Works For Me Wednesday-Lock Boxes

This past weekend, I had an experience that no parent should ever have to go through! My 3 year old son ate some of my medicine. You can see the full story here. So, now I am on a mission to spread the word to parents to keep their medicines in a lock box. We bought the one in the picture on the way home from the hospital, it cost $20. I really though it was going to cost more than that. We now keep all of our medicines in that lock box and it is also on a high shelf and we put a door safety handle on that door, the handle was also very reasonably priced. You can also see that pictured above. If you have young children in your house you should really think about a lock box for your medicines. The bottles they come in say child resistant, but believe me when I tell you a child, even a 3 year old can open them! I really do not want any parent to have to go through what I did, so I am passing this word onto other parents. Also, my children go to their grandparents quite often and they have a ton more medicines than we do and I always see them laying around. So, grandparent this idea is also for you!

For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Works For Me Wednesday

Today is backwards day on Works For Me Wednesday. Instead of sharing an idea, you ask a question that you need help with. I want to know about making money on blogs. If you do this what do you do, advertise, write advertisements, etc? How much money do you put into it. Did you have to have a special blog or does a regular blogger blog work. Just give me any other tips you have on making money from your blog. Thanks~
For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer. Maybe you can help someone out with a question that they have.

Works For Me Wednesday-What Do I fix? edition

Today Works for me Wednesday is all about What to Fix? I have done lots better about not having to ask that question because I have been meal planning for about a year now. Here's are some stand bys for my family!
Sweet and Sour Chicken-This is so close to the restaurant and it is easy!
Spaghetti-We always have the ingredients on hand and everyone will eat it.
Tacos-This is another family favorite and i always have ingredients on hand.
Pizza-Homemade is so much better and really it is not hard! This week I tried a Barbecue pizza. It was so easy. I started with a packaged pizza crust. you just add water to this and let it rise. Then I added my barbecue sauce, and I added pork that I already had cooked and chopped up, chopped some onion and added some mozzarella cheese. You can add anything you want! It was so easy and you could add whatever you wanted to! We will definitely be making again!
Chili
Vegetable soup
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For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Works for me Wednesday-Bandana Crafts

A friend of mine showed me this super easy No Sew Bandana Purse. This is what I am making for the cousins for Christmas this year. It's not only easy, but super cheap! There is also a link on there for making other crafts out of bandanas. They look like a lot of fun for kids to do.
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For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Works for Me Wednesday-Backwards Day

Today we are doing backwards day on Works for me Wednesday, instead of giving advice you are asking for advise so here is my problem.
I have a special Birthday problem. Almost all of my kids have birthdays too close to holidays. This year my oldest son's birthday falls on Thanksgiving. I think we are going to have a special cake at the Thanksgiving Dinner just for him. I also want to have a day set aside just to celebrate his birthday. I have such a hard time with his birthday because it is always on a holiday weekend and his friends are always busy or gone, so friend birthdays really have not happened for him much. My twins were born on December 27 so right after Christmas and all those gifts it just does not seem special to them? So, I always make them a cake and we just have a small family party. So Birthdays are really hard around here! Anyways here is what I need help with. I want to know where I can find great cake ideas to make for my kids birthdays that also represent the holiday. Like for my son's Thanksgiving Birthday, I want to do a cake that represents Thanksgiving and Christmas for my twins. I am definitely not a professional cake maker so keep that in mind. Also, any ideas you have on celebrating birthdays close to the holidays would be helpful too!

Online Full Episode Players

Well, as a SAHM, you'd think I had plenty of time to watch any show on TV I wanted. I admit I loved the early editions of Survivor and have faithfully watched American Idol the last couple of years, but really I am so busy at night with getting everything ready for the next day, baths and just time to read myself that network series shows really have not appealed to me. I would be missing them all of the time. I did not watch any all summer. I know that Tivo, or whatever you call it, could let me watch them later, but I really do not have the money for that. So, this summer I discovered that the library has lots of series season dvd's. I watched Lost season one and two and have just about died because I wanted to watch season 3 and it did not come out until December. Then I found the ABC Full Episode Player. I love this because I can watch the shows I want, when I want and never worry if I am going to miss it when I need to be doing other things. Last week I watch all of Lost season three. I was so happy to get to see it. The player does have some limited advertisements but hey its FREE! I have also watched a couple of other shows on there included Pushing Daisies. I love this new show, I watch every new episode. If you have not watched this show. I highly recommend it. Go to the full episode player to get caught up. I also checked out Ugly Betty season 1 from the library and that show is on the player too. I also watched Samantha Who on there. This is a new show that has the guy who played Matt on 7th Heaven. The show is about a girl who loses her memory and has to learn her life again. I do not know if this will be a favorite show or not, it is a little different. Another show I have always liked is House on Fox. I missed a whole lot of this season beginning episodes and my Fox channel comes in real fuzzy, so I thought I would check and see if I could watch this online and yes Fox has a full episode player too and I watched it on there. Also many of the networks have shows on the full episode players that can only be watched online, it never comes on the TV. ABC has one on there. I have not watched it though. So, check online and see if you can watch full episodes of your favorite shows(I added some links below to help you.) Once again, I like that I can watch my shows when I want and I never have to worry about missing a show because I am reading a book to my kids(which I feel is more important!)
CBS Full Episode Player-I watched Survivor on there a couple of times and had a hard time with the player, very different from ABC's player! The player would just stop and never start back and I could not figure out what I was doing wrong.
NBC Full Episode Player-I loked at this but really have not tried it.
For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Fall Holiday Recipes

