Mom Most Traveled

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All of the contents have been consumed (well, there is some mustard left) in the form of grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, and sliced meat logs on crackers. Mmm.

Besides the instant gratification of consuming delicious Hickory Farms food products, you can feel good that by purchasing Hickory Farms products, you are also “giving back”.

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For every Signature Party Planner Gift sold, Hickory Farms donates $5 to provide funding for summer meal programs, emergency food assistance, nutrition education, and long-term solutions for families in need. To learn more, visit nokidhungry.org.

Hickory Farms also has a partnership with Operation Gratitude – a national nonprofit that creates care packages for military men and women and their families. Hickory Farms has eight products that they offer free shipping to military APO and FPO addresses, including the “Home for the Holidays” gift basket.

Check out @HickoryFarms on Twitter and Facebook!

You can buy Hickory Farms gift sets at HickoryFarms.com.

Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Hickory Farms via MomTrends. I received a free sample of the product for the purpose of this review and to facilitate a giveaway. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Hickory Farms.

Peppa Pig Toys For Christmas Joys

December 20, 2012 Uncategorized One comment

We have an unexpectedly awesome toy at our house that my 5 and 8 year old have been incorporating into A LOT of different play scenarios with everything from plastic green army men to Bilbo Baggins Legos.

This Peppa Pig Peek ‘n Surprise Playhouse is awesome… it has a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom and more than 18 play pieces, including Peppa and George figures.

A washing machine flips to reveal clean clothes, a fridge opens up to reveal food, a barbecue flips for different meals, and the bathtub flips to reveal bubbles.

All of the pieces can store inside (yay) and there is a handle so that your child can carry it around when closed.

Aww, look how cute the Hug ‘n Oink Peppa Pig Talking Plush is! She is 12 inches tall, and wait until you hear her voice! When squeezed she says different phrases like “A lovely hug!” in a nice, calm, not-shrill voice. I give this toy two thumbs up from a parental perspective. It talks with minimal annoyance factor. Win!

To round out the Peppa collection, you might want to add a DVD. We have Peppa Pig – Muddy Puddles, which contains the following “peppasodes”. (haha!)

1. Muddy Puddles

2. Mr Dinosaur is Lost

3. Polly Parrot

4. Best Friend

5. Hide and Seek

6. The Playgroup

7. Mummy Pig at Work

8. Camping

9. Gardening

10. Bicycles,

11. The New Car

12. Snow

I am a Peppa Pig fan because the shows are so calm and gentle but also entertaining! If you have a Peppa Pig fan (or if you think you want your kid to BE a Peppa Pig fan…) look for these toys at Toys R Us or online!

I was provided with the items mentioned in this blog post because of my relationship with Team Mom. This review is honest and I do think these toys are adorbs.

@HEXBUG Warriors Battling Robots

November 20, 2012 Uncategorized 2 comments

I have long been a fan of Hexbugs, and now they are new and improved… the rough and tough HEXBUG® Warriors Battling Robots have really cool armor and weapons!

Have you ever watched that science show where nerds build robots that “fight” until one of them breaks? Well Hexbug Warriors are that level of awesome.

This summer I was given enough Hexbug Warriors to host a party for my kids friends!

What I love about Hexbugs is they are kind of a fun and rowdy toy yet they won’t result in something getting broken in the house.

My kids dad is a physics teacher, and he uses Hexbugs in his classroom to explain concepts.

Ideal for ages 6 and up, the newest line (Hexbug Warriors) are tiny, collectible, micro robots that use the physics of vibration, to propel forward and battle with competitors.

They come in four colors, representing four dueling science academies from the year 2087 (I can’t name them…)

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The Hexbug Warriors can be strategically equipped with different configurations of mechanical weapons and armor to outmaneuver their opponents in Battle Arena and Stadium competitions.

The HEXBUG Warriors Battling Robots have different modes in which they can opperate:

Training Mode means unlimited health, for scrimmages and testing purposes.

