Unique Mother’s Day Gift ~ Featuring DOVE® Dark Chocolate!!
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Unique Mother’s Day Gift ~ Featuring DOVE® Dark Chocolate!!

ByRebecca

There is no way to put into words how unique and amazing my mom is, and I’m sure almost everyone feels the same about their own mom! I’m continually discovering aspects of my personality that I can trace back to my mom – which I love. As I ponder some of the things that make me happy (reading and chocolate, to name a few), I’ve come to realize that I love them BECAUSE my mom loved them.

Whenever I think back on my childhood, I picture my mom reading. Whenever she had down time (which wasn’t often with seven kids), she was reading. On long drives, she would read. When we went on vacations, she would read. When she locked herself in the bathroom, she would read – haha. And now I do the same thing!

Chocolate Coconut Pound Cake
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Chocolate Coconut Pound Cake (she: Zainab)

ByZainab

Hi everyone! This is Zainab from Blahnik Baker. I am so happy to be sharing another fun recipe with you today. How’s your April been? I hope you are having a great start of spring as we welcome the warm weather finally. It’s been a little busy with the end of the school year for me but I am very excited for summer to come! Today, I am bringing you a new favorite spring-inspired, yet classic cake. Coconut is my all time favorite flavor but if we are being honest here, I am a fan of all things tropical; mango, coconut, pineapple, kiwi you name it. So whenever spring rolls around and the weather starts warming up, I start craving these flavors, especially coconut. If you look at my recipe index over at Blahnik Baker, you will see this slight obsession 🙂 But I can’t help it. I blame coconut for being a perfect match for so many things. Like this chocolate coconut pound cake that highlights the wonderful combination of creamy coconut with the decadence of chocolate.

Strawberry Shortcake Kabob Dessert on www.orsoshesays.com #strawberryshortcake #dessert #recipe #kabob #kebabs #strawberryshortcakekebabs #dessertbebabs
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Strawberry Shortcake Kebabs ~ Virtual Baby Shower!

ByMariel

I’m so happy for my sweet contributor, Cathy, to be adding a new little one to her family! I was just recently at my own sister’s baby shower, so I knew exactly what recipe I wanted to share with y’all… the one I brought! I wanted to bring something simple, east to grab, and fruity. These Strawberry Shortcake Kebabs were perfect. I made a whole bunch of them in no time, and they looked so fun. The only thing I wish is that I had time to make them the day of, rather than the day before. They were still good, but the cake wasn’t as soft anymore. 🙁 So, that’s my advice to you… if you can, make them and EAT THEM that day.

I actually made two kinds of dessert kebabs, but you’ll have to wait just a little bit before I share the other one with you.

raspberry citrus green tea cooler
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Raspberry Citrus Green Tea Cooler (she: Cathy)

Bycathy

Hello, Or So She Says! It’s Cathy from Lemon Tree Dwelling and I’m happy to be back to share this simple, delicious, raspberry citrus green tea cooler recipe with you! The weather in Wisconsin has finally started to warm up, and all I can think about is getting outside and soaking up the sunshine! We’re not quite there yet (the temperatures have been in the 50’s this week)….but soon enough we’ll turn a corner, and we’ll be spending all our days outdoors! (When it’s only warm 3-4 months out of the year, you take advantage of it!)

vacation countdown
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Vacation Countdown Mickey Mouse Chalkboard Tutorial (she: Adelle)

ByAdelle Belnap

Hey Everyone! It’s Adelle from over at Packed with Fun, the official blog for Get Away Today. My kids are already counting down the days to the end of school, but today I wanted to share a different kind of countdown. The days leading up to a Disneyland Vacation are some of the longest days of the year! Why not make the vacation countdown a little bit more magical and fun with a Mickey Mouse Chalkboard counting down your days until vacation? Your kids can take turns being in charge of updating the vacation countdown and decorating it. Watch the days pass by with chalk doodles and destination departure reminders on your family’s Mickey Mouse Board.

Bookmark Download … (Free Printable!) (she: Sharon)
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Bookmark Download … (Free Printable!) (she: Sharon)

Bysharon

Hi ‘Or so she says’ readers, it is Sharon from Lemon Squeezy! This month’s free download is a set of bookmarks. I love to read (my current favorite author is Fred Vargas) and never seem to have a bookmark when I need it. Click through to the post to access the bookmark download the set and print on 8.5 x 11 card stock!

