Happy Heart Day!!!

 

As requested by my two year old we had heart shaped grilled cheese, strawberries and pink milk for breakfast today. Why not make grilled cheese for breakfast? It's a holiday after all, anything goes!

 Happy Valentines Day to everyone!!

Music on Valentines: Acoustic Research iPad and iPhone Docking Station Review

Music is a must in my house. My husband played instruments as a kid, I love to dance to the radio and my son well he is the biggest music fan in the house! He will ask for us to turn on music so he can dance, he will even make me get up and dance with him for the music that is played at the end of movie while credits roll. When he was an infant I would play him lullabies on the computer so he would be calm and sleep, it always worked. But using the laptop can be bulky and the screen saver screen would often keep him awake staring at it unless I turned it around. Now that we have an iPhone its much easier to listen to music. My son always wants to hold the phone while music is on which can lead to some power struggles about not dropping it.

We have been looking for a way to listen to music and watch videos that was stationary so my son would sit and enjoy not want to hold the phone. With Valentine's Day coming I knew we needed a Docking station for the iPhone so we can have romantic music playing during dinner. Its the perfect item for the Valentine in your life that loves techy items for the iPhone and iPad. When I was looking for a Docking Station I wanted to find one that would be able to use all Apple products for the future when I am hoping to get an iPad.

The Acoustic Research brand was one that I liked for the versatility and plug and play ease of use. It was so easy to set up. I plugged it in set my iPhone on the docking pad and it prompted me to download the free app. Easy Peasy! Within in minutes we were dancing to the beats!

The little remote is great! We can turn up or down the volume from the dining room and living room.

App-Enhanced Docking Station for iPad

App-enhancement is the perfect fusion of hardware and software: get EQ settings optimized for each music genre, listen to local FM stations, play and control your music library, and more. And the dock's rotating arm lets you switch your iPad from portrait to landscape with the touch of a button.

• Motorized 90-degree rotation: switch from portrait to landscape at the touch of a button

• App-Enhanced: the next level of docking

• Remote control included

• High performance sound (10W)

• Connect and view iPod video content on your TV via the dock's component video outputs
• Charges your iPod, iPhone or iPad
• 6 adapters included for iPod, iPhone and iPad
• App available on Apple App Store
• App features: volume control, customizable EQ, brightness settings, FM radio
• App alarm features: snooze and sleep, wake to radio, alarm or iPod
• 1-year limited warranty

This will be great for iPad movie watching

* I was not paid for this post. I was sent the product pictured for my review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Pizza Love! Little Caesars Review and Gift Card Giveaway

Who does not love Pizza right!??! And what would a Pizza Lover want for Valentine's Day? Well Pizza of course! When we are in a hurry or we decide on pizza last minute we like to grab a $5 pizza from Little Caesars. They are affordable, no cooking and tasty! My husband and I love to have pizza on holidays like Valentines now that we have our son. We have a family Valentine's Day celebration with movies, pizza and sweet treats. Its a super fun tradition. We have been having such beautiful weather in California right now we might grab our $5 HOT-N-READY Little Caesars Pizzas and take them to the park for a Pizza picnic. 

 Little Caesars $5 HOT-N-READY pepperoni pizza and their large HOT-N-READY 3 Meat Treat with pepperoni, sausage and bacon for just $8. 

This commercial made me laugh! This is what it would be like if I brought Little Caesars large, $5 HOT-N-READY pepperoni pizza or the HOT-N-READY 3 Meat Treat with pepperoni, sausage and bacon for just $8 to my work. 

GIVEAWAY

For the Love of Pizza and to celebrate Valentine's Day we are hosting a giveaway for 2 $10 Little Caesars Pizza Gift Cards. One for you and one to give to your Valentine. (total value $20)

Enter to win in the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Feb 12 2013 and ends on Feb 21 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 gift card to review pizza for this post.

Pinterest Taco Bake

Do you find yourself cruising Pinterest eyeballing all of the delicious food and see something that makes you say, "Hey I have all of the ingredients right now to make that!" Well that was me the other night when I saw the Country Cook: Taco Bake. The picture drew me in and the simple instructions were great. We love tacos around here but sometimes they can get boring, I like to try to spice things up, but not too much, I do have to feed my little ones. I made them along with some simple Spanish rice and a side salad for a little crunch! I have to say this was a simple and tasty recipe that I will use again.

Coupons to start your week!

