National Plan for Vacation Day: Ideas for You and Your Family

Did you know that today is National Plan for Vacation Day?!  According to a research project by Project: Time Off, more than 53% of Iowans left vacation days left unused!  I don’t know about you, but I make sure to use all those suckers up!  Throughout the year I work hard and want to have the time to relax, enjoy my family, and do things other than work!  Because I have roughly 25 years left to work, I’m going to make sure to use my time off now!

In an effort to help you plan your vacation time, I thought I would do a quick roundup post with our favorite vacation spots and places we recommend, both near and far!

Iowa Vacation Spots & Day Trips

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Tips for A Balanced Lifestyle, the 10-Week Challenge, & A Giveaway

It’s time for the annual 10-Week Wellness Challenge that is put on by Live Healthy Iowa each year and I’m so excited to be participating with the Iowa Food & Family Blogger Team again this year!

Some Background…

For the third year in a row, I’m joining a group of Iowa bloggers on the Iowa Food & Family Project’s team!  Catch those other bloggers here!

Lisa C from Midwest Mom Life

Stephanie G from Been There, Baked That

Shari H from Inked & Educated Mom

Kelli K from The Sustainable Couple

Kathy V from Kathy’s Kitchen

Mary L from Farm Girl Cook’n

Head over to their blogs and follow their social media channels to follow thier journeys!

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Easy Instant Pot Roasted Shredded Chicken

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I’ve made lots of shredded chicken by roasting a chicken in the oven!  Of course, once I got my Instant pot, I wanted to see it if was as easy everyone else claimed it to be.  They weren’t wrong, but what I did notice is that my chicken didn’t have much flavor!  I missed the taste of a Sunday roasted chicken shredded up to be put into casseroles or soups!  There seemed to be something missing, so I was determined to recreate that flavor in my Instant Pot!

Life Is Busy

I can’t even being to tell you how busy life has been recently!  Between 2-3 nights of basketball each week, 1-2 meetings a week, I’ve barely had time to do the regular chores (laundry and meals) in my house!  Thankfully, last fall when I was having back problems, T and I decided that we would hire a cleaning lady!  She comes 1 hour every other week and it’s the most glorious thing!  She cleans both bathrooms, cleans the kitchen floor, and whatever odd and end jobs I ask when she has time!  It has been a game changer for me!  I used to spend my weekends cleaning, laundering, and then meal prepping leaving no time to relax. I was going back to work on Monday stressed and almost more exhausted than I was during the week!  Not to mention, she will put away my clean dishes from the dishwasher, and folds my bathroom towels like those in a hotel!  (It’s the little things in life, right?!)

Roasted Chicken

Like I said before, there is something about the taste of roasted chicken when it’s shredded and put into soups and casseroles.  I love the ease of using my Instant pot to make shredded chicken, but not the taste!  So, I was determined to achieve both!  Here’s how I did it!

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Nickelodeon Universe & Moose Mountain: Fun at the Mall of America

Nickelodeon Universe & Moose Mountain: Fun at the Mall of America

If Disney World is the happiest place on Earth, then the Mall of America is the happiest place in the Midwest!  Recently, my three favorite guys and I found fun things at the Mall of America with Nickelodeon Universe & Moose Mountain Adventure Golf!

Christmas Time

For the last two years, T and I have given the boys a shopping spree at the Mall of America for their Christmas present!  Last year, as we roamed the stores shopping for their gifts, we realized that at the ages they are, maybe they would like to shop for their own things, so we suprised them with a trip to the mall, an overnight stay at a hotel, and of course money to spend as their gift!  As it turned out, they loved the gift and actually asked to do it again this past Christmas!  It made our Christmas shopping so much easier and so we were more than happy to oblige!

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What I’m Loving Right Now – January 2018

Can you believe it’s January 2018 already?!  And here we are for another edition of “What I’m Loving Right Now”.  I enjoy putting together these lists of things I’m loving right now, so I hope you enjoy reading them and I hope you can find something that might help you, strike your fancy, or fill a void in your life!

