try this: hangtime hot sauce

Melissa 2 Comments

My husband and I are big fans of spicy food. Bring on the spiciness. (Of course, he was born in India, so if he tells you try his food and says its “a little spicy” beware: it will probably cause smoke to come out of your ears.) My aunt told me about Hangtime Hot Sauce – a new company that is heating up the food industry!

We tried the Honey Habañero first.  It starts out a bit sweet then, BAM! Good amount of heat – not so much that you can’t taste anything anymore, but a pleasant spiciness. This was the hotter of the two we tried… my husband preferred this one, what with his iron taste buds and all. I preferred the original Hangtime hot sauce. Its a classic  hot sauce, but has a little more.
I don’t like hot sauce that is just plain hot. Why would I just want to make my food hot? It needs to have some flavor to it! Hangtime delivers. You can taste the layers of flavor it adds to your food without overpowering it.

Hangtime hot sauces are all under $5, so they’d make a great stocking stuffer! You can also check out great recipes on their website and on Facebook.

DUB Garage Toys *GIVEAWAY*

Melissa 88 Comments

*giveaway is now closed*
Toy State has teamed up with DUB Magazine  to roll out an exciting new line designed for the next generation of car enthusiasts. Like my son:

at the races...

He loved everything cars, so of course he loves remote control cars!!  We received a few DUB cars to try out and they are SUPER FUN! (And, um, not just for little boys. Turns out that grown up boys are quite fond of them as well.) We received the Control Freakz R/C, D-Jayz, and a Custom Ridez toy. Colin’s favorite was the  Control Freakz R/C, by FAR! He certainly likes the D-Jayz, and a Custom Ridez toys, but they cannot compete. The  Control Freakz R/C is amazing. Maybe it was the fact that it looks like a super cool race car! You can push buttons on the top of the car for lights and sound motorized action, or use your remote controller to trigger traditional full-function R/C driving. And the turbo feature is so awesome – you can boost your speed and light-up the rear wheels and hood scoop!

My son is almost four and he picked up driving these cars in seconds. The controls were easy to use for basic driving, but my husband was having a blast trying to do tricks and stuff. These will definitely be our go-to birthday gift for boys this year!

Do you have a little (or grown up) boy who would love some awesome toys!? Well, do I have a gift for you!!

WIN IT!

One lucky winner will receive not one, not two, but EIGHT  DUB prizes!!

(3) RIM ROCKERZ (Suggested Retail Price: $4.99): Popular licensed vehicle styles with signature DUB style and classic lights and sound play features!
(2) CUSTOM RIDEZ (Suggested Retail Price: $9.99): Motorized driving and pulsating beats have these licensed rides rollin’ in style!
(1) DUB GARAGE D-JAYZ (Suggested Retail Price: $14.99):  Freewheeling DUB Edition custom styles feature dual mixing decks that let you be the DJ!  Hip-hop music, DJ mixing sounds, and exciting light effects give each D-Jayz ride its own unique personality!
(1) DUB GARAGE BLAZERZ (Suggested Retail Price: $24.99): Lights, lights and more lights!  Hit the music and watch Blazerz glow!  Signature DUB Edition styles are fit with motorized driving action, custom music, and lights & sound fun to make Blazerz stand out from the crowd.
(1) DUB GARAGE CONTROL FREAKZ (Suggested Retail Price: $49.99):  DUB custom designs on popular Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro styles feature full-function R/C action with realistic vehicle sounds, cool tunes and an exciting light-up turbo drive mode!

Here’s how to enter…
Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling me who you want to win DUB cars for!!

Extra Entry #1: Leave a SEPARATE comment telling me you subscribed to Girlymama’s feed by email or in a reader.
Extra Entry #2: Leave another comment telling me that you Girlymama on Twitter!
Extra Entry #3: Leave another comment telling me that you ToyState on Twitter!
Leave another comment telling me in what way you promoted this contest (i.e., posting about it on your blog or Facebook, or  Tweeting about it.

Don’t forget to follow ToyState on facebook as well to get the latest updates on their cool toys!

Contest ends Friday, December 16th at noon. Entries such as “Enter me” or “I want to win” will NOT be counted. Winners will be selected by Random.org, announced back here on this post, and notified via email with further instructions. If I don’t hear from the winner in 48 hours, I will be choosing a new winner.

disclosure: we received products to facilitate a review. we were not compensated for this post and, as always, all opinions are our own.

fashion friday: free people crush

Melissa 3 Comments

I stopped in Free People this week while Christmas shopping and HOLY MOLEY do they have some amazing clothes right now. One of everything in the store, please!! Make that two! My favorites??

