Have you ever been a part of a traditional progressive dinner? I have done a few, many years ago. Basically with a progressive dinner you get a group of friends together and each household makes a different course of the meal. You travel to each home in order, enjoy that course and then head to the next home. The progressive dinners I attended included 4 courses appetizer, soup/salad, main course, and dessert. I had heard of people doing a progressive dinner restaurant style, visiting a different restaurant for each course, but had never tried it until recently.
We were tasked with visiting 4 different restaurants for appetizers, main course, dessert, and after dinner drinks. Since we don’t drink alcohol, we got creative for the after dinner drinks. We discussed where to go for each course based on some of our favorite foods. Normally when we go out to eat we don’t get anything except maybe a soda, salad, and main course. We only get appetizers or dessert if we have a coupon or it is a special occasion, so this qualifies as a special occasion! When looking for a perfect restaurant for a special occasion, you can have a peek at this Jimmy John Shark post for more info!
Our first stop was to the UTC Mall and the Cheesecake Factory. We love their Buffalo Chicken Blasts appetizer and it is definitely shareable. The two of us can’t finish the 8 large blasts so we took 2 of them home for lunch the next day. We roamed the mall a bit to let our appetizer settle before we headed to Texas Roadhouse for their 6 oz sirloin with 2 sides. I got mine with corn and loaded mashed potatoes while Ron got corn and green beans. We knew the smaller, early bird entree would be a good choice added to the rest of the food we would be consuming that night.

Since our travels between main course and dessert took us right past our house, we decided to stop at home and walk the dog and let our dinner settle before dessert. Once Mushu was walked we headed into town to Miller’s Dutch Kitch’n our local Amish restaurant that serves the best pies in town! I got the Peanut Butter Pie while Ron enjoyed the Dutch Apple. Once we finished dessert we wandered the little store at the front of the restaurant looking for interesting Christmas gifts. On the way home we stopped by Dunkin’ Donuts for some hot chocolate to enjoy at home while we watched a Christmas movie on TV.

We had a lot of fun, and ate a lot of food! I think this would be a fun way to spend an evening with some friends but you would have to have a fair way of deciding what restaurants to visit based on price point and cuisine. If you use your AARP Credit Card from Chase to pay for your progressive dinner, or any time you dine out, Chase will donate $0.10 to AARP Foundation’s Drive To End Hunger – up to a total of $1 million in 2017. With your AARP Credit Card from Chase you also get unlimited cash back rewards including 3% cash back rewards on purchases made at restaurants and gas stations and 1% on all other purchases. To learn more about AARP Foundation’s Drive to End Hunger just click the link.

I am participating in a VN campaign. This is a sponsored post by AARP® Credit Card from Chase. The content and opinions expressed below are my own. I am in no way affiliated with AARP Credit Card from Chase and do not earn a commission or percent of sales.

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This year, Valentine’s Day has gone to the dogs…literally! Let’s celebrate our wonderful animal companions by making February 13th Valentine’s Day For Dogs (#valentinesfordogs). On this special day, make sure you’re also giving your pups the attention they deserve. How?

• Take them out for a special walk at their favorite dog park
• Buy them a fluffy and comfy pet bed
• Give them Milk-Bone dog treats.

To make sharing this holiday even easier you can visit BigHeartPetValentines.com, for FREE printable doggy Valentine’s Day cards. I love this idea! Mushu has several doggy friends in the neighborhood so we are going to download and print the Valentines, insert a Milk-Bone dog treat and share the love. I have a post coming up soon about other things we are doing to celebrate Valentine’s Day with our dog but I want you to know we are not alone.

I have to agree with the findings of that survey, how about you? Do you find dog lovers more attractive? Will you be celebrating #ValentinesForDogs Day? If so, please Instagram/Facebook/Tweet the picture sing the hashtag so that we can all share in the love. I can’t wait to see your posts!

The post It’s Puppy Love #ValentinesForDogs appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Sea Tow is a service for boaters that is like roadside assistance for drivers. Boaters select the membership level that is right for them. Choose from a Lake Card, Gold Card, Corporate Card, Commercial Card or Professional Mariner’s Card.

