I know, I know. I don’t have babies, what am I doing reviewing a baby monitor?

I’ll tell you exactly what I’m doing:  sleeping better because I can see AND hear that my kids are okay from across the house!

I struggle with anxiety, especially at night or any time my family is separated, be it across the room or across state lines. I want to know that they are in their beds, sleeping soundly, and the new Motorola MBP41 helps me do just that! Sold exclusively at Babies ‘R Us, this video baby monitor has these awesome features:

• Infared night vision
• Remote pan, tilt, and zoom
• 2.8″ Color TFT LCD screen
• Two-way communication
• Range up to 590 feet
• High sensitivity microphone
• And more!

After trying the Motorola MBP41 in our home for several weeks with our boys, Miles (4.5) and Spencer (3), I have high praise for this monitor! I have the child unit set up in Spencer’s room, since he is the most likely to need assistance in the middle of the night. Our boys’ rooms are across the house from our bedroom, a fact that has kept me awake many nights as I lay there worrying and forming emergency plans in my head. I love knowing that I will hear immediately if there’s anything I need to be aware of, whether that is midnight highjinks, monkey business, or something more serious.

With other video monitors I have used when our boys were babies, there was no ability to adjust the camera unit without risking disturbing a sleeping child. I can’t tell you how many nights I would drag myself to bed, turn on the monitor, and say “Dang it! I didn’t adjust it again and now I can’t see a thing!…Well, nevermind I can see the ceiling, isn’t that helpful?!” No more, with this new Motorola monitor! You can make all the adjustments you need to keep a watchful eye on your child, even in the dark with the advanced infared night vision!

Now the next feature that I absolutely LOVE is the two-way communication. In my many gripe sessions about our previous baby monitors, one thing I wished for many times was the ability to speak back to a child who just needs to hear Mom’s voice. Not every noise that comes through the monitor means you have to get out of bed and investigate. Sometimes you can just say “Go back to sleep sweetie” over the monitor and that’s enough to calm a half-asleep child.

One funny story about the two-way comm. feature:  After a few days of using the monitor, I observed our boys playing a little game. Spencer, our 3 year old, would run to his room and Miles, 4.5, would run into our room where the parent unit stays. Miles then faces the monitor and yells at the top of his lungs “SPENCER! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!” (thinking he is using the monitor as intended, but not pushing the talk button). Spencer, across the house but still able to hear his brother, yells back “I CAN HEAR YOU!!” And they shriek with joy because they’re talking through the monitor, but not really, because anyone within about 200 yards could probably hear them screaming to one another.

I’ve also found this to come in handy on our boys’ rowdier nights, when they just don’t seem to want to settle down. From our room, I can observe their shenanigans and intervene by pushing the talk button and saying “Miles? I can see you. Get in your room now.” The Motorola MBP41 goes a long way in furthering the belief that Mom really does have eyes in the back of her head! Don’t tell my secret though, okay? That’s just between me, you, and my favorite video monitor!

There are so many things to love about this baby monitor. The size of the parent unit is perfect. It’s a bit smaller than the typical smart phone and has a stand on the back for easy viewing. It’s easy to shut the video off to save battery life and keep your room dark when you don’t need visuals. The sound and picture quality have been fantastic for us, even in a house with a large number of wired and wireless communications devices.

Do yourself a favor and check out the Motorola MBP41 at Babies ‘R Us! You’ll sleep better hearing and seeing your child clearly. And when they’re not sleeping? Feel free to use that little trick I told you about!

The Motorola MBP41 video monitor retails for $199 at Babies ‘R Us! (Currently on sale!) You can add additional cameras (up to 4!) for $99 each.

I was sent a sample of this product to facilitate my review. I received no monetary compensation for this post and my opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

I had a flash of brilliance yesterday.

I love scarves, but I sometimes hate having long ends hanging around lookin’ all weird. Or sometimes they’re a little too short and don’t look right in the easy loopy sort of way. I don’t own any infinity scarves and I’m not so handy with a sewing machine. There has to be an easier way, right? Yes, there is!

This might not be an entirely original idea, but I didn’t see it somewhere online and decide to do it. This simply comes from my laziness and desire to use what I already have instead of buying something new. I’ve seen lots of great simple sew and no-sew ideas for making new scarves, but what about the ones you have and love but you want to make better?

