“The overall domestic economic picture continues to improve slightly, however, American consumers faced a new challenge this year as steadily increasing gas prices throughout the spring significantly squeezed many household budgets,” said AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet. “Americans will still travel during the Memorial Day holiday weekend but, many will compensate for reduced travel budgets by staying closer to home and cutting entertainment dollars.”

Stay safe on the roads. Unfortunately, in this day and age you have to watch out for people texting, drunk drivers and people just not paying attention. Be on guard and stay attentive. If you feel sleepy, pull over or let another person drive in your party.

If you are driving with kids this weekend or any road trip, I have tips that will help make the trip more tolerable.

1. Make sure to pack plenty of snacks. Kids get hungry which can lead to multiple melt-downs. You will want to pack foods that are easy for them to access in the car. Pringles resealable cans make the perfect road trip companion, comfortably nestled inside most vehicle cup holders. For the crisps you crave in smaller sizes try Pringles Snack Stacks and Grab & Go cans. Both packs are also designed for the Pringles shape, making on-the-go snacking convenient and mess-free. Don’t forget water and juice. The kids will want to stay hydrated.

2. Pack a technology bag. Technology can be evil yes if kids are allowed to access it 24/7 but in moderation can be a stress reliever for everyone in the car. Pack an iPad or iTouch with apps already installed that they kids love and even new apps for variety. Pick DVDs that your child loves and one that they have been wanting to see forever. If you don’t have a DVD player, take a laptop with you. Game consoles such as DSi’s are great companions as well. Switch up the technology and use it in moderation.

3. Pack an art bag. Crayons, coloring books, stickers, doodle notepad are just a few items you could put in the bag.

4. Pack a prize bag. If you are going on a really long road trip, visit your dollar store or the dollar section at your local Target and grab several dollar gifts. Wrap the gifts and place in a prize bag. Let the kids unwrap a gift each hour of the road trip. This will keep the kids excited knowing that they have a new gift to open each hour.

5. Pack a music bag. Kids love the interaction with the parents. Set aside different times on the trip. Pop in their favorite CD and enjoy singing along with the kids OR just enjoy hearing your sweet kids voices.

I hope all these tips will help make your road trip even more enjoyable. Stay safe and have a great road trip.

It may or may not have been coincidence when I got an email to review Udi’s hamburger and hot dog buns. I was up for the challenge.

I invited my Mom and Dad over for a grill-out for Mother’s Day. I wanted to surprise my mom and dad with Udi’s buns, so we all did a taste test at one time.

Let me just say, you see the cookies in the picture above? The snickerdoodles were gluten free and so amazing. We had the cookies gone within 5 minutes. Definitely a must-have for your family. They were so delicious that they would just melt in your mouth. Grab a glass of milk and dip the cookie… awesome!

We sat around the table and put the buns to test. The texture was different than we are use to, but it was not bad at all. We all really liked the taste. It actually tasted a lot fresher than most store bought buns. The bread was soft and almost reminded us of sourdough bread. The only thing I would do different, is cook thicker hamburgers. I cooked thin turkey burgers and the Udi’s buns are very thick so the bread would overtake the taste of the hamburger. The buns would be simply delish with a thick and juicy hamburger and hotdog.

Overall, I have to say we were very pleased with the taste. If this is how gluten free foods taste, I am saying sign me up. Between the cookies and the bread, we are definitely fans of Udi’s Gluten Free Foods.

To get us all ready for summer, Udi’s is dishing out some fun on their Facebook page. They are doing their own version of bingo with the BUN-GO game!

BUN-GO is our way of getting fans exciting for summer and giving them the items they need to host a great BBQ. Each participant will get their own BUNGO board, similar to a BINGO board. Each square has an associated task, such as answering a question about your favorite hot dog toppings. Once you complete a row, diagonal, or column of squares (i.e. tasks) you earn points toward Udi’s Gluten Free bun coupons and other barbecue essentials. If you complete your entire board, you’re entered to win a $500 gift card to one of the following retailers: Home Depot, Williams-Sonoma, or Whole Foods.

Start your summer off right with your own BUN-GO board. I know I am completing a board to see if I cannot snag a gift card. You should too!

