We have such a fun Holiday Gift Guide pick to share with you. Do you want to give a very different kind of gift this year? If so, how about a Japan Crate. A Japan Crate is a subscription box filled with all kinds of candy and treats from Japan. You can cancel at any time, so you are not obligated in any way.
We recently received a Japan Crate, and I would love you to check out our unboxing video below.
Each Premium Japan Crate now includes more items than ever!
– 18-20 full-size candy & snacks
– Japan-exclusive drink
– Monthly bonus item (from a bag of Japanese Kit Kats to collectibles)
– Manga-zine featuring translations, fun facts & more
You will find Japan crate on our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide at Mommy Ramblings. For just $35 a month you can let someone experience Japan through candy. How sweet is that?
Giveaway
Japan Crate is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own Japan Crate! Thank you to Japan Crate for sponsoring this giveaway and sending along our review crate. Open to US residents.
Japan Crate Subscription Box Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!
The air is getting colder. The leaves have all fallen. Stores are starting to advertise upcoming sales, and all the signs are clear: Christmas will soon be here!
Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but it is true that another holly jolly season will soon be upon us, and I bet you’re already planning ahead for what you’ve got to do.
There’s obviously gift lists to assemble, you’re calling your mom to figure out who’s hosting the Christmas dinner (“Oh! I am?”), and, bless you, you’re probably stressing over how you’re going to decorate this year.
Every proud homemaker knows that having a theme at Christmas is essential for transforming a house into a home. It’s not that you’re being vain or anything, but you know that having a house that feels warm, welcoming, and, dare I say jolly, are key to helping enhance the joy of being reunited with your friends and family during this special time.
With that being said, it can be a pain. It takes time, and it can be tough to keep things fresh and interesting, trying to come up with a new, engaging theme, year after year. To help you out this season, and take some of that burden off your shoulders, I’ve put together a few ideas that you can use to really spruce up your house for all of your guests, whether you’re hosting or not (“Yes. You are.”).
Classical Style
Classic Christmas themes work extremely well because they’re, well, tradition! These are the common color and design staples that leave your guests with no doubt that you treasure the season, and look forward to it every year. It may not be revolutionary, but it’s effective, and when the goal is to relax with those closest to you, and focus on quality time with each other, sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
To capture the perfect classical look, stick with shades of dark greens and bright reds, as well as gold and silver. Common design elements include Christmas trees, reindeer, Santa’s sleigh, and turtle doves. Sticking with naturals decor items, like a real Christmas tree, and a pine need centerpiece, is also a great way to accentuate this style.
Traditional Style
Traditional style during the holidays is all about keeping the same sense of warmth and comfort that you find in classical style, but eschewing a lot of dynamism in favor of a more subtle impression. To that end, the reds, greens, and other colors that make up the classic Christmas palette remain, but are presented in subtler ways.
To start with, you don’t have to go overboard with Santa statues, reindeer napkins, nativity bookends, and all other manner of Christmas staples. Instead, you can do simple things, like swap out the throws or pillows on your couch for some dark greens and reds, or incorporate a subdued, but elegant rug to introduce just a hint of the Christmas spirit into your living space.
Unconventional
If you’re someone who’s never been one to just go along with the crowd, or forced yourself to keep up with the latest trends, good for you! It takes a lot of courage to live your life that way, and you can use that same philosophy to decorate your home for the season, and leave quite the impression with your guests.
You can use colors and designs that mean something unique about Christmas to you, and incorporate them into your decorations. Maybe one Christmas your family took a trip to the beach, and you have a seashell that represents that trip; or maybe you the most cherished gift you ever received was a pair of socks your mom knit for you, and you use them as the centerpiece of your table.
The possibilities are endless with this approach, and the more unique to you, the better!
This is a collaborative guest post. The views and ideas do not necessarily represent those of Mommy Ramblings.
If you have a child that loves animals, you probably have your own zoo in your house. I know I am finding animals everywhere in my house. Whether they are plush, hard figures or drawings, there is a menagerie of creatures everywhere I look. In the new picture book, There’s an Elephant in my Bathtub by Connie Bowman, a Dad finds and rounds up all kinds of animals and escorts them to his son’s room.
