Family Movie Night Happens With Netflix {Spon}

Try-it Tuesdays:

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of NETFLIX. However, all the comments here are my own.

When I was a kid I waited all week long until Saturday mornings so I could get my cartoon fix.

Now fast forward to today: my kids never have to wait for cartoons to come on one day away because NETFLIX gives them the accessibility to watch what they want, when they want. All mama has to do is turn them on whatever device makes sense like my iPad, computer and of course, the TV. Gotta love streaming video, right? All I have to do is hit up the dedicated kids section (designed by Common Sense Media for kids ages 2- 12) on NETFLIX and press play.

Happy kids means a happy mama.

In the mornings to get the kids ready for school they request always ask for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Road Rally. When they get home and we have snack time, it's always a little Jake and the Never Land Pirates for both of little sweeties. The four-year-old boy dominates the watching choices for both of them - at least until the 20-month girl can talk. And then it's all over! Until then she seems to enjoy Cars Toons: Mater’s Tall Takes although her brother "lets her watch" Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue - even though I know he secretly likes it, too!

But the favorite show of both of them is without a doubt Thomas & Friends: Go Go Thomas. We are definitely a "Thomas" family since everything from my son's room, all his toys, even his lunch box are all Thomas. So no doubt we treat Thomas like a special occasion everytime we watch it. His presence on the screen is like Friday night at the movies. And until my kids get a little older, Netflix makes it possible to have Family Movie Night without paying an arm and a leg. And of course, begin the movie at 6 pm so we can still make bedtime AND bathroom breaks WITHOUT missing the movie! 

What are you watching on TV with your family? Netflix has family favorites from Disney, Disney Jr., Hasbro, Cartoon Network and Dreamworks that are available to stream anytime, anywhere.

And streaming is easier than you think! Download the free app on your iPad, click on the Netflix app on any gaming device, go to the website on your computer – and you’re in business. Check it out here!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of NETFLIX.

This article also posted on Star-Telegram.com/Moms.

Get Pretty Muddy at New Women Only Run, June 1 + Discount {Spon}

Me Mondays:

This is a sponsored post. I've received a gift card as an incentive for writing this post. However, the opinions stated here are all my own. 

I. HATE. TO. RUN.

However, when I get finally get passed that first 10 minutes (or longer) of running and self-doubt, I hit my runner's high and remember why it's so effective to create a more healthy me. I've tried so many things, but when I lost 35 lbs. before I was married it was totally due to a good diet and a lot of running. And nothing has been as successful since. I just have to get passed that first part to get going...

Funny enough, Dallas has been full of fun ways to get motivated this spring. From zombies to zebras, there's been a run for everything, but there's one more you need to add to your list: The Pretty Muddy. (Bet you can figure out what happens at this one, right?) The Pretty Muddy on June 1 in Dallas is a 5k adventurous obstacle course mud run for any woman who wants to get outside, spend time with friends and have fun. Still  a little uncertain about how a mud run? Check out this video.

Best of all, post race women will be treated to a fashion show by Old Navy showcasing the latest in the active wear fashion trends. (Which is going to really make you want them since you'll be covered in mud.)

Since I'm already a huge fan of Old Navy Active Collection, I can't wait to see the show. From personal experience, I know if you don't like what you are wearing to work out, you won't put it on and if you don't put it on...well, then you don't do much exercising. But that's not the only reason to keep your mouse on "click" - this wear makes you look skinnier while you're trying to get skinnier!  

The Old Navy Active Collection offers an assortment of styles and colors at affordable prices including the Compression line that features everything from solid color leggings to color block capris, sports bras, tanks, shorts and jackets, and offers performance fit for added support and a slimmer silhouette.  Made with cotton, spandex and GoDry Fabric it helps to keep you dry and comfortable. Best of all Old Navy Active pants offer fuss-free storage of keys, iPods and all that other necessary stuff you need on you!

Pretty Muddy 5K Obstacle Course Mud Run
June 1, 2013
Skyline Ranch
1801 E Wheatland Rd Dallas, TX 75241
$ 69.50 – Get $10 off with CODE: BLOGON for $59.50 registration
Website

Get More Muddy: 
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#GetActivewithON 

Tasty Treats from my iPhone {Food Porn}

Food Fridays:

One of the great parts of my job is working with food - a lot. 

