Back to School Shopping with Old Navy

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Old Navy. The thought and opinions stated below are all mine.

Old Navy is my go to store when doing a massive clothes shopping. A huge relief for me is that I am almost always guaranteed to find something I like. To this day I have never walked out of an Old Navy empty handed. Not only do they have current fashions for both adults and kids BUT they also have amazing specials and sales all the time. Right now is the Back to School Sale where tons of clothes are just $10 and under. Oh yes you read that right, clothes for $10 and under. Do you have any idea how many outfits you can buy at that price!



Having three young kids all in school full time is not only going to be a first for me, but living on a single income can be hard at times, it can also be a little stressful when attempting to shop for them at the same time. Now my daughter, she loves shopping and we can do some damage together so I'm not worried about her but bringing the boys with me? Yeah they have zero interest in the magic of shopping. So I decided to make it a Mommy and daughter day filled with shopping, special treats and together time. We ended up going on tax free day which was an added bonus plus they were having a $5 tee and tank sale (score)! Even with our local Old Navy being under construction they handled the mass amount of guests with ease. So what did we manage to get? Let me break it down right quick.



For my daughter: Three t-shirts and a pair of jeans
For my oldest: Three t-shirts
For my youngest: Four t-shirts and a pair of jeans
In total we got 10 t-shirts and two pairs of jeans. The Avengers shirt was $10 and Darth Vader shirt was $7.99 the rest of the t-shirts were all from the $5 section, the jeans were on sale for $10 (that's half off people) and since it was tax free weekend I saved there AND they had a spend $50 get 10% automatically taken off your total special running. All in all I only spent $70 and I saved $70. Having a big chunk of my kids wardrobes for school done and ready to go is a huge relief off my shoulders and one of many reasons that I love Old Navy. I mean seriously, where else can you get such cute, affordable and versatile clothes.

Old Navy's Back to School sale is going on through August 14th. You can take a picture of your kiddos on the Old Navy runway (located in your local Old Navy) for a chance to appear on the Old Navy website and enter the Multiply Your Style Sweet Sweepstakes!


My daughter is a huge fan of Sam & Cat and would love to meet them. If your kids are fans as well it's super simple to enter to contest just head on over to Nick.com/OldNavy and fill out the form and whala you are entered to win some fabulous prizes such as....
One lucky winner will receive a trip to LA for four, a $1000 Old Navy shopping spree with Jennette McCurdy (Sam) and Ariana Grande (Cat) AND $500 to live it up in LA!
Seven lucky winners will receive a $500 Old Navy Gift Card!

Old Navy wants to see your kids start the school year looking stylish at great prices. Visit your nearest Old Navy for a back to school sale between August 1st and August 14th with great fashion under $10. Take a picture of your kids in store and share using #MyONStyle for a chance to appear on the Old Navy website or enter the Multiply Your Style Sweet Sweepstakes! For Official Rules and details, go to www.Nick.com/OldNavy.


This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Old Navy. The opinions and text are all mine.

Boy Meets Girl

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The Blogger Connection.

I love hoodies. I may or may not have at least six of them in my closet right now, and that's not counting the one's in my coat closet or my husbands that I steal borrow. Most of my hoodies are back from my punk rock days so they've seen better days. Still totally wearable but a little rough around the edges. Finding an edgy, stylish yet contemporary look is not as easy as you would think. Until now. Stacy Igel, the designer behind Boy Meets Girl captures the innocent spark between a boy and girl perfectly with these vintage cameos. The rest is up to you. You can personalize the Boy Meets Girl hoodies however you like, whether it be a monogram of your initials or you wedding date. It can even be embroidered on to the cozy hooded sweatshirts.

