Matchbox Heroes Wanted Sweepstakes

April 17, 2013 By

Disclosure: this post was part of a sponsored campaign with MomSelect

When I was a little girl I used to play with my Matchbox® cars. I loved them. They were so cool, I thought they were better than any doll out there.  I had all sorts of Matchbox® cars, I even had a special carrier for them. In anticipation of having grandchildren, my parents lovingly packed up all my Matchbox®cars and kept them safe. Somehow they knew my children would love them just as much as I did. Now, whenever my boys visit my parents, the first thing they go for is the little box full of Matchbo®x cars my mom keeps in the dining room just for the boys. They lug the box into the kitchen were we all sit around my parent’s kitchen table and vroom the cars back and forth, in what ends up being a big Matchbox® demolition derby. It is tons of fun. Every Christmas Santa seems to sneak a few Matchbox® cars in the boys stockings.

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This year Matchbox® celebrates 60 years of unstoppable heroic vehicle adventures by offering Matchbox® diecast vehicles for 60 cents and the Matchbox® Heroes Wanted™ Sweepstakes with a $60,000 college scholarship. I would love to have one of our boys win that scholarship.

Matchbox® Heroes Wanted™ Sweepstakes

The Matchbox® Heroes Wanted™ Sweepstakes calls on parents to celebrate the heroic attributes of their children by submitting a picture and caption of their hero-in-training dressed as their favorite real-life icon. Submissions will be showcased on the Matchbox® Heroes Wanted™ Facebook gallery and are automatically entered to win the grand prize – a $60,000 college scholarship. Parents with children between three and 10 years old can enter the contest now through May 13, 2013. Sixty prize pack giveaways will be awarded weekly consisting of a Matchbox® branded gift box, a personalized photo-frame thank you card and four heroic Matchbox® vehicles. To learn more about the contest and read stories from the heroes that inspired Matchbox® vehicles, visit www.Matchbox.com/Heroes

Since 1953, detailed Matchbox® vehicles have inspired and helped create countless unstoppable adventures all over the world. For fans eager to start or continue building their collection, Matchbox® is hosting a limited-time national retail promotion. A select line of diecast vehicles will be available for 60 cents for one week between March 4 and March 10th at participating retailers and on MattelShop.com.

The brand is also releasing a collectible diecast line of 24 vehicles that harkens back to its roots to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Finally, fans can view the Matchbox’s® 60th anniversary anthem video, which captures the spirit of the brand – unstoppable vehicles for heroic adventures – at www.Matchbox.com/Heroes.

 

 

I know you will want to get in on this fun and exciting adventure. I would love to see your Matchbox® enthusiast’s photo on their website, and maybe even see them win the whole sweepstakes. Do you or your children love Matchbox® as much as we do?®

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Upere Wedge Sneaker Review: a Sponsored Post

April 16, 2013 By

Disclosure: I have received a pair of Upere shoes in exchange for my review of their product. All opinions are my own.

Upere Wedge Sneakers

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used to LOVE to wear high heels, then I had 3 kids and my feet told me no way! But I’m still only 5’3″ and love to have a little boost when it comes to height. I started noticing that wedge sneakers are becoming popular. There are tons of them popping up on Pinterest and Ployvore so when Upere offered me a pair of their super cool shoes, I jumped at the chance. I wanted something fashionable, comfy and with a bit of a lift.

I received the Upere Wedge Sneakers in Cobalt Blue. They are bright and playful, and certainly NOT boring. The shoes are Cobalt Blue suede uppers with a 2 inch wedge heel and a rubber anti-slip soles.  They have hidden Velcro closures that you can adjust to your size. This is the only feature I don’t love of the shoe, I find the Velcro closure scratches my leg if I close it. I have opted to not close them and they fit fine that way. They will NOT come off. Overall the shoes are comfortable. I wear a US 6.5 and found the EU 37 to be a perfect fit.

