Wednesday, July 29

Busy day today, starting with tennis at 8, lunch at 12:30 and a cruise on the Delaware at 7 in Philadelphia.

Some cool tools for you to use on the road.

http://www.ixibo.com/2009/05/top-20-travel-gadgets-every-geek-needs/

What to Travel for Free?

http://www.traveltowork.net/2009/05/10-volunteer-opportunities-for-free-travel/

Some Great Deals from Shopping, The Musical

Free L'Oreal Advanced Revitalift Deep-Set Wrinkle Repair Posted: 28 Jul 2009 09:11 PM PDT Our friends at L'Oreal are once again giving you a free sample of their popular Advanced Revitalift Deep-Set Wrinkle Repair. To get yours, register here and then select "My L'Oreal" and "Special Offers."

Cost Plus World Market free Fandango movie ticket Wednesday 7/29 Posted: 28 Jul 2009 09:03 PM PDT Stop by Cost Plus World Market Wednesday 7/29 and you can grab a free movie ticket from Fandango. With any purchase, you'll receive a code on your receipt which you can redeem for a ticket to a local screening. Click here for details.

$25 Kraft rebate Posted: 28 Jul 2009 08:54 PM PDT This is one FREEtastic deal! From August 7- 23, if you purchase $25 in Kraft products during one transaction, you'll receive a rebate of $25! You'll receive $5 off your next Kraft purchase and then $20 with a mail in rebate. Participating grocery stores are Save A Lot, Shop 'n Save, Farm Fresh, Bigg's, Jewel-Osco, ACME, Albertsons, Hornbachers, Shaws Star, and Shoppers. Click here for the details.

Free screening "Julie & Julia" for Citi Visa Signature card holders Posted: 28 Jul 2009 08:40 PM PDT Citi Visa Signature credit card members in New York and San Francisco are invited to experience a special advanced screening of Meryl Steeps's latest "Julie & Julia. A limited supply of complimentary tickets are available to Citi Visa Signature credit card members for New York and San Francisco on August 5th. In addition, each person will also receive one concession coupon for one medium/regular popcorn and one medium/regular soda or bottled water. Not a bad deal! Click here and go to the movies!

Free $2 credit at Giant Eagle Posted: 28 Jul 2009 08:20 PM PDT Would you like a free $2 credit at Giant Eagle grocery stores? If you're a member of their eClub, just click here, enter your zip code, view the specials, and then enter your club number. And presto...you will have a $2 credit loaded onto your club card!

Reminder: Free lasagne at Spaghetti Warehouse 7/29 Posted: 28 Jul 2009 08:15 PM PDT Wednesday 7/29 is National Lasagne Day so remember to celebrate with a plate of free lasagne from Spaghetti Warehouse. Click here and become their Facebook friend and get some tasty pasta!

Organic & healthy food coupons from Kiwi Magazine Posted: 28 Jul 2009 09:14 PM PDT Click here to check out Kiwi Magazine, a publication designed to helping parents raise their children the healthiest way possible. They're offering some great coupons for natural brands.

Tuesday, July 28

The arm is hurting. After two and a half hours of tennis, and three sets, it was bound to hurt a bit, but the fact that I lost last night hurts more. We were DOWN 1-5 and fought back to 7-5. Then we lost the second set. Probably my fault for switching sides, but felt I had better mental facility for the add court. The third set tie breaker came down to 6-10. Discouraged but still happy with the way I was getting to the ball.

And then it was all brought to focus when I found out a friend's mom is not doing well. Being a guy he wants to fix it, and, the illness being what it is, it can't be. So, while I may have lost last night, I'm still a winner for being healthy enough to be able to play. And this keeps me on the path of having to get on that darn treadmill yet again today.

