Nanny to Mommy

Looking to learn HOW to lower your cable or satellite bill? Then this post is for YOU! With the inflation of our grocery bills and the crazy market, I thought I would update this post with EVEN MORE streaming options available for ways to save big!

We bought a new house back at the end of August 2016. We have a bigger home that comes with a larger mortgage payment. So we were going through our bills and thinking of what we could get rid of. We routinely do this anyway. We decided to not only drop our gym member ship (that we hadn't used in months) as well as drop satellite. So I know what you are thinking: You just made the switch to cable, but nope we completely pulled the plug and now we are saving more than $100 a month on television.

***This post was originally written in 2016, but I thought I would update it with what we are using now, new pricing, etc.***

We were criticized by our family when we first decided to do it. "How are you going to watch the Olympics?" "How are you going to watch 'A Christmas Story' all day on Christmas?" Serious questions, y'all. And at first, we hadn't worked out all the kinks yet. My husband did a lot of research and now I want to share all of our tips and tricks to help you save over $100 by breaking up with cable/satellite for good!

After two years of a DreamWorks theater release, I am excited to announce Spirit Untamed will be riding into theaters on June 4th, 2021.

Looking for something fun to do this Friday night? Netflix has a new movie coming out called A Week Away. It is about a troubled teen who chooses to go to a Christian summer camp instead of Juvenile Detention, but surprise! The movie is a musical! I love musicals and am always looking for something to watch on Netflix.

A Week Away is Netflix’s first musical film of its kind, releasing March 26th Troubled teen Will Hawkins (Kevin Quinn) has a choice to make - go to juvenile detention or attend a Christian summer camp. While at camp, and with the help of his music, new friends and love interest (Bailee Madison), he learns the healing powers of kindness, forgiveness, and faith can be found in the most unlikely of places.

We broke up with Cable and satellite back in 2016 and haven't look back. I have been an avid Netflix binger since 2010. So I created a post titled "Top 20 Binge Worthy Shows on Netflix" and it is really popular on Pinterest right now. The thing is, it is really outdated. So I asked my friends and family on social media what their favorite shows to stream on Netflix in 2020 and that are worth a day of binge watching. The list didn't disappoint so I hope you enjoy!

Inspired by the popular ‘80s animated series, DreamWorks She-Ra and the Princesses of Power tells the epic story of an orphan named Adora, who leaves behind her former life in the evil Horde when she discovers a magic sword that transforms her into the mythical warrior princess She-Ra. Along the way, she finds a new family in the Rebellion as she unites a group of magical princesses in the ultimate fight against evil. For the honor of Grayskull and in celebration of its early release thanks to fan excitement, we can enjoy 13 half-hour episodes on Netflix now!

Our favorite Trolls are back in all new hair-raising adventures in the fourth season of DreamWorks "Trolls: The Beat Goes On!" New episodes of this delightful musical series premiere on Netflix this Friday, November 2.

DreamWorks "Trolls: The Beat Goes On!" returns with the voices of Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) as “Branch”, Amanda Leighton (The Fosters, This Is Us) as “Poppy”, Kari Wahlgren as “Bridget”, Fryda Wolff as “DJ Suki” and “Satin/Chenille”, Walt Dohrn as “Smidge”, David Koechner (The Office, Anchorman) as “Buzby”, along with more of the colorful voice cast from the previous seasons. This season includes five new original songs and tons of more fun in Troll Village!

This little man turned three and a half last week. I have been trying to enjoy all the little moments with him because he is our last baby. But don't call him that. He is a "big boy" and ready for a full time job and a house of his own. Half birthdays may not be something that everyone celebrates, but it was a fun distraction to keep our minds off of Hurricane Irma for sure.

We had a lot of fun celebrating this sweet Peanut's half birthday. And to him, it's a big deal. He is no longer a "baby" anymore, he isn't just three anymore, he is three AND a half! Netflix helped us celebrate this little man's half birthday in a fun, new way. Not only were we sent cool items to make this fun Red Velvet Cake, but just released today they have 15 on-demand videos that celebrate birthdays and make your kids' day special.

Have you ever wanted to start streaming a show, but you don't want to do it alone? I have. My husband and I have different tastes in what we watch for sure. But everyone once in a while I try to convince him to watch a new show with me. If I can convince his friends that it is a show worth streaming, then I'm golden. So the struggle is real.

My husband asks me almost every night, are you coming to bed with me? And during the school year, I do. But it is summer. The kids are with me 24/7. And before they were in school? I didn't get that break. So the reason I don't go to bed when my husband does? Because I just want some me-time.

