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

December 31, 2011

~~Winner!!!~~ Dog-E-Glow

Thank you to everyone who entered my Dog-E-Glow Giveaway! The winner of the LED Collar and Leash is...

Today is the last day of 2011, and I am thrilled that this year is coming to an end. This has been the absolute WORST year of my life!

We started off the year learning about food allergies in order to keep Rylie safe and to avoid another hospital visit like the one we had on Christmas Eve a year ago. It was all very overwhelming at first, but it quickly became a way of life that we are all used to living now. Then she got sick on her birthday and we actually had to postpone her third birthday party. I can't forget the cancer scare that sent me into hysterics and my little girl into a CT machine, either. Luckily she came through all of that with a clean bill of health! The month of January went from bad to really bad when I lost my sweet Cosmo. I still miss that big ole ball of fur every day.

February brought ear infections for Bryce, nightmares for Rylie and a hospital stay for my dad. I also found out that both of my cats had serious health problems. I felt like there was a dark cloud hanging over my house.

My New Year's Resolution

I typically don't make New Year's resolutions. For whatever reason, I feel like if I make it a point to "resolve" to do something, I am just setting myself up for failure. I would rather just make a less formal decision to make a change in my life, and that way, if it doesn't happen, it isn't a big deal. This year, however, I am making one resolution.

I am going to start leading a healthier lifestyle.

I am going to eat better. This doesn't just apply to me, either. This one applies to the whole family. My kids are ridiculously picky, so therefore, we have been tailoring our meals to what they will eat, which isn't much. Our weekly dinners consist of frozen chicken fingers with spaghetti (our version of Chicken Parmesan, I guess), tacos and cheese rolls, chicken quesadillas, black beans and rice, and at least one night at Chick Fil A. While most of these meals wouldn't necessarily be horrible if there were also some vegetables on our plates, they aren't balanced meals, and that is something we need to do better at. My kids supposedly eat vegetables at school, so they can eat them at home too, right?

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!

Here are some great giveaways that I found this week...

Giveaway: Element Case
Blog: Thanks, Mail Carrier
Ends: 1/13

Prize: White Vapor COMP Epiphany iPhone case AND a Joule iPad stand! Total ARV $220!

Changes

This past year has been a total blur. I have been beyond busy with my family, my full time job, my house, my blog, and all of my personal issues, and I have come to realize that I can't do it all. I have been averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night, and my health and my sanity are starting to suffer from it. Something has got to give.

I started my blog to share things about my kids with my family and friends. I never intended for it to take the path it did. Don't get me wrong, I have had a great time writing product reviews and offering giveaways, and I am grateful for the experiences I have had because of this blog, but over the past several months, it has turned into a job, and I don't want another job.

For the most part, I don't let this blog interfere with the limited time I have available with my children. Since I do have a full time job outside the home, I don't see my kids that much during the week, so I have to make every minute count. Therefore, I don't get online until they go to sleep, which is usually close to 9PM. Between writing blog posts, promoting giveaways, trying to visit and support other bloggers and finding ways to get traffic to my site, I usually don't go to bed until well after midnight, and then I am back up at 5AM to start my day. I have been doing this for way too long, and I just can't do it any longer.

Wordless Wednesday: What? No More Presents?

Christmas Morning - In Pictures

Another Christmas has come and gone, and the current disarray of my house is proof of it. And proof that my kids have way too much stuff! I thought it was bad before, but that was nothing compared to the chaos that has ensued over the past two days. We had a great Christmas, though, and Rylie and Bryce were two very happy little kids on Christmas morning. The smiles we saw on their faces are worth the mess for sure.

Since this was the first Christmas without my dad, I was a little concerned with how my overall mood would be that day. I did surprisingly well, and the kids kept me distracted most of the day. I ended up having a little breakdown mid-day, but my husband was the only one who saw it, and I managed to keep my sadness to myself for the most part. I missed my dad so much that day, and all I could think about was how much fun he would have had watching the kids open their gifts. My mom even mentioned the same thing several times.

