You may recall a few days ago, I introduced you all to Trouble, the newest addition to our family. Trouble is a female Yorkie, and was born on December 30th, just one day before my Sophie. (Yep, Sophia is a New Year's Eve baby. I am sooo not looking forward to her birthday celebration plans when she's a teenager!) I have wanted a puppy, a Yorkie specifically, for over 5 years now. I have to get the little "designer dogs" due to horrible pet allergies that can leave me hospitalized in about 2.4 seconds. Yes, they're really that bad! So last Saturday, we went to a local pet store to check out their available dogs. There were so many adorable puppies to choose from, but as soon as I saw my Trouble, my heart about melted. She is sweet, playful, and has the most awesome little white poof on the top of her head. I have a weird thing for dogs with added character, and I knew this would be the perfect pup for our family. While I know that adopting a pup from a shelter or rescue is ideal, at this point in time, that wasn't an option. There weren't any hypoallergenic dogs that were good both with kids and other pets available. The pet store we dealt with has a wonderful reputation, only deals with top breeders, and provides micro-chipping and extensive health and lineage records on their animals. So we paid a whopping $1,000 for our Yorkie and brought her home with us. In our opinion, that's a small price to pay for a lifelong companion. But, when dealing with a new puppy, there are things that present major challenges. Things like housebreaking, chewing, and the inevitable accidents. There are a great number of pet care products on the market, so how do you know the right ones to choose? I have tried several different pet care products over the years, and one brand I really like is Simple Solution. They offer a wide variety of products that are specially formulated to address all of the common pet-care challenges. Whether you have a dog or a cat, Simple Solution has an assortment of products to suit your needs. More about those in a moment...First, I want to share something that's a whole lot of fun!
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As the mother of 3 children, I am always looking for ways to save my family time and money. After all, caring for a family of five on a one-income budget can be quite the challenge, especially when you don't want to skimp on quality. I want to give my family the absolute best while keeping money in our pockets for the fun things in life, like day trips to the zoo or even the occasional take-out night, complete with board games and maybe even a movie or two. I personally choose natural or organic fruits, veggies, meats, and snacks whenever possible, and this can be a very pricey lifestyle decision. Unless you know where to find the best possible deals, that is. Rather than clip coupons like a mad-woman, scour various circulars for deals and go to 6 or 7 different grocery stores, which is not friendly on the gas tank, I like to find one place where I can always find the products I love at great, low prices everyday. Recently, I got the opportunity to check out Food Lion's new, revamped look while doing my weekly grocery shopping. We have several Food Lion locations in my town, and I go there fairly regularly since the quality of food is good and the prices are, too. I have noticed, however, that many of my local stores are rather drab and not well-organized. I don't know about you, but I like grocery shopping to be a full-on, sensory experience. I love nothing more than walking into a store that is beautiful, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to navigate. This is something my local Food Lion has been lacking, so I was excited to check out one of their newly remodeled locations to see what changes the company has made. To see these changes, we had to drive about 30 miles to Mineral, VA. This was a gorgeous, scenic drive that took us out of town and down winding country roads. It was a lot of fun just getting there, so the anticipation as we arrived at the newly redesigned Food Lion was high. I could tell as we reached our destination that this was not the same Food Lion I was accustomed to. The outside alone was gorgeous, well-kept, and very upscale looking. Okay, there are 3 things in life that everyone is guaranteed to love: Family, a great movie, and cupcakes. DreamWorks and Sprinkles Cupcakes have teamed up for an exciting promotion to celebrate not only the release of the anticipated film, "People Like Us", but family as well. What does this mean for you? A great movie to look forward to that just happens to be scheduled for release on MY birthday, June 29th, as well as FREE CUPCAKES!
