Girls Mermaid Costume Review

When I was offered the chance to review a costume from Wholesale Halloween Costumes  I knew right away which costume I would choose. Little J's birthday was coming up and she was always fighting with Big J over the Little Mermaid costume. She was delighted when we let her open it days before her birthday and she now had her own costume so no more fighting... well at least over that one item. (haha)

Since we owned one before I knew what to expect. The fabric is great and it is not the cheap plastic of some of the costumes we have owned, but real fabric. I was surprised this time because there were already strings hanging off and Little J has managed to rip one of the seams. Now Big J's costume has rips in it, however it has had many years of wear and tear.  Thankfully the new costume is nothing we can't easily fix as it is along the seam. The Ariel "button" on the front came off already, but I have found that on most of these types of costumes that piece never lasts long.

The J's showing off their matching outfits

The "button"

Overall we are very happy with our costume choice and I have a feeling it will be worn until it literally falls apart and off of Little J.  I do not mind one but as the Little Mermaid is my all time favorite Disney movie.  Not too mention it seems to promote bath time in this house because Little J loves to pretend to be a mermaid.. Of course I have to remind her to take her costume off first!

I have recieved and purchased other costumes from Wholesale Halloween Costumes before and have had no issues and will continue to purchase from them in the future. Quality is good and selection is great. 

(I received a free costume in exchange for a review. All opinions here are 100% mine)

CINDERELLA - Walt Disney World Sweepstakes!!!‏

In honor of Disney’s CINDERELLA, opening in theatres everywhere on March 13th, enter today for your chance to win a 5-day, 4-night enchanting vacation for four to the Walt Disney World® Resort including one special night in the Cinderella Castle Suite!!!

Enter Here

The sweepstakes ends 3/27/15 and to enter you must be 13+ and a resident of US or CA (excluding Quebec). Limit one (1) Entry per day, per person. There is only one (1) prize available to be won. Entry/Full Official Rules: http://di.sn/6009IaAB. Void where prohibited.

Cleaning House: A Mom's Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement - Book Review

If your children are anything like mine they believe that there are magic fairies that come along and clean, do dishes and cook. Ok my children really know that their father and I do the work but they do fight us when we ask them to clean and they just feel like everything is our job.

When Kay Wyma realized that an attitude of entitlement had crept into her home, this mother of five got some attitude of her own. Cleaning Houseis her account of a year-long campaign to introduce her kids to basic life skills. From making beds to grocery shopping to refinishing a deck chair, the Wyma family experienced for themselves the ways meaningful work can transform self-absorption into earned self-confidence and concern for others.

This book was about a mother who decided to do a 12 month experiment (for lack of a better word) in order to teach her children to be more self sufficent and stop feeling like they were owed everything. My favorite week was when each child had to purchase and cook dinner, I loved how one of the children just chose to purchase fast food while others really got into the planning of the whole thing. I have even used some of the ideas in the book on my own children.

Have you read any good books lately? Share them in the comments!


(I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books, I received no money in exchange for my review. All opinions are 100% mine. )

We Will Be Hosting a #DisneySide Party!

This showed up in my email the other day and boy was our household excited. Little J could not stop talking about our Princess Disney Party. Yes we got Preschool Princess theme, which works perfectly since Little J's 5th birthday party is coming up in Feb!

As we wait for our awesome  ‪#‎DisneySide‬ package to arrive we are watching Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for some great ideas to help us throw out best #DisneySide party every!!

Stay tuned for the #DisneySide package reveal which depending on package arrival should be later this week!

Please feel free to share any great ideas you have for a Disney Party.. No really I am begging you!

Happy Thanksgiving

From our family to yours we wish you a Very Happy Thanksgiving

My Living/Breathing Bucket List - Updated

Time for an update - Been far to long


1. Travel to every state in the US at least once in my life. I would love to stay in every state but will be happy with touching my feet on the ground of every state.

2. Take a cruise with my family, hopefully this one happens soon!

3. Have a honeymoon (without the kids).

4. Host my 1st giveaway on my blog  This has been done a couple times. 

5. Win a new blog makeover from Simply Stacie and Kelly's Lucky You Build a Beautiful Blog Week. Yes I won!!!

6. Have a career that I love.  - Check

7. Get 200 followers on my blog. - Done now on to # 8

8. Get 500 followers on my blog. - Set back with this one... #6 got in the way. :)

9. Get 1000 followers on my blog.

10. See Cavalia again, loved it so much!!

11. Take my daughters horse back riding. - We are counting pony rides for now

12. Own a dog, of course not until my daughters are older and can help. Cross this one off since Little J is allergic to dogs and cats
13. Lose 40 lbs - I have 10 lbs that seems to come back and leave and come back but I will take it
14. Learn to cook at least enough to feed my family more then boxed items  - Due to some circumstance in my life this one became a necessity

15. Finish both my daughter's baby books.

16.  Renew my vows with my husband at the local Renaissance festival.

17. Own a home with a backyard. 

18. Go to the circus.

19. Finally take the time to get both my daughters christened, I have guilt about this one since they are now 8 and 4, but on the other hand I raise them with faith and love.

