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Disney Princesses Splashing little Hearts Under The Sea Swimming Ariel & Sisters

August 23, 2011 By 19 Comments

Princess Zoe is a princess through and through. A few years ago at Target they had princess costumes at a ridiculously low price so I bought all the dresses they had left for Zoe and she’s WORN them out. She loves anything princess. Now thanks to Disney and Mattel, Zoe can take princess time to the bath tub and swimming pool. Zoe loves to reenact all of the different princess movies with her friends. They play the princess, the evil witch and the prince. The toys and costumes help them feel like they are really there as they play their own versions of each princess movie, like The Little Mermaid.

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Now we can’t take a bath or shower without Princess Ariel joining us. The Disney Princess Swimming Ariel has become a favorite during outside play time too. Of course she also loves the Disney Princes Ariel & Sisters for outdoor play because she loves those little princess dolls and it’s a good thing because she’s getting a dollhouse for Christmas. The little princess collection is the perfect size for her coming dollhouse. Shhh don’t tell her, it’s a secret as Christmas is a few months away yet.

So the Disney Princess Ariel & Sisters is the first time in Mattel’s Disney Princess line where girls can play out their mermaid adventures with Ariel and her two sisters, Alana and Arista! All three dolls have magical tops that change color when dipped in water and playful swivel hips that mimic mermaid-like movements. We did have a little trouble changing the color, we figured it had to be cold water.

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The Disney Princess Swimming Ariel makes water play a splash away. Turn the seashell at Ariel’s waist and then place her into the water to see her really swim.  Watch as her tail moves up and down to swim through the water just like in The Little Mermaid. She does float and moves forward just a bit. The kids like passing her back and fourth in the bathtub. And here’s a video of Zoe when she first got her Little Mermaid Disney Princess Swimming Ariel.

We received samples for this review

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How is Your Inbox doing? Twitter Conversation #win7tech 12-1pm PST 8/23

August 22, 2011 By 24 Comments

I had an interesting conversation with Hotmail and using Hotmail to help me with all my organizational issues and I was quite impressed. Hotmail is a lot more like Outlook than when I used it YEARS ago. Hotmail said there are three categories that people fall into, deleters, filers and pilers. I find that I’m a sick combination of all three. I need help, I need LOTS of help. As I’m sitting here trying to go through my e-mail I’m trying to consider which classification I really fall into

Do I Delete?

Yes I delete as much as I can but I don’t delete it all.

Do I file my e-mail?

Yes, I just found myself creating a new folder so I could file everything that I’m working on under the tweet drive charity event coming up. So I can clean out my inbox a little. It’s e-mail that I want to keep, but I need it all together and it’s not all in the same conversation so I just created a folder for it.

Do I Pile?

Well that one is an emphatic yes. I would love more than anything for my inbox to be empty and everything to be filed or gone, but since I get hundreds of e-mails a day, I just can’t get through it all and I have good intentions of responding to everything. Uh yea, I need to change my intentions and get on that delete button.

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The features on Hotmail are pretty amazing be sure to visit the Hotmail Sign-up Page if you’re in need of a robust email service. You can sort, you can search, you can create folders, rules, and organize to your heart’s content. I was quite impressed with the ability to delete all e-mail from a particular sender. Let’s say you don’t need to look at the 1,000 groupon deals in your inbox, well just delete all. I look forward to sharing more with you guys as I learn more and let me know if you have any questions. As a Windows 7 Champion I have lots of information at my disposal.

You can determine which category you fall into as well at What’s Your Inbox Like.

Join the #win7tech hashtag from 12-1pm on Tuesday August 23rd for a conversation about your inbox and how Hotmail can help. You could win $500 worth of Merry Maids cleaning services just for participating.

I’m a Windows 7 Champion and was not compensated for this post.

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

Ottlite Saves Your Eyes, Your Energy, Your Space, and Your Mind Giveaway

August 22, 2011 By 576 Comments

 

I have to admit that when I was first given the opportunity to review an Ottlite, I had absolutely no idea what it was. My husband knew… my sister-in-law knew… several other people knew… but I apparently had been left in the dark! As corny as it may be, I mean that figuratively and literally! clip_image004

I was lucky enough to receive a sample Ottlite to test out and review. The company provided me with the The OttLite. Once I started doing a little research (which may or may not have started with reading the box!), I was more than interested. Ottlite provides you with natural daylight indoors! This may not sound like too big of a deal, but when compared with “normal” lighting, fine print, details… and well pretty much EVERYTHING is easier to see under the low heat lighting. I was actually a little concerned that such a bright bulb would produce a lot of heat. In the summertime, in a place with no A/C, that is definitely a concern. After leaving the light on for a few hours, there was still no heat. Even in a dark room, the Ottlite is the only light you really need since it produces such a huge amount of natural lighting.

