7/28/14: Back To School with Master Lock

In every store you shop in Back to School signs are everywhere.  For parents this means preparation for the new school year.  This includes many components in our house.  First there is getting everyone back on a regular schedule which is difficult after the summer with staying up past bed times, little activities and no homework.  It also includes getting Back to School clothes, new shoes, and supplies.  Now with kids carrying expensive technology there is more of a concern over the safety of these items.

I received some wonderful products from Master Lock.  Did you know that in 2010 Master Lock introduced the Speed Dial padlock?  It is the first padlock that opens on directional movements (up, down, left, right) instead of the traditional rotary dial.  Then in 2012 they produced the first-ever digital padlock called the dialSpeed.  

Even locks are coming in to this digital era.  I received the 1500eDBX dialSpeed Digital Combination Lock.  It has an electronic light up keypad with an online backup.  You can actually retrieve you combination from https://www.masterlockvault.com/ It retails for $15.99.  I love how it lights up.

There is also the 5900D SafeSpace™ Portable Safe.  This is the perfect place to put cash, credit cards, electronics and more.  

 It looks pretty cool and is easy to use.  Plus it is portable.  It would be great to take on vacation to protect your valuables.

There is a little black protective cover over the combination. 

 Here you can see the length of the cable.

 There is enough space for small items and electronics such as an iPhone, keys, wallet.

 It has a cable that can be used to anchor it down or it can be used as a handle for carrying.  It comes in white, grey and pink and retails for $19.99. 

Additional new products by Master Lock are: 

Plus the 1535D and 1535DWD Set-Your-Own Combination Locks.  This is great for students and they can set a personalized combination which can be numbers or letters.  Select styles are available in black or white with brightly colored dials and retail for $7.99. 

1500iD Speed Dial™ Set-Your-Own Combination Lock in a stylish metallic purple design. 

5900D SafeSpace™ Laptop Computer Lock:  Protection for you laptop computer.

Master Lock Vault allows you to securely store your private data in the cloud for easy access anytime, anywhere with this digital safe deposit box.

Plus Master Lock is having a Photo Hunt Challenge.  This interactive online game offers players a chance to view the many products Master Lock offers to keep students’ belongs safe at school while getting a chance to win fun Master Lock products and other cool prizes.  Now through September 7, participants can go to http://www.masterlockphotohunt.com/ for a chance to win back-to-school security items and create a Master Lock shopping wish list.  

Players can add any of the Master Lock products they see while playing the game to their wish list and email it to mom or dad for easy back-to-school shopping.  The game features two similar back-to-school images and asks players to spot the differences before time runs out.  Finding all the differences will unlock the next photo board with the potential to earn up to two sweepstakes entries for each play.  There are more than 65 chances to win, including daily instant win prizes, weekly prizes and one grand prize: a Samsung Smart Media Center Package that includes a 60” HD 1080p Smart LED HDTV.  

You can also participate in a Master Lock Twitter Party on August 5th at 8 PM EST, hosted by @ResourcefulMom #MasterBackToSchool. More details can be found here.
Find them online:  http://www.masterlock.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MasterLock
Twitter:  @MasterLockUS

Disclosure:  This post is sponsored and I received these Master Lock products in exchange for review.  All opinions are my own.

8/31/13: Reflecting on Summer and Looking Ahead

After I took this picture yesterday at Wallis Sands Beach in Rye, NH I was inspired to write a post reflecting back on our summer.  Summer is such a wonderful time!  Especially for those of us that live in the Northeast with crazy weather in the winter it is nice to have sun and warm weather.  It is wonderful to be outside and enjoy.

Summer is all about relaxing a bit, no homework, no activities and for me a bucket list of activities.  There are so many fun attractions in our area that I like to visit.  Every summer involves a list of places to go and at least one day of each weekend we are off to an adventure.  

