The Sweet Mama Life

5 Ingredient Easter Cookies!

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5 ingredient Easter Cookies for my peeps! Well you all know how I like my quick and simple cookie decorating recipes, so here’s one for Easter!! They are pretty self explanatory with the photos below, but here is the “recipe” (if you can even call it that)! This also makes for a great cupcake topper and it’s easy enough for kids to do!

-Store bought frosted cookies, or make your own, or use a cupcake!
-White Airheads/Mystery Flavor, I just ordered them off Amazon verses finding them at specific stores
-Mini Robin Eggs
-Peeps
-Extra frosting to use as glue for all of your parts!

1) So first make your hatched egg! Using kitchen scissors, cut a white airhead strip in half. Round the two bottom corners into egg like shape. Cut out tiny triangles from the top, to look like a cracked egg shell.
2) Next put a bit of frosting onto the bottom of your peep and “glue” it to the far back of your cookie.
3) Then pipe out a little line of frosting in front of your peep to glue down your egg shell.
4) Then place a few mini Robin Eggs in front of your freshly hatched peep! Use extra frosting to secure Robin Eggs if need be.
5) Annnd that’s it!!

3 Ingredient Rainbow Cookies

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Ok, so I made these last night for Annabelle’s school St. Patrick’s Day party today and I kinda loved how they turned out! They seriously only take 5 minutes and are so easy kids can help! Scroll through the photos below because they are pretty self explanatory, and don’t really need any explanation  😉

The 3 Ingredients:

-Those store bought cookies with frosting that they have everywhere

-Rainbow Airheads sour strips, cut in half

-Vanilla frosting in a piping bag for the clouds

And that’s it! They would even be great for rainbow themed birthday parties if you swap out the green frosting cookies for another color!!

 

Josephine Makes History!

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In honor of March being Women’s History Month, I thought I would post this little series of Josephine dressed, and honoring  famous women in history! Kinda a fun little project to try, if you have a less mobile baby 😉 I did this series last year before Josephine learned to crawl, because after that all bets were off! All props and clothes were inexpensive finds on Amazon! Maybe once she wants to stand still, I can do another round of this series, but right now her newly learned walking skills are much to fun to ever be bothered with standing still! And here they are:

The list of women and quotes you could do are endless. And as you can see near the end, I started to do women that are currently making history today! Happy Women’s History Month!

5 Simple Ways to Prepare for Overnight House Guests!

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Robert’s parents are coming into town from Texas next week, so it’s time to get our guest room ready. Apart from giving the sheets a fresh wash and removing all the fur from our cat’s favorite room in the house, here are 5 lovely ways to prepare and make a house guest feel extra welcomed!

 

1) Water Bedside.

A lovely little nicety is to take mason jars, fill them with water, close them up, and place them bedside. This way your guest has an easy go to glass right from the start and doesn’t need to search your cabinets if you don’t happen to be nearby!

2) Collection of Toiletries.

Between hotel stays and flights we’ve all accumulated a lot of travel size toiletries. An awesome way to put them to use, is to get a little canister and collect them up for your guests. Sometimes when staying at someone’s house, it slips your mind to pack the basics that you might find at a hotel.

3) Rid the Room of Unwanted Guests.

Ok, so our guest room opens right up to our backyard. Plus the room gets the least amount of traffic. So this combo often leads to unwanted crawling and flying guests! So before we have guests over, whether they are staying for the week or just coming for a party, I use Zevo Instant Action Sprays to rid our home of any crawling or flying bugs. This is seriously the Best Indoor bug spray line I have found, because it’s safe to use around Pets and People! Its active ingredients are cinnamon oil, lemongrass oil, and geraniol, unlike the synthetic pyrethroid chemicals that you find in other insect killers. It also has such a light scent you don’t need to leave the room after you spray. And it can be used in any room of your home on any hard surface! I’ll admit it, when I first heard that Zevo used “effective essential oils instead of butane and propane propellants” I was skeptical it would do the job. But I’m here to testify, it certainly does the job and I don’t have to be freaked out about the girls being in the house when I spray! There are 4 varieties of sprays that run the gamut of taking care of ants, cockroaches, fruit flies, or stinging insects. Their bio-science formula quickly paralyzes and kills bugs by targeting a nervous system receptor only active in bugs, and not active in people or pets.

