July 4th is one of my favorite holidays to MAKE decorations for they stay up all summer and no one questions it because it's just 'Americana'. One items I recently fell in love with was these DIY Yarn Stars that make a great decor item! They are great on their own, attached to glasses, baskets, wreaths and more! There are so many great uses for these stars! I have seen them made them into magnets, glued on frames, used in place of a bow for a gift. You can attach them to a burlap banner and glue on a headband. Or display as shown on your mantle or with a jar of flowers on your kitchen table. DIY Decor Yarn Stars Here is what you need! This Free Star Pattern Cardboard Red Yarn (I found this one at a flea market) White Yarn ( I used Red Heart White ) Blue Yarn ( I used Red … [Read more...]
Grilled Pepperoni Pizza Sandwich
I love simple and easy recipes. 4 ingredients and they are ones I generally have in my house 95% of the time! This makes a great lunch when I have kiddos over. Kids love sandwiches and they love pizza. Then they generally love the person who put 2 of them together! Seriously your kids have friends over? Make a killer meal for them and they will be the best behaved kids in the world (around you!) because you have become the 'cool' mom! This Grilled Pepperoni Pizza Sandwich is the food to do that! Grilled Pepperoni Pizza Sandwich So like I said 4 ingredients 15-20 minutes and bam you have a great lunch or dinner. You can switch out the pepperoni for your favorite pizza topping. I like a supreme pizza so I like to add in onion and green pepper and black olives and sausage … [Read more...]
Do You Have What It Takes?
This Infographic is presented by GrabaGun.com … [Read more...]
What to Pack for BlogHer and Other Blog Conferences!
I remember my first blog conference I was flying by the seat of my pants and there really wasn't any article out about packing for a BLOG conference. So I took the info from the what to pack for a business conference and ran with it. Here is what I think you need to Pack for BlogHer, and other blog conferences. No matter if this is your first Blog Conference or your 10th, it never hurts to double check your packing! You can always forget something and no one likes to do that! My First conference? I forgot my hairbrush! Spending $12 at the hotel store for something I have 3 of at home already is not fun! Here is what I find useful to packing for a blog conference. The biggest thing to remember is the basics. Clothes, PJ ect. Next plan for … [Read more...]
25 Free Things To Do in Orlando, Fl
Heading to Orlando for the amusement parks? They can be expensive but there are some great things to do to fill up your vacation that are free! Growing up in FL I was able to take advantage of several of these. These are great to get out of that hotel room as well and tire the kiddos out so they sleep! Have you done any of these? 25 Free Things To Do in Orlando, Fl … [Read more...]
14 Things I Wish I Had Known About Breastfeeding & What I Didn’t Learn From the Books
So breastfeeding wasn't something I grew up around. Then being one of the first of my friends to have kids I didn't know much. I didn't do much research and with baby #1, I thought put the baby on, he feeds and done. I didn't know milk in came in a few days later, with a VENGEANCE. I didn't know I would get so engorged I'd need the Dr's help to get all the milk out. I didn't know breastfeeding wasn't easy. I didn't know the 2 oz I was getting the first few days was more than enough. And I didn't know when my son was 10 days old my husband would get deployment orders for only a few weeks later and the stress would cause my milk to dry up. Because of that with baby #2 and baby #3 i didn't even try to breastfeed. Then with baby #4 I decided to try again. This time I read up online on … [Read more...]
Tips for the BlogHer Conference Newbie!
I remember when I was a Blog Her newbie a few years back and I want to share what I learned for the newbies this year! I read the guides but nothing beats experience. Here are a few things I wish I had known and advice I wish I had taken for my first first conference. These tips are from my experience with BlogHer but will work with any blogging conference! What Should I Wear? What do you wear? Think of the conference as a business meeting. Even the parties! Dress in business clothes. When in the expo hall, and at parties you are connecting with brands and companies. Who do you think they will want to work with? The professionally dressed person or the one who looks like they have been out clubbing all night and has "things" hanging out no one wants … [Read more...]
Watermelon Cupcakes
The heat is here, kids are getting out of school that means summer time has arrived! With summer time that brings one of my favorite things... watermelons! I love just about anything watermelon flavored! I LOVE watermelon slushies and those chewy watermelon candies and a favorite is these Watermelon flavored cupcakes. Watermelon Cupcakes These are yummy how cute are these? My kids love them and they are always a big hit wherever I take them! INGREDIENTS Cake: 1 box white cake mix 1 (3 oz.) box of watermelon Jell-O powder (reserve 2 teaspoons for frosting) 1/2 cup watermelon puree 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup oil 4 eggs 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional) red food coloring Frosting: 1 cup softened Butter 3 cup Powdered Sugar 3 tbsp Milk 1 tsp Vanilla Green … [Read more...]
What to Stock Up on in June
When June rolls around, most of us spend a lot of time outdoors, at the beach or traveling on vacation. Warmer weather means that we can not only spend more time in the sun, but also that it’s time to start stocking up for certain things. June is a great month for stocking up a lot of fantastic items and you’ll want to make sure you do. Once these sales are off cycle, it will be several months before they’re back on. What to Stock Up on in June June is National Dairy Month and at the same time, we also celebrate Father’s Day. That means there are a plethora of dairy and grilling items to stock up on! Groceries: • Butter • Milk • Cheese • Cream Cheese • Ice Cream • Whipped Topping and Whipped Cream • Eggs (Did you know you can preserve eggs for up to 9 months with no … [Read more...]
Teach My – Women Owned! + Teach My Kit Giveaway!
As a homeschool mom I am always looking for ways to get my kids involved, learning and to make it fun! I was introduced to Teach My line of products a while ago and fell in love with them! They are available at your local Walmart in the learning toy aisle and they have 3 to choose from! Teach My Baby - Is for 6 months and up and helps teach first words, numbers, sounds and touch. They will learn animals and all while playing! Teach My Toddler - Your toddler will learn the alphabet, numbers to 10, shapes and colors. People are always amazed that my 2 year old can tell you what a letter is when you point to it. While she has trouble counting to 10 (she goes 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 LOL!) she also has her shapes and colors down. Teach My Toddler also has a section to teach … [Read more...]
Spread the Love With Huggies! #UltraHug
Having 4 kids we have gone through quite a bit of diapers. As a first time mom we used the diapers the hospital sent home with our son and couldnt' figure out why when he was fed changed and put down for a nap with a clean diaper he would wake up 3 hours later and have leaked out of his diaper EVERY TIME! So off we went to the store with our 3 day old to buy new diapers. Many friends told me to try out Huggies and we have been a huggies family since day 3 of baby #1! I have always loved the Huggies Snug and Dry diapers. They fit my kids and didn't leak, other then my few super pee-ers that needed night time diapers. Now they have Huggies Snug and Dry Ultra Diapers. I admit they have my attention! What ARE the new Huggies Snug and Dry Ultra Diapers? Huggies Snug & Dry ULTRA … [Read more...]
Preparing for a Hurricane on a Budget
It's the start of hurricane season. June - November is hurricane season here in the USA with it's peak being around August. Being born and raised in FL I know a thing or 2 about hurricanes, in fact I was in FL during Hurricane Charley, and I stood in the eye of Hurricane Charley in August 2004. Hurricane Charley was named one of the top 15 Most Costly Natural Disasters in History. Now is the time to start preparing for a hurricane! This CAN be done on a tight budgettoo! Preparing for a Hurricane on a Budget I went digging for hurricane pictures and while I can't find the ones of my house, I did came across these of my grandfather's house. The one below is of the side that got a brunt of the damage, and keep in mind his house was one of the house with the least damage in the area. … [Read more...]