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#Cbias

5 Tips to Finish House Cleaning Faster This Fall

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

Hello everyone! This last weekend flew by and I can’t believe that I didn’t even get to write once on here! We attended my friends wedding, I worked a bit, and Wayne and I got to sneak out for 2 hours yesterday and did a little wine tasting. I am going through all of the pictures I took so I can share some with you, but I do have a few posted up on my Instagram right now :). Today I’m just hanging out at the house trying to clean up after a week of neglect. I’m already on dishwasher load #2 for the day and I’m glad I stocked up on dishwasher detergent the other week at Walmart! There’s a coupon for $1.00 off Finish products, and they are already on rollback through October, so it was a great deal – plus the Finish Powerball is the best cleaner I’ve ever used.

School is starting tomorrow for the girls (Noah has one more week with me) and I feel like I’m still stuck in summer mode – not ready for the daily schedules, the drop off and pick ups… between school events and sport activities I feel like I don’t have enough time to cook dinner, let alone keep the house clean, but I have came up with a few ideas that I’m really going to try and implement this fall and I thought it would be fun to share them with you today – plus I’d love if you commented and shared your tips too!

1. Maintain a cleaning schedule: I used to be a whole lot better at this than I have been the past couple of years, but I know that I do a better job of keeping up with the housework when I have what needs to be done printed out right in front of me. Figure out what days work best for you, like mopping on Tuesdays and Thursdays, dusting on Fridays, cleaning the windows on Wednesdays, and then create a daily to do list that has stuff you do every day, like dishes, sweeping, cleaning the counters, etc. Find a system that works okay for you them type it up and print it out. If you get really fancy you could laminate the sheets so you can reuse them and use a dry erase marker to cross them off each time.

2. Have a cleaning caddy standing by: I try and keep all of the cleaning products that I use frequently underneath the kitchen sink in a portable cleaning container so that I can just grab it and take it with me to whatever room I’m cleaning. I don’t keep too much in it, but things like window cleaner, santizing wipes, gloves, bleach, etc. It saves me time from trying to grab everything and then bring them with me.

3. Use efficient products: I know one of the main ways I save some time on house cleaning is by using products that do the job right the first time. There are certain cleaners that I will not buy any other brand for because I know that certain ones do a better job than others, thus saving me time from not having to clean it so often, or again. The Finish products like I mentioned earlier are seriously like my favorite dishwasher cleaners, because they clean the dishes the first time, and I never find myself having to ‘re-run’ the dishwasher again.

4. Have a 5 Minute pick up party at night: I have to tell you, like the #1 thing I waste my time on everyday is picking up and moving the kids toys and junk out of my living room so I can keep it clean. I know a lot of you do this already, but it’s one of my goals to have these kids pick it up every night before bed, so I’m going to get a basket and turn up the music for 5 minutes and see if they can get it all put away during that time. Maybe the dancing and tunes will help make it a little more fun for everyone.

5. The kids can help: This may not fall into the ‘getting the house clean faster’ idea, but it hopefully will someday. A couple of years ago I made a folder with a list of chores that Anika could do to earn a little extra cash. I wrote down step-by-step instructions so she knew exactly what had to happen to earn the money. She doesn’t do them consistently, but she knows where the folder is whenever she wants to earn a few extra dollars. I actually wrote about it a couple of years ago on here, and looking back now at my earlier posts just reminds me of how far I’ve come on this little blog!

I’ve come to peace knowing my house will never be immaculate, it will always look lived in, and even though it’s not perfectly beautiful, it’s clean and we are healthy. Who’s ready for fall? 😉

Don’t forget to print out your $1.00 off Finish Products to use next time you’re shopping in Walmart! Thanks #CollectiveBias and #SparklySavings for letting me share my ideas with you!

~Melissa

September 1, 2014 10 comments

sports Uncategorized

Paperless Coupons to Stock up on Items for Fall Sports

written by Melissa Kaylene

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

10 Things to Save with #WalgreensPaperless for Sports Seasons #shop #cbias

I used to clip coupons quite a bit. I was never extreme, but I did a pretty good job stocking up the house with items that were close to, if not, free. Then I began blogging and doing more activities like running the P.T.O at the grade school and I found that I just couldn’t do it all. Couponing is fun and rewarding, but it takes time, and at some point I had to re-evaluate to see what was the most valuable way to spend my time – and as you can see this blog easily won that debate. So, I changed some of the ways that I tried to save money.

