Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.  If you purchase through the link, it benefits my site. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

One thing that adds unnecessary stress to the new school year is the amount of lost gear that accumulates in my classroom.   Most of the time the “stuff” gets reunited with its owner, but that takes a lot of effort on my part to hunt down that owner.   Kids easily lose track of their belongings when they’re preoccupied with a new locker or deciding who to sit with at lunch.  Now, the mom side of things is a little different.  I tend to spend a great deal on my kids’ back to school needs and I want them to be responsible for it.  It’s really important to label it ALL before you set that child off into the big wide world.  Hopefully at some point it will return with the child. [Read more…]

It would be a shame if you lived near the Tricities (Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol) and had to miss Fun Fest.  This is the single biggest event of the year for our relatively small town.  For those of you who haven’t heard of Fun Fest, let me share it with you.  It’s a 10 day party that our relatively small town puts on for FREE for the citizens. It’s amazing, with free activities for the kids, free concerts, and just lots of fun.   This year we had several youngsters staying with us during the kickoff events, and they just wanted to stay home and swim.  We did drag them out of the pool long enough to hit Mardi Gras.  The downtown area businesses pass out bead necklaces and everything is decorated in a Mardi Gras theme. There were bounce houses, concessions, and all kinds of fun stuff going on.  Now there are lots of the beads hanging around various parts of my house.  Think 6 kids, at least five necklaces each…..yep, that’s a lot of necklaces.  I found this one out by the pool.

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. The opinions stated here are 100% mine.

It’s more than a little embarrassing to admit that I am a failure at room decor.  My house is totally dependent upon the mercy of my friends and Pinterest.  If someone tells me how to make an impact with some frames, or even does it for me, it’s all good.  If left up to my own devices, it’s all a total bust.  Last fall there was a sale on the Kohl’s website and I purchased a fall-themed tablecloth on a whim.  It didn’t occur to me to even measure my table; I just went with the measurements that sounded right.  Luckily it was the right size (I suppose) and when it arrived it was arranged on the table before my kids came to eat supper.  When they walked in the dining room, one would have thought they had walked into a surprise party. Their squeals and perky eyebrows were just too much to bear.  What terrible lessons am I teaching my children about decor?  Sadly, that’s the only tablecloth I own so I finally brought myself to the realization that yes, I must purchase some new home items or at least do a little artful rearranging of the items we already own.  [Read more…]

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I was given a gift card for my time. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Giving a baby shower gift is a very personal, thoughtful moment.  It’s a chance to tell the new mom that you’re excited for her.  It’s an opportunity to offer that sweet new bundle of joy a soft blanket or beary to hold.   When that gift is used and cherished, it’s a blessing to the family.  My friends are always good at putting together themed baskets.  I haven’t acquired that skill so I depend on sites like IncrediBundles to help me out.  IncrediBundles fills a stylish, reusable container with the essential gifts for newborns.   [Read more…]

One of the reasons that my family purchases natural foods is because we can avoid the food dyes that are found in so many processed products.  People used to tease me because I even bought organic lollipops on Amazon for Halloween.  Once those people tried the suckers, though, they agreed that they tasted incredible.  Avoiding artificial flavors and dyes takes effort these days.  It’s especially hard to find baking goods that don’t contain those chemical additives.  For example, have you ever tried to find a pink frosting for cake that didn’t have a disclosure on the label, explaining that it contained artificial colors and flavors?   It’s disheartening for a busy  mom to have to choose between spending lots of time making something from scratch, or feeding her kids a lot of chemical dyes.   When I received Nature’s Flavors Natural Colors, lots of ideas ran through my mind about ways we could use these.

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Disclosure:  This post is brought to you by Truffol Aluminum-Leather Fusion Phone Cases. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

You paid a premium for your iPhone 5.  Doesn’t it deserve to be dressed in the best? Protect your iPhone in style with a Truffol case.  I’ve seen some phone cases that just don’t have the sleek style that iPhone should sport.  A plastic case might protect your phone but what fashion statement will it make?  With Truffol cases, you don’t have to sacrifice a trend-setting look for a protective one.  The Truffol Signature phone case combines sleek design, premium quality, and protection.  You can save both time and money by protecting your phone and enjoying its look, too.  We received this steel case from Truffol to show you how the phone case looks on a real phone. [Read more…]

Wow.  Just wow.  If you are a fan of dystopian novels, young adult books, or just thrillers in general, this is a not-to-be-missed book.   I was given the opportunity to review Anomaly as part of the Litfuse book tour.  Now I’m just going to have to wait for the next book (Luminary) to be released in 2014.  It’s gonna be a LONG wait.

Anomaly by Krista McGee has a “Divergent” vibe to it with a bit of the Matrix thrown in for good measure. [Read more…]

Welcome to the Apocalpyse Book Hop

Welcome to the Apocalypse Giveaway Hop.  Each participating blog in this event is giving away something a reader would enjoy — a dystopian novel, gift card, or some other cool prize.  This giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST on July 20, 2013. The Apocalypse Event Bloggers are not responsible for shipment of prize or sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.

Savings in Seconds says a big “Thank you!” to Litfuse Publicity for providing us with a copy of Anomaly by Krista McGee for this giveaway. [Read more…]

Welcome to the Book’em Danno Book Hop

This event is hosted by The Review Wire and is dedicated to book lovers everywhere.The giveaways below include hardback, paperback, eBooks or gift cards to buy a bookto take you on some kind of reading adventure! After you enter my giveaway make sure to hop on down the list to see what each blogger has to offer. Be sure to enter The Grand Prize over at The Review Wire. Two prize packs will be offered to two winners that include all children’s titles and both valued at over $110 dollars!  Disclaimer: This giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST on July 26, 2013. The Book’em Danno Event Bloggers are not responsible for shipment of prize or sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.

Litfuse Group generously provided us with a copy of A Bride For All Seasons as this giveaway’s prize. [Read more…]

Today we’re headed to my kids’ well-check appointment.  I schedule both of my kids’ appointments on the same day, back to back, so that we can just do the whole shebang one time.  It’s an exhausting morning, especially if shots are on the menu, but I like getting it over with.  You see, the well-check visit is usually harder on me than on my kids.  At least, that’s how it seems.  When we get home they are bouncy and happy again, while I am fatigued, sweaty, and just plain worn out.

Once upon a time I read that it’s easier for the child to get through the shots if you put a sucker in their mouth right when the shot is about to happen.  The idea seems to be that the child is startled by the sucker, not the shot, and that the sweetness of the sucker gets the child’s attention.  I kind of wish someone had done that for me when I was a baby. Maybe I would have developed some kind of Pavlov’s conditioning aversion to sweets that way.  Anyway, this research made me wonder how we could make it easier for MOM to get through the well-check visit.  There are a few things I’ve learned along the way that help me get through it and believe it or not, NONE of them involve a hard drink when I get home!

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