Young At Heart Mommy

Managing Motherhood Through Love & Laughter

Mini Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake + Caramelized Banana Topping

I received a promotional item from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetSM blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product. #ChiquitaCookingLab #MMlovesChiquita
 

Have you entered the Chiquita Cooking Lab Recipe Contest yet? There are only a few more weeks to get creative in the kitchen and enter your winning recipe for the chance to win $4,000 as the Grand Prize winner! I can think of quite a few things I could do that with that extra money and I am sure you can too. Bananas have always been one of my favorite fruits and snacks. Since they are naturally sweet and delicious it isn’t very hard to work them into a recipe.
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Fun Fall Fashions At The Children’s Place #PLACEFall

Disclosure: I was provided with a gift card to shop the Fall trends at the Children’s PLACE.

Fall trends have made their way back into stores and The Children’s Place has the most fashionable picks for your the kiddos this season. Back to school shopping has been conquered but I am already bored of the basic solid colored polo shirts and stiff khaki pants Toodie has to wear every single day. I’m sure she is too considering the first thing she does when she gets home from school is rip them off and throw on anything in her closet with a pop of color. After a month of dull colors and plain Jane outfits it was time to bring some life back into her bland wardrobe. Bright colors, sparkle, sequins, and embellished graphics- yes please!
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Warm + Fuzzy Back To School Moments With Starbucks Fall Blend

Starbucks & Modern Mom provided me with Starbucks samples and a gift card in order to facilitate this review.

This time of year a good cup of coffee is a must-have staple in my morning routine. With a new school year and my little girl starting Kindergarten I seem to need more energy than I ever did before. Waking up at 5ish every morning is no easy task. But dealing with the lack of sleep isn’t a problem as long as I have my brew to bring me back to life. The new Starbucks Fall Blend has been making the back to school transition much easier for me, especially when it comes to that 45 minute carpool lane I subject myself to!
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27 Incredible Pumpkin Spice Recipes

I officially had my first pumpkin spice coffee of the year this morning. Usually I have to wait until September but the stars must be aligned because the beloved pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks has been released early this year. Needless to say I had a good start to the day and that cup of pure bliss had me feeling like Fall was in the air. Inspired by the delightful combination of ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon I rounded up 27 of my favorite mouthwatering pumpkin spice recipes to get you in the mood too! The majority of these are desserts but you know me, a sweet tooth is kinda my thing.
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Bath & Body Works County Fair Event In Stores + FREE Candle!

Get excited for the arrival of fall with the Bath & Body Works County Fair—a fun, playful take on a favorite local pastime.

 

On September 21, select Bath & Body Works stores will be transformed into festive county fairs, complete with Blue Ribbon interactive experiences.

 

Join Bath & Body Works for the Blue Ribbon Pumpkin Review—an activity where you’re the judge. Simply smell the range of NEW BBW Pumpkin candles and select your favorite. You can even take your top picks home! Next, visit the White Barn Home Fragrance area for the World’s Best Candle Challenge—take a trivia quiz to learn about all the ways Bath & Body Works’ superior candles enhance the home.

 

Those who make a home fragrance purchase will receive a FREE exclusive four-ounce preview edition of the Harvest Gathering Candle, complete with cello wrapping and tied with baker’s twine – the perfect housewarming gift for anyone this fall.

Discover what’s in store for fall at your local Bath & Body Works store this September.

On September 21, 2013 visit select Bath & Body Works stores that are hosting the event from 12 pm to 4 pm. This is your chance to sample the 7 NEW delicious pumpkin fragrances that are being featured within the store. Fall is my FAVORITE time of the year and I cannot wait to stock up new candles to get the house smelling festive. Which one are you most excited to try? Pumpkin Cupcake is looking good enough to eat right about now!

Disclosure: This information was provided to me courtesy of Tractenberg & Co.

 

Crafted Candles + $100 GC Giveaway

When Fall arrives there are several things I look forward to. On top of the slight weather change and homemade pumpkin pie, Fall Candles are a must have. I don’t think a day goes by that I forget to burn a candle in at least one of the rooms in my home. I love the designs and sweet spicy scents that you often find in Fall themed candles this time of year. They make my home feel more cozy and welcoming for guests in addition to my own family. As a die hard candle fanatic, I am always interested in exploring what a company has to offer. This is why it is my pleasure to introduce Crafted Candles, an online retailer of high quality candles.

