One lucky reader will be winning a $100 Amazon Gift Card!

Happy Home and Family has teamed up with a group of the most amazing bloggers around to bring you this great giveaway to help you out with your holiday expenses!!

One lucky reader will be winning a $100 Amazon Gift Card!

If you win the $100 Amazon GC, what would you buy?

I would have to buy Christmas gifts for Big J & Little J. Probably a Monster High Doll for Big J (That's the cool toy according to her) and an Ernie doll for Little J (she went from a love of Elmo to a love of Ernie).

 

Special thanks to our co hosts - Capri's Coupons, My Mushings, Mum Writes , SaMie Designs

Giveaway details:

• One lucky reader will be winning a $100 Amazon Gift Code ( or $100 cash through PayPal )
• Giveaway is open worldwide
• The giveaway will run from November 25- December 15

Just enter the rafflecopter below. Good luck everyone!!

Free Blogger Opportunity - $100 Amazon

Prize: $100 Amazon Gift Card

Event Dates: 11/25-12/15

Open: WORLDWIDE!

Hosted by: Happy Home and Family

Sign up and details HERE

Please mention The Trials of Big J & Little J  referred you.

DIY Treat Boxes - Free Download

Check out these adorable DIY take out boxes, three designs to choose from.
Great for giving away holiday treats!!

For a step  by step tutorial visit www.mymemories.com/craftables/takeout


Come back and let me know if you made any boxes, which designs you chose and what you used them for. I am thinking they might make cute teacher gifts.

My Well-Being powered by Humera.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of My Well-Being Powered by Humana for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

Life is complicated sometimes and I know I am always on the look out for resources to help me.  One resource I found recently is My Well-Being. I used to think well being simply meant my physical health but as I got older, got married and started my family I realized that it is so much more. Well being is also very unique to the individual because everyone's situation is different.

My Well-Being is the place that knows that well-being is about every aspect of your life—your health and wellness and your loved ones, your finances and your leisure time. Some of the features are:

• Content that’s personalized for you. Read expert articles, watch videos, get daily tips—and create the website you want. Plus you can save your favorite content in one place, and share it easily with others.
• My Well-Being Assessment. Evaluate your well-being today, and get the tools you need to improve it—starting tomorrow.
• Online games and My Well-Being Polls. Stretch those mental muscles and share your opinions with our community.
• The Marketplace. Find special offers and discounts, just for members.

One of my favorite aspects is the game section. Sometimes I need a break from life, work, kids, you name it. I can go to My Well-Being and play a game that takes my mind of my troubles while helping me improve my brain.

Visit My Well-Being and take a look around and explore what they have to offer. Sign up and you can receive a FREE Dummies book.   You can also take a look at the video below for a glimpes at what the site has to offer.

About MyWell-Being from mywell-being on Vimeo.

Leap Frog Rock n' Learn Party

 
The J's and I were recently asked to host a party for Leap Frog Rock n' Learn. We decided to host a group play date with friends of both the girls.  The hands down favorite was the Touch Magic™ Rockin’ Guitar:. As I type this I can hear Big J, Little J and their friend in the playroom taking turns jamming out on the guitars. I have a feeling this will be a favorite toy for a long time.

Touch Magic™ Rockin’ Guitar:
The Rockin' Guitar brings musical fin and helps to develop preschool skills with every tough. Kids can choose to play solo without a backup, play along with a band or select electric or acoustic guitar to play 1- built-in songs including: Rockin' Robin, Itsy Bitsy Spider, If You're Happy and You Know It, Pop Goes the Weasel and more. Plus, kids can customize their play experience by adding guitar riffs, silly sounds and drums.

Also included in the party package was the Touch Magic™ Learning Bus, which was also a big hit especially for Little J. She loves practicing her letter and being a big kid like her sister and the bus is helping her learn in a fun way. Both Big J & Little J love learning with music and these new Touch Magic toys fit the bill.

Touch Magic™ Learning Bus: 

Learning bus takes children on a musical journey filled with educational discovery and games. With a simple touch, preschoolers can use the six piano keys and two drum pads to play along with songs that include, Wheels on the Bus, ABC Song and an original, Rockin' School Bus. The interactive flat surface with vibrant graphics encourage exploration and features more then 200 learning and musical responses and over 40 touch points - including letter, piano keys and more - that allow kids to enjoy music and learning fun with every touch.

Now for you viewing pleasure the Big J & Little J concert:

Do your children have the Rockin' Guitar? They could be Stars and Winners!

Enter the Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar Contest!
Share How Your Child Rocks to Learn.

1. Submit Video: Submit a video of your kid jamming with the Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar or a homemade guitar.
2. Share Video: Promote your video by sharing it with friends and family to view and vote.
3. Grand Prize: The 5 videos with the highest number of consumer votes and LeapFrog panel votes can each win a $500 gift card.

Starting August 1st, visit http://touchmagic.leapfrog.com for more detailed contest information and contest rules.

I received products in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are mine and honest. 

