The Perfect Snack For On The Go #Chocodate

Get ready to transport your senses! Chocodate started as a hidden treasure in Dubai and is now a globally recognized treat! This delicacy blends the flavors of an almond covered date covered in chocolate, taking your taste buds to the Arabian desert and the mountains of Switzerland and back again!


The 411:

I am in love with Chocodate. We were able to review Dark Chocolate and a variety pack. We are dark chocolate fans in this house.  

What we loved most was that they taste great. There are so many flavors involved here and different textures. First you bite through the chocolate coating hitting the soft sweet date before biting into the almond inside the date. It is a perfect taste combination. 

The size is the perfect bite size too. The fact that they are individually wrapped make them easy to stuff in your pocket or bag to take with you.

We love them! 

Dryel -No More Dry Cleaning For Us

Back in March I talked about Dryel and my husband's work shirts.  We have been using Dryel once a month on my husband's suits and every week on his shirts and pants. At first he was nervous about it and had some concerns.

Would the suits come out okay?
Would the seams start fraying?
Would it get the smell out of the arm pit area?
Would it get the stains out?
Could we actually save money by not going to the dry cleaner?

The answer to all  his questions was YES! Yes, it did and yes we do.  In fact we save more than we originally thought.

If you have not used Dryel yet I want to let you know a few things:

Go through all the pockets of your clothes before you put them in the bag.
Use the stain pen on any stains.
Spray your items with the odor, wrinkle release spray. I always spray the arm pits on the inside and outside of the shirt and jacket as well as the neck area. His cologne area. A little goes a long way so you don't need much.
Put the items in a bag. I do small loads. Either 2 suit jacks or 4 pairs of pants or 4 shirts at a time. I feel like the items smell better when they come out.
Place a Dryel Cloth in the bag
Zip the bag and place in the dryer on medium for 15-30 minutes.

As soon as I hear the buzzer of the dryer telling me it is done I remove the bag and hang up the clothes.

It is so easy and very reasonably priced.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary products for my honest opinion 

Celebrate America with Red, White, and Books!

The Fourth of July is less than a month away and Hatherleigh Press has two new books to help you celebrate the red, white, and blue

The 411:

My family is very American. I am the third generation born here and my husband is the first with his family being born in Spain. We are raising our children very American and loved being able to review these books with my kids. 

The Handbook For Americans is definitely a must for every bookcase in America.  As I read through it I was reminded of how proud I was of one of my bosses pre-children. He was becoming a citizen and I was so impressed with how much he knew of American History. Way more than I did at the time. This would have probably been in the gift basket we created for him when he received his citizenship.

Mickey and The Roadster Racers On Disney - Video and Review

Do you have a preschool in love with Mickey and The Roadsters Racers? Check out their website for more fun and games including printouts for helmets, license plates, juice wraps and more.

While my kids are older I try to stay on top of all things Disney. Working with 1-3 year olds all day you want to know what they watch and especially what they sing about at school. It gives you a glimpse into their world and allows you to get to know them. Knowing the songs they are singing from the shows the watch makes me so happy as it did when my own kids were little.

When my kids were little it was The Mickey Mouse Club House and now it is Mickey and the Roadster Racers which features (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, and Pluto).  These shows are 11 minutes long which 2 shows in the half hour block on the Disney Channel.  The show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Sound Editing in a preschool show.

Like most shows on Disney Mickey Mouse Roadster Racers has some cool looking merch featuring all the favorite characters.

This Gelli Mat and Storage Chair are pretty cool and my preschool class loves it. They love pointing to the characters and saying their names and I find them laying on it relaxing. I can't say I blame them because it is so comfortable. I almost kept it if I could have justified using it in my house. My daughter and I almost fell asleep while laying on it before I took it to work.

I love that it is really easy to clean with a wet paper towel and how vivid the colors are. It is perfect for babies over 1.5 years old. There are two sides to choose from. My class loved the character side.

The chair is so cute. It is easy to put together or collapse and the fact that it has storage space in the bottom makes me love it even more. It is the perfect place for us to keep our classroom books for a quiet reading corner.

I took the mat to work but will take the chair in September when we redo the room for our new incoming class. I cannot wait to see what they think about it.

Vlog of Goddess and I taking out the Mat and chair. We loved it.