And once a year I'm privileged to promote one of the best Dallas food events - Taste Addison. So as I gear up for a 3-day weekend of more than 70 restaurants making more than 300 entrees for more than 75,000 people in Addison Circle Park, I thought I'd share what the last couple of days worth of Iphone photos revealed as I revved up for Taste Addison. 

I'm a lucky girl, right? If spending some up-close-and-personal food space with the likes of Kent Rathbun, Tre Wilcox, Lan Nickens, Bob Stephenson and some of the most educated folks on BBQ across the country from Dickeys, then consider me your golden girl! 

A little disclaimer: a few of these photos are also from the other-food minded things I've been up to this week including Keller's FnG Eats new menu items, a get -together with my blogging buddies, a case of tea delivered for a review AND a coping mechanism for one of my more stressful days.

Yes, I like food. And apparently drinks too. And if you do, you should come out to Taste Addison. (A PR girl's work is never done.) 

Do you like food ? Then make sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest. I take lots of foodporn. I mean a lot. 

And come see me this weekend. Come hungry.

Taste Addison 

May 17-19, 2013

Addison Circle Park

www.addisontexas.net

You're Invited to Learn the Hottest Looks for Texas' Hottest Season with Summer Style Soiree TONIGHT

To-Do Thursdays:

While North Texans just changed out our winter wear for our tank tops and flip flops, it’ll be just as soon that those mercuries will reach the 100s. (Try to hold back the excitement.)

However there's no excuse why you can’t look hot while you are hot – that’s where Jenny Davis, Indulge Magazine's Fashion & Beauty Editor comes in. (Consider her your own Rachel Zoe.)

Tonight treat yourself to an evening of all things summer chic with a special preview of the season’s hottest fashions from Grand Prairie Premium Outlets®, including Bloomingdale’s The Outlet Store (one of only two in Texas) and beauty trends from Daireds Salon & Spa Pangéa — all hand-selected by the fabulous fashion & beauty editor for Indulge Magazine,Jenny Davis. Enjoy a complimentary mini-service, VIP goodie bags, decadent treats, giveaways and much more.

I’ll see you there – if I can find something to wear…

Daireds Salon & Spa Pangéa Host Summer Style Soirée

Thursday, May 16, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Grand Prairie Premium Outlets®

2950 W. Interstate 20, Grand Prairie (Exit at Great Southwest Parkway)

Free (To secure your complimentary mini-service, please RSVP to guestservice@daireds.com. Spaces are limited. Choose from a mini manicure, chair massage or a makeup application.)

ABOUT DAIREDS SALON & SPA PANGÉA

Daireds Salon & Spa Pangéa is a luxury salon, spa and med spa located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The Daireds staff consists of the top trained beauty experts in hair, skin and nails — including several Vidal Sassoon trained stylists. Daireds has been featured in various local and national media outlets, and has an impressive celeb clientele list, including: Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Chris Bosh and his family, famous home-run hitter Jim Thome, baseball legend Nolan Ryan, as well as several Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys players. For more information, please visit www.daireds.com or www.facebook.com/daireds

ABOUT GRAND PRAIRIE PREMIUM OUTLETS®

Grand Prairie Premium Outlets®, which opened in August 2012, brings upscale outlet shopping to the area. With 110 stores, this shopper’s paradise offers an impressive collection of designer labels and leading brands at savings of 25% to 65% every day. One of its largest stores is Bloomingdale’s The Outlet Store, which offers a range of apparel and accessories, including: women's ready-to-wear, men's, children's, women's shoes, fashion accessories, jewelry, handbags and intimate apparel. For more information, please visit http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=106.

Time to UNclean: Are Your Cleaning Habits Making Your Kitchen Even Dirtier?

Try-It Tuesdays: 

This is a sponsored post written by me on the behalf of Bounty DuraTowel. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

When you clean up your kitchen do you use a:
A) Sponge
B) Dish Rag
C) Paper Towel

If you said A or B, you might be in for a big surprise. Some cleaning habits may actually be making your kitchen dirtier and more harmful for your family.

Bounty DuraTowel is challenging you to to re-examine the way you tackle your cleaning. While many moms work hard at scrubbing, organizing and wiping their way to a seemingly “cleaner” home for their family, there may still be a few messes lurking behind.

So, how clean is the average consumer’s kitchen? The CDC estimates each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (48 million people) get sick from a foodborne illness. To help stop the spread of germs, stick with the six tips below and kitchen surfaces will soon have a few less germs hanging around.

