Jolly Mom: Recipes | Crafts | Atlanta Mom Blogger | Brand Ambassador | Product Reviews

For those of you that are teachers, The Clorox Co. and the National Education Association are offering a very useful freebie--a free canister of Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes. All you do is visit www.cloroxclassrooms.com between September 2nd through September 5th to redeem your freebie. This offer is "while supplies last" so I would imagine that you should stop by on 9/2 to ensure that you get your wipes.

While you're at the website, check out the FREE “Clean Up the Classroom” kit, which includes lesson plans, games and other tools to help reduce the spread of germs at school!

O-li-vi-a. O-li-vi-a. O-li-vi-a. O-li-vi-a. Oliiivviiiiaaaaaa. If I were to pick my favorite children's cartoon--hands down it would be Nick Jr.'s, Olivia. Have you guys seen this show? It is SO STINKIN' CUTE! The music, the animation, the characters, the endearing storylines...it's my favorite! Yes, I actually look forward to watching this show {LOL}! The good news is that Olivia has made her DVD debut so now kids can watch the show whenever they want! Trust me--you will not mind at all when your kids ask you to pop this DVD in for the 199th time.

Synopsis: In her first full-length DVD, Olivia takes kids on several high-energy adventures as she uses her super-sized imagination to cope with challenges that all preschoolers face. In the brand new episode, “Olivia Acts Out,” she gives an unforgettable performance in the school play by making the most out of her bit part as “Cow #2.” In “Olivia Plays the Piano”, Olivia gets a first taste of sibling rivalry when she and her little brother, Ian, learn to play the piano, and in another episode, “Olivia Packs Up”, Olivia gets frustrated with Ian and so she heads out on a imagined trip across the desert – which is really just around the block. In all episodes, kids will enjoy Olivia’s antics as she navigates family and school life.

Lucas loves this show and Olivia's antics so much--or as he calls her, "YaYa". Within the opening scene of the first episode, Lucas is cracking up {with mommy right there laughing along with him-lol}. If you want to check it out, Olivia is available to purchase from Amazon.com for $10.99.

Product Details
Actors: Artist Not Provided
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Nickelodeon
DVD Release Date: August 11, 2009
Run Time: 95 minutes

You guys should already know my love for Scooby so I was excited to receive yet another beloved DVD blast from my past to review! What happens when the Caped Crusader and one of the most famous basketball teams of all time meet Scooby-Doo? A delightful, animated double feature comprised of Scooby-Doo Meets Batman and Scooby-Doo! Meets the Harlem Globetrotters.


This DVD was just released August 11th and it is very cool! You get to see Scooby Doo team up with Batman and Robin and go head to head against The Joker and The Penguin.

Synopsis: The most legendary names in crime-fighting history, Batman and Robin, join forces with Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang in Scooby-Doo Meets Batman. The action begins as The Joker and The Penguin try to cash in on a crooked counterfeiting scheme only to be foiled by the trio of Batman, Robin and Scooby-Doo! The relentless Joker and Penguin, however, return a second time and try to steal a flying suit from Professor Flakey. Scooby-Doo and the gang prove that with a little help from Batman, they have what it takes to put the scoundrels in their place!

In the second feature, Scooby-Doo and the gang team up with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Synopsis: On a visit to a quaint New England town, the gang is spooked by close encounters with the ghost of Paul Revere and a fire-spouting sea serpent. But it’s a whole new ballgame when the kids get a mystery-solving assist from their pals: The Fabulous Harlem Globetrotters. Afterwards, the Globetrotters and the Mystery, Inc. crew are ship-napped to a creepy island full of ghostly frights – where Scooby-Doo and the gang again join forces with the wisecracking hoopsters for some slam-dunk crook-busting fun.

