Friday Faves–Apps

In sitting down to type up today’s blog post, I quickly scanned through my local drafts to see if I had started anything in the past I could finish up and post. And I’m glad I did! I found the start of #1 below (dated from April…2013, eek!), and came across two similarly adorable apps by the same maker that I had yet to download, “Endless Reader” and “Endless Numbers”. So, enjoy if you haven’t already downloaded these (for kids, obviously). And BONUS…they’re ALL free!!

(for Endless Numbers, I think only #1-5 come with it, you have to purchase the remaining #’s, but you can check it out for free)

#1. Endless alphabet

For starters, this gem of an app is FREE, and essentially teaches your kids letter sounds, spelling of words AND their definitions!

It shows a word, like above, and you drag the letters to where they belong. As you drag the letters, it repeats the letter sound over and over in a cute, fun voice! Then it says the word, followed with a short little skit depicting the definition, and then the word and definition are read one last time to wrap it all up.

Belch is ONE of my kids favorites, go fig!

#2. Endless reader

Seriously can’t wait for my soon to be kindergartner to dive into this one! Same idea, except AFTER you put the letters together for the word, a sentence pops up and you drag the words into place as they are said aloud.

Then, another cute skit to act out the sentence, and the sentence is read aloud, reinforcing reading skills.

#3. Endless numbers

While my son will likely get bored quickly with this one, I’m thinking it might be a huge help for my daughter. But, it does touch on addition, which might be helpful for my son, too.

Hope you enjoy these! At the very least, it makes me feel better when I let my kids have “screen time”. At least they’re actually learning something!

Friday Favorites–Polident, Wall Tracks & Toilet Wands

#1. Polident

First off, yes. You read that correctly.

It says polident, like the old fizzy tablets your grandparents used to clean their dentures at night.

It’s still me writing the blog, not an 80 something year old Grandma. Although my daughter did just recently utter the words, “Mommy, here’s your teeth!” while running up the stairs with my RETAINERS!

Anybody else wear these every night?

That is not actually MY retainer, I just pulled a pic from the interwebs. I wouldn’t dare show you mine!! It has a gray stain where I’ve got a ghetto old filling. How EMBARRASSING!

Cue: eye roll akin to Eep from the Croods

Anyone else get sick and tired of BRUSHING them old school style? My husband mentioned trying polident, semi-jokingly and I simply refused on principle. Then, I came across this Pinterest post that said you could use polident to whiten your nails. I thought, well, why not. It’ll serve 2 purposes!

And guess what? I tried whitening my nails with them. Meh.

BUT…the ease of cleaning my retainers! It’s seriously…heavenly.

#2. hot wheels wall tracks

Santa MAY have gone overboard buying Hot Wheels wall tracks for my son’s room, but boy howdy am I glad he did! They’re so cool! I read a whole bunch of reviews and they were all pretty good, so I figured I’d give them a go. They work like a charm! And it simply uses command strips to adhere them to the wall. Pretty much everyone that comes over likes playing with them.

#3. Clorox toilet wands

Not much to be said here, other than, makes cleaning the toilet easier and much more pleasant. Who wouldn’t want that? Love these bad boys!!

Friday Faves–Monty Python and the Holy Grail

If you’re unfamiliar with this scene above,

or with the title of this post…

RUN AWAY!! (you are unworthy)

If not, please click the picture above for a modern trailer of the ever nostalgic movie, ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’. Who would’ve ever thought you could make the hilariousness that is this movie, look like a legitimate feature? Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

In fact, I think I may have to watch it this weekend while I’m packing!! Yes, you read that correctly. We’re in escrow and if all goes as planned, we close September 30th.

Cue freak out.

That is all. Happy Friday!

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Seeing as it is Friday the 13th, I had to add one more Friday favorite memory. (And no! I am certainly not procrastinating from all the things that must be done when one is planning to move in 2ish weeks!!) Please leave a comment if you recall your school ever doing this.

Growing up, my classmates and I in elementary school thought we were SO hilarious when we collaborated to pull a Friday the 13th prank on our recess aides.

When the recess bell would ring, the entire playground either froze still, or fell down (as if we were dead).

