Monthly Archives: November 2013

3 Reasons To Use Layaway And When To Start

Kmart holiday layaway

 

It’s hard to believe but the countdown is on to the holiday season!   Although many of us don’t start shopping, decorating and celebrating until after Thanksgiving, there are a few holiday ‘must-do’s’ that you need to start sooner rather than later.   Planning your holiday menu ahead of time is a must.   Also, why not get a head start on your holiday shopping by starting before the busy Thanksgiving holiday?

First, put the big (or small) items on your kid’s wish lists on Layaway.   Most Layaway contracts are eight weeks long, so this is the ideal time to shop and pay over time.   You don’t want your wallet to go into shock on November 29th, do you? Didn’t think so.

Still need convincing? Here are a few ‘Layaway Lessons’ to keep in mind:

1.) Last year’s Christmas tree was on its last limb and this year you could probably use a new one  
Pick up a pre-lit tree (because that’s the way to go), LED lights, wreaths and village houses now and pay them off in time for decking those halls!

2.) Your gift list has grown
Your kids are getting older and want more gifts or maybe what they just want one or two expensive gifts like a new laptop or game console.  Long gift lists or those including expensive items call for Layaway. Fill your cart to the brim and roll it over to the Layaway counter. Your kids don’t need to know you paid their gifts off over time.

3.) Money is tight this year
It’s not just you; many of us are watching our spending. If you’re having trouble staying afloat while keeping your bills paid, Layaway is a must. Not only will you avoid ‘wallet shock,’ you’ll keep your pre-holiday peace of mind.

Kmart Layaway LogoWhether you have one or 100 items, you can Layaway almost everything on your list without paying a service fee through 11/23. Plus, you can pay in store, online or using a mobile phone. Eight or 12 weeks later (depending on your contract) pick up your items and you’re good to go!

 

Bonus: After you figure out how easy it is, you can Layaway all year round at Kmart.

 

A 7-Year-Old Girl’s Dream Shopping Trip at OshKosh B’gosh + 25% Off Coupon!

*I participated in an Influencer Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for OshKosh B’gosh. I received a gift card to facilitate my shopping trip and to thank me for participating.

As strange as it may sound, I rarely take Madelyn with me when I buy her clothes.  I’d rather buy a bunch of clothes and bring them home for her to say yay or nay to and try on at home, than deal with the potential whining about trying clothes on and me taking too long.  On that note, last week I was brave and took Madelyn to the OshKosh B’gosh store.  I expected whining.  I expected chaos.  And I got it.   Not because she didn’t want to try clothes on.  It was the opposite this time.  She wanted to try on everything!  We were at the store for 2 hours.

When we arrived at OshKosh B’gosh, two employees greeted us. One asked what we were shopping for and one told us about the amazing doorbuster items.   My jaw dropped when she told me that the fleece pullovers were just $9!  If I wasn’t there to buy outfits for school, I would have grabbed a dozen pairs of fleece pants and pullovers and been done with our shopping trip.

OshKosh B'gosh doorbuster sale

After perusing the doorbuster items we made it to the racks of clothes.  Madelyn put three outfits together in a matter of minutes.. then five.. and more and more.   Oh my gosh they were cute outfits too!  I quickly got down on my knees and explained to her that while I would love for her to have a velvet dress with an adorable turtleneck to pair with it and tights, my goal with this shopping trip was to buy her a couple of outfits she could wear to school.  While I was talking to her, I saw her eyes focus on something behind me.  Boots.. “the most super-adorabalist boots EVER” she said…sort of like that new word she came up with earlier this week; fancasual.  She’s on a roll with the interesting new words. That was the end of that conversation.

While she tried on the boots, I found jeggings.   I have bought Madelyn several pairs of jeggings in the last year and she’s worn holes in all of them.  When I picked up a pair of OshKosh’s jeggings, I realized that the jeggings I had bought were not nearly as good quality as OshKosh B’gosh’s.  Their jeggings are thick and seem very durable.

Madelyn paired a knit cardigan from OshKosh B’gosh that she had with one of the outfits we bought, creating this adorable outfit.  This is my favorite of the outfits she picked.  It is practical for school and it will also make a cute holiday outfit.

