Posts Tagged ‘JR’
Painting
I decided to take a break from the ever demanding world of kids belts to focus on our house. You know, that thing we live in, eat in, sleep in, shower in, rest in, etc… If you are like me, you take it for granted. “Oh, we have a roof over our head, that’s all we need.” In the mean time, the walls have little finger print smudges, stray crayon marks and what appears to be traces of splattered drinks from days long past.
I really got to looking at our walls the other day and I thought, “gross! How did I not notice this before?” So, I did what anyone would do. I immediately went out and got numerous paint samples to test out. That’s right, I went around my house painting little swatches to see what would work. Now, I know what you are thinking, “That’s smart, that way she’s not stuck with a hideous color.” While that’s true, the hubby didn’t appreciate me painting several swatches of the same color all over the living room and bedroom so that I could see how the color looked in different lighting.
I would like to say that it looked similar to this…
Realistically, it was probably more like this…
Ok, maybe not my best idea, but I did find the color I love for the bedroom and I even got it all painted while hubby was away so he came home to a freshly painted room! I love how clean and crisp the room looks. Painting really is the cheapest way to redecorate a room. It took maybe $40 in paint and our room looks completely different. The best part? Hubby loved it, too, and he REALLY loved that he didn’t have to do it!
Now on to the living room. I still have about 25 colors to narrow down… where did I put that paint brush???
Blessings,
Dapper Snappers Reviewed By MamaBreak
Dapper Snapper Review (as reviewed by MamaBreak)
Dapper Snappers are the perfect solution for your kids’ baggy pants. I was introduced to Dapper Snappers kids belts on Baby Steals about 4-5 years ago, and just love them! They come in a variety of colors and are super easy to use! We have had some of our Dapper Snappers for 2 years and they work as good as the first day we purchased them!
Watch below for our demonstration of how easy they are to use!
You can purchase them at: http://dappersnappers.com/
Thanks, MamaBreak!!
Blessings,
Soy Butter Basil Baked Chicken Wings
Baked, yes, not fried chicken wings. Why not make such a potentially unhealthy meal, a little healthier?? My wonderful kids belts assistant, Jen, shared this recipe (her original recipe) on her personal blog and she said I could share it here. I tried them and let me tell you, they are amazing.
My family loves wings, but all that fried food is too much so I thought I’d try this recipe. The wings still come out crispy and a lot of the fat boils off (yes, boils, I’ll explain in a minute). What’s really great about this recipe is the preparation. Even if you don’t like the soy butter basil (but why wouldn’t you?) you can sauce them however you like. If you have a traditional hot sauce you like, great! Use that. Teriyaki more your cup of tea, then use that. This preparation can be very versatile.
SBB Wings
20 wings (give or take)
1 Stick of Melted Butter (or the equivalent in margarine)
3 Cloves of minced Garlic
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Basil (or the equivalent in the squeeze basil that you get in the produce section)
Soy sauce to taste
Salt & Pepper
Preheat the oven to 375. In a large pot, fill half way with water and salt to taste. Add the wings and bring them to a boil. Boil them until they are almost done. While those are cooking, mix the rest of the ingredients together (minus the salt). Keep tasting until you get the soy to mixture ratio to your liking. When the wings are almost done, but still a little pink, pull them out of the water and add them to the marinade. Mix it up until all the wings are coated. let sit for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place the wings on a lined baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and brush with extra marinade. Bake until the wings brown and the skin crisps. Turn halfway through.
I love the soy, butter and basil combination. They just compliment each other so well. You have to try these. Let me know what you think!
Blessings,
Huggies Mom Inspired
We have plans and ideas, big plans and ideas. We have goals, big goals! What hinders our ideas, plans and goals?? Money, of course! So, this year we have decided to take a run at the Huggies Mom Inspired Grant Program with our kids belts. Have you heard of it? Here’s how their site explains it.
“The Huggies® MomInspired™ Grant Program is awarding up to $15,000 to further the development of innovative products inspired by the joys of motherhood. At Huggies® we recognize that there is a dynamic and talented community of moms who strive to make life as a parent easier and more enjoyable every day. It’s what we strive for too. That’s why we want to inspire moms from all walks of life to channel some of their best moments of ingenuity into products that help improve the lives of all moms.”
This is an amazing program for Huggies to offer. This is great advertising for smaller companies like ours. Plus, we would love to align ourselves with a big name like “Huggies”. I mean, really, doesn’t it just make sense? Dapper Snappers are perfect “fit” for toddlers with diapers. (ha ha, you like that?)