This month, I’m calling it my Direct Sales version!  I’ve shared a few things from a few direct sales friends of mine that I love, but here are a few more!  I truly love supporting as many direc sales consultants as possibl, as long as they provid me with outstanding customer service!  Those that do, earn my business for life!  I understand how how they work, and I understand what they are providing for their family, so I want to support them!

So, here’s what I’m loving this month from my Direct Sales friends!

Rodan & Fields Body Lotion

I’m always on the hunt for a good quality body lotion  and while I enjoy the “fun” scents from those body stores, my skin can’t handle it!  I have incredibly sensitive skin with eczema, so I need something gentle and highly effective!  I recently started using the Rodan & Feilds Body Lotion and I can’t praise it highly enough!  It leaves my skin highly moisturizer, has no scent, and isn’t greasy AT ALL!  My skin is instantly smooth and soft after applying!

Easton Scarf from Trades of Hope

Back in  May, I talked about one of my favorite necklaces, the Sea Glass from Trades of Hope!  Now, I’m raving about my Easton Scarf!  I earned it recently by hosting a party with my favorite TOH consultant and I’m so glad that I did!  It goes with just about everything and is my favorite colors!  Plus, the fact that it’s supporting the women of India makes my heart even happier.

Me in my Easton Scarf

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Dear Friend Who Doesn’t Sell Something

I know how you feel! You feel bombarded by every direct sales company out there: body wraps, lipstick, face cream, cleaning products, pretty nails, jewelry, food storage, etc…there is so much of it!  It feels as though you can’t scroll through Facebook anymore without the majority of your friends trying to sell you something, right?!  Well, you probably are right!  As someone who has been been in the direct sales business for almost 5 years now, here a few things we sellers want you to know and keep in mind!

The Letter

Dear Friend Who Doesn’t Sell Something, 

First, we totally respect you for not selling something, but we want your respect for choosing to do so.    

We totally understand if you don’t want to support us by purchasing something we sell, but it would mean the world to us if you would support us by listening to us or asking us about our product!  The little things matters and just knowing we have your support (with or without buying) us and our business is what we want!  If you hear someone mention a product we sell, it would be awesome if you would mention our name!  Send people our way!  That is a huge support and encouragement to us! 

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Homemade Caramels & Christmas Traditions

Homemade Caramels & Christmas Traditions

Who can deny themselves buttery, homemade caramels?!  I know I can’t and this time of year, they go hand in hand with the holidays for me!

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homemade caramels

Christmas is before us and who doesn’t feel nostalgic this time of year?!  One of the things I love most about the holidays are the traditions that each family seems to have!  I have fond memories of my childhood and the holidays.  We had many traditions as a kid that including driving around looking at Christmas lights, decorating the house for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving, and baking Christmas cookies!

Christmas Memories & Homemade Caramels

Each year when I was younger, each member of my family would select their favorite Christmas cookie to bake (sometimes two) and we would spend one whole Saturday baking, singing Christmas carols, and being together!  Those memories are some of the very best that I have!

One of the treats that I remember my mom always making is Homemade Caramels!  These caramels are buttery, creamy, and very delicious!  My mom would make these caramels at Christmas time and then keep them throughout the winter!

We skied each winter and inevitably my mom always has some in her pockets for the car rides and chair lift rides!  Little did I know at that time it was took keep us quiet when got extra chatty!  Becuase, yes, these caramels are super chewy!

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Being Social on Social Media

It became clear to me recently over on my other blog Facebook page, Flint & Co, that being social on social media is key for success!  Unfortunately, so many aspects of social media have taken a turn for the worse.  Between bullying, illegal contests, and multiple paragraph posts things continue to take a downward spiral!

I love this quote because it is so true!  As a business using social media, you can provide quality engagement with your followers regardless of how many dollars in sales your company does or how big you are!

So, how can you succeed at being social on social media?  Here are a few tips and things to consider when posting on social media!

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