20. Find the time to have a girl's night out without feeling guilty. - Girls night out, check. Guilt, still there. 

21. Find someone I trust to watch my children. - I have friends who can watch if needed but I am still on the lookout for that actual babysitter

22. Learn calming techniques so that I can reduce my stress level.  Again this became a necessity

23. Be able to live comfortably without having to worry about how I am going to pay my bills. I work so hard and still struggle everyday. 

24. Go camping with my girls, although this one I am willing to wait on until Little J is older. 

25. Finally let go of the "bad" people in my life even if some of them are blood. - I honestly thought this one would take FOREVER! But my life changed and I had to take a good look at the people around me. Made me realize who I needed to keep in my life and who I needed to move away from 

26. Stand up for myself better.  - Something else I learned over the last year

27. Take our vacation to Myrtle Beach that we have planned, cancelled, talked about but never been able to go on.  Took our vacation now onto #2

28. Find my husband one great, perfect gift that he will not exchange and will not leave me broke!  I have decided that being the best wife I can be is the best gift of all.

29 - Work on my Thirty One business. (Start by having an actual home party!, Mine have all been FB)

30 - Let go of a lot of guilt for stupid things. 

Elf on the Shelf 2014

Big J & Little J have been a bit unruly the past few months so our Elf on The Shelf decided it would be a good idea to visit early. (Normally  he does not visit until after Thanksgiving)

He has been up to some crazy & funny things so far this year.

Day one he arrived and decide to hang from the pot rack

Day 2 - Big J had mentioned how funny it would be if the elf was trying to carve our pumpkin. Well "the Elf" did not want to make a pumpkin mess so he decided coloring on the pumpkin would be just as funny.

Day 3 - Big J plays the flute in band and we found this flute ornament for her music teacher. Our Elf decided he would give it a try. Elf approved!

Day 4 - I guess we were in need of some laughs so our Elf decided to bring us some Elf jokes.

Day 5 - He broke out the board games. a couple Barbies and dogs joined in for a lively game of Elf Twister!

Day 6 - ELF SCHOOL!  Elf was the teacher of course and was teaching some stuffed animals their ABCs and Numbers. There were worksheets and of course the animals had their pencils.

 Day 7 - After all the excitement over the last couple of days our Elf was tired so he went with the pretend to be a Christmas Tree approach.

Day 8 - Tonight he decided a photo session was in order. My Little Ponies came a long and posed behind the reindeer, penguin and snowman cutouts. Of course Elf had to have his camera and he even took a couple pictures. Just in case Big J and Little J think to look.

I wonder what our Elf will be up to next?

Some upcoming ideas: Hopscotch, Elf donuts and Coffee, Elf Naughty/Nice Reports, Elf Swing and much more!

Does your family have an Elf on the Shelf? What funny things has he or she done in the past? Any good ideas for this year? Share your photos, ideas and links in the comments!

The "new" length of Giveaways

I have been pondering this for awhile now. I remember when I started blogging a couple years ago... ok like 4 years ago, when you entered a giveaway you had maybe 10 chances tops.. Now you have more then a 100. I know I do not have to enter them all, but I would like a fair chance at winning like everyone else.

Do you feel it is necesaary to have so many chances to enter? I get that there are many giveaways that have a lot of bloggers participating but still if you each choose one Social Media site instead of all then the entry form would be so much shorter.   It just seems out of control that in order to get all entries possible I have to comment on 10 blogs, like 20 on Facebook, Follow 30 on Pintrest and then like 40 on Twitter. Not to mention all the vote for me choices and comments that you are asked to make. Why not keep it simple? One comment and one Social Media per blog and throw in a couple votes.

Sigh.. Maybe I am just the minority in wanting things to be simple. or maybe that is why my blog does not have great traffic like some others.

So anyway.. does anyone want to enter a giveaway? Perhaps you would like a $25 credit for Thirty One?

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

If anyone is interested in earning more free products over the holidays, please let me know. 

Fall Allergy Tips From Children's Claritin

 

I never used to have to worry about allergies, but about 5 years ago when I moved south I was suddenly hit with headaches, itchy eyes and a runny nose. Allerges at their worst. I know also have two chidlren who suffer from seasonal allergies.Thanks to Children's Claritin Big J, Little J and I are able to overcome our allergies and get back to living life to its fullest. (I have found that Children's Claritin is actually the only thing that provides me with relief from my allergies.)

