Holiday Gift Guide - Massage Envy

The holiday season is a beautiful time filled with friends, family, holiday music, shopping, wrapping and so much more! While we all enjoy the festivities.... we can also find ourselves stressed, tired, cold, and a little cranky. Let's face it... the holidays are a lot of work!

I have discovered a great way to make some time for myself and ease the aches and pains that come from my stress and constant running around! I spent 2 glorious hours at the Massage Envy location in Florham Park, NJ. From the moment I walked in to the bright, quiet reception area I could feel myself relax as I looked forward to the treatments awaiting me.

I was about to receive a 1 hour massage and a 1 hour facial. I was greeted cheerfully at the main desk where they checked me in and gave me a couple of forms to fill out. On these forms I was able to make note of any areas that I wanted to focus on, areas to avoid, how much pressure I wanted, and more. It was thorough without being too lengthy.

Once I was done I was taken on a quick tour to give a feel for the room I would be in. Since I was having two treatments done I was put in a dual service room that has a sink. This was really nice because it meant that I didn't have to change rooms. They explained how the beds were heated (ahhh, love it!) and the music, lights, and bed temperature could all be adjusted at my request. It was nice to know all of that up front so that when I was getting settled I knew what could be adjusted.

I then sat down to go over my form to make sure they knew everything they needed to know to make my experience the most enjoyable and beneficial. Then the fun part... my massage and facial!

My therapist was incredible knowledgeable and thoughtful She checked in several times to make sure the pressure she was using was just right and that everything was how I wanted it. She totally put me at ease and made the experience very enjoyable. When she was done with the massage she was able to fill me in on where my trouble spots are and how often she would recommend I come in to manage my concerns and any concerns she came across.

The facial was an eye opening experience for me. My therapist talked to me in depth about my daily routine for my face and what kind of skin I had. She gave me tips and tricks to help me improve on the health and overall appearance of my skin. She made a note of what products she used and why. This way I could purchase anything I wanted to incorporate at home right at the front desk.

I had a fabulous experience at Massage Envy. From start to finish the staff made me feel comfortable. My therapist knew her stuff and left me feeling refreshed, revitalized, and ready to take on the rest of my day! I have since made some major changes to my skin care routine, as per her recommendations, and have seen dramatic changes. I feel like my skin is more hydrated and even then it was before. I will definitely be returning to take care of my stress and skin.

Massage Envy is the perfect holiday gift for someone else....or for yourself! And if you are in the New Jersey region you can take advantage of this fantastic holiday deal.... purchase a $100 gift card and receive a complimentary 1/2 hour upgrade!

My mother-in-law got me a Massage Envy gift card once and it was the best gift! It was easy to use and made for a perfect day out for me! With two kids... me time is hard to come by!

* I received complimentary services in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

Holiday Gift Guide - World Vision Gift Catalog

Tis the season to be giving! I am trying to teach my children that giving is better than receiving. There are so many wonderful ways to give during the holiday season... but World Vision is a unique and special way to give to the ones you love while also giving to those in need.

The World Vision Gift Catalog is filled with unique gift ideas that will make a difference around the world. Did you know that about 400 million children in the world under the age of 13 live in extreme poverty? This statistic is very upsetting, but there are things that we can do to help.... "This Christmas shoppers can help fight poverty by improving the lives of children with life-saving gifts from the 2014 World Vision Catalog."

You can give a child a backpack filled with essential school supplies, gift a goat that will provide milk to a family in need, donate to disaster relief and more. Or you can shop from the unique handcrafted gifts.

You can purchase jewelry, fair-trade coffee, purses, scarves and more. Check out these gorgeous serving spoons....

By purchasing these serving spoons you are directly helping orphans of the Kamba tribe in Kenya. "Each one is unique - just like the children they help." What an amazing way to give gifts and help others.

World Vision makes it easy to make donations towards specific needs and/or purchase handcrafted gifts.  Each item has a complete description on how you are helping others. This is the 19th year that World Vision has had a Gift Catalog. The gifts range in price, but they are holiday budget friendly with over 30 gifts that are $35 or less.

You can learn more at the World Vision Website. Take a look and see if there is a cause or item that speaks to you this holiday season.

