Nothing irritates me more than seeing people texting on their phone while they are driving. Nevermind that it is illegal in many areas, but it is dangerous! I just cannot understand what text or email is so important that you would risk your life, and those of the other people on the road. According to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, people who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to
be in a crash. Is chatting with your BFF really worth your life?
My husband and I actually don't text at all as we don't want to pay for it (we're cheap). So texts are blocked on our AT&T iPhones. We do both get emails though and while it sometimes is tempting to pick up my phone and check it when I hear the little ding (or in my case, a Mockingjay call), I won't do it. Whatever it is, it can wait till I get where I am going. Or if in fact I was expecting and urgent message, then I would pull over.
In 2009, AT&T started the "It Can Wait" campaign to help educate students, well and everyone else really, on the dangers of texting while driving. This short 10 minute AT&T Documentary: The Last Text is well worth the watch. In this documentary you will see real life vehicle crashes and hear from people who lost loved ones because of a texting while driving accident. It is sad to see so many lives lost to this. A text is just not worth it.
"AT&T created this documentary as part of its "It Can Wait" campaign
because we want consumers be safe while using our technology. We are
grateful and humbled by the bravery of the people who agreed to be on
camera for the documentary. We would have no story to tell without them."
AT&T wants you to take the pledge to not text while driving.
AT&T will honor those taking the pledge by contributing to
non-profit organizations focused on youth safety. You can take the
pledge and share it with your friends on the AT&T Facebook page.
If you are an At&T customer, you can download their free AT&T Drive Mode app to help you not text while driving. When enabled, the app sends a customizable auto-reply message to incoming texts
and emails, notifying the sender that the user is driving and will
respond when it is safe. The app also provides the option to send calls
directly to voicemail. The app is currently available on Blackberry and Android phones. Hopefully an iPhone app will be available soon.
Be honest, are you guilty of texting (or emailing) when driving? Is it really worth it? Can you make the pledge to stop texting and driving today?
Happy Friday! Please add both your green and non-green giveaways and contests into Mr. Linky below so we can do some giveaway hopping! Be sure to include the expiration date. Thanks!
You can also submit your green giveaways to me during the week for me to feature on Fridays.
One of the features that we loved about our house when we bought it almost nine years ago was the screened in deck off the back. How nice it was going to be to sit outside without the bugs bothering us! In the beginning we did enjoy it and when our first son was born, he had fun in his baby and water table out there. As our family grew, we realized a lot of inconvenience about our deck. It was on the smaller side and we instantly went from a family of three to a family of five, so all of being out there together did not work out very well. But more importantly is the placement of this deck. Instead of being off the main living areas of the kitchen or family room, it is off of a side room down the hall from the kitchen.
So we decided to build a larger deck directly off of the kitchen. We went to Home Depot to start researching the different options that were available. We looked at pressure treated wood, composite railing and decking and PVC decking. After pricing it all out and weighing the pros and cons, we decided to go with composite. The extra cost was worth it to us since composite does not need to be painted or stained. With the help of friends and family, my husband built a large deck on the back of the house for us. The he took out the bay window in the kitchen and replaced it with a sliding glass door.
Building the new deck was such a smart investment for us. Yes it increases the value of your home, but more importantly it gave us additional space for our family. Now the kids can run and play on the deck with plenty of room while I make their lunch inside. Since the deck is directly off the kitchen, I can see every move they make. And the deck was a life saver for me when my fourth son was born. Having a six month old baby to care for all day meant there was barely any time for me to go outside in the yard with the older three. They were too young to be outside in the yard without an adult, but they could go on the deck while I stayed on the deck with the little one.
Of course our old deck is all but abandoned now. The room it is off of is the playroom and no one goes out there anymore. I don't think you could get the door opened with all of the toys in there, even if you did want to go out on that deck. But it is a shame for it to go unused. I may clean it up for the summer and make it a little outdoor office so I can watch the boys play from there and not be attacked by insects. Or I could just put a single lounge chair in there and it could be a quiet, shaded, bug-free place for me to read all of my Kindle books. That actually sounds fantastic.
