Category Archives: Mommy Ramblings

November 11, 2014 · 12:01 am

Chicken Soup for the Soul: “The Cat Did What?” Review & Giveaway!!! 3 Winners!!! #HolidayGiftGuide

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:

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Filed under Books, Giveaway, Holiday, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Review

Tagged as "The Cat Did What?", #HolidayGiftGuide, book, Cats, Chicken Soup for the Soul, giveaway, Holiday Gift Guide, Mommy Ramblings, review

November 9, 2014 · 8:28 pm

Care Conversations Makes Difficult Decisions Easier-#CareConvo

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.

There is a #CareConvo Twitter party with @Resourcefulmom on 11/12 at 8 PM ET. RSVP link: http://resourcefulmommy.com/14363/care-conversations-twitter-party/

Discolsure: This post was sponsored by Global Influence Network, as always all my words and views are 100% my own.

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Filed under Family, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings

Tagged as #CareConvo, Care Conversations, Decisions, Family, Long Term Care, Loved Ones, Mommy Ramblings, Planning

· 2:57 am

iCube Concepts, Smart Storage Unit Review & Giveaway For 6 Winners!!!

iCube makes modular storage systems, wall mounted shelves and stackable crates that will help you get organised at home or work. The highly functioning units are easy to assemble and will complement almost any space or design. I recently had a chance to try out a four cube unit, 3 fabric drawers and 1 black crate/drawer. It was easy to put together with no tools needed except a coin.

The four cube unit is customizable you can move the door where you want and put the shelf in whatever cube you want. I was sent 2 half and 1 full fabric drawers which just pop open out of the package and then you just put the fabric bottom in which stabilizes the drawer. I put the unit in my studio and it is great for holding some of my autumn photo props on top and in the drawers I have my fabrics, ribbons, trims and other sewing notions. The full drawer on the bottom provides great storage too. I love this for storing craft supplies and props.

The unit is sturdy and my husband and I carried it from downstairs where we assembled it to my studio on the third floor. We took it up 2 flights of stairs and it was extremely stable and secure. I also received a black iCube crate or drawer and that was a cinch to put together. I can use it interchangeable with the full fabric drawer or move the fabric drawer up to the cube over the door and slide the crate in the bottom cube. Hey, I just realized I do not have a picture with that configuration so I will take one and add it so you can see how it looks.

iCube® products are light, but robust. These modular storage systems provide stylish and functional storage solutions for the home and office. Use as a cube bookshelf, a plastic storage crate or modular shelving unit, they will stand up to it all. The main units are available in white or black. You can totally customize the look of your modular unit with shelves in the same or contrasting color and the half, full and quarter fabric drawers are available in Black, Steel, Plum, Sky, Melon, Pistachio and Rose. You can purchase icube storage units and components on Amazon, Wayfair, Walmart and Skymall.

Would you like a chance to win a four cube unit? Well, iCube Concepts is sponsoring a giveaway of a four cube unit to 6 lucky blog readers! Thank you to iCube for the review products and for sponsoring this amazing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.

iCube Concepts, 4 Cube Smart Storage Unit Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Giveaway Rules:

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Filed under Home, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Review

Tagged as 6 Winners, Cube Unit, Drawers, giveaway, iCube, iCube Concepts, Modular, Mommy Ramblings, review, Shelf, Smart Storage, storage

November 8, 2014 · 4:33 pm

Goodbye Blog Hackers!!! Don’t Let The Door Hit You On Your Way Out!!! #NoHacking

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.

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Filed under Blogging, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings

Tagged as Attacks, blog, Blogging, Brute Force, Hackers, Hacking, Security, Wordpress

· 2:41 am

Free Shipping at Winterland and LEDgen Lighting with Coupon Code in Post!!!

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.

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Filed under Christmas, Collectibles, Holiday, Holiday Gift Guide, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Shopping

Tagged as Christmas, coupon code, Decorations, free, Free Shipping, Holiday Stores, LED, LEDgen Lighting, Mommy Ramblings, USFG, Winterland

· 2:01 am

Get a Free BanZ Slip Case & Sunscreen Sample With Coupon Code In Post!!!

As parents we want to protect our kids from everything harmful. BanZ is the place to shop when you are looking to protect your baby or child from sun, wind, loud noises and more. Founded in Australia, BanZ has a complete protection collection of sun safety products for children ages 0-12. Sunglasses, hats, hearing protection and swimwear are available in multiples styles and sizes as well as sunscreen, swim goggles and more. Right now you can get a FREE BanZ Slip Case & Sunscreen Sample when you use the coupon code FREE at checkout. You can follow BanZ on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Mommy Ramblings thinks that BanZ is a great choice for holiday gift shopping this year for gifts that really say you care! You can find BanZ on our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide!!!

