I grew up thinking that cranberry sauce was so gross. Ha! No, seriously! Now it’s what I look forward to more than anything at Thanksgiving, and really any holiday dinner. This recipe was passed on from my friend Lisa and now I’m sharing it with al of you. I’ve shared it once before so if you have made it please share the experience in the comments below! I would love to know what you guy thought of it! Here is how you make it…

Ingredients

• 1 bag of fresh cranberries
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp All Spice
• 1 tsp salt

Instruction below on Lisa Recipe card that she passed on to me!

While you’re here gearing up for Thanksgiving, I want to share just a handful of early Black Friday sales that I know are the absolute best discount you can get below. I know sometimes we wait until actual Black Friday or Cyber Monday thinking the deal will be better, but I know for a fact for my inside sources that the below discounts are the highest we’re gonna get, and they are insanely good!

1to3 Life BF Sale!

Of course, I’m gonna start with my own business 1 to 3 Life. If you’re here and reading this, it likely means you’re a follower of mine and I really wanted my followers to have the absolute best discount code that we offer on the website. If you go to the site right now, you’ll see that it says it’s 25% off but I have a special code just for my followers to get 35% off! Use code FAM35. Starting and running this business has been one of the most exciting, but challenging things I’ve ever done. It means so so much to me to be able to share this amazing product, after all,  you helped me so much process. I hope you love it!

Boll & Branch

I also wanna share Boll & Branch’s Black Friday sale because it’s 25% off sitewide and it is the absolute best sale that they do all year! I know their stuff in is an investment, but I’m telling you it is the best investment you’ll ever make for your sleep! Sometimes Kevin and I are lazy and we don’t put the duvet back on our bed after washing it,   legit sleep worse! It is so soft and so cozy in the sheets are softer with every single wash. We spend like 1/3 of our lives in bed so definitely make your bed your happy place and you absolutely will with their sheets. Plus, I get so many comments about the exact ones I have because they’re so beautiful. I have the botanical set in blue, FYI.

Skin Care

I love Dime, you guys know that. Although I will say I  highly highly highly recommend getting the brand Cocunat’s exfoliating mask. If you get the two pack, it’s 40% off and then you can use the code ALI to get another 10% off of that. Almost 50% off!!!! This mask will make your winter skin feel baby-soft smooth. I also just ordered their hair mask and “The Glow” from the sale

FOCL

And last one I wanna share is Focl. You guys know that I’ve never got paid a dime from this company. I promote them because instead of accepting payment from them, I asked to own a small 1% of the company. That’s how much I believe in what they’re doing and love their product. I just wanted to be one very tiny small part of it to help change peoples lives because it’s helped me so much. They have a teared sale on their site right now and you can get up to 50% off!

If you wanna sleep better, and overall just have a better sense of well-being, you have got to try their products! And oh my gosh their pain relief cream is a game changer! It helped me get through all the bodyaches of my flu.

Okay that’s it. I just wanted to share those few sales with you guys just in case you were curious about some of my favorites

The post The BEST Cranberry Sauce appeared first on Ali Manno (Fedotowsky).

Since we are all vegetarians over here in the Manno household, people always ask me what my kids eat. I figured I would take this opportunity to show a few examples of the lunches we pack them for school, while showing the variety of products available at Walmart. New customers can use promo code Triple10 to save $10 off their first 3 pickup or delivery orders. There is a $50 minimum and some restrictions and fees apply. Seriously give it a try and see how much easier it makes your life! We were out of town this past weekend and I was able to order stuff for the kids lunches to be at the house when we got home. Soooo much better than going to the store after a fun but exhausting weekend.

Ok here are some lunch ideas that are go-to’s for me! I linked everything so you can easily order an use the discount code Triple10

Lunch 1 – “Uncrustables” Sandwich with Fun Shaped Veggies!

• Dave’s Killer Bread – 2 slices
• Your choice of filling! You could do a PB&J (like I did with sunbutter) or a grilled cheese or anything really!
• Cut sandwich with these Uncrustable like sandwich cutters. My kids are WAY more likely to eat what I put inside when I use these! The set also comes with the stamp tool that I used to cut the cucumbers.
• Cucumber sliced and that stamped with on the stamps from the sandwich cuter set. You can cut sooo many things with these to make food more fun for you kiddos
• Snack Factory Pretzels – my kids love the flat shape
• Sliced Strawberries
• Organic Raisins – Keep those kiddos regular, if you know what I mean. My son Riley always gets constipated.

1. BLUE BENTGO BOX | 2. SANDWICH CUTTERS | 3. DAVE’S KILLER BREAD | 4. SNACK FACTORY PRETZELS | 5. CUCUMBERS | 6. RAISINS | 7. STRAWBERRIES 

Lunch 2 – Burritos bowl

My kids LOVE to be in control of their lunch. So by giving them all the ingredients to mix together they have control. I also sometime include a tortilla pocket like this one so they can make their own taco at school.

