Snickers Apple COOL WHIP Salad

In our family dessert is not something we take lightly. It's pretty much a requirement each and every day (at least once, sometimes Camden even tells me he needs his "lunch dessert!") But dessert doesn't have to be complicated, and in my book that is a good thing. A while back one of my (many many) cousins brought this so called "salad" to a family gathering, but I never got a chance to taste it, so this week I decided I'd make it myself. It took all of about five minutes.

You will need:

3 smallish apples
2 frozen snickers bars (I don't exactly know why they need to be frozen, maybe makes it easier to cut?)
1/2 tub COOL WHIP whipped topping (plus more for garnish)

Peel and dice your apples, and then combine them with COOL WHIP. (Actually, you don't have to peel them, but I did, because none of some of my kids won't eat apple peels).

Chop your frozen snickers bars and throw them in as well. Try not to eat any snickers while you are doing this. (It is virtually impossible, but you can try).

Mix together and serve. I added a dollop of COOL WHIP and some chocolate sauce on top, you know, to make it look "fancy".

We invited the neighbor kids in to try it out as well and all of us (two adults, three tweens, three elementary school kids, and one toddler) thought it was delicious. Since I made a fairly small batch there was only a little bit left after we fed the entire neighborhood, so I took it upon myself to finish it off. (Because I'm a giver like that).

...And, since we've got some COOL WHIP left over, I'll be eating it on anything and everything...ice cream, brownies, fruit, maybe all of the above. At ONCE!



Sponsored posts are purely editorial content that we are pleased to have presented by a participating sponsor. Advertisers do not produce the content. I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all my own.

dare to try something new

Thanks to L'Oreal for sponsoring my post about my favorite beauty looks, tips and tricks! Check out Makeup.com for beauty advice from the experts.

I don't wear a lot of makeup. A little mascara, and lipgloss, and some neutral shadow is a normal makeup routine for me. But with the holidays coming there will be parties and opportunities to get all fancied up, so when I recently had a girls' night out with some of my besties I asked my sister to come over and help me do something a little different with my makeup.

I bought some liquid eyeliner because I really wanted to try the cat eye-liner look (even though I hate cats). My sister flaunts this feline look regularly so I knew if anybody could do it it would be her.

Oh, and PS, here's a tip I thought everyone already knew, but since my sister didn't I thought maybe there are others who don't either. Anyway, this little trick I do to curl my eyelashes: heat the eyelash curler up with your hairdryer before you curl your lashes, not too much though, maybe 10 seconds. It heats the metal of the curler and it acts like a mini curling iron for your eyelashes. Just be careful though, it can get too hot pretty quickly and you could burn yourself if you're not paying attention.

Don't worry, I'm not dead. I just don't have any lip color on yet. You're supposed to be looking at the eyes! I think they turned out well, definitely "pretty" and not "trashy" which I specified in my request. Some heavy-ish eyeliner, and more eyeshadow than I've ever worn in my life.

Oh hey, did you know I got bangs?

What's a makeup post without an awkward bathroom self-portrait?

So there you have it. What do you think? Do you have any go to holiday makeup tips? Have you tried anything new makeup wise recently? Please share in the comments!

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. Click here to learn more about Makeup.com or become a Facebook fan by clicking here.

LiveOn. A new memory keeping site.

Thank you to LiveOn for this sponsored opportunity to blog about storing and sharing my most important memories with those closest to me. Although story ideas were provided, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

(Obviously).

LiveOn is a brand spanking new site with the sole purpose of helping you keep track of your memories, so that they won't get lost for future generations. It's free to join, and there you can create a "timeline" of your life. Sort of like a scrapbook, but much more thorough, and promising to last forever. Starting with your birth, documenting different moves, schools, big life events, even little life events. Each "memory" within the timeline is put together with photos that you upload (you can scan them yourself, or use their sister site, LiveOn Rewind to scan them for you. You can also upload photos from Facebook or from other photo sharing sites). Each memory can contain photos, video clips, text, music, even recorded narrative, to put together a slide show. The combination of your "memories" makes up your timeline. You can then share your timeline with your "tribe", others in your family, or close friends. Keep in mind that since your memories may be personal they are shared only with your tribe, unless you choose to make them public on other sites like Facebook.

In their own words: "LiveOn helps you document and share your life now, while keeping your memories alive and safe for future generations to enjoy. We promise to keep all of the pictures, videos, memories, milestones and information you put on your timeline forever."