I have had a package of Flash Tape for many years, so long that they’ve changed the packaging on them and everything. If you’re not familiar with Braza Flash Tape, it’s also known as wardrobe tape and is used to keep you from having a wardrobe malfunction in public. It’s handy on low neck blouses and for putting in places prone to gapping on button-up tops. It can stick to fabric or onto your skin. They even have waterproof Swim Companion Tape! (Seriously, this isn’t a paid endorsement or anything, I just like the product!)

Anyway, here’s how I used Flash Tape to make a shorter scarf into an “infinity” scarf:

Lay the scarf out flat on a surface and turn one end over so that when the tape is applied, it will make one continuous loop.

You could also twist it around and then apply the tape like that, if that’s what you want. The Flash Tape will come off, so it’s not permanent.

Flash Tape is two-sided, so you’ll apply it like scotch tape and then peel off the other backing to expose the outer side.

Without stretching the fabric, lay the other side down and press it onto the sticky Flash Tape.

Your new infinity scarf will be flexible enough that it will loop and lay just like it’s supposed to. The tape won’t be visible and it’s not permanent. At some point I might experiment with Heat N Bond and see if that works as a more permanent solution, but I’m afraid it won’t be as flexible as Flash Tape and would look funny.

What do you think? Do you have any scarves that you want to make into an infinity scarf?

If you want to buy Flash Tape through Amazon.com, please consider using my affiliate link below to help support playdatecrashers.com! Thanks!

It’s no secret that American families are super busy. Between work, school, extracurriculars, and other responsibilities, parents are hard-pressed to find quick, healthy solutions for family dinners. We know eating dinner together as a family is important, but we need all the help we can get to make it happen most days!

Fast Fixin’ now has a tastier and healthier chicken nugget option for you! Fast Fixin‘s chicken nuggets are made with all-natural white breast meat and 20% less fat and calories than its competition. They’re made from the best and healthiest part of the chicken, the white breast meat! As a mom with two nugget-lovin’ boys, I was excited to try these out when Fast Fixin’ contacted me!

My boys loved the nuggets! They’re easy to make, and can be paired with many quick side items as the center of your next dinner. We served ours with fries, corn, and fruit for a simple and delicious meal that doesn’t break the bank or eat up all of our time.

Check out some great recipes on the Fast Fixin’ Facebook page, including a Creamy Chicken Broccoli Casserole and The Becker Decker Chicken Veggie Sandwich. Yum!

To find Fast Fixin’ products and get a $1.00-off coupon, visit FixABetterNugget.com!

Fast Fixin’ has graciously offered four (4) free product vouchers for my readers! Enter using the Rafflecopter form below! There will be FOUR WINNERS! Good luck!

I received free product from Fast Fixin’ to facilitate my review. I received no monetary compensation for this post. My opinions are my own.

It’s Mother’s Day weekend! While flowers and candy are nice, who doesn’t love jewelry? Take a look at this beautiful necklace by Dogeared Jewels, found at Zappos.com!

The Dogeared Jewels Mom Sparkle Heart Necklace is the perfect complement to any outfit — a day at the office, a special occasion, or spending time with your family. It’s small and dainty , which you might think would mean it isn’t an attention-getter. But I sure find that less is more sometimes, and the eye is drawn to this necklace because of its size and sparkle.

I love wearing this necklace! The simple but classy gold-dipped design is delicate and just feels special. The note inside the box says “You are always in my heart. Wear your necklace as a reminder of how much I love you!” What a perfect gift for Mother’s Day!

Dogeared Jewels has many beautiful items available at Zappos.com, ranging in price from under $50 to $200+. Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings — all gorgeous! I love this Small Bow Ring! At just $34, it’s a super-cute accessory for you or a loved one.

There are so many items at Zappos.com that would be a fabulous gift this Mother’s Day! Pick up something gorgeous and special for your mother, sister, aunt, or grandmother from Zappos.com!

Zappos.com has generously offered a Dogeared Jewels Mom Sparkle Heart Necklace, valued at $68.00, for one lucky reader! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter!

Facebook, Twitter, MailChimp, and Rafflecopter are in no way associated with this giveaway nor are they responsible for prize fulfillment. Giveaway open to U.S. residents 18 and over please!

