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You Are Invited to Fall Fitness at Microsoft Stores 10:30–6 Thursday 10/27 #FallFitness

October 27, 2014 by Momstart Leave a Comment

This is a partnered post.

From 10:30am to 6pm  the Microsoft Store many Microsoft Stores will have an on site a celebrity fitness instructor, potentially also a Zumba and Yoga instructor and a whole day dedicated to fitness and wellness. We will be at the one in Bellevue for a few hours having some fun with Microsoft. I love Zumba so I’m hoping the location I go to has a Zumba instructor.

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THE OFFICIAL INVITE:

Come into the Microsoft Retail Store at the location below and start getting fit before the holidays! On Thursday, October 30th, Microsoft Stores is hosting a fun fitness day before the biggest candy eating holiday of the year! Microsoft wants to help you get a head start on your health and fitness goals by staying active & fit through a fun Zumba class. Enjoy a fun, high energy workout and a chance to win great prizes!  

Microsoft Store Locations Hosting the Event:

Bellevue, WA
Seattle, WA
Scottsdale, AZ
Santa Clara, CA
Denver*, CO *Lonetree, CO
Indianapolis, IN
Bloomington, MN
Boston, MA
Paramus, NJ
Tysons Corner, VA
Honolulu, Hawaii

    So there will be door prizes and tons of fun while you are inspired to get fit this fall!

Filed Under: personal, Tech Tagged With: event, Fitness, Microsoft, personal, tech

Frito Lay & Kroger Free For All Chicken and Waffles, Sriracha and Cheesy Garlic Bread Event March 15th #KrogerFreeForAll #Giveaway

March 11, 2013 by Momstart 265 Comments

Oh my gosh I have to say that I LOVE Frito Lay brand. They make the best chip flavors and I think they actually own the chip scene if you ask me. BBQ flavors, Lays, Doritos, oh and so so many more. Well just think what would you do at a Free For All? Me, I’d get quite full!  Free For All is a series of three events hosted at Kroger (and its banner (including Fred Meyer for PNW locals)) stores across the U.S.where shoppers can visit their local chain to score free samples of select PepsiCo brands, while supplies last of course and I expect them to go fast. This year’s Free For All promotion builds on the success of 2012, where 2.4million bags of Frito-Lay snacks were given to Kroger shoppers in one day.

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I’m going for sure!!!!

Through its Free For All event, PepsiCo is helping Kroger shoppers across the country take snacking to a whole new level by offering free samples of some of its newest, boldest and most innovative Frito-Lay products. Join us for our first Free For All in-store event on March 15, 4 to 8 p.m. local time – where Frito-Lay and Kroger will give away approximately 2.4 million sample bags of the most flavorful Frito-Lay products to hit store shelves in recent months. Consumers will have the chance to taste some of the newest Frito-Lay snacks including:

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o Bold, amped up Doritos Jacked Ranch Dipped Hot Wings flavored tortilla chips, which are 40 perfect bigger and thicker than regular Doritos chips.

o All three finalists in the Lay’s “Do Us a Flavor” promotion – Chicken and Waffles, Sriracha and Cheesy Garlic Bread flavored potato chips.

For more details about Free For All and a list of participating Kroger stores, visit: www.krogerfritolayfreeforall.com

Enter To Win:

$25 Visa gift

To Enter:

Tell me your favorite Chip Flavor

Extra Entries:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

This giveaway ends March 18th. Please see our giveaway rules.  Samples received and it’s a sponsored post by Frito Lay.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: chips, Dorito, event, Free For All, Frito Lay, giveaway, Kroger, Pepsi Co. Chicken and Waffles, Sriracha and Cheesy Garlic Bread

The Frankenweenie After Party Was Electrifying #DisneyMoviesEvent

September 25, 2012 by Momstart 32 Comments

I saw the movie Frankenweenie last night and LOVED it of course. It’s the perfect movie to bring in Halloween with. Lots to tell, lots to tell but that’s for another day. For now I just had to share how electrifying the after party from the premiere was.

