Cheap Fun: Autumn Edition

Autumn is in the air- can you feel it? The leaves crunching under your feet, the brisk autumn air, the harvest colors. Okay, not so much in DFW but we can dream, right? Even though seasons seem to change in the blink of an eye here in the metroplex, you and your children can still take advantage of all the opportunities fall offers for fun activities.

• Leaf rubbings – Find a variety of leaves from the yard. Place a sheet of paper over each one and rub with the long side of a crayon. Your little archaeologist will love seeing the shape and details of each leaf come alive!

 

• Collect acorns – This one is easy. Dedicate a shoebox for autumn acorn collecting and keep it by the door for easy access. Acorn activities are endless- sort them by size and color, glue them to a fall scene drawn/painted/colored by your child, or just see how many you can collect over the course of the season!

 

• Make a cornucopia of thanks – For many families, autumn and particularly Thanksgiving is a time for thanks and reflection. Help your children participate by making a cornucopia out of posterboard (here’s a template). Hang it on the wall and let the kiddos draw and cut out things they are thankful for. Tape them to the cornucopia and watch it (and your children’s thankful hearts) grow!

 

• Break out the sidewalk chalk – It’s finally cool in Texas, so grab your bucket of sidewalk chalk and decorate the driveway and sidewalks! Think of and draw an autumn item for each letter of the alphabet (A-apples, B-broomsticks, C-cornucopias). Or, decorate ‘pumpkins’ by drawing giant ones on the pavement.

 

• Visit a pumpkin patch – Most pumpkin patches offer at least a day’s worth of fun activities- hay rides, apple picking, petting zoos, and, of course, pumpkin decorating! Hall’s Pumpkin Farm in Grapevine offers free admission and nominal fees for activities like the corn maze and hayrides. Even better: they are open 7 days a week!

 

• Toast pumpkin seeds – Though cleaning out the ‘gunk guts’ of pumpkins can be a chore and sometimes, an arm workout, the seeds are useful! Separate the seed from the gunk and rinse. Spread olive oil onto a baking sheet, then seeds. Stir the seed to coat, sprinkle on salt, and bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

 

Autumn is a special time of year and one that offers lots of things to see and do for kids and families. Use these ideas to make autumn special for your family!

Enter to WIN $$ for DFW Deals through Juice in the City

A group of moms in Collin County that love to find great deals for their families have come together over the summer to launch Juice in the City in Collin County.

It launched August 16^th and every day there is a new deal for burb moms.  You won’t have to drive very far because their deals are focused on moms who live in Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney and the surrounding burbs.

And there is more…

Burb Mom is giving away THREE $30 credits to Juice in the City to be used toward the deal of your choice!

And over there your money goes a looooooong way.

To enter:

• Sign up for the Juice in the City daily DEAL email and leave us a comment below that you did.  (Note:  if you land on the Dallas-Fort Worth page, click on the “Other Cities” tab and go to the Collin County page to sign up).

 

Want additional entries? (please leave a comment below for EACH entry you completed)

• Post a link to this contest on your Facebook page.
• Send an email to 3 of your DFW friends with a link to this contest (1 entry for each 3 friends emailed).

So, what kind of deals is Juice in the City bringing?

Today’s deal (Friday 8/27):

$75 (70% off ) for a high end professional photo session with Simple Desires Photography.

Let’s face it, getting a five year old to sit still for a photograph is one the hardest challenges out there. So if you’re looking to get some great photos taken of your little ones while they’re still so young and innocent (most of the time), we highly suggest you find a photographer who isn’t into making kids sit like statues! This is why Steve of Simple Desire Photography is superb: he’ll climb all over slides, benches and obstacle courses, allowing your kids to be their energetic selves (even in 90+ degree heat!) and by doing so he gets the essence of his subjects. Why pay for stiff portraits that will always remind you of how stressful that photo session was when you can purchase candid, natural pics you’ll more than happily turn into a shrine on your walls – photos that evoke pleasant memories and show you who your kids REALLY are!   And the best thing about this deal is that you will get a CD of your session.  Simple Desire Photography services anywhere in the DFW area.

Good luck!

The winners will be notified by email.  The contest will end midnight NEXT Friday, September 3.  All prizes provided by Juice in the City – Collin County.

GIVEAWAY from Borden Milk: Winner Announced!

The winner is: Smockity Frocks!

Thanks for participating!

****

Allow me to pull back the curtain here at casa de phillips….we have a picky eater.

Yes, despite my attempts to expose the children to a variety of food and to not fix special meals at dinnertime, somehow we have still managed to have a picky eater residing under our roof.

At least she is cute, so we think we’ll keep her.

