I don’t know about you, but I love, love love summer grilling!  I like it all year round (the George Forman Grill works well indoors), but especially in the summer, paired with a little cocktail, out on the patio – Yum-o!  I have found with summer in full bloom now, spending a lot of time preparing dinner is not something I am particularly fond of.  So my Jem for this week is how to plan ahead for some quick and easy meals.

When I can, I try to buy in bulk, chicken, beef, fish, whatever I fancy.  If you’re a member of  Sam’s Club or BJ’s, you can always get great deals, but often your grocery store will have sales and cheaper prices when you buy in bulk, or you can purchase “family packs”.  When you get home from the store, separate your meat/fish into Ziploc bags – one meal per bag – and throw in a marinade.  There are lots of store bought ones that are great, but you can also make your own according to your taste.  Put it all in the fridge and keep it in for a day or two, then throw anything you won’t be eating in the next few days in the freezer.  When you are ready to cook it up, pull it out of the freezer, defrost and pop it on the grill.  Viola!  Throw it on a salad, cook up some sides, it really doesn’t matter.  A little prep ahead of time, and dinner is effortless.  And an added bonus to using Ziploc bags is that they’re great for holding marinades, take up less room in your refrigerator and freezer, and you throw them away when you are done – alleviating pots and pans to clean.  Sweet!

This may sound like a cheesy plug for Ziploc, but it seriously is not.  It really does make my summer grilling so easy.  And any readers out there from Ziploc, just have your people put my check in the mail. ;)

Happy Grilling and Happy Summer!

Summer is officially upon us, however if you live in the Northeast like I do, it certainly does not feel like it!  When you think summer, it’s only natural to think of being outdoors, running, playing, swimming, loading up on sunscreen, right?  It’s been raining here for weeks, and the sun has made but only a few cameo appearances.  Couple that with school being out, and in sets panic!  It’s hard enough trying to think of ways to entertain your children for an entire summer, but when you are stuck inside it makes it even more challenging.  Enter PBS Kids Sprout.

I am not a huge fan of sitting my kids in front of a tv, in fact, during any given day their television viewing is quite limited.  Often I will record certain favorites my kids like to watch, to have access to them during “show time”.  Several of the shows they enjoy are broadcast on Sprout, which has introduced me to a great website Sprout Online (you didn’t think this jem was going to be all about sitting your kids in front of a tv when you are stuck inside, did you – as appealing as that may sound at times, I know!)

Sprout Online has a nice variety of activities for you and your child.  Everything from games and activities, crafts and coloring, even recipes you can make with your children, are all available on this site. I try to do one craft daily with my kids, and since they are 3 years apart in age, it’s easy to modify them to fit their level.  The rainsticks we recently made, you know, in honor of all the rain, were a huge hit!  The directions are all online, along with templates when needed, and many of the activities also feature some of your children’s favorite characters – Thomas, Elmo, even the Wiggles are coming to Sprout soon.  Oh, can you hear the excitement in my voice????

You don’t need to sit the kids in front of the tv to enjoy their favorite fictional friends.  Grab your little “sproutlet” and get creative!  And while you’re there, tap into the resources on Sprout for Parents!  A little somethin’ somethin’ for everyone!

Hope the sun shines where you are this week, if not outside, make it shine inside.

Have a great week!

With summer approaching and school out, many parents look for ways to entertain their children during the summer months.  I know I do!  I already have the summer calendar going, adding events and activities daily, so I a) have something special and fun to look forward to with my boys, b) have something to threaten my children with if they don’t behave, and c) am certain everything works better with a plan!

While many summer activities occur outdoors, sometimes it’s great to have indoor options as well.  What about a movie?  Both  AMC and  Regal Theaters offer children’s movies during the week for little or no cost to you (AMC charges $1 for a ticket, Regal is FREE).  A different G or PG rated movie is offered each week, typically on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings, and while the movies shown aren’t the newest releases, what kid doesn’t find it thrilling to see a flick on the Big Screen?  The biggest bonus is that fact that, since they are children’s movies, and cost nothing, if your child is not interested in the movie, if they’re having a less than quiet moment (read TANTRUM) or if the novelty of the whole movie experience has worn off, soon after the popcorn has been consumed, you can choose to leave and not feel bad about shelling out 15 bucks per ticket.  And it they love it, you have something fun to do once a week during the summer.  I think this Jem is worth the price of popcorn to find out, don’t ya think?

How much patience is required to be a parent?  Seriously, I would say more than one could put into words on any given day.  A while back I had blogged about shopping with kids, and different options for making it a painless experience. Sometimes I can follow my own advice, but other times I need to just roll with it, and this week was one of those situations.

