My Summer Road Trip: Family, Food, & Fun

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and BJ’s Restaurants but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BJsrestaurants http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

ROAD TRIP!  Summer is the season, isn't it? This year we had a 4th of July trip planned to visit my sister and her family in north Florida... a 6 hour drive (yep, that's where I've been). My kids absolutely love it there. They ask weekly if it's time to go visit Aunt Shannon and Uncle Rodney yet. Very rural. Lots of 4-wheeling, fishing, boats, boots, and fun with cousins. Also, cool antique stores my sister and I occasionally get to treat ourselves to while the guys watch the kiddos. (My guest room mirror is from there) Our trip was set.

Then just before we left, I got the opportunity to visit BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse in Daytona Beach and try their new Big Poppa Smokers' BBQ (and some craft beer!). What goes better than 4th of July, barbeque, and beer?! BAM. Larger road trip was born. East to beer and BBQ, north for a quick visit to the in-laws, then west to see my sis. Pack your bags and go potty, it's going to be a long ride!

We started out in Central Florida and headed east to Daytona Beach. First stop was BJs for some Big Poppa Smokers' BBQ lunch. Since I had been to a BJs restaurant before for a few work lunches and happy hours, I somewhat knew what to expect. However, I had never been there with kids and was a little nervous. Would there be business guys there in suits giving me the stink eye as my kids stuck their fingers in the ketchup? As soon as I saw the coloring paper and crayons come out, my fears were at ease. The atmosphere was casual and lively with plenty for families as well as business people. Look at the fancy pants chocolate milks BJs even hooked the kids up with!

(Can we all pause and give BJs a big thank you for triangular crayons? Seriously. Best things ever. No rolling off the table!)

My husband and I ordered off the new BJ's Blue Ribbon Barbeque menu featuring Big Poppa Smokers' BBQ. The new menu is available until September 2nd and has lots of tasty options from ribs to salad and several sauces to chose from. 

We got the ginormous barbeque combo for two. Notice I cruised right by the Under 575 Calories selections (I'll be back for those on a lunch break). haha This is what vacation is all about people! Also notice that we could not wait the extra 20 seconds for me to get a picture of the complete platter. It smelled so good! We had chicken with the signature sweet sauce, steamed veggies, and wedge fries and even got ribs to go to bring to my sister's to share. :) The car smelled ah-ma-zing the rest of the day. :)

On top of the BBQ, there's a complete list of craft brew available to pair with your meal. And, since my husband is an avid beer snob home brewer (learning all kinds of new stuff about me today... yay for beer with flavor!) he might have been mildly excited about this. Plus he got to drink half of mine since I was the driver. Oh so frosty and refreshing.

(The hubs with his IPA)

And since I notice cool decor everywhere I go, I loved the contrast of the chandeliers right next to the giant TVs with soccer on. There was an even bigger chandelier in the corner, but there were people there and they already thought I was nuts with my camera. :) Check out the floors too! Such a cool mix of colors. Would you be brave enough to mix and match?

If you want to find a BJs near you or find out more, visit their website or connect through facebook or twitter.

After stuffing ourselves eating a delicious lunch we headed north and surprised my in-laws with a quick pop-in near Jacksonville. We were only there a few minutes but it was cool to see their surprised looks :) Finally, we loaded back up and made the long haul to north west Florida for our final destination.

The kids got their 4-wheeler fix, caught their first fish, had lunch on a boat, and enjoyed tons of cousin time. I did absolutely nothing and even took a nap one day! So cheers to summer road trips, good food, and family. Now it's back to work/crafting/painting/gluing/sewing for me!

Let's be friends!

Shedding Light on My Healthy Lifestyle with All You Magazine

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and All You, but all my opinions are my own. #lifeforless #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

So if you've poked around the blog a bit, you get the drift that I'm a crafty DIYer. What you may not know is I'm kind of a crunchy granola hippie too... as it was described to me by a friend once. haha :)  A lot of what I buy and feed my family is either organic, all natural, wild caught (no farmed fish) or lately, locally grown... either from our tiny container garden (pic below... I'm so proud!) or local farmer's markets. 


And that's not just food either. We have natural soaps, toothpaste, sun screen, deodorant, and even lip gloss at my house. So when I got the opportunity to talk about All You Magazine and all the healthy lifestyle info it has to offer, I took it as my chance to come clean. My name is Sarah, and I'm a hippie.

Last week while on our way to visit the zoo in Tampa, we stopped at Sweetbay Supermarket for drinks and healthy snacks so we didn't end up with overpriced onion rings and burgers. That's when I picked up All You Magazine. There's lots of crafty tips and projects, coupons, and recipes on top of the healthy lifestyle info.  Lot's to keep me entertained for the trip home :) Note to self: try yoga.

One article in particular got me thinking. I was a big line up of deodorants and what each one has to offer... natural ones included. My husband uses a natural one... has for years, but I've been a holdout. What can I say... I'm scared of stinking! I've tried my husband's brand and while it works great for him, I end up smelling like a 13 year old boy straight from gym class by 3pm. However, the article got me re-motivated to try something better for my body. So I started to snoop and found Ann Marie's, from White House Black Shutters, post on how to make deodorant.

