This post has been sponsored by Best Buy. All opinions are my own. When it was time to upgrade the refrigerator in our home last year, I did tons of research. I read reviews, I read about new and exciting tech upgrades [yes, there's some amazing tech in refrigerators now], and I looked around in stores to touch some options. When I finally decided on the refrigerator I wanted, I went to Best Buy. While you might think of Best Buy as an electronics store, it's that and so much more. You can find thousands of appliances for sale on BestBuy.com including refrigerators. And you better believe they have the refrigerators with amazing technology. Before I share with you a new refrigerator that I am totally eyeing when it's time for our next upgrade, I want to tell you a little about my experience with ordering our refrigerator at Best Buy. … [Read more...]
7 INSIDER TIPS to Make Your Visit to the Dollywood Great Pumpkin LumiNights AMAZING
One of the best times of year to visit Dollywood is in the Fall. The Harvest Festival is in full swing and it's the 3rd year of the Great Pumpkin LumiNights - an extremely popular, family-friendly display of thousands of glowing pumpkins all throughout the park! Here are 7 INSIDER TIPS to make your visit even better! It's no secret that Dollywood is indeed my happy place. I've been visiting since I was a little girl and in truth, the friendliest theme park in America only gets better every year. One of the newest festivals in the park is the Great Pumpkin LumiNights that runs the same length as the Dollywood Harvest Festival, from September 29 to November 2nd. It's the 3rd year of the Great Pumpkin LumiNights and definitely time for me to share some photos and insider tips on how best to enjoy your visit during October! Great … [Read more...]
5 Reasons The Whole Family Will LOVE the Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Show
Looking for a dinner show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee that the whole family will love? You have to visit the Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Show! The show is highly entertaining, hilarious, and offers an amazing Southern dinner that is all you can eat! My family just returned from a fun and full weekend in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We live just a little over an hour from the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and it's no secret that it's one of our favorite places to vacation... or is it a staycation since we're so close? Either way, it's one of our favorite towns to visit and always has been! We've been Dollywood season pass holders since the girls were little [and I was when I was growing up too], so it's no surprise that when we spend time in Pigeon Forge, we're usually at Dollywood. But this past weekend I made it a goal to visit a few … [Read more...]
Best Way to Fill Water Bottles for Back to School with Primo
This post has been sponsored by Primo®. All opinions are my own. A few weeks ago, the girls and I did their back to school shopping. It's quite fun for all of us and we love perusing the aisles and I love getting new office and school supplies... for them, of course! One item that's always on their school lists is a water bottle. Now, I'll be honest, we're really struggling to find THE magical water bottle that doesn't spill, doesn’t have a ton of little parts, and is super cute, but alas, we're trying each brand until we do find THE one. But one thing I'm not trying to find is a way to fill their water bottles anymore - that's been covered with our new Primo water dispenser. The girls easily fill their water bottles up each morning and are out the door, ready for a day of learning. Did you know that adding a water … [Read more...]
Picky About Your Produce? Me Too!
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PickyAboutProduce #CollectiveBias If you're picky about produce, you're not alone. I don't just buy produce anywhere, and neither should you. I buy produce at the store I know is just as picky as I am. Here's where you should buy your produce and 5 tips to get your kids [and entire family] to eat more fresh produce too! Living in a small town in East Tennessee definitely has its advantages and sometimes disadvantages too. While we only have 2 main grocery stores in town because of a lower population, you get to know those stores really well... and the employees too. While sometimes it's great to have lots of choices, it's even better to know exactly what you'll find when you visit your favorite grocery store in … [Read more...]
THE Snack You Need to Try Today
This post was sponsored by Blue Diamond® as part of an Influencer Activation and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. Do you crave salty and sweet? Crunchy and soft? Spicy and tart? Blue Diamond Almonds & Fruit are the snack that you need to try today. No matter your paired snack cravings, these bags have you covered! It's over. I've done the work. I've found it. THE ultimate snack for us Moms. Ok, Dads can enjoy too, but I'm currently hiding my bags of Blue Diamond Almonds & Fruit so they are mine, all mine. Now that my girls are back in school, my snacks no longer consist of finishing off what they didn't eat at lunch. It's time for a snack for ME and the new combinations from Blue Diamond are definitely one of my current favorites. They pair perfectly with your favorite non-cartoon binge-worthy … [Read more...]
