Why I Turn To Microban 24 For Household Sanitizing

This post was sponsored by Microban 24 as part of an Influencer Activation and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

As a mom of 5, cleaning is never-ending. On top of having 5 kids, we constantly have neighborhood kids in and out of our home. And on top of that, when the kids aren’t dragging germs or dirt into the house, Payton is. As a fire fighter, he responds to countless medical calls and comes home covered in everything he comes across on his shift.  Keeping my house germ and bacteria free is a constant battle. That is why it is so important for me to have disinfectant spray that works quickly and lasts.

 

 

Microban 24is a game-changing antibacterial home sanitizing product. Literally you guys, I was so impressed with the product after using it once that I will never go back. Microban 24 keeps my surfaces protected from the spread and growth of bacteria for 24 hours. Knowing that Microban 24 LASTS is the biggest relief ever. Not only does it save me time when cleaning, but I feel more at ease knowing my surfaces are protected for a full 24 hours.

While many disinfectants kill 99.9% of bacteria, Microban 24 does this and continues working throughout the day to provide long-lasting protection for surfaces in your home when used as a 24-hour sanitizer. 

Microban 24is so quick and easy to use making it a mom win! As parents, we all know that life is constantly throwing curve balls our way. Microban 24 works the same way every time giving us peace of mind knowing our surfaces are bacteria free for 24 hours. This antibacterial spray is a must-have!

Microban 24 also has a Bathroom Cleaner that is amazing. In addition to providing surface protection against bacteria for 24 hours, the Microban 24Bathroom Cleaner prevents the spread of mold and mildew for up to 7 days. 

It is safe to say that Microban 24is the obvious choice for an antimicrobial spray for any household, with or without children. Knowing that Microban 24 not only works on contact but continues to work for 24 hours gives me an overwhelming peace of mind. 

We will be keeping Microban 24in stocking in our home, will you? Head to Kroger to purchase!

-Laura

Simple DIY Dollar Tree Flower Arrangement

Who doesn’t love a DIY? I love a quick and easy DIY, but if it is going to take too much time, count me out. Is it just me or is there something really exciting about creating a masterpiece yourself (and saving money while doing it)?

I was at Dollar Tree the other days and found a few things that I knew would make a really pretty flower display for my front room. How can I turn down things that aren’t over $1 each? I am going to show you, step by step, how I put together my new flower display for under $10!

What Did I Buy?

 1. I picked up a few bunches of flowers that I wanted to fill my display with. I ended up getting 4 total. 

 2. Flower tin. How cute is this galvanized metal pail that I found? It is perfect for DIY flowers! 

 3. These foam block come in a few different sizes. This one fit perfectly inside of my display. These are perfect to keep your flowers in place. 

 3. Sponges. I have these around all the time. Dollar Tree frequently has small packages made up of different sized sponges.

4. This is everything that I used. You will notice there is white chalk paint. This is not something I picked up from Dollar Tree, I found it at a local discount store and had it already. You can pick up chalk paint and anywhere from Home Depot to Walmart.

Putting It Together

Guys! It literally took me under 30 minutes to put my entire arrangement together! Can’t beat that!

I decided I wanted my container to be chalk white and not the galvanized metal since it matched the mirror frames in the room I wanted to put my arrangement in. I used my sponge to simply spread the paint all over the outside of the container. It dried really quickly so don’t let any spots clump up.

Next, I put my foam block inside of my painted container. It fit perfectly! Also, don’t worry if there is some paint on the inside of the container – your flowers will cover all of this.

Now, I separated my flowers. I did’t add the entire bunch, I cut individual flowers and stuck them into the foam block. There is no particular way to do this, just add them and fill it out to your liking. I mixed in yellow and different white flowers. Along with that, I added a few leafy mixtures into this. 

That is literally it! After that, your DIY flower arrangement is complete! Now, figure out where you you want to display it at and put it out!

– Laura

30 Positive Affirmations For Daily Use

Negative thoughts not only bring you down mentally, they effect how we deal with every situation we encounter. Entering a difficult situation with a negative mindset tends to give you a difficult outcome. Entering a positive situation with negative thoughts in the back of your mind will hinder your ability to fully feel joy. Not only does it bring us down, it brings down the people around you.

Starting new years, I made a promise to myself to work on my mindset. After probably the most difficult year of my life, my mindset was not in the right spot. I was a beacon for negative thoughts and energy. I knew that I was entering a point where I didn’t feel worthy of positive energy. The first thing I needed to do was realize that was the negative taking over.

I found that waking up everyday and turning my negative thoughts into positive thoughts made me approach every day and every moment of the day differently. In moments I would normally feel discouraged, I found myself feeling stronger.

Please note, I NEVER miss a day in taking a moment to myself in the morning to be positive. So today, I am going to share some of my favorite positive affirmation that I use daily. And know, you don’t have to use these ones, you can create your own as you go!

