Thursday, August 29, 2013

i play On Safari Collection Review and Giveaway #sponsored


 

We are in full back to school mode around here, Jayden will be a 1st grader and Liam goes back to his wonderful preschool. Liam may not be in grade school but he still needs a backpack for his personal items like extra clothes, art projects and his sharing item when it is his sharing day. I wanted something light weight but also wanted it to be a cute as can be and we found one in the On Safari Collection with i play.

 

The On Safari Collection includes animal-inspired Backpacks, Bento Boxes, Utensil Sets, Snack Bags, Stainless Steel Bottles, and Pocket Raincoats that are just the right-sized for children and great for back-to-school, picnics and every day on-the-go activities! Liam is really into monkeys lately so this backpack is perfect for him, I know he can't wait to show it off on the first day of school.


 

How about you and your family, are you all ready for back to school? It is right around the corner and we can't wait to use all of our great things from the On Safari Collection!

GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway



*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Aug 29 2013 and ends on Sept 10, 2013 at 12:01 am EST. Winner will be emailed and has 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize. I was sent a product to review for this post.
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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

2014 Kia Soul - The hamsters shape up #kiasocialclub #hamsters



 

Check out the Kia hamsters, they got in shape and are better than ever!! My boys have been asking to watch it over and over again, laughing every time. It seems our favorite part is when the hamster is running on a treadmill and one of the pretty ladies waves to him, he gets distracted and falls off the back of the treadmill. Classic!


What is your favorite part of the new and improved @Kia #Hamsters? Leave a comment and tweet about your favorite part of the video and you could win a $25 iTunes Gift Card!!



a Rafflecopter giveaway


*This post was brought to you buy Kia Motors. All opinions are my own. 2014 Soul! shown. Expected Fall 2013.*
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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

#ad Be a Hunger Hero with Tyson Chicken and Sam's Club #HungerHeroes #Cbias





Stopping childhood hunger is an issue I am strongly behind. In our country with such abundance there should never be children that do not have enough food to eat. We donate food all year long to donation drop offs and a local transitional housing program for families. We take the time to do so and would hope if we were ever in need others would do the same.

We recently learned about how Tyson Chicken and Sam's Club has teamed up with Champions for Kids to make donating a meal as easy as buying a product we already purchase through the Be a Hunger Hero project. We attended a Tyson Chicken Nuggets demo at Sam's Club to learn more about the Buy a Bag Give a Meal project. The sample station guy was very informative telling us about the coloring pages and how if we had the kids color them and upload them to the Club Tyson Facebook page a meal would be donated.



While at Sam's Club we found the Tyson Hunger Heroes demo that we learned about on the Tyson Hunger Relief website. Tyson Chicken will donate a meal (4 oz of meat) for each bag of 5 lb. Tyson Chicken Nuggets purchased at Sam's Club from now until Aug. 31, 2013. Online we read about the Hunger Heroes project and found where and what time Sam's Club near us would be holding the demo event. The next Hunger Heroes demos will be on Aug. 29, 30 and 31 from 11-2 at a Sam's Club near you.




When I told my son we were going to be Hunger Heroes at Sam's Club he wanted to wear his super hero cape to the store. He sampled many of the Chicken Nuggets, I told him he already likes them but he insisted he needed to have just one more to try. He was excited that we were going to have coloring pages to share with his friends to color. I enjoy opportunities like this to share with my son about donating to others. Something fun like being a Hunger Hero is a perfect way to share with him that we are giving food to kids in need by buying Chicken Nuggets. He a little guy but he does understand what donating means.

Here is a short clip about the Tyson Chicken Hunger Heroes project:

                       

After talking to the demo guy at Sam's Club and getting the other items we needed for a fun dinner at the pool we headed home to cook our nuggets. I planned to take dinner down to our local pool for my son and his friends to eat. I wanted to share with the kids and parents about the Tyson Buy a Bag Give a Meal project.


My son wanted to continue to be a Hunger Hero at the pool so he wore a tshirt that had Elmo as a super hero and a yellow cape on it. His cape was a great conversation starter about the Hunger Heroes project. Many people already buy Tyson Chicken nuggets and I wanted to inform them that if they buy it at Sam;s Club before Aug. 31, 2013 a meal ( 4 oz. of meat) would be donated to kids in need.


I told all the kids about the Hunger Heroes and how if we colored some of the pages and I uploaded them that a meal would be donated from Tyson Chicken to kids in need. The kids were happy to color the pages once they knew that kids in need would be helped. They all did a great job on the coloring. I wish I had more pages for the other kids that wanted to color when they learned why we were doing it. I love how kids when informed are willing to help out.


We had a wonderful time at the pool being Hunger Heroes while we shared food and fun with our friends. I even over heard one of the kids tell my son not to waste his dinner since some kids do not have enough food to eat. It was so sweet to hear that they really do listen and care. I hope that your family will attend a Sam's Club demo to buy a bag of Tyson Chicken and help donate a meal through Champions for Kids. Anyone can be a Hunger Hero!

