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Recently, Walmart asked if we wanted to try out the new Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover 2X spray paint, which covers twice the area compared to regular spray paint. Sold at Walmart for $3.77 a can, Rust-Oleum claims each can will act like two, so you’ll need less paint and can save money. I took the opportunity to create a unique Mother’s Day gift and painted a garden pot using some of the bright colors available from Rust-Oleum. Check out the how-to below and see how we created a bright, decorative garden pot as a Mother’s Day gift that’s also perfect for spring and summer!

DIY Decorative Garden Pot

Materials Needed:

• Clay planter pot
• Painter’s plastic or newspaper
• Rust-Oleum American Accents Ultra Cover 2X spray paint, 2 colors of your choosing
• Painter’s tape
• Stencils (optional)
• Gloves (optional)

How to spray paint and decorate a clay garden pot

1. Cut (approx.) 2-inch strips of tape and place on pot in a zig-zag pattern.

2. Cover top of pot with plastic or newspaper to protect it while spray painting the bottom.

3. Using your first chosen color, spray paint from the bottom of the tape line down as far as you’d like to see the color.

4. Once the first color has thoroughly dried, repeat step 1 below the first color, matching the pattern previously used. Then, cover the painted area with plastic or newspaper.

5. Using the second color, spray paint the remaining bottom part of the pot, plus the bottom surface.
6. If you’d like, once the paint is completely dry, you can either use a stencil to spray paint a design onto a chosen area of the pot or you can hand-paint a design using acrylic paints.

What is your favorite way to use spray paint for DIY projects?

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

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Strawberries are in season for spring, so it’s a great time to buy them at lower prices than you might find the rest of the year. Strawberries are great for many recipes, like these strawberry and cream cheese pastelitos (a puff pastry dessert) you’re sure to love. We also love to make smoothies with strawberries – other than eating fresh strawberries, it’s probably one of our most preferred ways to eat strawberries. My girl absolutely loves smoothies – in fact, you can see our pineapple mango smoothie recipe I shared a while back!

One thing that does stop me from buying fresh strawberries more often is the fear of them spoiling before I can use them all; I just don’t like wasting fresh fruit. But, a little tip I learned is to freeze strawberries before they spoil and use them later, which is perfect for making smoothies! Since the strawberries are already cold, they really work well for mixing in smoothies. This helps so that I can take advantage of strawberry season and buy fresh strawberries from stores like Walmart.

Smoothies for an after-school snack or breakfast are perfect for kids. They’re easy to make, plus you can add a few fruits to get the most out of them and pack those vitamins in for the kids (or yourself). I love mixing strawberries with bananas for a strawberry banana smoothie, but recently I added mango in as well and we loved the flavor! Check out this simple, easy recipe for making your own strawberry, banana, and mango smoothie at home!

Tropical BananaBerry Smoothie Recipe: A Strawberry, Banana, Mango Fusion Kids Will Love!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced (fresh or previously frozen)
• 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• 1 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp honey

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend well until desired consistency is reached.
2. If you want smoothie to be less thick, simply add more milk and blend again.
3. Serve and enjoy!

I’d love to hear about your favorite smoothie flavor or if you have your own tip for fresh strawberries. Share in the comments below!

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

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I know it’s hard for us moms to consistently find me-time. Sure, we can occasionally make time for ourselves and take a little break, but let’s be honest, very few moms do this on a weekly basis. Right? Something more achievable, though, is to periodically squeeze in a mini-break. Let me share how I’ve been able to add me-time and hopefully inspire you to take a break for yourself!

Early on in the year I scheduled a recurring weekly block on my calendar for just me. I don’t always get to take my weekly break, but I’ve managed to do so every now and again. My weekly break is used for whatever I choose – anything from a long shower to properly wash and condition my hair to taking time to watch a recorded show. The great thing is that your breaks don’t have to be long or complicated. If you can even find 20 minutes, it can be a great thing! Here are some ideas for how you can enjoy a quick break from your routine, plus my own me-time kit I put together.

5 Ideas for a Quick Me-Time Break

1. Pamper yourself with a mini-facial using a homemade face scrub or a store-bought mask.
2. Enjoy a little treat, like the new KIT KAT Minis available at Walmart starting this weekend. I’m a huge fan of chocolate, so the samples I received from Hershey’s were definitely included in my me-time kit.
3. Listen to your favorite songs – you can create a break time playlist or make a CD for an on-the-go quick break in the car.
4. Read a magazine or part of a book. You can keep the most current issue of your favorite magazine or a book you’re currently reading in the car or in a special corner of your home for easy access when you take your break.
5. Enjoy a relaxing drink of tea, coffee, or your favorite beverage.

