Looking for a Halloween Costume?

YES! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and it's that time of year again when we start thinking about what to dress up as, or dress our kids as.  Costume Super Center has to be the number one go to site for all your Halloween costumes.  They have everything from baby to adult costumes as well as accessories.  Choosing the right costume is always a "process" with my daughter.  She is quite indecisive and has a hard time committing to one.  She started out wanting to be Avatar, but after browsing the huge selection of girls Halloween costumes at Costume Super Center,  she decided on the Gothic Vampiress Costume.

I have to say, I love that it is not a scary vampire costume.  Her school has strict rules about the costumes the kids are allowed to wear, and I'm glad she can be a cute vampire.  I think we might need a black wig to complete the outfit.  The costume itself is very comfortable for her to wear and easy to put on and take off.  Its well made and does not have any flaws.  I ordered her a medium and it fit perfectly.  My daughter is on the skinny side and there is room for her to wear a sweatshirt or jacket underneath it if the weather gets cold.  And when she wears it to school all I have to do is just tighten the drawstring in the front and the tie in the back.  I think it would look great with a hooded cloak too.  The length is just right and does not drag on the floor.  The collar is soft and doesn't choke her when she wears it also.  My son has not, until now, really cared what his costume is.  This year he will get to choose, which means he will probably be something very boyish...not cute like I would pick.  Costume Super Center has so many to choose from, I'm just going to have to sit down with him and go through them all.  I can almost guarantee it will be one of the following:

I think the boxer is pretty cute!  I guess I will let him decide, maybe I will dress up this year too, who says Halloween has to be a children's holiday!

**I was provided with a costume for review, all opinions are 100% my own and I was not compensated for a positive review**

Last day to enter Evora giveaway!

Last chance to be entered in the Evora tooth whitening mints giveaway!  Click here and get entered.  Still have a few days left on the Kidorable Umbrella, and Original Watercolor painting!

To sum it all up....

Last week was our first Girl Scout meeting.  It was a lot less crazy than I expected, ans it was great to see all the girls back from summer vacation.  No longer are we just a Daisy troop but a mixed troop of Daisies and Brownies.  Hopefully I will be able to come up with enough ways for both groups to earn patches without seperating them into the two groups.  My daughter celebrated her 7th birthday last week, which was bittersweet for me.  She is growing up way to fast and I wish I could slow down time.  It seems like just yesterday she was this tiny little bundle.  I'm so proud of her and the amazing kid she is.

She is really excited because her "friend" birthday party is coming up on the 11th.  I think we will be having a Hawaiian luau, weather permitting.

I am sad to say we no longer have any chickens.  We were down to six and in one night we lost two.  Something got into the chicken coop again and took them during the night.  Since we let them free range, we had to keep the coop open during the day so they could go in and out.  After coming home late a few nights, we closed the coop after the thief had already been in there.  So now there are none left.  I don't think we will be getting any new chicks right away....but we will see. 

Yesterday, Alexis went to Navy Pier in Chicago with my parents to see the Big Ships they had there, so we took little man out to Monkey Joes.  Its a place that has a bunch of those inflatable bounce houses.  It was lots of fun!  Hoping this week goes well!

Fractilians Review and Giveaway

I would like to introduce you all to another amazing artist I found on Etsy.  Her name is Nathalie Nunez and she designs and hand prints some really unique t-shirts and fabrics using water based inks and green solvents.  Nathalie first started to print in 2001 in San Francisco at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts.   She is now in Maui where her tees are on sale at a variety of boutiques.  Her Etsy shop is called Fractilians, and features some really original designs.

 

Nathalie not only prints herself, but also teaches others how to print.   Her designs come from a merging of "hyper-dimensional creatures and ancient sacred imagery" as she puts it.  

Here is Nathalie working on one of her prints.

Nathalie sent me a Buddah Peace Signs burnout t shirt.  It is super soft and the design is so cool.  There are even little peace signs on the back of the shirt.

I love it!

Nathalie says that she loves the creative process of putting the shirts together and no two are exactly the same.  If you would like to purchase one of Nathalie's truly unique, handcrafted t shirts, you can visit her Etsy shop, Fractilians.

