social fabric

#BakingIdeas and a Sweet Coupon to Get You Started!

December 3, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This post highlighting holiday baking ideas has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client.

Want to impress your friends with your baking skills? Bake a dessert that will be the highlight of every meal with M&M’s® chocolate candies! Print out your coupon, buy some M&M’s® at Walmart, and pre-heat the oven, because whether you have an office or class party, or just want to treat your family, it’s time to get out the oven mitts and start baking! #BakingIdeas

And if you are like me and a bit “challenged” in the creativity department, here’s a whole collection of bright ideas to get you started! I’ve got my eye on the M&M’s brownie trifle! Get in my belly!!

Replacing an Air Filter: How To and My Replacement Choice

April 10, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

So this week I decided to get educated about a car maintenance issue and work on replacing an air filter in my car. It was the PERFECT way to dip my toes into auto matinenance because it was ridiculously easy. No, seriously. It was!

What prompted me to do this? My allergies. I live in one of the top 12 WORST cities in the nation for allergies, and I am definitely feeling that right about now. The inside of my house is not too bad thanks to the air purifiers we have, but I also spend a fair chunk of my day in my car. The air in my car is just as pollen-filled as the outside air. But FRAM, a company that makes air filters, has just released the FRAM Fresh Breeze cabin air filters, made with Arm & Hammer Baking Soda that are specifically designed to help keep pollen particles, as well as road dust, out of the air you are breathing while inside the vehicle. And all this for right around $17. Heck yes!!!!

But I had a second motivation for replacing an air filter, as well. As a mother to two girls, I think I am especially sensitive to instances where I see stereotypical gender roles being enforced or played out. After having a great conversation with my daughter about what boys can’t do (grow babies in their bodies) and what girls can’t do (NOTHING!), I was feeling pretty darn smug. My daughters are going to be SO independent!!!

And then I realized something: while I’m being a good role model to them in theory, I am making some BIG mistakes in practice. There are certain chores or problems that I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS leave for Tim to fix. Now, I’m mature enough in my views of how to run a household that I know a division of labor is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it is just more efficient to know that you are in charge of x and someone else is in charge of y. But some of these tasks that I never do aren’t because I’m just trying to be efficient. It is because I don’t know how to do them, and I assume that Tim, as a guy, does. Car maintenance is one of those chores.

SO LAME OF ME!!!!

I recently spent some time hanging out in an aisle I don’t think I’ve ever visited before in Walmart, and I found the exact air filter I needed to help me breathe a little easier. If you’d like to see my full shopping experience, check out my Google + album.

Once we got it home, Tim and I installed the air filter together. And now I’m going to show you how we did it! Please keep in mind that every car is somewhat different. We have a Toyota Corolla, and here’s how it works on our car:

1. Remove the glove compartment. I didn’t even know this could be done! But all it takes is unscrewing a few screws. So simple.

2. Remove the old air filter. All you have to do is pull it out. You will see it just sitting there. Think of removing it as similar to taking food out of the oven. Just slide it out!

3. Get grossed out by how nasty your old air filter looks.

4. Get even more grossed out when you take a closer look.

5. Insert your new FRAM Fresh Breeze air filter. Again, it is just like putting a pizza in an oven. Super simple.

6. Put the glove compartment back in. All done!

Taking just a few minutes to change out our air filter is already making a difference. Everyone in my family seems to have allergy problems (even poor little Layah!) so I’m relieved to have fresher air in the car while we travel in it.

My plan is to replace it once a year. It should be replaced every 15,000 miles, and that isn’t quite how many miles we usually put on the car in a year (we live close to where we work and go to school!). But I’ll just go ahead and replace the air filter every spring now, as soon as I start to feel the effects of all that pollen in the air. That will be all the reminder I’ll need to take action! And hopefully the air filter won’t look as nasty as the one I just replaced. We’ve had our current car for almost 3 years now, and we’ve never replaced the filter. And who knows how long ago the previous owners replaced it, if ever! GROSS!!!

Right now FRAM is offering a $3 mail-in rebate off the purchase of a Fresh Breeze air filter! I’ll certainly be filling it out! Don’t forget to print your form, too. And be sure to follow FRAM on Facebook to keep up with other great offers they have to help keep your car in great shape.

