3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires

Silly Monkey Stories: Where Is Your Off Button?

2013-06-18T08:30:00.000-04:00

You parents will know that kids can often be....rambunctious (to say the very least!) and this Father's Day was no exception. In the morning we went out for breakfast and as always when we prepare to leave the house mayhem ensues. As I am herding the children into the proper seats my oldest Jake says: “Don’t you wish we had an off button like the t-shirt you have says?” This in itself

The New Air Wick National Parks Collection Includes Nature-Inspired Scented Oils, Candles, and More

2013-06-17T15:34:00.002-04:00

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Air Wick. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating. With multiple cats and other pets plus three children constantly leaving unrinsed dirty dishes (including milk glasses) in the sink, our house can possess a very "special" odor at times. This is especially

Learn Interesting Facts About Your Own Home, the Earth, and Outer Space from the Time for Kids "Big Book of Where"

2013-06-16T23:15:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Time Home Entertainment Inc. and TIME For Kids for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own. The Time for Kids Big Book of Where is very similar to the other books in the Big Book series. They all contain more than 100 facts about things. Another way that they are similar is they all contain awesome photos. The

Giveaway: Celebrate National Candy Month with New Varieties of Werther's Original Sugar Free Caramel Candy ($25 GC)

2013-06-14T23:38:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Storck USA for providing a complimentary prize pack for us to base this review upon and for providing a second prize pack for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own. June is National Candy Month and what better way to celebrate than with some guilt-free candy? My family received a sampling of 4 varieties of Werther's Original Sugar Free Caramels, which only have 3g

Get Your iPhone Summer-Ready with One of the 1700+ iPhone Cases Offered by Best Buy

2013-06-14T22:45:00.000-04:00

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. The first day of summer will soon be upon us. What does that mean for us parents? It means more frequent trips to the park, to the beach, to the mall, and to play dates. In turn, what does this mean for our mobile phones, who have spent the last 3 seasons

Weekend Wishlist: Skechers, KidKraft, DC Comics, and More!

2013-06-14T12:10:00.000-04:00

It's Friday! That means I've been browsing the new sales on Zulily. I love shopping on the weekends because I only pay shipping on my first order and get free shipping on everything else from Friday through midnight on Sunday. If you read last week's Weekend Wishlist, then you'll know I was pretty disappointed that the 'Who's There?' Owl Doormat I had saved in my wishlist sold out so quickly.

Giveaway: Papa Gino's Pizzeria Pasta Family Meals Make Family Dinners Fast and Easy

2013-06-13T23:42:00.002-04:00

Thank you to Papa Gino's Inc. for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing a free product coupon for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own. I make no secret of the fact that our family is a busy one. There are evenings when my husband is running late coming home from work and I am buried in deadlines or I am with my children at

Words to Live By (List No. 2)

2013-06-11T11:58:00.000-04:00

I came across a few inspirational quotes about courage I would like to share. These are all things I would say to my own children (if they'd only slow down and really listen to me). My list today is short, but the last words of wisdom is quite long. It is a different take on the concept of house rules. Instead of concentrating on what those living in the house should not do, it lists out

Giveaway: Aeromax Pretend Play Summertime Toys (Winner's Choice)

2013-06-10T23:13:00.002-04:00

Thank you to Aeromax, Inc for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing a second product for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own. Kids can now go on their own journey to outer space with the new Jr. Space Explorer Inflatable Space Shuttle from Aeromax Toys. This fun space shuttle has lots of realistic looking features like an

Giveaway: Customize a Visa Gift Card with a Photo plus a Personalized Message on GiftCard.com ($40 GC)

2013-06-10T22:14:00.001-04:00

Thank you to GiftCard.com for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own. I make no secret of it that I am just a fool for personalized gifts. It used to be that personalized gifts cost quite a bit more due to extra fees, but thanks to technology, that is no longer

"Ricky's Dream Trip" . . . the Perfect Book Series for a Grandfather and a Grandchild to Share on Father's Day

2013-06-10T10:19:00.002-04:00

The following is a compensated post for The Motherhood. All opinions expressed are my own. I spent a great deal of time with my grandfather growing up. I think for many years, I probably spent more time with him than my father. Some (most?) of my fondest memories are of times spent with my grandfather or of stories he used to tell me of his days growing up. I remember the day he gave me

My Photos: Our Two Sons Warming Up for Next Weekend's Taekwondo Belt Tests

2013-06-09T23:54:00.002-04:00

Both our boys have their belt tests coming up for taekwondo this Friday and Saturday. They had their pre-test the week before last. Our youngest, who is 6, was a little nervous. Although he had tested and earned a belt promotion once before, he is needlessly unsure of himself at times. Still, he impressed me by knowing a form that I can't even remember even though I've watched all 3 of my

The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation is Currently Accepting Applications for Children's Medical Grants

2013-06-09T11:58:00.000-04:00

As a family of five trying to make ends meet in this struggling economy, we understand too well what hardship any unplanned medical expenses can cause. Even though we are covered under my husband's medical insurance through his employer, anything that is not routine is not covered 100%. Even if the coverage is 80% for non-routine medical attention, tests, and procedures, that 20% of a large

Kangaroo Island Photo Classifying App . . . A Learning iPad App That Grows With Your Child

2013-06-07T21:59:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Super Duper Publications for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own. Super Duper Publications has come out with another amazing app, Kangaroo Island Photo Classifying. This app takes sorting to a new and fun level with 6 entertaining games that sort and classify 336 items into 15 different categories such as

Weekend Wishlist: Paul Frank, 'Best Dad' T-Shirt, Nifty Home Products, and More!

