Welcome to the Summer Sizzle Giveaway Hop hosted by Mom With a Dot Com! Over 65 bloggers have got together to give you a chance to win some amazing prizes to keep you entertained throughout your summer!
Summer Sizzle will begin on June 24 and end on June 30. As you are hopping around, I hope you will find some prizes that you love - maybe you will even win one! Each giveaway will have a prize valued at $25 or more! So what can you win here? Either a $100 Amazon Gift Code OR a $100 Target Gift Card! Winner's choice!
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At the beginning of June, I was lucky enough to host a super-fun Madagascar 3 Viewing Party for my kids as well as a few neighborhood families. This was a great way to get everyone amped up over the new hit movie, Madagascar 3, which was released in theaters on June 8th! The awesome folks at Children's Claritin sent me a great party kit which included fun activity ideas, recipes, popcorn boxes, and Madagascar and Madagascar 2 on DVD. Sounds like a party to me! While the kids had fun eating their Madagascar Munch Mix, (reipe to follow) and laughing up a storm at the antics of Alex, Melman and Gloria, I was able to head into the next room to get to know our neighbors better and to talk to them about something many kids have in common: Allergies. My 12 year old has pretty bad seasonal allergies. He is also allergic to cats. I think he gets that from me, since I am allergic to just about everything. This is why instead of the big, scary dog my husband would love to have, we have a tiny little, hypoallergenic Yorkie named Trouble. I was surprised to find that all the moms and dads I talked to at our party had children with allergies, too! We also shared a lot of the same complaints about children's allergy medications. It seemed that many of them caused our kids to become drowsy and zombie-like, and that just takes the fun out of being a kid! I give my son Children's Claritin, and we love it. It tackles his seasonal and environmental allergies quickly, and it doesn't knock him out. I told our neighbors all about it, and even provided coupons and samples to them so they could try it out, too! We all loved the Disney/Pixar smash Monsters, Inc. Who could forget "Boo", Mike, and Sulley as they went on their adventure-packed quest to return a stray child safely to the comfort of her own bed? Well, these favorite characters will be making a return in the sequel, "Monsters University"! Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn’t always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn't stand each other. “Monsters University” unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became the best of friends.Screaming with laughter and fun, “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars,” “Mater and the Ghostlight,” “Tracy”) and produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”). The film opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2013, and will be shown in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters. Check out all 4 trailers below! You can also watch all four versions of the new trailer and vote for your favorite Mike sleep talking line on the official Monsters University Facebook Page – http://www.facebook.com/PixarMonstersUniversity. The winning line will be drawn up by a Pixar artist and shared EXCLUSIVELY with the fans of Monsters University. Click "read more" for even more fun trailers!
I don't generally post "rants" on this site. I try and remain positive whenever at all possible. After all, there is already far too much anger and negativity in the world. I am a happy person, and I like my attitude to reflect this. However...There is one thing that will cause me to lose my shit every single time. One thing that will have my claws coming out, causing me to be ready to attack. That one thing is messing with my kids. We all know that Mothers try and protect their children from everything possible, whether it be the stranger offering them candy or bullies on the playground. But what happens when that bully comes in the form of a parent? Then it becomes a little tricky. You see, I got married way too young to a man who ended up being an abusive tyrant. I won't go into specifics here, as it really doesn't matter. I am away from him and have remarried to a wonderful man who is a great husband and amazing father. The ONLY good thing that came out of my first marriage was my 12 year old son. As many of you know, we're moving to Ohio this summer. There is a ton of family there, and my husband has been offered a fantastic job opportunity. Not to mention, the prices of homes are far less than they are here. My 12 year old is very excited about the move, and can't wait to get a fresh start in a better area. Initially, my ex agreed that this was fine and he would not object to it. Initially...God forbid this man, and I use that term loosely,make anything easy. For the past few weeks, my ex has changed his tune dramatically, and is emotionally and mentally tormenting my child. He sits him down and interrogates him relentlessly, making him answer the same questions over and over again. He refuses to believe that my 12 year old child could possibly have his own opinions and desires, and keeps insisting that my husband and I are trying to influence him. (Which is not at all the case. We have told our son that he is free to make his own choices about who he lives with and where, and that his opinion matters.) My ex-husband is telling my child that we're all causing him to be "crapped on", and that Kyle is wrong for legitimately wanting to move. These are NOT things you say to a child. A child is not a pawn. You don't try and guilt a child for expressing their feelings, even if you don't agree with them. This, in my opinion, is a major parenting FAIL. He even stares at him and makes him very uncomfortable. I am sure you're all familiar with Luka Magnotta, the cannibal murderer in Canada? If you've noticed, he has a cold, icy, "dead" looking gaze....Like he is soulless and there's nothing even remotely human behind his eyes. Well, that's exactly the stare my ex has. My son feels very uneasy, and even frightened, when his Dad stares at him like that. The past few times my son has gone to his Dad's for the weekend, he has snuck away and called us, often in tears, telling us how he is being treated. He expresses that he is upset that his Dad won't listen to him, and that he is trying to manipulate him. I am tired of my son always being upset. I am tired of seeing him cry and hearing him protest his visits with his father. He has even begged us to make his dad sign his rights over and let Dan, my husband, adopt him. My ex has major control issues, and of course would never allow this to happen, even if it would be in my son's best interest overall. For a long time, my son had a "Countdown to 12" going, as 12 years old is when a judge gives real weight to a child's desires and kids can often make choices about whether or not they would like to continue seeing a non-custodial parent. 