This DVD is also jam packed with awesome special features--check them out:

DVD Special Features
SCOOBY-DOO MEETS BATMAN INCLUDES:
It’s No Joke! Game
Velma Dinkley and Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase Music Videos
Mystery Inc. Yearbook
Get the Picture: How to Draw Scooby-Doo
Get the Picture: How to Draw Scooby-Doo and Shaggy

SCOOBY-DOO! MEETS THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS INCLUDES:
Scooby-Doo’s Gone Hollywood Music Video
Krazy Karoke: Singalong with Scooby-Doo and Shaggy
Assist and Score! Challenge

Want It: DVD retails for $13.49 on Amazon and is eligible for FREE SHIPPING!

I have drawn winners for the following giveaways:

$100 Famous Footwear Gift Card
Stainless Steel Water Bottle & Lunch Container
Simple Wishes Hands Free Pumping Bustier: 5 Winners
Accelerator Pulse Heart Rate Watch
The Natural Dentist-3 Winners
CitiBlocs Wooden Building Blocks

Click the links above to see if you won. As always, all the winners have been emaield and have 48 hours to contact me. Congratulations to all of the winners!

When I was pregnant with Lucas, I learned a little secret that many people do not know--Walmart has really cute children's clothing {nursery & bedroom decor too!} for a very small price tag. Honestly, I cannot bring myself to spend a small fortune on designer children's clothing when kids go through clothes super quick. Not only do kids have constantly revolving tastes and sizes, but they are also rough on their clothes. That's why a large part of Lucas' clothes {especially the basics!} come from Walmart--affordable, comfy, and cute! Now that most parents are in back-to-school mode and seeing that parents spend an average of $234 on their child's back-to-school wardrobe; I thought it was the perfect time to show you guys how to dress your kids for less at Walmart--$50 or less for an entire week's worth of clothing. Yep. $50 for the entire week. Walmart made it very easy for me--they provided me with a $50 gift card to shop for clothing {thank you Walmart}.

My favorite area to shop for Lucas is this center rack of basics by Garanimals. You can get t-shirts {both long and short-sleeved}, turtlenecks, sweat pants, sweatshirts, and more for $3.50 a piece! You can find deals like this for both boys and girls in all age groups and these are not SALE prices--they are everyday low prices.


Check out the racks and racks of unbelievable prices for boys:


and girls too:


I scored big time for Lucas! I found short-sleeved t-shirts on sale for $2 so I bought a bunch of those and a couple long-sleeved shirts. I can dress Lucas in either the short-sleeved or long-sleeved shirts on their own for one look or pair them together for a layered look as it gets colder! I also bought him a couple of adorable cargo-styled sweat pants {$4.50 a piece!} and a pair of khakis and jeans.


Items Purchased:
7 T-shirts {long and short-sleeved}
2 button down long-sleeved dress shirts
1 hoodie
4 pants

Total Spent: $53.53 I went a little over, but I could have easily left a t-shirt and still made out like a bandit!


And...look how cute {and stylish} Lucas looks in a few of his new outfits {everything pictured besides the shoes is from the $50 Walmart shopping trip}!

If you have a toddler or child of any age, then most likely--you already know and love Step2. Their toys are safe, durable and made to last--perfect for toddlers who tend to not be so "gentle". At my house, we have purchased and own many Step2 toys and products--we love them! Recently, we had the awesome opportunity to try out one of their newest toys--the Nature Station Playhouse and I am so thrilled to be able to tell you about it today!


The Nature Station Playhouse is an open and airy playhouse perfect for kids that love the outdoors and exploring nature {don't all kids?!}. It has so many things for kids to do and explore! It comes with a plastic shovel, bug collector, butterfly net, working lantern , microscope with two slides, tweezers, bug trap shovel and binoculars.


Inside the playhouse, there is a shelf or countertop perfect for examining flowers, bugs, and other cool things found in nature. There's also a molded sink with a faucet that swivels, a storage bin that doubles as a planter and a round, working window. The coolest part is the working periscope that allows 180 degree viewing of the outside--so much fun!


