Young At Heart Mommy

Managing Motherhood Through Love & Laughter

Cooling Off With Water Hopscotch!

A few weeks ago my mom found this Aqua Blast Hopscotch at Target, along with a slip & slide. I was hoping to save this for Fourth Of July but Toodie was anxious to give it a try. I remember when I was her age, we used to draw hopscotch on the side walks with colored chalk. We never had anything fun like this! Not only does it shoot up fountains of water but every step collects a pool of water to give the perfect splash during each jump. What a fun twist to a classic game. I love finding different water activities for the outdoors during the hot and humid Summer. It’s brutal here in Florida!
The Aqua Blast Hopscotch took less than five minutes to get up and running. All it took was a simple unrolling of the mat and a quick hose attachment. The water immediately flowed through the pockets and shot out into several small shooting fountains.

Quick, painless, and refreshing fun for the warm Summer days. It seems to be a lot more fun than running through the boring old sprinklers!

After an hour of water fun, Toodie was pooped and ready for a long hot bath. Seeing her excitement from the water hopscotch has me looking forward to the slip & slide. I wasn’t sure if she would be interested in it, but this kid loves playing in water! She didn’t even want to get out of the bath tonight.. I think it is safe to say we are ready for Summer!

Toodie’s Now Ridin’ In Style!


After weeks of having the Canopy Wagon tucked away in our dining room, it has finally been completely assembled! While it was in no way difficult to put together, we still had trouble getting a couple of pieces connected. I am so happy we gave it another try because this was well worth the investment. Step 2 never leaves us disappointed. I have been impressed with everything we have purchased from them over the years. I can’t wait to take a trip down to the park, pulling Toodie in her new ride!

Toodie wasn’t the only one excited about the new pair of wheels parked in our living room. Chloe, our pug, was very curious and did not hesitate to hop in as the passenger. We took a quick trip around the backyard and 10 minutes later ended up with both dogs inside! At one point I even took Chloe out so Sam could stretch out comfortably, given he is 5 times her size. I pulled Toodie and Sam around for a few minutes and Chloe followed us around, clearly jealous that she got booted. It was only fair to include everyone in the joy ride. Cramped and squished, the trio seemed content!


The best part of the wagon is the center storage area. You have the option of flipping both panels up for seating or you can close them and use the center console to hold things. We’ll be using it to hold our packed lunches when we take our trips to the park. For now, Toodie is holding a few of her own treasures inside.


Hours later we found a new purpose for the wagon, a comfy cuddly spot for relaxation! After a few laps around the house, I parked Toodie in front of the TV and she lounged while watching a movie. So far, the Canopy Wagon is a winner around here!

BeeSavy iPad GIVEAWAY! Enter to WIN.

Mom to Bed by 8, the Iowa-Mom is proud to present the The New iPad Giveaway Event, sponsored by BeeSavy.

BeeSavy is the first website to combine comparison shopping with coupons, cash back discounts and referral cash back.

Compare prices on millions of products from hundreds of trusted online stores.

No matter where you shop or what you’re buying, you’ll save $:

I know what I want… but where should I buy it? Search for any product in BeeSavy’s search engine. BeeSavy show you all the stores selling that product along with the total price at each of those stores. The total price includes the list price, tax and shipping costs, cash back discount, and coupon savings.
I already know where I’m shopping… how do I save $? Even for you brand-loyal shoppers, you can save money every time you shop at your favorite stores. Click the Shop By Store button in the top right to get started. First, check for coupons at your favorite store. Next, click through to your favorite store and make a purchase. When you shop online through BeeSavy, you will earn a cash back discount. Your cash back discount will post to your BeeSavy account within 1-4 days. BeeSavy will send you a check or deposit your cash back into your PayPal account once your balance reaches $10.
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One lucky winner will receive an iPad 3rd Generation, 16GB Unit from BeeSavy!

 If you are not already an iPad owner, this is your chance to get it on the fun! You can surf the web, tweet your heart away, catch up with friends on Facebook, play games, and even listen to music. The iPad is extremely versatile and everyone can get great use out of it. Good luck everyone!

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Make Your Own Jolly Rancher Lollipops

What You Need:
  • Parchment Paper
  • Jolly Ranchers
  • Lollipop Sticks
  • Cookie Sheet

    First things first, unwrap all your Jollyrancher candy! While you are preparing your lollipops, preheat your oven to 275°F. Any hotter and they will melt too quickly. After two attempts, I found this to be the ideal temperature.

      

    When i took a trip to the store yesterday I thought I picked up the Original Jolly Rancher bag but somehow ended up with Passion Fruit flavors. If you want your lollipops to be colorful make sure you get the correct assortment. These flavors were still very good and also tangy.

    Once all of your candies are unwrapped, you are going to take three at a time and group them together on your parchment paper. You can mix and match your colors according to what you want your lollipops to look like. We only had three basic colors to work with so we did our best! Make sure you leave enough space between each group because they are going to expand in the oven.
      
    By now your oven should be ready for candy cookin’. Place your baking sheet into the per-heated oven and allow them to melt for about 6 minutes.
    Make sure to keep an eye on them because once they have begun to melt, it does not take long after. The longer they are in the oven, the bigger they get. If the candy melts too thin it will be difficult to keep the stick attached.When they are finished they look something similar to the photo below.

