Valentine's Day Presents for Noah

It is almost Valentine’s Day, the day of love. It’s also a huge gift giving holiday, mostly for couples, but also a day you can give your loved ones a reminder of how much you love them.  Growing up my family always gave each other Valentine’s Day gifts. Now that I am a mom, I have carried on that tradition with Noah.  There are all kinds of gifts you can give your Valentine. One of the most popular are heart shaped chocolates. As much as I love candy, I have never cared for heart shaped boxes of chocolate. Mostly because there are only a few pieces I like and then the rest of it gets thrown away.  Another popular gift is flowers. I really like flowers, but they only last for a couple weeks and then they are gone.  I prefer to give and receive gifts that will last for forever, I like to look back and remember when I received a specific present.  Noah also likes to talk about when he received a certain gift. For example, he knows that last year he received a LEGO fire truck for Valentine’s Day. This year I am going to get him something besides LEGOs because he has so many of them. I was really impressed with the 100 Good Wishes Candles; we gave Noah’s teachers so I will definitely look at RedEnvelope for Valentines presents.  I also like to give my mom a Valentine’s Day present because she is my rock and I want to show her how much I love her. I am sure she would love a personalized mug. My mom loves coffee. I know that if I need to leave her a note, the best place to put it is her coffee pot.  I really love shopping at RedEnvelope because the quality is amazing and it always ships fast.  The prices are great too and you can always find RedEnvelope Coupons  to save even more. I can’t wait for Valentine’s Day and spend the day with my son who is the love of my life.

 Do you get your children presents for Valentine’s Day?

Hess Toy Truck and Helicopter Review

Noah loves helicopters. I mistakenly thought he was old enough for a remote control helicopter so I got him one for his birthday. They have age limits on it for a reason. Not for small parts but because it is difficult to land. Well a month later, it broke. He was sad. I started looking for something to replace it. We saw the Hess Gas Station commercial advertising the Hess Toy Truck and helicopter. You get both the truck and the helicopter. Noah really wanted it so I was really excited when I was offered to review it. I had to remind him that it doesn't fly but the propellers move and that was fine with him.

I am impressed with how nice this toy is, normally when you think of gas station toys, it ends up being kind of junky. The toys come with Duracell batteries which is another win for us. I personally think all toys should come with batteries, good batteries that is. I am sure this has probably happened to you. You buy a toy for your child or maybe it's a gift from a loved one and you have no batteries. That is not a fun moment. Noah absolutely loves his Hess Truck and Helicopter set.  He loves to put the truck in the helicopter and fly it on rescue marine missions. My future Marine Biologist is always playing that he rescues sea life and travels to unique places. He even flew his helicopter with the truck in it to Japan.  It will bring him hours and hours of creativity and fun.

For more information please visit the Hess website.

You can purchase the Hess Truck and Helicopter set at a Hess Gas Station near you or online on the Hess Toy Website.  It’s only $26.99 which is a great deal. You can’t get two toys for that price normally.

Hess provided me with a complimentary truck and helicopter for me to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Red Envelope Review

I had the opportunity to check out the Red Envelope website and review an item.  RedEnvelope.com has a lot of really cool items. They are a part of one of the best companies to buy gifts from.  Since Noah is in kindergarten and the holidays are coming up. I had started thinking about teacher gifts for Noah’s two teachers. They are both amazing women and they have really made Noah’s transition in to school very easy.  I really cherish them and I wanted to give them a gift as our token of my appreciation. They have gone above and beyond the normal teaching duties. When we went to Meet the Teacher Night, she found out he loves fish so for The Great American Teach In she had a curator of a local museum come in and talk to the kids.  I wanted to find something that we could give them that they don’t already have. I wanted to find them something unique that they would really love.

