$10 Children's Place Gift Card #Giveaway #WestfieldB2S

I had so much fun during my back to school shopping spree at Westfield Connecticut Post that we have decided to team up once again to bring you a giveaway! Let us help you finish up that last minute school shopping with a $10 gift card to The Children's Place.

Giveaway Details
Five (5) winner's will each receive a $10 gift card to The Children's Place. This giveaway is open to Connecticut residents only and will end at 12:00AM on August 24, 2013. Please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Back to School Shopping at Westfield Connecticut Post Mall #WestfieldB2S

Westfield provided compensation to facilitate our back to school shopping experience. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The school year is almost upon us here in Connecticut which means parents and children everywhere are heading to the malls for some back-to-school shopping. Now while I normally love shopping, having four young boys to buy for can be a little daunting for a few reasons.  The biggest of course is price. I have four growing bodies to outfit and four sets of supplies to tackle and the cost adds up super fast. The other problem is doing the actual shopping with four children because let’s be serious here, kids do not have the patience for shopping. Nor do husbands, I recently learned. However, shopping at the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall made the entire experience easier for us.

On Friday, August 16 Westfield invited me to their Connecticut Post location in Milford, Connecticut for a $250 back-to-school shopping spree and to experience their Best of B2S shopping event.  During this event, some of the stores were running back to school sales, the mall hosted family-friendly shows and events plus there was an Unlock to Win giveaway! Over in the center court of the mall there was a locker setup and you could then text to receive a code to try to open the locker for some great prizes like an iPad Mini! I would have loved to win another iPad since I am somewhat gadget obsessed.

The first store we headed to was The Children’s Place, who was a participant in the Best of B2S event. Armed with my gift card and a 20% coupon, I was ready to do some damage. I decided to let the boys each pick out a couple of shirts. We were looking through the long and short sleeve graphic tees when we spotted a table full of character tees. I don’t think I ever noticed they had these before and they all put down the shirts they were looking at and headed over to that table. They had an awesome selection of Star Wars, LEGO Ninjago, Super Mario Bros., Marvel Superheroes and more.

Generally, I shy away from licensed character t-shirts because they are more expensive. However, The Children’s Place was having a sale and these were marked down to $10 plus I had my coupon. So in the end they cost me $8 a piece which is awesome for the combined character aspect plus The Children’s Place quality.  If I would have let them, my kids would have bought every single shirt they had. But I had more shopping to do.

So I walked out of the store with 8 shirts and spent only $63 and I received $20 Place Cash for a future purchase. Plus with every Disney or Marvel shirt you bought, you got a free Phineas & Ferb school kit, which was a cute bonus. And yes if you look at the shirts we got, you will totally notice a “one of these things is not like the other” shirt mixed in there. The cute butterfly tee is for my 4 year old niece whom I adore. She is the only little girl in my life that I can buy stuff for so I indulge myself every now and then.

After we were finished at The Children’s Place, it was time for our lunch break. We headed over to the food court to figure out what to eat. With some pizza and salad from Sbarro’s and burgers, chicken tenders and a hot dog from Johnny Rockets, we sat down to devour our meal. We don’t do fast food often, so this is a special treat for us. And thankfully the food court here has a ton of seating so we had no problem finding a quiet spot for ourselves.

I mentioned earlier that Westfield was hosting some kid-friendly shows during their Best of B2S event and the show for this day was Spider-man. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect show for my superhero obsessed family. We watched Spider-man come down from the upper level and make his way through the crowd of kids gathered around the stage. Spider-man joked around with the kids and parents and then started a discussion about “Being Buddies and Not Bullies”. With crowd participation, he discussed the things kids can do if they are being bullied in school or anywhere really. This is such an important issue and I was thrilled that Westfield used a popular, fun character to talk to kids about this topic.

My final stop of the day was at my favorite store: Target. I love Target because I can find anything and everything I need there and for a great price. Which often means I walk out of the store with way more items than I intended to buy. On our shopping list for Target were some school supplies, some household items and a few t-shirts for mom. Hey, mom deserves back to school clothes too doesn’t she? After all the hard work parents go through to get their kids ready for school, they certainly deserve a little reward themselves.  I actually didn’t get to spend as much time in Target as I would have liked because not only were the kids getting whiny by this point in the afternoon, but so was dad.  So I sped through to the best of my ability.

