This year Dr. Seuss’s birthday (March 2nd) corresponds with Read Across America Day. This year it will be celebrated on Friday March 1st. No American writer has had as great an impact on children's literature as Dr. Seuss. His imaginative characters, vivid illustrations, and catchy rhymes are instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up reading his stories. Create a personal library of children’s books by joining Dr. Seuss & His Friends book club.
This is a great deal that my family has taken advantage of, all for only $5.95! It includes:
The Cat in the Hat, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Ten Apples On Top, Go Dog Go! & The Tooth Book
Free colorful Cat in the Hat Backpack to carry all your books in.
Free shipping.
Free Dr. Seuss & His Friends Audiobook read by Jason Alexander, David Hyde Pierce or Kelsey Grammer. *Note that this is only available during the Dr. Seuss Birthday weekend celebration.
My kids are so excited about getting to celebrate Dr. Seuss this year because they'll get to have a "Wacky Dress Day" this week at school as well as a read-in where they'll get to share all their favorite Dr. Seuss books.
For more Dr. Seuss celebration ideas, check out my Pinterest board! How will you celebrate this year?
Nothing says Valentine's Day more than the hazelnutty goodness of Nutella and the sweet taste of a fresh, ripe strawberry. Normally, we like to dip our strawberries in Nutella around here, but today I decided to try something different.
That's right folks! Take a simple strawberry, cut off the top and a bit off the bottom {so that it stands easier}, then take your jar of Nutella and spoon it right inside.
Love. A day that's solely dedicated to celebrating love. How could you not love a holiday like that? I absolutely love Valentine's Day and the season that surrounds it. One could argue that perhaps it's because I have a February birthday that I enjoy the month so much. I tend to have a month-long celebration thanks to my amazing husband and family. Or, maybe it's because the month of February brings with it that glimpse of sunshine - that is Spring - and gets me excited about warmer weather!
Whatever it is, I do know that Valentine's Day ranks right up there with how much I love Halloween & Mother's Day. I love the decor, colors, and beautiful tulips {my favorite flower} that come with the holiday. Over the years, I have made so many wonderful traditions with my kids - from doing countdown gifts starting February 1st, to a special Valentine lunch tradition. And of course, interwoven throughout all of these traditions are lots of photos of my loved ones and lots of cute and special cards.
Shutterfly's selection of Valentine's Day themed cards are so unique and perfect for celebrating your loved ones or even for your kids to use to exchange with their friends and classmates. I recently checked out their selection online and came out with a few of my favorite designs.
Aren't they adorable? I am picking up a few of these to send out to family and friends who are across the miles. I think they'll be delighted to open up their mailboxes and have one of these sweet cards to greet them. The cards also make great valentines for kids to exchange with their friends, classmates, and teachers. With over 50 new designs, there are so many lovely options to choose from!
While I was on the Shutterfly website, I discovered a few other great finds that I can't live without! From a custom deck of playing cards to the most one-of-a-kind iPhone case, there are so many unique gift items to choose from -- for any occasion. But, my top pick has to be this Custom Photo Gallery Desktop Plaque.
How cute and modern is that? I know I could easily have several of these around my house and never get tired of seeing them! I love that they are offered in three different sizes, too.
And this is where the fun begins . . . Shutterfly is graciously giving me the opportunity to spread the love with a fun giveaway! I'm excited to be giving away 50 of the 4x5 Valentine's Day cards and one 5 x 5 custom desktop plaque! Yay! See the info below to enter the giveaway which will end February 3, 2013.
Happy Valentine's Day to you all!!
{Disclsoure: I have received free products in exhange for hosting this giveaway, however all opinions about Shutterfly and their products are my own. No one is the boss of me.}
I've always said it's no coincidence that I've found myself as the mother of a house full of boys. I am such a sports fanatic and love that there's no shortage of sports-minded males in my brood. And, when it comes to sports, football is the ultimate!! Blame it on the Texas gal in me who has fond memories of sitting around the living room on weekends with my Dad as our huge console tv blared the Dallas Cowboys game. Flashes of the late, great Tom Landry and his infamous hat and stoic facial expression would go across the screen. My dad be yelling at the tv at players as if they could hear him! The excitement in our house was contagious!
