjMkaqaez4_hN2Up8YHkAmCaJGRSlhH6e1lEmHKSX4QdlcQAsCFRHjHRbg6S30CYSoJpTfnFA2o55xEhOj-_hEihC/s1600/Button+2.jpg" imageanchor=""/></a></center>

If you have a post about an encouraging activity, project, or trip that you've taken, please link up below and add a link back to this post.  Either way, please read on to find out more about a fun activity that we enjoy here in our nest, and be sure to hop over to Where He Leads, We Follow to check out Stephanie's  Inspiring Wednesday post, too. 

Happy 5th Birthday, SwagBucks!

Have you RSVP'd for Swagbucks' 5th Birthday Blowout? It's easy to do, and when you RSVP you're automatically entering yourself to win one of five $1000 CASH prizes. The whole birthday celebration will be a big one - they're giving out 135 Swag Bucks worth of codes, and they're giving away four more $1000 cash prizes on the 25th when they celebrate. You can find the RSVP link on the Swagbucks homepage - just look for the birthday image and click on it to be taken to the RSVP page. 

If you're not a member of Swagbucks yet, join me and use the code 5THBIRTHDAY during registration - you'll start with 120 Swag Bucks! I've used Swagbucks for over two years and I've already earned enough Swag Bucks for a new vacuum, several big Christmas and birthday presents, and a new bread machine!

Earn Free Amazon MP3 Credits!

There's a great new promotion happening at Swagbucks this month!  For every gift card that you redeem through the SwagBucks program, you can earn Amazon credit for music!  I'm looking forward to redeeming some points and buying a few new songs.

If you're new to the SwagBucks program, you can read about how I recently purchased a new vacuum cleaner for only $17 by using this program!

Here's some more information about this promotion directly from SwagBucks:

When you snag an Amazon.com Gift Card during the month of September, you will be rewarded with a $1 promotional credit for Amazon MP3. With over 20 million songs, they're sure to have that new song you're dying to hear again or an oldie you don't already have in your collection. Start earning reward points with Swagbucks.com today to snag your Amazon.com Gift Card and $1 Amazon MP3 promotional credit before Sept. 30th.

**The above links are my affiliate link.  If you join using that, I can earn matching SwagBucks for your first 1000.  There is no other benefit for me.  Thanks for sharing!

DIY Safari Vest

When my Big Helper was planning this last Book Club event, she was really excited about the safari theme - and she wanted everyone to dress up.  Since her brother has a super cool safari vest that he received as a Christmas gift, she wanted one to wear, too - but purchasing another wasn't possible.

So when we came across an old khaki-colored t-shirt, we knew we'd found our answer.

This is how we turned a junior-sized t-shirt into a kid-sized safari vest:

• First, she tried on the t-shirt.  I used chalk to mark the neckline, sleeves, and hem.   Together, we figured out where she wanted the edges of her vest to be, and then I drew lines right on her.
• Those lines made it very easy to cut off the extra fabric.  Because it was knit, supposedly it wouldn't fray.  This made the project easier in that we didn't stress about turning under every edge, but of course, stretchy fabric is never easy to sew.
• After cutting off all the extra fabric, we sewed a simple, straight seam about an 1/8 of an inch in from the cut edges.  This helped to prevent any tearing or fraying and made the vest look more "finished."
• My Big Helper got a sheet of paper and drew how she wanted the pockets to be laid out on her vest. This gave me an idea of the number of pockets and their proportions to the whole project.
• Then we put the main vest piece aside and spread out the pieces we initially cut off.  
• Using those pieces, we cut out squares and rectangles for the pockets and rectangular pocket flaps.  To make the vest look more "finished," we used the turned-under seams - the parts that had been the sleeve edge and the bottom hem - and used those as the bottom piece of each pocket and the bottom of each pocket flap.  That made each pocket look more uniform.
• She wanted to have "Safari Guide" embroidered on one of the large pockets, so we chose some green embroidery floss and got to work.  It didn't take long, and soon the words she desired adorned the pocket.
• We pinned each pocket and flap in place and then sewed a simple straight seam around the bottom and sides of each pocket.
• For the pocket flaps, I pinned them in place as if they were open and pointing up.  Then I sewed the seam straight across.  Now, when the pocket is closed, you can't see that seam.
• We used Velcro circles to hold each pocket closed.  
• To hold the vest itself closed, we sewed on four buttons rescued from the spare button bin and sewed them on.  Then we cut tiny slits on the opposing side of the vest.  Someday, when I learn how to sew a buttonhole, we'll do a real one, but this works well for now.