I also came prepared with Target coupons plus my iPad with the new Target Cartwheel app. If you shop at Target, you need to download this app as it gives you additional coupons on top of print coupons and in store sales.  In the end we ended up with 2 backpacks for the twins (who begged and pleaded), some markers and crayons, a notebook for my blogging, hangers for their new shirts, straws, a PUR filter for our fridge, kid’s toothpaste, cologne for dad and two shirts for me. Oh and because my boys were such good sports throughout the entire day, I let them get a new Skylanders figure.  After The Children’s Place and lunch, we finished up our gift card here and the Target Cartwheel app saved me an additional $15 off my purchases.

Overall we had an awesome shopping experience at the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall. The amount of stores that are at this mall can be a little overwhelming at first, but if you have a shopping plan in place you should be good to go. And if you are shopping with the kiddies, don’t forget to check out the playspace on the lower level so they can burn off some of their energy and then hopefully nap on the way home. Even though the Best of B2S event is now over, there are still stores who are having back to school sales.

Sweepstakes
Now through August 31st  you can go to the Westfield Connecticut Post Facebook page and enter to win $1,000 for back to school shopping at the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall.

Connect with Westfield Connecticut Post
Website:  www.westfield.com/connecticutpost
Facebook: www.facebook.com/westfieldconnecticutpost
Twitter: @WestfieldCPM

What is your favorite store to hit up at the mall for back-to-school shopping?

Hanging with the Modern Dads Road Tour at Six Flags New England

A&E is kicking off its new series, Modern Dads, with an interactive East Coast road tour this August leading up to the series premiere on August 21st. Parents and their kids are invited to check out the Modern Dads RV for a fun-filled family event. You'll be able to have your family photo taken for free, check out the ultimate Modern Dads "man cave," and walk away with Modern Dads swag including sidewalk chalk, bubbles for the kids, and more. Check out the remaining tour dates here: www.aetv.com/modern-dads/mobile-tour.

On Wednesday, August 14 the Modern Dads Road Tour rolled into Agawam, Massachusetts to hang out at Six Flags New England. Since this isn't too far from me, about 90 minutes, I loaded up my 4 boys into the minivan, dragged my mom along for the ride and we made our way there. When we arrived we headed straight for the Modern Dads RV.

After we met some of their road crew and checked out the outside of the RV, we were invited inside to poke around and take a free family photo. There are plenty of props and toys for the kids to use in the picture. Mine chose guitars and a baseball hat.

And yes, Dad was in fact at work, which is why Grammy got suckered into joining us.Not only do they email the photo to you pretty much instantly, but they will also print out a couple of copies while you are waiting in the RV.

Of course once we parted ways with the cool RV, we tore up the amusement park. This was the first time my kids have ever been here and the first time for me since before my oldest was even born. So yeah, it had been a while. We had a blast. There are 2 separate areas dedicated to child rides and that is where we spent most of our time. My eight year old is just on the cusp of being tall enough for real roller coasters so I have a feeling a trip with dad here next year will  be happening.

We ended up having beautiful weather and just a perfect family day at Six Flags New England.

About Modern Dads
Modern Dads features four stay-at-home dads who while little unconventional, get the job done. Banding together, their "guys club" is a tribe of suburban, child-rearing dudes who are just trying to do their thing… with a kid (or four) on their hip. The new series will follow their exploits as they navigate their lives; juggling the requirements and social expectations of being both a "modern man" and "modern dad" while their significant others are off at work.

Modern Dads premiers on A&E on August 21, 2013 at 10:30/9:30c. Be sure to tune in!

Thank you to A&E and Modern Dads for providing complimentary passes to Six Flags New England for my family so we could enjoy the Modern Dads Tour and the park.

The Modern Dads Tour Rolls Into New England #ModernDads

Next week the Modern Dads Tour will be visiting New England and if you are in the area, you can join in on some fun! They tricked out an RV and created a fun-filled interactive experience traveling on the East Coast! Here is where they will be:

Location: Six Flags New England
Address: 1623 Main St  Agawam, MA 01001
Date: Wednesday, August 14th
Time: 12:00PM- 4:00PM

Location: Pawtucket Red Sox Game at The McCoy Stadium
Address: 1 Columbus Ave  Pawtucket, RI 02860
Date: Thursday, August 15th
Truck will be on site @5:30pm
Game Time: 7:05PM

Modern Dads on A&E features four stay-at-home dads who while little unconventional, they get the job done. Banding together, their "guys club" is a tribe of suburban, child-rearing dudes who are just trying to do their thing… with a kid (or four) on their hip. The new series will follow their exploits as they navigate their lives; juggling the requirements and social expectations of being both a "modern man" and "modern dad" while their significant others are off at work. The Modern Dads series premier is August 21st at 10:30/9:30c.

I love the idea behind this show and being able to see dads in the role that I fill every single day. It should definitely be interesting and I am hoping somewhat humorous. :) Myself and my lucky family are going to get a chance to check out the special Modern Dads RV as it rolls into Six Flags New England.  You can be sure I will report back about it all!


Connect with A&E and Modern Dads
Website:  www.aetv.com/modern-dads
Facebook: Facebook.com/ModernDadsAETV
Twitter: @AETV
Instagram: instagram.com/AETV
#ModernDads

New Famous Footwear Location Opening in Hartford plus Gift Card #Giveaway

Famous Footwear will be opening a new store in Hartford, Connecticut, its 14th location in the Hartford and New Haven market. The 5,000 square-foot store will open July 31, 2013 and will host a series of grand opening events throughout the day. The new store is located in the Charter Oak Marketplace at 55 William Shirty Cambell St. in Hartford, CT.

To celebrate the opening in Hartford, Famous Footwear is hosting an all-day grand opening event on August 10, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Shoppers are invited to experience fun activities including:

• A Shoe Crazy® shopping spree where one lucky winner will get 30 seconds to run through the aisles and grab as many free pairs of shoes as possible.
• Hourly drawings to win a complimentary pair of shoes.
• An appearance from popular, local radio station, WTUC-FM (96.5), giving shoppers the chance to meet some of their favorite radio personalities.
• A live DJ.

Right now I am picturing myself running through the aisles and throwing boxes of shoes in a cart. Man that would be so much fun!

Famous Footwear is a leading, easy-to-shop footwear destination, featuring merchandise for women, men and children, making it a one-stop-shop for the entire family. Shoppers can access Famous Footwear’s loyalty rewards program and vast style selection in-store to meet their family’s footwear needs.

With more than 1,000 stores nationwide as well as their website, Famous Footwear offers consumers more than 100 nationally recognized brands through its retail stores and website, including Nike, Skechers, Naturalizer, Puma, Steve Madden, Converse, New Balance, DC, Rocket Dog and Carlos by Carlos Santana, and features a broad assortment of fitness footwear from brands like Reebok, Avia and Ryka. Famous Footwear is also a proud national partner of the March of Dimes.

Connect with Famous Footwear
www.Famous.com
www.Facebook.com/FamousFootwear
@FamousFootwear
www.pinterest.com/famousfootwear
www.instagram.com/famousfootwear


Giveaway
One (1) winner will receive a $25 gift card to Famous Footwear. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, 18+n and will end on August 10, 2013. Please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Whole Foods Market Opens in Danbury On May 17

Back in March 2011, I was thrilled to announce that a Whole Foods Market was coming to Danbury, CT. And for the past two years since then I have anxiously awaited for it to actually happen. Finally, the grand opening is almost here! This Friday, May 17, 2013 the brand new Danbury Whole Foods Market will be opening its doors.

The other day I had the privilege of attending a media preview tour of the store. I was honestly giddy with excitement about being able to get a sneak peak and actually being there I felt like a kid in a candy store. All around me I was surrounded by natural foods that are free of chemicals and artificial ingredients and it was just plain awesome. Since this was my fist time ever stepping foot inside of a Whole Foods, I wanted to share some of the areas that excited me the most.

When you first enter Danbury Whole Foods, you will be face to face with the produce department. Here you will find fruits and vegetables from local Connecticut farms as well as regionally local farms in New York and New Jersey. To the right of the produce is the bulk foods area which I cannot wait to dive into. This section is great if you are trying a new recipe and only need a little bit of an ingredient that you don't normally use. It also has the peanut grinder where you can grind your own peanut butter. I'm not sure what it says about me that something like grinding peanut butter makes me super excited, but I can't wait to give it a go.

Over in the meat and poultry department, I learned about the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating.