Even though we weren't really in the Christmas spirit like we are most years, we kept our little family traditions. I made our "usual" lasagna for dinner, and my mom and I had our matching pajamas. Unfortunately, we couldn't find similar ones for Rylie like we did last year. I think next year I am going to order matching PJs for the whole family. Shhhh, don't tell Brian!

~~Winners!!!~~

Congratulations to all of the latest giveaway winners!

Energizer Batteries

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! I hope your Christmas is filled with love, laughter, family and friends.

Weekend Win It - December 24-25 {Giveaway Linky}

Oh Christmas Tree! #KmartHoliday #CBias

There are so many things about Christmas that I love...the magic, the goodwill to and from others, spending time with family, my kids' faces when they see all of the presents Santa brought them...I could go on and on. I also love all of the decorations. That is half of the magic right there. The twinkling lights of the holiday season can bring a sense of joy and wonder to kids and adults alike.

Unfortunately, this Christmas is not a very decorative Christmas at our house. We usually go all out and line our house with multicolored lights and adorn our lawn with deer, a big blow up Santa and even a huge snow globe. This year, though, we have been so busy, and we just never had the time to get all of that out. We do have our Christmas tree up, though, and regardless of how busy we are, that will be up every year. After all, Santa has to have a place to put all of those presents!

Earlier this month I posted about how we have been decorating our tree with the same ornaments for almost 10 years, and it was time for a change. I went to Kmart and purchased new tree trimmings so we could give our tree a fresh, new look this year. Kmart had so many beautiful tree trimmings that it was hard to choose what I wanted for our tree, but I ultimately decided on the Jacklyn Smith Midnight Clear Collection from the Kmart Holiday Shop. Make sure you check out my Google+ album to read all about my shopping experience and see all of the different decorations that Kmart had to offer this year.

Who is still Christmas shopping? For once in my life, I am not doing any last minute shopping, but I know several of you are. Some people wait until the last minute with the hopes of scoring great deals. With overnight shipping, there is still plenty of time to shop online and still get your gifts in time for Christmas. There are also those that celebrate Christmas with extended family after Christmas like we usually do, so they also wait until the last minute to shop, in order to take advantage of deep discounts.

Whatever the reason might be, if you are doing some last minute online shopping, use your MasterCard and get rewarded for it! With MasterCard's Here's To Mom promotion, you can receive a gift for yourself, just for shopping online. All you have to do is register your MasterCard and spend $200 online, and you will receive a $20 MasterCard gift card. Merry Christmas to you!

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Rewind

~*~Christmas 2008~*~

Coca-Cola's #ArcticHome Program {Giveaway}

This holiday season, Coca-Cola is partnering with the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness and funds to help create a safe haven for the polar bear. Polar bears are facing the loss of their habitat due to the sea ice melting at unprecedented rates. The Coca-Cola Company has developed the Arctic Home project to ensure the polar bear has a place to call home in the future.

When you visit Coca-Cola's Arctic Home, you can explore the virtual refuge to track actual polar bears and discover videos, photos and facts about the Arctic. You can also help by donating to this great cause. For every dollar you donate, you may select one virtual parcel of Arctic Home that you can use as a base for exploring and tracking real polar bears.

~~Winners!!!~~

Congratulations to all of the latest winners!

ToiletTree Deluxe LED Fogless Shower Mirror

Santa Sends Personalized Messages From Portable North Pole

Have you heard of Portable North Pole? If not, you have GOT to check out this site and personalize a video message for your child from Santa!

All you have to do is enter some information about your child, upload a photo or two, and you will get a link to your child's personalized message. It is so cool! I made videos for Rylie and Bryce this weekend.

First, Santa pulls up their "file" that includes their age, and what their daily life is like.

Quick Breakfast With Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches #TysonGoodness #CBias

Back in November I learned about Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches. Since then, they have become a staple in our house. I originally thought that they would make a quick dinner idea for the kids, but they weren't huge fans. They would rather have the Fun Nuggets or Chicken Tenders. I, on the other hand, have been eating them ever since! One day last week I noticed that there were no more in our freezer, so we headed out to Walmart to get some more.

