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Happy New Year!

 

NewYear

I know I have been a little quiet on here as of late. Between Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, two birthdays, Christmas, traveling and a sneak trip to Disney Land life has been busy busy busy but so full of blessings. I can’t wait to share about our trip to the happiest place on earth. But right now we are just hanging out spending family time before the kids return to school. So for now I shall leave you with a wish for a wonderful 2014 for all of my lovely readers!

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Carter’s Friends & Family Sale #CartersFam

I participated in an Influencer Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Carter’s. I received a gift card to facilitate my shopping trip and to thank me for participating.

Carters Collage3Carter’s a trusted name in children’s clothing, makes it easy to find cute and thoughtful gifts for little ones this holiday season. Available in sizes newborn – 7, Carter’s proves an easy, one-stop shop for adorable outfits this holiday season.

With my kids getting older I haven’t shopped at Carter’s as much as I used to. I had always thought of infant and toddler clothing when I thought of Carter’s but did you know that they also make big kid clothes?!? Of course since finding this out I’ve been to the store twice and I’ve been online more times then I should probably admit. And what I’ve found….so darn cute! I may or may not have a slight problem with kids clothes. I have a hard time not buying it all, especially for boys because it seems that the amount of cute boys clothes available compared to girls clothes is slim. Why this is, I have no idea but Carter’s has such a big collection I was in seventh heaven browsing it all. I told my husband we need someone we know to have a baby boy asap so I can go hog wild on their baby clothes. Seriously so much cuteness!

Carters Collage4

I know you’re all wondering what we got so here’s a little breakdown. For my youngest we got a complete outfit. Pants, shirt and a button up shirt to go over and because one can never have too many pajamas I also got him a new set of those.

Carters Collage

I wasn’t able to get a photo of my daughters pajamas, she was being shy but they are so cute and soft! I loved that it was a three piece set that included shorts as well as pants (pictured below). Perfect for winter or summer.  Now here is a new tid bit of information I just learned about Carter’s. They recently introduced an extended sizes area to their website. I do not believe it is in the stores yet. At least it’s not in our local store. They carry infant through 7 in store but online they carry up to size 12! So of course as soon as I found that out I went shopping again. I also got the most adorable little green and blue dress for my niece when we went to the store but since it’s her Christmas present and I’ve already I wrapped it I sadly do not have a picture. Besides I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise. 

Carters Collage1Right now Carter’s is having an amazing sale. The Friends & Family Sale. In addition to end of year clearance they are offering an additional 25% off your ENTIRE purchase through December 24th. I told you amazing. With our trip we saved over $20 just with the 25% off, and that doesn’t even include the fact that everything in the store was already on sale! Plus when you spend over $50 in stores you will receive a $10 off reward for your next visit, with no minimum purchase required.  Have I mentioned before how much I love a good sale? The Friends & Family Sale is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. If you are looking for quality clothing for your little one’s I highly recommend Carter’s. And don’t forget to print your coupon before you go! You can also check out their Facebook page for news and sales information.

 

  • Aurogra

    I love Carter’s collection for kids. My son looks very cute in their pants and shirts.

  • Totoro kigurumi

    hallo hi everyone. i are extremely please to ascertain this post. its good to view. a lot of learning coming from here including great help for people. keep that will on. appreciate it.

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Koss Fit Series: Earbuds Designed for Women by Women

This post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Koss.

 

One thing I’ve always struggled when listening to music with earbuds, especially while I exercise is keeping them in. I have what we shall call odd shaped ear canals. One is actually smaller then the other and the other is slightly turned. I may have just revealed way too much information about me and it’s totally gross I know, but hey it makes me unique. On the downside finding ear buds that fit me is not as easy as it is for others. Recently I was introduced to Koss and I will try not to gush too much but it will be hard because I am in love!

First let me introduce you to the FitBuds. They are offered in five different colors, purple, blue, coral (pictured below), lime and mint.

They are 33% smaller than any other earbud Koss has ever created. They are also sweat resistant and the elements are completely surrounded by a dual-injected, soft-rubberized housing so they will fit perfectly in the female ear. Each set of FitBuds also comes with three different sizes of ear cushions so you can pick and choose your perfect fit. 

And these are the FitClips.
 
 
These are also available in the same colors as the FitBuds. The main difference between the two is the flexible over the ear design which allows you to “clip” the buds to your ear. They too are also 33% smaller, sweat resistant and also come with three different sizes of ear cushions so you can pick and choose your perfect fit.
 
 
I am still trying to figure out which one I love more and honestly? It’s a hard decision. They are both awesome and I keep rotating between the two. I’ve even worn them while cleaning the house (which I may or may not do some dancing while I clean) and they didn’t fall out a single time.
 

