3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires

Silly Monkey Stories: The Post-Photo Shoot Sillies

2013-05-21T00:18:00.001-04:00

Last week, I had done a mini photo shoot with our 3 children for a children's clothing review. As you may have guessed, this was not their first of such shoots. I actually do these photo shoots the same way I do their Holiday photos. I usually take photos of each child alone and then I photograph them all together. Usually they do a pretty good job for me and they actually have fun with

Shop 'n' Share Giveaway: Spring is in Full Swing with Brightly-Colored Fashions at Gymboree! ($75 GC)

2013-05-20T23:38:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Gymboree for providing a gift card for me to shop and share my experience with my readers and for providing an additional gift card for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own. Spring has only just begun to show itself here in Massachusetts. Our children are extremely excited about being able to wear short-sleeve tees (without a jacket), short pants, capris, skorts,

5 Tips for Shopping on Zulily

2013-05-18T23:03:00.000-04:00

Over the past few months, I have been exploring the various opportunity shopping sites online. Although there are many such sites I have yet to visit, so far I have shopped on Zulily, MyHabit, Beyond the Rack, Rue La La, Totsy, Ideeli, and a couple of others. Of all of them, I have to say that Zulily is my favorite. I think it's because they offer top brands (but not necessarily designer and

My Photos: Mother's Day Memories

2013-05-18T15:20:00.000-04:00

I know Mother's Day was nearly a full week ago, but I am just getting around to sharing my photos now. The one below was taken with my Nokia Lumia 920 Windows phone and the rest with my D-SLR. Sometimes I am amazed at the quality of the photos taken with my phone. When the light is just right, the photos really do come out wonderfully. I only wish it had a macro setting. It seems like every

New Engaging and Educational iOS Apps for Children

2013-05-17T23:52:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Super Duper Publications for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own. Super Duper Publications has long been one of my favorite websites for educational children’s toys, games, and more, but now Super Duper is stepping into the technology age with their learning apps for iOS devices. We were given three of their

Living Green With Jerinda: Using Probiotics to Improve Digestion, Energy Levels, the Immune System, and More

2013-05-15T22:33:00.002-04:00

Thank you to Ultimate Flora for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own. Probiotics are very good for you for many reasons; they help you digest and utilize nutrients, protect from toxins, and build your immune system. Unfortunately, many people just don’t know how healthy high potency probiotics are and how imbalanced the

Giveaway: Dishwasher and Laundry-Safe Name Labels by Name Bubbles (ARV $35)

2013-05-13T23:10:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Name Bubbles for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our contest prize. The spring and summer seasons mean more than balmy weather and school vacation to me. They also mean new warm-weather clothes, shoes, and gear for my children. For some parents, it also means sending their children to summer camp.

The Festival Look . . . a Fun and Flattering Summer Fashion Trend

2013-05-11T17:56:00.003-04:00

Video provided by Kohl's. No compensation was received for sharing this video with my readers. As summertime approaches, some women cannot wait to put on their swimsuits and strappy sundresses, while others shudder at the thought of facing the challenge of finding stylish and figure-flattering pieces for their summertime wardrobe. Sofia Wacksman, Vice President of Trend for Kohl's, has

Living Green With Jerinda: Gobblet and Fastrack . . . Two Fun New All-Wooden Board Games

2013-05-10T21:54:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Blue Orange Games for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own. We have long loved Blue Orange Games. They are a company that strives to be eco-friendly and provide games that are fun, long lasting, and usually compact as well. So when Blue Orange offered me the chance to review more of their amazing games, I

Giveaway: Want Culinary Freedom? . . . Follow in Melissa d’ Arabian's Footsteps by Cooking with LACTAID Products

2013-05-09T23:54:00.000-04:00

This post was written as part of a paid campaign for TheMotherhood.com. All opinions expressed are my own. In our household, only one out of the five members of our family is lactose intolerant. Yes, that one member is me. I'm not exactly sure when my body stopped making enough lactase to break down the lactose I consume. I sure miss the days when I could sit down and eat a whole pint of

Can't Figure Out How Your Children Grew Up So Quickly? . . . Relive Those Precious Moments Through Photos

2013-05-08T23:15:00.000-04:00

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. This photo was taken on Mother's Day 2010! Our twins were just 3 years old then and their big brother only 6. Can you believe how much they have changed over the past 3 years? It is actually extremely easy for me to remember what our children were like

Find Minecraft and Other Cool Kids T-Shirts at T-Shirts.com!

2013-05-08T08:43:00.000-04:00

Thank you to T-Shirts.com for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own. Of the 200+ kids' t-shirts available on T-Shirts.com, our 6 year old son chose the Kids Minecraft Creeper Inside T-Shirt as his favorite . . . eventually. For the 20 minutes prior, he pointed to every Iron Man t-shirt, every Spider-Man t-shirt, every

Silly Monkey Stories: How to Wake a Sleeping Baba (a.k.a. Daddy)

2013-05-07T08:30:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, our family had plans to go out to run a few errands before dinner. My husband had gone to take a nap and, by 4pm, there still were no signs of him waking up. I asked my children to start getting ready to go and our 6 year old daughter asked me when her Baba would be getting up. I said I was not sure, but maybe we had better wake him up. She quickly volunteered to do it. Before

Giveaway: 4 Fun New Learning and Developmental Games from Super Duper Publications (Winner's Choice!)

