Girl Power Campaign

December 10, 2015 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own and honest. Please see “I disclose” for more information.

As you all know by now, I have 2 girls. I also am an elementary classroom teacher dealing with that critical age that can be hard for many kids. I’m so excited to tell you about the Girl Campaign.

About Girl Campaign:

Their mission is to equip parents with tools and resources to play a pivotal role in fostering positive self-confidence. Our goal is to raise awareness of the consequences of low self-esteem. To provide tools for parents to improve confidence in their girls and make available key strategies to inspire them to be their best. To teach values of positive parenting and verbal affirmation of unconditional value and worth in conjunction with enforcing the morals that effort and hard work are vital keys to encouraging growth, both in them and their children.

They are hoping to teach parents key essentials such as:

Showing Acceptance
Giving Encouragement
Sharing dreams and imparting hope
Building rapport with your girls
Teaching that hard work and endurance pay off

Their Values:

They believe every girl has value and purpose
They believe every girl deserves to be who they were created to be
They believe a positive self-image is essential for growth
They believe open safe communication is the key to raising successful and confident girls

My Thoughts:

I think that this is a wonderful campaign. I see so many problems as a teacher with huge problems with girls’ self-confidence. The girls of today truly don’t think they are good enough and feel that they constantly need to change things. I even teach in a “Small” “Safe” town and I can’t believe how much bullying and low self-esteem that I see.

My girls right now are small enough that we are constantly working on building up their self-confidence, but it isn’t a problem for them at their age.

I was happy to take these awesome bracelets to school to share with the girls in my class. I think that there are truthfully great things, and I know that the few girls I am working with are not the only ones that are struggling in this are. I plan on ordering more and to continue meeting with the small group of girls that I am to help them build their confidence.

Most importantly, I believe that you as parents need to talk to your kids encourage them, praise them, constantly build them up.

Filed Under: kids, review Tagged With: building self confidence, building self-esteem, Building up girls, Girl Power Campaign, raising girls, self-confidence

Easy Game Day Cocktails @SmirnoffUS #GameDayReady

December 10, 2015 by Raki Wright 1 Comment

Football season is in full swing. Time for tailgating, viewing parties, and filling the living room with family. As you plan your game day menu, replace basic beer with Smirnoff Ice‘s new line of malt beverages: Smirnoff Ice® Original Premium Flavored Malt Beverage, Smirnoff Ice® Moscow Mule, and Smirnoff Ice® Screwdriver Flavored Malt Beverage.

Whether you’re bringing a close to the weekend on Sunday or relaxing after a long day of work on Monday, these easy game day cocktails could be just the pick me up you need. Turn on your favorite football team, grab your snacks, and whip up these easy cocktails in a jiffy.

Smirnoff Ice® provided this Game Day Ready box complete with the Original, Moscow Mule, Screwdriver, Smirnoff Ice® mason jar for mixing, and a gift card to pick up other supplies.

We made two easy cocktails that you can have ready in about 5 minutes, each: Clementine Screwdriver and Passion Fruit Apple Mixer.

Although I am not a big football fan, you don’t have to give me an excuse to relax on the couch with my sweetie and an ice cold glass of something sweet & tangy. After grocery shopping, I scoured my fridge for some interesting combinations I could whip together in no time flat. I had lots of fruit and a new fruit juice on hand, so I thought I’d combine those with the new Smirnoff Ice® beverages.

Clementine Screwdriver

INGREDIENTS

Smirnoff Ice® Screwdriver Flavored Malt Beverage
Clementine
Mason jar

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place four clementine wedges into the bottom of the mason jar. Muddle (mash) the fruit with the back of a spoon or a muddler for more flavor. Add a wedge to the rim.
2. Fill half the jar with ice.
3. Finish it off by pouring Screwdriver Flavored Malt Beverage over top.

This cocktail is the perfect mixture of sweet, bursting with fruit flavor. Clementines are one of my favorite fruits this time of year, so it made sense to me to add it into this Touchdown cocktail to enjoy while watching my husband’s favorite football team play. I love rich color that the fruit gives to this drink. This drink is perfect as is but can easily be customized to a person’s individual taste.

