Back to School Savings with Groupon Coupons

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Did you know that Groupon has Coupons? I had no idea! I knew that Groupon

was a deal-of-the-day site where I could find great deals on local things like 

bowling, bounce houses, exercise classes and even favorite local places to eat.

We are always looking to save money, so I regularly check out Groupon before 

we go to any of our favorite local activities or restaurants.

BUT I really had no idea that Groupon has a feature called Groupon Coupons?!
At this very moment there are over 70,000 deals for over 9,000 retailers. And
these aren't obscure retailers you've never heard of, these are all the places
you're already shopping, so why not pop over to Groupon and save some money!

Have you gone back to school? We are almost through our first full week
and I am still finding things the kids need for the classrooms. This weekend
I plan to head over to Target to pick up the last few items the kids need and
I will definitely be checking Groupon Coupons to see what deals they have
going on. Right now there are 65 coupons and deals for Target on the Groupon
site. You have to go over to Groupon for yourself and see everything being
offered and save money on your back to school shopping!

Target is just one of my favorite retailers that Groupon has coupons for. I will

definitely be checking out the deals for Amazon, NordstromRack, and Sam's
Club. I don't know why I wouldn't. If I am already planning to shop at these
retailers, I might as well save money while I'm doing it! So check out
Groupon Coupons and let me know which retailer you are most excited to
find you can save money on a daily basis!

2017 Back to School Sign Printables + Kid Fashion || #BTS2017

Is it time to go back to school at your house? I can't believe that summer
vacation is over and that we have to get back to the daily grind of
school, but we've got to make the best of it! The kids love going back
to school shopping and picking out the perfect clothes for the first days
of school. And this year, Grace wouldn't be left out of all the fun,
even though she'll only be doing Mommy School.

I kind of miss the days when I could just pick out their clothes and find all

the cute things I wanted them to wear. Now the two oldest have definite

opinions about what is cool and what is in style and I'm just there to nod my

head in agreement. However, it's also fun to see their personalities shine through

as they pick out the perfect outfit.

My Isabella is my power shopper. She could spend hours going through all

the racks of clothes, trying them on, and putting them together in all sorts of

different configurations until she finds exactly what will be perfect for the

first day. It's a little exhausting for me because I really don't love the hunt of

shopping. I like to get in and get out. I'd rather skip the trying on, but I 

don't so that Isabella can have the true back to school shopping experience.

She'll be the perfect teenager one day. If it's cool again to hang out at the mall

and shop your Saturday away, I could see that being Isabella's jam. It was 80

degrees the first day of school, but she had to wear her new jean jacket because

it was the outfit she had picked out for the the first day of school.

JT is a typical tween boy. He can't be bothered with trying things on and

just grabs things that are his size and says - "These are the things I want." Even

though I loathe the waiting that goes with dressing rooms, I do make him try

a few things on. He feels lucky that he is a boy and can try on shirts in the middle

of the story without anyone thinking anything too much about it. And if one 

shirt fits, then he is convinced that any other shirt that size will also fit.

He is the one that lasted the longest and let me pick out his back to school
clothes up until last year. I could hand him a few new "outfits" and he was like,
"Thanks, Mom!" This year he did not think that my t-shirt ideas were cool
enough and he ASKED to go to Target so he could check out the shirts
himself. Thus, the reason he is wearing a Punisher shirt for the first day.

So, I hope you enjoy your Back to School shopping, that everyone gets
the perfect outfit and that you can use these printable posters to make your
first day of school morning a little less hectic!
You can download the first day of school posters here!!!!

TOO Cute Tuesday: Linky Par-Tay! #351

Do you follow me on Instagram? 

You should! Let's be friends!

Leave your Instagram username in the comments and I'll follow you

too! This will be fun!!

Happy First Day of School! I am so sorry that I was MIA last week.

I was still sick and not sleeping well. I really hate summer colds. They

are totally the worst! We had our first day of school last week and are back

into the swing of things. Are you back in school? Are you surviving?

I wasn't quite ready for it this year, especially since I was sick leading up to

it. However, we got the teachers we wanted and so the kids are happy and

glad to be seeing their friends every day.

Now onto TOO Cute Tuesday!

What did you make this week that is TOO Cute??

Come link up!

Rules:
Must be made by you.
Link up to the specific post - not your main blog.
No Etsy shops or giveaways please :)
Please post the button or link back here so more people can join in the fun.
Visit some of the other participants and leave them some LOVE!


<a border="0" href="http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/search/label/Too%20Cute%20Tuesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/mormishgirl/Blog/TooCuteTuesdayNEW.jpg" /></a>


I changed the linky party so that the most recently uploaded project will show up as number one. This way everyone gets a chance on top. So, look in the first spot for your project, not at the end. Thanks!!!

