The Everyday Archives — Page 7 of 18 — Everyday Cori By Corine Ingrassia

12 Of The Funniest Anniversary Cards Ev-ah!

September 25, 2015 By Cori

Whew! Another week is down in the books, friends.

The fall might be peak busy season here– celebrations galore– including, my wedding anniversary!

This year will be NINE years– I may or may not have had a moment recently that I thought it was TEN… but nope it’s nine (math was never my strong suit).

The Mr. and I haven’t exchanged gifts for our special day in I can’t even remember how long. In lieu of elaborate gifts, we usually splurge on a sitter, dinner or a getaway… but one thing we always do are cards– one sappy and meaningful, the other funny.

So for this week’s Friday Fresh Picks, I am featuring some of the most hilarious anniversary cards on the internet (created by talented Etsy artists) because gushy–romance is nice, but when you can laugh til you cry it is true love.

Enjoy!

by Knotty Cards | Etsy

by Witscle | Etsy

by Prints Made With Love | Etsy

by DiamondDonatello | Etsy

by Grim and Proper | Etsy

by Cheeky Kumquat | Etsy

By Alta Rose Designs | Etsy

by Coulson Mcleod | Etsy

by Be Papery | Etsy

The Little Piper |Etsy

by Nostalgia Collect | Etsy

by Julie Ann Art | Etsy

____________________________________

Check out some other super awesome picks …..

Friday Fresh Picks are hand-picked favorite items, reviews and highlights from the amazing women you see above.

Visit their websites to learn about other amazing picks from this week!

Sarah from Finnegan & The Hughes

Sheila from Pieces of a Mom

Hilary from A Fancy Girl Must

Tina from Life Without Pink

Corine from Complicated Mama/a>

Refresh Your Car! In Under 5: Say Goodbye To Those Musty Odors + Bacteria

August 11, 2015 By Cori

When we entered into summer, for some reason I had this (crazy-town) idea that life would slow down for a little bit.

The reality however, has been much different.

Although the kids are having a blast keeping busy and having fun– it’s also been slightly exhausting too as our days are spent ping ponging from one place to the next– hardly any of that dreamy downtime I was envisioning.

We go from camp, to the track, to the pool, to cheer and to playdates… and yes, sometimes all in the same day.

I calculated the other day and I am averaging around 3-4 hours of drive time a day– A DAY!

And do you know what joins us as we cart around town in our trusty- Traverse?

…. All kinds of sweaty-kid-funk and bacteria.

The crushed up goldfish on the floor, lollipop sticks in the cupholders, miscellaneous sweaty socks that magically pop off my sons feet the second he enters the car….

And friends, let me tell you, that you have not smelt anything more distinct, than the lingering smell of sweaty tween-age boys crammed into an SUV after an 8 hour day at basketball camp.

Oh. Em. Gee.

Cleaning and deodorizing our whip has become my full time job.

So when the team at Refresh Your Car! reached out for me to try out their products, I nearly wept tears of joy!

Refresh Your Car! has a variety of fresh-scented products that eliminate foul odors (like sweaty sporty little boys and sour milk bottles), kill bacteria*, and leave behind wonderful, clean scents.

When it comes to ridding the car of the bacteria, my favorite of these products by far were the leather wipes.

Did you know that your steering wheel alone can be covered in NINE times the amount of bacteria as a toilet seat??? (GROSS)

These wipes are perfect to keep in the car and use at any time for a quick interior clean and refresh – which as I already said, I have to do practically daily.

If you have leather interior I highly recommend these as they are gentle on the leather and leave it looking great too!

My second favorite product was the oil diffusers. I found that these lasted the longest (some up to 90 days!). The oil diffusers have a lot of nice light smells to choose from, but my personal fave was this dual scented one– fresh strawberries and cool lemonade!

You can release the scents one at a time or blended. I love the blend.

Another product that has a “cool techy factor” is the electric air freshner/USB:

Check this out– the future of fresh smelling cars:

Refresh Your Car’s refillable Power Plug plugs into your car’s 12-V adapter and provides great fragrance whenever your car is on. Powered by a built in heat source and illuminated with a colored LED light, the scented oil capsule can be replaced with a refill when a new one is needed—without having to purchase a new device! And new for 2015, Refresh Your Car plug in with a USB – the same great device consumers love but with a USB charger so you can charge your phone or tablet while still enjoying a delightful fragrance experience in your vehicle.

