In 2016, more teen drivers are on the road now than ever. It can be scary to hand your teenager a set of car keys and give them free reign. As much as you want to drive your teen multiple places, it’s best if you do let them do it themselves. However, you can set boundaries with your teen driver. If you are in a place in your life where you need to make this a reality, here are some tips.Have rules in place: No teenager should be hitting the road without some rules in place. Talk to your … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Survive the Flu
This post is sponsored by Children’s Mercy, all opinions are my own. As part of the #CMHMom team I’ll be bringing you the latest from Children’s Mercy.Have you ever been okay one minute and the next minute you are super sick? Maybe the flu has hit your home. It is estimated that this season 20 percent of American's will get the flu. The flu tends to come on fast, causes a high fever, exhaustion, and may include a dry cough. If you are congested, chances are good you just have a cold that … [Read more...]
How I Save Time, Stress and Money
Thanks to Healthtex for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own. Raise your hand if you like shopping. You can't see me but I'm not raising my hand - I'm not a huge fan of shopping, especially when I have kids with me. When I do go shopping (with or without kids) I try to get it done as quickly as possible. For this reason I like to stick with stores that can provide for my family's many needs at once. Walmart is one of the most popular places we shop that helps me save time, stress and … [Read more...]
Fancy, Kid Friendly Holiday Place Setting
Eight years ago my little family of three drove away from "home", from the state we grew up, from everything we knew. We drove off to move to Kansas. I hadn't ever been there and we didn't know a single person. My husband had just been laid off from his job and managed to get a new job in central Kansas quickly. Feeling blessed by the quick hire we headed off into unknown territory.Now on our second job, second state in the midwest, and 2 more kids, we are still without family … [Read more...]
Ultimate Hasbro Holiday Toy Guide
I love being apart of the #PlayLikeHasbro team because I get awesome perks like trying out some of their newest and best toys! If you are still shopping or looking for great ideas for the little ones in your life, here are some of my suggestions in the Ultimate Hasbro Holiday Toy Guide.The Doh Vinci Spotlight Spin Studio is what my artistic 10 year old daughter is most excited about. We became familiar with Doh Vinco last year when we went to Florida for Family Forward conference. Doh Vinci … [Read more...]
Essentials When Purchasing a Family Vehicle
Maybe it’s time for your family to purchase a bigger vehicle. Your kids are growing and everyone needs more leg room. When picking out a family vehicle, there are probably several things you should keep in mind. Check out these essentials when purchasing a family vehicle.Keep a Budget in MindYou will need a budget whenever you’re shopping for a family vehicle. Will you buy used or new? What model year would you like to have? All of these play into your budget and determining what type … [Read more...]
Family Dance Party with Just Dance: Disney Party 2
If you have ever asked a child to do some chores you have probably heard the whining that tends to commence with the request. At our house we use Saturdays as our "chore day". The kids still have to clean their rooms, do the dishes, help with laundry and other smaller tasks through the week but on Saturday everything must get done. This often results in a lot of groans and whines.My husband and I try to make this cleaning process fun by putting on some music and making a dance party out of … [Read more...]
8 Things We Can Tell Our Children to Build Their Confidence
As an adult, I lack confidence in certain situations, so I can’t imagine how children feel. Unfortunately, a lot of times children look to adults to build their confidence and we fail them time and time again. Children feel small in this big world, so it’s important that we make them feel like they can do anything! I don’t know about you, but I want my children to feel powerful and unstoppable (as long as they aren’t resisting naptime).#1. You can do this.Oftentimes, it takes several … [Read more...]
The Gift of Happy Memories
Thanks to Groupon Coupon for sponsoring this discussion. All opinions are my own.As I look around my home I realize we are swimming in "stuff". I'm not very good at decluttering and so it seems there are little piles of things here and there. As the gift giving season approaches the thought of adding to my stuff makes me sick. For this reason, this year I want our gifts to be experiences. I will let each member of my family choose an "experience" or activity they want to do with the family. … [Read more...]
Personalize Your Christmas Tree
Thanks to I See Me! for sponsoring this discussion on personalized Christmas gifts. All opinions are my own.Those who celebrate Christmas seem to each have their own traditions. I love learning about other family's traditions and telling people about ours. I also love seeing how my friends and family decorate their homes at Christmas time. Some people have color themes with matching trees, ornaments and decorations. Some are colorful, some are plain. Some have big trees, some don't have a … [Read more...]
Sweetly Satisfied with Klondike
This post was sponsored by Klondike as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.At our house, we don't have dessert every night, so when we do have it, I want it to rock! To qualify to have dessert, my kids have to have eaten a sufficient dinner and/or tried something new at the dinner table. Because they need a balance of nutritious, delicious, good food versus a tasty dessert treat, I like to find desserts that can be … [Read more...]
DIY BOO Kit
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BOOItForward #CollectiveBiasWhen my husband and I were in college we loved to do cutesy things like ding dong ditching our friends and leaving a treat on their porch. We would often do it around holidays. We would "Heart Attack" people for Valentine's Day. "Egg" people for Easter (No real eggs were used in that fun). We would leave a plate of goodies at Christmas and for Halloween we … [Read more...]
Stay in Touch with Family when Traveling
When you’re traveling abroad it is always hard to keep in contact with your family and friends back home. You want to send them pictures of your adventures, hear their voice and tell them all about what you and your family have been up to. Which is why I’m going to give you three easy tips to stay connected. Tell them All About your Trip The easiest way to keep your family informed about your whereabouts and your activities is to simply give them a call. The only problem is that phone carriers … [Read more...]
7 Educational Apps for Kids
Kids are using tablets and phones at a very young age nowadays. But how can you make sure they use apps that have kid-friendly content? And what apps are not only fun but also educational? I looked at various apps for kids and made a selection of 7 educational ones that are fun, kid-friendly and have a learning aspect to them.1. Elmo loves 123s Sesame Street’s Elmo and Abby Cadabby help kids do math in this app. It starts as easy as counting to 20, but it also helps kids to do easy … [Read more...]
Traditions in the Kitchen
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of GE Appliances. The opinions and text are all mine.It seems to me that food and family traditions go hand in hand. Holiday's tend to have traditional food that may vary from family to family but the food makes it feel like home. Birthday's have certain traditions that more than likely involve food as well. For us, we let our kids choose what they want for their birthday dinner and what shape of birthday cake they want.What about … [Read more...]
