Well hello there, friends! I’ve been away from the blog for a few days (nothing exciting, just a stomach bug. Yuck). But I’m back and ready to talk fashion!
Today you can find me over at A Daily Dose of Toni, sharing all the details on my latest Stitch Fix box and talking about wearable fashion for moms (but not mom jeans!). Come visit me and let me know what you think about what I kept and what I sent back!
This post brought to you by Walmart. All opinions are 100% mine.
Most every family has that one night of the week that is the craziest. For us, it is most definitely Wednesday. It’s one of my primary work days, coupled with schlepping kids to and from two different schools all over town, ballet lessons, and in the warmer months, a trip to the farmer’s market to pick up our CSA basket. This is the day, more so than any other day, that we wish fairies would sneak into our house while we are gone and magically prepare dinner. Because by the time we get home, we’re hungry and totally out of gas.
Well, those fairies have yet to show up, but I’ve been buying convenient options that please everyone, like Red Baron® pizza. I like this brand because the pepperoni they use is exceptionally flavorful. It’s a stand-out, for sure!
Right now you can find great coupons for Red Baron® at Walmart. Their prices are already really good, and the coupon makes it even better! Don’t miss the coupon for $3 off and 3 Red Baron® multi-serve pizzas. While you are printing those great pizza coupons, don’t miss out on the string cheese and the egg rolls. I definitely printed those, too!
Wednesday at my house is the complete and total opposite of this:
If you have a day of the week that is also NOT AT ALL like rainbows at sea, then pick up some Red Baron. You’ll give yourself a break, and by using the coupons, you’ll save some money! Take that, elusive pot of gold!
Thanks to NeoCell for sending complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
Over the past few years I’ve tried a lot of different hair products in an effort to keep my hair manageable, shiny and thick. Some haven’t worked at all, some have worked for a period of time and then quit once my hair got too used to them, and others (like no ‘poo) seem to work consistently.
But I have never thought to take the “inside out” approach until I learned about NeoCell Keratin Hair Volumizer. I’ve been taking them for the past month, though I’ve been sporadic about taking them (I stink at remembering to take pills!). So I can’t tell you that I personally have noticed a significant difference in how my hair looks and feels based on the supplements alone. However, I can tell you that this product has already started winning awards, which is a good sign to me that it is doing something right.
The capsules contain NeoCell’s award-winning collagen with solubilized keratin. The solubilized keratin is a first in the industry, and that really sets it apart from other supplements. The keratin binds to the hair shaft from the inside, and makes it stronger and less prone to breakage. It has also been clinically proven to enhance hair volume and increase shine.
A one-month supply of Keratin Hair Volumizer retails for $19.99 , though at the time of this writing I saw it for $15 on Amazon
If your hair is in need of some help, and the things you have tried on the outside aren’t working, try starting from the inside with NeoCell Keratin Hair Volumizer.
This post brought to you by Zubie. All opinions are 100% mine.
As I type this, my car is sitting in our back yard, in official "time out" for making some seriously bad noises (metal-on-metal….NEVER good).
My only consolation while I wait for shop to open Monday morning so I can limp my car over (just 2 blocks, thank goodness), is that I already know that the problem isn't in the engine. How do I know? My Zubie Key told me.
The Zubie Key, which fits into the standard port found in most cars, interfaces with the engine and the battery to let me know if there are any perceived problems or weaknesses. When I checked on my smartphone app that connects with the Zubie Key, I noted that thankfully, the engine seems to be having no problems. There's still a problem, to be sure, but it isn't in the engine. If it was in the engine, I'd be needing to brace myself for one killer auto bill. Dodged a bullet there, and I'm glad to know that now rather than having to worry about it all weekend.
We've had the Zubie key installed for about 3 weeks now, and one of the features that impresses me the most is its ability to assist with safe driving. You'd better believe that I'll want one of these in my car when my oldest becomes a teen driver. I'm sent an alert whenever the car has a hard break. I have to admit, I'm aware of that notification, and it is making me actively work to improve my own driving skills.
I also really like the real-time tracking location. While I feel safe in my neighborhood, I'm no stranger to living in a city with a high car theft rate (shout out, Memphis!). With the Zubie Key, you can track the location of your vehicle, even when you aren't in it! Great to know for keeping your family tracked without having to send text messages back and forth, and also great in the event that someone else decides that they want to steal your car. You (or rather, the police) can track them down, likely before they even realize that the Zubie Key is in place!
And best of all, the Zubie app, which can help you coordinate a trip with other drivers, is completely free. You can get a feel for some of the great features the Zubie Key can offer before making the purchase. Give it a try; I bet you'll like it enough to get a Zubie Key. And you can order today with code SAVE20JANand SAVE 20%. Offer good through February 28, 2014. Shipping charges may apply.