 30 Daily Affirmations

1. I am worthy of happiness. 

2. I will find happiness in all aspects of my life.  

3. I will be thankful for situations that make me stronger. 

4. I will not compare my life to others. 

5. I am in charge of my life. 

6. I deserve what good comes my way today.

7. Today is going to be a good day. 

8. I will not only create joy for myself, I will spread it to others. 

9. I will trust my judgement. 

10. My thoughts do not control me, I control my thoughts. 

11. I can do whatever I put my mind to with hard work and determinations. 

12. Live is a blessing. I am grateful for everyday and every situation I incur. 

13. My potential is limitless. 

14. I will live in the moment. 

15. I am enough, I will always be enough. 

16. I am strong enough to face my fears. 

17. I will celebrate each goal I accomplish. 

18. I will push myself to be the best me I can be. 

19. Everyday is a new beginning.

20. I appreciate those who love me and those I love. 

21. I am thankful for difficult times for leading me to today. 

22. I will forgive myself for past decisions I am not happy with. 

23. I will open doors to new opportunities. 

24. I will love myself today and everyday.

25. Everything I do, I will do with positive thoughts.

26. Each day I will allow myself to grow. 

27. I will find joy in even the smallest things today and everyday. 

28. I will continue to strive to be the best role model for my children. 

29. Today I will have energy to accomplish all of my goals. 

30. I am thankful to be healthy and alive.


As you can see, the options for positive thoughts is endless. Starting you day with just a few, leads you to have the mentality to use the same thought process throughout your day. When you find yourself facing a challenge, take a moment to think. Take a moment to be thankful and to find positives in it. Although the outcome will always be different, radiating positivity throughout each and every step keeps your spirit and energy up. 

I would love to hear if you are using these and how you like them!

-Laura

Valentine’s Themed Cream Cheese Brownies

Guess what today is y’all! It is National Cream Cheese Brownie Day! We are celebrating with some super easy brownies. They are beautiful, but they sure are delicious. I decided to make them fun and add a little Valentine’s Day twist on them.

Throwing everything together was super easy and simple. I basically mixed dry ingredients separately and then combined it all. The first thing I opted to do was combine the butter and chocolate chips. The butter I used is Country Crock Plant Based.

Next, I mixed together the flour, salt and cocoa powder and set aside. I already had organic table salt and Simple Truth Cocoa powder. I did purchase extra Bob’s Redmill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour, I already use this frequently so it wasn’t a new product for me. 

Once that was done, I measured the hot water and espresso and mixed it up. I just set this aside while I combined the sugars and eggs. I used the store brand organic, cages free eggs. Beat this until it gets fluffy then add your other ingredients. Begin with the chocolate mixture, then the espresso and add the vanilla at this time. Last, combine the flour mixture to your brownie batter. 

I spread it in my pan (I actually used 2 small glass pans; size unknown, too lazy to measure). Make sure to grease these pans! Chosen Foods makes an amazing avocado spraythat I use. It was perfect for the Grinch Brownies. I watched it closely in the oven (preheated to 350 degrees). It took 40 min to bake, keep in mind I am aprox 6,000 feet elevation so be sure to watch yours around the 30 min mark. 

Once the brownies had cooled, I added cream cheese frosting to them! I just picked some up at the store, super unhealthy, but so good! Then I threw a few red hots on time and some red sprinkles!!

Be sure to tag me in the in you make them!

-Laura

The Destiny I Have Planned For Myself

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 year? Next year? Who gets questions like these frequently?

Growing up, I was always taught to have goals and a future planned for myself. As an adult, I have carried that with me. I al7ways have goals and future boards set to remind myself where I want to be. When it comes down to it, we are in control of how our lives turn out. I am a firm believer, despite my luck lately, in only getting what you put into things.

All of that being said, I am going to dive in and share with you where I would like to see my life over different spans of time. In a blog coming up, I will share some of my goals that I plan to use to execute these visions.

One Year

This year is a big year for me. Not only am I aging (way too quickly), this is my first year ONLY blogging for income. This year, I see my blog doubling in views and followers. I see my content connecting with more and more people and broadening as I travel and cook more.

On the home front, by this time next year, I see my student loans paid down, the kids accelerating in sports and our schedules calming down as our custody case comes to a close. Our back yard will be completely landscaped and we will have replaced the entire fencing on our 1/2 acre lot. Even more exciting? We will have a puppy and one new kitten by this time next year.

And lastly, Payton will be Captain. 

Five Years

You guys, in 5 years, I will be turning 40. That is right, 40! It is hard to imagine that I am this old. I will have an almost 17 year old daughter and my boys will be almost 15, 13, 11 and 7. How crazy that is to think of!

