When it comes to the mornings, I don't do anything the hard way

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Nestle, but all opinions are my own. #pmedia  #BreakfastEssentials 

http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Confession:  For the last three years I have had nothing to eat for breakfast but Carnation Breakfast Essentials.

Or, as we affectionately call it around here, "Instant B."

As in, "Is there any more Instant B left?"

"Will you make me an Instant B?"

"Did you have an Instant B this morning?"

We're pretty much addicted.  (Random fact:  When we went to Hawaii a year ago our hotel had a mini fridge.  We put milk in it, bought ourselves a package of Instant Breakfast, and boom, we were set for breakfast for the week.)

Greg converted me to Instant Breakfast  (which I didn't know until I did this post is officially known as Carnation Breakfast Essentials.  Before I married him, I had whatever random crap I could find for breakfast.  An old apple. A frozen waffle.  A left over diet coke and half a piece of bread. You see, I have to be to work at the disgusting hour of 7 am every morning.  I sleep until 6:30.  That means I have exactly 15 minutes to get ready in the morning and exactly 15 minutes to drive to work.  It doesn't leave much time for me to sit down and enjoy a nice breakfast. (My motto has always been that in order of morning importance, sleep always trumps food.)  That's why in college and my first year of teaching, it was whatever food was easy to grab with me and run.

Now, I've fully converted to Carnation Breakfast Essentials.  It is easy and convenient AND I'm still getting the nutrients and vitamins that I need for the morning.  I drink my Insta B in the morning and I don't have to worry or think about food for another four hours.  It has gotten me through many a first period class, I tell you that, and it is MUCH healthier for me than a bowl of sugary cereal or a diet coke, my old go to.

When I am in a dead rush, my Instant B breakfast consists of me pouring milk in a cup and adding the powder.  Usually, I just throw the little package in my purse and dart off the door with a cup of milk in hand.  (I have sat in the back of many faculty meetings, stirring up my little cup of instant breakfast.)  Even when this is all I can do, it's still delicious and filling.  It doesn't have the weird after taste that a lot of protein shakes do.  It seriously tastes just like chocolate milk.  (Also, I LOVE the strawberry variety.  Less stores carry it and it's harder to find, but when you do see it on the shelves, snatch up a couple of boxes.  It is heavenly!)

When I have three extra minutes, I like to make an instant breakfast smoothie.  It is almost just as easy, but offers a little more substance.  My go to smoothie is easy as can be and gives me a little extra protein and fruit for the morning.  You want me to show you how to make it?  Alright, fine, you talked me in to it.  I'm warning you though, I'm a gourmet chef, and this recipe is really complicated...

 Ingredients= Milk + ice + banana + peanut butter + instant breakfast.  It is alarmingly easy.  I promise you, when it comes to food in the morning, I don't do anything the hard way.

I use a nice, fat spoonful of peanut butter and about half a glass of milk. (I know, I know, my measuring abilities are insane!)  To make it thicker and colder, I like to use a frozen banana, but if I haven't been quite on the ball enough to freeze bananas ahead of time. it's just as good to use a fresh banana. (Also, I've made the mistake of putting a whole banana in before and then the banana just takes over the whole dang smoothie. Stick to half a banana if you know what's good for you.)

Ta da!

Don't be deceived.  I never relax and enjoy my breakfast like this.  It's always in the car, at a faculty meeting, or in my classroom before first period starts.  But this is how it looks on Saturday morning, at least!

If you want more recipes for your Carnation Breakfast Essentials, click here.  So many great recipes to make breakfast that much easier.

Oh, and right now you can get $1 off with this coupon at Walmart.  (Also, I have bought this product at every grocery store imaginable, and I can promise you, it's cheapest at Walmart.  Take it from me!)

And don't forget to like Carnation Breakfast Essentials on facebook.  Boo yah!

Popsicles and Beaches- in other words how to make a great big mess.

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Wet-Nap but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #showusyourmess  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

One of my favorite parts about visiting Akasha in California was hanging out with her kids.  They're seriously adorable.  And they let me hold them!  Most kids nowadays are very picky with who they will let hold them- even some of my nieces and nephews make me pretty much do backflips before they'll give me the time of day or sit in my lap.  But Akasha's kids seemed to give me a couple of glances, shrug their shoulders and say, "Yah.  She'll do."  I had so much fun playing with them and laughing with them and cuddling them.  It definitely made me excited for my own little girl to get here.