I think I must must must have this gorgeous sweater.

The girl working there was wearing this fairisle cardigan. I doubt I would have looked at it just based on the picture online, but she paired it with jeans and a ruffley white shirt and it was lovely.

This skirt is divine. Absolutely divine! Love the black and brown combination!

Oh my. Oh. My. COAT!!

Is it possible to fall in love with a pair of boots? Cause I just did.
Happy Friday, guys!




bake sale!

Melissa 1 Comment

This weekend, my kids hosted a bake sale at church to raise money to buy farm animals for families in need. I was so proud of them – they decided they wanted to do this a month or two ago and mobilized their friends to help.
On the menu?
Cookie and Cream Cupcakes
Carrot Cupcakes
Red Velvet cupcakes
Christmas Cupcakes
Apple Bread
Banana Bread
Hot Chocolate Stirrers
Whoopie Pies
Chocolate Covered Oreos
Cookies
Brownies
mini-muffins

and more!!

Every year at Christmas, our family all gives a portion of our Christmas money to buy a farm animal for a family in need. It is so simple, but I cannot even describe how this has affected my kids. We watched the videos of how a single goat can save a family from poverty in Africa. I remember them saying, “What a cool play house!” And I had to explain that the tiny house with the dirt floor was that family’s home. They were truly amazed and humbled that they could make such a difference in a family’s life with so little. And they were instantly excited to help. They gave so generously last year – they were able to buy a goat!

This year, when the catalog arrived, they were looking through deciding what their goal was – maybe a sheep or some ducks? Then they came up with an idea. If we got more people to give, we could buy even more! We should get our friends involved! Long story short, our girls mobilized their friends to plan this huge sale – and they made double their goal and were able to buy a sheep and a goat. I can not even tell you how proud I am of them! Not only are they excited about giving, but they are mobilizing their friends to do the same.

Best Christmas gift EVER!

 

try this: hot chocolate stirrers

Melissa 4 Comments

I found these on Pinterest a few weeks ago and bookmarked them for sale at the holiday bake sale we were planning at church. They were soooo easy and SUCH a hit! I found these red and white paper straws on Amazon.

Hot Chocolate Stirrers

large marshmallows
dark chocolate for melting
straws
sprinkles

This is very complicated. Try to keep up, okay?

Melt chocolate according to package directions. Put straw into marshmallow. Dip into chocolate, dip into sprinkles. Dry on parchment paper.

That’s it!!

charlotte’s web at the arden theater

Melissa 1 Comment

This weekend, we attended opening night of the newest children’s play at The Arden Theater, Charlotte’s Web. We were so, so excited – we read Charlotte’s Web earlier this year. Naturally, Charlotte’s Web is such a classic story, we knew it would be amazing. Every show we’ve seen at the Arden has been wonderful!

Join us for the heart-warming story of a special friendship between a lovable pig and everyone’s favorite spider. Wilbur, Charlotte and their barnyard friends have never been more delightful than in this wonderful tribute to one of the greatest stories for children ever written.

We arrived for opening night and were greeted by a county fair, complete with an actual live pig!! We enjoyed a super kid friendly dinner, from Catering by Design, then we went around to earn stickers to win a blue ribbon at the Arden County Fair!

getting their hands painted

Grace made her own web word to hang up. She said she was "AWESOME!"

After completing all their stations, the girls won their blue ribbons!

fern and wilber

We headed into the theater and the kids were bouncing in their seats with excitement. The show started and the kids were enthralled, of course. Me, I was fascinated by how such a small cast played so many different characters. They would put on a hat and go from being a person to a goose, or put on a coat and suddenly be a rat. Amazing. It was such a simple set and used so few props and costumes – but the kids were totally into it and following every word of the play. When Charlotte was lowering slowly from the ceiling, they were gasping aloud. And when [spolier alert] Charlotte died, all three kids were in tears. And I may have been as well. *ahem* This show does require imagination, since the actors are people, not animals, and the story is a little sad, so its recommended this for ages 5 and up.

