We don’t have a lot of extra space in our house for toy storage. I swear we need an entire room for all the toys we have for Mason, it’s a little insane. Over the last 20 months I’ve come up with a few strategies to containing the toy area and I’ve come across quite a few ways that I would love to try out one day!

1. Get a Toy Chest if you have room for one! We got our Toy Chest from Hayneedle and it did a world of wonders for our play area, we went from this:

to this after we got our toy chest

That’s a pretty big difference and almost a year later I’m still so happy that we made the decision to get a toy chest!

2. Another thing I like to do is go through Mason’s Toys every 2-3 months, I get rid of the stuff he hasn’t played with and bring toys that have been at the bottom of his toy chest to the top so that he gets interested in those again!

3. We also have a plastic container where we store some toys in our attic. Every month or so we bring the toys down and switch it out with toys he hasn’t been playing with as much but still likes, this keeps him excited about his toys, he often forgets about the toys we put  in the attic so when we bring them out he has a renewed interest in them!

4. Limit the amount of toys he gets as Christmas/Birthday presents. I was not as successful with this last year but I plan to really stick to my guns this year about it, make a list of all the toys that you/your child wants distribute that to family members and let them know those are the only toys you have space for and then give them a list of other things that your child really needs, socks, art supplies, clothes etc.

5. Teaching the “Clean Up” song early. Ever since Mason was a baby I’ve been teaching him the clean up song, you know “Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Everywhere, clean up, clean up everybody do your share”. Or at least that’s how my version goes. Either way now when I start to sing it he knows it’s time to pick up his toys. He’s still not the best at it, he is after all only 20 months but he’s getting there!

The next 5 ways to de-clutter and organize are ways that I’ve found while browsing the web that I either already do or am working towards! As always click the image to find the source! 

6. I love this book storage idea and it’s easy to do it yourself! It’s just Ikea Spice Racks attached to the sides.

7. I love this idea for storing stuffed animals books and toys, putting it on the wall but still within reach for little hands is great too!

8. Blackboard paint is the perfect way to allow your kids to stay creative and I love that it has a space for painting/coloring paper as well. It also saves space because there’s no need to get one of those stands!

9.  I love this idea. When the table is up and off the wall it’s a picture, but when you put it down it’s a table perfect for coloring or crafting!

10. I love this idea too, We have a lego table and with this we wouldn’t need one anymore BUT I wouldn’t do a whole wall probably just a small section, maybe on the blackboard wall?

I can’t wait until we can devote and entire area for a playroom!

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hot Wheels® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.



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I’ve been living in Virginia on and off for 6 years and I had my son, yet I’ve only been to Virgnia Beach aka VA Beach twice! Can you believe that? My friends from college and I had boyfriends stationed near there so we all drove down and surprised them. We had a great time road tripping it.

Five years later the reason I want to go is to spend some family time there. My how the times have changed. The two times I was there we spent a lot of time on the beach and just hanging out. But there are plenty of reasons to go to Virginia Beach and I’m going to tell you about some of them from a sorta Virginia girls point of view :)

1. The Beach.–  Duh, it is Virginia Beach after all!

2. Family Friendly–There are plenty of things for families to do! This summer they have the Family Great Adventure Series were families take parent in ad adventure that leads them to numerous places along the boardwalk and Atlantic Avenue to solve a mystery. Everyone in the family will love to participate in this event!

3. Beautiful Boardwalk–Fun for the kids and fun for the adults, you’ll never run out of things to do on the boardwalk!

4. Waves are fun, not too rough!–You can surf the waves in Virginia Beach and you’ll absolutely get your fair share of waves but they aren’t that rough which means their perfect for your little one.

5. Surrounded by beautiful Nature–Virginia is hands down one of the most beautiful states I have had the pleasure to live in. You won’t be disappointed by the wildlife and scenery. Rumor has it you can even see wild ponies on the Eastern Shore!

6. Lots of history nearby–Williamsburg, VA is just a stone’s throw away so you can enjoy the beach AND get some awesome history in!