Confession time: Do you know how to change your air filter? Did you even know you had an air filter? How long has it been since yours was changed???

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and FRAM #cbias #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Mom Cave Design Ideas Inspired By….Wait For It…La-Z-Boy!

January 29, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

When we found out we were expecting a second child, we knew that our adorable 2 bedroom home in downtown Chattanooga would have to be let go for something with a little bit more room. The problem was that we LOVED the part of town we lived in so much. Our location is a huge part of why we are having so much fun in this city, and why we are as happy as we are. Tim is just a 5 minute bike ride from his work, which means a super short commute, and most days he has lunch at home with the family.

Unfortunately, most 3 and 4 bedroom houses in our area are CRAZY expensive. So when we found a 4 bedroom home in the right location for an affordable price, we decided to jump on it, even though we weren’t getting much more in the way of square feet.

The house we live in now is all bedrooms. The kitchen/dining room/living room is all one open space, and it is a small space, at that. Every other room in the house is either a bathroom or a bedroom. The good news is that our girls each have their own room and we have a bedroom available for guests. The bad news is that the guest room has to work REALLY hard for us and serve MANY different purposes.

Here are some pictures of the guest room, which doubles as a home office and triples as a play room for the girls.

Notice how my laptop is on the bed. I actually do most of my work for my blog on a bed, for goodness sake!

The door is the back entrance, and the one we use the very most. Entering the house through this triple identity room is very strange, indeed! I would love to have something much more welcoming and inviting. I’d also REALLY like to have a space that has a more polished and put together look. How I would love to have a sleeker desk and a meeting area (sofa and coffee table)!

But here’s the problem: the bed really is a must. We do have company from out of town several times a year, and they need a comfortable place to stay. So I’ve been thinking about getting a pull out sofa with a queen bed. Now, I actually slept on a bed like this for my junior year of college, and I’m going to tell you, IT WAS AWFUL! I slept with a bar digging into my back. Good think I was only 20 years old at the time, so my poor body could take it. But it is my in-laws who will be sleeping on this bed the most, so an uncomfortable mattress just won’t do.

I headed to La-Z-Boy to get some inspiration for a room makeover, a “mom cave” if you will. Are you surprised that I went to La-Z-Boy? Nobody is more surprised than me! Can I show you what comes to mind for me when I think of this brand? This:

I think of ridiculously huge, overstuffed recliners for men. Period. And I have to say, they do still sell these types of chairs if that is what you are seeking.

But did you know they also have chairs that look like this???

Swoon!!! I would never in a million years would have guessed that this was from La-Z-Boy, but I saw it with my own eyes in the store on a recent trip.

They also sell more than recliners. La-Z-Boy has a very impressive selection of sofas, including sleeper sofas. I went looking for one and was really nervous that the only options would be horribly uncomfortable. But La-Z-Boy has some innovative mattress options that I’m so excited to show you!

This mattress has an air mattress for the top section. It inflates in about 20 seconds (I watched it…couldn’t believe it until I saw it!). And it has a button on it so that the person sleeping on it can let small amounts of air out to adjust the mattress to their liking. It also deflates in a matter of seconds so that you can quickly and easily put the mattress away when your company has gone. Also, the bed is designed with the under-rails to be recessed, so they aren’t sticking up and into you when you sleep. That, my friends, is amazing!!!!!

I actually laid down on the mattress, and while it doesn’t feel like a regular mattress, it DOES feel like a nice air mattress, and NOT like a sleeper sofa mattress. I would have no trouble sleeping on it for several nights in a row and I would feel good about having my in-laws sleep on it, too.

Here’s a shot of the mattress just a few seconds after the deflate button was released. So cool!

I had a really good experience in the store shopping and was provided with excellent customer service. Before I was overwhelmed with all the style options for a sleeper-sofa, the salesman got to know my taste preferences a little better by asking me some questions. He quickly honed in on the fact that I didn’t like huge pieces of furniture, and directed me to a brand new sofa in their line called the Diana. It is only 77 inches long but still contains a queen bed, which is amazing!