Passion Fruit Apple Mixer

INGREDIENTS

Smirnoff Ice® Original Flavored Malt Beverage
1 oz passion fruit juice
1/2 cup peeled, diced Granny Smith apple
Mason jar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place apple into the bottom of the mason jar. Muddle (mash) the fruit with the back of a spoon or a muddler for more flavor.
2. Pour juice over fruit.
3. Fill half the jar with ice.
4. Finish it off by pouring Smirnoff Ice® Original Flavored Malt Beverage over top.

This cocktail is the perfect mixture of sweet and sour, bursting with fruit flavor. Granny Smith apples are one of my favorite apple varieties, so it made sense to me to add it into this Touchdown cocktail to enjoy while watching my husband’s favorite football team play. I love rich color that the fruit gives to this drink. This drink is perfect as is but can easily be customized to a person’s individual taste.

Disclosure: Smirnoff Ice should be enjoyed responsibly by those 21 years of age or older. The Smirnoff Ice Cocktail Playbook was sent to me in order for me to create the recipe you’ve seen in this post. As always opinions are my own. My experience may differ from your own.

Filed Under: evergreen, review Tagged With: drinks

Armitron Watches- Be on Time for All Your Holiday Happenings

December 9, 2015 by Samantha 3 Comments

With everyone carrying cell phones now, not everyone wears watches the way they used to. When you ask what time it is, people grab for their pockets instead of looking at their wrists. Not only are watches functional and useful, they are a fashion statement as well. Nice to look at, classic and classy- and ready to make a comeback.

Armitron Watches are a great gift ‘for him’ or ‘for her’, the Armitron watches are polished, practical and functional timepieces. Made with genuine diamonds, different styles and colors, options of bands, materials, and more- there is an Armitron Watch for everyone. There are so many selections to chose from, your biggest problem will be narrowing it down.

These are really beautiful. Some of them look more like bracelets then like watches- which, for me, is very neat. They look very sleek, sophisticated- accessories that would really compliment an outfit.

If you are looking for the perfect gift this year, something special, you will want to check out the Armitron site and see what they have. You can also use the coupon code HolidayTime to get %25 off any watch on the site.

More About Armitron

For nearly sixty years, Armitron has embodied and nurtured the spirit of individuality. Since pioneering many of the first affordable digital wrist watches, it has been Armitron’s mission to make stylish, functional timepieces accessible to every person.

Today, Armitron looks to advance this mission by sharing the stories of real people. We want to celebrate the broad, hard-working, diverse group of individuals that are our brand. Each of them with their own style, thoughts, and ambitions. That is why we showcase real people in our imagery, not professional models. These are the people who truly represent our brand, which is what you want in reputable watch brands.

Visit them at https://www.armitron.com/

Filed Under: fashion, gifts, Holiday Gift Guide 2015, review Tagged With: check in, Holiday Gift Guide 2015, jewelry

Great Games for Kids from Wonder Forge

December 7, 2015 by Danielle 1 Comment

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own and honest. Please see “I disclose” for more information.

We are all big game players in my family. As we have had children it has been tricky for us to find games that can include our young children, but are still fun for the adults. I must say that I have not ever found a game that I was not 100% satisfied with from the Wonder Forge game family. They have such great games for all the kids in your family, that adults enjoy playing as well.

About Wonder Forge:

In 2007, Jacobe Chrisman (Founder & CEO) and a small group of creative types with a passion for children’s entertainment came together to develop extraordinarily fun, original play experiences for kids and families.

Since it was originally launched, Wonder Forge has always offered top-quality experiences, raising the bar for preschool and family games everywhere. The preschool games help to celebrate the “can do” attitude in all kids – engaging them physically, socially, and creatively. The family games bridge generation gaps and create wholesome family moments and lasting memories.

Wonder Forge additionally always works to create strong, long-lasting partnerships with licensors. This is wonderful when your children love certain characters.

Today, Wonder Forge makes over 85 games that have won more than 160 top awards for product excellence. They are sold nationwide and in over 11 countries.

About Eye Found It Journey Through Time:

In this wonderful game, you work together as a team of historians, scientists, and adventurers solving the world’s greatest mysteries with the Eye Found It Journey Through Time Hidden Picture Game from Wonder Forge. You can venture and find hidden objects throughout time from the Prehistoric Era to the Present Day. You want to Race to the end of the giant 6-foot game board before your Timecraft runs out of fuel. This game is recommended for ages 4 and up.

