Central Texas News

Yesterday we had a momentous event. My nine year old daughter had her ears priced. It was an exciting event that she would forever remember. I bet you are asking why I waited so long. I know. Most girls have their ears priced really young in age. Well, when I had my first child I decided that she would chose when to do it. I do not exactly enjoy watching my children get shots so, I did not think this event would be much more pleasant. Plus, I wanted my girls to be old enough and responsible to be able take care of the cleaning and maintenance needed when getting any piercing.

I decided to take my daughter to Claire’s in South Austin on Congress and IH34. We went in to the store and was immediately greeted by a young lady and she directed us to the chart box with starter earnings. I looked at it for about 15 minutes before she offered to help. It was confusing with the earrings on one side and description and prices on the other side. And they did not match up with each other. Also, it would he been more helpful if they were listed by price. Although I want the best for my children, I also do not want to break the bank. Prices started at $24 to about $50.

The woman who did the piercing did a very good job. Although she did not talk a lot. After, we looked around the store for odds and ends and found this really cute Halloween headband that my youngest wore to the first day of school today and a really great deal of $1.99 for 2o ponytails. In the end, we enjoyed our time at Claire’s. Is it a place I would go to often, probably not (it is a nitche store) But I would recommend it to people to get a young girl’s ears pierced or to have a fun time with the girls 🙂

Claire’s On Twitter
Claire’s on Facebook
Claire’s Website 

Disclaimer: I visited Clarie’s and reviewed them on my own with out any interaction from the company. I was not compensated in any way.

It is back to school time! My kids start on Monday and you know what that means? Time to find fast, easy and not so unhealthy treats and snacks for the kids. I am not sure if it is the amount of time they have to eat at school or just that they do not manage their time well (my girls really love to socialize) but they always come home hungry.

General Mills has 2 really great products that will catch your children’s eyes as well and tied their tummies by till dinner time. These flavor-packed Cereal Treats Bars are sure to meet the ‘cool factor’ that kids demand. Check out Cereal Treats Bars online for great information and coupons for new products. Also, be sure to visit the Betty Crocker Facebook page and get involved in the conversation. We’d love to hear how your family enjoys Cereal Treats Bars!

I will be honest, I have never bought either of these products for my kids. So it was an experiment to try them. I know, I always thought they were loaded with sugar and thought they would taste bad. Was I shocked! They actually taste really good. I was very pleased with both the Golden Grahams Cereal Treats Bars and Lucky Charms Cereal Treats Bars. My kids were all too delighted to try these as well. Considering they have had their eyes on these products in the store for some time 🙂

Flavor varieties include the ever popular Golden Grahams® (130 calories) and new Lucky Charms® Treats (100 calories), loaded with popular favorites like chocolate and marshmallows. Cereal Treats Bars contain less than 140 calories per bar and are made with wholesome cereal, making them a snack option that you can feel good about giving your kids. TWO Box Tops for Education seals on each box of Cereal Treat Bars, making earning cash for your school doubly cool!

Disclosure / Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was obtained for this post. I received a complimentary product to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed here are mine and may differ from yours.

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I shopped around for the cutest scrapbook stickers and embellishments. It was a pretty costly endeavor. Once she was born, I had such high hopes of documenting each and every day of her life.  Then it happened, the sleepless nights, diapers, feedings, teething…. before I knew it, she was 5 and I had 4 pages of my scrapbook done. 4 whole pages! But I had a healthy and happy child so I was not going to worry about my failed attempt at the #1 Memory Tracking Mom. So, in the box all the items I purchased went. And there they still are 10 years later.

Scrapbooking is not only time consuming, but a costly hobby. Neither of which, can I afford nor have I ever been able to as a working mom and blogger on top of that.

So, imagine my surprise when I was shown My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software! You buy the software, download it and make beautiful scrapbooking pages. To be honest, my grandmother could use this program, it has a very user friendly interface. The scrapbook software comes with a LOT of templates and if you need more you can purchase them at a very small fee. You can add embellishments, words, calendars, edit images. You can even add videos and music and put your albums on DVD, CD, iPod wow! I love this program 🙂

Not only can use My Memories Suite for scrapbooking but I used the program to make my Christmas cards. Make place setting for Birthdays or Weddings, prints to frame and give as a gift, you could even use this program to take put pictures of your child’s sports team and print them for fundraising.

Blog- http://blog.mymemories.com/
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/MyMemories/140359372717593
Twitter- http://twitter.com/#!/mymemoriessuite

Pay $5 for $10 to spend at The Juice Spot, North Austin’s newest juice mecca. Walk into this locally owned and operated emporium and you’ll find an array of fresh-squeezed organic juices and smoothies, from simple classics like purely pleasurable and pulpy orange to the complex nourishment of a Vital Force smoothie (pineapple, banana, date, almond, lime, Himalayan salt, and Macca root). Don’t miss the wall of cereal, either: While you await your drink, pour a bowl of fibrous flakes or crunchy granola and tackle the toppings bar. 

Get more information here!

My mother sent me this video and I felt that I had to share with as many women as I could. As moms we want to please everyone. Our jobs, husbands, children, pets etc. It really is a 24/7 job. And being Super Mom is hard on our bodies. We need to remember to take care of ourselves and listen to our own bodies.

Elizabeth Banks has teamed up with the American Heart Association and Go Red For Women to create a short film called Just A Little Heart Attack which addresses the issue of heart attacks in women.

