Fresh, Delicious, Easy Drinks with RIPE Bar Juice

Disclaimer: I was provided product in exchange for this post, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The unofficial kick off of summer is today! I'm not sure how Memorial Day became the summer kick off, but after paying our respects to the fallen, it's a good weekend to grill some food, have a drink, and start the countdown to summer.

Thanks to Ripe, I can easily make drinks perfect for the summer weather. One of the biggest stresses for me while hosting is that I never seem to have all the ingredients I need. I wanted to start my day with a mimosa buuuuuuut I was out of champs and had no sparkling wine.  Then I thought about a bloody mary and while I didn't have many of the ingredients I needed, I did have Ripe's Bloody Mary mix which meant I only needed vodka, and honestly, when don't I have vodka on hand? I used some shrimp, bacon, olives, and a tomato to really beef up my brunch drink!

I will admit that Bloody Mary drinks are not my favorite but they are so perfect for the morning.  My real love lies with margaritas. Sadly, not all are created equal.  I'm a big fan of my own Margarita recipe but it's nothing in comparison to Ripe's! It was the perfect mix and all I needed to add was some tequila. Dave does not like tequila but enjoyed drinking just the Bar Mix, which means it must be good, right?

A little salt and it was perfect!

Ripe Bar Mixes are perfect and easy for all sorts of events, even just a drink by myself. No extra ingredients to stock, no concerns about ratios... Ripe Bar Mixes come in lots of flavors, like Bloody Mary, Mojito, Cosmopolitan, Margarita, and Lemon Sour.  I am especially excited to try out the Bajan Punch! RIPE Craft Bar Juice is the nation's first cold-pressed, fresh juice bar mixer and are all natural with no preservatives. I love that the taste is so amazing that having a virgin drink would be so easy with these craft juices.

The company itself is based out of New Haven, CT but you can use the FIND RIPE tool to see what local stores carry it!

Each bottle has a shelf life of about 70 days so I will be stocking up on them for the summer.
Which are you most excited to try?

xo, Heather

Soccer with ChallengerSports.com

Emmalee is huge in dance and Tyler has always been along for the ride.  He goes to dance classes every week; conventions in the Fall when she develops her skills, competitions in the Spring where he stays occupied for hours so she can dance. He comes tagging/canning at the grocery stores when my husband is working. And while Tyler has spent so much time at dance, we decided it was time that he had something too.

Tyler has been asking to play baseball but he misses the town birthday deadline by 6 days so we instead looked at soccer.  It was a small, 6 week programs offered by Challenger Sports, called Tiny Tykes. The 6 week classes were an hour long and worked on developmental skills, while introducing kids to soccer.

Our local session offered a class for 2-3 year olds and one for 3-4 year olds.  I put Ty into the older class knowing his birthday would be halfway through the sessions. He loved it! A great bonus that was with our registration, he received soccer shorts, a jersey and his own soccer ball.  It was all under $100!

His group was great-- not too many kids and the coach was unbelievable.  She was so kind and compassionate, making every skill a fun game.  Whether the kids were building a boat with cones, or kicking the ball at the octopus, they were having fun while developing skills.

The Tiny Tykes program was exactly what we hoped it would be- an introduction to soccer that would allow my kid to decide if he loved it.  Now that the session is over, he's asking when he can play soccer again! I'm excited that he has found something he loves.

To see if there are any programs near you, you can check here. We will be looking for more programs near us so we can continue on!

xo, Heather

Tyler is 4!

It's crazy to me that this perfect little man is already 4! But then again, I feel like he's always been a part of our family so how has it only been 4 years?

This year, Tyler got to celebrate his birthday with his family and his friends on two separate days and got to have his own birthday party.

His actual birthday was so busy! Emma had a dance competition in Taunton so we knew we would be spending most of the day there, so bright and early, we were up and on our way to get our favorite donuts from Sunrise Bakery in New Bedford.  We stopped at a playground on the way home and had so much fun since it was just the three of us. We're so lucky that our dance family is so amazing and we had cupcakes with everyone after the girls were done dancing! The dancing didn't end until 7 pmish, so our presents and cake were done late that night! It felt a bit scrambled but he was so happy!

His birthday party almost didn't happen! All he asked for this year was a "playground party", but thanks to the rain in the forecast, we ended up moving and rescheduling to the local bowling alley less than 48 hours before the scheduled party time!

Wonderbowl in New Bedford was absolutely amazing in accommodating us and we had so much fun!
I love seeing my boy with his friends, talking and interacting.  Some days I can't believe he was ever so delayed in his language.

Since his birth 4 years ago, he has overcome so many obstacles with his speech and continues to be the happiest, sweetest boy I know. I am just so happy that I was picked to be his mom. ❤

Interview with a 4 year old:

What's your name?

Ty-yer

How old are you?

Four (with fingers up)

What's your favorite thing to do?

"Pay ou-side"

What do you want to be when you grow up?

"I wanna do mine bird-day"

What is your favorite food?

strawberries

Who do you like to spend time with?

"You (mom), wif Emma, Dad"

What can you do really well?

"be good"

What makes you laugh?

"squeezin honky" (his bike horn

Whats the best time of the day?

"when it's cold and snowy"

What are you afraid of?

"I 'fraid of dohsts"

Who is your best friend?

Julie!

What do you like to do with your family?

chase somebody

What do you like to learn about?

"da beech"

What is your favorite book?

Emma's books

If you had one wish what would it be?

for a real claw machine

Happy Birthday Little Man!

xoxo

Lemon Raspberry Short Cut Cupcakes

My favorite flavor combination is raspberry and lemon and it is such a spring time combination. Cupcake Charlies is a favorite of mine and I always look for their lemon raspberry cupcakes.  I've been unsuccessful in finding them recently so I decided to make some of my own.  

I have a crazy schedule and am always looking for ways to save a little time.  As delicious as made from scratch cupcakes are, sometimes a boxed mix is exactly what you need. I am especially fond of Pillsbury's Lemon cake mix and since I only need to add a few ingredients, it's quick and easy. Add in raspberry preserves and canned frosting and you can have delicious cupcakes in under an hour.

They are always what I need in that moment and while they are never as good as Cupcake Charlies, they are delicious. Do you ever use boxed mixes?

xo, Heather

Spring Shoes from Payless

I love shopping but also have a budget so when it's time to transition from season to season, I look for the best deals. I'm always excited when I find super trendy yet reasonable priced pieces for my wardrobe. Payless Shoes has been killing it this year. My style is very classic and simple, but comfortable and pretty as well.. it's a fun combination, and Payless has put out so many styles that effortless fit into my wardrobe for the warmer months.

Here's a few of my favorites:

1. Sloan Crossband Floral Slide

2. Black Scalloped Whitley Flat Sandal

3. Mauve Espadrille Wedge

4. Studded Flat Sandal

5. Crossed Platform Wedge Sandal

6. Frayed Wedge Sandal

7. Nude Low Wedge Sandal

The best part is every pair is under $30, and many are on sale right now for half that! I'm so excited that I could update my shoe collection this season without breaking the bank! Which pair is your favorite?

xoxo