My Thoughts: This game was a great deal of fun. I had a lot of fun playing this game with my daughters. I also have to admit that this is one of my husband’s favorite games that we have played with the girls as well. My daughters are ages 3 and 5 and so they definitely were both able to understand and play the game really well.

About Peanuts Snoopy Flying Ace Game:

I’ll get you Red Baron! The world’s most beloved beagle is back! A legend in his own mind, Snoopy takes off as the Flying Ace in constant pursuit of his nemesis, the Red Baron. Flip cards and race to make matches before Snoopy spins to a stop. It’s high-flying family fun! This is a great game for children age 3-10 years old.

My Thoughts:

I think that this game is absolutely adorable. As you can see, my daughters loved playing this game. It was a very cute game, and loads of fun. It was easy for my 3 and 5 year olds to both play together. I even started supper and they were able to continue playing while I was out of the room. Great Game for kids.

About The Good Dinosaur Roarin’ River Game:

You can now race the rapids to get home! You work together as a team to help Arlo and his friends outrun the flooding river! Travel through the dangerous canyons, mountain forests, and sweeping plains! This game is great for kids ages 4 and up.

My Thoughts: This game too is absolutely adorable. My kids were so interested in this game and truly enjoyed playing it. I absolutely loved playing the game with them, and don’t mind when they ask to play it because it is a game that is not like others that I have played before.

About Disney Imagicademy Items:

Disney Imagicademy Storymation Studio: You make the movies the Imagacademy from Disney. You can now get creative with the characters, backgrounds, clay, and costume molds. Download the free and easy-to-use Storymation Studio animation app and make your own animated masterpiece inspired by your favorite Disney films. This is recommended for children ages 3 and up.

Disney Imagicademy Mickey Mouse Animals Activity Book:You can now roam through the wild and wondrous realm of the animal kingdom with Mickey Mouse and your favorite Disney pals! Explore the fascinating lives of insects, how animals adapt to their surroundings, the reason behind animal conservation, and more –all through a collection of creative activities. This is great for children ages 4 and up.

Disney Imagicademy Frozen Science Activity Book:Join Elsa, Olaf, and all your favorite characters from Disney’s Frozen as they lead you through creative activities, fun puzzles, and surprising experiments! Discover why we have four seasons, the natural beauty of snowflakes, how we see rainbows and so much more. Great for children ages 4 and up.

My Thoughts: My daughters have really enjoyed playing with each of these items. They are a great way for your children to do more than just play games or stare at a device all the time. I was incredibly impressed by how much fun each of these were. The Storymation Studio was awesome. Stay tuned and I will have more pictures of what my girls come up with in the future.

About Apple Pop Game:

Move the apples around the tree, or try to pop the apples out on the first try! Land it in a basket and get extra points! It’s a game of strategy and fun–pop the apples out of the tree win by collecting the correct three!

My Thoughts:My daughters are incredibly excited when you get this game out. They had a ton of fun popping the apples out of the tree and racing to see who could get them all out the fastest.

My Thoughts:

I was absolutely in love with each and everyone of these games that we received. I know that we will get many great game nights out of the games and they will be fun for the whole family. I have a few that I have added to my Christmas list for the other little kids in my life, because I know that they are going to be a great game.

Filed Under: family, gaming, giveaway, Holiday Gift Guide, Holiday Gift Guide 2015, kids, review, toys Tagged With: Christmas For Kids, games for kids, Gift Guide 2015, Good Kids Toys, Great Games for Kids, holiday gift guide, kids games, Wonder Forge

Got a Peanuts Fan? You Will Love the Vermont Country Store

December 7, 2015 by Samantha 7 Comments

Have you seen the new Peanuts movie yet? It’s hard to believe there is a new one out- but even if you haven’t, surely you and your family love watching the Christmas Special every year. It’s definitely one of our favorites, and is for our parents as well.

