What to Do With the Kids in Your Kitchen

Mixing Bowls

My children are always eager to help in the kitchen but at times its easy for them to get underfoot and just make a mess. I’ve come to realize that sometimes I need to embrace the mess and allow them to learn alongside me. Here are some ideas I’ve found helpful while having kids in [...]

Review of Vintage Handmade Soaps

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  Looking for a place to buy handmade soaps that smell great and won’t dry out your skin? I had the pleasure of reviewing a Sweet Orange Vanilla bar of soap courtesy of Vintage Handmade Soaps and I highly recommend this soap! Natural oils and silk milk (for extra moisture) are some of the lovely ingredients that go [...]

Planning a Vegetable Garden with Meals in Mind

Last year, we grew our first “garden.” It wasn’t much, just a couple of pepper plants, tomato plants, peas and carrots (oh, and some failed lettuce). Now that I’m looking at expanding our garden, I want to keep in mind my meal plans as I choose which vegetables to grow. Here are a few ideas [...]

More Than Just a Meal: Enjoying Family Time at the Dinner Table

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photo credit Statistics show many benefits from eating together as a family: better choices, better health, better relationships. But with our family’s busy schedule and lack of meal ideas, I sometimes find it hard to enjoy mealtime. Here are some things we’ve tried that have helped make it a fun experience for everybody! Check Your [...]

When You’ve Fallen off the Menu Planning Bandwagon (and How to Get Back On)

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The holiday season seemed to fly by this past year, and shortly after New Year’s I discovered that I hadn’t done something that normally is second nature to me: I hadn’t planned a menu for over two months! Christmas preparations interrupted my meal preparations, and it was painfully obvious in our grocery bill. The price [...]

One Ham, Four Meals

So you had some delicious ham for Christmas or New Year’s and now you’ve got lots of leftovers. Thankfully you don’t have to just eat cold sliced ham for the next week. Here are four recipes for leftover ham (and the ham bone too!) Brunch Casserole On Christmas night, chop up some ham and add [...]

Review of “Spontuneous” – A New and Fun Party Game!

I am big into board games. My husband, not so much. But when we played Spontuneous, he actually admitted it was a “pretty fun game”! If you’re looking for a good party game this holiday season and you listen to any type of music, Spontuneous is a excellent choice! Their tagline is “Spontuneous bring the [...]

Four Ways to Use Ripe (or Overripe) Fruit

Are those pears you bought in bulk getting a little ripe to just slice and eat? Got bananas browning on your countertop? Thankfully you don’t need to throw that good produce away. Here are four ideas for how to use overripe fruit. Use Overripe Fruit in Baked Goods Bananas, pears and even soft apples are [...]

How to Prepare and Freeze Zucchini

What can you do with all the zucchini that multiplies like crazy in your garden? It’s perfect for preserving so you can enjoy lots of zucchini recipes throughout the winter and spring seasons. Here’s how you can prepare and store zucchini in your freezer. Choose the Right Zucchini Your zucchini should be fully ripened (but [...]

Tips for Grocery Shopping with Kids

We’ve all seen it: the exasperated mother in the checkout line with a shopping cart piled to the brim, trying to calm her crying baby (who’s teething) and hungry preschooler (who’s reaching for candy) while attempting to keep her cool all at the same time. Maybe if you’re like me you’ve been a part of said [...]