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Save TONS of money with Shop Your Way! {Get $5 bonus in your account!}

Online shopping has been amazing for me lately.  With the twins, finding items in their size at the store is actually quite challenging.  Ususally I'll find 3-4 pairs of leggings TOTAL when I'm looking to stock up.  No bueno!  I love that I can easily find items online and have them shipped right to my door!

A little over a month ago, I became a Shop Your Way concierge...aka Personal Shopper.  It's been a great experience so far and I'm learning just how awesome Shop Your Way Rewards are.  If you aren't familiar, Shop Your Way Rewards are used in-store at Sears, Kmart and Lands End and online at many other places.  It's a free program and I'm here to help you save money.  Let me know how I can help! I have experts on hand if you're looking to make a big purchase, such as an appliance, who can guide you to the perfect item for you.  We just got a new dryer from Sears and found a great deal!

Not sure what to buy for the holidays? I can create a personal catalog to fit your needs! 

Just interested in coupons? I'll leave you alone, but send the best coupons I have available! 

Points can add up quickly, which means FREE money for shopping. 

I've connected my FitBit to FitStudio and I get at least $5 extra in points each week just by exercising!  

There are hundreds of coupons you can add to your account for in-store or online use, as well.  This week, all shoes at Kmart are Buy 1, Get 50% off another.  I got 4 pairs of winter boots for the girls for UNDER $40 shipped after coupons, PLUS we got $10 back in points!  

I would love to help you save! Add me as your personal shopper and I can send exclusive coupons and rewards.  PLUS you get free 2-day shipping for 3 months!

Act quickly: you can earn an extra $5 on 10/24 (Friday)!

Slow-Cooker Meals: Chipotle Peach Ribs

I realize prime BBQ season is over now that we've hit fall, but Ricky LOVES ribs.  I found some racks of ribs on markdown at Walmart for $3.99 and they've been hogging my freezer space. (Pun intended) Desperate to find an easier way for fall off the bone meat, I turned to my Hamilton Beach slow-cooker.  You won't believe how easy this recipe is!  I am wishing I would have done more than one rack!!

After this week's Walking Dead episode, it took me a few days to even be able to type up this recipe.  If you don't watch the show, you're lucky!

Don't forget: I have a Hamilton Beach Set & Forget Slow-Cooker giveaway going on this month! Head over to this page to enter!

Not a fan of chipotle peach flavor?  Use whatever style BBQ sauce you love.  I highly recommend sticking with the tasty Sweet Baby Ray's varieties!

Here's what you need:

• 1 large rack of ribs 2-4 pounds (always check for markdowns!)
• 1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup McCormicks Pork rub
• 2 tablespoons Smuckers Peach Preserves

1. Preheat slow-cooker to LOW setting for 7 hours.
2. Rinse ribs with water and dry.  Place on a large cutting board and coat both sides with pork rub.
3. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 bottle of BBQ sauce with peach preserves. Set aside.
4. From the bottle, squeeze enough BBQ sauce in the base of the slow-cooker to coat the bottom.  
5. Brush the sauce from the bowl on the ribs. Discard any remaining sauce, since it's touched raw meat. 
6. Place ribs in the slow-cooker and cover.  DO NOT TAKE OFF THE LID.  It's tempting, I know, but let them cook for the full 7 hours.
7. Once cooked, remove and brush with the rest of the sauce in the bottle, adding some extra peach preserves if wanted.  They are great out of the slow-cooker, but for more of a char, broil them for 3-4 minutes.

This sauce mixture is amazing on any meat.  I like to throw boneless chicken thighs in the slow-cooker with a can of peaches and the sauce for pulled chicken sliders.  Use on pork roast for a new spin on pulled pork.

What's your go-to BBQ sauce?

Book Review: All Fall Down

I discovered Jennifer Weiner books about two years ago and I really love her style of writing.  Plus, she is the funniest person to follow on Twitter during a reality TV show- especially Bachelorette or Bachelor nights!

Her most recent book came out in June and I made sure to read it as soon as it hit the shelves.  I keep meaning to write a review, but summer kind of got in the way.  Whoops!

With Weiner's books you get complex characters and the female leads who are always realistic--somewhat flawed, always somewhat humorous.  I love that her books aren't predictable, like many other authors in this writing genre.  

All Fall Down follows Allison, a popular writer and mom of one.  Allison seems to have her life together, yet she holds a little secret: she actually can't keep her life together and she has a major addiction to pain pills.  Everything comes crashing down (hence the title) and she hits an all time low.

The bulk of the book is devoted to Allison getting her life back on track.  I really enjoyed that the story wasn't sugar coated--she does struggle and everyone doesn't hug in the end.  I won't give away too much!

Months after reading this book, I still think about it quite frequently.  That's the sign of a great book, isn't it?!  Once you get started with her books, you'll want to read them all.  I really loved Best Friends Forever and Then Came You as well.

What are you reading right now?

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links in this post.  These links help keep this blog running. 

