Getting my kiddos to eat their lunch at school every day is a challenge. They tend to go straight for the cookie or treat I pack and skip over the sandwich, forgo the carrot sticks, and ignore the apple. It seems I'm always looking for clever ways to get my kids to eat their ...read more
Does your family deserve a little treat? How about some sweet dessert bars for summer? I know that my family would certainly gobble up some sweet dessert bars. You see, we're an everything in moderation kinda of household. As long as the kids eat a nice, balanced diet and get in ...read more
Delicious No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream recipe made with just 3 ingredients! Happy National Ice Cream Month! That's right, July is National Ice Cream Month and it couldn't be more fitting since it's our favorite dessert to cool off with in the hot summertime months! While ...read more
There's nothing better in the summer than an awesome BBQ with friends! Creating a Build Your Own Burger Bar is a fun way for your guests to get creative with their burger! A burger bar is a fun way to keep your BBQ simple. Give your guests lots of options for toppings and ...read more
Moms always get breakfast in bed on Mother's Day, so why not serve donuts to Dad on Father's Day? We thought it was a cute idea, so we made a DIY painted mug to serve Dad his coffee in on Father's Day. Check out this simple tutorial and get our easy donut recipe at the bottom ...read more
Guess what? We're turning traditional Irish Soda Bread into muffins! These Irish Soda Bread muffins are kid friendly and delicious! Everyone is Irish for St. Patrick’s Day! We look forward to the arrival of Irish Soda Bread in our local bakery every year. It turns out that ...read more
Trying to spice up your nightly dinner menu? I've been getting spices and recipes delivered monthly to me through an awesome subscription box company called Raw Spice Bar. It's so easy to get in the habit of making the same go-to recipes over and over. I'll be honest, my menu ...read more
I just adore Valentine's Day. It's the sweetest holiday now that I have little loves of my own at home. We deck out the house with pink and red decorations, bake yummy treats, create cutesy crafts, and enjoy each other's company. Cuddles and snuggles and chocolate treats—it's a ...read more
The countdown to the Super Bowl is on! T-minus one week and two days! If you're reading this post, I bet you're starting to get excited. Cheering on your favorite team takes a lot of energy. You can "tackle your hunger" with our Super Bowl Nacho Bar complete with Bacon Chile ...read more
I have discovered The Zen of Slow Cooking! I've seen lots of posts floating around out there with people sharing their word of the year. That got me thinking, what could my word of the year be? The only word that kept popping in my head was focus. Some days my life feels ...read more
I'm not a breakfast person... Never have been. If I eat a piece of toast or a few bites of a muffin, I consider it a triumph. I'll drink coffee from the moment I wake up until the minute I'm ready for lunch (and, yes, I'm usually ravenous). But food, yeah, it rarely touches my ...read more
When we lived in Germany we went to a lot of festivals. One of our all time favorites was the chocolate festival that was held every winter in Germany. One of the first things we tasted when we arrived at the German Chocolate Festival was a big cup of their steaming hot ...read more
We're down to the wire. In less than a week, it'll be CHRISTMAS! My kids are beyond excited. One of our favorite family traditions through the holiday season is baking. Lots and lots of baking. We bake for our school, our local military base, our neighbors, our family and ...read more
The holidays are here, and we're been enjoying all the seasonal eats and treats. To mix things up, we recently opened our Oktoberfest flavor kit from RawSpiceBar. Inside were 3 packages of spices to make your own German inspired dinner for the family. Of course, we cooked it ...read more
If it was up to my husband, chips and salsa would be in its own food group. I'm not joking when I say he could eat chips and salsa every day if I'd let him. The good thing is, he's easy to please and CHI-CHI'S offers a variety of products to choose from to make everyone in our ...read more
I used to believe that pecan and pumpkin pies were the only desserts you could serve for a Thanksgiving feast. But, throughout my years eating and hosting Thanksgiving dinners, I've changed my mind. These fresh-fruit cornucopias make a healthy yet festive addition to any ...read more
Fall is the perfect time to host gatherings with family and friends in your home. We're not just talking about Thanksgiving either. With the weather getting cooler, it's nice to get together in someone's home and have a wine and cheese night. For our fall entertaining we're ...read more