7. Ships, Submarines and Planes, oh my!–Virginia Beach hosts one of the largest Naval bases in the country which means you get to see plenty of ships, submarines and jets flying over head, so you’ll get to show your child some things they may not have seen before! The ships are seriously massive!

8.  Busch Gardens-You can never go wrong with an awesome Amusement park trip while on vacation!

9. Night Life–This year Virginia Beach is having FunkFest August 26th and August 27th there will be a stage right on the beach and you’ll be able to enjoy concerts for free. There will also be merchandise and food vendors to help create a festive atmosphere!

10. The Food. The seafood to be exact. There are so many amazing restaurants were you can get some of the best seafood. Make sure you pick up some blue crabs! YUM!

Writing this post has made me want to get my butt to the beach immediately. I love that it’s only a 3 hour drive from our house!

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Virginia Beach Tourism blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.


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I’m ALWAYS looking for ways to make my life as a Mom easier, I’ve only been doing this a year and half and I already have some ways to help save time. Most of my time saving tips has a lot to do with doing things as you go along. These are really simple and sorta “Duh” but I often find myself forgetting to do that and wasting a lot of time. When I remember here are my top ten ways to save time: 

1. This may not seem like a time saving tip but to me it is. Shower first thing in the morning and get yourself and your little ones ready for the day EVEN IF you have no where to go that day. You never know when something is going to pop up and being ready saves a lot of time! 

2. Save time at the grocery store by making a list before you go. If you have a specific recipe in mind make sure have all the ingredients, if you’re not sure double check. I’m famous for going to the grocery store and getting *almost* everything I need.


3. Organizing saves time: Make to do lists every day. Figure out what needs to be done and organize into three categories. “Important aka Must be Done Today”,  Low Priority {can be done tomorrow} and Delegate {enlist someone in your family to do this}. We can’t do it all, we need the help of our family! 


4. In line with making lists figure out where you have to go, leave the house once and do everything at once, making multiple trips throughout the day wastes a lot of time! 


5. In the Kitchen: When you’re cooking clean as you go. It takes much less time to do it as you go then to be finished with dinner and have a mountain of dishes! 


6. In the Kitchen: USE YOUR SLOW COOKER! You can do this the night before and prep time is usually minimal and because it’s a one pot dish it saves you time on dishes afterwards too! 


7. In the Kitchen: Teach your family how to do the dishes, start now. You’re kid is only one? Who cares. Start now. This is my parents biggest pet peeves and mine too, dishes in the sink with an empty dishwasher. Make the dishes everyone’s chore rinse your dish and put it in the dishwasher, it will save you and the person who USED TO BE delegated to this chore a lot of time! 


8. Around the House: Time yourself. This is a game I often used to play with my little siblings and found it worked for me too. Set a timer for 30 minutes and do all the cleaning you can possibly get done. Putting yourself on a time makes you move a lot faster! 


9. Around the House: Do a load of laundry every day. This way a mountain doesn’t form, sometimes when that happens the motivation just isn’t there, don’t let that happen to you! 


10. Multi-Task: Catching up on your shows? Blog while you do that or go through that mountain of mail or fold some clothes! 


What are your time saving tips for me? I would love to hear them! 

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
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On the road. 


Mason and I do road trips once every two months and normally more often than that. We’re in VA with B and some of his family but my entire family lives in NY and it’s really important to me that they get see Mason as much as possible. But traveling alone with your child can be scary and dangerous for numerous reasons so I’ve gathered some tips to keep your road tripin’ and every day driving safe! 


1. The first step in safety is making sure you get your car checked out before you leave for any road trip. How’s your oil? What are your fluid levels? Do you have windshield wiper fluid, power steering fluid? Do your windshield wipers work well? 


2.  Make sure you have everything you need especially when traveling at night, do you have drinks, food and snacks? An extra blanket, a pocket knife and any other emergency supplies? A fully charged cell phone. You don’t want to be stuck somewhere without the proper supplies. 


