Stuffed Peppers Casserole Recipe

This stuffed peppers casserole recipe was a super happy accident, friends. All of my kids absolutely love green peppers, which is pretty amazing considering how picky they all are with their food choices. They also have an affinity for traditional stuffed peppers. Each time I would make them though, they would complain about how hard they were to eat. Hard to cut, hard to contain once they did managed to cut them etc. So I stopped making them for a while. After a friend gifted us with a ton of green peppers from their garden last week, I decided to try my hand at a fun new twist on stuffed peppers; a casserole that combines all of the ingredients of traditional stuffed peppers in a one-dish meal. The results were a big hit! All of the kids cleared their plates and asked for more, which is a complement in itself, coming from my group picky eaters. Give it a whirl for dinner this week and I'm sure you'll like it just as much as my crew - it's delicious and so SO easy to put together!

Grab my recipe for stuffed peppers casserole, below. 

The Best NYC Teen Birthday Party Ideas

This is a sponsored guest post by Party Bus NYC

Planning a birthday party seems like something that should get easier as your child gets older, but unfortunately that's rarely the case! When kids are as young as toddlers, it's easy to pick an activity that can entertain the entire crowd. When they start reaching the tween and adolescent age, it becomes quite apparent that you're not up to date on all of the latest trends and interests of the cool crowd. This can make it a lot harder to plan a celebration that everybody can enjoy, however, it's definitely not an impossible task.

Read on for more on how to plan the perfect party for your teen, in NYC.

Taste-Safe Banana Pudding Minions Play Dough Recipe - Just Two Simple Ingredients + It Smells AMAZING!

This taste-safe banana pudding Minions play dough recipe smells AMAZING. My two little ones absolutely adore playing and creating with it, and the DIY Minions storage containers only add to the fun! It only requires two simple ingredients, and for those of you who have curious toddlers - it's completely taste-test safe.

Hi friends, how have you been? The summer seems to have gone by in a blink! As we wind down, and get ready for a new school year, I'm reaching into my bag of tricks to keep everyone busy and occupied during these last few lazy days. We hit the movie theater with the kids a few times this summer. While we loved all 3 movies that we saw this summer, I think it's safe to say that my kids all went completely crazy for Despicable Me 3! OK,truth? I kinda did too. We all completely agree that it was the very best movie in the Despicable Me movie trilogy! In celebration of our favorite summer movie, I put together this simple Taste-Safe Banana Pudding Minions Play Dough Recipe (because what do Minions love more than bananas?!)

Make your own Taste-Safe Banana Pudding Minions Play Dough with my recipe, below.

The Best Coding Programs For Kids + Special Discount Code!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Generation Code. All opinions are 100% mine.

Coding. It's the way of the future, friends. Whether you're a tech aficionado or a novice, knowing how to program and navigate code is becoming all-the-more necessary these days; especially for our children. With all of the advancements in the tech world, job requirements are rapidly changing. Teaching your kids to code NOW, will definitely help them gain an upper hand in school, and in years to come in the job marketplace.

Coding is something that my oldest son really enjoys. He was introduced to Scratch in school, and he ran with it! It's become a bit more than a hobby at this point; he absolutely loves to code! Every child should start with Scratch (an MIT based online coding program that is FREE for kids). This program allows children to navigate simple coding concepts in a fun relatable way through animation and design. As children get a little older, teaching more advanced concepts in web development using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, will be made easier when they've gleaned some of the fundamental basics with Scratch.

Generation Code is paving the way for kids that have an interest in computer coding and robotics, with their summer camps and year-round kids classes/programs. So, if you're in the NYC area (or in another select area of the country where they offer camps and classes ), you should definitely consider sending your kids for a week (or more!) this summer.

Read on for our exclusive 40% off discount code off 2017 NYC based Generation Code Summer Camp sessions, and more!