12 has come, and my son STILL rarely really wants to see his Dad. We encourage him to, anyway. We tell him it's okay to love his Dad, and that he should go and have a good time. (Which almost never happens.) What I am having a hard time understanding is why my douche-bag ex would give his blessing on our move one moment, and then when we actually set plans in motion, begin emotionally and mentally tormenting his own child. We have offered to fly or drive my son back to VA on our own dime to see his father. We are reasonable people here, and have always been more than cooperative with this man. You would think a parent would actually listen to their child. You would think a parent would be supportive of their child's desires and needs. You would think a parent would understand that a child of 12 is quite capable of forming their own opinions and that these opinions matter. But no...My psycho ex husband is doing nothing more than pushing his child away. Am I wrong to think that using interrogation and intimidation tactics on a 12 year old child is completely unacceptable? Should my child be put through this emotional and mental torment every time he sees his father? Unfortunately, there is nothing I can really do about it. I am still very much afraid of this man, so my husband has graciously offered to deal with him in my place when discussing our plans to move. You see, like most men of his character, my ex won't bully another man...He reserves that for women and children. I love natural supplements, and I have taken them daily for years. I am a firm believer that Nature provides everything we need for a wide variety of conditions, and with a little bit of research and approval from a trusted physician, there's no harm in trying out these alternative methods. A few months ago, I received a 3 month supply of Viviscal Extra Strength to review. What is Viviscal? Viviscal Extra Strength is a 100% drug-free hair growth vitamin made with the finest ingredients produced by mother nature which promotes thicker, longer, and faster growing hair. This supplement has also been shown to reverse hair thinning and even hair loss. Viviscal has been creating quite the buzz in the beauty industry, and is praised by top stylists worldwide, including my favorite, Tabatha Coffey. I have to admit, I was a little bit skeptical initially, since this product makes some pretty spectacular claims. Hair grows at lightning speed? Thinning not only stopped, but reversed? Hmm...Sounds almost too good to be true, right? I mean, how can one little pill every day produce such amazing results? This weekend, Step2 is having a Buy More, Save More sale. Now through Monday, save $5 off $49 purchase with coupon code S2SM745, $10 off $99 purchase with coupon code S2SM7410 or $20 off $199 purchase with coupon code S2SM7420. Only one coupon code may be used per order. Offer expires at 11:59 PM ET on Monday, June 25, 2012 (not valid on clearance or combos). In addition, this weekend’s deal is for the Complete Choo Choo Train Combo – USA Edition. This red, white and blue version of our best-selling Choo Choo Wagon is just $112.49 (reg. $167.97) + FREE shipping with coupon code S2USA625 now through Sunday. This is a great wagon to tote to picnics and fireworks this Fourth of July! Plus, it offers little ones their own car and juice box holder so they have their own space (separate from their siblings!). Offer expires at 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, June 24, 2012 and is only valid on the red, white, and blue version.
Here in Virginia, it has been oppressively hot lately. I'm talking well over 100 sticky, miserable degrees with the heat index! Of course most sensible people would simply stay indoors, surrounded by the arctic blast of the air conditioning. (Okay...Maybe that's just my preference.) Like I said, while most sensible people stay indoors when it feels like a virtual sauna outside, as we all know, children are usually not too sensible. At least not when it comes to outdoor fun in the summer time! My children, like so many, love playing outside. They enjoy climbing and sliding on their Woodland Climber, catching bugs, and just chasing each other around. But the thing they love the most of all has got to be water play. Whether it be swimming, having water balloon fights, running through the sprinklers, or even having full on water gun fights, if there's water flying, my kids are all about it. When they hear the word "water", they often try and run out the door before I even have the chance to get their sunblock on! Since my kids love getting wet, I was absolutely thrilled when I received the opportunity to review a brand new product from the folks at Aeromax. This company is one of my favorites, since they offer absolutely adorable "Get Real Gear", which are dress up clothes for kids of all ages, infants included! On top of adorable clothing for creative, dramatic play, Aeromax also offers some great toys. We received the Astronaut Space Pack Super Soaking Water Blaster for our review. This is not your ordinary squirt gun by a long shot. As a matter of fact, it's unlike any water gun I have ever seen before. In recent years, the beauty and cosmetic industry have been taking a lot of heat. Why? Well, to put it bluntly: Pthalates, Parabens, Sulfates, and other potentially harmful ingredients that are commonly found in these products. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the ingredients in the products they use, and it seems more and more people are starting to gravitate towards natural products. I am one of these people! I would rather use a product that has ingredients I can understand rather than a laundry list of unpronounceable words that are a general sign of synthetic ones. I am always on the lookout for new and exciting natural beauty and skincare products. I have done a lot of research and have tried a lot of amazing products. So when I was approached by the folks at Moringa Source asking me to review their Moringa Oil, I couldn't believe that I hadn't heard of these products before! So I headed on over to the Moringa Source website, and here is what I learned: Welcome to the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mommy's Favorite Things. Almost 50 blogs have linked up to bring you many exciting cloth diaper giveaways. Enter my giveaway below and then hop to the other blogs listed at the bottom of this post to enter their fluffy giveaways as well! Each blog has a cloth diaper prize valued at $25 or more and many blogs have prizes worth over $100. Ready to see what you can win here? I have a great prize package worth almost $300 that is full of fluffy goodies!
So many of you know that we're moving to snowy Ohio this summer....Since we're planning a move, we're accumulating as many boxes as possible for packing. In the midst of all of our moving stress, 2 and a half year old, Sophie, is FINALLY willing to use her potty! IF, and this is a big if....She has a box on her head...Hey, whatever works, right?
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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 Links We Love :Archives
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