Mom’s Payday: Spoiling Mom for More than One Day

CB-sponsored-post-white-600Mother’s Day is always a day when I {and most moms} get completely spoiled.  It starts from being able to sleep in and ends with a dinner out where I do no cooking or cleaning.   One important thing for me is that we spend the day as a family and enjoy #mealstogether.  This Mother’s Day came with a “special” gift of an knee injury for me.  Well, technically, the injury happened back in April but got really bad as May progressed.  My family totally took over on all the things that I normally do and truly made it like it was Mother’s Day all month.

One big thing I do for our household is most of the cooking.  Mathlete is awesome at so many things but kitchen duty isn’t one of them.  However, with my big, swollen knee, I haven’t been able to do as much standing and cooking as I usually do.  Mathlete and the kids jumped right in and took over.

First, they headed to the store to pick up some supplies: Tyson crispy chicken strips and some yummy sides to go along with them.

[Read more...]

Shannah

Solutions for the Lazy Coffee Junkie

Full disclosure, Staples.com provided me with this Keurig OfficePRO Coffee Brewer for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. To see the full line of Keurig brewers and K-cups, visit Staples.

I’m a coffee junkie.  If you know me, follow me on any social media or saw me at Snap!, you know that I just don’t function well without my daily latte.  I’m also a sleep junkie too though which makes getting my daily latte each morning a little difficult.

Recently, my office changed their {already turrible} parking policy making parking even harder to find when I arrive.  This did not bode well for my sleep and coffee love affairs.  So, I went searching for solutions for the lazy coffee junkie {i.e. me}!

[Read more...]

Shannah

Travel Preparations: Tips for Leaving the Family

“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 Scott Shared Values #cbias #SocialFabric”

By now you know that last month I headed off to Salt Lake City for my first ever blog conference. 
It was the first time I’d been away for more than a night since my second child had been born {and maybe only the third time ever since having kids} so I was a little nervous at how things were going to run at the house while I was gone.
Mathlete is an extremely involved parent and does a lot BUT there are things that he just isn’t use to thinking about when it comes to the kids and our house.  I wanted to make things as easy for him as possible so I did a few things as part of my travel preparations that I thought would help things run a little smoother while I was gone.  I wanted to share them with you in case you are thinking of taking trip soon but wondering how your family will function without you is giving you a little pause.

First: Make a schedule.
This may seem silly but it will be appreciated.  For each day, put who needs to be where and when along with important things to remember like “sally needs to wear red for spirit day.”

[Read more...]

Shannah

Making a Change to Your Eating Habits with New Oil

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pompeian for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Olive oil is all the rage.  It is the crux of the Mediterranean diet and famous, in part, thanks to Rachel Ray constantly referring to “EVOO”. 

Did you know that there is another healthy oil that should be a part of your diet?  
 photo Screenshot2013-04-12at24901PM_zpsc2779ead.png

I have recently starting cooking more often with grapeseed oil in addition to using more traditional olive oil. Grapeseed oil has an extremely high smoke point and a light taste which makes it fantastic in so many types of recipes.

 photo PMPNGrapeseedbottleF2_NewLabel_zpsc8e278d3.jpg

Introducing people to grape seed oil and the benefits of trying new cooking products has led to Pompeian’s Time to Change Your Oil! Pompeian is challenging bloggers to reimagine their favorite recipe with healthy grapeseed oil in place of traditional butters and fats. Check out the semi-finalists and case your vote for the most creative and appetizing recipe now through Sunday, 12 May 2013.
The winner, chosen by Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien, will get an all expense paid trip to BlogHer Food ’13 being held in Austin, TX this summer.  Oh, and you get a voucher for a free bottle of oil just for entering! 

While you think about which recipe you want to re-imagine, try out this delicious recipe for Smoky Fried Chickpeas provided by Pompeian.

 photo FriedChickpeas_zps8fbb7bd7.jpg

Smoky Fried Chickpeas

Now, get cooking with some new oil and then go vote for the semi-finalists!.  YOU can influence which recipe will be featured through out BlogHer Food ’13 this summer!

Visit Sponsor's Site

Shannah

Mommies: Meet Your New Best Friend

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Graco. All opinion, thoughts and parking lot anxiety is my own.

You have a day filled with errands and little Johnny/Janie wants to go along.  You load up all the stuff needed to take the kids out for the day (snacks, diaper or toy bag, your purse, your to-do list, etc.) and hit the road.  You successfully complete your task and head back to the car to find someone waiting {not so patiently} for your parking spot at the extremely  busy mall or store.  It is then that you frantically try to fold your stroller, shove the kids in the car and get out fast to keep from partially causing parking lot mahem.

Sound familiar?

It is totally the story of my life way too many times.  I’m bogged down with snack cups, drink cups, special toys, a purse AND a kid (or two) trying to get it all in the car quick and get out of dodge.