2013-05-06T21:55:00.002-04:00

Thank you to Super Duper Publication for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own. Super Duper Publications specializes in fun learning materials for kids and so far we’ve not been disappointed with their products. The game, Lids n’ Lizards, helps children practice

AeroShot Energy is a Easy, Quick, Portable, No-Mess, No Calorie Way to Get a Caffeine Fix for an Energy Boost (#cbias)

2013-05-06T08:29:00.001-04:00

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions expressed are my own. When you hear the term "pulling an all-nighter," you often think of college students studying. However, running on little to no sleep is something parents do all the time. I get

My Photos: Artwork Produced By Our 9 Year Old Son

2013-05-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

This week, our children's elementary school will be hosting their annual Student Art Show. Our 9 year old son brought home his art portfolio filled with the works of art that was not included in this year's show. He has always been very talented and has even had one of his pieces included in a student art show at the Worcester Museum of Art when he was just 7 years old. I know I may be biased

Tech Tips: Walmart Family Mobile is a Cheap Wireless Plan That's Unlimited with No Contract (#FamilyMobileSaves #cbias)

2013-05-05T00:33:00.000-04:00

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Walmart Family Mobile. #FamilyMobileSaves #cbias #SocialFabric. All opinions expressed are my own. I just set up my Walmart Family Mobile phone and I will say straight away it could not have been more simple to do. All you need

How to Turn the Customizable "M by Staples Arc System" Notebook into a Blogging Organizer (Free Printables)

2013-05-04T14:31:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Staples for providing complimentary product samples to facilitate this project. All opinions expressed are my own. For the past four years or so, I have been using a serious day planner. By "serious" I mean that it had two pages per day, a pocket for my portable drive, a complete A to Z address book, sleeves for business cards, and more. This organizer was so cumbersome that I

"It All Started with a Turtle" . . . A Children's Book about Lemonade Day

2013-05-03T21:19:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Lisa Holthouse for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own. It All Started with a Turtle is a new book by P&P Publishing that teaches a life lesson to kids. When young Lissa decided she wanted a pet turtle, her dad said she’d have to earn the money herself and so she started a lemonade stand. What Lissa learned

Keeping Our Family's Allergies Under Control with the Help of #MyAllerGenius, Allegra, and CVS

2013-05-03T11:31:00.003-04:00

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and ALLEGRA® #cbias #SocialFabric #MyAllerGenius. All opinions expressed are my own. My husband and I both suffer from allergies year-round, but the symptoms are especially severe during the Spring and Summer months due to the high

Free Comic Book Day Falls on Saturday, May 4th This Year (May the 4th Be With You!)

2013-05-03T00:24:00.001-04:00

Thank you to DC Entertainment for providing complimentary product samples to facilitate this post. All opinions expressed are my own. Nothing feeds an imagination like comic books, for both the young and the old. I read hundreds of comic books as a young adult and can say they brought me to some amazing places. As you can imagine, I am thrilled that my oldest son, Jake, is starting to share

Finding Balance With Asperger's: Conversational Card Games for Developing Social Skills

2013-05-02T23:47:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Super Duper Publications for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own. Getting to know people is something that my 6 year old Aspie, Quinn, has trouble with. Kids on the spectrum tend to have trouble knowing what questions to ask or even know they should ask questions when interacting with others. Social cues are

How to Have a Fun Family Game Night Pretzel Party with Snyder's of Hanover and Mattel Board Games

2013-05-01T23:37:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Snyder's of Hanover and to Mattel for providing complimentary product samples to help us plan our event. All opinions expressed are my own. You've probably heard me complain before about how infrequently we get to plan a Family Game Night at our house. When I was invited to plan a Family Game Night Pretzel Party with the help of Snyder's of Hanover pretzels and Mattel board games

3 Easy Marshmallow Pretzel Dip Recipes

2013-05-01T21:52:00.004-04:00

Last year when my family celebrated National Pretzel Day, I bought two jars of gourmet dip and some Nutella to use as pretzel dip. Our children did not really seem too crazy about any of the dips I chose, so I decided to come up with a must-win pretzel dip that was super-kid-friendly. You know me though . . . whatever I make, it has to be easy with few ingredients and not a lot of prep work.

Giveaway: Lisa & Lulu Cerone Join Forces with Monster High to Inspire "Ghouls Helping Ghouls" Philanthro-Parties [CLOSED]

2013-04-29T22:03:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Monster High for providing a very special Ghouls Helping Ghouls package to myself and one 3G2S reader to help inspire our favorite ghouls to turn their passion into action by giving back. All opinions expressed are my own. Since the age of 10, Lulu Cerone has been a mentor to young children after having raised over $4,000 for the earthquake victims in Haiti. She did this by