Autumn Rose Reo

Traveling the World with Trafalgar

February 13, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 16 Comments

I’m a girl that dreams of traveling the world.

With it nearing Valentine’s Day I began reminiscing about my vacation to Italy a few years ago.

Fifteen days traveling through the Italian countryside from Rome, Sorrento, Florence, and Venice, I finally experienced the trip I had only dreamed of and it was everything I had wanted it to be minus cooking my own pasta in my own piazza on the Tuscan hillside or purchasing the Chanel necklace I eyed walking through Florence.

But that journey didn’t come without a huge amount of research and a lot of recommendations from friends of where to go and where not to go. (I’m pretty sure I spent more time on planning that trip than I did planning my wedding…) And while I was sublimely happy most the time, there were many times I was very frustrated learning the train system, reading maps and after a long day, just figuring out what I wanted to eat.

Since then I’ve really yearned to travel to more places to see the world, taste new cuisines and appreciate cultures other than my own. However, I haven’t really had the time to do the research and don’t envy the frustration that comes with traveling to a new place to “figure out” how things work. I really need to clone me to just go plan my trip and another one to go check out the destination before the real me gets there.

And let’s not even talk about the anxiety I get when I think about a trip with my kids out of the country!

A tour package makes a lot of sense, but I don’t just want the same trip as everyone else or to board a bus and to only semi-experience a destination. Trafalgar, a worldwide travel planner, has hundreds and hundreds of vacation packages to destinations around the world. All packages are categorized by “trip styles” something for everyone– and a particular favorite of many moms is the Family Experiences—designed to appeal to every generation from children to grandparents.

Trafalgar’s award-winning vacation collection includes 10 unique travel styles—covering every traveler:

Country Explorer: in-depth experiences taking travelers to the heart of a country
Regional Explorer: an in-depth look at two or more countries
Discoveries: faster-paced, multi-country trips popular with first-time travelers
[NEW for 2015] Hidden Journeys: less-visited destinations with groups of 26 or fewer guests
At Leisure: relaxed trips with lengthier stays in each destination, later starts and more free time
Family Experiences: action-packed trips for the whole family to share, from children (aged 5+)
Special Interest: for a look at Italian food, English country gardens and World War II battlefields
CostSaver: budget-friendly Europe trips with more experiences as optional
Cruise, Rail & Combinations: trips featuring alternative transportation along with the luxury coach
City Breaks: independent packages in select European cities

And it’s all hassle-free: All guided vacations also include high-quality hotels, VIP entry to iconic sights, daily breakfasts and many local meals, luxury coach transportation, airport transfers and luggage handling.

You could go on a Castles and Kilts trip where a local specialist will take you to the must-see sights and make sure the children enjoy it with tales of mystery and madness of monarchs and interesting historical characters. They also have a trip style called CostSaver Europe (budget-friendly Europe trips with more experiences that are optional), worldwide At Leisure (relaxed trips with lengthier stays), and Hidden Journeys (tours with smaller groups that get to visit unique off the beaten path destinations). All of the Trafalgar vacations offer unique Insider Experiences like getting to dine with a local family in their home.

Or you could keep the kids at home and run off to Paris. Definitely on the top of my bucket list, Trafalgar is hosting a giveaway for a trip to see the Eiffel Tower in person – as well as all the other specials details that go with a Trafalgar-led vacation.

WIN a trip to #France! Just find the hidden treasure in Paris and it could be yours! Visit our website for more details. Good luck!

A photo posted by Trafalgar Travel (@trafalgartravel) on Feb 2, 2015 at 9:14am PST

ENTER NOW

What destination experience is on your bucket list?

Say I Love You with Red Velvet Oreo Truffles

February 12, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 9 Comments

The only better than Oreos? Red Velvet Oreos. Show your sweet side with these Red Velvet Oreo Truffles. EASY!

Last weekend I shared a few quick ideas for Valentine’s Day you can do with the Fox Good Day. There were several cute ideas, but the one that stood out and has led to several text messages and Facebook emails is this recipe for Red Velvet Oreo Truffles.

In just three steps, I created these little monsters that I’m sure are the reason I only lost two pounds this week. Nevertheless, they were worth every bite I managed to get into my mouth. As always I had posted this ridiculously cheap recipe to the blog, but the texts just kept coming.

” Where did you your Oreos?” came in streams for about four days as people were in a mad dash to find these limited edition little red devils.

Market Street! Market Street! Market Street! has had them in store since Feb. 4, but will only have them in for a short amount of time.

