Saving - Homemade Jack-o-lantern Pizza!

Typically the week of Halloween, the Papa Murphy take and bake stores around here offer a jack-o-lantern pizza for under $10.

But if you have just a little time on your hands, you truly can make your own and save some 'dough'!  (Truly couldn't resist.)

Purchase a homemade pizza dough mix (typically just takes a little water and oil to mix in).  We like the Chef Boyardee pizza kit (grab it at Fareway, it is a little cheaper than HyVee)!  It includes dough mix, sauce and parmesan cheese.  Grab some pepperoni and shredded cheese and you are set. 

Make your homemade crust as directed.  Place on your trusty pizza pan and shape dough with a little "stem" on top.  Add your sauce.  Place on your toppings of choice, cover with cheese.  Use pepperoni (or olives...or both) to make your jackolantern face.   Bake as directed on dough package.

The kids will have so much fun helping you make this festive pizza!

Saving - Preparing For Christmas 2013: Christmas Book Countdown!

I have heard of others doing a fun countdown to Christmas with their little ones where they wrap up Christmas books and each day as they countdown to Christmas, the kids open one up and they all read it. 

I have been meaning to give it a try, but somehow Christmas always sneaks up on me and when you are in the Christmas season already it is hard to find Christmas books at a reasonable (okay, maybe frugal) price.  So last year I wrote it down during Christmas so that after Christmas I could keep my eyes peeled for possibly some on clearance deals.  Well, I found a couple, but I really wanted more than a 2 day countdown, ha!

While shopping rummages in the past few weeks it dawned on me.....why do they have to be new when "new to us" would do just fine!
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I have found an abundance of Christmas books at rummage sales and offered for as little as a quarter!  I have since picked up 12 books paying a total of $5!  The picture above shows the start of my collection; hard cover, soft cover, big, little, you name it.  They are all clean and in nice shape and carefully hidden away awaiting their debut!  I cannot wait to wrap them up for my kids.  They are going to LOVE this!

So, if you have ever considered a Christmas book collection countdown to Christmas it is not too late to do it on the frugal.  Team up with a friend and keep double the eyes open for those awesomely priced Christmas books!

Note: Thrift stores may be another exciting option.

Living - Personalizing Toy Buckets: SuperHero Style!

Some of you may recall a couple months ago when I posted about redoing a headboard for my little man to show off his love for superheros.  I used the wall clings that you can find at several stores (Menards, Walmart, Target to name a few).

I recently purchased a couple red bucket totes from Walmart ($6.84 each) to use for toys and such that would continue the superhero theme.  Red.  I like the red with the grey headboard and of course it is a great superhero color (Spiderman, Captain America, Superman, etc love red too.)

The other day it dawned on me that I had some of the wall clings left from the headboard and frame projects.  So, I put a few of them to good use!  I stuck them right to the buckets!  Love, love, love them!

And no where else will you find Spiderman buckets like these!  I am really loving these clings!  They would make for the perfect uplift to any tote or all those clear storage containers I have around the house! 

Let us know what fun things you have done with wall clings, besides sticking them to the wall.  Leave a comment below or feel free to send me an email with a picture!

Living - Colored Compartment Activity For Kids!

I have been brainstorming and searching for ideas to keep the kids active in learning and exploring this summer.  Knowing how much my kids love to be outdoors, I decided it would be fun to add a twist to our trips anywhere we will be outside.

These fun colored compartment containers (or "partment tainers" as my 3 year old calls them) are simple and cheap to make and can be utilized in so many ways.  Here are just a few ideas that the kids and I have come up with so far while heading to great outdoor places:
*Explore all over for items to put in each compartment, based on the color.
*Search for bugs that may fit the color of each compartment
*Type up a scavenger hunt to have kids search for specific items to fit in the container (great for kids who are learning to read, to keep them active on reading this summer)
*Ignore the colors and just use them as fun collection containers
*If you are working on counting with your youngster, you could ask them to find "3" brown items, "3 black items", etc.  This will help them count out the number of items you want to work on.
*On rainy days, use indoors searching the house for items to put in the the different compartments based on color or again, create and indoor scavenger hunt

You can make many of these ideas just a leisurely and fun trip, or team up in pairs and compete (maybe for older kids). 

