BJ’s Benefits Beyond the Club

BJ’s Benefits Beyond the Club [+$100 gift card giveaway]

Disclosure: I am part of the BJ’s Wholesale Club Blogger Ambassador program. The following is a sponsored post. Although I was supplied products and/or compensated for writing this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only recommend products or services I believe in, and use myself. Did you know that BJ’s Wholesale Club has benefits beyond the club‘s amazing product selection and prices?  BJ’s offers a long list of services to help you save money! (Check it out for yourself! Enter to win a $100 BJ’s Gift Card via the form at the end of this post!) Whether you’re looking for a weekend getaway, extended warranties, prescription eye wear or health insurance, BJ’s has you covered. BJ’s Services offers a wide range of savings on everyday essentials. Please visit BJs.com/Services for a complete listing.       As you know I am …

Picnics & Popsicles

Picnics & Popsicles

Disclosure: The following is a sponsored post. Although I was supplied an outfit from FabKids in exchange for writing this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only recommend products or services I believe in.  Well, summer has struck North Carolina with a vengeance (and I know we are not alone)! Two straight weeks of temps in the mid to high 90s, plus a few 100 degree days in there AND almost no rain. Basically the moment the kids got out of school we hit a heat wave that kept them in the house all. day. long. Finally, the high temps fell to a balmy 88 degrees and we took the opportunity to pack up a quick picnic lunch and enjoy some time outside. The kids were so excited to play outdoors. …

Survive the Summer Heat with Bj's Wholesale Club

Survive the Summer Heat with BJ’s Wholesale Club

Disclosure: I am part of the BJ’s Wholesale Club Blogger Ambassador program. The following is a sponsored post. Although I was supplied products and/or compensated for writing this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only recommend products or services I believe in, and use myself. Well, it’s official! Even if the calendar doesn’t quite agree, summer is here. And it has hit North Carolina with a vengeance. We are only on day 6 of summer break and I’m ready for fall. What the heck am I going to do to survive the next 10 weeks of “vacation”?!? It’s too hot to do anything outside. I’m a fair-skinned redhead convinced I will die from spontaneous combustion if I go outside when it’s over 90. Air conditioning and ice pops are my best friends. …

Kick off the Summer Season with FabKids!

The Unofficial Kickoff to Summer – FabKids Review

Disclosure: The following is a sponsored post. Although I was supplied an outfit from FabKids in exchange for writing this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only recommend products or services I believe in.  Yay!! It’s time for fireflies, outdoor fun, barbecues, and S’Mores! Even though we have two weeks left of school the unofficial kickoff to summer is here! I don’t know about yours, but my kids have pretty much checked out of school already, which is unfortunate since they have EOGs (comprehensive end of the year testing) next week. Hopefully, we can keep it together just a little bit longer! I know I am counting down the days until school’s out –>> did you see the countdown clock in my sidebar, lol?!? We got a little taste of …

Five Tips to Protect Yourself from Theft [review JLeer jeans giveaway]

Five Tips to Protect Yourself from Theft [review JLeer jeans giveaway]

Disclosure: I was provided a pair of JLeer jeans in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are my own. A friend recently had her purse stolen while shopping. She turned away from her cart for just a few seconds to put something back on the shelf, and when she turned around it was gone. Less than 5 seconds is all it took for her life to be turned upside down. Everything was in there. Her cell phone, keys, checkbook, license, credit/debit cards, photos, and address book filled with all kinds of personal information. Everything that you don’t want a stranger to get their hands on. Until my friend’s experience, I’d never given much thought to theft. I mean I know it happens all the time, but “not to me”. And I’m …

Tasty Tuesday – Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever! [recipe & review]

I love to bake. I don’t do it as much as my kids would like, but when I do bake, I do it well! (Bread and cookies are my specialties, they never last longer than a few minutes in the house unless I bake when the kids aren’t home, lol).   This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe of all time. And it was the perfect recipe to test out my new BakeitFun Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat I received as a sample. I always use parchment paper when baking cookies. I love how easily the cookies come off the pan and when I’m in a hurry I’ll just pick up the whole batch of cookies using the parchment paper and then place everything down on the cooling rack. I was a little …

Train – Bulletproof Picasso [review] #BulletproofPicasso #O2O

I have loved Train ever since I took my girls to see them in concert at a local summer festival, just before they became really popular. I wasn’t expecting much, I mean we lived in a relatively small town, how good could the band be, right? I was blown away. We weren’t planning to stay through the whole concert as my little ones were cranky and it was past their bedtime. But once the music started everyone settled down and enjoyed the show. Every last second of it! I picked up the CD the next day and my girls and I listened to “Meet Virginia”, “Calling All Angels”, “When I Look to the Sky” and “Get to Me” over and over. When “Drops of Jupiter” and “Hey Soul, Sister” came out I immediately …

Tasty Tuesday – Chocolate Pretzel Bars

  My kids love to cook. Every time I start to make something they ask if they can help. Being a MAJOR control freak, and usually in a hurry to get dinner on the table, I almost always say “not now, thanks for asking.” So to say my kids were over the moon excited when I received Kids Cooking Made Easy: Favorite Triple-Tested Recipes to review, is an understatement. They poured over the book cover-to-cover and picked out several recipes to try. But the only one they all could agree on making first was the Chocolate Pretzel Bars. Before we get into the cooking, I’d like to talk about the cookbook. Written by Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek, this cookbook includes 60 easy-to-make, kid-friendly Kosher recipes. Not that you need to be …

Food, Friends and Fun at the Bonefish Grill #HelloNewMenu [review]

Last month Bonefish Grill came out with an amazing new menu. (Don’t panic, they didn’t change the Bang Bang Shrimp!) And to help get the word out they hosted a tasting for our little group of local bloggers at the Huntersville, NC location. (It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.) I’m a work from home mom with five kids on summer break, so anytime I can get out of the house AND get a free meal, I’m there! 😉 It was a bonus that I got to spend that time with some wonderful women, as well! OMGosh the food, glorious food! I am not exaggerating when I say this was probably the best meal of my entire life. I loved everything I tried and if you had to put a gun to …