Family

2014 Toyota Sienna Review

October 8, 2014 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

We recently had the opportunity to take the 2014 Toyota Sienna for a test drive on a road trip to Atlanta, Georgia and to Orlando, Florida. I think it is safe to say, the entire family was shedding tears when the Sienna was driving away from our house for the last time. As soon as I laid eyes on this beautiful red mini-van, it was love at first sight.

Specifications and Features:
3.5L V-6 266 HP engine
6 speed tip auto transmission w/OD
ABS & driveline traction control
Electronic stability
Front strut suspension
Front anti-roll bar
Gas-pressurized front shocks
Semi-independent torsion beam rear suspension
Rear anti-roll bar
Gas-pressurized rear shocks

My husband and I both took turns driving so we are both going to share what we loved about the Sienna. You will hear from my dear husband, Scott, sharing about his must-haves for guys!

Power: Great power with the 266 horsepower.
Gas Mileage: 25+mpg on the highway. This included a full van load along with all of our luggage.
Comfort: Lumbar support makes it very comfortable to drive for hours.
Storage: We had the extra seat installed and still had plenty of storage behind the 3rd row seating for our luggage for a 5-day trip.
Style: Being a van, it seems to have the perfect lines and shape to it too which makes us guys take a double-take. Even if you may be that man that says, “I’m not a family vehicle man” – I suggest you test drive one and see if that doesn’t change your thoughts along with your mind about buying one.

Now, let’s take a video tour of some of my favorite things!

Overall, the room and the safety features are what won this mom’s heart! I felt so safe driving down the interstate and I didn’t feel we were so cramped. The girls absolutely loved the touchscreen DVD players with wireless headsets. KUDOS to Toyota for a well-designed family vehicle!

Help pair a guide dog with a veteran in need! #SeeMuchMore

October 6, 2014 by Jennifer 14 Comments

As my readers know, Kingston is our baby. He is very spoiled and we wouldn’t have it any other way. He truly is a best friend to us all. This past Friday, an opportunity fell in our laps to adopt Kingston’s sister Annie. We now have two dogs in our family and couldn’t be happier. L has been begging us for a long time to get another dog but we wanted a dog that would get along great with Kingston. God helped bless us with Annie.

L has a special relationship already with Annie, just as she does with Kingston. Dogs have that special touch to create a special relationship. Kingston was right there with me through my double jaw surgery and he has always been a great comfort to L through her hospital stays and sicknesses!

I am so honored to partner with VSP to help change the life of a veteran through America’s VetDogs.

With your help, VSP Vision Care will donate $50,000 to train and match a guide dog with a veteran whose vision is impaired.

How it works

o All you need to do is share!

o Visit SeeMuchMore.com and click on “Vision to Share.”

o Every time you share the video, VSP will donate to the care and training of a guide dog – up to $50,000!

America’s VetDogs provides highly trained guide dogs to help veterans lead active, independent lives. It costs $50,000 to raise and train each dog, given to the veteran at no cost. Puppies are trained from birth for two years. America’s VetDogs matches each dog’s skills and personality to the disabled veteran’s needs. Dogs typically work with the veteran until they are 10 years old. Retired dogs are adopted.

It is amazing how much the VetDogs can help the veterans. Truly remarkable. Will you help share the video? Please and thank you! I know L will be ecstatic and her mom will be too! 😉

After you share, make sure to enter our awesome giveaway! You will be stylin’ and profilin’

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Disclaimer: I am partnering with VSP Vision Care. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

Hello Fresh! Fresh Dinner Box Delivered Right To Your Door {Giveaway}

September 23, 2014 by Jennifer 58 Comments

Life is busy as we know it. No matter how busy we may be, one thing is for certain – we have to eat. The food would be preferably a healthy fresh-cooked meal at home. HelloFresh recently reached out to me to see if I would be interested in reviewing one of their fresh dinner boxes. Of course, I jumped on the opportunity.

The box shows up on your front-door step with all the ingredients to cook three meals. SCORE! No time wasted to try and find a meal nor to go buy the ingredients. As soon as I got home from work, I was so giddy to open up my box. The meal box I received was for two adult servings but it actually fed our entire family of four. All the ingredients are individually wrapped and the exact amount you need for the dinner meal. A recipe card is included that walks you through the easy steps to cook the meal. My three meals were as follows:

Turkey and Spinach Burgers

Lomo Saltado

Yellow Squash and Black Bean Tostada

What did I love about this dinner box?