HER INTERACTIVE Launces Kickstarter Campaign to Fund Mobile Game -Nancy Drew

BELLEVUE, Wash., August 7, 2012 – Leading video game publisher and developer Her Interactive today announced the launch of its first ever Kickstarter.com campaign seeking to secure funding to bring Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen to smart phones and tablets. By porting their award-winning title to iOS and Android platforms, Her Interactive will reach a larger audience enabling Her Interactive to invest more resources into each Nancy Drew title. The campaign aims to raise $250,000 in order to bring the mobile version of the game to market. If successfully funded, Her Interactive plans to partner with game developer Adventure Mob to release the mobile version of Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen in the first half of 2013.

“Taking Nancy Drew mobile is a tremendous opportunity and a great way for us to reach more fans,” said Stuart Moulder, CEO, Her Interactive. “Her Interactive has always been blessed with a loyal and passionate fan base, and Kickstarter gives us another way to connect with our fans and opens the door for their support of this key initiative.”

In Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen, Egyptologists and archaeologists are abuzz about recent discoveries by a university dig team, but suspicious accidents have left the group isolated and leaderless. Is a curse burying their progress? Or is someone sabotaging their success? Find out as players assume the role of Nancy Drew and uncover the secrets buried within the Tomb of the Lost Queen!

"Nancy Drew is a timeless role model, and the values she represents – smarts, confidence, independence – are still relevant with today’s girls because they know that together, they can positively impact the world,” said Megan Gaiser, chief creative strategy officer (CCSO), Her Interactive. “Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen is an artful blend of Egyptology, mysterious secrets, great storytelling, and a surprise ending that captivates the player no matter what device they play it on.”

Individuals who contribute to the Kickstarter.com campaign will receive rewards such as an Ultimate Nancy Drew Fan Journal; a leather Nancy Drew wallet; KoKo Kringle chocolate bars; voiceover lessons from the voice of Nancy Drew, Lani Minella; an all-expense paid trip to the Her Interactive studio; and an official Nancy Drew party for one lucky fan and ten of his or her closest friends. 

“Nancy Drew titles are the perfect games for mobile devices and tablets, and we're very happy to team up with the wonderful folks at Her Interactive,” said Oded Sharon, CEO, Adventure Mob. “We look forward to sharing our experience with mobile adventure game development, and from other Kickstarter campaigns."

To view the Her Interactive Kickstarter Campaign, visit:

http://kck.st/N0YzOh

For more information on Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen, visit:

http://bit.ly/GLzUbb

About Her Interactive:

Her Interactive is the leading mystery-maker and pioneer of fun and inspiring interactive entertainment. The company, with 25 awards to its name, designs, develops and publishes high-quality, mystery adventure games and apps, and is the world leader in the mystery games category. Her Interactive's Nancy Drew games have sold more than 9 million copies. This success, in part, is buoyed by the ever-increasing numbers of girls and women becoming avid game players. Nancy Drew players now include moms who have introduced their daughters to the girl detective, making her one of history's longest-running iconic figures. As the number-one PC mystery franchise since 2004, unit sales of the Nancy Drew series have exceeded those of Harry Potter, Myst and Tomb Raider.

More information about the company and Nancy Drew games can be found at www.herinteractive.com.

Find Her Interactive on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NancyDrewPCGames, or follow Her Interactive on Twitter @HerInteractive. 

About Nancy Drew:

Nancy Drew debuted in 1930 and is still going strong. She is a smart, independent, gutsy and resourceful teen detective who can crack even the toughest case. Published in 22 languages and with more than 100 million copies in print worldwide, Nancy Drew has engaged readers and served as a role model globally for generations. 

About Adventure Mob:

Adventure Mob are creating the next generation of adventure games for all platforms, with emphasis on mobile devices. Based in Herzliya Pituah, Israel, Adventure Mob utilizes the best and most brilliant Israeli artists, designers, and programmers, and has a unique technology to enable rapid and high quality adventure game development. Adventure Mob was founded in June 2011 by Oded Sharon and Oran Bar-tal and is a spinoff of Corbomite Games, their previous company that has been producing adventure and cross platform games like Pizza Morgana and Star Shipping Inc. for several years now. Adventure Mob’s latest release is an iOS and Android port of Comfy’s First Steps, an adventure game for toddlers.

This post's content was posted on behalf of Her Interactive. As a part of their AmbassadHER’s program I have received PC games in the past. However I received no compensation for posting this press release.  

Creativity For Kids - Craft Kits for All Ages

 
Thanks to MommyParties and Faber-Catell's Little J and Big J were able to host a creative, crafting party with all their friends... ok all Big J's friends, but Little J still had a blast.

Our party kit included:

• Accessories kits to make the following during the party
• Fashion Headbands kit
• Fashion Bracelets kit
• Pop-Art Necklaces kit
• Stuck on You Fashion Tote Bags (this was Little J's fav because it was so easy for her to do by herself)
• Goodie Bags for each guest
• Skrinky Dink Necklace Mini Kits
• ARTivity book featuring fun with fashion
• Online coupons for more kits
• Special Hostess Gifts (Extras for Big J & Little J)
• Fashion Headbands kit
• Fashion Bracelets kit
• Deluxe Glitter Art kit
• Pop-Up Books kit
• Of course they also included themed games and recipes for us to use, making it easy to host. 

