CanCan’s New Scarf, Fitness Pants, and Flip Flops

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What do you think of my V Fraas Women’s Classic Animal Scarf from the Spring/Summer 2012 collection?

There are more than 30 new Fraas brand styles in multiple colorway options this season. I have been wearing mine everywhere!

The V Fraas Women’s Classic Animal Scarf is available in three color palettes and is great for varied looks from casual, daytime, business and even dress up.

The V Fraas Women’s Classic Animal Scarf is 28 x 80 inches,retails for $40 and is easy care, comprised of lightweight acrylic.

Long live accessories!

Check out my sweet moves in my Willow slippers and Marika Miracles Slimming Capri Leggings!

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Hush Puppies Slippers by Grandoe are the natural outgrowth of the collaboration of two companies that have a long history of providing comfortable and casual products to consumers.  Their latest shared effort is the Hush Puppies Spring Break Collection for Spring/Summer 2012.
The FEATHERWEIGHT outsole is delightfully lightweight, yet durable for indoor/outdoor wear.
Two top styles for fashion savvy females are Willow and Ginger, both featuring a soft and super comfy micro-terry foot bed.
Willow, a flip flop silhouette  comes in lavender and red/taupe each with a solid foot bed and plaid straps, while Ginger, a clog design,  is featured in white and black bodies, both with a red plaid trim. They retail at department and specialty stores for $40 and $42 respectively. The women’s products run size 6-10 and the men’s from 9-13.
April through June are an ideal time to pick up a pair for self or gift use. Hush Puppies slippers are a terrific Mother’s Day gift and appeal to all ages. Both useful and stylish, these versatile footwear styles, can be worn year-round.
Get 15% off through May 31, 2012 using promo code: 15HUSH
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Marika Miracles Slimming Capri Legging is part of the Miracles line, which has a focus on flattering fashion.

A slimming ELASTA-TIGHT Dry-Wik fabric and incorporatespatent approved and patent pending designs and technologies, which ultimately provide an enviable shape to awomen’s body before she even hits the gym.

Marika has tanks, bras and pants are all made of its exclusive ELASTA-TIGHT fabric.

The DryWik technology wicks away moisture, making for an enjoyableworkout.

Marika Miracles Slimming Capri Legging retails for $60 but is on sale on the website for $48 right now, available in S,M,L and XL.

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If you choose the wrong party footwear and your six inch stilettos are making you want to cry, be advised that Kushyfoot has new sandals designs in their Flats To Go! line!

 

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The Third National Food Bloggers Bake Sale is coming to kitchens near you on April 28

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This year, Bloggers without Borders is working in partnership with Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake SaleGaby Dalkin on this year’s National Food Blogger Bake Sale! With nearly 1 in 5 kids in America struggling with hunger, it has never been more important to increase access to feeding programs that can help kids connect with the food they need to thrive. For the last two years, this blogging community has shown its support for Share Our Strength, always raising more money than the year before.

Last year we raised $25,000 through 26 bake sales.
This year, we have set a challenge: to raise $50,000!

With just $1 connecting a child to 10 meals, you can help Share Our Strength ensure that the more than 16 million kids facing hunger today never go hungry again.

Get Involved!

Here’s a list of bake sales that are already taking place. If you’re interested in participating in a bake sale, please reach out to the host. If there isn’t a bake sale taking place in your area, maybe you’d like to host one – more details on how to host a bake sale below!

Host a Bake Sale!

The first step in hosting a bake sale is registering at www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org/signup. Registering will get you access to online fundraising tools and they’ll send you a poster and informational booklet. Additional tools and resources can be found in The Bake Sale Resources Center. They’ve got top 10 tips for your bake sale, flyers, stickers, pricing tips and much more!

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Throughout 2012, 1% of Jay at Play’s Little Miss Muffin Pop N Flip™ dolls sold will be donated to Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale (up to $75,000), a national effort to end childhood hunger in America by 2015.

Share Our Strength, the nation’s leading nonprofit working to end childhood hunger, invites all bakers to host individual or group bake sales in their local communities during the ninth annual Great American Bake Sale’s National Challenge Weekend April 20-22.

