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Nicole

Parenting Pitfalls You Should Avoid

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Parenting for the first time in your life will always be a massive challenge for you and your partner. The moment that your child comes into the world will change your life forever and it will make you see your life from a whole new perspective. When it comes to parenting mistakes, there are a lot of easy ones you can make and they might be only the smallest things, which is why we want to share some of the major pitfalls with you today and allow you to avoid these with your own child. Here are some of the top mistakes you need to avoid.

Fussing over everything  

The most primal instinct you likely have as a parent is to protect your child at all costs. It is something which is ingrained in you from the moment you look into your child’s eyes for the first time and it is something which will dictate many of your decisions. When your baby coughs or sneezes your first reaction will likely be to fuss and call a doctor and this can be understandable. However, this is not necessary and it can actually waste your time as well as the doctors. Once you have had your child for a while you’ll get to know them and their body. You’ll soon understand just what is wrong with them at any given time. Just go with the flow and don’t stress over every little thing! 

Not letting them cry  

Honestly, crying is healthy. As a parent, you might think that it is your job to comfort your child as they cry and this can sometimes be the case. However, you also need to know that babies cry… a lot. They will cry for almost anything and sometimes the best thing you can do for them and yourself is to let them cry it out. Babies will sometimes cry for no reason and letting them calm themselves down will actually help them develop and reduce the amount of crying they do. 

Waking baby up to feed  

It is said in every baby manual you see that you should have a clear feeding routine and that your baby needs feeding often. However, never wake them up to feed if they are asleep. Particularly if you are breastfeeding it can become uncomfortable for you to hold milk in, and it is tempting to wake your baby up to feed, but this is never a good idea. Babies need sleep, and the more they get the happier they will be.

Neglected oral care  

We all know that babies don’t have teeth. Because of this, it can be all too easy to forget about maintaining their gums and mouth on the whole. It is important for you to clean gums with a cloth or gauze after feeding and this will prevent infection. Once the teeth do start to come in, didn’t feed your baby milk just before bed as this can increase the risk of cavities, and always keep the mouth clean! 

Not planning for the future  Babies grow a lot quicker than you may realize, and as a result, it is important for you to plan for the future and buy Baby Boys Clothes which are the right size as well as bigger than your baby. The last thing you want is to be at a loose end with your clothing!

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Fall Zone Cleaning List: Everything You Should Be Cleaning This Season!

Please note: This post contains personal affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you.

 

Fall Zone Cleaning List

 

With Autumn just around the corner, it’s time to conquer those end of season deep-cleaning chores that help you and your family enjoy a clean and comfortable home this winter.

Personally, I love seasonal cleaning- it helps me prepare for the upcoming holiday season in a non-chaotic, orderly, and somewhat fun manner. And what better way to usher in the upcoming fall season than a clean, orderly home?

With this in mind, I want to share with you all how I break down my own season chores as part of my Fall Cleaning Chore Checklist. A list to help you get your home in its healthiest shape before the winter season ahead. Here’s how to get started:

Fall Zone Cleaning List

Patio

  • Clean and store patio furniture, umbrellas, kid’s summer toys.
  • If you own a pool: Drain the pool, if applicable. Close it up for the year.

Winterizing Maintenance

  • Check caulk around windows and doors.
  • Inspect external doors and garage doors for gaps which can cause drafts.
  • Wash exterior windows.
  • Check outdoor trim and touch-up paint as needed.
  • Install insulating covers on exterior spigots.
  • Check outdoor trim and touch-up paint as needed.
  • Clean out outdoor lighting. Replace bulbs as needed.
  • Check gutters and downspouts.
  • Have chimneys and flues inspected and cleaned if necessary.
  • Check chimneys for cracks and replenish lava stones accordingly.
  • Check fire pits for rust or damage. Make sure winterized cover is available.
  • Clean out birdhouses and feeders. Then purchase new feed accordingly.
  • Stock-up on fire starters, kindling, and chopped wood.

Shed & Garage

  • Inspect external doors and garage doors for gaps which can cause drafts.
  • Wash exterior windows.
  • Drain and store all garden hoses.
  • Store flower pots; plastic pots will need to be cleaned, emptied, bleached, and air-dried.
  • Terracotta pots should be sun-sanitized, stacked, and stored on their sides.
  • Sew grass seeds, as needed.
  • Service snow blower, power washers, lawnmowers, and leaf mulchers.

Fall Zone Cleaning List

Windows

  • Wash all windows with glass cleaner and wipe down with a microfiber cloth.
  • A handy tip? Clean windows on a cloudy day so you can better see any streaks left while cleaning.

