November 2011 | Florida Mom Blog, Reviews and Giveaways | The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too!

November 30, 2011

Wordless Wednesday: Air!

Girls Night In With Dove Chocolate Discoveries {Review & Giveaway}

Do you all remember "Tupperware Parties"? I remember going with my mom and watching her and all of her friends swoon over those plastic containers. Direct selling has come a long way since then, and now there are parties like that for candles, kitchenware, scrapbooking supplies, handbags, and so much more.

There is a new direct selling party being held in homes everywhere, and it is delicious! Dove Chocolate Discoveries is bringing chocolate to you! Who wouldn't want to attend one of these parties?

Have a passion for Chocolate? Now you can have a DOVE CHOCOLATE DISCOVERIES™ Tasting Party and invite your friends to try deliciously decadent new ways to enjoy everyone's favorite flavor. Sound tasty? Why not join the growing group of entrepreneurs who've started their own chocolate businesses and party your way to sweet rewards.

Did I Just Have A Four Day Weekend?

It sure doesn't feel like I did! Even though we had some down time on Thursday, we were running running running the rest of the weekend!

Last week I posted that we were changing our Thanksgiving plans because Rylie had a fever Wednesday night, so we spent Thanksgiving at home. We had planned to take corn casserole and homemade macaroni and cheese to my best friend's house for Thanksgiving, so we made that, and Brian went to Boston Market and got turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. It was all last minute, but it ended up being one of the best Thanksgiving dinners I have ever had! The only thing missing was my mom. She was unable to come over Thursday, and we definitely missed her. She did end up coming up Friday night and spent the weekend, though.

Who went Black Friday shopping? We lost our minds and ventured out to the mall on Friday, but it was later in the afternoon. We took the kids to get haircuts and then ran in the mall to find a specific sweater that I needed for Bryce for our holiday pictures. I ordered Rylie's dress online, and also had the sweater in my cart, but by the time I hit checkout, it was gone!

Are you looking to buy an 18" doll for your child this Christmas? The dolls from My Sibling and My Pal are absolutely adorable, and very affordable.They also benefit a great cause by helping adults and teenagers with disabilities find jobs.

I have written two reviews about this company - My Pal for My School and My Pal for Christmas - and in doing so, I have gotten to know the owner of the company pretty well. She is very passionate about her doll company, and is a great advocate for Autism Awareness. She was even on The Today Show and the cover of Newsweek Magazine! Her dolls will not only make a great Christmas Gift for your child, but will help her to help others.

Christmas Gifts For Kids From Mattel {Review}

If you have kids, then most likely you have seen that logo before. Mattel makes some of the greatest toys from some of the best known brands out there. We will see that logo several times on Christmas morning at our house. What about you?

When you visit the Mattel Toy Shop, you will find all of your kids' favorite toys from brands like Fisher Price, Hot Wheels, Disney and Barbie. We recently received toys for review from two of our favorite brands - Disney Princess and Disney*Pixar Cars.

I have made so many wonderful friends through blogging. These are people I most likely wouldn't have met if it hadn't been for my blog, so I am grateful for the great community of bloggers out there. One of the amazing women I have had the pleasure to get to know and become friends with is Jennifer from Circle of Love and the Craziness Around It!

Jennifer is one of the most creative people I know. Over the past year she has been blogging about all of her creations, and I (along with several others) was constantly asking her when she was going to go into business selling these fabulous handmade items. She finally listened, and recently opened an Etsy shop!

~~Winners!!!~~

Thank you so much to everyone who has entered the awesome giveaways going on here this past week. Here is the latest round of winners:

Frecklebox Giveaway

Weekend Win It - November 26-27 {Giveaway Linky}

Welcome to Weekend Win It! This giveaway linky is a great way to spread the word about your giveaways, or find some great ones to enter! And remember...you don't need to be a blogger to enter these giveaways!

I have some great giveaways going on right now!

Before you read this review, I want to tell you that I am not a baker, nor am I a cake decorator. And you have to promise not to laugh...

I love to bake, especially during the holidays. In fact, up until a year or so ago, I used to make several different kinds of fudge and cookies and make up little cookie tins for my friends as gifts. Everyone loved them, and it got to the point where people were bringing me the tins from the previous year and asking when I would be filling it again. These days, I don't have all the time needed to make up those tins, but I do still like to bake as much as I can during the holidays.

