Friday, August 31, 2012

Swagbucks Mega Friday!!


Today is Mega Swag bucks friday.  

Have you signed up for Swagbucks yet?  


Swagbucks is a search engine that pays you in swagbucks when you search.  Save up your swagbucks for giftcards.  My favorite is amazon gift cards because you can store them in your amazon account and when you need to buy something  you'll have money to spend.  If you start now you could potential earn a lot of swagbucks and help pay for Christmas!  What are you waiting for??  It is free and you can earn lots of swag before Christmas!!

So far this year with minimal effort I've earned $50 in amazon gift cards!  That is not working hard at all just occasionally searching.  Recently I convinced my husband to add the toolbar to his computer and we are earning them twice as fast!!  I expect to be at $200 by Christmas (or more!)


Saturday, August 25, 2012

Free Unity Study Space by Amanda Bennett

Amanda wrote this on her Facebook:

You and your children inspire me in so many ways, and I would like to share a bit of my inspiration with you this weekend. In honor of Neil Armstrong and his pioneering work, I would like to offer a special personal gift for you and your family, and keep the dream alive. For the first 1,000 to use coupon code OneSmallStep to purchase the Space Unit Study (http://www.unitstudy.com/space_Study.html), it will be absolutely free through 8/26/12. Please pass the word along on FB and Twitter and let others know about the offer, and many thanks for caring so much about learning!
Blessings,
Amanda B.
 
 How sweet of her to do this!  I downloaded mine!  Hurry this is a limited time offer!
 

Weekly Link Up to giveaways!

There are two current giveaways on this site:

General Mills/Target/Crayola Giveaway - Ends 8/25

Fiber One Giveaway 8/31


I also am a co-writer over at Astheygrowup.com and we host LOADS of wonderful giveaways there!!

Here are a few of the ones ending soon:

The Flowering House Book - 8/31

The Penniless Princess DVD 8/31

The Gruffalo Child DVD & Book 8/31


I hope you'll get a chance to enter a few of these great giveaways.  If you stop by Astheygrowup.com look on the side bar and you will find all current giveaways, above is just a sampling - the ones ending in a weeks time.



Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Our First Day of Homeschool!

This year we are taking a different journey with our two oldest boys.  Austin is in 7th and Xander in 5th.  Previously we sent them to a fantastic private Christian School but due to financial strains we had to come up with something different.  I know some might turn to public school but I did not feel that to be a great option in the are we live in.  Especially with our oldest, who would have been in Jr High.  I truly believe this is God's Will for our family this year.  Lots of prayers and planning went into this decision.

Ok now on to some happy stuff!!

August 13, 2012


I made this sign for the boys  to surprise them when they woke up. 


We have a very small space for our school area, which is in our kitchen.  (I'll post my organization project and space sometime soon.)  So I wanted somewhere to put up their artwork or papers they were proud of.  If I did the fridge it would have been covered in one day. (for my crafty followers:  I used my cricut and Locker talk , Everyday Paper Doll Cartridge, and Cuttin Up for the Font)






Okay onto the pictures.  We took them in the same place we always do.  I made the boys get dressed that morning and go outside.  John joked about loading them in the car and driving them around the block but we didn't do that.  Dad went and got them donuts from Dunkin for a special morning treat. 
5th Grader!

7th Grader!


All in all it was a great day and a great week.  I'm so excited to see what God has for us this year.  I love seeing my kids grow and learn.  I am learning too!  My personal favorite subject is History and the boys are loving their Science curriculum. 

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies #WIN!!

Have you tried Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies?  I had the opportunity to try them recently in the Chocolate Chip Cookie Flavor.  Can we say YUM! 

Here is some additional information:
New Fiber One® 90 Calorie Brownies: Chocolate Chip Cookie flavor make the perfect afternoon pick-me-up, satisfying your chocolate cravings at work or at home. We recommend keeping a supply at your desk or kitchen snack drawer.


  • Each serving provides 20 percent of the Daily Value of fiber (5g)*
  • Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie flavor features semisweet chocolate chips in a cookie-batter brownie topped with a dark chocolaty flavored drizzle
*3g of total fat per brownie.


Don't believe me?  Well I'm lucky to be able to offer my readers a fab giveaway!! Enter below!!

You can find additional information by visiting the Fiber One Website or "Liking" them on Facebook.

WIN WIN WIN



One Lucky reader will win a Fiber One Prize package that includes:

  • 1 box of Fiber One® 90 Calorie Brownies, the Chocolate Chip Cookie flavor
  • Survival kit including:
    • Brain Stress Ball
    • Water Bottle
    • Ear Tube Buds
    • Office Turf
    • Mini tote bag

Easy Entry!  Visit Fiber One and come back here and leave a comment telling me a product you'd like to try! 

