Over The Top Mommy

Month: June 2016

DIY Decorative Mason Jars for Kitchen Organization

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PowerfulFusionClean #CollectiveBias DIY-decorative-mason-jars-for-kitchen-organization

We recently moved into a new home and I am absolutely in love with having everything brand-new, especially my kitchen. One thing I still haven’t gotten used to in this kitchen though is having such a large countertop space. My counter top is grey quartz and includes the sink, the prep area, and an area to sit at barstools, directly in front of the sink. There’s no real separate place to set my dish cloth, pot scrubber, and my dish liquid, NEW Palmolive® Fusion Clean™.palmolive-fusion-sink-area-before It seems kind of awkward to have these things sitting right in front of where people gather, The big countertop is intended to be the focal point of the room. It’s also the area where everyone’s things “land” when they come home, like keys, wallets, planners, etc. I’m going to share a picture of what my counter top looks like on any given day with you, so please don’t judge. my-countertop-needs-helpI realized that I needed help staying more organized in that area.  So I decided to make a decorative sink organizer using a Mason jar, that I could keep right up on the counter. decorative-mason-jar-5

Lately, I’ve been doodling and coloring in those adult coloring books, as a way to relax. Have you seen those yet? I wouldn’t call myself an artist but I got brave and decided to draw my own design on the Mason jar….freehand! (I practiced on paper first, of course.) mason-jar-1It was so easy to do. Honestly, if you feel like it’s not looking cute, just wait until you admire it from afar. There are parts of mine that turned out asymmetrical but don’t show. I’m kind of obsessed with my design! (see below to learn how you can make your own decorated Mason Jar) decorative-mason-jar-3

So let’s look closer at my sink area now. Storing the metal scrubber, the scrubber on a stick, and the dish cloth in the Mason jar seems to keep it all looking nicer. I like having my Fusion Clean™ Baking Soda & Lime out on its own because I use it so often. Have YOU tried it yet? clean-and-organized-sink-areaNew Palmolive® Fusion Clean™ dish liquid provides a Modern Twist on Cleaning™ It’s specially formulated for tough cleaning challenges and as you could see from my previous sink photo, my dishes sometimes pile up and don’t get washed right way. Luckily,  the unique formula removes 24 hour stuck-on food. It’s available in Baking Soda & Lime (the green one) and Baking Soda & Grapefruit (the pink one).

palmolive-fusionI found mine at Ralph’s,on the household cleaners aisle, and couldn’t decide between the two, so I bought both! You can find New Palmolive® Fusion Clean™ dish liquid at Kroger and Kroger Banner Stores. (Ralph’s, Fred Meyer, and Food 4 Less). palmolive-fusion-in-store

I love how organized my sink area jar looks now and how the colors shine through the Mason jar on my counter.

Pick up some NEW Palmolive® Fusion Clean™on your next trip. You can also grab a coupon for $0.50 off 22oz or larger one by clicking herehow-to-make-your-own-decorative-mason-jars

Here are the supplies you’ll need:

  • a Mason jar
  • fine point oil-based paint pens (I used black)
  • cotton swabs
  • nail polish remover 

Directions 

  • Thoroughly wash and dry your Mason Jar.
  • Draw your design onto the jar. I highly recommend practicing beforehand on paper. decorative-mason-jar-4
  • If you make a mistake, you can “erase” by dapping the area with a cotton swab containing nail polish remover. Make sure the glass is dry again before resuming the drawing.
  • When you are completely happy with your design, allow the jar to dry for 24 hours. decorative-mason-jar-2
  • After 24 hours, you’ll need to “bake” your jar, to set the design on the glass. Place the jar, upside-down on a baking sheet, into the cooled oven, Turn on the oven to 350 degrees, allowing the jar to heat up along with the oven. Having the glass heat up with the oven, will help avoid cracking of the glass.
  • Allow the jar to “bake” for 30 minutes. At this point, turn the oven off and open the oven door to allow the jar to cool down with the oven.
  • Remove the jar after it’s cooled down.
  • The jar will be completely sealed at this point. I highly recommend hand washing the jar instead of putting it into the dishwasher.

