April 11, 2018 · 2:58 am

Shop Personalized Cart For Special & Unique Gifts

Have you ever wracked your brain trying to think of the perfect gift for someone special? If you are like me, you probably have. When I am really stuck, I try to think of something unique. Personalized gifts are a great choice for one-of-a-kind presents.

Recently, I was looking for something special for my husband on Personalized Cart. I found a large watch case that was just perfect. My husband loves cases like this, and I appreciated how large it was with 12 compartments on top, and a drawer on the bottom. The top has a clear glass pane that allows you to see inside, but I thought you could add a special photo or other artwork to change the look.

Each of the compartments has a soft pillow that you can fasten your watch around. You could also remove the pillows to store other items. It is a very versatile box that can be used to store many kinds of items. The drawer on the bottom is perfect for holding my husband’s wallet, pens, passport and more. Best of all, I was able to have it customized with his initials.

 

The workmanship of the box was very nice with dovetail detail on the drawer and a sort of weathered finish that makes it look like an heirloom. This box would make a great birthday, Father’s Day or Christmas gift for anyone.

Check out the Personalized Cart site for many other items for women, men, babies, weddings and other occasions. Don’t miss the giveaway below for a monogram necklace. For other unique gifts, hover here for more info.

Giveaway:

Personalized Cart is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win a monogram necklace in the style of their choice. Thank you to Personalized Cart for the review watch case and for sponsoring this great giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US residents.

Monogram Necklace from Personalized Cart Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!

 

Continue reading →


58 Comments

Filed under Father's Day, Gifts, Giveaway, Home

Tagged as , , , ,

April 10, 2018 · 12:41 am

Get Cooking in Caillou’s Kitchen #Giveaway For 5 Winners

If your little ones love helping in the kitchen, they will love Caillou’s Kitchen on DVD. They will delight in watching Caillou’s adventures with food. He makes some delicious messes in the 16 fun-filled episodes on this DVD. Watch Caillou make a surprise breakfast for Mom and Dad, help Mom create a feast for guests and then creates a big gooey mess when he tries to make some cookies.

Caillou also learns all about being on his best behavior when eating out at a fancy restaurant. Caillou and babysitter Julie play dress up and then take turns being the waiters and so much more!

DVD Includes 16 Yummy Adventures:

  • Caillou’s Kitchen
  • Caillou Makes Cookies
  • Caillou’s Surprise Breakfast
  • Caillou Tidies His Toys
  • Caillou Goes Shopping
  • All You Can Eat
  • Sunday Brunch
  • Recipe for Fun
  • Caillou Becomes a Waiter
  • I Scream For Ice Cream!
  • Caillou’s Favorite Plate
  • Caillou’s Milk Run
  • Caillou’s Coins
  • Caillou the Timekeeper
  • Olive Muddle
  • Glitter Glitch

 Run time is approximately 60 minutes.

Giveaway for 5 Winners!!!

 

PBS Kids is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! 5 Lucky Blog Readers Will Each Win a Caillou’s Kitchen DVD!!! Thank you to PBS Kids for the review DVD and for sponsoring this amazing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US Residents.

Caillou’s Kitchen DVD Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!

Continue reading →


34 Comments

Filed under Giveaway, Kitchen, Movies

Tagged as , , ,

· 1:18 am

“Tad The Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas” DVD Available April 10th!

My kids have a great imagination, and that is why I knew they would love the new movie, Tad the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas. It was super easy for them to get lost in the adventure of this film. To help, we were sent an adventure kit to go along with the DVD and Digital copy. You can bring it home too on April 1oth! 

TAD THE LOST EXPLORER AND THE SECRET OF KING MIDAS

Get Lost in the Adventure on DVD & Digital April 10, 2018!

Tad and his loveable and zany friends are back in the all-new animated adventure TAD THE LOST EXPLORER AND THE SECRET OF KING MIDAS.  In this highly anticipated follow-up to the 2013 hit Tad, The Lost Explorer, Tad dreams of becoming an archeologist traveling the world, uncovering hidden secrets and lost treasure, but his job working construction keeps him daydreaming instead of exploring.

The chance of a lifetime comes when he is invited to attend archaeologist Sara Lavrof’s presentation of her latest discovery–the papyrus that proves the existence of the Necklace of Midas, the legendary King who turned everything he touched into solid gold.  When an evil billionaire forces Sara to help him find the enchanted talisman, Tad must rescue the girl of his dreams on a trip around the world, in this new hilarious, action-packed adventure the whole family will love!

