Family game night with Reverse Charades

November 30, 2011 by Karissa 1 Comment

Do you celebrate family night?

Growing up, Fridays were always our family night. Sometimes we would watch movies together, other times we would cook together… but the best Friday family night was game night!

We would take turns choosing which games to play, and it seemed the games never got old, even if we did. Now-a-days it feels like there are WAY more games than ever before! Not to mention that some of the old games we played, now are updated with new spins!

One of those original games with a new spin is Reverse Charades. It is essentially the good ol’ fashioned charades, but, the opposite… or reverse (aka reverse charades)! Ok, let me explain…

So you know how normal charades is played – one player acts out a word/phrase/etc. on a card while the other team mates guess what the player is acting? Well, in the new Reverse Charades, one player guesses while the rest of the team acts out the cards!

The team has 60 seconds to get as many words as one person can guess… and as you can imagine… It is a fun new twist that is bust-a-gut outrageously entertaining!

The one thing I love about this game, that I didn’t like about the original version is the team acting. I never liked being “up on stage” acting out by myself. But in this game, I am not alone! There is a whole group of us acting out the cards! It is fast-paced, and wildly hilarious!

There are two versions of this game:

The Original
The Junior Edition

You’ll need at least 6 players to make this game a party… and what a party it can be! It is one of the better group games that I’ve played in a very long time!

Buy it!! You can find Reverse Charades at hundreds of specialty toy and game stores in the U.S. and abroad (check here for retailers) and at online at Amazon.com.

:: Giveaway ::

** You can win BOTH games at the “One Stop Christmas Hop”! Head over there to enter now! **

Disclosure: No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a sample product from the sponsor for the purpose of this honest review. This did not affect the outcome of this review. All opinions are 100% my own. For full disclosure click here.

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, Product Reviews

my nomorerack review

November 30, 2011 by Karissa 41 Comments

I have been reading about “nomorerack.com” for months now. Literally, it is a website that seems to have popped up overnight! It is raved about and loved by many bloggers that I follow! Not to mention it has been featured on some big television shows like The View, Martha Stewart Show, and The Talk. Heck, nomorerack reviews are even in the papers (USA Today, The Miami Herald and more).

But like everything else I review, I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t a nomorerack scam. So, I checked it out for myself and got the full story on nomorerack.com.

It is December after all, and I have begun my shopping madness. I decided I needed to take a further look at the deal site, nomorerack.com. When I first came upon the website, I was asked for my email and to set up an account… ok, fine. I did so only because I knew it was probably going to be worth it. Because typically I don’t like filing in my email right away.

Shortly after the quick set up I found deals and deals! I am telling you these deals were impressive. The best part was that the deals were for relevant items, not your typical junk items! These deals were for name brands! Purses, leather boots and more… can you say “add to cart”?

So, while finding out more about the site, I learned that nomorerack posts 8 great deals each day, but they go fast! One way to make sure I can get the deal that day is I get a heads up email and then I sign in to nomorerack.com right as the deals are posted! You can also get sneak peeks on their Facebook page. It is fun to see what deals are going to be posted next!

From my findings I see a few benefits of using nomorerack.com:

brand name apparel and accessories for up to 90% off
safely purchase items, trusted site
guarantee of authenticity of products
easy to navigate and use

I plan on using nomorerack.com for my Christmas shopping because honestly, with all the savings on clothing, kids toys and more… it is just plain smart shopping!

Disclaimer: Brought to you by your friends at NoMoreRack.com

Filed Under: Product Reviews

GNC keeps me healthy through holiday stress. +$50 GC Giveaway US&CAN {Ends 12/14}

November 30, 2011 by Karissa 56 Comments

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Did you have a lovely dinner with your family? Was it as wild and crazy as my Thanksgiving? We drove 12 hours to spend time with my husband’s family – over 50+ of us! It is a fun adventure, we stay in a bunch of cabins on a lake.

Anyway, the holidays can be stressful and stress is NOT good for our immune system. That is why I make sure to take good care of myself during the holidays. I don’t want to miss out on any of the holiday fun and family time!

When the cold weather comes I know I need to be more careful about taking care of myself. There is the flu, colds and not to mention the holiday stress!

