It’s May!
And you may be wondering what are the best things to purchase this month.
Take a look at this Retail Food And Produce Monthly InfoGraphic and checkout what should be on your shopping list.
The graphic at the top, is just a preview of the whole graphic, so you can Pin It to Pinterest for future reference.
If you want to download it – make sure you go here.
Who said you can’t have your cake and eat it too?
At the time of publish, all links were accurate and birthday freebies were confirmed. If you find a program has changed or want to add a freebie to the list, please email me using the mail icon above.
Image credit: ruthblack / 123RF Stock Photo
It is hard to know when and what to buy?
Should I buy it now? Will it go cheaper in a month or so?
In order to make some of those decisions easier, I created a When & What To Buy Monthly Guide & Infographic.
This guide breaks it down by month and lets you know when it is the best time to buy things for your house, your closet, your pantry, and your refrigerator. It also includes a seasonal vegetable and fruit guide – so you can pick items when they are at the freshest (and cheapest).
The graphic at the top, is just a preview of the whole graphic, so you can Pin It to Pinterest for future reference.
If you want to download it – make sure you go here.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that last weekend our family got away and spent a couple of days in Omaha, Nebraska, during Spring Break.
While the weather did not cooperate with us, the town, the attractions, and the activities certainly did…we came home with two tired kids who both said…
“That was the best weekend ever!”
So what did we do?
Here is the run down.
The Drive
We left around 3:00 pm on Friday afternoon. Omaha is a short drive up I-29 from Kansas City. It should take between 2 1/2 to 3 hours (depending on how fast you drive and the number of stops). We were able to check in to our hotel by 6:00 pm.
The Hotel
We stayed at the Holiday Inn – Downtown near the new Ameritrade Baseball Stadium (that also houses the College World Series). The hotel rooms were HUGE and included what seemed like two king beds, a coffeemaker, microwave and mini-fridge. We also received a complimentary breakfast every morning and free wi-fi was included with our stay.
In addition, this Holiday Inn had an indoor pool-waterpark that consisted of three slides, water guns, spouts, hot tub and regular size pool. My kids had a blast and played hard on Friday and Saturday night. At only $99 per night, it was a steal of a deal. (And I had the best sleep ever in their beds…it was heavenly.)
The Zoo
Even though the high was only going to be 32 degrees on Saturday, we made our way to the world-famous Henry Doorly Zoo.
Honestly, it would take two days to go through everything this zoo has to offer between their education, exhibits, and animal habitats. But since it was so cold, we stuck to the indoor activities which included the Desert Dome, Butterfly & Insect Pavilion, Lied Jungle, Kingdom of the Night, Scott Aquarium, Hubbard Gorilla Valley, Bear Canyon and the Cat Complex. And between all of that…we were at the zoo for four hours.
The highlight of the zoo experience, getting to see the new baby lion cubs which were born in December 2012. Truly, watching my kids delight in those cubs ornery behavior, was the highlight of my trip as well.
The SAC Museum
On Sunday, we drove to Ashland, Nebraska, and visited the SAC Museum. If truth be told, this attraction was all about Hubs. Inside the Strategic Air Command Museum, there are over 25 full-size planes in their two massive hangers. You can run, walk around, under, to the side and get “up-close-and-personal” with your favorite aircraft. The kids loved the Science Zone where they got to make kite’s, a homemade lava lamp, and tie-die a shirt with sharpie markers and rubbing alcohol. (Who knew? So doing that craft project this summer.)
After the SAC, we headed home, but not before a stop at our favorite Nebraska restaurant, Runza. We arrived back in Kansas City around 4:00 pm on Sunday.
So, if you are looking for a fun and easy weekend getaway, take a look at Omaha.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation on behalf of VisitOmaha.com. The written remarks are entirely my own. Want more information – check out my full disclosure statement.
I love to entertain.
Seriously…love the entertain.
Part of why I love it is because I avoid holiday party stress and I follow all of my rules for entertaining with less stress.
So when ALDI asked me if I would be willing to accept the challenge of throwing a Holiday Party for 10 people for $100.00…I picked up the gauntlet.
I’ve believed for a long time that ALDI is a great place to shop and I have a list of the things to buy at ALDI, but I have never served exclusively ALDI items at one of my gatherings. So I was looking forward to trying a few new things, getting creative on some old things, and enjoying a great evening with friends.
So here are the details:
I decided to have Friday Afternoon Club Party from 4 – 7 pm. People were encouraged to come and go as they needed…stay for 15 minutes or stay for three hours. In addition, I allowed everyone’s kiddos to come, so no one had to worry about a sitter.
I chose to have a wine, cheese, appetizer and dessert party.
I had seven cheeses, two hummus, pita chips, multiple kinds of crackers, a Caramelized Onion Tart with Swiss & Bacon, Party Poppers, Chocolate Pecan Pie Shooters, mini-cheesecakes, dark chocolate squares, and profiteros.
In addition to having water, I served Diamonte Malbec, Sunshine Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Willa Malizia Pinot Grigio, Landshut Riesling, Burlwood Merlot, Chianti, Brut Sparkling Wine, and Prosecco Sparkling Wine.
I was spent too much. I was over $4.00. (See below)
However, the party was a success.
These were the most common comments:
It was a great night.
The adults had a great time. (Most people didn’t leave after 15 minutes…but stayed for the whole three hours.) The kids got along AMAZING well…in fact there were a couple of impromptu sleepovers because they didn’t want the fun to end. We learned new things about each other…like someone has an amazing singing voice and can do a killer rendition of Elton John’s “Saturday Night Is All Right” .
It was everything I wanted it to be and everything I needed it to be.