In my mind, the most useful aspect of LiveOn is the ability to narrate for someone else who can't do it for themselves. So I could narrate for my baby, who could take over for himself when he grows up...but even better I could narrate for my elderly grandmother, who has SO MANY MEMORIES that will be lost when she passes on. If they were documented in LiveOn, they could be shared with her entire "tribe" which could be her family down to grandchildren and great grandchildren! I think that's a pretty cool idea.

(my grandma is seated, in the middle. that's my dad second on the left in the back, and this is the house I grew up in. my grandpa, on the left in the back, died before I was born.)

I don't think that I am sold on using LiveOn for myself, to document my own memories on my own timeline, because that's really what I use this here blog for, and adding another site to my vast collection isn't all that appealing to me right now. But I really do think it would be fabulous to use for somebody like my grandma, who didn't spend her whole life "online",  who has tons of photos and memories and STUFF that could be tied together for future generations to remember her by. I also like the idea of creating a LiveOn account for someone who has passed away, it would be a great way to put photos and memories of them all in one place.

If you decide to check out LiveOn for yourself please let me know what you think. How would you use it?

Hey! Also, LiveOn and the CleverGirls are having a twitter party TODAY (at 3PM EST/noon PST) where you could win prizes including a $500 APPLE GIFT CARD. If you want to join us click here to RSVP.

Thank you again to LiveOn for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about storing and sharing your most special memories. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Please feel free to use coupon code cgc13 to save 20% at LiveOn Rewind.

urDrive fancypants USB flash drive giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED TO NEW ENTRIES. CONGRATULATIONS, HONEY MOMMY!

Thank you to Kingston for sponsoring this review. Please click here to learn more about Kingston. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

So USB drives are super exciting, right? I know! I LOVE them and can't ever stop thinking about them! Ok, ok, you caught me...Maybe they aren't exciting, but they are necessary!

I use them for transferring files from my laptop to the desktop, or taking with me, or just for backing up important files, photos, etc.

Kingston's new DataTraveler USB Flash drives do all the usual stuff you'd expect them to do (like store files), but they also come preloaded with an exclusive new software, urDrive, which looks just like a little mini desktop when you plug it in to your computer!

With urDrive, you can browse the internet securely with the included web browser, organize and access your files in a way that makes sense with their easy to use drag and drop desktop layout. You can also view your photos or listen to your music directly from your flash drive with the included photo viewer and MP3 player! The interface also came pre-loaded with easy links to facebook, youtube, and twitter! (not that we would ever use those sites all the time, right?) As an added bonus, when you purchase one of these flash drives you get access to free online back-up storage, that you can access from anywhere!

Did I mention how tiny this thing is? It's (literally) the size of my thumb. I think I'll stick it on my key chain!

Could you use a new USB flash drive, or FIVE? Well, you've come to the right place, because Kingston is offering one urDrive USB five pack to one lucky reader of and then, she {snapped}! Simply leave a comment to be entered. I'll select one random commenter on this post on Friday, November 11th, as the winner! Please make sure that I can contact you if your name is selected.

fall in love with your skin

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://moms.dailybuzz.com/channel/style.

I feel a little bit silly writing about my "beauty" routine, because, really? my beauty secret is photoshop. I LOVE photoshop.

But there are times when photoshop is unavailable. (Like in real life, not internet life), It's then that I rely on some basics to keep my skin looking its best. I wash my face every morning in the shower with an apricot scrub. Then I immediately moisturize with Oil of Olay (not the pink stuff your grama uses, but this one pictured below). It's got SPF in it. Because even when it's not sunny you STILL. NEED. SUN PROTECTION.

I get enough sleep, (no really, I do!), but I was cursed blessed with dark undereye circles and I try and minimize them with this garnier eye roller thingie. I have no idea if it actually works, but it FEELS like it might, and it has caffeine in it, so it must be good. Other than that, I swipe a little light eyeshadow on, curl my lashes, use my trusty maybelline mascara, and pluck any stray eyebrow hairs (get the pointy kind of tweezers, they are best for those teeny tiny hairs). I'll also rub some vaseline on my lips and some gloss if I'm feeling fancy. That's it! It takes me about 3 minutes altogether. And I can do it all while simultaneously holding the third drawer closed with my knee so that Charlie doesn't get into the nail polish.