First things first, I try as best as I can to get enough sleep. It might be hard because of all of the events going on, but I try not to stay up late blogging, and just go to bed! Secondly, I try to relax and not let the holidays overwhelm me. Did you know there are natural supplements that help your muscles relax and stress supplements? Speaking of supplements, I follow a vitamin routine and take my supplements daily. Along with my women’s multi-vitamin, I raise my intake of Vitamin C and D during the winter. I also try to take fish oil a few times a week.

GNC is a great place to start when you want to stay healthy throughout the holidays.

Vitamins, supplements, nutrition, protein, diet, and more… GNC has just about anything you need to live well. I was very impressed by the selection GNC.com has. It is easy to shop by brand, ingredients, and even your goal! (I love that you can search by condition/goal because so often I see products on the shelf that I don’t know what they are for!) This search is just for that!

If you want to stay away from the sniffles in bed and actually enjoy the holidays this year, you better stay healthy! Right now the germs are out, which makes it’s a great time to find out all that GNC has to offer.

Connect with GNC: Become a fan on their facebook page and follow @GNCLiveWell and the CMO @JeffHennion who holds giveaways as well on his twitter!

:: Giveaway ::

** Please leave your entries using the above Rafflecopter form. It might take a bit to load. **

Disclosure: No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a sample product from the sponsor for the purpose of this honest review. This did not affect the outcome of this review. All opinions are 100% my own. For full disclosure click here.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Healthy Living

Dear John Doe, A marketing f-up

November 30, 2011 by Karissa 4 Comments

I normally don’t get my panties in a bunch from all the daily non-personalized emails. I mean, I actually understand how busy people are, because, HEY, I am busy too! Obviously-mass-marketed emails are necessity for businesses, I get it… no biggy, I won’t hold it against you… except this time.

This one I just had to share…

Really? Fill in MY name and forget to take out “Dear John Doe,”

That’s bad.

Very bad.

Should I email back and say, wrong email? Sorry this isn’t John Doe’s email address?

Filed Under: Everything else Tagged With: marketing mistake

Family Movie Night: Game of Your Life–Premiers Dec. 2

November 29, 2011 by Karissa Leave a Comment

The premiere of the new movie, Game of Your Life is this Friday on NBC. I was able to watch a sneak showing of the movie so I can tell you a little bit about it!

Basically, if you like the description of the movie based on my post (I won’t give you too much and ruin it for you!) , you won’t want to miss out on watching it on Friday, December 2 on NBC at 8pm ET/7pm CT.

Alright, so here is a teaser trailer:

Synopsis:

Following in the success of the most recent film Game Time: Tackling the Past, the newest P&G and Wal-Mart Family Movie Night collaboration Game of Your Life premieres Friday, December 2 at 8/7c on NBC.

When high school gamer Zach Taylor lands a scholarship to an exclusive video game design program led by billionaire gaming icon Marcus Bentton, his future takes a promising turn… as long as he can survive the intense freshmen project that eliminates half of the class in the first three months.

Teamed up with determined group leader Sara and his brilliant yet socially awkward roommates, Donald and Phillip, the four set out to involve the entire campus in a quirky new social interactive game. As the project intensifies, Zach learns that his father is in financial trouble. Distracted and desperate to help, he accepts an opportunity to work with Bentton on a secretive and suspicious side project. Zach finds himself stretched to his limits and torn between his responsibility to the team and his desire to help his father. With nowhere else to turn, he confides in Professor Abbie Lambert and is forced to make a decision that will affect his future and the lives of everyone around him.

My Opinion:

Alright, so I might not be a professional film critic, but in my opinion this movie is a great one for family night! I found this movie is safe for children of all ages. Although it might be more entertaining for older children because of the ages of the characters, gaming topic and the fact they are in college. Non-the-less, it is still good for the family!

Without giving you too much info or spoilers… This video game oriented movie even kept me entertained! It is a fast-paced, sorta-nerdy, medium-funny, very silly, lesson filled, sweet and cute movie. It is great for the very techy generations of kids now-a-days and a great, safe, fun movie for family movie night!