(Note: I posted this a while back for works for me Wednesday, it includes all of my favorite fall holiday recipes, enjoy!)

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I so love FALL! I love the cooler weather and how pretty nature becomes! I also love fall recipes. Dh really does not like pumpkins, squash, or cinnamon. When I make something with cinnamon I use the Pampered Chef Korintje Cinnamon , it is milder and dh has liked everything I have made with it. He will even eat a few of my pumpkin recipes. Here are some of my favorite FALL RECIPES and some new ones I want to try. Feel free to snag!

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My Favorite Fall Recipes:

Pear Apple Jam

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Nutter Butter Ghost Cookies(My kids call these Ghost cookies)

Mimo's Red and Green Popcorn Balls (we use orange and green for Halloween!)

Chocolate Souffle

Sweet Potato Souffle

Sweet Potato Casserole

Apple Cinnamon Jelly

Mimo's Famous Carmels

Mummy Dogs

Taffy Apple Pizza

Dad's Easy Chili

Mom's Beef Vegetable Soup

Freezer Apple Pie

Pizza Pasta Casserole

Festive Scalloped Corn

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

Corn Pudding

Carmel Fudge

Appalachian Gingerbread

Steaming Hot Holiday Punch

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

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Fall Recipes I want to try:

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Snickerdoddle Cupcakes-I made these, they are going on my favorite list!

Layered Enchilada Casserole

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Layered Pumpkin Loaf

Easy Italian Stew

Pumpkin Fudge

Carmel Apple Cider

Amish Pumpkin Rolls

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For more great recipes, go to Overwhelmed With Joy.

Works for Me Wednesday: A recipe

I made this recipe last night. I love enchiladas and I like this recipe because it is made so much easier with the help of Hamburger Helper and it is quite yummy! Hamburger Helper works for me!

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Easy Oven Enchiladas

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1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup milk
1 1/3 cups hot water
1 package Hamburger Helper® cheesy enchilada
6 Old El Paso® flour tortillas for burritos (8 inches in diameter)
1 jar (16 ounces) Old El Paso® salsa (any variety)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
3 tablespoons milk
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1.Heat oven to 350°F. Cook beef in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in 1/2 cup milk, 1 1/3 cups hot water, uncooked Rice and Sauce Mix. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender.
2. Spoon 2/3 cup beef mixture on each tortilla. Roll up tortillas; place seam sides down and widthwise in ungreased baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Spread with salsa; sprinkle with cheese.
3. Bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes or until hot. Stir together 3 tablespoons milk and the Topping mix 30 seconds; drizzle over enchiladas.

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For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Works For ME Wednesday-Saving Money on Groceries