With cream cheese and the rich taste of red velvet sandwiched in two chocolate wafers, I knew exactly why people were looking for these like buried treasure. In a way, they kinda are…

While already perfect as an Oreo, once you add cream cheese and cover it in chocolate, it is almost overwhelming. So my suggestion is buy two packages…one to eat while you make the truffles with the other bag. Then eat five truffles, box them up and give them to someone else you never see or talk to. If you don’t heed my advice, you’ll eat them all right then and there. And there’s no need to gain a few pounds in one sitting of Red Velvet Oreos.

This recipe is PERFECT for a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift from the kids or something festive to do on Valentine’s Day. So make sure you snag those Red Velvet Oreos at Market Street and while you’re there, you can also snag what you need for a Heart Day dinner with prime rib, chocolate covered strawberries as well as a bottle wine to enjoy after the kids go to bed!

Red Velvet Oreo Truffles

Print Recipe

Description

Adapted from the original Nabisco Oreo Cookie Ball recipe, MamaChallenge makes them even better with the limited-edition Red Vevet cake balls.

Ingredients

Scale

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
40 Red Velvet OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg. candy melts – Red, White or Chocolate

Instructions

MIX cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until blended.
SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Don’t miss this #mamachallenge moment:

Free Printable Checklist for Just Between Friends Sale (JBF)

February 11, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 4 Comments

Hitting up a consignment sale in your neck of the woods? Then make sure to be prepared with this free printable checklist, perfect for Just Between Friends JBF Sale.

If you’ve been following MamaChallenge.com, you’ve seen my incredible kid buys at Just Between Friends Sale. Twice a year I take inventory of what clothes and sizes the kids have and need and then head to the JBF Sale to find great deals on tons of clothes for both my kids for the next 1-2 seasons.

With , it’s time to make my list! But this time I’ve gotten rid of my stack of Post-its and scratch paper and have devised a simpler way to get all my sizes and my want list for JBF in just one place with this checklist.

All you need to do is download the printable, take it to the kids’ closets and then write what you need, what size the child is wearing now and will be next season, and what other items you might need for the next months. Then bring it to the sale so you stay on target while you show the biggest consignment sale in Texas!

PDF | GOOGLE DOC

Another thing you are going to want to bring to the sale – a coupon for free admission! (Just print or show on your phone at the entrance to the show.)

A few changes this year make it really worth it to go. For the first-time parents & grandparents can sign-up to shop early as well as volunteering & consigning will get you an early pre-sale pass!

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Apple Dijon Vinaigrette {Recipe}

February 10, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

While Hidden Valley Ranch makes a bottle of creamy bliss that gets my kids excited to eat any vegetable, I prefer something a little simplier, healthier, tastier and fresher.

I’ve discovered if you make a delicious dressing for your greens, you actually MIGHT like eating your salad without a hundred other ingredients. And since it doesn’t require much more than about 1 minute and five ingredients in your pantry to create this Apple Dijon Vinaigrette, after one bite you’ll have this on your salad, your roasted veggies and even your grilled chicken. Just don’t let your kids see you swipe their applesauce since that’s the main ingredient!

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Apple Dijon Vinaigrette

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (1 pouch of squeezable sauce)
2 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey (option)
½ teaspoon of salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients in a blender, food processor, or emulsifier for 30 seconds – 1 minute or until smooth. Chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve with greens or over roasted vegetables.

Nothing pairs better than fresh vegetables and you can get them straight to your door! Check out this TV segment on Good Morning Texas I did about fresh food delivery.

Hello Fresh! Fresh Food Delivery

February 9, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 18 Comments

While people are more busy than ever, we are also much more cognizant of what we are putting in their bodies AND our children’s.

Thankfully, there’s been a resurgence in the concept of farmer’s markets; consumers demanding for fresh and organic groceries. However, with a little help from technology we now can have our veggies and eat ’em, too with fresh food delivery.

Hello Fresh, Plated and others have made it so easy to create delicious meals with fresh ingredients by not only setting your menu, preparing all the ingredients and then sending it straight to your door. All you have left to do is to put it in a pan and in about 20 minutes, dinner is served.

But here in DFW, an organization called the Cold Springs Farm isn’t just sending it to your door, but are bringing the farmer’s market directly to you – giving you the choice to purchase exactly what you want by picking your fruits and veggies right off their mobile market.

