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Let’s Play with Dr Pepper Snapple Group

This post was written in partnership with Dr Pepper Snapple Group which covered my travel expenses while I attended the #DPSFlavorTour. All opinions are my own.

A few weeks ago I had went to Dallas as part of a trip with the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. I had a chance to participate in a hands on service day in which we built a playground in just one day! Dr Pepper Snapple is very concerned with encouraging kids to be physically active, which is why they started the Let’s Play initiative. They have teamed up with Kaboom, Good Sports to help millions of children all over the country, by building and updating playgrounds and by donating new sports equipment to communities.

La Academia de Estrellas Charter School

La Academia de Estrellas is a charter school in Dallas which had no playground. Dr Pepper Snapple, Kaboom and hundreds of volunteers changed that, and in just one day turned this empty field into a lovely playground.

Playground Build at La Academia de Estrellas Charter School

When I agreed to help out on this playground build I had not thought about how hot it would be in Dallas in late June!  It was very, very hot, and there was little shade at the work site.  But volunteers showed up in force, and there were all kinds of jobs to be done. Some people put playground parts together, some people packed boxes full of sporting goods, and others moved mulch – which seemed like the hottest job of all.

Boat Themed Father’s Day Gifts with Giveaway

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

Father’s Day will be here soon, and picking an appropriate gift can be tough!  My husband, John, is the anchor in our family, and he is always working hard for us.

Family Fun

He is the type that always wants to be busy and productive both at work and at home, and has a hard time kicking back and relaxing.  Two weeks ago, it was a rainy weekend that made it impossible to do the yard chores he had planned. Instead of taking a weekend off, he decided to build shelves in the basement!  In fact, about the only place he is willing to relax is out in his boat.

Taking Care of Our High Mileage Vehicles

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

When it comes to cars I wish my family had shiny new low mileage cars – but that is not our reality.  I drive a 2007 Elantra and my daughters share a 2003 Oldsmobile – both high mileage vehicles.  And with three drivers and two cars this summer my family’s schedule is so busy that I rarely see my car and we need a spread sheet to figure out who has which car when!

caring for high mileage vehicles

My 22 year old daughter who just graduated from college, has what for her is a dream job this summer – working at a zoo.  She loves doing the hands on animal care, even if it means lots of cleaning cages and shoveling manure. Unfortunately her dream job is an hour away from our house, so the miles are adding up quickly on our vehicles.

My Most Valuable Pets

This post is sponsored by Lunchbox.

Our dogs are an important part of our family! I couldn’t imagine being without either of them, because they keep us busy and give us lots of love and attention.

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In fact, you could say that our dogs, Dodger and Ziggy are the MVP’s in our family.

Teaching your teens car maintenance.

Teaching Your Teens Car Maintenance

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

My daughters are 22 and 18, and both have their driver’s license, and my son is 15 and counting the days until he can get a permit!  Having young drivers in the house can be stressful, because there is so much that they need to learn, and not just about driving itself, but about taking care of a car.  Here are the top five maintenance tasks your teen should know how to do before you hand them the keys.

Teaching your teens car maintenance.

Oil Changes

Cars need regular maintenance, and neglecting this can cost you time and money.  One of the most important things to do is to get the oil changed regularly, on the schedule recommended by the manufacturer.  I realized recently that my 18 year old, Eleanor, had never taken a car in for an oil change, so the last time my vehicle needed an oil change I had her come along.

Side Show on Broadway

I received complimentary tickets, all opinions are my own.

Last weekend I had the chance to attend a performance of Side Show at the St. James Theatre on Broadway, and it was an amazing experience.

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The show is based on the true story of Daisy and Violet Hilton, who were co-joined twins who were very popular on the vaudeville circuit.  This seems like a kind of odd premise for a musical, but it really worked and the play presents a touching story of love and loss.  The whole theme is about searching for love and acceptance, which is something everyone can relate to.

Snowy Days and Stouffer’s Mini Meal Moments

This time of year is so busy, it is hard to just sit back and relax and take some time for yourself, so you can get through your busy day.

I homeschool my 15 year old son, and I thought this year would be easier than previous years, since I only have one child at home.  But it hasn’t turned out that way at all!  There are always errands to run and meetings to take my son to.  And my son’s classes like algebra and biology take quite a bit of effort and oversight from me.  So when we had our first big snowstorm of the season last week I figured it meant a quiet day at home, perfect for some me time.  One nice thing about snow storms is most things are cancelled, so we stay home!

