December 2, 2018 · 11:37 pm

Kicking off a Puppy Star Christmas With Our Gingerbread House Tradition @airbudofficial

This is a sponsored post as a blogger partnering with Air Bud Entertainment. As always my words and views are 100% my own. @airbud @airbudofficial #puppystarchristmas

Puppy Star Christmas

Oh my goodness, the Christmas season is in full swing. I really want time to slow down, so we can savory every day leading up to Christmas. We are trying to do fun things this season, embrace our holiday traditions and keep the stress to a minimum.. We started our Advent Calendar, went to a community Christmas craft party and pictures with Santa and then it was time for a movie night! We were so excited that Air Bud Entertainment launched the holiday season with an exciting all-new family movie adventure!

Puppy Star Christmas is available on NETFLIX and Digital HD now!Puppy Star Christmas Movie Poster

Unwrap The Holiday Season With Air Bud Entertainment’s  Exciting All-New Family Movie Adventure!

A song and dance-filled movie for the whole family, PUPPY STAR CHRISTMAS continues the fantastic adventures of the talking (and singing) canine characters that have recently gained overwhelming popularity in the PUP STAR franchise of films. These action-packed and song-filled family stories, feature an adorable cast of dogs including talking Yorkie, ‘Tiny,’ and ‘P.U.P.,’ the street-smart rapping mutt who stole Tiny’s heart.

Check out the trailer below:

The all-new movie begins as Tiny and P.U.P tie the knot in an elaborate song with the largest dance number in franchise history, before introducing audiences to the couple’s delightful litter of four precocious new puppies.  The mischief, fun and adventure continues, as Christmas nears and pup siblings ‘Cindy,’ ‘Rosie,’ ‘Charlie’ and ‘Brody’ inadvertently stow away on Santa’s sleigh, ending up at the North Pole where they uncover an evil plot to steal the world’s Christmas spirit.

Puppy Star Christmas Movie

Several days ago, we received a huge package of goodies to celebrate the debut of Puppy Star Christmas.

Puppy Star Christmas #puppystarchristmas @airbud @airbudofficial

Check out our unboxing video below.

We build and decorate a gingerbread creation every year, it is one of our favorite Christmas traditions. With all the goodies we received from the nice folks at Air Bud Entertainment, we could not wait to get started on a Puppy Star Christmas themed Gingerbread House!

Puppy Star Christmas #puppystarchristmas @airbud @airbudofficial

Puppy Star Christmas

The movie features a gorgeous gingerbread house that we certainly cannot compete with as far as, architecture and perfection go. However, we certainly were overflowing with anticipation and enthusiasm.

Puppy Star Christmas, Gingerbread House

Puppy Star Christmas Gingerbread House Contest

The kids were excited that we were going with the Puppy Star Christmas theme, because it allowed us to add so many fun doggie inspired elements.

Puppy Star Christmas

#puppystarchristmas @airbud @airbudofficial Gingerbread House

From the Puppy Star Christmas logo on the front of the house to the dog bone candy trimmed windows, we think we did a dog-gone good job!

#puppystarchristmas @airbud @airbudofficial Gingerbread House Contest

It was so much fun, and messy too, but that just adds to the festivities. With kids, we are not aiming for perfection, but for the experience to be fun and memorable, and it certainly was!

#puppystarchristmas @airbud @airbudofficial Gingerbread House Contest

Puppy Star Christmas

Check out our video below to see some of the gingerbread house decorating antics that went on in our kitchen.

After our masterpiece was done, we all felt it was time to have a family movie night and turn on NETFLIX to watch Puppy Star Christmas. With steamy hot cocoa in hand, we sipped and laughed our way through this holiday-themed movie that really helped get us in the holiday mood. My kids love the dogs and who can resist puppies?

