Vegetarian Mamma

GroundHog Craft via Lucky Me!

2012-02-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Happy GroundHog's Day! So are you team shadow or not? :)

Kim, over at Lucky Me! blog, has posted a cute and easy craft for GroundHog's day! You can use supplies you already have at home! If you don't have googly eyes you can draw them on or glue on white/black circles for eyes!

Click here, to see her original post!

Happy 3rd Year Blogoversary! Giveaway #2 FREE Riceworks Coupons

2012-02-01T10:43:00.006-05:00

We can't believe its been 3 years already that we have been blogging! The time has went quickly! We recently hosted a House Party for Riceworks. They were AWESOME and healthy chips! I have 2 coupons for FREE bags of chips to giveaway! There will be 1 winner, the winner will receive 2 coupons for free Riceworks chips (2 chip bags).

If Widget is not working to enter, please click this link to enter.

Preschool Busy Bag Swap...Sign Up is OPEN!

2012-02-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

Here is some information about our swap!
I have adapted and used the criteria for our Preschool School Busy Bag Swap from HERE. All of the busy bags in this swap must meet the following criteria.
Self-contained. This way, you can just grab a bag and GO! (without having to add a number of supplies to the bag in order to make it useful.)

Transportable. Yes, they will definitely be used at home, but I want to be able to grab a few bags to take to a restaurant, a waiting room, plane trips, car rides, etc.

Convenient. None of the bags will have supplies that require major set-up or clean-up: (no paint, watercolors, liquids, sand, dirt, etc.)

Inexpensive. Don't spend the world on this project! This needs to be affordable. The aim to is spend around $1 per bag you make. You are welcome to spend more or less! Let's see how frugal you can be!

Easy to Make: We are busy busy in our lives! We don't want to spend days and days making these bags!

Re-usable. These activities should last a while! Therefore, we avoided activities where you would have to buy new supplies to re-stock the bag. This is why lamination is important for some of the activities.

Here are the options for this Busy Bag Swap. It will be a preschool swap. The activities are geared towards children 3-6. However, you know your child best, if your child isn't in that age group but his/her skills match this set of activities, please feel free to sign up! Please review the items below as you will be asked to rank your top 5 items on the sign up form.
Language Arts/Phonics:

A-Z Spoon Match For this activity you will need to print the PDF and laminate both pages. Get 26 spoons and label each one with a CAPITAL letter. So each spoon should have 1 letter. (A-Z)

Upper/Lower case letter match Print the first two pages of the PDF and laminate. Provide enough "marker pieces" for each letter match set. For example, you can use coins, poms etc. Children will see the uppercase "A" and place the "marker piece" over the lowercase "a".

Felt Alphabet Tiles This is an activity where children can order letters of the alphabet or create words! (Each participate will receive a felt mat and 26 felt alphabet tiles.)

Uppercase Clothes Pin Match With this activity the child will use their fine motor skills to pitch the clothes pin and place it on the correct matching letter. (Each participant will get a laminated upper case alphabet wheel (page 2 only) and clothes pins with clearly labeled upper case letters.)

Alphabet Tracing Sheets With this activity your child can practice tracing letters of the alphabet over and over! Just wipe clean and repeat with more tracing! (Each participant will get 1-2 laminate letter sheets (the entire alphabet) and one dry erase marker).

Math:

Clothes Pin Number Match For this activity, print page 1 of the PDF and laminate (wheel with 1-10). Label 10 clothes pins with 1-10 (with a permanent marker). There should be one number on each clothes pin.

Number Tracing Print the PDF and laminate it. Include 1 dry erase marker, such as an expo for each participant.

Shape Hunt This fun game involves rolling a die and finding an item in your house with a certain shape and placing it on the correct mat. (The same mats should be laminated)

Clothespin Color Wheel This is a fun color matching game that involves color recognition and fine motor skills. Laminate the color wheel and provide color coded clothes pins.

Trace A Shape Game This game involves shape recognition and pre-writing skills. (Laminate all pieces and provide a dry erase marker for each participant.)

Pom Pom Patterns This is a fun activity that involves making and continuing patterns using pom poms. (For this activity print only pages 2-4 and laminate. Provide correct pom poms to be able to complete activity.)

Measure it! In this activity children will measure various sizes of ribbon. (Each participant will get several pieces of ribbon, measuring devices and mats.)

Shades of Color Children will have fun sorting and categorizing colors on this color grid while using paint chip samples!

Five Fab Frogs Children will work on their counting skills with this hands on frog activity. (If participant can't find frogs you can redesign the board and use another animal such as bugs. I have seen frogs and bugs at the Dollar Store.)

Other Learning Areas:

Spooning Beads With this activity the child practices fine motor skills by transferring beads from one container to another. (Each participate will get 1 spoon, 2 containers and a handful of beads.)

Ice Cream Felt Patterns Children will have fun making and recreating patterns using this ice cream activity. (Each participate will get game pieces (laminated) 1 felt cone, 3 felt brown scoops, 4 felt pink scoops, 4 felt white scoops.)

What Goes Together? With this activity, children will match real life items to pictures. (Each participant will get a laminated game board and real items to match.)

Noodle Necklaces Each baggie will have a couple yarn pieces for stringing and lots of colored pasts. Have fun with the different shapes of pasta that are available!

Popsicle Puzzle Children will put together a puzzle that is made of large Popsicle sticks. (Each participant will get one puzzle made from Popsicle sticks and a picture of the finished puzzle.)

Lacing Cards Children will practice fine motor skills by lacing a shoestring or similar string through a hole punched card. (Each participant will get at least two lacing cards and string. I'd check the dollar store for shoe strings, last time I got 8 strings for $1)

Magnetic Fishing Game Children will have fun 'fishing' with this game. (Each participant will get a small fishing poll with string and magnet and at least 5 fish (paper, foam or felt) with magnets.)

**Many of the items due require lamination to help make the bag items reusable and last longer. For items that aren't used with a dry erase marker (writing activities) we can be flexible and maybe use cardstock. We understand that not everybody has access to a laminator (in home or office supply store). If you do not want a lamination activity, please be sure to note that in the "notes" section of the sign up form. :)

Other Swap Info:

Estimated Time Frame of Swap (5-6 weeks):

Sign up form goes live (sign up will go quickly)
Coordinator will email participant to confirm placement (within 1 week of sign up form closing)
Swappers have 1 week from email confirmation to make paypal payment (If payment is not received a new swapper will be added in your place from the wait list. You will be dropped.) (Once paid you will receive your Bag assignment)
Swappers make,assemble and ship bags to coordinator. (2 weeks)
Coordinator receives, repackages and ships Boxes of Bags to swappers.

The success of a swap depends solely upon its participants.

Swap Rules

Swap Rules have been modeled and adapted from HERE.

Sign up using the form provided when a swap is open. Be sure to specify your activity preferences. The form will be open only until the swap is full.
Once closed, those who signed up will be split into groups of 20 as possible. The names remaining will be kept as fill ins should participants drop out as the swap progresses. The swap groups are assigned on a first come, first serve basis. The sooner you sign up, the more likely you are to be in a group of swappers.
Activities will be assigned to each swapper in each group based on a first come, first served basis. If there are four people all wanting to do the same activity, the one who signed up and paid first will be assigned that activity. If every one of a swapper's choices are taken, they will be assigned a different activity. (If you have a problem with your assignment, please contact your coordinator right away.)
Each group of 20 will be assigned to a coordinator. The coordinator will receive their swappers' names, email addresses, and activity assignments.
The coordinator will email everyone in their group, informing them that they made it in to the swap. All the fill ins will be emailed informing them of their place in line.
Each swapper is responsible to make sure they receive all emails from their coordinator. If you do not hear anything within a few days of the swap form being closed, you should look in your junk mail folder. If you find nothing there, please comment directly on this blog.
Once you receive the email from your coordinator, you should reply acknowledging receipt. It is your responsibility to keep communicating with your coordinator so they know for sure that you are still participating.
You will have 1 week to pay $14.50, to cover the participation fee and the cost of shipping the 20 different busy bags back to you. The participation fee is $3.00. And $11.50 covers the cost of the medium flat rate box. Your shipping payment and participation fee is your ticket into the swap. You will not receive your activity assignment until your payment is received. If it is not received within the week, you will be replaced.
If you should need to drop out of the swap, please inform you coordinator as soon as possible so a replacement can be notified. Remember, the participation fee and shipping free is non-refundable. There will be more than one swap, so if you can't do it this time, come back for the next round.
Once you have received your activity assignment from your coordinator, you will have a specified time frame (usually around 2 weeks) to complete the bags and send to the coordinator. Please keep this date in mind as you choose your shipping method.
If your coordinator does not have your busy bag activities by the specified date, she will have to send the boxes without your activity. Please be kind and courteous and have your materials sent in on time.
When your coordinator has shipped the boxes, she will email you and let you know! In about 3-5 business days you should have your box of fun activities!
At this time we plan to have it open to US residents only. However, if you live outside the US and are interested, please contact me by leaving a comment.

If you have read all the instructions and rules and would like to participate, please fill out the form below. The form will close when all spots and a waiting list has been established! This will be fun!

You can also CLICK HERE for the form in another window.

If you have any troubles with the form, please leave a comment letting me know!

Happy 3rd Year Blogoversary! Giveaway #1 Duncan Hines Free Product Coupon

2012-02-01T00:01:00.004-05:00

The Vegetarian Mamma site is excited to celebrate their 3 year anniversary with YOU! We will be hosting a few giveaways this week! Be sure to visit us!

Freebies from last week!

2012-01-31T18:00:00.003-05:00

Okay so I was pretty excited about my stash last week! I got lots of target paper towels for free. There was a $1 off printable coupon at Target.com. The towels were .99 each so that made them free. I no longer have access to the printable because I used it but you might still have it up! I got two travel bandages packages free. I printed two Muir Glen Organic Tomato coupons from coupons.com and got them free at Meijer when they doubled. I got 8 free Organic Coffee drinks free at Kroger with a $1 off coupon that I got from Koshercoupons.com They were on sale for 10/10. :) I also got the Brawny towels 10/10 and had a $1 off coupon from facebook. I found the seventh generation dish soap on sale in the mark down area of Kroger and used the coupon from AllYou magazine to score it free once it was doubled. The creamer was free from a catalina coupon that randomly printed at Target :) I also got $2 free on my MPerks for Meijer and I used coupons and that to score 4 boxes of baby oatmeal and 4 pouches of Organic Toddler food for free! I also got a gravy box for free from Whole Foods. So it pays to pay attention to deals, sales and coupons! Most of the coupons I used were printable right from my computer :)
I found a new to me site and I love it....www.thethriftycouple.com Love their matchups with LINKS :)

A Peek Into Our Learning Week!

2012-01-31T15:00:00.003-05:00

Preschool Veg - 4 years

My Tot, Veg Toddler 20 months

Here is a peek at some of the things we did last week!

We had some fun coloring on plates with markers. Then when we wiped off the plates, we had some neat looking "art" wipes!

We had a fun monster truck rallys!

We got out our letter sound game! Toddler Veg LOVED this! He was repeating the sounds!

We played a few games of Buckeroo!

We played with some wooden puzzles.

We read some books while sitting in dump trucks! Note the flying book in the middle of the picture...hummm toddler veg, was that yours? :)

We did some Upper/lower case letter sorting, mazes and other work relating to the Chinese New Year! It was all dragon themed.

What have you been up to this week?

Thanks to:

Ground Hog Day activities via 2TeachingMommies

2012-01-31T13:00:00.001-05:00

The fun mommies over at 2teachingmommies.com have created a FREE printable mini unit based upon GroundHogs Day! Click HERE to print what pages you need! Love their site!

Gratituesday: Enough said...

2012-01-31T10:31:00.000-05:00

January 31st, 2012 WINTER in Ohio......today....windows open, sun shining and 55 degrees! YAY! Enough said....ENJOY!

Please join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Tip Tuesday: Rotate your Toys

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

Okay so I'll hand it to you, this is pretty much a no brainer, but I have to constantly remind myself to do this! Rotate your toys! Take toys that you kids have stopped playing with and put up for a while. When you get them back out they'll be like brand new in their eyes! I had these toy car garage/ramp things put away for about 2 months. I got them out yesterday and you'd think the kids had a million dollars LOL Too funny! So rotate those toys; it will make you AND your kids happy!

