Hey there, Sports Fans.  I know you’re all big football fans, but let’s face it… we still have a few months before the next kick-off.  Until then, I’d like to draw your attention to an exciting contest on behalf of Discover & the NHL.

I’m from Pennsylvania — a state divided with Flyers fans in the East & Penguins fans in the West.  I grew up in the middle and since my mama is from Buffalo, there were also the Sabres to watch.  Those Buffalo fans…  baby, they are true fans.  My cousins lived for Sabres hockey.

SO, if you follow hockey, you may have heard that there’s this little ol’ trophy called the Stanley Cup and one lucky person is about to win a Day with the Cup.  Imagine the opportunity!  To have the Stanley Cup come knocking at your door.  Not just that, the winner will also win a trip for 2 to the Stanley Cup Final game including airfare & hotel accommodations AND a $250 Discover Giftcard.  Total prize value: $3,950.

So, how do you win it?

Submit a photo of you or your kiddo demonstrating your passion for the sport of hockey along with an essay describing why you deserve to win a Day with the Stanley Cup.  All eligible entries will be judged by representatives of the Sponsor and an independent judge to determine three (3) Finalists, based on the following criteria:

Originality and Creativity of Essay – 35%;

Enthusiasm as Demonstrated in Essay – 35%;

Appropriateness of Photo to Theme – 20%; and

Sincerity of Essay – 10%.

Love the rubric, don’t you?  After the three finalists are chosen, online voting will begin!  Between April 17-21, fans will be able to vote for their favorite submission using their Facebook account.  Fans can vote once per day in the contest.  Whoever receives the most votes wins the grand prize! 2nd place wins a $250 Discover giftcard & 3rd place wins a $100 giftcard.

But you don’t have to leave here empty handed.  I have two $25 Discover Giftcards to giveaway to two lucky readers.  Winners will be chosen at the end of the contest on April 21.  Here’s how YOU can win:

• Leave a comment telling me your favorite hockey team

- or -

• If you entered the contest, tell me quickly why you want to win a Day with the Cup!

Good luck!

Note: Day With the Cup™ is open to all legal residents of the 50 United States who are at least 18 years old. Legal guardians of children under the age of 18 are eligible to enter on behalf of their children. All eligible entries will be judged by representatives of the Sponsor and an independent judge to determine three Finalists based on the on the following criteria: originality and creativity of essay, enthusiasm as demonstrated in essay, appropriateness of photo to theme and sincerity of essay.

Disclosure: I was compensated for writing this post by the sponsor.  All opinions are my own.

Toby - the first member of our zoo.

It’s a zoo around here.

With two bunnies, a Maltese, a new Lab puppy, a three year old, and two nests of birds on our front porch, it’s getting a bit wild in this house.  The puppy, while adorable, has been terrorizing everyone.  Our days have been spent rescuing toys, cleaning floors, taking A LOT of walks, and attempting to teach a new dog some manners.

It was time for a treat — a movie night was in order.  After watching the trailer for We Bought a Zoo, we knew that it would be an enjoyable movie for the whole family.  Knowing that it was available at Walmart, we put all the critters in their enclosures & escaped our zoo for a little shopping excursion.

Before you shop, there are several money saving options available to you.  First, in some stores you will find a $4-off coupon for the purchase of the movie We Bought a Zoo on participating Del Monte pet products.  Unfortunately, we were not able to find one at our store.

Getting Ready for Movie Night!

Additionally, you’ll find Del Monte pet products being featured in several publications including Parade magazine & Women’s World magazine.  In First for Women magazine, you’ll find a $.50-off coupon for Del Monte fruit cups.

And fruit cups, my friends, are a handy little food to keep on hand — especially for movie night.  Normally, we would make a big bowl of popcorn but with temperatures in the 80′s in the South, a frozen treat {that the puppy can’t steal!} seemed like a great alternative.

Our newest addition to the family zoo.

Smoothie Time!

