New Luggage For This Weekend Traveler With #BRXTravelGear

Generally, I'm pretty cheap and there really isn't any hiding that fact. Although, I've found there are a few things in life that quality is more important then price such as large electronics and most recently, luggage. You see, I bought a cute luggage set which was black with pink polka dots. It was such a neat set and I was happy to score the 5 piece set for only $170! I thought I wouldn't have to invest in luggage again because I didn't do an overwhelming amount of travel.

But then, this happened:

This happened to my suitcase after only owning it for 2 years, literally as I was walking out the door on my way to Blogher11. It was quite frustrating. Mainly because I bought this at a gift shop on one of our adventures and there was no type of warranty at all. Basically, I'm out of luck on this one.

So before our most recent travel to California, I decided to shop for another piece of luggage. Something sturdy that could hold through a flight, a camping trip and many road trips to California. I was asked to check out the Briggs and Riley line; BRX Adventure Gear.

As with any large purchase I make, I like to check out the items online and find what they have to offer. So the first stop in my shopping adventures is the site: http://www.briggs-riley.com/category/group.aspx?col=BRX


I found a wide selection and different colors of the BRX line.



I also found that they have a lifetime warranty, score! They also offered free shipping over $99 but I am a touchy feely person and I need to try it out before I spend money on it.


We went to Suitcases and More in Scottsdale, AZ. The staff was very friendly and answered all of my questions. I had the chance to take out all of the luggage throughout the store before checking out the BRX line by Briggs and Riley. I was able to thoroughly look at each piece of luggage that was part of the Briggs and Riley line. I liked the quality of each piece, these pieces seemed more reliable then the "cheaper" pieces of luggage that I had already owned. I did notice they didn't have all of the items of luggage that the website had offered.


After evaluating price, sizes and colors, I chose the Rolling Duffel bag offered by Briggs and Riley. I liked the convenience of the wheels and the front handle as well as the room in the inside. When I asked the sales rep what I had to do if I needed to fulfill the warranty he said nothing, just bring it in and they take care of everything. Great! So, is it perfect for the weekend traveler?



Yes! I was able to pack 4 people's clothing for 3 days in this rolling duffel bag!! No need for multiple suitcases in our travel plans.



We're ready to go!

You can read more about BRX and what other shoppers think here: http://brxtravelgear.com/

You can also see more of our adventures and our vacation here:

This shop was compensated as part of an insight study with Collective Bias, all opinions are my own!

Beach Bound with #WetSkin

This past weekend we took a trip to Southern California. We were celebrating my daughter's 11th birthday and enjoying some good family time. While I'm not the best planner, I tried to create a master list of everything we needed. I'm thankful that we live so close to a Walmart so I can get my last minute items quickly. One of the items we needed was sunblock since we were in the pool nearly everyday this summer we had exhausted our supply. While we're on the topic of sunblock, we found out earlier this summer that there is a reason that there are expiration dates on suncare items. If its over a year old, it's probably best to best to throw it out because it isn't as effective and will cause the skin to be more prone to burning compared to a new bottle/can of sunblock.



I was happy to have been asked to try out Neutrogena's wetskin sunblock. As with anything I buy, I try to find a coupon first. I found a coupon for $2 off 1 Neutrogena Suncare product here: https://www.neutrogena.com/sp/specialoffer/sun_save2/coupon-register.do. When I was on the site, http://www.neutrogena.com, I tried to find out what "wet skin" meant. I initially thought it meant, it feels like a new form of skin (like a wet suit, don't laugh). However, I found out it is a literal meaning of, you can put this sunblock on wet skin! Awesome! Because if you have kids, you know how hard it is to convince them to get out of the pool, dry off, reapply sunblock and then get back in the water. This allows me to chase the kids and apply it, no matter how much they protest!

When I went shopping for the sunblock, I found that they had a "beach and pool" wetskin sublock for kids! Even better, 70SPF! What I also found out is that Neutrogena is the only sunblock I could find that "heliloplex" technology which means it protects against UVA and UVB rays. The more protection, the better!





While at the beach, the kids got to dig for sand crabs for the first time, check them out in the video!

So how did it hold up? Here is what I liked:

• High SPF
• Hypoallergenic (Tyler has eczema and tends to react to certain soaps etc)
• Waterproof (a must for any Summer time activity)
• Easy application (again, those kids only stay still for so long)
• No smell (I'll never understand why some sunblocks smell like death)

Cons?
None really but the price was a little less than $11 but I feel like it's a good investment to protect my children's skin, especially since we are prone to burning and my family has a history of skin cancer.

