It seems that winter is finally slipping away and Spring is starting to bloom. Pretty but….. POLLEN!! If you have allergies to the pretty flora around us like I do then you know how it feels to want to be in a bubble. 

I’ve found some relief- not in a pill form. How about an air purifier? Have you heard of WINIX ?

Why consider an air purifier? It used to be that I thought I suffered from mild allergies or hay fever. Well, as the years went by the allergies increased. Tried a lot of things to find relief. Until it came to the point where I had to see an allergy specialist, went through all the skin testing. To find out that, as the doctor put it, “I lit up the skin test board”! 

Yes, I’m on a regimen to keep allergies in check and I’m in a Immuno-therapy program. But, truth be told it’s still hard to manage. I need something more to find some kind of relief at the end of the day.

What a delight to see at the door!!

Now to unpack this gem.

Sleek looking, isn’t it?!? 

Easy to understand controls. Doesn’t take up a lot of space. And personally, I think it looks very nice.

So to this point your asking, what makes it so great? Let me tell you…..

It works right away! You see the light in the unit change as the air gets better. As a bonus- there’s an app for that too! 

One of the easiest points of this unit to set up. Yes, it has WiFi and connects to your phone in a flash! 

I can check on my phone when I’m not at home how the air is in the room. I can control the unit so it will be ready before I get home. Easy to read and use.  It has three filters; one filter that can be cleaned every two weeks and a two stage Hepa filter that only needs to be replaced once a year!! The first stage is a charcoal filter to help get rid of the “smell” in the air, and the second is the anti microbial Hepa filter. 

Perfect! Where has this been all my allergy ridden life?!?! I have finally found relief. I’m able to sleep through the night without sneezing. The room smells fresher than any air freshener could do. I feel more refreshed in the morning as well.

When looking for an air purifier for your family’s good health, I can highly recommend this one just on pure experience!!

Please go to: http://www.winixamerica.com

For the clean air we were meant to have.

It’s been a trying winter….. but now Spring is finally upon us, and looked what showed up at the door!

Heaven in a box!! Thanks to Tryazon and Ritter Sport Chocolate (www.ritter-sport.com)!!!

This is my first party with Tryazon (www.tryazon.com), and I’m excited. The first part is creating a chocolate project. Mine became a “Chocolate-ville”.

Part two is the best part- a chocolate tasting party!!

To celebrate the beautiful Spring weather I decided to set the party outside.

I set the time for right after work. Why? What a great time to have a nice piece of chocolate to wipe away the troubles of the day and the winter woes.

So each guest walks up to a place setting. The placemat has 3 chocolate square varieties, adjacent to it is a questionnaire that asked them to guess the flavor and give their opinion of the piece.

As an in between they can have a sip of  a sparkling rosebud soda.

(Please excuse the lack of a few photos of the second round of tasting- photos are not for everyone- or due to work restraints can not be photographed. But I thank them for joining the event)

The crowd favorite was Honey Salt Almond. Many were surprised how they favored the one with whole macadamia. Coconut macaroon was well liked as well.

The coupons for the guests I attached to another gift, a sleeve of the minis!

I placed the minis in containers on the table as well to “nibble” on as we talked about our week. Smiles all around!!!

Yes, Chocolate Makes it Better!!

Here’s to the next party with Tryazon!!!

National Geographic has truly put the fun in learning! Have you checked out their new books?

Not only are the books eye catching, they are part of a fun program called Super Readers . The books are by level, for example “Pre-reader” would be for a kindergartner and level one a first grader. Here’s where the books get a little more interactive. Once you’ve started the level books got to the website: http://www.natgeokids.com/superreaders 

There you’ll find more details about the program and neat posters that go with the books your children are reading . Once they finish the book they get to “check” it off the poster. There are other fun things to discover on the website as well.

What a great time of the year for National Geographic to show its kids’ side! Remember March is “National Reading Month”. And in case you’re wondering, March 12th is “Read Across America ” day.

But any day and any month, when a child holds a book an adventure begins. The level series from National Geographic is packed with vivid pictures  with easy to read print and format for any child.

But you have to go to the natgeokids.com to get in on the additional fun kids will have learning.

What we loved from the opportunity to share these books with the kids is the variety that is offered. Like the National Geographic that we parents are used to, the books cover everything  from  animals to space to historical figures like Sacajawea.  It also gives us an extra opportunity to sit and read a book with our kids for some quality and bonding time!

How did I get so lucky to have a sneak peek at these books ? Through MomsMeet!! 

Go to their website and give them a try: http://www.momsmeet.com

Sunday breakfast in your pajamas is always fun. But how about breakfast for dinner in your pajamas on a Monday night?!

Sound like fun?? Well, Chick- Fil- A knows how much fun it is! Just this evening they hosted a “Breakfast for Dinner in PJs Party with the cow”! 

Kids come in their pjs and receive a mini breakfast of their 3pc. Mini chicken in a biscuit and hash browns. 

But that’s not all, they get a craft! They get to color their own pillowcase and get their picture taken with the infamous cow!!

Stay tuned for more Chick-fil-A events like this is your area. There are Kids Night Mondays where kids get a craft and a 4ct nugget meal!

