Service with a smile

Today my family and I will be serving with Angel Food Ministries at our church. Angel Food is a food ministry where people can purchase a box of food for less than what they might pay at the grocery store. Our church has provided Angel Food distribution for almost 2.5 years now and we love the opportunity to be in service to our community together. This is something I was praying and thinking about as the New Year's 2007 was approaching. I wanted a way for my family to serve together and start showing my son how great it is to be of help to others. Angel Food is a way we can do that.

Each month, Angel Food publishes a menu for the next month. Customers can order online or at a distribution point and the food is delivered on a set date at a set time. People come with a large box (or cooler, or laundry basket) and pick up their food.

If you are looking for a way to reduce your grocery costs, or a way for your family to serve in ministry together, consider Angel Food Ministries. If you follow the link above, you can see where Angel Food might be in your area.

Yum!

Doesn't that look yummy?! Ghirardelli Chocolates! We found a Ghrirardelli outlet when we were on vacation in Wisconsin. They had a deal where you could get as many squares as you could fit in a bag for a certain amount. We stacked our chocolate squares very carefully into the narrow bag - just big enough for a square to fit flat on the bottom. We carried our bag to the counter and the clerk shook her head at us and started stuffing squares down the sides of the bag. She handed it back to us, now only half full and told us to keep going. She sent us back for more chocolate 4 times until we had crammed the bag as full as possible. The squares were just the right side for a treat. Most grocery stores will carry bags of the squares, but nothing will beat the deal we got at the outlet store. Can't wait to head back there next year!

Home Science Experiment

I found out about this site from a blog I checked out last week. Some homeschoolers used this as part of their science materials. You can order a butterfly pavillion that comes with live caterpillars that will turn into butterflies. I can't think of anything cooler to do with an inquisitive kid than this! Just imagine how fun it would be to watch the caterpillars change! When you visit the website, you can request a catalog to see what other cool things they have to offer.

Gift Potential

Think of the potential with these! Find out your kids' teachers' favorite candy and fill up a custom decorated bucket. Use assorted chocolates, like Ghirardelli's, and make a bucket for the secretaries in the school office - or YOUR office. This was another find from the U Create blog. If she keeps posting all these great ideas, I won't have time to do laundry or make dinner because I will be too busy crafting!

Felt Food

I found this at one of my favorite blogs the other day. I can't wait to carve out some time to make some of the foods referenced here out of felt. I can picture my 4 year old niece playing tea party with the cupcakes and cookies and my son making his own pizzas. So much potential for little cost!

And apparently felt food is trendy because I found another blog talking about it this week - here.

Sorry I missed out on this!

I started following this blog a week or so ago and caught this entry and wished I had seen this sooner.

A couple bloggers hosted a summer swap. Participants (kids) were partnered up with another child around the same age and the partners sent each other treats in the mail. I so hope they do this again next year! This is something my son and nieces would love!

Training Camp Comparison

As a Green Bay Packers fan, it has been my great pleasure to attend training camp a couple times in past years. We didn't make it to Lambeau this year, but our whole family has thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We would go up, watch the players bike over to the field, watch practice and then enjoy the two-story pro-shop and the Hall of Fame tour.

Instead, we went to training camp for the Indianapolis Colts. My son chose the Colts has his team and we thought the two hour drive was worth it for him to see his favorite players up close since he isn't really old enough to sit through a whole game.

It was clear to me early on that we have been spoiled by the Lambeau experience. The Packers have a great set up with their camp on the same grounds as their other facilities. We could watch practice for as long as he was interested and then go see the Hall of Fame and enjoy some air conditioning. We could get ice cream, shop, and my son could play in the kids area.

There are fewer of those options at Colts camp. The practice was a walk through in shells instead of position drills, so there were fewer things going on at any one time on the field than what we usually catch in Green Bay. We chose a day when they had some extra activities on site (inflatables, etc.), but they didn't capture his attention. We watched the 75 minute practice, walked around for 30 minutes or so and we were done. We enjoyed our picnic lunch and left for home an hour earlier than I had originally planned.

I was a little concerned that my family wouldn't feel very satisfied with our experience, but my concerns were unfounded. I love any opportunity to take pictures, so I was happy to sit behind the camera all morning. My husband used it as a chance to scout out some folks for Fantasy Football. And my son enjoyed it so much that the rest of the day at home - for hours - he played imaginary games of football.