An indoor playground with Gorilla Gym

“Go outside and play” was the theme of my childhood, when we would disappear in the morning and not come back until late afternoon. Looking back now, I think this is how my mom didn’t lose all her marbles raising 5 children.

I will admit that I love letting the kids loose on our back porch when they just need a change of scenery and a little exercise in the early afternoon, but unfortunately Seattle weather rarely cooperates this time of year and it’s usually rainy and wet. I wish I had a large covered area I could send them to when they need to get their energy out, but unfortunately this is what most afternoons look like.

Rain on windows
I know many local moms feel the same way once the rainy season{s} hit hard, as do all the moms out there that don’t have yards to send the kids to. But, whether you’re lamenting the fact that the cold has descended, have a small urban lot, or no yard at all, I have your solution:The Gorilla Gym.

The Gorilla Gym is a way to make any doorway an active play set, so the kids can get out energy rain or shine. My kids adore swings and I’ve always been really sad that a big swing set doesn’t make sense in our sloped yard that’s already maxed out with a garden, a huge trampoline, a deck, a BBQ area, and various other kids toys, so naturally I chose the Indoor Swing Package from Gorilla Gym.

Swinging in Doorway
With no drilling, no holes, and no permanent structure to worry about, the Gorilla Gym can be taken down when not in use – which, for us, is very, very rare. It’s not going to be any surprise that the kids are fully addicted to the Gorilla Gym swing and if they had their choice, it would only be empty when we’re gone or sleeping.

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2014 KIA Forte test drive

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Kia Forte silver
by Tyler, editor and reviewer

As much as I love SUVs, I’m really a car guy. I drive around a big and clunky work truck all day, so there’s nothing I love better than being able to hop in a car and zip around town when I get home. It’s so much more engaging and effortless, not to mention much easier to find parking.

That being said, I immediately took to the 2014 KIA Forte as soon as it arrived for our test drive. Since these days we travel with a full crew 4 door sedans are very much a part of our world and I’ve been curious about this compact sedan for a while. The one concern I did have beforehand was size, but I was pleasantly surprised by how big inside the Forte is, since in my mind the Forte might have been a bit small for us.

Kia Forte 2014

 

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The Ninja Ultima Blender + can make anyone a pro in the kitchen

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'Tis the season of baking, cooking, and entertaining.

While some years I might dread the holidays and how much time is spent in the kitchen, this year I’m actually looking forward to it. Ever since this bad boy arrived, I’ve been looking for any excuse to whip up anything homemade.

Readers, meet the Ninja Ultima Blender. Ninja, meet readers.
The Ninja Ultima Blender
I’m sure you can see from the picture that this is no ordinary blender that merely makes smoothies and mixed drinks. This is a professional model that can do oh so much more than a drink station – this is an amazing kitchen tool that can make anyone a pro in the kitchen.

Ninja Ulttima Blender package

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Keep your tablet safe during holiday baking season with AT&T

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Holiday Baking with AT&T

Remember when we used to use cookbooks to cook? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but those days are fading fast. These days, I get my recipes from Pinterest, from other bloggers, and from recipe sites – very rarely do I crack open a cookbook.

These days I leave my tablet or laptop on the dining room table and simply memorize the recipe in small pieces while I gather ingredients and cook so it’s safely out of my work zone.

In case you’re wondering, this isn’t the best idea for a forgetful cook who also has very distracting “helpers”. There have been many times I’ve transposed numbers or doubted myself enough to check the same ingredient over and over again because I got sidetracked.

But, not anymore. Now I’ve got this little guy to help me in the kitchen.

Accessories-4119b-450x350

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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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A Girl for All Time: Clementine, Your 1940s Girl

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Know that feeling when someone catches your eye and doesn't let it go? For me, that someone was Clementine. Compared to other dolls she was a few shades more vibrant, more beautiful, and full of personality. Before I saw her, I thought all dolls were pretty, but next to her they all
Clementine's Winterseemed dull and just so… ordinary.

Maybe it was her bright red hair, or maybe it was because her attire was so quaint and old fashioned, or maybe it’s her distinctly British charm, but whatever it was, she really couldn't help but stand out. I knew right when I met her that she was going to be a lifelong friend for my children.

Clementine is the newest doll from A Girl For All Time, maker of beautifully crafted dolls, accessories, books, and more. Each of their beautiful 16in dolls are based on 500 years of the fictional Marchmont family and feature independent, determined women from different eras of the most exciting times in English history.
A Girl for All Time dolls
One look at their website and I was immediately smitten by their exquisite collection of dolls with their beautifully detailed faces and their accessories that looked like something from a museum. It’s not surprising to me at all that A Girl for All Time can’t keep these dolls in stock over in London. The dolls sold out in a mere 10 days at the famous Harrods luxury department store and are selling well now that they have arrived Stateside at FAO Schwarz and a handful of New York boutiques.

