Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Mamma Mia, Crowdtap rocks!!

Yet again, Crowdtap has proven how amazing they are!  I was chosen to host a ABBA's Just Dance party.  We had a wonderful time dancing the night away and having some crazy 70's fun!  Not all of the ladies wanted their pictures posted in their crazy 70's garb so I will only share pictures of the amazing prize!


Crowdtap and Ubisoft sent me an amazing party pack consisting of an ABBA Gold CD, a Just Dance ABBA game for the Wii, and an ABBA Just Dance tee.  Since I am such a nice person (lol) I bought an extra game and a tiara and gave the party pack with the tiara to the winner.  We chose a winner based on dance moves and 70's costume.

We all had a great time and I am planning on hosting another 70's Just Dance party for New Years Eve!  The ABBA CD and the Just Dance ABBA game are really fun and I cant wait to play it again!

I recieved products at no cost.  All opinions expressed are my own!



Thursday, December 8, 2011

My Love Affair With Old Navy and Crowdtap Continues!

The Old Navy Style Council has done it again!  Thanks to my affiliation with Crowdtap, I was able to participate in the Bundle-Up Bach In Store party at Old Navy!  I was able to bring three friends shopping with me for a sweater, pant, and winter accessory.  And the best part of it all is because of Crowdtap, it was all FREE! 

Getting Bundled up in the dressing room!


Crowdtap is an amazing website that allows its members to sample and share amazing products.  As a Crowdtap member, I also am able to participate in discussions and earn money for doing so.  The most amazing thing about Crowdtap is that they donate money to charity for every member.  How cool is that?
Anyway, back to the Bundle-Up Bash In Store Party.  I was only able to arrange it so 1 of the 3 friends could actually come with me.  All four of us had our party planned but unfortunately the coupons didn't arrive in time because of a postal service issue.  It was well worth the wait though.  Becky and I had a blast trying on different styles of sweaters, pants, scarves, hats, and gloves.  I was a little disappointed at the selection at my local Old Navy, but I am happy with the purchase that I made.





Saturday, December 3, 2011

A Smurftastic Smurf Party

In celebration of The Smurf being released on DVD/BluRay, I had the opportunity to host a Smurftastic party sponsored by Crowdtap.  I was pretty excited knowing that this party would be a hit with the kids and their friends.  When I was first selected as a host, the blue possibilities started swimming in my head.  I received a digital party kit from Crowdtap with coloring pages, digital clips, game downloads, and printable hats and glasses. 
The boys and I wanted the party to be great for their friends so we decorated with blue and white streamers and balloons.  Even the ceiling fan was decorated.


We invited about 20 boys and around 15 of them came along with 3 of my friends boys and my niece.  It was quite the house full!  We started the party with each of the kids coloring the printable glasses and hats.  The kids then watched The Smurfs movie which they really liked.  After the movie they got to enjoy the blue smurfarific treats.  These are the kids that would sit for a picture!  The hats they colored wouldn't fit around their heads, they were pretty disappointed after doing all the work, but they got over it quickly.


When thinking about what food to make for the party, I knew for sure I would have to use my new BabyCakes maker.  I made a vanilla cake pop dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with blue sprinkles.  I told the kids they were Poppa-Smurf pops and they gobbled them all up!

Here is one of the cups filled with the Poppa-Smurf pops!

Along with the Poppa-Smurf pops, we had blue lofthouse cookies, blue koolaid, and Smurf Punch(cicles)


To make your own Smurfy Punch(cicles):
Blue punch or sports drink
Lemon-lime soda

Blueberries
Blueberries Combine blue punch with lemon lime soda and then float blueberries in the punch bowl. You can use the same punch to create Popsicles by freezing it in popsicle trays overnight!
Jayden with his Smurf glasses after a Smurfy Punch(Cicle)


After watching The Smurfs on DVD and eating the rest of the treats, the kids had a Smurfs scavenger hunt.  We had Smurf action figures hidden throughout the house.  The kids who found them got to re-hide them.  They did this for about 45 minutes until they were bored with it.  I was surprised it lasted that long!  The kids also played pin the glasses on Brainy Smurf.  They really enjoyed this too!

I also had a face painting station set up but we ran out of time after the scavenger hunt.  I was the only parent here after the movie too so I didn't want to work that hard!  By the end of the afternoon, I was exhausted, and the kids were bouncing off the walls from all of the Smurf treats!

