Many thanks to Pop Secret for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to live in the moment with my princesses!

We fell asleep last night to the gently falling snow and awoke to a bright and snowy scene. There wasn’t enough snow to build a proper snow man, but my girls still had to get out there and play in the rare treat that is snow in middle Tennessee.  Soon enough, the magic wore off and in they came, changed their clothes and then announced they were hungry and bored. 

What’s a mom to do? I’d whipped out the box of Pop Secret popcorn and suggested we make a pillow fort like we used too when they were younger. My teen and tween looked at each other and happily agreed. 

First, we decided to make a snack worthy of a princess day, so we invented Chocolate-Caramel Princess crunch! This is super easy to make and you may already have the 3 ingredients on hand. 

Ingredients:

Directions:

Now, let your kids have fun adding as much of the syrups they want to make their own special version of Chocolate-Caramel Princess crunch! Of course, you’ll want to change the name if you have boys. The point is to have fun with this and let the kids sneak bites...

and be as loud and as messy as they want. In other words- let you kids be kids! Thankfully, my girls who are a bit older now, decided not to go too overboard with the syrups.

We all had such a good time making this easy, yet tasty treat. Even this older princess thoroughly enjoyed letting loose and laughing and eating with them. 

This super yummy creation was way to hard to resist. You have to try it if you love sweet and salty treats!

Then it was pillow fort time for the princesses!

This sheet has served as our fort door and roof for a lot of years, so it was fun getting it back out of the linen closet and borrowing clamps from their Daddy. The girls and I added lots of soft, comfy blankets and pillows and transformed a corner of our living room into princess headquarters; complete with their Pop Secret Chocolate-Caramel Princess crunch!

The girls had so much fun in their fort, they asked if it could stay up all weekend- just like when they were little and I happily agreed.

Make your own #PopSecretForts and join the fun!

Pop Secret knows that fun, like popcorn, is better when it’s shared. Send Pop Secret your pillow fort stories and pictures on Facebook. You can upload them right to the Pop Secret timeline and tag them #PopSecretForts. They might just share a little something back! And when you visit the Pop Secret Facebook page you can download a coupon for $1 off, along with a customizable flag to name and claim your pillow fort! 

I look over at my not so little princesses and take in their smiling faces, storing this happy moment in my mind for later, when life gets crazy busy again. 

Why not take time out this weekend to get in touch with your inner kid again and build a pillow fort with your kids too? And make it super special by serving up Pop Secret!

Please share in comments: 

What fun, kid activity do you enjoy doing with you kids? Are you a pillow fort builder? A push me higher on the swinger? Share you happy moments!

Admittedly, there isn’t a whole lot to do in our winter garden, but when the mercury starting rising to a high of 60 yesterday in middle Tennessee, I had to get out there and do something!

I started raking leaves out of the front flower beds again. That was a nice little job, since we have several large pin Oaks and Maple trees in our front yard. Actually, it was a good workout, even though I know I’ll never win the battle of the leaves.  Some of the trees are already showing signs of new growth. 

Next, I swept the front porch and noticed some new growth coming up in my succulent. I never over winter this plant, she prefers to live year round on the front porch. She’ll be stunning by April again.

Since I had out the broom, I cleared the corner of the flower bed that the rake never works in and swept the walkway.   I know this is another thankless task as the leaves are just going to blow over it again and right back into my flower beds, but it made me feel good knowing I’d done it.

After I’d raked and swept up, I had played a nice round of pick up sticks. Some I walked to the burn pile, some I dragged, but I got them there, working up a nice, healthy sweat along the way and loving the feel of the warm sunshine on my face. 

I couldn’t help but notice on my many trips back and forth to a centralized spot in our vast back yard known as the burn pile, that our hedge line was teaming with birds.  I tried to capture the birds playing, but after a few failed attempts, I gave up stalking them and just stood and admired their beauty. It didn’t take much of a walk along the fence line to find the bird’s lunch spot.