Wednesday was filled with angst and stress over the car accident.  Thursday was waiting around for a rental car and a cloudy day.  But Friday!  Friday was perfect!  Sunny and beautiful and we were determined to spend the whole darn afternoon with the kids at the beach.  Who can resist a Friday at the beach?  (Also this beach does this amazing thing to the kids where it entertained them for HOURS.  No complaining, no whining, just happy kiddos playing in the sand and water. It was magical!)

We knew we'd be spending a bit of time at the beach on Friday, so we decided to grab some treats beforehand.  Our treat of choice- Popsicles of course! It was hot and sunny, and what sounds better at the beach than Popsicles?  We made a quick stop at Wal-mart for the cold treat and some Wet-Nap wipes too because something told us the Popsicles could make a mess...  

As you can see, the mess was pretty much inevitable.  ENTER:  Super hero, Wet-Nap!

Having Wet-Nap hand wipes on hand took all of the stress away from snack time.  We didn't care at all if the kids had Popsicle juice running down their arms (and they did!) because we knew it'd be such easy clean up.  I especially loved it because we could just give the wipes to the kids, and they cleaned themselves up (I'm all about self sufficiency here, people.)  Even Madi, who's not yet two, could clean off her own little hands and mouth.  There could not have been or easier or simpler way to do treats at the beach.  No stress, no mess.

Wet-Nap hand wipes come in a canister to carry with you in your car or stroller, or if you want to just throw a few individually wrapped wipes in your purse, you can get the packettes.  Like I said, it could not be easier to keep kids cleaned up!  Right now, Wal-mart has a coupon too, for any Wet-Nap hand wipes while supplies last.  (They only cost $2 to begin with, and with the coupon for $.55 off- you are getting a steal!  Espeically if you double your coupon on Tuesdays... does your Wal-mart do that too?)  CLICK HERE FOR COUPON!

Thank you so much to Pollinate and Wet-Nap for sponsoring this post and allowing me a stress free and guilt free afternoon at the beach.  Life is good!

Christmas Card Time!

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign 

with Pollinate Media Group™ and Open Me, but all opinions are my own. 

#pmedia #OpenMeHoliday  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

This month marks five years since I came home from Argentina.

I was in Argentina for 18 months.  Short enough time to never lose my strong American accent but long enough to get good and attached.  I cried buckets when I left and for months after I had returned to the states I yearned to go "back home" to Argentina.

I didn't miss the weather. (Over 110 degrees nine months of the year!)  I didn't miss the dogs. (Consummating like bunnies in the streets!)  I didn't miss the men whistling and yelling as I walked down the streets, "Rubia! Rubia!"  (They're hard up for blondes in those parts!)

I miss the people.  The meat-loving, siesta-sleeping, fun-loving Argentines.  I met some of the most humble, giving, and loving people I have ever met.

When I left I made a lot of promises to keep in touch with my friends.  I will write!  I will skype!  I will come back to visit!

It's easy at first, but gets more difficult as the years pass.  Somehow life gets busy and the relationships that once meant everything in the world to you are tough to maintain.

This year I really wanted to send Christmas cards to all my Argy friends.  For many, it has been months since I have heard anything from them, but at the very least I want to make sure I keep in touch with them once a year through Christmas cards.  Of course, then there's the added difficulty of printing cards, buying stamps that cost a buck a pop, mailing the cards, waiting for three weeks for them to find their way to Argentina, etc.  It sounded utterly exhausting to me this year.

In honor of my new goal to simplify I decided to try an online Christmas card.  That is where OpenMe comes in.  It's convenient, it's easy, and it doesn't carry any of the stress I usually associate with Christmas cards.

Step 1:  Pick your card from creative and fun options.  You can add a picture to make it a bit more personal or just keep it easy with an already prepared card.  There's a great variety of cards from sentimental to funny to even romantic!

Step 2:  Personalize!  Add your message and you can upload photos from your computer or even grab photos off of facebook.  So insanely easy.

Step 3:  Preview , inside and out.

Step 4: Send!  If you decide to send digitally you can send through email or post on facebook.  You can also set it up for days in advance.  The card I did was personalized for an individual but you can make a generic Christmas card and send it to all your friends!  And if email isn't your thing, you can have OpenMe print the card and sent it for only $4.

You can find OpenMe here:  Website// Facebook// Twitter

Getting sneezy with it, nah nah nah nah nah nah nah

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with 
Pollinate Media Group® and Kleenex but all opinions are my own. 