3. Know where you’re going before you leave. Getting lost while road tripping is probably one of the worst things that can happen. Avoid it by making sure that you have your GPS set up AND directions just in case. If possible plan out where you’re going to stop. Mase and I always stop at the same rest area. 


4. Pay attention to where you stop. I’ll never forget I pulled off at a random stop when I was still in college because I had to go to the bathroom SO badly. As I was walking out I saw a car that had a camera on it so being nosy I was staring at it when a police officer rolled down the window and was like “What are you looking at?”, I explained myself and we had a little laugh about it. He informed me that I should probably not stop there because it can be potentially very unsafe to me which is why they were there. Had I paid a little more attention to the area I would have figured that out on my own! 


5. FILL UP THAT TANK! Pay attention to how filled your tank is. When you have about a quarter left pull off and get gas. You don’t want to wait to the last second and run out of gas while searching for a gas station!  


6. Check your tires! This is in connection to getting your car checked out but I wanted to mention it all on it’s own too because it can be so important. Tire pressure can mean a lot for travel safety and it can help you save money on gas! 


7. Check your speed. So it’s late and you’re tired of driving and you just want to get it over with. I commensurate, I really do.  But it’s not worth the accident that you could get into for going to fast or more likely the ticket you’ll get that will most likely be out of state so you won’t have the chance to fight it which means you’ll have to pay full price. Having an out of state license place pretty much doubles your chances of getting pulled over for speeding so keep that in mind! 


8. Be weary of the people around you. Just because you’re a good driver, just because you’re doing everything you’re suppose to doesn’t mean every one else is. Watch for people who are swerving and/or not paying attention! 


9*.  Make sure your windshield is free of any chips. A chip could turn into a crack at any time, often when you are least expecting it. So make sure you take care of it right away before the chip/crack gets out of hand. 


10*. Watch for scammers! If you’re getting something else done out of town and the mechanic says that you need a new windshield too, question it if you don’t see anything wrong. Because most insurance companies make windshield replacement free for the consumer mechanic and repair shops want to take advantage of that and they may file a fraudulent claim! 


*These tips were provided by AutoGlass


The Fine Print: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Safelite blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
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B and I were just discussing all the types of Vacations we have to take Mason on, B spent summers going to the Outer Banks, I spent summers sometimes going on vacations and lots of time doing summer sport activities and doing weekend or day getaways. 


We really want Mason to get a little bit of both. We want him to be able to play on the All-Star baseball team but we also want him to enjoy summer break and have a vacation. Right now it’s not much of a concern but he also won’t remember much so we want to bring him to things he can enjoy in the moment even if he doesn’t remember it years from now! 


Here are some getaways we’re hoping to enjoy now with him and in the future as well! 


1. Water Parks. 




We don’t have one specific in mind yet. We have one close to us Massanutten Resort so we could definitely make a staycation out of it or a day trip, or a couple. Mason LOVES the water so this would be right up his alley. I would also love to look in to Dorney Park & WildWater Kingdom. We pass it on the way to NY and it looks like a ton of fun! 


2. Hershey Park. 

I freaking ADORE Hershey Park.. It is SO much fun, my family and I go once every couple of years. It was perfect when I was going to JMU because it was my mid-way point. I would drive half-way with my little brother and my parents would drive in another car we would spend the day at Hershey Park enjoying family time and at the end of the trip I would continue on to JMU and they would head back to NY! 



I’ve been to Universal two times once when I was around 6 and another when I was around 18. Both times were amazing and I just know that Mason would love Dr. Suess section, so many fun bright colors for him to enjoy! 


4. The Crayola Factory



Mason would have so much fun here, he loves eating crayons! He would have so much to choose from here! But in all seriousness it would be a blast for him! They have a ton of activities that help kids learn! We also pass it on the way to NY so it’s another great thing we can do to break up a ride to NY!