For two months now, I have been getting food from the Angel Food Ministries. I first heard about Angel Food as a tip on a Works For Me Wednesday and then I started hear ads on our local radio channel. You can go to there web page and see the menu for the month. I have really used this food and have only found one thing that I did not like. Anyone can get Angel food no matter what your income. You buy a basic box which is $25 for me, some area it is $30. After you buy the basic box, you qualify to buy specials. We recently got one full of chicken stuff. The basic box is suppose to be valued at $50-$75. So, it really is a good deal! Here is this weeks menu for my family. I have highlighted recipes that I am using Angel food in in red. As you can see, I use it in a lot of stuff, many that I would have cooked anyways. I also have included my recipes. Angel Food Ministry works for me to help my food budget!
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Here is this week's menu for my family:
Breakfast
1. Cereal, milk, yogurt, juice
2 Cereal, milk, yogurt, juice
3. Mini Teddy Bear Pancakes- Make your favorite pancake batter. Pour a small amount of batter to form a 2" pancake in the pan. Add two small drops of mixture to form ears. Remove cooked pancake to a plate and add features using chocolate chips, banana slices, raisins, etc!
4. Pancakes, sausage links, bananas, juice
5. Cereal, milk, yogurt, juice
6. Scrambled Eggs, sausage links, biscuits, juice
7. Scrambled Eggs, sausage links, biscuits, juice
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Lunch
1. Burritos,apples, milk
2. Ham Sandwich, apples, milk
3. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, apples, milk
4. Pizza, milk
5. Chicken nuggets, fries, milk
6. Tuna Sandwiches, apples, milk
7. Hot Dogs(smoked sausages), apples, milk
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Dinner
1. Spaghetti Pie, garlic toast
2. Turkey Roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans
3. Popcorn Chicken, French Fries
4. Chicken Fried Rice- recipe
5. Ham and Cheese Delight (New recipe I am trying from Angel Food, see recipe below)
6. Swiss Chicken Bake(recipe), mashed potatoes, green beans
7. Pizzas.
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Snacks and Dessert:
1.Teddy Grahams
2.Bear Biscuits-
refrigerated biscuits
raisins or chocolate chips
maraschino cherries
honey
cinnamon sugar (optional)
Separate biscuits. Each child needs 2 biscuits. For each bear place one whole biscuit on baking sheet. Cut the other biscuit in half. Now cut one of the halves into 2 pieces and make round balls with the dough and firmly press to top of head to make ears. With the other half, form round or oval shape for the nose. Press in raisins or chips for eyes and nose. Add 1/4 maraschino cherry to each ear. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on to give him the brown look and a cinnamon roll taste. Bake on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees until golden brown. Enjoy with honey - a bears favorite treat!!!
3. Gummy Bears
4. Honey Comb Cereal
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Ham and Cheese Delight- (Cindy Houk)
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1 canned ham, sliced and cubed
4 medium red potatoes, cooked, peeled, and cubed
1 container sour cream, (16 ounces)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 box Velveeta cheese (6 ounces), sliced and cubed
1 package (10 ounces) corn muffin mix
1 package (16 ounces) frozen carrots, thawed, quartered
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 13 X 9 baking dish. Mix corn muffin mix as directed and spread evenly on bottom of pan for crust. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, blend sour cream and cream cheese. Add sliced and cubed ham, potatoes, and quartered carrots. Spread over muffin mix. Top with Velveeta cheese placed evenly and in rows. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is done and cheese melts
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For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Works For Me Wednesday Parenting Edition

Today is Works for me Wednesday Parenting Edition! Here is my parenting tip: Kids love to help cook and ziplock bags make it so fun and easy, including clean-up! Here are some recipes to try with your kids. The last one uses a jar. I recommend using the bags that turn to a different color. yellow and blue make green, so your child know s the bag is locked.
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Yogurt Smoothie in a bag
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1/4 c. yogurt(vanilla)
2 tsp. concentrated juice-thawed (orange)
1 tbsp low fat milk
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Put into a snack baggie and squeeze. Stick a straw in corner of the bag and drink. Makes 1 serving.
I think you could use any flavor yogurt and any flavor concentrated juice. I have used grape juice with the vanilla yogurt, some people call them Purple Cows!
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Fudge in a Bag
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 pound box confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ounces cream cheese
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Add all ingredients to a one gallon zip-lock bag and seal. Pass bag around and let everybody help mix it up by squeezing it for 30 minutes. Fudge can be served out of bag or spread on pan and cut. It is kind of a soft fudge but so good.
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Bread in a Bag
2 cups white bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons powdered milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package Rapid Rise yeast
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup hot water (125 to 130 degrees F)
Extra flour to use during the kneading process
Combine white flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, sugar, salt and powdered milk in a 1 gallon heavy duty Ziploc freezer bag. Squeeze upper part of bag to force out the air. Shake and work bag with fingers to blend ingredients. Add hot water and oil to dry ingredients. Reseal bag. Mix by working bag with fingers, until the dough is completely mixed and pulls away from the bag. On floured surface, knead dough 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Put dough back into bag and let it rest 10 minutes. If working in teams, divide dough in half and shape. Let rise until double in bulk. Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack or dish towels.
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Tin Can Ice Cream(or Zip lock Bag Ice Cream, see note below)
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1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Half and Half
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Nuts or Fruit, as desired
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1. Combine ingredients in a one pound coffee can. Place a tight fitting plastic lid on the can.
2. Place inside a 3-pound coffee can.
3. Pack larger can with crushed ice. Pour 1/2 cup rock salt evenly over ice.
4. Place a tight fitting lid on the three pound can. Tape with masking tape. (It is possible for the lid to come off and the contents to spill.)
5. Roll the cans back and forth on a table or the floor for about 15 minutes.
6. Open the outer can. Remove the inner can; wipe lid clean and open.
7. Use a spatula to stir the mixture and scrape the sides of the inner can. Replace the lid.
8. Drain liquid from the larger can. (The salty liquid is called brine.)
9. Replace the smaller can inside the larger can. Pack with additional ice and salt.
10. Cover. Roll cans back and forth for 10 minutes.
11. Open outer can. Remove inner can. Wipe lid clean, open and enjoy.
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NOTE: My family does not drink coffee, so I got coffee cans from my office. However, since leaving there, I have used the Ziploc bag method instead of the tin cans. You use 2 gallon and 1 gallon ziplock FREEZER bags. Personally, I like the bags better.
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Homemade Butter
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1/3 cup whipping cream
1 small jar, (we used baby food jars)
Put whipping cream in jar and shake until the cream is soft ball. Pour off milk, take out butter, stir until butter is firm, salt and eat with biscuits! Yummy!
Note: you have to shake hard, but it does work!
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Ziplock bags just work for me when letting my kids have fun in the kitchen!
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For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Works for me Wednesday-Fried Banana Peppers

