Wednesday, December 24, 2014

You're Never Too Old for Play-Doh: DIGGIN’ RIGS BUZZ SAW Playset

Disclosure: I received a sample product to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.


We literally played with this set for over an hour-and-a-half today.
We has us some good old-fashioned fun!

Play-Doh has been sparking imaginations for years. I played with it when I was a kid, and all four of my children have played with it too. It is one of those toys that never gets old. Tonight, my son and I sat down at his little table and took out his brand new Play-Doh Diggin' Rigs Buzzsaw Playset. We literally played for over an hour-and-a-half, and you want to talk about a running imagination...my son's definitely got one, and I love it!


He laughs at my jokes. Have I mentioned how much I love this kid? ;)

This set comes with a detachable arm, two cutting blades (not to worry, they're plastic), an extruder rail, the truck with a cute little face, and four tubs of Play-Doh (that also double as construction signs). We truly had a good old time rolling and cutting logs to load up on the back end of the truck for delivery. My son and I had a great time making up elaborate scenarios for what we were doing and where the truck was going...and he even laughed at my jokes. That's really the reason I like to play with him, but don't tell anyone (kidding!).

Cutting the logs to load on the truck for delivery was not all fun and games.
Getting the cuts 'just right' was serious business too, as you can see. ;)

The busy work of cutting the logs was taken very seriously, and if a 'log' was not up to specifications, it was smooshed and redistributed through the saw blade. Uniformity was key, and 'the boss' was settling for nothing less than perfection.

We had such a good time playing, and it reminded me that the simpler things in life, really, really are the most grand. It also reminded me that you're never too old to have a good time with Play-Doh. ;)

You can learn more about this set and other Play-Doh items by visiting the Hasbro Toy Shop.

I bet most of us have good Play-Doh memories. Do you?

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Nerf for Under $10 and a Transformer My 7 Yr Old Can Do!

Disclosure: I received product samples to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

Last minute shopping this weekend? I know I'll be hitting the stores and waiting in the crazy long lines, getting my shopping groove on. If I'm not alone, and you'll be shopping for a child/ren this weekend too, think of these two toys when you're out, won't you? The Nerf Precision Target Set is just under $10 and the Rescue Bots Transformer is just cool. Keep reading to learn more!

The Nerf Precision Target Set comes with a purple outside or an orange one.
It is just under $10!!
The Transformers Rescue Bots Optimus Primal turns from robot to dino in a matter of seconds.
I'll put a video up of my 7-yr. old doing it, so you can see how easy it is to do.

If you're looking for a toy that will be a huge hit, that costs just UNDER TEN BUCKS!!! then the Nerf Precision Dart Game could be for you!

Everyone loves the quality of Nerf

Everyone loves the quality of Nerf. These dart guns are light-weight, easy-to-load and they travel a pretty far distance too! This set allows you to aim with a light beam, and the darts have a suction cup on the end, so they stick to the board. That way you can gauge your accuracy and work to improve it (or you could have a healthy competition).

My kids hang a paper target on the end of the hallway wall sometimes (and maybe dad does too ;) ) to shoot their Nerf guns. This stand-alone Target Shoot is so much nicer (and looks a lot better on the interior design too!). A big plus for me is that the target gives them a real place to aim and shoot, so they don't get bored and start misfiring on purpose (I've got pictures hanging in that hallway!). If you prefer the target to hang on the wall, it does that too.

This is recommended for ages 8+ and it requires 2 AAA batteries.

For under ten dollars THIS is a great buy!!

Easily turns from Robot to T-Rex
Has lights and sound as well!

The second item is a bit more pricey...just under $40, although I saw it on sale recently for $31.99. There is an exact duplicate model, that is smaller, for just under $12! The Playskool Heroes Transformers Rescue Bots Optimus Primal figure is an easy Robot to T-Rex transformer toy, that your child can switch out in just a few seconds.

This is my son twisting his Optimus Primal from a Bot, into  T-Rex
He is 7-yrs.-old and did it on his first try!
This is what it looks like in T-Rex Mode

The Primal Optimus Transformer is from Hasbro's Rescue Bots line, and it comes with batteries installed, so kids can use it right out of the box. In Bot mode, it talks (in a robot voice), and lights up. In T-Rex mode, it lights up, makes dino sounds, and if you move those smokestacks on either side of its head, you can make it chomp. There is a handy drill (plastic, of course) that can be used in either mode, that will aid your Rescue Bot in performing a rescue. ;) The recommended age on this is 3-7.


Above is a short video of my son transforming the toy from one mode to another. Never mind the end of the video when I thought the camera was off and I continued talking to my son, and it showed I took the lamp shade off for more video light, LOL!! (no video editing software on my computer...yet!). Some reviews definitely call for a video though, so you can see how very cool/awesome/great an item really is, and I think this is one of them. I can't imagine a little one not being excited over this toy on Christmas morning, or any time really!

