Remember our Hyundai post about Smarter Living Videos? I have great news, Hyundai is sponsoring a giveaway for $100!!! Could you use some extra holiday money? You could, great! Well, Hyundai wants to know what you thought of their Smarter Campaign by commenting on their Smarter Living Videos. Good luck on the giveaway!!! Just enter to win $100 below using the Rafflecopter widget.
Hyundai $100 Giveaway!!!
Filed under Main Page Post
We use water bottles all the time. I want my kids to use high quality bottles that are free of any toxins and are easy to care for. The Eco Vessel Twist is a triple insulated kids stainless steel water bottle with fun designs and colors. It is a large enough bottle that it is good for younger kids, older kids and even adults would look fine using. It holds a full 12 ounces of water.
Features I love are that it has a leak-proof twist cap, and it fits car cup holders, the bottles are great to pack because the triple max insulation keeps drinks cold for up to 36 hours and hot for 8 hours. This is essential when we go on trips because I can pack drinks and not have to keep pulling off to go to a convenience store because they want a cold or hot drink. They make getting where we are going a more pleasant experience and of course we make better time.
The full bottle designs are fun and add a lot of style to the bottle. This is a great water bottle that is perfect anywhere they go. There is even a removable tea strainer
The Boulder Triple Insulated Water Bottle is a Vacuum Insulated 25 ounce Stainless Steel vessel. This bottle is great for long trips, hikes, biking, sports events and really anywhere you go. It has the same great leak prof drinking spout as the kid’s bottle and is perfect for water, coffee, hot chocolate, soup and more. TriMax® triple insulation keeps liquids cold for up to 36 hours and hot for up to 8 hours. The wide mouth on the bottle is great for adding ice cubes and for filling. There is a removable tea strainer.
You can find Eco Vessel on our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide because their products make great gifts for everyone on your holiday gift list this season.
Eco Vessel is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will have their choice of the Kid’s 12 oz Eco Vessel Twist or 25 oz Boulder Triple Insulated Water Bottle in the color/design of their choice (subject to availability). Thank you Eco Vessel for the review products and for sponsoring this refreshing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.
Eco-Vessel Triple Insulated, Stainless Steel Water Bottle Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Filed under Christmas, Giveaway, Health, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Review
I was introduced to the world of Lundby doll houses a little over a year ago. A doll lover and collector all my life, dolls and doll houses are something I never outgrew. I am not alone, Lundby has a wide collector base of women and men who collect the houses, furnishings, restore older houses and love to talk about and share their collections on online forums.
There are several Facebook pages where Lundby lovers and collectors do just that. Lundby is timeless, loved by children, tweens, teens and right up to adults, the charm of Lundby just grows over the years. Enjoyed by generations, Lundby love is passed down and these quality Swedish doll houses become family heirlooms. Today, you will find older Lundby doll houses in great demand and many collectors are enthusiastically restoring the older homes to their modern glory. Much more than a hobby, Lundy collectors have a passion!
Last year you may remember our review of the Lundby Smaland Doll House and accessories.
Well, this year our Lundby Smaland doll house expanded with the addition of two rooms, garden area, several new furniture sets and great Christmas sets. In fact our Lundby home is decked out or should I say the halls have been decked with Christmas magic. The floor addition was easy to assemble, my young son even got in on the action and helped to secure the walls. The house has real working lights which add a warmth and the new Christmas sets are a festive touch with a glowing fire in the fireplace and candles that light up on the tree. Under the tree, wrapped in shiny paper and gold cord are gifts and you don’t need to peek to see there is a Smaland doll house just ready to be unwrapped come Christmas morning.
The details on the furnishings are amazing, the kitchen cabinets have real working drawers that you can put things in, the refrigerator opens, the pots, pans, dishes and utensils are realistic and even the bathroom has toothbrushes and rubber ducks. 
The house is sure to draw oohs and ahhs from young and old and is the perfect gift this holiday season that will bring joy for years to come. Mommy Ramblings has added the Smaland doll house and accessories to our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide. Some of the new additions to our Lundby Smaland Doll House were: Smaland Garden 
Lundby Smaland Floor Extension 
Lundby Smaland Kitchen Furniture Set 
Lundby Smaland Childrens Bedroom Set 
Lundby Smaland Fireplace Set 
Lundby Smaland Christmas Tree Set 
Smaland TV and Accessories 
Lundby Smaland Garden Furniture Set 
Of course with the new addition we had to expand the family so we welcomed two bouncing babies! 
The older kids needed some attention too! Sibling rivalry gets bad when a new baby is brought home, imagine two! They were so happy to have a trampoline and pedal car to focus on. 
Can’t get enough Lundby? You can download the Lundby Living Magazine HERE! Are you ready for some exciting news? Lundy is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own Smaland doll house, Smaland 2 room floor extension, both of the Christmas sets and 2 sets of furniture of their choice (subject to availability)! Isn’t that awesome? I thought you would think so! Thank you so much to Lundby for the review products and for sponsoring this incredible giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents. Lundby Smaland Swedish Doll House, Extension, Christmas Sets & Furniture Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!! Continue reading
Filed under Christmas, Collectibles, Dolls and Dollhouses, Giveaway, Main Page Post, Review, Toys
My husband is a scientist and a mathematical whiz, so I knew he would be ecstatic to delve into Optical Mysteries from SentoSphere with our boys. I was not wrong, am I ever? 😛 He poured over all the experiments and said they were very educational and interesting.