I know, we were pure geniuses, right?

Happy Friday the 13th!

Friday Faves - Papa Murphy's & Space Unicorn

I know I’ve mentioned this one before, but it’s worth mentioning again. My first favorite for today is…

papa murphy’s pizza

It’s so much cheaper than any other QUALITY delivery place, and so fresh! And here’s a few helpful hints when enjoying Papa Murphy’s.

#1. They take expired coupons! Did you know this?!

I can’t vouch for every location, but ours does. They’ve never batted an eyelash. So, whenever I get them in the mail, I just stuff them in my wallet for my next trip. The best bang for your buck coupon is the family size for the price of a medium.

#2. For a crispier crust, remove the paper tray after 10 minutes.

I’m pretty sure it says this right on their baking instructions, but in case you breezed over that helpful hint, try it! I only leave it in for about 2-3 minutes longer, but that 2-3 minutes does make the crust crispier. I love it!

#3. Gourmet Vegetarian!!!

If you haven’t tried this kind yet, do yourself a favor and try it! It’s my favorite right now. We get half pepperoni (partially for the kids, and partially for us, it is spicy, so be warned!) and half gourmet vegetarian. Yum!! 

My second favorite is…

space unicorn

This is a throw back to my love of jr. highers and their glorious randomness!!! If you have yet to view this addictive hilarious happiness, please click the picture above to take you to the YouTube link. But be warned, you will have the song stuck in your head for a minimum of 10 minutes!!! But, you can’t help but smile and/or giggle when you hear it or sing it. I love it, my kids love it, and my husband loves it, though he’s too manly to admit it. =)

Enjoy, it’s the perfect send off to your weekend!

Friday Faves - Target Debit Card

target debit card

I have my sister-in-law to thank for this helpful tidbit! And I’m kicking myself that it’s taken me this long to follow through with it!

My husband and I have been working super hard to create, AND stick to a budget. We’re getting more and more successful each month, and it is so encouraging to meet our financial goals. We pretty much only use ONE credit card, and pay off each individual purchase we make. So I don’t want any other credit cards that could muck up our plan.

BUT…with this Target DEBIT CARD…my Target purchases come right out of my checking account! That means no forgotten payments ending in late fees. And here’s the perk ladies…

the perks

You get 5% off EVERY TARGET PUCRHASE (INCLUDING STARBUCKS PEOPLE!!) AND…you get free shipping online (could be dangerous? I’ll let you know).

Why oh why have I waited so long? The $ I could have been saving! So, I finally took the time last night (probably because I was at Target without children, how often does that happen) to obtain said debit card. All you have to do is bring a blank check with you so they can link it to your checking account. Done! Easy peasy.

the deals

I mentioned I was at Target without kids (also sometimes dangerous) and found some awesome deals! The orange coat above? $14 after the 5% discount, AWESOME!

As if you needed an extra push to tell you that Target was awesome. But…go get yourself a 5% debit card, seriously!

*Disclaimer – I am in no way receiving any kickbacks from Target for posting this blog. Just an FYI

Friday Faves - Apples & Traditions

#1. honeycrisp apples

Honeycrisp Apples! Pretty much enough said.

#2. our new favorite tradition

I’ve been wanting to start having my kids memorize Bible verses, but wasn’t sure how to go about doing it. I didn’t want it to feel like something that was forced by any means. I wanted them to enjoy it, and look forward to doing it! So, kind of on a whim, I told Cooper we were going to start memorizing verses, and for each week he could memorize our verse for the week, we’d go get frozen yogurt on Saturday. I wanted to see if it was something he’d be interested in.

Well, we’re two for two and getting ready to go on week #3! He’s loving it! He’s so proud, it’s helping us actually LEARN values in the Bible (‘cuz we’ll chat about what the verse means and remind one another if we see something that pertains to it throughout the week), and frozen yogurt is a perk!

So, as I had mentioned, I started it on a whim so I didn’t sit down to plan out verses initially. We began with Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Then, I sought out the following link on my Pinterest board. It’s perfect! Week #2 we did 1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Be kind to one another and build each other up.” We’ve now got it printed, laminated and ready to go!