The first 300 bake sales to submit $275 or more from sales held on National Challenge Weekend will receive a free Little Miss Muffin doll to thank them for their efforts.

MyLittleMissMuffin.com offers a variety of simple recipes for young children, from fingerpainting on poundcake to mixing homemade playdough. More advanced mini chefs might enjoy layering a red, white and blueberry parfait with strawberry and vanilla yogurt sprinkled with fruit on top.


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New Children’s Books From @KidsCanPress and @Candlewick

I got new books! Lots of books! This assortment will strengthen your progeny in both mind and body.

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Let’s Have a Tree Party! By David Martin, Illustrated by John Manders, is a very ACTIVE celebration by a bevy of forest creatures, both diurnal and nocturnal.

Ages 2 to 5 will love this one!

Hop, Skip and Jump, Maisy!: A Maisy First Science Book By Lucy Cousins is a new favorite at our house!

Not only does it feature Maisy doing fun and active things, it is a pop up book!

Just pull the tabs, and your favorite mouse will show off fun actions that children will want to imitate.

Hop, Skip and Jump, Maisy!: A Maisy First Science Book is great for ages 2 to 5…and older Maisy fans!

Cookie Monster’s Busy Day: Brand New Readers By Sesame Workshop, Illustrated by Ernie Kwiat, is a wonderful and compact set of reading books leveled for ages 4 to 7.

Young readers can learn about healthy habits when they discover the answer to questions such as, What is Cookie Monster’s favorite color to eat? How many ways can Cookie, Elmo, Abby, Big Bird, and pals move along in a parade? From washing up to making his bed, Cookie’s day is as full as his belly! …

Go Out and Play!: Favorite Outdoor Games from KaBOOM! is a book of instructions for more than seventy best-loved games that can be enjoyed outside by children ages five and older!

Get ready for warm days outside with Go Out and Play!: Favorite Outdoor Games from KaBOOM!!

How Did That Get In My Lunchbox?: The Story of Food By Chris Butterworth, Illustrated by Lucia Gaggiotti, was the American Farm Bureau Best Book of the Year!

The illustrations are retro and interesting, taking readers on a behind the scenes look at farms, dairies, and more!

A fun and silly book for ages three and older, Animal Masquerade is a costume party in which animals dress as other animals.

It makes for some silly visuals when a ladybug masquerades as a hippo!

I love the stark illustrations in The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea.

 

This is an informative scientific exploration for ages 8 and older.

Young scientists will gain a hands-on understanding of how “booms” clean oil spills and how a garbage patch roughly twice the size of Texas came to exist in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

In Daisy’s Perfect Word, Daisy is a lover of language.

She collects words in lists in her favorite notebook.

Children ages seven and older will enjoy this tale, as Daisy’s teacher gives her the PERFECT word! …

Earth-Friendly Buildings, Bridges and More: The Eco-Journal of Corry Lapont features Corry Lapont: 12-year-old and aspiring “green” engineer.

This dynamic title takes the form of Corry’s scrapbook. It’s a dazzling collection of postcards, brochures and other memorabilia documenting Corry’s research into green design. Kid-friendly language explains the engineering behind some of the planet’s most cutting edge towers, bridges, tunnels, domes, dams, dikes, locks and levees. These structures include the Vizcaya Bridge in Spain, where gondolas transport cars over the Nervion River, and the Channel tunnel, where trains speed between England and France in just 35 minutes. Readers will explore the environmental impact of structures, such as the pros and cons of dam construction and how rainwater can be used to cool buildings. Complex concepts are clarified with simple activities, as well as colorful drawings, fun facts and the occasional wisecrack from Corry’s kid brother, Riley.

Faith: Five Religions and What They Share is a thorough way to introduce children 8 and older to different aspects of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.

 

The book includes historical origins and beliefs, holy texts, religious clothing and places of worship for each faith. Readers also learn about the values, customs and symbols all five religions share, such as the golden rule, charity, prayer and candles.

Straightforward, simple text makes the content interesting and accessible, as do the vivid photos of children around the world. Parents and teachers will find Faith: Five Religions and What They Share an invaluable tool for teaching youngsters tolerance and respect for people of different beliefs.

