Five Days of Freebies from TheBump.com

TheBump.com just launched a contest today called Five Days of Freebies. Each day this week, they’ll be giving away bottles, a nursing pillow, glider, diaper bag, stroller and crib set to one lucky winner.  Visit their site to sign up for the contest. Plus, if you comment on this Five Days of Freebies post in addition to entering through their site, you’ll receive an extra entry.
 
Here are the giveaways this week:
3/25 – Dr. Brown, gift set of bottles and nursing pillow (value, around $100) 
3/26 – Monte, Luca Glider (value, $995).
3/27 – Diaper Dude, Olive Convertible bag (value, $110)
3/28 – Bumbleride, 2013 Indie stroller ($529.99)
3/29 – Halo Innovations, Sleep Sack (value, $80 – 115)

Those are some big prizes, so be sure to comment on this post and visit TheBump.com's  Five Days of Freebies.

Frugal Resources

A lot of the opportunities for free events I know about I find out from through the website Pocket Your Dollars. The website's founder got out of debt by making better financial decisions and clipping coupons. She shares her tips on the website as well. I don't use the grocery shopping tips much since we mainly shop at Aldi where I feel we still save a decent amount without taking time to clip coupons, but it's worth checking out. A lot of the events are around the Twin Cities metro area, but there is plenty of things on the website for everyone no matter where you live.

Dads on NPR

Talk of the Nation on NPR today had a segment on the changing demographics and roles of men and women in the workplace which touched on stay-at-home dads. My wife told me about it on her way home from work, saying that TOTN was going to feature stay-at-home dads. I didn't get to listen to much of it when it was on since I was taking care of kids at the time. I'm just finishing it up right now, listening to it on line.

Here's a link to the audio of it if you're interested: End of the Macho Man?

The title of the segment is a bit offensive--or is it meant to be tongue-in-cheek? Our society still has a lot of biases about what men and women are supposed to do. I was recently introduced to a stay-at-home dad who is from Africa. Doing that is taboo in the culture he came out of. I know in my neighborhood I am the odd one out--some of my neighbors also come form cultures where being an at-home dad isn't macho or acceptable. We're at a point in history where we're wrestling with what it means to be a man or woman as well as fighting against long-established gender barriers. To me what matters is that we're doing what we want to be doing and doing it for the sake of those we love.

Lego Stories

My son loves Legos. He can spend all day building with them (if he's not spending all day drawing). Today I came across the website of a guy who has been illustrating Bible stories with Legos. It's not necessarily intended for children, so you might want to preview it, but my kids were enjoying some of the classic stories as told on The Brick Testament. Even if the Bible isn't of your faith persuasion, the stories are fun to see in brick form.

On behalf of the author's request, I'm not using images from that site, but for your viewing pleasure, here's a statue of Jesus made from Legos:

If You Like to Talk to Tomatoes

Have they got a sale for you . . .
Just a heads up that Veggie Tales DVDs are $5 on their website (not all, but several of the newer ones). They also come with a free CD. Shipping is extra, of course.

My kids love the shows, and it's good to know that there won't be objectionable material. Plus, it's always nice to have 30-45 minute videos instead of 2-hour long ones.

So check out their sale if you're in need of some good videos or gifts.

Twin Cities Activities

I'm always looking for new things to do and places to explore--especially free ones. Here are a couple websites with good lists. Find something new to try with your kids, on a date with your spouse or while grabbing some precious alone time.

Free Things to Do in the Twin Cities
150 Things to Do in Minneapolis

I also came across another at-home-dad starting a blog of 365 Things to Do in the Twin Cities. It's not necessarily kid/family focused, but it'll provide some places and events you probably haven't been to before.

Funny Faces

The company who created this website sent me the link to share on my blog. I don't always give into such fishing, but the boys and I played with it some and had some good laughs.

It's not an educational site, nor does it have much content, but it's good for a few minutes of play and a few laughs. At least I thought so.