Back to School Bargains

Back to school time is busy and expensive!  New clothes, new shoes, pencils, paper, crayons.......the list goes on and on.  Here are some simple ideas to cut make going back to school easy on the wallet. 

Resale stores have made quite a come back in recent years.  There are lots of great stores to get gently used clothes at bargain prices.  Plato's Closet in Flint offers brand name clothes for kids and teens.  Not only can you buy clothes at great prices, but bring your gently used ones to sell.  The Salvation Army Thrift Stores are another great option.  I recommend the store in Clarkston or Rochester Hills.  These are both located in old grocery stores and offer a large variety of clothing for the whole family.   For closer bargains, try the Goodwill stores in the area.  The Goodwill carries a lot of brand new items that were discontinued from Target stores!  A local great for kids is Waddles and Toddles in Grand Blanc.  This resale shop offers item for babies and kids. 

Not only are these stores great for clothing, but you can often times find school supplies at Salvation Army's and Goodwill's as well.

Make the shopping trip more fun for the kids by turning into a treasure hunt!  See who the first will be to find a great item or who can get the best bargain.   You may not be able to find everything you need, but you might be surprised at what you do find!

Summer's Winding Down, Fall is Gearing Up!!

After another great weekend in downtown Flint with the Crim Festival of Races, I am worn out! But this week brings more great things to do, take a look!

FREE Zumba!, Linden County Park 8 /29
Finger Paints and More, Flint Children's Museum, 8/30
Paper Airplanes and Sand Stars , Flint Children's Museum, 8/31
Nature Program, Max Brandon Park, Flint 9/1
Eruption Day! Flint Children's Museum, 9/1
Rock n' Roll Painting, Flint Children's Museum, 9/2
Treasure Hunt and Fossil Find, Children's Museum, 9/3
Robot Invasion, Sloan Museum, 9/3
Star Party! Longway Planetarium, 9/3 
Grange Fair, Crossroads Village, Flint 9/4
Michigan  Renesiance Festival, Holly  9/4, 9/5
Flint Farmer's Market, Downtown, 8/30, 9/2, 9/4
Laser Beatles, Longway Planetarium, Flint 8/29 - 9/3 (Last Week of Show)


Sorry, a glitch in the blog and it did not post at scheduled time!

Last Chance Summer Fun!!!

It's hard to believe summer is already coming to a close.  In two weeks, school is back in session!  Take advantage of the last moments of summer with great activities around Flint. 

Bike to Your Books, Clio, Davison, Grand Blanc Library's, 8/22
Zumba!, Linden County Park, FREE 8/22
Game Shows in the Park: Family Feud, Flushing, 8/23
Veggie Stamping, Flint Children's Museum, 8/23
Scat, Bluebell Beach, Flint, 8/23
Montrose Library, Kids Crafts, 8/24
Montrose Library, Storytime, 8/25
Flint Children's Museum, Discount Day! 8/25
Live BUGS! Children's Museum, 8/25
Healthy Foods, Picnic Style, Flushing Park 8/25
Family Gaming, Flint Library, 8/26
Pre-Crim Festival 80's Party, Downtown Flint, 8/26
Family Fun Zone, Crim Festival, Downtown Flint, 8/27
Sproutside Safari, Children's Museum, 8/27
Silly Saturday, Bluebell Beach, Flint 8/27
Day Out with Thomas, Crossroads Village 8/26-8/28
St. George Middle Eastern Festival, Flint, 8/26-8/28
Laser Beatles, Longway Planetarium, 8/22 - 8/27
Michigan Renaissance Festival, 8/27 - 8/28

Do you know of other great activities or events in the area?  Post a comment or email me and I will add them on!!

It's Harvest Time!

It is hard to believe, but summer is drawing to a close. Before you know it the kids will be back in school and the leaves will be falling.  The great thing about this time of year.......harvest time!  There are so many great fruits and vegetables that are ready to be picked and eaten.  What better way to share this process than to get involved.  There are many great farms in the area that allow you to go out into the fields and pick your own goodies.  Listed below are some local farms to get out to and harvest your own items this summer/fall:

Blueberry Lane Farms, Otter Lake (north of Davison)
Azure Acres, Clio
Almar Orchard, Flushing
Montrose Orchards, Montrose
Spicers Orchard, Fenton

For information on these and more great "You Pick" places, CLICK HERE!

Fairs, Festivals and Cruising!!

It's a busy late summer week in Flint!  Back to the Bricks is getting ready to start their engines to cruise all over town, the Genesee County Fair is in full swing, and plenty of other activities to fill your schedule!

