Mommy Has to Work

Traveling to Asheville, NC

August 3, 2017 By Heather Little

Don’t get me wrong…I love the beach. But when the Florida heat gets to be too much, it’s time to head to higher ground and cooler temperatures. My oldest daughter went to camp in North Carolina this summer, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to spend some time in Asheville after picking her up. Although still warm in the summer, the higher elevation brings cooler nights and mornings, and much less humidity.

Asheville is located in western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and is known for its vibrant arts scene and historic architecture, and of course, the Biltmore Estate. We knew this was where we wanted to spend most of our time, so we booked a hotel right in the heart of the Biltmore property at the Village Hotel. Located in Antler Hill Village, we walked right out the hotel door to find the Biltmore winery, restaurants, historic barn, ice cream shop, live music, and beautiful views. You could easily spend the day just in the village – my girls loved visiting the farmyard animals, enjoying root beer floats on the village green, exploring the old barn on the property, and sampling “real” homemade grape juice while the adults took advantage of the complimentary wine tasting at the winery.

No visit to Asheville is complete without a tour of the magnificent Biltmore House. The home was built by George Washington Vanderbilt II in 1895 and is the largest privately owned home in the country. To say it is huge is an understatement! As a huge Downton Abbey fan, I found the tour to be fascinating. I was also surprised at how much my kids loved it as well. We opted to purchase the audio tour device (there was a special audio tour just for kids) and I would definitely recommend it when touring the home. After the tour, we had a delicious lunch at the estate’s Stable Cafe, where guests of the Vanderbilt’s kept their horses while visiting over 100 years ago.

The Biltmore Estate is a sprawling 8,000 acres and there are so many activities on the property – from Segway tours to horseback riding, biking to fly fishing – visitors could easily spend a week there and still not see and do everything the estate has to offer. Christmas time is especially popular when the home is decorated with lights and more than 70 Christmas trees!

For more information on visiting the Biltmore Estate, check out www.biltmore.com.

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!

Rapunzel Disney Princess Subscription Box Review from Pley

August 1, 2017 By Marijean

*This post contains an affiliate link

I received the Rapunzel themed subscription box from Pley.com and I am so excited to share with all of you. My daughter absolutely LOVED this box, and 5 days later she is still playing with all of the goodies that came in the box!

Do you have a little girl you know that loves Disney Princesses? I have found the perfect gift to give that little girl in your life. A Disney Princess Subscription Box from Pley.com! It is filled with Disney Princess themed goodies that any little Disney fan will love!

What is a Disney Princess Subscription Box?

You receive a box every 2 months that contains 4-8 official Disney Princess toys, activities and fashion accessories. Items are all different and each box is themed around 1 specific princess. My 9 year old daughter received “Rapunzel” from Tangled themed box this month! Each box is $24.99 plus $5 shipping and is delivered right to your door. The more boxes you purchase, the more money you save!

This box was a huge hit with my daughter! It included a light up wand, a Rapunzel art set, pieces to build Rapunzel’s tower, an activity book and a Tangled 6 piece figurine play set! Her favorite part was the art set which included no mess paint already in the brushes. Each item in the box she truly loved and was thrilled with everything!

My daughter was super happy with this subscription box. This box would make a great birthday gift, anytime gift, or the holidays will be quickly approaching!

Click here to order your box!

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*I am a member of Pley’s VIP Influencer Program. All thoughts are my own.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

How to Run a Green Household on a Budget

July 27, 2017 By Anne

*This is a guest post.

More and more people nowadays are getting into the green movement. They are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and save the environment. But even in these times, some people think going green entails spending a lot of money. But that’s far from the case. If you are one of those homeowners who want to run an environmentally friendly home without spending more than you can afford, the following are some budget-friendly tips you can follow:

Switch to a programmable thermostat. You don’t need to heat your home during the hours that you and your family are not there. Upgrade to a thermostat that you can easily program so you can choose when to heat your house and when not to.
Unplug all electrical appliances when they’re not in use. These appliances and devices still use up energy even when they’re not powered up, so make sure you remind all your family members to unplug them when they’re not using them.
Learn how to compost. Not all your household waste needs to be collected by the local garbage collection company. You can use your biodegradable waste and to create a compost, which is useful for conditioning and fertilizing your garden or backyard. Some examples are leftover food and even your fireplace ashes.
Go paperless. If you subscribe to a local newspaper, cancel your subscription and go online instead to update yourself with the news. Do the same for your magazine subscriptions. You can use your old newspapers and magazines for your compost or donate them to organizations that collect used goods.
Buy and display house plants. Plants are useful for enhancing the air quality in your house as they absorb dust and pollutants emitted by electrical devices, furniture, and the like.
Repair any leaky faucets you have around the house and install low-flow faucets for your bathroom and kitchen sinks. You don’t need to have water flow that has the strength of a fire hydrant just to wash your dishes or clean your face.
Store your own water. Make use of the resources that nature gives us and store rainwater in containers that you can buy from Rain Water Tanks. You can use your stored water for chores such as watering your garden and even as a backup supply.
If you and your family have hoarded a lot of unnecessary stuff or things that you no longer need, this is your opportunity to get rid of them by organizing a yard sale. Not only have you earned a bit of money out of the endeavor but you’ve also made your home more spacious.
Make the switch to non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaners instead of traditional cleaners that have a variety of harmful chemicals that wreak havoc not only on your family’s well-being but also on the environment.