Vacuuming

  • Vacuum all canvas, cotton, upholstery, and fabric blinds with a low setting and a brush attachment.
  • Vacuum and spot clean upholstered furniture and cushions.
  • Vacuum baseboards and corners well.
  • Clean out and vacuum vents.

Dusting

  • Vinyl shades can be wiped down with a dampened microfiber cloth.
  • Dust, wash, rinse, and dry painted or wood-paneled walls.
  • Clean ceiling-mounted light fixtures.
  • Dust your electronics. Start with your CPUs, handheld devices, and phones. Make sure to clean and wipe down the keyboard, and dust off the monitor with a microfiber cloth.

Surfaces

  • Wipe down the kitchen cupboards.
  • Dust off the refrigerator condenser coil.
  • Look at your wooden floors. Fill scratches.
  • Wash down walls with a mild astringent or cleaner, and dry with a dust mop.

Decluttering

  • Spruce up your computer. Defrag and recycle all unused files.
  • Straighten up your closets.
  • Create a capsule wardrobe.
  • Clear kitchen counters of all appliances not used within the last week. Donate as needed.
  • Organize kitchen cabinets, paying particular attention to baking supplies, pans, and equipment.
  • Straighten-up the linen closet. Air out and declutter blankets, down comforters, and flannel sheets.

Seasonal maintenance

  • Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
  • Replace the furnace filter.
  • Turn mattresses to equalize wear.
  • Launder or clean all bedding: mattress pads, pillows, duvets, blankets, comforters.
  • Clean all humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and diffusers.
  • Drain sediment from hot water heaters.
  • Thoroughly clean pet items including litter boxes, fountains, dishes, crates, and crate pads.

Allergy-Preventing Chores

  • Clean blades of ceiling fans.
  • Sort and clean any extra zones such as linen closets, utility closets, and office spaces.
  • Be sure to use bathroom fans and clean up any standing water immediately.
  • Scrub any visible mold from surfaces with detergent and water, and completely dry.
  • Keep your home humidity levels at or around sixty percent.
  • Remove pet allergens by vacuuming frequently and washing upholstery, including your pet’s bed.
  • Stock-up on essential oils that help fight allergies including sweet orange oil and tea tree oil.

Fall Zone Cleaning List

Each fall season I like to stock my home with rich spices, fresh produce, including sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and cranberries, along with comfort classics like evening tea and ginger root. But before I can take to the streets, I take time to properly storing stockpile items, including:

Canned goods

Canned goods cannot be allowed to freeze. When canned goods freeze, they stand the chance of cans bulging, which can cause the seam and lid failure, which can cause food-borne illnesses, not to mention to fail, changes in product texture, flavor, nutrient factors, and product color. Most canned goods are packed in a solution of salt or sugar, which lowers their freezing point, but canned goods should not be stored below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Before temperatures freeze, this season, move canned food indoors.

Soft Drinks, Cooking Oils, and Cleaners

Freezing can have adverse effects on liquids such as soda, cooking oil, soap or detergent. Basements are a great place to store these goods. Frozen detergents and cooking oils can be brought back to room temperature by placing them in trash bags, at room temperature, and then storing accordingly.

Dried Foods

Foods that are dehydrated or freeze-dried will actually last longer in the cold since there is no water in them to freeze or can be frozen in deep freezes. I like to use my food saver’s canning jar attachment to suck out the air and help preserve my food for the entire winter season ahead. Foods like flour and seeds are stored in the deep freezer in mason jars.

Produce

Some products such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and apples will actually keep longer stored in bins in cooler climates or sheds. If you use this method, be sure to check produce weekly, and with any sign of aging, the produce should be composed immediately. This is especially true for potatoes, which can emit deadly gasses if left to rot for several months.

Fall Zone Cleaning List

Keep in mind, deep cleaning your home from top to bottom will essentially take several days. Do not attempt to clean your entire home in a day, or a weekend for that matter. Take a week, break off chores into chunks, utilize your family for aid and resource, and give yourself the grace of time and consideration of your everyday life when completing this expansive list. You can get a head start by changing your air filters every three months and using filters with a MERV rating of 11 or 12.

My biggest tip? Be sure to vacuum regularly to get rid of dust mites. Use a cyclonic vacuum, one which spins dust and dirt away from the floor, or a vacuum with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. And as always, be sure to wash bedding and stuffed animals weekly.

Moreover, consider this when devising a fall cleaning schedule:

  • Are you the kind of person who wants to do a little every day?
  • Would you rather tackle it all at once so that you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the week?
  •  Do you work full time or are you home during the day?
  • Do you have young children at home whose chores can be incorporated into this system?