Photo: Cold Springs Farm

The Veggie Van (#TheFarmacy) offers organic, SEASONAL, local veggies and fruits! Delivery is included in the price. You can order one time, or you can set up automatic weekly, bi-weekly or monthly delivery. In order to shop from the Veggie Van you must be at home, however the Veggie Van driver will also select produce and leave it for you if you’re not available for delivery. The Veggie Van happily delivers to your office if that is better for you…

If someone wants to “shop” the Veggie Van, they place an order using this link: https://squareup.com/market/cold-springs-farm and then they’ll coordinate a delivery location!

No membership is required to shop the Veggie Van, it is a completely different entity than the farm’s CSA. The farm’s CSA is the best value, and membership is required. Cost is $335 for an 8-week session which meets in the cultural district of Fort Worth.

And soon they’ll also allow you to add Heritage poultry and pork from Cold Springs Farm, Grass-fed Natural beef from Grassy Ridge Natural Beef, and grass-fed lamb from Sterling Lamb to your order.

Now that you have all that delicious produce, you have tons of options for meals! I have a super easy and incredibly delicious dressing recipe that will pair well with your salad and roasted vegetables!

Valentine’s Day Crafts for the Kids

February 7, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 13 Comments

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about love, not money or spending countless hours finding the perfect “thing.” Instead spend time together making these Valentine’s Day Crafts for the Kids something that you’ll enjoy creating as much as you will enjoying eating them!

I featured these make-and-dos on Fox Good Day Saturday.

Heart-Shaped Cake

Using two cake mixes and a cookie cutter, make a cake or bread that gets to the “heart” of the matter with a secret heart! What a great way to celebrate the holiday or to give as a gift.

Valentine’s Day Lunch Box

Making a healthy lunch together makes it fun to prepare for the next day’s meal OR you can make it a surprise when they open their lunch box. Best of all it only takes a few minutes to pack this V-day lunch box. Using strawberries, cheese sticks and toothpicks, we’ve created these Cupid’s heart and arrows.

An added bonus: Healthy Valentine’s Day pouches that double as a healthy Valentines for your kids!

Red Velvet Oreo Cake Balls

Red Velvet anything is a win, but when paired with an Oreo cookie, it’s downright heavenly. I may have lost some pounds with Jenny Craig, but these cookies I found at Market Street better find a new home because they aren’t going to last more than a day at the rate they are going right now. With only three ingredients and almost no cooking, your kids will love making these Oreo Cookie Balls with their hands. The most important thing to remember: Buy at least two bags of Red Velvet Oreos – one to make the cake balls and another bag to eat. (Just saying…)

Get the Recipe Here

Love-themed Art

I love any time you can take a memory or personalized moment like using your kid’s hand and foot prints. We’ve used them for all kinds of adorable crafts, but this time we’ve made artwork that you might actually put on your wall all year long using just canvas, paint and a little patience!

Coffee-Filter Flowers

A beautiful bouquet of flowers are normally a #1 choice at Valentine’s Day, but let’s be honest, they die after only a week. Using some left-over coffee filters (remember those things you have in the back of the cabinet after you got your Keurig) and some tape, you can make your own custom-made flowers and they last forever! Add a little food coloring and you can even change colors!

For more Valentine’s Day make and do including BACON ROSES, check out these treats including a free printable!

Or if you’re really out of time, but want to show you love them, you can always pick up a heart-shaped Papa Murphy’s HeartBaker Pizza (now until Feb. 14), stick it in the oven and claim it as your own.

The pizza is made from scratch with fresh dough in the shape of a heart and is topped with traditional red sauce, generous portions of 100 percent whole milk mozzarella cheese and premium pepperoni slices. It’s perfect for busy moms and those who want to celebrate the occasion without a lot of work, but with that ‘extra something’ that’s quick, easy and served fresh to your family. Priced at $7-$8 depending on your Papa Murphy’s location, it’s a steal. Many locations are also offering a ‘Sweetheart Deal’ for $11 which includes the HeartBaker and a S’Mores dessert pizza.

Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone.

Whatever you do, just remember to love it! After all, it’s Valentine’s Day!

Don’t miss this #mamachallenge moment:

NEW: Michaels Southlake with Grand Opening Giveaways

February 6, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

If you’ve EVER needed anything the least bit crafty, you’ve been to Michaels.

For me it’s like going to fantasy land with tons of things that I’m dying to make (even if I never will.) The ideas are endless and the solutions for everything are all at your fingertips, especially if you aren’t artsy fartsy, this place MAKES you look like you are.

So to be honest, there’s no reason to persuade you go to go to Michaels – you should know it’s amazing already, they always have great deals and you’re gonna love this news. And if you haven’t, you’ve been missing out and it’s now time to come to the motherland or AKA Michaels new store in Southlake!

