Tag

ideas

A Simple Idea to Give Extra

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

#ExtraGumMoments gum craft ideas #shop #cbias

Being that it is November, I’ve been reflecting a lot lately about everything that I’m grateful for. I know it’s something that we should think about more than just one month out of the year, but I’m glad that we can all take this time out of the year to think about all of the reasons why we should be happy, instead of all of the reasons why we shouldn’t, and it makes me want to give extra joy to the ones I love.

Life is such a precious gift that can be taken away or cut short at any point in time, and I never want anyone to forget just how important they are in my life and how much they mean to me – especially my husband. I don’t know about you, but my spouse is probably the one person that should deserve some extra attention from me, but that doesn’t always happen. Life happens and the ones who are always there for us get put on the back burner until things cool down – and that’s okay to do sometimes, as long as you let them know that they are still in your thoughts, and so with the crazy week I had last week I wanted to make sure Wayne knew I was thinking of him.

Hence my Extra-Special card concept was born. This is the guy that took me in when I was probably at the lowest scariest point in my young life and gave me a home and a shoulder to lean on. He deserves a little Extra surprise every now and then.

Making a creative card is just one way you can make extra moments that will bring a smile to someone’s face and make them feel happy inside. Remind them of how thankful you are!

I used a blank card that I had lying around and then taped the pack of Extra gum to the front and wrote my wording around it, then added some extra pieces inside with the words “I Love You” for him. I hid it in his lunch box for a surprise while at work, but you could get creative and place your card in other spots, like on the seat in his car, on the bathroom mirror, or even hidden in the mailbox when he checks it.

What kinds of things do you do to make your loved ones feel Extra-special? Here’s one more idea that I created last winter. Thanks #CollectiveBias for letting me share my #ExtraGumMoments with you!

~Melissa

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November 10, 2014 3 comments

tips Uncategorized

5 Tips to Finish House Cleaning Faster This Fall

written by Melissa Kaylene

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

5 Tips to Finish House Cleaning Faster this fall #SparklySavings #shop #cbias

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

cars Uncategorized

5 Silly Road Trip Activities + Candy Ideas

written by Melissa Kaylene

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser

5 Silly Road Trip Activities including a #ZoursFace ! #shop

Last week when we went on our mini road trip over the 4th of July our car was completely full! I’m not sure we could have fit anything else inside of our Expedition! One of the things I made sure to bring though was a special bag full of activities to keep the kids busy in the car to hopefully keep them playing together instead of fighting or crying out, “Are we there yet?” Every five minutes. The only thing I was missing in the bag was some treats (aka candy). I mean what’s a road trip without goodies, right? So we stopped by Walmart on our way out of town for some candy ideas and they were demoing the new Zours® Candy from Mike and Ike. Often times I’m a little hesitant and will pass on sour candy because it’s just too tart for me, but I was brave and the Zours® candy was actually really tasty! They were sweet and sour just enough to give you a little pucker when you ate them!

Needless to say they kept us very entertained in the car taking ridiculously silly #ZoursFace selfies.

Our two and a half hour road trip passed pretty quickly between!

Here are some of the silly little things we did to pass the time together –

Silly Zour Faces – On the count of three each pop a piece into your mouths and take a photo, then judge who has the best #ZoursFace.
Slug Bug games – Remember this game? My kids love it.
I spy – …with my little eyes… it’s a classic game that can turn silly very fast when you put three kids in one car.
Dance parties in our seats – We like to switch stations and find the best songs to rock out too in our seats. I’m not sure what Wayne thinks of this while he’s trying to drive, but hey – the kids aren’t fighting! 🙂
Funny feet photos – Don’t ask me why – but I always end up with some ‘pedicure’ photo from every road trip! If you’re kids have their own camera or you have one they can borrow, toss one in the back seat and let them
take their own silly road trip photos. You can go through and delete all but the very best later.

Even after we arrived at ‘camp’ the Zour® Candies were a big hit, and we enjoyed them as a little treat to have on hand. Sometimes it’s funny how one little thing like new candy can spark a whole lot of fun and creative entertainment for the family!