1. I was able to cook each meal and place on the table in under 30 minutes.

2. All fresh vegetables and meat was used for the ingredients. No worrying about added preservatives or GMO’s.

3. The simplicity of dinner time and knowing that we had more time to spend as our family of four.

Just last week, HelloFresh released big news about this dinner box service. They are now delivering to the entire contiguous United States, which is the first ever recipe kit delivery service to do so. n conjunction with this news, HelloFresh launches its “You’re Better Than Takeout” campaign to allow families across the country to trade in their receipts from dinner purchased at major U.S. fast food franchises and cash them in towards HelloFresh meals.

“Takeout isn’t the only option for a convenient meal at home, you can still enjoy convenient and healthy, self-cooked meals alone, with a partner or with your entire family,” says Dominik Richter, Founder & CEO of HelloFresh. “We’re excited that an additional 100 million people across the country now have access to high-quality and farm-fresh ingredients from HelloFresh.”

The six week campaign encourages families across the country to re-think their choices for dinner, and consider a different option for a convenient and quick meal. To participate, users who have purchased dinner at any of the major fast food franchises can submit their receipts through http://www.hellofresh.com/BetterThanTakeout and they will be eligible to receive credit for up to $50 towards a HelloFresh delivery.

In my opinion, the price for the boxes are very affordable for families. The classic box which includes three meals is only $69 and that includes the delivery charge. The price point and knowing it is all fresh foods really makes dinner time less stressful for a busy mom and dad.

WIN!! One lucky reader will win a month’s worth of HelloFresh boxes (which is worth $280 value).

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A New School Year Brings Changes

September 14, 2014 by Jennifer 2 Comments

Life comes at you fast. We are finally settling into a good routine with this new school year. I will not be as quiet on the blog any more. We have been praying about this decision for the past few months. Several one-on-one conversations between our sweet family of four and prayer, the decision was made. The girls will not be going to public school this year. They are now being home schooled. Two weeks of schooling have past, and the smiles on our faces will show how it is going thus far.

Individualized learning is proving to be highly successful. My girls are not from a cookie cutter. They were handmade from God. Each one has their own personality and learning style. Unfortunately, the public school system has to teach them as if they were from a cookie cutter.

Obviously, we are doing a trial and learn basis here but I do love the routine we have in place. M and L both have their own different curriculum and are sailing through the studies so well. No tears have been shown, no “I don’t want to get up”, and no meltdowns. L rise and shines on her own each morning and ready to dive into her books. She is like a sponge. Her brain is continuously wanting to soak up the curriculum. My heart just swells with love. So different from last school year.

I am thankful we listened to our hearts and God’s direction on this new school year. As we go through the year, I will share what is working for us and what isn’t working for us. Each week they go to our local University campus for PE with other home school students, and one day a week they attend home school co-op classes. Obviously, this means they are still getting to fellowship and be with other children their ages.

It’s going to be a great year. What I want to know is how are my girls growing up so fast? They are going to over-take me on height pretty soon!

Please hold my hand…

August 27, 2014 by Jennifer 1 Comment

On our recent vacation, tears started streaming down my face. After a few minutes, I felt like I was a sobbing mess. Why were tears flowing on our vacation? It should be a happy time.

I was standing there on the beach with the sand between my toes thinking about my girls first beach trip. I had to hold their hand and not let go. My hands had to protect the girls from the huge waves crashing right at their thighs. Fast forward a few years later and my hands no longer have the job of protecting the girls. They are able to swim freely and jump the waves as they crashed at their feet. This yearning feeling would not go away. The words please hold my hand kept wanting to leap from my mouth.

As a mom, we spend the early years meeting every need and demand of our children, but as the years fly by, our children eventually no longer need us to meet their every need and demand. The “will you get me a bowl of cereal?” turns into, I am going to go pour me a bowl of cereal. The dependency fades into independency.

I know M and L are spreading their wings. Their wings are beginning to flap but are not quite ready to take off from the ground. I still want them to need me. I want them to ask for my hand. Thankfully, M still loves to sit beside me on the couch and we will hold each other tight. L still loves to walk into a store with her arms wrapped around me. In fact, once we get out of the car, she is wrapping my arm around her arm. She may not ask for my hand, but she will reach for my arm.

My heart yet is still heavy because I know they don’t need me to do every little thing for them. I want to do every little thing for them. My heart aches for them to be more dependent on me.

onemomsworldgirls

As they look into the future and hold their sister conversations, I will continue to cherish each and every moment. They will both always be my babies. My hands and arms will always be available to pick them up when they fall. My prayer is they will continuously ask God for guidance and direction for their future. Even though I cannot walk and hold their hand to protect them, I do feel a sense of peace knowing our almighty God can.

M and L, please hold me hand…

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