As there is no one “right way” to keep house, and so no universal cleaning schedule that will fit every household’s needs. It’s just about being mindful that for the next few months ahead is the long-term goals, so by adding a few small, obtainable cleaning goals each day is the way to go! This is a challenge to make your home as healthy as it is steadfast this coming season.

Friends, do you have any tried and true methods for cleaning around your home this time of year! I’d love to hear about them below!

Fall Zone Cleaning List

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10 Tips for Buying & Caring For Fall Mums

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When the crisp morning air of Fall finally arrives here in the south, it’s hard not to regret the passing of all the summer blooms we love so much. From dahlias to daisies, zinnias, asters, coreopsis, and calendulas, there are so many friends we must bid adieu when the leaves being to fall each year.

Fortunately, the fall season offers gardeners, homeowners, and season decorators of all walks of like one of mother nature’s most beautiful and affordable season varieties, the chrysanthemum. This diva of the Fall, full of blooms in a myriad of hues, makes up for all that summer gardeners can desire.

Best of all, with the mum’s lasting longevity, you’ll have a plant that pulls not only its weight in the garden each year, but for many seasons to come. Maintained well these perennials will leave your landscaping beautiful for seasons to come!

With the Autumn season in full swing, and so many varieties deeply discounted now in-store, here are a few tips for those looking to get started caring for their mums this year to help you make the most of your next mum purchase, before heading out to your local nursery:

Buy beginning in September

Generally speaking, it’s best to buy mums as soon as night temps drop into the fifties, by mid-September. This is, of course, the rule unless you live below the Mason-Dixon line, in which case Back-to-School sales also signal the time to buy mums! Though buying later in the season might mean less brilliant blooms this current year, larger, less expensive plants will yield greater blooms in the seasons to come!

Buy for your zone

So, you may be thinking, which plants to buy? The answer is simple. Buy the colors and varieties best zoned for your area, with the only overall area of caution is to buy plants only as they start to break bud. You’ll maximize bloom time. Another trick, to make sure you are buying the right color and variety, be sure to match the blooms-to-tags, to find the color and type of flower you’re after. Always check plant tags with their handy cross-referenced blooms to avoid stock and shock error; garden centers usually group like selections together, but errors can happen.

098-belgian-mum-lava-red-1024x681

Opt for darker shades

You will stretch your saving-saving dollar by choosing darker shades, such as bronze and burgundy as spent. As wilted flowers are less noticeable. The same is true for mums with double, as opposed to single, daisy-like blooms, especially for yellow and white varieties. Meaning, you won’t have to replace pots mid-season in porchscapes or vignettes.

Go large

Just like hair, lattes, homecoming flats, when it comes to mums, bigger is better! Inevitably, what you see in-store, is what you will get for the rest of the growing season. So, to ensure your displays are top-notch, buy the bigger plant.

Look for buds

When it comes to buying mums, buy plants that are already blooming. Some plants, due to the shock of being transported through different climate zones, will not produce any more additional blooms in their current growing season but in the next. However, once buds start to open on mums, you’re pretty-much-guaranteed flowers―no matter where you display them. And once your growing season is done, from December-August, make sure to pluck any premature blooms. Budding blooms left unchecked will signal for the plant to germinate early and you could potentially lose their highly sought after fall color.

Opt for moist soil

Your mum’s soil must stay be moist but never sopping wet. Check daily while the current seasonal weather is warm, especially in the deep south, and then every other day when it’s cooler. If plants dry out, submerge in a bucket of water, or jab a sharp pencil into the soil several times and then water.

Compost is king

Fertilizing is not necessary for mums; though compost can be applied post-growing season, every other year. Looking for tips on what to compost, check out my post on 101 everyday household items you can compost this season!

Pluck before you water

Always remove faded mum blooms and dead leaves before watering. This will encourage more diverse water and nutrient absorption in your mums.

Plant over in December

Right before the winter solstice is the time for mums to go in-ground. Always be sure to cover with mulch or comport over winter and then remove this covering from the tops of plants through summer. Always remembering to place new compost and mulch around the base of the plant each spring to help protect it from the summer’s harsh rays!

Sunshine is key

Chrysanthemums grow best and produce the most vibrant array of flowers if they are planted in full sunshine. P and plant your fall and winter beds accordingly to allow for optimal growth during the Spring and Summer months the following year.