… Grown ups should read too! If your brain is too tired for something deep, pick up The Kid Dictionary: Hilarious Words to Describe the Indescribable Things Kids Do, a hilarious lexicon of words that should have already existed:

 

FEELABUSTER: (FEEHL-uh-buhs-tur) v : To pat down your toddler before she leaves a play date at someone else’s house to make sure she isn’t stealing any toys.

 

Newton’s EXCEPTION: (NOO-tuhn’s ek-SEPT-shun) n :The explanation to one’s child that a helium balloon lost outside is never coming back.

DETASTE: (dee-TAYST) v : To harbor a deep hatred and disgust for a food you have never tried.

ERADICRAP: (ee-RA-di-crap) v : To purge your playroom of old toys when your kids aren’t around to protest.

“FULLISH”: (FUHL-ish) adj : Too full to eat more carrots, yet fully prepared to consume an ice-cream sundae.

 

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Get Ready For Summer Travel Adventures!

I am cold natured. I’m not a princess; I would love to go camping, but I worry about staying warm. Yes, even in summer, mmkay?

If your kids are going to summer camp, think about sending something to the bunks to keep them warm at night – the Selk’bag 4G Lite for kids!

This is lightweight sleeping bag with arms and legs that makes you (or your kids) look like a space mission is afoot, and its cozy and awesome. I know, because I have blogged while wearing it.. The 4G Lite comes in three fun colors – bright blue, violet and dark grey, and retails for $79.

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Live in it? Yes, I think I will.IMG 0573

Plus it gives me a little extra padding where it counts. *Sizzle*!IMG 0579

I should have saved this photo for the fashion blog post.IMG 0577

Jojo is 7 and he is totally into survival and camping.

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We got a new game, Camp Board Game, a game is designed to grow with the player, starting at level one questions, which are primarily identification of animals.

As the players increase in their knowledge about the outdoors, they grow into the higher level questions. Jojo has asked me several times just to read him questions to quiz him during breakfast or at bedtime.

A fun & educational game where parents & children can play against each other to get to Camp first.

The Camp Board Gameincludes: 1 game board, 199 game cards(400 questions, and 99 fun facts), 1 decoder, 8 game characters, 1 die, 16 level cards, and 1 compass card. For more information on the game, including rules, check out our printables section.

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Carpe good weather!

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Stop & Shop Adventures With @Coinstar #NoFeeCoinstar #CBias

 

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Last week I went on an adventure to a far away land called The Bronx.

I rode the subway over hill and dale, and over Riverdale, to find a participating Stop & Shop store so I could cash out a Stop & Shop gift card via the Coinstar kiosk (normal fee 9.8%).

At the select locations, there is NO FEE if you cash out your coins for a Stop & Shop gift card. Tres awesomesauce!

Here is my Google + Story of my journey.

Now Stop & Shop is probably the best grocery destination in NYC for budget conscious folks. And I was BORN budget conscious.

So, when I had the opportunity to cash in my pocket change jar for at Stop & Shop gift card, well, to me, that constitutes excitement.

For Real.

I didn’t know what to expect from the Coinstar machine because I had never used one. I hoped that it wouldn’t be a tedious feeding of the coins into a slot just a few at a time.

When I walked into the Stop & Shop, the Coinstar machine was right in the entry way.

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To my delight, you just dump the coins on a metal trap door and the machine does all of the work for you. WOOHOO!

They were advertising the new NO FEE Promotion with noticeable signage

 

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Then you tell the machine what to do, like a boss, via the touch screen.

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Then, I shopped it UP! I spent $13 and that amounted to 3 grocery bags full! I got a taco dinner kit, three cans of beans, tomato sauce, tomato paste, a bag of roasted peanuts, frozen blueberries, cornbread mix, quick oats, and other deliciousity!

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Look at these Honey Graham crackers, only $1.50 for the box! BaZinga!

 

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I love Stop & Shop! I wish they were closer to my house!

Check out Coinstar, @Coinstar on twitter, and Stop & Shop on Facebook!

“I have been paid (at Coinstar’s request) to try and blog about Coinstar’s products/services as part of a Collective Bias shopper insights study. All opinions are my own.”