Unfortunately, the store didn’t have a Diana sofa on the showroom floor, but he showed me information on it in the catalog. I really liked it! I was also able to check out more details when I got home and looked in the online catalog.

Then we headed over to the fabric selections. This is where shopping in the store really makes all the difference. You can browse through their HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS of fabric options online (very fun, by the way) but nothing compares to being able to see and touch everything up close and in person!

I may have squealed when we got to this part of the store. And I may have frightened the sales associate. Just a little…

I went straight for the blues and fell in love at least 6 times before something in particular caught my eye…

I pulled what I liked the very best for the pillows, and then we started talking about the sofa covering, itself (sort of backwards, I know, but that’s how my mind works!). Bob, the associate, told me about their recycled leather options, which are SO perfect for families. Leather cleans SO easily, in my experience, so it holds up better over time when you have kids in the house. But it can be terribly expensive! With recycled leather, you get the same look that you want with a much lower price tag. Plus, I’m a sucker for recycled stuff because it just feels like the more responsible choice!

Bob showed me the fabric I selected against the metal colored recycled leather. Once again, I may have squealed. But this time, Bob was prepared. 🙂

J ‘adore!

Once I had my sofa selected for the room, I headed over to one of my favorite online hangouts, Pinterest, and created a Mom Cave Inspiration board where I can put together other things I want to include in my mom cave. While it still has to function as a guest room, a play space and an office, that really doesn’t mean that it has to look so random. The room can still have a put together, intentional feel. Now that I have seen what La-Z-Boy can offer in the way of sleeper sofas, I believe that there is hope for this room, after all!

I would love for you to check out my board and let me know what you think! And if you love Pinterest as much as I do, then you’ll be excited to hear that La-Z-Boy is currently holding a Pinterest contest! It runs from January 28th through February 11th and you’d better believe I’m going to enter it! You should, too!

And I have one more AMAZING thing to share with you: La-Z-Boy offers FREE in-home design consultations to their customers. As much fun as I had putting together my Pinterest board of ideas for my room, I also have to admit that it was hard trying to determine what would go with what. If I purchase this sofa from La-Z-Boy, their design consultant will COME TO MY HOUSE (!) and take measurements to make sure everything will fit BEFORE the order is placed, and help me find other pieces I want for the room that will fit within my budget. This is an excellent way to make sure that what you think will look good actually will look good, and it is a way for you to discover pieces you may never have found without some help! It is also a humongous time saver. I was pretty much blown away when I learned that this service is complimentary. That makes this sofa I have my eye on go from being a very good price to a complete and total STEAL. 🙂

Did you have any idea that you could get such beautiful things from La-Z-Boy! I certainly didn’t know until I checked it out for myself!

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries. #MomCave #CBias #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Walgreens Has Pharmacists Available 24/7 to Answer Questions!

January 20, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

When I was growing up, we never EVER had Advil in our homes. I can’t recall exactly why, but my mother seemed to be terrified of the stuff, especially for children. She drilled into my brain to never take Advil if someone offered it to me when I wasn’t feeling good.

So I always thought that Advil was bad for kids. I was genuinely shocked as an adult to find out that children’s and even infants’ Advil even exist. Isn’t it vile and evil?!

And then I realized that I was making an assumption based off a hazy memory planted by my “freak out about everything under the sun” mother. Perhaps I should look into this more, myself.

I knew that Walgreens Pharmacy offered the ability online to chat with a pharmacist at any time of day or night, absolutely free. Isn’t that awesome? So I went online early in the morning (that’s when most of my computer work happens each day) to see if I could connect with a pharmacist. It was around 6 am when I logged into my Balance Rewards account (you have to be a member…it’s totally free), found the Walgreens 24/7 Pharmacy Chat button, and posed my question. I was chatting with a pharmacist within about 3 seconds of logging on. That was awesome! No having to wait on hold or leave a message for a nurse to call me back.

I found out in just a few minutes’ time that Advil is what you should reach for when a child needs anti-inflammatory properties. An example would be when an injury has been sustained. Perhaps there has been some swelling…that’s a good time to reach for Advil over acetaminophen. Both can be used to treat fever, though.

