Allergies, not love, is in the air.

I don't know about where you live, but in Florida allergies is all everyone can talk about.


It's in the air and it's driving everyone crazy.


Especially me.


Not only do I suffer from allergies (damn you, pollen!), my other half does and my youngest (Turtle) has the worst runny nose I've ever seen.


At least Roo has been saved the irritations that come along with allergies (except for allergy to penicillin).


And just in time for allergy season (which sometimes lasts year round in warm Florida), I've been selected to be a part of the Children's Claritin Mom Crew!

This means that I'll get to spread the news to you about the products from Claritin just for kids. Like did you know that "only Children's Claritin provides 24-hour non-drowsy allergy relief. Plus, it is the #1 Pediatrician Recommended Non-Drowsy Allergy Brand"

I'll be keeping you up to date on the allergy information, but you can also check out the Claritin Facebook page for even more facts and fun stuff.

Stay tuned!



"As a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit.  No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience."

Wordless Wednesday: I swoon for this face

Busy as can bee...

This past week has been insane... I'm sure you've noticed my lack of blogging and I have a good excuse. I promise I do.

It was Spring Break.

And I was bound and determined to make it amazing for my girls.

So I did.

With the help of Ford.

We were lucky enough to be able to test out a 2013 Ford Edge Limited (with Eco Boost!) so we put it to good use. We hit the park, the community pool, Busch Gardens (review to come), the beach, Sea World, the Wildlife Preserve and the kiddie pool in our front yard.

As you can see, we were all over the state.

And the drive was amazing (a complete review with photos is coming up later this week) and the EcoBoost helped save us money in gas.

Here's peek of the car:

More to come this week, I promise!

Greetings from the Fairy Hobmother!

I'm sure you've heard the whispers, maybe you've even seen the magic and I'm here to tell you, it's not rumors. The Fairy Hobmother exists!

The Fairy Hobmother flitters around on the internet and visits bloggers and their websites and grants them with a surprise.

She visited me this morning and asked if I would share the news of Appliances Online, a website that specializes in delivering appliances direct to your door in the United Kingdom.

 She also whispered in my ear that she may grant some fairy dust on one of my readers, all they need to do is leave a comment on this post.

Worth a shot, huh?

Worked for me!

Check out Appliances Online, leave me a comment and maybe you'll get lucky.




I received compensation for this post. All opinions in this post are 100% my own. Please see my full disclosure policy for more information. 

MyBlogSpark: Crayola Outdoor Colored Bubbles

I have to be honest with you, I was really hesitant to try out the Crayola Outdoor Colored Bubbles. It was all because of the past reviews I had read about the formula. But, when I read that they had reformulated the bubbles to make sure it didn't stain I agreed to test them out.


Again, I'll be honest with you: I was super nervous to play with them.


Moms despise stains in the laundry and the mess that they make of our lives... well, at least I do.


When it was time to test out the new Crayola Outdoor Colored Bubbles, I dressed my kids in "play" clothes and we set off outside to have some fun.


The girls loved the colored bubbles and the hand crank bubble machine (kid powered, genius!) gave them lots of enjoyment. 


Again, I won't lie I freaked out when I saw the bubbles pop on their skin, but I relax when I was able to just wipe the color off their skin no problem. 


Roo, of course, managed to get the yellow bubbles all over her play shirt and I have to report to you, that it did not wash out. So remember to wear play clothes that you don't care about when you play with these bubbles.


Here are the guidelines straight from Crayola when playing with the Outdoor Colored Bubbles:


"

• Dress for Mess. Wear washable play clothes and shoes. It’s best to not wear suede, leather or any other material that can’t be washed.
• Play Outside. An open grassy area is best away from new concrete, decks and porous surfaces like marble. Don’t use at formal events like weddings.
• Rub skin to remove color.
• Launder clothes promptly with water and detergent. Repeat washing may be needed.
• Hose off outdoor surfaces like sidewalks and driveways to wash away color. "

Overall, the girls loved Crayola Outdoor Colored Bubbles. It is the perfect summertime activity for us. 


And once I calmed down, I enjoyed them too.


We spent a good hour blowing bubbles everywhere (even all over our white daisies in the garden). 


Wanna try out the new formula? 

I've got a Crayola Outdoor Colored Bubbles Prize Pack to giveaway.

Your prize pack will include:

• One Crayola Outdoor Colored Bubbles 3-pack
• One Bubble Launcher

All you need to do to enter to win is tell me what your favorite summertime activity is.

This giveaway is open to US residents and will remain open until March 31, 2012.











Disclosure:  The Crayola Outdoor Colored Bubbles product information and gift packs have been provided by Crayola through MyBlogSpark.

Perfection

You know that moment when the seasons shift and you just know that summer is approaching?