A few steps more and I was at our pond, which had lots of air bubbles on the top, letting me know our frog population hasn’t diminished by much in winter.

Standing there feeling the sun on my face, the wind lightly blowing through the trees and bushes, the birds chatting at the berries, all was right in my world. This gardening ladies soul saw and felt the New Year in the best possible way. 

I knew I might be tempting fate, because the weather man assured us our warm weather wouldn’t last, but as I walked past the corner where my heirloom Iris’ bed is, I took a peak to see if there was any signs of life- and sure enough, there was Iris fronds staring back at me.

My stomach growled, letting me know my gardening time was done, so I stood up and  headed back towards my beautiful, perfectly imperfect red ranch house content.

Please share in comments:

How does your January garden look? What planting region do you live in? We are in a nice, temperate 7. Don’t know your planting zone? Reading my post here can help you find out. And hang in there, spring begins in just 58 days!

One of the things I love about receiving a complimentary box of goodies to review from Influenster is you never know exactly what products will be included in your box. They like to keep things fresh and exciting and they did just that with my most recent box. While I did receive the products mentioned below free of charge, all opinions and love of beauty products are my own.

As you can see, there are several beauty items in my Influenster VoxBox (yay!) plus a Celestial green tea, fruit Vine bites and some Thyme. Yes, Thyme! See what I mean about Influenster keeping things fresh? Since there’s no thyme like the present (sorry, I couldn’t resist!), to share some product reviews with you, I’ll start with the kitchen staple:

McCormick Gourmet Thyme:

McCormick has updated the packaging on their herbs and spices, but you can rest assured, all the great flavor and quality you’ve come to expect from this brand is still there. I love adding Thyme to oven roasted chicken dishes, shaking it into soups, marinara sauces, stews and on sauteed vegetables. To learn more about McCormick Gourmet, visit them on Facebook @ #McCormickGourmet.

Fruit Vine Bites:

Fruit Vines are a new, soft chewy fruit candy from the Red Vines family. They are available in two fruit flavors: strawberry and cherry. We received the cherry and my kids loved them! I'll be keeping these in the house for snacking when the kids have sleep-overs and parties.To learn more about Fruit Vines, visit them on Facebook.  #Sweetside.

Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Decaf Green Tea:

I love Celestial Seasonings teas! I love the very idea of a holiday inspired flavored tea, full of pepper-minty goodness!  I will keep this one in the house for myself and my kids! You can learn more about Celestial Seasonings by visiting them on Twitter – hashtag #CelestialTea. 

Now let’s move on to the beauty products in my #FrostyVoxBox. I love trying new makeup, skincare and beauty tools, so I was in my element with these products!

#7 Boots Beauty USA Protect & Perfect Advanced Serum:

Oh, how I wish I’d received a full size product instead of just a sample packet because this serum is nice. It’s got a light scent, goes on smooth on your face and really moisturizes. I like it a lot and will use the savings coupon I received to buy more, so I can decide where it helps with my fine lines.  You can learn more about #7 Boots products by visiting them on Facebook  #GetADVANCED .

EcoTools Brush:

At our house, we all have different hair types and styles requiring different tools for the job. Ecotools says this brush is designed to leave your head and your hair happy. We agree! We can use this on dry or wet hair with great results. You can learn more about the EcoTools brush by following them on Twitter – hashtag #LoveMyEcoHairBrush .

NYC Expert Last Lip Color in Sugar Plum:

I love lipsticks, but most confess that I probably would have looked past this color while shopping in a store thinking it would be too orange-brown for me.  But, upon using it; I was pleasantly surprised how well Sugar Plum goes with my skin tone.  This lipstick glides on smoothly, and lasts about 6 hours on me. At only $1.99 this is a frugal ladies dream lipstick and I will be buying more NYC colors soon! You can learn more about NYC Color Cosmetics by following them on Twitter – hashtag #Sugarplum.