 

 

 

Back to School Allergy Tips

 

1. Be sure to have Children’s Claritin, the #1 pediatrician-recommended non-drowsy allergy brand, on hand!

2. Multi-vitamins are building blocks to having a strong immune system. Make taking a multi-vitamin part of your

child’s daily routine.

3. Let there be light! Mold doesn't like sunlight, so try to keep your curtains open during the day. Should be easy

during the summer months!

4. Did you know that most pillows trap allergens, dust mites, and bacteria? Monitor the cleanliness of the pillow

your child with allergies sleeps on and replace if necessary.

5. Back to school season means lots of laundry for many moms. Be sure to remove laundry from the washing

machine promptly. Allowing wet clothes to sit in the washer means mold can quickly grow there.

6. Monitor pollen counts and adjust outdoor before and after school activities accordingly. Dry, windy days

can be particularly high in pollen.

7. Showering or bathing at the end of the day as opposed to the morning can be helpful in removing allergens

from body surfaces and hair.

8. Stay hydrated! Always send your child to school with a bottle of water. Drinking lots of clear fluids through the

day can help get rid of toxins and flush out body.

9. Peak pollen production typically occurs in early morning, so try to plan outside activities at other times of the

day.

"As a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience."

Thirty One July Mystery Hostess Party

Thirty One products are so versatile. They can be used for so many things! Car trips, organizing closets, teacher gifts, new mom gifts, picnics, sports, you name it!

ZzzQuil for a Good Night's Sleep

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

If you are like me you have nights where no matter how exhausted you are and no matter what relaxing techniques you try you end up staring at the ceiling (or tossing and turning) for hours instead of getting a good night sleep. Missing even a couple hours of sleep can leave you feeling groggy, grumpy and effects your ability to handle even simple tasks. I know that when I am tired it takes me more effort to handle every day tasks and requires a lot more energy to focus. Being an Executive Assistant who is responsible for supporting 6 Partners, focus is very important to me every day. I need to be able to focus on many things at once and remember a million things as well. Being tired hinders my ability to be the best I can be at the office not to mention at home with my children.

Some things I have spaced on lately from lack of sleep:

• Picture day at school, which resulted in a mad dash back to the house for a dress
• Doctor's appointments, which resulted in a mad dash to the appointment and to find work coverage

Recently I was provided a sample of ZzzQuil from P&G and since I have heard good things from friends about it I figured it was worth a try.

About ZzzQuil:

• ZzzQuil contains diphenhydramine HCI, which is a big word for a small compound that helps you sleep. To help you stay awake and alert, your body produces histamine, a naturally occurring substance that interacts with receptors in your brain to promote wakefulness. Diphenhydramine acts as an antihistamine, which blocks your brain’s alertness to make you feel the opposite: drowsy.
• ZzzQuil is brought to you by the makers of Vicks NyQuil, for when your only symptom is occasional sleeplessness. It’s not for colds, it’s not for pain, it’s just for sleep.
• ZzzQuil’s active ingredient, diphenhydramine HCI, helps reduce the time it takes for you to fall asleep when you have difficulty falling asleep, so you can sleep soundly and wake up refreshed.
• ZzzQuil is the only over-the-counter sleep-aid medication available in both Liquid (Warming Berry flavor) and LiquiCap® forms.
• ZzzQuil is intended for adults and children 12 years of age and older. It is non-habit forming as well as safe and effective when used according to package directions.

My Experience:

ZzzQuil packaging looks like NyQuil packaging and it was great that it reminded me of a product that I have used before and liked. I can say the only thing I did not like was the taste of the liquid,  but thankfully ZzzQuil also comes in LiquiCap form. (Note I only sampled the liquid version of ZzzQuil) I will say that it did not taste as bad as I was expecting though.

I took the dose and went on to bed. A friend of mine had mentioned that in her experience if she was up and doing things ZzzQuil did not make her sleep. I think it took me ten minutes and I was fast asleep. I did wake up about 3 times during the night, which has been usual for me. However I noticed that I had no trouble falling right back to sleep. I was very happy the next morning because I woke up refreshed and not feeling groggy at all. There was none of the medicine head (you know the foggy, head in the clouds feeling you get when you take medicine) the next day and it was very easy to get out of bed and face the day.

The next time I have trouble sleeping and really need a good night sleep I will be reaching for ZzzQuil so that I can be my best the next day. If like me you have days where things are crazy, your mind won't stop and you just can't sleep give ZzzQuil a try. I know I do not regret trying it. Tweet your experience for others to hear using the hashtag #ZzzQuilNight

More information about ZzzQuil is available at www.zzzquil.com or Visit their Facebook Page

 

 

 

Box Tops for Education - Great and Simple Way to Help Local Schools

This program is a simple and easy way to help your local school. We find Box Tops on many products that we already purchase so we are earning money for our school without spending extra money. Sign up now and link to your school to see how much they have earned. Then start CLIPPING! 