Now I know it technically says "beach and pool" but I also used this at Disneyland, it worked great on me and the kids!

At Grandma's too

See more of our fun trip here:

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias,, all opinions are my own.

Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries & Homemade Spicy Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Growing up, I never really cared for sweet potatoes. Although as I grew older, I discovered that they actually weren't too bad! When I found out about Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries by Heinz I was excited to try them. I found them at Sam's Club for only $7.49 for a 4 lb bag.




After cooking these I found that these were addicting and non greasy when baked in the oven. I did accidentally leave them in too long and burnt the first batch but the second batch came out perfect!

I decided to make a spicy honey mustard sauce to accompany these fries which was actually pretty easy.

Spicy Honey Mustard Recipe:
1/2 cup of mustard
2.5 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of Sweet Heat BBQ sauce by Frank's
1 tablespoon of bbq sauce
1.5 teaspoons of granulated sugar
1.5 tablespoons of mayonnaise

Mix and serve! Refrigerate the leftover sauce for later uses.

Find recipes that other's have created to go with Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries on their Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/oreidapotatoes?sk=app_197672820272192

You can read about my shopping trip here:

This project has been compensated as part of a #OreIdaFries shopping mission for Heinz with #CollectiveBias. All opinions, thoughts, recipes and photos shared in this post are my own and were not influenced in any way.

#FirstStreetIceCream Party w/ Smart and Final

This weekend we had an Ice Cream party with First Street Ice Cream (Smart and Final's corporate brand). For some reason when I go all out for a party, everyone I invite has something come up at the last minute and they can't come. Luckily, the kids and I still were excited about the party.

We set the party up, Ice Cream Sundae Bar style with a large tub of Neapolitan First Street Ice Cream. This tub was large for less than $6, which is great for any ice cream party because it's so large and inexpensive!


The toppings included:
First Street Nuts
Oreo pieces (Oreos I chopped up)
Reese's Pieces
First Street vanilla wafers
Colored wafers
First Street marshmallows
First Street maraschino cherries
First Street Coconut (shredded)
First Street confetti sprinkles
First Street dark chocolate sprinkles



We had Shasta cream soda and rootbeer for floats along with First Street sugar cones, First Street colored ice cream cones for the sundae bar as well.


We put First Street fudge bars in ice along with the First Street whip cream and First Street Moosetracks ice cream *yum*.





The special treat we had at our Ice Cream party was the Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich.
Smart and Final was kind enough to send a few goodies for our Ice Cream party and unfortunately, the chocolate chips melted during their travel. But even after they hardened into one block, I knew I could still put them to good use. I put the block in my food processor and chopped it up into chunks!

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
3/4 cup of brown sugar (packed)
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 package of First Street Chocolate Chips
1/4 teaspoon of salt
First Street Ice Cream (we used Neapolitan)

Cream together sugars, eggs and butter/margarine. Add flour and baking soda, salt and Vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop approx 1.5 inch balls onto cookie sheet.

Bake for approx 10 minutes at 355 degrees. Let cool completely before serving. If they are soft, leave them out to harden a bit overnight. Scoop ice cream on bottom of one cookie, topping with another. Have kids put on toppings such as whip cream, chocolate sauce, maraschino cherries etc.

Enjoy!



Here is Adrienne's creation. It has whip cream, Oreo pieces, Reese's Pieces and a maraschino cherry on top.


Tyler's creation consists of Reese's pieces, whip cream and a maraschino cherry on top.

I enjoyed a yummy float


I also made triple chocolate malted shakes!

Ingredients:
First Street Chocolate Ice Cream (approx 4-5 large scoops)
Ovaltine malted mix (5 tablespoons)
Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate mixes (2 packages)
2 cups of milk

Mix ingredients in blender, enjoy!

(makes approx. two 8 ounce glasses)



So what if you want to make a sundae for later or you want to bring some to a neighbor who is feeling ill and couldn't make it?


We loaded a sundae into a bowl that we could give away. We got a 50 pack of these Styrofoam bowls and a 50 pack of matching lids for between $5 and $6 total! These are great to freeze for later, or use them for soups, fruit etc in lunch boxes.


Our neighbor appreciated this, she couldn't come because she was sick or else I would have taken a photo of her :).
Who knew First Street had so many delicious goodies for Ice Cream? Also, prices are very reasonable!

