Hailey's Helpful Hints

With Spring break and summer travel soon approaching, it's time to talk travel. I like to think I'm a seasoned veteran on the subject being that we've traveled for months on end with my ' lil guy since 3 weeks old. Only time will tell if I'm as ambitious with two in tow. In addition to mentally preparing for any trip, it's important to have appropriate gear to make the trip as headache free as possible. Who am I kidding - is there such a thing?? 1) CARES If you're not into bringing the carseat on the plane (me!), then the CARES Safety Restraint ($69) is a genius alternative to give your little ones that extra protection. The Cares Restraint is the only FAA-approved and adjustable child restrain harness other than a car seat, and can be used for toddlers over 22 pounds. 2) GoGo Kidz Travelmate Back in December I blogged about this already but if you prefer to take your carseat on the plane but don't want to lug around both the carseat AND your st...

Piggybacking on yesterday's Splurge vs. Steal post on tortillas, I thought this recipe was fitting. I get asked all the time for easy, quick, kid-friendly dinner ideas. Sadly I'm not a good resource since I don't steer too far from our signature re-occurring meals; tacos, stir-fry, enchiladas, chicken and broccoli, spaghetti, sloppy joes, turkey meat loaf. Nothing fancy. I'm all about - if it works, why mess up a good thing. As much as I like routine though, I find myself bored even of our favorites. Thanks to my girlfriend Lori, these tasty personal tortilla pizzas have become a staple in our weekly dinner line-up. In addition to being super easy, they are low fat, inexpensive and take 15 minutes from start to table top. Ingredients: Flour tortillas Pizza sauce 8 oz. bag of shredded Mozzarella Cheese Toppings of choice Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2) Spread spoonful of pizza sauce on top of tortilla 3) Layer desired amount of cheese on top 4) Decorate wit...

I've become a pretty religious Target grocery shopper as of late. The convenience of a one stop shop is pretty flippin' nice. I'm so stoked about this super steal I happen to fall upon this week, that I thought I would share with y'all. A staple item on my grocery list is flour tortillas. Yes, flour. Not wheat. Shame on us, I know. Chase loves quesadillas for lunch, we eat tacos on a weekly basis and my husband eats them plain, straight out of the bag for a snack. We go through a lot of tortillas. And every time I reach for the "Mission" brand bag, I cringe. For a 10 pack of the Mission 'Carb Balance' Soft Taco tortillas at our local Vons/Safeway they are expensive at $6.19. Target's Mission price is a little better at $4.99 but it still doesn't sit well with me. Bummed that Target was out of our Mission 'Carb Balance' favorites and knowing I couldn't go home empty-handed, I searched through the shelf of options. Dissecting the nutr...

Alright confession time. I'm obsessed with scraping my tongue. Wait. What you ask??? You know, the step that takes place after you get done brushing your teeth to scrap off the filthy, furry layer of left over bacteria on the back of your tongue? I know you were hoping for more but that's me. I'm not obsessed with nice cars. I'm not obsessed with fancy jewelry. I'm obsessed with good hygiene . It comes with being OCD and the fact that my family growing up had very sensitive noses to foul odors. Getting out the door past my mom or dad with bad breath was near impossible. Hence the obsession (or complex -whatever you want to call it) with my tongue scraper. For those of you that don't see the benefit of a tongue scraper, let's talk Dentistry 101: According to Wikipedia , "the most common location for mouth-related halitosis is the tongue. Tongue bacteria produce malodorous compounds and fatty acids, and account for 80-90% of all cases of mouth-related bad...

Calling all coffee lovers!! Unfortunately I've never tried this recipe before but after reading Sally from My Homemade Life rave about it, I figured it was worthy enough to share. Besides, who doesn't love coffee AND chocolate combined!?! ~Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins~ Ingredients: Makes 24 mini muffins 2 individual packages of Starbucks Via Instant Coffee Italian Roast Extra Bold 1/2 c. warm milk 1/4 c. melted margarine ( 1/2 stick ) 1 whole egg 1 tsp. vanilla 1 c. flour 1/3 c. sugar 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 1 c. chocolate chips 1 Mini Muffin Tin (She prefers to use the mini muffin tin instead of the regular cupcake tin but it's whatever your heart desires) IMPORTANT :She is all about using the Starbucks Via Instant Coffee (Italian Roast Extra Bold) flavor. It's super easy to find being that there's a Starbucks on every corner! Even check your local grocery store. I know most of them are now carrying Starbuck's roasts. Direct...