Menu Plan Monday (1/29/12) Freezer Foods

2012-01-30T21:05:00.000-05:00

This week for Breakfast:

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten Free Pantry) with enjoy life chocolate chips

Gluten Free Waffles with scrambled eggs (Better Batter)

Lazy Granola and Yogurt (coconut and milk based yogurt)

Gluten Free Pancakes with scrambled eggs (Better Batter)

** Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins _YYYYUUUUMMMOO

For the pancakes and waffles I try to make a double batch and freeze them so I can cut my breakfast making time down! I try to do a breakfast with eggs on 'school' days so that preschool Veg has some extra energy!

For lunches, we are continuing our "homemade lunchables". The kids lunchables will be filled with homemade applesauce, lots of fresh fruit, gluten free/allergen free snack items, gluten free crackers with sunbutter (new soy allergy) and also gluten free sunbutter sammys! I am also working hard to incorporate more raw veggies into lunch. This week we will be eating carrots. :)

For dinners:
This week we are using mostly freezer meals. Its the first time I've done a large batch of cooking. I will say that I liked my grocery bill this week, since it was buying mainly fresh fruit and veggies as well as milks. :)

Veggie Stir Fry
Corn Cakes and mashed potatoes
Lentil Stew and Cornbread/ kids grilled cheese (dairy, nondairy, homemade wheat bread and GF bread)
Freezer Burritos with Salsa and Chips/cheese
Homemade Tofu Alfredo with steamed Broccoli / Mac for kids ( GF/dairy free)
Stuffed Quinoa Peppers/ homemade GF pizza for kids.
Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ for more menu planning ideas!

52 Weeks, Healthier YOU and Me: Weeks 2,3,4

2012-01-30T15:00:00.003-05:00

As you can see I am playing catch up! I started late on this journey and I am trying to catch up to the other folks who are doing this challenge on the Skinny Mom's Kitchen Blog.

Week 1 Review: So for the first week, I was to keep a food journal. I am using the free loseit app on my phone. I have written things down before and I know it works, but I just don't do it. I have been super successful this last week with that! My neighbors are doing it as well and we have added each other as 'friends' on the app. We can write each other notes of encouragement or accountability. I am very pleased with this week! It has provided some eye opening experiences. I have been able to eat the things I want, but in moderation. That is definitely the key!

Challenges for this week:

Combine food journal with meal planning. (I do quite a bit of meal planning for breakfast and dinner, but not lunch and snacks. This will be a big area for me to work on!)
Utilize the 20 minute craving rule. (I will say that I had looked ahead and did practice this in the last week! It really works for me. I set my timer on my phone (because I like to cheat) and when it goes off if I am still hungry then I eat, if not I go on with my activities. Honestly, most of the time...NOT HUNGRY!)
Bulk up your diet with whole grains, beans, veggies and fruits!

These are my challenges this week! How is your week going? Got any tips to share?

Diaries of an Allergy Mamma: How to use an Epi-Pen

2012-01-30T11:00:00.002-05:00

Change.org
Start an Online Petition »

Target FREEbies and Under $1 Items - Week of 1/29

2012-01-30T08:02:00.000-05:00

Photo is from http://www.totallytarget.com/, please visit her awesome site!

Iams Dry Dog or Cat Food Trial Size Bags $3 (Regular Price)
~Watch for packages indicating a $3 coupon inside
*-$3/1 Iams Dry Dog or Cat Food 1-29-12 PG x2/29
= FREE after coupon
Whisker Lickin’s Cat Treats 2.1 oz Pouch .94 – $1.19 (Regular Price)

*-$1/2 Purina Whisker Lickin’s 1-29-12 RP2 x4/29
-$1.50/2 Purina Whisker Lickin’s Brand Cat Treats, any – 12-4-11 SS x3/4/12
= as low as .19 cents after coupon wyb 2

Bounty Basic Paper Towels Single Count Roll .99 (Regular Price)

-.25/1 Bounty Towels or Napkins 1-29-12 PG x2/29
*-$1/1 Bounty 6 pack or larger o Any (2) Towels or Napkins) 1-29-12 PG x2/29
-.25/1 Bounty Towels or Napkins 1-1-12 PG x1/31/12
-$1/1 Bounty Towels 6 Pack + or (2) Any Towels or Napkins 1-1-12 PG x1/31
= as low as .49 cents depending on coupon
*Not as good as last weeks' FREE target single roll papertowels. If you haven't printed the Target.com coupon for $1 off papertowels, I'd do so and snag you some FREE ones! You should be able to print two from each computer!

Dole Pineapple Chunks or Slices Small 8 oz Cans .79 (Regular Price)

*-.50/2 Dole Pineapple Cans 1-29-12 RP2 x4/30
*-.50/2 Dole Canned Pineapple All You Feb 2012 x4/30
= .54 cents after coupon

Wishbone Salad Dressing 7 oz Spritzers, Assorted Varieties $1.87 (Regular Price)

Wishbone Salad Dressing 8 oz $1.52 or 16 oz, Assorted Varieties $2.09 (Regular Price)
*-$1.50/2 Wish-Bone salad dressings 7-oz. or larger Target Web Coupon x3/3
*-.50/1; .65/2 Wish-Bone Dressing ETS 1-29-12 RP1 x2/26
= as low as .54 for 2 or .27 each if your store carries the 8 oz depending on your stack

Visit Totallytarget.com for all your Target needs and deals! She is Veg Mamma's expert when it comes to Target! Click here to see all her weekly deals!

Remember, that prices/sales may vary by store or region! Please check with your store manager to verify their coupon policy. It is also good to go with a printed copy of Target Corporations Coupon Policy. You can print one from the Target Website. http://www.target.com/

Remember to bring your own reusable bag and get .05 cents off your total!

A Toast to Champagne!

2012-01-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Brought To By Wine.com, Purveyors of Fine Wine and Champagne

I love wine and I love champagne! Was definitely interesting reading the fun facts and history of champagne! What did you learn that you didn't know? Learn more at wine.com

Preschool Busy Bag Swap...coming up soon!!

2012-01-27T22:22:00.000-05:00

I wanted to let you know that I am planning a Busy Bag Swap, right here on the Vegetarian Mamma site! The sign up will go live on February 1st, 2012. It will be open until all slots have been filled. There will be a waiting list as well, if some participants drop out.

Here is some information about our swap!

I have adapted and used the criteria for our Preschool School Busy Bag Swap from HERE. All of the busy bags in this swap must meet the following criteria:

Self-contained. This way, you can just grab a bag and GO! (without having to add a number of supplies to the bag in order to make it useful.)
Transportable. Yes, they will definitely be used at home, but I want to be able to grab a few bags to take to a restaurant, a waiting room, plane trips, car rides, etc.
Convenient. None of the bags will have supplies that require major set-up or clean-up: (no paint, watercolors, liquids, sand, dirt, etc.)
Inexpensive. Don't spend the world on this project! This needs to be affordable. The aim to is spend around $1 per bag you make. You are welcome to spend more or less! Let's see how frugal you can be!
Easy to Make: We are busy busy in our lives! We don't want to spend days and days making these bags!
Re-usable. These activities should last a while! Therefore, we avoided activities where you would have to buy new supplies to re-stock the bag. This is why lamination is important for some of the activities.

Here are the options for this Busy Bag Swap. It will be a preschool swap. The activities are geared towards children 3-6. However, you know your child best, if your child isn't in that age group but his/her skills match this set of activities, please feel free to sign up! Please review the items below as you will be asked to rank your top 5 items on the sign up form (when it goes live)

Language Arts/Phonics:
A-Z Spoon Match For this activity you will need to print the PDF and laminate both pages. Get 26 spoons and label each one with a CAPITAL letter. So each spoon should have 1 letter. (A-Z)
Upper/Lower case letter match Print the first two pages of the PDF and laminate. Provide enough "marker pieces" for each letter match set. For example, you can use coins, poms etc. Children will see the uppercase "A" and place the "marker piece" over the lowercase "a".
Felt Alphabet Tiles This is an activity where children can order letters of the alphabet or create words! (Each participate will receive a felt mat and 26 felt alphabet tiles.)
Uppercase Clothes Pin Match With this activity the child will use their fine motor skills to pitch the clothes pin and place it on the correct matching letter. (Each participant will get a laminated upper case alphabet wheel (page 2 only) and clothes pins with clearly labeled upper case letters.)
Alphabet Tracing Sheets With this activity your child can practice tracing letters of the alphabet over and over! Just wipe clean and repeat with more tracing! (Each participant will get 1-2 laminate letter sheets (the entire alphabet) and one dry erase marker).

Math:
Clothes Pin Number Match For this activity, print page 1 of the PDF and laminate (wheel with 1-10). Label 10 clothes pins with 1-10 (with a permanent marker). There should be one number on each clothes pin.
Number Tracing Print the PDF and laminate it. Include 1 dry erase marker, such as an expo for each participant.
Shape Hunt This fun game involves rolling a die and finding an item in your house with a certain shape and placing it on the correct mat. (The same mats should be laminated)

Clothespin Color Wheel This is a fun color matching game that involves color recognition and fine motor skills. Laminate the color wheel and provide color coded clothes pins.

Trace A Shape Game This game involves shape recognition and pre-writing skills. (Laminate all pieces and provide a dry erase marker for each participant.)
Pom Pom Patterns This is a fun activity that involves making and continuing patterns using pom poms. (For this activity print only pages 2-4 and laminate. Provide correct pom poms to be able to complete activity.)
Measure it! In this activity children will measure various sizes of ribbon. (Each participant will get several pieces of ribbon, measuring devices and mats.)
Shades of Color Children will have fun sorting and categorizing colors on this color grid while using paint chip samples!
Five Fab Frogs Children will work on their counting skills with this hands on frog activity. (If participant can't find frogs you can redesign the board and use another animal such as bugs. I have seen frogs and bugs at the Dollar Store.)

Other Learning Areas:
Spooning Beads With this activity the child practices fine motor skills by transferring beads from one container to another. (Each participate will get 1 spoon, 2 containers and a handful of beads.)
Ice Cream Felt Patterns Children will have fun making and recreating patterns using this ice cream activity. (Each participate will get game pieces (laminated) 1 felt cone, 3 felt brown scoops, 4 felt pink scoops, 4 felt white scoops.)
What Goes Together? With this activity, children will match real life items to pictures. (Each participant will get a laminated game board and real items to match.)
Noodle Necklaces Each baggie will have a couple yarn pieces for stringing and lots of colored pasts. Have fun with the different shapes of pasta that are available!
Popsicle Puzzle Children will put together a puzzle that is made of large Popsicle sticks. (Each participant will get one puzzle made from Popsicle sticks and a picture of the finished puzzle.)
Lacing Cards Children will practice fine motor skills by lacing a shoestring or similar string through a hole punched card. (Each participant will get at least two lacing cards and string. I'd check the dollar store for shoe strings, last time I got 8 strings for $1)
Magnetic Fishing Game Children will have fun 'fishing' with this game. (Each participant will get a small fishing poll with string and magnet and at least 5 fish (paper, foam or felt) with magnets.)

**Many of the items due require lamination to help make the bag items reusable and last longer. For items that aren't used with a dry erase marker (writing activities) we can be flexible and maybe use cardstock. We understand that not everybody has access to a laminator (in home or office supply store). If you do not want a lamination activity, please be sure to note that in the "notes" section of the sign up form. :)

Other Swap Info:

Estimated Time Frame of Swap (5-6 weeks):

Sign up form goes live (sign up will go quickly)
Coordinator will email participant to confirm placement (within 1 week of sign up form closing)
Swappers have 1 week from email confirmation to make paypal payment (If payment is not received a new swapper will be added in your place from the wait list. You will be dropped.) (Once paid you will receive your Bag assignment)
Swappers make,assemble and ship bags to coordinator. (2 weeks)
Coordinator receives, repackages and ships Boxes of Bags to swappers. (2 weeks)

The success of a swap depends solely upon its participants.

Swap Rules

Swap Rules have been modeled and adapted from HERE.

