Happy Father's Day!

I was a little late in posting about this Father's Day craft because Mark sometimes reads this blog (or at least pretends to) and I did not want to spoil the surprise! Emily used this stamp set by Melissa and Doug, some construction paper, a little glue, and some shiny star stickers to make this cute card for Mark. We adore this stamp set and use it for many crafts, handwriting practice, and other reading/writing activities.

On our last date night to Barnes & Nobles, Emily chose the book Perfect Waffles for Mark, which I found quite fitting since she clearly sees him as the "waffle parent". At a very young age, Emily learned that I'm more of a "this-breakfast-better-take-30-seconds-or-less" parent. Making waffles has become part of their special weekend morning routine together, and they are looking forward to trying out the recipe for Banana Oatmeal Waffles. Hopefully, they will let me test a few to make sure they are really good.
Happy Father's Day!

Free Breakfast at Chick-Fil-A

Participating Chick-Fil-A locations will feature Free Breakfast Wednesdays! This means that every Wednesday in April, you can get a free breakfast entree at Chick-fil-A during regular breakfast hours (usually until 10:30am). Participating locations include: Trexlertown, Berkshire Mall, Quakertown, Lehigh Valley Mall, Schuylkill Mall, Mechanicsburg, and Broadcasting Square. One entree per person, while supplies last. Many Chick-fil-A's offer Kid's Craft Night, or other activities for free, so check your local Chick-fil-A for details!

The Celebration Continues...

Emily had this idea to make a birthday book for Mark's birthday. She used one of her old, beat up board books and transformed it into this!

This took quite a bit of work, and she completed it in several stages. She was quite proud of herself. I helped with some of the cutting and writing, but she did the rest on her own.

We all enjoyed a family breakfast of pancakes before Mark went off to work this morning, and later there will be some brownie bites to bake.

Yummy!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! How frugal are we? We celebrate Valentine's Day the day after. There are some real advantages to this, including: 

1. Restaurants are less crowded.
2. Valentine chocolates/flowers, etc can be found for 50-75% off.
3. Better babysitter availability.

This morning we prepared a special breakfast of Apple Cinnamon French Toast with bacon, and enjoyed some quality family time. Later, we will celebrate with some star-gazing and a potluck gathering with some good friends. 

What are your frugal plans for Valentine's Day? I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!

 

A Not So Sweet Valentine Treat

Emily came up with the idea for these cinnamon toast hearts, and I ran with it because they do not contain huge amounts of sugar -- and she will eat it! These were made with toasted whole grain bread (cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter), topped with some butter, and cinnamon. I outlined the heart shape with some red writing icing (picked up from an after-Christmas sale.

These were a big hit! 

Do you have a good tip for a healthy Valentine's Day treat? I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!

Free Breakfast at Denny's

If you watched the Super Bowl last night (and you did watch, didn't you?), then you probably saw that Denny's is offering a FREE Grand Slam Breakfast tomorrow (Tuesday, February 3rd) from 6 AM - 2 PM! For more information, or to find a Denny's near you, click here.

Free Coffee and Breakfast Menu Samples at Panera Bread

Panera Bread is offering free coffee all day Wednesday, January 28th and free samples of some of their new breakfast items like the granola parfaits and grilled breakfast sandwiches! Yummy! Click here to find a Panera Bread near you.

Photo by Samantha Celera

The Day We Unplugged -- Part I

I thought it would be fun to outline what we call "unplugged day" in our household. Every so often, we try to have a full day where we do not watch any television or play video games. It amazes me how productive I can be on these days! 

This morning, I had a conversation with Mark as he was heading out the door that went something like this:

Mark: Val, I've got to get going... Have a good day, and I'll call before I leave work.

Me: Did you have breakfast already?

Mark: No, I'll just grab something... 

Me: Like what?

Mark: I don't know... a banana?

Me: (Getting out of bed to make him something.) That's not breakfast! What about lunch? Did you pack lunch?

Mark: ......No. Where are you going??

Me: To pack you some real food. Fast!

I whipped up a tasty breakfast burrito for him with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, and diced sausage on a whole grain tortilla.  Then, I made a very quick pulled BBQ chicken sandwich  on a steak roll,  packed in a banana and apple.  I finished up with a steaming hot cup of tea (poured into a thermos), and filled a re-useable bottle with water.  All in less than 10 minutes!!! *phew*

After he left for work, I put a load of laundry in the wash and started to make myself some breakfast. The girls sleep in almost every morning, and today they did not stir until 10:30am. ThriftyCraftMama posted about this super easy sewing project for felt heart-shaped cookies a few days ago.  I started working on them, and had them all done by the time Emily finished her French toast this morning. 

When Clara woke up, I changed her cloth diaper and fed her some breakfast.  She was motoring around the kitchen in the walker for awhile, but then started to get tired.  She is enjoying her mid-morning nap now.  I put the load of clothes in the dryer, and another load in the washer.  And now it is time to do some pre-school with Emily....

Does your family set aside days to "unplug"? I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!

Orange-Cranberry Scones and a Slow Morning

These homemade scones were a fabulous frugal breakfast treat! Mark left for work early this morning, but I was kind enough to save some for him.

No high fructose corn syrup in these scones! I am not much of a baker, but I am so proud of how these turned out.  They are so simple to make, and Emily enjoyed helping me with all the stirring and measuring. We had all of the ingredients on-hand in our well-stocked pantry. After serious taste-testing, Emily and I found that they go great with strawberry preserves and cranberry sage tea. I love tea!!  

To make your own Orange-Cranberry Scones, you will need:

Nonstick cooking spray

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

Finely grated zest from 1 orange

2/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup evaporated fat free milk

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large egg

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients.  In a separate smaller bowl, mix together the milk, egg, and oil.  Add wet ingredients all at once to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough and gently roll or pat into an 8 inch circle about 3/4" thick.  Cut dough into 12 wedges.  Coat baking sheet with cooking spray and carefully transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack for 2-3 minutes.  Serve warm.  

Here are some pictures of our slow scone morning:

I knitted this jacket for Clara.  The grey matches her eyes beautifully.

She is growing so fast!

Samba is taking things slowly too.

Flowers on the windowsill in Emily's school room.

Early morning sun shining through the dining room window on the bowl of apples.

Clara's tiny hand.

Have a frugal breakfast treat idea that your family enjoys?  Leave us a comment and share with us!