On top of it being much better for your body, it's way cheaper too. So I mixed up batch (full recipe here!) and started "the test".  So far so good. No "ode de gym socks" here... and have I mentioned it's July in Florida? Yep. If this isn't the ultimate test, I don't know what is. Granted, it won't keep you from sweating, but it's perfect for the days I spend 8+ hours in an office chair. It might be a small thing, but combined with the other small things I do, it adds up to a healthier me.

So now you know, while painting that dresser or sewing some curtains, I'm snacking on organic foods and not stinking with my natural deodorant, ha! Join me on the "hippie side", won't you? Click here to find out where to buy All You Magazine near you... and get a coupon. That's right, you can get a coupon to buy the magazine full of coupons! 

Let's be friends!

Complete Your Beach Bag with Huggies Little Swimmers

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Huggies, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #HuggiesSwimmers  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

So it's officially summer! Time for swimming, the beach, sand, sun, and BBQ's with family and friends. As the kids in my family get older and more dependent on the school calendar, more and more of our get-togethers are occurring poolside in the summer months. This year has been no exception. That booty up there is my nephew Blake trying to keep up with his older sister and cousins. Only thing is, Blake isn't quite ready for potty training yet. So to keep him in with the "big kids" and assure grandpa doesn't have to, ahem, sanitize the pool (we've all been there), we head to Target and get Huggies Little Swimmers to keep around.

When my kids were little we went on a pool/beach vacation and I forgot the swim diapers. I was seriously stressing about it. No stores close by and I did not want to chance being the family that cleared the pool. Luckily, when we were checking in the girl behind the desk heard me stressing out and like magic, had packs of Little Swimmers behind the desk for hotel guests and their little ones. They got one glowing review from me when we got home. I realize they are diapers, but I felt like I hit the lottery. haha! The little things when you're a frazzled mom on vacation, ya know?!

Even soaking wet they don't swell up and explode little gel balls everywhere :) Ever wash a diaper on accident? I have. It's not fun.

So if you're headed to the pool or beach this summer, I have a coupon for you ($1.50 off!) and pack the Little Swimmers for the little bums in your family. Give yourself one less thing you have to worry about.

Let's be friends!

Baby Advice from the "Veteran" Mom

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of HUGGIES. All opinions are 100% mine.

My babies when they were babies.

I got married fairly young (25) and had my first kid pretty soon after that at 26.  Then BAM, 2 years later, the other kid.  We went from a carefree, young, late-dinner-having, lax-schedule, vacationing (oh the vacations!), sleeping-in couple, to a family of 4 in a period of 2 years. It was quick. And among my close circle of friends, I was the only one with kids. Fast forward 5ish years, that has changed. All of them either have kids now or are pregnant. You know that stage in your life where everyone you know is getting married? Yeah, I'm at the everyone I know is having babies stage. I'm now the one with the old kids... the veteran if you will. I'm going to share some recent pictures of a playdate to show you what I mean.

This is the beautiful Lexi. Her mama and I have been freinds since college.

And the always-on-the-move Joey. No way was he sitting still for a picture!

And the brand new Jackson... Joey's little brother. Their mama and I have been friends a bit longer.

I still remember the advice I got from EVERYONE about how my life was gonna change, what their babies did, and how I was never going to sleep again (that one is true). And I was annoyed then. But I get it now (live and learn, right?). It's difficult not to share your hard-earned wisdom with the preggers out there. It helps you remember your babies to talk to others about them. You earned these battle scars and it kind of seems like your duty to warn, er ... educate soon-to-be parents out there. So let me reminisce, will you? I've earned this baby advice... and I might miss my "babies" just a little.

• Put the cabinet locks on. Just do it. I'm not talking about just under the sink where the deadly chemical stuff is, I talking every single cabinet they can possible reach. Lock. It. If not, you will be cleaning up every pot lid and tupperware container everyday (covered in crumbs and dog hair) for years.
• Pack more diapers, wipes, and outfits than you think you will need. Never fails. The one time you don't pack the extra, extra pair of shorts, your kid will pee on, spill on, render useless what they are wearing. Take this from a mom who had to put peed-through shorts back on her kid at Disney World. Not pretty. The extra HUGGIES® Little Movers for active babies were a staple in my bag from then on.
• Put them in the cute outfits when they are small just because. They grow out of them so fast and, let's face it, newborns don't go too many places. Just put the outfits on them at home and take some pictures. You'll be glad you did later.
• Do what works for your family... even if it's weird. Our daughter tried to/did eat the dog food one too many times. Our solution? A Winnie the Pooh doll she was terrified of. I don't know what it was about poor Pooh, but she hated him. We sat him right up next to the dog bowls to "stand guard". Worked like a charm. :)
• Save money on diapers and wipes! For example, HUGGIES® Triple Clean Wipes and HUGGIES® Snug & Dry Diapers as well as Bonus Pack Diapers are all available at Walmart. Shop at a place that takes coupons and has low prices anyway. Buy in bulk to save even more. I still store all of my kids' art supplies in my wipes containers.

