I Heart Ring Pops {Giveaway}

By the time most of you read this post, we will already be into February, aka "The Month of Love". Red and pink hearts will be plentiful as couples celebrate Valentine's Day and let each other know how much they are loved. Kids also enjoy celebrating Valentine's Day by passing out cards to their friends.

Kids' Valentine cards aren't just little paper cards like they were when I was a kid. You can now buy sticker cards, tattoo cards, cards that hold a pencil or a piece of candy, and even candy itself with special wrappers you can write on.

Bazooka Candy Brands has produced Valentine Ring Pops just for the occasion! With strawberry or cherry flavored heart-shaped and classic ring pops, they are sure to put a smile on the face of your Valentine! Each package even has a little message area that makes these Valentine Ring Pops the perfect Valentines for classroom parties or gift baskets.

Another Fun Day At The Happiest Place On Earth

Happy Tuesday everyone! I didn't get this posted yesterday like I wanted to because I was way too exhausted Sunday night to get the post done. We spent last Saturday at Magic Kingdom, and I think I am still recovering from walking around there for 12 hours. It was SO MUCH FUN, though, and well worth all of the sore muscles I still have.

I have a few friends that work at Disney (it is kind of inevitable when you live in Orlando to have at least one friend who works there), and on Thursday afternoon, one of my friends offered me tickets for Saturday. HECK YEA! So Mama drove up and the five of us went to Disney World!

We headed over to Tomorrowland as soon as we went in, and checked out the new Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. Rylie and Bryce love Monsters Inc, and even though a lot of the jokes were over their heads, they liked the interactive show. After that, we hit the People Mover for the first time.

Robby Wash Ball {Review & Giveaway}

How many loads of laundry do you do per week? How often do you purchase laundry detergent? In my family of 4 I do roughly 6-8 loads of laundry per week. And I purchase detergent about every other month. With the continual rise of product prices, have you ever thought "that's money down the drain" after doing a load of laundry?

Well I have a wonderful new product that may just change your thinking! Oransi has launched in the U.S. an ultra high efficiency hypoallergenic laundry detergent ball called "Robby Wash." The Robby Wash ball retails for $32.95 and includes the following money saving benefits:

 - 10 ounces of Robby Wash ball replaces 75 lbs. of traditional laundry detergent - environmentally friendly.
- One Robby Wash ball lasts up to 12 months. The ball itself will last 3 years.
- One Robby Wash ball will save more than $100+ over 120 washes
- One Robby Wash ball lasts one year. This includes refills and free stain stick.
- It is eco-friendly, hypoallergenic and safe - commonly used in Europe with baby laundry (as well as adults' laundry).
- Third party tested, proven and guaranteed to clean better than traditional powder laundry detergent.

Day Out with Thomas: Mystery on the Rails Tour 2012

ALL ABOARD DETECTIVES! 

I wanted to let you know that I have been selected to be a “Mommy Reporter” for the Day Out with Thomas: Mystery on the Rails Tour 2012 event at the Florida Railroad Museum on March 17th.

Want to join me? Well take a look at the Day Out with Thomas Schedule and choose an event that you and your family might be interested in attending. I will be covering the event by tweeting from there and blogging about it after, posting photos and more! Thomas the Tank Engine will also share our breaking news reports through his Twitter feed-- http://twitter.com/trueblueengine.

Learn more about the event! Pulling out of the station for its 16th consecutive ride on the rails, the Day Out with Thomas: Mystery on the Rails Tour 2012 will visit more than 45 cities in the United States and Canada. Day Out With Thomas is the only place for families to take a ride with a 15-ton replica of everybody’s favorite No. 1 engine, Thomas the Tank Engine, and enjoy Thomas-themed activities at the Imagination Station, including stamps, temporary tattoos and hands-on arts and crafts. Each year the tour grows, traveling to new destinations, adding new activities and welcoming new visitors.

~*~Winners!!!~*~ MrChewy.com And Zoobies

Thank you to everyone who entered our recent giveaways. The winners are...

MrChewy.com $25 Gift Code

Weekend Win It - January 28-29 {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 a few great giveaways going on right now!

Giveaway: Winchell Mountain Coffee Ends: 1/30 Prize: Valentine's Day Coffee Lover's Gift Pack

We're Headed To See The Mouse!

