Halloween Parade 2010

I love Halloween and so do my kids!  This year, both Kylie and Emma decided to be witches.  Actually, Emma was going to be Scooby Doo until she saw her big sister was being a witch.  Than, at the last minute I had to literally run to Target and JoAnns Fabric to find a witch costume - luckily, I found one!

Here are pictures from today's school Halloween parades:



Emma's class went "Trick-or-Treating" to each class where they got 1 piece of candy from the teacher of that class.  She carried her broom between her legs throughout the entire parade.  I kept telling her that she could hold it in her hands.    I was afraid she was going to fly away.  Too cute!!!




Here is Kylie as "Ribbon Witch" in her class when her parade got over.  Her parade at school was outside and because it was cold, I wasn't able to get great pictures (the kids were walking fast), so after the parade, we went back to her class for her party.  There, I got some great pictures of her and her friends.  Here she is posing with her friend, Bianca.

For the class parties, since I love helping out, I found M&M stix here, so I decided to create my own.  Here they are:

Sorry for the "fuzziness" of the pictures, I used my husband's camera as I couldn't find mine.  Though, hopefully you can get the jist of it.  They are M&M's in clear wrappers, with Halloween cardstock on top to seal them. 
Aren't they cute?  The kids really enjoyed them.  I can't wait until Christmas to make these again for their parties.

MIX PUPS PARTY

What little girl would not want to have a MixPups party?  Both of my girls were in their glory when a package arrived full of MixPups dogs, accessories and play set.  A party was to be planned and participation was needed!  This really was not hard to do, as I know lots of people, both friends and family, who have little ones and are always looking for new ideas of fun-time for their little ones.

It was a Wednesday night and a party was about to happen - a puppy party that is "MixPups".  Both Emma & Kylie have been talking about this party all week, and trust me it is very hard to keep them away from the box full of goodies, especially when they know how many hours of fun are contained in that box.

Both Emma and Kylie's friends came over ready to play.  We had puppy hor d'eurves, such as Hot Diggity Dogs, Puppy Chow, Dog-gone Good Bones, and Puppy Love Parfaits, Chillin' MixPup Punch (drink) and the MixPups stations were set up for the kids to enjoy.  Every child that came to the party went home with 2 MixPup puppies and accessories. 



Look at how cute these MixPups are?  All guests, including my kids had hours of fun with them.

The kids interacted with their puppies and had hours of fun, and to this day, when I talk to the parents, they tell me their kids are still playing with the MixPups.


This is a toy definitely not made for kids under the age of 3 as the feet come off the puppies for easy access to change the accessories on the animals, and with them being very small, kids could choke. Parents, please keep this in mind when purchasing for your child.

Here are some pictures from the MixPups party - enjoy!

Every little girl will love MixPups - it is going to be the next fad!  My daughters till play with their playsets and maybe, just maybe, Santa will be bringing them more if their good.

Thanks everyone for an awesome MixPup "puppy" Party!




OLD FASHIONED MUSIC - HUH??

This past Sunday I was doing my thing in the kitchen, listening to music such as Journey, Rush, Eagles, The Who, etc., singing and dancing along while I cook, when Kylie, my 8 year old, comes in and asks “Mom, are you listening to Old Fashioned Music”? Why yes, Ky (controlling my laughter), yes, I am.


Kids do say the darndest things, don’t they?
 
Do you too listen to "Old Fashioned Music"?  LOL!

JUNIOR FIREFIGHTERS???

My husband is a volunteer fireman at our local Fire Department and at times, he brings the girls over to check out the apparatus.  Today is no different.  Here is a picture of Emma in the truck, and a picture of Kylie with a few of her friends at Family Fun Day at her school this past Friday.

T and LITTLE S DESIGNS: Custom Made Placemats {Review & Giveaway}

Have you ever shopped Etsy?  Well, if not you must!  I came across this marvelous site, T and Little S Designs, and found some very creative placemats to spice up any dinner table.  These placemats are perfect for kids parties, homeschooling, favors, etc...  You name it, one can be made - guaranteed.

Having a themed party soon?  How about adding some customized Placemats to that party.  That will surely add pizzazz to your table.

