I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Christmas is right around the corner and staying in touch with my family who lives entirely out of state is super important to me.  Most of my family members only communicate via text or email.  This form of communication reflects this day and age we are living in.  I love my family, but sometimes the only way to get to them is through a TEXT!

I also don’t want to spend tons of money texting back and forth so I recently signed up for the Walmart Family Mobile Plan.  This cheap cell phone plan is going to save me tons of money.  Thanks to #FamilyMobileSaves I’ll have extra money to spend buying Christmas gifts and doing all sorts of other things I’d rather do during my most favorite time of the year!We have a family plan with another provider right now and are paying out the wazoo on it every month.  My husband was going over the features of the Walmart Family Mobile plan and was just flabbergasted at how much we were overpaying.

I have the T-Mobile Concord, this phone is priced great and you get all the jingle bells and whistles with the Walmart Family Mobile plan. There are a couple plans you can choose from.  The first plan is listed for $29.88 and includes unlimited talk and text.  The second is listed for $39.88 and includes unlimited talk, text, and web. I bought my phone on sale for around $80 bucks.  You can’t beat that right?

My new phone:

Signing up with Walmart Family Mobile was incredibly easy.  All I did was visit my local Walmart and headed to the electronics department.  I found the phone I wanted along with a $25 starter kit.  The starter kit included all I needed to activate my phone, including the sim card.  I also bought the 2 year replacement plan for $4.99.  I went home, followed the instructions online, and I got my new phone number.  No hassling and haggling with a sales rep and I’m saving a load of money.  No contracts and phone shopping in peace.  Amen.

Check out my Walmart Family Mobile Walmart shopping experience in my Google+ Album

I’ll be getting ready for the Christmas season soon!   Only 11 Saturdays left to shop before Christmas!!!  I’ll check back with all of you after using my new phone for a while and let you know how it’s going.  One thing I’m not afraid of is my phone bill!   Check out the Walmart Family Mobile Plan by visiting their Online Account Management and Information Services.

In the mean time start getting excited for the holidays and get your communication going with your family and friends.  I know I personally like being asked what I want and it’s not a new pair of socks!  Let me just leave you with the wise saying “Communication is Key” my friends……So excited for the holidays and family!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cottonelle. 

  There ain’t no potty like a Cottonelle potty…cuz a Cottonelle Potty keeps your bum bum clean!

Ha…ha…that’s about at the rap skills I have yo.

No seriously,  Why is it important for you to have a clean bathroom routine? What does your bathroom routine consist of now and how can it be improved by the Cottonelle Care Routine? To answer those questions I met up with my friends Jamie, Brittany, Autumn, and Esther.   We had a blast last week talking about our ahem….potty routines and keeping it real on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.  Some of the chat going on was hilarious!

Cottonelle Toilet Paper and Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Cloths are designed to work together for a clean you can feel.  Talking about bathroom habits can be embarrassing, but you may be missing out on a better way to get clean. That’s why Cottonelle is partnering with Cherry Healey to get people to talk about the way they wipe.  Let’s face it ladies after you have babies and get older things become “loose”.  It’s just a fact of life.  Everyone deals with it, and it they say they aren’t then LUCKY for them.  Fortunately, having a great care routine down has made me feel fresh & clean throughout the day.  Incorporating cleansing cloths into your bathroom routine may feel weird at first but ultimately, it’s a clean and fresh feeling that leaves you ready for anything.

Here are some pics of me and the gals getting our potty talk on and having a blast doing it!

Jamie threw a great party over at her house.  We all dressed in our jammies and pulled out our cell phones and chatted away!  It was great to hear so many other women’s point of view on their own bathroom routine.  I’ve been using the Cottonelle Toilet Paper and Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Cloths in my daily routine for a few weeks now.  I am done with plain old toilet paper!  The cleansing cloths are great (especially if you don’t have enough time to take a shower, these work great to freshen up in a hurry).  If you haven’t tried them please do yourself a favor and getcha some girls!

Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Cloths are now available in a sleek, newly designed, upright dispenser – making it easier for everyone to enjoy the clean and fresh feeling of the Cottonelle Care Routine.
Nothing leaves you feeling cleaner and fresher than the Cottonelle Care Routine. Visit the Cottonelle Facebook page and let’s talk about your bum.

Cottonelle wants to get North Americans talking about their bums and on the better way to clean “down there” by using the Cottonelle Clean Routine. By combining the use of Cottonelle Toilet Paper and Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Cloths, the Cottonelle Clean Routine is a revolutionary way to keep your bum cleaner. Visit http://www.facebook.com/cottonelle to learn more about the Cottonelle Clean Routine and join the clean routine conversation.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cottonelle.