Her pickiness is exacerbated by her stubbornness, which makes a force few want to reckon with at the dinner table. As I mentioned, I do not cook separate meals for dinner. Everyone eats the same thing or one simply does not eat. Guess who simply does not eat some nights?

Again, thank goodness she is a pretty funny individual.

In fact the other night the girl refused to sample a bite of dinner (the rule is to try something once before deciding if you like it or not). There were tears. There was whining. There were threats issued.

Then I took a deep breath, channeled my inner Jim Fey and said, “You can either eat some supper or go ahead and go to bed.”

Guess who chose bedtime at 6:00pm at night?

She is nothing if not consistent.

However, my saving grace in the nutrition department with this child is that she loves milk.

Pure, cold, white milk.

(Which is much better than her mama who has to put a “touch” of chocolate syrup in her glass of moo juice each morning.)

Milk is not merely a refreshing beverage, it is a nutrient-rich wellness drink packed with essential vitamins and minerals.

Borden, home of the famous Elise the Cow, was gracious enough to give BurbMom.net a prize package for one lucky reader containing the following items:

Did you happen to notice the FREE milk coupons?

Who doesn’t love free milk???

One might ask why Borden is just handing out free stuff. Well, they want to get the word out about healthy eating habits as families gear up for Back to School time.

Here are a few healthy eating tips from Borden:

Begin the day with breakfast. Studies show that children do better when they start off the day with a meal rich in vitamins, mineral and protein.

 

 Buy fresh, local products.

 

 Eat three meals a day.

 

 Make healthy choices when choosing snacks.

 

 Get three servings of dairy a day – keep single serve reduced or low fat milk available for kids to grab on the go.

 

 Exercise and get at least seven hours of sleep a night.

 

Why choose milk as a healthy beverage, one might ask. Well, Borden wants you to know all the benefits of a tall, cold glass of milk.

Benefits of drinking milk:

·         Milk is the #1 source of calcium, magnesium and potassium

·         With 38% less fat than regular milk, this 2% Reduced Fat milk is the perfect beverage for health conscious and fitness-focused families to keep in the fridge. In fact, Borden Lite Line is fat free milk with an extra vitamin boost that can help kids and parents who are on the go.

·         With added vitamins A, D, B12, C and E, this is a great-tasting, fat-free milk that gets you the right nutrients you need in one glass.

·         All Borden Milk is fresh, local and free of added hormones.

·         Borden Hi Protein Milk Plus gives extra protein our bodies need to stay strong and build muscle.

For those who like to go the organic route when serving dairy to their family (we do!), Borden even has an organic line!

 

Giveaway Details:

 

Want to win the cool prize package from Borden that includes two months of FREE milk?

To enter all you have to do is visit Elise the Cow’s Facebook page and write on her wall that you are entering the contest at www.BurbMom.net. Then leave a comment letting us know about your wall posting and answer this question, “How old is Elise the Cow?”.

Want an extra entry??

Simply retweet the details of this giveaway to all your Twitter followers, then leave a comment letting us know.

Want a third entry???

Come to my house and convince my daughter that eating is fun.

  

*Okay…there is no third entry. But feel free to convince my daughter that healthy food is indeed tasty and fun!

Good Luck! The contest ends Saturday August 21st at 9pm!

Disclosure: Borden sent me the same prize package featured above as compensation for this post.

SHREK the Musical GIVEAWAY {NEW Winner Announced}

UPDATE: We have a WINNER! Congratulations to Candace of Mama Mia you were selected at Random to win a Family 4-Pack of Tickets  to Shrek The Musical on September 28, 2010 at 8pm at Music Hall at Fair Park. Have a great time!!!!! Original was Jenni Pearl, unfortunately, she was unable to attend, so back to Random.org I went and Voila! Candace is our new Winner!! Congrats!

 

This Texas heat is brutal. As much we  love outdoor fun, we are constantly scrambling to find some cool, fun, INdoor activities as well. 

Boy, do I have the perfect treat for you and it is a good one too! 

WooHoo! We are giving away more tickets, to yet another fantastic show, thanks to the great people over at Dallas Summer Musicals!

 

 SHREK THE MUSICAL, based on the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks film that started it all, brings the hilarious story of everyone’s favorite ogre to life on stage. 

In a faraway kingdom turned upside down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre – not a handsome prince – shows up to rescue a feisty princess. Throw in a donkey who won’t shut up, a villain with a SHORT temper, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there’s one on hand… and his name is Shrek. 

Featuring a terrific score of 19 all-new songs, big laughs, great dancing and breathtaking scenery, WWOR-TV proclaims SHREK THE MUSICAL, “FAR, FAR AND AWAY THE FUNNIEST NEW MUSICAL ON BROADWAY!” 

