amushro

Raising Confident Kids (even at night!)

July 20, 2015 by amushro

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

Anything he can do, I can do! This has become my little lady’s daily mantra, and the “he” that is her inspiration, is her older brother. Having kids 22 months apart has really created some interesting situations in our household: lack of sleep for several years and seemingly endless terrible twos, to name a few, but one of the best outcomes of having siblings so close in age is these two are best friends and thick as thieves. If her older brother is doing something exciting and adventurous, you better believe that this little sister is right behind him.

So if Big Brother is playing superheros, he always has a Hulk to his Captain America.

And if he can ride all the big waves on his boogie board, watch out because this little lady is there too.

Seeing her big brother take on the biggest and fastest slide at the waterpark gives her confidence to try that slide too, but sometimes, even when she wants to be just as confident as her brother, it can be a little challenging. Sometimes there are things she’s just not ready for, like staying dry at night. So when she declared she wants to wear big girl panties at night, we had to get a little creative because her body just isn’t ready to stay dry for 12 hours. Since no one wants to wash sheets every morning, we are trying out GoodNites TruFit because they are real underwear with a little extra help for young kids that want to feel like confident kids at night.

I grabbed GoodNites TruFit starter pack when I was shopping at CVS. You can find them in the baby diaper aisle, but as my girl would say “these are NOT diapers.” The starter pack had everything we needed for our first night with “big girl underwear.”

The starter pack comes with two pairs of soft, cotton underwear that are designed to hold the disposable inserts (you get five inserts in the starter pack)

The GoodNites TruFit are different from diapers because they are underwear with removable and disposable inserts but they are simple to use, reuse, and clean. Here’s how they work:

1. Place the insert (text facing down) inside the specially designed GoodNites underwear.

2. Tuck the insert inside the elastic side pockets

3. Once the insert is secured inside the underwear, the GoodNites are ready to wear!

4. In the morning, just turn the underpants inside out, and the insert easily falls into the garbage can. You can launder the underwear just as you would regular underpants.

5 Do Not wear the GoodNites TruFit on your head–except if you want to take really silly pictures

This lady is keeping her confidence day and night and nothing is slowing her down. If you are thinking of trying GoodNites TruFit, here’s a coupon! Just answer 3 and you will unlock a $4 off coupon for a GoodNites TruFit Starter pack.

How do you encourage self-esteem and confidence in your kids?

It’s Really Time to Listen To Your Mother–The 2015 Videos are here!

July 10, 2015 by amushro

Here’s what I have planned for the next few days: I’m going to stay in my jammies, all curled up in my bed, and I am going to watch hours and hours of Listen To Your Mother videos while I laugh out loud, cry happy tears, cry ugly tears, say over and over “YES! Yes, me too,” feverishly search out the readers online to tell them how much I loved and adored their readings, and thank my lucky stars that Listen To Your Mother is such an integral and life changing part of my own little life as a member of the Washington DC cast and then as part of the trifecta team that brought the show to Pittsburgh this year.

Obviously the whole “take care of your kids” thing will get in the way of these lofty dreams, so while I’d like to do all of this in the next few days, I will gladly take my time as I watch the LTYM 2015 library and I do hope you will do the same!

Look at my ladies! I could not be more proud of them and eacch and every lady played such an important role in creating such a fantastic story and perfect inaugural cast. Sniff, sniff… can you tell I LOVE these gals and this show? I’m thrilled to share with you, Listen To Your Mother: Pittsburgh 2015:

Natalie Capone Gillespie
My Declaration of Independence: Natalie’s look at the growing independence of her son … and herself.

Tina Tuminella
Now I Get It: Tina Tuminella wasn’t much of a baby person. She waited until her 40s to have kids and NOW understands babies and what a big deal it is to be a mom.

Danielle Sibley-Siegel
Email to Nowhere: In an attempt to help her deal with the raging emotional swings of PPD, Danielle wrote an email to nowhere listing things that were upsetting her. Looking back at it a year later with clearer vision, she’s amused by the kinds of things that pissed her off.

Erika Fricke
Unplanned Parenthood: After planning the birth of her second child to the last detail, Erika found out there is no amount of planning that prepares you for the experience of parenting each of your children—and the often unexpected issues that arise for both baby and mother.

