Keen Sandals for Kids: A Summer Must Have #BoundlessWonder

* I was sent a pair of Keen sandals for my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Summer is almost here! As soon as the sun is shining in California my family takes the opportunity to wear sandals. As a parent I know each season my son usually needs new shoes. He can't fit in anything from last year as I would expect him not to, so this means we always have a good reason to go shoe shopping.

I have tried many types of shoes for my son for the warm weather from flip flops and slides to leather fisherman sandals. Each have their pros and cons but one that I absolutely love for the summertime is Keen. They are durable, toes protecting, machine washable, functional shoes for kids. Sure I get the parents out there that may feel they are not as "cute" as some other sandals but shoes are about what is best for their developing feet and not the latest fashion trends.

My son loves his sandals! So much so that he made up a dance with them on, his moves were epic. He can put them on himself, gotta love Velcro for busy kids and parents, they come in cool colors and he can wear them in the lake and river to protect his feet (they are waterproof). I love that he has proper foot protection while he is busy being a kid.

I recommend Keen shoes all the time to my customers at work for all summer long and especially for people planning trips to Disneyland or Hawaii. No one wants achy feet on vacation or to have a pair of flip flops trip up your day.

If you would like to have your little ones feet sized and properly fitted for Keen Sandals you can go to your local Nordstrom to have a Certified Fit Expert assist you in finding the right style for your children. If your little one has narrow feet like my son I would suggest the Seacamp style and for a little bit wider foot I would go with the Newport.

See's Candies Summer Variety Review and $25 Gift Card Giveaway

For many generations my family has enjoyed See's Candies. The way the store looks, the smells of chocolate and even the ladies dressed in the white uniforms make me smile from the memories I recall and the ones being made in that moment. Its more than a candy store to us and the summer time we go just as often as the holidays.

My son knows what he likes in See's, trying to convince him why Mommy NEEDS black licorice is tough

With my birthday being in the summer I always get a box of See's dark and milk chocolate truffles, but this year I want a box of the Summer Variety candies. I normally get the same thing each year out of tradition but after trying a box of the Summer Variety for my review I have a new summertime favorite. The use of white chocolate on nuts and caramel is amazing! The flavors of summer like coconut, apricot and lemon are in this box making it light and sweet. This box of candy is perfect for wanting sweets but not a heavy dark chocolate. My favorite is the Key Lime Pie and my son loved the Apple Pie Truffle. We also bought a few Blueberry Truffles to try and they are beyond delicious!

We ate most the candies before I got a picture :)

It would not be a trip to See's without picking up some lollipops. Even if we are going to the mall for one thing we always manage a quick stop into See's for a lollipop. See's has many Summer friendly candies that you can pack into a camping trip bag or mail to a loved one like lollipops, black licorice, peanut brittle and my son's favorite the red, white and blue sour chews.

My son also picked out a few smaller chocolates like a chocolate clown, chocolate apple and a milk chocolate candy bar for his Dad. We are always satisfied with the quality of ingredients in See's and the people who work their are always as sweet as the treats. I look forward to my birthday in July to get myself another box of Summer Variety candies.

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*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts June 19, 2014 and ends on July 3, 2014 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.

Wordless Wednesday

Last week we were in sweaters and warm socks, this week we are in swimsuits and swimming pools! 

That's Washington for ya.

Enjoy your weather wherever you are!

Perfect Outdoor Labor Day Party with Kmart

For my family the backyard is an extension of our home. I love to sit outside near the garden, put my feet up and relax. Nothing is more fun to be in the fresh air, birds chirping and my son running around the yard with the dog. As the summer comes to an end we are happy for the memories and love to celebrate the summer with one last party. Labor Day marks the official wind down of summer but since we have great weather until late September it also is a reminder to have as much fun as we can until the rain starts. Many of our friends have kids that start school and Labor Day is a great time to have a last fun party of the summer.

