{Social Parade Follow on Friday 9/23 }Blog Hop + Facebook Pages

Social Parade Follow on Friday Blog-Hop is a weekly link-up hosted by Smart and Trendy Moms . We created it for socializing and to get new followers, subscribers, readers without feeling overwhelmed. Every week will be a new link-up that will focus on following blogs.

{Jake and the Never Land Pirates-themed TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY Party}

In celebration of Jake and the Never Land Pirates Yo Ho Mateys Away on DVD for the first time I was lucky enough to be selected for a Jake and the Never Land Pirates-themed TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY Party! Talking like a pirate is so much fun that you cannot help but smile. I will admit that I have never participated in Talk Like a Pirate Day but knew that my kids would enjoy this. We invited a few fellow matey friends over for some food, fun, games and of course pirate talk.

The kids were very excited to get their party bags loaded with pirate themed stampers, beads, tattoos, pirate hats,bandanas and more. I decorated with a pirate banner and matching balloons. Each one of the kids also got a Jake and the Never Land Pirates Yo Ho Mateys Away DVD to take home. We served some awesome pirate food including drumsticks as peg legs and pirate punch. The kids had a blast doing Jake puzzles and everyone loved the treasure hunt. We even had a everyone wins talk in your best pirate voice contest. The kids loved that!

If your kids love Jake as much as mine do you can find the recipe for this cake and so much more Disney Family Fun 

Jake and the Never Land Pirates Yo Ho Mateys Away DVD

My kids have always loved the Disney Channel and they each have their favorite show. My son however loves Jake and the Never Land Pirates! The show is full of adventures while Jake and his friends solve pirate problems. My son really gets into this show and his favorite character is Skully the Parrot. I even enjoy watching the show with him. On September 27 Jake and the Never Land Pirates will be released on DVD. It has 7 of their episodes as well as a second music CD and a pirate eye patch for your favorite matey! Read more


I hope you enjoyed this post! Never miss a post-Subscribe by Reader or Email!Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclosure

{Back to School Shopping with T.J.Maxx and Marshalls}

This is the year that my oldest girl is going into 6th grade. It is really an important time in her life and she totally feels like she has to have her own style and most importantly be able to pick out her own clothes that we buy for back to school. At best I thought it would be a total headache to find just what she wanted but on my budget. While I often worry about the price, my daughter is totally at the age where style matters most. While she thought we were heading out to the mall I had a better plan. We were going to go to our local T.J.Maxx and see what we could find.

{Jake and the Never Land Pirates on DVD September 27}

My kids have always loved the Disney Channel and they each have their favorite show. My son loves Jake and the Never Land Pirates! The show is full of adventures while Jake and his friends solve pirate problems. My son really gets into this show and his favorite character is Skully the Parrot. I even enjoy watching the show with him. On September 27 Jake and the Never Land Pirates will be released on DVD. It has 7 of their episodes as well as a second music CD and a pirate eye patch for your favorite matey!

{Spooky Buddies on Blu-ray & DVD 9/20}

My kids love all the Buddies movies and could not be more excited for their newest one to come out. Spooky Buddies will be available on Blu-ray & DVD 9/20!

Darn Tough Vermont Review

Darn Tough Vermont socks are awesome.  My son recently got the chance to try out a pair of their hiking socks.  They have quickly become his favorite socks.  They are very soft and comfortable. 

Darn Tough Vermont socks are made in Vermont and was founded in 2004 with the purpose of finding a comfortable sock that could stand up to both frigid winters and humid summers.  The hiking socks my son tried are a custom shrink treated Merino wool and Coolmaxx blend.  The are very comfy feeling (I wish they would fit on my feet).  They are the hiking style of sock and they have extra cushioning on the bottom and a reinforce heel and toe.  They also have an invisible seam that my son loves as he is often bothered by seams in socks.

Redakai Cards - Review

My son got the chance to check out the new Redakai cards from SpinMaster. My son has the Redakai Starter Pack which has several Character, Monster and Attack cards and the X-Reader that looks like the X-Reader in the show. The cards have a whole story behind them about some kids that are traveling the world to gather Kairu energy to use it to defeat evil.  There is also a show on Cartoon Network.

