3 Ways to Make Sparkly Easter Eggs

Compensation provided by Snack Pack® via Mode Media

I love Easter. We never really do too much for Easter - sometimes we go and visit my Dad, other years we just stay home...but there is something about the impending spring and summer months that make Easter just special.

British Soccer Camps: Summer Camp Fun

Last year Anika attended a summer soccer camp held by Challenger Sports, and this year I think that I will have Noah attend soccer camp. He has fallen in love with soccer and I think he is at the perfect age to attend something like this.

A Snack Pack® Picnic

Compensation provided by Snack Pack® via Mode Media

I know that across the country many kids are heading back to school, but I’m happy that our school district doesn’t resume classes until Labor Day, so we are all together until September 8^th this year, and I’ve been trying to make the most of our last few days together at home.

We love to do little picnics in our yard here, tea parties, lunch, brunch – we’ve done them all – but we’ve never done a sweet treat afternoon Snack Pack® picnic before!

The Top Road Trip Snacks Kids Want

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripHacks #CollectiveBias #Albertsons 

I feel like we’ve been traveling a lot lately and for our family I guess we have. We began the month with a 5 day road trip to see family in southern Oregon, then I jetted off to New York for another 5 days, and this week we are planning to drive down to the beach and spend three nights camping in a yurt.

What Your Middle Schooler Really Needs to Keep in Their School Locker

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. 
#BackToClean #CollectiveBias

This year will be Anika’s second year of middle school – and that makes me both happy and sad. I’m sad because I’m having a hard time with the fact that my baby is now a 7^th grader, though I’m happy for her because things will hopefully be a little easier this year with a few less changes.

Moving from elementary school to middle school is a big wake up call for a lot of kids – they have more teachers, new classes, are the ‘young’ ones at the school, and they have lockers. In other words: they have a lot more responsibility. And that’s a scary thought not only for the middle schooler, but also for the parents who have to allow their child to start having more independence.

I asked Anika to write down a few things she thought were necessary to keep in her locker, now that she has had a year of locker experience under her belt – and this is what she came up with:

1. An extra jacket: “Just in case! Sometimes it’s easy to forget to bring a jacket, and sometimes the weather can change on you pretty quick!"
2. Extra pencils (that are already sharpened): “Sometimes your pencils can break in class and it’s nice to have extra ones all ready to go for your next period.”
3. Tissues: “Because there will be one day; and you will have a runny nose, and it will be faster if you have some in your locker all ready to use!”
4. Extra folders, paper, binders, etc.: “Everyone will need extra supplies at some point – better to have them now than be sorry!”
5. Plastic zip up bags: “It’s great to have a couple of these in your locker in case your crayon box gets ruined, or you need to keep paper clips or pencils together in one spot.”
6. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes: “ You should definitely keep these in you locker because when you are going from class to class you don’t have a lot of time, so if you get something sticky or just need to wipe something clean, you don’t have to waste any time – so you won’t have to worry about being late for class!”

I just loved learning the way a 7^th grader thinks! I obviously love the Clorox Disinfecting Wipes because they can quickly remove germs and bacteria that are lurking around (like inside of those school lockers!) They can also be used on multiple surfaces – like appliances, shopping carts, tables, sinks, etc. and the regular Clorox Disinfecting Wipes canisters are made from a recyclable number 2 class of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) – and I’m all for recycling.

From July 19^th – August 1^st (while you are doing your back to school shopping) at Target you can also save 5% off of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes when you use your Cartwheel App!

The Clorox Disinfecting wipes can be found in the cleaning aisle as well as on special displays in the store.

Middle school: year #2 isn’t that far away – and I’m not too worried….because my little Miss Anika managed to pull off a 4.0 last semester (insert: mom bragging moment here). I’m excited to see how this year goes for her!

Do you have a middle schooler? What was the hardest transition for them to make?

~Melissa

Top Ten Ways Your Kids Can Spoil Their Dad on Father's Day

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DadsMyHero #CollectiveBias

Hello everyone! Can you believe that Father’s Day is now less than a month away? I know I've said this many times, but I still cannot believe just how fast this year is flying by!

