Announcement — MomStart

Holiday Shipping Infographic & Common and Costly Holiday Shipping Mistakes

November 29, 2011 By Momstart 7 Comments

FedEx Office sent me two boxes to show me how wrapping up your packages is actually quite important. I shipped a large present to my family last year and then later found out that some things were broken, why? Because I put too much into the box and not enough padding. I went around the internet looking for shipping facts to include with FedEx Office’s facts and found this Holiday Shipping Infographic.

Everyone ships something during the holidays. So while you’re getting your packages ready you’ll want to avoid making these common mistakes when packing and shipping so your holiday gift arrives in perfect condition.

Common and Costly Holiday Shipping Mistakes

Don’t reuse a box. Not a great idea when shipping fragile gifts because cardboard shipping boxes lose about 50 percent of their structural integrity each time they are used.
Don’t forget to seal the seams. By only taping one of the seams on the top and bottom of the box, the sides are left open to absorb winter snow and rain as it makes its way across the country. That could lead to a wet package, weakened box and damaged gift.
Don’t leave out the address card. In the event that your box is damaged and opens up in shipment, it’s always smart to have the recipient’s name and address on a card inside the box.
Don’t skimp on the “filler.” Fragile gifts need to be cushioned when shipping, and newspaper doesn’t provide enough support to keep breakables safe from damage.
Don’t rush! With deadlines for holiday delivery looming, shippers are often rushed and don’t have the time or materials on hand to make sure fragile gifts are packed right. If that’s the case, just leave it to the experts by using the Pack & Ship service at FedEx Office.

How do you do it right?

Tips for Packing the Perfect Holiday Gift

Check out these easy steps from FedEx Office that shoppers can use to make sure they’re great shippers, too.

Start with a sturdy box. Make sure it’s big enough to hold your gift with enough room for proper cushioning.
Use the H-Tape Method to seal all the seams. Use your packing tape to make a letter “H” on the top and bottom of the box, sealing all the seams to keep out winter rain and snow.
Give it some cushioning. Fragile gifts need about 1” of cushioning on all sides to stay safe and sound during shipping. Bubble wrap is a great option.
Before you close it up, include an address card. Remember that unexpected things can happen in the shipping process. Including the name and address of a package’s recipient in the box is an added layer of protection to make sure your gift arrives at the right place.
Remember to ask for advice! The team members at FedEx Office can pack it up for you on the spot or give you advice on the best products to use.

FedEx Office sent us a broken mug and a well packaged mug in exchange for this post. LOL is disclosure always necessary?

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: FedEx, holiday shipping, Holiday Shipping Infographic, infographic, shipping mistakes, shipping tips

The ABC Family Countdown To Christmas

November 26, 2011 By Momstart 4 Comments

I love holiday movies and family entertainment. Many of my favorite movies are Christmas movies. From The Grinch the movie to The Grinch Who Stole Christmas animated version, to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation to A Very Pink Christmas ABC Family has it all.

From December 1 – 25, you can ring in the holidays with original movies, holiday specials and returning favorites. This year, “25 Days of Christmas” will feature the world premiere of the ABC Family original holiday movie, “12 Dates of Christmas,” starring Amy Smart (“Just Friends,” “The Butterfly Effect”) and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (“Franklin & Bash,” “NYPD Blue”). Premiering Sunday, December 11 (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT), “12 Dates of Christmas” follows a young woman who re-lives the same first date on Christmas Eve over and over again until she learns to open up her world to new things and stop living in the past.

Just the first day alone looks quite entertaining.

Thursday, December 1

(6:00–6:30 PM ET/PT) MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL

Charles Dickens’s famous story is retold with Mickey as Bob Cratchit, Uncle Scrooge as Ebenezer Scrooge, Goofy as Jacob Marley’s ghost, and Donald as nephew Fred. (Animated)

(6:30–7:00 PM ET/PT) WINNIE THE POOH AND CHRISTMAS TOO

In this Christmas classic, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet rush to get Christopher Robin’s letter to Santa before it’s too late. With many obstacles before them, they learn the true meaning of Christmas. (Animated)

(7:00–9:00 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE

Tim Allen stars as Scott Calvin, a divorced father whose strained relationship with his son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) begins to mend only after a bizarre twist of fate transforms him into the new Santa. (Live Action)

December 2nd belongs to Dr. Seuss

(6:00–6:30 PM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS ON THE LOOSE

This half-hour special is hosted by The Cat in the Hat, who introduces three of Dr. Seuss’ popular stories: “The Sneetches,” “The Zax” and “Green Eggs and Ham.” (Animated)