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To recap

  • There are hundreds of varieties of Chrysanthemums, giving you a multitude of options for height, color, flower size and time of bloom.
  • If you live above the Mason-Dixon line, purchase the earlier bloomers.
  • Mums can be started as seeds, from cuttings and dividing, or can be purchased at a nursery in sizes from bedding plants up to gallon size and larger plants.
  • They should be planted into well-prepared, fertile, sandy soil.
    By Thanksgiving, pluck all of your mum blossoms off of your plants, so that they can start their natural dormancy stage this winter.
  • Water mums weekly, fertilize monthly with liquid plant food.
  • At the end of the season, generally, post-Thanksgiving, cut back plants to four inches, and re-mulch your beds a second time, to prevent winter frost.

Friends, those are my tips for helping you to grow and maintain your best-blooming mums this season at home. If you have any mum care tips, pictures, or advice, shoot me an email or leave me a message and I’d love to feature you next week on my weekly gardening post. Now if you have any mum growing tips or tricks on finding the best pricing on mums in your neck of the woods, I’d love to hear about it below!

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10 Reasons You’ll Love The Bosch AutoAir™ 500 Series Dishwasher

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Best Buy. All opinions expressed are my own. 

We’ve all been there. Post-meal cleanup. Those moments when you long to find yourself curled up in a large, inviting chair, with a book in hand and the promise of restless sleep a few glorious moments way.  But before you relax and unwind, you have to tackle that massive pile of dishes that we wish our handy dandy, yet-to-be-created teleporter would zap away our cleaning woes until morning. But friends, what if there was a product out there that could make this mess so much easier to clean up? Consider checking out the Bosch AutoAir™ 500 Series dishwasher.

Features of the Bosch 500 Series Dishwasher

Not only can the 24″ width accommodate nearly 4 meals worth of dishes ( for a family of 4), but its flexible 3rd rack wash larger dishes, platters, and pans as well. And with RackMatic, you’ll have you 3 height adjustments, with 9 possible positions for the whole washer to accommodate every dish in your cabinet. Plus, with the EasyGlide rack, you can load and unload dishes in a snap!

This dishwasher also boasts a 44-dBA noise level rating. That means you won’t hear the washer running. You’ll have to look over to see if the cycle is done. And with PrecisionWash technology, featuring a series of sensors that continually scan each cleaning cycle and powerful spray arms will target key areas, and a concealed heating element.you’ll be ensured that all your dishes will get cleaned properly.

24/7 Aquastop®

Protecting your kitchen floors will also be less of an issue as this unit comes with a 4-part leak prevention system uses sensors to detect and stop leaks, and can even turn on by itself.

AutoAir Technology

What’s most interesting about this dishwasher to me is that when the overall cleaning cycle is complete,  the AutoAir allows to let moisture escape and fresh air to circulate dishes and silverware for overall better drying results; compared to Bosch Dishwashers with PureDry capabilities. Meaning, each round of dishwashing will yield better, quiet, quicker results at home. 

The Bosch 500 Series is available at Best Buy starting at $899.99. With the free delivery option standard. So if you are looking for a new built-in dishwasher for the fam, The Bosch 500 series dishwasher is your way to go this season and beyond. 

Here are 10 reasons why you will love it:

  • A little fresh air equals a lot more dry.
  • Claim: AutoAir™ automatically opens the door at the end of the drying cycle to let moisture escape and fresh air circulate for better drying results. *Compared to Bosch Dishwashers with PureDry.
  • The Bosch 500 Series dishwasher delivers a sparkling clean and dry with advanced PrecisionWash technology and AutoAir.
  • With PrecisionWash, intelligent sensors continually scan and check the progress of dishes throughout the cycle, and powerful spray arms target every item of every load, for the ultimate clean.
  • The all-new AutoAir option automatically releases the door at the end of the cycle to let moisture escape and fresh air in for drier dishes*
  • Quiet operation (44 dBA)- incorporates 18 unique sound-reducing technologies such as multiple insulation layers, grindless food filtration, and a sound-absorbing base.
  • The large interior provides loading flexibility necessary to easily accommodate 16 place settings, and the Flexible 3rd rack adds space for cooking utensils and ramekins.
  • Every Bosch dishwasher is ENERGY STAR qualified and meets or exceeds federal guidelines, for year-round energy savings.
  • Sanitize Option reduces 99.9% of bacteria with a hot-wash rinse for sparkling clean and sanitized dishes.
  • FlexSpace™ Tines on the lower rack – fold down every other tine in one simple step to make room for larger, bulkier items while optimizing the rack space.

Friends, this dishwasher will make a great addition to any kitchen renovation especially with the holidays being right around the corner. Because if you have a large family or are always cooking for events, this is the dishwasher for you. Now I want to ask, are you in the market for a new dishwasher at home? Share your thoughts of this unit in the comments below. 

