Hefty, Hefty, Hefty.

Hey guys! It's been a little while since I've visited the ol' blog but wanted to pop in and tell you about a little surprise I got in the mail a few weeks ago. It's always exciting to come home to a package waiting for you on the front porch!

I opened it up and realized that it was the Hefty microwave strong disposable plates that Influenster was sending me to test out in return for an honest review! I opened up the box and was excited when I realized they had sent me a package of 40 plates that were able to be popped into the microwave for reheating foods!

With 3 kids, we are ALWAYS happy with something that we can eat on that doesn't create any more dirty dishes than necessary! I love using disposable plates but when it comes to hot foods, it's not always fun to watch your food melt into the styrofoam :(

That's why I was so excited to test these plates out and see how they held up! So, the day after Thanksgiving (hope you all had a GREAT one!!) I wanted to re-heat some of the sweet potato casserole to enjoy with a hot cup of coffee.. I thought, "what better way to test these plates out?!" I was very shocked when, after re-heating for a whole minute & a half, I took the plate out and it wasn't starting to melt under the food!! I also love the fact that these plates also have a "dip" in the middle (instead of being completely flat) that helps to hold your food a little better, instead of letting it easily slide right off the plate. I know it's not the best picture ever but here is a screenshot of a video I took on Snapchat when I was taking it out of the microwave...

All in all, I am very impressed with these plates and will definitely keep them stocked in our pantry for when I've cleaned up the kitchen already and no one is dirtying up anymore dishes foods need to be re-heated! ☺ This Mama says, "way to go, Hefty!"

Brown Paper Baggin' It.

Okay, so no one uses brown paper bags to carry their lunch in anymore.. I mean-- who would want to with all of these cute lunch totes they have now?! I remember the days my kids were so excited to take their own lunches to school with them but I struggled with coming up with something different everyday to pack for them! All I could think about was the notorious PB&J or ham sandwiches.. aka nothing exciting.

Today, I see so many cute lunch box ideas on social media that it has me dreaming of packing lunches again! I figured I would pick a few of my favorites and share them with you in case your in a rut with knowing what to stick in the bag with that banana :)

1. submarine sandwich - how cute is this?! one little straw makes all the difference here!

2. pizza quesadillas - this takes a regular cheese quesadilla up a few notches!

3. pb&j sushi rolls - how fancy they will feel when they pull out their own "sushi"!

4. cheesy pretzel dippers - this would be great to let them "make" their own lunch the night before!

5. sweet fruit wrap - another easy peasy one they could help make!

Also, I wanted to share with you my {new} favorite juice boxes from Apple & Eve that you will feel great about stashing in their bag everyday!

These juices contain 1 fruit/veggie serving in each box! for real.. and even better-- there is NO added sugars or artificial flavors/colors!! They have so many varieties to choose from and there hasn't been one so far we haven't liked! You can click here to find out where to buy & get a coupon while your there, too!

*I received these juice boxes complementary in return for an honest review.

Olay For Life.

Growing up, I always remember my grandmother having one of those "medicine-cabinet" mirrors in her bathroom that you could open up & store things on little shelves. Two of the things I distinctly remember that were a l w a y s on hand were Vicks VapoRub (in the little blue bottle) and this Oil of Olay that she would use daily on her face.

She had the most beautiful skin, even in her 70's, and I will be so blessed if I age as gracefully as she did. To this day, I swear by this product & use it daily myself! I was so excited to see that they have come out with a new line of Fresh Outlast Body Wash that is just as cute as it is moisturizing & delightfully scented! The Cooling White Strawberry & Mint is my favorite so far.

You guys, go grab some of this stuff and sit back in the tub dreaming that your lying in a strawberry field sipping on a fresh mint julep. It's THAT amazing.

#contest

Color from a Salon or Box? You'll Never Know..

Clairol was kind enough to send me a box of their new Professional Liquicolor Soy 4Plex hair color in Light Gold/Neutral Blonde to try. You would know that I had JUST got my hair highlighted at a local salon not even a week earlier (ugh!) so I thought, "hey, why not invite a friend over to treat her to a new, fresh 'do?!" So that's just what I did.

Said friend has a tiny 3-month-old and hasn't had her hair colored in the past year (due to 1) having been pregnant for 9 months and 2) just not having enough time to pamper herself since he's been born) so I figured she would definitely enjoy at least covering what roots were showing from her last color. This hair color is also for deep conditioning gray coverage and comes with a color serum that strengthens hair from within. Once opening the package, this is what it contained:

(I had already poured in the liquid color before I took this picture!)

It came with everything that we needed to get started and was VERY easy to do with simple step-by-step instructions on the back of the box... You basically mix everything up in the plastic bottle that's provided, shake, and start coloring away! We let the color sit on her hair for 45 minutes before washing it with lukewarm water, then with a color-safe shampoo & conditioner and blow drying. She was so happy with the results and said her hair felt extra silky and deeply conditioned after using the product. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone that wants to save money and get a color treatment that looks just as natural as if you hadn't "colored" it at all! Here is a picture of the before and after that I took... I'll let you decide for yourself ;)

(it took all of the dark "root" areas and blended them in with the natural hair color to create a natural, highlight look)

If your interested, you can read more about the product here.

*I received this product complementary in return for an honest review. All opinions are mine.