I received this product in exchange for my review and promotion of this product. I was not compensated monetarily for this post and my thoughts are my very own!

With my boys about to be in full-time care/school, I’m going Organization Crazy with creating a home management system that works, figuring out who needs what and when and where, and getting together all of the supplies that my boys will need to get to and stay at school for 7 hours a day. The program they’ll be at this summer is much more relaxed than real school, but they still need lunchboxes, nap sheets, and such. And what do all of those things need to make sure they’ll arrive home with my boys each day?

LABELS!

Yes! Adorable, personalized, waterproof, dishwasherproof, freezer-friendly labels from Name Bubbles!

Folks, I have labeled pretty much every item they’ll be taking with them to school — the lunchbox, the drink box that goes in the lunchbox, the ice pack for the lunchbox, the backpacks, the jackets — you name it, it’s got a super-cute label on it that’ll stand up to all kinds of preschooler-sized abuse. My boys love looking for their names (and their little logos — “Where’s my rocket ship??”) on their cups and other things.

No matter what you need to label, Name Bubbles has a label that’s perfect for you! Their handy sets of Daycare Labels, Camp Labels, Sports Labels, and School Labels include a variety of sizes and shapes in the design of your choice to stick onto your child’s things. Let’s face it, families spend a LOT of money each year outfitting their kids with all the clothes and supplies they need for all of their activities. Don’t you want to make sure you keep those items as long as you can? Spending a little bit of money out in front to affix your child’s name on their things will go a long way in keeping what’s yours!

The label designing process is really simple to use at NameBubbles.com. They make it so easy to figure out what type of labels you need — the only hard part is narrowing down your options of designs! You can customize colors, add the text you want, select icons and more!

Name Bubbles also makes Allergy Alert labels, Write-On labels, and Clothing Labels that are laundry-safe! They also have a fundraising program, something I’m going to suggest to my son’s preschool (at the school where I work). Name Bubbles is also committed to giving:  In 2013, $1 from each sale of personalized clothing labels will be donated to K.I.D.S. (Kids In Distressed Situations), which provides clothes, shoes, and more to needy children.

Pick up your personalized labels from Name Bubbles today to start organizing and keeping your kids’ important things!

Name Bubbles sent me a set of personalized labels for my boys to facilitate my review. I was not compensated monetarily for this post, nor was I required to give a positive review.

I have several product reviews to get to this week, but before I do that, I feel it’s only right that I force allow you to take a peek at my life these days. It’s totally thrilling and you will leave inspired and entertained. Okay probably not, but at least you’ll feel like you know what I’m up to while I’m not writing here.

The quick backstory: I’ve been a SAHM since my oldest was born in July of 2008. I went back to work part-time in February and then was hired for a full-time position, which I’ve been at for almost three weeks. It’s a fantastic job at a small private school where my boys will attend beginning this summer.

It’s been pretty weird to go from being home with my boys all the time to seeing them for a few minutes before work and then a few hours in the evening. My husband’s job is flexible enough that he has been able to take Spencer to work with him and then work from home for these three weeks until I am making enough to pay a sitter. Starting this week, Spencer will go to a friend’s house three days a week and be babysat by a college-age girl who is also watching my friend’s daughter. Miles will go to preschool in the morning and then over to the friend’s house for the afternoon. On Tuesdays, my husband’s day off, and Thursdays, they’ll be home with my husband. Beginning June 3rd, they’ll go to work with me and participate in the school’s summer programming.

So I’m about to enter the world of packed lunches for all of us, drop-offs, and more of a normal working mom life. It’s strange, after so long, but I really do love working, more than I ever thought I would. For a long time, I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of going back to work; being a SAHM was my identity, it was who I was. But in the last year or so, I found myself watching the clock more than enjoying my boys. I was irritated with having so little time that didn’t involve someone climbing on me or watching me go to the bathroom. We needed a change, and this one will be as close to perfect as possible.

It’s going well, but I do have this one little issue that has been plaguing me since I started wearing dress shoes every day. It’s my feet. Specifically, my left foot and the bunion that has developed and has been exacerbated by being up and on my feet so much more. A few months ago I started noticing some pain in my foot but in the recent weeks it has gotten extremely painful. I had no idea what a bunion really was until this — I thought it was like a blister. Not exactly, more like a bony growth in one’s foot. If you’re curious and into that sort of thing, here’s a picture of my poor foot (don’t worry, it’s not bloody or gross or anything).