Crafted Candles offers a wide variety including tapered, pillar, floating, and decorative candles. Some are scented while others are not. Whichever you may prefer, they have a full selection of different sizes and colors to choose from. There are many choices accommodating holidays and celebrations from Easter all the way to Christmas. The Fall section caught my interest immediately because of the bright colors and fun shapes. Thanksgiving is next month and that means a huge family dinner is in the works. These candles are ideal for holiday meals and get togethers. They are all made of food grade wax making them safe to use around food and on the table. You can decorate individual place settings with the Pumpkin Patch Floating Candles or dress a seasonal centerpiece to pull your table together. There are endless options and with so many to choose from, creativity is key!

They also have quite the selection of Christmas Candles available. When the end of the year rolls around, there is one thing that is always on my mind and that is Christmas gifts. Each year there are several people I have to purchase for and I have found that each of them have one thing in common. They all love candles, just like me! Not only do they make wonderful gifts but they can also be used as festive decoration. The Marshmallow Snowman Candle is one of my favorite choices because they’re individually packaged and hand painted. These would be adorable sitting next to Santa’s milk and cookies. In their Holiday & Seasonal section you will find Winter Candles, toppers, and accessories. They have everything you need to get into the spirit while giving your home that warm and comfy feel.

Would you like the chance to shop Crafted Candle’s huge assortment of candles? Enter through the rafflecopter form below and you could win an $100 gift certificate to expand your own collection!
 

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Crafted Candles and powered by Couponista Queen. I am being financially compensated for this post but as always, all opinions are my own.

Fun Fall Fashions At Cookie’s Kids Online #CookiesKids #CBias

We may not have the typical Fall weather here in Florida, but I always like to clean out Toodie’s wardrobe this time of year and make way for new styles. It is hard for us to tell when the season actually arrives given there are no bright colored leaves or squirrels running around with acorns. The one thing that assures us it is here, is beloved Football!  Within the next few months it will begin to cool down calling for long sleeve shirts, jeans, jackets, and light sweaters. I’m anxiously awaiting the morning I will wake up and it’s breezy outside. Since my toddler is effortlessly growing like a weed,  the clothing we buy usually only lasts one season.  When the next year rolls around, most of the pieces in her closet are too small for further use.  After rummaging through the pieces that still fit, it was time to get shopping for new Fall fashions on the #CookiesKids website! 

The Cookieskids.com website was very new to me but I have heard wonderful things about their sales on name brand clothing as well as school uniforms. Before shopping I wanted to get a little background information on the company and how they were started. On top of their thriving online shop, Cookie’s Kids currently has 7 stores within the NYC area in Bronx, Brooklyn, & Jamaica.

About Cookie’s Kids

In 1972, a young man named Cookie and his brother Marvin went into business together. They rented a 1600 square foot store in Jamaica, Queens, fixed it up, bought inventory and Summer and Fall, and opened a day after Thanksgiving with a full stock of holiday toys. The toys were a success and they put the extra money toward buying children’s clothing for the next season. When that did well, they bought more clothing.

The business was on its way.

As the brothers Cookie, Marvin and Sonny, who had come in as a third partner in the business, began to open new stores in new locations, inventory expanded. Besides the latest fashions, our customers wanted shoes, toys, backpacks and accessories and we were prepared to deliver. By the late 1990′s there were six superstores throughout the NYC area, and though they previously had different names, by that time they were all named Cookie’s Kids. Also in the late ’90s came an important addition to Cookie’s Kids’ inventory: school uniforms. It was the steady success in uniform sales that paved the way for founding CookiesKids.com in 2007, which originally sold uniforms and soon after the entire Cookie’s Kids Inventory.


Cookie’s Kids has a broad variety of clothing for girls and boys on top of accessories, toys, shoes, and uniforms. With their well organized departments I could easily browse through each section to find what I was looking for. I really did enjoy looking through each department to see what they had to offer. While it is now Fall, they had clothing for every season available. This appealed to me because while it may be cold in some states, it is still hot and humid here in Florida. I mainly focused on the little girl’s clothing in hopes of adding to my daughter’s fall wardrobe. I found many recognizable name brands that were discounted and affordable.