* Be sure to leave a valid email for your entry!

Additional entries! (leave a separate comment for each entry!)




Winner will be notified by email.  Contest ends 8/31/2012 at 11:59 pm.  Winner must email back with proper information with in 48 hours.  Contest opened to USA residents only, random.org will be used in selecting winner. 

“Disclosure:  The product, gift pack, information, and additional sample have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.”

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Save $$ with this coupon for Mott's Medleys!

Mott´s Fruit Flavored Snacks are made with real fruit & vegetable juice* and natural colors+ and flavors and available with year round Double Box Tops! To help you add Mott´s Fruit Flavored Snacks to your kids´ snacking routine, you can visit http://bit.ly/MottsCoupon to download a printable coupon for $0.60 off the purchase of (1) Mott´s® Medleys Fruit Flavored Snacks today! 

 Thanks to Mott´s® through MyBlogSpark for this coupon to share with my readers!  

Friday, August 17, 2012

Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation Available August 21st!!

Oh I love Tiny Toons!  This was  my favorite cartoon years ago.  I even owned Babs and Buster stuffed animals.  I could sing the entire theme song (and know most of it still!)  I was so excited to share this  new DVD Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation with my boys.  They love the Loony Toons so this was a big hit for them!

About:
No more pencils, no more books! It’s the last day of class at Acme Looniversity and the Tiny Toons gang is ready for some summer hi-jinks and fun. Babs and Buster Bunny’s water pistol fight gets a little out of control and turns into a wild and exciting white-water rafting trip. Plucky Duck and Hampton Pig share the most impossibly awful road trip imaginable on their way to HappyWorldLand. Elmyra Duff becomes irritable after losing her cat and wanders off on her own in a wild animal park in search of “cute little kitties to hug and squeeze.” In the meantime, Fifi Le Fume meets film actor Johnny Pew who turns out to be a “skunknophobic” nightmare. It’s a loony summer vacation our Tiny Toons pals won’t soon forget!

Produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation was executive produced by Steven Spielberg.

“Whether you’re a Tiny Toons fan or an admirer of classic Looney Tunes cartoons, this film is a must have if you love animation,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Vice President Family & Animation Marketing and Partner Brands. She added, “Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation combines animation with clever and imaginative writing, resulting in a delightful film the whole family can enjoy.”

Tiny Toon Adventures focuses on the new generation of Looney Tunes characters who study at Acme Looniversity. The series was produced by Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. Animation.  

My Thoughts:

What better way to get kids in the mood for Back to School than a DVD  on Summer Vacation.  Both of my kids giggled along watching the DVD.  Of course as I said earlier I always loved it so I'm not surprised they liked it.  

You can purchase your copy of Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation at your local retailer or order directly from Amazon.com.

**Thank You to Warner Home Video Inc.  for providing a copy for review.  As always all opinions expressed are my own.  **

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Homeschool Curriculum 2012

So one of the things people struggle with is picking curriculum.  We were fortunate to have a good friend that has homeschooled for many years to help us narrow it down! 

Here is our list:

7th Grade:

  • Easy Grammer Plus
  • Daily Grams Grade 7
  • Spelling Workout G
  • Teaching Textbooks 7
  • Apologia Science Swimming Creatures
  • Mystery of History Vol 1
5th Grade:
  • Easy Grammer Grade 5
  • Daily Grams Grade 5
  • Spelling Workout E
  • Teaching Textbooks 5
  •  Apologia Science Swimming Creatures
  • Mystery of History Vol 1

In addition extras we have:
  • Writing Strands Level 3
  • Rosetta Stone Spanish
  • Typing Tutor for Kids
  • Keepers of the Faith Character Studies

The boys will do piano lessons and have required reading as well as Bible reading too.  Those are just the set curriculum books we have.

If you haven't chosen your books for the year! I wish you luck!! There are so many amazing choices and it can be overwelming.  I liked shopping at ChristianBook.com because they have some really low prices, ship fast and you can usually look inside a good bit of every book you have online.  

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

General Mills & Crayola Team up with Target for Back To School! #WIN

This back-to-school season will be as easy as 1-2-3 with a little help from General Mills, Crayola, and Target, the one-stop-shop for all your back-to-school needs! Head to the front of the class and check out www.GrocerySavvy.com where you’ll find even more coupons for back-to-school, recipes, and a special 2012 “Grocery Savvy Crayola® Back To School” Sweepstakes!

I personally LOVE Target, there is one just up the street and it is my favorite one stop shop!  We did most of our back to school shopping there ~ which included many Crayola products!  I love their low prices on snacks (and cleaning products too!)

How about a giveaway!!

WIN WIN WIN

One Lucky Reader will win a Gift Pack that includes:

  • A box of Cheerios
  • $20 Target gift card
  • 8-CT Crayola Dry-Erase Crayons 
Easy entry!  Just leave a comment below telling me  which General Mills and Crayola products they are most excited to see participating?