• Organic Smashed Black Beans (I heat and mash them up with some butter)
• Tostitos Chips – I like the small flat ones so the fit in the lunch box and don’t break with guacamole on top or when closing lunch box.
• Wholly Avocado individual cups – the sell individual cups that makes it so the guac doesn’t turn brown
• Organic grape or cherry tomatoes – I still slice them in half for my kids
• Organic romaine lettuce sliced up
• Cheese

 1. PURPLE BENTGO BOX | 2. WHOLLY AVOCADO | 3. TOSTITOS | 4. CHERRY TOMATOES | 5. SHREDDED CHEESE | 6. BLACK BEANS | 7. ROMAINE LETTUCE

Lunch 3 – Slider Sandwich with and Hidden Fruits and Veggies

• Hawaiian Rolls. My son likes a little sweetness in the roll. You can put whatever you like on it. I added organic romaine, organic tomato,  mayo, ketchup, and cheese.
• A string cheese cut up
• Organic veggie puffs to sneak in more veggies!
• Organic baby carrots
• Pure Organics fruit bars cut up to sneak in more fruit!

 1. BLUE BENTGO BOX | 2. HAWAIIAN ROLLS | 3. STRING CHEESE | 4. ROMAINE | 5. ROMA TOMATOES | 6. VEGGIE PUFFS | 7. BABY CARROTS | 8. PURE ORGANICS FRUIT BARS

I hope you guys found this helpful and got some lunch ideas! I know for a fact that my kids would get bored with the same lunch every day, so it’s cool that we can stock up on a bunch of stuff at Walmart without spending a bunch of money. Also, as we get deeper into the school year and the calendar starts filling up more and more, it’s a real time saver using Walmart’s pickup and delivery. By the way, new customers can use promo code Triple10 to save $10 off their first 3 pickup or delivery orders. There is a $50 minimum and some restrictions and fees apply.

If you have any creative lunch ideas that your kids love, please share them in the comments below! I know I’m always open to trying new things! Plus it will help other parents reading this!

And thank you to Walmart for being a sponsor of my blog and for making my life easier!

The post Vegetarian School Lunch Ideas appeared first on Ali Manno (Fedotowsky).

New hair calls for some new clothes to go with her newfound confidence! And of course Riley gets in on it too. I got these clothes last week with the intention of doing this post later this week. But as soon as she got home from her haircut she insisted on a fashion show with her new clothes. So here we are. I threw this together today when she got home so forgive me for any typos. I’ve gotten almost all the kids back to school clothes from Walmart. They’re just so affordable and I feel like the options that I have in this blog post today are kid friendly in the sense that there’s really comfortable, easy to put on, and functional for play. But they also look so so so put together. I have to admit as a parent that’s something I have really really struggled with when it comes to dressing my kids. Like I just couldn’t figure out how to get these cute clothes I buy them to look good on a daily basis when I would send them to school. But I finally feel like I figured a few things out!

Collared Shirts

Collared shirts for the win! There’s something about a colored shirt that just takes her outfit from a play outfit to a school outfit. And don’t get me wrong I’m not thinking too much about this. Kids are kids they can wear what they want, but for some weird reason, and I’m sure this is some strange thing going on in my brain, when my kids look more put together I feel like a better mom. Don’t judge me, it’s just how I feel. Anyone else relate with that? And when my little kiddos have a cute colored shirt on they just look adorable! Almost every outfit they’re wearing in this post has a colored shirt. Starting with this white button up from French Toast. It’s $12.50 and so great for fall and winter. Great because you can layer under sweaters but then it also looks super cute on its own! Molly wears these cute little plaid dresses to school a lot. Linked here. And I’ve gotten quite a few DM’s from people asking about her Peter Pan collared shirt underneath and this is it.

1. PETER PAN SHIRT | 2. BLUE SKORT | 3. ZIP UP BOOTS

In these pictures I paired it with a blue Wonder Nation skater skirt that is only $8.98! The little bow detail on the front is so darling and they have shorts underneath which makes this piece perfect for play! You cannot beat the price! I bought four of the skirts/skorts. Two a navy and two in khaki.

And then how cute are these boots! They’re a little big on Molly right now but she’ll grow into them for the winter and they are under $20! They come in sizes 13 up to size 6 in bigger kids. Molly is just about to a size 13 right now.

Pants Comparison

Riley’s outfit is an interesting one because I’m going to compare two pairs of pants that are very different in price. The first is a pair of Free Assembly boys pants that come in size 4 to 18. They’re really well-made and cute and $18. The second pair of pants that you’re gonna see Riley wearing in this post are two pairs for $18.98 so they’re basically half the price and very similar. Both are great but if I’m being completely honest, unless you just really want a specific blue color of the free assembly pants, I say for this pair go with the Wonder Nation two pack because the quality feels very similar in my opinion and you get more bang for your buck! Although I do love the shape of the pockets in the Free Assembly blue pants and this brand is earth friendly and cares abut sustainability. The Wonder Nation pants (in the next pics) fit more true to size than the Free Assembly which are the blue ones he’s wearing below. They’re a little bit large. So don’t worry about sizing up for them to grow into.