Places we visited this year included Story Land, The Conway Scenic Railroad Crawford Notch Tour, Santa's Village, Water Country, Canobie Lake Park, Roger Williams Park Zoo, the Franklin Park Zoo, Mystic Aquarium, McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, The Old Mill, Parlee Farms, hitting the beach, going mini-golfing, and going to Kimball Farms in Westford.  

Here you can see Evan on the Bumper Boats.

Mini Golf at Kimball Farm.

It is all about spending time with the family in a more relaxed schedule which I love.

Then the end of August rolls around (at least here in NE) and it is time for summer to end.  My end was official when I had to put together 650 folders with documents for the first day of school.  Being the President of the PTO brings a lot of work to the beginning of the year.  Speaking at Back to School Nights, getting new members, PTO Meetings, and marching in the town's parade.

My officers and I got together to get all of these folders ready and then deliver them to all the classrooms.

Even though I am not going back to school, I will mourn summer vacation.  I will miss letting the kids stay up late, have sleepovers, sleep late, and not having to rush to activities.

Happy Back to School Time to Everyone, and RIP to Summer Vacation!

8/19/13: Proctor and Gamble Everyday BTS and Giveaway!

CONTEST CLOSED:  CONGRATULATIONS JODY M. FOR WINNING!
Back to School, do these words alone invoke stress and anxiety for both children and parents?  I know when I was a kid I could feel my stomach in knots the night before I started school with thoughts of: Will I like my teacher? Will I have any friends in my class? Will it be harder?  Now as a parent it is all about getting backpacks, new clothes for the kids, and getting the kids back in to the routine.  I was lucky enough to be invited by Proctor & Gamble to MiniLuxe in Boston, MA to talk stress free back to school and get a pedicure!  What time for Mom in all the craziness?  I never thought of that, but happily went.  Read on and you can win a $50 gift certificate to the Proctor and Gamble eStore with great brands like Tide, Pampers, Duracell, Gillette, Oral-B, Pantene, Charmin and so many more.  You can check out the full list here.

We walked in to a beautiful area ready to have our pedicure and talk Back to School with Audrey McLelland of MomGenerations as our gracious host with the most adorable baby and beautiful Mom.

I am the President of our elementary school's PTO which brings a lot of responsibility for the beginning of the year.  I am preparing documents, making photocopies and getting my officers together to plan for the year in addition to getting the family ready.  I know without organization I would never be ready.  Proctor & Gamble has some great resources on their P&G Everyday Back to School Tips page to get you prepared.  This list not only helps with preparation for the back to school season, but it also provides some ideas on how to get a little "me" time.  I was happy to see some of my favorite Boston Bloggers and get some time to chat and relax with them.

Here are some of my favorites:

Preparing Your Home – Clean out closets, remove clothes that the kids have outgrown and replace with new school clothes 

Tackling Nutrition and Meal Planning – Answer the inevitable “what’s for dinner” question before it’s even asked, and remove one more thing from your daily to-do list by planning out and shopping for meals in advance. 

Getting a Jump on Your Family’s Health & Wellness – Schedule appointments for annual check-ups and make visits to the dentist, orthodontist, and optometrist.

Create New Student Care Packages – To help ease kids back into the school year, create small care packages to hide in your child’s backpack, coat pocket, or desk/locker. Notes, drawings and photos are always a hit, but you can also consider including: 

Choose to Celebrate! – Instead of facing the new school year with a sense of dread, plan something fun and active for your kids in the last days of summer to celebrate the coming school year. 

Uncover Moments for Mom 

Pack lunches the night before and schedule a quick morning walk with a neighbor to start your day 

Sneak away for a pedicure or manicure after you drop your child at an after-school activity 

Slide an e-reader in your purse and lose yourself in the latest bestseller during those idle minutes waiting for your kids 

I always loved Proctor & Gamble products but now I love them a little bit more as they show how to make Mom's life easier!  Enter the giveaway below to win $50 to the P&G eStore!

