FREE Tupperware Give-A-way!

 

One of my favorite things to do is sell Tupperware! Another one of my favorite things to do, is give a way FREE stuff! If I was rich, I would give stuff a way all the time!! I am not joking, I really would. My dilemma is, I am NOT rich. I need to get there, but right now, I am not. So…. I am going to promote my business so I can get rich! Then I will have FREE give a ways all the time!  

 

My first ever Tupperware give a way is here!!

Crystal Wave Divided Dishes are great for leftovers, lunches and on the go! You can win one now! All you have to do is share my Tupperware Facebook page with friends and family. Tell them to leave a comment saying you sent them. The first 2 people that have refer 5 people will win a FREE Tupperware Crystal Wave divided dish!

It’s that easy!!

 

Do you want TONS of FREE Tupperware?!

Host a party with me in your home in August and I will give you $100 surprise gift pack FREE just for hosting! That’s ON TOP of all the great products you earn with Tupperware – free gifts, 1/2 price items and host bonus items.

Hosting an in home party not your thing? Not in Minnesota, but still want the perks? Have an online catalog party, a Facebook party or set up a fundraiser. Email me for details at christinahines@comcast.net

 

 

Ever thought about becoming a Tupperware consultant?

I would love to have you join my team, so you can earn extra money and still have time to do everything you love!

Have Your Kale & Eat It Too!

 

Kale. It just sounds healthy, doesn’t it? I have always been afraid to try it, probably because it was so healthy, but a friend of mine was telling me how they put it in everything and the kids don’t know the difference. Well, besides the bright green color, of course. I decided to test the theory and see for myself.

At the farmers market, we found an organic stand that had kale. Not having any clue what to look for, I had her just throw a bunch in a bag. I already felt healthier. Honestly. You can laugh, but I really felt ‘healthier’. If only thinking about healthy foods actually worked for all the actual health benefits  

When we got home, I realized I had no idea how to store, clean, cook, etc with kale. So I checked my favorite healthy food site The World's Healthiest Foods and searched kale. They had tons of great information, and I suggest anyone take the time to bookmark that site for future reference.

First things first… wash the kale. I loaded up the sink with cold water and threw it all in there. I washed each piece to make sure all the dirt and bugs (yes, bugs. It’s a natural thing, so of course bugs get in there) were gone.

After the kale was washed, I decided to steam, boil, bake and chop it for various recipes and ways to try it.

Boiling the kale was great for pureeing it. I was able to add it to my homemade spaghetti sauce (below).

We’ll see what the kids say when they get green spaghetti sauce! When I tried it, I could hardly taste a difference. I enjoyed it, and knowing the health benefits I was getting made me like it even more!

I saved a big portion to chop up and put in my smoothies.

The first smoothie I made was kale, plain Chobani yogurt, 4 strawberries and 1 banana. Yummy! I drank most of it before I remembered to take a picture!

Last, but definitely not least, kale chips. I got this idea from a friend of mine and I have to say I was impressed!! Even the Mr. liked them. They are surprisingly addicting, and the picture I have posted here is actually our second batch. We ate the first one before I had a chance to take a picture. Yes, they were that good. It was no potato chip, but I don’t love potato chips to start with, so this was a great alternative! We added sea salt, there was a perfect amount of crunch and salt for my taste. I can’t wait to buy and make more! Maybe next time I won’t tell the Mr. and keep them all to myself. Nah, he could use the health benefits too.

Since I am a kale newbie, I would love to hear any recipes or favorite meals and kale ideas people have! Leave a comment and share with everyone. I am thinking I may even add kale to Little C’s baby food next time around…

Can I Just Brag About My Beautiful Family?

 

As time goes on and new blogs are posted, I know I will talk a lot about my family. So if you don’t mind, I would like to have a brag session and show off my beautiful family

_{Ladybug photo taken by Kari Layland Photography}

This is my little Ladybug. It’s hard to believe she is going to be turning 9 and starting third grade this year. Man, that doesn’t seem possible! Ladybug is my sweet girl in every angle you view it. She is kind, generous, thoughtful and sweet natured. Don’t get me wrong, she has a little sassy-pants side to her, but lucky for us, we don’t see it all that often!

Ladybug plays fastpitch softball and she absolutely loves it! Her favorite position is catcher, although lately she has been showing interest in pitching. We’ll see which path she chooses. She is going to try soccer this fall to see if she likes that. She tends to complain about things, so it will be interesting to see her reaction when she learns soccer is a lot of running.

My crochet business My Ladybug Love Designs is named after her because is my Ladybug love!

_{B man photo taken by Kari Layland Photography} 

This is our B man. Don’t let those beautiful blue eyes deceive you, he can be a handful! B man just turned 4 and my Mr. keeps saying he is in his terrible two’s. Wonder how long that is going to last…

Despite B man being a handful, he is very sweet. He is also one of the funniest kids I met. He is so funny, that he cracks himself up! All.the.time. It’s adorable to watch. He has energy like you wouldn’t believe and he always wants to be doing *something*, so relaxing on a rainy day is not his thing. He would rather try to find ways to climb a wall, or move furniture around to build an indoor jungle gym.

B man is also starting soccer this fall and he is very excited! Grandpa and grandma bought him his first shin guards, soccer ball and shorts for his birthday, so he looks like the next David Beckam.

 

This is our Little C. The tiny man of the group. Well, all of our kids are small, but Little C is barely on the growth chart (which is better than a couple months ago when he wasn’t on the chart!). Little C is going to give us a run for our money I think. He has been crawling since he was 4 1/2 months old. Yeah. Ask me how thrilled I was for that? I was determined to make Little C a mama’s boy and cuddle him up all the time, but he had other plans. He is into everything, but I am not complaining because that baby is HAPPY!! He is always smiling and he has the greatest open mouth smile and laugh that you can’t help but smile at him. It’s contagious. Really!

