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3.27.2015

Friday Favorites + $100 Target Giftcard Giveaway!

Happy Friday!!!
Today I'm linking up with Friday Favorites!

Hosted by: Andrea, Erika & Narci

 In honor of Spring Break being 7 days away...I have 7 favorites I want to share with you today!

{ONE}
Since Easter is just one week away, let's talk about my favorite Easter Candy:

I keep these in the fridge. Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs cold are the BEST.
Know what isn't my favorite? Cadbury Eggs. I'm sorry. I just don't like them. I think they are nasty. I've had 1 bite of one in my entire life and couldn't even finish it because it was gross.
 #TeamReesesEggsForever

{TWO}
Celebrating Holidays is my FAVORITE!
Easter is a week from Sunday, so here are some fun activities that you can do with your kids this week to get you in the Easter Spirit! Many of these will help you focus on the true meaning of Easter....that Jesus died on the cross for all of us and rose again 3 days later.  Some of the other activities are just for fun!

Planting Jelly Beans
We do this on Good Friday & have the lollipops appear on Easter Sunday representing that God has taken the old and given us new life. 
 You can read Luke Chapter 18 in the Bible with this activity.
 Talk about how Jesus’s body was laid in the tomb then on the 3rd day was raised from the dead and lived again.

 Bunny Prints
 On our front walkway made with flour on Easter Morning:
Bunny Trail 
(Marshmallows leading them to their Easter Baskets)
 
Empty Tomb Easter Cookies with Scripture 
(Recipe & Instructions HERE
Resurrection Rolls:
(Recipe HERE)

Easter Egg Coupons:
Instead of filing eggs with candy, you can add these coupons to some of your kids eggs!
My girls LOVE getting these in their eggs!

Download them HERE if you haven't already!
These are a HIT at Easter. My girls can't wait to find the coupon eggs!

 Tie Dyed Easter Eggs:
Use silk ties to dye eggs! So fun. 
{Instructions HERE}
You can see our tie-dyed eggs from 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014
The girls and I are working on our 2015 tie dyed eggs next week. Can't wait!

Happy Easter to one of my favorite Peeps Printable:

Get the printable {HERE}

You've been Egged Printable:
In case you missed my post yesterday, I posted a "You've Been Egged" Printable.
We have had so much fun "egging" our friends this week!

Download it {HERE}

{THREE}
Crying kids with Santa & the Easter Bunny are my favorite.
We are going to see the Easter Bunny next week.
Hoping I get a repeat of last year:


{FOUR}
Stitch Fix is my Favorite! 
My Fix is supposed to arrive this afternoon. I can't wait!
It's like Christmas morning every month. This is my 11th month getting a Stitch Fix (you don't have to do them every month, but I love getting them, so I chose the monthly option. :)
You don't have to do it every month, you can customize it to how you want it...every other month, every 2 months, every 3 months, etc.

When you sign up for Stitch Fix, you link your Pinterest Boards to them so that know what styles you like. If you don't have Pinterest, that's okay because they also have a style questionaire for you to fill out & they have collages of outfits and you rate them on how you like them.
Each Fix comes with 5 different items & it comes with a prepaid mailing envelope, so you can easily return the items you don't want.
You aren't obligated to keep any of it! I have kept at least 1 item each time, sometimes I keep 2 or 3.
It's fun!
Click {HERE} to get started!

{FIVE}
As if you didn't know, Rodan + Fields is my favorite skin care...especially the eye cream!
I started using the eye cream right after Luke was born and WOW, it got rid of the bags under my eyes that I had from lack of sleep with a newborn. 

Our  Multi-Function Eye Cream combines powerful peptides to minimize the appearance of crow’s-feet, helps reduce the appearance of both puffiness and dark under eye circles while special optical diffusers noticeably brighten the eye area.
Ophthalmologist tested, this formula is ideal for maintaining the delicate skin around the eyes.  

This brave consultant only used the eye cream on one eye for 3 weeks!
It's less puffy & she doesn't have bags under that eye!

