Get Dinner Under Control, plus FAVORITE recipes roundup!!

It's back to school time! Can you believe it? If you're like me, you might be feeling giddy anticipation that maybe, just maybe, your kids will stop fighting for TWO MINUTES and also a touch of sadness that the days of sleeping in until 8am and staying up late playing outside are over.

My latest project has been something I have wanted to do for a while and it just so happened that it coincided with back to school. Have you ever fallen into a "What's for Dinner?" rut? I have, big time! I know that I cook. I know that I try new recipes. However when meal planning comes around, I find myself looking at my cookbooks and Pinterest boards like making dinner is a foreign concept I have never done before. I have made new recipes for my family that they have raved about, but then never make them again. Why do I do this to myself? Finally, I took the time to compile our family favorite recipes all in one place to help me plan out my family's meals.

 Here's what my family favorite meals look like. Feel free to use mine or print the blank one below. You can also use this with my free grocery shopping list & menu planner.

 Here's how this is going to work for me: I've printed out a copy of our favorite tried and true meals and laminated it. Each week as I plan our meals before heading to the grocery store, I can refer to the list instead of sitting at the table with a blank stupor on my face. I'll use a dry erase marker to cross off the meals for that week and then repeat until all the meals are crossed off. Hopefully this will give us a variety of meals and make sure I am not just making the same things over and over.

TIPS: If you use Pinterest like I do to find new recipes, I would recommend printing out the recipes you like and plan to use often. I've made myself a "Pinterest cookbook" (aka, a binder with dividers) where I store all the recipes I've found. I do this because sometimes links to recipes are removed, or your internet is being slow that day, or child is using your phone/ipad/computer and you don't feel like interrupting this little moment of peace and quiet.

Curious about any of the recipes you see on my menu planning sheet? I've compiled some of the recipes below:

• Tuna Patties Recipe
• Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Toquitos
• Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Teriyaki Bowls  This is also where you'll find the recipe for the coconut rice and THE BEST homemade teriyaki sauce I have ever tried. We've also cooked the ingredients on bamboo skewers on the grill.
• Chicken Bacon Artichoke Bake
• BEST steak marinade
• Mississippi  Roast
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole we love this recipe year round and it's a great one to use up any left over ham from the holidays
• homemade hawaiian haystacks
• legendary lion house rolls
• Chipotle Chocolate chili don't let the chocolate in the title scare you. Seriously so good! We don't usually add the extra dark chocolate the recipe calls for, just the cocoa powder.
• Tortellini Lemon-Spinach Bake
• Guiltless Alfredo Sauce
• 7UP Chicken & Rice 
• Lasagna
• baked homemade french fries (note: DO NOT skip the soaking in water step. I did once and my fried turned out horrible.)
• Creamed Corn Casserole (this has become a holiday staple on our dinner table. It's also so easy that I do make it during the year too.)

Need more back to school helps?
We've got CHORE CHARTS and SCHOOL PRINTABLES. (HERE are some too!) Also, head over to my shop and see if there's anything else that might tickle your fancy! Thanks for stopping by!

SALE!!! Inspirational Subway Art

Some of my most popular subway art prints are being featured on the GroopDealz website. I'm super excited to offer these prints at an incredible price. If you've shopped with me on my etsy shop before, you know that most of my prints are digital downloads which means that you are responsible for printing. Well, with this deal the printing is included in the price! WOW! These subway art prints are adorable for kids' bedrooms and also make great gifts!

Link to the deal:  http://www.groopdealz.com/deal/inspirational-subway-art/67196 

The deal only goes until Tuesday at midnight, so don't delay!

Add a splash of color and style with these inspirational subway art prints that feature words of wisdom to live by! There's something for every room or person in your household.

Product Details: Each unique artwork is professionally printed on premium matte paper that is designed to be long lasting and highlights the print's vibrant colors. The paper size is 8.5 x 11 for ease of matting with a larger frame. The image size is 8x10 and can easily be trimmed when using a standard 8x10 frame.

Is this your summer motto?

Summer is always a tricky balance between work and play. There is no magic formula for finding that "right" balance that works for your kids/family situation, but our family motto of "work hard, play hard" seems to do the trick. Before we play, we do chores (for a great printable chore chart, go HERE) and do some summer "mommy school" to keep up on math and reading skills. Sometimes we have to grocery shop. Sometimes I tell my kids they can't play until their attitude is better. Sometimes they push my buttons and get friend privileges taken away. Sometimes I need to remember to just let them be kids and enjoy the magic of childhood. Like I said, it's a tricky balance.