Some fun examples for Personalized Hoodies:

• Wedding/Bridal Gifts....Groom and Bride or Shakle and Chain (haha I added that one)

• Graduation Gifts....Yale Alumna and UofM Alumna

• Sorority Events....Mr. ZBT and Mrs. AXO

• For the house divided....Sooners and Longhorns

• Single and Fabulous....TBD and Me

• The social media savvy girl....@you and @me

• The pop culture obsessed....Peeta and Katniss

Or if you slightly twisted like myself and have not so nice but totally fitting nicknames for your significant others you could use those. I would share our pet names but I'll keep this pg so I don't scare anyone. But seriously how cute is this hoodie? It has all the classic elements to a hoodie AND with the boy and girl silhouette. My favorite is the black and pink because well, they're my favorite colors. 

If you'd like to check out Boy Meets Girl on Facebook you can find them here, Twitter over here and of course their website right here. 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The Blogger Connection. I was provided with a product in exchange for this post. All opinions included in this post are my own.

Invisalign, the new alternative to metal braces

This is a Sponsored Post. The company who sponsored this post compensated me via cash payment, gift or something else of value to write this post. Regardless of payment I only recommend products and/or services that I would personally use and that I believe to be a good fit for my readers.

Eight years, that's how long I had braces. Eight painstaking YEARS. Whenever I discuss my braces story with friends or even new Dentists they all say pretty much the same thing, "eight years is a really long time". You're telling me folks.

It all started the year the photo on the left was taken, look how bitty I was. Ignore the awesomeness that is known as the fanny pack, jelly shoes, leggings and over sized sweater worn as a dress. Yeah it was the late 80's early 90's what can I say. I didn't get my braces off until right before high school. So all through elementary and middle school I had braces. To say I didn't smile often would be an understatement. Or if I did smile I did it with my mouth closed because in addition to the braces I also had to do the rubber band from my top teeth to my bottom teeth. Two rubber bands in my mouth to be changed daily. The only thing I was fortunate not to have to get was head gear. I ended up getting so used to smiling with my mouth closed that even to this day I do not like to smile with my mouth open. What I wouldn't have given to not have to deal with braces. And to think Invisalign started being used by Orthodontists in 1999, one year after I had my braces removed. 

Invisalign has brought the world of brace's to a whole new level. By taking away metal braces and introducing removable aligners they have quickly become the favored choice between adults and teens alike. By using a series of clear plastic aligners that fit flat on your teeth you take away the pain from getting metal braces adjusted, use of rubber bands, possible cuts from metal wires coming loose or brackets falling off. I experienced all of the above with my braces, I even had a wire pop off and go straight into my cheek! 

Benefits of using Invisalign:

• Because you can remove the aligners there are no restrictions on what you can or can't eat! That's right no more grabbing a giant jaw breaker and gnawing on that just because you were told you weren't allowed to.
• Adults, teens and even pre-teens can smile with confidence while using the aligners because unlike metal braces Invisalign aligners are almost invisible. 
• Since you don't need to constantly have adjustments done as you do with metal braces you will have fewer orthodontic visits. For us busy moms this is big as I am sure it is for teens as well, because who wants to be bogged down going to the ortho every week.
• You can start seeing progress with your teeth in as little as 90 days! 
• And one of my favorite benefits is NO more goopy clay like molds that make you gag as it drips down your throat....shudders, that is one feeling I will never forget.

Okay now in all honesty here, can you tell she's wearing aligners? I can't and as a former braces wearer I think it's awesome and I may or may not be slightly jealous of the amazing options that are available now. Have you or someone you’ve known used Invisalign? If so, what was their experience? Would you consider getting Invisalign?

If you'd like to learn more about invisible braces offered by Invisalign you can visit their website here. You can also find them onTwitter as well as Facebook. An interesting tool they have is the Smile Assessment where you fill out questions and they will send you an email with results of why Invisalign could be a good option for your or your teen.

This is a Sponsored Post. The company who sponsored this post compensated me via cash payment, gift or something else of value to write this post. Regardless of payment I only recommend products and/or services that I would personally use and that I believe to be a good fit for my readers.

V2 Cigs Giveaway

This is a sponsored post. The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless of payment, I only recommend products or services I would personally use and believe to be a good fit for my readers.

