5 FREE Things To Do In The Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge Area

The Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area is chock full of activities and fun family adventures. The good news is that there are quite a few FREE places to check out. I have highlighted 5 below.

1) The Smoky Mountains National Park- Duh!! This beautiful expanse of park providing the scenic backdrop for the area seems like a no-brainer, but quite a few visitors to the area never step foot in the actual park. We took a narrated tour in to the park and our guide told us that it is approximated that half of all visitors to the area don't actually go to the national park. Cades Cove, Clingman's Dome and Sugarlands Visitor Center are just a few of the highlights to visit while in the park.

2) Visit The Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge. This mega-store features anything and everything Christmas. The kids will love perusing the many displays and enjoying the Christmas spirit all year long. Across the street, The Inn at Christmas Place is a Christmas-themed hotel that is also fun to explore and check out the displays.

3) Stroll the streets of Gatlinburg. Taking a walk down the quaint streets of Gatlinburg is great for people-watching and checking out the fun trinket shops and candy-making stores. Head on over to the riverwalk along the Little Pigeon River, right off the main drag in Gatlinburg. A little quieter stroll and lovely scenery.

4)  Old Mill/Patriot's Park. The Old Mill Shopping District features the Old Mill itself, which sits along the Little Pigeon River,and some cute shops including the Old Mill's general store. I enjoy the restaurant at The Old Mill, although this is not free, it is definitely tasty. Walking around the grounds is free, but if you want to take a tour of the inside of the mill, there is a small fee.  Patriot Park is next to the Mill and is a nice park featuring displays pertaining to American heritage and patriotism. It was a perfect place to let the kids run off some energy.

5) Drive the Arts and Craft Loop. This loop has a plethora of handmade arts and crafts from local artisans. Take the loop and check out painting, pottery, wood crafts, leather crafting, candles, glass-blowing, basket weaving, quilting and more. There is no fee to just take the loop and stop to watch the artisans at work; however, if you don't wish to drive it yourself, there are trolleys available for a nominal fee that will take you along the loop.

The Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area has so many fun family activities- many of which are free or very budget-friendly. Take some time to check them out on your next trip to the Smokies.

Crock of Brats

Cooking brats in the slow cooker makes for a hearty fall meal. Add some bread and a salad and you have a full dinner. Not everyone in our family likes sauerkraut, so I do not add it to the slow cooker, but heat some up before the brats are done to add to individual plates.

Crockpot of Brats
6 servings

Ingredients:
5 brats
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 can sauerkraut, rinsed and well-drained
1/3 cup diced onion
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, brown bratwurst on all sides and slice into 1-inch pieces.
2. In a 5-quart crockpot, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in the brats.
3. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours on HIGH or until the potatoes are tender.

5 Educational Science DVDs for Kids

Educational DVDs do not have to be

dry and boring. There are many entertaining shows with high-quality educational content to be found. I incorporate watching them within our homeschool day or in the car on long trips. In fact, sometimes the kids will ask to watch one of these videos rather than a mainstream cartoon. I have chosen five science based videos that we use often and are relatively inexpensive.

1) Popular Mechanics for Kids-
This was a series in the late 1990s and early 2000s based on the Popular Mechanics magazine. The main goal of the show is explaining how things work with the help of the two kid stars who travel around to try new things out. Since the series was fairly long-running, there are lots of episodes. I purchased the whole series for a very reasonable cost. Some of the episodes focus on roller coasters, zoos, alligators/swamps, lightning, toys/games and spaceships. My kids LOVE this show- it is definitely one of their favorites and it appeals to a large age range of children.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BQ1S3N8/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000AYYV6A&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=02GX6J6TVX9G7WKFK7ZV

2) Magic School Bus-
The popular series of books were made into educational cartoons in the 1990s. Each episode focuses on a particular science topic and follows the adventures of Ms. Frizzle and class. With episodes ranging from seeds to lost in space to ants to energy, there is always something new to learn. I bought the entire series and the kids will watch them all again and again. This series was targeted towards the elementary age range.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Magic-School-Bus-Complete/dp/B007I1Q4MM

3) Animal Atlas-
If your kids like animals and zoology, they will really enjoy this series and learn quite a bit. The DVDs pretty much cover almost any species of animal imaginable and are great for elementary aged kids as well as preschoolers.
http://www.animalatlas.tv/#!dvd/c1o1j

4) The Science of Disney Imagineering
The Disney magic is on display in these engaging videos about what goes on behind the scenes in creating the special Disney effects. Each DVD focuses on a different concept from electricity to friction and gravity to name a few. The series is aimed at a higher elementary level to middle school.
http://www.dep-store.com/The-Science-of-Disney-Imagineering-s/29.htm?searching=Y&sort=1&cat=29&show=10&page=1

5) Moody Science Classics
If you are looking for a Christian-based science series, Moody may be the right pick for you. These classic DVDs are dated, but are wonderfully made and stand the test of time. The topics range the entire gamut of science-related concepts all with the Creator as the central theme and focus.
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=1449336&sp=1016&cm_mmc=Google-_-Homeschool-_-moody-_-moody%20science