Last, but certainly not least or two products from Rimmel.  First up is their eyeliner.

Rimmel Scandal eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner:

Confession- I don’t wear a lot of Kohl eyeliner, finding it to be too dark on my eyes no matter how light I apply it. Such was the case with this eyeliner too. While I did like how it glides on with no pulling, I didn’t like the look on me. If you like a thicker, darker line on your eyes, you should give this one a try! You can learn more about Rimmel London US products by visiting them on Facebook  #Rimmel.

Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover:

I like using eye makeup removers that don’t sting or leave a greasy residue, so this Rimmel gets high marks from me there, but can it truly get off long lasting and waterproof makeup (like the above eyeliner) like Rimmel claims? 

Not really. 

Sorry, Rimmel, but your eye makeup remover was no match for your eyeliner. Nor was it a match for my waterproof mascara. And ladies, I only put on one light coat.  Still, you may want to give it a go yourself because it is reasonably priced and did take off some of my  eye makeup.  You can learn more about Rimmel London US products by  following them on Twitter hashtag #Rimmel.

As always, I hope you’ve found these reviews helpful and will keep them in mind the next time you’re shopping.

Please share in comments: Which product or brand are you most familiar with?

I received the Little Mermaid Legacy Collection CD as a member of the Entertainment New Media Network.  No further compensation was received and all opinions are my own.  This post may also contain affiliate links.

I can hardly believe that The Little Mermaid, that beloved Ariel, and all the under the sea characters are 25! I’ll admit it, 25 years ago; I wasn’t in to seeing a Disney animated movie at the theater because I was young and my kids were but day-dream’s. My love of this beautiful movie came years later when my oldest daughter was a toddler. She saw a commercial for The Little Mermaid on TV; and the rest, as they say, was history!

CD Front Cover

About The Legacy Collection The Little Mermaid CD with collectible book:

"The label honors one of the most beloved soundtracks of all time with the 25th anniversary release of Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection The Little Mermaid available today. The Little Mermaid collection features the songs and score from the film by Oscar®-winning composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman on Disc One, twelve work tapes and song demos performed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman on Disc Two, and a collectible 20-page booklet. Also included are liner notes by Alan Menken, John Musker (Co-writer, Director and Producer, “The Little Mermaid”), and Chris Montan (President of Walt Disney Music)."

Isn’t the CD cover beautiful? The CD and the artwork in the collectible book are lovingly drawn by Lorelay Bove, a visual development artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios. If you watch Disney animated movies, you might recognize her style from movies like Tangled, Winnie the Pooh or Wreck- It Ralph. 

I will treasure this book filled with insights, ideas and facts on the making of The Little Mermaid, including the film, animation and musical scores!  

Here’s a cool fact I learned: The Little Mermaid was a milestone in Disney animation, being the first princess musical to be made at Disney since the 1959’s Sleeping Beauty! The book is filled with animation and includes lyrics so you can sing along with songs like Part of your World and Kiss the Girl. 

My daughters and I loved listening to the sweeping musical numbers on the CD and singing along to our beloved favorite songs. Now that my oldest is 15; we found it a little challenging to visualize where the musical scores aligned with the movie. We thought it would be fun to buy The Little Mermaid on Blu-Ray, turn down the volume and listen to the CD while watching the movie. 

We loved this beautiful Legacy Collection and invite you to learn more about it and all the Disney music located at the new Disney Music Emporium. You can visit them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter as well. 

Why Yoplait Greek Yogurt?

I will admit it- I’m picky when it comes to traditional breakfast foods. If a cereal is high in sugar (over 11 grams a serving for me) or high in carbs, I may eat it, but I’ll be starving soon after because of the way my body metabolizes that fuel. I have to have a healthy, tasty protein source and folks; it doesn’t get much taster that this peach Yoplait Greek 100 calorie, fat free yogurt with a small serving of high fiber granola on top and an apple. 

