Dear Blog, Sorry About the Neglect

I know, I have missed you too. There has just been so much going on.

Of course, none of it could be more important than you.

Yes, I do know that this was the first thing I did that lead me to my freelance writing career.

I know, I haven't said thank you lately. I would feel neglected to.

Would it help if I promised to write more often?

What? You want me to commit to a certain number of posts per week? That's a tough one.

Okay, okay. Don't leave and disappear into the never ending black hole that is the internet. I'll do it.

Pillsbury My Get Together

Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to host a Pillsbury My Get Together. We had some friends over and I was able to try out four new recipes using Pillsbury Crescents. For me, everything worked out perfectly. It was the perfect chance to catch up with friends that we hadn't seen in a while and I had a great time playing hostess.

One couple even went home with a Pillsbury kitchen mitt. I know, you are jealous, right? I would love to do something like this again. It gets everyone talking and we just had a great time.

Are you curious about what I made? Check out the four recipes that I made along with pictures of how they should look. FYI - These are not my pictures. Mine didn't turn out quite as perfectly, but they tasted good.



(Pillsbury Crescents provided me with the product and information through MyGetTogether. )

Fishing . .

And so, here i am in the middle of the great outdoors getting ready to go fishing. Seriously. I have even walked through mud and sludge in my rainbows. Impressive.

Interestingly enough, all this fresh mountian air is spawning lots of writing ideas. Maybe next time i will be ready to stay in a tent.

What? It could happen. Unlikely, but it could.

Bra Makeover Contest


It seems that every woman in the world is on a constant search for the perfect bra. One that fits the right way in every single area. And so, Playtex is working to make this search a reality.

Platex just launched a new website: http://www.playtexbramakeover.com/. You can apply to have your own bra makeover or nominate a friend. The winner will be flown to New York to have a bra consultation with style expert Allison Deyette. 10 winner will also be chosen to star in their own webisode where they receive a bra makeover and walk away with Playtex products.


Be sure to hurry and enter this contest as it ends on Friday, May 21, 2010. Just stop by http://www.playtexbramakeover.com/ and enter for yourself or nominate a friend.


FYI: By posting this information, I am entered into a contest to receive a free bram from Playtex. I did not receive any compensation for this post and the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.


You know me, there was not way that I could pass up the opportunity to try a Playtex bra for free!
Also, thanks to jenny downing at www.everystockphoto.com for the picture!

Summer Reading Programs in Tucson


I am working to put together a list of activities for summer in Tucson. So far, I have some across two summer reading programs:



I also got all the information about the Tower Treehouse movies.
I know there are tons of things that I am missing. Anything you can think of?
Photo by: jdurham at http://www.everystockphoto.com/

Free Light Up Marble Racer Set Winner


The winner of a set of 6 Light Up Marble is:


Sandy S. ! Thanks to everyone who entered the contest and those of you who subscribed to Tucson Frugal Family Examiner!


Be in line at 5:30a for free Krispy Kreme for a year


That's right. Tomorrow morning will find me and a friend standing in line, probably in our pajamas, at 5:30 am to ensure that we are the recipients of the 365 card, offering a free donut and coffee once a day for a year.


Here are the details: Free donut and coffee card


Which one are you planning on going to? I'll be at the Oracle store!
Thanks to Jennie at www.everystockphoto.com for the delicious picture of Krispy Kreme donuts!

Light Up Marble Racers at CVS

Son had an opportunity to try out a new toy found only at CVS stores. I know what you're thinking. They had me at "CVS." So, I was sent a six car set of Light Up Marble Racers.





The six cars consisted of:

  • Fire

  • Police

  • Confetti

  • Cat's Eye

  • Volcano

  • Cyclone

Each one comes with a set of decals that can be added to the car. Son put every single sticker on (and a few that he found in the art box). For him, it is the perfect toy. Most of you know about his car obssession as well as his facination with crashing. So, he was able to line the cars up, race them, and run them into each other. As he did, the marble inside would light up and he got a huge kick out of it. Daughter has played with him a few times.

I really like these cars because they aren't metal and so far, in all of the crashing, no one has been hurt. Also, they have really kept the kids attention. And they are at CVS, so use those Extra Care Bucks to pay for a special treat for the kids.

