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New “Steaks that Sizzle” at LongHorn Steakhouse #ad

~I was compensated for this sponsored post made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own.~

I’m a meat and potatoes kind of girl and I love nothing more than a big juicy delicious steak. However I am quite picky and my steak must be grilled to perfection. I don’t want any pink, but I don’t want it dried out either. The Man says the key to that is took cook it longer and slower, so he always starts mine first and puts it a little further away from the coals.

I don’t do the grill – that’s his thing – so one of these days I would like to treat him to a scrumptious steak that he doesn’t have to man the grill for. When I heard about the “Steaks that Sizzle” at LongHorn Steakhouse, I knew they would be a perfect treat for him. We’ve never been there yet, so I’m really excited to try their food.

The grill masters at LongHorn Steakhouse have a brand new promotion called ?Steaks that Sizzle? that features three new flavors: smoky, spicy and bold:
o New! Smoky Double Bacon Sirloin
o New! Spicy Jalape?o Cheddar Sirloino New! Bold Balsamic BBQ Sirloin

The “Steaks that Sizzle” promotion runs through July 7th, so you’ll want to be sure to go before then if you’d like to try one of these yummy looking steaks.

For an early Father’s Day gift just from me, I’m going to take him out so that we can enjoy a great dinner – just the two of us. It’s such a rarity that occurs, so I know he will really appreciate it. I know my guy so well, that I can almost guarantee that he will order the Spicy Jalape?o Cheddar Sirloin. Of course, I would have to opt for the Smokey Double Bacon Sirloin, yummy! I can’t wait to plan our “Date Night” with him!

Connect:

You can connect with LongHorn Steakhouse on Facebook!

I was compensated for this sponsored post made possible by Mom Spark Media. All opinions are my own and/or my family’s, take it or leave it. Click here to view my whole disclosure policy.

The Littlest Pet Shop: Sweetest Pets Now on DVD

Blog· Review

~This review was made possible by Shout! Factory Kids~

“When Blythe Baxter moved into the city with her father, she never expected to move into the apartment above the Littlest Pet Shop. But an even bigger surprise awaited her. Blythe can talk to the pets?and they can talk back! On June 4, 2013, Shout! Factory Kids, in collaboration with Hasbro Studios, will release Littlest Pet Shop: Sweetest Pets on DVD. Join Blythe as she embarks on five more wild adventures with her newest friends: Pepper, the hilarious skunk; Sunil, the magical mongoose; Penny, the adorable panda; Russell, the highly organized hedgehog; Zoe, the diva Spaniel; and, of course, Minka, the artistic monkey!”

If I had a daughter, I’m sure she would just LOVE Littlest Pet Shop. They are some of the cutest little pets on the market!

It’s been pretty quiet around here and we haven’t had any little girls visit in quite some time. Now that the weather is warming up and everyone will want to come play on the lake, I foresee little girls running around my house in no time at all. When they’re bored with nothing to do because the “big boys” don’t want to play, then I’ll pop this on in the house or even the portable DVD player and I’m sure it will entertain them for at least the duration of the movie!

Buy It!

You can buy Littlest Pet Shop: Sweetest Pets for $12.99 at Amazon.com.

I received a sample product for this review. All opinions are my own and/or my family’s, take it or leave it. Click here to view my whole disclosure policy.

National Geographic KIDS Almanac 2014 Review and 2 Huge Giveaways! {CLOSED}

Blog· Giveaways· Review

~This review was made possible by National Geographic Kids~

The world’s best-selling Almanac for kids is packed with amazing animals, cool inventions, dinosaurs, robots, maps, games, activities, and more all in one “fun-tastic” volume. In true National Geographic style, this book excites young people about their world and everything in it, so it’s no surprise that the 2012 edition landed at #3 on the New York Times best seller list! The 2014 Almanac features fun information, browsable features, and helpful reference on subjects including technology, countries, presidents, animals, weather, funny roadside attractions, outer space, green tips, and natural disasters, just for starters. Chapters include Amazing Animals, Going Green, Geography Rocks, Super Science, Wonders of Nature, Awesome Adventure, Culture Connection, History Happens, and an interactive Fun and Games chapter. Exciting changes for 2014 include:

Forty percent NEW content, including photos and articles

Mobile media features that readers can download to an iPod Touch or smart phone to see National Geographic animal videos, photo galleries, and interactive games

A brand-new special section on cute animals

A fully revamped continents of the world section

A special Fun and Games chapter featuring all-new jokes, games, and comics, featuring funny animal photos and colorful illustrations

A fully updated “Your World” section, which opens the Almanac, will include all-new, up-to-the-moment content

All-new fun facts, activities, games, and crafts

More than 500 photographs, including incredible gorgeous new photo spreads featuring animals, adventure, nature, and more

8 Homework Help sections
? All facts, figures, and reference material will be updated
? And much more…

My son loves learning, and there’s no better way to stimulate his mind than with National Geographic Kids Almanac 2014! If your child/children enjoy fact’s about nature this Almanac’s for them! For example: Did you know Butterflies taste with their feet, or a Black Widow Spider is more venomous than rattlesnakes. National Geographic for Kids is packed full of info, your child/children could learn one fact everyday for a whole year, plus more!

Children are attracted to colorful pictures! When my son picked up this Almanac, he flipped through the pages with amazement, I could see his brain in motion! In fact he leaves this Almanac on his nightstand and picks it up from time to time. We read some facts to him before bed, at times, and he truly enjoys it!

In celebration of the 2014 National Geographic Kids Almanac they are giving away a Kindle Fire! How would you like to win that? This giveaway is hosted and administered by NG Kids and consists of a Kindle Fire ($159.99 ARV), and will run from June 10th-June 14th. For more information on this giveaway go to National Geographic Kids Almanac Sweeps!

Connect:

You can connect with National Geographic Kids on Facebook, and/or @NGKidsBks on Twitter!

Buy It!

You can buy the National Geographic Kids 2014 Almanac starting at $14.99.

The Giveaway:

How would you like to win your own National Geographic Kids 2014 Almanac? I have two to give away to two lucky contestant!

To enter the giveaway’s please follow all of the directions below! If you don’t follow the rules, you can’t win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a sample product for this review. All opinions are my own and/or my family’s, take it or leave it. Click here to view my whole disclosure policy.

Sesame Street Cereal Review & Giveaway {CLOSED}

Blog· Giveaways· Review

~This review was made possible by Post Cereal~

New Post Sesame Street Cereal, available in natural Apple and natural Banana varieties, is a wholesome, oat-based cereal that is an ideal first food for infants and toddlers. Sesame Street Cereal provides 2/3 of a toddler’s daily whole grains serving in fun X and O shapes that are perfectly sized for small hands. The crunchy cereal is specifically formulated to melt in a toddler’s mouth and it contains nutrients that help support healthy brain development.

I am always on the lookout for a healthy yet tasty cereal for my toddler. For some reason I just know that I can do better than the frosty nom noms I enjoyed as a kid.

What better way to introduce cereal to my kids than with some of the characters they know and love. I literally LOVED cookie monster as a child. I even had ceramic decorative toys of him on my shelves.

New Sesame Street Cereal in natural Apple flavor is an oat and corn cereal that little ones will love. All Sesame Street Cereals contain nutrients that help support healthy brain development.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 1 Cup (27g)
110 Calories
22g of Whole Grain

Nutritional Information for Children under Four:

Serving Size: ? Cup (20g
80 Calories
20g of Whole Grain

Cookie Monster knows that C is for Cereal and Sesame Street Cereal in natural Banana flavor is delicious! The new oat and corn cereal has a little love in every X and O.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 1 Cup (27g)
110 Calories
22g of Whole Grain serving

Nutritional Information for Children under Four:

Serving Size: ? Cup (20g)
80 Calorie
20g of Whole Grain

Both of my girls just loved their Sesame Street cereal. Of course it was extra tasty when paired with watching Sesame Street on TV.

I really like how easy it is for my toddler to spoon the cereal herself. At 19 months old though she still enjoys finger food on the go and these are perfect when I put them in her travel snack cups.

