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What Decade Would be the Most Fun? Monday Mingle

February 7, 2011 By 9 Comments

Ahh, This morning I had a terrible time keeping my eyes open and I fell asleep on the couch. I found the kids playing nicely upstairs and decided maybe I should try to get my day started. As you can see, the first thing I decided to do was record my Monday Mingle, I didn’t even brush my hair. Go Me!

This week’s questions:

Current questions {week of 2/7/11}:

1. Which decade do you think would have been most fun?
2. On what TV show would you like to have a guest starring role?

3. What’s the strangest/weirdest thing you’ve ever done?

 

About Monday Mingle:

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. Then visit everyone that linked up and have fun getting to know each other.

My answers this week:

The 80’s
House
and I’m a very boring person

why it took 3 minutes to say all that I’ll never know, I think I like to ramble watch me now! What are your answers?

Filed Under: monday moment, personal Tagged With:

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas 100.00 Red Envelope Giveaway

February 6, 2011 By 1,393 Comments

Red Envelope has tons, and yes I mean tons of great gift ideas for all occasions, including Valentine’s Day. Not only do they have all occasions covered but they have gifts that are just right for about anyone. I really like looking at Red Envelope for gifts, I was introduced to them last year, I ordered a picture frame collage that was in bright colors. It’s pretty cute! As I searched even deeper into their site this year looking for a gift for my husband, I found some really great gifts that I want to share with you.

Gift ideas for Women:

These are items I would enjoy getting for Valentine’s Day.

arometherapy wrap & bootieschocolate covered strawberriesYear of Seeds

aromatherapy wrap & booties , 12 Hand-Dipped Valentine’s Berries , year of seeds and that’s just to name a few. I have a hard time choosing something because they have so many really great options. I’d also be happy with a new picture frame, the cubist appetizer serving set, or something from their home and spa section.

Gift Ideas for Men:

Now for my husband it’s a little more tricky to find the right gift. A lot of men would be happy with a fancy tie, a Mr. Beer premium home brewer, or a men’s navy terry robe, which are all items that can be found on Red Envelope. But for my husband we need to go a little more techy or modern.  Like:

hidden message money cliphidden message collar staysgadget charger for the car

hidden message money clip wallet, personalized hidden message collar stays, gadget charger for the car

Then if you really wanted to go all out for Valentine’s day I would recommend some sexy but quite tasteful items from Red Envelope. For instance, you would try out the sexy stackers game or the wrapped in love throw and of course you could match yourselves up in the king + queen of hearts lounging shorts.

sexy stackers gamewrapped in love throwking + queen of hearts lounging shorts

RedEnvelope makes Valentine’s Day a cinch. Once you’ve picked out the perfect gift, choose delivery dates (including day-of shipping), select gift wrap, add a personalized card, and you’re set. No more trips to the mall for tired greeting cards and tacky ties!

Enter to Win:

100.00 Gift Card to Red Envelope

To Enter:

Visit Red Envelope and tell me what you would like to purchase the most

Extra Entries:

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This giveaway ends February 21st.  I received samples to use in this post. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

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

Rio Super Bowl Commercial With Secret Code Tune In

February 6, 2011 By 1 Comment

RionoTypeI saw a preview for Rio when I took my kids to see Tangled last weekend. Rio looks like a cute movie about animals and my kids loving watching talking animal movies. Today, Super Bowl fans in the United States watching RIO’s new commercial spot are invited to find the frame with the embedded code that will in turn direct them to a special level on ANGRY BIRDS, Rovio’s blockbuster game, which recently entered into a first-of-its kind partnership with RIO.  That level will take you to a RIO sweepstakes.

AngryBird_Rio_Feature2The sweepstakes winner will attend RIO’s world premiere in Rio de Janeiro on March 22.  That same day, Fox and Rovio launch the highly anticipated “Angry Birds Rio” app.

The spot will be available across the web, including youtube.com/rio, after the Super Bowl.

About RIO

From the makers of the hit ICE AGE series, RIO is a comedy-adventure, in 3D, about taking a walk on the wild side.  Blu is a domesticated Macaw who never learned to fly, living a comfortable life with his owner and best friend Linda in the small town of Moose Lake, Minnesota.  Blu and Linda think he’s the last of his kind, but when they learn about another Macaw who lives in Rio de Janeiro, they head to the faraway and exotic land to find Jewel, Blu’s female counterpart.  Not long after they arrive, Blu and Jewel are kidnapped by a group of bungling animal smugglers.  With the help of street smart Jewel, and a group of wise-cracking and smooth-talking city birds, Blu escapes.  Now, with his new friends by his side, Blu will have to find the courage to learn to fly, thwart the kidnappers who are hot on their trail, and return to Linda, the best friend a bird ever had.