My mom brought me a whole bunch of banana peppers fresh from the garden. I thought what in the world am I going to do with all of those! Then, I remember as a child my grandparents would make these every summer, Fried Banana Peppers. My dh cooked a bunch, oh that wonderful taste brought back memories. Here is the recipe he used:
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Fried Banana Peppers
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8 banana peppers
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup crushed saltine crackers
3 cups vegetable oil
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Split the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the milk, flour and crackers in 3 separate bowls. Move ½ cup flour and mix with the crackers. Dip the peppers in the milk bowl and flour bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. Redip peppers in milk bowl and then bread with flour and cracker mixture. Set aside again for 10 minutes. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and drop the peppers in. Cook until golden brown. Remove, drain on paper towels, and serve warm.
Yield: 4 servings

P.S. Now I know these are not the healthiest things, but I only have eaten them in the summer and they are oh so good! And maybe these are just a Southern thing, but they are oh so yummy!
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We also made homemade banana ice cream every summer too.
What summer food memories do you have as a kid?

What other kinds of things do you do with your bananna peppers?

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For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Works for me Wednesday- Protecting baby from bugs

The bugs seem to get worse every year. So, this year, I found a netting at Walmart specially made for the car seat. My other kids were in the pool and my baby and I stayed out and all my kids had bug bites, but my baby had none. I have also used this on my stroller at the park. My stroller is small and it fit really well. I went back to get one for a friend who is having a baby, but I did not find one for the car seat, but one for the stroller. My friend got a nice stroller with a car seat in it, so that worked out really well. I got a Gold Bug brand and both only cost about $4.00 each. The ones I am finding online are a bit pricier. I really like the fact that I can use this and not have to use bug spray on my baby. It just works for me.

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Here are some examples of some I found online.

Stroller netting

Car seat netting

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(And yes that is my baby in the picture at the top of this post.)

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For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Works for me Wednesday- Almost Homemade Pudding Pops

Have you ever made homemade pudding pops with your kids on a hot summer day? They really love them! Recently, I found a recipe for an even easier way to make them. You use pre-made gelatin or pudding cups. They can usually be found for under a dollar for 6 cups. All you do is remove the foil lid and insert a pop stick into the pudding or gelatin cup. (I use the sticks from my Popsicle holders.) Freeze them for 5 hours or overnight to allow to firm. To remove the pop from the cup, place bottom of cup under warm running water for 15 seconds. Press firmly on bottom of cup to release pop. (Do not twist or pull pop stick) you can buy the mixed flavor ones and get a really pretty Popsicle! They are so easy and quick to make and my kids LOVE them and they work for me to keep my kids happy on a hot summer day!

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For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Too many GREAT tips!

