No matter how you will celebrate Mother’s Day, Simply Vera Vera Wang and Princess Vera Wang have trendy and affordable pieces at Kohl’s for any mom (or daughter).

This season, both lines have striking colors, often including splashes of neon, and accessories that look far more expensive than the actual price tag!

I played around with a trio of Simply Vera Vera Wang and Princess Vera Wang blazers in my office. Thanks, coworker, for indulging me in a photo sesh!

In NYC, the weather has FINALLY started to be picnic worthy…and Simply Vera Vera Wang and Princess Vera Wang both have great cute and practical options for outdoor dining, brunch, shopping, having a picnic, or going out to a show, or going out on the town.

Available exclusively at Kohl’s and Kohls.com, I have been wearing both brands for about a year now. It never fails that people want to know, “WHERE did you get that!?”

At Kohl’s!

My sweet friend (and twinsie) Ellen is giving away a $100 Kohl’s Gift Card on her blog! Go over there and enter by May 23rd! Win ya some so you can go pick out your own Vera Wang-designed treasures!

Family play can help children and parents keep physically fit and strengthen emotional bonds as well!

I had the opportunity to meet Active Family Project spokesperson Elisabeth Hasselbeck who is kicking off the Active Family campaign with Merck Consumer Care (MCC).

Elisabeth shared that she helps her kids get active by modeling an active lifestyle for them to see! Whether it be jogging with the baby in the stroller, or playing her husband in one-on-one basketball, the kids see that mom chooses to get moving!

To help plan your family playdates, Merck Consumer Care launched the Active Family Project Activity Finder, www.activefamilyproject.com, that helps you search for instant solutions for playtime in your area!

Enter a city and state and choose an activity category to search for a wide range of fun time destinations, along with some playtime facts and activity tips.

Are you ready to get active? Make the pledge now through May 26 on www.facebook.com/activefamilyproject, and you will be entered in a Facebook sweepstakes for four weeks of play-themed prizes!

“I received product samples and a $100 gift card from Merck Consumer Care, and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience. This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Merck Consumer Care.”

My Mom got hers from BloomNation.com, (i.e. The Etsy of flowers)!

BloomNation.com is convenient and awesome…you get a personalized experience of shopping “local” to the area of there the flowers will be delivered, but you can do it all online. Score-skascore-score!

USE COUPON CODE BLOOM20 for 20% off!

Every florist featured on BloomNation has received the company’s personal stamp of approval, and all of the florists are super talented, so you will find an EXTRA special arrangement for your loved ones.

Conventional floral wire sites post stock images, but on BloomNation you are looking at actual photos uploaded by that floral artisan.

I love this, and I especially love that I am supporting a LOCAL business with NO service fees!

BloomNation has a wide selection of quality arrangements at all price points, in more than 2,900 cities nationwide.

Check out BloomNation.com, visit Facebook.com/BloomNation and follow the BloomNation fun on Twitter.com/BloomNation.

The answer? What if you had luggage that killed bedbugs?

I’m telling you, it exists. And I have one.

ThermalStrike Heated Luggage Strikes The Bed Bugs

ThermalStrike is bed bug-proof luxury luggage that uses state-of-the-art infrared heat technology to actively kill bed bugs. That means that if there ARE bed bugs in your hotel, you WON’T bring them back into your HOME, where they do breed ya’ll.

ThermalStrike Heated Luggage Is Like A Gift From The Heavens

I have the 20 inch carry-on size, but also available is a 24 inch upright.

ThermalStrike luggage is TSA and FAA compliant and features an ultra-thin heating system with an integrated thermometer that automatically shuts off after it reaches Bug Killing Stage.

ThermalStrike’s polycarbonate blend outer shell is very durable, and I LOVE the telescopic aluminum handle.

Also handy are reinforced corner guards for those gentle tosses by luggage handlers, and an integrated TSA approved lock.

Has four 360 degree rotational wheels to make it sturdy and easy to maneuver, and makes for a really interesting subway ride.

It has two independently zippered packing spaces and an extra smaller pouch to help you stay organized, maximize packability, and kill bugs. (WOOHOO!).

ThermalStrike works by plugging the luggage into any standard 110v outlet, or use a converter for European outlets.

You can get it through distributors in the pest control industries or purchase directly at www.thermalstrike.com

Check out ThermalStrike on Facebook!

To giveaway I have a Protect-A-Bed BugLock Mattress Encasement (ARV $49.99-89.99, dependent upon size)!

One winner can select the size of their choice from Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King and California King, at depths of 9, 11 and 15 inches.

To enter, leave a comment telling me what size mattress cover you need to win!