In building my own me-time kit, I headed to Walmart and treated myself to some tea and a new facial mask to go along with the KIT KAT Minis sent to me. Walmart also has books, magazines, CDs, and many other items you can add to your own me-time kit – just think of some of your favorite activities you can quickly enjoy to quiet your mind a little from the everyday hustle and bustle.

What would you add to your personal me-time kit?

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

Although I think mami should be celebrated every day, why not celebrate in an extra special way on that one day a year dedicated solely to her? How about making something just for her, something she can enjoy and admire for days, weeks even?!

I love flowers. I love to see them, grow them, cut them, receive them, and give them. So it should come to no surprise that flowers are what we plan to make this Mother’s Day for all the lovely mothers we know – tissue paper flowers to be exact. Tissue paper flowers are easy for little hands to make and lovely to look at. Besides, who doesn’t like to get flowers?

Would you like to learn how to make these tissue paper flowers?

DIY Tissue Paper Flowers Craft

Materials Needed:

• Tissue paper
• Pipe cleaners
• Washi tape
• Twigs
• Scissors

You can purchase all these materials (with the exception of the twigs) at Walmart.

How to Make Tissue Paper Flowers for Mother’s Day:

Begin by cutting your leaves. You can cut several at the same time (I cut 6 at the same time). Then, with the yellow tissue, cut a thin strip, about 3 inches in width, and whatever length you choose. Do the same with the pink tissue (or any other color you choose), but this time it should double in thickness (about 6 inches) and keep the same length.

Make the flower center and petals following the steps in the photo below:

Add the stem and leaves following the steps in the photo below:

Make one or make a bunch of tissue paper flowers and gift to that special mami you know!

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, modernmami™ received compensation for the time and effort in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

All photos © Lisa Renata

Cinco de Mayo is coming up and though this isn’t a holiday our family particularly celebrates, I know many of you may be looking for simple and easy recipes you can make to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with friends and family. A simple yet fun appetizer idea is to make empanadas! Empanadas are traditionally meat-filled patties you can eat as a snack or appetizer and are common to most Latin American and Caribbean cultures, though known by different names. In Puerto Rico, we typically call them pastelillos de carne, though parts of the island also call them empanadas.

Empanadas are most commonly filled with ground beef, though they can also be filled with chicken, crab meat, or cheese. Growing up in Puerto Rico, I also ate many pizza-filled pastelillos! For these Cinco de Mayo inspired empanadas, I decided to give my carne molida recipe a southwestern twist, making this the perfect appetizer for your Cindo de Mayo celebration! (Truly, these southwestern empanadas are a great appetizer idea for any occasion!) Check out the simple recipe below, with most ingredients easily found at Walmart!

Southwestern Empanadas Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 lbs ground beef
• 1 Tbsp adobo
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 Tbsp meat tenderizer
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Sazon, 1 packet
• 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 1/2 Tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp sofrito (or recaito)
• 10-11 green olives (Spanish salad olives) + 1-2 tsp of olives’ liquid
• 2-3 small potatoes, peeled, rinsed, and cubed
• about 10 baby carrots, rinsed and chopped
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• Empanada discs, 1 package thawed per instructions

Note: To see pictures and links for some of the ingredients used, read 5 Must-Have Ingredients for Cooking Puerto Rican Food.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Cook ground beef per this carne molida recipe (picadillo-style). You can leave the potatoes and carrots out, if you prefer.
3. Add black beans and corn.
4. Cover and continue cooking on low heat until black beans and corn are heated.
5. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and spray with cooking spray.
6. Line empanada discs on cookie sheet, leaving ample space between each one.
7. Fill each disc with ground beef mixture in the middle. It’s up to you how much filling you want to add – use your discretion so that it’s not over-filled, but so each empanada has enough filling when eating.
8. Fold each empanada disc half-way to make a half-moon shape and pinch closed with a fork around the edge.
9. Brush each empanada with olive oil and bake in preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve with your favorite dip or sauce. I served these with this mango dipping sauce recipe I found.

What is your favorite appetizer recipe for special occasions?

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

Pastelitos have always been a favorite pastry dessert of mine, especially pastelitos de guayaba. We actually call them pastelillos in Puerto Rico, but they’re more commonly known as pastelitos in most Latin American countries. This delicious puff pastry dessert can come with a variety of fillings, but guayaba (guava) is one of the most common, as is guava combined with cream cheese. Now, I’ve never made them myself – we’ve always just bought them from a bakery – but, I’ve been wanting to try my friend Marta’s recipe for homemade pastelitos de guayaba for a while!

