Little Man was almost 2 before he sat thru his first movie!!

When you have a little one with a short attention span, going to the movies can be a scary thing.  That’s why I am an avid movie renter and rarely get excited over a movie being released into theaters – I wait for them to come out on DVD.

With Little Man’s new maturity, I’ve been feeling the urge to go to the cinema.  I spent a little time searching new movies earlier and am actually kind of excited to take my 4-year-old to the movies.

Is it weird I just said that?

Don’t get me wrong – I’m well aware that Little Man is going to probably try and talk during the movie and there will surely be one or two times I have to remind him other people are trying to watch the movie and he needs to sit flat in the seat, but I’m also confident he won’t be the only toddler being reminded to behave.  I think that as long as I look for cinema times that are early morning so he isn’t ready for a nap, I’ll have the best chance of him sitting thru the whole thing without incident.

If you’re thinking of taking your little one to the movies, remember to keep these few key pointers in mind when choosing which flick to go to:

• Make sure the movie is child friendly.  If you’ll have any hope of them sitting thru it and being engaged til the end of the 90-minute movie, then picking one they’ll actually like is a MUST.
• Schedule the showing around nap time.  Going to the movies with your little one when they’re exhausted is NEVER a good idea.  They won’t pay attention to the film and you’ll spend more time tending to your little one than actually enjoying the movie yourself.  Trust me, I’ve had this happen to me with Little Man when he was a baby.
• GET POPCORN!  Okay, maybe this one is just with my own toddler, but having popcorn and snacks available throughout the movie really helps him settle down when he starts to feel antsy.

I’m not sure which movie we’re going to go see in theaters, but I’m hoping it’s one that we BOTH enjoy.  WISH ME LUCK!

Have you ever taken your child to a concert or play?  At what age did you feel they were prepared?

Recently, Little Man has been proving to be more behaved when he needs to be, so I’ve been considering taking him to a play.  I remember when I was a teenager and my Mom took me to a play for my birthday.  We saw The Sound of Music and had such a good time.  I want those memories with my Little Man!

One show I’ve been dying to take him to is The Lion King.  Lion King tickets really aren’t that expensive and I think Little Man would love the comparison to the movie.  He’s seen it a couple times and Simba, Timon, and Pumba are his favorite characters. Since he also loves acting and dressing up, I think the costumes would intrigue and inspire him to dress-up and put on his own play.

I think the costumes in Lion King are amazing!  I know they would get Little Man’s imagination going strong and make him want to dress-up himself.  I’m always thrilled when I see pictures of the actors and actresses all dressed in their costumes.  The make-up is always remarkable and the costumes are intricate and elaborate.  I would like to think Little Man will feel the same as I do when he sees the cast in full make-up and dancing around the stage.

Whether it’s Lion King or some other child-friendly play, I’m definitely going to have to get some tickets soon.  Little Man has been showing such an interest in theater that it’s the perfect time to actually start taking him to some shows. Since his little brain is like a sponge soaking up whatever I expose him to, I want to make sure I’m exposing him to a wide array of cultural and artistic things!

Have you ever purchased something you’ve been wanting or needing only to, shortly after, find a discount code making that item much cheaper?  It happened to me recently and I immediately felt like I had wasted money – even if it was just a few bucks.

Every time I make a purchase online, I check the web for discount voucher codes.  You would be amazed at how much money you can save by simply locating and entering discount codes!  Whether it’s free shipping or a percentage off of your total, discount voucher codes are a wonderful way to save money.  When you’re on a tight budget like my family, every dollar counts!

With a little patience and perseverance, voucher codes can be found for almost any product and any store.  From magazines to kitchen appliances, I rarely make a purchase online that isn’t on sale or has a discount code for it.  After all, every penny saved is a penny earned, right?

Some common items I always look for discount voucher codes for include:

• Books
• Car Maintenance
• Clothing
• Furniture
• Home & Garden
• Jewelry
• Magazines
• Restaurants

If you’re a self-proclaimed “Penny Pincher” like myself, then you’ll always want to make sure you take a minute or two to look for voucher codes online before making your purchase. I love going back and seeing how much money I’ve saved every month.  As a work-from-home Mom, I like to think of all the money I save as my paycheck.

What steps do YOU take to save money?  What’s the best online discount voucher code you’ve ever found?  My favorites are the free shipping ones because it’s just like shopping in the store without having to leave the house!

As I scrolled thru various crafting sites this past weekend, I found the most awesome and unique DIY projects using none other than PVC piping!  From patio furniture to children’s toys, I never realized how much you can actually do with simple PVC pipe.

Because PVC comes in a variety of sizes and shapes, you can use this inexpensive piping to create almost anything.  One of my favorite DIY projects involving PVC duct is a marshmallow gun.  Similar to the dangerous PVC potato guns my step-father and brothers would make when we were younger,  a marshmallow gun is simple, inexpensive, and SAFE for your little ones to play with.

Click Here For PVC Gun Tutorial From OhAmanda.com

To make your own PVC marshmallow gun, all you need are a few pieces of PVC piping, 1/2-inch in size, and some connectors and end caps.  You can pretty much create the gun in whatever shape you can think of as long as there are two openings – one for the marshmallows to come out of and the other to blow into.

Because my husband has some left-over PVC piping from a recent bathroom repair job, one project I’m excited to start with Little Man is a PVC marble maze.  All you need is some left-over PVC pipe and some connectors.  You arrange them in any design you want making sure to work WITH gravity and not against it. Start at the top, drop in your marble, and let the fun begin.  If your design has more than one exit, it’s fun to have your little one guess which hole the marble will come out of!

Whether it’s a gun that shoots tiny marshmallows out of one end or an extravagant maze for your marbles to shoot down, finding a DIY project with left-over PVC is easier than you’d think.  There are hundreds of possibilities!  PVC is inexpensive, durable, and the perfect crafting material.

Have you ever made anything interesting from PVC pipe?  If so, what did you make?!