Category: Reviews

Feel the Heat with Breville Combi Wave 3-in-1 Microwave

This post is sponsored by Best Buy.

With the holidays around the corner I know you all are going to have a ton of baking and cooking to do!  Who doesn’t love to sit, relax, and watch a Hallmark Christmas movie or two?  I love to sit back, pop some popcorn, and snuggle in with a cozy blanket.
Speaking of popcorn…have you heard of the new Breville Combi 3-in-1 Microwave?  We already own several Breville appliances in our home and they are wonderful quality and we’ve had them for years.  That’s how I know that this microwave is AMAZING!

The combination Microwave that Air Fries and is a convection oven all in one! This microwave lets you air fry (crunchy fries, brussel sprouts, chicken wings), bake or roast (whole chickens, lasagna, chocolate brownies) or simply microwave with even heat distribution.  The Combi has a 80% quieter soft close door – so no more microwave slams! It’s also 50% quieter while in operation. Clever touches like child lock & mute buttons mean less beeps/bumps/clangs and more pops, bites and crunches!

  • Intuititively easy presets at your fingertips: Smart Cook, Smart Reheat & Smart Defrost
  • The “Fast Combi” function of the Combi Wave 2-in-1 is designed to  cook your favorite dishes faster. Using Microwave, Convection Oven and Grilling to achieve the desired temperature and perfect results in less time.
  • Powered by the Element iQ system, smart algorithms steer power to where and when it’s needed to create the ideal cooking environment.
  • The Power Smoothing™ Inverter gives you precise & even heat distribution, reheating & cooking dishes evenly for more delicious results.

If you’re looking for “the” appliance to do it all this season I think this microwave is it!

Fresh by Design with Bosch

This post is sponsored by Best Buy.

One of my favorite appliance brands is Bosch.  I just wrote about our purchase of a Bosch dishwasher and now looking at refrigerators Bosch seems like a great match! With true counter-depth refrigeration, this freestanding refrigerator sits flush with the counter-top, features hidden hinges, and is discreetly tucked away, all to give you a true built-in look and feel. We first purchased our current refrigerator before Connor was born, so it’s about time for a new one in a couple of years.   

With a stainless-steel finish Bosch refrigerators align perfectly with any stylish kitchen design.
Touch sensitive controls make operating simple and quick!  It contains 5 tempered glass shelves, 4 of which are adjustable and half-width, 3 gallon door bins and 2 humidity controlled compartments to provide ample space for storing items.  The revolutionary FarmFresh System™ combines four innovative technologies to keep your food fresh up to 3x longer, for less food wasted.  *As compared to a Bosch refrigerator without FarmFresh System™.  Results may vary among different foods.
An ingenious three-tier layered freezer drawer system creates extra storage for frozen items, from pizza boxes to frozen waffles.  Like breast milk and tons of bottles for this little diva 🙂
It also has a door alarm that alerts you when the refrigerator door is accidentally left open to save energy.  I do that so much and this is a great reminder feature!

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Road Trip Baby!

Gosh I have the best intentions of blogging every day like I used to, but time just gets away from me.  With a 3 month old in the house and Connor’s school and sports activities it’s been crazy town over here.  Connor started playing Lacrosse and so far he loves it.  Heidi is starting to lift up her head and try to roll over.  I remember when Connor was a baby I would document his every movement and milestone….sorry Heidi I guess what they say about a second child is true! LOL!

Anyway….you can always catch us on the day to day on Instagram, but it sure is nice to write down a bit more than a few sentences and a picture every now and again.  About a month ago I took the kids up to Arkansas to see my family and we had a great time visiting.  Driving by myself with two kiddos in the back was quite the experience, but Connor was the best helper ever.  I don’t know what I would do without this boy.  They are far apart in age (9 1/2 years) but I know he’ll always be there for his little sister throughout her life.  That sure is an advantage of having kids further apart.  As for me….the creaky knees and back pain weren’t there ten years ago I swear!

We also had the opportunity to drive a brand new 2019 Mazda CX-5 and it was one of my favorite cars we’ve ever had the chance to try.  So we took Heidi on her very first road trip to see her family in Arkansas.

