You gotta love Memorial Day Weekend!! Besides all the hotdogs and hamburgers – we have retail sales to look forward to. Since today is the official first day of the big celebration – I thought I’d share a FAB sale from Lands End.

Chino Shorts – $39 + 30% off

French Teri Tank Dress - $68 plus 30% off

Open Crewneck Sweater – $24.95 plus 30% off

Enjoy 30% off + Free Shipping on orders of $50 or more. I found some amazing finds that you should take advantage of — I’m sure my mother is online as we speak because that woman is OBSESSED. At check out, be sure to use Promo Code: CANVAS & PIN: 1315.

http://canvas.landsend.com/

Geometric Nail Art is the NEWEST TREND and I WISH I had the energy to get behind it.  It looks SO FAB – but there is a lot of leg work that goes into making those nails look so good. Basically, you need scotch tape, a steady hand, and a lot of patience. Buzz Feed has 12 great tutorials that you should check out.

What do you think about geometric nail art? Celebrities are starting to flock to the red carpet sporting the look and of course their manicures look AMAZING. Moms need a Lee press on version…. LOL!

Still in?? OK! OK! YouTubers have been all over this for a while now - click here to check out the geometric nail art tutorials and let me know what you think.

The Big City Moms Biggest Baby Shower Ever is like no other baby shower in the world. It is the ultimate, can’t-miss event for expectant and new parents across NYC. More than 1,500 moms and dads will hit the town for a night out, mocktail in hand, as they browse over 150 of the top brands in the maternity and baby industry.

This 4 hour event is jam packed with educational seminars, demonstrations, games, treats and more as attendees shop the hottest essentials for modern parenting.

This year’s unique and exciting offerings include:

SHOP: From carriers, car seats and strollers to must-have maternity looks and newborn essentials, parents and parents-to-be can browse the ultimate in baby gear. This baby shower has you covered with topnotch finds from BRITAX, Baby Jogger, Graco, Beco Baby Carrier, 4Moms, Thyme Maternity, Aden Anais, Philips AVENT, Sage Spoonfuls, Earth’s Best, Ella’s Kitchen and SO MUCH MORE.

EAT: Pregnant (and just plain hungry!) moms can satisfy those cravings with eats and treats including sliders, mac and cheese, cupcakes, cake pops, ice cream and even a special pretzel dipping bar – and then wash it all down with complimentary bottles of Lacroix Water.

RELAX: Style and spa experts will be on hand to help tired parents look and feel their best. They can enjoy massages from Mama Mio in the relaxation lounge or discover new ways to shape up from Celebrity Fitness and Wellness Consultant Andrea Orbeck.

LEARN: Parents will hear from experts including Latham Thomas, Dr. Alan Greene, Dr. Bob Sears and many others on important topics ranging from sleep safety to healthy eating to navigating NYC as a new mom. Project Nursery will even offer design tips and showcase a mock nursery setup and lounge area.

And what about the gift bag?

The most anticipated part of the evening is the overflowing gift bag stocked with hundreds of dollars in baby essentials. Parents in attendance will walk away with new strollers, high chairs, baby carriers, nursing pillows, toys, swaddles, bibs, bottles, skincare products and more.

Tickets start at $100 and can be purchased here: http://babyshower.bigcitymoms.com/BCMBabyRegistration.html.

*Each ticket comes chock full with must-have goodies. All Super Pass Holders will go home with a Beco Baby Carrier and Ultimate Ticket Holders receive a Britax B Agile Stroller (worth over $400!)*