More about the movie:

Live-action talent in PUPPY STAR CHRISTMAS reunites the film’s original cast including Makenzie Moss (Steve Jobs) as Tiny’s best friend, Lou; David Deluise (The Wizards of Waverly Place) as her father, Denisse Ojeda as the family’s loyal nanny ‘Ida’; Reggie De Leon (Disney’s stage version of Aladdin) as Tiny’s manager ‘Shep;’ and features the return of Jed Rees (Deadpool) as the misunderstood bad guy ‘Roland.’

A tail-wagging selection of talent returns to provide voices for the film’s canine stars, including music and YouTube sensation Mackenzie Sol (The X-Factor) who returns as ‘P.U.P’; and 14-year old singing sensation Kaitlyn Maher (Santa Paws), who returns as the voice of Tiny and sister Scrappy.

Puppy Star Christmas Movie Scene

The film also returns the voices of George Newbern as Tiny’s nemesis Bark, Diedrich Bader as Kano, and Jorge Diaz (Disney’s Elena Of Avalor) as the beloved Telenovela star ‘Julio’.   The film’s puppy litter of new canine voice talents joining the franchise in PUPPY STAR CHRISTMAS includes Chloe Coleman (Big Little Lies) as Charlie, Dillon Fontana as Brody, Oakley Bull (the upcoming feature Beautiful Boy) as Cindy and Vivienne Rutherford as Rosie.

PUPPY STAR CHRISTMAS is produced by Air Bud Entertainment, the creative force behind the #1 live-action, direct-to-home movies in the family category.  The film is directed by “Air Bud” and “Disney Air Buddies” veteran Robert Vince, produced by Anna McRoberts and written by Robert Vince and Piers Rae.  

Stay In The Know

You can find out more on the AirBud Entertainment Website, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to stay in the dog loop on everything new and exciting!

air bud entertainmemt

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

The Gingerbread house decorating brought a bright spot to a very sad part of our weekend. We had to say goodbye to our 16-year-old cat, Max. Max was a Pixie Bob cat who thought he was more dog than cat, even if our Westie, Maltese and Bulldog did not agree. Even though Max lived a long life, it was sad to have to let him go. However, Max was suffering from some health issues that were causing his quality of life to be severely altered.

Our kids were sad, and our youngest had hoped the doctor could somehow “fix” Max. It was hard for all of us, and we are still dealing with the loss of our sweet feline family member. The Gingerbread house let us focus our attention on something fun. You know what they say about the healing power of laughter, the movie certainly provides for plenty of that as well.

I hope you all are kicking off the Christmas holiday season in style and fun too. Let me know if you watch Puppy Star Christmas and put your thoughts in the comments.

Merry Christmas!!!

Puppy Star Christmas, #PuppyStarChristams, Gingerbread House, @airbud, @airbudofficial

 


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November 30, 2018 · 2:38 pm

Faber Castell Do Art Travel Easel Giveaway

My kids are very creative, they love to sketch, paint and color. I was looking for a durable art set that was compact and had an array of features, and could be used when traveling.  I found that in the Faber Castell Do Art Travel Art Easel.
Faber Castell Travel Art Easel

This 3-in-1 easel folds flat and all the supplies store inside in 2 removable drawers. The easel can be used as a drawing easel, white board, chalk board or lap desk.

Pull our the drawers on the side and you will find, Faber Castell Jumbo Beeswax Crayons, Colored EcoPencils, markers, chalk, dry erase marker with built-in eraser, pencil sharpener, sponge eraser and sketch pad.

Faber Castell Travel Art Easel

Check out our video below:

The Do Art Easel is great for kids ages 4 and up and is recommended by art educators. I really like that it folds flat and my kids have a variety of options when they use it. It is nice that all the supplies are tucked securely inside and it is easy for them to access them when needed.

We think the Faber Castell Do Art Travel Easel makes a great gift and have added it to our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide at Mommy Ramblings.

Giveaway:

Faber Castell is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win their own Travel Art Easel! Thank you to Faber Castell for the review easel and for sponsoring this creative giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US Residents.

Faber Castell Do Art Travel Easel Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!