Stephanie Jankowski
Let There Be Bitches: Stephanie shares lessons with her feisty-from-birth daughter about being true to herself—even if that means being labeled a “bitch.” (Blog: When Crazy Meets Exhaustion)

Jennifer Pelling
Mother Hen: Jennifer captures the quintessential mothering instinct experience as told through the life of a chicken. Her story will linger with you, I promise you that. (Blog: You Are Here Stories)

Britt Reints
Snapshots: Britt wonders if her children will remember their childhood in snapshots the way she remembers her own. (Blog: In Pursuit of Happiness)

Gina Jones
I Am a Mother: In a take-you-to-the-Church-of-Mom, Gina looks at her own life in an attempt to find her purpose and sees her greatest achievement reflected in the son she’s raised.

Ilene Marshall
Lunch with Mom: Ilene reminisces about a time her mother nearly ruined her cool status with a surprise visit for lunch at her elementary school—and wishes she had known to cherish it. (Blog:These Marmalade Skies)

Tamara Reese
Mothering in the Mirror: Tamara exposes her vulnerable past as she shares her emotional journey worrying whether she would pass the same troubles to her daughter as an extension of herself.

Jennifer Hicks
’Twas the Night Before College: Jen rewrote the well-known Christmas poem to tell the story of what she imagines will happen in two short years when her son gets ready to head to college. (Blog: Real Life Parenting)

Dawn Patton Mangine
Mother of the Year: Dawn recalls the day her daughter called the police because she was “being a mean mom” as one of the funny examples of times she’s felt like the “mother of the year.” (Blog:Red Pen Mama)

Kristen Stepanczuk
Planned Parenthood: Kristen shares the story of the conception of her daughter in a way that will make you laugh every time you hear the word “spelunking.” (Blog: You Can Always Make a Little)

Camping with kids Life Hacks

June 29, 2015 by amushro

Do you have camping or “glamping” on your family fun to-do list? Or does taking your kids into the great outdoors makes you a little nervous? Don’t fret! I’ve got a few life hacks for camping with kids that will make your camping adventures a lot more fun. Just don’t forget, making S’mores every night is a camping requirement.

Kids won’t miss a minute around the campfire once they turn a 10 gallon bucket with a lid into own their personal camping seat with a hidden surprise. Let kids personalize their own “seat” with markers, stickers, and attach a small pillow for extra cushion. Their seat can do double duty by storing their games, clothes, and special camping treasures inside the bucket.
Is not showering for a few days making you and your stinky campers nervous? This hack and a box of wine is for you! The inside bag of a box of wine (called a bladder) can be cleaned and refilled once all the wine is gone. When you hit the campsite, fill the bladder with water and leave it in the sun to warm the water. Attach the wine box bladder to a PVC pipe or tree branch with clothes pins or clips (high enough above your head but you can still reach the spout) and you have a shower with WARM water! Refill with water and have your shower ready for the next day.
Now you need your shower supplies camping friendly. Create a shower necklace by using a lanyard and attach a loofa (a bath sponge) to the metal hook. Fill small travel bottles with shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and shaving cream, and use thin plastic string to attach the bottles to the lanyard. Now all your shower supplies are in one, portable place, and it never has to touch the ground.

Outdoors good. Germs bad. Create a handwashing station from a large laundry detergent dispenser (the kind that has a spout and you can control the pressure), attach a roll of paper towels to the top with a bungee cord, and attach a bottle of soap with string. Now go wash your hands!
Multitasking moms need multitasking camping gear, so grab a large tarp (the kind with metal grommets), some plastic PVC piping and elbows, and plastic ties. You can create some privacy for the shower or potty, shade from the sun, a waterproof tent, and a dozen other uses. Super versatile and super helpful!
Before putting down your sleeping bags, lay foam tiles (the kind for playrooms and outdoors) down on the floor. The tiles keep little feet safe and make a more comfy sleeping space.

One of the best parts of camping is the food! Make cooking easier by organizer all kitchen supplies in an over the door shoe organizer so everything is visible, clean, and within reach.
Don’t forget the spices but save space by putting them into a plastic seven day pill organizer.
Need to bring eggs but don’t want an egg mess? Clean out a plastic bottle (we used a coffee creamer container) and add your cracked eggs. Use a sharpie too mark measurements so you know how many eggs you are using.
Time for S’mores! Get that fire started with these fire starters: cover cotton balls in petroleum jelly and store in an egg crate or fill empty toilet paper rolls with lint from the dryer. Light that fire!
Bugs be gone! Here’s a safe and effective homemade bug spray: Combine the following in a small dark-colored glass spray bottle: 15 drops Citronella, 15 drops Lemongrass, 15 drops Peppermint, 1 tsp Witch Hazel, and fill the rest tap water.