OshKosh B'gosh little girl outfit

Oh, and aren’t the boots adorable? The boots are regularly $50. I initially told Madelyn she couldn’t get the boots but when she put the effort into putting them on with every outfit she tried on and I saw just how freakin’ cute they are with everything.. I caved.  I was sure the boots were going to put us well over our $100 limit.. but seeing as how our entire purchase was just $96, they didn’t!

I could not believe how many items we were able to get with our $100 gift card at OshKosh B’gosh!  Seriously.  I took a photo to show you just what we bought with $96!

OshKosh B'gosh shopping spree

This is what we got for $96!

Pretty great, right?

OshKosh B’gosh Coupon!

Because I want you to get the same amount of stuff that Madelyn did for just about $100, here is a coupon for 25% off your purchase of $30 or more!

OshKosh B’gosh has offered a special coupon for 25% off a $30 purchase for The Mommy Insider readers! This coupon can also be redeemed online or in your local OshKosh B’gosh store.

OshKosh B’gosh coupon

It was tempting to use my gift card to buy holiday clothes for Madelyn but she can make any outfit look festive with accessories…she’s better at that than I am.. so we refrained on buying ‘holiday specific’ items and went with fun, functional, and comfortable everyday clothes. We’ll be back soon (we got a coupon with our purchase) so maybe we’ll stock up on holiday clothes next time! Here are a few cute pieces that would be great for holiday outfits.

OshKosh B'gosh holiday clothes

Connect with OshKosh B’gosh on Twitter and Facebook!

Alicia, The Mommy Insider blog author

How Suave Saved My Daughter’s Hair From Being Perma-Sparkly

Halloween is a blur to me.  No, I didn’t eat too much candy.  Nor did I drink too much.  I slept.   I’m that lame, yes.

I had a procedure done on my neck Halloween morning that unbeknownst to me beforehand, would knock me out the remainder of the day. I wouldn’t have minded if it was any ordinary Thursday.. but to knock me off my feet and out of this world on Halloween. Boo hoo. Luckily, my husband photographed the kids in their costumes. Otherwise there would be no proof in my mind that Halloween even happened.   I wish I had more photos of the kids in their Halloween costumes but my husband doesn’t use his phone or camera as a 3rd hand like I do and didn’t take as many photographs as I would have.

Madelyn dressed up as a pirate girl. Not just any pirate girl. A sparkly pirate girl.  The sparkles weren’t on her costume.  They were in her hair and if you have ever experienced the fun that is sparkly hair spray, you know it ends up everywhere else including the face.  🙂  The funny thing is, she wore a bandana on her head so as far as I can tell, you couldn’t really tell she had sparkles in her hair.  What little girl will pass up an occasion to spray glittery hair spray in her hair though?  Halloween and school Fall Festivals are two such occasions.

Thank goodness Tim, my husband, is a pretty awesome cleaner-upper.  He was patient enough to Madelyn her get the sparkles out of her hair after getting home from trick-or-treating.. first sorting the candy of course.  There apparently was no way she could go to bed without washing her hair.   She would have been inhaling glittery hair spray all night.  It’s not too tough to get Madelyn in the shower.  She’s a fan of 20 minute showers.  You know.. the kind that leave your pores completely clean and detoxified and your fingers looking like raisins.

This might be because she feels like a pampered princess in the shower.  I would too if I had such delicious smelling product to wash myself with.

Suave Kids

Madelyn’s favorite shampoo and body wash are made by Suave®.  She loves the smell.. so do I.. and the lather of Suave Kids 2 in 1 Smoothers Fairy Berry Strawberry Shampoo.  Having a name like Fairy Berry Strawberry doesn’t hurt either.  🙂   The combination of this Suave® shampoo and Suave kids’ Soft & Smooth Detangler (twirlin’ Swirlberry scent) proved to be a sanity saver Halloween night.   Tim doesn’t have the honor of maintaining Madelyn’s gorgeous blonde locks as often as I do 😉 so he was happy that she offered him tips that night such as “don’t use mom’s conditioner in my hair!” and “spray the purple hair softener stuff in my hair before blow drying it”.   I’m glad she thought enough to tell him to use the detangler because I’m afraid she would have lost some hair or shed some tears if she didn’t suggest that he spray it on her hair before blow-drying it.   We kid her about the ‘tangle fairies’ visiting her day and night.  It seems like every 5 minutes she needs to brush her hair because it gets so tangled.