I have an appointment with an orthopedic specialist in exactly one month, but in the meantime, I’m wincing, limping, and doing everything I possibly can to deal with the pain. If there are any makers of bunion products out there that want to have me do a product review, let me know!

Okay, that about does it. I think we’re all caught up now. What’s going on with you?

Oh the endless struggles of parenting! Food battles, sleep wars, chores, discipline, and more! Even simple hygiene tasks become a full-fledged battlefield at times at our house. (“Spencer, you have poop on your leg. I insist that you take a shower.”)

All parents want their kids to learn good, healthy habits from the start, but the battle of wills can sometimes derail those plans. Oral care and teeth brushing are one area where many parents and children don’t see eye to eye — namely, the parents want their kids to do it and the kids would rather clamp their lips together tighter than you could ever imagine.

So what’s a parent to do?

How about giving your kids some super cool tooth care tools to make teeth brushing fun??

The FireFly Ready Go Brush by Dr. Fresh is an awesome new way to make oral care irresistible for kids! The cousin of the best-selling kids toothbrush, the original FireFly, the FireFly Ready Go Brush lights up like a stoplight to help your kids learn how long they need to brush their teeth. The lights blink green first for 30 seconds, yellow for another 30 seconds, and finally red when 60 seconds are up and they’ve completed their brushing for that row of teeth!

It’s so easy for kids to catch on to how the FireFly Ready Go Brush works! Kids who already understand the concept of stoplights can easily translate that green means to start brushing and red means to stop. The button which starts the cycle is on the toothbrush base but isn’t so easy to push that my boys are able to do it themselves. Intended or not, this is a plus for me! I want the toothbrushes to be used just for brushing teeth — they’re fun, but they’re not a toy. Since they need help to turn the lights on, I can make sure they stay in the bathroom.

Miles and Spencer absolutely love their FireFly Ready Go Brush toothbrushes! We’ve discovered that they are especially fun when you turn out the bathroom lights and watch yourself in the mirror. Your mouth lights up green, yellow, and red!

Q and A with Chris Kammer, D.D.S.

Q. What inspired you to promote toothbrushing in such a visible and unusual way?

A. Childhood dental disease is an epidemic in this country and it is just as serious as other epidemics like childhood obesity. It is more common than other afflictions like asthma and is actually the number one cause of missed school. Its physical and emotional effects can be profound, not to mention painful. Oral health is linked with our overall health. And we’re seeing more and more cavities in younger children, a trend that we must reverse. The good news is, childhood dental disease is completely preventable. And proper toothbrushing is the cornerstone of that prevention.

When finished and rinsed, the FireFly Ready Go Brush stands up straight and clean on the counter thanks to the suction cup bottom. This is another great bonus, because no one wants a dirty toothbrush! The FireFly Ready Go Brush is available at Target, Kroger, Meijer, Drugstore.com, and Amazon.com (SRP $3.99) and comes in four different designs — Barbie, Spider-Man, Angry Birds, or FireFly!

Dr. Fresh also makes FireFly Fluoride Foam Toothpaste, which is to be squirted directly into your child’s mouth, not on their toothbrush. Its immediate foaming action helps flush out bacteria between teeth and gums and is perfect for young children learning to brush their teeth! FireFly Foam Toothpaste helps you avoid messy sinks and those icky gummy toothpaste caps! The bubblegum flavor is quite yummy (yeah, I tried it!) and is available in Original, Angry Birds, Spiderman, Barbie, and FireFly packaging. You can pick up some FireFly Fluoride Foam Toothpaste at Walgreens, Target, Amazon.com, and Drugstore.com for a SRP of $1.99 (1.69 oz. pump bottle).

FireFly’s Ready Go Brush and Fluoride Foam Toothpaste have absolutely changed how our boys approach toothbrushing! What used to be a struggle (trying to get them to keep the toothbrush in their mouths longer than 10 seconds) is now a fun routine that we all enjoy!

Disclosure:  I was provided samples of FireFly products to facilitate my review. I was not required to write a positive review, I just really love the products! I received no monetary compensation for writing this post.

