Whiskware™ Portable Snack Containers are Cute Practical and Fun

 Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

Twist n' Lock Stackable Snack Packs from Whiskware™

Look at these!!! Snack kits the kids will love because not only is there a super cute container to put their items in, but there are 3 snack containers included in each column. Whether your child is a small eater like my oldest granddaughter or a big eater like my very-much-growing almost-teen son, the idea of having snacking options in their lunch (or even if they are on the go, such as in the car) is a big deal. It's a big deal for parents too because it means we can put healthy snacks they love in there, which deters them from considering processed foods in the lunch line at school.

My Unconventional Back to School List

 Back to school is different this year, that's for sure. For some there will be distance learning, others will choose to go back to classroom, and some have to go back with no say-so whatsoever. No matter what, the back to school shopping list is not going to look like it has in any year prior. Here are four things for heading back, that might not seem conventional, but could surely be handy.

Write whatever you want...erase and write again!

$250 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

This is probably the longest giveaway I've joined in, to help promote, in terms of amount of time it runs. It's a good one though, and with so many people still at home, I'm sure it is one that will be well received too. With the winner being drawn at the very beginning of December, it will arrive just in time for some quality holiday shopping.

Make your holiday Christmas shopping a bit easier this year by entering to win a FREE $250 Amazon Gift Card from Home Jobs By Mom. All you have to do is sign up for our newsletter. There will be bonus entries as well. Good luck!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

One Lucky Winner Will Receive A $250 Amazon Gift Card!

Prize:

Celebrate National Root Beer Float Day with Virgil's!

Disclosure: this is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

Tomorrow, August 6th is National Root Beer Float Day and I for one cannot wait! We celebrate every year, and this year we will be kicking it with both Black Cherry and the original handcrafted Root Beer from Virgil's! This rich, creamy root beer is crafted from a perfectly balanced, natural blend of 15 roots and spices. Every ingredient in Virgil's is all-natural - which means no preservatives, no aspartame, and no artificial colors. In addition to these (and other flavors you can get), you can also purchase Virgil's Zero Sugar Root Beer, which has no calories and is certified ketogenic, for those looking for a lower calorie rendition of this refreshing, sweet and delicious little something-something. 

There are a lot of little holidays on the calendar to celebrate, and to be honest, outside of the major ones, we ignore most of them. Not true with National Root Beer Float Day. It is the perfect excuse to make one of our favorite summertime treats, and so, of course we do!! And tomorrow, we SHALL!

If you're looking for a reminder of how to make the perfect ice cream float, please check out the recipe below, courtesy of Virgil's. When you're done drooling (that's not just be me, right?) check out the giveaway that starts tomorrow in honor of the big day.  One lucky winner will take home Virgil's Soda, a year's supply of Alden's Ice Cream, and Toasted Mallow Treats. Triple Yum.

RECIPE FOR ROOT BEER (or Black Cherry) 
ICE CREAM FLOATS

Virgil’s Classic Root Beer Float

Ingredients:

·       Virgil’s Handcrafted Root Beer (or Zero-Sugar Root Beer)

·       Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions:

1. Get a nice tall glass (preferably a mighty mug!)

2. Drop one scoop of vanilla ice cream into the bottom of the glass

3. Pour Virgil’s root beer (or Black Cherry) over the scoop until it fills up about halfway

4. Drop another scoop of vanilla ice cream into the mix

5. Fill to the top of the glass with Virgil’s!

6. Grab spoon and experiment with your preferred balance of ice cream and root beer in each bite

THERE'S A GIVEAWAY!

Here is the giveaway. Remember it goes live tomorrow (August 5th). Prize will consist of 8 cases of Virgil's Handcrafted Soda, (1) year of ice cream vouchers from Alden’s ice cream, and 2 dozen Virgil's black cherry mallows from Toasted Mallow! Giveaway begins on Thursday, August 6th (National Root Beer Float Day!).

