A must-have for any parent | How I stay organized

I have been a stay-at-home mom/homemaker for over 18 years. One of the most important parts of my job is organization. I have to keep up with all appointments, school events, activities, sports, bills and everything else in between. I have found the best way to keep it all together is with an organizer. I specifically use one that is made for students. The reason why is the layout goes according to the school week. My life revolves around the kids so my calendar needs to do the same. Student organizers are also a lot cheaper compared to the traditional ones you find in the office supply stores. Those can run you $20 or more!

I bought mine at Target last year right at the start of the school year for about $8. I found out that if you wait until about the second or third week after school starts, they go on clearance for 50% off and eventually 75% off. I love the size of this one because it is big enough to write everything in, but small enough to throw in my bag if I need to. My husband has one and so do the girls. We all can't live without it! Since the last month of the organizer is July, I have to make sure to get a new one soon. I have tried putting appointments and events in my iPhone but I more prefer the old-fashioned method of writing it down.

How do you stay organized?

Disney's Teen Beach Movie premieres July 19 8pm ET/PT #spon #teenbeachmovie

I received Disney Channel “Teen Beach Movie” products in exchange for a post about the film. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Teen Beach Movie premieres on July 19 at 8:00 ET/PT.

  

Disney Channel’s "Teen Beach Movie" is a breezy surf-rock musical comedy that’s sure to get you and your family dancing and singing & makes the perfect flick for a family movie night! "Teen Beach Movie" follows teen surfing sweethearts Brady and McKenzie who together ride the last wave of summer, one that mysteriously takes them into a classic beach party movie, “Wet Side Story.” There, it's surfers versus bikers for control of the beach hangout…and everyone spontaneously breaks into song and dance. Now, Brady and McKenzie must try to return to present day, but their lives may be changed forever when they inadvertently alter the movie's romantic storyline when handsome surfer Tanner falls for McKenzie and biker girl Lela starts swooning for Brady.

Some of the cast includes:
 · Ross Lynch, star of Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally & Hollywood Records’ R5
· Maia Mitchell, star of ABC Family’s The Fosters (executive produced by Jennifer Lopez) and guest star on Disney Channel’s Jessie
· Grace Phipps, star of ABC Family’s The Nine Lives of Chloe King and the CW’s Vampire Diaries
· Garrett Clayton, guest star of Disney Channel’s Shake It Up and NBC’s Days of our Lives

This movie is geared toward kids, tweens (ages 6-14) and their families, "Teen Beach Movie" is a breezy surf-rock musical comedy that also comes with a message for kids and tweens about the importance of believing in yourself and following your true destiny.

·         Disney Channel brings back "Family Movie Night” with “Teen Beach Movie.” Kids, parents and grandparents will be engaged by the story, music, dancing and retro fashion, and will have fun watching the movie’s modern twist on classics such as "Gidget," "Beach Blanket Bingo," "Grease," and "West Side Story."

·         "Teen Beach Movie" is part of the blockbuster Disney Channel Original Movie franchise that has produced TV's #1 movie among Tweens ages 9-14 for the past 11 years (2002-12) and the #1 cable TV movie in Total Viewers for the past 6 years (2007-2012).

·         The soundtrack features 12 songs influenced by surf rock, Motown R&B, rockabilly and pop.

·         "Teen Beach Movie" is filled with great storytelling and entertainment. It also has a meaningful plot that showcases positive themes like self-expression, friendship and youth empowerment.

My teenage daughters are excited about tuning in to watch the movie premiere. I really think it will be a fun movie to watch with the family.

To learn more about Teen Beach Movie, visit http://DisneyChannel.com/TeenBeachMovie and be sure to follow @DisneyChannelPR on Twitter and Instagram, and TeenBeachMovie on Pinterest using #TeenBeachMovie.

Our mini-vacation to Grande Shores Ocean Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC

My family had the privilege to visit the Grande Shores Ocean Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC for a mini-vacation. I was able to get a special media rate for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom oceanfront condo. Our first impression when we were driving up to the resort was, "Oh my gosh, we are staying that close to the actual ocean?!" We were all in awe of the sounds, smell and the sea breeze as we pulled up to the check-in parking area. We walked up to the front desk and were greeted by both clerks and was promptly asked if we needed help. The check-in process was fast and easy. The clerk was super friendly and professional. 

We found a good spot to park our car in the parking garage and headed up to our condo on the eleventh floor. It was very clean and nicely decorated. Here is a quick video of what our space looked like (excuse the shaking)

My husband and kids were instantly drawn to the balcony. Our view was incredible and we were lucky to have such a large outdoor space.

I could not get any of them to come inside for dinner! Speaking of dinner, I was thrilled to have a fully-equipped kitchen. If you have been a reader for a while, you would know how much time I spend in the kitchen!