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They served hot dogs, little dogs, big dogs and fantastic desserts. I had a red velvet cake pop and lots of heath bar cookies. Then I saw that they had an electric experience that I had to be a part of. There was this electric contraption that would make your hair stand on end. Watch.

 

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Initial response, the little hairs all over my body started to stand up which as you can see by the expression on my face was not expected.

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Then my hair stated to stand up and he told me to shake my head to help the rest stand up. IMG_6050IMG_6051

And I had more hair standing up

 

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I then repeated the process and had even more stand up

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My only disappointment was that when it was over my hair was as flat as could be.

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Thanks to Disney for travel and accommodations to attend the Movie Premiere of Frankenweenie.

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: after party, Disney, event, Frankenweenie, Frankenweenie movie Premeire, movie

Whole Foods Market ‘Meet the Makers’ Event

August 5, 2012 by Momstart 9 Comments

Next Saturday (8/11), Whole Foods Market will be hosting its annual ‘Meet the Makers’ event at the Interbay, Bellevue and Lynwood store locations. From noon to 4pm, the public will have an opportunity to meet and sample treats from dozens of Whole Foods Market vendors, such as Fran’s Chocolates, Mt. Townsend Creamery, Mighty-O Donuts, Theo Chocolate, Whidbey Island Ice Cream, CB’s Nuts & Mirracole Morsels and more!

 

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In addition, each store location will be hosting their own set of family friendly activities, prize giveaways and entertainment vendors. Below is a look at just some of the activities scheduled at each location:

 

Lynnwood Store

·        Cooking demo and book signing by Chef Kim O’Donnel from 1-2:30pm

·        Saturday Grill featuring $6 plates of hamburgers or hot dogs, chips and a drink (using Country Natural Beef)

·        Kids activity tent with face painting, arts and crafts, and a coloring table

·        Passport Promotion where shoppers can collect stamps as you visit the vendor tables for a chance to win a cool swag!

Interbay Store

·        Music and games!

·        Chance to win prizes of hats and totes – The first 50 customers to join the event will receive a free tote bag

·        A kids coloring contest

·        Passport Promotion where shoppers can collect stamps at the vendor tables for a chance to win a gift basket

Bellevue store

·        First 50 guests receive a complimentary reusable bag

·        Enter to win a Meet the Makers gift basket by collecting vendor stamps on their store Passport card

·        Free kids crafts

·        Featured KCLS Mobile Cookbook Library will allow you to check out books and sign up for a library membership

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: event, kim O'donnel, Meet the Makers, whole foods

IAMS Behind the Paw Day 2 P&G Pet Health and Nutrition Center Tour

May 29, 2012 by Momstart 15 Comments

By Connie:

imageThe next day we visited the P&G Pet Health and Nutrition Center. It’s where the research is done and the pets being studied are housed. It’s recently been expanded and we toured the new buildings and had the chance to meet some of the animals. I was surprised to find that dogs can be kept in the program up to 6 years and during that time they’re housed in dog runs with solid surface floors but they do have access to a small outside run. I did appreciate that they’re housed in pairs and the runs are designed so that they can see and interact with other dogs, but there’s one location in each run where they can lay and have some down time.

Each dog is taken out into a fenced outdoor space a minimum of 30-minutes each day where staff interacts with them. They may also be given a walk by a volunteer, or they can be “checked out” by a P&G employee overnight or for the weekend. They assured me that the pets are well cared for and they are healthy, happy, normal pets when they are ultimately adopted out.

imageSurprisingly the dogs are all obtained by breeders and they’re purebred and not mixed breeds. Their cat population is maintained by an in-house breeding program and dogs and cats are exposed to a simulated home environment before adoption to assist them in the transition.