As Spring is in full effect, I wanted to take advantage of spring produce and seasonal fruits to recreate this pastry dessert. With local grocery stores, such as Walmart, known to carry lots of strawberries in spring, I knew it would be the perfect fruit to make pastelitos a favorite dessert for spring. Using Marta’s base recipe and method for homemade pastelitos, I modified it to create delicious strawberry and cream cheese pastelitos! Read on to see how easy it is to make this puff pastry yourself!

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pastelitos (Pastries)

Ingredients

• Strawberries (about 15 medium)
• Puff Pastry Sheets (2), thawed according to package directions
• Cream Cheese, softened
• Sugar or Splenda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and spray with cooking spray.
3. Cut strawberries into quarters, removing the stems. The idea is to cut the strawberries into small enough pieces so they’ll be easy to mash.
4. In a small bowl, hand mash the strawberries using a potato masher or similar tool.
5. Add sugar (or Splenda) to taste and set aside.
6. Lay one puff pastry sheet on the cookie sheet.
7. Spread cream cheese evenly on puff pastry sheet.
8. Drain your strawberry mixture to reduce the amount of liquid and spread over cream cheese.
9. Place the remaining puff pastry sheet on top.
10. Cut into 9 squares, following the natural segments of the puff pastry sheets.
11. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
12. Remove from oven and let pastelitos cool down before enjoying!

What is one of your favorite spring recipes?

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

Every once in a while we like to have fun and make treats – for the kids and ourselves, because let’s face it, we like eating ice cream and cookies too! That’s why I’m loving these Pop-Tarts Cookies & Creme Ice Cream Sandwiches my husband came up with. They are super simple to make, delicious, and make for a fun treat to enjoy with the kids! The inspiration came about because Walmart asked us to come up with a fun recipe using Pop-Tarts, something I had never thought to do. I’m used to eating Pop-Tarts right out of the box, though it’s been a really long time since I had some.

You can serve these Pop-Tarts either chilled, warm, or room-temperature (straight from the packet). When combined with ice cream, it really makes for a scrumptious at-home ice cream night. Take a look and check out this easy recipe for Pop-Tarts Cookies & Creme Ice Cream Sandwiches, using only 3 ingredients!

Pop-Tarts Cookies & Creme Ice Cream Sandwiches

*Serves 2

Ingredients

• Pop-Tarts Cookies & Creme, 1 packet (2 Pop-Tarts)
• Cookies & Cream ice cream
• Hot fudge syrup (optional)

Directions

1. Cut each Pop-Tart in half and place one half on a plate.
2. Place one scoop of ice cream on top of the Pop-Tart.
3. Place the other half of the Pop-Tart on top.
4. Heat hot fudge per directions and using a spoon or fork, drizzle hot fudge over your Pop-Tarts ice cream sandwich. (Optional)

Isn’t that so easy? My girl loved helping me put her Pop-Tarts Cookies & Creme Ice Cream Sandwich together, and of course, she and her brother thought they were delicious! You can also use any combination of Pop-Tarts and ice cream flavor you like – there’s lots of Pop-Tarts flavors to choose from!

What is one of your family’s favorite treats to eat?

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

I’m not sure there’s much about Easter that kids don’t love – fluffy bunnies, cute chicks, pretty flowers, and of course, Easter eggs! The true meaning of the holiday is not lost on me, either, but I know that kids really enjoy all the pretty colors and fun of Easter. Because of that, I wanted to make a fun, but easy Easter craft for kids. I would never consider myself a crafty person, but this Easter craft is simple enough and requires few materials. Plus, it makes a really cute table-top decoration or a fun puppet the kids can play with!

Hopping Easter Bunny {Kids Craft}

Using materials found at Walmart and our very own Easter bunny ears and feet template, you and the kids will have a blast creating these hopping bunnies!

Download Easter bunny template here. (PDF)

Materials needed:

• White paper, either construction or copy paper works
• Color construction paper, various pieces of your choice
• Toilet paper roll
• Cotton ball
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Markers

Instuctions:

1. Cover the toilet paper roll with white paper.
2. Using the bunny ear and feet template, cut out your bunny ears, bunny feet, and bowtie (if desired). You can also draw your own bunny parts, if you prefer.
3. Trace your bunny ears, feet, and bowtie onto whichever color paper you would like for each. I chose to keep the inner ear white against a color outer ear, but that was just my preference.
4. Cut out your bunny parts and glue onto the toilet paper roll. Glue the ears onto the inner front side of the roll. You’ll also need to fold the bunny feet along the dotted line, and glue just the tab, so the leg folds out.
5. Draw a bunny face using markers.
6. Glue a cotton ball on the backside for a tail.
7. That’s it! Make a few bunnies to create a cute centerpiece for a table, decorate around the house, or for the kids to play with as puppets!

