Category: Family

Celebrate Mom & Enter to Win a Mother’s Day Spa Giveaway!

This post is sponsored by Entenmann’s® Little Bites® so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Entenmann’s® Little Bites®. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

It’s almost MOTHER’S DAY!!!  It’s going to be a very busy month for us.  It’s not only Mother’s Day, but Terence’s birthday, my birthday, and we are traveling to Europe in a few weeks too!  Aaaaaand we still don’t have a kitchen, but it’s progressing and decisions are happening.  I hope you love on your Mama and make her feel special this Mother’s Day.  God bless my Mom for putting up with me. Lol!  Now that I’m older and look back on life I’m EXTRA thankful for her because being a Mom is hard.  I love Connor more than life, but this week in particular has been rough…and Mama said there’d be days like this right?

Even though I don’t have a kitchen I still have some goodies to snack on thanks to Entenmann’s® Little Bites®.  Their Strawberry Yogurt Muffins are AMAZING y’all!  They are a wonderful snack or even dessert.  With under 200 calories per pouch and real strawberries, it’s a delicious treat I don’t feel too guilty about.

I don’t live in the same state as my Mom anymore, and I sure do miss having her right there with me.  Nothing makes you miss your Mom more than not having her within close proximity so you can go have lunch, a shopping trip, or a fun pedicure!   How do you plan on celebrating your Mom this Mother’s Day?

Entenmann’s Little Bites wants to help YOU celebrate your Mom on Mother’s Day.  They are thanking moms for all that they do for everyone by giving away five $100 spa gift cards!

ENTER TO WIN HERE!!!

In time for Mother’s Day, what better way to celebrate than by creating a deliciously edible bouquet featuring Entenmann’s® Little Bites® Strawberry Yogurt Muffins? You can view the DIY video here for step-by-step instructions in the video below.


Join NEW Little Bites® rewards program! Buy 10 five-count boxes of Little Bites® snacks and get 1 FREE! Send in your receipts by text message, email or website. To get started, send a text message with the keyword “Little Bites” to 811-811, email to redeem@Rewards.LittleBites.com or visit http://rewards.littlebites.com.

Follow Entenmann’s® Little Bites® on Facebook, Instagram,& YouTube

A flash back Friday for you 🙂  Thank you Mommy for everything!

Avengers Infinity War : The End is Near

I may not be a super hero, but I am a super Mom.  I broke this kiddo out of school yesterday to get a sneak peek of the new Avengers: Infinity War movie before it hits theaters.  I told Connor to put on his Captain America shirt before school and he had no idea we’d be going to see the movie.  I haven’t checked him out for anything this year…but this was so worth it!  When he got to the office and I was wearing my Captain America shirt and I said “What shirt are you wearing?  “What shirt am I wearing?”  He just stood there and said “No…no…no….are we going to see the movie?”  YES!!!

Proceed with a screaming 8-year-old boy running out of school like his pants were on fire.

Every time we both try to talk about it Terence promptly “SHHHHHHHHH” us! He is going to see it Saturday so we’ve been sworn to silence in our own home.  Which, after you see the movie you’ll understand is a hard thing to do!

Being in a house of only dudes I’ve probably seen every Marvel Superhero movie 3 times or more.  It seems like 10 years has whipped past and suddenly I’ve been hit with a thousand stones (Infinity stones to be exact: Space, Mind, Reality, Power, Time, Soul) trying to process the latest film.  I hope you have your tickets and are ready for quite the ride.  If you haven’t seen all the films leading up to Avengers” Infinity War now is your chance to marathon watch y’all!

It all started with Tony Stark.

  • Iron Man (2008)
  • The Incredible Hulk (2008)
  • Iron Man 2 (2010)
  • Thor (2011)
  • Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
  • Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)
  • Iron Man 3 (2013)
  • Thor: The Dark World (2013)
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
  • Ant-Man (2015)
  • Captain America: Civil War (2016)
  • Doctor Strange (2016)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
  • Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
  • Black Panther (2018)
  • Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
  • Captain Marvel (2019)
  • Untitled Avengers Film (2019)
  • Untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming Sequel (2019)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2020)

Who knows how it will end???

Now go get your watch party started with some popcorn…maybe throw some M&M’s in there for good measure.  Prepare yourselves mentally for this movie…physically you’ll just be sitting there, don’t worry it’s okay to watch Thor and Captain America and just sit back and admire with googly eyes.

