Monthly Archives: February 2013

2 Easy Lip Balm Recipes to Make with your Daughter – A Great Valentine’s Day Activity!

February 11, 2013Beauty & Skin Care, Giftsbeauty, gift, lip balm, recipe, valentines dayAlicia

I hadn’t thought of making lip balm with my daughter, but these recipes are so simple that I think that we will give it a try!

To pucker up for this special day, bond over these beauty recipes from author of Bonding Over Beauty, Erika Katz. These easy recipes can be stored in an adorable heart case or a small jar.

FRUITY LIP BALM

To keep lips soft and silky, this fruity lip balm exfoliates dead skin and softens at the same time.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 scoop powdered drink mix in your favorite flavor
Lip gloss jars

Directions:

Clarify the vegetable shortening by heating it in the microwave for 15 seconds. Stir in the drink mix. Pour the mixture into a lip gloss jar. Let the mixture harden for 10 minutes and your lip gloss is ready! You can decorate the jars with fun stickers and sparkles! Lasts up to six months unrefrigerated.

CHOCOLATE LIP BALM

This lip balm contains shea butter, beeswax, and coconut oil, which are all excellent natural emollients. You can get creative and add other flavors like peppermint oil, tangerine oil, or raspberry oil.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon shea butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 teaspoons grated beeswax
1 tablespoon vitamin E oil
15 chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Put all the ingredients into a double boiler on the stove or in a microwavable container. Warm the mixture until it melts. Stir until smooth. Pour the mixture into a lip gloss container and refrigerate until it hardens. Lasts up to 3 months at room temperature.

Bonding over Beauty: A Mother-Daughter Beauty Guide to Foster Self-esteem, Confidence, and Trust

These recipes were provided by Erika Katz, Author of Bonding Over Beauty, A Mother-Daughter Guide to Self-Esteem, Confidence and Trust. The link will take you to the book page on Amazon.com. The link is an affiliate link and we will get a small commission if you purchase the book..and we really appreciate it!

Enjoy and let me know how the recipes work for you in the comments below!

Disney Vacation Tips and the New Fantasyland Expansion

February 7, 2013TravelDisney Vacation, disney world, TravelAlicia

I grew up in Orlando, Florida and I’m pretty sure that we visited Disney World on a regular basis. I still remember specific moments from our trips to Disney World and Epcot when I was just in awe. My favorite ride has always been It’s a Small World and I loved walking through the countries at Epcot.

Now that I am a parent, I know that there are few moments in childhood that will cause the faces of my son and daughter’s faces to light up with as much excitement as the first time they went to Disney World. What better vacation could a kid ever ask for? Your kids might be over the moon about your upcoming or future Disney World vacation, but when it comes down to planning your trip to Florida, there’s a lot to think about. Where do you stay? Where do you eat? How do you manage to pack in as many attractions, and as much family fun as possible? It’s important for parents to know where to begin.

When most families think of Disney World, what they really envision is the Magic Kingdom Park, which is actually one of four theme parks that Disney has to offer. But of course, the Magic Kingdom Park is the one that kids don’t want to miss, because it has all the classic Disney attractions. Kids will love Cinderella Castle, It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, and all the favorite rides they would expect from Disney parks.

One of the most exciting things to see is the new Fantasyland expansion, which offers two new themed areas called the Enchanted Forest and the Storybook Circus. The Enchanted Forest features attractions and dining options inspired by The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, where kids can meet their favorite characters and adults can feast on gourmet meals. Storybook Circus is inspired by Dumbo and features colorful circus tents and fun attractions adjacent to the Fantasyland Railroad Station. And they’re not done yet! By 2014, Fantasyland promises to be double its size, making it the largest expansion in the park’s history.

Source: wdwnews.com

What other attractions and dining options are at the other Disney theme parks for your family to enjoy?

The most famous is Epcot, where you and your kids can experience attractions and entertainment highlighting different countries around the world, with a bit of Disney magic thrown in. The whole family will also love Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You can get up close and personal with many exotic animals, go on your own African safari, and see the most complete T-Rex skeleton in the world.

In order to get the most out of your visit, you might want to consider staying at a Disney resort hotel. The 27 different Disney resort hotels and campgrounds offer a variety of vacation packages to suit your family’s needs, and some even include meals and snacks! Disney resort guests receive complimentary transportation to and from the airport, plus they get to take advantage of extended theme park hours. Some hotels even offer Disney character dining, where your kids can visit with Disney princesses or other favorite faces while they eat.

Disney World Resorts in Orlando

Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Source: disneyworld.disney.go.com

Don’t forget to download the Disney Parks Mobile Magic App before your Walt Disney World vacation! Take it along with you so you have access to GPS, a dining guide, and even wait times for your favorite attractions. With a little planning, you’ll still find out here’s no better way to make the kids smile than Disney.

