Tollytots My First Disney Princess and HUGE PRIZE PACK Review and Giveaway #GiftGuide @Tollytots

December 3, 2012 by 81 Comments

This is a co-review by Samantha and Danielle. Danielle reviewed the Disney doll, and Samantha reviewed the toys she saw at Tollytot’s Playdate in the city, which some of you may remember from previous posts. Thank you, and please feel free to enter this fantastic giveaway 🙂

With an 8 month old and a 2 year old, I definitely need some tools under my sleeve to help them put themselves to sleep. Luckily, both of my girls are pretty good at putting themselves to sleep! Ava has just recently learned this skill, and I can definitely say that My first Disney Princess Lights & Lullaby Bedtime Baby Aurora has made Ava’s job much easier.

About Lights & Lullaby Bedtime Baby Aurora

Naptime is a dream with this Lights and Lullaby Bedtime Baby Aurora doll. Made for hugging, this charming 12-inch doll has a soft, snuggly body that will soothe and comfort your little sleepyhead with a gently glowing light and magical music. Choose normal mode for lights and music or night-light mode for a soft light that automatically turns off after three minutes.

Normal Mode: You push the tummy once to activate lights, again to activate music, again to turn lights and music off. The doll will automatically enter sleep mode once music has looped four times.

Night Light Mode: Push the doll’s tummy to activate soft light, (the light will not change colors in night light mode). The light will remain on for 5 minutes, then light will turn off and doll will enter sleep mode. If you want to turn light off sooner, press doll’s tummy once.

My Thoughts:

This is definitely the go to doll for your younger children. Both of my daughters were huge fans of it, but I did intend for this doll to be more for the baby than for my older daughter.

Ava & Ella both greatly enjoy playing with baby. Ella is always playing with a baby, so Ava is very happy to have her own baby to play with. She also has quickly become attached the baby and likes to drag her along wherever we might be going.

I love how we can pick and choose which mode we want. We use one mode at nap time and one mode at bedtime to help her to better know which time it really is.

I think that this would be a great doll for any young girl you have on your list, I’m sure that they would love [Read more…]

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The Top 5 Benefits of Volunteering As a Family

December 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The holiday season is all too often about long shopping lists and cutting off people racing to the mall in order to get the best deal on an HDTV. But most of us know in our hearts that something has changed, and needs to change again so that our families understand what this time of year really should mean to people. The holidays are about spending time together, about being thankful for the gifts you have in your life and contributing to others. That is why volunteering as a family is such a great idea. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, but when you and the kids step outside of your comfort zone to do something selfless for others, you immediately reconnect with what is most important. Here are the top five benefits of volunteering as a family.

First and foremost, it helps to teach your children important values, while immediately showing them why those values are so important in the first place. It’s one thing to sit at home all warm and cozy and talk about looking out for those who have less than you. It’s something else entirely to actually go volunteer with a homeless shelter or a children’s hospital. Parents are always trying to figure out how to describe their most important values, but through volunteering your family experiences them, and no description will be necessary.

It’s also a great way to reconnect [Read more…]

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How to survive a road trip with the kids

December 3, 2012 by 5 Comments

“Are we nearly there yet?”

Those dreaded words, if you’ve ever gone for a drive that lasts longer than 10
minutes you can be sure that you will hear some variation of this universal
complaint. So, for those unavoidable, longer road trips what can we do to keep
the kids happy?


Water Intake AND Outtake
Do you fancy cleaning milk/juice/other off your car interior? No, we didn’t think
so! Try to take water on a long journey to keep everyone hydrated but make your
life a little easier.
All that water is going to result in numerous rest stop trips. In case you can’t
get to a rest stop in time, make sure you have a potty for younger children and
emergency bottles are perfect for boys in times of need!

Snack Time
If you don’t fancy cleaning milk up then I doubt you’ll be a fan of messy foods
or crumbs. If you need to take snacks on a road trip try fruit sections – lollipops
are great for keeping the little angels quiet for a while, but watch those sticky
fingers!

Think in Time Slots
Try to break your journey up [Read more…]

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Duane Reade Shopping Trip #DRHappyandhealthy #Cbias

December 1, 2012 by 11 Comments

During a recent trip to New York City, we made a quick stop at the local Duane Reade. It had three floors, and carried alcohol and a whole floor of beauty supplies. Not your average pharmacy!

Duane Reade has just about anything you could think, of from soap and shampoo to light bulbs and cold beverages. Which was a good thing for me, since my son was demanding cookies and a juice box 🙂

Upon entering the store I found the new issue of Happy And Healthy magazine. The magazine is chock full of tips and pointers as well as sales, coupons, and even an item of the week.

This particular week was some of the natural items in Ology [Read more…]

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Flat Iron Experts-Cortex Solo Flat Iron, KQC Shine Spray, & Flat Iron Holder Review-The Ultimate Hair Styling Combination #GiftGuide

November 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I have been in the market for a new flat iron for awhile now! I am pretty picky about my flat irons, so it is rather hard for me to find one that really meets my needs! I was lucky enough to be able to do a review on a fabulous one…The Cortex Solo 450 Titanium Giraffe Flat Iron/Hair Straightener (1″).

About The Flat Iron

Cortex Solo 450 Collection is new to the market and made for professionals in the beauty industry. You probably could have guested this iron heats up to 450 degrees F, the hottest in the market. Adjustable heat and ergonomically designed this flat iron can be used on ultra thick frizzy hair or ultra thin hair. The results are amazing!

The Flat Iron is equipped with Nano Titanium Technology. The Titanium helps preserve more moisture. It also helps get rid of the frizz, as well as creating smooth and shiny hair. Another wonderful thing about it is that is causes less damage to your hair, compared to other straighteners.

It also has the Negative Ion Technology. This is really good for the health and appearance of the hair.

Far Infrared Heat: This helps dry the hair from the inside out, which makes sure that more moisture remains in the hair shaft and there is less damage to the hair.

KQC Thermal Shine Spray
In addition to receiving the wonderful flat iron, I also received the KQC Thermal Shine Spray.
The Shine spray is ion enriched polishing complex forumlated for superior heat protection and ultra gloss hair shine. This spray is designed for ALL hair types. It should be used with flat iron, curling irons, or hair dryers.
KQC Thermal Shine Spray (142g) is an ion enriched polishing complex formulated for superior heat protection and ultra gloss hair shine. Lightweight, non-greasy micro mist spray that eliminates frizz, softens and polishes hair without build up. Designed for all hair types. Use with flat iron, curling iron or hair dryers.
Flat Iron Experts Iron Holder
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Jersey Girls #Funny

November 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

My husband just sent this to me, and I thought I would share it.

Three men were sitting together bragging about how they had set their
new wives straight on their duties. …..

The first man had married a woman from
Massachusetts. He bragged that he had told his wife to do all the
dishes and clean the house. He said that it took her a couple of days, but on
the third day he came home to a clean house and the dishes were all washed
and put away.

The second man had married a woman from Rhode Island. [Read more…]

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Wordless Wednesday plus LINKY

November 27, 2012 by 1 Comment



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Fun Stores For Holiday Shopping

November 26, 2012 by 4 Comments

With the holiday season in full swing and Black Friday well behind us, it is time to shop. Shopping is what Americans have done in the years past and will do this time of year for years to come. The real feat is coming up with great gifts for all, AND having enough left over to actually pay your bills for the rest of the year. This difficult juggling act is done using coupons, sales, and smarts. Some of the best stores for this are Target and Zulilly. Both of which have great deals to begin with but with the extra [Read more…]

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