 

A lot of smokers  live in a state of denial. Denial that smoking is bad for them or denial that it stinks, or that it's doing them harm, or that it actually gives them the calming affect they're seeking. Smoking actually raises your heart rate and blood pressure so even if you think you may be relaxed your body is not. I know this because I used to smoke. I smoked off and on for ten years. Starting at the age of 14 I picked up a smoke and that was that. I still remember the very first time I smoked with my friend Rachel. I kept thinking gosh this is so bad if my Mom finds out I am going to be in soooo much trouble, which of course meant I couldn't not do it. I didn't smoke constantly, that came later. I was very good at hiding it too. I became some what of a pro at it which looking back is probably not as good as I thought it was. It may have been better to get caught and then I may have never smoked for so long.

But alas that was not how things worked out. I quit each time I found out I was pregnant and this last time I didn't start up until after my youngest was a year old. I wouldn't have started back up but I went through some very emotional struggles and caved. See I was an emotional smoker. If I was angry, sad, wanted to celebrate I would smoke. If I drank alcohol I smoked. If I was reading a really good book that I couldn't put down I tended to chain smoke. I used smoking as my selfish reason. I told myself I knew what I was doing to my body and I didn't care. It's the one and only selfish thing I do and I enjoyed it so why should I stop. I liked the smell and I loved smoking. And then my husband got diagnosed with COPD. I knew then it was time and I had to quit not just for myself but for my husband and my three kids. I wish I had thought to use Ecigs then because I'll tell you what, the withdraws from nicotine….NOT fun.


Here's a few reasons Ecigs are a great alternative to regular cigarettes:

1. Ecigs are less expensive than buying regular cigarettes (if you order the kits and not just the disposable Ecigs that you can find at  convenience stores).
2. You can also save even more money by visiting www.ecigarettereviewed.com for coupons.
3. Electronic cigarettes contain NO tobacco. That's right zero tobacco which means NO second hand smoke. They do have nicotine which is delivered through the vapor which you can get in assorted flavors and nicotine strengths.
4. You can choose from four different nicotine amounts so they're a great tool for people trying to quit. If one thing that you really struggle with is the hand to mouth gesture you can use a zero nicotine Ecig so you can still do the gesture without having any of the nicotine. 
1. The four different mg you can choose from are: 
•  Zero
• Light (6mg)
• Medium (12 mg)
• Full (18 mg)

To find out more information on Ecigs be sure to check out this V2 Cigs Review where they go into depth on everything about Ecigs.

If you are trying to quite smoking, know someone who may be considering quitting or simply want to switch to Ecigs instead of regular cigarettes, Ecigarette Reviewed is hosting a V2 Cigs "Express Yourself" Giveaway where they are giving away a total of 50 V2 Cigs Express Kits and the V2 10-Flavor Sampler. Every week for the first three weeks of the giveaway there will be 10 winners announced and 20 winners will be announced on the last week of the giveaway. So be sure to enter the V2 Cigs Giveaway as you have lots of chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored post. The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless of payment, I only recommend products or services I would personally use and believe to be a good fit for my readers.

 

Shutterfly's Home Decor Giveaway

The first official day of Spring is March 20th. That's only nine days. One week two days. Two hundred and sixteen hours. Either way you put it it's coming up quickly! For me Spring time is a wonderful time, the flowers start to bloom, the trees get their beautiful green back and the weather warms up enough for everyone to play outside. The other thing I love is the annual spring cleaning of the house. Okay I lied, I loathe it. I am unorganized and cleaning is my least favorite thing to do BUT I do it anyways every year around this time. My favorite part of spring cleaning is rearranging. I typically rearrange the kids rooms and the living room. That includes the furniture, the bookshelf and the pictures. I try to mix up the photos adding new one's and rearranging current one's to give it a fresh look.

Right now I have zero photo's on my mantle. In fact I may or may not still have my Christmas town scene on my mantle. For shame I know. But once those come down which will hopefully be soon I will need to put something else up there. I love showcasing my family and what better place to put it then above my mantle right. I think this classic Monogram Black Canvas (middle pic) would fit perfectly above my mantle or maybe the Love Collage (left pic) would go better or what about Acrylic Print? Shutterfly has an entire Home Decor section online with sixteen different photo decor products.