Once I dug into the company a little further, I found out that Ottlite was actually started by Dr. Ott who was hired by Disney. He worked on showing a pumpkin grow through time lapse photography for the infamous pumpkin into carriage scene from Disney’s Cinderella. His lighting techniques led to the Ottlite! How cool is that? You can read more about that story here.

clip_image006Here’s some information straight from the company about how great Ottlite products are:

OttLite products offer a precise balance of contrast and brightness, distinguishing true color and details more clearly and accurately, so product users can focus without harsh glare, distortion or eye fatigue. More importantly, these areenergy efficient products, and earth friendly – because they reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

clip_image008Since Ottlite products cut down on eye fatigue, you’re able to do whatever it is that you love doing even longer. I actually used my Ottlite Desklamp to write thank you notes for my son’s birthday! It was not a task that I was looking forward to, but using this Ottlite Desklamp helped me knock it out. At first, I had a little trouble with the power button sticking, but after a few clicks, it was loosened up and ready to go. Ottlite couldn’t do anything for the interruptions from laundry, dinner cooking, toddler “exploration”, or diapers… but they did help my eyes. In fact this picture was taken on a dark cloudy day, with no flash, and the Ottlite was the only light on in the room!

Ottlites are a little on the pricey side, but when you consider that one bulb is supposed to last for 10,000 hours, the product can somewhat pay for itself. Even better than that, Ottlite has joined in with MomStart to do a free product giveaway. This is your chance!

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This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, alycep.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules. We received free samples.

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

About Ashley:

Ashley has a background in teaching Kindergarten and working with children K through 8th grade. She is now a SAHM and President of our local MOMS Club chapter. She writes her own blog at Momicles.

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Cooking With Miles: Hot Dog Pizza Recipe

August 22, 2011 By 37 Comments

I never would have considered making a hot dog pizza if I hadn’t seen it on my friend’s blog first. Hers is a little different because she served it on bread but I knew it would be a huge success with my family. As we all LOVE hot dogs and we all LOVE Pizza.

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Plus this was another fun opportunity to cook with Miles. Chef Miles helped me gather all of the ingredients and he cut up all the hot dogs that went on the pizza.

 

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Hot Dog Pizza Recipe

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust
1 cup Tomato Sauce
4 Cut up Hot Dogs
2 Cups cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Roll out the pizza dough and place on a non-stick or sprayed cookie sheet
3. Pre-cook the dough for 5 minutes
4. Spoon Out the tomato sauce over the dough
5. Sprinkle the Cheese across the sauce
6. Sprinkle the hot dog pieces
7. Cook for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned.

 

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Tune In: Dinosaur Train Big City August 22nd

August 21, 2011 By 11 Comments

PBS KIDS’ popular show DINOSAUR TRAIN is launching its second season this week, and to kick it off, PBS KIDS is airing a one-hour DINOSAUR TRAIN movie special called Dinosaur Big City. Monday August 22nd. That’s tomorrow people so find out what time your local airing will be because you do not want to miss Dinosaur Big City.

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The premiere of Dinosaur Big City marks the start of season two of DINOSAUR TRAIN. From the world-renowned Jim Henson Company, the hit DINOSAUR TRAIN’s second season will focus on exploring the outdoors and natural phenomena, and will feature “Big Dinosaur Week” and a special based on the fan favorite “Dinosaurs A to Z” song. We were so excited to participate in a preview party for Dinosaur Train Big City. We had the opportunity to roll out the red carpet and enjoy some popcorn while watching our favorite dinosaurs. We even received cute little toys and party swag to help set the pre-historic party stage.

