Since I was a teenager, I've had awful, awful periods. I need to be prepared for anything, so I usually wear liners no matter what. Plus they're great to wear during workouts!  

FREE Scholastic Books from Kellogg's! #Back2SchoolReady

Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Back2SchoolReady #CollectiveBias 

My twins have been reading for almost a year now and they are HUGE book worms.  I love it, since I am such a huge reader. We have an assortment of read out-loud books, early readers and bedtime favorites for our family.  Books can be expensive, though! This back-to-school season, Kellogg's wants to help you build up your library with FREE Scholastic books.  You can also donate your books--they'll mail them right to your school!

Summer Boredom Buster: Yay Labs! Ice Cream Ball

Disclaimer: We received the Yay Labs Ice Cream Ball as part of the #StonyfieldBloggers program. All opinions are my own.

So we’re hitting that “I’m boooooored” part of summer. I’ve pulled out all of my tricks so far: exciting themed library trips, numerous trips to the zoo, fun craft mornings and now I’m just plain out of ideas.  It doesn’t help that the weather has been in the 90s all week. My girls have quite the Teen Beach 2 obsession going on too. I let them watch 20 minute chunks of it at a time so they aren’t zombies in front of the TV all day.

New Book: DIY T-Shirt Crafts #Giveaway!

Hey crafty friends! I've got a great giveaway to share with anyone out there who is a craft lover (or if you're looking for gift ideas for a crafter you love). My friend Adrianne Surian of Happy Hour Projects just published her first craft book, DIY T-Shirt Crafts! I met her in Chicago at SoFabU OTR a few weeks ago and we instantly clicked. Adrianne is also from Grand Rapids!

Box Tops Coordinating 101: New Year, New Goals! #Hefty4BoxTops

Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Hefty4BoxTops #CollectiveBias

Holy cow, it's almost August already! Back-to-School displays are popping up everywhere.  I'm starting to come to terms that I will have ALL THREE girls in school this fall.  Granted, Gabby will just be half day in preschool, but I will have 3 hours TO MYSELF.  

Pasta Night: Ricky's Creamy Chicken Marsala

Our family is quite a little mixing bowl of diversity.  Ricky is half Italian and half Mexican.  I'm half white and half black.  When I'm filling out forms for my girls, I don't know which boxes to check!

Ricky has quite a few tasty Italian AND Mexican dishes up his sleeve.  My mom requests his meatballs for holidays...maybe he'll spill that recipe sometime for you all, too!  He started making this creamy marsala when he was in culinary school.  As much as he loves cooking, after a few months in culinary school, we decided the chef hours might not work with our family.  Hopefully one day we'll open up a food truck or something since we're both such foodies.

Let's Chat About...Grand Rapids' Own G.B. Russos!

In August, we will celebrate our Five Year anniversary of living in Michigan. It's crazy how time flies!! It wasn't until about two years ago that we discovered G.B. Russo & Son, located on 29th Street, close to Breton.  I drove by it a million times because I loathe 28th Street, but I never knew what it was!

I feel like Russo's is like a secret club: either you know about it or you don't. I've spoken with many people in Grand Rapids that have no clue about it or they speak praises. So now EVERYONE should know what a great, local grocery store Russo's is!  You know it's going to be an amazing store the minute the doors open and you get a whiff--it's a combination of bread and spices that makes your stomach growl.

G.B. Russo & Son has been in business for 110 years! You know they're doing something right! You can shop for a variety of items from wine, beer, sausages, take-home homemade meals and more! I can literally browse the aisles for an hour if I'm without my kiddos! To introduce any newbies, I thought I should do a virtual mini-tour.  If you're local, I would be SO happy to give you a real one.

Since I'm a huge fan of beer and wine, we'll start with the good stuff.  If you are looking for a HUGE selection of wine, beer and liquor at great prices, head here. They have aisles of wine to browse.  My favorite section is the bargain area, of course.  Look for carts lined up in the middle of an aisle with marked down wine. I've scored some bottles at almost 75% off. This is a great way to try new brands or stock up for a party.  They have a weekly email list I suggest signing up for so you can get a heads up on which wines are on sale for the week!

Across the store on the front wall is the beer area.  There are SO many varieties of local and craft brews to check out.  On the weekly email list, they'll also let you know if there's any beer specials. I like to pick up cases for $10...last week it was a Great Lakes Brewery one.

Tip: Right across from the beer coolers, you'll see the rack of Day-Old bread...if you're lucky! Those loaves freeze up well and you can make garlic bread or crumbs from them.

I love their deli for the variety of sausages and sliced deli meat that is hard to find elsewhere. For our #PizzaFridays, we can't do without their pizza pepperoni--a larger variety perfect for snacking, also. The mild Italian sausage is amazing, of course, but be sure to also try the new chicken varieties! Many times, they'll have items to sample.  The deli case offers sandwiches, antipasto options such as olives, pasta salads and more.  You can seriously drool for at least 10 minutes.  On the back wall, past the deli you can find take-home meals in small and large sizes.  The lasagna is SO good.

I love to look at the bulk spice area on the back wall.  You can find chili flakes, fennel and anything else you might be looking for.  I like to put the bulk spices in mini labeled mason jars and store them in our pantry.

The other aisles offer a variety of specialty items. We have our go-to items that we always grab: Pastorelli's Pizza Sauce is the BEST! Right now they have a 99¢ pasta sale with hard-to-find shapes like orzo, ditalini, mini stars and more. I stocked up our pantry for upcoming soup season!

Aside from the tried and true items Russo's always has available, they also frequently have new products to try.  Last trip, I spotted this Chicago Mix popcorn by G.H. Cretors that lasted...oh....one night. It was THAT good! Even our new pug Leia was begging for some! I also saw some quinoa chips which will be perfect for our next beach day.

Looking for a gift?  Check out the housewares area! During their anniversary party, I won a gift basket and the pie pan that was in there is the BEST--it's a bit larger than normal and it has a metal crust protector. I'll be sure to share a photo next time I make pot pie!

Keep in touch with G.B. Russo & Son on social media:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest

Stay tuned...tomorrow I'll be sharing Ricky's Chicken Marsala recipe made from items we bought at Russo's.  I had a health scare last week and he's been cooking up a storm for me.  I can't believe he's sharing this recipe!

Have you ever shopped at Russo's? What's your favorite thing to buy?