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November 29, 2018 · 12:36 pm

4 Tips To A Successful e-commerce Store Launch For Moms

There comes a time in almost every stay-at-home mom’s life when all of her kids will be in school full-time, and she will have more time on her hands. What can they do with this extra time? Perhaps, they will decide to use that time to earn income for their family. Instead of updating their resume to launch themselves back into the corporate world, they may want to pursue their passion and open an online store.

stay-at-home moms

Online or e-commerce stores are booming, and there are many moms out there experiencing success and making a nice little passive income. Some stay-at-home moms have even grown their e-commerce stores into full-blown companies. This trend is likely to continue.

The growth of online retail sales is exponential. The total sales this year in the US alone is estimated to hit a half trillion dollars. By 2022, e-commerce sales in the US could reach over $700 billion. Why not get your piece of those online sales profits?

If you are considering a stay-at-home mom career in e-commerce, the following 4 steps to launch your online store can be your quick start guide to success.

home office

1. Brainstorm Your e-commerce Niche

Your e-commerce niche is an essential element to online success. Before you begin searching Google for the most profitable niches for online sales, you should consider the products you are interested in and/or purchase. For example, stay-at-home moms may lean a bit more toward products that help moms or children’s products.

Google

Why would you go about finding a niche for your e-commerce store like this? One of the most important aspects of creating and launching an online store that grows, is encompassing your passion or interests. This allows you to stay motivated and to keep at it during those early stages after launch.

2. Selecting Your Online Products

Once you have a niche in mind, it’s time to choose your e-commerce products. This can be slightly challenging depending on your niche, but with a bit of due diligence, you will come up with a nice list of initial products for your online store.

Do you want to have an inventory on hand or dropship products? This is an important question. For example, having inventory is great, but you will need to think about storage space, packaging, shipping costs, having enough inventory, and more. Dropshipping on the other hand, requires you to think about shipping time and price points for each item.

After you choose inventory or dropshipping, you can choose your products. The general rule of thumb, is to net four to five times profit, including shipping, packaging, and marketing costs. So, if you want to offer a product that costs you $5, you should sell it for $20 on your e-commerce website.

3. Time to Create Your Website and Branding Guidelines

Once you have your niche, products and pricing set, it is time to begin creating your online presence. This of course, is one of the most critical aspects of any e-commerce store, since your marketplace is entirely online.

The good news is, that it is fairly easy to set up and launch a WordPress website and develop your branding guidelines. Let’s start with branding. This will require you to choose a primary color for your website and marketing materials, and two secondary colors. 

Branding

Next it’s time to think about your logo. To create a logo, you definitely don’t need to be a professional designer. You can use online design platforms like Canva to design a logo and other essential marketing material.

When you have chosen your color pallette and created your logo, it’s time to create your website. First, you need to think about hosting. It is best to choose a hosting provider that offers WooCommerce hosting. This ensures you are ready to go in the e-commerce space. Then, select a WordPress theme that is tailored for e-commerce from online sites like Themeforest or StudioPress.

4. Optimize Your Website

Last, but certainly not least, think website optimization. More than just a buzzword, optimizing your website incorporates multiple facets of digital marketing like SEO, content marketing, site navigation, and more.

Start building a great user experience by making your website easy for visitors to navigate. Incorporate product categories into your main menu, install prominent call to action buttons and make sure your site speed is optimized. Now, you need to think about product engagement.

bluehost sale

To convert visitors to customers, your product web pages need to be engaging. For example, be sure to have dynamic product images and videos on your website, don’t rely on stock images.  

Every product should have a detailed and unique description. Do not just copy and paste the product description from the manufacturer. Lastly, make sure you have a way for customers to review and rate the products. Reviews and product testimonials are the bedrock of online sales these days.

To Sum It Up

If you are a stay-at-home mom who is  ready to launch an online store, the above tips may be very useful to getting started. After you launch your website, the real work begins, as your business grows, all of the effort will be well worth it. Your online e-commerce website could be your answer to financial freedom. What are your top tips for online retail domination?

This is a collaborative guest post. The ideas expressed do not necessarily represent those of Mommy Ramblings.