Want your own set of six Marble Racers to share with your kids? I get to give one set away to a lucky reader. Here's how to earn entries to win:


  1. Leave a comment on this post. Let me know what you think of the Light Up Marble Racers.

  2. Subscribe to Tucson Frugal Family Examiner (that's me!) and leave a comment letting me know that you signed up.

I will select a post using Random.org by the end of the day on Monday, May 17th. Be sure I have a way to contact you if you do win - -either a profile on blogger or an email address. If you have any questions, email me at frugalfamilyexaminer (@) gmail (.)com . (I don't have time to talk to the spammers - ha ha)

Also, if you are planning to try out the new Light Up Marble Racers at CVS, check out this article about buying one and getting one free in the mail.




Free Mother's Day gifts from the kids

Both Home Depot and Lowe's are offering workshops the next few Saturdays to help kids make their own Mother's Day gift. Kids can build a planter for mom. (A great idea!) You can never have too many homemade gifts from the kids.

Check out the details below . . .

Lowe's Build and Grow Mother's Day Gift
Home Depot Kid's Workshop - Mother's day Gift


Also, Home Depot offers all kinds of workshops for adults. Listed below is an article detailing the May 2010 class schedule.

Home Depot classes - May 2010
Dads, load up those kids and get them working on a project for mommy!

Ready for our own sitcom


It is official, we need our own tv show. Not only is the day to day life interesting - -to say the least, but Husband is now playing on the work bowling team. Seriously.

If the day ever comes when he is walking out of the house on a Wednesday night, bowling ball bag in hand, bowling shirt on, I am calling the network. We will have officially become a tv family.

If only we had a crazy neighbor . . . okay check
If only we had interesting friends . . okay check
If only we got ourselves into interesting siutations . . . okay check.

I guess we are ready. Now, to start shopping for a dog, Lassie or Rover perhaps.

(Photo by: dpawatts at www.everystockphoto.com)

There is no peace

Seriously, I gave up working at Barnes and Noble because of some of the interesting people that were making it difficult to get things done.

You will never believe this one. I am at the public library. There is someone talking loudly on the cell phone. I kid you not. It is silent except for this man talking.

Where can I find a quiet place to work?

It gets better. Someone actually spoke up! Maybe this is the perfect place to get a little writing done.

Barnes and Noble phobia story #375

Okay, I get it. I need to find a new place to write.

Typically, I don't blog about it while I am here, but I want to be sure to not leave out any of the details. So, here I am typing away, working on writing, and a guy sits down with his coffee. So far, fairly normal. But then, instead of sitting correctly in his seat, he sits out, facing all of the people in the center of the cafe. Again, not to weird.

Okay, how about the odd noises that he can't seem to stop making? How about the fact that he is taking his time staring at each one of the people at the tables working or talking. About 20 minutes ago, it was funny. I think I may have even chuckled aloud. And yet, here we are, much later, and it is still going on. Do you think these things would stop happening around me if I posted a little sign at my table that said, "Try not to do anything weird or out of the ordinary. I am a writer and I may be forced to blog about you."

Why am I not leaving you ask? Easy. There is free wi-fi here.

I am thinking about starting another blog and just calling it, "Barnes and Noble: Is it just me?"

Enter a Cottonelle Contest

Hey everyone!

I'm casting my vote in the Cottonelle Roll Poll. At our house, we are team over. Wondering what I am talking about?

Head over to The Cottonelle Roll Poll, to check it out.

Be sure to leave a comment here on this post to enter yourself into the contest for 1 of 10 gift baskets by Cottonelle. The winners will be chosen on January 29, 2010.

In fact, this is my way of entering a contest (one months supply of toilet paper) LOL for Cottonelle through the Mom's Blogger Club!

Saving money on baby formula

Hey all! It feels like it has been forever since my last post. Believe it or not, one of my resolutions is to get back on here and write.

In the meantime, I just wrote an article about a lawsuit that took place between Mead Johnson (the makers of Enfamil Lipil) and PMB Products, LLC. I thought the findings were pretty interesting. Check it out here:

Save money on baby formula without giving up quality

Also, be sure to print out the coupon for $20 towards your next purchase of store brand formula!