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Real Solutions for Real Parents by Autumn Rose Reo

See Austin in 2 Hours with Kids #ReoRoadTrip

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Disclaimer: I was provided the opportunity to drive a 2013 Toyota Highlander for the purposes of a review on this roadtrip. All the comments and photos are my own. 

Last week I shared the beginning of our mini adventure as I introduced my little man to the Texas Hill Country. After our initial stop for the obligatory kolache at the Czech Stop in West in our 2013 Toyota Highlander we were graciously given for our road trip, we moved on down I-35 for a couple of hours in one of my most favorite cities in the world (yes, world) – Austin.

It’s about an hour and half (or two sometimes) from West to Austin, so it’s mandatory road trip music time. Once I had gone through our Road Trip Playlist (hey, it was only 10 songs) it was time to get something playing to keep the fun of this drive moving. Oh, Toyota – I was in for a surprise! I discovered this thing had apps! Actual apps to play in the car just like I do with my iPhone. There sat my Pandora waiting for me to stream it through and play for hours.


Once you’ve downloaded the Entune App to your smartphone and connect your bluetooth (in one step), you have all kinds of cool stuff at your finger tips for your car. I not only could play Pandora, but I could easily locate gas stations with lower fuel costs, book reservations for restaurants along the way, check out traffic, and even look at things to do, all from my Highlander. (What did we do before smart phones and these “smart” cars?) So we created a “Joe Cocker” station and we headed down the road. 


Now that we had our groove, we were on to the home of the “Live Music Capital of the World,” Austin.

There’s no where I’ve ever been to like Austin. And I love it so much when I can’t go visit, I drive 15 miles up the road to the Bishop Arts District in Dallas just to get me a feel of what that special vibe in Austin has (if you’ve never been, I’ll be happy to show you!) Unfortunately, it’s so great that many very educated people from the local University of Texas at Austin choose to stay there and get paid far under their worth in any job to be in the same place that actor/dream boat Matthew McConaughey likes to sit naked and play his bongos (but that’s a whole other story…) Anyhow, it’s hard to move there, so I just try to take as many visits there as I can and I enjoy everyone of them.

This time though I was experiencing Austin through the eyes of a five-year old. And while history is all around us in our state capital, it’s hard to explain history to someone who doesn’t have much of a concept of history except last week we ate macaroni and cheese for dinner and last month was his Mickey Mouse Birthday party. But I was going to try to at least show him some cool stuff and maybe grab a bite to eat. After all, we only have about 5-6 hours to spend in Austin for this trip, so we were going to make the best of it.

Jumping off I-35, I made a quick exit to one of the bestest places in Austin to eat – Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill. While I’m not sure if it’s one of the best, I often have eaten there when I have had work events at the Austin Convention Center over the years. It’s easy to get to right off Caesar Chavez and Red River, there’s seasoned popcorn on the table waiting for me, has amazing shrimp corndogs with blueberry honey mustard and warm brie cheese with cranberry-apple chutney with toast points and you have to wash it down with a hard lemonade. It’s just good food and good service and they don’t have a dress code. We only gobbled down our apps and drink so we could make our reservation for our next adventure – the Duck Tour! (It took us about three minutes to find it, book it and GPS with the help of our Toyota bluetooth and GPS features!)
I didn’t even know they did “Duck Tours” in Austin, but had seen them in other cities, but the idea seemed to be perfect to educate and entertain my son, so off we went for the next one that started in a just 15 minutes. If you’ve never seen a Duck Tour – well it’s a great way to do both land and water with an amphibious tour of downtown Austin and beautiful Lake Austin inside a US coast guard inspected, Hydra Terra vehicle. During the 75-minute tour of sightseeing you see Historic Sixth Street, the State Capitol Building, Bob Bullock State History Museum, the Governor’s Mansion, and Lake Austin. For a little man with a short attention span, it was perfect and we could fit in one of my favorite parts – the lakes – all at one time!
To start off our tour we boarded our land/water vessel on 6th Street at the Austin Visitor Center by the beautiful Driskill Hotel. We found our seats, were given our quackers (not exactly Duck Dynasty worthy, but a call we could use on signal to say “hello” to passerbys as we continued throughout our tour. The tour guide whisked us around some of the highlights of Austin’s landmark buildings like the Capital and the Tower at UT Austin, sharing a little history and humor along the way. Thankfully, Jackson wasn’t bored by the history and together we also pointed at cool things we saw along the way.