For more nutritional information on these cereals you can check out their webpage that lists the the full nutritional panel online for you to read.

With only a gram of sugar in each serving these cereals are not only tasty but good for you! Add in that these are 2/3 of a toddler’s daily whole grains and you have the perfect cereal!

Connect: You can connect with Post Sesame Street Cereal on Facebook.

Buy It! You can use their Where to Buy Link on their website to find the Post cereal you are looking for at a store near you.

The Giveaway: How would you like to win one of each of the boxes (2 total)? I have one to give away to one lucky contestant! To enter the giveaway please follow all of the directions below! If you don’t follow the rules, you can’t win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a sample product for this review. All opinions are my own and/or my family’s, take it or leave it. Click here to view my whole disclosure policy.

You’re Never Too Young to Have Big Ideas – Helping Kids be Kidpreneurs!

Blog· Review

~Post made possible by Kidpreneurs~

A few weeks ago my son’s and I had picked up a Lemonade Stand at the Michael’s. We had the idea to do a Lemonade Stand all winter since last year there had been a tremendous heat wave in the Midwest and there are always so many people walking and jogging by our road. The idea was great, we were having a lot of fun coloring our Lemonade Stand, but we had absolutely no idea what we were doing. Actually, my teen and I were debating for over an hour on the price of a cup of lemonade.

Let’s fast-forward a little…

I was given the opportunity to review a new book called Kidpreneurs – Parent/Teacher Guide. The first thing I notice when I open the book was this:

Activity 4.1: Emma and Jack’s Business Plan for a Lemonade Stand! Now we were on to something!

Kidpreneurs Parent/Teacher Guide offers over 100 activities, worksheets and instructions that help you guide your children (or students) in their big ideas for small business and/or charity ventures. In our case, it was a great tool for me to use to help my sons formulate their idea for the Lemonade Stand, what they wanted to use it towards and what they hoped to achieve with it. As the first sort of “business venture” my children have ever done, it was nice to have a guide that gave them an encouraging yet practical viewpoint.

The activities allow the kids to look at it from the viewpoint of Emma and Jack and their business plan and answer questions to get a better understanding, afterward it has the children write out what they would do and the ideas for their own business plan. Having Emma and Jack’s idea as an example really helps ground their imagination and gives insight into how to go about creating realistic ideas.

One of the first things in Kidpreneurs Parent/Teacher Guide is a section discussing what kind of jobs your kids can do at their age and as you can see, chores are included! It helps kids realize the potential, how to think outside of the box and also to create goals that are not just “make money”. What are your kids hoping to achieve? Do they have something in mind that they are wanting? And what is the best way to go about earning in their age group?

We’re still coloring our Lemonade Stand, but after going through the activities with my teen (and in some parts my tot) we have a better idea of what we are looking to do, how to go about it and also what we hope to achieve. There is a section on Children Helping Other Children and after reading it both of them decided that they wanted to put the effort into creating a Lemonade Stand that helped another child. My husband and I helped them look up a local charity that is hoping to raise enough money for a boy with severe allergies who needs a specialized dog so he can go outside to parks like other kids.

You could say that Kidpreneurs not only helped us in our Lemonade Stand adventure, but in the end it also taught my kids that they can do more than just “make money”, they can make a difference in another person’s life.

While the original Kidpreneurs book is created for kids, the Kidpreneurs Parent/Teacher Guide helps us to guide them and give direction. It is also 60% Off currently! You can check out both books on Kidpreneurs – Young Entrepreneurs with Big Ideas.

This book has sprouted so many ideas in my children’s minds. Kids always have so many ideas, but most of them aren’t sure how to go about it and unfortunately… neither do some parents (me). It is nice to have a book that helps me be capable of showing them the full potential of those ideas and really make them come to life.

Connect: You can connect with Kidpreneurs on their Facebook Page and/or @Kidpreneurs on Twitter.

I received a copy of the book for the purpose of reviewing. Opinions are my own and are not influenced by any form of compensation.

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