What kinds of silly things do you do to keep the kids entertained in the car? Please tell me I’m not the only one doing the disco in the car. 😉

Thanks #CollectiveBias for making our road trip a little more exciting!

~Melissa

July 11, 2014 4 comments

how to kids tips Uncategorized

10 Ways to Keep the Kids Entertained When the Power Goes Out (with Duracell)

written by Melissa Kaylene

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

10 Ways to Keep the Kids Entertained When the Power Goes Out #PrepWithPower #shop #cbias

This last week we had a couple of blustery days around here. Nothing major besides rain and a slight warm breeze in the dark sky, but none-the-less whenever that weather happens around here this time of year one thing comes to my mind – thunderstorms. I actually enjoy thunderstorms (so long as nothing gets permanently damaged!) but I know that occasionally when we have a thunderstorm the power goes out, and I’m left trying to keep the kids occupied in the dark. So, I made a kit that include lots of things, including Duracell Batteries.

It’s stored on a shelve in the garage so it’s easy to get to, and it’s filled with everything we need for a night at home without power. Sometimes storms can be a pretty scary thing for little ones, so keeping them feeling safe as well as distracted are my number one priority. In our kit I’ve got a number of things, but most importantly using Duracell to keep all of the lanterns, flashlights, and electronics going! They can be easily found at Walmart as they have an in aisle display as well as several others throughout the store on the end of aisles.

Some other things that I’ve packed in our power outage bag include:

Candles and a lighter
Hand sanitizer
A couple treats and snacks
A special game
Deck of cards
Markers / Pencils
Notepads
Glow sticks
Back up cell phone boost charger

In addition to our kit I’ve made a list of ideas to help keep the kids for when we do happen to have a power outage:

1. Break out a board game: We love a classic card game and Yahtzee is always on our go-to list, but there’s also some newer fun games like Bop-It, Catch Phrase, and Simon Says that creates a bunch of fun with the help of a couple Duracell Batteries

2. Read a special story together: Gather around in a circle with flashlights and read a funny story together. The kids will love it, and it will help distract them from the weather.

3. Have a Glow Dance Party: Break out the glow sticks that you should have in your emergency pack, adorn the kids with them and them turn up the battery-operated radio and have a dance party! If you’re really into it they can even have a dance contest.

4. Play Shadow Puppets: Now is the perfect time to let the kids play pretend with their own shadow puppets! Break out a couple of flashlights and shine them against the wall and let their imaginations run wild.

5. Set up Camp: Create a fort in the living room! Either pop up a tent or create your own by hanging up blankets and setting out sleeping bags. Have them grab all of their stuffed animals and have lots of fun.

6. Have a Drawing Contest: With the lights out! Turn off all of the flashlights and then give an idea of something for everyone to draw, then try to draw it in the dark! It’s pretty funny to see how everyone’s turns out.

7. Make a Taste Testing Game: Ever been to a baby shower and they played that game where brave souls had to taste the baby food and guess what flavor it was? Well this is way better. Just scrounge up items from your cupboards and then challenge your kids to guess what they are. Have them each taste them and make guesses before shining the flashlight on what they’ve just ate. You can play nice here or tease the older ones a bit more depending on what’s in your pantry.

8. Roast Some Marshmallows: Over a candle. You haven’t tried it before? Break out your unscented emergency candles and put a marshmallow on a fork or chopstick and then melt away! Who says you have to do it over a camp fire?

9. Take Silly Pictures: Break out the camera and have the kids dress up in funny outfits and take photos with the “spotlights” of the lantern and flashlights. Later print them out and give them a picture to keep of the memorable evening.

10. Talk: Sounds silly, but how often now days to we get the opportunity to just talk? To not be distracted by a million different things and going in a hundred directions with multiple events? Sit down, snuggle up, and just ask your kids questions. Chances are it will open up the conversations for them to ask you questions that they’ve been wanting to know.

It’s also a great idea to have an emergency supply bag just in case the electricity doesn’t come back on in a few hours or if there’s a bigger natural disaster. I’m still working on these, but ideally it would be great to have a backpack for each member of the family with things like water, food, a blanket, batteries, flashlight, a lighter, extra clothes, rain gear, sunblock, first aid kit, a radio, and a multipurpose tool. Chances are you’ll never need it, but it’s just one of those things that it’s always good to be prepared.