Sign up using the form provided when a swap is open. Be sure to specify your activity preferences. The form will be open only until the swap is full.
Once closed, those who signed up will be split into groups of 20 as possible. The names remaining will be kept as fill ins should participants drop out as the swap progresses. The swap groups are assigned on a first come, first serve basis. The sooner you sign up, the more likely you are to be in a group of swappers.
Activities will be assigned to each swapper in each group based on a first come, first served basis. If there are four people all wanting to do the same activity, the one who signed up and paid first will be assigned that activity. If every one of a swapper's choices are taken, they will be assigned a different activity. (If you have a problem with your assignment, please contact your coordinator right away.)
Each group of 20 will be assigned to a coordinator. The coordinator will receive their swappers' names, email addresses, and activity assignments.
The coordinator will email everyone in their group, informing them that they made it in to the swap. All the fill ins will be emailed informing them of their place in line.
Each swapper is responsible to make sure they receive all emails from their coordinator. If you do not hear anything within a few days of the swap form being closed, you should look in your junk mail folder. If you find nothing there, please comment directly on this blog.
Once you receive the email from your coordinator, you should reply acknowledging receipt. It is your responsibility to keep communicating with your coordinator so they know for sure that you are still participating.
You will have 1 week to pay $14.50, to cover the participation fee and the cost of shipping the 20 different busy bags back to you. The participation fee is $3.00. And $11.50 covers the cost of the medium flat rate box. Your shipping payment and participation fee is your ticket into the swap. You will not receive your activity assignment until your payment is received. If it is not received within the week, you will be replaced.
If you should need to drop out of the swap, please inform you coordinator as soon as possible so a replacement can be notified. Remember, the participation fee and shipping free is non-refundable. There will be more than one swap, so if you can't do it this time, come back for the next round.
Once you have received your activity assignment from your coordinator, you will have a specified time frame (usually around 2 weeks) to complete the bags and send to the coordinator. Please keep this date in mind as you choose your shipping method.
If your coordinator does not have your busy bag activities by the specified date, she will have to send the boxes without your activity. Please be kind and courteous and have your materials sent in on time.
When your coordinator has shipped the boxes, she will email you and let you know! In about 3-5 business days you should have your box of fun activities!
At this time we plan to have it open to US residents only. However, if you live outside the US and are interested, please contact me! :)

Murphy's Law for Mammas

2012-01-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

Thought this was super cute and had to share! Share it on pinterest and it linked back to HERE.

Favorite Recipe Finds - Week of 1/22/11

2012-01-27T11:00:00.001-05:00

Each week I see so many awesome recipes that I add to my "try list." So I thought it might be fun to start sharing those that I find so you can try them too! Let me know what fun recipes you find that you are adding to your "try list." :) You can click on the blog name to see the recipes.

Over at Simple Gluten Free, she created these awesome low calorie doughnuts! YUMMO They are: Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free Cereal and Milk Donuts.

Over at Amy's Finer Things, she posted about a Creamy Crock Pot Black Bean recipes! I love using my crockpot! Especially in this chilly weather!
Over at Yummy Allergen Free, I found a recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins! I just love lemons! If you love citrus, did you check out the Citrus Recipe Blog Hop? Click here for more citrus recipes!

Gluten Free product: Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix @HodgsonMillnc

2012-01-27T08:08:00.001-05:00

This mix was actually on the Kroger mark down table because it was damaged. So of course being gluten free I snatched it up! I can't remember if it was completely allergen free, we ate it before our actual DX of the other allergies. Yes, this post is a bit late from that! I am behind but I am catching up! We loved this bread! I made it in our breadmaker and it was great! Would certainly buy this brand again! I am so glad that I spotted it there! I did find it on the shelf and it was super reasonably priced! Yay! Loved it!

Gluten Free Global Community

2012-01-26T18:00:00.001-05:00

http://simplygluten-free.com/gluten-free-global-community

We recently joined the Gluten Free Global Community! Gluten Free Global Community is just that...it is a community made up of blogger who are living a gluten free life! If you click HERE you will be directed to the link and logo page of this community. (Our logo may or may not be there when you visit, it was in the process of being loaded when I drafted this post!) Here you will find LOTS of blogs that deal with gluten free living! Visit some sites and make some new friends or find inspiration for a new recipe!

Gluten Free Global Community is hosted at http://simplygluten-free.com/ It is a wonderful site with many things to offer such as: recipes, giveaways, gluten free information, etc! Please check out her and let her know that Vegetarian Mamma sent you!

Homemade Valentines

2012-01-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

We are getting an early start on our Valentines this year! We are working to make all our homemade Valentines in shifts! Its just too much to make them all at once! Today we used scrap paper, which was pre cut into squared and glued them onto heart shaped paper. We also used watercolor on heart shaped paper. We will write our messages on the back! This project was fun for the boys and easy to do using supplies we had on hand! Cute and frugal! :)

We decided to use 'non traditional' Valentine colors on the scrap paper hearts. :)

Busy Bag: Yarn Art

2012-01-25T18:00:00.001-05:00

Photo Rights Belong to: www.faithinsmallthings.com, please visit their site!

This is a very fun and simple busy bag idea that I found at http://www.faithinsmallthings.com/. Cut a piece of sandpaper to fit into a gallon size or quart size baggie. Then cut several different lengths and colors of yarn. Children will have fun creating pictures with the yarn on sandpaper while they work on creativity, sensory and have some FUN!

Breakfast Burritos

2012-01-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I talked about making some more breakfast burritos! YUMMO, now I realize that they are in a bag so they are hard to see, but they look like just any breakfast burrito on the outside, but the inside is all about breakfast! I found the recipe on amysfinerthings.com

1/4 c. butter

1/3 c. chopped onion

1/3 c. chopped green pepper

1 c. chopped fresh mushrooms

18 eggs

1 1/4 c. milk

1 t. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, whatever)

salsa

12 burrito-sized flour tortillas

Saute onion, green pepper and mushrooms in butter.

Beat eggs and milk together. Pour in skillet with veggies.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until eggs are set.

Add cheese. Allow to melt.

Warm a few tortillas at a time in the microwave.

Scoop 1/2 to 3/4 c. egg mixture into a warm tortilla. Roll up burrito style.

Wrap burrito in a paper towel, then in a sheet of foil.

Pack wrapped burritos in a ziplock bag. I use the tortilla bag. Freeze.

To reheat, remove foil. Place burrito with paper towel in microwave. Cook about a minute.

Serve with salsa.

Makes about 1 dozen burritos.

Busy Bag: Paper Plate Color Match

2012-01-24T15:00:00.001-05:00

Photo rights belong to: www.faithinsmallthings.com Please visit their site!

This is a fun busy bag! It should have at least 4 different colored plates but can have more colors. It should contain a bag of pom poms that are the same color as the plates. I would recommend at least 5 poms for each color. This bag should also have at least two different clips. The clips will be used to pick up the poms and place on the correct color plate! Your child will have fun working on color recognition, matching, sorting and fine motor skills!

I recently looked at found all these items at the dollar store. The plates could be easily substituted for colored bowls or laminated color paper, just as long as it all fits into a gallon sized baggie! :)

Tip Tuesday: Containing those markers!

2012-01-24T11:00:00.001-05:00

My little guys love to color with markers, however if I give them the entire bin they get out of control and we have markers everywhere! Markers with caps....markers without caps..... So I just get out one of our plates and give them about 6 markers and they are satisfied. The plate provides a flat surface which is easy for little hands to grab the markers off and it also provides a wide space so the kiddos can see exactly what is available to use. The best part is then I throw it in my dish washer for clean up! No mess, no waste!

Gratituesday: Visiting the Farm

2012-01-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

Most every Sunday our family visits our friends farm to get some fresh eggs. We are very blessed and spoiled to be able to visit such a fun place. With the world being SO busy and SO hurried I am happy to let my boys climb and get dirty. Here is a pic of Preschool Veg looking at one of the cats. There is ONE cat that lets us pet him; all the other cats are wild and run away. On this particular day the sun was shinning bright and warming up this side of the barn. Several cats were sunning themselves and let us get closer than normal. See what the cold mixed with some warm sun will do!

Here is one of the goats at the farm! The boys enjoy seeing the cats, chickens, goats, sheep and horses! And of course the handful of candy Preschool Veg gets from the farmer each week doesn't hurt either! LOL

Please join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Menu Plan Monday (1/23/12)

2012-01-23T18:00:00.003-05:00

This week for Breakfast:
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten Free Pantry) with enjoy life chocolate chips
Gluten Free Waffles with scrambled eggs (Better Batter)
Lazy Granola and Yogurt (coconut and milk based yogurt)
Gluten Free Pancakes with scrambled eggs (Better Batter)
** Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins _YYYYUUUUMMMOO
For the pancakes and waffles I try to make a double batch and freeze them so I can cut my breakfast making time down! I try to do a breakfast with eggs on 'school' days so that preschool Veg has some extra energy!

For lunches, we are continuing our "homemade lunchables". The kids lunchables will be filled with homemade applesauce, lots of fresh fruit, gluten free/allergen free snack items, , gluten free crackers with sunbutter (new soy allergy) and also gluten free sunbutter sammys!

For dinners:

We made 6 layer dip (Vegan) for a snack then we will use the left overs for Taco Night. The layer dip makes perfect insides for the tacos!
Sweet Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread Muffins (freezer cooking)
Pizza Night
Leftover buffet

This week is pretty simple, Papa Veg has some work things going so dinner will be hit or miss for him. When its a miss, the boys and I go super simple!!

This week I tried moneysavingmom.com's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. They are awesome! The recipe made 2 dozen so I am freezing some. However, I am quite sure that if I left them out they would not stand a chance! They would be eaten very quickly! Just trying to make them stretch and be appreciated LOL

Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ for more menu planning ideas!

Looking to give a business gift?

2012-01-23T17:00:00.019-05:00

Do you have a small or large business? Are you looking to show your customers just how much you appreciate them? If so, I have the perfect gift idea! I have written before about See's Candies and I wanted to share that they have so many options that will fit your business gift needs! I think the perfect token of appreciation would be to give some chocolate business gifts! Over at See's Candies you can shop for a wide variety of business gifts that start as low at $4.95! That is extremely reasonable!

Not only are you giving a gift of appreciation but that gift comes from a company who stands firm in customer quality and friendly service since 1912! Their chocolate is yummy, affordable and nicely presented! What are you waiting for? Go ahead and take a look today!

52 Weeks, Healthier YOU and ME: Week 1

2012-01-23T15:00:00.001-05:00

Right.... so I do realize that I am posting about week 1 and its pretty much week 4 of the year! I have a little catch up to do but for those that really know me....I guess that is how I roll! (always a little behind) LOL In order to get a little behind, literally this time, not figuratively I'd like to embark on a journey this year to eating healthier and becoming more active!

Photo rights: http://www.skinnymomskitchen.com/

(please visit her GREAT site!)

Over at Skinny Mom's Kitchen, she is hosting a 52 Week series to Healthier Weight Loss Habits. You can see her tips and tricks page by clicking HERE. I like and appreciate that each tip/suggestion she gives is one that she is capable of doing herself, as a busy mommy! So for week 1 the new habit is to start a food journal. I have done this before and it is effective. I always seem to end up making excuses to not fill it out but this time I am trying the LoseIt app on my phone. My neighbors are doing it as well and we have linked our accounts. We can see each others progress so that adds some accountability! I think just being honest and entering all the foods you eat gives you a clear picture of where you consume the most calories and you can make adjustments. My older son and I went out for a "lunch date" yesterday. We ate at Noodles. I entered my regular size mac and cheese and it was 900 calories. YIKES!! I am glad that I had only eaten half of it, but that is a ton of calories! I think food journaling opens your eyes and for me, mine need to be reopened....AGAIN!

So are you going to join me?

Read all about Week 1 over at Skinny Mom's Kitchen by clicking HERE.

Busy Bag: Roll-a-cise Game

2012-01-23T13:37:00.000-05:00

Photo from www.faithinsmallthings.com, please visit there!

I found this game posted as a busy bag activity at: www.faithinsmallthings.com This is a great activity to get the kiddos moving! You can find the printable directions to make this busy bag by clicking HERE.

