Category: Freebies

Travel Tips for a Fun, Safe, & Adventurous Year

Post author By vickybarone
Post date January 24, 2017

Have any fun trips coming up? Today we’re sharing some simple travel tips to get you and your home ready for your next adventure!

1. Leave early || I hate to stress about being late for flights and prefer to leave early. This way, I can relax and enjoy my travel instead of the inevitable sprint to the gate!
2. Pack healthy snacks || I always make sure I have my own healthy snack with me and purchase a bottle of water at the airport before I get on a plane.
3. Bring fun activities to pass the time || I like to have a number of activities to do while I’m on the plane that are readily accessible in my carry-on item. If my boys are with me, I make sure they have lots of movie options lined up too!
4. Pack lightly || I try not to over-pack my carry-on because I’m always concerned I won’t be able to lift it up into the overhead bin on my own. To lessen the load even more, I swap out paper books for a downloaded version on my iPad!
5. Stay fully-charged || I like to make sure my phone and iPad are fully charged before I leave for a trip, but I also bring readily-accessible chargers just in case.
6. Expect the unexpected || In the event that my checked luggage goes missing or is delayed, I like to have a couple day’s worth of medicine, toiletries, and clothing in my carry-on. I also pack an extra pair of headphones just in case!
7. Prep your home || Before any kind of travels, I like to make sure my house is nice and clean and all the lights and appliances are turned off and unplugged. Most importantly, I make sure my house is well-protected while I’m away. Simplisafe has provided us with a printable travel checklist to make sure your home is ready-to-go before a trip! Click the image below to download the checklist and click here to learn more about home security with Simplisafe.

Travel Tips for a Fun, Safe, and Adventurous Year | Vicky Barone | Simplisafe

Thanks, Simplisafe, for the great ideas! Have any travel tips to add? We’d love to hear! Let us know in the comments below.

Bon voyage!

Tags simplisafe, tips, travel

Printables Things I Love

Free Printable 2017 Calendars

Post author By vickybarone
Post date January 10, 2017

Hello, 2017! It’s never too late to get organized, so today we’re sharing some of our favorite FREE printable 2017 calendars that would make a perfect addition to your home, office, or classroom! Click the links below to see each calendar and print your own today!

one || two || three || four || five || six || seven || eight

Tags 2017, calendars, free printable, new year

DIY Family Printables

Happy Things Memory Jar 2017

Post author By vickybarone
Post date January 3, 2017
1 Comment on Happy Things Memory Jar 2017

Happy New Year, everyone! Back by popular demand is our “Happy Things” memory jar printable! We love that you commemorate all the wonderful things you have experienced throughout the year and we are so excited to hear about all your happy moments in 2017!

Way back in 2014 we decided to create a memory jar to collect all the highlights of the year. From funny quotes from little ones, to memorable outings as a family, to exciting milestones, the possibilities are endless.

As the years went on, we were so thrilled to receive more and more requests for updated versions of the printable!

Find the original post here and click here to download the 2017 printable!

We can’t wait to hear all about your happy 2017 moments!

***UPDATE***

Each year we hear more requests for an updated Happy Things Printable and we are here to deliver! Click below to download the newest printables!
2017
2018
2019
2020

Tags DIY, Free, happy things, memory jar, printable

Giveaways Kids Products Recipes Things I Love

Back to School Lunch Ideas with Pearls Olives To Go

Post author By vickybarone
Post date August 16, 2016
6 Comments on Back to School Lunch Ideas with Pearls Olives To Go

We created this post in partnership with Pearls Olives, a company my family and I love. I have been compensated for my review, but all opinions are that of myself and the writers of blog.vickybarone.com. Thank you for supporting the brands that make blog.vickybarone.com possible! This post may also contain affiliate links. If purchased, I will receive a commission, but the price stays the same for you!

Back to School season is upon us and we are gearing up with more delicious lunch box ideas your little ones with love! Last year’s post was such a hit, we decided to share a few more lunch combos for 2016. This time we are proud to partner with Pearls Olives for their #BetterWithPearls Mini Moments Back to School Program!

As a busy working mom, I love any opportunity to snag just five minutes back into my day to focus on the more important moments with my family. Pearls Olives To Go gives me those five minutes! The perfectly portioned grab-and-go containers are so easy to add to my boys’ lunches and they LOVE them! The peel-off lids are easy to open for little hands and there’s no messy liquid! Just toss a container into a lunch box and you are good to go!

Check out the yummy lunch ideas we put together below, and find out how you can enter to win the #BetterWithPearls Mini Moments Sweepstakes!

Lunch #1 features a healthy twist on a peanut butter sandwich. Take a whole wheat wrap, spread some peanut butter or almond butter, add banana slices and a drizzle of honey! Roll it up and slice into bite-sized pieces. We threw in some cheese cubes, fruit, and veggies, and finished it off with some yummy black olives in our trusty lunch box.