I’m resisting writing 10 more paragraphs right here telling you all the reasons why you’ll want to have Zevo under your kitchen sink ready to be drawn out at the first glimpse of a bug, so you can head to www.zevoinsect.com to learn more and purchase the sprays! Moving on…

4) Put out Towels.

As a guest you never know the history of towels you find in the bathroom or who they belong to. So just place some towels ready to go on their bed. Plus it won’t leave you scurrying around the house to find clean towels when they ask to take a shower!

5) Snack Basket.

Maybe I’ve hung around toddlers too much, but I’m a snack addict! And when I’m staying at someone else’s house I never want to raid their cabinets. So I think it’s so lovely to have some easily accessible snacks waiting in your guestroom!

….well now that I read over this list I think this is actually what I want done daily in my room. Robert should really get on top of that getting my nighttime water and snack basket ready thing! 😉

 

This post is sponsored by Zevo but all of the opinions are of course my own!

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Guilt-Free Cookies For The Littles!

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Sooooo starting at about 9 months old Josephine was becoming very curious about the wide array of deliciousness that Annabelle would get served up, while her own plates consisted mostly of steamed vegetables and pasta 😉 I knew the time was quickly approaching that she would just start grabbing and insisting on every snack she saw Annabelle eating. So I needed to get some baby-safe, toddler pleasing snacks stat!

Luckily, back in October when Josephine turned one (that magical time when it’s safer to introduce a wider variety of foods), happened to be the exact time that Healthy Times sent me a box of a variety of their cookies to try. Not gonna lie, a perk of this job is receiving “happy mail” that introduces you to products you didn’t know about! This couldn’t have been more perfectly timed. I had just started to look for snacks that both Annabelle and Josephine would enjoy! Specifically I needed cookies! Annabelle is a little cookie monster and I’ll admit it, the bribery of cookies got us through potty training. So yes, we are a cookie loving household. But of course with a freshly turned 1 year old I wanted a cookie that would offer her some nutrition and be low in sugar, yet still a little treat for both of the girls!

Well, Healthy Times Hugga Bear and Arrowroot Cookies are organic and a great source of calcium, B vitamins, zinc and iron! This company was started by a mom (so obviously she’s vetted already 😉 in California in 1980. She was having a hard time finding healthy baby food choices in the grocery store, so she took matters into her own hands and created this whole line of organic wholesome baby food products! I’m a fan of a number of their products now, but the one I’m particular impressed by are the Vanilla and Maple Arrowroot cookies!!

Sooooo does everyone know just how magical of a starch Arrowroot is?! I didn’t until I did some research on it. It’s an easily digestible starch making it perfect for a baby’s developing digestive system. Annnnd it’s higher in protein than other starches! Arrowroot also contains potassium, iron, calcium, folate and vitamin B. I frankly don’t understand why I haven’t cooked with it more!

Oooh and it goes waaaaaay back! 7,000 years ago archeologists found evidence of its cultivation and use both medicinally and in culinary forms. It’s even believed that it got its name “Arrowroot” because Mayans used to use it to draw out poison from arrows! Crazy right?! Well there’s your history lesson for the day!

Now back to the cookies! 😉 If you are looking for some healthy snacks to have around the house I would highly suggest taking a look at the whole line of Healthy Times products. You can find them on Amazon, on HealthyTimes.com or in a number of Health Food Stores Here!

Oh and I’m sure “Santa” would also enjoy a healthy alternative to enjoy with his reindeer as well 😉

Holiday Gift Guide!!!!!!!!! Part 1

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The time is here, it’s here, I can hardly believe it! And yes, while this holiday season is far from being just about gift giving, I sure do love the feeling of giving gifts that I know someone will truly love and get some use out of!  So here is a list of items I actually own and looooove and plan on getting as gifts for friends and family this year… don’t worry, my family knows they aren’t allowed to read this post, unless they want to ruin Christmas 😉

1) Soooo for Halloween I actually bought 10 of these and gave them to all the teachers at Annabelle’s school filled with candy! They would make for an awesome gift to mom and teacher friends! And for just $6, how can you go wrong?! You can find it Here!