On top of that, the money would be nice. I know that we would only get a portion of the $15,000 that they are giving away, but we could put it to such good use. We could go to more trade shows to help up get in front of some of the bigger box stores. We could use it to help us revamp our packaging. So many idea, I have!
So, wish us luck, and pray that I get over my writers block so I can finish filling out the application. Why is it so hard to sing your own praises?? “What is something that you like to do? What is unique to you?” Uhhh…. I’m pretty good at killing house plants… Somehow I don’t think that’s what they are looking for, though.
Blessings,
Quoth the Raven…
Ah, that Lincoln, such a visionary… He knew even back then that we would have trouble differentiating actual quotes with made up ones on the internet. Plus, he knew we would have the internet, and he was a vampire slayer and something about being a president and abolishing slavery… What a man!
Anyway, as I was taking a break from designing new packaging for our kids belts, I saw that picture on my favorite website, Pinterest, and I laughed. Then I started really paying attention to the quotes and realized, that’s so true. How do we know that Marilyn Monroe said “Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.” While I like that quote, I generally won’t repin quotes who give credit to who said it, just because I don’t know if it’s true. And lets face it, I don’t want to look like an idiot. 
If you judge Benjamin Franklin by the things he is quoted with saying on Pinterest, you would think he may have had a problem.
Like this quote, I really like it, but I don’t know if he said it. So if I repin it do I look silly if he, in fact, didn’t say it?
Am I the only one concerned with this? Does it really matter or will someone just look at this quote and think “That’s nice”. I’m over-thinking, I know. It’s what I do and because of that, you will rarely, if ever, see me pin a quote that actually lists a name on it.
Hows that for our “Random” blog topic??
Blessings,
Dapper Snapper Review by Simply Sherryl
Here’s a blog review from Simply Sherryl raving about Dapper Snappers kids belts!
Dapper Snapper Review
I was excited when I received a Dapper Snapper to review. My grandson is a tank. He suffers from “toddler belly”. That is when your shirt rides up and your pants ride down, leaving the belly exposed! His parents can fix the shirt by just putting on a larger size, but the pants, well… larger just means larger! They still don’t fit but now the problem is that they are just too big and fall off. This is where Dapper Snapper comes to the rescue.
I love that Dapper Snappers are adjustable and since they are placed in the back, they do not interfere with a child dressing themselves, potty training or diapering. Once in place, the child will likely forget they even have it on.
What is so nice about this product, is whether your child is skinny and their pants are the right length but too big in the waist or have a more solid child and need the extra in the waist, Dapper Snapper belts will be a lifesaver!
Dapper Snapper toddler belt is not like any other belt, it is actually a sturdy piece of elastic with snaps on it.
Dapper Snappers are not just for toddlers! They come in a wide variety of colors and sizes – from toddlers to adults – they even have belts that will allow you to stay in your regular clothes longer when expecting.
To use a Dapper Snapper, simply slip each end of the belt through a couple of belt loops on any pair of pants. Fold back over the loop and snap long the line making the waist as snug as needed.
If your child like pants without belt loops, Dapper Snappers Clips will attach to the belts and you can still have the fit needed.
Dapper Snappers are available in Toddler Belts, Kids Belts, Boys Belts, Girls Belts, Clips for pants without loops, and even for men and women. This is truly a product that works for just about everyone!
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Thanks for the great review!! We love hearing what fans have to say!
Blessings,
3 Easy Healthy Recipes
When I actually have time to plan it out and think about it, I really do like to cook. The problem is, most days I am rushed to get something on the plate (or *gulp* we eat out) before we fly out the door to either Bug’s or Super Dude’s practices or games. That means that I fall into a food rut. I end up cooking the same dishes over and over again, but now I am vowing to change. As I sit here in my kids belts office, I vow to prepare and cook at least one new (healthier) dish a week. I don’t think that’s too unreasonable.
So, where do I go to find healthy recipes? Why, Pinterest, of course! So here are 3 recipes I came across to start out with. I thought I’d share them with you as well!
1. Chicken Tacos
Makes:1 serving (just multiply to your needs)
Ingredients
3 oz grilled skinless chicken breast (seasoned with chili powder, garlic salt and cumin)
Two 6” corn tortillas
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 rice, brown or Spanish
1/4 cup avocado, cubed
Extra virgin olive oil cooking spray
Shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa
Preparation
Use extra virgin olive oil cooking spray to grill chicken. Wrap grilled chicken breast into warm tortilla stuffed with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado and salsa. Enjoy with black beans and rice on the side. *Can swap chicken for shrimp or fish.
