iMommies

Rocket Science tip for the day: Never pay full price for a gift certificate through Restaurant.com!  On any given day, they’ve either just come out of a promotion, are in the middle of one, or are getting ready to start one.

Just click on the picture above, select your gift certificates, and at the checkout, enter FREEDOM, then recalculate the total to see your 60% savings.  Good through June 30, 2007.

This cake is delicious, festive, and SO easy!  Everyday cooking bores me, but when it comes to decorating food for parties, holidays, and general get-togethers…I am there!  Whether you’re planning a July 4th party, or just a quiet family celebration, this cake is the perfect dessert!  

INGREDIENTS:
1 package white cake mix
1 (4-serving size) package Strawberry Jello
1/2 cup boiling water
1 (4-serving size) package Instant Vanilla Pudding & Pie Filling
1-1/2 cups milk
3 cups whipped topping, divided
1 cup blueberries, divided
1-1/2 cups sliced strawberries
2 bananas, sliced
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1.) Prepare cake mix according to package directions in 13×9x2 pan. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely. 
2.) Poke holes in cake at 1-inch intervals.
3.) Dissolve Jello in boiling water, and slowly drizzle over cake, allowing Jello to seep into the cake holes.  Refrigerate 1 hour.
4.) Prepare pudding according to package directions using milk.  Fold in 1 cup whipped topping and 1/2 cup blueberries.
5.) Split cake horizontally in half.  Spread pudding mixture on top of the first cake half, then replace 2nd cake half on top of the mixture.
6.) Spread remaining whipped topping over top and sides of cake.
7.) Arrange remaining blueberries, strawberries and bananas on the cake to resemble a flag.  Place marshmallows around the edge (optional).

Best Western offered this promotion last summer, and it was a nice bonus.  If you’re planning a hotel stay anyway, the travel card will give you a discounted night later in the year.  Just register for a free Gold Crown membership, spend 6 nights at any Best Western hotel between June 29 and August 12, and you’ll receive a free $50 travel card in the mail, good toward another stay at any Best Western location.

Most Best Westerns are at the top of the 3-star rating, and frequently have indoor pools (requirement for any hotel stay with kids).  They aren’t my favorite hotel, but are reasonably priced and some locations are actually pretty nice.  Last summer, we spent a week at a quaint little Bavarian town up north, and the Best Western there was authentically designed in a Bavarian theme, had an indoor pool, gameroom with arcades, family lounge with board games, and an inside restaurant and bar. 

There’s almost always a good deal to be found at Kohl’s.  Between June 29 at 3pm and June 30 at 1pm, their 12′ X 36″ inflatable pool is on sale for $111 AND you can order online to have it shipped for $0.99.  If you order July 1 or 2, the price only goes up another $8.  Unless you have a Kohl’s across the street, you’ll save more money by ordering online and having it shipped to your door than by picking it up in the store.

The price is at least double at other stores, and in some cases, triple…not including the shipping charge.  Not a bad price to keep the kids entertained and cool in the summer heat, and it includes the maintenance kit, filter and extra cartridge, cover, ladder and DVD with instructions for set-up.

Every Wednesday this summer (except July 4th), take the kids to see a free movie at your local AMC Theatre.  Of course, there are 3 catches: the movies start at 10am, refreshments aren’t included, and the movies are not new releases.  Nonetheless, if your kids are anything like mine, the same movie can be seen multiple times before boredom sets in…especially if it’s AT the theatre.

This is a fabulous price!  (For my Texas friends, this is 2 days at Universal Studios for $4 more than a 1-day pass to Six Flags!)  If you’re planning a trip to California this summer, do not pass up 2 days at Universal Studios for $51/person (plus another $100/person in attraction coupons).  

Whether you’re a member of an IT department or own your business, InformationWeek is a weekly subscription with news relevant to your daily work.  I’ve been a subscriber for several years now, and though it’s a stretch to find time to read the issues, and an even further stretch to WANT to read them, it does stay abreast of emerging technologies and solutions.  This is usually a $200 subscription, but free for IT professionals.

For those of you in Tech Support telecommute positions, this can be a helpful resource to have around…just to ensure you don’t lose that edge.  For those of you looking for telecommute positions in Technical Support, CLICK HERE.

If you intend to purchase movies from Family Christian Stores to get the free DVD player, you can save 25% on the DVDs by using the link to the coupon below.

Click Here for full details on the free DVD player.

Making your own finger paints is so easy that it’s definitely worth the savings, and your kids can help make their own colors too!  Unfortunately, the clean-up is much more time-consuming than actually making the paint!

INGREDIENTS: (Multiply the measurements as needed to make multiple jars of colored paint.)
¼ cup cornstarch
2 cups water

DIRECTIONS:
Mix the two above ingredients in a saucepan and boil until thick.  Then pour the mixture into a jar and add food coloring until the desired shade is achieved.  Store paints in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

GIFT IDEA:
Apply a personalized label to each jar of paint, and give a set of finger paints as a gift.  Give just a set of paints, or make a basket of paints, paper, and brushes.  Kids LOVE this gift, especially when the jars have their names on them!

Alpine Access hires customer service professionals to handle customer calls.  This company is different than other virtual call centers in that they actually hire staff as company employees, and not as independent contractors.  They offer hourly pay regardless of how many calls are taken during a shift, medical insurance, 401(k) matching…basically the best of both worlds.