The vest that we made is certainly simpler than the fancy one her little brother has, but it works just as well.  We had fun making it together, and she was super excited to wear it when her friends arrived for the safari.  

Come back tomorrow for a recipe worthy of any Olympian!

Don't Judge A Toilet By Its Stains

Today's post includes some yuck.  If you don't like yuck, feel free to skip today's post and come back tomorrow for a nice, calm book review.

Or, if you're one of those people who has a cleaning routine for every five minutes of the day, come back tomorrow.  My crazy attempts to be neater might stress you.  :-)

I've been trying to cut out chemicals from my household for a few years now.  Mostly I've focused on the un-natural additives to our food, but having heard about lots of simple cleaning solutions that were frugal to make and worked well, I considered making some.

But then we ran out of a few simple cleaners, and while I was at a local dollar store, I saw similar items.  Since I always bought a scrubbing powder there for my sinks, bathtub, and toilet, I grabbed some toilet bowl cleaner and sanitizing spray made specifically for the bathrooms.

I'll look up those cleaning recipes later, I reasoned.  I don't want to wait any longer (than the few days it had already been) to clean the bathrooms, so I'll look up those recipes soon and get my cleaning supplies made for the next time.

I took my spray and cleanser home and began to use them.  As always, I sprayed and squirted one bathroom, then moved to the other one and applied the solutions to that one.  Returning to the first one, I scrubbed away - sink, bathtub, toilet, just like always.

The difference came when I returned to the kids' bathroom.  There, no matter how hard I scrubbed, the toilet seat looked like this:

I was quite irritated with this orange-y stain.  I couldn't figure out how it could've gotten there unless someone purposely missed their mark, and since it was on top of the seat, this must've been quite intentional.  Logistically speaking, though, the seat would've had to have been down for a long time, and I have two kids, so it's never down for long.

Couldn't figure it out.

I kept squirting and spraying and cleansing and then one day realized that my toilet had Smurfy blue stripes on one side of the bowl.  They're faint in this picture, but they're there - see'em?

That's when it hit me:  no wayward child had gotten creative in the bathroom.  There were no Smurfs using our toilets.  It was the crazy new cleaning supplies.

I promptly threw out what remained of the new cleansers and mixed up my own using a recipe I found on Pinterest.  Basically, for your regular-strength standard household sanitizing spray, mix 1 part water with 1 part vinegar.  It really can't get much easier.  I'm not sure what took me so long.

The kids love this new solution.  Because I know it's safe, I let them take turns at cleaning their bathtub and sink.  What that means is that I turn a kid loose with a sponge and a spray bottle full of liquid loose in the bathroom.  Then I go rescue said bathroom about fifteen minutes later.  They've totally tackled every stray germ, the room is drippy and sparkling, and completely reeks of pickles. 

Yes, this solution will make your room smell of vinegar, but the smell dissipates in minutes, and then you're left with a sanitized area that you  know is clean and safe - for the kids, for the pets, and for your guests.  No more stray germs or chemicals that turn porcelain and plastic funky colors.

So if you come over to our house and see stains in our bathroom, it's not because we're total slobs and never clean - but because we do.  

My new personal creed:  Don't just a book by its cover.  Don't judge a toilet by its stains.  Love the smell of pickles.

Have you ever tried making your own cleaning supplies?  Have a recipe you love?  I'd love to know more about it!

Quick & Easy Ways to Earn SwagBucks

Yesterday I told you how I purchased my new Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner for only $17 using gift cards earned with SwagBucks.