Testing is done on the animals and as Dr. John Burr explained it to us; they will conduct studies on animals if a healthy human being has ever done the same. P&G has a complete policy on their site which includes:

We do not fund studies that require the loss of life of cats or dogs. We only conduct dog and cat studies that are the veterinary equivalent of nutritional or medical studies acceptable on people, including: urine, feces, blood and immune cell analysis, allergy tests, and skin and muscle biopsies. – Source: http://www.iamstruth.com/truthArticles.do?pi=RP&method=articles&articleID=2

While the buildings had a daycare feel, they were stark compared to my dog’s comfy lives. And yes, I’m a very passive vegetarian so it was hard for me personally to see the small enclosures; staff members were quick to remind me that not everyone sees pets as family members like I do, and many pets are left home alone 8 hours or more a day.

imageWe then visited the Leipsic Ohio P&G plant where their dry kibble foods are made, bagged, and shipped. The plant makes over 80 different types of kibble with over 1000 SKUs and it’s obvious that every one of the employees we met with were very proud of their safety record and the precision with which the plant operates. We donned hairnets and hardhats and toured the bagging area first, then the distribution section, and finally the mixing area. Of course it smelled like raw meat and dog food which evidently employees are able to get accustomed, but for me I was glad that part of the tour was quick.

I was surprised that one of the top staff members didn’t know what a GMO was and wasn’t aware of whether or not the corn used in their product was genetically modified or not. I did find out subsequently from upper management that it likely is GMO corn in their products with the exception of their newly acquired line of natural or organic foods which are not made at that plant.

While they manufacture their own kibble, their wet foods and treats are made and packaged to their specifications by another company at a different location.

clip_image010The final day of the trip we travel to the P&G Pet Care Headquarters in Mason, OH. A modern building set in a park-like setting, employees need never leave the building – they’ve got everything at their fingertips. A bank, gym, convenience store, wellness center and more are within minutes from their desk. There’s also a dog park out back and dogs are welcome in many areas of the building.

We met Griffin, P&G’s Vice President of Canine. Griffin is a Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen – a breed I’d never come across before. They chose the breed because it’s a medium sized dog that’s sturdy, well-mannered, and has a gentle personality. Griffin needs to be able to handle throngs of children and overly affectionate bloggers.

We heard from several different department heads and then it was our turn to be interviewed by the P&G staff. They asked questions about our buying habits, what we wanted from the brand, and more. The one thing I wanted them to hear was that I wanted natural and/or organic ingredients and I was happy to discover they’ve acquired a new line that may be what I’m looking for.

I left the event with the feeling that the employees truly believe they are doing what they believe is best for pets and they’re comfortable with the way the company is run and how they’re handling the difficult subject surrounding animal testing.

About Connie

Connie blogs about being a vegetarian who cooks for her meat-loving hubby, OAMC, DIY home decor, gardening, and more. She’s a middle age mom to two adult boys and wife since 1983 to one terrific man. She’s been doing online reviews since 2002 and is in the top 100 Most Popular Authors at epinons.com. She’s the owner of Princess Time Toys, an online princess store selling quality children’s dress-up costumes and toys.

P&G Covered transportation and meals and lodging, while also giving us permission to use the photos

Filed Under: review Tagged With: behind the paw, behindthepaw, Connie, eukenuba, event, Iams, P&G

IAMS Behind the Paw Eukanuba Blogger Event in Ohio Day 1

May 29, 2012 by Momstart 15 Comments

By Connie:

I recently attended the 3rd annual IAMS Behind the Paw event in Ohio on behalf of MomStart. The Behind the Paw event is meant to give bloggers a look at the inner workings of IAMS and Eukanuba.

imageIn the spirit of disclosure I would like to note that I fed my dogs IAMS from puppyhood to adult hood. There were a few food trials I did with my pup for my blog that lasted from 3-6 months, but for the majority of their lives they were fed the mini kibble IAMS. Why? Because IAMS was a dog store brand I could find in my grocery store and compared to the other foods on the shelves at the time, it was a superior product.