I would highly suggest laminating the game page, so it lasts! You might have to cut it down a bit so it fits in the gallon sized bag!

Look what arrived: Better Batter Boxes

2012-01-23T11:00:00.006-05:00

Better Batter Boxes...okay say that three times.....Better Batter Boxes...Better Batter Boxes...Better Batter Boxes... phew, I made a tongue twister. Well, now that I got that out of the way, did you hear that my Better Batter Boxes arrived? Okay, so maybe I am just a tad excited! My friend had passed along the Better Batter website for me to check out; you can visit it HERE. I was in search for a gluten free flour that was also peanut, tree nut and dairy safe. I called the company and spoke to a wonderful gal (I am so sorry I don't remember your name to give you a shout out). She was extremely knowledgeable and gave me more answers than I had questions for; in a good way, of course. After speaking with her I felt completely comfortable with using this product. The product I had been previously using was manufactured in a plant with tree nuts and that made us very uncomfortable. So as a huge, kind gesture Better Batter sent me a box of goodies to try and blog about! So be on the lookout for up coming posts regarding the products! I have not used them all yet, but I can tell you that I have made 3 items using the All Purpose Flour and there are four letters to describe my feelings so far.... L...O....V....E but more on that later! Say tuned and I'll fill you in.....

Target FREEBIES for the Week of 1/22

2012-01-23T10:00:00.002-05:00

Photo is from http://www.totallytarget.com/, please visit her awesome site!

Target Single Paper Towels. 99 cents each
$1/1 up & up® paper towels Target Web Coupon x2/25
= FREE after target coupon

Band-Aid Hello Kitty 10 ct. OR Adult Band-Aids 8 ct in Travel Section .99
-$1/1 ANY Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages
=FREE after coupon

**There is also a $1 off an UP pantiliner coupon at target.com. I understand there are .99 liners in the store which will be FREE with coupon.

Visit Totallytarget.com for all your Target needs and deals! She is Veg Mamma's expert when it comes to Target! Click here to see all her weekly deals!
Remember, that prices/sales may vary by store or region! Please check with your store manager to verify their coupon policy. It is also good to go with a printed copy of Target Corporations Coupon Policy. You can print one from the Target Website. http://www.target.com/
Remember to bring your own reusable bag and get .05 cents off your total!

Recycle Your Baby Clothes

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I LOVE this idea! I have saved items from both Baby Veg's and plan to make (or have one made)! I also saved some of my cute pregnancy shirts as well as some big/little brother shirts for a quilt for me! Love keeping the memories!

Click HERE to see article!

**A few weeks ago I also saw this idea on pintrest!

Happy Chinese New Year! Celebrate with Dragon Learning Printables...FREE

2012-01-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

The wonderful mommies over at 2teachingmommies.com have put together a wonderful dragon unit! Use that unit this week to help celebrate and learn about the Chinese New Year. 2012 is the year of the Dragon!

Click HERE to visit their site to download your free Dragons Unit!

Giveaway Linky Page

2012-01-21T18:00:00.000-05:00

Have you visited our Giveaway Linky Page? You can visit it by clicking the "Giveaway Linky" tab at the top or by clicking here. There are always new and exciting giveways being added to the linky list. Simply read the descriptors and check out the pictures. If it interests you, click on it and you will be directed to the site that is hosting the giveaway. There are usually lots of fun baby and mommy items! But you never know what will appear there! Good luck! You aren't going to win if you don't enter!

If you have a giveaway you are hosting, please feel free to add it to the linky!

CLICK HERE to see giveaway linky page!

Activity: Pom Pom Put In

2012-01-21T11:02:00.004-05:00

It is my goal this year to make at least one new activity each week for either Toddler Veg or Preschool Veg. This week I made a pom pom put in! We all know that I LOVE pom poms.

I used a soft rubber silicone ice cube tray and counted out one pom for each space. I like this tray because the spaces are different shapes. Some are large and some as skinny which forces Toddler Veg to squish the pom down in the hole. Even Preschool Veg liked this because "brother was doing it". I am going to make one for Preschool Veg using beads and perhaps tongs to really work on the fine motor. It was easy to create and fits perfectly into my bag for an on the go activity! With allergens and germs out there I like to bring my own toys to restaurants for my kids to play with! This activity is great for at home or on the go!

Happy crafting! Or if you aren't in the mood to make one I am selling them on my Etsy Page, click HERE to view the page! :) Thanks for supporting our blog!

Happy January! Let's save some money!

2012-01-20T15:14:00.010-05:00

Happy January! Its new year's resolution time, isn't it? We are nearing the end of January; how are your new years resolutions going? Mine aren't going too bad. Are you working on losing weight, eating healthier or saving money? One of my goals this year is to continue down our frugal healthy eating path. We try our best to buy organic "whole food" type of products as much as we can! We definitely have to watch some of our foods for specific allergens so that Toddler Veg will remain safe! I think it takes a bit more work to plan a healthy menu but the payoffs are much greater than buying processed unhealthy foods.
So many times I hear, "...but eating healthy costs too much." I think its time to stop with the excuses and make a life changing decision. Do I want to try my best to be healthy or continue on living life as I am? Its a personal choice, but my family is choosing healthy eating. By no means are we perfect and YES it is expensive. But as a family we have adjusted our budget to allow for healthier food items.
There are so many coupons out there these days. From the Internet, to the Sunday paper, to coupons right on the product at the store! With all these free coupons at your finger tips, take some time to utilize them! I am not saying spend hours and hours matching up coupons with food items (though it might pay off), but clip from the newspaper and search on the Internet for coupons of the healthy products you love. For example, our family likes the Kashi brand. Do you know how to locate a kashi coupon? For this brand I have seen coupons, also known as peelies directly on the product! This is a super simple way, if you are able to find those. You can contact the manufacturer to see if they have any coupons that they can send you. Often times manufacturers are willing and have coupons readily available if you simply ask. Finally, the most quick and easy way is to search the Internet. You can type in phrases such as "kashi," "locate a kashi coupon" or "kashi coupon." If you don't find what you want try switching your search words. Coupon availability changes all the time, so if you don't find what you are looking for try your search again in a few weeks!
Keep healthy!

Favorite Recipe Finds - Week of 1/15/11

2012-01-20T15:00:00.000-05:00

Each week I see so many awesome recipes that I add to my "try list." So I thought it might be fun to start sharing those that I find so you can try them too! Let me know what fun recipes you find that you are adding to your "try list." :) You can click on the blog name to see the recipes.

Over at Yummy Mummy, she posted a YUMMY looking recipe for peanut butter chia seeds. This would be an easy recipe to sub out things to make it allergen free. Did you know that chia seeds are the new thing? :)

Over at Amy's Finer Things, she posted a how to recipe for making your own refried beans! This looks simple and quick to make!

Over at Yummy Allergen Free, she posted a recipe for lunchbox apple pies. I am pretty sure those wouldn't make it to the lunch box at our house!

This week's freebies

2012-01-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

I took advantage of some prescription transferring this week. I got $25 free in groceries at Kroger with transferring a prescription and I earned $10 free at Meijer. The Meijer deal was a Catalina type coupon that printed at the register for me one day. When I used it another one for $5 free (next time) printed for me. So the hair color was free due to a bad experience my mom had; they company sent her a coupon for a free box. I have used it and love it...but she did not have my same luck. I used printable coupons from coupons.com to get the Organic tomatoes for free. The cashier manually inputted those so I got .40 overage. The tuna was free and will go to our local food bank. The store brand Tylenol and Motrin was free with my $10 from Meijer. The Dr Pepper was free with a coupon that Kroger sent me. I get Kroger flyers every once in a while and it had a .75 one for Dr. Pepper. When it doubled I got it for free :) The deodorants were .06 after a doubled coupon but I used part of my $25 Kroger money. I also used some of my Kroger money for the Gluten Free bagels and hair spray. All in all, it worked out nicely and I still have $10 to spend at Kroger from the original $25 :)

Allergen Free product: Organic Just Apples

2012-01-20T08:10:00.001-05:00

These little apple pieces were YUMMY! They were more chewy than crunchy! I had to cut them into small pieces for Toddler Veg but he ate them up quickly! Preschool Veg ate a few and did give them a thumbs up. Looking forward to trying their other products.

Diaries of an Allergy Mamma: Epi Pen Petition

2012-01-19T13:49:00.009-05:00

This is super important to me and I hope that you'll take some time to electronically sign the petition. There are many many children out there who have known allergies and many children who have not been diagnosed. By having Epi Pens in schools, all children will be safer. My child carries an Epi Pen, however if the school has one it may be closer to him during an attack. When SECONDS matter in a life and death situation you want to have an Epi Pen close. There are also children out there who have not been diagnosed with a life threatening allergy. Often times the first allergic reaction can be shock in which they stop breathing. If schools carried an Epi Pen these children could be saved.

Its's Been An Exciting Week Around Here

2012-01-19T13:44:00.000-05:00

It's been an exciting week around here! I did my first guest blogging post! Whawhoo! I was lucky enough to post over at Momitforward.com Have you been to that site yet?

Here are a few sentences directly from their website: Mom It Forward ™ is a social media community and worldwide network dedicated to enhancing the lives of women, their families, and the communities in which they live. It began in 2008 when co-founder Jyl Johnson Pattee transformed her widely popular “Girls’ Night Out” (#gno™) Twitter parties into a weekly event with purpose. The Twitter parties quickly developed into a community of women at momitforward.com where they could further connect, share information, and make an impact.

Mom It Forward community members are highly engaged and viewed as creditable sources of information to their peers, bringing new life to the old adage “mom knows best.” By partnering with various brands and organizations, Mom It Forward provides the community with in-the-know information via a weekly #gno event. The #gno parties enable women to share and learn about a topic of interest from expert panelists, effectively creating a unique platform for real-time interaction with hundreds of participants.

It is a pretty awesome site and includes "mom" tested/tried information on so many topics! Here is a direct link to my topic about healthy eating! While you are there be sure to leave a comment and retweet the article! :)

Come back and let me know what you think! CLICK HERE to see my article! :)

Paper Plate Snowmen via Lucky Me!

2012-01-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

This is a super cute project AND....the best part is you probably already have all the supplies you need at your house! Thanks Kim, from Lucky Me! Click here, to see step by step directions!

Need a Fundraiser Idea?

2012-01-19T07:59:00.001-05:00

Its a new year and groups all over are working on their new yearly budgets and starting to plan fundraisers. Has your group ever considered a candy fundraiser? Candy fundraisers are simple and can earn you a great profit! I'd recommend taking a look at See's Candies. I have written about them before and now I wanted to share about their fundraising options. See's Candies make fundraising easy (and delicious) by helping you step by step during the process! They also allow a 30 day credit plan to schools and youth groups, instead of paying up front. You can order your materials online and they even provide a profit calculator to help you determine the correct fundraising package for your group!

See's offers profitable, super easy programs and all their programs have high profit dollar potential. I read on their site that groups of any size can participate and be successful! With See's known name and reputation, your fundraiser should be a success!

So if you are a charitable or non-profit organization looking for a GREAT candy fundraiser, check them out!

Cheesy Corn Cakes

2012-01-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

These little guys were a hit and froze well! You can make them dairy free as well by using vegan parm cheese and soy milk!

So see the recipe in its original format, click here.

1 Cup Cornmeal

1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 Tsp Dried Italian Herbs

1/2 Tsp Salt

2 Tsp Sugar

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Large Egg

3/4 Cup Milk

2 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable Oil

Additional oil for cooking
Accompaniments: marinara or tomato sauce
1. In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk and oil.

3. Slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet and allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes.

4. After resting, pour 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

5. Place 1 tbsp of the cornmeal batter in the skillet (making as many corncakes as possible) and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden.

6. Continue to make the rest of the cakes.

7. Serve with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Preschool Learning - Catch up Time!

2012-01-17T15:14:00.000-05:00

We have been playing catch up with some learning activities. We have been completing those activities that we had planned and just didn't finish! The boys didn't mind, I think they liked the variety! :)

Preschool Veg - 4 years

My Tot, Veg Toddler 20 months

So here is our learning adventures for the last two weeks!

