Win a KFC Colonel-Shaped Pool Float!

Summer is almost here, school in letting out, the weather is warming up (or boiling if you live in FL), and there is an air of fun and adventure all around. The time is coming for soaking up the sun and lounging around the pool. Why not do it in style?

KFC wants to help you do just that. That's why they have a sweepstakes to win one of hundreds of Colonel-shaped pool floats. Not only is it giant, and whimsical, it is exclusive. It is only available to winners of the sweepstakes. There will never be any other way to get one. Who doesn't love to be the only one in their circle to have something?

Not only that it is totally practical. It has special holders that hold a drink and a BUCKET of KFC! If a float can't hold a bucket of chicken, what good is it, really? I mean, if there is anything as synonymous with summer as the pool it is great food. You can get that bucket of chicken for less money by using a KFC coupon code.

I can see it now: me, snuggled up with the Colonel, floating peacefully on the crystal blue water, while eating an entire bucket of Extra Crispy by myself. I might not look good in my swimsuit, but everyone will be so focused on the Colonel that they won't even notice. Ahh, paradise.

If you want a similar experience, make sure you enter to win one of these magical floats before they are gone forever. The sweepstakes ends on June 22nd, with winners being chosen on June 23rd (my birthday.) Enter at KFCfloatie.com. Good luck. 

Dinnerly Review

If you know me, you know I love food. I actually like cooking, and I am good at it, but I hate planning recipes. Hubby is not adventurous at all, which doesn't help, and it is stressful to me to think about each meal so far in advance and shop for every ingredient I will need all at once, since we only shop once a week.

Now is especially stressful since we are in the last few weeks of school (and there are a million school functions and planning teacher gifts, goodie bags, etc.), hubby will be returning to work after his surgery, which changes his entire schedule up, and summer approaching, which changes the kids' schedule. Meal planning is the last thing I want to worry about.

Thankfully, with Dinnerly, I don't have to. Dinnerly ships all the ingredients I need for 3 complete meals right to my door. No searching for fresh produce, no wondering how much I need or wasting money on a full bottle of a spice/condiment I will only use once for the recipe.

I get to choose the recipes I want. There are great choices both vegetarian and meat based. I love my meat, but they all look very good. The recipes each use only 5 ingredients or less and require minimal chopping and only a few steps. They are quick and very easy to make.

This week I have tried 3 amazing recipes. They were all delicious; even my picky hubby loved them. Best of all, they were recipes I never would have thought of on my own, and now I can add them into my regular rotation.

Beef & Broccoli Noodles with Teriyaki-Peanut Sauce:

This was so good. I love peanut sauce and all Asian style noodles. These are made with spaghetti noodles! Can you believe it? I was really surprised how well they work in this dish. And I've never done ground beef in a dish like this, but it totally works. This one is definitely going to be a regular.

BBQ Chicken Skillet Pizza with Peppers & Onions:

I had to teak this one a tad since I don't have a cast iron skillet. I made it with thinner crust on a baking sheet instead. It still came out wonderful. This has a lot of bold flavor, without anything being overpowering. I can only imagine how good it would be with a thick, fluffy, crispy pan crust. I will need to try it again when I get a cast iron pan.

Mediterranean Meatball Pitas with Lemon Tahini Sauce:

This was fantastic! It is not something I would have ever thought of. I don't cook much Mediterranean style food. I don't know why. The perfect balance of flavors and textures. And so easy. I totally added more sauce after I tasted it. It is just the right pop of brightness and flavor depth. I had this last night. I already want to eat it again.

I love getting to try recipes that I would never think of, and I love that this kind of pushes hubby to try new things that he would probably scoff at if I suggested it. In fact he was wary of these, until he tried them and loved them all.

I love that Dinnerly is way more affordable than other meal delivery services. And I was a bit worried at first that it was because the ingredients were not as good. I was wrong. They use high quality ingredients like grass-fed beef and antibiotic-free chicken. The portions are great too.

They, instead, cut costs by not sending printed recipe cards, but you can download them and view on your phone/tablet or print them out yourself. I do normally like a recipe card, but the savings is worth that trade-off and it's better for the environment.

Speaking of savings, I mentioned the affordability, but did not say just how much of a bargain it is - only $5 per serving! Each meal for 2 is only $10. 3 meals for 2 is only $30 plus $8.99 shipping. Total, shipping included is less than 2 meals before shipping from another meal delivery company. I spend almost $5 for my morning coffee, I can certainly afford that for my whole dinner.

I am loving Dinnerly and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a simpler way to cook and try new, delicious and satisfying recipes. Have you tried Dinnerly yet? DO you have a favorite recipe? Do you want to try it? What do you like most about Dinnerly? Let's discuss in the comments.

*Although I received this product at no cost to facilitate my review, all opinions are 100% my own.*

5 Tips for helping your kids improve their writing skills

Writing is a skill that needs to be established as early on as possible. That's because it's not only something that they will use during their school years but throughout life.

Even until people start working or have their own families, the skill of writing is still being practiced.
It's important that children not just improve their writing skills, but they should also enjoy it. If you want your kids to improve their writing skills, follow the tips below.

1. Be a model for your child - kids will never learn the importance and significance of writing if they don't see you doing it yourself. They might just associate writing with something that only needs to be done in school because they do not see the adults in their home actually doing it. So in order to show them that writing is important, show them how you use it. It may be something as simple as a grocery shopping list or writing a letter to a relative.

2. Connect writing with something they are interested in - make it more fun by having them write about their hobbies or interests. For example, they read a book or watched a movie that they really loved. You can have them write a review or summary. Or maybe there's a person, like a public figure that they admire, you can help them pen a letter to that person to express their admiration to them.