After better understanding the main benefit of Advil, I thought it would be a good idea to have some on hand. I headed out to my local Walgreens to get some Advil for the girls. If you want to see everything I scored on this trip, check out my Google+ album!

It just so happens that Walgreens had an awesome sale on children’s and infant’s Advil this week. I assumed that I’d need to buy the store brand to save a bit of money, but Advil, itself, was such a great buy!

Advil was on sale for $4.99 (regularly $6.99) and if I bought 2, which I was already planning on doing, I could get an additional 2,000 balance rewards points, which is basically like getting an additional $2 credit to spend in the store. Woo hoo!!!

And let me mention one other awesome thing that happened while I shopped at Walgreens. I decided to switch my prenatal vitamin prescription to the store, because right now they are offering a $25 gift card for transferred prescriptions! What a smokin’ hot deal! My gift card totally paid for the Advil and my other purchases, and I even have a little left over for my next trip! Also, now I can easily request refills of my prescription from my Walgreens mobile app. It couldn’t be easier.

Additionally, if you join or renew your membership to the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club, you can get a $15 bonus! I really appreciate all the ways that I am made to feel part of the Walgreens community. This company seems to care about me as a customer, and offers me multiple ways every single week to save big. They know most of us are on tight budgets, and I appreciate their efforts.

I’m really glad that I’m no longer afraid of Advil. It turns out, there really is a place for it in my medicine cabinet. And more importantly, I have now used and can recommend the pharmacy chat button to anyone. This is an EXCELLENT resource for new parents who might have questions about medicines for their kids or side effects. For example, children under the age of one are very limited in the types of medicine they can take. Before you assume that it is “probably fine” you should ask a pharmacist! And since dosages have recently changed for children’s medicine, it is always a good idea to check with the pharmacist to make sure you are administering over the counter medicines to your children correctly. Walgreens pharmacists are very quick with their responses. Better to take 3 minutes to be sure than to make a mistake. Take advantage of one of of the many Walgreens innovations!

And it doesn’t matter when you have the question. You don’t have to wait and call during business hours. Hop online as soon as you think of your question. Walgreens will be there, ready to help you become #HappyHealthy.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Walgreens #Cbias #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Conducting a Trial Run for Santa’s Cookies: We Have a Winner! #HolidayGuide

December 4, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

When I was growing up, it was an annual tradition to leave out a plate of cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve. My older brother and I were convinced that the quality of the cookie would have a direct influence on the quality of presents Santa would leave.

So we always insisted that we had something from Pepperidge Farm to leave him. Those cookies were considered EXTREMELY indulgent and were saved for the most special occasions in our home. I’m not quite sure why, since they are readily available at grocery stores! But they were super duper special treats. And that’s exactly why we wanted them for Santa every year. We would beg and plead, but looking back on it now, I can’t imagine that my parents felt disappointed in our request. After all, they were the ones who got to sample the goodies after we went to bed on Christmas Eve!

The tradition continues in my house. Darah knows that Santa has a lot of work to do on Christmas Eve, and that it is polite to leave him a little snack. I didn’t give a second thought to the brand of holiday cookie I, er, I mean, Santa would be enjoying that evening. Naturally it would be the super special Pepperidge Farm brand.

But which cookie to select? Well, the Party Blu Prints Holiday E-Guide gave me my answer! Target has an exclusive Pepperidge Farm cookie for the holidays!

We headed straight to Target after seeing this scrumptiousness featured above. I knew I needed to try these out for myself and see if they would make the cut as the perfect cookies for Santa.

After a bit of searching, we found the cookies in the holiday snack section (NOT in the regular cookie section).

We then headed back to the house and really got into the holiday spirit. Earlier that morning I created a Christmas Countdown paper chain for Darah. Each link had a fun, Christmas-y activity to complete. We opened the first one to see what we were going to to that day.

Hooray! We were going to buy a tree and decorate it!

After a quick trip over to Ace Hardware for a tree, we got down our ornaments, put on the Christmas music, and got to work. And I supplied the refreshments with ease by putting those delicious cookies on the Santa plate. All part of the trial run, of course. Choosing Santa’s cookie is VERY serious business and we had to make sure every element made sense.

