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Only Holiday Tree Lighting on The Eastside is at The Bravern

November 17, 2010 By 3 Comments

The Bravern, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most stylish shopping experiences, is also home to one of the Eastside’s most family-friendly holiday celebrations, with shops, gift ideas and events to suit every person in the family. On Nov. 19 The Bravern will kick off the holiday season with the Eastside’s only Christmas tree lighting as part of the “Enchanted Holidays at The Bravern” holiday celebration. The tree-lighting event will be hosted by KIRO 7’s Jenni Hogan and includes festivities for the entire family including a visit from Santa Claus escorted by the Sea Gals in a horse-drawn carriage. The Bravern  is located at the intersection of NE 8th Street and 110th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004. I really wanted to attend this event but we have another event planned for this weekend. My husband and I are still deciding on which event we are actually going to go to. Wow, who knew having kids would fill up our schedules so quickly.

 

thebravernAbout “Enchanted Holidays at The Bravern”

“Enchanted Holidays at The Bravern” is the 2010 holiday celebration hosted by The Bravern, offering the Pacific Northwest’s most stylish and comfortable shopping experience. In addition to the tree-lighting event, “Enchanted Holidays at The Bravern” includes a variety of events to help celebrate the holidays including:

· Cool Winter Nights: Every Thursday in December from 5:30-7:30 p.m., enjoy live music, drinks and appetizers from Wild Ginger off of the 110th arrival court. All ticket proceeds benefit Childhaven.

· Spectacular Light Show: Every day at 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., guests will enjoy a unique light show displayed in the NE 8th arrival court.

· Photos with & Letters to Santa: Santa will be available to listen to children’s wishes and pose for holiday photos every Friday, Saturday and Sunday between November 26 and December 19, and every day from December 20-23. Kids are also invited to write their letters to Santa at Silberman Brown Stationers and drop them off with Santa or in his special mailbox. All letters will be mailed to the parents. Times vary; please visit http://www.thebravern.com/holiday for the schedule.

· Cookie Decorating: Bring the kids to enjoy an hour of delicious holiday cookie decorating every Wednesday from 12-1 p.m. at Sur La Table, immediately following Little Bookworms, The Bravern’s weekly story hour.

· Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus: On Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 from 9-11 a.m., join two of the holidays’ favorite icons, Santa and Mrs. Claus at Neiman Marcus, for a delightful full-plate breakfast featuring a special surprise for young guests.

For more information on these events call (425) 456-8780 or visit the website at http://www.thebravern.com/holiday. You can also find The Shops at The Bravern on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: 2010 Gift Guide Tagged With: , , , , , ,

My Wonderful Walls Mural-Give Program in Chattanooga

November 17, 2010 By 1 Comment

Wall Murals by My Wonderful Walls

forest girlI’ve recently come across My Wonderful Walls, a unique website that offers imaginative full-room wall stencils for kids’ rooms and baby nurseries. Michael and Stephanie Goins of Chattanooga, Tennessee own and operate this modern mom & pop business and do it all fairy roomthemselves, from the designs to the production. They have a wide variety of themes such as Flower Garden, Jungle, Under the Sea, Forest, Transportation, Dinosaur, Princess, Fairy, Polka Dot and more. You can watch instructional videos to see how easy for all to paint their own kids wall mural. Seriously, any parent could do this!

under-the-sea-themeMy Wonderful Walls also gives back to their community. Their current project is a Mural-Give Program at T.C. Thompson’s Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga. Several times a year, they donate and install canvas murals in the children’s hospital room (which are currently bare and depressing). Their goal is to fill the walls oftransportation the entire hospital by the end of the year. By writing this post, My Wonderful Walls will make and install one mural to a sick little one’s room in Mom Start’s Honor. How cool is that? That is the power of social media making a difference. What have you don for your community lately?

 

 

2aFor more information about their kids wall art or Mural-Give program, visit their website http://mywonderfulwalls.com/ .

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Because I have to… Cars 2 Teaser Trailer All Formats!

