Sharing Gratitude & Giving Back with Kenwood Vineyards

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Kenwood Vineyards. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Thanksgiving is meant to be a day of reflection and a day of gratitude.  A day that we as a nation sit around our family dinner tables, share a meal, a glass or two of wine, and each other's company.  We think of all we have been blessed with, how grateful we are for the loved ones in our lives, and give thanks for always being able to provide for our families. 

Not that this should happen just one day out of each year. Practicing and expressing gratitude should be something we try to do each and every day, but sometimes the life that we are so grateful to have gets in the way of that. 

This Thanksgiving I am asking each and every one of you to take in every person, every moment, every thing that you are grateful for, and then hold onto and remember that feeling of gratitude every day of the year...

Orange & Cinnamon Infused Iced Tea

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Mom Central for CRYSTAL LIGHT. I received a gift card to purchase CRYSTAL LIGHT products to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

The holiday season (aka, the eat everything season) is fast approaching, folks. Typically, I cut myself some slack during the holiday season and allow myself to indulge in the baked goodies, and the big holiday dinners, and all the sweets that come with it, but this year is just a little different for me.

I am going on a cruise in January. Like mid-January.

To the Caribbean. Yikes. 

For the first time ever in my entire life, I will be required to be swimsuit ready months before I am usually even thinking about being on a beach or lounging poolside. 

So, I am forming my plan of attack now. Weeks before Thanksgiving dinner.

While I will still be treating myself to marshmallow topped sweet potatoes and frosted Christmas cookies, I am also going to be making some small changes like stepping up my gym workouts and cutting calories elsewhere.

One of my weaknesses is sweet iced tea. We almost always have a pitcher of homemade sweet tea in our fridge.  And while I love sweet tea, I don't really like the extra calories from the sugar in it.

6 Tips for Capturing Photos of Little Ones #GerberPhotoSearch2014

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Gerber Baby. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Any time that you are told that your baby should be the next Gerber baby, it is always considered a huge compliment.  I can remember being told that numerous times when my oldest was a baby, and more recently when it came to little miss.  I mean, every mama wants their baby to be the Gerber baby! ;)

The Gerber baby is just iconic- Am I right?

How would you like for your baby to be crowned the next Gerber baby and star in future advertisements for Gerber as one of their 2015 spokesbabies? 

Now through November 12 you can upload a favorite, recent photo of your Gerber baby in the "Be Our Baby" Photo Search on Gerber.com for a chance to win the Grand Prize of $50,000, one year of Gerber food, & the coveted spot of Gerber spokesbaby! 

Gerber is also awarding $5,000 to six winners in each of the Milestone categories. Winners will be chosen based on the highest number of votes in each category on MyGerber.
What are the Milestone Categories, you ask? ;) Birth+, Supported Sitter, Sitter, Crawler, Toddler, Toddler 2+!  

Is Your Teenager Ready for Contacts?

I wrote this review while participating in an Influencer campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and received a promotional item from Mom Central to thank me for participating.

My 16 year old son came to me about two months ago stating that he was ready for contacts. He was done with the glasses. He always seemed to be bending them or knocking them around, and we were taking him to the vision center often for readjustments or to have an ear piece tightened up.  

Also, he had come to that stage in his teenage years where vanity was kicking in just a bit. ;)

And I would be lying if I told you all that I wasn't able to relate.  I also made the switch to contacts in my early teens because I wanted to fit in better.  In the mid-90's, glasses were not cute or cool.  The style and lens options that are available today simply just didn't exist back then.

But was my son ready to make the jump to contacts? I mean, he clearly couldn't take care of his glasses all that well. But in his defense, he does have three little sisters all under 4 years old who all happen to love climbing on him and wrestling with him.

The will to want to wear contacts was definitely there, but was he ready to assume the responsibility? 

Unlike glasses, not taking care of contacts could have some serious repercussions for his eye health.  I mean, those suckers sit right on their eyes.

"Drink Pink" & Join the Fight with mike's pink hard lemonade

I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for mike’s hard lemonade. I received a Circle K gift card to facilitate this review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

With school back in session, my son's cross country season in full swing, and chasing around a toddler all day while somehow trying to maintain some semblance of a clean home (well, most of the time... some of the time?), finding moments for myself lately is rare.  And for the first time since I started blogging over 3 years, I feel like I can now officially claim the status of a work-at-home mom.  Although who are we kidding here? Every mom is a work-at-home mom. ;)

But there are those rare moments when the husband is off from work where I can grab a few minutes of peace and quiet and sneak away for a little mommy time.

A little mommy time with some mike's pink hard lemonade that I conveniently picked up at my local Circle K while stopping for gas the other day, to be exact...

Florida Orange Marinated Kabobs

I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for the Florida Department of Citrus. I received promotional item to thank me for participating.

College football season is finally here and for many of us that also means the ushering in of tailgating and football party season. 

I mean, I will be honest.  I love our Mountaineers here in the great state of West Virginia, and I love watching them play.  But what I love even more is inviting friends & family to come on over and hosting a football party. ;)  

But you can’t have a football party without delicious food! We love simple grilling recipes, like a citrus marinade that adds bright flavor to grilled chicken. Plus, we always have the main ingredient in our fridge – 100% Florida Orange Juice!

Florida Orange Juice is an easy addition to just about any game day grilling marinade.  And when we are not marinating and grilling with it, this family is drinking it.  As a mama, making nutritious choices for my family is important. 100% Florida Orange Juice is not only delicious, but it is also packed with all the good stuff like vitamin C plus other essential nutrients like potassium, folate and thiamin!  

And the fact that it makes a fantastic base for a tailgating chicken marinade? Bonus! :)

This simple chicken marinade takes just 4 ingredients to make, but it is packed with flavor. It is sure to quickly become a new game day favorite... 

Jump Into Kohl's Planes: Fire and Rescue Collection Now...

I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Kohl’s. I received a promotional item to facilitate my review. 

How many of you all have kiddos excited about the new Disney Planes: Fire and Rescue movie coming out on July 18th?  

Get your little ones decked out and ready for the movie premiere with the exclusive Disney apparel collection by Jumping Beans now available in stores and online at Kohl's now.

These are a couple of my favorites from the collection. What are some of your's? :)

Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party

Forget plain ole s'mores this summer! Really wow your backyard guests by throwing a Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party...

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Pier 1 Imports. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and to thank me for participating.

My husband and I have been married now for over 3 years, and we have never had a proper (or pretty) outdoor space for entertaining.  Mismatched furniture- some pieced together from our previous lives before our marriage, some handed down from family, no cohesive color scheme, and basically just outright meh-ness prevented us from hosting too many outdoor get-togethers for family and friends over the past 3 years.  Which had been difficult for this hostess-at-heart to handle...

But all of that changed last month. :)

Last month, we finally dug in and painted, laid stones, and headed to Pier 1 for the finishing touches for our new outdoor oasis.

We found that Pier 1's wide selection of outdoor cushions would be the perfect budget friendly way to add a pop of color to our outdoor furniture and to tie it all together with a vibrant green & calming blue color scheme.  We chose reversible cushions so that we could easily change the feel of our outdoor space with a simple flip. From bold stripes to a pretty floral pattern in seconds!

After adding the gorgeous final touches to our new outdoor space, it only seemed natural that we should throw a little party to celebrate and to show it off to family and friends...