They passed the test for looking nice on the official Santa cookie plate. Now for the taste test. I’ll let you decide what we must have thought about the cookies, because here’s what I found when I reached into the Milano Minis bag just 15 minutes after first opening it:

Saddest part of my day, folks. But then I remembered that Target will be carrying these throughout the holidays. Next time, I’ll buy 3 or 4 bags (seriously) and will probably have to write “Hands off!” on one bag so that poor Santa will get his fill Christmas Eve!

The Milano Mini Candy Cane cookies from Pepperidge Farm were a most excellent suggestion from the Party Blu Prints #HolidayGuide. Have you gotten a chance to look at it, yet? It gave me several good ideas for my holiday shopping. Suggestions are practical, affordable and fun!

Do you leave special holiday gifts for Santa, be it cookies, or a note, or anything else? Any other fun Christmas Eve traditions? I’d love to hear!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Pepperidge Farm #CBias #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Add Some Holiday Smiles to Your Shopping List: Affordable, Fun Stocking Stuffers

November 26, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about having to take on the role of Santa Claus it’s that those stockings can really deceive you! I distinctly remember my very first Christmas married to Tim. We filled each other’s stockings, and we both came up WAY short! They looked so pitiful, and were probably about 1/3 full. Both of us thought we had enough to fill the stockings until we set about our tasks late on Christmas Eve. Oops!

Don’t find yourself in the same position this year! I have some gift ideas for you that are affordable and that will take up some space in those stockings.

Right now, Walmart has Colgate Holiday Packs for children that feature Dora the Explorer and Spongebob Squarepants. These combo packs feature a battery operated toothbrush and toothpaste, and if you buy the combo pack, you save $1 over purchasing the components separately. That’s $1 that can go right back into your pocket, or more realistically, right back into your stocking! 🙂

I searched high and low at my nearest Walmart and wanted to purchase both packs for Darah. She’s a big Dora fan and is a HUGE Spongebob fan. In fact, her Grammies (that’s my mom) recently got her a small tube of Colgate toothpaste with Spongebob on it, and she was the most enthusiastic I have EVER seen her be about oral care while she had that toothpaste. She would run into to the bathroom saying, “It’s Spongebob time!” when it was time to brush her teeth. When the tube was used up, she burst into tears (I swear!). If you’d like to follow along with my shopping adventure, click here.

While I found a good buy on Dora toothbrushes

And I found the Colgate toothpaste with Darah’s favorite characters on them

I didn’t find the holiday packs. And I went shopping two separate times to try to get them! Unfortunately, I also couldn’t find an employee who was willing to help me look (I found employees, just not willing-to-help employees). Hence this look on my face…

But I wasn’t leaving without some stocking stuffers for Darah, so I went for the Colgate value pack toothbrushes with Dora on them, and I got one of each of the Colgate toothpastes. She will be thrilled, I know it.

As you are wrapping up your shopping (or perhaps you are just ramping up your shopping!) remember these great products from Colgate. They are very practical, but also very fun. Isn’t it great to find a way for toothpaste and toothbrushes to become a special present?! And isn’t it also great to know that your stockings will be stuffed thanks to additions like this? Who know #HolidaySmiles could be this easy?

In addition to checking out the great Colgate Holiday Packs, also be sure to follow Colgate on Twitter and Facebook. That’s the very best way to hear about special promotions and discounts. I know I love a good coupon, myself, and I don’t want you to miss out any any, either!

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Colgate. #CBias #HolidaySmiles #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Disney Princess Bicycles Light Up Our Life and Inspire Us to Give! #DisneyPrincessWMT

November 25, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

A few weeks ago Darah and I had a special assignment from Santa Claus: we were to go to Walmart and purchase 3 Disney Princess bicycles for 3 little girls in Chattanooga. Santa knew that his sleigh would be too full to bring those items, so he asked us to pick them up on his behalf. If you missed our shopping adventure, click here to see what fun we had! We used the Royal Ball app throughout the store to unlock fun features and make shopping even more fun.