Keep up with the latest by following Zubie on Facebook and on Twitter.
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.
I have to tell you, as much as I love the fact that my family is together for almost every single meal daily (even lunch!), it comes at a price to my ability to maximize my work day. Since I work from home, I’m the one who is in the house and can get lunch and dinner ready each day. Mondays and Wednesdays are the worst, because I don’t have the kiddos with me before lunch, and it is prime “work” time. To spend 30 minutes of that precious time preparing lunch totally wrecks my attempt at a balanced lifestyle, because it gives me less time to get my job done, which in turn makes me more stressed out.
I’ve been noticing that as a result, I’ve been throwing together meal options that aren’t the best choice for my family due to their high salt intake, and I’ve been stress eating while trying to work lightning fast on those days. I need to get back on track with some healthier options that are also really convenient so that I can focus on my work, and also not feel guilty about what I’m eating.
So I headed to Walmart to find some options that would help me make the most of my work hours without coming at a steep cost to my waistline. I really hit the jackpot, too, and now my freezer has an ample supply of healthier choices that can be prepared in a flash.
Breakfast this week has been looking like this:
This is the LEAN CUISINE Morning Collection Turkey Sausage English Muffin. I’ve been eating it with some sliced citrus and a glass of almond milk. It is totally filling and takes 2 minutes to prepare. The box I purchased at Walmart cost $2.50 for 2 muffins, which makes it very reasonably priced (I can tell you from experience that a similar product at a certain fast food joint with golden arches costs more than double that price per serving where I live, and I don’t even want to know what the calorie difference is!).
For lunch, my new favorite go-to dish is the Lean Cuisine Sesame Chicken dish.
Now, in my experience, frozen Chinese food is ok at its best. And if it is a lighter version? You’ll be doing good for it to taste edible. I know that LEAN CUISINE has a reputation for putting out excellent products, so I wasn’t expecting it to taste bad.
But I also wasn’t expecting it to taste great. But it really did! It tasted like REAL Chinese food, and it cost only $1.97 and was ready in 4 minutes. It is safe to say that I was shocked by just how yummy it was. Sesame Chicken from LEAN CUISINE immediately went back on my shopping list, and I plan to buy 5 more, and then treat myself to this particular lunch once a week for the next month! Little Layah also LOVED the noodles in the dish, and certainly ate her fill of them after tugging on my sweater and pleading, “Mommy! Noodle! Peeeze!”
Did you know that LEAN CUISINE items actually come with a Money Back Guarantee? I just recently learned this, and that’s really all I needed to hear in order to start trying multiple new (to me) products each week. I’ve tried their Salad ADDITIONS before (AMAZINGLY good, by the way), and I have just learned that they also have Wrap ADDITIONS. I picked up the Creamy Balsamic Chicken, and it is DELICIOUS, and MINE, MINE, MINE! Tim doesn’t like balsamic vinegar, which means I don’t have to share. Hooray!
I’ve also been wanting to try the LEAN CUISINE Simple Favorites Macaroni and Cheese, as that is a go-to dish for really bad/hard days (it is comfort food, after all) and I’d really love to try LEAN CUISINE’s take on it. With that Money Back Guarantee, I’ve got nothing to lose!
But here’s the tricky thing about the mac and cheese: getting it past my kids without them taking (ridiculously large) bites of it! Not only did I NOT get to keep this all to myself, but when I prepared this dish, it was all I could do to get a few bites in. My little ones were like hungry piranhas around it!
When I was shopping, I also knew that I needed to help myself make some better choices during my coffee breaks (which are frequent!). I’ve been curious about CoffeeMate’s Sugar-Free French Vanilla creamer, so I picked some up. Now I just needed a little chocolate, and found a great option with Skinny Cow. They have Divine Candy is a variety of options, but I knew the moment I laid eyes on the peanut butter creme filled chocolates that they would be going home with me. What a delicious and guilt-free snack break! I highly recommend them! And as for the creamer, I was very pleasantly surprised! I think it will take a little bit of time to get used to the sweet factor being not quite as strong, but given how much coffee I drink, making the switch to a sugar-free creamer is going to have a significant impact on my daily intake of calories. I’m glad I made the switch!
Later today I’m going to be serving a really fun snack to my entire family. LEAN CUISINE Three Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Pretzels will make for the perfect 3 o’clock treat for my crew, and is a much better choice than the alternative, which at the moment is leftover holiday candy.
What about you? Do you struggle to find food options that don’t take long to prepare and that promote a balanced lifestyle? Any particular products you think I should pick up the next time I’m grocery shopping?
I was sent on a Royal Caribbean press trip in November. My experiences and my opinions are mine alone.
