Mommy Octopus

My brother’s family love making indoor S’Mores so much that for Christmas, they gave us one of their family’s favorite items – the Sterno Family Fun S’mores Maker! We finally tried it out tonight and we are hooked! It was so much fun and so easy to make S’mores in minutes and then put out the “fire” very quickly.

The Sterno Family Fun S’mores Maker can be used both indoor and outdoor. Also features two built-in s’mores making stations for easy and clean fun.

Definitely recommend this for a fun family night! We are so glad we received this gift and will be using it tons!

Beautiful but cold weekend here in Georgia. My youngest went fishing with his dad and I spent some time cleaning and some time helping my mom sell stuff from her house. She’s getting ready to move to a smaller house. Speaking of my mom, Tuesday is her birthday! Happy 70th Birthday to the best mom ever! We will be having her over for one of her favorite meals of Publix chicken. Gotta love that stuff!

Monday: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Tuesday: Publix Chicken Dinner

Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday: Free scoops from Chicken Salad Chick

Friday: Bean burritos

Saturday: Breakfast for dinner

Sunday: Dinner at cousins

Chicken Salad Chick is one of my favorite restaurants. We are lucky to have one here in Athens. I love when they have their birthday offer! When we’ve gone in the past, the kids and I just walk in and someone at the counter just hands out the scoops, all ready to go! Here’s info!

From the Chicken Salad Chick facebook page:

We’re celebrating our Birthday this Thursday… and we have a Gift for You! Join us this Thursday, January 21st, for Guest Appreciation Day (aka our version of a Birthday thank you)… and a FREE Scoop of Classic Carol!To show our appreciation, every guest, no matter how you visit us, will receive a FREE Scoop of Classic Carol. A Free Scoop will be gifted to every guest who comes into the restaurant for takeout or dine-in, or added to every online, curbside and delivery order.

• No purchase necessary when dining in.
• Limit one scoop per guest.
• Online orders will receive one scoop per entree.
• At participating locations, while supplies last.

If you’re looking for something neat to do outside, Fernbank Museum is opening a new outdoor exhibit.

Beginning Saturday, January 30, 2021, Microsculpture: The insect portraits of Levon Biss, magnifies these tiny creatures into large-format, high-resolution portraits in the context of Fernbank Museum’s immersive woodlands to highlight the beauty of some Earth’s most misunderstood critters.  

These larger-than-life photographs will be placed in the Fernbank’s Nature Gallery in WildWoods. Guests will take in these striking photos in this secluded, yet experiential and museum-curated forest environment, filled with its own variety of insect species and located just minutes from the heart of downtown Atlanta. The vivid and opalescent photography delivers pops of color against the woodlands and magnifies some of nature’s overlooked inhabitants against the large scale of the towering trees.  

Eleven insect species from around the world will be featured as a part of Microsculpture at Fernbank. Species include visually stunning insects such as the Orchid Cuckoo Bee, Ruby-Tailed Wasp, Amazonian Purple Warrior Scarab, Tortoise Beetle and more, presented in exquisite detail.  

Microsculpture was created by award-winning photographer Levon Biss with insect specimens from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Each dazzling and detailed image took nearly four weeks to produce and was created from over 8,000 separate images using different microscopic lenses and lighting.  

Microsculpture: The insect portraits of Levon Biss from the collections of Oxford University Museum of Natural History is provided to Fernbank by the American Museum of Natural History. 

Microsculpture is on view at Fernbank from Saturday, January 30, 2021 until Sunday, May 2, 2021. Fernbank is located at 767 Clifton Road in Atlanta. Parking is free.  

The exhibit is included with general admission and is free for Fernbank members. Timed, online tickets are required in advance at FernbankMuseum.org at $20 for adults, $19 for seniors and $18 for children*.  To purchase tickets or view pre-visit information, frequently asked questions, safety protocols and more, please visit FernbankMuseum.org. 

*Tickets not purchased online start at $19.95 and may not be available due to safety precautions that limit capacity. 

WOW! I have one of these beautiful necklaces with my husband’s badge number on it, but we paid a lot more! Right now you can score personalized necklaces for only $5.99 shipped! This would make a sweet Valentine’s Day Gift!

There is a good deal on the popular Channie’s Alphabet & Number Dry Erase Flashcards. You can grab them for only $10.99 and shipping is FREE! Perfect for homeschool or preschool practice.

My 5 year old son has these and he’s frequently asking to pull them out to work on his numbers and letters. I love that they are dry erase, so we can use them as often as we’d like!

The visual approach promotes self-correction if writing or numbers go outside blocks; vertical lines, green color blocks, and divider lines help guide kids to print straight and neat, use proper spacing, and maintain proper letter, number size, and shape.

Monday again, already! We’ve been enjoying the outdoors when it’s not raining and recently went for a nice hike. We recently found a nice place to hike that isn’t too far from us. South Jackson Elementary School has hiking trails that can be used by the public when school isn’t in session. Weekends are perfect for hiking there. We took a 2 mile hike the other day and it was a lovely time of fresh air and family. We will definitely be back!

This week brings more homeschool and hopefully more hiking!

Monday: Lasagna

Tuesday: 15 Bean Soup

Wednesday: Chicken, broccoli, mashed potatoes

Thursday: Beef Stew

Friday: Meatloaf, veggies

Saturday: White Chicken Chili

Sunday: Fajita Chicken Casserole

If you’ve tried any recipes recently that your family loves, please leave a comment and let me know. We love to try new stuff and I feel like we are in a meal rut!

This looks like a comfy deal! If you want to surprise your hubby with a robe, Walmart.com currently has their Men’s Isotoner Robe for just $16, down from $35.

There are 4 colors to choose from and sizes from small to extra large.

Shipping is free on orders of $35 or more, so consider shopping around and getting a few things that you need.

Pillowfort is Target’s popular line of items for children. Currently they are offering a 40% off clickable coupon through Target Circle. This makes for some fantastic deals!

First, head on over here and add the 40% off coupon to your Target account.

Then check out all the Pillowfort items.

Here are a few deals to check out:

• Pillowfort Divided Plates $.99
• Only $.60 after the circle coupon!

• Sheet sets as low as $17
• Only $10.20 after the circle coupon!

Be sure and shop around as there are plenty of items to redo the children’s rooms or add some fun decor elsewhere.

On many items you can select to pick up at the store (where available) or it will ship free with a $35 purchase. Target also has free shipping and an extra 5% off for REDcard holders. You can apply online and it only takes just a couple minutes to find out if you are approved.

If you’re a fan of The Pioneer Woman, you will love The Pioneer Woman quilts available on Walmart. There are 3 different designs and all are equally lovely! They are available in size Full/Queen or King and are at a great price point at $49.96-$49.98! Each set includes a quilt and 2 shams.