MunchPak Giveaway! (The Perfect Gift)

MunchPak Giveaway

The Perfect Gift

It's been almost a year since I started this little blog and I've reviewed a handful of products and services. Out of all of them I have some favorites and MunchPak is definitely one of my top choices.

The people at MunchPak contacted me to review their service last week and when I did my research and found out they'd be sending me a box of candy and snacks I thought Christmas had come early in my house!

MunchPak is unique in that it's a subscription service. So you pay $19.95 a month and you receive a box of awesome snacks from around the world at your doorstep.

   

I received my MunchPak last Saturday.

Look at all this swag!!!

I just about died and went to heaven.

There were chips from Hawaii, spiced mango, Hello Panda cookies, and even Skittles. We loved it!

I love it so much I'm considering subscribing. I got to thinking and figured this isn't only a great service for my snack loving household but a MunchPak would also be a great gift to pass along to someone else for a birthday, a housewarming gift, a roadtrip package, or a babyshower. The service would even be a great Christmas present!

So my Christmas gift to you...MunchPak is allowing me to give away a box of awesomesauce to one of you fine readers!!!

Easy entry, too. Just leave a blog comment telling me your favorite snack. There are other ways to enter like following MunchPak on Facebook and Twitter that will increase your odds of winning.

The giveaway starts today and ends Sunday at midnight EST.

So enter for your box of MunchPak goodies! Good luck!

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Tunesday Tuesday: My Anthem

Tunesday Tuesday: My Anthem

Guess what I haven't done in a really long time...a link up!

I was so excited about this link up because it's all about MUSIC! If you don't know by now, music is so influential to me, I tattoo it on my body. 

So link up! And the theme this week...YOUR ANTHEM! 

Guess what I picked...

We all need a little music in our lives. A good song can answer a question, soothe the soul and provide an escape. It can recall a memory in the most vivid detail and evoke the most intense feelings.

 “Music is the great uniter. An incredible force. Something that people who differ on everything and anything else can have in common.” -Sarah Dessen

We created Tunesday Tuesday to do just that, bring people together through music.

Every Monday night at 9pm the link up will go live at The Patchwork Paisley, Drinking the Whole Bottle, Momma Candy, and MrsTeeLoveLifeLaughter. We will designate a theme, and hope that you will share a song that embodies said theme for you. Post the video for the song, an audio clip, the lyrics- however you want to do it. Then, write a little something about why this song captures the week's theme and link up your post here with us! 

Visit your hosts after 9pm (EST) on Monday nights

 to find out what the theme is for the week!

Rules?

It would be awesome if you would follow your lovely hostesses (links below,) but other than that- let's have fun with this! Know a fellow music lover who should get in on the party? Let them know about it! Want to share you groove with the world? Tweet it should you feel so inclined. Want to grab a button? Go for it. It's really pretty and you'll find it down below.

Host Follow Links:

                   Meg                                 Jen                             Shauna                        Tiffany

           Bloglovin' - Twitter              Bloglovin' - Twitter                Bloglovin' - Twitter            Bloglovin' - Twitter

                     Facebook                                 Facebook                                   Facebook                                Facebook

Tweet about Tunesday Tuesday & Grab our Button:

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This Week

We're watching the story of your life. 

                                                               What is the song that plays to introduce you? 

If you could sum yourself up in a song, what would it be?

               

                                                              That's your "anthem."

**Don't forget to link up your post below & visit some participants to see what they're jamming out to!**

Can't stick around for this week's party?? 

Next week's theme will be...

A song that suits your current mood.

WEEK ONE: ANTHEM

Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi.

See that guy up there? That's basically me when this song comes on.

Anyone who knows me knows this would be a front runner for my anthem. I'm indecisive with too much choice and music and choosing the one song that encompasses me is difficult. As my life has changed so has my anthem. So I resorted to my playlist to see if it would inspire a Yeah! That's the one!