Suave saved Madelyn from having perma-sparkly hair by making it easy and fun to wash and detangle her hair after a long night out gathering candy. 🙂  Thanks Suave!

I am thankful that Tim and the kids pulled it together and were able to trick-or-treat without me this Halloween.  Just kidding… and I’m thankful that Suave helped all of them cope when the fun night of tricks and treats was over and they were left with sticky hands, sparkly  hair.. and yummy candy!  I’d call that a success!

Image 3

Madelyn has very fine hair and we have always been able to use and count on Suave Kids’ hair products for her hair.  Suave® offers products for the entire family so everyone can look good and feel good everyday! The best part – Suave® products are available at Walmart so you can get the best value locally.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Lunchbox. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine and not influenced in any way.

5 Fancasual (Fancy + Casual) Dresses For Little Girls Sizes 4-14

Madelyn, my 7-year-old, informed me a few days ago that she is ready to clean her closet of any dresses she hasn’t worn in a few days.  A few days?  She said that if she hasn’t worn them in a few days they aren’t a favorite and should be given to a little girl who will appreciate them.  Seriously, I thought.. she actually heard something I said?!

So, we went through her closet and took out a bunch of stuff most of which was too small and she took out a few dresses that were not too small but she hasn’t worn more than once or twice.   I had to accept that we were getting rid of relatively unworn pieces but we will deliver them to Goodwill and I’m sure there’s a little girl who will love the dresses as much as I did when I bought them for Madelyn.

girl's dress wishlist

I asked Madelyn to come up with a list of what she wants and doesn’t want in “fancasual” dresses.  That ended up being quite the project.  She got a whiteboard and dry erase markers and asked me to make ‘want’ and ‘don’t want’ columns then she spouted off a list of characteristics she’s looking for in a dress.  Maybe she should be a dress designer after all.  I have always thought career choice was an odd one but now that she’s getting older and better able to share her thoughts with me, I see it.

Here are the columns.  I was a good listener despite some of her strange requests like ‘gross, uncomfortable stuff’.  I wanted so badly to ask what dress she’s owned that was gross or had uncomfortable stuff on it?  Really?

Two more  questionable characteristics in her ‘don’t want’ list are blah and ugly sleeves.   As we went through her old dresses I asked if each was ‘blah’ or had ugly sleeves.  What’s an ugly sleeve anyway I asked?  She said “it’s one that’s puffy or has things dangling from it”.  Ok.   We didn’t come across a dress with ugly sleeves so apparently I haven’t made that mistake yet.

Here are 5 dresses that Madelyn hand-picked that meet most of her ‘want’ requirements.

You’ll notice that blue from the ‘don’t want’ column was ignored when it came time to actually choosing dresses. 🙂

Fancy casual dresses for little girls

1 – Splendid ’Sparkle Lux’ Dress  | Available in girl’s sizes 7-8, 10, 12, 14 – $68
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2 – Soprano Beaded Peter Pan Collar Sleeveless Dress icon| Available in sizes 7-8, 10-12, 14, 16 – $42

3 – Ella and Lulu Striped Floral Dress icon | Available in sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 – $38

4 – Truly Me Stripe Hooded Dress icon| Available in sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 – $54

5 – Ella and Lulu Colorblock Dress icon| Available in sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 – $38

Madelyn was a little concerned about the beaded collar on dress #2 but when she saw that it is called a Peter Pan Collar, she agreed that might be the best dress ever!

 

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What is your daughter’s dream dress?  I’d love to know what she says if you ask her! It might be different that you expect. I didn’t expect unicorns and no ‘ugly sleeves’… that’s for sure!

Alicia, The Mommy Insider blog author

Nov. 6th Twitter Party List

I love twitter parties and you probably to do if you’ve been to one. If you haven’t, now is the time to jump in and party Twitter style! Twitter parties are fast paced, fun, and many of them offer fabulous prizes during the party!