One brand that I use often when I am baking is Wilton. Wilton is known for their cake decorating products, and they also make several products for baking in general. If you like to bake, then chances are, you are already familiar with the Wilton brand.

Now that I have lost the weight that I wanted to lose, it is time for me to get in shape. Unfortunately, I don't have time (or the money) to join a gym. My days are long enough as it is, so my only real option is to work out at home. Luckily I have a Wii, so I can start getting in shape with Zumba Fitness 2!

ToiletTree Deluxe LED Fogless Shower Mirror Review | Countdown To Black Friday Giveaway

If you (or your significant other) like to shave in the shower, do you use a mirror to do so? Are you constantly having to wipe it to clear the fog away? If so, ToiletTree Products has a solution to keep your mirror crystal clear! With the Deluxe LED Fogless Shower Mirror, you don't have to worry about your mirror fogging up while you are using it in the hot shower.

My husband reviewed the original Fogless Shower Mirror by ToiletTree almost a year ago, and it still remains fog free today! A month or so my cleaning lady somehow knocked it off the wall, and just as we were going to put it back up, I was given the opportunity to review the new Deluxe LED Fogless Shower Mirror.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~*~Happy Thanksgiving!~*~

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone takes a minute today to count your blessings and think of all of the things you are thankful for. I also hope you have a delicious celebration with family and friends!

We were supposed to be spending Thanksgiving with my mom and our best friends, but those plans changed when we picked the kids up from school yesterday and found that Rylie had a fever. Bryce had a fever earlier in the week, so she must have caught whatever it was he had. So we will be home today, eating the Corn Casserole and Macaroni and Cheese that we prepared to take with us, and just being thankful for our family.

My Little Pony Rarity's Carousel Boutique Review | Countdown To Black Friday Giveaway

There is one brand that I have wanted to work with since I started writing reviews, and that brand is My Little Pony. You see, My Little Ponies were my favorite toys when I was a little girl. In fact, I think I probably owned every single one that was made back then. When I got older, I sold them all to my aunt for my younger cousin (hey, I was an entrepreneur!), and boy how I wish I would have held onto them.

I am so happy that Hasbro has kept the My Little Pony brand alive and is still making these whimsical ponies today! I am even happier that they seem to be Rylie's toy of choice these days. She has had several ponies and play sets for a while, and now that is all she wants to play with. Watching her style the ponies' hair and having them interact with each other brings back fond memories of my childhood.

Pawparazzi Review | Countdown To Black Friday Giveaway

One of our very first Countdown to Black Friday giveaways was a prize pack from Noodle Head. We reviewed some of their great travel products which my kids love! Today I want to tell you about Noodle Head's Pawparazzi product line. These little celebrity pets are living big lives!

We learned about Pawparazzi almost a year ago when we reviewed some of their products. Rylie still plays with her little "pet in a purse" and has asked for more. In fact, she loves toys like this, and any time we see little purses with pets in them, she always asks for one. Little girls love this stuff!

Four new Pawparazzi box sets have hit the runway, and we recently received one of them for review. This time we received Cocoa, the "free spirited actor". I love how each pet has a story behind it!

On A Quest For Better Health #VitaminD #CBias

I am on a quest for better health. While there is nothing medically wrong with me, I know I don't feel the best I could feel. I recently lost a lot of weight and I am the smallest I have been since my college years, so now I am looking to take it to the next level and become healthier.

While I was on my diet, I learned to eat right. I learned about portion control, and about eating the right foods. While I am eating better overall, I am still not a big vegetable eater, so I am sure my body is lacking in some essential nutrients. Not only do I not eat many vegetables, I don't consume a lot of dairy products either, which means my bones may not be receiving adequate calcium. As women age, we need to make sure we are getting enough calcium so that we don't suffer from osteoporosis later on in life.

Given all of these factors, I decided to start researching vitamin supplements to see what I might need to take in order to become healthier. I have been taking Vitamin B Complex for a month or so now with the hopes of increasing my energy level, and it has definitely helped. But what else do I need? Walking into a store and looking at vitamin supplements can definitely be overwhelming. There are just so many available.