In the film, Banks plays an overworked and stressed-out mother on a busy morning when she starts to have symptoms of a heart attack. Banks describes the film as being about “a super mom who takes care of everyone except herself and learns the lesson that she better look after herself, as well.”

Check out the short film to learn more about heart disease in women.

For more information about Go Red For Women and the American Heart Association, visit their website here.

Start the New Year off on solid financial footing with this budget-friendly bundle from money guru Dave Ramsey. This is a great kit for anyone who’s just getting started with Dave’s proven principles. You’ll receive The Total Money Makeover Book and Workbook, two DVD lessons, the Money Answer Book, the Starter Envelope System, and free budgeting software. Learn how to set up a cash flow plan, live within your means, pay off your debt, and have enough extra cash for saving and entertainment.

Get more information here!

Thank you for your participation in today’s Live Chat with Angelina Jolie. Just a reminder, she will be on air 8pm EST/5pm PST right here!

$10, you get $20 worth of upscale comfort fare at Hyde Park Bar & Grill. This Groupon is valid at both the central Austin location, celebrating 30 years of service, as well as the newly opened south Austin location.

Outside Hyde Park Bar & Grill’s original central location, a giant fork—a longtime local landmark—indicates the giant array of comfort, bistro, and veggie fare waiting inside, and the eatery now also treats diners to a similar menu at its recently opened south Austin location. Guests can choose from 14 sammies—the exact number of sandwich varieties park rangers discovered in Yogi Bear’s home safe—such as the half-pound Texas-raised burger prepared with hormone- and antibiotic-free beef ($9.95). The restaurant’s award-winning fries seasoned and dipped in buttermilk ($2.95–$6.95) can augment the enjoyment of a country-fried pork cutlet ($10.95), vegetable stir-fry ($7.95), or farm-raised catfish ($11.95). Hyde Park Bar & Grill also passes out a gluten-free menu for gluten-intolerant diners and proffers vegan options for any diner practicing for a movie role as a rather undedicated carnivore.

Get more information here!

Pay just $19 for $70 worth of tattoo services at Austin Dermagraphix ($70 value). Choose from 4 skilled tattoo artists, who will strive to make your vision become a reality and create the masterpiece of your dreams. The artists take real pride in their work while providing advice and guidance, to ensure your complete peace of mind.

Get more information here!

Jan 3, 2012

Pay just $5 and you’ll get a $10 gift card to Ben & Jerry’s gift card good at Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops. Enjoy a sundae, shake, cone or other euphoric concoction in a fun and friendly setting. To find a Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop near you, checkout the Scoop Shop Locator at BenJerry.com/scoop-shops. 

This offer has ended.

Cupcakes, like babies, are smaller, cuter, and more tempting to nibble on. Indulge your maternal/carnivoral instincts with today’s Groupon to Two Gals Cupcakery. Choose between the following options:

• For $12, you get one dozen cupcakes (a $24 value).
• For $22, you get two dozen cupcakes (a $48 value).

Two Gals Cupcakery, an online baked-goods delivery service, create snack-size cakes that are hand-crafted from premium ingredients and available in a jaw-dropping menu of flavors. Sweet and savory tastes are combined in each vanilla maple frosted cupcake that’s crowned with candied maple bacon. Mayan-chocolate-flavored treats massage taste buds with hints of cayenne, cinnamon, and sea salt, doubling as bait for those who would like to lure ants into a fellow camper’s sleeping bag. Alternatively, chocolate cupcakes are topped with raspberry buttercream and enclose sumptuous centers of raspberry-chocolate ganache. Confections arrive on clients’ doorsteps between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., roughly 48 hours after each order is placed.

Get more information here!

TheSantaVideo.com is the talk of the season, allowing parents to create a fun, high quality, video of Santa Claus visiting their very own home. Utilizing green screen technology, parents upload a picture from their home, select a Santa Claus scenario, and let our software superimpose Santa Claus right into your living room! Parents can then stream their video or download a high quality version to share in limitless ways including burning to DVD for Christmas morning.

The Santa Video is so cool! It looks so real, it even cast a shadow where it would if Santa were standing in my living room!  Here is my video I made with The Santa Video. I am looking forward to seeing my children’s faces when I show them the video of Santa in our living room Christmas morning.

The process was really easy. All I had to do was take a photograph of the room I wanted Santa in. Upload the image to the website. Then you have several options of what Santa does in the video. After that you can select the music, I selected Silent Night for mine. And then you process your order. You will get an email shortly after that with a link to the feed and a link to download the file. You can select either one or both. It just depends on what you plan to do with your video. I down loaded mine, which took 5 min, but that is not really bad. It has a count down clock while you wait. I uploaded mine to Youtube but you can do what ever you like with the file including putting it on a DVD and watching it on the big screen! How cool is that?

 The Santa VIDEO see Santa in your own home! Review

Imagine your childs excitement on Christmas morning, watching Santa Claus walk past their very own Christmas tree, delivering their presents, and eating their cookies and milk, all in your very own home!

TheSantaVideo allows you to do just this in 3 simple steps, creating a high-quality video proof of santa visiting, check it out here.

Family Owned & Operated, TheSantaVideo.com has been adding smiles to childrens faces since 2009. We happen to love the spirit of Christmas, and The Santa Video is a direct result of the excitement our family shared as children. We hope you have the same fun we had the first time we created a video of santa. 

Disclaimer: I was provided the above product  for me to review from MomBlogSociety.com. However, these words are 100% my own opinion.