Nathalie has also offered one of my lucky readers a shirt of their choice, here is how to enter:

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Visit Fractilians, than come back here and tell me in a comment which shirt is your favorite.  This is your entry and must be completed in order for any other entry to count.  Also make sure to leave me your email address so I have a way to contact you if you win.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

Please leave a separate comment for each entry

Follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect (+5)

Follow me on Twitter (+3)

"Heart" Nathalie's shop on Etsy (+3)

Blog about this giveaway (+7) (leave me the direct link in your comment please)

This giveaway will end at midnight September 20th and a winner will be chosen via random.org.  Winner will be contacted through email and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

**I received a shirt to review, all opinions are 100% my own and I was not compensated for a positive review**

Nacho Mama Tees Review and Giveaway

Do you want to be funny without saying a word?  Nacho Mama Tees offers some really funny t shirts that say it all.  They also carry shirts with lines from movies or shows that you might like.  If you are looking for a vintage or 80's t shirt they also have tons to choose from.  Do you remember Saved by the Bell?  Well check this one out

You know Zack and Kelly would show off their school spirit by wearing this one!

And I know most of us played this awesome game on our school computers

Yes, Yes it is Oregon Trail!  Your kids will never understand!

I was laughing out loud to myself going through all the funny t shirts...

That is so perfect if you have a daredevil living under your roof!

 

And how about this one for your math wiz?

I received a t shirt from Nacho Mama Tees for review.  The shirt was very soft and the sizing was exactly right. 

My husband is in just about every Fantasy Football league out there, he really appreciated this shirt.

Nacho Mama Tees is generously awarding one lucky reader with one of the following:

Free Mystery Tee (in Mens) OR Free $15 Gift Card so you can choose your own shirt.
Winners cannot have won a shirt or have been sent a shirt for promotional purposes in the last 90 days.



Here is how to enter:
MANDATORY ENTRY:
Visit the Nacho Mama Tees website, then come back here and leave me a comment telling me what shirt is your favorite.  This is your entry.  Please make sure to leave me your email address so I have a way to contact you if you win.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:
1.  Follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect (+3, please leave separate comment for each entry)
2.  Follow me on Twitter (+3)
3.  Become a fan of Nacho Mama on Facebook (Nacho is owned by CrazyDog) (+3)

4.  Post a comment on the Facebook page telling us what their favorite tee is or asking us a question about the shirts (+3)
5.  Post a comment on, or "Mark as Favorite" one of their Flickr photos. (+3)
6.  "Like" or "Share" one of the products on their website. The buttons for these are on all product detail pages, above the main image.(+3)

This giveaway will end at midnight on September 20th.  Winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted through email.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

*I was sent a t-shirt for review, all opinions are 100% my own and I was not compensated in any other way**

Winner Rock and Learn DVDs

We have a winner of the Rock and Learn Phonics DVDs....Lucky number 4

The Winner is Gretta

 Gretta said...

I am a GFC follower also #3

bamagv at aol dot com

August 7, 2010 8:34 AM

Winner of 500 Premium Business Cards!

We have a winner for the 500 business cards from Uprinting.com, Lucky number 21.....

The winner is: Inspiring You To Save!

Inspiring You To Save! said...
I posted about your giveaway on my website. #4

http://www.inspiringyou2save.com/2010/08/wish-me-luck-to-win-500-business-cards.html

Sending you an email right now!

Easy Lunchboxes Review and Giveaway! Awesome kids lunchboxes!

Many of us are shopping, or have been shopping recently for back to school lunchboxes.  There are many choices out there and sometimes it's hard to make a decision.  I recently received a lunchbox system from Easy Lunchboxes for review.  Ok, so I'm going to be honest here, I expected to get a nice product but what I received was an amazing product!  The Easy Lunchbox system that I received was an olive colored lunch bag and a set of containers.  The system is a quick, easy and very eco-friendly approach to packing lunches.  The containers have compartments for different foods, which eliminated waste of packing materials.  It really makes packing lunches fun and super easy.