* Be sure to leave a valid email for your entry!

Additional entries! (leave a separate comment for each entry!)



Winner will be notified by email.  Contest ends 8/29/2012 at 11:59 pm.  Winner must email back with proper information with in 48 hours.  Contest opened to USA residents only, random.org will be used in selecting winner. 



Crayola, General Mills, and Target provided mewith the free product, information and gift pack through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed are my own!

Monday, August 13, 2012

Our New Adventure! Homeschooling the Rup way!

This year we are taking on a new task of homeschooling our two older boys.  Austin is in 7th and Xander in 5th.  I had always been intrigued by the idea but we have a wonderful private Christian school that our kids were fortunate to go to until now.  Finances are very tight this year so it has us thinking outside the box on what to do. 

Well the first thing I did was started praying about what to do.  Then I sought some Godly counsel from a good homeschooling friend.  She met with my husband and I and gave us so much information (particularly on curriculum choices!) Next thing I did was read just about every book our local library had.  (At least 25!!)  I think this really helped me come up with some ideas and thoughts behind it all. 

My Favorites were:

The Well Trained Mind

A Patchwork of Days

The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child 

Each book gave real ideas on how to start your first year.  After much prayer the hubby and I decided that this was the way to go.  Next we went and bought some workbooks for the boys to do for the boys.  In the Summer months we always have them do work but we wanted to start a firm foundation of what was expected when we were doing this for real.  This really helped work out the kinks and attitudes because they realized this was going to be everyday! 

I know it is not going to be easy but I know God is in it 100% and in His will is where I want to be!

More to come on this subject!!


Friday, August 10, 2012

The Cat In The Hat Deluxe Edition DVD & BluRay now available!

Warner Home Video just released The Cat In The Hat Deluxe Edition DVD & BluRay on August 7, 2012.  This is fully re-mastered and comes with two bonus Dr. Suess Classics. 

About:
There’s never a dull moment when the delightfully mischievous Cat in the Hat drops in for a visit. Get set for laughs and good times with one of Dr. Seuss’s most beloved characters when Warner Home Video (WHV) brings the original animated TV special Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat to DVD & Blu-ray™ on August 7, 2012 in a fully re-mastered deluxe edition set. The classic special will be sold in a standard DVD and Blu-ray™. The Blu-ray™ will include the standard DVD edition of the film for initial ship orders only. The Blu-ray™ will retail for $24.98 SRP and the standard DVD will retail for $19.97 SRP.

While their mother is out on a shopping errand, Dick and Sally are stuck indoors on a dull, rainy day, with nothing to do. Their dreary afternoon, however takes an unexpected turn when they’re paid a visit by a charismatic, six-foot tall, hat-wearing cat, who invites himself in to search for his misplaced “moss-covered, three-handled family gredunza.”

Employing the “Calculatus Eliminatus” method, the children help the Cat in the Hat look for his missing keepsake but in the process, leave the house in a mess. Mr. Krinkelbein, the family’s wise pet goldfish, who in effort to look out for the kids’ best interest, protests the Cat in the Hat’s shenanigans and orders him to leave. The Cat in the Hat however, preoccupied with finding his missing “gredunza,” enlists the help of his best friends, Thing One and Thing Two, to help with the search but the pair only manage to bring the house into further disarray.   

Unfazed by the chaos that’s slowly unfolding around them, Dick and Sally are captivated by the Cat in the Hat and his madcap, whimsical ways. They pass the afternoon in sheer delight, singing happy songs and engaging in playful mayhem with their uninvited guest. Even the cynical Mr. Krinkelbein is won over by the Cat’s infectious charm. Everyone is having way too much fun to notice the house is a complete mess! That’s until Dick and Sally hear their mother coming home. How in the world will they clean up the enormous mess before she walks through the front door?

The deluxe edition of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat includes two additional Dr. Seuss classics Daisy-Head Mayzie and The Hoober-Bloob Highway.

Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat is one of Dr. Seuss’s best-known literary works and we’re delighted to bring this timeless classic to consumers in a beautiful, newly remastered edition,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Vice President Family & Animation Marketing and Partner Brands. She added, “Both kids and adults will be captivated by its whimsical story line, clever dialogue, memorable songs and eye-catching animation. Consumers won’t want to miss out on owning this gorgeous new edition of this dearly loved, family film.”


Our thoughts:

The kids found this DVD to be very funny.  It was the hit of movie night.  I really liked that it was the classic Cat in the Hat I remembered as a kid.  I love the whimsical way the cat speaks and the kids cracked up with Thing 1 and Thing 2's antics. 

The Cat in The Hat is available at your local retailers as well as online at Amazon.com.