Earning money from doing chores works for my kids and I’m sure it works for many of your kids/grandkids too. Today I want to share how I have an organized chore chart with money that...
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*We’re teaming up with Barnes & Noble to tell you about their fun, free summer storytime programs.
One of the most valuable gifts you can give your child is the gift of literacy.
Literacy includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing and is the doorway to the world. It begins in the womb, as a growing infant hears his mother’s voice and the sounds of the world outside. Literacy continues from birth as a baby hears birds outside, laughter of siblings as they run around, and words and stories from books.
Never discredit the importance of exposing babies and children to books.
Reading to your child, at any age, is never a wasted breath. Babies especially benefit from being read to as it rocket boosts learning. The sounds of words, the inflection in your voice, and the colorful illustrations of a book provide your baby with sensory experiences that are critical to development.
You can expose your child to fun early literacy opportunities at Barnes & Noble this summer!
When: Every Saturday at 11am
Where: Your nearest Barnes & Noble
What: Entertaining storytime and activities geared toward kids 2-5 years old that follow a fun, age-appropriate theme. Free.
When: Sundays at 11am, starting June 2nd through August 25th
Where: Your nearest Barnes & Noble
What: A fun, free Baby & Me Storytime for parents and babies ages 0-24 months old.
Baby & Me Storytime is so much fun! It’s an interactive learning experience for babies to get hands-on with books and gain those pre-literacy skills.
Each month focuses on a popular board book series like Alpha Prints, Busy Bee Board Books, and STEM-based board books from Chris Ferrie.
Make Barnes & Noble Storytime part of your summer fun. The best part…it’s free! Check out the Baby & Me schedule and mark it on your smart calendar:
Reading to children is more influential than we can possibly understand. Give your child a head start in literacy. Give them unique sensory experiences and language opportunities that will become the foundation of their learning and growth. Help your child become friends with books.
Head to Barnes & Noble and make literacy an important part of your summer fun. Check out these summer reading recommendations for all ages!
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This may be a new farmhouse, but it has a long history behind it. The Nall Farmhouse that originally sat on this property in Prairie View, Kansas, was built by Thomas Nall in 1890. A series of clunky additions were made to it over the decades, however, and it had fallen into serious disrepair. After […]
The post Recreating the Look of an Old Farmhouse in Kansas appeared first on Hooked on Houses.
About a month ago, my husband and I were eating out at one of our favorite restaurants and we decided to try a delicious steak and roasted red pepper flatbread appetizer they had on the menu. You guys, it blew my mind! The flavors were amazing. I knew I HAD to figure out a copycat recipe so I could make this at home whenever the mood strikes. And you know, I think I did it!!
And because I love you, and want you to be able to enjoy all this flatbread goodness in YOUR homes, I’m going to share the recipe with you!
Now, let’s just take a moment and look at the pre-oven gloriousness! You can see the steak was cooked more rare than I normally like, but that was intentional as the steak will continue to cook in the oven with the flatbread. Also, I chose to use naan as our flatbread – I like how the edges crisped up nicely but the middle was still pillowy soft. Oh, man – I might make this again tomorrow!
You can take the flatbread out of the oven as soon as the cheese is melted, or turn on the broiler and let it broil for 2-3 minutes. If you really prefer your flatbread a little crisper, you can toast the bread before layering on the toppings. Or bake directly on the oven rack with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any bits that fall through.
The second my kids walked in the kitchen, they said “Mom! It smells so good in here!” – and they weren’t lying!
We like to slice them up and serve them with a little balsamic vinaigrette drizzled over the top. This step is optional – but SOOO yummy!
You can have your kids add their own toppings – make it like a family pizza night! This flatbread is as good as anything you’d get in a restaurant, I promise. It is delicious served with any one of our yummy summer salads:
It would taste great especially this yummy southwestern summer salad:
Ingredients
Instructions
The post Amazing Steak and Roasted Red Pepper Flatbread appeared first on How Does She.
These 20 Keto-friendly desserts are perfect for staying in ketosis or for the next time you need a healthy sweet treat. Made with Keto-compliant sugar substitutes, you’ll discover delicious desserts such as brownies, cakes, cheesecakes,...
The post The Best Keto Desserts appeared first on Smart School House.
