How to Make Long Distance Work for Your Relationship

As you may have read, my husband took a job about 7 weeks ago that is about 1,000 miles away from our family.  I am starting at Central Washington University this month, and we didn't want to pack up and move the family right away, so he is out there while I stay with our little girls. We have had to sacrifice alot.  But it has been a growing experience so far, and will be an overall good thing in the long run.

So I have put together some advice to help you, your spouse and your kids get through long distance families of any type.  Military families, long commute or any type of separation can benefit from these tips:

1. Make sure you call each other at least once a day if at all possible (With military of course this won't work).  It is more personal than text and email and helps to keep you connected to eachother.

2. That being said, try to be sweet or show your appreciation for the other spouse by sending a kind text during the day.

3. To keep it creative, surprise your partner.  My husband sent me flowers yesterday and it totally made my day ☺

4. Get web cams to do family video chats.  Let each child talk to the other parent individually so each gets a little one on one time and is able to share anything special that has happened.  This is such a great way to use technology to connect!

5. Talk about the situation with your kids. I cannot stress this enough. It is a tough transition on little ones when dad or mom goes away for a long period of time.  Explaining the situation and helping them to understand why these changes are taking place are crucial to helping them cope. Give extra hugs and kisses to make up for lost affection from your partner.

If your relationship and family can withstand a long distance separation, chances are you can cope with just about anything! I hope you find these tips useful for any situation you may need them for!

Surviving the distance: long distance families.

Many of you have likely been affected by the big economic crisis, and if you are like my family, that means being unemployed. My husband is in the construction business and has been doing it about 10 years. The last 2 years he has had minimal amounts of work and it has gotten pretty bad.   I read an article in the May edition of Readers Digest about long distance marriages; families where one parent travels or lives in another area or even state.  One father traveled out of state for work and came home on the weekends. I remember reading it and thinking to myself that it would never work for my family. 

Well not even a week later, my husband got a job offer, finally after months of searcing for a full time job with no results.  The only hitch? It was in North Dakota. We live in Washington state. Thats about 1000 miles away.  I was instantly thinking to myself "how am I going to be here with all 3 kids all alone????" and went into panic mode.  Well we talked and talked for 2 days and finally decided to send him out there the next day with a friend of his also seeking a job out there.  That was 2 weeks a go today. 

My husband had a job the day he got there, and has been working hard since then!! I am proud of him and glad that we are back on track and he is sacrificing alot to take care of our family.  He misses us and we miss him like crazy! The kids kiss his picture every morning and night, and we spend time on the phone as much as possible. The move isn't forever, just as long as he has work available and until he can find something again back home. He is making more money now than he has ever before, and we will be able to buy a new car in a couple months!

So consider the benefits of a long distance marriage, at least temporarily if you or your spouse needs a job and cannot find one anywhere locally.  This saved our family and our house, and it could be the thing that helps you!

The Family Dish

I wanted to share some information about The Family Dish, a Unilever Food Brands’ program.

The program is a response to an emerging trend: cooking together. It is also an opportunity to catch up but also to teach your kids life skills.  The Family Dish encourages moms to get their families unplugged from the TV and video games and into the kitchen cooking, reconnecting and spending quality time together.

Also fun for the whole family is a chance to win a Family Culinary Vacation to Orlando by entering “The Family Dish Contest,” which asks families to share their own experiences cooking together. From July 25 to August 30, 2010, families can enter “The Family Dish Contest” by visiting thefamilydish.com and uploading a video about their best experiences cooking as a family. Twenty semi-finalist videos will be posted on the site for public voting to choose a winner. Public voting will take place from September 15-30, 2010. Official rules are available at www.thefamilydish.com.

Taking Family Game Night on the Road! Review and Giveaway!

Family game night is a great way to keep your family close and have fun together! And there are great games for any age group! Hasbro knows that families travel alot, and so to take the fun of some of your favorite games on the go, they have created some great new card games!!


I got to try out three of them: Sorry Revenge, Yahtzee Hands Down and Mille Bornes Card Game.  Here is a bit about each one!


Sorry Revenge:

Win the race to flip all of your pawn cards home and sweet revenge is yours! Take turns to play number and action cards to change the play pile’s total. Get the pile to 21 without going bust to get one of your pawn cards home. But watch out – someone could play a SORRY! card and steal your win!

Includes 109 cards, 1 reminder card and instructions. For 2 to 4 players.

Ages 6 and up.