WHO: Hilaria Baldwin, Susan Lucci, James VanDerBeek and wife Kimberly VanDerBeek

WHEN:  Thursday, May 30^th  

5:30pm – 9:30pm

WHERE: Metropolitan Pavilion

125 West 18^th Street (btwn 6th and 7^th Avenues)

]]> http://www.ladyandtheblog.com/2013/05/24/grab-ticket-biggest-baby-shower-hosted-big-city-moms-30th-nyc/feed/ 0 http://www.ladyandtheblog.com/2013/05/24/earn-20000-childs-school-box-tops-education-hanes-comfortsummit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=earn-20000-childs-school-box-tops-education-hanes-comfortsummit http://www.ladyandtheblog.com/2013/05/24/earn-20000-childs-school-box-tops-education-hanes-comfortsummit/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 12:38:16 +0000 Vera http://www.ladyandtheblog.com/?p=59073

I’ve been hearing about Box Tops for about 5 years now. Have I done anything about it? Not really. I see them. I think about cutting them… and then I throw them in the garbage. I guess I never understood the impact I could have made on children’s education and their schools.

During a recent trip to Disney with Hanes, I learned all about the Box Tops for Education program and I am officially hooked. I’m pretty sure I’m going to get on some sort of committee next school year. What am I getting myself into?!!! As IF I have the time…. UGH! But I am borderline OBSESSED with spreading the message. It’s SO EASY to get involved and each school can earn up to $20,000!

I mean… with that figure looming over our heads…. how can we NOT participate!?

Here’s a very high level overview of the program.

How does the Box Tops for Education program work?

There are several ways to earn money for your school.

• Buy: Purchase items that have box tops on the packaging (this is not limited to food as MOST people think). 
• Click: You shop in the marketplace and earn box tops through favorite stores like Target, LL Bean and MORE!
• Sign Up: If you sign up for the newsletter, you will have a chance to earn bonus box tops by participating in surveys.
• Attend: If you are your school’s coordinator – attend the regional meeting! By doing so, you will collect A TON of extra box top credits AND learn creative ways to boost your school’s numbers

How many brands participate in the Box Tops for Education Program?

Over 250! So seriously!! There’s no excuse! From Hanes to Ziploc to Betty Crocker – there’s a product that you USE that qualifies.

How can I earn Double Box Tops?

Every now and then there are specials / promotions to take advantage of. Right now, Hanes is having a double box top deal online. If you buy one of their ECOSmart printed shirts, you will earn twice the amount of box tops for your school. In a few weeks / months, you might find a section at Walmart showcasing food that is offering double box tops. Check the website often to see the latest and greatest.

How much is one Box Top worth?

A regular box top is worth $.10. So, think about that – every time you throw out that box of mac and cheese that you just cooked for your kids – you are THROWING AWAY MONEY. It takes two seconds to cut out the box top! Why not just clip it and save it?

Ready for some fast math. Let’s say that my family can clip $3 a month worth of Box Tops. I think that’s a fair assumption. 10 months of school = $30. I’m guessing there’s about 700 kids in my daughter’s school. (School is from 2nd to 5th grade: 25 kids per class – 5 or 6 classes per grade) If everyone clipped just $3 worth of box tops a month… that meets the $20,000 a year limit.

Just.

Like.

That.

I don’t think $3 sounds like a big deal. Does it sounds impossible to you?

What is the MAX amount of money a school can earn each year?

$20,000

Are there strings attached? What can the school use the Box Tops money on?

ANYTHING THEY WANT!  Do they want new iPads? Great. How about new school uniforms? Whatever works! There is no limitations on the money earned. As long as it’s going towards the enhancement of the school – you are good to go.

Can I check to see how much money my school has earned so far?

YES! Click here to see where your school stands. My daughter’s school STINKS! It hasn’t raised $1,000 yet this year! I cannot believe it! Things are going to change in September!!

But I don’t eat any processed food! How can I participate with Box Tops?

You still can! There are more participating categories than food and beverage. From school supplies to Hanes socks – BELIEVE ME – you are buying something that has Box Tops on it.

Have I sold you yet? I mean… $20,000 is a LOT of money!! Get your family and friends involved. Every penny counts. If we all chipped in – just think of the impact it would have on the educational system.

For more information on the Box Tops for Education program, click here.

