They Won't Always Be This Little

 
As I laid down with Bella last night, putting her to bed, I watched her. Her tiny little hands holding her beloved and much cherished Lambie. The Lambie who even though has been through the wash countless times is still stained with bits of this and that. The stuffed lamb who goes everywhere with us and is never left home, the Lambie who comforts my little sweetheart with something to hold at almost all times, and that she asks for when she wakes and mumbles in a sleepy stupor to me "Lambie Mama" when it gets lost amidst the blankets.

 

And it suddenly hit me... She won't always be this little.

Now I've always known that, it's just common knowledge, but sometimes as a parent we get caught up in the every day, the little things, we have a rough day and rush through the moments, mumbling under our breath, "is it bedtime yet?". But mama, they won't always be this little.

 

There will come a day when they don't need us as much anymore, they'll put themselves to sleep at night without you, not needing their special lullaby you've sang to them since they were still in the womb. They'll bathe without your help. There will be a day when she'll say "mama I don't need you to wash my hair, I already done it", because they won't always be this little.

 

One morning they won't wake you up to get them breakfast, you'll sleep in and you'll wake up to find they've already made a bowl of cereal for themselves. Bella will do it to me,  I done it to my mom, she done it to her mother and on and on before that, it's just the cycle of life. But I read something recently from a friend on instagram that struck me through my heart just a little, she said "It's funny how, as moms, the main goal of our lives is to make ourselves unnecessary."

 

And it's so true. We sometimes forget during the busy-ness of our days that they won't always be this little. Their boo-boos won't always need kissed, so kiss them while you can.

They won't always need you to open the door for them or put their shoes on them or get them a cookie, because they're growing every day and they won't always be this little.

 

Mama's, hug your babies, hold them tight, sing them their special lullabies and remember, they won't always be this little. They're growing, every day, learning new things and growing into the amazing humans they were created to be. But they won't always be this little.

 

Tonight I'm going to snuggle my baby a little closer, because I'm watching her grow, right before my eyes, but into the most kind hearted, beautiful and sweet little girl. Watching as her features change and she doesn't look so much like even a toddler anymore. Watching as she learns how to open the pantry door to get her own shoes and cookies, watching as she puts her own shoes on. Watching and listening as she tells me at two years old that she's "going to change the world!". Already she has such big dreams and aspirations.

 

I'm watching her drift off to sleep, as I sing her favorite lullaby, silent night, the same song I've sung to her even before she was earthside, watching her snuggle her Lambie and flutter her tired eyelashes on its ears like she's always done as she falls asleep. Watching her, holding her as she's snuggled up to me, and soaking up all these moments, because she won't always be this little.

Staying Clean With all® free clear + How To Grow A Tomato Tutorial

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FreeToBe #CollectiveBias

 

 
Spring and summer are planting time, they're messy and fun time too! It's Mother Earth time, when frazzled parent's and bored littles who have spent all winter cooped up can finally spend hours upon hours out in nature. Spring and summer are also muddy times, and a when some allergens are at their peak... Oh and guess what all of these things combined make for? Yep,  you guessed it... laundry time!

 

We love being able to do so many outdoor activities as a family during the warmer months, and that is just one reason of many, many reasons why we love all® free clear so much. We've always been regular users of the all® free clear liquid, but when we found ourselves at the store the other day (Walmart to be exact) it dawned on me that we needed more laundry detergent! So when I spotted the all® free clear mighty pacs® I decided to grab them and give them a try since I've been wanting to check them out for awhile.

We love using both the all® free clear liquid AND the all® free clear mighty pacs® because they're great for different things and they're both pretty equally awesome! The regular liquid laundry detergent is perfect for every day use and we use it constantly, like seriously alllllllll the time. But sometimes as a busy mom of an extremely active, adventurous and on-the-go toddler, I'm in a rush and don't have time to measure out the set amount of detergent I need for a load of laundry. And THAT is where my deep love for the all® free clear mighty pacs® comes in to play. All I have to do is grab one of the all® free clear mighty pacs® (or two if the laundry is super dirty as it does sometimes get) and throw it in the washer with the dirty clothing! It makes my job as a full time stay at home mom just that much easier!

 

Did you know that all® free clear is the #1 detergent recommended by Dermatologists, Allergists AND Pediatricians for Sensitive Skin? So why wouldn't I trust the #1 Sensitive Skin Brand for my family's laundry? As a family with super sensitive skin it gives me so much peace of mind as a mom and wife to know I have a laundry detergent I can trust to not only get the stains and dirt out from a hard day at play, but also give us some protection from quite a few of the most common pet and environmental allergens (including cat and dog dander, dust mite matter, ragweed, grass, and tree pollen). And while all® free clear is not intended to treat or prevent allergies, it definitely helps keep us feeling happier since it takes out 99% of everyday and seasonal allergens while in the wash.