*********************** Need Some Motivation? Thinking about using inspirational movie clips for your school or church? Wing clips is a good FREE source: http://wingclips.com/ ******************* Universal Message Who needs a RESET button when someone's already pressed your FOREVER AND EVER button? Who, me? The Universe ********************* Poetry in the Classroom http://poetrytech.wetpaint.com/ is a wiki that compiles ideas for teaching poetry in the classroom. ************** High Tech Book Reports As plurked and twittered, here is a great source for idea about book reports that utilize technology. Time to move those book reports into the 21st century: http://www.theapple.com/benefits/articles/8529-10-technology-enhanced-alternatives-to-book-reports ************** From Shopping, the Musical, Dan has these offers: Taco Cabana free Fajita Taco Dinner Posted: 27 Jul 2009 08:25 PM PDT When you sign up for the Taco Cabana eClub, you'll receive a free Fajita Taco Dinner with the purchase of a drink. Click here and head for the cabana! Want more freebies and deals? Just scroll down to the bottom of this page and click "older posts" and save some money! Free El Pollo Loco Pollo Bowl Posted: 27 Jul 2009 08:27 PM PDT Here's another tasty deal from El Pollo Loco. Click here for the coupon that will get you a free Pollo Bowl when you purchase one. Good through 8/1. Jo-Ann Fabrics & Craft 40% off coupon Posted: 27 Jul 2009 08:29 PM PDT Attention all your crafty folks! Click here for a coupon that will give you 40% off a regularly priced item at any Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft stores. There's also a 50% off coupon for framing and 40% off floral and home decor fabric coupons. All coupons good thru this Saturday 8/1. Join us on Facebook and get FREEtastic! Just click here! Free Bare Escentual's 10 day cosmetic supply & brush Posted: 27 Jul 2009 08:42 PM PDT Here's a great FREEtastic offer from the folks at Ultra Beauty Stores. They have a free 10 day sample of Bare Escentual's bareMinerals Hydrating Veil and a brush for you. Click here for info on this deal. It's available at Ultra locations which you can find right here. Free ShamWow Cloths Posted: 27 Jul 2009 08:32 PM PDT If you are watcher of late night TV, perhaps you've seen these being advertised. The ShamWow cloth holds up to 12 times their weight, cleans up wine spills, and polishes surfaces. Who could ask for anything more? A company is doing a cleaning product survey and offering you a free sample of 2 ShamWow cloths. Click here and get clean! Free Dr Suess Children's Activity Book from Energy Star Posted: 27 Jul 2009 08:30 PM PDT The folks at Energy Star are doing their best to help people conserve energy and they're offering your kids a fun Dr Suess "The Lorax" activity book. Click here to download your copy (for grades 3 to 7). They also have several other free interesting home improvement books. Find all the money saving freebies and deals on the FREEtastic blog at http://shoppingthemusical.blogspot.com/

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Ice Cream Cake Recipe...But Not the Kind You Think
www.omnomicon.com/ice-cream-cake/

Chocolate Ice Cream Cake (but not like you think)
with thanks to Connie Aubuchon

1 box chocolate cake mix (or any other flavour)
1 pint chocolate ice cream, softened (again, any other flavour)
3 eggs
1 c water

Preheat oven to 350^o. Grease a tube or bundt pan, then dust with cocoa powder.

Beat all ingredients together for 4 minutes, pour into pan and bake 45 minutes. Serve with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, a thin icing, whipped cream or the frosting of your choice.

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Adult Drink Only

S’more Shooters

• 6 x large marshmallows
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 4 oz best-available quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into teeny weenie bits
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 oz amaretto, divided (may be replaced with the hazelnut flavouring used for coffee)
• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

S’more Shooters

1. Toast marshmallows over a campfire or stovetop until golden brown. Let cool and reserve.
2. In a small pot, bring half & half to a boil. In a medium bowl, add chocolate. Pour cream over chocolate and stir until chocolate has fully melted.
3. Return chocolate mixture to the pot and whisk in milk. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer and stir in 3 ounces amaretto.
4. Pour remaining amaretto into a small bowl so that it is 1/4 inch deep, and place graham cracker crumbs on a small saucer 1/4 inch deep. To assemble, dip the rim of the shot glasses in amaretto, then in the graham cracker crumbs. Fill glasses with hot chocolate and top each with a toasted marshmallow (make your life easier by transferring the hot chocolate first to a measuring cup with a spout).

It's Monday...but when on vacation

It's funny but during the school year, Sunday nights mean tossing and turning and hardly any sleep in anticipation of a new week, but when on vacation..sleep, sleeping in...Monday...just another day...so nice to cherish this time. Of course Monday means back to salads for eating, exercising every day, and writing the blog, which is a great mental exercise.

Today's message from the universe:

Before this odyssey ever began, Stacy, there was you, your best friends, and wide-eyed curiosity among you about who would be the first to leap, the first to forget, the first to kiss, the first to tell, the first to fall, the first to get back up, and the first to remember that it all began with a dare: to love in spite of it all.