And here is how to make your very own "partment tainers":

It all starts with a trip to Dollar Tree to grab the twice a day pill organizer, for you guessed it $1.  (If you want fewer compartments, you can grab the 1 a day pill organizers they offer.) 

These are great containers with 14 compartments that each snap shut to hold their goodies inside.  Don't have a Dollar Tree around you, I have seen the pill containers sold in many other stores like Walmart, Target, etc.

The next step is to color each compartment with different colors.  If you want to make a couple compartments the same color you can do this as well (for example: brown is a popular outdoor color, so you may want to make 2 compartments brown for the kids to grab a couple things that are brown), since some of the colors I have shown are a little harder to find. :-)

To color the compartments I used paints I had on hand to save on cost.  You could also use permanent markers. 

One of the compartments I chose to paint white and added some silver glitter to it.  This is the compartment to use if they find something sparkly.  And one of the compartments I left "blank".  The kids are encouraged to put a surprise item in there to show us when we are all done.  They can talk about where they found it, or why it was special to them, etc.

My kids have had so much fun with these.  It has also sparked some interaction with other kids while at the park (my kids are a bit shy at meeting new friends, so this has been great).

Some of the fun things the kids have found to add to their compartments:
walnut pieces
feathers
penny
weed flowers (all different colors)
sand
grass
rocks
tree bark
ants
sidewalk chalk :-)
and so much more!

I hope you enjoy!  Be sure to come back and share your stories!

Living - In The Harty Kitchen: Jack-O-Lantern Pizza!

Papa Murphy's typically offers a Jack-O-Lantern Pizza this time of year as a limited time offer.  A couple years ago it gave me an idea (oh yes, the light bulb turned on).  Why can't we do that at home?!  Get the kids involved, have some fun with our food and be festive all at the same time.

So, as I have posted in the past, we put together our very own homemade Jack-O-Lantern pizza at a budget-friendly price.

And just in time for this great pizza, HyVee has some sale items and there is a great coupon to help out!

Here's What You Need:
*Pizza Crust - HyVee has Betty Crocker pizza crust on sale $.79
*Sauce - Grab the Hunts Spaghetti Sauce on sale this week for $1 and add a little Italian seasoning (freeze remaining sauce for the next use)
*Toppings - Get Hormel Canadian Bacon for around $.50 with the $1.50 coupon posted here - appears to not be available anymore...so go over here and grab a $1 coupon.
*Cheese - previously on sale $2
= Under $4.50 for homemade pizza!

Check out this post for more details!

Living - Remembering The "Good", When Trying to Make it Through the Tough!

Picture thanks to inchmark!

For the past couple weeks, my little guy (age 2 1/2) has been going through a major funk.  I am not sure if he is experiencing growing pains, getting in more molars or just teetering with confirming his levels of independance.

No matter, it has been a tough couple of weeks.  I came across this ADORABLE idea tonight and will be adding this to my daily life.  Essentially it is a memory jar.

When your kiddos say something that makes you laugh out loud or warm inside, or just plain proud...write it down on the nearest scrap paper (old receipt, gum wrapper, etc) and jot it down before you forget.  Throw it in a cute jar and store it nearby so that you can grab it when you are having a 'rough spot' to bring a little joy to your day!

I have used a calendar to write quotes or stories and even write a journal to each of my children (limited entries, I'll be honest)...but it seems the 'little joys' that happen throughout the day get forgotten.  So I am really digging this idea to capture some of those little things!

And I think this will be an awesome jar to have as a scrapbooking buddy!  Looking for a way to document some of those fun moments so the kids can enjoy them later, include them in their scrapbooks (which by the way, I intend to get back to soon)! 

Oh boy, the warm fuzzies are all over tonight!  And the creativity is running through my veins now!  How will I ever get to sleep?!