Before my son was born a few years ago we would have a Labor Day party at our local river. With a toddler and friends that also have small kids its much more fun to have an at home Outdoor Party. Having the right outdoor living items can make a party a success. For my family we have a small bbq but for a party we would love one of the big grills from Kmart. I read a few reviews of the items and would love to have the red Kennmore 4 burner grill. Red is my favorite color for this summer and Kmart has many great items to go along with my color scheme.

Right now my back yard has a pool, two garden beds and scattered seating. For a perfect party a new dining set, a gazebo, a grill and a swing would be wonderful. A nice grill is the prefect way to serve food at an outdoor party. Ribs, steak, corn, veggie kabobs and even grilled watermelon are delicious grilled summer food. For the kids a croquet set, shaved ice maker and a smores basket would keep them happily entertained. I have wonderful memories as a kid using our shaved ice maker and playing croquet. Classic outdoor fun!

We loved playing this as kids. I forgot about this classic game until I saw it in the background of one page in the Kmart Catalog. The catalog was full of ideas for summer fun.

I looked online at the Kmart Outdoor Living Catalog to get ideas for items we would need for our Perfect Outdoor Labor Day Party. Another great place to get inspiration for your outdoor living space is the Kmart Outdoor Living site that is full of ideas from real people in all design types. From patio furniture, seating sets, lawn furniture and grills, Kmart brings you amazing deals on great brands and shoppers show you how to arrange them on the Kmart Outdoor Living site. Check it out for great ideas!

The color selection at Kmart is great. Many colors to inspire a theme to your outdoor decor.

With all of the great items I found at Kmart for a Perfect Outdoor Labor Day Party I created a Polyvore board and a list on List.ly. Its a fun way to share ideas for outdoor living inspirations. #KmartOutdoor

Perfect Outdoor Labor Day Party with Kmart by frugalfamilytree-bloggers on Polyvore

Perfect Outdoor Labor Day Party with Kmart

View more lists from Frugal Family Tree


To stay up to date with all the great deals at Kmart and the Shop Your Way Rewards program you can follow them on facebook and twitter.

Kmart’s Twitter
Shop Your Way Rewards Twitter
Kmart’s Facebook

For all my idea inspirations for the Perfect Outdoor Labor Day Party you can read my Google+ story about my online shopping at Kmart.

How beautiful is this set up for an Outdoor Living space for your home. Kmart has great ideas and the low prices to make it possible. The end of the summer deals are up to 75% off!!

*I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Kmart. #KmartOutdoor #CBias #SocialFabric

T-fal Healthy Summer Challenge Tip #2

 

 

~by Patricia

My second tip for the T-fal Healthy Summer Challenge is to shop for your fruits and veggies at your local Farmer's Market. The summer is the absolute best time to shop there for great variety of selection and lowest prices.

 

Seeing all those lovely lettuces and mouthwatering berries will inspire you to make healthier meals, and keep cooking simple. 

 

Make dinner a big, delicious chicken Caesar salad, or yummy veggie kabobs on the grill. Enjoy!

 

 

What fruit or veggie have you always wanted to try?

 

 

 *I wrote this blog post while participating in the T-FFal Healthy Summer Challenge blogging program for a chance to win a T-fal ActiFry or additional cookware.

T-fal Healthy Summer Challenge Tip #1

 
This summer I am delighted to be one of the bloggers taking part in the T-fal Healthy Summer Challenge. I will be sharing a few tips with you on how I make small but important changes to live a healthier lifestyle.


Tip #1

Summertime means eating lots of ice cream around my house. I am making changes to eat healthier, so I have decided to replace my ice cream with healthy and delicious frozen yogurt.

Besides being good for you, frozen yogurt comes in so many delicious flavors. I love adding fresh fruit or crushed granola to make a super yummy summer dessert that appeals to everyone in my family.

 What sweet treat can you replace with a healthier option for your summertime desserts?

*I wrote this blog post while participating in the T-FFal Healthy Summer Challenge blogging program for a chance to win a T-fal ActiFry or additional cookware.