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2014 Kia Soul #DriveSTI

July 1, 2014 by Melissa

I love driving new cars even if they aren’t mine and recently I had the chance to drive the 2014 Kia Soul for a week also known as an urban hatchback.

The first think I noticed when I got home from work was the awesome red color (Inferno Red) and the sick 18 inch alloy wheels. I love new cars and I especially like messing around with all of the cool features.

The 2014 Kia Soul that we had for the week had the whole shabang like an Infinity sound system with satellite radio, panoramic sunroof with power sunshade, speaker lights (Front Door Speaker Trim Lights can pulsate to the beat of the music and even change color), leather interior with ventilated and heated seats and the list goes on and on. I am amazed at how many features a car company can pack into one vehicle. My current car is an 2007 and has maybe one or two features but no where near the features that the 2014 Kia Soul has.

I must admit that I really like the Kia Soul that we had and feel that it would be a great first car for Sabreena. The Kia Soul is affordable which is great for her and safe with 4 wheel ABS, full length curtain side airbags, dual front seat-mounted side airbags and dual front advanced airbags.

Another great feature that I liked about the Kia was the gas mileage which was about 31 highway/23 city. I drive about 60 to 70 miles round trip to work 5 days a week so I need a car that is going to give me great mileage and allow me to save a few bucks on gas.

I also love all of the leg room, head room and cargo room that the 2014 Kia Soul had to offer. We used the Kia to go to one of Shaun’s lacrosse games and the truck easily accommodated all of his gear as well as chairs, a cooler and a ton of other stuff that we needed for the day. The 60/40 rear seat split really came in handy.

We have reviewed maybe 5 or 6 Kia’s and the Soul is one of my favorites. I was hesitant at first due to its size and I thought it wouldn’t have a lot of get up and go but I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised and loved everything that the Soul had to offer. I am sure there are a ton of features that I missed and never got a chanced to mess with but I am happy with all of the features that I did get to test out.

If you are in the market for a new vehicle (unfortunately we aren’t at this time which stinks) give the Kia Soul a look. You will definitely be happy with all of the car that you get for your money.

Metal Mouth No More #InvisalignTalk

June 24, 2014 by Melissa

Sabreena came home from the dentist, “I need braces”. We all looked at her wondering what she was talking about. “The dentist said I need braces soon.” She said it again. I was confused because from looking at her teeth and smile she had no issues. We weren’t the experts so we went ahead and got them and they lasted over 2 years.

She hated them. Wires snapped. Rubber bands went missing. Eating hurt. Cuts formed. Her teeth ached. She was diligent though and changed her rubber bands when she was supposed to and the day came to get them removed.

She was so excited to be able to feel the smoothness of her teeth again. The orthodontist showed us the before and after pictures, I didn’t notice a difference. Whatever, they were off and she was done with braces. Or so we thought. Two years later we’re seeing extreme movement in her teeth. One tooth has actually turned.

Looks like we have to revisit the task of teeth straightening. This time we aren’t doing braces. Invisalign was never brought up to us the first time. The more I read about the treatment process and the advantages I wish we had known about this option back then.

Invisalign is an alternative to traditional metal braces. The process is very different but the outcome is the same, a beautiful healthy smile. Contrary to popular belief Invisalign works for a variety of teeth issues including overcrowding and gapped teeth. A customized plan is created for each patient and the aligners are created especially for each patient. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all procedure. At the end of the treatment you’ll be rewarded with a new smile.

The Invisalign Teen program shows families how easy and almost carefree wearing the aligners can be. The results are the same without the pain, embarrassment and restriction of traditional metal braces. The time spent with the orthodontist is significantly less too. Appointments are made every 4-6 weeks with Invisalign.

It’s simple

Invisalign uses a custom-made series of clear, comfortable aligners that you wear over your teeth.
You simply pop in a new set of aligners every two weeks.
Your teeth gradually and gently shift into place.
That’s it. No sharp wires. No metal brackets. No reason to hide that awesome smile.

The choice is up to you. Take the Invisalign Smile Assessment to find out if Invisalign is right for you or your child. Invisalign Teen works for tweens & teens and for most cases of teeth straightening, costs about the same and looks & feels better than braces. Learn more about Invisalign Teen on Facebook and find a qualified provider to talk about your options.

If you think Invisalign is right for you or your teen enter the Straight Talk Sweepstakes for a chance to win free Invisalign treatment. Sweepstakes runs through September 30th, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Recharging this Summer with Netflix #StreamTeam

June 23, 2014 by Melissa

I’m so happy to be done with school and to have plenty of time this summer to watch Netflix. Yes, watching television is one of my favorite things to do. My last day of school was on May 23rd but my brother and sister didn’t finish school until June 10th so that meant I had plenty of free time. I tend to be their source of entertainment and amusement so I kinda had a vacation from them for a while.

