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Overseas Military Needed for the Coupons for Troops Program

Thank you so much for your participation in this program.

Currently I need overseas military families who would like to receive coupons. I would love your help in finding more families who need coupons. I have several stateside families waiting to be assigned an overseas family. If you know of a military family overseas would you mind asking them if they would like to participate in the program?

If you emailed me and did not receive a response please email me again at thehappyhousewife (at) gmail (dot) com. I had an email glitch a while back and lost about a weeks worth of emails.

Also if you were mailing coupons to Jennifer White, she will be moving back to the states soon so please stop sending coupons to her. If you would like another family please email me.

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by admin -

I Want to Be a FUN Mom…

I want to be a fun mom. I want to allow my kids to bring their dirt covered rocks, sticks and occasional dead bug into the house. I want to let them finger paint more often than I do. I want to let them play in the rain and make mud pies… but too often I say no.

So when Play-Doh contacted me about trying out the new Burger Builder set, I realized this was my opportunity to say yes to my kids. When the set arrived my kids could not wait to open the box.

The set is really fun, and my older kids said they remembered having a similar set when they were younger, but it had the McDonald’s logo all over it. I was very please to see that this set was not affiliated with any fast food restaurant. It is hard to discourage your children from eating there if all their toys encourage it.

My kids were excited to get to work building burgers and other food items.

My rule follower was particularly proud of his creation.

My free spirit liked the set too… for different reasons.*

The kids had a great time making their Play-Doh creations. There were very excited when I told them about the Play-Doh’s playroom makeover. Your child can create a make-believe version of their favorite food, then upload a picture of your child’s creation for the opportunity to win the $10,000 Grand Prize, consisting of a $5,000 Playroom Makeover and a $5,000 School Doh-nation.

I couldn’t help but wonder… since we homeschool can we get a $5,000 school room makeover? 😉

How fun is that, your kids get to play with play-doh and maybe win a playroom makeover. I was ready to pull out all our play-doh supplies! My kids worked hard creating their contest entries, and I have to admit, it looked like a lot of fun. I might even make my own hamburger next time. 🙂

How about you, what fun things have you done with your kids lately?

 

*No Play-Doh was consumed during the making of this blog post.

by admin -

Cora and Kit ~ 5 Months

Remember when Cora first got her quilt?

It almost “fits” her now.

And that Kit doll….

Not even close…

By the way, Cora hates getting her picture taken! It is almost impossible to get her to smile… unless I can convince other people in my family to stand in front of her and do this…

And that’s A Finer Thing….

by admin -

Coupons for Troops Update

January 2011 update: This program is still running. Please read the Coupons for Troops FAQ page for more information.

Just a quick note, if you have emailed about sending coupons and I have not responded to your email, please resend your email. When my computer crashed I lost emails so I know many of you who tried to contact me did not get a response.

The contact email has changed to couponsfortroops (at) gmail (dot) com.

This program is run by me and only me and when I started it 18 months ago I never expected to get such a wonderful and overwhelming response. I am doing my best to keep up with all the wonderful couponers here in the states who have offered to donate their coupons and all the military families sacrificing for our freedom overseas. Please know I am working hard to match up families and help our overseas military keep a little more of their hard earned paycheck.

by admin -

Donate Expired Coupons to Military Families Overseas

Thank you for your interest in the Coupons for Troops program.

Coupons for Troops matches stateside families with military families serving overseas to provide them with coupons. Military commissaries overseas accept expired coupons up to six month past the expiration date. Since it is difficult for families overseas to find coupons I started the program to help provide them with coupons from families back home in the states.

Please  visit the FAQ page to learn more about the program and sign up.

Thank you for supporting the troops with coupons.

by admin -

Julie and Julia ~ Left me Hungry for More…

I am not a movie critic, in fact I rarely watch movies. I cannot remember the last movie I watched, but I think it was Enchanted, which strangely enough starred Amy Adams, who is also the star of Julie and Julia.

Since the movie Julie and Julia has the blog world buzzing, I decided to post my thoughts on the movie in case you were deciding whether to spend the big bucks and hit the theatre this weekend.

This movie is based on two true stories, the life of Julia Child and Julie Powell. I think everyone has heard of Julia Child, and every blogger dreams of becoming Julie Powell – a blogger who gets a book deal… and then a movie deal, and then is played in the movie by an absolutely adorable actress, Amy Adams. Well, actually I think I should be played by Angelina Jolie, ( I mean she does have a boatload of kids, just like me).

Back to the movie, since I don’t really know how to write a movie review I’ll break in down into bullets, my specialty.

Good Points:

  • Great acting: Seriously, Meryl Streep plays an amazing Julia Child, the voice, the mannerisms, so believable. Whoever plays Julia’s sister is perfect too. Great casting for this movie.
  • Great relationships: The love between Julia and her husband Paul is so real on screen. There is great chemistry between Meryl and Stanley Tucci. The relationship between Julie and her husband Eric draws you in as well. It was difficult to remember that these were actors.
  • Food: Do not go to this movie hungry. Within the first 15 minutes you will be starving. The food photography is excellent and everything looks so good you can almost taste it.
  • True to Life: The ups and downs of blogging is laid out for everyone to see. When Julie gets here first comment there are high fives and cheers. There is a constant wondering of who is reading her blog. Eventually the blog starts to take over her life… (cough, cough, not that I would know anything about that)

Bad Points:

  • Potty Mouth: While there is not a ton of profanity, there is some, and it is so unnecessary. Not that it is ever necessary, but this movie would have been better had the nasty language been left out. A quick glance at Julie Powell’s blog made me realize that they toned down the language for this movie…
  • Disappointing ending: I do not want to spoil the ending, but let’s just say the movie didn’t feel over when it ended. I left wanting more, wanting closure, and I didn’t get it.

Wrap Up

I liked the movie, but really wished there was no foul language. The acting, story and cinematography were excellent. It was a technical masterpiece, but left me wanting something more. While I was watching it, I didn’t want it to end, but when it ended I felt I needed 5 more minutes. Almost like a book that was missing the last three pages. All in all, I liked the movie and don’t regret spending the $17 (gulp) on a date night with my husband.

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