Southern Made Simple

Keeping things simple with a smidge of Southern charm

Laura Tucker

Protein Packed Monkey Muffins – A Nutritional Toddler Snack!

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This shop has been compensated by CollectiveBias, Inc. on behalf of its advertiser, Similac.  #NutritionintheMix #Collectivebias #Walmart

In a perfect world, there would be a handbook (with pictures) issued to every parent who is raising a toddler. It would be filled with explanations as to why your child is throwing a tantrum, how they were able to reach the rice from the top shelf and spill it everywhere, and why in the world they LOVE a food one day and hate it the next.

Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world where such a handbook exists. Hey, a mom can dream, right? 😉 I sure wish I had one right about now, though! I’m already having a hard enough time coming to terms with the fact that I no longer have a little baby to hold in my arms. She grew in the blink of an eye and is now a squirmy little toddler who is too busy to be held and wants to get into everything! I really wish time could slow down just a bit!

She has entered a phase where it seems like she changes daily. One day she likes yogurt, the next she doesn’t. She wants to feed herself, but she’s only interested in the food that’s on your plate and not her own. She’ll take a bottle one day, and be totally uninterested in it the next. Sometimes it’s really hard to keep up with what’s going on! While her little body is growing and going through lots of new changes, I don’t want to fall behind in making sure she’s getting all of the nutrients she needs.

And that, my friends, is where Go & Grow by Similac® Food Mix-Ins™ steps in to save the day!

Protein Packed Monkey Muffins - The perfect toddler snack! Chocolate, banana and quinoa muffins with a special hidden ingredients to really pack in the nutrients! #NutritionInTheMix #Walmart #ad…

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Guilt-Free Smash Cake: Healthy Ingredients & Stress Free Cleanup!

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #allEssentials #CollectiveBias

Calling all party animals! Come one, come all! We’re celebrating BIG time in our house this week, and we want you to join in on the fun! Our sweet baby girl is turning the big ONE, and we’re going out with a bang! Or, should I say a “smash”… 😉

These past few weeks I’ve been a busy bee putting together all of the details for her birthday party. Before I go any further, I know what you’re probably thinking. Why go to the trouble? She certainly won’t remember it! And, yes, that’s true. However, I never turn down the chance to par-tay! I love to celebrate others, and my baby girl deserves something really special! (Stay tuned for a post with party details. It’s going to be a hit!)

Guilt-free smash cake: Healthy Ingredients + Super Easy Cleanup! #allEssentials #ad…

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5 Ways to Boldly Be Your Best Self Each Morning + Free Printable!

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ListerineBOLD #CollectiveBias

May is officially here! Can you believe how fast the year is flying by? This month holds a ton of exciting things for myself and my family. We’re just a few days away from our daughter’s 1st birthday, and I’ve been flooded with emotions and memories of watching her grow and learn SO many new things. Even though she’s learned a ton during her first year, I’ve definitely learned quite a bit myself.

This time last year, I was working full time outside of the home. I had a strict morning routine and made it a point to really take care of myself during that time. Once my daughter was born, my previous routine went right out the door faster than a speeding bullet. I put my needs on the back burner because I really wanted to rock this whole “mom” gig.

It wasn’t long before I started  feeling a little down on myself. After some deep digging and a little soul searching, I realized it’s because I stopped taking care of myself. And because I stopped doing that, I was doing my daughter a huge disservice. She needs her mommy to be happy and healthy. She needs me to be my best self at all times so that I can be the best that I can be for her!

5 Ways to Boldly Be Your Best Self Each Morning {Free Printable Included!} #ListerineBOLD #ad…

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Love Coffee? Have a Cup on Me!

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Hello my fabulous friends! Can you believe it’s already May 1st? It really seems like this year is zooming by so fast! Turning the page in my calendar to a brand new month always makes me excited. May is my favorite month of the year, and I really believe this one is going to be ah-mazing!

Oh, what’s that? You’re not sure what all the excitement is all about? Allow me to fix that for you..

Love Coffee? Have a Cup on Me!

This song is always played multiple times in my house on May 1st (and basically every other day because it’s my jam and N’Sync will always live on in my heart.) 😉 But I especially love to listen to it on this day because it gets me so excited to jump into May and all it’s glory. Hello, birthday parties and warmer weather!

This month I’ll be celebrating my second ever Mother’s Day, our wedding anniversary, and my daughter’s FIRST birthday! (Stay tuned for a post or two about that. We’re going all out!) 😉

In addition to all of that awesomeness, Southern Made Simple is officially 6 months old! I’ve been having such a blast sharing my thoughts, favorite finds, and life in general with all of you. You’re all a big reason to keep the celebration going this month! So to show my appreciation for all of you, I thought I’d share a little bit of Starbucks sweetness with one lucky follower!

