Last Minute Gift Ideas: @GODIVA Chocolate

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

There isn't a more universal, more loved gift than CHOCOLATE at Christmas time - teachers, parents, kids, grandparents - EVERYONE loves chocolate, especially when it is GODIVA chocolate!

So this Christmas, make someone very happy and gift them GODIVA. Check out these great gift ideas that GODIVA offers this holiday season:

Peppermint Bark Tin ($24.95): GODIVA’s Peppermint Bark Tin is filled with the tantalizing taste of peppermint and chocolate.

Each delectable piece features peppermint sprinkled over a swirl of rich dark chocolate and creamy white chocolate. A sweet, seasonal treat that allows you to “treat yo’self!”

9 pc. Assorted Chocolate Holiday Gift Box ($20.00): This year, GODIVA is excited to introduce new “mini-cake” dessert pieces inspired by traditional flavors that people enjoy during the holidays.

There are four flavors within this collection including Milk Chocolate Almond Cookie, Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie, Chocolate Ganache, and Dark Pear Vanilla, all packaged in a seasonal gift box. These extravagant flavors are sure to satisfy all of your chocolate cravings!

Buy It:

You can purchase GODIVA holiday gift boxes and assortments from the GODIVA website.

Disclosure: A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Give Yourself (Or Others!) the Gift of New Clothing This Holiday Season!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Christmas is known as the time of giving gifts...to your family, friends, and even yourself. This year, I found myself getting MYSELF presents and that doesn't happen often. Starting a new teaching job this year out of the home found me with a lack of business/professional clothes so this Christmas, I got myself the gift of clothes! :)

And not just any clothes - clothing from prAna, one of my favorite clothing companies of all time. Their one of my favorites because of their mission of making things better by giving...quality, durable and stylish clothing that's thoughtfully designed. They also maintain great sustainability: Fair Trade, recycled clothing, hemp clothing and traceability are all examples of how conscious thyy try to be.

A new outfit that looks and feels good can be transformative, both to others and yourself, and we all deserve that.

This year I am feeling great (and comfy and warm!) in the Delaney Duster in Coal from prAna!

The Delaney Duster features a Cable Knit Patter and is designed with a fold over Rib Knit Collar. This chunky weight sweater knit cardigan is cut for a relaxed fit and finished with a cross over snap closure at the front left shoulder!

I love how unique and comfortable this Duster is from prAna. You can wear it with the collar open or crossed over and it is so warm and comfortable for those cold winter days! I did have a hard time finding the right sizing with prAna clothing so let me help you with this item and I recommend going a size smaller than you normally wear.

I also gifted myself with a pair of Kara Jean in Black! These are so great for dressing up or wearing casually and they are great for work or play! Plus, they look GREAT with the Delaney Duster!

The Kara Jean is a fitted pant cut with a low rise, narrow leg and traditional 5-pocket styling. 

This jean is made from organic cotton, soft stretch "Kara" denim that allows for breathability and movement. The leg can be easily cuffed or worn long. 

These pants are super comfortable and I LOVE the organic cotton material. I recommend with this item to order a size larger than you normally wear. 

For once, I splurged on myself and bought myself some Christmas gifts this year - and I am so happy I did! I am loving my new prAna clothing along with their mission and sustainability!

Buy It:

You can purchase all prAna clothing from their website.

Plus, make sure sure to use this unique code to get 15% off YOUR prAna gear: CMRS17

(You will have to enter the code at checkout.)

* Thank you to prAna for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Give the Ultimate Birthday Gift - A Birthday Cake from @ColdStone Creamery!

* This post is sponsored by Cold Stone Creamery. All opinions are mine.*

Do you have a birthday in August or September?? 

It seems like so many of my friends and family have birthdays in August or September. Just in my immediate family there is 7 people with birthdays in August and September! And one of them just happens to be a newborn baby girl!

We welcomed her home from the hospital with a Happy Birthday cake from Cold Stone Creamery! There is nothing more fun than celebrating a child's very FIRST birth day - the actual day they were born! And this mom and dad got excited too because they got a sweet treat to get them through the long nights of no sleep ahead of them! :)

And this birthday cake was ultimately delicious because it was Cold Stone's Midnight Delight® which includes layers of moist Devil's Food Cake, Fudge and Chocolate Ice Cream with Chocolate Shavings wrapped in a rich Fudge Ganache! Doesn't that sound to die for??!!!

