“With parenting, the days are long, but the years are very short.”

For many of us with young children, saving for college can seem like something that is very far away. We are so busy trying to keep up with everything from toilet training, back-to-school schedules, and even what to put on the table for dinner. Who has the time to figure out how to save for college with all the day-to-day obstacles parents need to navigate?

The truth is saving for college is much easier if you start early, which is why I’m so excited to be hosting a fun Twitter party sponsored by State Farm Insurance with tips to help you get started!

Who: You and Your Lovely Friends (US residents only, please.)

What: Chatting w/tips to prepare you for long term education costs from the start, just in time for back-to-school! Share your best tips, and you may win some fun prizes too!!

When: Wednesday, September 7th at 9pm EST

Where: On Twitter!! Use hashtag #statefarmBTS and be sure to follow me @FamFunBlog and our sponsor @StateFarm

Why: It’s educational! We’ve giving away prizes! It’s FUN!! Did I mention the prizes???

There’s no need to RSVP, just hop right in, and I can’t wait to chat with you!

UPDATE:  Pre-Tweet Giveaway

Send out the following tweet anytime before September 7th at 9pm EST, and you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card! (US residents only, please.)

Twitter Party!! Join @FamFunBlog 9/7 @ 9pm EST Tips to save for college & you could #win prizes! –> http://bit.ly/nbO1fc #stateFarmBTS

Official Giveaway Rules

Here are a few ways to make a family staycation even more special.

Note: For those in the Southern Hemisphere, some ideas for Winter staycations can be found here.

1. Take Advantage of Target’s Summer Clearance Sale — Right now at Target, you can find Summer water toys, sprinklers, and other seasonal items on clearance for as much as 75% off! One water slide and sprinkler made a fun homemade “water park”, provided HOURS of active play, and kept us cool during a record-breaking heat wave.

2. Homemade Water Park — Speaking of “water parks”, be sure to have a sponge bomb bucket toss as part of your homemade water park fun!! Other water park ideas include a DIY slip and slide, water balloon yo-yos, or a potion lab! Even more water play ideas here!

3. Make Breakfast Special — Just because your vacationing at home, doesn’t mean breakfast has to be boring. Try some French Toast …….

…. or some Mickey Mouse pancakes…..

…..or a pajama breakfast picnic to start your day with a smile!

4. Check out Local Events — We were so lucky to be gifted with tickets to a local minor league baseball game during our staycation. (Thanks, Yelena!!) Check with your local township for free Summer concerts, or other events for some budget-friendly fun!

5. Treat Yourself to a Restaurant Meal — While breakfast may be quick and easy to prepare, it is nice not to have to cook every meal when you’re on vacation. To save on restaurant meals, check out Restaurant.com for discounted gift certificates to restaurants in your area. Between now and July 31st, you can get $25 gift certificates for just $2, or 80% off using promo code “SAVE” at checkout. You may want to stock up on these because they never expire, and they make for frugal date nights as well!

6. Pitch a Tent in the Backyard — All the fun of camping, with the convenience of being in your own backyard. Now that’s my kind of camping!

Have fun!!

I linked this post to:
Sunday Showcase @ Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas

WOW — it was fun!! We were blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather!!! Here’s a little bit of a sneak peek at her “modern farm” party…..

Everyone enjoyed plenty of organic yogurt for a make-your-own yogurt buffet, and we had lots of yummy toppings. I can’t wait to share the details with you!!

Want to see more?? Okay, one more little tiny peek……

You can’t have a farm party without straw hats, right??

I made some super quick & EASY party decorations, and the kids had a great time enjoying the farm and making some fun crafts! All of this made for one very happy little 3 year old girl!!

Now the fun part — I’m having my first live Twitter party sponsored by Stonyfield!! I have wanted to host a Twitter party for a very long time, and this one will be so much FUN!!! We’ll be sharing all of the details of Clara’s birthday party (quick & EASY party decor crafts, kid activities, yogurt buffet ideas, and some eco-friendly party tips), chatting about organics, and giving away LOTS of GREAT prizes throughout the party!! No need to RSVP, simply mark your calendar and log into Twitter for your chance to win! Open to all US residents.

Date: Wednesday, June 29th

Time: 8-9pm EST

Where: On Twitter! Be sure to follow us @FamFunBlog — we’ll be using hashtag #StonyfieldParty

It is going to be SO much FUN!!! Organics, parties, and did I mention the PRIZES?? — Looking forward to chatting with you!

