Ten tips for making your life easier while on the go.

I think I've said before than moms are very busy people, and any time saved is amazing to busy moms. Today, Social Moms  and Seattle's Best coffee would like to know your 10 tips for making your life easier and more efficient while on the go. We are always on the go around here, so I'd like to share my ten tips with you!

1. Pre-plan. There have been many times that I have had some place to go and like to no time to get everything together. I like to have certain things packed and ready to go for the times that I have to go somewhere on the fly. I keep an extra diaper bag in the car with all the extras that I can think of that I will need for most occasions. It has come in handy many times.

2. Easy, ready to go meals. Having easy meals stocked up has saved me a bunch also. I like to stock up on things like Stoffers Lasagna so that I don't have to worry about cooking a meal when I have too many things to do. I can just throw it in the oven and I'm good!

3. Get a head start. Generally I am early no matter where I go or what I have to do. I always allow myself at the very least an hour of what I call 'grace time" and again, it's saved me on many occasions. You never know what crazy stunt the kids will pull that can put you behind!

4. Snacks! I like to keep snacks in the car so that I don't have to stop for unhealthy fast food when the kids get hungry while we are out. Things like trial mix will be perfectly fine staying in the car. In fast during the summer we keep a cooler in the car so that we don't have to stop to get bottled water.

5. Incorporate help! I'm kinda bossy about it but I have certain things that the kids have to help with... and the hubby too. I have realized that I cannot do it all... all the time. So having help, helps me a lot.

6. Shop online. Shopping online not only saves valuable time, but gas too, and with gas prices as high as they are here, it's a double win. Not to mention all the great deals you can find online that are not in stores. Amazon is my favorite place to shop!

7. Only do what you can handle. When my daughter first started school, I signed her up for everything and I tried to help out with everything too. Once I realized that just wasn't working out for us, she is only in one thing now. You can't be everywhere at once, and it definitely saves time to only do what you can handle.

8. Use a calendar. The calendar on my cell has helped me so many times. I forget things a lot, so when I set a date for something I always add a second date 2 days before the thing I need to do so that I have a little head start.

9. Relax! A happy mom makes a happy family, therefore I try to find 10 minutes or so during the day of after the kids are in bed just for myself. I'm much more relaxed after that and I'm ready for the challanges that the next day will bring!

10. Once a month cooking! Though I haven't been doing this so well lately, it really helps. Take one day and cook all the meals you will need for the month. That way you can throw a pre-made casserole in the oven and not have to worry about dinner!

So, there are my ten tips. I hope they help someone! Do you have anything that you do to make life easy for you? If so, I would love to hear it! Go HERE for a $1.50 coupon off of Seattle's Best Coffee!

About Seattle’s Best Coffee
As coffee blenders and roasters since 1970, we’ve seen a lot come and go. We went from a tiny shop on the Seattle waterfront to being declared Seattle’s Best Coffee in a local competition. In 2003, we joined the Starbucks family which has allowed us to place more resources into further honing our special way of crafting delicious, impossibly smooth coffee. Every step of the process, from coffee cherry to your cup, is managed to fit our exacting standards and our premium approach to coffee. Now, we’re making it easier to find your perfect coffee with our new Level System.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Seattle’s Best Coffee blogging program for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here. 

Ten reasons why you would want to visit Virgina Beach

Back again today with another blogging opportunity from Social Moms! Today they would love to know 10 Reasons Why You Would Want To Visit Virgina Beach! With it being summertime right now, we have been looking and planning on places we would love to go, and Virgina Beach is definitely on our list. Below are some of the reasons why.

1. Memories. I've been to Virgina Beach before and I absolutely loved it. I only got to stay for one day though, and I would love to go back and re-visit the hotel we stayed in and just reminisce on my teen years for a little bit. My trip to Virgina Beach was the first trip that I took without my parents, and it was a very fun trip!