SHREK THE MUSICAL is part romance, part twisted fairy tale and all irreverent fun for everyone!  Oh and I did check the “rating” and according to Dallas Summer Musicals the Appropriateness Rating: “Completely family friendly”*  

For all Shrek fun all the time, visit Shrekster.com and join the Dallas group to share your love for Shrek with fans across the country! 

  

  

Pictured: Eric Petersen (Shrek), Alan Mingo, Jr. (Donkey), Haven Burton (Princess Fiona)  

  

You can purchase tickets at the following locations: Single ticket prices range from $29-133.50 and are on sale now. Tickets will be available at The Box Office, 542 Preston Royal Shopping Center, all Ticketmaster outlets, by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 214-631-ARTS (2787). Group orders of 15 or more may be placed by calling 214-426-GROUP. 

BurbMom.net is giving away a Family 4-Pack of Tickets to Shrek The Musical on September 28, 2010 at 8pm at Music Hall at Fair Park. Your ticket to the show gets you into the State Fair of Texas for free on the same day as your tickets! Parking, food, and additional items not included in prize. 

See, I told you it was good! 

How to enter: 

1. Leave a comment telling us which Shrek character is your favorite & why
2. Tweet/Facebook about this contest and then leave a comment telling us you did so.
3. Blog about this contest, link back to BurbMom.net and then leave a comment telling us so.
4. Like our Facebook Page and then leave us a comment that your now a fan. 

That is 4 whole entries, folks! It just doesn’t get any better than that. 

Deadline to enter is August 31, 2010 at 5pm. We will announce the winner on September 1, 2010 and notify the winner by email. Please leave your email address in your post, so that we can contact you, if we do not have it already.

 GOOD LUCK!

GIVEAWAY – Natalie Merchant!!!! {Winner Announced}

UPDATE: We have a WINNER! Congratulations to Shannon of Milk & Cuddles, you were selected at Random to win 3 tickets to Natalie Merchant Thursday, August 19th! Have a great time!

I teased some of you a few weeks ago and now, we are making it a reality. BurbMom is pleased to giveaway 3 tickets to see Natalie Merchant LIVE in concert on Thursday, August 19th!!!

The AT&T Performing Arts Center and KXT will present Natalie Merchant in concert on August 19 at 8 p.m. in the Center’s Winspear Opera House. The nationwide, tour in support of her new album Leave Your Sleep, will be Merchant’s first major outing in seven years. Merchant and her eight-piece band will perform new material as well as favorites from throughout her career.

Tickets for Natalie Merchant range from $42.50 to $62.50 and can be purchased online at www.attpac.org/nataliemerchant, by phone at 214.880.0202, at the AT&T Performing Arts Center Box Office at the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora Street (Monday through Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm; Sunday 11 am – 4 pm), or at the remote box office at Park Place Lexus Plano at 1025 Preston Road.

NOW………..on to the good stuff!!
(drum roll please)

To enter: leave a comment telling us your favorite Natalie Merchant song. ONE entry per person.

We will choose a winner randomly from all entries on Sunday, August 15th.

GOOD LUCK!!

How to throw a barnyard themed birthday party on a budget…

As the calendar moves closer to my children’s birthdays, I always find myself struggling with the perfect theme for their birthday parties.  I will battle myself on what theme will allow me to make the entire experience of the birthday party – special and unique; something that stands out amongst the many, many birthday parties that children attend in a single year.

This year’s birthday party for my youngest son was a struggle.  I needed a theme that would entertain a wide range of ages, from babies to pre-teens.  I also needed to be mindful of the cost to throw the birthday party.  I needed to stick to a budget while trying to have a great celebration.  After much internal debate, I decided my theme would focus on a barnyard. 

I have never been to a barnyard party, so I was at square-one on ideas for the party.  I checked websites, kept an eye out when shopping, and set my mind in motion for party planning.  I also reached out to my circle of friends for ideas and resources.

Invitations and Tableware

My preference is to start with invitations and decorations.  I use these as my anchors for my party ideas (always referring back to them to make sure my theme flows well).  I was planning my party on a budget (more of the reason for starting the planning process so early), so I checked out several websites and storefronts to look for invites, tableware, and thank you notes.  I ended up ordering mine from a trusted website  that I have used several times in the past.  I get coupons from them regularly and decided to take advantage of being a return customer.  My party was a first birthday party, so I wanted the invitations and tableware to reflect that.  I chose this set and my planning was off to a great start!  (Note:  I only bought a minimal amount of the plates/napkins and substituted plain red to make enough plates for my guests while remaining within my budget.  A good tip for this is to alternate your plates by decorative plate, plain plate, decorative plate, etc.  It makes it less noticeable to your guests that you cut a corner, so to speak.)