Confession:  I love office supplies. Like seriously love them. I want a little system for everything and I want the tools to put my little systems into use. Up until about a week ago, my “office” consisted of my home and my office supplies were sippy cups and Legos! When it came time for me to move into my new office at work, I needed some goodies for my desk and drawers. The folks at Staples were awesome enough to send me some eco-preferable products from their new Sustainable Earth line to get me started!

If you’ve never read here before or maybe it’s been awhile, let me catch you up in a few sentences:  I’m Krista, I have two boys (4.5 and 3) and I was a Stay At Home Mom with them until February when I started working part-time at a private school. I recently accepted a full-time job at the school and now I have an office and everything! Fancy me, right?

Sustainable Earth by Staples™ eco-preferable products are made with the environment in mind. These eco-preferable products are made with renewable resources, recycled materials and/or are third-party certified to validate their environmental attributes. From the breakroom to the boardroom, these products help to lessen your impact on the environment.

A lot of us have made changes, big and small, in our homes to reduce our impact on the environment. Some of us use cloth diapers on our kids, have given up paper towels for reusable towels, and have upped our recycling efforts. But when you look at the waste generated in a typical office, there’s still a lot we can do to “green” our workplace. That’s where Sustainable Earth by Staples makes it easy for you! Take a look at these great office supplies they sent me!

For my new office, I have a Sustainable Earth by Staples calculator (available at stores and Staples.com for $6.99) and stapler ($8.99 for desktop size), items whose casings are made from recycled ink and toner cartridges (partially from items collected through the Staples Rewards program). The calculator is solar-powered, a perfect size (though a mini version is also available!), and has 100% recycled casing and buttons. The stapler has a 20-page capacity and a rubber grip. I love how sturdy these items are!

Staples also sent me some Sustainable Earth notebooks, made from 80% sugarcane plant fiber waste and printed with ec0-preferable water- and vegetable-based inks. They come in two sizes, 9 1/2″ x 6″ ($3.29) and 8 1/2″ x 11″ ($4.29). These notebooks are perfect for brainstorming new projects and will look great on your desktop!

There are more awesome products from Sustainable Earth by Staples — clipboards made from 100% recycled paperboard, file folders made from recycled paper and magazines, envelopes, and copier paper. Check out all of these fabulous items at your local Staples store or at Staples.com!

What have you done to green up your workspace?

Staples’s PR reps hooked me up with these awesome products in exchange for my honest thoughts on the items. I was not required to write a positive review, I just really like them! I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Whether you work in or out of the home or are primarily employed by your children, moms are busy people. If it’s not board meetings, it’s the never-empty laundry hamper consuming our time. With all the things moms have to do in a day or week’s time, it’s little wonder that we often neglect taking care of ourselves and our bodies.

Many moms, myself included, have a few (or more than a few!) pounds hanging around their bodies that they’d like to get rid of. Maybe they exist in newly discovered rolls around your midsection or your jeans just aren’t fitting the same way after having kids. You know you need to be more active in order to feel like yourself again, but who has the time?

Five minutes. Could you find five minutes?

Hear me out. Sara Haley’s Sweat Unlimited (Volume 1):  Excuse Proof Your Workout is not a quick and easy workout — it’s intense, it’s high-energy, and not necessarily for beginning exercisers. If you think you can’t begin to tone up your problem areas with a 5-minute workout, you’ve not seen Sara Haley‘s routine! I can almost guarantee you’ll sweat and feel it the next day!

The great thing about the Sweat Unlimited fitness DVD is that it doesn’t stop with the 5-minute Sweat Extreme; the DVD has 105 minutes of fast-moving, challenging workouts, including Sweat Extreme (5 minutes), Sweat Strength (15 min.), Sweat Cardio (30), and Sweat Box 45 (45 minutes). Whether you only have a few minutes before you start your day or are able to commit a longer period of time, Sweat Unlimited can help you reach your goals through dance-inspired moves, interval training, and core strengthening.

Here’s a little bit about Sara Haley, the creator of Sweat Unlimited:

Sara Haley is a certified trainer and instructor through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) as well as a member of the American Pregnancy Association (APA). Specializing in prenatal fitness, functional training and dance methodology, Sara has over twenty years of dance and fitness training, and has been a Reebok Global Master Trainer since 2008.

