Disclaimer: I received product to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
Are you looking for something special and unique to make for friends, families and teachers for Easter?
Check out this homemade candy we made!
This recipe is SO super simple.
You really only need a few items.
I was sent this awesome Spring Silicone Bark and Chocolate Mold and spatula from GoodCook. It’s from their Sweet Creations line and isn’t it just absolutely DARLING?!
We decided to make some fun layered candy with this great Sweet Creations Spring Silicone Bark and Chocolate Mold (scroll down for coupon code!) and decided to use some fun edible markers to make the candy unique and special!
Making this candy was pretty much as simple as melting some candy melting wafers, letting it cool and then melting some Kroger Chocolate Bark and letting that cool.
Then I just let the chocolate set and BAM! It popped out of the mold so easily!
I was a bit nervous when it came time to break the candy into individual squares, but honestly it was super simple and everything broke nice and neat!
I think next time, we will make some chocolate candy topped rice krispy treats!
Do you want to make this fun and easy Spring Easter candy? It’s a GREAT gift idea!
Here is the ingredient list:
1 bag Ghirardelli white melting wafers (you can use any white chocolate, just make sure you have at least 12 ounces to fully cover the bottom of the mold)
1 package of Kroger chocolate bark (once again, you can use any chocolate bark, just make sure you have enough to cover the entire mold)
Start off by melting your white chocolate in the microwave according to the package directions.
Pour the white chocolate onto the Spring Silicone Bark and Chocolate Mold so it fully coats the entire mold. You want to be sure all of the pictures are well covered so the darker chocolate won’t peak through the front (which could mess up your pretty designs!)
Let the white chocolate set and harden.
Melt the chocolate bark and pour over the white chocolate.
Let set.
When the chocolate is hard, pull the silicone away from the candy slighty and then flip the candy over onto a flat surface.
You should be able to break the candy along the provided lines at this point. It was super simple for me!
Go ahead and get to coloring! Let your kids get in on the action and enjoy!
Be sure to check out all of the great GoodCook products available by checking out their website.
I am a voracious reader. I will read just about anything I can get my hands on.
That doesn’t mean everything I read is awesome though ;).
The Book Thief though? Awesome!
This book is amazing. Set in the time of WWII, and narrated by Death himself, The Book Thief is about a young girl adopted by a German couple when her mother can no longer care for her.
The girl, Liesel, comes to her adoptive family illiterate and throughout the course of the story, the world of words and books is opened up to her.
Throughout the story, you see how her family deals with living in the thick of WWII Germany.
It’s not what you might think though. These are not Germans who support the war effort. In fact, they place themselves in a very precarious position that makes the story even more suspenseful and at times even more heartbreaking.
When I heard that they were creating a movie based upon this book, I was so excited!
Since I do not actually get to go to the theater very often to see “grown up movies”, I knew I was going to have to wait until the film came out on DVD.
Well thankfully, it is now available on DVD! Not only that, but Fox Home Entertainment has released a Discussion Guide to go along with the film.
Click here to print out the discussion guide.
You can pick up The Book Thief at any local store that sells DVD’s/Blu-Rays (Amazon has it right now).
Your Blu-Ray and/or DVD will come with the following special features:
Blu-ray Special Features
Deleted Scenes
A Hidden Truth: Bringing The Book Thief To Life
Theatrical Trailer
DVD Special Features
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Here is the official synopsis of the film:
Based on the beloved best-selling book comes an “extremely moving” (Leonard Maltin, Indiewire) story of a girl who transforms the lives of those around her during World War II, Germany. When her mother can no longer care for her, Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) is adopted by a German couple (OSCAR® Winner Geoffrey Rush* and OSCAR® Nominee Emily Watson**). Although she arrives illiterate, Liesel is encouraged to learn to read by her adoptive father. When the couple then takes in Max (Ben Schnetzer), a Jew hiding from Hitler’s army, Liesel befriends him. Ultimately, words and imagination provide the friends with an escape from the events unfolding around them in this extraordinary, acclaimed film directed by Brian Percival (Downton Abbey).
Would you like to see The Book Thief?
Fox Home Entertainment Insiders has graciously offered to giveaway a Blu-Ray copy of the movie The Book Thief to one lucky FFF reader!
There are certain brands that are so closely associated with their products, that when we hear the brand name…the product immediately comes to mind.
Coke = soda
Kleenex = tissues
Erin Condren = Fabulous amazing decked out awesome planners
However, sometimes brands that are synonymous with one awesome product branch out and make other awesome products worth checking out as well!
Take Erin Condren.
I have drooled over an Erin Condren planner forEVER it seems. So pretty, so useful. So personalized and so stylish.
