Currently Jen

My daughter's plate (mine had more eggs and no toast) Mother's Day in a pandemic is about the same as it was pre-pandemic....and I wouldn't have it any other way. From waking up and enjoying the first cup of coffee from the comfort of my bed, to hearing the kids making me a yummy breakfast, some traditions were just not meant to be broken or altered!  We had our super amazing breakfast, then hubby went to bed (he had just come off a night shift and had to be back at work later that evening), and I had some quiet time which is always a bonus in my books.  I can't say I did anything exciting during my time alone, but sometimes making a homemade detox tea and watching some HGTV are all I need to relax and unwind. What's in my detox tea you ask? Well usually it's just some hot water, fresh lemon juice, a chunk of fresh ginger, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper OR a small dollop honey. But this time I nixed the cayenne and honey, and added a mint leaf. It didn't t

I remember back in the day, like we're talking 1991, when fluorescent pink and green scrunchies were soooo cool. Then one day they became uncool, and my pre-teenage self took a vow to never be caught dead wearing another scrunchie ever again for as long as I lived. But like all things and fads in life, trends get recycled and updated with a bit of a modern twist. And since I'm the kind of mom who sports leggings and a messy bun almost daily, I definitely feel like it's time to amp up my bun game. I haven't bought any of these yet (not have I been paid to promote them - in fact these sellers have no clue who I am) but I've had my eye on them for awhile....maybe I'll treat myself, it is Mother's Day tomorrow after all right? Knot Your Average Scrunchie is an Ancaster, Ontario (Canada) based shop. The grand-daughter and grandmother duo create high quality scrunchies out of the most fabulous fabrics. This oversized cheetah satin is my fave! AND it's under $1

Last night I did something.  I succumbed to my sanity and tried self tanner.  Some would ask "Why?" and all I can tell you is, I blame YouTube and beauty influencers with long tanned legs. You see, it started with tan lines on my stomach. Since having kids my stomach hasn't seen the light of day, and it legit startles me every time I take a shower and have to face myself in the mirror. I figured a self tanner would help solve that problem and I set out for product reviews, DIY strategies, and tips and tricks. Which then led me to YouTube. Which then led me to Instagram. Which then led me to hashtags. Which then led me to realize Jergens is still around and hey, a newish (to me at least) product: foam! I could have gone for the gradual self tan lotion that Jergens is so famous for, but no, I went straight for the big guns. If you're gonna do something, you have to be all in. No "gradual tan" BS I told myself. So a few nights ago, I tested the self tanner on m

I'm always on the lookout for new and easy family friendly recipes and I really hit the jackpot when I bought copies of The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook and Skinnytaste One & Done....you can check them out on her website here (no I'm not an affiliate, calm down). I've tried a few things from the air fryer book, but hadn't really dug in to the other one so last night I tried her "Lemon Chicken and Brown Rice Pilaf" recipe. OMG. It was so tasty. This one was made in a skillet on the stove and the ingredients were all things I (mostly) had at home.  I say mostly because I had to substitute a few items. I left out the vermicelli, swapped peas for chopped carrots, and didn't have brown rice so I used white parboiled rice, and lastly, no fresh garlic so I used garlic powder and hoped for the best. Sometimes swapping out ingredients can really kill the whole vibe of the recipe, but in this case, I found it worked and I didn't feel like it was missing an

This past weekend was COLD. And it snowed. A LOT. I shared my Friday night adventures with you already ( read about it here ). So I won't get into it but here's a much better, natural light selfie of me wearing one of my new soft and comfy Costco sweater finds....which was PERFECT for Valentine's Day don't ya think? Sweater from Costco , lipstick by L'oreal   Between Friday and Sunday my kids basically lived in the snow. I believe it was on Saturday morning when they decided to clear the snow off the trampoline. Except instead of snow it was really thick ice. They were very impressed and tried to save it...I won't even ask what the heck they're learning in school (facepalm). Then they decided to try to make a skating rink on our back patio. Sounds like a great idea in theory, but, our patio is sloped and I knew it wasn't going to work. HOWEVER they were working so well together I didn't have the heart to tell them their dreams of a backyard skating r

Did I mention I'm not really a selfie taking pro yet?  When I was a kid, I used to HATE getting dragged to Costco. No idea why. I just hated going. I was also ultra mortified if my parents even THOUGHT about buying my clothes there. Sooo uncool mom. So uncool.  Now, fast forward like 100 years later, I'm OBSESSED with Costco. I follow every "Costco Find" Instagram account and am like a top commenter/over sharer in my local Costco finds Facebook group. Last Friday night, I was psyched. My hubby took the kids tobogganing and I, decked out with a mask and hand sanitizer went to Costco to pick up groceries for the week. I prewarned my husband not to look at any online banking or credit card statements later that night. I was a mom on the loose. We are under strict COVID-19 lockdown measures and I hadn't left the house in weeks. My mission was simple. I was going to spend as much time looking at every single item in that store...even if it killed me. And even if I didn