Sea Tow Membership Includes

• 24/7 priority service
• Towing
• Fuel Drops
• Jumpstarts
• Disentangling
• Covered Ungroundings
• Nationwide Coverage
• Access to expert Sea Tow captains for local knowledge, navigational assistance and more.
• Savings and Discounts
• Free Automated Radio Checks (where available)
• $5000 Universal Towing Coverage (most memberships)
• Dock-to-Dock Tows (most memberships)
• Sea Tow has a free app available for iOS and Android phones. The app includes weather and tide information, a compass and speedometer.

A year of a Sea Tow Gold Card membership equals $0.46 a day or $169. The average cost of one tow without Sea Tow is $600+. I know if I were a boat owner, I wouldn’t be caught without Sea Tow.

The Sea Tow Foundation for Boating Safety and Education has a website full of important information including Safety Resources, Communication information and Navigation Charts. The Sea Tow Foundation, through your donations, supplies the Life Jacket Loaner Stations so that everyone on your boat can be safe.

Before hitting the water, make sure you have packed everything you need for a safe day out. Sunblock, lots of drinking water, healthy snacks, hats, sunglasses are all important for a fun day on the boat. If you are looking for some healthy snacks, Sea Tow has 3 healthy recipes for you to try.

Keeping inquisitive kids safe while boating takes additional education. The Sea Tow Foundation created the following infographic for getting your kids involved in boating safety. Kids love to be given jobs and responsibility and this checklist does just that.

I know my boys would have loved to be put in charge of that safety checklist before they headed out on the boat with Uncle Mike. Not only does it educate them and get them involved, having a child who is a bit timid about being out on the water help with the safety check, can help the relax and their fears subside when they know you have taken every precaution to be safe.

Are you a boater? Are you a Sea Tow member? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this program whether you have used it or not.

The post Boating Safety with Sea Tow #MC #Sponsored appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Since our yard is mostly sand, I knew I would need to do some type of container garden. On our first trip to Lowe’s we looked through the existing planter boxes but didn’t find what we were looking for. I came home and drew out what I wanted a 6′ x 2′ rectangular garden to fit under our front window. Trip number 2 to Lowe’s was very productive, we got 2 8″ x 2″ boards that were 8′ long. We had them cut down to the size I wanted. We also picked up some brown paint and weed barrier fabric.

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It was finally time to get some flowers! My girlfriend and I made one more trip to Lowe’s to choose the flowers. After much discussion we decided to get Techno Heat Lobelia for the back row, Pentas for the middle row and Lantana for the front row.

When we removed the Lobelia from their pot to separate them and replant them, they were very root bound. We weren’t sure they would survive. It took them about 2 weeks to settle in and “look alive” but now they appear to be doing well.

So far, so good, my flowers are growing and doing well. I am enjoying seeing the color in my dull yard and this makes me happy. Do you have a garden? What flowers do you like to grow?

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Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Tigger are among your favorite characters who make A Disney Halloween come alive. Inside this exclusive playlist on Rdio, you’ll find nearly an hour of highlights from classic spooky collections such as Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs and composer Danny Elfman from The Nightmare Before Christmas (which celebrates its 20th anniversary this month), plus archival scary sounds and more. Make way for the Heffalumps and Woozles, too! Press play and enjoy one of Disney’s favorite holidays of the year: Halloween!