I received the following customized placemats for Emma & Kylie and couldn't be happier.  Emma LOVES dogs and Kylie is really big into PEACE symbols these days.  Now, dinner time (or any eating time) is a treat rather than a chore.  The girls are excited to have their very own placemats at the table with my already matching placemat sets.  I will say, one day I inadvertently placed the placemats in the wrong spots (I mixed them up) and quickly it was brought to my attention and fixed.  How cute!

The following are some new Fall/Holiday themed placemats that were just created.  These are sure to make a statement on any table. 

Halloween Themed Black Cat

Each custom Halloween cat placemat features an adorable Halloween cat design in lime, purple, orange, and black in a fun, easy to clean format. The 12x12 placemat is covered in clear contact paper, making it extremely durable and easy to wipe clean after spills and toddler messes. These make great party favors and decor for your toddler's birthday, Halloween, or classroom party, and they're a party favor that other parents will thank you for! (no sugar!) Halloween cat design was created by my Etsy buddy Merrilee of Modern Renaissance, and we can also personalize these w/ your child's name. How cool is that?

Halloween Themed Bat
Each custom Halloween bat placemat features an adorable Halloween bat design in orange, and black in a fun, easy to clean format. The 12x12 placemat is covered in clear contact paper, making it extremely durable and easy to wipe clean after spills and toddler messes. These make great party favors and decor for your toddler's birthday, Halloween, or classroom party, and they're a party favor that other parents will thank you for! (no sugar!) Halloween bat design was created by my Etsy buddy Merrilee of Modern Renaissance, and we can also personalize these w/ your child's name. How cool is that?

Turkey Thanksgiving.
Each custom Thanksgiving turkey placemat features an adorable turkey design in reds, browns, etc. in a fun, easy to clean format. The 12x12 placemat is covered in clear contact paper, making it extremely durable and easy to wipe clean after spills and toddler messes. These make great party favors and decor for your toddler's birthday, family get-together, or classroom party, and they're a party favor that other parents will thank you for! (no sugar!) Turkey design was created by my Etsy buddy Merrilee of Modern Renaissance, and we can also personalize these w/ your child's name. How cool is that?

This mixed set of custom winter placemats feature an adorable winter design in penguin, snowman, gingerbread cookie, and polar bear in a fun, easy to clean format. The 12x12 placemat is covered in clear contact paper, making it extremely durable and easy to wipe clean after spills and toddler messes. These make great party favors and decor for your toddler's birthday, winter family get-togethers, or classroom party, and they're a party favor that other parents will thank you for! (no sugar!) All winter designs were created by my Etsy buddy Merrilee of Modern Renaissance, and we can also personalize these w/ your child's name. How cool is that?

About T and Little S Designs

Welcome to T and Little S Designs, where she specializes in all things paper,decoupage, and custom party supplies. You'll find custom and premade scrapbooks, cards/ invites, party supplies and banners, altered items, ceramic coasters, and more! Need something in a different color or style? Traci loves custom orders and would love to help you.

Currently working on new fall and holiday designs, and my shipping schedule for current orders is still running at about 1 week turnaround time for custom orders. Can generally get them finished quicker if needed. Also offering custom party supplies (characters, etc.).

Please note that a design fee will be applied for all custom graphic design work (logos, etc.). Thank you for understanding.

Proud team member of EtsyMom, EtsyColumbus, The Spotted Box, and EtsyScrap!!

Will gladly ship anywhere in the world. Still updating my shipping profiles, so if you don't see your country listed, rest assured, I will ship to you.

Trade friendly.

T and Little S Designs also offer much more beautiful work, such as ceramic coasters, cupcake toppers, luggage tags, customized banners, just to name a few.  Prices are very reasonable for the quality of work she provides.

Tracy at T and Little S Designs has graciously offered my readers a 15% discount on your order in her shop during the duration of this giveaway.  Just enter Frugal Finds 4 Moms as your code when ordering and 15% will be deducted.

GIVEAWAY

One (1) Lucky Frugal Finds 4 Moms reader will win a set of the new fall/ winter placemats just in time for the holidays.

MANDATORY ENTRY

Tell me which one you would choose if you won?  That's it.  Easy-Peasy.

