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Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study forCollective Bias® andTyson #cbias #SocialFabric  I have to say, I am definitely a #DoItAllMom . A lot of my friends have expressed that they have no idea how I can juggle fixing up our new home, taking care of two toddlers and a teen, nurturing a marriage, caring for our dogs and cats, and maintain my blog at the same time. I have to be honest, it does in fact involve juggling! I often have to pause in the middle of projects and go back to them when the house is blissfully quiet. It seems I am always either getting things done bits and pieces at a time, or I am multi-tasking and doing a zillion different things at once. (I wish I had a clone...Or at least an assistant...Hey! A girl can dream, right?!)
So yes, I stay very, very busy.
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 Demon, Book Two in the Dark Musicals Trilogy, inspired by Sweeney Todd is available now! Purchase When Justyn and Rebecca set off for the New York School of Performing Arts, they think their dreams are about to come true. To their dismay, they aren’t in high school anymore, and the competition is steep. Rebecca must compete against accomplished singers for a role in the production of Demon Barber, including a stunning Gothic diva with her sights set on Justyn It doesn't help that things keep disappearing from their apartment or that Rebecca's father refuses to accept that Justyn is an essential part of her life. Yet, all this seems minimal in comparison to the serial rapist terrorizing the campus. Consumed by fear and obsessed with revenge, Rebecca and Justyn start living the story of Sweeney Todd—both on and off the stage. Head to face book to join theDemon Release Party. You can also add Demon to your shelf on good reads.   If you haven't read the first book in the series, now is a great time to get your copy. To celebrate the release of Demon, Phantom is now on sale for only $1.99 exclusively on Amazon! Purchase Phantom, Dark Musicals Book #1 The “Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting. She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their calling card. Rebecca lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who is more than realistic in the role of the tortured artist. Almost immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true phantom style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca receives notes and phone calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn bringing to life the twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the roles of the hero and the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows she’s running out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only when the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom finally be revealed.   Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the editor of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. Her current works include Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, Morrigan, Player and Demon. She also has short stories featured in two anthologies called HerStory and A Celtic Tapestry.Follow the author Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Pinterest  THE GIVEAWAY To celebrate the release of Demon, Author Laura DeLuca has put together a Demon themed prize pack. It includes a signed copy of Phantom, geode and geode slice, rough crystal points, incense and holders, Gothic style leather key chains, smudge stick with abalone shell, mini Buddha and elephant statue, crystal, natural stone and pentacle pendants, and a $10 GC to Little Caesars, .  The The Sisters Elemental Etsy shop has also created custom Lavender Purification bath salts and a set of ammonite necklaces, both of which are featured in the book.   And finally, the awesome mommy bloggers at Mom Powered Media are also throwing in a $50 Amazon GC to support one of their own!  One lucky winner is going to receive all these fabulous prizes. To enter, just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway will end on 5/17/13. Open to the US only. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to reply. Thanks again to Mom Powered Media, The Sisters Elemental and the author for offering these fantastic prizes. a Rafflecopter giveaway ****Please note no compensation was received for sharing this post. Host blogs are not responsible for prize delivery.*** ***Disclosure: I will be receiving an all expenses paid trip from Disney/Marvel to facilitate my coverage of Iron Man 3. As always, all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***  Okay, so I am sure you all know that Iron Man 3 is hitting theaters this May! Well I got the shock of a lifetime today when the awesome folks at Disney and Marvel invited me to be their guest for the red carpet Hollywood premiere of the film! My husband and teen are super jealous, but they will be going on a mini-vacation of their own while I am away, so they're bound to have fun as well.
Yes, when I opened my e-mail, I screamed...And hollered....And pinched myself. And then of course started obsessing about what I would wear for the event. Luckily, my fashionista friend, Ashley, will be going shopping with me to prepare for the occasion. She has the absolute best taste and can accessorize like there's no tomorrow. (Be sure to check out her blog, Spit Up Is The New Black, if you haven't already!) Anyway, I am totally stoked about this trip because while I have been to California once for the Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 premiere, it was in beautiful Pasadena, not in Hollywood! This is a dream come true!  From above the world of “Cars” comes “Disney’s Planes,” an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. “Disney’s Planes” takes off in theaters on Aug. 9, 2013. For more information, check out Disney.com/Planes, like us on Facebook: facebook.com/DisneyPlanes and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/DisneyPictures.
Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for LYSOL®. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.  I have 3 kids, 2 of which are toddlers, and the other is a teen boy. As all you parents know, toddlers like to put their fingers up their noses, in their mouths, and even into the pet bowls. (Yuck!) Teen boys are also pretty gross creatures at times, with their sweaty, smelly socks that just seem to the carelessly thrown in random places. (Sometimes ending up in the toddlers' mouths....Eww!)
