Memorial Day Freebies and Discounts for 2012

Posted on by Mandy

Once a holiday known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day was created to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. While we take time to remember all those who serve or have served our country, there are also some great freebies and discounts offered this weekend.

1. AAA Tipsy Tow
Plan on partying a wee bit hard this Memorial Day? AAA wants to keep you off the roads by offering a free vehicle tow for all partiers from 6 p.m. Memorial Day until the wee hour of 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

2. Air Shows
Check out the searchable database of airshows scheduled for Memorial Day weekend throughout the country, as offered by the EAA.

3. Bass Pro Shops
Participating stores will help your kids have a ball Saturday and Sunday with crafts, photos, photo contests and their Summer Kickoff Challenge.

4. Blue Star Museums
More than 1,500 museums across the country are offering free admission for active military personnel and up to five family members.Call ahead to see if your local museum is participating.

5. Cabela’s
Save anywhere from 20 percent to 60 percent on hundreds of items on Memorial Day, plus receive free shipping.

6. Home Depot
All active duty and retirees receive a 10-percent discount on Memorial Day for purchases of up to $500.

7. Knott’s Berry Farm and Soak City Water Parks
Admission is free to active and retired military personnel on Sunday and Monday. You can also purchase up to six discounted admission tickets for members of your immediate family.

8. Lowe’s
Active duty military and their family members as well as retired military and VA recipients receive a 10-percent discount on all personal purchases.

9. Parades
VetFriends offers a state-by-state list of Memorial Day parades scheduled throughout the country.

10. Ramada Inns
Escape for the weekend and save 20 percent for three nights or more at participating Ramada Inns across the country.

~Thanks to MrFreeStuff.com for this post.

Splash Into Summer- $15 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Posted on by Mandy

Hooray for summer! My summer officially started yesterday, and I can’t think of a better way to relax than with a great book! I plan to do quite a bit of reading this summer and encouraged my students to do the same. I’d also love for YOU to pick yourself out a great new book (or whatever you wish), so I’ve joined the Splash Into Summer Giveaway, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Page Turners Blog, and I am giving one lucky reader a $15 Amazon Gift Card.

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this blog post telling me what you are most looking forward to this summer. This is a mandatory entry. You may also complete as many of the other entry options as you wish. This giveaway is open world wide. Void where prohibited.

DEADLINE: June 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM EST

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Please visit these blogs below for more great Splash Into Summer giveaways!

Healthy Snacking Challenge with SmartPop! (Giveaway!)

Posted on by Mandy

Popcorn is a staple in our pantry for snacking at home. It’s such a quick, delicious snack and one the whole family can agree on. I was recently given the opportunity to participate in the Healthy Snacking Challenge by swapping out out my usual unhealthy snacks (Think tortilla chips and salsa con queso. Ahem.) for Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop! popcorn. Since my husband and I have committed to eating healthier this summer, this was a great time for me to participate in this challenge and help our family break some very unhealthy snacking habits.

I love to snack and actually prefer it over eating heavy meals. I constantly snack during the day at work, and I know I’m not making healthy choices about what I snack on. Since SmartPop! is only 100 calories for 6 cups, I was excited about finding a snack that could actually be filling while saving me tons of calories and fat grams.  Just three cups of SmartPop! provides an entire serving of whole grain.  Research shows that consumers who eat popcorn come much closer to meeting the dietary guidelines recommendation for whole grain consumption of three servings a day.

A new study from ConAgra Foods found that snacking on 100-calories of low-fat healthy popcorn, like Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop!, leads to less hunger and more satisfaction versus other snacks like almonds or pretzels. Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn has several advantages over other snacks; it is: 100 % whole grain, a good source of fiber, low in fat, and has zero grams of trans fat.

Naturally, when I first read about all of the dietary benefits of SmartPop I was just about convinced that since it was healthy, that certainly meant it must taste terrible.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much it tasted just like good popcorn!  There was definitely no sacrifice in taste, and I didn’t feel like I was being cheated out of a tasty snack.  I hate when healthy food tastes gross, so this was a huge selling point for me.

RESULTS:

I didn’t completely cut out all of the bad snacks for lack of a decent microwave at work that doesn’t torch food, but I was definitely more consistent with eating the SmartPop! while at home and I’m convinced that this is a great snack we will certainly be keeping around our home!  It just makes more sense to eat this healthy snack versus chips and dip that can easily add hundreds of calories and fat.  Now that school is out for the summer, I’m anxious to start taking better care of myself and will be incorporating SmartPop! into that plan.

Be sure to check out Orville Redenbacher on Facebook  for a $1 off coupon and play the Pop Cam game.

 

WIN IT!

I am so excited to be able to offer 10 lucky readers a box of Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop! popcorn.

TO ENTER:

You must leave a comment on this post telling me what you love most about popcorn or why you would like to snack healthier.  This is mandatory.  Once you have left a comment, you can do as many of the Rafflecopter entries as you’d like.  Good luck!

18+ U.S. Only- Void Where Prohibited

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Orville Redenbacher’s. I received an Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop! product as well as a promotional item as a thanks for my participation.