My Star Wars House Party!

I found this fabulous site—houseparty.com—where you can sign up and "apply" to host a number of different featured parties. As I perused the list a few months ago, a Star Wars party caught my eye. My boys luuuuuv Star Wars, and this seemed right up their alley. So I was excited to get the news that I was chosen as one of the lucky hosts!

So the boys each invited some friends, and a couple weeks before the party our "party pack" arrived from Cartoon Network (the party sponsor). WOW! I knew they'd be sending some "party favors" but I didn't really think it would be anything too great. After all, this was all free! So you can imagine my surprise and the boys' excitement when we opened our box and saw not only posters, masks, stickers, glow sticks, and temporary tattoos for the guests, but also a nice Clone mask, Yoda bag, balloons, AND Clone Wars light saber, that I know costs over $20 retail! OH! AND a DVD of the premiere episode (and the bonus second episode) of Star Wars: The Clone Wars series on Cartoon Network, which will air on Friday, October 3!

We had our party on Friday night, and it was a hit. The kids played for a while and then we fired up the DVD and they watched while munching on popcorn, pretzels, and M&Ms, along with "light saber" Twizzlers.

I was thrilled with this experience and would recommend hosting a "houseparty" to anyone!

The Force was definitely with us!

Decorate with Books--and Look Really Smart!

I love books. Maybe because I have a degree in English and taught high school Language Arts before working as an editor and writer. I love everything about books. The way they look, the way they smell, the way they feel when I turn the pages. So it's probably no wonder that I've found myself collecting books. And upon running out of space on our bookshelf, I've turned to using them as part of my decor. (Okay, the word "decor" sounds way too fancy to describe my house but I can't think of another word to use!) So when I was looking through the Web site for Half-Price Books and ran across their Books by the Yard deal, I thought it was about the coolest thing EVER. For $17.50 (plus s&h if applicable) you can get approximately THREE LINEAR FEET OF BOOKS to use for decorating! You can even choose among Reader's Digest Condensed Books, Mixed Books, Reference Books, and Law Books. For less than 20 bucks you can instantly add some eclectic decorating to your place AND look really smart at the same time! What a fabulous idea, Half-Price Books! Wish I'd thought of it!

Save $5 on Yummies at Target!

Get thee to Target if you like snacks that are good, good for you, AND good for your pocketbook! (Seriously, who says "pocketbook" anymore??)

I discovered my "flavorite" new snack on an end cap at Target yesterday. Kashi's TLC granola bars in Pumpkin Spice Flax. Mmmm! They are delightful AND contain 4g of fiber, 6g of protein, and 300mg of Omega-3s! Seriously, is it too good to be true?

But wait—there's more! Right now on Target, Kashi's TLC snacks are on sale 4 for $11, which is a deal in itself. BUT if you purchase 4 Kashi foods, you also receive a $5 Target Giftcard! No kidding! So that makes the treats only $6 for 4 boxes!

Get there now and fill up your snack drawer at work!

(What? Not everyone has a huge drawer in their desk entirely devoted to snacks? Yeah, me neither...)

My FAVORITE Planner

I just received a package in the mail that filled me with utter and complete JOY! Yes, it was my NEW PLANNER. My second planner from MomAgenda. Last year I used the MomAgenda Desktop Planner, which was so useful for me! It has a place for my own schedule, PLUS four other family members for each week. AND it has a space to jot down what we'll have for dinner each day. With three kids who are all getting busy, plus a husband with his own schedule, it's nice to have a planner that keeps each family member's schedule separated, yet together on the same page. This year, however, I wanted something a bit smaller so I could fit it in my purse, so I ordered the MomAgenda Mini-Daily Planner. I LOVE it! Here it is Chocolate, the color I chose:











I love that it begins in August, which I feel like is the "New Year" for our family, moreso than January. And the quality is just amazing. It is so beautiful, and it even has two ribbons as place-keepers. Honestly, once you feel how substantial and lovely this is, you'll be hooked!

MomAgenda has other products that help busy moms, or busy women in general, keep organized. I also have and love the Family Planner. It is basically set up the same way as the Planner, with space for each family member. But it is it a padfolio format with a magnet on the back, so I can put our family calendar on the fridge for the week and tear off the sheet when the week is over. That way, everyone can know the schedule and can add activities if necessary. Much easier than trying to write all of our activities in the little daily square that a monthly calendar provides. I even have room on top to post our "Memory Verse of the Week." Yes, I'm trying to get us to memorize a weekly verse as a family. Not sure how successful it's going to be, but, hey, at least I'm trying!









Right now, until September 30, you can get 15% off any planner or refill order at MomAgenda. Just use the "COOLMOMBTS" coupon code!