Big J & Little J were dying for me to get home so that they could play with crafts, or more like Big J was and Little J just wanted to do whatever her sister did. I let them try the Deluxe Glitter Art Kit before the party.

 Glitter Art Kit (included three boxes, gift tags, stickers, glitter and glitter pens

Big J chose the heart and Little J went for the butterfly

 Big J concentrating 

  Little J's finished product

Below are the other kits that we recieved

This is Big J's purse, which they both carry around the house. 

My J's love crafting and I have slowly let them use the kits that were our hostess gifts so to keep the excitement going. Everyone at the party was thrilled with the crafts the day off and the Shrinky Dink kits to take home. That kit was particularly special to me because I grew up creating Shrinky Dinks! 

For more information on Creativity For Kids kits visit http://www.facebook.com/creativityforkids.

I received the craft kits from Mommy Parties and Faber-Castell for the purpose of throwing a home party and sharing the items. All opinions are mine and 100% honest. No other compensation was given.

157 and losing

Yes that is right... I am now down to 157 and counting!! I have a had a couple bad weeks... especially lately with a lot of financial drama and stress in my life. However, I managed to get back on track and only had to re-lose 2 lbs. Plus I just bought some weights and started doing arm exercises and crunches while watching TV at night. Time to firm! 

Anyone else our there succeeding at losing weight or looking for encouragement? I know it is possible, you just have to take that first step and realize that no body is perfect. Look at me... today I had a mini twix.. it was fantastic... but I have learned I cannot eat it everyday. I do however give in now and then when I am craving and this has stopped me from binging.

So when I reach my goal... which I am thinking 135, but will really depend on how I feel I am going to get some nice new, hey I am hot, clothes. Perhaps some of the below.

What do you reward yourself with when you are losing weight?

Back to school with Famous Footwear (BOGO and more)

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Famous Footwear for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Back to school time means many things but the main one to me is shopping. New clothes, school supplies, shoes you name it, kids needs a lot of stuff.

One of my favorite places for shoes both in store and online is Famous Footwear. They have a great selection for everyone in the family at great prices. One of my favorite features, if you see something online that is not carried in your local store you can have it delivered to a store at no charge to you. (There is also the option to have your shoes shipped to your home for a fee)

Right now Famous Footwear is offering two great specials:

15% off (20% off if the customer is a Rewards member or signs up to become a Rewards member)
+
BOGO (Buy One, Get One Half Off)

Join our FREE Rewards Program and get-
• Earn 1 point for every $1 you spend in-store or online
• Accumulate points to earn certificates up to $100 a year
• Discount offer just for signing up
• Other special inside discounts and perk

Coupons can be found here BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon

With two children, myself and my husband who always need shoes this deal is great for me. I can sign up to be a Rewards member and save 20% and then BOGO. Big J is going into first grade and needs a new pair of sneakers, while Little J  is always growing out of her shoes. We plan on taking advantage of both the rewards deals and the BOGO, we can always use savings!

What I like to do is have Big J look at the website first before heading for the store. This gives us a general idea of what she wants. Sometimes we get to the store and she finds something even better, ok most of the time she changes her mind... she is 6 after all.

 

My Weight Loss Journey - 40 lbs Lighter and Counting

Ever since I started my job on September 19th 2011 I started to lose weight. Mostly because I was no longer at home where the access to food was pretty unlimited. Also because I know had to walk about 10-15 minutes everyday to and from my car to the office, not to mention all around the office. After losing 15 lbs I plateaued and realized I need to do more, including change how I eat. Not so easy in an office where there are file drawers full of candy and cake every week!

One of my friends that I work with introduced me to My Fitness Pal, an online and mobile app tool to help you track your calorie intake and weight loss.  The best part? Its FREE! 

Included with My Fitness Pal:

• Food diary on the web
• Searchable food database of over 1,953,000 items, including many restaurants
• Your own personal food database- add your own food and recipes. You can even create meals (perhaps you eat the same breakfast everyday) 
• Free mobile app for iPhone and Android so you can track your foods and exercise anytime & anywhere. 
• Support & Motivation from people just like you - connect with your friends or make new friends on our discussion board where you can share tips or give and receive encouragement.
• Flexibility - the system can support diets like Atkins, South Beach or the Zone.

So far I have lost another 25 lbs using My Fitness Pal, of course a lot of the credit goes to me. I have changed the way I eat, cut out sodas, candy, white bread and processed food while adding more vegetables, fruit and protein to my diet. My Fitness Pal has helped me by allowing me an easy way to track my calories, see my weight loss and track my exercise. It also gives me a place to keep my weight loss and exercise goals. This app helps me stop and think before eating. I usually think, is this bite worth it? Do I want to put this in the app? Plus I can see how much calories, fat, etc a food is before I eat it, quickly and easily.

Coming soon... Before and after shots (but I am not quite ready for that yet)

This post was not sponsored in anyway. I was not compensated for writing it. I simply wanted to share with my readers a program that has helped me succeed at weight loss. All opinions are 100% mine.