mommypalooza™ ~ a daily dose of mommy mayhem.

5 Ways To Save Big on Maternity Wear

Me, at 38 weeks pregnant!

Man, oh man, the past three and a half weeks have been so crazy busy adjusting to a new schedule with a newborn in the house, but I am feeling so amazingly blessed to have had such a great pregnancy and birthing experience.

{video}: Our first day of Spring finds at Build-a-Bear Workshop!

 

Disney Family Deals is now part of Spoonful.com

    

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.

This Mom Loves MasterCard MarketPlace #FinishMyList

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:

• http://www.facebook.com/mastercard
• http://www.twitter.com/mastercard
• http://www.instagram.com/mastercard rel="nofollow"

{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.}

Halloween Wreath with Orange Pumpkin Lights

I made a wreath for our front door this Halloween season.  I actually used a black, glittery, viney wreath that I've had in my Halloween stash for quite some time. Since it's plain black with no embellishments, I knew that I wanted to add just a little something to it that would make it look festive for passers-by.

Enter my LED pumpkin lights that I picked up at Target on sale for around $8 recently.  They are battery operated and the single strand was just enough to use for the entire circumference of the wreath.  I love that the wreath looks great during the daytime with its cute smiling pumpkin faces greeting you.

But the kids and I especially love the wreath at night!

See?! It's perfectly Halloween-y without being too creepy.  My only complaint is that I wish this pack of LED lights had a timer function because I have been known to leave it on overnight on accident.  Oops.

This project took me just minutes to pull together and I love the result.  So when you are out trick-or-treating, come look for this door - we'll have candy!

The World of Coca-Cola Store: My Goodies

As you may know, I recently attended Conversations with Coca-Cola, a conference experience that gave me some insight into the world of Coca-Cola.  I was so blown away by this company -- they don't just talk the talk -- they walk the walk. 

During our time in fabulous Atlanta, Georgia, we were whisked way from our comfy conference roundtable chairs and given a V.I.P. tour of the World of Coca-Cola.  That was such an experience all by itself that I can't wait to share more in detail about it with you.  At the end of our tour, Coca-Cola graciously treated us to a fun shopping spree inside their Coca-Cola Store.  I could not believe my eyes!  So many fun finds all in one place.

Here are just a few of the fun finds I brought home with me that make me smile and relive the experience all over again!

 

This is such a fun find and I can't wait to have it alongside my Disney keychain - two of my favorite brands "hanging out" together! Although this can be found at the Coca-Cola Store, it was actually given to us at the conference.

 

Seriously how cute are these? The instant I saw them I knew my 3 boys needed to have them. They are fun and easy to clean! {Coca-Cola 10 oz. contour tumbler with lid & straw}

 

And, when I was getting ready to wash the cups for use, I noticed the sticker on bottom. These cuties are manufactured at Berry Plastics,  just 40 minutes away from my house!

 

My go-to cup around the house now!

 

Oh my goodness, how I LOOOOVE this rolling cooler bag! We literally lived out of it this past weekend at our baseball tournaments! So cute and easy to tote around!  Both Allie over at Screwed Up Texan and I picked this up and were so excited to use it!

 

Peace, Love & Coke. I couldn't have said it better myself! This cute tote is my new summer bag! With functional pockets inside and its lightweight design, I will be toting it with me to the pool this weekend!

So I should have ya'll know I've already told the hubs I want to paint our kitchen red and do a Coca-Cola theme.  He didn't say "no", so that's a good sign, right?  Plus I've already got the white cabinetry to coordinate with the Coca-Cola colors!  Hmm...Coca-Cola peeps are you reading this? I'd LOVE to have a Coca-Cola sponsored kitchen redesign and totally make it over with all Coca-Cola themed accessories!  I think it'd go well with my modern tastes!  It also sounds like a FAB blogging project, if I do say so myself!

Thanks to Coca-Cola for such an awesome 2 days and for sharing your vision, values and message with all of us who were invited to attend the conference.  We couldn't have asked for better hosts and I am so excited to share more about my Coca-Cola experience!

 

photos taken with my Sony NEX-5 & Samsung Galaxy SII Epic 4G Touch

{Disclosure: I was invited to take part in the Conversations with Coca-Cola Social Media Moms Conference.  My conference accomodations including travel, hotel, and expenses are being provided heavily subsidized, however I have not been asked or required to share anything with my readers about the conference or anything related to Coca-Cola.  I am doing this on my own accord. All opinions are my own. No one is the boss of me!}

 

DisneyBaby.com officially launches

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Disney has officially launched their newest creation - DisneyBaby.com.  It is the newest parent portal aimed at helping foster and preserve magical memories for parents of infants.  The site features a variety of topics for new and expecting parents that makes it easy {and fun} to document all of the special times between parents and their babies!

Topics on the DisneyBaby.com site include "Getting Ready", "In the Nursery", "Mealtime", "Baby's Firsts", and more.  Being a proud member of a Disney-loving family, the new site has me even more baby crazy!  I've had such a great time just visiting the site and getting the chance to look through all of the fun photos and moments that parents have uploaded and shared on the new site.

