My Thursday "Theme"

I like having a daily theme for M-F and try to post content and/or pictures for each day. I struggled with coming up for an idea for Thursday and then it hit me! Actually, at the same time I came up with two ideas.

Toddler Thursday (yes, I know there is such a thing as Toddler Tuesday but why not do something on Thursday too) - this post will feature simple things to do with your child in your home and community. You often see some of our field trips in my Wordless Wednesday post and you see some of our crafts in Try-It Tuesday posts, but what about the simple little things we often do. I would like to share those with you and give you some ideas of things to do as well.

Thrifty Thursday - I realized I only have another year before my toddler is a preschooler, plus often I may have something to post that does not have to do with my Toddler. I could very well see Toddler Tuesday morph in to Thrifty Thursday as my son gets older. Maybe I should just call it Thrifty Thursday to begin with. This will also be a good heading to put my introduction to by bi-monthly posts on Northern Cheapskate under.

What do you think?

I am starting to think Thrifty Thursday could fit both well and simplifies things.

Where do the giveaways & reviews fit? I also try to keep my postings for giveaway/review on Monday and Tuesday and reviews (only, no giveaway) on Thursday or Saturday. I know it drives traffic to the blog and I really love trying out new products, but I want people to come back for the content.

Some weeks/days I don't have content for every week day, but I try.  

Make-It Monday - a new recipe

Try-It Tuessday - a craft tutorial

Wordless Wednesday - pictures of our adventures & explorations

Thrifty Thursday - read above

Fix-It Friday - Playing Mrs. Fix-It Around Our Home/Yard/etc. and giving you the down low

Seriously, you don't know how much it was bothering me that I had this day with no theme. I like blogging and I devote a lot of time to it and want to have a good blog, even if I don't get paid to do it.

Thrifty Thursday: Make Coffee Ice Cubes

Don't toss your leftover coffee (well, we never do anyways, we will reheat it) but instead make cubes out of it and you will have no more watered down Iced Coffees.

Be sure to check out all my other Thrifty Thursday Posts. Some of my favorites are:

• Make a Gingerbread Latte at Home
• Make Your Own Individual Servings
• Egg Carton Preschool Snack Game
• Pot Up Your Own Flower Pots

Thrifty Thursday: FREE Kids History Detective's Club at Steele County Historical Society

Last month my son and I attended the first Kids History Detective's Club for the 2014-2015 school year. This class is held the FIRST THURSDAY of every month at the Steele County History Museum. They took the kids back in time to learn about the railroad and the general store. It was an awesome program (did I mention FREE!) where there were 2 volunteers dressed and acted in character to teach the kids about how the train station and railroad, as well as the general store were used in a different period in history.

Each month there is a different topic that you can find out about on their website or on their Facebook page. We attended the morning preschool class, but they also have an evening school-age class as well.

Please scroll through these pictures to get an idea of the fun that the kids had while learning over the course of the 1 hour glass.

My son and I have been able to attend a few before, but because he had preschool last year on Tuesday and Thursday morning, we were unable to go. Some of the things we learned about was "History of Owatonna", "Old Fashioned Games", "Old West Trail" and "How Yarn is Made".

They were able to use their imaginations and go on a ride back in time as they left the country and journeyed 10 miles north to general store in town. They boarded the train with a ticket they had punched (and got to take home too) and started their journey to barter eggs for vegetables at the county store and buy penny candy (the "station master" gave them pennies to buy some penny candy at the end)

Here you can see a picture of the station master secretly giving the kids pennies to go to the general store with. It made me giggle they were buying "penny candy" as it was this ancient thing because when I was a kid (ok, guess that is making me old) there was a bar at the end of the road (yes, I said bar, it was Wisconsin, things are different there!) and they sold penny candy. I was always thrilled when I had a dollar and was old enough to walk down there by myself to by the candy. 100 pieces!

Here they are buying their penny candy at the end of the class. It was easy to tell that all the kids had a wonderful time. The volunteers who were acting did such a great job engaging the kids and helping them learn about history.

This was the first of this year and during the first week of school, so I think that was why there was not as many kids as we had seen at others we attended. I hope we have a lot more friends the next time.

I had typed this post the day we attended and they told us our next class was going to be about Pumpkins. Check out the SCHS website to find out more details. They have these classes the FIRST THURSDAY of every month. At 9AM for preschoolers and at 6:30PM for school-age children.

The NEXT ONE is next week on OCTOBER 2, 2014. Mark your calendar!

Thrifty Thursday: Cheap Belt Idea for an American Girl Doll

These top two pictures you can see how we used a dog collar from the dollar store as a belt for an American Girl Doll. We picked out one that had rhinestones on one side, so we could use it to look like a dressy sash on a dress, or you can see below when we turn it around it looks like a typical belt.

