Great Giveaway from myCharge! Easy Entry!

Did you know that on average smartphone users check their phones 110 times per day and that 2.7 hours of that is just for fun?

Did you also know that without an available power source 77% of phone users will have a dead battery by 4 pm?

Whether at work or play, all of these things can be a huge strain on your phone's battery, and this is where myCharge comes in!

myCharge is a leader in portable charging solutions, and the first to offer the most advanced solutions for a wide range of charging needs. myCharge devices boast built–in charging cords that emphasize portability and versatility, and powerful lithium polymer batteries that allow you to quickly charge your smartphone, tablet, eReader and other devices so that they’re ready when you need them!

Ditch your dependency on cables and wall outlets – and let myCharge make your life a bit easier!

For the month of February myCharge is offering the Limited Edition RazorPlus Bundle for $49.99 - in it you receive a RazorPlus with the imprint: We can charge right here right now. The RazorPlus is an ultra-thin rechargeable 3000 mAh battery crafted from anodized aluminum that delivers an extra 13 hours talk time for your smartphone.

You'll also receive a shirt and a 22 oz. reusable/dishwasher safe stadium cup that changes colors! The frosted cups turn green when filled with your favorite (possibly adult) beverage. Green is the new red after all!

myCharge is giving away 20 of these Bundles FREE, so enter for your chance to win below!



Good luck!

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For more fun contests, promotions and product info visit mycharge.com!

Enter to win on-the-go power from myCharge!

If you're like me, the only thing more annoying than someone leaving you a voicemail is not being able to listen to that voicemail because your phone isn't charged.

Now there's a solution -- myCharge! These portable extended battery accessories are designed to make sure your devices are always fully charged and ready to go.

This holiday season myCharge is spreading the cheer - and portable power - by offering to send one of their awesome portable charging devices to anyone who follows them on Twitter (@myChargePower), who retweets this tweet from their #myChargeCheer campaign. No strings attached!

It's that easy. Just visit the @myChargePower Twitter page and retweet this tweet:

Power & cheer come to those who RT! Let myCharge send YOU a portable charger to get you through the holidays / all the days! #myChargeCheer
— myCharge (@myChargePower) December 4, 2014

You can also win a myCharge portable battery right here! I'm giving away the RazorPlus, a rechargeable 3000 mAh battery that delivers an additional 13 hours of talk time for your smartphone. Crafted from anodized aluminum, the ultra-thin RazorPlus comes in four colors: red, pink, blue and silver.

ENTER NOW!

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Thank you for spreading the #myChargeCheer this holiday season!

PS Buy a portable charger at MyCharge.com and use the code JOLLY for 25% off your purchase.

This post is sponsored by myCharge, but all opinions are my own.

Back to School with Staples

It's Back to School time!

The first day of school last year

This year, back to school at our house was filled with change. I have three kids, and only my middle daughter, Kay, who is going into fourth grade would be back to her same school as last year.

My youngest, Ziggy, was starting kindergarten, and also his first year at our local elementary school. My oldest, Magpie, was headed to middle school.

It was a lot of change in a short amount of time, but we are now a little over a week into the school year, and I'm happy to say everyone is almost settled into the new places and new routines.

The first day of school this year

Every year our family shops at Staples for the usual back to school items like pencils and notebooks, so I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to work with Staples to also take a look at their other products for back to school, as I didn't realize Staples is a great source not only for typical school supplies but for backpacks, lunchboxes and much more, too.

For Ziggy who would be going to school for a full day for the first time and having lunch at school, I wanted to get him a lunchbox that would be easy for him to handle carrying and opening and closing by himself. I found the perfect one at Staples.com, the Kids Cooper Lunch Bag ($17.99). 

It's not too big for him to carry, it keeps food cool for up to six hours, and best of all, he really loves the shark pattern.

