Category Archives: Sponsored Post

Holiday Cards from Minted

*This post is made possible by Minted. I received a promotional item in order to facilitate this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.*

As you have learned over the life of this blog, I love to send cards out to friends and family, especially cards that show off my adorable kids. Minted recently launched their 2013 holiday card collection and they have some great designs to choose from.

I like to send out two cards each year (when time allows for it). I send one card to our family and another to friends. Since I like to send different messages to friends, I tend to go for a card that offers space for me to write a quick note, whereas cards that go to family are your standard holiday card with pictures of the kids.

I love the look of these folded holiday cards from Minted.

Minted Folded Cards

I love that each of these cards still gives me the chance to share pictures of the kids with our friends and I have plenty of room on the inside to pen a heartfelt message.

I’m also kind of swooning over these adorable holiday minibook cards.

I love that these can be personalized, right down to the matching envelope and I can write little updates about the kids inside as well as news about our family.

Really, I am torn as to what to do..there are just so many options.

What do you think? Which card should I create to send to our friends that we don’t see or talk to all the time?

I need to make a decision quick because Minted is currently offering $25 OFF + Free Shipping on ALL holiday cards (USE CODE: JOY25FS) through Monday, November 11th.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think I should do!

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Buddy Valastro: The Cake Boss The Family Celebrations Tour

Anne Younger Leave a comment

*This post is made possible by Mills Entertainment. I received a promotional item in order to facilitate this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.*

I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this before, but Alexander and I developed a slight addiction to the reality T.V. show, The Cake Boss a few years ago. Watching Buddy Valastro and the rest of his family in action became something we did together weekly. Then, when the show arrived on Netflix, we started it all over again.

Now……Buddy Valastro: The Cake Boss is coming to Green Bay on The Family Celebrations Tour at the Weidner Center on November 20th and 7:30PM.

Join America’s favorite baker, Buddy Valastro, for an all new show of cakes, stories, and fun. TLC’s Cake Boss will be appearing at the Weidner Center in Green Bay on Wednesday, November 20th at 7:30pm.

In this live, interactive event, TLC’s Cake Boss will share stories from his highly popular TV shows (Cake Boss, Next Great Baker), his family at Carlo’s Bakery, will answer audience questions, and most importantly, will give lots of live cake & cupcake decorating demonstrations, sharing tips and techniques in a high-energy experience for the whole family.

One of the centerpiece shows of the TLC network, a sixth season of Cake Boss began airing in May 2013. Viewers continue to celebrate the mouthwatering desserts and not-to-be-missed Valastro family moments occurring in bustling Hoboken, NJ, home of Carlo’s Bakery, which celebrated its 103rd anniversary this summer. In addition, Buddy’s other TV series on TLC Next Great Baker is set to launch another season THIS MONTH!!!

Buddy Valastro is the author of four books, including Family Celebrations with the Cake Boss, which was released today by Simon & Schuster. As he does in every book, Buddy brings his characteristic warmth and flair, sharing personal stories alongside cooking, baking, and decorating tips.

Tickets are on-sale NOW at weidnercenter.com, 1.800.895.0071, or at the venue box office. Tickets are $29.75/$36.75 plus applicable service charges.

A limited number of VIP tickets are available for $95 which includes a post-show meet and greet, Cake Boss tour laminate, a copy of Buddy’s new book Family Celebrations with the Cake Boss, and a special surprise.

You can save an additional $5 on your tickets by entering promo code BUDDY when ordering your tickets.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS NOW!!!!

Learn more about Buddy Valastro and The Family Celebrations Tour at BuddyOnTour.com.

You can also catch Buddy for a book signing while he’s here!

Nov. 20, 2013: Green Bay, WI – 3:30 PM

Festival Foods
2348 Lineville Road
Green Bay, WI 54313

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Put Together a Great Bridal Shower Gift at Target

Anne Younger Leave a comment

*This post is made possible by Target. I received a promotional item in order to facilitate this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.*

I am a fan of weddings.

I love everything from the planning, to the shopping, the prepping, the parties….oh the parties. I love me a good Bridal Shower.

Since we were in the process of moving while planning our wedding and getting everything together so quickly, I chose to forgo my own. Planning bridal showers is fun and it is even more fun to shop for a special gift for the newlyweds.

