Mom Life in the PNW

Family Trip to Mount Hood, Oregon

Family Trip to Mount Hood, Oregon

A few weeks ago, we stayed at Mt. Hood in a lodge thanks to my husbands boss. He opens up his home at Government Camp on Mount Hood for his employees in the office since he can’t rent it out. It’s a nice way of saying thanks for working hard.

We enjoyed every bit of our 3 day mountain vacation, because being outdoors and spending time with each other is what we love best.

Government camp mount hood

We were hoping there would be snow in the forecast so we could go tubing, but our wishes were not granted. And even though there wasn’t much snow at all, we did get to enjoy the beauty of the mountain and be outside breathing in the fresh, crisp mountain air as we strolled through the woods.

Mount hood

We heard running water and found a little Creek running through the area.

Government camp mount hood

My daughter loved being outside seeing new things and exploring, but what child doesn’t? She’s been kind of dependent on TV and the tablet a little too much, so it was a nice change of scenery for her, and us as well.

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Mt hood

Mt Hood Nov 2016

We love the smell and the freshness of the outdoors so much that we were asked to try out thymes frasier fir candles, and let me tell you, it brought me back to when we were staying up at the mountain a few weeks ago. Like the crispness of pine trees and the wood burning in the cozy fireplace. We only have a gas fireplace so the smell of fresh wood burning in a big ol’ log cabin was amazing.

frasier fir candles

I don’t celebrate Christmas now, but when I did, I loved the smell of the fresh cut tree in our home. We never did a fake one for this very reason, despite having to clean up and water it frequently.  Just something about a real tree to make the holidays seem real and magical. Frasier Fir candles also remind me a little of my past when I did holidays, because they smell like the outdoors have been brought inside!

frasier fir candles

They’re the perfect gift any time of year (not just holidays) for absolutely everyone! No need to package it up real nice either. They come elegantly packaged and ready-to-gift.

frasier fir candles

I also love the fact that they plant a tree when you buy a candle for their buy one, plant one campaign. That’s super important, because without trees, we wouldn’t be able to survive because we rely on them for oxygen.

frasier fir candles

Head on over to the Buy One. Plant One. Campaign page where you can purchase the Frasier Fir Northwoods and Limited Edition collections, or individual products, and redeem for a free Thymes Sample Set – over 12 fragranced body lotion samples with a purchase of $25.

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5 Tips on How to Save Money With Groupon

5 Tips on How to Save Money With Groupon

This is a sponsored post for Groupon. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Some people hate couponing because the task to cut, clip and organize coupons is tedious. I don’t coupon as much as I used to because I just don’t have the time like before to hunt down the deals and then try to run to the store to snag a newspaper with an antsy toddler in tow.

That’s why I love sites like Groupon where they make it easy for you to save since they provide the coupons right on the website which makes saving virtually effortless.

5 Tips on How to Save Money With Groupon

  1.  First and foremost, sign up and create an account. If you aren’t a member, you can’t save!
  2. Check the Groupon coupons section and save on sites like Target Photo and Diapers.com. There are numerous sites that Groupon offers discounts for. The two mentioned above are just a couple that I use religiously.
  3. Browse the Groupon clearance section. Yes, there’s a clearance section for goods that didn’t sell well or are seasonal. I didn’t even know about this when I first started on Groupon. Just goes to show there’s new stuff to learn and multiple ways to save a few bucks if you search for it.
  4. Download the Groupon App and set it so notifications pop up. There have been numerous times where I’d get an alert of a discount code that was 10$ off any local deal purchase that was specifically for app users, which resulted in me scoring a really inexpensive night out for drinks.
  5. Refer your family and friends.When they sign up under your referral link and make their first purchase you get $10 in Groupon Bucks which can be used for anything on Groupon.

Do you have anymore tips or recommendations for Groupon savings?

Let us know in the comments.

Fotor: The Best Free Online Photo Editor & Collage Maker

Fotor: The Best Free Online Photo Editor & Collage Maker

When I am on the go with a toddler, I usually don’t have time to whip out my DSLR camera to catch those precious moments, so I end up using my handy dandy smart phone. But of course, the picture quality isn’t always the best on a smart phone, that’s why I use the online photo editing site Fotor to help bring a little magic to my occasional drab photos.