But even honorary elves on assignment for Santa can run into problems. The bicycles we sought were nowhere to be found! We opted for the Fisher-Price Little People Princess Song Palaces, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was letting Santa down.

After we got home, I hopped onto Walmart.com and found the elusive bicycles. I purchased 3 of them. They were priced nicely at just $58 each and shipping to my house was completely FREE!

So then I went about my business. A mere two days later…out on the front porch I heard such a clatter, I sprang from my computer to see what was the matter!

The bicycles had arrived 48 hours after I ordered them. It almost made me wonder if Santa, himself, brought them over on a test ride. I couldn’t believe how fast that was! More rapid than eagles, indeed!

Santa wanted us to purchase these bicycles so that we could donate them to Angel Tree. While it would have been fun to give Darah whatever her heart desired (and her heart desires pretty much anything that has Disney Princesses on it), an important part of the holiday season I want Darah to understand is the true joy of giving. Darah doesn’t understand the pain of a mother who simply cannot afford to get her children anything for Christmas, and I can at least try to imagine that heartache. That’s what motivates me to give these bicycles away. I’m hoping to give Darah her motivation simply by explaining to her how wonderful it is when people share with her, and how fun it is when people take turns giving and receiving. It is our turn to give. And how awesome is it to be given a special assignment from Santa, too?!

What Darah doesn’t know is that one of the little girls Santa has these bicycles in mind for is her. Oh, I could burst into tears at the thought of Christmas morning and this bicycle being under the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree! And those tears I manage to hold back definitely break loose and come rolling down when I think about the two little girls somewhere in Chattanooga who will find the exact same thing Christmas morning. Sharing really is its own gift!

We left the Angel Tree bicycles in their boxes for now, and will be putting them together just before it is time to deliver them. The third bicycle is Darah’s. It was her idea to get some pictures of herself on the bicycle. She suggested that we send them to Santa so that he could see that she did what he asked, and so that he could see how wonderful she looked on the bicycle, just in case he wanted to bring one to her, too. Great idea, sweetie!

Darah thinks that we have already delivered this bike to its intended recipient, but it’s really just up in our attic! Hee hee!

I think this bicycle is a great choice for little girls between 2-5 who are just learning to ride. The training wheels can come off. There are even some additional features that we didn’t put on the bike yet so that they can be surprise elements on Christmas morning. These include a basket that can hold a doll and streamers for the handlebar.

We have additionally purchased a Disney Princess bike helmet to go under the tree. I also have the Cinderella Blu-Ray/DVD on my shopping list. It’s the final item I hope to purchase for Darah. She’s never seen Cinderella and I just know she’ll flip out over Gus Gus!

Are there any Disney Princess items destined for a place under your Christmas tree this year? Feeling overwhelmed with all the options? Check out what other bloggers have selected for their little princesses and get some great ideas!

Finally, can I encourage you to buy two of the item your child most desires this year and give the second one away? You will be bringing joy beyond measure to another family!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Disney Consumer Products, Inc #CBias #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Finding the Perfect Gift (and the Perfect Cookies for Santa!): #HolidayGuide Made Easy

November 18, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

I’ve mentioned before that I have 25 people to buy for on my guest list. TWENTY FIVE!!! Just when I start to get a little grouchy about having to do this much shopping I step back and remember two important things:

1. Giving gifts is my love language. It is a joy to be able to give.

2. What amazing gifts I have been given simply by having each and every one of these people in my life. I am overwhelmed by how awesome they each are.

It’s good to take a moment to remember those things, because then it keeps me from being a Grinch and turns me into more of a Santa, feeling downright jolly about the task ahead of me.

Yesterday morning we had our fourth intensive wrapping session. We wrapped and labeled gifts for about 2 hours. And I spent a good deal of time pouring over the list for everyone and determining who I was finished shopping for, and who was left. I then wrote down each person’s name and a budget for each person on a separate list, along with some initial gift ideas I have. This list will live in my purse and go with me everywhere until every last name is crossed off! My hope is to be done by Thanksgiving, but I predict a serious shopping session on Cyber Monday to finish things off.