 

DVDs

• $2.00 off Shakespeare in Love/ The English Patient
• $3.00 off My Week With Marilyn DVD or Blu-ray

Toys

• $5.00 off Fisher-Price Poppity-Pop™ Musical Dino
• $5.00 off Laugh & Learn™ Love to Play Puppy
• $10.00 off Laugh & Learn™ Stride-to-Ride Puppy
• $3.00 off any Fisher-Price Giggle Gang
• $10.00 off Fun With Friends™ Musical Table

HORMEL™ & More

• $1.00 off HORMEL™ COUNTRY CROCK Side dish
• $1.00 off 1 HORMEL Refrigerated Entree
• $1.00 off HORMEL ALWAYS TENDER meat
• $1.00 off 2 HORMEL Pepperoni packages
• $1.00 off HORMEL SANDWICH MAKERS™ product
• $1.00 off HORMEL COMPLEATS meal
• $1.00 off LLOYD'S Barbeque product

Personal Care & Health

• $1.00 off any 1 LISTERINE Mouthwash 1L or larger
• $1.50 off (1) AZO Urinary Pain Relief Value Size
• $1.00 off any (2) TWO Dial for Men Body Wash
• $4.00 off any Centrum ProNutrients
• $1.75 off any (2) Nature Made product
• $2.25 off any Nature Made Vitamelts
• $3.00 off 1 Nature Made MINI product
• $2.00 off any ONE Nature Made Fish Oil Product
• $1.00 off All You Health & Wellness Issue

Plums & Prunes

• $1.00 off One Sunsweet Oness Prunes Can 7 oz
• $1.00 off One Pouch of Sunsweet Prunes 9 oz
• $1.00 off One Pouch of Sunsweet D'Noir Prunes 9oz
• $1.00 off ONE PLUMSMART OR PLUMSMART Light

Juice

• $1.00 off any 2 Healthy Balance™ juice drinks
• $1.00 off any 2 Cranberry Naturals™ juice drinks
• $1.00 off 4 Old Orchard frozen juice concentrates
• $1.00 off Two 64oz Old Orchard 100% Juice Blends

Misc

• $1.00 off Diamond Nuts 8oz or greater
• $1.00 off any ONE (1) Wrigley's Gum Car Cup
• $1.00 off ONE package of OREO Grab & Go Cookies
• $1.00 off 9Lives wet cat food listed
• $1.50 off 3 12 oz. SPAM products
• $1.00 off any Windex Touch-Up Cleaner
• 25% OFF Sherwin-Williams Paints and Stains
• $3.00 off Oogieloves in The BIG Balloon Adventure
• $8.00 off two 5 Qt. jugs Valvoline Motor Oil 

Red Shoes! YES! Hotter Shoes Review and Giveaway

As everyone knows by now I have a love affair with shoes! Its my one thing that I do not bat an eye to spend money on and indulge in. Its a functional habit after all since we all need shoes for our feet!

I have a shoe must have list and a pair of comfy red shoes is on it. Sure I can buy some cheap heels and have red shoes but part of looking good is feeling good too. If you have on shoes that are not comfortable you can see it on a woman's face and how she walks. A woman that is rocking a pair of red shoes that are comfy is just awesome!

Being on my feet all day at work and chasing a toddler around on my days off I knew I needed some flat red shoes that I could feel cute in and run, jump and play in. I found a great UK company, Hotter that offers cute and comfy shoes for every occasion. I love being able to have online shopping connect me with companies I might not have found if not for the net. Hotter has many styles for heels, wedges, sandals, boot, flats and even a Men's line. Plus they even carry cute shoes in wide widths!

Since Red Shoes are on my shoe must list I selected the Lulu shoe in Chili Red. I LOVE the fit of this shoe. It runs true to size and is so comfy it feels like your not wearing any shoes at all! The red is a nice pop of color to any outfit. The design I liked for being comfy with the top strap and the side having a design cut out for air venting. I can wear these even without socks into the summer on days I do not feel like wearing a sandal. They are cute, feminine and sooo comfortable  I love that they were comfortable from day 1, no wearing them in or anything. The toe box is spacious allowing for perfect comfort. I wore these to work and my co-workers loved them. I am on my feet all day so comfort is a must.

A few other styles I liked are:

Chantel Shoe

Amethyst Shoe (shock absorbing heel)

Valetta 

GIVEAWAY
Since we LOVE shoes we are hosting a Giveaway for one winner to win their choice of shoe from Hotter shoes. So many stylish shoes to select from just one will be hard to pick! :)

Enter in the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Feb 9 2013 and ends on Feb 17, 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.

For the Love Of #Cbias #LuvSoFab

There are many loves in my life. My son, my husband, my family and friends. But one I never thought I could say is my place of work. I can't really even call it work I love it so much! The community of bloggers I belong to at Collective Bias / Social Fabric is like none other I would even think could exists  The women and men there are the kindest, most helpful and happy people you will ever meet. Being a part of Collective Bias has changed my life in ways I did not think were possible.

The two woman that invited me into Collective Bias I hold near and dear to me as friends that were a part of that change. The woman I have met since being there have changed my life for the better as well. I consider them all friends that I would help any time they need it. Some have helped me in my life outside of the blog world that has moved me to tears since without her help I have no clue where I would be ( THANKS Christy your sparkles of joy changed my existence!) The woman I have taken into Collective Bias with me are just as special too. I have had the honor of being able to bring my Mom with me into Collective Bias. She rocks her campaigns and I am so proud of her. Collective Bias has made us closer as Mom and daughter. We are able to talk about blog work, share laughs about things and grow as writers  and photographers together. I have also just seen a great friend enter Collective Bias and how it has changed her life for the better. Collective Bias is not a place of co-workers and friends but we are one big happy family!!