While we watched the preview, we gathered our ingredients — Del Monte “no sugar added” Diced Peaches & Raspberry Sorbet.  With no fat, sorbet is a healthier alternative to ice cream.

We scooped the sorbet into our smoothie maker, added one cup of diced peaches, & blended until smooth!  It’s so easy to make, that Ellie actually did it herself while the puppy supervised.

Finally, it was movie time!  Ellie’s favorite way to watch a movie is all snuggled up on the couch with her mama.  Unfortunately, we had several uninvited guests who were after our smoothies!!  It’s good we bought dog treats to teach that puppy some manners!

Ellie and I loved the movie We Bought a Zoo.  And dare I admit this?  We’ve now watched it twice… in two days.  Just a note: the movie *is* rated PG for some mild language.  Luckily, the language has gone completely over Ellie’s head.

Anything for a treat.

To see more photos from our shopping experience & movie night, check out my Google+ photo album.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  #CBias All opinions are my own.  #ilovemyK9

The resident preschool fashionista in my house is a dress fanatic — the fancier & more lovely, the better.  My former soft pants and t-shirt girl has blossomed into a Southern, smocked dress loving, full skirt appreciating, preschool darling.

While many small children would not care for online shopping, my daughter had full control of the computer mouse as we browsed the selection on Hartstrings website for a new Easter dress.  {She picks her own clothes out everyday, so I was sure to include her in our shopping experience.}  Their newly improved website is bright and full of amazing photos of their high quality children’s clothing.  We have long been fans of their gorgeous dresses.

Hartstrings has multiple brands represented on their website for different ages & sizes.  Since we were shopping for a size 4T Easter Dress, we went straight to the Hartstrings tab.  There are multiple ways to search and browse, so we began with the Dresses category.

Ellie enjoyed this lovely little pink dress with the flower on the sash.  She quickly added it to the cart {she’s so savvy}, but I wasn’t quite sold yet.  After looking at ALL the dresses, I opted to go back and look at only the New Arrivals.  The fabrics in the Dress to Impress Line immediately caught my eye.

 Our weather has been HOT in the South, so I knew that this Easter would require a dress with breathable fabric.  I instantly fell in love with all of the poplin dresses from the Dress to Impress line.  I especially loved the collar on this little fuchsia bouquet number!  And the trim?  Adorable.

I knew for sure that I also wanted to purchase a dress that could be worn throughout the Spring & Summer and not just for a special occasion.

It became a toss up between the pink & the floral dress — each had the adorable trim &  lightweight cotton.  Plus, they were both ON SALE!  Before checking out, I added a coordinating hair accessory.  I was surprised to see such affordable shipping rates and since I found a coupon code to save an additional 10%, I decided to upgrade my shipping for just $3 more.  Great plan — my package arrived from Pennsylvania in just 2 days.

So what did we pick?

When the package arrived, my preschool fashionista ripped into it and squealed with delight over her new dress!  It fit perfectly.  Now, if we can just get her to wait until Easter to wear it!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  All opinions about our shopping experience & the quality of Hartstrings children’s clothes are my own.  #Cbias #myHartstrings

In our family, it is rare that we spring for a babysitter and spend time together as a couple.  We have a handful of babysitters, but I must confess: I am disorganized with their contact information!  Some sitters’ numbers are in my phone, others are on strips of paper deep in kitchen drawers.

At SitterScout, the creators believe that a happy parent is a good parent and that’s why they created a site that allows you to schedule your own sitters in seconds.  Once you register on SitterScout you can begin adding contact information for all your sitters.  Finally, everyone’s number in one place!

SitterScout is an online/mobile tool that works from any smartphone (or on your computer) to help book your existing
babysitters faster, by instantly contacting the sitters you choose – and enabling them to respond – via SMS.

This is not a recruitment service — just an efficient way to contact all your sitters at the same time saving you from making multiple calls to schedule your next date night.  Plus, you can use this same service to schedule pet sitters, too!

