In the Kitchen: 7 Fun Ways to Enjoy Pumpkins This Fall

Butterflies, it’s the first day of fall and nothing says autumn like fresh pumpkins. Whether you are cooking with them or decorating with them, pumpkins are so much fun and provide many great health benefits. Below are a few of my favorite pumpkin things:

Around the World from Home: Cultural Festivals in Texas

One of my favorite outdoor things to do is attend festivals. Growing up I looked forward to the Houston International Festival every year; the music, the food, and the cultural exposure...there’s always something fun to do and cool to see. Updated monthly, here’s a list of cultural festivals/exhibits taking place here in Texas:

Visiting Texas: Coolest Texas Water Parks + Tips for Your Visit

Butterflies, what do you enjoy most about going to the water-park? National Water-Park Day is celebrated annually on July 28th and now that we’re all getting back outside this is a great opportunity to get outdoors and make some new memories. A day at the water-park can be tons of fun, especially when you plan ahead and pack your waterpark essentials (see list below). Here are some of my favorite Texas Water-Parks:

Visiting Texas: The Harlem Globetrotters 2024 World Tour Comes to Texas + Save Up to 20%

HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 2024 WORLD TOUR - PRESENTED BY JERSEY MIKE'S SUBS | Looking for a family outing that everyone will enjoy? Make plans to take the whole family to the Harlem Globetrotters 2024 World Tour. The Globetrotters are bringing world-class basketball showmanship to arenas all over the U.S. and 25+ other countries and you don't want to miss your chance to be a part of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters global tour as they take the court with moments of extreme basketball innovation and unparalleled fan FUN! 

Life Update: I Finally Feel Like I Can Breathe 😅

Butterflies! It’s been a long time since you’ve heard from me and I have a valid reason for that…life has been kicking your girl’s ass!!! Honestly, I feel like I’ve been on an up and down rollercoaster ride for the last few years but the last few months have been something entirely different. I found out last year that I have a herniated disc in my lower back which hurts like a b!t@h and is causing me a whole bunch of other problems; physical therapy helped for a little while but the pain/discomfort eventually came back. 

Travel: Easy City Exploring with Pogo Pass

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If you're looking for something fun to do without spending a ton of money, check out Pogo Pass. Pogo Pass is a membership that provides you 12 months of FREE access to the best entertainment venues in your city; water parks, indoor entertainment centers, museums, zoos/aquariums, and sporting events. 

Mom Life: STEM, Music and Art Summer Camps in Texas

Hey Butterfly Mommies. It’s important we keep the kiddos minds and bodies active year round, even when they’re on break. My kid is extremely into science but she’s not quite ready for a physics tutor, so my mission currently is to find fun science related activities for her to engage in this summer so she’s having fun and learning at the same time. Since school is almost out for the summer, I thought I’d share a few fun and educational science, technology, engineering, math, and art summer camps that I’ve come across taking place in Texas.

Visiting Texas: Youth Events in Texas

Butterfly Mommies, we all know the importance of letting kids be kids and the importance of nurturing their  rapidly developing minds. If you’re looking for something cool to do with your little human(s) for the sake of stimulating them mentally, keeping them physically active or just bonding time, check out these Texas events that were planned just for the kiddos...

Bargain Shopping: Back To School Essentials at Dollar Tree

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If you’re getting ready for Back To School but need to stay within your budget, shop $1 Back to School Items at Dollar Tree! You can also stock up on office supplies while you’re there, I buy the majority of my office supplies from Dollar Tree which helps me stay within my yearly supply budget.

Mom Life: Back to School Deals at Macy’s

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Tax-Free Weekend is coming up and it’s time to stock up on essentials. When it comes to clothes for back to school, Macy’s is definitely a good place to start. I usually find all sorts of really good deals during sales and even better deals with discounts/coupons when I shop at Macy’s. Currently, save up to 50% off Back-To-School Gear + get an Extra 20% off with code BTS (Valid 8/2-8/8). The best part about shopping at Macy’s for back to school is, unlike shopping at specialty stores…you can shop for the entire family in one place and getter done!

Mom Life: Glasses for Back to School at GlassesShop.com

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Hey Butterfly Mommies. We're all busy getting our little humans ready for schools and if your kiddo is supposed to wear glasses, it's important that they actually wear them so that they are focused and ready to learn. 

GlassesShop.com is having a Back to School sale; BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE with code GSBOGO. (Offer expires 08/12) or…

Mom Life: Back To School 2021

Butterflies Mommies, I have a serious question…do you look forward to back to school time or do you dread it? For the first five years or so it was exciting (it’s cute seeing little humans excited about going to school) but now that my kid is older I don’t really look forward to it; either way, we have to do what we have to do right? Anyway, I wanted to share a few useful resources to help with getting your kiddos back in school mode:

Plants: National House Plant Day + Plant People I Follow on IG

Hi Planty Butterflies, I was in the process of updating the post on my inexpensive plant accessory finds and I just realized that today is National House Plant Day! I grew up in a home full of plants; my mom once was a huge plant lover. Plants have always intrigued me, I remember buying my first plant in high school, putting it in a recycled plastic cup (with no drain holes 😩😂) and obsessing over its growth, years later and I’m finally understanding them better…

Wellness: 8 Ways to Stay Active While Taking Care

Hi Butterflies! I hope everyone’s new year is off to a great start and everyone is getting back to their regular routine. I know some people tend to get off track with their fitness goals when the holidays come around and then there’s others like myself who’ve probably been off track for awhile and find it challenging to get refocused, but we have to do what we have to do right?