3. Encourage them to read - reading and writing go hand in hand. The mire that kids read, the wider their vocabulary will be. They will see how different words are used and it becomes easier for them to use the words in their own compositions. If you have a young child, even if they cannot read yet, it would be advisable to read to them every day so that they can learn to love words.

4. Use a variety of materials - don't limit writing to just the old pen and paper. There are so many writing materials you can use so that it will be fun for kids. Aside from providing colorful pens and papers, you can also use materials such as chalk or even paint. If you are training young kids, making it more fun can make them love writing more. You can even incorporate the use of technology so that writing is more accessible and they know that technology is not just for playing games or watching videos.

5. Invest your time teaching your children - don't just entrust teaching writing to school teachers. If you are a parent, you also need to affirm whatever they are learning at school. You don't need to spend hours to teach the school. Look at what they learned in school for that day and just come up with exercises that will test that. You can look at good composition writing examples and compare your child's so that you will know what areas they will need to improve on.

Unwicked Scents Mother's Day Giveaway!

Review (added 5/7/18): I received some wonderful products from Unwicked Scents. I'm in love. If you know me, you know that I love all things scented. I am obsessed with candles, but with kids I worry they will be to dangerous. That's why I am so excited about the wax melts (Smelts.)

I got Wild Currant and Macintosh Apple, and they both smell divine. I had to borrow a warmer, since I didn't have one, but I already ordered one now and it's on its way. These melts are so fragrant; the scent fills up the whole room, but it does not smell overpowering or artificial, which I hate. They are so pretty, too. I love the colors.


What's better than scents in the air? Scents on your body! I got the indulgent Insane Moisture Butter Scrub in Mangolicious. I love mangoes, and this smells fantastic. It is bright and fresh, but still soft enough to be a body product. It is like mango meets whipped cream.

I also got to try the Licked Lipscrub Exfoliating Lip Balm in Wild Cherry. The scent and flavor are wonderful. I get extremely dry lips. I wear lip balm every day, and it only helps manage it. The extra benefit of the scrub really helps remove the dryness and the nourishing oils help keep my lips smooth and hydrated.

Any of these products would make a fabulous Mother's Day gift, and even better bundled together. Pamper mom (or yourself) this Mother's Day. I know that more Unwicked Wax Smelts are on my wish list. What would your mom (or you) love most?

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Mother's Day is only 2 weeks away! If you are still looking for the perfect gift, allow me to suggest Unwicked Scents. I can't speak for all mothers, but I love fragrance. Scented candles, wax melts, body products, etc. are my obsession.

Unwicked Scents has an incredible selection of amazing, highly-scented, clean wax melts. They are made with only natural waxes, like beeswax. I will have a full review up for you soon, but in the meantime, I have a fabulous Unwicked Scents Mother's Day Prize Pack ($100 value) to give away.

The Prize Pack includes:
5 Unwicked Scents Stone Smelts
1 Unwicked Scents Insane Moisture Butter Scrub
1 Unwicked Scents Licked Lipscrub exfoliating lip balm
1 Decorative Illumination Warmer

This is an amazing prize that any mother would love. Enter below. Good luck.Be sure to come back to check out the full review.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Discover GE Premium Finish Options

*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.*

Are you in the market for a new kitchen appliance? If you are, you definitely need to consider GE. GE is the leader in premium finish options. Like their gorgeous Black Stainless Finish. It is bold and sophisticated. Its high-gloss finish gives it a modern and sleek appearance that is sure to class up any kitchen.

I love black. My color theme when we first moved in was black and gray. Now it is to an extent, it's just we have so much more stuff now and, honestly, I stink at keeping up with my aesthetic. However, I now know what finish I am choosing when we buy new appliances.

In addition to being stunning, the Black Stainless finish is easy to clean (wipes clean in SECONDS) and fingerprint resistant, to keep it cleaner longer. That is essential for me, as I hate to clean and would end up just leaving prints all over it rather than cleaning it multiple times a day (which I'd need to with my kids.)

I used to work in a condo where I cleaned stainless steel daily, and I hated it. It was so fussy. You could just think about touching it and there would be fingerprints. So this is my kind of stainless. Now to talk hubby buying it. We may need to hit up a Best Buy before Mother's Day.

What do you love about GE Black Stainless? Will that option sway your next kitchen appliance purchase in any way? I'd love to discuss in the comments.

Mama's Jewelry for Mother's Day

Moms work hard 365 days out of the year, so why give them another predictable gift this Mother's Day? With the exquisite collection of mothers rings from Mama's Jewelry, you're bound to make this the most unforgettable Mother's Day yet! Each time she looks down at her ring, puts on her earrings or is asked about her necklace, she'll remember just how much she's loved.

Mama's Jewelry has been designing rings for moms for 30 years committed to creating exceptional mothers pendants, rings and earrings at affordable prices.

Mother's Day Special Offer - Save $10 Off already low prices. (minimum purchase $59) Visit: https://mamasjewelry.com/

Pop Oh Vers + $50 Amazon Giveaway!

Win a fantastic Pop Oh Ver prize pack! It includes 1 Pop Oh Ver Kitchen Stove Set, 1 Pop Oh Ver Kitchen Counter Top Set, 1 Pop Oh Ver Deluxe Kitchen Set, and a $50 Amazon gift card! Something for the kids and something for you, unless you are more generous than me and spend the $50 on the kids too.

The Pop Oh Ver Stove and Counter Top sets are so cool because they fold up. They work with your existing kitchen chairs to make stand up and stay stable, then fold away when playtime is finished. Great for traveling and save so much space. I've had toy kitchens in my way for the past 8 years. I wish these came out sooner.

ENTER HERE