The Smell of Fall With Better Homes and Gardens

Ahhhh.  My house smells like fall.  Or Blueberry muffins at least – which is close enough for me.  Lord knows if something is baking around here, it MUST be for a holiday!

Except, I’m not baking.  I have this bad boy plugged in by my kitchen sink and when you walk in the entryway to my home, you can smell the blueberry – I’m not kidding.  Actually, the first night that I plugged it in, I left to pick up dinner, and when I walked back up to the house I could SMELL THE BLUEBERRY OUTSIDE.  Yes, you read that right.  I ran inside and pulled Morgan back out with me to prove it, but of course his nose was adjusted to the smell so he just thought I was crazy.  Which I am.  But not for that reason – it really did smell like blueberry muffins out there!

Anyway, in the past I have found Wax Warmers like these to be a bit out of my budget – 30 bucks a pop?  No thanks, I will light a candle.  But hey – I LOVE these, and they are only $15 bucks each at Walmart.  Half the price and I can smell the blueberry OUTSIDE?  Where do I sign?

In addition to the cute warmers like the one you see above, they have a bunch of awesome seasonal warmers – like an apple and a gourd.  I actually have the gourd sitting in my living room, warming my some “Soft Cashmere Sweater” as we speak.  Can’t you just FEEL the cold weather?  I love it!

Not to mention – check out these great winter scents – Warm Vanilla Creme, Wild Berry Cheesecake, Baked Apple Streusel, and Vanilla Caramel Spice.  Love them all.

So what do you think?  Will you try these out?  Have you tried a wax warmer before – if so what are your thoughts?  Please share them in the comments!

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom and was compensated for my time with regards to creating this post.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  I really do like this awesome Wax Warmer – and even my fiance has taken to turning it on himself when he want to give the house a nice boost. 

Products We Love: Proactiv 365

I had a birthday in August!  I love birthdays.  Presents, cake, treats, and an excuse to ignore my diet for a week for the day.  This past August I celebrated my first year of turning 29 for the rest of my life.  (I’ll give you a moment to think about that one.  Digest it yet?  Ok, good.  Moving on…)

So, at 29 years old you would think that would mean that I’m well past my acne days.  The key words here are YOU WOULD THINK.

It seems that, while I never had issue with acne as a teen or young adult, as a woman in my late twenties (ouch, it hurts to say that) I’m suddenly looking in the mirror going “Where did THAT thing come from?” Or, worse “where did all of THOSE awful things come from?”

I’m incredibly vain.  I am fanatical about my skin.  Looking in the mirror and discovering that my face has been overtaken is not exactly fun – so I end up throwing myself on the bed and pouting, all while trying to hide my face from everyone I know and refusing to leave the house.

And yes, I really am that dramatic.  Please, pray for my poor fiance’.

To make a long story short, Mom Central recently reached out with a campaign for Proactiv 365.  It’s like they knew.  Maybe my fiance’ contacted them on the sly.  Who knows?  All I know is that when they did, I wrote them back and basically said “OMG YES I WILL DO IT!”  Just like that, I swear.

I’m sorry, but I don’t have any photos to share with you from my “before”.  I know all too well how google works and those awful photos of me would be on the internet for so long that my grandchildren’s grandchildren will be pretending like I wasn’t related to them.  But trust me when I say it was not good, my friends.

I started using Proactive at the end of September on a daily basis.  I used the Renewing Cleanser, the Revitalizing Toner, and then the Repairing Lotion.  In a week I saw a dramatic improvement.  In 3 weeks I had totally clear skin.  Every now and then a small blemish pops up, but if I’m being honest, that’s probably because I get overly excited sometimes and skip a day of use.  And then I pay for it.

Here is a photo of my daughter and I from yesterday at the Pumpkin Patch.  You can see – my skin looks great (you know, if I do say so myself).

I logged into Proactive 365 to talk to a personal skin care expert who recommended that I use the refining mask on stubborn trouble spots while I slept.  Going to bed with white dots on my face was not so pretty, but totally worked.  They also recommended the daily oil control, because I do have trouble staying “matte” throughout the day.  Something about my clean skin increases oil production it seems – but who cares – I can go makeup free if I so desire again!

I’m sure you’ve been hearing about Proactiv for years, but tell me, have you ever used it?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

Disclosure:  I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Proactiv and received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

 

Walmart: Now With Holiday Layaway

Just in time for the Holidays, Walmart has launched their Christmas Layaway for toys and electronics!  If you were looking for a way to get a jump on your Christmas shopping, but just couldn’t afford to go all the way – this is it!

