Celebrating Two Years Two years ago I hit "publish" on my very first blog post. Shortly after, I shared my first recipe - horrible photos fully complete with confusing instructions. Week after week I would continue to publish more recipes and more crappy photos and somewhere along that road I found my rhythm. During that journey, people began to read and share my recipes. Somehow, my photos got better with time and my recipe writing became a bit more simplified. Thankfully I have quite a few ... continue reading...
Most Recent Posts
Back to School with Disney Junior
Dislosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. So, apparently in a few weeks my kids will be back in school. I'm really not sure how this happened, it seemed like summer just started and now it's almost over. Not only do I already have a grown child that's done with school, but our teens will both be in high school. As if that wasn't enough, D-Man is going to be entering a whole new world by starting kindergarten and RoRo will ... continue reading...
How to Save with Walgreens Paperless Coupons
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. A few years back was when I really started to get into cooking. If you're read my backstory, you know that it all started at a time when money was tight and our family was adjusting to a lot of things. I began cooking and making things from scratch because it was just more cost efficient. During that time I also dabbled in clipping coupons, which unfortunately took a lot of time ... continue reading...
Learn about the Grocery Challenge from Grocery Budget Tutor – Plus you can WIN $250!
If you're like me, sometimes grocery shopping can be like a quick little getaway vacation. I live for my grocery shopping sprees, typically pre-planning the stores I'll go to based on the weekly circular and the already low prices at other stores that I have memorized. Sometimes I'll take one of the older teens with me, and sometimes it's a family thing and everyone comes. However, everyone knows I'm the shopped of the house since I have all the prices memorized. Maybe grocery shopping isn't ... continue reading...
The Ninja Ultima™ Blender Review {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}
Disclosure: I was provided a free The Ninja Ultima™ blender to facilitate this review and was not compensated for this post. As always, all opinion are my own. You may remember last year I did a review on the Ninja Kitchen System. I described it as my new favorite small kitchen appliance. It was for a very long time, in fact I would use it multiple times a day. I made smoothies, I used it as a food processor, we loved the single cups for our personal shakes and the large pitcher to make ... continue reading...
Stella & Dot Review {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}
Disclosure: I was provided a Stella & Dot jewelry item to facilitate my review and was not compensated. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. In a few days I'll be heading out to one of the biggest blogging conferences of the year. I'm so nervous because I've never been to a conference of this size, and I want to make a great first impression. Between meeting with sponsors, seeing some of my online friends in person, the parties, and working (I'm also a volunteer!) I'm hoping I ... continue reading...
Love Mango? There’s a cookbook for that! {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}
Disclosure: I received free cookbooks from the National Mango Board to facilitate this giveaway, and I was compensated for my original recipe and photo that was published in this cookbook. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Okay friends, if you love mango recipes then you have come to the right place today. I have a treat for YOU! A few month ago I was approached by the National Mango Board to develop a recipe for an all mango cookbook they were putting together. I'm talking ... continue reading...
High Protein Snacks in 2 Easy Recipes!
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. As always, all opinions are my own. Do you ever get busy during the day, and you just forget about eating? Whether it's because you're on the go, busy at work or dealing with a sick child, there's never a good reason to skip a meal. I should know, because this is one of my struggles. In fact, I've had this issue for many years, since I was a teen. I become so immersed with what I'm doing, that I literally ... continue reading...
Miami Culinary Tours – South Beach Food Tour (REVIEW)
Back in May I headed to Miami for a popular food conference that I was attending and one of the first things I did while I was there was go on a food tour. My friends and I had been planning the trip for a few months, and as we counted down to Miami time the excitement grew! We came across the Miami Food Tours by Miami Culinary Tours during the planning process, and they offered us a complimentary tour that we could review. We thought it would be a great way to kick off our Miami trip, so we ... continue reading...
Review of the Sprint Kyocera Hydro Vibe Waterproof 4G LTE
Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Sprint. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and to thank me for participating. You may remember a few times over the past few months I've shared with you that I'm working with Sprint as an ambassador and I'll be sharing my experiences with Sprint products and service through the remainder of the year. Speaking of which, we're over halfway through 2014 and smack dab in the middle of summer ... continue reading...