I thought I'd share my favorite ways to earn SwagBucks with you today.  (Did I mention you earn 100 Bonus SwagBucks if you join today?  It's free to sign up, as always, too!)


It's not even 10 AM yet, and I've earned 31 SwagBucks already today.  Here's how I hit an average of 30 SwagBucks each day:

• Do the Daily Poll.  It's located under the 'earn' tab on the SwagBucks homepage, and it takes about 2 seconds to do.  You can earn one SwagBuck for doing this each day.  That's 365 SwagBucks a year - nearly enough for an Amazon gift card right there.
• Sometimes you'll be prompted after the poll to watch a short video.  Hit play and then go make your breakfast - the videos are short and you earn a few points for letting them play all the way through.
• SEARCHING is by far my favorite.  Usually I'll snag between 7 - 11 a few times a day just for searching the 'Net for the things I want to do anyway - checking the weather, reading the news, or pulling up my favorite blogs.  I've even gotten as many as 50 at a time this way - though that's more rare, and usually on Fridays, when the SwagBuck rewards are higher.
• Check out the Special Offers.  These often include more of those super short videos that you can play through and earn a few.  Today an offer included signing up for a major company's newsletter.  I sent it to my extra email account and earned 23 SwagBucks in literally seconds.

All of these are quick to do and earn SwagBucks, which you can then trade in for gift cards to lots of places - my personal favorite being the Amazon variety, since I can buy about anything there.  I've gotten books for Bible study, digital camerals for Christmas gifts, scooters for birthday presents, and, most recently, my new vacuum cleaner.  It may not seem like 7 here and 11 there is very much, but they add up quickly!

These are my favorite ways to earn, but there are oodles of others, like printing coupons from the SwagBucks website and redeeming them when you shop.  Check it out and see what works best for you!

**You can also earn matching SwagBucks up to 1000 by making a referral.  There are lots of ways to refer others, but it's important to know that TODAY ONLY you can earn extra referral matching Swag, so if you have a friend who hasn't joined, tell them about it today and you could earn your first SwagBucks gift card REALLY fast!

*The above links contain my referral link.  If you join using it, I'll earn matching SwagBucks from you just like you would if a friend signs up from you - but I receive no other compensation from telling you about this - I just love the program!  (I also have my eye on a new bread machine for the family ....)  Thanks for using it.

New Dirt Devil for $17!

When we moved to this house over seven years ago, we bought a new vacuum cleaner.  As it's aged, issues have popped up - and my husband has diligently kept it running.  He's taken it apart, cleaned out tubes, replaced belts, etc.

But this time, nothing will keep it going.  The bottom part doesn't have any suction left - and the tools work through a cracked hose.

So the time came to choose a new vacuum cleaner.

After doing some research, I chose a Dirt Devil.  I found a particular model with great reviews and all the features I wanted - except the price.

Now, I realize that $89 isn't horrible for a sweeper - there are many models that cost many times more than that - but I didn't want to pay more than I had to.

So I checked on Amazon.  After all, I've been stockpiling my SwagBucks for a while now, so I began to turn them in for Amazon gift cards.

On Friday they all arrived in my inbox.  I checked the Amazon price of the sweeper, and it had gone on sale for $17 less than the first sale price that I saw!  After adding my gift cards via SwagBucks into the equation, I was now paying $17 - plus $16.50 for shipping.

Then I saw that if I signed up for an Amazon Prime trial membership, I could save that shipping fee AND my sweeper would arrive in two days instead of five.

So yesterday my brand new Dirt Devil was delivered to the house - all for only $17.  Sure beats that original $89 + $16.50, doesn't it??

If you're new to SwagBucks, it's a great way to earn points for online searches you would do anyway - and then trade them in for gift cards.  Check it out here!  New signees get extra points right now, so it's a great time to join.

**The above links are my affiliate link.  If you join using that, I can earn matching SwagBucks for your first 1000.  There is no other benefit for me.  Thanks for sharing!