 

 

Because all® free clear is free of all fragrances and dyes it keeps us itch and rash free, and is the only brand we buy! all® free clear detergent was awarded the Seal of Acceptance by the National Eczema Association for having no dyes, perfumes, certain chemicals, and irritating residues. Plus when used correctly, according to the directions on the container, it fights tough stains (which we need because we have a toddler), whitens whites (because we have white bedding in our master bedroom), and brightens colors (because we're color lovers)!

 

Want to know another reason we love, love, love all® free clear? It allows our daughter to simply be free to be a kid, no itchies or rashes on her sensitive, allergic prone skin from being outdoors all day!

 

She's the sweetest little soul who loves to be playing outside constantly, and she's super excited that we just finished putting in our first garden! She had a blast planting these little tomato seeds and watching them grow! She definitely has a green thumb! We'll transplant her little tomato plant into our raised beds here soon, and we are looking forward to being able to harvest ripe tomatoes from her plant this summer! And what better way to get kiddos interested in eating their veggies than by letting them grow it themselves?!

 

Would you love to grow something with your little, but don't know where to start? Even if you can't have a garden or raised beds where you live, you can always grow and plant your plant in a large flower pot or bucket.

 

Tomatoes and flowers are just a couple fun ideas of things you can grow. It's so fun and easy and the perfect way to get in a little quality bonding time!

 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

 

potting soil (we used organic potting soil)

 

growing container

 

seeds of choice

 

sunlight

 

patience

 

all® free clear detergent or all® free clear mighty pacs®

 

dirty clothing

 

lots of love

 

 

WHAT TO DO:

Fill your growing container (to get started we used a regular sized terra cotta planter) with potting soil. Add your seeds and follow the directions on the seed package for spacing and soil depth. Water your seeds and growing container and set in a warm and sunny place with lots of natural light (a window sill works well). Now it's time to wait! Keep the soil moist (but not too wet) and your seeds should sprout before too long! It just requires a little patience and a whole lotta love. In the meantime you can wash all the clothes that were dirtied in the process with your all® free clear detergent or all® free clear mighty pacs®! :)
 

What will you wash using all® free clear? All those dirty clothes from gardening, playing and running outside all summer won't even phase us.

 

To join the conversation with other like-minded all® free clear loving parents, head to the all® free clear hub (found here) and join the all® free clear community (found here)! And don't forget to grab some all® free clear next time you're shopping! :)

 

Get Your Grill On With Giant Eagle

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SummerOfGrilling #CollectiveBias

 

Grilling out was always one of my favorite things growing up, and it became even more special once my hubby and I began cooking out at the park starting when Bella was about 6 months old. Now that she's almost 2 and a half, it's one of our most favorite family activities! There's nothing in the world like the smell of meat and veggies on the grill.

So when I found out about this amazing opportunity to talk about one of our most loved family activities, show you all some amazing new recipes and showcase the store we shop at most often, I decided to jump at the chance!

Barbeque is one of my most fondly remembered childhood meals, my Dad is the barbeque master, and this super simple recipe is one he actually passed down to me (Thank you Dad!) and might actually just be one of my most favorite foods in the entire world!

 

Bacon Burger Roll-Ups! And they're so easy to make! Fresh burger, onion, bell pepper, bacon and of course barbeque sauce!

And luckily, since we have a Giant Eagle nearby, we were able to find all the ingredients easily! Okay, and if I'm completely honest with you... we find ourselves at Giant Eagle, well, usually anywhere between 3 and 5 times a week, sometimes more than that and sometimes even multiple times a day! My hubby and I sometimes joke to each other that we're at Giant Eagle more than we are home haha. Giant Eagle is definitely the one stop place to go for all the cookout needs you have this summer and literally the headquarters for grilling. Meats, veggies, breads, desserts, kerosene, charcoal, snacks, drinks... they carry everything you could possibly want or need to grill out and so much more! There's no need to go anywhere else.

 

We found the Market District Gourmet Seasoned Beef Burgers (it's Certified Angus Beef ya'll) in the meat department display, super easy to find and so fresh, they wrap them up right before your eyes! They have several different seasoned kinds to choose from, and the meat was such a good quality of meat, very lean and so tasty! The pepper and onion mixed in so well too.

 

The onion and bell pepper we mixed into the Market District Gourmet Seasoned Beef Burgers were extremely easy to find in the produce area, you can't miss them! We also decided to grab some of our favorite veggies to throw on the grill as well, mushrooms, zucchini and peppers, all conveniently found in the fresh produce section as well, or you can purchase one of the several offered prepackaged veggie mixes for grilling (also found in the produce section).