It’s officially fall and it’s been craziness around here!  Fall brings football season, cooler weather, and of course all the kids are back in school.  Fall is one of my favorite season, but it’s also the busiest time of year.  I love to cook good hearty meals when the weather gets cooler.  So, let me ask you….What comes to your mind when you think of a quick, easy, and filling meal???  CASSEROLES!!!!

My husband is a self-professed casserole addict.  He loves anything mixed together with cheese or crackers on top.  For real.  He needs to go to some sort of casserole anonymous group.

I also work full-time, so I don’t have a lot of time in the evening to spend in the kitchen.  Casseroles are great because you can plan ahead and even freeze them if you need to.  I wanted to share with you one of my favorite casseroles for fall.  It’s warm, hearty, and SO GOOD.  You can make this ahead and it reheats really well.

Here is the recipe I use to make squash casserole:

Ingredients

8-9 cups yellow squash (sliced)
1 1/2 cups yellow onion (chopped)
1 Box Jiffy corn muffin mix (prepare as directed)
3/4 cup of butter (I used Country Crock for this recipe) Country Crock has 0g trans fat per serving, no partially hydrogenated oils, no cholesterol, & 70% less fat than butter per serving.
8 ounces cheddar cheese
3 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Instructions

Prepare Jiffy Mix as directed, set aside to cool. Place yellow squash in a large saucepan and add water. Cook on medium low heat just until tender, remove from heat. Drain squash. On medium temperature place all of the butter in large saucepan and saute the onions until the onions turn clear, add salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley . Add chicken bouillon cubes and garlic to onions, stir. Add drained squash and cheese, stir. Crumble corn bread in squash and mix well.

Place squash mixture in a 13″x11″ baking pan that has been sprayed with a non stick spray. Cover casserole and place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes. Remove cover the last 20 minutes of baking time.

1.Diced Squash

2.  Boil squash until tender

3.  Saute onions with Country Crock butter & add seasonings
4.  Mix cornbread, cheese, onion/butter mixture, and squash together

IT’S DONE 🙂

Yummy.  Filling.  Cheesy.

Squash casserole goodness.

Check out more fall casserole recipes at the Country Crock Facebook Page & at Country Crock Pinterest

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.We love our teachers.  I grew up in a household where my Mom was (and still is) a teacher.  It’s been amazing over the years watching how she’s touched  so many students and years later they come back as adults and tell her what a difference she’s made in their lives.  I also remember my Mom having to pay for school supplies out of her own pocket.  Teachers don’t make a lot of money, but they have huge hearts.  Teachers are willing to put their own wants aside in order to provide the best for their students.

That’s why I love Fiskars Champions for Kids Project.  Champions for Kids makes it simple to give kids in your community the resources they need to thrive! The Champions for Kids program makes it simple for Wal-mart shoppers to donate things like craft scissors & art tools that kids need to thrive. Shoppers can purchase items and drop them in purple donation bins after checkout. All of the donations go to children in the school district where the Wal-mart store is located. How amazing is this program?  So many children  come from families who cannot afford their basic needs, let alone school supplies. 

Connor and I headed to Wal-mart to pick out some fun school supplies to donate to Lena Pope.

Lena Pope is very near and dear to our heart:

In 2008, Lena Pope Home opened their first charter school, Chapel Hill Academy. Since opening, Chapel Hill Academy has provided a positive learning environment that focuses on each child, educating over 500 students each year. Chapel Hill Academy offers tuition-free, quality education that builds a solid foundation for each student so they may reach their full potential.  In addition to Chapel Hill Academy,  Lena Pope Home partners with the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program to provide quality alternative education for local students referred by the courts. While attending our program, the students learn behavioral, social, and career-building skills to help them grow academically and be successful in their home communities and schools. 

We came home with quite the haul to donate to Lena Pope Early Learning Center.  Connor attends the ELC and I cannot tell you how much I LOVE and adore these teachers and administrators.  They provide so much for each child no matter what their background is, including financially for families in need.  We brought enough school supplies home for each child to have a lot of fun!  It blessed US to be able to bless them.  Fiskars Champions for Kids is an amazing program organized by people with equally amazing hearts.

To inspire the kids Connor and I made a craft project in the “Kids Crafts” section HERE

We chose to do the fun floral pinwheels found HERE.