Both the Nerf N-Strike Elite Precision Target Set and the Playskool Heroes Transformers Rescue Bots Optimus Primal Figure are available in stores everywhere!

Do you have a favorite of the two?

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Flutterbye Fairy Really Flies!

Disclosure: I received a sample product to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

Spin Master has been blazing the trail of fun for quite awhile now. They really do have a great line of games and toys for the kids. Recently we received a toy from them to review. When I opened it, and my son saw a doll, he said no waaaaaaaay, nuh uh, he wasn't reviewing a doll!  

Mmm hmm... I knew once that doll started to fly, he'd be in the room, and I was ohhh so right. :)

Flutterbye Fairy from Spin Master

Flutterbye Fairy sits on a base that also serves as a launching pad and a charger. There is a light on the front of it that will indicate by color, when she has a full charge. A direction booklet is included that will tell you what the different light colors mean.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

#Sponsored #MC What's Your #RedKettleReason?

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Influence Central for The Salvation Army. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

#DoingTheMostGood
As a little girl, every holiday season, my mother would carefully take a couple of dollars out of her purse, a purse that had a little two-ball closure on top that snapped. I knew when she pulled me to the side, and undid that purse snap, that we were going to donate to the Salvation Army Red Kettle, or the 'bell ringers' (those manning the kettle) as I called them when I was a child.

The bell ringing made me feel happy, and Christmas-y. After all, Santa's reindeer had those bells, right?  She would fold those bills carefully and put them in my little hand. I can still remember the feel of her transferring those bills into my gloved hand (and in Ohio, in December, outside...hands were always gloved). Even though I only had a few steps to go from her to the kettle, I remember how I kept looking down at my hand to ensure I didn't drop those bills. To me, it was a big deal. Then I would drop the money in, it would all be over, and we'd be on our merry way in seconds...the 'bell ringer' instantly all but forgotten.

What I didn't know as a child, is that those donations were being given to help others who really needed it during the holiday season. As I grew older, and developed a heart for giving, those donations took on a deeper meaning. I realized there were people behind the scenes that we would never meet or talk to, but who needed the helping hand of a stranger.



Today, I've passed the tradition of giving on to my own children. While I don't have a double ball-snap purse, and the kettle at the store pictured above was inside (hurrah for staying out of the elements!), it's still a big deal to my youngest to drop money in the kettle. I wonder if the clanging bell makes him feel holiday-y and festive like it did for me? I bet it does. And since the Salvation Army has been around since 1865, there's a very good chance, he will someday be taking his child/ren up to the kettle as well. That's fine by me. I think it's a tradition well worth keeping around. Don't you?

The Salvation Army Doing the Most Good

The Salvation Army began in London, and twenty years later made its way to the United States. So for 150 years internationally, and 130 years local-to-me, the Salvation Army has been giving people a hand-up. Whether that hand-up takes place in the form of gifts, paid utilities, a hot meal or countless other ways, the altruistic nature of their assistance certainly deserves to be lauded.

Just a Few of Many Ways the Salvation Army is Helping

• In 2013, The Salvation Army’s 3,600 officers, 59,000 employees and 3.4 million volunteers served nearly 30 million Americans in need. That’s almost one person, every second, every day.
• The Salvation Army’s faith-based mission calls it to meet human needs in His name without discrimination, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, physical disability, age, creed or religion. 
• The Army has nearly 7,600 centers of operation covering nearly every zip code in the country.
• We also have a worldwide presence, providing assistance to people in more than 120 countries and territories around the world. The Salvation Army serves millions of people through dozens of services directly targeting the needs of local communities – from homelessness to disaster relief to substance abuse rehabilitation.
• Through the public’s generosity in 2013, in the United States alone:
o The Salvation Army served more than 58 million meals to the needy.
o 204,000 people received rehabilitation services through donations to Family Stores.
o Over 203,000 underprivileged children attended day care and summer day camps.
o The Army provided nearly 10 million nights of shelter.
o 324,000 people received help during times of disaster.
o More than 4 million families and children were served during the holidays.
o More than 1.8 million people received help through senior, medical and institutional services.

That's just a small list of the ways the Salvation Army has helped, does help, & will continue to help those in need. It gives you even more reason to want to drop a few dollars in the red kettle when you're passing by, doesn't it?

Note: One-third of online donations occur during the last two days of the year. Donors can benefit when it comes to their taxes if they donate to a charity and receive the proper documentation before January 1.


#RedKettleReason Campaign

The Salvation Army’s 124th National Red Kettle campaign is encouraging Americans to share their reasons for giving using the #RedKettleReason hashtag. Donors who post using #RedKettleReason can view their posts and others on RedKettleReason.org and learn why the rest of America is giving. Visit RED KETTLE REASON to learn more!


I'm headed over to post my reason now. I'll see ya' there. :)

Friday, December 12, 2014

ANNIE is Coming to The Wharton Center!!