Not only did I need more Mini Chicken Sandwiches, we also needed some birthday presents and toys for a toy drive at the kids' school. The kids behaved so well during this shopping trip, even though they acted like complete goofballs at times! Bryce was given a candy cane by one of the nice Walmart associates, which made me regret leaving our diaper bag in the car. We definitely needed some wet wipes for the aftermath!

Our Puppy Prep Kit Delivery #ILoveMyk9 #CBias

I recently posted about a Puppy Prep Kit that I was putting together that included some of the essentials needed for a new puppy. In that post I told you about my shopping trip and the different items I purchased for the kit. The first things I picked up were various treats from Milk-Bone®, Pup-peroni® and Milo's Kitchen®.

You can never have too many treats when you have a new puppy, since they are great for training purposes. Puppies will be happy to go potty outside when they know they will get a delicious Milk-Bone® when they come back in!

This Season's Hot Toys From Learning Curve {Review}

Choo Choo! That is a sound heard often in our house. Bryce is fascinated with trains and loves to play on his train table. His middle name is Thomas and when you ask him what his whole name is he says "Bryce Thomas the Train!" When we were figuring out what to get our kids for Christmas this year, Bryce's list was pretty easy - trains, trains and more trains. He loves them!

If you have a child like Bryce who loves trains, then you probably already know about Learning Curve. With brands like Chuggington, Thomas Wooden Railway and Dinosaur Train, they have several tracks available for train enthusiasts like my son. Learning Curve isn't just trains, though. This great company also makes toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers under their various brands, and has some great gift ideas this year!

Dog-E-Glow LED Collars And Leashes {Review & Giveaway}

What did you get your dog for Christmas this year? Treats, perhaps? Or maybe a stuffed squeaky toy? You did get something for your furry family members, right? If you are still looking for a gift for your devoted pooch, I have a fabulous idea for you. You have got to check out these super cool LED collars and leashes from Dog-E-Glow!

Our lighted dog collars and leashes are the ultimate accessory for canine safety and style. Long-lasting LED lights illuminate the entire length of our collars and leashes for maximum visibility at night. And let's face it, they're also really cool! With one click you choose whether you want the lights to flash or emit a steady glow that's clearly visible up to 1,000 feet.

Hot Holiday Toys From BJ's Wholesale Club {Review}

I am so proud of myself this year! I usually wait until the last minute to get my Christmas shopping done, and have been known as one of those frantic people racing around the mall on Christmas Eve trying to get everything I need before they close. But not this year. I am almost completely done with my shopping, and will have the rest of it done this weekend. Well, that is the plan, at least.

Last week I posted a question asking you how you all keep things fair for siblings on Christmas, and it seemed like the general consensus was to make sure that each child had the same number of presents to open, with the exception being older children who may want more expensive gifts. That said, Rylie has a few more presents than Bryce does at this time, so I need to pick up a couple little things for him, just to keep it "fair".

When I shop for toys during the holidays, I have a few stores that are my go-to stores. One store that I never thought to shop at was BJ's Wholesale Club. I recently learned that BJ's has a ton of this season's hot toys available, all at low prices. They even have a Toy Catalog to showcase all of the great toys they carry!

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

As most of you know, we don't live far from Disney World. Up until the last few years, I wasn't a huge Disney lover, basically because of the crowds. After we took Rylie there for the first time almost two years ago, though, my feelings for Disney changed. It really is a magical place! The excitement in my kids' eyes when we visit makes me forget about the crowds and I always want to go back for more.

Disney holds various special events throughout the year, and one such event is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We had yet to go to this event, so we decided to check it out this year.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party features:

The enchanted Castle Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle
Mickey's Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus himself
An exclusive holiday fireworks extravaganza — Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season
Live entertainment featuring Disney Characters
Meet and greet opportunities throughout Magic Kingdom theme park with some of your favorite Disney Characters
Complimentary cookies and hot cocoa
A magical snow fall on Main Street, U.S.A.
Many of the most popular Magic Kingdom attractions

Wuggle Pets: A Great Gift Idea For Kids Who Like To Create

A couple of weeks ago I was shopping at Walmart when the "As Seen on TV" display caught my eye. There was a video playing on the top of the display, but that wasn't what I was interested in. I saw this cute little box on the top shelf, and I had to get a closer look.