When you’re ready for your next date night, SitterScout will contact your list of babysitters in a text message just like this one:

{It would be wise to notify your sitters ahead of time that you plan to use this service!}  You can choose to invite your sitters in “rounds,” so your favorites get first dibs, or you can contact everyone at once.  SitterScout will then notify you when your date night is a go:

Then all that’s left to do is dust off your heels and put on a little mascara and enjoy some time with your spouse.  Are you ready to schedule your babysitters?

This post is part of a Splash Media Campaign on behalf of SitterScout.com.  All opinions are my own.

Champions for Kids seeks to “mobilize millions” of people by providing training and resources to improve the lives of children in communities across America and beyond.  The easiest way to participate is through their simple service project ideas of which there is a new one each month.

More than 16 million children under the age of 18 are food insecure in this country.  That means that their families lack the funds to adequately supply their growing bodies with nutritious foods on a daily basis, thus resulting in poor nutrition and an unprotected immune system.  Of that 16 million, 3 million are under the age of five years old.

This month, sponsored by Abbott Nutrition, their simple service project challenged people to “pack a snack” using items like Zone Perfect bars, Pediasure, & Pediasure Sidekicks and donate the items to a local organization that serves children.

Working with Loaves & Fishes, which serves the greater Charlotte area, we learned that 17,000 people were recipients of nutritious food at the pantry in our little college town.  Using their list of suggested items, plus the “pack a snack” suggestions, we created a flyer to host a food drive in our neighborhood:

On a sunny afternoon, Ellie pedaled her little princess bike up and down the street handing out flyers to our neighbors.

“We’re having a food drive,” she said proudly.  When I think about mothers who have to decide between paying the electric bill and feeding their families, I know that we’re doing the right thing… and hopefully, inspiring others to do the same in their community.

Little hands, but big heart.

After walking around the neighborhood with her little basket on wheels, we returned home to box up the items we collected.  {We have the best neighbors!}  In addition to our contribution of Pediasure, Pediasure Sidekicks, Zone Perfect Bars, & several cans and jars of food, Ellie took a look at all the food that she had in the dining room and declared, “This is a lot of food!”  And it was…  but there is still a greater need to feed the hungry in our communities.

With the Jetta loaded up, we drove into town to the food pantry.  When we pulled up, a volunteer came out and helped us unload the car.  Then he gave us a tour of the neat & tidy little “store”.

Whether you have a car full of groceries or just one bag, every donation is valued.  I encourage you to research the need in your own community & visit Champions for Kids for great ideas on getting started.

See more of our pictures in our Google+ story!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  We signed up to participate in this project because of the charitable nature & used a portion of our compensation to purchase items for our food drive.  All opinions are my own.  #AbbottCFK #ChampionsforKids #CBias

After our arborvitaes outgrew our few strands of outdoor Christmas lights, we gave up on decorating outdoors for Christmas.  Ahh, but three-year-olds are persistent & you wouldn’t believe the amount of joy that this small grouping of lights, trees, & one reindeer has brought to her.

Our palm tree is really special to us & we’ve marveled at how quickly it has grown.  It is 6 ½ years old… the same number of years that we’ve lived at this address.  Incorporating it into our holiday display has been a lot of fun.  Ellie likes to visit her little reindeer in the evening & thanks to him, she is no longer afraid to go outside when it’s dark.

Next year, we plan to add MORE lights & maybe even MORE reindeer.  Personally, I think we need a whole team of reindeer…  11 of them to be exact.  Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen, Rudolph, plus two more: one to play center & one animated reindeer to quarterback.  Wouldn’t Coach be surprised?  {No, honey… I didn’t buy 10 reindeer at Kmart.  Must be a typo!}

We have a large front porch that we also decorated for the season.  I spent a portion of our $100 budget on items that would add some cheer during the daylight hours, too.

And how about that elf?  It is {by far} Ellie’s favorite Christmas decoration.  It’s official product name is “porch greeter” but in our house she serves as surrogate sister.  She has accompanied us to the grocery store, the library, been buckled into the backseat of the car, & been pushed around the neighborhood in a stroller.  Thanks to this cheerful little sprite, many happy memories are being made this Christmas.