The holidays are fast approaching. October is almost over, Halloween is here, and—ready or not—the countdown to “the most wonderful time of the year” is officially on. Ah! It’s an equally exciting and stressful. There are travel itineraries to be booked, turkeys to be thawed, ...read more
I don't know about you, but for me, making a family dinner doesn't consist of multiple meals for each person. I'm no short-order cook and everyone has to eat whatever it is I make. There are those days, of course, when I want to make something healthy but am too exhausted to ...read more
My almost eight year old is totally into the gory side of Halloween this year. We currently have a graveyard in our front yard, complete with half buried skeletons coming out of the ground. Her costume of choice this year is an evil skeleton mermaid. Gone are the days of cute ...read more
Halloween is such a fun holiday. Full of tricks and treats and good things to eat! We love creating and hosting an annual kid-friendly Halloween party. The kids always look so adorable dressed up in their costumes and we love dressing up too! We serve up spooky snacks, craft, ...read more
(5:45 AM means "breakfast" bars, preferably educational TV, and blurry everything...) My kids wake up early… Like, before-the-sun early. It’s rough, and I can’t always say I’m at my brightest and most bushy-tailed. Yeah, no mommy awards for me before the crack of dawn, but I ...read more
My kids love helping cook dinner and they really love when we do theme nights: Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday and Stir-Friday. Of course, you can probably guess that our favorite is Taco Tuesday, because, you know, tacos! Did you know that today just so happens to be National ...read more
I'm always on the hunt for snacks that are healthy, taste good, and that everyone in the family will enjoy. On a recent shopping trip, I discovered Annie Chun's Seaweed Crisps. These were intriguing! As I stood in the aisle of my local grocery store with my toddler in the cart ...read more
There is something about camping that is just so much fun. Kids love it! We enjoy our family camping trips. Sleeping in tents under the stars, laughing by the campfire, catching fireflies, and eating s'mores late into the night. Not to mention being unplugged and spending good ...read more
The autumnal season and I have been in love for quite some time. I have a penchant for the pumpkin, apple, and cinnamon flavors. With the fall, comes delicious and fresh applesauce, and after having so much in my house, I wanted to come up with unique ways to use it. Here are ...read more
If you're like me, then you like to make cute and creative things to inspire wonder within your kids. I love making my kids fun food for the holidays or just as a surprise. But, I've been known to have a few Pinterest fails here and there. I like cute kid food that's actually ...read more
It's starting to transition to fall, and that means apple-picking season is upon us. Driving to the local orchard is one of our family's favorite fall traditions. We load up the car and head to Apple Annie's to spend a cool fall morning picking apples and tasting all the apple ...read more
It's that time of year when you're gathering all the best products you can find to ready your child for back to school. From fashion to supplies, the list seems like it is ever growing. But never fear! There are ways to get your children excited to get back in the school routine ...read more
It's back-to-school time! My mornings consist of packing school lunches while my afternoons are spent helping with homework and after-school activities. To save money, and to ensure that my daughter is getting a well-balanced lunch, I pack her lunch almost daily. Today, I'm ...read more
While I like beer, I don't usually drink it. I'm more of a wine or cocktail kind of gal. But, recently, I've been on a beer kick and trying new beer. It happened when I discovered the delicious concoction that is chocolate beer. Yes, it's a thing and it's just as yummy as it ...read more
This post is sponsored by Similac. Pressure, guilt, anxiety, doubt—these are things we all feel as parents. In addition to happiness, joy, and boundless love, of course. Everything changes the moment we become moms, and, in some ways, the lives we once knew become totally ...read more
Today, we're frosting our glasses, cracking open our favorite A&W root beer, creating root beer floats, and getting ready to celebrate National Root Beer Float Day (tomorrow, August 6th) with our kids! A root beer float is a classic treat that instantly takes me back to my ...read more
