As a gal who grew up going to Disney on her grandfather’s golden pass, it takes a whole lot to impress me in the whole theme park arena. I get bored easily so I need something new, fresh, and exciting to keep my interest. I wasn’t sure what to think when I heard that we [...]
Jan 112013
Hey-ho, Everyone! I, (Summer) am going to turn the keyboard over to The Workaholic today, because we’re talking about one of HIS favorite things: Iced Coffee. I’d like to preface this article with the following: This man’s main indulgence is coffee creamer. There, I said it. He drinks sugar in the morning. Every morning. But seriously? Have you seen the size of his waist? It’s like 10.25″ around. NOT. FAIR. So I don’t harp on him too much. But when I DO find the opportunity to feed him something with less sugar in it, it’s a good thing. And we like good things here, don’t we? Well, I found a much better thing for him, and it’s coming soon to a….OH HECK, I’ll let him tell you.
*************************************************************************************************************************
I’m not supposed to show you this picture, but The Mouthy Mistress drinks iced coffee sometimes too. (I generally prefer mine hot with coconut milk and cinnamon). Here she is gulping a glass down before her toning class. Shhhhhhh! Don’t tell her I posted it because I know she’ll kill me. (Or forget to wake you up for work tomorrow.)
I see you, and I know what you’re doing, Workaholic. Yeah, I indulge a little too. WHAT OF IT?
See her goosebumps? I’m laughing too.
So anyways, we got this pretty sweet shipment of International Delight Light Iced Coffee and a blue tumbler. Let me tell you what happens to these tumblers. I drink iced coffee on the way to work every day, and these tumblers pile up in my car. We have 5 or 6 of them, and when I run out of tumblers, I start using our large drinking glasses. Then when I run out of large drinking glasses, I bring the entire stack in when I get home at night, and put them in the sink for The Mouthy Mistress to clean up the next morning. It’s her paybacks for keeping the van such a mess. (It’s true you guys. I’m kind enough to have dinner in the refrigerator for him every night and he doesn’t even have the decency to open the dishwasher. PSH!)
I’ve toned down the sugar in my coffee in the past year, but I do still like to have creamer in my coffee. And I like for it to have sugar in it. I generally think that low calorie coffee creamers, or low calorie anythings for that matter, are really gross so I wasn’t sure how I would like this International Delight Light Iced Coffee.
I woke up the morning after it arrived and was excited to be the first to try it, but The Mouthy Mistress and The Nerd had already torn into the Vanilla flavor, so I opened the Mocha flavor and I was really surprised at how sweet it was. No weird aftertaste. Hm. I checked the ingredients and there weren’t any artificial sweetners in it, just less sugar. I like that, because I really don’t like artificial sweetners.
SO then I was really confused because this stuff was really sweet. The Mouthy Mistress tricked me into changing a nasty cloth diaper, so I set my iced coffee down and got distracted by the toxic waste coming from The Stinky’s butt and completely forgot about the drink sitting on the counter.
I went back for it about 30 minutes later and took a small sip. I realized the ice cubes had melted a little bit and watered it down. It was actually really good and not too sweet that way but it gave me an A-HA! moment.
walmart, light iced coffee, International Delight
I took the bone broth cubes out of our ice cube trays and filled them up with the International Delight Light Iced Coffee Mocha flavor. Why? Well, because every day I make iced coffee, the cubes melt when I pour the coffee over them, and water my coffee down a bit. We like good coffee here, and I want to be able to taste the coffee, not water and creamer. So I figured if I filled my tumbler to the top with ID Light Iced Coffee cubes, that my coffee would melt them and I would get just the right amount of this delicious ready-made Light Iced Coffee, and the coffee that we drink every day! Plus, doing it this way saves me from running through the drive-through of any expensive coffee chain on the way to my fancy job.
I actually got up early the next morning and The Mouthy Mistress had just finished brewing some hot coffee for herself, so I poured the coffee over the ice cubes, and they melted just the way I like them. I had to add a little more International Delight Light Iced Coffee to get it to the sweetness I wanted, but it was a great new way to drink my iced coffee, and I didn’t have to worry about the robust flavor of my coffee being ruined by watery ice cubes. When I add the cubes to my hot coffee, it gives me the perfect blend of creamy, sweet that I am always looking for. This ready-to-drink iced coffee is great on its own, but I prefer it a little coffee’d up. The melting International Delight Light Iced Coffee cubes make a delicious, swirly flavor, and because it is made with 100% premium Arabia coffee, I’m not losing out on any caffeine. And at only 100 calories a serving, who can turn it down?
I wonder how many miles I can get out of this half gallon of creamy iced coffee?