Disclosure:  I was given a pedicure and P&G Products in exchange for this post.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

8/15/13: Back to School With BJ's

We have been shopping at BJ's Wholesale Club in Hudson, MA at Highland Commons.  Wholesale Clubs used to be all about bulk quantities and the average small household couldn't shop at them.  BJ's is not just for bulk products, you can do your weekly shopping there and save a lot of money.  I was invited to a recent event there and was excited to see all of the Back to School products they have.

 I love lunch kits and it makes it so easy to pack a nutritious lunch and snack for your children.  Especially this Rubbermaid container below.  The blue portion is put in the freezer to keep things cool.

 There are tons of great items including markers, crayons, pens, pencils, folders, etc.  For those of you who have kids going to college, they have tons of cool dorm room products also.  Their seasonal aisles are always so fun to check out as you never know what you will find.

Look at how cute these items are.

I also received one of these great backpacks which Lauren was excited about as it is Purple.

I talked about the produce earlier.  They have a huge selection! 

Plus they support local farmers.  I loved seeing the locally grown symbol on vegetables. 

Look at this beautiful pasta.  They are constantly working with new vendors to bring great products to their stores. 

 They even have Barney Butter Almond Butter.  This was just in.  They also have a ton of Organic products for great prices.

 Even camping equipment is sold there.  We bought our swing set there.

The BJ's social media team was wonderful and showed us some cool easy sandwiches to make for lunches. 

 Did you know that BJ's always has an area at the front of the store with coupons that are changed out ever 2 weeks?  These are BJ's coupons along with a Booklet that is mailed to members.  But you can also use manufacturer's coupons with the BJ's coupons for more savings!  BJ's is the only wholesale club to do this!

 

Some tips on using coupons at BJ's:

- When purchasing a multi-pack of “individual for sale” packaged items, which is a set of items that could be sold individually (each item has a barcode) shrinkwrapped and sold together, shoppers can combine one BJ’s-issued coupon with manufacturers’ coupons. However, you cannot exceed the actual retail price in the
total value of coupons. 

Other examples of a multipack:

-  Three-pack of toothpaste

-  Two-pack of salad dressing

Examples of products that are NOT a multipack:

-  Box of cereal that contains two bags (the bags cannot be sold individually)

-  Case of water

-  In terms of manufacturer’s coupons that are ‘buy one, get one free’ BJ’s will honor the coupon for items in stock as long as BJ’s price does not exceed the maximum value stated on the coupon. If the manufacturer’s coupon does not state the maximum value then BJ’s cannot honor the coupon.

More about BJ’s Wholesale Club:

BJ’s Wholesale Club is a one-stop shopping destination for name brand, high-quality food and merchandise at prices that are significantly lower than supermarkets, supercenters, department stores, drug stores and specialty retail stores. In fact, BJ’s can save consumers more than 30 percent off supermarket prices.

Learn more and shop online at BJs.com.

Like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/bjswholesaleclub

Follow them on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/bjswholesale

Disclosure:  I received some back to school items and a BJ's gift card in exchange for this review.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

9/11/12: Back to School!

It is that time of year again, back to school time.  I just put my little one on the bus for the first time to head to Kindergarten, sniff, sniff.  Luckily she has her big brother who is in 2nd Grade to show her the ropes and help her out.

Of course Fred our dog had to get in on the picture.

Here is Evan on his first day.  Since Lauren is in Kindergarten they started on different days.

 He loves Angry Birds.

 At the bus stop.

 Ready to go.

 Getting on the bus.

 Look at that big smile when he came home, what a great first day.

 Here is Lauren at orientation.

 She made this while she was there.

 Lauren's 1st day!

Showing me her cool backpack.

 With the scrapbook page that I had to make to put up in the room.  This was my homework for the first day of school.

 Ready to go.

 On to the bus, sniff, sniff (for me and not her, she didn't even look back).

 HAVE A GREAT YEAR!