Red Roof Inn

Red Roof Inn is offering a limited number of rooms for a penny!! You must book onlne at www.redroof.com the day before. This is on a first come first serve basis. The promotion runs from April 1 -15. For additional details - http://redroof.com/landingpages/april-no-fooling
You could pair this with the free museum admission from Target for a inexpensive weekend.

Visit a Museum for Free

You have to LOVE Target. Target is sponsoring free or reduced price entrance to museums in select cities across the United States. Go here http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031764 to see if a city museum near you is participating.

Chicks in an Egg

This adorable little chick is an easy and fun way to celebrate Easter. You can use them for placecard holders, create centerpiece or place in baskets.

Materials
* yellow pom poms
* plastic Easter eggs
* wiggly eyes (2 per chick)
* orange construction paper or felt cut into a triangle and fold in half
* glue
* scissors
First, start out by transforming pom-poms into chicks! Cut out a small triangle beak from orange felt or construction paper and glue it onto a pom-pom. Then glue two wiggly eyes just above the beak. Place a dab of glue in the bottom of the egg. Place the chick in the egg. Let dry.
You can use any size pom-pom you like. If you use a large pom-pom, you will only need one to place in the egg. If you use smaller pom-poms, you can make a few chicks to sit inside the egg.
Age: 4 and up
Time: 10 minutes plus drying time.
Cost: Less than $3.00 for a dozen chicks

Rubber Cement Eggs

Looking for a unique way to dye eggs this year? Try this out.
Materials:
Hard Boiled Eggs
Food Coloring
White Vinegar
Spoon
Rubber Cement
Instructions:

Drizzle rubber cement over eggs doing on side and letting it dry then turn the egg over and drizzle the other side. Let dry. Add three tablespoons of vinegar to 1/2 cup of water in a ceramic mug or bowl. Add several drops of food color and stir. Use a spoon to lower into color mixture. Remove when desired color is reached. Let dry. Gently roll the cement off the eggs.

National Park Week

Now that spring is here it is a great time to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather. To make it easier to experience America's Great Outdoors, the National Park Service is waiving entrance fees, so visitors can enjoy all 392 national parks for free April 17-25. Also, Saturday, April 24, is National Junior Ranger Day, and children can take part in kid-friendly activities and earn their very own junior ranger patch! To get additional information and to find a National Park near you go to http://www.nps.gov/npweek .

Toys R Us Deal of the Day

Free My Little Pony - March 31st Only!


The Deal of the Day at Toys R US could net you 2 Free My Little Pony toys. This could be great addition to your child's Easter Basket.

On March 31st, Toys R Us is running a Buy 1 Get 1 Free on the My Little Pony dolls. You can read about it at www.toysrus.com.

Use this Buy 1 Get 1 Free My Little Pony coupon here- http://www.hasbro.com/discover/Play-Saver.cfm (or from your Sunday paper insert ) and you get 2 free.

Please note: Policy regarding this offer may vary by store.

Remember to check out the other great Hasbro deals while you are there.

Build a Bear Easter Special

This Easter Season, you can head into Build-A-Bear to create one of their new special edition Furry Friends...the Blossom Bunny and Cheerful Cheeks Chick! Blossom Bunny is a 16 inch, soft, colorful Bunny with long ears. She is covered in cheery flowers that make you wish for Spring!! Cheerful Cheeks Chick is an adorable 16 inch yellow duck with a soft fluff of hair on his head - perfect little Spring Chick!
****EASTER SPECIAL*****

To celebrate Easter, Build-A-Bear has a great limited time offer for their customers!!

From now until April 4th, 2010 you will receive a Free Easter Basket & Free Candy with a purchase of $20 or more at a Build-a-Bear store!

You can head over to http://ladybugsoup.blogspot.com/ to register to win a $25.00 Gift Card to Build a Bear. Also, be sure to sign up for their newsletter to receive special offers.

Hasbro Toy Deals

Toys R Us has a great deal going on right now with Hasbro Toys. Spend $20.00 on Hasbro games and get a $5.00 gift card to Toys R Us. You can also get a rebate from Hasbro on many of the games. The form is available here http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/corp/One%20page%20Rebate%20Form.pdf
Here are some of the deals:
Games for $4.99 Games
Candy Land
Cootie
Chutes & Ladders
Memory
Hi Ho Cheerio’s

$8.99 Games
Battle Ship
Operation
Trouble
Connect 4 use $4 off Hasbro Connect 4 game SS 3/21
Twister use $4 off Hasbro Twister Game SS 3/21

$9.99 Game
Monopoly use $5 off Hasbro Monopoly Board Game, Any SS 3/21

$11.99 Games
Bop-It use $5 off Hasbro Bop it game SS 3/21
Sorry! Sliders
Connect 4 Double Grid use $4 off Hasbro Connect 4 game SS 3/21
Guess Who Electronic

Make Resurrection Eggs to Tell the Real Easter Story to Children

Resurrection eggs are a brilliant way to tell the beautiful story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to children. These egg sets are available at most Christian Bookstores but can be expensive. It is easy to adapt the store version into a homemade one. There are many different versions of the resurrection eggs. This one is simple enough that children can make most of it themselves.

