8 Family Friendly Vacation Spots in Missouri

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If you're heading to Missouri before the end of the summer and you're looking for some family friendly places, then check out these great destinations that are wonderful for family fun!

Branson, MO

Branson is a great destination for fun family vacations in the Midwest. With countless shows, indoor and outdoor water parks, museums and fun eats, you’ll love Branson’s family-friendly atmosphere

Jefferson City, MO

Jefferson City might be best known as home to the Capitol, but Jefferson City also is a place of rich Missouri history, and host to a variety of fall festivals and activities throughout the season.

Arcadia Valley, MO

Explore natural wonders, see historic sites, be charmed by small towns and just get away from it all in the Arcadia Valley.

St. Joseph, MO

St. Joseph is a town built on history, with the modern-day attractions that offer visitors the best of the past and the present. Plan to discover an eclectic city of culture, arts and entertainment, paired with beautiful fall views, quaint sight-seeing destinations and cozy bed and breakfast inns. In St. Jo, the past meets the present to create one of the most enjoyable Midwest getaways, for couples and families.

Springfield, MO

This growing city has small-town charm, a hip college-town scene and uptown amenities. Located "in the middle of everywhere," Springfield is home to scenic Ozark views and something for everyone.

Kansas City, MO

Escape for a youthful adventure in Kansas City. Explore Science City in Union Station, observe animals at the Kansas City Zoo, have an aquatic adventure at SeaLife Kansas City Aquarium, learn all about money at The Money Museum and enjoy a production at the Coterie Theater.

St. Louis, MO

If you're looking for activities to keep youth groups entertained, look no further. St. Louis has a variety of attractions to keep tots, 'tweens and teens happy. They'll have so much fun, they won't even mind that some of these stops are educational.

Pulaski County, MO

Pulaski County is full of Route 66 attractions, golf escapes, kayaking and floating adventures to enjoy on your family vacation, year-round. Relax as you go kayaking down a river and get in a quick round on one of the gorgeous public golf courses. Many great adventures await in Route 66 territory.

Banana & Apricot Twinkie Bread Pudding #TwinkieCookbook #Sponsored #MC @Hostess_Snacks.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Twinkies. I received samples and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Like most moms, I love easy recipes. Mostly because when I'm in the kitchen that means that I'm overheated and tired. So I don't want to slave over my stove all day unless my mother is coming over! But when it comes to pleasing my family, they always like simple things. My husband is also very picky with what he eats too. In the first few years of our marriage he turned away many meals because I hadn't gotten the hang of his food intolerances yet. But now that I have, I can start experimenting with different recipes.

One thing my husband says I am very good at is making dessert. I always like experimenting with desserts because there are so many ways to create new things. Plus you usually don't use spices in desserts, and let's be honest, spices intimidate me. There are way too many and I don't know where they need to go!

Today after running some errands I sat down and noticed that there was a box of Twinkies in the refrigerator. Of course it was opened thanks to my family, but I still had enough to make a fun dessert for my husband. So after looking through my cabinets, I decided to make him a delicious bread pudding since that's one of his favorites.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serving Size: 9

Ingredients

2 boxes Instant Banana Pudding
4 Cups milk
1 can sliced apricots
Box of Twinkies

Directions
In an 8 inch square pan, layer Twinkies on the bottom. Set aside. Next take the two boxes of instant pudding and whisk them together with the 4 cups of milk for 5 minutes or until the pudding begins to set. Once it starts to take form, in about 6 minutes, gently pour the pudding over the layer of Twinkies. Open the can of apricots and drain the liquid out. Then carefully slice each apricot into smaller pieces and arrange on top of the pudding until top is almost covered. Put in the refrigerator until it is set, in about 15 minutes. Serve in dessert dishes.

This recipe turned out amazing and my husband ended up loving it! Plus it was so easy to make a bread pudding that didn't involve day old bread which I don't like using normally.

Do you have an amazing recipe that uses Twinkies for a shortcut? Then make sure to enter your recipe for a chance to be included in the official Twinkies Cookbook!