My nighttime routine does not include washing my face. (I know, I know, I'm a very bad person). My husband will tell you I do have a little problem addiction with lotion, especially with the change of seasons! With fall comes dry skin and I love Eucerin's Calming Cream to keep my legs and arms moisturized. It's so creamy, but not greasy. And I just found this new hand cream that I can't get enough of. It smells SO GOOD and it makes my hands feel so soft. And finally, for my dry feet, I rub Aquaphor on my heels and THEN I top with Gold Bond foot cream. Then I just get in my bed and let my feet get all soft overnight.

How do you keep your skin in tip top shape? Will you share some of your beauty secrets? C'mon, do tell!

Thank you to Walgreens for sponsoring this blog post. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

"Moe"

Thanks to Plum Organics for sponsoring my post about fun kid photos and the stories behind them. Enter Plum's "Babies for Yum Caption Contest" on Facebook and you could win a $100 gift card or Plum goodies.

A couple of weeks ago, (that one day when it was summer here in the Pacific Northwest), we had a hot day. Hot enough to where I felt compelled to load up the kids and take them to the neighborhood snotty nosed kid park spray ground. (and I'm not often compelled to do nice things for my kids, so you know it was hot). The awesome thing about the spray ground is that it would be very difficult to drown there (I won't say impossible, because then I'm sure somebody would pipe up and say otherwise). But it's much easier to watch Charlie here than at a pool (which is no fun at all...unless you like getting up every 11 seconds to bring him back from the edge of deep end).

Anyway, on THIS day, at the spray ground, I was a good mom. I let Camden bring his neighbor friend. (I am not a fan of being responsible for OTHER people's kids). I even brought snacks. That's how good of a mom I was am. Camden and his BFF got there and ran around like crazy people normal seven year old boys the entire time. Grace was helpful with Charlie, even being willing to don her swimming attire and risk getting wet so that Charlie would have fun. But we needn't have worried that Charlie would have fun.

He had fun.

See?

Have you ever known a toddler who will keep his sun hat on? Seriously, how did I get so lucky with this charming young man? Think he liked the water?

(answer: yes, yes he did).

He simply couldn't believe his good fortune. I mean really? He just got to run around like a crazy person normal 18 month old, splashing in the water.

I think he liked it? Don't you?

Every 10 minutes or so the sprinklers turn off (I think it's a water saving measure, so that if there aren't any kids there the water doesn't keep pouring out). There are a couple of buttons that the kids can press to make it start up again.

But Charlie didn't know that.

And the kids weren't fast enough apparently.

Because Charlie started signing "more" and saying "moe" just as soon as the sprinklers turned off.

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

back to school already?

Thank you to Crocs for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Crocs’ new Back to School line. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

So Crocs asked me to write a little bit about back to school shopping. Um, shopping? YES! I totally DO that! And I do it pretty well, I might add. Plus, I feel like I have a little bit of experience with Crocs, especially since my Mom got married last week and her new husband wore Crocs to their wedding. Orange ones.

Anyway...for us, back to school shopping is pretty easy. Grace is going into the 7th grade and has to wear stupid boring dumb uniforms, so shopping for her consists of a handful of polos (which she has to TUCK IN), a sweatshirt or two from her school, and some jeans. The only fun part for her is shoes. (not that there's anything wrong with that)...this year she wants vans, and some new boots (more specifically she wants MY new boots, which isn't going to happen).

Camden's back to school shopping is a little more fun, because he isn't quite as restricted in what he can wear to school. It's also pretty easy though, because he will only wear jeans (and they have to be "skinny jeans"). I plan to buy him 5-7 pairs to have enough to get us through a week of school, they will probably all be the same, unless I can find some gray skater jeans, which he has been wanting forever because "it would complete his shawn white outfit". I really only buy stuff that's on sale, beacuse I'm really cheap smart like that. So, I've been watching the sales waiting for Old Navy to put their jeans on a great sale (those are the only jeans that FIT my skinny little guy), then I'll scoop up a bunch! Camden won't wear sweaters, or even a coat really, so he'll get some t-shirts, maybe a couple of long sleeved shirts, and a hoodie or two (just so he has something he can lose on the playground). He is really really hard on shoes, so I try not to spend too much on them knowing that they aren't going to last more than a few months. They also have to be easy for him to put on himself.

That's where this new Crocs back to school line comes in. Both of my boys have Crocs, which are GREAT in the summer, but I wouldn't send them to school in them. But some of these new styles are really cute (and not traditional "Croc like" at all). I really like this pair they have. And I like these ones too. They've got some cute choices for girls as well, but I didn't see anything that my preteen would be into. I think they'd be perfect for younger girls though.