Last, but of course not least, this is my Mr. and I. I love this man more than most people think possible. We have been through A LOT in the 8 years we have been together, but it has only made us stronger. We are a great team and compliment each other in every aspect of life. Of course we aren’t perfect, but who is? We don’t always do things the way other people think or say we should, but what’s important is we do things together. As a family, and for each other. We have each other’s back and support and that’s what gets us through. He is my rock when I have needed one, and I can’t imagine getting through this crazy (in a good way) life without him.

 

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a wife and mother, but never in a million years did I dream that I would love someone as much as I love my husband and kids. They are the reason I wake up every night…

…and the reason I go to bed! LOL This photo is a true description of my days, but I love my beautiful family!

No Fruit For You!

 

(Note: As I started typing this blog today, I thought it may be fun to introduce our family. Maybe I will add a second post today and have a little brag session about my beautiful family!).

Well… I tried my hand at home made baby food today! I have to say, it was surprisingly easy. From the day I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to make Little C’s baby food. However, you all remember how crazy busy I am right? So I am going in with an open mind. If we feed him store bought foods, so be it, but I can do my best and make what I can and freeze it. Let’s see how this goes…

Little C is a tiny lil’ guy. He is *barely* on the growth chart, but he is gaining weight every day! YAY! Turns out my milk supply never fully came in, so he was starving for the first 5 months. Poor guy (guilty mommy moment right there)! He was such a happy baby that he never fussed for more food. Aside from him losing weight, we never would have known he was hungry! We decided to start solid food just shy of 6 months to see if it would help with his weight gain. I have been reading non stop on home made baby food and have found some wonderful sites! For anyone wanting to make their own food, but not knowing where to start, check out Momtastic's Wholesome Baby Food and Homemade Baby Food Recipe. Those two sites have been great information sources for me. I learned you can give your wee one things like avocado for their first food, not just rice cereal. Who knew?

With great first foods in mind, I went to the farmers market and the grocery store to get started on Little C’s meals. I blindly bought avocado since I know little to nothing about what’s ripe and what isn’t (thank goodness for my iPhone and Google), and we bought pears, carrots, peas and sweet potatoes. Not that I am setting myself up for failure, but *just in case* my home made versions didn’t work out, we bought a few jars of Wild Harvest Organic Baby Food.

Life went on as normal and we found little time in our crazy busy schedule to make baby food. Little C had the avocado (he ate it, so hopefully that means I bought a good one), then he had a jar of bananas (which he did not like), a jar of pears (which he did not like), a jar of peas (which he loved) and a jar of sweet potatoes (which he loved). Hmmmm….. I starting to wonder if Little C likes veggies, but not fruit…

I had a little time to make a batch of baby food, so let’s see how he likes carrots. They have to be his favorite because they are home made with love (insert cheesy sigh here).

At the farmers market I picked out the best of the best carrots! Well, that’s not completely true, my kids picked them, but they looked great to me too!

I came home and chopped them up into small chunks.

We don’t own a steamer, so I improvised. Good thing I sell Tupperware! Their double colander works perfectly!!

While the carrots steamed, I got out my Smooth Chopper and Freezer Mates ice trays. The Smooth Chopper doesn’t need electricity, so I can easily use it while the kids are napping and it won’t wake them up. The ice trays are nice because they come with a seal (not shown) to keep out any odors!

The carrots looked done, so I mashed one with a fork to make sure. Easy peasy squishy, so that means they are good to go!

I put the carrots in my Smooth Chopper…

…pulled the cord 3 times (no joke. 3 times)…

…added a little water and pulled a few more times…

And wah-la! Little C’s Made With Love Carrots.

I stored them in ice trays for individual servings and freezing and we are good to go. In case you are wondering, Little C loved them! Of course, because they are vegetables. Maybe we will try apples next…

Crazy in a good way....

"You are CRAZY!" I hear those words every.single.day. Why? Well, maybe it's because I am married with 3 kids... or because we are gone a lot with our kids sports and extra curricular activities... or because we have a 6 month old on the move... or because I run a daycare out of my home... or because I started selling Tupperware... or because I own My Ladybug Love Designs... or because I volunteer on the board for my daughters softball team... and I am on the planning commitee for the fall tournament... or that I help organize fundraisers and donate to charity's... I don't know, I guess it could be any of those things. Or a combination of all them.

I, however, am not convinced I am crazy. I (secretly) enjoy being busy and always having something going on. Isn't it more fun to be on the go with a million and one things running through your head, than stuck at home with nothing to do? I think so, but I know it's not for everyone, and in case you didn't know, people think I am crazy. :)

So on top of all the craziness amongst our daily life, I have decided to take a stab at online blogging. It was sort of on a whim, so I can't wait to hear my husbands reaction. I am pretty sure I already know what it will be though. He will laugh at me for saying 'I blog'. He always laughs when people say that. But I figure it's the year 2012 and since I have so many people tell me I am crazy, I thought I should one more thing to our crazy life and add a blog. Friends and family can stay up to date with things in our life, and maybe along the way we will meet new friends, or maybe inspire someone else to start a blog or be crazy like we are. It's hard to say at the beginning of an adventure, but I am up for it!

You may be asking (like I know my Mr. will) 'What are you going to blog about?' I guess my answer is nothing and everything. It will be a mish-mash of everdy life for us - successes and failures in my businesses, milestones and tear sheds of our kids, new and fun things we have experienced and learned along the way, and all the randomness that comes with it all.

Sounds fun doesn't it? Let me guess... you are shaking your head and saying 'You are crazy'? That's ok. I think it's CRAZY IN A GOOD WAY!