Friday Funnies: The Flu

Yeah, so this Christmas is pretty memorable. The flu hit our house on Dec 23 and hasn't let up. 3/4 of us are sick.  SO, today's funnies are all flu related.

Happy last-friday-of-the-year and I hope your family has better flu luck than mine!

Christmas Giving

There's a jealous, evil, murderer in the Christmas story.  His name was Herod.

This article goes into much more depth, but let me summarize.  

• Herod didn't want anyone else to be king. 
• When Jesus was born Herod felt threatened, there was a new "King of the Jews" and Herod didn't like it one bit.  
• He was a ruthless ruler and on more than one occasion had innocent people murdered. 

"His paranoia was legendary. He was afraid one of his two sons might take his throne, so he murdered both of them. ...In one of the final acts of his evil life, he had all the distinguished citizens of Jerusalem put in prison and commanded that they be slaughtered the moment he died. 'These people will not weep when I die,' he said, 'and I want them weeping, even if they weep over someone else.' So even at his death there was a great slaughter." From GTY.org

Yeah. What a guy. It gets worse.

Back to when Jesus was born and Herod was trying to hunt him down and kill him, he sent the magi to find Jesus and come back and tell him where the baby was so that he could kill him.  
In an act of what I suppose was ancient times civil disobedience, the magi refused.  Jesus, Mary and Joseph escaped to another country. To return home, where Herod ruled, would be certain death. They were refugees. He was already killing all male babies.  

"Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance." (Matthew 2:16)

It struck me the other day...if we are truly going to live the spirit of Christmas, we will be loving and supporting refugees. 

After all, our Savior was one.  

BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images

And so, today, Christmas Day, I looked around my living room. I saw our beautiful tree and fireplace; our happy, safe children; our lovely presents. And I thought.

I thought about the families who aren't together this year.  

• About the children forced to leave their homes.
• About the hungry, scared, injured.
• About those who aren't as lucky as I have been.

And I did something about it.  
Today I donated to a religious charity in my home state that supports refugees.  They help with housing, visas, learning English, and more.

If, like me, you are feeling called to help others in the name of Jesus, our King who was first a refugee, please give.

Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

Not sure where to start? Here's a list of highly rated charities that help refugees.  Some are non-religious, some are Christian based (such as World Vision).  

Click photo to enlarge. Courtesy of CharityWatch.org

Thanks for listening to my heart.  I hope all who read this will have a wonderful Christmas with their loved ones.

P.S. **We understand that many refugees do not share our Christian faith.  Jesus does not tell us to feed and clothe only other Christians. He simply tells us to feed and clothe those in need.  Perhaps by seeing the love of Jesus lived out they may one day turn to Him. Regardless, I am committed to living my faith without condition.

Friday Funnies

Here are some Christmas themed funnies for you to enjoy!  

Giveaway: $10 Amazon Gift Card

It's the time of year to celebrate giving!  

You have given me over a million pageviews and now I'm giving away an Amazon gift card! Just in time for you to snag one last Christmas gift!

Entering the giveaway is easy (just follow the Rafflecopter directions below) and some entries can be done every day to get you even more chances at winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*fine print* 

1. No purchase necessary to win. Open to residents of the 50 United States (including District of Columbia) who are at least 18 yrs old.  Winner to be selected at random by Rafflecopter.com and will be announced within 24 hours.  Winner will be notified by email and has 24 hours to respond to claim their prize.  
2. If the potential winner cannot be contact, fails to reply within 24 hours, or prize is returned as undeliverable, the potential winner has forfeited the prize and a new winner will be chosen.
3. All prizes are non-transferable.
4. Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same email address and/or household. Any attempt by any entrant to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations and log-ins, or any other methods will void that entrant’s entries and that entrant may be disqualified. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. 
5. Void where prohibited by law.

Friday Funnies: Lego

It's the first Friday in December!!!  Take a break from the hectic decorating, wrapping, and party planning and let these 3 Lego funnies give you a laugh.

Black Friday Shopping Tips

*This post is sponsored by Swagbucks. Opinions are my own.*

Is there a petition to make Black Friday a national holiday? Because I would sign it!  I love a good bargain and saving money!  I still like to go to the stores but in recent years have also started doing some of my Black Friday shopping online.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you do your holiday shopping on Black Friday:

1. Have a list of who you need to buy for and how much you want to spend.  I have found it handy this year to keep a list of everyone I'm buying for and what I already got them...that way when I can track and make sure I'm spending roughly the same on everyone.

2. Don't be in a hurry!  If you're out in the stores for Black Friday there is going to be a crowd. You're going to wait in line to checkout.  There will probably be grumpy children being hauled through the aisles at 2am.  Be relaxed and just roll with it.  