Where's your favorite place to go back to school shopping for your kids? Is there a must have item that have to get? Would you let your Mom's fiance wear Crocs to their wedding?

Girls for A Change

The following is a post sponsored by Yahoo! Every time someone clicks here to make Yahoo! their homepage, they're showing their support for Girls For A Change.

I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

I am excited about this opportunity because it is such an easy way for us as bloggers (or blog readers), and as women (and the occassional man) to make a difference! From now until July 1st, Yahoo! will donate $10 to Girls For A Change for each person who changes their homepage to Yahoo! using this link. Up to $10,000!!

Easy peasy, right? Click, and you're done.

Why, though? You ask? What is this Girls For A Change thing? I knew you were going to ask, and so, here's how the folks at Girls For A Change describe who they are and what they do:

“Girls For A Change (GFC) is a national organization that empowers girls to create social change. We invite young women to design, lead, fund and implement social change projects that tackle issues girls face in their own neighborhoods. GFC empowers girls for personal and social transformation. The program inspires girls to have the voice, ability and problem solving capacity to speak up, be decision makers, create visionary change and realize their full potential."

I know, I know, you don't want to change your homepage! You're very comfortable with google/facebook/ebay/blogger/(insert something really smart sounding here) greeting you each time you log on to the interwebs. Well, I am quite comfortable too (change is scary!), but it can't hurt to give Yahoo! a try, right? I've clicked the link myself (honest, I did!), so try it out with me! And help make a change with just a click.

Click!

stupid allergies

I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Clever Girls Collective on behalf of Children's Claritin®. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program.

Allergies suck, don't you agree? (If you don't agree I'm guessing you don't have them). This photo of Camden was taken last year, when he was "mauled" by an overexcited neighbor dog who wanted to get his paws on Camden's oreo (why yes, I'm sure it WAS a double stuffed, oreo, why do you ask?). The dog merely licked Camden, and his face swelled up like this within minutes! It was immediately after that that we determined Camden is allergic to dog saliva (I know, we're geniuses around here). No, we didn't get him tested, we just kind of used deductive reasoning. Based on this "portrait" wouldn't you agree?

Camden (and I) are (so far) the only ones in our family who suffer from seasonal allergies. But, did you know you can develop allergies at any time? That you aren't necessarily born with them? I got them for the first time about 5 years ago. They were pretty bad for a couple of years, but  now they have mellowed out to where I don't usually even take anything for them. Camden has had them for about 2 or 3 years. And springtime is the worst. He sneezes a lot, and gets frequently bloody noses as well. And he's always rubbing his eyes. We've found that to keep them under control the best way is to use a combination of medications. Camden takes an over the counter antihistimine like Claritin every day, as well as a prescription nasal spray. I also carry a fast acting antihistimine like Benadryl with me, in case any friendly dogs decide to "attack" Camden with kisses.

Clear to Enjoy Spring: The Allergy Guide for Moms and Kids

View more presentations from Children's Claritin

For more tips on relieving allergies, visit www.Facebook.com/Claritin. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Christmas Cards...ALREADY??

I know it's not even Halloween yet, but I've been thinking about Christmas cards.  Have you?  I've had my Christmas card photo idea for about six months now, but still not sure how I'm going to execute it, so stay tuned for that.  (I know you can't wait).  Last year we jumped for our christmas photo...which turned out ok, but the card itself was WAY.  TOO.  GLOSSY.  I don't know what I was thinking.  (Well, actually I was thinking that it would NOT be glossy). 

Anyway, shutterfly.com has some new designs for their Christmas cards this year and as I was looking through them I noticed that they come in a matte finish on cardstock.  YAY!  That's definitely what I want.  And their designs are actually quite nice.  Not super cheesy or over the top.  I like things simple.  They have a number of options for holiday photo cards including flat  or folded cards on heavy duty cardstock (my favorite), or the less expensive photo card option.  Having a Christmas party?  They even have Christmas invitations.  I like that you can choose one photo, or some premade collages. 

These are some of MY favorites:

What do you think?  Am I crazy for thinking about Christmas so soon?  I know I'm not alone, right?  RIGHT?  What do you do for your cards?

Do you want 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly? Click here to go to Shutterfly for information on how you can get 50 free cards this holiday season, and make sure to select Clever 1000 as the referral source.

This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.