Yeah, I do love me some football. And, I love Coke.
So, I jumped at the chance to share this new fun twist on the ol' Super Bowl commercials we've all come to anticipate and love. Keep reading!
The Coca-Cola Company is excited about the debut of their new 60-second commercial entitled “Mirage” during this year's big game. The ad follows three groups of characters
– a band of cowboys, a gang of “Badlanders” and {my personal fave} a pack of Vegas-style showgirls
– as they chase after a coveted & elusive bottle of Coca-Cola. But what makes this spot one-of-a-kind is that the fans will actually determine who will win the race! Fans are invited and encouraged to log on to CokeChase.com
to vote for their favorite group of peeps while slowing down the others' progress by
initiating fun acts of sabotage. At the end of the game, it will be the fans' actions that will actually dictate how the story plays out and which one of three 30-second ads will air following the final whistle of the big game. This is a first for The
Coca-Cola Company.
I'm also looking forward to tracking my character pick - the Vegas style showgirls - over on Coca-Cola’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. There will be real-time updates on the progress of the race. You can also keep track of exclusive Coke Chase character content and get a behind-the-scenes look on Tumblr and Instagram.
Fans can also show some love to their favorite group of characters and root for their pick by using special hashtags #CokeShowgirls, #CokeCowboys, or #CokeBadlanders. If you cast a vote ongame-day by tweeting @CocaCola along with your group's fave hashtag, you'll also get responses from the team,
including a link to the sabotage page on CokeChase.com where you can continue the fight in the race!
Then, as
the final whistle blows after the Super Bowl, Coca-Cola
will reveal the winner of the Coke Chase based on the fans' participation in the form of a
30-second commercial that completes the race and storyline. I'm sure it will be a fight that comes down to the bitter end! I can't wait!
Here's a sneak at the Coke Chase ad -- watch it and then pick your fave brood of characters to support and follow along until game day!
And now for the giveaway! Coca-Cola is giving me the opportunity to give one of YOU this fun game-day prize pack to help you celebrate the big game!
Here's what's in the prize pack {valued at $100 retail value}:
{Disclosure: I have received a prize incentive in exchange for sharing the details of this promotion and giveaway with my readers. The prizes for this
giveaway are furnished by The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions expressed
are my own - no one is the boss of me!}
My 3 year-old is undoubtedly Disney Junior's #1 fan, as he loves tuning in to his favorites, two of whom are included in the special upcoming Valentine's Day episodes - Doc McStuffins and Handy Manny.
I was so excited to learn that Disney Junior will be celebrating Valentine's Day this year with themed episodes of what has become cable TV's #1 series for kids ages 2-5 - "Doc McStuffins" and perennial favorite "Handy Manny."
In the new "Doc McStuffins" episode titled "My Huggy Valentine," Doc receives a stuffed Valentine's Day heart named Val as a gift and Lambie gets jealous because she thinks Doc likes her new toy better. After diagnosing Lambie with "splitheartitis," {which will undoubtedly go in the big book of Boo-Boos} Doc reassures her that no one could ever take her place. This episode of "Doc McStuffins" premieres Friday, February 1 at 10:00 a.m., ET/PT on the Disney Channel and 4:00 p.m., ET/PT on Disney Junior.
And for even more Disney love, in a special Valentine's Day themed "Handy Manny" episode, Manny wants to ask longtime friend Kelly to a Valentine's Day party. With a little help from the tools, he finally works up the courage and asks her to attend Mrs. Portillo's party with him. The episode titled "Valentine's Day Party" premieres Thursday, February 14 at 10:30 a.m., ET/PT on the Disney Channel and 6:00 p.m., ET/PT on Disney Junior.