I recently had the chance to see the classic Audrey Hepburn-Rex Harrison musical My Fair Lady in our local movie theater, and I fell in with it all over again. It had been years since I’d seen it, and I was surprised to realize I still remembered most of the words to the songs. Amazing how […]
The post The Loverly Sets from the Audrey Hepburn Movie “My Fair Lady” appeared first on Hooked on Houses.
Over the years, my kids have brought home plenty of fundraisers, from bake sales, to carnivals and each time I utter an inward groan. What is it about typical fundraising ideas that make us want to just throw a few bills back and say, “There you go…now leave me alone.”
But these fundraisers…these fundraisers are more like FUNdraisers, with a major emphasis on the fun. If your school, church, or organization needs to raise money for a worthy cause, try these crazy cool ideas!
Turning a normally against-the-rules activity, like painting on the wall, into a fundraiser is not only genius, it’s effective. Take one wall of your school/church/business and turn it into a tagging wall. Charge $25-$50 per square foot for artists to showcase their work on. Make sure to set clear rules and guidelines about what is acceptable. Ask artists to supply their own supplies to keep down on your costs, or ask local businesses to donate paint and brushes.
(Photo by Kyle Ryan on Unsplash.com)
The art wall stays up all year long where people can admire it. Next year, paint over it and hold the fundraiser again. It will make for a beautiful mural wall plus raise money for your cause.
My nephew did this fundraiser in conjunction with his fifth grade research project and I thought it was amazing. Each student had to research an influential person from history. They studied, wrote a report, made a display, and then wore a costume of that person. The goal was to look like a wax figure of their influential person.
Subjects ranged from Abraham Lincoln, to Julia Child, to Martin Luther King Jr. Students set up their booths in the hallway of the school and all classes and parents were invited to walk down the hall, see the reports, and put quarters into the jars at each student’s station.
The class raised $900 for their school. What a fantastic fundraiser idea that kids can learn from and parents actually want to do.
This is one of my kids’ favorite elementary school fundraising ideas and it requires very little effort and zero expense. For one week, the school places out 10 buckets with a teacher’s picture on it. Kids and parents are encouraged to drop their loose change and/or donation into the teacher’s bucket of whom they’d like to see kiss a pig.
(Photo by Forest Simon on Unsplash)
At the end of the week, the teacher whose bucket has the most money kisses a pig at an assembly in front of the student body. The kids love it!
This is a fundraiser where everyone wins, plus it makes for an impressive display. Here’s what you do: first, get local businesses to donate gift cards, services, or gifts (or check out UltimateDonations.org where you can find donors and prizes quickly online). Next, wrap the gifts in various-sized boxes and wrap them (who doesn’t love a mystery gift?). Display them in your establishment for a grandiose effect.
Charge a set amount ($25, $50, $100 etc.) for each gift. The donor gets to choose his or her gift and it’s the magic of a blind bag for young and old.
Parents love this fundraiser because it says exactly what everyone is thinking.
Now this is a FUNdraiser! What you do is get a ton of plastic lawn flamingos (you can find them in bulk on Amazon or eBay). You can have a local business sponsor the event and buy the flamingos. Charge $25 per flamingo and the donor gets to decorate/personalize/bedazzle his or her flamingo as they wish and place. All flamingos are displayed on the lawn of your school/library/church for everyone to see.
It’s a fun and unique idea that also draws attention to your cause in a very bright and visual way.
Everyone loves their pet, right? Here’s a fun way for pet owners to put their favorite animal friends on display and help raise money for a good cause.
Invite community pet owners to dress up their pets and participate in a “petting booth.” You can sell tickets to the event or put quarters in the cans of the pets you want to visit. Be prepared with rolls of quarters that participants can buy.
So before you opt for the usual fundraising ideas, think about getting creative. You’ll see a huge boost in contributions and find that people are actually excited about giving to your cause.
You might also like:
The post 7 Crazy-Cool Fundraising Ideas People Will Actually Want To Do appeared first on How Does She.
***This post is sponsored by RewardStyle and Walmart. All opinions are our own! We’re really loving the clothes there!***
There’s been quite a bit of buzz in the blogger world (and with my girlfriends in real life!) about Walmart. Have you checked out their clothing lately? I’ve honestly made it a part of our routine to browse the women’s section each time we go, and of course browse online. I’ve just been genuinely impressed by the options I’ve found there for myself AND my kiddos. The styles are on point, and the prices are totally budget friendly! See what I mean by checking out this page, or scroll on to see two summer outfits that pack a mean style punch, at a price you’ll LOVE!