$15 Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway - Follower Appreciation on Southern Made Simple

[the_ad_group id=”278″]This giveaway will run throughout the entire month of May, so be sure to share Southern Made Simple and this giveaway with your friends so they can get in on the action! Just enter using the giveaway form below. All entries will be verifies. Open to US residents only, 18 years and older.

Love Coffee? Have a Cup on Me!

Open to residents of the United States 18 and older. Limit one entrant per household. Giveaway will end at 11:59pm CST on 5/31/2016. Winner will be drawn using Giveaway Tools. Entries will be verified. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Southern Made Simple is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

[the_ad_group id=”278″]

The 5 Love Languages: A Pallet Project

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When my husband and I married almost 4 years ago, we took part in 3 or 4 premarital counseling sessions offered by our officiant, Bro. Rick. We really didn’t know what to expect the first night, and when we left our first meeting were surprised to find ourselves walking out with a stack of books to read (aka homework). Bro. Rick told us that we’d be learning a new language during our sessions, and we’d be fine tuning the way we talk and communicate with each other.

At first I was caught a little off guard, because I really didn’t think Kyle (my husband) and I needed any “fine tuning”.  We truly felt like we knew each other inside and out, backwards and forwards and in all areas in between. After all, we had been dating for 7 years before we said our vows, and we felt certain that life would not really be any different once we were married. Everything would just continue as it always was, but we’d now get to experience the blessings and privileges that husbands and wives share together. We certainly didn’t consider that we’d be learning a new language – especially when it came to love. We were pretty confident that we had that figured out – or so we thought.

Then we opened “The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman, and we quickly started learning things we never knew we didn’t know.

5 Love Languages Pallet Project…

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How to Whitewash Wood: Step by Step Tutorial

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A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a pile full of treasures at one of my Granddaddy’s old storage sheds. Much to my surprise, there were piles of old doors, window frames, pallet boards and even a chalkboard that was salvaged from an old school house.

Basically, I hit the Pinterest DIY-er’s jackpot. My mind instantly started brainstorming of ways I could re-purpose some of these pieces and use them in my home. I’ve always loved the “farmhouse” look, so I was absolutely beside myself knowing I’d get to give a new life to these old wooden pieces!

I really wanted to jump right off the deep end and paint everything right away, but I decided for the sake of my husband’s sanity that I’d just start one project at a time. The weather has been absolutely beautiful this weekend, so I decided to take advantage of that and break out the paint buckets.

My first project is going to be a piece of wall art for our bedroom made from pallet board. To match the theme of our room, I knew I wanted this piece to be white, but I really wanted it to look weathered and rustic. After I did a little bit of research, I decided whitewashing the wood would be the perfect option to achieve the look I was going for.

A simple step by step tutorial on how to whitewash wood for pennies on the dollar - Southern Made Simple…

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Slow Cooker Sloppy Chicken Sliders

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Slow Cooker Sloppy Chicken Sliders - Freezer Crock Pot Meal Idea

Here’s another quick and easy meal that the whole family will enjoy! This recipe is a fun twist on the good ol’ Sloppy Joe. With just 5 ingredients, this meal makes for a super simple yet hearty dinner that you can jut set and forget in the crock-pot! This recipe will also work great as a freezer meal. (Instructions for freezer meal below)

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 lbs boneless chicken thighs or breasts
  • 1 15oz can of your favorite sloppy joe sauce
  • 1 small onion cut into small slices
  • 1/4 cup chopped jalapeno peppers (optional)
  • Your favorite slider or hamburger bun
  • (I added mayo and a pickle to my slider since it reminded me of a BBQ sandwich. Both are totally optional!)

Directions:

  1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until chicken is done.
  2. 30 minutes before finished cooking, remove the chicken and shred with a fork. Put shredded chicken back in slow cooker and let simmer.
  3. Serve on buns and enjoy!

To make a freeze ahead Crock-pot meal:

  1. Label 1 gallon freezer safe ziploc bag with the following:
    • “Slow Cooker Sloppy Chicken Sliders”
    • Cook on low 6 hours
    • Serve on slider buns
  2. Place all contents in bag and seal. Lay flat in freezer.

Do you have any favorite slow cooker meals that the whole family loves? If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how you like it!

Say Goodbye to Spills with Silikids Sippy Tops

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 I received these products at no cost to facilitate my review. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are completely my own.

My daughter is quickly approaching the 12 month mark, and with each passing day it seems that she becomes more and more independent. She just recently started venturing into the “I want to do it myself” phase – especially when it comes to eating and drinking. I’m all for allowing her to try and learn new things, but as we ALL know, babies aren’t exactly tidy when it comes to, well, anything. I want her to try things by herself, but I really don’t want to have to clean up a mess if I can help it!

Turn any cup into a sippy cup with this neat product!

As it turns out, this “sticky” situation is something that CAN be helped thanks to the amazingly innovative company, Silikids! With my daughter’s growing independence, I recently noticed her always trying to reach for my cup as I take a sip. She’s trying to let me know that she wants a sip, too. However, I stray away from allowing her to learn to drink from my cup because I don’t want her to get a face full of ice and water down her shirt. Thankfully, Silikids had situations just like this in mind when they created these fabulous Universal Sippy Tops.