"All beef, chicken, pork and turkey in our fresh meat cases must come from producers who have achieved certification to Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating."

Alright so I am a mom of four very picky little boys. So yes, when I saw that part of the grand opening sale was 12oz packages of chicken nuggets and tenders for just $3.49, I had to snap a picture. I foresee me dumping a bunch of these in my shopping cart this weekend. And I know other moms out there would be equally excited for this deal. Just don't elbow me for the last box please.

We took a quick peek into the grocery aisles and as you can see they are jam packed with yummy goodness. If you are shopping at Whole Foods Market, you are obviously conscious of what you are putting into your body and probably an avid label reader. Whole Foods is making that a little easier for us by labeling non-GMO products from their private label line.

Yes, another grinder caught my attention. This time it is the coffee grinder. I love the smell of freshly ground coffee... possibly more than I actually like the taste of coffee. I normally go for flavored coffees, and it is impossible to find any without artificial flavoring in conventional grocery stores. So I am anxious to shop Whole Food's selection of coffees and get to grinding.

Now I am not a huge beer drinker, but I thought that these shelves of every type of beer imaginable, many local, was pretty darn cool. And I may have drooled just a little bit. This is only a fraction of what was there, it actually wrapped around the corner. And you will notice that these are individual bottles of beer so that if you want to try something new, you only have to buy one bottle. I do enjoy trying local beers so I definitely see a sampling in my future.

The specialty area and counter was filled with some delicious looking cheeses. My husband is a big cheese and crackers snacker so we'll have to pick up some fresh cheese from here. I also thought it was cool that the wood that you see in the signs and those hooks on the wall behind the counter are all re-purposed. For Whole Foods Market, it is not only important that they provide customers with the best, natural food but they try to make their entire operation as sustainable as possible.

Those of you familiar with the Danbury area will know that this new Whole Foods Market is where the old Marcus Dairy and Dairy Bar Restaurant used to be. In honor of that, they added a "Burgers & Shakes Bar" where you can grab yourself a delicious, fresh burger after a day of shopping. And the prices are very affordable with a grass-fed beef burger or cheeseburger starting at only $4. I am already trying to make plans for when my sister-in-law and I can go their to shop and eat. And just down a little ways from here is the Coffee Bar. Sigh. I am going to have to add some extra time in at the gym for all the calories I am going to be consuming here.

The grand opening of the Whole Foods Market Danbury start at 9:00 AM on Friday, May 17, 2013. 5% of the day’s sales will be donated to the Danbury Museum and Historical Society. The first 350 customers will get one free pound of chicken and one free pound of shrimp. Now I am told that the turn out is expected to be pretty big, with customers lining up outside as early as 8:00 AM. So if you want to get it on these freebies, get there early. I will most likely be waiting till after the initial craze of the weekend so I can shop leisurely and enjoy a juicy burger and milk shake when I'm done.


To stay on top of special one day sales, be sure to follow @WFMDanbury on Twitter and Whole Foods Market Danbury on Facebook. To check out the current sale flyer, visit http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/danbury.

Bracing for Sandy

For the second year in a row, Connecticut is ending October with a devastating storm. Last year we had a Nor'Easter that dropped 18 inches of snow in a short amount of time and left pretty much the entire state without power for days (even weeks for some). We were without power for 5 days. Now we are bracing for Hurricane / Tropical Storm Sandy, which should hit here later today. The coastal towns of Connecticut have all issued mandatory eveacuations as they anticipate catastrophic storm surges and flooding.

Image courtesy of NBC Connecticut

Here in the inland of Western Connecticut, we may not see much rain but we will be dealing with winds of up to 85 miles per hour. Which of course means downed trees and power lines and potentially days of no power. We have been preparing the best we can over the past two days. I'm not one to run to the store in a panic to buy bread and milk. I already have tons of break and if we should lose power, I don't have a generator to keep all the milk cold. But we filled up our tub and lots of buckets with water for flushing and washing. I've made tons if ice in order to keep things cold for as long as I can. We've got batteries for flashlights and the kids' handheld gaming devices so stave off the boredom as long as we can. And most importantly, my Kindle is charged and loaded with lots of books for me to read.

Now we just sit and wait. Already the wind has really picked up and I know itis only going to get worse by this evening. I'm hoping the power stays until I can at least make dinner. Otherwise it will  be a PB&J night!