This film is a recipient of the Dove Seal of Approval, TAD THE LOST EXPLORER AND THE SECRET OF KING MIDAS is rated PG and is an ideal family film loaded with fun, laughter and adventure.  Are you excited to see this new movie? Let me know in the comments.

 


11 Comments

Filed under Movies, Review

Tagged as , , , , ,

April 7, 2018 · 7:34 pm

Easy DIY Birthday Shirt – Video Tutorial

I know that I have shared a DIY Birthday Shirt with you before in a blog post. This time, I decided to do a video tutorial. I hope you see how easy this is, even if you are brand new to sewing. This shirt is great for kid’s birthdays or as a photo prop. You can even make them as gag gifts for adults. You can make the shirt for under $5!

Beyond the birthday theme, you can applique them with letters, symbols, animals objects and more. Watch the video below to get all the details.

Let me know what you think, and if you try this, I would love to hear about your results.


4 Comments

Filed under Crafts

Tagged as , , , ,

April 5, 2018 · 11:07 pm

Rethinking the Way You Budget in Two Simple Steps

Learning how to put money aside for when you need it can often prove to be a difficult endeavor. Most people make saving a priority but that does not mean it is a straightforward path for everyone. If you make the same amount of money each month, you may feel like you do not have the extra cash available to save. While this might be true to the naked eye, a little bit of effort can reveal all sorts of appealing and practical tactics for saving money and still covering your monthly expenses.

Provide yourself with some useful tips by looking over some of these suggestions for how to save. By taking the right steps, you might find it is much easier to start saving money for your future than you had believed.

Step One: Your Car

Before you look at other areas of your budget, you want to start with your car. Most families own at least one vehicle in the current day and age. While your cars provide you with a sense of freedom and the ability to take on daily responsibilities with success, automobiles also eat away at a budget easier than most other investments. If your car is costing you more than you would like, it might be a good time to start thinking about how you can adjust the amount of money you spend on keeping it roadworthy.

For many, this comes down to changing insurance policies. When your car is costing you an arm and a leg, you want to slow down and look over how much you spend on your plan. Reaching out to another insurance agency for quotes can help you to learn more about your options. If you find that you can save more by switching providers, then you might want to take advantage of this option and see what type of impact it has on your budget moving forward. Speak with an agent and get a more well-rounded understanding of your choices.

Step Two: Your Lifestyle

How you live your life is also going to hold sway over how much money you spend daily. Some people work long hours which can lead to a lot of time spent away from the home. The more time you spend in the office, the less likely it is you are able to bring meals from home to eat when you get a break. Spending money on food is one of the easiest ways people waste money. Instead of buying lunch or dinner to eat at your desk, try to get into the habit of bringing it from home.

To stop extraneous spending, you need to take a look at your life and see where you need to do the most work. This is a long journey that will often require a lot of attention and patience from you. Following the above steps will help to give you a solid understanding of how to begin your journey. Once the ball is rolling, it will be up to you to make sure it gains momentum and helps you to save money for your future in sensible ways.

This is a sponsored guest post that does not necessarily represent the views or ideals of Mommy Ramblings.

 


1 Comment

Filed under Financial, Life, sponsored guest post

Tagged as , , , ,

· 8:13 pm

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is Your Destination for Homestyle Southern Cooking

I cannot believe it is the beginning of April, and we have ice all over the trees. The weather has been so crazy here in the northeast. We recently took a trip up to Binghamton, and it was downright nasty out. Coming home we found ourselves dealing with freezing rain. Thankfully, we made it home safe! One of the best things about that night, was having dinner at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. 

As soon as we crossed the threshold into the country store, we stepped back in time. It was as if we were teleported back in time to an old-fashioned general store.

Glancing around we saw classic toys, old-fashioned candies, apparel, home and garden accessories on our way toward the dining room, which is adorned with oak tables and chairs. We can count on Cracker Barrel to have a warm fire burning which warmed our bodies and souls. We were fortunate to be seated at a table in front of the large hearth and fireplace. There are mind teaser puzzles on the table, as well as, all kinds of nostalgic items hanging on the dining room walls.