How do you document those little moments that bring you to tears from laughter or that leave you saying, "awww!"?

Living - Weekend Activities: Try Something Random!

Here are a few activities for the family or the kiddos this weekend in and around Sioux Falls.  Try something Random this weekend, something different and new.  Enjoy your time together.  Have a great weekend!


Saturday
**Lowes Build & Grow Workshop, make a wooden tow truck 10 AM - here


**Animal Enrichment Day at Great Plains Zoo 1-4 PM free for zoo members or paid entrance - here


**Youth Awareness Family Festival at Covell Lake 11 AM - 8 PM - here


**Brookings Summer Arts Festival - here


**Dutch Oven Gathering at Big Sioux Recreation Area in Brandon 3:30 PM - here


**Hot Harley Nights motorcycle parade 6:30 PM - here


**Moonlight Movie at Fawick Park, starting at around 9 PM, showing Suart Little 3 - here


Sunday
**Great Plains Zoomobile visits HyVee on Sycamore & 26th 12:30-3:30 PM - here


**Sioux Falls Municipal Band Concert at Terrace Park 8 PM - here


**Brookings Summer Arts Festival - here

Living - Random Fun This Weekend!

Below you can find a listing of random fun for kiddos or the whole family.  Items in red are "free" activities.  Enjoy your weekend!

Friday
*Barnes & Noble Storytime 7 PM - Get Ready for Father's Day - stories about dad and special make and take

*Free Kids Tractor Pull in Tea, starting at 6:30 PM - here

*Live outdoor music downtown 6-8 PM - here

Saturday
*Saturday Morning Cartoon Classics at Oak View Branch Library 10 AM - 12 PM - here

*Tabor Czech Days - here

*Hartford Jamboree Days - here

*Tea Pot Days Parade in Teat 10 AM - here

*Tea Pot Days Activities - here

*Barnes & Noble Book Fair at Washington Pavilion 10 AM - 2 PM, including Free art stations and pirate science activities - here

*Festival of Cultures 11 AM - 7 PM - here

*How To Train Your Dragon at Fawick Park at dusk - here

*Take Your Best Shot Photo Workshop at Garretson Palisades State Park 2 PM - all levels of photographers welcome - here

*Model Railroad Open House at Fairgrounds 10 AM - 4 PM - here

Sunday
*Municipal Band concert McKennan Park band shell 3 PM - here

*Municipal Band concert "For the Dads" Terrace Park 8 PM - here

Saving - Kids Bowl Free Program!

You can register daily for up to 2 Free bowling games per child all summer long, thanks to Kids Bowl Free!

Go over here to look for your participating bowling center.

Living - Locals: Summer Reading Log = Free Prizes at Library!

Isn't it interesting how quickly reading during the summer can be forgotten among the hustle and bustle of all the other activities going on!  Well, the Siouxland Libraries want to help the youngsters stay active in their reading (or being read to) this summer!

Complete 30 days of reading (or being read to) for at least 20 minutes each day by August 6th and you can turn your completed log into a Siouxland Library to earn some prizes.

This is open to Preschool to 5th grade ages.

Go over here to print your log or track your days online here.

Living - Frugal "Clean" Fun With The Kids!

Today I decided I needed to wash my car by hand.  After filling the bucket with soapy water, I should have known it was going to attract my kids over to help.  They "helped" place the bubbles on the car as I scrubbed away.

After deciding to be finished trying to wash the car, I decided to fill a bucket with fresh water and bubbles and let the kids play.

They had a blast!  They enjoyed throwing the bubbles, wiping them on the driveway, blowing them, wiping them all over themselves and eachother, etc!  What a easy, frugal and "clean" way to have fun!

We will certainly give this one a whirl again!

Simply add a bit of dish soap to a bucket and add water (the higher pressure the better for making the bubbles take over!) and then enjoy!

Living - Just For Fun Halloween Dress Up Dolls FREE Printable!

How cute and how fun!  Go over here to Babalisme to get your free download of the cute dress up dolls in the picture above.  A fun and free activity to do with your kiddos!