The cards are similar to Bakugan gaming/trading cards. You can collect and trade and play a game with them where you attack and defend. While the rules are similar, the cards are much different. They take things to the next level of cool. The cards themselves are really neat. They have SpinMasters Blast3D technology that makes them look 3D and they appear to move when you move the card. But the best part is that instead of having to keep track of the attack and defense the transparent parts of the cards do it for you. As you stack them they track your health and damage points.

You can check out the Redakai cards on their website.





I hope you enjoyed this post! Never miss a post-Subscribe by Reader or Email!Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclosure

Earthbound Farms Cookbook Review

I have been trying to get my family to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables lately as part of my get healthy/lose weight plan. I recently got the chance to review Food to Live by and The Earthbound Cookbook, both are written by Myra Goodman of Earthbound Farms. Both books are amazing and provide plenty of recipes that help with eating more fruits and vegetables.

                

Earthbound Farms began as a backyard garden and has developed in a large organic farm that grows healthy organic foods and works to protect the environment. On their website, they have some great information for kids about organic farming.  Their site also has some great recipes for cooking with kids to help kids develop a taste for foods that are healthy for them.

Food to Live by is a great collection of recipes with tons of info about produce including cooking and shopping tips. I love that they offer tips for selecting produce in addition to just the recipe. For example, the recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble looks interesting, but I don't know anything about rhubarb. The book provides information about it and an explanation of what to look for when picking out rhubarb that is really helpful and helps encourage trying new things.

The Earthbound Cookbook is probably my favorite of the two. It has 250 great recipes and tips for green cooking.  Tons of the recipes in the book are great.  You can see some of the amazing recipes on their website. I love the Chapter on Pantry Basics: Stocks, Sauces, Dips, and More.  Plus, the pictures in both cookbooks are beautiful.  Just seeing the photos makes you want to try out all of the recipes.

If you want to eat healthy and protect the environment, check out the Earthbound Farms website and be sure to take a look at Food to Live By and The Earthbound Cookbook.  You can also connect with them on facebook or twitter.



 I hope you enjoyed this post! Never miss a post-Subscribe by Reader or Email!Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclosure

{Monday Giveaway Link-up 9/19}

Link up as many as you like. Find and list great giveaways. Check back every Monday for a fresh linky.We'd love it if you could help get the word out about our linky by tweeting{Tweet Button, right side bottom of post:}.Post Giveaway item and end date. Anything other than giveaways will be deleted! Have a wonderful week everyone!

{Crazy for Bargains-Fun Sleepwear for the Whole Family}

Last year one of my most favorite companies in our Holiday Gift Guide was Crazy for Bargains. Their fun and really affordable selection of sleepwear was a real hit for my family and we loved having them as a part of our Guide. If you are not familiar with them, they offer durable, affordable, pajamas and accessories for women, men, children, toddlers, and infants. One thing that really stands out for me about them is their selection. I can pick something up for the entire family and love browsing everything they have.

{Time Island }

All of my kids love online games. They will play as long as I let them and they love finding new games to play. When I heard about Time Island I knew my oldest daughter would have fun playing it. Time Island is a virtual game online where your kids will play and use their skills to survive. They are responsible for keeping their fed as well as maintaining hygiene. All set on on a lush island and also has games and adventures along the way! My daughter has enjoyed playing it and with it being in beta there are even more features and fun to come.
We were able to have a few of her friends over for a little Surviving Time Island Party. The kids really had a great time. We handed out Band Bracelets, Stickers, Temporary Tattoos and played themed games all with surviving in mind. We had some great refreshments and fed the survivors themed snacks and treats. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and the kids that never heard of the game were very excited to try it for themselves. You can read more about the game below as well as liking them on Facebook!

Time Island is a virtual game world designed for your child’s enjoyment and learning. The game takes place on a beautiful imaginary island inhabited by strange green creatures, called the Goggs.


As your child explores Time Island, he or she will come across a variety of games to play, some of which are educational and others which are designed to challenge and enhance your child’s multi-faceted skill sets. Among these skill sets are hand-eye coordination, spatial reasoning, music, logic and mathematics.


However, membership is required to truly give your child the experience and thrill of surviving Time Island while learning and having fun!