RIO arrives in theaters everywhere April 15.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Starts 2/6/11 at 4:00 pm PT, and Ends 3/1/2011 at 11:59 pm PT. Open only to legal U.S. citizens, 18 and older and is subject to Official Rules. For Official Rules visit http://www.rio-themovie.com/officialrules. For alternate means of entry without a purchase, visit http://www.rio-themovie.com/win.  Odds of winning depend on number of entries. Void in Puerto Rico, and where prohibited.  Winner and guest are each required to have a valid U.S. passport and to obtain a visa to Brazil.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: , , , ,

Justin Bieber Never Say Never & Pizza Hut Book It Program Giveaway

February 6, 2011 By 227 Comments

My kids are a bit young to know who Justin Bieber is, but if you have a computer, see the internet, read the news, go grocery shopping and pass by a magazine, then you must know the name Justin Bieber. I know the name, and I saw a preview for his movie, Never Say Never when I finally took the kids to see Tangled last week. Wow, his story is much more impressive than I thought it would be. I just thought he was Disney’s newest singing sensation. Terrible assumption, but I never read any of the headlines about the boys life, I just saw his name and how kids, girls mostly were going crazy about him.

Justin Biever Never Say Never Movie Poster

Advance tickets are on sale now at Clearview Cinemas for Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, which hits theaters February 11th! Just in case you are living under a rock like me, Never Say Never is the inspiring true story and rare inside look at the rise of Justin from street performer in the small town of Stratford, Ontario to internet phenomenon to global super star culminating with a dream sold out show at the famed Madison Square Garden. Have a Justin Bieber birthday party at Clearview Cinemas.

Not only does Justin Bieber have this new movie Never Say Never about to hit theaters, he is also participating in a Book It Program with Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut is presenting a fun free family event called America’s Biggest Bedtime Story. Families everywhere are encouraged to put on their jammies grab your favorite pillows, teddy bears and blankets and log onto Book It, www.bookitprogram.com to participate in America’s Biggest Bedtime Story. Book It! is a reading incentive program and this year’s host is the Grammy nominated pop singing sensation Justin Bieber. So on February 15th log on to Book It and make bedtime reading a family tradition.

Last year, more than 200,000 families logged in to watch John Lithgow read a special bedtime story.  If this year, Book It breaks the record, The Pencils of Promise charity supported by Justin, a global movement that partners with local communities to build schools in the developing world will receive a $25,000 donation from Pizza Hut. Join Book It and make this the biggest bedtime story ever!

And if that wasn’t enough, to encourage all of you to check out Book It, we have a little giveaway here on Mom Start!

Justin Bieber 3D glassesEnter to Win:

Justin Bieber 3D purple glasses
A 10.00 Pizza Hut Gift Card
A Copy of The Cat in the Hat

To Enter:

Go and visit Book It and tell me one tip you learned about getting kids more interested in reading.

Extra Entries:

Tweet or RT this post and include the link to the post

RT @MomStart: #JustinBieber Never Say Never & Pizza Hut Book It Program #Giveaway http://bit.ly/fQD073 ends 2/9

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Win a Pizza Hut Gift Card Book It Program #Giveaway http://bit.ly/fQD073 ends 2/9

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This giveaway ends February 9th.  I received samples to use in this post. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: , , , ,

Angell Bars for Valentine’s Day Organic Candy Bar Goodness

February 6, 2011 By 9 Comments

From a company that knows that energy bars and gourmet bars each have their places, comes an organic creation of candy, goodness, and most importantly CHOCOLATE. Jungell, has created a good old-fashioned candy bar that is organic and reminds me of my childhood favorites. These candy bars are not loaded with corn syrup (you know my love of the HFCS). These candy bars, Angle Bars are not made from GMO ingredients, grown with petroleum fertilizers and harsh pesticides. This is a candy bar you can feel good about eating and tastes good too. Even the white chocolate variety tasted good (I’ll get more into that later).

AngellBarLgThe Angell Bars come in three different varieties:

Angell Crisp, a classic combination of smooth, creamy milk chocolate and crispy rice. Every bit a candy bar, but gluten-free, and made from the same organic and Fair Trade Certified® ingredients as the rest. An instant favorite.

Snow Angell, Jungell calls it their sleeper hit. Everyone who tries it loves it. Even chocolate purists who think white chocolate is not chocolate. A subtler candy bar made from creamy white chocolate wrapped around a delicious, organic coconut center. No nuts whatsoever1. So good it gives you chills!

I have to say that after eating it, I did like it and I do consider myself to be a chocolate purist who hates all things made of white chocolate. I was afraid to bite into this thing. I ate the whole thing and it reminded me of one of my favorite kinds of candy bars, it reminded me of an Almond Joy. MMMM it was really good.

