I’ve talked before about how much I love spring and summer and all the warm weather that goes with it. One thing I’ve never talked about is the allergies I suffer from that come with spring. For this time of the year, mornings suck - here’s a snapshot of my everyday wakeup experience:

I wake up…

I fix JP’s breakfast…

I sneeze…

I blow my nose…

…and I suffer with my allergies until I can get it together!

So I visited my local CVS to get some stuff to help me go from drab to fab! I like to try and put makeup on every day – even if I am not going anywhere. There’s something about fixing up and making yourself feel pretty that just makes your day better. Besides, it only takes 10 minutes!

I picked up a few beauty goodies…

and of course, that much needed Allegra!

Oh, and did you know that for the month of May you can get a 30 count of Allegra for $17.99 with your CVS card? I thought that was a pretty awesome deal!!

I started using it, knocking back a pill every morning with a glass of water…

After a few days using it regularly, my mornings aren’t as harsh anymore!

As for that mascara? It’s awesome too!

Allegra was a HUGE help in allowing me to go from drab…

To Fab!! It was so nice to have my own little allergy makeover!

You may follow Allegra on Twitter and Facebook

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias. All opinions are 100% my own.

I’m not one to be chatty on the phone for hours. It’s not that I’m snooty or anything, but free time in my world is hard to come by. Myself personally, I like to text because It’s simple, straight and to the point. Some would argue that it’s impersonal – yeah, it is – but then again, the telephone as a whole can be impersonal too! Besides, I usually have JP competing for my attention when I’m on the phone anyway, so that brings me back to why I’m a texter.

I found out about the coolest new app that adds some really nice features to any android smart phone. It’s called  POWOW Messenger for Android and it’s free to download!

“Why is it cool?” you ask? Well, for starters, you can communicate with a group of friends – much like blackberry messenger, only it dosen’t  restrict you. You may have a group discussion with any circle of friends matter what device your friends are using! I was able to divide up my contacts into different groups – my playdate-mommy friends from my family and work contacts.

I added my closest buddies to a test group – we were able to chat (or call) freely with each other. Awesome!

Another neat feature is that you can also mute someone with their “zip it” feature or ignore them altogether with “blacklist”. Cute

There’s a long list of  modern features, but here are a few of  my favorites:

• Voice Text input capability: Utilize Google’s voice input technology to speak your texts rather than typing.
• Contact Pics: Import Facebook, Twitter, Google Contacts, and/or LinkedIn pics for use in your text conversations.
• Favorites: Easily set your favorite contacts and filter messages without having to scroll through your entire history
• PopUp Notifications: Instead of exiting an app or browser to see your new message, have it pop up right on your screen where you can decide whether to respond, ignore, delete, or call.

Best of all.. Did I say this app was FREE? Check it out here: POWOW Messenger for Android

For this mother’s day, I’m going to share a quick and easy way to make delicious deviled eggs as shown in Hellmann’s Recipes online. They were super easy to make! Granted, I used store bought hard-boiled eggs because I’m not very good at getting the eggs not to oxidize after cooking them. I’m talking about that gross green ring you get around the yolk if you don’t immediately submerge them in cold water after cooking them.

Anyway, that’s our little secret –  store bought ones turned out just fine! It’s the perfect take along dish to pot lucks or family picnics.

There are soooo many delectable looking dishes found within Hellmann’s Recipes, and I’ll be trying alot of them this summer. Who dosen’t LOVE Hellmann’s mayo? They not only have recipes tailor made for mayo, but also great ways of utilizing Ragu Old World Style tomato sauce and Lipton Gallon – for creating more deliciousness for summer get togethers.

Wanna know how I made the deviled eggs? Well since you know I started with store bought hard boiled eggs, so I skipped a HUGE step in boiling and shelling the eggs. If you do decide to use your own hard boiled eggs, try to use older eggs because the shells are easier to remove than fresh eggs.

I used 6 eggs, and cut them each in half

Then I popped each yolk out into a bowl. They slid out pretty easily – just like ice cubes!