My first impression of the lunch bag was that it was very sturdy and quality made.  It wasn't at at all cheap or flimsy.  Also the olive color is a little deeper than the picture shows.  The containers are amazing.  They are made of non toxic, food safe, polypropylene and are BPA, PVC and phthalate free.  What does that mean?  That they are safe for you or your kids to eat from!  Also you can put them in the microwave and the dishwasher.  Again I was surprised with the quality of these.  They are thick and sturdy (even the lids), so I know they can withstand my children.  And the lids snap on tight, and stay on!  So now I was ready to put them to the test.

Please don't judge me or call me a "fun Nazi" or anything, but I took my Easy Lunchbox along to the festival I went to over the weekend with my kids (please refer to previous post).  I know, festivals are for eating tons of fried, over priced junk food....well not when you go with this mama.  Sorry kids.  So I packed us some lunches.  Not only can you fit one packed lunch into the lunch bag, you can fit three full containers, stacked on top of each other.  This means that both kids and I had a lunch packed in one place...perfect.  And the different colored lids let you easily identify which one is which.  Don't believe that I would make my children bring their lunches to a festival....

 

Look at what is on my daughter's lap.  I promise that is not why she looks unhappy.

My final "test"  for the Easy Lunchbox was leaks.  I put cut up cantaloupe in my daughter's container, and expected hes sandwich to be soggy from the juice in the other compartment by the time we got to eat.  That was not the case, her sandwich stayed dry.  What else could a mom ask for.  I highly recommend the Easy Lunchbox system, I love it.

BUY IT:

You can buy your very own Easy Lunchbox System by visiting their website.  A set of 4 containers with lids is only $13.95 and a lunch bag in one of 5 colors is only $7.95.

WIN IT:

You can enter to win a set of containers and lunch bag in the color of your choice.  Here is how to enter

MANDATORY ENTRY

Please visit the Easy Lunchboxes website, then come back here and leave me a comment with something that you learned.  This is your entry.  Please make sure to also leave your email address so I have a way to get a hold of you if you win.

This giveaway is offered to US & Canadian residents only. Please do not enter this giveaway if have won or received free product from Easy Lunchboxes within the past 3 months.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES (only valid after mandatory entry has been completed)
Follow this blog publicly via Google Friend connect +5
Follow me on twitter +3
Make a purchase from Easy Lunchboxes +10
This giveaway will end at midnight on September 15th.  Winner will be chosen via random.org and contacted through email.  Winner will have 48 to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

**I received a lunchbox system to review, all opinions are 100% my own and I was not compensated for a positive review**

What a week it has been...

Last week my daughter started second grade, I cannot believe she is that old already.  She got the teacher that she wanted and loves being back in school.

I'm still a little out of sorts trying to get back into our routine...forgot how busy we get.  I also started watching a little boy my son's age, only one day a week for now but it's nice for Maddox to have someone to play with now that sissy is back in school.  Saturday was Lexi's first soccer game of the season.  She is now playing with the older kids.  She was not her usual self on the field, partly because she was tired and it was hot, and partly because my husband was not there.  He was in a state softball tournament this weekend, which he agreed to before we got the soccer schedule.  She was not happy about it, and unfortunately she did not have a good time during her game.  Oh well, what can you do.

She does sure look good in that blue though :)

Saturday night was our monthly pinochle tournament at the in-laws.  We have team names, and since I wasn't feeling too creative the night we chose them, our team name is SHAG (Shiloh+Agnes).  I know.  Anyway I thought it would be funny if we made t-shirts for this month's game.

Please don't judge my creativity based on what you see here, limited time + limited supplies + tired lady = cheaply stenciled shirts.  Apparently the shirts were lucky because we won!

Shall I go on?  Oh yes there is more.  I thought it would be fun to go with my friend and her girls to see American English at a local fest.  They are a Beatles cover band that are amazing, accents and costume changes included!  Since my kids and her kids are Beatles fans (well, so are she and I) we thought it would be awesome.

Note the girls' matching All You Need is Love shirts!

It was hot and they started playing 30 minutes later than we thought.  The kids were sweaty and cranky, well my kids were anyway.