Friday is family movie night, so why not spend it that way! After a relaxing dinner and sharing how school/work was, have a relaxing evening watching the premiere of Game of Your Life.

Once again, the movie premier of Game of Your Life is on Friday, December 2 on NBC at 8pm ET/7pm CT. To find out more about Family Movie Night visit their Facebook page.

Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Filed Under: Everything else

Coconut Halibut Recipe & Shredded Coconut Giveaway {Ends 12/10}

November 29, 2011 by Karissa 34 Comments

My husband and I love halibut and coconut. So we combined the two and concocted a halibut recipe from all things coconut. The coconut products used are from Tropical Traditions. We set out to try to coconut up our dinner to the extreme and the following recipe was dreamed up, created, labored over, tasted, refined, and loved by all.

For the Fish:
4-6 Fillets of Halibut (or other white fish… Tilapia would work well here too)
1-2 Cups of Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour
2-3 Cups of Tropical Traditions Shredded Coconut
6 Tbsp of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil
2-4 Eggs
2 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 Tbsp White Pepper
1 Tbsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Thyme

For the Sauce:
6 Tbsp Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate
2 Tbsp Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour
1 Cup Water
4 Tbsp Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1/2 Minced Onion
1-2 Minced Jalapeno (to taste)
2 Tbsp Chili Powder

SAUCE:
In a small sauce pan add the Tropical Traditions coconut cream concentrate, lime juice, water, fish sauce, minced onion, minced jalapeno, and chili powder. Bring to a rolling boil while stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add Tropical Traditions coconut flour to thicken sauce. Remove from heat and let sauce stand for 5-10 before serving.

FISH:
Spread Tropical Traditions Coconut flour in a shallow dish. Whisk your eggs in a wide bowl and put shredded coconut flakes in another shallow dish. Add the Old Bay Seasoning, White Pepper, Fresh Ground Black Pepper, Cumin, and Thyme to the shredded Tropical Traditions Coconut flakes and mix together with your hands.

Heat coconut oil in a skillet to medium. Rinse and pat down fish fillets. Roll in coconut flour, dip in egg and then coat with the coconut flake mixture. Add to hot oil and cook until the coconut fillets are a nice golden brown. Carefully flip the coconut fish fillets to evenly cook the other side. You can keep these warm in the oven while you’re cooking up all of your fillets.
Prepare to overload your taste buds with coconut goodness… drizzle sauce on top of fried fish and enjoy! If you like rice, this also goes really well on top of a bed of rice… if you’re into that sort of thing!

Our Take: This recipe turned out delicious. With or without the sauce, yummy! But, I am not going to tell you it wasn’t quite messy….

Tropical Traditions 100% natural Shredded Coconut is made from organic dried coconuts in the Philippines that are grown with no fertilizers or pesticides. This premium dried coconut contains no additives or preservatives, and is not sweetened. Unlike most dried coconut on the market, the dried coconut is not treated with sulfites to keep them white. They are a great addition to recipes and baking, or just for snacks! Comes in a re-sealable pail.

Buy Your Own!! This Shredded coconut used to make this recipe can be purchased online at TropicalTraditions.com – 1 gallon re-sealable pail – 3.5 lbs. Retail: $25.00. Now: $17.50

Free Virgin Coconut Oil Book with purchase!
Tropical Traditions has a terrific referral program. If you make a first-time purchase and say you were referred by a friend (me) User ID: 6417979 on your online order you will receive a FREE copy of Virgin Coconut Oil Book-it has over 85 recipes! By using my ID, I will receive a coupon for a product. If you choose to use my ID – Here is my HUGE THANK YOU in advance!

:: Giveaway ::

** Please leave your entries using the above Rafflecopter form. It might take a bit to load. **

Filed Under: Giveaways, Recipes

Holidays aren’t the same without Topsy Popcorn

November 29, 2011 by Karissa 3 Comments

One of the best things about the holidays is snacking on some delicious treats. For instance, when else do you eat tasty popcorn out of a sectioned popcorn tin? It’s one of the greatest holiday snacking foods!

This holiday season, Topsy’s Popcorn is rocking my taste-buds! We tried their crunchy and savory gourmet popcorn during our Thanksgiving get-together (aka: my 50+ family members in a camp-like setting) and it was a hit among all!

