Staying Sane on the Road

First, I must admit that I am not a mother (yet). I can only use my experience as a child. Whether it be a long-drive vacation to YellowStone, running errands or the 20 minute trip to FatCats, kids have a tendency to misbehave in the car. I know because I was one of them.

So, as mothers, fathers, or siblings who have had enough, what can you do to keep the little ones entertained? Here are my favorites my mom used on me when I was a rowdy child. 

1. Let each child choose a couple of their favorite songs to put onto a "Car CD". Shuffle each child's collection onto that CD and press play! (You can even add a few of your favorites to the list!) If your family's CD is like ours, you'll get to hear Britney Spears (when she was young and innocent), Donny Osmond (mom's pick), and a whole bunch of Disney classics. While singing & dancing, I'd completely forget to pull on sister's seat belt or poke brother's ear.

2. This one only works during the Holiday Season at night, but I  still participate in this game even in my matured age of 20-something. Assign each child a side of the street and help them count the number of houses with holiday lights on them. This always kept us entertained on the drive to & from Grandma's house. 

If it isn't the holiday season, you can count porch lights, houses with basketball hoops, etc... Counting not only keeps kids occupied, it's good for them to practice their numbers!

3. I saved the best for last! My mom would use this for vacations, errands, family outings...you name it! She used chalk on the back tire of our green mini van and sectioned it off into thirds (we have 3 kids in our family). She would write our name in our own section. Any time we would stop, she would announce a prize. "Winner gets $2 to spend at the FatCats' arcade" or "Winner gets to help push the cart in the grocery store!" We'd pile out of the car and run to see who was the winner.

If your section was touching the pavement, you are the winner! We loved going on errands because the more stops we made, the more chances to win! There was a stipulation though. You had to be on your best behavior. If you misbehaved you were ineligible for that round, but you can always earn your section back.

So, if your family still has that long drive vacation planned for this summer or you're taking that 20 minute drive to FatCats, I hope these ideas help. Make that long drive into a fun family memory. Taking the kids in the car doesn't have to be a chore!

Be a FatCat Treasure Hunt! Clue #7

*Tomorrow will be the last day for the Be a FatCat Treasure Hunt. Remember, if you think you know the answer, you can guess at anytime on your location's Facebook Page. Only one guess per person and the winner must: Like us on Facebook, Follow our Twitter and Blog.

What the heck is FourSquare?

What is FourSquare?

"FourSquare is a location based mobile platform that makes cities easier to use & more interseting to explore" (FourSquare website). 

* Now in words that make sense...
If I have a phone, whether it be a smartphone, flip phone, or some sort of tablet, I can "check-in" at any location for awesome deals, coupons and specials!!!

Why should you use "FourSquare to "check-in"?

If a company (AHEM...FatCats!) claims their venues, they can create deals and specials unique to FourSquare users. For example: If every time you went to Provo FatCats you checked-in, you could unlock one free game of bowling on your 10th "check-in". That would be our loyalty special. It's basically a punch card, but only on your phone! The cool thing about specials is they are always changing! There are Mayor Specials (who ever has "checked-in" the most at a location, will hold Mayor-ship and can receive special treatment! There are flash specials (an awesome deal redeemable with in a few hours), newbie deal (on your first "check-in" receive a special deal!) & much more!

How do I get a FourSquare account?

1. Visit FourSquare's website (click here)
2. Click "Join Now"- super easy if you already have a Facebook account.
3. Start exploring!

How do I use FourSquare on my phone?

Smartphones and Tablets can download a free application. It will be an easier less cluttered version of their website.

For other mobile phones, all you gotta' do is activate your phone. use your computer and go to http://dotgo.com/res/foursquare/
Once authorized you will see a list of menu actions on your phone. Reply "3" to check in at the location you are at. Use the website and learn the shortcuts!

Cool! So, now you know what FourSquare is and can probably figure out how to use it on your phone. Next time you visit FatCats, "check-in" and start reaping the benefits! We love our customers and want to reward you for your loyalty! Thanks friends!

If you have any questions that I can answer, feel free to email or comment on this post.

FatCats Foursquare links:
Provo ~ SLC ~ Ogden ~ Westminster ~ Rexburg


Clue #3 for the "Be a FatCat Treasure Hunt!"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _     "_ T_ _ _- _ _ _ _ !      _ _ _       _ _ _ T

    _        _ _ _ _ ! "     _ _ _ _ _       _ _ _T_ _ T      
 
_ _ _ _ _ _        _ _ _ _ _T        _ _ _ _T!

Be a FatCat Treasure Hunt: 2

Attention!!!

Starting Monday September 19, 2011 I will be sending out clues for a secret phrase. If you want to be the fabulous winner, this is what you should do:

1. "Like" us on Facebook (click your location)

Provo ~ SLC ~ Ogden ~ Rexburg ~ Westminster ~ FatCats Corporate 

2. Follow our Tweets (click your location)

Provo ~ SLC ~ Ogden ~ Rexburg ~ Westminster

3. Follow this blog! 


4. Join our text club! (See FatCats profile picture)

Each day I will post new clues to the secret phrase. Collect all the clues, put them together and win BIG!