Match Mode is for competition, where they crash, jab and jostle with their opponents until they win or lose by running out of health at which point they deactivate.

There are 12 assorted HEXBUG Warrior Battling Robots Single packs available for fans to collect.

Each Single pack includes 1 fully-armored Warrior. MSRP is $7.99

The HEXBUG Warriors Battle Arena comes with two HEXBUG Warriors with weapons and armor, two expandable battle arena pieces (compatible with Battle Stadium), three standoffs and extra bonus armor.

Of course, the ultimate battleground is the HEXBUG Warriors Battle Stadium, which comes with two fully-armored collectible HEXBUG Warriors, eight Battle Stadium Pieces (compatible with Battle Arena) and 12 standoffs.

My kids and their friends love Hexbugs…I can trust them to play together safely and fairly…these toys are sciencey and lend themselves to cooperative play! Win, win, win!

Holiday Shopping @DuaneReade #DRHappyAndHealthy #CBbigApple #cbias

November 19, 2012 Uncategorized 2 comments

My favorite place to shop in NYC (Duane Reade pharamacy, doy duh), just released their latest in-store magazine, Happy and Healthy.

You can read it online or pick up a copy at your neighborhood Duane Reade.

It really is like a magazine, besides having the sweet holiday shopping deals, it also has actual articles, like beauty tips from Halle Berry, and instructions on how to do a Sun Salutation in Yoga. I know!

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So it pretty much has the same Advertisment:Info ratio as magazines that you pay like $4.95 for in the checkout line. But Happy and Healthy is free, so total win.

Free information is my boyfriend!

I got excited about Happy and Healthy, and it is very holiday-focused, so I went berzerko and bought a Duane Reade Christmas tree.

I completely had my tree up and ready to go on the day it snowed. Remember the Nor’ Easter?

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Sidebar: I am from the south, and I thought Nor’ Easter sounded really fun, like Easter with a viking/norseman flair.

Maybe we would eat haggis (I assume they eat rawish, disgusting cuts of animals) and pillage something?

No. “Nor’Easter” just means really cold air comes down from some cold place (like too cold for life, like one of the ice planets, maybe Jupiter?) and dumps snow and misery all over your city.

That Nor’Easter wind totally BLOWS.

See what I did there?

Anyway, what DOESN’T totally blow is the awesome deals at Duane Reade (and see what I did THERE? I’m a genius, people. Hire me.).

OLOGY is a new brand of eco-friendly products available at Walgreens and Duane Reade. They have all kinds of stuff, from recycled paper napkins to super special world-saving light bulbs. Also, the price points are pretty decent and allow you to feel superior when you wash your clothes with eco-friendly soaps.

Or your hair, because they make shampoo even.

I know, they stay busy making cleany stuff at Ology.

I made a Google + album of my recent shopping trip to Duane Reade. Check it!

Also keep up with @DuaneReade on twitter. They are the most followed pharmacy in the world, so you know they must be fascinating!

Duane Reade on facebook often has lovely photos of NYC, so keep an eye on that too!

Did you know you can watch Duane Reade TV on YouTube? Give that a whirl.

“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™. #CBias #SocialFabric”

California Wine Club Holiday Wines @CAWineClub

November 17, 2012 Uncategorized No comments

I live in NYC and I don’t have a car.

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PS: It is beautiful here.

BUT! The joy of “stocking the pantry” or really buying anything heavy is greatly diminished when you have to lug it around town and carry it on the subway.

Hence, I am DELIGHTED when I can have something delivered to my door.

Getting a delivery from the California Wine Club always feels like Christmas, but for the holidays they are really stepping it up!

This was my October shipment: a Robledo family winery Tempranillo, and their Bronze Medal Winner Sauvignon Blanc.

Like all of the wines from California Wine Club, both of these selections come from a real working California artisan winery and is backed by a 100% guarantee!