Hands down I'm a cocktail girl. First choice would be a mojito but I do also love me a killer margarita. Thanks to my aging metabolism however, I can't justify those tasty 800 calories that high five my liver on their way to my bootah . {Tear}. Dave and I always wonder if, or when, we'll hit that sophisticated milestone and make the switch from cocktails to wine. Prior to last Saturday night, I wasn't too optimistic BUT thanks to some great friends, we were introduced to Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages 2009. This particular bottle has me second guessing the whole wine thing. It's light, yet flavorful with enticing aromas of raspberry, cherry pie, strawberries and smoky herbs. In my opinion (along with the rest of the table) this Beaujolais is very drinkable. It was the first time in a very long time that I wasn't forcing the wine down my throat and puckering at a bitter aftertaste. Cheers to Tracy for tickling my fancy! You may have to hunt a little for this w...

This doesn't work for me just yet but you better believe I am going to implement this when my kid's are in school. I got this genius idea from a one of my mommy-mentors (thanks Krista!) that struggled with getting two boys out the door in the morning on time. BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Trying to get the boys, who more often than not woke up on the wrong side of the bed, outfitted in proper attire without a raging outbreak. Trying to rationalize with a four year old who doesn't understand why he can't wear his bathing suit, rain boots and Batman t-shirt is a sure-fire stress builder. What should be a 30 second conversation turns into a 30 minute battle for control. And I'm sure it's even worse with little girls. Eek. Due to all the lost time of calming them down, getting them dressed, teeth brushed, and hair combed, they were constantly in a rush against the clock. Which always resulted in forgetting something; library book, cleats for practice. Eating breakfast in the...

In a conversation with a girlfriend the other day, she expressed her frustration and inability to remove the stubborn soap scum on her glass shower door. She asked if I had any helpful hints that might put an end to the battle. The answer? But of course. Over my years of cleaning, I've spend oodles of money testing out a million and one products; CLR , Scrubbing Bubbles, Kaboom, Tilex , Clorox, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. You name it, I've tried it. Because the shower area is constantly subjected to heat, humidity, and shower residue, it unfortunately forms a tricky build-up of soap residue, body oils, dirt, and calcified mineral residue from bath water. If the buildup is caught early and you are religiously using a squeegee, then most any product will work to cut through the film. But for those more serious build-ups like Jen was referring to, I have three products that are sure to help dislodge and remove even the hardest soap scum deposits: 1) Soft Scrub: Listen to me carefull...

A few months back I was getting ready with a girlfriend in Mexico who after a long day of lounging by the swimming pool, looked like a raccoon. She busted out a tissue paper and some Vaseline (yes, straight ol' Petroleum jelly) and wiped away her eye makeup within minutes. It was definitely a "you learn something new everyday" moment. She inspired me to do a follow up post on the best eye makeup remover. I have never personally used the Vaseline trick but I witnessed first hand just how effective it was and for CHEAP. What I love about her is she loves frugal favorites - ie; inexpensive miracle workers - just as much as I do. If you want to go the uber inexpensive route, you can get a large 13 oz. generic "Up & Up" container of petroleum jelly at Target for a few bucks that will last you months. Anything with an oil-base will work really. If the oily gig isn't for you, you must try my all-time favorite - Almays Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover Pads . Hands do...

I received a forward last week from none other than my father, the King of forwards. Knowing how I feel about forwards, he's very selective on which ones he sends me. The ones he does send however are usually ones with "life lessons" or something profound that he wants his children to hear. So I read them hoping to be inspired. The one I received last week outlined 11 "common sense" rules that kids will not learn in school that were supposedly voiced to high school students during a commencement speech given by Microsoft's CEO, Bill Gates. After doing a little research on Snopes.com and Hoak-slayer.com, I quickly learned however that the rules were neither written nor spoken by Bill Gates and they did not originate as a high school speech. As happens with alarming frequency online, a text written by one person came to be falsely attributed to another, and thanks to ceaseless repetition the attribution stuck and became accepted as fact. The current incarnatio...