Top Family Friendly Spots To Stay, Play, and Dine In Daytona Beach, Florida

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of DaytonaBeach.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

This photo was taken almost 12 years ago. It's pretty surreal that it's been that long, friends! This is my oldest son, romping on the beautiful beach in Daytona, during his very first family vacation. I will never forget this vacation. It was low key, laid back, and lovely. Just lovely.  We slept late, played in the sand, dipped our toes in the beautiful ocean, and splashed in the pool. All day long, for 4 days straight. There was no pressure to navigate jam packed theme parks and attractions. Though when we did choose to venture out from our ocean front resort, there was an abundance of family friendly attractions to explore all around us.  This trip will forever stand out in my mind as fun and relaxation, in it's purest form.

This year, we're heading back to Daytona Beach, to recreate some of that magic and fun that we experienced all of those years ago, on our very first family vacation. Sure, our family may have changed and expanded over the years; we are a family of 6 now. But my friends, Daytona is still Daytona, and we can't wait!

Does a low key, laid back family vacation sound heavenly to you right about now? Check out our carefully curated list of  family friendly spots to stay, play and explore in Daytona Beach, below.

10 Months Strong #SisterhoodUnite

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Similac . All opinions are 100% mine.

This little cutie is 10 months old! Seriously, where does the time go, friends? 

Her pleasant easy going demeanor, gives way to giant belly laughs and frequent squeals of joy as she experience's all of the new things around her, each day. She alo babbles at us in length, complete with animated hand gestures (just liker her mama!)  At thi point, I think it's safe to say that she has each one of us securely wrapped around her pretty little finger; she knows it too!

Read on for the full article.

DIY Non-Toxic Essential Oil Wax Tarts For Your Wax Warmer

There are so many ways to diffuse and use essential oils, everyday. These DIY Non-Toxic Essential Oil Wax Tarts are perfect for diffusing essential oils around your home. They are also a fairly frugal way of making your own wax tarts for your wax warmer. I made 50 wax tarts using a variety of my favorite essential oils and blends, for under $5. That's a steal! My favorite part? I know exactly what's in them.  I can't say the same for many of the overpriced wax tarts available today. 

These DIY Essential Oil Wax tarts come together quickly with just a few simple ingredients, and they store well in air tight containers or mason jars. They also make great homemade gifts. Simply tie a bow around a pretty mason jar filled with your DIY Essential Oil Wax Tarts, add a note card or a gift tag, and they are gift-ready!

Read on for the simple supply list and tutorial, on how to make your very own DIY Non-Toxic Essential Oil Wax Tarts.

Soda Pop Slime - DIY Taste-Safe Recipe - NO Borax,Glue, Liquid Starch, or Contact Lens Solution!

This Soda Pop Slime recipe is a super simple DIY activity for kids! This recipe is also safe and taste-safe and only requires two super simple ingredients. NO BORAX. NO GLUE. NO CONTACT LENS SOLUTION. NO LIQUID STARCH {or any other crazy chemical ingredients}. As an added bonus, it also smells amazing! My kids absolutely LOVED making this safe DIY Soda Pop Slime recipe.

Hi friends, has the DIY Slime making craze hit your house yet? Chances are if you have a tween in the house,  you know all about the DIY Slime making frenzy! My daughter asked me a few times if we could buy the ingredients to make  DIY Slime, and I just hadn't gotten around to it. Then, on the weekend I noticed that 3 of the stores that I went into actually had Slime Making Supply Centers set up, in-store. One retailer actually had printed free supply lists and instructions that you could grab alongside all of the suggested supplies. 

One of the ingredients that I kept seeing over and over again, was Borax. I just couldn't wrap my head around using it to make something that would undoubtedly wind up touching the common surfaces in our home though.  My first thought was about my younger children. What if they touched it, then touched their mouths or eyes? Then I caught an article on the Parents Magazine website that totally justified my concerns. Some kids have gotten chemical burns from using Borax to make DIY Slime. But it doesn't stop there! There have also been reports of children seeking emergency medical attention for respiratory distress, seizures and a long list of other medical issues after mixing/handling their DIY Slime.  CRAZY! After reading the article, I immediately decided against making the traditional DIY slime recipes. 

My kids still wanted to try their hand at DIY Slime making though, so I set out to make a recipe that was chemical-free, simple and taste-safe {just in case my toddler gets curious}. This super simple recipe only requires 2 ingredients, and it comes together fairly quickly too.

Grab my simple supply list and instructions below, to make your own taste-safe Soda Pop Slime!