New SwagBucks Promotion

 

There's a new SwagBucks promotion beginning tomorrow!


If you're new to SwagBucks, it's a fun way to earn gift cards and other rewards for doing simple things online - like your regular 'Net searches or watching short videos.  I've earned nearly $200 in Amazon gift cards in the past and am about to order a bread machine with Amazon gift cards earned through SwagBucks!  You can learn more about it here.


Now, on to the promotion ...

March Swagness has come to Swagbucks - it's all about you earning bonus Swag Bucks while doing all of the things you’re already doing on Swagbucks. Every day thy’ll give you an earning goal, which you’ll find on their homepage. As you earn Swag Bucks throughout the day, that meter will fill up and when it’s full, you’ll have earned your bonus for the day. The bonus will always be 10% of that day’s goal. 

Be sure to check in everyday, as the earning goal for any given day could be higher or lower than the day before. Your total bonus amount will continue to accumulate each day, and your bonus amount will be applied at by April 5th – this special promotion runs through April 2nd. If you hit the earning goal every single day of March Swagness, your bonus amount will be doubled!

EVERYTHING you earn on Swagbucks counts towards March Swagness – including (but limited to) Search,Surveys, Tasks, Swag Codes, Special Offers, Referral Bucks, Winning TTPTP, Hashtag and Comment hookups – if you earn it from us, it counts towards the day it was earned!

Get your March Swagness on starting tomorrow, when the goal will be 50 Swag Bucks"

Join the SwagBucks Birthday Bash!

Swagbucks is about to turn 4 years old, and they're celebrating with a huge birthday bash - where 4 $1000 prizes will be given away!  

Entering to win is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. RSVP here for the SwagBucks Birthday Bash Team Challenge.  Only takes a second!
2. Pick one of the two parties and RSVP for it - or choose 'surprise me.'
3. You're done!

If you're not familiar with SwagBucks, it's a way of earning virtual 'bucks' that you can then trade in for gift cards and prizes.  One of the easiest ways to earn is just through searching the web.  Since joining less than two years ago, I've earned nearly $200 in Amazon gift cards.  Why not earn prizes for searches that you need to do anyway?

Right now you can sign up using the code BIRTHDAYBASH12 and get an extra 110 SwagBuck bonus - which means you'll start out with 140 instead of the usual 30!  :-)

See you at the party.

SwagBucks: Valentine Collector's Bills

Swagbucks is releasing a new set of Collector's Bills just in time for Valentine's Day - 5 romantic reminders worth different amounts of reward points. Collect them all and get 14 Bonus Swag Bucks to use towards your free stuff! The bills come out at midnight PT on Monday and will be available only through Search until 11:59pm PT on Valentine's Day. Good luck!


** If you're new to SwagBucks, it's basically a search engine that offers points, or swagbucks, in exchange for using it.  You win them randomly as you perform your normal searches, and they can be traded in for gift cards and prizes. If you're not a SwagBucks fan, it's definitely worth checking out.  I've earned close to $200 in Amazon gift cards in less than 2 years!

"The Swiss Courier" by Mike Yorkey and Tricia Goyer - FREE!

You may remember that I recently reviewed Chasing Mona Lisa, the new novel by Mike Yorkey and Tricia Goyer about the planned theft of this famous painting by the Nazis.  Chasing Mona Lisa is actually the sequel to The Swiss Courier, where you first meet Gabi.

I haven't been able to read The Swiss Courier yet, but I've already downloaded my free copy from Barnes and Noble.  The second book was full of intrigue and yet so informative about the time period that it totally draws the reader into the story.  I can't wait to read about how Gabi's life as a spy began.

If you'd like to check out Gabi's story, be sure to download your free copy here before the price changes.

Are You a Daily Dealer?

There's a lot of those daily deal sites out there, and some of them I enjoy more than others.  I don't make use of them too often - we're far enough outside the big city to make some of the ones I'd really like not practical, like traveling weekly for dance lessons - but for the one-time-use events, they can be really great.