With all this rain we’ve been having lately, my vegetables are benefiting nicely! I had a chance to take a peek at what’s doing underneath our chicken wire cages and BOY am I excited. Everything is looking good! In fact, better than I expected. We were away for so long – I was worried that my veggies would suffer. But it doesn’t look like they missed us at all. Thank goodness for our sprinkler system.

My favorite item that I’m growing this season is broccoli for SURE! Looks like I have a few weeks left before I can pick anything – but how exciting!!

Jessica Simpson, Destination Maternity and March of Dimes are joining together in an effort to promote stronger, healthier babies!

During the month of May, Destination Maternity, Motherhood Maternity, and A Pea in the Pod stores nationwide and their respective online sites will retail an exclusive bracelet with $1 from every $2 bracelet sold to benefit the March of Dimes. The bracelet is available in three designs (see above).

You can purchase the bracelet here.

We just came back from Disney. The entire family spent 9 fun-filled days running around the parks (more on that to come – I just have to get situated first). While I didn’t lose any of my children, I saw PLENTY of kids that were lost, scared and frantically looking for their parents.

When I was young, my mom and I separated while in Macy’s on 34th Street. I decided to play hide and seek inside one of the clothing racks and in an instant – I was lost. Thankfully, a woman saw my mother screaming on the streets for her daughter and realized I was that little girl. But if she hadn’t… who KNOWS what would have happened! I was too young to know my phone number at the time.

As a mom seeing SafetyTat for the very first time, I thought it was a GREAT IDEA. Here’s the deal!

SafetyTat are temporary tattoos that read ‘If Lost, Please Call’ and list a parent or guardian’s cell phone number. Designed to be worn on a child’s arm or hand, SafetyTats are easy to apply and are perfect for amusement parks or other crowded surroundings. You can pre-print them at home or write your number on the spot.

LOVE THESE!!!

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the premiere of epic at the Ziegfeld Theater in NYC and while

I can’t tell you much about it just yet, (other than GO SEE THIS MOVIE…you & your kids will LOVE it!) I can tell you about some of the characters and the stars that voiced them, who I was thrilled to be able to chat with at a blogger round table. 

My kids and I arrived bright and early and had the chance to be photographed on the “Green carpet”. For the next hour and a half we were treated to a viewing of this heart-warming, visually stunning movie in 3D..and let me tell you, seeing this movie in 3D you are transported into a beautiful forest world where the characters and gorgeous scenery surround you and make you feel as if you are part of the action.

After the movie we headed over to the Madarin Oriental in Columbus Circle where we had the opportunity to chat with the stars of the movie and ask them questions about their characters and how they felt about being part of this amazing project.

First up were Aziz Ansari  ( Parks & Recreation) and Chris O’Dowd  (Bridesmaids) who voiced the lovable and hysterical Mub & Grub.  A little background here; Mub (Ansari) is a slug who fancies himself to be a “ladies man” and Grub (O’Dowd) is a snail who is a wanna-be warrior. This comical duo keeps you laughing throughout the movie and in person they were no different.  You would never know by the chemistry that these two shared that they had only worked together for one day in the beginning stages of the movie, the rest of their scripts were recorded separately.

At first they were a bit taken aback with a room full of bloggers as this was their first “Blogger Round Table” but they quickly acclimated themselves and shared some of their thoughts about the movie and their involvement…and more than a few quick witted jokes!

When asked if they needed a little convincing to get on board with being part of epic here is what they had to say:

Aziz Ansari:  “I’d worked with some of the same team before on a little film called Ice Age 4:  Continental Drift.  And so, I knew it was that team, and we had a lot of fun working together on that.  And it just seemed like a cool idea to do an animated film set in this universe.  So, I signed up pretty quickly and was on board.”

Chris O’Dowd:  “Yes, I wasn’t 100 percent sure, to be honest, because I hadn’t done it before.  And I thought, I don’t know if I’ll enjoy it.  But, I realized Chris [Director Chris Wedge], was so enthusiastic, and he brought me into this room where they had started doing a lot of the early drawings for it, and it just looked so magical.  So, that was very, very tempting.  And then, I really wanted to work with Aziz.”