Where can you find it? NOWHERE yet! *evil laughter* But it will be available in your local Walmart store, located in the dairy aisle the week of January 21, 2013. SO print out THIS COUPON and keep your eyes peeled!
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and WhiteWave #CBias #SocialFabric”
Oct 292012
This week, Madilyn got to have the party of her dreams. We invited princes and princesses from all over North Raleigh to come party with us, royal ball style. The party ended in an eruption of tears on Madilyn’s part, because she didn’t want to see her friends leave. It was devastating to witness, but this Queen was too exhausted from all of the preparation involved in planning a royal ball that there wasn’t much I could do to console her.
I wanted the food at Madilyn’s Royal Ball to be as pretty as the little princesses attending. I had visions of edible glitter and cotton candy swirling about. I had promised a cardboard castle in the living room so that the little princes and princesses could play pretend while our princess soundtrack filled the air. I envisioned myself as the slim and beautiful Glenda the Good Witch flitting about, overseeing these perfect children and my deliciously decadent food.
Right about that time, Maleficent woke me from my dream with a large clap of thunder. I stared into the mirror and saw Ursula’s bloated face laughing back at me while my little crab clung to my ankles and screamed for my attention. Didn’t he know I had a party to throw, pretzels to dip, apples to poison (…I mean wrap in caramel), and cupcakes to bake?
Of course he knew. That’s why he was acting so crabby!
I wasn’t going to Flounder on this party. I’m known throughout the various kingdoms I’ve lived as the laid-back party thrower. My parties are toned-down and more reminiscent of coffee shop hang-outs than the elaborate feathered and bejeweled Taj-Mahal parties that litter my Pinterest boards.
But this, dear friends, was going to be different. I, Summer Len, was going to far out-do myself in the party department. All because my little princess wanted a Halloween party where she could wear the costume that she wasn’t going to be wearing when we went trick-or-treating. You know, her OTHER costume. The one that we pitched a fit to have on our last trip to Walmart. That one.
So I posted this party on a local meetup group and within 24 hours, it had a waiting list. I was shocked, and thrilled, and had mutant butterflies swarming my stomach. I had to get this Flotsam and Jetsum in my living room cleaned up before I could begin planning the princess ball of the century.
SO how do you plan and throw the perfect Royal Ball? It doesn’t have to be as daunting as you think it does.
Plan your menu:
Know what food you are going to serve, and estimate how long each dish will take to prepare. What can you make ahead? What has to be made the same day? Plan to pack a punch with your menu. Go for beautiful and fun, but simple.
Consider Decor:
You don’t have to go overboard. Look around your house for things that can be repurposed, check the sale racks at Walmart, think simple but shiny. A little bit of glitter goes a really long way and it’s cheap!
Send your Royal Invitations:
You don’t have to go overboard on invites. Consider your square footage, whether or not you can use any outdoor space, and how many adults will accompany the children coming. Our house is 2400sf, but it’s a 3 story house so it’s narrow but tall. That doesn’t leave a whole ton of room on the base floor where the Royal Ball was being held. I kept the guest list at 8 families, and I invited one person who I knew was not part of the same meet up group. I let the parents know ahead of time that we’d probably be standing while the children milled about. Perhaps they thought I was kidding. I was not. More does not always equal merrier.
Our Royal Menu included:
Snow White’s Poison Apples
Belle’s Petits Gâteaux
Ariel’s Clam Shells
Cinderella’s Fairy Godcakes
Sleeping Beauty’s Spindles
Jasmine’s Exotic Fruit Salad
Tiana’s Frog Kisses
Rapunzel’s 1, 2, Punch
Witch’s Brew (coffee)
The food turned out beautiful, and in a crazy whim the night before the party, I decided to make a feather boa wreath to hang at our window. It added the perfect touch to the party. I really focused on the food as the decor, and covered the table with a simple table cloth I got at Walmart in their sale aisle. I simply used a hot glue gun on low heat to secure two 6′ feather boas around a styrofoam wreath. I then created a simple bow at the top, and looped more ribbon through the back of the bow to hang the ribbon in my window. It took about 10 minutes to start and finish. The floor of our office still looks like it was tarred and feathered, but the wreath is gorgeous.
Set the mood with some Princess Music. I bought a Cinderella soundtrack at my local Walmart. It came with 2 bonus CDs, one of which was all princess music that I played at the party. Music keeps a party flowing, even if the party-goers are in the 2-5 range. It adds depth to the atmosphere, even with squeals of joy filling the air.