Step2 sent Lucas the Nature Station Playhouse for me to review and it has been a huge hit at our house--with Lucas and every child that comes over! As you can see from the pictures above, Lucas loves his Nature Station--he calls it his "HOW" {for "house" I presume-lol} and he just LOVES the binoculars and the periscope! He plays in the Nature Station every time we are outside--it's awesome!



According to Mike {my hubby}, putting it together was not difficult and he was able to do it in about 45 minutes. It is also extremely sturdy! We have moved the playhouse several times {on and off the porch} and none of the pieces have ever come apart--love that! What I love the most though are the sweet little details of the working lantern or the actual drain holes in the window box so that you can actually plant flowers or herbs. The slides that come with the microscope are so realistic and the microscope actually works with them! This is just a great, educational and FUN playhouse that will inspire a love of nature in kids! You and your kids will LOVE It!

Want It: The Step2 Nature Station Playhouse is available online at Step2.com and retails for $249.99. You can also find it at major toy retailers.

Thank you to Lori from Moms by Heart for compiling the best deals at CVS this week! For the full list, please make sure you stop by Moms By Heart!

Revlon Face, Eye or Lip products from $3.90 B1G1 free
-$1 from 8/16 SS
-$2 from August GLAMOUR magazine
Final Price: as low as 2/$.90 (assumes ONE Glamour coupon)

Planters Cocktail, Honey or Dry Roasted Peanuts 16oz. 2/$6
-$2 ECB on two
-$1.50/2 from 6/28 SS
Final Price: 2/$2.50 or $1.25 each

Welch's Grape Jelly 32oz or Skippy Peanut Butter 16.3oz 2/$6
-$2 ECB on two
-$.75 printable HERE - jelly
-$1/2 from 8/2 RP - Skippy
Final Price: as low as $1.25 each

Gold Emblem Cookie Dough Bites or Gummy Sharks 3.5-5oz 2/$2
-$1 ECB on two
Final Price: $.50 each

Nabisco Cookies 4-8oz 5/$5
-$1 ECB on five
-$1/2 from 8/23 SS, use two
Final Price: 5/$2 or $.40 each

Murphy's Oil Soap 2/$5
-$1 ECB on two
-$.55 from 8/30 SS
Final Price: $1.45 each wyb two

Bounce Dryer Bar $3.99
-$1 ECB
-$2.50 Vocalpoint mailer or $1 from 8/30 PG
Final Price: $.49-$1.99

Glade Fragrance Collection scented reed diffuser 1.62oz or Soy Candle 4.9-10oz $6.99
-$6.99 ECB
-$2 from 8/30 PG, September ALL YOU magazine or printable HERE
Final Price: $2 overage!

Clairol Loving Care haircolor $4.99
-$2 ECB
-$2 from 8/30 PG or $4 from 8/2 PG - regional, exp 8/31
Final price: $.99-FREE

Aquafresh IsoActive $4.99
-$3 ECB
-$1 printable HERE (sign up & select printable coupons tab)
Final Price: $.99

Sensodyne IsoActive $4.99
-$3 ECB
-$1 printable HERE (sign up & select printable coupons tab)
Final Price: $.99

Bayer Contour Blood Glucose Monitor $14.99
-$5 ECB
-up to $30 from 3/22 SS
Final Price: FREE and you get a $5 ECB!

Buying birthday gifts for kids can be so time consuming. You stare and stare at the countless toys in the toy aisle without a clue as to what to buy. Will the child like it? Will the mom like it? That's why I am so excited to introduce you to Gift Hero--the way gift buying should be. Fun, easy, and quick! Gift Hero was founded by two moms-Lisa and Stefanie-just like you and me. After attending countless birthday parties with their kids, Lisa and Stefanie became disillusioned with the gift buying options so they decided to streamline the process for moms everywhere. Gift Hero was born!


