Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Indianapolis Children's Museum - FREE this Thurs night!

This Thursday is the first Thursday of the month, which means that the Indianapolis Children's Museum is FREE this Thurs night from 4pm - 8pm.  Getting a little cabin fever at this point in the winter?  Head into Indy for a night at the museum!

For more info, CLICK HERE.  

Target Free Family Nights


Open free for families 4 p.m.–8 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. Youth under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Dirty Dozen - Why Organic?

Over the holidays I was talking with one of my brother-in-laws about eating organic food.  Thinking about starting a family and ever the researcher, he had been reading about the importance of pregnant women eating organic food, and I was pointing out to him that if you are eating organic while pregnant, you should also be eating organic before being pregnant and also after the baby comes.  And, that the benefits of organic food, of course, didn't just benefit mom & baby, but the whole family!  He responded by saying that he couldn't afford to eat all organic, at which point I asked him, and I'll ask you... have you heard about the Dirty Dozen?

The Dirty Dozen is a list of produce that has an especially high amount of pesticides and residue of pesticides.  Experts say if even if you can't afford to go 100% organic, it is beneficial to you to buy the items from the dirty dozen in only organic as much as possible, since these items, more than other produce items, carry such high volumes of pesticides.

Moral of the story?  Eating fruits and veggies (organic or not) is important, and even if you can't buy organic you should still eat them.  However, if you can incorporate even a few organic produce items into your shopping trip/shopping budget, pick the ones below as you'll get the greatest health-bang for your buck.  Note: the list below is ranked in order of the highest pesticide residue, meaning that apples (#1) retain the greatest amounts of pesticides, so are one of the most important items to buy organic. 
Want to learn more, check out, http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/


Dirty Dozen - Buy these organic
1
Apple
Apples
2
Celery
Celery
3
Strawberries
Strawberries
4
Peaches
Peaches
5
Spinach
Spinach
6
Nectarines
Nectarines
– imported
7
Grapes
Grapes – imported
8
Red Pepper
Sweet bell peppers
9
Potatoe
Potatoes
10
Blueberries
Blueberries
– domestic
11
Lettuce
Lettuce
12
Kale
Kale/collard greens



Clean 15
 Lest you think that this list above, at first glance, contains all produce, I should point out that there is also a list of produce items (below) that it really isn't a big deal if you eat organic or not because these items, even when not organic, carry such LOW levels of pesticides.  These produce items are called the CLEAN 15


Clean 15 - Lowest in Pesticide
1
Onions
Onions
2
Sweet Corn
Sweet Corn
3
Pineapple
Pineapples
4
Avocado
Avocado
5
Asparagus
Asparagus
6
Peas
Sweet peas
7
Mango
Mangoes
8
Eggplant
Eggplant
9
Cantelope
Cantaloupe
- domestic
10
Kiwi
Kiwi
11
Cabbage
Cabbage
12
Watermelon
Watermelon
13
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
14
Grapefruit
Grapefruit
15
Mushrooms
Mushrooms

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Meijer 10 for $10 Sale - Stock up on kids' snacks!

This week, through Saturday, Meijer is having their 10 for $10 sale, meaning each of their specially marked items is only $1, and if you purchase 10 items, you get one free, so each item really ends up being $.90! 

This week included in their 10 for $10 sale is Organic Baby Carrots & Whole Grain Goldfish, so if you have small kiddos, head in and stock up! Bags of pre-washed ready-to-eat Dole lettuce are also included in this sale, as well as English cucumbers, red/yellow/orange bell peppers... all the makings for some healthy meals! 

AND... remember, if you're a WALMART shopper, Walmart matches the prices of other stores, so if you're in Walmart you can pick up these same items & just tell them at the register that they're on sale for $1/each and Walmart will match the prices.  :)

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Great New Restaurant in Marion - Yamato Steak House

Have you been to the new Yamato Steak House restaurant in Marion?  If not, you SHOULD!  This place opened up a few months ago in Marion, and I initially had my doubts about a Japanese restaurant in the middle of Indiana, but I was pleasantly surprised!  The food is GREAT, aesthetics are great, and service is great!  Just to put a cherry on the top, the pricing is also very reasonable!  My husband I never would have told you we'd be sushi people, but over the past few years have had only positive experiences with sushi (we only get the kind with cooked fish!) and now we love it!  We had a date-swap with another family this past weekend (yeah for a date!), and we went to Yamato (our second time since it opened), and it is my new favorite date restaurant in Marion!

Don't know if you are crazy enough to try Japanese food?  TRY IT!  They do have raw sushi, but LOTS of wonderful cooked sushi rolls (try the VOLCANO ROLLS...YUMMY!), as well as hibachi steak, noodle dishes & more.  They even have a reduced price lunch menu.

Information

Address
Phone
Website

Saturday, January 21, 2012

"Walk-a-Mile" Event for the Rescue Mission (Sat, Feb 18)


Saturday, February 18, 2012 is the 7th Annual "Walk-a-Mile" event in Marion.  The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of homelessness in our community, and also to raise money for the Rescue Mission, which provides shelter, food, clothing, counseling, and educational opportunities to help people get back on their feet.  The goal of the walk is to raise money, so walkers are asked to make a donation and/or solicit donations from family/friends/co-workers, but even if you aren't able to contribute money you can still join the walk to help raise awareness!

To register for the event, go to their website:
www.grantcountyrescuemission.com
Phone: 765.662.0988 (Debra Ballard, Coordinator)

Registration deadline is Feb 13, 2012.  The walk is Saturday, Feb 18  - check-in is at 9:15am and the walk starts at 10am.  It starts and ends at the YMCA, there is hot chocolate and coffee served along the way and a free lunch served after the event.  I've done this event the past two years with my family and will be doing it again this year - hope to see you there!

