FREE MN Orchestra Tickets

If listening to the Minnesota Orchestra is something you think may enrich your kids lives, register TODAY for their FREE ticket lottery to be granted tickets for their November 22, 2009 American Salute concert or their December 5, 2009 Hansel and Gretel concert. This offer is limited to one set of tickets per household (up to six) per concert year. As such, if the March 13, 2010 Carnival of the Animals concert or the May 9, 2010 Four Seasons concert appeals to you more, wait to register for the spring ticket lottery from January 13 - 20, 2010.

Battle Boredom and Banish Back-to-School Blues

Egads! The summer is more than half over. If like mine, your kids and teens are counting down to doomsday and moping around the house, here are some ideas to battle boredom and banish those back-to-school blues.

• Concerts in the park are everywhere. The kids will have fun with the playground, the crowd, and the energy even if it is something like Goodrun and the Golden Oldies Orchestra. Check with your local parks and recreation department to obtain a concert schedule.


• City festivals and county fairs can be a little spendy but if you do your research ahead of time, pack a picnic lunch, and choose only a couple of things to spend money on, they can offer a lot of inexpensive family fun. Check the events listings in your local newspaper, visit the Explore MN website or check out the Star Tribune's Summer of Fun map to find out what is happening when.


• Explore the MN Children's Museum FREE on the third Saturday of every month courtesy of Target (no, they didn't pay me to say that. I just try to credit people whenever appropriate.)


• If your kids are too old for that or if you are looking more for a cheap date night, check out the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) for FREE on the third Thursday of every month from 6pm - 9pm and one Sunday a month (August 9th is the next one.) Yes, MIA does not charge admission regularly. However, they do request a donation and on these special days you can enjoy the art without feeling guilty or getting nasty looks from the donation giving patrons.


• If modern art is more your style, take a stroll through the Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens. If you haven't been for a while, you should go check it out. Afterwards, you can cool off in Walker Art Center which is also FREE on every Thursday night from 5pm - 9pm as well as the first Saturday of every month.


• Of course, you can check out a different museum every week from now until Christmas with the FREE Museum Adventure Pass program offered by Macy's and Twin Cities public libraries.


• Wanna catch a movie? The Mall of America offers Free Family Flicks every Tuesday and Saturday. Be sure to get there early as it is first come, first serve. And, be aware that the concessions still cost an arm and a leg.

Last Rites for Your Tights? Not Tonight!

I was talking to a co-worker this morning (yup water cooler talk) about how expensive it is to comply with dress code and cover those bare legs in the summer. Tights are too hot to wear but being limited to pants is no fun. She said she wouldn’t mind paying for nylons if they didn’t snag so easily and have to be thrown away so quickly. Being of the generation who is typically found sporting bare legs and flip flops, she had apparently she never heard about the "stop-the-run-by-painting-the-ends-of-the-run-with-clear-nail-polish" trick or the “Snag-a-leg? Cut-it- off-and-wear-two-pairs-to-make-a-whole-pair” trick. She also had never heard of/thought of all the other things you can use ruined nylons/tights for. As such, this entry is dedicated to … well, you know who you are.

=D

• Cut off the torn/ripped/snagged leg. When you have two like this, wear one on each leg and presto – you have an instant new pair with a tummy flattening top.


• Fill a torn leg with onions from your garden, farmer’s market, or grocery store. Tie a knot between each onion to contain the peelings and keep the onions from touching. Simply clip one off when you need an onion. This works to store flower bulbs over the winter as well.


• Put used up bits of soap in a toe, tie it off and use it in the shower.


• Put a bar of soap - used or new – in the toe. Tie it to the handle of a clean milk jug filled with water. Poke holes in the cover of the milk jug (think shower nozzle) and tie the whole thing to a tree to make a hand washing station when camping, picnicking, or gardening.


• Cut it into strips and use it to tie back plants in your garden. (You can use strips from an old cassette tape for this, too.)


• Cut it into strips and use the strips for stuffing to fill (or repair) stuffed animals and/or pillows.


• If you lose an earring etc in the carpet, cover the nozzle of your vacuum cleaner hose with a cut off leg. Fasten it securely and start vacuuming. The lost item will be sucked up with the hose but will not go into the canister because of the nylon.


• Drain the water in the fish tank (after safely temporarily housing the fish elsewhere) and use the vacuuming method described above to clean the gravel in the bottom.


• When repotting your plants, put a circle of old hose in the bottom of the pot. It will prevent soil from being washed out the hole when you water and will help retain moisture in the soil.


• Tie dried herbs or potpourri in small sections of old hose to make quick and easy sachets. You could also do this with moth balls or cedar shavings and place them in your closet or clothing storage box. Or, you could use kitty litter or charcoal – real charcoal, not the ones with lighter fluid added - and place in old shoes, the basement or any other place moisture and odors may need to be absorbed.


• If they are very clean and sanitary, if you are a die hard spendthrift, and if it doesn’t gross you out too much, use clean hose instead of cheese cloth when making jelly. (Or… use it to strain the lumps out of old paint.)


• Cut narrow strips off of the legs (keep them as circles) to use them to tie back your hair instead of rubber bands .


• Cut them into strips, braid them and sew the braided strips into rag rugs. (ala grandma but softer, neutral and hip because you made it yourself.)


• Stuff them and use them to make a scarecrow for your garden (or Emma Krumbee's annual scarecrow contest.)


• Secure a leg to the end of the hose from your washing machine. It makes a nifty lint catcher.


• Fill a small portion of a leg with catnip and tie it securely closed. It makes a great cat toy (although I would make sure you then hide the rest of your hose or you will get more run and snagged pairs than you bargained for.)


• Use them for dusting cloths.


• Slip a leg over a roll of wallpaper, a rolled up child’s drawing, the blueprint of your house etc. It will protect it from everything but water damage.


• Snip off the waistband and cover it with fabric (either new or from an old something) to make an elastic headband.


• Use strips to replace the elastic drawstring in your favorite PJ’s, sweats or granny pants.

Do you have more ideas for using old nylons/panythose/tights? Please share!

Slurpee Day & Mocha Mondays

Starting this Monday, McDonald's will be giving away one free Mocha - iced or not - to each customer from 7am - 7pm each Monday through August 3, 2009. No purchase necessary. Just drive through and grab a cup of joe. Okay, okay... it's only 7 ounces but hey... it's free! And, if you are traveling this weekend and happen to drive near a 7 Eleven, don't forget to stop in and grab your free slushy on Saturday (07-11)!