Do you have a deck on your house? Does your family spend a lot of time out there.
It appears as though the busy party season is upon us. We already have two First Communions to attend in May, not to mention our twins 5th birthday. Plus with three kids in elementary school, the chances of one of them bringing home a birthday part invitation is pretty good. I'm exhausted just thinking about it all. I am fearful of when my boys hit their tween and teen years and they start getting invited to big parties like a 16th birthday or Bar or Bat Mitzvah as well. As they get older, the parties and the gifts get more expensive. Luckily, I have a few years still til wee get to that stage.
As I looked over our upcoming busy May calendar to pick a day for our twins' party, I got to wondering about what type of party to have. Typically we do a very low key family party at home. Since they are in preschool, I'm not doing a school friends party just yet. In fact I am avoiding those for as long as I can! But since it is their 5th birthday, I thought that it would be nice to do a theme form them this year. So I started browsing through popular boy party ideas.
The Avengers. With The Avengers movie hitting theaters on May 4th, this will probably be one of the most popular themes for a boy's party this Spring. I've even spotted some pretty cool Avengers party supplies. All of our boys love Marvel super heroes and since the older three already have a Captain America, Thor and Iron Man costume, there is a good chance we may go this route. I just need to pick up a Hulk costume for the two year old. Trust me, it is a very fitting character for him.
LEGO. Anything LEGO themed always seems to be popular with boys. And Star Wars LEGOs are an obsession in this house. I have a huge box of LEGOs that I bought on Black Friday, so the kids could have fun building with the blocks during the party. We could even do Minifigure party favors for the kids to take home with them. Pinterest also has a slew of crafty ideas for a LEGO themed party, but I stink at crafts and making things myself.
Angry Birds. It seems everywhere I turn these days I see Angry birds. Ironically my boys love this game too, even though I never let them touch my iPhone. It is off limits. But twice a week when Grammy visits, they corner her and she gives them her iPhone for them to take turns on. You can imagine the carrying on we here then as they argue over who's goes first and who has the next turn. (Thanks Grammy). An Angry Birds party could be a lot of fun and there are a ton of party game ideas out there for the guests to have fun with.
As of now I think I am leaning towards The Avengers theme since I know they will love it and their birthday is less than two weeks after the movie comes out. One thing I do know for sure is that regardless of what theme we go with, we will once again be renting a bounce house. We have rented one for the past few years and it is great for keeping the kids outside and out of the house and ensuring a good night's sleep. This is the Justice League bounce house that we rented last year and it was a huge hit. I suppose we could always turn it into a The Avengers vs. The Justice League party.
What is your favorite theme for a young boy's birthday party?
My family is so excited for The Avengers to open next week on May 4! We feel like we have been waiting forever for it. With a household of mostly males, Marvel super heroes are among some of their favorite things. We watch Iron Man, Thor and Captain America regularly. Three of our sons even dressed up as The Avengers for the 2011 New York Comic Con back in October.
"Marvel Studios presents “Marvel’s The Avengers”—the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins."
Personally, I am excited to see Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow again as I think she did a great job in that role in Iron Man 2. Plus, it is awesome to see a female kicking some bad guy butt!
Our twins will be turning five this May, so we are more than likely going to take them and the seven year old to see The Avengers as part of their birthday celebration. I am going to see if I can get them to dress up again, that would be a lot of fun!
Are you excited to see The Avengers? Which character are you looking forward to seeing in action?
Marvel's The Avengers open May 4, 2012 in 3D, Real D and IMAX 3.
Giveaway
One (1) lucky winner will receive a The Avengers Prize Pack which includes:
~ 1 Adult Size T-Shirt (S, M, L or XL)
~ 1 Set of 6 Buttons
~ 1 Pair Limited Edition 3D Glasses
This giveaway is open to legal residents in US only, 18+ only and will end on May 14, 2012 at 12:01am EST. Winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter and will be announced in the widget. Winner has 24 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Prize fulfillment is the responsibility of the sponsoring company. This blog and its author are not responsible for giveaway prizes that are lost in transit or damaged. This blog is also not responsible if a sponsor/company does not send prize(s). Naturally, I will communicate with said company(s) several times, and make every effort to resolve the issue. Good luck!