$1!!! That's it!!! A size Small dog collar from the Dollar Tree and now we have a cheap way to accessorize my daughter's American Girl Dolls. For other thrifty American Girl Doll ideas, check out my post "Thrifty Guide to the American Girl Culture" as well as my other posts on Save Green Being Green involving American Girl Doll Crafts.

Thrifty Thursday: Free Admission Days at the Walker Art Center

What are you doing tonight?

Or how about Saturday?

Interested in checking out the Walker Art Center for FREE!?!?!

Every Thursday from 5-9pm, the Walker Center offers FREE Admission. But that's not all! They also offer FREE Admission on the First Saturday of every month. So, you have two opportunities this week to go for free. Talk about a cheap date night! Or day! Saturday they are open 11a-5p. You can always check out the sculpture garden afterwards, which is free all the time!

Thrifty Thursday: Invest in Thermal Shades

Does it seem thrifty for me to tell you to invest in thermal shades in order to save money, but sometimes you do have to spend money to save money (& make money too :) )

But the great thing about thermal shades is that is provides an additional barrier (a thermal one) between your the elements outside and the inside of your home.

In the summer, the heat that can be transferred to your home through a window can be substantial. And then you are left with a heating out in the summer, which will cost additional money to cool. But in the winter the coldness can transfer through your windows, thus causing you to invest more money in heating.

This particular window is on the south side of our home, which receives the most sunlight, so it remains closed all summer. I sometimes do open these shades during spring & fall, but because it is across from our TV, it usually remains closed so that we don't have a glare.

Thrifty Thursday: Shells Made In To Earrings

This is a pair of earrings that my daughter made for her primary 2nd Grade Teacher for Teacher Appreciation week. When we were on vacation in Florida, we kept our eyes peeled as we explored the beaches for shells and other items that we could make in to jewelry for ourselves (thrifty idea for a souvenir!!). While we were at Cocoa Beach we saw that most of the little shells had holes in the top, which made them perfect to make jewelry with. We picked a bunch and tried to find ones that were close to matching. We already had it in our mind while we were collecting that she was going to design a pair for her teacher for this week. My daughter gave her earrings as a Christmas gift as well and the teacher loved them.

It was my idea to make a little tag that says "Is It Shellfish that I want you to be my teacher forever?" I thought I was clever. :)

Thrifty Thursday: Make Snow Ice Cream

I have mentioned that sometimes we need to be thrifty with your time (Time is Money, right?) Well, making Snow Ice Cream is the FASTEST way we have ever made ice cream. And it's simple and kids can make it from start to finish! And you only need 2-3 ingredients.

Snow Ice Cream

8-10 C Clean Snow
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix it all together and serve. Enjoy!

** To make mint ice cream, add 1/4 tsp mint extract and 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

*** We added sugar sprinkles just for fun!

Click HERE to see more pictures from making snow ice cream.

How to Make a Gingerbread Latte and a Review of Torani Syrups

Looking for this week's Thrifty Thursday? Well, you have found it! What could be more thrifty than skipping the coffee shop and making your own gourmet drinks at home!

It is so easy to make gourmet coffee drinks in your home when you use syrup, like the ones made by Torani. I had the opportunity to review Torani Sugar Free Salted Caramel Syrup and Gingerbread Syrup. Consider treating your holiday guests to something special and make them a Gingerbread Latte!

Get a $1 OFF coupon on your next Torani purchase!!!

Gingerbread Latte

4 oz strong coffee

4 oz milk or heavy cream

1 T of Torani gingerbread syrup

Whipped Cream, optional

Directions: Pour Syrup in to a coffee mug. Add coffee and milk. Stir to combine. Top with whipped cream if desired and a pinch of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Looking for some other recipes to make with Torani Gingerbread Syrup?

I just love how easy it is to make gourmet drinks with Torani syrups. I have several other flavors already and it is so much fun to try new flavors.

I can't decide which recipe I want to try first with the Torani Sugar Free Salted Caramel Syrup. The Salty Chocolate Wonder sounds delish as does the Salty Nut Skinny Latte. Or maybe this summer I could make an Iced Sugar Free Turtle Mocha or a Skinny Caramel Nut Iced Mocha. Yum!

I do have to recommend the Salty Nut Skinny Latte! It was very tasty.

Check back later this month when I will share with you a recipe for a Gingerbread Martini.

I was given the bottles of Torani to review through SheSpeaks. I did not receive any monetary compensation.All pictures, videos, thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thrifty Thursday: Be Thrifty With Your Time

How often are you moving from one room to another, or up & down stairs? I feel like I am moving around our house ALL the time. And I feel like the kids are moving around the house all the time and taking things from one place and leaving them in another place.

