Inspired by Family

brave moms. strong families.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Banana Muffins

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Featured Contributor: Crystal Owens One of our favorite desserts is banana bread, especially if there are chocolate chips added in. Making several loaves at a time to give away is a great memory I have from my childhood. I remember my mother would let me help her wrap the loaves with a pretty bow on top. I think this is where my love for beautiful gift wrap began. But I'm sure this is where my love for banana bread also came into play. I recently came across peanut butter chips at the store … [Read more...]

Don’t Parent Out of Pride

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Welcome to our fifth story in our series beYOUtiful Mom! Featured Writer: Alia Hagenbach Some of the first advice I received years ago as a first time mom was "pick your battles."  Being a first time mom, I was determined to do an amazing  job. I read the parenting books. I got this, I thought.  I watched the temper tantrums that occurred  in grocery check-outs over skittles and lollipops and vowed that my child would be well-disciplined, respectful, and obedient. I couldn't even fathom … [Read more...]

Light White Baked Mac-n-Cheese

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White Baked Mac~N~Cheese, Light   I bet everyone has a guilty pleasure and if we ask 10 people, probably half will say it's mac-n-cheese. This definitely, is a weakness for me. Just like any other guilty pleasure, I make macaroni and cheese only a couple of times a year. Last time I was making it, I decided to make a few lighter choices. It tasted absolutely delicious and I didn't feel as guilty! Ingredients: 1/2 lb dry elbow macaroni 1/2 medium onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 … [Read more...]

Paper Flower Wall Art

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If you are new to our ezine I want to welcome you to our beYOUtiful Mom Series! Featured Contributor: Sarah I love using leftover supplies from past projects and thinking of new ways to use them. I have a lot of scrapbook paper just lying around, so I decided to use some of it to make some paper flowers for my daughter's art wall. first. Cut several petals in different sizes and shapes.  second. Fold one end of the petal. third. Hot glue them to a paper circle. fourth. Add a fabric or … [Read more...]

Creative Mother’s Day Cards Part 2

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I love how versatile these cards are! Even though we are featuring Mom and Grandma these cards can be used for any occasion.  {Part 1 can be found here for some more fabulous cards} Featured Contributor: Kelly Griglione For the Birthday-Cake-Always-From-Scratch Mom ... an easel cake card. This one looks more complicated than it is. The trick is to score across the base of your card about 2 inches from the bottom, then fold under. You will attach your polka dot background and cake to this … [Read more...]