They insist on growing up

I love my daughters. They are the most outstanding teenagers I have ever known. I don't say that because they are my girls, I say it because it is the truth! They don't act like the average teenager. They push themselves to be the best they can in school, sports and every other area of their life. They carry themselves like young ladies and are a best friend to each other. I am filled with happiness when I listen to some of the conversations they have with each other. My hope is that they always continue to be close and be there for each other.

The girls will be 16 & 18 later this year and Chardie is already looking into college applications. She informed me the other night that although she is a Junior, she has signed up for early application/early acceptance with the college she has dreamed of going to since she was 5. She will find out in November if she gets accepted. *sigh* Although I am so proud and I know that she will get in, I feel like she is half way out the door already. Did I mention that the college is local? She insists that she will always be around because she will still crave her mom's good cooking. Of course I will be there to indulge her! 

Now Brie has turned into this mini grown-up overnight. She stand about 3 inches taller than me and shows no signs of the looking like a little girl. She has really grown up so much not just physically but emotionally. Brie is our very intelligent, lively and colorful child. She keeps us entertained! She is also William's go-to person when he gets into trouble. He will go to Brie and explain what he did and tell her how much trouble he is in (very dramatically) Of course big sister eats it all up and consoles him. She doesn't like seeing him get into trouble but you better believe that if she catches him doing something naughty, she will correct him immediately. 

Little William is going to be 4 later this month. Although I have not missed a single milestone (being a stay-at-home mom) my heart still breaks a little seeing him grow up so fast. I am proud of that little boy though. He has met many milestones in the last year. It's funny, just when you think your kid will never do certain things they surprise you and do it BIG! I am trying to get him prepared for kindergarten. Some days I feel like I am doing a great job but most days I feel like I am not doing enough. That's another post for another day. 

I am just so proud of all my children. They are so inspiring and full of light. I take as much time as I can to watch them, listen to them and take in all the greatness they put out in the world. They are going to do very big things in their lives. I feel so fortunate to have such amazing children! 

You can't beat home cooking | Publix $25 GC giveaway

Like most busy families, meal time can be a challenge when time is limited. Luckily Publix knows that the best meals happen and home and are having their “Best Meals Happen at Home” event to find great savings on some of your favorite products. Be sure to visit BestMealsatHome.com to find fantastic recipes, which can be cooked in 30 minutes or less, and your family is sure to love. After all, who wants to be stuck in the kitchen for hours when that time can be spent with your family!

Take advantage of great savings on some of your favorite participating brands during the “Best Meals Happen at Home” event at Publix from March 8th through March 14th.   As of March 8th, look for in-store for coupons that will be valid through March 28th, 2012.  Visit BestMealsatHome.com to sign up and receive emails with weekly recipes and coupon offers that will help you save up to $200 this year!

I made these yummy lasagna rolls using General Mills Ragu brand pasta sauce.

Giveaway: One lucky Momfiles reader will win a $25 Publix gift card! Enter below in the Rafflecopter widget. 

LYSOL® No-Touch Kitchen System Review & Giveaway

Contest Closed

Winner# 67- Lisa Congratulations! 

I just love cleaning and household products. I was thrilled to get to test out the new Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System. I am a very active kitchen person so this was right up my alley. I received the starter kit in the fresh and fruity Sparkling Tangerine scent. Other scents are Sunkissed Lemon and Shimmering Berry.

Assembling the system was so simple. It comes with batteries so all you have to do is remove the tab where the battery compartment is and peel the sticker off the bottle of product. Snap product on the top of dispenser and you are ready to go.  The unit dispenses just the right amount of formula automatically and it is wonderful that it is hands-free! When you cook everyday you will find that you don't always want to put your food covered hands on your dish liquid bottle. This is a winner for me!

I tested to see how many glasses and tumblers I could wash with one no-touch "squeeze". I did a total of 13 and I did not think that was half bad! I am a dish liquid over-user so I am hoping this system will keep save me overall. I have washed sink loads of dishes including pots, pans and bake ware with this new product. The formula works wonderfully on breaking up grease and loosening up stuck-on food particles. The Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System was not made just for dish washing. It is also good for cleaning surfaces. Another winner for me since I make a huge mess on my stove daily. It cleans my counter tops, stove top and even cabinets very well and leaves that fresh scent behind. You can also use this product to wash your hands. To say it kills bacteria, it is very gentle on your hands. The best part about that? My husband will and I will get along wonderfully when fishing season comes back (pretty soon too). He just LOVES going out back to the pond to catch his "big" fish and of course ends up catching babies and has to throw them back in the water. This means he has fishy, stinky hands. Of course he generally comes straight into the kitchen to wash his hands. I am thrilled to know that he can get his hand cleaner without touching any bottle! Another winner for me!! So can you guess my overall opinion of the Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System? You are right, it's a winner!