One Month Into Kindergarten! {Plus: Our Simple Homework Station}

Well, we've made it through the first month of kindergarten with the twins!  The girls are enjoying their experience so far and our routine is pretty established.  Are they exhausted after a full day of school? YES!  Do they wake up like beams of sunshine every day? NO!  But all in all, we're doing pretty well.

One of my biggest concerns was the twins being in the same class.  I was afraid they would cling to each other and not branch out.  I was SO wrong!  They (somehow) barely spend time together!  Maddie has a new best friend that she talks about non-stop.  When we walk up to the school, I hear kids calling "Maddie! Olivia!".  It makes me feel so much better that they are liked...isn't that every parent's fear?  Olivia has quite a few friends she talks about and quite a few BOYS she seems to like.  She had to wear her Ninja Turtle shirt to soccer last Sunday to show a certain boy.  Uh-oh....

It is shocking how much they are learning already.  They are already reading many popcorn words (common sight words) and they are spelling like crazy. I'm sure by Christmas time they will be asking for many books to read! Part of their homework is to read for 20 minutes a day.  I like to have them look at their take-home books for about 10 minutes and the rest of the time is when I read out loud to them at night.  

One thing I HIGHLY recommend is setting up a homework station basket to stay organized.  At first, we tried composition notebooks to practice numbers, letters and words, but I found some great dry erase boards at Walmart for 75 cents.  They are working out MUCH better!  While you can buy number and letter flash cards, I just made my own with index cards to quiz the girls.  Since they are in school until almost 4, I really don't want them to spend the rest of their day doing homework and sitting down, so we just quickly go through their take-home folders after snack time to see what needs to be worked on.  

To wind down at night, I've introduced chapter books.  I'm so excited to start sharing some of my childhood favorites with the girls!  Gabby does get a bit restless, so I usually start off with a picture book. We started off with Junie B. Jones, which the girls seem to love. After two books, I've grown a bit tired of Junie, so we've moved on to others.  One new find we're loving (thanks to an Instagram recommendation!) are the Magic Tree House books.  We're halfway through Dinosaurs Before Dark and they are a perfect introduction to adventure books for kindergarten age and up. Final series we've jumped into are the Ramona books, I'm hoping to show them the movie when we're done! I love getting the e-books from the library so we can read them on the iPad/Kindle on the go! 

Number one thing I've learned so far about full day kindergarten is that rest is important.  Your child is going through a LOT at once and they will need extra snuggles and rest to cope.  Our bedtime is between 7:15-7:30 and the twins crash!  On weekends, as hard as it is, I try to keep the errand running to a minimum.  I let them play to their hearts desire all weekend and even attempt to squeeze in naps, if possible.  

Another lesson learned: keep lunches simple.  At our school, they have 20 minutes to eat...which really isn't much for little ones.  Maddie is a super slow eater, so I've had to play around with the perfect amount of food to send so she'll actually eat. Hot lunch is something we only do occasionally, especially since Maddie seems to not enjoy it.  

How's school going for you so far? Any books you can recommend?

Fight Off the Flu with Bigelow Tea {Strawberry-Mint Iced Green Tea Recipe!} #AmericasTea

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Here in Michigan the weather has been hot, then cold, then cool, then hot again.  I have to constantly look at my weather app to know how to dress the girls appropriately in the morning--and usually by the time we walk home, they are peeling off layers.  Ahh, the joys of living in the Midwest!  I'm ready for fall to come and stay, no snow yet please!

From all of this change, the first round of sniffles are looming over our house.  Right now I feel like a truck hit me: I have chills, no appetite and I'm exhausted.  Eeek!  To fight of this cold, I've been drinking tea like it's my job.  I love Bigelow Tea because it comes in a variety of tasty flavors and I can drink it hot or cold.  Green tea gives me a little kick of caffeine that I need, plus antioxidants (the mint variety is my favorite!) and the Lemon Ginger probiotic tea soothes my sore throat.  I like to prepare my tea hot and cold, depending on my temperature and about once an hour.  Local honey is a great addition to tea.. At farmer's markets, you can usually pick up honey sticks in different flavors which are perfect for adding to tea!

Did you know Bigelow Tea's Charleston tea garden is the largest in America?  They have been making tea since 1945, so I think they know a thing or two about creating flavorful, amazing tea.  I like to support American companies whenever I can! You can keep up with them on Facebook and Twitter.  If you happen to be in the Charleston area, you can tour the tea garden for a great taste of Southern tradition.  Someone I know even attended a wedding there!

Yesterday, got up bright and early to head over to Walmart to restock my tea collection (yes, I wore my yoga pants...I totally ignored Ricky's eye roll).  I am determined to kick this flu in the butt before it takes over my body! Staying hydrated is key!  I picked up my favorites: green mint and lemon ginger.  The Vanilla Chai k-cups are a huge hit in this house too, especially in the fall.

When you're under the weather, it's super important to stay hydrated--but sometimes hot tea doesn't sound appealing.  A pitcher of strawberry mint iced green tea can be made up in the morning and sipped on over ice all day long.  The mint adds a pop of flavor, the green tea has caffeine and antioxidants and the strawberries give you a boost of Vitamin C! Basically, it's a flu fighting formula!


