Rave and Review

Prince Lionheart Back Seat Organizer and Two Stage Seatsaver {Review & Giveaway}

2012-05-31T23:55:52-07:00

Travel season is on the horizon, and with it will come hours and hours in the car with my littles. While they are both pretty awesome even for long periods of driving, I really wish our car was set up better for road trips, big and small. Since we’re not upgrading our ride anytime soon, for the past few months I’ve been seeking out products that can make our current car work better for us. Because both kids are habitual packrats, the first thing I knew I needed was a place to put all their stuff. From “vrooms” to snacks to lip gloss, it feels like there are a million things they both insist upon bringing with them everywhere we go, which usually fall in...

I Love Cost Plus World Market {Red, White & Blue in London Sweepstakes}

2012-05-29T23:57:57-07:00

I never thought much about American pride until I had kids. Sure, I was proud to be an American, I admired and thanked our troops, and I didn’t take all of our many freedoms for granted, but I never really sat and thought about what it meant to have American pride. But, as my daughter gets older and I find myself explaining why we thank our active duty military and why what Uncle Nathan does is so amazing, I realize I could stand to think more about what it means to be an American and pass that along to my kids. With so many patriotic holidays and events coming up in the next few months, this seemed a great time as any to plan a...

Stanley Steemer Carpet Cleaning {Giveaway}

2012-05-26T23:37:14-07:00

In terms of things that I get excited about, a clean house has got to be in the top 5. Talk about sanitizing, deep cleaning, or disinfecting and you can bet you have my full attention. It’s this reason that I actually look forward to spring cleaning each year and giving each room a complete overhaul. But while I’ve got an arsenal of vacuums, sweepers, dusters, and cleansers, there’s one thing I absolutely hate cleaning, and that’s carpets. When my husband and I were in the building process, we decided that we would save money by going with cheaper carpets since we knew kids were in our near future and we figured they would trash our carpets and we could upgrade once they were older....

Harlem Globetrotters Announces Summer Skills Clinics {Coupon Code}

2012-05-26T14:51:03-07:00

We love the Harlem Globetrotters here at Rave Central. We've gone to see them two years in a row now with my niece and nephew and we always have so much fun. Even though they {and my husband and I} are on the older spectrum of Globetrotter fans, we always leave smiling and raving about how great all the players are - well, except the Generals, that is - and usually have a story about how someone there went out of their way to show us a good time. We, of course, are looking forward to their upcoming 2013 tour, but this year we are also super excited because they just announced the Harlem Globetrotters Summer Skills Clinics for boys and girls ages 6-14. These...

Celebrate Memorial Day with FREE Shipping from Step2!

2012-05-26T11:54:00-07:00

To celebrate their American heritage, every (yes, every!) Step2 item ships FREE now through Monday, Memorial Day (5/28). No coupon coded needed. Free shipping is reflected on the product pages. Not valid on Canadian shipments or Infantino items. In addition, their Weekend Deal started one day early this week. The Grand Walk-In Kitchen is just $188 + FREE shipping with coupon code S2GW512 now through Monday, Memorial Day (5/28). That’s over $70 off the original price!

DIY No-Sew Flower Girl Tutu Dresses

2012-05-23T00:44:47-07:00

AKA - why I have been MIA. My cousin got married last Friday to her boyfriend of 6 years and she asked my daughter to be one of her 4 flower girls {yes, I know... FOUR flower girls! What can I say, we have a big family and we are lucky to have four little 3-4 year old princesses}. While brainstorming ideas for dresses for the 4 of them, my cousin mentioned she thought tutus would be cute. I agreed, and started scouring the internet to find something wedding-worthy we could buy. Unfortunately, we found that tutu flower girl dresses are EXPENSIVE, so we started looking at buying some regular flower girl dresses off the racks instead. When we weren't finding something the bride loved,...

The Secret World of Arrietty Arrives on DVD and Blu-ray Today!

2012-05-22T20:12:00-07:00

A few months ago, we got a chance to see "The Secret World of Arrietty" in theatres, and ever since then my daughter has been talking about the movie nonstop. The movie is based off of one of my favorite childhood stories, The Borrowers, and is the best adaptation of the book that I have ever seen. If you aren’t familiar with the story, it’s about a family of miniature people who secretly live under the floor boards of an old garden home and only come out to “borrow” what they need to survive. After I saw how taken my daughter was with the film after just one viewing, we decided we were going to make our own little Arrietty world with her fairy house...

Switch & Save with GE Energy Efficient Light Bulbs {#CBias #SocialFabric #GELighting}

2012-05-22T16:47:26-07:00

Most people pay almost no attention to the lighting in their houses. But, as a photographer, light is a big part of what I do. Not only does it set the tone for a room, it can make or break your indoor pictures quicker than almost anything else. So, when my husband first mentioned going from 65 watt incandescent light bulbs to 15 watt CFL light bulbs in our new house to save money, my original thought was no way. I’ll admit I was picturing the beautiful and pristine house we had both fallen in love with replaced with a dark and dimly lit house that was merely a shadow of its former beauty and I didn’t even want to consider it. Not even to...

My First Crayola Art Supplies {Review, Giveaway & Coupon Offer}

2012-05-18T01:58:34-07:00

I think it’s good for kids to get messy. I wholeheartedly encourage my kids to dig in the dirt, cover their hands with paint, and generally make messes. But, while there is a time and a place for getting dirty {for instance, when a bath is in the near future}, there are many times that a big mess is the last thing I want {for instance, when I’m trying to get dinner on the table}. Not one to stifle a creative inclination just because I don’t have time to clean up after, I love Crayola’s new line of beginner arts and crafts products called My First Crayola that bring out the inner Van Gough without all the mess. From crayons that don’t roll all the...

50+ Fun Things To Do on a JumpSport Trampoline

2012-05-14T15:05:47-07:00

Living in the Pacific Northwest, there’s really only one ingredient you need to make your backyard the coolest one in the neighborhood: a trampoline. Maybe it’s our unpredictable weather or maybe it’s that we just like to get up and get moving, but whatever the reason, the ageless appeal of a trampoline beckons like no other. Don’t believe me? Check out the fun that just arrived in our backyard and look at this happy face jumping on the new JumpSport Elite Trampoline. As a parent, there are a few things I am adamant about, the first of which is that I will teach my kids that getting outside and staying active can be fun. Or, make that really, really fun. What better way to teach...