Later, when the son returns from school, he finds that his dad has gathered all his animals together for a safari party in his room. This is a delightful book that will have kids grinning from ear to ear as they see a gorilla on the kitchen counter and a bear eating the last of the breakfast cereal in the pantry. The illustrator of this book is Kelly O’Neill.
The Children’s Book Review and Connie Bowman are sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Thank you to Connie Bowman and The Children’s Book Review for the review book and for sponsoring this great giveaway on Mommy Ramblings.
Enter to win a copy of There’s an Elephant in My Bathtub by Connie Bowman, and a menagerie of stuffed animals!
One (1) winner receives:
An autographed copy of There’s an Elephant in My Bathtub
A menagerie of stuffed animals, as featured in the prize image
Nine (9) winners will receive:
An autographed copy of There’s an Elephant in My Bathtub
Giveaway begins December 1, 2018, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends December 31, 2018, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
Giveaway open to residents of Canada and the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older.
Connie Bowman is responsible for prize fulfillment.
By Brianna Caplan Sayres; Illustrated by Christian Slade
If your kids love trucks and all things construction as much as mine do, you need to check out this book! This is a great picture book to read as a bedtime story during the Christmas season. Your little one will love finding out what diggers, tractors, forklifts and tankers do to get ready for the holidays. This festive new book is perfect for fans of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Little Blue Truck.
About the Book:
From trimming the tree and singing carols to gathering gifts and putting out milk and cookies for Santa, Christmastime for the beloved vehicles of Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? looks a lot like yours. Even Zambonis celebrate . . . on ice! Enjoy the rollicking rhymes as you watch the truck families prepare for Santa and even help pull his sleigh!
BRIANNA CAPLAN SAYRES is the author of Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? and its sequels, illustrated by Christian Slade. She lives with her husband and their two boys in Seattle. You can visit her on the Web at briannacaplansayres.com or facebook.com/authorbrianna.
CHRISTIAN SLADE’s classic, distinctive art style can be found in picture books, novels, and graphic novels for children. He holds an MA in illustration from Syracuse University, as well as a BFA in drawing and animation from the University of Central Florida. He lives with his wife and two children in Florida. Visit him on the Web at christianslade.com.
Giveaway:
Random House is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky reader will win their own hardcover copy of “Where Do Diggers Celebrate Christmas?”! Thank you to Random House for the review book and for sponsoring this festive giveaway. Open to US residents.
Where Do Diggers Celebrate Christmas? Hardcover Book Giveaway Rules on Mommy Ramblings:
Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!
It’s December 3rd, and I feel like I am a passenger on the runaway Christmas train. The days leading up to Christmas are just speeding by, and I wish I could slow this train down. If you are scrambling to do everything you need to do while checking off that holiday gift list, check out this great gift idea.
Carpet One Floor & Home’sWelcome-A-Cure Mats are more than useful, they are beautiful! In fact, I love mine so much, I have it in front of my farmhouse sink in my kitchen. I love how it feels and looks! The trees are the perfect design for my home atop a mountain on a lake.
I even have one that I got last year with 3 cute snowman that I keep in my kitchen for the holidays. Talk about a gift that keeps giving, 25% of the proceeds will support funding a breast cancer cure through the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Breast cancer claims the lives of more than 41,000 women every year! They say it is better to give than receive, the Welcome-A-Cure Welcome Mat is a gift that feels amazing to give!
This feel good gift, is priced at only $29.99 for a US -made 2×3′ mat. The mats are beautiful and made of high quality materials. You can check the collection out HERE. You will find the Welcome-A-Cure Mat on our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide at Mommy Ramblings.
Giveaway:
Carpet One Floor & Home is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win a Mat of their choice from the four mat designs shown above (subject to availability). Thank you to Carpet One Floor & Home for the review mat and for sponsoring this amazing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Open to US residents.
