September has rolled on through and I can't believe how fast it's gone.  The school buses are back on the road and I try my best to not get stuck behind one!  Thankfully, I'm not usually on the road at the same time as them so this is usually not an issue.  While I did receive our September Pet Gift Box a little while ago already, I had to put off the review for one very sad reason.  Our little Yorkie, Angel, was due with her first litter of pups on October 9th and, sadly, she had them early.  Read more [...]

Making fun memories with our kids is really important to us.  So we strive to set the unimportant things in life aside from time to time and play a game, go on a walk, play in the sandbox, or some other fun activity.  Since I particularly enjoy cooking and baking, that is one of my go-to areas to also include the kids.  From the time they can walk, they tend to love joining me up at the island stirring, dumping, and pouring.  As they get older and their skill levels increase, I even encourage Read more [...]

Throughout the Summer months, local fire departments have water fights where they team up against other area departments.  It's always fun to watch and, if you're lucky, you may get a misty spray your way on the scorching hot days.  Since this Summer staple is coming to a close with the end of the season, I was really excited to see that the theme of our August Pet Gift Box was Fire Rescue! Sending a BIG thank you to PetGiftBox.com for sending us this amazing box of fun! August Fire Rescue Read more [...]

I find it ironic how things change over the years as research is done and knowledge is gained.  Growing up and even up till just a few years ago, plastic was king.  People would rave about how plastic was so great.  It traveled easily.  Fairly sturdy designs, that is, until you put them in the dishwasher as I have melted more than my fair share of Tupperware!  On and on, plastic was reigned in as the best.  But then it came to light how the ingredients used in making those handy plastic dishes, Read more [...]

Every family has their own unique traditions, family members, and values.  I love the diversity I see each day and especially enjoy when I see families teaching good character traits, love, and kindness.  In our efforts to raise our children, one important aspect that my husband and I have always focused on is our faith.  So, while we strive to read the Bible to the kids each day, attend church, volunteer, and sign up for church activities and programs, we've found it really helpful to also incorporate Read more [...]

I partnered with Bootler on this post. All opinions are my own. If you live in Chicago, you have a lot of food and alcohol delivery options. Of course, most people who choose to have food delivered to them do so for the sake of convenience. They want food brought to them to avoid a ride. So if choosing a delivery service is a complex or complicated problem, on some level that takes away from the convenience factor. Bootler is an online website that is designed to make getting the best deal on Read more [...]

Sleep....  It's a precarious thing when you're a parent.  I miss it.  I daydream about it.  Right now, I would just love to spend a night at the hotel with just my husband and I so we could both just S*L*E*E*P!  He gets up every morning at 3am and works hard all day long with only a catnap or two to get through.  While I really shouldn't complain much because our youngest has slept fairly well ever since we discovered the Zipadee-Zip, lately, she thinks her bedtime shouldn't be till 11 or 12 Read more [...]

Hot Hot Hot!  We've had a Summer heat advisory for several days this week and have been doing our best to stay cool.  One day, we even spent four hours at a friends place enjoying their lake front.  I loved seeing the kids try out paddle boarding for the first time as well as watch how adventurous our 4 and 5 year old boys were when it came to swimming out to the raft by themselves (with life jackets on).  But when it's this hot out, our little pups just can't enjoy the outdoors like usual as Read more [...]

I was sent a Surprise My Pet box to review. All opinions are my own. I've shared several Surprise My Pet dog subscription box reviews in the past. I am happy to be back with a review of another box. This is from the box that was sent to me the last week of May. I was traveling in June so that caused the delay. As usual, Surprise My Pet found really neat, creative products to include in their box. The May theme was 'Fun In The Sun' Each month, Surprise My Pet includes 5-7 items in their box. This Read more [...]

Thank you to Pfaltzgraff for providing me with product, free of charge, in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are 100% my own. When we moved into our new house, one thing I really wanted was a new dish set. I wanted dishes with a clean look and country chic design. I found exactly what I  had envisioned at  Pfaltzgraff. For over 200 years, Pfaltzgraff has been making ceramic products. Over the years Pfaltzgraff has listened to their customers to ensure they are making products Read more [...]