Cleaning is not my favorite thing, so I try to pick up a few things here & there as I go in to other rooms. If I am going in to the kitchen I always look around whatever room I am leaving to see if there is something that needs to go up there. If I am heading upstairs to one of the kids' rooms, I look around (usually the living room) to see what I can carry up with me.

It seems most often that things congregate in the living room and dining room (which is downstairs) and have made their way there somehow from the upstairs. It doesn't take me but a couple seconds to grab a couple of glasses that were left in the living room and bring them in the kitchen.

And if I am doing a big clean to a room (s), I make piles (separated by rooms they go in) on the stairs and take it all up at once at the end of my cleaning.

Thrifty Thursday: Naturalist Classes at RBNC

Today I am going to tell you about the Naturalist-led classes/walk (offered every Tuesday at 5pm through out the summer!!!) that my kids and I take for FREE (still, they are super cheap for non-members) at River Bend Nature Center, but honestly these classes could be offered at any nature center. This particular class we learned about insects that call the nature center home in the woods, prairie and ponds. I knew this one would be a huge hit with my kids since we can my son the Bug Whisperer, seriously this boy can can any bug or frog or whatever and does it gently too.

Nature Centers are a great place to take affordable classes. As members, many of our classes are free or we receive a member discount. And why not become a member it is a great place to support, as well as being tax deductible. This was the first "class" my son has taken with me there, but my daughter has been taking them with me for several years. In fact, one of our favorites was a insect class on a humid and hot almost 100 degree day. Last year I think one of our favorite classes was learning Slack Lining, which they are offering again this year. We also took this awesome class on finding edibles in the forest; we both learned so much from that class.

We have also taken classes on Natural Dying and Natural Old World Toys (yes, we did make some to bring home, like Corn Husk Dolls and Jacob's Ladder and a couple others) and Paper Bowl Making and a Drawing Class (so out of my comfort zone, but awesome to learn about). I could go on and on about all the things we have learned about at River Bend Nature Center, but what I want you to do is tell me:

Where is your closest Nature Center? 

Do you ever visit or take a class?

I am not sure what class we will be taking next, but my daughter will have a week of nature camp coming up next month.

Thrifty Thursday: At Home Colored French Manicure Using Kid Stickers

 Have you noticed the trend for a Colored French Tip Manicure? You can easily do this at home, using kids stickers! Really!

As a SAHM, I don't find a salon manicure to be a good way to spend my money because I chip the manicure or break my nails so easily as I play with my kids and do things around the house. I do like a nice salon pedicure though. :) I am not nearly as hard on my feet as my hands.

It's simple! Just place circle stickers on your cleaned fingernails (wipe clean with remover to remove the oils).
Then paint polish over the ends. The stickers help you create a nice clean arched line. Paint on two coats. When they are dry, remove the stickers and paint over the entire nail on each of your fingers with clean nail polish.

Thrifty Thursday: Kids Summer Reading Programs

Local Libraries - you can sign up at multiple libraries if they allow, we sign up for one in each town with libraries to the north and south of us. They are a great resource of activities for your children in the summer and also a chance to earn free books and prizes from completing reading logs.

Barnes & Noble - Just print off the form and have child in grades 1-6 read 8 books and bring it and choose a free book listed. Valid 5/21/13-9/3/13.

American Girl - Learn new ideas, take quizzes and attend events. Valid 5/1-9/3

Half Price Books - Stay Tuned, in the past a child can earn $5 in HPB Bucks by reading 300 minutes each month in June and July. They can earn $5 Bucks each month. It is for ages 14 & under.

Pottery Barn - All kids can participate, even very young can be read to and have it count. They can earn a free book. All books on the list are available to be purchased at PB. Valid 5/16-8/26.

Scholastic - This began on MAY 6th!!!

iVillage - Begins June 17th and is 4 weeks long, daily chance to win prizes.

Sylan Learning - You can earn prizes including a 3-month Highlights Magazine Subscription, temporary tattoos, books and more

Chuck-e-Cheese - Kids earn 10 free tokens for reading for 2 weeks, limit 1 per kid per time & food purchase is required, but each child can have a certificate and this is good all year!

Thrifty Thursday: Starbucks Freebies Of the Week

Did you know that you can get free downloads of songs, apps, books and perhaps other things I am not aware of from Starbucks? You do have to visit a Starbucks store to get them, but they are just sitting out for you to take them. There is a new freebie every week and if your nearest store is anything like mine, they leave them out until they are gone. So, when I went to Starbucks yesterday (well, yesterday when I wrote this post, not when it was published) I picked up these four. There is a code on the back of each to get your free download and they each have an expiration date that is about 2 months out. In November & December, plan ahead when you are making trips near a Starbucks and you could pick up some free stocking stuffers. :)

Thrifty Thursday: FREE 2nd Saturday at Bakken Museum

Every 2nd Saturday, you can get in FREE to the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis. Normally, admission is $7 for adults and $4 for kids. This Saturday will the next FREE 2nd Saturday and the theme is "Garden Party".