November 17, 2010 By 4 Comments

My husband and I were just talking about the next time we’re going to go the watch a movie as a family. Looks like we’ll be hitting the theaters on June 24, 2011 to see Cars 2. We love cars in this house, of course any house with a little boy that adores playing with a car would love this movie. We have such a large collection of cars and yes, most of them are CARS brand cars. Anyway, we have some free movie tickets that we have earned from General Mills B G Cereals. Get free movie tickets on two select boxes of General Mills cereal boxes. This includes 5 of the Big G Cereals: Honey Nut Cheerios (17 oz.), Cinnamon Toast Crunch (17 oz.), Lucky Charms (16 oz.), Trix (14.8 oz) and Reese’s Puffs (19 oz.). Tickets can be printed and taken to participating theaters to receive free movie admission. Tickets are valid at participating theaters through Oct. 30, 2011 (60 days following code activation with deadline of Aug. 31, 2011). 

In anticipation of Cars 2 coming to theaters we’ve been watching every single trailer we can find. Well, here is an official Cars 2 Teaser Trailer and I wanted to share it because I just HAD to. My kids need a safe place to watch these car trailers (YouTube isn’t always a safe place to watch video) so I wanted to help out other parents that are looking for the downloadable formats of the Cars 2 Teaser Trailer. I have it in Quicktime, Flash, Windows Media, and for the iPad and iPhone. So feel free to download, re-share, and reuse all formats of the Cars 2 Trailer.

Cars 2 – Trailer # 1

YouTube:

Cars 2 Trailer YouTube

Quicktime:

Cars 2 Trailer Quicktime High quality

Cars 2 Trailer Quicktime Low quality

Flash:

Cars 2 Trailer Flash High quality

Cars 2 Trailer Flash Low quality

Windows Media:

Cars 2 Trailer Windows Media High Quality

Cars 2 Trailer Windows Media Low Quality

High Definition:

Cars 2 Trailer HD 1080

Cars 2 Trailer HD 720

Cars 2 Trailer HD 480

iPad:

Cars 2 Trailer iPad

iPod:

Cars 2 Trailer iPod

cars 2Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2” when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car.  But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.  Torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret spy mission, Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world.  Adding to the fast-paced fun is a colorful new all-car cast that includes secret agents, menacing villains and international racing competitors.

John Lasseter returns to the driver’s seat to direct this follow-up to his 2006 Golden Globe®-winning “Cars.” “Cars 2” is co-directed by Brad Lewis, producer of the Oscar®-winning film “Ratatouille,” and produced by visual effects industry veteran Denise Ream (associate producer, “Up”; visual effects executive producer, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”).  The film hits the track on June 24, 2011, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D in select theaters

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Wordless Wednesday SEO Secrets Revealed

November 16, 2010 By 19 Comments

How to have great SEO

I’m sure you would love some explanation of this beautiful SEO (search engine optimization) chart put together by eBay’s Dennis Goedegebuure, Director of SEO at eBay. He shared very valuable information with us at eBay. But then it wouldn’t be a Wordless Wednesday (I know, these are words too, but I had to say something right?)

Filed Under: personal, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: , , , , ,

Coupons and Freebies from Red Plum and Coupons.com

November 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

 

I love to save money. I’m trying to get my grocery list for Thanksgiving together now. I need to get a turkey and wow a lot of baking items. Even though Kraft sent me almost everything I need for a good dessert, I have to pick up just a few more items and matching coupons to them takes a little time but it is so worth it. By planning out your grocery list with sales, and coupons you can save a ton of money. Use Coupons, if you have been reading Mom Start regularly then you know that there are a ton of sites out there that have on-line coupon codes. All you need to do is find them and use them. Even toy companies are printing coupons. Hasbro had an insert in the paper a few weeks ago so you can save on more than groceries. Save on everything even alcohol.