Attention all my peeps in ORANGE COUNTY, CA!!! Today - MONDAY 3/21 - Plum District's awesome PLUM STEAL is $5 for a $10 Wahoo's Fish Taco Gift Card! There are limited quantities available so make sure you scarf up the deal pronto!! The deal is good at any OC Wahoo's location. To redeem, click on the link - http://www.plumdistrict.com/deals/wahoos-fish-taco-plum-steal-5-for-10-wahoo-s-fish-taco-gift-card-HJHFHU I know I'll be getting mine. Don't miss out!

Smoothies are big hit in our house - especially when the after-dinner sweet tooth arrives mid-way through American Idol. I usually will improvise with whatever I have on hand but the basics of the smoothie is always pretty consistent; ice, milk, fruit and a packet of Splenda . My evening smoothies aren't intended to do much more than satisfy my sweet tooth without packing a ton of calories although they do offer a healthy amount of vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber to my diet. One night my husband wanted to get creative so we looked up the Orange Julius smoothie recipe. Although a little more caloric because of the orange juice concentrate over my usual fresh fruit alternative, this smoothie was a refreshing change up. ~ORANGE JULIUS SMOOTHIE~ INGREDIENTS: 6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate 1/2 cup milk - your choice 1/2 cup water 3 tablespoons sugar (or sugar substitute equivalent) – less or more depending on sweetness preference 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 10-20 ice cubes - de...

With the blooming flowers and newly cut grass, I love the fresh, fragrant and floral feel of Springtime. With this new season upon us, I figured it was time to purchase a new lotion scent to mimic the happy-go-lucky days ahead. In my teenage years, I would have bee-lined straight to Bath and Body Works to stock up on their Buy 2, Get 1 free deal of their signature scent " Plumeria ." Didn't every young girl!?! Fast forward 18 years and the thought of that smell makes me want to barf. No offense to anyone who still rocks the "I can smell you from a mile away" Plumeria scent. During my weekly Target run I swung by the lotion aisle, tested out a few but walked out empty handed. My next stop - Planet Beauty. As I stood in line waiting to purchase some hair product, I pumped the tester bottle of Hempz Herbal Moisturizing Lotion's newest scent - POMEGRANATE. O-K. Done deal. The smell is delicious. I've been using the Original Hempz lotion scent for years ...

There's nothing that sings to my soul more than a multi-functional organizational item that provides instant storage and is uber adorable to boot. Insert: the ASKER CONTAINERS from Ikea. This inexpensive, practical godsend was originally intended to save space on the kitchen counter by storing kitchen utensils. As a modern alternative to the utensil jar, I am a fan. But I'm even more of a fan because of their endless possibilities. Although I see these most used to organize an office or craft room, I could see them working just about anywhere, for anything, from holding nuts and bolts in the garage to corralling beauty supplies in a bathroom. Below are a few inspirational photos to get your juices flowing on how and where you can use these as an organizational tool or design piece in your home. The Asker Suspension Mounting Rail is $7.99-$9.99 and the Containers range from $5.99-$7.99.

Now that we've set our clocks forward, it's time to talk SPRING. Despite your dreary skies and frigid temperatures, warmer weather is on it's way. Promise. If you just simply can't wait and have an itch to start buying now, here's a sneak peek at the top five Spring 2011's juiciest must-have hues that are sure to cure the gloomiest of winter blues. 1) BRIGHT ORANGE Hands down the "it" color for Spring!! This citrus-y hue is sure to make a bright and bold impact. Unfortunately orange can be hard to wear but there's a way for every woman to wear it, no matter how scary it sounds... The key is to find the one shade that really flatters you. Like yellow (also a hot color trend right now), orange looks the best on warm skin tones with peach or pink undertones. If you've got olive skin you should find a hue that's either muted, like a rusty orange, or has some pink in it, like a salmon or coral. If you've got a very cool complexion that reje...