Author: Melissa

lunch with friends with wendy’s new pick two menu

Melissa 8 Comments

Today the kids and I met 10 other bloggers at Wendys for lunch to try out their new Pick Two Menu. What a fun group we had!

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The lovely ladies that were there included (not in any particular order) Shannon from Philly Burb Moms, Joey from Real Mom in the Media, Tara from Baby Momma Blog, Stephanie from Montgomery County Moms, Mindi from Moms Need to Know, Sarah from Genesis Moments, Julie from Just Precious, Linda from Frugal Philly Mom, and Jennifer from Philly Fun 4 Kids.

It was a great time! Us moms got to chat together while our kids ran around and ate chicken nuggets. I love meeting moms for lunch — it is so hard to get time to chat with anyone these days. Life is so crazy and we're always running around in a million directions. So meeting a friend for a quick lunch and chat is such a bright spot in an otherwise busy day!

DSCN1911-1 Now, on to the food! As you've probably heard, Wendy's is offering a new Pick Two Menu for under $5. After trying to decide for about 10 minutes, I decided to go with the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad and a Diet Coke. (And as good it was – I kept eyeing everyone else's lunches. Man, that Spicy Chicken Caesar looked amazing!) The Apple Pecan Chicken Salad was wonderful! I would buy an entire bottle of that Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing. YUM!

I really, really try to eat healthy. We try not to eat too much fast food in general, we maybe have it twice a month on those crazy nights when we're eating dinner in the car. (Or more if we get a hankering. Man, I love Wendy's burgers!)  I really appreciate fast food places taking steps to offer healthy food to their customers! I can take  my kids out for their beloved chicken nuggets and I can stick to my low carb diet with a salad and a chicken wrap or something.

Have you tried Wendy's new Pick Two menu yet? What is your favorite combination?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by Wendy's and TheMotherhood. I was compensated for my time in writing this post and participating in the lunch.

 

try this: some recipe links

Melissa

Instead of me posting a recipe today, I have a challenge for you.

What is your new favorite recipe you found on a blog?

Here's mine! Now, I haven't actually tried any of these yet, but they're on my list. Swear.

Roasted Vegetable Minestrone from Pioneer Woman

Curry Chicken Pot Pie from Musings of a Housewife

Apple Cake from City Sweet

Hearty Black Bean and Roasted Corn Soup from Momtrends

Barbeque Chicken Pizza from Busy Girl

 

big boy room

Melissa 7 Comments

This weekend, we put another piece of babyhood behind us.

hold  me

We took down Colin's crib and replaced it with a new big boy bed. This is a big deal. We've been trying to get him into a bed for about six weeks now, but whenever we've even mentioned the words "big boy bed" he would scream "NOOOOO! Wike my bed! No big boy bed!" So due to the apparent trauma this was causing, we weren't pushing it, just mentioning big boy beds often and getting about the same reaction. But on Friday in Target, we saw a toddler bed and Colin went nuts. He loved it and asked if we could buy it.
I was floored. After all that drama and tears and whining, he was asking for a bed!!  And since it was on clearance, I said "Sure!"
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He is so so proud of his new room. He picked out his bedding himself, which was on clearance. (That's my boy!) Mama picked out the carpet. Which was only $20!! Seriously, we ROCKED that clearance aisle!

And he's doing a great job! His first night in his new bed, he just lay down and went right to sleep! Naptime seems to be a bit trickier… he doesn't love naps, so now its easier for him to fight me on that. But for now, he looooves that bed!
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So another step towards growing up has been taken.

How is this going so fast?

inspiration – 10.17

Melissa

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

my favorite tshirts and jeans

Melissa 7 Comments

My friend Kelly from The Centsible Life recently asked for my favorite long sleeve tshirts and affordable jeans.

First lets talk tshirts.  PLEASE do not spend money on tshirts. A long sleeved tshirt is not an investment piece. If you have money to buy a $200 designer tshirt, good for you. But even if I was able to afford it, I still wouldn't. It's just not worth it. As a mom, my tshirts get rips, indescribable stains, get used as a tissue (not by me, I swear.) and get worn to death. And there are tons of cheap options out there that will last you a few seasons before you need to replace them.