Disclosure: Thank you to Udi’s Gluten Free Foods for sending me a review box to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

You guessed it. It’s me. Pretty cool right?! I am so excited about this new journey with Moe’s Southwest Grill. We had our first taste of Moe’s three years ago in Florida. My husband did not even want to try the place. Now, we are hooked. I am proud to say that I will be on the Blogger Advisory Council over the next year. We have lots of exciting plans and events planned. So, you will want to make sure you stay tuned.

During my recent visit to Moe’s Southwest Grill in Atlanta, GA, I was able to go behind the scenes and create my own burrito. It takes a lot for a company to encourage you to come behind the scenes, but Moe’s was excited to have us.

We recently went HFCS free and are really watching what foods we put into our body, so just another reason of the millions to love Moe’s. Moe’s believes in delicious simplicity, which is their way of saying they’re committed to serving only the highest quality ingredients 100% of the time at 100% of their locations. The fully customizable menu proudly boasts all natural, cage-free, white breast meat chicken; steroid-free, grain-fed pulled pork; 100% sirloin, grass-fed steak; and organic tofu. At Moe’s, there are no microwaves, no Trans fats and no msg. Wouldn’t it be nice if all restaurants gave us this option? Moe’s really listens to their customers and are always open to feedback. They are rocking the customer service world indeed!

While on our recent road trip to Florida, we tried to visit as many Moe’s as we could. It was with the new handy phone app, that we were able to track down the different locations. I have the app installed on my Droid. Moe’s Southwest Grill® partnered with the app design company Splick–it® to provide an app that is available on the iPhone and Droid markets. The app allows you to track all the Moe’s locations around you and also allows you to order straight from the app. All you have to do is drive to the location and pick up your food. No more waiting in line. Pretty sweet right?! Visit the iTunes® store or Android® Market on your phone and download the app for free. Easy peasy.

In addition to adding iPhone® and Android® apps to Moe’s mobile presence, Splick–it® created fully revamped online ordering websites for each participating location. Moe’s will also have access to new mobile marketing tools created by Splick–it® to send targeted, outbound promotions to their user base.

Each location we visited, we were always treated with courteous and respect. This was before they know I was on the Blogger Advisory Council too. This shows you how this corporation strives on customer service.

Hope you will stay connected with them on their Facebook page for the latest deals and coupons as well. Don’t forget to sign-up for their mailing list too, so you will not miss any email coupons. You will get a special surprise just for signing up.

Moe’s has a super fun contest coming up where you will get to create your own dish to have served in locations all over the country. Stay tuned and I will give you all the details.

For now… Welcome to Moe’s and don’t forget to Feed the Moement!

My husband and I have been together over 10 years now. Those 10 years brought so many ups and downs and I will be truthful… some of the downs led me to wanting to just throw my hands up and be done. I would search my soul and send so many prayers up to the Lord to please intervene. Our biggest challenge came when my husband got the lay-off slip at work. The slip could not have come at a worse time, at least in my opinion. My husband had a heart condition that caused a bad single car accident. He was out of work for three months. After going back to work from medical leave, it only was a week until he received the pink slip. Needless to say, the company has went under and employees all across the US are without a job.

The unemployment brought on a huge depression for my husband. You see, this unemployment is going on the third year as we speak. The first two years of the unemployment was horrible. I cried, I screamed and I just wanted to give up on us altogether. So, what changed things?

After having a conversation with a special person in my life, she made me think about things. My husband was depressed and taking out his bitterness on the one he loved – ME! I needed to quit being angry towards him and wrap him with love. He was bitter, because his wife was being so successful and all he could do is sit back and wallow in pity. We had a heart to heart talk. In the talk, I told him how much he contributes to this family without having a job. Dude… he does our family’s laundry. Is that not huge? He will take the kids to their extracurricular activities and not even complain about being Dad Taxi. Our cars stay in tip top shape, because he washes them every other day. Hey, who am I to complain? At least the cars are always sparkling.

I realized that I was not being the best wife and helping him through the depression. A light bulb moment changed our lives so much. I thank him more for all he does to help the family function better day to day. I tell him I love him. I go up and hug him randomly throughout the day. I will grab his hand as we are walking. I will lay my hand on his leg when we are eating dinner. I call him Mr. Handsome randomly during our conversations. It did not take time to realize, we were becoming best friends once again. The sparkle was in our eyes once again when we would look at each other. We were holding loving conversations instead of seeing who could win a yelling match.

