Heather Little

Celebrate Mardi Gras on February 28th!

February 27, 2017 By Heather Little

Laissez les bon temps rouler…let the good times roll! Mardi Gras is just around the corner, so it’s time to get your king cake, gumbo, a fancy mask, and some beads and hit the parade route!

Beads ready to be thrown…

So much fun!

For nearly 10 years, my husband and I lived just outside of New Orleans. Celebrating Mardi Gras became a Louisiana tradition for our family. While the city and the French Quarter has a reputation for partying and debauchery, Mardi Gras is actually a fun, family event that includes weeks of parades, balls, and celebrations. Krewes, or social clubs, host parades with elaborate floats, marching bands, performers, and of course, beads! If you’re lucky, you might also be able to snag a coveted doubloon, Moonpie, a stuffed animal, or a cup. People line up hours in advance of the parade to make sure they get the perfect spot to score the best throws. Custom built ladder seats give kids a great view of the fantastic themed floats. Each year, parades take place all along the Gulf Coast including not only New Orleans, but Mobile and in some Mississippi cities as well.

One of the amazing parade floats

A young parade-goer perched on her ladder seat ready to catch some throws.

Although it changes from year to year, Mardi Gras Day, or Fat Tuesday, is on February 28 this year. Unfortunately here in Florida, celebrating Mardi Gras isn’t too common, but if you ever have an opportunity to take in a parade, I’d highly recommend it! They really are fun, unique events like no other.

On a side note, Universal Orlando does hold a Mardi Gras celebration each year complete with floats, street performers, and beads. So while it might not be the “real deal”, if you’re at Universal, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Mardi Gras FAQ:

http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/faq.html

Universal Orlando Mardi Gras:

https://www.universalorlando.com/Events/Mardi-Gras/Overview.aspx

Heather Little

My name is Heather Little and my husband and I have two sweet girls and one crazy dog. We moved to Florida 6 years ago and have loved every minute of it! I enjoy crafting, good food, shopping, and of course travel!

EasyPeasie Veggie Blends Review

February 11, 2017 By Heather Little

I have to admit, I have yet to meet a mom or a dad who says they just can’t get their kids to stop eating vegetables! For one reason or another, kids just don’t seem to gravitate towards brussels sprouts or cauliflower. Fortunately, my kids have always been pretty good about eating fruits and vegetables, but they don’t like a huge variety – usually the standard carrots, peas, green beans, and the occasional broccoli as long as it’s covered in cheese!

We all know fruits and vegetables are a key part of everyone’s diet. They provide essential minerals and vitamins, fiber, and other substances vital for good health. United States dietary guidelines recommend that kids eat 3 to 5 servings of vegetables per day. But with busy schedules and the ease of grab-and-go processed foods, it’s become really hard to ensure your kids get their daily dose of healthy vegetables…until now! Meet EasyPeasie Veggie Blends.

EasyPeasie Veggie Blends are custom blends of all natural vegetable powders, specially selected to maximize nutrition and minimize “veggie taste”! Cook with it, finish with it, or drink with it…it’s easy!

Use EasyPeasie to add pure vegetable nutrition to foods you and your kids already love. Applesauce, pancakes, oatmeal, spaghetti, pizza, smoothies, and more! Even adult can add EasyPeasie to coffee, tea, salads, or just eat it plain.

We tried the EasyPeasie carrots, peas, and sweet potato blend as well as the EasyPeasie Plus Green Blend that adds kale and spinach as well. Both come in cute little shaker bottles, perfect for little hands. My 8 year old loved trying both on her spaghetti and said she didn’t mind the taste at all. I added it to smoothies and on top of a salad and was really impressed by the lack of “veggie” taste.

EasyPeasie was created and is owned by two sisters and is based right here in Florida.

Like many of us, they were looking for a solution to the age-old question of how to get kids to eat their vegetables. Out of this necessity, EasyPeasie was born!

So if you are like most moms and dads who struggle to get in those full daily doses of veggies, check out EasyPeasie! Check out all their products, plus recipes and special offers, at www.easypeasie.com.

*I received the mentioned product in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

Heather Little

Christmas Gift Wrap Sets From Zippkids Amazon Store Review

November 30, 2016 By Heather Little

With Thanksgiving 2016 over, the countdown to Christmas is officially on! With the ease of shopping online these days, it seems like it’s almost become possible to buy everything you need right from the comfort of your own home. But while you’re shopping for that perfect gift, don’t forget the supplies you’ll need to wrap them all up. It’s now easy to take the hassle out of gift wrapping with great Christmas wrap bundles available online from the zippkids Amazon.com store.