I   L-O-V-E   it!!!!! I have been dreaming of having a space like this for years!! The girls and I have been spending LOTS of time in here!

I thought it would be fun to take you on a virtual tour!!

He didn’t spend a fortune on the laminate flooring, either. It came from Sam’s Club and is made with FSC certified wood. It was a very welcome change from the dingy carpet that used to be in here! As mentioned in this post, the kids table & chairs set was a thrift store find ($35), and the large easel was a yard sale find ($10) — it needed a new coat of chalkboard paint, and it was as good as new! I love that there is plenty of room for the girls to invite their friends to come paint & craft with us!!

The chaise lounge was from our family room, and is the perfect spot for reading or sipping tea.

On my work table (our old dining room table, now re-purposed), I used some bulletin board trim along the edge. The bright colors make me so happy!! The pegboard is great for storing craft supplies, scissors and hole punches. The mirror was inherited from my grandmother. I like that something that used to belong to her is now in our special creative space!

And look!! There’s even a spot for my cup of tea…. bliss!!

Do you recognize the paper bird houses?? You can make some of your own with the free printable here!

The hearts on the wall are sticky notes!

This was our dining buffet, now repurposed to hold fabric, craft, and art supplies. I added a few inexpensive shelves, and fabric bins to organize sewing patterns, ribbon, paint, brushes, scissors and more. Everything has a place!! (Wow, I totally sound like my mother!!!!)

The lanterns hanging in the window are from the dollar store.

With two large windows, there is plenty of natural light. Between the light fixture and lamps, there is plenty of good lighting for late-night crafting too!

So….. that’s our little creative space! Now off to create something fun, fun, FUN!!!

I’m over at the Easy Organic Living forum at BabyCenter.com to help share tips for eating healthy on a budget, getting deals on organics, and answer any questions you may have about budgeting for organic food! There have been some great questions shared so far, and I hope you will join us!! Thanks to BabyCenter.com, Healthy Child Healthy World, and Stonyfield for hosting such a great discussion.

We also have some fun and easy challenges going on!

Join in the discussion — I would love to hear from you!!

Clockwise from top left: organic carrot flowers, crackers, Stonyfield organic yogurt topped with home-grown watermelon stars, more watermelon, organic grapes, tuna salad topped with more carrot flowers. Yum!!

In less than a week Emily will be starting first grade, which means we’ll be packing up lunches for her to take to school. Have you jumped on the bento bandwagon yet? If not, you should consider it! Bento lunches promote healthy eating habits, and they can be very budget-friendly. Here are some tips to make up quick & easy bento lunches that won’t break the bank!

• Be Creative with Leftovers — Wherever possible, incorporate leftovers into your child’s lunch. A little clever arrangement, or help from some cookie cutters can go a long way towards making leftovers more appealing.
• Think COLOR — We try to include about five different colors in each bento lunch. It is an easy reminder to pack a variety of healthy foods.
• Aim for a Waste-Free Lunch — Avoid single-serve convenience foods with packaging that ends up in the landfill,  and opt for reusable containers, stainless steel cutlery, and cloth napkins instead. It’s better for the environment, and you will save money in the long-run since you won’t have to buy packages of plastic sandwich baggies, plastic-ware, and paper napkins over and over again.
• Buy in Bulk — My girls are crazy for Stonyfield organic yogurt, and we found the large 32oz. containers are very reasonable (at around $3) and provide about 8 servings of 1/2 cup of yogurt each. Buying in bulk means less of your money is wasted on the cost of packaging.
• Make Your Own Accessories — Making your own decorated toothpicks is cheaper and a lot more fun! I love these owl cupcake toppers from Executive Homemaker, and they are FREE for you to print out! Of course, I wouldn’t limit their use to only cupcakes. These would be fun for mini-fruit and cheese kabobs, or sandwiches too!
• Pack the Night Before — After dinner, I pack a lunch (using the leftovers) for Mark to take to work, and one for Emily to take to school (I’ve already started doing this, even though she hasn’t started school yet!). The next morning, I might add some cut up fruit or some other treat to the box, and that’s it. By packing lunch the night before, Mark is a lot less likely to buy a lunch because of mornings when we are too tired or too busy to pack it then. And yes, I sometimes make him super-cute bento lunches too… just to make his co-workers at the office jealous! Ha!!

Bento lunches can be so much fun to make and eat!!

Have a tip I forgot to mention? Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!!

I added this post to:
Made by You @ Skip to My Lou
Get Your Craft On @ Today’s Creative Blog
Works for Me Wednesday @ We Are THAT Family