Happy 4th of July!

I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend and that you had beautiful weather! We were busy little bees hopping from one bbbq to another. It was a perfect long weekend and getting back to the real world is tough. But I have some great reviews and giveaways lined up for this week!

Summer Time...

I really do love the summer time. But lately it seems like summer manages to slip past me. I'm not really sure why... but it doesn't feel the same as when I was a kid. Well, I'm sure that working part time and having to clean the house, do the laundry, plan and execute meals, and take care of a toddler are all a part of why the "care free" days of summer are gone. But it should still feel like summer... shouldn't it?

Here we are on the very last day of June. July 4th weekend is ahead of us and what was a quiet, relaxing weekend has turned into the marathon of get togethers. We went from a weekend of laying by the lake at my parents house to graduation parties, BBQ's, charity events, family coming to town craziness. Can we make it feel like summer?

I know what I need to do. I need to break out my calendar and plan some summer activities. I need to set aside some days where we aren't rushing here and there and everywhere. And make those days just about us... the three of us. No extended family, no friends... just me, the hubs, and the babe.

So what will we do on those days...

1. visit the ice cream shop - can you believe it's June 30th and we haven't been to my favorite ice cream shop once this season! It's a crime...
2. go to the zoo - we went for Little Miss's birthday and it was the best! We took our time and wandered around. 
3. Sesame Place - I went as a kid and I cannot wait to take Little Miss! I just need to think of the perfect time so maybe it won't be super busy.
4. picnic at the park - Seems so simple... but really, it needs to be planned in order for it to happen. I would love to play on the playground all morning.. have a picnic lunch... and stroll home in time for nap. Perfect day :) And maybe the ice cream man will be there!
5. family movie night - Yep... simple. I want to crank up the AC.. pull out the blankets... turn out the lights and put in a great.... cartoon. Yeah, it will have to be a cartoon to keep Little Miss engaged. And of course there will have to be ice cream sundaes! 
6. s'mores - I want to make s'mores by a campfire.

I am going to accomplish all of these by the end of the summer! Well, that's my goal. Now I need to break out the good old calendar and start making some plans. It's never too soon to start family traditions and memories. And I know my little one will love every one of these activities!

Winner!

Random.org has chosen our winner for the Cars 2 IMAX Giveaway!

#52 Snowy Summer

Congratulations to our winner! An e-mail notification has been sent. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or we will have to choose another winner.
Thank you to everyone who entered!

Family Reunion

Oh my goodness... I feel like I am slacking big time with my blog! I am so sorry that I'm not around nearly as much I have been in the past. But I am happy to say that my absence has been for good reasons. As we kicked off summer our schedule became packed with wonderful events. From a family vacation, to Father's Day visits, to a big Family Reunion!

This past weekend we had the much anticipated family reunion. My grandparents live in Florida and don't get to travel north as much as they would like. And traveling with a toddler on a plane just hasn't been an event I am willing to tackle yet... but hopefully soon!

Here is a picture from the very first time my grandparents met my daughter!

So my grandparents have not seen my daughter since she was a few weeks old. She is now 25 months! You can imagine how much she has changed.. haha. It's very tough to get my dad's side of the family together as we live pretty far apart and all have crazy schedules. But since grandma and grandpa were coming up we needed to put in the best effort we could to get everyone together!

My dad, my sister, me, grandpa, grandma, my little one, my husband, my mom

We had everyone except for one of my cousins... I think we did pretty well! It was an incredible day filled with tons of great food, lots of news and nice conversations, many hugs, and lots of kids crying... haha! We couldn't have asked for a better day.

So since the event was hosted at my parents house, I volunteered to do a lot of the shopping and food prep to help my mom out. Thus, blogging suffered. But I did make an amazing pasta salad that I am excited to share the recipe with you. So expect that soon!!

"Are We There Yet" by Aurora World Inc. Review

Summer usually means that we spend a lot more time traveling. We like to drive down to the shore, my in-laws are in another state, and we have lots more family events to attend. It used to be really easy to travel with my daughter. You plop her in the car and you wouldn't hear a peep from her until you had to wake her up at your destination. Things this year seemed to have changed.