#KleenexAllergy #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

Autumn is upon us and you all know what that means...

ALLERGY SEASON!

I am an avid lover of fall.  Who isn't, right?  The weather has finally cooled off after the blistering summer, the leaves start to turn, football starts up- I think we'd all have to be a pack of morons to not love September and October.

The only problem with the beauty of fall is allergies.  They incessantly plague my two favorite seasons- spring and fall.  Ever since I was a little girl I have suffered from allergies, and so I figured a mandatory quality in a mate must be that he too shares in my semiannual suffering- cue Greg!

For the past four weeks or so we have been a walking team of sneezing, rubbing, sneezing, blowing, and more sneezing.  No medicine seems to do the trick for us and so we have resigned ourselves to a lifetime of sneezy springs and itchy falls.

Luckily we don't tear our noses up completely because we are total brand snobs and only use Kleenex.  You see, when I moved to college I bought the cheapest tissues I could find to combat my allergies.  They were pretty much straight cardboard and it didn't take me long to discover that with how often I was wiping and rubbing my nose it would need to be all Kleenex all the time.  The fact of the matter is that after 100+ rubs your nose starts to get scratchy and itchy and so in addition to allergies you now have a flaky, crusty bleeding nose.  It's gross.  That's why you need a soft tissue that protects your little nose people!

Thus my reasoning for only allowing Kleenex around these parts.  They are by far the softest tissues on the market and they help prevent me from looking like Rudolph during non stop sneezing season.  We pretty much decorate the house with Kleenex in the fall, that's how pathetic it is.  In the bathroom, in the bedroom, in the living room, we've got Kleenex EVERYWHERE.

Let's play... spot the Kleenex!

^^Please ignore the grossness of our bathroom shelf.  We don't have bathroom cupboards.

Right now at Target (I know you want an excuse to go to Target- admit it!) you can buy a Kleenex 4 pack and get a wallet pack (2-pk) or pocket pack (3-pk) for FREE.  Click here for the coupon. (I just brought it up on my smart phone and the cashier scanned it from there.)  The coupon is only good while supplies last so hurry on over.  

Also Greg just looked over this post for me and said, "We do use a lot of Kleenex."

AMEN AND AMEN.

Jellys are back and you're gonna be in trouble...

(...ten points if you know what song the title is referring to)

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Jelly Beans but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #JellysAreBack http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO”

There's been some pretty crazy things that have happened to me so far this summer.  My dog puked all over the bed (what?), my husband lost his third wedding ring, (WHAT?) and I got scammed out of $1,100 (WHATWHATWHAT?!?!)

Yes.  It's been nuts.

I was feeling slightly frazzled and out of control in my life when the opportunity came to promote a pair of jellys.  Let me see if I can explain to you what it felt like to bring jellys back into my life...  You know when you're feeling kind of vulnerable and out of your element and then you see someone or something that brings you comfort?  Someone that you know, that makes you happy, that makes you feel like you're home and everything will end up okay?  That's what jellys were for me this summer.  I was vulnerable and a bit scared and very frustrated, and then there were jellys.  A comfortable summer sandal that tastes of childhood and innocence and carefree days that go on and on and on.

Weird that a sandal can say so much, isn't it?

Now that I've given my totally sentimental and emotional review of the jellys, let's get practical.  The shoes  are totally comfortable and can be worn with literally any outfit in my wardrobe.  I took them to the water park and then out to a nice restaurant later in the evening for dinner.  I especially love my pair because they are clear for crying out loud, what doesn't go with clear?!  (But if clear ain't your thing, you can pretty much get any color known to man.  I'm seriously coveting the neon yellow right now.)  You can dress them up.  You can dress them down.  You can wear them to the beach.  You can wear them into town. (See what I did there?)  You can wear them anywhere!

Side note:  I feel like I need to give mad props to whoever wrote the color descriptions for the shoes.  The color description for the clear shoe reads:  You are often found looking absent-mindedly into space. You have the memory of a sieve. You'll have a shower when you look at your feet and notice that they are dirty.  Now I feel like a million bucks AND have great shoes.  Thanks, color description writer!  (The other color descriptions are just as fun to read.  I read every single one because I am a nerd and have a lot of respect and admiration for great writers out there.)

Top:  Kohl's (similar here) Shorts: Target (Originally white jeans- I cut them off) Shoes: c/o Jbeans

This is the pose I make when I'm uncomfortable posing so I decide to make fun of myself.  Admittedly, it's not my best.  Also, notice totally disjointed elbows.  Impressive, I know.

