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Bathroom Inspiration & DIY Ideas

A few months back, I told you guys about our plan to do a “Not-So-Extreme” makeover on our Master Bedroom space... It’s a huge room, but we were trying to divide it into a main bedroom, a playroom and sleeping area for Abby, and an office area for both me and Mike. Wow, that’s a lot of different uses for just one room, right? Well, as we got started on things, my brother found a new house – when he moved out last month, it freed up two more bedrooms in the house, meaning a lot more space for us to spread out! So we’ve modified our plans…. And now my home DIY project list is about twice as long, lol. One bedroom is kind of partitioned in two, so that one became Abby’s playroom in the front, and an office in the back. The second free bedroom is going to be a guest room, for when my dad or Mike’s daughters come to visit. All of those rooms are going to need a lot of work – but for now, I’m focusing on making our Master Bedroom and Bath into a really luxurious, calm, relaxing area. {Because with my crazy-busy life, I need at least a small piece of calm…} As I plan the Master Bath redo, I thought I’d share some fun ideas that I’ve come across, to inspire you too….

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The Magic Way to Simplify Digital Photo Organization

“A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.” – Eudora Welty… I love photography. I’m definitely the person in my family that’s responsible for capturing those great moments we have all year – from videotaping birthdays, to snapping fun pics of the kids in the pool, to making the annual photo books for everyone at Christmas time. I have so many favorites – but I’m not always good about organizing them…

Christmas portrait - how to organize online photos

This is Abby last year at the holidays. I can’t even believe how much she has changed over the last 10 months – my oh my, where does the time go? Her hair wasn’t even long enough for pigtails last year! But I love this silly little smile and those chubby cheeks. Priceless to me. [Read more…]

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3 New Ways to Teach Kids Building Skills – #Megabloksparty

Mega Bloks First Builders party time… You know how much I love to entertain, right? From summer pool parties to holiday dinners – and all of the playdates, game nights, and impromptu get-togethers in between – Having our house full of friends and family is what makes me happy. And – I loooove when I get a chance to host a great event like this one from Mom Select, where I get to share great new gear with Abby’s friends – We recently had the opportunity to have a Mega Bloks First Builders playdate party, and the kiddos had a blast! Take a peek, and check out some of cool new toys for toddlers from Mega Bloks that are fun, and teach great building, spelling, and motor skills…

Mega Bloks Tin Tuff Race Chase Rig

[Read more…]

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Five Wardrobe Essentials Every Modern Man Needs

“If people turn to look at you on the street, you are not well dressed, but either too stiff, too tight, or too fashionable.”
– Beau Brummel… I love this quote, especially when it comes to men’s fashions. For most guys, it’s almost uncool to be too fashionable – guys don’t want their friends making fun of a nice new shirt, a new haircut that’s too perfect, or a new accessory piece. And since most of they men I know let their wives or partners do the majority of their clothes shopping, it’s important to remember that what looks “cute” to us, might be a total deal-breaker for a guy. I used to work in retail as a personal shopper for years, and while men LOVE to get a woman’s opinion on the gear that they buy, trust me – they do NOT want to hear how “cute” the new shirt you bought them is. Ever. So, when you’re in need of affordable style that’s fashionable without being over the top trendy, a great place to start is the Merona line at Target.

Five Wardrobe Essentials Every Modern Man Needs

These are my 5 must-have picks for fall-into-winter for men. Add in a couple of nice pairs of jeans, a few nice tee shirts, and you’ve got the perfect mix-and-match pieces that your mister can use for just about any occasion. Chino pants are a total classic, and can be dressed up with a tailored shirt and a blazer – or swap the blazer for the puffer vest and you have a whole different casual look. Here are a couple of ideas on how to mix up these pieces in new ways…

Men's Fashion Weekend Look

I love this – It’s mostly basic colors, with just a pop of the bright orange to give it more character. I see this as a great weekend outfit, something to wear for a day out with the family to visit the Farmer’s Market or the Pumpkin Patch. I seriously picked up several of these great basics to add to Mike’s fall wardrobe, I just love ’em. To get links to each individual piece in this outfit, check it out on Polyvore. My favorite thing about this look is that every single item is super affordable – they average out to about $20 each. And if you’ve ever worn the Merona collection yourself, you know the quality is incredible for the price.

