How to Get Your Car (And Family!) Road Trip Ready!

June 10, 2015June 12, 2015 - Mama 3 Comments

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

Are you road trip ready? It's more than just packing a few snacks-- it's total car re-organization! Don't miss these must-have checklist items to be sure your car AND your family have everything they need for a safe and fun road trip, whether you're traveling 3 hours or 18 hours! | travel | traveling with kids | #FuelTheLove | #Ad

Every year, we take several summer trips– some are close (an hour to the Kansas City), and some are far (18 hours to our favorite island destination). All of these require a little bit of planning to make sure our car, and the kids, will get there without breaking down or totally losing it on each other. After a few summers, I think we’ve got this down to an art, so I wanted to share my best road trip tips with you so you will be totally ready for your summer vacation!

The $1 DIY Gift Box (And How to Create a Last-Minute Gift under $15!)

May 25, 2015May 28, 2015 - Mama 8 Comments

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

Did you forget a birthday until the last minute, and now there's no room in your budget? Trust me, you've got this-- try this awesome $1 reusable gift box idea that is personalized to the recipient, and see ideas for last-minute gift giving under $15. Don't let a forgotten birthday get you down! #SendSmiles #Ad

I am the worst when it comes to birthdays. A few years ago, I thought I’d get better– I made this great birthday calendar of everyone’s birthdays and thought “I’ll never forget a card again!” However, instead of helping me remember the birthdays, it just made me realize I’d forgotten to plan for them. And what usually happened on the rare occasion I did remember, was that I didn’t really have a ton of room in the budget anyway. Then, I realized that planning for birthdays didn’t have to be that hard or that expensive if I kept some great gear on hand for birthdays (and if I could find some really affordable go-to gift options!)

Recycled Regatta: How to Make Sailboats out of Recycled SunnyD Bottles

May 5, 2015May 5, 2015 - Mama 11 Comments

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

It's time to pull out the sails and have some summertime fun! If you're looking for a summer craft to add to your summer bucket list, or if you just need a boredom buster for your kids, they'll love these fun recycled DIY boats! #WhereFunBegins #ad

I am a huge fan of crafts made with supplies I pretty much have on hand. When my son says “I’m bored!” I like having a project available for him to do. Because of that, I tend to save things like bottles and straws in a bag in our pantry– they make the COOLEST homemade toys!

How to Get Kids to Do Chores (With Free Chore Chart!)

May 4, 2015May 4, 2015 - Mama 9 Comments

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

Are your kids slobs? Are they fighting you on pitching in with the chores? Do you struggle to get organized because of the clutter, mess, and lack of family participation? You can get your family to help with chores, without a fight! Get some tips (and print a free chore chart) to get your family motivated to clean up! #CleaningUntangled #Ad

Why does it so often feel like it’s mom’s job to do all of the housework? And how many times have you asked your kids to make their bed, clean up their toys, and help out with cleaning, only to get a fight? It’s an absolute pain, and in our household, it was time to say Enough. Is. Enough. It actually isn’t hard to get kids to do their chores– without the fight. You just have to get a little bit creative.

Blended Strawberry Mock-aritas and Hot & Spicy Cheese Dip for Cinco de Mayo!

April 24, 2015January 13, 2017 - Mama 3 Comments

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

Wanting to celebrate a delicious Cinco de Mayo with friends and family? You'll love this delicious strawberry mock-arita... it's just like your favorite restaurant margarita, without any alcohol! Strawberry and lime abound, and they're delicious. It makes for the perfect drink recipe for summer. #DelimexFiesta #Ad

Green chiles and hot sauce add a little kick to this cheesy delight! You'll love this dip for your next fiesta, whether it's Cinco de Mayo or anytime! It's creamy, cheesy, and served hot, which makes it SO good for any time! #DelimexFiesta #Ad

I’m coming at you today with not one, but TWO recipes that will be perfect for your Cinco de Mayo fiesta! You’ll love these recipes for sharing with friends, or even enjoying yourself after a long day. The first is a perfect blended strawberry mock-arita (it’s alcohol free, so even your littlest sippers can enjoy some this summer!) and the second is a hot and spicy cheese dip that will be the hit of the party, whether you’re dipping chips or the Delimex Taquitos and Rolled Tacos that pair perfectly with it!

How to Tackle the Laundry Pile (And Get Your Kids to Help!)

April 20, 2015April 20, 2015 - Mama 2 Comments

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

Laundry stinks... sometimes literally! But tackling the laundry pile isn't impossible. Even the youngest of kids can help with laundry-related chores, because there's an age-appropriate task for almost anyone! So read this post, gather the family, and conquer the laundry pile, once and for all! | household tip | cleaning | laundry hack | #longlastingscent #ad

Laundry stinks. Sometimes literally. I’m not kidding, laundry is my least favorite chore. I don’t mind washing so much, but the remembering to move clothes from the washer to the dryer, the act of folding and sorting and turning everything right-side out drives me bonkers. And don’t even get me started on putting it away– I’d live out of a laundry basket if I could! But the laundry pile? It has to go, and with a little help from your kids, it won’t even take that long! Who says mom should have to do all of the laundry? It’s time to tackle the laundry pile, and get your kids involved in lightening the load, so you can all have a great break afterwards.

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!

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!)

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

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