Get in the Halloween Spirit with PureCostumes.com

As I start to see all the back to school ads my mind goes to one thing... Halloween! Halloween is a favorite holiday of mine. As a child I enjoyed dressing up so much that it lasted all year. I had a huge box filled with all kinds of costumes and accessories that I would pull out on any day to transform myself into a princess or a pirate or even a chef. But all of that dressing up led up to one magical day that I could be anything that I wanted and wear it for the world to see!

I am sharing my love for Halloween with my daughter now, and she has truly been following in my footsteps. She also has a box filled with costumes from Halloweens past or things that I just picked up to help encourage her imagination. So now we are setting out on the ever important task of picking the perfect costume.

With a three year old settling on a costume can be quite the task. As I browsed PureCostumes.com I was excited with the selection. I started in the kids costumes where I was happy to see an easy to navigate side bar with categories. This way I could quickly head into areas of interest for my daughter. The two categories that jumped out for me were Fairy Tale Costumes and Princess Costumes.

A big character of interest for my daughter this year is Merida from Brave. This was her first movie that she saw in the theater and she has been talking about the it for weeks!

But I have a thing for monster and my eye was caught by the Monster Miss costume. How adorable is that?!?

Whatever type of costume you are looking for, for a child or an adult, you are sure to find it at PureCostumes.com. They have a great selection that is sure to get you in the Halloween spirit! And with their FREE Shipping during the month of July you might as well get a head start on your shopping!

Be sure to check out their website, as well as follow them on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news and sales.

Wordless Wednesday

A visit with one of her favorite characters!

Purex - Let's Be Honest Contest and Giveaway!

Purex has become a new staple in our house. I have had the privelage of trying their new products as they come out and have been loving them so much that they are the first brand I go to when shopping for laundry detergent. 

Not only have I found their products to be great, but I have also come to love the company. They understand the demands on moms and how laundry is just another item on the endless "to-do" list. They keep this in mind when creating great products that save time and money. But they also keep it light and humorous. 

Right now Purex has a fun campaign going called "Let's Be Honest." Over at their YouTube site you can view videos that we can all relate to and have a little laugh about.  Each video is short and is sure to make you smile. Check out one of my favorites:

I think that is brilliant and I am going to have to plan a "deep cleaning" of my bathroom really soon!

Purex is offering three of my lucky readers a coupon for a free bottle of Purex! Enter below.

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*I received free product coupons to facilitate this giveaway. No other compensation was exchanged and all opinions expressed were my own.

Pink or Blue?

It's gonna be a BOY!

An American Girl: McKenna Shoots For the Stars

American Girl dolls and books were just starting to become really popular when I was a kid. I was around for the originals like Kirsten, Molly, and Samantha. But since my day they have grown into a hugely popular and hot commodity for young girls. From the books to the movies to the dolls and accessories. Not to mention the stores where you could spend hours browsing the huge selection of items! I can't wait to take my daughter to one of the stores for her first visit!

When I was offered the opportunity to host a part in honor of the release of McKenna Shoots for the Stars I jumped at the chance. I was anxious to see what the modern dolls were all about since I am really only familiar with the historical ones. So we gathered up some of the girls and their dolls and had a great afternoon of watching the movie, playing with dolls, and eating lots of snacks. It was the perfect day!



I was very impressed with McKenna and her story. I watched the two older girls (ages 7 and 10) as they watched the movie. They were so interested in what was happening and could easily fill me in when I missed something. They were also having side conversations about what was happening in the movie. They were the perfect ages for this movie.

McKenna is a character that lots of young girls can relate to. She's really into gymnastics and is putting her heart and soul into being the best she can be. But of course life gets in the way. With an injury and grades that are slipping, McKenna faces challenges with herself, her parents, and her friends. Throughout this film you watch a young girl who is vulnerable in so many ways rise to the occasion and overcome many challenges. This film sends positive messages about making school a priority, being honest with friends and working through problems, accepting everyone, and believing in yourself.

You can find this fun movie at Walmart, the American Girl Stores, and at AmericanGirl.com.


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I received a copy of this DVD and a movie kit for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

Something to Make You Smile

I had a rough day at work yesterday... so my husband pulled this up on the computer to make me smile. Seriously, it's adorable. It definitely made me smile!

Pear Tree Greetings - Party Invitations

If there is one thing I love it's throwing a good party! I look for reasons to throw parties just so I can get all my friends and family together for some food and fun. Of course the starting point is picking a theme. All of my parties are totally focused on a theme from the invitations to the decorations to the music. I love how you can pull it all together with just one fun idea!

When picking a theme I usually begin by browsing invitations. Pear Tree Greetings is a great place to start the creative juices flowing. They have an amazing selection of party invitations.

How cute are these invitations for a movie night? This invitation can put everyone in the mood and help you create a movie theater experience from the food (popcorn of course.... candy in boxes.... endless possibilities) to the decorations.

This invite caught my eye as we are right smack in the middle of summer. A BBQ is the perfect excuse to have people over and keep it simple. Break out the grill and fix up some burgers. You can even ask everyone to bring a side dish or dessert and keep it really easy on yourself!

Pear Tree has tons of ideas on the website and you can find even more on their Pinterest.


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Bun in the Oven

You may have noticed my slacking on getting posts out as often as I used to. I am happy to say that I have been so lax with my blog for good reason. I have been busy cooking.... a bun in the oven! Yes, our family of three is excited to become a family of four!

Things have been going really well with this pregnancy. Aside from some all day nauseous I have been feeling good. I think the toughest part has been pure exhaustion. All I want to do these days is sleep! I was hoping the second trimester would bring about some energy, but I'm still a walking zombie. It's definitely better.... but I am still napping in the afternoon while my little one naps and hitting the sack for the night shortly after she does. So my productivity level has gone down... way down... in many ways. Boy does my house need a good cleaning! And I haven't cooked a full home cooked meal in weeks. But I'm happy to be taking it easy and enjoy this time. I will get back to cooking and cleaning before I know it!

But of course I have some exciting things lined up for the next few weeks! I will be getting to those reviews and giveaways soon. And of course I will be sharing and updating as my life continues to change with this new addition!!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July yesterday! We had a beautiful day celebrating with family and friends at a BBQ on the lake. We swam, we ate good food, and we laughed a lot! Here is a fun treat we made to make the day even more festive.....

These are so easy, taste great, and look fabulous! Simply dip in the strawberries in melted white chocolate and then immediately dip the tips into blue sprinkles. Fun and easy!