We finished up some candy cane learning! Mazes and puzzles....

We did some coloring!

We created some towers. Preschool Veg was so proud of this! It was his own creation!

Toddler Veg had blood drawn this week and he was able to choose a sticker. He selected this one for himself. LOL

We played endlessly with cars! We even sorted them by color!

We visited the farm! Have I mentioned how much I love that place!!

We played outside with the neighbors! Seriously, is this spring or winter?

And finally we made a Lincoln Log Cabin that doubled as a shoe store for Weebles!

We have you been up to this week?

Thanks to:

and

Thanks to:

Gratituesday: The Deer

2012-01-17T15:00:00.000-05:00

There is something peaceful about deer! I always feel so at peace when I see a deer grazing in the field. I can't really explain, but I know its a special gift from God. I am super thankful that we live just far enough out from the city that we occasionally see deer out our front door! Yay!

What are you thankful for this week? Visit Heavenly Homemakers to learn more about Gratituesday.

Menu Plan Monday (1/15/12) and freezer cooking

2012-01-17T11:00:00.004-05:00

This week for Breakfast:
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten Free Pantry) with enjoy life chocolate chips
Gluten Free Waffles with scrambled eggs (King Arthur Mix)
Lazy Granola and Yogurt (soy and milk based yogurt)
Gluten Free Pancakes with scrambled eggs (King Arthur Mix)
** Lemon Yogurt Muffins
** Banana Muffins
For the pancakes and waffles I try to make a double batch and freeze them so I can cut my breakfast making time down! I try to do a breakfast with eggs on 'school' days so that preschool Veg has some extra energy! There are times when breakfast fails or we don't have enough time! Then I use the Giant Breakfast Cookies, that I have stashed in the freezer!

For lunches, we are continuing our "homemade lunchables". The kids lunchables will be filled with homemade applesauce, lots of fresh fruit, gluten free snack items, fresh fruit, gluten free crackers with soy nut butter (honey) and also gluten free PB sammys!

For dinners:
Weekend of 1/15 free for all, Papa's out of town!
Monday- Welcome back to America, Papa, we missed you!

Most of our menu is a carry over from last week.
Homemade Vegan Alfredo with GF noodles
Homemade Spag Sauce with GF noodles and GF Garlic Bread
Taco Corn Fritters and mashed po
Rice and Veg Soup
Dinner @ Magic Mountain for Papa's work
CAP dinner for mamma @ Whole Foods and left overs for the boys and Papa

We are focusing on buying healthy food of course, with no artificial colors or flavors as well as peanut, tree nut, dairy free and gluten free. Its raised our weekly grocery costs. So we are enjoying these weeks where our grocery buying is minimal.

To check out more weekly menu plans visit orgjunkie.com or to see what other bloggers have on their menu plans 'this' week, click HERE.

I also did a load of freezing cooking this past weekend. Cooking sometimes is how I handle stress. If I had a freezer larger than my side by side I would have cooked more! Here is what I got....

2 loaves wheat bread (fresh milled flour) not pictured

2 dozen corn bread muffins, not pictured

5 meals of Taco Corn Fritters (special ones for Toddler Veg in each batch), made allergen free/gf

3 meals of stuffed peppers, gluten free

4 quarts of extra stuffing for more peppers (whoops made too much)

2 meals, 1 lunch of Veg Rice Soup, gluten free

2 EXTRA large meals of Teriyaki Stir Fry, gluten free , recipe to come

1 extra quart of homemade sauce for other stir fry

2 EXTRA large meals, 1 lunch of Veg Lentil Stew, gluten free

2 dozen lemon yogurt muffins for the girls freezer cooking exchange

1 dozen lemon yogurt muffins, safe for Toddler Veg, some eaten not pictured made allergen free/gf

3 dozen (small) double choc cookies, safe for Toddler Veg (some eaten not pictured) can be allergen free/gf

1 dozen banana muffins, some eaten not pictured and safe for Toddler Veg can be allergen free/gf

Tip Tuesday: Reuse your tortilla bags

2012-01-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

I did some freezer cooking this weekend and when I was finishing with my breakfast burritos I put them back into the bag. They didn't all fit, but half of them did! It saved me one freezer bag! Its good to resuse!

Share It Saturday: Valentine Sensory Items and Boxes and Share Linky

2012-01-14T08:00:00.003-05:00

This year I set out to make at least one new learning activity each week for either Toddler Veg or Preschool Veg. This week we created Valentine Sensory boxes. I do plan to make more themed boxes as well! The kids played with this for 1 hour and 45 minutes STRAIGHT...no joke, I had to cut them off and they beg each day to play with it. Who knew? I call that a success! I used a plastic container with a lid and filled it about half way with clean rice and put some Valentine themed items in it. The boys loved it. They talked about colors, shapes, sizes and textures. They were in love with the hearts that opened and they could use them as scoops!

If you are interested in having a sensory box or sensory items of your own you can get them right here from Veg Mamma! You can visit Mamma's Shop on Etsy, by clicking HERE.

If you already have a sensory bin and rice you can buy the items to put into your bin. That saves you time and money driving from store to store to find so many different Valentine themed objects. The Valentine themed items are $9 shipped and you can get them by clicking HERE to get to our Etsy shop or you can click the Mamma's shop tab at the top of this blog and get the item directly from the blog shop.

Here is my full package; it includes, bin, lid, rice and Valentine themed items. It is 24.95 shipped. The rice makes it a bit heavy so the shipping goes up.

** Colors, Shapes and Sizes may vary slightly from set to set.

**If you are on Etsy we'd love it if you become one of our admirers or add us to your circle!

What have you been up to this week? I'd love to hear about it! LINK UP below in the Share it Saturday Linky!

Favorite Recipe Finds - Week of 1/8/12

2012-01-13T15:00:00.013-05:00

Each week I see so many awesome recipes that I add to my "try list." So I thought it might be fun to start sharing those that I find so you can try them too! Let me know what fun recipes you find that you are adding to your "try list." :) You can click on the blog name to see the recipes.

Over at Well Feed Everyone, I found an easy recipe called "pantry pasta and bean soup". Since I have been working on cleaning up my pantry and making recipes from items "I have" this would be a great option for me!

Over at Top8Free, I found another recipe involving popcorn. Can you tell I have a popcorn problem? I just love the stuff :) This recipe is for sweet and crunchy corn! YUMM

Over at allergymoms.com, I found a great recipe for pumpkin muffins. I can't get enough pumpkin!

Citrus Bloghop: Mint Lemonade #citruslove

2012-01-13T08:49:00.000-05:00

January is #citruslove month! I wanted to repost and bump this to the top of my post list because its such a fun event with GREAT recipes!

Please join in on the #citruslove fun by linking up any citrus recipe from the month of January 2012. Don't forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #citruslove event! The twitter hashtag is #citruslove :).

Okay, YUM YUM YUM is my phrase for this quick recipe. Here is my CITRUS recipe for this month!

Take a 1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves, wash them and put into heat resistant pitched. Pour
boiling water over leaves; steep for 30 minutes. Fish out all leaves, put the freshly squeezed juice of 4 lemons into the pitcher, along with one squirt of Stevia! (natural sweetener liquid)

Serve over ice and enjoy!

Citruslove is being co-hosted by these amazing bloggers! I have included links to their blogs, please be sure to check out each blog for amazing recipes! Leave them a comment telling them Vegetarian mamma sent you! :) I also included their twitter handles!

A Little Bit of Everything ~ Roxana ~ @RoxanaGreenGirl

AstigVegan ~AstigVegan @AstigVegan

Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29

BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker

CafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlog

Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess

Cakeballs, Cookies and More ~ Sue

Easily Good Eats

Elephant Eats ~ Amy

Food Wanderings ~ Shulie ~ @foodwanderings

Georgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes

Hobby And More ~ Richa ~ @betit19

Mike’s Baking ~ Mike ~ @mikesbaking

Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk

No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley

Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose

Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives ~ Lisa ~ @parsleynsage

Peaches and Donuts ~ Sylvia ~ @PeachesandDonut

Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @Spicegirlfla

Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem

Smart Food and Fit ~ Lisa ~ @LisaNutrition

Soni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood

Teaspoon of Spice - Serena - @TspCurry

That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick

The Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~ @TAofCRF

The More Than Occasional Baker ~ Ros ~ @bakingaddict

The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd

The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian

Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack

Vegetarian Mamma ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma

You Made That? ~ Suzanne ~ @YouMadeThatblog

Gluten Free product: Enviro Kids granola bars

2012-01-13T08:01:00.000-05:00

Both my kids were BIG time fans of these bars in all flavors...long before we went gluten free. We are not eating them now because they are manufactured in a plant with tree nuts and peanuts.

**These products are GF.

Deal Alert: Fruit Leather sale @ Amazon Just over .30 a pack

2012-01-12T15:41:00.001-05:00

Sorry I try not to post too many "deals" but when it comes to snacks that are cheap and allergen free I can't resist!

You can buy a box of 30 fruit leather strips. With the subscribe and save option the fruit leathers come to just over .30 cents each :) These are great for on the go! They are certified Gluten Free and Dairy free! Amazon has them marked down for a limited time. You can buy directly from Amazon or you can click my link and buy from Amazon via my Amazon store. It helps to support our blog. So if you are going to buy, consider buying via our Amazon store! Here is the link:

http://astore.amazon.com/vegetmamma-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=12

This post contains my affiliate link to amazon.

The great thing with subscribe and save you can pick if you want a shipment 1 month, 2 months, 3,4,5,6 months apart. If you just want one shipment, order it and cancel any time, risk free! I do it all the time!

thanks, stretchingabuckblog.com

Calendar Time Printables: FREE

2012-01-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

I am a HUGE fan of http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/ She has a great site and I have used SO much from her site! I was recently looking deeper into her site and found that she has free printables for calendar time! This is a great resource whether you are teaching in your home or outside your home! Click HERE, to check out those awesome printables!

Deal Alert: Annie's Gluten Free Bunnies just over $2 a box

2012-01-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

You can buy a box of 6 (boxes) of these yummy bunnies at Amazon! Your total will be just over $14 which comes to just over $2 an individual box. At my allergen free home, these bunnies are great! Even if you don't have to worry about allergies they taste awesome! Its a great snack! You can buy directly from Amazon or you can click my link and buy from Amazon via my Amazon store. It helps to support our blog. So if you are going to buy, consider buying via our Amazon store! Here is the link:

http://astore.amazon.com/vegetmamma-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=12

This post contains my affiliate link to amazon.

The great thing with subscribe and save you can pick if you want a shipment 1 month, 2 months, 3,4,5,6 months apart. If you just want one shippment, order it and cancel any time, risk free! I do it all the time!

Cake Mix Cookies

2012-01-11T08:01:00.001-05:00

Here is yet another yummy cookie from the cookie exchanges from this past holiday season! I know...so many to blog about! The recipe comes from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures, you can click HERE to see her post about this cookie! Visit her site, its pretty awesome!

Cake Mix Cookies

■1 yellow cake mix

■1/2 cup oil

■2 eggs

■1 cup chocolate chips

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. It will be a stiff batter and takes a few minutes to mix together. Stir in chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 11 minutes. Enjoy!

Gratituesday: Monster Jam

2012-01-10T11:00:00.003-05:00

Okay well as most of you know, I am a mamma to two energetic boys. They love everything boy....messes, running around, cars, trucks, angry birds, etc They also LOVE monster trucks. This past weekend we went to the Monster Jam that was in town! Seriously, I think that I was more excited than they were! I didn't get to go last year, I stayed home with Toddler Veg; he was just too small to go. So this week I am thankful for the fun and exciting things that I get to do with my BOYS! Here are a few pictures:

What are you thankful for today?

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Teacher Gift Ideas: January...brrr it's cold outside

2012-01-10T08:00:00.004-05:00

Each month I like to give Preschool Veg's teachers a little 'something' as a thank you! These teachers work hard and need to feel appreciated! Believe me, I've been there and done that! Your thank you can be spontaneous or planned! It can be daily, weekly, monthly quarterly...whatever you choose! It can be free to you or cost money! Regardless a thank you is a thank you and your child's teacher will appreciate it!