I used most of this free time to marathon all of my favorite old shows. Since I’m only 18, shows that are old to me are shows that only came out in the early-2000s. But these are still the tv shows that I remember watching when I was in middle school. I’ve rewatched all of Numb3rs and well as Law and Order: SVU, two shows that my mom and I watched together and loved. Numb3rs was easily my favorite show in 8th grade; I remember watching reruns all afternoon during the summer.

I haven’t just been rewatching shows, I’ve also used this time to watch shows that I’ve always wanted to try but haven’t had the time. Parks and Recreation is becoming one of my new favorite shows. I’ve fallen for the entire cast and it never fails to make me laugh out loud. Archer is another new show that I marathoned through. As a huge fan of Bob’s Burgers, I wanted to see if H. Jon Benjamin’s other show was as hilarious to me as the Bob’s Burgers is.

I’m glad to have Netflix this summer so that I can laze around and watch tv all day. It’s really the only way that I’d like to spend my summer.

Passport to Imagination Crafts with Michaels Stores

June 22, 2014 by Melissa

Summer Vacation has officially started. Have you already heard the moans and groans of “I’m bored”. Michaels’ Passport to Imagination is where you should head each week to take advantage of the fun BUT inexpensive activities available for kids.

Each week one of North America’s top museums partners with Michaels to bring a craft to your kids just like you were making a visit there. Think of it as a road trip without leaving your own community.

The crafts are meant to bring culture, science, history and art into your child’s life that maybe they wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience in your own hometown.

Last week the adventure started with The Field Museum in Chicago wit Fossil Impressions, Dinosaur Impressions and the Life Cycle of a Butterfly. Each session, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, lasts about 2 hours and costs just $2 per participant.

Future stops are Georgia Aquarium, Pima Air & Space Museum, Perot Museum of Nature and Science , Denver Art Museum, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts .

There is so much fun in store over the next few weeks. If you can’t make it to the in store activities take a look the At Home Projects at the bottom of page for EACH activity.

Headed on vacation or on a Road Trip. Michaels’ has you covered there. Passport to Imagination has activities for that occasion too.

No one has to be left out of the adventures at Michaels’ Passport to Imagination Program this summer. The first 50 kids to attend a workshop receive an album to show off their projects to friends and family for free, so sign up today!

New Balance 711 Trainer Shoes

June 19, 2014 by Melissa

The road to weightloss and healthy living is a long bumpy one. There are many distractions and excuses that get in the way. The best way to stay focused and on track is to have a goal and enlist the help from products you trust and rely on. New Balance is one of those brands.

A while back i was sent a pair of 711 trainers. The timing was great, i was getting back into running. Over the years my feet have grown a tough. My usualy size 8’s weren’t comfortable when it came to athletic shoes so I moved up to 8 1/2 for these. Unfortunately that did work for these shoes either. I had to request a size 9. Perfect fit. I chalk it up to being a slimmer fit shoe, no big deal. Those 8 1/2 shoes when to my mother who has started walking again too.

The 711 Trainer is lightweight with a stretchy flexible fit all over the foot. The cushioning technology called CUSH+ is a revolutionary foam compound. Offering ultra soft and responsive cushioning and comfort without sacrificing durability or stability.

That cushioning makes it’s comfortable to run on concrete, wall the mall, workout in the gym and hike the trails with the kids.

I’ve trusted New Balance for many years to outfit my feet in comfort and support. I also support New Balance as they support Made in America efforts.

In 2013, 1 out of every 4 pairs of shoes we sold in the USA was made or assembled here. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes “Made in the USA.”

With over 5 US factories New Balance is providing jobs for their own employees and the employees of their Made In America suppliers from Pennsylvania to Maine to Ohio and back home to Massachusetts.

Shop New Balance knowing you’re getting great shoes, gear and apparel.

Pay with your Phone with Isis Wallet #MC

June 17, 2014 by Melissa

Being a Verizon customer comes with lots of perks; great service , wide coverage and useful apps. Isis Wallet is one of these useful apps. It’s an app that makes shopping easier at some of your favorite retail locations.

I can run my daily errands with just my car keys, phone and sunglasses in my hand and leave the purse in the car. In a 3 mile radius I can fuel up my car, grocery shop for the week, pick up prescriptions, take the dogs to their check-up, stock up on Rob’s favorite beer, Summer Shandy and pick up a gallon of locally made artisan ice cream.