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imageIn Dinosaur Big City, kids join Buddy and his Pteranodon family as they journey on the Dinosaur Train with their theropod friends to the big Theropod Club Convention in Laramidia, the “Dinosaur Big City.” Along the way they meet Mayor Kosmoceratops and help King Cryolophosaurus overcome stage fright.Buddy and his Pteranodon family embark on a journey on the Dinosaur Train, gathering all their theropod friends together to travel to a really big Theropod Club Convention, which is being held in Laramidia, the “Dinosaur Big City.” Among the travelers is King Cryolophosaurus, a singing theropod who is more than a little nervous about giving a concert in front of his biggest audience ever in the Big City. Once the Dinosaur Train arrives in Laramidia, Buddy and the Pteranodon family explore the crowded “dinosaur metropolis.” At the Theropod Convention, the kids reunite with Annie Tyrannosaurus and her parents Delores and Boris, and they all meet the multi-horned mayor, Mayor Kosmoceratops. In the end, Buddy and Tiny help King Cryolophosaurus overcome his stage fright, and he wows a large dinosaur audience when he sings his new song, “Whole Lotta Theropods” at the Convention.

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We love Dinosaur Train, I think all kids do. There is something that transcends time when it comes to watching and learning about dinosaurs. Just in case you do miss out on watching Dinosaur Big City on PBS you can buy it the next day. The movie will be released on DVD on August 23 by Paramount Home Entertainment. The DVD includes the Dinosaur Big City movie and four bonus episodes of DINOSAUR TRAIN, as well as interactive games, coloring pages, a dinosaur reference guide and information for parents. The DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $14.99 U.S./$15.99 Canada.

We received party supplies to have a Dinosaur Train Big City Viewing Party.

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Took The Day Off

August 21, 2011 By 23 Comments

Yesterday we took the day off. Since I have to be a mom working during the summer is hard. I usually work on Saturdays during naptime and let Andrew do something with the kids. Well, not yesterday, I just didn’t have it in me to touch my computer at all. I feel so overworked, it’s my own fault, I take on too much. So I put the computer down. We had a ton of fun and were even spontaneous.

 

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Can you guess what type of plane this is?

Filed Under: personal

Bid on Subway Baseball DeSIGNS Charity Auction for Little League Urban Initiative

August 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

From August 19th – August 28th Subway went on Tour and is now hosting a charity auction on eBay to raise money for the Little League Urban Initiative. The Little League Urban Initiative program  began in 1999 with programs in Los Angeles and Harlem N.Y. and expanded to other cities in 2000. They now operate more than 200 little leagues in the US in nearly 85 different cities. The Urban Initiative Little league helps fund Little Leagues through start-ups, developments, clinics, equipment, and field maintenance for Inner City Little Leagues. Subway Baseball Designs

The SUBWAY® Baseball DeSIGNS Tour included more than 40 baseballs designed by young artists and signed by celebrities and athletes. From the talent you will find musician Katy Perry, actor Zac Efron, rock band Maroon 5, gold medal-winning swimmer Michael Phelps, pro football’s Drew Brees, baseball star Ryan Howard, basketball Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin, NASCAR driver Carl Edwards, tennis superstars Serena and Venus Williams, celebrity chef, Robert Irvine and Jared Fogle image(the “SUBWAY® guy”) just to name a few.

The Subway Baseball DeSIGNS tour visited four U.S. cities concluding with a final stop at the Little League® Baseball World Series (LLBWS) where the baseballs are now being auctioned off to the general public. Remember all proceeds go to the Little League® Baseball Urban Initiative program which is a great cause to support.

You can find the balls that are being auctioned off on Subways Facebook page under the Baseball DeSIGNS tab or directly on the eBay auction site.

 

 

This post was written as part of a paid campaign with Mom Bloggers Club and Subway.

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Inside The Help: A Conversation with Octavia Spencer

August 21, 2011 By 25 Comments

On Friday, I had the opportunity to interview Octavia Spencer who played Minny Jackson one of the main characters in The Help. Many of Minny’s characteristics were taken from Octavia and her personality. Octavia described herself as defiantly being feisty and someone that speaks up for herself and that Kathryn Stockett  the author of The Help used her as character inspiration.

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“Kathryn Stockett very loosely based well, the character of Minny on me and it’s basically my physicalities (being short and round) she met me on a day I would say I was not really feisty, but I was completely irritable.”

