Life is what it's Called: April 2017

Kroger Friday Freebie

Friday, April 28, 2017

Today only you can download a coupon for 1 FREE Smartfood® Popcorn (1.5-2.5 oz., any variety (you must have an online account and store card registered). The coupon is good at Kroger and Kroger Affiliates. Click here for more details.

Kids Bowl Free This Summer

Thursday, April 27, 2017

This summer kids can bowl for FREE at 20th Century Lanes at 4712 West State St. Boise ID 83703 or Emerald Lanes 4860 Emerald St. Boise ID 83706. You must register before May 1st. Kids are eligible to receive 2 free games a day, all summer long. To find out more information, click here. (If you're not in the Boise area, check out the main website to see if there is a participating location near you.

Boise Public Library Satisfaction Survey

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

The Boise Public Library is asking for residents to answer a satisfaction survey. Answering the survey will help show the library your support and tell them in what ways they need to improve. The survey is available from April 24-April 28. When you answer the survey, you can also be entered to win a $100 gift card. To answer the survey, click here.

Life is Good Company T-Shirt Art Contest

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

The Life is Good Company is having a T-Shirt Art Contest for kids ages 4-17. For every art submission they receive a $1 will be donated to the Life is Good Kids Foundation. It seems like a fun contest for kids. Kids can use their imaginations and draw their ideal t-shirt. It's really awesome that the company is donating a $1 per each submission.

Four grand-prize winners will have their t-shirts printed and sold on Lifeisgood.com with all proceed benefiting the Life is Good Kids Foundation. The grand-prize winners will also receive: $2,000 scholarship, Annie's prize pack and a suite of art supplies.

There will also be eight 2nd prize winners who will receive a $100 gift card to Lifeisgood.com and a suite of art supplies.

Entries must be submitted no later than May 1st and mailed to:

LIG Kids Art Contest Attn: Brand Marketing
51 Melcher Street, 9th Floor
Boston, MA 02210

To find out more information, click here.

Free Oil Change for Single Mothers

Monday, April 24, 2017

Heritage Auto Repair located at 175 N. Linder Rd. Meridian, ID 83642 is offering a FREE oil change for single moms on May 5, 2017. Space is limited. Call for an appointment, 208-887-1442, starting April 24, 2017.

Kroger Friday Freebie

Friday, April 21, 2017

Today only you can download a coupon for a FREE Annie’s Natural Macaroni & Cheese (5.25-6 oz., any variety) (you must have an online account and store card registered). I love the taste of Annie's Mac and Cheese! The coupon is good at Kroger and Kroger Affiliates. Click here for more details.

Week of the Young Child Celebration

Thursday, April 20, 2017

On Saturday April 22, 2017, there is a FREE family-friendly outdoor celebration celebrating the Week of the Young Child. The celebration is located at the Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise, ID and will include activities for the whole family including information on community resources, a scavenger hunt, kid's zumba, obstacle course and more. The celebration will last from 11 am - 3 pm and is geared towards kids 0-8 years old. To find out more information, click here.

The Vicar's Daughter Review

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

In Josi Kilpack's latest novel, The Vicar's Daughter, the youngest Wilton daughter of the Vicar, Cassie, wants to come out into society. There's just one problem - the Vicar declared that only one of his daughters can be out at a time. Cassie's older sister, Lenora is on her third season and can barely attend society events due to her extreme shyness. When Cassie hears of Lenora's chance meeting with Evan Glenside, an heir to his Great Uncle's estate, she decides to "help" Lenora find love by writing letters to Evan on her behalf. Cassie's help turns into disaster when she realizes that she's fallen in love with Evan Glenside and he shows interest in courting Lenora. Will Cassie, Evan and Lenora find a way out of this messy love triangle?

The Vicar's Daughter had many more dynamics to it than a simple love story. Many of the major and minor characters are tried, tested, evolve and show their true natures through their experiences throughout the novel. I can easily see this novel being debated or discussed in a book club. There are many different themes in the book: propriety vs. personal claim in what's right, hypocrisy vs. true Christian behavior, love vs. society, sisterly love vs. own wants, etc. Evan Glenside, was by far my favorite male protagonist among all of Kilpack's books. He showed true concern over his family and was hard-working, ethical, and compassionate. Cassie annoyed me at first through her selfishness, but as she changed and evolved into a compassionate, caring person I grew to like her character. The Vicar's Daughter is an interesting read and if you enjoy proper romances I suggest you add it to your must read list. To find out more about The Vicar's Daughter, click here.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links.

La Crème Frozen Yogurt Mother's Day Contest

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Are your kids looking for a fun way to show appreciation to mom? La Crème Frozen Yogurt (located at the Village at Meridian in Meridian, 3319 N. Eagle Rd in Meridian and 8184 Overland Rd. in Boise) is holding a fun Mother's Day Essay Contest for kids!