As soon as I brought out the adorable snowflake tin, it didn’t take long for it to be devoured. Handful after handful, it was enjoyed. We taste-tested the 3.5 Gallon Caramel/Cheese/Cinnamon snowflake tin and it got a lot of positive response. The caramel and cheese were the more popular sections, but the cinnamon didn’t last much longer. Anyone that likes cinnamon, must try this flavor!

Topsy’s popcorn is great for our family – as well as a convenient and affordable gift for the variety of people. And if you don’t prefer the flavors we tested, they also have pretzels and good ol’ fashioned buttered popcorn. There are a variety of popcorn tins and sizes to choose from too. And once you run out, they have refill bags! That’s pretty neat! I can’t imagine going wrong with this gift.

Since 1929, Topsy’s has used an original recipe that gives its popcorn an old-fashioned great taste. In fact, Topsy’s was the first company to sell its popcorn in the circular tins that we’re used to seeing popcorn in today. Back in the day, the oil used to pop the popcorn came in the tins, and Topsy’s decided to recycle the oil tins to package up and deliver popcorn. Neat?!

Today, more than 75 years after that first kernel was popped, Topsy’s provides the same quality taste online.

Spread the Cheer — Discount Code: From Nov. 22 – Dec. 12, Topsy’s is offering a $3-off coupon (per popcorn canister)! Just enter Topsy75 at checkout!

Buy your Own: The 3.5 Gallon Caramel/Cheese/Cinnamon Snowflake Tin is $34.95 at TopsysPopcorn.com

You can choose from a variety of popcorn tins as well as flavors to quickly and easily find the perfect gift for a variety of people your gift list, from family members to co-workers, a child’s teacher, neighbor, friend, or all of the above!

:: Giveaway ::

** You can win your own Snowflake canister right now! Visit the Giveaway Event “One Stop Christmas Hop” for your chance to win! **

Disclaimer: I was provided a Snowflake Canister from Topsy on behalf of the Family Review Network. All opinions are 100% my own. For full disclosure click here.

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Product Reviews

Giveaway Event: One Stop Christmas Hop ~$150 {Ends 12/6}

November 28, 2011 by Karissa 74 Comments

Now it is time for our FOURTH Holiday-Related Giveaway Hop! Yes you heard me FOURTH!

Haven’t seen the others? Well, don’t worry. You CAN enter all the Giveaway Hops we are currently participating in (“12 days of gifts galore” and “winner wonderland”)

Alright, so now for this event…

This Event is the “One Stop Christmas Hop” and it is hosted by Mama to 3 Blessings. It begins Nov. 29th and ends Dec. 6th. Our great prize is below! Good luck!

Skincare By Feleciai (3-item package!) ($40) (Buy it) (My Review)

Reverse Charades – Original ($23.99) (Buy it) (My Review)

Reverse Charades – Junior Edition ($23.99) (Buy it) (My Review)

Topsy’s Popcorn Tin ($34.95) (Buy it) (My Review)

UPrinting Rolled Canvas 16×20 ($24) (Buy it) (My Review)

:: Giveaway ::

** Enter using the Rafflecopter widget. It might take a minute to load! **

Make sure to enter the other blogs for more great prizes!

Filed Under: Giveaways

Giveaway! Best Pet Health – Wild Alaskan Salmon {Ends 12/8}

November 28, 2011 by Karissa 8 Comments

Did you know simple fish oil can be very effective for pet allergies, arthritis, kidney disease, heart disease, and cancers?

Amazing, right? Fatty acids are a critical nutritional supplements that is used everyday to treat both dogs and cats. Without being too technical- the fatty acids active form is omega-3’s are derived from coldwater fish (salmon, trout, etc.) and have huge benefits.

It wasn’t very long ago that we decided to give our dog fish oil. We read we could give her fish oil pills just like the ones we take. So we did. We began giving her our (expensive) fish oil pills. We noticed the cosmetic benefits of them right away (her coat was shiny). We also knew of the hidden benefits (strong immune system and joint functions) that we couldn’t directly see.