Bottom line? Our commute around town has been much more enjoyable thanks to Refresh Your Car!

______________________________________

Tell me, what are some of the funkiest smelling things you’ve found hidden in your car?

Disclosure: Refresh Your Car is a paid sponsor of Complicated Mama. As always we only partner with brands we truly believe in. All thoughts, opinions, and smelly examples are our own.

Quick + Easy Sausage Wonton Bites On The Go

July 31, 2015 By Cori

If you, like me, moonlight as your kid’s chauffeur– you are probably all too familiar with what, I lovingly and often refer to as the “After-school/camp Hustle”.

Filled with pick ups and drop offs (sports, friends, shopping, oh my!)… the after-school hustle –always full of surprises– devours hours of your day.

And every day mid-hustle we are faced with the question, “What’s for dinner?”

Gahh!!

I cannot tell you how many times I don’t even think about dinner until one of the kids reminds me that it is indeed time to feed them… again.

But with dwindling hours, we need quick, we need easy– we need more options– beyond dialing in pizza.

And when we find these quick, easy, and delicious options? We need to go forth and share!

Because, it takes a village my friend, it takes a sometimes virtual, …online… village.

So today, I am teaming up with Hillshire Farm to share one of our favorite quick and easy sausage meals.

First, let me share my biggest “life-on-the-go” meal prep secrets.

(come closer)

Ok. Are you ready?

The key is to find ways to make your favorite meals, bite size.

For me, this means breaking out the muffin pan and wonton wrappers–and let me tell you– you’ll be AMAZED at how many of your favorites you can make this way.

Wonton wrappers hold all the things, my friends.

All the things.

One of our favorite wrapped-up dinners on the go, is sausage and pepper bites.

– Oh! The yum that is jam packed into these little bites of heaven– that only take under 30 minutes to make –*AND* can be made ahead and stored for the week!

This weekend we are taking a 3+ hour road trip for a weekend away at an NBA camp for my son.

The plan is to leave straight from camp, and we are all sure to be starving– so I headed to my local Stop and Shop for all of the staples I need to whip up these sausage and pepper bites for the road…. But then found Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa & decided to try a new twist!
Here is a quick video snap shot of how easy it was to prep this before our trip today!

One of the things I love about the Hillshire Farm smoked sausage is that is pre-seasoned– which means one less step! Holla!

Ingredients:

1 Package sauerkraut
Spicy mustard
1 Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbsa
Wonton wraps
Salt and Pepper

In addition to my usual wonton cups, I made these like traditional wontons as well. The cups were definitely easier make, but the wontons were neater to eat… both equally delicious.

Some other Hillshire Farm sausage flavors you can choose from are:

Smoked Sausage
Polska Kielbasa
Chicken Hardwood Smoked Sausage
Lite Polska Kielbasa
Beef Polska Kielbasa
Beef Smoked Sausage

Visit the Sausage So Simple website for more quick and delicious meal inspiration.

Whether you are trying out this recipe, one from the Sausage So Simple site, or creating one of your own– let me know– share them with me by tagging me @ComplicatedMama and using the hashtag #SausageSoSimple.

Bon Appetit!

Disclosure: Hillshire Farm is a paid sponsor of Complicated Mama. As always, this site only partners with brands we already love. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

JOIN ME! + Indulge In That Overdue Girls Night Out!

May 7, 2015 By Cori

Oh yes it’s ladies night and the feeling’s right
Oh yes it’s ladies night, oooooooh whatta night

Oh, hey! Don’t mind my off key singing (and believe me, my singing is definitely off-key. I’ll wait here if you need to re-imagine it in your head. Go ahead…)

|Heels|Clutch|Striped Tank|Linen Pants| Accessories via RocksBox

Anyway, I was just basking in the fun of picking out an outfit for a much needed girl’s night out– because we need (and deserve) that every now and again.

And tonight, my friends, my ladies night cup runneth over because it is a total mix of my favorites– shopping, cocktails, food and fashion!