 I thought about all the possibilities of gift cards, cheesy world’s best teacher items, apple themed things, school supplies. My mom is a teacher and I have taught in preschools before so I know what things teachers would like and what they don’t. I know that all gifts are appreciated though.  RedEnvelope.com helped me find the perfect gift for each of them. I wanted to get them both the same thing, because I don’t know a lot about their personal lives.  I ordered The 100 WishesCandle Set. It is absolutely beautiful.  It has two candles with 100 wishes each.   I thought that I would split it up and give them each one. There is one green one and one blue one and they are covered in inspirational words that when you light it the words glow.  I really think that this is a unique and positive gift that will give them a calm sense after a crazy day of 18 Kindergarteners.  It’s hard to go wrong with a candle, even if it is just for décor. The candles are 3 inches wide and 6 inches tall. I want a set for myself because they are so gorgeous.  Ordering was so easy and fast. I can’t wait to give Noah’s teachers their holiday gift with a nice card expressing how much they mean to us.

I had the chance to receive a gift card from RedEnvelope.com all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Father's Day Ideas from Plastic Jungle.

Father’s Day is right around the corner, it seems like I was sitting here writing about Christmas coming. Time is really flying by it seems.  With any holiday that you receive gifts their always is a present you don’t really want.  One year my ex’s aunt and uncle gave me a Sears gift card for my birthday.  I was very grateful that they thought of me, but I didn’t shop at Sears.  I remember thinking later, what will I do with this? I remember scouring Sear’s trying to find something I wanted to get. This was before I was a mom so; I couldn’t use it on kid’s clothes.  I think I ended up buying some pajama pants and some picture frames with it.  Oh and my ex got some kind of tool. It was really hard for me to find something to buy.  Thankfully, they didn’t repeat the same gift at Christmas.  I am sure I am not the only one who received gift cards that they didn’t really want or could use.  I am sure tons of gift cards are wasted every day by putting them away and waiting to find something to spend them on.

I was introduced to a website called Plastic Jungle. It’s really cool because you can sell your gift cards. You ship them your gift card and they even pay for shipping.  They will verify your balance on the card so there isn’t any dispute and you know exactly how much is on there.  They take gift cards worth $25 or more. You can receive up to 92% of your verified balance. That is pretty awesome. You can turn the unwanted gift card in to cold hard cash or an Amazon Gift card. Sometimes if I have a gift card that I don’t want I will sell it to like my mom or sister but sometimes it is for a store that they don’t shop at.  You could always try online bidding sites but those usually take forever and this way you don’t have to worry about messing with paying for shipping.

You can also buy gift cards at Plastic Jungle. You can save up to 35% too! You don’t have to worry if it is a scam or if the person really will send it because Plastic Jungle takes care of all the shipping and verifying. You can buy discounted gift cards from Plastic Jungle without going through a bidding war and without hoping that the money you paid wasn’t lost forever. I have browsed gift cards on those bidding sites and honestly, I am not sure if I would trust any of the sellers. You can’t verify it before you buy, you could really be conned easily. Plastic Jungle offers free shipping and all of the transactions are guaranteed. You know what I love? You can pay with Paypal. So, those stores you shop online that don’t accept Paypal, you can use Paypal to buy your gift card and use it at that particular store.

 I have been browsing Plastic Jungle and their deals are awesome.  I think that instead of taking the time to go to the mall or the store to pay full price for a gift card for Dad this Father’s Day, why not check out Plastic Jungle? They have plenty of cards dad would love like Sears, Best Buy, Target, and Gander Mountain.  You will find something that brings a smile to your dad’s face this Father’s Day.

I received a sample gift card for my post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Oneida Sure Grip 12 Piece Set w/Bamboo Block Cutlery Review

I was afraid of knives for a long time; I would have someone else do all the cutting for me because I was really scared. I finally learned the proper way to use knives although I still will not peel anything where I have to hold it in my hand like an apple. I am left handed and well it scares me. I think that every chef or the occasional cook needs a great set of knives, so when I had the opportunity to review a cutlery set from Oneida, I was really excited. I had some knives but not a whole set, they were just random ones, I didn’t even have any steak knives. Oneida is a great company that makes all kinds of dishes and silverware and even cutlery sets. My silverware is Oneida so I am very familiar with and trust the brand.



I received Oneida Sure Grip 12 Piece Set w/Bamboo Block. I love my cutlery set. It is a 10 piece set with a gorgeous bamboo block. I love the way it looks in my kitchen, even if it is on top of the refrigerator. I don’t want any accidents with Noah, after seeing another child walking around with a butcher knife like it was a toy. I make sure he can’t reach anything dangerous. The set includes 8" Chef Knife, 7" Santoku Knife, 6" Boning Knife, 5" Utility Knife, 3" Paring Knife, 6 - 4 1/2" Steak Knives, Kitchen Shears, Sharpening Steel and Bamboo Block for storage. The knives are really easy to use. I love the Sure Grip handles, it helps me cut, chop and mince with ease and peace of mind. I use the shears all the time. I love that in the block I can just grab them and put them back with ease without having to search for them. I wouldn’t grab the knives like that though. I think that this set is a great set for the beginner cook or the most experienced chef because it has such a variety of knives. I know it would be a useful gift for anyone who loves to cook. I have gotten quite a few compliments about how pretty it looks. I really like the bamboo block because I know that it will last a very long time.

There are so many things I want from Oneida. I love it all. I am one of those people that would love to have a professional kitchen with all the bells and whistles and equipment. I have always been this way, from my first cooking equipment from my Cooking With Cricket spatula and toast cutters, which I still have by the way. I still have the cookbook too. I will be buying some more Oneida products in the future.

For more information and to order, please visit Oneida’s Website.

Thank you to Oneida for sending me a complimentary sample of the I received Oneida Sure Grip 12 Piece Set w/Bamboo Block. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wine Diaper Review

When my family visits St. Pete Beach, we go to a place called John’s Pass. They have a store that sells wine from the Florida Winery. They also have things called wine freezes. I love them; they are like daiquiris but made with wine. They don’t sell anything like this here so I like to bring home some Florida wine and wine freeze mix. Since you can’t bring liquids in your carry on anymore, I had to pack them in my suitcase. I was nervous the first time and I wrapped the bottles in Noah’s diapers, I wish I would have known about the Wine Diaper instead of wasting Noah’s diapers.

Now that Noah is older diapers are a thing of the past. I wanted to share with you about the Wine Diaper. It is a safe way to transport wine or anything in a glass bottle in your suitcase. This would be a great gift for someone who loves to not only travel but loves wine. The Wine Diaper is not only made out of a material that cushions it, it also is very absorbent if the bottle does end up breaking. It will quickly absorb the liquid to help protect your clothes and other items in your suitcase. As long as there is not a spill you can reuse it again and again. Think of it like a dry diaper. It has handles for easy carrying and a closure that helps you put your mind at ease while you are flying. I worry a lot about silly things and I could see myself worrying if I was not using the Wine Diaper.

For more information please visit the Wine Diaper Website
The Wine Diaper comes in packs of 3 for $15.00. You can purchase the Wine Diaper HERE

Thank you to Wine Diaper for sending me a complimentary sample. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Grandma Ruby's Fudge Review

I love fudge. My favorite fudge is definitely peanut butter. I consider myself as a fudge connoisseur. I am so excited to have the opportunity to feature Grandma Ruby’s Fudge in my holiday gift guide. Grandma Ruby’s makes it possible to have delicious gourmet fudge delivered to your door. They sell all kinds of flavors. They make it all themselves homemade just like your Grandma would make. I had the opportunity to sample some fudge. The fudge was sent priority mail and it was so creamy, it melted in my mouth. It was as if Grandma Ruby was in my kitchen making the fudge it tasted that fresh. I can tell that the fudge is made with care and love. Grandma Ruby’s will also send fudge to our soldiers to give them a sweet treat that reminds them of home. I think that it is amazing that Grandma Ruby’s would offer to send their products so far away.