I picked out two different bundles – one was a kraft style pack and the other a cheerful and bright red, green, and blue set. The kraft gift wrap bundle comes with 44 pieces, including various sized boxes from “robe” to “mug” size, gift tags, stickers, and tissue paper. The festive color bundle has 57 pieces, including several really cute gift bags. What I love about these gift wrap bundles is that the boxes and accessories make gift wrapping so simple – no need for paper. Just put your presents inside the beautiful boxes with tissue and tags that are included and they’re ready to give!

These Christmas gift wrap sets are also an excellent value for just under $17 for the bundle and with Amazon Prime, you can get them shipped free right to your door in just a couple days. So once you’ve picked out just the right holiday gift for your friends or family, be sure to make it a “complete package” wrapped in a great gift bag or box from zippkids.

You can purchase these gift wrap sets from Amazon at the below links:

https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Gift-Box-Set-Supplies/dp/B01LFMRJA0/ref=sr_1_1?m=A20YS3S7GIT562&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1477594364&sr=1-1&keywords=44

https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Gift-Wrapping-Set-Glitter/dp/B01LZVI7TV/ref=sr_1_1?m=A20YS3S7GIT562&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1477594987&sr=1-1&keywords=glitter&th=1

*I received the above gift wrap sets in exchange for this review. All thoughts are my own.

Heather Little

Give Beautiful and Unique Gifts This Holiday Season from Diamonds in Ice (Review) (Holiday Gift Guide)

November 22, 2016 By Heather Little

With the holidays right around the corner, we all have those people on our list that are just so hard to shop for. For me, it’s my in-laws, so I’m always on the look out for unique, personalized gifts. I never seem to go wrong with photographs of the grandkids, so I was excited to find a product that offered a way to have beautiful pictures in something other than a traditional print in a frame. Diamonds In Ice uses state of the art technology to embed your photographs right into glass. This incredible process fuses your picture permanently into the glass to capture natural backlight, which enhances the colors and vibrancy of each image perfectly.

Transforming your pictures is a very easy process. Once on the website, www.diamondsinice.com, browse through the products to find what you like. Glass prices start at just over $30 and go up to $85 depending on the size and glass type used. The glass designs come in beveled, flat, and curved. You can purchase coasters and ornaments as well.

I selected the curved glass in the 7″ x 10″ size – I liked that it was free-standing and just the right size for the photo I wanted to use. I uploaded the photograph, easily edited it to make it fit just as I wanted, and even had the option of adding text, like a name or date. I added it to the cart, checked out, and within a couple weeks, a beautiful piece of glass with my photograph fused right into it! Customer service was very helpful and responded to my questions in a timely manner, which is always a plus when ordering items online.

If you’re looking for a unique way to bring new life to a photograph, definitely check out Diamonds in Ice and all the beautiful, personalized items they have to offer. They make great gifts for the holiday and something to enjoy all year long.

Connect with Diamonds in Ice: Website Facebook Pinterest Instagram

*I received the mentioned curved glass in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

Heather Little

Ice Chips Candy Review (Holiday Gift Guide)

November 18, 2016 By Heather Little

****Featured on Shark Tank!****

Finally, it’s here – a candy that is actually good for you! Ice Chips Candy is naturally sweetened with 100% Birchwood Xylitol, which has a long list of health benefits. These hard little candy pieces come in a variety of flavors including peppermint, pina colada, lemon, berry mix, and even egg nog. But our favorite was definitely the licorice! The candy comes in a small tin, just the right size for the car or a purse, and just one or two pieces is enough to get your sweet tooth fix. But even better, the ingredients in the candy won’t promote tooth decay like other candy and because Xylitol is a low glycemin index sweetener, it won’t impact your insulin levels, so they are a perfect sweet treat for diabetics.

Unlike other candy loaded with sugar, Ice Chips Candy is good for your teeth and is actually sold at many dental and orthodontic offices. The xylitol in Ice Chips strenghthens teeth, reduces new tooth decay, reduces cavity-causing bacteria, inhibits growth of dental plaque. Just a few pieces immediately after snacks and meals can actually be beneficial for your teeth. It is a candy I can actually feel good letting my kids eat.

These would make great stocking stuffers this holiday season!!

To see all the many delicious flavors Ice Chips Candy comes in, visit www.icechipscandy.com. You can also purchase Ice Chips at most Vitamin Shoppe stores near you. Click here to locate the closest store.

Connect with Ice Chips Candy: Twitter Facebook

*I received samples in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.