Life of Crime Fandango Gift Card Giveaway. #LifeofCrime

Life of Crime starring Tim Robbins, Will Forte, Isla Fisher and Jennifer Aniston is now out in select theaters and is available on itunes and OnDemand. To celebrate, we're giving away a $15 Fandango gift card. You can enter to win by completing the Rafflecopter form.

Budweiser Made In America Fest to Rock Both Coasts this Labor Day Weekend! #MadeInAmericaFest

This Labor Day weekend The Budweiser Made In America Fest will be rocking out on both sides of the nation. This is the first American festival to run simultaneously on both coasts. It is the third year for this event in Philly, and the first year in L.A.  Along with the great line up of artists, these events also support a great cause with proceeds going to the local United Way in each area, and multiple organizations represented at each event in the Cause Village.

Off to College, Sol Republic Tracks Air Wireless Headphones Giveaway- EXPIRED

This weekend we moved my oldest daughter back into the dorm for her last year of college. I can't believe it was only 3 years ago that she was the nervous freshman heading off to school, and now she was the senior helping the freshmen move in...and from what she tells me they all brought way too much of all the wrong stuff! Some of these kids had enough stuff to furnish a 2 bedroom apartment, and they're squeezing it into 1 small dorm room!

It's hard to know just what your child needs when they go away to college for the first time. In most cases, less is more. The best tip I can give you is to keep it simple. Everything you move in, you have to move out again, and somehow, they always have more things at the end of the year than they started with, so save yourself the hassle of moving way too much stuff.

Music Monday, Who was with Katy Perry at VMA? and Is Taylor Swift Racist? #MusicMonday

It's Music Monday, and everyone is talking about last night's VMAs. Miley had a homeless person accept her award. Beyonce broke down when Jay-Z brought Blue Ivy to the stage to present her the Vanguard award. And, the big question of the night...Who was the guy with Katy Perry?! He looked like an over the top SNL skit! But, nope no comedic attempt here, he is the rapper known as Riff Raff and that's just his regular look, bling teeth and all, so hey, good for him!

Taylor Swift performed her new song Shake it Off. Last week, the news was all about the video being racially insensitive. I don't see it at all! It's a catchy simple pop song with a cute video that has multiple dance styles. I think it's racially insensitive to say that any one dance style only belongs to a certain race or that one fashion style can only be worn by a certain ethnicity. We can only be equal when we stop trying to classify people and styles. If you like the style wear it. If you like the moves shake it! ♫Shake it off shake it off♫


What do you think, am I missing something? Is Taylor Swift really being racist, or is this just the usual case of the media finding something to create news and controversy?

High Tech Sensor May Keep Children Safe From Concussion, Nominate Your School to Win

Kids want to play football. Parents want to keep them safe. Keeping them off the field doesn't have to be the answer. Progressive Insurance is giving High School football teams a chance to win a set of Shockbox Helmet Sensors.

Shockbox Helmet Sensors measure the forces of impact on the helmet and transmit data to your smartphone. This device can detect if an impact is strong enough to result in a concussion. This may help to keep our children safer in impact sports.
 
Want to win a set of Shockbox Helmet Sensors for your local High School Football team?
 
Just nominate the team with a short essay, and they might just be one of the 10 schools to win!
Make sure to get your entry in by 09/19/2014 Official Rules




Shockbox Helmet Sensor fits any size football helmets





Site contains affiliate links.  No other compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

Almost 3 Years Later, Finally a Plumeria Flower

For the longest time, it was just a stick in a pot. A friend gave it to me and told me it was really easy to grow. I do not have a green thumb at all, but I gave it a try. Months later, it still looked like a stick. Then one day, a leaf appeared, then another. It wasn't a stick anymore, now, it was a stick, with leaves!

I said, "someday it will have flowers."

