Don't Miss Shaun the Sheep Movie Coming to Theaters August 5

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Lionsgate. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Are your children a fan of Shaun the Sheep?  My littlest one is and cannot wait until August 5th when Shaun the Sheep Movie comes out in theaters!!!  She really enjoys it because it's funny and she likes Timmy.  If you aren't familiar with Shaun the Sheep, Shaun thinks and acts like a person in the barnyard which usually lands him into some trouble along the way.  My youngest likes the farmer's sheepdog, Bitzer because he's the hero who tries to keep everyone out of trouble.

I like that the themes focuses on teamwork, leadership and problem solving lessons within the movie.  In this action filled claymation, Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, however, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. He ends up enduring a mix up with the Farmer, a caravan, and a very steep hill that leads them all to the Big City and it's up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home.  Note, the film is geared toward children ages 4-10.

Have a peek at the official trailer:

The girls were happily anticipating the movie while having fun with the promotional items that we received as well.  We thought about having a little fun party before the movie but since I'm getting ready to move across states again, it was difficult to plan one.  The highlight for Elizabeth was the Shaun headband and I suspect she will be wearing it for the movie!

Don't forget to check out and join other Shaun the Sheep Movie fans on Twitter and Facebook. and use hashtag #ShauntheSheep to tweet out what your kids thought of the movie!  While you have a moment, check out this featurette called "Meet Slip."  My girls laughed and enjoyed it.


Don't Miss Shaun the Sheep Movie Coming to Theaters August 5!

My Little One and Little Remedies® Gripe Water and Gas Drops

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Little Remedies. I received a product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

My daughter started sewing and is really enjoying it especially making clothes for all the little ones.  With summer here, we are able to utilize the good weather to take pictures of all the outfits she's making.  Summertime is a great time to capture the beauty outside but tummy pains don't halt just because it's nice outside or someone wants a picture taken.  When upset tummies and other ailments hit the children, I turn to the line of Little Remedies® products because I want the best for my children from no artificial flavors, colors or alcohol.  They use the fewest and most natural ingredients which is important to me.  Their slogan says it all:  Little Remedies® Everything they need. Nothing they don't.®

He was already feeling bad with a gassy tummy before trying to take his pictures so we stopped, went inside and gave him some of the Little Remedies® Gas Drops which quickly relieved him of the excess gas he was suffering from.  What's also nice, you can actually mix a dose in with cool water, formula or other suitable liquid to ease the trauma in taking it if you have one of those picky little one's like my eight year old used to be.  Luckily, Conner loves medicine and readily takes it since he liked the natural berry flavor.

For times when he gets tummy pain, we also used Little Remedies® Gripe Water for post hiccup discomfort.  It's safe, gentle formula has no alcohol and is gluten free.  I like having options to turn to for my children and especially when those options are as natural as possible for my preferences.  Little Remedies® products provides what I feel is the best for my children without the unnecessary ingredients like alcohol, artificial colors and flavorings.

Additional information:

Little Remedies® Gas Drops

Quickly relieves tummy pain from excess gas. Safe remedy to gently ease stomach discomfort or bloating.

• Relieves excess gas from food or swallowing of air
• No artificial colors or flavors
• No alcohol, saccharin or preservatives
• Dosage can also be mixed with 1 oz. of cool water, infant formula or other suitable liquids.

Little Remedies® Gripe Water

Eases tummy pain for infants. Natural, effective relief for your baby's upset stomach.

• Relieves discomfort due to hiccups and colic*
• Safe, gentle formula
• No alcohol or gluten
• Be sure to burp your baby during and after feeding to reduce air buildup.

Last night we used the Gripe Water and within 15 minutes he was no longer crying, fussy or appeared to be hurting.

Here is a great infographic on helping our little one's with gassy tummies:

For more information on Little Remedies®:

Little Remedies Site: http://www.littleremedies.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LittleRemedies

Twitter: https://twitter.com/littleremedies

White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1½ cups finely crushed graham crackers
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 1 stick salted butter, melted
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Cheesecake Filling

• 16 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 T corn starch
• 1 vanilla bean pod, beans extracted

White Chocolate Mousse

• 4 oz. white chocolate baking squares
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 T powdered sugar
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened

INSTRUCTIONS

Graham Cracker Crust

1. Preheat oven to 375° and line a spring-form pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine crushed graham crackers and brown sugar and mix with a fork
3. Add the melted butter, egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated
4. Press into the bottom of the lined spring-form pan and bake for 8-10 minutes
5. Remove from oven and let cool