My son enjoyed the first two songs and danced his butt off...then he covered his ears and started yelling "make the Beatles STOP"

And of course my daughter started having a meltdown because she was too hot...we left during the third song.  Crazy weekend, especially with no husband.  Sunday I had a baby shower to attend.  Lots of driving and hot hot sun.  And today was our first Girl Scout meeting of the year.  I'm a little pooped right now. 

YAY! New Feature!

Starting today I will be posting a word of the day so we can all expand our vocabulary together.  I know sometimes it feels like my vocabulary needs some polishing up, since I'm with little people all day.  On the LEFT (I got it right Sara) sidebar you can see the word of the day.  If you click on the little guy, you will get the full description.  So go ahead and use it in your conversation today!  I hope my kids will not cause a RUCTION when I tell them it's bed time.  See, that was easy.

Brugo Mug Review and Giveaway

So some time ago "someone" borrowed my coffee mug and somehow it never made it home.  The person informed me the mug leaked and was thrown away.  I think that was just an excuse for maybe losing it.  It was a good one and I haven't been able to find a good replacement up until now, since I got the chance to try out the Brugo Mug.  When I got it in the mail, my first impression was that it's very sophisticated looking, and fit nicely in my hand.  I received the Seaglass colored one.  Well I had to test it out.  The Brugo Mug has these little tabs on it that fit together to let you know it is closed all the way, so no more problems with leaks.  I'm pretty sure that person will not be allowed to borrow this mug, and if they do they won't be able to use the "leaky mug" excuse.

Another really cool thing about the Brugo Mug is that it has 3 different settings, Lock, Sip, Tip & Cool.  We drive about an hour to my in laws house and sometimes its late when we are on our way home. When I stop to get coffee it is usually because I need caffeine NOW...not in 30 minutes. The coffee is always really hot and I have to either put ice in it, which dilutes the flavor, or wait and blow on it to cool it off.  With this mug's Tip & Cool setting I can drink my coffee right away.

That little compartment around the edge is where the coffee goes when you tip it.  It cools off when you swill the cup around a couple of times.  It took me a second to figure it out, but it actually works.  You can't tell from the pics but that coffee was fresh brewed and super hot when I poured it in.

Once the coffee cools a little then you can turn it back over to sip.  If you set it to lock, then the cup is sealed closed so you can carry it without worrying about spilling (or if you are driving on a bumpy road, nothing will spill in your car).  I took this mug to my daughter's soccer practice and my coffee stayed the perfect temperature until I drank it all.  The other thing I love about Brugo is that it helps me be more green.  I can take it with me into a gas station and fill it up with coffee instead of using a disposable cup.  We all know gas station coffee is really hot, but I don't have to wait to enjoy it with the Tip & Sip setting.  Since the mug comes in 13 different colors, there is one for everyone.

Right now Brugo is running a special where you can get 25% off when you buy two or more mugs, and free shipping on purchases of $50 or more.  It's really not too early to start Christmas shopping, and you can even get these for people at the office.

With fall weather just around the corner, I can't wait to take my mug to soccer games, and it will be perfect for hot chocolate or hot apple cider in the winter time MMmmmmm.....

BUY IT:

You can buy your very own Brugo Mug for $19.95 or $14.95 each when you buy 2 or more by visiting their website HERE

WIN IT:

The people at Brugo have offered to give one of my readers their very own mug (randomly chosen color), and here is how to enter:

MANDATORY ENTRY:

OPEN TO ANYONE WORLDWIDE

Visit the Brugo Mug website then come back here and leave me a comment letting me know which color is your favorite.  Make sure you leave me your email address so I have a way to contact you if you win.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES (only valid after mandatory entry has been completed, leave a separate comment for each entry)

Follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect (+3)

Follow Brugo on Twitter (+5)

Follow me on Twitter (+5)

"Like" Brugo on Facebook (+5)

Blog about this giveaway (leave me the link to the post +5)

Put my button on your sidebar (leave me your url please +5)

This giveaway will end at midnight on September 15th.  A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted through email.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

**I was sent a Brugo Mug for review, all opinions are 100% my own and I was not compensated in any way for a positive review**