I started using my phone more.

Stores have jumped on the band wagon and have realized that most people out there really don’t have the time it takes to sit down and cut out coupons, but they do have a couple minutes to take out their phones in the store and digitally “clip” a coupon to their account so it gets taken off right there when they check out. It’s seriously as easy as pushing a button, and just like the coupons you clip – they can each be used one time.

I was very excited when I heard that Walgreens started implementing this system with their Balance Reward Card App, because I can stock up on things there that I might not do at other stores – things like vitamins and bandages, Walgreens has a large variety for me to choose from.

While everyone else is out school shopping, I’m also out getting extra things to have on hand for soccer season – things like snacks, band-aids, wipes, sanitizer, stuff that we go through more of when the girls are playing.

At Walgreens the other evening I stocked up on a lot of those items and used my digital coupons to save some money. Every little bit helps!

What things do you stock up on during sports seasons? Here is a list of a few things I always keep extras of:

1. Bottled Water

2. Nuts + Trail mix

3. Hand Wipes

4. Sanitizer

5. First Aid Kit (make sure yours has instant ice packs inside!)

6. String cheese

7. Extra Band-Aids (they help if your kid gets an cut, or blisters)

8. Bug Spray

9. Sun Block

10 Deodorant

Thanks to #CollectiveBias and #WalgreensPaperless for letting me share my ideas with you!

~Melissa

August 25, 2014 2 comments

birthdays

Fun Poster Cards For Kids

written by Melissa Kaylene

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. #KidsCards #CollectiveBias

A couple of weeks ago when we celebrated Anika’s birthday, I knew I wanted to do something a little special for her. Normally we’ll throw a party for each of the kids, and then Wayne and I will get the kids cards and take the birthday kid out to lunch all by themselves at the restaurant of their choice. It’s a tradition that I’m glad we started because it’s become a highly anticipated part of their birthday celebration.

I decided that after lunch I was going to have a big girl afternoon with my eleven-year-old and take her clothes shopping followed by a pedicure.

August 25, 2014 0 comment

beauty Uncategorized

My Daily Makeup Routine

written by Melissa Kaylene

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

#AllDayLook @target #shop My Makeup Routine #cbias

Hey everyone! I’ve had a few people ask me about my makeup routine before, so I thought that it would be fun to share it with you today! I have always loved to wear makeup – I think it’s the artist/creative person in me that like to enhance my features – after all, makeup should be used to compliment your natural beauty, not cover it up, right?

Unless there’s a random day that I’m home for the entire day, I’ve got my makeup on – and even though I’ve love to take my time every morning, some day’s I just can’t – (I’d rather hit snooze for 15 more minutes!) So I’ve got my makeup routine down pretty well and unless it’s a special occasion it doesn’t change much from day to day.

Here’s what I do:

1. Moisturize – I apply a moisturizer to my face almost every night and then again in the morning.

2. Foundation – foundation for me is a must because it helps even out my skin tone and hide imperfections. I’ve been using Neutrogena’s nourishing long wear makeup for quite some time and love it because it gives my face good coverage and doesn’t make it feel heavy or caked on and it’s really reasonably priced!

3. Conceal – if I have any blemishes this is when I would cover them up with a bit of concealer.

4. Eye shadow – I always use neutral colors, tans and browns are my personal favorites because they look the most natural when blended well. I always start with a light colored base and use a darker shade on the outer lid, and blend blend blend!

5. Blush and/or bronzer – when I was younger I thought that blush was only for old women, then at some point in my life I realized that a little blush can actually help shape the face and bring a youthful glow to it. Now I use blush daily. I like to use a light peachy color with my complexion.

