My kids are obsessed with monkeys...Anything featuring these cute little primates is a hit in my house. As a matter of fact, when I recently went to "The Real Whirled" as part of my Maytag Brand Ambassadorship, I got the kids little monkeys at Chicago O'Hare, and they were wearing little t-shirts that say "I Love Chicago". Needless to say, the kids were quite happy to see me when I got home! But the monkey obsession doesn't stop there...Sure, they have a zillion monkey toys, but they also have clothing, boots with monkeys on them, blankets, and even huge wall murals with cute little monkeys. So when I learned about Monkeez, I was more than happy to feature them here. This is an awesome company that features adorable, snuggly animals that any child (or adult) is sure to love. There are loads of monkeys in different colors, patterns and sizes, but there are also other animal pals available, too! We chose monkeys, naturally, but we also love the elephants, cows, and frogs! These great animals are made from vibrantly colored, sock-like material, so they're very cuddly. They even have magnetic limbs that allow kids to hand their Monkeez on their arms, around their necks, or anywhere else they'd like! Not to worry...These magnetic clasps, while strong, are easy to release, so there's no real danger of injury here. While the Monkeez collection is too cute for words, the thing I like the most is that this is a company with a heart. You see, the folks at Monkeez really are making a difference by teaching kids that philanthropy is a way of life.
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Welcome to the Game Wirelessly! Event featuring the PlayMG Wi-Fi Gaming SystemBig thank you to our host Mom to Bed by 8 and supporting co-hosts: Iowa Mom, A Medic's World and Monica’s Rants, Raves & Reviews. Why is the MG so different from any other Wi-Fi device - from smartphones to tablets? The MG fills a huge void currently experienced by kids and teens who either are not old enough to have their own smartphones, or whose parents have found data plans cost prohibitive. The MG isn’t just a device, it is a system that will mean many kids and teens will finally be able to enter the world of freemium apps, and all of the abilities that come with it, while parents can safely and affordably give it to them. MG Topline Features:
One winner will receive the MG!Giveaway ends January 7th at 11:59pm, open to US residents, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck. a Rafflecopter giveawayDisclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Newly Crunchy Mama Of 3 is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. Is everyone ready for Christmas? We have the trees and decorations up, and still need to wrap our presents. (Which has proven to be tricky, since we have to do it while the kids are sleeping...But since they have colds, they're NOT sleeping well!) But here in Ohio, we should have a White Christmas!
In the meantime, I have a few winners to announce! Woo-Hoo! Thanks, as always, to everyone who took the time to enter. Winners have been notified via e-mail and have 48 hours to claim their prizes. Step2: Sherry C. Il Bere: Lisa R. Curtain & Bath Outlet: Kathleen P. Swag Paper: Carol R. CA Wine Club: Lisa G. Ozeri: Latessha W. Warner Bros: Missy Last year, we went to our local ALDI in search of the perfect supplies for our Holiday party. We found cheeses, a huge wine selection, chocolates, and more. I was so impressed by the selection that we actually went back to get even more items to serve our friends! The party was a huge success, and none of our guests knew we got so many fantastic gourmet goodies without breaking the bank. They raved about the wines, cheeses, and even the eclairs and chocolate truffles. We catered our entire party for under $150 total, between both shopping trips. (You can check out our past ALDI experience HERE.) So when we moved to Ohio this past summer, I made sure to find an ALDI location near our new home. To my delight, there is one about a mile away! With Christmas coming, I was definitely going to take advantage of their great deals to cater our Christmas festivities again. This year, our gathering will be smaller and more intimate. On Christmas Eve, my Dad and Step-Mom will be coming over in the evening, and hopefully I will get to see my brother and meet his Fiance who has been teaching kids English in France. Then on Christmas Day, we will be heading over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house. Okay. So that was cheesy, but I couldn't resist! We will be heading to my Grandma's, who just happens to be the most awesome woman in the world, for lasagna, Polish Sausages, and of course her famous Buckeye Balls. While no one in my family needs to be on a gluten-free diet, we do eat many gluten-free foods. If we have guests over who have special dietary needs, I always try and have something on hand that