On Earth Day this past Sunday, we planted two apple trees in our front yard. It will take 5 - 7 years for them to bear fruit, and I cannot wait! Yesterday I went out and took some pictures of the apple blossoms before they fall.
Recently, my very good friend Lee of MySentimentExactLee.com and her family were victims of a home robbery. They not only stole thousands of dollars worth of items, but they pretty much ransacked their house, tormented their dogs and even ate their food. The entire thing is just awful, and no one should ever have to go through something like that. It seems like in these tough economic times, burglaries are on the rise. We all should make sure that we find a good security solution for our homes. Here is an infographic that shows seven burglary facts that you likely never heard of. It certainly makes you think and start evaluating the system, or lack there of, that you may currently have in place.
This post has been brought to you buy InMyArea.com. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
My husband tells me that I have way too many clothes. I am guessing a lot of husbands say that about their wives. Don't they know that we need options? Yes, my closet is pretty full. There is the section of clothes I currently wear and the section of clothes that I will wear when I drop 20 pounds (yeah right). Sadly, that second section is larger. Then I also have a good amount of pretty, designer tops that have been given to me, but I can't wear because they need a complimentary piece. Most of them are just a tad bit too low cut for my taste and I need a nice layering piece to wear underneath.
Body Bark offers a selection of luxurious tops that are perfect for this kind of underpinning. Their tops come in a variety of necklines allowing for versatility as they can be worn alone, layered or invisible under your clothing. Body bark's natural fiber fabric is derived from the cellulose fiber of sustainable Beech trees. Not only are all products are made in the USA, but Body Bark is also invented by moms, for moms. Catherine, the mom behind the company, started Body Bark after realizing she needed invisible yet fashionable tops to wear under her sweaters.
I received a Body Bark tank in navy for review, which was really perfect for my needs. The scoop on the tank is low enough that you could wear it under many tops hidden or as a layer like I prefer. But it is not so low that you feel completely exposed. It works really nicely layered under a few of the lower cut tops that I have. Plus since it has nice wide straps, I can also wear this by itself which will be nice in the summer.The camisole top, also shown below, would also be perfect to layer under a nice summer top.
The Micro Modal fabric is extremely soft on your skin and it fits nicely so that it doesn't add any bulk to your outfit. When I was learning more about how this mom came up with the idea of Body Bark, I got a chuckle about her story of having itchy sweaters with nothing to wear under them for comfort. I absolutely hate itchy sweaters and I had several of them sitting in my closet for years gathering dust. The idea to use a top underneath them to provide a barrier from the itchy wool never even crossed my mind.
I love that Body Bark is a mom company because I think it is important to support other mom's out there, especially "mompreneurs." And I also love the many uses I can get with my tank top. Blouses and sweaters that have been sitting in my closet unused I can now finally wear. It's like this one top just game me a whole new wardrobe!
Buy
Body Bark tops range from $58.00 to $65.00 and may be purchased directly at BodyBark.com.
Giveaway
One (1) winner will receive a prize pack sponsored by Mompact that includes a Body Bark top, Accessory Connectz, StrapTamers and On the Cuff. Please use the Rafflecopter form below.
Please note that the
opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my
personal experience with the product and/or company. You may encounter a
different experience with this than I did. I received this review opportunity through Mompact.com.
So just a short while ago I was on Facebook, chatting with my cousin's wife while she is at the hospital getting ready to have a baby (and that is why I love Facebook!) when I saw something somewhat disturbing. I am not really big on watching the news because so much of it is sad and upsetting. I avoid it most of the time. When I do turn on the news every now and then, I watch NBC Connecticut, so I also follow them on Facebook. Anyway, this is what I just saw:
So a car slams into a house, and the first thing they are posting is if any fans have photos? Really? I think that is in incredibly poor taste. How about letting us know that everyone is OK or showing some kind of concern for the living beings that were involved? No instead let's put a request out for photos of what might be a bad accident. Are they hoping that someone on that street sees their request and runs out to take a picture? All the while people may be suffering and receiving medical attention. Awful. Just awful.
