Hotel Transylvania Review

We had a FREE digital kit provided by Crowdtap and had an all out Hotel Transylvania Bash!  The kids had a wonderful time! 
We started off at the house with fun times using the digital kit provided by Crowdtap.  The kit was actually really fun.  It had all kinds of coloring sheets and activities that the kids really enjoyed.  They loved the mazes and crossword, word search, and especially the Tic Pack Toe game!




We had Mexican Mash for food because we knew we would be going to the movie and we would need some "real food" before the show!  The kids loved helping!  We piled around the table and everyone enjoyed the dinner.  We watched the preview to the movie online and let the kids have fun playing "dress up" in all the Halloween costumes!

We also had a pumpkin carving contest!  The big kids helped the little kids and everyone got to carve a pumpkin!  Then, we had a decorate your own monster dessert.  We chose to use brownies, so it was fun to see how creative the kids were with their monster treats!  


When we finally finished the party, we headed out to the movie theater to actually watch the movie!  This was the perfect ending to a perfectly fun event!  Thanks, Crowdtap and Hotel Transylvania for the opportunity to host a Monster Bash with the free digital kit!

The movie itself was great!  It was so nice to finally a see a Halloween themed movie that wasn't dark and creepy!  The movie was light and comical.  Adam Sandler as Dracula was probably the favorite character of the movie for the kids.  There is a line in the movie where he keeps saying, "I do not say bleh, bleh, bleh!"  The girls thought that was hilarious and they keep repeating that line!  In fact, I couldn't get them to quit giggling about it when I put them to bed that night.  
 
We had such a good time at the show!  It was fun and entertaining and I am very glad we got a chance to see it.  The digital kit helped get the kids excited about the show before hand.    If you haven't see it yet, I would definitely recommend it.  It's worth it!

An Evening with Russell Brand- Review

Well, I'm not even sure where to begin.  Russell Brand...what a crazy dude!  I have to say, I wasn't all that familiar with Russell Brand before this party kit, but now I feel like I have a much better understanding of him.  The only thing I knew about Russell Brand was from seeing him in Bedtime Stories.  It was a very cute children's movie.  His character was hilarious and I really enjoyed him.  I received a free digital party kit from Crowdtap that advertised the premiere of his show for the season.  The show is BrandX with Russell Brand.  Here are my honest thoughts on the show...

1.  It is NOT a kids' show.  He spent the first several minutes all on sexual material.  I skipped ahead and went on to the next part.

2.  He is quirky and wacky!  He was sitting in people's laps, making everyone laugh, and has a crazy, fun accent!
 
3.  He knows how to relate to people and make them feel comfortable even when he does crazy things like sit on their laps!!   He had Ryan Hurst on his show and it was actually a decent interview.  The best part was when they figured out his dad is Cletus Hogg from The Dukes of Hazard!

4.  He can make people do things.  There was a man on the show that he kept picking on  and at the end he made the man pick up another man and carry him off of the show.  It was pretty funny and both the guys were good sports.

5.  He's NOT the guy I knew on Bedtime Stories.

If the show had started off as well as it ended, it would probably be a different type of show.  It started so crude and inappropriate and ended with just silly, fun, humor.  I would like it much better if they left out the crudeness and just kept the fun!  

I can't honestly say it's going to be a show I watch all the time.  It was too crude for my liking.  If he toned it down a little and just kept to the fun, cleaner humor, I'd be more of a fan! 

smiley360.com—Be Heard. Be Happy.

smiley360.com—Be Heard. Be Happy.

If you haven't joined Smiley360 yet, today is the day!!  It's one of my favorite sites for giving out free samples!  They are constantly sending out products for people to try and review.  The products are completely free and yours to keep.  All you have to do is review it and share the information with your friends and family.  It's easy to share through Facebook and Twitter or even through a blog if you have one.  

If you want free products.... go now!!!  Click the link above to get started!

Woolite® COMPLETE Friends Mission

Woolite® COMPLETE Friends Mission: Take a brief survey from Smiley360 and enter 4 a chance to win a $200 gift card! Take the survey at http://smiley360.com/874982.cfm.  I received a free sample from Smiley360!  Excellent product!

5-Hour ENERGY Friend's Mission

5-Hour ENERGY Friend's Mission: Enter 4 a chance to win a $200 gift card from Smiley360 by taking this short survey http://smiley360.com/957468.cfm

I received a free sample from Smiley360 and we used it on vacation when we were driving for hours and hours!

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Visit Shutterfly.com to create your own personalized photobook.