not only meets their needs, but tastes so good that everyone can enjoy it! If you have family or friends that have gluten-free diets, you know that it can be challenging to accommodate their needs during the Holiday season. Many people have tried various gluten-free food options just to find they're flavorless or have odd textures. This tends to turn people off to the whole concept of gluten-free foods. So because of lack-luster taste and very few options, gluten-free options are often left off of Holiday menus. This does not need to be the case. There are several yummy gluten-free options out there, but you just need to know where to find them. No, they don't all taste like cardboard...I promise! In fact, many of these foods taste so amazing that you'll never know what's missing. One of my favorite gluten-free companies is Udi's. The folks at Udi's have truly mastered making following a gluten-free diet not only easy, but delicious! My kids absolutely adore their many cookie varieties, granola, and brownie bites, and their breads, hot dog rolls and hamburger buns are wonderful, too. They're not exactly like their traditional counterparts, but they're very, very close. They have a similar taste and texture to rolls found at upscale restaurants that specialize in gourmet breads from local bakeries. Recently, I got the chance to include several Udi's Gluten-Free products in our Holiday meals. We even got to try their pizza crust, which is something I hadn't tasted yet. We decided to make a fruity dessert pizza with a cream-cheese based "sauce". We had our neighbors and their kids over and no one even knew this pizza was gluten-free! The kids happily gobbled it up, and even asked for seconds! Overall, I was very impressed by Udi's. (As usual!) This pizza crust comes ready to top with all of your favorite ingredients, and you can bake it in the oven, too. I actually pre-baked the crust to give it some crispiness, let it cool completely, and then added the toppings. It was definitely flavorful and was able to hold up well, even loaded with tons of toppings! Here's my recipe, if you'd like to try it for yourself! This would be a perfect dessert or appetizer idea during your Holiday gatherings. This is my toddler, Sophie. She is a sweet, funny, caring child. But she is also incredibly stubborn, especially when it comes to potty-training. You see, sometimes she does great and will let us know she needs to go, but other times she screams bloody murder at the mere mention of her potty. In the past year she has tried to use her potty as a hat, used it to store toys, and has even hidden it from us. (Pretty clever, huh?) So we desperately want to get her on the right track and make sure her relationship with the dreaded potty improves, especially since she has a little brother not too far in age who sees her reactions. We have tried a lot of different things with Sophie. Since we primarily use cloth-diapers, we naturally tried cloth training pants. This did NOT go over well with Sophie. She really doesn't like them, and would scream in protest whenever we put them on her, and she refused to pull them up and down. This went on for several weeks, and we just had to resign ourselves to the fact that cloth training pants just weren't going to work. We have also tried rewarding her with stickers and a ton of hoop-la every time she went on her "big girl" potty. While she seems to love the attention, it has not made her all of too eager to be consistent with her bathroom habits. Okay ... well I wanted this to be my 2,000 Facebook Fan giveaway but I hit 3,000 so I figured I would just combine them and make a massive blow out that is FREE to bloggers who would like a Facebook and a Twitter link! (YES BOTH all you do is have to post announcement post click HERE for the HTML) I'm also offering co-hosting spots and/or (you can have both $10 total) linking pages for $5 (unlimited amount of links) but if you sign up below for your own giveaway (no min. prize amount) you have the ability to WIN a spot (2 spots available if you win I'll refund your payment)!!! There is also a Grace Adele Prize for the blogger who refers the most people so spread the word it's why I'm giving you more than a month sign-ups end 1/25!! If you'd like to have extra links those can be purchased for $2 per link (3 links for $5, and Unlimited for $10) and any money used to pay for links would be used toward the prize amount only and if we got more than I would double the blogger prize! Here are some of the choices for the prizes and if you comment on this post letting us know which one you'd pick ... you'll be entered to win the giveaway event prize (which is open to bloggers too)!! Aren't they adorable?? I love Grace Adele and I'm so excited to be able to give something away!! Now on to the really fun part! I'm also asking my friends to give something away too :) That way if you do not want to