Returning to School with Sam's Club

Christmas season is now long over, and school is back in session.  I'm not sure what your pantry looks like, but I know that mine is nearly empty.  Between traveling, parties, guests, and get-togethers (and a long bout of pneumonia), what's left is a mix of expired foods and random bits and pieces that aren't enough to make a healthy meal.   Fortunately, now that I'm feeling better, Sam's Club is on my list of places to visit this week to stock up on all of the girls' essential snacks as well as soups to keep my lunches healthy here at home.

In addition to having all the foods my girls love, in quantities that I need, and prices I appreciate, Sam's Club also offers Bonus Box Tops on some of these great products.  If you like Nature Valley, Yoplait, or Progresso, then you might want to hurry in to Sam's Club to find the packages with the Bonus Box Tops.  Not only will you be getting the foods you love, but you'll be able to support the schools your kids attend as well.

Who wants a little help in paying for your back to school essentials from Sam's Club?  I was given a $25 gift card to share this information with you, and now one of you can win one as well.  All you have to do is enter via the rafflecopter form below.  Good luck!

Winner, Winner, Sam's Club for Dinner

With 93 amazing entries (I love my readers!), random.org selected lucky #49 as the winner.  Congrats Mari!  I'll be sending an email shortly so that you can claim your prize.

For those of you that didn't win . . .

Don't fret!  Another giveaway will be posted today.  It will be a quickie though, so don't wait too long to come back and get your entries in.

Happy Tuesday!

Wordless Wednesday - An empty tire swing

The first day of school . . .

An empty tire swing . . .

A hole in my heart . . .

Who knew I'd miss them so much :o(

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." --Elizabeth Stone

Funny Friday - A Hilarious Letter (taken from Ginny at Praying to Darwin)

As I mentioned yesterday, after an exhaustive search for Crayola Tropical Markers (per Peanut's school supply list) I was beaten down and a bit frustrated.  The one thing that was able to make me laugh was a post  by Ginny from Praying to Darwin, I can almost guarantee a laugh (or at least a nod of the head in agreement with one part or another).  I highly recommend that you read her post A Letter to My Child's Teacher. Enjoy!

Back to School Preparations

Can you believe that back to school time is here already? Where did the summer go? It seems like just yesterday we were wiping tears away and making plans with friends so that Peanut wouldn't miss them so much over the long summer. Now that school is about to start, half of our plans never quite made it to fruition. The time flew by too fast! So here were are . . . a week away from the start of school . . . exhausted from trying to squeeze in the last bits of summer fun . . . off the schedule I worked so hard to get them on . . . and really needing to get ourselves ready. With so much to do and so little time, what are your best tips for getting your kids ready for school? I think I'll start here:

1. Back on Schedule - As Benjamin Franklin once said, "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."  My girls need their sleep.  Since they'll have to get up early, we'll have to make sure they're in bed early all this week.  
2. Reminder Lessons - During the summer, the girls periodically work in their workbooks to keep some of the things they learned fresh in their minds.  However, they've not been doing this as often as I'd like.  This week, we'll be sure to make sure we remember our sight words, practice counting in the car, and read a little extra each night.  
3. Picking out food - Breakfast is so important for my kiddos.  We make sure we have enough time to eat each day before leaving for school.  After all the work they do in the morning at school, lunch is a necessity too.  My girls aren't "packed lunch" fans though.  They prefer warm foods and leftovers to sandwiches.  We'll have to go out together to pick out healthy foods that they will eat for their lunches.  Fresh fruits and veggies are usually a big hit with both girls.
4. Back to School Supplies - Nothing says back to school like picking out supplies.  I still love the smell of a new box of crayons and the feel of a crisp new sheet of paper just out of the package.  To mentally prepare the girls for the return to school, we will definitely have to go out supply shopping together.  Once everything is labeled and packed in their backpacks, they'll know it is really time to get back to the routine of school.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something important, so I'd love to hear your tips for back to school preparations too!

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get a HarperCollins book set. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Sam's Club and Box Tops for Education

All of my long time followers know that I am a Sam's Club junkie.  I have had a membership for many years and am always trying to win gift cards that other bloggers are giving away.  While not all of their items are great deals, the snacks, frozen food items and ICEEs make it well worth the trip for our family.  In addition, I really enjoy just browsing the store to see the new and seasonal items they bring in.

For those of you that aren't currently Sam's Club members, you should really stop by this weekend.  Sam's is offering a weekend of shopping without the usual upcharge on August 6th - 8th.  This would be a great opportunity for you to try out Sam's and see how much money you could save by becoming a member.   Take a calculator so that you can compare costs, and be sure to check out every department.  You'd be surprised at the items you can find at Sam's.

In addition to the open house, Sam’s Club is also giving you the opportunity to earn Box Tops for Education when you upgrade to a “Plus Membership".  If you have school-aged kids, I'm sure you've heard of Box Tops for Education.  Around our house, we guard those Box Tops like they're gold.  Every time the kids see a box of General Mills Cereal or a bottle of Juicy Juice, they shout, "Don't throw it away mommy, its a Box Top!"  From August 6 – August 13, or while supplies last, you can visit the Member Services Desk of your local Sam’s Club and receive a certificate for 150 Bonus Box Tops with your Plus Membership payment.  Now that is a whole lot of Box Tops! 

Sam's Club is also having a Back-to-School event from August 11 through August 31 where you can earn more cash for your school.   Participating General Mills products will have 6 Box Tops for you to clip and save.  I don't know which products this will include, but I'm really hoping to find some on the individual serving size boxes of Chex Mix.   Those are one of our favorite travel snacks!   For more information on how you can take advantage of the Back-to-School event at Sam’s Club, visit www.samsclub.com.

Now that you've read all my thoughts and opinions on Sam's Club and Box Tops for Education, I'd love to hear yours.  Just for sharing your thoughts, you have a chance to win a Sam's Club gift card for yourself.

Mandatory Entry:  Which General Mills Box Tops item will you purchase during the Sam's Club Back-to-School event?  Leave me a comment.  Be sure to include your email address if it is not visible in your profile.

Optional Extra Entries:

1. Follow me on Twitter.  Post your username in the comments.
2. Tweet about this giveaway using @rmgm and #myblogspark  Post a link to your tweet here.  This can be done once daily.  
3. Follow me publicly on Google Friend Connect and post a comment with your username.
4. Comment on any of my non-giveaway posts.  Leave a comment here telling me which post you commented on.  This can be done once per non-giveaway post.  All comments must be relevant.

Details:

• Only open to US residents
• Winner will be chosen using random.org
• Giveaway ends 11:59pm ET on August 21, 2010
• Include your email address in your comment if it is not available on your profile page.  If an email address in not in the comment or on your profile page another winner will be chosen.   I will not contact you through Twitter or Facebook.
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
• Prizes will be sent directly from the sponsor.  I am not responsible for prizes that are lost or damaged during shipment.  If you win a prize and do not receive it, please let me know.

*Disclaimer:  Through MyBlogSpark, General Mills and Sam's Club have generously provided me with an upgrade to my membership, a $25 gift card, and some of the information provided above.  They will also be sending my winner their Sam's Club gift card.  All opinions are my own.  Others may have different experiences.