Do you have any little pirates at your house? I do and loved the way the white font on the distressed background turned out for this month's printable. It's the work hard, play hard motto in kid language-- perfect for our little sailors and pirates who are always on the hunt for the real treasure: that perfect summer day.

To download the orange print, click HERE

 For the blue print, click HERE

For the gray print, click HERE

And if you're looking for additional prints or one of a kind baby gifts, don't forget to visit my etsy shop. Some of my baby monthly milestone stickers are ON SALE right now. These make the perfect gift for new moms no matter if it's the first baby or the fifth...because what mom doesn't love taking pictures and showing off their new addition? And with these prices, it's easy to stock up and always have the perfect baby gift on hand. Thanks for stopping by!

We've Got Summer Under Control

With my oldest home from school for the summer, it's really thrown our schedule for a loop! For the past couple of weeks I can honestly say it's been pure survival mode! I decided to dust off one of my printables from 2013 and put it to good use. I love this design because it gives room on the left for everyday chores and room on right for weekly activities like dance class or sports. This way there's no question what my kids need to do before they get their free time!

This printable comes in 6 colors, so each member of your family can have their own! Link to printable HERE

40% Off Sale Happening NOW!!

Once again, my onsie stickers are being featured on the Groopdealz website! I'm so excited for this event because it includes my brand new line of onsie stickers for boys and girls. These stickers are super cute, vibrant in color, and make sharing the monthly milestones with others extra special! Each sticker set comes wrapped in a cellophane envelope with a cute topper and instructions on the back. These make great gifts for new moms, so stock up and always the perfect shower gift on hand!

Check out the deal HERE

Please feel free to share this amazing deal with friends and family. And keep checking back, I'll be posting a new monthly freebie soon--thanks for stopping by!

It's an invitation celebration!

My business is 3 years old! I can't believe how fast time has flown and how much I still enjoy creating products for people. I guess when you finally find your niche, working doesn't feel much like work :)

I started by just doing custom invitations/cards/announcements for people and my product list has grown to include tangible items that I will ship to you. But still, digital products are what appeal to me and my customers most of all.

My digital products are so popular because I offer a custom experience for an inexpensive price (usually 5-10 dollars depending on the project). The customer and I work closely together via email or etsy convos to create a truly one of a kind look. Once satisfied, customers don't have to wait for their photo products to be mailed. They're shipped for free instantly to their email account! I send high resolution JPEG files. This allows the customer rich graphics and the ability to print their order in a variety of sizes. It also allows the customer to choose where to print--at home or at your favorite printing store where you can score great deals on printing prices). And in today's high-tech world, I've had many customers send their cards/invites/announcements purely through texting or posting on social media.

So in celebration of the 3 year anniversary of PeaBeeDesigns, I want to share with you some of my favorite custom designs I've created for people. Usually people start with an idea or a theme: a color, cartoon character, or something else that's inspired them. From there, I take their idea and turn it into a finished product.

 The personal information on each card has been changed to protect privacy.

I can't wait to see what I'll get to design next! Contact me for your next custom order! 

Remember, I do monthly freebie printables so keep checking back and don't forget to check out my etsy shop for even more digital items! Thanks for stopping by!

Freebie Printable: A lesson for moms

I was visiting with a friend recently and telling her how there never seems to be enough hours in the day. I feel like I'm always rushing to get things done while simultaneously forgetting things (like the load of wet laundry in the wash that is now smelly, or the defrosting chicken in the fridge  from two days ago!) My (older- kids out of the house- and much wiser) friend told me this: "you know you're being a good mom when you have sticky floors, dirty dishes, but your kids are smiling and happy. They may have food on their faces from their peanut butter and jelly sandwich and scabs on their knees from playing outside, but you both have memories because you took the time to listen to what's on their mind and stopped to enjoy the everyday moments together." WOW!! Her wisdom smacked me in the face and made me realize that while I don't need to live in a pigsty and can still enforce basic hygiene rules, other things can wait. My kids' childhood can't. I asked my friend B. if I could turn her quote into my printable for this month she agreed since she heard it herself from someone else years ago. 

Perhaps you too know someone who needs this reminder. This printable can be used in a frame, be made into a magnet for the fridge, as part of a card, attached to a gift or plate of treats for a special friend or loved one this mother's day. Also feel free to LIKE, SHARE, and PIN away!

 To download this printable, click HERE

Don't forget to visit my shop to see if there's anything else you'll enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!