News & Reviews Archives - Page 18 of 32

Labyrinthitis: taking it easy, even if it kills me

It’s been this kind of week. Anyone who knows me knows how stir crazy I go staying home for long periods of time. Give me an order to stay in bed to recuperate, and I will fight you to regain my independence, even at the cost of my health. I just can’t do “take it … Read more

Where cute meets comfort – introducing the Rocky 4EurSole sandals

Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with Rocky 4EurSole and I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

A wise person once told me that life was too short to wear uncomfortable footwear. Never has that been more true than when you are caring for and chasing after kiddos. Ever try and take care of toddlers in stilettos? No thank you. I’ll take a pair of sneakers or sandals any day. But, that doesn’t mean you have to wear ugly orthopedic shoes. In fact, you can even wear cute, fashionable footwear in comfort with Rocky 4EurSole. With so many cute options to choose from, they make practical footwear actually lust-worthy.

When I was thinking about my needs over the next few months, I decided pretty quickly that I wanted to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Spring and summer in the Pacific Northwest is truly the best with waterparks, lakes, rivers, ocean, and pools in just about every town, so starting in spring break we spend most of our time in and around water. Clearly, I needed a good, comfortable sandal that would look and feel great for all of our adventures with kids, and I knew Rocky 4Eur Sole was the perfect place to turn.

Oribel introduces 2 new PortaPlay items {pre-order and save 15% off}

Do you remember my review of the awesome PortaPlay from Oribel that I posted last year? It’s still one of my most favorite “baby” items we’ve ever had, and I love it even more now than I did when it first arrived. See that tree NOT getting mauled by my 10 month old? Thank you, … Read more

Taking care of me with Nature Made

This post was sponsored by Nature Made® as a part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I know most of you reading are parents, so you’re well versed in the art of caring for others. But, ask yourself one question: what ways do you care for yourself? I’m not talking about cruising through a … Read more

Take your kids to see Disney’s ZOOTOPIA today

It’s the day that every kid and kid-at-heart has been waiting for! ZOOTOPIA is now playing in theaters everywhere!

As soon as I saw the toys hit stores for the new ZOOTOPIA movie, I was sure I was going to love it. Not knowing anything about the characters or the movie plot specifically, I was already drawn in just by the diversity and flair of the main characters. One hilarious preview in, and I was counting down the days to March 4th for the theatrical release of ZOOTOPIA.

I'm not saying that I'm always good at predicting a blockbuster, but I did call that Frozen was going to be a sensation, so….

We got to see ZOOTOPIA at the Seattle pre-screening, and it was just as good, and in many ways better, than I had hoped. It had action, it had adventure, it had heart, and it had a really wonderful message. Even days later, we’re all still talking about takeaways from the movie and parts that we really enjoyed as a family, and the conversations are only getting better as we process the movie and discuss it further.

Bring The Good Dinosaur home today

We missed seeing Disney•Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur in theaters by mere hours, and my kids have been reminding me about it ever since. The kids are both dinosaur obsessed, and since it’s Disney•Pixar, it’s always a safe bet so I thought it would be a fun film to own once it came out. But, I will admit I knew absolutely nothing about the film, except for the fact that it was about prehistoric times and it had a boy in it.

The Good Dinosaur finally arrived on DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack, Digital HD, and Disney Movies Anywhere {DMA} today, February 23rd, and we immediately sat down for a family movie night to check it out with the kiddos. It turns out I was right, it was about prehistoric times {thank you, obvious title}. And, I was definitely right that this is a film that we needed to own. But, I had thought that the movie was about a boy who finds a dinosaur. It turns out it’s about a dinosaur who finds a boy. I know that probably seems like a distinction without a difference, but if you have seen the film, you understand.

Guard Your Teeth: why you should always have dental insurance

You don’t fully appreciate dental insurance until you are ever left without it. In 2014, we made the mistake of letting our dental insurance lapse and to this day we are still dealing with the fallout… and the medical bills.

Who would have ever guessed that my daughter would get knocked into a desk face-first, smashing her gums and breaking the two front teeth in the last month of that year? Or that my husband would get his first cavity, ever? Or how about guessing that I would find out that your bite can get misaligned seemingly out of nowhere and that the result is super painful? Never again will I go without, folks.

Fair warning: the image below could bring a grown man or woman to tears. Now imagine seeing your child in this kind of pain with tooth and gum damage and knowing your options are extremely limited because you don’t have insurance.

Our blogging community has seen more than our share of tragedies in the past few years, but none have hit me as hard as hearing that my friend Tiffany’s husband, Sean, passed away unexpectedly this past weekend after complications from a liver biopsy. He underwent two emergency surgeries and I was clinging to my phone … Read more

Donating to Beautiful Lengths

Mornings are not my favorite. They start with my “alarm” going off, which is still currently sleeping in the crib beside my bed, and they usually end with us all running across the field because, as usual, we are running late for school. With three kids to get moving, get dressed, and get fed and … Read more

Enjoy the moment while capturing memories with the LUMIX G7

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Influence Central for Panasonic. I received product samples as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Every year after CES the emails and messages start rolling in asking me the same question. That question: what kind of camera should I buy? Most years, I will go back and forth with the person asking whether they want a large DSLR or a compact purse camera and then ticking off features and benefits of both. Typically, it is 10-15 messages or so before I give my recommendation based on their answers.

But, this year, it’s really easy on me because the camera I recommend whether you are looking for a small, compact camera or you want a DSLR is the same camera, the Panasonic LUMIX G7. It’s just that versatile.