 

Ruby’s Diner Candy Shakes Extravaganza and Sliders: Just in Time for Summer

With summer just around the corner, Ruby’s Diner, the iconic Southern California destination for America’s favorite burgers, fries and milkshakes, is introducing new summer menu items. Ruby’s new rich, Candy Shake Extravaganza, three versions of tasty new sliders and a delicious new poke appetizer are available for a limited time.

Our summer menu items remind us of the best part of being a kid – a burger that fits in your hand and the special treat of candy. We updated that taste of nostalgia with popular flavors and together these are a perfect fit for the family-oriented atmosphere at Ruby’s. – Doug Cavanaugh, CEO and founder of Ruby’s Diner.

rubys-summertime-offeringsRuby’s Sliders, small in size but big in flavor, are available in three mini-sized variations. American Sliders: Super-juicy, all-natural USDA choice beef, served sizzling hot on grilled Kings Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, topped off with tasty Ruby Sauce and caramelized onions.

Southwest Sliders: These are perfect for spicy food lover! Made with Cajun spiced all-natural beef patties, pepper jack cheese, salsa, and chipotle mayo, topped off with the deliciously addictive Ruby’s hot sauce.

Hickory Sliders:  All-beef patties, cheddar cheese, onion rings, bbq sauce, topped off with tasty Ruby Sauce and crispy bacon. BBQ smokehouse fans won’t be able to resist these!

Ahi Poke: This appetizer is the perfect option for seafood lovers! It’s made with fresh-diced Ahi Tuna and onions in a ginger, sesame-soy marinade and served on crispy wontons with green onionsrubys-candy-shake Candy Shake Extravaganza: Candy lovers, get your taste buds ready to experience the new decadent, thick and creamy shakes! The decadent Peanut Butter Snickers shake is made with real chunks of Peanut Butter Snickers, the M&Ms shake is loaded with nuggets of M&M morsels, or try crunchy, peanut buttery flavor of a Butterfinger shake.rubys-shakeface-contestIn honor of the new Candy Shake Extravaganza, Ruby’s is launching a Show Us Your Shake Face photo contest, where fans are encouraged to share photos of their shake face – that deliriously happy face you make when you drink a delicious Ruby’s shake, using the tag #RubysShakeFace for a chance to win a pair of Go City cards, the ultimate multi-attraction passes. (Visit http://www.rubys.com for more details.

This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own. Images are property of Ruby’s. 

Finding Dory Snack Mix With M&M’s®

I love to make fun snacks. It’s even more “fun” if they’re something I can quickly throw together that tastes good and doesn’t make too much of a mess. Also, snacks with M&M’s® earn bonus points in my book! With Disney-Pixar’s “Finding Dory” in the front of my mind (since it’s about to be released) I made a batch of this “Finding Dory Snack Mix” the other day. Before we go any further though, have you watched the trailer yet?

When I was at the store the other day, a box of M&M’s®  landed in my shopping basket, which isn’t a rare occurrence, considering they’re like one of my favorite candies. finding-dory-snack-mix-dory-sprinklesThen, I came across these adorable “Finding Dory” sprinkles. How could I not do something with these? So, I bought them both! finding-dory-snack-mix-dorys-and-nemosOnce I was home, I almost immediately opened the box of M&M’s®  and starting to separate out the “Dorys” and the “Nemos”. You know all the blue and orange ones? (Do you ever do that?) I actually ended up sorting all of the candies and finally made a big heart! finding-dory-snack-mix-sorted

finding-dory-snack-mix-heartSince my mind is pretty much always snack-focused, I popped a couple bags of popcorn in the microwave and separated out any un-popped kernels.finding-dory-snack-mix-ingredientsIn my cupboard I found some pretzels and some cute yellow, green, and blue sprinkles. In my opinion, sprinkles are magical! finding-dory-snack-mix-assembledFinally, I grabbed a large bowl and started to combine the ingredients. First the popcorn and the pretzels, followed by the M&M’s®. Then the sprinkles. I saved the little “Finding Dory” candies for last so they’d land right on top! I love how cute the snack mix turned out! finding-dory-snack-mix-in-a-boxI love how the popcorn, pretzels and M&M’s® taste together. It’s the perfect combination of salty and sweet. For some reason, I always have cute little snack boxes in my stash, so I had to serve them in a coordinating box! I’m hoping they’ll help me to speak “Whale”! Yep, it’s all about “Finding Dory”!

Do you have a “go-to” snack that you make with M&M’s®? If so, share it with me!

This is not a sponsored post. I just love M&M’s®! All opinions are 100% my own! 

Kaleidoscope Continues “Second Saturday” Pet Adoptions This Saturday 6/11

I am a huge supporter of pet rescue organizations and adoption events. I, myself, am a proud adopter of two cats. If you’ve ever peeked at my Instagram, you already know this. (Read my own pet adoption story here.)kaleidoscope-pet-adoption-day I’m extra excited about the Pet Adoption Days at Kaleidoscope in Mission Viejo, which are held on the second Saturday of every month. Presented by CARMA (Compassionate Animal Rescue for Medical Aid), the Pet Adoption Day is from 1 to 4 pm and allows the community to come visit with dogs who need loving homes. kaleidoscope-pet-adoption-days-dogCats are also available for adoption, but aren’t brought out to the Pet Adoption Day. The event will be held in the center courtyard. Please remember “Adopt, Don’t Shop!” Hope to see you there! kaleidoscope-center-logo

Kaleidoscope is located off the Santa Ana (5) Fwy. at Crown Valley Parkway in Mission Viejo. For more information, call CARMA at 949.542.4417 or visit http://www.gokaleidoscope.com.

This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own. Images and logos are property of CARMA and Kaleidoscope Center. 

ALDI: A Fresh & Affordable Option For Grocery Shopping

This post was sponsored by ALDI as part of Influencer Activation for Influence Central. All opinions are 100% my own.

Let’s talk about grocery shopping. As a mom, I am always seeking out places to shop where I can get the best prices on high-quality foods, like natural, top choice meats and dairy, fresh produce (bonus points if it’s organic), and even non-GMO products! ALDI-Food-Market-Simply-NatureI try to be creative with ways to save money on our weekly grocery bill. I watch the weekly ads, cut coupons whenever possible, and even get a rewards card at certain stores. ALDI-Southern-California-storesLast week, I experienced a whole new way to save on groceries. I was invited to try out grocery shopping at new ALDI. I found one in my area and I LOVED it and am super excited to share about it with you! ALDI-Food-Market-liveGfreeIf you haven’t heard of ALDI yet, it’s an amazing store offering quality groceries at great prices. You’ll soon be seeing even more ALDI locations pop up in Southern California, too! ALDI-food-markets-fresh-flowers I’m at the point in my life where I don’t place as much importance on fancy marketing as I do affordability. As I mentioned before, ALDI offers groceries at amazingly low prices to customers. Ninety percent of the groceries ALDI sells are under its own ALDI-exclusive brands, which are regularly tested to make sure they taste just as good, if not better, than the national brand. ALDI-exclusive brands include:

SimplyNature® – line which includes USDA Certified organic and Non-GMO verified item 
liveGfree® – exclusive gluten-free products 
NeverAny! – products that are free from added antibiotics, hormones and animal by-products. ALDI-food-markets-my-haulTake a look at my own personal grocery haul in the picture above! I was amazed at how far my money went at ALDI. There were so many great deals and I was wow-ed by the selection they offered. I found so many of my weekly necessities and the pricing of the produce. There were so many organic offerings, too. I was beyond impressed with the selection of cheeses. There was even a whole aisle of wine to choose from! ALDI-food-market-produce

ALDI-Food-markets-cheese

ALDI-food-markets-wine-selectionPremium, natural, and organic food should come at prices affordable for all, putting quality staple grocery items within everyone’s reach, don’t you agree? ALDI-food-markets-say-hello-to-freshOne thing you should know about shopping at ALDI is that they don’t provide bags to shoppers to put their groceries in. This helps keep their overhead cost down, translating into lower prices for you, the consumer. Honestly, we should all be bringing reusable shopping bags with us wherever we go anyway. When you pay for your groceries, the cashier places your items back into the shopping cart, and you have the option of either bagging them yourself or putting them in your car without a bag. I suggest coming prepared. (For a nominal fee, ALDI does have both paper and plastic bags for purchase.) ALDI-food-markets-quarterAnother way they keep costs low for shoppers is by putting shoppers in charge of their own grocery carts. Before you walk into the store, you can obtain a grocery shopping cart by leaving a quarter deposit, which unlocks the cart for you. At the end of your shopping trip, when you return your cart, you get your quarter back. This is such a clever system. Honestly, it’s not hard to return your cart to the entrance of the store. (I always do this anyway!) ALDI-food-markets-quarter-deposit

As a mom who’s trying to stretch our budget as far as possible, I am so happy that ALDI has made its way to Southern California. Being able to purchase the high-quality of products there at their amazingly low prices is really what matters most to me. For more information or to find a location closest to you, visit their site at http://www.aldi.usALDI-Food-Markets-happy

Don’t forget to connect with ALDI USA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

{Giveaway} New Dinosaur Train DVD “Under the Volcano” Available on DVD July 12

Exciting news surrounding the PBS Kids’ popular series, “Dinosaur Train”! Fans of the production from The Jim Henson Company will be able to purchase a new DVD “Under the Volcano” on July 12! (I’m giving away a copy, too, so see below!)dinosaur-train-dvd

Join Buddy and his family as they watch the mighty volcano, Old Smoky, erupt! In this DVD featuring dino-mite adventures, learn all about lava and geysers, see what happens when Mr. Pteranodon and Larry Lambeosaurus get stuck in a mud pit, and get inspired to make nature art when Buddy, Tiny, Shiny, and Don find ways to use a pile of leaves, petals, wood, and shells from the family nest. shiny-dinosaur-trainHere are the episodes included on the DVD:

“Under the Volcano” – Buddy, Tiny, and Dad take the Dinosaur Train to see Old Smoky, the local volcano. It’s such a spectacular sight that they go back for the rest of the family, only to discover they’ve already gone to see the volcano! The merry mix-up concludes as the whole family meets up just in time to catch Old Smoky erupting.

“Old Reliable” – Mr. Pteranodon and Mr. Lambeosaurus take all the kids to see a field of geysers – holes in the ground that hot water shoots out from! At the same time, Mrs. Pteranodon and Mrs. Lambeosaurus are relaxing nearby in soothing pools of warm water, called hot springs. In the end, the kids love seeing the geysers and then joining the Moms in their hot springs, while accidentally surprising Mr. Conductor who is secretly trying to relax in his own private hot spring pool!

“Nature Art” – Mrs. Pteranodon cleans out the clutter from the family nest and the kids are amazed at the pile of stuff – leaves, flower petals, pieces of wood, and shells. Tiny stops Mom from throwing out all the stuff, determined that she and Buddy, Shiny, and Don will find a use for it all. And, they do – the Pteranodon kids have fun making nature art on the beach using the items from the nest!

“The Big Mud Pit” – There’s big trouble at the Big Pond when Larry Lambeosaurus gets stuck in a mud pit, and then Dad tries to get Larry out, and ends up getting stuck himself. Buddy and Leroy Lambeosaurus have to think quickly to pull their dads out before some big meat-eater finds them!

“Derek the Deinonychus” – Buddy, Tiny, and Mom visit a family of Deinonychus dinosaurs with large, sharp toe-claws. They meet a kid named Derek who uses his toe-claws to not only hunt with but to carve great art!

“Triceratops for Lunch” – Our Pteranodon family eats lunch with their friend Tank Triceratops and discovers that he and his family are all plant-eaters, with great leaf-eating teeth and giant appetites!

“The Forest Fire” – When a forest fire comes to woods not far from the family nest at Pteranodon Terrace, the family takes the Dinosaur Train to visit a nearby area where a fire has already been. The Conductor leads the kids on a Nature Tracker hike through the woods to see how new life is growing back – even after the forest fire’s devastation.

“Sunrise, Sunset” – Dad takes the Pteranodon kids on an overnight camping trip where they watch both a sunrise and sunset, learning that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The kids also find out more about nocturnal (night-active) animals, and diurnal (day-active) animals.

The Jim Henson Company’s “Dinosaur Train”  helps kids ages 3 to 6 to apply scientific thinking as they discover new types of dinosaur species, compare and contrast dinosaurs to today’s creatures and embrace the living sciences of paleontology and natural science. DINOSAUR TRAIN airs weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings).

Enter to win a copy of your own on the Rafflecopter! Good luck everyone!
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This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own. Images and cover art are property of The Jim Henson Company and PBS Kids.