You can have a First Street Ice Cream Party too!

Want to win a $100 GC to Smart and Final or an ultimate ice cream party? Just go to
http://www.FirstStreetIceCream.com site and create a sundae and send it to a friend to enter to win. They are giving away 5 $100 SmartCash card winners weekly PLUS there will be 3 grand prizes of either an ice cream party for each Grand Prize Winner and fifty (50) of his/her family members and friends.
Fine Print:

OPEN TO ALL LEGAL US RESIDENTS OF ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA ONLY WHO ARE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT THE TIME OF ENTRY AND WHOSE RESIDENCE IS LOCATED WITHIN A TWENTY (20) MILE RADIUS OF A PARTICIPATING SMART & FINAL STORE. Read more at http://www.FirstStreetIceCream.com

A little bit about the decor:

You may have noticed the plates/platters from my Dollar Tree post!

The plastic cups, spoons, colored straws, clear cups for toppings and table cloth all from Smart and Final!

This shop/party has been compensated as part of an insight study with Collective Bias. All opinions, recipes and thoughts are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Colgate #BuildingSmiles Twitter Party July 7th

We are getting ready for another #BuildingSmiles Twitter party with Colgate! We're going to be talking about the Building Smiles tour and of course about healthy oral care! We'll have all new questions and all new prizes at our party on the 7th!

The Colgate #BuildingSmiles tour is coming to Walmart's across the U.S. this summer. The tour van has dental professionals who are educating the community about proper oral care. These professionals will be performing free dental exams and giving local referrals if work is needed.

What: #BuildingSmiles Twitter Party


When: Thursday, July 7th at 9:00pm EST (6:00pm PST)


Where: On Twitter using Tweet Grid #BuildingSmiles Custom tweetgrid: http://bit.ly/mScso8

Who: Please follow me @SuperSavingSara as I will be the host of the party, and @Laurenrodkin who will be the Co-Host of this party.

Prizes: We will be giving away (3) $25 gift cards and a grand prize (1) $100 gift card for the Grand Prize.


RSVP: Please RSVP using the linky below (enter the URL to your Twitter profile) to be eligible for one of the gift cards.

See you at the Twitter party!



NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE TAXED, PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. Subject to Official Rules. Open only to residents of the United States.

Enter by RSVPing for the Twitter party on the link above, be actively participating in the party and are using the hashtag #BuildingSmiles. To be eligible, entries must be received by 9:55 p.m. EST except that mail in entries must be mailed separately and postmarked by July 6, 2011. To enter without purchase, hand write your name, completed address, age and telephone number on a 3”x5” card and mail it to Collective Bias, 205 S. Main Street, Ste. 1, Bentonville, AR 72712.

Prizes will be limited to three (3) $25 gift cards, one (1) $100 gift card. The three gift cards will be given away every 15 minutes during the 1 hour duration of the party on July 7th, 2011. All winners will be chosen using random.org from the RSVP link and winners must be present and participating in the party using the hashtag #BuildingSmiles at the time that they are drawn as a winner. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Winner will be notified via Twitter @ message by @PlusSizeMommy during the party on July 7th, 2011 and must respond to @laurenrodkin within 5 minutes of being selected to claim their prize. All entries will be eligible for any unclaimed prizes after the close of the Twitter party via random drawing held on -two weeks after- .

To obtain a copy of the Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Collective Bias, 205 S. Main Street, Ste. 1, Bentonville, AR 72712.

SPONSORS: Collective Bias, 205 S. Main Street, Ste. 1, Bentonville, AR 72712

All winners will be chosen using random.org from the RSVP link and winners must be present and participating in the party at the time that they are drawn as a winner.

#TheIceCreamSocial Experience w/ Lil' Drums

I hope many of you got to attend #TheIceCreamSocial at Walmart that I told you about last week. We attended with all 4 of the kids. All that the kids knew was that we were going to get Ice Cream, we surprised them with the Ice Cream Social! The bonus to the #IceCreamSocial (besides the yummy ice cream) was the fact that the ice cream was free! We immediately found the ice cream stand with the Nestle Lil Drums, we got to choose from Chocolate Swirl or Vanilla Swirl.





Half of us tried the Vanilla and the other half, chocolate! I enjoyed a Vanilla, which is great because it still had chocolate swirled in so it was like getting the best of both worlds!


