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Looking for Warmer Weather

January 13, 2011 by Jennifer 1 Comment

The news recently said 49 of the 50 states have snow on the ground. It is that type of winter yet again this year. The only state that doesn’t have snow is Florida. I say it is time to head south and take a cruise to the warm waters by way of Florida. I have been pricing the cruises in the past few days and it looks like Carnival Cruise Lines is having the best deals right now.

Their early saver program will get you on a 3 day cruise for only $169! Now, if that is not the best escaping the cold prices, then I am not sure what is. A 4 day cruise starts at $229 and a 7 day cruise starts at $449. Awesome prices all the way around. It really depends on just how long you would like to escape all that snow 😉

From speaking with some of my family in the past week, I have heard that the food on Carnival Cruise Lines rocks. Your food is included with your cruise ticket and it is not just an ordinary hamburger. They go all out for the food from what our family is telling us. Also, they do not forget the kids. Lots of kid friendly options available as well.

Speaking of kids, our family also told us about the super cool kids programs. You are able to let your kid enjoy a fun time away from mom and dad so mom and dad can enjoy some quality one on one time. I’m not so sure hubby and I can part with the girls for a long time, but it is nice to know we have that option.

I was blown away by all the activities on the boat and the designs on the inside. You can tell hubby and I are dreaming of a cruise as we sat looking at all the pictures with our mouths open. There is one thing for sure, that you will never here the “I’m bored” comments on a cruise.

Hubby and I are going to keep on planning and hoping we can make it a reality soon. We love to travel but have yet to ever take a cruise. I am going to grab all of my fellow Traveling Mamas one day and we are going to set sail unto warmer waters!

Disclosure: I have not been compensated in any way for this post. I’m just keeping it real for all of us that is knee deep in snow 🙂

Random Acts of Zhu Zhu Pets

January 13, 2011 by Jennifer 2 Comments

Random acts of kindness is what makes the world a better place. It was such a pleasure during the holiday season to team up with Zhu Zhu Pets and be able to do random acts of kindness. That is what the holiday season is all about. It was such a great experience to have my girls participate in this with me this year to show them how we can pay it forward.

Our first stop was the girls school in which we donated our first group of zhu zhu pets to M’s teacher. Her church was able to fill children’s wish lists and put a smile on their face with the zhu zhu pets. M’s teacher was so delighted to be able to take part in this special random acts of kindness.

Our second stop was to our local children’s hospital here in Raleigh, NC. I shed some tears on this trip as M was able to give out the zhu zhu pets herself to kids. I wasn’t able to get the children on camera of course due to privacy laws, but as you can see in the video, M was so proud to be able to do this.

Onto our third trip, we invited Carolina Mama and her Tigers to help us out. We were trying to do this altogether for our local YMCA but with bad weather moving in and us having to get out of town, Carolina Mama did this stop for us. We so appreciated her help. The YMCA fills under privileged children’s wish lists every year for Christmas and welcomes all the help they can get. They were so thrilled to see Carolina Mama and the Tigers walk in with all these Zhu Zhu Pets. We heard they were a huge hit with the kids.

As we move into the year, we plan to do lots more Random Acts of Kindness. We are so appreciative to Zhu Zhu Pets for leading the leg work on this wonderful event. Lots of children experienced lots of smile this Holiday season because of the Random Acts of Zhu Zhu Pets!

Verizon Has A New Baby iPhone

January 11, 2011 by Jennifer 2 Comments

The rumors that have been swirling around for months are finally put to rest as Verizon announced today that they will now be a carrier for the iPhone. Starting on February 10, 2011, if you are on the Verizon network, you will be able to get the iPhone 4. Prices will start at $199 with a 2 year contract for a 16GB iPhone 4 if you are a new customer or are eligible for your new every 2 upgrade.

If you are are not eligible for an upgrade, then you will have to pay full price for the iPhone 4 in order to qualify for the new phone. Also, AT&T customers don’t plan on bringing your current iPhone 4 over to the Verizon network. If you change over to Verizon, you will have to purchase the Verizon version of the iPhone 4.

You can pre-order the iPhone 4 with Verizon online only as early as February 3, 2011. Starting on February 10, you will be able to purchase the iPhone 4 from Apple stores to use in conjunction with your Verizon account.

As for me, I just purchased the Droid X last month and I am very happy with my purchase so I do not plan to change over to the iPhone anytime soon. I do have to say though that if you are an iPhone user, that I do recommend changing over to Verizon as they have excellent coverage here in NC.

So who will be upgrading?

Creating Family Devotion Time

January 11, 2011 by Jennifer 7 Comments

I am writing about our faith today.

Bringing your family closer to God. That is words that really have been on my heart for awhile. I want my girls to know God and all that he can do for us. I want them to know he will protect them. I want them to know they can call upon his name at any given time. I want them to know that he will help them choose the right friends. I want them to know he will deliver them from the evil one.

Yet, I wasn’t sure how to get those messages across to them. I wanted to feel like I was doing a good job, but in my heart I knew that more needed to be done. I entered a local Christian Book Store and right there at the table at the front door was a devotion book for little girls by Veggie Tales. God knew what he was doing by leading me into the store at that given time. We started this book in the New Year and we do it every single night before bedtime. It is just the girls and I all snuggled in the bed and reading the day’s devotion. The devotion is spread out into 365 days so you do a devotion a day. The devotions are so easy to understand and comprehend that it is opening up so many conversations between the girls and I. Not only are they learning more about God and his awesomeness for us, but I am learning too.

The devotions are broken into a bible verse, a devotion about the bible verse and then a bedtime prayer. It teaches about the golden rule, friendships, honesty, and etc. I am setting stones hopefully in their life now that will lead them into a lifetime of calling unto our almighty God everyday to guide them. God is powerful and not only do the girls need to remember and get closer to God but their mommy does as well.

Thank you Lord for putting this great devotion book in front of my eyes.

You amaze me with your powers. We are growing closer to you and it feels so good!

First Ever NC Mom Bloggers Conference

January 7, 2011 by Jennifer 1 Comment

You heard right!

Ocean Isle Inn and the brand ambassadors are holding their first ever NC Mom Bloggers conference and you are invited. This conference will offer an opportunity to bring the best Mom Bloggers together to work & discuss topics related to their field with other social media influencers, while maintaining a relaxed, unhurried, unforgettable experience. And since the conference is hosted by the Ocean Isle Inn there’s no need to obtain lodging at an additional expense.

Dates: February 24 – 27, 2011
Place: The Ocean Isle Inn, Ocean Isle Beach, NC

The rates will include your hotel arrangements, full conference pass and some meals.

Rates:

$159 (January 1–31)

$189 (late Registration Feb 1—24)

We have some great speakers already on tap to help you get your blog noticed more and how to reach out to brands the correct way. I am giving just a little sneak peek into our speaker line-up. Cord Silverstein, the VP of Interactive Communications at Capstrat, will be speaking about how bloggers can get more visibility, traffic and attention online. Joining him will be Erin Lane, Director of Marketing Communications of ScanChild. It is a powerful dynamic duo and so thrilled to have them in the speaker line-up.

Also, you are going to be able to hear speak and brainstorm with all the brand ambassadors. This is a weekend to have fun and taking your blogging to a whole new level!

Tonight, you can win 1 of 2 giveaways for a full conference pass, if you join us on Twitter tonight from 7:00pm – 8:00pm EST. Make sure to RSVP if you are going to come as one pass will be picked from the RSVP’s.

Ocean Isle Inn will be updating the information on speakers, sessions, etc. shortly, so keep checking back on their blog for all the updates. Let the fun begin and I look forward to seeing everyone there!

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