I always make sure that we do something special for Wayne on Father’s Day. I think it’s very important to teach the kids to give back, be kind, and downright spoil their Dad at least one day out of the year. Some of you may not know, but Wayne isn't Anika’s biological father – though he has raised her since she was 18 months old, and to him, she is his. Family doesn't always equal blood – it’s who is there for you no matter what.

In previous years I have planned most of the gifts and meals that we do for Wayne on Father’s day, however, now that the kids are getting older, I feel that they should have more input on the things that we do on Father’ s Day – so the other night we openly discussed it around the dinner table! 

There were a lot of fun ideas, some of which though were ideas from the kids that made me believe that they just wanted to spoil themselves! ;) Ultimately we all came up with some good ideas and I wanted to share our list with you.

1. Let him sleep in – this is absolutely necessary – especially if you are going to plan number two on the list which is:

2. Bring him breakfast in bed – do your research and figure out what his favorite breakfast foods are, and then make it! Does he love bacon piled up high on the plate? Omelets? Stuffed hash browns? A stack of pancakes? Make whatever he wants – and don’t forget the coffee!

3. Give him a gift basket with stuff he really likes – I love making custom gift baskets. They can be big and elaborate, or small and personal. The kids love coming to the store to help pick out items to fill the basket, or help making things to add to it. Some ideas would be his favorite beverage, nuts, jerky, gift certificates, movies, tools, and items like an Energizer High Performance Headlight. They are perfect to keep in the car, in a toolbox, for the garage, and camping! You can find them in the flashlight section at Walmart, and there are several models to choose from!

4. Give him a massage – break out the lotion and give him a foot massage or back rub. Remind the kids that they are SPOILING him on Father’s Day!

5. Listen, all day long – No fighting, no whining, listen all day and do everything that is asked the first time.

6. Create a coupon book that he can use throughout the year – The kids have fun creating these! Get creative and make him fun coupons that he can redeem when he wants.

7. Do all of his chores for the day – take out the garbage, mow the lawn, and wash the cars. Do the stuff that Dad has to normally do during the day.

8. Surprise him with an adventure – How about an overnight camp trip? Or tickets to see one of his favorite teams? The ideas are endless – go golfing, see a movie, kayaking, - whatever he’s into – surprise him!

9. BBQ for him – In the evening, make him dinner. BBQ his favorite steak and fixings and let him relax outdoors while everyone prepares his meal.

10. Give him lots of hugs – The best way to spoil him is to show him how much you love him!

What ideas do your kids have to spoil their Dad this Father’s Day?

Here’s a coupon that you can print to redeem UP TO $4.00 offof a new Energizer Headlight to add to his gift basket this year!

You know how much I love celebrating and making memories, and Father's Day is the perfect time to make some! 

~Melissa

Our First School Garden + A Giveaway!

Thanks to Tree Top for sponsoring this conversation! All opinions are of my own. 

We've been so lucky in our little community. It seems as if there’s always a small group of people willing to go the extra mile to ensure that our kids have opportunities available for them in this small town, whether it be field trips and assemblies at school, sports programs, reading programs, and now – a community garden at the grade school.

I didn’t grow up here, and neither did my husband – we just took a leap of faith when we moved here 8 years ago, and I’m glad we did.

Someone at the grade school worked hard, and we now have a school garden to show for their diligence. While I didn’t attend the planning comity (I’ve been keeping pretty busy with the PTSO these days) I wanted to make sure that I was able to participate with the kids in this program in some way. A few weekends ago we all headed over to the garden site and pitched in with getting the area ready to plant. It was a lot of work and by far the largest garden area that my kids have ever helped with. The best part about it is that it’s right behind our house, adjacent to the grade school, so we will literally be able see the progress and plant growth every day, and will probably help care for the garden in the summer as well.