In a closing note I’d love to hear your thoughts once you see the movie, so come back and comment and let’s discuss!  Also, if I had to chose an Olsen sister to defend me at the end of the world it wouldn’t be Mary Kate or Ashley.  The Scarlet Witch is my favorite Avenger female superhero…because daaaaaaang.

This showed up in my time-hop today on Facebook…coincidence…I think not!

Like AVENGERS on Facebook

Follow AVENGERS on Twitter 

Follow AVENGERS on Instagram

Visit the official AVENGERS website here

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR opens in theaters everywhere on April 27th! 

When Life Throws You Curve-Balls

This post is sponsored by Urgent Care for Kids.  All thoughts an opinions are my own.

Hello!!!  I hope everyone’s week is going well!  I have a ton of fun stuff to blog about soon.  I’ve been crazy busy and oh yeah…if you haven’t been on my Instagram or Instastories lately you may not have heard that we are without a kitchen right now.  Isn’t home-ownership GREAT!  A pipe leak under the sink has lead to an unintended kitchen remodel.  Needless to say it’s been cray cray and work on the kitchen still hasn’t started.  I never thought I would say this…but I am actually tired of eating out.

That’s the thing about life…it’s constantly throwing you curve balls.

My beautiful family Easter 2018
It’s bluebonnet season/aka spring time here in Texas and my allergies have been crazy!  We all got through the winter season without the flu and only a couple of cases of strep throat.  The flu was outrageous this past year wasn’t it?  That’s the thing about being sick too…nobody PLANS on it!  I’m so thankful we live in DFW and there are such great places to take your kiddos like Urgent Care for Kids.
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for this kid right here.
Over the years we’ve had to deal with a lot of life’s curve-balls, including urgent medical situations.  I’ll never forget the day the school nurse called and Connor could barely walk, he was so sick and we couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him.  Turns out he had a severe allergic reaction to some medication and it went septic.  We were so scared!  At Urgent Care for Kids they are ready and waiting to help YOU!   They offer after hours pediatric urgent care.  They even offer online telemedicine consults with a Pediatrician via video so you never have to leave your home.
Urgent Care for Kids has 10 locations in Texas & 4 locations in DFW.  When you are ready you can check in online.  To find a location near you go here.
The Pediatricians at Urgent Care for Kids are there to help you as parents and put you at ease.  They offer extended hours, because you never know when you may need to see the Doctor right?  Nobody plans on being sick and it can hit you when you least expect it.

Check out Urgent Care for Kids today, so next time life throws you a curve-ball you’ll know exactly how to handle it.  Follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news.

Vacation Destination: Arlington, TX

One of my favorite cities to visit is Arlington, TX…not only because it’s right next to me, but because it has some amazing things to do!  I first visited Arlington, TX when I was 18 years old and my parents took me to Six Flags my senior year of high school to see a concert and visit friends.  Never in a million years did that young girl from Arkansas imagine living in Texas, but here I AM!  I married a Texan almost 17 years ago, and for the past 10 years DFW has been my home and I love it!  Arlington has changed so much over the years and grown into a magical place to visit and explore.  

Let’s start out with Downtown Arlington.  There are so many restaurants and cute shops to visit.

One of my favorite local hangouts is Legal Draft Beer Co.  Legal Draft just opened a couple of years ago and it has a great story behind the brewery.  Not to mention they have every type of beer imaginable!

“So how did a trial lawyer and a medical logistics professional wind up founding a craft brewery?  About 15 years ago, Greg (the lawyer) and Curt (the logistics guy) were hanging out with friends, enjoying a cold beer and discussing family, business, and life its own self. With very little introduction, Curt announced that the assembled group of friends should open a brewpub in our hometown, to serve our friends and neighbors along with the many tourists who visit the area. Everyone agreed, then finished their beers and returned to making a living and raising a family. In early 2015, Curt and Greg and their friends were again enjoying a cold beverage together (a theme has now appeared) when Greg let everyone know that he had decided to open a craft brewery in Arlington, so that our hometown could take part in the craft beer revolution and participate in the revitalization of downtown Arlington. Curt, of course, simply couldn’t resist. Thanks to a recovering attorney and a retired logistics guy, here we are.”

A fun atmosphere and a place to gather with friends.

If you are looking for a sweet treat there is nobody better than Sugar Bee Sweets Bakery.  They have amazing cakes, cupcakes, and cake balls.  I’m always in the mood for cake, and they never disappoint my sweet tooth!