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a fabulous week, and has a fun weekend planned. Up until yesterday afternoon we had zero plans for this weekend, and then out of the blue, my friend offered me tickets to Disney World. So we're headed to see Mickey and all of his friends on Saturday! I haven't told the kids yet and I probably won't until we get there. They are going to be beyond excited!

This week didn't start off near as awesome as it is ending, though. On Sunday night I came down with a nasty stomach bug. It came on suddenly, and other than feeling like I had been hit by a bus on Monday, it left just as quickly. Thank goodness! So far everyone in the house is OK, so I imagine I caught whatever Bryce had right before Rylie's birthday, and hopefully that is the end of the sickies in our house for a while.

The weather here has been absolutely beautiful this week. There is nothing like wearing short sleeved shirts and flip flops in the middle of "winter". It was in the 80s all week, and I loved it! We're supposed to be getting a "cold front" tomorrow, but our highs will still be in the 70s, so I'll take it. I love being a Floridian this time of the year.

Bright Starts Roll & Chase Bumble Bee And Cozy Cart Cover {Review}

Bright Starts has been creating a fascinating world for babies since 1969. Their original and inventive thinking has led to a long list of products that have revolutionized the industry and made babyhood more fun for everyone. I'm going to share two of those products with you today.

The Roll & Chase Bumble Bee brings learning and fun to life with its unpredictable bumbling and catchy melodies that begin with the touch of a button. With two modes of play, toddlers also learn colors, shapes, and numbers! This toy is specific for children 6 month old to 36 months which makes for quite a long life span. The Roll & Chase Bumble Bee features 2 modes of play:

Chase and Play Mode-encourages baby to crawl by rolling and tumbling in a variety of different ways with the press of a button. The 3 light up buttons play 9 different melodies keeping baby engaged and entertained.

Learning Mode-Press one of the 3 buttons to learn colors, shapes, and numbers. This mode is certainly important for baby's ever growing mind, but a fun toy at the same time.

Wordless Wednesday: The Many Faces Of Bryce

Custom Birthday Banners By Uniquely Me {Review & Giveaway}

When it comes to birthday parties, I'm not much of a decorator. I'm just not good at that those details. Sure, I get the plates and napkins to match the "theme" of my party, but that is usually about it. I have my kids' parties at super fun locations where they are busy playing and having a good time, so I figure no one looks at the decorations anyway, right?

Well, there is one decoration that has been hanging up at my kids' parties that people DO notice. That decoration is a custom birthday banner from Uniquely Me Designs. My friends Tiffany and Dana started making these banners well over a year ago, and do such a great job. They can make banners to match just about any party theme you can come up with.

Finding Nemo 3D: Coming This Fall To Theaters

So who is loving the fact that so many classic Disney movies are coming back to the big screen in 3D? I am! Several of my favorite Disney movies came out during my adult years, which meant that I watched most of them on TV when I was visiting my younger cousins. I'm so glad to get the opportunity to watch these on the big screen now with my kids, and the 3D effects make them even better!

We recently saw Beauty and the Beast in 3D, and it was awesome! I just learned that another one of my favorites is hitting the big screen this fall...

Rylie's 4th Birthday: The Presents

I realize that Rylie's birthday was over a week ago, but you didn't really think I was done posting about it yet, did you? I have to tell you about my big mom fail with regards to the gifts. Well, it wasn't entirely my fault...

Ahhh the birthday presents! The best part of the birthday, right? Well, for Rylie, that hasn't been the case over the last couple of years. In fact, it usually took a few days to open all of her presents, because she just didn't seem to care. Perhaps 4 is the age, though, that kids really get into presents, because Rylie was definitely excited about her presents this year.

When we got home from her birthday party she immediately wanted to open her presents, so we got them all out of the car and brought them all out into the family room. I was lucky enough to get this picture before the madness ensued...

The Amazing Mat {Review}

I was recently introduced to a neat innovative product and just had to share it with our readers! The Amazing Mat is a multi-layered doormat made of thin, clear, eco-friendly sheets. It uses the same anti-bacterial adhesive as NASA to catch the dirt from your shoes and trap it on the mat – removing any germs, bacteria, mold, pollen, fungus from your shoes before they can be tracked into your home.