The event is called Indulge and it is being held at the newly renovated Mills at Jersey Gardens.

If you are a fellow Jersey girl, join me at tonight’s festivities! If you cannot make it, follow me on Instagram.

My friends Sheila, Lori and I will be scoping out and trying on new spring and summer trends, indulging in some good eats and sips…. and undoubtably getting lost in the racks at Off Fifth and Neiman Marcus Last Call… because scoring a deal on designer brands is my guiltiest pleasure.

PS–

Get the skinny on Indulge At The Mills At Jersey Gardens!

Take Your Child To Work Day: The Blogger Edition

April 23, 2015 By Cori

Take your child to work day is something our kids look forward to every year.

Typically, their day is spent in New York City with my husband. Together they ride the bus into the big city, visit an office, meet co-workers and (possibly their favorite part)… lunch and FroYo.

Except this year, the stars did not align and my husband’s work schedule did not work out with this special day.

They were bummed.

So in an attempt to make-good, I said they could “go to work” with me!

At first, my suggestion was met with a puzzled look.

Sure, it’s untraditional and technically my office is in the house that they live in and not in a cool sky-scraping NYC building, but surely we could make the day a fun learning experience– right?

No matter if we parents are executives, stay at home parents, or work at home parents, it’s always beneficial for kids to see and have a basic understanding to what their parents daily responsibilities are.

Take Your Child To Work Day: My Mom’s A Blogger

9am– We gathered in the “cafeteria” for smoothies. Judging by the attire they showed up in (above) they clearly had different ideas of what my day looked like. We talked about what we had on tap for the day and cleaned up breakfast.

10am– We held a brainstorming meeting in my office to come up with the names and focus of the blogs they were going to create.

10:30am– They helped me keep the baby entertained while I hopped on a conference call. Ryan even dressed the baby! (He is took this co-worker thing seriously)

11am– 1pm While the baby napped, we did some blog designing, photography and writing.

They were given a simple assignment of giving a tour of their rooms and coming up with a top 5 list.

We talked about the things they loved.

The things they would want to share with people.

Internet safety and privacy– No last names, addresses, schools, etc.

We spoke about how the internet is a public place where everyone, everywhere can see the things that we post, so we need to make smart decisions. I explained that we never put in a blog or any form of social media anything that would hurt someone’s feelings or that we would be embarrassed to have a parent or teacher read.

They drafted their posts, took pictures and really got into it.

1:30pm– They each hit POST!

2pm–I am here writing you as we get ready to go to a late lunch at their favorite spot, Panera Bread.

I personally have gotten little to nothing done but am so happy to have given them a little closer glimpse into what it is I actually “do” on the computer.

So without further adieu, I present to you their new slivers of the internet (which they named completely on their own, btw!)….

Ryan’s Daily Dribble

Laina’s Dresses And Messes

10-Minute No-Bake Snickers Cake + 100 Years Of Pyrex

April 1, 2015 By Cori

No-Bake Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:

8-16 pre-wrapped ice cream sandwiches (depending on if you are doing a double layered cake)
1 large container of cool whip
Hot fudge
Caramel sauce
4 Full sized Snickers chopped

Directions:

Layer ice cream sandwiches
Spread Cool-whip on top of sandwiches
Top with chopped Snickers pieces
Drizzle hot hot fudge and caramel sauce to your heart’s desire!

You guys, it literally takes 10 minutes to make!

And you can change it up with different flavor ice cream sandwiches, candies, etc.

Love it? Pin it!

Enter the #Pyrex100 100 Days of Giveaways

To celebrate their 100 year anniversary, Pyrex is giving fans a chance to enter to win a Pyrex product every day!

See below for entry details.

The Pyrex® 100 Days of Giveaways is sponsored by World Kitchen, LLC. There is no purchase necessary to enter. In order to participate, you must be a legal resident of the fifty United States or the District of Columbia and must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry. Entries will be accepted from March 22, 2015 at 10:00:00 a.m. ET until June 30, 2015 at 9:59:59 a.m. ET.

Disclosure: I have happily partnered with World Kitchen LLC to share the wonderful Pyrex® 100th Anniversary product line. All opinions are my own.

Pyrex® 100th Anniversary Giveaway