The California Wine Club was started by Bruce and Pam Boring because they were tired of hit-or-miss selecting wines to drink. They realized that they always enjoyed the wines recommended by friends. Hence, California Wine Club is like a wine savvy friend that sends you two bottles in the mail each month.

Also? This would totally make an awesome Christmas gift for a wine lover. You can gift them a membership for just a few months.

Cha-ching!

Check out their website at www.cawineclub.com

Check out @CAWineClub on Twitter and CA Wine Club on Facebook

Also! There is wine to be won! Go to the California Wine Club website and enter to win! There will be 104 winners!

Prizes include: 1) One of four, Three Month Wine Club memberships (A $150 value you can give as a gift, or keep for yourself)

2) One of 50 handy Two Bottle Wine Totes ($25 value)

3) One of 50 Red Tulip Music wine country CD’s ($15 value)

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. I received a 2 month Membership to the California Wine Club for the purpose of this review.

LeapFrog Rockin’ Guitar and Touch Magic Learning Bus

September 16, 2012 Uncategorized No comments

My kids are SO into music and “performing”. Any time I see a music related toy, I automatically think, “Oh, Jojo would love this!”

I was lucky enough to be a host of the LeapFrog Touch Magic Rock ‘n Learn party, which meant checking out cool toys from one of my favorite brands. We were sent the LeapFrog Touch Magic Learning Bus and two LeapFrog Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitars!

These toys are kind of a new generation…the Touch Magic is pretty neat: the surface is flat and wipeable, yet each part of the toy is responsive to touch.

The LeapFrog Touch Magic Learning Bus has lots of different songs, plus a keyboard and percussion element! Of course you can also press each letter and learn about letter recognition and sounds.

You might have guessed that the LeapFrog Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitar has songs on it, but my favorite feature is that your child can control the tempo of the song by strumming faster or more slowly.

When I say “your child can control the tempo” I really mean “I amused myself for hours by strumming the LeapFrog Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitar as fast as I possibly could whilst kids looked on jealously”.

We know how to rock.

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Also included in the party pack were printed activities. Such as these snazzy paper masks based on LeapFrog characters:

Photo on 2012 09 16 at 22 16 And a make-your-own book, also featuring the LeapFrog animal friends!

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Leapfrog Rockin’ Guitar Contest:

Rock to learn for a chance to win $500! Upload a video of your kid jamming & learning with Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitar or your own play guitar that you can create out of your own materials and you could win $500. For complete contest details go to www.touchmagic.leapfrog.com

Disclosure: I received the LeapFrog products mentioned above to host the LeapFrog sponsored Rock’n Learn Party. Opinions here are not boughten.

Win A Rhinestone Tee From @SparkleWit #Giveaway #CouponCodes

September 5, 2012 Uncategorized 14 comments

As you gaze upon this photo, you might think, “My, but CanCan does look majestic. Where do I get such a fabulous t-shirt that is both Sparkley AND Witty?

The answer? Is Sparkle and Wit.

10 out of 10 awesome people agree that clothes with rhinestones on them are awesome.

Sparkle and Wit is run by husband and wife team, Melissa and Tim, and they throw down all kinds of original crystal designs for all kinds of people who like sparkles.

You don’t really need a reason to wear sparkles, but think about the magic at things like Girl’s Night Out, a sporting event, or…yard work?

All products are made and assembled in the USA!

Find @SparkleWit on Twitter and Sparkle and Wit on Facebook.

I have coupon codes for you!

Use code TRAVEL15 for 15% off your entire purchase…it can be used multiple times!

For free shipping on orders over $100, use coupon code TRAVEL100.

I have a giveaway for you! How much do you love me?

One MMT reader will win their choice of tee from Sparkle and Wit!

To enter, visit Sparkle and Wit and let me know your favorite tee in the comments of this blog post!

Bonus entries: Tweet about this giveaway including a link to this post, @SparkleWit and @MomMostTraveled

This giveaway is open to those with a US mailing address only.