What a neat invention! I'm pretty ocd about cleaning and always make sure everyone has clean hands before and after meals and after playing outside or using the restroom, but I'd never thought about our feet! We track in so many germs through our shoes and we certainly don't have the time to mop them all away each day. I have an 11 month old son who's just began walking, but he's been crawling for months. After just one day of using The Amazing Mat I noticed just how much dirt and germs could have possibly been tracked all over my floors where my little one crawls. Yikes!!

Here is a great demonstration of how The Amazing Mat works:

Weekend Win It - January 21-22 {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 a few great giveaways going on right now!

Giveaway: Mr.Chewy Ends: 1/24 Prize: $25 Mr.Chewy Gift Code

Goosie Cards Personalized Flash Cards {Review & Giveaway}

I am very pleased to share with our readers a new approach to your everyday flashcards! Goosie Cards are personalized flashcards that you create with your personal photos and text to teach your child about the world around them. Goosiecards.com turns your personal photos into flashcards so you can teach your child about the faces and places they know best…because they are all about you and your family. You can create personalized flashcards to teach, play or to help with special needs.

And it’s fun and easy to make with the easy-to-use “creativity shop” available through Walgreens Photo Center
1. Choose a collection
2. Select your photos
3. Design your flashcards

A Quick Hello And Five Question Friday

Hi all! Happy Friday! I'm working today, and I am sure looking forward to 5:00. I am most likely getting up early tomorrow and heading down to St. Pete for a girls' day (and night) with my bestie, while the kids hang with Mama and Brian stays home and enjoys the peace and quiet. I am in serious need of some new clothes, so my stylish friend is going to take me shopping.

As you might imagine, I am still behind on my "chores" from last weekend since the birthday extravaganza didn't leave much time for housework. I still have one more birthday post to do about the little Tasmanian devil that was tearing through the presents, and I actually have a few other issues on my mind that I want to write about. Hopefully I will be able to get into some writing next week.

For now, though, I will leave you with some little tidbits of information about me in Five Question Friday. Have a great weekend, my friends!

Coca-Cola's Arctic Home: A Safe Haven For Polar Bears {Giveaway}

Last month I introduced you to Coca-Cola's Arctic Home Program, which is Coca-Cola's partnership with the World Wildlife Fund that was created to raise awareness and funds to help create a safe haven for the polar bear. Since 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.

Polar bears have been part of Coca-Cola tradition since 1922, representing icy cold refreshment and friends and family togetherness. But the polar bears need our help in the Arctic. Coca-Cola has made a commitment to helping the WWF and polar bear habitat preservation by donating an initial $2 million and matching donations through March—up to $1 million. To have Coca-Cola match your donation, simply text the code on specially-marked Arctic Home packages to 357357. You can also make donations online at ArcticHome.com. Each donation accompanied by a code from specially-marked packages will not only be matched, but a designated parcel of the virtual Arctic Home refuge will be donated in your name on the site.

~*~Winner!!!~*~ Kidtoons Dino Dan

Thank you to everyone who entered my January Kidtoons Giveaway! The winner of the Dino Dan Prize Pack is...



Congratulations Amanda!

Wordless Wednesday: It's My Party And I'll Cry If I Want To

Winchell Mountain Coffee Introduces The Boynton Collection {Review & Giveaway}

If you all read this blog regularly, then you know that I am a coffee fanatic. Trust me, this mommy NEEDS coffee! Between being a mom, a wife, an accountant and a blogger, I need that caffeine to fuel my long days and nights.

Winchell Mountain Coffee takes the phrase "Mommy Needs Coffee" very seriously. In fact, they take all of their coffee very seriously. Winchell Mountain Coffee is a small, family owned coffee roaster located in the peaceful rural town of Pine Plains, New York. Here are some quick facts as to why their coffee is truly something to be experienced:

• They use beans from all around the world and will not accept a shipment until that harvest has been sampled repeatedly, both in its raw green form and in its roasted form.
• With these carefully selected beans, they create exclusive blends like the more rare single origin coffees called yrgacheffe. Yrgacheffe is a region of Ethiopia and rumored to be where the first coffee bean came from.
• They roast their coffee in the old old-world tradition, only utilizing heat and hands.
• They are obsessed with quality and will throw entire roasts away if the beans are not sampled perfectly.
• One-way goglio valve bags vacuum pack the beans so consumers are guaranteed the absolute freshness. Using this technology there is no air whatsoever entering the beans to spoil their integrity so the bags have a healthy shelf life of up to six months.