Cracker Barrel has an extensive menu including all day breakfast, with so many great southern favorites, it is hard to choose. We had a friendly server who did not mind allowing us some extra time to look over the menu.

My husband ordered the Country Fried Shrimp which consists of a half pound of buttermilk-battered shrimp and Cracker Barrel’s signature hush puppies served with tangy cocktail sauce.  He was able to pick three country sides to go with his dinner. My husband chose a side salad (counts as 2 sides) and pinto beans.

One of our sons and I each ordered the 10 oz. Rib Eye Steak cooked medium with three sides, He picked fries, macaroni and cheese and apple slices and I choose a baked potato and green beans.

Our youngest son had the Chicken Tenderloins which can be ordered marinated and grilled or crispy friend with BBQ or Honey Mustard sauce. He wanted them crispy fried and with BBQ sauce. For his sides he had corn, fries and macaroni and cheese. A large plate of their made from scratch Buttermilk Biscuits and Corn Muffins was brought for all of us.

The kids had homestyle lemonade and raspberry lemonade, I had coffee which our waitress refilled promptly and my husband had sweet tea.

After dinner myself, my husband and one of our sons ordered  one of the Frozen Mug Sundaes with Roasted Almonds. Our other son had the Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake which is served warm with rich, creamy vanilla ice cream. I had a bite and it was delicious! My husband and I each had one of their new hand crafted mocha lattes which are served with chocolate syrup drizzled whipped cream.

Needless to say, we were warm and stuffed with good, old-fashioned southern cooking when we left. One nice thing about taking a road trip is that you can usually find a Cracker Barrel along the way. They are usually located in areas that make it easy to get off and on the highway. I love that they have so many locations, over 600 stores in over 40 states.  It is nice that even when traveling to new places, I can count on Cracker Barrel to make us feel right at home.

So, let me know if you love Cracker Barrel as much as I do. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

A big plate of their made from scratch Buttermilk Biscuits and Corn Muffins was brought for all of us.

This post was sponsored by Cracker Barrel who provided us with gift certificates for dinner. As always, my words and views are 100% my own.

5 Comments

Filed under Attractions, Restaurants, Review, Travel

Tagged as , , , ,

March 30, 2018 · 7:17 pm

Gardenite Nozzle Hand Sprayer Giveaway

I cannot believe it is Easter weekend and it is still so awful out, we had freezing rain the other night and we might be getting more snow on Monday. When I ordered my new garden hose sprayer, I did not anticipate we would still be having winter weather.

While I have not been able to try it outside. I am very happy so far with my Gardenite Nozzle Hand Sprayer. It is very well made. It is solid metal with a baked enamel finish and you will never mistake it for a cheap plastic nozzle when you pick it up.

I like that it has 10 different spray patterns so I can accomplish a large amount of tasks. It even has an adjustable water flow control knob so you can adjust from low to high depending on what you are spraying.

The Gardenite Garden Nozzle was designed with an ergonomic soft rubber comfort grip so your hands won’t get tired or sore.

I cannot wait for it to really turn to spring here so I can test this baby out and clean up after all of winter’s mess. I have so much to do and one of the first things is to wash our cars. After that I want to wash off the driveway, wash patio furniture and then wash windows and start raking the flower beds. The adjustable spray and flow will allow me to tackle tough dirt and to put it on a gentle shower to water flowers.

Giveaway:

You can enter the giveaway below for your chance to win your own Gardenite Nozzle Hand Sprayer.  Good luck, let me know what you think of this nozzle.

Gardenite Nozzle Hand Sprayer #7

 

This is a sponsored post, as always my words and views are 100% my own.


Leave a Comment

Filed under Gardening, Giveaway, Home & Garden, Review

Tagged as , , ,

· 1:13 pm

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie & Download Free Porg Easter Egg Holders

My husband and our kids are huge Star Wars fans so, you can be sure they saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi in theaters last December. However, they wanted to see it again once it was over! Now, with the Blu-Ray Digital Multi-Screen Edition they can and so can you!

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

Writer/Director Rian Johnson takes fans behind the scenes, revealing production secrets and never-before-seen footage and deleted scenes

Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the next action-packed chapter of the Star Wars saga. This film earned critical acclaim and the No. 1 spot atop 2017’s list of highest-grossing films. The visually stunning movie welcomes the return of original characters, including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Yoda, R2-D2 and C-3PO and further explores the deepening journey of the saga’s new members, Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren.