Lisa and Stefanie test all the toys sold at Gift Hero--only allowing the best toys for that gender and age. That way you can shop with confidence knowing that the birthday boy or girl will love their gift. Plus, mom will love it too! They even designed a cute gift bag that you can add to your order further streamlining the process for you. Plus, it is the GREEN way to "wrap" gifts! It is a reusable, drawstring gift bag made from 100% recycled materials. No more paper or plastic waste! At $3.00--this cute gift bag is also affordable!

I had the wonderful opportunity to try Gift Hero out and I have to say that their site is so easy to use! They have their toy selection categorized by age and gender and then again by price--this makes it super easy and quick to navigate and find the perfect gift.



Not to mention that their selection of toys is awesome! I loved seeing some of my favorite brands like Green Toys and Melissa and Doug, but also loved discovering some new toys that I'd never seen before. I ended up choosing the Automoblox Mini Car Set for Lucas and Gift Hero did not disappoint. The gift arrived super quick and is a hit with Lucas!

Frosted sugar cookies are wonderful for so many occasions--party favors, the holidays, birthdays--you name it! We made car shaped cookies for Lucas' birthday party favors and they were a huge hit! Everyone loves sugar cookies though--they are delicious and look so cute when frosted. However, finding the perfect "rollable" sugar cookie recipe is not so easy. I have worked with sugar cookie dough that is too sticky, that falls apart OR the dough is fine, but once you put the cookies in the oven--they lose their shape. Not good. After years of searching--I have found the perfect sugar cookie recipe. It is from the Good Housekeeping Baking cookbook published in 1999. I hope that you love it as much as we do!

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter or 2 sticks-softened{not margarine!}
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract


Directions:
1. On a sheet of waxed paper {or in a large bowl}, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat butter and sugar until blended. Increase speed to high; beat until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in eggs and vanilla until mixed. Beat in flour mixture, scraping bowl occasionally with rubber spatula, just until mixed. Shape dough into four balls; flatten each slightly. Wrap each in wax paper and refrigerate over night, until firm enough to roll.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Keeping remaining dough refrigerated, on lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll one piece of dough a scant 1/4 inch thick. Tip: If dough will not roll out easily or falls apart--then knead with a bit of flour until pliable. With floured 3-4 inch assorted cookie cutters, cut dough into as many cookies as possible; reserve trimmings. Place cookies, about 1 inch apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before putting in the oven to bake.
3. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden around edges. With wide spatula transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.
4. Repeat with remaining cookie dough and trimmings.

Yield: Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Frosting: To frost cookies, I like to use the "flooding" method. For a great tutorial on how to flood your cookies with royal icing, click HERE.

Thank you to Lori from Moms by Heart for sharing her Big Fat Freebies List with us! For the full list, please make sure to visit Moms by Heart and tune in every Friday for a new list of FREEbies!

FREEBIES & SAMPLES
~$5 free Paypal money when you sign up with Surveyhead HERE.
~WalMart freebies: sample Tena Protective Underwear HERE and free Hallmark card HERE - view all available WalMart samples HERE.
~Free NHL fan pack from the Vancouver Canucks HERE
~Free fish poster from the EPA HERE. You can never have enough fish posters - that's what I always say.
~Free sample Dentaburst HERE.
~Get a free reusable bag from Chi-Chi's when you enter two UPC codes from purchases HERE.
~Free kids cookbook from Wisconsin Cheese HERE.
~Free sample Carefree liners and $1 off coupon HERE.
~Free calendar with purchase from Gorton's HERE.
~Free trial pack of OB tampons HERE.
~Free Ensure shake and coupons HERE.
~Freebies with purchase from Teen Vogue HERE.
~Become a Facebook fan of The Body Shop HERE and get a coupon code for a FREE mini body butter ($10 value) that will be announced on Twitter tomorrow if they reach 3,500 fans...and they're almost there!
~Free Hannah Montana song download HERE

FREE SCRAPBOOKING STUFF
~Free digital scrapbooking downloads HERE.
~Free fonts HERE and HERE.
~Free printables HERE.
~Search engine for free digital scrapbooking HERE.