Shhh, don't tell, but I bought one of my husband's birthday presents this way.  I think he'll really like it - and I got a great deal!


I've had really good luck with Groupon.  I haven't used the Groupon Now site, but it seems to be very similar - just with a faster turnover time.

What do you think of these kinds of sites?  Have you used them?  Found any great deals?

Meaningful & Frugal Gifts

With the biggest shopping day of the year just around the corner, most of us have at least begun to plan what we'll be gifting to our loved ones this holiday season.  With my birthday in the midst of this craziness and my kids excited about giving me gifts, it's made me remember some of the most exciting gifts I've received - and I realized that most of them cost very little money.

My all time favorite?  A weekend away with my husband and then-baby girl!

"Expensive!" you may say, but no, it was free.

My husband has a friend with a farm, and in the middle of the farm is a small, renovated Civil War-era cabin.  As my birthday approached six years ago, he took them up on their offer for us to spend a weekend there - which was perfect for this full-time teacher with a new baby.  I was stressed and sleep-deprived, and my husband knew it.

The cabin was gorgeous - simple, full of wood and quilts, with no heat except for a fireplace.  My husband kept the whole thing a surprise and packed everything for all of three of us.  When the weekend arrived, he made a few secret trips out there with our stuff and started a fire, then came back and picked up the baby and I.  We spent the weekend playing games, reading, and taking naps by the fire.  He did all the cooking - and even took cleaning supplies to clean out the bathtub and give me a candlelight bath with fresh rose petals!

My husband went to a ton of time and trouble for this weekend, but it cost us nothing - and was a fantastic gift to me.  He knew the best thing he could give me was rest and time together, and this weekend met those needs as nothing else could have.

If you have a weekend retreat, garage apartment, lake house, or empty rental, consider gifting a night or weekend to someone you know.  (Two years ago Red Roof Inn ran a promotion where you could get rooms for $1.15 a night.  I kidnapped my husband and we spent a fun weekend in a nearby town, so watch for special deals, too!)  It would make a most memorable gift!

Looking for a gift on a smaller scale?  Consider these:

• Themed gifts are always fun.  A movie night basket is fun for the whole family.  Throw a movie or rental gift card, some popcorn, candy or cookies, and a candle into popcorn container.
• Date nights are incredible gifts for most couples.  Consider giving a coupon for a few hours of babysitting time.  Paying a babysitter on top of the cost of doing anything out as a couple greatly increases the cost of even the simplest date.  
• Removing regular duties can be a great blessing for new parents.  I love to cook and bake, and that hasn't changed as my family has grown.  It has made it a bit trickier at times, however, and when two colleagues offered to bring us dinner after our daughter was born, we thought it sweet.  When they arrived, however, we discovered that they'd gone all out.  Now, these two are not exactly known for their kitchen skills, even though they're good cooks; they just choose to spend their time elsewhere.  In this case, they delivered a complete meal that showcased their thoughtfulness without pulling them away from their own families.  They brought:  a chicken casserole, a bagged salad, a bottle of salad dressing, a plate of baked brownies, and a carton of ice cream.  Simple, complete, and (somewhat) healthy with the chocolate this new mommy was craving.  Cooking not your thing?  One neighbor offers to do our laundry each time she hears that someone is sick.  

What sorts of frugal gifts do you like to give - and to receive?

Shopping for Christmas - for Free!

Just over a year ago I heard about a program called 'Swagbucks' that allows you to perform your basic online searches but pays you to do it.  I checked it out and it seemed legitimate, so I signed up.  After a few weeks of playing around with it, I had earned enough points to trade them in for a gift card - and so my searching began.

Since then I only search through the SwagBucks site.  This allows me to earn more points and grab gift cards faster - all of which I've turned into gifts or items for our house.  Using my SwagBucks, I buy Amazon gift cards and trade those in for books, a scooter, a SweetPea (children's music player), digital cameras, shoes, and more.