Supplies:
12 plastic Easter eggs, preferably different colors
Empty egg carton
Permanent marker
Items to go inside the egg: Bread, coins, purple cloth, thorns (take off a rose), strap, cross, nail, dice, sponge, rock, spear (toothpick)
Print out of the story (below)
To set up the resurrection eggs, you will need 12 to write numbers 1-12 on the eggs with a permanent marker and place in the egg carton. With your child gather the materials to go inside the eggs. You can substitute items for things you have around the house or use pictures. Print or write out the verse to go with each egg. Place the items in each egg along with the appropriate verse. You will want to read or tell the story of the resurrection in manner that is suitable for your child. Below is a guide to assist you.

Resurrection Eggs #1 – Bread
This represents the body of Christ.
Matthew 26:26 - While they were eating Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples. "Take and eat it," He said, "This is My body."

Resurrection Eggs #2 - Coins, real or play
This item represents the betrayal money paid to Judas.
Matthew 26:14- Then one of the twelve disciples, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked, "What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you?" They counted out thirty silver coins and gave them to him.

Resurrection Eggs #3 - Purple cloth
This item represents the robe put on Jesus to mock him for being King of the Jews.
Matthew 27:28 Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him

Resurrection Eggs #4 – Thorns
This item represents the crown of thorns put on Jesus head.
Matthew 27: 29 -Then they made a crown out of thorny branches and placed it on His head, and put a stick on His right hand; then they knelt before Him and made fun of Him. "Long live the King, of the
Jews!" they said.

Resurrection Eggs #5- A strap, a tiny piece of rope or narrow piece of leather.
This item represents the strap used to whip Jesus.
Mark 15:15 Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he set Barabbas free for them. Then he had Jesus whipped and handed Him over to be crucified.

Resurrection Eggs #6 - A cross, you can use a cheap cross charm or make a tiny cross with 2 sticks and tie or glue them together.
This item represents what Jesus carried and later died upon.
John 19:17 - He went out, carrying His cross, and came to "The Place of the Skull," as it is called. (In Hebrew it is called "Galgotha.") There they crucified Him.

Resurrection Eggs #7 -Nail
This item represents Jesus being nailed to the cross.
John 19:18- Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Resurrection Eggs #8 - Dice
This item represents the gambling that took place to decide who would get Jesus' clothes.
John 19:24 Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.

Resurrection Eggs #9 -Sponge
This item represents the water that was given to Jesus to drink.
Matthew 27:48- Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

Resurrection Eggs #10 -Spear (or tooth pick)
This item represents the spear that the soldiers used to pierce Jesus' side.
John 19:33-34- One of the soldiers plunged his spear into Jesus' side, and at once blood and water poured out.

Resurrection Eggs #11 -Rock
This item represents the rock that was placed in front of Jesus' tomb and rolled away by an angel
Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a new linen sheet, and placed it in his own new tomb, which he had just recently dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.

Resurrection Eggs #12 -Empty
This represents the resurrection, the emptiness of Jesus being gone from the tomb!
Matthew 28:5-6 - He is not here He has risen just as He said.

Once you make these resurrection eggs, your children will ask to hear the story over and over. The children can use the eggs to retell the story in their own words. This is where the true meaning and understanding takes place.

April Fools Tricks

Want to get your kids good on April Fools this year? Here are fun ideas for you:

1. Sink Surprise

Get your kids (and husband too if you want) with this wet surprise.

First you tie a rubberband around the handle to the hose on your kitchen sink, so that it will be held down at all times. Then aim the hose so that it is facing the person turning the faucet. Ask them to get you a drink of water or to rinse a dish & SPLASH!

2. Freeze their milk

Put your child's glass of milk in the freezer over night then top it with unfrozen milk in the morning. The look on their face when no more milk comes out of the glass will be priceless!

3. Make them fried marshmallow eggs and "toast" for breakfast

Ingredients for eggs:
2 tsp butter
12 marshmallows
2 dried whole apricots

Step One:

Place a piece of aluminum foil on a flat working surface and then grease the surface of the foil with 1 teaspoon of the butter.