1.  We used construction paper, a wooden pick, marker, Elmer’s glue, and some sparkly stars

2.  We addressed our teachers

3.  Cut out paper into an equal sided square using Fiskars Safety-Edge scissors.

4.  Fold paper in half and half it again until you end up with 4 squares with a line in the middle of each one.  Cut the middle section of each corner.

5.  Fold over every other corner creating a pinwheel

6.  Glue each inside corner with glue.  Decorate your flower/pinwheel with Crayola markers, sparkles, or whatever you desire!

Connor loves doing crafts.  He decorated his own flower.

Thank you for our teachers for helping us GROW!

We thought the flower would be fun to stick in our donated supplies bucket as a symbol of growth.  We hope it will inspire others to donate to education programs and students in need who are eager to learn!

Next, we visited our school!  So excited to drop this off this AMAZING surprise 🙂

Connor’s teacher was so SO excited and so were all the students.  It was such a wonderful feeling to be able to give back to those who give so much to us.  We hope our story inspires you to give back to your community and be a part of the Fiskars Champions for Kids Project.  

Become a part of Fiskars Shape Their Future by Collecting school and crafting supplies for children in your community!

1. GATHER your friends, family, co-workers, and community organizations to host a Fiskars Shape Their Future Project.

2. COUNT the number of supplies you collected and take photos!

3. DONATE the supplies you collect to a local teacher, social worker, community center, or youth organization to help children in your community enjoy their first days back to school.

4. SHARE your story with us at championsforkids.org/share so that we can celebrate your participation!

Find out more by following Champions for Kids on Facebook and @Champions4Kids on Twitter or check out all of the fun projects going on at the Fiskars SIMPLE Service Pinterest page.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Fall is here and I’m ready for some new staples in my everyday wardrobe.  A couple of weeks ago I was shopping online and came across the Kardashian Kollection at Sears.com.  There were some really cute items and they didn’t cost a fortune either!!!  They looked expensive (ala Kardashian) but they were very affordable.

I was on the hunt for something in a pattern.  I have a TON of solids in my closet and I am sort of over chevron at the moment.  I really wanted something different.  The Kardashian Kollection had a lot of animal prints.  I love animal prints, but again I do have some of that already in my wardrobe.  Then I found my Kardashian inspiration below:

HOUNDSTOOTH!!!

So I went straight back to Sears.com and found this houndstooth blouse.  I absolutely love it!  It’s comfortable and stylish and it was under $30 bucks.  In less than 10 minutes I found the piece I had been looking for.  My order arrived quickly to my doorstep. I was eager to try it on and create  a Kardashian inspired look of my own.  I paired the houndstooth blouse with a pair of black skinny jeans and some matching houndstooth flats I already had in my closet.  I could totally see one of the sisters wearing this outfit 🙂  I’m don’t have a tan or long, dark hair….but I can still work it!

Here is my look inspired by the Kardashians:

 

If you read the news or watch TV you know the Kardashians have taken the fashion world by storm.  Even before they were reality TV stars they worked in fashion.  Each one of them has their own look, yet they all look fabulous.  I mean seriously…who looks THAT good all the time?  If I were going to pick one sista’s style it would have to be Kourtney.  I love her laid back attitude and her style reflects that.  She’s a mom of two & manages to look great and put together.  Kourtney’s flowy blouses and sunglasses are a signature in my own wardrobe.  Maybe that’s to hide the baby muffin top going on???  Not for her…for me.  I love Kim and Khloe too, but Kim is a little too over the top for me and Khloe wears crazy fur animal hats.  So, here’s a little Kourtney inspiration:

What better to top off a Kardashian inspired outfit than a great pair of sunglasses?  There is a huge selection at Sears.com…from aviators to oversized  inspired sunnies you can find just about anything.

I found this great pair of Kardashian Kollection oversized vintage sunglasses to complete my look.  They were around $18 bucks.  I’ve been wearing them every day this week.  They look & fit fabulous too!

So you don’t have to be a Kardashian or a billionaire to look like one.  Sears Style has so many affordable fashion options inspired by the Kardashians you can find a look that channels all three of them!  I used my Sears Shop Your Way Reward points towards my purchase and saved $7.00!!!  Woohoo!  I also racked up more points for my next purchase.I was reading the Sunday paper this morning and came across this Sears insert.  On the cover….houndstooth.  My choice was right on target 🙂  I also saw some coupons to get extra Shop Your Way Rewards Points!  Okay ladies what are you waiting for?  Go get your shopping on and save some money!  Which Kardashian sister do you think channels your style best?  