Disclosure: I did not receive compensation for the post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.




Have you heard? Annie, the Tony Award-Winning Production is coming to Lansing, MI next week! This is a show I always wanted to see on TV as a child and never did (though I do know one of the popular songs from it, and have belted it out many a'time. The sun will come out tomorrow...bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun. Count your blessings you can't hear me singing because while I like to do it, those around me never seem to feel the same. ;)

Have you seen Annie? Would you love to see it live? If you're in the Lansing area, I urge you to pick up your tickets now. It could be a great way to relax with the family, which is always nice, but is especially so during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

ANNIE
Part of the MSU Federal Credit Union Broadway at Wharton Center Series
Date/Time: Tuesday, December 16 – Sunday, December 21, 2014
Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Friday at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Location: Cobb Great Hall
Tickets: $34.00 - $69.00 plus applicable fees
Ticket Office: whartoncenter.com
 517.432.2000 or 1.800.WHARTON

EAST LANSING, Mich. ― Wharton Center is proud to announce that the new U.S. National Tour of ANNIE will play December 16 – 21, 2014, in the Cobb Great Hall. Directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin for the 19th time, this production of ANNIE will be a brand new physical incarnation of the iconic Tony Award®-winning original. Tickets to see ANNIE, part of the MSU Federal Credit Union Broadway at Wharton Center Series, are available at the official source to purchase Wharton Center tickets online, whartoncenter.com, at the AutoOwners Insurance Ticket Office, or by calling 1-800-WHARTON.


ANNIE has a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. All three authors received 1977 Tony Awards® for their work. Choreography is by Liza Gennaro, who will incorporate selections from her father Peter Gennaro’s 1977 Tony Award®-winning choreography.

The original production of ANNIE opened April 21, 1977, at the Alvin Theatre and went on to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, the Grammy Award for Best Cast Show Album and seven Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin). The show remains one of the biggest Broadway musical hits ever.

It ran for 2,377 performances after it first opened, has been performed in 28 languages and has been running somewhere around the world for 37 years.

The beloved score for ANNIE includes “Maybe,” “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” “Easy Street,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”

The celebrated design team includes scenic design by Tony Award® winner Beowulf Boritt (Act One, The Scottsboro Boys, Rock of Ages), costume design by Costume Designers Guild Award winner Suzy Benzinger (Blue Jasmine, Movin’ Out, Miss Saigon), lighting design by Tony Award® winner Ken Billington (Chicago, Annie, White Christmas) and sound design by Tony Award® nominee Peter Hylenksi (Rocky, Bullets Over Broadway, Motown). The lovable mutt “Sandy” will once again be trained by Tony Award® honoree William Berloni (Annie, A Christmas Story, Legally Blonde). Musical supervision and additional orchestrations are by Keith Levenson (Annie, She Loves Me, Dreamgirls). Casting is by Joy Dewing CSA and Holly Buczek CSA, Joy Dewing Casting (Soul Doctor, Wonderland, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). The tour is produced by Troika Entertainment, LLC.

This brand-new production features a 25-member company: in the title role of Annie is Issie Swickle, a 9-year-old actress from Davie, FL, making her tour debut. Gilgamesh Taggett will star as Oliver Warbucks. In the role of Miss Hannigan is Lynn Andrews. Also starring in the tour are Ashley Edler as Grace, Garrett Deagon as Rooster, Lucy Werner as Lily and Allan Ray Baker as FDR. Sunny, a 4-year-old rescue terrier mix, stars as Sandy. The Orphans are Angelina Carballo, Adia Dant, LillyBea Ireland, Sydney Shuck, Lilly Mae Stewart and Isabel Wallach.

ANNIE is generously sponsored by Capital Region Community Foundation, The Centennial Group, Farm Bureau Insurance, Jackson National Life Insurance Company and Physicians Health Plan.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Bringing in December with FabKids

Disclosure: I received a product to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.


Are you still looking for the perfect holiday gift to give someone? How about a subscription to FabKids? This is a great monthly subscription service for children's clothing.

How does it work?  It's really quite simple. Each month you are charged the same amount on your credit card, for an outfit credit .That credit goes into your FabKids account, and you can use it for an entire outfit, any time you feel like picking one out.

What if...one month you decide you don't want to be charged for an outfit credit? Simply log into your account and say (by the due date to say it!!) that you don't want to be charged. It's as simple as that... really. If you want to buy above and beyond the one outfit, you are able to do that at will. FabKids runs some really great sales, quite regularly...so getting high quality clothing, that looks great too, really can be done for a reasonable price through their website.

Real Kids Shades (with Giveaway)

Disclosure: I received a product to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

Real Kids Shades knows that your eyes need protection year-round. While winter, cloudy, and overcast days can deceive us into thinking our eyes are safe from the damaging effects of UV Radiation, Real Kids Shades knows that simply is not so.