Cheesecake Filling

1. Preheat oven to 320°
2. In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and sugar until light and fluffy
3. Add the sour cream, corn starch and vanilla beans and mix until the mixture is smooth and creamy
4. Pour over the graham cracker crust and bake for one hour. The filling will be jiggly in the center when you remove from oven
5. Remove from the oven and place on a heat safe surface for one hour. Do not remove the springform pan. You will remove it right before serving!
6. Place into the refrigerator overnight to set, or at least 6 hours

White Chocolate Mousse

1. Place mixing bowl in freezer or refrigerator to chill
2. Melt white chocolate squares and let cool
3. In the cold mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks, gradually add powdered sugar and continue whipping until it forms stiff peaks
4. Place in refrigerator to keep chilled
5. In another bowl, beat the melted white chocolate and cream cheese together with a spatula until light and fluffy.
6. Take the whipped cream and stir it into the white chocolate and cream cheese mixture. You do not have to be gentle while stirring. Don't be afraid to stir vigorously!
7. Place back into the refrigerator to chill overnight. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to put the mousse onto the cheesecake
8. Once you are ready to serve, spread the mousse over the top of the cheesecake and then remove the springform pan and the parchment paper
9. Top with whipped cream, berries, chocolate or all three!

Recipe has been adapted from Inner-Gourmet Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

SNAPPower Guide Lights: Add Lighting without the Cost of an Electrician

My kids don't like pitch dark hallways or rooms nor do I mostly because I hate bugs!  I was playing around on Facebook and saw this post for SNAPPower Guide Lights.  What a great way to inexpensively add lights to any area.  All you do is take off existing outlet faceplates and switch out with the SNAPPower Guide Lights.   Grab your screwdriver and you are ready to go and it looks amazing!

Powered with LED sensors, the light turns off when the room is bright and turns on when it’s dark. The lights will last 25 years and it only costs 10 cents a year on average to operate.

Cost $15 for one $42 for a 3-pack

Find It: https://www.snappower.com

Smoked Espresso-Rubbed Brisket Sandwich

I try to post more organic and natural type things but this one caught my eye.  Not only because it's from Chef Robert Irvine but it just looks fantastic and there is no reason you can't make it healther.  The Smoked Espresso-Rubbed Brisket Sandwich looks amazing!

Here's a peek at the ingredients but for the full recipe, click above on the link.

Ingredients

For the Espresso Rubbed Brisket:
5 lbs Whole Raw Brisket
2 oz Ground Espresso
6 oz Dark Brown Sugar
3 oz Kosher Salt
1 dash Ground Cumin
2 dashes Garlic Powder
3 dashes Ground Pepper
1 dash Cayenne
2 dashes Ground Cinnamon

For Horseradish Aioli:1 oz Prepared Horseradish, Drained and Squeezed
3 oz Mayo
2 oz Sour Cream
Salt and Pepper To Taste

For Crispy Pickled Jalapeno:1/2 cup Canned Sliced Pickled Jalapenos
1 cup Corn Starch
Fry Oil as needed

For Sandwich Assembly:8 Slices Taleggio Cheese (if not available, substitute Fontina or another semi-soft pungent cheese)
1 tbsp Grapeseed Oil
2 cups Julienned Onions
6 ea Martins Brand Hoagie Rolls

Homemade Almond Butter Recipe

Everyone is trying to get healthier nowadays with all the bad information forthcoming about what is good for you or not or how it's made.  More than a couple of year's ago, I decided it was time to eat better for myself and children's sake.  Luckily, my children love almonds and I found this great recipe to make almond butter thanks to BudgetSavingDiva!

Ingredients

• 1.5 Cups of Raw Almonds
• Pinch of Salt
• Oil ( if needed)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place almonds on a lined cookie sheet and baked for 2- 3 minutes
3. Place almonds into the food processor ( only use blender if you do not have a food processor)
4. Process for about 10 minutes -- it takes a while.
5. If it is a little dry add a little oil
6. Enjoy
7. It makes about ¾th cup

by Sara

Banana Boat® Great Big Family Reunion and Best Summer Ever

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Banana Boat^®. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

I'm so happy now that summer has officially began because I love the warmer weather.  Sunny days and warm nights are the perfect time for getting together with family.  It's already been a very hot summer with intense sunshine.  I have a variety of ages to protect from an eight month old to four, eight and 12 year olds.  My middle one is a red head and requires a lot of sun protection which is why I turn to the line of Banana Boat^® sun protection products due to their most comfortable line of sun protection products yet.  When I go outside, I immediately apply Banana Boat^®'s reformulated Dry Oil Clear UltraMist^® Sunscreen which now includes argan oil.  It's perfect for restoring moisture to my dry legs while providing protection from the sun's rays.  It goes on smooth and it's not oily which is a double bonus.

