Mom Hacks, Tips & Tricks

Have you ever driven hours to get to your beach vacation destination, dying to get out of the car and get toes in the sand only to remember you have no food where you’re staying and no meal plans? This has happened to me one too many times. I pull into the closest Target or Walmart near the condo we’re staying and just start throwing groceries in the shopping cart with no plan in mind. Problem with that is I end up missing main ingredients for certain dishes. If you find yourself in these shoes too, I’m sharing the grocery list and meal plan I follow now. This comprehensive vacation grocery shopping list will be essential in contributing to future...

Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health and written by Dr. Derek Baumbouree. 5 Storm Season Tips for Parents My sweet schnauzer Beckham may not be able to put on a brave face when the weather’s bad. But, that just may be what children in the home are doing, especially in the wake of last year’s active hurricane season. Hurricane season runs June 1st through November 30th. Talk to your little ones about their feelings. Have them play an active role in preparing a family storm plan. Include how far in advance to begin preparations, decide what to prepare now and what to pack. An ounce of preparation may go a long way to easing some...

The news that we needed to baby and pamper our eyebrows hit us about six years ago. Now, we’re onto eyelashes. Being a former pageant girl, I’m no newbie to the world of fake lashes. I was wearing them at 16 every weekend for various events when people I went to school with thought that meant you were “trying too hard.” I’m glad we’re past that. I love that anything goes these days: messy hair, bright lips, bell bottoms, crop tops, bodycon dresses, etc. I love that the days of being criticized for “trying too hard" are past us. I mean, girls were spending 30 minutes on a messy bun in 2013 to make it look like they weren’t even trying...

Mommy, I'm hungry! Mommy, what's for dinner? I'm Not a Chef! I can admit that I’m not the best cook. Some nights, I just don’t even feel like trying to come up with a meal. That doesn’t stop my family from being hungry though! With the kids growing tired of macaroni, grilled cheese sandwiches, or cereal, I had to come up with a new dinner idea. Lazy Mom = Best Dinner Ever! Introducing weekly charcuterie board nights! This has quickly become my kids’ favorite meal, and for me, it is one of the easiest. My family thinks that charcuterie board nights are special and fun when in reality I’ve just put whatever I could find in the fridge and pantry onto a wooden tray....

I know you’re here for the recipe, I get it! But aren’t I obligated to tell you about how I came about this recipe while traipsing through the humid, muggy, swamps of South Louisiana? Nah, I’ll tell you this amazing breakfast crowd pleaser came straight from my mother-in-law and I will never look back! Grabbits 1 - lb ground sausage (mild or spicy) 1 - 5oz jar Old English cheese spread* 1 - pack English muffins 2 - half sheet cookie pans Optional: Fried egg Sautéed mushrooms Caramelized onions Salsa In a pan cook your sausage. No patties, mix it up, cook it through. While sausage is cooking, fork open those English Muffins. You heard me, gently open up the muffins and lay them open faced on your cookie sheets. Now ,...