Coupons from Red Plum.

red plum savingsSave $0.75 on any TWO (2) packages of Hillshire Farm® Lit’l Smokies®
SAVE $1.00 when you purchase any THREE packages of Kellogg’s® Cereals (10 oz. or Larger, Any Flavor, Mix or Match)
SAVE $1.00 on ANY L’Oréal Facial Cleanser
SAVE $2.00 on ANY 1 L’Oréal Cosmetic Face Product
SAVE $0.50 ON ANY ONE (1) GALLO SALAME PEPPERONI
SAVE $1.50 when you purchase any THREE packages of Kellogg’s® Apple Jacks®, Corn Pops®, Froot Loops® and/or Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes® Cereals (8.7 oz. or Larger, Any Flavor, Mix or Match)
SAVE $2.00 On any Excellence or Excellence to-Go shade.
SAVE $0.50 on any flavor of Stash Tea
save $0.35 on any ONE (1) package of Hillshire Farm® Deli Select® Lunchmeat (8 oz. or larger)
SAVE $1 on TWO (2) 2-Giant Roll or larger packages of Sparkle® Paper Towels
SAVE $1.00 On ANY Nature’s Bounty® Your Life® Multi
$1.00 OFF ANY TUMS® (24 ct. or larger)
Save $0.55 On ANY Tennessee Pride Product

pigCoupons from Coupons.com

$3.00 off Pass the Popcorn!
$5.00 off on ONE (1) RREMBRANDT Kit
$1.50 off Glade Automatic Spray Refill
$2.00 off 2 Welch’s Sparkling Juices
$2.00 off any NEW Expo Washable Marker product
$1.00 off Burt’s Bees NEW Natural Lotion
$5.00 off Enfamil Newborn or PREMIUM Infant
$1.00 off any ONE Welch’s 100% Juice 10 oz. 6-pack
$0.50 off on any ONE (1) Gorton’s Item
$3.00 off Any TWO (2) HUGGIES Snug & Dry Diapers
$1.00 off TWO (2) pints of Starbucks Ice Cream
$1.00 off one (1) bottle of Pine-Sol Cleaner
Buy Two Get One FREE DOVE Chocolate Singles Bar
Buy One get One Free bag of BUTTERFINGER Snackerz
50% off Online, Animated Picture Storybook

 

Just a note, many stores will only take printed coupons if they are in color. If they are only in black and white they look like they were photo copied and then the companies will not reimburse

Filed Under: savings Tagged With: , , , , , ,

eBay Green Team Introduces The eBay Box

November 16, 2010 By 9 Comments

Last week I spent some time in San Jose with eBay learning about different things going on around eBay. They have a great advertising campaign with Samantha Bee called the “Unwrap Attack” and it make me laugh until I cried it was so cute, real, and funny. Of course I’ll have more on that later this week, but I was so excited by The Box that I just had to share it today.

 

showing off the eBay box

 

The eBay Box is made of 100 % recycled material, and printed with an earth friendly water based ink. The eBay box is quite an exciting opportunity eBay is using as a community builder within eBay. Sellers receive the boxes and register the eBay box at thebox.ebay.com. Just by registering the box you will receive one eBay buck. How exciting is that, earn money and save the environment at the same time. Who does that? eBay does that!. Then after you sell something on-line at eBay or recycle some type of electronic product with ebay’s electronic recycling program, they will buy it back from you and then re-sell it through one of their seller’s stores, so trade in your used electronics.  I was amazed at how eBay supports their users and already has a community among the company, buyers and sellers and this eBay Box project is just going to make it an even bigger community. Then ship your box. The Ebay Box

A view inside the ebay boxOn the side of the eBay box it says,

“If this box is reused 5 times, here’s what you contribute to the planet:

13.8 lbs of wood preserved for the future,

27.3 gallons of wastewater flow saved,

3.1 lbs of solid waste not generated,

849,767 BTUs of energy not consumed,

15.2 lbs of greenhouse gasses not generated.”

I’m not generally a green blogger, but with all of the packages I receive every week, I’ve been noticing which companies or PR agencies are trying to use environmentally friendly packaging and who is not and most are not. I have so much waste every week and that’s why I’m impressed with eBay and the fact that they are aware of how much waste goes into shipping. Even recycling uses natural resources, so reusing is even better than recycling, but for those of us that are just starting to recycle, at least we’re doing something to be eco-friendly. I urge you to follow in eBay’s steps and go even greener this Holiday season and into next year.

side view of the ebay box

Disclosure: In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that my time, travel and accommodations have been compensated by eBay for my participation in the Love to Give campaign. Although I have a material connection to eBay, any publicly stated opinions of eBay remain my own.