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Body Hair Trauma

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Yeah I said it.
Body hair.
My nemesis since the 5th grade, when my Sunday School teacher referred to girls as “chickapoos” and boys as “hairy legs”.
Except, I didn’t shave my legs yet. Every Sunday I worried that he would spy the untamed leg hairs poking out of my stockings.
He never did, of course, because he was like a 45 year old man and I was a 11 year old girl in a Sunday School.
The next time I remember being mortified about manly body hair was when I was a senior in high school. I was on the soccer team, and one game I was on the bench (just resting, just resting!) and my team mate looked at me and said “Why do you have two LONG BLACK HAIRS GROWING OUT OF YOUR NECK!?”
I was all “What, gross! Get them off of me!”
She did. I religiously checked my neck every day in the mirror after that.
I battled hair with Nair, tweezers, razors, and even sticky tape.
Then on New Years Day, 2010, I found myself in Vietnam.
I thought, Vietnam probably has awesome spas, because in America, a lot of the spa workers are Vietnamese.
See my logic? Flawless.
So I thought, this is a new year. New Years Day. Do you know what you should do, self?
Self: No! Tell me, brain!
Brain: You should totally get your first bikini wax! On New Years Day! In Vietnam!
Self: Oh, hulls yeah! Great idea!
So, early that morning, lets say 9-ish, I set out for a NEW BEGINNING.
I started my spa visit with a pedicure. I should have noted a huge red flag when the girl made my toe bleed while pedicuring me. I’m a total wuss and got a little lightheaded.
I didn’t think about the fact that if this spa can’t be trusted with toes, how can they be trusted with my nethers?
But, onward!
After the bloody painicure, I went to a different room upstairs. This room featured a STAINLESS STEEL EXAM TABLE, not unlike the ones at a veterinarian.
The lady put plastic down on the table, and first started trimming My Area with scissors. hair was flying all over the places, it was like a scene from Edward Scissorhands. Then she put on the hot wax.
I guess she thought I looked uncomfortable and that the wax was too hot, because she leaned down, put her face near my crotch and started BLOWING ON IT TOO COOL IT OFF.
I absolutely wanted to disappear/die.
Yes.
Worst moment of my salon life.
I put my elbow over my eyes and tried to pretend I was somewhere else.
Not only that, another salon worker stuck her head in the room in mid-wax to ask my waxer about lunch.
Don’t mind me. I’m just here getting waxed, spread eagle on a stainless steel table.
After the wax I was so traumatized I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I went for a bicycle ride and took myself out for coffee before returning to my family.
When I win the lottery, laser hair removal is number one on my list.

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Prevent RSV Epidemics In Babies

 

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When one of my friends had to hospitalize their infant because of a serious RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) infection, it was frightening!

The baby required an IV and oxygen…how heart breaking to see a tiny one suffer in that way!

That was the first time I had heard of RSV, even though RSV accounts for over 500 infant deaths every year in the US.

When celebrating new life and visiting a new tiny baby, it is important to know appropriate baby etiquette and to gently educate others about safe baby visiting practices.

Baby etiquette is anything that we do in efforts to keep our child healthy, happy and safe.

Whether it is using hand sanitizer before holding a newborn, or keeping your distance if you are feeling under the weather, these proactive efforts are essential to keeping babies healthy.

Sure it can feel embarrassing to ask grandma or uncle to wash their hands before picking up the baby, but that does NOT compare to the stress of having a baby whose life is in danger due to infection.

RSV can live on surfaces (e.g., doorknobs, countertops, toys, bedding) for several hours and is often spread through touching, hugging and kissing.

Because of this, almost 100% of children contract RSV by their second birthday.

In most older children, RSV runs its course with mild symptoms similar to the cold or flu, and many parents may not even know their child has the virus.

But in very young babies—and especially preemies and those with certain lung and heart diseases—it can lead to a serious respiratory infection.

Baby etiquette has become increasingly important, seeing as certain illnesses, such as RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), are extremely dangerous and contagious for babies within the first six months of life.

Premature infants have a higher risk of serious complications or death from RSV due to their underdeveloped lungs and compromised immunity.

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RSVProtection.com

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and received promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

 

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Solo Fashion Show: Banana Republic Edition

I have evolved as a woman to where I now actually enjoy clothes shopping. Sometimes.

