Freebies of the Month!

This month I got a few freebies! I wanted to share with you. I got most of these because of signing up for customer appreciation memberships.

I got:

• Victoria's Secret purple cotton hip hugger underwear (Normally $7.50)
• Victoria's Secret purple leopard print miracle hip hugger underwear (Normally $8.50)
• $10 gift card to Kohl's (I used this to buy a dress that was on sale for $15.99 that was originally $39.99. That means I got a $40 dress for $6!)
• $10 gift card for JcPenney's (Hubby got an Adidas shirt that was on sale for $12.99. It was originally $24.99. We paid $3!)
• 2 single scoop ice cream's in a dish at Culver's (The girls enjoyed these!)
• Pack of regular Oreo's
• 2 containers of Yoplay yogurt
• large bag of Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream Chips
• 1 dozen large eggs
• 1 bottle of Kroger brand Ranch dressing

These are all coupons and gift cards that came in my mailbox because of signing up for things. I am on the customer appreciation list for Victoria's Secret, Kohl's and JcPenny. I have a Kroger discount card. If you sign up for one of these you receive coupons about once a month as long your card has been used. The Culver's coupons were given to my kids on one of our other outings. They were handing them out to drum up some business. The yogurt coupons were from YoPlay because we had gotten a cup of yogurt we were unhappy with. They sent us coupons for two as an apology. All is forgiven.

I would like to point out that we used many other coupons for items that were not completely free but still inexpensive, such as pickles for 88 cents a jar. I posted this because people seem shocked when I tell them we get things free or when we go places people ask how we afford it. We do many free or very cheap outings! It does not cost a fortune to have fun with your kids. There are ways to get most things cheap or even free if you are willing to try a little. Trust me I only try a little, lol.

Penguins - Florence Branch, Boone County Public Library, Florence, KY

We were recently lucky enough to take Ivy to this show at the library. The Newport Aquarium brought a penguin to the Florence branch of the Boone County Library!

It was amazing! Ivy is a huge Penguin fan. She even wants to be a marine biologist when she grows up! It has been her thing for years. There was a marine biologist at the show! She got to talk to her for a few minutes one on one. She was so excited. She has since told me what the lady said about a million times. That short conversation has become a huge moment for her.

The show began with them bringing out the penguin and talking to the kids and adults about the aquarium. They talked about what they do for the penguins. They explained what the penguins do in the wild. The penguin they brought was an African penguin. At the end of the speech they allowed the kids to come up. The penguin was in a small fiber glass box. They were asked not to touch him but the could get very close. Ivy did not want to turn away long enough to even let me get this photo, lol. After I got one photo of her with the penguin I handed her the camera and let her get pictures of the penguin. She took around 50! I was shocked but she asked if I could put them on a disk for her. I was so grateful for the opportunity to give her the experience of being up close and personal with a penguin and being able to talk to a marine biologist! I would like to say thank you to not only the Newport aquarium for their people and penguin coming in but also to the library for hosting this event! I would also love to say thank you to the wonderful woman who took the time to speak with her. She will remember this day forever!

Petting Zoo at Lents Branch of Boone County Library - Hebron, KY

This morning we took the girls to a free petting zoo. It was at the Lents Branch of the Boone County Library. It is in Hebron, Kentucky. They had goats, bunnies, ducks, a pony, a donkey, an alpaca, and a chicken with two chicks. The kids were allowed to pet everything! The ducks and chicken were none to friendly. They ran from the kids. Bella, my toddler, was unsure of touching anything. She finally decided that Ivy would not lead her astray and pet this bunny. After that she touched everything. She really loved the donkey!

They had animal feed. The kids were able to feed the goats, the alpaca, the ducks and chickens. The girl in blue in the center of this photo is my daughter, Ivy, feeding one of the goats. After about twenty minutes, Bella finally felt comfortable enough to feed the goats. She laughed as they licked dried corn off her hand! It was so cute!

I would like to let all my readers in on a little secret! You can go to library programs even if you do not live there! Things like this that are free and open to the public are easy options for even non-residents. There are other options though as well. If you will be visiting an area and would like to see what the library there has to offer you can simply call them or look them up on-line. If you ask nicely they will normally allow you to go to even the library programs that require you to sign-up as long as there is room! All you have to say is "I will be visiting your area for a few days and I was hoping to find some affordable, educational fun for my kids. Do you have any programs we could attend?" We have visited libraries not only in multiple areas but in multiple states! Another secret I would like to share with you about the library is that you can use your local library card to get a card at neighboring libraries. You can often get a card in any library in your county and in the surrounding counties. Some areas do charge a small fee to issue a library card but it is normally not more then a couple dollars. Do be careful to keep your books from different branches organized or without a doubt something will get lost or be returned late. Remember that you do not need a card to visit a library regardless of where it is located. We have even stopped at public ones when we are on the road and the kids were getting tired of being in the car. I can not stress how great a trip to a public library can be!

Cost: Free!

Hours of Entertainment: Almost two

Location: Boone County Public Library-Lents Branch, 3215 Cougar Path, Hebron, KY

South Fork Park - Union, KY

South fork park is without a doubt one of my favorite parks we have visited and trust me that is a long list! There is no amazing attractions here or anything. The park is simply clean and well cared for. It is what comes to mind for me when I think of a park outing. It is small but it is never crowded. There is a large, newer play area. The half that is closest in the photo is for older children(5-12, I think). There is an area for small children to the left of it. It's a wonderland for the 2-5 set! There are swings and a rock climbing area in the center. This photo was taken from the rather large covered picnic area. There is a basketball court and sand volleyball near the playgroud. There are huge grassy areas for the kids and adults alike to run and play. I should warn you that the grassy areas are hilly. There is also a path that leads you through the woods to a small, wood bridge. I love this path for the occasional run because it is stroller accessible. One of my favorite fun facts of this particular park is the fact that they have a doggy water fountain! There is ample parking as well. I would like to state that this park lacks a proper bathroom. There is a port-a-potty but Eww, is all I can say about that! There is a Kroger's nearby if you must go and are like me, lol. The park is located in Union, Ky.

Price: Free!
Directions: Take U.S. 42 to Farmview drive (almost across from the Kroger's). Turn right onto South Fork Park dr. There is a big sign here but there is not one on 42 so watch carefully!

Barnes and Noble in Florence, KY

I honestly just stopped by the Barnes and Noble in Florence, KY to get a book but it turns out they have loads of fun things for the kids to do. Enough to occupy them for an hour or two. They have this amazing train table. The kids played with it for a while. They have a stage in the back corner. They didn't have anything the day I was there but apparently they have free shows and story hours there from time to time.

They also have a huge Children's section! A fun place to take your children for a day outing. They can play for a while. Then you can let them pick out one book of their choosing. Be forewarned however that this could take a while because of the selection.

They also have a summer reading program. It's free to sign up. It's for children in grades 1 through 6. They simply read 8 books. Fill out the form with the titles of the books they read. Then drop it back off. They get to pick a free book off a list of age appropriate books. I highly suggest anything that gets kids to read!