Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Do It Yourself: 15 Homemade Popsicles and more...

 
Money Saving Mom

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Here's What's New
Do It Yourself: 15 Homemade Popsicles
How I Won the "Cool Mom Award" With a Simple Trip to Kroger (+ enter to win a $75 Kroger gift card!)
5 Lessons I Learned After Quitting Facebook
6 Goals For This Week (I'm going to NYC & then we're headed back to Atlanta!)
3 Ingredients of an Effective Morning Routine
Part-time Virtual Assistant Position Available

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:: Do It Yourself: 15 Homemade Popsicles

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LivingOnADime.com shows you how to make 15 different homemade popsicles.

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I'd love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

:: How I Won the "Cool Mom Award" With a Simple Trip to Kroger (+ enter to win a $75 Kroger gift card!)

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Last Friday, on our way home from picking the kids up from their last day at camp I said, "I'm so sorry, guys, but we're going to have to stop at Kroger. I need to pick up something for a blog post I'm working on."

The kids gave me weird glances. It's not normal that I just up and go to Kroger seemingly spontaneously - especially not to buy something for a blog post. But they reluctantly agreed to get out of the car and troop into the store with me, even though they were tired and hot from a long day at camp.

Enter to win a Kroger gift card, courtesy of Magnum Ice cream Bars

Their reluctance turned to sheer joy when I marched them to the ice cream bar aisle and told them that we "had" to buy every kind of Magnum Ice Cream Bar the store sold and that I needed them to be my taste testers to see if the ice cream bars were any good.

Yup, I won the Cool Mom Award. And they also decided, again, that this blogging gig thing is pretty sweet most days.

I mean, what other job do you get to pay the bills by testing ice cream bars?? :)

{Okay, there may be a few other things involved in the gig, too, and we are always quick to let our kids know that these fun opportunities only come with lots of hard work, however, I think it's wonderful for our kids to get to tangibly see that Mom and Dad's hard work does pay off!}

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At any rate, it seems we've all been living under a rock for the past number of years because not a one of us has ever tried the Magnum Ice Cream Bars. And I'm afraid that now that we've tried them, we may be just a wee bit hooked.

There were oohs and ahhs and lip-smacking all around when we got home. In fact, I didn't even get to get a picture of all of the boxes of Magnum Ice Cream Bars before two boxes were completely G-O-N-E.

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{Jesse said that I had to take a picture of the two empty boxes, even though I was a bit embarrassed that we inhaled so many ice cream bars in such a short amount of time. He wanted you all to know that these are the best ice cream bars he's ever had. I did not twist his arm or offer bribes for that statement from him. I think he is a complete and diehard Magnum Ice Cream Bar fan, now. We may even need to set aside a budget line for them based upon how much he's been raving about them!}

Magnum Ice Cream Bars are made with real Belgium chocolate. And trust me, we all agreed that, these are hands down the ultimate chocolate and ice cream indulgence. Apparently, it does make a difference to be the only ice cream bar made with Belgian chocolate!

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They are an amazing ice cream treat - silky ice cream covered in thick, cracking chocolate. De-li-cious! For an even more indulgent experience, Magnum Doubles are dipped in a Chocolate, Caramel, or Peanut Butter sauce and dipped again in chocolate. We also loved the Magnum Minis. They are the perfect size for a quick snack!

The Magnum Ice Cream Bars are on the pricey side, but we felt like they were well worth the price for how delicious they were. Plus, I've often seen coupons for them. They would be a less expensive (and probably more mouth-watering!) option than going out for ice cream.

Enter to win a Kroger gift card, courtesy of Magnum Ice Cream Bars

Win a $75 Kroger Gift Card!

Magnum Ice Cream Bars are available at a variety of stores, including Kroger and Kroger owned stores. And Kroger would like to give you the opportunity to try these amazing treats - for free!

They are giving away a $75 Kroger gift card on my blog today. To enter to win, just post on Twitter saying which Magnum Ice Cream Bar flavor you'd most like to try. Be sure to tag me (@moneysavingmom) and use hashtag #MagnumSummerIndulge. We'll randomly choose one winner from the entries to win a $75 Kroger gift card.

 {This post was underwritten by Lunchbox. Read our disclosure policy here.}

 

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:: 5 Lessons I Learned After Quitting Facebook

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Guest post from Mary of Adventures In Frugal Land

Last month, I made the decision to say goodbye to my personal Facebook account. It was a decision that was in the back of my mind for a while. I took the plunge on May 6, 2015.

Since then, I've learned five important lessons.

1. I Don't Have As Many Friends As I Thought

One my personal Facebook page, I had hundreds of "friends". Once I said goodbye to my account, only a handful of them stayed in contact with me.

My birthday was less than two weeks after I made the decision to quit Facebook. In the previous years, most everyone on my friends list posted "happy birthday" to me.

Guess how many thought to call or text me? FIVE.

Most of them were family… which leads me to the next lesson.

2. I Don't Care

Learning lesson one taught me lesson two. I don't care about the lack of communication from my former Facebook "friends".

The true friendships that I have are even more precious to me before. I value the few close friends I have more than I ever valued the fake ones I thought I had.

3. I Have More Free Time

I am amazed at how much time I really do have in a day. I knew I spent a good bit of time on Facebook, but I had no clue exactly how much.

I no longer feel the need to check my feed because I'm bored or out of habit. Instead, I use that time to do something productive or something I really enjoy.

