Magnolia Mamas

Friday, July 24, 2015

Kitchen Confessions: Vintage Sparkling Water

Wahoo the weekend is near! I just love summer weekends and am cherishing these last few we have available to us before the school grind begins.

I would be remiss if I went into this weekend and didn't share my new favorite drink with you. Summer always has me craving something light and fruity to drink. Not to mention it is always so hot here in the deep south you are constantly thirsty, and its tough to stay feeling refreshed and rehydrated.

As I was strolling through the aisles of my local Kroger, on one of the nine shopping trips I usually make during a week, I found this super cute sparkling water. We love drinking sparkling water, and when I saw the Vintage Sparkling Water display it caught my eye. The flavors sounded just what summer ordered (Pink Grapefruit, Lemon, and Cucumber Melon), and when I checked the nutritional content I was impressed.

Vintage Sparkling Water is Gluten-Free, fat free, calorie free, doesn't contain any artificial flavors or dyes, and is sugar free. The only thing it isn't free of is great taste.

Cucumber Melon was the first flavor I tried, and it quickly became my go to drink to bring with my to the pool. It was crisp, yummy and just the refreshing drink I was looking for after playing with The Cutes in the pool all morning.

When I went to re-stock on my next trip to Kroger, I was so excited to find a different flavor was now available - Coconut.

Coconut people. COCONUT!!!

I might have squealed in excitement. As a lover of all things coconut, I knew that Vintage Sparkling Water and I were just meant to be.

The coconut quickly became my new favorite and I became a full on addict by day two. It is that YUMMY!

A twelve pack is pretty inexpensive at $3.99, but I was so excited to learn on the Vintage website they share a digital coupon for a $1.00 off. I love that my new favorite drink is yummy and doesn't break the budget at the checkout counter.

I also saw that on the Vintage Sparkling Water website they share a ton of delicious recipes that you can make with their flavored waters - yum! The recipes and video tutorials make mixing drinks easy and fun. Being huge Moscow Mule fans, the Vintage Mule just sounds plain scrumptious, and how could any southern girl not like the sound of the Vintage Southern Smile?

When we were craving a little afternoon weekend cocktail I knew that I wanted to make one of the yummy recipes with my new favorite drink, but then when I looked in our fridge I knew I had the ingredients to come up with a little something on my own.

Mr. Cute always has pineapple on hand and what goes better together than pineapple and coconut? The answer nothing! It's a match made in tastebud heaven. I came up with this yummy pineapple and coconut recipe and it was delicious!

Sparkling Pineapple-Coconut Crush

(makes two servings - 110 cal/serving)

Ingredients

- 1 cup of chunked pineapple

-1 can of Coconut Vintage Sparkling Water

- 3oz of Coconut flavored rum

Directions

-Place pineapple in blender and blend until smooth

- Add in can of Coconut Vintage Sparkling Water and rum

- Mix in blender for a full minute

- Serve and please drink responsibly

**For a non-alcoholic version add a teaspoon of lime juice and a half a cup of ice and you have a yummy and refreshing alternative. **

It is seriously yummy, and is the perfect light, yummy drink with a hint of sparkle that summer calls for.

Cheers to that and finding my new favorite drink!

We hope you have a great weekend and enjoy your own refreshing Vintage Sparkling Water!

Which flavor will you try?

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Baseball Fever

Does anyone else have baseball fever in the summer? We are over halfway through the season, and our little family has been soaking up every game we can. Even the super hot ones.

And I do mean HOT. July at the Ted has been no joke.

Our seats season tickets are located in club level, and are normally pretty shaded, but the select few games we've been in the sun it has been a test of our southern blood. Being born and raised in heat and humidity we rarely get bothered by it. That's just the south.

But then you realize you are getting the ugly sweats five seconds after sitting in your seats and you throw in the towel.

Then you pick up the towel (monogrammed of course), wipe yourself off, and head into one of the best inventions that has ever graced this beautiful earth - air conditioning.

At this particular game Cute was so hot he convinced Little Cute that she should push him in the stroller. He happily tomahawked his way up an down those air conditioned hallways like a champ.

Little Cute usually resumes her seat of luxury though the moment we make our way to the Coca-Cola Sky Field.

We love this area. It is usually shaded and has tons of activities for the kids. Plus, let's be honest, a gauntlet of refreshing misters.

The kids obviously love the base running they can do up there. Even Little Cute will take a turn or two occasionally. Most times she stops and waves to all her "fans", but sometimes she actually makes it to the base. Listen 90ft of runway is not to be rushed.

Regardless of heat stroke, we love our summers of baseball and love that we are passing that joy onto our children at such a young age.

Here's to a fun remainder of summer at the ballpark...and a much cooler September.

Do you have baseball fever? What team do you cheer for?

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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Keep Things Cooler with Bison {Plus A Giveaway}

Hey, hey friends! I'm so excited to share a really amazing product with y'all today. If you follow us on Instagram you have figured out that my family (Carrie Beth's) is on vacation this week and we are having the best time (more on that next week). One thing I'm so happy that we brought with us is our new Bison cooler.

Most of you have probably heard about another popular brand of coolers that holds ice for days and keeps you things super cold. Well these coolers rival those, but for a much more economical price. The other fantastic thing about these coolers is that they proudly made in the USA!!! Something the competitor can't claim.

My good friend that uses one of these coolers told me her personal story and I loved it. She is exclusively pumping for her infant and used the small soft-sided cooler when traveling internationally through airports to keep her stash nice and cool. She didn't need to worry in the least about her milk and we as nursing moms (or former nursing moms) know how important that is.