Nutrition facts:377 calories, 28 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fat
Broccoli with Fusilli and Red Pepper (courtesy culinary.net/)
2. Broccoli with Fusilli and Red Pepper
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of broccoli florets
- 3 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/2 pound fusilli pasta
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into long thin strips
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 lemon zest
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
Preparation
- Cook broccoli for 3 minutes in a large pot of boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt. Remove from water with slotted spoon. Place in large bowl and set aside.
- In same water, cook pasta according to package directions, about 10 minutes. Drain well and add to broccoli.
- While pasta is cooking, in small sauté pan, heat oil and cook sliced red pepper, garlic and lemon zest over medium-low heat for 3 minutes.
- Off heat, add 2 teaspoons salt, red pepper flakes, pepper and lemon juice. Mix and pour this over broccoli and pasta. Toss well.
- Season to taste, sprinkle with cheese (if using), and serve.
- For added protein, shred 1/2 of a cooked store-bought roasted chicken, then toss with pasta and serve.
Cheezy Loaded Potato Broccoli Soup (courtesy kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/)
3. Cheezy Loaded Potato Broccoli Soup
vegan, makes about 5 large bowls
2 large russet potatoes, peeled/roughly chopped
4-5 cups broccoli (mostly florets)
1 cup almond or soy milk unsweetened/plain
1 cup+ vegetable broth
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup+ nutritional yeast (a must for the ‘cheezy’ flavor)
fresh black pepper to taste
toppings:
1 red onion, chopped
1 small tomato, diced
Directions:
1. Boil a large pot of water + a few pinches of salt. enough water to cover the potatoes and broccoli.
2. Prep your veggies. Toss your potato into the boiling water. Cover.
3. After about 5 minutes, add in the broccoli and continue boiling until veggies are tender. Remove from heat. Drain water.
4. Saute the chopped onion until it caramelizes – add some salt and pepper and optional spices to enhance the flavor. Toss in the tomato. Add the Daiya cheese over top to melt. Turn off heat. (Saute in oil if desired – I just used a splash of water to keep oil free.)
5. Add the potato, broccoli, non-dairy milk, veggie broth and nutritional yeast to a blender, like a Vitamix. (Immersion blenders also work.) Blend from low to high until smooth. Blend with extreme caution since contents will be quite hot.
6. Add a few scoops of sauteed onion to the blender and blend. Do a taste test and add in the spices, optional flavor enhancers and salt to taste. Add in more liquid for a creamier or thinner texture.
7. You can serve warm from the blender or simmer in a pot on the stove until ready to serve. To serve, add tomato, onions, melted vegan cheese, tempeh bacon bits and whatever else you’d like to “load” your soup with. Serve with some crusty bread or sprouted grain toast. Vegenaise on toast is a nice accent too. Store covered in the fridge and eat within a few days.
Hopefully, I can get the kiddos to eat these as well. Let me know what you think! I’ll try to give you my reviews of these as well!
Blessings.,
Blog Reviewers Do’s & Don’ts
I love Bloggers who do reviews. I am a firm believer in the power that comes from their voices. We have done several blog review campaigns for our Dapper Snappers kids belts and I would say that I have loved about 96% of them. Some have fallen short which prompted me to write a blog about how to write a successful blog review. Generally, we only do a blog review as a campaign, and not individual random blogs. However, if a blogger takes the time to research our product and contacts us and if the blog has good traffic, then it makes sense for us.
So, as a manufacturer of a product, I thought I would put together a list of do’s and don’ts for Bloggers who are contacting companies for a review:
- DON’T use a canned email. Be personal and at the very least, mention the name of the product. For sure don’t include a line that says, “I would love to promote your company and/or product”. Really? Please be specific.
- DO include your website with a link somewhere in your email. I know that one sounds like a no brainer, but we have had some who haven’t.
- DO proofread your email. Ok, I know I am no literary scholar (is that an actual thing?) and I have typos in my blogs, but when you are pitching a company, just take the extra two minutes to make sure your email reads well and makes sense. Here is an example of a sentence that needs some work, “I am growing my blog as much as possible with followers, so with that being said I would love to review one of your products of choice or something that you had in mind vise versa.”