I’ve been working in partnership with Walmart for almost 3 years now, and I have to say that their commitment to their customers is truly amazing.  They are always looking for ways to assure that Walmart shoppers will get the best products for the best value.

According to Laura Phillips, senior vice president of toys and seasonal merchandising “Value is a huge priority for our customers and they rely on Walmart for the right toys at great prices everyday and especially during the holiday season. We know this economic climate is difficult for our customers and we are committed to helping them have the Christmas they want and deserve.”

Beginning today, October 17th through December 16th, customers can place the eligible items mentioned above on Layaway.  Your minimum layaway order must reach or exceed $50, and individual items in your order may not be priced below $15.  A 10% overall payment is due at the time of placing the items on layaway, plus a one-time non-refundable $5 service fee.  A $10 fee will apply to any cancelled orders.

Find out more about Walmart’s Holiday Layaway program and get a sneak peek at the 20 hottest toys of the holiday season!

Have you used layaway before?  I’m going to be heading into my store here to show you how easy it is, but until then, let me know – what would you layaway?

Disclosure:  I am a member of the Walmart Moms and this is a sponsored post on behalf of that program. Still, my words and opinions are 100% mine – I’ve got ya back. 

Walmart Ships It Home – Fast and Free!

 

 

You’ve all heard me sing the praises of Walmart’s Site to Store and Pick Up Today shipping options, but Walmart has really upped the ante with their new HomeFree shipping – where a $45 minimum qualifying order (over 100,000 items qualify!) ships TO YOUR HOME for FREE in 3-5 days*.

Um, yes please!

Walmart offered me the chance to put the new HomeFree shipping option to the test – so we chose to do some winter clothes shopping for the kiddos.  I love the great clothes that Faded Glory has at Walmart, so I went looking for some jackets that we could buy for them when we take them sledding in December.  You can see in the screenshot below that the HomeFree logo is clearly displayed in the ordering section – which is good because they were out of stock in my local store! (You might have to click to enlarge and read!)

 

Ok, so jacket for the princess – check.  Now on to the boys department where I found a similar style jacket from Faded Glory for our young superhero.  Same deal – you can see the HomeFree Free shipping option displayed prominently above where you add this item to your cart.  Easy peasy.

Of COURSE, because I wasn’t quite at $45 yet, I happened to wander over to the ladies section, where (oops) I fell in love with this red coat and naturally I had. to. have. it.  So, HomeFree it is, again!

So I ordered my items on a Monday and they arrived, much to my surprise, only 2 days later on Wednesday. I was blown away at how quickly they shipped it!  I know that I will definitely be using this option through the Holiday season – as a matter of fact it will be a lifesaver!

So what do you think – will you try out HomeFree at Walmart?  Let me know in the comments!

*Business days, plus processing. Limitations apply. Please see terms and conditions for full details.

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program and have been compensated for my time and creativity in regards to this post.  However, all opinions are, and always will be, my own.  Thanks for reading!

 

 

Hakuna Matata: The Lion King is Now On DVD and Blu-Ray

 

Yesterday I was in Costco and as I was perusing the vitamin section I hear  the strains of a song I know, all too well, coming from the electronics section –

“Everybody looooook left!  

Everybody loooooooook right!  

Everywhere you looooook I’mmmmmmm

…standing in the spoootttttliiiiiight!”

And right there, in the middle of Costco, I surprised myself and everyone around me by practically shouting Zazu’s line –

“NOT YET!”

Which led to this tweet.

Oh yeah.  I’m totally that girl.

The Lion King has always been my ultimate favorite Disney movie.  I knew every line, every song, every word to this movie (and apparently still do).  I even had the soundtrack.  It didn’t hurt, of course, that I was 11 years old with a huge crush on Jonathan Taylor Thomas (who is the voice of Simbaa).

Then of course there is the very cool connection of my cousin, Ernie Sabella, being the voice of Pumbaa in the movie.  Not that he knows me, or anything, but related we are.  And at 11 years old?  That made me like, totally cool.

Of course, The Lion King has just been re-released in theaters in 3D, but as of yesterday, October 4th, it’s also available as The Lion King: Diamond Edition on Blu-ray 3D & Blu-ray Hi-Def Combo Pack.  You can save $5 on your purchase with the coupon below (click the image to be redirected)!

And of course, the folks at Disney always have such fun items to go along with each release – I love these Fun Food Ideas (featuring Pumbaa, of course!).

 

And these coloring and activity pages (which are always such a hit in our house!).

 

 

So, if you’re looking for something fun to do this weekend with your kids, try out some of these fun food ideas and then pull up a tub of popcorn and pop in The Lion King.  I know we will be. (And I’ll try not to annoy the kiddos by singing every single line, but hey – I’m not making any promises.)