I have always loved Christmas. The lights, the sounds, the events… everything. But, now with three little kiddos soaking up all the possibilities of the season, the holidays are positively magical. 
Of course there are the big events that everyone loves, like the pictures with Santa and taking a spin on the holiday carousel, but I think I love the small moments even more. Nothing can top our dance parties as we trim the tree and decorate, matching Gymmies by the fire, or sitting under the tree telling holiday stories. 
As much as I know the kids love the big stuff, it’s going to be all those little things that they remember most as our family traditions. Gymboree knows that life is full of happy moments, and they launched the One Big Happy campaign that encourages every family to celebrate the special moments, no matter the size.
Giveaways
Holiday traditions with Hickory Farms
When my husband and I were first married, we received a box full of Hickory Farms treats from the grandparents for our first holiday in our new house. This little box was such a welcome treat with our meager post-wedding funds, and I remember making each night we snacked on the gift box into a party of sorts.
Unwrapping each little food package felt like a mini present, and it turned into a nightly ritual almost like an advent calendar. To this day, it’s one of my favorite gifts I’ve ever received because of how fun and unexpected it was. 
And now, every time I see the Hickory Farms booths pop up in our local malls, I think back to that gift box and smile. Something about seeing the booth in place at the mall now signals to me that the holidays are coming, and immediately I’m in the holiday spirit.
Holiday looks from Christopher & Banks
A few years ago, I was shopping with my sisters and we happened upon a Christopher & Banks store. I'd never been in a C&B before, but my sister in law was telling me how she just got some accessories there and we ended up heading inside. Once inside, I was shocked at the selection of clothing I loved.
While there were admittedly parts of the store were cute but more of my mom's style, other areas were full of shirts, pants, dresses and sweaters that appealed not only to me, but also my sister and sister in law who were shopping with me. Since we were shopping for a specific occasion, we sought help from one of the store associates and she helped us find exactly what we were looking for. We each ended up falling in love with quite a few pieces and we left with bags of clothing and accessories.
To anyone who is familiar with Christopher & Banks, this isn’t going to be a surprise. With missy sizes 4 to 16, as well as petite and plus women’s sizing, Christopher & Banks gives you all the sizes under one roof from 4P – 24W. Their selection of great mix & match clothing as well as statement pieces gives you tons of options for work, play, and events.
Chicco NaturalFit® Advanced Feeding & Soothing System grows with baby
I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Chicco. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation. 
When I was pregnant with my first child, I was on a forum with other expecting moms where we would share our excitement and fears about motherhood. Of all the things that stressed us out about bringing our children into the world, one of the main concerns was feeding our children. Even though we were a mixed group with about half planning on breastfeeding and the others planning on formula, we all agreed that finding a bottle that would work for us and for baby was top of our list of must-haves.
Fast forward 7 years and now all of those ladies I met in the pregnancy forum are experienced moms of more than one child. But, do you want to know the one thing we message each other about the most often? Bottles. Crazy, right? Whether it’s concerns about baby not taking a bottle for girls night out or it’s a big life event such as returning to work or health issues, all of us have struggled with finding the perfect bottle at some point.
We’ve traded bottle brands to try, we’ve shared pictures of our kids using different types, and we’ve ranted about more bottles than I can count. So, when I found Chicco NaturalFit® recently and loved what I saw, you can bet I shared it with the group.
Explore the ’50s with Maryellen, the new BeForever doll from American Girl
Have you ever felt like you were born in the wrong decade? For me, my heart has always belonged to the ‘50s. My parents were born in the 1950s so I grew up hearing stories of the way things used to be and I always felt a connection to the decade that shaped their generation. I spent countless hours listening to their 45s, exploring their childhood closets for clothing gems left behind when everyone moved away from home, and pining for a decade I never personally experienced. 
My love of the ‘50s has only been renewed with the arrival of the newest American Girl’s BeForever™ character, Maryellen Larkin. Only now it’s better because I get to share that love with my children. 
I don’t think it’s possible to be more in love with Maryellen. With her gorgeous strawberry blond hair, her brown eyes, and her authentic 1950s outfit featuring a striped dress, a lacy-knit shrug with a monogrammed "M", black shoes, and a ribbon bow for her hair, she’s exactly what I think of when I picture my mom and my aunts during the ‘50s. Classic and all-American, Maryellen is even more beautiful in person than she is online and in catalogue. 
Back to School ROCKS with AT&T – LG Tone wireless stereo headset
It’s back to school time, and you’re probably busy checking off lists consisting of pencils, glue sticks, backpacks and rulers. All of which are necessary for back to school, but I think we can all agree they really aren’t fun, are they?
So, what if you want to get them something they will be excited about for back to school? For all that fun stuff, look no further than AT&T. 
By now you know that the AT&T store carries everything you need to make the most of your mobile devices, and back to school time means everyone is going to be a whole lot more mobile with school schedules, sports, and extracurricular activities. Whether you are looking for a new smartphone so you can keep in touch, speakers for a dorm room, a tablet so they can do homework when they can’t be at a computer, or an activity tracker to keep up with all those extra steps they will be racking up on campus, AT&T has you covered.
Upgrade your walls with photo art from AdoramaPix
Oh, AdoramaPix, where have you been my whole life? My walls have never been happier. 
Ever since I was little, I have loved photography and have taken way too many pictures. But the problem has always been getting those pictures printed. Back when film was my medium, I would save up money to get rolls of film developed at the drug store and whatever teenager that was on duty would process them, which was mostly awful. Then, once everything went digital, I would order prints either from kiosks or online, but either way, the quality was always subpar.
Other labs, pay attention. This is how you do it. 
Back to school with Gymboree – Let’s Color Together
You know how all kids go through various stages and it’s easier to connect with them at certain times? About two years ago my sweet girl was going through a stage that left me frazzled by the end of the day. What I realized was that we needed something for just the two of us, and it was going to be even more crucial as she started school full-time. 
There were three main criteria I needed to address: 1) The activity had to have no rules that I needed to enforce since I was the enforcer the rest of the day. 2) It had to be something that wasn’t extra work for me so I didn’t have to plan, execute, and then deal with clean up. And 3) It had to be something we both enjoyed that allowed us to reconnect so that we could weather this stage we were both going through.
One day it hit me that the answer to reconnecting with my daughter was through art. We both love just about every type of art and we both find it relaxing, so it was the perfect solution for getting us both to enjoy each other’s company and rediscover how much fun we have together. Since that day we’ve worked side by side to draw, paint with water colors, sew, and even build together on our doll house we’re renovating… and it has been amazing for all of us. 
Embrace the curve with the LG G Flex 2 smartphone from AT&T
Are you looking for your next phone? Look no further, because I have the perfect phone for you. Introducing the LG G Flex 2 smartphone from AT&T. Read all about this amazing phone and then enter to win one of these bad boys below!
By now I’m sure you’ve heard all about how the new iPhone can bend and how it really scared people the first few weeks. Well, it turns out that the curve isn’t exactly a defect. In fact, some people would argue that the curved design is preferred over a standard rectangle phone, which is why the new LG G Flex 2 was created with a curve. 