In addition to the cardboard castle (that some evil villain managed to destroy within minutes), I had stickers to “decorate” the castle with, a Cinderella coloring book, and a glitter station. I acted as Tinkerbell and glittered everyone’s eyelids, then gave them a beautiful, rosy glow with a little dab’o'blush. The little princesses loved having glitter on their faces. There’s nothing more simple, or less expensive. Seriously.
We had 11 princesses in attendance at our ball, and 4 little princes. Each little attendee walked out with a super cool Princess (or Jake the Neverland Pirate) cup with a few Disney goodies stuffed inside.
The party was fast and furious, but so much fun. I had to add a few tricks (like forgetting to buy creamer to go with the coffee), but all-in-all, it was a real treat. I hope the Queens had as much fun as the little princesses did!
Oh hey – you mamas throwing parties? Don’t forget to just relax and have fun. Nobody likes an uptight hostess. The little princesses at your party are going to love it, no matter what doesn’t go quite your way.
Want your little princess to always remember what a princess she is to you? Check out the Royal Ball App for your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. Madilyn loves our Royal Ball App! I don’t even remember what my phone looks like. DO YOU?
I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Disney Consumer Products, Inc. #CBias #SocialFabric
Related articles
Oct 192012
Madilyn has been a really good sleeper since she was little. When she got her own toddler bed the week she turned 2, she stayed in her bed and slept through the night like a champ. She did that every night following, until we moved to Raleigh. The first night that we moved in here, she freaked out and had to sleep with us. She said that she saw scary monsters and didn’t want to be alone. This was coming from a girl who had NO problems sleeping at other peoples’ homes or in hotels. It wasn’t her first time sleeping in a strange place, but it was her first time talking about seeing scary monsters.
A few days ago I asked her to please run upstairs and put a shirt on because she was cold. She huffed up the stairs to get a shirt, and a few minutes later she was screaming bloody murder like someone was trying to take her. I shot up the stairs, (I may have sprouted wings. I’m relatively certain my feet never touched the steps) and found her standing there SCREAMING. I asked her what happened, fearing there was a snake in the house and it had bit her. She told me that it was the scary monster and he was trying to take her. It gave me the chills.
Our bedtime routine now involves putting Grady to bed then laying down with Madilyn in my bed, with the closet light on, then staying there until she is snoring and limp with sleep. Somtimes it takes 8 minutes, others it takes over an hour. This week, while we were driving home from the NC State fair, The Workaholic asked her what the Scary monster looks like. This is what she said:
“He is purple and he has a mustache. He wears clothes. He flies and he makes flying bird noises. His name is Dragon.”
Kyle asked, “So he is a dragon?”
Madilyn replied, “No. He is a penis. His name is Dragon.”
So there you have it, folks. My daughter’s scary monster is a:
large purple penis with a mustache who wears clothes and flies while making flying bird noises.
Related articles
Raunchy T-Shirt at Wet Seal – Halloween 2012I was at the mall with my unassuming and naive children today, when I noticed this shirt screaming at me from a store display window. This particular store (same store, different city), accused me of stealing something when I was 15. A woman blatantly walked up to me and told me to lift my shirt [...] |
CLIMB Works for a Zippin’ Good TimeBrandcation in Pigeon Forge, TN was full of “firsts” for me. First time away from the kids, first time vacationing in a cabin, first time to Tennessee, first time to the Smoky Mountains, first time going on vacation with not a soul I know, and my first time zip lining. Two things that I miss [...] |
|
How to Pack for a Blog ConferenceThis past week I had the esteemed privilege of going to Brandcation in Pigeon Forge, TN. It was my first blog event and I wasn’t quite sure exactly what to pack so I just packed my entire closet and everything with an electronic plug in my house. I’d like for you to learn from [...] |
Dead Undies – Time for an UpgradeIf your husband still has underwear in his drawer from high school, raise your hand. Am I the only one raising my hand? (OK, you can put your hand down now – you look ridiculous) The Workaholic complains about the same pairs of undies all the time. He’s had ALL OF THEM SINCE HIGH SCHOOL! [...] |
Nuggie Tot Farmer’s Pie & Family Game NightMy sweet little princess turned 3 this weekend, and to celebrate we wanted to make her a special dinner made out of things that she loves. We made a run to Walmart to get the things that we needed. Have you ever gone shopping with two tired children? It’s amusing. Especially at Walmart because they’re always so [...] |
Love is Spelled T-I-M-EFor 5 years, it was just Styles and me. I was a single, working mom who was also a full time college student. We didn’t have a whole ton of time together but I really tried to maximize the time that we had together. Every Sunday we went on dates to the movies, a restaurant [...] |
Come to Our Nest 
