We LOVE Back to School!This year we were able to help an incredible 40 children with backpacks and school supplies to start this school year off right! Consistent supporters of our efforts are Giving Hope Thrift Stores, Yellow Sub Cafe and Ntino's Restaurant, without them, we couldn't have accomplished all that we have! Giving Hope provides the space for us to operate out of, along with shelving and support for all of our programs, completely free.
Ntino's consistently grants us the ability to directly collect items from our community by placing donation bins in the front of their restaurant.Huge thanks to Ryley Grail Photography for making herself available for back to school portraits!
0 Comments
 If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this picture could say it all.Let me start off with a huge "THANK YOU!" to BSM Media and Disney for being selected to host a #DisneySide @Home Celebration! This was an incredible experience, and a birthday party that my little girl and our family will never forget. If you have been reading the previous posts, then you know that our DisneySide party was planned around my daughter, Elena's, 3rd birthday. Our box arrived, and we started getting everything organized. The magic day arrived and we began to set up the party!  After some Late Night Party Prep, putting together little goodie bags with Twinings Tea and Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps, we were all set. I saved a bunch of the Fruit Crisps to serve with the goodies, but wanted the children to be able to take some home! (I wanted to take the time to mention that Elena LOVED the fruit crisps. She's all about foods that crunch, and these have now replaced chips or cereal as her afternoon snack! The apple cinnamon are her favorite! If you would like to get some for yourself, Brothers has given me a special code to pass on to you! Use the Coupon Code "DisneyParty15" and you'll receive 15% off your purchase! Any purchase over $25 gets free shipping too!)  Elena's beautiful birthday cake was baked and decorated by Becca Bakes. It was an absolutely delicious chocolate cake with a peanut butter buttercream frosting! The tiara was crafted out of gum paste. I loved everything about this cake, especially the flavors!  I knew that if we were going to have a Princess themed birthday party, that Elena would need the perfect outfit! I turned to Emmie & Ellie for the perfect ensemble! I described a bit of what I was looking for, and they absolutely delivered. The ruffles on the sleeves and the bottoms of the pant legs (I wanted a dress, but I knew at a park, the pants would be better!), and I also wanted an outfit that she could wear after her birthday. The tutu was handcrafted with a bow modeled after Sofia the First's Amulet, and the matching hair bow (which my daughter took off so she wouldn't lose it on the playground) were PERFECT. Emmie & Ellie is an incredible company, and each outfit they make is handcrafted with tender, loving care. They have items for boys and girls, be sure to check them out!  We began setting up the goodies, little fruit bites platters(Cut with FunBites, make sure to check out the previous post about them! It made this platter come together so easily!) all in either triangles, square or heart shapes to make each bite fun for the kids, giant Rice Krispie Treat... The highlight of this table other than the cake are the amazing gift from CrunchPak. These individually sliced apples make the perfect snack for dipping or crunching anytime. I love that the bags were easy to use, and the apples stayed fresh for longer. I paired the apples with this fantastic peanut butter dip (Combine Vanilla Greek Yogurt, Peanut Butter and Honey!) that I discovered on Pinterest, and everyone went crazy for it!  For our afternoon lunch party, we decided to go with a local favorite. Yummies Donuts and BBQ. We served delicious Pulled Pork Sliders on Hawaiian Sweet Rolls with Macaroni and Cheese on the side. The flavors of the different homemade BBQ sauces paired with the pork were amazing, and the creamy, cheesey Mac and Cheese was just what the kids wanted most.  Pristine Princess Parties gave us an experience that we will never forget. Our Snow Queen arrived, much to my princess's delight, introduced herself to all of the children, and spent time not only making my daughter feel special, but each child that attended the party. She took the kids to the playground, hosted an arts and crafts activity to make tiaras, and even helped the birthday girl with her presents! She was such an incredible asset to this celebration! More Princess Photos...All Photos are Courtesy of |
| I'm also not a fan of messy clean up, and this stainless steel tool is dishwasher safe, and with a quick rinse, I popped it right on the top rack and it came out looking brand new! I highly recommend this tool, and I'm so grateful that I was selected to try it! I'm ready to make a fantastic Italian dinner, anytime! |  |
I have been a member of Influenster for a while, and I love getting these boxes in the mail!
The best part about Influenster is it doesn't take a lot of time, but you still get to be a part of a community that tries different things and shares their experiences.
