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3.30.2011

How do you keep your family happy?

Raising a family is very hard. You need to make sure they are healthy and safe, but have you thought about how to keep them happy? I have been going through a "happy" crisis with my kids at the moment. I have a six year old and fifteen year old at home (my oldest that lives on her own is on her own for happiness-lol) . When you have a teen, happiness is so hard to come by these days. I've been trying to keep him happy lately by helping him with his new found interest- kickboxing. The cost of kickboxing can be a lot, but sacrifising so your kids are happy, is part of a parents job, isn't it? He's also discovered girls, so he has been wanting better clothes and contacts. Yikes! The thing is, I will do what it takes to help him through the dreaded teen years. I know they can be hard and can have lasting effects. My youngest is going through a boredom crisis, so we've been trying to find out what works to keep her happy as well. Summer is coming up soon and I dread having to find entertainment for her on a daily basis. Lately, I have found that she simply wants to spend more time with me. Simple, yet hard to come by free time when you have two businesses. We both like to draw, so I've found that is easy to fit in my schedule. I'm sure that lots of parents find it hard to find free time to keep their family happy. We did just take our first trip together in a long time. We didn't go far-actually, we even stayed in the same state. A little trip, but this was the best time we all had together in a long time. So, I guess sometimes happiness can cost you a lot in money, and other times, it doesn't cost you a dime to keep your family happy. Social Moms and Farm Rich want to know what you do to keep your family happy? They are even highlighting excerpts from your posts, tweets and tips to be collected and featured on http://farmrichsnacks.socialmoms.com, and distributed across the web for all to see! You can also have a chance to win $25 gift card from Walmart. “I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Farm Rich blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

3.10.2011

Redbox is cool!


Have you heard about Redbox?

My daughter told us about this awesome way to rent movies. No lines. Convience. Cheap rental.

During St. Patrick’s Day month, Redbox is having a Lucky to Have Friends Like You promotion to give everyone a chance to find out how great they are!


Sign up here and spread the word about redbox and you'll earn a free online rental credit every time a friend rents online using your referral link through March 17th.



I am entering a giveaway for free redbox movies and movie snack packs as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.

10 tips for getting away with great family travel deals.

It's getting to that time of the year when we start thinking about vacations. Because of our schedules and limited time and finances, I have to get creative when it comes to saving money. This allows us to be able to give our kids the chance to get away once in a while.



Alamo and Social Moms have teamed up because they want to know how families beat the rising cost of everything and what deals they use to make it happen!

Here are ten tips I use to get away:

1. Go on off season. We always go off season when we travel. Especially when we go to Florida. November is the best month to go in my opinion. It's not as hot and the lines are shorter.

2. Use company deals. The company my mom worked for offers special deals to their employees. They also have nice suites and cabins at very discounted prices, which is very cool!

3. Online coupons. I love using the internet for deals. Check different travel sites to find packages.

4. Booking a package. Booking your rental car and flight together will save you tons!

5. Save up points. If you belong to My Rewards or other point rewards programs, you can save them up and cash them in at resturaunts and other places to shop while on vacation.

6. Miles. Use your frequent miles-everyone should know about this!

7. City deals. We will be going to St. Louis this summer and by checking online, I discovered that you can get a city membership/pass to go to different attractions at discounted price-oh yeah!

8. Groupon. This is becoming very popular. Check to see if you can get a deal for the place/attraction you want to go to.

9. Stay close. Going to a neighboring city will save gas and time. Find out what attractions are near to where you live and enjoy a vacation near home. Sometimes, these are more relaxing then going far away.

10. Free tickets. Buy one get one free tickets save a fortune, like Adventureland or places like that. Look at your local supermarket to see if they carry them.


I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25.