Thank you NBC Connecticut for reminding my I dislike the news industry.
Happy Friday! Please add both your green and non-green giveaways and contests into Mr. Linky below so we can do some giveaway hopping! Be sure to include the expiration date. Thanks!
You can also submit your green giveaways to me during the week for me to feature on Fridays.
Spring is by far my favorite season. I don't like Winter because I hate the cold and the snow. I'm not crazy about summer because I don't handle heat well and our piddly window A/C units cost too much to run regularly. Autumn isn't so bad. I enjoy the cooler weather, but I don't like seeing the plants and trees turning brown and blah. But Spring is nearly perfect. I love the cooler mornings with the mildly warm afternoons. I love seeing flowers blooming and trees budding and green returning to the world. OK, I am not a fan of the allergies that accompany all that green. That I could do without.
We have had a beautiful week of weather in Connecticut this week to coincide with the kids' Spring Break. Monday the temperature inched very close to 90 degrees and well, that did not make me happy at all. However, every day since then has been gorgeous, perfect Spring weather. On Tuesday while my 2 year old napped, I moved my office outside on the deck so I could enjoy it while the rest of the boys played in the yard. It was awesome.
My perfect, outdoor office.
I spent about 2.5 hours out here getting some work done on my blog while listening to my kids run around. Often times I would see one run by with a lightsaber. Because where every my kids are, Star Wars follows. Having an outdoor office for just a few hours was pretty amazing and even relaxing. This is definitely something I need to keep on doing while the weather is still nice.
Do you ever move your office outside to do some work?
Last Wordless Wednesday, I posted a picture about my new Trader Joe's Sugar, Chocolate & Coffee Bean Grinder. I was so excited to start using it! I tried it in some coffee, which was very nice, but I hadn't had a chance to try it on any food yet. Until Monday when it reached nearly 90 degrees here in Connecticut and I broke out some ice cream.
It was quite tasty, though I should have put a lot more on. I am going to have to see what other types of grinders they have at TJ's next time I visit!
PBS is a very popular channel in our house. We prefer their children's programming over those on the cable channels. Over a year ago, my boys discovered a new show that they instantly fell in love with. Wild Kratts pulled them in with incredible wild animals and even a little humor. As you know if you a re a regular reader, my boys love everything to do with animals! Wild Kratts quickly became part of their daily routine. We were not allowed to miss it. The show airs at 5:00pm here on the local Connectciut PBS station (CPTV), and I literally had to push back our dinner time to 5:30 so it would not conflict with Wild Kratts. I wouldn't do that for any old show, but I enjoy it as much as the boys do. I love that it teaches them new things about animals as well as teaching them how to care for animals and our planet.
So when I read that Wild Kratts: Predator Power was coming to DVD I was thrilled and I knew this was a must have for our family. While we have seen every episode, we never get tired of it and having a DVD to watch whenever we want or to take on long trips is awesome.
"Join real-life zoologists, writer/producers Chris and Martin Kratt as they transform into animated versions of themselves and embark on incredible edu-taining journeys in WILD KRATTS: Predator Power. Combining humor, adventure and fun, WILD KRATTS: Predator Power brings kids face to face with some of the most wild and exciting predators in the animal kingdom through astonishing live-action footage and presents age-appropriate science concepts along the way. As they explore the world and science through animals, the Kratt brothers and their trusty team actively apply their new knowledge to extricate themselves from hilarious and suspenseful predicaments while empowering kids to do their part in protecting wildlife and saving the planet. Viewed by 8 million households each month, WILD KRATTS features a unique blend of live action and animation creating unlimited potential for education and storytelling."