Let me tell you something:  She has an incredible body. Her arms are ridiculous and she has the teeniest thighs ever. She makes all of the moves, even the toughest, look absolutely effortless.

Sara’s cues are flawless, she is tough without being harsh, and she makes you feel like you CAN do it! You will sweat, you’ll be challenged in all the right ways, and with Sara’s included workout plans, you can shed those pesky pounds and feel great about yourself!

Sweat Unlimited (Volume 1) is available at sarahaley.com for $24.99. Check out her prenatal fitness program, Expecting More, also at sarahaley.com ($39.95). Like her Facebook Page, follow her on Twitter (@SaraHaleyFit) and subscribe to her YouTube channel for more from Sara!

I received a copy of Sweat Unlimited (Volume 1) in exchange for an honest and fair review. I was not required to write a positive review and I received no additional monetary compensation for this post.

Oh, hello Internet! I’ve missed you!

I’ve been getting used to this whole working mom thing, juggling all that there is to do, fumbling through our current schedule (which thankfully won’t be current for long), and in the meantime falling behind on my Candy Crushing, leisure reading, and general Internet/blog/fun.

I had an interesting day on Monday. It’s so embarrassing I can’t even tell you. Maybe one day I’ll muster up the strength to do so, but for now just imagine having an emotional meltdown over something ridiculous and then finding it impossible to get the crying under control. Whew. Thankfully that’s over, everything is fine, and I have redeemed myself from that embarrassment.

As I posted on Monday…

I’ve been working full-time for a whole two days now. When can I start complaining about Mondays?

— Krista Dulaney (@PlaydateCrasher) April 22, 2013

I so hope that this is on The Fairy Hobmother’s namebadge at Appliances Online

Like I told you all the other day, I have lots of things to write about, plenty of reviews (and giveaways!) in the works, I’ve just got a lot on my plate and it’s going to take some time to figure out how I can do it all. Stick with me, though! Keep up the comments and general awesomeness, I need your encouragement!

Speaking of encouragement, let me tell you about an email I got today. It was from someone known simply as The Fairy Hobmother, who goes about the Internet, sprinkling joy onto bloggers, in the form of $50 Amazon gift codes! Mr. Fairy Hobmother, as I like to call him, reports back to his “fairy overlords” at Appliances Online, where you can find inexpensive washing machines, dishwashers, and so much more! The Fairy Hobmother totally made my day today and maybe he’ll make your day too, bloggers! *wink wink nod nod*

Tell The Fairy Hobmother (in the comments below) about someone who did something sweet to encourage you! Maybe you’ll get lucky and get a visit yourself!

Disclosure:  Since I’ll be receiving a $50 Amazon voucher for posting about The Fairy Hobmother and Appliances Online, this is considered a sponsored post.

When you think about all of the waste you generate over the course of a week, it can be downright overwhelming. From meal waste to product packaging and more, we make a lot of trash! Eating away from home, whether at work or school or on the road, usually means you’re generating more trash in order to make your food portable and easier to deal with after eating.

ReUsies reusable food bags are a small change you and your family can incorporate that will make a big difference! Becky Harper, the mom entrepreneur behind ReUsies found that her family was using 15-20 disposable plastic bags each week in school lunches and snacks for the road — that’s about 1,000 bags each year! And where will bags end up? In our landfills, rivers, parks, and oceans.

ReUsies snack bags and sandwich bags were created to eliminate the plastic baggie from kids’ lunchboxes. Not only are they a great way to pack a lunch and cut down on waste, they’re also easy to clean, simple, and fun!

Each ReUsies bag replaces hundreds of single-use bags — providing a safe, nontoxic way for families to keep food fresh and our planet safer. Even young children can grasp the idea that throwing away a bag every day is wasteful and bad for the environment. Your kids will love knowing they’re making a difference with their adorable ReUsies bag. I seriously can’t get enough of these patterns!

The bags are sturdy, super cute, and do exactly what they’re created to do! With the simple but functional design, you won’t need to worry about spills. The Velcro closure on the front is strong and holds tight. When you’re ready to wash (which you can do by hand, in your dishwasher, or in the washing machine), the Velcro on the back will keep attached so that your clothes don’t end up stuck to your ReUsies. Check out this video which shows how easy ReUsies are to use – and ReUse!