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Tagged as #HolidayGiftGuide, BanZ, coupon code, Discount Code, free, Hats, Holiday Gift Guide, Mommy Ramblings, Protect, Rashguard, safe, Sample, Ski Goggles, Slip Case, Sunglasses, Sunscreen, Swimsuits, USFG

November 7, 2014 · 7:30 pm

See What Women Say About The Smarter Choice & Enter To Win A $100 Target Gift Card!!!#smarter

What is the saying, “If you want something done right ask a woman?” I think so, at least that’s what I’m going with and it seems that Hyundai feels the same. They recently reached out to a number of smart, savvy women to talk about the smarter decisions they make in their everyday lives. Next, they asked them to create a video to coincide with this fall’s 2015 Sonata launch. The video is below, take a look! After you watch it, be sure and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below for your chance to win a $100 Target Gift Card! Good Luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Filed under Giveaway, Humor, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Resources

Tagged as $100 Gift Card, giveaway, Hyundai, Mommy Ramblings 2015, Savvy, Smarter Choice, Sonata, Target, Women

· 4:29 pm

anaMalz Wooden Creature Review & Giveaway!!! #HolidayGiftGuide

You might just get overloaded with cuteness in this post so fair warning given. anaMalz, are the cuddliest wooden creatures you will set your eyes and hands on!. Designed by Louise Causon-Scott and her partner Tim Scott in Australia, these little heartbreakers were first brought into the world in 2007. anaMalz have legs you can move and fabric embellishments along with the cutest expressions. They open up a world of imaginative, creative play for kids and as a parent I love that!

anaMalz has won more than 15 industry awards including the Australian International design award. The poseable figures each have their own unique markings that make anaMalz unique, individual and fun to collect. anaMalz wants to give everyone a chance to help make nature grow so a part of the proceeds of every anaMalz is donated to preserving nature forever

anamalz

When you enter your registration code found on your anaMalz hang tag and become an anaMalz Guardian, you will receive a real Guardian certificate. Help anaMalz protect nature!

anaMalz Trio

anaMalz are made from a wood known as schima superba or “needlewood” (also known as Chinese Maple) – a fast growing tree harvested in a forest plantation in China. All waste wood from the manufacturing process is given to a local farm to grow mushrooms. All anaMalz are carefully hand painted using child friendly paint, tested under EN71, ASTM, CPSIA accreditation. The glues used are formaldehyde free and pass all EN71, ASTM, CPSIA testing. Fabrics are tested and have passed EN71, ASTM, CPSIA standards and contain no AZO dyes.

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anamalz-Giraffe

anaMalz-Giraffe-Figure

We have a lion, giraffe and alligator living with us and they are so much fun, we will definitely be expanding our family!!! Mommy Ramblings thinks aniMalz are a marvelous gift choice this holiday season so you will find them on our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide.

anaMalz-Alligator

anaMalz-Alligator-Figure

anaMalz-Lion

Animalz 7

Would you like to win some anaMalz? I know you do, so enter our giveaway below to win 2 anaMalz cuties and good luck!!! Thank you to anaMalz for sponsoring this giveaway and for the review animals they provided to Mommy Ramblings!!! Good Luck!!! Open to US Residents.

anaMalz Wooden animal giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

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Filed under Christmas, Collectibles, Dolls and Dollhouses, Education, Family Fun, Giveaway, Holiday, Holiday Gift Guide, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Review, Toddler, Toys

Tagged as #HolidayGiftGuide, 2014, anaMalz, Animals, Creatures, Figures, Gifts, giveaway, Holiday Gift Guide, Mommy Ramblings, review, Wood, Wooden

· 10:52 am

Beethoven’s Treasure Tail on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Perfect For Family Movie Night!!!

The weekend is here! Are you thinking about something fun for tonight for the whole family? How about a family movie night? Pick up your favorite movie candy, pop up some buttery popcorn and hunker down together for a movie night to unwind from a busy week. If that sounds good, I have a family movie recommendation for you. Beethoven’s Treasure Tail Blu-Ray, DVD & Digital HD Combo Pack is a great family movie choice that everyone will love.

Beethoven, America’s favorite St. Bernard is back and starring in this all new family comedy!

Eddie (Jonathan Silverman, Beethoven’s Big Break) has had a bad day! A disastrous movie shoot Beethoven and Eddie head home but instead get stranded in a small coastal village. Big hearted Beethoven befriends a local boy and helps him find a pirate map to lost treasure. The two em-bark on an adventure to find the treasure that will save their town and ultimately bring the whole town together. This heartwarming tale shows that if you choose to be happy you can have fun wherever life leads you.