Once we approached Hula Hut (another great restaurant that sits on Lake Austin), we quickly rolled into the water and became a boat. Yes, really. It was actually pretty cool and we began our small tour of the lake and scenic home tour complete with some “Island tunes” courtesy of Bob Marley. We even say the lake home that Dennis Quaid was building and his elaborate deck. However it was really the home that had an attached “home” for his boat that I was impressed with. Then we were off back to home base, but not before the kids got another few opportunities to use their calls by making quacking noise to people we passed along the way. 

While the price is a little steep for a large family ($25+tax for adults and $16 for kids over 3), the company does run discount deals like Groupon from time to time. So if you know you are going to head to Austin, it might be a good to sign up for Groupon a few weeks in advance in hopes to score one if you are trying to save money. I’m always a fan of any tour when you have a short time in a city and want to get a good look at the highlights, so this was worth the cost for me. However, the next time I take my kiddo, I’ll pick out some of my favorites and we can do our own tour of the Mount Bonnell and the bats under the bridge since he’s gotten the historical look for now.

Now back on the road with the Toyota Highlander 2013 and Willie to our next stop – the JW Marriott San Antonio.

And if you want to get caught up on our road trip adventure in the Toyota Highlander, check out our first adventure in West! 

Flip Flops That Make Your Feet Fit

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Disclaimer: I received these products for purposes of this review. All comments expressed here are my own. 

It’s no secret I’d prefer to be barefoot to wearing shoes any day of the week. However, since it’s kinda gross to walk around like that most the time, I’m always on the lookout for shoes that are good to my feet and hopefully are fashionable to wear as well. 

So when one of my favorite pairs of summer sandals bit the big one the other day, I was almost in a panic. Then like a little FedEx fairy, a box arrived at my doorstep with new flip flops that claimed with every little step my butt, hips and thighs are doing reversed incline stretches while toning my muscles. So basically, I walk and and the worst parts of my body get a little more toned? So like any woman would, I tore the box open and put these babies on my feet immediately.
 


Developed by famed fitness icon Tony Little (you know the guy with the blonde ponytail exercising on the Gazelle trainer), his new footwear line appropriately named “Cheeks” is constructed with an inclined sole that imitates uphill walking. The shoes work by placing the body at a three-degree angle; most of the weight rests on the heels, thus promoting improved posture. 

I was able to wear these sandals every day, all day for going to work out, walking around Schlitterbahn, the grocery store – well everything. And because of the design, I could easily wear them with many outfits.  While I didn’t take my measuments before I began weating the shoes, I can tell you I could feel a little strain on my legs after I wore them for hours – just like I had been running up a hill. Success. 
 
 
And they have all kinds of styles too – from black, pink with some bling and even some interchangeable straps so you can coordinate your look by flipping it over! 
 
Starting at $24.95 this line is definitely worth a walk around the block. 
Available for purchase on HSN.com and TonyLittle.com. 
 
Anytime Dr. Oz makes a recommendation, we all come running and buying. And these sandals from Wellrox were high on his list for improving balance, better posture or just a more comfortable stride. So of course, I was quick to give these “bear claws” a try. 

By separating and providing individual thongs for each toe, Wellrox has developed “GRABS” technology, a revolutionary sandal that reduces the risk of slippage and enables a more surefooted gait. The GRABS™ technology offers added grip, relief, alignment, balance and support, so when spreading your toes, you’re redistributing your weight more evenly and begin using your proper foot muscles to walk as intended. This concept is well known throughout Yoga and wellness circles (yogitoes.)


These sandals bring much needed relief to your aching feet and leg muscles. You can wear them every day, or whenever you need recovery – before or after a workout or a Yoga session, or after a day of wearing constrictive shoes. You can even wear them for a pedicure. (At least they are much better than those throw-away shoes they give you at the pedi place!) 

You can buy these summer sandals at Macys.com and local Macy retailers. For more information, visit wellrox.com.

So now you have options to work out your feet and then give them a massage by just putting your shoes on!

Happy Walking!


Get More from Your GoGo squeeZ with Carrot-Cake Bars {Recipe}

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Food Fridays:

Being a part of the Go Go squeeZ squad team has many advantages including Go Go squeeZ at your fingertips! My daughter loves the stuff even though she won’t touch a whole apple or apple slice! Sometimes even the pickiest of eaters need a little extra push to eat food that is out of the norm.


Last weekend I met a mom and daughter duo at Whole Foods and asked them if they wanted to try Go Go squeeZ. The mom confidently informed me her daughter doesn’t like fruits or vegetables and wouldn’t like it. I said, “well perhaps she could just take it to try and if she hated it she could just bring it back and throw it in the trash. It was totally ok.”