I also got reusable storage bags for his lunch items. Partially, because I am a big fan of making a "zero-waste" lunch, but also because I knew it would be easy for Ziggy to open and close these (Re)Zip bags ($12.99 for two that are sandwich size, or $14.99 for three that are a smaller, snack size).

I also got this turquoise backpack for my middle schooler ($35.72), and given it's hard to figure out what a tween is going to like, I was really glad to see her genuine excitement to use this backpack. In addition to having a lot of room for books, folders, her lunch bag, and other random stuff, it also has a small pocket perfect for emergency money, a water bottle holder, and a place for her cell phone.

I can't wait to see what awaits all of three kids in the school year ahead. Whatever happens, I know for sure we'll have a lot of stories to tell by the time it's June and the last day of school, and that with the exception of a few long days, that it will all go by so very quickly.

Magpie and Kay on their first,
last day of school, June 2008

Thank you Staples for helping us getting ready for the new school year!

I received the items mentioned here, as well as some other ones as well. There was no additional compensation and all opinions are my own.

Enter to Win a myCharge Energy Shot Portable Charger and an iPad Mini! {Giveaway from September 15 - October 15, 2014}

My kids just went back to school, and while I thought it would mean some free time for me, the truth is things might actually be more hectic now that I've traded our summer days for the fall ones filled with homework, carpool and, of course, the endless lunch making.

When I heard about myCharge, I knew this was a product that would be perfect for these busy fall days when a few extra minutes in the car pool line means suddenly realizing my phone is out of charge, and I won't be home and reunited with my power cord for hours.

Luckily, myCharge knows how important it is for you to stay charged and connected all day - and all school year - long, so they're giving the gift of portable power so you're never left in the red!

To keep you charged and connected myCharge is giving 3 lucky winners each an iPad mini with a myCharge HUB 6000 portable charger! The amazingly compact Hub 6000 features built-in cables and connectors for smartphones, tablets, e-readers and more. Get up to 27 hours of additional talk time for your devices, as well as integrated, quick-charge wall prongs. The Hub series is commonly known as the “Swiss Army Knife of portable power devices.”

Additionally, 40 winners will each receive an Energy Shot compact portable charger for their smartphones that delivers an additional boost when you need it most. They come in a variety of styles and can give you up to 10 hours of talk time! (Please note, smart phone not included in giveaway).

So this year, stay out of the red! myCharge is here to keep you charged and connected! For more information on products visit the myCharge website or follow them on Facebook. You can find myCharge products available at retailers like Target and Kohl's.

Fill out the entry form below from September 15, 2014 to October 15, 2014 for your chance to be one of 40 winners to receive an Energy Shot Charger (10 winners randomly selected each week) and one of 3 grand prize winners randomly selected on October 15, 2014 to receive one iPad Mini with a myCharge HUB 6000 portable charger. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age or older, must live in the United States and have a valid shipping address. See giveaway form for complete list of rules and details.

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This is a sponsored post from myCharge.

This July 4th I'm Discussing Responsible Drinking with My Kids

My kids are four, eight and ten years old, and it seems like the day I'll need to talk to them about responsible drinking is still years away, but of course, it's not. My oldest starts middle school this fall, and I can only guess that means high school is going to come around the bend sooner than I can imagine.

In fact, my kids not only aren't too young to have a talk about responsible drinking, according to the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (FAAR), they're actually the perfect ages to have these kinds of discussions because the most “preventative years” for children are between the ages of six and ten. This is the perfect time for us to discuss, and for them to learn, healthy, balanced behaviors around drinking.

July 4th weekend is a favorite holiday for our extended family. We all get together at the beach: aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. We have a huge feast, featuring our favorite summer food, Maryland hard shell crabs smothered in Old Bay.

And what goes best with crabs? Beer. Lots and lots of beer.

While my husband and I could be at most described as casual drinkers, it doesn't mean that we don't pass on a lot of thoughts about drinking to our kids. They hear us discussing what we'll be eating and drinking over the long holiday weekend, and how much we're looking forward to it. They hear the discussions of how much beer we think we'll need for a party of twenty adults, and what other drinks we should serve as well.