The harmful effects of UV Radiation can reach your eyes any time you are outside, and we all know kids like to be outside. Make sure your little one has the proper eye protection with Real Kids Shades. All of their products are designed to continuously block 100% of the sun's harmful rays.

You can see here that my son loves his sunglasses....and Olaf.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

It's #HintingSeason and @BestBuy is a Super Savvy Shopping Destination!

Disclaimer: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.


Best Buy is a super savvy, one-stop shopping destination for everyone in the family!

It's definitely #HintingSeason, and everyone in the family has something to add to Mama's shopping list.  In looking around Best Buy (in person and online), I've quickly discovered a place where the majority of their wished-for items can be purchased and checked off of the list.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Snowman Theme #Giveaway from Oriental Trading

Disclosure: I received products free to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

Confession time: I have a 'thing' for snowmen. I just think they're cute, and they definitely rank high on the scale of my favorite holiday things. I like real ones, animated ones, those for display, those for play, etc. So when I got to go shopping at Oriental Trading recently, it was a beeline to the snowman-themed items I went.

This cute 'lil guy can be found in the Christmas Decorations at Oriental Trading.

I got to choose anything I wanted, within a pre-designated credit amount. I chose the snowman holder above...isn't he cute?!? Shipping for him would be high, I think, and I wouldn't want him to get broken, so that's for me, and I love him! He is made of resin and measures 14 1/2"H x 10 1/2" W x 8" D. The snowflake on top unscrews so he can hold your paper towels. This item usually sells for $20 but I see today he's on sale for $17.98.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Collage.com Aluminum Photo Ornament #Giveaway

Aluminum Ornament from Collage.com
Prices start at $24.99 and the design you create is on the front and the back!

Finding the perfect photo gift is now made easy with Collage.com. They have everything from ornaments, to mugs, to pillows...and they have more uncommon things like photo wrapping paper and aluminum photo sheets, both of which I will be reviewing (and giving away!!) soon.

Today I'm reviewing the custom aluminum ornament they offer, in either a 3" x 2" rectangle or a 2.375" x 3" rectangle. Either ornament can have up to SIX pictures on it, and the design prints on both the front and the back.

I toyed around with who to gift this ornament too (personalized ornaments always make such good Christmas gifts!) and opted for my son and his wife. Many of you know they had a baby girl in 2013, and she has quickly become the apple of all of our eyes. Not near as exciting as our little sweet baby girl, but still pretty cool, my son also purchased a DSLR camera about a year ago, and he and his wife are getting pretty good at using it. One day on a beach visit they took this year, they played with the camera a bit and got two photos that I really loved. I decided to use those to make the ornament.

This is a copy of the actual page I was working on to create my ornament.
This is with no background, but you can see the many edit options available to you.

This was one of the many backgrounds you could choose from.
I chose to write the year on mine.

When you are creating the ornament, you can move the pictures anywhere you want them to go, which is so much nicer than a standard template that just won't budge.  You can also choose from a multitude of backgrounds. I finally decided on the black because I thought it lent an elegance that I don't usually go for in my ornament selections (I generally opt for 'cute').

This is the final ornament...the design is on the front and the back.
The red string comes with it for hanging.

I couldn't be more pleased with how the ornament turned out, and it's already in the mail on the way to my son's home. There is no doubt at all that they are going to love it. I know I do.

Take a look around Collage.com and see all of the wonderful items they have for you to make out of your precious photos.  You can also follow them on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Don't forget to check back next week for a photo wrapping paper (cool right?) and aluminum panel giveaway that Collage.com and I collaborated on as well. You're not going to want to miss those!

One lucky winner gets an ornament to call their own. US entrants only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

FabKids Would Be a Great Gift Subscription Idea!

Disclosure: I received an outfit to help facilitate the subscription review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.



Yesterday I told my youngest to suit up we were going out. He put on his new FabKids outfit, and we were off! FabKids is a monthly subscription service, with no obligation to buy, for children's clothing. Founded in part by famous actress, Christina Applegate, the clothing line is cool, funky, and fresh. ;) It's also high quality and holds up, wash after wash. With Christmas on the way, I have to say: If you're looking for a useful and fun gift idea, won't you consider a FabKids subscription? How fun would it be to know you were giving someone a new outfit each and every month?

The subscription service itself work very easily. You take a quiz when you sign up, to help match outfits to your tastes and needs. That being said, you are free to purchase as little or as much as you want, or nothing at all. Each  month you will be charged the price of one outfit, which means you will have one credit on your account to purchase an outfit of choice. You can make the purchase whenever you want to, but it's paid for on a certain day each month, unless you note that you do not want to be charged for the month. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Multi-Striped Hooded Shirt
from the FabKids
Cargo Snowboarder Outfit

Back to our little trip, but first we took a picture for the review. This shirt is part of the Cargo Snowboarder Outfit. It is 100% cotton, which means it's very comfy. It has a nice, roomy cut and falls below the waist. It also has a hood, and hoods make my son happy. ;)

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Sock It To Me! Sock Giveaway!