I will be placing a BULK order of our amazing eye cream NEXT Wednesday!
For my bulk order, you can get it with my discount and it will only cost you $54 and I will cover your tax & shipping!
One jar lasts me at least 4-5 months.
Let me know if you want to order one! Leave a comment with your email or email me: melissa_larson17@yahoo.com

My March Madness deal is also going on, if you want to become a preferred customer.
You get $20 cash back, 17% off your order and FREE Shipping!
(If you did this deal, you could get the eye cream for even less than my bulk order discount!)
I would LOVE to help you with your skin care needs!
You can also take this quick 6 question survey to find out what products are best for your skin {HERE}

{SIX}
 Bingo is my favorite!
For the past year, some of my friends and I have gone to play Bingo at the Country Club for their Bingo night. They have it once a month and for the past year we have been going. We haven't made it to all of them, but when we do, it is a riot!!!
Usually there are between 3 - 6 of us. But this month, there were 10 of us!!! Don, the announcer wanted a picture with us this month to put in the monthly newsletter. We are the youngest ones by about 30 years....I love Bingo with the old people :)
In the past year, none of us have ever won and we haven't even been at a table where someone has won. But, this month 5 out of the 10 of us WON games!!!!
So much fun!! I won a Champange Brunch for 2.

We were quite the scene at Bingo since 5 of us won.
This is what our table looked like at the end of the night.

Bingo cards & empty wine bottles. LOVE it.

{SEVEN}
Target is my Favorite.
Target was (is?) my happy place.
Then I had kids and going to Target with 3 kids is not so fun.
Know what is fun?
Giving away a $100 Target Gift Card to one of YOU!

What would you buy with a $100 Target Gift Card?
I would use it on a new bathing suit & swimsuit coverup. And, some new Spring clothes!
To enter, use the Rafflecopter below!
Giveaway ends next Friday, April 3rd!

Hope you have a GREAT Friday!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

3.26.2015

You've Been Egged! {Free Printable}

I am SOOOOOO excited about this Printable & this fun Easter Activity for you to do with your kids.
I have been planning this printable for a year.
Last Easter season, some of our friends "Egged" us.
They left 12 eggs on our lawn (1 was empty) They left a handwritten note letting us know we got "Egged". 
I knew right then that I was going to make this into a printable so I could this with my kids and so you guys could do this!
 Here is what you need:
- Plastic Easter Eggs
- Easter Candy (We picked out our favorites!)
- Easter erasers
-Easter Stickers 
- You've been Egged Printable (download at the bottom of this post)

You can use whatever you want to fill up the eggs!
Got these items from the Target Dollar Spot:
My girls LOVED putting the eggs together. They had so much fun.
 We wanted to Egg 6 different families, so we were very calculated on how we filled our eggs.
We did 12 eggs at a time.
 
 We made sure we had 2 eggs of jelly beans, a 2 of m&ms, 2 chocolate eggs & 2 eggs of PB cups, 2 with erasers & 1 with stickers & 1 Empty Egg.
Then we put the 12 eggs in a bag:
 Then I added the "You've been Egged" printable to the bag & set it aside.
 It helped keep us nice an organized :)
Our bags ready to Egg our friends!
We headed out to egg our friends! While the girls hid the eggs, I taped the printable to the front door.
 So much fun! The girls were nervous about getting caught, so we hid the eggs quickly!
 Now, you can egg your friends also! This is a tradition we will do every year, SO fun!
{Click to download. Right click & then Save.}
 
Click {HERE} to download more of my Free Printables!

Have fun Egging your friends!

3.25.2015

What's Up Wednesday :: March 2015

Happy Wednesday! The past 2 months at the end of the month, I have done What's up Wednesday...here is what's up with us in March!

What We are Eating this week:
Meal planning is my favorite. Every Sunday I sit down & plan our meals for the the week!
 Sunday - Leftover Guinness Stew from St. Patty's Day
Monday - Spicy Sausage & Spinach Pasta Bake
Tuesday - Baked Chicken Nachos (using chicken from my 3 ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos! These nachos were amazing....I will be blogging about them soon!
Wednesday- Leftovers
Thursday - Pork Roast
Friday- Friday Night Pizza Night!
Saturday- Leftovers

I also make a homemade treat/snack each week for my kids to have in their lunches or after school.
This week I made my No Bake Protein Energy Balls
They taste like Cookie Dough!

 What I'm Reading:
When we were in Seascape 2 weeks ago, I finished The Husband's Secret. It was SO good. I couldn't put it down!
I loved What Alice Forgot & The Husband's Secret, so I now I am reading yet ANOTHER Liane Moriarty book,  Big Little Lies. I just started it yesterday!
If you are looking for books to read in 2015, check out the post and read the comments of all the great books people suggested.
LOVE all the suggestions that you had on THIS post. 