(6:30–7:00 PM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX

In this Seuss tale, The Lorax “speaks for the trees” in a desperate effort to save his beloved “Truffula” forest from extinction. (Animated)

(7:00–7:30 PM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS’ THE CAT IN THE HAT

“Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat” tells the story of the adventure of two youngsters, housebound on a rainy day, whose boredom is shattered by a visit from the magical, mischievous Cat and his helpmates, Thing One and Thing Two. (Animated)

(7:30–8:00 PM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS’ THE GRINCH GRINCHES THE CAT IN THE HAT

The Cat in the Hat must find a way to get to Grinch’s soft spot in order to save the world from the clutches of the Grinch! (Animated)

(8:00–10:30 PM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

Jim Carrey stars as the title character in this live-action adaptation of the classic children’s story by Dr. Seuss. (Live Action)

December 3rd belongs to Harry Potter

(7:00-10:30 AM ET/PT) HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE

Based on the first of J.K. Rowling’s popular children’s novels, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” tells the story of a boy who learns on his 11th birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own. (Live Action)

(10:30–2:30 PM ET/PT) HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

In the second installment of the “Harry Potter” film series, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to discover a long-buried secret threatens the school and all its students. (Live Action)

(2:30–5:30 PM ET/PT) HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

The magic and excitement are back with Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends as they prepare for their third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! But danger lurks in the form of Sirius Black – a convict from the Prison of Azkaban – who is on the loose and after Harry. (Live Action)

(5:30–9:00 PM ET/PT) HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE

It’s Harry Potter’s fourth term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and, for the first time in hundreds of years, a competition will be held between three schools of wizardry, with contestants magically chosen by the Goblet of Fire for the very dangerous event. (Live Action)

(9:00 PM–12:00 AM ET/PT) – HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

A summer has passed since Harry’s (Daniel Radcliffe) encounter with Lord Voldemort, and now, with the entire wizard community in peril, the future of magic may depend on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. (Live Action)

For more details and the rest of the holiday schedule check out 25 days of Christmas on Facebook and on twitter

ABC Family sent us a blanket that we’re going to donate.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: 25 days of christmas, 25DAYs of Christmas, abc, ABC FAMILY, Disney, Family

Stocking Stuffer Savings Giveaway Event Starts Next Week

November 24, 2011 By Momstart 6 Comments

Guess what guys, I’m doing a fantastic giveaway event with three other bloggers next week. It’s the largest value giveaway I’ve ever done, it’s called the Stocking Stuffer Savings Giveaway sponsored by PromotionalCodes.com.

In our house we love to fill up stockings and finding things can be tricky at times. Kids I think are easy but adults that’s where the challenge comes in. So if you’re stuck on stocking stuffer ideas we’ve got you covered!

From December 1-12, you’ll have a chance to win some of this year’s best gifts during the PromotionalCodes.com Stocking Stuffer Savings event, hosted me MomStart, Aubut Family and Mommies with Cents. All prizes are provided by PromotionalCodes.com, a go-to hub for online coupons, offers and printable coupons during the holiday season and beyond.

From health and beauty products to gourmet chocolates and tech-savvy products, we’ll be featuring and giving away a unique collection of gifts on each blog. This means that entering each blogger’s giveaway will give you the best chances for winning! The full list of giveaway items will be revealed at the kick-off on December 1, but here’s a sneak peek at some of the prizes and I find them to be outstanding. What do you think?

- HTC Rhyme, a $550 value

- Ghiradelli Chocolate Gift Basket, $130 value

- Tazer Gun, a $400 value

- Skin Care by Alana beauty products, $100 value

And many more! Remember, starting December 1, come here to enter for your chance to win gifts for yourself or loved ones that are sure to impress this holiday season.

With all these great prizes, this is an event not to be missed. Stay tuned for more details, everyone!

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: giveaway, HTC Rhyme, Promotional Codes, PromotionalCodes, Tazer Gun

What’s Your Holiday Tray Include? Ours is an Olive Tray

November 24, 2011 By Momstart 2 Comments

It’s Thanksgiving day and we celebrated with some friends this year. We were asked to bring something that our family loves to eat and that was EASY. We all love olives. I like green ones and the rest of them like black olives.

The holidays pose the perfect opportunity to hold a small gathering with close friends, but oftentimes we avoid hosting even a small party with the fear of having to spend hours planning. I never spend hours planning and still love hosting events. So, this year, try holding a low-key cocktail and appetizer party with a few family members or friends! Make it as simple or as complicated as you like.