Building childhood memories!!

There’s the old stand by peanut butter, what a classic. But, it can have another side that can be harmful. So in the scene came almond butter! Different and as versatile as peanut butter.

But wait! There’s more…..

Have you heard? Or have you tried? Sunflower seed butter and cashew butter? 

May I introduce to you “Once Again nut butters”!

And like children in a class room, they have their own unique characteristics!

The cashew has its natural, subtle sweetness. The almond has a minimal crunchy texture. The no stir peanut butter can give any supermarket peanut butter a run for its money. And the sunflower? Has the sunflower flavor you look for, without the work of taking off the shell.

But how does it compare is baking with them for example…

These were made with the among butter. They were on the edge of decadent! It brought a certain richness to the cookies. 

Here’s a description from one of the members of my “Mommy taste/test panel”: 

“All I can say about this Almond butter is Wow!! It makes Peanut Butter taste like cardboard. The flavor is so rich and complex. It was very similar to my homemade, which was roasted almonds processed with a little oil but Better!!!

Straight out of the jar, in the batter or in the finished product, the flavor translated perfectly.  I “sampled” so much, I made myself sick!”

“Once Again Nut Butters” are definitely worth looking for in the stores. They have a quality beyond compare.

http://www.onceagainnutbutter.com

Brunch is a great meal! You don’t have to wake up early for it and it always feels special. Bobby Flay loves it so much he has a whole show devoted to it!!

But not all brunches are created equal. Sure, you can do your own at home, but it’s so much more when you go out for it. Case in point, did you know Maggiano’s does brunch?

No, they don’t serve spaghetti on the brunch menu! Here’s what they have:

The hardest part is deciding what to get. So…. my husband and I decided to get a few and shared. Well, as much as we would let ourselves share – hahaha!

Here’s what we had:

With the brunch comes a complimentary citrus cinnamon streusel to begin the meal

Here’s our order:

What a feast!!

Lemon ricotta pancakes, that taste like a dessert!!! You can choose a side to go with it.

Jumbo crab cake Benedict!

Meatball Benedict- who knew? 

Both are packed with flavor! Now there are other combinations to choose from, it’s just deciding which one to get!!

Now, you don’t have to wait for the weekend to have brunch. Maggiano’s offers a smaller menu from Monday to Friday, 11 am- 3pm:

The full brunch menu is served Saturday and Sundays, also 11am- 3pm.

And just in case there’s someone in the group that’s not a brunch-person, the regular lunch menu is also offered.

Don’t forget to make your reservations!

See you there!!!

Who can’t resist breakfast for dinner?

We are so fortunate that our local Chick-fil-A values family as much as we do! 

This March 13th from 5-7 pm our local Chick-Fil-A will have a “Breakfast PJ Party”. The cow will be there! 

AND…. kids can color their own pillowcase while you enjoy your breakfast for dinner! 

You have to pre-register for the event.

Go to : http://www.marketing@cfaspc.com

We are so fortunate that our nearby Maggiano’s offers Kids Cooking Classes! They do an entire meal; salad, entree and dessert. Best about the class it’s interactive. They put their ingredients together for each dish and the chef “quizzes ” them, too. For example, today’s class started with them preparing the dessert, apple crostata. Chef Roni asked them “why did we start with dessert?” Hands went up! They answered- because it has to bake. ​

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​ Mmmmm…. can you smell the apples cooking?  Then the step by step construction ​

​On to the salad, the dressing really makes a difference!

Layer by layer they put a great dish together!​

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Hard to resist lasagna! 

And now dinner is done!! And you got the night off! 

But wait the event isn’t over yet… time for some lunch!!

Kids and parents get to enjoy a bite!

Maggiano’s has thought of everything! Definitely love them for this!!

Want to join us for the next class? Sign up for their newsletters, you can localize- that way you’ll get emails with a direct link for their events!!

http://www.maggianos.com

Well, the warm mid- winter temperatures were just a little treat. Today was winter’s reminder that it is still March, there was even flurries today!!

So that meant the kids could not go outside to play… but it’s Friday?!?! So that meant a craft! Why not try something that is all over YouTube and the Net? Yup, fluffy slime! There’s a lot of variations out there, but here’s the combination that worked the best.

In one bowl: one cup of hot water and one tablespoon Borax. Stir until the Borax is dissolved and the mixture looks clear.

In a second bowl mix the following together:

1 cup glue 

Half cup water 

3- 4 cups shaving cream ( any brand is fine)

2 tablespoons of contact lens solution 

Once you’ve mixed them together, add 2-3 tablespoons of the Borax mixture one tablespoon at a time . Once it starts to form a ball and not stick to the sides of the bowl, you’re done!!

Time to play!!

We tried barabsol shaving cream and Pure silk shaving cream both work great and can be found at the dollar stores. Bonus the Pure silk smelled nice.

Tried it also with glitter glue, it worked okay but we did have to add a little more glitter. Side note: the glitter will be on your hands as well.

If you’d like to have a colored fluffy slime , food coloring works great. Add it before you add the Borax mixture.

Have fun!!