3 – Nostalgic family photo slide show
Bring the family together with memories from days gone by with a photo montage or digital slide show projected onto a wall, white sheet, or large screen in your home. Everyone will appreciate reminiscing over old times with this top-quality showcase of the family’s most treasured moments and much-loved relatives.

Whatever you do to entertain your family this year, make things exciting and fun with an affordable projector rental from Projector123.com. Click here to rent a projector now!

We recently ran across this great article from Lorie on busymommy.us and wanted to share it with you. (You can see the full article by clicking here.)

My kids love pizza and love to watch movies, so why not do both in one night? This summer my kids made a list of fun things they wanted to do this summer and Pizza and a Movie night was one of those. I really like to do these nights because it’s a time for my family to spend together doing something fun. We usually get our movie from the Redbox, which cost $1.00, but we have also gotten movies from the library for FREE. I don’t cost the count of the pizza because I make it homemade and we would have had dinner anyways. So, I think this is a pretty frugal summer activity.

Here are the recipes that I used to make our pizza, pizza sauce cheesy breadticks, and Monkey Munch (our movie snack):

Pizza Hut Style Pizza Dough or Cheesy Breadsticks

* 1 1/3 cups water
* 2 tsp sugar
* 1 1/4 tsp salt
* 2 Tbsp olive oil
* 2 Tbsp cornmeal
* 3 1/4 cups flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp garlic powder
* 1/4 tsp onion powder
* 1 1/2 tsp yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine, according to manufacturer’s settings, and run dough setting. After the machine beeps, roll out the dough. You can roll the dough into two 9×13″ pizzas (great for kid’s lunches!) or into two medium pizzas or a large pizza and an order of breadsticks (as instructed above). Parbake the crust with a drizzle of olive oil on it at 450 degrees for ten minutes. Remove the crust and add sauce and toppings. If making breadsticks, add your breadsticks at this time. Place into the oven for another ten to fifteen minutes or until golden and bubbly. Enjoy!

You can freeze your pizza dough for an easier night.

Easy Pizza Sauce

* 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
* 2 cloves garlic
* 3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
* 4 teaspoons dried onion flakes
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 2 cups water

Combine tomato paste, garlic, parsley flakes, onion, oregano, basil and water in 2 quart saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Cool a little and spread on your pizza crust and proceed with remainder of your toppings.

Makes 3 cups

You can freeze this pizza sauce easily.

Monkey Munch

* 9 cup Chex
* 1 cup chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup peanut butter
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Put cereal in large bowl. Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over Chex cereal, put into a large plastic bag with powdered sugar and shake well to coat.Spread mixture evenly on wax paper and allow to cool.

This does not last long at my house!

We will be doing this several more times this summer. I hope you get to plan a Pizza and a Movie night for your family this summer.

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And if you want to upgrade your movie night, why not nab a high quality DVD projector rental from Projector123.com? We’ve got a $99 weekend rate that gives you 4 days of movie and gaming fun — place a projector rental order to get started.

2. Don’t Forget about Fido & Fluffy

Keep your pets cool during summer months by offering plenty of fresh, cool water and ensuring they can spend time indoors or in the shade during the hottest parts of the afternoon. If possible, exercise your dog in the early morning or late evening, when temperatures are lowest.

3. Go greener.

You can save money and lower your carbon footprint by opening windows at appropriate times of day to take advantage of cooler breezes in the early morning and during the night. If you are home most of the day, try getting out of the house (instead of lowering the thermostat) during the late afternoon hours when the summer sun is at its most intense. Use the grill instead of the oven or stovetop when you can, to avoid warming up the house through ambient heat.

4. Find cooler alternatives.

If the only time you’re able to exercise is during the hot part of the day, hit the gym or powerwalk your local mall. Take the kids to the library or run errands during those hottest afternoon hours instead of playing outside, and remember to bring plenty of fresh water to keep everyone hydrated.

Looking for a cool family event? Why not create an indoor movie night or backyard movie night in the cooler evening air? Projector123.com has plenty of projectors for rent — at a price that might surprise you.

1. A Little Planning Goes a Long Way

There’s no need to over-plan your gaming event, but a few minutes spent planning can really make the tourney even more exciting for everyone — especially if you remember to get the kids’ input. Here are the basic points to decide:

+ the date the tournament will be held
+ the game to be played
+ what determines the winner (e.g., most challenges won, most points, fewest errors, etc.)
+ the prize to be awarded

Let the kids include their feedback — especially with regard to the prize. And the reward doesn’t have to be costly, or even material in nature — it could be as simple as no chores for a day, getting to pick the family activities for a whole weekend, or staying up (or out) extra late one night.

2. Make It Truly Special

The winner will really lay claim to bragging rights — and the players will be even more invested — if you set the tone by prioritizing this event as truly special. Plan the event at least a week or two in advance (providing ample time for some good-natured smack-talk), create a special menu or plan to order takeaway for the evening, and be sure to rent a projector from Projector123.com.