2) Personalized vertical bar necklace. Ok so I got this last year and wear it daily! You can can this bar necklace personalized with your kid’s names, a pet’s names, or words you want to live by. They come in a number of options. I went with the Rose Gold, double vertical bar. Annnnnd they are all between $25-$50 so it makes for such an amazingly affordable and meaningful gift! Here’s the link to the one I got, Here! But they have a number of style options!

3) Ok, Are you ever stumped as to, what to get your husband or your own dad or father-in-law? Well I have purchased a Man-Crate for all of those gentleman just listed. Seriously Check out their whole website. They have the most hilarious packaging, coming in wooden crates. And they have everything from project kits, where you make your own wooden handle knife to personalized whiskey bar sets to beard management kits. Ok, not gonna lie, they are a little hipster-ish, but they’ve got good stuff! Just go look, I promise you will find something for the manly man in your life! Here!

4) Super Dad personalized book! So this company has all sorts of great personalized books, but this Super Dad book, with a photo of your favorite dad on each page is all kinds of amazing! You can find the link to this book Here!

I couldn’t stop laughing at Robert’s face stuck on the Super Hero body on each page! Sooo good!

4) Cheeky Doormats! They’re just hilarious. Plus it’s something that people replace and could always use new ones to add a little humor to their front door. You can find so many cute ones on Etsy. Like this one Here!

5) Shop Name: ModCloth. So this might just be my favorite online store. Not only do they have darling retro clothes, but their gift section is amazing! All sorts of unique items you never knew you needed, but now desperately can’t live without! Not gonna lie, if you have a cat, dog, unicorn or dinosaur  loving friend, you’ll especially want to check out their kitschy gifts and apparel! I’ve linked a few fun finds:

Ridiculous Salt And Pepper Shakers. Here!

Tea Towel Here!

Wine glasses for your drinking buddy 😉 Here!

We own this book set, and it’s the best gift for little girls! Here!

I could go on forever posting pics of gifts from ModCloth, just go check them out!

6) Ok so you saw me post about my love for this Apple Cider Vinegar Scrub. This is something everyone needs to have in their shower. When used once a week, it cleans out any build up from your scalp (especially for us dry shampoo lovers), and leaves your hair feeling so clean and voluminous!!! Here it is!

 

7) So I don’t rave about skin products often, because everyone has their routine for their very specific skin type needs. And this is in nooooo way sponsored. But a few weeks ago I started to use  Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and I have never seen such instant results from a product. I don’t fall in love with new skin products often, especially since my skin usually takes some adjustment time, but this stuff is MAGIC and can be added to anyone’s normal face routine making it an awesome gift. Especially since it’s a higher price point, someone might not want to buy it for themselves, but I promise they will once they try it!  It’s a rice-based enzyme powder that micro-exfoliates dulling debris and instantly leaves the skin noticeably smoother and brighter. The powder formula activates upon contact with water, releasing papain, salicylic acid and rice actives to accelerate cell renewal. My face instantly felt scrubbed, moisturized, and brightened from the rice based powder thats starts as a scrub and melts down to a creamy texture! If you don’t like it I will buy it back off you 😉 Here it is!

 

8) One last Beauty Product! This!!!! So my lips have been needing some TLC lately. I actually saw another mama post about this line and had to give it a try. This Sara Happ Perfect Pout gift set would make an amazing gift!!! It’s a lip scrub, lip slip, and lip mask. It will make your lips feel amazing! I’m actually getting it for my sister this year, since I’ve been loving it so much. Hahaha looking back at these beauty products I’ve listed I seem to really be on a “scrub” kick!!! Tis the season I suppose with the weather changing and my skin, lips, and scalp needing a real scrub down! Here it is!

