From the Marriage Files: Dating your spouse

Life gets hectic almost all of the time. We have to juggle children, work, activities, bills and other life obligations. It can weigh heavily on a marriage. Although I don't make any resolutions for the new year, I did make a vow to have more dates with my husband in 2013. We both realize how important it is for us to have time together, away from the kids. Ever since January, we have taken time to go out alone whether it is for lunch, browsing the stores or just for cocktails. Having that alone time has brought us closer together and it is nice to engage in intimate conversation and a little laughter. So far we have managed to stick with our dating arrangements. The key to making it happen is to not plan it. We just randomly decide, "hey, do you want to go have dinner or catch a movie?"

Of course there are those times that my hubby looks up Columbia SC Flowers and surprises me with a gorgeous arrangement. After 19 years of marriage, he still buys me flowers. Having them delivered is a romantic touch as well. Just this past weekend, Dwayne asked me out on a date in a formal way. It was so sweet! It's also fun to get all dolled up and even wear heels to have some fun time away from the kids. Even if you don't have a lot of extra money, it is so worth squeezing out a few dollars to go out on a date with your honey.

Do you date your spouse? What do you usually do?

Unexpected ways to use syrup with Mrs. Butterworth's and Log Cabin (Review & Giveaway)

I received some coupons for complimentary items in exchange for my post about unexpected ways to use syrup. All opinions are 100% mine as always. 

One of our favorite meals in our home is breakfast. Besides eating it at actual breakfast time, we enjoy it for lunch and dinner too. My family can't get enough of my homemade pancakes, French toast or waffles with lots of yummy syrup. Syrup is a staple item in my pantry and one of those things that I even buy in bulk. 

I love syrup for dipping thick-cut bacon! It's a drool worthy moment :) 

Since I am very creative in the kitchen, I sometimes experiment with syrup in savory dishes. My family enjoys the combination of salty and sweet. One of my absolute favorite things to make with syrup is smashed sweet potatoes as a side dish. All you do is peel and boil some sweet potatoes until tender and them smash them with a pinch of salt, a few pats of butter, a sprinkling of cinnamon, a little bit of brown sugar and a few generous squeezes of Mrs. Butterworth's syrup. I spread it into a microwave safe baking dish and heat it for several minutes to let all the flavors blend. I like to serve it with fish, chops or meatloaf. My family loves it! I have also made the same dish in the form of glazed sweet potatoes. 

Another delicious way that I like to use syrup is on salmon. I very light drizzle at the end of cooking adds a subtle sweetness and transforms the salmon into something special. I also like to jazz up barbecue sauce with a little bit of syrup as well.

I plan to cook up a batch of waffles tonight and look forward to trying the Log Cabin All Natural Table Syrup. I have been a long-time lover of Mrs. Butterworth's but I am excited to try the Log Cabin syrup. I just thought of something that would be amazing... imagine a nice yellow cupcake topped with homemade butter cream or cream cheese icing that had a few drizzles of syrup mixed in and them topped with some crumbled candied bacon! I think my heart just skipped a beat!

For recipe ideas, check out the Mrs. Butterworth's and Log Cabin sites. Also, be sure to "like" Mrs. Butterworth's on Facebook for special offers.  I would love to hear your ideas on ways to use syrup in recipes.

I have 2 extra coupons (one for any Mrs. Butterworth's product and one for any Log Cabin product) I would love to give away to one lucky reader. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on August 15, 2013. One winner will be selected at random and contacted by email to claim prize. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Celebrate the return of football season at Buffalo Wild Wings with the whole family!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Buffalo Wild Wings for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
One of America's favorite times of year is here--- the return of football season! Buffalo Wild Wings is the go to place for family, fun and football. After all, wings are the staple food when watching football. We love the flavor varieties that BDubs offers. Even if you can't make it into the restaurant, you can order take-out and enjoy your meal in the comfort of your own home. If you are like me, you can get rather messy and a bit unladylike with chicken wings! We have ordered out several times since BDubs opened in our area. On occasion me and my husband will go up there for a meal and a few beers. There are so many promotions going on at BDubs right now like the Game Changer Beer, Wing Tuesday, Bottomless Boneless Lunch, and Boneless Thursday.  I think I need to call up a friend to meet up this month for that Bottomless Boneless Lunch special! I think I can be a lady when eating the boneless wing variety. My mind is also on the Game Changer Beer. Just the name makes me want to go try it out! My family is looking forward to football season and can't wait to dive into some of the great offerings this month from Buffalo Wild Wings. It is also a great way for me to take a break from the kitchen. Does your family enjoy football and wings?

You can Follow Buffalo Wild Wings on Twitter and Like Buffalo Wild Wings on Facebook to stay updated on promotions and new items.

Smart tips to get your little one prepped for kindergarten

Tomorrow marks the first day of August and this means back-to-school month for many of us. Being a stay-at-home mom to a rising kindergarten student means getting my little one ready for a whole new world. Since William has never attended pre-school or been enrolled in any programs that are in a group setting, it will be a big adjustment phase for him (and me). It also dawned on me that there are plenty of things he is not used to besides being around other kids. I have been trying to remember the kindergarten days when the girls were in it. One thing that really stuck out to me was the use of hand sanitizer. Being at home most of the time, there has been no need for it. I purchased a bottle and have been teaching William why he will have to use it in school. Of course, I have had to be harder on him with potty practices. He still has never been into a public restroom on his own so I am still VERY a bit nervous about that one. 

Another important thing is his sleep schedule. We started putting him to bed at 8:00 each night and wake him up about 6:45. He had such a tough time getting up this morning so I think we will move his bedtime starting next week to 7:30. A lot of kids don't get enough sleep at night so we want to make sure to not interrupt his sleep schedule as much as we can, even on weekends. Once he wakes up in the morning, we go through the full morning routine of washing, brushing, breakfast and getting dressed. So far so good. 

I recall when the girls were in kindergarten, that they had lunch as early as 10:30 AM. What I do is prepare Will's lunch early in the morning between getting him fed and dressed. I pack his lunchbox as I would for school so he can get in the habit of opening it, eating/drinking and packing up in a short time. When they are that young it can take longer to get situated and they have a very limited time to eat. It's funny, I make him line up like they would at school and he calls me "teacher". It has been going very well and I feel confident that he will make it through lunchtime with ease.

Each morning I have specific practice worksheets, coloring pages and other things that are kindergarten-based to get his mind focused on academics. I even teach him how to raise his hand and not speak until I acknowledge him. It has been really good having his big sisters at home to help out with training him for school.  I have him enrolled in "kinderbee" camp from August 6-8 for him to be screened for placement as well as for him to get a chance to preview what big boy school is like.

He officially starts kindergarten on August 21st. William is so enthusiastic about school and we are all so excited for him.

I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. I tell myself that each day :)

My favorite tip when baking brownies

My family loves when I bake brownies and can't ever seem to wait for them to cool down before hacking into the pan! This usually leads to uneven pieces, lots of crumbs and a big mess. For many years I have baked my brownies (both homemade and from a box mix) in muffin pans. I just spray the pans lightly with non-stick spray and bake them for about 10 minutes less than I would in a traditional pan. The pop out of the pan easily and you have those perfect chewy edges all the way around!

I like to make these to stash in lunchboxes and they are great for taking to banquets, potluck gatherings or bakes sales. I have even topped them with a mini swirl of homemade cream cheese frosting and stuck a few M&M's in my daughter's school colors right in the center. They are always a big hit!