Spin into Spring with TwirlyGirl dresses and skirts {with coupon code}

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My daughter will only wear dresses. Not shorts, not pants, not even skirts most days. All she wants is dresses. She’s clearly a little fashionista, but even with her eye for fashion, she won’t compromise with clothing that is uncomfortable and isn’t fun and girly. So, of course she fell in love with TwirlyGirl when she saw they carried cute dresses for girls like these, which just so happened to speak to her fashion side as well as her inner dancer.  
TwirlyGirl dressesWhen I was growing up, my sister and I had a special spot in our closet where we kept dresses that were “spinny” {AKA cut so that they flare out when you spin}. Those dresses were the ones we returned to over and over again and I can still vividly remember the details in both dresses. Sadly, we only ever owned two of these dresses as spinny dresses are hard to come by. Apparently, boring and flat is the norm for clothing.

But, once I saw TwirlyGirl, I realized I was looking at what I would have designed back when I was a girl, you know, if I was any good at designing. Oh, what we would have given to have a dress from TwirlyGirl, a company designed to make cute dresses for girls that would put all of our spinny dresses to shame.Twirly Girl dress

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Cherishing the small moments with Gymboree

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Me with kiddosIn some ways, parenting is exactly the way I thought it would be, but in some ways I can’t believe how different it is than I imagined. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the never-ending to-do lists and the days that fly by, and sometimes I look at my kids and wonder how on Earth I have a five year old and a three year old. Nothing could have prepared me for how quickly my babies would grow into full-fledged kids and how much I would reminisce about days gone by.

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SchoolKidz by Staples makes back to school easy

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Oh back to school, how I dread you! More than just having to give up my sweet kiddos for hours every day, I also dread the whole back to school process of each new school year. This next year is going to be even harder for me as I will officially be without my firstborn all.day.long. The thought is enough to bring me to tears, so I have no idea how on earth I’m going to cope once Kindergarten is a distant memory and serious school starts. 
Image001But, while I can’t do anything to ease my growing separation anxiety, I know where I’m going to turn to make our transition as easy as possible: SchoolKidz by Staples. Designed to make back to school easier than ever for busy parents, SchoolKidz handles all the supplies and school lists, including all the tissues I’m going to be needing come September.

It may seem really early to be talking back to school because the kids are still in school for a few more months, but some things are worth planning ahead for. By setting your account up now and encouraging your child’s school to get involved, you can make back to school not only easier for yourself, but also for the entire school by making shopping for school and classroom supplies as easy as a few clicks.
School Kidz sample pack

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Our new Easter tradition: HoneyBaked Ham

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Easter dinner with Honeybaked Ham
I love Easter. I love all the spring colors, I love pulling out my mismatched “fancy” dishes, and I love having family and friends over to celebrate with tea and snacks and then a full dinner.

But, there’s one Easter tradition I just can’t get behind. You see, I just do not like ham. I do not like it, Sam I am. I do not like it here or there, I do not like it anywhere.

Knowing this, you wouldn’t think I would be excited to write about a company like HoneyBaked Ham, but you’d be wrong. I will admit that when I was presented with a menu, the first thing I searched for was ham alternatives. Once I saw they had turkey {both smoked and roasted}, as well as a ton of sides, entrees, and desserts, I was in.

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Spend your tax refund wisely with unlimited talk text and data for less

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser. 

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Is it just me who is bothered by all those "how to spend your tax refund" ads that are really just frivolous ways to waste your money as soon as you get it? How about actually putting that money back to work for you by investing it in something that will lower your monthly expenditures and hopefully put even more money back in your pocket? Are you curious yet? I'm talking about the lowest priced unlimited plans anywhere.

Most people wouldn’t see a cellphone service as an investment, but when chosen carefully, the right plan can slash your phone costs in half or even more. By making a switch to Walmart Family Mobile you don’t have to compromise on anything and can get the hottest phones available paired with the lowest priced unlimited plans anywhere to make the most of your tax return.

Though I’m a huge saver, even I can justify a one-time expense that ends up lowering my monthly bills on something I need to buy anyway. But, I’m sure you’re wondering just how low of a price you can get through Walmart Family Mobile, and the answer is that it is even cheaper than you think. At $29.88/month for unlimited talk and text or $39.88/month for unlimited talk and text with internet service, it makes it possible to get a great plan at the lowest price anywhere. Family Mobile from Walmart brochure

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Build a fort as big as your imagination with Fort Magic

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You may remember how much I adore Fort Magic fort building kits that make it easy to create amazing forts for the kiddos without an engineering degree, but now that the kids are older, I love it even more. Since our last post we’ve made huge forts in our living room, our family room, and even took the Fort Magic kit with us while on vacation so the kids could build an outdoor hideout for cousins only, complete with added satellite dish. 574491_416422895116389_1145160500_n

Haven’t heard of Fort Magic before? The Fort Magic fort building kit contains everything you need to create your own fort as big as your imagination. The 382 piece kit contains all different shapes and sizes of rods, connectors and accessories that allow you to build a fort – anywhere, anytime.

Fort Magic contents

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Whole Foods has Valentine’s Day covered

Like always, Valentine's Day has snuck up on me and here it is just a few days away. But, this year, I'm not worried at all because I've got Whole Foods to help me get everything in one quick and easy trip. With everything from fresh flowers and gourmet chocolate to aisles and aisles of gourmet foods begging to be cooked up for a special Valentine, Whole Foods really does have you covered.
Chocolate at Whole Foods

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New Years sales at Simon Malls

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Did you think all the sales and deals ended with the holidays? If so, you’d be wrong, because the sales are in full swing at Simon Malls. This past week I took the family out for some post-holiday shopping at Northgate Mall in north Seattle and we found good deals everywhere we looked.

Northgate sales
Gymboree is having their Red Balloon Sale, Victoria’s Secret has their Semi-Annual Sale, Nordstrom has their men’s sale, Lane Bryant has their Ring It Up, Ring It In sale event, Eddie Bauer has their Semi-Annual Sale, Old Navy has their Active Sale, Things Remembered has a New Years’ Sale, and even Starbucks has a year end sale going on.
And the sales go on and on and on…

Sales at Northgate Mall

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Holiday cleanup is a breeze with the Shark Rocket lightweight vacuum

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by Stacey, editor and reviewer

My household requires a serious vacuum; with two dogs and two young kids my vacuum is on constant overdrive. I love having a clean house, but my vacuum has to keep up with my active lifestyle so I started my search for a machine that would help make quick clean ups a breeze.
Shark Rocket
The Shark Rocket, one of the newest lightweight vacuums on the market, was the solution to the things my large upright vacuum so often lacked. Shark re-engineered the full size vacuum to make a more versatile machine {without the usual heavy packaging} that deep cleans carpets and hard floors with ease.

Shark Rocket Goes Everywhere Cleans Everything
This lightweight vacuum weighs in at under eight pounds, but don’t let the small package fool you, this machine has some serious suction that easily compares to any full size upright model! Shark Rocket Vacuum

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