Fuel the Love- Caring for a High Mileage Car

June 24, 2015 by amushro

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

It’s officially summer! The kids are out of school. Our bags are packed, and my swagger wagon is gassed up and ready to hit the road. My kiddos and I are planning on spending most of these long summer days at our family beach house having lots of fun in the sun. That’s one of the best parts of being a blogger, you can just take your “office” with you. Even though we will be having a blast splashing in the ocean and building sandcastles, we will be missing our main man, their Daddy. My hubby will be working hard during the weekdays and joining us at the beach on the weekends. To be honest, I’m feeling pretty guilty for leaving him behind (not that guilty because I’m still totally going), but I thought since he will be working so hard during the week and traveling so much to see us on the weekends, I’ll help him out and make sure his old car is ready to be beach bound and that he’s all stocked up while we are away.

When I took the keys from him this morning, I was shocked, to say the least. Shocked! Just look at the backseat of his car. It’s just so… so clean! Not a broken toy or half eaten snack in sight. How is this even possible? At this point, I thought all of our possessions had crumbs from our kids. Simply amazing!Enough of this distraction, I need to get this man’s car ready to a weekend beach goer! Since his car has A LOT of miles, it needs some extra care so his car requires Pennzoil High Mileage Oil because it helps to reduce leaks in higher mileage engines. And we need that engine running clean and going strong for a long time. Even better, right now Walmart has a Rollback on Pennzoil oil changes for high mileage cars. Plus Pennzoil also offers a free warranty that covers 15 engine parts. Helping out my honey and saving money– I call that multitasking!

Once I dropped off his car at the Walmart Automotive Care Center, it was time to shop while I waited, and I knew right away what aisle I needed to hit first. I could not leave my man alone day after day without proper sustenance.

Just to be on the safe side, I’ll just buy this entire freezer. That should last him a few days, right? When I was done shopping, my hubby’s car was ready to go and so was I. But not before I loaded up my bags and bags of frozen pizzas (and sunblock because it’s going to be a long summer!) Time to hand over his car and hit the road!

So these beach bums are off to the ocean and will be waiting patiently until their Daddy arrives this weekend

We will be at the beach all summer. Are you headed anywhere fun?

Up & Away and Shoving

June 18, 2015 by amushro

Friends, I have a confession to make. It’s a bit shameful and embarrassing, but we’re all friends here so I feel like I can share this with you with zero judgement, right?OK, I probably deserve a little judgement.

Here it goes: I am a shover. Not familiar with this term? Let me explain. Basically in order to keep my house appearing to be neat and tidy but having a zero time to make this house neat and tidy, I shove. I shove things into closets. I shove things into drawers. I shove things into boxes and then shove them into closets and drawers. So at first glance, my house looks organized and nothing is misplaced. However, if you open a closet, watch out. You’re likely to be buried under an avalanche of “stuff”. Until now, my shoving really didn’t bother me (it drives my husband crazy, but whatever, the house is clean, man), but I’ve realized my little shoving habit is actually really dangerous (and I don’t mean falling boots or flying books). It has to do with medicine and my kids.

Since June is National Home Safety Month, I decided I need to get control of every place I have shoved medicine because the statistics from Up&Away of where and how young kids are finding medicine is enough to shake this shover up.

For the most part, medicine in this house is stored up but not necessarily away.

So I grabbed a plastic container and starting filling it with all of the medicine I had up but not away, and started looking for a safer place to store the newly locked medicine because these numbers just scare me

Just when I started thinking about safe storage for over the counter medicines, I realized this isn’t just prescriptions that are pills or liquid or even the kids’ over the counter pain relievers, but also things like eye drops and different medicated creams and lotions that could really harm a child. That’s when I headed to my ultimate shoving place: under the sink. Deep breathes, this picture is the epitome of my shoving.

Yes, hiding behind makeup bags, hair products, and hair brushes I have long since forgotten was a lot of over the counter medicine I had shoved under the sink in an effort to clean quickly.

After clearing out the cupboard, this is what I found:

That is a lot of medicine I didn’t even realize we had in this house. The scariest part was the random one or two pills that weren’t in a box and were just scattered in old makeup bags. I couldn’t even tell you what type of pill they were and the expiration date? Forget it. Everything else, up and away

So now I consider myself a reformed shover. Alright, I am a reformed shover when it comes to keeping all medicine up and away from my kids. But I am still a shower when it comes to all of the other closets and drawers in this house. Baby steps, friends. Baby steps.