I like to just have appetizers then I can make all kinds of dishes. I love to cook. When doing that it’s important to look for appetizers that won’t overstuff your guests. Try creating a variety of simple, delicious and health-focused appetizer trays.

Here are a few ideas!

For the first idea, select a variety of sliced meats; you have several options with Hormel® Natural Choice® meats, like cracked black pepper deli turkey, hard salami, and honey deli ham. Pick out unique cheeses to include; some favorites include brie, Camembert, and Gouda. Add in fancy Peloponnese® olives that will go well with the cheeses you choose, as well as include crackers and apples and you’ve got a well-rounded tray.

Veggies are always a great snack tray idea. Create a veggie assortment with broccoli, squash, carrots, cauliflower, celery, and others that you can serve with dip or hummus. This is a good, health-conscious, middle mini course to serve.

Finally, there are several different things you can do. Preparing bruschetta ahead of time is quick and easy and won’t take you away from the action of the party! Try a bruschetta with tomato and basil recipe that has a prep time of 15 minutes or less.

This is part of the Hormel Family Blogger program, this post enters me into a contest to win a prize.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: Christmas, entertaining, holiday, holiday tray, olives, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving entertaining

Enchanted Holiday Events At The Bravern

November 21, 2011 By Momstart 2 Comments

We missed another holiday event last week. The Bravern Kicked off holiday season with its second annual tree-lighting ceremony as part of the “Enchanted Holidays at The Bravern”. The tree-lighting ceremony, was hosted by Kevin Joyce, former performer and director at Teatro Zinzanni Jolly St. Nick arrived in a horse-drawn carriage alongside Jamie and Karen Moyer of The Moyer Foundation and two campers from Camp Mariposa. The arrival was led by Bells of the Sound accompanied by Captain Smarty Pants and Sensible Shoes.

The Enchanged Holidays Continues:

“Enchanted Holidays at The Bravern” offers the Pacific Northwest’s most stylish and comfortable shopping experience. In addition to the tree-lighting ceremony, “Enchanted Holidays at The Bravern” includes a variety of family-friendly events to help celebrate the holidays including:

· Pony Rides: Enjoy pony rides in the 110^th Avenue arrival court every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. between Nov. 26 and Dec. 24. Riders are encouraged to make a donation for their trot to The Moyer Foundation.

· Photos with Santa: Santa will be available to listen to children’s wishes and pose for holiday photos every Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. beginning Nov. 25 to Dec. 13 and every day from Dec. 14 to 24. All of Santa’s visitors will receive a free cupcake from Trophy Cupcakes.

· Dear Santa Letters: Kids are invited to write letters to Santa at Silberman Brown Stationers detailing their holiday wish list. Letters can be handed directly to the big guy himself or dropped off in his special mailbox. Letters will be made available to parents as keepsakes.

· Pet Photos: Santa doesn’t only listen to children’s wishes, but your pet’s wishes too! On Saturday, Dec. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m., guests are invited to bring their furry friends in for a photo with Santa.

· Cookie Decorating: Bring the kids to enjoy an hour of delicious holiday cookie decorating on Wednesday, Dec. 7 from noon to 1 p.m. at Sur La Table, immediately following Little Bookworms, The Bravern’s weekly story hour.

· Friday Night Entertainment: Every Friday evening in December, enjoy live entertainment from a variety of entertainers including Captain Smarty Pants, Sensible Shoes and The Dickens Carolers.

· Breakfast with Santa: Enjoy breakfast with Santa at Mariposa at Neiman Marcus on Saturday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 10 at 9 a.m. Reservations can be made by calling: (425) 452-3333.

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

Fun Facts about “Enchanted Holidays at The Bravern”:

· The Bravern holiday tree stands 35 feet tall.

· There are 4,400 feet of live garland throughout the shopping center. That is enough garland to go up and down the Space Needle nearly four times!

· 10,000 jewel-colored ornaments cover the tree and garland.

· It takes 10 people more than 480 hours to install all of the decorations.

The Bravern is located at the intersection of NE 8^th Street and 110^th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: Bellevue, Bells of the Sound, Bravern, Camp Mariposa, enchanted holiday events, Holiday event, holiday events, mall, The Moyer Foundation

Northgate Mall Kidgets Holiday Event Schedule.

November 21, 2011 By Momstart 2 Comments

Last Saturday was a very busy weekend for us. I went to the doctor right after breakfast, then we ran to The Muppet movie screening and then came home for a five minute nap, literally, then rushed the kids off to a birthday party and had an hour to take a shower and figure out dinner before picking up the kids and I was done. So we missed a really special event at Northgate mall this weekend. Santa ARRIVED!