And conversations about alcohol don't happen over just July 4th weekend. Our kids hear us agree when friends say they "need a drink" after a long day, and they hear us laugh when someone makes a joke about drinking too much, although the truth is we don't think jokes like that are necessarily a laughing matter. Even if I don't drink much in front of my kids, these other passive messages about alcohol definitely get passed on to them.

So this July 4th when our family gets together, I'll be sure to talk to my kids about the role of responsible drinking at holiday get-togethers, and on "regular" days, too. I'll take this opportunity to remind them that even at events where alcohol is part of the celebration it's always a good idea to drink responsibly and to do what they think is right, whether that means not having another drink, or even just not laughing when someone makes a joke that's really not that funny about drinking too much.

Thank you to the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility for encouraging me to have this important conversation with my kids.

The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility created this video to help parents begin a lifetime of conversations with their kids about alcohol responsibility. Talking with your kids about alcohol early and often is the best way to keep them safe and the Foundation has tools and resources to help. Visit www.responsibility.org, follow @goFAAR on Twitter and "like" their Facebook page at fb.com/gofaar and begin the conversation today.

This post is written in conjunction with the sponsorship by the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (FAAR) for The Blog University (BlogU) conference held this spring at Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore. All opinions expressed here are my own.

All about RoC Brand and how anti-aging products can help your skin age gracefully

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

Despite my many perseverations about my appearance, I will admit that worrying about wrinkles was not one of them. Until recently. Seemingly overnight, and in conjunction with turning the big - and I will admit dreaded - 4-0, I now devote much time and interest into the state of my skin and what anti-aging products can help my skin age as gracefully as possible.

When I heard about the opportunity to learn more about RoC Brand skincare products as well as skincare in general from New York dermatologist Debra Jaliman, I knew this was information I needed.

I got the amazing chance to meet and learn from Dr. Jaliman last week at the #Eyes4NYC event at Duane Reade where we got to "walk the aisle" with Dr. Jaliman.

Dr. Jaliman had a lot of tips for keeping the best care of your skin, including that it's never too early, or too late, to start an anti-aging skincare routine. Dr. Jaliman also recommended when using product to remember that a little goes a long way. A dab of product is usually enough, and more is not necessarily better.

Dr. Jaliman also covers skincare basics and her advice for maintaining beautiful skin in her 2012 book Skin Rules: Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist.

We discussed ways that RoC products can help keep skin healthy and also reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and that when choosing a product to look to see if there are clinic trials to back-up any claims about results that are being made.

Since then, I've been using RoC's Retinol Correxion Eye Cream, and it has definitely made a difference both in puffiness and in the wrinkles around my eyes.

RoC has lots of other products to help with anti-aging including Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Daily Moisturizer, Retinol Correxion sensitive eye cream for retinol-sensitive skin, and Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum, which is especially for deep wrinkles and works well under makeup.

All of RoC's products are priced well, have great packaging, clear directions on how they should be used, and are easy to find at Duane Reade stores.

Do you have a great skincare tip? If you do please share in the comments!

Thanks so much to Collective Bias, RoC Brand and Duane Reade for including me in the great #Eyes4NYC #collectivebias event!

Instructions for My Husband: A Word Can Still Exist Even if You Have Never Heard It.

This post is sponsored by Grammarly. I use Grammarly's English grammar correction feature because I don't want my husband to be able to say to me "actually, you used an 'is' where you should have used an 'are'" or something else equally annoying.

While I know you are a stanch logophile, still, there are a few - possibly even more than a few - words you don't know. I am aware that you want to think you know every single word in the English language. We all do. It would be awesome.

But you don't know all of the words.

When I use in conversation one of the clearly very, very few words that you don't already know the incorrect response is, "Never heard of it. You must have that wrong."

The correct response is, " Oh cool, I learned a new word! I can't wait to use it at the office on Monday! What a lucky break for a logophile like me to learn a new word!"