 

 

 


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· 2:41 am

“Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women” Giveaway #Beloved #FlyBy

Young girls have so much to deal with these days. The teenage years are so challenging, and girls experience so many feelings and emotions as they navigate through life. That’s why I think Zondervan’s Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women makes such a beautiful gift for that special girl in your life.

Beloved Devotional, Giveaway

Maybe it’s your daughter, granddaughter, niece, God-daughter or sister that would appreciate this book as a gift this Christmas season. We have added Beloved to our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide at Mommy Ramblings.

You can see my video below to learn more:

Inspire young women to be all they can be!

Young women receive so many negative messages in today’s society. Counteract that with Beloved, a topical 365-day devotional that will inspire them with positive role models from Scripture. Each day features an easy-to-read, relevant devotion paired with a scripture verse about a biblical girl or woman, such as Ruth, Esther, Mary, or Abigail. Every page speaks to the pressures and changes girls face, giving them real-world applications to find God in their hearts and in their lives.

Giveaway:

Zondervan and FlyBy is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own copy of  Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women! Thank you to Zondervan and FlyBy for the review devotional and for sponsoring this inspirational giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Open to US Residents.

Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

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November 28, 2018 · 3:54 am

Tinkering Labs Electric Motors Catalyst Kit Giveaway

My husband was so excited when he opened the package containing the Electric Motors Catalyst from Tinkering Labs. As a math and science teacher, he loves this kind of stuff, and so do our sons.

Catalyst Kit

This kit is filled with over 50 components including real motors, real hardware and real wood. In addition there is a pack of 10 Challenge Cards to inspire kids to design, build, test and share their own inventions.

Check out our video below to see this kit in action:

Tinkering Lab’s website is filled with great content like 16 Inventions in 1 Minute. You can also check out the creations of Young Inventors and The Electric Motors Catalyst Challenges.

We like the Tinkering Lab’s Electric Motors Catalyst so much we have added it to the 2018 Holiday Gift Guide at Mommy Ramblings!

Giveaway:

Tinkering Labs is sponsoring a Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own Electric Motors Catalyst Kit! Thank you to Tinkering Labs for our review kit and for sponsoring this super charged giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US Residents.

Electric Motors Catalyst Kit by Tinkering Labs Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!

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November 27, 2018 · 11:44 pm

NIV Adventure Bible Polar Exploration Edition Flash Giveaway

I am really excited to tell you about a great Bible for kids. In fact, with over 9 million copies sold, it is more than just a great Bible, it is the #1 Bible for kids. The NIV Adventure Bible Polar Exploration Edition  is perfect for gift giving this holiday season. That is why you can find it on Mommy Ramblings’ 2018 Holiday Gift Guide.

NIV Adventure Bible Giveaway

Even adults can feel overwhelmed with the Bible,  so imagine how kids feel. This Adventure Bible is totally kid-friendly. It will help them grow their relationship with God as they learn all kinds of Bible facts and see many different places.

Check out my video:

Features of the NIV Adventure Bible, Polar Exploration Edition include:

  • The same trusted Adventure Bible content in a frosty new theme
  • Full-color images of polar animals, arctic outposts, and icy landscapes throughout make learning about the Bible even more engaging
  • Life in Bible Times—Articles and illustrations describe what life was like in ancient days
  • Words to Treasure—Highlights great verses to memorize
  • Did You Know?—Interesting facts help you understand God’s Word and the life of faith
  • People in Bible Times—Articles offer close-up looks at amazing people of the Bible
  • Live It!—Hands-on activities help you apply biblical truths to your life
  • Twenty polar-themed pages focus on topics such as how to know you are a Christian, famous people of the Bible, highlights of the life of Jesus, and how to pray.
  • Book introductions feature arctic art and important information about each book of the Bible
  • Dictionary/concordance for looking up tricky words
  • Color map section to help locate places in the Bible
  • Complete text of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible
  • Thrilling new glacial cover on metallic paper

Giveaway:

ZonderKidz is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky reader will win their own NIV Adventure Bible Polar Exploration Edition! Thanks to ZonderKidz for sponsoring this inspirational giveaway and for the review Bible. Open to US Residents.