There are seriously HUNDREDS of YouTube videos FILLED with reviews of these awesome planners. Everyone uses theirs just a bit differently, but they all love them and EC planners have an almost cult like following. They are THAT good!
CityPASS bundles prepaid admission to each city’s top attractions – based on annual attendance – into one easy-to-use ticket booklet whose cost is up to half off what it would cost to purchase those same admissions separately.
And, because CityPASS limits the number of attractions on each city’s pass to five or six of the most popular sights, visitors have ample time to enjoy a destination, never feeling the need to rush frantically from attraction to attraction to get their money’s worth.
Basically it’s your ticket to exploring the best and most exciting things about the city you are in for LESS!
Don’t think you need to go on vacation to enjoy a CityPass though!
If you live in one of the cities CityPass is offered in (like I do), you can use it to enjoy a Staycation!
You have 9 days to use your CityPass so you can actually spread your activities over 2 weekends!
Here are just a few of the other CityPass perks:
You can skip most ticket lines!
In some cities, you’ll have option tickets, which mean you get to choose one of two attractions that best suit your family
Booklets also include moneysaving coupons and a map!
YOU SAVE MONEY!
Of course, that’s the absolute best part of the CityPass to me. Saving money!
In Houston, for my family of 4…we would pay $164 plus tax for our CityPasses. This saves us $157.88 total!
That’s a lot of money to be saved. You can use that to save for your next trip, buy souvenirs or eat your meals!
How do you purchase a CityPass?
You can purchase right here on the CityPass website
CityPass tickets are sold at all the CityPass attractions that CityPasses are accepted at (so look on the site here to find out which attraction you want to start at!)
How Do you Use CityPasses?
Exchange your printed voucher (if you printed online) at the first CityPass attraction you visit (if you buy the tickets directly from CityPass, you don’t need to do anything but use your tickets at each attraction)
Present your ticket booklet at each attraction! (DO NOT pull the tickets from the booklet. Very important!)
We will be using our CityPass during Christmas break! We’ll be living it up in Houston and enjoying all our city has to offer. Will you purchase a CityPass in your city for a fun Christmas Break/Summer break/Spring Break adventure?
GIFT IDEA: Buy a friend or family member a CityPass for Christmas! They’ll love the gift of adventure! (do not activate it yourself. Once activated CityPasses are non transferable)
The Royal Sonesta Hotel in Houston is located in the heart of the Galleria area, minutes away from the theater and museum district and downtown Houston.
You seriously won’t find a more luxurious place to stay in Houston and their new upgrades (they recently underwent a $25 million renovation!) will just dazzle you!
First off, the lobby…it looks straight out of a movie!
This picture truly doesn’t do the ceiling light fixture justice, but in person it’s the most amazing light/art display I’ve ever personally seen. This chandelier is comprised of what looks like gorgeous ribbons of light and the glow it cast throughout the lobby gives the decor a classy and sophisticated luminescence.
(it also makes all the people look prettier too 😉 )
Also in the lobby is the trendy Axis Lounge. A trendy (yet comfortable) lobby bar that is a great stop for nightlife in Houston, for a light bite to eat or to just sit back and watch the game with a drink.
We spent a decent amount of time here (no we aren’t lushes!) because the couches/chairs were so comfy and the kids enjoyed being in the “heart” of the hotel. I love that even though this is a snazzy upscale hotel, families and kids still fit in. The staff is very accommodating and you can tell that they just love making your day better. Also, every staff member we came across was so kind to our children!
We stayed at Royal Sonesta Houston for 2 nights, and on Saturday night we actually were graciously provided use of the Axis Lounge for our Star of Hope Charity Event (this whole trip and event was put together by Lisa from Money Saving Parent. She did a great job!).
This charity event consisted of many Houston Area and Texas bloggers coming together to donate toys and clothing to those less fortunate this holiday season. It was a great success and Royal Sonesta Houston made sure that we had a great time. The drinks were incredible and the appetizers were so delicious.
It gave the entire event an upscale feel and I am so proud to say that we were able to send off a HUGE amount of donations to Star of Hope.
In addition, CatchACharacter.com will donate 50% of every purchase on all CatchACharacter websites moving forward for the next year. User’s will also receive a 10% discount on their entire purchase! Coupon code – #HolidayHope.
Across from the Axis Lounge is the adorable little coffeeshop! First off, we DID have an awesome Keurig in our room (more on that later!) but sometimes you just need a fancy latte…am I right? 😉
This coffeeshop was perfect for a light snack and even a quick breakfast! We stopped there on Saturday morning before we headed out to the Houston Children’s Museum (super close to the Royal Sonesta Houston!) and had a light breakfast.
