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

I will be the first to tell you that Mike and I love small household appliances and gadgets. We have quite a few-- probably more than we need or use regularly. However, one of them that we cannot be without is our Hoover Presto 2-in-1 Cordless Stick Vac. We absolutely love this vacuum for the convenience it offers. It is so quick to get to and to use. It is also especially light, which makes it easy to move around, take upstairs, downstairs or anywhere you need it.

The Presto is a cordless stick vacuum that has a removable hand vac that easily clicks in and out. It has 14.4 volts of cordless power which means that it has good power and suction as well as a longer battery life. The base of the stick has a rotating brush and the charging base has two additional attachments. Storage is easy and compact since the long handle of the vacuum folds down in half and simply lifts off and sits on the charging station--no cords to plug in each time (yay!).
I know that cordless vacuums can get a bad rap with how long their battery lasts, but one way to make your battery last longer is to make sure to run it until the battery is completely drained before you charge and then make sure to charge it fully before you use it again. This is the key!
The Presto Vac gets used in our house almost every day to pick up crumbs, dog hair, and life's almost seemingly constant messes. It performs very well each time. We absolutely love it and would recommend it as a staple in every home!
Key Features:
• Cordless Hand and Stick Vacuum Combo – convenience of a hand vac and stick vacuum in one for quick spot cleaning
• 14.4V of Cordless Power – longer run time contributes to better performance
• IntelliCharge System – LED charging indicator alerts the user know when the unit is charged up and ready to use
• Cyclonic Technology – cyclones separate fine particles of dirt before reaching the filter with less frequent filter rinsing
• Fold-Down Handle – makes storage a snap, ideal for small storage spaces
• Filter Made With HEPA Media – rinsable and reusable filter . HEPA media traps 99.97% of dust and pollens down to 0.3 microns
• One-Touch Brush Roll – for use on carpets and hard floors
• Swivel Head – allows for easy maneuvering across the floor
• Quick Release Button – hand vac easily pops out for convenient use
• Easy-Empty Dirt Cup – see when it’s time to empty and simplifies dirt disposal
• Limited Two-Year Warranty
On-Board Tools:
• Pivoting 3-in-1 tool – Includes pivoting crevice tool, dusting brush, upholstery brush to attach to handvac for detailed cleaning MSRP: $ 99.99

Last night we got the opportunity to see Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Who Stole Christmas! The Musical at The Fox Theater and it was such an amazing show. If you live in Atlanta and are looking for a special and very memorable way to ring in the holidays, this is it! Not only is the Fox Theater all dressed up for the holidays with twinkling lights and Christmas trees, but the show is truly spectacular! The set is beautiful. The music is amazing. The actors are perfection. 

 

 

The Grinch who is obviously the star of the show deserves every bit of praise and attention given to him because he is fabulous. He literally stole the show. He is everything you imagine The Grinch would be from the beloved Dr. Seuss book. Love, LOVE him! We even got to meet The Grinch and hang out a bit before the show, which was really cool.

 

 

ABOUT THE SHOW:
Discover the magic of Dr. Seuss' classic holiday tale as it comes to life on stage. Featuring the hit songs "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas," The Grinch discovers there's more to Christmas then he bargained for in this heart-warming holiday classic. Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is "two sizes too small", decides to steal Christmas away from the Whos, an endlessly cheerful bunch bursting with holiday spirit. Celebrate the holidays with this heart-warming holiday classic.

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is playing at the Fox Theatre from November 29-December 4 as part of the Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta 2011-12 season. For more information, please click HERE.

 

**We were provided with complimentary press passes to see the show for the purpose of this review. However, all opinions in this post are mine and not influenced by anyone. Please see this site's Terms of Use for more information.

One of my favorite things about the holidays are the parties! There's always an occasion to dress up for, which is nice considering I'm a work at home mom who dresses more for comfort than fashion on a regular basis. So what to wear to all of those holiday parties? That is the question we'll be answering tonight during a special holiday fashion edition of our weekly #KmartChat! We want to hear your holiday fashion tips and tricks to make this season sizzle!





PARTY DETAILS:


WHO TO FOLLOW:
Brand: @Kmart and @KmartDeals
Hosts:@StacieinAtlanta @crissy @jollymom @mommyinsider
WHAT: Kmart Holiday Fashion Twitter Party
WHEN: Wednesday, November 30 from 8-9:30pm ET
WHERE: Twitter with the hashtag #kmartchat
PRIZES: $125 Kmart gift card or one of three $25 Kmart giftcards
RSVP: Leave a comment on the Official Party post on the Kmart website with a link to your Tweet to let us know you are coming. Make sure to read the Official Rules and entry requirements to be eligible to win prizes.

Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with Sears and Kmart.

One of the greatest toys of the past that have been brought back to life are the Transformers. New movies, new characters, and new toys. The only problem is that while every child of every age wants one; they have a lot of moving parts and can be kind of complicated to figure out for the little ones. Well, Playskool's new line of rescue bots are fun AND they are easy to transform.






With one motion the robots transform from vehicle to robot. We recently got Heatwave the Fire-bot to try out and he is quite the hit around here! Heatwave is a robot that transforms into a fire truck. With one pull of his ladder he transforms. Very quick, very simple, and a lot of fun. Lucas absolutely loves it. There are a number of robots available, including the beloved Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. This is definitely a great gift for the younger Transformer fans in your family!

For additional information, please visit Playskool.com.

I am very, very picky about the perfume or scents that I will wear. I don't like really heavy, "perfumey" scents because they give me a headache. I also don't like the tons of chemicals and yucky stuff in many perfumes out there today. That's why I love Pacifica’s new Island Vanilla fragrance. It is soft and light, but it lasts throughout the day. Better yet, here's what the new fragrances DON'T HAVE: Phthalates, parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, mineral oils, GMOs, triclosan, propylene glycol, petroleum and artificial color. No animal testing. 100% vegan and cruelty-free. Gluten-free. These would make a lovely holiday gift for a teen, your sister, mom, best friend or YOU! 

 

 

Available in the following:

Spray Perfume ($22)
Pacifica Spray Perfumes are made with natural grain alcohol (the purest available) and Pacifica’s fragrance blends with essential and natural oils. They are sexy, petty and easy to wear – perfect layered or on their own.

Perfume Roll-On ($12)
Take Pacifica’s beloved fragrance blends anywhere and touch up anytime with this perfectly portable Perfume Roll-On with natural grain alcohol (the purest available) and essential and natural oils.

Body Butter ($18 for 8-oz/$5 for 2.5-oz)
Developed to replenish even the driest skin, Pacifica Body Butter combines Vitamin E, safflower, almond and rose hip seed oils with shea and mango butters to nourish, restore and hydrate. Arnica, chamomile and cucumber soothe and smooth, giving skin a radiant sheen.

 

For more information, please visit Pacificaperfume.com.

 

 

As you guys may recall, last year Santa sent Lucas the sweetest, funniest little elf named Sherman. We all became very attached to the little guy and we were all very sad to see him head back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve last year.

 

 

Lucas literally talked about him the entire year! He even has a picture of him on his nightstand. That's Lucas below holding the picture of Sherman and him...

 

We were thrilled when Thanksgiving rolled around last week because that meant we could write Santa and ask him to send us Sherman back for another visit this year. Lucas, Mike, and I wrote Santa a letter...

 

 

and also made him a video...

 

 

Now, we wait...we're crossing our fingers that Santa sends Sherman real soon.

If you and your family would like to participate in the Elf Magic tradition, make sure to visit Elf-Magic.com. You can find travel ticket information and also read about all of the fun Elfcapades submitted by families hosting an elf themselves.

As a Kmart Holiday Ambassador, I was able to test out their layaway program for the first time this past weekend. Mike, Lucas and I actually shopped at Kmart on Black Friday, which was insane of course LOL. We were there right at 5 am and were able to get some amazing deals! We stocked up on PJ's for me, which were on sale for 50% off and clothes for Mike and Lucas. Then, we did the rest of our shopping online. We bought sheets and towels--both badly needed in our house! We made the purchase using layaway, which was SO SIMPLE to do.

Here's how it works...click on the item you want to purchase...look on the right had side and see if the item is available for layaway...

 

 

If it's available for layaway, then go ahead and add it to your cart and check the layaway boxes in your cart (you'll also enter your zipcode to pull up your local stores)...

 

 

If you'd like to see your payment breakdown, click the layaway calculator...

 

 

 

The calculator shows you everything you need to know...what you owe today and the payment breakdown with due dates...

 

 

After this, you'll have a chance to review your layaway contract and make your downpayment. It's so easy! Of course, you can also do layaway in person at your local store if you choose, but it's pretty cool to be able to do it all online. You can also make your payments either online or at the store. 12 week payment plans are even available for in store layaway plans over $300. It's a really convenient and manageable way to shop this holiday season--love it! Make sure to visit Kmart.com to learn about their layaway program and all of the amazing deals they are running on gifts for the whole family!