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Spicy Thai SunButter Noodles & Sauce

Disclosure: I received several products to try from Sunbutter and MomsMeet.com. All opinions are my own.

Allergy-Friendly Spicy Thai Sun Butter Noodles & Sauce

Did you know, according to the Centers for Disease Control, since 2007 an estimated 3 million school-aged children have been diagnosed with nut-related food allergies? A number that exponentially rises with each passing school year.

While there are many theories as to why so many children have feverishly developed nut allergies in recent decades modern science doesn’t conclusively know for sure why. And with nut-induced allergic reactions ranging from mild skin-related allergies to anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that can include vomiting, difficulty breathing, and in extreme cases, death, nut allergies are no longer isolated health concerns but have become district-wide school issues.

To complicate matters, there is no way to predict which children with nut-allergies will be at risk for anaphylaxis. As a child doesn’t need to consume nut-laden foods to trigger an anaphylactic reaction. The mere contact with another child that has been exposed to an allergen can trigger an attack. Making childhood nut-allergies a very serious matter each back-to-school season!

Because of this information and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which grants every child in this country the right to medical accommodation in any institution that receives federal funding, including public schools. Which is why so many schools have become nut-free institutions. In fact, over 10,000 public, charter, and private schools across the country are currently nut-free schools!

Allergy-Friendly Spicy Thai Sun Butter Noodles & Sauce

While banning peanut butter is not a fool-proof endeavor by any means, it is an excellent way to help contain nut products from children with severe allergies at school. Which brings me to a greater point. When it comes to school lunches, have you ever met a child who doesn’t want to eat the ubiquitous pb&j? No one in my family for sure! Fortunately, there are alternative parents can purchase to give their children yummy lunches will not putting other children in danger, such as SunButter products.

The SunButter line of products is a nut-free, all-natural, roasted sunflower seed alternative to peanut butter which is also vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, cruelty-free, certified kosher. Sun Butter is also a more nutrient-rich product, containing seven grams of protein per serving and more vitamins and minerals than nut butter alone. Sun Butter products are also free from all of the top eight food allergens., making them lactose, egg, seafood, fish, nut, wheat, soy, and legume-free!

Allergy-Friendly Spicy Thai Sun Butter Noodles & Sauce

Another reason I love SunButter products? They are sustainably produced. Compared to almonds, which do not only require irrigation but upwards of 400 gallons of water to produce a single jar 16-ounce of almond butter, SunButter products are produced in a region of the country where no irrigation is needed. Making each 16-ounce jar a more sustainable, zero-waste product.

Allergy-Friendly Spicy Thai Sun Butter Noodles & Sauce

As a family, we had the pleasure of trying several SunButter jars recently including the 16-ounce jars of the creamy, natural, natural crunch, organic, no-sugar-added, and the 6-count box of 1.5-ounce creamy snack cups. Priced at only $5.99 a container, this makes SunButter perfect for on-the-go errands, playdates, and even after-practice snacks!

I love that SunButter has the same consistency as convention peanut butter, just a bit saltier. Giving SunButter a sweet and salty taste that I really enjoyed. I’ve also made a habit of keeping the snack cups in my gym bag for post-workout or when out and about and need a snack before shopping for groceries!

Allergy-Friendly Spicy Thai Sun Butter Noodles & Sauce

I’ve also been able to find several other ways to use Sun Butter products at home including several family favorite meals, including Spicy Thai Noodles with SunButter Sauce! A simple, delicious dish that tastes great, and makes for an awesome Meatless Monday meal when topped with your favorite garnish, including Thai basil, green onions, and even peanuts, for a more traditional flare!

Allergy-Friendly Spicy Thai Sun Butter Noodles & Sauce

I love how creamy SunButter makes this sauce! I could also see using this sauce on other dishes such as skewered chicken kabobs, over rice noodles, in stir-frys, or as a sweet and savory dressing for fish or tofu tacos, lettuce wraps, and noodle bowls too!

Allergy-Friendly Spicy Thai Sun Butter Noodles & Sauce

The best part? I make this sauce fresh each time in a blender and bring it up to temperature by adding it cooked noodles. While my family loves making this dish with Udon noodles, you could, of course, use rice noodles, rice, or quinoa too!

This sauce can also be made several days in advance. Making this 20-minute meal one of the easiest weekday dinners you can make at home this busy back-to-school season at home. Be sure to pin this recipe, you’ll be glad you did!