We filled this lunch box to the brim with chicken salad, crackers and cheese, avocado slices, hummus and cucumbers, pomegranate seeds, and a pack of kalamata olives. This lunch is full of protein and the olives give it a Mediterranean flair!

Breakfast for lunch, anyone? This delicious combination features a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and jelly, plus some veggies and ranch, cheese cubes, orange slices, and kalamata olives.

Who needs grilled cheese and soup when you can have grilled cheese and olives? This salty combo is paired with some celery and cherry tomatoes, and some sweet peach slices. All packed into the best (and easiest) lunch boxes around.

We are thrilled to add Pearls Olives To Go to our lunchbox packing routine. They make my job a little easier and everyone’s day a little brighter.

You can find Pearls Olives at your local Target and Walmart and choose from a variety of types of olives!

We have an extra treat for you, dear readers! Head on over to Pearls Olives Facebook page and enter to win a weekly prize pack or the grand prize, a Mega Moment prize pack valued at $1,000! The sweepstakes will run until September 11, 2016. Good luck!

Tags back to school, lunch, lunch box ideas, pearls olives, sponsored post

Freebies

Freebie Friday: Citrus Wallpaper

Post author By vickybarone
Post date August 12, 2016

TGIF and welcome to our first ever “Freebie Friday!” If you are looking for a fresh new Summery background for your smartphone, tablet, or desktop, we have you covered. These fruity and fun designs come in white and pink (you may have spotted them on Vicky Barone’s Instagram!) so take your pick! We hope these wallpapers brighten your day. Happy Friday!

Download Citrus on White:

Desktop | Tablet | iPhone

Download Citrus on Pink:

Desktop | Tablet | iPhone

Tags citrus, freebie friday, wallpaper

Kids Printables

Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea

Post author By vickybarone
Post date May 2, 2016
1 Comment on Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! Let a teacher in your life know how grateful you are for them with a DIY gift! For my sons’ teachers, I got some fresh new Sharpie markers in lots of bright colors, placed them in a mason jar, and attached a gift tag.

You can print these gift tags too! Click on the printable below to download it for free!

Download, print, cut, and hole punch! Use a ribbon or twine to attach the tags to a jar. This printable has two options (the top two have a space to write your name or your kid’s name!).

Looking for more Teacher Appreciation week ideas? Click here! Bonus points if you include a gift card!

A huge thank you to all teachers! We appreciate you so much!

Tags free printable, Gift Ideas, printables, sharpies, teacher appreciation week, teachers

DIY Holidays Kids Parties and Events Printables Recipes

Valentine’s Day Cupcake Ideas

Post author By vickybarone
Post date February 8, 2016
1 Comment on Valentine’s Day Cupcake Ideas

Happy Monday, friends! Still stumped as to what to make for Valentine’s Day? Today we’re sharing three sweet cupcake ideas that are perfect for the 14th.

Heart-Shaped Cupcakes

First up: heart-shaped cupcakes! Well, kinda-heart-shaped cupcakes. We have seen the Pinterest hack to make heart-shaped cupcakes by adding glass marbles to a cupcake tin and thought we’d try it out! Instead of marbles, we rolled up tiny pieces of aluminum foil and placed them between the cupcake tin and the liners. They looked so promising! But, alas, it was too good to be true. They don’t have a pointy base, but they can still pass as hearts, right?

Candy Melt Conversation Cupcakes

Next up are these Candy Melt Conversation Cupcakes! All you need to create these cupcake toppers is a bag of red (or pink!) candy melts, a ziploc bag, scissors, a cookie sheet, and some waxed paper.

Line a cookie sheet with the waxed paper and melt the candy melts in a bowl according to the directions. Scoop the melted candy melts into a Ziploc bag and cut one of the corners off. Write any words you’d like onto the waxed paper (make sure they are in cursive and all the letters are connected!) and place the cookie sheet into the refrigerator to set. Carefully peel the words off of the waxed paper and stick them right into the cupcake icing!

Custom Cupcake Toppers by Places for Faces

Last but not least, our favorite way to decorate cupcakes: Places for Faces!

Use Places for Faces to create custom dessert toppers with your face on them! They are perfect for Valentine cupcakes, birthday parties, and any event that could use a little personality. Places for Faces also offers printable valentines for your little ones!

What’s your favorite way to decorate a Valentine cupcake? We’d love to hear your ideas!

Tags cupcake toppers, cupcakes, DIY, places for faces, Valentine, Valentine's Day

DIY Holidays Kids Printables

Decorate a Valentine Box with Places for Faces!

Post author By vickybarone
Post date February 3, 2016

My boys are making Valentine boxes for school and we are so pleased to have Places for Faces help out with the decorating! What better way to personalize your valentine mailboxes than with pictures of your own sweet little face? In addition to dessert toppers, tags, and valentine labels, Places for Faces now offers a template that is perfect for decorating a valentine box, complete with speech bubbles!

Try Places for Faces today! Your little valentines will love it 🙂

Tags DIY, places for faces, Valentine, valentine boxes, Valentine's Day