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

                                  Virgil's is available at Amazon or in-store at Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and more.

Would You Rather? The Grown Up Version.

Jet Ski or Paddle Board? Right now, my oldest grandbabe would definitely say jet ski,
though she has recently done both (with an adult, of course)!

Little things amuse me. Right now, I'm sitting here thinking of a Would You Rather game, for adults. This is the game I hate my youngest son to bring up and try to play because it always ends up with something gross/icky coming into play. This is a grandma-rated version of the same game, and I'll keep it short. It does seem most people have a hard preference for these things though, and I think that is interesting. While some people love mustard, others hate it and only like honey mustard...deep dish, original or thin crust, mayo or absolutely not...that kind of simple, but important-to-the-person -at-the-time kind of thing.

It's Movie Time (finally) but not in Theaters (of course)

I told my son I miss going to the movies. I didn't miss things for a long time, but now I'm starting to, here and there. The movie theater is one of them. It's been a long time now since we've seen a new movie. So when I got an e-mail saying We Bare Bears: The Movie was coming out on DVD, I asked my son if he'd heard of it (I hadn't). He said yes, and it looks cute. He said he'd love to see it and so we're going to get it now that it has been released and we're going to have a Movie Night when it arrives. I for one, can't wait!

Who DID I See that Concert With???

Yesterday an article came up on my phone about Fleetwood Mac. That was JUST before my generation of music (I had Stevie Nicks' CDs, but never any F/Mac). I clicked it just because...and became engrossed in the love story of two of the band members (turns out there was more than one, but that's a story for another day, and not this blog, lol). What was intriguing though wasn't so much the story as the way the guy in the pair I was reading about, still looked at the gal (so many years later). It seemed like he was still wearing his heart on his sleeve, which cannot be true (?) since he is happily married with three children of his own (something I also found out yesterday), and she (according to the article), had him kicked off of the reunion tour and they were in court...but there was an undeniable chemistry there, something you can't quite put your finger on, but you could feel it (so much so that I started googling to learn more about them, and that's how I came across the above information that has been repeated so often there must at least a modicum of truth to it).

That got me thinking of music, and musicians. Which got me stuck in a YouTube loop (it happens once in awhile) of old music I liked in high school. That led to me viewing AC/DC footage and I absentmindedly said to my son (who was making fun of the music 👀) that it was the best concert I'd ever seen. And it was. I saw them in the mid-90's, and they really put on a good show.

But it took me a few minutes to remember who I saw the concert with. You would think that it being a great concert, I would easily remember WHO I saw it with, but I guess that's not how my brain works. So then I started to deliberately single out concerts I've seen, and try to remember instantly who was with me. Almost every single one required me thinking, really thinking about it (with a few solid exceptions), which led to this post.

The Steve Miller Band I remember seeing with my then sister-in-law because it was one of those shows you didn't expect to be so great, but it really, really was... he sounded just as good in person as he did on record.

Brittany Spears I remember because it was my oldest son's first concert (he hates when I tell that story, but he LOVED her music (and this was waaaay back when, when she was pretty much a kid too), so I surprised him with tickets. His younger brothers fell asleep on the seats because it was in the p.m., which still makes me chuckle.

And Creed I remember because it was the second concert I took the same son to (and his brother was too young to see that one, so he stayed home with dad).

Lynyrd Skynyrd...no clue who I saw it with, but I remember a group of us sitting on a hill at the amphitheater in West Palm Beach.

James Taylor...no clue again, but I remember being upset that he didn't play ANYTHING I knew and loved.