- DO a mini review when pitching the company. Explain why you feel the product is a good fit for your blog. “I have a tall skinny 3 year old who needs a belt, but I’m afraid that it will get in the way of potty training, so I would love to see if Dapper Snappers is the answer I’m looking for to solve this problem.” Show the company that you know about their product.
- DON’T underestimate the power of your stats. Prior to choosing a blogger, we look at site stats, Alexa rating, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, etc. Companies are in this for the exposure and they are most likely going to choose bloggers with great numbers. I know that’s not fair to newer, smaller bloggers, but we also have to get the most bang for our buck (sending samples out does actually cost us).
Good luck when pitching that company for reviews, I hope this helps!
Blessings,
Summer is Around the Corner aka Swimsuit Dilemma
You know what that means, right? Swimsuit season… ugh. Now as an adult, I don’t concern myself too much with the whole swimsuit thing. I think they are highly overrated. However, I love swimsuit shopping for the kiddos. They are all so stinking cute! The one problem I run into is with Super Dude and his long legs. When I get a suit that “suits” him in the length (ie no shorty shorts allowed!), they are way too big for him in the waist. This presents a dilemma, he can’t wear a belt with swim trunks… hmm… what could we do… There should be an easy solution… Oh, yea! Dapper Snappers kids belts to the rescue again!
“How”, you ask? “Swim suits don’t have belt loops”, you exclaim. That’s easy, we have our wonderful add on clips!
I don’t know why it didn’t come to me before, but they work great. We just picked a color that closely matched his suit added the clips and cinched away. Tada! His swim suit stays up with no problem and I don’t have to compromise his coolness by sewing in belt loops on all of his swim trunks so he can wear a belt. I’m sure he thanks me for that. The clips are stainless steal so they shouldn’t rust, but you should rinse and dry them after ever use to prevent any kind of build up, especially if you are using them at the beach.
My assistant told me that she’s been using them with her son since last summer (that’s her son in the blue in the pic above and apparently he was wearing one then). Well, gee, thanks for keeping me in the loop! She says her son doesn’t even notice it. “I like getting his suit a little big so he gets lots of wear from it. He can still fit in his from last year, but we bought a second one and it’s big around the waist, so I’ll be using Dapper Snappers and the clips again this year. It just makes it so easy!” – Jen
I know that some swim trunks come with the string to tighten them, but with the little boys, thy are hard to find. I guess they figure that the little ones will just untie them. Anyway, I hope this helped solve a swim suit problem for you, I know it did for me!
Blessings,
Tips to Beat Rainy Days
Ok, so it’s been raining in the sunshine state for about 5 days now. I’m not complaining, because we desperately need it, but the kids are going a little stir crazy and I’m afraid that if it’s raining tomorrow (Saturday), the kids will have a huge case of cabin fever. So, while I should be working here at the kids belts office, I am actually looking for things to do with with them on rainy days, besides shoving them out the door to play in the rain.
I found some great ideas on Real Simple and a few other sites. I’ve pulled together my favorites for you!
- Have an indoor scavenger hunt. Hide stuff around the house and make clues leading from one thing to the next.
- Build a fort. You’d be surprised how long a good fort will entertain them! Use couch cusions, or dinning room chairs and sheets, get creative!
- Make a drive-in movie. This one takes a little planning ahead, because you need cardboard boxes big enough to hold your children sitting down. It’s also a time killer because they get to decorate their own “cars”. Then have them pick out a movie to watch!
- Make up your own board game. Come up with a completely original game complete with pieces, tokens, and board or combine other games together to make a new game!
- Get artistic! Use dry erase markers to let your kids decorate the windows and add their own sunshine. Have them draw what they would like to be doing outside!
- Have your own fashion show. Have the kids create their own outfits from their closet, mixing and matching. Then let them make their own accessories with things from around the house.It’s so neat to see how creative they can be!
- Hide-n-seek with at twist. Much like the original game, one player counts while the other one hides, but when the one who’s “it” starts hunting, the hiders get to move around trying not to be seen!
- Get out in the rain. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! I remember playing in the rain when I was little and LOVING it! As long as it’s not thundering or lightening, go for a walk, or a bike ride, or better yet, set up a slip-n-slide! Go splash in some puddles. Let your kids see you “breaking” the rules!
Hope those help you beat the cabin fever that come with being stuck in the house for days as the second flood comes!
Blessings,