Check out my Google+ story for more info about my Kardashian Kollection shopping experience at Sears.com

Check out this digital magazine to get great ideas for back to school:

Thank you to neuro BLISS for sponsoring this post and providing the product sample.

Life can get so stressful.  I know you know what I’m talking about.  Between family, work, and other commitments I have very little me time.  Every now and then I do get a few moments to myself to relax in perfect bliss.  My idea of me time usually consists of watching my favorite TV shows, taking pictures (randomly) not because I have to, eating ice cream with no regrets, or an iced coffee 🙂  A night out on the town with my hubby is fun and something we don’t get to do much anymore.  Eating a Godiva cheesecake=Heaven!  Dinner and a movie with girlfriends….

But, my most blissful moment in life so far has been the moment I found out I was pregnant with Connor.  I knew in that moment my life was going to change forever.  I can’t explain the overwhelming joy and emotion I felt during this time.  I’ll never ever forget it.  Here’s a picture of my moment of bliss:

July 2009

You get what I’m saying?

These are the moments in life we live for.  The blissful times we want to share and never forget.  I have shared on this blog before how I struggle with anxiety and depression.  Yes, I’m medicated…blah blah blah….I stress way to much and over analyze everything!  It’s ridiculous.   That’s just who I am and it’s something I’ll probably struggle with for the rest of my life.  One thing I never want to forget to do is realize what a blessing this life is and to cherish every moment!

I do use methods to help myself calm and relax.  I do yoga, breathing exercises, and essential oils.  Well, recently I got to try a new beverage from Neuro BLISS.  It’s a yummy drink that helps reduce stress and promote relaxation.  When I first tried it I really didn’t expect much, because I have a high stress level and I just didn’t think it would do anything.  The flavor was very refreshing…the only thing I can think of is the phrase “sea breeze”.  It’s light and sweet.  About an hour later I really noticed a difference.  I AM NOT KIDDING.  I don’t know if I was just having a good day, but I really did feel more relaxed.

Here is some info Neuro drinks recently conducted a study that surveyed more than 1,200 consumers:

The findings revealed that:Nearly 50 percent of Americans spend at least half their daily lives stressed out.  The cure for stress varies, with 89 percent agreeing that a night out on the town does little for stress relief.  More than half admit a vacation is what they need the most, while a quarter of the respondents say personal time would help treat the stress.

About neuroBLISS and neuro drinks

Neuro BLISS is a delicious tropical citrus lychee flavored drink designed to reduce stress and relax the mind.  It contains chamomile and a powerful blend of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants including L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea which has been found to reduce stress, produce relaxation and enhance focus.  This combination provides a calming effect and promotes a positive outlook by reducing stress levels, improving memory and attention and supporting the brain, resulting in the ability to concentrate on one’s goals – not the pressure.

All varieties of neuro drinks have only 35 calories per bottle and contain no artificial colors or flavors.

Okay, now that you know all about Neuro Bliss go enter the BLISS & Tell contest and weekly giveaway for a chance to win a $10k dream vacation.

MAY YOU ALL HAVE A BLISSFUL REST OF THE WEEK!

neuro drinks are available at Target, Walgreens, Safeway, 7-11 and other national grocery, convenience and drug stores

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Post Pebbles but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PebblesBTS”

Connor has been very interested in dinosaurs lately.  He’s been studying plant life and dinosaurs in pre-school and loves playing dinos with all his friends.  This weekend we made a fun snack involving dinosaurs, we called them “dino nests”.

I let Connor eat one and then he wanted to get out his dinosaurs and try to steal the eggs!  Ha ha!  The imagination of a 3-year-old 🙂

Okay, so let me show y’all how I made them:

1. White chocolate bark (for baking)
2. Pretzel sticks
3. Melt the pretzel sticks and chocolate together
4. Scoop and lay on a baking sheet to cool to make your nest
5. I used sugar crystals to make rocks
6. I also added a light dusting of cocoa to the top for the dirt
7. Last, I added the Post Pebbles “eggs” to each nest with a little dinosaur topper (this added some fun color & really popped)
   

Here is our herd of dino nests.  All the Mommy dinosaurs are protecting their little eggs.

Oh no!  Here comes T-Rex!!!

Thankfully stegosaurus is a vegetarian 

He loved this snack and it was super yummy too!  I had one as well, it’s the perfect mix of salty and sweet.

The dinosaurs have eaten their fill and so did we.  We loved making our dino egg nests and hope you’ll try them too!

You can pick up all these ingredients at your local Walgreens