NIV Adventure Bible Polar Exploration Edition Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!

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November 26, 2018 · 3:37 pm

Last Chance To Save Up To 60% on Bluehost Cyber Monday Deals!

Don’t let Cyber Monday end without checking out the Bluehost Cyber Monday Deals!

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This post contains affiliate links. I personally use Bluehost for my web server.

 


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· 3:26 pm

Photo Gifts Are The Perfect Choice For The Holiday Season

This is a sponsored post with CanvasDiscount.com and Bravomark. As always my words and views are 100% my own.

Canvas Discount Wall Decor

Photo gifts are an excellent choice for Christmas and holiday gifts. I am a hobby photographer, and I bring my camera everywhere. I love using my photos to create special and unique decor for our home in addition to, gifts to give to my family and friends.

CanvasDiscount Photo Mugs

CanvasDiscount.com has so many ways for me to showcase my treasured photos. I recently created a canvas collage of photos showcasing some of our favorite summer memories. I love the way it turned out and think it is perfect for our family room.

CanvasDiscount Collage

They have more than canvas prints, you can customize mugs, pillows, blankets, mouse pads, and so much more. This year why not create some special gifts for grandparents, aunts, uncles, spouses, kids and friends. You can be sure that they will not receive a duplicate and they will know you took the time to make something really special for them.

SAVE BIG NOW

Mommy Ramblings’ readers can go to this exclusive link to get up to 90% off  NOW!

Canvas Discount Photo Gifts

It is very easy to order on their website, just upload your photos and then put them into the project of your choice. You can crop, enlarge, add text and customize your photo easily on their website. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We have added CanvasDiscount.com to our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide at Mommy Ramblings.

canvas Discount

Let me know if you love giving photo gifts as much as I do.


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November 23, 2018 · 10:44 pm

Buttonbag’s Learn To Knit & Crochet Dog Kits Giveaway

I love crafts, so I really like to give creative gifts. When I saw Buttonbag’s creative kits for kids, I was hooked. Hooked with a crochet hook and smitten with knitting needles!

The Learn How To Knit Suitcase Kit is perfect for anyone wanting to get into knitting. I plan to try my hand at it, as my daughter (a very skilled knitter) has been pestering me to learn to knit. The kit is so cute and is packed in a small, suitcase. Inside, you find everything you need to get your knit on.

Buttonbag Learn To Knit Kit

The included booklet will go over things like how to cast on, cast off and other basic stitches and techniques. Beyond that, there are all the supplies and tools you need to create several projects. Make some trendy fingerless mittens, a cute hat, a little bag and more. You can check out my unboxing of this kit in the video below.

From knitting to crochet, which I thankfully know the basics of, thanks to my mom who was very skilled at crocheting and knitting. Buttonbag’s Make Your Own Sausage Dog Crochet Kit is so cute. Open the sturdy tube and find all the yarn, crochet hook, stuffing and instructions you need to make the cutest dog in town.  See more in the video below.

ButtonBag Sausage Do Kit

Buttonbag Sausage Dog Kit

We have added these kits to Mommy Ramblings’ 2018 Holiday Gift Guide. We also are so happy to bing you a giveaway. Check it out below, you have the chance to win both of these kits!

Giveaway

Buttonbag is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky winner will win both of these Buttonbag Kits! Thank you to Buttonbag for the review kits and for sponsoring this creative giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Open to US residents.

Buttonbag Learn How To Knit Suitcase Kit & Make Your Own Sausage Dog Crochet Kit Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!

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· 8:23 pm

Don’t Miss The Bluehost Black Friday Deal

Bluehost

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bluehost saleThis post contains affiliate links, if you click on them and purchase anything from Bluehost, I will receive a percentage as a Bluehost Affiliate. These commissions help me to run my blog and bring you great content, giveaways and more. Thank you for your help.  I use Bluehost for my blog server, I am recommending what I use.


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