After the show, we enjoyed tasty ice cream from Franklin Fountain and got to meet the actors. The girls made a beeline for Charlotte, beautifully played by Sarah Gliko:

On the drive home, the kids were talking and our friend we brought along said, “That was amazing! I just love going to see plays! I’m going to see lots more plays!! ” And that is why you take kids to the theater. We’re teaching them to love this art form, to appreciate theater and become a life-long patron of the arts.  That’s why I am so thankful for  programs like the Arden – and for programs like Arden for All that brings theater to children who might not otherwise get the opportunity. If you can, try to take your kids to the theater. For under $100, a family of four can see a show at the Arden and with the Target 2-for-1 Program, you can buy one ticket, get one free for select performances! And the memories will last so much longer than you can even imagine.

Charlotte’s Web is playing at the Arden Theater until January 29, 2012. Up next at the Arden? Robin Hood!

disclosure: we received tickets to this show from the arden theatre. i was not compensated for this post. as always, all opinions are my own.

fashion friday: holy cow, its december

Melissa 4 Comments

Where did 2011 go? Did anyone see it as it zoomed by at the speed of light?

Anyway, it’s December now and I’m in full out getting-ready-for-the-holidays, in-laws-moving-back-in, general-craziness mode. Yesterday I cleaned out the two linen closets and the mud room. You would not believe what I found in there, even if I had taken pictures.

Darn it. Now I wish I had taken pictures. Oh, well. When I’m in that kind of cleaning mood, you just better look out and get out my way lest you be sorted into the Keep, Trash or Donate piles accidentally. I probably would have put the camera in some organized and labeled new spot and then promptly forgotten where I put it.

Next up, I’m planning a bake sale this weekend and organizing a dinner for 200 people. Because, as you may ave noticed by now, I’m insane.

ANYWAY, this post is supposed to be about FASHION. (Remember? Really! Look at the title! Its true!)  So lets stop talking about whatever I just wrote and check out some yumminess!

If I had a fancy-ish party to go to this year, I would buy this gorgeous satin ruffled dress from Old Navy. This is a lot of style for under $50.

I also have to confess that I do not own winter boots. I own boots – OH, I own bootS with a capital S – but not any that are actually designed for, well, weather. But these little babies might change my mind.

Oh. My. Yes. PLEASE. Please can I have this for Christmas? PLEASE!!!?!?! (Or could Anthropologie have a 80% off sale or something?)

Humm… Do I like this? I think I like this. With tights and boots, maybe?

And finally… SWOON!
Oh, sorry. Think I must have fainted at the sight of that STINKING AMAZING BAG.

Happy weekend, folks!




not in this house!

Melissa 4 Comments

Can someone please tell me how I can have a house that looks like a catalog?

Because my desk has never looked like this:
Actually, its a little odd to be able to actually see the desk part of my desk lately.

And my mud room has never ever EVER looked like this:
I mean, really. ONE pair of shoes?? What kind of mud room is that? Where’s the mountain of coats? The piles of shoes? The mud???

 

I think I need to stop getting catalogs.

cyber monday events party

Melissa 1 Comment

On Monday night, I had a fabulous girls night out with the ladies of Philly Social Media Moms.  Jo-Lynne, Debbie and Sarah threw a great party! The idea behind Cyber Monday Events is to have one last hurrah before the holiday season, where brands can get their best products into the hands of influential mom bloggers and in front of their audiences. SUCH a great idea – I’m going out of my mind looking for great products for gift guides and actual gifts for family members!

photo from jo-lynne

The event was hosted by Dave & Busters at the Plymouth Meeting location. (Note to self: go to Dave & Busters more. SO FUN!) They had a gorgeous room for parties with great food and tons of fun activities right there! The sponsors were amazing. That was a crazy number of awesome toys in one room!! I’m a huge fan of BigJigs Toys: I think the  King Arthurs Castle and Princess Palace are so cool! Look – wouldn’t you have loved to find this under the tree on Christmas morning?

Overall it was a wonderful event benefiting Cradles to Crayons: attendees brought socks and underwear to donate to needy families in our area. Mega thanks to Little Miss Muffin, KooKoo Birds, BigJigs Toys, Corolle, Paddywhack Lane, KaZAM Bikes, LEGO, Villeroy & Boch, ASTRA, Fairy Tales Hair Care, Horizon Dairy, Mabel’s Labels, Ohanarama, Suave and Bai for making this night possible.

disclosure: i received a swag bag and prizes at the event. as always, all opinions are my own.