Share your tips:

Do you have a favorite place to stay while visiting Walt Disney World? A dining tip or any other kind of tip? Please share with us in the comments below.

Enjoy your trip to Disney World!

I Love These Fun and Unique HTC One X and One X+ Cases I Found on Etsy!

February 6, 2013Etsy, Gadgets, Smartphonesetsy, HTC OneX+, Phone Cases, smartphone, Unique GiftAlicia

I searched online for cases for my HTC OneX this morning and not being thrilled with the standard, run of the mill cases, I turned to sites like Etsy to find unique, fun phone cases. Now I am struggling to choose just one case for my phone! I pinned a lot of HTC One X+ cases to a board on Pinterest. Take a look here.

Some of the cases in the image below are not the specific case for the HTC OneX as the artists doesn’t have an image but in all cases the artist states that they make the same case for the HTC OneX+ as what you see below. That can change at anytime.

Here are a few of my favorites. (Pin the image below to share with your Pinterest friends!)

HTC OneX phone cases

1 – Tortoise and Hare – $19.50

2 – Vincent Van Gogh Almond Blossoms – $15

3 – Leather case and wallet – $69

4 – Smartphone Wristlet – Pretty Penney Clutch – Posies on Turquoise – $30

5 – Cover sleeve handmade with magnetic closure, colorful fish – $15

6 – Andre – a giraffe – $19.50

Where can you find more cool cases like these?

Take a look at my HTC OneX Cases board on Pinterest to see a lot more fun cases for this phone!

Which case if your favorite?

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, HTC.

I received an HTC OneX+ as part of being a member of the TroopOneX review team. All opinions in this post are 100% my own.

A Peek into my Life through my Playlists. What’s in your Playlist?

February 5, 2013Gadgets, New posts, SmartphonesHTC OneX+, MusicAlicia

I never sang out loud to a song in front of other people, in a car for example, until I met my husband. Our first ‘date’ was us driving his sister home from an Alanis Morisette concert. We were listening to a Madonna CD and my husband and his sister started singing.. out loud. I didn’t know what to think because I never really heard anyone sing out loud except in church or at a performance.

Fast forward to almost 15 years years later.

Now I sing in the shower, in the car, while I’m on the treadmill, and when I’m working. I have music on 80% of my waking hours. Whether the music is played from the stereo or through my phone, I am one who finds it easier to concentrate if I have music on in the background. When I travel I usually fall asleep listening to music on my phone.

HTC OneX+ Music hub Lately I’ve been listening to music on my HTC OneX+ smartphone that comes with Beats Audio. Beats Audio delivers studio-quality sound, the way the artist intended for listeners to hear their music, with or without headphones. The music just sounds authentic. It’s really quite amazing. You have to hear it to believe it.

Through my HTC Music hub as pictured to the right, I have access to my music as well as Internet Radio options including Pandora and TuneIn Radio. If your car has an auxiliary port, you can plug-in the HTC Stereo Clip and launch the HTC Car App to listen to music at the tap of a button. TuneIn Radio will find stations that are currently playing your favorite song, local radio stations, or you can browse trending stations.

So.. what’s on my playlist you ask?

Well between music I’ve downloaded/synced to my HTC OneX+ and Pandora, I have several playlists. Here’s a peek at what you’ll find in my playlists.

HTC OneX Music Playlist

Cooking & Cleaning Playlists

I have a cooking playlist which includes music from The Killers, Taylor Swift (the kids help me cook), and some old Prince (I know you sing along to Little Red Corvette every time it comes on the radio – it’s ok). Here’s one more.. if you are around my age you know this song; Here I Go Again by Whitesnake. You CAN NOT listen to this song without singing. Perfect cooking music or when you want to embarrass your kids while in the car with the windows down.

Driving Playlists

On to my driving playlist. My driving playlist includes lots of KidzBop and Disney songs. You know what’s funny? I didn’t know half the songs on KidzBop 17 were real songs until I heard one of them on the radio. It just didn’t sound the same when an adult man was signing it. For those rare times when the kids are not in the car with me I listen to Siouxsie and the Banshees, Coldplay, The Cure, and Tori Amos.

Exercise & Wake-up Music

My exercise playlist which I plan on using very soon is made up of Chemical Brothers, Linkin Park (warning – not child friendly), and 80’s and 90’s music.

Sleep & Relaxation Playlists

My bedtime and relaxing playlist is made up of Cocteau Twins, Norah Jones, Sarah McLachlan, This Mortal Coil, and Enya.

While I’m Working

I listen to a variety of music while blogging and working in general. If it’s a relaxing work day then I listen to lyrical music. On stressful, fast paced days I listen to more soothing artists like Enya and Cocteau Twins.