Mother's Day is such a fantastic day.  I love being a Mom and each day I am reminded just how lucky I am to be Dexter and Oliver's Mommy.  I look at those boys and beam with love and pride.  They are both so different and they have the cutest little personalities.

For Mother's Day my husband built me two 4x8 raised garden beds with organic soil.  He is going to make a small greenhouse over the top until the weather is not as cold at night.  I will be getting busy plating my veggies this week.  I already started my tomatoes and herbs indoors so I am a leg up this summer!

Dex and Ollie ran around my inlaw's house with their cousins all Saturday and Sunday and they were exhausted.  When we got home last night we tried to give the boys a bath but discovered that the hot water heater wasn't working!  I had to bathe both boys in my super small kitchen sink!  What a feat!

Green Kitchen Ideas

In my kitchen I hate to waste anything.  Did you know that there is no reason to ever throw away the white tips of your green onions?  Nope!  Just stick them in water and keep them in a sunny place and you will have an indefinite supply of fresh green onions!  It doesn't get much better (or greener) than this!

Happy 40th {Global Warming} Birthday to My Husband!!

 My husband turned 40 on March 21st.  It was 88º here in Northern Michigan on his birthday (which is unheard of).  It was so nice that we took the kids to our favorite beach right up the road from our house on Lake Michigan.  Dexter thought it was nice enough that he dove right in the water!  He must be a true Pisces because even the Cancerian in me thought that is was bone cold!!

Now, this week, just a mere 8 days later....it is snowing!!!!  Tell me how this happens if global warming isn't playing a hand here.  To learn more about climate change I encourage you to visit the EPA's website.  They have a great little video (which I can't embed here) and some great facts.  Knowledge is Power; educate yourself!

My first Caribbean Cruise!

I have been MIA lately because I just spent the last 9 days on a Caribbean cruise!  I went sans husband and children too so it was a true vacation!  I spent FUN in the SUN with my Mom!  We flew into San Juan, Puerto Rico (which I loved!) and we spent one night/day there before we made our way onto our Celebrity Cruise!  We sailed on their ship, The Summit!  We sailed to Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.  We went snorkeling with sea turtles in Barbados, rode a open-air tram 1400 ft. in the air in the rainforest of St. Lucia, saw Eric Clapton's rehab center and mansion in Antigua, ate crepes in a french bistro in the french side of St. Martin and drank pina coladas on the beach on the Dutch side of St. Maarten and we drank fresh passionfruit juice and Sopa in the hills of St. Thomas.  Our vacation was thrilling and exciting!  We had a PERFECT mother/daughter vacation!  Here are a few of my favorite pictures!

Surprise, We're Going to Great Wolf Lodge Contest

 

“Surprise, We’re Going to Great Wolf Lodge!”

 New Contest Turns Children’s Reactions into a Splashy Competition

Public to Vote on Videos of Parents Springing Surprise Trips to Great Wolf Lodge

 

Madison, Wis. (February 27, 2012) – Search “Great Wolf Surprise” online and you’ll find video after video of children in the back seat beaming, and sometimes screaming, as they find out the family minivan is pulling up to Great Wolf Lodge resort. That first reaction is just one in many more unforgettable moments that will happen in the days ahead.

 

Taking a cue from its social media-savvy guests  Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.® (NASDAQ: WOLF), North America’s largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, today announced the launch of the Spring Surprises Video contest, encouraging guests and potential visitors to capture their children’s responses when told they are about to take a surprise Great Wolf Lodge vacation. From February 27 until March 12, families can upload videos of these priceless reactions to the video contest app on  facebook.com/GreatWolfWaterpark for a chance to win a stay at the Great Wolf Lodge resort of their choice. A panel of judges from Great Wolf will select five finalists on March 14 and the public will then vote for their favorite entry. Great Wolf Lodge will announce the winning video on Monday, March 26.

 

 “We see how excited our guests are during their Great Wolf Lodge stay, and discovered that they are almost as excited when they learn they are going to one of our resorts.  We love seeing the expressions of pure surprise and delight in the videos posted online and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to engage our guests and truly surprise a Great Wolf fan family,” said Nikki Donofrio, senior vice president of strategic brand marketing, Great Wolf Lodge, “This contest encourages families to share their Great Wolf vacation announcement moments with us.”

 

Select videos submitted to the Spring Surprises Video contest may also be featured on Great Wolf Lodge’s first-ever blog, “Behind The Howl”, launching in early March. Fans of Great Wolf can visit blog.greatwolf.com to read exclusive news, “behind the scenes” stories and learn more about what it takes to create the Great Wolf experience. The blog is just another example of the two-way, transparent communication Great Wolf has with its guests, coming on the heels of its fully interactive website GreatWolf.com, which debuted six months ago. Posts from the Great Wolf “pack”, along with guest posts, unique video and photo content, and “insider information” entries will keep the blog engaging and informative for readers.  

