My Quick trip to Breezewood/Bedford, PA

 I am often ask what type of travel is my favorite. For years I thought traveling to a hot sunny beach was my tranquil place to recharge. Turns out I actually would rather not sit in the beating sun and sweat. Nothing against the beach but after becoming a mother, sand does not have the same appeal as it once did. I love the little trips that are shall we say "off the beaten path"? I was driving through the state of Pennsylvania to the MATPRA conference. After searching around on google I found a lovely area to stop and recharge before I started my official "work trip". 

Here is my quick trip the Breezewood/Bedford PA area. 

 Some of you may have heard of this area if you have followed 9/11. It is extremely close to the Pennsylvania field that Flight 93 crashed in. A memorial has been now raised on those grounds in remembrance of that tragic day. Although, not the happiest of things to visit. For me, paying homage to those brave individuals gives me a strong sense of American pride. 

Given this historic area I wanted to stay somewhere that contributed to that. I found the 1788 Bed & Breakfast that was once a stage coach stop on the Historic Lincoln Highway. I will not lie and say I know everything about History but I find it extremely fascinating. Pulling up to the location I knew I picked the right place to rest, relax and recharge.

Secrets exposed from my Living Room

I have been keeping a few secrets from you all. Nothing drastic but enough to house some guilt on my part. Normally this time of year I am none stop traveling. If you have noticed in the past few days, on my social media accounts, I went from traveling West Virginia to all of a sudden back home in New York. What happened you ask? I came down with a "cold" (pneumonia). Not just any cold, no...no, the one that Moms dread once your children go back to school. Kids come home with these "Colds" that seem normal but turn into something else and knock you down for weeks. Let's just say the four walls of my living room have all I have looked at...for almost a week and a half now. Before I left on my trip to Virginia, we opened the new Wireless speaker from Bose. I never really paid much mind to it until this past week. 

It is after all in my contagious confinement room.

  I partnered with Verizon. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

After getting the kid off to school in the morning, I come home and switch on my Bluetooth. I have a few play lists on YouTube I shuffle between. Speaking of...if you have some suggestion for songs let me know in the comments. Seriously, I am running out of ideas! 

Think four walls to look at day in and day out...

15 Reasons to Visit the New Whole Foods Market in Buffalo, NY

 When we found out a Whole Foods Market was coming to our local area excitement entered our bones. We have several wineries, breweries and farms around us but having a place to bring them all together is so beneficial. I wanted to be at opening day so badly but was traveling on a Press Trip. I heard lines stretched out of the store as many locals gathered to see what the new store would bring to our area. From all of the comments, photos and social media sharing it looked as though Whole Food Market did NOT disappoint.

 I was convinced, I too, had to go and experience what the buzz was all about. If you are like me and waited I hope these 15 reasons will encourage you to stop in and shop around!

 1. They are conveniently located and easy to find. Just type in Whole Foods Market in Buffalo to a GPS or google map app and the directions are super simple.

2. The store lay out is extremely easy to shop . Grab a cart and you are placed in the produce section first.

3. They have a few different types of shopping carts perfect for all families, shopping trips and special needs you may have!

Our Experience at Panama Rocks, NY

 After learning about the Wild America Nature Festival on Facebook, I thought a trip to Panama Rocks was in order. I have seen the amazing video they advertise on Facebook and heard so many people talk about the views. Having lived in Western New York my whole life you would think I'd have hiked this "half-mile long ridge of 60-foot high rock forming crevices, passageways, and caves hidden".

 The Panama Rocks Park is easy to find. Just around 10-15 minutes from Chautauqua, NY according to our GPS. Even though the trail is rated a Class 1 you still need to sign a waiver. Once inside you can understand why. While they have an easy trail mapped out for you, most guests including myself, tend to wander through and around these majestic rock creations.

Birthdays On-Demand with Netflix

Did you know: three-quarters of parents in the US feel the pressure to be “party perfect” for their kids? I have been doing big elaborate birthday parties for my son. After so many years I am a pro at it. I don't expect everyone to do this by any means. I have a creative spirit and this just gives me a personal outlet. I do want to support those parents who have more child, who might not be creative or who do not have the time to go all out for Birthdays. 

We are celebrating Birthdays On-Demand with Netflix this month!