That’s just in my little college town area. Imagine the shopping opportunities available in a larger market.

Starting up the Isis Wallet is simple. First confirm your carrier and phone is compatible.

Download the Isis Wallet app. If you receive a message that you require an enhanced SIM card to store and protect your sensitive payment information your carrier will provide this card free of charge in an authorized store.

Add your debit card, credit card or bank account or your American Express®, Chase®, or Wells Fargo® credit card info and receive the same perks and benefits as a cardholder without actually holding the card. OterAdd loyalty and bonus cards from select merchants and find offers like free Jamba Juice or $1 back on purchases made from your American Express Serve Account.

Now you shop. Using the app you’ll find local retailers that accept Isis Wallet. Wave the back of your phone on the “contactless symbol” when instructed by the cashier and your payment will be made. Isis Mobile Wallet is accepted at hundreds of thousands of locations across the country including McDonald’s, Jamba Juice, Macy’s, Toys’R’Us, Coca-Cola vending machines, etc. To check out locations near you: https://www.paywithisis.com/where.html. That number grows making this app a great tool to have on hand.

If you sign up for the American Express Serve prepaid card you will receive an initial $25 balance to put towards your purchases.

Our smartphone are already so smart Isis Mobile Wallet is just the next natural step in making our lives easier and more streamlined. What’s next? Driver’s license on our phone? Stay connected with Isis Wallet on their Facebook Page.

That Time I Met Bruce Willis

June 16, 2014 by Melissa

The elevator doors opened and the room took my breath away. In front of me was a room full of A-List Celebrities dressed to the nines, camera ready because I was prepared with mine. I took a few steps to the face that first caught my attention, Bruce Willis. He was gorgeous, cold and rigid but perfectly handsome and rugged at the same time. Madame Tussauds outdid themselves with this one.
Bruce Willis may have been the first “celebrity sighting” of the day but he was far from the last. Rob and I spent the next couple of hours investigating the figures housed at Madame Tussauds New York location. We posed and took “photobombed” selfies with the figures we loved the most.

Madame Tussauds is rich in history but also has it’s finger on the pulse of pop culture and glamour. In the London display you’ll find original pieces from Madame Tussaud herself like aristocratic death masks and artifacts from the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Alongside you’ll find current and sports figures, The Royal Family Bollywood stars and of course the most famous stars of stage and screen.
I’ll be honest, I was a little creeped out at first. The first room is overwhelming with all the eyes looking around. Once you embrace your curiosity you’re all in. Rob and I were amazed as some the details, life-like was an understatement. We sent this picture to Shaun and he went nuts thinking we really got the chance to meet “The Rock”. Dwayne Johnson is a sexy man, the wax figure definitely did him justice.

The many floors of figures spanned many genres, rock and roll, government, Horror(we didn’t go in there), NYC including images from 911 and of course pop culture. Tony Bennett was another favorite of mine as well as Regis and Kelly even though Regis is no longer with the show.

Admission is a bit pricey but if you buy your tickets in advance you can get a 20% discount, this is how we paid for ours. I’d make this a definite stop if your touring NYC and Times Square. If you aren’t in the NYC area don’t worry there are almost 20 locations worldwide to see the magic that is Madame Tussauds.

Getting in Shape with @ViSalus #bodybyvi #thechallenge

June 10, 2014 by Melissa

A few weeks back I was approached to give ViSalus #TheChallenge a try. I’m always looking for ways to get healthier and since I had already started working on more exercise I figured this was a great way to boost that weight loss.

The task was simple. Replace 2 meals a day with ViSalus products, get some exercise and watch the transformation of our body. My transformation was slow. I didn’t follow the routine the way I should’ve. Sometimes it was laziness, sometimes it was inconvenience but mostly it was excuses. BUT through the excuses I found good changes.

Working on @ViSalus for health and well being

I can’t blame the ViSalus products. The protein shakes are actually really good. Not too sweet, a great vessel for getting in more nutrition and easy to make. I’m a bit of a princess though. I prefer my shakes more milkshake like so I add fruit and yogurt to bulk them up and make them more creamy.

Even though I work from home and have access to my kitchen just a few feet away I’m not good at eating enough or at the right times. The kids will be off to school and the next thing I know it’s 2pm. Bulking up my shakes with fruit and extra protein helped me stay full so I wasn’t snacking on junk.

The Crunch Protein Cereal was really good too. Honestly I had my doubts but it ended up being great tasting. I tended to add a small handful of extra sliced almonds or the Vi Crunch™ Fusions – Chocolate Macadamia Granola to mine because I wanted more but wanted to stay healthy with it. I preferred my cereal dry so I ate it like I was snacking, which fulfilled my snacking cravings.