Mother's day gift idea

A Mother’s Day Gift Idea …TO your children! (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Happy April everyone!! It’s Veronica with you again today, and I’m so happy to be back sharing a fun Mother’s Day gift idea with you. Hopefully everyone is recovering from their Easter feasts. 🙂 With Easter over, it’s on to Mother’s Day! I wanted to do a post on Mother’s Day, but wanted to do something a bit different. (If you don’t have children of your own…KEEP READING! There’s something in this for you as well). 🙂 For me, Mother’s Day always brings a whole mixture of feelings and emotions. But, the thing I love most about Mother’s Day is the reminder that I get to be a mom to some of the greatest kids EVER!

This year, I wanted to do something to celebrate THEM on Mother’s Day. Because, let’s face it…without them, I wouldn’t be a mom! This Mother’s Day gift idea is a little different, but I think you’ll like it.

Family Vacation Inspiration

15 Family Vacation Ideas ~ Your Kids Will Love These!

ByMariel

Tis the season for thinking about family vacations. Can you believe summer is so close?? To my kids, summer means ‘no school’ and ‘family vacations!!’ And, that pretty much sums it up. They love getting in on the planning and they look forward to our vacations all year. This year, Dan and I will be skipping out on the kids, and heading to Alaska. So excited! The kids are feeling a little ripped off, but we planned a couple cabin rentals and we’re hoping in the fall, we can take them to see my brother in Connecticut, and tour the Revolutionary War sites, since that’s what we’ve studied in homeschool this year. But, we’ll see.

Do you have anything fun planned? It can be big or small, far away or right in your hometown… what’s important is the FAMILY part. I love those vacations where it’s just US. Just the fam. My kids have to hang out with each other… the husband has to hang out with me… There’s bickering and eye rolling, but despite all that… GOOD MEMORIES.

Swiss Muesli by www.whatscookingwithruthie.com
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Swiss Muesli with Greek Yogurt and Berries (she: Ruthie)

Byruthie

Hi to all my friends at Or so she says!

It’s Ruthie from Whats Cooking with Ruthie and I’m SO happy to share a healthy, mouth-watering breakfast recipe with y’all today…

I love Swiss Muesli and this recipe has greek yogurt in it which is one of my favorites!

I’m currently enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at a local university and this recipe was given to me from one of my chefs who is from Austria, so you can believe me when I say that this recipe is fabulous 🙂

http://www.skiutah.com/passes/passports

10 Reasons to plan a Black Hills Vacation (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

Hi, it’s Allison from Tips for Family Trips with a fun summer road trip idea for families. We’ve been to Orlando, San Diego, Disneyland, the Oregon Coast and other fun destinations in recent years, but the trip that my children still rave about is our Black Hills vacation in South Dakota. It’s the road trip that rivals Disney World.

The Black Hills offers an unbeatable combination of fun family activities and natural beauty that are equally enjoyable for kids and adults. Here are my Top 10 family attractions in the Black Hills.

shapes matching game

Shape Game for Preschoolers (with Popsicle Sticks)

ByAmy Lee

Hello everyone, it’s Amy from The Connection We Share, and I’m happy to be back with you again!

Lately, I’ve been busy making learning materials for my daughter Elle, one being this shapes matching game.

I have a regular 9-5 and when I’m at work, my in-laws or my husband looks after the kids (yes, I’m very lucky, I know.) They LOVE looking after the kids and they play with them, take them to the park , take them out for lunch and so on but 1 thing I thought they would enjoy is doing some learning activities together.

To make it really easy for my in-laws and husband to teach Elle, I have a box of educational activities all ready to go so when the time is right, they could take out some of these activities and do it with her.

White Chocolate Cheesecake Fruit Dip ~ melted white chocolate, blended with cream cheese and fresh whipped cream, makes an effortless, delicious fruit dip | orsoshesays.com
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White Chocolate Cheesecake Fruit Dip (she: Samantha)

BySamantha

Hi, friends! It’s Samantha from Five Heart Home and I’m so glad to be back visiting Or So She Says this month with another fun recipe! I hope that everyone is having a great April and finally enjoying some spring weather. Today I brought by one of my favorite recent creations: a creamy fruit dip that boasts the flavor of white chocolate cheesecake! It’s the perfect accompaniment to fresh berries, apple slices, pineapple wedges, you name it! Although it’s so good you may find yourself bypassing the fruit and sneaking bites with a spoon…hypothetically speaking, of course. 😉
This white chocolate cheesecake fruit dip is a spin-off of one of my favorite springtime dessert recipes that happens to include a layer of white chocolate cream. In the process of perfecting that recipe, I tried different variations of the white chocolate cream, resulting in several leftover batches before deciding on the best version. Delicious as it was, I couldn’t figure out what to do with all of it until it occurred to me that it would make a mouthwatering dip for fruit. So today’s recipe is a happy consequence of those leftovers, slightly adapted to have a thicker, more dip-like consistency.