The even more correct response is, "My wife has the most amazing vocabulary. I'm so lucky to be married to someone I can learn new words from all the time!"

And last, just for the record, lonsman really is another word for Jew, and a gondola doesn't only refer to a boat in Venice.

This is my thirty-sixth instruction in my ongoing series Instructions for my Husband.

Follow along on Facebook on the Instructions to my Husband page since something stupid funny is always going on there.

Do you know there's a Nickelodeon for moms? Check out NickMom! It's #MotherFunny!

Do you like to laugh? Of course you do, or you wouldn't be reading this - goodness knows you're not here for my crafting abilities or parenting advice. For some seriously funny stuff, check out NickMom. NickMom.com is a site from Nickelodeon that not only is full of laughs and hilarious insights into the life of a mom, but just like a magic eight-ball, it can tell you your personality just by what you drink.

Check out What Your Wine Choice Says About you from the always funny Nicole Leigh Shaw:

I will admit to being someone who picks her wine based on the label. In fact, I make a lot of my decisions for better or for worse on similarly superficial qualities.

Like decorating our Halloween pumpkin with glitter - because hello, glitter always looks awesome -- without really thinking through what would happen if it rained.

I found out what would happen is all the glitter would all wash off, and also that's why people usually carve their pumpkins.

I've also been concerned with getting really good last day of school photos of my school-age kids, that I didn't notice their little brother wasn't even wearing pants.

And then because everyone else makes taking a family portrait at the beach look easy, I thought I'd like to get a nice photo of my family, too. Because I care about appearances (there's that superficial thing again), I asked -- possibly forced -- my son to change, but I think he got the last laugh.

He's wearing the dress shirt as requested, but decided not to button it. And then he paired the shirt with his turtle pants because, and I quote, "they're really the best thing I own."

Indeed. Now where's that bottle of wine, you know the one with the gold unicorn on it?

And don't forget the NickMom.com website isn't the only place you can go for#MotherFunny humor - there's always lots of laughs on the NickMom Facebook page and Twitter feed, too!

Celebrate Halloween with DR Legwear from Duane Reade!

Regular readers know Halloween is a favorite topic here on my blog, and so I was beyond happy when Duane Reade asked me to share about their Boo-tiful Legs Contest and to visit Duane Reade to find some tights from their DR Hosiery and DR Legwear collections to add some flair to my Halloween costume.

This year, I'll be dressing-up as a witch for my Halloween costume when I take my kids trick-or-treating. I had the hat and the black dress for my witch-ness, but hadn't figured out my footwear or tights.

There are a ton of patterns to choose from in the Duane Reade tight department, from polka dots to fishnets. I went with chevron, which I thought would be fun to wear not only for Halloween, but for the rest of the other "regular" days of the year, too.

While my daughter Kay and I were shopping at Duane Reade we also checked out all the other Halloween offerings, there's tons of stuff for everything you want need from costumes to home décor.



When we got back home, I tried the tights and let my kids choose from my collection of black shoes the ones they deemed the most "witchy."

Also I should note that the tights could not be more comfy and the price is fantastic - $7.99. I'm so glad I had the chance find out about the DR line, because I will definitely be back to get some more.

I think the witch costume turned out perfectly, not to mention perfectly witchy.

 

All that's left to get ready for Halloween is to get a few lessons in scary from this witch:

 

Now tell me, what are you dressing-up as for Halloween this year?

Learn more about Duane Reade's Boo-tiful Legs Contest! From October 13 to November 3 upload a photo of your Leg Candy (Duane Reade branded legwear) for a chance to win an awesome prize.

Join the #DRLegCandy Twitter party this Wednesday, October 16, from 9-10pm EST to talk about Halloween as well as for the chance to win super prizes.

Catch-up with Duane Reade for the latest deals and new products on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.

