Gena, Author at Ginger Casa

Gena is the mother of three boys, wife to DFW Dad, gardener, cook, crafter, DIYer, former teacher, and more! They live in the Dallas, Texas area.

Meatballs and Gravy over Rice – An Easy Recipe the Whole Family will LOVE

October 30, 2018 By Gena

This post was sponsored by Better Than Bouillon as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. Meatballs and Gravy over Rice – An Easy Recipe the Whole Family will LOVE

If I can be 100% honest with you guys right now, family mealtime is ROUGH lately. My kids eat a wide variety of things, and for that I am proud, but the chances that everyone is hungry at the same time and then feeling like eating what I serve is pretty rare. There is at least one child every night that picks at his dinner and then is hungry a few hours later. It happens. I cook, we eat, and I move on, but I do try to incorporate meals that I know my kids will love. I always try to serve meat, some sort of carbohydrate, and fruits and/or veggies. Meatballs are always a hit with kids, for some reason. That’s why this recipe for Meatballs and Gravy over Rice, made with Better Than Bouillon, is a hit with our family.View Post

Little Siblings Need to be Safe, Too! Why it is Best to Update to Convertible Car Seats For EACH Child

October 25, 2018 By Gena

Thank you Maxi-Cosi for sponsoring this post. Keep your little adventurers comfy, safe & stylish with the Maxi-Cosi Magellan™ Max 5-in-1 Convertible Car Seat! Little Siblings Need to be Safe, Too! Why it is Best to Update to Convertible Car Seats For EACH Child

Our youngest is almost 5-years-old and my, have things changed since our oldest was his age, nearly five years ago. It is funny how lax we sometimes become with each child over the years. One thing that I have not changed my stance on, is car seat safety. Our 9-year-old still rides in a booster seat and our 7-year-old in a five-point harness. It is what is the safest for their weight and height, regardless of how old they are. We are on the road quite a lot, going to school, three different soccer practices, soccer games, all in different places some days! I need to be able to confidently drive and know my kids are riding safely.

Sometimes the boys do get made fun of for still riding in a car seat, but that is okay. We have told them that they ride the safest way and we are not going to budge on that. And you know the 4.5-year-old is hearing all of this, and that is important, too.
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How to Keep Sports Fabric Shirts and Jerseys in Top Condition

October 23, 2018 By Gena

contains affiliate links

If you know me or my family or have spent anytime on this blog, you know that we are big sports fans. We have three very active boys who love soccer, basketball, playing in the mud, running, biking, football, baseball, climbing, anything and everything that is an activity that combines competition and physicality, our boys are going to want to play.

As a mother of three active boys, you might think that getting them to and from practice and games is the biggest source of frustration but no, that is definitely not it. Muddy cleats, ketchup stained jerseys from after game lunch, and mud covered sports fabric jerseys are what frustrate me…or used to frustrate me! This is how I keep my kids’ jerseys and sports fabric shirts in tip top shape, so they can be passed on to the next brother!View Post

The Best Tech Gift for a Music Loving Family

October 20, 2018 By Gena

This post was brought to you by Best Buy. All opinions are mine.

Our family listens to SO much music throughout the day. Our oldest plays trumpet and is (usually) practicing every day. Our middle son is taking piano lessons and we love to hear that music throughout the house when he practices. But we also listen to music sometimes as we get ready for our day and I love to listen to music while I cook. And of course, there are multiple times when the boys want to hear a song and we turn it on and all jam out to it. We are truly a music loving family and there is something AWESOME at Best Buy just for families like us!View Post

Awesome Ideas to do with the Kids on Your Family Camping Trip

October 17, 2018 By Gena

Some items in this post were provided at no cost. contains affiliate links

Our family has discovered a love of camping and for now, let me just state that it really is glamping because I do not do tent camping, at least…not yet. We like to stay in RVs or cabins, but traveling to a camp ground or lake house is what we love! Going in the Spring or Fall is my personal favorite, when the weather is just perfect and we can spend a lot of time outdoors.