Before we experienced what it’s like to cruise with Royal Caribbean, we heard a whole lot of tips, tricks, advice and anecdotes from our friends and family who had been on a cruise (or 7, in the case of my older brother). But one theme was consistent from person to person: everyone raved about how great the food is. And especially so on Royal Caribbean.
I will tell you that having a break for several days from having to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner was a HUGE treat. I would have been pleased as punch with mediocre food as long as I didn’t have to prepare it.
But friends, NOTHING is mediocre on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Every meal is perfection and so much fun. We had breakfast one morning in our room (room service is free of charge for the vast majority of the day!) and also enjoyed a character breakfast with the likes of Shrek and Fiona one morning. And don’t get me started on the waffles!
The chefs on Freedom of the Seas, the ship we sailed on, were so thoughtful about presentation. Eating happens with your eyes, as well as with your taste buds. I was smiling before I took my first bite!
We also enjoyed the lunch options, which were casual but, that doesn’t mean they weren’t excellent! As you can see below, attention to detail wasn’t spared. And the taste? Delightful!
This is the main dining room, where we enjoyed our extravagant dinners, as well as a few lunches and one special breakfast. You can’t help but feel totally spoiled eating in a room like this!
Our evening meals were true events: I particularly enjoyed taking time to “dress” for dinner (even though on most nights the suggested attire is on the casual side). We had 3 course meals that surprised and delighted us. And we were encouraged to let our server know if anything was less than stellar so that it could be swapped out for something different. One of my favorites was the seafood pasta I enjoyed. Since Tim doesn’t care much for seafood, I rarely make it at home. What a treat!
The desserts, as you can imagine, were their own little treasures. On our first night I enjoyed a cobbler that truly is one of the best I’ve ever had (and I’m from the South, where we don’t mess around with our cobblers, so that’s really saying something!).
And I also snapped a shot of my very favorite dessert of the entire cruise. Would you believe that it was served to me at lunch?! This flan was AMAZING!!!!!! Best I’ve ever had by leaps and bounds. I totally regret not asking for another one.
From the grab-and-go dining options on the promenade (pizza and pastries available around the clock, Ben & Jerry’s, and even a cupcake shop!), to the spectacular dining options at the Windjammer and main dining room, I really thought I had seen it all.
And then we had dinner at one of the specialty restaurants on board, Portofino’s.
I’ve had people ask me why you would pay an extra charge to eat at a restaurant on a cruise ship when the dining options are already so wonderful. Honestly, it’s a valid point. You certainly won’t be feeling shortchanged t by sticking to the complimentary options.
But now that I have had the experience, let me tell you what makes the specialty restaurants so darn special. First and foremost, there’s an intimacy about it that you won’t experience in the beautiful but vast dining rooms. It truly feels like a tucked away, quiet, romantic restaurant. Such great atmosphere!
The food is also a notch above what you’ll find in the main dining halls. I found that hard to believe since I was so wowed by everything I ate. But it’s true! You’ll find very premium dishes in these restaurants. And the presentation is just over the top!
I would recommend that you book one meal at one of the specialty restaurants during your cruise. The prices are quite reasonable when you consider the food quality and the service you will receive. It will also stand out as a #RoyalWow moment that you’ll remember for a long time to come.
If you’ve never experienced the joy of cruising with Royal Caribbean, and if you’ve never dined like a celebrity for a week (that’s what it felt like to me!), then let me suggest that you take a look at how to book a cruise with Royal Caribbean. The value, in my opinion, is simply unbeatable, unless you happen to have your own yacht, and your own house on a Caribbean island, I suppose. And if that’s the case, we should totally hang out on your yacht sometime!
Have you ever been on a cruise? What was the food like???
Do you ever have trouble sleeping due to stress? Welcome to adult life…it is one of the true (but really lame) hallmarks! The other big marker of being an adult that I’ve been experiencing lately is forgetting things. SEVERAL times a day I take myself to various parts of the house and upon arriving have to ask myself, “Why am I here?” Most of the time I can remember after thinking about it for a moment, but sometimes I can’t! It makes me feel old and definitely off my game.
Sainthood Herbs recently sent me some products aimed to address both issues, and I wanted to tell you about them just in case either (or both!) might be something you could use.
Stress & Sleep pills are designed to help reduce stress by inducing relaxation. They are not intended to be a nightly sleep aid, but to be used with occasional sleeping difficulties. Most nights I am able to fall asleep in a matter of minutes (I’m very lucky, I know!) but if I have been working on strategy for the blog, or am trying to figure out how to approach a story angle, I can really struggle to fall asleep as my brain keeps trying to work out problems. It happened to me just last night, actually, and that’s when I reached for the Stress & Sleep bottle to get a little assistance.