 

For the perfect girls day out try the Rose Garden Tea Room.  It’s inside of Decorator’s Warehouse, which has every decoration imaginable for every season and holiday!  The food is delicious and I literally have dreams about that white cheddar soup.

Do you have a bowling fan in your family?  If so, Arlington has just the place with the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the history of bowling and exhibits is all right here!

Globe Life Park is another landmark in Arlington, TX.  It’s the home of the beloved Texas Rangers and it’s always packed with fans.  If you haven’t caught a game here…then you MUST come visit!

Let’s not forget about AT&T Stadium– Home of the Dallas Cowboys as well as several great concerts throughout the year.  Even if there is nothing going on at AT&T Stadium it’s still quite a site to see.  You can take a tour of the venue, it’s mind blowing and larger than life!

I love this sculpture in front of Globe Life Park…random but so cool!

Let’s not forget about Six Flags!  I’m a big chicken when it comes to roller coasters, but it sure is fun to watch people scream their heads off!  Six Flags is always coming out with fun events and new rides.  One of my favorite times to visit is at Christmas when everything is lit up and they HONESTLY have the best hot cocoa in Texas 🙂 The swing ride makes me shiver just looking at it.  Have any of you been on this ride before?  It’s SOOOOOOOO high up!!!

A favorite local burger restaurant is The Grease Monkey.  It has a vintage garage type of vibe with indoor and outdoor seating.  Video games and a Juke box for the kiddos too!  There is also a long list of concerts throughout the year performed on stage at The Grease Monkey.  Check it out here.  

I love Ripley’s Believe it or Not!  Not too far from Arlington is one of the best ones I’ve been too.  Well hello there Mr. President, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Jason Statham, and other stars.  Have you ever wanted to mingle with the stars?  Well, here’s your chance….to at least get a selfie! Lol!  Ripley’s also has fun seasonal events and a fun 7D “moving theater”.  

Check out more in my video below and I hope you get the chance to visit the city of Arlington, TX!  Summer is right around the corner and there are so many fun places to visit…I don’t just live here, but I love to visit too.  For more information on the city of Arlington, TX visit HERE.

Connor’s 8th Birthday

My sweet boy turned 8 a couple of weeks ago.  I can’t believe it’s been 8 years since we brought him home from the hospital.  I can’t imagine life without you kiddo.  Connor, you are loving, kind, thoughtful, and curious.  This age is so much fun!  I thank God every day that He gave us you to raise & nurture on this Earth.  We are truly the luckiest parents ever…obviously we are to have a sweet boy like YOU!  The time goes by so quickly and before we know it you’ll be a teenager.  As much as I rush through the day to day I find myself reflecting more recently on the past.  Those days where I was glad I took extra pictures or a little video to capture a memory.  Those are my most treasured things now.

Connor wanted to have a bowling/laser tag party and Main Event was the perfect place to host it.  He’s really into Roblox, but I honestly don’t know much about that game, so we went heavy on the bowling theme and light on the Roblox.  LOL!  We invited 10 of his friends from 2nd grade (if you were not invited, please don’t kill me…but birthday parties are expensive…so we had to dwindle it down to a small list!) I promise if we could have invited 100 we would!

We also had the joy of driving a Toyota Avalon Hybrid for the week!  I love reviewing cars, and I honestly think Connor loves it more than I do.  He thinks it’s so exciting when we get to test out new wheels for the week.  The Toyota Avalon was BLUE, Connor’s favorite color too!  I had an Avalon for 11 years and I absolutely LOVED that car.  I never had a single problem with it and to this very day it’s my favorite car I’ve ever owned.  It was nice to see how the Avalon has changed since I had mine…and boy has it changed.  It was super quiet and much more sporty than the Avalon I remember.  I drove it for the entire week and I didn’t even use half a tank of gas doing all the things I would normally do during the week.

Smooth steering and control A must have for any (and my next) car….I don’t know how I’ve lived so long without a back-up camera! The Avalon was FANCY- Look at that wood grain finish and the mix of tan leathers.
Another cool feature was the cup holders.  At night they lit up so you could see where to place your drink!  It’s the little things people 🙂 It’s already 80 degrees in Texas, so I really enjoyed the air conditioned seating.

All packed up and ready to PARTY! I loved how smooth and easy the Avalon was.  It rained the entire week and this car handled rainy weather like a piece of cake…or cupcakes…like the ones seen here???