Now your family can bring home the movie digitally in HD and 4K Ultra HD™ via Movies Anywhere, 4K Ultra HD™ Blu-ray, and Blu-ray™ disc.  This release also marks Disney’s first title available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc in both Dolby Vision™ HDR and Dolby Atmos® immersive audio, delivering consumers a transformative viewing experience.

Thoughts from our family:

We thought it was better than the last few Star Wars films.  The battle between Kylo Ren and Luke Skywalker was incredible. There were several nail-biting, edge of your seat scenes, that were nothing less than thrilling. It left us wanting to see the next chapter in this saga.

Director Rian Johnson takes fans on an intimate journey into the creation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in a feature-length documentary, explaining his unique interpretation of the Force, detailing the painstaking process of creating Snoke, and deconstructing action-packed scenes from the film such as the epic space battle and the final confrontation. Johnson also reveals two exclusive scenes, featuring Andy Serkis as Snoke prior to his digital makeover, as well as 14 never-before-seen deleted scenes, in addition to his audio commentary.

Bonus features include*:

  • The Director and the Jedi – Go deep behind the scenes with writer-director Rian Johnson on an intimate and personal journey through the production of the movie—and experience what it’s like to helm a global franchise and cultural phenomenon.
  • Balance of the Force – Explore the mythology of the Force and why Rian Johnson chose to interpret its role in such a unique way.
  • Scene Breakdowns
  • Lighting the Spark: Creating the Space Battle – Get a close-up look at the epic space battle, from the sounds that help propel the action, through the practical and visual effects, to the characters who bring it all to life.
  • Snoke and Mirrors – Motion capture and Star Wars collide as the filmmakers take us through the detailed process of creating the movie’s malevolent master villain.
  • Showdown on Crait – Break down everything that went into creating the stunning world seen in the movie’s final confrontation, including the interplay between real-word locations and visual effects, reimagining the walkers, designing the crystal foxes, and much more.
  • Andy Serkis Live! (One Night Only) – Writer-director Rian Johnson presents two exclusive sequences from the movie featuring Andy Serkis’ riveting, raw on-set performance before his digital makeover into Snoke.
  • Deleted Scenes – With an introduction and optional commentary by writer-director Rian Johnson.
  • Audio Commentary – View the movie with in-depth feature audio commentary by writer-director Rian Johnson.

* Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer.

DISC SPECIFICATIONS:

FEATURE RUN TIME:                      Approximately 152 min.

RATING:                                            PG-13 in U.S.; PG in CE; PG in CF

Still can’t get enough? Visit and follow Star Wars on social media at their Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.  Want more? Well, you can click the image below to print some Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Porg Easter Egg Holders. How cute are these? Let me know what you think of them and the movie and May The Force Be With You!

Download Star Wars The Last Jedi Activity Pages


Leave a Comment

Filed under Easter, Family Fun, Movies, Review

Tagged as , , , , ,

March 26, 2018 · 2:44 am

Celebrate Spring with the Hippy-Hoppy Toad” Book #Giveaway

While we still have snow here in New York State, it is starting to melt. In fact, big chunks of snow and ice were  sliding down our roof today.  We are going to be seeing signs of spring very soon. A spring theme book about a little Hippy-Hoppy Toad is perfect for sharing with your child, grandchild or class.

A Hippy-Hoppy Toad by Peggy Archer and illustrated by Anne Wisdorf goes on sale March 27th. Written for children ages 3-7, who will love this irresistible new rhyming book. A HIPPY-HOPPY TOAD features a very tiny toad who gets displaced as animals and humans brush past him on the road. With fun sounds and clever rhythms, this story is sure become a new favorite read-aloud.

You can hear me read it below:


About the Author:

Peggy Archer is the author of Name that Dog: Puppy Poems from A to Z and From Dawn to Dreams: Poems for Busy Babies, among other books. A Hippy-Hoppy Toad won the 2015 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Work-in-Progress Award.

Giveaway

Penguin Random House is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog winner will receive their own hardcover copy of, A Hippy-Hoppy Toad! Thank you to Penguin Random House for the review book and for sponsoring this amazing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US Residents.

A Hippy-Hoppy Frog Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!

Continue reading →


21 Comments

Filed under Books, Giveaway, Review

Tagged as , , , , , , ,