So my daughter is an interesting kid. For one, she's 7 going on about 25. She is wise beyond her years, and would rather go with Mommy to a rally or protest or rock out to Rage Against the Machine than watch TV or play with her dolls. She is very into science and the environment, and before I went to LA recently, she told me not to eat the seafood because of Fukushima. Not a problem, since I don't eat fish.

Anyway.... Like I said, Sophie isn't your typical 7 and a half year old.

Even though my kiddo may not fit in with all the other girls her age, she does have one thing in common with them. Common ground, if you will, that she shares with just about every female on the planet: Sophie loves pampering herself, and making herself look and feel beautiful. She loves spa treatments, manis and pedis, and of course, her mineral makeup kit for kids. 

So when the awesome folks at Zoey Koko contacted me to introduce me to their awesome spa party kits for tweens, I was SO excited. I knew immediately that my Sophie would totally love this idea, and so would her bestie, Lilly! 

Zoey Koko offers at home spa party boxes for tweens. Every party box comes with individual pouches for each girl that are loaded with all natural skin&nail products, as well a craft. The adventure is guided by a Zoey Koko spa guide.

Mother's Day is right around the corner, folks! 

Have you found the perfect gift for the Moms in your life....Or are you still scrambling to find that special something that expresses your love for her? 

If the Moms you love are beauty and fragrance junkies, or happen to live a clean, Vegan lifestyle, I have some exciting news for you! 

Introducing PHLUR, an indie fragrance start-up that is changing the way of fragrance by having produced a line of six unisex scents that are vegan, cruelty-free, paraben and phthalates free, made with 20% recycled glass, ingredients are responsibly sourced, packaging is FSC certified and the bottle is painted with vegetable paint to keep the juice protected and free of light stabilizers.

Additionally, they donate $5 from each product to two different organizations – the Central Park Conservancy and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). I just love a brand that gives back, don't you? 

Here in NE Ohio, the weather can be kind of unpredictable this time of year. In fact, we recently went from several inches of SNOW....In APRIL....to a 75 degree day, all within a 72 hour period. Weird, right? 

So we try to be ready for anything during spring. We keep our heavy coats and sweaters handy, but we also make sure we have our umbrellas and rain gear easily accessible, too. April showers happen, and they happen a LOT. 

Don’t get caught in the rain without the cutest gear!  ShedRain wants to make sure you are covered head to toe.

Raindrops won’t be a bother when toting around the chic selections from Cirra by ShedRain at Target. These umbrellas are available in different versions including Compact, Bubble, Stick and Mini Compact.  With patterns like “Polka Dots”, “Stripes” and “Ice Cream Cones”, it’s no wonder that people are already naming them a spring favorite.

Mother's Day is coming up, folks!

Have you decided what you'll be getting for the fabulous Moms in your life? If you're stuck, and having a hard time deciding on the perfect gift, why not check out some of the leading women's fragrances at FragranceMarket.us?

FragranceMarket.us is one of the nation’s largest and trusted online retailers of genuine designer fragrances and related accessories.

They carry over 3,000 genuine, brand name fragrances, skincare, makeup, haircare, all at discount prices. FragranceMarket.is carries the most popular names in fragrance including Calvin Klein, Lacoste, Escada, Hugo Boss, Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne, Michael Kors, Thierry Mugler, DKNY, Coach, Davidoff, Vera Wang, and many other in-demand luxury brands. 

They’re bringing the traditional shopping experience right to your computer for the utmost convenience, and at the best prices, too! 

15% OFF ALL PRI products
Blogger Viewers Receive 15% Discount Code on www.ShopPRI: Treats15
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Spring is here! (Finally!) 

What better way to celebrate the Rites of Spring than with delicious Manuka Honey treats that the entire family can enjoy? PRI’s Manuka Honey is considered
by many to be the “best” quality honey made from the protected and pristine environment of New Zealand.​

New Zealand is one of the last bastions of purity as an environmentally protected and GMO Free region with the cleanest oceans on the globe. Case in point, Manuka is the gold standard for honey and is produced exclusively in New Zealand from bees and flowers that are environmentally protected. Enjoy these safe and soothing products every day and feel great eating them! No artificial flavors, colors, no corn syrup or refined sugars and NO preservatives.

​Pacific Resources International has been delivering Manuka Honey beauty and health products to Americans for over 25 years. (This includes candy and treats!) Manuka is the gold standard for honey and is produced exclusively in New Zealand from bees and flowers that are environmentally protected. Enjoy these safe and soothing products every day and feel great using them!