Mother's Day Flower Deal

Description: Private offer for new members only! Sign up for Plink today, make a minimum $20 purchase at 1-800-Flowers .com by Sunday, 5/12 11:59 EST, and we'll give you 2,000 Plink Points - enough to redeem for a $20 Gift Card of your choice at places like Amazon.com, Target, Walmart, Kohls, Starbucks and more!

Terms:

New Plink Members only

Plink Member must link a credit or debit card and make a $20 1-800-Flowers.com purchase by Sunday, 5/12 11:59 EST

Minimum $20 purchase necessary (after the member links a credit/debit card to their Plink account) to qualify for the bonus 2,000 Plink Points by Sunday, 5/12 11:59 EST

Bonus 2,000 Plink Points will be awarded within 7 business days of the transaction posting date.

ThermaCare® Wheel of Heal Facebook Game and Contest

ThermaCare® just launched a Wheel of Heal Facebook game and contest for the chance to win ThermaCare coupons, instant prizes and a Hot or Cold Relief Getaway! The Grand prizes include HOT vacations to Marco Island, Napa Valley or Santa Cruz, or COLD escapes to Mt. Ranier, Anchorage and Banff, Canada! For the rest of the year, you can visit Facebook.com/ThermaCare for your chance to play – and win!

And why not check out NEW ThermaCare® Cold Wraps and ThermaCare® HeatWraps - here to provide long-lasting pain relief that soothes, relaxes and unlocks tight muscles and joints…we don’t want pain to get in the way of the things you love to do! 

·         *NEW* ThermaCare® Cold Wraps are designed with TargetTemp Insulation Technology^TM to deliver a constant, comfortable cold so you can wear them continuously.  Giving you effective relief without the icy shock that’s often accompanied by traditional ice packs.  ThermaCare® Cold Wraps can be reused and refrozen for up to ten times. 

·         ThermaCare® is designed to work differently.  Unlike other topical pain relievers, ThermaCare® HeatWraps have patented heat cells that penetrate deep to the source of pain for long-lasting pain relief + faster healing. Therapeutic heat soothes, relaxes and unlocks tight muscles & joints for up to 16 hours of relief.  While the patented heat cells send heat deep into the tissue to increase blood flow and accelerate healing.

Eversave Deals

Today's Save: Affinion Group Polk headphones $83 for a pair of Polk UltraFocus 6000 active noise-cancelling headphones — shipping included

Bonus Save: WakaWaka Light $29 for a WakaWaka Solar Light + free shipping

Bonus Save: Easy Canvas Prints $30 for one or $40 for two 16" x 20" gallery-wrapped canvases from Easy Canvas Prints + free shipping

Bonus Save: Shirin Diamonds - Pearl Set $20 for a freshwater pearl necklace, bracelet and earrings + free shipping

Bonus Save: Bargain Online Shops - iPad Cases $15 for your choice of iPad 2, 3, 4, or mini case — choose from over 100 styles!

Bonus Save: Joseph Nogucci - Dharma Bracelet From $18: Colorful, inspirational Semi-Precious Stone bracelets + free shipping!

Bonus Save: Affinion Group All-Clad pan $99 for an All-Clad stainless steel 3-quart sauté pan with lid — shipping included!

Bonus Save: Resort Vacation Certificate Orlando to Williamsburg: $299 for a seven-night stay at a variety of luxurious resorts around the world

Bonus Save: Busted Tees $15 for $30 worth of novelty T-shirts and hoodies from BustedTees

Bonus Save: Wrapables - Busha Leggings $15 for a set of three cute Busha leggings for babies and toddlers — choose from seven designs!

Bonus Save: Brush Buddies From $14: Two or four Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga or Psy singing toothbrushes

Bonus Save: TagCo - Tank Tops Summer supplies: $30 for a 12-pack of colorful tank tops

Bonus Save: Corso's Cookies $17 for $40 worth of freshly baked cookie bouquets and gifts — Great for Mother's Day!

Bonus Save: Linum Home Textiles From $37: A six-piece set of authentic Turkish towels, plus free shipping!

Bonus Save: Affinion Group - iLuv Cord $10 for an iLuv DualJack Sync/Charge Cable for iPhone, Galaxy, Smartphones & more — shipping included!

Bonus Save: Affinion Group - Vivitar $59 for a Vivitar Digital Zoom Camcorder — shipping included!

Omni Hotels & Resorts Mother's Day Sweepstakes

Omni Hotels & Resorts is running a Mother’s Day Pinterest Sweepstakes
called “Happy Momni Day“! Pin your tribute to your Mom (or yourself!)
for your chance to win!