Here was the card we memorized this past week:

Here’s our next verse we’ll start tomorrow…

So easy, and beyond rewarding! Maybe it’s a tradition you could start, too! Seriously…froyo, weekly? Okay, so it doesn’t have to be that. Choose something that will motivate your own child.

Happy Friday!

Friday Faves - Tostitos & Mumford and Sons

Two quick and easy ones for ya today!

Tostitos Hint of Lime Chips

Seriously, if you haven’t tried these, you should! And with Super Bowl coming up? It’s the perfect time to! They are ADDICTING, so don’t say I didn’t warn ya. No MSG (found that out while I was pregnant, thank GOD!), and for all you gluten free peeps? They make a version that’s gluten free, too! Woot!

mumford & sons: awake my soul

Mumford & Sons is the artist…Awake My Soul is the song. Not only are the lyrics moving and challenging, but the tune itself is moving and catchy. You MUST listen to it all the way through though. It picks up about half way into it, and truly awakes your soul. So…go invest your love in what you want your life to be invested in!!

Friday Faves – The Daily Bible…and some Francis Chan passion!

I briefly shared about this and my goal for this year here.

I’m happy to report that I’m actually ahead of the game! I’m on day #20 and it’s only the 18th. Woot! And I have this Bible to thank. Well, and the fact that it’s God’s word which is breathtaking, captivating and like no other literature written…EVER!

The reason why this version in particular is my favorite is because of the “devotional commentary”. Kind of a funny phrase, but essentially, in between chunks of scripture, the author leads you smoothly through what you are about to read, painting the scene with historical and spiritual insights.

It’s kind of like CliffsNotes for the Bible! (Wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve thought of those!). It makes you really think and take in what you’re reading. I’ve learned so much more by reading the Bible with these insights.

So…it’s worth taking a look at. Click on the picture above to take you to the Amazon link, it’s only $19.79 for a hardcover people! I think I paid the same for a paperback!

While we’re on the book theme…AND I got to hear Francis Chan speak live - TWICE last weekend, allow me to give you THREE MORE FAVORITES! I’ve read both Crazy Love and Forgotten God – both challenged me and changed my life. I received a copy of his newest book, Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples. Can’t wait to read it! Here’s a picture of me and my MOPS leaders waiting to hear Francis speak.

Friday Fave - Goldilocks & the Three Dinosaurs

Cooper just recently received this book as a gift for his birthday, and it proved true that we are certainly Mo Willems fans! We love the Elephant & Piggie books (in fact own probably too many of them), but hadn’t come across this particular Mo Willems book yet.

It’s a hilarious take on Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Even prompted me to read it in a funny little accent AND character voices! There are glimpses of Mo Willems famed pigeon throughout the book and the dinosaur house has some fun dinosaur-specific items scattered here and there.

Lastly, I came across these fun related activities put out by HarperCollins Publishers. The first is probably my favorite. Alas, if only I could draw! =)

Seeing that my SON is just 4 years old, his “endings with a twist” would probably all end with either a light saber fight or some potty joke, but hey, it still promotes imagination, right? Have fun reading with your kiddos!

Friday Faves - Christmas Cards & More!

#1. christmas card books

Free printable here. I love this way of storing Christmas cards!

#2. snickerdoodles

…and fudge, technically, but I haven’t made the fudge yet. Each year, my grandma, who lived in Oklahoma, would make and mail snickerdoodles and fudge each year for Christmas. Two years ago, I “took over” this tradition and mailed them to my dad and brother. It doesn’t feel like Christmas yet until I’ve had these two sweets. Click here for the recipe I use.

**Quick aside…my dad just flew back this week for my grandma’s funeral. Family dynamics can often be…tricky, and odd. But, all that aside, each member of your family makes an imprint on your life whether you want to admit it or not. Think about the imprint you’re leaving. Thanks Grandma Roach for this sweet tradition.

#3. neutrogena makeup remover towelettes

I HATE getting ready for bed. I’ll postpone it, just because I don’t want to go through the routine of “getting ready for bed” i.e. brushing/flossing, retainers, removing contacts, removing make-up, taking daily medicine, lotion…anyone else exhausted yet? Anyhow, I am far from consistent when it comes to taking off my make-up (okay, you can close your mouth from gasping now). BUT, since I’ve bought these bad boys, I’ve been much more consistent! I also use their eye makeup remover, works great!

