Archives for January 2014

Target Big G New Cereal

Disclosure: General Mills sent me this information and these 3 new Big Cereals through their Platefull Co-op program.
Introducing three new Big G cereals from General Mills:

cereal

Multigrain Cheerios Dark Chocolate Crunch: Dark chocolate flavored O’s and clusters coming together to make wholesome Multi Grain Cheerios even more delicious.  My son loves Cheerios, and these are a fun new addition to the cereal arsenal.
Fiber One Protein: The powerful combination of Protein and Fiber in a delicious granola cereal that helps you feel full.  The box itself is very heavy, you can tell it is packed with good stuff just by holding it.  The flavors are good and you stay full until your next meal.
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Travel Toys and Tips

 

Taking your child(ren) on a trip, but worrying about how to keep them quiet on the plane or in the car?

You are not alone.  Many parents have the same concern.  Check out some of these great travel toys and products (and don’t forget to space them out- save some for when boredom hits so you look like the well-planning hero!)

B kids ABC Touch Pad

Learn ABCs, 123s, and more the fun way with this super interactive light and sounds touch pad. Teaches simple A,B,C, 1,2,3, colors and shapes. Includes three modes: learning, game and music.

For younger tots who want to feel like a big kid, this is a good “first” tablet type toy for them. With no delicate screen or electronics that will be damaged by getting chewed on or slapped around a little bit, this lightweight and colorful toy will keep your little ones attention. It will help baby learn letters and shapes, develop motor skills and hand eye coordination, and plays music depending on what setting it is on. Note- does not allow you to plug in headphones.$14.99. (https://shop.bkidsfun.com/product/abc-touch-pad/)

 Nenuco Travel with Me

My Little Nenuco Travel with Me

She loves to go for a ride! Take her with you in her own special car seat. Buckle her up and keep her safe. She loves to keep you company wherever you go.

This adorable doll lets your child care for her just like mommy does. Buckle dolly into her carseat, which keeps baby “safe” with Velcro, as well as instructions on how to secure the baby’s carseat into your car (modify this if you are taking a plane). This can encourage kids to stay safe inside their own seat (to set a good example for “their” baby), and to take good care of their baby by feeding it and changing it (helpful hints to remind your child of if they get fidgety).

$19.99. (http://www.nenucofamosa.com/us/).

My First Green Toys Rattle Keys-Unlock the door to safe, eco-friendly teething for your baby with the My First Green Toys Rattle Keys. Made in the USA from food-safe, 100% recycled plastic milk jugs that save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the four colorful pieces swing freely on the lightweight ring, allowing little ones to easily grasp, shake, and explore different shapes, colors, and textures. Recommended for ages 0 month and up. $7.99 at greentoys.com

When you are taking a trip, why not let even the smallest member of the family feel like they are “helping” move things along? Babies chew on anything- may as well make sure it is as safe as can be when you hand it over. When they aren’t gnawing on this toy, they can use the “keys” to take them where they want to go. The colorful pieces and easy to hold ring are not easily dropped- but since they are going to be held by a small child, you may want to consider a Velcro strap or set of rings to hold them onto his or her seat or diaper bag.

The Tidy Table Tray + Flexi Diner by Bambinos make meal time easier when you’re on-the-go withthe first of its kind new portable table tray. Offering a large eating space and rounded rims to keep spills off the table, it’s easy to use and attaches to most tables via a rubber coated clip, keeping it securely locked in place. It is also BPA free, phthalate free and dishwasher safe. The Tidy Table Tray + Flexi-Diner features an easy on/off insert which can easily turn meal time into play time at anytime!

This is easy to use and clean, and snaps apart and back together easily. Use for meal or snacktime, then just rinse or wipe off (depending on where you are) and pack it up. Great for home and hotel use as well as taking with you to restaurants and to family and friends homes. This is a great all in one, all purpose eating area for small children that even has a sippy cup holder. Bonus? Use it to let kids draw and create art on without having paper and crayons get all over the floor (keep it contained!) It clips to nearly every table and table type surface I have tried it on. (Yes, the plane too!)

$39.99 at www.bambinoschild.com or TARGET stores.

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JourneyBee

The newest, innovative must-have travel crib for parents on the go from ParentLab.  This innovative new travel crib literally opens and closes in seconds and weighs just over ten pounds plus it provides a safe, comfortable place for babies to rest and play all day long.

There are plenty of travel cribs out there, but the journeyBee cribs from ParentLab are the first we’ve seen that are actually light and flexible enough to satisfy the portable-crib needs of families who are always on the move. Weighing in at just 10 pounds and easy to carry on your back, you’ll need only one trip to move the crib from home to car or vice versa. And they’re sturdy enough for road trips, hotels, camping, outdoor play, or bringing along to friends’ and family’s homes for easy nap- or playtime. A breeze to set up, recommended for 0-18 months. If you’re looking for something a little more petite and you’re not in a hurry, the company is planning to release a bassinet version that weighs only 4.3 lbs and folds up smaller than most purses. $169. ParentLab.com.
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Dresses For An Evening Out

Nice nights out come along few and far to long between.  With families and jobs, life and responsibilities often gets in the way of romance and together time.  But with careful planning, a sitter, and a prayer they are possible.