The Wild Kratts: Predator Power DVD contains four action-packed and educational episodes: Stuck on Sharks, Mimic in the Grass, Little Howler and Raptor Roundup. All of theses episodes are great and its a tie on which is our favorite. The twins love the Stuck on Sharks episode which is about a Great White Shark. The seven year old loves Raptor Roundup which is about hawks, eagles, owls, falcons and vultures. It is safe to say that Raptor Roundup is his favorite Wild Kratts episode.
Included on the DVD along with the episodes are some fun printable activities. You will need to place the DVD into your computer to access the PDFs. First there is a "Discovering Senses" packet which includes simple scientific experiments to help kids explore their five senses.
Then there is a 4 page packet of activity sheets which includes: Habitat Match, Wet and Wild Word Find, Wildlife Journal and Animal Guessing Game. These activities are fun and perfect for young animal lovers.
If it isn't obvious, we love the Wild Kratts: Predator Power DVD and well, everything having to do with Wild Kratts. This is great to have in any kids collections. We are anxiously awaiting more Wild Kratts DVDs!
Buy
Wild Kratts: Predator Power DVD retails for approximately $12.99 and can be found at online retailers like Barnes & Noble or at ShopPBS.org.
Please note that the
opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my
personal experience with the product and/or company. You may encounter a
different experience with this than I did. I received free product to review. This post contains affiliate links.
So we all know how important it is to recycle, right? I recycle everything. Well not literally everything, but we have more in our recycle bin then we do in our trash bin. If I find a mystery piece of plastic without a number on it, I throw it in anyway in the hopes that maybe it can be recycled. We are fortunate that we have single-stream recycling here which makes it a real breeze because you don't have to separate the plastic from the paper and the glass, etc. Everything just goes in one large bin. Or in our case, two large bins.
We keep our two 64 gallon recycle bins in the garage, for obvious reasons. Our problem was where we collected everything that needed to be put in said bins. At first we just piled things up on the counter. Not only looked awful, but it was messy too. Then I went out and bought a rectangular Rubbermaid open bin so that we could stack everything in it, and then just bring it downstairs when it filled up. But it was still on the counter and looked awful plus we ended up having to empty it one to two times per day. Finally, we ended up putting a full size trash bin under our kitchen sink that is designated just for recyclables. Now I don't have to look at it anymore, so I am happy
However, I still have a similar issue on the top floor. We have three bedrooms and two bathrooms up there, and while bathrooms do not generate nearly as much recycling as the kitchen, with six of us it is still a decent amount. What usually happens is that empty shampoo bottles and empty toilet paper rolls get piled up on the bathroom counter, usually my side, until one of us decides to bring it downstairs. It's a pain. I needed something easy and convenient to hold our bathroom recyclables.
This is where the Rubbermaid Hidden Recycler helps declutter my counter tops. The Hidden Recycler easily attaches to the inside of your cabinet door with hooks so it can be tucked away out of sight when not in use. The 5 gallon bag can hold up to 36 12 ounce cans, is soft sided for flexibility and has a leak proof liner that is machine washable.
First, the Hidden Recycler needs to be assembled. This is super easy and took me all of 60 seconds to complete. The bag easily slips onto the frame and then the hooks snap into the back. An awesome bonus of this product is that the bag and packaging are made of recycled material and are recyclable themselves.
Next you just pick the cabinet that you want to hang this on and put it in place! Obviously, you will need to have some room in the cabinet, so make sure it is not jam packed in there. I would say you probably need to leave the first four to six inches of the cabinet clear of anything so that when you close the door, the bag has room and won't knock anything over. Here is my Hidden Recycler installed with it very first items inside!
As I mentioned, I needed some help with recycling bathroom items up on the top floor of our house. So I installed this in our hall bathroom, also known as the kid's bathroom of doom. This product is actually designed for kitchen cabinets, which are slightly taller than bathroom cabinets. I knew this before I even go it, but I still wanted to use it in the bathroom because I knew it would work well. The bag does hang down maybe an inch past the door, but since it is soft and flexible, I just give the bottom of the bag a little lift up when I am closing the door, and it is closes perfectly.