Rylie's 4th Birthday: The Party

Rylie had such a fabulous birthday party on Saturday! We had 39 adults, 33 kids and 2 babies in attendance, and everyone had a great time! It was a huge party, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. We have so many wonderful friends and family members, and it was awesome having so many people come out to celebrate Rylie's special day!

We held the party at the same place we had it last year - Double Down Athletics. This is such an awesome place to have a birthday party! It is a HUGE gym filled with bounce houses, trampolines, and all kinds of fun equipment for the kids to play on. The employees do all of the work while the kids (and even the parents) play. They set everything up, serve pizza and drinks, cut and serve the cake, and even carry everything out to your car at the end. The best part about it is that it is private, so only your party is in there.

I usually stress about throwing birthday parties, but I really didn't this time. I had everything ready to go the night before, and since the party wasn't until later in the afternoon, we weren't rushing around to get out the door. The only part I was stressed about was the cake, but it turned out absolutely amazing!

Happy 4th Birthday Rylie!

Happy Birthday to our beautiful, smart, funny, strong-willed, independent little big girl!

The past year of your life has been a rough one for our family as a whole, but it has been filled with excitement watching you learn and grow. You have grown up so much in such a short time, and you have come into your own as a little person with your own thoughts, dreams and desires.

January/February 2011

Weekend Win It - January 14-15 {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 a few great giveaways going on right now!

Blogiversary, Birthday And Five Question Friday

That is a lot for one post, right? Well, there is a lot going on right now. First off, today is my 2nd Blogiversary! Woo hoo!

Two years ago I published my very first post on this blog, and boy what a ride it has been since then! What started out as just a place to share stories about my kids has turned into so much more. I have connected with so many wonderful people through this blog, and I have had several awesome opportunities because of those connections. A few months ago it was all getting to be too much and I thought I was going to have to give up, but instead I implemented some changes, and so far I am very pleased with the way things are going.

Thank you all so much for your support! I am still trying to get through all of the comments on a couple of my recent posts, but I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your kind words, and let you know that it means so much to me that you all stop by to read and follow along with the craziness that is my life!

Speaking of craziness...

Zoobies Blanket Pets {Review & Giveaway}

When Christmas rolled around, my 3 year old son could not wait to begin circling all the items he wanted in the catalogs that showed up in our mailbox. Mostly he wanted superhero "anything", but on several occasions he mentioned he wanted a blanket pet. His list kept growing and growing as commercials played in between his favorite cartoons and I was constantly being dragged to the tv to see what item he wanted next. I thought, is this list ever going to end?!

The week of Christmas a wonderful opportunity fell into my lap. Zoobies Blanket Pets had reached out with a review opportunity. I jumped at the chance! I called my son over and asked which pet was his favorite from the huge selection of pets. He chose Zulu the Zebra. I was not surprised one bit! Although we live minutes from all the major theme parks in Orlando, my sons favorite park is not "the land of the mouse". He loves Sea World and Busch Gardens because of the animals. He's all about the safari rides and petting zoos those parks have to offer.

Wordless Wednesday: Future Veterinarian

Mr.Chewy Delivers Pet Supplies To Your Door {Review & Giveaway}

When my dogs were puppies, I did some searching for the "best" food to feed them. I received several recommendations for some of the natural foods like Blue Buffalo, but these foods were not easy to find locally. I didn't want to pay for shipping if I ordered online, nor did I want to have to worry that my dogs would run out of food if I forgot to place my order far enough in advance, so I gave up trying to find these specialty foods and instead settled on something I knew I could always get easily. I still feed my dog good, high quality food, but I would have rather gone with one of the natural foods. I wish I had known about Mr.Chewy back then!

Mr.Chewy is an online pet food retailer offering over 70 brands of pet food, treats and supplies. Their brands range from the popular brands like Purina ONE and Friskies, to specialty brands like Taste of the Wild, Orijen, and Blue Buffalo. You can also purchase prescription pet food from Mr.Chewy with a prescription from your veterinarian! My cats were on prescription food, and we often found ourselves scrambling to get to our vet's office before they closed to get more before we ran out over the weekend. It would have been so much easier if I had been able to just order it online.

Are You Prepared?