This post was sponsored by KnowYourOTCs but all opinions and ideas are 100% my own

Visit Consumer Healthcare Products Association's profile on Pinterest.

Dad is Rad! Dad is Rad! My Today Show #ParentingTeam Post

June 16, 2015 by amushro

Ties, grilling gear, fishing rods–these seem like the usual suspects for Father’s Day gifts, right? It’s funny how we struggle to find gifts for the fathers in our lives on their special day considering those really amazing Dads are are anything but typical, right? So while I still can’t find the perfect gift for him, I can tell you why he is the perfect dad for our family. Here’s my Today Show Parenting Team post all about my sweet hubby and why he is such a rad dad that makes our life so much sweeter. Click here to read! If you like the post, leave a comment over there or click the vote button!

More is More for an Indoor S’More

June 12, 2015 by amushro

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

The old adage “less is more” really rings true in a lot of cases: when applying makeup, when decorating your home, and binge watching really bad reality TV—honest, less is more. However there are times when “more is more” is the way to go, and I’m all about “more is more” when it comes to dessert, especially my absolute favorite dessert, S’mores. Maybe you noshed on this delicious treat around a campfire as a kid, or had to wait until you were in the great outdoors to have this marshmallowie treat. However, it’s time for a S’mores Summer right now, and you can simply say “Let’s make S’mores tonight” and there’s no campfire needed. Friends, here’s my more is more indoor S’more bar that’s perfect for a quick and easy weekend get together!

We’re at the beach right now so I grabbed some coordinating plates and bowls to hold all of our ingredients and pulled out our handy, dandy S’more Maker. Already the table looked so pretty, but now we need the really good stuff, the ingredients! Obviously you have to start with the usual suspects (AKA: the three things you need for a super yummy S’more): Hershey’s milk chocolate, Kraft’s Jet Puffed Marshmallows, and Honey Maid Graham Cracker Squares,

Now it’s time to get to S’more making! Everyone has a different roasted marshmallow style and mine is slightly charred. A little sweet, a little smokey, and a whole lot of yummy.

And then adding sweet milk chocolate is, well, just a slice of summer S’more heaven.

But here’s where we get all “more is more,” friends because we are changing up recipes and making all sorts of yummy S’mores while indoors. Here are a few we tired, and let me tell you, they are good, SO, SO,SO good.

When we fired up our S’more Maker and started sampling all of our new S’more creations, one stood out to me: The Elvis. Basically chocolate and peanut butter are ALWAYS a winner in my book. So here’s a quick and easy recipe so you can make The Elvis S’more too!

Ingredients:

Two Honey Made Graham Cracker Squares

Two Kraft’s Jet Puffed Marshmallows

One Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

Banana Slices

What to do:

Setup a S’more maker with a Sterno can (found at the grocery store) or a candle
Load up the marshmallows on the skewers and roast until brown on all sides
Place peanut butter cup on one cracker square and banana slices on the other
Slide roasted marshmallows on top of peanut butter cup and form a sandwich
Enjoy and refuse to share with anyone because it’s so good.

Here’s a sign that your S’more is perfectly ewey gooey, the marshmallow stretch. So. So. Good.

How good does this S’more look? You’re ready to make your own, right? I don’t blame you. I found everything I needed for the More is More Indoor S’more Bar at Walmart. So for our new S’more creations, finding all the ingredients was super easy.

Since S’mores are so easy, so delicious, and the perfect weekend dessert, tell me which S’more you’re going to try?

Best Apps For Kindergarten Readiness

June 10, 2015 by amushro

Right after I took this picture of my main man on his last day of Pre-K, we shouted “Next Stop Kindergarten!” Well actually we have a few sweet months of summer vacation then it’s off to kindergarten. So to make sure my little guy is ready for all the heavy lifting of elementary school when he climbs on that big yellow bus for the first time (SOB!) we’re working on avoiding that dreaded summer slide! So we’re playing lots of educational games, turning our summer outings into learning experiences, and loading up our devices with a variety of kindergarten readiness apps. We are covering all of the important parts of kindergarten with these apps and now I’m sharing some of our favorites!

ABC Mouse– If you’ve been thinking about checking out ABC Mouse, DO IT! Both of my kids love this app and I can cater their lessons to their levels educational level. ABCmouse.com members get full access to online preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten curriculum. With more than 5,000 fun and interactive learning activities that teach reading, math, beginning science and social studies, art, and music, I’m sure this app will quickly become one of your favorites too. Note: You will need an ABCmouse.com membership to access the content, but if you are already a member of ABCmouse.com, you can log in through the app to access your account.