Then I used the back of a spoon to mash up the yolks in the bowl. I added all the rest of the ingredients – 1/4 cup of Hellmann’s mayo, a teaspoon of Hellmann’s Creamy Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

All mixed up and ready to fill back in the empty eggs whites!

Now, time for the fun part – filling them with a pastry bag! I folded it over, as if I was putting in icing and it worked perfectly!

Now time to enjoy it!!

When my husband asked me what I would like for mother’s day, I looked at him point blank and told him I wanted peace and quiet for an afternoon. {Peace and quiet} is a rare commodity with a 3 year old around the house. Don’t get me wrong, my son is the center of my universe – but sometimes this mommy needs a time out!

So, his treat was taking me on a date (alone, no less!) for a refreshing CoronaRita at Chili’s while JP got babysat. It was so nice to remember what it was like when we used to date!

Pretty awesome looking, huh!?

So when I was perusing the menu, I came across the new CoronaRita Margarita. To be honest, I wasn’t sure about ordering it at first because I really don’t like beer very much. I was surprised at how much it tasted like like limeade! Cold, tart and as refreshing as you could possibly imagine (also packs a punch too, so make sure you’re not driving!)

Then I ordered it…. and it arrived, in all it’s glory!

I thought it had the coolest looking presentation with the corona sticking up out of the drink. It’s almost like ordering one of those huge pineapples with umbrellas and flowers when it arrives at your table! It felt very special

Since it was practically 2 drinks in 1, My hubby and I shared it and we both loved it! I really loved the fact that it arrived WITHOUT salt around the rim of the glass too. Usually, salt always seems to trickle into my margarita and makes it taste too salty – not my favorite.

We decided to pair it with some yummy chicken fajitas! I highly recommend

I have to say, a fun afternoon out on a date with my hubby with {Peace and Quiet} at our side was just what we needed. Sometimes it’s nice to stop and remember why your spouse IS your spouse in the first place! We came home relaxed and happy (no thanks to the CoronaRita though!!) *wink*

*You must be 21 or older to drink alcoholic beverages and as always, please remember to drink responsibly* 

I talked about my garden a little while ago, and I thought I’d share yet another update I have made recently. Now that I got everything planted, fertilized and thriving – I realized I needed some garden markers to know what was what because the little plastic printed ones that came with the plant wasn’t cutting it.

I decided it would be the perfect project for none other than the brand new Painters Paint Markers by Elmer’s.

I found these Elmer’s Painters Paint Markers in the craft department for a bargain 1.97$ when I was out shopping, they had a bunch of different colors!

…And the paint stir sticks were a whopping 28 cents!

All you really need to create this craft is:

Here’s my spray paint setup – a plastic drop cloth held into the ground with garden lights and bounce house stakes!

Then I masked off the bottom of each one so I could add another color.

I had such fun painting these, i did it all while JP was at preschool during the day while I sat on the back patio listening to birds chirping. It was pure therapy, I tell you!!

I wanted a fun, whimsical touch with lots of color for these markers – I am so in love with how they turned out!! Now it’s time to add to the collection becauseI still have a little bit of garden space left…

….I’m thinking pumpkins are next!

Here’s where my garden was before the planting begun:

And here it is now with my garden and garden markers!

I even have a couple of little green strawberries growing!

I can’t wait to finish making more of them!

You may follow Elmer’s on twitter and facebook

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias. All opinions are 100% my own.

Here’s what it looks like now:

One of the items I am most proud of, is our shinny new grill! It’s so exciting because our old one was scary to light – I was always afraid it would blow up in my face when igniting it!

When selecting our grill at our local Sears, I knew in my mind I wanted a stainless steel type. First, I looked at their online catalog to see what they had, then I checked out what was available through their newly re-vamped {Grilling Is Happiness} website.

Both sources are great, but when it comes down to purchasing something like a grill, I like to physically see it assembled and touch it before I make a final decision - so off to the store we went. I’ve always admired how stainless steel looks, and the idea of having a side burner to heat up a side dish was a HUGE bonus. I got a little bit torn when I found this lovely red grill, but I wasn’t sure that hubby would like it.

