Last week A friend of mine post it on Facebook about a visit to one of my favorite spots in Emeryville California. I remember the restaurant was a small quaint Vietnamese restaurant and they serve the best Vietnamese coffee. I so miss the flavors of the San Francisco Bay Area and try to replicate them whenever I get a little homesick. I’m sure there’s a restaurant nearby that serves Vietnamese Coffee but there’s something about that little restaurant and the memories it stirs up. Although we have a Keurig coffee maker, my husband is a die-hard coffee in the coffee maker fan. He sets the timer so he wakes up to a pot of hot coffee in the morning. We’ll enjoy a cup or two and it never fails there's usually a cup of 2 left and this frugalista refuses to let leftover coffee go to waste. I toss the used coffee grounds into the mulch pile and sprinkle a bit into the soil of my houseplants. Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen and good for plants. The leftover coffee ...

On Monday, February 26th, Swagbucks is putting up over $10,000 that you can win playing fun trivia games! SwagIQ (available for iPhone and. Android) is a live, multiplayer trivia game show you play from your phone! Each weekday, Swag IQ broadcasts a live game. Simply tune-in at the appointed time by launching the SwagIQ app and log-in with your Swagbucks account credentials. If you don't have a Swagbucks account, you can sign up for one here and then download the app ! In celebration of Swagbucks's 10th Birthday, they're going to broadcast 4 shows throughout the day and give away at least $10,000! It will likely be more since the more people who sign-up via SwagIQ prior to each game, the bigger the grand prize!  1st Game Show: 1:00 PM Eastern Time/10:00 AM Pacific Time. Grand Prize: at least $1500.   2nd Game Show: 4:00 PM Eastern Time/1:00 PM Pacific Time. Grand Prize: at least $2000.   3rd Game Show: 7:00 PM Eastern Time/4:00 PM Pacific Time. G...

A couple of schools in our local area recently closed due to concerns over a possible flu outbreak.  Although my family has avoided the flu so far, we aren't letting our guards. As temperatures drop, the spread of cold and flu germs rises. Start the year off healthy and be sure to rid your home of lingering germs that may be hiding in places you don’t expect. “I always recommend the flu shot – especially when officials are predicting a harsh flu season like this year – good nutrition and plenty of sleep, but there are other healthy habits we can all develop to help keep ourselves and those around us stay healthy during cold and flu season,” said Dr. Tanya Altmann, pediatrician, best-selling author and founder of Calabasas Pediatrics. “Vaccination is important, but there are other preventative measures that we should all keep in mind.” These tips from the experts at Clorox can help you prevent the spread of germs: Get Vaccinated. Even though it’s well into cold and flu season, ...

Want to earn money while answering fun trivia questions? SwagIQ (available for iPhone and. Android) is a live, multiplayer trivia game show you play from your phone! Each weekday, Swag IQ broadcasts a live game. Simply tune-in at the appointed time by launching the SwagIQ app and log-in with your Swagbucks account credentials. If you don't have a Swagbucks account, you can sign up for one here and then download the app ! Our game show host will then ask a series of multiple-choice trivia questions. You’ll have 10 seconds to answer each one. Get it right; you get SB and move on. Answer them all correctly and you can win a grand prize! If more than one player wins, the winners split the grand prize.  Get it wrong; still play along. Some questions have an SB award attached to them. If you answer those questions correctly, you get those SB, even if you’re out of the running for the big money. And, if you’re in a groove but miss a question, you’ll have the option to rejoi...

Keeping your heart in good shape starts at mealtime. Fortunately, there’s no reason to skimp on flavor to spread the love to your heart. For example, homegrown American Pecans are a naturally sweet, heart-smart ingredient you can add to salads, vegetable side dishes, oatmeal and other whole grains – or enjoy on their own as a snack. Their unique mix of “good” unsaturated fats, fiber, plant sterols and flavonoids add up to make pecans a powerful, heart-healthy food. Each 1-ounce serving provides 18 grams of unsaturated fat with zero cholesterol or sodium. In fact, American Pecans are certified as a heart-healthy food by the American Heart Association’s® Heart-Check Certification Program. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as pecans, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. Try adding a colorful, flavorful twist to a ...