Dark Angell, sophisticated and perfectly balanced. A refined combination of luxurious organic dark chocolate, wrapped around a smooth cocoa center with organic almonds for crunch. For those who prefer a more complex chocolate, the Dark Angell is the candy bar for you. Grab it. Eat it. Love it.

All three were delicious and I’m sad that I’m already out of them. As I begin to trust that organic really is a good thing I’m finding wonderful treasures like Angel Bars to be a fantastic treat. I’m one of those freaks that actually thought organic tasted bad because I’ve been eating chemically processed foods my whole life. That natural taste was foreign to me, but I’m teaching myself that it’s the “right” flavor and I’ve come a long way in the past 2 years.

Thank you goes out to Jungell for supplying one of each flavor Angel Bar for me to try. To learn more about Angell Bars follow Angell Bars Organic Candy Bars on twitter and become a fan of Angell Bars Organic Candy Bars on Facebook. You can purchase these organic candy bars on Amazon.com or VeganEssentials.com

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

Family Game Night, We’re playing Ratuki this week!

February 6, 2011 By 4 Comments

Ratuki

ratuki cardsIn high school one of my favorite games to play was speed. Are you familiar with that game. You use a deck of cards or two, and then you place the cards in order from 1 to A or A to 1 depending if they are going up or down. Ratuki is a card game played the same way except you only go up and down from 1 to 5 and you have four stacks to play from at one time. You have five cards in your hand and you draw every time you place a card and the first person that gets rid of all of their cards. A Ratuki card is wild and may be used at any time. Then when you are out of cards you have to yell, “Ratuki”.

As part of a resolution to have a Family Game Night, we’re trying new games together. I had a lot of fun playing this game with my husband. He and I love playing games together and before my blog we used to play a lot! Of course, that’s also before we had any kids too! Where does all the time go. Our goal this year is to have more family time with the kids and spend more time playing games together just the two of us. I hope to have a review of Monopoly Revolution up soon!

Karen Deerwester (relationship expert) reminds us that “laughter is the foundation for a resilient happy family” … “Family Game Nights renew families and encourage us to be our best and have fun!” She has 5 tips for us on how to de-stress and play together.

 

  1. Don’t over-schedule. Choose a night that works for the entire family and enjoy un-plugged fun with Hasbro games
  2. Give yourself a break and plan for a takeout dinner to save time for games during Family Game Night
  3. Get the children involved by having them choose games — they’ll be excited to participate!
  4. Bring home new games to inspire unexpected fun
  5. Reward the family for playing by giving special awards, privileges and treats

We received a copy of Ratuki card game from Hasbro for review.

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

GuyLian Artisanal Belgian Chocolate Giveaway

February 5, 2011 By 433 Comments

Guylian Artisanal Logo NewGuyLian Artisanal Belgian Chocolates are sweet chocolates available at TJMaxx, WalMart, QFC, Ross, Marshalls, Fred Meyer and Cost Plus. GuyLian Chocolates can also be found at Candy.com. GuyLian Belgian Chocolates sent me a large sampling of their chocolates to try and I shared them with my MOMS Club when they came over for the Free Flavor Friday Party. I was surprised to find that all of the packages I opened were empty!

I shouldn’t have been surprised, women love chocolate (I LOVE CHOCOLATE) and GuyLian is great chocolate. Even my husband who is not a huge chocolate fan like I am said, He likes Belgian Chocolates. The Chocolates from GuyLian are broken down into three basic forms. They sell the Guylian’s Temptations, No Sugar Added Bars and Praline Truffles. The  individually wrapped luxurious chocolate seashells are 100% pure, silky smooth milk, dark and white Belgian Chocolate and are filled with rich, decadent creamy chocolate praline truffle. 

Belgian Chocolates are indulgent chocolates with a rich sweetness to them. They melt in your mouth with satisfaction. I prefer a little more darkness to them, so I was quite happy that they sent me the dark chocolate varieties too. GuyLian Artisanal Belgian Chocolates are a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day! Celebrate Valentine’s Day with an Artisanal Belgian Chocolates Giveaway.

Guylian V-Day6

Enter to Win:

This gift basket of chocolate plus the Temptations variation. The photo is missing the Temptations variation from GuyLian.

To Enter:

Tell me which store you would purchase GuyLian Chocolates from

Extra Entries:

Tweet or RT this post and include the link to the post

GuyLian Artisanal Belgian Chocolate #Giveaway http://bit.ly/fl1A6v @MomStart

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This giveaway ends February 21st.  I received samples to use in this review. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

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60 Day SlimDown Day 30 Check-In With Summer

February 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Summer has been an inspiration to me to be a “good” blogger again. She has consistently good content and I love to read her reviews. I hope you guys enjoy them as well. Here is her 30 Day Check in with her progress on the 60 Day SlimDown with Lindsay Brin.