Have fun making this easy Easter bunny craft with the kids and check out more Easter items at Walmart.

Happy Easter!

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

Though we try our best to keep our carpet as clean as we can, when you have young children, it’s pretty impossible to avoid the occasional spot. We have a few rules to help keep the carpet clean: shoes must come off by the front door, no drinking or eating on the carpet, and we even have a plastic floor protector (like the ones used under office chairs) under baby boy’s designated chair at our dining table. All these things have helped keep the carpet cleaner than if we had not followed these rules, but wear and tear and accidents do still occur.

When Walmart asked us if we wanted to try out the Bissell Deep Clean Premier, I thought it would be a great opportunity to see if we could get rid of a few problem spots in our living room. Particularly, we have a small area in the middle of our living room that was recently acquired due to child vomit – these are the bonus joys of parenthood! Our poor sick child just didn’t make it to the bathroom in time and though we cleaned it up right away and tried to avoid a stain, alas, you can still see a dirty spot in the carpet.

As you can see, after using the Bissell Deep Clean Premier, the spot in the carpet is gone! The system is easy to use and we like the fact that there are not separate containers for the clean and dirty water. However, one drawback is that the power button is not on the handle, but is located further down on the body of the machine – design-wise, this just didn’t make sense to us. Despite that, we’re happy with the way it’s cleaning the carpet, which is what ultimately matters the most.

Additionally, we are happy to add a deep cleaner to our household, because it will help keep the carpet generally cleaner. I actually suffer from environmental allergies and we definitely don’t want the kids breathing in all that gunk. A vacuum cleaner can only do so much, so deep cleaning the carpet periodically will help our entire household.

What do you find works best for keeping your carpet clean?

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

I find that cooking now is very different from the cooking I used to do when I lived in an apartment and was attending college. In fact, it seems like the longer I cook, the variety in the cookware and tools I use increases. Back then, I just used some pots and pans my mother gave me when I moved out of the house. They were nothing spectacular and it was obvious they had been in the family for a while. If I needed new cookware, I purchased affordable individual pieces (mostly from the “great for college students” line stores carry). The next phase of my cookware collection began when I got married. At that point my cookware received an upgrade and we purchased a collection of non-stick cookware that would meet our needs. Over the last 10 years of our marriage, I’ve replaced some pots and pans and am always on the lookout for new cookware that will not only help me cook great food, but that also makes cooking easier.

When Walmart asked if we wanted to try out some of the Rachael Ray cookware, I decided to give them a try and see how they fared. The team sent me a variety of Rachael Ray cookware:

• Non-Stick Skillet Set
• Stoneware Ramekin Set
• Suction Lid Set
• Garbage Bowl
• Lazy Slotted Spoon

You can find all of the items I received on Walmart.com and they’ll soon be in-store too, along with many other Rachael Ray cookware items. I haven’t had a chance to use the ramekin set yet, but am really looking forward to trying them out since they can be used in the oven, microwave, freezer, or refrigerator. Just think of the possibilities of pre-assembling individual size meals in a ramekin, freezing them, and then cooking them in the oven! They’re also really cute and I can see them working out great for serving right in the ramekin.

I did, however, use the garbage bowl, skillets, and lazy spoon the other night while cooking dinner. Now, to be honest, the idea of a garbage bowl initially seemed silly to me. After all, I’ve had no problems cleaning up all these years while cooking. But, after using it the other night, I have to say it is quite convenient to have a large bowl siting next to the cutting board to throw the scraps and garbage into without having to stop and go back and forth from the garbage can. So, this is a new tool that will now be added to my cooking routine.

The skillets are non-stick and have worked out well so far. I like that they come in such a variety of colors; it’s nice to be able to add a splash of color to mix in with the stainless cookware I currently have. The lazy spoon is designed so that you can hook it onto your pot or pan, which is much better than just resting the spoon on the edge of the pan (what I usually do). I say it’s better because all too often, my spoon slides off and causes a mess – not to mention it’s a potential hazard with the hot burner. So, hooking the spoon onto your pot or pan helps avoid that little issue without the need to dirty a spoon rest.

I’m looking forward to adding these pieces to my current collection of cookware and really looking forward to trying out the ramekins. If you have any suggestions on a recipe that will work great for the ramekins, let me know!

Do you have a favorite piece of cookware or favorite brand? Have you used any of the Rachael Ray cookware before?

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™