Disclosure: I received sample products to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.


Bees Knees knee high socks & Kaleidoscope knee high socks.

We just received socks from Sock it to Me! Have you heard of them? They sell socks of all shapes and sizes, fun designs, colors, and styles. There's a lot of fun to be had in a pair of cool looking socks, and with over 200 different sock designs, you're sure to find a pair you love!

Friday, November 7, 2014

#OrnamentsAndMore 'Tis the Season of Giving with #Giveaway!

Disclosure: I received a credit at the store to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

Ornaments and More has these great, personalized ornaments that you just know you (or whoever you are giving them to) are going to love! There's certainly no lack of variety in the ornaments offered, and when you see some of the prices, you're going to be doubly loving them too!


Cute Claydough Elf
On sale for $5.50!

In our house, we bring out the Elf each season for the kids. It's a tradition that they love (finding the elf is fun!). The elf also brings the kids a gift once a year, just something little... like a stuffed Grinch, or a DVD. This year, at some point, the elf will be bringing the ornament pictured above to our youngest. It's non-breakable and has his name on it (and the year). It's high quality, cute as can be, and can be purchased on the website for $5.50!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

75 Years of Fun: Polaroid

Disclosure: I received product compensation to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.



When I was a small child (thankfully, we're not going to discuss how long ago that was), my grandfather got my grandmother a Polaroid camera for Christmas. I remember she was so tickled she let out a little happy squeal (bonus points to gramps!). For years afterwards, if there was a special moment, she'd go grab her Polaroid. Everyday moments got the 110 camera (ha, see that does date me!) but special ones got the Polaroid, so whoever was there could instantly take home a picture too.

Friday, October 31, 2014

Halloween Flashback

I came across this old photo when I was cleaning up my computer pics. Some pictures I find hard to delete, even after I've stored them, like this one. ;)

It was so chilly they had winter coats on under there!
My now-21-yr.old was still in high school, and little man was only 1!

My second oldest son was still in high school (he's grown up and moved into his own place now). Both of the kids had winter coats under their costumes. ;)  Little man was the dragon and his brother was the Knight in Shining Armor.  The photo opps were fun, but when we got out in public, and there were other teen girls around, I noticed my older son's costume becoming less and less of a costume. First the sword and shield stayed in the car. Then the arm and leg guards were removed. Then the hood came off, lolol.  It was funny to see him embarrassed by the duds, but I get it. I remember being that age too. Now he's 21 and dressing up is fun again. He e-mailed me a phone pic of the costume he's wearing this year. And as such things go... my daughter (currently in high school) says she's not dressing up.  I hope she changes her mind...you're only a kid once. :)

A Big Happy Halloween today, to those who celebrate!

1st Graders Know How to Party!

Today was the holiday class party for the kids.

I tried to stay out of the kids' way, so my picture here is kind of far away.
You can see a little bit though, how the gym teacher set things up.

The teachers really went all out, and us parents did too! Before lunch time, the gym teacher put together a huge obstacle course as a surprise for the kids. Everything had a Halloween theme. There were corn stalks, witches on brooms that moved, pumpkins that were all lit up (no burning flames), etc. There were also games...basketball, 4-wheel, sit-down scooter racing, timed racing (that's my boy running his little heart out in the picture above), and some other little activities that I didn't get too close to because I was staying out of the way.  It was such a treat for the kids, and they had a blast!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Ideals Books are well...Ideal :)

Disclosure: We received three books to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

I know the word play in the title is a bit corny, but it's also 100% true: Ideals Books really is an ideal place to find great books. They've got a great selection of children's titles to choose from, and since our local bookstore closed a few years back (*gasp*), we now opt to do most of our book shopping online. Ideals never disappoints with their number, or quality of selections.

I chose all board books, but with over 400 selections in stock,
you can get whatever kind of book that you like!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Pure Costumes, What a SITE to See!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own. All photos were used from the PureCostumes.com website, with permission.

It's that time of year where Halloween costumes are starting to come to mind. If you plan ahead like I do, you're probably already considering what costume to get; whether you should make or buy; and you might even be perusing websites and/or Pinterest boards to further explore ideas.

PureCostumes.com is a great resource to consider (and once I found them, I knew I was buying and not making this year). There are so many great costumes to choose from, that there's no way I could even bring justice to the site with this post. I'll offer a few samples below, and then you can head on over to the site and take a look at the many more great options for yourself (if you're in the market for a costume for any occasion, you'll be glad you did).

Olaf Deluxe Toddler CostumeAnna Coronation Gown, Classic, & Disney Frozen Deluxe Elsa Child Costume

Friday, August 15, 2014

Named the Best for a Reason! Cedar Point Amusement Park

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my Cedar Point-loving-own!

Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio has been voted the best amusement park in the world for good reason. For our family, summer wouldn't be summer without our annual visit.

Open since 1870, it is the second oldest operating amusement park in North America (source), and I think one of the things that keeps it so popular is a healthy balance of tradition and change.

Coming down the first hill of the Millennium Force

Some of the old comforts bring us great memories, like the Millennium Force Roller Coaster. This roller coaster has provided us with the best 'eek' face I've ever seen in a picture, when my oldest son and I rode it when he was 12-years-old. I still laugh just thinking of the picture. If I knew which of our nine million photo albums it was in (slight exaggeration), I would scan it for this post. :)


Here is a video of that coaster, which takes you 310 feet into the air on an elevator cable (no click, clack slow-going up those hills, this baby flies!). The Millennium Force is my 2nd favorite coaster at the park (second only to the Top Thrill Dragster).

The mill in Frontier Town has been there since I was a kid.

There are even older nostalgic favorites for me. Frontier Town is a trail at the back of the park (depending on which way you go). For me, it always signaled the end of the day as a child because it was the end of the huge circle we took through the park on the days we were visiting. I never noted it before, but I still take that big circle path when I visit today. :)

Pretty sure that's one of the coolest displays I've seen.

The trail is awesome and could make a blog post of its own! There are old buildings, a running water mill, and great displays like this really old train pictured above.  There's also a petting zoo, a place to watch blowing glass, eat bbq, etc. The whole trail has an old town feel to it that's hard to beat. I appreciate that trail more and more as I get older (while my kids are out running around to get in as many coaster rides as possible, just like I did when I was their age...and I still do, just not to the same extent). :)

There are three huge areas for kids to play in.
They have live shows, a ton of rides, character meet-and-greets, and so on and so forth.

One of the many rides for the younger crowd.

There are three (huge) kid areas, and one smaller one (with a baby coaster). If you have small children, they will not want for things to do at Cedar Point. There are pint-sized bumper cars, slower going mini scramblers, flying rides, small swings, etc. These areas used to be a huge thrill for every one of my four children. My youngest dabbled in each area a bit when we went last weekend (and he enjoyed them), but he was tall enough to ride big rides this year, and wanted to do that, of course. He even rode the new Pipe Scream rollercoaster. Everyone did...except my mom who was with us this go around. She opted to stay on the ground and wave to us when our turn to ride finally came around. ;)


I think The Gatekeeper has a cool design.

It goes right through the front gate structure.

Even with the older constants/favorites, Cedar Point is certainly not afraid of change. Every year they've got something new going on. This year, like most years, they have new rides. The roller coaster pictured above isn't new this year, but it was last year, and I think the design of the route is so very cool. You can see in the picture above that it travels right through the front gate of the park.

See how the big blast of water goes up when the boat hits the ground?
If you look carefully you can see people deliberately standing on the bridge.
They're waiting to get soaked by that huge splash... and they do.

There are many other things I could write about. And some of the areas in the park could stand alone for blog posts, they're just that cool.  But I'll end with the water. Not the water that surrounds the peninsula the 364-acre park is on (though that is cool in itself) but the water on the bridge of Snake River Falls that allows you to get SOAKED when you cross it (some people stand there on purpose waiting for the next boat to drop, others high tail it out of there so they won't get wet ... or wetter, as the case may be). I could not talk any of my party into taking that water blast on the bridge. My youngest was vehement that nuh uh, he did not want to get that wet.

At the end of our day, I told Mr. 'Nuh-Uh, I do not want to get wet,' that he could do one more thing
before it was time to leave.
The irony in his choice did not go unnoticed. ;)

On the way out, I told him he could do one more thing before we got to the parking lot. Mr. 'Nuh-uh, I do not want to get that wet!' selected the splash pad.  The irony of his choice did not go unnoticed. ;)

Cedar Point is fun for every age. There is really something to do and enjoy for everyone. If you're in the area go visit. And if you're not, go visit too, lol!! I have gone every year of my life, even when we lived far away in Florida. It's just that good!

You can learn more about the park by visiting the website.
You can also follow them on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Our Favorite FabKids.com Outfit Yet! With #Giveaway

Disclosure: I received an outfit to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own. 

Such a cute outfit for back-to-school from FabKids.com

Our FabKids.com outfit for August just arrived, and honestly, we could not have been happier! I let my son make his own choice for an outfit this month, and as soon as he came across the faux leather jacket (which you can machine wash, but it still looks and feels like leather), he didn't want to look any further. He was sold.

You can leave the lapels on the front of the jacket down for a stylish look,
or zip the coat all the way up when it gets chilly.
This Rocker Jacket looks and feels like leather, but you can toss it in the washer & dryer!