Inside this box:
Shell Rewards Card
Neo To Go: Neosporin
Bar of Ivory Soap
Anew Regenerist: Wrinkle Cream
Puffs Plus Tissues
Coupon for FREE Gelato! (my favorite part)
The best part about Influenster is it doesn't take a lot of time, but you still get to be a part of a community that tries different things and shares their experiences.
Inside this box:
Shell Rewards Card
Neo To Go: Neosporin
Bar of Ivory Soap
Anew Regenerist: Wrinkle Cream
Puffs Plus Tissues
Coupon for FREE Gelato! (my favorite part)
I think that sometimes we forget just how crucial each human life is to this planet.
Allow me to reference the cliche story about the man throwing starfish back into the ocean, a simple story. A man is walking along the shoreline, picking up starfish and gently tossing them back into the ocean waves. He is approached by a stranger, who promptly tells him that he is wasting his time, and he couldn't possibly make a difference by himself. He responds with a lesson we should all learn, "I made a difference to that one."
Allow me to reference the cliche story about the man throwing starfish back into the ocean, a simple story. A man is walking along the shoreline, picking up starfish and gently tossing them back into the ocean waves. He is approached by a stranger, who promptly tells him that he is wasting his time, and he couldn't possibly make a difference by himself. He responds with a lesson we should all learn, "I made a difference to that one."
Today, I read a blog written by a man who truly understands that his wife has the hardest job on the planet.
Many men and women don't understand the reality of being a stay at home parent. I am blessed that in my home, my husband is the SAHD, while I work both outside the home at one job and from home as a freelance writer.
I know that while I am stressed daily over my work, my husband's job is a lot harder. He maintains the house, ensures that dinners are together. and is teaching our daughter valuable life lessons while I'm away earning our bill money.
While there are many people that may argue the traditional values of mom staying home and dad going to work, reversing the roles has truly made our home more efficient. My husband is better at dealing with the chaotic mess having a toddler brings, and I'm better at managing deadlines, frustrated customers and long hours sitting behind a computer.
Our daughter is constantly learning, and I am so grateful that she has my husband's inquisitive mind and sweet laugh. Spending her days with him will give her the tools she needs to grow up looking at things in a different way, always questioning her surroundings and learning from every new situation.
While every family is different, take a moment to appreciate your significant other and the role they play in your relationship. If you are a single parent, then pat yourself on the back for doing a job that I can't imagine being able to do.
Please comment below with one nice thing about yourself or your partner!!
Please read his blog by clicking here:
http://bowlingwithed.com/2014/01/16/why-my-wifes-job-is-harder-than-mine/
Many men and women don't understand the reality of being a stay at home parent. I am blessed that in my home, my husband is the SAHD, while I work both outside the home at one job and from home as a freelance writer.
I know that while I am stressed daily over my work, my husband's job is a lot harder. He maintains the house, ensures that dinners are together. and is teaching our daughter valuable life lessons while I'm away earning our bill money.
While there are many people that may argue the traditional values of mom staying home and dad going to work, reversing the roles has truly made our home more efficient. My husband is better at dealing with the chaotic mess having a toddler brings, and I'm better at managing deadlines, frustrated customers and long hours sitting behind a computer.
Our daughter is constantly learning, and I am so grateful that she has my husband's inquisitive mind and sweet laugh. Spending her days with him will give her the tools she needs to grow up looking at things in a different way, always questioning her surroundings and learning from every new situation.
While every family is different, take a moment to appreciate your significant other and the role they play in your relationship. If you are a single parent, then pat yourself on the back for doing a job that I can't imagine being able to do.
Please comment below with one nice thing about yourself or your partner!!
Please read his blog by clicking here:
http://bowlingwithed.com/2014/01/16/why-my-wifes-job-is-harder-than-mine/
Author
Alyssa Reinbolt - Creator of the Helping Hands group in Bradenton. When the best choice for her family was to relocate to Venice, she left the Bradenton group in capable hands and started a new branch.
This blog is to share Exciting group news, events, mom tips, recipes, funny stories, and just be an all around mom blog!
Archives
August 2016
March 2015
January 2015
November 2014
September 2014
June 2014
May 2014
January 2014
November 2013
Categories
RSS Feed
Photo used under Creative Commons from JeepersMedia