* I received a promotional item in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Holiday Gift Guide - Softsoap Limited Edition Body Washes

I love getting into the holiday spirit any way I can. And this year I was able to add amazing body wash into my holiday routine. Soaftsoap has introduced 3 amazing limited edition scents for us all to enjoy this holiday season. 

Each one offers it's own unique and refreshing scent, all while keeping your skin hydrated and feeling soft during the harshest time of year. The cold weather has come in where I live and I am loving the fact that my skin feels great after using this body wash!

Softsoap® brand  Alpine Mint Frost
Lose yourself in the beauty of winter with Softsoap® brand limited edition Alpine Mint Frost body wash. Its revitalizing scent of Cool Winter Mint will leave your skin feeling soft and smooth all winter long.

Softsoap® brand Parisian Berry Bliss
Celebrate the spirit of the season with Softsoap® brand limited edition Parisian Berry Bliss body wash. This moisturizing formula leaves skin feeling soft and smooth, while the festive scent of red winter berries leaves you ready to enjoy winter.

Softsoap® brand Venetian Vanilla Spice
Embrace the magic of the winter season with Softsoap® brand limited edition Venetian Vanilla Spice body wash. Let the invigorating scent of Sweet Vanilla & Spices infuse your shower to leave you with soft and smoother skin all winter long.

My favorite is the Parisian Berry Bliss, but I have to say they are all fantastic! This would make the perfect stocking stuffers... or a little holiday treat for yourself! I highly recommend checking these limited edition scents out before they are gone.

Available for a limited time at Walmart from October until December 2014

* I received free products in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Holiday Gift Guide - Chuggington: Snow Rescue on DVD December 9th

I have a huge Chuggington fan at home... so I know this will be a hit in our house!

 On December 9th, Chuggington: Snow Rescue is traveling home to 

DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment and Ludorum! 

This all new winter collection is a must-have for your little conductor this holiday season!

And be sure to check out the fun activities!

Holiday GIVEAWAY - Frozen Sing-Along DVD

I am so excited to bring you one of the hottest gifts this holiday season! 

And you can enter to win it right here on Momma Drama!

Available NOW on DVD!

Experience Frozen, the hit musical comedy from Walt Disney Animation Studios, like never before in a new to DVD, full-length Sing-Along Edition! Follow the lyrics with a bouncing Frozen snowflake. Join Anna as she sets off on an epic journey – teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and a snowman named Olaf – to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. It’s pure enchantment – and full of fun for the whole family!

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Holiday Books from Sterling Children's Books!

I love to give books as gifts during the holiday season. They provide children with adventures and excitement while encouraging a love for reading. In our house, we keep a giant basket out all year. I fill it with books that are specific to the holiday or season. Then when it's time to pick a bedtime story the kids can pick a favorite from their bookshelves or a special book from the basket. At Christmas time that basket is overflowing! We have so many magical books about the holiday season.... and we love each one. Adding to that basket each year is so important to me. New stories, new adventures, and new memories to be made as we share these beautiful books!

This year, Sterling Children's Books has helped me add some truly fabulous books to our holiday basket! Check out the newest holiday titles and be sure to add them to your collection or share them with a special child in your life.

A Pirate's Night Before Christmas

Philip Yates

illustrated by Sebastia Serra

Come aboard, young mateys, for a humorous, colorful, and thoroughly piratical retelling of "The Night Before Christmas!" On a ship of mischievous brigands, you wouldn't expect a visit from jolly St. Nick. Instead, here comes Sir Peggedy driving eight giant sea horses.

My Thoughts:

This book is so clever! The sing-songy rhyme of "The Night Before Christmas" inspires this silly tale of pirates preparing for the big arrival of Sir Peggady. While it's filled with pirate language and humor, and rolls smoothly off your tongue, perhaps the best part of this book is in the illustrations! Each page is filled with a colorful and bright look into the pirate world. My kids loved looking closely at each illustration and pointing out all the clever and whimsical things going on in this magical world. 

When, When, When Will it Be Christmas?

Cathy MacLennan

Come celebrate with this festive picture book from Cathy MacLennan. It's all dressed up in bright Christmas colors and filled with rhythm and rhyme to create the happiest holiday experience. 