Just like their one-of-a-kind ice cream Creations™, each of Cold Stone Creamery's Ice Cream Cakes are a handcrafted work of art. Made with the freshest ingredients, combining your favorite ice cream flavors and mix-ins, these cakes are the life of every party, event or special occasion!

Do you love birthday parties as much as we do? Show us everything you love about birthdays by creating a Birthday Pin-spiration board and enter for a chance to win a $500 prize pack to throw the ultimate birthday party!

Cold Stone Creamery®, is hosting a birthday-themed Pinterest Contest from Aug. 19 to Sept. 16 and four winners could win $100 Cold Stone Creamery Gift Card and $400 Visa Gift Card!!!

Pinterest members may enter the Contest by completing all of the following: (i) Following Cold Stone® on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/coldstone; (ii) Creating a Birthday Party inspiration board; (iii) Pinning at least one (1) item from the Cold Stone board on your Birthday Party inspiration board along with everything else that you would do to create the most ideal birthday party, such as home décor, fashion, recipes, birthday party themes and party favors; and (iv) Once your board is complete, submit your Pinterest user name to Cold Stone Creamery at http://bit.ly/2aBWgD2. The Pinterest prize will be: A One Hundred Dollar ($100) Cold Stone Creamery Gift Card and a Four Hundred Dollar ($400) Visa Gift Card. There are a total of four (4) individual Prizes.

Head over and enter today! The contest ends September 16!

Buy It:

You can purchase an Cold Stone Creamery ice cream cake for your next birthday celebration from http://coldstonecakes.com/

* This post is sponsored by Cold Stone Creamery. All opinions are mine.*

Wellness & Entertaining Gifts for Mom

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Do you have a Mom you are shopping for that likes to entertain? Or maybe your Mom is more wellness-inspired?

Then I have you covered today with two perfect gift ideas for each:

Wellness-Inspired Gifts:

Oster® MyBlend® Pro Personal Blender

Brought to you by the #1 brand in blenders, the new for 2015 Oster® MyBlend® Pro Personal Blender is a 350-watt nutrition extraction system that transforms whole foods into nutrient packed drinks in seconds.

Designed to suit active, fast-paced lifestyles, this blender features quick and convenient one touch blending to create smoothies, protein shakes, and more whether at home, on a run, or at the office. Ultra-portable and commuter-friendly, the 20-oz sports bottle features a lid clip and snap closure, double-walled bottle insulation to keep drinks colder longer, and perfect size to fit in the car drink holder! BPA-free. Dishwasher safe.

I make protein smoothies on a daily basis so I REALLY LOVE this Oster MyBlend Pro Personal Blender! It works really well to grind up all kinds of foods like spinach, carrots, strawberries, mangoes, ice and so much more! And then VOILA, I can drink right out of the blender and I LOVE the straws included! Less dishes and I can make it and go!

(MSRP: $39.99

**NEW** OSTER® JusSimple™ Juicer

Introducing a simple, easy way to juice! With the Oster® JusSimple™ Juicer, fresh-squeezed juice, extracted from whole fruits and vegetables, provides the body with essential nutrients, antioxidants and immune boosters in one delicious serving. Rinse ‘n Ready™ filter makes cleaning fast and hassle-free with a unique, easy-to-clean mesh coating that eliminates scrubbing to make every juicing experience amazingly easy.

Power up to 1,000 watts, soft and hard settings and extra-wide chute conveniently juice a variety of fruits and vegetables without having to cut and chop. The benefits of whole foods can effortlessly be attained as deliciously-fresh juice is collected in a 32-oz. pitcher with froth separator. Juicing is simple with the Oster® JusSimple® Juicer.

I love making fresh juices and this is so simple and great to use!

