Summer Reading Program at the Library

Just wanted to remind you about the Public Library's Summer Reading Program that starts next week. You can sign up now at the library and get a free bag to carry all the books you check out for your kids.

Events are on Thursdays at 2:00pm at the Main Branch in Abingdon. Jacob is napping then so I'm planning on going to the Mendota Branch on Wednesdays at 10:30am which is just up Highway 19 a few miles.

The week of June 9th the event is the Annual Kickoff with lots of creative activities and crafts.

Storytime is on Mondays at 11:00am at the Main Branch in Abingdon starting June 16th.

Be sure to pick up some reading logs and turn them back in each week during a library activity to enter your kids in the weekly drawing for a free bike.

Get more info at: http://www.wcpl.net/

Local Event

Hello Abingdon Moms! Ashley here now making my first post and taking over for Chrissy who will be moving away from us soon. Sob. Sob.
Anyway...just got a brochure in the mail about a cool local event next Saturday. Here's the info:

Barter's 75th Birthday Bash
Saturday, June 7
10:30am - 1:30pm
Stonewall Square (Across the street from Barter Theater on Main St.)
Free food and fun for the whole family!

Fun for all ages including an obstacle course, puppet making, paint-a-set, photo booth, and many other theater demonstrations.
Sounds like a good time! Hope to see some of you there.

Raspberry Bars

Elizabeth brought some delicious raspberry bars to playgroup last time. Here is the fantastic recipe!

Raspberry Bars
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup firmly packed, brown sugar (I used Splenda brownsugar)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats, uncooked
1 (10 ounce) jar raspberry preserves

* Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixeruntil creamy
* Gradually add sugar, beating well.
* Combine flour and next 3 ingredients
* Add to butter mixture mixing well.
* Press half of crumb mixture into a greased 13X9 inch pan.
* Spread raspberry preserves over crumb mixture.
* Sprinkle remaining half of crumb mixture over preserves.
* Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
* Cool on wire rack
* Cut into bars.

Yield 32 delicious bars.

Honey Bunches of Oats

Because we love cereal, I am always on the lookout for coupons, etc. Anyway, you can go to the money saving mom website and find links to print out coupons for $2 off a box of Honey Bunches of Oats. We wanted a change from the chocolate clusters, so we got a different kind and the coupons still worked!

Kroger has them on sale right now for $1.99 (says the post, I haven't checked at our local Kroger though).

Happy cereal day to you!

By the way, if you love free samples or just coupons, you can go to here and sign up. It's great!

Change of plans

Playgroup will be at my house on the 24th. We will have an easter egg hunt for the kiddos!! If it is nice, we'll have it outside, otherwise we will hide eggs in the house. The kids will have fun! :)

New Links

There are quite a few new links posted. Some of them I use for helping me come up with new menu ideas, and others help me save money as I go grocery shopping or to buy household items, while some are helpful in understanding my children. Most of all, I am learning how to be a better wife, mother, sister, daughter and child of God.

Hope some of these sites help you out too!

Playgroups

Hi ladies! Our next two playgroups are scheduled!

Gina will be hosting the March 10th playgroup and Ashley will host the March 24th playgroup. Be on the lookout for evites in your inbox!

If you are new and have not received evites to playgroups, please email me at abingdonmoms@gmail.com and I will be sure add you on there!

If you have any questions, just let me know!

Spring Cleaning is almost here!!

Who of us couldn't use some help this year in your Spring Cleaning? Clean Home Journal is giving away a Spring Cleanup Gift Pack to the first 10,000 people who sign up for one. Click here to sign up. In the pack, you will receive:

• Pack of Pledge® Wipes samples
• Coupons for Glade® Candles, Oust® Surface Disinfectant & Air Sanitizer, Shout® Advanced Gel and Pledge®

Each gift pack comes with coupons with a total value of $11.00.

Note: Gift packs will be mailed by May 15th, so don't count on some of these samples and coupons to do your spring cleaning! But, it is still nice to get these products and coupons, just the same!

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Now on Facebook!

Come check out and join the Abingdon Moms playgroup on Facebook! Come join us!

Next Meeting Place

Happy snowy day moms!

The last playgroup we had was a ton of fun, thank you Janet for hosting! We missed those of you who couldn't make it. Hopefully you can make the next one!

Is anyone up for hosting one of the next two playgroups? We are looking for a home for Monday, March 10th or 24th. The duties of the host are simple - just open your home to some fun loving toddlers, babies and their moms. Generally the hostess would provide the main part of the lunch, which could be anywhere from a casserole to a sandwich making tray to soup to a hearty salad. Whatever suits your fancy. Of course if this is a problem, let me know and we can change things up a bit, no biggie!

If anyone is open to hosting, please let me know! Also, if you would like to host, but the month of March is not good for you, let me know that too and I will catch up with you next month! As always, don't feel pressured to host - it's just nice to change things up to different homes.

Hope you all are staying warm and I will see you at the next playgroup, if not before! If you have any questions or even comments about playgroup or suggestions you would like to see implemented into playgroup, just let me know!