My daughter no longer enjoys sleeping in the car. If we get an hour out of her at nap time... we're lucky. So when the "Are We There Yet" neck rest arrived for review we made a really big deal out of it. We let her carry the box in and open it up. We oo-ed and ahh-ed and talked all about how she could use her special monkey buddy when we go on car trips. She got excited and immediately wanted to play with it. She put it around her waist and we showed her how it's a pillow to go around her neck and emphasized... again... that it's for the car. Once she had explored it we put it away.

When the day finally arrived for the first car trip we made a big deal and brought out her special monkey buddy. She carried it to the car and we got her all settled in. It was nap time, so she conked out for awhile. I loved that the pillow kept her head up, as she had recently begun letting it droop. She looked very comfortable... and super cute all cuddled up. Then when she woke up she pulled the pillow off and began to play with the monkey buddy. This kept her entertained for quite some time! Score... this little guy did double duty. It kept her head up and comfortable and then became a distraction!

Aurora World Inc. is a leading toy and gift manufacturer. They bring you tons of kids favorite items including YooHoo and Friends, Milly, and Dreamy Eyes. The "Are We There Yet" collection is just another great example of the high quality products offered by this outstanding company.

Be sure to check them out on their website, e-commerce site, and of course on Facebook where you can keep up to the date with all the latest!

Winners!

Random.org has chosen our winners for Balloon Time, Black Diamond Granite Cleaner, and Lady out of Carolina Giveaways!!

Balloon Time - #66 m&msmommy 

Black Diamond - #1 Meredith

Lady out of Carolina - #48 Emmy's Closet

Congratulations to our winners! E-mail notifications have been sent. The winners will have 48 hours to respond or we will have to choose another winner.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Time Saving Tips for Moms

As moms I think we are all too familiar with the craziness of life. We are constantly rushing here and there and everywhere to accommodate our needs and the needs of our family. Whether it's running to the grocery store for that inevitable forgotten ingredient, baking cupcakes at the last minute, washing a load of laundry because you need something in it for tomorrow, or any other number of things that can sneak up on you... there just aren't enough hours in the day.

While we can never predict the unexpected, we can do things within our routines to try and save some time. This way when those unexpected things pop up we can handle them in stride... sometimes.

I am going to share with you my 10 time saving tips.

1. Schedule meals - At the beginning of each week I create a schedule of meals that I post on the refrigerator. I  use it as a reference when food shopping at the beginning of the week, so I know exactly what I need and when. This also saves me time throughout the week because I don't need to think about it and throw dinner together at the last second.

2. Pack lunches the night before - Now that my daughter goes to daycare three days a week those mornings are insane! By packing her lunch and mine the night before we save value minutes in the morning. I am also less likely to forget to pack something when I am not in a rush.

3. The necessities basket - I have a basket that I keep in my family room that is filled with necessities. I keep it in the family room because that's the room I am in the most. During the summer it has sunscreen, a sun hat, diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, and socks. This way when something comes up and we need to hurry out the door I don't have to run all over the house looking for something. It saves me a lot of time in the morning when I need to get sunscreen on before we walk out the door.

4. Pack a bag- I always try and keep my most used bags packed. This includes the diaper bag, which I inspect after each use to make sure I replaced anything I used up. This way I can grab it and go. I also do this with a beach bag in the summer.

5. Keep to a schedule - Since I work two days a week I have a schedule of chores for the other two days. I know when to do laundry, when to clean the bathrooms, when to food shop. This way I tend not to forget to get something done since I have a set day for it.

6. Shop online - LOVE this! I try and do all my shopping online. Yes, this includes food shopping. I feel like this is a major time saver as I don't have to get my daughter in and out of the car. I don't have to time errands around nap time. And I don't have to lug a child and a bunch of bags. Having things delivered to your door... priceless.

7. Cook ahead - Sometimes you know a night is just going to be crazy. When I know we have one of those nights coming up I do one of two things. I either buy a frozen meal or I cook a meal in advance so all I have to do is heat it up. Major time saver!

8. Ask for help - whether you have family in the area or hire a mother's helper for an afternoon. When you give yourself some time when you can focus on a task or tasks you are bound to save yourself time in the end. It's easier to get things done when you don't have to worry about the kids at the same time.

9. Organize - Keep yourself organized and you will save tons of time. I make lists of things I need to do and organize papers, appointments, anything I need for the week. I also organize all my coupons on the weekend so I know they are ready to go when I hit up a store.