Friday, January 20, 2012

My favorite FREEBIE of the week... 3 Greeting Cards from CVS

I'm a dork and I always get a little giddy about getting free things, so thought I'd share my favorite freebie of the week with you.  

If you use your CVS Extra Care Cards, you can make money on greeting cards this week (thru Saturday).  This week, when you purchase 3 American Greetings cards (which start as low as $.99 - look for section of $.99 cards), you get $3 back in Extra Care Bucks.  But, before you head to CVS, click HERE to "clip" the coupon from CVS's site (above), and get this $2 off 3 cards coupon, and use it in conjunction with getting $3 Extra Care Bucks Back!

So, use the coupon when you purchase the cards, and you'll get...
3 cards at $.99 each = $2.97, with $2 off coupon you'll PAY $.97 out of pocket, and when the receipt prints out you'll get $3 in Extra Care Bucks, which you can use for something else.

Stock up on birthday cards for the year now! :)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Starbucks Free Coffee Tasting Event (Jan 12-14)

 This week Starbucks is having a free coffee tasting event, Thurs, Jan 12 - Sat, Jan 14.  Stop by your local Starbucks to try all their blends... and for a freebee.  I've been hearing about their new Blond Roast, and am NOT a fan of their regular roast (tastes burned to me!), so am hoping their Blond Roast is a nice mild blend... I'll find out!   

 

Below is from the following site: http://roast.starbucks.com/en-us/

 

Taste the Starbucks Roast Spectrum

Come to Starbucks for a free coffee tasting and vote for the roast you love most. We'll even send you home with a little something as a thank you.

US Event - Thursday Jan. 12 - Saturday Jan. 14
Canada Event - Thursday Feb. 9 - Saturday Feb. 11
Click to view video

The Starbucks Roast Spectrum

 

Watch the video or go to starbucks.com/coffee to learn more about all of our coffees.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks (Next Free Date is Jan 14-16)

Looking for something to do Martin Luther King Jr. weekend?  Get out and enjoy some fresh (albeit cool) air!


Info below directly from: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

Yosemite National Park, Photo by DanNg
                    Yosemite Falls

America's Best Idea - the national parks - gets even better with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees.*
Mark your calendar for these fee-free dates in 2012:
  • January 14-16
    Martin Luther King Jr. weekend
  • April 21-29
    National Park Week
  • June 9
    Get Outdoors Day
  • September 29
    National Public Lands Day
  • November 10-12
    Veterans Day weekend
To make the fun even more affordable, check out these discounts and special offers from park partners and neighboring businesses:

Here's a tip - many of your 397 national parks NEVER charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit!

*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Keeley's Flooring in Marion - WOW!

My husband and I always hated the carpet in our upstairs, so when water soaked the carpet and capet pad underneath, we weren't too sad about pulling up the carpet and were trying to decide whether to put in new carpeting or do laminate floors, when low and behold we discovered our 100+ year old home had the original hardwood floors underneath the yucky carpet!  We spent 2 months pulling up the carpet & pads in each room of our upstairs, and had a couple of different vendors our to give us quotes/opinions on redoing our hardwood floors (my dream).  We decided to go with Keeley's Flooring, based on a recommendation from some friends who'd had them do work, and also based on the fact that they were $1/square foot cheaper than Stanley Steamer's Quote.  Jay Keeley came out twice personally to walk us through the process, and by the time we were ready to have the floors done, we were very excited to have it done and confident in who was doing it!

If you're thinking of having new flooring for your home - new carpet, laminate, hardwoods, or hardwood restoration, I highly recommend Keeley's Flooring! Jay Keeley was great to work with, and he and his crew did a wonderful job - see below for yourself!


Keeley Flooring
4510 S CR 700 E
Marion IN 46953
Ph # 765-748-1702, 765-733-0580
Email:  keeleyflooring@aol.com, http://www.keeleyflooring.net/index.html

Before...


After....


SO AWESOME!  I LOVE THEM!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Disposal of your Christmas Tree in Marion...

Have you taken down all your Christmas decorations yet?  I'm not 100% there, but thanks to my husband, the tree is down!  Not sure what to do with your tree?  Call the Street Dept in Marion - (765) 668-4451 -give them your address, and they'll pick it up within a day or two from your house!

How easy is that? :)

Sunday, January 1, 2012

YMCA in 2012 - Joiner Fee Reduced in January!

My husband and I joined the YMCA in October after spending a few months thinking about it & deciding how to budget the monthly fee.  Two months later, and a few pounds lighter, we are happy to say we are SO glad we did.

Our favorite thing about the YMCA is the free childcare, which is included in your membership.  It has made getting daily exercise in MUCH easier/less complicated.  Their "Childwatch" (which is their childcare area) is Mon - Fri from 8:30am - 11:30am, Sat 9am - noon, and Mon - Fri 4:30pm - 8pm.  Our kids love going & playing, and we have no excuse not to go exercise!  And, on Saturdays after we workout our kids know they get to go & swim with mommy & daddy & they love it!  As an added bonus, having a membership at the YMCA allows our kids to do the Bitty Sports (ages 3-5) for a reduced fee, so our oldest son has had his first introduction to soccer & basketball.  Lastly, as a girlfriend recently pointed out, it is good for our kids to see that getting exercise daily is important to us.  

If you're thinking of joining the YMCA, this is the month to do it!  For the entire month of January, the Joiner Fee (normally $85 to join) is the same as the date of the month you join.  i.e. if you join on January 3rd, your joiner fee is only $3!  The sooner you join, the more you save!  

Want more info?  #657.664.0544