This is a list of some of the twitter parties that are happening today.

Be sure to check the party website to confirm the date, time, and hashtag for a Twitter Party. The information we provide below could change at any time.

If you know of a party that should be added to the list, please leave it in the comments below, in the same format as we have on this page, and we will add it to the list.

Daily Twitter Party Calendar

Happy Meals Books Twitter Party at Noon ET
Host / Co-host @Beblogalicious
Use hashtag #HappyMealsBooks
Prizes: SEVEN (7) prize packs including complete Happy Meals Books series and other branded merchandise.
More information

SITSBlogging Twitter Party at 1pm ET
Host / Co-host @SITSGirls
No prizes but great conversation!
Use hashtag #SITSBlogging
More information & RSVP

Time to Play Live Twitter Party at 1pm ET
Host / Co-host @TimeToPlay
Use hashtag #TimeToPlayLive
Prizes:  (2) Tek Recon Hammer Head Blasters, (2) Tek Recon Havok Blasters, Extra Hammer Head Magazine with Ammo and Extra Havok Magazine with Ammo
More information & RSVP

Expedia Chat Twitter Party at 1:30pm ET
Host / Co-host  @Expedia
Use hashtag #ExpediaChat
Prizes: One (1) winner receive a coupon for $500 off any booking for a package or hotel on Expedia.com
More information

Cans Giving Twitter Party at 2 pm ET
Host / Cohost @LibbysTable @resourcefulmom
Use hashtag #CansGiving
Prizes: THREE (3) winners each receive a prize package that includes Silver Bullet & Libby’s product assortment; ONE (1) Grand Prize Le Creuset rectangular casserole dish & Libby’s product assortment.
More information & RSVP

Twiniversity Twitter Party at 2 pm ET
Host / Co-host @Twiniversity @thestep2company
Use hashtag #ThanksGIFTING
Prizes: To be announced
More information

Heal the Bay Twitter Party at 2 pm ET
Host / Co-host @OurOcean @HealtheBay @ThePacificOcean
Use hashtag #MPAsWork
Prizes: To be announced
More information

Simple Giving Twitter Party at 3 pm ET
Host / Co-host @Kellysluckyyou @laughwithusblog @champions4kids
Use hashtag #SimpleGiving
Prizes: FIVE (5) $100 Walmart giftcards
More information & RSVP

Fresh Stem Holiday Baking Twitter Party 6-8 pm ET
Host / Co-host @CoryanneEttiene @Stemilt
Use hashtag #StemIt
Prizes: Visa giftcards
More information

Babies First Christmas Twitter Party at 8 pm ET
Host / Co-host @5minutesformom @babiesrus
Use hashtag #BRUChristmas
Prizes: TWO (2) $50 Babies ‘R Us gift cards, TWO (2) $100 Babies ‘R us GCs, and ONE (1) $200 Babies ‘R Us GC.
More information & RSVP

HERSHEY’s Kitchens Twitter Party at 8 pm ET
Host / Co-host @resourcefulmom @hersheyskisses
Use hashtag #HERSHEYSKitchens
Prizes: FIVE (5) prize packs that include HERSHEY’s products and baking essentials ARV $150 each.
More information & RSVP

Fab Fit Fun TJMaxx Marshalls Twitter Party at 8 pm ET
Host / Co-host @Marshalls @TJMaxx
Use hashtag #marshallstjmaxx
Prizes: To be announced
More information  & RSVP

LGBT Family Travel Twitter Party at 9 pm ET
Host / Co-host @TravelingMoms @KimOrlando @cindyrichards @Debmomof3 @Mombian
@ehechtmcgowan @kimsimes @residenceinn
Use hashtag #TMom #RIFamily
Prizes: TWO (2) signed cookbooks; ONE (1) Grand Prize $250 Residence Inn by Marriott giftcard.
More information & RSVP

Urbanware Twitter Party at 9 pm ET
Host / Co-host @MyUrbanware
Use hashtag #Myurbanware
Prizes: $300 in prizes – U.S. and Canada residents eligible for prizes.
More information & RSVP