I was able to sample 8 different flavors. I tried the Peanut Butter, which was the best peanut butter fudge I ever tasted and that is including the fudge I had previously bought from the Cheese Store. I also tried the Peppermint, it was also really good, I love that it has pieces of peppermint on top to give it a little extra crunch. The chocolate fudge was Noah’s favorite. He thought it was so yummy. Grandma Ruby’s has such creative flavors. A Cookies and Cream fudge? Yes it is as tasty as it sounds. Of course they have the more traditional flavors too, like chocolate peanut butter and Tigers Eye, which is vanilla and peanut butter fudge. I am getting hungry thinking about all the great fudge I had the chance to sample. I can’t say enough good things about Grandma Ruby’s Fudge. They went above and beyond my expectations, and I am so glad I was able to sample it, I have a new go to fudge shop. The best part is I can order it in my pajamas and it comes right to my mail box.



I am kind of picky when it comes to ordering food from the internet, because some things can be very expensive. I am happy to report that Grandma Ruby’s Fudge will fit into anyone’s budget. I love that they make such a delicious gourmet fudge that doesn’t have a high price tag.

For more information and to order some of Grandma Ruby’s Fudge please visit the website. You can also follow @GrandmaRubys on Twitter. They have occasionally have fudge giveaways.

Thanks to Grandma Ruby’s for providing me with some fudge samples for my family to try out.

Capresso Froth Pro Review

I love hot chocolate, there is just something about a nice cup of delicious hot chocolate. I used to want a Cappuccino machine just so I could have the steamed and frothy milk in my drink. You see I used to work at a place that had a Cappuccino machine and I would make hot chocolate all the time. If you are looking for a holiday gift for a Cappuccino or hot chocolate lover you should check out the Capresso Froth Pro. It makes delicious steamed or frothy milk for hot chocolate or those coffee drinks. I love it. I have made hot chocolate with it quite a few times. It is really easy to use. You just select which disk you want based on if you want steamed milk or frothy milk. You just snap it in. pour the milk in the pitcher and turn it on and you will have heated milk for your beverage in a couple minutes. It will froth in hot or cold. You can also steam the milk in hot or warm which is perfect for kids. I grew up drinking hot chocolate and so will Noah. You can use whatever hot chocolate recipe you like. I use the kind in the box.

It is a great price too. It is also small and it wouldn’t take up a lot of room in your kitchen like a full sized Cappuccino machine. I know that Capresso also sells full sized Cappuccino machines too if that is something you are in the market for. I personally can’t afford a full sized one so I am really excited that Capresso came up with the Milk Froth Pro. I know I will have many cups of hot chocolate.

It is definitely something you should have in your home. You can purchase it for $59.99

For more information please visit Capresso’s website.

Thanks to Capresso for sending me a sample of the Froth Pro for my family to try out.

Garlic Twist Review

Everyone knows I love garlic. I will only use fresh garlic. With fresh garlic that means I have to chop it which can be very time consuming. I thought I would be smart and buy one of those garlic cutting gadgets with the wheels. It didn’t work very well, it made the garlic in to paste, it was hard to remove the garlic, it was hard to clean because there was a blade that made me nervous as it could do some serious damage. The garlic smell was almost impossible to get off of it. I only used it twice and decided it was more trouble than it was worth and went back to chopping or mincing.

I learned about a gadget called the 3rd Generation Garlic Twist or the GT3 for short and I just had to try it. The GT3 is made by NexTrend Products. I love this product because it has little teeth instead of a dangerous blade. All you do is whack the clove twice to remove the skin and then put in 2 or 3 cloves of garlic in and twist it. It is really easy and fast to use. I had my garlic minced quickly. It is really a time saver in my opinion. I was able to get the garlic out easier since it is circular. I was able to run my fingers on the teeth to help remove the garlic, which is something I would have never done with the one with wheels. The garlic was perfect, it minced it smaller than I could which was a good thing because it brought out the garlic flavor more. I really recommend the 3rd Generation Garlic Twist for the chef in your life. My favorite part is that you can put it on the top rack of the dish washer! As some of you know I hate doing dishes, so I love things that I can just put in the dish washer and not have to worry about it.

For more information please visit The Nextrend website.

Thank you to NextTrend for sending me a sample of the GT3 to try out and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Have Yourself A Movie Little Christmas Review

I love movies. I really enjoy Christmas movies too. I don’t really have a favorite Christmas movie because there are so many to choose from. A couple Christmas movies I really like to watch are A Christmas Story and Mixed Nuts. I am sure everyone has seen A Christmas Story at least a thousand times. It is on over and over again on Christmas. I am certain many of you have not seen Mixed Nuts. It is a great movie with a very young Adam Sandler, Steve Martin and Rita Wilson aka Tom Hanks wife. It is about a nonprofit business that runs a suicide hotline, a pregnant woman, a guy in a Santa suit with a gun and the sea side strangler. It is very funny and it keeps you on your toes. I highly recommend both movies.

I am featuring the book Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas in my holiday gift guide. This book is written by Film Critic Alonso Duralde and it features all the best and the worst Christmas movies. Some of the movies in the book I didn’t consider as traditional Christmas movies although all the classics are in there. It’s A Wonderful Life, any version of A Christmas Carol you can think of including Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol. Each listing has a description of the movie and they are all in different categories such as movies that are for kid’s, movies for adults, and more specific chapters with very clever names instead of horror movies for example the chapter is called They'll Be Scary Ghost Stories: Holiday Horror. He refers to the worst Christmas movies as The Worst Christmas Movies Ever: Lumps of Coal in Your Cinema Stocking.

This is a must have gift for the movie lover on your list, I myself am an avid movie watcher and I really enjoy reading Have Yourself A Movie Little Christmas. Noah likes to look at the book too. He calls it Mommy’s movie book. I have plenty of new movie suggestions to watch during the holidays some to share with Noah and some for mommy time!

Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas sells for $16.99 at all major retail book sellers as well as all major online book stores.

Thank you to Alonso Duralde for providing me with a review copy of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas to review.

Kodak Gallery Review

Two things I love about the holidays are the food and family. I also love to take pictures of my loved ones, especially my adorable son, Noah. I wanted to share with you a promotion on the Kodak Gallery website where you can take your pictures and put them in books. No bulky albums and pictures falling out after it stops sticking. My Grandma liked to write on the backs of her pictures, so pictures were taken out of albums over and over again to see who is in the picture or when it was taken. Her albums were in poor shape by the time everyone looked through them so many times. They even have something called SmartFit Technology that helps you create the best photo book possible. It makes it easier to arrange your photos in order, and add extra touches that make your photos just pop.

You can also make a recipe book on the Kodak Gallery Website of all your favorite Thanksgiving or Holiday foods. I know when I look at cookbooks, I love looking at the delicious photos of the food. Also if you are giving this as a gift, it will help the recipient with presentation and if it is a dip with assembly. I think that this is an easy and affordable gift. I remember when I was in first grade, my class made cookbooks for our moms for Mother’s day. My mom still has the cookbook my class made her, granted none of the recipes are actually makeable, it was more for the cute factor. It would have been nicer if it was made from Kodak Gallery and not just stapled printed pages.

I think it would be a smart gift for grandmothers to give their daughters and granddaughters with their special recipes. You can order as many copies as you want so, you can sit down once and mark off many people off your list at once. Every Grandma, Grandmother, Nana, Gram, Grammy and G-ma whatever you call yours has their own recipes. Then those books can be passed through the years to their children someday.

For more information please visit Kodak Gallery

They also have free shipping on orders of $30 or more by using the coupon code SHIP30

I received a gift card from Kodak to check out the website and create my own book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.