I even saw a cute red patio set it would go perfectly with. If I didn’t already have a patio set, I might have been really torn!

Shopping their outdoor section for a new grill was exciting! There was so many varieties, colors and levels of quality to choose from. They had some cheap propane grills for less than 100$, small charcoal grills and of course larger more elaborate versions with 5+ burners.

I liked this one, but we ended up choosing this one:

300$ is alot of money at one time, so I discussed layaway options with the sales clerk. He was extremely helpful and worked out all the fine details as to give me pricing for each installment. I really wanted to have delivery AND assembly, I was willing to pay extra for the pleasure – but I didn’t want to wait a week to receive it. I picked it up and the hubby assembled it

It still didn’t change the fact that I received Shop Your Way reward points! It was free to join and the clerk did it all for me during my checkout process.

Here’s my darling hubby trying to figure out the instructions!

I couldn’t resist buying some gourmet cuts of meat for our first grill out. I thought I’d share how I grill my steaks to medium perfection every time – even my hubby has relinquished his his outdoor apron and lets me do all the grilling now!

First I start with a high quality, thick cut of beef – like this New York strip steak I got from Costco (they have an awesome meat selection, btw) and I season it generously with kosher salt.

Add a pinch of pepper, and repeat on the other side too.

I preheated the grill to be sizzling hot, and arranged everything as quickly as possible and shut the lid as to not let any heat out. I used the brand-new accessories I picked up at Sears to make my hubby some grilled fish and JP some sliders. 3 different meals, 1 grill!!

after 2 1/2 minutes, I open quickly to turn the steak 90 degrees to get my cris-cross grill marks and shut the lid. I grill for another 2 1/2 minutes, before I flip it.

Now flip it….

Ahhhh deliciousness! At this point, I couldn’t wait for it to be ready, but I had to grill it for another 4 – 4 1/2 minutes to finish it.

Once pulled off, I cover with foil and let it sit for 5 minutes.

While I let that sit for 5 minutes, I decided to try out my sideburner and make some instant mashed potatoes. I was so happy to not have messed up the kitchen with dinner-making!

Here it is, in all it’s glory – I would probably have better pictures, but all I wanted to do after all that work was eat my steak!! It was sinfully delicious!

Be sure to check out Sears for any of your outdoor needs this summer – I was not disappointed! In fact I left there thinking, “maybe ill come back to get that (fill in the blank here)”. Even though grilling is kind of a man thing, I assure you that ANY mom would love a brand new grill for mother’s day! Here’s some reasons to consider it:

• FREE in-store assembly on all gas grills
• Save $100 on Kenmore 4-burner Gas Grill. Now $399.99!
• Save an extra 10% off Patio & Grills

You may follow them on twitter and Facebook

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias. All opinions are 100% my own.

So picture this – It’s Friday afternoon, 3:30 PM, and I just finished unloading a tired toddler and bags of groceries before I have to embark on my next task – cooking dinner. Can we say tri-athelon? I make it a point every afternoon to carve out some time for mommy to take a breath- because I’ve learned that when mommy’s burned out and stressed out, it’s no good for anyone!

So this part of my afternoon is what I like to call ‘quiet time’ because this is where I try to put JP down for a nap. I’m usually not very successful, but today I was! Yippee!!! He is so sweet when he’s asleep!

If  I’m not lucky enough for a nap, He still has to do his afternoon quiet time. “Quiet Time” consists of a sippy cup filled with milk, his beloved blankie and a choice of one of his favorite DVD’s – whichever he is in the mood for. Once I have him settled and quiet, this is where I like to put my feet up, have a coffee and indulge in either some email catchup or pinterest pinning. No matter what the activity for me, it ALWAYS includes a coffee somewhere.

So I started to get my coffee ready..