I was in dire need of groceries, and doing an online order was not on option.  So, I put both kids in the car, and thought, “Really, had bad could it be?”  Apparently it had been quite some time since I did a major grocery shopping with both kids in tow, and must have clearly lost my head.  We were in aisle 2, yes folks, I said 2, when it all when to crap, and I thought, “there is no way I am going to make it another 12 aisles without someone getting hurt, or losing their mind!”  The bag of tricks didn’t work, the Dunkin’ Donuts “reward” was of no interest, and it was at that very moment that I saw it – Scrunchy’s Play Center. Oh Scrunchy, where have you been all of my shopping life?

In the past, I had seen the play center before but always walked right past it.  In 5 years of being a parent, I have never left my children with anyone other than a family member, so the thought of putting my kids in a grocery store play center, WITHOUT ME, and WITH STRANGERS nonetheless, was never given a second thought.  But I was desperate, and figured there was no time like the present to get over it. So,  I walked up to the window and said, “How does this work and where do I sign?”  All in all, it was a great concept.  It was very secure, a clean environment with an array of activities for the kids, there was a camera where I could fully see my children, and I was never more than a few aisles away and could get to them in a mere 15 seconds if needed.  Plus it was FREE, though I would have certainly paid top dollar for this convenience.  As a result of my kids playing with “Scrunchy”, I was able to get my shopping done in record time, without stress, and we were all much happier.

Check out your local grocery store and see if they offer anything like this.  I have heard certain Wegmans offer a similar service.  If they do, this could be a Jem to you, too.  Hmmm, now if only I could find Scrunchy when I need a pedicure!!!!

Do you have a plan?  I don’t mean a plan for what you’re having for dinner this week, or a plan on how you are going to get everything on your to do list completed, though it’s good to have a plan for those things as well.  I mean an emergency plan – do you have one?

The other day I was driving with my husband and we passed a pretty bad accident on the road.  I asked him if he had emergency contacts in his phone and to my surprise, he did not.  I then said to him, “If, God forbid, something were to happen to you, how would anyone know who to contact?”

I am sure they would eventually find the info, but how long would that take?  I remember quite some time ago seeing something on Good Morning America about ICE, which stands for In Case of Emergency.  Some cell phones may have an Emergency Contact option already in the phone, but for those that don’t, a great idea is to enter ICE into your contacts.  Under that name, you enter the number of whom to call in the event of an emergency.

As a back up, I also keep a card in my wallet, and have my husband do the same, with emergency contacts.  There is always that chance that your phone is dead, or you forget to grab it as you walk out the door, but you have less of a chance of forgetting your phone AND your wallet.

It just takes a few minutes, and then you won’t have to worry about who will be contacted or how you will be notified if you are needed in an emergency situation.  Hopefully you’ll never have to use it, but if it’s needed you can remain cool with ICE!

Have a great week!

Hey, did you miss me?  I took a week off from my Jems to take a vacation with my family - road trip to Disney – more on this journey to come.  It was this specific trip that prompted me to blog about this next Jem.  Driving such a long distance with two kids under 5, we took several days to reach our destination.  A real bonus to this was the fact that we did not pay for one hotel stay along the way.  That’s right, not a one.  How did we do it?  It’s the point system, baby!

There are many credit cards out there today that offer great rewards for using them.  My husband and I use two specific cards that totally allow us to cash in on some huge benefits. The first one is a Starwood American Express.  The second is an Amazon Visa.  We usually float between the two cards, and use them to pay for anything we can, that we would normally pay cash or write checks for, then pay off the balance at the end of each month.  The points we rack up allow us to cash in for hotel stays, as well as fun “toys” for the family.  Hey, we scored a Wii Fit from our Amazon card, back in December, for FREE.  Another way to earn valuable points is to take advantage of any business related travel, if you or your spouse has any.  My husband travels a lot for his job, so he always makes sure, when possible, he stays at the same hotel chain.  Each stay earns points, which he pays for via credit card, earning him additional points, before his company reimburses him.  It’s double the points, and costs nothing!  A win – win situation, and you’d really be surprised how fast those points add up.

There are many reward programs out there, the key is to just find a card that works for you.  There are many without annual fees as well, so it costs nothing to use, and you can reap many benefits just by using it for things you would already buy, anyway.  It’s worth the time it takes to research, to find the right one for you.  Work the point system, and then take a trip and enjoy!

Stay tuned for more details and tips from our East Coast Road trip, and exactly how I survived (barely) the 12 day adventure!

What in the world did I ever do before I discovered coffee?  I can’t really remember when I started drinking it, but I think it was when I lived down the shore in college and worked in a coffee house.  Then I drank it for fun, and because coffee was the latest fad.  Now, I don’t just drink it for the taste – it’s a simple pleasure that gives me a little jump start.  It’s been a busy week and when I sat down trying to figure out what this week’s Jem would be, I thought, “let me brew some coffee and maybe it will come to come me” – and it did.