DreamWorks Pictures announced today that they are teaming up with Sprinkles Cupcakes to promote their film “People Like Us” with events at the ten Sprinkles Cupcakes stores around the country. The promotion will run from May 2-June 29, 2012, and is centered around five family-themed holidays: Brothers and Sisters Day (May 2), Mother’s Day (May13), Visit Your Relatives Day (May 18), Father’s day (June 17) and National Forgiveness Day (June 26).On the designated “People Like Us” holidays, Sprinkles Cupcakes in all ten locations will give out a free cupcake to each customer who comes in between the hours of 12 noon and 2 p.m. and says, “People Like Us.” Any customer can vote online for the official “People Like Us” flavor and the winning cupcake will be announced the week of the film’s opening. Customers can also pick up punch cards in Sprinkles Cupcakes stores, redeemable on the selected ‘People Like Us” holidays for a free cupcake. Follow the movie on Facebook.com/PeopleLikeUs for more details. “People Like Us”-branded coffee trucks or carts will be at various locations on Brothers and Sisters Day, May 2, to kick off the start of the promotion with free coffee. Visitors to facebook.com/PeopleLikeUs can take the Brothers and Sisters quiz and enter the “Celebrate Family” sweeps to win a trip to visit their family. “People Like Us” is a drama/comedy about family, inspired by true events, starring Chris Pine (“Star Trek”) as Sam, a twenty-something, fast-talking salesman, whose latest deal collapses on the day he learns that his father has suddenly died. Against his wishes, Sam is called home, where he must put his father's estate in order and reconnect with his estranged family. In the course of fulfilling his father's last wishes, Sam uncovers a startling secret that turns his entire world upside down: He has a 30-year-old sister Frankie whom he never knew about (Elizabeth Banks). As their relationship develops, Sam is forced to rethink everything he thought he knew about this family—and re-examine his own life choices in the process. The film also stars Olivia Wilde, Michael Hall D’Addario, Philip Baker Hall, Mark Duplass and Michelle Pfeiffer. A DreamWorks Pictures presentation, “People Like Us” is directed by Alex Kurtzman, produced by Roberto Orci, Bobby Cohen and Clayton Townsend, and written by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jody Lambert. The film releases in U.S. theaters on June 29, 2012, and is rated PG-13. So this past weekend, we welcomed a new member to our family. You see, my husband was in the proverbial "dog house" for being a typical, stupid man. In an effort to make it up to me, he decided we should go look at the puppies in one of the local pet stores. Before I go any further, YES, I know adoption is better than buying. However, our local animal shelter didn't have any hypoallergenic breeds that were okay with children and other dogs....Both of these criteria are absolute musts, and we were not willing to budge there. I have horrible, awful allergies to most animals. And I don't mean allergies that taking some Claritin will even touch. I mean allergies that will send me to the emergency room with an allergy-induced asthma attack. It has happened before many times. I am allergic to most dogs, even shorter haired, all cats, and most other animals bearing fur. This is why a hypoallergenic "designer breed" was necessary. Plus, I like small dogs. Small dogs=small poop. Plus, a large dog might accidentally overpower my toddlers. Also, we not only have our kids, we also have my 12 year old son's dog, Chloe. So any dog we welcomed into our family had to get along not only with our kids, but with other dogs, too. Anyway, Saturday, we went on a puppy hunt. We visited a reputable pet store in our area called Pets Plus. This shop microchips their animals and has extensive history on all of their pets. They do not deal with puppy mills. So as soon as we arrived, I saw several adorable puppies. There were a few Yorkies, a Peke-A-Poo, Malti-Poos, some Rat Terriers, and more smaller dogs. As I was looking at a male Yorkie, they brought a female in. When I saw her, I fell in love. She has gorgeous coloring, a sweet personality, and the cutest little white poof on the top of her head. We took her into a "play room" for about an hour, determined she would be good with the kids, and decided she would be the ideal pet for our family. Brand new images and a trailer are available for Disney's upcoming film, 'Brave'. This highly anticipated animated film will be released in theaters on June 22, 2012.
Synopsis: Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In “Brave,” a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts. Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Witch (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late. Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, and produced by Katherine Sarafian, “Brave” is a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and the signature Pixar humor enjoyed by audiences of all ages. The film takes aim at theaters on June 22, 2012, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters. A grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixar humor, “Brave” uncovers a new tale in the mysterious Highlands of Scotland where the impetuous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) defies an age-old custom and inadvertently unleashes chaos, forcing her to discover the meaning of true bravery before it’s too late.” Check out these awesome images and this trailer! Awesome sweepstakes!