The first step to a night out is simple: When?  When are you going out?  Usually it makes more sense to pick a weekend night.  There are lots of factors out of your control during the week including traffic, long day at work, sleepy spouses, and canceling sitters. All of which can all pop up more often on a week night then not.  Find a sitter and figure out a time that works best.  Maybe an overnight for your little one with a relative or friend so your night ends with more then just a delicious dessert.

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How to Choose Your Ideal Wedding Location

Your wedding venue is like the backdrop to your very own fairy tale. It needs to be planned according to your comfort as well as your guests. Here are some guidelines in choosing your wedding location.

Choose a country or a city

Some brides marry in their local church or parish. Some prefer it at a hotel or at an outdoor park. There are brides who prefer destination weddings. The first step in finding the best location for your wedding is choosing the country or city of your wedding venue. Choosing the geographical location of your wedding is important because this is where the rest of the decisions are based from such as accommodations, transport and legal requirements.

What type of venue do you need?

Do you want an indoor wedding or a beach ceremony? Do you prefer an outdoor garden? How many guests have you invited? These are just some of the questions you need to ask when looking for the ambience and environment that you want for your wedding. Make sure that the venue is not only gorgeous, it can also accommodate the other details you want for your wedding.

Is your venue available?

Most wedding venues get tons of booking in the summer. It is always important to book as early as possible. If you have a set date for your wedding, search for other venues. If you are set on a location, be flexible on the date of the wedding. Venues generally have more open schedules for winter weddings. Evaluate what is the most important thing to you and consult with your wedding or venue coordinator to work around it.
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Mario Party Island Tour

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate my post. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.
mpMario Party has constantly been one of the best ways for a group of friends to laugh and play video games together. The most recent Mario Party Island Tour brings this up a notch on the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS.

Island Tour is broken up into a few different game modes, they are:

Party Mode: Think a digital board game with no bored and a ton of mini games. There are seven boards to choose from each a blast to play through and fun no matter how many people are playing.

Mini games: Mini games are available for play one at a time. Either to practice or just for a quick pick and play game by yourself or with friends.
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Valentine’s Day Idea from Entenmann’s PLUS Giveaway

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate my post. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.
Looking for a fun and easy dessert for Valentine’s Day? Entenmann’s is celebrating this year with the Entenmann’s Sweet Valentine’s Edible Bouquet and Entenmann’s Sweet Donut Sweepstakes. Fan of chocolate? Doughnuts? Sweets in general?  Read on.

pic 1Check out the Entenmann’s Facebook page to enter the Entenmann’s Sweet Donut Sweepstakes for the chance to win lots of prizes, including Entenmann’s coupons, Mr. Rich Frosted and Ms. Crumb plush toys, 1-800-Flowers arrangements and more.
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Winter Road Tripping

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Enterprise Rent-A-Car for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

There are quite a few fun activities that can be done during the winter.  Most of them involved being cold and outside.  Skiing, sledding, ice skating and curling to name a few.  But in order to do these fun winter activities you need to get out and go!  But as the money saving individual I am I would love to save some money in the process.

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Enterprise is here with the assist.  Enterprise has recently announced its new Enterprise Plus Your Points promotion.  Enterprise is a car rental service with which you can rent just about  any car imaginable from zippy turn hugging cars to 4 wheel drive monsters meant to eat up turf and off road through trouble without batting an eye.  The best part of Enterprise is their Plus Your Points program though.  This program give you points toward FREE car rental upgrades.  Points are accumulated in many ways including:

Purchase a qualifying rental (earn double points)

Add a GPS unit as part of a qualifying rental (earn 50 bonus points)

Share the qualifying “Plus Your Points” message on Twitter (earn 20 bonus points)
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Honeywell Infrared Whole Room Heater

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate my post. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

Baby its cold outside, so why not cuddle up at home and stay warm?  Honeywell are here to help you out with that.  Honeywell are known for their energy efficient, long lasting appliances.  One of their most relevant products for homeowners this time of year is the EnergySmart Whole Room Infrared Heater.  This heater has lots of great features and does a wonderful job of heating up your home one room at a time.

honeywell heater

The way an infrared heater works is, it heats up the air, not radiates heat by heating itself up.  This unit has six quartz elements which heat up the air inside the unit.  The air is then pushed through the unit and moves on through the room.  The unit can warm up to 1,200 square feet.  That doesn’t mean it wont work for larger room, just not as well as the suggested room size.  The unit runs on 120 volts, and heats with 5,118 BTU’s using 1500 Watts.  With all this power you’d expect a fireball of a heater, but it stays cool to the touch even after hours of usage. Safety wise it has a 4 way tip over switch and overheat protection.
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