Carpet One Floor & Home Holiday Welcome-a-Cure Mat Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
This is a sponsored post as a blogger partnering with Air Bud Entertainment. As always my words and views are 100% my own. @airbud @airbudofficial #puppystarchristmas
Oh my goodness, the Christmas season is in full swing. I really want time to slow down, so we can savory every day leading up to Christmas. We are trying to do fun things this season, embrace our holiday traditions and keep the stress to a minimum.. We started our Advent Calendar, went to a community Christmas craft party and pictures with Santa and then it was time for a movie night! We were so excited that Air Bud Entertainment launched the holiday season with an exciting all-new family movie adventure!
Puppy Star Christmas is available on NETFLIX and Digital HD now!
Unwrap The Holiday Season With Air Bud Entertainment’s Exciting All-New Family Movie Adventure!
A song and dance-filled movie for the whole family, PUPPY STAR CHRISTMAS continues the fantastic adventures of the talking (and singing) canine characters that have recently gained overwhelming popularity in the PUP STAR franchise of films. These action-packed and song-filled family stories, feature an adorable cast of dogs including talking Yorkie, ‘Tiny,’ and ‘P.U.P.,’ the street-smart rapping mutt who stole Tiny’s heart.
Check out the trailer below:
The all-newmovie begins as Tiny and P.U.P tie the knot in an elaborate song with the largest dance number in franchise history, before introducing audiences to the couple’s delightful litter of four precocious new puppies. The mischief, fun and adventure continues, as Christmas nears and pup siblings ‘Cindy,’ ‘Rosie,’ ‘Charlie’ and ‘Brody’ inadvertently stow away on Santa’s sleigh, ending up at the North Pole where they uncover an evil plot to steal the world’s Christmas spirit.
Several days ago, we received a huge package of goodies to celebrate the debut of Puppy Star Christmas.
Check out our unboxing video below.
We build and decorate a gingerbread creation every year, it is one of our favorite Christmas traditions. With all the goodies we received from the nice folks at Air Bud Entertainment, we could not wait to get started on a Puppy Star Christmas themed Gingerbread House!
The movie features a gorgeous gingerbread house that we certainly cannot compete with as far as, architecture and perfection go. However, we certainly were overflowing with anticipation and enthusiasm.
The kids were excited that we were going with the Puppy Star Christmas theme, because it allowed us to add so many fun doggie inspired elements.
From the Puppy Star Christmas logo on the front of the house to the dog bone candy trimmed windows, we think we did a dog-gone good job!
It was so much fun, and messy too, but that just adds to the festivities. With kids, we are not aiming for perfection, but for the experience to be fun and memorable, and it certainly was!
Check out our video below to see some of the gingerbread house decorating antics that went on in our kitchen.
After our masterpiece was done, we all felt it was time to have a family movie night and turn on NETFLIX to watch Puppy Star Christmas. With steamy hot cocoa in hand, we sipped and laughed our way through this holiday-themed movie that really helped get us in the holiday mood. My kids love the dogs and who can resist puppies?
More about the movie:
Live-action talent in PUPPY STAR CHRISTMAS reunites the film’s original cast including Makenzie Moss (Steve Jobs) as Tiny’s best friend, Lou; David Deluise (The Wizards of Waverly Place) as her father, Denisse Ojeda as the family’s loyal nanny ‘Ida’; Reggie De Leon (Disney’s stage version of Aladdin) as Tiny’s manager ‘Shep;’ and features the return of Jed Rees (Deadpool) as the misunderstood bad guy ‘Roland.’
A tail-wagging selection of talent returns to provide voices for the film’s canine stars, including music and YouTube sensation Mackenzie Sol (The X-Factor) who returns as ‘P.U.P’; and 14-year old singing sensation Kaitlyn Maher (Santa Paws), who returns as the voice of Tiny and sister Scrappy.
The film also returns the voices of George Newbern as Tiny’s nemesis Bark, Diedrich Bader as Kano, and Jorge Diaz (Disney’s Elena Of Avalor) as the beloved Telenovela star ‘Julio’. The film’s puppy litter of new canine voice talents joining the franchise in PUPPY STAR CHRISTMAS includes Chloe Coleman (Big Little Lies) as Charlie, Dillon Fontana as Brody, Oakley Bull (the upcoming feature Beautiful Boy) as Cindy and Vivienne Rutherford as Rosie.