Also, go enter on my sweet friend Jenn’s blog too for a second chance!

This giveaway will close at midnight on May 5th. I will email the winner and they will have 24 hours to respond. Good luck everyone!

I was given a ThermalStrike suitcase for the purposes of this review and was not otherwise compensated. All opinions are my own, and this suitcase is awesome. Not having bed bugs is also awesome.

I love going to Washington DC from NYC, it is so convenient and easy, but a whole different world once you get there. On March 21 I had a fun reason to travel to DC; it was the grand opening of a brand new Walgreens Flagship store at the corner of 7th and H in DC Chinatown.

This was a special occasion, a veritable red carpet with famous and influential DC residents. The store itself took center stage, with three levels of majesty.

The pharmacy and Take Care Clinic are at the basement level of this Walgreens Flagship store. The Take Care Clinic is a walk in clinic right inside the Walgreens. It has a set price list and accepts all kinds of patients, no matter their insurance.

In this pharmacy is an iPad equipped with a health guide to help customers navigate the wide range of health and wellness products and services.

Exciting to me is that the Take Care Clinic is open from 8am to 6pm on week days, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Isn’t it interesting how often times people don’t get sick during regular office hours? Thanks for being smart about this, Walgreens!

The Take Care Clinic at Walgreens has $29 physicals for sports and camps! And you can walk-in! Whoop!

On the street level is all of the food and goodies! Tawanna and I enjoyed the fresh UpMarket sushi! Yum Yum!

Have you heard of the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine?

You press these digital buttons to be your own Coke product mixologist and create the beverage of your choosing! I am partial to my vanilla-cherry-root beer cocktail!

Think you can do better? There are over 130 possible combinations!

There are hundreds of fresh food items, an Upmarket Cafe with a barista, and a juice and smoothie bar. Also see: some pretty fresh and tasty cupcakes.

Upstairs from the ground floor is an entire floor dedicated to the LOOK Boutique! It has a nail bar, and dozens of high end cosmetic, skin care, and hair care brands not typically found in drug stores.

Available at LOOK Boutique is Britain’s leading skin care brand, No7 by Boots.

No7 has all kinds of good stuff like anti-aging serums. I am pro-anti-aging! Does that make sense?

In all of the happiness, yummy food, and general excitement, I still took the time to do some celebratory Awkward Stretching with my pals:

There are tons of more pictures and even a few videos of my fun time at the brand new Washington DC Walgreens Flagship store on my Google+ Album!

Walgreens is doing a great job in providing comprehensive care options and health and daily living products for the Chinatown neighborhood in Washington, DC!

Check out more accounts from my buddies who were there!

World Travel Mom wrote about Corner of Happy and Healthy: Walgreens Flagship Store Washington DC

Musings from Me loved that Walgreens had it all!

I’m Not the Nanny had a joyous experience, and she liked my shoes!

A Parent in Silver Springs got her video skills on!

The Chatty Momma was there in all of her glory!

Check in with Walgreens on Facebook, @Walgreens on twitter, and Google Plus!

“I was invited to the opening of the Walgreens store opening by Collective Bias®
and Walgreens #CBias #SocialFabric All Opinions are my own!”

I have only not had breakfast a handful of times in my life, mostly because of medical fasting or sickness! But nearly one in five children across America do not have that choice, and they go without breakfast every day!

Wholesome breakfast has shown to help kids reach their full potential in the classroom. My children benefited from free breakfasts this past summer thanks to efforts by the the city government of NYC.

I have one child who is a super early riser (it has to be some kind of proclivity formed in the womb) and one sleepy head. The Early Riser gets up and pours his own cereal. The sleepy head requires being spoon fed because it is all he can do to open his mouth (and not his eyes). But either way, both children get full bellies before they go to school in the mornings.

Cold cereal is a great breakfast option for kids because they get calcium and protein from the milk, and fiber from the whole grains!

In the 3rd annual Share Breakfast movement, Kellogg’s and Action for Healthy Kids® are making it easy for families everywhere to join in the effort to share one million breakfasts to children.

Kellogg’s and celebrity spokesperson, Taye Diggs, are leading the charge to help end childhood hunger and are rallying families across the U.S. to help provide breakfast for kids in need.

When you complete tasks such as sharing videos, tweeting, “liking” or “pinning”, Kellogg’s will contribute up to $250,000 in grants to go towards school breakfast programs.

You can find the tasks on the Share Breakfast website

• Watch and share the Great Start Videos on ShareBreakfast.com
• Share the public service announcement with friends
• Share your “share” on your Facebook page
• Post on Twitter with #ShareBreakfast
• Share and Repin on Pinterest

I joined Kellogg’s in their mission to share breakfast during National Breakfast Week (March 4-8).

