Wordless Wednesday - Wicked at the Paramount in Seattle

The show was amazing!!!! I am still riding the "live theater" high...

~ Sam

Holiday Traveling Tips #kiaholidays

As the holidays approach and you start planning your holiday road trip to visit family and friends or a long awaited family vacation, there are so many planning details to keep in mind. When my family took a vacation this summer there was so much planning and so many details involved because we were taking a road trip. I knew it was going to be tough all those hours in the car with three small children, but I also knew that with plenty of snacks and entertainment we would eventually make it to our destination! Here are a few things I did and learned along the way and would like to share with you:

                            

1. Pack snacks, snacks and more snacks. I don't know about your kids but mine eat 24/7 and being stuck in the car is no different then being at home. In fact I was feeding them more food and snacks to keep them busy and happy on our long drive. I am kind of a freak about letting them eat in the car, the choking hazard and unease about not being able to get to them quick enough if they were choking if they did gives me anxiety. But I was able to find snacks and foods that eased my anxiety and the boys enjoyed the fun snacks.

2. Electronic gadgets and crayons are equally important! When on our road trip the boys enjoyed plenty of movies on their DVD players, if they are stuck in one place for hours why not let them watch a movie? Crayons, markers, coloring books and stickers are just as handy. To change things up they would color on paper as well as themselves, my 2 year old went to town on his body with the markers but at least he was entertained!

3. Stop at as many rest stops or parks as your time allows. The boys would start to get a little cranky and crazy after a couple of hours, when that would happen we pulled over and let them get out to stretch their legs. Getting their wiggles out and running around on the grassy area really helped out.

4. A comfortable vehicle is a must. Having a technology savvy car is a nice luxury to have and can really help out. It would have been nice to have a GPS, we would have used it more times then I can count! #kiaholidays

                                                                                                              

Will you be taking a holiday road trip this season? What are your must have road trip snacks?

* This post was written in partnership with our friends at Kia.

Neat-Oh! Dinosaur ZipBin Toy Review

Last year for my son's birthday he got his first Neat-Oh ZipBin toy. I was so impressed with how fun and functional the line of toys are. They are fun and colorful and then zip up into a useful bin to hold toys. My son love all his ZipBins and the newest one he has from the Dinosaur Collection is his favorite. He loves dinos, he calls them dragons or my guys lol. He is so funny and makes them growl and bite each other. I love that when we are done playing we zip up the side and the toys are contained in there until next time we play.

ZipBins encourage my son's imagination. He makes his dinos play in the river, eat the leaves on the trees since he tells me they are hungry and he even makes them climb into the lid of the toy box to growl at the pictures. Its so fun to watch him get lost into playing dinosaurs and not watching tv.

Information about the ZipBin Dinosaur:

Bring your Dino collection everywhere with the ZipBin® Dinosaur Collector Toy Box & Playset. The best-seller fits in any corner or closet and inside, it's packed with prehistoric play power. Weighing two pounds with sturdy sides and lid, it unzips to become a dinosaur Playmat, with two toy dinosaurs that spark imaginative play. Store, stack and stow when it’s time to hide from your own prehistoric predators! Wipe clean surface with damp cloth. Have fun and decorate your room with all Neat-Oh!® ZipBin® Dinosaur products.  Have fun and decorate your room with all of our Neat-Oh!® ZipBin® Dinosaur products. Ages 3+. We ARE kid’s storage. Keep It Together™

• Colorful, Durable, wipe-clean surface
• Sturdy, Heavy Duty Zipper
• Meets Child Safety Standards
• Patented
• Dimensions
Bin: 13.5 x 12 x 8 inches
Mat: 29 x 26 inches 

 

If you are looking for a great idea for a gift for a birthday or the upcoming holidays ZipBins are great for kids of all ages. ZipBin even makes cute lunch boxes that unzip into a placemat. I have one of these on my sons Holiday wish list. They are super cute and there is a really cute cow one.

You can learn more about Neat-Oh ZipBin products by following them on Twitter and Facebook.


*I was not paid for this post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. I received a ZipBin to review for this post.

 

Football Homegating with Infinity MascotWear

 My family loves to get into the spirit of watching sports. We like the fan apparel, the food and goodies that are a part of homegating. With a toddler tailgating and going to a game in person is not for us. I am sure my kid would be "that" kid that ran out into the field or would bonk you over the head with his foam finger! Hanging out at home while we watch a game and have food is perfect for us.

 My son has outgrown all his last year San Francisco 49ers fan apparel and we needed new outfits for the homegating we were planning. We headed to Walmart since we can get snacks and goodies at a low price and be able to look for clothing. I saw online a super cute fleece outfit by Infinity MascotWear I wanted for my son. It would keep him warm and cozy while we watched the game and when we throw the football around outside. The MascotWear outfit has a removable hood so he can wear it during the game and if he falls asleep after all the football fun he can sleep in the fleece outfit.

I did not find the Fleece outfit but I did find another MascotWear item. I found super cute San Francisco 49ers Loofahs. My son is a messy boy while he eats and plays. After a homegating party he needs a bath after we enjoy goodies and throwing the football around outside. The MascotWear loofahs will be a fun way to scrub up after a game.

 For homegating you need to have the sweet and salty snacks while showing your team spirit too. We made sugar cookies with our team colors of red and gold. We tinted the frosting red and topped the cookie with gold sprinkles to look like gold flecks. The cookies were a big hit and eaten very quickly. I will have to make more of them next party we have.

Red and Gold like our team the San Francisco 49ers!

Living in Northern California we are huge fans of the San Francisco teams. We love the bay area for all its beauty and their seafood! My son has loved football since he was a little baby. We would all sit and watch the games together and he would smile and be happy. Now that he is a toddler he loves football even more. He throws the ball around and likes to dive for a ball to make his catches more dramatic. His favorite part is of course a touchdown! He throws up his arms and yells "Yessss!"

After a fun afternoon of football watching, snack eating and throwing the ball around outside my son was in need of a bath. He did not want to stop playing until I showed him his new Infinity MascotWear San Francisco 49ers bear loofah. He loves the little loofah and was squeaky clean after he took a bath with him. I will be looking at my local Walmart again soon for the toddler fleece outfit of the San Francisco 49ers for my sons upcoming birthday. I know he would love to wear the cute outfit for the game and scrub up with his matching loofah.

What is your family favorite football team? What kind of snacks do you serve when you are homegating?

To find out more about MascotWear and the fun products they make you can follow them on Twitter and Facebook. You can read my Google+ story of my shopping trip to Walmart to find supplies for my homegating party to get ideas for your next party.

*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 Infinity Headwear and Apparel #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Election Day 2012!

 

I VOTED did you?