I'm so looking forward to watching both of these fun episodes with my sweet Jacob. We often enjoy having conversations about the characters and episode messages that are conveyed on the Disney shows we watch. It's sweet to watch him learn and develop from the things he sees on some of his favorite shows. My favorite has to be when he sees me tired or not feeling well, he comes over to me and says in a very sweet and endearing tone, "Aww, you need a cuddle!"
I am so glad he's as big of a fan of Disney Junior as I am!
One of my favorite sources for crafts, fun recipes, and seasonal fun stuff -- Spoonful.com -- will now feature great deals from Diney Family Deals!
If you haven't already checked out Spoonful, you should! It's Disney's newest site for families looking for activities, crafts, recipes, party ideas, and more. My 3 year-old loves the coloring sheets offered there, especially this Jake and the Neverland Pirates coloring sheet.
Over the past weekend I finally mustered up enough energy and patience to de-Christmas-ize our house. I should mention that the hubs did take care of all the lights and decor outside per my request since my growing pregnant belly is seeming to get in the way of me doing more and more these days. And as much as I hate jumping from one holiday to another so quickly, you should all know by now that Valentine's Day is one of my most FAVORITE holidays ever! So, I'm looking forward to putting up all of my pink and red Valetine's Day decor out just as quickly as I took Christmas down in one afternoon.
Happy New Year! As I get ready to kick off a brand new 2013 with all of you, little has made me more excited and getting to break open my brand new 2013 calendar / planner. {Nerdy, I know.} There's just something about the fresh new pages of a paper planner that get my excitement at all-time high levels!
To me, nothing says more about traditions with family other than food! Food is a HUGE part of all of my family celebrations and this holiday season will be no different.
I'm looking forward to spending the Christmas holiday at my mom's for the first time in many years. And although I probably won't be doing too much of the cooking {but, hey, I make one heck of a taste-tester!} I know that during our gatherings the menu will call for something that is quick, simple, tasty, and filling!
Today I'm sharing one of my new favorite slow-cooker discoveries - Creamy Shredded Chicken Tacos topped with homemade guacamole using Avocados from Mexico! What's great about this dish is that the ingredients are super-simple AND it is tasty and can feed a crowd.
We all love to be treated to a good deal every now and then. I've recently discovered a new favorite site for finding great local and national deals that me and my family can enjoy.
MasterCard Marketplace is an online local and national deals site that will make you r last-minute shopping super easy and affordable! You may find yourself coming to the end of your budget for the holiday season but you may still need to buy more gifts. MasterCard Marketplace offers an easy and convenient solution with outstanding special offers.
I recently picked up a great deal to treat my family out to a night at a fun local pizza place. I love that the MasterCard Marketplace website was fast, easy-to-understand, convenient AND affordable! Now we'll be able to go out for a fun family dinner during the post-holiday season and won't be out a ton of money!
Many times we as parents are looking for amazing ways to make our kids and spouses feel special and enjoy some time out, but we don't want to use all of our disposable income on one outing. This is where the MasterCard Marketplace site comes into play. And, if you are traveling over the holiday break, plug in the zip code to the place you'll be visiting and see what kinds of deals await you at your destination! You may be able to do more while on vacation than you think!
I hope you'll take a gander at MasterCard Marketplace and let them help you finish your list this holiday season!
To find out more about MasterCard MarketPlace, check them out here:
{Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a
social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and MasterCard
#CBias #SocialFabric #FinishMyList, however all opinions and thoughts stated are my own.}
I'm a wife, mommy to 4 boys ages 9, 7, and 3, and 1 month! Mommypalooza is where I share my ramblings about the life of a boymom, family traditions, style + beauty, our life in Kansas City, and our love of sports, Disney, travel + tech, and more! Browse around to find delish recipes, diy stuff, and product reviews + giveaways! Thanks for stopping by!
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