participate in the Grace Adele Giveaway but you do want to host your own you can, or you can just be part of this one, or even BOTH!! Sign up below the form and you can choose the prize! I'm sure you want someone to win something for more than $1 ;) Join my Facebook Group HERE Thank you all for participating and please double check your information!!! My toddlers adore Scooby-Doo...So do my teen and my husband, for that matter. Okay, I am kinda fond of the silly canine, myself. I mean, who doesn't love a dog who can help save the day by solving mysteries and eat some interesting culinary concoctions all without skipping a beat? And we can't forget the psychadelic Mystery Machine, Fred and Daphne, lovable Shaggy, or the brains behind the operation, Velma! My kids have a lot of Scooby-Doo toys, and even some clothing and a snuggly warm blanket. We were especially thrilled to find Scooby at a theme park in Virginia when we lived there, and brought back a ton of Scooby-Doo memorabilia so we could always remember the fun time we had exploring the park! (Even if it DID start raining and thundering, and we got drenched making our way from one end of the park to the other so we could exit and find our way to the car!) Do you need some last minute help for your child's wish list this year? If your children love Scooby-Doo, try going straight to the source and have your children visit the new Warner Bros. "Scooby Mystery Workshop" site where they can customize their own holiday gift list! The site offers Scooby-Doo games, toys, costumes, and fun bedding kids can check off into their wish list to help Mom and Dad solve the holiday shopping mystery. Once their favorite Scooby-Doo items are selected, kids can print or email the list to a parent. The site also provides additional fun for your child, such as helping The Gang pick out gifts for each other through an interactive poll, competing to win fun prizes, or playing games with Scooby-Doo and Shaggy. Check out the site here: http://bit.ly/WmFUk2 ***Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Scooby-Doo. I received a product sample to thank me for participating.***
Do you know any brides-to-be? I know several...And I am one...Sort of. You see, I am happily married to the love of my life and have been for almost 5 years, but we plan to renew our vows and have a "real" ceremony in the (hopefully) near future. So I am always on the look-out for great wedding supplies, especially those that are eco-friendly and made from repurposed or sustainable materials. As a green enthusiast, I am always looking for ways to help preserve the environment and help reduce my family's carbon footprint. So of course when I learned about Green Bride Guide, I was beyond excited. This is a huge online store that specializes in green, luxurious items that are sure to make any wedding day absolutely magical...All while staying green! They use fallen trees, repurposed materials, and recycled items to make beautiful, one of a kind items that are sure to help create lasting memories. But even if you're not getting married or shopping for a bride-to-be, Green Bride Guide has a ton of amazing, non-wedding-related products for the home, for kids, and even for your furry friends. I especially love their housewares, since we recently bought a home of our own. Here are some of my absolute favorite finds. With the Holidays season in full swing, many families are traveling to share in the festivities with loved ones near and far. Whether visits are right down the road or several states away, there are safety precautions that will help keep your home and belongings safe while you're away. An average of 34% of Americans spend 1-3 nights away from home during the holidays, making safe travel precautions an important item on the holiday check-list to keep homes and families secure during the holiday season’s hustle and bustle. Here are some of the things that we do to keep our home safe anytime we travel: · Keep that lived-in look. It is important to make your home appear active while away to discourage potential break-ins by setting a timer for lights inside and out and keeping a radio or TV on to create the illusion someone is home. · Toast Don’t Post. Resist updating social network accounts with travel plans to avoid having the news of the unoccupied status of your home fall into the wrong hands. Instead, spend that time in the company of friends and family toasting to health and happiness. · Lock it Down & Carry it On. With a reported 200 items stolen each day from airports, keep valuables and property safe by carrying them with you at all times. Secure checked and carry on items with a TSA-accepted lock and be mindful of your appearance to prevent being a target for theft. |
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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
June 2023
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