 

 

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with loved ones this past week! We had a great time and even ventured out on Black Friday to get our holiday shopping started. Lucas made his Christmas wish list this weekend and both Mike and I have started our shopping lists. If you're looking for gift ideas then you have to join us for a special Gifting Expert #SearsChat this Monday 11/28 from 8pm-9:30pm ET/7pm-8:30pm CT with @Sears, @StacieInAtlanta, @Crissy, @MommyInsider and me (@JollyMom). We will be interviewing gifting experts and sharing our own holiday shopping tips and gift ideas!






Follow @Sears and @SearsDeals and tweet with us from 8-9:30pm ET/7pm-8:30pmCT using the hashtag #SearsChat to participate. We will be giving away the following featured prizes!

• First Prize: $100 Sears Gift card from Kenmore
• Second Prize: Norelco SensoTouch 3D electric razor http://bit.ly/rxVFVL
• Third Prize: 1 of 2 Cuisinart Stainless Steel Rechargeable Salt & Pepper Mill
• Fourth Prize: Hamilton Beach Homebaker 2lb Breadmaker http://bit.ly/rshRwA

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with your loved ones. Holiday shopping season has officially begun! Tomorrow is Cyber Monday, which is one of the best sales days on the year since you can shop right from home in your jammies sipping a cup of coffee or hot cocoa.



Totsy, one of my favorite places to shop is going all out for Cyber Monday with SEVENTEEN awesome sales and free shipping! Check it out...

1. AnnLoren - apparel girls/doll dresses
2. $4.75 Wild Child by bon bebe - newborn apparel
3. Outerwear Favorites - kids
4. $12.00 Jacket Favorites - toddler/girl apparel
5. Olivia & Ava Hair Accessories
6. Little Me Sleepwear
7. Favorite Characters Hats and Gloves - kids
8. $4 Esprit Sandals
9. Fast Fashion Footwear Event – womens
10. Caressa Womens Footwear
11. Mission Control - Lingerie
12. Rockabye - toys
13. Women's Wallet Event
14. Hats and Scarves Event - adult
15. RealCanvasPrints
16. Gift Blankets and Sleeping Bags
17. Women's Sweater & Shawl Event


Plus, there are actually THIRTY FOUR Black Friday sales still live!



 


I am a compensated member of the Totsy Mom Committee. Affiliate links are used in the above post. All opinions expressed in this article are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

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!

As you guys may remember, Coca-Cola and their longstanding partner, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have joined forces for the "Arctic Home" initiative, which aims to raise awareness and money to protect the polar bear’s home. They have created an amazing Arctic Home website, which provides information and stats about polar bears. You can even track five live Mama Bears the WWF has tagged in the wild. For instance, meet Aurora...



Weighing nearly 406 pounds, Aurora is a 15-year-old female polar bear and a fiercely protective mother of two COYs or cubs-of-the-year. From early November 2010 until July 2011, Aurora and her two young cubs traveled more than 1,362 miles, primarily following the ice floes far into the bay. Out on the ice, Aurora taught her cubs about life in the Arctic, how to hunt and how to avoid danger.

Each Mama Bear has a special connection with her cubs and will help keep them safe as they trek across the Arctic in search for food and shelter. As a mom myself, I know what it's like to want to keep my child safe. I know you know what I'm talking about. We are moms...we are mama bears. We go that extra mile just like Aurora does with her cubs. I make sure that Lucas has "Teddy" to sleep with every night. I make sure to give him extra hugs and kisses and make him warm chocolate milk when he's not feeling well. I give him that extra minute in the morning to be silly and jump around is his room before it's time to get dressed. I rub his little legs at night with his favorite minty lotion when he has growing pains. I'll do anything for my baby. Just like a Mama Bear.



I'd love to hear from you! What do you do to go the extra mile for your little "cub"?

And, don't forget...for everyone who texts the package code to 357357 to make a $1 donation to WWF, Coke will match it -- up to $1 million! People can also make donations online at ArcticHome.com, starting November 1. The limited-edition white cans and bottle caps will be on store shelves November 1, 2011 to February 2012. Plus, Coca-Cola is introducing the next limited-edition “Arctic Home” can, which will feature the same polar bears with the iconic red Coca-Cola background. Starting in early December, you will find new red “Arctic Home” cans on store shelves.