I stopped in earlier this week to get a sneak peek at the store and the new features Michaels has at work – like bigger location signs (so you know where to go), the Make Market (think farmer’s market, chalkboard everything and denim) and one of my favorite features, marquee signs – with options to even build your own from scratch with bulb colors, different designs and more!) And that was all in the first aisle!

Stop by this Sunday to see the new Southlake Michaels store for yourself for their Grand Opening celebration– located at 1051 E. Southlake Blvd (it’s in the same complex as the new The Fresh Market).

Plan to get there early – the first 100 in line receive mystery gift cards of $10-$100!

There’s Valentine’s Day fun for you (and the kids) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a performance by the Carrol Dragon Cheer Squad at 9:45 a.m., followed by hourly prize giveaways and a DJ from 3-5p.m.

While you’re there, take note of the new store look and check out the new Make Market line for DIY project and home décor ideas – all made with simple, on-trend surfaces and textures like chalk, denim, galvanized, burlap and cork.

Nebraska Furniture Mart Takes Everything is Bigger in Texas to New Level {Video}

February 6, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 2 Comments

“Sell cheap and tell the truth,” is the business strategy that started Nebraska Furniture Mart in 1937 by the founder Mrs. Rose Bumpkin in the basement of her husband’s downtown shop in 1937.

And as Nebraska Furniture Mart prepares to open its doors in the a few weeks in DFW, it’s still the premise that defines the 1,857,000 sq. ft. facility and doubles the company’s workforce.

TAKE A LOOK AT MAMACHALLENGE’S HOT PICKS AT NFM

You can’t say that you can’t appreciate them for keeping business simple. However, after my insider’s peek at the megastore, you can’t call any part of NFM Texas basic, however, they did take the idea “that everything is bigger in Texas” to a whole new level.

The mega-big box anchors the $1.5 billion, 433-acre Grandscape project being built by Berkshire Hathaway and will set the ground for several restaurants and hotels planned over the coming years.
A four-story attached garage has 2,200 parking spaces and allows customers to enter on both floors. An additional 2,000 spots are available on surface lots.
A 1.3-million-square-foot distribution center is attached, where customers can pick up their purchases.
The store will have 100,000 pieces of furniture, flooring, appliances and electronics, organized by category. And the selection of floor rugs of every size, appliances at every price point and brand and even the small gadgets like your can openers and blenders, will be about to be purchased at NFM.

We all know that bigger doesn’t always mean better, customers will be guaranteed to receive the best price on the market by daily markdowns that compare the NFM is beating other store’s prices. And if you do find it somewhere else, you will be able to bring it back for the difference.

VIDEO TOUR OF NEBRASKA FUNITURE STORE

Post by Nebraska Furniture Mart.

So while we all wait in hesitation to see NFM in action, you can make sure you are on the list to be one of the first customers to visit when it opens its doors this spring. Just sign up and they will email you an early pass to experience Nebraska Furniture Mart for yourself.

GET YOUR EARLY PASS BEFORE FEBRUARY 28!

Brinner Time? Perfect Pancake Recipes {Giveaway}

February 5, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 15 Comments

When breakfast is your favorite meal of the day, you don’t really need a reason to enjoy it any time of the day. However, pancakes, bacon, and all the really great parts of a big breakfast aren’t always possible on Monday mornings with only 20 minutes to get kids get dressed, fed, teeth brushed and out the door.

But when it’s chilly outside and you just want to bundle up in blanket, breakfast, brinner or whatever you want to call it for breakfast at dinner is ideal – especially when you need to get a meal on the table stat.

[Tweet “Did You Know: 91%+ of Americans eat breakfast for dinner. @Krusteaz #BreakfastNight”]

Coinciding with “National Hot Breakfast Month” in February, Krusteaz has officially named every Wednesday night in February as #BreakfastNight.Never one to not celebrate a “holiday,” I embraced the concept and put together a quick and fun breakfast that we don’t get to have very often – pancakes.

PERFECT CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES
Using Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake mix, water and a squirt bottle, I was armed to create perfect pancakes. However, my little short-order cooks (my son and daughter) really wanted chocolate chip pancakes. Rather than to mix in the chips, I waited until the batter had hit the pan and then sprinkled the chips lightly onto the pancakes. This way the chocolate wasn’t too melted, making a chocolaty, gooey mess, but just right that when you bit into them you got a pop of chocolate like a cookie!