Perfect to purchase on Earth Day, ReUsies make the switch to creating less waste an easy task! Visit ReUsies.com, follow them on Facebook and Twitter, and stay up to date on all their newest patterns, products, and news!

Quick! ReUsies has some specials for Earth Week! $5.00 bags are now only $4.00! (through Earth Week 2013)

Funky Monkey, creators of awesome and nutritious kids’ snacks, is having a Twitter chat tomorrow, and they want YOU to join them!

Here’s all the details:

Who:Funky Monkey Snacks @funkymonkeysnck www.funkymonkeysnacks.com

Hashtag: #funkychat

When: April 23, 2013 2:00- 3:00 PM Central

Topic: Food Allergies

Follow @funkymonkeysnck on Twitter and start thinking of your questions about food allergies!

Funky Monkey Snacks also wants to give one of you a 7 flavor sampler pack! Enter using the Rafflecopter form below! (U.S. residents 18 and over only please!)

As our family is transitioning to having school-aged kids and two working parents, we’re undergoing a lot of changes. After 4.5 years of quiet, relaxing, and (if I’m being honest) lazy mornings at home, we are now at a stage where we have places to be at certain times and that means rising earlier than what has been typical.

I was beginning to start shopping for alarm clocks for Miles, who will be starting Kindergarten this fall, when I was given the opportunity to try a Disney iHome Dual Alarm Clock Speaker System for iPod. Distributed by eKids, the Phineas & Ferb Disney iHome alarm clock is a perfect solution for young kids who have places to go and need to get up early to get there!

Miles’s new Disney iHome alarm clock features Perry from Phineas & Ferb, one of his favorite big-kid shows! He can wake up to music from his iPod (yes, I still have an old click-wheel iPod!) or a gentle buzzer alarm. It has a dual alarm for separate wake times, so we can set one alarm for during the week when he has school and another for days when he needs to get up earlier or later, such as Sunday for church.

The buttons are easy to see and simple to figure out how they control the different functions. The display can be adjusted to be dimmer or brighter, and the snooze bar is easy to find on sleepy mornings! The forward and back buttons control what you’re listening to on your iPod. He likes to fall asleep listening to an iPod playlist of his dad and I reading stories. When I go in to check on him and close his door for the night, I take the iPod off the dock so that he will wake to the buzzer, which can be adjusted to the perfect sound level.

Perry looks like how I feel at 7am…

eKids has a whole line of fantastic Disney character devices, including Cars 2, Cinderella, Minnie Mouse, Disney Princess, and Phineas & Ferb! They have adorable earbuds, alarm clocks and iPod docks, walkie-talkies, and more! Prices range from $12.99 to $69.99 (Seriously, you have to see this Lightning McQueen Vroombox!)

If your kids are as fanatical about Disney characters are mine are, you’ve got to check out all of the eKids products! See more at ekids.com! Many of them are available to purchase at Amazon.com, BedBathandBeyond.com, and other online retailers!

Disclosure:  I was sent a Disney iHome product free of charge to facilitate my review. I received no additional compensation for this post and all opinions are my own. I was not required to write a favorable review.

Affiliate Links for purchasing:

eKids Disney iHome Products

Wow. My last day as a SAHM got off to quite the rocky start today.

Sunsets. Because you can’t wax poetic on a blog without a photo of a sunset.

Most of you are aware that in February, I began working part-time at a local Christian school as, for lack of a better term, a lunch lady. No, I don’t wear a hairnet. No, I don’t slop mashed potatoes onto a tray. I’m more of a coordinator, making sure the right kids get the right boxed lunches.

Annnnyyyywayyyy, an opportunity came up for a fantastic full-time position at the school. My kids will be able to go there at an amazing discount, they can come to work with me during the summer and attend the school’s fun summer programming free of charge, and I just simply love this school and the people who work there. While right now my official title is Administrative Assistant, my primary responsibilities will be public relations for the school, managing our website and social media presence, and doing outreach for new students. Dream job? Yeah, you could say that.

My mom has always said that next in line after being a stay at home parent, working at the same school as your kids is the best possible scenario for a mom. We’re about to find out! I’ll have more information and updates about how it’s going in the weeks to come. We’ll have a short period of transition while Miles finishes his year at his preschool and Spencer goes to daycare for the first time ever. After those six weeks, we’ll be going to school together every day.