He was able to show the kids how energy from the sun can be harnessed for solar power. There were lots of fun experiments showing the effect light has on colors. Creating your own rainbow and building a kaleidoscope were other fun activities included in this kit. They are still having fun and learning every day with these great experiments.
Includes:
• 1 solar panel
• 1 spinning board
• 1 LED light box
• 1 DIY kaleidoscope
• 1 optical fibre
• 1 trick (illusion) box
• 3D glasses
• 3D pictures assortment
• 4 bottles of ink
• 1 pipette
• 1 mirror
• 1 paintbrush
• 10 optic tests
• 1 illustrated instruction leaflet
For ages 8 years and older
If you have a little scientist on your holiday gift list, you should check out Optical Mysteries. Mommy Ramblings is adding it to our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide.
Sentosphere is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own Optical MysteriesKit. Thank you Sentosphere for the review kit and for sponsoring this illuminating giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Open to US residents.
Sentosphere, Optical Mysteries Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Filed under Christmas, Holiday, Holiday Gift Guide, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Toys
This post is sponsored by Cars.com but all of my words and opinions are 100% my own.
Buying a new car is quite an experience and investment. Looking back on my childhood, there are some very funny new car buying stories that we love to share. My older brother started a side business selling firewood when he was just out of his teens. Since he needed a truck to haul the cords of wood, my parents went out with him to look at a long-term rental and they came home with a brand new yellow Chevy cargo van. Or there’s the time my parents bought 3 new Triumph Spitfires, one for each of my older brothers, because the deal was just too good to pass up. I remember going to dealership after dealership with my dad when he was looking at Corvettes. We took so many test drives before he surprised us one day driving in with a new white Chevy Stingray Corvette. How he loved that car! There are so many great memories but one of the fondest is how my parents bought my sister and I matching red Pontiac Firebirds when I was 16.
As an adult I have had my own experiences with my husband buying cars for ourselves and our older kids. I am sure my kids have some great memories of our experiences, but probably nothing as colorful as my parents’ purchases. Maybe you are in the market for a new car, it’s getting closer to winter and if you live in a cold climate, maybe an SUV or 4 Wheel Drive is on your agenda.
Cars.com is a great website that takes the drama out of car shopping. They are also taking the drama out of car loans with a Cars.com contest giving away up to $25,000 to pay off someone’s car loan. Guess what? That someone could be you because if you show Cars.com your #NewCarFace they just might pay off your car loan. Wow, what would your New Car Face look like? Maybe like the ones below:
Ways To Enter:
Legal Considerations:
Filed under Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Shopping
Cats some people love them and some people are not cat people or at least they don’t think they are until they become an accidental cat lover. That’s just one of the 101 amazing stories of magical moments, miracles and mischief in The Cat Did What? from Chicken Soup for the Soul. The book is filled with stories of all kinds. Stories that will make you laugh, bring a tear to your eye and have you shaking your head. I loved the story of how a new kitten rescued to comfort a 12-year-old cat who was incredibly lonely after losing her long time feline companion. The new kitten and then adult cat wanted nothing to do with the ailing cat but at the end of her life, this cat called Murray became a different cat and laid with the older cat, comforted her and stayed with her the whole day. After she died he never showed that side of him again. That was a very emotional story but there are stories to make you laugh and nod in agreement as well.
If you have a cat or animal lover on your holiday wish list you may wish to check out this book for them. Mommy Ramblings is adding it to our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide.
Our feline friends constantly surprise and charm us with their silly antics, their loving connections with our family members, and their surprising intelligence. You will enjoy reading all the 101 amazing and humorous stories in this collection about the mischief, miracles, and magic our cats bring to our lives. This collection will make you laugh and touch your heart and after reading these stories we know you’ll say, “The cat did what?” You can purchase this book on Amazon.com.
Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Three lucky blog readers will win a copy of The Cat Did What? Thanks to CSFTSP for the review book and for sponsoring this Purr-Fect giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US Residents.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cat Did What? Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Filed under Books, Giveaway, Holiday, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Review
My parents were married over 60 years and together since my mother was a teenager. When my mom had a sudden stroke and subsequently died 4 days later my dad was devastated. He was 86 and had been in failing health so it was such a shock that my mom who was very active and full of life died first. I lived on the same lake as my parents, so myself and children were a sense of joy for my dad through these sad days. As we approached the anniversary of my mom’s passing, my dad was not feeling well and given his health history of colon cancer and having a pacemaker he ended up in the ER. While at the hospital, we were told about a nursing service that would come every day to check on him and help him with his daily needs. We set up the nursing service and it was due to begin on Monday.