It wasn't long ago that I was visiting Disneyworld, expecting an infant of my own:

 

Ah, yes....I was nearly 5 months pregnant with my sweet Jacob, who's now almost 2 and a half.  Needless to say, our family has had the Disney-itch for a while now and we're looking forward to hopefully planning a visit really soon!  Mostly, I'm just giddy at the thought of checking their new resort out.  Disney's Art of Animation Resort looks like a perfect fit for our family.  My kids would go crazy if they got to stay in one of the Cars or Nemo themed family suites! 

 

After visiting YOUR favorite Disney resort, the new DisneyBaby website seems like just the perfect place to share your family's memories!  Enjoy!

Photo credit:  DisneyBaby

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Crate + Barrel display easel

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This is absolutely my favorite way to display!  A few months ago I picked up this ridiculously inexpensive display easel from Crate & Barrel and instantly fell in love.  It's the best 4 bucks you'll ever spend on bringing out the best in your home.

This small (but mighty) tabletop easel is the perfect solution when you're looking to display your favorite plate, artwork, tile, book or other object.  And don't let its size fool you!  When I discovered it several months ago, this is what I came home and used it for:

The two large pieces in back are wedding gifts the hubs and I received almost 11 years ago.  They're from our Pottery Barn wedding registry and - until just a few months ago - they were buried at the bottom of our pots and pans cabinet.  Such a travesty, I know.

So imagine how freaking beyond thrilled  I was when I discovered that for just a few dollars, I could have them displayed just like I'd always wanted to, only I could never find the perfect way!  They've been displayed here atop our lovely fridge ever since.  The smaller silver piece in the front is a find from either Target or Kirkland's, I think.  Anyway, I thought it went beautifully with the other two pieces so I decided to display that as well.

And that bottle of Grand Marnier - don't mind that.  It's still sitting there from when I used it for some tasty martinis during a party I hosted with some friends.  The drinks were yummy.  The bottle stays.  For now, at least.

Fast forward to last week when I made another trip out to Crate & Barrel to purchase the rest of our dinnerware collection.  It occurred to me that I should pick up a couple of extra easels "just in case" I might need them.  Sure enough, I came home and the easel turned out to be the perfect answer on what to do with my new Valentine's Day canvas that I wanted to display in our entryway.

Ahhhh, prettttyyyy!! 

What I love about these easels are that they're inexpensive, simple, and the back is adjustable which makes it easy to display at virtually ANY angle possible.  If you are looking for a versatile display easel and haven't found one that works for you, I highly recommend you give this one a try!  So many great possibiltities with this little must-have.

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Home Depot holiday decor + $50 gift card giveaway #FiestasHomeDepot

I'm a total chick and love shoes just as much as the next woman, but must admit that a store I could *REALLY* get lost in and stay all day is The Home Depot.  Yep, for realsies.  My mind just seriously wanders when I'm in that store!  So the other day - while on the hunt for a new bathroom shelving unit - I totally got sucked into all of the fun displays for holiday decor.  I mean, have you seen this place lately?

Their selection of both indoor and outdoor holiday decor is AMAZING!  Not only do they have the best deal on strings of lights that I've seen from any retailer, but they have such a great assortment of inflatable decorations, ornaments, tree skirts, pre-lit trees, and more!  I love that you can pick out new bathroom tile in the same store that you can also buy a gorgeous Martha Stewart wreath at!  They've got a great new section on their website, too where you can learn all about their projects featured in their most recent television commercials.  My favorite is the Build An Ornament Frame.  

Of course, we've always loved the fun things about Home Depot, including the kids workshops they host on the first Saturday of the month.  Kids can make a project and take home a cool workshop apron when they're done!  My kids did this last year and they STILL talk about having participated!

So, after browsing the entire store (and nearly getting lost in the toilet seat section of the store), I finally settled on garland for our staircase.  See??

I think it turned out GREAT!  The kids love having the staircase all lit up at night and I have to say that it does make for a beautiful look at night! 

If there are still a few decorating pieces you are thinking of getting, I would definitely say you should run to your nearest Home Depot store and check out their great finds.  From traditional to modern, you'll find something for your decorating style AND your budget.  Speaking of budget, my friends at The Home Depot want to help bulge your budget a little more this holiday season with a $50 Home Depot gift card!  Can you say 'AWESOMESAUCE'?

Ready to enter and win?  Simply use the form below for your chance!  Contest period runs through 12/18/2011.  US entries only, age 18 and up.  Winner selected at random and notified via email. Good luck!

{Disclosure:  This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and The Home Depot. The Home Depot works with bloggers such as myself to conduct product reviews. They do not tell bloggers what to say about their products or how to say it. The Home Depot fundamentally believes that people should be free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot often provides product - free of charge - to bloggers for review as they did for this post. The Home Depot's policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. The Home Depot provided me with a gift card to shop for the holidays and post my experience. All opinions expressed in this article are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.}

 

 

Build-a-Bear Workshop friends & family coupon!

Here's a first-time-ever deal for all of you Build-a-Bear Workshop fans!  They've announced their first-ever Friends & Family Event starting November 20 - 23.  Get 25% off your purchase when you print and present this coupon!

What a great way to get some holiday shopping done for the little "bear" in your life!  Enjoy!