After watching The Help myself, I found Minny to be the spunk and humor the movie needed to lighten the subject matter. The Help made me cry my eyes out. I cried and cried as I watched the sets of women the movie portrayed and all of their different struggles. I cried in the beginning as they illustrated that Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) had lost her own son. I cried when Celia lost her baby. I cried when I found out Minny was an abused wife and the cruelty she suffered at the hands of  Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard). But it was Minny’s feistiness and that very special chocolate pie that brought some sunshine of revenge into laughter.

Most everyone I know that has seen The Help in theaters cried, so when it was my turn to ask a question I had to know if Octavia cried.

“I did cry when I watched the film…there’s so many scenes that made me cry but I have different reactions because they were evocative of other things. So just the last thing without giving anything away…definitely the scene were Minny finds Celia in the bathroom…um..yeah there were just other moments that nobody else knows would be emotionally moved by…I think it’s where ever you are emotionally that you’re response…that would honor a certain response.”

She’s exactly right, being a mother of very young children myself, any scene children were involved in made me get emotional in some way. As the subject matter was very serious Octavia was asked what she hopes people would take away from the film.

“I hope people will take away the sense of humanity and the strength of the bond that these women from culturally different backgrounds were able to come together and basically change their community..I find it remarkable…the triumphs of the young”

The Help Minny & Aibileen

When people ask me about The Help, I tell them they will cry, they will get emotional. Almost everyone says, then I’m going to wait to go see it. No, don’t wait to go see it, you need to see this movie in the theater and take all your friends with you. Take your support group with you and you can all cry and laugh together. It’s a movie about hard times, but it’s also about how these women band together and build strength and stand up to the injustices that they live with. There is triumph at the end of the movie.

 

Photos and interview courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures The Help.

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Decorating Made Easy with Scotch Restickable Shapes

August 19, 2011 By 13 Comments

 

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We received Scotch Restickable Shapes to try out in Miles’ room. Well we could use them in any room but Miles really felt he was ready to hang up some art work in his room. He just finished drawing some awesome Lion King pictures and I was quite excited to help him hang them in his room. However, the 3M Scotch Restickable Shapes surprised me as he was able to do most of it himself.

Scotch Restickable Strips, Tabs and Colored Shapes offer the convenience of pushpins and putty without leaving behind holes, marks or messy adhesive, and, unlike magnets, Scotch Restickable mounting products work on stainless steel refrigerators and most flat surfaces. We used them on our textured walls and they still worked quite well.

 

3M’s unique adhesive makes it easy to hang Miles’ artwork among other things like schedules and party decorations. They are also great for holding things in place on the mantle place or while outside. Ever have the wind try to blow away your tablecloth, use the restickable strips to keep your tablecloth secure.  They give you the flexibility to remove and restick items more than 10 times, helping save money and time. You simply wash the products with soap and water to restore their stickiness.

I opened the package and read the simple directions. the main thing I learned from the directions was how to reuse them. After several uses you might have to remove dust and lint by rinsing them off and letting them dry. Then you’re good to continue hanging things on the wall.

 

 

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Scotch and received Scotch Restickable products to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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A Pirate Princess and Her Adventure

August 19, 2011 By 18 Comments

We seriously love costumes in our house. My daughter loves them more than my son, but he’s slowly getting into the role playing and I’m sure he’s going to come around. My daughter was born a princess. She just loves to dress up in pink and purple and now she even loves red with black and white stripes.

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BuyPirateCostumes.com sent us a Pirate girl costume to review. It’s perfect for a princess at heart that needs to get some action on. We received the Pirate Tutu costume and it’s a huge hit. The skirt is awesome and just makes her want to run for hidden treasure. At Buy Pirate Costumes.com you can buy every type of pirate costume including Caribbean, classic, deluxe and discount pirate costumes. They have the beloved Captain Jack Sparrow and plenty of other classic pirates to choose from.

And you can complete any out fit from head

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To Toes:

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Complete your pirate costume this season with their collection of pirate costume accessories. From pirate pistols to pirate flags and more, BuyPirateCostumes.com has everything you need to get an authentic pirate look this Season. They also have pirate wigs, boots, and swords that are sure to set your pirate costume apart from the others this Season!

Our little pirate princess got tired of posing and had to run off to find some buried treasure.

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Now she spends her time saying “Arrg” and Ahoy Matey!

We received samples for this review.

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