And of course what childhood would be complete without 


5. Disney World!!! 



Like Universal Studios I’ve been to Disney twice, once when I was 6 and again when I was 18, I had so much fun both times. It was fun when I was 6 because I love everything I was the kid meeting Mickey and Ariel for the first time etc. The second time I got to watch my siblings meet all their favorite characters. It was so sweet to see how excited they got meeting them. Going a third time with Mason would be magical. Watching his reaction when he sees characters he watches on TV would be so much fun. And they have TONS of things for adults to do too so brining along a babysitter {aka one of my siblings} would be a must! 


In addition to some of these trips sprinkled in throughout the year I would love to bring Mason to the beach every year and on an annual camping trip. I want Mason to experience everything I did and more, but who doesn’t want that for their kid? 


What’s one of your Summer Getaways that your child has to experience? 

The Fine Print: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
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Currently we have Verizon DSL for our computer and I really like it, it’s quick easy and rarely do I lose my connection and even when/if I do a simple reset will do the trick. Not to mention the price is unbeatable at least around here. While I still love  my Verizon DSL I can’t wait until our area has Verizon FiOS TV and Internet. I never realized what I was missing out on until and I went and visited my grandparents.  


Their internet was lightening quick and I just loved all the features of their FiOs TV service. As a mom and as someone who’s just plain ole busy a lot here are some of the reasons I can’t wait for FiOS to come to Harrisonburg! 


1. I’d be able to watch recorded shows in any room while I clean! Verizon FiOS is the only provider that enables you to record in one room and watch anywhere else in the house.  I love my TV shows. They are my down time where I just get to veg out and forget about everything else. But I also have a lot to do so I don’t mind folding the laundry or doing other tasks while I watch my shows. With FiOS I can watch whatever shows I want too and still get what I need done! 


2. I can spend more time with with the family. Did you guys know that I had a blog??! A blog that I take a million and one pictures for? The speed that FiOA allows me to upload photos, edit and post about is unreal. It would seriously cut down my computer time by a so much.


3. It will stop me from being bored when the world ends. FiOS is more weather resistant then satellite and cable providers so when things go down especially weather related I’ll be able to watch it. Or I can run and hide in my the weather is going to destroy us all shelter. Whichever.   


4. Tweet a leet. FiOS offers TV widgets like twitter, Facebook and YouTube. It would make things so much easier for me if I could tweet about 16 and Pregnant without having to turn my head away from all the drama!  


5. It’s a possibility that I will no longer have to talk to a voice recording every time I need to speak with someone on the phone. Well, at least when it comes to my TV service. Verizon FiOS TV was rated #1 in value, overall quality and customer loyalty. That’s a pretty big deal and I’m not surprised by this. It would take a lot for me to leave Verizon for the services they already offer me! 


Do you have Verizon FiOS? Do you Love it? Would you switch from your current provider?


The Fine Print: “I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Verizon FiOS blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here. All opinions are 100% my own!
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Family meals are my favorite part of the day. Here in Virginia we eat every dinner together. That’s still pretty easy to do at this point though, we only have M and it’s not like he’s involved with 2384 million sports or actives yet that is!  But in New York it’s a completely different story My Mom works the night shift as a Nurse and she has to leave the house by 6:30 and the rest of the kids always have various things to do! Jake is usually on at least two sports teams, my Dad volunteers as a coach, my sisters do competition Cheerleading and my Mom is their coach. So you can see how getting together for a daily meal can be hard! 


Still it’s something that I think is important so while I was visiting I tried my best to have dinner ready by 5:30-6:00 so we could all sit down and enjoy dinner together as a family before it’s time to hit the road! We have a go to meal that while a little time consuming when you’re cooking for a large family is still pretty much everyone’s favorite! 


Italian Breaded Chicken & Mashed Potatoes 



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The most time consuming part of the meal is the prep! It’s pretty self explanatory but one thing I will point out is that you have to do what I like to call the FEB method. I always remember because it’s the month my sister was born in!  

Flour 
Egg
Breadcrumbs 

B had never really made chicken like this before and he’s left out the flour and it just doesn’t come out the same, you need all three to make it really delicious!