Kidgits Santa Arrival
On Saturday, November 19th, 1:00-3:00 pm at Northgate Mall Santa arrived. On this very special day, the one and only Santa Claus hopped out of his magical sleigh and arriving at Northgate Mall! Kidgets members celebrated his arrival in style as they met jolly old Saint Nick at the Kidgits Santa Arrival event on Saturday, November 19th, 2011, from 1pm-3pm at the Santa Set in the Ben Bridge Court. They decorated cookies, made festive holiday ornaments, and there had a special meet and greet with Santa Claus himself, exclusively for Kidgits members!

Free with $5 Kidgits annual membership. The membership pays for itself with all of the special bonuses and coupons you receive as a member. The Kidgets membership runs for a full year with lots of Kidget activities.

Other Kidgets Events this Year:

12/2 – Story Time with Mrs. Claus

12/10 – Santa-palooza (and the grand opening of the Play Area)

12/16 – Story Time with Mrs. Claus

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: Kidgets, Northgate Mall, Santa Claus, Simon Mall, Story book time

Heads Up Seattle: Macy’s Holiday Events Bring Santa, Fireworks and Charity All Together

November 21, 2011 By Momstart Leave a Comment

We didn’t really do anything outside of the home and family for last year’s holiday season. This year though we have big plans and one of them is the Macy’s Holiday Parade.

MACY’S HOLIDAY PARADE AND STAR LIGHTING TO KICK OFF HOLIDAY SEASON

In celebration of the 2011 holiday season, Macy’s is proud to announce that its annual My Macy’s Holiday Parade will take place on Friday, November 25, 2011 in downtown Seattle. My only concern is that this is going to be insane because it’s also Black Friday. Oh well, it’s good to do fun Holiday stuff as a family. The parade steps off promptly at 9 a.m. and lasts approximately one hour. The Holiday Parade route will begin at 7^th and Pine, then travel west down Pine St. to 5^th Avenue, south on 5^th Avenue to University Street, west on University to 4^th, and then north on 4^th to Macy’s doorstep.

The Seattle Times and Warm 106.9 FM radio are the media partners for the Parade this year. Macy’s signature inflatable floats will make their annual appearance in this Seattle tradition. This year’s Parade will include two new train cars for the candy cane express inflatable float and a new rocking horse inflatable float and costumes from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. The parade will feature more than 20 inflatable floats, local high school marching bands, over 500 costumed characters, professional sports teams and community drill teams.

The parade will conclude shortly after Santa dashes in his sleigh past Macy’s, heading directly from the North Pole to his Seattle holiday post in Macy’s Santaland, which opens at 11:00 AM.

MACY’S STAR LIGHTING & FIREWORKS SHOW

What excites me even more than the parade is the three lighting. That same evening, Macy’s will continue the tradition of the Holiday Star Lighting Ceremony in conjunction with the annual Seattle Westlake Center tree lighting. The famous 161-foot high, 3,600-bulb Holiday Star is a Seattle favorite. This event begins at 5 p.m. and will include an incredible fireworks display (weather permitting). My husband and I attended this event in the beginning of our marriage. I think it would be so fun to do it again with the kids this year.

SANTALAND AND SANTA DIGITAL PHOTOS

The tradition of visiting Santaland and having family portraits taken with the Old St. Nick continues at the downtown Macy’s store on the 6th floor. Macy’s will once again offer a wide assortment of digital photography packages. Santa photos will be available every day from Friday, November 25 through Friday, December 24. For more information visit www.macys.com/believe and www.macy.com/events for Santaland daily hours

HOLIDAY “BELIEVE” CAMPAIGN TO BENEFIT MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION

We mentioned this campaign in Beginning November 6, believers of all ages are invited to drop off letters – stamped and addresses to Santa at the North Pole – at any Santa Mail letterbox at your local Macy’s store. For each letter received, Macy’s will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to $1 million, to grant wishes to local children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: charity, Events, Holiday Parade, Macy's, Make a Wish, SANTALAND AND SANTA DIGITAL PHOTOS, Seattle, seattle fireworks show, Seattle star lighting, Star lighting

Dinosaur Train Nature Trackers Club & Dinosaur Train Wall Murals

November 21, 2011 By Momstart 5 Comments

Last week on PBS kids Emmy nominated Dinosaur Train children watched the Dinosaur Train Nature Trackers Club begin. The Jim Henson Company is using Dinosaur Train to encouraging our kids to join the club! Earlier this month, November 2011, the Dinosaur Train website at pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain started featuring a downloadable Nature Trackers activity book that kids can do with their families. You can still go there and download them now to encourage your children to go outside. Once the activities are completed, kids can send in proof of their participation to The Jim Henson Company and receive a free dinosaur Train Nature Trackers reward in the mail celebrating their outdoor achievement! You can also sign up to receive a Nature Trackers e-newsletter with a new outdoor activity challenge each month. That’s pretty cool right? I’m all about getting my kids outside playing.