A Walk in the Woods – Green Lakes State Park

This post has been sponsored by MomDot Media and The Trust for Public Land. All opinions are my own.

My family and I love to go and enjoy the outdoors. We all need places we can go to enjoy nature and remember what is important in life.

The Trust for Public Land Post Card - Green Lakes State Park #OurLand

Sometimes people think going outside and enjoy parks is only for the summer, but even in the fall and winter there is plenty to do and enjoy outside.  There is hiking, boating, biking, and even skiing and snow shoeing.  Last weekend my kids and I took our dogs for a hike at one of our local parks, Green Lakes State Park.

Healthy Happy Dogs

Keeping your dogs happy and healthy is important!  Our two dogs are an important part of our family, and we do our best to make sure they eat right and stay healthy.  But it can be a challenge, because like most dogs they don’t know what they should and shouldn’t eat.

Our Dogs

Our older dog Dodger is a scavenger.  He has never found food the doesn’t like, and that can get him in trouble.  As you can see he is also fairly large, so he when he tries he can easily get into things he shouldn’t!  A few years ago he got in the pantry and ate half a box of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies.  Since chocolate is bad for dogs were were concerned, but a phone call to our vet told us that because of his size he would probably be ok, and we just had to watch him closely for a few days.

Pet Adoption Month – Adopt a Dog

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

Did you know October is Pet Adoption Month?  There are many dogs who need new loving homes, and this is the perfect time of year to adopt a dog!

Pet Adoption Month #PedigreeGives #cbias #shop

We have adopted both of our dogs from Animal Shelters.  Our older dog, Dodger, was adopted 9 years ago from the local dog pound.  Our new dog, Ziggy, was adopted in the spring from a dog rescue shelter.  We like to adopt shelter dogs because they need a home, and we need a furry friend, so it is a win-win.

Dodger and Ziggy #PedigreeGives #cbias #shop

Dogs Love Treats

Dogs love to eat, and our dog Ziggy has a new favorite food – apples. We have apple trees in our front yard, and every time we let him out front now he makes a bee-line for the apples trees and starts munching all the ones that have dropped off the tree.

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I guess it is a healthy snack – they have lots of fiber anyway! Another things dogs love is bacon – of course! Here is a cute rap video of a dog who loves bacon.

New York City Cruise with Classic Harbor Lines

Last week I was in New York City for a few days, I had the chance to enjoy cruise with Classic Harbor Line for an amazing tour of the city skyline.  My family and I went on the Statue and Skyline Cruise on the luxury yacht Manhattan on a gorgeous late summer afternoon.  This cruise was the highlight of our trip, and we were thrilled to receive the complimentary tickets!

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The Manhattan is styled like a 1920s yacht, with wooden railings and comfortable seating inside the cabin.  We stayed on the benches in the bow for the whole trip though, and enjoyed the 360 view of the New York Harbor.  The trip goes out to see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and the Captain gave us lots of information about all the sites we passed.

Ice Cream Memories – Don’t Wait for the Truck

Ice cream is a treat that never gets old!

Vanilla Ice Cream Cone

When my kids were younger they played many team sports, including baseball and soccer. It was always a tradition for us to get ice cream after a game, either to celebrate a win or, more often, to console them about a loss.

Summer Adventures and Juicy Fruit

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

Summer is winding down fast, and my family and I are trying to cram as much fun into the last days as we can!  Recently we took a little trip on our boat to a local resort town, featuring a beach, amusement park and carnival games.  It is always more fun to go places on the boat, because it gives us a different perspective to see things from the water.  For this trip we added in some Juicy Fruit gum for some extra summer fun.

Summer Adventures #JuicyFruitFunSide #shop

A Promise to Baby – Johnson’s Baby

When a baby is first born a mom makes many promises to her child – and one of the biggest ones is about protecting them and keeping them safe.

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Of course as they grow up you realize you can’t always keep them safe, because too much is out of your control.  So all mom’s worry.  As my kids grow up I don’t worry less, I just worry about different things – like my girls driving my car, because they aren’t driving a toy car anymore!

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