My Thoughts:

In my house, getting ready for Christmas is a big deal. The weekend after Thanksgiving really gives us the kick off with decorating the house and putting up the tree. From that point on the house is filled with the scents from Christmas candles, to the sounds of Christmas music, to the cuddly nights by the fire with a Christmas movie on. Oh, and of course, bedtime Christmas stories! 

This new book will fit right in with our holiday glee. We have a little guy... almost 2... who is just beginning to understand the wonder and excitement of the holiday season. This is the perfect book to share with him this season. The rhyming rhythm takes us through all the exciting ways to get ready for the big day. It helps children learn and identify colors as the preparations go on. It's truly adorable and fun!

The Great Reindeer Rebellion

Lisa Trumbauer

illustrated by Jannie Ho

Oh, no! There's trouble brewing in the  North Pole: Santa's reindeer have gone on strike and he's auditioning other animals to take their place. But when the cats abandon station to chase some mice and the elephants fall through the roof, what's Santa to do?

My Thoughts:

Another clever story that is told in rhyme and sure to have your children engaged and entertained! I shared this book with my 5 year old daughter. It opened up some conversation as she didn't know what a "strike" was. She was laughing at each audition! I would ask her why she thought a certain animal wouldn't work for pulling Santa's sleigh and what animals she thought would be good at it. It was so fun to see her being creative and engaged in a silly, fun story. This is a great book for the holiday season!

The Night Before Christmas

Clement C. Moore

illustrated by Tom Browning

For decades families have gathered together to read Clement C. Moore's enchanting holiday poem. Featuring beautiful original illustrations by award-winning artist Tom Browning, this stunning edition stands apart from the rest.

My Thoughts:

Well, what can you say about a classic? This book is a must-own. We read this poem every year on Christmas Eve as we snuggle in our Christmas pajamas and get ready for sugar plums to dance in our heads. Now we have this gorgeous book with amazing illustrations to treasure as a family. This will be a family favorite for years to come!

Be sure to look for these fantastic holiday books this season to enjoy with your little ones!

*I received these books in order to write honest reviews. All opinions expressed are my own.

Holiday Gift Guide!

Tis the season to be giving! I am so excited to bring you the annual Momma Drama Gift Guide! With the biggest holiday shopping weekend coming up in just about a week, I want to give you a great start. I will be bringing you some fabulous gift ideas to get you headed in the right direction. There will be things for kids and adults... plus some great giveaways! So be sure to check back to see what's new in the Momma Drama Holiday Gift Guide! Happy Shopping!

LifebankUSA Peace of Mind Contest!

I am excited to share some potentially life saving information with you from LifebankUSA.

ABOUT LIFEBANKUSA

Placenta tissue banking is a potential game changer in regenerative medicine. 

LifebankUSA, owned by Celgene Corporation, is the only cord blood bank processing material for FDA-approved clinical trials using stem cells from placental tissue. These stem cells are being used to treat patients with serious conditions, including diabetic foot ulcers. LifebankUSA preserves your baby’s placental tissue using the same steps taken for processing stem cells for our FDA-approved clinical trials. No other cord blood company can claim that. Tissue banking is simply one additional layer of protection and peace of mind for you and your family offered by LifebankUSA. †

†Clients will be responsible for the cost of shipping the tissue and any culturing or expansion of the cells.

As you know, the stem cells in cord blood have transformative potential and have been used to treat over 30,000 patients worldwide. It’s been shown that using a higher number of stem cells in a transplant leads to better engraftment and survival. Did you know that you can preserve significantly MORE of your baby’s stem cells by adding placenta blood banking to your cord blood collection?

Banking the most stem cells can be critical and only through banking both cord and placenta blood do you have this opportunity. Numerous studies published in top medical journals have shown that transplanting more stem cells significantly increases success and transplant survival rates. In fact, customers who bank placenta blood in addition to cord blood with LifebankUSA preserve 60%-70% more CD34+ stem cells – the cells that are the most important for rebuilding diseased blood with healthy blood.

Only LifebankUSA has the proprietary technology to offer placenta blood banking with cord blood banking to expectant parents. We are also the only company in the world to release placenta stem cell units for transplant.

Your child is being born into a world of extraordinary possibilities that include the enormous potential of stem cell banking. Make the most of this once-in-a- lifetime opportunity by choosing LifebankUSA and add placenta blood banking to your cord blood collection, for a very real, proven layer of protection for you and your family.

