October 5th, 2009
Wondering what to do with the kids on Columbus Day (October 12th)? Here are some fun ideas the whole family is sure to love.
1. Learn about Columbus Day
 There are lots of crafts and activities for the kids to enjoy in honor of the day. To learn more, check out Columbus Day 2009. Or see if your community is having a Columbus Day parade.
2. Get outdoors
Go for a hike, go camping, rake the leaves and take turns jumping into the pile, go for a walk, explore nature, go for a bike ride — you get the idea. There’s so much to do during this wonderful season when the weather is cooler and the great outdoors beckon.
3. Stop procrastinating
Where have you been wanting to take the kids, but haven’t yet? This is a great time to visit the zoo, the children’s museum, the art museum, story time at the library, the craft store, and more.
4. Make a big screen at home
A sheet or a wall can serve as the canvas for an in-home movie fest. Rent Christopher Columbus: The Discovery on DVD or for a different “journey”, rent movies by Chris Columbus, the director. A projector rental from Projector123.com makes it fun, easy, affordable and sure to please the whole family.
5. Talk to the kids
Here’s a great conversation starter: What do you think would be the most fun thing we could do on Columbus Day? Their answers just might surprise you — and it pays to get some input from the participants before you go planning something too elaborate.
What will YOU do? Post your comments below or share ideas.
August 21st, 2009
Welcome to part 3 in this 3-part back to school planning series. OK, so you’ve done a little due diligence, you’ve made a plan, you’ve shopped the sales, and now your kids are all ready for school, right? Maybe.
 Odds are, while your kids may be a little bit excited about seeing their friends again, they may have the blues about giving up their summer freedom and settling back into a routine. The good news is, you can help beat the back to school blues with these easy ideas.
Beat the Blues Strategy #1: Back to School Bash
Why not plan an event to celebrate back to school? Invite your kids’ favorite friends and their parents and let everyone enjoy catching up from the summer before school is back in session. You could call it the “Goodbye Summer” party, make it a movie night, or even get out of town for a quick weekend before the family routine changes and time grows thin again.
Ongoing Family Fun
Why not set aside some time for family during the first few weekends after school session resumes? You can grab a projector rental from Projector123.com for just $99 a weekend and hold video game wars, watch family flicks, or showcase a family vacation slideshow from summer. Use your imagination and have fun with it — it has less to do with WHAT you do, and more to do with being together during a time of transition.
Kids’ Choice
Like any change in routine, going back to school can be stressful on kids, so why not give them a little more freedom during this transition time? Offer “kids’ choice” options — for anything from weekend family activities to dinner choices, which movies to watch, or even which family game to play. Kids love to feel included and to have their opinions valued.
Got more ideas for beating the Back to School blues? Write us or post a comment here, we’d love to hear from you.
August 10th, 2009
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.
******************************END ARTICLE*************************
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.
August 3rd, 2009
 1. Sprinkler Time
Sure it may be old-fashioned and at least a bit nostalgic — but what could be more fun than letting the kids run back and forth through the sprinkler? Invite some of the neighborhood kids over and get out some kiddie pools or add water balloons if you feel especially daring. Be sure to use plenty of waterproof sunscreen and re-apply at least every hour. Before you plan this event, check in with your local authorities to see if there are any watering restrictions related to what time of day you can use the sprinklers. Many communities allow sprinkler fun at any time — despite any lawn watering restrictions that may be in place.
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.
July 20th, 2009
The animated family film “Coraline” is available on DVD and Blu-Ray starting July 21st. The 2-disc collector’s edition includes 2-D and 3-D versions, plus 4 pairs of 3-D viewing glasses.
 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.”
June 23rd, 2009
There’s still time to grab a projector rental before your Independence Day celebration gets underway. Here are our top 3 ways you can use this fun and affordable tool to light up your July 4th weekend:
- Artificial Fireworks
Families with small children often have to miss out on the big local fireworks display because (depending on where you are in the U.S.), summer sundown occurs right around–or sometime after–the kids’ bedtime. This year, avoid the parking hassles and cranky kids by creating your own fireworks show right at home. If local fire safety restrictions prevent you from lighting up your neighborhood, create an artificial fireworks show with a fireworks DVD, a blank wall (or a hanging white sheet) and a projector rental from Projector123.com. This way, everyone stays comfy and safe, and the fun lasts as long as you like.
- Family Movie Fest
Enjoy new releases and your favorite classics in vivid color and larger-than-life display with a weekend projector rental. Double the popcorn batch and invite your neighbors over for an outdoor Film Fest in your own backyard and you’ll be amazed at what you saved on a trip to the theater. The projector can be used inside or out, so you can mix it up all weekend to keep things fresh and fun.
- Video Game Tournament
All you need is a blank wall (or a white sheet) and a rented projector and you can turn virtually any video game system into a full-blown gaming competition. Whether your family prefers to rock out to Guitar Hero or get physically interactive with the Wii, a projector rental kicks up the gaming experience to a whole new level. This is family entertainment that will keeps the kids rocking all weekend long.
What’s your innovative idea for family fun with a projector rental? Email us your favorites, or post a comment here.
June 19th, 2009
As the temperature rises, families begin to look for fun and interesting ways to spend the long summer weekends. With kids out of school, parents are scrambling to find fun, affordable and entertaining ways to pass the time and what better way to beat the heat than with a Family Movie Night?
But forget about the way YOU remember family movie nights, crowded around a small TV watching whatever “family movie” happened to be running on cable.
It’s time to up the ante with a world-class family movie night — on a budget nearly anyone can afford.
Backyard Movie Night
As more and more families are exploring “staycations” as an alternative to costly vacations, backyard movie nights are becoming increasingly popular.  All it takes is a great batch of movies (choose from classics or favorites that you own, or plan ahead a bit and grab an inexpensive rental from Netflix or your local Redbox) and a projector rental from Projector123.com
Afraid you can’t afford a projector rental for the weekend? Then this might surprise you:
In 2008, the average cost of a movie ticket was around $7. For a family of 4, that equates to $28 in admission cost only.
Add a large popcorn, 4 sodas and candy, and that brings the total closer to $50 or more.
(Leaving the kids at home wouldn’t help much, as babysitting can cost upwards of $12 per hour, plus food)
Would it surprise you to know that you could rent a projector from Projector123.com for the whole weekend starting at just $99?
Invite over some friends and neighbors, and you’ve got yourself quite a gathering.
This summer, why not start a new tradition? Get together with a group of your friends — say 4 or 6 families, and each family can take turns renting the projector. You could even choose themes for each gathering — favorite animated films, action movies, classics, chick flicks, you name it.
Go ahead, go crazy. Here at Projector123.com, we’re ready for you.
|
|
|
|
|
©2009 Projector123.com
All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