The Vermont Country Store (with physical locations as well as online store) has an exclusive Peanuts Collection of apparel, holiday cheer, and home décor – just in time for the holidays. Here are some of my favorites:

Peanuts Portable Record Player: Vintage-looking, lightweight, great sound, compatible with digital devices and made by Crosley – plus to go with it, a holiday record from the Peanuts gang too!

Super Soft Pajamas: Available for men, boys, women, and girls and decorated with exclusive prints

Peanuts Christmas Clock: Sings holiday carols on the hour – but also has a light sensor so that the Peanuts gang keeps quiet when the lights are out!

Winter Flannel Sheets Set: Check out the gang skiing and having fun on soft Portuguese flannel sheets

Campfire Night Light: Snoopy and Linus, an adorable night light – the campfire flickers and adds a glow to the room

There are so many more options to choose from. We got my son a pair of the super-soft pajamas, and he just loves them. Let me tell you, the name doesn’t lie- they are as soft as they claim to be. He is so snugly in them, he gets extra cuddles from mommy- and he doesn’t mind yet, I think I still have a year or two before he whines at me for that, LOL.

They also came beautifully packaged- you can send them as a gift easily, and the recipient will be thrilled. Even if you buy them for yourself or your children, it really does feel like opening a gift- it felt “special” when you opened it. These would be such a fun “family” holiday greeting card photo or Christmas eve matching set, and it feels so nice against your skin.

He was so excited, I couldn’t get him to stay still for photos, LOL

We loved these PJ’s- so much so, that we are likely going to be placing another order shortly. We are thinking sheets and one of those super fluffy blankets for the bed- ours are in need of a winter upgrade, methinks. The store is really fun to browse in, and even more fun to shop at. This is the perfect time of year to place an order- anyone from Vermont knows a think or two about making winter a little warmer.

More About Vermont Country Store

Vermont Country Store is a new England staple when it comes to quality home, outdoor, and food products. Their brand is kind of a throwback to a simpler time, and has a unique New England practicality. It’s also important to note that most of their products are exclusives or are hard to find elsewhere.

Filed Under: clothes and shoes, Holiday Gift Guide, Holiday Gift Guide 2015, holidays, review Tagged With: Holiday Gift Guide 2015

Visit Santa AND Shrek at the Cherry Crest Mall

December 7, 2015 by Samantha 6 Comments

Have your kids visited Santa this year? How about a recent Shrek and Donkey visit? No? If you are in the general area, why not shake things up a bit and take not only a Santa photo, but a journey as well? Complete with your favorite Dreamworks characters Shrek, Donkey, and friends.

You get a whole experience, not just a quickie Santa’s lap visit and photo. Wait, no, the best part is that you don’t’ have to wait on a zillion hour line. You RSVP online for a time slot, show up, and go in. The line can be very short up to about a half hour. Maybe the best part is that the kids were REALLY excited about all the stuff they got to do while on the journey, or that the price for the tour and photos are not any higher then they were for a typical Santa photo (The cost for a single photo with Santa at Radio City Music Hall is $25. At our local mall, it’s $20. Here, you get a a package of photos of your choice, in a variety of sizes, for $35.) There are a lot of “Best Parts”….It’s hard to choose the best-best part.
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Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide 2015, holidays, review Tagged With: Christmas, Holiday Gift Guide 2015, holidays

VeggieTales Christmas Books #VeggieTales

December 6, 2015 by Samantha 3 Comments

Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner? One of my favorite things during this season is the love and laughter in the air. The spirit of Christmas is full of kindness, sharing and forgiveness. VeggieTales Christmas themed soundboard books are a great way to remember and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas with your children.

My son loves VeggieTales- the TV show, movies, live show, and of course the books. These cute singing veggies are a great way to bring the reason for the season to your family. It’s easy to get caught up with the material things, the hustle and bustle, and all the rush-rush of the holidays- sometimes, we really need to take a moment and remember what it’s really about, and to be grateful for all we have and what we’ve been given.

VeggieTales Christmas themed soundboard books are a fun and interactive way to teach children the true meaning of Christmas.

About the books

Silent Night:

Join Junior Asparagus, Laura Carrot, and all your favorite VeggieTales characters as they stage a Nativity play based on the lyrics of “Silent Night.” Silent Night teaches children about Jesus’ birth and is a fun, great way to keep children talking, and singing, about the true meaning of Christmas.