Living in Florida we are prone to natural disasters like hurricanes or floods. Each year when hurricane season begins we are reminded as Florida residents to stock up on water, canned foods, batteries and other supplies necessary to help us in an emergency situation. Some people take the necessary steps to protect themselves in case of such disasters while others choose to ignore the advice given.

While the East Coast worries about hurricanes, the West Coast has threats of fires and earthquakes, the Midwest has the risk of tornadoes, and the North faces fierce snow storms each year. All of these situations can cause power outages, including shutting down your local grocery stores, gas stations, etc for days, possibly weeks.

Now that my husband and I are parents, it's not just us that we have to worry about. We are responsible for our children's safety and well being and that includes being prepared for emergency situations. Having a food supply is just one way to give people the peace of mind needed before a crisis, and keep them fed during a drought or disaster. Emergency food supplies go way beyond just canned goods these days. Websites such as http://preparewise.com/ have a vast variety of freeze dried meals available. www.preparewise.com offers wonderful benefits of long term food storage with up to 25 years of shelf life!

Beauty And The Beast 3D Featuring Tangled Ever After Short

I absolutely love that Disney is bringing some of our favorite movies back to the big screen...and in 3D! A few months ago we watched The Lion King in 3D, and this past Saturday, we saw Beauty and the Beast in 3D. It was amazing!

On January 13th, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ magical classic “Beauty and the Beast” returns to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™.

Weekend Win It - January 7-8 {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 one great giveaway going on right now!

My Dirty Little Secret

Well, it’s not a secret, really. It is just something I don’t talk about here. Or anywhere, really. But it is dirty. It is actually quite disgusting.

I’m a smoker. Well, I WAS. I think. Maybe.

I started smoking when I was 19 and in college. I grew up with a chain smoker who smoked in our house and in the car, and I always complained about how sick it made me, but there I was, years later, smoking with my friends. At first I only did it socially, but then it became a pack-a-day habit. When I met Brian I said I would try to quit one day. And I did try. Several times. I never did follow through.

Wordless Wednesday: Rock Climber

Back To Work

My Christmas vacation is over, and I am back to work today. Booooo! While I didn't get much of my to-do list accomplished, I sure did enjoy the time off.

I kept the kids home from school last week, which is the reason I didn't get anything done that I wanted to. It is literally impossible to get anything done with them home. That is OK, though. I thoroughly enjoyed my time off with them. Well, at least most of the time. I loved watching them play together, which is something I don't get to see very often. We are always so busy on the weekends that we aren't home much, so it was nice to just have some downtime at home.

Rylie and Bryce got along well together for the most part. There were times when I didn't hear a peep from them, and I actually got a little concerned. They would lock themselves in one of their rooms (we have a "key" above every door), and each time I checked on them, they were just playing nicely. Of course when they realized that I was watching, all hell would break loose and one or both of them would end up in time out. I learned very quickly that I was better off just leaving them alone unless someone was already screaming.

Kidtoons Is Now Playing: Dino Dan Featuring Mighty Machines

It's a new month (of a new year!) and Kidtoons has a new matinee out in theaters! Throughout the month of January, everyone's favorite dinosaur tracker will be 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.

Let Me Introduce Myself....

Hey, I'm Jennifer! The new co-writer for The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! I am so grateful for this opportunity to team up with LeeAnn. Who knew a dinner with friends would be life changing for two people! As LeeAnn mentioned in her Changes post, she was looking to slow down and I was looking for a new writing challenge with more benefits. I've been in the blogging world for a few years now, first as a giveaway enterer then as a part-time writer for a friend's blog and now I have a full-time gig!

I thought the best way to tell you a bit about myself is by defining who I am. So here goes: I'm a Blog Writer, Blog Reader, Survey Taker, Ebay Entrepreneur, HUGE Couponer, Giveaway Enterer all while being a Stay At Home Mom. I'm a Wife, MOTHER, Daughter, Sister and Trusted Friend. I'm a Chocoholic, Wine Lover, Fb Gamer, Outdoor Lover, Soap watcher, Ford Fan, Junk food Lover & Warm weather is my bff! I'm proud of my Irish/Italian Heritage. My kids are my WORLD and I'm fine w/that!

Welcome 2012!

Just a quick little post to ring in the New Year! I welcome 2012 and look forward to what this year has to bring! I hope you all had fun celebrations ringing in the New Year with friends and family, and aren't paying for it too much today. ;-)