Since I am a mom of a 3 year old and a 2 year old, I am very familiar with the Playskool brand from Hasbro. I know I had Playskool toys as a kid, and today they are still bringing us great toys like Alphie, Mr. Potato Head, Weebles and more. One brand of Playskool toys that my kids are a big fan of is Sesame Street. Rylie and Bryce love Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and all of their friends.

Sesame Street has some hot toys out for little ones this year, like Let's Rock! Elmo, Count 'n Crunch Cookie Monster and Elmo's Find & Learn Alphabet Blocks. These toys are not only fun, but educational too, just like the TV show.

History Of The Hottest Holiday Toys

With the biggest shopping day of the year right around the corner, we are all making our shopping lists and checking them twice. Do you have any of the "hot toys" on your list this year? You know, the ones that the manufacturers only make a limited supply of in order to cause mass hysteria because little Johnny MUST have one? I am amazed at the lengths people will go to get these "hot toys" every year.

The folks over at Brad's Deals recently sent me the History of the Hottest Holiday Toys infographic from their Holiday Deals Site, and I thought it was pretty cool and wanted to share it with you here.

The one hot toy on the list that I really remember is Cabbage Patch Kids. My parents didn't take extreme measures to get me one the year they were "hot" and I wasn't scarred for life because of it. Instead, I got several the next year when parents weren't trampling each other to get them. You'll have to check this out and tell me which of these "hot toys" you had as a child.

Family Game Night 4 (Wii) Review | Countdown To Black Friday Giveaway

Video games have changed so much since I was a kid. I know I'm going to totally show my ~~old~~ age here, but when I was a kid, our video game controllers consisted of a joystick and one button. No lie. I used to love playing Pac-Man on our old Atari system. It was made up of some lights and a few colors and was simple. We got a Nintendo when we were teenagers, and the four arrows and two buttons took some getting used to, but before long, I was kicking my brother's butt in Super Mario Brothers.

I don't know if I am coordinated enough to play most of the video games out these days, at least the ones that have the controllers with several buttons and options. With the advances in technology, the video games really come to life on your screen. We purchased a Wii a few years ago, and I do enjoy playing the "easy" games on that, but generally, I prefer the good ole board games.

When Colleen asked me if I would like to include Family Game Night 4 by EA in our holiday gift guide, I basically agreed because I knew that her kids loved video games and this would be a good one for them to review. Little did I know that would soon love playing my favorite board games on my Wii!

There are so many products for babies and kids available to us, and so many different brands and styles of those products to choose from. So when it comes time to purchase a certain product, it can be overwhelming to research all of these different brands and styles. When I purchase products for my kids, I want them to stand out from the rest, and the innovative baby and toddler products from Boon do just that.

Boon began with a messy bathtub, and the Frog Pod was created to solve that problem. Today Boon offers a wide range of products for babies and toddlers. You can find fun, unique products for feeding, bath time, organization and so much more! Their products are like no other. From the fun designs to the vibrant colors, Boon's products truly stand out from the rest.

Pokémon The Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom {Giveaway}

Pokémon has been around for several years now, and doesn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon. Since 1996, these little pocket monsters have been marketed in anime, trading cards, toys and books. On December 3rd and 4th, you will be able to see Pokémon on the big screen in Pokémon The Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom!

Pokemon The Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom

During their travels through the Unova region, Ash and his friends Iris and Cilan arrive in Eindoak Town, built around a castle called the Sword of the Vale. The three Trainers have come to compete in the town's annual battle competition, and Ash manages to win with some unexpected help from the Mythical Pokémon Victini! It turns out Victini has a special bond with this place...

~~Winners!!!~~

Thank you to everyone who has entered all of the great giveaways I have had going on here! Due to the amount of giveaways going on during Countdown to Black Friday, I am going to do a weekly winners post for the next couple of weeks. Here are the winners from last week...

Libby's Thanksgiving Prize Pack

Mead Organizher Review | Countdown To Black Friday Giveaway

Before I had kids (and a blog!) I was organized. My house was neat and everything had it's place, and I liked it that way. These days, my life can only be described as an unorganized mess. Most days I don't know if I'm coming or going. Often times I will think of something we need, and by the time we get to the store, I have forgotten what it was.