1. The dishcloth has a dirty little secret: One of the germiest places in the kitchen rests in the palm of your hand. A dishcloth can harbor millions of germs after just one day’s use. Don’t spread bacteria around your kitchen!

2. The gift that keeps on giving: The E. coli bacteria can survive for days, even months on kitchen surfaces like countertops and cutting boards. Be sure to use separate cutting boards for meat, vegetables and fish and disinfect them regularly.

3. Cut the crap: The average cutting board has 200% more fecal bacteria than the average toilet seat. That’s more than enough reason to disinfect regularly.

4. Just nuke it? Studies show in order to keep your sponge germ-free, you have to nuke it in the microwave for at least 2 minutes after each use, which is just more work. By using a disposable paper towel like DuraTowel, the surface is left three times cleaner than a dishcloth.

The kitchen is a source of hidden germs: Did you miss a spot? According to a recent NSF International study, the Top 5 Germiest Areas in the kitchen include:

1. Refrigerator vegetable compartment: Salmonella, Listeria, yeast & mold. 
2. Refrigerator meat compartment: Salmonella, E. coli, yeast and mold. 
3. Blender gasket: Salmonella, E. coli, yeast and mold. 
4. Can opener: Salmonella, E. coli, yeast and mold. 
5. Rubber spatula: E. coli, yeast and mold.

Health and hygiene experts agree that paper towels are the best bet for preventing the cross contamination of kitchen surfaces, particularly when it comes to reducing the bacteria left behind from food-prep and more.

“To use a paper towel to clean up messes and then to throw it away, especially on surfaces in your kitchen where you’ve been preparing food is the ideal thing to do,” said Dr. Elizabeth Scott, founder and co-director of the Simmons Center for Hygiene and Community Settings at Simmons College in Boston. “Dishcloths should be not be used for wiping up surfaces to cut down on the potential for cross contamination.”

Bounty’s newest paper towel product, DuraTowel, a cloth-like paper towel designed to replace germy dishcloths. Thick and strong, even when wet, a single sheet of Bounty DuraTowel is durable enough to tackle tough jobs like cleaning countertops, sinks and even small appliances, making it the go-to tool for spring cleaning. Thanks to its fiber-rich design, Bounty DuraTowel offers consumers a cloth-like experience without compromising on clean. Bounty DuraTowel helps leaves your kitchen surfaces cleaner than a germy dishcloth.

“Many people think that their family’s kitchen is clean after wiping up with a dishcloth, but surfaces may be hiding a dirty little secret, said Gregg Weaver, Procter & Gamble research and development engineer for Bounty. “In P&G lab demonstrations, black lights reveal that even after rinsing, used dishcloths can still harbor germs and drag them around. Grabbing a sheet of Bounty DuraTowel gives a cleaner alternative to a used dishcloth.” 

Bounty DuraTowel retails for $3.19 and is available at food and grocery as well as mass retailers nationwide. More information on DuraTowel as well as the entire Bounty product family can be found at www.bountytowels.com.

This post also appears on the Star-Telegram's Mom2Momdfw.com.

Mad Men Moms: 50 Shades of Don {Recipe}

Mad Men Monday:

It's time for another Mad Men Moms roundup of last night's Mad Men.

While it may have been Mother's Day, the show definitely went to a new whole new level of whoa. See what we had to say about an even deeper level of Don. (Oh, my!)

But before you settle into our chair, make sure you get your Mad Men cocktail ready...this time we are making up a Vodka Gimlet (aka vodka and limes in a cup.)



Vodka Gimlet

1½ oz vodka
¾ oz lime juice
3-4 lime slices

Pour vodka and lime juice into mixing glass. Shake and strain into martini glass. Add 3 to 4 slices of lime.

Recipe and photo from AMC's official Mad Men.

Now settle in and let us know what you think of this episode of Mad Men!

And if you missed other episodes of Mad Men Moms, make sure you get the whole scoop: 

Mad Men Moms 1

Mad Men Moms 2

Mad Men Moms 3

Mad Men Moms 4

Mad Men Moms 5

The Cost of Being a Mom

Happy Mother's Day!

Hopefully you're enjoying Mother's Day with brunch, relaxation and a little mommy love. However, but as moms we know that being a mom is normally not a glamourous or rewarding job, but it's someone's got to do it. (And when you see your babies' faces, then you know exactly why you do it!

Courtesy of: CashNetUSA: It's Economic