My kids love animal movie movies especially dog movies! My older kids love the other Beethoven movies and my little guys just could not wait to watch this movie. What could be more fun than to watch lovable Beethoven in this pirate map following, treasure seeking, hillarious adventure that will make you laugh and touch your heart.

So, check it out for yourself with your family and let me know what you think.

The Blu-ray^™ Combo Pack includes a Blu-ray, DVD and DIGITAL HD with Ultraviolet^™.Blu-ray^™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD and theater-quality surround sound. DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away. DIGITAL HD with Ultraviolet^™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

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Filed under Dogs, Entertainment, Humor, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings

Tagged as Adventure, Beethoven's Treasure Tail, Blu-ray Combo Pack, Comedy, Entertainment, Family, fun, Mommy Ramlbings, Movie, Pirate Treasure, Universal

· 12:59 am

Draw-A-Saurus Drawing Book By James Silvani Review & Giveaway!!! #HolidayGiftGuide

Random_House_logo

My seven-year-old loves drawing and he’s really becoming quite the artist. He was thrilled to see Draw-A-Saurus arrive. A quick scan of the pages filled him with inspiration to create. I have no doubt our home will be filled with his dinosaur drawings and I am sure his little brother will be trying his best to follow right along. If you have a dino-loving artist in your home or on your gift list this holiday season, this book would be the perfect fit! Mommy Ramblings is adding Draw-A-Saurus to our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide. Keep reading to see how you can win a copy in our giveaway.

This in-depth yet accessible dinosaur drawing guide combines humor, creativity, and the latest dino research to show artists young and old how to breathe life into drawings of their prehistoric favorites.

Prehistoric Pencil Power!
Even though they lived some 65 million years ago, dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles continue to rule today. From movies to comics and cartoons, these ancient, giant beasts are everywhere you turn. Of course, who wants to just read about or watch these dinos when you can learn how to use pencils, pens, markers, and more to draw your very own?

Cartoonist James Silvani combines easy-to-follow art exercises with the latest, greatest dino-facts to help you create fun and cool dinosaur doodles all by yourself. With lessons on old favorites like T-rex and stegosaurus, as well as lesser-known (but still awesome) creatures like the massive argentinosaurus, Draw-a-Saurus has everything the dinosaur fan could ever ask for (outside of their very own pet dino!).

Of all the creatures to walk the earth, nothing captures the imagination and fascination of children (and children at heart) quite like dinosaurs. Even though they lived 65 million years ago, dinosaurs are morepresent than ever in movies, comics and cartoons. Draw-A-Saurus takes readers on a pre-historicadventure, giving expert lessons on drawing their favorite dinosaurs.An accomplished cartoonist that has worked for Disney, Marvel, and Dreamworks, James Silvaniknows how to break down these complex creatures into easy, step-by-step lessons that make drawingthese colossal creatures an accessible and fun activity. Draw-A-Saurus is more than your average doodle book. Each dino-drawing lesson is accompanied by fun facts and the latest information on old favorites like T-rex and velociraptors, along with some less heard of (but equally awesome) dinosaurs like:

Struthiomius, who has a beak instead of teeth
Pteranodon, whose hands and fingers evolved into wings
Protoceratops, who was roughly the size of a sheep!
Argentinosaurus, the largest animal to ever walk the earth

With easy-to-follow art exercises that mix creativity with the latest dino-facts, Draw-A-Saurus has everything the dinosaur fan could ever ask for.

JAMES SILVANI is an artist and illustrator and has drawn characters for Disney, Warner Bros.,Dreamworks, Lucasfilm, and Marvel Comics. Currently he is a comic book illustrator for titles likeDisney’s Mickey Mouse, DuckTales, Darkwing Duck, and The Muppets. Silvani has drawn dinosaursand other prehistoric beasts since childhood, and now puts those skills to use in art workshops atlibraries, schools, and comic book conventions. Silvani is a resident of Kihei, Hawaii.

Would you like to win a copy? Random House is sponsoring a giveaway and one lucky blog reader will win their own copy of Draw-A-Saurus. Thank you Random House for the review copy and for sponsoring this dino-riffic giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.

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Filed under Books, Christmas, Holiday, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Review

Tagged as #HolidayGiftGuide, 2014, Art, book, Dinosaurs, Draw-A-Saurus, drawing, giveaway, Holiday Gift Guide, kids, Mommy Ramblings, Random House, review