The Best Peanut Butter Cookies || Baking with Kids

Isabella is always after me to bake with her. She loves being a big help in the 

kitchen. I'd be lying if I didn't say that baking with kids gives me anxiety. I've 

never been very good at it, even though I know there are so many lessons to 

learn over so many genres of learning when you bake. So every once in awhile 

I get brave and let her create with me in the kitchen. She's almost 9-years-old 

now, so it's not quite as nerve racking as it was when she was 5 and 6-years-old.

Do you like baking with your kids or does it give  you anxiety?

My good friend Niki was always telling me how her older girls were baking or

that she need something made for one thing or the other and she would ask them

to make it for her. I decided that if I want Isabella to be able to do that when she

is twelve/thirteen/fourteen, that I need to help her learn the skills now by 

working with me in the kitchen.

So when Eclipse 2017 rolled around and we decided we wanted to make

some Eclipse Cookies, Isabella was thrilled when I asked her if she wanted to

help me make them! We decided that our favorite peanut butter cookies would

make the perfect moon shapes and if we dipped them in semi-sweet chocolate 

they would be perfect. It was fun to let her gather the ingredients and all the 

tools we would need to make the cookies. Then she called me in when she was 

ready to get to baking!

Our favorite (and THE BEST) peanut butter cookie recipe is delicious! The

cookies are soft and chewy and bake to perfection in 10-12 minutes. You most

likely have the ingredients on hand and you don't have to press them with a fork.

You just roll in balls and drop them onto the cookie sheet.

I like to cover my cookie sheet with parchment paper to keep the pan fairly

clean and to avoid using the cooking sprays that aren't supposed to be so great

for you anymore.

THE BEST PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES (ever!)

{INGREDIENTS}

1 cup butter, softened

2 2/3 cup brown sugar

2 cups peanut butter

2 large eggs (whisked and beaten)

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

{INSTRUCTIONS}

1. Cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugar together.

2. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

3. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated. 

4. Cover dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

4. Use a large cookie scoop to scoop onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes before you try to transfer them to a cooling rack or they will fall apart!

Makes 3 dozen - depending on the size of your cookie scoop :D

If you want to dip in chocolate like we did, then melt the chocolate according to package directions, but add 1 T. of shortening. Then dip away!

2017 Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch + {GIVEAWAY}

Disclosure: My family was invited to a media day to explore the Pumpkin Patch.

Fall in Orange County means the Irvine Park Railroad transforms into its

annual Pumpkin Patch - featuring thousands of pumpkins in all shapes and
sizes! The 12th Annual Pumpkin Patch is open daily at 10:00am September 16th
through October 31st. Irvine Park Railroad is tucked back into the foothills of
Orange, California and is a beautiful (and fun!) place to spend an afternoon with
the family.

This year's activities include:

train rides 

hay rides 

panning for gold 

child friendly haunted house 

hay maze 

moon bounce 

carnival games 

cookie decorating 

John Deere tractor races 

face painting 

picture stands 

yummy food!

Admission to the Pumpkin Patch is FREE and prices for the other activities vary.

You can find out more about pricing by visiting the Irvine Park Railroad website.

The parking for Irvine Regional Park is $3.00 per vehicle on weekdays

and $5.00 per vehicle on weekends.

We always have a great time at the Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch.

The kids start asking in August when it will be time to get their faces painted

and pick out the perfect pumpkin from the plethora of pumpkins!

JT especially enjoys the "haunted house" and Isabella loves the face painting.
Grace was crazy for the cookie decorating!
I love all the giant pumpkins and the hay ride - such a great Fall activity!

The Pumpkin Patch is open daily September 16th through October 31st.

Weekdays 10am-5pm

Weekends 10am-6pm

{Irvine Park Railroad's "Great Pumpkin Weigh Off!"}

This activity will take place on Saturday, September 23rd starting at 11:00 am. 

Come see if local pumpkin growers have what it takes to grow the biggest 

pumpkin in Orange County. Cash prizes will be awarded.
KTLA weatherman Henry DiCarlo will host the event and a live band will 

play on this day only from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

{GIVEAWAY}

Our amazing friends at Irvine Park Railroad are offering my readers
the chance to win:
8 tickets 
(can be used for the train or Pumpkin Patch activities)
1 Wheel Fun Rentals paddle boat rental
1 Wheel Fun Rentals at Irvine Park Double Surrey Rental!
(an $90 value)

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOO Cute Tuesday: Linky Par-Tay! #350

Do you follow me on Instagram? 

You should! Let's be friends!

Leave your Instagram username in the comments and I'll follow you

too! This will be fun!!

Have you ever had Bear Lake raspberries? Oh. My. Gosh. Store bought

raspberries don't even come close! I drove all over Bear Lake Valley hunting

down this flat of deliciousness. I wasn't sure if I was going to find them,

but I did and I was so happy to be able to give them to my Grandma for

her 84th birthday!

