Mmmm… My favorite season is upon us…. Strawberry Pickin’ Season!  Words can’t describe a fresh picked strawberry!  I took my crew out picking strawberries on Saturday.  We had a blast!  I’m not sure what we are going to do with all of the strawberries yet.  I’m sure we will make some strawberry jam in the bread machine, possibly a strawberry shortcake, and most definitely we’ll eat them like crazy!  If you live in my area, here’s a list of the local strawberry patches that I am aware of.  Let me know if you know any others not listed or if you have any feedback on these patches.  Normally we go to the one at Moon Farms since it’s closer.

Washington Farms: It’s always best to call or check their website before you head out to Washington Farms.  Sometimes they get slammed with visitors and will be picked out for the day.  Washington Farms is open from 8am-8pm Mon-Saturday as long as they have ripe berries.  They are closed Sunday.   Prices are $10 for a gallon of pick your own berries or $12 for pre-picked.

Moon Farms: Moon Farms is open Monday-Saturday from 9-6 and Sundays from 2-6.  One thing that I particularly love about Moon Farms is that they have fresh homemade strawberry ice cream available to buy!  You haven’t lived until you’ve tried fresh strawberry ice cream!  It’s rather dangerous on my wallet that Moon Farms is located so close by!  Pick your own berries in a gallon bucket for $10 or pre-picked for $12.

Rocky Ridge Farm: Rocky Ride farms is open Monday- Friday 1-6 and Saturday from 10-6.  Clsoed on Sunday. Pick your own berries in a gallon bucket for $10 or pre-picked for $12.  Located in Lexington.  I haven’t been to this location, so would love to hear from those that have!

A friend of mine recently made this nifty project from something she saw on Pinterest from Just Make Stuff.  I fell in love with it and of course had to make it as well.  What a super simple concept!  You can get an 8×10 frame for really cheap at a garage sale or even at Walmart.  Print the PDF found HERE or make your own to frame and use a dry erase marker to leave a sweet note.  These are great for spouses, kids, or anyone that you want to feel special.  Since you’re using dry erase on the glass over the paper, you can write something new every day!

Thanks to Nora of Just Make Stuff for letting me share this awesome idea as well as her PDF and to my friend Angel for sharing it with me.

The recent warm weather has had many residents playing in the dirt this spring. With the predicted frost for areas east of Atlanta tonight, homeowners should protect their plants from the frost and colder weather. The experts at Pike Nurseries take the guesswork out of gardening and advise gardeners to adhere to the following guidelines to help keep their plants healthy throughout the weekend’s changing temperatures:

TIPS FROM PIKE NURSERIES:

• Cover plants and flowers with frost cloth or a sheet. (Garden frost cloths can be found at Pike Nurseries locations).
• Remove the frost cloth first in the morning; otherwise, the sun will trap in heat and cause more damage.
• Water, water, water! Water the garden and containers before a hard freeze and again after the freeze. The added moisture will allow the plants to tolerate the cold and bounce back to life.
• Don’t worry if plants are droopy the day after a deep freeze. Give them time and they’ll usually spring back.
• Adding a layer of mulch to gardens helps regulate the temperature and keep plants moist. Cover gardens with a 1-2 inch layer of mulch.
• Plants in containers can be grouped closely together on a porch or patio, or moved to a protected area.

For one of my daughter’s homeschool projects, she’s had to learn about plants and how they grow.  Target made this super easy by having these cute little pots with soil and seeds for just $1 in the Dollar section.  They had a variety of flowers and even herbs and strawberries.  The kids each got one in their Easter baskets since I thought they were so neat.  My in-laws must have thought they were neat too since they gave my kids one for Easter as well.

They were so super easy to do – just add water!  Next time you’re in Target, be sure to check these out for just $1!

This week and next, I’ve decided to discuss Stranger Danger with my kids.  My oldest is easily frightened so I’ve tried to come up with a way to discuss it without making her afraid.

After talking with several friends, I decided to purchase The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers from Amazon.  I read it with my older 2 this morning and they liked it.  It had a great example of an odd looking apple being great inside and a beautiful apple being filled with worms inside.  This was definitely what they needed to hear since earlier I asked the kids what a bad person looks like and my son said a bad person has a grumpy face.  Most definitely not true.

There is also a video that I just ordered called The Safe Side: Stranger Safety.  It is put out by America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh and Baby Einstein creator Julie Clark.  Can’t wait to get it to go along with this topic.  There is a printable home study guide available on their website to use as well.

Here are some links to printables I’ve found along this topic:

• Keep Your Child Safe Coloring Pages
• Fingerprint America – Safety Rules
• DLTK-Kids Safety
• McGruff The Crime Dog 

Do you have any book or reference suggestions?  How did you teach your kids about strangers?

A year or so ago, couponing was in full swing.  Everywhere you looked in the stores, you saw many people trying to coupon, or even extreme coupon.  Lately I’m noticing that couponing seems to be wearing off.  Sale items aren’t disappearing from the shelves as quickly and couponers aren’t so prevalent in the stores.

Is it because people are realizing that what is shown on Extreme Couponining isn’t real?  Is it because the Extreme Couponing show is now turning into extreme coupon fraud?  The Coupon Information Center has even issued a Retailer Alert alerting retailers to the violations on the show. If you are couponing so you can be like the people on the show, you’ve probably become very discouraged.  Couponing like that isn’t real.  Numerous counterfeit coupons were used on several episodes in order to get the discounts.

Is it because the coupon policies at the stores have gotten stricter?  This unfortunately is a side effect of coupon abuse.

Is it because the coupons aren’t as great lately or due to stores such as Aldi popping up offering lower prices but no coupon acceptance?  I have no clue.

For me, I haven’t stopped couponing.  Honestly, my stockpile is established and so I’m able to shop infrequently to just replenish my stockpile.  Also since finding out about my son’s soy allergy last fall, I haven’t been able to buy as many processed foods, which really is great for our family.  I often say his soy allergy was the best thing to happen to our family.

Do you think couponing has changed in your area?  Have you changed the way you coupon?  Leave a comment and tell me your thoughts.