Once it gets full, there is a convenient handle to grab onto and pull it out so we can walk it down to our big recycle bins and dump it in. Our recycling pick up is every other week and the Hidden Recycler has been working great because it holds a large amount of items, so we only have to bring it down the night before pick up. Its nice not having to worry about a pile of plastic containers piling up on my counter anymore. I only have to think about this every other week when I empty it.
Buy
The Rubbermaid Hidden Recycler retails for $15.99 and is available for purchase online at Rubbermaid.com or in store at Meijer.
Giveaway
One (1) winner will receive a Rubbermaid Hidden Recycler for themselves. Open to US and Canada. Please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
Please note that the
opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my
personal experience with the product and/or company. You may encounter a
different experience with this than I did. I received free product to review.
This giveaway is open to legal residents in US and Canada only, 18+ only and will end on May 8, 2012 at 12:01am EST. Winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter and will be announced in the widget. Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Prize fulfillment is the responsibility of the sponsoring company. This blog and its author are not responsible for giveaway prizes that are lost in transit or damaged. This blog is also not responsible if a sponsor/company does not send prize(s). Naturally, I will communicate with said company(s) several times, and make every effort to resolve the issue. Good luck!
For more than fifty years, BBC Earth has been capturing audiences with the natural world. With ground breaking series like Blue Planet and Planet Earth, they have brought the beauty and wonders of Earth right into our living rooms. In March 2012 BBC introduced Frozen Planet, which showed us the frozen wildernesses of the Arctic and Antarctic and gave us an up close look at fascinating polar animals like penguins and polar bears.
"Encounter spectacles that few of us will ever witness as the camera team goes deep under the sea-ice into a magical world of giants, plunge into the heart of an erupting polar volcano and fly to the South Pole across the Antarctic icecap, the largest concentration of ice on our planet, retracing the steps of the great polar explorers."
Just in time for Earth Day, Frozen Planet will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD tomorrow, April 17. This is a great series to bring home and watch as a family, especially if your kids love nature and animals as much as mine do! Every Friday night is pizza night in our house followed by watching a movie together as a family. So this Friday we will be popping some organic popcorn and sitting down together to enjoy Frozen Planet.
The Ultimate Polar Bear Adventure Sweepstakes
Ahead of the April 17 release of Frozen Planet, BBC launched the The Ultimate Polar Bear Adventure Sweepstakes where two pairs of winners (one in the US and one in Canada) will receive a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe these magnificent, endangered polar bears up close as well as discover the rich human and natural history of Manitoba, Canada.
This amazing six-day adventure includes:
Round trip airfare to Winnipeg, Manitoba
Private charter flights between Manitoba and Churchill
Local sightseeing and two full-day excursions deep into polar bear country
A private cocktail party and dinner at the Manitoba Museum
A storytelling session with a First Nation resident
A dog sledding demonstration
And so much more!
This trip sounds so awesome, I have already entered myself!
Giveaway
I am so thrilled that I have a BBC Earth Day prize pack to giveaway! You do NOT want to miss out on this, in fact I am rather jealous of the person who will win it. One (1) winner will receive the following:
1 Blu-ray Planet Earth Limited Edition Globe,
1 Blu-ray Frozen Planet,
1 Blu-ray BBC Natural History Collection
This is an amazing collection to have and its combined retail value is over $300.
I will be receiving a complimentary copy of Frozen Planet on DVD. All thought and opinions are my own.
This giveaway is open to legal residents in US only, 18+ only and will end on April 30, 2012 at 12:01am EST. Winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter and will be announced in the widget. Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Prize fulfillment is the responsibility of the sponsoring company. This blog and its author are not responsible for giveaway prizes that are lost in transit or damaged. This blog is also not responsible if a sponsor/company does not send prize(s). Naturally, I will communicate with said company(s) several times, and make every effort to resolve the issue. Good luck!
Happy Friday! Please add both your green and non-green giveaways and contests into Mr. Linky below so we can do some giveaway hopping! Be sure to include the expiration date. Thanks!