So there's my two cents.  Most importantly, do what works for YOU and your baby, but know that the "veterans" out there offering advice are doing so because they've walked the walk.

Let's be friends!

Easy Tank Top Dress

Earlier this week I made some 4th of July hair bows. While buying the clips for those I ran across a table of cheap tank tops and got the idea to do a matching tank top dress as well. This might be one of the easiest dresses ever to sew. If you're looking for a beginner project to wear, you're in the right place. I made this dress for my 5 year old (she wears a size 6), but it could easily be adapted for any size. I could see this being a great bummin' around beach dress for myself too. It's also a good upcycle project if you've got a shirt circa 2001 that's way too short now (you know you're still hanging on to a few... I am). Chop that sucker off and make an easy tank top dress!

Supplies

• Tank Top - or any shirt really that has some stretch to it
• About 1/2 Yard of Fabric for a girl's dress - this will vary depending on the size booty you're trying to cover
• About 1 1/2 Yards of Ribbon - on the thicker side to make a nice waist band
• Double Fold Bias Tape
• Sewing machine, pins, thread, scissors, measuring tape

You should wash and dry your fabric and shirt before starting. This will prevent uneven shrinking and wrinkling later.

Step 1
Chop off your tank top.
I put the shirt on my kid and measured down from the neck where I wanted the skirt part of the dress to start. It was 5". Then I added 1" for seam allowance. Is that a huge seem allowance? Why yes it is... don't judge. So I did my chopping at 6" down from the neck.

Step 2
Measure and cut the skirt fabric.
Now measure from where you just determined the skirt would start (my spot was 5" down from the neck) to where you want the skirt to end. I went just past her knee and came up with 18". I then added an inch for seam allowance and cut at 19". Since I started with a square yard of fabric, I did not cut down the width at all.  I just left it 1 yard wide (it's folded in quarters here to make it easier to cut).

Here's the little drawing I did to help me remember my numbers.  After I sketched the dress the kid came in and added the body parts and "princess" hair. I'll pause while you admire the splendor. You can see my actual measurements on the dress and then the measurements plus seam allowance over to the right. I also measured her waist too, 21". We'll need that in a bit.

Step 3
Sew your skirt into a tube.
Take your rectangle, fold it in half matching up the raw edges, and sew up the side. I did this using french seams. That's when your raw edges are completely hidden and finished on the inside as well as the outside. Here's how.

First sew your seam with wrong sides of the fabric together. This is the opposite of how you would normally do it. Sew very close to the edge with a tiny seam allowance.

When that's done, flip your fabric inside out so now the right sides are facing each other (like normal) and sew your seam again. This time with a slightly larger seem allowance.

And ta da! Your raw edges are now tucked into a neat and tidy pocket on the inside of your skirt. No fraying, no strings.

Step 4
Sew your tank top to your skirt.
Make the skirt inside out. Make the tank top right side out. Shove the tank top inside the skirt so the right sides of the tank top are touching the right sides of the skirt. Line up the raw edges of the tank and skirt. Also make sure the back of the tank top lines up with the seem you just made on the skirt. That's the back :)

Pin the front, back, and both sides. The skirt will bunch in between the pins since it's wider than the tank top. That's okay.

Start sewing at the back pin. Stretch the tank top to match up with the width of the skirt while you sew. Sew from one pin to the next pin, pulling each section flat as you go.

The blue thread is what we just sewed. After that I zig zagged that seem too (the white) to keep it from fraying too badly. Notice my giant seem allowance :)

This is what you should have now.

Step 5
Add the ribbon.
My ribbon is about 2" wide and 55" long. I just put the ribbon up to my kid and determined what length would go around her waist and make a nice bow in the back.  Then I hemmed the ends by folding over twice and sewing. Like this...

Then find the center of the ribbon and pin it to the center of your dress, covering the seem between the skirt and top. Now remember when I measured my kid's waist earlier (21")? This is when that comes into play.

Half of that waist measurement is 10 1/2"... this is the width you want the front of the dress to be. So, gather your dress in from the sides and pin the ribbon to each side seam of the tank top making the total distance between your side pins 10 1/2" (or half of your waist measurement). Make sure the ribbon is flat and not bunched up. This is what is going to make the font of your dress look neat and clean.

Now just sew a rectangle around your ribbon. I start on the side, go up the side seem, across the front, back down the other side seem, and across the front again. Just try to keep the wrinkles in the dress evenly spaced under the ribbon. You could add more pins if you want before sewing to help with that.

Step 6
Add bias tape.
Last step! I finished the hem of the dress with double fold bias tape. I think it's faster than hemming and requires no ironing :) I started at the back seem and finished by folding the edge of the bias tape under and letting it overlap where I started a little.

You're done! Put that sucker on. I don't know what took me so long to make this dress. I've had that polkadot fabric for probably 2 years now. I love it! What other occasions could you make this dress for?  Let me know. I see some tailgating maybe?? :)

No more pictures mom! I'm going to look for fish!

Let's be friends!