Why Kids with Autism Need Companion Dogs (Plus a Super Easy Dog Toy Tutorial for YOUR Favorite Furry Friend!)

March 6, 2017March 5, 2017 - Mama 3 Comments

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

Dogs may be man's best friend, but for many kids with autism, dogs can provide so much more than friendship. Should your child with autism have an autism companion dog? Here are a few things that they can help with. #FeedDogsPurina [ad]

It takes a village to raise a child, clearly. In many ways, it seems it takes even more of a village to raise a child with autism. For children with autism, you aren’t just talking about family and friends in your village. Your village includes therapists, speech therapists, and other doctors, too. But sometimes the best possible village has 4 legs instead of 2, and that’s where autism companion dogs come in.

Not to be confused with trained service dogs, companion dogs are those special pets that fill a need in the life of a child with autism without training. It’s why I am a big advocate for children with autism having a companion dog in their lives. Autism companion dogs are amazing creatures; they’re loving, calming, and passionate about helping their human companion in their struggles. Here are my 5 reasons that kids with autism need an autism companion dog. (Keep reading, too, because I have a fun DIY dog toy for the beloved pet in your life!)

Hamster Food Smoothies: A Human Treat for Humans who Love Hamsters

March 2, 2017March 4, 2017 - Mama 1 Comment

Humphrey the hamster is SAD SAD SAD. His beloved Ms. Mac has left for Brazil… without him. Luckily, Humphrey has plenty to keep him busy, like helping his human classmates through sticky situations and navigating their personal struggles and learning more about himself along the way. After all, you can learn a lot about yourself by getting to know another species. If you love hamsters as much as we’ve grown to love Humphrey in this book, the World According to Humphrey, you’re going to love this Hamster Food Smoothie! It’s a smoothie for humans, but every ingredient in it is a hamster-safe treat*. Don’t worry, it tastes delicious, even for humans. Humans and hamsters have quite a bit in common, after all.

7 Things My Son Has Learned from Playing Minecraft Every Day

February 23, 2017February 28, 2017 - Mama Leave a comment

Minecraft. It’s one of those ubiquitous games that it seems most kids are playing at one point or another. I’m not too worried about the Minecraft fascination, though. The thing is, there’s a lot of educational value in Minecraft. Many schools are even adding it to their curriculum! At first, I really didn’t get the appeal… so it’s a game. With blocks. And… everything is super boxy. And there’s no real end goal* (I’m from the Mario generation… you play the game, you save the princess, game over) which just blew my mind. When we got it, I didn’t think much of the game, obviously. But there are 7 important things my son has learned from playing Minecraft every day.

Coconut Sharks in the Water– a twenty øne piløts Inspired Mocktail

February 21, 2017February 25, 2017 - Mama Leave a comment

MamaPlusOne is not endorsed by or affiliated with twenty øne piløts. We are just fans who really wanted to share a drink inspired by the band, and hope you enjoy this Coconut Sharks in the Water mocktail!

If you listen to the radio, you’ve probably heard of twenty øne piløts. Well, unless somebody stole your car radio. I’m just going to warn you now, this post is going to be filled with some twenty øne piløts references. If you aren’t a twenty øne piløts fan, that’s okay– this mocktail would be SO delicious for summertime parties and pool parties, but if you are a twenty øne piløts fan, you’re going to get what I’m saying.

If you’ve been a twenty øne piløts fan for awhile, you’ve probably heard the song… not the Taco Bell Saga but the other one. Coconut coconut sharks in the water, coconut coconut sharks in the water, coconut coconut sharks in the water, frens. Yeah, that one. Well, after my son and I got to see twenty øne piløts in concert, I decided we definitely needed to make a twenty øne piløts-inspired drink to share our story of seeing them live, and that’s how the Coconut Sharks in the Water mocktail was born!

So-Simple Strawberry Turnovers

February 15, 2017February 24, 2017 - Mama 2 Comments

These strawberry turnovers are so insanely easy that you might just cry a little bit. Fill, fold, bake, glaze, DONE. Breakfast in under 20 minutes, easy enough for any morning but fancy enough for Easter, Valentine's Day, and more. These simple strawberry turnovers are going to become a staple in your house-- promise.

