Archives for January 2014

Fun Toys For Boys

January 13, 2014 by Samantha 3 Comments

New Year, New Toys? If you are like me, yes- definitely! LOL Here are a few of my top picks for boys.

Transformers Rescue Bots Beam Box

There is a surge of video game themed toys recently. Not only are they video game themed, but they take your toy and bring them into the game. Hasbro has joined the fray with Transformers Rescue Bots Beam Box. This new game/toy is meant for the younger crowd but is still fun and will keep everyone entertained.

Rescue Bots are one of the newest lines of Transformers, created for smaller hands, and with less intricate parts. The unit comes with a controller and one figure, Optimus Prime. When put inside the system, Optimus is your main character in the game. There are five games to play as Optimus, all of which are easy to control and have simple control schemes. These games are meant for 3 to 7 year olds

The starter set containing Optimus and the console itself retails for 49.99, with additional figures retailing at 6.99. Both are available in just about every toy store and online- batteries required.

The Ugglys Pug Electronic Pet

My son’s new favorite toy is completely gross- on purpose. But really, it’s disgusting- and my husband (and every male that has seen it (whether he is 5, 35, or 85) has enjoyed it a little too much, laughing as if they were watching Comedy Central. I’m not in any way exaggerating. “The Ugglys Pug Electronic Pet” is all about bodily functions and the noises they make- it burps and passes gas. How can it get any better, you ask? Well, your child (spouse, father, whatever) can control the timber of said gas as well as manipulate the sounds and decide how long it will create this sound (in 30 varieties) for your auditory pleasure with the “warp feature” on it’s collar. For added insanity, it will ring like a telephone or buzz like a bee at random. Why, you ask? Because boys think it’s funny. Also- it’s a hand puppet, which all kids love. $35, Toys R Us.
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Filed Under: review, toys Tagged With: beyblade, farting dog toy, kids video games, toys, Toys For Boys, transformer toys, transformer video game, trash pack, video games

SesameStreet: Make a New Friend

January 12, 2014 by Danielle 2 Comments

Disclosure: Tickets to Sesame Street Live: Make A New Friend have been provided to me for my family in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

Wow, is the first word out of both my girls mouths as the show got started! I must admit that I was right there with my girls. We had an incredible time and would definitely go to Sesame Street Live again.

About the Show:

No matter where you’re from or where you’ve been, everyone is special – so join in! Elmo, Grover, Abby Cadabby, and their Sesame Street friends welcome Chamki, Grover’s friend from India, to Sesame Street. Together, they explore the universal fun of friendship and celebrate cultural similarities, from singing and dancing, to sharing cookies! Join the fun and make a memory with your friends and family.

My Thoughts:

My daughters were completely amazed with the show. They were entertained for the entire hour and a half. They sat there in awe. It was so fun to see both of them completely into the show. I also enjoyed watching the girls singing along with the characters and recognizing who was coming on screen each moment. The girls enjoyed the show while we were there and having been talking about it nonstop ever since.

Ideal Wedding Gown Styles for The Plus Size Bride

January 12, 2014 by Samantha Leave a Comment

Shopping for a bridal gown should be a fun activity for the bride to share with her mother, sister or close friend. If you’re a plus-sized bride-to-be, you may be concerned that you won’t find something flattering in a wedding gown. Knowing which style is correct for the type of body you have can help ease some of the stress when you’re trying on dresses. If you are knowledgeable about what works best with your body type, you can turn your gown-buying day from a nightmare into a dream.

A plus-sized bride with a thick middle should consider trying on an A-line dress with an empire waistline. This traditional waistline starts under the bust, flows outward, and ends with a wide amount of fabric at bottom. This popular technique draws attention away from the woman’s waist. Look for a sweetheart, portrait or square neckline, which will bring attention up toward your face. Avoid halter necks or plunging necklines if you are large busted. A common tacky tactic among busty brides is to draw attention to their cleavage. This isn’t a good look for your wedding day. A bride should be regal with all eyes on her face or her beautiful dress, not her bust.A ballgown-style dress can be quite flattering on a larger bride. Avoid a style that adds extra fabric or
fullness to the the bottom half of the dress. Hoop skirts are out of style and only create the illusion of extra weight. Although many brides want a strapless dress, it is usually not a good choice for a bride who has weight in her upper arms and back. A bride who has a large bust is also advised to avoid a strapless gown. If she insists on a strapless dress, she can wear a bolero jacket or wrap to cover her arms.
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Filed Under: clothes and shoes, fashion Tagged With: wedding

Romantic Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

January 10, 2014 by Samantha 32 Comments

Valentine’s day is fast approaching and for sure, everyone is already on their feet trying to think of ways on how they can make Valentine’s day special for their loved ones. If you are one of these people, you might be thinking of giving your loved ones the usual gifts – chocolates, flowers, stuffed toys and even, jewelries. However, you need to do more than that if you wish to make this Valentine’s Day the most special one for the both of you.

Here are some unique and romantic gift ideas that will surely make Valentine’s Day a day like no other.