I was asked to provide an honest review on the Walmart.com site, here are my thoughts:

I'm giving this 5 starts because normally, I don't indulge in Drumsticks because of the fat/calorie content. When we tried these at a sampling event, I was excited to find out that the Vanilla flavor only has 5 grams of fat! Also, these aren't really little! These are a great size, perfect for a dessert for mom and the kids! I was also please because there wasn't an overwhelming "nut" topping on them and of course the best thing about a Drumstick is the chocolate bottom and these do have that chocolate bottom! The cost is also great, it averages about $.50 a cone! No need to go out to fight the heat for a cool treat when these are in your freezer!


So we were on our way to a birthday party and we weren't able to pick up a box but we decided to just look at some ice cream before we left:

I love low calorie options.


Kids, well they love any ice cream products (lol).

This shop/project has been compensated as part of a campaign for Nestlé, All views/opinions are my own.

Murphy USA 10 Cent Gas Discounts w/ Walmart and a Twitter Party

I love saving money on gas, in fact who doesn't? If you live near a Murphy's USA gas station, your day just got a little brighter with this offer.

Click here for a complete list of participating Walmart and Murphy USA locations
Click here to get a card

Today, Walmart announces a 90-day Rollback at the pump to give customers a savings of 10 cents a gallon on all fuel, gas and diesel, at participating Murphy USA and Walmart gas stations. The discount applies to gas purchases made when using a reloadable Walmart gift card, reloadable Walmart MoneyCard® or Walmart credit card from June 29 through September 30, 2011.

All you need to do is use a Walmart Gift-card at the pump, no other restrictions apply!

Get your party on With Murphy as well with some of my good friends of Social Fabric and Collective Bias: #10cents Twitter Party With @MurphyUSA Thursday, July 30 at noon CST. Visit http://ow.ly/5sZa1 to register!

You should also check out Murphy USA's offers http://offers.murphyusa.com/

http://walmartstores.com/pressroom/news/10628.aspx

#GoCars2 Movie Review and Fandango Movie Ticket Giveaway

This weekend we had the joy of seeing Cars 2. We've been waiting for months for this to come out because we loved the first Cars! Also, we knew it was coming out on Tyler's birthday weekend! We were offered an opportunity to see Cars 2 using Fandango this weekend.

You can watch the trailer here http://www.fandango.com/cars2_119583/movieoverview

I ordered our tickets the day before because I wanted to avoid any lines at the theater and I wanted to make sure we got the showing that we wanted. I used the Fandango app on my android, it was really easy!

• I chose my date
• Time
• How many
• Entered my payment info. Done!

I was given the option to send the confirmation to my phone and to my email. Once it was sent to my email, I had the option to print it or just bring the confirmation number with me. I decided to take the print out with me, we took it right inside to give to the ticket counter and we were in! It was really simple and we avoided the lines. You can see more about my ordering experience here:
http://intersect.com/stories/1WW41Lh049yG

We went on Saturday evening, to watch the Cars 2 movie in 3D at our nearest Fandango Theater. The "short" before the movie was Toy Story Hawaiian Vacation.
This was definitely a cute short film, about Ken and Barbie's dream vacation with all of the Toy Story favorite characters.

As for Cars 2, we LOVED it! I thought I would be on the fence because typically, second movies have a hard time competing with the first movie when it was such a big hit. This movie had so much action, it kept the kids engaged and me too. The plot involves Lightning McQueen competing in the World Cup, along for the ride are his favorite buds including Mater. While in Europe, Mater finds himself wound up in a spy plot. I think Mater was the best character in this movie, he was extremely funny and stole the show.

When the movie was over, I asked the kids which Cars movie they preferred and they said they loved this one much more than the first. My son said he can't wait for it to come out on DVD!

You can get in on some Cars fun with Fandango by participating in the #GoCars2 Twitter party! Twitter Party - June 30, 2011, 9 pm EST.
RSVP Here: http://couchcritics.us/2011/06/fandango-cars-2-twitter-party/
Prizes include movie tickets, gift cards and Cars prize packs!
Check out this offer from Fandango: buy your tickets on Fandango and get a FREE iTunes download


Giveaway: I've been given the opportunity to give away two tickets to any Fandango movie! Just leave a comment below telling me why you and your family want to see this movie OR telling me your review of the movie.


Fandango tickets to nearly 65% of the theaters enabled for online ticketing and 80% of the country lives within 20 miles of a Fandango theater. Please indicate in your post/giveaway that the tickets are for “theaters available for ticketing on www.fandango.com or any of Fandango’s apps”.