• Canvas Prints
• Fleece Photo Blankets
• Woven Photo Blankets
• Dimensional Wall Art
• Desktop Plaque
• Acrylic Photo Block
• Mounted Wall Art
• Photo Cubes
• Acrylic Prints
• Plates
• Cups
• Ornaments

Between all the different design options with each product the options are endless and Shutterfly recently added two new products to the line. New Canvas Print Designs -  and New Decorative Wall Decals. The Flower Power decals are absolutely adorable and would look perfect in my daughters room around her window. Even the colors match perfectly with her walls and bed spread. Adorable isn't it?

 

Tomorrow March 12th join Resourceful Mom for the Shutterfly Pinning Party. You can find out more about the party and RSVP here. I encourage you to check it out, a party with Amy is always guaranteed to be fun!

Today I get to offer you all a fabulous giveaway for a 5x5 Photo Gallery Acrylic Block that you design plus shipping from Shutterfly.  

Mandatory Entry: Visit Shutterfly's Home Décor page and comment with your favorite item that you'd love to have in your home.

Additional Entries:

• Follow @Shutterfly on twitter (leave your username in the comments)
• Follow @Shanamama9197 on twitter (leave your username in the comments)
• Tweet "I just entered a @Shutterfly 5x5 Photo Gallery Acrylic Block #giveaway from @Shanamama9197 you too can enter to #win http://bit.ly/10y8a1z" (Leave the url of your tweet with your comment)
• Follow Shanamama on Pinterest (leave your username in the comments)

Giveaway ends March 19th at 11:59 pm CST and is open to residents of the US only.

UPDATE: Giveaway is now closed and a winner has been chosen. There were two entries that came in on March 21st after the giveaway was officially closed so there were only 73 official entries.

Congratulations to..........commenter number 18, Debbie Jackson with the lucky comment 

"I love the photoblankets". Debbie I will be emailing you right now.

I have been compensated with product in exchange for participating in this campaign. All opinions expressed therein are my own.

Get unjunked with UnReal

A few weeks ago I had a party with a few friends and their kids to introduce them to a new candy line called UnReal. I have been looking forward to this for months because I had tried the candy before and at first bite I new we would make the switch. I have tried many times to give up on sweets but every once in a while I caved and of course I always felt horribly guilty afterwards. But now I don't have to feel half as bad with UnReal candy. No it's not a candy claiming to be fat free, it's even better. UnReal is candy that is unjunked. And by being unjunked it has no hydrogenated oils, no corn syrup, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no preservatives AND no GMOs!

And for me (one of) the best parts....it tastes amazing. Imagine eating a peanut M&M and biting into the tiny thing in the middle. Yeah it's crunchy but does it taste like a peanut? Eh not really. Now when you have UnReals UN 54 aka Candy Coated Chocolates with Peanuts the first thing you notice is how big they are, then you bite into them and realize dude those are actual peanuts in there and they really taste like a fresh roasted peanut.

I absolutely love that I can give in every once in a while and let my kids have candy and not have to worry about what is it the candy. How many different words I can't pronounce, how many additives, etc. And I may sneak a bite or a whole candy bar for myself once in a while too. I asked my youngest who is four which one is his favorite and he said "all of them".

Here are a few pictures from our party.

The loot

In each bag UnReal provided a breakdown of ingredients and nutrition information for each candy

The boys all played Wii Fit while the girls hid in the room and played dress up after the party

Here is a fun little video that digs a little deeper into the story of UnReal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOOeNvls7qc

If you'd like to try UnReal candy for yourself but haven't seen them in your local store. Don't fret! You can find UnReal candy at CS, Walgreens, RiteAid, Food 4 Less, Kroger, Fred Meyer, Staples and more.


This is a sponsored post in part with Global Influence Network and UnReal. While I was supplied products and compensation to host my party all opinions therein are my own.