I’m a breakfast person. Lunch, dinner, they’re great, but if I had to pick one category of food, it would be breakfast. I don’t even have to eat it at breakfast time (in fact, being so NOT a morning person, I’m notoriously bad at eating breakfast… like, at actual breakfast time). From pancakes to eggs to French toast, there’s nothing about breakfast food I don’t like. But there is one breakfast food that I cannot. ever. ever. ever say no to. Turnovers. *drool* The flakiness of the pastry. The flavor of the fruit filling (or cream, or chocolate, I don’t discriminate). And amazingly, the ease of making them. Seriously. This is the easiest breakfast dish you are ever going to make. And it might be a little dangerous for your waistline because oh my gosh, I can’t resist making these all the dang time. These strawberry turnovers are SO simple, you might cry a little. I won’t blame you if you need to grab a tissue really quickly before we keep reading.

Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Olive Garden Copycat!)

February 13, 2017February 14, 2017 - Mama 3 Comments

If you're totally obsessed with Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli soup, but can't make it to Olive Garden every day, you're going to LOVE this option-- homemade pasta e fagioli soup with all the flavor, with just a few minutes of prep time. Simmer and enjoy! Skip going out to eat and have dinner in with this yummy alternative.

I would eat at Olive Garden pretty much every day if I could… from the super soft, delicious warm breadsticks to the salad, to the pasta e Fagioli soup, I just want it non-stop. Downside? My budget kiiiind of laughs at me anytime I say I want to eat at a restaurant every day. The bright side is, pasta e Fagioli soup is so easy to make, and it’s affordable enough that you can feed your whole family for what it would cost to feed, well, pretty much just you at a restaurant.

Personally, I think it would be worth it to not cook and just feed me at a restaurant every day… but my hungry family disagrees, which is where this pasta e Fagioli copycat soup comes in. Luckily, it’s easy and delicious, so everyone’s happy!

One Shelf, Three Ways: How I transformed a $5 Shelf from Target

February 9, 2017 - Mama Leave a comment

It is AMAZING what a little spray paint will do! This super cute house shelf is only $5 at @Target, and can be used in every room of the house! This post shows how to make it an awesome LEGO Minifig shelf, a command center shelf that holds keys, notes, and trinkets, and a super-organizing desk tray. #TargetMadeMeDoIt #TMMDI @Target

Tired of stepping on LEGO minifigs? Can’t find your car keys? Desk totally a mess? I have had the same stinkin’ issues. Day in, day out, that is the story of my life. When I saw these little pastel house-shaped shelves at Target, I knew they’d be at home in a playroom or nursery, but with the help of a little bit of spray paint, these became a true focal point in three different rooms of my house.

Chicken Taco Pockets

February 6, 2017February 6, 2017 - Mama 2 Comments

This easy weeknight meal combines the best of taco night with the ease of a hand-held pocket you can enjoy on the go. Just a few minutes of prep, bake, and enjoy. If you love chicken tacos, you'll love this easy-to-make chicken taco pocket. | crescent rolls | chicken | weeknight dinner | 30 minutes or less |

Nothing says “perfect weeknight dinner” like Taco Tuesday, but seriously, sometimes you just need to shake it up. These awesome hand-held chicken taco pockets are perfect for a weeknight dinner, and they take almost no effort. If you love tacos, you’re going to LOVE these taco pockets, and they’ll be on your table in under 30 minutes.

Loaded Cheeseburger Nachos for the Big Game

January 24, 2017January 26, 2017 - Mama 3 Comments

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

There’s something seriously divine about biting into a juicy, delicious cheeseburger. My family is pretty serious about our beef and our cheeseburgers– every year, we even buy an entire cow. That’s how much we really, really like burgers. But burgers are just a pain in the booty to make for tailgating and Big Game parties. Getting it just how everyone likes it, making the perfect patty, standing over the grill… that’s not how I want to spend my game time events. That’s why these loaded cheeseburger nachos are perfect. They totally keep the party going, and they have all of the best parts of a cheeseburger– beef, bacon, fries, and delicious ketchup. You can’t go wrong with them!

Crock Pot Potato Soup

January 23, 2017January 23, 2017 - Mama Leave a comment

In the winter, I crave a nice, warm soup-- it is my favorite kind of comfort food. This crock pot potato soup is easy to make, and you can make it in your slow cooker! So simple! | crockpot | loaded baked potato |

In the winter, I’m usually craving a great, super warm, hearty comfort food, and I can’t seem to get warmed up unless I get it. For me, one of the best choices, when I’m a little chilly, is to make some soup, but I’m rarely in the mood to have to fuss with it if I don’t have to. I love this super simple (souper simple? Ha!) Crock Pot Potato Soup because it tastes amazing, but it also makes life so much easier because you just put it in the slow cooker and go!

Mama Plus One

Making Life Easy So You Can Get Back to What Matters Most