SwagBucks is running a special right now.  If you sign up for the first time before November 17, they'll give you a bonus 80 points.  (Use the promo code SBPAYSFORME.)  Your original sign-up bonus is 30, so you'll begin your SwagBucks career with 110 SwagBucks total.

There are also many other ways to earn SwagBucks, and many of them involve doing what you would normally do anyway.

If you don't use SwagBucks yet, check it out!  Your Christmas budget may thank you.

"Come to the Well" by Casting Crowns

Target is running a special sale on the new Casting Crowns CD called "Come to the Well."  It was just released this week and is currently selling at Target for $11.99.  Making the deal sweeter, if you buy it there before Sunday (when the new sales release), they'll give you a $5 Target gift card back - making your total essentially only $7.

I tried to buy a copy last night, but our Target was sold out.  They're receiving a new shipment on Saturday, though, so if you can't find it, be sure to ask when more might be arriving.  This is a pretty good deal on a new CD - and it features Courageous!


PS - KLOVE is also featuring video devotionals by Mark Hall, the lead singer of Casting Crowns this week, and one watcher can win a visit from Mark Hall to his/her church!

How to Make a Busy Bottle

Disney World is really far away.  Really, really far away, at least to a four-year-old's brain.

So, to make the car trip more fun, I put together a bag of new and fun toys for the trip.  My husband and I made this "busy bottle" as one of the activities.

Modeled after one of those 'Where's Waldo?' type of pillows, this was easy, quick to put together, and best of all - very  inexpensive!

First, I cut an index card to the size of the window I wanted to have, and taped it onto the bottle.  (Be sure to use sturdy tape and make tape doughnuts - otherwise your edges won't be straight.)

Next, my husband used some old spray paint from the basement to paint the entire bottle.  After it dried, I removed the index card, and voila! we had a small viewing window.

Then we scavenged for items to put inside it.  As we found things that would work, I wrote them on another index card and dropped the items into the bottle.  When we had enough, I filled the bottle 2/3 of the way full with dyed pasta.  You could also use dried beans, dried corn, rice, etc.  Making the objects you want to find the same size/color/shape as the filler material ups the difficulty level.

I mod-podged the list of items to find onto the back of the bottle and coated it with another layer to seal it in. Then I glued on the lid to make sure those noodles stayed in there.

That was it!  Now it was time to find all those objects hiding inside.  It's not as easy as it sounds!  Tilt the bottle and shake it as you look through the window.  Can you find them all in one sitting?

This entire project cost us nothing to make and was finished in minutes - and most of that was drying time for the paint and Mod Podge!

My Little Man liked playing with this, and it even kept my father-in-law amused while he waited for a pizza.

What do your kids do on long car trips?

Disney Do's and Don'ts: Know Before You Go

Visiting Walt Disney World is not a cheap venture.  No matter how you go about it, unless you live in Orlando and win free tickets, it's going to cost you.  But there are a few things you can do to maximize the fun and minimize the financial cost.

• Tighten your belt and choose your budget.  Knowing exactly how much you have to spend will help you plan the most bang for your Disney buck.
• Buy an Entertainment Book for Orlando - but not in November.  If possible, wait at least until early spring and then watch for them to go on sale.  I bought ours for only $7 after rebate - and using coupons in the book, we paid only $10 for all four of us to eat our very first meal in Florida.  We more than paid for the book with that one meal - and we used other coupons from it, too.

• Shop around for Disney tickets.  At first glance, there aren't many discounts available - but they are out there.  One of the best deals we found was through our Entertainment Book - 5 day passes for the price of three, with Park Hopper included.  Check for discounts through your business, too.  My husband's company offered the same and other great deals.

There are stands all over Orlando selling 'discounted' Disney tickets, and some say they are a better deal. I know some who prefer to wait and buy their tickets from one of those places - but I'm so glad we didn't.  With our tickets in hand, we knew how much money we had left, we knew how many days we were going to be in the parks, and we weren't trying to scout out the best deal at the last minute.  Don't wait - paying a few dollars more in advance is worth the peace of mind you'll have upon arrival!

