Friday the 13th: FREEBIES! #CowAppreciationDay #ChikFilA

So today is all about FREEBIES! Let's dive right in so you can get started planning your freebie stalking:

Starbuck's has their new Refreshers for FREE from 12-3 today ... each person who comes in gets a 12-ounce beverage. WARNING: this is like healthy Red Bull, so put your kids in a padded room after you give them their free sample. Or maybe just take them to the park or something.

Krispy Kreme today has buy a dozen, get a dozen for 75 whopping cents. Not free, but a dang good deal. Again, watch your kids' sugar intake here and let them run wild after the donuts.

Again, not totally free, but my mom told me Burger King has 50-cent ice cream cones during the month of July!

Chik-fil-A does Cow Appreciation Day every year and it seems as though it would rock. ALL DAY LONG, if you go in fully dressed as a cow, you get an entire combo meal. If you wear an accessory like a cow tie or hat (still trying to figure out if my udders count), you get a free entre (like a sandwich or chicken nuggies). I'm working my way up to this one and am not quite brave enough to do it yet with 5 or 6 kids in tow. Besides, we only have ONE cow costume and it fits only little Sam. If Aron was in town and off work, we would TOTALLY do this. I'm thinking next year for sure!

Got any more freebies for today? Let me know in the comments section and HAVE FUN!

Thankful Thursday: Sippy/Straw Bowls by One Step Ahead

I am in love with these bowls. My friend Ambre gave me a couple a long time ago when her daughter outgrew them, and a few years ago I bought a set of 6 because they rock. They are dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and perfect for soup or cereal! Here's a link to buy where I got them at One Step Ahead ... you can probably also find them through eBay and other places. Have fun!

Slurp away!

How NOT to Load a Dishwasher

Look, I know it's called WORDLESS Wednesday, but I'm seeing a lot of bloggers writing little stories to go along with their picture. I don't think that's WORDLESS, but if you can't beat them, join them ... at least for a post.

This would be how my kids load the dishwashwer. Note the sideways cups and the bowls right-side-up. So cute! Time to give a little lesson on Dishwasher Loading. P.S. If you have a 711 store near you, from 11-7 today you can get a free Slurpee! And then go back for more like we do!

Tackle-It Tuesday: Callie's Closet and the Magic Cleaning Fairy (me)

Every Tuesday, I tackle a different project around my home that's been bugging all of us!

This is my 7-year-old daughter's closet BEFORE! Actually, she will tell you it's also her 4-year-old sister's closet, too, when she's trying to get out of picking it up! Eva sleeps in our bedroom, but plays hard in "the girls' room."

The right-hand side of the closet on the floor.

The left-hand side of the closet floor.

The right-hand side. Note how I use her top shelf as scrapbook storage. I have like a zillion of them before I stopped having time to scrapbook because I'm too busy entertaining YOU. Yes, you're welcome.

  
AFTER!!!!! Sue me, I did this by myself. I find it easier to get rid of stuff when the girls are not standing over me picking through the trash! Don't worry, they have more hanging clothes than this, which live on the LEFT side of the closet. They are pretty much in order because I purge that stuff regularly.

Holy Guacamole, I can see the floor! I am magical! The Magic Cleaning Fairy!

The left-hand side on the floor is still a challenge. I at least got the shoes in a box and some toys in a little basket. Stuffed animals are in another box. Barbies are in a drawer in her dresser. Dolls go in the 1950s vintage baby crib.

I can't stand empty space and had to sneak her desk in there since it fit. It's how I roll. She can drag it out when she wants to play.

I had to give some props to my amazingly talented husband, who found this wasted space when we were redoing the girls' room in early 2011 (when he was NOT traveling). There was just a wall here, and he knocked it out and put in shelves. There's room for so much here, as well as her dress-up basket down below!

I hope I have inspired you to clean up your own nasty house. Now get on it, write about it and share the link with me here!

If you like giveaways, check out my friend Kelly's blog, where she is giving away Brave, the video game, Fit Moms for Life DVD, What to Expect When You're Expecting book set and more!

Moshi Monster Monday: Coolio Cupcakes

This was Michael's find, so we had to make it: Coolio Cupcakes. Coolio is a Moshi Monster who looks like a cupcake so these are PERFECT!

Make a white or yellow cake mix according to the directions on the box. Fill ice cream cones 3/4 full (no more or you'll have a mess, trust me), then stand them up in a baking tin and bake according to cupcake directions on the cake mix box.

Mix up 3 batches of colored frosting (using natural food coloring if you are rich and healthy): pink, orange and yellow.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost the top part of the ice cream cone yellow, then above that is orange, then the top is pink (see photos below).

The almost finished product, with a baby brother hanging around behind!

The girls got in on the action, too!

To make the bottom, wrap some orange paper (or color white paper) around a cone and tape it. Then cut out some little arms with hands and tape them on as well. For the eyes, use sliced almonds and black frosting that comes in a tube. (We didn't have any, so Michael colored some white frosting dark gray and applied it with a toothpick).

By the way, if you get blogs posts via email and sometimes can't see videos I post, you should be able to click on the blog title in your email message and come directly to the blog so you can then click on the video.