You’ll Need:

Chicken Breasts 
Flour
Eggs
Breadcrumbs
Potatoes
Butter 
Salt & Pepper 

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Peel and dice potatoes, once the water is boiling add the potatoes and cook until potatoes are soft. Wile the potatoes are cooking clean the chicken. After cleaning the chicken breasts you want to split them in half and thin them out so that they fry evenly. Coat a pan with vegetable oil and heat it on med-high heat You want enough oil so that your chicken is approximatively half way covered. Next you do the FEB method until all chicken has been coated. Now that the oil is heated you place the chicken in the pan and cook until the breadcrumbs are crispy and the chicken is cooked about 5 minutes on each side.

While the Chicken is cooking drain the potatoes, mash them and add butter, milk, salt and pepper to taste! 

Oh man just talking about it makes me want to have this for dinner tonight! Maybe I will :)  


Dinner of course was never complete with our a nice cold glass of Coke or Diet Coke for my mother and God Forbid if we ever had the nerve to drink all her Diet Coke ;) My mother is still and addict to this day and I blame her for my current post-dinner it’s the summer and I’ll indulge if I want to treat: 


Vanilla Ice Cream with a 1/2 cup of coke. 


It’s different from a regular soda float because it’s more ice cream than soda but it’s SO delicious. All my siblings and I do it! Thanks Mom :) What ways does your family use Coke to Cook {or make delicious desserts?}. Cooking with Coke offers some great ideas in case the only thing you’ve ever done is with Coke is drink it! 


This Coco-Cola Rice would be yummy with the Chicken Cutlets too! 


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Another one of my new favorite go to meals is the Pizza Calzone Bake I made the other night!


What’s your favorite family go-to meal?

The Fine Print: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Coca-Cola® blogging program. If I am one of the first 100 blogs received by SocialsMoms, I will receive a $25 gift card. For more information on the program,click here.

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I’m a bigger believer in the fact that it’s the little things that count. That doing something small can make a big difference even if it doesn’t seem like it will! It’s all about making little switches that make a difference and a lot of of the times these little switches will make a HUGE difference! 


As most of you know my life has been all about getting healthy, losing weight, and exercising. But sometimes the task of doing that is so overwhelming so I like to make little switches that when combined make a huge difference! Here are some of the switches I’ve made that have really made a difference! 


1. I switched to water as my beverage of choice. That’s it. I have water all day every day. Occasionally I’ll have soda but it’s rare and I look at it as more of a dessert or a treat than a drink! When I’m craving something sweet I get the powdered drink mixes that are no calories, sugar free and still super delicious! 


2. I park my car further away from the stores I go too and I use the stairs instead of the elevator. I know, I know that sounds so cliche. And it probably is but it does make a difference! Last weekend I went away with my Mom and she watched Mason while I went to the gym they had in the hotel. So I’m sitting there in front of the elevator waiting for it to come and it suddenly dawned on me. Why am I sitting here waiting for the elevator when I could easily take the stairs. So I did. I took them faster to get a little warmed up before my work out too. And I felt better. Taking extra steps every day makes a difference even if it doesn’t seem like it does! 


3. I double my normal servings of vegetables. Again this is an easy switch. Instead of one spoonful like I used to get pre-getting healthy now I take TWO spoonfuls. It automatically doubles my servings of vegetables. I also try to eat my veggies first so that if I get full I get the good stuff in first! 


4. This is along the same lines as drinking more water but whenever I sit down to eat especially at a restaurant were the food tends to be higher in calories no matter what you get I drink 1-2 glasses of water BEFORE I get my meal. That way I get full on water but I can still enjoy my meal. 


5. So you’re going out to eat and you drank a glass of water before you ate but what other little switch can you make? Get a to-go box at the beginning of your meal and divide your meal in half. Half to eat now and half to eat at home for lunch the next day. Not only is it a better portion size but it’s also more economical! 


What little switches in your life have you made lately that have made a big difference? It doesn’t have to be health related! :)  


The Fine Print: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Cottonelle blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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There are so many different ways that you can keep your family happy! Here are some of the ways I attempt to keep my family happy!