This month I gave the teachers a little cup of hot cocoa. I noticed at the beginning of the year that they had a Keurig machine in their office. We happen to have one too, so I shared a nice thank you note and a cup of cocoa with each teacher today! I attached my hand written thank you (on scrapbook paper) with a piece of yarn I had. Cute, free and appreciated! (you could easily use some tea bags or packets of hot chocolate mix as well)

What are some of your thank you ideas? It doesn't have to be for a teacher; it could be for a friend or anyone you choose! :)

Menu Plan Monday (1/8/12)

2012-01-09T16:47:00.000-05:00

This week for Breakfast:
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten Free Pantry) with enjoy life chocolate chips
Gluten Free Waffles with scrambled eggs (King Arthur Mix)
Lazy Granola and Yogurt (soy and milk based yogurt)
Gluten Free Pancakes with scrambled eggs (King Arthur Mix)

For the pancakes and waffles I try to make a double batch and freeze them so I can cut my breakfast making time down! I try to do a breakfast with eggs on 'school' days so that preschool Veg has some extra energy! There are times when breakfast fails or we don't have enough time! Then I use the Giant Breakfast Cookies, that I have stashed in the freezer!
For lunches, we are continuing our "homemade lunchables". The kids lunchables will be filled with homemade applesauce, lots of fresh fruit, gluten free snack items, fresh fruit, gluten free crackers with soy nut butter (honey) and also gluten free PB sammys!
For dinners:
Saturday - Happy Birthday Papa Veg! We went to Monster Jam and got a Mama Mimi's take and bake pizza. It had yummy wheat crust, red sauce, mozz, fresh spinach, green and black olives, mushrooms and green bell pepper. It was SO good. The kids ate homemade GF Vegan pizza.

Homemade Vegan Alfredo with GF noodles
Homemade Spag Sauce with GF noodles and GF Garlic Bread
Kashi pizza for parents, GF Vegan pizza for boys
Taco Corn Fritters and mashed po, I plan to make a double batch to freeze
Fresh steamed green beans, tofu and rice
Tofo Pups, Rice and Beans

I also made homemade granola bars which were awesome!! Recipe is coming....
I also made breakfast burritos for the freezer!
I also made two loaves of wheat bread from freshly milled wheat for preschool Veg. I cut each loaf in half and froze them that way. Then we shouldn't have any waste because Toddler Veg is eating GF bread.

We are working on eating foods that we have in the freezer and/or pantry. Or creating meals based upon items we already have. I need to work on our grocery buying. We are focusing on buying healthy food of course, with no artificial colors or flavors as well as peanut, tree nut, dairy free and gluten free. Its raised our weekly grocery costs. So we are enjoying these weeks where our grocery buying is minimal.

To check out more weekly menu plans visit orgjunkie.com or to see what other bloggers have on their menu plans 'this' week, click HERE.

Diaries of an Allergy Mamma: love for the non allergy mammas

2012-01-09T15:00:00.002-05:00

Target Deals- Week of 1/8/12

2012-01-09T08:00:00.005-05:00

Photo rights: http://www.totallytarget.com/, please check out her site!
Okay I know, I know these aren't the best things for you but I LOVE them! Just brings me back to my childhood LOL
Totino’s Party Pizza 5/$6 or $1.20 ea. (PC thru 1/28)

*-.75/3 Totino’s Crisp Crust Party Pizza Products 1-8-12 GM x3/31/12
-$1/4 Totino’s Crisp Crust Party Pizza
-$1/5 Totino’s Crisp Crust Party Pizza on SmartSource
= as low as .95 cents each after coupon and Price Cut

Always good for donation! My food pantry takes personal items as well; I bet yours does too!
Carefree 20 or 22 ct Acti-Fresh Pantiliners .99 (Regular Price)

*-$1/1 Carefree Feminine Care Item ETS Target Coupon 1-8-12 J&J insert x1/14/12
-.50/1 Carefree Product ETS HERE, on SmartSource or HERE
= FREE after Target coupon

Bic Stic Grip 7 ct Easy Glide or Cristal 10 ct Ball Point Pens .99 – 1.24 (Regular Price)

Bic Wite Out Correction Fluid $1.27 (Regular Price)
*-$1/1 BIC Stationery Product 1-8-12 SS2 x2/15/12
= as low as FREE for pens depending on your price after coupon

Visit Totallytarget.com for all your Target needs and deals! She is Veg Mamma's expert when it comes to Target! Click here to see all her weekly deals!
Remember, that prices/sales may vary by store or region! Please check with your store manager to verify their coupon policy. It is also good to go with a printed copy of Target Corporations Coupon Policy. You can print one from the Target Website. http://www.target.com/
Remember to bring your own reusable bag and get .05 cents off your total!

The Gelatin Report - Broccoli, Cheese, Rice steamer

2012-01-06T19:00:00.000-05:00

Just FYI, if you are avoiding gelatin, this product does contain it. However, please note that NOT all their products do! Please read the labels! We do enjoy many of their other products!

Favorite Recipe Finds - Week of 1/1/12

2012-01-06T15:00:00.011-05:00

Each week I see so many awesome recipes that I add to my "try list." So I thought it might be fun to start sharing those that I find so you can try them too! Let me know what fun recipes you find that you are adding to your "try list." :) You can click on the blog name to see the recipes.

Over at Yummy Mummy, she posted a wonderful looking salad recipe! The salad is called Winter Detox Superfoods Salad! I can't wait to try it!

Over at Tammy's Recipes, I found an easy beans and rice dish. This dish could be made to share with a crowd and served with tortilla shells or chips.

Over at Top8Free, I found an awesome looking recipe for Caramel Corn! This corn happens to be allergy free of the top 8 allergens, at least :)

Activity: Football Color Match

2012-01-05T15:00:00.003-05:00

One of my goals this year is to make or provide a new activity each week for either Toddler Veg and/or Preschool Veg. This week I made a football color matching activities that I downloaded for free at http://www.2teachingmommies.com/ There site is awesome by the way! :) I thought this activity would be perfect since we've had a few of the bowl games on tv and with the superbowl coming up!

Here is a picture of this week's activity:

My Tot, 19 months and my Preschooler, 4 years old loved this activity!

You can download the entire football themed activity for FREE by clicking Hhttp://www.2teachingmommies.com/2011/11/check-out-our-new-and-expanded-football.htmlERE.

Stick Snowman Craft via Lucky Me!

2012-01-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

My buddy Kim, over at LUCKY ME!, has a super cute stick snowman craft posted! I thought this project would get us in the mood for some snow! :) Here is a sneak peak at the project!

To see the entire project step by step and for directions, click HERE.

Cumin Quinoa and Rice

2012-01-04T08:08:00.000-05:00

Click HERE to see recipe in original format.

Ingredients

1/2 cup short-grain black rice
1 cup red quinoa, rinsed well
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons 1" pieces chives
Freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled, pitted
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Ingredient Info:
Black rice and red quinoa are available at better supermarkets and at natural foods and specialty foods stores.

Preparation

Bring rice and 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until water is absorbed and rice is tender, 25–30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine quinoa, bay leaf, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; return quinoa to hot saucepan. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf, fluff quinoa with a fork, and transfer to a large bowl.
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add to quinoa. Add rice; mix well. Stir in remaining 2 Tbsp. oil, fresh lemon juice, cilantro, parsley, and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut avocado into wedges. Serve salad with avocado and lemon wedges.

Gratituesday: Back to School is Bittersweet

2012-01-03T12:09:00.004-05:00

Well today is the first day back to "school' outside the house for both of the Veg boys. And I have to say that I was sad to see our break come to an end! We were very blessed to have Papa Veg home for about 2 weeks with us...no business travel or work for him! We were able to have Grandma come and visit for about a week! It was just super nice to be able to get up, leave on our jammies and play...all day! I think that Preschool Veg was excited to see his friends and Toddler Veg wasn't too sure about being dropped off at his Morning playgroup, but all is well and quiet here. A little too quiet; I miss them so! I am thankful for such a wonderful Christmas holiday and also I welcome the routine that comes with going back to "school', though it is bittersweet :)

What are you thankful for today?

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Menu Plan Monday (tuesday)

2012-01-03T10:05:00.000-05:00

This week for Breakfast:
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins (King Arthur Mix)
Gluten Free Waffles with scrambled eggs (Bisquick GF mix)
Lazy Granola and Yogurt (soy and milk based yogurt)
Gluten Free Pancakes with scrambled eggs (Bisquick GF mix)
Gluten Free Breakfast Bars and others for Preschool Veg (they are getting tired of these, I need a new breakfast idea)
For the pancakes and waffles I try to make a double batch and freeze them so I can cut my breakfast making time down! I try to do a breakfast with eggs on 'school' days so that preschool Veg has some extra energy! There are times when breakfast fails or we don't have enough time! Then I use the Giant Breakfast Cookies, that I have stashed in the freezer!

For lunches, we are continuing our "homemade lunchables". The kids lunchables will be filled with homemade applesauce, lots of fresh fruit, gluten free snack items, fresh fruit, gluten free crackers with soy nut butter (honey) and also gluten free PB sammys!
For dinners:
Corn Bread (homemade) and Freezer chili
Veg Tempura - made this already it was a flop. We tried to make GF and the GF flour we used was way too gummy. :(
Six Layer Dip with chips (snack dinner for NYE)
Tacos -using left over six layer dip for insiders and shells from the pantry
Meatless Meatloaf with mashed potatoes (had this already, not bad, I had a bit of texture problem with it)
Bake ziti, Vegan style
Tofu pups and fries

To check out more weekly menu plans visit orgjunkie.com or to see what other bloggers have on their menu plans 'this' week, click HERE.

FAMILY TREE

2012-01-03T02:34:00.001-05:00

Posted by Arden Wallace
I have started to get into some family history research. I was inspired by a segment that I saw on the “Today Show” a while back. They listed important resources for tracing your family lineage. There is one website in particular that I have learned about that is a huge resource. I have been accessing FamilySearch.org with my 4G wireless internet service connection. The website has hundreds of thousands of records. They are immigration records, marriage records, death records, and also census information. Some of the information even goes back to Europe. The site has lots of documents from Ireland, England, and Germany. The website is run by the church of Latter Day Saints. I just can’t believe how many records they have. I have a really unusual last name and have never been able to find out any family information until I find this site. Apparently, my family members came to America in the early eighteen hundreds from England. The first port that they reached was in Savannah, Georgia where they are registered. It’s funny, my family still lives in Georgia. The internet is a great research tool.

Target Deals for the Week of 1-1-12 Happy NEW year!

2012-01-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

Photo rights: http://www.totallytarget.com/, please check out her site!

GoGo SqueeZ Applesauce 4 pk 4/$9

-.75/1 GoGo SqueeZ 4 pk on Facebook page HERE
=$1.50 per 4-pack after a coupon

Aussie or Herbal Essence Styling Products 2/$5

-B1G1 FREE Herbal Essences or Aussie Styler wyb (1) Aussie or Herbal Essence 1-1 PG x1/31
-$1/1 Herbal Essences or Aussie Product ETS 1-1-12 PG x1/31/12
=$1.25 each after a B1G1 coupon

Digital Prints 4 x 6 inch 10/$1

-$2/20 Digital Prints 4×6 Inch Target Web Coupon x1/28
-$2/20 Digital Prints Shopkick App Target Coupon x1/6
= FREE after coupon

Visit Totallytarget.com for all your Target needs and deals! She is Veg Mamma's expert when it comes to Target! Click here to see all her weekly deals!
Remember, that prices/sales may vary by store or region! Please check with your store manager to verify their coupon policy. It is also good to go with a printed copy of Target Corporations Coupon Policy. You can print one from the Target Website. http://www.target.com/
Remember to bring your own reusable bag and get .05 cents off your total!

New Year....new organization

2011-12-31T19:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome 2012! Its hard to believe that another year has rolled by! One of my goals in 2012 is to become more organized! We have been cooking alot more from scratch due to Toddler Veg's food allergies, so I am looking for ways to organize my food items! One food item that I do not have organized very well are my spices! I have some here and some there! They are in all different size/brand containers, which drive me nuts! Anybody out there know what I mean?