We packed up our food and drinks so that we could fully enjoy our lovely condo and beach/pool time. It was a pleasure to wake up to the sounds of the waves crashing onto the shoreline as my bacon sizzled away. It was a big money and time saver to be able to eat in.

 It really felt like home away from home.

Another thing that I LOVED was the washer and dryer.  This was such a great convenience for me since I wash clothing daily at home anyway. After all, who wants to go home after a fun-filled trip with dirty clothes to wash? Unpacking was a breeze!

Of course, you can't take a trip to the beach without enjoying the actual beach! It was lovely! You had to option of renting umbrellas and chairs (we brought our own). It was very windy during our stay but it did not affect our fun. The kids thoroughly enjoyed playing in the sand and the water. It was hard to get my husband out of the water each time we went out to the beach. He was like a big kid! 

I think I enjoyed watching my family have the time of their lives. We loved getting into the hot tub and lazy river at night. It was so relaxing! 

We made some wonderful memories that we will treasure.

If you are looking for a nice place to stay in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, we highly recommend Grande Shores Ocean Resort. They offer good rates and many hotels and condos to choose from. Of course you can't beat stepping out of the building and right onto the beach! The location was perfect. We had close access to restaurants, shopping and many attractions that Myrtle Beach has to offer.

Stay updated on specials from Grande Shores on Facebook and Twitter. We are already looking at our calendar and planning a return visit!

Best Deviled Eggs Recipe

I have posted my deviled eggs on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter numerous times before. Several people have asked for my recipe so I thought I would share it. It is so easy!

I start with my hard boiled eggs and separate my yolks from the whites. I smash them up and add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sweet relish, freshly cracked black pepper and sriracha. After I mix it all up, I add a tiny bit of milk to make the filling creamier. Next, I add my filling into a sandwich bag and snip off one end to make a piping bag. This makes your deviled eggs look prettier instead of scooping the filling with a spoon. I top them off with thinly sliced scallions and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. I sometimes top them with mulit-colored slivers of bell peppers or even a small squeeze of sriracha. Deviled eggs are always a crowd pleaser and a must-have for parties and cookouts.

How to Organize Your Recipes {guest post}

This guest post is courtesy of  Instawares restaurant supplies and equipment company.

Whether you're a home cook who takes pride in preparing recipes that have been handed down in your family for generations or a professional chef with a reputation for creating innovative new dishes, your recipes are the key to your success in the kitchen.  Unfortunately, many cooks tend to be disorganized when it comes to maintaining their recipe file.

Instead of desperately paging through recipe books or shuffling a stack of index cards and magazine clippings the next time you want to prepare that special dish, why not organize your recipes into an efficient system so you can always lay your hands on the recipe you want in an instant?

Gather Your Recipes

Before you can organize your recipes, it's crucial that you compile all of them in one place.  Empty your recipe boxes, gather your cookbooks, grab your magazine cutouts and locate your Internet printouts.  No matter where your recipes are at this moment, do what you have to do to get them all in one place, preferably your kitchen table or computer desk.


Assemble Your Supplies

To organize your recipes, you'll need a three-ring binder, enough sheet protectors to contain all of your recipes, plain copy paper, scissors, a glue stick and a color copier or printer/scanner with copying capabilities.  Feel free to jazz up your recipe book with sheets of colored paper, paper with borders, scrapbook-style embellishments and photos of food that you've prepared in the past.


Sort  Your Recipes by Category

Create several piles and sort your recipes into categories.  Meats, poultry, main dishes, casseroles, vegetable dishes and desserts are just some of the categories you can use.  If you're stumped as to which categories to create, choose one of your favorite cookbooks and follow its layout by copying the categories contained therein.


Place Your Recipes in Sheet Protectors

Sheet protectors offer the perfect way to store your recipes for use in the kitchen.  If you happen to splatter or spill something on the pages, you simply wipe it off and the recipe remains untouched.  Recipes that are smaller than 8-1/2" x 11" can be glued to sheets of copy paper and inserted into the sheet protectors.  Place one or more on each page according to your preference.  If you have recipes in cookbooks that you turn to often, copy them or scan and print them so you have them at your fingertips without having to page through one or more cookbooks to locate them.


Organize the Recipes in Your Binder

Since you've already sorted your recipes by category, it should be easy to place them in your binder in an orderly fashion.  Once you've placed them in the binder, use a simple word processing program to create a table of contents or an index that lists all of the recipes your binder contains.  Now when you're ready to prepare a special dish, you'll easily be able to flip to the appropriate page and get to work.

While organizing your recipes may seem like a time-consuming project at first glance, the time you save by being able to find your recipes easily will pay off in the long run.  Not only will you be an organized cook in the kitchen, you'll have your very own personalized cookbook and that's something any cook should be proud of.