Now onto TOO Cute Tuesday!

What did you make this week that is TOO Cute??

Come link up!

Rules:
Must be made by you.
Link up to the specific post - not your main blog.
No Etsy shops or giveaways please :)
Please post the button or link back here so more people can join in the fun.
Visit some of the other participants and leave them some LOVE!


<a border="0" href="http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/search/label/Too%20Cute%20Tuesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/mormishgirl/Blog/TooCuteTuesdayNEW.jpg" /></a>


I changed the linky party so that the most recently uploaded project will show up as number one. This way everyone gets a chance on top. So, look in the first spot for your project, not at the end. Thanks!!!

Great Wolf Lodge SoCal || Guide to the Water Park #GWLSoCal

Now that I've given you the low down on all the fun things to do at The Great
Wolf Lodge Southern California BEYOND the water park, it's time to tell you
how fun the Great Wolf Lodge Water Park is!!!! We seriously had a fantastic
time at the resort and my kids especially loved the water park. They moaned and
groaned when we left at closing. They were like, just 5 more minutes?!

Luckily, if you're a guest at the Great Wolf Lodge then you get TWO days of 
fun at the water park with each night of your stay! Yep - two days! On the day
you check in, although check in at 4:00PM daily, you can pick up your
wrist bands and enjoy the water park as early as 1:00PM. And although
check out is at 11:00AM daily, you can stay and enjoy the water park 
until closing. Super awesome, huh?!

{FORT MACKENZIE}

This water-fort-tree house is fun for all ages! The multiple levels, interactive
water toys, and kid-activated splash features can entertain you for hours!
My kids loved the body slides and I appreciated that there was a slide for
each of their height requirements. Remember to listen for the bell, because
when it rings, the gigantic bucket on top is ready to tip!!!

{SLAP TAIL POND}

No water park is complete without the fun of a wave pool! Slap Tail Pond is a
zero-depth-entry pool with a five-foot deep end and the waves roll in every five
minutes. We all love the wave pool and I loved that the waves were little kid
friendly so that Grace could enjoy it too!

{CUB PAW POOL}

If you've got someone in the 48" and under set, then Cub Paw Pool will be the

perfect spot! It has lots of fun splash features and perfectly sized slides so that

even your littlest family member will have a blast all day.

{BIG FOOT PASS}

The pools for Big Foot Pass and Chinook Cove are connected to one another 

and are a lot of fun for the physically adept in your family. Chinook Cove is an 

activity pool where you can splash, swim, and play basketball or balance on 

the different floats. Big Foot Pass is pictured above and let's your wolf pups

test their dexterity and strength on the cargo nets and floating lily pads and 

wood slices. Isabella especially loved the challenge and I enjoyed watching 

her try to figure out how to get across successfully!

{WOLF RIDER WIPEOUT}

JT was the only one brave enough in our family to try out the thrill of 

Wolf Rider Wipeout. The staff were so helpful in helping him figure out

which of the three riding style options he was most comfortable with.

The line goes a little slower than most of the other attractions in the water park,

but you'll appreciate it when it's your turn to ride and you get ample time ot

get your flow ride on.

{THE WATER SLIDES}

Because I had Grace and I was the only adult in our group, I didn't get to ride
any of the big awesome water slides. JT went with some of our friends on the
slides and he assured me that they were "totally awesome!", so I will have to
take his word for it until our next visit when I've vowed to ride the
Howlin' Tornado at least a half a dozen times! I like that several of the slides
are "family slides" where 2+ riders can experience the fun together. That way
Isabella and JT could ride together or JT could go with a family friend.

Howlin' Tornado
Coyote Canyon
Wolf Tail
River Canyon Run
Alberta Falls
Mountain Edge Raceway

{CROOKED CREEK}

I don't know how I missed snapping a picture of us floating the day away in

the Great Wolf Lodge's version of the lazy river - Crooked Creek. I must have

been too relaxed and lazy :D But it's a lot of fun and very relaxing to let the 

gentle current carry you along.

{RACCOON LAGOON}

If the weather is nice and you want some California sun, then head outside to

Raccoon Lagoon! There are geysers, fountains, water basketball, and even a 

mini dumping bucket. There are also cabana rentals and plenty of poolside 

seating if you just want to catch some rays.

Can you believe all the fun contained under one roof? Be sure to check out what there is to do BEYOND THE WATER PARK and let me know what your favorite park of your stay is once you visit. You can check Groupon and create a MyGreatWolf account to find the best deals on your stay.

{Great Wolf Lodge Water Park FAQ's}

ARE TOWELS PROVIDED?
YES! But they are tiny. So they're perfect for your kids, but if you want it to wrap around more than just your thigh, then I'd bring a beach towel for yourself and any other adults in the group.