  

 Decorations

I had a hard time finding pre-made decorations for the party.  I found a couple of die-cut animal shapes that I purchased, but the rest of the decorations were up to me.  I was ready for the challenge.  I went to a local teacher supply store (Teacher Tools) and bought decorative poster boards, stickers, and butcher paper.  I also went to Hobby Lobby and bought a few items.  I was lucky because when I checked the clearance aisle, they had paper-Mache farm animals on sale for $0.79 each; perfect price tag for my budget.  I used the decorative poster boards to make Happy Birthday banners:

I used craft paint from my own supply closet at home to paint the paper-Mache farm animals, and used them as my table decorations.  Luckily, I have a friend with a ranch, so I borrowed some hay and a saddle from him for the party.  And, I used a bag of rafetta (instead of hay to avoid allergic reactions) in a red wagon from my garage to act as a mini-hayride.

My main decoration for the party was to cover our shed with the butcher paper from the teacher supply store.  I taped it to the front doors and used white duct tape to draw the lines of our “barn”.  The hay borrowed from a friend and a long string of sunflowers (bought on clearance from the craft store) completed our barn look.

Games & Entertainment

I borrowed farm books from my local library and a kids CD that had children’s songs.  The CD just happened to have several barnyard appropriate song selections on it.  We played the music during the party and had a table set up with the library books for the kids to enjoy.  I also pulled out all of the farm/barn related toys in our toy boxes.  (I have three boys, so this was a no-brainer for me.)  I also borrowed a bubble machine from a friend and used it during the party.  My homemade entertainment included a table set up with a planting station.  I had terra-cotta planters, cups of potting soil, a bag of seeds, and stirring sticks at each chair, and two watering cans on the center of the table.  Each child got to plant their own seeds to take home.  This was a big hit with our party crowd.  (And, the planning and cost was very minimal, as I got most of these supplies at Dollar Tree.)

Attire

Our family dressed for the occasion.  The summer heat kept us from donning overalls or anything too warm, so we stuck to denim shorts, white shirts, and bandannas in the back pockets.  I am the only female in our family, so I used my bandana (okay, two bandannas) as my belt and wore my hair in two French braids tied with red and white checked ribbons.  To stretch your dollar even further, take one bandana and cut it into segments for the back pocket.  I got four back pocket bandanas from one full-size bandana.  You only need the corner to hang out the back.

Food / Drinks

I made lil’ smokies (mini sausages wrapped in croissant rolls), tortilla roll-ups, popcorn chicken (from Walmart’s deli), fruit and veggie trays, and chips and dip for our food table.  I also had small silver buckets that contained a mixture of Kix cereal and candy corn, and I labeled it with a small sign that said “Chicken Feed” for the kids.  I iced down juice boxes and bottle waters in ice buckets.  We also iced down popsicles in ice buckets.  I had a pitcher of homemade lemonade (um, well a store-bought jug of lemonade with lemon slices, that I sliced myself, poured into a nice pitcher).

Cake

I wanted cupcakes for our party because it is easier for me.  No knife, no cutting, no messy cake.  I purchased cupcakes in the shape of a barnyard from Kroger.  (Note: I did not get the smash cake for free because I preferred to have cupcakes instead of the traditional cake.)  I had to visit and call several bakeries before finding one that would accommodate my request.  Apparently, some bakeries cannot make special requests as they work strictly from their catalog.  I also made small grab bags of gummy worms as a treat for our guests.  (You can see the painted paper-mache cow mentioned above.)

Extras

I like to hand out goody bags at the end of our parties.  It helps me to say thank you to our guests for coming and celebrating with us.  I had two distinct age groups at this party – baby/toddler and older kiddos/pre-teen.  I made two different sets of goody bags.  The baby/toddler goody bags contained corn shaped water squirters, barnyard stickers, sheriff badges, animal crackers, John Deere fruit snacks, and Cow Tale candies all tied up in bandannas with rafetta and a cow bell.  The older kids got the animal crackers, John Deere fruit snacks and Cow Tale candies tied up with rafetta.  (I found the Cow Tale candy at Dollar Tree.)

Since this was a first birthday for us, I made a time capsule.  I decorated a photo box (bought on sale of course) with stickers.  Then at the party, I asked the guests to each write a special message to the birthday boy and place inside the “time capsule”.  I used blank note cards with barn stickers on them for the guest messages.  After the party, I placed special mementos inside the box, like the “1” birthday candle, a napkin from our theme, pictures from the party, his bandana, etc.  He will be able to open it when he becomes an adult.  Just a little something extra to make it special for the birthday boy.