 This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  All opinions are my own.  #Cbias

If you are a reader of this blog then you know two things about my dear little daughter:

1. She is very busy.
2. She has a ferocious appetite.

Now is a great time to try Tyson’s newest product – if you buy 2 boxes of Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches,you’ll receive a $5 Walmart Gift Card.  These sandwiches aren’t available in all stores yet, so visit TysonGoodness.com to find a store near you.

To see more pictures, please visit my Google+ Story.

DISCLOSURE: THIS SHOP HAS BEEN COMPENSATED AS PART OF A SOCIAL SHOPPER INSIGHTS STUDY FOR COLLECTIVE BIAS.  ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.  #CBIAS #TYSONGOODNESS

Saving Money Made Easy

I’ll never be an extreme couponer, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like saving money at the grocery store.  One store in particular has grabbed my attention with their fuelperks! program that rewards me at the gas pump.

BI-LO grocery recently unveiled their new Bonus Card that you can now use to save money at the store, but also swipe & save money at participating gas stations.  For every $50 you spend, you’ll earn 5¢ off per gallon.  It adds up quickly, especially with special promotions like their Triple fuelperks! on gift cards & other bonus rewards throughout the store.

TRIPLE fuelperks!

From now until December 6, you can earn TRIPLE fuelperks with the purchase of giftcards in the store.  The selection is amazing: Pottery Barn, Starbucks, iTunes, Sears, Macy’s, & hundreds more in different denominations.  {Just FYI: fuelperks! are not issued on Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or BI-LO giftcards.}  After checking out all the giftcards, I decided to purchase a Toys ‘R Us card because…

{shhhh… I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Santa shops there.}

Next, I strolled around the store in search of Nature Made Vitamins — a fuelperks! bonus item that would have given me an additional $0.40 cents off per gallon.  Overall, you can earn up to an extra$1.25 off per gallon with bonus rewards.

My BI-LO store experience was great.  The shelves were neat & tidy and I was surprised to see so many great sale prices & bogo offers.

Pump it Up

Getting to a participating station was easy, too.  It was just a traffic light down from the store & in the direction that I was headed.  With the purchase of a $50 gift card, I earned 15¢ off per gallon {tripled from 5¢}, which brought my price per gallon of gas to $3.22.

Using the program is as easy as swiping your bonus card at the pump.  It automatically discounts your per gallon price at the pump — no need to go inside, carry receipts around, just swipe & pump. Wondering if there’s a participating pump near you?  Check here.

You can see more photos in this Google+ Story by clicking here ——————–>

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  All opinions are my own.  #cbias #fuelperksatBILO

When Ellie was just two years old, Santa brought her the first edition {Silver} Fisher Price iXL 6-in-1 Learning Game.  Although the suggested age is 3-7, we wanted to give her a gift that she could grow into.

It has been the best little game for traveling, waiting for dinner at a restaurant, & has kept her busy and in her seat at many sporting events.

She likes reading along with the stories, doodling with the art tools, & just recently… tracing letters.  As she grows, she’ll be able to learn simple words, practice math facts, & practice spelling.

For Christmas this year, Santa will be bringing her the Disney Princess Fisher Price iXL Learning Game Software.  There are several great software options:  Cars, Kung Fu Panda, Dora the Explorer, & Mickey Mouse for iXL.

What the Fisher Price iXL 6-in-1 Learning Game includes & teaches:

Base system includes:

• 1 interactive story and activity
• 1 learning game
• Writing activities
• Art tools and stampers
• Music sampler
• Sample photo images
• 9 mini-apps
• And it’s easy to add more!

iXL teaches:
• Story comprehension
• Counting (by 1’s, 2’s, 10’s)
• Art and creativity
• Phonics
• Vocabulary
• Writing
• Spelling and lots more!

If you’re considering purchasing the Fisher Price iXL Learning Game, I can tell you that it’s worth it!  PLUS, it’s $20 less than last year and priced at around $59.99.