•  Get the whole family involved.  After working on our budget, we knew we wouldn't be able to afford every plastic trinket in sight - so we planned for a few quality souvenirs.  Then we discussed our plan as a family.  We let the kids know that we would be cutting out some 'luxuries' from the budget now so that we would have more Disney fun money - and we gave them the option of doing additional chores to add to their own Disney funds.  Grandparents also gave them this option, and an aunt gave them Disney gift cards for their birthdays.  Our Big Helper also chose to run her own lemonade stand this summer to pad her pocketbook.  

My Big Helper was excited to design her own monstrous caramel apple as one of her souvenirs at Goofy's Candy Company in Downtown Disney.

Upon arriving in Florida, we declared the last two days to be shopping days.  During our first few days in the parks, we window shopped and discussed lots of options, but both children were content to wait until later to shop.  This gave them time to see many choices and consider which they liked best - and since they had stashed away a considerable amount, it helped them to make smart choices with their wad.

• Plan!  Plan your lodgings with your schedule in mind - and remember that you have to eat, too.  Having a fridge means that you can keep yogurt and other simple snacks cold, and many hotel rooms now include those. **

We went with extended family who has a time share, and so we were blessed to have a full kitchen.  Wanting to minimize the work, I baked many snacks and several loaves of fruity breads to take along. We ate eggs and the breads for breakfasts, then packed PB & J for lunch and took it into the park.  I added dried fruits and lots of crackers and granola bars to our lunch stash, meaning that all meals and snacks were covered except dinner.  This was huge to our budget!  (I stashed away two big boxes of prepackaged snacks - something I don't usually buy - using coupons and shopping doubles' and triples' sales with them.  I got nearly everything for free - and most of it was fairly healthy.)

**Because we didn't stay in a resort or book our own lodging, I can't speak for most of those options.  I can say, however, that we extended our trip by one night after leaving the timeshare resort, and we found a very nice, very reasonably priced hotel in the Buena Vista area that was clean, had a great pool, and included a fancy continental breakfast.  There are reasonable options available! 

Stay tuned for Disney packing necessities - coming soon.

What vacation preparations save you money on your trip?

Homemade Journals

I recently finished reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  I've been excited about this book for some time, and my husband and I thought that recording our own gifts would be a great way to keep our hearts and minds parked on the abundance that God has given us and not in the sludge that we deal with as part of this life.

I saw pictures of the beautiful journals that Brandee decorated here and thought it sounded like fun, so My Big Helper and I set out to create our own blessings journal (I'd love to have a cute name for it, but no luck so far.  Any suggestions??)

You'll need:  the cheapest notebook you can find (we used the regular comp book picked up at Target for $0.40), two sheets of matching 12" X 12"scrapbook paper, one piece of coordinating 12" X 12" paper, a glue stick, Mod Podge, and a paintbrush to apply it.

Line up one sheet of the scrapbook paper along the bound edge of the notebook.  Cut the paper so that it is much bigger than the front cover of the comp book itself - we cut ours to be about 10" by 12".  Then, using your glue stick, rub glue on the front cover and apply the paper, leaving the binding uncovered.

Open the notebook.  Rub more glue along the edges of the inside cover  and fold it over.  I made a cut diagonally from the corner of the paper to the corner of the notebook to make folding the edges neater.

Glue down and fold over the edges as if you were wrapping a present.

Then, from the coordinating paper, cut two pieces that are 6" x 8 " and one strip that is 2" by 12".  Glue  the former pieces over the inside covers, hiding the printing there and any rough edges that you may have left behind.

Paint a thin layer of Mod Podge onto the binding of the book.  Cover that with the coordinating strip.  Clothespin it and allow it to dry.  Add embellishments to the covers as you'd like.

Your journal is ready to go!

Our whole family is excited about using our new journal, and we've been writing in it as we discuss our day at mealtimes and whenever something strikes us in between.

So, for only $1.15, we have a beautiful journal full of paper that's personalized and ready to go.  Much cheaper than the blank journal books that you buy, and it's every bit as beautiful!