On a perfect family camping trip with kids, we will spend all day outdoors fishing, hiking, and cooking our food over the campfire. In the real world, there is a lot of downtime and it is important to have things planned for times when half of the family wants to rest, the fish aren’t biting, the weather is not cooperating, or the sun goes down before everyone is ready for bed. I have compiled a list of fun ideas to do with the kids on your family camping trip, especially for those times! View Post

Why a Family Fall Getaway to the Lake is Exactly What You Need This Weekend!

October 10, 2018 By Gena

We were able to drive a Toyota Tundra CrewMax at no cost, thanks to Toyota. All opinions are mine. Why a Family Fall Getaway to the Lake is Exactly What You Need This Weekend!

Life is funny, isn’t it? How we get from marriage to kids to full blown school and sports chaos is beyond me. One minute we are worried about if our 2 year old is going to be addicted to the pacifier forever and the next, we find ourselves having to go to six soccer practices and three soccer games a week, sprinkled with school days, after school events, open houses, and more.

We have figured out that when life gets so chaotic, the best thing to do is take a step back and reconnect as a family. We had a few days off from school, so my husband planned a weekend trip to Lake Whitney and it was the best thing we did not realize we needed. We even bailed on three soccer games to spend time together, and while we usually would not advise missing something that you committed to, this was a good reason.View Post

Five Things Every Soccer Mom Needs to Stock Up On for the Season!

October 8, 2018 By Gena

Five Things Every Soccer Mom Needs to Stock Up On for the Season! This post has been sponsored by Albertsons. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Soccer season is in full force! With three boys in soccer, we have practices three nights a week and some weeks, up to 5 games! It is so much fun, but it is definitely work to keep up with schedules, hungry family members, differing temperatures, and three boys who love to play soccer.

Stock Up for Soccer Season!

This is a great time to clean out the family car and reorganize things to make your life easier. I always try to keep some important things on hand in case we need them. I always overestimate how much time we have before soccer games, and I seem to always forget that we need to be there at least 30 minutes before game time! Having the van stocked with these essentials makes our lives less chaotic.

soccer season stock up

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10 Minute Turkey Cranberry Quesadilla with Spicy Cranberry Salsa

October 4, 2018 By Gena

Turkey Cranberry Quesadilla recipe post was brought to you by Smithfield. All opinions are mine.

Fall is such a wonderful time for fun, football, and food! My family really loves watching football games, and I love the football food. I like to shake things up with traditional foods and keep everyone guessing. Last week, I was craving turkey and cranberries, but did not really have time to cook a whole turkey and serve it up like Thanksgiving day. I used Prime Fresh Delicatessen Oven Roasted Turkey Breast by Smithfield lunch meat and made this absolutely delicious Turkey Cranberry Quesadilla with spicy Cranberry Salsa on the side!View Post

How To Make Fresh, Homemade Honey Peanut Butter

September 29, 2018 By Gena

I received this product for free from Moms Meet to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

Three out of five members of our family are huge peanut butter lovers. The second grader could eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day with no problem! I have always been comparing taste, price, and ingredients of the different peanut butters on the shelf at the store, but I didn’t know just how easy it was to make homemade peanut butter! Let me show you just how easy it was to make fresh, delicious homemade honey peanut butter!View Post

How to Stay Focused on Your Job When You Work from Home

September 20, 2018 By Gena

How to Stay Focused on Your Job When You Work from Home was brought to you by Best Buy. All opinions are mine.

I have been lucky enough to be a work-at-home mom for about 7+ years now. I always knew I wanted to be able to stay at home with my children, but was not sure how we were going to pull that off. When I became a blogger in 2011, our oldest was 2 and our second son was 4 months old. This blog has progressed and luckily, this is working well for our family. Without going any further, being a parent is hard enough in itself. Stay-at-home parents are some of the hardest working parents out there. Add in a JOB that you have to do while you are parenting children…it gets pretty tough!