You can also enjoy Dinosaure Train on your walls with Murals Your Way. Murals Your Way creates beautiful, full-color wall murals in 15 different Dinosaur Train varieties to help transform your child’s room into a Nature Tracker clubhouse! No paint, no mess, and the vinyl material won’t damage walls or peel paint! Visit Dinosaur Train Wall Murals to choose your favorite Dinosaur Train mural and ANY size to fit your child’s bedroom, playroom or even daycare!

We’re receiving a Mural to donate to the 2011 Holiday Tweetdrive in Seattle.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: Dinosaur Train Wall Murals, dinosaure train, Nature Trackers Club, PBS Kids

Holland House $500 Holiday Sweepstakes Giveaway

November 21, 2011 By Momstart 2 Comments

As a Holland House Brand Ambassador I find out about all their giveaways so I can share them with you. I’ve found Holland House to be an excellent brand that’s going to be in my pantry all the time. Why? Because the Holland House line up of products are amazingly easy to use and add so much flavor to my meals.

Now, how would you like to win $500. Cash for a memorable Holiday Bash or whatever you’d like to use it one. LOL. No, really, this prize is all about the holidays. You’ll win help from an expert blogger, not me someone else will help you create and plan your dream holiday party and menu planning for your event.

we’re going to be hosting a Facebook sweepstakes to give away a $500 gift card for holiday meal ingredients and cooking supplies. I will let you know once this is live. To Enter, all you need to do is visit the Holland House Facebook page and give them all your information. It’s really easy to enter. So go enter the Holland House $500 Holiday Sweepstakes.

I will be compensated for this post.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: giveaway, holland house, sweepstakes

Smiling through Adversity Bethany Hamilton Damon System

November 16, 2011 By Momstart 5 Comments

I was listening to a webinar this morning for a better smile by the Damon® System, an orthodontic treatment that combines “tieless” braces with advanced memory wire. These advanced orthodontic treatment options offer fast, comfortable and virtually invisible braces for teens, children and adults of all ages.

I have a gap in my teeth, there isn’t enough room in my mouth for my tongue to sit so while I’m sleeping my tongue pushes out against my top teeth and it causes me to have a gap. I’ve talked to my dentist about fixing it and he said he would probably have to do jaw surgery to fix my teeth. Um, no thank you. He did say he could fix it, but because there isn’t enough room in my mouth for my tongue I would end up with another gap. So I’m wondering if the Damon System would be able to help.

This is what I learned:

Bethany Hamilton, the Soul Surfer who was attacked by a shark and is now completely recovered and back into competing and sharing her story had a terrible smile. A dentist was watching one of interviews and wanted to do something to help her, so he offered her his services. After some time passed Bethany’s family contacted them and he decided to use the Damon System to correct her teeth, and he knew if it didn’t work they might have to resort to jaw surgery, but guess what, it worked and she now has an amazing smile.

How it works:

Damon passive self-ligating braces that eliminate the need for elastic or metal "ties". With Damon tie-less braces you can experience treatment without tightening.
Light high-technology shape-memory wires that move teeth faster and require fewer adjustments.
A new clinically proven treatment approach that aligns your teeth and enhances your facial aesthetics—usually without extractions or rapid palatal expanders.

So in my particular case, The Damon System might or might not help me, I’ll have to ask my dentist. There are reasons why this system works well in children because they are still growing. The shape of their mouth is still changing and is much easier to manipulate. Bethany was a young teenager when they started the Damon System process which is one of the reasons it worked so well. The other reason it worked so well is because of it’s unique system, which is why it also works on adults. It’s a little different than traditional braces. They don’t use a ring. You have fewer treatments. The combination of the bands and the head gear provide more room for growth. So I’m pretty sure that my dentist’s original statement is true, my mouth is finished moving on it’s own. However, I might still bring it up at my next appointment and see what they say it wouldn’t hurt to ask. You should find out about your own case with your own dentist. Make sure you ask about the Damon System the next time you go in if you’re considering braces. Remember I’m no expert on any medical issue.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: Bethany Hamilton, braces, Damon System, orthodontic treatment