The Clueless Chick

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Spring Cleaning for Baby

WNCN Today 03.25.14

Now that we’ve had a taste of Spring weather we know that spring cleaning season is right around the corner. We can all use a few good tips for tacking our spring cleaning, but those of us with little ones at home could use a lot of good tips! Today I shared some of my favorite spring cleaning tips for parents of little one with Page Crawford on WNCN Today:

· Cute Cleaning

o Boon Patch. Make your cleaning a lot easier and a whole lot more stylish with the new compact Boon Patch. These bottle drying patches are a must have for anyone who isn’t crazy about having their kitchen counter cluttered with bottles and sippy cups. The best part is that they don’t scram ‘bottle drying rack’, in fact they are quite cute and perfect for drying most of your dishes so you’ll be using it long after baby has outgrown sippy cups.

· Repurpose the Unused

o Tiered Serving Platter. Is there anything more fun than finding a new use for something that has been sitting in a closet for the past year? Think outside of the box when it’s time to reorganize the nursery. You can easily turn a cute tiered serving platter into a stylish new changing table organizer. You will not only add a little style to the nursery and organize your must haves in the process, you will also put an otherwise unused serving piece to good use! Tip: pick study but light weight organizers that will stay put but are not so heavy that they would hurt baby if they fell. (Yes, that is my buddy GW from GooseWaddle that you see!)

· Tackle the Diaper Bag

o Diaper Bag Organization Made Easy. Anyone with a diaper bag knows how quickly they become a mess of a dumping ground. One of the coolest new baby organizers on the market is the QueenBee Bag by HoneyBee Child. This versatile little bag will let you turn any bag into a diaper bag and let you swap out external bags with ease. With all of the pockets and pouches you could ask for, the QueenBee Bag is everything you need to KEEP your diaper bag organized. Did you know one of the co-founders of HoneyBee Baby lives right here in the triangle? Hi Katie!

Regardless of how much cleaning and organizing you need to do, if you break it up into smaller projects it seems a lot less overwhelming. Tackle your spring cleaning one nap at a time.

For all of my tips pick up your own copy of my Tips for the Clueless Chick books and follow Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.

Tune in next week for fun April Fool’s Day ideas!

Until next time,

Jennifer

aka Chick #1

p.s. A BIG thank you to Boon, HoneyBee Child and GooseWaddle for today's on air props!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

March Madness Parties: tips before tipoff

WNCN Today 03.18.14

This week marks the beginning of the NCAA Basketball tournament, which means you are busy making your final bracket picks and planning your schedule around games times. And we know there is no one who loves March Madness more than this Chick! I shared some of my favorite March Madness Party tips with Page Crawford on WNCN Today:

· MarchMadness

o Basketball Sliders. Turn a plain ‘ol slider into a basketball slider by painting on a simple basketball design. All you need are your favorite slider fixins, potatoes buns, black cake gel or nutella and a toothpick. Before you make your sliders, use your cake gel or nutella to paint a basketball on the top of each bun. Simply draw a line down and across the center of your bun, then a curved line at the top and another at the bottom to create a perfect little basketball.

Basketball Sliders

o Cheese and Crackers. Making festive cheese and crackers for your basketball viewing party couldn’t be easier. Simply grab your favorite round cracker, cut your cheese slices with a small circle cookie cutter, add salami and you have a simply themed basketball snack tray.

o Simple Decorations. What is more fun than some basketball decorations to make your March Madness party feel official? One of the easiest ways to save money on decorations is to work in a few well-placed themed decorations with all of your favorite serving pieces. Your guests will love simple touches like a basketball court tablecloth and basketball plates from our friends at CelebrateExpress.com.

Don’t forget your bracket! You simply can’t have a MarchMadness party without a little Bracketology.

For all of my DIY party planning tips pick up a copy of Party Planning Tips for the Clueless Chick and following the Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.

Tune in next week for Baby Spring Cleaning tips!

Until next time,

Jennifer

aka Chick #1

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Ideas for Going Out or Staying In on St. Patrick’s Day

WNCN Today 03.11.14

Next Monday is St. Patrick’s Day which means a lot of you will be celebrating this weekend so I shared some fun ways to put the green in your St. Patrick’s Day, whether your throwing a party or heading out on the town, with Page Crawford on WNCN Today this morning:

· Planning for Staying in or Going out

o Green Beer. It just isn’t St. Patrick’s Day without some green beer. Grab your favorite Lonerider beer and drop in a few drops of food coloring. It is fun, festive and just what you need for a fun St. Patrick’s Day at home.

o Accessorize. Going out for St. Patrick’s Day? Why not pick up a few fun accessories from BuyCostumes.com like a fun beer stein purse or a cut little St. Patrick’s Day hat. When you are picking out your accessories, think beyond St. Patrick’s Day. Like buying green serving pieces that you can use year round, you can reuse pieces of last year’s Halloween costume or pick up your next Halloween costume early. Or heck, borrow part of your kid’s Green Lantern costume.

· Green Snacks

o Peanuts & Beer. There is little that goes better with your St. Patrick’s Day beer than some peanuts and this is the perfect time to pull your green Mardi Gras serving pieces for peanuts, snacks or just a cute centerpiece.

o Veggie Tray. When you’re picking your St. Patrick’s Day menu, think green! You can make a simple all green veggie tray with cucumbers, celery, sugar snap peas, and broccoli. You can even serve your hummus or ranch in a green bell pepper for good measure. There is nothing wrong with sneaking in a healthy snack or two.

Whatever your St. Patrick’s Day plans are, have a fun and safe night!