My very, very favorite casual t-shirts are shirred v-neck t-shirts from Old Navy. This is such a flattering cut – gives your chest a tiny boost and the front hangs just a tad loose, so it doesn't cling to your tummy. Its thick enough to wear alone, but easy to layer as well. I think I have this in 4 colors. AND they are on sale for $6:

Old Navy at ShopStyle

I also love the cross front yoga top from Mossimo. I think Target tshirts are really nice – mine have all lasted years. Until I spill something on them. Even plain Mossimo and Merona shirts are fabulous.  

Merona at ShopStyle

For something a little nicer, try LOFT or GAP. They have tons of shirts that take your long sleeved tshirt to the next level with embellishments, ruffles and fun necklines. Like this one from LOFT:

LOFT at ShopStyle

I love the length of this one by Daisy Fuentes at Kohls. Good for when you are too busy running after your kids to worry about trying to yank up your jeans that are slipping too far down your bum!

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Now lets talk jeans. While my very very favorite jeans are designer, I don't wear them super often. I love them too much to subject them to my daily life. For those everyday jeans, my favorites are from LOFT. I highly recommend their denim – its pricey, but the 4 pairs I have are all from the clearance rack or outlet and were all under $20. I have the modern boot cut, the skinny jeans, trouser jeans and – of course – jeggings!

LOFT at ShopStyle

Another sure bet for denim is Gap Long and Lean jeans. These jeans are flattering on just about anyone and – if you wait for a sale or score them at the outlet – they're really affordable. For an even lower price point, try Old Navy.

Gap at ShopStyle

I'm all about saving money. But remember, jeans are the staple of most of our wardrobes – many of us wear them almost every single day. Seriously, think about how often you wear your favorite jeans! When you thing about cost per wear, you really get your money's worth on jeans. Good denim will last as long as you still fit in them, right? 😉

What are your go-to brands for jeans and tshirts?

For more fashion fridays, check out Big Mama (little of this and a little of that), Baby in my Kitchen (what to wear for family photos). Did you do a fashion post this week? Leave me a comment and I'll link up to you!

ralph lauren’s pink pony auction

Melissa

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and Ralph Lauren is once again supporting Breast Cancer Research with his now famous Pink Pony auction.

Have you heard of the Pink Pony initiative? Ralph Lauren’s Pink Pony Fund for Cancer Care and Prevention supports programs for early diagnosis, education, treatment and research and is dedicated to bringing patient navigation and quality cancer care to medically underserved communities.

But its not just a line of adorable line of products, like the Pink Pony Tee:

But this is so much more than just a line of clothes. There is also an amazing auction going on! You can bid on things like a family portrait by a Ralph Lauren Photographer, a chance to place your child stars in a Ralph Lauren Ad, have your child's birthday at the Ralph Lauren Store in London… the list goes on. Its truly an amazing event!! For a complete list of auction items click here.

Auction

I'm also so super excited to announce my involvement with the Ralph Lauren Mombassador Program! There will be more exclusive information and promotions coming in teh next few months. Can’t wait to see what’s coming up and to share it with you all!

Disclosure:  I am a participant in a Mom Central Consulting campaign for Ralph Lauren and have received various Ralph Lauren products as part of my participation.

 

cleaning for therapy

Melissa 6 Comments

With all the craziness going on over here, what have I started to do?

Maniacal cleaning. Something about having life suddenly seeming so out of control makes me want to whip my house into shape. I've always been like that – when I get upset I clean.

I'm sure there is some sort of psychological term for this.

Sunday, I tackled the kitchen. Monday, I attacked our bedroom. Yesterday, it was the mudroom. I have three huge bags for Goodwill and now I need to take on the kid's rooms. Their clothes are out of control.

So, on the bright side, my house is finally getting the deep cleaning it has been screaming for. And I'm totally exhausted from cleaning, so I'm sleeping better. 

Am I the only one who cleans when life gets crazy?