First up was this gorgeous peplum floral top. I love tops like this because they’re really versatile. You can pair them with a basic denim, like these, or dress them up with a skirt and heels. The peplum bottom hem really adds a flirty touch too! Floral not your thing? It comes in a few other prints and colors here.
I am also LOVING these straight leg jeans. They have a structured/slim design, but aren’t SUPER skinny like many styles are right now. I feel like not only are they more comfortable, they also provide a slightly more casual look that will go well all Summer long.
They’re versatile! Throw them on with t-shirt and slip on sneaker and go!
I paired them with THE most amazing shoe, which I felt really dressed them up! Can we just take a moment of silence for these shoes? They look SO designer, but cost a fraction of the price! I love that they’re heeled, but the heel isn’t UBER tall. It’s a perfect middle of the road heel! Cute enough for a special event. Comfy enough for every day!
I also accessorized this outfit with something that is quickly becoming a STAPLE in my life. This crossbody bag. I’m a sucker for a good crossbody. I feel like it’s just the perfect “on the go” style bag. My issue, however, is that most of the crossbody purses I find, are too small for ALL my stuff!!! (Let’s just say I don’t travel light most of the time!). This cross body is a classic design that will never go out of style, and the actual body of the bag was big enough for ALL my stuff. That’s a win win!
I put this together with summer BBQs on the brain. I always need something casual, yet put together and found it!
This striped boatneck top has the classic, nautical vibe you can NEVER go wrong with.
I particularly loved the red and white combo because it just screams summer to me. Not to mention, makes it easy to pull off the patriotic vibe come Memorial Day and the 4th of july!
(I did size up one size so that I could pull off the half tuck!)
Now, these shorts. I prefer a bermuda length short, but sometimes bermuda shorts can look SO frumpy. I thought these white bermudas fit super well. Not too snug or too loose, and a great length! They have a little stretch to them, but seemed to keep their shape ALL day. Thank goodness, because there’s nothing worse than shorts you have to be constantly pulling up by the end of the day!
Finally, to top off this summer high style look on a budget, I snagged these sandals.
If sandals were an indicator of happiness, these would be off the charts. You see, they’re JUST like a designer pair I’ve been eyeing for quite some time, but the price is AMAZING!!! They’ll never go out of style, and I know you’ll be just like me – constantly going back for them! Plus at $8, you can afford to get BOTH colors – white and tan!
No, that wasn’t a typo. They’re really only $8! Check them out here.
As you can see, Walmart really does have SO many fun options for summer, not just for mom, but even for the whole family! I love that they not only carry their own brands, but they also have a lot of 3rd party brands on their website, some of which are high end! It makes them even more a one stop shop for a high style look on a budget! Be sure to check out a LOT of new styles HERE.
The post The Look for Less: Getting a high style look on a budget appeared first on How Does She.
Summer salad recipes are an easy and delicious way to enjoy all the produce that’s in season now. This collection of 20 delectable summer salads showcases fresh, seasonal ingredients that are loaded with flavor and...
The post Summer Salads appeared first on Smart School House.
For eight years I made a serious mistake, over and over again. It’s one that caused my husband and myself physical pain and loss of sleep. It is a mistake that I bet many of you are also making every night: sleeping on a bad mattress. We are thrilled to partner with LUFT to keep you from making the same eight-year mistake I did.
It’s stupid really, how and why we suffered through a terrible mattress for so long. Like the first bed in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, our mattress was way too soft. After a year of sleeping on it, our bed developed two big body cavities where my husband and I slept. Every morning it was like climbing out of a coffin. For eight years we woke up sore and never felt fully rested.
Do you know the number one reason we stayed with that mattress for so long? Because we just couldn’t stomach the mattress-buying process. And who can? Hours on a precious weekend spent driving to multiple mattress stores, being confronted by salespeople whom you wonder, do they really have my best interest at heart? Nobody wants to do that.
I don’t know about you, but I have four kids and I’d rather spend my Saturdays at their little league games than mattress shopping. That’s how one bad night’s sleep turned into eight years of cruddy slumber. But not anymore! There’s a much better way and I am ecstatic to tell you about it!