PUPPY STAR CHRISTMAS is produced by Air Bud Entertainment, the creative force behind the #1 live-action, direct-to-home movies in the family category. The film is directed by “Air Bud” and “Disney Air Buddies” veteran Robert Vince, produced by Anna McRoberts and written by Robert Vince and Piers Rae.
The Gingerbread house decorating brought a bright spot to a very sad part of our weekend. We had to say goodbye to our 16-year-old cat, Max. Max was a Pixie Bob cat who thought he was more dog than cat, even if our Westie, Maltese and Bulldog did not agree. Even though Max lived a long life, it was sad to have to let him go. However, Max was suffering from some health issues that were causing his quality of life to be severely altered.
Our kids were sad, and our youngest had hoped the doctor could somehow “fix” Max. It was hard for all of us, and we are still dealing with the loss of our sweet feline family member. The Gingerbread house let us focus our attention on something fun. You know what they say about the healing power of laughter, the movie certainly provides for plenty of that as well.
I hope you all are kicking off the Christmas holiday season in style and fun too. Let me know if you watch Puppy Star Christmasand put your thoughts in the comments.
My kids are very creative, they love to sketch, paint and color. I was looking for a durable art set that was compact and had an array of features, and could be used when traveling. I found that in the Faber Castell Do Art Travel Art Easel.
This 3-in-1 easel folds flat and all the supplies store inside in 2 removable drawers. The easel can be used as a drawing easel, white board, chalk board or lap desk.
Pull our the drawers on the side and you will find, Faber Castell Jumbo Beeswax Crayons, Colored EcoPencils, markers, chalk, dry erase marker with built-in eraser, pencil sharpener, sponge eraser and sketch pad.
Check out our video below:
The Do Art Easel is great for kids ages 4 and up and is recommended by art educators. I really like that it folds flat and my kids have a variety of options when they use it. It is nice that all the supplies are tucked securely inside and it is easy for them to access them when needed.
Faber Castell is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win their own Travel Art Easel! Thank you to Faber Castell for the review easel and for sponsoring this creative giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US Residents.
Faber Castell Do Art Travel Easel Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
There comes a time in almost every stay-at-home mom’s life when all of her kids will be in school full-time, and she will have more time on her hands. What can they do with this extra time? Perhaps, they will decide to use that time to earn income for their family. Instead of updating their resume to launch themselves back into the corporate world, they may want to pursue their passion and open an online store.
Online or e-commerce stores are booming, and there are many moms out there experiencing success and making a nice little passive income. Some stay-at-home moms have even grown their e-commerce stores into full-blown companies. This trend is likely to continue.
The growth of online retail sales is exponential. The total sales this year in the US alone is estimated to hit a half trillion dollars. By 2022, e-commerce sales in the US could reach over $700 billion. Why not get your piece of those online sales profits?
If you are considering a stay-at-home mom career in e-commerce, the following 4 steps to launch your online store can be your quick start guide to success.
1. Brainstorm Your e-commerce Niche
Your e-commerce niche is an essential element to online success. Before you begin searching Google for the most profitable niches for online sales, you should consider the products you are interested in and/or purchase. For example, stay-at-home moms may lean a bit more toward products that help moms or children’s products.
Why would you go about finding a niche for your e-commerce store like this? One of the most important aspects of creating and launching an online store that grows, is encompassing your passion or interests. This allows you to stay motivated and to keep at it during those early stages after launch.
2. Selecting Your Online Products
Once you have a niche in mind, it’s time to choose your e-commerce products. This can be slightly challenging depending on your niche, but with a bit of due diligence, you will come up with a nice list of initial products for your online store.
Do you want to have an inventory on hand or dropship products? This is an important question. For example, having inventory is great, but you will need to think about storage space, packaging, shipping costs, having enough inventory, and more. Dropshipping on the other hand, requires you to think about shipping time and price points for each item.