There were many I considered. And there was a first runner up. But it was settled as soon as I saw it. Livin' on the Prayer makes me want to stand up and scream the song at the top of my lungs and dance like a crazy person. And I've done just that with my fist thrown in the air. It didn't matter what stage of life I was in, what tragedy was ailing me, what life event was around the corner, ten years ago at a best friend's wedding when we all put our hands in the middle and shouted this song on the dance floor it was with me. And a few months ago when this song was shuffled into play mode on my playlist while I was cleaning the living room, it was with me. 

And the words?

We've got to hold on to what we've got 
'Cause it doesn't make a difference 
If we make it or not 
We've got each other and that's a lot 
For love - we'll give it a shot 

Whooah, we're half way there 
Livin' on a prayer 
Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear 
Livin' on a prayer

I mean, seriously. Who doesn't relate to that?

So, what's your anthem?

A Pretty Picture

A Pretty Picture

I hope everyone survived Thanksgiving weekend!

Our Thanksgiving went as planned, dinner at Gramma's on Thursday, Black Friday shopping, and then another dinner at our house on Saturday with friends. 

This is about the time of year that my "pretty picture" visualization kicks into overdrive. This is when I visualize all of these holiday traditions happening perfectly and planned and everyone has a smile on their face. And then it never really happens that way. This past weekend was just a reminder.

We started a tradition last year or the year before, I don't remember, where we have Gabe, the oldest, contribute to Thanksgiving dinner by making a dish all by himself. He has to follow a recipe and complete it with little to no help. Last year he made a recipe called Pumpkin Dump Cake and it was so delicious. We wanted an encore!

So he carefully made the recipe. It turned out just as beautifully as last year, we had a good amount of leftovers...and they went crashing to the ground in our Pyrex dish. All over the driveway. It was definitely not how I pictured things. I pictured me stuffing my face with Pumpkin Dump Cake for breakfast the next morning. Nope!

BUT, we have ingredients for more so I think he'll make some this weekend again.

We were supposed to go see Frozen as a family yesterday. It was going to be Lola and Christian's first movie in an actual movie theater. But Christian wasn't feeling well so it was just Lola and me. Again, not what we had planned for.

BUT, it turned into a mom and Lola date. 

We got popcorn and licorice and she sat like a big girl in her seat for her very first movie theater movie. She sat through the whole movie but halfway through came to cuddle up on my lap. She did so well! 

We put up the tree yesterday. It's my beloved white Christmas tree and I was so excited to put up our tree in a new space. However, when the tree was up, it was dwarfed by the higher ceilings. We got that white Christmas tree in that size because it fit perfectly in our old house that didn't have much space. Now we live somewhere with a little more space and higher ceilings. And now our tree looks tiny. 

Add to that, I always have a vision of us decorating the tree as a family, drinking hot cocoa, listening to Christmas music. I don't know why I have that vision. That has actually never happened. It's usually me decorating and the boys watching football or TV or something not Christmas related. 

BUT, Lola, my little partner in crime, was more than excited to decorate with me. And she was just as enthusiastic, if not more so, than me. 

Another bonus, Elf on the Shelf came to visit for the first time ever. And Lola loved it! She was totally into it. It's kind of a new phenomenon for me because I didn't grow up with it and had never heard of it until Pinterest came in and put it in everyone's living rooms. Lola is finally at the age where she'd get it so we now have a temporary resident in our home who brought advent calendars and got into the marshmallows last night. Her name is Kara. With a "K," as specified by Lola. 

It was so much fun to set her up. And Lola's reaction? The best! Although, she did think that Kara would be bringing gifts for under the Christmas tree...every morning. We have a few details to work out.

So I had some pretty pictures in my head that didn't quite turn out how I had planned. BUT, sometimes the end result or the flip side works out even better.

I should probably get used to that. We've got twenty-four more days of pretty pictures to mess up with what's really going on. And what's really going on usually rocks.

Stop Black Thanksgiving Shaming

Stop Black Thanksgiving Shaming

A Case for Black Thanksgiving

I have a confession to make.

We went to Black Friday. 

On Thursday.

How could you? That day is for family? I'm so disappointed? Boycott!!!

Facebook was yelling at me all day today. Well, not at me, personally. But at anyone who ever went to a Walmart on Thanksgiving, ever. Everyone had something to say about it. So what's the big deal?

First of all, we did spend our Thanksgiving with our family. All day we were together. We eat dinner at about three or four in the afternoon. Then we stay and have dessert. There's no loss of family if we are going home for the night but happen to have Nana watching the kids so we can sneak off to Walmart for a really good deal. We were there from 6:30PM to 7:30PM. Then we went home and watched the holiday classic, The Conjuring. See, family all up in here.

Second of all, beginning the Black Friday deals on Thursday evening staggers the crowds, in my opinion. There isn't the pressure to get there at the crack of dawn in the cold, lined up around the block. Now people can go to these sales fat and happy on a full belly to shop for deals. And then sleep in on Friday morning and have breakfast with their families. You know, more family stuff.

Third, more shoppers means more money going around. I walked in to Walmart last night and saw a sea of people, all with money they were happily spending on other people. Or on themselves. Either way, money was being spent. People had jobs. The people spending the money have jobs. The people ringing up the five TV's in one transaction had jobs. It's a jobby-job world in there. 

But, what about those workers? Don't they have family? Why are they not allowed to be with their families? A blogger I follow over at Slap Dash Mom posted on her status update something I happen to agree with. She wondered why it was okay for policemen, firemen, doctors, and people in the military to work, but cashiers shouldn't be expected to work. It's a valid observation. And a lot of people request to work on holidays because of the extra pay if that's what their place of employment offers. 

Fourth, I went to the Black Friday sale on Thanksgiving at Target last year with my aunt. We waited in a line that wrapped around the building just to get into the building. Why? We weren't looking for a specific deal or anything. We just wanted to see what the hype was all about. And we had already finished dinner, it was like 9 o'clock at night, we just want to see what was up! A lot of people do this just for the spectacle. I, for one, love seeing the mall during the Christmas season all decorated and bustling. Some people hate it. I happen to think it's pretty cool. It's for the spectacle. 

Fifth, as I said above, I went with my aunt last year and my husband last night. For some, Black Friday is a family tradition that has now been moved up to Thursday. Some of my friends get together with their entire family and go searching all over town for the best deals. Then they end their long night with breakfast and sleep in all morning after their shopping extravaganza. Some of them don't even spend money. It's just fun for them to go with the women in their family to hunt for the best deals. 

So don't be sad, disappointed, enraged, or boycott crazy. If you don't like the idea of going to sales after Thanksgiving dinner, then don't go. But don't make others feel guilty about it.

Let's all boycott Black Thanksgiving shaming! Boycott! BOYCOTT! JUST SAY NO TO BLACK THANKSGIVING SHAMING!

Is Black Thanksgiving a thing? I just started calling it that but I heard this morning on the news that Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving is now called Grey Thursday. Stupid. The reason they call Black Friday "Black" is because it brings all of the companies out of the red and into the black before the year is over. Who thought "Grey Thursday" would be a good idea? I'll tell you who. Someone who doesn't know why it was called Black Friday in the first place.

I vote for Black Thanksgiving.

And remember, folks...JUST SAY NO TO BLACK THANKSGIVING SHAMING!

Thank you for this.

Have we all recovered from our Thanksgiving food extravaganza?

I'm currently eating pumpkin pie for breakfast so my answer is no. I'm still in it. And we fully intend on having another feast tomorrow just because we're glutinous and want more leftovers. We don't want the party to end so we always have two dinners. It's a tasty tradition.

We spent the day yesterday being ever so thankful. I really am very thankful for all of our blessings but at this point I feel like explaining all of the things I am thankful for in great depth over a Facebook status update, a tweet, or even a blog post just doesn't do justice to my extent of gratitude. So I'll just tell you now, I'm thankful. I'm so humbled by all of our blessings, I can't even decorate them with words. It's not enough. 

I do recall a moment yesterday that stood out as my favorite moment of the day that defined the extend of my gratitude. We were all sitting in the living room watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. All of us. 

My oldest was on the couch, bored, waiting for us to allow him to watch football. 

My husband was in between riling up the dog and wrestling with Lola. 

Lola was finally (FINALLY!) kind of into the parade, watching the dancers and spotting Santa Claus at the end. She did say, "Those weindeer aw not weel." 

Christian was hanging out with all of us, calm and content. 

It was that moment - not contrived, not planned, not staged, not constructed - just purely authentic in togetherness that I was most thankful for. And I even said a silent prayer to God at that very moment. 

Thank you for this.

Then we went to Gramma's for Thanksgiving dinner. There was turkey and potatoes and kids running around and full glasses of wine. It was really hard but I forced myself to enjoy a caramel drizzled maple cheesecake one of my aunts made and it turned out to be the best piece of cheesecake I've ever had in my whole entire life.

Thank you for this.

When it was time to sit down for dinner Lola, in her almost four year old little voice told her big fifteen year old brother, "Gabe, you can come sit with me ovah heyah," as she was headed toward a table with only two seats. So he followed her and they ate together. 

Thank you for this.

My friends sent me texts with funny memes all day.

Thank you for this.

The big things that inspire intense gratitude in life are cool. But the little things are pretty sweet, too.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEKEND! I'm in the mood for some "It's gonna shoot your eye out!"

Not Good Enough Girl

Not Good Enough Girl

And Irish Hot Chocolate

This weekend went as perfectly as it should have.

After a rather trying week, I had grand plans for this weekend. Plans that were scheduled back to back. I would be busy and it would be fun. And by fun I mean exhausting.

But by Friday I was done. It was a "not good enough" week. I felt like a not good enough employee (I went back to work part time so there's that), not good enough friend, not good enough wife, daughter, housecleaner, homemaker, blogger, or writer. This is what happens when you add one more thing to the carefully balanced scale. It tips.

And as the scale tipped, the rain came. Literally. A big storm rolled in and by the grace of God cancelled all my efficiently scheduled plans that I probably would have been late to. So it was only appropriate that I would stay inside in my sexy sweats and feel sorry for myself. It's necessary sometimes. 

The silver lining here is that at least I didn't feel like a not good enough mom. I was feeling like a just okay mom this weekend. So when your plans are cancelled and it's raining and cold and you're at least feeling like a just okay enough mom, the day screams for a screening of Elf or Polar Express. Those movies are scientifically proven to be mood enhancers.

It all came together, though. Sometimes cancelled plans end up producing the best outcome. After the storm passed there was getting together and laughing and food and drinking.  That solves everything.

Today was a new day. The not good enough girl is done with her pity party. When you're done with a pity party, the best way to celebrate is by getting your nails painted a nice shade of dark, I Don't Give A Shit red. No, it wasn't really called that, but it totally should be. 

Check the nails. The color is so dark red that it's almost black and I love it.

Oh, what's that in my hand, you ask?

Well, when it's fifty-something degrees outside we call that cold here in Arizona. And when it's cold, it's time for hot chocolate.

Momma hot chocolate and baby hot chocolate.

Momma hot chocolate gets a little something special.

We call this an Irish Hot Chocolate. Really, this should be called a Russian Hot Chocolate because we used Pinnacle Peppermint Bark Vodka. Irish Hot Chocolates came from adding a little Bailey's to hot chocolate. We still call alcoholic hot chocolate "Irish" because it's just more fun to say and I'm Irish so I feel some ownership over the recipe.

Let me tell you, whether it was Irish or Russian, it was the perfect end to a cold and stormy weekend. And it was totally good enough.

In Case You Forgot, Christmas is Coming!

In Case You Forgot, Christmas is Coming!

I have been a terrible blogger lately. I haven't been visiting blogger friends. And I only wrote one blog post. last week. (Gasp!).

The thing is, and I hate to sound all snooty, but I've been busy doing things. Like hanging out with friends and goofing off, going to the mall to look at all the Christmas decorations before the hoards of people get there, and sampling seasonal flavors from Starbucks that I wait all year to try. Usually, a good blogger would blog about all these happening. But by the end of the day I find myself engrossed in the latest Real Housewives of fill in the blank. And then it's late. And if I don't go to bed I WILL PAY for it the next day.

But here I am. Promising to write more if not for my own sanity. I'm promising myself here. I'm sure you are all busy being good bloggers, living life, taking care of kids, and all that nonsense.

And so what am I so busy doing right now?

The holiday season is upon us. I really love the holiday season. I obviously love the baking and the eating. But I also love the decorated street lights, the mall displays, Christmas bells, and, yes, I am one of those people who will listen to Christmas music in my car on the 24 hours-a-day Christmas music station right up until the New Year. 

I must admit that I'm a tad alarmed at how early everything is starting this year. But I don't mind it. I always thought the holiday season was way too short anyway.

SANTA HAS LANDED

So remember how I told you I went to the mall? Well, apparently Santa has already arrived. It's not even Thanksgiving!

Notice there is no line. So now is the time to go if you want to visit Santa.

STARBUCKS LOVES CHRISTMAS

I also mentioned that I wait all year for the Starbucks holiday flavors. Never mind that Starbucks coffee is kind of weak. (Yeah, I said it.). Never mind that it costs too much. Never mind that it has a ton of calories. (Did you see my last post?) I wait and plan for that Caramel Brulee Frappuccino every year. And I'm so happy Starbucks got the memo and rolled it out mid November instead of mid December like previous years. I will spend the money and eat the calories a few times a week for this dessert disguised as coffee until they run out of that sweet, sweet nectar. No, seriously. I ask well after New Years if they have any of that magic left and sometimes they do! 

THE LISTS

I've started making my lists. I usually end up with four of them floating around in my purse with the same names of all of my loved ones who were good this year and who will be receiving gifts. It's like I'm Santa. I keep these little lists so that if I see the perfect gift or if I think of something new, I will write it down and not forget. In fact, I was doing a little window shopping over at Whole Soul Jewelry. Take a look at what I found!

For the kids Santa buys gifts as follows: 

1) Something They Want. 

2) Something They Need. 

3) Something To Wear. 

4) Something To Read.

And stocking stuffers.

I'm filling in these options as I go. More on this and why we do gift giving this way at a later date.

THAT ELF ON THE SHELF

I'm doing it this year. Don't hate. Oh, I know there's a lot of hate out there about that creepy little elf. I had no idea about this thing until maybe two years ago. I never did it as a kid. Then I started seeing posts about this elf and all of the chaos that ensues when he/she is around. I also saw this little elf turn into yet another symbol of parent one-uppery and mommy judgement. So, OF COURSE, I wanted in!

But, seriously, this is the first year Lola would understand something like that. Besides, it's fun! And maybe it will keep her from being a little hellion come Christmas. That's worth it enough for me.

PUMPKIN PIE

I don't care for a lot of pumpkin pies because they tend to taste raw. Like raw, unbaked pumpkin puree out of a can. Yum. And, yes, I'm talking about your beloved Costco pumpkin pie, too. 

But we got one tonight from Fry's (Kroger) and it came already whip creamed. Bonus!

I have to say, it was one of the best I've had in a long time. 

And pumpkin pie tastes better when it's closer to Thanksgiving. It's a proven FACT.

Are you getting ready for the holidays? Or are you ignoring them until they're knocking on your cold-hearted, grinchy door?