Fotor is a free online photo editing app that makes editing photos a breeze with its intuitive and easy interface without the need to register. I love that because time is everything and I don’t have the time or patience to sign up and create an account on a million different websites that I may or may not find useful or interesting. But, I have been using Fotor for well over a year and it is my go to app for photo editing.  Trust me, I HAVE tried others and they simply don’t compare. Some of them are either too complicated or don’t have the enhancing features I like that Fotor DOES.

fotorcreated

I showed my sister a photo I took with my smartphone 4 months ago of her daughter and she was amazed at the picture quality. Little did she know, it was with the help of Fotor. The options are limitless when it comes to editing photos with Fotor. For instance, take a look at this photo I took yesterday of my daughters’ room using my Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ phone.

Doesn’t look so great, right?

Fotor editing app

Now take a look at the after.

Fotor editing app

What a huge difference. This my friends is why I love Fotor.

All I did was use the fine tune feature on their website, moved shadow all the way to the right, clicked highlight and moved it to where it looked decent and then messed with the curves.

fotor

It’s as simple and as easy as that.

You can also create holiday greeting cards, a cool youtube banner and even cover photos for Facebook.

I hope you end up loving Fotor as much as I do.

Mother Nurture Products for Pregnant & Breastfeeding Moms

mother nurture enhanced water

One thing I cannot live without is chocolate. Chocolate makes the world a better place, especially during that time of the month, right ladies!? And since I am still breastfeeding, I try to eat as good as possible in order to get the most nutrients to my daughter through my breast milk. But sometimes I want to indulge in the good stuff, ya know, like these delicious, good for you chocolate truffle treats from #MotherNurture.

 

Mother Nurture Chocolate Truffles

  • These are a deliciously rich, creamy chocolate truffles to treat moms during pregnancy
  • Come in 2 different varieties: Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate with Raspberry
  • They provide essential nutrients like Folic Acid, DHA, Calcium and Vitamin D to support mom and baby’s health during pregnancy and breastfeeding

Non-GMO, Gluten-free, Kosher, and BPA-free packagingmother nurture chocolate truffleI loved the milk chocolate variety but that’s because I’m not particularly fond of the bitter taste of dark chocolate. Both were delicious though and I love the fact that they contain healthy, all natural ingredients for me and my little one.

They also have an enhanced water for those of you who don’t like the taste of plain ol’ boring water and need a little hint of flavor.

Mother Nurture Enhanced Water

  • Is a light, refreshing, all natural flavored water to treat Mom while hydrating
  • Mother Nurture Enhanced Waters offer delicious hydration in three light, refreshing flavors: pink grapefruit, mixed berry and tropical splash
  • Provides essential nutrients like Folic Aid, Calcium, Vitamin B12, and Choline to support Mom and Baby’s health during pregnancy and breastfeeding
  • Under 90 calories in each 16.9 ounce bottle
  • Non-GMO, Gluten-free, Kosher, and BPA-free packaging

mother nurture enhanced water

I tried the Tropical Splash Enhanced Water and it tasted great, although a little sweet tasting for me. But I appreciate flavor enhanced water because sometimes it’s hard to get all of the water I need with plain water. Drinking plenty of water helps produce more breast milk so it’s pretty important to stay properly hydrated and these Mother Nurture Enhanced waters help with that.

I also like the fact that these work in harmony with your regular prenatal vitamins.  But please don’t substitute.

If you’re a pregnant or breastfeeding mom and would like more information on these mom treats, then head on over to Mother Nurture.

Things To Do in Portland, Oregon on the Cheap!

Things To Do in Portland, Oregon on the Cheap!

This is a sponsored post brought to you by Groupon. All opinions are mine.

I am always looking for different ways to save, whether be it shopping for clothes, food or things to do in town for special occasions. I truly believe that you don’t need to pay full price in order to get quality products or to have a little fun. That’s why I am always browsing Groupon. They have tons of discounted options for things to do in Portland, Oregon that won’t break the bank.

Things To Do in Portland, Oregon on the cheap

 

Wine tasting and brewery options are almost always available any time of the year on Groupon in Portland. We’re the brewery capital of the world pretty much. I actually bought one of these Groupon’s for my husband last month since he loves beer and it was at a great price, which included a tasting sample as well as a growler!

Concerts and movies are Groupon things to do as well. Although I don’t get to do these often anymore since having my daughter, Groupon was our go-to for movie discounts at Cinetopia. And every time Cinetopia would pop up, we’d snag the tickets up, because frankly, who can afford $50 at the movie theater per couple with concessions? No thanks!

Theaters and shows for those that like theatrical events. There are plenty of places in Portland to catch a great show at a great venue!

Safaris and Chinese Gardens. I have actually been to the Chinese Garden which is cool to try at least once if you haven’t been already.

 

things to do in portland

There are so many Groupon Things to do, be sure to check local deals for the best savings. Sometimes you can score even better deals by using exclusive coupon codes sent to your email.