 

9) Best Grandparent Gift!!! Ok I’m sure you’ve all seen the new Portal by Facebook ads. It’s the new hands- free video calling with Alexa built in. It’s even more awesome because the camera follows you around. So you can have it on the mantel and call the grandparents and it will track the kids around as they show off a new dance routine or  have a tea party with the grandparents. So this year our one and done gift to the grandparents with be the Portal. Then we will get the Portal Plus for our house. My parents aren’t very techy. And they don’t have iPhones and FaceTime is glitchy sometimes, and the girls when holding the phone inevitably hang up on whomever they are talking to. So I’m ecstatic about this being our big gift to our parents this year. With both of our parents not living in town, we are gifting them time with their grandkids. And what is more special than that?! Here is the Portal! And here is the Portal Plus!

10) Ok so I visited the Sprint store for an event a week ago, and never realized how many awesome things they carry besides phones! I personally fell in love with the The Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 5 Speaker!! We love to have shindigs and pool parties at our house, and yet we aren’t fancy enough to have a whole outside speaker system. So this beautiful number can connect via Bluetooth to your phone and keep the music going for 8 hours straight and it will go/follow the party to any room or chaise lounge chair 😉 So this is definitely an awesome gift for a music lover or entertainer or a husband that needs some tunes in his man cave! Here it is!

 

Ok! That’s it for now! I’ll get a more “kid focused” gift guide up soon too!

 

Josephine’s Month by Month Photos!

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Ahhhhh excuse while I go cry in a corner about her month by month photos being over!

Here is the whole series to use as inspiration for your own month by month photos! I always gave myself a budget of $20 for each photo, and everything else had to be blankets, towels, clothes, and holiday decor I found around the house. Turned it into a fun challenge! And now it’s time to make a calendar out of these 12 photos to enjoy them again all next year!

…and yes that is an upside down 5 in the number 12, somewhere between Month 2 and 12 I lost that pesky 2 😉

The End! (insert crying sounds, and it’s not from Josephine)

Shoes That Will Keep Up With Your Toddler

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Ok, toddler shoes. Here’s the thing. Toddlers are crazy people that are always moving non-stop, testing the limits at every turn, and performing acrobatics that you didn’t think were possible. Soooo obviously we need shoes that will keep up with them. Shoes that will provide stability and flexibility and support. Yes I know that’s a tall order, but ya know what? Hush Puppies just launched their new line of shoes with crazy toddlers in mind. It’s called Paw-Flex™ and it’s all kinds of amazing.

Ok full disclosure. Annabelle and I were heading to the pumpkin patch, and I thought, I’ll put her in her new shoes and maybe I’ll be able to get some cute photos. Well, I had nooooo idea that Annabelle would be putting these shoes to the test. Suddenly the pumpkin patch and trees turned into her personal play gym. And normally in these situations, I would be at her side, catching her constantly as she slipped off whatever precarious object she thought she needed to climb on that given day. Buuuut she wasn’t slipping! This girl was literally swinging from pumpkin to pumpkin and had great traction with these new Hush Puppies Paw-Flex™ shoes.

The pair on Annabelle are called Bella Paw-Flex™ Mary Jane.

They have a Paw-GripTM bottom, Multi-directional Paw-FlexTM technology, contoured pup-cup heel, memory foam comfort footbed, and easy on, stay on hook & loop closure! All amazing things to find in a kids shoe.

Oh, and can we talk about how typically when it  comes to kids shoes we are forced to choose between form or function, aka, good traction and support usually come in a not so pretty package. Well they have sooo many cute styles in this new Paw-Flex™ line. For example, my jaw just dropped when I saw these silver rockstar booties. I mean how cute would Annabelle and a Josephine look in a pair of those, especially with winter coming!!!!

Anyway definitely go give Hush Puppies a look, because goodness gracious at the rate that these kids of ours grow, we are always needing new shoes!

 

* This post was sponsored by Hush Puppies, but as you all know, the opinions are all mine!

Guest Room Makeover with Pixers!