3. Keep your car doors locked and packages out of sight as much as possible.

4.  Check store websites for free shipping offers.  On Black Friday and Cyber Monday many stores lower what they require you to spend in order to get free shipping.  Plus lots of stores offer ship-to-store options that are free. Then you get to shop in the comfort of your home AND not have to pay shipping!

5.  Use a cash back shopping site such as Swagbucks before you click a link to a store! Swagbucks offers cash back at over 120 different stores! Kohls, Amazon, Target, Macy's, Walmart, Barnes and Noble, Crate & Barrel, and more! You can get great deals without having to wait in a line!

If you aren't familiar with Swagbucks, here is a crash course in the basics: With Swagbucks you earn points, called SB, that you can turn into gift cards to places like Amazon, Sephora, Target, Starbucks, and even PayPal cash. You earn points by searching the web, watching videos, and even shopping online at stores you were going to shop at anyway!  

Click here to take advantage of the cash back, simply create your free Swagbucks account and you'll be all set!

6. Google for promo codes before checking out online.  I kick myself when I forget to do this!  Do a quick Google search like "Shutterfly promo code"  or "Sephora coupon code" and see if anything comes up. Retailmenot is usually pretty reliable.  Sometimes I find codes worth a % off, a free item, free shipping, etc!  Especially with the holiday season being here there will be lots of coupon codes coming out!  


Want more Black Friday tips? Check out this post from 2013!

How to get *cash* back for shopping online

Swagbucks is offering double cash back at dozens of different stores (like Macy's and Target) during their 2017 Holiday Sale. Just go to this page to see all of the deals available and get the jump on your holiday shopping. Shop through the links and earn cash back at stores you were already going to shop at (Sephora, Target, Macy's, etc)!
 

In order to take advantage of the cash back, just create your Swagbucks account when prompted (it takes less than 30 seconds) and then you're all set! Your cash back comes in the form of SB points, which you can redeem for gift cards to places like Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, or get PayPal cash! I just cashed in points last week and got a $25 eBay gift card!

As a special bonus, if you sign up through me you get a 300 SB ($3) bonus when you earn your first 300 SB before December 1st! This site's a great way to extend your shopping budget, especially around the holidays!

14 of the best Cub Scout Snack Ideas

If you are the parent of a cub scout, you know there will inevitably be a snack sign up sheet/email floating around.  I've searched the web to find some ideas for when it is our turn to bring scout snacks and today I'm sharing those ideas with you!

1. Smores in a Bag

From the blog A Girl and a Glue Gun (which has TONS of crafty ideas), this is a super cute and easy snack perfect for Cub Scout meetings.  

2. Armpit Fudge

Yeah. Gross.  Exactly why the scouts will love it!  This snack idea comes from CubScoutIdeas.com. 

3. Tiger Cub Cuties

How adorable is this snack for your den of Tigers?!  Just buy a bag of the "cuties" oranges and get out a Sharpie.  This image was on Pinterest without any website linked to it. Here is the link to the pin!

4. Cub Scouts are one in a Minion

AkelasCouncil has the free printables you need to make this for your scout pack! 

5. Turkey Snack Bags

As we approach Thanksgiving, these snack bags (from That's What Che Said) would be fun for your scouts. You could make them ahead of time and bring them to let the kids enjoy at the meeting, or hand them out as a take home snack, or have the scouts assemble them and take them home.  Of course you'll use scout popcorn. ;)

6. Tiger Tail Pretzels

Another snack for the Tiger cubs in your life.  These chocolate dipped pretzels from LaForce Be With You are easy and cute!  Directions are on her website!

7. Camp Nachos

This requires you to cook the beef ahead of time, but don't they look delicious!?  From Spindles Designs. 

8. Individual Fruit Cups

A healthier snack option for Scouts.  Plus, these can be prepped ahead of time!  Courtesy of Family Friendly Frugality.

9. String Cheese Snowman

Another healthier snack for your Scouts!  These snowmen string cheeses (from An Onion Exposed) are super cute.

10. Campfire Cinnamon Rolls

This great idea from A Thrifty Mom just requires refrigerated canned cinnamon rolls, roasting sticks, and about 8 minutes of cooking time.

11. Dirt Pudding

What kid doesn't love dirt pudding??  Directions from Gummy Bears and Ponytails.

12. Campfire Pies

Easy to make!  See the details on Made With Happy.

13. Dutch Oven Dump Cake

Simple to make and it can cook over the fire while the scouts do other activities.  There are all kinds of dump cake recipes you can pick from.  Here's one from Diana Rambles.

14. Pie Iron Pizza

You'll need pie irons for this. Hopefully your pack has some or you can borrow from other parents!
From Twin Dragonfly Designs.





















