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Staying Safe while Christmas Shopping
The Christmas season, rather synonymous with “the shopping-season”. We grab the lists, grab the keys, and head to our local department shops to buy gifts for loved ones. But what can be a time of merriment and fun can quickly go south if we become unsuspecting victims. Here are five quick tips to staying safe and protecting your belongings while hitting the crowded malls and department shopping stores. 1. Situational awareness. Be aware of those around you. Put down your phone, keep an eye on other shoppers, watch your 3 o’clock, 9 o’clock and even your 6 o’clock. (Can you tell I’m the daughter of a pilot?). Don’t be so focused on your shopping that…
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Commissary Gift Card for You
It is that time of year. When we have a hard time finding air because the schedule is so busy. Parties, kid-concerts, shopping, meal planning, travelling and so much more. It is easy to get lost in the festivities and forget to take a moment to remember the joy in the season. Start your membership today – www.sittercity.com/dod To help encourage and empower our military families SitterCity has presented us with four $50 Commissary cards to give to military-families! Wow, what a wonderful gift! To be entered for our random drawing tell us something you love about the holidays.(This one is a must in order to be entered!) To be entered again Like…
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T-Shirt to Beach Bag
Over the years I have accumulated a few t-shirts. They are an easy souvenir, a great way to remember a great time. However, over the past 20 something years I have accumulated a drawer full of shirts I never wear. I hate the thought of parting with them. I refuse to throw them away. I know if I gave them away they would /never/ be appreciated like I appreciate them ;). So my interest was piqued when I saw this simple-idea on Pinterest, where by turning t shirts into shopping bags (great for the environment!). This is not hard and it a great re-use of shirts I never wear. I was really happy with the results and…
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Coupon crazed
I recently had the pleasure of attending Army Wife Network‘s “Coupon Boot Camp Webinar”, supported in part by the Commissary Shopper. I have to admit while I was sitting through it, two days for a couple hours each day, I began to question what I was being taught compared to what I already knew. Pretty basic stuff. But it was an opportunity to educate myself and I took it all in, reaffirming mostly and taking in a few bits and pieces as well. (As an example, I had no idea you could use a manufacturer coupon and a BJ’s coupon on the same item … two coupons for one item; TOO cool!) But then yesterday…
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Friends: Partnerships in Growth, Understanding and Enjoyment of Life
ChiTown: city of lights; waterfront; museums; skyscrapers; fabulous food; frothing fountains; multiple museums and friends. Chicago: bursting with art, star light, the philharmonic symphony pulsing in the park The Loop rumbling with near mile wide highways, rumbling with trains and full of the drum of the ‘L’s”… a beautiful noise. Overload of joy, memories, shopping and walking. Long ago, and in a far away time… Dale and I went to college 20 miles north of the big city. Too poor to travel into Chicago often, even though the intrigue of it called We dreamed of knowing this city like our own. We knew we wanted to stay on a…
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Father’s Day and a Military Deployment
Three quick things: Father’s Day is just about a month away and if you have a deployed-father in your life /now/ is the time to get shopping, boxing and shipping! If you are looking for some care package ideas be sure to check this blog out: Father’s Day from Afar: A letter from our oldest, 14; Some pictures from our 3 and 5 year older from their “Write from the Heart” books; My 5 year old made a ‘dot to dot’ for Dad. I’m not sure it actually makes a picture – but he sure enjoyed doing it and that is what counts!; A copy of my 5 year-old’s preschool…
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A Moment of Levity
Ah December… family, shopping, baking, preparing, missing family & loved ones, advent, decorating, school parties, friends, squadron … brigade… unit parties. It is a lot to take in over the course of one month. No wonder stress levels zoom this time of year! Have you taken time to laugh this Holiday Season? – Leanne from MilitaryAvenue.combyUnknownonTuesday, December 14, 2010Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary Life:Christmas,Holidays,Leanne
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The Story of an Impulse Buy
MMmmmm… I went grocery shopping today. I was being so good. I made a list. I dug through coupons. I ate lunch. (I have an AFRTS* commercial permanently stuck in my head from high school about not shopping when you are hungry.) As I strolled the aisles of the store I came to a sudden halt. I could NOT pass up the Pillsbury Mini-Graham Cracker Crusts. /Total Impulse Buy/ Cupcake-sized graham cracker crusts calling my name. Telling me to fill them with homemade pudding. Add a dollop of cool-whip. Put some fall-themed sprinkles on them. It all played out before me in the aisle of the grocery store with a cart already…
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Menu Monday: Pigs- and Cows-in-a-blanket
Ah Summer! We no longer pack lunches for school in the morning but fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants at lunch time. Frozen pizzas cooked in the toaster oven, PB-and-J, cheese sandwiches… all favorites around here! But this weekend when I was grocery shopping I picked up a few packs of refrigerated croissant rolls. YUM! So much diversity in one little package of raw dough. A fun and perfect summery lunch in my kids’ eyes is what we have dubbed ‘Pigs-in-a-Blanket’ and ‘Cows-in-a-Blanket’. The “pigs” are half a cold hot dog rolled in one raw-croissant roll. The “cows” are half a cheese stick rolled in a raw-croissant roll. After you have them rolled up stick…
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New Car Shopping
Well we did it.We took the plunge.Our Mazda 5 was a great “mini-mini van”. It held four of us very comfortably and when there were five of us it still did the job! (It can hold up to six but with the back row not stowed there is NO trunk space.) The thought of fitting six of us (with BabyBoy on the way next month) just kind of made us chuckle and cringe in the same moment so we knew we needed to find something a bit bigger then our mini-mini van. I did some research. Figured out exactly what I wanted and we headed to the dealership. I drove it. I loved it. I…
