Monthly Archives: April 2011

Atlanta Moms: National Mom’s Nite Out – The Ultimate Celebration of Motherhood at Town Center Mall in Kennesaw May 5th

Atlanta Moms Edition, , , , ,

National Moms Nite Out at Town Center Mall in Kennesaw, GA

Town Center Mall, Kennesaw, GA

 

Join Town Center at Cobb for Mom’s Nite Out on Thursday, May 5th from 6-8PM!

This free event is the ultimate celebration of motherhood where moms get the guilt-free chance to shop, eat, and let their hair down with other moms! Mom’s Nite Out is sponsored by StriVectin, a prestigious skincare company focusing on anti-aging products.

The main event will take place in Center Court where vendors will have tables set up to give moms makeovers, fashion tips, food and beverage sampling, and more.

The first 200 guests will also receive swag bags filled with products, samples, and coupons to stores around the mall. Moms will have the opportunity to stop by the 25+ vendor tables that include mall tenants such as Bare Escentuals and Yankee Candle to outside vendors such as StriVectin, Macaroni Kids, US Play, and more.

What can moms look forward to?
Food and beverage sampling will be provided by Ruby Tuesday, Haagen-Dazs, and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels; Bare Escentuals will be giving product demonstrations and in-store makeovers; Yankee Candle will be giving away prizes and candle samples; Macy’s Lush will be giving mini facials and hand massages; The Limited will provide a clothing rack and a look book to help moms find the right look for them. Plus, visit participating stores throughout the mall during the event for special mom discounts and savings. These are just a few of the great activities moms can participate in during the night.

At the end of the night door prizes will be given away, including cosmetics, jewelry, and perfumes.

Moms deserve one night off from cooking and cleaning, so be sure to join Town Center at Cobb for this event celebrating motherhood!

I’ll be there.. will you?

Learn more about National Moms Nite Out:

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor

Get Your Free Downloadable Decorated Egg Holder Template Just In Time For Springtime And Easter Celebrations

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Dinosaur Train Easter Egg printableIf you are still looking for printable egg holders for those Easter Eggs you are about to decorate with your kiddos, here is a cute one from PBS’s Dinosaur Train (pdf file).

Get more free Dinosaur Train printables here.

About Dinosaur Train

In “Dinosaur Train,” young viewers join Buddy the T. rex and his adoptive family of Pteranodons on whimsical adventures through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans as they unearth basic concepts in natural science, natural history and paleontology. The Dinosaur Train is a colorful locomotive, customized to accommodate all kinds of dinosaurs, and it has the ability to visit the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous worlds, while the train’s Conductor, a knowledgeable Troodon, provides passengers with fascinating facts along the way. DINOSAUR TRAIN is a Parents’ Choice Recommended TV series, and its accompanying website received a Parents’ Choice Silver Award and a prestigious 2010 Prix Jeunesse Award. PBSKIDS.org/dinosaurtrain welcomes more than 2.4 million visits each month, offering engaging content designed to continue dinosaur exploration beyond the television series, including printables, games, and a dinosaur field guide. Parents, caregivers and educators can find resources and activities to extend the series learning at PBS Parents (PBSPARENTS.org) and PBS Teachers (PBSTEACHERS.org).

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor

Lil’ Sugarplum – Buy one hair clip, get one free

Coupon codes, , , , ,

Lil' Sugarplum hair clips

 

Lil' Sugarplum $8 hair clip buy one get one free offerChildren’s hair accessories made by a stay at home mom. Celebrity endorsed!

Discount offer: “Buy one $8 hair clip and get a free $8 hair clip of your choice. New Customers only.

Redemption instructions: Leave a note at check out saying “TheMommyInsider”, Do not add freebie to shopping cart.

Expires: December 1, 2011

Read a review I wrote of Lil’ Sugarplum’s Periwinkle infant hair clip

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor

 

My Quick Run to Sephora Turned into an ‘Experience’

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I ran out of my favorite tinted moisturizer a couple of months ago and decided that I would go to Sephora at the mall after I took my mom to the airport and dropped a tent of at my friend Stacie’s house this morning.   Since I was out that way, I thought I’d go to the Sephora at Perimeter Mall.. near Stacie, not so close to my house, but that didn’t work out seeing as how I got way lost. So, I drove on to my neck of the woods.. Kennessaw, GA and thought I’d be in and out of the mall (not one of my favorite places to be) in a few minutes. Well, that didn’t happen but I’m glad!