1. This Is Halloween – The Citizens of Halloween – Nightmare Before Christmas Special Edition
2. Grim, Grinning Ghosts – Ghosts – Mickey’s Monster Bash
3. Swinging Wake – Xavier Atencio, Buddy Baker – The Haunted Mansion
4.  Oogie Boogie’s Song – Danny Elfman – Nightmare Before Christmas Special Edition
5. Friends on the Other Side – Keith David – Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs
6. Otherworldly Concerto – Gaylord Carter – The Haunted Mansion
7.  Poor Unfortunate Souls – Pat Carroll – Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs
8. Heffalumps and Woozles – Disney Chorus – Halloween Songs & Sounds
9. The Siamese Cat Song – Oliver Wallace, Peggy Lee – Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs
10. Pink Elephants On Parade – Disney Chorus – Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs
11. Ghostly Music Box – Music Box – Haunted Mansion – The Haunted Mansion
12. They Don’t Scare Me – Mickey Mouse – Halloween Songs & Sounds
13.  Monster Mash – Goofy – Mickey’s Monster Bash
14. I Wanna Scare Myself – Tigger – Halloween Songs & Sounds
15. Which Witch Is Which? – Goofy, Mickey Mouse – Halloween Songs & Sounds
16. Pool Monsters Attack – Danny Elfman – Frankenweenie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
17. Night Creatures (Sound Effect) – Walt Disney Sound Effects Group – Halloween Songs & Sounds
18. Haunted House (Sound Effect) – Walt Disney Sound Effects Group – Halloween Songs & Sounds
19. The Witches (Sound Effect) – Walt Disney Sound Effects Group – Halloween Songs & Sounds
20. A Dark & Stormy Night (Sound Effect) – Walt Disney Sound Effects Group – Mickey’s Monster Bash

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I was given the task to be creative with the candy, make a recipe or craft or party favor. Well being the over achiever that I am I created a craft…and a recipe and I hope you enjoy them both! If you are looking for even more holiday ideas, make sure you visit the Celebrate with Hershey’s website for party ideas, crafts and recipes.

Easy Recipes:

Candy Owl Craft

After scouring Pinterest for inspiration and sorting through the candy I had at my disposal, I created a candy owl craft that would be a great addition to a children’s Halloween party or just to make with your own kids. It is fun, easy and delicious!

Print

Peppermint Patty Brownies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 9 -12 brownies

Author cindy

Ingredients

• 1 box brownie mix + ingredients needed to make the brownies
• 20 small or 16 regular York Peppermint Patties

Instructions

• Prepare the brownie mix according to the directions on the box.
  
• Pour 1/2 of the batter into a prepared 8x8" pan.
  
• Unwrap all of your York Peppermint Patties.
  
• Place the York Peppermint Patties onto the batter in the pan.
  
• Pour the rest of the batter over the York Peppermint Patties.
• Bake according to the directions on the brownie package.
• Allow to cool.
• Remove from pan.
  

Notes

I heated the brownies up for 20 seconds before topping with whipped cream and serving.
You could try other candies in the brownies also.

I’d love to know your thoughts on this craft. Please leave me comment and let me know what you think. Remember…a lot of groups/schools no longer allow peanut products due to allergies so please check into that before bringing this craft with you.

Peppermint Patty Brownies

This is the easiest recipe I have ever posted on The Mom Maven…and it is very yummy too! You could substitute other candy varieties for the Peppermint Patties depending what is on sale or left over after the trick-or-treaters are done visiting your home. I’d like to try it with Kit Kats next time!

Print

Peppermint Patty Brownies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 9 -12 brownies

Author cindy

Ingredients

• 1 box brownie mix + ingredients needed to make the brownies
• 20 small or 16 regular York Peppermint Patties

Instructions

• Prepare the brownie mix according to the directions on the box.
  
• Pour 1/2 of the batter into a prepared 8x8" pan.
  
• Unwrap all of your York Peppermint Patties.
  
• Place the York Peppermint Patties onto the batter in the pan.
  
• Pour the rest of the batter over the York Peppermint Patties.
• Bake according to the directions on the brownie package.
• Allow to cool.
• Remove from pan.
  

Notes

I heated the brownies up for 20 seconds before topping with whipped cream and serving.
You could try other candies in the brownies also.

These candy filled brownies will become a staple at our home for a quick dessert. My small group gobbled them up and I think I’ll pick up some more York Peppermint Patties so I can whip up a batch for the next church picnic…or maybe I’ll try Kit Kat Brownies for that event. Who knows? The possibilities are endless.

Disclosure: This post is SPONSORED by Global Influence with PRODUCT provided by Hershey’s. All opinions are 100% mine.

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