I also was feeling kind of sick during our stay and before our Star of Hope benefit I was worried I wasn’t going to make it through it! My husband grabbed me an AMAZING Vanilla Latte from the coffeeshop and I made it through like a trooper!
(pay special attention to their apple holders. I couldn’t get enough of how cute these are! I need these in my life!)
On Friday night, we had dinner in the fancy restaurant just off the lobby. It’s called Table One and it was great. I was a bit nervous walking in with my 4 and 6 year old (who were a bit tired, WAY hungry and let’s face it…4 and 6 years old!).
It was great though. They even had a kids menu and crayons:
Since I wasn’t feeling that hot my husband and I decided to split a meal and we had MORE than enough to split.
My daughter got some tasty mac and cheese and my son had a cheeseburger that had us all kicking ourselves for not ordering ourselves (thankfully there’s ROOM SERVICE! Which we ordered the next night! And guess what…we ALL GOT CHEESEBURGERS!).
Now onto our room. Oh I KNOW you want to hear all about our room. Am I right?
We were able to stay in one of the newly renovated rooms (with 2 full size beds) and my goodness…it was a treat!
First off, when we got there, we had this awesome Welcome Gift courtesy of the staff! Since we went up to our room before we ate, these cookies and chocolates were MUCH appreciated by my hungry crew! I’m telling you, the Royal Sonesta staff knows how to take care of their guests!
This hotel room was unlike any hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. Real, gorgeous artwork on the walls (not just your standard watercolor impressionist knock off), high quality modern furniture and the BEDS! I never sleep well in hotels. I slept GREAT in this bed! Oh it was heavenly.
A few things that stood out to us in the room (besides the furniture/awesome beds/artwork):
This charging port. I need this for my HOUSE!
Kind of difficult to take a picture of, but the headboard/nightstands for the beds had some kind of sensor where if you stepped out of bed in the middle of the night, a light would shine so you could find your way!
Our view! The Galleria area in Houston is so pretty and our view was awesome!
The shower (also not pictured) had built in shampoo/conditioner/body wash pump containers in the bathroom. I don’t know about y’all, but one of those tiny hotel bottles never is enough to get my whole family clean!
We also had a KEURIG in our room! Awesome! I’m sure it’s coincidental, but it was stocked with the same K-Cups we actually use at home as well.
Our stay was amazing. The hotel looks like they made their 25 Million bucks into 100 million bucks. The staff was gracious and went above and beyond.
We just LOVED our stay at the Royal Sonesta Houston!
Disclosure: Post and giveaway sponsored by Carter’s, but all opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure
Did you know Carter’s is having an AWESOME sale right now? Both in stores and online you can get really fabulous deals and top them all off with a 25% off coupon code MONDAY25!
This Cyber Monday sale is TODAY (12/2) only from now until midnight.
Carter’s also has Downloadable activities on their site to keep the kids busy throughout the holidays!
You can also visit their Holiday Shop where they have Christmas Pajamas and great holiday outfits for the kiddos.
We headed to Carter’s over the weekend because Carter’s graciously provided me with a gift card to check out the sale.
We purchased the most adorable outfit for my daughter to wear to her field trip to The Nutcracker later this month!
Isn’t she darling?
Do you want to shop at Carter’s this holiday season? Of course you do!
First off, be sure you follow Carter’s on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram to keep up with their latest deals, events, etc.
How about if you WON a $50 Carter’s gift card?
Would that make your holiday just a bit more bright?
Well you are in luck! Carter’s is offering one lucky FFF reader a $50 Carter’s Gift Card!
Here’s how you can enter:
Head on over to Carter’s and tell me what outfits/accessories/shoes you’d love to buy with your gift card (by commenting below this post)!
Then fill out this Rafflecopter form below to complete your entry (if you are reading this in an email/feed reader, you might need to come directly to the blog): a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway will end on 12/16 at 11:59 PM CST.
Carter’s partnered with bloggers such as me to help promote Cyber Monday. As part of the program, I received product or gift cards. Carter’s believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words, and therefore did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products I used. Carter’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. The winner of any giveaway in this program will be randomly chosen and gift card fulfillment will be handled by a third party.
It’s no secret that we love Stride Rite shoes around here. They are well made, stylish and I always make sure I purchase them on sale and/or with a coupon!
My daughter needed sneakers badly. When we were back to school shopping, she only picked out “fashion” shoes (her words!) and no sneakers! Well, she quickly grew out of her sneakers from last year so we needed to get her a new pair.