Priced in the mid 30’s it’s a smooth ride and I’ve never felt safer.  We are going to need a new car soon and I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a family vehicle that’s not priced out the wazoo, but still has all the bells and whistles.

With a backup camera and even air conditioned seats the Mazda CX-5 made for a comfortable and safe ride.  It also has blind spot monitoring and alerts you of another vehicle around you with a chime and warning light in the side mirror.  

The Mazda CX-5 had USB ports in the backseat for Connor to plug all his tablets into.  That made for a much easier road trip on Mama and kept him occupied.

The display on the dash is another one of my favorite features.  Navigation, bluetooth, music selections, etc.  It’s all at your fingertips so you don’t get distracted looking down and trying to find all those crazy buttons and settings.  It also has Apple CarPlay™ & Android Auto™ integration.

The Bose speaker system sounded great too!

A baby requires a lot of STUFF!  From carseats, breastpumps, playmats, toys, bottles, and all the extras…the Mazda CX-5 fit all our stuff excellently!

Not to mention handling those hills and valleys in Arkansas.  

I even got to take my Nannie and sister for spin and we had a wonderful lunch together and one of our favorite spots in my hometown called Stoby’s.  

These BBQ chicken nachos were soooooooooo good and just looking at this photo is making me drool.  It may be time for another road trip after all!

Me and my twin sister Bonnie getting our donut fix!

I also got to visit one of my favorite restaurants with friends called YaYa’s.  They have the best dessert.  It’s a warm brownie wrapped in filo dough and then covered in chocolate!

Heidi with her Great Grandma, our sweet Nannie Sue.

Lunching with Nannie and Bonnie

Church Sunday with my Mom 🙂

Aunt Bonnie tried to take some pictures of Heidi too!  That went super well as you can tell. Ha!

Thank you Mazda for a wonderful road trip opportunity in the Mazda CX-5.  We absolutely loved it and can’t wait to go visit our family again soon!  And the biggest hugs to my big boy Connor for all your help and being such a wonderful big brother.  Love, Mama

Power Up with Brainiac Kids

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Brainiac Kids

After school snacks are a must at our house.  Sometimes I refer to Connor as a “black hole” because he is growing so much and constantly wanting to eat ALL.THE.TIME.  Life gets busy and it’s easy to just grab something convenient and unhealthy.  We recently got to try Brainiac Kids yogurts and here’s our story!

Whenever I’m giving Connor a new food to try (especially one that’s healthy) my Mom brain goes off and says “He probably won’t like it, but at least we tried it!”  Well, I didn’t have to do that with Brainiac Kids.  They are the first kid-friendly food that provides meaningful amounts of brain-fueling nutrients like Omega-3 DHA and choline. These are nutrients that most kids don’t consume enough of on a daily basis.

Connor replied with “Mom these are actually really good!”  That’s music to my ears y’all!  And I certainly didn’t expect to hear how much he really did like it!

The founder, Jonathan Wolfson, developed the product after learning about key nutrients in infant formula. “When we needed to switch our newborn to formula, my wife and I spent time investigating the options. The focus on brain nutrients made us stop and think. Are our older kids getting what they need? With the help of experts, we realized that while kids’ brains are still growing fast, most are not getting enough of the right brain nutrients from their diets. We brought together pediatricians, neurologists and nutritionists and developed BrainiacTMKids. Real and delicious food to support brain health.”

This is a very valid point.  I have a 9 year old and a new baby in the house and I often think the exact same thing!

We tried the Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Drink found at our local Central Market store.  I tried some too and it was delicious!  They come in a 4-pack, and available in tubes as well.
Each 2oz (8-pack) oz Brainiac Yogurt Tube contains the BrainPack® to ensure kids are getting the Omega-3 DHA, Omega-3 ALA, and choline they need for healthy brain development. With 40% less sugar than the leading kids’ yogurt tubes, 3g of protein, and probiotics.

Each 4 oz (4-pack) of Braniac Yogurt Drinks contains whole milk and are the smoothest way to boost kids’ brain power. Each easy-to-hold 4 oz. bottle includes our BrainPack® — a blend of nutrients their developing brains need including Omega-3s DHA and ALA, and choline. Better yet, they have 50% less sugar than the leading kids’ yogurt drink, plus 4g of protein, and probiotics.