Bush was a good concert, but I remember being irked by the smell of certain something-something in the audience (I've always been a bit of a nerd, and that was never my scene). I wasn't a fan of the mosh pit either (again, a bit of a nerd here). In fact, regarding MOST things I've been a huge nerd (I own it, I don't mind) but in music I branched out a bit and liked quite a few genres, including rock n roll, which was probably a bit 'rebellious' of me since it embraced themes that were as far removed from my being as could possibly be, which I suppose was part of the rock and roll appeal. I still love the artists from that era, Led Zeppelin, Clapton, and the Doors (still popular from the generation just before), Queen, Motley Crue, Rush, U2, and so on and so forth... I could go on and on because there was a lot of music playing on the radio (and I liked many genres, though this post is focusing more on R&R).

There are other concerts too...most of whom I am stretching my mind to remember who I was with... and THEN, when I'm thinking of people, I'm trying to stretch my mind to think of what concerts I saw with that person (because surely there was something).

My mom wouldn't let me see any Rock-and-Roll concerts when I was a kid, but she let me listen to anything I wanted. She was more liberal than I was...I've always made sure my kids had the censored versions running on their top hit songs, and nothing too suggestive or otherwise not-so-decent playing in their lil' ears. Double standard? Perhaps, but there are two things I know 1). I can't bring myself to allow the kids to listen to certain music (all the cursing and way-too-adult lyrics seems inappropriate to me for the kids), but 2). I sure am glad my mom let me...

As for my recollection of concerts and who I saw them with, I have concluded that the mind is a funny thing. The way it processes is baffling, but I don't question it. I'm just bemused a bit by it today. :)

What We are Doing Outside Today

With our family taking extra care to isolate for so long, we have decided to start visiting again, here and there, and believe me, it's nice!! Not being one to complain about having to stay home (I love it!), even I have gotten a bit stir crazy here and there. On a recent visit with my son and his little one, we decided to break out some outdoor toys as well (yeah, we were getting crazy over here!). The Pop-and-Pass toy from Hog Wild that you see above was the kids' favorite. And I have to admit it was kind of unique and very entertaining.

Enter to win a Gramma in a Box Treat Kit!

This giveaway is brought to you by Gramma In A Box. All opinions are my own. 

This Gramma in a Box! is filled with cookies, frosting, and sprinkles and edible craft kits. It is a cute concept. I like the idea of having a special surprise in a box that's full of treats for the kids to create. Getting something in the mail is always fun for the littles, and this is something you can do together. After you put them together, you could gift them to people in the neighborhood. I'm thinking the elderly neighbors around us would love to get these. Also, after spending some time at my mom's (she lived in an awesome water-front high rise for elderly people), I saw how many older people were literally alone and loved to have visits from people here and there to break up their day. This is a good excuse to stop in and kind of check on them to see if they are okay, and let them know you care. You can drop off the treats, visit a little and then head out, so you don't wear out your stay.

Or you could just eat them (or mix it up between eating and sharing, which is probably what my son would do).   :)

Wordless Wednesday: So Pretty She Moooves Me

What do you call it when one cow spies on another?

A steak out (of course). 😉

Independence Day

Even though we can't go out, or celebrate like we are used to doing, it's still a holiday to remember.

Happy 4th of July!

Wordless Wednesday: Vintage Stereo

I was in the thrift store, hoping to find a good elliptical and came across this little beauty.
We didn't buy it, but we sure did admire it. The turntable was made of metal! I've never seen a stereo quite like it.

Traffic Secrets: I Have Completed My 30 Day Challenge!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

I have been participating in a 30-day challenge to try to increase traffic to my website. Everything I have tried is from the new book, Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers by Russell Brunson. You can get it free (just pay shipping and handling). Though it is geared towards those who have something to sell, it has strategies in it that are very useful for website owners in general, and that will withstand changes in technology, which we all know come along so quickly. With my blog, people tend to find me when I run giveaways, but with my new schedule and then a family challenge, those have been few and far between lately, so the number of visitors has dropped (big thanks to those of you who come and visit with or without giveaways!). I thought it would be a good idea, with summer off, to go ahead and research some strategies that might better help me get my number back on an incline. Where better to turn than Russell Brunson?