There you have it!  Fourteen snack ideas for your next cub scout meeting!  If you know of any other great ideas, please comment and let me know!  

Friday Funnies

It's Friday!!  Here are 3 new funnies for you this week....

Hesitating to join Swagbucks?

**This is a sponsored post from Swagbucks and the links are referral links.  Swagbucks is a free website that allows users to earn points towards gift cards.**

This is the time to join!  Right now you'll get an extra 300 points, called "SB" for signing up during October as part of their Three For Fall promotion.  That's worth $3.  No, you won't get rich.  But you wouldn't turn down someone handing you three bucks, right?  Of course not!

Swagbucks is a site I've posted about lots of times before.  You earn points and redeem them for gift cards or cash.  Last week I cashed out my points for $50 PayPal cash!  The points are easy to earn: web searches, watching videos, answering a daily poll, etc.

PayPal not your thing? That's okay. You can also get gift cards for places like Target, GameStop, Amazon, Sephora, Kohl's, Walmart, and TONS more.  

When you sign up through me this month, you get the extra $3.  Here's how:

• Sign up with this link.
• Earn 300 points before November 1st.  You'll get the extra 300 SB bonus!

Easy, right?

I usually earn several hundred dollars a year in Swagbucks.  The $50 Paypal I got last week went to buy a specialty chair for my classroom (I'm a special education teacher and my kids need special stuff ;) ).  It was great to be able to afford the chair without costing a dime of my own money!

Friday Funnies: Pumpkin Spice

Time once again for some funnies about America's bizarre love of all things pumpkin spice.

The 6th member of Spice Girls:

This one I shared last year. It's too good

not to share again!  Who knew zombies

don't like fall flavors??

Luau for Swagbucks

**This is a sponsored post from Swagbucks and the links are referral links.  Swagbucks is a free website that allows users to earn points towards gift cards.**

I've never been to Hawaii.  The pictures look beautiful but it's such a long plane ride. Over an ocean.  *shudders*

This week I'll be pretending to be in Hawaii with Swagbucks' new team challenge that is luau themed.  

Swagbucks is the site where I earn points, called SB, for doing things like searching the web, watching short videos, and answering daily polls.  I cash in those SB points for gift cards.  Most recently, I used Amazon gift cards for things for my classroom.  

If you want to join me, click here to join the team challenge.  You'll earn your SB and points for your team. The winning team gets bonus points, called Swag Up Rebates.  It's an instant rebate the next time you cash in for a gift card.  I have used these multiple times and they always credit right away. 


The winning team will get a 100 SB Swag Up rebate!  2nd place team gets 50 SB, and 3rd place team gets 30 SB.

This starts MONDAY so be sure to click over and join!  PLUS, if you join using my referral links here and earn 300 SB by September 1st, you'll get an extra 350 SB points!  

9 Cutest Tees for Teachers

**Update**-I bought #8 and love it!
Hey, hey fellow teachers (or friends of teachers)!  School is back in session!  If you're ready to show your pride, here are some of my favorite teeshirts for teachers! If you're not a teacher but have one in your life, consider gifting one of these cute shirts! (Yeah that's a lot of exclamation points.  BUT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THESE SHIRTS!)

1. Difference Maker $16 on Etsy  Wouldn't this make the sweetest gift for a teacher / speech therapist / principal?

2. You better show your work, work, work, work, work.  $20  LookHuman.com  Hahaha.  I could see some of the teachers at my son's middle school wearing this.  It's the perfect middle-school-teacher-tee.

3. I love my first graders  $20 by teachertshirts.co  Awww.  Cute design!

4. Don't make me use my teacher voice  $20 by ILoveApparel   Great tshirt for a teacher with a sense of humor!

5. Kindness is always cool  $20 by SunFrog  Not only would teachers love this shirt, but school counselors would too!  Our district always does a kindness week and this would be perfect!

6. Straight Outta  $26 by TeeSpring  Suitable for any teacher starting in February.  All the stuff that was new in August is gone/lost/broken by February.  

7.  Second Grade Rocks (any grade level can be used) $22.50 by zoeysattic on Etsy.  I love that you can put the teacher's name on this shirt!!  And that font is so cute!

8. (Perfect shirt for a special education teacher!) This teacher runs on velcro, visual schedules, and coffee.  $18 by TaelorMadeGifts on Etsy.  Yeah like I'm actually about to buy this teacher shirt for myself.  And velcro.  I need more velcro.

9. School House Rock $12.99 at Target. (I have this shirt! It's super soft and comfy!) This can be found in the men's department at every teacher's favorite store: Target.  

Have you found any other great shirts for teachers?  Comment or email me some links!