Here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup fresh strawberries, cleaned
• 1 tablespoon of honey, raw works best
• 1 cup filtered water
• Brewed Bigelow Mint Green Tea
• 1-2 mint leaves per glass
• Did you know you can awaken mint by clapping your hands around it? Just put it in your hand and clap!

1. In a small saucepan, add strawberries, honey and water.  Over low heat, bring to a bubble for 10-15 minutes.  Add more honey to taste.  
2. Allow to cool, then blend until the mixture is a puree.  I store this in a jar for my iced tea for the week!  

•  For a glass: pour brewed green mint tea over ice.  Add 2 tablespoons of strawberry mixture and stir.  Add a mint.  If too bitter for your liking, add more honey and lemon
• To make a pitcher: add 1/2 cup strawberry mixture with brewed Bigelow Mint Green Tea. Add more berries or honey to taste.  Lemon is nice to squeeze in there, too!

Probiotics are very important for keeping you healthy, inside to out--Bigelow Lemon Ginger this tea is a great way to stay healthy all through the season! When you're feeling under the weather, ginger keeps your stomach settled and the hot tea soothes your throat.

So: are you ready to fight off this flu season?  What's your special trick?

#SlowCookerMeals: Turkey Swedish Meatballs {Plus a Giveaway!}

Woohoo! It's October! You know what that means? We can start decorating for Halloween! Also, it means fall weather better start showing up. This is my favorite time of year.

To celebrate fall, I'm going to do some easy, budget friendly slow cooker meals throughout the month of October!  We all tend to turn to our slow cookers in cooler weather for our favorite comfort food.  I'm sure you all have a bunch of recipes you normally use, so I'm going to try to step out of the box for different ideas! Also: I'm giving away one of these AMAZING Hamilton Beach Set & Forget Slow Cookers. 

Why is this slow cooker amazing? It has 3 different settings: automatic, manual and probe setting.  The probe is a meat thermometer which keeps track of the temperature of the meat while cooking.  Once it reaches it's ideal temperature, it will turn the slow cooker to warm to prevent overcooking! How cool is that?  This is great for pot roast or slow cooked chicken. If you frequently travel with your slow cooker for pot lucks, this lid locks in place!

Now time for my first recipe: Turkey Swedish Meatballs.  These came in at $8.25 for the ENTIRE MEAL and couldn't be easier!  I used frozen meatballs to keep it simple, but you can totally make your own if you want!

This week (through 10/4), Meijer has every single one of these items on sale, which makes this meal even cheaper!

Here's What You Need:

• 1 bag of turkey meatballs (1.5 lbs) ~25 large meatballs
• I used Cooked Perfect Turkey Meatballs (NOT Italian style)

• 1 can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 Packet Brown Gravy Mix
• 1 cup of onions, chopped
• 1 package sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 bag whole wheat egg noodles
• Garnish: parsley 

1.  Set your slow cooker to LOW for 6-7 hours (HIGH 4). Spray cooker with PAM.
2. Add onions and mushrooms in cooker. Pour brown gravy mix over and water.  Mix.
3. Open can of soup and add on top of veggies.  Fill the can halfway full with milk and pour into slow cooker.
4. Finally, add meatballs.  Stir and cover.  LOW 6-7 hours, HIGH 3-4
5. Before serving, boil water and prepare noodles.  Cook al dente (about 4 minutes). Toss with butter and parsley.  While water is boiling, stir in sour cream to meatballs.  Season with salt & pepper, to taste.
6. Serve meatballs over noodles!

Super simple and healthy(ish) comfort food dish!  The girls gobbled this up--one bag of meatballs almost wasn't enough for our family of 5.  For a party, you can make these and serve with toothpicks instead of noodles!  The sauce has a gravy consistency, so if you like it thicker, add some corn starch.  Once mixed with noodles, it's perfect though!

Want to win the amazing slow cooker? Enter below!  Stay tuned for more tasty #SlowCookerMeals throughout October!!

Hamilton Beach Set & Forget Slow Cooker

Meijer Deal on Campbells Soup (with Printable Coupon Links!)

I promise I won't go crazy posting every coupon that's available-- I'm working on adding a coupon tab above so you can print whatever you want!  BUT, there are some great deals at Meijer this week I thought I would share!

You can view the entire Meijer ad HERE, plus don't forget to clip your mPerks rewards!  Also, there is an extra 5% off on Friday and Saturday!

I'll be sharing a tasty slow cooker recipe later using some sale items too. Gotta love cheap and healthy meals for the family!

As for this deal, when you buy 10, you save $5 off instantly.  To stock up your pantry, I highly suggest grabbing some Healthy Request condensed soup, Slow Cooker or Skillet Starters and some soup for a quick lunch.

 

How do you feel about me sharing some coupons? I will only share great deal coupons or ones for products I frequently use or talk about!