I am a huge fan of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.  I actually prefer it to Starbucks, which is right down the street from me, and will go out of my way to get it.  But I don’t have to anymore.  I just recently discovered that Dunkin’ Donuts will deliver ground or whole bean coffee right to your door.  Seriously!!!  All you have to do is go to Dunkin Donuts and sign up for their “coffee subscription”.  From there you can choose the frequency you’d like it delivered, anywhere from every week to every 10 weeks, where you’d like it delivered (home or office), and what kind of coffee you would like.  AND get this, it’s cheaper than buying it in the store.  Now if only they would be at my door each morning with a hot cup of my favorite coffee, paired with a fresh boston crème filled chocolate donut!  Ahhh, a girl can dream!

The slogan says, “America runs on Dunkin’”.  I sure do.  Grab yourself a cup and have a great week!

I love photos!  I really think digital photography is one of the greatest inventions – EVER!  Especially since having children, I take a ton of pictures, often daily, definitely weekly.  I have actually been referred to as the paparzzi on several occasions, and am quite proud of it!  There are some people who never leave home without their blackberries – I never leave the house without my camera.  Just this past week my camera broke on me, although it quite possibly may have had a little help from the little people in my house who resist paparazzi.  This is tragic, especially with an upcoming vacation being planned.  And with how expensive cameras are to fix, and how much the prices have come down over the years, it makes more sense to buy a new one, than have it fixed.  But how do I pick a camera from the abundance of choices out there?

Enter CNET.  It’s been a great source to help me make choices in my electronic purchases over the years, before I buy.  From cell phones, to laptops, to GPSs and MP3 players (yes I have used this site for all of the above), it’s a great place to read reviews on all the products available.  The feature that I love the most is that they have 2 ratings, a professional or “Editor’s” rating as well as the “User“ rating, which is the average rating by regular people who have bought the item and have submitted a review.  It’s great to get both sides of the review, people who actually know what they are talking about, and a review from people like the rest of us, just everyday people buying the product.

There are many sites out there that give useful reviews, but for me, this Jem is the one I turn to first.  Now it’s time to get back to reviewing my new camera purchase.  And if the paparazzi visits your neighborhood, be sure to flash your best smile!

Have a great week!

Everyone has a wish list, right?  Many days I am wishing for more sleep, and a clean house for more than 4 minutes, but there are certainly some tangible things on my list as well.  This week’s “Jem” allows you to do just that ~ WISH!  And share it with everyone!

The Things I Want is the prefect website for creating a wish list of any kind, for any reason, or quite frankly, no reason at all.  It works in a similar way that a baby or bridal registry would, but the difference is, you are not restricted to one store, and it’s all conducted online.  All you need to do is go to the site, The Things I Want, and download the application.  Then you can add any item to your list, from any website.  If it has a website, you can wish for it, and share it with anyone you choose.  You can make your list private, even password protect it, or you can make it public for everyone to see.  Hey, you never know if there’s a secret admirer out there that wants to give you little something special. You can also create multiple lists for multiple events, and sort them by date of occurance ~ how convenient!

Personally, I use it most for Christmas and birthday lists for my kids.  How many times have family members asked what to get the kids?  Not to sound ungrateful, but wouldn’t you much rather have something that will get used and not stay in a box or collect dust?  If they ask, chances are they don’t have a clue and are looking for guidance, so why not make gift giving easy?  Take the guess work out of shopping for gift givers, where they can even “reserve” the item anonymously.  It’s a great site for bridal and baby registries too, and perfect for gift givers who shop online. 

What’s on your Wish List?  Check out The Things I Want and star wishing.

Happy Monday!  Today’s “Jem” is something I use daily, without even thinking about it.  It’s a time saver, helps me stay organized online, and you can try it out for free!  Seriously, who doesn’t like that?

If you are anything like me, you spend a decent amount of time online.  From banking, to shopping, to reading and writing blogs and just keeping up with what’s going on in the world, the information superhighway is a way of life.  But the majority of the sites you visit, require you to create an account and establish a user name and password.

With dozens of websites in your possession, remembering all of those user names and passwords can become a challenge.  Using the same password for every site is not a safe option, with the evil hackers of the world out there, and let’s keep it real, if you write it down somewhere you KNOW you are going to lose it!

Enter, Roboform!  It’s a program you can download, that keeps all of your passwords on your desktop, and can automatically fill in the forms for you, with the click of a button.  It auto saves information, can auto fill passwords to log in forms, generate passwords, and uses encryption to keep your information safe.  As long as you remember your master password, you can access the information, on your computer. You can also keep all your information on a USB stick and when you pop it out, your information comes with you!  Those of you on the go, you gotta love that!

There are limited features available to try for free, or for a one time price of $29.95, you can buy the license.  In my unsolicited opinion, worth every penny and totally “Jem” worthy!!

Have a great week!