5 Tips for Saving Money on Eating Out

Most people enjoy eating out, but with the economy sluggish, it can be an expense that many families just can not afford on a regular basis. While it would be nice to have a home cooked meal every day, the fact is that in today's fast-paced society, there are many days where dinner comes at a restaurant table. So, how can you still work in the growing expense of eating out with kids? We do not eat out as much as we have in the past, but I have tried to stick to some "restaurant rules" to keep costs down while still enjoying a meal out. Of course, there are special occasions, but for the routine restaurant  trip, I really attempt to stick to a budget.
Here are a few tips I try to follow:

1) Check out the kids' eat free deals and/or coupons/Groupons/Entertainment books first before deciding where to go. Unless it is someone's birthday meal and they have carte blanche in the decision about where they want to eat, try to go for one of the places where you know there is going to be a savings. Case in point, we recently had dinner at Steak-N-Shake for $12 for a family of four. The kids got a free meal since it was kids' eat free on the weekends and we had a coupon for the hamburger and fries meal that I usually get. Plus, we had a coupon for buy one, get one free milkshakes so my husband and I were both able to get full-size milkshakes. That is a huge savings! There are several websites dedicated to helping you find the best deals for eating out with kids.
http://www.mykidseatfree.com/welcome.asp
http://www.kidsmealdeals.com/

2) Drink water. It's great for you and your digestion and it's free. Think about how much that glass of soda is going to cost you, especially when half of it is filled with ice. And, I love soda pop, but when eating out it is very rare that I would actually purchase one. Anymore, a beverage in most restaurants will cost at least $2-$3, multiply that times every person in your family, each time you eat out and it can seriously add up.

3) Stay clear of desserts and appetizers in addition to a full meal. If you are ordering a meal, cutting out a $5-$8 add-on like an appetizer and/or  dessert will save a lot of money. I know so many people that order the appetizer in addition to their meal and then barely eat a bite of the actual entree since they filled up on the first course. Obviously, there are exceptions, but we do not routinely go out as a family and order a bunch of additional things besides our main meal.

4) In the same breath, embrace the appetizer. Many times, appetizers are fairly large and can actually be the preferred choice to the entrees. In that case, why not order an appetizer as your meal. It will no doubt be cheaper. My daughter and I will sometimes split a larger appetizer and we still can not eat it all, but it saved us from purchasing two separate meals.

5) This is completely dependent on the place you are eating and the ages of your kids, but when at all feasible, have them split a meal. With my children's ages, there are still restaurants where the kids' portions are fairly large. After I realized that neither of them were able to eat more than half of their own meals, I started having them share. There were certain places where the kids' meal consisted of 3-4 large chicken tenders and a whole plate of fries and cup of fruit and my toddler/preschooler was in no way able to eat the whole meal.

Simple Bread Pudding

If you like bread pudding and want a simple recipe that will only take minutes to prepare, then this is the recipe for you. I am not a fan of raisins in my bread pudding, but they could easily be added. Caramel topping or vanilla flavored whipped topping goes very well with this bread pudding.

6-8 servings
Ingredients:
6 slices day-old bread ( I like to use a brown sugar cinnamon bread)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Break bread into small pieces  and place in a lightly greased 8-inch baking pan.
2. Drizzle melted butter over the bread.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, beat until well mixed.
4. Pour over bread and lightly push down  with a fork until the bread is covered.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes  or until the top lightly springs back with tapped.

ASTC Passport Program: Museum Centers For Cheap

A great way to gain access to hundreds of museums nationwide is thru the ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) passport program. Purchase a pass at one of the participating centers for free or reduced admission to other centers throughout the country. This is an excellent resource for traveling families.
We purchase our passes through a center in Florida, which is very reasonably priced for a family. We more than get our money's worth. One trip to a larger science museum and your pass just payed for itself.

Find a complete list of participating centers at:
http://www.astc.org/members/passlist_about.htm

3 Tips for Organizing Photos

So, you've got tons of pictures saved to your digital camera and phone. Will they sit in picture purgatory forever or be unceremoniously deleted a year down the road? When I first had kids, I decided to make a concerted effort to keep pictures printed off or organized for future use. I scrapbook so it does force me to keep things in a somewhat orderly fashion, but I've found a few other ways to store or showcase my pictures.

1) Show off your pictures in a digital photo frame. Take your photo card and use a digital photo frame to scroll through the photos. It can be displayed for guests to view and is a nice way to have a constant reminder in your living room of favorite memories.

2) I print off my pictures through an inexpensive photo printing service and store them in an accordion file for later use. I always try to separate them in the files by holidays and events. It makes it much easier once I am ready to scrapbook them or put them in an album.

3) Make online photo books. There are plenty of options for photo books from elaborate and costly to simple and inexpensive. For quick picture organizing, you can utilize a ready-made template to place the pictures for you. I might make a simple book focusing on Christmas pictures or fall events and it doesn't take longer than a half hour or so to put together plus they make excellent gifts.

Take the time to organize and enjoy your pictures! Photos are wonderful for triggering happy memories. It is a great gift for your kids to someday have pictures of their childhoods. They are not being enjoyed by anyone if they sit on your phone in photo no-man's land never to be fully appreciated. Finding old pictures from your childhood is always such a treat and having a full album or book with photos is priceless!