 

To enter the Spring Surprises video contest, and for a complete list of rules, anyone may log on to the video contest app at facebook.com/GreatWolfWaterpark. To learn more about Great Wolf Lodge, visit greatwolf.com. 

 

About Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.

Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.® (NASDAQ: WOLF), Madison, Wis., is North America’s largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, and, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, owns, licenses  and/or operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge® brand. Great Wolf Resorts is a fully integrated resort company with Great Wolf Lodge locations in: Wisconsin Dells, Wis.; Sandusky, Ohio; Traverse City, Mich.; Kansas City, Kan.; Williamsburg, Va.; the Pocono Mountains, Pa.; Niagara Falls, Ontario; Mason, Ohio; Grapevine, Texas; Grand Mound, Wash.; and Concord, N.C.

 

The company’s resorts are family-oriented destination facilities that generally feature 300 to 600 rooms and a large indoor entertainment area measuring 40,000 to 100,000 square feet. The all-suite properties offer a variety of room styles, arcade/game rooms, fitness rooms, themed restaurants, spas, supervised children’s activities and other amenities. The company’s consolidated subsidiary, Creative Kingdoms, LLC, is a developer and operator of technology-based, interactive quest adventure experiences such as MagiQuest®.

29 Ways to Leap into Jarlsberg Dip

When someone tells you something that is too good to be true you just have to see it to believe it!  That is how I felt when I was told that Jarlsberg is now in a dip!  I am a HUGE fan of Jarlsberg cheese.  If you haven't had the opportunity to taste Jarlsberg before, let me say-you just haven't lived.  Jarlsberg is nutty and buttery and somewhat sweet.  It is definitely a treat! 


Being married to a chef definitely has its advantages.  I can tell him something that I am craving and voila, he can make it.  I told him that I wanted to use Jarlsberg dip in a new recipe and he rose to the challenge.  Pardon me but I have no pictures because I accidentally spilled a glass of vino on my iPhone and freaked out about it being ruined (it isn't thankfully) but I had to let it dry out.  I will be making this again so no need to fret, I will post pictures at another time.

Jarlsberg Pita Chips 

The best part about this recipe is that it can be assembled with store-bought ingredients.  Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to whip up a batch of fresh pico de gallo and garlic hummus in a moment's notice. So for this recipe all you need is a bag of pita bread, a container of fresh pico de gallo and some hummus.  Do NOT forget the Jarlsberg dip!

Cut the pita bread into 6 wedges each and lay flat on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 min or until golden brown.

Scoop your jarlsberg dip into an oven safe bowl and bake in the oven while the pita bread is toasting.  The dip will be ready when it is warmed throughout (you can also microwave).

Serve the pita chips along with the hummus, pico and jarlsberg dip.  I always smear a little hummus on first, then spoon some pico on top of that and finish with a generous spoonful of Jarlsberg dip!  These little appetizers are simple, impressive and AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!

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**I was compensated for this post so I could purchase the items to create these dishes!  The opinions are all my own.  No other compensation was received**

I have my Bachelor's Degree, why am I not using it?

Every month when I pay on my 35k student loan debt I am reminded that I am not only still waiting tables and working from home as a Social Media Director.  Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but I can't help but feel as though I wasted my money on a degree that I am not using.


Sometimes I dream that I went to school in Tahiti and developed a rich tan and sexy body as well as my degree in Health Management.  These dreams of mine always involve some warm, tropical climate and a GREAT degree such as a medical assistant schools in miami or a Swedish Massage School in Stockholm.  Ok, ok, maybe the massage school is more of a dream of a topless therapist named Sven with muscular hands that never-tire but that is and always will be nothing more than a dream!!


As an educated woman I consider myself lucky.  I am lucky because no one can take my degree or intelligence away from me.  I graduated Cum Laude with a 3.79 GPA and that is a feat.  I did this just a few short years ago prior to having children.  I applaud mothers who are able to take the time out of their incredibly busy lives to go back to school.  I feel blessed to be where I am today but I know that I am far from done with my schooling.  What are your educational goals?  Have you completed your education to your satisfaction or are you like me and you feel like you are a life-long learner?  My grandmother turns 96 today and she once told me (many times actually) that in order to keep your body going, you need to keep your brain strong.  She reads a lot and is very educated.  I look up to her in regards to her strength and fortitude!


No matter where you are in your educational journey.  Whether you have a GED, diploma or some college classes under your belt there is one thing I know for sure.....you sure are smart to be reading Super Savvy Mommy!