#CollectiveBias

What’s Better Than A Great Dishwasher Cleaner? My Husband the Dish Washer!

August 25, 2014 by amushro

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

#SparklySavings #CollectiveBias

A long time ago, the way to my heart was pretty typical: romance, wining and dining, love letters, and flowers. Now, the way to my heart is a little more practical but a lot more helpful, the dishwasher. Actually not having to touch the dishwasher is the way to my heart, and really, is there anything more romantic than your man helping around the house? Keep your poetry and give me a casserole dish with baked on lasagna that sparkles when cleaned and someone else has put it back in the cupboard—in the right spot. Swoon! Romantic dates? Who needs them? Just make sure my glasses don’t have water spots. That’s a gross exaggeration, I still want romantic dates, but I also want my husband to do the dishes. So he can woo me by taking on the dirty pots and pans and picking out the best dishwasher cleaner. Because when I cook, I use every single dish, bowl, fork, spoon, and measuring cup within a ten mile radius. Then I leave him a sink that looks like this:

“No, no. I’ve got this! You sit down and relax. Turn on the TV or maybe read a book. You’ve earned this little break. Plus I like doing the dishes.” (I totally made up the last part).

How are you getting those dishes so clean? His secret, Quantum Finish Dishwasher tabs. Those little pre-soaking Powerballs can wash right through the dried on macaroni and cheese from yesterday’s lunch and the advanced power with bleach knocks out smell in that rogue sippycup that we found under the couch that contained what we suspect to have once been chocolate milk.

It’s not all work around here. Loading the dishwasher is really just the grownup version of Tetris. While I just shove dishes into the dishwasher haphazardly, this man has a plan and a strategy. He gets every last dish carefully placed for optimum cleaning. Look at that skill!

Such careful attention to detail! He meticulously inspects the most prized stemware: Mamma’s wine glass. No water spots here thanks to Finish and his careful hand washing!

For me? What a guy! Ladies, can you see what a gem I have here?

Did I also mention this guy grocery shops and clips coupons too? When we were shopping with the family, he reminded me that Walmart has a Rollback for Finish products going until October that can also be paired with a coupon for amazing savings. This one is a keeper!

Who said romance is dead? It’s alive and kicking in this house all thanks to a sweet man who scrubs my dishes. Clearly the person who said “happy wife, happy life” had a husband who did the dishes for her.

Here’s your chance to save a few bucks on Finish Products!

Wine, Chocolate, and Fruit Pairings for the Perfect Girls Night!

August 11, 2014 by amushro

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

#LoveDoveFruits #CollectiveBias

You know the saying “it takes a village to raise a child,” right? Well I’m a firm believer that in order to survive motherhood, you must have a village, but that village is meant for you as the Mamma and not your kids! Around here, my “village” consists of my support system, my life-line, and the funniest bunch of ladies that I know, my gal pals. But since summer has kicked off, I haven’t seen my ladies because of everyone’s vacations and busy summer schedules. So when I sent out an SOS text that read: Girls Night–let’s make this happen, we finally found a date that worked for everyone. No need for big fanfare, just the essentials: a girls night in with a bottle of red wine, something sweet to eat like a chocolate and fruit paring, and lots of girl talk. I was basically skipping out the door (but carefully because I had wine under one arm and a big bag of Dove® Fruit-Cranberry under the other) because I was off duty and it was Girls Night In!

Oh how I missed my ladies, and in just seconds, there were eight or nine different conversations flying around at the same time. You’ve got to think fast to keep up with us.

Just because we were staying in for the night, didn’t mean we couldn’t get a little fancy with our celebration. Red wine, chocolate and fruit parings are so delicious, and the girls and I were loving Dove® Fruit for this paring. This isn’t the kind of candy you find in your kiddos treat bags, friends. This is whole fruit dipped in creamy dark chocolate. This is the kind of chocolate you savor–maybe while hiding in your closet so you don’t have to share with your kids. It’s just that good.

I like to think that this better for you treat is actually the perfect treat for a Girls Night In, let me explain. Disclaimer: I’m totally making this theory up–just go with it, OK? So, dark chocolate, red wine, and cranberries are all supposed to be good for your heart and health, right? So this is actually a super treat because when sharing Dove® Fruit with friends you’re not only sharing chocolaty goodness but you’re saying “I care about your health” or I’m just saying “I love delicious wine and chocolate and I know you do too.”

As the night went on, the Dove® Fruit and wine disappeared pretty quickly, and since everyone agreed that this better for you treat was the perfect red wine, chocolate and fruit paring, it’s OK to take eat a few more of the Dove® Fruit. And if you are pouring me another glass, I’ll need a few more of these too.

