Mommy Has to Work

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 Children Ready for the Real World

February 8, 2018 By Anne

As mothers, we want the best for our children, and we can help them prepare for the real world so that they can carve out brighter futures for themselves. By getting your children ready to face the challenges of life, you’ll be doing them a great service that can be beneficial for them throughout their years. Here are some of the best ways to prepare your children for the real world.

Teach the Importance of Saving Money

Saving money is important for people of all income levels, and teaching your children the value of a dollar from an early age will help instill good spending habits. You should show your kids by example how saving money can provide a greater sense of financial security. This money can be used for emergencies or to cover any other unexpected situations.

Capitalize on Personal Talents

Your children may possess certain skills or talents that can get them far in life. If your child shows natural proficiency in a certain school subject or excels at a particular sport, you should encourage your son or daughter to get further involved in that area of life. You may also want to look into some singing opportunities for teenagers if you have an older child who’s musically inclined. Children who have special strengths often work with mentors to get advice and keep moving in the right direction.

Let Them Fail

Of course you want your kids to be successful, but success is usually only achieved after many failures. You shouldn’t be afraid to let your children fail as this can help them learn from their mistakes and make more progress toward accomplishing their goals. Failure can sometimes take a toll on a person’s self-esteem, so just be sure to be there to offer support during times when your children feel particularly discouraged.

Work on Communication Skills

Communicating is an essential component to functioning in the real world, and teaching effective ways of self-expression can be advantageous for your children. Having strong communication skills will be especially important during times of heated discussions when emotions run strong. Learning how to communicate effectively will also help your children in their careers and personal relationships. If you have a child who has communication challenges, you should consider seeing a specialist who can help with these obstacles.

Instill the Value of Hard Work

Hard work can pay off in many ways. If your children want to earn a lot of money, land the perfect job or get into the best college, teaching them the value of hard work from an early age will help them fulfill their dreams. Your children are also likelier to become more productive members of society if they’re willing to start working hard while they’re still young.

The real world can sometimes be a daunting place, but you can make your children feel securer and more confident about navigating throughout life by preparing them from an early age. Getting your children ready to face the real world is one of the most important roles that you’ll have as a mother.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Jasmine Disney Princess Subscription Box Review from Pley.com #pleyandlearn

February 7, 2018 By Marijean

*This post contains an affiliate link

I just received the new Disney Princess subscription box from Pley! This month’s princess is Jasmine. The box transforms into The Sultan’s palace–it’s magical! It’s loaded with goodies just like the other Disney Princess Pleyboxes. There’s an activity book with a story and all sorts of activities that your little one will enjoy. A very pretty T-shirt, Pop keychain, and jewelry box with a necklace and magic lantern earrings — all fit for a princess! Your kids will have hours of fun with the Princess Jasmine scratch off and painting pages that are also included in this fantastic box! The total contents of this box would easily retail for over $45, but they sell it for $22.99! Each box contains 4-6 items that your little princess is sure to love.

My 9 year old daughter was super excited to check out what was in this box. She could not wait to take everything out and play!!

Here is what was included in this month’s box:

Jasmine Long Sleeve T- Shirt (MSRP: $15.00)
Jewelry box with Jasmine necklace and magic lantern earrings (MSRP: $15.00)
Jasmine Pop keychain (MSRP: $7.99)
Princess Jasmine Painting pages (MSRP: $5.99)
Princess Jasmine Scratch Off pages (MSRP: $5.99)
Activity Book + The Sultan’s Palace crafting activity (MSRP: $10.00)

As you can see, it came with many cool Jasmine themed items for my daughter to enjoy. Now lets talk about each item.

Jasmine Long Sleeve T- Shirt: Some of the boxes come with apparel. When you sign up for the box you can let them know what size your child is. I am so happy that Pley.com offers bigger sizes. My daughter is a size 10 so they sent a Disney brand size 10/12 which fits her perfectly! It is long-sleeved so it is perfect for the winter weather right now.

Jewelry box with Jasmine necklace and magic lantern earrings: This set is so cute! It comes with gold-plated earrings for pierced ears, and a beautiful gold Jasmine necklace. Keep them together in the adorable metal jewelry tin when you are done wearing them.

Jasmine Pop keychain: My daughter is very into the “Pop” series of characters. This box comes with a Jasmine Pop keychain. Perfect for putting on your backpack or playing with it as a little doll/figure!

Princess Jasmine Painting pages: Just grab a paint brush and you are set! These painting pages are awesome and not messy! Each page (12 pages) comes with a set of dry paint right on them. Get a cup of water and a paint brush and this is perfect for traveling or doing at home.

Princess Jasmine Scratch Off pages: What child doesn’t love scratch offs? 2 magic scratch offs are included along with a stylus, so fun to scratch and find out what picture will turn up!

Activity Book + The Sultan’s Palace crafting activity: Each box you receive comes with an activity book filled with fun stories and activities based around the themed princess. It also comes with instructions on how to make your crafting activity!

My daughter was super happy with this subscription box. The items are high quality, and I love that the box can turn into a palace so there is no extra waste. This box would make a great birthday gift, anytime gift, or the holidays will be quickly approaching!

Click here to order your box!

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*I am a member of Pley’s VIP Influencer Program. All thoughts 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.

Valentine Doodles

February 5, 2018 By Anne

Last year I attended middle school art class. I work at a k-8 school and had to take a few students to art. Everyday the teacher had students draw a doodle. She would take ideas from WhatchamaDRAWit Game. I was inspired to start doodling.

I searched Pinterest and YouTube channels and found some fun doodles from both. I’ll attach a few favorites from Pinterest at the bottom of this post. I picked some fun Valentine’s Day Doodles since it’s February. I am also attaching some of my own doodles. Don’t judge! I have never been good at drawing or art but with practice…

I also like to add doodles to my chalkboard wall in the kitchen.

I found Doodles by Sarah on YouTube and subscribed to her channel. I really enjoy her videos. They inspire me to doodle more! Here is a video from last year, Valentine Doodles.