You can learn more about Tyson Chicken on Facebook and Twitter. See my shopping trip to Sam's Club in my Google+ story and how my little guy wearing his cape helped others to learn about being a Hunger Hero.



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Monday, August 26, 2013

Coupons to start the week!!

 

HIGHLIGHTS: Must-Have Coupons for Back-to-School
$0.50 off any ONE Prang Watercolor
BABY STUFF: Something for every parent, with baby + toddlers
Buy 4 GERBER Organic Baby Food Pouches, Get 1 Free
SNACKS: Essential for Morning, Lunch + After-School (Any time's a good time!)
$1.00 off any one package of Ball Park Franks
DRINKS: Quench your thirst + add to back-to-school lunches!
PET SUPPLIES & CARE: Something for nearly every pet owner!
MEDS + WELLNESS: It's also time to stock up--for you, your kids, your pets, etc.!
$3.00 off one Fiber Choice Fruity Bites 90ct
PERSONAL HEALTH + CARE
$1.00 off ONE Clearasil Daily Clear Cleanser
CLEANING + DEODORIZING
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Saturday, August 24, 2013

SHOES! Under $30 for Women

My shoe obsession just wont stop! I am sure its the fashion based industry I work in for my other job that has fueled it but I have always loved shoes. As a frugal mama I want to find awesome deals on shoes too. I like name brand shoes since they are made better and last longer. I shop often at 6pm.com for shoes that saves me money and keeps the addiction to shoes in check money wise. Let me show you some of the shoes I have found recently. With this site if you see it get it since it can be gone in a day or go up in price within a few days.

Rampage Sandals normally $49.99 on sale $17.50

Fergalicious flats normally $39.95 on sale $11.99

Christin Michaels Boots normally $79 on sale $23.70

DV by Dolce Vita normally $99.99 on sale $29.70



Steve Madden flats normally $99.99 on sale $29.99

Nine West flats normally $79 on sale $23.70


Where do you find shoes for a great deal?? 
I would love to know about more sites I can save money on shoes.
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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Wordless Wednesday


Washington beachs, when the tide is out, it is really out.
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Monday, August 19, 2013

Weekend in Pictures


Went on a walk to see what flowers we could find in our complex. We have many beautiful ones on the grounds. My son will fake sneeze anytime he sniffs a flower, hes a silly one!


Played a new outdoor game by the pool, ladder ball. My son loved that we were throwing balls at an object for fun! He did land some in the bushes and almost hit me a few times but it was fun.



Watched Men's College Gymnastics on TV. My son was using the top of the couch as a pommel horse lol. This is his landing pose with arms up in the air.


Practicing swimming in the pool with floaties on. I am so hoping in the next few weeks we can attempt more in the pool with no floaties. I wanted him to learn to swim by the end of this summer. He has mastered swimming with his head under the water, just need more paddling and kicking at the same time. We will get there.


We had a good weekend relaxing at home and spending time together. We are trying to enjoy the summer we have left. Thankfully it does not get cold until about October around here.

What did you do over the weekend?
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Saturday, August 17, 2013

Super Silly Saturday


While out shopping at the dollar store for craft supplies the other day I told the boys they could each pick out one thing, after all everything is a dollar. To my surprise they picked these supper silly glasses and they cannot get enough of them, wearing them every chance they can! I thought for sure they would pick out something like a car, action figure or rubber snake. To my surprise they went with these classic funny glasses! Nice.

How about you? When was the last time your children surprised you?
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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Quick Family Meals with Kraft Recipe Makers Meal Kit #KraftRecipeMakers #shop



Before I was working full time I enjoyed spending time cooking, cleaning and even folding laundry. My son would hang out playing or watch a movie while I took care of household stuff. Now as a full time working Mom I realize that its ok to have the house a bit messy and unfolded laundry. I no longer need a meal to take 2 hours to make it to feel like its a luxurious meal. Now every moment I have not at work I want it to be spent with my son. I love seeing his little sweet face when I get home from work. He always has a million things to tell me and show me about his day. For dinner I want to be able to have quick family meals that I can make and feel like I have made a quality dinner without it taking time away from being with them. I often seek out new products that are meal kits to save time on cooking. I am headed to Walmart to find a new product Kraft Recipe Makers for our pool party we are planning.




We are planning to have a little party for our family and friends at our complex pool. Our families have been taking turns cooking dinner for each other and I wanted to serve some good food for everyone on my day off of work but not take all day to do it. Since we are serving Tex Mex Chicken fajita flavors I planned the menu around a Mexican inspired theme. Living in California we have access to a lot of great Mexican food and there is a wide variety of items available at our local Walmart on the Hispanic aisle. I found some great items to add to our party to make the dinner simple and delicious. 


The Kraft Recipe Makers comes with two sauces. One to simmer the meat and veggies in and the other to finish the meal. The Tex Mex meal kit has easy to follow step by step instructions. So easy! I omitted the rice in the steps for my fajitas since I plan to serve white rice with cilantro and lime as a side dish.