They continued up the aisle and then a few minutes later made the loop to the other side. When she returned to the end of the aisle, the mom stopped me. “Wanna hear the good news?” she said. “That’s the first apple my daughter has ever eaten – she loved it!” I looked down at her cart and saw four packages of Go Go squeeZ.

While I get a smile everytime I think about it, I admit sometimes I like to mix it up! There’s all kinds of ways to use Go Go squeeZ, one of favorites is in my hearty apple pie pancakes I made on Dallas Good Morning Texas and this healthier version of carrot cake bars!

Carrot Cake Bars


Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients

Nonstick Cooking Spray
2 cups whole wheat Flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
8 egg whites slightly
About 3 packagesGo Go squeeZ Apple Cinnamon or Apple Apple
1/2 cup cooking oil
3 cups finely shredded carrot
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese

Instructions: 

Prehead the overn to 350 degrees. Grease a 15X10 inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir dry ingredients together: flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.

In another bowl, stil together egg whites, Go Go squeeZ, and oil.

Mix both bowls of ingredients together and then stir in shredded carrots.

Spread batter in pan and bake 25-30 minutes. Cool completely.

For icicing, beat together sifted powedered sugar and cream cheese until smooth.

Spread frosting over cooled cake and slice!

Optional: To add a little more to this cake, you could add 1/2 coupts of chopped walnuts.


    7 Easy Tips for Being Green and Get Rewarded For It with Recyclebank

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    Wow Wednesdays:

    With 100+ temperatures well underway for DFW over the next couple of days, it’s hard even to think about being green when all you wanna do is run you’re air-conditioner at about 60 degrees. However, a new company called Recyclebank wants to rewards DFW residents for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from restaurants, products and more. In just three minutes, I was signed up and had my first reward, so it is actually “easy to be green” no matter what Kermit the Frog said. 

    To help you get started thinking green to save green, Recyclebank  has gathered up some easy tips to help lower your carbon footprint while you have fun in the sun. With these small adjustments, everyone can help to bring about big change—while still enjoying the rest of summer.
    1.  Grasscycle with the clippings your mower leaves behind. 
    No need to bag up the grass clippings next time you mow the lawn! Instead, just let them lie and you’ll be reducing the amount of plastic and waste that gets sent to the dump while giving the lawn some of the nutrients it needs.

    2.  After you rehydrate, make sure you recycle. 
    Sometimes summer’s scorchers catch you by surprise. If you need to quench your thirst but forgot a reusable bottle at home, make sure that you purchase a drink that comes in a plastic or aluminum bottle that you can recycle when you’re done.

    3. Celebrate summer more sustainably.
    Whether you’re grilling in your backyard or tailgating before fireworks, make sure you have a separate bag to collect recyclable glass bottles and aluminum cans. Compostable serve ware can help make your cookouts more eco-friendly, too.

    4. Don’t crank the AC in an empty house. 
    You can easily conserve a surprising amount of energy when you adjust the air conditioner and water heater thermostats before leaving for a nice, relaxing vacation.

    5. Get paperless tickets when you travel. 
    Public transportation is already an eco-friendly alternative to traveling by car. Consider booking with electronic tickets when traveling by plane, train or bus and you’ll save some paper, too!

    6. Recycle backseat masterpieces made from scrap paper. 
    On long drives, keep the kids entertained with lap boards and a handful of scrap paper. They can draw, color or play games like tic-tac-toe on the road and you can still recycle those sheets when they’re done!

    7. DIY sandcastles: creative, recyclable, and fun! 
    Consider using aluminum soup cans and recyclable plastics on a trip to the beach. They’re great for offering a nice variety of sizes and shapes and, after a quick rinse, they’re totally recyclable, too!

    To find out more ways to green your summer, visit https://www.recyclebank.com/green-15.



    Last-Minute Road Trip to Texas Hill Country with #Toyota – First Stop:West, Texas

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    Travel Tuesdays:

    Disclaimer: I was provided the use of of Toyota Highlander for the purposes of this review and adventure. No other compensation was provided and all comments here are my own. 

    This sign we started to take down in my son’s room last week inspired me to take my son on his first road trip after he made a sweet statement about Texas. I felt it was important he not only go on an adventure with me, but he needed to understand what Texas is and Texas was. 




    So being that he now was five-years old and I was in need a little mini-vacation, it was time to venture out on the highway and show Jackson what Texas had to offer him. Hence our first road trip – just mama, the boy and my mama. Three generations ready to take on the open road. (Buckle up!)

    Since we only had three days, we made a plan to venture south to some of my favorite parts of Texas – Hill Country.