Mini Meatball Subs – Perfect Size for Little Hands and Lunch Boxes
This post was sponsored by King’s Hawaiian as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. These mini meatball subs are the perfect weeknight dinner and meal for the lunch box. Think outside the sandwich and pack a delicious, savory meal for your kids for their school lunch. We're just a couple weeks into packing school lunches and I'm sharing one of my girls' favorites. They've both told me that when they open up their bento boxes at lunch and these adorable sized Mini Meatball Subs are inside, they do a little happy dance! While the girls are fine with eating school lunches, I prefer to pack their lunch because I know just what type of nutrition they are getting throughout the day. I can also watch to see how much they're eating [or talking] during lunch … [Read more...]
3 Reasons It’s time to Upgrade Your Kitchen Appliances
This post has been sponsored by Best Buy. All opinions are my own. It seems as I get older, my priorities in life are definitely changing. In fact, last year on my birthday we had a delivery of one of the BEST presents I've ever received... a refrigerator delivered from Best Buy! Not only was it the very first refrigerator I've ever gotten to buy [at 36 years old], because when we bought both our houses they came with an older one], but it was delivered and set up without a fight between my husband and me! Woohoo! If you've been married anytime at all, and your Type A like both me and my husband, that delivery and set up is one of the most golden parts of the appliance purchase. No fighting over putting a shelf in wrong, no fussing about not lifting high enough... ok, you get it. But how do you know when it's time to … [Read more...]
Celebrate Back to School with a Movie and School Supplies
This post is sponsored by 3M. All opinions are my own. Back to school time can seem overwhelming and not-so-much-fun at a glance, but in our house we celebrate this yearly occasion with school shopping, a fun family party, and this year - a movie thanks to Post-it® and Scotch™ products! Staying organized when things are about to get super busy is my biggest priority during back to school time. Not only do we have all of our regular activities that continued throughout the summer - gymnastics, piano lessons - but we'll start adding school choir, homework, and more to the list! It's important for me to keep all of that on track and I do just that with a command center in our kitchen. We recently did a huge renovation and turned our dated kitchen and dining room into a farmhouse kitchen so I DIY-ed my calendar and command center to match … [Read more...]
5 Tips for a Better Snack Station for Kids
This post is sponsored by General Mills. All opinions are my own. It's my favorite part of back to school, but can also be one of the most stressful parts of back to school... packing lunches and snacks. While we saw our share of lunches and snack times during summer, back to school lunches and snacks are just different, right? Getting anything together on school mornings adds a level of frustration and stress, so the better prepared you are for it all, the smoother school mornings go. This definitely includes snacks and school lunches so today I'm sharing my top 5 tips with you to build a better snack station for kids. Keep your snack cabinet organized. Organization, especially in the kitchen, just makes my heart and eyes happy. It's one room in the house where I like things to be kept up and clean. It's much easier to see when … [Read more...]
That Time My Kids Were in a Dollywood Commercial [and Met Dolly!]
Ever wonder what it's like to be in a Dollywood commercial or even meet Dolly herself? My girls did BOTH on a rainy Saturday in May and here's what happened! If you know me at all, you know my heart was bursting with pride when I got an email asking if my girls would be interested in being extras in a commercial to be filmed at Dollywood. Believe it or not, I DID ask them if they wanted to do it before I replied "YES YES YES!" You see, I've been a Dollywood super fan since I was a little girl. My family has always grown up going to Dollywood, I've been a Dollywood season passholder since I can remember, and my girls love it as much as I do. In fact, ask any of the 3 of us girls in the family where our favorite place in the world is and you'll likely hear the same response "the beach and Dollywood"! So, when the girls were asked … [Read more...]
DIY Daily Shower Spray for No Scrub Cleaning!
If you loathe cleaning showers as much as I do, you're going to love this DIY daily cleaning spray. Keep your shower clean with a daily spray and no scrubbing. The best part, you can make it yourself with no dangerous chemicals and just a few dollars! This post is in partnership with NOW®. All opinions are my own. Can I share a dirty secret with you? My shower. There, I said it. I know my shower isn't clean. How do I know? Well, I look at it and look at others, like at hotels, and yes, I know it's not as clean as it should be. Now, don't get me wrong. It's not filthy and gross, but there's a problem there for sure, but perhaps it isn't all my fault. It turns out we have hard water and I had no idea. But build-up is definitely there if I don't regularly clean the shower. And remember that dirty secret? It doesn't … [Read more...]