Last clue will be posted on Saturday September 24th. 

Rules:

~Anyone can make a guess at anytime, BUT you can only guess ONCE! 

~Guesses must be emailed to mhess@fatcatsfun.com! If you post the answer on our wall, you will be disqualified. 

~You may ask questions on our wall.

~The first person to email the correct answer will be announced on Saturday (9/24)

~The winner must "Like" us on Facebook (including our Corporate page), follow our tweets and blog & join our text club. 

Good luck to everyone! 

Clue #3
happy birthday to us! happy birthday to us! happy birthday dear FatCats! happy birthday to us!

How to win a costume contest for under $10

Where to start?

Look around your house first! There is no need to rush off & buy an $80 costume kit from your nearest Target. (NOT a Target hater! I love Target! Most of my kitchen is from Target). 

Check out the picture below. My best friend and her hubby dressed up as Where’s Waldo & his girl Wanda. Marc borrowed the glasses from yours truly and the only thing they bought were the red tights ($1 @ Dollar Store) & duct tape ($3.99).

 Total Cost: $4.99 (+tax)

They used red shirts that they already had and snow hats. Easy!

FatCats Rexburg is having a costume contest this Thursday/Friday for the Harry Potter premier. So, first thing you gotta ask yourself is, “Who do I look like?” Are you a Harry, Snape or Bellatrix? If you play to win, go with who you look like the most. I would go with Bellatrix for myself.

Creating the costume:

After you’ve gone through your closets and rummaged through friends and family’s garages, where can you find the rest of your outfit?

Where to shop?

Savers! Deseret Industries! Salvation Army! Walmart or Target Clearance rack! There is no need to pay full price for a costume!

Found my clothes, hair and make-up come next! Dollar stores have super cheap make-up—great for dressing up! If you decide to borrow, make sure you ask sister or mom’s permission before you use their eyeliner or lipstick!

Use pictures of your favorite character to help you perfect your look.

$4.99 for my striped pj dress @ Savers & $1.49 @ Rue 21 for my make-up & $0 for my Azkaban Prison number. 

 Total Cost for costume:$6.48                

  

Most importantly, while planning and creating your costume, HAVE FUN!!!

Not Just a Chocolate Cake!

Here is a fun way to celebrate any occasion with a bowling pin cake! It's super easy. Seriously, if I can do it...YOU can too!

Step one: Use your all time favorite cake recipe. Mine is (and always will be) chocolate fudge! Make sure you make enough for two 9x13 cake pans. For my cake I used a box. Sometimes you just gotta keep it simple =)

Step two: Grease and flour your 9x13 cake pans.

Step three: Evenly distribute cake batter into the two pans.

Step four: Bake cakes using recipe or instructions from the back of the box.

Bakers tip: Don't always trust your oven. When I was baking this cake, I was up at our family cabin. I used the worlds oldest oven and I was in a much higher altitude than my home. I didn't want to take any chances, so I cooked it a little lower and a little slower.

Step five: Let the cakes cool COMPLETELY & remove from pans! Then wrap in cling wrap. Place wrapped cakes in freezer until they become firm. It is almost impossible and not a very good idea to sculpt, cut or ice a cake that is to warm or soft.

Step six: While the cakes are in the freezer, cut out the shape of a bowling pin. You can print out a picture from the internet or just eye ball it. If you are eyeballing it like I did, it is best to fold your paper ( I used two pieces and taped them together) in half. This ensures a symmetrical shape. Also cut out the shape you'd like to use for the stripe. I wanted mine to have a straight bottom edge and then points on top like a crown.

Step seven: Place your paper bowling pin across your two cakes and cut around. Carefully remove excess cake. (You can save the excess cake to serve to guests too)

Bakers tip: Use your frosting as a glue. Because you are using two cakes, there will be pieces that aren't connected. 

Step eight: Dirty ice the cake with white frosting. This will be just the first layer of frosting. It can also be called a crumb coat. After the first layer of frosting is all over, place cake back into the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Putting a second layer of white frosting ensures a clean cake.

Bakers tip: on the second layer, dip your frosting spatula or knife into a cup or warm water. Doing this helps make the frosting smooth.

Step nine: Once the cake is completely frosted use your stripe cut out and place over the middle/top of the cake. Then use sprinkles to color in stripe area. I used a squirt bottle to spray where I wanted the sprinkles to stick. Carefully pull back cut out. If there are any stray sprinkles don't try to wipe or pick off. Use a bit more frosting to cover them up.

Step ten: Wipe around edges of the cake to clean it up.Then you can transfer the cake to another serving platter. I chose not to transfer because it was already on the cabin's fanciest tray  =)

After all your hard work, make sure you take pictures before you serve it up! We'd love to see your best bowling pin cake! Post your pictures on our company Facebook page!

Tools I used to decorate:

~bowling pin paper cut out

~stripe cut out

~3-4 cups of white frosting

~knife for frosting

~cup of warm water

~paper towels to clean up the edges

~squirt bottle

~red Sprinkles