Holiday Prep Tips for Busy Moms from Best Buy

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Holidays can be a hectic time for everyone, especially Moms- there’s family pictures, and relatives in and out of your house, cookies to be baked, hams to be cooked, gifts to be bought, and did I mention more food to be made?? I know that I have spent many, many, late nights and early mornings staying up baking , cooking and  decorating for the holidays. It’s absolutely exhausting. 

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To make things a little easier, (and help you get a bit more sleep and enjoyment out of the holidays) I’ve made a list of tips for preparing for the holidays for busy moms. 

Make a Grand Entrance – you only have once to make a good first impression.  So making sure that the outside of your home and entry way is clean, organized and decorated is key. If you are too busy to get everything done with the decorations that you  want, having the main part of your home  decorated and cleaned will keep you from feeling completely overwhelmed.

Follow the “Party Path” – So you may not have time to clean the entire house from top to bottom before the in-laws come in town for the big Thanksgiving feast. Concentrate on the ‘party path’. Walk into each room/entry way/hallway your guest will be in and take a look around – does the door to the bathroom have dirt marks on the bottom from your son kicking it open with his muddy boot? Are there smudgy chocolate hand prints on the cabinet from when your daughter got herself a glass of milk after eating cookies?  Take  care of the major issues from room to room – including the ceilings,walls and light fixtures. You will feel a lot more comfortable the time you have to  clean.

Beautify the Bathroom –  Especially focus on the vanity and the sink, tuck stray items from the countertop into drawers, clean the mirror, wipe down the counter, sink and fixtures. Have fresh towels, extra toilet tissue, clean fresh rugs, and air freshener available.

Hit the Kitchen –  making sure that your kitchen is sparkling clean (floors, baseboards, cabinets, frig) dishes are washed, and groceries are bought. You (and your guests) will probably spend a lot of time in the kitchen. With the hours upon hours of cooking and baking that you’ll have to do, you want to make sure you have everything you need to be successful, and quick.

One thing that I’ve always wanted was something to make the cooking and baking easier – and I completely am in love with some of  the latest appliance technology they are offering at Best Buy. The Frigidaire FGIF3061NF has induction cooking that enables you to boil water in less than two minutes, plus induction reduces clean up time because spills don’t burn on. This Frigidaire range also includes a convection oven which circulates the air in the oven for quicker baking time.  Another great innovation within cooking are double ovens that let you cook two dishes at two different temperatures at once like the Whirlpool WGG555S0BS but still fits within the space of a standard range.  All of this technology will allow you to get the food the way you want it prepared and saves you time so you can spend it with the ones you love.

Check out all the other holiday prep items over at Best Buy!

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12 Tantalizing Pumpkin Recipes

Tantalize your taste buds with these 12 Tantalizing Pumpkin Recipes. There`s cornbread, pumpkin stew, cookies, and more, all made from pumpkin. Which one will turn out to be your family favorite? You have to try them out to see.

12 Tantalizing Pumpkin Recipes (2)

 These 12 Tantalizing Pumpkin recipes will make a pumpkin lover out of you. Pumpkin bread, snacks, desserts, stews, and even coffee. Yummy! Everyone looks forward to the sweet, succulent flavor of pumpkin for the fall season.

  1. 4 Ingredient Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies– Is This Really My Life
  2. Pumpkin Muffins Your Kids Will Love– We Know Stuff
  3. Easy Recipe Pumpkin Pecan Braid– A Cultivated Nest
  4. Pumpkin Cornbread– A Mom`s Take
  5. White Chocolate Pumpkin Trifle– Upstate Ramblings
  6. Pumpkin Chickpea and Lentil Stew– Take a Bite Out of Boca
  7. Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies– Barefoot on the Dashboard
  8. Pumpkin Spice Buttermilk Donuts– Carissa Shaw
  9. Easy Homemade Pumpkin Cake– Beauty and Bedlam
  10. Low Sugar Cheesecake Pie– Kalyn`s Kitchen
  11. Pumpkin Spice Coffee– Lazy Budget Chef
  12. Easy Thanksgiving Dessert– Mad in Crafts
Posted in Holidays, Recipes | 1 Comment

ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY in theaters October 10th!

ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY opens in theaters everywhere on October 10th!

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Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life—a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day, he finds little sympathy and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him. He soon learns that he’s not alone when his mom (Jennifer Garner), dad (Steve Carell), brother (Dylan Minnette) and sister (Kerris Dorsey) all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Anyone who says there is no such thing as a bad day just hasn’t had one.

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Benefits of Lavender Essential Oil

In our quest to become a healthier family, I have started doing research on the benefits of essential oils and natural remedies for aches, ailments, bumps and bruises. I started using Coconut Oil on a regular basis (see Uses & Benefits of Coconut Oil I wrote about in March) and I have learned a lot about the benefits of lavender.

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Aching Muscles
If you’ve spent a back-breaking day working, jump into a lavender bath to soothe aches & pains away. Apply Epsom salts & a few drops of lavender oil  to the bath and soak away the tension.

Acne
Lavender is one of the most valuable oils for the treatment of acne, according to aromatherapists. “It inhibits the bacteria that cause the skin infection, helps to rebalance the over-secretion of sebum, which the bacteria thrive on, and reduce scarring”. Add a few drops of lavender oil to a plain cream sold by chemists and use as a moisturizer or cleanser. It could end up being the best way to deal with acne if used appropriately. Results will vary person to person though.

Bugs & Bacteria
Put a drop of Lavender oil on a bee sting or insect bite to stop itching reduce swelling.

Burns (minor)
After you have cooled the area by immersing it in running cold water for 5 minutes, gently stroke on neat lavender oil. Pain relief is almost immediate, and burn usually heals without scarring.