With 11 grams of protein and just 8 grams of sugar, the peach Yoplait Greek 100 calorie yogurt is a tasty, healthy breakfast food or anytime snack that I know is going to have staying power. 

All of the Yoplait Greek 100 calorie yogurts are only 2 Weight Watcher endorsed points and come with real fruit on the bottom. I can’t wait to try the Apple pie, Blueberry and Strawberry Cheesecake in this line.  I just know they will be as creamy, tasty and thick as the peach flavor. Just look at how my spoon stands up in it. 

If I start getting bored with my breakfast options again on #WeightLossJourney, I’ll just head on over to Yoplait’s recipe section. (insert link) Filled with recipes for all of Yoplait’s yogurt varieties, I’m sure to find many that look tempting, like the apple pie yogurt cup! 

More good for you and your waistline Foods:

 

The#WeightLossJourney, #NewYearsResolution Giveaway:

Thanks to the generosity of General Mills, one lucky reader will receive a basket of Weight-Watchers endorsed products including salad tongs, a dressing emulsifier, and salad shears.

Terms:

Entering is easy using the Rafflecopter form below. No purchase necessary to win. My WAHM Plan is not responsible for prize fulfillment. General Mills will send gift package to winner. Must be 18+ to enter and reside in the United States. This giveaway is in no way endorsed affiliated or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This event will end on 12:00 AM (EST) 1/21/15. 

Good Luck! 

We've made it through Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations and are heading straight for New Year’s Eve parties this week. And while making merry with beloved friends and family is a very good thing socially,  all the delicious, and in most cases, rich and fatty foods we’re consuming this time of year can leave our digestive track begging for mercy.  That’s why I was happy to accept Smiley 360’s invitation to try accuflora Probiotic supplements free of charge to share my thoughts with you. All opinions are my own.

As my family and I start our new Family Fit lifestyle journey, I’ll be sharing posts here on the blog to help my readers who may be interested in getting to a healthy place in 2015 as well. I can’t think of a better way to kick off this new series than with our stomachs and digestive systems because we rely on both so much in our everyday life. 

If you’ve been stressed, eating at odd hours, eating richer foods than you normally do then taking a probiotic supplement like accuflora can help support your digestive health and help regulate your bodies internal balance and get your gut back on track quickly; in as little as 14 days in fact.

About accuflora Probiotic Supplements:

Accuflora Probiotic supplements contain 5 beneficial probiotic strains including Lactobacillus acidophilus, the live culture found in yogurt. Accuflora may help replenish your body’s good bacteria and maintain a healthy digestive system. *

If you aren’t a fan of yogurt, accuflora may provide the digestive health support you have been missing out on. Accuflora provides up to 12 hours of probiotic support through a controlled delivery system. The accuflora caplets form a gel layer that allows the probiotic to survive harsh stomach acids releasing the probiotic throughout your gastrointestinal tract.*

Why may accuflora Probiotics be helpful for you?

Rich meals, dairy products, preservatives, stress and age can all affect your body’s digestion. I was so surprised to read age played a role in this, but I shouldn’t have been. My dear mother in law has been experiencing digestive health issues recently and one of the first things her doctor did was suggest she take a probiotic supplement and cut back on hard to digest dairy products.

As a result of one or all of these triggers, you may experience stomach upset, bloating and changes with regularity just as my mother in law did. Accuflora may help you get your digestive health back on track too.

Having a health digestive system not only makes you feel your best, it could very well keep you healthier as well because when your gut is in balance, your immune system is working at its best;  which may help you ward of colds and other bugs. 

Ready to try accuflora Probiotics?

Head over to their website here to learn more about them and about the 14 day challenge. While you’re there, why not download a money saving coupon too. You can also visit them on Facebook to hear how accuflora is helping others who have taken the 14 day challenge.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.*

Please share in comments: Have you ever taken a probiotic supplement before?