What are Wuggle Pets? Wuggle Pets are collectible baby pets that children bring to life themselves! I only needed one glance at the box to know this would be something Rylie would love to have. She enjoys doing anything crafty, and what could be more fun than making your own little plush friend?

Kidtoons Is Now Playing: Olivia Wintertime Cheer {Giveaway}

Have you been to a Kidtoons matinee yet? We have! The first Kidtoons movie we saw was an Olivia movie, and now she is back on the big screen!

Kidtoons is dedicated to helping parents connect with their kids by bringing family friendly animated movies to the big screen every weekend at participating theatres across the country.

Participating Kidtoons theatres showcase a fun, affordable family friendly matinee movie and provide a family experience filled with entertaining, kid-friendly characters, as well as cartoon shorts, music videos and sing-alongs before each movie. We even have fun giveaways for the kids, such as stickers, temporary tattoos, activity books or toys after every film.

~~Winners!!!~~

Congratulations to last week's winners!

Easy Canvas Prints Giveaway

Lounging Around With BeanBagBoss {Review}

Lounging in a bean bag chair is the ultimate way to chill out! There is nothing more comfortable than plopping down on a huge bean bag and having those foam beans conform to your body. They are great for relaxing in front of the TV, as an extra seat in a family room, and even as a place to sit while playing video games. The possibilities are endless with these comfy seats!

I recently had the chance to review one of the HUGE bean bag chairs from BeanBagBoss. Their bean bag chairs measure a whopping 4.5' x 5', which is 11 cubic feet of pure comfort! When I went online to select my bean bag for review, I was pleasantly surprised at all of the different colors and patterns they offer. I had never seen such wild looking bean bags before. There are all types of patterns from color splashes to plaids to dots, and you will even find unique patterns like a city scape. So cool!

My Love/Hate Relationship With The Month Of December

Happy Friday! I sat down here Thursday night to write up a quick Five Question Friday post before I went to bed, but as of 11:00, the questions had not been posted. And I'm tired. Too tired to wait for them, that's for sure. So if you all want to know anything about me, leave me a question in the comments below, and maybe I'll just make up my own Five Question Friday next week.

So December is here. It has been here for 9 days now, and I'm just as busy as ever. Along with all of the Christmas hustle and bustle (decorating, shopping, wrapping, baking...) we also have several friends who have kids with December birthdays. We have a party to go to tonight, and then one again tomorrow morning. We have two next weekend also.

Preparing For A New Puppy #ILoveMyk9 #CBias

I am an animal lover and I have had pets my whole life. My first several years were spent growing up with Tuffy, our family dog. Up until this year, we had four pets - two golden retrievers and two cats. They were all about the same age, and unfortunately, three of them are no longer with us. We still have our Chloe, and she brings joy to even the darkest days.

If you have the time (and money) to spend on a pet, I think pets are wonderful additions to families. During the holidays, many people add a pet to their family. I don't advocate buying a puppy as a spur of the moment Christmas gift for children, but if it is something that has been thought about and planned for, a new puppy, or even an older dog rescued from a shelter, can be a wonderful gift!

Brian and I got our first dog in 2001. He was a beautiful golden retriever named Cosmo. The next year, Cosmo's parents had another litter of puppies and we decided to add another furry member to our family and brought Chloe home.

2012 Kia Sorento Test Drive {Review}

I grew up with a car fanatic for a father. He sure did love his cars! Looking back, it seems like my dad had a new car every year or so. He had a need for speed, so most of his cars were fast, but regardless of what kind of car he had, he always cared about them and kept them nice, inside, outside and under the hood. Needless to say, I learned a lot about cars and knew my way around them.