Keep Momming
Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Shire. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. The relationship that exists between mothers and daughters is unlike any other. It has many unique moments, memories, and yes, even challenges along the way. The relationship dynamic can be even trickier when your daughter is in those tween-age years. What can be even more difficult is when some people dismiss certain behaviors as “typical ... continue reading...
Party with Some of the BEST K-Cup Flavors!
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. This past weekend we had a great time with our family and friends to celebrate the 4th of July. We celebrated at home with lots of food and treats as well as plenty of fireworks fun! We kept it low key by having a pot luck so everyone brought a few of their favorite dishes to serve and it was also my friends daughters birthday, so we had some ice cream birthday cake too! ... continue reading...
The 7 Days to a Better Blog Challenge @BrandiJeter
The 7 Days to a Better Blog Challenge by Brandi Jeter Riley "Have you heard that there are well over 250 MILLION blogs on the internet?" Brandi Riley, the blogger behind Mama Knows It All, has written her FIRST book, The 7 Days to a Better Blog Challenge for anyone who wants to blog or has a blog but wants to be better. Brandi is an advocate, mother, newlywed, and friend to many. She's coached thousands of bloggers on what it takes to make money from their site. Keep in touch with ... continue reading...
What Makes an Extraordinary Kid?
As parents, don't we all tend to think our kids are just the best, most amazing, talented, beautiful and intelligent beings in the universe? I know I do, and as a mom of many it can be difficult for me to focus on just one kid to sing the praises of. I'm blessed to be entrusted with raising these healthy, inquisitive and amazing little humans. All of my kids are unique and special in their own ways, but today I decided to brag on my middle child - my only girl. When I was expecting RiRi, ... continue reading...
ZOURS® Candy Ideas – how about some Homemade Ice Cream?!
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. If your summer is going anything like mine, then you are probably constantly trying to come up with some creative ideas for snack time since the kids are home. During the weekend when Big G is off, we try to have a movie night with the kids and we always enjoy coming up with new movie snacks and candy ideas. Well, just last week I was shopping at Walmart and ... continue reading...
What the Purina One 28 Day Challenge Means for our Family
Disclosure: This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Purina One, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ONEDifference my-disclosur.es/OBsstV If you've been around these parts for a while now, you know that our family is big. Not just big, but blended and spans across many different ages. What you may not have noticed, unless you've read my Family Life tab, is that we also have two dogs who are very much a part of our family. If you ... continue reading...
Tortellini Pesto Pasta Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Earlier this month I attended a webcast with that led by olive oil expert, Dr. Luisito Cercaci. We compared six different types and flavors of Pompeian Olive Oils and learned the differences between them. Prior to this tasting session, I hadn't realized how different each oil could be. Once you are actually tasting them and comparing the color as well as the flavor to one another, you can really see which types stand out to you the most and what they would be paired with in the most ... continue reading...
Sweet ‘n Spicy Rib Sandwich
Disclosure: This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media® and Farmland/Smithfield, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #ReadySetRibs my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH One of the biggest summer holidays for grilling is coming up in just a few days and I have got something delicious in store for you! Now, typically I leave the meats and grilling all up to the husband while I take care of sides, desserts and decor, but I wanted to show him that I could come up ... continue reading...
Fruit Infused Iced Tea
Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. My daughter, RiRi, and I are avid tea drinkers. Sometimes there's nothing better than a warm cup of tea sweetened with honey to soothe your throat. During the warmer months I've had sun tea almost my whole life. In addition to sun tea, I love a good sweet tea. We've actually accumulated quite a collection ... continue reading...
Cooking with Almond Milk: Coconut Shrimp over Zucchini Alfredo
Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. Do you lighten up your recipes in the warmer months? I'm always playing experimenting and playing with my food and recipes. In the warmer months I love salads, smoothies, and anything that's not too heavy overall. Not only that, but I love to lighten up recipes that can feel a little too heavy during ... continue reading...