I love the photobooks you can order from Shutterfly!  If you haven't ordered one before, you are missing out!!  It's easy!!

Stephens Fam 9?!?

Have you ever had one of those weeks that rocked your world and one of those days that changed your life?  Well, I've had mine... all at once.  I'll try to give you the short version, but the Stephens Fam 8 is now the Stephens Fam 9!!

No, I'm not pregnant.  No, I didn't have another baby, and no I didn't adopt another kid.  How is this possible you ask?  We'll I've been given temporary custody of an amazing young man that will now be part of the Stephens Fam!  It may be a few months or it may be longer... Only God knows the long term outlook.

I'm amazed at how he puts things together for HIS glory!  We have been thinking and praying about helping this young man out for a few weeks.  In fact, we asked our Sunday School class to pray for us on Sunday about it.  We thought we would have to get an attorney and spend some money in legal fees for it to be official and for us to get power of attorney or guardianship or something.  I spoke with an attorney friend of mine for advice and we were waiting to proceed.  Well, that was all on Sunday and Monday. 

Yesterday evening, this young man came home from school and told us he was supposed to go to court tomorrow (meaning this morning) with his mom.  Long story short... she is not able to take care of him and asked if we would be willing to.  The judge ordered him into our custody, no questions asked!!  No attorney fees, no looking for a lawyer, no waiting months for papers to get signed.   It's over and done!!  Months before we even knew about this situation, God had worked out every single detail in order for this happen without a problem at all!!

So, we are excited to have a new member of the Stephens Fam.  You'll all get to meet him soon if you haven't already.  We're always excited about the adventures that God gives us and the life he has for us.  We've always considered reaching out to children in need as part of our family ministry.  I never dreamed I would be raising 7 children.  I'm not sure how I do it.  Only God gives me the strength, wisdom, and patience to persevere.  

We are asking for prayer for our house to sell quickly!  If you remember it at any time, please say a special prayer that God would send a buyer our way.  When we moved into this house, I had one precious baby girl.  Now, 6 years later, I have 6 more kids!!  And they are all big!!  We have outgrown this space.  We have a house in mind to buy, but need to sell ours first.  Any prayers would be appreciated.  I thought I'd give you the details before you start wondering who that big kid is with us all the time!  I love you all and thanks for sharing in our excitement with us!

God Bless!!

Glade Expressions - Product Review

I thought I'd give you a little update on the newest scent in my life.  It comes from Glade... and it's heavenly!!  

Thanks to BzzAgent, I was able to try out a new product from Glade called Glade Expressions.  They make a mist spray and also an oil diffuser.  I was given a coupon to try each product for free as well as coupons to share with my friends.  If you ask me nicely, I may share one with you!   I was given a free product, but all opinions in this blog are my own.

First, I thought I would like the fragrance mist the best.  And I do love it... With 5 guys in this house, trust me... any type of fragrance is great!!  I put the bottle in the bathroom and so far I've been very happy with the results.  It eliminates the odor instead of just covering it up.  I bought the Pineapple and Mango and the Fuji Apple scent in the spray and I love it!  It's not too strong or overpowering.

I have to admit, though... my FAVORITE product and scent is the Pineapple and Mango Oil Diffuser.  Oh, it's awesome!!  I also bought the Fuji Apple scent in the diffuser, but the Mango was my favorite!  I placed it in my dining room on a shelf near some pictures.  It's very classy and pretty and doesn't look like you have a big air freshener sitting on your shelf.  I loved the scent immediately!  The true test came, though, when my mom came in the house a few days later and the first thing she mentioned was how nice the house smelled.  I must have already become accustomed to the scent by then, because I didn't notice it much.  I always want a product that lasts!!  If she was smelling it, then it must still be working!

If you haven't signed up for BzzAgent yet, you need to!!  Go here to sign up!  You'll be writing your own reviews for your own free products before you know it!!

 

Shopping Day

I love getting bargains.  I just can't help it.  Today, we spent most of the day in Branson.  I did sneak away to Walgreens this morning before we left.  I just thought I'd give you an update of all of the freebies and deals I scored today!!  Now, please be warned, this was a GREAT day!  Not ever day is like this, obviously, but I am LOVING all of the awesome deals!