All it took was that special friend to open my eyes, unemployment did not have to kill us – unemployment could bring us closer. So, I can 100% say, I am thankful for his unemployment. I love you best friend!

Disney World is opening a new value resort this month.

The Disney’s Art of Animation will open their first phase on May 31. This phase is the Finding Nemo Family Suites.

During our recent Disney Social Media moms conference, we were able to experience the suites firsthand. First, let me say… this is an amazing resort. I could not believe my eyes when they told me this would be a value resort. Your kids will have a wonderful time. As you walk into the resort, you will be in awe by the decor.

The resort is sharing from Walt Disney and Disney Pixar classics. The hotel is designed magically and appropriately themed throughout the entire resort.

There will be three pools onsite with the largest being in the Finding Nemo courtyard. As you can see, my mouth fell open as we walked out to the courtyard. This was such a dream and we were living it.

The Finding Nemo courtyard also features a park and a splash zone. My girls enjoyed the splash zone for an entire hour and I had to bribe them to leave the zone. Such a neat addition to the pool.

The paintings and architecture on the resort will grab any child’s attention.

After I talked the girls into leaving the splash zone, we headed into the state of the art arcade. There is a fun game adventure for every age of the family. Even adults can be a little kid again.

As you can see, your child will not be saying “I’m bored” while you are at the Disney Art of Animation Resort. If you do decide to have some down time though, you will be relaxing in style in your room. Check out these super cool Finding Nemo Family Suites.

As you walk into the room, you will see a dining table. Guess what? The dining table turns into a bed for the kids. Is that not the coolest? My kids were amazed.

Parents have their own bedroom and bath.

The entire family can enjoy the very spacious living room.

Believe me, you will not be disappointed in the new resort. With 1,120 suites designed after Finding Nemo, Cars and The Lion King, and 864 rooms inspired by The Little Mermaid, you’ll feel like you’re staying in the middle of a Disney story with all of your favorite characters. Family suites are scheduled to open in May 2012 and standard rooms are scheduled to open September 2012. Here is a detailed listed of opening days:

Finding Nemo Family Suites—Opening May 31, 2012
Cars Family Suites—Opening June 18, 2012
The Lion King Family Suites—Opening August 10, 2012
The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms—Opening September 15, 2012

Until we meet again Art of Animation Resort, we will hold these special memories close to our hearts!

Disclosure: Disney provided a sneak peek of the Art of Animation Resort to my family as part of our conference fee to the Disney Social Media Moms Conference. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

The Mother´s Day Pillsbury® Ready to Bake! Shape® Cookies are especially themed with amazing, extraordinary moms (like you) in mind! With a little help from a special Disney friend, these colorful pre-cut cookies are their way of saying, “thanks for everything mom!”

Are they not the cutest? My girls enjoyed helping me bake these and then they were over the moon to serve these to me with a glass of milk. It was so cute to see them being little waitresses. We bought an extra box to serve to my mom and aunt this weekend.

Two reasons moms are loving these cookies:

1. Quick and convenient, Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape Cookies are ready to enjoy in 8-10 minutes and can be found at your local grocer.

2. Celebrate Mother´s Day with everyone´s favorite Disney character, Mickey Mouse

I have a special coupon for all my readers so you can enjoy these wonderful cookies this weekend! Click here to print a coupon to save $1.10 off the purchase of (1) package of Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape Cookies.

Since I love you all so much too, I have special giveaway for you!

WIN a wonderful Pillsbury prize pack.

Prize Pack includes:

A coupon to purchase a package of Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape Cookies
Cookie Jar
Cookie Spatula
Oven Mitt

TO ENTER:

1. Leave a comment sharing your favorite Mother’s Day memory.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

2. Tweet about this giveaway

3. Subscribe to our feed

Disclosure: The VIP coupon, prize pack, information, and additional sample have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

The Festival is presented by HGTV from March 7, 2012 through May 20, 2012. If you can make plans to see this unique festival, please do. You will not be disappointed. This is a highlight we have enjoyed for the last two years. M and L get so excited to tour the park and see all the beautiful creations.

