Monday, March 31, 2014

Thirty One Bag (Review & Giveaway)

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

The bag I ordered from Melissa!
Melissa, my bloggy friend from My Recent Favorite Books and Readingnks has recently become a Thirty-One consultant.  You probably already know, but if you do not, Thirty-One is the trendy bag and tote company so many people have been mentioning in a positive way. I've seen blog posts about them, saw people carrying them in person, and have even seen them featured in my youngest child's school for a fundraiser project.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Quaker Warm & Crunchy Granola: Heat & Eat!

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

Add 1/4 c. milk, heat for 25 seconds, and voila'!
Quaker Warm & Crunchy Granola really is delicious!

I'm all for trying new things for breakfast, and warm oatmeal with a crunch? Yeah, that's right up my alley. Add Cranberries and Almonds and it doesn't get much better than that for me.  So, this morning, for breakfast, we had Quaker Warm & Crunchy Granola: Cranberry Almond. It was goooood!! I love that it warm, little man loved that it resembled cereal, and everyone in the house loved the flavor!!

A lot of times breakfast food leaves you only very temporarily satisfied, and then you're looking at the clock, waiting for lunch time to kick in.  Not so with this Warm & Crunchy Granola.  It gives you that warm satisfying feel of oatmeal (you feel pleasantly, not overly full), and that sticks with you for quite a long time!!  I had my bowl 3+ hours ago and I still feel pleasantly full.  It's nice that it's warm too...a great way to get a warm breakfast in the kids without taking up a lot of time (25 seconds to heat & eat is fast!).

I support this product completely, and we will definitely be trying the other flavors. It's warm, but still crunchy, fast to make, full of good-for-you ingredients, and it's delicious. What's not to love?  Quaker also makes this in Apple Cinnamon and Honey Almond flavors.

You can learn more about the Warm & Crunchy Granola by visiting the Quaker website.  You can also follow along on Facebook, G+,  and/or Twitter.

Monday, March 10, 2014

$10 for a Transatlantic Flight??!??


Even on the plane (before a flight) or at the airport for a layover (mugging a silly face),
my daughter loves to be on the phone.
And Kenya if you're reading, the one on the left is her mom's super cool tracphone,
and yes, someday I'll update (I think). :) 

Ryan Air offers inexpensive flights...very inexpensive flights.  We once used them to go from London to Glasgow, and then back again.  It was definitely a no-frills flight. The seating was first-come, first-serve, and delays were to be considered very, very common.  We were on vacation, and the flights were less than $20 each way, so we didn't mind a bit.

Today I read the same airline is very seriously considering transatlantic flights from approximately 12 to 14 cities in the U.S. to approximately the same number of cities in Europe, for $10.

$10?!?!?? hahahahahaha!! HA!

The article I read can be found here.

The first thing that came to mind for me is safety.  I have very precious cargo on the airplane with me, most trips (my family).  Would I feel safe on an airline that had cut costs so drastically? I don't think that's an unfair question to instantly come to mind, and for me the answer is no.

That very important matter aside, the next thought that comes to mind is excess fees.  That airline is already notorious for tacking on fees any and everywhere possible to make up for low fares.  I shudder to think what baggage fees would be on an overseas flight, a hundred dollars per pound?? Would there be fees to click your seatbelt? Kidding (sort of).  Seriously, the costs would have to be made up somewhere, and if costs aren't transparent (especially if they take you by surprise) they feel, for lack of a better term, sneaky.

You can't get from your house to the grocery store in some cases, on ten dollars worth of gas, much less fly across an ocean.  Not to mention the no-frills flight may be fine for very short-term flying, but might not be quite so tolerable for a long-term flight.

I'm not on board with this one.
Would a $10 transatlantic flight fly with you?
Both puns intended. ;)

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Heat Your Feet with The Warming Store

Disclosure: We received a pair of socks to help facilitate the review. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.
My son is outside for a good portion of the day, in any and all kinds of weather.
My oldest son spends a good portion of his work day outside.  As some of you might know from previous posts, part of his duties in the military right now entails being involved in the funeral processions that take place at Arlington National Cemetery.

This horse has the same name as his next in age brother, so he felt the need to
take this picture and make that fact known (to, of course, that particular brother). ;)
When he is not taking part in a transfer or a ceremony, he is tending to the horses. His day starts very early in the morning, and he has to be outside in all types of weather.

While I am sure he would like nice (weather) days like in the photos above, that is not always the case.  More often than not, they're dealing with rain, cold, ice, sleet, and/or snow.

Everyone knows once your feet get cold, that's all she wrote.  The rest of you feels cold, no matter what you do.  So what can be done to keep those feet warm?

Head over to The Warming Store. The Warming Store has got their tootsies, and whatever other area(s) they might need, covered.

There are warming socks that take disposable batteries like the Grabber Socks shown below...

The Grabber Socks run on 'D' batteries and come in different sizes
The Warming Store

If you are in need of mild heating, these are the way to go.  These would be great for things like walking the dog in the winter, doing yard work, etc.

Gerbing's Battery Heated Sock Liners
And there are some that run on rechargeable batteries too! These are designed with a moisture wicking, 4-way stretch fabric that conforms to the shape of your foot.  They come with four different heat settings, and generate some serious heating power!  If you're in bitter cold weather, this is a selection you're going to want to consider.

Gerbing's Battery Heated Sock Liners sold at The Warming Store

Package Includes:
2 Sock Liners (1 pair)
2 Rechargeable Batteries
1 Charger
2 Leg Straps/Clips
Sock Harness

There are other socks to choose from too. In fact, there is a whole array of items to look through that serve every warming function you could possibly need.  There are warming slippers, ski boot liners, motorcycle attire, and heated gloves (just to name a few of The Warming Store categories).

And in the summer, when it gets too hot???  You can head on over to My Cooling Store where the same company offers every single thing you need to stay cool in the very hot summer weather.

Both stores serve you well in keeping comfortable in extreme temperatures, and both are worth looking into if you know someone who spends a lot of time outside.

You can learn more about The Warming Store by visiting their website: http://www.thewarmingstore.com
You can visit My Cooling Store here: http://mycoolingstore.com

Follow The Warming Store on Twitter and/or Facebook.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Frankenmuth, Michigan

Not too long ago I blogged about our stay at the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Today I want to share some pictures from the town because it's so unusual, so welcoming, and such a great place to go to refresh and recharge.


Located in Saginaw County, Frankenmuth is one of those places that is fun to visit any time of the year.