10. Relax and go with the flow - We can't avoid the craziness of life. But if we accept it and take it in stride we will save ourselves from added stress. Try and prepare yourself for the "what if's" and laugh when life throws them at you! Remember, you're not in this alone!

Starbucks knows how busy we are and have created something  that just may come in handy!
Starbucks for Android™ and the Starbucks Card Mobile App for BlackBerry®, iPhone® or iPod® Touch have five core features:

• Pay with your phone: Enjoy the fastest, more convenient way to pay at nearly 9,000 Starbucks locations.  Just download the app, enter your Starbucks Card number, scan and go.
• Manage your card account: Access your Starbucks Card balance directly from your phone.
• Reload your card balance: Use your smartphone to reload your Starbucks Card using any major credit card.
• Check your My Starbucks Rewards status: Find out how close you are to earning your next free drink.
• Find nearby Starbucks stores: Save time by finding a Starbucks store near you.

Talk about a time saver!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Plow & Hearth Review and Giveaway

Ahhh, summer! One of my favorite things about summer is cooking on the grill. Mostly because it means my hubby is doing the cooking, wink wink. But also because it smells and feels like summer when the food is on the grill and you can eat outside.

We tend to grill a lot during the summer because it's often too hot to even think about cooking in the house. And grilled veggies are always on the menu. My husband used to complain that I cut the vegetables too small and they would fall through the cracks of the grill, or they would slip when he was turning them. So I went out and got him a wok for the grill. But the wok I purchased had a big handle that wouldn't allow him to close the grill. So when I was browsing on Plow and Hearth one day I came across the perfect solution!

The Stainless Steel Vegetable Grilling Wok is exactly what we needed! It's deep enough for us to make as much or as little vegetables as we need. We have used it when grilling for just the three of us and also when grilling for a larger group this past Father's Day weekend. My husband is thrilled... and that makes me thrilled!

So it performs great on the grill. With a little cooking spray the vegetables didn't stick and he's able to stir them up without loosing any to help them cook evenly. The clean up part is all on me. I didn't have any trouble cleaning it. I had coated the vegetables in Italian dressing, so some if the leftover dressing was burned onto the wok. I just used a sponge and with a little elbow grease it all came off and the wok looks good as new. This will be used a lot this summer and for many more summers to come!

Plow & Hearth is filled with great items to outfit your home this summer. I highly recommend you browse the great selection on their website. you can also check them out on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all the latest news.

GIVEAWAY: One Lucky Reader will win their very own Stainless Steel Vegetable Grilling Wok ($24.95 value)!
 
HOW TO ENTER: Leave a separate comment for each entry and be sure to leave your e-mail address!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit Plow and Hearth and tell me another product you love!

EXTRA ENTRIES:
1. Follow my blog
2. Follow me on Twitter (1 entry) and tweet (1 entry per tweet - one tweet per day)
3. Enter another one of my current giveaways (a list can be found top right - 1 extra entry for each one you enter!)
4. Fan me on Facebook 
5. Grab my button and tell me where it is (3 entries)

This giveaway is open to US only.
This giveaway ends on July 6 , 2011 at 5:00 pm EST. One winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified by e-mail. Please respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. Good Luck!

"Family Pit Crew" IMAX Prize Pack

Cars 2 in IMAX 3D opens on June 24th!

To help celebrate Cars 2 in IMAX 3D we are going to have a great giveaway!

Package includes:            

1 Cars 2 IMAX movie poster 

Family 4 pack of IMAX ticket vouchers 

2 Adult and 2 Child-sized Cars 2 IMAX t-shirts 

1 Cars 2 soundtrack featuring Weezer, Brad Paisley, Robbie Williams and more! 

1 Cars 2 Light and Sound toy car from Matel 

TO ENTER:

Create a license plate name using any 7 letters! Be creative!

(My license plate would say MOMDRAM1)

Additional Entries:

Follow my blog

Follow me on facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Post my button on your blog (3 extra entries)

Blog about this giveaway and provide a link (5 extra entries)

This giveaway is open to US and Canada.
This giveaway ends on June 28, 2011  at 5:00 pm EST. One winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified by e-mail. Please respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. Good Luck!

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