    Our route included: 

    • a stop at the other Texas stop sign, Czech Stop in West
    • Lunch and quick look at Austin (one of my favorite cities, ever)
    • two-night stay in San Antonio at the fabulous JW Mariott San Antonio, so we could explore a new adventure together, Schlitterbahn (nope, I have never been) and the historic Riverwalk
    • we’d also do some of those unplanned stops along the Texas loop (I-35 to San Antonio and back up 281 to DFW) like the Hard Eight BBQ.

    But before we could get going, it was time to get acquainted with the 2013 Toyota Highlander! I can tell you checking out all the fun features of this seven-passenger vehicle was an adventure in itself and over the next few posts in our #ReoRoadTrip (the official hashtag of our escapade), we will share our favorites.


    First of all, it was definitely the space the Toyota Highlander provided. Like any mama, I’m always preparing for the things that are going to happen, so I need lots of space for STUFF like a first-aid kit, napkins, games, shoes, bags, wipes, snacks…well, you get the picture. We want space. I loved that there was tons of room and many adjustable cup holders (that can be changed to fit the size of the cup.) An added bonus is that my son’s feet aren’t able to kick the back of my seat while I’m driving (total plus for me.) You can tell accomodating a family was a #1 priority in the design of this SUV.


    Once we were loaded up the car, we were ready to get on the road – the perfect opportunity to see what “Nancy the Navigator” could do (our family name for the Highlander’s GPS and technology control center.) We pushed button on the steering wheel for the first time and by just answering “Nancy’s” questions, we were able to map out our first stop, the Czech Stop, in a matter of seconds. The directions didn’t just include voice instructions, but graphics like the exit sign and an overivew of our route. This is a must-have for me since I’m totally directionally challenged. (Really.)

    And we could even turn it down when we had a great song we wanted to hear along our road trip fun. 


    If you’ve never been to the Czech Stop in West, Texas, you are in for a real treat (literally.) Starting by my husband’s family, this required stop before reaching Waco is must-do for any trip that gets you anywhere close to I-35. You normally can’t miss the cute bakery/convenient store, but I will share that construction made this stop almost impossible. After traveling about six more miles south, we were able to make a U-turn to get back. In most cases, I would have said it was no big deal, we would hit it up on the way home, but like any good road trip, we wouldn’t be returning this way, so we had to stop NOW. 

    While it sounds like a lot of trouble for a bakery, once you open the door, you understand immediately why this place is a must-do! And apparently now, even if you are gluten-free they have you covered, so everyone could enjoy the love of these baked goods, candy and more. 

    Unfortunately, the little town was known for its amazing Czech culture and heritage until earlier this Spring when a large fertilizer plant exploded. It was a horrible accident with mass destruction, many people killed and several hundreds more hurt. Since the explosion, the town has been rebuilding itself for months now and thankfully through many donations (including ours that day), the town will continue to rebuild and carry on the traditions they have kept alive for so many years.


    We weren’t exactly starving, so we just picked up a few tasty treats including a mandatory strawberry-cream cheese kolache, sausage kolache, honey bear and for this trip, a Texas-shaped sugar cookie, complete with red, white and blue sprinkles. I was able to snag the photo before my son gobbled it up. But that’s about how long Czech Stop will last for you too unless you get the frozen ones for you to take home so you can enjoy them anytime you want. (Be careful, kolaches aren’t low-fat or low-calorie, but high in flavor!) 




    Now in the words of Willie Nelson, it was time to get “On the Road Again.”

    Follow us on the rest of our #ReoRoadTrip adventure in the Toyota Highlander 2013 over the next few weeks! 





    Snag an Invite to Grapevine Mills Private Shopping Event + Giftcard {Giveaway}

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    Me Mondays:

    Have you ever wanted to find out what happens at blogger events? Well here is your chance! Grapevine Mills Mall, one of DFWs premiere shopping + entertainment outlets, is hosting an exclusive, invitation-only event on August 1 complete with: 
    • A Style Presentation
    • Cocktails and Appetizers
    • A swag bag of special gifts
    • A $25 Simon Mall Gift Card
    • An interactive tour with a chance to win a $250 Simon American Express Gift Card!
    Wanna go? 
    I’m super excited, but even better, they are allowing me to bring one one of you for a fun night of shopping, girl time and good swag!  

    Are you ready for a great evening of sizzling summer of style & savings? All you have to do is enter this giveaway, open now until July 30, 2013 at midnight via Rafflecopter. 

     So what are you waiting for? ENTER NOW!


    Top 10 Songs for a Road Trip with the #Toyota Highlander

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    Wow Mom Wednesdays:

     Disclaimer: I was provided the use of a #Toyota Highlander for the purposes of a review, however, there was no other compensation. All comments and reviews are all my own. 


