Butter-Style Chocolate Pound Cake

March 26, 2015March 24, 2017 - Mama 11 Comments

This butter-style chocolate pound cake recipe may contain affiliate links.

I love chocolate. Like, it goes way beyond a casual “I’ll eat chocolate if it’s there” kind of thing. No, it’s a full-fledged love affair. I’m not above hiding a little chocolate in the jewelry box in my closet for emergencies. Just kidding, that’s not where I hid it. I just don’t want any of you breaking into my chocolate stash. Ha! The thing is, sometimes I like chocolate more than I like people. Chocolate doesn’t say mean things, and it doesn’t over-share on Facebook. Chocolate is just delicious. That’s why, when I needed to bake a cake this week, I knew it had to be chocolate. I also knew I wanted something a little bit different. That’s where this delicious chocolate pound cake recipe comes in.

DIY Recycled Bottle City Craft

March 24, 2015March 24, 2015 - Mama 11 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BringingInnovation #CollectiveBias

Don't toss out those bottles or newspapers! You can use them to create a fun bottle city for your kids! Learn about this craft, plus other ideas on how to teach kids to reduce, reuse, and recycle here. #BringingInnovation #ad

If you walk into my house at any given time, you’re bound to find a few items lying around the toy area that aren’t quite what many would view as toys. My son’s play kitchen is fully stocked with real items– empty milk jugs, honey bears, coffee creamer bottles, and more. I love to repurpose items when I can (and of course, recycle them when I can’t), because I’m just not a huge fan of the thought of so much waste going into landfills. One of my new favorite crafts, though, is to take all of those little bottles– the ones from juice or soda or water– and make them into cool toys, like this great city. It’s so easy to do, which means your kids will love joining in on the fun, too!

Delicious Mocktails for Spring Celebrations!

March 23, 2015January 13, 2017 - Mama 8 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #KeepSpringBubbly #CollectiveBias

Looking to #KeepSpringBubbly? Try these refreshing spring mocktails that take seconds to prepare and are perfect for your next spring gathering. You CAN throw a party together in under 15 minutes with these tips and recipes! #ad

I love entertaining, especially in the springtime. But it seems like there’s something about great weather that leads to unexpected guests. If you get the call that company is on the way, it’s actually not too hard to throw together a quick gathering by using items you already have on hand! Today, I want to share with you my favorite tips for easy last-minute entertaining, and I want to share a few of my favorite mocktail recipes for spring! As a non-drinker, I love being able to have a fancy, special drink, and it’s SO easy to prepare some unique, delicious spring mocktails that will get your guests mixing and mingling for sure!

50 Ways to Bond with your Child (Without Leaving the House)

March 18, 2015March 22, 2015 - Mama 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FrozenCustardTime #CollectiveBias

It’s so important to spend time with your children. Kids are at this vital part of their life where they need to be shown love, time, patience, and how to interact together during family time. That’s why you can’t put a high enough value on time spent together. But truthfully? Time together doesn’t have to require any extensive planning at all– with a few things you probably already have around the house, you can take time to unplug and enjoy bonding time together. Here are some of my favorite ideas for spending time with your children (without leaving the house!)

The Perks of Being a Stay At Home Mom

March 16, 2015March 16, 2015 - Mama Leave a comment

Disclaimer: this post isn’t meant to bash anyone, or say that being a stay at home mom is more important than being a mom who works outside the home– not in the slightest. But lately, I’ve heard a lot of questions raised about the value of stay at home moms and whether they’re really as significant as moms who work outside of the home, and I wanted to share my perspective of why working from home has changed my life so significantly. Again– not trying to bash, just trying to share my side of the story!

I’ve had a lot of people ask me “Yeah, but do you feel unfulfilled working from home instead of having like… a job?” “Don’t you just need a break from your kid sometimes?” “Ugh, I could NEVER work from home… my kids drive me crazy!” But after working from home, I realized there are a lot of perks of being a stay at home mom or work at home mom. I have a lot of opportunities that other moms don’t have, and for that, I feel really lucky.

My Busy Mom “Go Bag” Essentials

March 13, 2015March 13, 2015 - Mama 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ChangingPrepaid #CollectiveBias

Mom life can be hectic sometimes, and it feels like between gymnastics, soccer camp, visiting our favorite museums, and just hanging out at the park, we are always on the go. Even though I’ve never been much of a purse girl, our on-the-go lifestyle has made it so I pretty much have to have a bag on me at all times. And that’s where our “go-bag” comes in– our essentials are all in one spot, and that definitely helps. There are some things I always have on hand.

Salted Pepperoni Chocolate Bark

March 11, 2015January 13, 2017 - Mama 8 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PepItUp #CollectiveBias I’m not exactly sure who started this whole sweet and savory chocolate covered meat trend. I’ll be honest– I was even skeptical the first time I tried chocolate covered bacon. After that, it seemed people moved on to chocolate covered beef jerky, and now, well, I’ve found the next logical incarnation of the trend. A new season means it’s time to ditch the old chocolate covered meat we’ve come to know and love and try something new… and that something new? It’s Hormel pepperoni. Read more

Must-Make Lemon White Chocolate Toll House Cookie Bars

March 10, 2015January 13, 2017 - Mama 15 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EasterEssentials #CollectiveBias

The Easter season is upon us. Can you believe it? I certainly can’t– this year is flying by! One of the things I love about springtime, and about the Easter season, is that the weather is nice and you can finally get out. No more snow to hold you back from visiting friends and neighbors or just enjoying the great weather. But between egg hunts, time with family, and those drop in guests, the Easter season is busy. Who has time to bake during all of that craziness? You. That’s who. Because these awesome lemon white chocolate bars are semi-homemade using NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® White Chip Lemon Refrigerated Cookie Dough, making them quick and easy to prepare (especially if you have unexpected company)!

DIY Color Bubbles

March 9, 2015March 9, 2015 - Mama 9 Comments

I’m sure by now you’ve seen the colorful bubbles in store sold by some big-name brands. But did you know it’s easy to DIY color bubbles yourself? It only takes a few ingredients– things you already likely have around your house– and a few minutes to make the BEST color bubbles on the planet!

Beefy Potato Taco Pie

March 5, 2015January 13, 2017 - Mama 3 Comments

One of my favorite things to order when I go to my favorite Mexican fast food restaurant is a burrito that contains beef and potatoes… I don’t know what it is about those tender potatoes that makes a cheesy, beefy, delicious burrito so much better, but it’s SO good. I also have a pretty strong affinity for pot pie, which I’ve shared a few times on the blog before. But I started thinking… what if I married these two things I love together in to one delicious main dish? The result is this incredible beefy potato taco pie, and trust me, you definitely want to try this one.

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