Giving these to her were fine, except they were costly and a little messy too. (She would pop them in her mouth and sometimes they would squirt everywhere!)

Then I got the chance to review Best Pet Health’s Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil Drip. I was excited about opportunity and to see if our dog liked the oil and if the benefits were better for us too.Best Pet Health (an online store that offers high quality products to enhance all dogs’ and cats’ lifestyles) provided us with an 8 oz. bottle of Nutri-Vet Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil Drip Less Odor Less for Dogs. This oil drip contains essential fatty acids, omega 3, omega 6, which are all not commonly found in pet food.We followed the directions for use by adding one pump per 10 lbs of body weight. Our dog is about 35 lbs so I added 3 big globs. One pump is equal to approximately 4 ml or 1/2 teaspoon.

I loved that the bottle had a nice clean pump. There was no drip after using it. Definitely a pleasant surprise.

The ingredients are pure –which makes me happy since I am giving it to my one and only fur-baby. The oil is made only from wild, non-farmed Alaskan salmon and stabilized with natural anti-oxidants to maintain its fatty acid content and taste. Do note: that food-grade, inert silica is added to help reduce drip and odor.

Speaking of odor, I honestly stuck my nose right in the salmon drips and couldn’t smell it! How unusual for fish! Fish products usually smell so… well… fishy!

After waiting very patiently, our dog was eager to taste the Salmon Oil Drip. She ran right over to her bowl and licked the oil up! This product will definitely be replacing our fish oil pills as her daily fatty acid supplement.

You can find this Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil for Dogs (8 oz.) for about $17.99. And if you order a couple large sizes of this, they offer free shipping on all orders $45 and above.

Connect!! They have a specials on the Deal of the Month page. In addition, the best way to learn about specials is to join their Facebook page and follow on Twitter were they do weekly giveaways, answer product questions, and encourage everyone to talk about their pet.

Now Enter the Giveaway !! A bottle of Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil Drip Less Odor Less.

:: Giveaway ::

** Please leave your entries using the above Rafflecopter form. It might take a bit to load. **

Filed Under: Giveaways, Pets

$25 Amazon GC Giveaway! {Ends 12/1}

November 28, 2011 by Karissa 17 Comments

I am pretty darn excited that I’ve been chosen to help Rafflecopter test a new widget! Along with the testing, they are providing a $25 Amazon Gift Code to one winner!

If you have any feedback about this new code NOW is the time to leave a comment! Because as soon as this new widget goes live… you are going to be seeing it all over the blogosphere! It will be the new widget (instead of the older version seen on my other giveaways!) So speak now or forever hold your… you get the idea!

New Widget?

There are many benefits to this new Rafflecopter form, but the biggest improvement
will be that Rafflecopter will no longer rely on cookies as a means of tracking your
entries. They’re introducing a sign-in system… you can either sign in with your Facebook
account or your name and email address.

There are many other features/improvements of the new widget over the old one, which
will be TBA! But for now, enter below, leave us your feedback, and let us know if you
see anything that’s confusing or buggy.

So, again… any feedback you can provide me or Rafflecopter would be fantastic!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Rafflecopter is providing the GC to one winner. Giveaway ends Friday at 12:01am EST

Filed Under: Giveaways

Family game night with Reverse Charades

:: Giveaway ::

my nomorerack review

GNC keeps me healthy through holiday stress. +$50 GC Giveaway US&CAN {Ends 12/14}

:: Giveaway ::

Disclosure: No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a sample product from the sponsor for the purpose of this honest review. This did not affect the outcome of this review. All opinions are 100% my own. For full disclosure click here.

Dear John Doe, A marketing f-up

Family Movie Night: Game of Your Life–Premiers Dec. 2

Coconut Halibut Recipe & Shredded Coconut Giveaway {Ends 12/10}

:: Giveaway ::

Holidays aren’t the same without Topsy Popcorn

:: Giveaway ::

Giveaway Event: One Stop Christmas Hop ~$150 {Ends 12/6}

:: Giveaway ::

Giveaway! Best Pet Health – Wild Alaskan Salmon {Ends 12/8}

:: Giveaway ::

$25 Amazon GC Giveaway! {Ends 12/1}

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