During the school year at the end of the day, no matter how many cups of coffee I have had, I'm tired at the end of the day. But during the summer, I don't have to worry about schedules or routines as much. But I do have to worry about keeping little ones entertained. All. Day. Long. I don't mind, I really don't! I love spending quality time with my children making crafts, going to the zoo, or going swimming. But I try to squeeze in me-time any way I can.

My family and I have been doing so much traveling this year! It has been very fun and exciting making all of these memories with our little ones. We have been road tripping our way around to all of these different places. Our next big adventure will be to Mexico! We are going on a Carnival cruise there, but the port is in Mobile, Alabama which is about a three and a half hour drive from us. I will share our Road Trip Family Essentials in a later post, but the main one I want to talk about is Netflix Downloads.

"Hay" there, equestrian enthusiasts, animation aficionados and adventure addicts, have you checked out Spirit Riding Free, available exclusively on Netflix yet? The series, inspired by the Oscar®-nominated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, follows the heartfelt journey of a gutsy 12-year-old girl named Lucky who befriends a wild mustang whom she aptly names Spirit. With her two best friends (and their horses) by her side, Lucky and her friends explore a world filled with endless rides, magnificent horses and never ending fun! Together they’ll push their own limits, harness the power of friendship and discover what it truly means to be free.

Each episode of Spirit Riding Free will be filled with frontier adventures and fun -- from inclement weather like flash floods and blizzards, to human malfeasance from train robbers and banditos, to kid-centric capers like treasure hunts and secret sleepovers. And some stories will even be told from the horses’ point of view!

I want to say first and foremost: This post may be a trigger for some people. If you or someone you know needs help, visit The Crisis Information for help. Saying that, I know I tend to talk about happy things here. I like to talk about my family, sometimes I like to talk about the ugly side of parenting, and as my children get older, I have noticed that sometimes it can get really ugly. This post is also going to get very personal, so if you just want the happy and fun posts, feel free to stop reading now. This post also might be a little all over the place, but it is real and raw. I honestly have gone back and forth about posting this, but I wanted it to be a conversation starter.

I have spoken multiple times about how difficult parenting can be. And I want to talk about something that although my kids are young, it can start from a very young age. Bullying. It can start as exclusion. And bullying isn't always physical. Rumors are a form of bullying even though it isn't directed to the person's face. If you don't know something to be true because you don't have proof or didn't see it with your own two eyes, then you don't need to say it at all.

The hubby and I are running our first 5K on Saturday. From what I can tell, it's a color run so it isn't as competitive as other races seem to be. So it will be a great first 5K especially since we are beginning runners. We have started a weight loss journey and healthy lifestyle to become a #FitFam (fitness family). We want to be healthy. And to get in the mind set, we have been streaming different documentaries to help us in our process. I have made a list of what to stream when you are trying to lose weight.

I am one of those parents that thinks watching television is good thing for your family. I actually think it can be educational and a unique teaching tool. We have even used shows to help my daughter deal with bullying. And we love our family movie nights. But I do like to know what my daughter is watching because I don't want her to watch something that she is too young to understand or something that will give her nightmares. So I have created my tips for kid safe streaming.

I am a member of the Netflix #StreamTeam. This post is in partnership with them. All opinions are my own.

We love a good princess, and there’s nothing wrong with a happy ending. But the reality is kids today are gravitating toward grown-up stories. They may not be made with kids in mind (read: The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and That 70’s Show), but they’re watching. That’s why Netflix is reinventing family TV with shows like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, available to stream now. The show serves up dark comedy that your big kids are probably ready for, whether you realize it or not.

As a member of the Netflix StreamTeam, I had the miserable opportunity to preview a screener of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Life for the Bauledaire children is very salty indeed because of Count Olaf, but I have whipped up an easy recipe that can bring a little sweet in to the mix without any misery.

Here's what you need to make "Count Olaf's Salty Sweet Cracker Treats":

Ringing in the New Year is totally different for us now that we have kids. But that doesn't mean that it can't be fun. The countdown is on with a tradition we started last year. And I'm so excited because this year we will be joining some of our friends and their kiddos to celebrate the end of this crazy year!

This year, the most famous 10 seconds of the year are back on Netflix with 10 new countdowns based on some of your kids’ favorite shows: Word Party, Puffin Rock, Luna Petunia, Beat Bugs, All Hail King Julien, Skylanders Academy, DreamWorks Trollhunters, Project Mc2, Fuller House, and Chasing Cameron. Start your party anytime, anywhere by searching New Year’s Eve Countdown on Netflix.