(MSRP: $99.99 - $129.99)

Gifts for Moms Who Entertain…

** NEW ** CROCK-POT® 6-QT Programmable Slow Cooker w/Stovetop-Safe Cooking Pot

Extract maximum flavors from ingredients, like meats and veggies, by caramelizing them before starting the slow cooking process! Featuring a removable stovetop-safe cooking pot, the Crock-Pot® 6-Qt Programmable Slow Cooker performs double duty, allowing consumers to brown first, then slow cook in the same pot to reduce both cooking time and clean up.

The slow cooker’s removable cooking pot features a DuraCeramic™ non-stick coating, which prevents food from sticking, helping to ensure effortless food release and quick cleanup. The durable non-stick coating is also scratch-resistant for long lasting, high quality performance, as well as PTFE-and PFOA- free for healthier cooking and peace of mind. This intuitive slow cooker is also programmable from 30 minutes to 20 hours. A digital timer counts down the cooking time, and then automatically shifts to warm when the cooking is done. Brushed stainless steel finish.

I love that this slow cooker has a programmable timer so I can set it and forget it and I also love that I can cook meats like hamburger on the stove in the same cooking pot! Less dishes - LOVE THAT!

(MSRP: $79.99)

Mr. Coffee® Electric French Press + Hot Water Kettle

For the connoisseur of high-quality coffees and teas, the Mr. Coffee® Electric French Press + Hot Water Kettle is a must! Pressed coffee extracts the ideal amount from the grounds to deliver maximum coffee flavor. In addition to brewing rich and robust coffee and steeping delicious tea, this product also boils water to make other beverages and instant meals too.

An adjustable temperature setting helps keep beverages warm until it’s time to indulge. The wide mouth glass carafe and large screen make serving a snap, while its in-base cord storage facility make storage and clean up easy.

We use a water heating kettle every day to cook oatmeal, make shakes, etc and I love that I can replace both my coffee maker and water kettle with one item on my counter!

MSRP: $69.99

Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Wallet from Thirty One Gifts & Giveaway

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Nothing makes a better gift than a gift that is personalized and is an item that women use on a daily basis...like a wallet! Those are the kinds of gifts you can get from Thirty One Gifts!

They are a wonderful company that offers a large assortment of items from bags, totes, organizers, wallets & more that can be personalized & customized! I worked with Janet Byers, a great consultant with Thirty One Gifts and I got to receive a really nice wallet that I absolutely LOVE!

I received the All About the Benjamins wallet with a wrist strap in City Charcoal Snake and it is by far the best wallet I have ever used!

This stylish wallet will help you keep everything in its place! With 13 interior credit card pockets, an ID window for a picture ID, and an interior flat pocket for bills, you’ll be organized no matter where the day takes you. It also has a D-ring for a Wristlet Strap attachment.

I really like all the credit card spaces there are for all my credit cards, gift cards and membership cards. It is the only wallet I have ever had that had room for all my cards! Plus, it has the great license card spot!

This wallet really keeps my money, cards and other things really organized and I finally don't dread opening up my wallet every time I need something or need to pay for something!!! :)

Make sure to check out all the great items available from Thirty One Gifts and fill out this brief survey: www.surveymonkey.com/s/MJS5W8Z if you want more info about Thirty One gifts.

Buy It: 

You can purchase the All About The Benjamins Wallet for $48 from Thirty One Gifts website.

Win It:

Janet Byers from Thirty One Gifts is generously offering (1) All About The Benjamins Wallet in the print of their choice along with a Wristlet Strap to a lucky winner!

Enter here for a chance to win:

(1) All About The Benjamins Wallet in the print of their choice along with a Wristlet Strap 
from 
Thirty One Gifts

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* Thank you to Janet Byers for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Love With Food Snack Boxes

This post is brought to you by Love With Food. All opinions are mine.

As the holiday season is quickly approaching, the time of peace, love and good deeds, instead, has turned into a race against time as adults are faced with the stress of fitting all their gift-giving into their chaotic work schedules and family demands. This is where we all are guilty of relying on the easy and convenience of a last-minute gift-card; as 80% of Americans plan to fall back on this readily available gift, at a price point of our choice that also safeguards against our gift-recipients preferences of presents. However, despite the over-whelming majority of us planning to give this go-to-gift, the gift-card doesn’t seem to be as popular from the other end, with $1.7 billion of these gift cards going unused. For this holiday season, Love With Food reinvents modern-day gift giving by offering an affordable, personal and unique alternative to the overused, cliché gift-card, effortlessly available at the click of a button.