On Time Island the underlying theme is survival in nature, which is conveyed through the multitude of virtual world activities as well as a variety of do-at-home activities. The Time Island team is committed to providing a clean and safe environment for your child as he or she meets, communicates and plays with other children from across the globe.


Curse words are automatically banned from Time Island, while site managers ensure that Time Island is free of cyber-bullying and other inappropriate subject matter. Children and parents will be warned if rules of behavior are broken, and if need be a child will be removed from the site.


Strict guidelines promoting appropriate and non-threatening behavior will be diligently enforced to protect your child.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Never miss a post-Subscribe by Reader or Email!Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclosure

{Social Parade Follow on Friday 9/16 }Blog Hop + Facebook Pages

Social Parade Follow on Friday Blog-Hop is a weekly link-up hosted by Smart and Trendy Moms . We created it for socializing and to get new followers, subscribers, readers without feeling overwhelmed. Every week will be a new link-up that will focus on following blogs.

{ We're Moving!!! }

We are excited to announce that we are finally moving Smart and Trendy Moms to WordPress.  The fun part, we are doing it ourselves!  Kelly will be doing much of the switch over while I do most of the stressing :)

We are hoping that the change over will go smoothly and we are hoping for as few site interruptions as possible.  Cross your fingers for us!  We will be starting the change over soon so if we disappear, don't worry will be back as soon as possible. 

Our address will still be www.smartandtrendymoms.com so that won't be changing (all your bookmarks should still work), but we are planning a new design, so be sure to check back at www.smartandtrendymoms.com to see our new look!



I hope you enjoyed this post! Never miss a post-Subscribe by Reader or Email!Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclosure

{Monday Giveaway Link-up 9/12}

Link up as many as you like. Find and list great giveaways. Check back every Monday for a fresh linky.We'd love it if you could help get the word out about our linky by tweeting{Tweet Button, right side bottom of post:}.Post Giveaway item and end date. Anything other than giveaways will be deleted! Have a wonderful week everyone!

{Social Parade Follow on Friday 9/9 }Blog Hop + Facebook Pages

Social Parade Follow on Friday Blog-Hop is a weekly link-up hosted by Smart and Trendy Moms . We created it for socializing and to get new followers, subscribers, readers without feeling overwhelmed. Every week will be a new link-up that will focus on following blogs.

{Giveaway Reminder Ending Soon with Low Entries!! }

We have 8 really awesome giveaways up for grabs! They are all ending really soon and have low entries!
{Pep Boys $50 Gift Card 9/8}
{*Lovemode $25 Gift Certificate 9/8}
{Organically Cute Baby Bib Pack 9/9}
{Gazillion Bubble Hurricane 9/9}
{Aurora Softy Soakers 9/9}
{ Hanes ComfortBlend EcoSmart® T-shirts Pack9/9}
{Coffee-mate Natural Bliss 9/9}
{Lite Sprites Giveaway 9/9}

I hope you enjoyed this post! Never miss a post-Subscribe by Reader or Email!Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclosure

{Monday Giveaway Link-up 9/5}

Link up as many as you like. Find and list great giveaways. Check back every Monday for a fresh linky.We'd love it if you could help get the word out about our linky by tweeting{Tweet Button, right side bottom of post:}.Post Giveaway item and end date. Anything other than giveaways will be deleted! Have a wonderful week everyone!

{Lite Sprites Giveaway}

I love toys that have a story with them, encourage imagination, and help kids learn.  The new Lite Sprites are that type of toy. We recently got the chance to review the Lite Sprites Lite Wand, Prisma, and Pod.

The best thing about the light sprites is the amazing wand.  The wand can "collect" color and "share" it with the sprites and playsets.    It has a "color library" that you can add colors to by holding the bottom of the wand to the color wheel or to any flat surface.  The color of the surface then shows up in top of the wand.  If you aim the wand at a fairy and then hold the button, you can "magically" change the color of the sprites. Very cool!

{Social Parade Follow on Friday 9/2 }Blog Hop + Facebook Pages

Social Parade Follow on Friday Blog-Hop is a weekly link-up hosted by Smart and Trendy Moms . We created it for socializing and to get new followers, subscribers, readers without feeling overwhelmed. Every week will be a new link-up that will focus on following blogs.