You can also submit your green giveaways to me during the week for me to feature on Fridays.
Hello to everyone visiting from the 5 Minutes for Mom 2012 Ultimate Blog Party! And hello to all of my regular readers as well. This is my third year participating in this fun blog hop and I am looking forward to finding new blogs to read and meeting new people. If this is your first time here, thank you for stopping by to meet me.
I guess I should tell you a little bit about myself and my blog. My name is Marianna, if you hadn't figured that out already, and I live in Connecticut with my husband and our four sons. I have been blogging here for a little over three years now. In 2009, this blog started out as "Green Mama's Pad" and I was primarily a green mom/lifestyle blog. Over the years, my blog has grown a lot and I wanted to blog about not just green living, which is so very important to me, but every day life and parenting topics as well. I had outgrown the name Green Mama's Pad, plus I was getting tired of people thinking my blog had something to do with feminine products. So In January 2012, I renamed my blog to just Marianna.
Like I mentioned, green living is a big part of who I am and is still a topic I discuss often on my blog. My family and I are also huge Star Wars fans (uh duh, I live with 5 males, it was inevitable!) so there is a lot of talk about that here as well. Earlier this year my seven year old and I had the opportunity to visit Skywalker Ranch which was the most amazing experience ever! Of course I also do reviews and I especially love finding cool new eco-friendly gear. And mixed in with all of that you will also find life ramblings and things happening around Connecticut.
So that is just a little bit about me. I look forward to getting to know you all. Enjoy the party and please be sure you leave your UBP12 post in the linky below so I can
visit you as well.
I love a good cup of coffee. I am not in it for the caffeine, I prefer decaf since caffeine makes me all jittery. I like it for the flavor. Add in some smooth cream and a few teaspoons of sugar and I am in heaven. We are lucky that we have a brand new Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru close to our home. It is especially great during hockey season when the boys have to be at the rink by 6:45am. We almost always stop at DD on the way home so mommy and daddy can enjoy some coffee. And sometimes we pick up a box of munchkins for the kids.
Recently, Dunkin' Donuts has launched the "Wishes DelivereD" campaign along with the New York Metro area chapters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The goal of this month-long effort is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses in the New York Metro area.
“Dunkin’ Donuts is committed to serving those in need in our local communities, and partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation chapters in the New York Metro Area was a natural fit. We are thrilled to be able to help make children’s lives a little brighter,” says Cathy Chavenet, Field Marketing Manager for Dunkin’ Donuts. “We encourage our guests to get involved to help us make their dreams come true.”
Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has been granting the wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. In their more than 30 years of doing this, they have granted the wishes of more than 213,000 children in the United States. I am excited to see Dunkin' Donuts teaming up with such an amazing charitable organization that brings hope to so many across the country. And between now and April 30th, all of us can help grant some of those wishes through the "Wishes DelivereD" campaign. Here is how you can help:
Follow Dunkin’ Donuts on Twitter (@dunkinmetrony) and they will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
For every $25 custom “Wishes DelivereD” Dunkin’ Donuts gift card purchased at www.ddwishesdelivered.com, they will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In addition, people purchasing the gift card will be given the option to receive an additional $5 on the card or donate the $5 to Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Although this campaign is for the Metro New York Area*, anyone from anywhere in the country can participate. Take just a few moments to do one of the items listed above and help make a wish come true for a special child.
*Metro New York, Hudson Valley, Long Island, Fairfield County, Connecticut and New Jersey
This giveaway is open to legal residents in
US only, 18+ only and will end on April 30, 2012 at 12:01am EST.
Winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter and will be announced
in the widget. Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a
new winner will be picked. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Prize
fulfillment is the responsibility of the sponsoring company. This blog
and its author are not responsible for giveaway prizes that are lost in
transit or damaged. This blog is also not responsible if a
sponsor/company does not send prize(s). Naturally, I will communicate
with said company(s) several times, and make every effort to resolve the
issue. Good luck!