Cuts & Wounds
Apply lavender oil  to sooth pain, prevent bacterial infection and aid scar-free healing. Apply.

Dandruff. 
Rub several drops of lavender oil into the scalp to help eliminate dandruff.
Dry or chapped skin
Rub lavender oil on dry or chapped skin

Earache
Warm a bottle of lavender oil in hot water for a minute or two, then gently massage a few drops into the skin around the ears and throat. For babies & small children, add 2-3 drops of the warmed oil to a little olive oil and massage in the same way.

Eczema
Stroke infused lavender oil (a few drops of lavender oil & carrier oil) into dry, itchy skin—small children will find this especially comforting or add a few drops of lavender oil to calamine lotion, shake before use.

Fatigue
Add 5 drops of lavender oil to a hot foot bath and relax while your feet soak in it. The soles of the feet are particularly porous, so lavender reaches your bloodstream very quickly, exerting its stimulating and soothing effects on various systems of your body.

Fevers
For babies or small children, sponge them down very gently with tepid water to which you have added a drop of lavender oil. Take care not to let them get chilled. This works for adults too.

Headache
The distilled water of Lavender (Hydrosol) Mist around your head, is refreshing and soothing. Alternatively, make a compress of a piece of cause or muslin soaked in icy cold water then sprinkled with a few drops of lavender oil and apply to the forehead, or massage a few drops into the forehead, temples and nape of the neck.

Insomnia
In a number of small studies, elderly psychiatric patients have been shown to sleep better and be more alert during the day when their sleep medication is replaced with lavender oil either dropped on their pillows, or placed in a diffuser on the ward. To help to induce sleep, put 3 or 4 drops of lavender oil on your pillow. For babies, add 1 drop of lavender oil & geranium oil in carrier oil and massage into a babies back or a few drops in their bedtime bath.

Menstrual Cramps
Massage a few drops of lavender oil  into your lower abdomen or apply a hot compress onto the area, which a little lavender oil has been sprinkled.

Moths,Midges & Mosquitos
These annoying little insects all hate the smell of lavender. To prevent bites, splash yourself with lavender hydrosol before you go out at sunset or to bed, put 3-4 drops of oil on your pillow or soak cotton wool ball in the oil and leave it on a saucer in front of the window. Lavender oil is also a terrific remedy for insect bites, soothing itching & inflammation: dab it on to them neat as soon as possible. To keep moths off your clothes, hand lavender bags on you coat hangers or keep them among your sweaters and refresh them with a drop or two of lavender oil from time to time.

Nosebleed
To stop a nosebleed, put a drop of lavender oil on a tissue and wrap it around a small chip of ice. Push the tissue covered ice chip up under the middle of the top lip to the base of the nose and hold as long as comfortable or until the bleeding stops (do not freeze the lip or gum).

Shingles
Combine a mix of lavender oil with, analgesic, antiviral & scar preventing essential oils neat or on compresses on the agonizing lesions of shingles. It usually produces a cure within 5-8 days.

Sinusitis
Lavender is one of several essential oils that aromatherapists recommend for inhalations to relieve sinusitis, add two drops of lavender & thyme oil to a bowl of near-steaming water and inhale slowly and deeply, with a towel over your head & bowl.

Stress & Anxiety
Keep a spritzer of Lavender Mist – Hydrosol handy to spray on your face during the day, or apply lavender oil neat to your temple Or rub 2-3 drops of lavender oil in your cupped palms, then use the inhalation method to draw the scent all the way into your amygdala gland (the emotional warehouse) in your brain to calm the mind. Then, rub on the feet, temples, wrists (or anywhere) for an immediate calming effect on the body. Great for use in crowded areas like planes or subways to carve out your own personal oasis.

Sunburn
Spray pure Lavender Mist – Hydrosol directly onto the skin or Add 8 drops of lavender oil and 4 drops of peppermint oil to a teaspoon of jojoba oil. Pour it into a cool-to-lukewarm bath and soak for 10 minutes.

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Boogie Wipes Launches Yearlong “Motherhood’s Snot Easy” Contest

Each month 10 moms will win a year’s supply of Boogie Wipes and one grand-prize winner will receive a 7-day Walt Disney Cruise for four

 

From wiping gunky noses to changing diapers and years of lost sleep, Boogie Wipes® knows that motherhood is snot easy. To honor moms and create an opportunity for priceless home video footage, Boogie Wipes® is launching a yearlong “Motherhood’s Snot Easy” contest. Each month starting in May 2014 for Mother’s Day, ten families will win a year’s supply of Boogie Wipes®, one case per month. And, in May 2015 a grand-prize winner will be chosen to win a 7-day Walt Disney Cruise for four.

 

The “Motherhood’s Snot Easy” contest is guaranteed to generate a lot of humor around the country. To start the entry process, moms must get out the video camera and film their children answering four questions, capturing what children really think about moms in priceless videos. Moms will ask their kids the following:

 

  1. What does mommy cook for you at dinnertime?
  2. What type of clothes does mommy like to wear?
  3. What does mommy do all day? Is she busy?
  4. Does mommy pick her nose?

When the video is complete it can be uploaded on the Boogie Wipes® contest page to complete the entry process. For rules, regulations and full entry details for the “Motherhood’s Snot Easy” contest visit: www.boogiewipes.com.

 

About Little Busy Bodies

The first-ever saline nose wipe, Boogie Wipes®, was invented by two moms as a solution for their kids’ sore, red, stuffy noses. Little Busy Bodies Inc. was founded in May 2007. Sales of Boogie Wipes® reached $1 million in the company’s first year of business and by 2009; Little Busy Bodies tripled its revenue to $3.4 Million. Boogie Wipes® are now sold in 50,000 retail stores across the U.S. and Canada including Walmart, Target, Walgreens, and Toys ‘R’ Us.

 

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