Mikarose Clothing Review and $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway - Spring Event

As a full time working Mom I need so many clothing options. I did not realize how little I had in the way of nice outfits that fit well. I was in Mommy mode of comfy pants and a tshirt for so long I forgot how great it feels to dress nice. I even try to add a little touch of nice to my day off outfits too. Finding clothing that I can wear at my job and be comfy enough to move around is my goal.

I have had items from Mikarose in the past and knew they would have some pretty and modest items I could wear to work. I like to wear skirts that are long enough that I am comfortable that aren't too short. I love the trend of the lace look that so many styles have.  The Printed Pencil Skirt  is comfy, stylish and since its a printed look I do not have to worry about delicate lace but still enjoy the look. The Double Cascade Top is a pretty color. I love the ruffles going down the middle. It gives the top a feminine soft look to it. The way the top came to a point with the fabric in the chest area was a bit uncomfortable for me but it may be that the top was too tight for me.

Mikarose has many other nice outfits as well. I like the Makenna Maxi Dress and the Ariana Dress.

For our Mother's Day Spring Fling Fashion and Fun Event we will be hosting a giveaway for a $50 Gift Certificate to Mikarose.


a Rafflecopter giveaway  


*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts April 10 2013 and ends on May 3 , 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.

Mother's Day Spring Fling Fashion and Fun Gift Guide Event Starts Today!

Today starts our Mother's Day Spring Fling Fashion and Fun Gift Guide Event on Frugal Family Tree and Popcorn and Pearls. We are excited to also be introducing a new site Lovely Little You that our very own writer Samantha has started. Its new and she has many great ideas for the site.

This year for Mother's Day celebrations we are spicing things up with a "Spring Fling Fashion and Fun" Gift Guide Event! We are seeking great gift ideas for not only ourselves for Mother's Day but our families, after all we wouldn't be celebrating Motherhood with out them! We are hosting the Spring Fling Gift Guide Event on our websites April 10th- May 10th and we will be hosting giveaways for you to win some great prizes as well as sharing some great gift ideas.

We are all happy to be Moms and family. We all support each other and keep one another grounded through the wild ride of Motherhood. We love that you our readers have embraced our family and join us sharing our stories as Moms and women. We love your comments and to hear your own journey through life.

What do you have planned for your family to celebrate the Spring and Mother's Day?

Pineapple Banana Grapefruit Smoothie Recipe

I a smoothie lover! Before my son was born I would buy Jambas all the time. Now that I am a little more budget aware I have been making them at home. I love fruit and making new flavors for smoothies is always fun. I have started to use frozen bananas in my smoothies and this has made a huge difference in the thickness and texture. SO close to a Jamba I love it! Plus I have a new blender that I won online that has been making it easier to blend ice and frozen fruit. Grapefruits are so good for you but for me are a little tart. Serving them in a smoothie helps you get the health benefit from them. My recipe is Dairy Free :)

Pineapple Banana Grapefruit Smoothie

3 Frozen Bananas (take off peels and place in a baggie in the freezer for a few hours)
1 Grapefruit
2 cups Pineapple juice
1 cup ice cubes

Blend until Smooth and Enjoy!

Family Fun: College Basketball Championship Games #KettleMadness

We have become huge sports fans in the last few years since we have had our son. We did not realize the fun we were missing out on! Each season there is a new sport to follow and my son loves them all.  We watch the professional level and college sports. It is exciting to watch college level since you can root for the schools you love and see up and coming players.

Since basketball season started this year we have been watching games on tv and watching Basketball themed movies with our son in preparation of the Spring College Basketball Tournament. We have been watching Air Bud over and over! I love to see how excited he gets when a team makes a basket and cheers when the game is over.  This year we have decided to throw a family party to watch my son's favorite team play in the yearly College Basketball Championship games.

My son has picked his favorite team to be the Louisville Cardinals since they look like the Angry Birds. When he told me he likes the Red Angry Bird team it made me giggle, I told him its a Cardinal but of course he insisted it was Angry Birds. We decided that Louisville would be our team this year and we followed along as they have been playing the Championship Basketball Tournament. So far they have been doing great!

For any good party its all about the food. We wanted easy to eat food so we could watch the game while we ate. My first thought was chips and dip, who doesn't love to dunk a chip while watching basketball. Kettle Chips are perfect for a game snack, they have so many flavors and aren't messy like some brittle chips. Plus not only do they taste great the Kettle Brand chips are made with natural ingredients for flavor and color. We headed to Walmart to get Kettle Chips, drinks, dips, hamburger items and party supplies.

My son loves burgers. He would eat them daily if I let him. For our College Basketball party I decided to make a special hamburger for us all to enjoy. I crushed up the Jalapeno Kettle Chips into tiny pieces to add into the hamburger while it cooked. When the burgers were done cooking I topped them with more Jalapeno chips and cheese. They turned out delicious! Everyone loved them and my son ate two whole hamburgers and asked for more. (He went into the fridge while we were watching the game and took a burger that was intended for my mother in law!)

We wanted my son to be able to practice shooting baskets anytime he wanted so we purchased a basketball set that has two hoops and a scoreboard. Before getting him the hoop he would have me hold my arms like a basket and many of times I was hit in the face with the ball as the backboard. My son loved being able to play basketball as we watched the College Basketball Championship Games. When his team Cardinals "Angry Birds" would score a big play he would cheer then run over to his hoop and shoot a basket. He has become really good at his ability to score a basket throwing it the correct way.

We set up the chips like a tasting bar with the flavors in separate containers to enjoy all the flavors. We all tried different ones and each had a favorite. My son loves the Backyard BBQ one, I love the Salt & Vinegar, my husband and his friend the Jalapeno and my mother in law the Krinkle Cut. I like the crispy crunch of Kettle Brand chips and when you open a bag of Kettle Brand Potato Chips, you know you’re getting real chips made with real ingredients by real people.

In the fourth quarter I brought out the Red & Yellow Sugar Cookies I made during the game to celebrate that our team was winning. We all had a wonderful time cheering for our team and watching them win. They will be moving onto the next round of the College Basketball Tournament and we will be watching the game on April 6th to see them win again!

Next time you have a College Basketball party be sure to include Kettle Brand Chips for great flavor and natural ingredients. I have a coupon for you to use as well for Kettle Brand chips. Its located on my side bar on the blog for you to save $1 on one bag. Happy College Basketball Tournament season to you and GO Cardinals "Angry Birds"!

To connect more with Kettle Brand chips on Facebook and Twitter. You can read my Google+ story  to see our fun shopping trip to Walmart for our College Basketball party to get ideas for your own 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 Kettle Chips #cbias #SocialFabric

Wordless Wednesday

The day before Easter we were lucky enough to see a real live bunny!! 

He lives at a local store and his name is Bun Bun.

We love Bun Bun!