If you’ve already heard of LUFT Beds (pronounced looft) I wouldn’t be surprised. LUFT just became the official Rest and Recovery mattress of the 2019 NFL Draftees. And from the NBA, to celebrities, to health gurus and pediatricians—everyone is raving about the mattress that is revolutionizing the sleep world.
Check out the adorable and short video below to see how LUFT works in a nutshell!
All this buzz is for good reason. LUFT Beds are convenient, affordable (see extra promo codes below!), and the safest mattress on the market, and that’s exactly why we finally made the switch and I’ve slept better than I have in nearly a decade.
LUFT and Little Luft mattresses (made especially for children) are incredibly easy to shop for and they have FREE speedy delivery right to your door. There is no time wasted driving from store to store, no salespeople, and no headache in the LUFT buying experience.
A good mattress is like a great pair of jeans…designed to fit your unique shape. That’s why LUFT offers three hybrid models, each with a combination of great foams and springs designed by sleep experts to fit your unique body and sleep needs.
To pick out your perfect mattress, go to luftbeds.com and follow their online guide, or call in to speak to one of their friendly sleep experts. They can help you pick out the bed that is right for you.
After you order, the mattress shows up on your door in an easy-to-carry box from UPS.
Simply take it out of the box, release from the plastic, and it’s incredible how quick your mattress is ready to go!
If you’ve ever stepped inside a mattress store, you know how confusing and expensive mattress buying can be. There are too many choices and over-inflated price tags. Did you know that stores mark up their mattresses as much as 70%? That’s crazy!
LUFT mattresses are so affordable—in fact, you can replace ALL of the mattresses in your house with LUFT and Little LUFT mattresses for less than what it would cost to buy a mattress in the store. And you’re getting a high-end mattress that’s crafted right here in the United States with locally sourced, American-made materials!
Purchasing a LUFT mattress in a store would easily cost $3,499, making the online price of $1,099 an insane value! (Just as a frame of reference, we bought our terrible mattress for $1,000.)
Plus, HowDoesShe readers can use the CODES BELOW to score a HUGE deal! This an offer that would be crazy to pass up!
HDSKing ($300 off a king)
HDSQueen ($200 off a Queen)
HDS150 ($150 off twins and fulls)
HDSLittle ($25 off Little Luft)
There’s a secret the mattress industry doesn’t want you to know, and the secret is that many mattresses today are imported with questionable and potentially hazardous materials. In fact, mattresses today can be considered the new lead paint of our generation. They can be full of VOC’s and harsh chemicals that have absolutely no place near our skin and especially our children.
As mentioned above, LUFT is 100% hand-crafted in the USA, in Watertown WI, with multiple safety certifications, including Okeo-Tex certified (the highest independent ratings in fabric) which guarantees all LUFT mattresses are free of harsh chemicals and carcinogens. It’s the safest mattress out there for your family. I don’t know about you, but I feel better knowing that my family won’t get cancer from their mattresses.
One of the things I will forever love about LUFT is that they care so passionately about kids. LUFT is on a mission to make honest, safe, luxury sleep products affordable for every room in your home and Little LUFT is a testament of that.
Most mattresses kids sleep on are the cheapest ones, made of who knows what. Little LUFT was inspired by a mom whose young son has seizures. She wanted to make safe sleep products for children that did not cost a fortune. Thus Little LUFT was born.
It’s the safest, most affordable mattress out there, made to support bodies weighing 30-175 lbs. You can get a Little LUFT mattress for only $299 shipped to your door. Why wouldn’t you want peace of mind and a safer sleep for your child? To me, for only $299, that’s a no-brainer.
Switch your child’s current mattress to a Little LUFT now!
A good mattress is not only nice, it is essential. It affects everything! Your physical health, your ability to work and play, the quality time you spend with your family.
When I think back to how many simple yet profound moments have taken place on my bed, I realize how central our mattress is to our everyday life. My kids learned to read here, they climb into my bed after they’ve had a bad dream. Some of our most important life decisions have been made during pillow talk.
Don’t make the same mistake I did; don’t waste a second more on a bad mattress. Switch to LUFT and see the incredible difference.
The post The Serious Mistake I Made for 8 Years: LUFT Revolution appeared first on How Does She.
UTV plowing deep snow How much snow can a UTV push? Let's see if it can plow 8" of heavy wet snow on long runs over a gravel drive...