Not only did I grow up with a car fanatic, I married one too. In fact, I think my dad and my husband bonded pretty quickly because of their love for fast cars. They use to attend car shows, go to the race track, and seemed to always talk cars when they were together.

When Brian and I got married and our family grew, he had to give up his need for speed and instead focused on practicality, and even luxury. He said goodbye to his sports car and said hello to a 4 door family car. Since then, we focus more on space than anything else. Not only do we have two kids, but we also have a large dog, so we need room. I currently drive a very large SUV, so when I had the opportunity to test drive the 2012 Kia Sorento, I was excited to see if I could get by with something a little smaller.

Wordless Wednesday: Holiday Photo Shoot

We had family photos taken last weekend, and surprisingly got several good ones! I promise, I tried to narrow them down as best as I could, but there were still a lot I wanted to share. Keep in mind that these are the low resolution photos we received on a CD. Unfortunately, this place doesn't give out the high resolution images.

Bialetti Hot Chocolate Maker {Review & Giveaway}

Italians like to cook. At least the ones I know, do. It is an art for some of them. I, personally, love authentic Italian food. I don't know if it is the seasonings they use, or a special cooking technique, but it sure is good. I may not be able to prepare Italian food like they do in Italy, but with Italian cookware from Bialetti, I can sure try.

Bialetti began in Italy, but has become a leading brand around the world because our high-quality products bring simplicity, functionality and beauty to the kitchen. Our advanced technology and distinctive styling combine to create cookware that’s simple to use and simply beautiful. Today, the Bialetti family of products has grown. We bring a multitude of styles and colors to market. But our Italian heritage and passion for cooking live on in every line.

If you have multiple children, how do you keep things “fair” on Christmas morning? Do you make sure your kids have the same number of presents? Do you make sure you spend the same amount on them? Does size really matter?

We started off saying that we weren’t going to get much for Rylie and Bryce this Christmas, and I guess compared to last year, we really haven’t. They have way too much stuff as it is, and they just don’t need anything else. I received several items through my blog for review that I set aside to give to them for Christmas, but since most of it was for Rylie, I felt like I had to buy more for Bryce to make things “even”. Well then I saw a few other things that I knew Rylie really wanted, so I bought those for her. (Her Christmas list consisted of earrings and makeup, so I can at least say that Santa will be bringing her everything she asked for.)

Movie Night Powered By Energizer {Giveaway}

It's Christmas morning and your kids are opening their presents. There is that ONE gift that they want to play with RIGHT NOW, regardless of how many unopened presents are still under the tree. You get it out of the box, wrangle with all of the ties and plastic and finally free it from the packaging, only to find out that you need batteries to make it work. And guess what? You forgot the batteries. Cue the Christmas morning meltdown.

Has this ever happened to you? Well consider this your friendly reminder to make sure you stock up on Energizer batteries this holiday season. Whether you need lithium batteries for your electronic gadgets and high-tech devices, or rechargeable batteries for your camera and toys, Energizer has got you covered.

~~Winners!!!~~

Gemmy Holiday Prize Pack

Weekend Win It - December 3-4 {Giveaway Linky}

Trimmings For Our Christmas Tree #KmartHoliday #CBias

Brian and I purchased our first home in 2002. That Christmas, we had a small fiber optic tree in our front window. It wasn't much, but it was our first Christmas in our first home and it was special to us. My mom and I went out shopping the day after Christmas and I got an awesome deal on a beautiful 7 foot tree, and I also purchased all of the trimmings for it. That tree has been with us ever since, and has been decorated the same every year.

I decided that this was the year to change up our Christmas tree. We have lost several ornaments to ~~natural disasters~~ little toddler hands, and the rest of them are just starting to lose their shine. I did some online searching first and checked out the Kmart Holiday Shop.

Spread The Joy With $200 Cash {Giveaway}

It's December! Some of my blogger friends and I thought it would be nice to spread a little joy this holiday season! How about a chance to win $200 cash? All you have to do to enter is complete the mandatory entries on the Rafflecopter form below. Complete the bonus entries for even more chances to win!