A year later, a branch sprouted, but still no flowers. It sprouted quite a few more leaves, and yet another branch. Each time the change caught my attention. I watched to see if this bud would become a flower. Instead the bud was more leaves, then another branch. It had become to look like a real tree; no longer just a stick with leaves.

It has been almost 3 years since I stuck that stick in that flower pot hoping for flowers. Over the years of watching the leaves uncurl as the branches reach for the sun, I stopped thinking about the flowers it would bring. I began to just enjoy watching the new shape it would take as it spread its branches.

Then yesterday, I saw it, the bud that I thought was yet another leave, was in fact the beginnings of my first Plumeria flower. It had finally arrived and in such beauty!

 
 
I can't help but feel proud of this beautiful little bloom. They say good things come to those who wait, in the case of this Plumeria, that proves to be very true.
 
♪Have a little patience, yeah yeah♪ (Guns & Roses)
 
 
 
Posts on this site may contain affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own.
 
 


 


Movie Night with the Family and Snacks #ChexMixPopped

We watch a lot of movies at our house. It's a great way to spend time together with the family. On a recent movie night, even the dogs settled in to watch. Dawson just cuddled up right next to me to watch the movie.



Actually, come to think of it, his interest in the movie might have something to do with the movie snacks...

Anytime there's popcorn around my boys (the dogs) are close by. In this case, it was not just popcorn, it was Chex Mix and popcorn! 

Chex Mix Popped combines snack mix with popcorn. I tried both the White Cheddar and the Sweet & Salty flavors. I wasn't a big fan of the White Cheddar. It was okay, my daughter, and hubby liked it, it just wasn't my favorite. I felt that it could have had a little more cheese flavor. But the Sweet & Salty one...it was really good!  It was crunchy and sweet with a nice balance of salty. It was fun to have the popcorn mixed right in.



Movie time with the family was awesome, and sharing a new snack made it even better. Because you have to have a snack with the movie right?! 

Chex Mix is on Facebook if you want to learn more about their fun snack mix.


disclosure: I was provided this product and the popcorn buckets by General Mills. All opinions expressed are my own.

Music Monday, Celebrating 20 Years With Hits From 1994. #MusicMonday

It's a very special Music Monday. I'm celebrating my youngest daughter's 20th birthday. It's so hard to believe it's been 20 years since my beautiful little Rose was born. Where has the time gone?! It passes so fast.

Let's celebrate my beautiful little rock star with #1 songs from the year she was born, 1994.



First up, All for Love by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting.


This one spent 6 weeks at number 1, The Sign by Ace of Base

And finally, Stay by Lisa Loeb


I hope you have a rockin' week!

Birthday Celebration on a Budget, A Freebie Lover's Dream!

Last Friday was my 40th birthday. I wanted to do something to mark the occasion, but I wanted it to be very low key, and because money is very tight for us right now, I needed it to be very budget friendly.

So, I thought about it, and thought about it, and, it came to me...a treasure hunt...a freebie treasure hunt! I love free, so why not make it the focus of my day?!

Many businesses offer rewards for birthdays, and often the rewards are completely free. My mission was to find these freebies. We had a fun day, and other than gas and some drinks, we didn't spend a thing!

Here's just a few of the free things I enjoyed.

Free latte of choice at Starbucks for birthday as a rewards member, easy just use registered gift card

Sephora's Birthday freebie just for having the free rewards card, super easy, just walk in and ask for it.
 
Easiest of all! Show Firehouse Subs proof of birthday, get a free sandwich. No sign up needed!
 
Free chocolate every month with free Godiva rewards card. Easy
 
 
Sign up for Moe's e-club, get a coupon for free entree with drink purchase.

 
 
 
 

I really had a lot of fun on my birthday freebie hunt. Everybody was so friendly, and it was just a fun day! There are quite a few places that honor the whole birthday month, so I've still got some freebies out there waiting for me. I'll keep celebrating, because I'll only turn 40 once!
 