Kellogg’s sent me some tasty Frosted Mini Wheats, which I took to work to share with my small contingency of office mates.

I love Frosted Mini Wheats (especially with the strawberry frosting!) and my kids’ favorite cereal option is Fruit Loops! We all like to mix together several kinds of cereal in one bowl. It keeps things exciting, and gets us energized and powered up for an awesome day of being awesome. In the most awesome way possible.

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Kellogg’s. I received a product sample as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.”

But my life is more hectic than ever, yesterday I didn’t eat lunch…or get to go to the bathroom until late in the afternoon. But whatever.

Every since SheSpeaks sent me a big box of SunRype Fruit Strips, Just Fruit and Grain, and Fruit Source 100% Fruit Bars that don’t contain any artificial ingredients…I have been SNACKING IT UP!

Full disclosure: they have all been eaten at this point. Sad face.

I supportively (and reluctantly) shared some with my boyfriend so that he could experience the magic of having a healthy fruit snack in the daily brown bag (note: Brown Bag in this case is metaphorical because we completely use reusable lunch bags.)

I loved the taste of all of the SunRype fruit snacks (they come in cool flavors like Blueberry Pomegranate , but my favorite was the Just Fruit and Grain, because I felt that the grains gave me the extra UMPH to stay satiated for longer.

The taste is A+, and the convenience factor is perfect!

SunRype has a sweet offer on Facebook to help convert you into a healthy snacker! Visit http://www.facebook.com/SunRypeUsa/app_448589555162496 and sign up to receive a free SunRype product after you purchase one.

Learn more about SunRype on their website at http://www.sunrypeusa.com/ and on their
Facebook page!

Hand washing is super important for cold and flu prevention.

Children are taught to share playthings, but they can also pass on viruses that live on those toys for hours, like cold and flu viruses, and especially respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

RSV, a common and contagious seasonal virus, occurs in epidemics every fall through the spring.

RSV is something else to be aware of during cold and flu season… it causes moderate to severe cold-like symptoms, RSV affects two-thirds of all babies by age one and nearly 100% of babies by age two.

The first time I heard of RSV was when my hometown friend had to hospitalize her two year old with a severe case. I was shocked at the severity of the illness, a disease that I had never heard of! 

Don’t be shy about encouraging others to use hand sanitizer or keeping your distance when feeling under the weather…don’t worry about feeling like a jerk, the important thing is that our little ones are kept RSV-free during this high-risk season.

Visit RSVProtection.com to learn more! Stay healthy!

“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

In 2009, Le Bernardin was voted 15th best restaurant in the world in the Restaurant magazine Top 50.

Le Bernardin is one of only seven restaurants in New York awarded three Michelin stars,^[2] and is the restaurant which has held four stars from The New York Times for the longest period of time, having earned the ranking in early 1986.

I was completely enchanted by every part of the experience. I had never even seen a fancy wine tasting medallion like the super cool one Aldo Sohm wears. And he really went into detail about the difficulties of pairing wine with certain flavors, like cucumber or tomato. I was pretty enthralled and wanted to know more.

The first course was Wild Striped Bass Tartare. Being a southerner, I had some reservations about eating ANYTHING tartare, but this was a special, once-in-a-lifetime chance, so I went for it. It was (of course) delicious, and I didn’t get the heebie-jeebies that I was eating raw fish. 

The second course…was the first time I have ever eaten “foam”. That was pretty exciting…I mean foam is fancy! Perfection. 

You know how that even fish fans don’t like to eat “fishy fish”? The main course was a super non-offensive Crispy Black Bass with Peruvian Chicha Sauce. My photo is from before the sauce addition, but it was a lovely appealing light orange color. 

Finally the desert was a complete party in my mouth. Mousseline flavored by Earl Grey tea! Holy awesome! Every bite was different and amazing. 

After eating, we actually got to tour the kitchen of Le Bernardin! It was so inspiring to see the hustle, care, and mastery of every step in the line. 

Perhaps most amazing of all was the wine cellar…its hard to have a cellar in NYC, so this collection at Le Bernardin is very impressive. I also loved the evident joy that Aldo Sohm the Sommelier feels when spending time in the wine cellar!

I have talked about this amazing dinner to any of my friends who will listen…I am so SO grateful for this once in a lifetime meal and tour of Le Bernardin in NYC. I am inspired to become incredibly wealthy so that I can treat others to the same experience!

Thank you MasterCard!