Turn any cup into a sippy cup with this neat product!

These sippy tops turn any regular cup into a spill proof sippy cup. Basically, they’re as valuable as gold to me because my daughter can drink from any cup in the house and not spill a drop! NO MORE MESSES! *insert happy dance here*

To make these sippy tops even more amazing, they’re made from silicone, which is naturally non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, BPA free and extremely durable. In fact, ALL products from Silikids are made from silicone, hence the “sili” part of their name. 😉

Turn any cup into a sippy cup with this neat product!

The sippy tops come in a package of two and are available to purchase here for just $8.95. Silikids priducts are also sold in select stores nation wide, so definitely check to see if they’re available at a store near you!

I was so impressed with how well these tops worked. My daughter rolled around in the floor with her my cup for quite some time without any leaks at all. When I first stretch the top over my cup, I was a little shaky and nervous that I would spill the cup myself in the process of getting it on, so I would recommend making sure the cup isn’t filled to the rim to avoid it sloshing out – just in case you’re a little shaky like me.

Here’s a great little clip demonstrating how to put these universal tops on:

I think these tops are absolutely genius, and I can definitely see them coming in handy when we’re in a restaurant or a public place and our daughter wants to drink out of a regular glass or cup. I’ll be keeping an extra one of these at Grandma’s house for her to use as needed. They’re also dishwasher safe, so no worries about hand scrubbing them! My only sort-of complaint is that because they are made of silicone, they pick up dirt and lint off of everything. When my daughter wants to take her cup to play outside or if she wants to roll around on the floor, the tops have a tendency to pick up every tiny little piece of dirt, and it can wind up getting in her mouth. It would be great to see Silikids release some sort of carrying case so I’m not worrying about lint and crumbs from my diaper bag getting all over the spout!

Turn any cup into a sippy cup with this neat product!

The design of the spout is very intuitive for older babies and toddlers to use, and my daughter had it figured out in a matter of seconds! She’s SO excited that she gets to drink from Mommy’s cup, and I’m so excited to no longer worry about her spilling it! Fantastic job, Silikids!

Turn any cup into a sippy cup with this neat product!

Get Sili!:

In addition to the sippy tops mentioned above, Silikids also offers several other fantastic reusable silicone products made with kids in mind. I’ve linked a few of my favorites below, but you’re definitely going to want to check out their entire collection available on their website now!

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WIN IT!:

One very lucky Southern Made Simple reader is going to snag a set of Silikids Sippy Tops for themselves! All you have to do is enter using the giveaway form below. Open to US residents 18 years and older. See terms and conditions below. Good luck!

Entry-Form

Open to residents of the United States 18 and older. Limit one entrant per household. Giveaway will end at 11:59pm CST on 5/2/2016. Winner will be drawn using Giveaway Tools. Entries will be verified. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Southern Made Simple is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Farmhouse Finds for the Kitchen on Amazon

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Southern Made Simple is a part of several affiliate advertising programs. Affiliate links are included throughout this post. Although I participate in these programs and have sponsored content, all opinions are my own.

If you love the “farmhouse” look as much as I do, this post is definitely for you! I catch myself daydreaming throughout the day of how amazing it would be if I could just “get the look” without spending a fortune. I also get a little overwhelmed thinking about going to multiple shops and antique stores hoping to score a few new things for my home. What if I go and I can’t find what I’m looking for, or if I get sensory overload and want ALL THE THINGS?? I’ll either spend way too much or leave with nothing. There is no in between. Both of those have definitely been the case for me every time I go out shopping.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could achieve that fabulous farmhouse look in a one stop shop with reasonable prices?? I thought so, too. And come to find out, you totally can thanks to Amazon! I’ll be the first to admit, Amazon was not my first thought of being a supplier of all things shabby-chic, but I have been very pleased with their selection!

Farmhouse Kitchen Finds

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DIY “Starter Fluid” Emergency Coffee Kit

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DunkinCreamers #CollectiveBias

Imagine this: You’ve made it to work, half awake and nearly late. You make your way to the break room to pour yourself a cup of much needed coffee. I mean, let’s face it, nothing good will come from this day until you’ve had your coffee.

You fill your cup only to find that some horrible, horrible person has swiped the last of the creamer, sugar, etc. The thought of taking your coffee any other way than exactly how you like it makes you want to curl up in a hole and cry. A parade of cuddly kittens could not even cheer you up at this point.

Sounds AWFUL, right?! But when you think about it, a scenario much like this happens in public places everywhere on a daily basis. (Let’s take a moment of silence for those poor, poor souls that went without their cup of beloved coffee made perfectly to their liking this morning.) Godspeed, my friends!

DIY Starter Fluid Emergency Coffee Kit + free printable #ad #DDCreamers…

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