2013-06-07T14:31:00.000-04:00

It's Friday! That means I've been browsing the new sales on Zulily. I love shopping on the weekends because I only pay shipping on my first order and get free shipping on everything else from Friday through midnight on Sunday. I found the cutest owl doormat yesterday, added it to my wishlist, and this morning it was all sold out already. I did ask to be emailed the next time it becomes

Giveaway: Popar Toys’ Augmented Reality Books for iOS or Android Devices (Winner's Choice) [CLOSED]

2013-06-06T23:25:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Popar Books for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own. We are tech people here in my home (as most of my readers already know), so when Popar Books offered me one of their “Augmented Reality” (AR) books, Bugs 3D, I was excited to try out this new

Words to Live By (List No. 1)

2013-06-06T10:32:00.002-04:00

When I was younger, I thought inspirational quotes were a little corny and just something employers would hang on the walls around the office. Now that I'm almost 40 . . . well, I do still think many of them are corny, but I can also see the wisdom behind some of them. As a parent, I read these messages and hope that someday my children will be this wise. I also hope that it doesn't take them

"The Way Way Back" . . . the Perfect Summer Vacation Movie (Coming to Theaters July 5th) #TheWayWayBack

2013-06-05T22:36:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Fox Searchlight for providing this trailer and information to share with my readers and for sending me a promotional item as a thank you for taking the time to participate in this campaign. Looking for the perfect summer film that's both funny, heartwarming, and family-friendly? Take two minutes to watch this trailer of The Way Way Back, a coming of age film starring Steve Carell

Silly Monkey Stories: First Encounter with Baby Corn

2013-06-04T01:01:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, we went to a restaurant for dinner to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday. My parents chose a Chinese restaurant that they particularly enjoy because of the authentic cuisine they serve. Our 6 year old daughter is usually open to trying new foods. When we go to such restaurants, she often has the chance to try something new. Some of the new food she gets to try is a little

Giveaway: Say "Merci For All You Do" with a merci European Chocolates End-of-the-Year Teacher's Gift [CLOSED]

2013-06-03T23:38:00.002-04:00

Thank you to merci for providing a complimentary prize pack for us to base this review upon and for providing additional products for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own. In some parts of the country, summer vacation has already begun for students. Where we live, however, students have 3 more weeks of school to look forward to. They actually lost 5 days of summer vacation

Walmart Family Mobile Let's You Pair Today's Top Smartphones with a Cheap Wireless Plan #FamilyMobileSaves #shop #cbias

2013-06-02T21:37:00.000-04:00

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study on a new cheap wireless plan for Collective Bias and their client Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions expressed are my own. I have been using my Walmart Family Mobile Samsung Galaxy S3 for about a month now and I am still just as impressed now with my

TKD Kid Review: KIDZ BOP Party Hits CD

2013-06-01T15:59:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Kidz Bop for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own. In the past, I have gotten a lot of Kidz Bop CDs. This new Kidz Bop Party Hits CD is my 6th. Each song on this CD is dance music. I had fun listening to this CD with my brother and sister. My favorite song was Party Rock Anthem. I liked this song because

Weekend Wishlist: Make Love Not Trash, David & Goliath, DC Comics Swimwear, and More!

2013-05-31T10:44:00.000-04:00

As I had mentioned on my post "6 Tips for Shopping on Zulily", I make it a point to checkout the new sales on Zulily on Fridays because you get free shipping on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after paying shipping on the first order. Since there is such a vast quantity of items on sale during any given time, I always add things I like to my wishlist as I see them. Then I won't need to go back to

Giveaway: Block Out the World with the SOL Republic Master Tracks Over-Ear Headphones (ARV $199.99)

2013-05-30T23:07:00.000-04:00

Thank you to SOL Republic for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing a second product for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own. Warning: This article contains blatant gushing and adoration for my new headphones. You have been warned. I do promise however, to disclose a few imperfections to help this review be as objective

The Valentina Teagan Ballet Flat . . . a Shoe for the Sweet, Smart, and Confident Girl

2013-05-29T23:24:00.003-04:00

Thank you to Valentina Shoes for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own. Our 6 year old daughter is a girl who loves to look stylish, but she also values comfort. If she tries out a pair of shoes that constantly lets wood chips fall into them at the playground, then she will not wear them to school again, no matter how cute