Serve up some Old-Fashioned Caramel Cinnamon Rolls for your Valentine on Valentine’s Day!! #PremierProtein

February 12, 2018 By Marijean

Old-Fashioned Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 9 Buns

Ingredients

Rolls

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (or 1 packet)

1 cup Premier Protein® Caramel Shake warmed in the microwave or on the stovetop to about (110° F), or warm to touch but not boiling

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus additional for greasing bowl and pan, melted

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading and rolling out

1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon Premier Protein® Caramel Shake

Directions

In medium bowl, sprinkle yeast over 1 cup warm Premier Protein® Caramel Shake and stir to combine. Let sit for 3 minutes. Then stir in 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg and mix until well until combined. Gradually add in flour, stirring after each addition. Once dough is no longer too sticky to handle, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes to make moderately soft dough. Shape dough into a ball.

Place dough in lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover and let rise in a warm place until size has doubled (about 1 hour). Punch dough down, cover and let rise again for 1 additional hour. Punch dough down. Grease an 8 x 8-inch glass or metal baking dish and set aside.

Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in separate bowl. On lightly floured surface roll dough into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Brush about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining butter evenly over the dough using a pastry brush. Sprinkle 2/3 of the cinnamon sugar mixture over.

Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut dough into 9 even 12-inch strips. Roll up each strip tightly, sealing the end by pressing it into the dough. Arrange rolls in prepared pan. Pour remaining butter over the buns, then sprinkle remaining cinnamon and sugar on top. Let rise, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. While cooling the rolls slightly, prepare glaze. Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and Premier Protein® Caramel Shake in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle rolls with glaze. Serve warm.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Jacksonville Zoo with B1G1 Deal until the 14th!

February 12, 2018 By Marijean

Come and celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens!!

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is offering an admission special. Buy one regularly priced adult ticket and receive one free general admission ticket of equal or lesser value. Download coupon here, or be green and show your coupon on your phone. Coupon valid Feb. 10 – 14 only. Cannot be combined with any other coupon, discount or offer including Zoo Value Tickets. One free admission per coupon. One coupon per transaction.

Also, make sure to check out the new tiger cubs that just made their first public appearance on February 10th! the are adorable!

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

How to get your family ready for vacation

February 1, 2018 By Marijean

Going on family vacation is a brilliant opportunity for you and your loved ones to escape the demands of daily life. It should be the perfect chance for you to reconnect as a family and to create memories that will last a lifetime. However, failing to have a clear plan in place will make it extremely difficult for you to relax. Instead, you will be forced to deal with everything at the last minute. It will send your stress levels skyrocketing and could undermine your entire experience. If you want to prevent this from happening, you will need to work through the following steps.

Plan your family outfits

When you are deciding what to pack for your family getaway, you should make the most of the opportunity to purchase some treats. Why not splash out on a couple of new outfits for you to enjoy on a night out? You could also purchase some new and exciting clothes for your family members. It will provide them with an incentive to get packing and to take pride in their appearance. You could plan a family outing to your local mall or save time by visiting Nicki’s online store to find quality items.

Prepare for the climate that you are visiting

Another important step is to prepare for the climate that you are visiting. If you are traveling to a cold location, you will need to invest in thermal pajamas, purchase hand warmers, and bring along plenty of layers. Alternatively, if you are exploring a warm climate, you will need to take bug spray, sunscreen, linen clothing, and a wide-brimmed hat.

Think up activities to enjoy in your hotel room

During your vacation, it is vital that you get out and about as much as possible. You need to interact with the local community and keep your eyes peeled for any sites of natural beauty or cultural significance. However, it won’t be possible for you to spend all your time outdoors. That is why you should think up plenty of activities to enjoy in your hotel room. It will prevent your family from becoming bored and arguments from breaking out. If you are struggling for ideas, why not talk to your hotel reception? Perhaps they have an indoor games room that you could enjoy. Or maybe they have a selection of second-hand books that have been left behind by previous guests.

Purchase a scrapbook or photo album

Finally, you should think about how you are going to document your travels. Before you set off, why not purchase a scrapbook or photo album? If you decide on the former option, you should also invest in craft materials that will come in handy when it is time to decorate your pages. It would also be an excellent time for you to evaluate your family camera and consider an upgrade. If you are enjoying a once in a lifetime experience, it is vital that you can document them effectively.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

NANO METALFIGS Collectible Figures Review

January 29, 2018 By Marijean

Do you have a Harry Potter, Disney, DC Comics and/or WWE fan at home? If so, you must check out the new NANO METALFIGS! They are small collectible figures made out of 100% die-cast metal.

About NANO METALFIGS:

From Jada Toys, the company who created a new category of collectible figures with their Metals Die Cast line, comes an all-new line of collectible die-cast figures called Nano Metalfigs!

Each posed Nano figure is made of 100% die-cast metal and stands about 1.65″ tall and weighs about 30g or roughly 5 quarters. Although they might be small, each is finely sculpted and has premium metallic paints to achieve a high-quality appearance and durability, all at a Nano price.

These collectible figures come in single packs and also packs of 5, 10 and 20. I was able to review some of the Harry Potter Metalfigs single packs and also a Disney 5-pack. The figures are so character lifelike and make a great addition to any collection! There are also Nano Scenes which right now are available in Harry Potter Gryffindor Tower and DC Comics Batcave. You can create your own scene and show it off, how fun! I am so excited to purchase more of these for my 9 year old who absolutely loves Harry Potter.

There are also Nano Scenes which right now are available in Harry Potter Gryffindor Tower and DC Comics Batcave.

These would also make great birthday and holiday gifts for kids/adults of all ages! These are available for purchase at Target, Toys R Us and Walmart.

*I received the mentioned items in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Achieving a Better Work/Study/Family Balance

January 26, 2018 By Marijean

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As you are already probably well-aware, being a parent on its own is challenging enough without fitting in other things! Perhaps you are running your own home business at the same time or you have decided to go back to studying again. When you are trying to juggle different responsibilities at the same time, there is no doubt that things can get very challenging, very quickly. But it is possible, and this blog post is here to give you five tips that will hopefully show you how.

Organisation is Vital

First and foremost, you need to be very organised to make sure you are devoting enough time to all your different priorities. Keep a timetable of what your different family members will be doing during each day of the week. Next, find a block of time that you can devote to working or studying. Perhaps there is a time when your kids can be looked after by your partner, they are at school or a club. When you have the time available, you need to make sure that you are making full use of it.

Study Online

Online studying helps to give you a lot more freedom when you can fit in the time to learn. Rather than having fixed class times, you get much more of a sense of balance. And there are so many different options from language courses to a masters imc that there is bound to be something for you. Of course, there are still likely to be deadlines, so you need to ensure that you are organised enough to hit them.

Make a Work/Study Spot

Ideally, you will be able to find a spot in your house where you can close yourself off and devote some time to working or studying. This way, you can signal to your family that when you are here, you are to be disturbed as little as possible. Your mind will also come to naturally associate this place with work. If you can’t get a whole room, a corner of an existing space will work as well.

Recruit a Study Buddy/Business Partner

If you are struggling to get the motivation that you need, a study buddy or business partner can help to keep your mind on track. You can find people online if you don’t know anyone in person. Take the time to coordinate your schedules so that you can spend time working on your goals together.

Remember to Give Yourself a Break

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Don’t be too hard on yourself if there are times when you don’t get as much done as you wanted during your study time. There are also likely to be occasions when something crops up and throws your schedule out of whack. Remember, it is all about the big picture. Keep your goals n mind and you can get things back on track again in the future.