HOW IT WORKS: LIKE ellura on Facebook and ask 10 friends to do the same! Once you have 10 friends “LIKE” the ellura page, send a direct message, post on ellura's wall, or e-mail Erica@LazarusPR.com with the 10 names. For every 10 friends who LIKE ellura, you will be officially entered (multiple entries are allowed) into our raffle for the chance to win one of 3 amazing prizes, either a $150, $100 or $50 Amazon.com gift card. You can stock your library with new books, ebooks, or even a new Kindle or Nook. Contest begins NOW and will end at 1pm EST on Tuesday May 1st, 2012. Official prize drawing to take place at 1pm EST on Wednesday May 2nd. BURBANK, Calif. (April 25, 2012) – Swinging into theaters April 20 with a $10.6 million opening-weekend performance, “Chimpanzee” proved so popular among audiences that Disneynature is extending the “See ‘Chimpanzee,’ Save Chimpanzees” conservation initiative for a second week. For every moviegoer who sees “Chimpanzee” through May 3, 2012, Disneynature will make a donation to the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to protect chimpanzees today and tomorrow. “In theaters just five days, ‘Chimpanzee’ has already given us a lot to celebrate,” said Alan Bergman, president, The Walt Disney Studios. “Led by a young chimpanzee named Oscar, ‘Chimpanzee’ has won the hearts of audiences nationwide. It’s because of that success that we decided to extend our program with the Jane Goodall Institute.” “See ‘Chimpanzee,’ Save Chimpanzees”—initially slated for the film’s opening week through April 26—will continue through the film’s second week till May 3—a first-ever extension to aDisneynature conservation program. The news was well received by Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace. “We couldn’t be happier to extend this collaboration to help the Jane Goodall Institute better protect chimpanzees and the places they call home,” she said. “A film like ‘Chimpanzee’ helps spread the passion we have for these extraordinary beings, sharing the truly relatable moments experienced by Oscar and his fellow chimpanzees in a way that will hopefully inspire audiences to continue their support long after the movie ends.” Rated G by the MPAA, “Chimpanzee” is in theaters now. For more info about Disneynature's Chimpanzee, check out their website. You can also follow on Facebook and on twitter! WARNING: This post contains links of an adult nature, and is intended for mature adults ages 18+. Please do not click on these links in the presence of children or those who may be offended easily. As an eco-friendly blogger, I am always on the lookout for products that not only make my life easier or more pleasurable, but are also environmentally friendly. I make a ton of green choices in my life, such as cloth-diapering, eating organic, using "safe" organic cosmetics, and using natural cleaning products, just to name a few. Little did I know that thanks to EdenFantasys, my favorite adult shop, I can now go green in the bedroom, too! No, I don't mean bamboo bedding or organic pajamas, although I own both and they're absolutely fantastic. I mean going green when I get my freak on. Come on, don't sound so shocked...Sex is something we all do, granted some of us more than others, and it should be celebrated. EdenFantasys has about a zillion products to help make intimate encounters all the more titillating. From sensual love products to sexy lingerie to more risque products like some of the coolest sex toys ever, this shop literally has something to accommodate any taste, from mild to incredibly wild. (We like wild in my house, FYI!) So who's excited about the upcoming release of MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS? I know there is a lot of buzz going on about this much anticipated release, which storms into theaters on May 4, 2012! My husband and preteen son are literally counting down the days until they can join their favorite MARVEL heroes on a whirlwind adventure full of action and the fight against evil.
This is one movie my family has been dying to see! We plan on heading to our theater on opening day, provided we can arrange a sitter for our two toddlers. This will be a fantastic opportunity to spend some special time with our 12 year old. To help celebrate this awesome film's release, I have a great giveaway full of MARVEL goodies! One lucky reader will win the ultimate MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS prize package! How cool is that? What does this prize package contain? 4/30 12:01 AM EST - 5/4 11:59 PM EST Open to US residents 18+ This stunning pair of 1/2 carat (ctw) diamond earrings boasts the luster of over five dozen round, brilliant cut blue and white stones and is delicately crafted from 10 karat polished white gold. Fourteen luminous blue diamonds glimmer alluringly among a bed of fifty-two pristine white diamonds.
To Participate: ■Create a post about sign ups for this event, and link back to the entry form for a FREE Twitter entry. ■In lieu of posting, you may send $1 for your Twitter entry to contact@mvmgroups.com ■Additional links are available for $1 each (Choose from Facebook or email subs) ■Complete the entry form here- http://cute-ecakes.com/2012/04/blogger-sign-ups-1k-1-5ct-blue-diamond-earring-gveaway ■Your submission confirmation screen will contain a link to the post html, and rafflecopter script, and you may schedule your post to go live at 12:01 am 4/30 EST. Be sure to tell them Newly Crunchy Mama Of 3 sent you! |
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