DO THEY HAVE LIFE VESTS AND ARE THEY REQUIRED?
YES! They have life vests for every size and age, but they are available on a first come, first served basis. I brought Grace's puddle jumper for her because it is US Coast Guard approved and she doesn't mind wearing it. But it's nice to know that if you forget yours or don't have one, that the Great Wolf Lodge has you covered!

ARE THERE CABANA RENTALS?
YES! There are indoor and outdoor cabana rentals available. I loved that some of the indoor cabana spots are near the Cub Paw Pool, so you have easy access to the play area for your little ones. Each cabana has seating for six, a 20" flat screen TV, a safe, and a mini refrigerator with an assortment of non-alcoholic beverages.

CAN I TAKE VIDEOS AND PHOTOS ON THE SLIDES?
YES! Bring your Go Pros, water proof cameras, and phones in water proof pouches to capture all the fun you're having at the water park!

CAN I BRING IN A COOLER/OUTSIDE FOOD?
You can bring coolers into the hotel and keep them in your room, but they are not allowed in the water park.

ARE THERE LOCKERS AVAILABLE TO RENT IN THE WATERPARK?
YES! You can rent lockers for your small incidentals that you'd like to keep with you during your water park fun. Your luggage will either need to stay in your room or your vehicle.

FIVE Reasons to Own the 2017 Mazda 3 GT #DriveMazda

Mazda's belief in KODO Design - or "Soul of Motion" - is the essence of 

the 2017 Mazda 3 GT.  Mazda wants their cars to be more than just metal. 

They want their cars to evoke the tension of movement and be imbued with the 

warmth of a creature. The 2017 Mazda 3 GT is inspired by the predatory 

stance of an animal stalking its prey and it's lines and design are beautiful!

We had the privilege of driving the 2017 Mazda 3 GT for a week and had a

blast with this 5-door model of  of the Mazda 3 with 5 passenger seating and

36 EPA estimated highway MPGs. The kids loved the sporty design and I 

loved zip of the 184 horsepower engine. So, let's get down to 

FIVE REASONS you'll love driving the 2017 Mazda 3 GT.

{1} HATCHBACK TRUNK

There is plenty of room in the 20.2 cubic feet of cargo space in the

hatchback trunk of the 2017 Mazda 3 GT. You get even more space when 

you flop the second row of seats down and increase the space to 47.1 cubic feet 

of cargo space. We had VBS the week we had the Mazda 3 GT and I hauled

everything I need each day with plenty of space to spare. We also took it to

Sea World and a stroller and all the extras fit in the trunk just fine. Grace

wanted you to know that there was plenty of room for her giant sticker

book too :D

{2} POWER MOONROOF

It's no secret that we love a good moonroof and the 2017 Mazda 3 GT

has a fabulous power sliding-glass moonroof. It opens with a one-touch-open

feature and gives you a great view as you cruise around town. We especially

loved it on the Fourth of July when we could watch the aerial fireworks as we

drove home from Grandma's house on the freeway.

{3} SAFETY FEATURES

Look at that adorable face! She's one of the reasons I love the 2017 Mazda 3

and it's available safety features. They keep this little face that I love safe and

sound as we drive around to where we need to get to. There are so many safety

features you'll be amazed! 

Some of my favorite safety features are:

-Advanced dual front air bags with passenger weight sensors

-Front seat-mounted side-impact air bags and side-impact air curtains

-Advanced blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert

-Rearview camera

-SKYACTIV Body Ring Structure

- Heads up active driving display

{4} GORGEOUS EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR DESIGN

Between the Machine Gray Metallic paint job of the exterior and the leather

trimmed sport seats of the interior, the Mazda 3 GT is gorgeous! I had 

several people comment on what a great looking car it was and I totally agree. 

The design is further complimented by the BOSE 9 speaker surround 

system with Centerpoint 2 and AutoPilot 2 and the 7" full-color touch 

screen display. It also has a leather wrapped steering wheel and shifter 

and a roof-mounted "shark fin" antenna that make it extra sleek.

{5} NAVIGATION SYSTEM

We went to Sea World for the first time since my oldest was about 2 years old,

but I didn't have to worry about getting lost because the 2017 Mazda 3 GT's 

on board navigation system got us there with no problem. The map is 

displayed beautifully on the 7" full-color display and I love that the 

directions, speed limit, and stop signs also pop-up on the heads up display. 

Be sure to enter your destination before you start driving, because to keep you

safe, you can't enter a destination while the vehicle is in motion.

Those are just a few of the reasons we enjoyed driving the 2017 Mazda 3 GT.

Be sure to check out my YouTube video to see the other reasons this is such

a great vehicle to own!