2. Events. There are so many cool things in Virgina Beach! I would love to go check out the Symphony by the Sea concert series, Family Great Adventures Series, and the Funk Fest. All of them look like something my whole family would enjoy. I would love making new memories with my family!

3. The food! I remember the food being amazing there! I cannot remember where we ate at, but I would LOVE to try the food at the Aberdeen Barn Restaurant or the seafood at Captain George's Seafood! I love trying new food in different places.

4. I would love to take my kids to the Grommet Island Park at Virgina Beach. I think they would have a blast playing at the park after a long day at the beach! This park is awesome because it is a park for everyone since it's handicap accessible and even better, it's on the oceanfront!

5. The Surf, Sun, and Sand! The idea of going to any beach sounds amazing right about now, it's so hot outside. Why not make it a beautiful beach?! I would love to watch my kids building sandcastles while working on my tan!

6. The museums look amazing at Virgina Beach. I would love to take my kids there so they could learn a bit about Virgina's history. My daughter would love to visit the Francis Land House, and my son would like going to the US Navy's Master Jet Base, NAS Oceana. I would really like to see the King Neptune Statue. There are over 10 museums around Virgina Beach, a lot to choose from!

7. The getaway! Aside from being a beautiful place to visit, it would be SO nice to get away from day to day life around here. We are all itching for a vacation right about now. Going to Virgina Beach for me would be like walking into another life for a bit, and after spending the whole summer (so far) at home, a vacation would be more than welcome!

8. The accommodations. The getaway packages look amazing! The hotels all seem reasonable and the package deals are even better! You could even go camping, or get the whole family together and rent a vacation home. Personally, I would like to stay in Angie's Guest Cottage.

9. The weather! Being in Missouri, I really really want to get out of this humidity! Virgina Beach is known for it's amazing weather, and even if your going in May the highs are in the 70's! The high in June is around 82 degrees, I would love a break from this incessant heat!

10. The family experience! I know going to Virgina Beach would be a great vacation for my family. I would love to be able to take them there. We would make so many memories and have so much fun with all the attractions. It would be something my family would always remember!

So those are my top ten reasons that I would love to visit Virgina Beach! There are so many more reasons! Check it out and request your Vacation Guide today! Thanks for reading, and if you've been there leave me a comment and let me know your favorite part!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Virginia Beach Tourism blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Amazon Gift Card Giveaway! CLOSED!

Thank you to all that entered, the winner is Felicia K. Who said...I voted for your story #2.
feliciamarie.king@gmail.com



IT'S SUMMER!!! Yay! Pools, sun, and vacations! Summer is my all time favorite season, I can't get enough of the sun and my sister in law's pool :)  So far this summer we have been to Girl Scout camp, hung out at the lake, been to the water park many times, and lived at my SIL's pool. At the end of the month we have Girl Scout Day Camp, and we are looking forward to that a lot! But for now, things are starting to calm down a little bit, and I'm totally fine with that.

Camp Prairie Schooner! 

Since I have all but abandoned this lovely blog of mine, I couldn't think of a better way to get back in the groove of blogging than a $15 Amazon Gift Card giveaway!

To enter leave me a comment below letting me know how you stay entertained during the dog days of summer. Things are starting to get a little boring here and my kiddos are fighting out of boredom!

You can get 2 extra entries by voting for me HERE, just leave a comment on her post letting her know you are voting for my story, #3. Come back here and leave me 2 comments letting me know you voted. You can only vote once!

Tweet daily for an extra entry every day! Leave the tweet link in a comment. Feel free to use this tweet: "#win a $15 Amazon Gift Card! http://mom2anutball.blogspot.com/2011/07/amazon-gift-card-giveaway.html Ends 7/15"

Please leave your email in your comment if it's not visible on your profile. Contest ends July 15th at 9:00 pm CST. Winner will be chosen via random.org and emailed as well as listed in this post. They will have 48 hours to reply to the winning email before I choose another winner. Amazon is in no way affiliated with this giveaway, the gift card is being sponsored by me! Thanks for entering!