     
    The lollipops will be very hot when you remove them from the oven. Immediately place the stick at the ends of the melted candy, twisting so that the candy wraps around it. This will keep it firmly in place.As you can see, each lollipop has it’s own unique shape. Some are long, some are short, and some are wide!  
     

    These cool rather quickly but we allowed ours to sit for 10 minutes so they wouldn’t be floppy.  Once they’re are cooled off you can pop them right off the parchment paper.If you want to speed up the process you can stick them in the fridge. These homemade Jollyrancher lollipops are Toodie approved! 

      Brew Over Ice BzzCampaign #bzzagent



      I don’t want to seem TOO overly excited for this bzzkit but i really can’t help it … I AM! If you know me, then it’s no secret I am an iced coffee junkie. I love love love Iced Coffee, especially when it’s 95 degrees here in Florida. My Brew Over Ice Bzzkit arrived yesterday and Bzzagent did not disappoint. This kit came with the Brew Over Ice BzzGuide, 3 boxes of K-Cup sampler packs, a pretty blue and white tumbler, and coupons to share with friends. I have been a member of Bzzagent for years and this may be one of my favorite campaigns to date..

      I wasn’t sure what to expect in this bzzkit but when i opened it i was thrilled. Not only did it come with the cute Brew Over Ice Tumbler but there were also the three boxes containing 4  K-Cups I have never had before.

      Each of the three K-Cup boxes comes with four different varieties: 
      • Celestial Seasonings Half and Half Black Tea & Lemonade
      • Celestial Seasonings Southern Sweet
      • Green Mountain Coffee Hazelnut Iced Coffee
      • Green Mountain Coffee Nantucket Blend Iced Coffee

      It was nice to see that there were different options to choose from and we are able to try four different flavors including tea & coffee!

      I had a hard time choosing which K-Cup to try first but I ended up making the Southern Sweet Black Tea. Making the fresh brewed tea only took a few easy steps. I placed the K-Cup into my Keurig system and locked it in.


      I prepared by Brew Over Ice Tumbler by filling it to the top with ice. I selected the 8oz. setting because I don’t like my tea to be too strong. If you have a Keurig then you know you also have the option to select 6 oz. for a stronger brew. Now, all I had to do was press the little black button and watch it drip! It doesn’t get any easier than that.. One of the many reasons i LOVE the wonderful Keurig system.


      Within seconds my Southern Sweet Black Tea is ready. I thought it tasted perfect the way it was but you always have the option to add sweetener if it’s too bland.

      The Southern Sweet Black Tea was refreshing and a cool go-to beverage for the hot Summer days. I didn’t know that Iced Tea K-Cups even existed. I am glad I was selected for this campaign otherwise I would still be drinking coffee and hot chocolate! These next few days I will be trying out the other three flavors and judging from the first one I tried, I have a feeling they are all going to be good. Did you get into the Brew Over Ice Campaign also? If so, what’s your favorite K-Cup so far?

      Influenster: Mom VoxBox


      Mom Vox Box 2012

      • DenTek Comfort Clean & Fun Flossers 
      • Ivory Soap Bar
      • Stash Tea Superfruits Tea Sampler
      • Nektar Sweetener
      • Quaker Soft Baked Cookie
      • imPRESS Press-On Manicure by Broadway Nails
      Based on demographics, select Influensters also received:
      • Dino Lingo Language Learning Programs for Kids DVD Demo
      • The Original Dish Drying Mat

       

      Disclaimer: I received the products in this post compliments of Influenster for the purpose of reviewing and sharing my thoughts, however all opinions are my own.

      Movie Date With Mommy: BRAVE 3D


      Today was the release on the long awaited Disney Pixar movie “BRAVE.” It’s been a rainy mess here in Florida and the best thing to do on a wet yucky day is see a movie. Since seeing the previews and reading the reviews, I was anxious to see what BRAVE was all about. While Toodie was not thrilled about the 3D glasses, we still managed to enjoy the movie. I think for the next movie we will skip the 3D and stick with regular viewing!

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      Shopping & Saving: RetailMeNot Mobile Phone APP



      For years now I have been a fan of the popular savings site RetailMeNot.com. Here you can find pages and pages of coupons and promotional codes for your favorite retailers. It has never been so easy to search, shop, and save money. Retailmenot now has a mobile APP for Iphone users to help you save money on the GO!

       The RetailMeNot Coupons app helps you find the best coupons for the stores you love to shop at. You are not only getting the savings online but also save money in stores! RetailMeNot offers the most popular online coupons from thousands of merchants and more than 1,600 in-store redeemable coupons from stores consumers shop at regularly.  

      The RetailMeNot FREE iPhone App is now available in the Apple Itunes store HERE. If you have an iPhone this is a great opportunity to get ahead on the great deals & steals that your favorite retailers are offering. 

      The 4 main areas within the APP that are beneficial: 
      • Get thousands of online and in-store coupons.
      • Simple drag & drop function allows easy online coupon redemption.
      • Save your favorite coupons for later. 
      • Browse top coupons, popular stores, and category listings.  

      Take a look at this video and check out the APP for yourself!


      RetailMeNot Coupons app for iPhone from RetailMeNot on Vimeo.

       
      I participated in this campaign as a member of One2One Network and I’m eligible for a prize drawing.  All opinions stated in the post. 

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