Pinterest challenge: Cinnamon roll waffles

I found another easy Pinterest recipe that people have considered a "fail" that I just had to try: Cinnamon roll waffles! I think the most common error with this recipe is using the wrong type of cinnamon rolls, although if you use small rolls you'll just have small waffles so there really is no true "fail" I think :)

I bought Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls and gave it a shot-the result: Super yummy and easy waffles! We actually ate these as a dessert because let's face it-cinnamon rolls topped with a tub of frosting first thing in the morning is just asking for trouble in my house ;) But they would be good for a special occasion breakfast, like on Mother's Day :D

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer for the Mom on the go! {Giveaway}

Whether you are a working mom or a stay at home mom *who are we kidding, we all work :D*, you are always on the go! Whether it's chasing after a kid, a dog, or a spouse, we are always on the run.Vaseline is offering a product to help save time so we can put those extra minutes to better use-Introducing Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer!

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer is a great time saving tool for anyone on the go! Leaving skin instantly soft – not sticky or greasy – this breakthrough lotion is available in three variants, each containing a multi-layer moisture complex and working to infuse moisture!

·         Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer Total Moisture®: contains pure oat extract and leaves skin feeling healthy and skin.

·         Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer Aloe Fresh: contains pure aloe and leaves skin feeling healthy and fresh.

·         Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer Cocoa Radiant™: contains pure cocoa butter and leaves skin feeling healthy and glowing.

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer is available in food, drug and mass retailers for $7.99 (SRP) for a NET WT 6.5 OZ. can.

 All you do is "Up, Switch, Down, Rub!"



Now for the fun part! In honor of Mother's Day, I get to giveaway not only a sample of Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer but a $100 Gap Gift Card!!

Entering is easy, find the Rafflecopter form after the jump

Random thoughts on the end of Kindergarten

So the school year is winding down and my kids are one of the few kids NOT looking forward to summer vacation...don't worry, their time will come!

My kids love school, particularly my oldest who is finishing up Kindergarten. He loves school and he does really well and he loves being able to see his friends every day. Who wouldn't??

Kindergarten is a huge milestone, at least in my eyes. My son seemed so little when he walked into his classroom on the first day, and soon he will walk out as this grown up kid who actually knows stuff. 

He went in with all of his baby teeth and is leaving having lost 7 teeth in the past 9 months. He grew a few inches, gained a few lbs, and insists on picking out his own clothes despite my need to coordinate. He's more independent and much more confident in himself than he was at the beginning of the school year. Dare I say he is the teacher's pet, but hey, he wears that badge proud just as his mother did before him :D
I'm so proud of my son for doing what he does best-being himself, and having fun while doing it.
I can't wait to see what you will do next Cooper!

Cooper with his very first bass!

Zappos.com necklace giveaway!

Mother's Day is quickly approaching and I know many moms including myself who like to wear jewelry inspired by their kids. Whether it's a birthstone, an initial, or a symbol-giving mom a necklace that is special just for her on Mother's Day is a gift that you can never go wrong in giving!

Zappos.com, who is a top online destination for shoes, clothing and other accessories is offering one lucky reader a beautiful Dogeared Jewels Mom Sparkle Heart Necklace in gold!

Handmade in the USA, this necklace is sure to make the mom in your life smile. The chain is 18 inches long with a lobster clasp, it's both delicate and beautiful!

Enter to win a a Dogeared Jewels Mom Sparkle Heart Necklace ARV $68!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Keep your kids safe with Motorola!

I may no longer have an infant at home but I do still have babies ;) My kids are of course my world but I am one of those paranoid, helicopter moms that have to know what my boys are doing every minute of every day. When we moved back to MI, our house had a set up that was hard for me to get used to-the kids rooms were on one side of the house and my room was on the other. I was used to either co sleeping or having my boys in the room right next door when we lived in Ohio. So I chose to get a baby monitor. It may be silly to some people, but it was the only way I would get any sleep at night, despite my kids being 2.5 and 5 when we moved. 

One monitor that has exceeded my expectations is the Motorola Baby Monitor model MBP41 sold exclusively at Babies 'R' Us. It is a wireless, infared video monitor with a 2.8" LCD screen. The sound is crystal clear and the video is even better quality. I am so impressed with this monitor. My kids love that they are on "TV" too :D My mind is much more at ease when using a monitor. Being relatively new in this town, it's hard to be trusting of the community and the safety of it and having this Motorola Baby Monitor on hand has really helped me worry a teeny bit less about my boys being so far away-even in the same house!