On a gorgeous day recently, I attended an event that changed all of this though.  I signed up for a blogger event, sponsored by Graco, as a way to meet other local bloggers who were {bonus} also moms.  Little did I know that the feature item of the event would actually be the solution to a MAJOR problem of mine.
Graco Stroller 
[Read more...]

Shannah

Guest Room Upgrades: Candy for Dad

One of our recent projects has been making our extra bedrooms into a true guest rooms: places where guests can rest comfortably and really feel at home when visiting.  Along with changing the bedding, making headboards and adding in art and extra furniture, I wanted to make it easy for guests to find things they might be looking for {i.e. items they might have forgotten}.

It started with a little basket of items that guest might have forgotten similar to the way hotels put out small toiletries.

[Read more...]

Shannah

A Big Thanks! {The Sponsor Spotlight}

Each month, I like to take a moment to say a big thanks to the people and businesses that help make Just Us Four possible.  I love blogging so much and being able to bring you new recipes, crafts and DIY projects each and every month.  These sponsors help cover some of the costs of running the blog so I can continue to focus my funds on those fun projects :)

Have you ever checked out Layla Grace?
Their site is full of gorgeous stuff.  Right now, they are having a great Mother’s Day sale!  I was looking around for Mother’s Day ideas and fell in love with all  three of these: the Rosanna Bon Bon Bowl, the Rosanna Petite Plate Set {monogrammed!} and the Lollia Wish Parfum.  Be sure to use the code 4URMOM to save 15% off great Mother’s Day essentials.

One King’s Lane remains a favorite site of mine.  I visit each and every day to see what is new!  Right now, they have an awesome kitchen sale going on where I found these cute little bowls:
[Read more...]

Shannah

Customize Your Home by Building New

I’ve owned two homes in my life: the townhouse I bought with my husband back in 2005 and my current single family home.  They were both extremely different experiences…the townhouse was built from scratch while the single family home was a used home when we purchased it.

Now, I love my current house!  It gives us plenty of space and we are really happy with the layout.  Plus, we can’t beat the neighborhood and the neighbors that come along with it!

BUT, there are some things that we would really like to change so I think back to my days of  being able to design pieces of the house {like flooring, counter tops and cabinets}  versus trying to find ways to change them.  A newly built home allows you to build in all of your wants from the start versus making them a to-do list from the time you move in.

Let’s take my kitchen for example.  When I built my townhouse, I got to pick the flooring, the cabinet colors and the counter tops.  Of course, the person who built my current house got to do all that but their taste and mine just don’t match.
So, from that picture, you can tell I want to change the cabinets because they just don’t work well with the flooring and the granite.  I hope to eventually change the flooring too but that spans way beyond the kitchen!

[Read more...]

Shannah

Green Cleaning Options – Green Choice Carpet Cleaning

This is a sponsored post by me on behalf of Green Choice Carpet Cleaning.  All opinions stated here are my own.

As a parent, I am extremely concerned about exposing my children to unnecessary chemicals and cleaning products in my home.  I am always looking for green cleaning options.  I prefer to use green products that are free from harsh odors and skin irritants.  When our carpets needed cleaning, I struggled to find a carpet cleaning company that could assure me that their products were both organic and natural.

Green Choice Carpet Rug Cleaning definitely looked like a green cleaning option that would meet all of my expectations.

GreenChoice Carpet

Their licensed service technicians are extremely knowledgeable about the products they use which are both safe and effective. They periodically offer online coupons for extra savings on their services, so when I am ready, I know I will be able to save money as well!

All of the products Green Choice uses are non-toxic, biodegradable, and organic. They are safe for both children and pets. Green Choice also does rug cleaning as well as carpet cleaning – they even include free pickup and delivery in certain areas. Scheduling an appointment around a busy schedule is super easy. Technicians arrive promptly as scheduled and are extremely courteous. Once they are finished, I know the results will be gorgeous. My carpets will definitely be brighter, stain-free, and smell fresh and clean. I will definitely be using Green Choice in the future!

Shannah

Taking a Break from Cleaning with Starbucks #DeliciousPairings

Each year, spring hits and I take a look around my house and wonder how in the word it got so messy!  Everything is in disarray and, despite have a bi-weekly maid service, the house just needs a deep cleaning.  This past weekend I decided it was time to get started on some major spring cleaning.  I had already rounded up some spring cleaning tips to help me really get motivated.  Now, it was time to put them to use.

I started with organizing as much as a I could.  Our playroom had gotten extremely messy so it seemed like the best place to start.
Once it was all organized, I felt so much better walking by it!  Of course, it wasn’t the only thing that needed organizing so I kept on moving…right to the linen closet.

[Read more...]

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Shannah