morning helps + $100 visa gift card giveaway!

Good morning! Actually -- this post is about mornings. Our day begins at 6:10 when our oldest gets up to be out the door at 6:45 for carpool. I’m learning that anything that can be done the night before seems to pave the way for a smoother morning. Something that has helped our morning prep time a lot with our girls showering at night. Mostly because they have long hair and it gives them time for it to dry, to braid it for waves, etc.

I have half an hour until the next shift comes up for breakfast/scriptures at 7:15. That is usually my quiet time to read, go over calendar and plan for the day. I’m amazed at how different children can be with waking up. One is like clockwork. The alarm goes off, he’s up and out to the kitchen. My baby (okay, he’s 6 now) still loves to be sleep as long as possible and be carried out to the table with his kitty blanket. Some mornings we are in the older kids’ bedrooms a couple of times trying to get them up and out.

Breakfast is random -- it’s usually cereal, oatmeal, smoothies, toast + cheesy eggs, or an egg sandwich. For special mornings we like to make baked oatmeal (a recipe from my mother-in-law) with blueberries or crepes (a recipe from my dad).

For crazy mornings, we love to keep these on hand: Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches! I buy the boxes at Costco.

Why I love them:

They are quick to prepare: 80 seconds in the microwave. NO turning, stirring and flipping, 1 minute at half power nonsense. Just put it in and it’s ready to grab and eat on the way to basketball practice. Good protein and only about 90 cents each.

I’ve mentioned before that when I only take blog post campaigns for things I love, and these are already a star player in some of our mornings, so it was perfect for me.

AND my husband and I love these -- the Jimmy Dean Delights with turkey sausage, egg white, and cheese for only 250 calories.

To learn more about Jimmy Dean and to see a complete list of product offerings visit Jimmy Dean's website or check them out on Facebook. 

Now we want to know: What’s your favorite way to start the day off right? Tell me in the comments for a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card!! Good luck.

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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 3/5/2015 – 3/29/2015
Be sure to visit Jimmy Dean’s brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!