Atlanta's Frugal Mom

This post originally appeared as a guest post on another site about two years ago, but that site is no longer around. :/ SO, I’m re-claiming it and adding it to my Picky-Tot Pleasers series.  Lemme know what’cha think!   Call me Popeye.  What can I say?  I love to cook with spinach.  Up until recently, it’s been in just about any dish I made with chicken or ground turkey.  However, I crossed the line the other morning when I (deliberately) baked spinach in to my pancakes.  That’s right, my daughter and I made spinach pancakes.  On purpose.

So I’m really loving my Vitamix these days.  Juicing for breakfast, and sharing with my son.  (Say goodbye to his multivitamin!)  Warm Vitamix Chicken Tortilla soup on a cool evening.  And now, Vitamix Applesauce , with a twist. As you may recall, my goofy kids enjoy applesauce and frozen peas.  I don’t know why, they just do.  I’m not complaining, since they don’t normally volunteer to eat anything green.  So, when I set out to make Vitamix appleasauce, I was determined to fuse other healthy foods in to the mix as well. Here’s what I did: I found a bunch of pre-sliced apples on clearance at Kroger, so that’s what I used.  You can use whatever kind of apples you have on hand, but I recommend you stick with the sweeter, rather than tart apples.  Also, I use all organic ingredients whenever possible. First I made  a batch that was JUST apples, lemon juice, and cinnamon.  I used too much cinnamon, and my daughter was not a fan.  So I made another batch,...

The holy grail of outdoor kids’ toys these days comes in the form of a water table.  There are many great ways for kids to enjoy the water table with …water.  And sand.  I think we all know that, right? But if you’d like to REALLY get more bang for your buck with these tables, consider alternate uses for the water table. 5+ Ways to Play with a Water Table CARS!   Most water tables have slanted surfaces, with ramps and other road-like twists and turns.  Also, try trains, or any other wheeled hand-held toy. Make it a sensory table .  Fill it with a few cups of rice and beans one day, along with scoopers and small cups. Cotton balls and colored pom-poms the next day with kid-friendly tweezers, as well as big cups to transfer them in to.  For preschoolers ready for scissors, toss in some straws, scrap paper, and kid scissors and let them practice. Play dough .  Seriously, what a great surface to create and mold with little hands.  Toss in the play dough rollers, molders, a...

This is a sponsored post with Mums the Word Network and UFC Gym Perimeter . All opinions, however, are completely my own. Today, my daughter Carol and I worked together to kick some butt.  Well, sorta.  We were invited to attend a special session at UFC Gym Perimeter, to try out their new kids program.  She was elated by the experience.  Not only did we get to peruse through the equipment before class began, but she also got to test out a pair of boxing gloves and a super-cool tech-y punching bag. At UFC Gym, boys and girls learn self-defense, self-confidence and discipline while having fun in a safe and entertaining group class format. It’s also a great way for them to burn energy and have fun!  Taught by a staff of rockstar, attentive professionals, UFC Gym Perimeter kids classes help your little one learn self-confidence, coordination, discipline and self-defense.  Plus, it’s fun! The class began with the kids warming up  for 15 minutes, using fun stretching and cardio races to hold...

Explaining death to young children is never a particularly desirable subject, I find, as we wish to preserve their innocence and shield them from anything that may burst their fragile bubble, believing all is always well in their world.  However, death is inevitable.  Some folks lose loved ones later in life, while others experience death of a loved one at a tender, young age.  Following is my story, explaining death to my five-year-old daughter, Carol. My grandmother was fortunate enough to raise her five children, not only to see all eight of her grandchildren grow up, but also see her eight great-grandchildren, AND meet three great-great-grandchildren.  She lived for almost 18 years after my grandaddy passed away, and was the last of her twelve siblings to survive.  She lived through the great depression, and lost her own mother at a very young age.  She was, in every sense of the word, a good Southern woman.  She had the greenest thumb I’ve ever seen, able to revive even the l...

Do you really need reasons to read with your child???  Parents are told constantly to read to their children, or with their children – but perhaps having a little further explanation would help you understand WHY reading with your children is as essential as brushing your teeth twice a day.  This list is from the Georgia Preschool Association Newsletter. Reasons to Read with Your Child Build a lifelong interest in reading.  “Getting children actively involved in the process of reading and having them interact with adults is key in a lifelong interest in reading,” said BeAnn Younker, principal at Battle Ground Middle School in Indiana. Children whose parents read to them tend to become better readers and perform better in school , according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Reading to children helps them with language and speech development . Reading expands vocabulary and teachers pronunciation . Reading to toddlers prepares them for school , when th...

Atlanta.  A’lan-a.  The A-T-L.  “Hot-lanta” even…  If you’ve spent any significant amount of time in my fair city, you’ve heard it all.  And then some.  But what makes Atlantans stand out?  What makes us who we are?  Here’s my interpretation.  You can probably relate, whether you’re a true native, or a transplant – if you’ve spent time in Atlanta, you can relate to these. Signs You’re From Atlanta That second “t” is silent.  The city is called “Aht/lan/nna”.  Period.  Ok, depending on how far back you can trace your roots, you may also omit the first “t”. Speaking of pronunciation, it’s called “Co-Cola”.  And it umbrellas every brown carbonated beverage known to man.  But drinking anything else is sacrilegious ’round here.  That pesky “P” word may as well be a 4-letter-word… At least once, you’ve smugly told an out-of-towner to just follow 285, ...