FLAVORS:
Strawberry
Strawberry Banana
Mixed Berry
Cherry Vanilla

Easy, pack-able containers for lunch or snacking.

On average kids only get 69% of the daily recommended choline* intake. With Brainiac Kids products, kids get 100% of their daily choline needs.  Brainiac Yogurts also have 40% less sugar and 50% more protein than the leading kids yogurt.  They are all Pediatrician Approved, NON-GMO, Gluten-free, Kosher and have no artificial colors / preservatives.

Save $1 on any flavor multi-pack
Find your store HERE

GIVEAWAY:

School is back and we want your kids to have their best year ever! So, we’re fueling #backtoschool with this GIVEAWAY! The Brainiac Kids team have put together over $150
worth of fun ideas to help kickoff a year they’ll remember!

TO ENTER:  Follow @BrainiacKids on Instagram and comment on this photo on their page!
(Receive an extra entry for sharing their post in your Instagram stories and tagging them @BrainiacKids so you can receive the extra entry. Account MUST be public and be shared from the Brainiac account)

Three lucky winners will receive:


* 1-month supply of BrainiacTM Kids Whole Milk Yogurt with the BrainPackTM (up to $40 value)
* 1 glow-in-the-dark lightning backpack or mini-backpack (up to $59 value)
* 1 @PlayOsmo Coding Awbie game ($49 value)
* Stickers, a puzzle, a yo-yo and other fun BrainiacTM Kids swag! (priceless!)
BrainiacTM Kids Yogurt will be awarded as coupons to redeem for free product at the winner’s
local retailer. Contest open to US residents only. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway closes
Friday, September 27th @ 8 PM PDT. @BrainiacKids will announce 3 lucky winners Monday,
September 30th in their stories. So, don’t forget to watch!

 

The Busy Mom Breakfast with Jimmy Dean

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine. #HEBSimpleScrambles​

School is back in session and I’m wondering are your mornings as crazy as mine? Surviving the sleepless nights with a new baby and getting my 9-year-old off to school is craziness! I’m always doing something in the morning and it’s so hard to cram everything in. Especially a good breakfast! Thank goodness for Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles® Turkey Sausage & Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles® Three Cheese. These are SO easy and take hardly any time to make at all.

 

In less than 3 minutes you have fluffy egg goodness with cheese, sausage, or bacon mixed in. These are a big hit in our house right now for everyone.

I know so many of you are busy moms too and sometimes there’s just not enough time to do everything you want to. I want to start my day off with a good breakfast and this does the trick. I know everyone in my family is getting a good meal in and it takes hardly any time at all. That just makes me feel so much better and my morning goes much smoother.

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Babies & Probiotics with Evivo

This post is sponsored by Evivo but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Having a new baby in your life is one of the most life altering things you’ll experience.  It’s full of so many joys and let’s not forget many many nights of sleeplessness.  Terence and I sure are enjoying baby Heidi and I know her big bro is too!  You know how everyone loves giving you advice and telling you what to do as a new Mom.  It’s okay to take all that advice in, everyone is trying to do what’s best for baby.

All I want for Heidi is to give her the best start in life.  Heidi is about to turn 2 months old and we are all settling into our routines and she’s growing like a weed!  From the time she was a couple of weeks old I started her on probiotics.  I take them myself, so I researched them and discovered there were probiotics for baby too!  Her little body is developing so quickly right now and her gut health is super important at this age.  We use Evivo probiotics and have been super happy with them so far!  Evivo is the first and only clinically-proven baby probiotic that restores the good bacteria, B. infantis that is critical for a healthy infant gut. There are other probiotics on the market, but Evivo is the only one specifically formulated to partner with breast milk. I’m strictly pumping by the way!  Evivo transforms the nutrients in breast milk into valuable nutrition for baby.

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The Best Dishwasher from Bosch

This post is sponsored by Best Buy. All thoughts are my own.

When we remodeled our kitchen last year due to a pipe leak we had a lot of decisions to make.  One of them being what kind of dishwasher we were going to put in.  If you know my husband you know he researches EVERYTHING!  The one thing we really wanted in a dishwasher was for it to be really quiet.  We looked at several different stores and talked to many different sales people.  In the end we decided to go with the Bosch 800 Series with CrystalDry™

Kitchen Remodel:

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