You absolutely have to go check out the Lysol Kitchen System Undercover Challenge for a chance to win a Grand Prize Kitchen Upgrade and also weekly chances to win the Lysol No-Touch System. You should play, it's fun! I totally stink at it though but you better believe I entered for my chance to win the kitchen upgrade *fingers crossed*

So do you want to try the Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System out for yourself? One lucky Momfiles reader will win a starter kit. Enter in the Rafflecopter widget below.

Lemon Cheese Danish Recipe

I was playing around in the kitchen the other day and tried to figure out what I could do with some crescent roll dough I had in my refrigerator. I found cream cheese and fresh lemon. I tried searching for a Danish recipe and couldn't find what I was looking for so I made up my own filling using my favorite cheesecake ingredients. I came up with these cuties. I thought I would share the recipe...

For pastries:
2 tubes of Crescent Roll dough
1 package of cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For glaze:
1 tbsp melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk (more or less according to desired consistency)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to about 350 degrees. With a hand mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and egg until smooth. Add lemon juice, zest and extract. Separate crescent dough at the perforation. Place a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture on top and fold corners over. Place pastries on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for about 16 minutes or until nice and brown. While pastries are baking mix all the glaze ingredients together. It should be thin enough to drizzle over the top. When pastries are completely cook, dip a fork in glaze and drizzle desired amount over the pastries.

That's all. My family loved these so much and I think they would make a great brunch item. They are way better than the store bought Danish pastries. If you try them let me know how you liked them. Enjoy :)

My newest favorite thing

If you know me personally or even through Facebook or Twitter then you know how much I love to cook. You also might know how much I love household gadgets and cookware. My latest addition to my kitchen is my dual-sided cast iron griddle/grill.

My hubby surprised me with it after I might have advertised all over Facebook how badly I wanted one. I squealed when I opened the box! I have already cooked up so many yummy dishes on it and have plans for so many more. One bad thing is that it weighs 16 pounds. It puts a lot of strain on my shoulders from cleaning it. It's worth it though. There is something so special about cooking on cast iron. I am wondering why it took me so long to learn this. I am going to the store either today or tomorrow to purchase a mini pan for cooking eggs and small things. The other evening I cooked up a couple dozen pancakes and my hubby told me they tasted like they came from a pancake restaurant!

Forget shoes and bags, bring on the cookware! Do you own any cast iron cookware? What are your favorite things to make?

Save at Kroger with Cart Busters {Rafflecopter Giveaway}

Beginning the week of February 26th, 2012, shop the Kroger Co. Family of Stores biggest-ever promotion and find the hottest prices around on more than 35 brands, across more than 60 categories from General Mills, P&G, Pepsi, Nestle, Kraft and Kroger Banner Brands. During the Cart Buster Savings Event, you’ll find great savings in almost every department at the Kroger Family of Stores. Be sure to check your local store to confirm dates of the Cart Buster event.

This is such a good time to stock up and combine coupons for added savings. I am running low on a lot of household items so this is one of those sales that I take full advantage of!

Looking for even more ways to save time and money? Visit CartBuster.com beginning 2/26/12 to find money-savings digital coupons, shopping lists and more. And starting 2/29/12 you can participate in the “Deal of the Day”! How does the Deal of the Day work? 


* During seven days of the Cart Buster Savings Event, 2/29/12 - 3/6/12, there will be a super hot, exclusive offer good on one participating Cart Buster item. Each offer will be exclusive and available for one-day only – but the offer will be good for the duration of the entire event. 
* You’ll see savings of up to and over 50% with the Deal of the Day offers – maybe even some freebies - and that’s on top of the already-low, low prices that Cart Buster has to offer! 
* Look for seven days of “Deal of the Day offers” beginning 2/29/12. The Last Deal of the Day offer will be up on 3/6/12. But don’t fret - the Cart Buster event will continue even after the Deal of the Day ends. Check your local store for the exact end date for the Cart Buster Savings Event.

Giveaway: One Momfiles reader will win a $25 Kroger gift card, good at any of the Kroger Family stores. Enter below in the Rafflecopter widget:

This contest is open to US Residents only and will end on March 12, 2012. Please leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. Failure to follow the rules will disqualify your entries. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!