Family Play Kindergarten- Round up the cowboys and cowgirls! The Sheriff needs your help at Cowboy Kids Academy to learn kindergarten skills like math, shapes, colors, spelling, and numbers. Through 12 activities, there is a lot of learning and playing happening! This is a great app for kids headed into kindergarten or for parents looking to give their cowboy or cowgirl a fun and challenging app.

Brain Pop Jr- Another fan favorite in this house, BrainPOP Jr. This app delivers a different animated movie every week, and kids are given quizzes and educational lessons based on the short movie. The topics are varied and teach the kids interesting subjects through an engaging movie. The topics span social studies, reading, writing, math, health, arts, and technology. Plus my kids love the characters Annie and Moby that serve as guides through each topic.

Phonics Spelling & Sight Words-Got a kiddo excited to learn to read? Then check out this fun app. With phonics, spelling and sight words, this app will get your kindergarten bound kid excited to learn phonics skills and memorize sight words. With a list of over 300 of the most common site words, your kids will come back to this app again and again for fun games and lots of learning.

Gomma Friends– Get those creative minds working with this fun app! In Gomma Friends, your kids can create and dress Gomma Friends characters and then print and assemble their characters. How fun is that? We’ve been playing with this app together and my kids love getting to create a fun toy and app based on the games they have been playing.

All of these fantastic apps can be found on Google Play. I’d love to your favorite educational apps and how you are going to prevent the summer slide during the summer months!

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Note: I was compensated for the post but all thoughts and ideas for these awesome apps are all mine!

Make Your Own Iced Carmel Macchiato

June 9, 2015 by amushro

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

Sometimes when I’m in bed, early in the morning, I think, “I could go back to sleep, or I could get up early, sneak downstairs, and have coffee all by myself.” Can I let you in on a little secret? Coffee and “me time” always wins! Most mornings around here are so rushed and hectic that I end up reheating my coffee two or three times. Usually I can tell the type of day this Mamma will have by the number of times I need to reheat my coffee. By mid-morning, I usually find my coffee cup in bizarre places like yesterday’s cup on the bathroom sink, sadly sitting on the dresser in one of my kids’ rooms, or my personal favorite, still hanging out in the microwave from one of my many reheats.Sigh. So in order to get a little “me time” and to drink my coffee while it’s still hot, it’s early mornings for this lady.

I really don’t mind the early mornings, and now that summer is upon us,the warmer weather makes drinking hot coffee all day a little difficult for me. So I’m getting really creative and making some of my favorite iced coffee drinks at home. But the key to a great iced coffee is the same as hot coffee: you have to start with a really delicious brand of coffee. So for this recipe and all of my daily hot and reheated coffee, I’m loving McCafé coffee pods. Have you tried them yet? I’m sort of in love with them and they worked perfectly in my iced carmel macchiato recipe!

Ingredients:

McCafé Premium Roast coffee pod
1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk
1-2 tbs Vanilla Coffee Syrup
Squeezable caramel sauce (I grabbed mine in the ice cream topping isle)
1/2 Cup Ice

Step 1: Brew one McCafé coffee pod on the 8 or 10 oz setting.

Step 2: In a separate cup, pour 1-2 tbs vanilla coffee syrup.

Step 3: Add 1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk.

Step 4: Add 1/2 cup ice to cup.

Step 5: Pour the brewed coffee over all ingredients.

Step 6: Drizzle caramel sauce on top of coffee. (I usually repeat this step 3 or 4 times. It’s just so good)

This recipe is so good and so easy, you will thank me the when you need a little coffee and me time this summer! If you need more inspiration, check out the Kick Off Your Summer Cookbook website. It has recipes, sweepstakes, loyalty programs, coupons and more! What’s not to love? If you’re looking for a new dinner idea or a chance to win some awesome prizes, be sure to check it out!

I grabbed my McCafé coffee pods and a few bags for when we travel this summer while I was shopping at Walmart.

There was even a McCafé demo happening at Walmart the day I was there so I had the chance to sample a few of the flavors. They were all are really yummy, but the hazelnut was my favorite.

So whatever way you brew your coffee, you can grab McCafé in bags in coffee pods. The coffee also comes in lots of options with 8 flavors to choose from, and is made with 100% Arabica Beans which means you are getting premium quality coffee.

Are you a coffee person like me? If so, tell me your favorite flavor or coffee treat in the comment!