EXTRA ENTRIES

* Become a Follower of Frugal Finds 4 Moms via GFC (If you are already a Follower, let me know and add your entries) (2 entries)

* Follow Frugal Finds 4 Moms via Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (1 entry per tweet per day)

* Follow Frugal Finds 4 Moms via Facebook (1 entry)

* Enter any of my other giveaways during the duration of this giveaway (1 entry)

* Comment on any other post on my blog during the duration of this giveaway (1 entry)

* Blog about this giveaway and let me know where (1 entry)

* Grab my button and post on your blog - let me know where so I can check (2 entries)

* Follow T and Little S Designs on Facebook (1 entry)

* Follow T and Little S Designs via Twitter (1 entry)

* Visit T and Little S Designs and tell me what your favorite item is (2 entries)

Please leave a comment for each of the above valid entries, though the first must be done in order to get any extra entries. Click on COMMENTS below and post your entry.

A winner will be chosen via random.org on September 30, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. CST, and will be notified via email on October 1, 2010. Please leave a valid email address so you can be notified. Then will have 48 hours to respond. If by that time, they have not responded, a new winner will be chosen via random.org, and so on and so forth.

Disclosure: A HUGE thanks to Traci at T and Little S Designs for providing the customized placemats for my daughters, as well as a set of Fall/Holiday placemats for one Frugal Finds 4 Moms reader. In no way did receiving this product entice me to write a favorable review. I received the product, reviewed it and loved it - so why not write something favorable. I would recommend these to everyone!  The workmanship is impecible and my kids love them. 

FLOWERZ IN HER HAIR {Review & Giveaway}

"FLOWERZ IN HER HAIR:  BECAUSE EVERY GIRL SHOULD HAVE FLOWERS IN HER HAIR!"

I love hair bows, headbands, etc., and so do my girls - they are, after all, girlie girls!  So when we received a package of assorted color and sized hair bows from Flowers in Her Hair, Kylie and Emma quickly picked out which ones they wanted to wear.  I can't even begin to imagine the time spent to make these bows.  They are made very strong and will endur the toughest and thickest of hair (Kylie has the thickest, curliest hair you will ever see for a 8 year old - I am jealous), and the hair bows are not too heavy for Emma's thin hair. 

Flowerz In Her Hair is an online shop that sells an assortment of hair accessories for girls.

These products are made of superb quality.  I will definitely be ordering more accessories for my girls and for Holiday Gifts for friends' kids.

About Flowerz In Her Hair:

With 2 little boys, you can imagine the fun and excitement of finally having a little girl to doll up.  Shortly before she was born I started looking for cute flowers, bows, and headbands for her, but was always disappointed by high boutique prices or low quality and poor selection; so I began making them myself.  After hearing over and over “You should sell these!” I decided to, and that is why we are here, and we just keep growing.  We hope you enjoy our products and your little angel looks like a princess, with Flowerz In Her Hair every day!

Check out Flowerz In Her Hair today to see all of the amazing and beautiful products.

They also offer FREE Standard Shipping on every order over $10 everyday.

If you have that special child in your life and can't figure out which accessory to get, they also offer Gift Certificates for purchase.  Always a great gift to give.



Emma and her "Pom Pom" bows (that is what I call them).  How cute does she look?



All of the pieces are beautiful, but because Daisy's are my favorite flower, this purple daisy hair clip happens to be my favorite piece that we received.  Doesn't Kylie look beautiful?  I think so.  And who says they are just for kids - I can't wait to wear this purple daisy in my hair, just need a place to wear it to! lol

Another gorgeous clip, wouldn't you say? 

Look at what a simple, yet beautiful clip does to the basic ponytail hairdo?  It makes the outfit go POW!  An added beauty.

The quality is at best, the pieces are adorable and the price is right - you can't go wrong with Flowerz In Her Hair.  I would highly suggest these to all.

GIVEAWAY

One (1) Frugal Finds 4 Moms Reader will win a $20 e-gift card to spend at Flowerz In Her Hair on whatever you want!  How awesome is that?

MANDATORY ENTRY

Tell me who you would buy for.  That's it.  Easy-peasy, right?