Stride Rite contacted me and offered to send a pair for us to try out. I was a bit concerned, because Lizzie is at that age where a lot of clothing/shoes/etc “bodder” her (bother, LOL). So ordering online (as opposed to going in the store to try them on) made me a bit unsure! However, I shouldn’t have worried for a second. Stride Rite shoes are always comfy and well fit!
Not only did we get shoes she now LOVES (she wore them with her Thanksgiving dress on Thursday! She’s never worn sneakers with a dress!) but they don’t bother her at all.
Look how cute these are?
These are the RacerLights (click here) and they are so fun! They light up when she runs/walks.
Head on over to Stride Rite and tell me what pair of shoes your kiddo would love (by commenting below this post)!
Then fill out this Rafflecopter form below to complete your entry (if you are reading this in an email/feed reader, you might need to come directly to the blog): a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway will end on 12/16 at 11:59 PM CST.
Disclaimer: We were provided a pair of shoes to facilitate this review. All opinions are our own. The winner will receive an email from me that they will need to respond to within 48 hours to claim their prize. If I do not hear from the winner within 48 hours, I will choose another winner. The prize will be sent by the sponsor of this giveaway. In the event the sponsor is unable to fulfill the prize, FFF is not responsible for the prize.
This post has been compensated. I only share posts that I feel fit the FFF audience and that I think are worthy of your attention. All opinions are always my own.
I’m convinced that moms are superheroes.
Being a mom is the only job I know of where you truly have to be a jack of all trades at all times. Most moms I know juggle this effortlessly.
Oh, we might fall into bed at night and start snoring before our head even hits the pilllow, but we barely think twice about helping our son with homework while cooking dinner and teaching our daughter how to sew (with a load of laundry in the washer, the dryer and the dishwasher running).
It’s just par for the course!
I love being a mom. I might get overwhelmed at times with the sheer length of my to do list, but I love it. I truly do.
Being a mom makes me feel equal parts vulnerable and strong. Unstoppable.
Children’s Motrin agrees!
They have a campaign going on right now that I really felt compelled to share with you.
It’s called Unstoppable Moms.
Every mom does something to go above and beyond for her family. And for us, that’s inspiring! Children’s MOTRIN® is celebrating Unstoppable Moms like you! Celebrate with us by checking out their stories below.
Head on over to Unstoppable Moms and tell them what being an Unstoppable Mom means to YOU and you can enter to win a weekly prize of $250 OR the grand prize of $2500!
I was given this product for free to facilitate this review. The giveaway product will be provided by the company. All opinions are my own (and my dog’s!).
Do you have pets?
If so, you probably have to feed them occasionally, right? 😉
Our puppy, Cookie, is 8 months old now and the kids have really gotten into a routine of feeding her and caring for her.
We love animals, but I have to admit that we waited until our kids were a bit older to get a pet because we wanted them to learn some responsibility from taking care of a pet.
Both of us had dogs growing up and have such wonderful memories of playing with and taking care of our pets.
We wanted to make those same memories with our own children!
She’s so adorable! She’s just a baby here.
Our kids feed our dog (with some assistance) at least once a day (my husband feeds her early early in the morning but sometimes on the weekends, they feed her in the morning as well).
They don’t always feed her NEATLY though. 😉
Enter the Neater Feeder! I saw a review of the Neater Feeder on another blog one day and I was intrigued. It looked like a great solution for us!
The Neater Feeder is designed with protective walls to contain splashes and spills from an inadvertent kick or an excited pet. This revolutionary system holds spilled food in an upper reservoir while spilled water flows down a gentle slope through a patent-pending filtering system.
The spilled water drains into a lower reservoir that can safely contain more than an entire bowl of spilled water, keeping it off the floor until you are ready to dispose of it. Keeping the spilled food in the upper reservoir, off the floor, not only saves you work, but also keeps it clean for reuse.
Here is a visual for you:
Genius, right?
The design is flawless and we haven’t had a mess on the floor since we started using the Neater Feeder with Cookie!
You know what was a BIG problem in our house before the Neater Feeder? Us KICKING the dog bowl. What a mess that would make.
That has not happened ONCE since the Neater Feeder entered our lives!
Here’s some video of her first time using it (and my daughter feeding her):
The Neater Feeder comes in several sizes, so you can be sure they have one to fit your giant Great Dane or your tiny Tea Cup Chihuahua.
They even have Neater Feeders for cats! I had a cat once, she was a VERY messy eater!
This giveaway will end on 10/23/13 at 11:59 PM. I will contact the winner and they will have 48 hours to confirm before I move on to another winner. So please be sure you give an email address you check OFTEN.