We asked them if they would do more animated films if they had the chance:

Chris O’Dowd:  “I think so.  It is fun.  It’s a different kind of skill, but I really enjoyed it.  So, yes, hopefully something where I’m more attractive would be good.”

Aziz Ansari:  “Not another snail part?  You don’t want to get typecast as a snail in every part.”

Chris O’Dowd:  “Well, that’s the thing – I’m just going to get a lot of mucous based characters.”

Aziz Ansari:  “Well, Chris, we don’t have any snail based characters in this one, but maybe the next one.”

Chris O’Dowd:  “Yes, I hope so.  I’d like to.”

Asked about their favorite scenes they were quick with their answers:

Aziz Ansari:  “I enjoyed the scenes where Mub was hitting on MK. ( MK is the teenage heroine in the movie & is voiced by Amanda Seyfried) That was fun.  I like the idea of a slug that’s that confident in himself to where he thinks he can get it going with a human being – very ambitious.”

Chris O’Dowd: “ I liked meeting Beyonce.”*(who voices the part of Queen Tara)

 Aziz Ansari:  “In real life when we tried to meet Beyonce, her security came and escorted us away – “we’re Mub and Grub.”  Sure, guys.”

It was really great to have the chance to meet with these two, they were so funny and really loved being part of the epic cast.

More to come tomorrow with interviews of Colin Farrell, Amanda Seyfried, and Director Chris Wedge. Stay tuned and don’t forget to mark your calendars for this Friday May 24^th when epic hits the theaters!

Written by Susan Pazera

Oh HOW PROUD AM I of Natalie? I am SUPER TYPE A. Obsessed with making lists – and believe me that’s an understatement. So, when I found this on my kitchen island yesterday, I just about fell on the floor.

You can’t read the last line… but it says “say bye one more time”. LOL! That is my favorite checkbox by far!

Now we all know how to have a proper play date!

I am LOVING this new cookbook I bought!! Southern Living Off the Eaten Path: Second Helpings is PACKED with yummy goodness. Hope you aren’t counting calories because this one is not diet friendly.

Cookbook Review: Southern Living Off The Eaten Path – Second Helpings By Morgan Murphy

Batman – Wonder Woman – Super Man… OH MY! I was walking around Target yesterday and came across a small superhero section in the Summer / BBQ section. Check out the FUN items I picked up for the kids.

OF COURSE I forgot to show the Superman placemat I bought Liam – but Target sells them too.

Super Hero SCORE At Target: Summer BBQ Section Finds For The Kids (VIDEO)

With Memorial Day around the corner,  I have summer salads on the brain! New York Times best selling author of The Beauty Detox Foods and celebrity nutritionist, Kimberly Snyder, has a great one to share.

Kimberly Snyder’s Quinoa, Avocado and Corn Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups water

1 ½ cups dry quinoa

Raw kernels or 2 ears of organic corn (preferably white, if available), shaved right from the cob

2 avocados, sliced and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 Tbs. finely chopped red onion

Dressing Ingredients:

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. Bragg Liquid Aminos or low-sodium tamari

1 Tbs. brown rice vinegar

Directions:

1. *Be sure to soak the quinoa overnight in water and rinse well before using.
2. In a saucepan bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat, add quinoa and simmer until the water is absorbed and the grains become translucent and soft (about 10 to 15 minutes). Pour the quinoa through a strainer and set it to the side in a bowl.
3. Blend all the dressing ingredients together in a blender until smooth, or simply add them to a small bowl and whisk well with a fork.
4. Add the kernels of corn to the quinoa, along with the avocado and chopped onion. Mix well. Pour the dressing on top of the mixture and mix well again.

For more information on Kimberly, The Beauty Detox Foods or her first book, The Beauty Detox Solution please visit: http://www.kimberlysnyder.net/