This has been a wicked Winter but rest assured Spring will soon be here. I know it's hard to believe while those mounds of dirty snow just outside your window but hang in there Spring is on its way! As we gear up for our annual Spring Break Road Trip I decided to share some traveling tips with some of my fellow road warriors.  These tried and true tips are sure to help you save money as you and your family gear up for your road trip.  #1  Make Sure ALL of Your Tires Are Properly Inflated          Winter has wrecked havoc on city streets and potholes are everywhere.  Lessen your chances of a blowout by making sure your tires are properly inflated.  My mechanic suggests steering away from those gas station tire inflators with the auto tire gauge and don't rely solely on the your car's tire pressure monitoring system.  He suggests a quick visit to your local mechanic or t...

Everyone is raving about Marvel's epic blockbuster, Black Panther, and rightfully so.  This movie is epic on so many levels.  There's so much about this movie I want to share with you.  After seeing the movie I sat back and thought of the movie release on the heels of National Engineers Week and February 22 being Introduce a Girl to Engineering. No spoilers Those familiar with the Black Panther saga know Suri as the teenage sister of T'Challa, the Black Panther.  I had no idea.  Fortunately, my sons are Marvel Masters and my eldest son gave me the rundown on Shuri calling her the "Tony Stark of Wakanda".  Shuri has mastered the power of the resources of her beloved country. Shuri, Shuri, Shuri, were have you been all my life.  Oh, that's right Shuri didn't appear until 2005.  I headed to our local comic book store hoping to secure a copy of that coveted comic, but they were sold out. *kicks rocks*    I loved math and science w...

Our crock pots get a work out this time of year.  Wintry winds and cold weather call for hearty meals to keep our family full.  In this house of picky eaters finding something everyone enjoys can be a task but this Crockpot Ranch Pot Roast is a favorite of all! I typically use a 4-5 lb. chuck roast for this recipe.  Chuck roast is one of the least expensive cuts of beef so it's easy on the budget as well.  Chuck roasts is perfect for slow cooking as the cut gets tender and juicy as it cooks.     This dish is just 5 ingredients + water:  chuck roast, onion, potatoes, pickle juice and a packet of ranch dressing.   A roast, some  root veggies like potatoes and a salad and you've got a hearty meal tonight and possibly some leftovers for lunch. This dish takes about 4 hours to cook so if you put it on around lunchtime, it'll be piping hot and ready in time for dinner and it's no mess.  The simplicity of this flavo...

Today is Valentine's Day and you meant to pick up a card for your sweetheart but... Okay, don't worry, we've got this covered.  Here are 9 last minute Valentine's Day gift ideas sure to wow your valentine. 1.  Deliver a bouquet of flowers.  Not knocking floral delivery service but Valentine's Day is one of the busiest delivery days and there's no real guarantee your flowers will arrive on time so save your cash and pick up a bouquet and drop them off to your valentine.   2.  Good chocolate.  It's Valentine's Day so splurge on the good chocolate.  Your sweetie probably doesn't want a big box of sweets so choose 3 pieces of their favorite chocolate.  1 for them, 1 for you and 1 to share.  3.  Heart themed coffee mug.  Fill the mug with a few candies or better yet, fill with a couple of packets of hot chocolate or a couple of K-cups. 4.  Dinner at Home.  Nothing like a home cooked meal of your...

THE BELOVED FOOTBALL HEAD RETURNS TO SCREENS IN THE FIELD TRIP OF A LIFETIME I was so excited to see HEY ARNOLD! returning to the screen during the holidays.  It was one of my favorite shows growing up and one that always left me wondering if my buddy Arnold ever found his parents.  I also wondered what became of his friends, his grandparents and so many more of the characters I'd come to love. HEY ARNOLD! THE JUNGLE MOVIE Nickelodeon's fan-favorite animated series Hey Arnold!, which burst back onto screens (and back into hearts) this fall with the long-awaited Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie , is coming to DVD on February 13, 2018. Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie features a storyline that picks up where the original TV series ended in 2004, following the kids on the field trip of a lifetime, where Arnold and his friends embark on a quest to achieve his dream of finding his missing parents. Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie resolves unanswered questions and plotlines--i...

We are house filled with Disney fans!  Although I'd love to visit our favorite place every year, it just doesn't happen like that.  Fortunately, we can see all of our favorite characters in the Disney on Ice shows a few times during the year. I still remember our first show back in 2013 - Disney on Ice  Dare to Dream .  Last year we attended Disney on Ice Dream Big and it was amazing. See this face... this face just in awe of seeing his favorites from Disney live and in person. This is what Disney on Ice is all about.  It truly is magical! A lot goes into bringing our beloved Disney characters to stadiums and arenas throughout the world and it shows.  Did you know it takes about 12 hours for each crew to set up the production? Follow your heart straight to adventure at Disney On Ice! Just keep swimming with Dory and new pal Hank from Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory as they set out to find her parents. Cheer with the Emotions from Disney•Pixar’s I...