So, friends, I encourage you to check out SunButter products. Not just your kiddos lunches this back-to-school season but for fun dishes, you can make at home, such as Spicy Thai Noodles with Sun Butter Sauce! If you’re interested in checking out sun Butter products, click here to find out where Sun Butter products are sold in your neck of the woods. You can also download their app for recipes and tips for living a more vibrant, nut-free life at home this season!

Now I have to ask, have you tried Sun Butter products or do you have favorite pb&j or other Meatless Monday meal suggestions, I’d love to hear about them below!

SunButter Spicy Thai Sauce & Noodles
Serves 4
This sauce is an allergy-friendly version of the conventional Thai Peanut Sauce and Noodles. Made with SunButter, these noodles and sauce have a fresh, vibrant taste that’s bursting with tangy, spicy flavor. the best part? This sauce is made in a blender! No pans needed!
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 Tablespoon Organic Ginger, peeled and minced
  2. 2 Tablespoons Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce
  3. 1 teaspoon (packed) light brown sugar
  4. 1/4 -1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
  5. 1 Tablespoon Tahini Sauce
  6. 2 Tablespoons olive oil split
  7. 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  8. 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
  9. 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
  10. 1/4 Teaspoon Smoked Hungarian Paprika
  11. 1/2 Tablespoon Himalayan Pink Salt
  12. 1 Teaspoon Curry Powder
  13. 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
  14. 1 Cup SunButter (creamy or chunky)
  15. 1 Cup Organic Coconut Milk
  16. 1 Tablespoon. low-sodium soy sauce
  17. 1 1/2 Tablespoons Organic Coconut Sugar
  18. 16-Ounces Organic Udon Noodles (or noodles of choice)
  19. 8 1/3 Cups Filtered Water
Instructions
  1. With your blender motor running, add your peeled ginger and garlic cloves into your blender. Blend until finely minced.
  2. Add all remaining sauce ingredients and 1/3 cup water and blend. Add more water by tablespoonfuls if needed to thin your sauce until its smooth and creamy.
  3. Meanwhile, add 8 cups filtered water to a pot along with 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt. Bring to a boil.
  4. Add your noodles of choice and cook 8-10 minutes until tender.
  5. Drain your pasta and add to a large serving bowl.
  6. When ready to serve, add your sauce to your noodles to heat through.
  7. Garnish accordingly. My family loves using sauteed mushrooms, Thai basil, lettuce, red bell peppers, and pine nuts.
Notes
  1. This Sun Butter sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. Once cooked, transfer to a small bowl, cover, and chill. Bring your sauce back to temperature by letting your sauce sit on your counter for 30-minutes after being chilled then added to your cooked noodles to fully reheat. Enjoy!
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Allergy-Friendly Spicy Thai Sun Butter Noodles & Sauce

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9 Essential Back-to-School Apps for Kids

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #SummerIsForSavings #CollectiveBias #WFM4

 

9 Essential Back-to-School Apps for Kids

Back to school is a busy time for parents and students. Which is why each my family and I pack our bags for an official summertime vacation. Our goal, to pack in as much fun and frugal quality time, and education we can before the start of the next school year. This past weekend we hit the road to check out our state’s aviation, robotics, and engineering museum at Mississippi State University.

As you can imagine, the vacation expenses for a family of three can quickly add up. Even for in-state staycations. Which is why I am always on the lookout for savvy saving ways to cut expenses throughout our household each year. Savings which directly fund our back-to-school trips each year!

This included my family cellular service. At Walmart, I found the LG L59 Grace. Part of the Walmart Family Mobile. A device that helps my family not only communicate better but helps to stretch our family entertainment budget even further. It’s awesome to know that I won’t have to sacrifice service and safety to have great cellular coverage at home and on-the-go.

9 Essential Back-to-School Apps for Kids

With this plan, I now have TRULY Unlimited Talk, Text, & Data◊ which is a giant leap up from the plan we previously had before. With Walmart Family Mobile, I’m not paying extra for Walmart Family Mobile’s T-Mobile’s nationwide 4G network.

To get started I simply picked up my phone at my local Walmart and within a few minutes of being home was able to pick my plan and activate my service from the comfort of my patio garden!

There were no activation fees, no late charges, and I now get more data (on most plans) than my previous plan! Walmart has the best pricing in no-contract wireless plans and is the simplest to activate. Since my husband also has Walmart Family Mobile we get a discount for having my new line too!

9 Essential Back-to-School Apps for Kids

My new $49.88 TRULY Unlimited Plan from Walmart Family Mobile has become my favorite new way to save for frugal family fun. The best part? This plan helps to give our family the freedom to fit more adventure in our summer budget.