Away in a Manger:

Join the VeggieTales character as they star in this colorful retelling of the birth of Jesus, featuring the lyrics of “Away in a Manger,” sung by Junior Asparagus. This fun-yet-reverent Nativity book is a great way to keep little ones talking – and singing – about the true meaning of Christmas.

You can follow Veggie Tales on social media as well-

Website: www.veggietales.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VeggieTales

Instagram: @veggietalesofficial

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VeggieTales

Join the conversation: #VeggieTales

These books are available in stores everywhere, as well as online and on Amazon and Barnes and Nobel. They are easy to pick up, not expensive, and a great way to remind your kids of the real meaning of Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and yours from me and mine.

Filed Under: book review, Holiday Gift Guide, Holiday Gift Guide 2015, holidays, kids, review Tagged With: Christmas, kids books

Great Gifts For Your Kids

December 6, 2015 by Samantha 2 Comments

The cold and eventful festive days are coming up quickly, which means lots of fun events for adults but long stuffy days indoors for kids! Being stuck inside during holidays can be boring, making your little ones cranky.

Let me introduce to you some creative solutions to beat the hard-to-cure holiday cabin fever! Cooper and Kid–creatively curated kits designed especially for kids to have fun while learning. Squirrel King–craft kits that transform a child’s reality into an imaginative world of colorful squirrels and the homes they live in. And last but not least, Zoonicorns–the unique combination of unicorns and zebras into adventurous plush toys, with a creative children’s book to bring the characters to life.

STEM learning kits

Cooper and Kid is all about making dad cool again and doing what matters most–bonding with the kids! Cooper & Kid has everything a dad needs in the winter for educational fun (think STEM) with his kids! Each Cooper Kit is fun-in-a-box with endless hours of amusement…no more mindless TV shows! Each kit contains a huge box of fun, with themed projects, toys, books and ideas that dads and kids will truly enjoy. Together they can build rocket ships, take off with sky lanterns or explore the world of butterflies — there is so much to create and discover!

An activity book guides dads through the theme and the contents of the box for hours of fun. Plus, the shipping box turns into a toy too! Sign up for the Cooper & Kid subscription online and every three months a Cooper kit is delivered to dad at home. The subscription price is $65 per quarter.

The fun, unique and ingenious Squirrel King kits are a swirl of intellect, engineering and creativity delivered with a hands-on approach that inspires a thirst for knowledge. Designed for ages 8 and up, the Build with Stickers kits combine two things kids love — stickers and building. Each colorful kit includes novel stickering techniques — no glue involved — and all the materials for children to build, create and explore, making awesome toys in the process…and making those rainy days educational and fun! With Build with Stickers kits, STEM (science, technology, education and math) principles are explored in an age-appropriate manner.

The new Build with Stickers Kits are available on the Squirrel King Craft website and at select retail stores, priced from $5.99 to $7.99. The original Squirrel King Craft kit is also available on the website and in over 200 stores across the country, and in a range of choices for $9.99 to $69.99.

Zoonicorns are enriching youth with life adventures™ and creating wonderful imaginative worlds. My son really enjoyed the book and the plush zoonicorn- something to cuddle and a friend to take to bed later and give him good dreams, just like the young animal in the story. He thought that was fun. As my child often has bad dreams, this was comforting to him. The book was cute, with an easy to follow story and adorable illustrations. I would recommend this to any parents with young children of either gender.

Fairy-tale Zoonicorns are enchanting creatures that pop up in the dreams of young zoo animals. Zoonicorns are unique, plush toys for children that a combine an exotic animal (zebra) and a mythical creature (unicorn). The Zoonicorn herd is ready for adventure in the enchanting world of your youngster’s imagination and keep them occupied for hours on end.

Super-soft Valeo is the leader of the Zoonicorn pack, who likes to pal around with animal friends like African giraffes. Shy and gentle Promithea is a good friend who can be trusted to keep your little one’s secrets. Playful Ene likes to catch forty winks before bouncing to life to rumble and tumble with. Outgoing Aliel loves to speed around and will challenge any kid to keep up with her.

Each Zoonicorn is $9.99 or you can get the entire family plus children’s book for $49.91