It's here in Florida.

The temperatures are rising, the sky is blue as can be and I want nothing more than to be at the beach every day of the week.

I love this time of year here.

It's also that blissful time of year when you can spend hours upon hours outside doing various fun things (splashing in the kiddie pool, chasing chickens and goats or just building sand castles in the riding ring) and you don't break a sweat but you get a gorgeous tan.

The 95+ degree heat will quickly approach but we don't think about that right now. For now, we just soak in the perfection and take as many pictures as possible,

Next week is Spring Break for my daughter so we have tons planned. Theme parks, beaches, parks and more are on our list of things to do and I for one cannot be happier about the breakneck pace that we've set for ourselves.

*sigh*

I really don't think it's gets any better than this.

Sweet Roo

Tonight Roo had a little bit of trouble falling asleep and she wanted me to hold her hand while she snoozed. Each time I tried to loosen her sweaty little grasp, she clutched on to me tighter.

And as I sat there, I studied her sweet profile and so many feelings came rushing back to me.

I remembered how I would spend hours holding her in my arms so she would get twenty minutes of sleep.

I remember how when my husband placed her in my arms for the first time, I gasped unable to believe she was finally here.

I remembered how much I loved (and still love oh-so much) the swoop of her tiny nose.

And then I cried because on thursday, my big girl turns five.

My baby is turning five.

I know there are times when I lose my cool with her, especially as she begins to test my patience and try out her newly minted attitude on me. And there are times when she looks at me and rolls her eyes and calls me crazy.

But I wouldn't trade one moment for anything in the world.

I am so lucky and so blessed to have her (and Turtle) in my life.

And as she drifted off to sleep, I slipped my hand from hers... and I felt... like I wanted to crawl into bed with her, hold her tight and beg her not to grow older.

But I didn't because I know that would never happen... that she's going to do nothing but grow older and more sassier, more beautiful, more wonderful.

And I am so glad she will because she's my girl... my big girl.

And also because I think it's going to be amazing to watch how she grows and develops into an amazing person with the cutest nose ever.

Review: Pound Puppies: Homeward Pound

When I was a kid I adored Pound Puppies. I had tons of them and I would snuggle each and everyone of them and keep them at the foot of my bed when I slept.

When I found a Pound Puppies at the store the other day, I literally screamed in the middle of the aisle. I'm sure that people around me thought I was simply crazy.

I screamed even louder (okay, maybe not louder, but you get the point) when I found out that Pound Puppies: Homeward Pound was coming out on DVD.

Pound Puppies: Homeward Pound is about Lucky, Cookie, Squirt and the rest of the Pound Puppies gang as they search for homes for their doggie friends. The DVD is packed with five cute episodes and an extra bonus feature geared just for the preschool audience.

Roo has this major thing for puppies right now, so when she sat down to watch this (surrounded by every single stuffed dog she owned) she was tickled pink. It was cute and funny and she adored it.

I am so glad I could share one of my loves from my own childhood with my baby. It was a great way to bond and create a new memory for both of us.

Pound Puppies: Homeward Pound is on store shelves now.



I received a copy of this DVD for review purposes. All opinions in this post are 100% my own. Please see my full disclosure policy for more information.

Review: Disney's John Carter

Okay, I’ll admit to you that I’m not really a big fan of sci-fi-y movies.

But I will also admit to you that I am a big fan of Taylor Kitsch.

Also, another secret is that the only John Carter I could think of one Noah Wiley’s character on ER.

But I saw the previews for the Disney movie John Carter and thought; I’d like to give this sci-fi stuff a chance, especially when I saw that Taylor Kitsch (John Carter himself) doesn’t wear a shirt for 95% of the movie.

John Carter is about a former Sergeant in the US Army from Virginia who has lost everything, including his wife and daughter, and sets out to find his pot of gold… literally (this movie is based on the novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs).

When he finally finds his cave of gold, someone is there before him and with his power sends John Carter to Mars.

His exploration of Mars, including learning to walk on the planet (or jumping), his interactions with the species on the planet and the battles he encounters all test his skill and his heart.

There’s plenty of fighting scenes, unique aliens and my favorite, a love story at the heart of it all.

The special effects of the movie are quite impressive, although they could’ve done something about John Carter and his pale skin… He would’ve looked much better if they had spray tanned him, but I imagine in the late 1800s they didn’t have that capability.

Overall, the movie was really good.  The story was told in a great way and reeled you in from the very beginning and kept you interested the whole time.

I personally feel that they left a lot of room open to have a sequel and hopefully they do because I am now a fan of sc-fi-y movies.

John Carter is in theaters TODAY!

I attended a premiere of this movie for this review. All opinions in this post are 100% my own. Please see my full disclosure policy for more information. 