When applying sunscreen, you should apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to you and your kids’ entire bodies 30 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours or immediately after swimming or excessive sweating.  In spite of the terrible humidity and heat, it really lasts and provided the sun protection they needed.  There have been no sunburns so far!

For my children, I alternate with SunComfort™ Clear UltraMist^®Sunscreen and Sport Performance^®Lotion Sunscreen with Powerstay Technology.  The SunComfort™ Clear UltraMist^®Sunscreen is also good for everyday use, allows sand to be brushed off easily and relieves dryness caused by the sun, chlorine and salt water.  The SunComfort™ Clear UltraMist^®Sunscreen™ was designed for those that are more active (i.e. young kids going crazy after school has let out for the summer!).  What I liked about this product is it really lasted long and It was light weight, sweat resistant as well as up to 80 minutes water resistant.  It absorbed quickly, was non-greasy and didn't run into my eyes like many do.  The heavy duty protection was perfect for playing in the little pool or mowing the yard.

For other big news, Banana Boat^® Great Big Family Reunion offers summer fun in the sun good times for the whole family and visitors!  Just enter the sweepstakes for the chance for one lucky family to win a reunion for up to 50 of their family members and friends. Participants can also spin the Wheel of Fun for exciting activities to entertain their families all summer long!  I love having pre-planned activities to make it easier on me when entertaining.

It doesn't always require a lot to get family together and any excuse is better than none.  I've watched my family go from a family that held extended family reunions to none.  I find it sad that people are too busy to find time to get together.  Some of my fondest memories were summer time, in the sun, reunions with all my cousins and other family members.  This summer, I'm getting together with some of my cousins.  What about you?  Grab the Banana Boat and head out whether your family is small or large, have fun this summer!

Make sure to follow on social media for more information:

Banana Boat^® Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BananaBoatBrand

Banana Boat^® Twitter:  https://twitter.com/bananaboat

 #bestsummerever

Here is a chance to win even more!  Share information on the Great Big Family Reunion sweepstakes to enter to win one of five $30 Banana Boat^® Prize Packs including:

• Banana Boat^® koosie
• Key chain
• Draw string backpack
• Three sunscreen products

Contest opens on June 8, 2015 and closes June 29, 2015.

To enter, choose a social media sharing option from the social media amplification tool!

Banana Boat “Great Big Family Reunion” Sweepstakes

SPLENDA® Brand Summertime Sweet Life In-Home SWEET SWAPS™ Holiday Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake Roll

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for the SPLENDA^® Brand. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. All opinions and reviews are my own.

Can you believe summer is already upon us?  It's not officially summer but it certainly feels like it with the hot humid weather here in Georgia.  As when the summer months come, new recipes come to mind with all the fresh fruit and vegetables.  As I look to the summer, I want to find recipes that will allow me to swap out sugar for a lower calorie option.  This is where SPLENDA^® Sweetener Products come into my house.  Instead of using full sugar, why not swap out for SPLENDA^® Sweetener Products?  It's still great tasting but easy on the calories.  There are many products offered such as SPLENDA^® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated, SPLENDA^®Sugar Blend, and SPLENDA^® Brown Sugar Blend.  It's a great way to lessen those calories while visiting SWEET SWAPS™ to try out some great recipes to satisfy the biggest sweet tooth.

As part of our kicking off summer activities, we invited family and friends out to camp and hike as what better light activity than to walk in nature?  Since the younger one's couldn't hike much, we had to break up in two groups and have my sister watch them.  After our walk, we stopped to eat and then we had some sweet fun using the SWEET SWAPS™ Holiday Cake Roll recipe mostly because it's a favorite with my youngest and I've yet to master one.  There really isn't any better excuse than to get friends and family together for fun and food!

Now for the fun part, I've learned that making cake rolls are tricky, in my opinion, as you have to make sure you don't crack it when you roll it.  Our creation will be the Strawberries and Cream Cake Roll Recipe. My almost eight year wanted to help make it as she loves strawberries and she also wanted to be the hostess for serving up the Holiday Cake Roll at our get together.  It all looked easy enough and it was smooth sailing but albeit, I found out that I have not mastered the rolling of the cake.