 After helping prepare the school garden, the kids (especially Noah and Emma) were even more excited to plant our own garden. You may remember that last summer was the first year we had planted a raised garden of our own in our side yard. Noah is just now really old enough to full understand how planting a garden works and the work that goes into making it a success – and all of that comes from hands on education and awareness – it makes it so much more exciting for young kids, and they are more eager to try new vegetables’ after they’ve put the work into caring for the plants.

 Tree Top is a brand that we've always loved because they are located in the heart of Washington’s apple country, and we love supporting local companies whenever possible. Tree Top is a grower-owned co-op that is also rooted in the communities where they work and live. Tree Top has been a trusted brand with top-quality products like juices, smoothies and sauces for over 50 years – and their growers are committed to raising top quality fruits for our families to enjoy. As part of their commitment, Tree Top is partnering with KidsGardening.org to help change the world by growing the next generation – one child, one school and community at a time. For every purchase of Tree Top Apple Sauce pouches, Tree Top donates a dollar to KidsGardening.org to help fund community garden projects across the country! How amazing would it be if all kids had an opportunity like this?

 Not only is Tree Top devoted to supporting KidsGardening.org – but their products are a delicious snack for hungry helpers! Their apple sauce pouches are mess-free, taste great and super convenient for little working hands to consume because you don’t need a spoon!

 We've got about half of our little garden finished at this point and Noah is proud to have his first “garden” barrel of his very own this year.

 Does your kids’ school have a community garden? Check out KidsGardening.org for some helpful educational resources so you can talk to your kids about where their food comes from!

Be sure to enter below for a chance to win a $60 gardening set! 

• The giveaway will be open from April 7, 2015 to May 15, 2015 at midnight PST and will be sponsored by Sway Group.
• Forty winners (from all 40 giveaways) will be selected to receive a gardening set valued at $60.
• Sway Group will select the winners on or about May 18, 2015 and we will follow up with the prizewinners.  No further action will be needed from the campaign participants.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tree Top

Captain America Cookies + Shortcake Surprises

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AvengersUnite #CollectiveBias

Yesterday Noah and I did something a little bit different. It was a gorgeous day outside and I had recently bought a half of flat of strawberries, knowing that I was going to make strawberry shortcake soon.

Noah had been wanting me to play with him for quite a while, but I've been so busy lately that I unfortunately hadn't taken a couple hours out of my day to just play pretend with him – and I felt bad. 

I don’t ever want my kids to think that I was too busy or didn’t have enough time to play with them, and I know just how fast these years when they love playing pretend fly by. One thing led to another and I decided that Noah and I could surprise his sisters with a tasty afterschool treat: Strawberry Shortcake topped with a Captain America cookie.

You see, I bought Noah a Captain America costume at Walmart last week, along with a toy and snacks, and he has been begging me to play Avengers with him – all of the excitement for the new MARVEL's TheAvengers: Age of Ultron movie has got him all into role playing new characters.

So after Noah’s preschool I told him to hurry up and put his costume on, and then his eye lit up when he saw the table outside!  

We spent the next hour and a half snacking on Avengers Cheez-its and cookies while we decorated them. I even decided to do something that I’ve wanted to do for quite a while to see if it worked: making whipped cream in a mason jar. 

Noah thought it was awesome and it really was just as easy as I had heard! All you do is pour in some whipping cream into a mason jar (I used half a pint) then add a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. You screw the lid on and shake for less than a minute and voila! Homemade whipped cream! It’s way easier than getting out the mixer!

We placed our fun creations in the refrigerator and had two VERY happy girls when they discovered what we had made them – and my little Captain America was so proud of what he accomplished. 

Are you excited to see MARVEL's The Avengers: Age of Ultron? What characters are your kids’ favorites?

Right now there is also a fun App that is available in the iTunes and Google Play store!

About the APP: Avengers fans, it's time to Assemble again. With Super Heroes Assemble, turn your phone into a portal to exclusive Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron content. Keep up to date with the latest movie and behind-the-scenes action. Plus, scan Avengers displays at Walmart and Walmart.com to become your favorite Avenger, explore a Hulkbuster training facility in a cool 360 degree interactive space and to bring Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron characters to life with augmented reality.

~Melissa