About "Garden Party" from the Bakken
Visitors will learn about toxins in our environment, explore our beautiful gardens which will finally be in bloom, create light-up flower bouquets and sunprints, and listen to fun stories about plants!

The Bakken Museum is located at 3537 Zenith Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55416.

Thrifty Thursday: Free Movie Screenings From gofobo.com

If you haven't heard of gofobo, then you really need to check it out. It's your opportuity to attend movie screenings for FREE!!!! You can enter for a ticket drawing to see if you can attend. You will be notified by email if you are picked to attend. Or if you have a rsvp code, you can enter that in and get your tickets. The movies and their locations can vary, so keep checking back to see if the movie you are interested in gets added or if there is something at a location near you.

Thrifty Thursday: FREE and Half Price Rentals at Family Video

We found ourselves inside a Family Video the other day because the stars were aligned. It has been a long time since I have been inside a video store and between Amazon Prime movies, dvds from the library and free redbox rentals, I didn't think we had any reason to go to one. But we happened to be trying out a new(ish) restaurant next door and they had signs in the window for their current promotion (now over) that said $1 New Rentals.

We picked out our choice and went to rent it and was told that for 30 days, new members get half off all their rentals! And it CAN be combined with current advertised promotions (the $1 new releases!). So, we paid a whopping 53-cents (need to include tax) for our rental of "OZ: Great and Powerful", plus it was a 5-day rental. Seriously?!?! I paid 53 cents to rent this video so that the kids & I could watch with my MIL and we were able to keep it long enough for them to watch it again and for my husband to come home and watch it too. We went back a couple more times during the $1 promotional rate and each time checked out 2 new releases for 5 days. Fantastic! My kids sure got all their watching in of some new release cartoons they really wanted to see. We won't need to rent those again for a while or buy them.

PLUS! They gave me the above sheet of coupons for free rentals and other coupons. Some really great coupons and we will probably use almost all of them!

ALSO!!!! They have a section of FREE kids videos, a section of FREE exercise videos, AND a section of FREE documentary/educational videos.

I am pretty happy with this new discovery!

Thrifty Thursday: Save (or Re-Use) Excess Art Supplies (& CRAFT!)

Just two days ago, I promised I would tell you what we made with the inside circle of the paper plate from our Paper Plate Spider Web Craft, and here is what we came up with. We made them in to pumpkins using some leftover tissue paper (came in a present) and leftover green construction paper.

The other thing I do is recycle art supplies in to new projects. See all those googly eyes, they are from other project that are no longer hanging up and have gone to the recycling bins. Before recycling our art & craft project (or throwing away when necessary), I try to salvage whatever parts I can that can be reused.

I even store them in old plastic container that was not recyclable.

Thrifty Thursday: Free Admission on the 3rd Sunday to MN Children's Museum

This Sunday is FREE ADMISSION to the Minnesota Children's Museum. In fact, every month, the 3rd Sunday is free admission. You do still have to pay for parking if you need to park there, but you can get the discounted museum parking rate, so don't forget to bring your parking pass in to get stamped.

We have a museum membership (see pictures of a visit here) so we have not taken advantage of this special except when my daughter was about 6 months old (she's 7 1/2 now!), but if you are watching your budget but still trying to provide some fun experiences for your children, then this is a great day to go. Admission is normally $9.50/person for ages 1 and over.

Right now one of the visiting exhibits is "The Blue Man Group", but all of there permanent exhibits are pretty awesome! We love going there.

Thrifty Thursday: Use the Library

The library is a great resource for MANY different things, not just books. I still buy my kids a lot of books, but I rarely by myself a book unless I think I will reference it several times. We often get movies from the library (they do have new releases, but you'll have to wait a while - just get your name on the list, or request a Blu-Ray DVD if you have that kind of player since there are fewer people requesting that type of disc at this time.) Some libraries we have gone to have puzzles and toys that you can check out to bring home.

We also use the online programs that our library offers for free music downloads and online kids storybooks. They also offer free online foreign language classes, but I have not tried these out yet.

And then when you are at the library, you can use their computer and many have a nice kids area with toys to play (think - place to meet for a playdate or to get out of the house), as well as storytime and summer reading programs.

The libraries near me have adult reading programs during the winter months and one does movie showings for adults as well and another offers speaking events and one-night classes.

These are the obvious perks for becoming a library patron, but many have other perks you may not be aware of and are not advertised. So, become friendly with your librarians and they are bound to share what other services they provide. They are wonderful people who want to help you and your family learn.