Our after activity was a success.  Those that liked strawberries and cream cheese loved it and no one knew I replaced sugar with SPLENDA^®!  Given that my one guest, Kristin, was watching calories, this was ideal for her.   I have to say that I love that I can create recipes with less calories while not sacrificing taste and with SWEET SWAPS™ recipes, I have a great database to choose from! There are many more tips, tricks and amazing looking recipes on SweetSwaps.com.  Did you know that swapping just one cup of sugar with one cup of SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated can save more than 600 calories? (

For those of you that want to try it yourself, here is the recipe:

Strawberries and Cream Cake Roll Recipe

Servings Per Recipe: 10

Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10 cake)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large eggs, separated
• 2/3 cup SPLENDA^® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated, divided
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• 2/3 cup sifted cake flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 pint strawberries, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Grease bottom and sides of a 15x10x1-inch jellyroll pan; line pan with waxed paper; grease and flour waxed paper. Set aside.
3. Beat egg yolks at high speed of an electric mixer until thick and pale; gradually add 1/3 cup SPLENDA^® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated, beating constantly. Stir in oil and vanilla extract.
4. Whip egg whites at high speed until foamy; gradually add remaining 1/3 cup SPLENDA^® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated, and corn syrup, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold beaten egg whites into egg yolk mixture.
5. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually fold into egg mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread batter evenly.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched in center.
7. Sift 2 tablespoons powdered sugar on a cloth towel. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula and immediately turn out onto sugared towel. Starting at narrow end, roll cake and towel together tightly; cool 30 minutes on a wire rack seam side down.
8. Unroll cake and remove towel. Spread with whipped topping; spoon strawberries over topping; carefully, reroll. Place on a serving plate, seam side down. Chill 2 hours before serving.

For more information or to stay up to date, check out:

SWEET SWAPS™ Website: http://www.sweetswaps.com

SPLENDA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/splenda

SPLENDA Twitter: @Splenda

SPLENDA Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SPLENDA/

#SweetSwaps #IC #ad

Copycat Chick Fil A Chicken Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz each – or 4 4 oz chicken breasts)
• 1/2 cup pickle juice (just use the juice from any pickle jar)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1 cup peanut oil for frying
• 4 Hamburger Buns (buttered and toasted)
• Pickle Slices

1. Pound chicken breasts flat and cut them in to 4 pieces – then you want to marinate your chicken in the pickle juice for at least an hour.
2. Beat eggs and combine  dry ingredients together.  Dip the chicken in the egg and then the flour mixture.
3. Cook approximately five minutes on each side and then serve on the buns with pickle slices.

Register for Game Night at Best Buy! #ad

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Either getting married or assisting one of your friends or loved ones is always a fun occasion.  Every detail has to be planned just right while others seem to fall right into place.  After you start gathering details, the other big to do list item is the gift registry as it makes it so much easier for everyone if they know what you really really want.  There are many places to register but there is one place that can cover so many needs especially in a tech driven society.  As you plan your registry, what better theme than to register for game night at Best Buy.  Couples today tend to play video games more and more together.  Game playing together can be a fun experience and it's even better with the right equipment.  Whether a couple games on a PC or using a game console, Best Buy has amazing choices to choose from to ensure the ultimate gaming experience is had.

For those that have a very generous list of guests or if you just want to treat yourself, there is the option of creating your very own home theater complete with state of the art televisions like the Samsung 55" Class LED Curved 2160p Smart - 4K Ultra HD TV and a matching set of his and her's Leather Home Theater Seats.  I know myself and my girls would LOVE this set up!  We are a gaming family ranging from the PC games to consoles and I know my girls would fall in love with this set up.

Any new couple would love to have that as their home theater when they return from their honeymoon.  Whether it's a PS4, an XBox, Wii or more, Best Buy is the ticket to marriage happiness.  They aren't just known for gaming products too as products for the home, computers, cameras, home office, fitness and more, it's a great place to start a wedding registry or any gift registry for that matter.  When my oldest married, I gave them Best Buy gift cards to purchase a stainless steel refrigerator.  To me, giving a gift a couple needs is far better than trying to second guess or give something that they might not want.

Whether you are getting married or know someone getting married, set up a gift registry at Best Buy or suggest it because you can't go wrong!