My oldest dog was diagnosed with bladder cancer earlier this year and I switched all three of my pups to an organic food and while I still think IAMS is superior to many other foods in the supermarket, there are better choices for my pups that fit their current needs.

So, back to the trip. The first evening was held at the Dorothy Lane Market Cooking School where we were divided into teams and paired with a DLM teacher. Each team was given a course and at the end a “celebrity” judge determined the winners. It was a fabulous way to meet each other, have some fun, and enjoy some great food. I’ve already made a few of the dishes here at home, they were that fabulous.

About Connie

Connie blogs about being a vegetarian who cooks for her meat-loving hubby, OAMC, DIY home decor, gardening, and more. She’s a middle age mom to two adult boys and wife since 1983 to one terrific man. She’s been doing online reviews since 2002 and is in the top 100 Most Popular Authors at epinons.com. She’s the owner of Princess Time Toys, an online princess store selling quality children’s dress-up costumes and toys.

P&G Covered transportation and meals and lodging, while also giving us permission to use the photos

Filed Under: review Tagged With: behind the paw, Connie, eukanuba, event, Iams, review

Do You Have Time To Play? Holiday Showcases and Prizes

November 30, 2011 by Momstart 2 Comments

It’s certainly the Holiday Season now and time to get something for everyone on your list, or to give a toy to someone in need. Back in September, I couldn’t get into the holiday spirit, but Time To Play was ready. I attended an outstanding event and I’ve mentioned it a few times here in there in different toy reviews. The Time To Play Holiday Toy Showcase is THE EVENT to attend if you review toys. They announced their top picks for toys this holiday season and all the brands showed us the whole kit and caboodle. I LOVED this event and hope more than anything that I get to go back next year. Here are my highlights and toys you need to consider:

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At Time To Play you’ll find anything and everything toys. Buying advice, how long the toys last will the kids go back and play with them time and time again. You can watch the toys in action, and find out just about anything you wanted to know. It’s an amazing resource you should go and check out.

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PLUS

Time To Play Live Twitter Party Every Week.

As for Time to Play parties, we have two weekly initiatives:

· #TimetoPlayLive: a weekly Twitter game show where participants answer toy trivia for the chance to win prizes; every Wednesday 1 PM EST

· Time to Play with Jim and Chris: a live web television show on www.TimetoPlay.TV where Jim and Chris (and the occasional special guest) highlight what’s new in the toy world. Viewers can enter to win prizes by participating and answering questions in the chatroom; every Friday 12 PM EST

Types of Questions:

  1. Letter Play – Similar to hangman, players must fill in the missing letters of a toy, character or children’s entertainment word or name. Asterisks (*) denote a space between words, e.g., T_me*t_*P_ay (Time to Play).
  2. Web Play – Using existing knowledge or the internet players must answer a toy industry or TimetoPlayMag.com related question.
  3. Name Play – Several clues will be provided and players must guess the identity of the toy or children’s character.
  4. Final Play – Common Thread – We will provide a series of short clues that all have something in common. Using existing knowledge or the internet, players must identify what ’common thread’ ties these clues together

So let’s review, at Time To Play you can win toys, find toys, learn about toys. It’s your one stop for everything toys. If you need help finding the perfect gift for the little one in your life, be it, boy girl, daughter, son, niece nephew, or grandchild, Time To Play has the information you need to make the best toy decision.

 

Time To Play covered my travel and expenses to spend the day in New York for the Time To Play Holiday Showcase.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: blog trip, event, holiday showcase, time to play, timetoplaylive, Toys

American Heart Association Third Thursday Wine Walk 8/18 Charity Event

August 6, 2011 by Momstart 22 Comments

As many of you know, heart disease is a huge issue in many families. A few months ago, I had a guest post by a mom in my MOMS Club and heart disease has been relentless in her family. You can read part of her story here. Her story continues though as she lost her uncle a week ago at age 49…a healthy, active soccer player. Because of this history, She has teamed up with the American Heart Association to help spread the word on heart disease prevention and on the signs of a heart attack.

wineHer little committee is teaming up with the "Third Thursday Wine Walk" in Woodinville on Thursday, August 18th from 4 to 8. For $20, you get to walk around and taste over 12 wineries. I know here in the greater Seattle area there are plenty of wine lovers. I’ve even found that I like wine as we have many wonderful local breweries. There will also be food vendors and restaurants at this particular wine walk sharing food samples. Wine and Food For Charity, what could be better?