What I'm Reminiscing about:
Coaching Soccer!
In 2002 through 2008, I was the Girls Varsity Assistant Soccer Coach at my old high school. I LOVED coaching. I stopped coaching in 2008 after Claire was born, because with 2 kids under 2 it was just too hard to coach with practice every afternoon for 2 hours & games.
One of the mom's of one of my players sent me these photos that she had of me & Kate from my last season of coaching. Kate was just 11 months old in this photo and I was newly pregnant with Claire & so sick with morning sickness. I remember were playing in the playoffs & morning sickness was so bad that I barfed in the port a potty at half time. One of my worst experiences ever.

But enough about morning sickness...how cute is baby Kate?!?
Back when she had blue eyes (her eyes turned green when she was 13 months old)
Can't believe this was 7 years ago!

What I'm loving:
 Nice parents who bring me an iced latte to their parent teacher conference.
SO nice & thoughtful!
 I am also loving the fact that Conference week is over. Last week kicked my butt!

What we've been up to:
March has been such a busy month and a really fun month!
Our weekends have been packed!
We've had our school auction,
went to Seascape:
And...softball season for Kate just started!

What I'm Dreading:
I am dreading Potty Training Luke. He is 2 years 6 months. I had the girls potty trained at 2 years 5 months. I use the 3 day potty training method. I am going to be potty training him over Spring Break (which is in 10 days).  Originally, I was going to potty train him the first week of Summer, but we are doing swim team again, so there is no way we would be able to stay home 3 days in a row during Summer. So, Spring Break it is. Potty Training is one of my least favorite things to do. But, it has to be done. Wish me luck!!!

What I'm Working On:
Getting all my grades done before next Friday!
I still have 150 tests to grade. And, we have a huge project due this Friday, so I will have 150 projects to grade by next Friday. The 3rd quarter ends and I want all my grades done so that I don't have to think about any of that over Spring Break!
And then....after Spring break...just 1 more quarter left until Summer!!!!
And.....
I am also working on a fun Easter Printable for YOU guys!

I will post it to the blog tomorrow. I think you will love it....a fun activity to do with your kids for their friends or neighbors! I am super excited about it!!

What I'm Looking Forward to:
 Easter!!!
 I love this time of year reflecting on all that Jesus has done for us.
I am also looking forward to Spring Break!!!! Just 10 days away!
I am SO looking forward to a week off school & hanging with the kids. We have no Spring Break plans (except Potty Training Luke) there will be a lot of pajama days at home (and swimming if the weather is nice)

What I'm Wearing Today:
For Christmas, I used my gift cards that I got and got these flats.
I usually buy shoes a Target, but once or twice a year I will get a "nicer" pair.
With teaching, I am on my feet for hours each day and these flats are worth the extra $ (especially if you have a gift card!)
They feel like slippers!
 Shoes from {HERE} or {HERE

What I'm Excited About:
It's wedding Season!!!
 We have 2 weddings in April & and 1 in May!
One of our former youth group kids and my cousin's wedding are in April and in May another one of my cousins is getting married.
I LOVE weddings! So crazy that we have 3 in a 5 week period!

What I'm Watching:
Yep....still watching Scandal.
Kevin and I have successfully binge watched 3 complete seasons of Scandal in the last 2 months.
We just started Season 4 this week, so then we will be all caught up in the next few weeks.
Any other suggestions on what to watch once we are done with Scandal?

And, of course we are watching March Madness! Can't wait for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games this weekend.

What I'm Listening to:
My girls are LOVING listening to Uptown Funk.
We have dance parties in the afternoons to help them get their crazy out.

What am I annoyed by?
Laundry. Ugh. It's the worst. I can never stay on top of it.
(I got a new rug for our family room! I love it!)
Rug is from {HERE}

What I'm hoping for:
I am hoping that my new Preferred Customers this month are loving their products!
I am hoping some of you get amazing results like this in just 1 month!
  I am also hoping you take advantage of this Awesome deal!
$20 cash back, 17% off your order and FREE Shipping!

Offer ends on midnight on March 31st!
Email me to place an order or if you have product questions!

 What else is new:
My neighbor has a new Moscow Mule recipe and it might just be my new favorite cocktail!
I'll always be a lemon drop girl, but I don't make those at home. These homemade Moscow Mules are delicious!

 So, what's up with you?