These bowling cookies turned out so cute!   Connor and his Dad Connor and me 🙂 The kiddos all had a great time bowling and doing laser tag.  Our party host at Main Event was named Connor too and had curly hair!  He was so good with all the kids and I highly recommend them for a party…they did not pay me to say that either!  We had a great experience and just wanted to say THANK YOU!

I bought a sparkler candle and oh my goodness…I didn’t realize how much that thing was going to SPARKLE!  All the kids starting screaming and yelling.  It was super cute and Connor loved it.

Thank you Toyota for a fun week in this fabulous BLUE Avalon!  Thank you everyone for coming to the party and celebrating Connor with us we are truly blessed by all of you.

xo- The Branch Family

Laundry Made Easier With LG

This post is sponsored by Best Buy.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

One of our favorite places to go and walk around on the weekends is Best Buy….well, actually I would say it’s more Terence’s, but there are so many things for me to look at as well!

Usually while Terence is looking at the speakers and entertainment systems I’m looking at all the cool appliances Best Buy offers.  A recent favorite is the  LG Twin Wash system which includes LG Front Load laundry paired with LG’s SideKick Pedestal Washer.

With LG’s TwinWash system you get the best of both worlds. For small loads that can’t wait (The sweatpants after hot yoga, the red shirt in a pile of whites, the dirty school uniform on a Sunday night) there is the LG SideKick pedestal washer. You can even use it simultaneously while you do a bigger load up top on your LG Front load washer.  There are so many times I just need to wash one or two items like my favorite pair of jeans or a shirt Connor spilled something on.  I love this tiny little washing machine feature.  Not only do these washers have mega capacity to tackle any size load, they are energy efficient while giving you the best cleaning performance. No wonder more households have chosen LG laundry over any other brand!

Right now Best Buy is offering a great deal from 1/11-4/25 to receive up to $500 off a LG laundry solution for your home.

So what are you waiting for?  It’s time to replace those old appliances for sparkly new ones!

This kid as made SO many messes over the years and I can’t believe he’s going to be 8-years-old in a couple of weeks.

The Toyota Highlander Is Worth The Hype

Hello Everyone!  So, I just got back from the DFW Auto Show this past week and it was AMAZING!  I was super excited to be covering Toyota this year and check out all the new and upcoming models.  Terence and I have talked a lot about what our next car will be and we’ve decided on an SUV or a truck.  Just this weekend he had to pick up some shelves from the home improvement store and he said “Man…if we only had a truck to pick up those shelves I ordered”.  I get so excited when we get to drive new cars and try them out.  It definitely helps narrow down what we like and don’t like.

Late last fall we were able to drive a Toyota Highlander SE model.  I think someone was a little bit excited about this car???  Ya think???

The Toyota Highlander was basically the perfect vehicle….if it were up to ME!  We have gone back and forth between the Toyota Highlander and a Lexus RX.  They both have great qualities, but the Highlander price point fits more in our family budget.
I really enjoy being a bit higher up off the road in an SUV.  For some reason this makes me feel more “large and in charge” while driving.   The automatic trunk opens and closes with a push of a button.  You know those days when it’s raining outside and you have your hands full of 20 things and can’t dig through your purse for the keys?  Just press the button on the trunk and “viola” it opens for you!   Of course Connor’s favorite thing was the TV.  Oh my goodness I’ve never had a more quiet car than when I was driving this Highlander! LOL!  It comes fully equipped with headphones and a remote.  Roadtrips would definitely be much more smooth with these fun extras.

I’m sure a lot of Mom’s have heard this before….“Mommy…Mommy…the sun is in my eyes!!!”  The built in sunscreens are a life saver on those hot, sunny Texas days. The dashboard and command station have everything at the press of a button.  This car was sooooo COMFY y’all!  I didn’t find myself reaching and extending for things or pressing certain buttons because they were all within an arms reach. That third row seating is a definite bonus too.   I could car pool ALL the kiddos in this Highlander!  The third row also folds down for extra storage, so the next time we need to pick up a bulky item…like shelves for the garage…just pop that seat down.
Do you ever find the smallest things to be your favorite as well?  This little shelve that was in the front dash was my FAVORITE thing!  My phone is usually sliding all around my car, but I found it so easy to just pop the things I needed right there on this little shelf.  
The Highlander is definitely one of my most favorite Toyota vehicles. It’s got just about everything you could ever want and need for any adventure.

Until our next adventure…..xo Becky