Legal Stuff: This giveaway ends 7/8. One entry per person. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, all opinions are my own.

True Grit Movie Review + #FamilyMeals Dinner

( Movie image from Amazon.com in which I am an affiliate, click on the image to be taken to the movie for purchase. )

I have memories of my dad always watching western movies when we were younger. We would often watch them (most times though we would fall asleep on the floor watching). I was recently asked to review the movie True Grit. I didn't get to catch this re-make in theaters but I was excited to watch it. When this movie first came out I already knew it by it's name, I know my dad really enjoyed the original with John Wayne. I don't get to see my dad often but I thought this would be a good opportunity to have him come over and watch it. I even thought of how I could make this into a themed movie night. As you probably know, I love themed movie nights. It's a frugal way to have fun with the whole family!

When I asked my dad to come over and watch this with me, his initial response was "that movie doesn't even hold a flame to the original". Oh really I said? He had already seen it in the theaters and so he already had opinions on it but wanted to still come over and have dinner and watch it. I rented the movie from Redbox and shopped for our dinner items at Walmart.

The Movie:
I am not usually too impressed with remakes, especially that were originally filmed with Epic Actors like John Wayne. I also dislike how when they re-make a movie they try to do it in modern times. However, this movie still remained in it's Western time frame and I don't remember too much from this original movie because it was a long long time ago. In this movie is Jeff Bridges who plays Rooster, Matt Damon who plays Texas Ranger LaBouef and Hailee Steinfeld who plays Mattie Ross. The movie starts with 14 year old Mattie seeking revenge on the man who killed her father. She seeks out a Marshall who she knows will get the revenge she wants. She ends up hiring a rather intoxicated Rooster Cogburn and they set out on the hunt for Chaney in the Indian territory. Along their journey they find trouble with outlaws which is where the action comes in. I am not going to into it farther because that would give the movie away!

Here is what I liked about the movie: I thought the acting was pretty good. I liked Jeff Bridge's character portrayal I don't think I have seen Hallie in any other movies but I thought she did a great job at portraying the smart and sassy 14 year old in the movie. I liked that this movie was a drama with action mixed in. I think if you watch this movie solely hoping for action, you may be disappointed. I also liked that it was a Western because they don't make Western movies anymore (well for the most part)..

My dislikes: There is a part in the movie where Matt Damon's charectar "spanks" 14 year old Mattie. Now I have no doubt that this is how they did things back in the Western days but today, it's creepy! I didn't care for that scene at all. While I know no animals were harmed, I always have a hard time watching animals "struggle" in movies.


Dad's Review: Originally he wasn't impressed in the movie theater and he said that was probably because he was expecting it to be a duplicate of the original. However, when he watched it this round he said he really liked it. He said the scenery in the first movie was better but that was only because they didn't film it in the state it was portrayed in the movie, they filmed it in Colorado. He enjoyed the "dialogue" in this movie better because he said that according to his grandparents stories, this is actually how they spoke in the "Western" times. He said in the original they didn't talk like that. Dad says "See it". I'll also add in, it takes a lot to impress my dad so if he liked the re-make, you will too.

You can watch a trailer and learn more about the movie here: http://www.truegritmovie.com/


Dinner: I made a Western ChuckWagon type dinner: Steak, Corn, Beans and Weenies, Broccoli, Cornbread and for dessert: homemade Peach Cobbler with fresh canned peaches.


I shopped at Walmart and got ConAgra products like Reddi-Wip, Van Camps Pork and Beans, National Hebrew Hotdogs and I picked up some vegetables and steak.




I was excited to get some Jiffy Pop to cook but once I got it home, I discovered it wouldn't work with our stove :-(



This Steak I broiled inside with herbs fresh from our garden and a rub with garlic, dried onion and Morton Season Salt.

For the beans i added the hot dogs, a little bit of brown sugar and 1/8 cup of honey. The honey I will have to say is made from my dad's bees and it is delicious!




I cooked/steamed all the veggies in a pressure cooker. I LOVE my Cuisinart pressure cooker. It adds so much moisture to our veggies.

For the cornbread I just used a mix from Smart and Final that I had on hand and added bell peppers from our garden along with a little bit of honey.



Peach Cobbler Recipe is from AllRecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peach-Cobbler-3/Detail.aspx



Topped with Reddi - Wip, it made a great end to movie night!

This post was sponsored in part with an insight study with CollectiveBias. All opinions are my own.