4. I Am Happier

Let's face it. Facebook is FULL of negativity… and I don't want that in my life.

I am not the type of person who can just forget about something. So, when I would see a troubling post/picture, it would stay with me for days. I don't want to focus on negativity in my life. I want to embrace the positive.

Since quitting Facebook, I am happier.

5. I Don't Feel "Left Out"

I honestly thought that I would feel left out of the loop since quitting Facebook. I've found that I don't. My friends and family inform me of any pertinent information I need to know.

Bonus Lesson #6: My Phone Battery Lasts Longer

It's amazing how long a phone battery lasts when you are not constantly checking for updates and messages!

Mary is the mother of an energetic four year old daughter. She is passionate about bringing awareness to thyroid disease. You can find her blogging at Adventures In Frugal Land about thyroid disease, motherhood, frugal living and whatever else pops into her head!

:: 6 Goals For This Week (I'm going to NYC & then we're headed back to Atlanta!)

10 Goals For This Week

Last week was Kaitlynn's birthday, so we celebrated in number of ways - including a Mommy-Daughter Date and taking crazy selfies together. Because, of course! :)

It's another full week this week! I'm at the ice rink all day today with Kaitlynn, then I'm headed to NYC tomorrow to film a segment with Fox Business (Eek! I'm split between being crazy excited about this and crazy nervous… it's definitely another opportunity to jump out of my comfort zone! I've only been to NYC once and I've never been there by myself, so it should be an adventure!).

{The segment is supposed to air on Friday night, but things can always change when it comes to TV. I'll keep you posted when I know for sure!}

I fly back home on Wednesday morning and then we're packing up to head to Atlanta to meet my sister and her family for a few days of exploring the city together.

And then we're headed back home again to spend time with two sets of out-of-town guests that are coming in Saturday and Sunday.

So with all of this in mind, I'm going to keep my goals very simple this week.

Last week's goals:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

1. Have a Family Movie Night with the kids.

2. Have an at-home movie date with Jesse.

3. Go out to breakfast with Jesse.

Personal Goals

4. Exercise at least 3 times.

5. Finish reading at least one book.

Local Ministry/Hospitality/Friendship Goals

6. Meet with our church's Ministry Coordinator about plans for our church's coffee bar.

7. Write a note of encouragement to a friend going through a difficult time.

Business Goals

8. Prep for speaking at the Acworth, GA Say Goodbye to Survival Mode event this Saturday.

9. Launch the Make Over Your Mornings weekly email newsletter

10. Work on marketing copy and endorsement requests for my new book.

This week's goals:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

1. Write love notes to each of the kids and to Jesse.

2. Have an at-home movie date with Jesse.

Personal Goals

3. Finish reading at least one book.

Local Ministry/Hospitality/Friendship Goals

4. Have a coffee date with a friend.

Business Goals

5. Finish writing an article for an upcoming project.

6. Finish reading and writing an endorsement for another author's book.

How did you do on last week's goals? What are your goals for this week? I'd love to have you share your progress on last week's goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you've blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let's cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives! You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.


:: 3 Ingredients of an Effective Morning Routine

3 Ingredients of an Effective Morning Routine

Kelly has a fantastic post on her site on 3 Ingredients of an Effective Morning Routine.

If you are struggling with finding a good rhythm in the mornings or if you wish you could figure out how to prioritize better, this post is a must-read! It's packed with great advice, practical ideas, and lots of inspiration.

:: Part-time Virtual Assistant Position Available

Part-time virtual job opportunity with Michael Hyatt and Platform University

Platform University - Michael Hyatt's online membership community - is hiring a part-time virtual Communications Assistant.

Here are some of the details of the job opportunity:

The position of Communications Assistant is a part-time employee position and it is a virtual position. The employee will start at 20 hours per week but will likely grow to full-time status as the position continues to develop. Hours are somewhat flexible, as this position is more about accomplishing certain tasks and objectives with a high level of responsiveness than adhering to a set clock in/clock out time. Occasionally, there would be the need to work additional hours on evenings and weekends during a launch or other event which happens a few times a year.

Due to the high-growth nature of this business, the duties and responsibilities of this position will likely evolve and expand over time, so we are looking for someone who has the capacity and desire to grow with the position.

Skills & Abilities

  • Communication Skills: The Assistant must be an excellent communicator, in both written and oral form. This includes high proficiency in spelling, grammar and punctuation.
  • Organization: Our Assistant needs to be highly organized and detail-oriented. We need someone with the ability to think at a big-picture level- looking at our annual content calendar - and then break those large projects down into actionable steps including production deadlines, posting schedules & corresponding calendar items.
  • Discretion: Since our Assistant will sometimes be working with high-profile individuals, discretion and sensitivity regarding confidential information is a must.
  • Technologically Proficient: While experience with some or all of the technology platforms that we use is ideal, including InfusionSoft, WishList Member, Rhino, WordPress, etc., we are willing to train the right candidate. However, the ability to embrace and learn new technology quickly is an absolute must. We also prefer someone who is an Apple computer and software user.
  • Copywriting and Editing: The Assistant should possess supreme copywriting skills. The ability to communicate effectively in the Platform University brand voice is critical to this position.

Read more about this position, the qualifications, and how to apply here. {Please note that applying requires taking a test online to determine your strengths. The test is $9.99, if you haven't taken it before.}

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