Well, even though we saw a few inches of snow a couple weeks ago here in NE Ohio, I think it's finally safe to say that spring is here. In these parts of the world, that also means that grilling season has officially arrived, too. 

Here in the Cleveland area, we really don't need much coaxing to break out our grills. Shoot, it can be snowing and frigid, and guaranteed, somewhere in NE OH, someone is still grilling. I prefer to wait until the temperature is about double my age to venture out to grill since cold and I do not get along well, but to each their own. 

Anyway. We're absolutely thrilled that the weather has warmed up and that we can start spending our days and evenings in the yard, doing things together as a family. Whether it's grilling burgers, dogs, and steaks, setting up our massive inflatable waterslide, or sitting around a fire making tasty S'mores, we make the best memories outdoors. 

Speaking of S'mores and grilling, we recently learned that Blue Rhino, the makers of those handy Propane tanks we all know and love this time of year, offer a lot more than fuel. That's right. Blue Rhino sells a lot more than just Propane. Who knew?! Admittedly, I did not know this. ~Hangs head in shame~

Blue Rhino also carries Grills, Fire Pits, Fireplace Accessories, and even Grilling Tools. How cool is that?!

I'm actually drooling over their Mr. Pizza Oven and Grill.

Recently, they sent me an assortment of these awesome summer must haves to check out for myself. We couldn't wait to check them out! 

Every 33 seconds a child under 13 is involved in a car crash in the United States. For younger children, car seats can dramatically reduce the risk of fatality or injury – but over half of car seats are either installed or used incorrectly. For older children, buckling up is critical. A full 50% of children age 8-14 who were killed in car crashes from 2011-2015 were not restrained.

That’s why we want parents and caregivers to know about the importance of making sure their child is safely restrained—whether that’s selecting the right car seat for their child’s age and size, or making sure that older kids (8-14) always buckle their seat belts and sit in the backseat.

As parents, we all want to do the right thing to keep our children safe and sound.  This spring, the Ad Council and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are unveiling new PSAs to address these important issues.  First, is the up to date car seat safety information like the tips found in the fun new video series “The Wide World of Car Seats.”

The right car seat can make all the difference in a motor vehicle crash. And car crashes are a leading cause of death for children 1 to 13 years old.  But despite their best intentions, many parents may not realize their child isn’t in the right seat.  For example, many parents move their children to the next restraint type (car seat, booster seat, seat belt) too soon. To make sure you have the right seat for your child, visitSaferCar.gov/TheRightSeat.


And just when you think you’ve got this parenting thing down, your child becomes a “tween” and you enter a whole new world.  To help with travel safety, the Ad Council and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are unveiling new PSAs featuring characters from Fox’s upcoming summer road trip adventure Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. The PSAs remind parents and caregivers that even if kids argue and plead, parents should stand firm and always insist that their kids buckle up and sit in the back seat (the safest place for kids under the age of 13)

 I’ve been training my kids since they were young about the importance of seat belt and travel safety, so luckily I don’t have to work very hard to convince them to be safe.  It’s just expected. That expectation doesn’t mean I assume my kids are buckled up, I always check in the mirror and listen for the familiar click.  I’ve also noticed that buckling up is not always automatic when we have friends in the car.  I’m not afraid to require everyone in my car to buckle up and find that most kids are willing to do it when asked.

My kids have also observed their friends being allowed to ride in the front seat inside the neighborhood which has led to begging and pleading for front seat privileges.  When my oldest daughter was just an infant, a 12 year old boy was killed in a low impact collision in a local grocery store parking lot.  He was sitting in the front seat, which is more dangerous for kids.  This experience has stuck with me and reminds me that my children’s safety is far more important than my popularity for the day or week.  So it’s easy for me to know that this is a battle I’m willing to fight every day.)  

Per data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an estimated 69,000 tweens are injured every year in car crashes and 61% of 14-year-old children killed in 2015 car crashes were unrestrained at the time of the crash.  Even though life as a parent is full of compromises, seat belt safety should never be up for negotiation. That’s why the new PSAs encourage us to: “Never give up until they buckle up!”

For more information or if you need more tips to convince your tween to buckle up, visit SaferCar.gov/KidsBuckleUp.  If you have a great tip, join the conversation on social media using: #KidsBuckleUp.