Ashlee and Her Tribe

Lifestyle + Motherhood Blog

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Dining room refresh

This blog post is sponsored by Raymour & Flanigan. All opinions are my own.

I have always had a fantastic experience with Raymour & Flanigan. About 13 years ago, when my husband I first moved in together we purchased most of our furniture through their store. Then this past spring we did a master bedroom refresh and updated our bedroom furniture through their store as well. Our dining room has needed a makeover for awhile. Our old traditional furniture was a bit too dark for my taste. I wanted to replace the dining room furniture with something that had light wood tones and a more modern feel. I searched the internet for something that would have a light wood tone and be durable for my 4 children. I fell in love with the Elmwood Park 7-pc. Dining Set. The table and chairs appeared to be very durable and the color of the set was just what I was looking for!

A few days later, my daughter and I headed into our local Raymour & Flanigan to shop. The store is always a fun experience for us because the staff is very helpful and friendly. My daughter and I love walking around looking at all the beautiful pieces. When we first walked in, we found the table right away. I walked around a bit more to make sure there was nothing else that caught my eye. Then we found the Elmwood Park 2-pc. Buffet w/ Hutch and Lighting in the show room too. It was everything we needed. It was large, sturdy, and had plenty of storage for our dishware. It also had a wine rack and lighting. We added the Holly Bar Cart to our final order. I found it online and thought it would look perfect against the opposite wall of the hutch. I could not wait to get this entire set delivered to my home so, I could decorate!

Once I met with the store manger, I found out that delivery could literally be within 3 days! The delivery and set up were effortless. I received a text message in the AM that my delivery time frame was between 2pm-5pm. I was able to track the delivery truck right from my phone. When the truck pulled up to my driveway, the two men worked rather quickly to set up the entire dining room for us. They were fast and cleaned everything up. I look forward to creating many beautiful family memories in our new dining.

The before…. What an improvement the new furniture and fresh paint really brighten the room and give it a more modern airy feel!

Thanks for stopping by

Ashlee

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School is in Session

This blog post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.

Yay I finally have a minute to breathe with my 3 older children back in school! Hudson and Everett are currently in 4th and 3rd grade. My daughter, Winter is in preschool 4 full days a week. I was sad to see summer come to an end but, we all needed to get back into a routine. My kids thrive off of structure and being around other children. I thought it would be fun to share with you all some back to school products, that I find helpful to have on hand for your kids!

First up is Mederma Scar Cream for kids. I think every parent should have their medicine cabinet stocked with this product. Active kids are always getting hurt. In fact, all summer long my kids had scrapes on their poor knees. I often worry about their scrapes and cuts scarring and how that can damage their self-esteem as they get older. Therefore, whenever one of my kids gets a cut or scrape, I reach for this kid-friendly scar cream. It is clinically proven to visibility reduce the overall appearance of scars in an easy-to-use gel. My kids love that it goes on purple and rubs in clear. I love that it helps to reduce scars because it locks in moisture, boosts collagen production, and helps the skin cells to renew. For the best results, you should apply it to your child’s cut as soon as the wound has closed. Then use it consistently for 4-8 weeks. Winter has had an awful scar on her knee from a bad fall off her scooter this past May. I started using this scar cream in August and was really impressed with the results.

I love to let my kids know that I am thinking of them while they are at school by putting little lunch notes in their bento boxes. MyWish4U Lunch Notes From Me! is a fun way to make your child smile and for your to connect with them. It’s so simple because all you need to do is tear off a note from the book and slip in in their lunch box. You can even use these when they go to camp, afterschool sports, sleepovers, grandparent’s house, family trips in the car, around the dinner table etc.) The notes contain jokes, riddles, brainteasers, cool facts, and positive messages on colorful paper. They are only $4.99 and a great way for you to make your children feel special when you are not with them. To keep things fun and put a smile on your kiddos faces you can grab MyWish4U Lunch Notes From Me! right here. Also available at Target stores nationwide.

My kids love all things STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). I cannot always get my children to read but, if it involves problem solving and experiments they are all about it. STEM Like A Girl Book is a wonderful book to have in your home even if you don’t have girls! The fully illustrated book provides 15 hands-on STEM-based experiments that kids can do at home. It also introduces you to 35 inspiring girls who have done the experiments. When cabin fever hits during the colder months your kids will have fun doing these STEM activities. The Blast Off and Marble Maze were fun for my kids to do together.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out all these products.

Ashlee

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Dinner Problem Solved.

I was asked by Carusele to participate in the #GreenGiant campaign, sponsored by Green Giant. Although I have been compensated, all opinions are my own.

In our family the side dish makes the meal!  

When it comes to dinner time, we usually make a protein, and some vegetables. Everyone usually agrees on the main course but the discrepancies lie in who likes the supporting dishes. Being that we have 4 children everyone has a preference on what vegetables they will actually eat. One of my challenges as a mother is I do not want my kids to go to bed hungry, so pleasing as many as possible is a high priority.

We have done your typical broccoli, carrots, mashed cauliflower and zuchinni noodles with parmesan, but in a 7 day week we are constantly looking for more options. A family favorite of ours has become Green Giant Veggie Fries.

Green Giant Veggie Fries have (1) full serving of vegetables and Green Giant Veggie Rings are made with real vegetables making them a great alternative to fries and tater tots. So if you struggle to come up with sides your children will actually eat for dinner try the crispy and crunchy kid-friendly Green Giant Veggie Fries and Rings!!

 If your family is anything like ours, it’s not enough for the kids to just eat the meal, they need to take part in the preparation. In my house my kids have come up with an amazing recipe they love to enjoy their veggies fries with. I make the meatloaf, but I allow them to create a wonderful dip that allows them to be part of the meal.

They came up with a Dill pickle yogurt dip as the dipping sauce for the Veggie Fries and Veggie Rings which was the hit of the meal!  

Here is the recipe for the yogurt dip that we used with the Veggie Fries and Veggie Rings.

2 cups Greek yogurt

3 garlic cloves crushed. 

2 medium cucumbers, peeled, grated, and squeezed dry with paper towels.

2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

1 tsp dried cilantro

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Juice of 1 lemon 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and then refrigerate for a couple hours to let the flavor set in. Serve with a side of pickles and of course your Green Giant Veggie Fries and Veggie Rings. (linked) You can grab them from the frozen aisle at local retailers like Walmart!

Ashlee