If you are in the market for a new pair of earbuds, are an active woman, or looking for a present for the active woman in your life, you should definitely check out Koss FitClips and FitBuds. Right now you can snag yourself a pair of Koss FitBuds and/or the FitClips for $19.99 for the holidays at retailers such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Sears, and Kmart. But be quick, after the holidays they will go back to their regular price of $29.99. I plan on picking up a pair for my sister who is the runner in my family.

If you’d like to learn more about Koss be sure to check out their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest pages.

 

 

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Boys & Girls Club: Give the Gift of a Great Future Holiday #GreatFutures

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Boys and Girls Clubs of America. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

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Every time around this year I try to remind my children that as much as toys are pushed through the media (thank you commercials) and through word of mouth at school, that getting toys is not the only thing the holidays are about. We need to remember that there are some children and families out there that our less fortunate then us. Some have nothing, a lot of them wont even get a present let alone a hot meal. One way I’ve recently learned to help others is through the Boys and Girls Club of America. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America is hosting their third annual Give the Gift of Great futures program. The Give the Gift of Great futures program will help inspire you and show us all what the true meaning of giving is. 

Be sure to check out their website for some great tips on how to inspire your children to give back to the community this season, these tips would work great for teachers to talk to their students as well!My favorite tip they mention is to acknowledge and celebrate ALL types of giving and it’s so true. Giving doesn’t always mean monetarily and people often forget that. 

Whether your child volunteers, donates allowance, helps a friend or neighbor, or is simply kind to a sibling, praise the effort or celebrate your child’s giving with a reward or a matching gift.

While there make sure to visit Kids Give Back contest where you can scroll through and see all the Boys and Girls Club BGCA giving back in their communities throughout the year and vote on one. You can also create some cute holiday gift tags with the Gift Tag Generator.

 

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Wordless Wednesday: Sunrise Sunset

If you haven’t flown anywhere recently you may not know that you can now leave your electronic devices on while traveling via airplane. That means taking photos of sunrises and sunsets from 10,000 in the air is a lot easier then sneaking them. Not that I’ve ever done that before, nope. So when my family and I did a quick trip up North for Thanksgiving I snagged a few pictures on take off and landing.

OKC airportLeaving good ole Oklahoma City

SFO sunriseHello Golden State (almost to OAK)

Home sunsetAnd just because I couldn’t resist throwing this photo in, this was the sunset that welcomed us home to Friday evening.

 

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Celebrating Thanksgiving with Friends #UdisFriendsgiving

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Udi’s

Friendsgiving7

Thanksgiving is not just a time for family but also a time with friends. Friends are just as important to me as some family members. Since moving to Oklahoma I’ve had to make new friends and I’ll be honest, it was not easy. Probably because I am picky LOL but I don’t make friends as easily as I used to when I was younger. But the one’s I do make mean the world to me. and I am thankful for each and every one of them. When Udi’s asked if we celebrated Friendsgiving I figured hey, what better time to show my appreciation for my friends than celebrating Friendsgiving!

One thing we are trying in our journey to eating healthier is trying more and more gluten free items. My husband may not be aware of this fact but I doubt he take issue with it. We’ve also tossed up going vegetarian which is funny considering I decided to throw out tradition this year and break the mold in our Thanksgiving celebrations.

The menu consisted of:

Meatloaf  (hence my early laughter at the mention of going vegetarian)

Roasted asparagus

Rice Pilaf

UDI’s Harvest Crunch Muffins

Decoy Wine (delish)

We also snacked on some fresh vegetables and UDI’s Whole Grain Bread topped with home made bruchetta (extra basil for us).

I am actually quite proud because I am not the best party planner. Actually I don’t plan, I do things last minute and I have never actually decorated a table. Considering all of that I think every thing came together surprisingly well. 

Friendsgiving

The kids tend to be a wee bit picky at times so in addition to the scrumptious meal above I made a separate meal for them just in case they didn’t like what was served. I may or may not have made entirely too much food but on the positive leftovers were the bomb!

My mac n cheese may not have been gourmet because it was an after thought but it was mighty tasty. I mixed in some cream cheese and sharp cheddar and cut back on the milk and was left with this really creamy goodness. The kids devoured all of their food and even had helpings of meatloaf. Success would be an understatement.

Friendsgiving5

Friendsgiving6

Since moving here two years ago I now know of three stores close to us that carry Udi’s products which makes me a very happy gal since I couldn’t find Udi’s anywhere when we first came here. To find out what stores Udi’s is carried in near you check out their product locator here.

Thank you to Udi’s for providing supplies and inspiration for our fabulous Friendsgiving meal!

 

 

 

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THE HUNGER GAMES: Catching Fire #Giveaway

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has OFFICIALLY hit the theaters! Have you seen it yet? Sadly I have not had the opportunity to go see it but you bet it’s on my list of things to do either during the coming school break or right afterwards. Either way, I will be seeing it and I can’t wait. In the mean time I will be catching up on the books and giving you all the opportunity to win some awesome prizes.