6. Eyeliner and eyebrows – I almost always apply eyeliner to my upper lid – it just makes my eyes ‘pop’ and creates the illusion of thicker lashes. I’ve found the key to wearing eyeliner is to keep it as close to the lash line as you can and to increase the thickness of the line outward as you go. Also, if I have a few extra minutes I’ll apply eyeliner underneath and smudge it a bit with the Neutrogena nourishing eye liner. Their eyeliner is amazing because it’s super smooth and just glides on, plus there is a smudger on the opposite end so you can blend it well. I also use an eyebrow wax and powder to quickly fill in my eyebrows

7. Mascara – I like using black mascara that lengthens and volumizes my lashes like Neutrogena’s healthy volume.

8. Finishing Powder – a couple quick sweeps of Neutrogena’s shine control powder to set my makeup and I’m nearly ready to go….

9. Lip Moisterizer/shine – lastly I need something for my lips. I’m not a huge lipstick kind of girl because it always smudges on me or it just doesn’t stay on the way I want it to, but I still like having a bit of color and shine, so I’m loving Neutorgena’s MoistureSmooth color stick in Juicy Peach right now. It’s so smooth on my lips, plus is smells like fresh peaches, so I find myself reapplying just so I can smell it!

And there you have it – my daily makeup routine in a nutshell. I’ve got it down to about 10-15 minutes of time. So, now the question is, do you where makeup every day, and what is your daily must have’s and #AllDayLook ? I realize for me it’s the whole package, but I know some of my friends will only do lip gloss and mascara, or some just blush and eyeliner….everyone’s different!

Right now until 8/30 you can load this cartwheel deal from Target and get 20% off of Neutrogena Cosmetics! Target and Neutrogena have also teamed up to bring a Target Beauty Concierge event at select Target stores around the country this month! The event begins August 24th. Limited quantities are available. Check out your local Target store for the Beauty Concierge day and times! 🙂

Fore more beauty tips check out these makeup routines by Hayden on and off of the set of Nashville:

~Melissa

August 20, 2014 1 comment

tips Uncategorized

Turn Back to School Scheduling into a Date Night

written by Melissa Kaylene

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

Have a school scheduling date night #FoodMadeSimple #shop #cbias

Last night Wayne and I finally had a few minutes to sit down together and talk. My dad rode the bus up and stayed with us over the weekend to celebrate Anika’s birthday with us (she officially turned 11 today!) and so we took advantage of having “Papa” with us and went outside on the back patio to have a few minutes of alone time to regroup and discuss things. I have to be honest I was completely exhausted after the weekend and as I speak the entire backyard is still adorned with leftover decorations! We decided to open up a bottle of red wine and I cooked up a package of DiGiorno Small Pizza Dipping Strips to eat outside in the summer weather.

We had needed to sit down and talk about the upcoming school schedules and what we had to do in order to get everything ready. With everything going on this summer just flew by and I know that we both weren’t really prepared. Last year our system consisted of me keeping track of all of the scheduling and activities and writing them on our family calendar and then Wayne would grab his pocket schedule every couple of weeks and update his as needed, but this year with Anika going into middle school we will have all three kids in different schools and that is a whole new set of activities to add! We both enjoyed our wine and marina-dipped-pizza-strips together and decided that in addition to double checking our calendars, we needed to do date nights in more often so we can plan and coordinate more together.

I always strive to make family dinners one of the most important parts of the day – even during the school year we do sit down meals together almost every night, but every once in a while we used to feed the kids dinner and then get them off to bed and then we would either make a meal together or at least eat some #FoodMadeSimple so we could have an hour to ourselves. When life started getting busier though, this date night kind of got pushed aside and we seriously haven’t done it in forever, so that’s why last night we decided to do it again. We are going to do it once a month and we can help keep each other on track and motivated to get through the month! 😉

We will stock up on things to munch on together, like the DiGiorno Small Pizza Dipping Strips – I found them in the frozen pizza section at our last trip to Walmart. There’s also some good recipes that you can use if you want to cook a special meal together HERE.

How does your family prepare and plan out schedules during the school year? Thanks #CollectiveBias for letting me share our ideas with you!

~Melissa

August 12, 2014 2 comments

life memories photos pictures Uncategorized

Easy Kids Snacks + a Walk Down Memory Lane

written by Melissa Kaylene

This Easy Kids Snacks shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Yesterday was a busy day for me – I finally put my “nurse” hat on and went to work. I knew it was going to be a busy day there and that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy any of the gorgeous weather outside, so I decided to sit out in the backyard with the kids before putting my scrubs on. Anika and Emma have already been talking about going back to school and I can just feel their anticipation and level of excitement, so I thought it would be fun to break out a couple of photo albums too reminisce on some of the past school years while we had a few fun snacks under our plum tree.