Do you record blessings?  Journal in some way?  How do you record your thoughts?

How to Run a Successful Lemonade Stand

So our Big Helper wanted to have a lemonade stand this summer.  Her daddy used to set one up in his front yard all the time, and we both wanted to see her have some measure of success with this, but who can guarantee that?  We ended up putting all of our heads together for the planning, and her stand far surpassed our expectations.  While we're certainly not business geniuses, here are a few things that (I think) helped her along the way.

- Location, location, location!  We live on a dead-end street, so setting up in our front yard would've brought in exactly zero customers.  But at the end of our dead-end street is a fairly busy road that connects to the local hospital, the high school, and several doctors' offices.  We set up the lemonade stand on that street.

- Advertise!  Our Big Girl painted a large, bright sign to hang from the edges of her table.  She used big letters and bright paint.  She also prepped a message on Facebook to go out to all of my FB friends.

Also, unbeknownst to her, I was taking pictures of the entire process and posting them on FB the morning of - both so that our families could see how hard she was working and so that maybe some of our friends would stop by and support her efforts.  People definitely commented on what she was doing, and several of my friends made it a point to stop by!

(I'm not saying that I go around hitting up my friends for money ... but if they are willing and able to buy a 50 cent cup of lemonade from my daughter to help her learn about economics .... I'm most appreciative.  And of course I'll return the favor when they set up their doughnut stands.  Just sayin'.)

- Be little.  Maybe this goes without saying, but I don't think all of those kind people would've turned their cars around to buy lemonade from my husband.  Or me.  Or any other of-job-age-holding adult.

But for a kid, people went all out.

I know I'm biased - but honestly, who can resist those faces?  It's only a few cents per person - but it adds up fast.

- Sell something to eat.  The cupcakes sold out in about 40 minutes - if that.

I wasn't expecting that, but people shared their rationale.  They couldn't hold an open cup of lemonade in their car, but they could wrap up a cupcake (my Big Girl insisted on providing napkins for just such an emergency) and they sincerely wanted to support her.  This way they could.

Others reminisced about how long it had been since they'd had a cupcake.  One construction worker tipped quite generously in his excitement over seeing them for sale.

A cup of lemonade and a snack make a nice, round cost per person - only $1! - for a snack and drink.

And for those of us female types ... who can resist chocolate??

- Be excited!  My Big Helper was very excited about her lemonade stand, but her bubbly personality doesn't bubble over until she knows you a bit - which presents a problem when greeting unknown customers.

Enter:  The exciteable, older neighbor boys.

These two guys are a few years older than our children, and they are good kids.  They were eager to sample her cupcakes and then stayed to hang out and help.

They convinced her to sit in her princessy chair and wave at oncoming cars ...

and eagerly rode their scooters home to make more signs for her stand.  They said things like, "Honk if you are thirsty" and they jumped up and down and waved near her stand.

THEIR enthusiasm made us all laugh - and kept everyone's energy level high as we sweated in the heat.

Oh - and the lemonade clerk got lots of honks and hand waves after that!

- Watch the weather.  We wanted to set up on July 4th before the fireworks, but it poured something awful.  Instead, we set up during this very hot and humid afternoon, and many people stopped by.

I'm sure that even my cute, enthusiastic daughter couldn't have sold hot chocolate on such a day, though - the weather was perfectly suited for icy lemonade.  So match your product to the event, the season, and the weather.

- End well.  When we had packed up our belongings and returned home, my husband sat down with our kidpreneur.  They counted out the money from her cash register and returned her starting change to her piggy bank.  Then they worked to disperse the money as is proper.

First, she took out her tithe to take to church the next day.

Next, she chose an amount to pay her brother for his help.

Then she set an amount to add to her savings account for educational use someday.

Finally, she took the profit that was left over - still a very large percentage - and added it to her Disney fund.  She's going to have quite the pocket money for mouse ears if she keeps this up!

Has your child run their own lemonade stand or similar business?  What steps did s/he take to make it a success??