This game is a fun alternative to the regular Sorry! game, and is really easy to learn how to play! It gets everyone excited and involved, and is great for many families!

Yahtzee Hands Down:

Keep your wits about you and your eye on the cards! Collect dice cards to make classic combinations: 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind, small straight, large straight, full house and YAHTZEE! Re-roll by discarding cards you don’t need and taking a chance on new ones. But here’s the twist – pit your hand against another player’s. Score high and win the Combo card points. It’s great YAHTZEE fun in a card game!

Includes 12 combo cards, 12 chance cards, 84 dice cards, 1 starter card, 1 reminder card, 1 combo sheet and instructions.

For 2 to 6 players.

Ages 8 and up.

I love the original Yahtzee! This game is a fun twist and it makes it a refreshing new game while still a bit like the original! Also easier to keep the pieces, since you don't have a bunch of dice to keep track of!

And also I played Mille Bornes Card Game!

Put your foot down… it’s time to play MILLE BORNES! Play distance cards and speed towards the finish line, or put the brakes on your opponent with nasty hazards! Drive carefully, because they’ll be playing hazards on you too. Out of gas? Play a Gasoline card. Got in an accident? Play your Repairs card. Be the first player to travel 1000 miles and win!

Includes 115 cards, instructions and scoresheet.

For 2, 3, 4 or 6 players.

Ages 8 and up.

I had never heard of or played this game before, but I was so excited to try it out! This was definitely my favorite, because not only are you playing to stay alive, but you are trying to set your opponent back too!  This game is fun no matter if you have 2 or 6 players! What a great way to pass the time!

Hasbro would like to help your family have your own Family Game Night with these great card games!! Here is how you can win!:

*MANDATORY ENTRY* THIS MUST BE DONE FOR ALL OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT. PLEASE BE SURE I HAVE YOUR EMAIL TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!  

Go to Hasbro.com and tell me any game you would like to try!  Tell me in a comment below!  Be  sure I have your email so I can contact you if you win!

Extra entries: (leave a separate comment for each:)

Follow @FrugalFamilyFun on Twitter 1 extra entry leave me your twitter name

Follow @FamilyGameNight on twitter, 1 extra entry leave me your twitter name

Tweet about this giveaway. Include the link to this giveaway, @FamilyGameNight and @FrugalFamilyFun Can be up to 5 times daily, tweets must be at least 1 hour apart for entry. 1 extra entry for each tweet.
leave me the link to your tweet

Subscribe to our email updates, via google reader, or via RSS feed , 1 extra entry for each

Put our button on your blog, leave me the link to the blog THIS WILL BE CHECKED. 3 extra entries

Blog about this contest, including a link back to this giveaway worth 5 extra entries.  Leave me the link in your comments to the post

Like Family Game Night on Facebook leave your facebook name, 1 extra entry

sign up for Hasbro's Email updates by clicking here

tell me email used to sign up for 1 extra entry

Follow us via Google Friend Connect, worth 3 extra entries and leave me the name you used.


Contest begins now and ends August 26, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST. Winners will be selected via Random.org and will be notified by email. Winners must respond within 48 hours or forfeits prize. Good luck!

Hasbro provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product

Family Fun For Less This Summer!

How can you pass the time this summer? Here are a few inexpensive ideas to pass those hot days!!

-Create your own water park by filling up a small pool in the backyard, putting out the Slip 'N Slide(r) and turning on the sprinklers. Use squirt guns and other spray bottle as water guns. Try games like a water balloon toss, sponge tag or musical sprinkler (like musical chairs, have children dance around until the music stops and then the sprinkler starts and the kids get drenched).

-Create a backyard carnival by setting up stations for old-fashioned games such as a ring toss, a clothespin drop, backyard bowling or potato sack races. Face painting and estimation jars filled with candy (the closest guess without going over wins) also add to the fun. Look for inexpensive prizes at a dollar store. Don't forget concession stands that "sell" carnival food like hot dogs, chips, soda and lemonade.

-Hosting a lemonade or Kool-Aid(r) stand is tons of fun for kids, plus it's a great way to cultivate their entrepreneurial spirit. Hold one in conjunction with a neighborhood garage sale to boost traffic. To teach

the importance of giving, you can even encourage kids to pick a local charity and donate their profits. 

-Sign your kids up for a local summer reading program at the library!  Help them learn the importance of readign!