If you live in the Southeast and are within driving distance of Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia--you must visit them this holiday season! Their Fantasy in Lights holiday light and sound show is truly spectacular and...magical. Starting at $99, you can take your family of four to the beautiful Callaway Gardens, stay at the Inn overnight, see the Fantasy in Lights show, walk through the Christmas Village, get pictures with Santa, and enjoy the gardens and all it has to offer (featuring the Day Butterfly Center, Sibley Horticultural Center, Callaway Discovery Center, live Birds of Prey Shows, seven miles of nature trails and their 10-mile Discovery Bicycle Trail). For $99 per night. $99. A family of four.

 

 

You don't have to pay extra to see the light show. You don't have to pay extra for your kids to sit with Santa and tell him their wish list. You can even take your own pictures like we did below...

 

 

Amazing, right?! In addition, veterans, active, and retired military get a special rate of $69 per night. Even more amazing. 

The most spectacular thing of all though is the light show. It features over a dozen lighed scenes and more than eight million twinkling lights. By scenes--I mean moving scenes. Toy soldiers that appear to march. Frogs that hop onto a lily pad. Elves building toys. Then, there's Snowflake Valley, which is without a doubt one of the most beautiful, most stunning things that I have ever seen. A truly amazing light show unlike anything else I've ever seen. You can either see the light show from your own car or even better, hop on the open air trolley! Bring some blankets, grab a cup of cocoa, and enjoy the beautiful lights, sounds, and Christmas carols. 

 

For more information, please visit CallawayGardens.com.

 

 

Thanks to Callaway Gardens for providing my family and I with complimentary tickets to Fantasy in Lights and an overnight stay.

Movie nights are one of our favorite ways to spend some quality family time. We light a fire, grab some yummy snacks, and watch a good movie together. It's fun and relaxing! One of Lucas' favorite movie series are the Cars movies. In fact, Cars 2 was the first movie he saw in the movie theater and he LOVED it. Juicy Juice and Cars 2 have actually partnered up to create a really cool website called, Spy School. If you have a Cars 2 fan at home, you should check it out! Kids can play spy games and even get their own spy name--pretty cool!





In the meantime, how about an awesome giveaway?!

 

I have long turned to Healthy Choice meals when I'm in a hurry for lunch or dinner. They are easy, convenient, quick, and delicious! I also really love the push that Healthy Choice has made towards using fewer ingredients and using whole food rather than a bunch of preservatives with their 100% Natural meals. I especially love how Healthy Choice has gone gourmet! They recently partnered with Bravo's Top Chef (one of my favorite shows!) to introduce an exclusive line of eight Healthy Choice Top Chef Inspired Café Steamers listed below.

• Barbeque Seasoned Steak with Red Potatoes
• Chicken Fresca with Chardonnay
• Chicken Linguini with Red Pepper Alfredo
• Chicken Margherita with Balsamic
• Grilled Chicken Marinara with Parmesan
• Grilled Chicken Pesto with Vegetables
• Grilled Vegetables Mediterranean with Rice
• Roasted Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms

These meals use delicious ingredients that you wouldn't expect to see in frozen meals. How about whiskey BBQ sauce, basil pasta sauce, chardonnay, barley, and olive oil? Awesome, right?!

 

 

I tasted the Chicken Marghertia with Balsamic and it is delicious! It is made with chicken tenderloins, angel hair pasta, roasted garlic, tomatoes, and a balsamic vinaigrette sauce. It only has 320 calories, but you would honestly never know it because the meal is bursting with flavor. 

You can find the new Healthy Choice Top Chef Inspired Café Steamers at grocery stores nationwide for a suggested retail price of $2.75 - $3.50. For more information, visit www.healthychoice.com or www.bravotv.com/showdown.

 

 

I am one of the brave souls who shops the Black Friday sales almost every year. Call me crazy, but I enjoy the thrill of it! What I will advise though is that you have a plan. Know exactly where you want to shop and which deals you want to take advantage of. One place you will definitely want to shop at this Black Friday is Kmart. Not only will they have amazing deals, but you can even use their Layaway program on their Doorbusters. This is a perk that you will not find at other stores! Join us on Twitter this Tuesday, November 22nd from 8-9:30pm ET/7pm- 8:30pm CT for our final #Layaway #KmartChat. We'll be talking about layaway and how you can use it to buy your holiday gifts ahead of time - including putting Black Friday deals on layaway at Kmart! How cool is that?! Even cooler are the prizes--we'll be giving away a $125 and three $25 Kmart gift cards!