By Summer:

clip_image001

I’ve been doing the Lindsay Brin 60 Day SlimDownTM. I have to say I don’t have food will power, even for only 30 days but I really have been putting in 100% effort in my workouts. I’m half way done with the journey I promised to blog about and though I’ve lost about 5 pounds and about an inch around my belly (1 inch below my belly button). The biggest thing I’ve noticed thus far is my posture. Since babies, I’ve continued to walk around with a weak back and a protruding tummy like I’m still pregnant.

Pre 60 Day SlimDownTM I’d been asked if I was pregnant with a third by friends, strangers, and my dad. I think many people just assume I want another child since my youngest is between 12-18 months old, so in combined with “the walk” I must be pregnant, right? WRONG! Though I haven’t been told yet that I look like I’m losing weight, no one has asked if I’m pregnant and my husband has noticed definition in my body in places where there wasn’t any since before babies. I’m very pleased with my body thus far and really am looking forward to days 31-60 continuing my 60 Day SlimDownTM.

imageDon’t forget you can get your body back too with the 60 Day SlimDownTM for 30% off the $49.99 SRP using the code 60daydvd30 on the Moms Into Fitness website.

You can also follow Lindsay Brin on her NEW Facebook page and on Twitter @LindsayBrin. I like that she really is the one on the other end of her communication and is open to questions to help you with your fitness goals.

Summer was provided with the 60 Day SlimDown, this is her honest experience using the system.

About Summer:

Summer is the President of our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living.

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

Sneak Peak at umi Spring Collection and Save on Winter Collection

February 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ss11-consumer-sneak-peek-blogs

I worked with shoes for two years as a buyer and manager at a children’s boutique here in the Seattle area. UMI is one of my favorite brands, they are high quality, durable and vibrant with many fun colors. I’m quite excited to see what they are coming out with this Spring. Check out the sneak preview above and they have a 40% off clearance of their winter merchandise. Now might be the time to purchase some boots for next year! Use UMI40 at checkout. Become a fan of umi on Facebook and Follow umi on twitter @UmiShoes

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

A Rainy Day Treat! New Mickey Mote DVD: Minnie’s Masquerade on DVD February 8th.

February 5, 2011 By 2 Comments

clip_image001Minnie’s Masquerade showed up last week for us to review from Disney’s Home Entertainment PR Company. Zoe opened up and was so excited to get another movie, and her friend was over at the same time. Well, I wasn’t expecting it to come with another really cool Mickey Mote, so I handed it right over to her best friend.

OMG!

You should have seen the look of horror on my daughter’s face and the look of excitement on her friends face.

So I told Zoe, you already have a Mickey Mote and we can go over to Emily’s house to watch Minnie’s Masquerade the next time it rains.

It took 2 days for the rain to return, every day Zoe would say, can we go over to Emily’s house?

No.

But it’s raining outside.

No, it’s cloudy and cold but there is no rain so we have to play outside!

Ummm. but it’s cold.

Put your coat on!

Miles and MommyYou get the idea the kind of conversation I had with her right?

So finally we were able to go over and watch it. Zoe had a great time answering all of the questions during the game mode of the DVD. Some of the questions are just like, pick which color you like, or which type of cookie you want to take along. Then other questions you can actually get wrong which help to teach a lesson of some kind or another.

The game mode is the mode in which you watch the DVD where the remote actually interacts with the episode. The episode will pause and then a question will pop up. The kids have to choose one of the shapes and corresponding color to answer the question. Then the episode will resume with your choice!

Miles sat and watched the entire thing. Zoe played with the remote for a while during the episodes, but I think she only watched the first one! As this is a Masquerade party, the kids are encouraged to get up and dance with Mickey and Minnie, Also, there is a mask included in the box.

Minnie’s Masquerade Ball Synopsis:

Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Daisy – takes viewers on an all new adventure as they dress-up in their favorite costumes for  Minnie’s Masquerade Ball.  In this episode, Minnie needs some help getting everything ready for her party including making royal crowns for their costumes, searching for Sir Goofalot’s lost shoe, stringing up paper lanterns and much, much more. At the ball, Professor Von Drake hosts the great Clubhouse Costume Show and gives out prize ribbons to all the friends who have dressed up in some funny and fancy costumes.  All it takes is a heaping helping of imagination…and the right Mouseketools. 

Now that I have really seen the remote in action I can say it’s pretty cool that the kids can interact with their favorite show. Both Zoe and Miles love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and if we had cable I think we would watch it all the time. We received a copy of this DVD for review purposes.

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