So, I was wondering how many of you check out Works for me Wednesday sponsored by Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer? I have been going there for awhile now and sharing tips. It is such a great place to learn things! All you have to do is post about some tip you have and want to share and I know you all have those. Next week is a themed WFMW, I'm Bored Mom. So, you can go and find out what you are going to do with your kids this summer. I just can not wait to see some of those ideas! Here are just some of the ideas being shared this week that I plan to use. You will have to go over there and see what kind of ideas you will use. I highly recommend it!
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Sarah- gave a potty training tip. Use a favorite doll and an empty wipes container and have the doll go to the potty with your child.
Marcia- Says she is a "lazy" cook. When she bakes, she measures out an extra bag of dry ingredients for another recipe. She writes what is is for on the bag and has another recipe waiting to get started when she is ready to cook again! She also has another tip so you will not want to miss it go check it out.
GiBee- had a great idea for using disposable diapers to clean up carpet spills.
Girl Gone Wild- had some great information on tick control. I do not know why but the ticks seem really bad this year!
Amy-had a great idea for using coffee filters for her children as snack bowls. Neat idea and very easy clean-up!
And from last week:
A suburban housewife- talked about using a laundry basket for those trips to the library. You keep them all in one place and no more having to use those cheap bags the library gives you that do not hold up on the number of books that I check out!
Land'O Sunshine- posted about how she made clean-up after taco night easier by putting the cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce in 6 count muffin tins. What a brilliant idea!
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So as you can see I got LOTS of great tips that I am going to use many I did not even list here so go check it out for yourself, you will not be sorry. And think about sharing your wonderful tips with everyone!

Works For Me Wednesday- 90 Calorie packs

I have noticed a lot of people in the blog world are dieting right now, so this might be for you. I am always looking for healthier snacks for me and my kids. I am one of these people who if I bought a big bag of M&M's, I probably would eventually eat the whole bag in a very short time. lol. So, when I found these 90 calorie packs, I knew they were perfect for me! My favorite is the one I have pictured at the top of this post, the buttered popcorn bite sized light crispy multigrain cakes. I just call them mini rice cakes. mmmm! I want you to know these are a "treat" for me. I love them. They are like a reward to me! I will not even let my kids have any. They are mine!! Well, most of the time my two year old twins will get a few out of the bag. This snack also has the Smart Choices Made Easy label on them. So next time you are at the grocery, check out all of the flavors they have in the Quaker 90 calorie mini delights. They just work for me!

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For more great WFMW post see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Works For Me Wednesday- The Library

So, my 7 yr old sons last day of school is Thursday. What in the world am I going to do with 4 kids all day long to keep them happy and entertained? Well, I have a lot of things planned, but one thing I am for sure going to do is utilize the library. They have a summer reading program and the kids check out books and read them and turn in there numbers at the end of the summer the kids reading the average number of books read get a really cute t-shirt. They also have programs almost everyday and if you attend them, at the end of the program they draw for a $25 Walmart gift card. With 4 kids, my odds are pretty high that we will win one. LOL. Last year all of my kids got one and I got one extra kid this year. Anyways, they have storytime on Mondays, 4-H fun on Tuesdays which is usually a food activity, Wednesdays are Movie days and they have two age groups so movies are age appropriate, and Thursdays is painting days. If you go to all of one activity say 4-H days, you get a prize too. At the end of the summer you get not only the t-shirt but lots of free coupons from the restaurants in the area. So, as you can see there is plenty to do all summer at the library to keep your little ones busy. Check out your library to see what they have planned for the summer. The library and summer activities works for me!

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Also, I wanted to share a book we checked out from the library that my twins love! My twins are 2 and we are trying to get them ready for potty training and they loved this book. See the book at the top of this post.

Potty Poo-Poo Wee-Wee! by Colin McNaughton

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For more great WFMW see Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

WFMW Freezer Apple Pies

This is the first WFMW that I have been in. I love all of your ideas and thought I would add one of my own.
I got 2 bushels of apples given to me at Christmas. The first thing that came to my mind was a recipe that a friend gave me several years back called Freezer Apple Pie. She would make a whole bunch at the holidays and give them away as gifts or use when she had to bring something to holiday parties because it was quick and easy! Well, I made 12 pies at Christmas and it really was EASY! I have had pies to pull out reall quickly when I needed something for a potluck at church and even gave a few away for the Holidays!

Freezer Apple Pie

4 cups sliced apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 (9 inch) pie shell
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter

Toss the apples, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Place in frozen pie shell. Mix the flour, 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Cut in 1/3 cup butter until crumbly. (I used a pastry blender and it made this so easy!) Cut 2 tablespoons of butterinto pats and place on top of the crumbly mixture. place in a 1-gallon freezer bag. Freeze until ready to bake. Remove from freezer bag. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes longer. Yeild 6 servings.
Some pictures of the frozen and cooked pie are on the top of this post. Hope you all enjoy!

For more tips visit Rocks In My Dryer !