After you choose inventory or dropshipping, you can choose your products. The general rule of thumb, is to net four to five times profit, including shipping, packaging, and marketing costs. So, if you want to offer a product that costs you $5, you should sell it for $20 on your e-commerce website.
3. Time to Create Your Website and Branding Guidelines
Once you have your niche, products and pricing set, it is time to begin creating your online presence. This of course, is one of the most critical aspects of any e-commerce store, since your marketplace is entirely online.
The good news is, that it is fairly easy to set up and launch a WordPress website and develop your branding guidelines. Let’s start with branding. This will require you to choose a primary color for your website and marketing materials, and two secondary colors.
Next it’s time to think about your logo. To create a logo, you definitely don’t need to be a professional designer. You can use online design platforms like Canva to design a logo and other essential marketing material.
When you have chosen your color pallette and created your logo, it’s time to create your website. First, you need to think about hosting. It is best to choose a hosting provider that offers WooCommerce hosting. This ensures you are ready to go in the e-commerce space. Then, select a WordPress theme that is tailored for e-commerce from online sites like Themeforest or StudioPress.
4. Optimize Your Website
Last, but certainly not least, think website optimization. More than just a buzzword, optimizing your website incorporates multiple facets of digital marketing like SEO, content marketing, site navigation, and more.
Start building a great user experience by making your website easy for visitors to navigate. Incorporate product categories into your main menu, install prominent call to action buttons and make sure your site speed is optimized. Now, you need to think about product engagement.
To convert visitors to customers, your product web pages need to be engaging. For example, be sure to have dynamic product images and videos on your website, don’t rely on stock images.
Every product should have a detailed and unique description. Do not just copy and paste the product description from the manufacturer. Lastly, make sure you have a way for customers to review and rate the products. Reviews and product testimonials are the bedrock of online sales these days.
To Sum It Up
If you are a stay-at-home mom who is ready to launch an online store, the above tips may be very useful to getting started. After you launch your website, the real work begins, as your business grows, all of the effort will be well worth it. Your online e-commerce website could be your answer to financial freedom. What are your top tips for online retail domination?
This is a collaborative guest post. The ideas expressed do not necessarily represent those of Mommy Ramblings.
Young girls have so much to deal with these days. The teenage years are so challenging, and girls experience so many feelings and emotions as they navigate through life. That’s why I think Zondervan’s Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women makes such a beautiful gift for that special girl in your life.
Maybe it’s your daughter, granddaughter, niece, God-daughter or sister that would appreciate this book as a gift this Christmas season. We have added Beloved to our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide at Mommy Ramblings.
You can see my video below to learn more:
Inspire young women to be all they can be!
Young women receive so many negative messages in today’s society. Counteract that with Beloved, a topical 365-day devotional that will inspire them with positive role models from Scripture. Each day features an easy-to-read, relevant devotion paired with a scripture verse about a biblical girl or woman, such as Ruth, Esther, Mary, or Abigail. Every page speaks to the pressures and changes girls face, giving them real-world applications to find God in their hearts and in their lives.
Giveaway:
Zondervan and FlyBy is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own copy of Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women! Thank you to Zondervan and FlyBy for the review devotional and for sponsoring this inspirational giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Open to US Residents.
Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
My husband was so excited when he opened the package containing the Electric Motors Catalyst from Tinkering Labs. As a math and science teacher, he loves this kind of stuff, and so do our sons.
This kit is filled with over 50 components including real motors, real hardware and real wood. In addition there is a pack of 10 Challenge Cards to inspire kids to design, build, test and share their own inventions.
Check out our video below to see this kit in action:
We like the Tinkering Lab’s Electric Motors Catalyst so much we have added it to the 2018 Holiday Gift Guide at Mommy Ramblings!
Giveaway:
Tinkering Labs is sponsoring a Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own Electric Motors Catalyst Kit! Thank you to Tinkering Labs for our review kit and for sponsoring this super charged giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US Residents.
Electric Motors Catalyst Kit by Tinkering Labs Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!
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!