Now that I know exactly WHO I’m shopping for, I can more easily search for ideas about WHAT to get these fine folks. Party Blu Prints has JUST (as in maybe an hour ago!) released a fantastic holiday gift guide and I want to share with you some ideas it has generated for me!

First up, the gents. Guys are the hardest to shop for, in my experience. I was really excited to see the OtterBox case featured in this #HolidayGuide. Just last week Tim and I broke down and replaced our ancient iPhone 3s with the iPhone 4S. What a difference that upgrade made! And since we have young kids, protecting the phone is a must. My own independent research indicated that the OtterBox was the very best case, and that research is validated by this gift guide. I’ll take one in black, please. Oh yes, this is going under the tree!

Next, I’m looking for a small gift for my mother-in-law. When I saw Nivea lotion in the gift guide, I was reminded of the test I recently conducted where I compared bargain-priced Nivea lotion to my favorite moisturizer. I was genuinely surprised to see that Nivea had much better lasting power. My mother-in-law lives in a desert climate, so a moisturizer that REALLY works is a necessity. This will fit the bill just perfectly.

I’m also looking for a hostess gift for a holiday party we’ll be attending. The holiday e-guide reminded me that a gift doesn’t have to be store-bought to be fabulous. There’s a great recipe for homemade sangria. That happens to be one of my very favorite adult beverages, so giving it as a gift will make it extra special. And it will be extra EXTRA special if my gift gets served at the party! 😉

Finally, I’m looking for some ideas for fun ways to entertain guests in my own home for the holidays. During the first two weeks of December, we will have several family members coming at various times to stay and visit with us. I want our home to be very inviting and festive, but I also have to be realistic about what I can do on my own and what might require some outside help. When I saw the Pepperidge Farm Candy Cane cookies in the guide, I knew that they were going straight on my shopping list.

Pepperidge Farm is something I very much associate with the holidays. Santa Claus always expected this brand to be on the plate we left out for him on Christmas Eve. We made sure to grant his wish every year, in the hopes that he would grant ours! I love that the Milano line has a mini cookie which will be perfect to keep on the kitchen counter for snacking on-the-go. And the fact that it has a candy cane flavor is just too perfect.

I noticed in the guide that these cookies are exclusive to Target. My closest Target is 25 minutes away, so I don’t go all that often. But I’m making a special trip this afternoon to go get those holiday cookies! In addition to having them on hand for guests, I also need a few weeks to taste-test them and make sure they are the right choice for Santa. Mothers have so many tough jobs, and this is just another one of them. But I’ll do it out of love and dedication to my family. 😉

Are you working on your holiday gifts list and figuring out exactly how much shopping remains? Definitely flip through the Party Blu Prints holiday e-guide. You’ll get some great ideas for gifts to buy, gifts to make, and tips to remember to keep the next few weeks festive, fun and light on the stress.

After I’m back home with my Pepperidge Farm cookies this afternoon, I may just whip up the mocktail recipe in the guide. Anyone case to join me? 🙂

Helping Santa Bring Magic to 3 Little Girls: #DisneyPrincessWMT

November 15, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

With a 3 year old in the house, we are in the throes of the princess craze. This is an issue that I felt nervous about up until just a few months ago. I never liked receiving “Daddy’s little princess” onesies or anything that was overly sparkly or blingy or that had crowns all over it. I thought that perhaps if I curbed the amount of such things in our home that my daughter might not go ga-ga for princesses.

But let me tell you how her love for princesses, and Disney Princesses in particular, came to life. Last year one of my nieces requested The Little Mermaid on DVD for Christmas. As you probably know, you can’t buy this DVD new in a store, as it is locked away in the Disney Vault. Ebay is one of your best bets. I ordered a used copy online, and when it arrived I wanted to make sure it worked before I wrapped it up. And I let Darah watch it with me. I thought it would be fun to share with her my favorite Disney movie.

And the rest, my friends, is history.

Ariel is her favorite (which I sort of love since Ariel is also my favorite). She can find Ariel most anywhere (some of my favorite locations where she has managed to find her include Home Depot, a convenience store at 5am on Thanksgiving morning, and the curio cabinet at her Grammy’s house).