About Kmart Layaway:
Kmart layaway is a convinent, easy way to pay for products over time. Shop for virtually anything and bring your items to the Kmart layaway counter in the store or add them to your shopping cart online.Your down payment includes the Service Fee and is due when you initiate your contract.Make payments every two weeks online or at any Kmart register with cash, check or debit/credit card. Simply pick up your items after you make your last payment or schedule your pick-up after making your final payment online. Try it today here!

PARTY DETAILS:


WHO TO FOLLOW:
Brand: @Kmart and @KmartDeals
Hosts:@StacieinAtlanta @crissy @jollymom @mommyinsider
WHAT: Kmart Layaway Twitter Party
WHEN: Tuesday, November 22 8-9:30pm ET
WHERE: Twitter with the hashtags #kmartchat and #layaway
PRIZES: $125 Kmart gift card or one of three $25 Kmart giftcards
RSVP: Leave a comment on the Official Party post on the Kmart website with a link to your blog post or Tweet to let us know you are coming. Make sure to read the Official Rules and entry requirements to be eligible to win prizes.


Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with Sears and Kmart.

Last Friday, Lamar Tyler from BlackandMarriedwithKids.com and I had the opportunity to meet one of the most passionate people I have ever come across. Armelia Ray Braddy, one of the physical-education teachers at Parkside Elementary School in Atlanta is a force to be reckoned with. She is an award-winning teacher and one of three Georgia physical-education teachers to be honored by HealthPowers, for promoting healthy choices in her school. She is leading efforts at Parkside Elementary to go green, to educate kids on healthy living, to give back, and more.

 

 

In fact, when Armelia found out about the Child Hunger Ends Here initiative by ConAgra and Schools Fight Hungers; she immediately signed her school up. She even formed a group of students to be ambassadors for the program and shot a video of them. That video is played to the kids every day to inspire and remind them to bring their food donations to the school. 

So far, the kids have done a fantastic job bringing in donations, but Armelia is extending the drive until the end of the year because she believes that they can do even better. There are plans to hold a school dance and to have the kids bring in a canned item as their "entrance fee". This is such a great idea and so easy for schools to do! Watch the video below to learn more about what Armelia and Parkside Elementary are doing to end child hunger.

 

 

Every school needs an Armelia, don't you think?

Please let Armelia inspire YOU to do the same for your community and child's school. It really is not difficult for each of us to do our part and we can make a difference. According to Feeding America, the items listed below are the top eleven most items most needed by food banks during the holidays.

1. Cereal
2. Pasta
3. Rice
4. Canned fruits and vegetables
5. Canned meals such as soups, chili, pasta
6. 100% juice
7. Peanut butter
8. Pasta sauce or spaghetti sauce
9. Macaroni & cheese
10. Canned protein – tuna, chicken, turkey
11. Beans – canned or dry

 

ConAgra's Child Hunger Ends Here program allows you to not only benefit your local community, but also on a national level! How Can You Help? From now until the end of December, there are two simple ways schools, parents and students can help end child hunger in their own communities:

o Food Drives – Help host or participate in school-sponsored food drives to collect food to be donated to local food banks in each community. The Child Hunger Ends Here campaign as set a nationwide goal of 2 million pounds of food for these efforts.
o Collect UPCs – Parents can help students collect UPC codes from participating ConAgra Foods brands. For each UPC collected, ConAgra Foods will make a monetary donation enabling Feeding America to secure one meal for those in need.

Learn more about Child Hunger Ends Here and how you can get involved atwww.childhungerendshere.com Plus, make sure to follow ConAgra on Facebook Twitter for news and updates.

 

 

This post is part of a compensated campaign. All opinions expressed in this article are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

When I was a child, my mom often shopped using the layaway program at Kmart. It helped my parents be able to buy the things we needed without having to pay for it all at once. It was really convenient back then for my parents and it is helping many families today. In many ways, layaway is more necessary now than in years past. The truth is that with the way the economy has affected most of us, it is not as easy to do our holiday shopping all at once or to even use or get credit cards. Plus, I don't know about you, but I want to stay far, far away from credit cards. Layaway offers a simple and manageable way to pay for products over time without having to deplete your checking account or rack up credit card bills.