On top of my not-so-tidy children, we also have 3 puppies and 3 cats in the house. This, too, adds to germs and bacteria being distributed around the home. When I clean, it's not just about making things look nice. Let's face it: With toddlers in the house, there is always clutter because they take things out even as I am putting other things away. It's a vicious cycle of playing clean up time, and hoping that the house looks like we live here rather than a hurricane just ripped through it. To me, the most important aspect of cleaning is actually making sure that dirt, grime, and germs are removed from our home. I can deal with toys all over, and I can deal with a little bit of chaos. But what I can't deal with are germs and filth taking over my home. After all, keeping germs at bay helps people stay healthy themselves, especially during cold and flu season. That's why the folks over at Lysol are launching their brand new Healthing Initiative. Yes, I said "Healthing". Sure, it sounds weird. But think about it...When we clean, one of our main objectives is to keep our family healthy, right? By disinfecting our homes and taking care of germs and bacteria, we're not only cleaning, we're healthing! Make sense? Here's some info about Lysol's Healthing Initiative:  Since my 3 year old, very out-spoken daughter Sophie told me a few weeks ago that she wants a new car-seat because hers isn't "cute" anymore, I have been shopping around, looking for the best options. Safety is most important, followed by comfort and looks. But looks matter a lot, considering my little diva is very particular!
So I was thinking about Britax, since their car seats are known for being among the best. I see SO many moms, online and in real life, completely rave about this brand. Sadly, I have never worked with Britax and have not yet experienced their products. So I would like some advice from you Britax-loving mamas out there. I am kind of stuck between 2 different car seats, and need some help deciding which one to purchase. This is a major investment, so I'd love to make sure I am making the best choice for my family. The Frontier 90 looks wonderful, and comes in some great colors that Sophie loves. It also has very good safety features like true side impact protection, safe cell technology, and HUGS harness. But I also love the look of the Pinnacle 90. This has a very different appearance and comes in great colors, including an adorable hot pink and black print that Sophie would go nuts over. This seat also have great safety features, and like the Frontier 90, can be used in both front facing mode or as a booster. So as you can see, I am pretty stuck here! Anyone out here have either of these seats? What are the pros and cons? Or maybe there's something else you can recommend? I'd love your feedback!   I have always been a fan of Olay products. I have used their Regenerist line for years, even though I don't have many visible signs of aging yet. (Hey, I'm trying to stop wrinkles before they start!) Olay is a brand that I have grown to trust, because I know that these products actually do what they say they'll do, and they don't break the bank which is always a major, major plus!
So when I received the opportunity to review their brand new line called Fresh Effects, I was very excited. This line focuses on making the skin look and feel fresh and rejuvenated. The awesome folks at Olay sent me a variety of their products as well as a super cute Fresh & Fab 101 Vanity. That was a huge surprise, and my daughter absolutely freaked when she saw it. So of course, I just had to give her the vanity...But I kept the Fresh Effects products for myself!  I am so excited that spring is here because we're going to be planting a huge garden in our backyard. We will have almost 30 different varieties of fruits, veggies, and herbs, and I cannot wait to cook with them. There's nothing better than fresh produce!
One of the veggies (or is it a fruit?) I am looking forward to the most is eggplant. I adore eggplant! I know what many of you are thinking. Eggplant?! YUCK! Well, if eggplant isn't cooked properly, it's not all that great. But prepared well, it's AH-MAZING. I think the most important thing to remember about eggplant is that it is very porous and acts as a sponge. So DO NOT over-salt. Under any circumstance. It will completely ruin the eggplant, making it inedible. Trust me here...I have had some HORRID salty eggplant before! Also, you don't want to saturate it with too much oil. A light brushing with high quality olive oil is best. Otherwise, you will have oily, greasy eggplant, and that's almost as bad as the salt-lick version. I make an amazing eggplant parmesan, and I would love to share my recipe with you! Everyone here loves it, except for my husband. He won't even try it because not only is he afraid to give eggplant a shot, he also hates tomato based sauces.  I have LOADS of winners to announce! I have notified all by e-mail, and winners will have 48 hours to claim their prizes. Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and check back often for more great giveaways!
Without further ado, here are my lucky winners! Congrats! iLearn 'N' Play: Chelle T. Return to Nim's Island: Cheryl A. Peaceable Kingdom: Connie G. Master Lock: Polly K. Go Go Thomas: Kathryn C. Wholly/Daily's: Donna C. Play With Barney: Darlene N. Curious George: Janet W. Umi Children's Shoes: Sonya M.   In August, we bought a wonderful old Century home in Ohio. (It was built in 1924, and has tons of character!) So we've been having a great time redecorating and remodeling, and truly making our new home our own. It's been quite the task, since it's very, very evident that a 90 year old woman who really liked ugly wall-paper used to live here. It's a work in progress, but we're getting there, slowly but surely!
I am always on the lookout for unique home decor items that reflect our personal style and have some meaning. I am very sentimental, so I love having personalized items whenever possible. When I learned about the personalized family manifestos from Life Manifestos, I just knew I had to have one in my home. These personalized, inspirational pieces are stunning, and have such a positive message that I'd love my kids to see each and every day growing up. |
  PR Friendly Mama!
I'm Brandy, a happily married, proud Mom of 3 amazing kids. If you're interested in building a working relationship, please feel free to e-mail me at: NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3@gmail.com 
 
 
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