#4. grace

This last one may seem silly, and it without a doubt falls into the last but CERTAINLY not least category. Being sick with mono, and having a 4 year old and a 21 month old, my patience is often thin. I will admit to having made the Marge Simpson frustrated noise with my children in the middle of chaos. And I will admit to flat out snapping out in irritation. If you’re a parent and this has never happened…well, you’re probably lying.

BUT, the grace of God allows me to seek forgiveness and start anew without harboring all these wretched feelings of guilt. Am I stricken with guilt? Yeah, but there’s no reason to harbor that guilt once I’ve asked forgiveness and have moved on with the intent to improve.

Thank you God for this. You, more than anyone, know I need it.

Friday Faves–Key Chain

**WARNING: POTENTIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA BELOW**

I used to have an adorable keychain of my son’s 6 month old professional pictures. But, he just turned 4, and time has taken its toll on the keychain. I wanted to use our most recent family photos to somehow create a new keychain to keep, and this time include BOTH my kiddos. I’d been mulling it over until I came across this adorable keychain in Michaels (they were on an end cap near the frames section):Now you’re probably not caring wondering how I incorporated both my kids, right? That’s only one sweet face right there. I give you side two! No…unfortunately the keychain wasn’t SO cool to come this way. What I did was purchase two of them, and then used ANOTHER one of today’s Friday faves…

If you have never been savvy enough to use mounting putty, aka adhesive putty, allow me to introduce you.

My first introduction was probably maybe cheerleading in high school? Did I really just actually admit to being on cheer on the interwebs? Then, when I was an RA in college, holy moly did this come in handy hanging posters galore! And finally, most obviously, my teaching career. But, I do still use it periodically. Birthday parties, holiday décor, etc. Basically, it kind of works like you would imagine gum would, but it won’t ruin whatever it use you’re sticking it to. You do have to heat it up to get its sticking power to work. I wasn’t sure it would actually hold the two  keychains together, but so far its held up for almost 3 weeks now ON my set of keys! Yay! Basically, I just heated some up, put it on the back of one keychain, and smashed them together.

And it was a whopping $5 altogether (after coupons of course, they were $3.99 apiece). So, perhaps a Christmas gift for grandparents? Or a spouse? What are you waiting for? Go check out Michaels! They also have really cute initial keychains that are similar, but with a rhinestone initial next to a small square picture frame.

Friday Faves–Merlin

Kind of a funny, humbling favorite today, but I’m feeling HORRIBLE and wanted to make it short and sweet. AND, it was windy and rainy out today, one of those days where you just want to curl up on the couch and watch tv all day (having mono makes this desire even stronger!). So debuting this favorite seemed fitting. Here’s a TV series (there are 4 seasons, the fifth and final is premiering Jan. 4th, as noted above) you may not have heard of that you could catch on Netflix that would fulfill your all day couch lounging purposes.

MERLIN

It’s on the Syfy channel, my nerdy little secret. I almost HAVE to like Syfy if I’m married to my husband. It’s a BBC original – they have some hidden gems, don’t they? I’ll admit, it has some SUPER cheesy moments (doesn’t ALL syfy? Shh-don’t tell hubby I said that), but overall it has adventure, fun, romance, and the characters are charmingly adorable and you can’t help but love them. Look at the main character below, you can’t help but smile, am I right?

 

AND, it’s family friendly. I don’t mean family friendly like to sit down and watch with my toddlers, watch a few to determine if the violence factor is appropriate for your family. What I mean is that my husband and I can watch it and not feel like our brains have been filled with scum and filth. You know that feeling I’m talking about! You finish an episode and feel hopeful and lighthearted, whimsical even! =)

There you have it folks! If you’ve been wanting something to fill those nights when you’ve got nothing to watch (keep this in your memory, that time will come in between all your favorite shows), Merlin may be the answer.

I leave you with one more picture, Arthur and Merlin. Yeah, Arthur’s not hard on the eyes. =)