So this delicious candy can be found in the chocolate candy aisle Sam’s Club; however, it has limited availability so be sure to check that your Sam’s Club carries Dove® Fruit. Good news, Dove® Fruit will be adding whole cherries dipped in chocolate later this year. And for the sake of Girls Night, another wine and chocolate paring will need to take place to try the cherries.

You don’t need to wait to get all of your gal pals together to try Dove® Fruit-Cranberry, grab a bag for yourself! I loved the dark wine, chocolate and fruit paring, but what will you pair it with?

Making Easter “Eggstra” Special with Hallmark Easter Cards & Simple Easter Crafts

April 7, 2014 by amushro

#EasterValue #CollectiveBias

Older brothers are the worst, and mine is no exception. As kids, he was always a Couch Commando stealing the remote control from me, always had that smelly boy scent that is a cross between wet dog and dirt, and even worse, as teens he never let me date his friends. See, he was the WORST. However, as time goes on, if you are really lucky,those awful big brothers slowly turn into your friend and you realize he’s not so awful. And while he still controls the remote on holidays and finally has that stinky thing under control, the best part of having a brother is watching our kids become the best of friends. If you ask my kids who is their “bestest” friend in the whole wide world, they ALWAYS answer “our cousins!” Even though hundreds of miles separate them, it never dampens their bond. So that’s why holidays that we can’t be together are rough on all of us. To cheer myself and the kids up about not seeing their cousins/best friends on Easter, I suggested we send cards that tell them how much we miss and love them. Lucky for me, Hallmark Value cards are adorable and the right price. No need to break this Easter Bunny’s wallet!

Since I knew that our Walmart has a huge selection of Hallmark cards, I unleashed the kids on the greeting card aisle and let them pick out a handful of Hallmark cards for their cousins. My apologizes to the good people at Walmart. I swear I tried to put the cards back in their rightful place.

They took their selection process very seriously! Since the Hallmark Value Cards were only ¢97, I didn’t mind that they picked up a few extras for their grandparents and friends. Plus if you are a member of the Hallmark Rewards Program, for every card you purchase at Walmart, you earn rewards. So go ahead, kiddos, grab a few more!

When we got home, they couldn’t wait to personalize each card.

When the cards were done, it was time for a little show and share. Even though the cards would be delivered in a few days, the kids couldn’t wait to show off their handy work. The easiest way to keep in touch with their cousins is to Skype, and they always want to put on a show for their captive audience. So before our Skype session started, we put together the easiest and cutest Easter craft.

They didn’t stop with a puppet show just for their cousins. They even performed for their biggest fans, their grandparents.

The cards were supposed to be a surprise, but they couldn’t resist sharing what special surprise would be coming in the mail in a few days.

Even though the kids can’t spend Easter with their cousins, I know that little things like sending cards and performing puppet shows over Skype are great ways to help the kids stay connected until they are all together again.

Make sure you check out connectionsfromhalmark.com to sign up for Hallmark rewards, and to see great content from other bloggers. Be sure to join the #EasterValue conversation on Twitter!

A Little Blue Pixie Dust for the Pirate Fairy DVD Playdate

April 3, 2014 by amushro

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 #ProtectPixieHollow #CollectiveBias.

I’m a firm believer in “more is more.” Forget “less is more” when it comes to all of the good stuff like more kids giggling and playing, more blowing off steam with Mommy friends, more yummy snack, and always more snuggling during movie time. “More is more” can lead to lots of juice boxes being spilled on my couch, popcorn squished in my carpet, and the organized chaos that we call playdates, but it also leads to gems like this:

When these playdates started, the oldest kids were just babies that fit into one small room, and they only needed a few toys with flashing lights to entertain them. A few years later, and a whole bunch of siblings later, our playdates grew into preschoolers, toddlers, and babies that easily overtake your house, voices that echo through your hallways, and kiddos that have interests as varied as their little faces. But when you catch them (well most of them) all lined up on the couch, munching on popcorn, watching a new movie, I just want to SQUEEZE them all! So it did take a little magic, maybe a little a little fairy magic, to get them all to stop in their tracks and watch a movie. It was Disney’s The Pirate Fairy DVD that was released on April 1 (no April Fools here!).

Want a sneak peek of Tinkerbell and her fairy friends?

Trailer – The Pirate Fairy on Disney Video

SinceI was hosting the next playdate, mykids and I be-bopped over to Walmart to pick up The Pirate Fairy DVD and supplies for the playdate that would make it a little magical but also make it really easy on me. As an added bonus, Walmart is the only place you can find the combo pack with the Blue Ray/DVD and a special extra DVD of The Pixie Hollow Bake Off that includes ten animated shorts with Tinkerbell and her friends. Since we love Tinkerbell in this house, we will take all the extras we can get!