[Tweet “Perfect Pancakes? Use a squirt or ketchup bottle to create easy pour perfect-sized pancakes every time. @Krusteaz #BreakfastNight #Wednesdays”]

BACON MAPLE PANCAKES
The kids may have been happy with chocolate chips, but daddy wanted something less sweet and more savory. You can never go wrong with a little bacon (or a lot) and the flavor of maple – so I combined them all into one pancake package! Following the Krusteauz directions, I added my batter to the pan and quickly added a little swirl (straight from the bottle of maple syrup) and sprinkled a pinch of chopped bacon. Quickly I turned them over to complete cooking. When the cakes were ready, I moved them to a plate, added butter, warm syrup and a little more crumbled bacon. I couldn’t help but immediately take a bite…there was just something amazing about having almost all the best flavors of breakfast in one bite. (I’m a #1 egg fan, but I couldn’t squeeze in another bite of anything after these perfect pancakes!)

For other great pancake recipes, check out these recipes for rainbow pancakes and healthy Apple Pie Pancakes made with applesauce I shared on Good Morning Texas in 2013.

Giveaway

To give your Wednesday night dinners a little update, Krusteaz is giving you a special #BreakfastNight Package!

Krusteaz mixes Buttermilk Pancakes, Blueberry Belgian Waffles, Chocolate Chunk Muffins and Honey Wheat Pancakes
Pancake spatula, one squeeze bottle for pancake art, and a Krusteaz-branded oven mitt.
Breakfast Night inspiration including sample Breakfast Night recipes

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Share Your Love with Easy Video App OneDay

February 4, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 18 Comments

Not living close to any family, I work to keep everyone connected by capturing my kids’ moments – big and small – as a video on my phone.

All of our big firsts: the first day of school, the first loose tooth, and the first pirouette are few and far between. But it’s the times in between, the regular Thursdays or Sunday afternoons that I struggle with something to share. I mean snack time at our house isn’t exactly movie premiere content, unless you count that one time with the dog and a really slippery mess and I wasn’t exactly in the mindset to record a video for that one. And I definitely don’t have the time or the SKILL to create a video worth sending, but that doesn’t mean my family wants to wait until I’m inspired either.

Not exactly a scene worth turning into a video with OneDay.

Thanks to a new easy video app, I have a beautiful way to package a sweet holiday message or even just a “Hi Grandma” surprise without any thinking or editing required. The OneDay app is an Instant Movie Maker that helps parents create videos of their children like a pro in seconds with fun, unique and holiday themes with curated, thought provoking, fun story sets.

In just a few simple steps, I had a beautiful Valentine’s Day video that not only did the kids and I enjoyed making together, but made Gigi (grandma) feel like she was with us, even though she was hundreds of miles away.

It only took three easy steps:

You open the app and pick a question from a wide selection of fun story sets like Valentine’s Day, Merry Christmas and many more.
Next you record your children’s answers with a tap of your record button (don’t worry, it’s created to start and stop with ease (and bathroom breaks.)
Then the app automatically stitches the recorded videos together by adding music to make quality, priceless movies to share on Facebook, Twitter, texting and YouTube with family and friends.

Best of all, this app is FREE and available on Google Play and iTunes and totally worth some space on your smartphone or tablet.

Do you have just five minutes to create a beautiful video to capture a special moment for you or your loved ones?

Make their day with OneDay.

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Traveling the World with Trafalgar

Say I Love You with Red Velvet Oreo Truffles

The only better than Oreos? Red Velvet Oreos. Show your sweet side with these Red Velvet Oreo Truffles. EASY!

Red Velvet Oreo Truffles

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Free Printable Checklist for Just Between Friends Sale (JBF)

Hitting up a consignment sale in your neck of the woods? Then make sure to be prepared with this free printable checklist, perfect for Just Between Friends JBF Sale.

Don’t miss these posts:

Apple Dijon Vinaigrette {Recipe}

Apple Dijon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Instructions

Hello Fresh! Fresh Food Delivery

Valentine’s Day Crafts for the Kids

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about love, not money or spending countless hours finding the perfect “thing.” Instead spend time together making these Valentine’s Day Crafts for the Kids something that you’ll enjoy creating as much as you will enjoying eating them!

Heart-Shaped Cake

Valentine’s Day Lunch Box

Red Velvet Oreo Cake Balls

Love-themed Art

Coffee-Filter Flowers

Whatever you do, just remember to love it! After all, it’s Valentine’s Day!

NEW: Michaels Southlake with Grand Opening Giveaways

Nebraska Furniture Mart Takes Everything is Bigger in Texas to New Level {Video}

Brinner Time? Perfect Pancake Recipes {Giveaway}

Share Your Love with Easy Video App OneDay

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