EXTRA ENTRIES

* Become a Follower of Frugal Finds 4 Moms via GFC (If you are already a Follower, let me know and add your entries) (2 entries)
* Follow Frugal Finds 4 Moms via Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (1 entry per tweet per day)
* Follow Frugal Finds 4 Moms via Facebook (1 entry)
* Enter any of my other giveaways during the duration of this giveaway (1 entry)
* Comment on any other post on my blog during the duration of this giveaway (1 entry)
* Blog about this giveaway and let me know where (1 entry)
* Grab my button and post on your blog - let me know where so I can check (2 entries)
* Become a Follower of Flowerz In Her Hair (1 entry)
* Follow Flowerz In Her Hair via Twitter (1 entry)
* Visit Flowers In Her Hair and tell me what your favorite item is (2 entries)

Please leave a comment for each of the above valid entries, though the first must be done in order to get any extra entries. Click on COMMENTS below and post your entry.

A winner will be chosen via random.org on September 27, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. CST, and will be notified via email on September 28, 2010. Please leave a valid email address so you can be notified. Then will have 48 hours to respond. If by that time, they have not responded, a new winner will be chosen via random.org, and so on and so forth.

Sorry, this giveaway is open to US only.

Disclosure:  A HUGE thanks to Amy at Flowerz In Her Hair for providing the hair accessories to me for my girls to help abide in my review, together with a $20 e-gift card to one Frugal Finds 4 Moms reader.  In no way did receiving this product entice me to write a favorable review.  I received the product, reviewed it and loved it - so why not write something favorable.  I would recommend these to everyone!

THE WHEELS ON THE BUS GO ROUND AND ROUND.....

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round, Round and Round, Round and Round...  The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round, All Day Long.

Tis the season - the season for school!  While you may be questioning, hmm, why post now, school has already started?  Yes, you are correct, for some, not all.  My older two, Brendan & Kylie, have already started school.  While Brendan has been away at college for 3 weeks now (it seems forever), and Kylie is starting her first full week of 3rd grade (she just started this past Friday), our little Emma just started all-day Pre-K this morning.  I don't know who was more worried, Danny or me.  Our baby - off to school, and all day to bat.  WOW, our kids are really growing up.  It seems just yesterday we were playing blocks on the floor, how time flies.

Me, Pipa, Brendan & Mima - Brendan leaves for college...

Me & Bren at SUNY Brockport

Kylie's 1st day of school.  (Bad, bad, bad picture of me - I was not a morning person this day)

Bella & Kylie - BFF's FOREVER!

Emma sat down with her dog "Astro" (see him next to her) and started coloring.  And here I thought school would be hard for her - nope, harder for Danny & me. 

Emma just put her name up on the chalk board to let her teacher, Ms. Jane, know that she was there.  What a great way to take attendance and to teach kids.  Emma is also sporting her new name badge so her teachers and new friends will know who she is.

So, there you have it - all three of our kids are off to school - all day.

If I was a stay at home mom, I probably would be staying at Emma's school all day, peeking in the windows to make sure she was ok, but unfortunately (or fortunately) I work outside of the home all day and can't do that.  I am just praying she is ok and enjoying herself.  As to my other two, I know they are.

I can't wait to hear how Emma's 1st day of Pre-K went.  What great conversation this will be at the dinner table tonight.

There's No "PEACE" But Home....Re-Decorating 101

Recently, it seems every two years, I decided it was time to re-do my daughter, Kylie's room, (again).  This time I wanted something that she could grow into, and was easily replaceable (2 years comes quick).   So, I decided since she was into "PEACE" symbols, I would paint her one wall a bright pink and leave the other 3 walls light pink.  The issue at hand, the one wall! 

You see, the previous paint job I did was Cheetah markings all over her wall, and tons of them.  Here is the beginning picture so you can see what I had to work with:

Obviously, this wall needs primer, so I started by going to Lowes.  I had a can of primer leftover from my previous painting which saved me some money.  Once I got to Lowes, I grabbed some stirrers (free) and picked out the bright pink color to cover this very dark Cheetah wall.  I decided to go with a quart, why not, right?  WRONG ANSWER!!!  I figured $12 for a quart and $24 for a Gallon.  I will only need 1 quart for one wall, right - WRONG ANSWER!!  I ended up buying 3, yes THREE, quarts costing $36!  Now, if I just bit the bullet in the beginning and bought the gallon, I would have not only saved money, but saved time from going back to Lowes three, yes 3 times.