PHOTO FREEBIES
~$10 in free photos or photo items from Snapfish for new members HERE.
~Use your pics to make free scrapbook, slideshows or personalized ecards HERE.
~Wow! 50 free prints when you sign up with SEE HERE - HERE!
~40 free prints from Clark Color Lab HERE.
~Your choice: 25 free prints or free shipping on your first order from Shutterfly HERE.

FREEBIES AROUND TOWN
~Free Beef & Cheddar sandwich from Arby's with a drink purchase tomorrow 8/26. No coupon required.
~Free Limeade with purchase from A&W HERE.
~Free Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich when you join The Wave HERE.
~Free taco at Taco Del Mar on 8/27. Details HERE.
~Bowl for free - details HERE.
~Free 3 piece sample pack of Aveda Smooth Infusions shampoo, conditioner and Style Prep Smoother HERE.

If you've been looking for a toy that is PURE FUN, then look no further than the PlasmaCar! PlaSmart recently sent us a PlasmaCar in red to review and it is seriously one of the coolest toys around! If you've never heard of the PlasmaCar, it is a ride-on toy that needs no batteries and has no pedals or gears. I know, I know...how can that be? Basically, the PlasmaCar harnesses your child's unending supply of energy and the natural forces of inertia, centrifugal force, gravity, and friction to move the car forward. That was a lot of scientific terminology that I don't understand either, but all we really need to know is that it's FUN AND EASY! All you do is move the steering wheel from side to side and the car moves forward--that's it. And...I say YOU because YOU will ride it. In fact, at my house--we fight over who will ride the PlasmaCar! The recommended age is 3 and up and it holds up to 220 pounds so we can ALL join in the fun.



We had the PlasmaCar sitting out for the kids to ride during Lucas' birthday. Every child and adult that saw it, wanted to ride it {lol}. My 9 year old niece especially did not want to part with it and she and my 16 year old nephew {yes--I said 16 LOL!} kept arguing over who would ride it next!

See the PlasmaCar in Action:

The PlasmaCar is so durable too. It is made from state-of-the-art, high-quality ABS plastics that will last and last! It''s sleek, aerodynamic, and fast! It comes in six different colors and retails for $69.95.

I thought that this was an opportune time to bring back a post from a long time ago--literally from the first month I started my blog!

It is a felt birthday banner that I made for Lucas' 1 year birthday! It is so easy and cheap to make. All you need is felt, stencils, glue, and ribbon. Two of these cost me about $12 to make. So much cheaper than buying one and so much cuter! Plus, they will last much longer.

A really special way to commemorate a child's birthday is to give them a gift that can be passed down generations. A gift that one day their own kids will use. An heirloom gift. I recently had the opportunity to try out Stork Craft's Rocking Horse and it is the perfect gift for a child. Not only will the child love it, but so will mom and dad!

Stork Craft sent Lucas their Rocking Horse in the cherry finish and it is truly beautiful and so well made! It is made from solid wood {love that!} and is built with long runners to minimize tipping over. This is a great feature! Lucas has another rocking horse that he can never really "ride" because as soon as he gets on it--he falls off. The Stork Craft rocking horse does not do that at all. It is sturdy and comfy for kids to sit on. It doesn't hurt one bit that this rocking horse is so beautiful--it will look great in any nursery, child's room, or playroom.


Like all Stork Craft products, the quality of the rocking horse is wonderful! Stork Craft has been around for a long time--sixty plus years--and it shows. They are known as an industry leader in design, manufacture and distribution of juvenile products. You really cannot go wrong buying Stork Craft products! Stork Craft also sells beautiful furniture for nurseries and children's rooms that you have to check out!

Link up your giveaways!

Please make sure to link directly to the giveaway and list the name of the giveaway along with the expiration date. Don't forget to stop by Go Graham Go to link up over there as well!