{distracted driving} #DecidetoDrive

Tonight, I was driving home from grabbing the family some dinner, and I came to an intersection behind a stopped car. They didn't have their turn signal on, no one was coming, and they weren't moving. After waiting for a few seconds, they turned on their emergency flashers, so I started to slowly drive around them. I looked over to see if the driver needed any help, and she was looking at her phone.

Seriously. Is this becoming a thing? 

When a text is more important than paying attention to the road and your fellow driver? 

She was at least stopped, but that isn't always the case.

A few years ago, our car was totaled when a neighbor looked down for a second, swerved, and hit it head on. It was parked in front of our house thankfully, but she hit the car so hard that it flipped ours into the middle of the street and her air bag deployed. She wasn't seriously hurt, but I can only imagine how the outcome could have been different.

Here is what our car looked like after the accident...

It doesn't look horrible, but it was enough to total the car, and it wasn't drivable. I still miss that little red car.

All it takes is a second. A small distraction like a text, phone call, or even changing the radio station. 

I will admit that I allow myself to be distracted while I'm driving. I'm better about it when the boys are with me, but when I'm alone I can let my phone grab my attention. Lately I've been trying to leave it in my purse, and only check it when I'm stopped, and sometimes not even then.

It just isn't worth the possible consequences.

The Decide to Drive campaign was created by the The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Auto Alliance to increase awareness about the risks of distracted driving.

The Decide to Drive program aims to empower drivers and passengers to speak up about distracted driving, continue the conversation at home, work and play, and reduce distracted behaviors behind the wheel. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), of the nearly 33,000 roadway fatalities in 2012, there were 3,328 fatalities and approximately 421,000 injuries in distracted driving-related crashes. Scary, huh? To think a lot of those could have been avoided by simply putting down a cell phone? 

The AAOS and the Auto Alliance urges all drivers to keep their most sophisticated safety features engaged at all times: eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. 

Have you experienced a distracted driver moment, either yourself or witnessed one from another driver? I know thinking more about this and the scary statistics will keep me from letting my phone distract me like I have in the past. 

Let's stay safe friends!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

XO,

{travel in style with HP + Intel}

Today I'm talking about traveling in style. 

Now let me first start by saying that for my current lifestyle, "traveling" consists of the 30 minute interstate drive my family and I take every few weeks to the closest Sonic and Target. 

We seriously LOVE those trips. Its the little things, right? 

And even a trip to grab a cherry limeade and spend $100 on a random assortment of absolute necessities {wink} at good old Tar-jay deserves a cute outfit, right?

I put together six of my favorite car trip/shopping looks that involve three basic wardrobe essentials...

• unique top/tunic
• cardigan
• skinny jeans

In my humbly fashionable opinion, these three pieces can get you through any 45 minute jaunt through the toy aisles...

The thing I love about this combination is that you only have to own a few of each piece to create SO many different looks. I'm actually wearing the same pair of jeans in 5 out of these 6 outfits! {I kind of love them.}

Then just add a cute pair of boots or flats, and if you are feeling extra adventurous,throw on a statement necklace and you will really be traveling in style! 

And now I'm craving a cherry limeade and Target popcorn...

Looking for more travel in style inspiration and a chance to win fun prizes from HP + Intel?

Enter the HP + Intel + Project Runway Pin Your Style Contest!

Pin a photo of the HP Envy 4 Touchsmart Ultrabook™ via the Pin It button on the Pin Your Style contest page. Then, build a board that represents that week's theme. Check out the weekly Pinsetter images on the site for inspiration.

Submit your board's URL into the site to enter. Then, share your board with friends to earn the most votes!

Win prizes like an HP Envy 4 Touchsmart Ultrabook™ and a gift card to bring your style to life by getting the top votes for your board.

• Then vote in the contest between April 29 - May 12 by viewing the Pinterest board submissions on the Pin Your Style contest page and vote for your favorites based on the theme.

So tell me, what is your favorite go-to travel outfit? And where is your favorite destination?



I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

{Made from Scratch with Aunt Jemima}

If you are anything like me, you love breakfast but on busy mornings don't have much time to prepare something...especially something your little ones will want to eat. On the weekend my hubby usually spoils us with homemade brunch, but during the week we typically go for easier breakfasts like cereal or quick fix options.

One great way to have a made from scratch breakfast without making a mess in the kitchen is to fix some yummy french toast or pancakes from Aunt Jemima. Aunt Jemima puts love and care into every breakfast item they make...and they make every batch just like we do at home, just on a much bigger griddle.

"Every batch made from scratch" is their tagline...and they really do make every product with milk, eggs and and sugar like we do at home.

On my last trip to the grocery, I picked up their french toast and blueberry pancakes...

I'm a huge fan of french toast, so that was the first one I tried. And I have to admit, it tasted just like my homemade french toast, but instead of dirtying up a bunch of dishes and a pan, I simply popped two pieces into my toaster, added some maple syrup, and dug in!

Everything about this french toast felt and tasted like home-made...enough so that I'm tempted to never make mine again! Seriously...I'm not much of a cook to begin with so anything that is this delicious and  easy to prepare and clean up is a no brainer in my book.

Aunt Jemima also has a new product...Lil' Griddles....bite-sized versions of their original items. You can get them in three varieties...pancakes, blueberry pancakes, and cinnamon french toast sticks. Personally I think I need to grab some of those cinnamon french toast sticks...yum!

What is your favorite breakfast food? What Aunt Jemima product sounds the yummiest to you?

Thank you to Aunt Jemima Frozen Breakfast for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

{A Giant Surprise with Green Giant}

Are you a snacker like I am? As big as my sweet tooth is, I also have a giant crunchy/salty tooth as well. So whenever I find a healthy alternative to my beloved Doritos I get a tad excited.

That's where Green Giant comes in! They have come out with a brand new line of really yummy and nutritious veggie chips.

They sent me two bags of their new flavors to try out...

Sea salt sweet potato chips and zesty cheddar veggie tortilla chips...both are delicious!

I love the salty crunch of the sweet potato chips. They are the perfect pairing with a sandwich {or as a late night snack...not that I ever do that} *wink* ...

Here is a little nutrition information about these yummy veggie chips...

• The Green Giant™ Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips – Zesty Cheddar Flavor are made with real vegetables, 17 grams of whole grain per serving (48g are recommended daily), and are naturally flavored.
• The Green Giant™ Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips – Sea Salt Flavor are made with real sweet potatoes and made with 14 grams of whole grain. Plus, they contains 40 percent less fat than regular potato chips*!
• *Green Giant Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips (6g per 28g serving) have 40 percent less fat than regular potato chips (10g per 28g serving).

Pretty great, right? They are a really wonderful snack for kids too...makes you feel a lot better about giving them chips with their lunch.

Green Giant has shown you their surprise, and now they want to see one from you!



Share your surprise talent HERE on their Facebook page, and see more of their favorite surprise talents on their website HERE.

And print out a coupon for 85 cents off HERE!

Thank you to The Green Giant™ for being a sponsor. Show the Giant your surprise talent atwww.facebook.com/greengiant