I love that they are casual shoes that give you a little height and a fashionable look without compromising the comfort that comes with a more casual shoe. Upere offers every color combination you can imagine, some bold and some more subdued. I happen to like the Navy and the White Tongue Cream. I think they would easily be incorporated into most wardrobes. I have chosen to wear my Upere Wedge Sneakers with jeans but as the weather warms up I think they would look cute and sporty with an easy flowing skirt or if you have the legs for it, short shorts.

The Upere Wedge Sneakers have a street smart and playful look that works well with today’s styles. I love the look with skinny jeans or paired with an unexpected dress. Many of the Upere Wedge Sneakers are multicolored offering amazing styling choices and options.

You can follow Upere on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Upere is also offering a 15% discount to my readers, simply use the code “UPERE”.

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Gluten Free Carrot Cake

April 12, 2013 By

For this past Easter I decided to make a gluten free carrot cake. I adore a moist cake and carrot cakes never fail to provide a delicious end to any meal. My favorite carrot cake is full of coconut, pineapple, walnuts and cinnamon. I wanted to recreate that with a gluten free cake, so I of course opted to use King Arthur Gluten Free Flour. To me, this makes the best cakes. We have found that if we take very simple precautions our cake will stay moist and delicious for days, unlike most other cakes made with someone else’s flour blends.

carrot cake-1 Upload

5.0 from 9 reviews
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Gluten Free Carrot Cake Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups King Arthur gluten free flour mix
  • 1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1½ cups vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups grated peeled carrots
  • 1 can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and cut parchment paper rounds to fit the bottom of pans.
  3. Butter the parchment rounds and set pans aside.
  4. In a separate bowl combine gluten-free flour mix, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  5. To the bowl of your mixer add sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla, and beat until creamy.
  6. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, and combine.
  7. Repeat until all flour mixture has been combines and beat at medium-low speed for 1 minute.
  8. Fold in carrots, pineapple ,walnuts, and coconut with a spatula.
  9. Mixture will be very thick.
  10. Divide mixture evenly between the two cake pans.
  11. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
  12. Do not over bake as cake can become dry.
  13. Remove from oven when toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
  14. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack.
  15. Cool cakes completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting.
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Organizing, Money and musicMagpie: a Sponsored Post

April 11, 2013 By

 

 

musicMagpie

 

 

I have been compensated for the following post.

Problems

Now that I am finally starting to feel like a human being again, the two older boys are in school full time and littlest man is capable of playing on his own, I have decided to tackle something that has been a real annoyance to me. And that is getting this house in order. We moved in 5 years ago and we still have things in boxes! The kids toys take over everything and we have a lot of plain ole stuff. I’ve really set my mind to purging and pairing down to try to make our home feel less cluttered and more organized; more livable.

So what did I find in some of those unopened boxes we have been storing all these years? DVD’s, CD’s and Games. Obviously I don’t need them since I haven’t even missed them, but what the heck was I going to do with them? I hate to just throw things out since they are still in good condition and I NEVER want to contribute to our landfill problems, so I went in search of other ideas of what to do with them.

IDEAS

1. turn them into CD or DVD art using a microwave? Maybe not. I found out the fumes let off from microwaving a CD are toxic. I don’t need that.

2. turn them into a disco ball? Sounds like a great idea, but really, how many disco balls can a girl have?

3. turn them into guitar picks? But I don’t play guitar.

Solutions

As you can see I wasn’t coming up with any good ideas, then I saw something called musicMagpie. musicMagpie allows you to make money off your old CD’s, DVD’s and Games. You simply enter the bar code off your CD, DVD or Game (minimum of 10) , pack up your items and ship them to musicMagpie using their free shipping labels and either UPS or USPS. Once the items have been accepted by musicMagpie you will be cut a check! It is that easy.

I love the idea of cleaning up the house, recycling my CD’s, DVD’s and Games, AND getting paid to do it. musicMagpie even has a convenient app you can use to scan your CD’s, DVD’s or Games, edit your details and check on the status of your check.

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