I see everyone excelling in sports and academics and picking out colleges for Makenzee. Having older kids means Payton and I will be able to travel more. By this time, we are building a new home on our dream lot. This lot has enough room for a couple of horses and cattle to raise (and eat). We now have 2 dogs and no other pets. Keegan is excelling in school and we have successfully found more ways to cope with his autism as he has grown.

I am still blogging. I assume by this time, Instagram Influencing will be more of a thing of the past. By this time, I have completed my book (surprised? I know I haven’t shared that goal). I haven’t had Botox, but my skin is still good due to care. I have gotten my autoimmune disease under control and no longer suffer from hives. Payton and I are possibly married at this point (that is more of a financial decision than a necessary vision). We are all very happy.

Ten Years

Lets talk ages then! I will be turning 45. My kids will be almost 22, 20, 18, 16 and 12. If that isn’t an eye opener at how fast time goes, I am not sure what is.

By this time, we have traveled to several different countries (even Greece). We still live the the home we built, but are selling it because the kids are moving out and we don’t need as much space AND we are getting old, we don’t want to maintain such a large home on our own. We have decided to builder a smaller cabin style home for ourselves and the 2 kids left at home. Caleb and Connor are still in college and Makenzee is graduating this year.

Payton and I have paid off most of our debt by now and have started a foundation to raise awareness and help for women dealing with men who have manipulated the court systems.

At this point, Payton is closer to retirement (it is much younger for fire fighters) and we are planning our life after retirement. I am not that far yet, it depends so much on how the next few years pan out.

Have you sat down and thought about where you want your life to be? I always love reading other people’s perspectives and life plans! Reach out and share yours with me if you have it typed out, I would love to read it.

– Laura

Fun & Tasty Spring M&M Cake

I recently did some work with M&M’S® Orange Vanilla Creme Candies (available only at Dollar General) on some Instagram posts and decided I would write a blog on my cake and how I made it. Please note, this blog post is in no way sponsored or endorsed, though the candy was send to me as an Instagram sponsored post.**

For this cake, you can make it as easy or as difficult as possible! You can buckle down and make a coke from scratch (my preferred method), grab a box from the store to make, or even purchase pre-made cake from your local grocery store! If you purchase a pre-made cake, make sure the icing is a solid color, as you can see, I did mine with white icing. I am sure chocolate would be just as good and the M&M’S® Orange Vanilla Creme Candies may even POP a bit more!

I simply baked the cake (I did 2 round cake pans and layered it) and let it cool. Once my cake had cooled, I iced the center of each cake and around the top and outsides. Once that was done, I grabbed my bag of M&M’S® Orange Vanilla Creme Candies and put them around the top and outsides. I didn’t worry about any particular pattern, just make sure you do every other one. 

Once it was COMPLETELY covered in M&M’S® Orange Vanilla Creme Candies, I let it sit to “dry”. This way the M&M’S® can basically bond and you do not have to worry about them falling off of your cake!

Now, ENJOY!!! And FYI, these M&M’S® Orange Vanilla Creme Candies are ONLY available at Dollar General, for a limited time, while supplies last! Do NOT miss this opportunity. 

– Laura

Easy Valentine’s Day Rice Krispies Treats

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to do a super easy Valentine’s Day treat recipe. Everything I used was really cost friendly (I actually used the “off” brand of almost everything). Even better, the entire recipe took about 15 minutes. Being a mom of 5, a super quick and easy treat is just about the only thing I have time for.

Where I Got My Supplies

 

Walmart for the win!! You guys, I know part of being a mom is being a Target mom these days, but I am so opposite. I live at Walmart, I NEVER go to Target. In my opinion, Target prices are high and they don’t have as good of a selection as Walmart. 

I ran to Walmart, picked up some Valentine’s Day themed cookies cutters, Great Value brand marshmallows and Rice Krispies and some butter sticks. I always use Country Crock Plant Butter. That is it. If you don’t have food coloring, cooking spray or Vanilla extract, be sure to pick some up.  

The Mixing Process

 Literally the most simple thing in the world to make. I grabbed a large pot, added 1/4 cup of my butter and 10oz of mashmallows and melted them together on low. Once my marshmallow mixture was smooth, I added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and red food coloring. The amount of red food coloring really depends on how vibrant you want your rice krispies.

Mix well. Next, add 6 cups of your cereal and mix it all together. 

Molding Your Treats

 

 

This is the part that gets a bit sticky and messy, be sure to use your cooking spray. I used a flay sheet pan and sprayed it generously with cooking spray. I additionally sprayed the cutting end of my cookie cutters with cooking spray and began cutting my shapes. It is important to do this right away, before your mixture begins to harden, it will be much easier. 

Once I had my shapes cut out, I used a spatula to move my shapes to a separate sprayed pan to mold and harden a bit. That is literally it you guys! Super simple and so easy!

Eat 

Enough said, ENJOY! Your kids will love the holiday theme and the fun making these easy treats! 

-Laura