I’m not a packaged cookie person so I didn’t eat many of the Nutra-Cookies. They tasted like a diet cookie and I’d rather just skip them altogether.

My husband’s been doing the shakes with me in the morning. We load up our blender with ice, a couple bananas, a yogurt and a few scoops of ViSalus Nutritional Shake Mix and in 2 minutes we were ready for our day.

This is something I’d buy again. My husband, who has been drinking protein shakes off and on for years agrees that ViSalus is better tasting and better mixing than other brands he’s had in the past.

I’m working on getting back on track, especially with summer just 2 weeks away. I know if I stick to ViSalus get off my butt I’ll have even more success. So far I’m down a pants size, look better in a bathing suit and feel better about myself. I do not weigh myself, it’s just not my thing. I focus on my energy, how I feel and how I look.

Now if I could just afford a personal trainer I’d really have #noexcuses.

2014 Mazda3 S Grand Touring 5-door Recap #DriveSTI

June 9, 2014 by Melissa

My two favorite smells are pizza and new car smell, LOL. I know that sounds weird but who doesn’t love a new car and how it smells as well as pizza? A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of test driving the 2014 Mazda3 s Grand Touring 5-door and I must say I was really impressed.

I have never driven a Mazda and to be honest I’m not sure that I have ever even driven in a Mazda but I was really happy and enjoyed the driving experience. My typical problem with a new car is it’s difficult learning all the new features of a car but the Mazda seemed like it was laid out really well and it was easy to learn.

This car was loaded with features like leather seats attractive red stitching, satellite radio, Mazda Connect infotainment system, active driving display (shows your speed & navigation on the small flip up screen so you don’t have to look down), navigation, power everything and the list goes on and on. I will say that this Mazda wasn’t lacking when it came to features. It had just about everything a person would need in a car.

Like I said the Mazda was a blast to drive; It handled awesome and the pickup was really amazing. I enjoyed all of the head and legroom that the Mazda had to offer since I am 6’3 and a roomy car is a must.

In addition to the awesome head and leg room the truck was ridiculously huge. As you can see from the below picture Melinda was able to fit $350 worth of groceries in the trunk with no problem at all. We also used the Mazda to go to one of Shaun’s lacrosse games and the truck easily accommodated all of his gear as well as chairs, a cooler and a ton of other stuff that we needed for the day.

We had the opportunity to test how well the Mazda did on gas because Shaun had a lacrosse game 2 hours away one way and let me tell you it did awesome. It was inexpensive to fill and it seemed like it went forever on a tank of gas which is great compared to our vehicles.

My overall experience with the 2014 Mazda3 S Grand Touring 5-door was very very positive and I would recommend anyone looking to buy a new car to give this Mazda a look because it will not disappoint.

We’re still a couple years away from getting away from the minivan but this would be a great 2nd car.

ProFlowers and Evite #PartyBlooms Sweepstakes

June 2, 2014 by Melissa

Who doesn’t love the look, smell and feel of fresh flowers and plants in a room. It takes such a simple undertaking to make a big impression. That impression could be in a home or someone’s day. ProFlowers has been making a HUGE impression on my mood and my home over the last few weeks. And now ProFlowers is partnering with Evite to give 10 lucky people 6-months of flowers to make the Perfect Pair

Host a Party on Evite by 6/30/14

or

Post a photo of flowers on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #PartyBlooms so your image can be found.

Find Official Rules here.

I’d gladly accept flowers for the next 6 months. Lilies are my favorite, I love their large colorful blooms and fragrant scent. Tulips with their rainbow of colors is a close second. I’ve noticed if I have fresh flowers in the house I’m more likely to keep the tables cleared off so as not to distract from the beauty of the bouquet. So I guess fresh flowers help me to keep a cleaner, neater home. I should let my husband in on this little bit of insight.

Whether you’re trying to decorate your home, a party space or special evening for two trust in flowers to evoke the proper aura of sophistication or fun. Use Evite to help create the perfect event with a wide variety of invitations for all types of events.

I’m using Evite for Sabreena’s graduation party later this month. We’re looking at keeping the decor fun and festive so bright bouquets like these would fit in so well.

These are arrangements (and Shari’s Berries) I’ve received recently from #ProFlowers and I love them.

Follow ProFlowers’s board All About Celebrating- Party Decorations, Recipes and More on Pinterest.

ProFlowers is offering you 20% of your purchase with coupon code: PARTYBLOOMS
This should make your or the recipient so happy.

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