Mornings can be hectic in our household. As a busy mom of two, I try to make sure I sit down with the kids for a few minutes while they eat their breakfast every morning. I sip my coffee while the kids munch away on their favorite cereals. We talk about the upcoming day, their ...read more
Compensation was provided by Go & Grow by Similac® via Mode Media. I’m pretty sure my babies belong in Alaska. Or, maybe, Maine. Better yet, somewhere that’s just really temperate and mild with constant breezes and minimal moisture. One thing is for sure: They do not belong in ...read more
During my recent trip to visit family in North Carolina, I found myself shopping in a cute boutique called Southern Season. As we strolled the aisles of trendy gifts and artisan foods, I spotted Owl's Brew and was intrigued. I'm always looking for new ways to spruce up my ...read more
Today is #NationalIceCreamDay! To honor what is probably my kids' favorite food holiday, I'm sharing our kid-made No-Churn Brown Sugar Peach Ice Cream. Recently, our family went to a local farm that was having a Peach Festival. We started our day off with peaches and pancakes ...read more
Consumers today demand variety and flavor. Just stroll through the drink aisle and really pay attention the next time you're in the store. Ever since middle school I've been a big fan of Dr Pepper, and now as an adult I've discovered the breadth of Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) ...read more
Summer is a time for fun and relaxation. The kids don't have school and we get more days to sleep in. It's been a bit of a slower pace around here. My kids love when I make themed snacks for them. They adored it when I made these peeps pudding cups this past Easter. So, this ...read more
We're big strawberry fanatics in this house... I make strawberries and cream as a breakfast treat almost every morning (it's just strawberries tossed in low-fat sour cream, skim milk, and bit of sugar or Stevia—delish!) My three-year-old will always choose a plain scoop of ...read more
Summertime is the perfect time for some homemade milkshakes and tropical fruit. I saw this cute little mini bottle of cake-flavored vodka and tons of beautiful pineapples in the store, and put two and two together. I knew I had to make a Pineapple Upside Down Cake Boozy ...read more
My daughter loves to help cook in the kitchen. Mostly she helps with dessert or snacks or lunch on the weekends. But now that summer is in full swing she's been home with me and we've been cooking more together. We recently cooked up our Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo for dinner ...read more
I like the internet meme that says “once upon a time I was a perfect parent… and then I had kids.” The statement rings true in many ways. I envisioned my future parenting self with endless patience and abundant time. I pictured myself cooking wholesome, healthy, and homemade ...read more
I have a confession to make. I tried Rosé for the first time with the Momtrends team last summer. I know right, crazy?! For some reason I was always a little nervous about trying it. I always stuck to reds or whites (or margaritas). But, once I had that first glass of Rosé I ...read more
All of this gorgeous sunshine and blue skies have us getting outside as much as we can. It's the perfect time for a picnic, and with summer quickly approaching, I know I'll be heading to the park for lazy days outdoors as much as I can. Whether you plan a picnic in the park ...read more
To say that I really love my daughter's elementary school is an understatement. To help promote health and wellness with the kids, they recently had a smoothie contest. The kids had to come up with a smoothie recipe. They had to include a fruit, vegetable, grain, dairy, and ...read more
Turn it up a notch this Saturday (or Taco Tuesday!) with a Spicy Tequila Sunrise. We love eating Mexican inspired foods around here. It probably helps that, because we live in Arizona, we are close to the Mexican border. My neighbors make tamales year round and prickly pear ...read more
Life as a mom can be a balancing act. Between school, work and after school activities we take on a lot. Some days I barely have time to pull together the same old peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. I know my kids need healthier options, and I need something to make my ...read more
My seven year old is getting more and more ambitious in the kitchen. She always wants to help me prepare breakfast or dinner and often times I set up little jobs for her to help me with. She's becoming more confident in the kitchen and I'm loving it. I knew it was time to ...read more
Blood oranges are one of my favorite citrus fruits. I feel in love with them during a vacation to Sardinia a few years ago. We had fresh blood orange juice every morning for breakfast. Luckily for me they are currently in season. They have such a pretty bright crimson color ...read more
