Amazon MP3 Freebie

Here's a good freebie: get $2 in Amazon MP3 store credits with code MOMROCKS.  Since I can never find where to enter this info, click HERE to get to the page.  You'll just need to click on the yellow enter your code button, and it will pop up a little window with all your gift card balances and give you a place to enter the code.

I also just got a promotional email with some awesome $5 whole album downloads, and I'm shopping.  $5 is a good price for a whole album, but $3 sounds so much better, right?

What's your pleasure?  Some that catch my eye in this list include , John Denver's greatest hits, Norah Jones, and Brad Paisley.


Want more MP3 credits? There are some apps in the app store that are only 99 cents, and they come with a $1 MP3 credit. Apparently my 5 year old bought the full version of the free preschool learning game. That will teach me to try to let her play on the kindle while I do dishes.

 

It's a fun and (young) user friendly game, so give it a shot. This deal goes through April 26 only.

Morel Mushrooms

This weekend may be your last weekend to get out and go mushroom hunting. If you've never gone out looking for morel mushrooms, you will probably have to find someone to help you know where to hunt. Most people in my area guard the secret locations of their hunting grounds better than they do their computer passwords.

We recently had a big bag of smaller mushrooms to cook, and I have taken the best ideas from every recipe I can find to figure out the tastiest way to cook morels.

First, you have to get them clean and get out the bugs. Gross, but true. I soak mine in a big bowl of water with sea salt for several hours, then carefully rinse and pat them dry.

After you've gotten them all clean, you can slice them in half lengthwise.  I have done them in quarters if they are really big mushrooms. 

I then make two bowls for breading.  First, break some eggs and whisk them up well.  In the second bowl, I like to use finely mashed crackers.  Because the mushrooms have been soaked in salt water and the crackers are pre-salted, I usually leave salt out of the seasoning.  I like to use just a tiny pinch of nutmeg and some freshly cracked black pepper mixed with the cracker crumbs.

I heat some butter and olive oil in a skillet together.  This cuts down on smoking, but also gives you the best of both flavors. 

Dump your breaded mushrooms into the pan and saute for about 10 minutes or until they are nicely browned.

Yum!

Tax Day Freebies and Deals!

All the stores seem to do some sort of deal for tax day. I'll share them all as I find them here.

Food Freebies and Deals

• Bruegger's is offering a baker's dozen bagels and two tubs of cream cheese for only $10.40. You can get the coupon HERE and use it today through the 17th.
• Arby's will give you some free curly fries.  Just print out this coupon. Tuesday only.
• Cinnabon will give you two free bites, Tuesday only from 6 pm-8 pm.  No coupon needed, but see it here.
• Chili's will give you a free appetizer or dessert with this coupon, and it's the 16th-18th.
• Seattle's Best coffee has a twofold reward.  They will give a free cup of coffee at one of their stores on the 17th, but you can also register for a free sample on the same page.
• P.F. Chang's will take 15% off your bill on tax day.  No coupon necessary, but see details here.
• Boston Market BOGO meal with this coupon.
• Marble Slab, free scoop of frozen yogurt from 4-7 pm Tuesday only.
• Panda Express, free Shanghai Angus Steak, must print coupon from their Facebook page.

Store Discounts

• Banana Republic 30% off Tuesday only with coupon BRTAXBREAK.
• Veggie Tales 25% off all toys through the 20th with coupon code SPRING12.  Get free shipping if you spend over $30.
• New York and Company (or NY&Co for my searchers)--this is in store only, but great!  50% off half the store, PLUS get an additional discount with coupons.  1481 will get you $40 off $120, or 1242 will get you $20 off $60.
• Fashion Bug 30% off capris, 40% off tops, extra 10% off your order with code SPRING10FB.
• Gap, through tomorrow (4/14) only, 25% off sale items with coupon code GAPGO.
  
• Kohls, get an extra 20% off with this printable pass or coupon code BLOOM20.
• The Children's Place (TCP) 20% off with coupon code Y2H2012 through April 15.  You can also mention store code 222 in store.
• Michaels 20% off printable coupon.
• 
  

I will keep adding as I find them!

Great Weekend for Kids!

Looks like a great weekend to be a kid! The weather should be good to be outdoors enjoying the spring flowers, and there are a ton of fun free activities over there in the free fun calendar --------------->

For Saturday, I have located these three events:

• 8:00-11:30 am Celebrate Families at the Boone Middle School.  See the link for more details.  This starts with a free pancake breakfast, and then there will be a lot of fun crafts and activities for the kids, all free!  Dan Wardell from IPTV will also make an appearance.
• 9:30 am Spring Egg Hunt at Inis Grove Park in Ames.
• 10:00 am Lowes Build and Grow Clinic at your local Lowe's store.

For Sunday, my pick is always Sample Sunday at Prairieland Herbs and Picket Fence Creamery.  It goes on from noon to 5 pm, and will have lots of fun activities, free samples, and many ways to spend your money.

All weekend, Reiman Gardens is debuting their new theme.  It's LEGO!  If you have a Lego lover in your house, this should be a great summer to get your family a membership to Reiman Gardens.  It's pretty inexpensive, and you will more than make up for it with multiple trips to the gardens with your kids.   The details:

From 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 14th the artist will be available to answer questions, take photos, and sign autographs with the public. Then from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday there will be a book signing where you can purchase one of Sean’s books in the Gift Shop and have him sign it for you.

On Sunday, April 15th Sean Kenney will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to answer questions, take photos, and sign autographs.

On Saturday and Sunday, there will be a continuous build station at the end of the Exhibit Hallway where guests can have fun and experiment with making creations out of LEGO® bricks. Visitors can “play and let it stay.”

Do you know of any more great activities?  Please contact me in the comments or email if you have something to add to the calendar.

Did you know that Groupon now has kids club deals?  There are some awesome ones today!  $39 for a reptile birthday party, $25 for 10 tickets to the Iowa Cubs--use them for any game you want, all at once or split them up over several games.  Check it out!

Awesome ebates Signup Offer

I have written about ebates plenty of times. They pay you cash back for shopping online. If you didn't sign up for the $5 bonus, maybe a $10 gift card will pique your interest. I got over $35 deposited direct to my paypal account from my Christmas shopping, which is awesome for just doing what I would have done anyway.

So, join today and choose a $10 gift card to Target or Barnes and Noble, among others. You can still choose the $5 cash signup bonus if you'd prefer.