I have been able to experience things in my life that are amazing since being a part of the community.

My son and I met the Chef and TV star Jeff Mauro this summer at the Seattle's Best Coffee Competition.

We met local teachers and community program directors for donations to local charities  We have always donated but it was to a drop box. To be able to go into my own town and in person see the change my donation makes is amazing. Through Collective Bias I have learned yes indeed one person can make a positive difference in the world!

Donating Books for the Nickelodeon Book Drive to Roseville Home Start Program

Donating School Supplies to a local Elementary teacher for the Elmer's  Bag It Forward

Collective Bias has helped me see I have so much potential as a person and that there is extraordinary in the simplest everyday things. How awesome is that!!!

Collective Bias I say to you Happy Valentine's Day your are one of my LOVES!! xoxoxo 

DIY Personalized Valentine Chalkboards

This year I am on the hunt for fun and different ways to give gifts to my little ones. Along with the candy and treats, I wanted to give them something personal and useful. With both of the boys drawing and learning letters I thought these personalized Valentine chalkboards would be a great idea! Here are the step by step instructions:

Here are my supplies to get started: Clip boards bought at the dollar store, chalk board paint (I already has this from another project), tape, and a sponge brush.

I taped off the top to give the board a nice smooth edge.

I gave the board three coats each, and made sure to let them dry in between each one.

When they were dry I removed the tape to get them ready for the next step. Then to give them a "Valentine flare" I cut a sponge into a heart, grabbed red and purple paint and stamped each board with the same amount of hearts in each boys name.

The hearts at the top also helped to hide the tiny blemishes from where I pulled the tape :)

After they dried I took a white paint marker and wrote the letters of their names inside the hearts. To finish the look I put some chalk and a little eraser (sponge) inside a little bag covered with hearts,then tied it with red ribbon. I love how they came out and can't wait to give these to my boys on Valentines Day!

Tsukihoshi Kids Shoes Review and Giveaway

Finding the right shoes for kids can be rough. Things are too tight, too loose, too big, too small, it feels weird or they just agree with what you say then when you get home it turns out the shoes don't fit at all. But that's normal when it comes to kids and shoes. For them its harder to know if a shoe fits right so us as parents have to start out by giving them good choices when it comes to the brands we have them select from.

Plus they need to look cool not only to me but to my kid. My son at 3 is staring to get an opinion on what he wants in the way of shoe and clothing color, I think its so cute! I have done a lot of research on kids shoes for fit, durability, light weight and colors available. One shoe company that is at the top of my list is Tsukihoshi.

Tsukihoshi is a Japanese brand that has been around 1873. These shoes have proper arch support, flex at the toes of the foot allowing for running and jumping in comfort, barefoot like comfort (great for little developing feet)
light weight, easy on and off, and two great features that I LOVE an anti bacterial removable insoles and the best of all they are MACHINE WASHABLE!!! How awesome is that!!

I really do love these shoes and so does my son. He picked out the orange ones, he loves orange. Even my husband who is picky about style loves them. I was impressed by that! They are so easy to put on my son can do it himself. It has a Velcro top and fake laces. So they look cool and not like a typical no lace shoe.

My son was running so fast all over the mall yelling "Super Cool" and showing people his shoes I had to put him back into his stroller! He has a several other pairs of shoes but since he got these he insists on wearing his orange shoes. I love how great they fit his feet! They are a true to size fit and sizes range from Baby to Toddler to Youth.

I even saw that many celebrities kids are wearing Tsukihoshi too. Tori Spelling, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sandra Bullock, Adam Sandler, Julie Roberts, Jack Black, John Stewart and so many more celeb parents buy these shoes for their kids.  They come in several styles for boys and girls including a mary jane one that is so cute.

You can find Tsukihoshi (when you say it the T is silent) at Nordstrom, online and other high end kids shoes retailers. A great investment in the foot health of your little ones!

Here are some other fun styles I like:

For the Girls:

You can learn more about Tsukihoshi on their facebook and twitter pages.

GIVEAWAY
For our Valentine's Day event we are hosting a giveaway for one pair of shoes from Tsukihoshi for the little Valentine in your life. Winner's Choice of style.

Enter in the Rafflecopter form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway




 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Feb 6,  2013 and ends on Feb 15, 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.

A Preschool Activity

 

Getting anything done around the house is nearly impossible with my 2 1/2 year old always on my coat tails. I am always trying to think of ways to keep him busy even for just a little while so I can get a few things done without my little shadow. 

The other day while cleaning out some craft supplies I found two bags of brightly colored rice and some equally as bright buttons of all sizes. I thought it would be great to have him sift and sort is way through the buttons and rice. I mixed the bags of rice together added the buttons and set him free. He sorted them by color, shape and size and even taste tested it a bit :)  The buttons were a bit tricky to find in the colored rice so it kept him busy for a while. Not only did it give me a moment to myself but I loved that he was learning through play, my favorite way to teach!!  

I am always looking for ways to keep the kiddos entertained around here. Do you have any tips or tricks to keep your little ones occupied? I would love to hear them.