Organizher by Mead makes it easy for busy moms like me to get it together with their collection of functional, flexible, fashionable products for modern women with busy households. The Organizher line of products are solutions for expense tracking, meal planning, scheduling, note-taking and more.

Weekend Win It - November 19-20 {Giveaway Linky}

Welcome to Weekend Win It! This is a great way to spread the word about your giveaways, or find some great ones to enter! And remember...you don't need to be a blogger to enter these giveaways!

I have some great giveaways going on right now!

When we were planning our wedding, one of the most important tasks was choosing the right photographer. After interviewing several photographers in our area, we finally hired an awesome photographer, along with a second photographer and a videographer, to capture our memories from our special day. Our photos were stunning, and our video is so fun, just like our wedding was. We had planned to create one of those huge coffee table style albums with our wedding photos, and purchase several prints to hang around our house, but a sweet little girl named Rylie had different plans for us.

A week or so after we returned from our honeymoon and were getting re-acclimated to "normal life" again, I found out that I was pregnant. We pretty much skipped over the "newlywed phase" of our marriage and went right into baby planning. Needless to say, we never created that album, and we still do not have one printed photo from our wedding. When I had the opportunity to review a 16"x20" photo canvas from Easy Canvas Prints, I knew just which photo to choose.

Easy Canvas Prints lets you turn your photos into works of art!

If you are a busy mom like me, then your life is about to become a lot busier, if it hasn't already. With the holidays right around the corner, we are all thinking about ways to make the season wonderful for our families. Between decorating, buying gifts, shopping for and preparing holiday meals, and teaching our children the real meaning of Christmas, we go out of our way to make the season as magical and memorable as we possibly can.

Today I have a special holiday gift for all the hardworking moms out there! While many moms, including myself, will be out braving the crowds in the malls and toy stores, most of us will also be shopping online from the comfort of our own homes. MasterCard wants to reward moms for everything we do, so they are giving moms a $20 MasterCard just for shopping online this holiday season!

Successful Surgery, Friday Funnies And Five Questions

Happy Friday! It has been a busy blogging week again here. Are you all enjoying all of the great giveaways that Colleen and I are hosting during our Countdown to Black Friday event? We are having a lot of fun with it, and we hope you are too!

Yesterday was a stressful day for me. Chloe, my sweet old golden retriever and the only pet we have left, had to have surgery. She had this big mass on her tail that was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen, so we had it removed. And since she was going to be under anesthesia for that, we had her teeth cleaned too. Due to the horrible year I have had regarding my pets, I was so nervous for her and spent most of the day having heart palpitations. She did great, though, and is back home and back to normal...minus the nasty thing on her tail that made me gag whenever I saw it. Blech. Now we are waiting for pathology to come back, because the vet didn't like the looks of it, and because of the rapid growth that it had. Since she is a golden retriever, and she had a brother that most likely had cancer, her odds of getting cancer are unfortunately very high. We are hoping that isn't the case right now and that it was just a benign growth.

Fun Gifts From Think Geek Review | Countdown To Black Friday Giveaway

Do you have a Geek in your life? If you know me at all then you know I do. My husband is a software developer, and always seems to have the latest and greatest in electronic and technological devices. He just likes cool stuff. There is one website out there where you can always find the coolest gadgets and other "stuff for smart masses", and that site is Think Geek!

Think Geek has some great gift ideas for all of the geeks on your Christmas list. They have gifts for men like the Kiwi Bluetooth Android Phone Car Diagnostic Kit, gifts for women like the Beating Heart Stress Relief Pillow, and even gifts for kids like the super cool Loopa Gyroscopic Toddler Bowls.

Kiwi Bluetooth Android Phone Car Diagnostic Kit

I always say that I am blessed to have a girl and a boy. I have the best of both worlds! There are definitely different experiences to be had with each child, and I am excited about all of them. There are things I look forward to doing with both Rylie and Bryce, and one of those things I look forward to doing with Rylie is buying fun girly stuff like this...

Those colorful accessories are MOGO Charmbands. These fun, linkable bracelets and magnetic charms "just click!" They are definitely the hottest new accessories for girls of all ages!