Rugged Dressy Look for Modern Men

On this one, you can again click through to my Polyvore board to get links and prices to shop each of the Merona pieces in this outfit. This is a great option for the guy who needs to dress up, but doesn’t like to get too “fancy” – You know, like most guys, lol. It pairs the Classic Chino with the Traditional Blazer – but then mixes in a plaid shirt instead of a plain dress shirt, and adds in a few rugged accessory pieces to keep it down to earth.

Merona Fall Fashions at Target

See how the Target Fall Collection is designed to take you through a season of stylish looks at Target.com/Merona.

 Let’s Chat: What are your go-to fashion pieces when shopping for the man in your life? Leave some comments sharing your fave shopping tips….

{Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Target via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Target.}

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Teaching Kids Safety on Mobile Phones – $50 Visa Gift Card Giveaway!

There are real issues that kids face today when it comes to mobile phones: bullying, privacy, over-usage, texting while driving and more. AT&T has made a commitment to be a leader in providing education, resources and tools to help families better manage mobile safety. If you are interested in learning more, AT&T is offering the opportunity for one of my readers to attend a virtual Mobile Safety School session – along with a $50 VISA gift card. You’ll be joining me, some of my favorite bloggers, and their reader winners too. Fun, right?

The virtual Mobile Safety School schedule is as follows:

  • Oct. 23 at 1p ET – mobile safety for kids 8-11
  • Oct. 24 at 1p ET – mobile safety for kids 12-14
  • Oct. 25 at 1p ET – mobile safety for kids 15-17

To enter this giveaway, use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below. You can do as few – or as many! – entries as you like. The first is mandatory, so that I know which session you’ll want to attend. Please let me know in the comments section which session you would like to attend. I will choose a winner on Saturday, October 20th, and they will have only 24 hours to email back to verify, since this is a quick giveaway, and I’ll need to forward their info and get them registered to join us at this event.

Free $50 Visa Gift Card

Good Luck – And if you’re feelin’ lucky, make sure to check out my sidebar & enter to win all of the other prizes I’m giving away this month too!

[Read more…]

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Simplify Breakfast – Win a $50 IHOP Gift Card! #BreakfastLove

For most of us, IHOP is one of those restaurants that you remember from being a kid. I was always so excited to go there with my grandpa when I was a little girl – I felt so grown up. We’d go, and I’d get to pick anything that I wanted – I loved it. And I love their new additions to the menu – the Simple & Fit choices. You can learn more about them in my post here – How to Make Choosing a Healthy Breakfast Simple & Delicious – and then enter to WIN a gift card to check them out with your own family. Keep reading to learn how to enter!

IHOP new Simple & Fit Breakfast - get a free $50 IHOP gift card!

Enter to WIN a Free $50 Family Gift Certificate to IHOP!

Entering to win is as simple as finding the perfect healthy menu option on the new Simple & Fit menu at IHOP! Simply use the Rafflecopter form to do as few – or as many! – entry options as you want to do. Easy peasy. Then stay tuned next week to see if you’re the lucky winner. The winner will be announced here on the blog, and will get an email from me too. Have fun – and good luck!

Feelin’ lucky? Scroll down the sidebar to enter to win all of the other prizes I’m giving away this month too!

[Read more…]

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How to Make Choosing a Healthy Breakfast Simple & Delicious – #BreakfastLove

“Life is complicated, so we’re making healthy simple.” – IHOP… I am LOVING the new Simple & Fit menu from IHOP. It can be tough to make the healthiest choices when dining out, since you don’t always know how things are prepared, or how many calories a dish really has if it’s not listed. So it’s awesome when a restaurant cares enough to simplify it all, and clearly list the healthier options, and the details of what they include. Check out the new Simple & Fit line-up {and keep reading to win a $50 IHOP gift card too!}…

Simple & Fit Breakfast meals

These are just a few of the incredibly yummy choices available, you can see the rest of the under 600-calorie breakfast choices on their site. And this is NOT like most of the “healthy options” sections of a menu that you’re used to, where you’ll find a small handful of choices. No way mister – IHOP has created 30 new delicious meals for you to pick from. Want to see my personal fave?? [Read more…]

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