Wordless Wednesday: 90 Degree Weather in March

Embelle Bibs

One of the greatest joys in having a baby… is getting to dress your baby up. Yes, I know all about the great joys about bringing a baby into the world and all the blessings that come along with it… but you have to admit, especially if you are like me and have girls, that buying pretty, frilly dresses with matching frilly socks is a lot of fun.

When my girls were at the age when food could be introduced, we added adorable bibs to our ever-growing closet of clothes.

I adored bibs because they could either match an outfit or they could provide a contrast to whatever they had on.

Sounds silly, I know… but I also loved the purpose of bibs: keeping food off the adorable frilly clothing!

 Target recently has started carrying Embelle Bibs. 

Embelle Bibs are super cute and trendy and they wipe clean very easily.

You can check out the line of Embelle Bibs (as well as other adorable products they carry) on their website and you can keep up to date on all the new stuff by liking their Facebook page.

There is also a great coupon that you can download and print out to save money on your purchase of Embelle Bibs at Target. 

Seriously, go check it out! 

I received compensation for this post. All opinions in this post are 100% my own. Please see my full disclosure policy for more information. 

Ow, my head!

Occasionally, a train will run my head over... and occasionally, my head gets tangled in all that undercarriage crap and the train takes me for one hell of a ride.

Otherwise known as a migraine.

I had a slight headache earlier in the day, but didn't take any aspirin. When I was walking through the grocery store a few hours later and part of my face started tingling, I should've known.

With really bad migraines, things go numb for me.

When my fingers on my left side started going numb and cold, I chalked it up to the tattoo I had just gotten.

But when I got home and got settled and things started getting worse, it hit me like a train.

And I was down for the count.

Nothing helped.

Not ice, not heat, not Excedrin.

Sleep was fitful and now I'm wide awake at 3 in the morning (while everyone else is snoozing away peacefully).

And my head STILL hurts.

Migraines rolls around for me every once in a while, thankfully they are not a common occurrence because they suck big time.

And since I'm a whiney type of person, you get to hear all about it.

I wish there was a fix-all for migraines, but there's not... at least for me. Is there a fix all for you?

Colace Comfort Sweepstakes & Kindle Fire Giveaway

Every now and again, sensitive subjects come up on my blog.

And while this is one I never thought I'd touch on, just simply because it's something a lady never talks about... you know, bathroom issues.

I never ever say to my friends, "So, did you know that having a baby makes you constipated?"

Yes, I said the c-word.

I received a press release about the c-word and in it they gave me some facts: "According to a survey of 1,000 new moms conducted by Russell Research and commissioned by Purdue Products, L.P. line of laxatives, 62% of moms with newborns under six months old didn’t anticipate experiencing occasional constipation after childbirth."

Colace Capsules are working hard to bring new mamas relief and also, they want to bring you some fun. Tomorrow, March 4th, they are launching a new nationwide program called the Colace Comfort Sweepstakes. Tomorrow, March 4th, thru June 2, 2012 you can enter to win some fantastic prizes (prizes will be awarded each week and bring a total value of $50,000+ to the table). All you need to do to enter is hop on over to www.ColaceComfort.com  and enter to win (additional details about the Colace Comfort Sweepstakes can be found at the bottom of this post).

In addition to entering the Colace Comfort Sweepstakes, I've got a doozie of a giveaway right here on my blog.

Are you ready for this?

And when you read the next line, imagine me squealing because this is a fantastic giveaway and I'm so happy to be giving this prize away that I'm literally jumping up and down as I type this (it's tough being this talented!).

A Kindle Fire.

Yes, you read that right. I am giving away a Kindle Fire with the lovely folks over at Colace Capsules.

Feel free to squeal.

All I need you to do to enter is tell me what other issues new mamas deal with, or one you've dealt with or one you never want to deal with (mine is the c-word... but we won't get into that).Leave your answer on the rafflecopter widget to enter.

Easy peasy!

Hot Cars & Kids Don't Mix

I don't know about your part of the country (or world?), but in Florida it's getting hot.

Today's high is 89! And it's only March 2nd! This means we're in for a hot hot hot summer.

Sadly, the organization of Kids and Cars reports that an average of 37 kids die from being locked in hot cars a year.

In Orlando, with a heat that gets way above 95 in the summer the risk has to be higher. Pop-a-Lock in Orlando provide a totally free 24/7 unlocking service whenever a child is locked in a car. Pop-a-Lock work with local police and fire and they are dispatched a 911 call is placed.

Remember this service is free and you can call them directly after you call 911 if there ever is an emergency.

There local number is 407.423.8200 and you can find more information by visiting their website: www.popalockorlando.com


www.popalockorlando.com