And then I needed coffee, stat. Thank goodness for K-Cups & Kiwi Crate!

Just so you know, I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. I was recently asked to check out some single serving K-cup coffee options This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. #CupOfKaffe

Once a year I remind myself that my days of being 22 are over.  It comes to me in the form of attending my friend Marisa's annual birthday bash that coincides with Memorial Day weekend.  I don't know what it is about her and all of her friends that bring out the long gone carefree party-with-no-repercussions girl buried deep inside of me, but they do.

This year I actually dodged the inevitable call to the bar for shots and didn't even drink all that much.  And the next morning I still hated life a bit.  There is something about being climbed on by a small excited person breathing in your face and saying "mom, can we do an art project now?" that just  doesn't work well under slightly fuzzy conditions at 7am.

Cocka-Doodle-Doo Caffeinated Rooster Cookies

Okay, so my whole early morning wake up to a small heavy breathing child left me in a slightly corny state of mind.  BUT these cookies are amazing and adorable.

They are the answer to your post school pick up slump and you just might win brownie points with the teachers if you drop off a batch at school.  Plus they are just like making regular sugar cookies only with a kick.

How to clean an outdoor playhouse easily

A couple of years ago I decided it was time to acquire a playhouse for Kayla.  After weeks of looking at all the choices I fell in love with one from Step2 that resembled an adobe house with a Spanish style roof. Naturally, it was no longer sold in stores and I embarked on a slightly psychotic hunt to find one for sale in San Diego.

I'm financially savvy, so why are we overpaying for our wireless unlimited plan?

Just so you know, I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  I was recently asked to check out unlimited plans for wireless to see if I could find a cheap wireless plan that would work for my family.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. #FamilyMobileSaves

We are not a super frugal family, but generally speaking I'm pretty on top of things when it comes to finances.  I don't really use coupons that much but we make sure we have the best mortgage rate possible and I am "price aware" when it comes to most things.  Ordering a playhouse?  I'll online price compare it to death.

Thinking about starting a blog? 10 great tips for starting a blog that you probably haven't read elsewhere.

I don't write many posts directed at bloggers but lately I've noticed a little trend.  I've had more than a few friends reach out for advice on starting a blog or what they can do to work on theirs.  I also get many inquiries from readers asking how I got started in all of this and if they can do it too.  So I figured I'd throw in a little weekend reading for those of you who are curious and as always don't hesitate to ask me a question!

Bringing school to the dinner table chicken nugget style

Just so you know, I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. I was recently asked to check out some kid friendly meal options and decided to to some springtime decorating with chicken nuggets! This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. #SpringtimeNuggets

I'm willing to bet that I am not the only parent who asks their child what they learned at school today and is often met with silence, a few mumbles or the much dreaded "nothing."  I nearly choked on my glass of wine at a cocktail party I was at in Arkansas when I heard what one person's mortgage payment was and realized my monthly preschool tuition was significantly higher.   So at the risk of sounding like my dad I'll just say she better be learning something...

Happy and Healthy and hopefully not electrocuted!

Just so you know, I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  I was recently asked to check out some happy and healthy options for me and my family.   This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. #DRHappyHealthy

My sister Marisa is back to share a few thoughts!  One of the many things I miss about New York is the convenience of the ever present Duane Reade.  Decided to dye your hair at 11pm on a Tuesday, no problem.  Have an infant running a fever?  There is almost certainly one open at any hour within a few blocks of your apartment.  But what I wasn't expecting to hear was what Marisa recently found there.  So without further ado...

I love being an aunt and feel very lucky to have two beautiful nieces. Sadly, they both live quite far away (one in San Diego and one in Sydney) but do they make their fair share of trips to New York - in fact, I'm pretty sure that they've both clocked in exponentially more frequent flyer miles than me over the past few years. So when I heard that my sister Jillian and my cheeky niece Kayla were making a trip to New York and would be spending a few nights at the apartment I share with my younger sister, I was feeling ecstatic...well, ecstatic and a little apprehensive.

And then I got Mom-Homework-Bombed. Learning to say No Thank You.

Friday evening I was exhausted.  I'd spent the week working away, cooked dinner as many nights as I could - 4. (Which is at least 3 more than the old city girl me would) and was finally getting around to finishing the unpacking, laundry and dealing with other minutia left over from our trip to Palm Springs.

I had just come home from scouring Target for a Mrs. Potato Head (last minute birthday party) and then immediately got back to work editing photos and making dinner yet again.  Which is precisely when I noticed the mom-homework-bomb that came home in Kayla's bag.  Here's what it said:

NPW Animal Crayons - Adorable crayons that can take some abuse!

A few weeks back Craig's brother and his kids came to SoCal for a visit.  We only had a couple of days together but the 3 little cousins made the most of it and there was plenty of fun.  I won't saddle you with all the details, but I did want to tell you about these over the top cute animal crayons they brought for Kayla.

Palm Springs is on fire! Cooling down the healthy way with Fruti

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  I was recently asked to check out some frozen fruit bar options and share my thoughts.  Since summer is quickly approaching I thought you'd want to know about the natural fruit bars I found because I'd never seen them before!  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. #FreshNFruti

Okay, before you panic Palm Springs is not actually on fire.  But it sure did feel that way this weekend!  Recently I told you about my questionable relationship with Mother's Day.  It's becoming a tradition that we take a  weekend trip with friends in Palm Springs sometime in May or June.  So when we checked schedules and collectively determined that Mother's Day weekend was the only date that worked I found myself feeling both guilty and relieved.

Mother's Day, my way plus a Father's Day bonus. Hello smart camera!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. I was recently asked to check out a Wi-Fi direct smart camera and share my thoughts.  How convenient since it's almost Mother's Day! This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. #pixbundle 

Mother's Day and I are what you might call frenemies.  On one hand I think it's a sweet holiday honoring a position in life that many women hold which goes unrecognized for all the sacrifices involved.  The few at the top of my list would be privacy, sanity and the ability to have even a fleeting sense of diminished responsibility.  All of those went flying out the 6th story hospital window the second Kayla was born.  And still, I wouldn't change a thing.

Eat Cookies, Share, Help No Kid Hungry.

Just so you know, I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Kmart and Shop Your Way for Sandra Lee’s World’s Largest Bake Sale.  #WorldsLargestBakeSale #cbias #SocialFabric everything you see here is my personal and relentlessly picky opinion.

Have you met Marisa? She's my little sister and I'm proud to say will be joining Mommy Testers to help bring you more fantastic events from New York for all of my East Coast friends.  Just this week Marisa checked out the World's Largest Bake Sale, an amazing event to benefit the No Kid Hungry campaign.  Here are her thoughts and see how you can get involved and help make a difference for quite possibly one of the most important causes there is.

How To Make Easy Adorable Teacup Cupcakes

It's safe to say that I spend a lot of my days checking out cute things so it takes a lot for me to have an "I just have to have that moment" but it happened when I was shopping recently and came across these crazy cute teacup cupcake molds .  We celebrated Kayla's birthday a few months ago, and I only wished that we'd had these back then and found myself looking for an excuse to make cupcakes.