"LifebankUSA is a pioneer in placenta-stem cell technology. Our stem cell banking program meets and exceeds the highest standards in the industry-and we are the only company that can provide access to technology that allows you to boost the number of cells you can recover after birth." 

- Robert Hariri, MD, PhD

CEO and Founder of LifebankUSA

LifebankUSA is truly looking invested in the health of babies everywhere. But it doesn't end at birth. LifebankUSA is trying to give you "Peace of Mind" with a fantastic new contest. By entering their Facebook contest you have the chance to win one of three Graco 4ever 4-in-1 Car Seats!

I think these car seats look amazing! And as a mommy to two little ones... car seat safety is so important to me. This is definitely one contest you do not want to miss.

Click HERE to enter today! Good Luck! And be sure to check out LifebackUSA and all of the amazing options for new parents.

* This is a sponsored post.

SUPERPRETZEL - New Bavarian Soft Pretzel Rolls and Sticks

SUPERPRETZEL® Bavarian Soft Pretzel Rolls and Sticks are 

Old World style soft pretzel breads made with premium ingredients.

These restaurant style soft pretzel sticks and rolls are versatile, fully baked, and ready from the microwave in seconds. They’re the perfect side to any soup, salad, or entree. 

My family recently had the opportunity to check out these new Bavarian Soft Pretzel Rolls and Sticks from SUPERPRETZEL. We are all big pretzel fans, especially of big,soft, warm pretzels. So this sounded like something we would really like. When they arrived and I saw the packaging I got really excited because they looked amazing on the bag!

So I went to check out how to make them and saw that they could be microwaved. Ok, that sounds easy! So I sprinkled a little water on them and used the salt included in the bag to add some salt. Popped them in the microwave for 30 seconds and they were ready.

Taste test time! Wow, I was impressed! I figured that coming from the microwave something would be off. Either the insides would still be cold or the outsides would get hard and tough. Nope, they came out soft, warm and delicious! My entire family absolutely loved them! These are the easiest, tastiest little rolls and sticks that add so much to a meal. I will be on the lookout for these at my local grocery store!

Learn more on the website: http://superpretzel.com/products.php#bavarianroll  and http://superpretzel.com/products.php#bavarianstick. You can also check them out on Facebook.

* I received free products in order to write an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

Snowman's Story - Book Tour

Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

I am so excited to share this new book with you. It is truly magical in so many ways. Perhaps the most evident is that this story doesn't have any words. The illustrations are so beautiful and expressive that the story literally leaps off the pages and allows the reader to tell the tale. We have been working with my daughter on learning to read, and one of the lessons we are teaching her is to use the pictures. Pictures truly can tell entire stories and this book is just that. 

This story tell the beautiful tale of a new snowman whose forest friends help bring to life. He then shares a story with his friends, which they all just love! The snowman then falls asleep for the night and a little rabbit runs off with the book! The snowman and his animal friends chase the rabbit, working together to figure out how to get to him. But what they find when they find the bunny is just a very sweet surprise. 

Our family truly enjoyed settling in to share the Snowman's Story. The book is filled with beautiful, expressive illustrations that take you away to the wintery land. I know this will be a favorite for our family for many years to come. My daughter loved imagining what the snowman and animals were thinking, feeling, and saying. It allows for you to be creative and looking more closely at the illustrations.

I would highly recommend this book for the upcoming winter season. There is nothing cozier then cuddling up with a beautiful story, a warm blanket, and the people you love!

About the Illustrator

Will Hillenbrand has illustrated many beloved picture books, including Kiss the Cow by Phyllis Root; and Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep!, and Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze! by Maureen Wright. He has also written and illustrated a number of picture books, including Down by the Barn, the Bear and Mole series, and Mother Goose Picture Puzzles. Will enjoys visiting schools to talk about the creative process involved in making a picture book. He lives with his wife, Jane, and their son, Ian, in Terrace Park, Ohio. For more information, visit his website: http://www.willhillenbrand.com.

Be sure to continue along on this book tour by visiting Booking Mama for our next stop! Download this free game to help the Snowman find his story. And you can share this fun coloring sheet with the kids so they can help bring the snowman to life.

* I received a copy of this book in order to participate in this book tour and provide an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced in any way.