I got some of this  International Delight “Ready Made” iced mocha in the carton  when I was out shopping at Sam’s Club the other day. JP has been bugging me for some in his sippy cup ever since we bought it because he insists that it’s chocolate milk! ha ha

I poured in the mocha coffee over ice, added a little bit of whipped cream and chocolate syrup just to make it extra special – like it came from the coffee shop!

Ahhhhh.. Now time to indulge!

I love having my afternoon mommy time in my happy place – my back patio!

Can’t forget the brownie bites either!!

It was soooo refreshing! Iced coffee is one of my favorite summer treats! You may follow International Delight on Twitter or Follow them on Facebook.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias. All opinions are 100% my own.

Also – I think it’s a great message to encourage health and fitness into the lives of our children! It’s sooo important!

This stuff is like rocket fuel! Packed with tons of vitamins and minerals, it is all the right stuff that kids (and adults too!) need to maintain good health. I picked up a few flavors to try – My favorite is the one in the middle, mango protein. They even pride their packaging in being 100% green, every bottle is what they call “PlantBottle Packaging”. They do a much better job at explaining it than I can.

So I went out shopping and put together a little ‘kit’ suitable for a group of  many kids to play with. At first I was thinking the more traditional sports, like :

Soccer…

or basketball…

Or maybe even Football..

But when I saw this, my mind changed completely and I knew EXACTLY what to do!

Volleyball, of course! I knew I had a volleyball net stashed away in my garage somewhere, and I have finally dug it out. So with this brand new wilson volleyball, my donated volleyball net, a bottle of Odwalla juice with disposable cups to share and enjoy it in. I couldn’t think of anything more fun than Volleyball that also promotes health and fitness – so, Ta-da! here it is!

I decided to make my donation as simply as possible – I dropped it off with my regular routine trip to the post office! Easy peasy

To learn more about how to participate and serve your community, visit the Champion for kids website. They can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias. All opinions are 100% my own.

As most of you know, I’ve been talking alot about my being outside and gardening lately – but I haven’t really shown you anything.. Yet!  Lucky for me, the nice folks over at Whitney Farms®  (click and get a 3$ off coupon) sent me both plant food for my vegetable garden in my backyard as well as plant food for my flower garden in my front yard. How nice!! You know what’s even more awesome? It’s 100% organic too!

So I gave the organic plant food a try on my little patch of flowers our front – it came in the form of these easy little granules you spread over your soil, minus the funky odors.

I think my flowers are already happy with it!

When we first moved in this house that we now live in, I inherited a little stoned-in patch of garden that appeared to have been someone else’s vegetable garden at one time. It needed alot of good old fashioned elbow grease to get it back up to snuff – but I’ve finally managed to till up the ground and pull the weeds out. My little buddy even helped in adding some more organic soil!

There it is, in all it’s glory – ready for me to plant some veggies! We planted a bunch of things – tomatoes, potatoes, okra, watermelons, strawberries and even some pumpkins! I think it will be fun to grow our own pumpkins in time for halloween this year. Here’s a shot of my strawberry plants – I’ve already got a bloom!

I think it’s an important lesson for kids to learn that vegetables and fruit come from the ground, and not necessarily only from the grocery store. It’s really been a fun& educational activity to interest my little 3 year old, and a big learning experience for both of us!

In between all that, the wonderful folks over at BigJig Toys graciously sent me one of their wooden train sets – The Freight Train Set to be exact. I decided to set it up on the living room floor while JP was away at school last week and surprise him with it.

I added a few extra toys on top of our IKEA play rug just to make it extra-fun. It didn’t stay looking like this for long though!

As soon as we busted through the door, JP dove right in – picking up all the small rogue pieces he could find. This set comes with 130 (wooden) pieces from tracks, trains, vehicles and buildings and they all create the cutest little train village. For some reason, JP seemed to like the little ambulance car  ”Going to the hop-ital!” he sang while  simultaneously making siren noises.

Wheeeeee!

The set comes with 2 full trains that hold together magnetically. He adored playing with it!!

As for the ambulance, well.. There IS 130 wooden pieces in this set after-all!

Thank you Big Jig Toys! We truly love the set!