The entire Rockin' Tunes outfit from FabKids for Back-to-School

When it arrived, he was thrilled! There's just something cool about a jacket like this when you're any age, and the allure of it was not lost on my almost-seven-year-old.  The jacket is very soft and supple, with quilted upper arms and knit bands around the wrists and waist to help keep the chilly out. There's also a hanging loop on the inside of the jacket.

Headphone Smart Graphic Tee
Classic Fab Denim Jeans

When the jacket came off, the outfit was still impressive. I already knew I loved the jeans from FabKids. They've proven high quality for us, wash after wash, they have a great fit, and they always have some cool kind of feature to them. The cool features on these were the cuffed bottom (you can unroll them), and some color contrast of denim on two of the pockets.

The shirt can be tucked in nicely, or left loose.
It's ultra soft and nice and roomy.

The shirt is ultra soft, and has a cute headphone graphic on the front. It's roomy enough to allow the kids to move, or you can tuck it in easily and it stays put. It's a cheery bright color that I say is closer to orange than red, hubby says is closer to red than orange, and my son says is reddish-orange. The latter is probably the most accurate. :)

FabKids.com is a clothing subscription service for kids. Each month, by a designated date, you decide whether or not you would like to make a purchase. If you say yes, or do nothing, you are charged for the price of an outfit and a credit goes into your account (to choose any outfit you would like whenever you have the time to take a look). If you opt out by the determined date, nothing will be charged to you for the month. It is a convenient and fun way to build up your children's wardrobe with very high quality, fun clothing.

Created in part by actress, Christina Applegate, who knows a thing or two about looking great, these outfits are always so very cute and so very full of style. There are options for boys and girls. And you can buy what you want, when you want.

Check out the new arrivals, and the great sales (including a buy one, get one free sale going on right now). This is a subscription worth taking a look at, we couldn't be happier with our FabKids selections.

You can learn more about FabKids.com by visiting their website. You can also follow them on FacebookTwitter, and/or Pinterest.

One lucky winner gets an online credit for a FabKids.com outfit of their own.

US entrants only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Loving his Shirts That Go!

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I just fell in love with the t-shirts and wanted to share.

Even upside down, we think he's a cool kid. :)
This is a cool kid.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

#Sponsored #MasterBacktoSchool with Master Lock!

Disclosure: This is a compensated post brought to you by Global Influence. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

Master Lock has got some innovative and fun products to help keep your back-to-school items safe! 

#MasterBacktoSchool

Everyone seems to be talking about back to school now, and I can see why...it's always best to prepare ahead of time, for some people there are only two weeks of summer vacation left (we have four), and time does go by very quickly. And while I'd like to enjoy what's left of summer (and we will!), we too, have started to pick up things here and there for our back-to-school preparation.

Master Lock 1500 eDBX dialSpeed on the left
 (up to four codes digitally stored, and it has a light-up keypad!)

Master Lock 1535 DWD Set-Your-Own-Combo lock on the right.

According to a survey*, more than half North American students do not use a locker to keep their items safe throughout the school day, but rather they carry their belongings with them. I am happy to say my children are not included in that statistic because our school system has lockers from K-12.

*Survey conducted by Survey Monkey in May 2014 among Americans representative of a National U.S. Census.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Welcoming the Wikki Stix Designer Piggy Bank to Our Home

Disclosure: We received a product to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

When my son opened his Wikki Stix Designer Piggy Bank it was definitely love at first sight.
The bank measures a very generous 9" in length and approximately 8.75" in cute pudgy roundness.

We have a piggy bank that we love, and he gets used a lot. That being said, when I saw the Wikki Stix Designer Piggy Bank, I knew we could have two piggy banks in our house and be very happy. I was right!

The bank, made of high quality ceramic, is very generous in size, which means it's going to be great for saving for something big! We haven't decided what we're saving for yet, but 'Piggy' is already getting heavy with the nickels, dimes, and pennies that my son recovered from a very thorough house hunt yesterday.

Friday, July 11, 2014

FabKids.com July Outfit (with giveaway!!)

Disclosure: We received an outfit to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

FabKids Surf Time Outfit
Surf's Academy Hooded Tee
& Hawaiian Pull-On Shorts

Our FabKids outfit for July came a couple of days ago, and let me just say I love having a clothing subscription coming to my front door once a month. This month the outfit was a great tee with a hood (oh my boy loves that hood), and a pair of long geometric print shorts. Each month, with your free subscription, you will have an outfit hand-selected for you. You can decide if you like it, or if you prefer something else instead (no obligation to buy, ever). Or you can just decide to let the charge go through, and have a credit for any one entire outfit, to buy any time in the future that you choose.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Catching Fireflies in Hatley Pajamas

Disclosure: We received a product to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.


Catching fireflies in your pajamas is fun!
Loving the new Hatley Green Book 'Bear Hug' Kids Short PJ set

Look who's catching fireflies in his brand new Hatley PJ's!