$50 Visa Contest from The Bragging Mommy and Goby.com

Check out the $50 Visa gift card giveaway from  The Bragging Mommy and Goby!!! Goby

“A perfect tool for busy moms, Goby.com (pronounced GO-be) is a new one-of-the-kind search engine that helps you find fun new ways to spend your free time.  It searches more than 300 different categories of “things to do” from zoos and aquariums to playgrounds and children’s museums.  Goby poses three questions: What, Where and When.  By just answering two of the three questions, you can instantly receive an easy-to-read results page that includes not only detailed information about attractions, activities, locations and events, but also an interactive map and photos from sites like Google and Flickr.  Check out Goby.com today and be inspired by the myriad of things you can do!”-Goby website

Click here to enter the giveaway 

This contest is not on my blog, it is at The Bragging Mommy!

Enter to win a Britax Carseat!!

 

Britax has kindly offered to give one of these carseats away on Dealectible Mommies! That's right, one lucky "Deal"ectible Mommies reader will WIN a Britax Advocate CS!!!!!  Winner will choose fabric color.   I know that totally rocks, doesn't it? Just visit Dealectible Mommies and enter to win!! Good luck!!!

More Mileage For Your Money

I have a big Thank You for Allison White, a PR Rep for Uniroyal Tires. She is is working on a campaign with Kim Danger of mommysavers.com all about family savings!! Allison introduced me to More Mileage For Your Money It is the site Kim Danger is doing! There are all kinds of great stories, coupons and more on the site!!

More Mileage for Your Money covers topics from saving while traveling in the summer to shopping and cooking efficiently. There will be a new series beginning in January. Their 2009 series included topics such as: getting your finances in order, pampering yourself for less, back to school on a budget and more. You can check out the site

Kim wants to show families that a budget doesn’t have to put a damper on family fun. Some of her tips include:

· Set up a neighborhood scavenger hunt. It will encourage them to work together in teams, with older kids helping out the younger ones. Divide kids into two teams and give each team a big bag and a list of things in your neighborhood, ranging from very easy to difficult to find.

· Have a fun family theme night at home. Get creative with food, activities and game games. Turn off cell phones, televisions, computers and other distractions so you can give loved ones your full attention.

· On a rainy day, built a fort with things you have around the house. Serve lunch and make shadow puppets in the fort.

Uniroyal is also having two giveaways that last all year. There is a monthly drawing for a $100 gift card, available at Uniroyal Tires As an extension of the 10^th anniversary of the Uniroyal Soccer Program, Uniroyal will give away a soccer ball every day in 2010!! So be sure to check out More Mileage for Your Money and Uniroyal Tires!!

All photos from Uniroyaltires

Birthday Invites Giveaway from Minted.com!!!!

Logo from Minted.com

The key to a great birthday party?? Lots of friends around to share that special day!! And of course you will need invites. Stop by Minted.com for a fabulous selection of birthday invites plus more!!

They offer everything from Wedding Invites, to Baby announcements to Holiday cards!! You can get ones with your photo, and the best part is they are all printed with the info!! No writing for hours!

Here is a little bit about Minted.com from their About Us page:

We believe that great design lives and thrives in the hands of independent brands and designers that consumers may not hear about or have access to through traditional retailers. For our launch, we've handpicked a selection of the best independent stationery brands, known for their artistry, exquisite printing, and superb papers.
At Minted, we love the idea that our stationery will find its way into your most personal celebrations, and we don't take that honor lightly. That's why we only carry brands that use fine paper stock, rich inks, and crisp printing methods. We guess you could say that quality is an obsession for us. We stand behind our products with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Because we believe that online stores should make your life easier, we also offer a suite of add-on services, including custom design, calligraphy, and hand-addressing of envelopes.
And we're not done yet. We're fanatical about bringing you great design, and we're constantly searching for great independent brands and the latest up-and-coming talent. So check back often for fresh products and new faces in our growing design roster.
At Minted, you'll always find the freshest designs on paper.
Minted.com has offered one lucky reader to score 25 birthday invites of their choice!! Here are some of my faves:

T-Rex Birthday Invite

Photo from Minted.com

Royal Celebration Birthday Invite

Photo from Minted.com



Artist's Palette Birthday Invite
Photo from Minted.com

***MANDATORY ENTRY***
YOU MUST DO THIS FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT!!!

Go to Minted.com

website and tell me which birthday invite you might pick!

Want to earn some extra entries?? Here's how!
1. Follow Minted on twitter (For 1 bonus entry!)

