Liza

Oct 052013
 

This post on fall fashion is sponsored by Meijer.  All words and opinions – and fashion sense – are my own.

Fall is here and that means colder temperatures.  After months of being in the 80s and 90s, it’s actually supposed to be pretty cold here the next few days.  That means it’s time to think about putting away the t-shirts and flip-flops and digging out the sweaters and boots.

As much as I love my flip-flops – and I do love my flip-flops – I look forward to switching out my wardrobe and moving into comfy, cozy fall fashions.  Not only do clothes get cozier in material and style, but the color palate changes, too.  As the leaves change more earthy tones seem to abound and I get to wear some of my favorite colors: chocolate browns, cranberry, burnt orange, and others.

I think I’m probably a lot like most women, especially those of us who don’t have a trust fund, in that I keep my closet filled with a lot of basics that are easy to mix and match.  But I do like to add a couple of pieces and a few accessories each season to help me keep current with the trends.  I don’t want it to break the bank, though, so I keep my eyes peeled for great sales on quality items and shop for great accessories at places with great prices to match.  Places like Meijer!

Meijer 2013 Fall Fashion Lookbook #MeijerStyle

Before moving to Kentucky I had never even heard of Meijer.  Once I shopped there a couple of times, though, I was hooked.  They have a large, well-stocked grocery section paired with pretty much anything else you could want – toys, seasonal merchandise, pet supplies, and of course clothes and accessories. Continue reading »

Oct 042013
 

There are lots of upcoming movie releases, plus the first-even Curious George Halloween special, new TV shows and apps, and more. One show new to DVD is Disney’s Gravity Falls. I’m curious if any of you have watched it and what your opinions are? Leave me a comment and let me know!

PEG + CAT

PEG + CAT on PBS KIDS

Don’t miss the premiere of the new PBS KIDS show PEG + CAT. It kicks off on Monday, October 7th, on your local PBS channel. And just in time for the first episode, you can download the PEG + CAT app, PEG + CAT Big Gig (for iOS and Android).  While singing along to songs and simple melodies from the TV series, kids can practice counting up and down by ones and twos, adding ones, and extending patterns.  Kids can even make their own music with the Sound Check game, where funky music can be recorded and played back. Continue reading »

Oct 042013
 

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Michelina’s. All opinions are 100% mine.

I wish that I had more time to savor lunch.  But to be honest, I’m lucky if I get to finish lunch – and even more lucky if I get to sit down to do so.  Bubbles is often most interested in eating whatever we’re eating, so there’s a lot of “a bite please?”.

After she’s eaten her own lunch and loses interest in yours, then she wants to play.  And there’s only so long you can put off a toddler with “Mommy is eating, sweetie” before you just raise your hands in defeat and go to play dinosaurs.  That’s part of the reason I often turn to frozen meals for lunch.  They cook quickly and often represnt most of your food groups in one package.

But when I do have a few extra minutes I like to add my own personal twist.  Michelina’s Lean Gourmet® makes it easy to do so, especially when they provide so many recipe inspirations on their website.  You make their frozen entrees the base of your meal and add in a few extras.  Here are my Top 3 recipes I’d like to recreate from their site:

Make It Your Michelina's: Lettuce Wraps
Continue reading »

Oct 042013
 

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Starburst.  I received product samples to create DIY Halloween projects and to facilitate my review, and promotional item as a thank you for participating.

I love decorating for the holidays.  Before I had a toddler, I often completed complex projects that required a lot of time and supplies.  Now that I have a little one, finding time for DIY projects can be a challenge.  So I tend to look for projects that are easier to complete and take less time.  Score extra points for projects that use items from around the house.

DIY Halloween Projects with #StarburstCandyCorn

Tori Spelling is a mom, too, but she still loves to entertain and craft.  So she’s partnered with Starburst to share a number of crafts using their Candy Corn.  One of the projects she made was a cute “BOO” sign.  It was so cute, actually, that I decided to make one myself! Continue reading »

Oct 032013
 

Thank you to The Motherhood and the National Mango Board for providing the products and compensation needed to give my family a mangover and try a mango cake recipe.

It’s kind of weird.  While I love experimenting in the kitchen with all kinds of vegetables and proteins, it seems like I haven’t done much with fruit.  It’s not because we don’t like fruit – we love it, actually.  But we tend to gravitate towards strawberries, oranges, apples, and other more traditional, eat-it-like-it-is fruits.

Recently, though, I had the chance to attend a virtual briefing by the National Mango Board.  They shared the ins and outs of all-things mango.  We learned about the different varieties, how to tell when a mango is ripe, how to store them – even tips on how to cut.

How to Cut a Mango

Mango Recipes & Tips: How to Cut a Mango & Mango Bundt Cake with Pineapple Glaze

The cutting tips are something I really appreciated.  I have eaten mango before, but I mostly just hacked it up with a knife.  Let me share my new-found tips with you. Continue reading »