To enter the Mother's Day Essay Contest, kids should:

Write a short essay telling La Crème Frozen Yogurt what you love about your mom and what makes her special.
Provide a photo of you and your mom enjoying La Créme FroYo

The submissions can be handwritten and brought to one of the La Créme locations or messaged to La Créme via their Facebook Page. The entries must be submitted by May 7th. The winner will be announced on May 12 and will receive a La Créme FroYo gift card. To learn more, click here.

Boise Parks and Rec Summer Classes

Monday, April 17, 2017

If you're a resident of Boise, ID, registration is now available to sign-up for Summer classes through the Boise Parks and Recreation Department. Classes ranges from swimming lessons, art classes, tennis lessons, hockey lessons, volleyball, dance lessons and more. To register for a class and to find out more information, click here.

Kroger Friday Freebie

Friday, April 14, 2017

Today only you can download a coupon for a 1 FREE Sour Patch Kids Soft & Chewy Candy (7.2-8 oz., any variety) (you must have an online account and store card registered). The coupon is good at Kroger and Kroger Affiliates. Click here for more details.

Kid Friendly Grocery Stores

Thursday, April 13, 2017

My kids have two favorite grocery stores: Albertsons and Fred Meyer. Kid-friendly grocery stores take a lot of the stress off of parents. It's easier to grocery shop when kids are happy and content. Here are some of the reasons these two stores are kid friendly:

Snacks: Albertsons offers a free cookie for kids who stop by their bakery and Fred Meyer offers a free piece of fruit in the produce section. Kids enjoy being fed or snacking as their moms are perusing the aisles.
Car Shopping Carts: Car shopping carts make shopping a little bit more fun for kids. They can pretend they're in a fun police, fireman or bright pink flower power car. It's fun to spin the wheel and pretend they're maneuvering the grocery aisles.
Coloring Contests: My local Albertsons is offering an Easter coloring contest for kids who color a picture. My son enjoyed showing off his artwork. The Albertsons' employees oohed and aahed over his artwork.
Free On-site Child Care: Fred Meyer offers free on-site child care with protective measures in place. Kids sometimes enjoy playing rather than shopping.

What grocery stores do your kids like to shop at?

Easter Egg Sorting

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

We like to do learning activities that go with upcoming holidays. We had an Easter Egg hunt in our backyard and then sorted the eggs by color into paper bags. Sorting is a great skill for preschoolers to learn. You can also add onto this activity by counting the eggs by color or count the total number of eggs.

What are some fun learning activities that you like to do with Easter Eggs?

Please note that this post contains affiliate links.

Easter Basket Ideas (besides Candy)

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Finding fillers for Easter Baskets can be hard and tricky. Here are some ideas of what we like to put in our Easter Baskets:

Apple Sauce Pouches: My kids go a little crazy over applesauce. When I buy it at the store I get a big container for normal, everyday use. I usually reserve the pouches for special occasions like trips, Easter, Christmas, etc.

Bubbles: Bubbles are a fun spring, summer activity and an awesome addition to Easter Baskets.

Art Supplies: Restocking kids art supplies are a great addition to Easter Baskets.

Teddy Grahams and Animal Crackers: Teddy Grahams and Animal Crackers are a fun treat for kids.

Books: Books are a great Easter Basket surprise and will help encourage your kids to love reading.

Stickers: Kids love stickers. My kids love to use them for their art work. They love decorating things with stickers.

Coloring Books: Easter is a great time for the Easter Bunny to regift kids with a fun, new coloring book.

What are some of your ideas for fun Easter Basket fillers?

Please note that this post contains affiliate links.

5 Fun Easter Books for Kids

Monday, April 10, 2017

Are you looking for some fun Easter books for kids? Here are several that we like to read:

We're Going on an Egg Hunt is a fun picture book with flaps to open, a fun story and great illustrations. My kids really enjoyed reading this story.

Curious George is a favorite at our house. We love seeing where his curiosity takes him.

Karen Katz books are awesome for baby and toddlers. They're short, easy to understand and have fun flaps for kids to lift-up.

The Easter Story is a child's version of the Easter Story. It's easy to read and helps them understand the Easter holiday.

Disney has a fun Easter story for kids that are Cars fans.

What are some of your favorite kids' books for Easter?

Please note that this post contains affiliate links.

Kroger Friday Freebie

Friday, April 7, 2017

Today only you can download a coupon for a FREE Jell-O Simply Good Gelatin or Pudding (3-3.9 oz., any variety) (you must have an online account and store card registered). The coupon is good at Kroger and Kroger Affiliates. Click here for more details.