Omni Bean Bag Chair By Sumo Review | Countdown To Black Friday Giveaway

Edited to add: Due to the extremely disrespectful and unprofessional manner in which I was treated by the owner of Sumo Lounge, I can no longer, in good conscience, recommend purchasing from this company. Not only was I treated in this manner, I also found that several other customers and bloggers were treated the same way. I strongly recommend that you do your own research before purchasing anything from this company.

If you came across this review looking for bean bag furniture, I highly recommend Bean Bag Boss for all of your bean bag needs.

Bean bags make such fun furniture! You can plop down on them and make them into just about any shape you want in order to be comfortable. When I was younger, the only bean bag chairs I remember were all one size, and that was small. Bean bag furniture has come a long way since then, and they are getting bigger and bigger. You could pretty much make a sectional sofa out of bean bags these days!

Sumo makes bean bag furniture in all sizes, from a small ottoman to a gigantic 86" chair that can seat an entire family.

Hallmark Story Buddies Review | Countdown To Black Friday Giveaway

We all know that exposing kids to books and reading at a young age is very important. Unfortunately, my kids would rather be running through the house than sitting still while I read to them. Rylie will occasionally sit down and listen to a story, but when I try to read to Bryce, all he wants to do is turn the pages. Lately, though, Bryce has been asking to read, and even though that means he wants to flip through a book by himself, he enjoys looking at the pictures and "reading" the story.

Hallmark has some great products that make reading so much more fun! Recordable Storybooks are one type of fun reading product that Hallmark makes, and you may remember the Recordable Storybook review I posted a couple months ago. These books are great for kids that can't read on their own yet, because as they flip through the pages, they will hear your voice reading to them. There are so many titles available in categories such as Holiday, Disney, and Literary Favorites. Some of these books now even feature music!

The Night Before Christmas Recordable Storybook

Guess How Much I Love You Recordable Storybook

Eco-Friendly Gifts From The Ultimate Green Store Review | Countdown To Black Friday Giveaway

I was introduced to The Ultimate Green Store a few months ago when I did a review of their EcoZoo Cotton Kids Rolling Backpack. I really liked the idea behind the store in that they offer only environmentally friendly products for sale. I try to "shop green" as much as I possibly can in order to make my contribution to improving the health of our planet. The Ultimate Green Store carries products from many of the world’s leading manufacturers and designers of sustainable, natural, organic, recycled, eco-friendly goods, and also from companies that did not start out with environmental concerns in mind, but now have launched "green lines" for their products.

As the ultimate web-based destination for eco-conscious shoppers, The Ultimate Green Store provides a collection of many of the finest environmentally friendly products for you, your home, office, kids and even your pets! We also have an incredible collection of gifts for any occasion and you may personalize your shopping experience by creating a wishlist or custom gift registry for your special event!

The Ultimate Green Store has some great gift ideas for everyone on your Christmas list! They have a Green Gifts section where you will find gifts for men, women, colleagues, kids, babies and even pets!

Breaking News!

We have breaking news here at The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too!...

Bryce went pee pee in the potty this weekend!!!

Up until just the last week or so, Bryce has really shown no interest in potty training. He is one of those kids that would walk around with poop in his diaper until someone happened to get down wind and notice it. We have been putting him on the toilet on the little Elmo training seat every night before his bath for several weeks now. He would pretty much just sit there until we took him off and put him in the bathtub.

Last week, however, he started asking to go on the potty at bath time. He would sit there and you could tell he was really trying to do something, but nothing ever happened. Then he would get some toilet paper and "wipe" (because he sees Rylie and me do it) and then hop off and flush the toilet.

Epson Stylus NX430 Small-In-One Printer Review | Countdown To Black Friday Giveaway

The age of technology is now, and many people have electronics on their Christmas lists. Children (and even some adults) have video games and MP3 players on their lists, college kids may ask for a laptop or a new cell phone, and us "grown ups" may be asking Santa for a new computer or other peripheral devices. One item on my list this year was a new printer, and thanks to Epson, Christmas came a little early for me!

We have been using the same ink jet printer for years, and when I recently attempted to print some photos to decorate my office with, I found myself longing for a printer that printed better quality photos. We recently received an Epson Stylus NX430 Small-in-One Printer for review, and I will never have to send my photos to a lab for printing again!