If you want to celebrate a birthday on a budget, try a freebie treasure hunt. Keep in mind, many places require you to sign up in advance, so check with your favorite places before you go. I'd love to hear what birthday freebies you found!

Celebrating with an Awesome Mix of 1974! #MusicMonday

Happy Music Monday! I had a great weekend celebrating my 40th birthday. So, I figured why not celebrate some songs that are also from 1974?! I remember when 40 seemed so old, but I certainly don't feel old. It's hard to believe I'm FORTY! Wow! I'm way too young to be 40! I've still got plenty of life in me! And, so do these 40 year old songs!

Let's celebrate, and dance!

This first one is on the Guardians of the Galaxy, Awesome Mix Vol. 1 for a reason, because it is awesome! It is Come and Get Your Love by Redbone



When talking about 1974, you have to mention the Jackson 5. Here's Dancing Machine!


This song just never gets old! The Joker by The Steve Miller Band


Okay, so I know this is another one that is featured in Guardians of the Galaxy, but it's so fun I had to include it! Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede.


Have a great week, and Keep groovin'!


For more #MusicMonday Check MMMM

First Glimpse at Disney's new Musical, Into the Woods #IntotheWoods

Disney has released the teaser trailer for their new musical Into the Woods.  It's a good glimpse at what looks to be an interesting film version of the Broadway musical of the same name.

Into the Woods takes multiple Brothers Grimm stories and intertwines them with an original fairy tale about a baker and his wife (Chris Pine and Emily Blunt). The stories are tied together by a common villain, played by Meryl Streep.



I'm sure many Broadway fans are excited to see the on screen version of this beloved show. I'm most looking forward to hearing the songs performed by this great cast. With Disney involved, I'm sure we won't be disappointed.
Meryl Streep is The Witch in Disney's Into the Woods



Guardians of the Galaxy; Go See it! Leave the Young ones at Home!

I have never read any of the comics so, I really didn't know what to expect going into Guardians of the Galaxy. I knew it looked fun, but I had no idea! Seriously! You have to see this movie... In the theater.... Don't wait! It is AWESOME!

It opens up in 1988 with a little boy pushing play on and an Awesome Mix Tape. That was it for this 80's kid, I knew it was going to be good.

I didn't expect it to be as good as it is! It is like buckling in to an incredible roller coaster ride and being blasted off into outer space with people you've never met, and by the end of the ride, they are your best friends, and you can't wait to ride again. That's how I feel about this movie; I can't wait to ride it again!

I think it may be the best Marvel movie, yet! The characters are all so fun to watch and they are so much more complex than your average superhero. They seem so real, so relatable. These are characters that you would just want to hang out with.

It is the telling of how the Guardians of the Galaxy come to be, but it doesn't have any long drawn out character establishment stuff. It is just pure, fast moving, fun!

And, the music...the music! It is such a perfect blend of pop songs from the 70's and 80's, and it plays such an important part of the movie that it's almost another character, itself. I loved it so much, that hubby bought it for me that night! I'm grooving to it right now. (♪Ooh child, things are gonna get easier♪)

So, the movie's great, the music is great, the characters are great, it's all great, but there is something you may not all think is great...This is not a movie for kids. Sure, it's got an adorable tree guy in it, and there's a super cute raccoon, but...It is PG13. It contains violence and profanity so I wouldn't recommend taking your highly impressionable 6 year old to it. I mean, it's your kid, so parent how you choose, but just be prepared to explain some middle fingers flying, and the inevitable "Mommy, what's a whore?"

I say, leave the kids at home and go see it on your own! You deserve a date night, and this movie is perfect for it.
Then, if you think your kid will be okay watching it. And, you've prepared yourself for those difficult conversations...go again, believe me you'll want to see it twice. It is that good!

Hubby and I waiting to watch Guardians of the Galaxy in 3D.


 





disclosure: I attended a free screening of this movie for the purpose of this review. All opinions expressed are my own. Site may contain affiliate links.