If you are in Sandy's path, I hope you stay safe.

Bob's Stores 25% Off Reusable Coupon

I know it is only July, but back to school shopping has already begun. If you head into many stores right now, you will see dozens of displays for school supplies. Back to school shopping also means new clothes and if you have a large family like me, you have a strict budget that you need to stick to. Starting Sunday, July 15 through Saturday, July 28 you can use this Bob's Stores 25% off reusable coupon to get you school shopping started.

This shopping pass will get you 25% your entire purchase (some exclusions apply) either in store or online and can be used over and over again.Visit www.bobstores.com to shop or find a store near you. Click the image below to print out your shopping pass.

Bob's Stores Locations

CONNECTICUT · Ansonia · Avon · Danbury· Enfield · Fairfield · Hamden · Manchester · Middletown · Milford · Newington · Norwalk · Waterbury · Waterford

RHODE ISLAND · Cranston

NEW HAMPSHIRE · Bedford · Nashua · Salem

MASSACHUSETTS · Billerica · Framingham · Franklin · Leominster · Middleton · Randolph · Raynham · Saugus · Seekonk · Shrewsbury · S. Attleboro

NEW YORK · Patchogue · E. Northport · Selden · West Islip

NEW JERSEY · Freehold · Springfield · Totowa

Connecticut Wine Festival Two for One Deal!

If you live in (or near) Connecticut and you are a wine lover, then you will want to attend the upcoming CT Wine Festival on July 28 and 29. Attendees will taste the best of Connecticut’s wineries, sample local specialty foods and enjoy live music. There will also be hand crafted items to browse through.

From July 9 through July 15 you can purchase Two Tickets to CT Wine Festival for only $30 from Plum District. That is a $60 value. With this offer you will also get a commemorative festival wine glass and tote bag to bring home.

The CT Wine Festival will take place at The Goshen Fairgrounds on July 28 and 29. Visit Plum District for complete offer details.

This post contains affiliate links.

Connecticut Flash Giveaway: Flamig Farm Family 4-Pack

One of my favorite daily deals website is, Plum District. I love that it is for moms by moms. The deals you find on there are for things moms want and need and there are always family friendly activities as well. Today in the Connecticut area, there is a great offer for Flamig Farm in Simsbury, CT. For just $12 you can get a Family 4-pack and spend some great quality family time feeding farm animals!

Don't forget to bring your camera to this enchanting place where your kiddos can come and be up close and personal with their favorite farm animals. From cuddly bunnies and chicks to goats and pigs, they will be in awe at this working farm. Everyone in the family will also get a cup of grain so you can feed your new farm friends! You'll also get one dozen eggs during your visit to enjoy at home.

If you are not in Connecticut, that is OK! Plum District has plenty of offers In the New York City and Boston areas as well as other cities across the country.Sign up today at PlumDistrict.com to see what deals are available near you.

Flash Giveaway 
Plum District is giving one Connecticut area reader a Flamig Farm Family 4-Pack! This includes 4 Cups of Grain to Feed the Animals and 1 Dozen Eggs - a $24 Value. This giveaway ends tonight at midnight, so hurry up and enter! Please use the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Connecticut Open House Day: Saturday, June 9, 2012

Tomorrow is going to be a great day to explore all that Connecticut has to offer as it is Connecticut Open House Day! More than 175 Connecticut destinations will be open to residents for a day of fun activities with free or discounted admission. Is there a museum you have been meaning to visit but you just haven't gotten there yet? Well Saturday, June 9 will be the perfect day to do that and discover lots of new destinations throughout the state!

You can check out the Connecticut Open House Day Event on Facebook and the Pinterest Pinboard to see what is going on in your area and throughout the rest of the state. If you have kids, one place you will definitely like to visit if you can is the Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, which is offering free admission from 9:00am - 4:30pm. I know my boys would absolutely love this place!

If you  live in Connecticut, what destinations would you like to visit during the Open House? Are there any that you recommend?


Connect and learn more:
Facebook: facebook.com/VisitConnecticut
Twitter: twitter.com/CTvisit
Pinterest: pinterest.com/visitct
YouTube: youtube.com/ConnecticutTourism

Wordless Wednesday: Memorial Day Parade

Taking the time to remember what Memorial Day is truly about. Thank you to all of the brave men and women who have fought and continue to fight for our freedom.