 

 

Kmart's Layaway offers so much flexibility too. You can shop at your local store and put things on layaway OR you can shop from the comfort of your own home. Yes! Kmart's Layaway program is available ONLINE. How cool is that?! You can also use Kmart's layaway program on virtually ANYTHING in store and on anything online as long as it is availabe for pick up at your local store. There really aren't any restrictions except the following items:

The following merchandise cannot be put in Layaway:

-Beer, wine and cigarettes
-Flammable products and fuel
-Food and other perishable merchandise
-Live plants and horticulture
-Oil and chemical based products
-Photo Finishing and Portrait Studio pictures
-Chemicals
-Gas additives
-Magazines
-Paint thinner
-Prescription drugs
-Pool chemicals

Yeah, that pretty much leaves everything under the sun to shop for LOL. Toys, electronics, appliances, clothes, DVDs, music, health and beauty, pet items, furniture...everything and anything you could possibly want under the tree this holiday season!

If you've ever used or researched other layaway programs, you know that this is not the case with other layaway programs. There are restrictions about the products you can buy and when you can buy them. For instance, many other layaway programs will not allow you to put their doorbuster deals on layaway on Black Friday. That's not a problem at Kmart--feel free to use their layaway program on Black Friday too! Some layaway programs have per-item minimums that you must spend before you can use layaway. Not so with Kmart. EX. if you buy 5 $10 shirts for the kids, your cart is layaway eligible. You can't do this with other layaway programs. Also, Kmart's layaway program is good year-round. I've noticed that many others end on 12/16 (you must complete your payments and pick it up by then, or the contract is canceled), Kmart’s last day for layaway pickup before Christmas is 12/24. Way to go, Kmart!

It would seem that using layaway would mean incurring a bunch of fees, etc. However, Kmart's Layaway is not like that at all. The 8-week plan (12 week plan also available) has a $5 service fee for all new layaway contracts and the down payment is $15 or 10%. This is collected when merchandise is put on layaway. Then, you pay in installments of four payments on the 8-week layaway contract. Of course, you CAN pay it down in less installments if you'd like. Totally up to you. Easy peasy and super convenient! Oh, and right now Kmart has a pretty sweet offer! Initiate your layaway contract between 11/16 and 11/27 and you can get a $5 or $10 gift card (8 or 12 week contracts respectively). As Kmart says, "It's like getting paid to layaway!"

 

 

As a Kmart Ambassador, I will be trying out their layaway program this holiday season and reporting back to you about my experience so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, make sure to visit Kmart.com to learn about their layaway program and all of the amazing deals they are running on gifts for the whole family!

 

Thanksgiving is only a few days away, which means that holiday shopping will begin in full force next weekend starting on Black Friday. You better have those holiday shopping lists ready and a PLAN! That's why you will not want to miss the #SearsChat tomorrow night! We're talking Black Friday deals this Monday from 8-9:30pm ET/7pm-8:30pm CT with @Sears.




You'll learn how you can get the best gifts at the best prices this Black Friday at Sears. My co-hosts @StacieInAtlanta, @Crissy, @MommyInsider, and I will be dishing on everything Black Friday- shopping tips, tricks and stories. Make this year your most memorable and money-saving Black Friday to date.

Follow @Sears and @SearsDeals and tweet with us from 8-9:30pm ET/7pm-8:30pmCT using the hashtag #SearsChat to participate. We will be giving away the following featured prizes!

Walnut Jewelry Armoire
Green Tramontina Dutch Oven
Black & Decker 8-cup Food Processor

Anyone who visits this blog knows how much I love to cook and no cook is complete without the proper tools. I recently had the opportunity to check out some great kitchen tools from Trudeau--three really cool products from their Stress Less line-- a can opener, a cheese grater, and a pizza cutter.The stress less line is designed ergonomically to make using the tool easier and so it creates less stress and pressure on your hands and muscles while doing so.



The pizza cutter is surprisingly smooth to use and doesn’t require much pressure to cut through the pizza quickly and easily. The pizza cutter I had been using required me to go back and forth in a sawing motion to cut a slice of pizza.



We always keep a block of fresh parmesan cheese in the kitchen so the cheese grater came in very handy. The block loads easy from the outside and the wheel grates it with ease. What I really love about it is how easy it comes apart for cleaning...just 2 steps and three pieces.



My favorite tool is the can opener. It opens the can on the edge which eliminates the sharp edge. It glides around and stays on the can the whole way. I highly recommend the entire Trudeau Stress Less collection and imagine that they would work wonderfully with anyone with strength issues or arthritis. They are also the perfect holiday gift for the home cook or foodie in your life.