Sponsored: Headfirst! Expert Advice on Lice -- A New Head Lice Resource for Parents

The below content is sponsored by Sanofi Pasteur’s Headfirst! Expert Advice on Lice campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Did you know that at any point, one to three percent of children in elementary school may have head lice? During an outbreak, that number may be as high as 25 percent. As the school year begins, turn to ExpertAdviceOnLice.com for tools and tips on finding, treating, and talking about lice. The Headfirst! Expert panel has the information to arm all parents should they have to battle head lice!

Guess How Many People Follow Duane Reade on Twitter?

Do you know how many people follow Duane Reade on Twitter?

 

Wanna make a guess?

Do you think 10,000 people do?

Or 100,000?

How about 1,000,000? Or, precisely (as of this writing) 1,140,836. That's right, well over 1 MILLION people follow Duane Reade on Twitter.

In fact, Duane Reade went from 10,000 followers to over 1 million followers in just one year.

Duane Reade celebrated this amazing achievement last week, and I was honored to be part of the party which was a great time with wonderful people, and I even got my eyebrows shaped by a RAMY-trained consultant (Ramy himself pictured below). How many parties can you say that about?

 

 



I am also incredibly proud to be part of Duane Reade's VIP Blogger group, which was recognized for contributing to this incredible social media success story.

 In addition to being an example of smart and savvy social media use and of how to attract and retain followers by delivering quality content, it was inspiring and gratifying to hear Duane Reade talk during the celebration about the contributions of the VIP bloggers to the social media efforts overall, and towards reaching the million follower mark on Twitter. Duane Reade's VIP blogger program is a perfect example of how brands and bloggers can work together to do amazing things.

I'm so glad to have joined in the celebration for Duane Reade hitting the 1 million Twitter followers milestone.

Congratulations, Duane Reade. I can't wait to celebrate when you reach two million!

 

If you aren't one of Duane Reade's followers already, go join the million+ folks over at @DuaneReade on Twitter.

 

You can also follow the conversation on Twitter via the hashtags #cbias and #DR1MM.

 

To see other posts I've written about Duane Reade as part of the VIP Blogger program, click here.

Huggies Pull-Ups Training Pants: The Only Thing My Son Likes About Potty Training

My son Ziggy is a little over three, and his interest in using the toilet is pretty scant.

However, my interest in him using the toilet is pretty big.

Right before he was born, for reasons too convoluted to get into here, I made a deal with my husband that I would change all of our soon-to-be-born son's diapers, and as we are both contractual in nature, we've kept to this arrangement these 3+ years.

My husband even sent Ziggy over to me holding a little plastic bag filled with a wipes container and a clean diaper. And yes, I realized if Ziggy could follow that direction, he could use the potty, too.

One of the few things in the world of potty training and diapers my son actually does have an interest in is the diapers he'll wear - and that is he'll wear only Huggies Pull-Ups Training Pants with "the cars with faces," and he always specifies if he wants to wear "just the one car" or "both the two cars."

Sometimes he wears the Pull-Ups and just skips pants all-together, not sure I'm totally OK with that.

Big Sister Kay and Ziggy

Lately, Ziggy has even been able to put his Pull-Ups on by himself, carefully making sure the zipper design goes in front.

And yes, again, I realize that if Ziggy can pay this much attention to a pair of training pants, he can also learn to use the potty.

I'm always looking for a good deal on Pull-Ups, so when I found out from Collective Bias that they had a campaign to share that Walmart had a roll-back price on Huggies Pull-Ups, I knew I wanted to help spread the word about the savings.

At Walmart stores and online at Walmart.com a pack of 19 to 26 (depends on the size) Huggies Pull-Ups are a rollback price $8.97 - reduced from $9.47.

I ordered two packs, and chose to have them shipped directly to my house -- it's free to ship to your local store on orders of any size, and to your home on orders of $45 or more.

To make a trip to the potty even more enticing for my son, I also got a 9-pack of Hot Wheels cars and a starter kit of wall tracks, which I'll put on the bathroom wall in hopes it will soon be his favorite room in the house.