Homemade dinner

Going on dates is already a regular activity for couples. This is why doing this on Valentines day will just make the day same like any other. In order to make the day a lot more special, it would be wise for you to serve your loved one a great homemade dinner. Although the two of you will just be feasting mainly on noodles, salad or any roasted meat, the effort that you will put in preparing such meal is what will make the date more special. In addition to this, you can also try adding candles, sweet music and flowers for decoration. Investing too much effort on a date will surely make your loved one feel a lot more special.
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Filed Under: holidays Tagged With: check in, gifts, Valentine's Day gifts

An Enterprise-ing Way to Travel

January 10, 2014 by Samantha 1 Comment

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

Traveling during the winter months can be interesting. Some but not all modern cars are built for all terrain. For those of us who love the outdoors but for the most part drive into a city for work, driving a big 4 wheel drive vehicle to work everyday is not feasible. But what happens when over Christmas your uncle invited everyone up to the house to go skiing? Is your little city car expected to climb those hills? Probably not. One of the best options in this scenario is to rent a car.

One such option for car rentals is: Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The reason why I would like to point your attention to Enterprise is because right now (December 1 2013 through March 31, 2014) they are running a special promotion for their Enterprise Plus members. With the promotion members can earn double points on certain rentals.

These include:

Purchase a qualifying rental (earn double points)

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Filed Under: family Tagged With: car rental, road trips, travel

At Home Workout- Gorilla Gym

January 10, 2014 by Samantha 6 Comments

Most of you know this chick is trying to lose a few, and get back into her fighting weight (and body!) While I love my time at the gym, I’m no stranger to home workouts, so Gorilla Gym’s claim that it’s the “the world’s most versatile home gym,” raised a few eyebrows around here. But after living with it for a few weeks, we have to agree.

The basic gym weighs just 8 pounds and takes about a minute to install into any standard-size doorway, where it’s certified to hold up to 300 pounds—without holes or sheetrock-cracking pressure mounts. What makes the Gorilla Gym so unique are all the plug-and-play attachments, like air straps, indoor swing, rings, and ladders. As the weather gets colder, having a Gorilla Gym means you’ll no longer have any excuse for not exercising—or not having fun. $59.95 for the core unit. http://gorilla-gym.com/

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Filed Under: health, review Tagged With: at home workout, Gorilla Gym, health, new years weight loss, weight loss

Weight Loss in the New Year

January 10, 2014 by Samantha Leave a Comment

Have you made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight but are not sure how to implement it? Losing weight can be enjoyable and rewarding if you include activities and foods that you like in your exercise and diet regimen.

One of the best ways to succeed in losing weight is to set realistic goals. Dieticians and doctors recommend a goal of two to three pounds a week to be sure to lose safely and keep it off. Although there are many gimmicky diets in the news that promise quick weight loss, the best way to lose and stay at your target weight is to reduce caloric intake and include more exercise to burn more calories. If you tweak your diet a bit to reduce caloric intake, you are on your way to achievable and sustainable weight loss.

Keeping a food diary that lists everything you eat for a few days can help pinpoint problem areas like eating when you’re bored or eating high-calorie snacks. Simple changes can eliminate high-calorie foods while satisfying the urge to munch. Instead of chips, why not try salted carrot or celery sticks? Eating breakfast is also important because it provides the energy needed to start the day. Without breakfast, hunger often strikes before lunch with the temptation to fill up on foods that are high in calories and low in nutrition.
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Filed Under: lifestyle Tagged With: new years resolutions, new years weight loss, weight loss

Foods That Help Keep Your Weight Down

January 9, 2014 by Samantha 1 Comment

Today, fast food has seemed to be somewhat of a necessity for many office workers due to their busy life and hectic work schedules. As a result, a greater number of people are becoming obese day-by-day. Regulating your eating habits has become the need of the hour to enable you to lead a healthy and happy life. You need to take care of the number of calories that you consume daily in order to keep obesity away.

Controlling your diet does not mean you go hungry and only eat limited kinds of food items. It is much better to find out which foods help kick start your metabolic rate without resorting to fasting. Knowing about the health regulations for food will enable you to know more about the best foods that can help you to remain in shape without crash diets dominating your eating habits. Here are some good foods that you can add in your diet plan to reduce your weight without sacrificing on tasty food. These will help satisfy your hunger and leave you fuller for a longer span of time.

Beans: The consumption of beans is an excellent addition of protein to your diet. Generally, meat, eggs and other animal products are regarded as a good means of proteins. However, these foods can also increase cholesterol in the human body and have several health risks associated with regular consumption. This is not the case with beans. Beans have 0% cholesterol but contains a high percentage of protein. The high fiber content of beans makes their digestion slower than other kinds of protein-rich foods. This enables you to follow your diet plan without feeling hungry.

Nuts: Nuts can be a rich source of vitamins and instrumental in losing weight as per health regulations. Nuts such as walnuts, almonds, and pecans tend to have a good amount of essential vitamins and antioxidants. A daily dose of nuts is considered beneficial to good health. It is believed that some substances within these nuts affect the calorie pathways and may alter the metabolism in a positive way. Nuts are one of the most effective foods that can help you to have desired weight loss and remain healthy.