Sadly, there are more than 49 million Americans struggling to put food on the table so now is a great time to sign up for a gift subscription from Love With Food. By joining the Love With Food movement, not only will you or your loved one receive a monthly box of all-natural snacks, but Love With Food, will donate money to a local food bank to provide meals for those in need.

According to Love With Food’s Founder, Aihui Ong, “the variety of snacks provides the benefit of gift cards because gift-givers don’t have to take a gamble on a certain product their recipient may not like. It also allows consumers the “try before you buy” concept of sampling products, without having to waste money on a full purchase of treats they may not enjoy.”

Instead of being lost in the long aisle of a chain store, Love With Food gives snack food companies a feature spot in Love With Food’s monthly sampling box reaching new customers nation-wide via online ordering. Using the “try or buy” concept, consumers can sample the products for continued usage by knowing they will like it to ensure future purchase. This strategy has already proven successful for many brands that have partnered with Love With Food.

Love With Food was started as a means of expressing love to our close ones, while enabling people to discover healthy snacks easily. Love With Food snack boxes gives you three box options-Tasting, Deluxe and Gluten-Free. Each box is marked by a seasonal theme, determining the new, surprise organic or all-natural hard-to-find snacks delivered to your door each month. Once you discover what you like, you can buy in bulk and stock up your pantry for school lunchboxes and work snacks. For every box sold, a meal is donated to a food bank in the U.S. To date, Love With Food has generated funding for over 320,000 meals, and counting.

Some of my favorite items from my Love with Food box. 

My box contained some really delicious and natural products! I loved the variety of foods but most importantly I loved that they were good for my body and DELICIOUS! See some of my favorites from the box above!

Start this holiday season by giving the gift that gives back and enjoy the monthly surprise that will continue to arrive at your door throughout the year!

Buy It: 

You can purchase Love With Food starting at $10/month from the Love With Food website.

*This post is brought to you by Love With Food. All opinions are mine.*

Chocolate Games by Gamesformotion

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Didn't you always wish you could play a board game with real food in it...or even better with chocolate as prizes??!! Well, now you can with the Chocolate Games from Gamesformotion!

Gamesformotion recently released classic childhood board game favorites including Candy Land, Monopoly, Clue, Battleship and more, which will all exclusively feature game pieces that you can eat!

All of the chocolate games have the same essential features as their famous counterparts, except that their cards and letter tiles have been replaced with the finest Belgian milk chocolate encased within printed wrappers. Rules for all of the games have been slightly modified by Gamesformotion to ensure they’re always fun and easy to play. Now instead of playing solely for the bragging rights of winning, in many of the games, you now win all of the chocolate that you could hope for in one sitting. Now that’s something to pass go for.

Gamesformotion develops promotional games that not only look good, but are also played time and time again. The company is known for their tailor-made games with multi purpose directions that focus on advertising all the way to education. Their classic chocolate game selections are currently being distributed throughout the US and are hitting the stores just in time for the holiday seasons!

Games within the release include Scrabble and Battleship for adults to Candy Land, Guess Who?, and Monopoly for the family. Select board game pieces and parts are made from the finest Belgian milk chocolate, and all games come in handy 212 x 212 x 36 mm boxes.

Buy It: 

You can purchase all Chocolate games beginning November 2014 at mass retail stores such as Target, CVS, at select SuperValu store locations, Kmart, Amazon.com, Meijer and Fred Meyer, Bed Bath & Beyond and select smaller distributors with retail prices starting at only $9.99. 

* Thank you to Gamesformotion for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

New Holiday Gift Sets from PBS Kids

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

My children's favorite television station to watch is PBS (and pretty much the only TV station they watch!) and they were so excited to see these two new kids programs from PBS Distribution this holiday season: “Caillou’s Family Favorites DVD + Book” and the new Dinosaur Train “Dinosaurs in the Snow DVD + Figurine”.