Things took an unexpected turn as my dad had a fall that weekend and ended up cracking his tailbone. He needed surgery and after that he would have to go to rehabilitative care to help him get his strength back and hopefully get him back home. It was hard to think about the fact that maybe he would not be able to live on his own again, however it was reality and as a family we found a very good rehabilitation facility that we felt comfortable with We did not know what the outcome would be and we really never got the chance to see since my dad went into cardiac arrest and passed away a day before the anniversary of my mom’s passing 1 year earlier.
It is hard to see your parents age and as the youngest of 5 born to my parents who were both in their 40’s, I faced these things at an earlier age than most with my dad. It is hard to come to the realization that your parent may not be able to live on their own any longer but even harder to have those conversations with them about alternatives. Care Conversations recommends getting certain documents in place to make the process easier. For example, Advance Directives ensure your loved ones have a say in their future care. If this is something you or someone you know is facing you can check out the Planning and Preparing section of CareConversations.org. You may also want to view the video below on care planning.
Discolsure: This post was sponsored by Global Influence Network, as always all my words and views are 100% my own.
Filed under Family, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings
Filed under Home, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Review
What a stressful week it has been. Discovering our blog was hacked 2 weeks ago when we got what is called the “white screen of death” which matched the color of my face, was bad enough. The wonderful tech support from my server had me thinking we cleaned any back doors from being entered again, but I found out this week, that was not the case. I had to put a lockdown on brute force attacks and then resurrect my poor blog. I now know that the security I have in place will not allow brute force attacks and also let me ban countries where most of these mechanical bot hackers were coming from.
I don’t understand why any time is wasted hacking a “mommy blog.” Is it just to make the moms crazy or is it for some other reason? I wish someone would enlighten me because I don’t have my credit card numbers or bank account info anywhere on my blog. Absolutely baffling, but worse than that is all the time I lost having to spend days to get everything back up and running. It also occurred at the worst time of the year since sponsors are really in a time crunch and losing days getting holiday gift guide products up is unacceptable.
I however, feel empowered now and the new security installed alerts me right away and bans the user ip of anyone trying to guess the password to log on. Beyond that we have added a telephone code that changes every 30 minutes to the password so they would literally have to come and steal my phone now to have a chance at logging on. All the malicious code they hid on my site has been detected and erased. I look at the reports each day and smile, our spam has been reduced 1000 fold, declining log on attempts are reported since we banned countries and the hackers ip addresses. I almost was physically ill looking at the log on attempts to my blog, It made me scared but then turned to anger and finally to action, putting the plan in place to lock them out for good. Now, I feel great about the security of my site.
I know you all had difficulty leaving comments or not being able to bring the blog up while we were in maintenance mode and I thank you for you patience. I am scrambling to catch up but have some awesome giveaways to put up this weekend so please stay tuned. We also are behind drawing winners and we will get to that too!
Thanks again for sticking around, I truly appreciate it.
Filed under Blogging, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings
My little ones are so adorable, when we go into a store and they see all the Christmas decorations they want to buy everything to decorate, they are so excited! I think the best part of the holidays is seeing that wide-eye wonder in the faces of your children. If you are looking to do some Christmas shopping for decorations and lighting, check out Winterland and LEDgen Lighting.
Winterland, Inc. was started more than twenty years ago with a passion to create holiday decorations that make a dynamic and awe-inspiring statement. Concept after concept, they dare to be different. How? They’re committed to listening to their clients and working hard to provide solutions that are tailored to their needs. Winterland thinks about Christmas every day of the year. While they’re putting the decorations away in January they are already planning for next Christmas. Their team of designers are constantly looking for the latest trends, while at the same time remembering the classic elegance that many people look for during the holiday season. Whether it’s decorating the tree in the corner of the living room, putting up a 50 foot animated tree in the center of a shopping mall, or creating a fantastic drive through light park experience for your community, Winterland has been there, done that, and is here to make it easy for you.
Their goal is to exceed your expectations for creativity, personal service, value, and delivery. They do it with every single customer because they take the holiday season seriously. Winterland’s flexible and willing to accommodate their customer’s ideas. They are willing to create custom designs for their customers!
LED lights are the most efficient light source available to date and represent the greatest breakthrough in lighting technology since Edison’s invention of the incandescent light bulb. LEDs are rapidly replacing incandescent and fluorescent lighting in a variety of functional applications including traffic lights, vehicle lights, industrial lighting, and emergency exit signs. LEDs are a low-maintenance, energy efficient solution for anyone looking for dynamic lighting displays. They are also versatile and can be used in many creative applications featuring a variety of brilliant colors and decorative styles to choose from. More reasons why LEDgen Lighting LEDs are the better choice for seasonal and decorative lighting:
Get Free Shipping on your order this holiday season at Winterland or LEDgen Lighting Holiday Stores. Use code GUIDE when you checkout! You can find Winterland and LEDgen Lighting on our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide.
50 Foot Animated Tree from LedGenLighting on Vimeo.
Filed under Christmas, Collectibles, Holiday, Holiday Gift Guide, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Shopping
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Hello, I’m Carolyn! I am a PR Savvy, WAH Mom to 5! I love Photography, Baking, DIY Projects, Crafts, Cooking and making memories with my family. I love sharing reviews and giveaways too!