 

Near the condiments (such as ketchup and mustard) you'll find all the Heinz barbeque sauce (they sometimes have them on the end caps too). There were so many yummy looking flavors to choose from so it was hard to make a decision, but I decided to go with the Kansas City "Sweet & Smokey" flavor. The sweet barbeque sauces allllllllways get me lol, and I love the smoky taste as well. Now honestly I'll admit I was a bit skeptical to try the Heinz Barbeque sauce at first, I didn't even know that Heinz made barbeque sauce. But my husband and I were wanting to try something new and he convinced me to try the Heinz brand. I must say that... WOW!!! I am so seriously impressed! It is actually one of mine and my hubby's new favorite barbeque sauces, and we'll most definitely be purchasing it on the regular for all of our cookouts now.

 

And I'll say it now, I'm an ice cream lover, I'll eat it ALL, ice cream is kind of my kryptonite haha, but instead of being an ice cream hog (and just eating it with a spoon from the container... c'mon, it's pretty safe to say that we all do it lol) I decided to share (aren't I so nice? hahaha).

 

Because Pepsi Floats you guys!

 

I mean seriously, it was even better than I expected! My hubby loves Pepsi, he should be the spokesperson for Pepsi I think, so he was all for this new idea that we'd never had before! I used the Breyer's Extra Creamy Vanilla ice cream, easily found in the frozen treats aisle with all the other ice cream and such. One of the biggest reasons I love Breyer's is because of their Milk & Cream Promise, which means that no artificial growth hormones were use don their cows... Omg! Breyer's ice cream is healthy you guys! Instead of using regular Pepsi, I spied a new Pepsi, Pepsi 1893 in a display by the frozen food aisle that had been newly set up and was immediately dawn to it. Not only because of the cute can, but because the sugar used in it is fair-trade certified! Yay! Goodness you guys, this Pepsi is GOOD! And it mixed perfectly together with the Breyer's Ice cream to create such an amazing flavored float and I also melted a Hershey bar and drizzled over top, you can find the Hershey bars in cute s'mores displays throughout the store or you can grab on in the line as you're checking out. So much nommmmm.

 

We also grabbed some foam plates and napkins from Giant Eagle before we left the store and headed to the park to do our grilling.

 

 

BACON BURGER ROLL-UPS

 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

 

6 Market District gourmet seasoned beef burgers (certified angus beef)

 

1 bell pepper

 

1 red onion

 

1/8 teaspoon salt

 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

 

1 package Oscar Mayer bacon

 

1 jar Heinz BBQ sauce

 

toothpicks

 

DIRECTIONS:

Chop the onion and bell pepper into tiny pieces (you can usually purchase them pre-chopped in the produce section at Giant Eagle, but we bought whole vegetables in the produce section and chopped them in a food processor). Add both together into a bowl with your Market District Gourmet Seasoned Beef Burgers and mix together. Add salt and pepper. Shape them into little round patties, wrap with Oscar Mayer bacon (1 to 2 slices for each), keep the bacon in place with toothpicks (you can take these out once they're done and you're ready to eat). Place your bacon burger roll-ups on your hot grill and keep a close eye on them. --- If you're using charcoal the more smoke gets on them the better since that makes them even tastier (we like to use a few small fruit-wood branches with leaves, crab-apple actually works beautifully), if you're using propane you can always brush the bacon burger roll-ups lightly with liquid smoke seasoning. --- Once your bacon burger roll ups start to cook start basting them with the Heinz barbeque sauce, you'll want to do this two or three times on each side as you keep turning them over periodically as they cook. Cooking time will vary depending on the temperature of your grill but typically once the bacon is done and the pink is gone from the meat they should be done. Baste them once more with Heinz barbecue sauce and they're ready to eat! I like extra sauce with my barbeque so don't forget to get an extra jar of Heinz barbeque sauce for the table! Oh, and you won't be able to stop eating them!
 

 

OLD FASHIONED PEPSI FLOAT

 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

 

1 container Breyer's ice cream

 

3 cans Pepsi 1893

 

1 Hershey bar

 

4 mason jars

 

4 straws

 

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse your mason jars with water and put them to chill in the freezer for a few hours prior to making your Pepsi floats, I find the floats don't melt as fast on a warm day if you follow this step. When you're ready to make your floats, put 2 scoops of Breyer's ice cream in each jar, fill it up to whatever level you'd like with your Pepsi 1893. Add another scoop of ice cream. Drizzle the tops of your floats with a melted Hershey's bar (I used one bar, melted for about 45 seconds in the microwave). Add a cute straw and enjoy!

 

Now who's ready to grill out and spend some quality family time all at the same time? Head to your local Giant Eagle to grab all these items and get your grill on!