1. MOLLY’S TOP | 2. MOLLY’S SKORT | 3. RILEY’S SHIRT | 4. RILEY’S PANTS | 5. RILEY’S SHOES

The Faux Layer

The reason I love this next outfit so much is that the shirt looks like it’s two pieces layered, but it’s one shirt so it makes it easier to get ready in the morning! And the quality is so good! It comes in sizes 4 to 18 and plus sizes and it’s only $15.98. Also, Molly loves loves loves this top because it’s so cozy! She hates any material that feels itchy in any way on her skin and this has a really fuzzy fleece-like interior and she loves how it feels. I also love that the little white flap in the front can be tucked in if you prefer that look, or you can leave it out which I think looks really cute like atunic for kiddos. So it’s really just your preference! Plus let’s fact it, they NEVER tuck in their shirts after using the bathroom at school so I love that this top seems intentionally untucked

1. SWEATSHIRT | 2. LEGGINGS | 3. BOOTS

And then of course don’t forget about the leggings! This three pack from Wonder Nation that comes in different color options isonly $13.44 for all three pairs. That’s like $4.50 a pair! And we’ve had this pair for over a year and they still look brand new. Honestly I was worried Walmart wouldn’t carry them anymore cause we got them a year ago but I think they just always have these in stock. You can also get a five pack that has a few more print options if you want something more fun! But black leggings are just essential.

This Dress

And last but not least, and maybe my favorite of all the outfits for both Molly and Riley is Molly’s absolutely adorable dress and Riley’s cute little outfit with the Wonder Nation pants I was telling you about that come in a two pack for $18.

Let’s start with Molly’s dress. It comes in sizes 4 to 18, there is a gray version as well and it’s $22! I love love love this dress cause it’s one piece that you throw on and it just looks so darling and put together! And you can see from these pictures just how happy Molly was to be wearing it. It was the first one she put on when she got home with her new haircut that she wanted to show off! Seriously get this dress for your little one you’ll be so happy you did.

1. MOLLY’ DRESS | 2. MOLLY’S LEGGINGS | 3. RILEY’S VEST | 4. RILEY’S TOP | 5. RILEY’S PANTS | 6. RILEY’S BOOTS

Pants for Half the Price of the Others!

And then Riley’s darling outfit! Like I mentioned, this pair of pants looks very similar to the Free Assembly ones in blue in his first outfit in this post, but they are almost half the price! Plus they have a reinforced knee for all that fun play! Check out the reviews because I’m not the only one that loves these for their kiddos!

Actually I don’t even think I talked about this in Riley’s first outfit but his collared shirt is by Wonder Nation and you can get two shirts for $8.50. That’s right! $4.25 a shirt. I bought multiple of these for him for school. In all different colors! You just cannot beat the price, they have over 100 positive reviews that I highly encourage you to read, and they just look clean and nice when you send your kiddo/kiddos off to school in the morning.

Andthis vest!!!!! Sooooo cute. I love a little boy in a cute little vest. I’m all about those fall layers!

1. RILEY’S VEST | 2. RILEY’S TOP | 3. RILEY’S PANTS | 4. RILEY’S BOOTS

And you might recognize these shoes because Molly was wearing them in my last post about kiddo clothes and I am so pumped that her and Riley basically had the same size foot now so they’re both able to wear each others shoes. So Riley wanted to wear these today. They’re so cute!

And just cause he’s so cute. Here are some pics of him without the vest. And Molly in the background Ha!

1. RILEY’S TOP | 2. RILEY’S PANTS | 3. RILEY’S BOOTS

“Cool” Jacket

A couple last minute honorable mentions… one is this jacket that Kevin insisted Riley have even though it didn’t come in his size. Ha! Although I kind of insisted too because I think it’s so cute. Kevin might even try to order the largest kids size of this so he can it because he likes the jacket so much. And I like it so much because I feel like it’s really hard to find kids clothes that look cool. I don’t know maybe that’s weird to say but I feel like kids jackets always look a little “not cool” for lack of a better term. Ha! And I just love this one! Plus the lining is 100% recycled polyester! I love that Free Assembly cares about sustainability so I really try to support this brand at Walmart whenever I can.

RILEY’S JACKET

Yee Haw!

And very very last but not least are Riley’s cowboy boots! This kid is a true embracer of southern culture because ever since we moved here, he wanted to have a cowboy themed birthday party and insists on wearing cowboy boots pretty much all the time! Ha! Well not all the time but a lot of the time. You guys see me post about that a lot. These really cute boots come in sizes 7 to 12. Riley is wearing a size 12. They’re under $20 and have amazing reviews!

RILEY’S COWBOY BOOTS

OK that’s it for me! I’m sure Molly will want to do a live later showing you guys her new haircut! She loves it so much and it makes my heart so happy to see how much she loves it!

The post Molly’s New Hair Cut!!!! appeared first on Ali Manno (Fedotowsky).