Step Two:

In a small saucepan, melt the second teaspoon of butter over low heat. As soon as it has melted, add the marshmallows to the pan and turn up the heat to medium-low. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the marshmallows are completely melted and have just started to bubble.

Step Three:

Immediately remove the pan from the heat and spoon the melted marshmallow, in 2 separate blobs, onto the greased foil. You have to work fast, before the marshmallow begins to solidify again. TIP: When spooning the melted marshmallow onto the greased foil, work quickly, using the back of the spoon to spread out the "egg white" a bit.

Step Four:

Shape 2 dried whole apricots and gently press each one, rounded side up, into the center of a marshmallow blob. TIP: To make a dried apricot look just like a dome-shaped egg yolk, use your thumbs to push the center of the fruit until it is concave.Step Five:When the marshmallow has set enough to hold together, but before it stiffens too much, use a spatula to transfer the eggs to a breakfast plate. TIP: Once the candy eggs have set, insert a plastic spatula beneath each one and, at the same time, use your fingers to gently peel the marshmallow from the foil.

Ingredients for toast:

Loaf of Angel Food or pound cake

Jam or Preserves

Step One:

Slice cake in 1/2 inch slices.

Step Two:

Toast under the broiler for a few minutes until lightly brown.

Step Three:

Spread with your favorite jam or preserves.

They will be surprised when they take a taste!

4. Prank Matching Game

Use this link to print a matching game with no matches! It may take awhile for them to catch on to this one.

*Most ideas and pictures are courtesy of Family Fun. You can find more ideas here.

Little Tyke BOGO sale

Two toys for the price of one! Toys “R” Us is offering Little Tikes Products buy one get one free.

Resurrection Rolls

An Easter favorite, this breakfast roll starts with a marshmallow inside which, when baked, becomes empty like Christ’s tomb.

The amount of ingredients will be determined by the number of roll you want to make.
• Crescent rolls, refrigerator biscuits or thawed bread dough
• Marshmallows
• Melted butter
• sugar
• Cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter the inside of the muffin tin.

• Separate crescent rolls (Jesus' tomb) into triangles. Place a marshmallow (Jesus) in the middle of the large end of the crescent roll. Begin rolling large end toward narrow end sealing the marshmallow inside the crescent roll. Place sealed side down in the muffin tin. Repeat with each crescent roll.
• When you finish, brush the tops with butter (anointing oil) and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar (anointing spices). Bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 18 minutes or until golden brown on top. When they are finished the tomb will be open and Jesus gone! Let cool a few minutes before biting into them.
Note: If you have empty muffin tins in the pan, carefully fill the empty wells ¼ - ½ full of water before baking.

Free Potty Training DVD

Potty training or thinking about it? Pull Ups is offering a free Potty Training for Success DVD. I just ordered one for my granddaughter who will be staying with me for a week this summer. It would be great if she was potty trained by then.

Target Deal

You can find great deal on games at Target this week.
Monopoly, on sale for $7.00 - Hasbro Coupon in Sunday's paper, 3/21 $5.00 off
Connect Four, on sale for $7.00- Hasbro Coupon in Sunday's paper. 3/21, $4.00 off
or print coupons here http://print.coupons.com/Couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=15162&zid=st48&nid=20

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream

Today, March 23rd you can get a free scoop of ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. Log on to www.benjerry.com for the nearest location.

Michael's Free Family Event

Saturday, March 27 Michael's will host a Free Family Event to create spring crafts with Crayola Model Magic Presto Dots. The event runs from 10 am - 1pm or while supplies last.

Butterfly House at Home Depot

Designed for children 5 -12 years of age, Home Depot offers free workshops to teach do-it-yourself skills and tool safety. Just in time for Spring, Home Depot is offer a Butterfly House clinic on Saturday, April 3 from 9 am -12 pm. It would make a great Easter or Mother's Day gift for a loved one. For additional information or to sign up for the clinic call your local store.

Bass Pro Shop Free Easter Activities

March 27 & 28 and April 3 & 4 Bass Pro Shop is hosting a FREE Easter event. Head to the nearest location for:
Free Easter Egg Hunt, 2 -3 pm for kids 8 and under
Free Crafts starting at noon
Free 4 x 6 photo, 11-3

Yoplait Greek Yogurt Giveaway

Checkout the Yoplait Pamper Yourself Giveaway at http://publixpennypincher.blogspot.com/ . It is her first giveaway and she is very excited. The winner wil be chosen on Thursday, March 25th.