Gratitiude Journaling - June 26, 2018

Spending the day swimming with my daughter at the spa. My kids are now 13 and 15 and I know that eventually these days will come to an end. The fact that my daughter wants to be with me and hangs on me the whole time we are together in the pool means a lot to me. I have pool dumbbells that I use trying to get some exercise which is difficult when someone is hanging on you but her wanting to be with me instead of on her phone is NOT lost on me.  I love every minute and sometimes the extra weight gives me a better workout anyway.

Walking on my deck brings me such happiness. I started a tiny planter garden three years ago. It was super small. Two years ago I added a few small things nothing major. Last year my husband showed interest and I purchased so many more plants this time with my daughter. This year my husband ran with the gardening thing. He started seeds in late February on my dining room table, eventually moving them outside to a makeshift greenhouse. The deck is now full of plants. Flowers and veggies. I cannot wait to see more veggies growing. It is so exciting to see how interested he is in gardening.

Morning calls with one of my dear friends. I love Teresa. She is my daughter's God mother and we were each other's Maid of Honors. We loved together for years and talking to her is probably one of my favorite things. There is such history there that we know everything about each other. We don't get to chat as much as we used to with marathon calls when the kids were small. Probably 3-4 hours a day but in the Summer when she is driving to work and I am not working we can chat like old times. It is one of my favorite things about summer.

My Faith! I am grateful that my family started me on religion. We went to church. We went to Sunday school and while I don't recall us praying I have faith. I have not taken my kids to Sunday School. Don't judge! I wanted them to decide for themselves but we pray. Praying has got me through so many dark times in my life. I love my personal relationship with God and seek his guidance when I need to.

I am grateful to whomever is reading this. You are special. I write for myself and the books I print out based on my blog but it is nice to know someone may be reading this. Bless you.

Gratitude Journaling - 5 Things I Am Grateful For Today 6/25/18

 

I am off for the summer but I stopped by to see my preschool class today. Some of moved up but the ones who were still there were excited to see me. I love hearing Hi Miss Maria. One of my students parents gave me the cutest gift to say good-bye. In a pink gift bag there was an adorable photo of her and a card oh and a Target gift card. I love my students but some I have actual love as if they were my own. It is the best job for my heart and I love that I get to hold and love little ones all day.

Making plans with a friend who I don't get to see much while school is in session. I am so excited to hang out with her and her daughter on Thursday. Friends are so important in life.

Being able to spend the Summer with my kids. I am very fortunate. My job is perfect for this reason. They don't need as much staff during the Summer and while it will be tight my years with my kids are coming to an end. They are getting older and eventually boyfriends, girlfriends, jobs and college will get in the way.

Having time this morning to head to the gym. I was there for 45 minutes and did spin, row, arms and legs. I cannot wait to go back. Hopefully I can get 3-4 mornings a week in now that summer is here.

The glorious weather we had today. It was truly incredible. I loved turning off the central air and opening the windows for the fresh breeze to come through today. It was a perfect day.

My Life In Pictures June 16, 2018 - June 23, 2018

June 16, 2018 - I didn't take any pictures of us staining the deck and really wish I did. We worked 10 hours on the 16th and 6 on the 17th. It was nice because we did it as a family. It was hot, we raced the sun, I got bit by bugs, my back hurt but I would do it all again to spend time with my husband and the kids doing something we can all be proud of.

June 17, 2018 - Tired, hot and in pain but staining the deck with so worth it.

June 18, 2018 - The house looks amazing so far. Still so much to do but the paint job is incredible and the deck and chimney looks amazing. I cannot believe I was living in that yellow house for 20 years and wasn't embarrassed.

June 19, 2018 - Our pretty pansies are so cute.  We took this shot because of the little bug inside it.

June 20, 2018 - Time for a graduation haircut. He has come so far since we first started coming to the barber. He is like a man sitting in the chair telling the barber what he wants without input from me.

June 21, 2018 - We are so proud of this boy. He has come so very far, is one of the best people I know and made a lot of friends over the past few years. He received a surprise award from the Chamber of Commerce for all the volunteer work he does at the shelter. I was overcome with how surprised he was and it took everything to keep it together. He spent the night with his peers dancing at a party that ended at midnight. It was the strangest thing to leave the house at 11 PM to go pick up my baby boy at a party ending at midnight. Thankfully the chaperones sent me many pictures and videos of him having the best time. I don't think anyone had as good a time as he did. 

June 22, 2018 - The last day of school. My son and the teacher's aid that was with him for the past 3 years. We are lucky to have her.

June 23, 2018 - When the sky looks this beautiful, you have to take a picture or 10.