I trust this monitor to last a long time, so much so that I will pass it down to my sister when she has her first baby. If you are in the market for a top quality and great priced monitor to help ensure the safety of your kids, look no further than Motorola!

Disclaimer: I received a product for review, no other compensation was given. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Taking on a Pinterest "Fail"

So, I don't know if you are on Pinterest or not *if you are, follow me, I'm obsessed :D* but I see a lot of recipes that I want to try but then come across a "Pinterest-fail" blog post somewhere that makes me change my mind. I decided to take on one of these common "fails" to see if I could pull it off or if I too would fall victim-

Recipe of choice: Baked Cheese Balls 

I guess the main problem with these is melting *see fails here*. I imagine it depends on the type of cheese you use, the blogger suggested a low fat cheese but I went full fat ;) I like my cheese to taste like cheese. 

I'm not a huge string cheese fan, it really depends on the brand-I find a lot of them to be really salty. After many trials over the years, we like the Frigo brand the best, not the least bit salty and very creamy!

So this recipe basically has 3 ingredients: Cheese, Italian bread crumbs, and low fat milk. You could throw in a few other spices or make your own bread crumb coating but I did not.

I followed the recipe to a T, down to the baking stone to hopefully ensure success.

So how did I do?

I think they turned out pretty great! I left them in the oven for the recommended amount of time but I think I could have gone longer to get a more crispy, brown coating. I give it a thumbs up! And for a healthy alternative to fried mozzarella sticks, I would definitely recommend you try it!

Adventures in Quilting: A baby quilt!

I've dabbled with sewing and quilting for about 10 years since my days of working in a fabric department while in college but it was just recently I decided to give it a serious go!

I've read books, annoyed my friends who quilt with many questions ;) and made many "practice" pieces and finally felt brave enough to make a quilt for someone other than myself.

My brother and his wife just had their first baby, a boy, and their nursery theme was bugs! I recently bought the book: Dare to be Square by Boo Davis and it's perfect for beginners like me! In it there was a Snail Playmat pattern and I immediately knew this was the pattern I'd use to make a quilt for my new nephew!

The directions for each pattern in this book are some of the easiest I have ever read, they have everything planned out so you know exactly what and how much to cut of each fabric. 

I picked bright colors with a gray background and chose this Michael Miller Bugs in a Jar (in gray)  for the backing, I am in love with this print!

I was able to finish this in about a day if you don't count sending it out to be quilted, which I used a gecko pattern, so cute!

How did I do? My nephew can't talk but I am pretty sure he loves it :D

I also highly recommend the book I mentioned, so many amazing patterns, no one would ever guess you were a beginner at quilting! 

I'm back and it's time for a change!

As most of my followers know, I have taken a sabbatical from blogging. I would update occasionally on my facebook fan page but on the blog itself it has been pretty quiet. The main reason for my absence is the plague ;) Since November, we have been battling illness after illness-strep, a few bouts of stomach flu, sinus infections, pink eye, colds-you name it, we've had it. We also went on vacation to Florida over Christmas where we ended up taking our youngest to the hospital for a bad case of bronchitis. So needless to say, we've been laying low this winter, as I'm sure many of you have as well! I've heard from many people that this winter has been horrible with sicknesses.

I also came to realize that the way I was blogging wasn't a direction I wanted to continue. I love doing product reviews and giveaways, but that started to consume my life and my blog. I started this blog to share my thoughts on my family and our experiences with my son's Omphalocele and hearing loss and it started to grow as opportunities came to me. I'm forever grateful for everything I've been given and the work I have been able to do and the people I've worked with along the way!

My  hope is to continue to share with my readers about products, but this time they will be ones I love and want to share, things I use in my everyday life as a woman and as a mom. I'd like to share more crafts and projects that I have been working on. I'd like to bring my blog back to where it started and share life experiences and stories of others that I can relate to. I want to make this blog "mine" again. I know it has always been my blog, but I let it become something I couldn't handle anymore and didn't know how to stop. So I had to walk away.

And here I am today feeling refreshed and ready to take on this new blog challenge. I hope you'll stay with me and I hope you enjoy what I share with you in the future!

Stay tuned for a new look too :D