Walgreens:
6 bottles of mouth wash 
4 Mitchum Deoderant
3 bags Chex
3 bags Ghardetto
4 bags of Brach's Candy
4 boxes of Hawaiian Punch drop ins
2 packs of ensure for my grandfather
1 Glade refill
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Total Cost:  Roughly $8.00 after coupons and Register Rewards
Savings:  $44.00

If you haven't sign up for their new program yet, go sign up now!!  It's called Balance Rewards and it starts next week.  Trust me, it's going to save you even more money!!
Sign up HERE.


Olive Garden:
Free appetizer- coupon
5 kids meals
2 adult meals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Total Cost: FREE using gift card :)
Savings: $75

Lowes:
3 furnace filters
1 pack of  screwdrivers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Total Cost: $1.00
Savings: $17.00- with coupon and sale
 
Old Navy:
Family Photo Shopping-
3 Henleys
2 girls sweaters
2 Men's sweaters
1 Women's shirt
1 Women's sweater

 8 shirts on Clearance for Duane (Dry fit shirts for 97 cents!!!!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Total Cost: $150- This is a lot, but not for 17 items and dressing a family of 8 for pictures!!
Savings: $200



Bath and Body Works:
4 trial sized lotions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Total Cost: $0
Savings: $8.00

 

Krispy Kreme:
Hot now sign was on!!!  7 hot donuts!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Total Cost:  $0
Savings: ??$5.00



Finish Line: 
2 pairs of Skeletoes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Total Cost:  $26.00
Savings:  $54.00 

 
Target: 
I don't think there is any possible way to list everything, so just look at the pictures.

Lots of great deals in the dollar section that were 70% off!

Also,  great deals on meds, cleaning supplies, and food!  Oh, and tons of free Glade products!!  Some of those were thanks to BzzAgent.  If you haven't sign up yet, you can sign up here.

BzzAgent



Total Cost:  $35.00
Savings:  $140 

Lowes: (again)   
Duane can't resist clearance.  He found a few things he wanted to go back and check out, so he headed back home with the kids while I stayed at Target and finished shopping with my Mom!

This is what he scored!  
1 straight edge razor
2 rugs
4 rolls black flower bed liner 
1 light switch cover

AND.... 
Because he's such an amazing Dad and had all the kids with him, a man in the store decided to hook him up with a few FREE building kits!  How awesome is that?
He gave the kids each a kit of 3 different building projects for a total of 15 FREE kits!

Total Cost:  $16
Savings:  $20 + 8 free building kits!
 
  
 