    I‘m so excited that in about minus 8 hours, I embark on a three-day span of firsts: my first road trip with my mom, the first opportunity to show my son a little bit of Texas Hill Country and my first experience driving a Toyota.

    As part of our journey, I get to test out a Toyota Highlander and all its amazing features. I’m just now learning everything, but I’ve already figured out the radio system and bluetooth for my phone is A-mazing. I can’t wait to try it out, so of course, like any good road trip should have – I’ve created a song list to kick things off appropriately. 

    And when we’ve blown through those only a few hours down I-35, we’ve got Pandora in the car to stream all my favorite channels with the use of the Entune technology in the Highlander. 



    I’ll be sharing my trip over the next few days on Instagram and Twitter, so make sure to follow me for all the #ReoRoadTrip fun!


    Disaster Diaper Diaries: How Huggies Slip-Ons Saved Us + $25 Target Giftcard {Giveaway}

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    Try-it Tuesdays:

     Disclaimer: This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Huggies, but all my opinions are my own. #HuggiesSlipOn #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

     It was one of those days that I woke up thinking, it might be a great day. The house was clean, I had a warm shower all by myself and I actually wasn’t dreading anything in the next eight hours. I could hear a little Mary Chapin Carpenter singing, “I Feel Lucky” in my head.  


    Then I went upstairs. 

     I had spoken too soon. 

     My daughter had done her business. Then she peeled the tabs off her diaper and ripped it off. 

     And then proceeded to use my carpeted staircase as her personal roll of Quilted Northern. 

     I was devasted. Maybe because I had just gotten the carpets cleaned. Maybe because I had just taken a shower and I didn’t want to get dirty. Or maybe it’s because poop all over my almost-white carpet is just gross. 

    While cleaning it all up was my next step, I had to figure out what I was going to do to make sure this wasn’t going to happen again. NEVER. EVER. AGAIN.


    Then like a little Diaper Fairy Godmother, Huggies Slip-On diapers came in to my life. 

    What’s so different about Huggies Slip-Ons? 

    This diaper has a perfectly snug fit for my busy little kiddo with stetchy sides and Stopping Guards to keep her adorable chunky thighs comfortable all while keeping all the other stuff IN her diaper. Best of all, since they are easy on and off whip these on/off easily without fighting to make her stop to change her diaper (which is helpful since she isn’t stopping and runs faster than me.)  And we’ll even be able to use them as a transition for potty training – our next messy step in toddlerhood. Lucky me. 

    Then just like that — mama was able to redeem her day…for the most part. I prevented another snail trail incident from happening all over my carpet all thanks for the Huggies Slip-Ons. 

     Now I just need to work on getting the Mr. Clean Fairy to show up to help me with the carpet. 

     Are you ready to make your diaper diasters turn into diaper dreams? 

    *****************************************************************
    COUPON ALERT: 
    You and your little one can try Huggies Slip On Diapers too 
    with this special coupon from Target for $2 off! 
    *****************************************************************

    Now consider this your special Fairy Godmother with a giveaway for $25 Giftcard from Target so you can try your own Huggies Slip-Ons (and maybe a little something for mama, too!) 

    Planning Our First Hill Country Bound Road Trip #ReoRoadTrip

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    Mama needs a vacation. Bad.

    Thankfully in Texas it’s not too hard to visit some pretty amazing places by just driving a few hours in the car. It’s part of the reason I love Texas. And there’s about 1000 more reasons where that came from. #truetexan.

    Found this during my trip planning on TexasHillCountry.com

    And now I have the pleasure of passing it on to my son. It seems like some kind of rite of passage; instilling that Texas pride and helping him understand why people from Texas feel compelled to decorate their whole house with Texas stars…(I know we aren’t the only ones.) 

    Actually the Texas flag is exactly how I got the idea for our first road trip. 

    When I was upgrading his room for Thomas the Tank to Lego the other day, I began to take down some of those nursery remnants on the wall, a wooden Texas flag painted on some old fence posts. 

    As I removed it from the wall, my son quickly stopped me. 

    “Mama, I love my Texas. Leave it on the wall.” 

    With a prideful smile, I happily placed it back on its post.

    I loved hearing him say I love Texas, but I felt I needed to show him a little more than what North Texas had to offer. 

    So I drafted up a plan of places to take him before school began, work took over and it was next summer that I was trying to take this trip. 

    My Hill Country route includes a couple of places I’ve always wanted to go as well as places that I feel are a must-stop in Texas. 

    I don’t want to give away all the fun, but I’d love to hear what places between Dallas and San Antonio you think are a must-see, must-do and must-eat! 

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