A Heart Full of Love - The Adventures and Joys of Raising 4 Kids with crafts, recipes, and giveaways thrown in.A Heart Full of Love | The Adventures and Joys of Raising 4 Kids with crafts, recipes, and giveaways thrown in.

An EPIC Movie The Whole Family Can Enjoy

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Jen

These days it can be hard to find a movie that you can take the whole family to see, especially when your kids vary in age as much as mine do. Movies we go see as a family have to be appropriate for my 8 year old and yet entertaining enough to hold my teenagers’ interest. So I was excited to learn that a new family-friendly movie has just hit theaters. Although I haven’t seen it yet, EPIC looks to be something my whole family would enjoy. A little bit about the movie: From the creators of ICE AGE and RIO, EPIC tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band … Continue reading →

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Why is it necessary to have parental control on Video Games, anyway?

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Jen

One may wonder why there are so many parental controls on video game consoles these days, especially if you are not a parent yourself. One might also wonder why there are separate parental controls within the games themselves. There are actually many reasons a game or console manufacturer might want to insert these controls into a game or console. The most obvious is to increase sales. Any parent who thinks it is too bloody of a game might turn away, but if they knew that the gore could be turned down, it might be ok. Furthermore, in game parental controls allow the game to grow with the child. When the child is 10, you as a parent do not under any circumstance want the child to hear any kind of swear words whatsoever. At 14, however, he has most likely heard plenty of swear words as some of these words … Continue reading →

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Beyond the Theme Parks – So Much to See and Do in Florida!

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Jen

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of VISIT FLORIDA. All opinions are 100% mine. For Spring Break this year, we traveled to Florida to see my son perform in Orlando with his high school marching band. While we enjoyed spending a few days in the theme parks, I have to admit that my favorite part of the trip was seeing some of the natural beauty that Florida has to offer. We spent two days in St. Augustine, lazing about at the beach and seeing the sights. My two youngest had never seen the ocean before and it was so much fun to watch them frolic in the waves and hunt for seashells. We even spotted some dolphins! It was completely relaxing and the scenery was breathtaking. When most people think of Florida, they think of the theme parks in Orlando. However, there is so much more … Continue reading →

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Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding Pops

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Jen

With my kids soon to be out of school for the summer, my thoughts have turned to summertime fun. It’s that time of the year again when I pull out the ice pop molds and put them to good use churning out homemade popsicles. So today I thought I would share one of my favorite summertime treats to make for my kids – Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding Pops. My kids love Fudgesicles, but I don’t like some of the ingredients in the commercial varieties – such as high fructose corn syrup, non-fat dry milk powder, and all the unnecessary additives. Since I try to avoid dairy most of the time, I also wanted a recipe that is dairy free so I could have some too. This Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding Pops recipe was adapted from a vegan peanut butter chocolate pudding recipe. You might be surprised to discover that the main … Continue reading →

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Blog Giveaway Roundup – May 24, 2013

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Jen

We found a house and our offer was accepted! I am so excited to be moving into a different house. So for the next 4 weeks, I am going to be busy, busy, busy packing. So how was your week? Do you have any big plans for the Memorial Day Weekend? My kids are excited that they only have a week of school left. Anyway, it’s Friday again and that means it’s time for our weekly blog giveaway linky. If you love to enter giveaways, be sure to browse the selection below. Or if you host giveaways, feel free to post yours to the linky list. We put a new linky up every Friday morning. If you are using Rafflecopter for your giveaways, be sure to also add your giveaway to the Friday Rafflecopter giveaway linky over at Blog Giveaway Directory as well. Good luck! If you’ve had any blog … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Giveaway Roundup | Tagged blog giveaway linky | 3 Comments

Quick and Simple Fresh Pesto Recipe

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Jen

Now that the weather has finally warmed up and is staying warm, my basil plants are flourishing. That means it’s time to pull out my favorite fresh pesto recipe. I love to use it on pizza, as a sauce for pasta, and on sandwiches. It is quick and easy to make using a food processor. Traditional pesto originated in Italy and was originally made with a mortar and pestle. The basil leaves were pounded to make a paste. Fortunately for us, making pesto is much easier these days. With a food processor, you can whip up a batch in just minutes. While traditional pesto recipes call for pine nuts, I use walnuts. They are less expensive than pine nuts and I don’t notice much of a difference in the taste. Fresh Pesto Recipe Ingredients 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves 2 cloves of garlic 1/4 cup walnuts 1/4 cup grated … Continue reading →

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A Little Taste of Hawaii Comes to Arby’s!

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Jen

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Arby’s for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. Arby's has always held a special place in my heart. My very first ever job as a teenager was at Arby's and I worked there all through high school. Those days are long past, but I still love their food. Their beef is slow roasted, which is a refreshing change from most fast food restaurants. I love how Arby's is always coming up with new twists on old favorites. It is my pleasure to get to tell you about the new additions to their menu - Arby's KING’S HAWAIIAN Roast Beef Sandwiches. For a limited time, Arby's is featuring two new scrumptious sandwiches that are made with KING’S HAWAIIAN buns. Are you familiar with KING’S HAWAIIAN products? They are yummy breads and rolls that have just a hint of sweetness to … Continue reading →

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Moving Checklist Planner App – Make Your Life a Little Bit Easier!

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Jen

After 9 years in a rental house, we are finally going to be moving into our own home. This makes our 5th move in 20 years of marriage. Over the past 20 years, we have accumulated a lot of stuff! So I have been busy scouring the internet looking for a moving checklist planner to make our life a little easier. As long as the home inspection goes ok later this week, we are looking at a late June or early July closing. I am slightly panicked as that’s not very much time to get everything organized and packed, especially when we only have a couple of hours a day to work on it. So when I discovered there is a moving checklist planner app for our Droid phone, I was a bit relieved. The Moving Planner Checklist App is only 99 cents, but I already know it is going … Continue reading →

Posted in House Moving Tips | Tagged Moving, Smartphone Apps | Leave a comment

Private Selection Upside Down Cakes – Gourmet Taste Without All the Work

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Jen

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Private Selection. All opinions are 100% mine. Sometimes at the end of a long day, you just need a bit of something sweet. I love to serve my family a homemade dessert after dinner, but as a busy work at home mom, I usually don’t have the time to go into anything elaborate. So I rely a lot on quick desserts – a slice of watermelon, a scoop of ice cream, a small bowl of chocolate pudding, or a slice of Private Selection Upside Down Cake. Normally I don’t go to a huge fuss for dessert during the week, but Private selection makes it easy to indulge anytime with their wonderful selection of Upside Down Cakes. They truly couldn’t get any easier. Just warm, flip, and serve! The Upside Down Cakes come in three yummy varieties to tempt … Continue reading →

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New Soft Scrub 4 in 1 Toilet Care

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Jen

Disclosure: I received a sample of new Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Toilet Care to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions stated are my own. Today I want to talk toilet cleaners. I know, I know – not the most glamorous of topics. Because lets face it, I don’t know any other mom out there who will admit that they enjoy cleaning the toilet. But it has to be done, doesn’t it? So I am always on the lookout for products that will make that job a little easier. I recently got to try new Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Toilet Care. It’s a hanging cleaner with a twist. You may have used those cleaners before that hang in your tank and turn your water blue. Those products, in my experience, are great at discouraging stains from forming but aren’t really meant to actively clean. What’s great about Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Toilet Care … Continue reading →

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