I currently have a spice rack in my pull out drawer, which works okay but I need to get more high tech. I was thinking of doing a wall spice rack. Does anybody out there have one of those? I am curious what your feelings are. I think it could be very pretty! You could make it into art with all the colors of spices that are out there! So my journey of exploring kitchen spice racks has begun! I'll keep you updated!

How to 'help' prevent allergic reactions

2011-12-30T08:01:00.002-05:00

In November 2011 my little Toddler Veg was diagnosed with Peanut, Tree Nut and Casein allergies (as well as asthma.) This life threatening condition has forever changed our way of thinking and living. As I learn new information I thought I'd share it here, in case you are going through something similar!

Over at parents.com I found another great article on allergies. Childhood food and environmental allergies are on the rise, but there is not a single factor that has been identified to "for sure" account for the increase. It seems like every minute of every day I am planning, watching, acting...to make sure Toddler Veg doesn't have an allergic reaction. This article focuses on six ways to help prevent an allergic reaction. Take a look and let me know what you think!

Click HERE, for the article.

Chocolate Muffins - gluten free

2011-12-28T08:01:00.002-05:00

Even if you can eat gluten don't let this recipe scare you away! Its yummy and easy! I found it on Karina's site, please click here to see recipe in its original format! Please take some time on her site, its wonderful!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a twelve muffin tin with paper liners.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl:

1/2 cup Organic Quinoa Flour

1 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup millet flour

1/4 cup potato starch (not potato flour)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Add in and beat:

1 cup organic light brown sugar

1/4 cup light olive oil

3/4 cup to 1 cup rice milk- start with less

1 tablespoon Ener-G Foods Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water till frothy*

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice or light tasting rice vinegar

Mix until the batter is smooth- it will be slightly sticky. If it climbs the beaters use a figure eight motion to control the batter better.

If the batter is too thick, add in a little rice milk at a time until it becomes smooth- like a thick version of cake batter.

Stir in:

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (omit for nut-free)

Heaping 1/2 cup of vegan chocolate chips

Spoon the batter into twelve lined muffin cups. Swirl and smooth the tops with a wet finger if you need to. Top each muffin with a pecan, chopped walnuts, or a couple of chocolate chips, as you prefer.

Bake in the center of a hot oven until domed and firm. About 20 minutes. Remove the baked muffins from the pan as soon as possible and cool on a wire rack (this keeps the bottoms from steaming).

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous warm from the oven, when the chocolate chips are melty. When cooled, I recommend wrapping each muffin in foil and freezing in a freezer bag for optimum freshness. Thaw to room temperature.

Cook time: 20 min

FREE Christmas Tree Printable Activities

2011-12-24T08:01:00.001-05:00

You can download a free printable pack of activities HERE! The printables are great and you can print all or just what you need! :)

Favorite Recipe Finds - Week of 12/19

2011-12-23T15:00:00.001-05:00

Each week I see so many awesome recipes that I add to my "try list." So I thought it might be fun to start sharing those that I find so you can try them too! Let me know what fun recipes you find that you are adding to your "try list." :) You can click on the blog name to see the recipes.

Over at YummyMummyKitchen, I found a great looking Roasted Butternut Squash recipe! Wow, I can't want to try this one! Check it out!
Over at YummyAllergenFree, I found a recipe for lunch box apple pies! YUMM! Can't wait to try these! I think using this recipe you could make allergen free poptarts as well. If you don't have to watch your allergens you could use regular flour. :)

Over at TammysRecipes, I found a recipe for Spinach Rice Casserole! It looks yummy, easy and freezes well!

Over at CanEat.org, I found a yummy looking recipe for Nut Butter Cookies!

Frugal Chrismas Cookies

2011-12-23T08:10:00.000-05:00

Here is a yummy and thrifty idea for Christmas cookies! You take ritz crackers, spread them with peanut butter or your favorite "nut" spread and then dollop with some melted chocolate! Top with an M&M for a finishing touch!

THINK AHEAD: Buy your ritz crackers, peanut butter and chocolate on sale prior to the holidays! Save some M&M's from Halloween and you have yourself some thrifty cookies! :)

Snowflake Pom Ornaments via Lucky Me!

2011-12-22T08:01:00.001-05:00

Okay so maybe the boys and I have a pom pom problem :) They just love them. So here is yet another craft you can make with them! You can find them in the dollar spot at Target and also at the dollar store! Click HERE to see Lucky Me's post on how to make this fun and easy craft!

Preschool and Tot School

2011-12-21T14:56:00.000-05:00

We made a HUGE train track and played endlessly with trains the past two weeks!

Toddler Veg 19 months

Preschool Veg 4 years

I added two new items to the Tot School Shelf. Some extra large beads to string and also some pieces with a felt board!

We used the dabbers to make Happy Birthday Jesus signs! Anything is fun when you use those things!

We worked on patterning with some candy cane art projects!

Preschool Veg is very fond of mazes and "which is different" sheets. He can't get enough! :)

Ah, my cute little readers! :) We used a lot of the nativity materials from 2teachingmommies.com

Thanks to:

Lemon Honey Drop Cookies

2011-12-21T08:01:00.001-05:00

Here is yet another lovely cookie from the cookie exchange I participated in! You can find the original recipe Here.

For some reason it wouldn't let me share it on the blog, if you'd like to recreate, please click the link above!

Gratituesday: The Engineer In my Husband

2011-12-20T13:40:00.000-05:00

I believe that God has our lives completely mapped out. I believe that He is in control of everything. When my husband switched jobs about 4 years ago, we were very thankful that he was able to join a very successful and well known company. My husband is a chemical engineer and has worked with fertilizer and also in the nano-technology realm. But, his new job (4 years ago) was in the area of nutrition. This was a new area for him. Fast forward to this point in our lives and I am thankful to have an engineer in the nutrition world! He has so much background which is helpful in reading labels and determining nutrition needs for our family, especial Toddler Veg with all his new food allergies! We want to make sure that we are giving him products that are free from 'certain hidden allergy' ingredients and we want to make sure that he is getting enough protein and nutrients! It certainly puts me at ease knowing that at least my little guy does have one advocate in the food industry...his Papa! Lord, thank you for providing my husband with this knowledge! Little did we know four years ago, what your plan was! You constantly amaze us!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Food Tip - Easy Freezer Prep for Muffins

2011-12-20T08:01:00.001-05:00

In October my friend Sara, from

http://www.part-timeme.blogspot.com, made some awesome lemon poppy seed muffins and packaged each one with "press and seal" wrap. I have to say that this was great and super convenient for my family. We kept them in the freezer and in the morning my husband could take one from the freezer and by the time he got to work it was thawed and best of all you didn't have to mess with putting it into a baggy or a container! This is great stuff! Made my life easier! Thought I'd share!

Blue Sky Scrubs

2011-12-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share a site with you if you are in the market for scrubs in the future! I recently visited http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/ and found a large variety of reasonably priced scrubs for men, woman and even kids! The scrubs come in all sizes and colors to fit your working needs! They also sell scrubs in kid sizes which make great baby or shower gifts!

The site is very clean and easy to navigate! You will be able to find just what you are looking for using the clear menu on the left side of the site! Just point, click and pick out your new scrubs! They have free shipping on all orders of $155 and exchanges/returns are always free.

Craft Corner: Felt Wall Tree

2011-12-19T08:00:00.002-05:00

My crafty baker friend Amy had these CUTE homemade felt trees on her walls when we visited last week. They were cut out of green felt and had easy handmade ornaments. I noticed some were simple round circles with a pom pom glued on it! This project can be easy and fairly cheap if you used your JoAnn's and Michael's coupons! Have fun creating!

** Also think AHEAD for next year....watch for these items on sale after Christmas! :)

Decorate "your" tree - kid style

2011-12-18T08:08:00.002-05:00

This was a great idea my mom had when Preschool Veg was smaller! In order to keep him away from the ornaments on our big tree we got him a small tree and put soft ornaments on it. Both kids have TONS of fun taking off and redecorating their little tree! And believe it or not they don't touch the big tree :)

PS. Yes, its a slinky on top of the tree!

THINK AHEAD: you can watch for after Christmas sales to pick up these items for a cheap price! Then you can put away for next year! :)

Free Nativity Printables and Art Projects

2011-12-17T08:01:00.001-05:00

The lovely ladies over at http://www.2teachingmommies.com/ put together a FREE printable preschool pack based upon The Nativity! You can download the pack HERE and print what you need!

Favorite Recipe Finds - Week of 12/11

2011-12-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

Each week I see so many awesome recipes that I add to my "try list." So I thought it might be fun to start sharing those that I find so you can try them too! Let me know what fun recipes you find that you are adding to your "try list." :) You can click on the blog name to see the recipes.

Over at TammysRecipes, I found some freezer friendly rice and bean burritos! I can't want to try them!

Over at A Latte' with Ott, I found a crockpot (overnight) brunch casserole recipe! How nice would it be to wake up to a brunch casserole? Yumm! I'd need to adapt it to be vegetarian and also to fit my household allergy needs, but that would be easy with this recipe!

Gluten Free product: Bob's GF Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

2011-12-16T08:08:00.002-05:00

This mix made GREAT cookies! They were VERY easy and kept nicely well over a week! I plan to get this mix again!

2 out of 2 adults LOVED it!

2 out of 2 kids LOVED it!

Sit and Relax Weekend Blog Hop #35

2011-12-15T19:57:00.000-05:00

Sit back and relax this weekend! That is a MUST, LOL :) While you are taking some down time...stop by the blogs listed below to make some new friends or visit some old ones! Happy Hopping!

Here are some tips:
you may link directly to your blog, link your Google+ account, your Facebook page and your Twitter account. Just make sure we know which is which. For example, Put G+ after your Google Page link like this~~
Heartfelt Balance Handmade Life-G+
or for twitter use your handle @HBHandmadeLife
or for Facebook, Heartfelt Balance Handmade Life-FB

Diaries of an Allergy Mamma: The Day Our World Changed

2011-12-15T19:51:00.000-05:00

In November 2011, Toddler Veg at the age of 18 months old was diagnosed with a life threatening allergy to peanuts, tree nuts and dairy. I plan to use this as a diary of events...the highs and the lows. I hope that as you read this you will chime in with any opinions, ideas, concerns or encouragement! Our journey begins now....

So backing up a bit...Toddler Veg was born in the late spring of 2010. He was a cute baby, but always unhappy. He was never diagnosed with colic but would cry for hours and often spit up his breast milk. His spitting up would go in spurts and the pediatrician felt he had reflux. So he started to take a medicine which seemed to make no difference in him. I was truly beginning to worry about the quality of his life. He seemed miserable and cried all the time. It was certainly taking a toll on the family. His "reflux" got worse and we changed reflux medications. I got a second opinion from my family doctor who sent us to Children's to see a GI specialist. The GI specialist really didn't have any ideas and wasn't too interested in us. Toddler Veg is a big boy, he likes to eat but he's always spitting up breast milk, formula, cow's milk, etc... So long story short....Pedi didn't listen, second opinion felt it wasn't right but was unsure so she sent us to a specialist who didn't care either. In November 2011 he was hospitalized for two nights and was diagnosed with asthma. It was a challenging and scary time for us. He had a hard time maintaining his oxygen levels. When we got home I asked for an allergy test. I had figured that he was allergic to gluten which we had already cut out 8 weeks prior. (we thought food was bothering him and we started with gluten as it sometimes causes more stomach acid...'reflux'). The poor child had 80 pricks on his back, but he took it like a champ. I will never forget when the allergist said that he had a peanut and tree nut allergy and that I need to carry and epi pen where ever we went. I never in a million years would have guessed that. He has had tree nuts and peanuts alot. But looking back I can place some wheezing episodes along with eating peanut butter. It was very scary to know that past reactions are NOT indicators of future reactions. The next one could be the "one" that we need to use the EPI. He was also allergic to casein (milk) ...imagine that...since he was spitting it up all the time. He did test negative to wheat. So let the feelings begin...overwhelmed, angry, devastated, lost, confused....just to name a few feelings.