After coming across a few cute outfits that I thought would be appropriate, I found the Alva Kids application icon nearby. This assisted me in choosing the right size based on the measurements I provided. This application is unique because it stores your child’s sizing information and as they grow, their profile will as well. Each time you come back to purchase you will have updated recommendations.


I was overwhelmed by all of the choices in the little girl’s department. I spent a long time going back and forth between the sets and the sweatsuits. Ultimately, I decided to stick to the sets which included a top and pants. My daughter has more clothes than anyone I know but whenever I need to find the matching bottoms to her shirts, they can’t be found! Buying sets helps me keep the outfit together and makes getting her dressed in the morning that much easier. The long sleeve shirts will be good to have on hand when we get a surprise cold front. Some of them even came with three pieces for a great price.

The checkout process was a breeze and I even scored an extra 5% off with a coupon code I found online. My Cookie’s Kids order was processed and on the way. I couldn’t wait to get my daughter into her new Fall clothing.

Both of these trendy sets were only $12.99 a piece, including the top and bottom for each. From the pictures on their site I expected them to be cute but I was in love when I saw them on! The Alva Kids sizing application was completely accurate in choosing the best size for my daughter’s tall lean stature. I was worried about the leggings being too big but the waste fit perfectly and they were both down to her ankles.

We both loved her new outfits and Toodie had no problem putting on a little fashion show outside for mommy. I wasn’t the only one satisfied with my Cookie’s Kid choices. The Dotted Bows Set was loose, flowing, and had a touch of sparkle. The top was sheer and covered in big white bows while black sequins accented the neckline. I noticed that the black leggings were thicker and softer than what I am used to buying. It’s so hard to find leggings that are not thin, see through, and rip after a busy day running around on the playground. These felt much more durable while still remaining soft. There was plenty of room for her to grow into the whole outfit which will get a lot of use within Fall and Winter.

Toodie was ecstatic when she saw that the second set had a huge gold sequined heart on the front. The Heart Of Gold outfit is also sold in silver with a huge sparkly bow on the front along with the lining on the bottom. After seeing this one I couldn’t even decide which was cuter! I was impressed with these outfits and noticed they were both made by a brand called Royal Buzz. I was not familiar with this brand prior to this shopping experience but will be checking back often to see what they have. Now that I am aware of the high quality and low prices, I can’t wait to place my second order. Cookie’s Kids made shopping online an enjoyable experience. I was able to expand Toodie’s Fall wardrobe without standing in long lines or leaving the comfort of my home. I can only hope they will consider bringing a retail location down South!

Cookie’s Kids has also created a new program known as the credit refund policy. This means if you buy something one day for $8.99 and the next day it gets discounted to $7.99, your account will be credited the difference for future use!

If you would like to keep up with the current Cookie’s Kids promotions you can follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

You can take a look at my full shopping experience at CookiesKids.com in my Google+ album here.

I also have a coupon code for all of my wonderful readers.
By entering  youngatheartmommy at checkout you will receive 10% off sitewide! This offer expires 12/14/12.

Disclosure: 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 CookiesKids.com #CBias #SocialFabric

A Beautiful Day At The Pumpkin Patch!


I woke up this morning and couldn’t believe it- not that I woke up today- BUT that it was finally in the 80’s outside! Summer took longer than usual to depart and each day it almost seemed like it was getting hotter outside. There was no way I was letting this beautiful breezy day go to waste! With the weather being cooler we decided to make a trip the the local farmer’s market down the street.  Each year for the month of October they turn a section of their nursery into a pumpkin patch.  The land is covered with hundreds of pumpkins different shapes, sizes, and colors. The weekend before Halloween the nursery even offers hayrides and face painting which attracts a huge crowd. Last year we were number 150 in the face painting line. I was happy we missed the crowds by heading there early this month. With the patch to herself Toodie got to pick out her very own pumpkin and paint the outside to bring home. Our pumpkin patch visit has become a tradition each year and it is something we always look forward to.

Influenster: Naturals VoxBox Fall 2012

Another Influenster box arrived this week! WOOT. I love getting these boxes and when they get here I can’t wait to take a look at everything inside. This Fall, Influenster sent out the Naturals Voxbox packed with products that are organic, pure, and chemical free. You can take a look below at the items I received and a small snip-it of each!

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