When I go alone I like to take photos of myself in the fitting room, because then I can tell how something will really look in a photo, vs the magic fitting room mirror.

This was from last week at Banana Republic.

Guess which pieces I bought and which ones I skipped:

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Blazer, checked oxford shirt, red capri pants:

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Yellow patterned skirt and white Banana Republic tee:

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Hat:

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These are Miki House leggings for toddlers, on display at Bloomingdales. They only go up to size 3T. I think they are super cute though:

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Get your fashion on at Monday Mingle:

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Five Days of belVita Breakfast @belVita

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BelVita Biscuits are tasty little cookies specifically engineered to be enjoyed at breakfast and supply you with fuel for the whole morning.

I LOVE cookies, and I have a dairy allergy so I’m not all about yogurt and that sort of thing in the mornings.

Usually I just eat fruit (like a two or three apples) and a coffee or tea for breakfast. When the weather isn’t freezing, I have smoothies, but I can’t stand to drink something cold when it is too cold outside to feel my fingers.

I undertook a Five Days of belVita Breakfast task. Typically I paired my delicious pack of 4 breakfast biscuits with fruit, coffee or tea, and juice.

6On the first day of breakfast, belVita gave to me….a convenient package of breakfast biscuits that I munched while walking to a farmer’s market.

On the second day of breakfast belVita gave to me…ONE almond milk latte, ONE kiwi fruit, and a pack of tasty breakfast biscuits with delish little dried blueberries in them.

On the third day of breakfast belVita gave to me…ONE subway snack, ONE giant coffee, and one 12 ounce nondairy chai.

On the fourth day of breakfast belVita gave to me…ONE sliced apple, TWO green teas and 4 tasty breakfast biscuits.

On the fith day of breakfast, belVita gave to me…one spoon of peanut butter, two kiwi fruits, one green tea one pack of Apple Cinnamon belVita biscuits, and one very delicious subway ride.

These are a really fun “on the go” whole grain solution. In 4 Apple Cinnamon flavored belVita biscuits you got 20 grams of whole grain. They contain wheat and soy and do NOT contain dairy or eggs.

I was actually surprised by how much I love the convenience of belVita breakfast biscuits. They are great to pop in your bag and nosh on after a morning run, a bike ride to work, or during your morning commute.

Besides the convenience, they taste like cookies!

Now I have to wait for belVita to invent Lunch Biscuits.

Hurry!


“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of belVita Breakfast Biscuits and received belVita Breakfast product samples to facilitate my review, and a promotional item to thank me for participating.”

 

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Working Mom, Fresh You @freshdiet

 

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If you are a single mom, or a new mom, or a working mom, you might notice that the more harried your life is, the less time you have to plan nutritious meals for yourself. You might be reduced to fast food or eating entire boxes of cereal in one sitting.

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Not that I’ve done it.

Well, guess what awesomeness awaits from The Fresh Diet?

While you’re juggling all of the pieces of your hectic life, The Fresh Diet will count your calories, weigh your food, prepare your meals and deliver them straight to your door.

What kind of amazingness is that to wake up each morning with a cooler full of your made/measured gourmet meals for the day, awaiting right outside of your door?

It sounds like my own personal version of heaven.

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I could nom on healthy gourmet food while the kids eat kid types of food that aren’t good for Mommy hips.

The Fresh Diet is real food, healthy, calorie-controlled meals delivered daily straight to your door!

3 meals, 2 snacks delivered daily. That means no cooking, no counting, no clean up for you!

Lose 10 pounds this month with The Fresh Diet (average weight loss is 1-3 lbs. per week). Daily calorie counts are in the 1200-1400 calorie range for women1400 – 2200 calorie range for men.

Its like having your own chef who wants you to get skinny.

You can choose from hundreds of meal selections….there are 4 choices for each meal plus 6 choices for 2 sides and 2 snacks each day.

Unlimited food dislikes (I have a dairy allergy and I hate shellfish).

Delicious yet healthy? Whoa whoa, you get the best of my love.

Try it at a discount!

Receive 3 days free with the purchase of a 31 day plan at $29.99 per day”. The promo code is: semommar29

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