3. Allow Time for Set-Up

Ordering your projector rental only takes a few minutes, and while you’re waiting for delivery, choose the best possible location for your gaming event. If you have a smooth blank wall, you’re good to go (just remember to include plenty of seating for the spectators and other players). Otherwise, you can hang a white sheet to use as a screen for your projector rental.

Parents, if you’re not a fan of gaming personally, why not let your kids invite a few friends over for a kids’ tourney? They’ll love you for it and who knows…you just might decide that YOU want to join in the fun.

1. Go back to basics.

Think about the things YOU enjoyed doing when you were a young child. Odds are, most of the activities were either free or practically free — and your kids will like to do the same things, too. Whether it’s making a collage out of macaroni, using letters cut from magazine clippings to create a “ransom note” style letter for a friend, or going on a nature walk, often the simplest, most basic activities are the most entertaining. Simple art projects and craft activities teach your children to settle down and focus for extended periods of time. Creating word and letter projects allows children to use the right and left hemispheres of their brain, stimulating creativity and focus. Even games as simple as “I Spy” and the “Alphabet Game” (where you take turns coming up with words that start with each sequential letter of the alphabet) can keep kids and adults entertained for hours.

2. Go for a drive.

Sure, the price of gas is currently fluctuating (and always increases during the summer months) but how often do we hop in the car without a plan? There’s a great wide world out there, just waiting to be discovered, and sometimes the best way to find something new is to pile the family into the car and drive around unfamiliar territory. Who knows? You might discover a new park or playground, a new family restaurant, or a new entertainment venue that you never knew existed. Don’t be afraid to get out and explore together — it teaches your kids to step out of their comfort zone and explore the world. (Exercise common sense and good safety precautions, of course)

Stay tuned for more installments of money-saving family fun — and be sure to post your suggestions and comments, we love hearing from you.

1. Rethink your idea of “free” and “low-cost”

Unfortunately, many people believe you “get what you pay for” but this isn’t always true. After all, haven’t you had the experience at some point in your life where you’ve paid far more than something was worth? Then surely the opposite must be true — sometimes you really can get more value than cost. Begin by realizing that you really can get great value from something that is either free or low-cost. Shifting your mindset in this way opens you up to find low-cost opportunities for fun that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

2. Do your homework

Hop online and see what’s available in your area. Even if you’ve lived in the same area your whole life, odds are you haven’t “been there, done that” with EVERYTHING of interest. Try these searches on Google (or your favorite web browser) for inspiration and new ideas:

[name of your town] + “day trips”
[name of your town] + “free family fun”
[name of your town] + “discount coupons”
[name of your town] + “events calendar”
[name of a nearby ] + “affordable family fun”

You can also try combining the name of a nearby town with all of the above.

If you prefer to do your research in person (rather than over the web), visit your local tourist information office (even smaller towns tend to have one of these — and rarely do local residents take advantage of it!) Additionally, visit your local chamber of commerce, your local library, and a hotel in town (to check out their “brochure wall” — which many times, offers coupons and other types of discounts).

That should keep you busy between now and part 2 of this post. Enjoy!

A young girl (named Coraline) enters a secret door in her home and discovers an alternate universe that appears to be a better version of her own current life. But this dark fairy tale from the creator of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” really ramps up when Coraline’s alternative world gets dangerous once her “other” parents decide they want to keep her forever.

Leonard Maltin of Entertainment Tonight calls it “The best 3-D movie I’ve ever seen.”

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called the film “A magical tale. A remarkable feat of imagination.”

Ready for a fun family movie night? Grab a projector rental from Projector123.com and purchase or rent your copy of “Coraline.”

Just a Hint of Education

If you tell your kids “let’s go learn something!” odds are, all you’ll get is a lot of groans and eye rolling. But it’s easy to infuse education into fun times without making it feel as mundane as school (which would defeat the whole purpose of “summer fun,” now wouldn’t it?)

But there are plenty of scientific experiments that are cleverly disguised as VERY fun activities. Here’s a great online resource for summer science fun.

Battle of the Swiftest Hand-Eye Coordination

While summer is certainly a great time for kids to get off the couch and into the outdoors, summer showers and high temperatures make at least certain times of day better suited for indoor fun. (Certain) video games provide a great way to challenge older kids, to improve cognitive skills, enhance critical thinking and improve hand-eye coordination. And the Wii offers a great venue for kids to get up and move WHILE playing a video game — truly the best of both worlds. But if you can’t quite swing the cost of pricey games (or if you’d rather not tempt your kids year-round — especially if they tend to be somewhat sedentary in nature) then why not rent a video game system for a weekend?

Let your kids have fun, invite their friends over, and enjoy video games without a huge financial outlay on your part. Or, if you’ve already got a gaming system, why not uprade the experience with a projector rental from Projector123.com? With rates starting as low as $99 for a weekend rental, you can create days of fun for your older kids and their friends. Order a gaming projector rental now.