Smashbox Radiant Lip Enhancing Gloss
Smashbox Radiant Lip Enhancing Gloss - $18

Once I got to the Sephora store in the mall, I went to the Laura Mercier counter and grabbed my favorite tinted moisturizer.  Then I thought that while I was there I might as well take a look at some eyeshadow and lipgloss.   After about 15 minutes of browsing and swiping at least a dozen lig gloss colors on the back of my hand, a store employee asked if I needed help.  I may have scared him a little when I replied with “Yes, I’m desperate!” and  told him that I needed to find a lip color that would provide good coverage, but not require a lot of swiping on my lips.  You see, my lips are very sensitive and more than two swipes of a lipgloss makes my lips bright red and puffy.  Not pretty.  Well, this wonderful employee (who’s name I’m sad to say I don’t remember) said that I gave him a challenge he’s never experienced before! Score for Alicia!

After seriously pondering (I could see it in his eyes) my predicament for a few moments, he walked me to the Smashbox section of the store where he excitedly said “a brush applicator is what you need”! A brush applicator!  Why didn’t I think of that?  He proceeded to try a few colors on my hand, adding to the dozen I had already tried, and wahlah.. we found a delightful color that applied smoothly and matched my skin tone.  It’s a miracle!

Sephora Makeup Purchase
Next thing you know he and I were talking about the eyeshadow color palette I picked out (above) and when he had to go to the register to tend to a customer, another talented Sephora employee talked to me about less expensive tinted moisturizer options.   I went in to Sephora thinking I would buy my usual $42 tinted moisturizer and thanks to this helpful employee, I left with Sephora’s own tinted moisturizer, saving me $21!

That wasn’t the end of my trip to Sephora.. not at all! As I was about to check out, an employee asked me if I had a few minutes to spare to get a free hand massage and eye treatment. By this time, they knew me by name and I couldn’t turn down a free hand massage from Sephora employees who referred to me by name.  Even if they called me Bob I wouldn’t have turned down a free hand massage. The wonderful employee in the photo below, gave me an amazing hand massage and used the fabulous Clarisonic Opal Sonic Infusion System ($245) on my eyes.  I’m not sure when my eyes will look as vibrant and non-puffy as they do since the treatment.  It really has an instant effect on the puffiness and dark circles.. love it!

Sephora eye treatment and hand massage
Clarisonic Opal Sonic Infusion System - $245

I don’t think I’ll be so hesitant to visit Sephora at the mall again.  It’s not Sephora.. it’s the mall.  I just don’t like going to the mall really.  I usually buy makeup products online but the service and personal makeup and beauty advice that the employees at Sephora provided me made it 110% worth the drive and time to go to the actual store.

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this post.

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor

Be the Ultimate Gift Giver with Mud Pie Baby, Wedding, and Holiday Gifts

Baby & Kids Clothing, Gifts, New posts, , ,

Mud Pie trendy baby items and gifts

Mud Pie plush toys
Mud Pie plush toys - My 4 year old loves this little guy!

I attended a fun event at the Mud Pie showroom at AmericasMart in Atlanta today called “Be the Ultimate Gift Giver!”.  Talk about fun.  For a couple of hours, I was surrounded by colorful, whimsical, all occasion, gift giving goodness.  I wasn’t familiar with the Mud Pie brand before today but now that I’ve learned about Mud Pie, you’d better believe I’ll turn to Mud Pie for just about every occasion including Mothers’s Day, Graduation gifts, Weddings, Anniversary’s, Birthdays, Christmas, Baby Showers, and even Halloween decor.  Mud Pie’s affordable prices make their gifts attainable by moms with even a budget on the lower end.

Creative, adorable, fun, and innovative gifts are words that describe Mud Pie®product.  The company began 25 years ago with 10 items and has grown into a leading gift company.

Mud Pie offers three catalogs – Baby, Gift and Initials, with over 1,500 items designed and produced exclusively by Mud Pie®.  Our goal is to bring you innovative, well-priced, packaged gifts that make you smile.

Mud Pie Essential Tote
Mud Pie Essential Tote

There’s no wonder celebrity moms including Marcia Cross enjoy Mud Pie’s products. Mud Pie’s Essential Tots are the perfect bag to pack with beach towels and toys for a day at the beach or for a trip to the market. The Essential Tote has a water-resistant interior lining and an interior pocket with a zipper. It retails for just $25 making it a great gift for all of your mom-friends, yourself, and don’t forget your Mom!

Marcia Miller of Mud Pie
Marcia Miller of Mud Pie

I really enjoyed talking to Mud Pie’s CEO Marcia Miller.  Marcia is a lovely person with a very professional and lively presence about her.  Love her!  Ms. Miller started a business in 1988 with a small pottery-making shop and named it “Mud Pie” because the pottery was painted brown to resemble terra cotta and the rest is history.  If only starting and running a business were really that simple.  I learned today that Ms. Miller and I share a similarity, one that I think neither of us prefer to share.. we were both run over by a car and seriously injured.  Despite the difficulties she’s been through as a result of the accident Ms. Miller has built this amazing company that caters to moms and all types of consumers with style, trend, and budget in mind.

 

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor