Holiday Outfits that don't break the bank at Cookieskids.com #CookiesKids for #cbias

One of the hardest things to do is to dress my boys up - they honestly prefer sweats and jeans to shirt and tie, but once or twice a year I go searching for cute and affordable dress clothes for them!  This year, my search took me to cookieskids.com! 

 I knew that as a leading online retailer of children's fashion, that also has 7 stores in the NYC area in Bronx, Brooklyn and Jamaica, there was a good probability that I'd find exactly what I was looking for - all without leaving my living room!

My first thought was that I'd look for a full suit for Liam... and there was a great selection of suits in Boys 4-7, but when I really thought about it and talked it over with Wayne, we decided that it would probably be best to go with something simpler and just as cute!  That's when I headed into the Dress Shirts section and found this adorable shirt set - with a tie and pocket square!  Who needs a suit coat?  So many colors to choose from too! 

I also found that they had a similar product in 1T-4T - perfect for Erik!

With waiting as long as I did,  I wasn't able to get my first choice of colors in Erik's size - 3T, so it's not as in your face "Christmas" as Liam's is... but I know to order earlier next year to make sure I can get the size I want!  You can check out more about my shop by clicking here to see my google plus album!

I had a similar situation with pants - I actually picked out different pants for Erik than I actually got, because silly me- when I placed my order I didn't check the address carefully and misspelled the street name.  I phoned the customer service line as soon as I realized my mistake and talked to a wonderful CSR who not only fixed my address, but also double checked that everything in my order was available for immediate shipment!  She found that the pants I had originally picked out for Erik were not available in the warehouse, but could be sent from another store - but there would be a delay in receiving my order.  A quick search brought up similar pants - and it meant that my order would ship out quicker - so we changed it then and there!

The boys love their new Cookies Kids outfits!  And I love that they'll stand up to a little wear and tear - just because they're dressed up, doesn't mean they won't head straight for the park:

I wasn't sure how Liam would like the belt on his pants, but he honestly wouldn't take it off for hours after the photo shoot was over... he also loves how deep the pockets are on his new dress pants!

The only thing I'd change on Erik's shirt is the length of the tie that came with it... but I know as a mom, that tie will only last long enough for pictures and it will end up in daddy's pocket with his own... 

I'm such a happy Mama - two gorgeous little boys in dress clothes they don't want to take off!  I am so glad that I discovered Cookie's Kids!  I know that they'll be my go-to shop for the boys when I'm looking for that little something more!   Cookie's Kids is celebrating 40 years in business - which means they know kids clothes and I know that you'll find what you're looking for when you visit them online or in store! You can also keep up with Cookies Kids on Facebook and Cookies Kids on Twitter!

You can also use this code at checkout: actingbalanced to save 10% off sitewide! Exp 12/21

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and CookiesKids.com #CBias #SocialFabric

Cypher Kids Animal Cards a #cbias Shoppertunity #CypherKidsClub

One of the things that I love about my kids is that they are totally into the new technology... as soon as I opened the package of i3D Interactive Cards from Cypher Kids that I picked up at Target, Liam was right there to see what I had...

I spotted them in the electronics section of Target, along with some of the other new Apptivity toys and accessories:

Robyn and I had a great time shopping and you can see the rest of the fun we had by checking out my google + album!

It was kind of tough selecting between Numbers, Letters and Wild Animal Adventures Cypher Kids Club Cards, but I chose the animal cards because I thought they'd have the most universal appeal with my kids ages 2, 6 and 14.

Cypher Kids Club cards are an augmented reality interactive card game that allows kids to interact with digital animals on their iDevices.  Cypher Kids Club cards are compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5. 

We added the app to our iPad 3.  Setting the app up on the iPad was simple - I just scanned the QR code on the box and downloaded the right app software.  Setting up my registration was a little tougher -the Cypher Kids Club website link in the package went to a page that wasn't found, but I was able to poke around and find the registration page.  The next problem was the password I was assigned... they really should ban l and 1 and I in automatically generated passwords... but again, after a few minutes I was able to overcome this obstacle...

Liam was immediately drawn to the images that the cards presented and was trying to interact with the image right away:

The first two things I noticed, after the amazing graphics - is that Liam couldn't hold the iPad in place by himself and interact with the cards and that each card, if you move it away restarts at the beginning.   And there is no way that Erik, at 2, will be able to use the cards independently either... which means that when they want to play with them, they'll need Wayne, Robyn or I to sit with them too...


As we started playing with the cards, I noticed that each card is a one story card... for now, that's okay, but I would have liked each card to share multiple facts so that you could go back to it a few times and learn something new.  There are 18 cards in the package, so the pack does provide some variety.   You can also go into 'picture mode' and check out the animals without the additional graphics trappings:

Each card allows some interaction with the animals after the initial information spiel is over - for instance the tree frog sticks out his tongue and eats a bug, and the monkey jumps off the branch he's on and disappears, only to reappear and jump off again.

For us, the cards are on point with Liam's learning and interest levels and Erik enjoys watching the vignettes too.  Robyn was, as an older child, hoping for more depth of information and more interaction.   These cards will definitely intrigue your 3-7 year old, but I think that older children will find that the cards are too rudimentary for them to use more often, and with a $29.99 price tag, you don't want to buy a package of cards for a one use deal.

For the younger kids, I would totally invest in the other decks and would suggest that a great additional accessory that Cypher Kids Club could provide is an apparatus to hold the iPad at the correct height so that kids can manipulate the cards without endangering the costly tablets...

Check out the #CypherKidsClub website, twitter and Facebook pages for  more on this fun, new interactive apptivity!

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Cypher Kids Club #CBias #SocialFabric

Giving Back with the #NickCFK Big Help Book Drive - A trip to the Teacher's Supply Closet #cbias

I love being able to share the gift of reading and being able to direct my donation to those who need it most is so gratifying.  As part of the #NickCFK Big Help Book Drive, I was able to shop at my local Walmart for some great books (check out the whole shop album here) and as soon as I heard about this Champions For Kids Simple Project, I knew that shopping for The Teacher’s Supply Closet would allow me to make a great donation impact!  What I didn’t know when I planned my shop and book drive is that my donations would be needed even more!  This was the scene at the Teacher’s Supply Closet outlet just two weeks ago:

After a particularly nasty rain, the sky was literally falling in their little world!  Fortunately it was during the day while people were in the outlet and they were able to quickly cover the majority of the supplies before the flooding got too bad, but there was still significant damage to paper goods and some of the other supplies.  

While speaking to the chief operating officer, Deborah Halon today when I did my drop off, she said that the community has really rallied behind them since the disaster, and other than some ceiling tiles that still need replacing and a faintly musty smell in the carpets that will hopefully come out in the next few days and they are on schedule to start supplying 300 teachers in the neediest schools in the tri-county area with almost everything on their wishlists!

On top of the collection of fabulous Nickelodeon books I was able to find at Walmart and the others I picked up to round out my donation, my children, friends and neighbors also contributed so that we were able to drop off over 30 books today - including some that were bilingual Spanish and English, some classic chapter books, some non-fiction and some great picture books!  Check them out:

And they were so pleased to be getting such a great group of books!

One of the bonuses for the Teacher's Supply Closet is that they have a fabulous volunteer who takes all of the book donations and sorts them by grade and reading level so that when teachers come to browse the selection they can pinpoint exactly what they need for their students to help motivate them to READ!!!


These books and the school supplies that I was also able to collect will go a long way to helping out children  who are most in need.  The schools who participate in the Teacher's Supply Closet have 88% or more of their students on free or reduced lunch and the saddest thing is that there are 34 schools that qualify... 

Getting this project off the ground was incredibly simple!  All it took was a few well placed Facebook posts and a couple of phone calls and everyone was on board!  Please consider checking out Champions for Kids at http://championsforkids.org and find out what you can do to make this simple service project work in your community! You can also follow the Champions for Kids Twitter Handle https://twitter.com/#!/champions4kids and Champions for Kids Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChampionsForKids

You can also keep up with Nickelodeon on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nickelodeon and Nickelodeon on Twitter @nickelodeontv https://twitter.com/#!/search/nickelodeon

“I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Champions for Kids. #NickCFK #CBias All opinions are my own.

Treasure Hunting with #jingit4edu at Walmart to get Box Tops 4 Education #cbias shoppertunity

Shopping is never routine in my household but when I heard about Jingit, a new app for Android or iPhones I knew that I'd have to download it and try it out!  I headed to the Walmart website and found the link to Jingit in the Instores Now section - you can just click here to find Jingit and you can click here to download Jingit to your phone!  The question you are probably asking is  "Who’s Jingit?" and the second is "why do I want to download another app?"

Well, Jingit is a tech start up company that allows great brands like General Mills to pay you real, instant cash for paying attention to them. Because truly great brands should truly value your time. And with this limited time offer, not only will you earn by finding participating products in store and online, your designated school will receive Bonus Box Tops every time you do!

Yep! You read it right...Jingit pays YOU and rewards the school of your choice with Boxtops 4 Education just by checking out products in store at Walmart and scanning their UPC codes, watching short video clips and more!  You don't have to purchase anything, but you can make a few dollars by treasure hunting and finding great products while you do your regular shopping at Walmart!

It was really easy to get started on the website:

I even watched my first video... about Nature Valley bars...

then I downloaded the Jingit app to my phone and I was ready to head out to Walmart to check in... of course I was a little excited and tried out the app before I left home:

but the app knew where I was... and so I grabbed Liam and my mother in law and we headed out to our local Walmart to try out the app!  You can check out my whole shop by visiting my google plus album!

When we got to Walmart, I was able to see all of the potential engagements that I could do:

There were THIRTEEN different possible check ins, but I picked two!  I looked for Honey Nut Cheerios for a single product check in, and then Nature Valley Granola bars and Fiber One Brownies for a combination check in!

Finding the products to scan was really simple, but getting 3G signal in my local Walmart was tough... I've never had good luck with getting signal in that part of town ... it's kinda a dead zone, but with a little persistence I made it happen and successfully earned $1.50 for me and 8 Boxtops 4 Education for Liam's school!

Jingit works with Facebook as a login, so it's quick and easy to use on the go!  Other than a poor reception location, it was fun and interesting to try out Jingit at my Walmart and I know that when I'm headed to my friend's house in Goose Creek next week, I'll be stopping by her Walmart to see if I can do even more engagements in a location with better cell reception!  The app is free and benefits both you and your local school, so why not check it out and download Jingit today!

You can also keep up with the latest news from Jingit by following them on Twitter and Facebook!


“I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Jingit #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions are my own"

Where My Donations went... #OdwallaCFK for #CBIAS

If you remember a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to head to Walmart and shop for some great soccer balls to help out the Haut Gap Middle School soccer team.  Their practice balls had definitely seen better days and were ripped, torn and deflating, so I was able to replace them with some brand new ones so that when they start their season next year, they'll start off on the right foot!  They were pleased and surprised by the donation... 

Champions for Kids - On the Soccer Pitch #OdwallaCFK

One of the most important things about getting kids to be more active in sports and their community is to find caring volunteers who will donate their time to mentor, teach and guide the kids in their chosen sport!  For the past two years, Robyn has been playing soccer in a league run by Charleston Recreation and organized by teachers and volunteers associated with all of the middle schools in the area.  Their last game for the season is tomorrow and it's Robyn's last game ever as a Haut Gap team member since she'll be graduating this spring. 

This program has been run on a shoe string budget and the guiding force behind Robyn's team this year - organizing all of the practices, arranging for parents to provide water and treats, and organizing a concession stand at each set of Saturday games to fund raise for the program is Ms. Baker, one of Haut Gap's fabulous phys ed. teachers!

When I was approached to be part of the Collective Bias social shopper insights study for #OdwallaCFK, my first thought was to ask Ms. Baker to take on more and help me organize a drive for new and used sports equipment to donate to a local charity in Charleston and we talked about it vaguely while I was searching for a charity that would be willing to accept the donated items as part of a Champions for Kids project!

If you haven't heard of Champions for Kids, you should really check out their website - I was so impressed when I went there and saw this mission statement:

Champions for Kids works to mobilize MILLIONS of people by providing training and resources to improve the lives of children in communities across America and beyond. Our goal is to mobilize 20 Million people by 2020.

I am now also a Facebook Fan and Twitter Follower - to keep up with all of the fabulous news and SIMPLE Service Project Ideas.  

@Walgreens takes their weekly flyer interactive! #newWAGcirc #cbias

You've heard me talk about how much fun I had putting a QR code on my business card, well, Walgreens is stepping it up even further - they've added them to their weekly sales flyer and made the online version much more interactive and easy to use!  I got a chance to check out the ad yesterday and love how interactive it is:

Sending International Delight #IcedCoffee Goodness to a Friend... What could be better #CBias

You may remember a few weeks ago that I shared how much Robyn and I liked the International Delight Iced Coffee flavors that we were sent to try through Collective Bias (You can read about it all here).  Well, just this week, I was able to send that one of my fellow Collective Bias shoppers a little New Year treat.

Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches for after Soccer with #TysonGoodness #CBias

Saturday was a busy day for us this week and it's set the pattern for the next several months, because we signed Robyn up for soccer again!  She had such a wonderful time playing last year that when we had the opportunity came around again, she actually got up before noon so we could head down to sign up!


Her team will be having after school practices and then games on Saturdays and one thing that I know from last year is that she will be STARVING afterwards, so after signing her up, and a stop to play at the park with everyone, I headed off to Walmart to see what I could find in the way of soccer gear and after soccer snacks!  You can check out my whole shop (and some pictures cute pictures of the kids at the park) by clicking here and checking out my google+ story.

A New Delight - International Delight Iced Coffee #CBIAS #IcedCoffee

I love being able to get a sneak peek at new products - it's one of the reasons I'm a review blogger, but darn is it ever hard to try out a great new product and then have to wait over two weeks to get my hands on more!  It's doubly difficult when I haven't been able to hoard the product all to myself and ration it until it makes it's national debut...

Christmas Candy & Drinks for after the Christmas Play with #MurphyUSA and #CBias

Thursday night is the annual Christmas Play at Robyn's school - they're performing "The Christmas Angel" and while Robyn doesn't have a role in this year's production, we're heading out to be part of the audience and support several of her good friends who will be acting their hearts out!


On my way home from picking up Wayne from the bus stop, I stopped for gas at Murphy USA and while I was there, an idea struck - I had some frozen cookie dough that I could use to make some yummy treats for Thursday night!  On top of that, a few people wanted some instructions about the Stained Glass Cookie recipe I posted, so I went looking for some hard candy to take some frustration out on - you can check out my whole shop and some more baking pics in my Google+ Album

Scoring fabulous fuelperks! at BI-LO with Gift Cards #CBIAS #fuelperksatBILO #ad

I love shopping for Collective Bias, especially when the rewards keep on piling up!  Today at BI-LO, I was able to score a great gift card for a friend's birthday this week AND get something for myself - TRIPLE fuelperks!

Check out my shopping trip here in my Google Plus Story: https://plus.google.com/photos/106937583463680127426/albums/5680954045402143553

BI-LO is issuing Triple fuelperks! bonus Rewards for certain Gift Cards from 11/30/11-12/06/11.

• fuelperks! are NOT issued on Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or BI-LO Gift Cards.
• To find out more information about the fuelperks! program you can visit http://www.bi-lo.com/fuelperks
• In order to locate stations in your area participating in fuelperks! you can visit the BI-LO website and utilize the fuelperks! locator http://www.bi-lo.com/pumps/

EXAMPLE: If a customer spends $10 on a gift card, the spend triples to $30. If the customer purchases a $50 Gift Card, the amount triples to $150 and the customer receives .15¢ off Per Gallon in fuelperks! Rewards.

I shopped for a great gift card for a friend, with Erik's help of course:

and picked this one:

This is a great way to get teacher gifts and those extra gift cards that I like to have in the house in case I need an emergency 'someone dropped in' gift - and get a gift for yourself!  And I love that it doesn't matter what denomination you choose - $10, $20, $50 - they all get rewarded!  


I would have bought more if the selection was better - I'd love to see their gift card section expanded so that I can continue to get the Gift Cards I need while shopping for my groceries!


The whole trip was fun... and in case you didn't see the link to the rest of my pictures - here's the google plus story link again: https://plus.google.com/photos/106937583463680127426/albums/5680954045402143553

Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are my own.

#GourmetCreations Lucky Lunch Sandwich #CBias

I'm a brand new member of Collective Bias and I had a chance to participate in a fun and yummy trip to Walmart!  I went in search of some brand new Gourmet Creations Sausages from Hillshire Farm, but as with any trip to Walmart, I couldn't just go for one thing... so I made a quick list on my iPad and headed out on my way home from Erik's 1 year check up!

Erik and I headed into Walmart and couldn't resist checking out the 50% sale of Halloween leftovers - although I didn't find any costume or decor stuff, I did get some extra treats to put away... but I digress - and you can see my whole shopping trip on if you want to check out the photos on Google+

Or you can check out my entire trip on This Moment:

I had heard that they might have a chicken with apple and gouda version from a friend who had shopped at Walmart this weekend and went looking for that one - yum!  I had grand plans to make a spinach, chicken apple and gouda sausage and cheese hoagie for lunch... but it was not to be... when I got to my Walmart, the space where the chicken apple and gouda sausage should be was empty :(

So, I changed up my game plan and chose:

The new plan was Sweet Italian Sausage and peppers over basmati rice... so I went in search of the rice (which was out as well)

I was strolling along with Erik, trying to decide what to do with my yummy sausage when I was struck by inspiration - 

and here's my recipe - makes 4-6 sandwiches

1 Package - Hillshire Farm Gourmet Creations Sausages - cooked and diced

1 Green pepper, diced

1 Orange or Red pepper, diced

2 sun-dried tomatoes (or 1 plum tomato), diced

4 - 6 large eggs
dash of black pepper

4-6 Whole Wheat Rolls

1 cup shredded cheese 

1. Dice your sausage, peppers and tomatoes

2. Heat your pan with a little bit of oil to medium

3. Saute the sausage, tomatoes and peppers for just a minute, until they just start to brown

4. Beat your egg with pepper to taste and add it to your pan.  Cook until set.

5. Add your shredded cheese and cook until it starts to melt.

And voila!

A truly scrumptious breakfast for lunch lucky sandwich idea!

“This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions and photographs are my own.”