And while I look forward to a day in the not-so-distant future when Huggies Pull-Ups aren't on my weekly shopping list, until then I'm glad to get a good deal on training pants with "just the one car" and "both the two cars."

 

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 Huggies. #HuggiesWalmart #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions are my own, and my son really does like Huggies Pull-Ups that much.

 

My tips for making your guest bathroom ready for visitors

Thank you to Kleenex Hand Towels for sponsoring this post about how I'm making my bathroom guest-ready! To learn more about Kleenex Hand Towels or to find out how you can save money when you buy your own, check out this site.

_______________________________

 

Ah, summertime. It's a great time for hosting visitors, especially if like me you have a country home (really, it's our year-round house in suburban New Jersey but I like the sound of "country home" better than the alternatives) and lots of urban friends and family who love coming out from New York City for an afternoon of lounging around outdoors, grilling on the barbecue, and if they're lucky perhaps even a woodchuck sighting.

I'm excited to be working with the Clever Girls Collective and Kleenex Hand Towels to share my tips for making a guest bathroom ready for visitors.

Before having people over, the first thing I always do is make sure the sink is clean. My grandma believed if your sink was clean, visitors would think your house is clean. I'm not sure if she was right or not, but since my messy house needs all the help it can get, I don't take any chances.

I also make sure to have some nice smelling liquid hand soap, and also that my children haven't used it all in their pumping glee.

For visiting children, I have a step stool so little ones can reach the sink. And I keep a cabinet stocked with wipes and diapers in case they're needed for babies and toddlers.

Add a chandelier for a little sparkle, and our guest bathroom is ready to go.

Let's just hope the traffic isn't too bad for the City folk making there way out here to the New Jersey countryside.

_______________________________

Join the 14 million people who have already joined the Clean Hands campaign by using Kleenex Hand Towels, and click here for savings and more!      

I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.

Lunch Snacks from Duane Reade with Help from the New Duane Reader

On Wednesday, I took the train into Manhattan to run about 319 errands and still be home in time to pick-up my kids from school by 2:30. 

Just as I finished what felt like even more than 319 errands, I remembered there was nothing at home for the kids to bring in their lunches, and there were still two more school days left that week.

Lucky for me, right there across from the train station at 33rd and Eighth was the answer to my school lunch woes:

Duane Reade.

I had just read the day before the new DuaneReader online (basically a drug store circular, only irreverent and funny)

so I knew Duane Reade had a bunch of treats my kids would like, and that I wouldn't find too terrible for them to eat.

Inside the store I quickly found Cheddar Penguins:

With the new low Duane Reader price I had spotted online the day before:

And even if you haven't checked out the Duane Reader online before going to the store, there are plenty of "old-fashioned" paper ones at the store:

as well as clearly marked labels by the Duane Reader featured items.

I also got the kids a bunch of dried fruit, since word at my house is when I pack fresh stuff it is "mushy" and "brown" by lunchtime.

Shopping complete, I left with even a few minutes to spare before I needed to catch my train home to Jersey. Walking across the street to Penn Station I realized in all my lunch food buying, I'd forgotten to bring home some products to help my daughter who had all of a sudden developed super-chapped lips.

Going down the elevator, and feeling like the worst mom ever that I was going to come home without the Chapstick, I stepped off the elevator, looked-up and there it was: a Duane Reade in the train station.

I grabbed the forgotten items,

made a dash for my train, and settled into my seat with a few minutes to spare.

Duane Reade, I totally owe you one.

For more photos from my trip to Duane Reade, visit my Google+ story, A visit to Duane Reade with a little help from the Duane Reader.

Visit the Duane Reader online for a good read and to find great deals.

You can also like Duane Reade on Facebook, follow them on Twitter @DuaneReade as well as at the hashtags #DReade and #DreadeVIP.

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

I am also part of the Duane Reade VIP blogger team (follow along at #DreadeVIP).