Nail Art Bundle Giveaway!

This post is going to be short and sweet, because honestly I am drawing a blank at what I'd like to write about today aside from the giveaway info. I host a lot of makeup themed giveaways but it isn't that often I host nail art related giveaways so I've put together a nail bundle giveaway! One lucky winner is going to win everything you see above aside from my blue tray.

The winner will receive a gel manicure set along with a UV gel light, a brush set, dotting set, 25+ stripping tapes, 25+ decal sheets, a stamping plate, a nail file, a set of rhinestones and two containers of nail art gems/shapes/etc.

I will be putting together and getting the October Beauty & The Book Giveaway posted sometime this week, so keep an eye out for it. Crazy to think October will be here tomorrow! I love Halloween and I can not wait to start Halloween shopping, I always love all of the decorations they put out. Are you excited for Halloween?

This is open World Wide! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME and is not associated with any of the brands mentioned above.

This giveaway ends on 10/18/2019

Giveaway entry question: What is your favorite color to paint your nails? 

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CMOP Members Only Night!

Many Arizona families have heard about the Children's Museum of Phoenix and how they have three floors of fun child friendly exhibits to explore, but did you know they also offer yearly memberships that can save you a ton of money? If you plan on going to the museum often I highly recommend purchasing a membership for a year, not only do you get unlimited visits to the museum for an entire year but you also receive gift shop discounts + discounts on extra offered activities & everyone month they host a members only night. As part of the PLAYfluencer program with the Children's Museum of Phoenix, Each month I will be posting about different aspects of the museum. Last month I posted about the entry area into the museum and this month I want to talk about the members only night + two of their current offers.

On the third Friday of every month the museum stays open from  4pm-7pm for families who are membership holders. Members of course get free access into the museum and are able to explore during the evening hours. This month their newest exhibit opened on the same day as Members only night and it will run until October 18th. The exhibit is called BOX Mania and is located in the entry way near the giant play structure, children will be able to explore boxes, and create anything they want from a vast amount of cardboard boxes. There was a huge assortment of box sizes, some could fit several children in them and it was a lot of fun seeing the kids building tunnels, castles, space ships, robot suits to wear and more.

The BOX Mania event isn't just for members! It will be available daily and is free with admission to the museum so there is no need to worry about missing out on it. The boxes used in BOX mania do eventually get smashed or cut to where they are no longer used, however the staff come out with a cart frequently through out the day to pick up some of the smaller scraps and replenish the boxes so you don't have to worry about showing up to unusable boxes. During this members only night we also decided to go check out the KIDchen for the first time.

The KIDchen is a fantastic spot for kids who love to learn how to cook and decorate different food items. During the week and on the weekends the museum offers different foods to cook and taste, some events are hosted by the museum staff and others have special guest chefs who visit to cook with the kids. Seating is limited so reserve a spot early! This program does cost extra it is $6 for members or $8 for Non-members. For our KIDchen experience we were able to decorate caramel apples!

After arriving to the KIDchen with our cooking pass, the kids were provided with a sink to wash their hands before beginning their apple decorating. The kids were able to select their own toppings for their apples and were able to select from either a red or green apple to create their caramel apple. The caramel is made inside of a crock pot and is kept hot so a staff member will dip the apple into the caramel for you and hand it to you on a plate. After receiving your apple you can take a seat and begin decorating. The KIDchen was open during the duration of the member only night event so we didn't have a ton of people in the room with us, at first it was just us then two families joined so I can not say how full their normal cooking activities are. When we were finished decorating our apples and letting the caramel cool a bit we were provided with a take home container. The kids had a blast with both events and really enjoyed the members only night.

Membership prices vary depending on the size of the membership you are thinking about purchasing. They start at $125 a year for 1 Adult + 1 Child and go up to $335 a year for 8 guests including the cardholder, You can learn more about becoming a member Here. If you would only like to stop by to check out the museum for a day to see what it has to offer tickets are $14.95 per person.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Children's Museum of Phoenix for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Back-To-School Treats with Gramma In A Box!

Last month my kids and I received a Gramma In A Box and they had a blast with putting together the treats in the box, so when we went to check the mail earlier this month and found the September box they were beyond excited. Before we get into our review, what is a Gramma In A Box kit? This box was originally created by owner Terry to give her and her grandchildren who lived in another state a chance to work on decorating cookies together over Skype, over time it has turned into a full time business for other parents and grandparents who want to do the same with their children.

The September theme is "Back-to-School Treats" and it features three sweet treat projects to work on with your kids. Everything you need to create the treats is included in the box, there is no baking needed, just decorating!

First up we made pencils from vanilla wafers! This simple pencil cookie is made using a vanilla wafer cookie, vanilla melting chocolate, red sanding sugar and chocolate chips. After melting the vanilla melting chocolate you simply need to dip the "eraser" end into the chocolate then gently roll the same end in the red sanding sugar before the chocolate hardens to create what looks like an eraser. Next you can dip the other end into the melted chocolate or simply spread a bit on the tip using a butter knife, and add a chocolate chip to look like the pencil tip. The wafers already come in the shape you'll need for the pencil project so you don't need to worry about shaping the tip.

Next up was creating Teachers apples using marshmallows, vanilla melting chocolate, red sanding sugar, half a pretzel rod and candy leaves. The kids had a lot of fun rolling their marshmallows into the melted chocolate then the sugar, we found it was best to sprinkle it on rather than rolling it in the glitter so I'd do it over a wax paper so you can pour the extra back into the little container. Once it is covered in the red sprinkles you add a pretzel rod to the top, then add a candy leaf or two, and bam! You've made a Teachers apple. I personally love how these turned out! And they were pretty delicious.

Last but not least the box included several different sugar cookies to decorate with frosting and fun sprinkles. We received letter and apple shaped cookies, one of the "C's" was broken but the kids didn't seem to mind and split the cookie as is while decorating the rest. The frosting may need a bit of kneading to make sure it is mixed properly before you use it, we found it is best to knead it or roll it in your hands for a little while to warm the frosting up to give it a better consistency to spread on the cookies.

You can purchase a singular box to try out or you can purchase a 3,6,or 12 month subscription and automatically at the start of each month your box will be shipped out. In total there are enough goodies in the box to create 15 to 20 finished items (each cookie counts as a finished item). A single box is $20 or if you buy a subscription the price lowers a bit depending on which subscription you purchase. If you are a new subscriber you need to place an order before the 3rd of each month in order to receive that month's box. This subscription service is only available in the US. During the holidays there are holiday themed items in the box which adds to the fun of the box.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Gramma In A Box for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Spice up your lunches with Variety Box!

School has started again for the new school year which means it is time to start packing school lunches again, on the days that my children take a lunch with them I like spicing things up with different foods and snacks. Many of the boxes of snacks they sell at the store have a large assortment of just two or three snacks which can get a little boring, which is why the Variety Fun box is so amazing!

Variety Fun is a monthly snack subscription box that delivers a box packed full of goodies! They have two different subscriptions to select from you can buy a "Home Snacks" box or a "Office Snacks" box, they both have the same great products the only difference is the amount of snacks you receive + the price. The Office boxes have a ton in them which is perfect for if you want to treat your staff/co-workers, however if you'd prefer something small for just you and your family to enjoy I'd go with the Home Snacks option.

Once you click on Home Snacks, you'll see two different box choices. The first is the Fun Box which comes with 40 classic snacks for $24.99 a month, or you can select the Fit box that comes with 30 healthy snacks for $39.99 a month. I was recently sent a Fun Box to test out, and we love it!

The box has a great assortment of snacks ranging from sweet to salty and even some spicy. There was something in the box for all of us and our different flavor preferences, some of the treats we are as desserts during the week and many of the snacks were sent with the kids for school lunches. I really like that there were only one or two doubles of snacks because it gave us a wider variety, my husband however would like if there were a few more doubles so that when you get something you really like you have a second one. Our kids thought the experience was exciting and their eyes couldn't believe how much came out of the box.

We live in a state that is rather hot during the summer so I was happy to see they didn't put a bunch of melt-able chocolates or other candies in the box because it would have just been a mushy mess by the time it arrived. Everything was well packed and shipping was quick! My husband and I are discussing ordering more of these boxes because we enjoyed this box so much and you can't find anything like it at the store.

If you are looking to order they have a discount code up on their site which makes your first box only $19.99! The code is FUN20.

Four great books that celebrate Grandparents!

Some of my favorite memories from when I was a child are with my grandparents, I fondly remember baking cookies with my grandmother and going out to look at holiday lights for a few hours after sun down while listening to holiday tunes. I am grateful my children have my mother/step-father and their fathers dad/step-mom to spend time with and create memories that will last a lifetime. Grandparents Day was on September 8th but that doesn't mean you can't still celebrate the grandparents in your life! Today I am going to share four great books with you that are about grandparents.

Around the Table That Grandad Built (Retail $16.99)

This book features a family that is enjoy a meal together around a table built by the Grandfather of the family, and it concentrates on all of the items placed on the table from different people of the family to make the meal and table whole. It shows napkins sewn by the mother, and more which shows you that each person in the family has something important to add. The pictures in this were bright and what stood out to me the most is that this book features a multi-cultured family.

My Grandma and Me (Retail $16.99)

Out of the four books, I liked this book the most as my great grandmother was one of the people I was closest with growing up. This sweet book follows along with a little girl who's grandmother lives with her family in Iran. Each day the little girl wakes up excited to spend the day with her grandmother doing their daily routine such as picking out fresh bread, visiting their neighbor, praying and more. You can truly feel the love between the two while you are reading through the book. 

Grandpa's Top Three (Retail $16.99)

This book I was a bit on the fence about, it starts off with a little boy named Henry wanting to chat with his grandfather but his grandfather is doing yard work and doesn't say anything to Henry the entire time. The mother of Henry encourages him to keep trying so finally his grandpa responds hesitantly with his top three sandwiches and Henry goes and makes them for him. From there the Grandpa opens up a bit and Henry starts asking his other top threes, and they share about what each of them loves while eating the sandwiches that were made. 

Our Favorite Day (Retail $16.99)

I like the unique approach to the illustrations in this book, it looked like a layered paper effect was used and I enjoyed looking through all the pictures with my kids. This story follows along with a Grandfather while he goes about his daily actives, which are pretty much the same daily expect for one very special day - Thursday! Why is Thursday so special? It is the day he stops to pick up craft supplies to do with his grandchild when they come to spend the afternoon with him, he also stops to pick up their favorite meal to enjoy together. Overall we enjoyed this book. 

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Candlewick Press for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.