I broke bread with people I care about, drank a couple of glasses of wine, laughed till my sides hurt, and got hugs from little ones because “this is the best house ever.”
I’d say it was $100 that was really well spent.
Price Breakdown
$2.69 – Aged White Cheddar
$3.44 – Jarleberg Cheese
$2.99 – Apple Harvest Cheddar
$3.49 – Welsh Cheddar
$2.99 – Cranberry Cheddar
$2.99 – Double Cream Brie
$2.99 – English Cheese
$2.49 – Assorted Crackers
$1.99 – Pita Chips
$1.99 – Pita Crackers
$2.49 – Dried Figs
$1.69 – Hummus
$1.69 – Hummus
$2.49 – Slivered Almonds
$5.89 – Thick Sliced Bacon
$4.99 – Chianti
$8.99 – Prosecco
$7.99 – Brut Sparkling Wine
$4.99 – Burlwood Merlot
$4.99 – Landshut Riesling
$4.99 – Villa Malizia Pinto Grigio
$6.99 – Sunshine Bay Sauvignon Blanc
$4.99 – Diamonte Malbec
$3.99 – Pecan Pie
$2.99 – Dark Chocolate Squares
$4.99 – Profitero
$5.99 – Petite Cheesecake
$104.20 – Total
Disclosure: I’m a ALDI Super Fan and received $100 to host this Holiday party, but I was not compensated in any other way. The written remarks are entirely my own. Want more information – check out my full disclosure statement.
I LOVE Christmastime.
I DREAD Christmastime.
I love seeing the outpouring of love among human kind. It’s a reminder of the biggest outpouring of love I received from my God.
But I dread Christmastime because it reminds me of all of my inadequacies. I will never host a cookie exchange, make homemade cards, or go caroling at a nursing home while I am also working out everyday, finding the perfect gifts and hosting the all-family dinner party.
I blame Facebook.
But really, it has nothing to do with Facebook
When I begin to feel overwhelmed or inadequate, my natural reaction is to say “I’m not doing anything, because it I can’t do it 100%…then why even bother.”
What an idiot!
Instead of comparing myself to the thousands of “perfect” people on Facebook…why don’t I spend time creating my own version of happiness…a version that might look unlike anyone else’s version.
Why?
Because I fear “my version” won’t be good enough.
Any of these ring a bell?
I won’t bring over a plate of cookies to my neighbors because the cookies aren’t perfect.
I won’t invite people over to my house because I think my house isn’t nice enough.
I won’t donate any money because I don’t know if we will have enough for Christmas.
I won’t sing in the choir because my voice isn’t very good.
I won’t try to make a new friend, because I’m afraid they will see how flawed I really am.
As we draw near to Christmas, and with it all the hustle and bustle, remember and accept that you are enough.
It was enough for God to send his son to earth as the greatest gift. And by his GRACE, it was enough.
So my new word for my tilt toward perfectionism – GRACE.
Grace, that it is enough.
With the pressure to buy more and do more over the holidays, Mercy has decided to ask people to take time to count their blessings. Visit www.OurBlessingsCount.com to share yours and to see the blessings others have shared.
Mercy recognizes the stress we put on ourselves and our families over the holidays. They want to remind us that ‘Our greatest blessing is to see others blessed.’ One way we can do this is to pause, list our blessings, and share them with others. Let’s count our blessings together at www.ourblessingscount.com.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Mercy. The opinions and text are all mine.
This is not a paid review. This is me, having a conversation with my girlfriends, about an amazing product.
I have “really” good skin.
Or, I should say, I had “really” good skin.
Since my teens, I have been blessed with skin that doesn’t get very many pimples, whiteheads, or blackheads. I realized how blessed I was in my early 20s and did my best to protect my skin with Cetaphil Face Wash, SPF moisturizer, and night creams.
But earlier this year, my face’s chemistry started to change. I was experiencing breakouts, hairline acne, and deep blackheads. My skin care and makeup regiment hadn’t changed, so I blamed weather and hormones.
I did my best to not pick at my face and prayed it would get better.
It didn’t.
Fast forward to the summer and desperation because I had tried everything and nothing was working.
I saw my best friend from college and her skin looked amazing. And this is a big deal…because she has fought with acne, breakouts, and pimples since I’ve known her. (And that’s a long time at this point in my life.)
I asked her what was the difference. And she said, in these exact words, “Clarisonic. Best Money I’ve Ever Spent.”
So I purchased a Clarisonic Mia at Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale in August.
And, thankfully, my skin is back to it’s normal “amazingness”. And my girlfriend was right, because it is the best money I’ve ever spent.
In fact, I’ve converted my friend Ann to it. She’s now a die-hard user like me.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because “skin care” isn’t something that women share in their daily conversations. And I’ve shared in my everyday makeup tips, if you don’t start with good skin, your makeup will have a hard time looking good.
Right now, there are a couple of deals on Clarisonic Systems:
(Expires 5/8)
Here are some details:
1. You’ll need to choose what type of brush/unit you want to use. They have sensitive, acne, regular, whole body and more.
2. You can use your regular facial wash with the Clarisonic System. So no need for special cleansers.
3. It takes two minutes to wash your face. 30 seconds on forehead, 30 seconds on nose & chin, and 30 seconds on each cheek.
4. Brush heads need to be replaced every three to four months.
5. You need to use it regularly. I can TOTALLY tell when I’ve skipped a day or two.
6. You’ll use less moisturizer because your skin will absorb it much more easily.
7. Your skin will feel like a baby’s butt and you will no longer need microderm abrasion kits or facial scrubs.
8. I have no idea how the technology works…I just know that it does.
Anyone else a die-hard Clarisonic User? I’d love to know about your experiences. Leave me a comment and let us know.