The new holiday gift set “DINOSAURS IN THE SNOW DVD + FIGURINE” released on October 28 is the perfect present for any DINOSAUR TRAIN fan. This new gift set includes the DVD “Dinosaurs in the Snow,” featuring eight adventures, and a figurine of everyone’s favorite “buddy,” Buddy! Produced by The Jim Henson Company, DINOSAUR TRAIN airs weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings).

DINOSAUR TRAIN embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains, while encouraging basic scientific thinking skills. Buddy and his adoptive family of Pteranodons go on whimsical adventures through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes, and oceans as they unearth basic concepts in natural science, natural history, and paleontology. The Dinosaur Train is a colorful locomotive, customized to accommodate all kinds of dinosaurs and has the ability to visit the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous time periods. The Train’s Conductor, a knowledgeable Troodon, provides passengers with fascinating facts along the way.

“DINOSAURS IN THE SNOW DVD + FIGURINE” gift set will be available on October 28, 2014 and the DVD has a run time of approximately 120 minutes. The gift set SRP is $14.99. In addition to featuring the eight fun-filled learning adventures below, this DVD also includes special features – an interactive game, coloring pages, a dinosaur reference guide and information for parents.

“Dinosaurs in the Snow”

Buddy and his Pteranodon family ride the Dinosaur Train to the North Pole – where it’s cooler, and the skies are dark all winter long! The kids get to play in the snow and slide on a frozen pond for the first time.

“Cretaceous Conifers”

The whole Pteranodon family have fun celebrating Mom’s favorite holiday, Winter Solstice. They learn about large conifer (evergreen) trees and help decorate them at a holiday party.

“Night Train”

Dad, Buddy and Tiny take a special ride on the Dinosaur Train at night, learning about animals that are active after dark, culminating at the Big Pond for a nature walk under the full moon.

“Fossil Fred”

Buddy, Tiny and Don play “detective” and search around the Big Pond for fossils. The kids end up finding an entire skeleton of a Jurassic dinosaur.

“King Cryolophosaurus”

Buddy, Tiny, Don and Mom meet a reclusive, singing dinosaur named King who has a big swooping crest on his head and a voice that sounds an awful lot like Elvis Presley.

“Dinosaur Block Party”

The Pteranodon family hosts a block party to introduce their new neighbors, the Lambeosaurus family, to all the other neighborhood creatures. The different species all join together to fly, dive, fish, race and especially, to rock the block!

“Surprise Party”

Shiny, Tiny and Don throw a surprise party for Buddy on the Dinosaur Train and invite a whole caboose full of his friends!

“Flowers or Mom”

The kids go to the Big Pond to look for flowers to give to Mom on her special Mothers Day. They find many different flowers while following a very busy bee.

Another of my childrens' favorites shows is Caillou!

For 25 years, Caillou has been inspiring generations of preschool children to grow emotionally and to explore the world around them by learning, having fun, and using their imagination. CAILLOU airs weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings). Join Caillou in celebrating his 25th anniversary with this fun-filled family DVD and double storybook collection.

“CAILLOU’S FAMILY FAVORITES DVD + BOOK” will be available on October 14. The DVD run time is approximately 100 minutes. The gift set SRP is $14.99. The DVD contains special features including interactive games, coloring pages, and optional Spanish audio.

Caillou is a 4-year-old boy who delights in the small wonders of the world around him, embellishing everything he sees with his rich imagination. Thanks to his vivid imagination, ordinary, everyday events quickly become exciting adventures in which Caillou can play “make-believe.” CAILLOU is designed for preschoolers and focuses on role-playing and “make-believe.” CAILLOU is produced by DHX Media.

The episodes and stories included on the DVD are listed below.

Caillou’s Surprise

· Caillou’s Surprise

· A Surprise for Miss Martin

· A Surprise Sleepover


People I Love

· Mystery Valentine

· Dancing at Grandma’s

· Play Ball!

· Caillou's Sleepover Guest


Captain Caillou

· Captain Caillou

· The Loudest Noise

· Caillou's First Wedding


Knowing How!

· Skating Lessons

· Where I Live

· Just Like Me

· Just In Time

* Thank you to PBS for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*