One of the great things about summer is running around the yard before bedtime, catching fireflies. We live in Michigan, so it stays light until 9:30 or 9:45, but around 8:30 or so the lightning bugs start to come out. Tonight we went out, like we have for the last couple of nights, to see what we could find. Little man had already brushed his teeth and gotten into his pj's and so that's how it came about that he was dressed like he was for tonight's adventure. I grabbed my camera. ;)

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Paradiso 37 : THE Best Meal we've ever had at Disney Springs (Formerly Knows as Downtown Disney)

Paradiso 37 has become our FAVORITE place to dine at Downtown Disney (Lake Buena Vista, FL).

Paradiso 37 is one of those places that you know you're going to like the second you walk up to it. The atmosphere is indoor/outdoor festive (your choice), the view is amazing, and everyone who is a part of the establishment is very, very nice!

We're usually all about saving when we are on a vacation, but we do usually splurge on one excellent dinner because, well, because it's vacation. ;) We made dinner reservations at the Paradiso 37 ahead of time, which I highly recommend. It is located in Downtown Disney (Lake Buena Vista, FL.) where there are always a lot of people, and even on a week night it was very busy (after dining there we have no doubt as to why the crowds love this place).

Everyone at the table was pretty impressed with the flavor of the meat on the
Chorizo and Beef Skewers (appetizer).

Some of our party went ahead of us to secure our table, and we were delighted to walk in and find him seated outside with a beautiful water view. It wasn't just the gorgeous view, the great staff, the live entertainment, or the fantabulous atmosphere that had us raving about Paradiso 37, it was the food that was the most impressive to us. That's exactly the way it should be when you're hoping for a culinary delight. For our starters, we ordered the Chorizo and Beef Skewers for the adults at the table, and the Mexican Dipping Trio (with corn nachos) for the kids. That was another thing about the restaurant that made us happy, the many friendly options for the kids (not always found in a restaurant with specialized food).

From the Land
Chicken Flautas, Grilled Skirt Steak, Black Beans and Cilantro Rice, & Spicy Chorizo Skewers

There were a lot of us, so I won't go through every meal, but I do want you to see some of the gorgeous selections that ended up on our table. The restaurant menu is described as the "Taste of the Americas" and features some of the best dishes found from the 37 countries in the Americas (hence the name). One of our family members got the 'From the Land' dinner that had more of those skewers he couldn't stop eating, grilled Skirt Steak, Chicken Flautas, and some tasty Cilantro rice.  The small Pita Bread circles that came with the plate were nice and soft, and the perfect accompaniment for the mixed flavors.

Laugh if you want to, but us vegetarians get mighty excited when our veggies
are roasted up so tasty good!

I got a beautiful salad and some delicious roasted veggies. I am the only vegetarian in the family, and that's fine by me. ;)  I thought my dishes were every bit as tasty as everyone was saying their meat dishes were to them.

One of the many burger selections on the menu.

My oldest was going to order a New York Strip until he found out he wasn't allowed to pay the bill. As soon as he heard that, he changed his mind and ordered one of the tasty Paradiso 37 burger selections. There was no changing his mind (he's getting nice like that in his 'old age,') but I wished he'd have gotten his first choice! It turned out okay though because he was making a lot of happy noises eating his burger when it came. ;)

Baja Fish Tacos
My daughter-in-law went frugal too (I guess next time we won't tell them we're treating? ;) ) and ordered the Baja Fish Tacos. She thought they were delicious; the best food we had the whole time we were in the Disney area.

In some places, it's just worth it to order the dessert. :)
Paradiso Chocoate Stack.

For dessert (yep, everything was so good we could not resist seeing what they had to end the meal) we asked our (very awesome and attentive!) waiter to choose several selections he thought we'd like. He brought out a Crème Brûlée that put my son and his wife into a dream coma after eating it, some mini ice cream cones (which the kids loved!), and the delicious Paradiso Chocolate Stack pictured above.


I love when you can actually see where the food is being cooked.

In short, the atmosphere was festive and amazing...and I loved that you could see where your food was actually being cooked.

Our outside table had a great view.
We also had a shelter above us (in case of rain) with fans, making for very pleasant seating.

The outside view of the water where we were sitting (with shelter over the top in case it rained) made us very happy.

When we first got there people were just starting to come in.
This entertainer went out later and was dancing with the children, it was awesome
and she looked as happy as the kids!

When we left there wasn't a seat in the house, and the line
to get in was significantly large.

The live entertainment was (great!) fun! The entertainer pictured above came around to the tables and was dancing with some of the children (who loved it!). 

And most importantly, the food was absolutely cooked to perfection and delicious! It was a very nice night out with the family, and if you are in Downtown Disney this summer (and I know so many of you will be), I hope you will take the time out to make a reservation and eat at the Paradiso 37. For us, it was an extremely wonderful dining experience.

You can learn more about the Paradiso 37 by visiting their website.

You can also follow them on Facebook, and/or Flickr. And they often show up on the Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World Twitter feed.