Fenton Library – Storytime – 8/15 @10:30

Genesee County Fair 8/15 – 8/21

Flint Twp. Library – Used Book Sale 8/15 – 8/16

Flint Farmers Market – Storytime@10:30 8/16

Montrose Jennings Library – Kids Crafts 8/17 @12:30

Back to the Bricks Rolling Cruise 8/17-18 , 5 -10pm

Montrose Jennings Library – Storytime 8/18 @12:30

Back to the Bricks, Downtown 8/19 – 8/20 Music and Car Show

Flint Public Library – Family Gaming 8/19/11

Tunes at Noon – Downtown Flint, U of M Daily 11:45 – 1:15

Flint Farmers Market – Every Tues, Thurs, Sat 9am

Longway Planetarium – Laser Beatles Mon – Sat at 2pm

Historical Carriage Town Arts and Crafts Fair – 8/20
Children's Museum, Sproutside Celebration! - 8/20

Peraini Arena – Mom 2 Mom Sale – 8/20 @ 9am

Michigan Renaissance Festival - All weekend

Popsicles for You, Popsicles for Me!

There is no better time for popsicles than summer!  Popsicles are the perfect way to cool off from the summer heat.  It is so easy to make all different kinds of these summer treats, from fruit to yogurt, the options are endless.  Here are two yummy recipes for popsicles.....one for the kids and one for you! 

For the Kids:

Oreo Pudding Popsicles

Ingredients:

2 boxes instant vanilla pudding mix

4 C. milk

1 C. crushed oreo cookies

1-2 C. Whipped Cream

Small disposable cups or popsicle molds

Popsicle sticks or straws

Place pudding and milk in bowl, mix well. Fold in whipped cream. Add crushed cookies and stir well. Put in disposable cups or popsicle molds and add a stick or straw. Freeze at least 3 hrs or overnight. Run cup under hot water for a few seconds to release (be sure not to get the popsicle wet!:)). Enjoy! You can use sugar-free pudding, skim milk, and fat-free whipped topping to make it low-fat and calorie. :)

                     

   

And for Mom:

Mocha Latte Popsicles

2 cups strong cold coffee

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 Tablespoon cocoa powder

Whisk together, pour into molds, and freeze.

Cream layer

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 Tablespoon sweetened condensed milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together, layer, and freeze.  

The cream layer has an ice cream texture that makes this popsicle delightful.  I don't use that word often but it applies here. 

Music Downtown on a Dime

If you haven't been to downtown Flint lately, now is a great time to try it.  Summer brings all sorts of events to Flint, many which don't cost a thing.  This week, pack up the kids, pack a lunch and head downtown.   Begin your adventure with a picnic and enjoy 'Tunes at Noon'. This is one of the last weeks for 'Tunes at Noon', so make sure you get out and enjoy the music. Performances are held at the University Pavilion, located at 303 E. Kearsley St. In the case of rain, performances will be held inside the Greater Flint Arts Council (GFAC), 816 S. Saginaw St. 

If you didn't get enough music with your lunch, take a short drive over to the Longway Planetarium for a little more.  Laser Beatles is currently playing at the Planetarum everyday at 2pm.  John, Paul, George, and Ringo provide the music for the psychedelic journey that resurrects the spirit of the late 60s. The Fab Four fill the theater with music and laser light in this exciting and fun show for the whole family. Featuring great Beatles hits like “Revolution”, “Nowhere Man”, “Help”, and tons more, this show is as timeless as the Beatles themselves.  Admission is $5 for Adults and $3 for Children.

Events for the Week of 8/8/11

It's looks like the heat is finally going away, leaving us with a week of great weather in Michigan!  Take advantage of our little cool off with some awesome events in the area! 

8/8 Fenton Library - Storytime @ 10:30
8/9 Burton Library - Coupon Club @ 3pm

8/9  Flint Children's Museum – Discount Day!
8/9  Flint Farmers Market – Storytime @ 10:30
8/10 Montrose Jennings Library - Kids Crafts @12:30
8/11 Montrose Jennings Library - Storytime

8/12 Flint Public Library – Family Gaming

8/13 Mom to Mom Sale, Goodrich

8/8 - 8/13 Longway Planetarium – Laser Beatles, 2pm

8/8 - 8/12 Tunes at Noon – Downtown Flint, U of M Daily 11:45 – 1:15

Know of other great things going on in the area?  Comment or Email me and I will add to the events. 

Enjoy your week!

Loving Flint, Michigan!

Welcome to my first blog adventure!  This blog is dedicated to the mom's of Flint and surrounding areas.  Flint gets so much bad press, that people quickly forget all of the great things that happen in the area.  I am dedicated to bring to the surface fun things for families to do, as well as great deals.  I will be highlighting great places to take the kids, restaurant deals, date night ideas, great sales in the area, and more ways to love and enjoy Flint! 

Weekly Posts will be as follows:
Monday: Upcoming Events for the Week
Tuesday: Out with the Kiddies
Wednesday: Yummy Eats and Treats
Thursday: Savings Money Tips
Friday: Date Night!

Know of a great place to visit?  Stumble across a great deal in the area?  Let me know, so we can spread the word!!