1. I make them breakfast in the morning. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so not only will they start the day of right but you’ll also get some family time in. Your family will be nice and full making them more focused on school/work and less cranky! No time to make a full out meal? Make sure they have fruit or granola bars they can grab on the go! 



2. We eat Dinner together, as a family. I’m a true believer that eating dinner together is key to keeping a family happy and connected. It enables families to get together enjoy some good food and good company. You can even have the family help cook dinner giving each child or the hubby a designated job! We’re really busy so one of our favorite things to do is utilize our slow cooker that way we spend more time eating and being together than cooking! 





3. I bake them yummy desserts that make them full of love and happiness all they can do is say “yumm SO good” and tell me how fabulous I am. Let them help too I’ve quickly discovered that kids of ALL ages loves to bake and it’s a great way to spend time with your family! 



So by now your family should be nice and plump! So besides food and eating meals together what are some other ways I keep my family happy? 


4. I encourage them and support them. It seems simple enough but it’s important. Let them know that you’re there for them both verbally and by your actions. Randomly tell them what they mean to you because even though you assume it’s implied they may forget sometimes! 


5. I find that when I’m happy my family is happy to. Families feed off of the energy around them. When one member is having a bad day the other members tend to have a bad day too so it’s important to stay happy yourself. So I try to make sure that I’m happy, I get in my me time as much as possible and I include Mase in doing things I love to do. Like turn on the music channels and dance around the house? I love to do that it makes me happy and it turns out Mase loves when I pick him up and spin him around with me! 


Happiness creates happiness… just saying :)  


What are some ways you keep your family happy?

The Fine Print: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Farm Rich blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
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I feel like every year Easter comes around faster and faster. I think it’s having a kid that makes time fly by! Just last year Mason looked like this: 





How little was he!?!? Now he’s walking and running around being a destructive little boy! 


When I was younger my favorite part about Easter was decorating the Easter eggs of course! My favorite part was getting the white crayon and creating all the secret messages, well secret until you dipped in the dye of course! And if you’re not using white vinegar to help dye your eggs you’re missing out on some seriously vibrant eggs. Just saying.  


My next favorite part was getting together with Family. We have a rather large family so it was always a long day filled with visiting family. We would start off finding our eggs at our house! The eggs were usually stuffed with candy or money! Then we would open up our Easter Baskets, the Easter bunny always got me some yummy things like my favorite Easter candies, Reese’s Peanut Butter eggs and Cadbury Caramel eggs. I’m drooling just thinking about it! Then we’d head to church of course! After that we would head to my Mom’s parents house were we would open up another Easter basket, filled with more goodies. Our last step would be my Dad’s side of the family were we would eat and do another Easter egg hunt. That one was always really fun because whoever found the golden egg would get 5 bucks. But in my 18+ years of doing the egg hunt I’ve NEVER found the golden egg :(


We’d get home at the end of the night stuffed with food and candy and exhausted from spending so much time with our crazy family ;)


Last year was so different, I didn’t participate in any type of egg hunt although I’ve switched to hiding them a long time ago but last year I was SHOPPING, stuffing Mason’s Easter Basket with goodies and telling him stories of the true reason behind Easter. And this year I fully expect to dye eggs with him, hide some plastic ones and help him find them in the morning! The next coming years are going to be so exciting teaching him about Easter, and watching him get so excited about the Easter Bunny visiting our house! I also wonder if he’ll like Reese’s Eggs and Cadbury Caramel Eggs like me or if he’ll love Robin’s Eggs and Jelly Beans like his Daddy! 


For now I just have to figure out what I’m stuffing Mason’s basket with. Candy for Mason B and I for sure. I’ll probably also getting him a couple of books because he LOVES to read. And I’ll probably get him a stuffed Bunny or some other equally cute Easter animal! I have a HUGE collection of stuffed bunnies thanks to Easter! 


What’s your favorite part of Easter? What are you stuffing the Easter Baskets with? Do you even do Easter Baskets?    

The Fine Print: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hop blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
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