With the costs of food and utilities increasing, as someone who runs a household, you have to find creative but effective ways on how to make your home more environmentally friendly without going beyond your budget. You just need to educate yourself and practice the value of resourcefulness.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Save 25% on Label Daddy Name Labels for Back to School

July 26, 2017 By Marijean

Get ready for school and save 25% on Label Daddy peel and stick custom name labels! Label Daddy is the number one solution for labeling your belongings! No ironing or sewing . . . just peel and stick. Their exclusive laminated coating gives labels an extra layer of protection and is a must for school! Remember to label all clothing, books, bags, sports equipment, musical instruments, electronics, and other personal belongings your kids bring to school, camp, sports leagues, day care, vacation, and other places Label Daddy labels keep them from getting lost or mixed up with others. These convenient labels are great for adults too! — Put them on your sunglass/eyeglass case, phone, camera, sports equipment, tablet, e-reader, hats, clothing, and more.

These labels are super durable peel-and-stick washable labels — they’re washer/dryer safe, microwave safe, dishwasher safe and UV resistant! Label Daddy labels are also fun and attractive. You design your own labels! Pick from tons of colors, sizes and logos, including professional sports team logos (NBA, MLB, NHL), classic clip art icons, Emojis, kids’ icons (princesses, trucks, and monsters), and more. These labels are made in the USA and shipped directly to you worldwide.

Save 25% on your entire Label Daddy order – this is the best discount available anywhere. Use code USFAMILY25 at checkout. http://www.USFAMILY25.labeldaddy.com/

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

ReTrak Utopia 360° 4D+ Augmented and Virtual Reality Space Exploration Bundle for Kids Review

July 25, 2017 By Marijean

My 9 year old daughter is starting to love learning about Space. She is constantly looking up space related articles and pictures via the internet to learn more about the planets and solar system. I was contacted by ReTrak to review their Utopia 360° 4D+ Augmented and Virtual Reality Space Exploration Bundle for kids and it sounded like something she would love.

Embark on an out of this world adventure with ReTrak’s 4D+ Space Exploration Augmented and Virtual Reality Bundle. It’s designed to work with the fully-featured Space 4D+ app for a truly immersive experience. Just scan the cards with your preferred device and watch the space objects come to life in 4D!

4D+ Utopia 360° Space Exploration: Augmented Reality Cards & VR Headset

Includes Utopia 360° VR Headset and 26 AR cards

Works with the interactive and fully-featured Space 4D+ app

Explore the 3D library and learn about planets, the solar system, space objects and space missions

Drives space rovers with on-screen controls

Capture fun augmented reality photos of space objects in your real world environment

Go on a 360° virtual tour of the international space station and the solar system

Compatible with smartphones, tablets and VR headsets

Perfect for ages 7+ $39.99

Both of my kids are really getting into the whole 3D and virtual reality stuff. This set is really cool! It is also super easy for kids to use. Just download the Space 4D app on your smartphone or tablet (works with Apple or Google Play) and follow the easy instructions. I downloaded the app on my smartphone and also my daughter’s tablet because for her the tablet is easier using the AR cards. What I love about this set is you can use the AR cards with or without the VR headset. While using the app you can play with the cards on your smart phone or tablet all while learning about the planets and solar system! You can even have a really cool tour of the international space station! My daughter loved that part. You can also “drive” the land rovers on your smart phone or tablet and use on screen controls. So much fun to have with this set! The app also has a 3D Library where you can scroll through different space objects and learn facts about them.

The headset is made of good quality and doesn’t feel cheap or like it is going to break. It has a built in action button which is also compatible with other virtual reality apps you can download. There are a couple selections when you want to use the VR headset. Once you have the app up and running on your phone, make sure to click VR-Mode and then you will see three selections. VR Space lets you fly through space and explore the solar system and planets. AR/Vr mode lets you experience the 4D+ mode hands free and the VR ISS mode allows you to take a tour of the international space station and experience weightlessness. So fun!! There are focal adjustment buttons as well as a built in action button you can use with thousands of other VR apps! The only con I see about this product is my daughter says the headset hurts her nose after a prolonged period of time. Otherwise it really is a great educational product!

This would be a great educational gift to give your children for the upcoming holidays, or even for their birthdays or their friends birthdays! ReTrak also makes two other sets, Animal Zoo and Dinosaurs!

*I received this product in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.