There are lots of ways to make your party special.  The key for me was a little imagination and lots of love for the birthday boy.  I know one day he will be able to look back on this celebration and know that a lot of love went into planning his first birthday party.  I am proud of myself for sticking to a budget and finding creative ways to accomplish the type of party I was hoping for without spending too much money.  Now, how do I top this for next year?!?!

 

  

Guided Imagery Sparks Child’s Imagination

Use Guided Imagery to Spark Your Child’s Imagination

 

You can give your child a marvelous art education experience that can take your child on a journey of creative discovery. Your child does not have to visit an unusual location in order to illustrate his or her vision of it. An adult can lead this imagination-boosting activity. First, you’ll want to set up an art activity area. Don’t forget a protective table covering, depending upon what kinds of art supplies you plan to make available to your child. Have different sizes of white paper with lots of paints, markers and/or crayons and tools to draw and create. Guided imagery helps children tap their mind’s eye. Speak slowly with inflection as you read the passage below, and then see what blooms from your child’s imagination.

 

A Rain forest Adventure

Let’s visit the rain forest.

Close your eyes. Grab your pretend camera and let’s climb aboard a magic carpet and fly over our neighborhood and out of town and though our country until you reach a tropical rain forest far, far away. Hold on tight as you swoop down through the dense grove of trees. You settle down upon the soft earth below. Keep your eyes closed and let your senses explore your environment. Smell the rich scent of tropic flowers and moist earth. Do you feel the sticky, warm air? Hear the buzzing of insects, whirring of small birds flying nearby, as well as the rustling of animals in the high tree canopies. A snake is lazily coiling around a nearby tree trunk. Is that a monkey overhead?

Let your imagination capture what you see. Snap a few pictures of the amazing scenery. Perhaps it’s a colorful flower, a vast tree canopy, a tropical bird, a big bug, a slithering snake, or a long-tailed monkey swinging from the high branches. One thing is for sure: these are not sights you see at home!

Now, open your eyes and draw some of the pictures taken by your inner vision. Add color and detail that brings the images to life.

Courtesy of Abrakadoodle Remarkable Art™ © 2008 – visit us on the web at www.abrakadoodle.com.

Make your own Play Dough!

 

I recently made this easy play dough recipe for my toddler to play with. I had as much fun as she did! I was sculpting babies for her and flowers and showing her how to mush it up! We had a blast! Thought I’d share the recipe for anyone else that wants to try it this summer!

~Homemade Play dough Recipe~

Ingredient List

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
Food Coloring of your choice

Directions

Step 1) Mix flour, salt and oil, and slowly add the water, cooking over medium heat.

Step 2) Keep stirring until dough becomes stiff.

Step 3) Turn out onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the playdough with your hands until of proper consistency.

Step 4)Use as is, or divide into balls and add a few drops of food coloring to make green, red, yellow and blue. For no mess- mix in a ziplock bag.

Enjoy your play dough!

PS. Be sure to store in airtight container:)

For other ideas:http://milkandcuddles.com/

New Use for Scrapbooking Paper!

“I’m Bored!” Summertime Boredom Busters

The middle of July marks the half-way point of the summer. By this point in the season, children are starting to become a bit restless, standard summer activities of swimming and playing outside are beginning to lose a bit of their luster, and cries of boredom are beginning to escape from little one’s mouths. Below are a list of boredom busters; a collection of tips and tricks to use on restless summer days.

* Make an indoor “sandbox” out of dried beans. Fill an empty plastic container with dried beans, measuring cups and spoons and set the children lose.

*Watercolor with unusual objects. Try watercoloring with a mixture of condensed milk and food coloring or with colored ice. Mix water and food coloring together to make paints to use on food items such as toast and popcorn.

*Construct a tent out of blankets. Gather various books, pillows, and flashlights to create a cozy reading area inside of the tent.

*Get out a “secret” stash of toys. Keep a box full of forgotten kid’s meal toys and birthday favors hidden away until boredom strikes. Such a collection is quite interesting when reintroduced.

*Set up a dish washing station at the kitchen sink. Allow children to wash plastic containers, toy dishes, and nonbreakable kitchen items in a sink of sudsy water.

*Play an indoor game of flashlight tag. Close the blinds, draw the curtains and gather a bounty of flashlights. Play tag by having the person who is “It” attempt to find the others by shining a flashlight on their hiding spaces. After the game is over, enjoy making shadow shapes on the ceiling with the flashlights

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