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Ok, so does anyone else have that room/office/guest space that has just turned into storage? A room that you had such high hopes for, but somehow became that room that old furniture you had no other space for just started to accumulate? That room where you tucked away all of your extra purchases so your husband doesn’t ask too many questions, like why you are bringing home every single item from the Target $3 bin, ummmm for future possible party decor, duh!? Ok I’m getting off topic. But that was our guest room. A beautiful room that overlooks our pool, that I just never got around to doing anything with.
Video (video of the before!)
Since this room overlooks our pool, I knew I wanted a tropical, summer feel, but still in keeping with a modern feel. Well in step Pixers with their amazing assortment of wall covering options! I loved this monstera leaf print . It’s playful, it’s modern, it’s tropical, and just a slight hint of kitschy to keep the guest room fun and playful!
I didn’t realize how something as simple as wallpaper could vamp up a room in an instant! Annnnnd it’s not like traditional wall paper. Noooooo glue needed! It’s like one giant vinyl sticker, that you peel it off and put it in place! Super easy!
After the wall paper was in place, all I needed were some updated bedside tables and clean white bedding. With such a giant color statement on the walls, I wanted to keep the bedding clean and crisp. So a simple white comforter with a pop of a yellow pillow did the trick!
Oh and I think I forgot to mention that our cat, Willie (yes, he’s named after Willie Nelson) also picked this as his favorite room. So when I noticed that Pixers also had an amazing assortment of other textiles in matching prints, I obviously had to get this floor pillow , as a new kitty bed for Mister Willie  😻 I think he appreciates his room makeover.
Ok friends and family your guest-room is now ready for you!!! And my, I need to escape to a tropical destination because my kids are driving me crazy, room is ready for me 😉
*this post was sponsored by Pixers, but the opinions are all mine!

Ezy Dose Kids to the Rescue!

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*This is a sponsored post by Ezy Dose Kids but all of the opinions are my own!

Winter is coming!!!! Run, Hide, Lock the doors, don’t let your kids out of the house, disinfect everything, take alllllllll the vitamins and only eat vegetables! Yeah right like that’s all gonna happen. You know what is going to happen? Colds! Tis the season. And rather than stressing out about the inevitable, I rather be prepared to embrace and treat those nasty winter colds and flus to the best of my ability! Soooooo cue Ezy Dose Kids and its whole line of products that make combating and treating those colds goof proof and stress free!

After all, let’s face it, momming is hard enough even with healthy kids. So then you add a sick babe to the equation and it’s easy to get the “can’t copes”. After all when your little one is sick, the hardest part is the sadness that you can’t explain to them why they don’t feel well. Then cue the stress of wanting to help them any way you can, then comes getting even less sleep because baby isn’t sleeping well. So basically you’re stressed out, under slept self could use alllllllll the help it can get! So Ezy Dose Kids to the rescue with its ingenious, easy to use, line of products!

Let’s start with the Medi-Pals, a patented split tip nipple syringe dispenser that encourages swallowing and not gagging on medicine! So if your zombie like self in the middle of the night presses a bit too fast on the syringe, it disperses the medicine around the mouth for you, instead of shooting it right down their little throats!

Next up, True Easy Syringe. So I’ve never seen anything like this. But it’s a syringe that you dial to the correct dosage and then it only allows that much into the syringe. So now no more dripping medicine all over the counter as you lift the syringe in and out of the medicine bottle to see if you’ve magically, blindly hit the right mL amount! So smart!

And last, but certainly not least, especially according to Robert, the Nose-Pals. Soooooo have you ever sucked snot from your baby’s nose? It’s ok to admit, plenty of gross things have happened in the history medicine before more advanced technology comes about. I mean people used to use leeches to supposedly suck illness from their body 😳 and we used to suck snot from our baby’s noses, but no longer! Because now Ezy Dose Kids has created a nasal aspirator that lets you gently blow to create a suction to relieve a baby’s stuffy nose. Baby feels better, you feel better, win win 😉

So if you would like to check out these products ASAP and get prepared for all that the season may have in store for us, here is the link to the Ezy Dose Kids’ Amazon Page, where you can find all the products I just mentioned! Even better, you get an exclusive 20% off discount when you use this link.

Ok ok, so I guess I can let these cute little faces outta the house, now that I’m equipped to battle all that this cold season has to throw at me thanks to Ezy Dose Kids!

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