It has been awhile since I attended a shower, but I do recall the last one was a childhood friend’s. Her and her fiance were in the same position as Alex and I. They had met after having been in previous relationships, there were already kids involved and they were essentially combining two well established households into one.

When shopping for a gift for a couple who is already living together, has a family or is not in need of much, I like to put together a few of my favorite household items, things I use on a regular basis. In addition to a gift for the couple, if there are kids involved, I like to include them in the gift as well!

We actually have a wedding we were invited to attend this month, and I put together the following as a great little gift for the entire family.

*A set of melamine mixing bowls, fall themed towel & pot holders and 2 fall themed plates for the kiddos.

Basically, when I am shopping for a gift, I think of something that I would like to receive as a gift. Classic wedding gifts are china, stemware, silver etc. For me, the reality is to give a gift that will serve an everyday purpose because the classic gifts tend to sit and collect dust.

Does the couple in question like beer or wine? Gift a fabulous set of glasses.

Maybe they prefer a fresh brewed cup of coffee……a Keurig Vue (my personal favorite) is a great gift as well.

Or, if all else fails and you really don’t know what to buy, you can never go wrong with a gift of…….

The Target Wedding Catalog is a great resource when shopping for the perfect shower gift or to use as inspiration when creating your Target Wedding Registry.

Target makes it easy to create your registry online or in-store and makes it available for your guests to shop online or in-store as well!

Be sure to follow along with all the wedding planning fun by following hashtag #TargetWedding on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest!

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

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It’s Time to Get Creative with your Jif Peanut Butter #MC

Anne Younger Leave a comment

**I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Jif. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.**

I will never forget when Alexander’s love of PB&J sandwiches began…..I have a photograph. It happened just 16 days before he became a brother.

I wasn’t feeling well that day, Alex was still working 3rd shift so he was sleeping and Alexander told me he was a big boy and wanted to make his own PB&J.

Who was I to stop him?

Not only did he make himself one that day, but he made one for mommy too! (Love that kid!)

Alexander’s love of PB&J sandwiches and peanut butter in general has continued to grow. These days he eats peanut butter on graham crackers, tortillas, apples, and so much more. I believe that peanut butter is his favorite food and if I let him, he would eat it at every meal!

With his creativity, I only wish Alexander was 6 years old this year because now through November 8th, Jif Peanut Butter is running their Most Creative Sandwich Contest – challenging families across the country to create an original sandwich recipe that includes two tablespoons of your favorite Jif products! Parents of children ages 6-12 can submit their original sandwich for a chance to win a $25,000 college fund and a trip to New York City!

Here are a few of the finalists from last year.

Delicious!

Do you have a Jif Peanut Butter lover in your family? Encourage them to get creative and enter for their chance to win a $25,000 college fund and a trip to NYC!

~~~~CLICK HERE TO ENTER NOW~~~~

*Please be sure to read the entry rules first.

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Alternative stress-busters for moms

Anne Younger Leave a comment

*This is a guest post.*

As busy mothers trying to juggle all our different responsibilities and keep everybody in the family happy, feeling the symptoms of stress and anxiety is all too common. It’s no wonder that our own heath suffers from time to time; we’re so busy looking after everybody else in the family, we all too often forget to look after ourselves. However, we’re doing nobody any favors at all if we burn out, so take some time to look after your own wellbeing and consider some alternative ways of ensuring that you stay mentally and physically fit.

Alternative ways of keeping stress and anxiety-free can include looking at the root causes of your stress through methods such as psychic readings. Psychic readings can unlock what it is that is causing you to feel unbalanced and help you find ways to deal with the problems. Or it might be that you know what it is that’s the problem, you just don’t know how to solve it and are worried about the future. A psychic reading can give you a clearer indication of the future your current path is leading to, and can give you the insight you need to change that path or stay on the same course.

When it comes to booking a psychic reading you might not know where to start if you’ve never considered anything like this before. A good place is your friends and family; if you can get personal recommendations for reputable psychics then you’re more likely to find one that’s right for you.

The second thing you might be thinking is ‘where on earth can I find the time to see a psychic? I barely have time to draw breath!’ As busy parents, time is precious. Thankfully, psychics these days offer phone, online and Skype consultations, which is ideal for busy moms everywhere!