You’ll find more than 100 flower creations throughout Epcot —including more than 75 Disney character creations! Character highlights this year include Buzz, Woody and Lotso from the Disney•Pixar film Toy Story 3, Lightning McQueen and Mater from the Disney•Pixar film Cars 2, and other classic favorites such as Pooh Bear, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and of course Cinderella.

You will be so inspired and in such a joyful environment. Grab a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy this short 3 minute recap. Enjoy!

Disclosure: Disney provided Park Hopper tickets to my family as part of our conference fee to the Disney Social Media Moms Conference. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

Since the movie has done so well, you know your kids will be asking for a Superhero Party right? I can help you with the details. Ms. Ricky Eisen, Founder and President of Events and Celebrations by Between the Bread has graciously shared all her tips on how to throw an awesome superhero party – Avengers Style.

Invitations: Start your party off right with the perfect invitation. You can make your own postcard invitations with cardboard cut-outs of bright blue painted stars, and include the details about your party in a thin black marker. Decorate the front of each with classic comic book words like POW!, ZAP! And WAM!

Décor: The Avengers bring together 6 epic superheroes. Create your own easy decorations with cardboard cutouts of spiders and paint them black, neon green head’s of The Hulk and classic American flags for Captain America and, throughout the party, use bold colored streamers, which will add some mystery to the room.

Centerpieces: Choose your favorite Avenger and decorate the table around that character. Use lots of primary colors, since comic strips are usually blue, yellow and red. Print outs of comic book pages covered in contact paper make great placemats. Blanket your tables with these to tie the décor together and include stars, spiders and Hawkeye cut-outs on wooden sticks around the table with silver confetti.

Music: Keep the music simple but fun. “Live to Rise,” the original song written for and appearing in the film is the first single from the Marvel Music/Hollywood Records release Avengers Assemble. The epic and cinematic video, featuring a searing live performance with film footage, was directed by Robert Hales (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Janet Jackson, Kings of Leon, Justin Timberlake). View “Live To Rise”

Menu: Mini snacks such as cut-out tea-sandwiches make great finger food. Look for cookie cutters in shields, stars and spiders to create these treats. For Incredible Hulk themed beverages, create trays of green ice cubes by freezing water with green food color, and WOW! guests as their clear citrusy beverages transform color before their very eyes.

Party Favors: As a parting gift, place a few Avenger designed cookies in a cellophane bag and close with a gold twist-tie – your guests can enjoy the party for days to follow with these treats!”

RECIPE

1. Whip up a batch of your favorite sugar cookie recipe and use a cookie cutter to make character cookies. They make Superhero cookie cutters in the shape of many Avengers heroes. You can also use any oval shaped cookie cutter and instead fill in the details with your decorating. Once your cookies are baked and cooled, you are ready to begin decorating.

2. You can make your own royal icing (See: How to Make Your Own Royal Icing included below) or use store-bought. Color with food coloring to achieve the various colors you want for decorating. We recommend green (for the Hulk), yellow, blue, black, white, and brown. Place each color in a piping bag.

3. Begin by outlining the cookie in your base color. (If you were starting with The Hulk, outline the entire shape in green. Color in your outline with green icing and cover the entire cookie. (You can actually use a paintbrush to “paint” your cookie.) Give the base a few minutes to dry and choose your next color. For The Hulk’s hair, outline his hairline in black and proceed to fill in with black icing. You can continue to draw features in and watch your character come to life.

How to Make Your Own Royal Icing

3 egg whites, at room temperature. We prefer dehydrated egg whites, available at most supermarkets.
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
food coloring (optional)

Mix above ingredients with a little warm water until smooth. Add food coloring.

Let the party fun begin!

Anywho… I am breathing a sigh of relief and thanking God for giving me the strength and courage to make it this far. Now is a time to buckle down and finally put my ideas to work. I have so much I have been wanting to do for this blog and my photography blog, and I finally have time to do that.

I just came off of two conferences Disney Social Media Moms Celebration and Mom 2.0. I met with so many wonderful brands that loves parents so much and I cannot wait to share the information with you.

Also, I want to get my family time back. Each night, I would have my nose stuck in books doing hours of homework, which led to my girls not getting the family attention they deserved. I can’t wait to have picnics, take hikes and enjoy the beauty of our mountains. I have the two most understanding girls though, and they were my big supporters in always saying “I can do this.”

So tell me… what are you looking forward to this Summer?