For more information on all the smurtastic fun visit:
and follow them on twitter at twitter.com/smurfsmovie
To learn more about crowdtap and what they have to offer visit
http://bit.ly/k3SYDj
Products may have been given to me at no cost.  Opinions expressed are my own.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Just add Icecream giftbasket

This has nothing to do with a great deal, but I wanted to share anyway!  My sons school has a raffle every year and asks for families to donate gift baskets.  I found this on Pinterest and decided to give it a shot!  If you are not familiar with pinterest, you must check it out, I have gotten so many great ideas from them.  But beware, pinterest is very addicting!  If you want to become a member just leave your email and I would be happy to invite you!

pic.twitter.com/L12v3FO4
I bought waffle bowls in 2 different sizes, waffle cones, and chocolate dipped cones and wrapped them in snack bags that I purchased at Michaels.  Then I took fun toppings like nuts, gummi bears, chocolate chips, and of course sprinkles and put them in a small snack size Ziploc bag tied with a ribbon.  Then of course chocolate syrup, caramel, and strawberry sauce.  After I took the picture I added a few more little things such as cherries and wrapped the box with cellophane that I got from the Dollar Tree.  I couldn't find any cute baskets around so I took the EMU Australia box, cut the sides and top off and wrapped with a cute paper I had laying around. 
When I took the finished box into the school to drop off, all of the office staff loved it.  The principle even asked me to make a few more for her!  It was such a fun project!

Here is the finished product, the picture does it no justice though!
pic.twitter.com/EdwzDeYp

The other basket that I made was a coffee themed basket.  I got my inspiration from the Torani syrup that I received from Shespeaks. For more on that see my previous post!
pic.twitter.com/8pZp5z4r

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Torani Flavored Syrups

I was so excited that I got chosen to test this product from SheSpeaks.com.  Before I even recieved my package, I was at the local grocery store to buy some to try.  It is super good.  As part of my package I recieved a large bottle of Peppermint, a large bottle of Sugar Free Brown Sugar and Cinnamon, and 5 FREE coupons to try extra flavors and share with friends.  So far, I have tried Caramel, Vanilla, Peppermint, and Sugar Free Brown Sugar and Cinnamon flavors.  My favorite were Caramel and Vanilla.  I am not a huge fan of sugar free items, so I passed that one along to a friend.  The peppermint flavor is great for the season, it really perks me up!  The five coupons were passed out to family and friends.

Here is a recipe for an excellent coffee drink.  Think homemade Starbucks!

1 cup steamed milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
2 Tablespoons (or to taste) favorite Torani syrup

I have been making these like crazy!  I even put the extra brewed coffee in the fridge and in the afternoon, make myself a frappachino in my MagicBullet!  I am still working on perfecting a recipe for that!  Icecream seems like it works better than ice though.

Torani offers 120 different flavors and they all sound so good!  I can't wait to try more.  If you would like to try some for yourself, here is a coupon for 10% off your order.  Also, on the Torani website there are lots of great recipes.

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I love how versitile Torani syrups are.  They can be used in just about anything from cocktails and mocktails to energy drinks and coffee. 

If you would like to take part in a fun twitter party with Torani and Shespeaks, they are hosting a #HolidayFlavors twitter party tonight, November 17th at 9pm EST.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!
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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Get Fit and Active with Old Navy

As part of the Old Navy Style Council through crowdtap.com, I am able to join sample and shares.  The latest sample and share was Get Fab & Fit in Active by Old Navy!  I was able to bring one friend and go shopping for a FREE pair of compression pants and an Old Navy active top.

After dissecting a brain class, my friend Becky and I headed to Old Navy.  Nothing puts you in the mood for shopping like dissecting a brain!  We only had about 15 minutes to shop before the store closed, so we literally ran in and got to it. 

          Running in the dressing room! These pants are really comfy, but boy do they compress!


I was pretty impressed by the selection of compression pants that they offer.  There were many different colors and lots of sizes to choose from.  I couldn't believe how tight the compression pants were when I tried them on though, boy do they compress!  My favorite thing about the pants were that they have a tiny little pocket on the waistband in the back.  Don't really know what it is for, maybe a key?  But it shows that Old Navy really put in some attention to detail on these.
                                                       Here I am with the headless man!                             


My favorite pants were actually capris and were not part of the sample.  So I ended up getting just a plain pair of black pants and a plain black active jacket.  The coolest thing about the jacket is that it has thumb holes.

We had a lots of fun in that 15 minutes.  The staff was very helpful and courteous.  They were really impressed by the coupons, they hadn't seen them before.
                                                     Becky with her Fit and Active gear!



When all was said and done, Becky and I each got $79 worth of clothes for FREE!  Thanks Old Navy and Crowdtap!
If you would like to join in the action, here is a link, http://bit.ly/k3SYDj

Monday, October 17, 2011

FOOD FIGHT!!


Are you sick of over-proccessed foods being the most convienient?  I am.  There have been many days that I turn to something out of a box because it is simply easier.  Slowly, I am learning tips and tricks to make cooking meals healthier for me and my family.  One of the easiest things that has made a difference for my family is switching to whole grains.  They are much healthier, and no one even noticed a difference.
Recently, I was able to participate in a campaign called Healthy Food Fight with SheSpeaks and Aetna.  They have partnered together to spread the word about healthy living and eating.  As part of their Healthy Food Fight program, SheSpeaks and Aetna hosted two healthy food fight twitter parties.  During the parties, they offered tips and recipes to get you eating healthier.  Although the twitter party fun is over, you can still enter to win some great prizes.  Also, check out the Healthy Food Fight website to learn about local events and to get some great recipes.