Her committee will be there trying to share heart healthy facts and share about heart attacks signs. We all need to know what the signs are. Heart Disease could be very close to any one of us. I wanted to pass this along, in case anyone wanted check out this event. It should be a lot of fun and it is right here in Woodinville.

So grab a glass and some friends and we hope to see some of your smiling faces there.

Filed Under: charity Tagged With: charity, event, Third Thursday Wine Walk, wine tasting, Woodinville WA

5K Warrior Dash in the Seattle Complete!

August 5, 2011 by Momstart 13 Comments

I want to give a shout out to some companies who helped be attain my goal of completing (with dignity) the 5K Warrior Dash in the Seattle area.

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Thank you to Ahnu shoes for helping me train. I ran many miles … but only really 2-3 at a time for many days in preparation. (NOTE: Ahnu’s shoes are so wonderful I did NOT wear them for the actual run because I didn’t want to have them ruined!)

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Thank you to Stain Solver and Robby Washing Ball for helping our clothing return to its pre-run form. Every piece is “new again.”

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Thank you to Lindsay Brin and Moms Into Fitness for starting my fitness journey strong. Still trying to get rid of about 15-20 pounds, but Lindsay got me moving and motivated. (If you have something else for me to review and rave about Lindsay, hit me up!) And to STR!DE for their “behind the scenes” support in all my workouts.

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Thank you for all the healthy food sample which helped curve cravings or offered healthier alternative to what I might’ve chosen — 22 Days bars and KIND Snack bars. Sip N’ Go thank you for being with me during my training to provide eco friendly refreshment.

Last but not least, thank 3M Scotch No Residue Duct Tape for helping me with my outfit.

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About Summer:

Summer is very active in 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 while cooking up a storm.

Filed Under: review, Summer Tagged With: 22 Days bars, 3M Scotch No Residue Duct Tape, Ahnu shoes, event, KIND Snack bars, Summer, Warrior Dash

The Aveda Summer Solutions Blogger Meet Up

July 20, 2011 by Momstart 11 Comments

I Love Aveda, I’ve been using them for almost 10 years now when I feel like splurging on myself in the beauty department. Their hair care line is my favorite because of their fragrant scents they pour into their products. The natural ingredients just mesmerize me.

Jen and Jenny and Aveda put together an Aveda Summer Solutions Blogger Party for us to try out all of the Aveda products. OH it was 3 hours of heaven.

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The summer collection is light and fun and full of choices. Oh and not to mention the UV protection that you’ll find. You’ll find ways to cleanse chlorine, restore hair after sun damage, and protects hair for up to 16 hours, to minimize color fadage, damage and dryness.

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At the party, there was no selling and no in your face products. It was all about having a good time. We went from station to station being pampered and at the end of the day if we did all four stations we received a small sample to take home with us.

 

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I used a peppermint scrub and then a moisturizing lotion. An Aveda hairstylist did my hair, I had my makeup done and we had a kissing contest. Yes, shocking I know, a room full of women was able to pull off a kissing contest. But we did.

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My favorite Aveda products that I often use:

The Rosemary Mint Shampoo – Formulated with peppermint to awaken your senses and rosemary to help protect from environmental damage. Its pure plant aroma naturally energizes and motivates your mind and body.

and

Pure Abundance Volumizing Clay Conditioner – Boosts volume—helps fine hair look fuller, feel thicker, stay more abundant.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: Aveda, event, Summer Solutions

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