This giveaway will close on September 20th, 2012, at 11:59 pm EST.

One winner will be chosen at random out of all eligible entries.

Good luck, and Sparkle on!

I’m #GLADMomMade Enchiladas In A FreezerWare Container

August 8, 2012 Uncategorized No comments

I went to BlogHer 2012 last weekend and it was a whirlwind!

I was selected to participate in the GLAD Meal Kit program, and Glad sent me a package to help me prepare a meal in advance to freeze for my family whilst I was busy at BlogHer.

I got 2 Glad FreezerWare Containers, a recipe card for chicken enchiladas (which I adapted to make bean and rice enchiladas), tortillas, diced chilis, and enchilada sauce.

It was kind of awesome to have a box of food and freezer containers arrive at my door step. I love eating swag!

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I made the enchiladas and stored them in the Glad FreezerWare Container…after eating like half of the dish myself.

I like that the Glad FreezerWare Containers have interlocking lids to make them neater to store.

You can visit Glad.com and Facebook.com/Glad for tips, giveaways, printables and more from other moms!

Thanks, Glad, for sending me the yummy goodies and containers!

At Home Movie Night With Family Flicks From Phase 4 Films

August 1, 2012 Uncategorized No comments

My family was sent a trio of family movies from Phase 4 Films via Team Mom.

We got some microwave popcorn and mini M&M’s, along with these new-to-us DVD’s.

Smitty is about a 13 year old boy and his smart farm dog. My younger son Deeds loves animals, and come to think of it, this film probably spawned some of his longings for a dog that he voiced later in the week. Smitty helps teach Ben important life lessons about friendship, family and responsibility.

Freddy Frogface is another dog-and boy story featuring ten-year-old Victor who can’t wait to perform in his town’s talent show with his dog Sausage. This tale is animated, and Victor must contend with the town bully Freddy Frogface, who wants to spoil Victor’s talent show dreams.

Donkey X is a version of the classic Don Quijote de la Mancha, in animated form that young audiences can appreciate. The twist is that the story is told from the point of view of Rucio, the bravest donkey of Castile. Donkey X was probably my favorite movie of the bunch, if only because it didn’t make my children beg for a pet.

IMAG1655 I REALLY prefer an at-home movie night vs. taking the kids to a movie theatre. The cost is cheaper, plus I can do quiet, stationary chores such as folding laundry or doing dishes whilst we watch, and the kids aren’t beating one another. Win-win!

Phase 4 Films are available for purchase at Target, Walmart and Amazon.com!

Skype Family Reunion

July 13, 2012 Uncategorized No comments

Homewood Park

A couple of weeks ago I visited my parents in my home town in Alabama. My brother lives with his wife and daughter in Spain. Every morning, my 4 year old niece calls my parents (her grandparents) via Skype from Spain. They share video calls and really stay connected.

My mom always knows when she hears the Skype “ringing” sound on her computer that it is most likely my niece calling her! It really is adorable.

When we were there, my two children joined in on the intercontinental Skype calls each morning. They told each other about exciting parts of the day, and shared details such as what was for breakfast.

My kids had been eating Capt’n Crunch Ooops All Berries, a variety without the little yellow pillow shapes in it, consisting of mostly colored balls.

When they told my young niece about this cereal, she said, “Why do you eat Poops All Berries?!”

Bwahahaha!

It became a family joke for the week.

“Want some Poops All Berries?”

I love Skype and I can’t imagine my life without it. With family in Asia, Europe, and various corners of the US, Skype is the best we can do to stay connected. It makes it easier to swallow that we can’t afford to fly to visit each other with any regularity.

With Skype, the grandparents can still see their faraway grandchildren growing and changing each day.

Also, in the past month, I was able to do a Skype interview for a job on a different coast. I love Skype!

PS, Skype, please get me a job!

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Skype. I received Skype credits to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.”

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