The best news is that the jellys ship free in the U.S.  HALLELUJAH!  I got mine two days before I was even starting to expect them- fast AND free delivery? Sign me up!  Oh, and if you're feeling a little hesitant don't worry because if you're not digging your shoes you can send them back within 30 days and get your money back.  Easy peasy!

Oh, and one last thing- be prepared to get compliments up the ying yang when you wear these bad boys.  I have worn them out in public twice and both times had girl comes up to me dying to know where I got my jellys.  I'm not ahead of the fashion curve very often, so when I am I definitely soak it all in!  Trust me, it feels great!

Follow jbeans:

Website// Twitter// Facebook// Instagram//  Pinterest

Let the Evening be in charge for once!

We've got a couple of winner around these parts.  Lots of giveaways means lots of winners!

The winner for the $50 Forever 21 gift card is Samantha Tedesco.  We will be emailing you shortly!

The winner for the $20 Target gift card is Ellie Wright.  I will forward your info on to the people at PEOPLE (now that got deep) and they will be in touch with you.  CONGRATS TO YOU BOTH!

Saturday night I found myself all by my lonesome.  Hubs had a read through for a film and an important production meeting. I thought about calling up a friend like I often do on nights alone- thought about quickly and desperately trying to fill any and all empty space.

But then I thought better of it.  I decided to give this night to myself, to catch up on stuff I needed to do- which included a little bit of R&R.  I feel like somehow in our society we have told ourselves that quiet time, that slow, peaceful hours are for the birds.  We must be busy, we must be productive, and we must constantly surround ourselves with people.

So here I was.  Staring at a Saturday night all by myself.  I decided to not schedule too much work, but to let the evening take me where it may.

Interestingly enough, the evening took me for a nap.  I woke up about 7 feeling strangely refreshed and relaxed.

"Alright, evening!  Where to next?"  I asked.

"Target!"  Evening answered.

Target is dangerous.  I avoid it like the plague for the simple reason that last time I went in for a birthday gift I came out with $200 worth of clothes and no birthday gift.  Hence, no more Target for Bonnie.

But as Evening was in charge, I decided to let him take over.  We ended up in Target and I strolled around and got quite distracted in the swimsuit apartment.  Thirty minutes and several unsuccessful swimsuits later (why do I always look so awful in a swimsuit in March?  Curse you, winter!) , I was on my way to the checkout with nothing but a good old fashioned magazine in hand.  Success!  I only spent $5 in Target!

Sorry about the bluriness.  It is beyond awkward to take a picture in a grocery store aisle when there are people behind you.  Let's just say I did it quickly and without much focus on well... focus.

"Evening!  The nap was divine!  Target was liberating!  Where to next?"

"Frozen yogurt!" answered Evening.

That's when I discovered the evening was a genius.

At home, with my guilty pleasure PEOPLE Magazine reading and a little frozen yogurt, Evening whispered one last thing to do that would make this night beyond complete.  "Bubble.... bath...."  He whispered.

And that was how I found myself covered in bubbles, chowing down on frozen yogurt, and indulging in all the Oscar's greatest moments at 8:00 on a Saturday evening.

PEOPLE Magazine 2013 Oscars Double Issue didn't disappoint. They had every angle of every gown you could imagine. And bracelets and updos and all of that incredibly important Oscar stuff that boys aren't even smart enough to care about. I carelessly flipped the pages, reveling in the gorgeousness of the stars, and the warmth of the bathtub and thought to myself, "Evening. You have been beyond good to me."

Hubs got home about 9:00. I was out of the bath, but still not done with my PEOPLE magazine, sprawled out on the couch as if all I had to do all day was lay and read (Can you imagine what a glorious life twould be?)

"What'd you do tonight?" he asked.
"Nothing." I answered. The truth has never felt so good.

I recommend this. Letting the evening be in charge for once. Letting it take you where it may. To let go of worries and stress and allow yourself to totally recharge and relax. I hope your evening leads you to a copy of PEOPLE Magazine and I hope it's the Oscar edition even more . I hope your evening lets you buy frozen yogurt and I certainly hope your evening ends up in a bathtub with not a care in the world.

It's a good life, isn't it?

Client Website: www.people.com/winforyou
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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and PEOPLE Magazine but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PEOPLEforOscars http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.