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

An Open Letter To My Son: I Will Protect You

February 9, 2015February 10, 2015 - Mama 3 Comments

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

Zach, do you remember that time you climbed that tree? I knew you were climbing too high, I just knew that you’d fall, but you urged me to let you, begged me to let go of your hand so you could reach the next branch. And you know what happened? You made it. You reached it. You didn’t fall. I let go, and you stayed safe. It’s in my nature to be a little bit overbearing at times. I’ll always have worries– am I raising you the right way? Are you growing the way you should? How much life insurance should I have in case something happens to me? What sort of things do you need to know before you prepare for kindergarten?

I want to tell you right now that I don’t have all of the answers, but I do want to make you some promises.

Managing Car Care (When Your Toddler Won’t Cooperate) with Pennzoil

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 - Mama 5 Comments

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

Having a toddler is not at all what I expected. While I do truly savor every minute of it, I also cannot figure out how to squeeze in things like breakfast, or shaving my legs, or, y’know, oil changes, on a regular basis. At the same time, as a mom, I’m not satisfied with my car maintenance not being taken care of when it should– an unsafe car is NOT an option when you have a child riding along. Short of hiring a sitter so I could get an oil change, I was really clueless about what to do…

Müller Ice Cream Sundae Yogurt Mini Pies

January 5, 2015January 13, 2017 - Mama 2 Comments

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. Any opinions are my own. #MüllerMoment #CollectiveBias

Is anything better than an indulgent treat at the end of a long day? Well, I think a not-so-bad for you indulgent treat may be better! I grew up an ice cream addict. My family regularly had homemade ice cream at celebrations and holidays, and I love sitting down with a bowl of ice cream at night. And my favorite flavor? Mint chip. Mmmm… Müller created a line, brand new in stores, of ice cream inspired yogurt, and they even have a mint version… and when life gives you ice cream inspired yogurt, it’s pretty much a given you’re going to make a delicious sundae-inspired treat, right?

Mama Plus One

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

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