2. Follow Frugal Family Fun on twitter (For 1 bonus entry!)

3.Sign up via email or RSS Feed through Google reader for our updates!
(can do both, 2 entries for each!)

4. Follow me on google friend connect (For 3 bonus entries!)

5. Add my button to your blog (For 3 bonus entries!) (Leave me a link to the blog!)

6. Blog about this giveaway (For 5 bonus entries!) (Leave me a link to the blog!)

7. Tweet about this giveaway!! MUST include @FrugalFamilyFun AND @minted to count!
THIS CAN BE DONE 3 TIMES DAILY FOR 1 ENTRY PER TWEET. THESE MUST BE SPACED OUT, NO MORE THAN AN HOUR TOGETHER!!

The contest will begin February 18,2010 and end March 18,2010 at 11:59 P.M. PST. One winner will be chosen via Random.org The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or they forfeit their prize. In this case a new winner will be chosen! Good luck to all!

I was not compensated for this review, and these are only my opinions.

Quick And Easy Yummy Snacks!!

Here are some of my favorite recipes from "Food For Tots" by Dr. Janice Woolley, Pediatrician, and Jennifer Pugmire, mom!! (Illustration by Marilyn Taggart!!)


Orange Banana Milk!
For a quick and yummy breakfast drink, place1 2/3 cups milk, 1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate and 1/2 of a medium banana in a blender. Cover and blend until foamy.
SERVE IMMEDIATELY OR THE BANANA WILL MAKE THE DRINK TURN BROWN!!

Breakfast Burritos!
Wrap up breakfast for one, two or a whole crowd!!
Scramble eggs with milk (1 tbsp. of milk for each egg. 1 egg per child; use 2-3 eggs per adult) Be sure to cook eggs thoroughly! Cook chopped ham, sausage links or other meat of your choice. Warm tortillas (whole wheat or flour). Once warmed, you are ready to serve! Put cheese, salsa, tomatoes or other toppings in bowls and serve buffet style! Our family also likes to cook onions and red and green peppers to go in the eggs! It is a great way to get your child to eat their veggies and love it at the same time!!

English Muffin Pizzas!
Everyone loves pizza!! Here is a yummy and healthy one that kids can help make!!
You will need whole wheat english muffins, pizza sauce, grated mozzarella cheese, ham or chicken (cooked and chopped) and other pizza toppings.
Some topping ideas:
chopped red and/or green peppers
chopped onions
pineapple chunks
sliced olives
chopped tomatoes
sliced mushrooms
bacon bits

Slice English muffin in half. Spread pizza sauce on each half. Sprinkle with cheese, meat and other toppings. Broil until cheese is bubbly! Enjoy!!

Homemade Mac N Cheese!
Much healthier than the box stuff!!
Cook 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (8 oz. package) according to the package directions. In a blender, mix 2 cups milk, 2 tbsp white flour, and 2 tbsp melted butter until thoroughly blended. Cook milk mixture in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Mix 2 tsp mustard into the milk mixture, then slowly stir in grated cheese until melted. Remove saucepan from heat. Combine pasta and cheese sauce in a serving bowl and garnish with grated cheese if desired!

Fun Alphabet Activities!

Here are a few fun and quick ways to help your child learn their ABC's!!!

Activity 1: The Alphabet Song
Sing the alphabet song. Be sure to sing the letters "L", "M", "N","O", and "P". Have your child sing the song several times with you.

Activity 2: Alphabet Clap
Clap your hands while saying the alphabet. Say one letter for each clap. For example, when you clap the first time, say, "A". When you clap the second time, say, "B". Continue through the alphabet. Then have your child clap and say the alphabet.

Activity 3: Alphabet Bounce: (You will need a ball)
Stand in front of your child, and bounce a ball as you say the alphabet. For example, bounce the ball once and say, "A". Bounce the ball again and say, "B". Continue through the alphabet. Then have your child say the alphabet with you as you bounce the ball.

Activity 4: ABC Parade
Have your child stand behind you. March around the room, saying the alphabet as you step. Have your child say the alphabet with you. Later, let your child have a turn leading you around the room.

Activity 5: Family catch and say (You will need a ball)
Have your family sit in a circle. Have everyone pass a ball around the circle. The person who catches the ball says the next letter. Complete until you're finished or until your child is unable to say the next letter.
IF your child is unable to say the next letter, say the letter and ask your child to repeat it. Then continue the game!

From Curriculum Associates Inc.