Preschool Learning About Weather

Thursday, April 6, 2017

We like to do toddler and preschool learning activities a few days a week. One of my favorite resources is Totschooling. Totschooling has a lot of different units/activities available for subscribers. I downloaded the Weather Packet (available for subscribers) one week. I also created a few fun art activities for them to do:

Weather Construction: I cut out some rain drops, sun/sun beams and clouds for my kids. I then applied a glue stick all over a piece of blue construction paper so my kids could easily place the rain drops, sun/sunbeams and clouds on the paper. It was fun!

Winter Storm Painting: We also painted a winter storm on black pieces of paper with Q-tips and white paint. It was fun

and my toddler really enjoyed using the paint.

What resources do you like to use for learning activities?

Please note that this post contains affiliate links.

Easter Egg Garland DIY

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

This week I needed to make a banner for a church function and my kids were fascinated with watching me tie pieces of paper together with twine. I decided that we could make our own banner or a.k.a garland with twine and paper. I cut out egg shape pieces of white paper and the kids colored the paper. They had a lot of fun making dots, scribbles and lines on their eggs. They kept asking me to cut out more eggs! After they finished coloring their eggs, I glued two eggs together, laminated it (with my Scotch Thermal Laminator) and punched a hole at the top of each egg. My 3-year old helped me thread the twine through the eggs (working on those fine motor skills). Once the eggs were threaded, we had our own egg garland to use as a fun, Easter decoration.

What Easter decorations do you like to make with your kids?

Please note that this post contains affiliate links.

FREE Ice Cream

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

To show appreciation to its customers, Ben & Jerry's is offering a free cone day on April 4, 2017 from 12 pm to 8 pm. How sweet! This is a great time to take the family out for a refreshing treat. To find out more, click here.

Things to Do in Boise for April

Saturday, April 1, 2017

It's looking like Spring in Boise and there are plenty of things to do. Are you looking for things to do in Boise? Here's a listing of some of the events happening in Boise for April:

April 1, 2017 - Stuart Little (Play) at 2pm at the Morrison Center. Recommended for kindergarten - 6th grade. FREE. Click here for more information.
April 6-7, 2017 - Library! Spring Book Sale from 9 am-8 pm at 762 River Street. The book sale will include .50 paperbacks, $1 hardbacks, or $9 by the bag. Click here for more information.
April 7-8, 2017 - YMCA Spring Sprint Triathlon Great for beginners and the experienced triathlete. This is a well-organized race, safe and fun. Click here for more information and to register. April 7, 2017 - April Showers Puppet Show at 10:30 am at the Library! Main. Click here for more information.
April 8, 2017 - April Showers Puppet Show at 2 pm at the Library! Main. Click here for more information.
April 8, 2017 - Easter Eggstravaganza at Zoo Boise from 10 am-5 pm. Come to Zoo Boise for a fun eggstravaganza with the Easter Bunny including face painting, zoo enrichment activities and egg scrambles. Click here for more details.
April 9, 2017 - Boise Treasure Valley Sea Hawkers' Easter Egg Hunt from 2-4pm at Capitol Park, 601 W Jefferson St. Please bring a canned food donation for the City Light Home for Women and Children. FREE event. Click here for more information.
April 12, 2017 - Teacup Succulent Planters from 6-8 pm at the Library! at Cole & Ustick. Learn how to turn a teacup into a succulent planter. Adults only. Reserve your spot now, by clicking here.
April 17, 2017 - DIY No-Soil Cat Grass Planter from 6-7 pm at the Library! Main. Learn how to make a no-soil cat grass planter and take one home. Click here for more information.
April 18, 2017 - Get Outside Bird Watching on the River from 6:30-8pm at the Library! at Collister. Come listen to Sheralynn Bauder of the Jim Hall Foothills Learning Center and learn about bird watching. Click here for more information.
April 19, 2017 - Teacup Succulent Planters from 6-8 pm at the Library! at Cole & Ustick. Learn how to turn a teacup into a succulent planter. Adults only. Reserve your spot now, by clicking here.
April 19, 2017 - Your Water Footprint from 7-8 pm at the Library! Main. Learn about your water footprint and what you can do to reduce it. Click here for more information.
April 19, 2017 - All About Blueberries from 7-8pm at the Library! at Collister. Learn about how to grow blueberries in our area. Click here for more information.
April 27, 2017 - Get Outside: Hiking from 7-8pm at the Library! at Cole & Ustick. Scott Marchant will share a presentation and information on his new book The Hiker's Guide McCall & Cascade: 65 hikes near Warm Lake, Cascade and McCall. Click here for more information.
April 27, 2017 - Hiking with Scott Marchant from 7-8pm at the Library! Main. Scott Marchant will share a presentation and information on his new book The Hiker's Guide McCall & Cascade: 65 hikes near Warm Lake, Cascade and McCall. Click here for more information.