Like every other responsible adult on the planet, my days usually consist of a million different things to do and since I can’t make it to the gym as often as I would like, I have no choice but to find alternative ways to stay active. Finding little ways to stay active throughout the day is easy (where there’s a will, there’s a way) and overtime can make a big difference in our individual health journeys. Here are a few creative ways to stay active while taking care:

Mom Life: Photo Deals at Walgreens.com

Butterflies, here’s a good opportunity to organize and print a few of the thousands of pictures on your phone; check out these photo deals at Walgreens.com. Codes are valid for a limited time.

** Please note that some codes may have already expired, this list of codes is updated periodically.**

Photobook (1 4x6 photobook) - 75% off with code PHOTOBK
Framed Magnet (1 4x4 or 4x6 framed magnet) - 75% off with code BLKFRI75
Gift Tags - 10 FREE with code GIFTTAG19
Photos (5 4x6 prints ) - FREE with code FIVEFREE or FREE46
Photos (2 5x7 prints) - FREE with code FREETWO
Photos (1 8x10 print ) - FREE with code FREE810
Poster (1 11x14 poster) - $1.99 with code 1114POSTER or POSTER14

Don’t forget to shop through Rakuten to get cash back and be sure to select in-store pickup to avoid shipping cost and pickup your book the same day. Also, check out other available Walgreens Photo Deals and save on your prints, books and photo gifts.

40% Off Photo Books at Blurb

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Butterflies, now through November 11th, Blurb is giving customers 40% off photo books with code GIFTABK4T. Blurb specializes in helping you turn your memories and ideas into professional-quality books, magazines, or ebooks. What better way is there to capture this year’s most precious memories than with a photo book. Check out Blurb's selection of Cookbooks, Photography books, Travel books, Children's books, and so much more while saving 40% Off your purchase by using code GIFTABK4T.

Terms: Offer valid through November 11th, 2019 (11:59 p.m. local time). Valid only for photo books uploaded to and purchased through your own account. A 40% discount is applied toward your product total with no minimum or maximum order amount. This offer is good for five uses, and cannot be used for digital purchases or combined with volume discounts, custom orders, other promotional codes, gift cards, or used for adjustments on previous orders.

Visiting Oklahoma: Interesting Things To Do in Oklahoma

Butterflies we took another road trip to Dallas, Texas recently but this time we went a little farther out and visited Oklahoma for the first time. It was a turn around trip so we didn’t have a lot of time to spend there but we made the most of the few hours we were in town. Check out a few of the things we did while in Oklahoma below:

Visiting Oklahoma: America's Incredible Pizza Company - Oklahoma City

Butterflies, are you looking for somewhere you can mix Fun, Food and Family? America's Incredible Pizza Company is the place to find it all! Incredible Pizza Company delivers high energy and a quality experience for the entire family. I usually visit the San Antonio, Texas location but there’s plenty of fun to be had at all Incredible Pizza locations. After enjoying their freshly homemade buffet; enter the world famous Incredible Pizza Company Fair Grounds and play over 100 arcade and carnival style games. Race to the finish line while driving go karts, get lost in a friendly game of laser tag, get a hole-in-one while playing glow golf, and spin away on the bumper cars and more! So whether you're 6 or 60, enter the Incredible Pizza Company fairgrounds and have an incredible time while making memories that will last a lifetime!

Get a 99 cent All-You-Can-Eat Buffet with a $18 Game Card Purchase at America's Incredible Pizza Company. Not valid with any other offer or discount. Can not be used towards a private birthday party, fundraising event or private group event. Valid at Oklahoma City, Memphis, Springfield, St. Louis, San Antonio, and Tulsa locations only.

Visiting Texas: My Thoughts on the Councilman Dwight Boykins Situation

Butterflies, if you’re in the Houston area you’ve probably heard about all the backlash Councilman and Mayoral candidate Dwight Boykins is receiving following a speech he gave at the 2019 Youth Advocacy Summit hosted by Mi Familia Vota Education Fund. My kid attended the summit and she, as well as a lot of the other young ladies that were present were very unsettled by Mr. Boykin's message. Apparently Mr. Boykins was asked a question by the young ladies about women’s rights and somewhere along the line his response to the question morphed into an entirely different discussion. My daughter showed me the video when she got home and we talked about it.

Self-Care: 4 Ways to Avoid Stressing Over the Holidays

Happy Holidays Butterflies! Holidays are supposed to be spent enjoying the ones we love but how can we do that when we’re weighed down with unnecessary holiday induced stressed?

Well, the first thing you have to do is understand that things don’t always go as planed and it’s ok if everything isn’t perfect. Then, take a deep breath, exhale the stress and get busy.