Is that you, Mergatroid?
The Universe

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Dining Out

Last night we went to Iron Hill Brewery for dinner. It was pretty good. I had the crab cake and others had the mussels (great new way to do mussels...beer, blue cheese, bacon in the broth...sprinkle with blue cheese), and a cheeseburger that was pretty ordinary. We tasted two beers. I'm not a beer drinker and still don't like it. I tried the raspberry wheat...nope...and the ale which wasn't too bad, but you can sample beerss for like .50 and then, if you don't like it, no big deal. The Trillist (trillist.com) had a review of the restaurant this morning: http://www.thrillist.com/philadelphia/2009/07/20/iron-hill-brewery Would we go back? Sure, it was fun and a very nice place. You can make reservations (if you're going after 6, be sure to do that) as it was really really busy...a wait of more than half an hour...probably because of the fabulous 20.00 prime rib special.

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Mandalas

When I was at a spa in California, I met a wonderful lady who encouraged the use of Mandalas in the classroom. That year I had my students go out to the parking lot and draw the wheel covers on different cars and then color them. Kids loved doing that and I hadn't thought of it for a bit until I saw this web site:
http://www.aimhieducational.com/Inclusion.aspx
Drawing and coloring mandalas has a calming effect on students. Just the thing to do after coming in from gym or recess.

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Peter Reynolds posters

Both plurkers, Robin and Meg were nice enough to share this web site: http://www.fablevision.com/posters/
Great posters for your classroom or office by Peter Reynolds

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Time to hit the treadmill.....did some running on the treadmill today during intervals. I'm happy no one outside sees me doing this. I know it helps with tennis, but it's still not my favorite thing to do.
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From Shopping, the Musical

http://shoppingthemusical.blogspot.com/

Bluefly.com 20% - 75% off brand name fashions Posted: 26 Jul 2009 09:03 PM PDT Thanks to our great FREEtastic member Stacy in Haddonfield, NJ for tipping us to this great money saving deal! Bluelfy.com is now offering an additional 20% off on their brand name women's & men's clothing. I took a quick look and there are some good deals Click here to take a look!

The Body Shop 20% coupon thru 7/27 Posted: 26 Jul 2009 09:04 PM PDT Here's a deal that's going quick at The Body Shop. Through Monday 7/27, you can receive 20% off any purchase. That's right...no minimum amount required! And if you're a Body Shop "Love Your Body" member, you can receive 30% off! Plus, you can use this discount to shop on line. Click here for the coupon and get beautiful!

Free Clarins Skin Care Center Facial Treatment Posted: 26 Jul 2009 09:01 PM PDT Clarins Paris Skin Care Centers are found in department stores all over the world and they want to give you a wonderful one-to-one facial treatment. And best of all, there is no expiration date on the coupon! Click here for the coupon and locations.

Office Max back To school bargins Posted: 26 Jul 2009 09:06 PM PDT It looks like everyone is getting in the back to school swing of things! In posts below, you'll find deals at Kmart & Walgreens. Our great FREEtastic member Brandy in Bloomington, IN sent me some current deals at Office Max good thru 8/1. One cent items: Schoolo Von Hoolo 24 pack Crayons Elmer's School Glue (4 oz) 20 cent items: Scholastic Glue Stick Westcot Junior Scissors 99 cent items: Office Max Index Cards SRX Mechanical Pencil Kit And Brandy tells me that you can receive a free Office Max pencil box for purchases of $10 or more.

Sears $5 off coupon and free wall portrait Posted: 26 Jul 2009 09:07 PM PDT Here's a few great deals you can find at Sears thanks to our FREEtastic member Jan in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Click here for a $5 off coupon good on a purchase of $50 or more (expires 8/1 and has purchase limitations). If you use Sears Optical services, click here for a few money saving discounts. And here's one we posted a few months ago but it's still happening. If you're a Sears Super Saver member, you can receive a 10 x 13 free wall portrait by clicking here.

Free Lacoste Parfume sample Posted: 26 Jul 2009 09:01 PM PDT Get the great scent of Lacoset Parfume with a free sample by clicking here. **************************************************** Wordle Idea Here's a great idea from plurker, Jen Wagner. I can see doing this using students . Also. if the kids made it up, parents could try to find their child's desk by the wordle they make. Ohhhh....now I really like it.http://guessthewordle.pbworks.com/ ************** Ice-Cream Jello???? Part science experiment, part fun...and there's always room...... http://justjennrecipes.com/ice-cream-jello/2009/04/28