Stay tuned for the next addition of The Diaries of an Allergy Mamma

Crispy Cauliflower

2011-12-14T08:01:00.003-05:00

My husband picked this recipe to try! I wasn't sure about it but there is something to be said about the sweetness of raisins paired with the tartness of capers! Pretty good! I'd say this is definitely a side dish and not a main dish! To see the recipe in its original format, click HERE.

1 large head of cauliflower (2 pounds), cut into 2” florets
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, soaked, rinsed, patted dry
3/4 cup fresh coarse breadcrumbs
1/2 cup low-salt veg broth
1/3 cup golden raisins

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or Champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°. Toss cauliflower florets with 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl; season mixture with salt and pepper. Divide cauliflower mixture between 2 large rimmed baking sheets, spreading out in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until cauliflower is golden and crispy, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Cauliflower can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Reheat before using.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until just golden, 5–6 minutes. Add capers and cook until they start to pop, about 3 minutes longer. Add breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Cook, stirring often, until breadcrumbs are golden, 2–3 minutes; transfer breadcrumb mixture to a plate and set aside.
Add veg broth to same saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add golden raisins and white wine vinegar and cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Do ahead: Breadcrumb and raisin mixtures can be made 2 hours ahead. Rewarm raisin mixture mixture before continuing.
Transfer warm cauliflower to a serving bowl. Scatter raisin mixture over, then toss to distribute evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cauliflower with breadcrumb mixture and parsley.

Kitchen Tip - Loading the Dishwasher!

2011-12-13T08:08:00.001-05:00

Photo credit: http://www.seventhgeneration.com/learn/blog/how-load-dishwasher

Thought this article shared some good rules of thumb for loading the dishwasher! I feel that I do a pretty good job, and have a BIG job of making sure my family follows these rules of thumb :) LOL My husband is famous for running the dishwasher when it isn't completely full! My mom loves to load it too full! Regardless we try to do our best! Do you have any tips?

Click the link before to read some great tips!
http://www.seventhgeneration.com/learn/blog/how-load-dishwasher

Candy Cane Blossoms #cookielove

2011-12-12T16:00:00.004-05:00

I went to a recent cookie exchange recently and came back with some yummy cookies! The cookies pictured above are Candy Cane Blossoms. My friend Sara, over at http://www.part-timeme.blogspot.com/ brought them to the exchange! She found the recipe HERE.

If you'd like to recreate these cookies, here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

•48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Cane Mint Candies
•1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
•1 cup granulated sugar
•1 egg
•1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•2 cups all-purpose flour
•1/4 teaspoon baking soda
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•2 tablespoons milk
•Red or green sugar crystals, granulated sugar or powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from candies.
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in red sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar or a combination of any of the sugars. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookie is set. Remove from oven; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press a candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

This week's freebies! Week of 12/4

2011-12-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

Again, very blessed in the freebie category this week! I was able to pick up 4 liters of sparkling water, 4 cans of organic fire roasted tomatoes, 5 cans of Campbell's soup, 4 bags of organic carrots (which I plan to freezer cook with) and 4 boxes of baby rice cereal. All of this was at Meijer! The baby food should have been 22 cents a box and the soup .09 a can but the cashier manually entered my coupons which gave me some overage! Yay!

These are my freebies from Wh. Foods. The organic corn meal, I obtained using a store coupon stacked with a manfu coupon and I got a little overage. The overage paid for the rice milk, which was 50 cents a box. I scored that deal with a manfu and store coupon! The chips were .29 after a store coupon and because free with some overage! :) Yay!

I had to repost this...there was an error the first time and it didn't post...sorry!

Eating Out With Allergies: Mellow Mushroom @MellowDublin @MellowMushroom

2011-12-12T13:30:00.001-05:00

With a new peanut/tree nut and milk allergy, eating out can be very scary! We researched and found that the mellow mushroom has a gluten free menu. They did recently start to serve peanut butter on their kids menu, but after talking with the staff I was comfortable of their cross-contamination practices and knew the pizza didn't come in contact with it. We were able to get a gluten free pizza made with Vegan cheese. It was amazing! You have to order a medium size (not small), but honestly my 18 month old ate 3 pieces for lunch and ate another 2 for dinner. (It reheated great)That is how much this kiddo liked it! I enjoyed it myself!

It was nice to know that a fun and exciting place can offer a safe menu for my child and family! I have visions of him hanging out with his friends when he's older and getting pizza. Its nice to know that he now has that ability, even though he has life threatening allergies.

Wanted to share our experience! Thank you Mellow Mushroom, Dublin Ohio for thinking "outside of the pizza box" and creating safe opportunities!

Target Deals - Week of 12/11

2011-12-12T08:01:00.001-05:00

Photo rights: http://www.totallytarget.com/, please check out her site!

**I am considering not doing the Target posts anymore. If you enjoy and use them, please comment on the blog or on facebook and I will continue them. I just want to focus on the posts that readers value the most. :) **

Nestle Toll House Morsels 12 oz $2.34

-$1/2; $1.25/3; $1/3 Nestle Toll House Morsels, Any – 11-06-11 RP
= as low as $1.84 depending on your coupon & you may be able to find it slightly lower at your stores

Swanson Broth 14 oz Cans .59
-.50/5; .50/3; .50/5 Swanson Broth Cans 11-6-11 SS x12/31
= as low as .39 cents each depending on coupon
Crest Toothpaste, 5.8- 8.2 oz Select (Crest Complete Shown) $2.49
-$2/1 Crest Complete Toothpaste 09-11-11 SS x12/31
-.75/1; $1/2 Crest Toothpaste 4 oz+ or Liquid Gel 11-27-11 PG x12/31
= as low as .49 cents for Crest Complete after coupon
Visit Totallytarget.com for all your Target needs and deals! She is Veg Mamma's expert when it comes to Target! Click here to see all her weekly deals!
Remember, that prices/sales may vary by store or region! Please check with your store manager to verify their coupon policy. It is also good to go with a printed copy of Target Corporations Coupon Policy. You can print one from the Target Website. http://www.target.com/
Remember to bring your own reusable bag and get .05 cents off your total!

Gluten Free product: Pizza Crust

2011-12-09T08:01:00.003-05:00

We love pizza at our house and needed to find a gluten free alternative! Pictured is the crust that we used. It came in two packages. Each package had two square pizza crusts! It was awesome! I couldn't tell a difference! I plan to buy again and keep in the freezer for a fast pizza lunch! I also want to try cutting up the crust to make "breadsticks." :) Yay!

2 out of 2 adults LOVED it!
2 out of 2 kids LOVED it!

New Research with Food Allergies

2011-12-08T08:08:00.002-05:00

In November 2011 my little Toddler Veg was diagnosed with Peanut, Tree Nut and Casein allergies (as well as asthma.) This life threatening condition has forever changed our way of thinking and living. As I learn new information I thought I'd share it here, in case you are going through something similar!

In this article from parents.com you can read about some new research that is ongoing to help "cure' some of the life threatening food allergies! I am excited for the potential of these studies! Take a look and tell me what you think!

Click HERE to read the article!

Easy Pantry Granola!

2011-12-07T08:01:00.003-05:00

This is great stuff! I had been reading about it on several blogs and found the recipe HERE. Please check out the link to see the recipe in its orginal form and to check out "Amy's Finer Things." Its a GREAT site!

This recipe was easy and has stored very well! I had a bit of a time getting it out of the pan the first time, but once I got the spatula under it then it came right up! Tastes great on yogurt!

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
7 cups oats (old fashioned)

Mix brown sugar, oil, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil.

Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla.
Pour over oats in a large bowl. Stir until well coated.
Spread oats in a 9×13 pan. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.
Take out and stir.
Return pan to oven. Turn oven off.
Let it rest in oven (oven is off) while you are sleeping and its ready for you in the morning!

Gratituesday: Surprise Green Onions

2011-12-06T21:01:00.001-05:00

So we decided to take alittle walk around the house Sunday morning. We just wanted to check things to make sure that nothing needed to be tended to before the cold, rain and snow hit! Well, much to our surprise in our tiny garden there were 4 beautiful green onions growing! It was quite a surprise! It was a neat site to see such beautiful green growing amongst the composting plants from this years garden! We enjoyed them last night! We stir fried them with tofu and ate with rice! Yummo! Its the simple surprises somethings that are the most exciting!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Allergen Free product: Bisquick's Baking Mix

2011-12-05T15:15:00.001-05:00

**this product may contain soy

I am happy to report that this mix was free from tree/peanut, dairy and gluten! Yay! I have made biscuits, pancakes and waffles with this mix! We have enjoyed the pancakes and waffles, but the biscuits were just "okay" as far as the kids were concerned! Often times you can find coupons to help lower the cost. Currently, there is an .85 cent one out there! If your store doubles you can get some cheap with if paired with a sale!

Vegetarian Mamma

GroundHog Craft via Lucky Me!

Happy 3rd Year Blogoversary! Giveaway #2 FREE Riceworks Coupons

Preschool Busy Bag Swap...Sign Up is OPEN!

Happy 3rd Year Blogoversary! Giveaway #1 Duncan Hines Free Product Coupon

Freebies from last week!

A Peek Into Our Learning Week!

Ground Hog Day activities via 2TeachingMommies

Gratituesday: Enough said...

Tip Tuesday: Rotate your Toys

Menu Plan Monday (1/29/12) Freezer Foods

52 Weeks, Healthier YOU and Me: Weeks 2,3,4

Diaries of an Allergy Mamma: How to use an Epi-Pen

Target FREEbies and Under $1 Items - Week of 1/29

A Toast to Champagne!

Preschool Busy Bag Swap...coming up soon!!

Murphy's Law for Mammas

Favorite Recipe Finds - Week of 1/22/11

Gluten Free product: Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix @HodgsonMillnc

Gluten Free Global Community

Homemade Valentines

Busy Bag: Yarn Art

Breakfast Burritos

Busy Bag: Paper Plate Color Match

Tip Tuesday: Containing those markers!

Gratituesday: Visiting the Farm

Menu Plan Monday (1/23/12)

Looking to give a business gift?

52 Weeks, Healthier YOU and ME: Week 1

Busy Bag: Roll-a-cise Game

Look what arrived: Better Batter Boxes

Target FREEBIES for the Week of 1/22

Recycle Your Baby Clothes

Happy Chinese New Year! Celebrate with Dragon Learning Printables...FREE

Giveaway Linky Page

Activity: Pom Pom Put In

Happy January! Let's save some money!

Favorite Recipe Finds - Week of 1/15/11

This week's freebies

Allergen Free product: Organic Just Apples

Diaries of an Allergy Mamma: Epi Pen Petition

Its's Been An Exciting Week Around Here

Paper Plate Snowmen via Lucky Me!

Need a Fundraiser Idea?

Cheesy Corn Cakes

Preschool Learning - Catch up Time!

Gratituesday: The Deer

Menu Plan Monday (1/15/12) and freezer cooking

Tip Tuesday: Reuse your tortilla bags

Share It Saturday: Valentine Sensory Items and Boxes and Share Linky

Favorite Recipe Finds - Week of 1/8/12

Citrus Bloghop: Mint Lemonade #citruslove

Gluten Free product: Enviro Kids granola bars

Deal Alert: Fruit Leather sale @ Amazon Just over .30 a pack

Calendar Time Printables: FREE

Deal Alert: Annie's Gluten Free Bunnies just over $2 a box

Cake Mix Cookies

Gratituesday: Monster Jam

Teacher Gift Ideas: January...brrr it's cold outside

Menu Plan Monday (1/8/12)

Diaries of an Allergy Mamma: love for the non allergy mammas

Target Deals- Week of 1/8/12

The Gelatin Report - Broccoli, Cheese, Rice steamer

Favorite Recipe Finds - Week of 1/1/12

Activity: Football Color Match

Stick Snowman Craft via Lucky Me!

Cumin Quinoa and Rice

Ingredients

Ingredient Info:

Preparation

Gratituesday: Back to School is Bittersweet

Menu Plan Monday (tuesday)

FAMILY TREE

Target Deals for the Week of 1-1-12 Happy NEW year!

New Year....new organization

How to 'help' prevent allergic reactions

Chocolate Muffins - gluten free

FREE Christmas Tree Printable Activities

Favorite Recipe Finds - Week of 12/19

Frugal Chrismas Cookies