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Aetna is one of the nation's leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability insurance and employee benefits who believes they can help create a better health care system.  To learn more about Aetna and their Healthy Food Fight please visit them here.

*Disclaimer:  I participated in this campaign through SheSpeaks and may recieve a thank you gift in return.  All opinions are my own.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Can't live with it, can't live without it.........

and I am not talking about men!  Anti-virus software.  I have had some not so nice experiences with certain anti-virus software.  Some of the available software always seems to interrupt me in the middle of important web surfing time, er, facebook chatting....there is nothing worse than being in the middle of a pointless facebook chat and having your system bogged down by antivirus software running a scan.  Okay, there may be a few worse things.  Anyway, I will get to my point.  I recently had the opportunity to try Trend Micro Titanium through bzzagent.com, if you aren't a bzzagent, check them out.  I get to try lots of fun stuff with them!  I got a free year subscription to Trend for three of my devices.  I used two of the codes and hope to have enough ambition to try it out on my android as well.  I must say, I love this service!  Both my pc and netbook run super fast still, I don't get interrupted with scans very often,  it gives me a monthly report of what it has done.  My favorite part of Trend Micro Titanium is that when I google something, or even on links on Facebook, Trend tells me if it is safe, unknown, or risky.  Now when I am searching for something, there is no second guessing which links will go to somewhere safe.


There are many more features of this service that I haven't had time to try yet.  For intance, there is a Trend Micro Vault that keeps your files safe in a password protected "vault".

I recieved this product/service at no charge.  All opinions expressed are my own

Saturday, October 8, 2011

My own Starbucks creation!

I have been trying to recreate a Starbucks drink in my home for some time now.  I love Starbucks but the nearest one is about 20 miles from my house, so that gets to be a drag.   Anyway......I think I have it figured out!!!  Finally!  I am taking part in a campaign with Torani coffee syrups, although, you will have to wait for that review until I receive and try the product.  I was so excited about these syrups, I couldn't wait for my free package of them, so I went and bought my own.  So, here I have my coffee, syrup, ice, and milk, but my blender is super crappy.  I remember a girlfriend of mine loving her Magic Bullet blender.  So a quick call to my hubby on his way home from work, and bingo, I am now the proud owner of a Magic Bullet!  And I love it!  It was the perfect little gadget to blend my ice into frappachino oblivion!  I will let you in on the recipe as soon as I have it perfected!

UPDATE:
My husband doesn't love deals as much as I do, so he purchased the Magic Bullet for me full price at Wal-Mart.  However, in my own research, I found Bed Bath & Beyond has the best price if you use the 20% off coupon.  You can sign up for this coupon at their website, shipping will be extra.  http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=13430918

Friday, October 7, 2011

Can an additional 50% off clearance get any better? Oh yes it can!

77 Kids (American Eagles chidrens line)  is offering an additional 50% off their clearance items AND free shipping on any order!  Now that is a great deal that I will be a part of!  I love free shipping!  I find myself ordering extra items to get free shipping.  For example, I spent 4 hours on target.com the other night so I could spend $50 to get free shipping.  I ended up spending $27 extra instead of paying $7 in shipping.  They sure know how to get me to spend!

Anyway, check out 77kids.com before this deal ends on Monday!  Not sure how long the free shipping lasts, it just says for a limited time.

Here is the promo code: 82476531

Just found out this deal is good at American Eagle and Aerie also!!  50% off and free shipping on every order through Monday!  Happy Columbus Day!
Happy Shopping!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Latest bzzcampaign

Bear with me please, as this is my first blog post about a product I have received.


I joined this campaign because my skin seems to be getting more sensitive with every passing year.  I just received a full size cleanser and moisturizing lotion for free (yay!) via Bzzagent.com.  I just started using it in the last couple days.  My face seems like it is softer, although I don't think it has made any major impact.  I must admit, prior to using this, I only washed my face with water and only used moisturizer randomly.  Would I recommend these products to friends?  Probably not.  The lotion has such a bad smell, I will most likely stop using it.  I kinda feel like I am putting paste on my face because of the odor.  I am pretty sure I could find a nicer smelling lotion with the same results.
Any one else with experience with this product?  I would love to hear about it!

Welcome to my blog!

Hey there!  I started this blog because I needed a place to blog about all of my deals, freebies, and such.  I am not a writer, I really don't like writing.  Hate might be a little strong, but I really dislike it!  But, I do love to receive new products, samples, coupons, and deals and I do like to write reviews about those products.  So please bear with me as  I am sure my grammar won't be perfect and my spelling may leave something to be desired! 

For a little bit about me, I am a stay at home mom of 4 younger children.  I was homeschooling them until life just happened.  So two of my kids are now attending a school and I am as well!  Last January, I started attending a local technical college in the nursing program.  Which is where I learned about my "hate" for writing!  It blows my mind how many writing classes are required for nursing! 

I have been married to my high school sweetheart for nearly 10 years, wow, that makes me feel old!  At least I was 18 when we were married, so that makes me feel a little better!  It seems as though my cousins, children I once babysat for, and my own kids are getting older but I feel like I am not!