There are still many Disney movies that she hasn’t yet seen, but she is starting to learn more about more about each princess, and she is adding to her list the movies she has seen. Beauty and the Beast was recently playing at a friend’s birthday party in the background (it was a princess theme). She plopped right down and watched the whole thing, and she had the cutest expression on her face the entire time.

I have learned over the past year since to lean into this season of life, rather than try to prevent it from happening. Every Disney Princess has some amazing qualities that I try to highlight so that the focus isn’t on being pretty. We’ve been playing, “under the sea” for a year now, and the focus of that game is to go on a brave adventure, just like Ariel, who isn’t afraid to take a risk. We also pretend that our hair glows like Rapunzel (#2 on her list of favorite princesses) and use that power to heal others when they are not well, demonstrating kindness and empathy. Tiana never ever gives up, even when the odds aren’t in her favor. She has a tenacity from which we all can learn.

If you have a Disney Princess fan in your home, be sure to download the Royal Ball app (download here for apple and here for android), which is totally free and lots of fun. We downloaded it before heading to Walmart to be big helpers for Santa Claus. Through this app, you can get yourself ready for a royal ball by building your own outfit (gown, necklace, shoes, tiara) and making your own custom carriage. Once you arrive at the ball, you use your phone to dance at the ball. It’s really cool, because you get to see the ballroom as if you were in it, and as you dance or look up or down, the screen moves with you. I will fully admit to taking this app on a few spins through the living room, myself!

I highly recommend that you download this app before you head to a store that will have some Disney Princess signage, as there are pictures on these signs that will unlock additional dresses.

I also really love that you can bring a bonus carriage to life right in the store when you snap a photo of the Cinderella Blu-Ray DVD. Basically, this app can make a trip to Walmart so much more fun for any Disney Princess fan. And if you are doing a little holiday shopping, it can also keep your little ones distracted while you take some stuff over to the layaway department! 🙂

On our most recent shopping adventure, we were being special helpers for Santa Claus. He asked us to get 3 Disney Princess bicycles for 3 little girls in Chattanooga. His sleigh was getting very full, and having these bikes already here would sure help him out! Darah was excited to be summoned for such a special task and took her role quite seriously! If you’d like to follow along with our entire shopping experience, check out my Google+ album.

Sadly, the store was completely out of Disney Princess bicycles. Santa isn’t the only one who wants to be gifting these this year, it seems! We went with a back up plan and purchased 3 Fisher-Price Little People Princess Song Palaces. I bought every single one they had on the shelves. Looks like Disney Princes stuff is really hot! I like that this particular item is safe for princess fans as young as 18 months, and it has lots of different places for imaginative play. It even has some fun sound effects to add to the magic!

You may be wondering why I wanted to buy 3 items and why we were being special helpers to Santa. Well, 2 of the items we purchased are going to go to the Angel Tree. As a mom, I know what it is like to have your child ask for a very special toy for Christmas. And I can imagine how hard it must be to know that getting a gift like that isn’t a possibility. Darah asked for a bike this year, and I am going to get one for her (she doesn’t know that little girl #3 we are shopping for is her!). I want to pay it forward and get the same bike for 2 other 3 or 4 year olds in my community who have the same wish as Darah, but whose parents can’t afford it on their own.

After I got home, I decided that as cute as the Little People Princess Songs Palace is, I really had my heart set on getting the bikes, so I went to Walmart.com and ordered 3 of them there. Shipping to my house was completely free, which was awesome! I’ll be doing another post in a few weeks and I’ll be sure to show you the bicycles in detail! They arrived at my house 2 days after I ordered them (totally serious) so I’ve already had a sneak peek! Can’t wait to show them to you!

While you wait for the big bicycle reveal, be sure to check out lots of different ways that other shoppers have had a blast with Disney Princess items, and get some great ideas for parties, games and gifts! And don’t forget to follow Disney on Twitter. I’m really enjoying following them and getting little doses of joy and sunshine from Walt and those who have followed him in my Twitter feed!

Do you have any Disney Princess items on your holiday shopping list this year? I’d love to hear about them!!! Santa is going to have a Rapunzel doll in his sack to leave for Darah on Christmas Eve! 🙂