Catching Fire Collage

Oh yeah I said prizes! I am giving away a prize pack filled with Hunger Game goodies. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Prize Pack will include the following items:

-THE HUNGER GAMES DVD

The Hunger Games DVD
-Mockingjay Pin

Mockingjay Pin
-Katniss Capitol Portrait

Katniss Capitol Portrait

-Peeta Capitol Portrait

Peeta Capitol Portrait
-Finnick Capitol Portrait

Finnick Capitol Portrait
-A Quarter Quell Poster

Katniss Quarter Quell Poster
-Final Poster
Final Poster

To enter to win this fabulous prize pack simply see the rafflecopter requirements below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

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How To Train Your Dragon 2: New Poster

So I completely missed the announcement a few months (?) ago that there was a Dragons 2 in the works! How I missed it I don’t know. I freaking loved the first movie. I mean my kids loved it. Oh heck, we all loved it. But I will actually sit here and watch it all by myself with no kids home. I may or may not watch the show too :X What can I say, I have a love for cartoons, especially when they have a good story behind them. I am looking forward seeing this movie with my boys and seeing what Hiccup, Toothless and his band of friends have in store for us this time around.

httyd2_poster_big

The thrilling second chapter of the epic How To Train Your Dragon trilogy brings back the fantastical world of Hiccup and Toothless five years later. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island’s new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace.

And if you happened to miss the announcement such as I did here is the trailer for you to get a sneak peak at How To Train Your Dragon 2. Oh and how could I forget, the movie will be released in theaters June 13, 2014 in 3D!

To keep up with Dragon 2 you can visit the website, Facebook, Twitter (be sure to follow along the hashtag #HTTYD2), YouTube.

 

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Food Safety During the Holidays

Did you know that food poisoning can be more that just an upset stomach? It is actually a very serious public health threat in America. So serious that the CDC estimates that approximately 1 in every 6 Americans (that’s roughly 48 million people!) could end up suffering from food-borne illnesses this year. With about 128,000 of those ending hospitalizations and sadly, an estimated 3,000 deaths. I don’t know about you but those numbers are terrifying. So what can you do to protect yourself from food-borne illnesses? The Food Safe Families Campaign (a partnership on behalf of the Ad Council, USDA, FDA and CDC) would like to help parents protect their families from food-borne illness during the upcoming holidays.

One of the best things about the holidays is spending time with the family. And what do families and friends do when they get together? They eat! I always stress about create my menu but once it comes time to cooking I go into a zone and some how, some way I create  huge meals for every one to enjoy. But gathering around the table is not the only time we need to be vigilant in how we prepare food for our families, it is an every day thing and one that should never be taken lightly. Today I wanted to share with you some tips on how to keep your families food safe, during the holidays and year round.

Brown paper bags are a thing of the past. There is a big trend right now called the Bento lunchbox. If you aren’t aware of them, I highly recommend them. They are awesome because they have little compartments to keep your foods separated. Not only is this great for picky eaters that don’t like their foods touching, but it’s also great to making sure there is no possible food contamination from wholes in bags or food falling out onto the floor. And you can get super creative with them, it’s a bit of an addiction so be prepared if you buy a set.

 
Here’s a few school lunch tips that may be new to you or you may know some of them.
Tip #1: If the lunch you’re packing contains perishable food items like cold cut meats, eggs and yogurt, make sure to pack it with freezer packs or keep it otherwise chilled.  Harmful bacteria multiply rapidly in the “Danger Zone” — the temperatures between 40 and 140 °F (4.4 °C and 60 °C). So, perishable food transported without an ice source won’t stay safe long.
Tip #2: Frozen juice boxes can also be used as freezer packs. Freeze juice boxes overnight and use as freezer packs. By lunchtime, the juice should be thawed and ready to drink!
Tip #3: Pack lunches in an insulated, soft-sided lunch bag. Lunches with perishable food items can be unsafe to eat by lunchtime if packed in an old-fashioned brown paper bag.
Tip #4: If there is a refrigerator at school, tell your child to keep their lunch inside. But leave the lid of the lunchbox or bag open so that cold air can better circulate and keep the food cold.
Tip #5:  After lunch, discard all leftover food, used food packaging, and paper bags. Do not reuse packaging because it could contaminate other food and cause food-borne illness.

 

Check out How to Pack a Safe & Satisfying School Lunch by Food Safe Campaign (Ad Council, USDA, HHS) on Snapguide. 

For more information on food safety and have access to an online help center be sure to check out FoodSafety.gov. They have a plethora of information on preventing food-borne illnesses, in both English and Spanish. Or if it is easier for you, you can call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline.  

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