Normally planning summertime trips can be a true drudgery. Luckily, planning this last trip was all the more easy with the $49.88 TRULY Unlimited Plan from Walmart Family Mobile– I was able to plan our trip, map out fuel stations, save directions, buy museum tickets, and reserve our hotel reservation from my home patio. It was that simple!

Then with my awesome new phone in-hand we set off on two days of education-packed fun! As we were anticipating 6 full hours of in the car travel in front of us our first day, I thought this would be the perfect time to use our new LG L59 Grace to get in some educational time in for the kiddo! With the back-to-school season is just around the corner check out our list of the 9 must-have educational apps to get your kiddos ready for the 2017-2018 academic year (especially for long trips in the car).

9 Must-Have Apps For Back-to-School:

1) Socratic: Sometimes, a difficult question can stump your child. That’s where the Socratic app comes in. Just take a picture of a question and Socratic then uses artificial intelligence to figure out which concepts you need to know and shares explanations and resources to help your kiddo complete their homework and assignments. It’s free for ios and Android.

2) WonderBox: WonderBox is a family-friendly app for creating and sharing math and building exercises for kids in a social-style feed. There’s also a collection of YouTube videos to spark real-world creation and play. It’s free for ios and Android.

3) The Everything Machine: The Everything Machine app encourages children to create virtual machines on-screen. It’s a digital sandbox that may inspire kids to delve deeper into microelectronics in the real world. The app also has online resources for parents and children including a PDF manual and a YouTube channel to spark ideas. It’s free for ios and Android.

4) Endless Wordplay: Endless Wordplay is an app that brings together rhyming word puzzles and animated sequences that will have children and parents alike laughing while playing this game. This app is structured into lessons build on word-building and sentence structure success. It’s free for ios and Android.

5) Tynker: The Tynker app aims to introduce children to computer programming. This is done by way of a series of coding lessons and by dragging and dropping blocks of code into place, and running the results to see what happens. There’s also a fun function to teach kids how drones are constructed. Some of its puzzles are free, while others are sold in packs via in-app purchase.

6) Hopster: The Hopster app is a very modern attempt to turn the act of watching tv into a purely fun and academic hobby. It’s like an educational broadcasting network for kids. There’s a $3.99-a-month subscription service with a big selection of cartoons, lessons, language programs, and shows. Many of which focus on learning games including phonics, letter-tracing, and creative tasks.

7) Safari Tales: Safari Tales is an app that makes learning literacy skills fun through creative play featuring animals of the African savannah. While playing, kiddos use a word wheel to ask questions about what they see, practicing their sentence construction and then turn their lessons into digital storybooks that encourage more reading. It’s free for ios and Android.

8) Cursive Writing Wizard: This handwriting app isn’t intended to replace the important physical pencil-practice that children need when learning to write. Rather a complement to it, reinforcing letter shapes and joined-up writing. It’s also very customizable as you can enter your own word lists for your children to trace the letters of familiar words, names, and signage. It’s free for ios and Android.

9) Duolingo: Want your kiddos to learn new languages for free? Then Duolingo is for you! With this app, users are given bite-sized lessons to simply and effectively learn foreign languages including French, Spanish, Irish, Portuguese, and many others. This free app will give kiddos the ability to learn languages in an interactive way that feels more like play than learning. It’s free for ios and Android.

9 Essential Back-to-School Apps for Kids

Also during our trip, as a family, we were able to watch a free family movie on VUDU** in our hotel room. Because with the $49.88 TRULY Unlimited Talk, Text, & Data plan customers receive a free VUDU** movie rental credit valued at $7.00 each time they renew their service. Now with this new plan, we can look forward to having an extra family movie night each month too!

9 Essential Back-to-School Apps for Kids

All-in-all, we had a blast this past weekend! Some of the highlights of last week’s trip included visiting our state’s aviation museum to tour military plane models, rocket construction modules, robotic modules, STEM learning modulation simulation, and even a lecture on how to bring robotics into your child’s classroom and home. For my husband, a public educator and Robotics coach, this was a trip to remember!

Friends, I encourage you to check out this plan from Walmart Family Mobile. Our summer adventure got a whole lot better thanks to Walmart Family Mobile and your next trip can too! Now I have to ask, where will you head for your next summertime trip? Or do you have suggestions for essential back-to-school apps for the kids this coming academic year? I’d love to hear about them both below!

Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to this page or your local Walmart for current pricing
◊Does not include tethering. Video typically streams at DVD quality. During congestion, the top 3% of users (>32GB/mo.) may notice reduced speeds due to deprioritization. Please always refer to the latest terms and conditions at myfamilymobile.com.
**Limited time offer. Available for lines active with the PLUS $49.88 plan only. VUDU enabled device and account required for digital viewing. Customers must be 18 years or older to open a VUDU account. Movie rental is only available in the USA. Free movie rental provided in the form of a movie rental code to the value of a $7.00 VUDU credit. Movie rental code allows for selection from available movies for rent. May not be readily redeemable on all new releases. Code will be delivered within up to 24 hours of the effective account renewal date. Must be used within 30 days of receiving code. Offer is non-transferable. Limit 1 per customer. Additional terms and conditions on VUDU’s website: http://www.vudu.com/termsofservice.html

9 Essential Back-to-School Apps for Kids

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5 tips for perfecting your back-to-school morning routine

This post is sponsored by NESTLÉ® NESQUIK® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

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With the official start to the back-to-school season just around the corner, I’ve been on the hunt for easy to make breakfast and weekday mornings before school goes as smoothly as possible. Especially in the first weeks of school. Because as a teacher’s wife, there’s a ton going on and eventually there will be hiccups in trying to get back into the school year groove at home. Which is why I’m sharing with you today my 5 tips for establishing a working BTS morning routine.

Tip 1: Create a set wake-up time each morning

My family gets up at 5 am each morning. We wake up at this super early time to ensure that we are able to get everything we need to be done each morning. From walking our dogs as a family to getting ready for school, our family needs a full two hours to be ready for our days. We also make sure that we are able to wake up refreshed each morning by keeping a working bedtime as well. Which for us is generally around 7 pm for the little ones and 9 pm for my husband and myself.

Tip 2: Prep breakfasts nightly

 

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Better days start with wholesome nutritious breakfasts at home. So I make sure to stock-up on breakfast-ready foods at home, especially during the back-to-school rush each fall. I am currently loving the NEW NESTLÉ® NESQUIK® Super Breakfast. It is made with real milk and has the delicious taste of Nesquik that kids of all ages love.

What I love about NESQUIK® Super Breakfast:

  • Made with 100% real milk
  • No artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors
  • With 12 g of protein – its a great source of protein
  • Contains no high fructose corn syrup
  • Is fortified with Vitamin A & D
  • Certified kosher
  • Contains bone-strengthening calcium

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I like to pick up Nesquik® Super Breakfast when I’m at my local Walmart Neighborhood Market. You can find Nesquik® Super Breakfast in the juice or baking aisle. Overall I feel good serving this for breakfast as it helps to make sure my family is getting their daily servings of nutrients, and if we are running late, its a great on-the-go drink that can be consumed on-the-way to school!

Friends, you can try Nesquik® Super Breakfast with your family and save money using this ibotta offer.

Tip 3: Layout your clothes each evening

Each evening I lay out my families clothing. School uniforms for my husband and daughter, my workout and clothing for the day, and leashes and/or sweaters for our dogs, depending on the weather. It’s a quick step that helps me to make sure my family looks their best when going back to school.

Tip 4: Pack lunches each evening

Just like with breakfasts, I pack my family’s lunches each evening. One of my favorite ways to do this is by using small plug-in crockpots for my husband to take leftovers to school and bento box style lunches for the little one. This helps me stay within my weekly grocery budget, maintain zero-waste lunch options for my family, and to cut down on food waste at home. This is a step that only takes me a few minutes each evening after clearing away the dinner dishes and it helps me sleep better at night knowing my family we be well fed for lunch the following day.

Tip 5: Pack all bags the night before

One the best ways I stay on top of my morning back-to-school routine at home is to make sure my family’s bags are packed each evening at home. And by checking I mean, school folders are looked through, papers that need to be signed are signed, notices that require my attention are moved to our family corkboard, homework is finished, and graded paperwork my husband needs for school is neatly back in his messenger bags too!

I also make sure the electronics my family uses at school are properly charged each evening as well. All laptops, Chromebooks, power sticks, headphones, my husband’s phone, and drivers are charged and ready for the next school day. Subsequently, one of the first things I do each morning is to place those gadgets in their respective bags too!

Friends, those are my 5 tips for perfecting your back-to-school morning routine. Tips that help keep my family organized, on-time, and on-the-go during the back-to-school rush each fall. And to help keep you more organized at home, be sure to save or pin the tip sheet below. Also, be sure to check out the NEW NESTLÉ® NESQUIK® Super Breakfast at your local Walmart. It’ll help to keep you organized and nourished all season long!

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Now I want to ask, what helps keep your early mornings running smoothly at home? Let me know your tips in the comments below!

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