Start Saving Now with Florida Prepaid!

This post is sponsored by the Florida Prepaid College Board, through my role as a Believer Blogger. All thoughts are my own.

I can't be the only one that feels like the baby stage just flew by.  I mean, it is like I BLINK and Delainey's grown an inch and learned a new skill.

I try and cherish every moment with her, but they just keep slipping by and I know someday soon I'm going to turn away and look back and it'll be time for her to head off to college... and that's why I'm hoping to do everything we can to make sure she's prepared once that time comes. Well, maybe not everything... I'm not teaching her how to cram for a mid-term or anything, although maybe one day I'll share that knowledge.

I'm doing what I can financially to make sure she feels supported and taken care of while she's furthering her education and today I want to share exactly how we're doing that.

While we're working on budgeting and how we spend our money, it seemed wise to start saving for her college years. As I discussed on the blog previously, saving with Florida Prepaid is super easy to do. You can literally sign up for a plan over your morning coffee.

The thing is, if you're wanting to enroll - you need to do it now! The enrollment period for a Florida Prepaid plan is coming to an end on the 28th and that means you'll have to wait another year to lock in your plan! So don't delay, pick your plan & get started!

So hurry on over & sign up today and be sure to use the code LAUREN1718 to save on your application fee!

DIY Happy Baby Valentine's Day Love Birds Craft

This post is sponsored by Happy Family, regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

It's no secret, Miss Delainey is one happy baby. I mean, I'm fully aware she can be a bit of a diva, her happy disposition is pretty obvious most days, so much so that we actually get stopped and complimented on her sweet spirit almost every time we leave our house.

The thing is, I wouldn't say we do anything specific to make sure she's "happy". I know both my husband and myself work hard at making sure we are present with her and we both want her to always feel loved and heard so she gets a LOT of one-on-one attention. Maybe that has something to do with it? I'm not certain, honestly.

One thing I do know, her sweet spirit is kin to mine. We both love spoiling people so with Valentine's Day coming up, we teamed up and made her buddies some sweet little birdy treats with one of her new favorite snacks - Happy Baby Baby's First Whole Milk Yogurt.

While Delainey isn't a big fan of drinking milk, we're both pretty big fans of Happy Baby Whole Milk Yogurt! I'm a fan because she's getting organic whole foods, without added sweeteners or GMOs! She's a fan because the taste is delicious, she even sighs and says "mmmmm" after each bite.

Want to share a mindfully made little snack treat with your kiddos toddler buddies? Here's how we made these sweet lovebirds!

Supplies: Happy Baby Whole Milk Yogurt, googly eyes, glue, and felt or construction paper!

Now pay attention, this is really complicated... Okay, well, now that you're paying attention- I'm totally joking!

This is so easy I had Miss Thing help me assemble a few!

You'll simply cut out a circle from one color of felt, a triangle from the other and glue them together. Then glue the pair of shapes onto the yogurt cup with a pair of googly eyes... and your sweet little tweet lovebirds are done!

I'm going to hand write sweet little notes that say "you make my heart sing" and "owl always want to be your buddy", but I think these are precious little love birds without any extras too.

So tell me, what kind of Valentine crafts are you planning during this season of love? Delainey and I look forward to sharing some more fun, loving ideas with you in the future and we can't wait to hear your thoughts on the NEW Happy Baby Whole Milk Yogurt!

Improve The Future For Your Children While Enjoying Your Morning Coffee!

This post is sponsored by the Florida Prepaid College Board, through my role as a Believer Blogger. All thoughts are my own.

Every single day is BUSY for us lately. With changing up our lifestyle to be a tad bit healthier and trying to squeeze in time for the blog, my blooms, and my babes, I feel like I never have enough time to do... well, anything.

If you're in the same boat as me... well, more like "treading water" like me. You may not have much time to do much of anything, especially something as time consuming as planning for the future.

So, I took a break from our hectic schedules to compile 4 ways you can improve the future for your children over your morning coffee:

1. Proper Nourishment - Step one in changing the future for your children is making sure you provide their body's with the best possible food selections you can. Choose organic, offer tons of fruits and veggies, and provide plenty of variety. Being properly fed will ensure your child's health is always optimal.

2. College Tuition - With Student Loan debt reaching $1 Trillion among Americans this year, it's a no brainer to start your kiddo's college fun now. Whether your little wild child is 16 months or 16 years old, NOW is the time to start planning for their college years.

It's tough to imagine now, but I know I'm going to blink and it'll be time to take Delainey off to college. I don't want to saddle her with debt for years to come or have to stress about paying for tuition as one lump sum, so I'm trying to do everything I can to plan ahead and help her succeed!

With a Florida Prepaid Plan you (and others in your family) can start to gather funds to help provide a college education for your child, at a reasonable rate per month. Interested in signing up, check out all the Florida Prepaid Plans available here and be sure to use the code LAUREN1718 to save $25 off your application fee... but go ahead & fill it out now, open enrollment ends in

You can literally fill this baby out in minutes while sipping your coffee and then you'll have things sorted out for your baby's college years. Trust me, this is the easiest way to make sure your kiddo can get the college education they deserve! Learn more about Florida Prepaid and how it'll work for your family.

3. Recycle - The next way I think every single family should plan for the future is recycling! Making sure your kiddo has a healthy, happy world to live in means keeping unnecessary trash out of landfills! Take a second and sort your recycling, reuse materials and do you part in keeping our planet clean! In many counties you can find public recycling bins or have your recycling picked up on the curb... and the best part is, you can teach your kiddos about recycling so they continue the tradition.

4. Smile - The last way you can ensure your child has a happy future is probably the easiest, you just need to smile more. Whether it's forced through some frustration or a genuine smile, sometimes you just gotta grin to show your kiddo that everything is okay.

Instead of stressing about all that needs to be done, take a deep breath, listen to your kiddo tell you about their Barbie's and smile.

So tell me, are you prepared for the future? If not, don't stress... Today is the day to start planning and you can get the college funds thing sorted out now - just click here & be sure to use our code - Lauren1718 to save some cash!

3 Ways For "Night Owls" to Try & Brighten Each Morning!

Mornings aren't my favorite, I'll tell ya that much.

I mean, I love waking up and seeing my family, being greeted by the sun, and so on... but I'm a just not a morning person. I've always been one of those people that skip breakfast to get more sleep... but THIS year I'm doing my best to turn things around.

Wondering how I'm trying to transform from a night owl to a morning person?

Here's how - each morning I take the time to...

1. Stretch & Meditate - Each morning as I step out of bed, I take the time to make my physical self feel better. I do a few brief yoga stretches as I focus on what's to come and think positive thoughts, then I pop my back, and greet my little sweetie as she joins me to stretch and touch the sky and we carry on with our day.

2. Cleanse - I'll be honest and admit I don't wash my hair everyday, but I make sure to freshen up each and every morning. There's just something so refreshing about cleaning your face and getting all fresh and clean.

3. Eat - Instead of skipping breakfast as I used to, I now get to sleep in AND enjoy a meal with Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles®.

The best part about these protein filled little bowls of goodness? I can grab them on my weekly trip to Walmart and they take just two minutes to whip up!

That means I'm able to eat as I'm running out the door, feeling refreshed and balanced thanks to my new morning routine.

Do you have a routine that gets your mornings started out on the right foot? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments below!