Hot Air Balloons:
A FREE evening out with the kids.  The night glow of Hot Air Balloon event is awesome!!  The kids loved it!
~~~~~~~~~~
Total Cost: $0 
Experience: Priceless

 
 
Grand Finale:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Total Cost:  $236 

Savings: $563!!

  Now, that is an awesome day out on the town!!

Then, we came home to find more freebies in the mailbox!! 

Free Magazines!!

Free Coasters!!

5 Free bags of Kettle Chips

FREE Photo Book from Shutterfly!
Go sign up now and use the code SUMMERBOOK to score your own free 8X8 book!  Shipping is around 8 dollars!!  You can check out my album from our vacation!
Sign up HERE!



This was NOT a typical day in our house, but I'm always amazed at how God blesses us!!  I should also mention that I am shopping for a family of 8, so the amounts of things I buy may be extreme if you have a small family!  I also donate a lot of things through my church, so I tend to buy a few extras when I find a really good deal!  I love blessing others because I KNOW that God has blessed me!

I hope you don't think I'm bragging by posting all of this and we did spend quite a bit of money today.  That's more than we would normally spend in a week.  But, I did find everything that I NEEDED and the other things on my list, were just a little extra!  I was completely in my budget! (A HUGE part of living debt free is staying within your budget.)  Even if it's a great deal... if you can't afford it, DO NOT BUY IT!!!  That's a hard lesson to learn, but it's the best way to save money!

I'll be glad to teach you any tricks.  Feel free to ask questions!  God is so good to us!

FREE Jamaica Photo Book from Shutterfly!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Want to score your own photo book from Shutterfly?  It's FREE and you only have to pay shipping!  Enter the code SUMMERBOOK at checkout and you can receive a free 20 page photo book!  My total came to a little over $8 with shipping and tax.  I am quickly becoming a HUGE Shutterfly fan!  You better hurry!  The code is only good until September 12!

I've already scored two free books in the last week or so.  Go get one!  Click the link below to start your own!

You'll love award-winning Shutterfly photo books. Start your own today.

Walgreens Balance Rewards!

Are you a Walgreens shopper?  I am!  It's  a little confusing using their register rewards program, but once you figure it all out, it's an amazing way to save tons of money!!  I have received so many free items from Walgreens using their Register Reward program and coupons, I've lost count!!

Oh, and did I mention that if you are a college student, you can get a 15% discount?  And a 20% discount on Walgreens brand products?  The deals in this store just keep getting better and better!!

Now, they're starting a new program called Balance Rewards.  I'm not sure of all of the exact details with this program, because it hasn't officially launched yet.  You can sign up early, though, and you have a chance at winning 10 million points on your card!!  I registered online and it was very easy.  Use this link.

Walgreens Balance Rewards

What I do know is that you earn points for every purchase that you make at Walgreens.  You earn points for every prescription that you have filled.  I don't currently get my prescriptions filled at Walgreens, but knowing that I can get 500 points for every prescription might change my mind!  With 6 kids, I am constantly filling meds.

Here's what the website says about redeeming points!!

Redeeming Points:
When purchasing items and/or services at a Participating Store, Member may choose
to either redeem earned Points or continue saving Points to use on a future purchase
of items and/or services. If Member elects to redeem earned Points, the Points will
be converted into Redemption Dollars and the value of the Redemption Dollars will be
deducted from the total price of the Member’s purchase of items and/or services from a
Participating Store. Earned Points are converted into Redemption Dollars in five (5) tiers:
(1) 5,000 points = $5
(2) 10,000 points = $10
(3) 18,000 points = $20
(4) 30,000 points = $35
(5) 40,000 points = $50

As much as I shop there, it doesn't seem like it would take long to earn a lot of points.
Register now!!  You can take a chance at winning 10 million points!


Sign up for Walgreen Balance Rewards.

FREE Photo Book from Shutterfly

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo Book Tip: Create an adventurous travel photo album at Shutterfly.com.

You can get a free photo book now if you are new to Shutterfly!  I've ordered from them several times before and I'm always very happy with their products!  The photo books are my favorite!  This one is from our vacation this summer!

Free Working Mother Magazine

Do you love getting free magazines?  Here's one for Working Mothers!

Value Mags is offering up a free subscription to Working Mother magazine.  It's a 6 month subscription, no strings attached!!

Click HERE to get started!

Car Rider Line Confessions

Confession time. What do you do while you sit in car rider line?? I used to chat with my little man waiting for the big kids. Now I'm bored! I need to find a new car rider line hobby. What do you do?

And seriously! What do people do that sit in line for two hours before pickup time?!? I did two loads of laundry, answered email, and updated my Facebook profile pic. I'd call that more productive than sitting in line for two hours! Good grief! What's your car rider line confession?

FREE 8X10 Photo Collage from Walgreens

Wondering what to do with those cute First Day of School pictures?  How about a FREE 8X10 Photo Collage from Walgreens?  Use the code GETONEFREE to score a free 8 X 10 collage!  Create it.  Add it to your cart.  Apply the code.  Choose to pick up in store and it's all FREE!!  I already made mine!  Too cute!!

Walgreens Photo

I created the one below using Power Point.  You could also do that and print it out in an 8X10 format or whatever size you want, but the free Collage from Walgreens lets you build it on the site and it's FREE!!!!!!!! 

Lego Read and Build- (Review)

Thanks to House Party, I was able to host a party for Lego Duplo.  They sent out a kit that contained some of their new Read and Build products.  I was very impressed with the kits!  
 






We are huge Lego fans at our house!  In fact, my kids have had Legos since the time they were in the womb!  That's right, I'm pretty sure I bought some before they were born!  We started off with Duplos and have also upgraded a huge part of our collection to the smaller, classic Legos as they got older.  We decided to turn their old train table into a Lego table before the party!  We had been planning on painting it for a while, but this gave us some motivation!

This kit was really fun for the guests.  They loved the hands on activities of actually getting to build the little animals that go along with the book.  The youngest ones chewed on them, the middle aged ones played with them and snuggled up to listen to the book, and the older ones enjoyed building the animals and looking through the books!  It was fun for all ages from infants to Toddlers to Pre-schoolers.  My older kids even enjoyed building them for the younger ones.  It was cute to see them reading the books to the smaller kids.
 







The new kits are definitely geared more toward the younger crowd, but my preschooler still enjoyed playing with the animals.  It's also a little pricy just to pick up several of them.  They are priced about $13.00 in most places I have seen.  I might pick one up as a gift, but I probably wouldn't have tons of them around the house.  Great product, though, and I would highly recommend it!!

This product was provided free to me from House Party, but the review and opinions stated above are my own.