Filed Under: review Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Lauren by Ralph Lauren and The Sanderson Pants and Samantha Bee

November 16, 2010 By 10 Comments

Samantha Bee group photoSo if someone asked me what I was wearing the day I met Samantha Bee, I would have to say, Lauren by Ralph Lauren! Oh yeah, I was wearing the pants that Ralph Lauren sent me when I filmed a commercial spot with Samantha Bee. Now my shirt that day was blue, and they were using a blue screen so I had to change my shirt and because of the fact that my head would have been dismembered from my body that’s the lovely conversation that I had with Samantha. Umm, yeah we talked about my how cute the commercial would have been with my head floating in the sky next to her in Santa’s Sleigh. Perhaps if I hadn’t been next to hyperventilating over the fact that I was bout to be on camera again, I might have been able to ask her something like what is it like to work on the Daily Show, and how can you be so absolutely hilarious and keep a straight face? Anyways, I’m going to try to get back on topic and actually talk about the pants now. LOL!!

 

I’m a Mombassador for Ralph Lauren which means they send me stuff and then I tell you my honest opinion of them. So these pants they sent me are from their line Lauren by Ralph Lauren. They are soft, and long which means I can wear heals and they still look great on me. So the pants are comfortable. They fit nicely and I was quite surprised that they fit so well, and were even a little on the big side for me. I guess that’s because I’ve lost 15 pounds since August. I need to stop losing weight or I’m going to need to replace my entire wardrobe. What else can I say about the pants? I look great. I don’t like that they say dry clean only and the price is a bit high, but for a really nice pair of pants that will last for a while, I will spend 100.00 on them. Oh and they don’t seem to wrinkle very easily which I do adore!

Sanderson PantsBack of the Sanderson Pants

About Lauren by Ralph Lauren Sanderson Pants
This classic-fitting dress pant exudes tailored sophistication in a sleek stretch construction.

  • Standard-rise waist with belt loops. Zip fly with faux-horn button closure.
  • Sleek hip, straight leg.
  • Angled hand pockets at the hips. No back pockets for a sleek look.
  • 32" inseam.
  • 63% polyester, 32% viscose, 5% elastane. Machine washable. Imported.
  • Price: $109.00

"I am a participant in a Mom Central Consulting campaign for Ralph Lauren and received a pair of Lauren by Ralph Lauren pants to help facilitate my review.” Meeting Samantha Bee was a part of a different campaign with another company that I can’t mention here because this post is actually for Ralph Lauren, I just thought my conversation with Samantha Bee was pretty funny, and I was wearing the pants in the photo so that’s relevant content. Transparency is everything!

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Can You Change a Tire? Monday Mingle

November 16, 2010 By 11 Comments

I’m a delinquent again this week. It’s Tuesday and I’ve noticed that if I do it on Tuesday hardly anyone comes by and leaves a comment. ;-( Oh well, I’m doing it anyways just to be consistent. Welcome to Monday Mingle, where we chat over video answering questions. It’s fun and the more video you do on your blog the more comfortable you will be in front of the camera. Want to participate? Monday Mingle is a Meme over at Eighty MPH Mom. Go over to her site, find the questions, take a video of the answers and post them to share. mondaymingleThen visit everyone that linked up and have fun getting to know each other.

This week’s questions (first one submitted by Brad – the hubby of Robyn (Robyn’s Online World!):

1. Do you know how to change a flat tire?
2. What are your favorite appetizers that you make for the holidays?
3. What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year?

Yes, I do know how to change a tire. I think new cars are almost impossible but yes I can do it in an emergency.

I love food, anything with cream cheese is quite yummy in my book

I currently don’t have any plans for Thanksgiving.

But if you want more detailed answers then you need to watch my rambling video.