But, as much as I loved Matilda, the Tudor girl, and Amelia, the Victorian girl, there was something about Clementine that enthralled me. Clementine is from London in the 1940s and survives the evacuation of London in 1939 as a 12-year-old. She comes in a historically inspired dress with vintage daisy pattern complete with period accessories and trim. After reading her captivating background story online, I knew she had to come home for tea with us. 

A girl for all time tea party

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Own the road with Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season tires

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Goodyear Eagle Sport Tires on road

Most people pay almost no attention to the tires on their cars, which floors me. Those 4 tires are what connects your car to the road and what keeps you rolling, yet they don’t get nearly the amount of love they deserve.

3 years ago, I was hit while driving on the freeway and my car lost control, spinning and eventually coming to a stop in oncoming traffic. Ever since then, I am petrified of losing control while driving and even something minor like a little bit of ice or water over a roadway sends me into a panic. Since tires can make a huge difference in what traction you get in inclement weather, tires are very, very important to me.

As you can imagine, I was thrilled when I heard I would get the opportunity to outfit one of our vehicles with Goodyear's newest tire, the Eagle Sport All-Season later this year. I’m really excited to take my car in and trade in my old tires for these new high-performance tires just in time for the rainy and icy seasons.

For over 100 years, Goodyear has been devoted to advancing tire technology, and to applying this knowledge to new products that advance driving excellence. At the Akron Innovation Center, nearly 1,500 engineers, scientists, technicians, and other specialists collaborate to improve tire manufacturing for a wide variety of vehicles on six continents. The result is the new Eagle Sport tires.

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VTech Premium Kid Connect lets you connect with your kids anywhere {InnoTab 3S}

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My kids love to text and call their dad throughout the day while he’s at work, but I hate to leave them unattended with my cell phone. This means I’m constantly guarding my phone and making sure it’s locked down, and the kids try their best to convince me to take their pictures and send it to daddy all day long.  

The solution? The awesome Premium Kid Connect available on the VTech InnoTab 3S that helps parents stay connected to their kids when apart. You may remember how much I adore the InnoTab learning tablet for kids and how it saved our Chicago-to-Seattle train trip, got us ready for school, and now offers supplemental learning we can do at home, but it’s way more than that when you connect it to VTech Premium Kid Connect and any Wi-Fi connection.

VTech Kid Connect
With the Premium Kid Connect on the InnoTab 3S, your kids can send voice, text, and picture messages right to loved ones' phones in real time. All by themselves.

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Getting organized with Fellowes {Powershred 63Cb shredder review}

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Fellowes. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Vs
Years ago, when the company I worked for closed, I had the task of cleaning out my old office where I was office manager and handled all HR. Let me tell you it was quite the task. There was 16 years of my paperwork in that office hidden away in drawers, filing cabinets, and folders, and most of it had nowhere to go.

Some of those mountains of paperwork were important and they went to my boss, who then had to store it just in case. Some of the paperwork was about clients and that went to the company who had bought us.

But, some of that paperwork was my notes and scribbles and it had no use to anyone, but was full of information I didn’t want to fall into the wrong hands. With only hours to evacuate and very little manpower because everyone was busy emptying their own spaces, I did the best I could, but eventually admitted defeat.

Sadly, some of this junk had to be taken with me as there was no way I was going to be able to track down 16 years of past employees in 24hours to ask them to come get every scrap of paper, time card, old insurance applications, bank slips and payroll stub dating back to 1997 {Fun fact! Most of these have your full social security number, account numbers and birthday on them!}.

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Make yourself a home with Lundby {SMÅLAND Swedish dollhouse review}

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Welcome home to Lundby
I feel like I should win some sort of award for the fact that I still haven’t shown my daughter her new Lundby house she’s going to be opening on Christmas. It’s been an exercise in self-control to keep it hidden away in my office {which actually isn’t all that “hidden”, but that’s a whole other issue} even though I pass it numerous times a day.

MM10122
Everyone is posting things on social media stressing about how there’s only 43 days until Christmas and all I can think is how on Earth am I going to be able to wait that long?

And, then when a new shipment of miniatures arrived the other day with a Lundby family and two packages to complete her Lundby kitchen and dining room, I realized this was going to be an even bigger task than I imagined.

Lundby accessories

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