5 Favorite Things of the Week - 3/1/13

So what are my favorite things for this week? Well, here you go:

1. Scout app for my iPhone. So I moved to Eastern Washington about 7 months ago from out of state and I'm still getting to know the area. The Scout app is free and gives voice turn-by-turn directions to wherever you need to go. This has been great, especially when my husband has a job at a new school and doesn't know how to get there. I've used it to get all over, and it's especially helpful when I need to go from point B to point C and I'm used to getting to point C from point A (i.e. my house) so I don't know how to get there from somewhere else. Other GPS apps often cost money for voice turn-by-turn directions, as well, which means you're constantly checking the screen to see where to turn. Voice directions help reduce distractions while driving. And no one will disagree with free. Definitely awesome.
   
   
2. Having two monitors on my computer. Last July/August, the monitor on my laptop went out and the easiest fix was to get an external monitor. Luckily my step-dad had an extra one lying around that he didn't need. This was great and essential so I could keep working. Then recently I decided to use my tax refund to upgrade my laptop to a new one. Well, guess what? Now I have two working monitors, and having two monitors is AWESOME! I'm often switching between different windows in order to research and write articles, so having the info on one screen and where I'm writing on another is really great.
   
   
3. Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie mix. If you are looking for the best brownie mix, it's this one right here. We get this at Costco (it has like 6 bags of mix in it. LOL), and it's just the best brownie mix I've ever had -- even better than my homemade brownies. It's so moist and fluffy and it has chocolate chips in there, which means melted pieces of chocolate within the brownie goodness. Yep, I'm pretty much addicted.
   
   
4. 
   Online Netflix. When you live on a tight budget, you look for anything you can cut to save money. One way we save is through not having cable TV. Instead we have the online service from Netflix. For only $8 a month, we have TV shows for the kids and entertainment for us. Sure, it'd be fun to have regular TV too, but for now it works for us and saves us money.
   
   
5. My son, Alex, turning 5! Here's Alex with a bouquet of balloons from his awesome grandma :D. Look at that goofy grin. Who couldn't love that boy! I can't believe I've been a mom for a whole half of a decade now. This will be a year of firsts, including his first day of kindergarten. 

What things did you like from this week? Please share in the comments!

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 2/22/13

This week I was thinking about the things that I love, and I thought about writing an individual post about them, but I figured why not put them together in one post. This will be a fun weekly post every Friday of my favorite things from that week:

Via JunkFoodGuy.com

1. Zachary Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow Eggs. Have you guys had these? They are seriously addictive and so delicious. The chocolate melts in your mouth and is definitely the real stuff. I've always loved chocolate and marshmallows, so of course I love these. Plus they're only $1 for a dozen at Walmart. They come in foam egg crates too. So cute! They're only around for Easter so try them while you have the chance.



Via IowaGirlEats.com

2. H&R Block online tax program. TurboTax and H&R Block online each have their own advantages and disadvantages, but the last two years I've gone with H&R because they're less expensive and it works! I so love doing my taxes online. What would we do without the Internet?
3. Hebrew National Hot Dogs. These hot dogs are the best. If you haven't tried them (and you do eat hot dogs) I highly recommend them. They are more expensive than other brands for the most part, but their taste is just amazing. They are not only kosher (not that that matters to me), but they also don't have any fillers, by-products or artificial anything. I find myself more full than with other hot dogs, and did I mention the flavor? Seriously, delicious.
4. Pineapple, Banana, Coconut Smoothies. Yeah, they're that good. Mmmmm ...
5. Minecraft. It's a game with simple graphics but lots of fun possibilities and takes a lot of creativity. It's a fun activity to do after the boys are in bed. I admit, I'm a geek girl at heart :P.
   

What were your favorite things from this week? Please share in the comments!

What to Feed Children on Road Trips

With a 12-hour drive ahead of us (along with stops to get gas, go potty, and eat), obviously one of the major things we needed with us was food. Aaron and I could easily make it from breakfast to lunch and lunch to dinner without eating anything, but Alex needs to eat about every 3 hours, so having snacks for him were essential to our sanity. In fact, Alex did quite well on the trip overall, and most of the time when he complained, it was because he was hungry. Once we gave him something to eat that he wanted, he quieted right down and went to eating.

Normally, I try to feed Alex fairly healthy meals. Just like any child, he balks if I give him plain oatmeal or other unsavory choices, but I try to give him foods that taste good and are nutritious. But for this trip, I didn't worry about that so much. I figured that if giving him some junk food would help him get through the drive happier, it was worth it. It's not like two days of junk food is going to make him unhealthy.