In the movie, Tinkerbell and the other fairies talk a lot about the magic behind blue pixie dust; it only seemed fitting that the the popcorn and fruit tray I picked up at Walmart had the same magical blue pixie dust (also knows as blue sugar sprinkles). “Be careful, kids,” I told the movie watchers, “if you eat too much, you might fly away!”

What party would be complete without cupcakes? Now while I make fantastic cupcakes (OK, no…no I don’t), Walmart’s bakery section helped me out again, and I just popped in pirate decorations to personalize the sweet treats for a Pirate Fairy Party. Since the bonus pack included the DVD Pixie Hollow Bake Off, I told the kids that Tinkerbell and baking fairy Gelata (voiced by Giada de Laurentiis) were the ones behind their yummy cupcakes.

With so many kids at different ages and stages, I was a little nervous that just one movie wouldn’t be a crowd pleaser, but it was clear that every superhero and princess loved watching Tinkerbell and her fairy friends use teamwork to save Pixie Hollow.

OK, kids, the snacks are gone and the movie is over. Your moms have gathered up your socks and shoes. What was your favorite part of today? Being with friends, of course!

The Top Three Times I needed a Walgreens Healthcare Clinic

March 3, 2014 by amushro

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a

social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser. #HealthcareClinic

Sharing is caring, but lately the only thing we seem to be sharing in this house is germs. Seriously, I cannot remember a another winter when my entire family has been sick so many times. My usually super healthy kids have been passing back cold germs to one another for what seems like an eternity. While hubby and I have an ongoing competition of who needs the sick day more, it seems that the dog has been the healthiest one of the bunch. But sometimes just being sick isn’t the worst part of being sick. Performing the juggling act of schlepping your sick kiddo to the pediatrician’s office with your healthy kid in tow, trying to make an appointment for yourself at your doctor’s office even though you can’t find the time to take a shower, and when things go wrong (as they sometimes do), trying to find the fastest and easiest way to help your kids feel better means you need convenient and reliable help that I’ve found at the Walgreens Healthcare Clinic Washington DC.

So for these reasons, here are…

1. When I needed a flu shot and couldn’t find the time to make an appointment with my primary care physician.

In an attempt to stay healthy this winter, I knew I needed to get a flu shot, but when I called my doctor’s office, the appointment times didn’t work with my schedule (read: I would sooner fight off the flu than take my kids to the doctor’s office with me). So I popped into Walgreens Healthcare Clinic, got the flu shot, and was out in 15 minutes. I was vaccinated, the kids got a few snacks from Walgreens, and visions of my children wrecking the doctor’s office waiting room or making it rain with tongue depressors and cotton balls were just a distant memory.

2. The whole family is sick and I was sick of everyone being sick

Right around Thanksgiving everyone in this house had a nasty cold. We treated our symptoms with over the counter meds and lots of TLC, but a few weeks later all four of us were still snotty messes. I try really hard to wait it out before taking antibiotics or giving them to the kids; however, it was clear we needed a prescription to get over a cold turned into a sinus infection. The logistics of getting both kids to their pediatrician, an appointment for me, and an appointment for my husband, plus a trip to the pharmacy to get all of our meds hurts my brain a bit. I knew it would be quick and easy for all of us to hit up the Walgreen Healthcare Clinic, get checked out by their healthcare provider, pick up the prescription right away since we were inside our pharmacy, grab a few TLC items, and head home to get better. The life of a mom made simple, yes please! More information here: https://antibiotic-store.com/

3. A sick kid in Disney and a snow storm on the way

In what can only be described as “the perfect storm,” my little lady started off our recent trip to Disney World in Princess bliss but ended the trip sick as can be. Here she is meeting all of the Princesses in Cinderella’s castle. How adorable is her little face?

Then all of a sudden her smile was gone and she was miserable in the happiest place on earth. It broke my heart to see her with a fever, body aches, and complaining that her ear hurt. No one should ever be sick in Disney.

Our flight was scheduled to land back home the morning of yet another major snow storm. I knew there was no way we could get off the plane, get an appointment with her pediatrician last minute, and get home safely before the storm hit and had us snowed in for at least a day. So we stopped by Walgreens Healthcare Clinic where they saw her right away. While I grabbed her prescription, hubby grabbed all of the essentials to help us make it through the snow. Teamwork! Then we were back home to get our little lady healthy and wait out the snow.

To check if one of the 400+ Walgreens Healthcare Clinics is located near you, check out Walgreens Healthcare Clinics online!