  I read a story about a couple in Michigan who are expecting their 14th child in April.  Get this, their 13 kids are boys...all 13.  The couple has opted to wait and see what baby number 14 is going to be.  Is it boy?  Is it a girl?  What do you get for baby #14. Reading their story reminded me of when I was pregnant with baby #3 after the twins.  Family and friends weren't exactly sure what to get us since we had a babies and the assumption was we already had everything we needed.  Clothes and onesies always make a great gift for newborns but there are  lots of gifts to welcome the new little one. 1. Equipment .  If it's been a while since baby #1 parents will appreciate some new baby gear.  Some make the mistake of using equipment from baby #1 without checking to see if there have been any recalls on the equipment.  Encourage parents to visit the Consumer Protection Safety Commission website to see if there are any...

Disclosure:  The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. What's your favorite chore?   Odd question but seriously what's your favorite household chore?  For me, it's laundry .  With four kids we have a lot of laundry and that means washing clothes a couple times during the week so we can leave the weekends free.   Laundry is a family chore at our home.  Everyone has a hamper in their room and the rule is "Mom is ONLY washing clothes in the hamper".  It works.  Probably because to tweens and teens there is nothing worse than discovering that pair of jeans you wanted to wear to school didn't get washed because they didn't put it in the laundry hamper.   The  LG Front Load Sidekick Pedestal Washer  has a remote control so you can stop a load to add that pair of jeans.  LG hit a home run with this one. This is per...

Discover magic in the most unexpected places in the new Nickelodeon DVD release Shimmer and Shine: Beyond the Rainbow Falls, available February 6, 2018.  In this fantastical collection of episodes, Shimmer, Shine and Leah travel beyond the Rainbow Falls for all-new magical adventures where they'll explore wondrous locales and meet exciting new friends. Whether they're recovering a magical Genie Gem, searching for Zac in the forest, or rescuing Zeta from a wild whirlpool, Shimmer, Shine and Leah are always ready to work together and lend a helping hand. Produced by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Media Distribution, Shimmer and Shine: Beyond the Rainbow Falls will be available on DVD February 6, 2018, for the suggested retail price of $10.99. Shimmer and Shine: Beyond the Rainbow Falls contains the following episodes: Rainbow Zahramay - When all the wishing magic in Zahramay Falls disappears, Princess Samira sends Shimmer, Shine and ...

Disclosure: Many thanks to Nickelodeon for providing this DVD in exchange for this review. Nick star JoJo Siwa takes fans on her personal journey to her biggest moment ever - performing at Mall of America! JOJO SIWA: MY WORLD available nationwide February 6, 2018 Nickelodeon star and YouTube sensation JoJo Siwa is bursting onto DVD February 6, with the nationwide release of JoJo Siwa: My World. This special DVD release from Nickelodeon Home Entertainment contains JoJo's first-ever concert special as well as behind-the-scenes content with JoJo herself. JoJo takes fans on a journey through all of the moments of her life that have led her to her very own concert performance at Mall of America. This exciting look at the Nickelodeon personality and Lip Sync Battle Shorties sidekick comes with a special includes 15 bonus minutes of content exclusive to this DVD! JoJo Siwa: My World is a perfect release for fans of this sweet, sassy and talented young artist. JoJo Siwa: My Wo...

  Following last year's release of the first two seasons of Rugrats on DVD, fans will love the next set of baby adventures with Rugrats: Season Three and Rugrats: Season Four each available on DVD February 6, 2018. Rugrats: Season Three contains all 52 episodes from the show's third season and features classic episodes like "Naked Tommy" and "Angelica Breaks a Leg." Viewers will have a blast as they join Tommy, Chuckie and the gang as they grab a screwdriver, break out of the playpen and embark on over ten hours of grand adventures to the moon, north pole and even to Chuckie's first haircut! Rugrats: Season Four picks up right where season three leaves off and contains over six hours and two discs of adorable adventures from season four. Fans won't want to miss the chance to relive the classic Rugrats family vacation, meet Spike's babies or laugh along as Phil and Chuckie discover the joys of dresses! Produced by Nickelodeon Home Ente...