I've used these coolers on the boat all day, at the pool to keep our lunches nice and cool, and this week on the beach for hours all day to keep our drinks icy cold. No mater where you plan on using a cooler, these are the best you can get of your money.

We love them so much, that we have partnered with a distributor to giveaway one of the soft-sided 12 can coolers! The winner will get to choose the color they would like. Personally, I'd love the pink one! :-)

To enter for a chance to win, simply enter the Rafflecopter below. The winner will be announced the week of August 3rd.

If you'd like to order your very own Bison cooler, be sure to check out their site HERE or contact them by email with questions HERE.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, July 20, 2015

Share Your Summer: Fifty Shades of Summer {Sunglass Style}

Happy Monday! Today is another topic in our Share Your Summer series and it's all about sunglasses style.

I love sunglasses. My eyes are very sensitive to light so even on cloudy days I feel like I'm squinting and need my glasses on. I do have a confession though...I have never bought a nice pair of sunglasses. Mine are always inexpensive ones from Target or TJ Maxx and I even have a pair that I bought in the airport on the way to Key West because I had forgotten mine in the car.

My current favorite pair are some I got at TJ Maxx. They have turquoise blueish lenses, which is my favorite color. Last week when we were getting ready to head out and run a few errands the girls told me I was blue from head to toe and they were right. I knew this post was coming up so I had them help me snap a few quick pics in the front yard.

I decided to pick some of my current favorites right now if I were to spend a little more money on a nice pair. (Click pictures for links and details)

You know we love Lilly and that holds true for sunglasses, too. I love the pretty blue frames!

These Coach ones are nice and pretty neutral with just a little with the blue on the sides.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Bahama Buck's

Some of you might remember that as part of my summer bucket list I wanted to find a local shaved ice place to take the kids and I was lucking out. Then just recently a few friends told me about a place called Bahama Buck's. It isn't too close, but I knew we wanted to give it a try so Jen and I made plans to meet up and make that happen last night.

After cleaning my house for literally 6 hours straight we finally got ready and made our way to meet Jen and her little ones. We decided to be responsible mothers and give them some food before sugaring them up on sno and syrup so our first stop was a nearby Mexican restaurant.

After eating our fair share of cheese dip and other yummy food (and maybe a margarita thrown in there, too) we were off to check out Bahama Buck's. As soon as we pulled up I knew we'd love it. Seriously this place was so bright, so fun, and so full of life!

We were greeted with a selection of flavors and the kids pretty much had their minds made up. Then I happened to look at the menu screen and see that what we were viewing was just a small sampling of their flavors. They have 91 flavors in all! I mean, I was paralyzed by indecision, but the kids stuck to their original choices.

After ordering the kids waited patiently for their Sno!

We all ordered the "Baby" size, which really was more than any of us could eat.

Well, except for Boo-Boo. He was sitting at a table behind us and I couldn't believe it when he brought his empty cup over to me.

Even the spoons were fun! They change colors when they get cold. :-)

Sweet Little Cute was loving her some Sno. After she finished sampling hers she moved on to tasting everyone else's. It was fun to taste the different flavors and compare so we would know what to order next time.

The place was packed last night and the buzz about it must be spreading because there was a constant stream of people in there. As soon as we walked out of the door my kids were already asking if we could go back tomorrow. It really was yummy and the perfect treat for summertime so I am sure we will be back soon.

Enjoying mid-week margaritas and shaved ice with our besties was the perfect way to spend this summer night. These are the fun memories I hope the kids will remember because I know tonight is one of those fun nights that will stick out in my mind for years to come.

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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Minions Movie {Review}

To continue our Minion fun this month, over the weekend we took on a date by himself to see the new Minions movie. Cute thrives on one on one time and we thought this would be a fun treat for him.

We have a Movie Tavern a few miles from our home and we love seeing movies there. With their large seats that you are able to order directly from its hard to beat. When we arrived something was apparently wrong with our tickets/seats. Without us even being aware of the problem the manager refunded our purchase and took care of everything seamlessly. So add great customer service to the aforementioned attributes and you have a customer for life. Go ahead and sign me up for the extra large popcorn please!

THE STORY

The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters — from T. Rex to Napoleon — the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression.

But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he — alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob — ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.

The trio embarks upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award® winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.

THE REVIEW

The Minions movie was a huge hit amongst all three of us. The Minions hardly speak throughout the movie, but you get a great idea of what their plan is through their actions and expressions. Like in the Despicable Me series, the Minions antics are silly and often unintentional. Cute thought they were simply hilarious.

The movie discusses villains throughout, but everything was pretty child friendly and silly. Even the weapons they used were silly (i.e. lava ray guns, and hypnotic hats). The few parts I thought could be scary to a little one were diffused with Minion humor.

If your little one has seen the Despicable Me movie series, stick through the beginning of the credits because you get a little peek at a younger Gru and how he interacts with the Minions, and Cute loved this part.

Over all we give it three thumbs up and it was a fun afternoon date for us with Cute. He already can't wait to bring the "Minions movie home with us" to share with Little Cute.

Did you see the Minions movie this weekend or have plans to see it soon? What did you think?

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Magnolia Mamas

Pages

Friday, July 24, 2015

Kitchen Confessions: Vintage Sparkling Water

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Baseball Fever

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Keep Things Cooler with Bison {Plus A Giveaway}

Monday, July 20, 2015

Share Your Summer: Fifty Shades of Summer {Sunglass Style}

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Bahama Buck's

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Minions Movie {Review}

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