I am a member of Netflix’s blogger StreamTeam. I did not receive compensation for this post, but Netflix has provided me with a membership and other bonuses for being part of the Stream Team. All opinions expressed are my own.
Since we are celebrating, we decided to bake a cake, in honor Birthdays on Demand. Creating a simple cake while suggesting fun Children programs you can watch.

Fieldcrest Maple Series & Giveaway

  I am rather excited to share that I am working with JORD watches again. If you follow me on Facebook, you may have heard, I would be hosting a Facebook LIVE Giveaway! I have previously worked with JORD watches and was excited when they reached out to do so again.

If you’re not already familiar with JORD watches, they focus on creating timepieces that are modeled after a modern lifestyle. These wooden masterpieces are made for people who don't just have somewhere to be, they have somewhere to go! Since I am always on the go traveling for work their mission align perfectly with my lifestyle. Today, I wanted to show you my new piece from JORD… and what better place to do this, than when I was away on a Press Trip?!

Secure your Home Electronics from Hackers

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

 My laptop gave me the Blue Screen of Death. I can remember the day like it was yesterday. Someone had hacked our internet & my laptop. For a while I had felt our "high speed" internet was running slower everyday. I had called and setup service calls with no luck. It would happen every so often during different times of the day. We found an app that allows you to see if someone is hacking your internet. I was appalled at the results! I work from home and need the highest internet speeds to keep up with my work load. My neighbors had been dipping into this luxury for months. After blocking access I decided to get proactive and find more protection from this ever happening again! After wandering Best Buy we found the CUJO Smart Internet Firewall.

 Protect your home network with this CUJO Smart Internet Firewall, made in USA. Mobile apps let you control your firewall's settings as it protects networked devices and smart doorbells, cameras and thermostats against hackers.

MAIN FEATURES:

-Business level internet security

- Guards ALL devices in your home

-Parental Controls

-Connects to Router with controlled App

-Blazting Fast (built with 1GB Ethernet)

Luckily, it was just our internet. My laptop was wiped but we managed to get all my work back. My son uses our tablets/phones from time to time different educational and recreational games. I wanted some parental controls for those as well. Here are some CUJO Smart Internet Firewall 

parental controls features I fell in love with: 

- parental controls for all devices 

- internet filter - time limits 

- social media monitoring 

- pause internet - alerts and reporting

 - remote administration

 - user profiles and settings

Have you ever heard of Whole Foods Market?

Have you ever heard of Whole Foods Market? They are rather popular in the Southern states and I was surprised to read that is where they originated. 

Whole Foods Market is known for their tough quality standards on artificial food preservatives, sustainable seafood, animal welfare, antibiotics in meat and pesticides in vegetables. Which means? They do not allow hydrogenated fats, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners in any food they sell. To secure this is done while helping the local area they have an entire team dedicated to the region! It’s not just putting products on the shelves,they cultivate local partners and even offer loans help local producers grow and flourish together. They offer digital app coupons and weekly sale flyers! Leaving us customers with a better expectation of what we eat while getting the best value for our money. 

After looking into the Values and mission statements of Whole Foods Market, I am so excited. Why do you ask? A store will be opening in the local Western New York area! Buffalo, NY is located by functioning agricultural dairy, beef and produce farms. It seems only fitting to have one in this area.

Recipe: Instant Pot Stew

 We have been busy in the kitchen creating recipes! Keeping from using the oven during the heat waves have been tricky. Luckily I was blessed with a Instant pot and have really put it to the test!

Today I created a great Roast stew using a few ingredients I had in the pantry.

What you will need:

1 cup water

1 Pepper

1 onion

Mushrooms

Chuck roast

2 Garlic cloves diced

Flakes of parsley

Salt & pepper to taste

Are you ready for the Fall Season?

 A few years ago I would have sworn my favorite Season was summer. After two years of 100% humidity, I have really looked forward to fall time. Something about pumpkins, scarves and hot chocolate make me smile. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday so this time of year gets me excited to decorate. We headed to at home in Erie, P.A. for some inspiration and spooky purchases!

I figured they were starting to pull fall decor out but I was graced with FULL on Holiday displays! Talk about a kid in a Halloween Candy bowl!