So, I get home and prepped the wall and started priming:

(Sorry for the blurriness of the picture, I was using my husband's cell phone, though you can see that the primer is not covering, right?  Yup, had to do the primer 3 times - ugggghhhh!)

Of course by now, I was getting exhausted and just wanted it done.  Though, because it took more than I thought, and it was getting late, I had to let it dry overnight and finish the next day.

Here, finally, is the finished product:

I also decided to fix-up an end table we had for Kylie to use as her "side table".  Here are before and after pictures:

A plain end table, which I was going to get rid of.  Boy, I am glad I didn't.

Thanks to my new found love of decopage, I purchased some PEACE fabric, cut to size, added decopage on the table for the fabric to adhere to, than when it dried (overnight), I added decopage on top for that shiny sealant.  I also purchased bright pink ribbon and outlined the table.  Kylie loves it!

I also purchased a dark black fabric with flourescent colored PEACE symbols on it which I am making a valance, a pillow and as with the table, I was going to get rid of her lamp, nope, I have decided to spray paint the base bright pink and redo the lamp shade with the same fabric at the valance and pillows.  I figure I should have everything done by this weekend so Kylie will be able to enjoy her new PEACE room.

FUN "FOTO" FRIDAY

POSH LITTLE TUTUS {Review}

My daughters are girly-girls wholeheartedly and love to dress up.  When we received, in the mail, the most beautiful tutu and hair bands for my daughters, Kylie & Emma from Posh Little Tutus, I do not know who was more excited, the girls or me. 

The stitchwork on the Raspberry Pettiskirt and matching headband are immaculate.  I am envious at the talent that was put into making these products.  Wow, what skills.  This is the best, biggest, most fun tutu I have ever seen. The color pops, the material is soft, non-itchy, and the joy it brought to my daughter, Emma, was priceless.  For hours, she danced around the living room.  I love watching my daughters dance and being happy.  This tutu brought that much more joy to the room.  For that evening, Emma was known as "Dancing Seniorita Emma".   When Emma twirled around the tutu got bigger and bigger, and each layer flaired out which looked absolutely beautiful. 

The matching headbands were sent for both of my daughters.  They both loved them!  The quality of the hairbands were unique.  Very sturdy and of great quality.

Even the packaging that the tutu and headbands came in was exquisite. There is alot of heart, soul and time put into these products at Posh Little Tutus.
Here are some pictures of my daughters enjoying their hair bands and tutu. 

Beautiful sisters with beautiful hair bands!

I couldn't pass up the opportunity of taking a picture with Emma in her beautiful tutu and hair band!

Check out Posh Little Tutus and look at Kelly's beautiful work.  I guarantee you will be rewarded with watching your daughter(s) hours of dancing if you purchase any of these beautiful products.

Posh Little Tutus offers a variety of posh and unique tutus.  I feel every little girl should own one of these tutus and be a Princess for a day (or all year if they want). 

You can also visit their sister site Tutus and Tiaras for other gorgeous products.

Disclosure:  A HUGE thanks to Kelly at Posh Little Tutus for providing a raspberry pettiskirt and matching headbands for my review.  Receiving these products did not alter my opinion.  My words are 100% mine and in no way was I enticed by receipt of same. 

FRIENDSHIP "FOTO" FRIDAY

Every single day of life should be appreciated.  Starting today, Friday, I have decided to start a Friendship Foto Friday, sharing 1 picture of friendship whether it be of me with friends, my kids with friends, or strangers - I want to share the Friendship of Life. 

The foto below is of 4 groups of friends sharing a special day at Moreau Beach.  Us moms are the best of friends, and our kids, well, they are too.  It is a blessing to have such wonderful and special friends in my life and to also have that in my childrens.  I am thankful of their friendship and that for my kids.  This picture to me is a priceless foto and one that will be treasured for years and years to come, something to look back on when our kids get older.