For all of my DIY party planning tips pick up a copy of Party Planning Tips for the Clueless Chick and following the Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.

Tune in next week for March Madness tips!

Until next time,

Jennifer

aka Chick #1

p.s. A BIG Clueless Chick thank you to BuyCostumes.com for all of the props for today's show.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Whole Foods Cary Grand Reopening and $500 Giveaway!

Anyone who follows me knows what a huge fan I am of Whole Foods, from their adorable little cupcakes which always make an appearance at Clueless Chick parties:

The Perfect Cupcake

To the prepared meals which have saved this Chick's life a time or two and are my go-to gift for new parents:

The Real Secret Behind Doing it All

Heck, they even carry some of my favorite baby products:

My Favorite Cart Covers

And have been featured in my personal giveaways to thank you, my awesome followers:

Can't Beat a Giveaway!

Anyhow, you can imagine how thrilled I was when they reached out to me about taking a personal tour of their newly renovated store in Cary, NC before it opens to the public today! What a thrill to get a behind the scenes tour!! I feel like the kid on Christmas :-)

What did I get to see at the fabulous newly renovated store:

a 3,000 sq ft expansion
a brand new community room that can be used by community groups FREE of charge!
a new gelato case and coffee bar (yum!)
a growler station (danger!)
all of the energy efficient gadgets you can imagine - LED lighting throughout the store, coolers and freezers (just what you would expect from an environmentally conscious store)

Even more exciting than that is what they are doing for anyone who stops by the new store today!

Whole Foods Market of Cary grand reopening celebration

Free pastries and coffee from 8:30-9am in the parking lot and the chance to win a $500 gift card. Doors open at 9am. Enjoy $1 gelato and sundae bar and $2 local pints from our growler station from 4-7pm. Complimentary champagne and cake at 5:30pm. Two BIG sales on Wednesday which include local strawberries 2 for $5, and local grass fed ground beef $4.99/lb. The celebration continues with events throughout the week including a Rhythm and Brews party on Thursday, March 6^th from 4-7pm with live blues music and $2 pints. For a full listing of events visit our Facebook page @ Facebook.com/wholefoodsmarketcary

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 beginning at 8:30am

Whole Foods Market Cary at the Waverly Place Shopping Center. 102 B New Waverly Place, Cary, NC 27518

A BIG thanks to Whole Foods for letting me share all of this with you! Please stop by, take advantage of these great sales and enter to win the $500 gift card which I'm sure you'll use to buy me some of their amazing flowers ;-)

Until next time,

Jennifer

aka Chick #1

About Whole Foods Market®Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoodsmarket.com), a leader in the natural and organic foods industry and America’s first national certified organic grocer, was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” in 2008 by Health magazine. The Whole Foods Market motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures the company’s mission to find success in customer satisfaction and wellness, employee excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to its 53,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America byFORTUNE magazine for 13 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2008, the company had sales of $8 billion and currently has more than 275 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market, Fresh & Wild^TM, and Harry’s Farmers Market® are trademarks owned by Whole Foods Market IP, LP. Wild Oats® and Capers Community Market^TM are trademarks owned by Wild Marks, Inc.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

A Peanut Inspired Party for National Peanut Month!

WNCN Today 03.04.14

March is National Peanut Month and since according to the National Peanut Board the average American eats over 6 pounds of peanuts each year, this is cause for a peanut inspired party! This morning I shared some ways for you to have a Peanut Themed Party with Page Crawford on WNCN Today:

Show Them the Love.

A Jar Filled with Love. Whether you are opening a new jar of peanut butter to make a PB&J or some Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies (hold for recipe), before you take the first scoop of peanut butter fill the jar with love by using your knife to draw a heart in the peanut butter. And yes, I do this every time I open a jar :-)

Snacks, Snacks and More Snacks.

Mini PB&Js. Have fun with the traditional PB&J by using a mini loaf of bread, a cookie cutter to turn your PB&Js into fun shapes, or add a few strawberry slices for extra fresh flavor.

Peanuts. What could be better than a bucket full of peanuts? If you are looking for a fun centerpiece for the buffet table or snacks for around the campfire, a bucket full of peanuts is the way to go. And there is no shame in serving the lazy man’s shelled peanut. TIP: If you are serving your bucket of peanuts inside be sure to use a tablecloth, and a drop cloth to make cleanup a breeze.

PB&J Thumbprint Cookies. A fun and easy way to put a spin on your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe is to add a jelly twist. Simply take your cookies out of the oven half way through the baking cycle, make a small indentation in the center of the cookie, pop them back in the oven and once fully baked drop a dollop of your favorite jelly in the center.

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies. Grab your favorite brownie mix, ½ cup of chocolate chips and a few dollops of peanut butter and you’ve got yourself Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies. Prepare brownie mix as directed, add chocolate chips, pour into a pan, drop on a few dollops of peanut butter on top and cut in with a knife. Bake as directed, cool, and try not to eat the entire pan in one sitting.

If you have a peanut allergy in your house you can substitute some super yummy almond or sun butter for the peanut butter.

For all of my fun party inspiration and planning tips pick up a copy of Party Planning Tips for the Clueless Chick and follow the Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time,

Jennifer

aka Chick #1

Monday, March 3, 2014

#BumpDay Giveaways!

We had such a great time at the GreenPea Baby #BumpDay event yesterday! Thanks to everyone who stopped by, it was great to see you :-)

In addition to all of the fun stuff I gave away during our How to Pick and Pack Your Diaper Baby sessions, I've still got some fabulous stuff to giveaway!

Drumroll please. The winners of our final two giveaways are...