 

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: , , ,

Have A Big Klutz Holiday

November 15, 2010 By 231 Comments

With my husband sitting right next to me as I’m posting this, he asked, if Klutz is still popular? Yep, they are still popular. I saw a smart mom on an airplane just last week using Klutz to keep her kids busy. Klutz is such a fun company making great activity books. Some of them are perfect to take on an airplane to keep your child busy for hours. Others are just great for a rainy day activity. I’m amazed at how many different craft ideas and other fun projects they come up with. Not only do they get the attention of children but they also reach adults with some of their funny books. I like looking through one every now and then! My husband just said he liked them as a kid too, which is super cool that clip_image001[4]Klutz is generationally fun!

I’ve been enjoying different Klutz books for a few years now. They make all kinds of activity books for ages 4 and up, but I’ve let my kids play with a few of them and my kids are 2 and 1. The Only Coloring Puzzle Game, Dot-to-Dot Activity Book that I won 2 years ago was quite the winner with my daughter.

So any Klutz activity book is in my Christmas Guide this year. Keeps the kids minds active and off the TV.

KLUTZ Window Art and Capsters

About the Books:

Capsters is the ultimate introduction to a form of pop art using bottle caps, specially sized round art, charms, gems, glitter and special goo, all included within the book!

Window Art Classic features ready-to-trace designs along with window paint to decorate all the glass surfaces in your house!

Headbands and Hairstyles features everything your little one needs to create stylish headbands.

Paper Airplanes has been a favorite for a very long time. I loved looking at it and thinking about how each plane in the book would fly.

clip_image001

Enter To Win:

A HUGE KLUTZ prize pack featuring:

Retail Value: $75.99

 

To Enter:

Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you like about Klutz Books.

Extra Entries:

Tweet: I want to Win a Klutz Prize Pack for Christmas #Giveaway @MomStart http://bit.ly/aEWHEV

Follow me on Google Friend Connect
Comment on any other non-giveaway post 
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble
Blog About this Giveaway (linking to the giveaway)
Add my blog button to your sidebar.

This giveaway ends November 29th, I received a product as compensation! All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: 2010 Gift Guide, giveaway Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dole Living Well in Paradise Rose Bowl Parade Sweepstakes And Giveaway

November 15, 2010 By 67 Comments

colorful roses

I adore roses. At my old house I had about 8 rose bushes growing in my front yard and now that I’m in a new house I haven’t replaced any of my roses yet. This year would have been the perfect time to do it too because we had such a beautiful Summer. Oh well, there is always next year and speaking of next year, that makes me think of the Rose Bowl Parade. I love watching how all of these brands and companies arrange the flowers to create those beautiful floats that go down the street. It’s the only reason to get up on January first after all of that partying right? Ok, for me, that’s not true, I love starting off fresh and that’s what January first feels like to me. It’s also a reminder that my daughter’s birthday is just around the corner and I have to start planning for that too. Wow, I get off topic easily. Anyways, DOLE is proud to be the first major brand in the industry to pack its Fruit Bowls and multi-serve Jarred Fruit in 100% fruit juice… with no syrup, refined sugars or artificial sweeteners! To celebrate, DOLE will be participating in the 2011 Rose Parade with a beautiful, "Living Well in Paradise" float, along with a once in a lifetime opportunity for ONE DOLE FAN (+ GUEST) TO ATTEND THE ROSE PARADE! I love Roses!!!

What’s better than watching it on TV? Actually being there. I think we should let Dole know that what would be even better, would be to get to ride on the float. Or at least I think that would make it even more fun!!

One lucky Dole fan, plus one guest, will win a four day and three night trip to Los Angeles from December 30, 2010 to January 2, 2011 to attend the 2011 Rose Parade with premium VIP seats in the grandstands during the parade. Well, I suppose VIP seating is good enough. Plus you get all the extra days in LA, you could plan a trip to Disneyland with all of that extra time! It’s easy to enter, simply “Like” DOLE on Facebook and fill out the sweepstakes entry form at www.Facebook.com/DOLE. The sweepstakes will also randomly award 100 DOLE Rose Parade Limited Edition Commemorative Pins each week between Nov. 4, 2010 to Dec. 23, 2010.

 

Win Here:

Once lucky reader will receive free product coupons from Dole.

To Enter:

Leave a comment on this post.

 

Dole sent me the roses and will be providing the free product coupons for the giveaway. This giveaway ends November 29th, All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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