At Walmart the other day I picked up some Bagel Bites and Delimex Taquitos. We don’t always just sit around and consume snacks, but I like to keep some on hand for quick bites or after school snacks. The girls first found my Kindergarten photo and then had to grab their Kindergarten graduation magnet photos off of the refrigerator to compare them. Emma said, “Mom, you had blue eyes like me!” and Anika was somehow shocked at how much we looked alike. 🙂

We then looked at a couple of other photo albums – one was a bunch of photos that I took when I was a kid- pictures of me, camp, my classmates, my animals, and It was crazy to me to see photos of myself going into the 6th grade like Anika. Unlike her I had several awkward looking years and as a parent I’m happy that she hasn’t had too much difficulty adjusting yet.

My kids loved eating the Bagel Bites – they are made with real cheese, homemade sauce and have 0g trans fat. They also quickly devoured the Delimex Taquitos! I poured some peach salsa for them to dip them in. I also bought some apple cinnamon taquitos for a little treat and then made a little whipped cream with caramel drizzle to dip them in.

We don’t sit down and look at photos often enough. I know that sounds silly coming from me, the picture queen, but just because I’m constantly snapping away doesn’t mean the whole family actually looks at all of them. It’s one of my goals this next school year to actually make a few more photo albums so that we can do this more often.

Oh and if you were wondering work was crazy yesterday but I survived 😉

Thanks #CollectiveBias for letting me share an #AfterSchoolSnacks moment with you! There’s also a printable coupon to save some money on Bagel Bites HERE and on Delimix HERE !

~Melissa

July 28, 2014 2 comments

family kids Uncategorized

Our New Kellogg’s #GoodNightSnack #Cbias

written by Melissa Kaylene

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

Kellogg's #GoodNightSnack cereal ideas #shop #cbias

Last week was full of excitement as we had birthday parties, small town celebrations, exciting trips (for me!) and lots of fun moments. Friday night after we walked home from Dayton Friday Nights, we decided to let Emma and Noah stay up a little bit later because I had purchased some used DVD’s Friday morning – a whole set of Berenstain Bear cartoons. I’m not sure if you are familiar with the book series or not, but in my house they are a nightly favorite. The best part is that most of the books were my sister’s and mine growing up, so it brings back lots of memories for me when I read them. I let them get all cozy and decided to get them a little snack since we were having a special Friday night evening. Often times I’ll break out the usual popcorn, but sometimes I’ll do something a little different – Breakfast before bed with Kellogg’s® cereal. My kids could seriously munch on cereal all day if I let them, but I had just purchased a couple kinds from Walmart that we had never tried before – Blueberry Frosted Mini Wheats and Rice Krispies® Multigrain Shapes cereal, so I thought there was no better time to break out a special snack.

There is also a new Kellogg’s® Jif™ Peanut Butter Cereal that looks delicious that we will have to try next time!

Perhaps the Berenstain Bears had got me nostalgic because one thing I recall about my dad was his late night bedtime snack every night to satisfy his sweet tooth. Most of the time it was a bowl of ice cream, but on occasion he’d sit down with a bowl of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. I told my kids that story and they thought it was pretty cool that they were being “just like Papa”.

A lot of the time we will just eat our cereal dry – I’ll just load it all on to the cutting board and use that as a tray to keep them all on, but sometimes when the kids want it with milk I’ll pour it in a coffee mug so it’s easier to hold while watching their show.

I think that cereal will now be a #goodnightsnack in our house more often. It’s quick, easy, tasty, and a flavor for everyone. Thanks #CollectiveBias for letting me share our moments!

~Melissa

July 28, 2014 2 comments

Desserts food recipes

Orange Cream Rice Cereal Treats Made with a Special Drink

written by Melissa Kaylene

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

The other day we kind of had an impromptu family day together and ended up going to the movies, doing a little shopping, and ended the day with a BBQ on the back deck. At Walmart, I ended up buying something that I don’t buy very often – Kool-Aid. They have a new 96 oz. bottles and even though I grew up living on the classic drink, we don’t have it in our house very often, so for my family, it’s definitely a summer treat.