What kinds of things do you do with your kids when there’s a power outage? I’d love to hear more ideas! Thanks #CollectiveBias for letting me share how we #PrepWithPower.

~Melissa

June 30, 2014 4 comments

life memories summer Uncategorized

My Summer DIY Bucket List

written by Melissa Kaylene

Lately I’ve felt like I could totally transform into a hermit and I’d be completely cool hiding out in my own house. I’m sure that I’d get tired of it after a week or two, but the thought of it’s been pretty appealing! I think it’s just because I’ve felt like I’ve been on the go more this past year than ever before.

It’s been officially summer for four days now and I know that last year I was very much into creating a summer bucket list of things that I wanted to do with the kids. While I still love the idea of doing that again, I think this summer I’d like to shift my focus from going and doing so many activities to more DIY activities around the house. After 7 summers here it’s time to start sprucing up.

My husband works pretty long hours most of the time, and having had babies and toddlers since we’ve moved in here, there’s a lot of things that haven’t gotten finished (or started!) at our house. With Anika turning 11 this summer, Emma 6 1/2 and Noah being 4 years old now, I feel that I can actually accomplish some of these things with both of my hands while having the kids here. People take things for granted like mowing the lawn, or even weeding – because it’s so hard to do when you have a baby teething or needing fed! I think the kids are finally at ages where I can work on something for more than 2 minutes at a time while they play together.

So, this summer bucket is still coming (if you need ideas for yours here’s 31 summer activities), but here’s a glimpse at my to-do list. I know that it won’t get all done in the next 11 short weeks, but that’s okay as long as I keep plugging away at it.

Buy and install a new screen door
Build a raised garden (hint – this one will be on the blog soon!)
Stain the fence and decks
Tile the bathrooms and repaint the walls
Clean the bedroom carpets
Repaint the house
Fix our garage door – so it will actually work!
Clean the garage and organize it
Finish building the play structure for the kids
SOMEDAY lay hardwood flooring down
Create a chalkboard wall that I can hang on our fence for the kids
Mulch the yard

Do you have a summer DIY list started? What’s your number one project to get done before school starts back up?

~Melissa

June 25, 2014 5 comments

movies summer tips Uncategorized

10 Father’s Day Ideas + a DVD Deal!

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.

Father's Day ideas #JackRyanBluray #CollectiveBias #shop

I cannot believe that Father’s Day is only 6 days away, because that will also mean that June is already half over! I always like to make sure we do something a little special for Wayne, so the kids and I will normally make him breakfast in bed, followed by special cards and presents that they make and buy for him, and then we try to keep the entire day relaxing by having a BBQ dinner for him as well. After the kids go to bed sometimes we will then have a special date night in with since we rarely have the opportunity to go out – and so this year I think I’m going to make him a little Father’s Day movie night gift package from myself with the latest DVD release.

10 Father's Day Ideas + a DVD Deal! #JackRyanBluray #shop #collectivebias

Starting tomorrow, June 10th, Walmart is having a great deal on a two pack movie special including The Italian Job and the new release: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit for only $12.96 plus you can also receive $15.00 off of sports tickets at Ticketmaster! (The offer is good Tuesday 6/10 – Saturday 6/14 only) Since we rarely get to see movies at soon at their are released – especially ‘grown up’ movies, I think the #JackRyanBluray one will be a good thriller that we can watch and you seriously can’t beat that price! If you haven’t heard of the movie yet, here’s the trailer for it:

What do you normally do on Father’s Day? As much as I love having the kids give and make gifts, to me Father’s Day should be spent doing things for your Father (and husband) as a family, whether that be letting him relax while you spoil him a bit, or getting out and doing some of his favorite activities together. Here’s a couple ideas to get your own ideas flowing.

Do you have any other ideas you’d like to add? I’d love to hear!

Thanks #CollectiveBias for another great idea!

~Melissa

June 9, 2014 1 comment