I cut up the chicken breast and added the Lime Fajita simmer sauce in a saute pan. I like that I can make the whole meal in one pan. Makes it a simple clean up after dinner.


Once the chicken was cooked I added the veggies and the rest of the simmer sauce to the pan. 


Once the vegetables have cooked and absorbed the flavors of the simmer sauce I added the second sauce of Chipotle Tomato to finish the dish. I made the cilantro lime rice, cut up the cantaloupe, packed up the chips, drinks, cookies and headed down to the pool to have our party. 




The Kraft Recipe Makers Tex Mex was a big hit! Everyone enjoyed the flavors of the chicken and vegetables. I served the chicken and veggies in a hard shell taco and soft tortillas so our guest could enjoy the flavor with different textures. Guest even had seconds and the kids loved it. It was the perfect flavor combo for our outdoor fiesta! We spent the rest of the night eating the cookies, playing darts pool side and watching the meteor shower that was happening that night. A perfect day with family and friends with little time spent in the kitchen to make a great meal. I will be buying the other flavors to serve next time its our turn to cook. One neighbor said she makes an excellent chow mein noodle dish that I could pair with the Kraft Recipe Makers Sweet and Sour Chicken. #KraftRecipeMakers

You can see my shopping trip at Walmart to find Kraft Recipe Makers in my Google+ story and connect with Kraft Foods on Facebook.
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Monday, August 12, 2013

Easy Recipes for Family Meals with Oatmeal from Smart and Final #ChooseSmart #shop


For my family I like to save money when we shop for groceries. I think if we can save on food we can have money for extra things and fun adventures. I look at a sales ad for a store, check my coupons and plan a weekly meal list based on the deals. This week we are shopping at Smart and Final for items on sale to make easy recipes for family meals. I see that the First Street brand has many items on sale and a $2 off offer when you buy 4 participating products. We always buy First Street items and Smart and Final so I decided to plan a day around eating Oatmeal since my son loves it and it is on sale. 




My little shopping buddy always likes to help pick out items in the store. We plan to have Fruit and Cream Oatmeal with grapes and orange juice for breakfast, Oatmeal Cookies and peanut butter cookies for lunch at the park and Oatmeal crusted chicken for dinner with friends to watch some movies. We have a very fun day planned. My son convinced me in the store well insisted is more like it that we change my plan from Oatmeal Raisin cookies to Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies with almonds. He loves chocolate!


For Breakfast we are having Blueberry Fruit and Cream Oatmeal with banana slices on top, green grapes that we got a great deal on and orange juice. A healthy and easy start to the day.


When we were in the store and my son realized we were making cookies it was all he could talk about until we made them. He always likes to help in the kitchen. Sometimes its just trying the ingredients for quality control of course. I have many First Street baking items already in my cupboards so I only needed to buy the Quick Oats and Chocolate Chips. I have always loved making cookies from scratch. As a teenager my family would ask me to make my awesome chocolate chip cookies, it always made me feel special to bake it for them. For my son I add the oatmeal for texture and the health benefits.


I made simple First Street Peanut Butter Sandwiches topped with green grapes to serve with my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip with Almonds Cookies. We had a mini picnic at the park benches in between my son playing in the splash pad and playground. We recently found this park and we love it. On the hot summer days we are able to have him play in the water. My son even shared some of our cookies with a few kids at the park. He wanted to pet their little dog and offered a cookie for a pet. He is a smart cookie!



When we got home from the park my son was exhausted from playing in the sun. While my son took a nap I planned out the dinner I was going to make for a few friends that were coming over to watch some movies. I am making Oatmeal Crusted Chicken and serving it with spinach couscous.


For my recipe I pulsed in the blender the quick oats and spices so the oatmeal would stick to the chicken and cook more evenly. My son was awake by the time I was ready to use the blender and loves to help push the button. Next I dipped the chicken in an egg wash before covering it in the oatmeal crust. I drizzled the top of the chicken with butter before going into the oven to help the oatmeal brown. You can use your favorite spice mix like I did or add the ones directly from the recipe. My spice mix contains all the spices on the ingredients list.



Oatmeal Crusted Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 cup regular oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried summer savory or parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 4 Chicken Leg Quarters
  • 2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450°.
  2. Combine oats, salt, and next spice ingredients (salt through pepper) in a food processor or blender, process until oats are finely chopped. Place oat mixture in a shallow dish; place egg  in a medium bowl. Dip chicken in whisked egg, and coat in oat mixture. Place chicken in baking pan and drizzle butter over chicken. Bake at 450° for 45 minutes or until done.

We had a wonderful day spending time as a family enjoying meals, a day at the park and movie night with friends. My recipes we all planned around a simple ingredient that was on sale. Have you had a day with one ingredient as your meals inspiration?

You can see my shopping trip at Smart and Final by reading my Google+ story. Connect with Smart and Final on Facebook and Twitter.
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