So I usually don’t do this, but I thought this was one of those deals just TOO good to pass up. From now until October 20th, all Halloween costumes are 20% off. That’s quite the deal so I just HAD to pass it along. Since this is at Nick, you’ll find all your favorite characters from hit TV shows. Character’s like Dora, Backyardigans, Avatar, Blue, Spongebob, and more. If your kids have requested being a popular Nick character for Halloween, now would be the time to grab it! But remember, the offer is only good until October 20th. Take 20% off All Costume’s at Nick’s Halloween Shop at Shop.NickJr.com! > >> Read More →
Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. Being not so fond of Christmas (personal reasons), I usually go all out for Halloween. Well, as “out” as I get anyway. I’m not too big on decorations for the simple fact I don’t have a lot of space, and have enough clutter as it is. You may or may not notice tucked away at Idea Queen is a category set up specifically for all the Halloween ideas. There’s actually quite a few there, although I still feel the need to add more. It’s a bit late though, but I still might get some new pages up (I’ve been a webmistress for awhile now, trust me when I say it’s a bit late!). Now regardless if I want to add more, there’s still quite a bit there. Recipes, crafts, activity ideas…….you name it, it’s probably there. Some of the pages I had...
Ok so this isn’t a freebie. Sorry! I’m not allowed to! But I did want to mention it, since it’s pretty cheap. The other day I was wandering around in evil Walmart, looking for last minute gifts for my daughter (I didn’t realize her birthday was THIS weekend, so now it’s a mad dash getting things together!). I saw some coloring books, and about died looking at the price. Even small ones were a few bucks. Holy cow! Weren’t those like 50 cents when I was a kid? Ah how times have changed….. Now I wasn’t really planning to get her a coloring book for several reasons, but the price caught my attention. I was floored! Made me realize how cheap the printable coloring books up on Idea Queen really are. Granted they aren’t “bound” and in a “real book”…..but like our...
Have you ever visited a site for recipes or other ideas, but then forgot what you had read by the time you got to the store? Sure we could print it out or make sure we had a list, but sometimes we forget to do that as well. Idea Queen has made it a bit easier to decide what’s for supper at the store, or make sure you don’t miss something when picking up birthday supplies or crafts. We’ve gone mobile! You can now access our brand new website straight from your mobile phone to see quick checklists and ideas on our three top categories – recipes, crafts, and birthdays. Now I’ll admit when it comes to websites or email on mobile phones, I’m rather clueless. I have yet to make that leap and still have not gotten internet access on my phone. Although just because I’m behind in the times, Idea Queen doesn’t...
Usually when I pull out my roaster, I’m planning to make a pot roast. This time I didn’t have a roast, but rather a whole chicken. I picked it up at the store on a whim, thinking it would be something different and fun. I’ve never cooked a whole chicken before, so why not? I picked up some tips from some friends and relatives, and gave it a go. First I set the oven to 325*, but this proved to be a little high. I ended up turning it down to 250* for the last hour or two. So I would recommend 300* to start with so it doesn’t get dried out. After mixing some herbs in a bowl with olive oil, I poked the chicken and rubbed the mixture in. I also placed a stick of butter on the top of it before tossing it into the oven. In all it was cooked about 6 hours, and checked on occasionally (I had to coat it a few times in juices...
Getting kids to do chores isn’t always easy. After all, why do work when there are so many fun things to do? That’s why we have rewards set up to encourage getting things done. Because of this, we’ve even “caught” them doing chores on their own in hopes they’ll earn some money! Setting up a chore system for kids must be done on an individual basis. You can grab some chore ideas from Idea Queen, but the system is a bit more tricky. Too complicated and it will be easy to lose track of. Too easy and not enough will get done. Either way you are most likely going to need a chart of some type. The chart you can either make yourself, or buy. Amazon has some very nice chore charts. I especially like the magnetic ones (we’ve had sticker based in the past, and they just don’t work very well). When setting...
Usually when we my little ones go online to play games, we pick sites like Noggin, NickJr, and PlayHouse Disney. In this house, we’re all about the education. All of them are very good sites, with Noggin pulling ahead for toddlers (easy for them to navigate, instructions at their level, etc). Although in addition to online games, there’s also other games you can download which are absolutely perfect for toddlers. My daughter has latched on to two games from BigFish, featuring one of her favorite characters. These games are Dora’s Carnival Adventure and Doras Carnival 2 – At the Boardwalk. Each work on a system of tickets. Dora goes to the carnival, and plays various games for tickets. It has a lot to do with following directions, matching and memory skills, along with games the kids will just fall in love with. I also...
A few days ago I mentioned how I wasn’t so found of boneless skinless chicken breasts anymore. Although there is one recipe my entire family loves (including myself!) that starts with them. We’ve made these on a few occasions and the kids just love them. To make spicy chicken strips, there’s actually two ways you can do it. You can either make the chicken spicy, or you can make a spicy dip. Although even if you have family members who don’t like spicy chicken strips, you can always fry up a few without the spices added. Chicken strips are pretty basic. Just take your boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut into strips. Take a gallon sized zip lock bag and add flour, salt, pepper, and spices (if you are making a few strips without the spices, do these first before you add the spice). For the “spice”,...
Witch Hazel is a key ingredient in many different bath and body products. It acts as a natural preservative when you are making bath products at home. On our money saving page, there are several different bath and body recipes that feature witch hazel. You can also find more recipes in the Homemade Bath & Body Recipes ebook. Here’s a few recipes we pulled out of the book. Enjoy! Herbal Astringent For Oily Skin 1 oz Chamomile 3 tb Witch hazel 1/2 ts Cider vinegar 1 oz Peppermint extract 8 oz Water Few drops of peppermint extract 1/4 ts Boric acid — optional Boil chamomile, witch hazel, vinegar, peppermint and water. Cool and strain. Add remaining ingredients in a spray bottle and shake. Keep refrigerated. Basic Bubble Bath Recipe Use only 100% pure soap flakes. Almond Oil–2 cups Distilled W ater–2 cups Soap Flakes...
You know those boxes of Pasta-Roni you find in stores? Back in my college days, I was a sucker for them. Granted I couldn’t ever eat one by myself, but I sure tried. The angel hair pasta was my absolute favorite – a week never went by that I didn’t have this one at least once or twice. When my first kid came along, I started experimenting in the kitchen. I got the idea I could duplicate certain recipes. Some came out pretty good, some not so much. The angel hair pasta I did pretty good with, and has always been my son’s favorite meal. The other night I nailed the recipe to a T, and it was a complete accident. My normal way of making this angel hair pasta recipe was pretty simple. Once the pasta was cooked and drained, I used olive oil and butter to make it less sticky then added my spices. Most of the time I use...