Orange Cream Rice Cereal Bar Treats #KoolOff #Cbias #shop

July 21, 2014 3 comments

how to life memories photos pictures summer tips Uncategorized

How I Built a Raised Garden With a Little Help From Tom’s of Maine ;)

written by Melissa Kaylene

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

How to Build a Raised Garden #FreshNaturally #Shop #Cbias

If you follow me on Instagram you would know that last week my friend came over and we were working on a ‘top secret’ project that I wasn’t going to share until I was finished. Well, it’s done. With the help of cool drinks and anti-perspirant (!) I got all of the hard work done and I can officially check one thing off of my summer DIY bucket list!

I created a raised garden in my side yard – and it wasn’t quite as difficult as I thought it would be. First I hooked up our trailer and headed into town to get supplies. I decided that I wanted to make the garden 5’x12’ and 16” deep. We had to figure out how much soil I would need too, and luckily most of the time if you ask people they will help you figure all of that technical stuff out (since math and me aren’t real good buddies). Anyways, turns out 2 yards of soil worked out perfectly. It didn’t sound like much – until it filled the whole back of the trailer! The kids loved watching them dump it in.

We then purchased 8 2x4x12’s and 8 2x4x8’s and the guys at the store were kind enough to cut the 8 footers down to 5 feet for us, which saved us a bunch of time. We already had the screws to assemble the frame, but I did buy some chicken wire to keep all of the random bunnies we seem to have away.

By the time we fed all 5 of our kids and got home it was of course the hottest part of the day! We drank some cool drinks and I was so glad I had my Tom’s of Maine Naturally Dry Deodorant on because or else I would have really smelled like a you-know-what. I love using Tom’s products because they have no artificial ingredients, colors, or preservatives.

The first thing we did was make sure the area was level enough (Note: I’m not a professional or perfectionist here) and then we assembled each 5×12 square one at a time, and then positioned them where they would stay. We stacked them as we built them until all four were on top of each other. We then took the 3’ scraps we had left from the pieces that had been cut down and screwed each one of them in a corner to connect them all together, along with one on each side in the centers to secure it.

When everything looked right we filled the bottom of the garden with newspaper a couple of inches deep. I read somewhere that it helps to keep the weeds away.Then, shoveling. We live on a hill, so my driveway is an in incline, but I was so proud of myself for backing the trailer up to within an inch of the garden on the first try. (Not shown in photo) I think I may have did a little fist pump in the air. J I spent hours shoveling all of that soil in, and worked until 10:45 that night with the street lights as my guide, you know, just to keep my neighbors wondering.

After day one I came in, cleaned up and sat down exhausted. I don’t normally watch too much television, but I do surf the internet probably more than I should, and I remembered I had an Amazon gift card burning a hole in my online pocket, so I did a little late night shopping and stocked up on Tom’s Deodorant – since I have that long DIY list that’s going to be forcing me to work in the heat a lot.

The next morning I finished shoveling dirt, then painted the walls white to match our house trim, and the kids helped me plant our plants. I then put the chicken wire around it and voila! We have a nice sized area to grow our own veggies! I’d like to trim the 2×4’s down to the level of the chicken wire soon, as well as fill in the side with gravel. I had also ended up moving two wine barrel halves (remember our wine barrel summer salad garden?) to below the raised bed, which required me shoveling all of the dirt out to move them and then filling them back in.

I was definitely sore after day two, but it was totally worth it! It’s such a good feeling to tackle and finish a project.

Thanks #CollectiveBias and Tom’s of Maine (#NaturallyFresh) for helping me make this garden possible!

~Melissa

June 27, 2014 5 comments

dinners food recipes Uncategorized

#ad Easy Grilled Chicken BBQ Pizza

written by Melissa Kaylene

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This Grilled Chicken BBQ Pizza shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiserI can’t believe the Memorial weekend is already nearly over. Anika had such a fun time yesterday at the Seattle Mariners game with our family friends (even though they lost), and the rest of us have enjoyed a much needed low – key couple of days at home.

May 26, 2014 8 comments

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