Mental Agility pills are designed to boost your cognitive performance by improving working memory and supporting attention. It also contributes to healthy cognitive function. I personally have noticed a positive difference in my ability to concentrate when I take these pills. The trouble is that I keep forgetting to take them! I want to get into the habit of having one with breakfast every week day, and at present, I only remember once or twice a week to take them. And yes, I think it is hilarious that I can’t remember to take my mental agility pills. If ever there was a sign that I need them, that’s it!
I haven’t been using these pills long enough or consistently enough to vouch for their effectiveness, other than anecdotally. But if you are seeking some help with powering up or powering down, they really might be worth a try.
Win it!: Two lucky Stuff Parents Need readers will each win a bottle of pills featured here (1 will win Stress & Sleep, 1 will win Mental Agility).
Be sure to enter my other current giveaways on the sidebar of my page.
Thanks to Wholly Guacamole for providing products for review and giveaway. All thoughts are my own, as always.
A few days ago Tim and I had a date. At 6am. On a weekday.
Welcome to life with kids. You take your time together however you can get it! My in-laws have been in town, and they watched the girls for us while we snuck away to accomplish the very romantic task of getting milk and toilet paper and all the groceries we’d need for the week.
But to my credit, I did have something planned that would be a bit unexpected and fun: we were headed to Sonic for breakfast.
Did you know that Sonic has a whole breakfast menu? Our Sonic is open at 6am on weekdays, and when we rolled up at 7am, there was a good amount of traffic there. I guess we were a little late to get the memo that Sonic can take care of your breakfast needs!
Anyway, Sonic and Wholly Guacamole recently reached out to me to inform me of their partnership on two new breakfast items, and invited me to come have a taste. When we pulled into our spot, we immediately saw the ad on the menu for the two new items!
I got out my awesome Sonic gift card (They are reloadable! Such a great thing to keep in your car!). And we placed our order while gearing up for the sunrise. It was SO nice to not have to make breakfast for a change.
Tim ordered the Salsa Verde Breakfast Burrito, which has lots of yummy things like eggs, onions, melted cheddar, and surprisingly, some tater tots (really good!). It also has a bit of Wholly Avocado in there, which really brings all the flavors together. I had a bite, and it was yummy. Tim wasn’t very inclined to share more than that, though!
I went with the Salsa Verde Breakfast Toaster. Now I’ll tell you, it certainly isn’t a “light” breakfast. But if you need something to really fill you up, this is a good choice. I was very full until lunch, and that almost never happens with me.
Sonic was so smart to partner up with Wholly Guacamole. I am a loyal buyer of their guacamole that you can find in stores (in the produce section). They use high pressure cold water rather than heat and chemicals, and that’s how they are able to offer products free of preservatives and additives!. Their stuff tastes so unbelievably fresh, too! Definitely give them a try the next time you are grocery shopping. And if you go early in the morning, like I do, stop by Sonic to take care of your breakfast, too!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a fun prize package from Sonic and Wholly brand. It will contain the following
Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This post brought to you by Rakuten Global Market. All opinions are 100% mine.
Just yesterday my family members and I were discussing what might be the next big thing in online shopping. I can think of a few different online retail giants, and sometimes it is hard to imagine who might be able to compete with them. But remember, they weren't always around! And as it turns out, there happens to be an online shopping destination that over 80 million people are currently using, and that you may have never heard of. I know I hadn't!
Check out Rakuten Global Market. This is the biggest e-commerce site in Japan, and its merchants ships cutting edge products to over 200 countries.
I just spent a little bit of time on the site, and I have to say, I found quite a few super cool things for kids, the likes of which I really have seen in stores and online before. For example, I noticed a large variety of cute and colorful aprons on the site. The prices varied, but were all in a very reasonable range (this one was $18 and came with a matching bandana…so cute for a little kitchen helper!).
I saw lots of other cool products, too (boys' tuxedos, adorable Alice in Wonderland-inspired frocks, super cute bibs, fun and different maternity clothes, you name it!).
I definitely recommend that you take a bit of time to Explore Rakuten Global Market. Offerings for babies and children are plentiful, and they are only a tiny fraction of what is available on the site!
Shopping on Rakuten Global Market is also very easy. Simply register on the site (it only takes a few minutes and it is completely free) and then you are eligible to earn points when you shop, which can be applied to future purchases. The site is available in English, as well as 4 other languages.
This is a very cool website that gives you access to over 40,000 merchants, many of which are likely very new to you. Truly, this is bringing the global market right to your computer screen. And if you already have certain favorite brands from Japan, this is a great way to easily get access to them without having to fly to the other side of the world!
So what did you find that looked really cool when you took a look at the place where over 80 million othr folks around the world are shopping?