My Favorite Back to School Outfits @Coupons

I can't believe that school is next month for our state! It's been a very hectic break for us and it's still going to be for a few more weeks but already the stores are full of back to school stuff! After looking through the stores for new outfits, I've completely fallen in love with these ideas for a new chic look for going back to school.

This first set is something that reminds me of a gorgeous outfits for a boarding school. I love how upscale it is and how professional you would look going to university.

This second set reminds me of a grunge type beauty. I love the girly dress and then the big wedge shoes. It's so British to me and all the little accessories would fit it nicely.

This next set is very preppy and I love all the little things you can do to jazz it up like fake glasses. I used to wear fake glasses when I was a teenager and I loved that look!

And then this last set is adorable if you like geometric type shapes. I love how you can blend different styles together to make a fun outfit.

If you're still shopping for clothes for school, then make sure to check out Coupons.com back to school sales. And while you're there, check out the Back to School sweepstakes at Coupons.com too.

What Happens When You Become #Noseblind

This review and giveaway was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Febreze. I was compensated for my participation in this campaign, but all opinions are 100% mine.

We've all done it. When there's a funny smell in the house, we all can't help but try to sniff out the culprit.

Sometimes it might be something your kid left lying around too long. But asking them usually doesn't help. At least not in my house. Usually I just get a look like this one below when I ask a question that could impose a timeout.

Other times stinky house smells can come from animals living in the house. Like for instance if you have a giant white duck that lives in the house with you like I do.

But unfortunately you can also become noseblind to the smells around you too. Did you know that's a real word and it happens everyday? Basically being noseblind is getting used to the smells around you. After a while, you won't even notice them because you live with them everyday. But when other people come into your house, they will notice them right away. And with 18 animals in the house, I can't afford to be noseblind!

The other night we were able to invite a few friends over for a movie night. While everyone was there, we conducted a fun test to see who really was noseblind to the smells around them. Thanks to the amazing Febreze products that we received, we were able to make the room smelling great again after all our popcorn. So imagine what it can do for really stinky smells!

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Tips on How to Stay Safe During Your College Years #LifeLocksafety

I am a LifeLock Brand Ambassador. All opinions are my own.

When you think college, you think fun, (lack of) food, and friends. What you usually don’t think about in the beginning is your safety. You can still have fun at college while being safe. Anything can happen while you are out with friends, so make sure you are prepared! If you are going out to eat or going to a party with your friends, make sure to carry some pepper spray (if you choose to do so). College towns are fun, but they are full of people who are ready to take advantage of the fact that you are letting your guard down since you are with friends.

Theft and burglary are common anywhere you go. As long as you are aware of your surroundings and always have access to a cell phone, you should be okay. One way to always be prepared is to take a martial arts class or self-defense class. These are usually offered as courses on campus. Knowing how to defend yourself is one of the strongest weapons you can have! After you have safely made it home from your fun night out, make sure you lock all doors and windows in and around your home! If you have one available, set your security system to “armed.” If you do not have one, speak to the owner of your residence about installing one. You can get a good system for a cheap price, usually on Amazon, and they are so helpful that you won’t regret having one! Even living in a safe neighborhood, having a security system will help you sleep better at night knowing you are protected no matter what!

But the most important safety measure that college kids need to remember is to protect their identity. Identity theft is a real thing and it’s happening more and more to college kids.

My grandparents were victims of theft a few years back. My grandfather had ordered new checks for his checking account and when they came, he simply threw the old ones away without tearing them up. A few weeks later, they started getting calls from their bank that they were withdrawn and that many checks had been written and cashed all over the country! It took them months to sort through all the problems and even after that they still didn't get all their money back.

Most people know the consequences of not shredding personal items before throwing them away, but did you know the same stuff can happen online?

If you're not currently protecting yourself online, then you really need to. In 2012, over 12.6 million people were victims of identity theft! And that's mostly because most people think it will never happen to them.

The easiest and best way to protect yourself online is with LifeLock. They not only monitor your credit to make sure everything is safe but they also keep track of you online with address changes, making sure your information isn’t sold on the black market, and so much more. I’ve been a customer with them for well over a year and I couldn’t be happier.

If you’d like to sign up with LifeLock, then make sure to use promo code “LifeLockSafety” for 10% off. You can do that right through the Lifelock site.