Naturally, I wanted my final day as a SAHM (part-time as it may be) to be magical. I pictured morning cuddles before happily eating a big healthy breakfast and praying together in the foyer as we do every day before my husband takes Miles to school.

Instead, I had a crying preschooler in the shower (it’s spring picture day!), a crying 3-year-old because he hurt his leg/toe/elbow? I’m not sure? while dealing with the shower situation. Meanwhile, my husband was sifting through the trash because we can’t find a check that we received last week and because it’s trash day, he had to make sure it wasn’t in the trash bags being sent to the dump today. *sigh* But I suppose it wouldn’t be realistic if it were a magical, perfect day. It hasn’t always been wonderful, staying home with my kids. Many days, we had blissful days of playing, learning, and relaxation. Other days, more frequent than I’d like to admit, I was irritated, distracted, and had one eye on the clock, waiting for relief to come home in the form of my husband.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to stay home with my precious boys. I know there are many moms who desperately want to stay home full-time with their kids. I enjoyed myself most of the time. Like everything else I’ve experienced so far in parenting, it works until it doesn’t. My plans to co-sleep worked until they didn’t anymore. My plans to do preschool at home with my boys worked until it didn’t. There’s no shame in realizing that it doesn’t work anymore. I have great admiration for moms who work outside of the home and great admiration for moms who stay at home with their kids. It doesn’t have to be a competition over who can love their situation more or who can endure something they don’t love just for the sake of maintaining what they set out to do.

A lot of blabbering just to get to this:  Moms, do what’s best for your family. Don’t worry about what you said on Facebook when your baby was a newborn — You don’t have to stay at home if you can better serve your family by bringing home a paycheck. Don’t go back to work if your family wants and needs you more at home. Family is about sacrificing and sometimes that can mean going back to work or staying at home. It’s your decision to make, and these aren’t decisions you are making forever. You can always change your mind if your feelings or situation changes. Don’t waste your life worrying about what people will say or how it will look to others.

I realize this isn’t a profound post or anything you haven’t heard before. I just have a feeling that someone needed to hear that today. If that’s you, rest easy and shed yourself of some Mommy Guilt!

A little State of the Blog address, for you long-time readers:  I’m not sure what taking a full-time job is going to mean for the blog’s future. I continue to get many product pitches and sponsored post offers daily and many of them are things I want to share with you. I’ll be perfectly honest…There have been times when the small amount of money that I make from sponsored posts has gone to pay for our groceries that week. So while you may not find them to be the most compelling of posts, they have helped me tremendously and haven’t taken over the content on here.

I also do have things on my heart that I want to bring to you, things about parenting and life and funny nonsensical things. I’ll continue to do that, just be aware that I might sometimes go days without posting. Don’t worry, I’ll be back. Luckily for you, there are thousands of fantastic blogs out there where you can get similar writing. Just don’t give up on me, please!

Lots of love and playdate crashin’,

Krista

It’s tax time! 

Yes, it’s that time of year again, when Americans everywhere are rushing to file their income taxes from the previous year before the deadline. Master Lock has a whole array of products and ideas for helping people avoid chaos and frustration as they file and store their vital financial records.

Check out their tips for getting organized for a quick, easy tax filing process:

1.       Request electronic copies of your tax forms. Many employers offer employees the option to receive their W-2 forms electronically, instead of by mail. By eliminating the risk of postal delays or missed deliveries, this ensures that your W-2 will be delivered securely as soon as it is available. Plus, faster W-2s can mean faster tax returns.

2.       Securely store documents online. Avoid the mess of a mound of paperwork by storing — and organizing — all of your tax-related documents online. By utilizing a free, secure service such as the Master Lock Vault (www.masterlockvault.com) you’ll have easy access to all of your files wherever you are and help ensure that none of your paper documents will ever be lost, misplaced, stolen or damaged. Not only can you upload PDF forms, but you can upload photos from your phone of important receipts and expenses for your records. All data is instantly synchronized between the website and the App. Bonus: securely store log-in information for your bank accounts and tax filing site in the Vault so you’ll never have to worry about forgetting your username or password.

3.       Think taxes year-round. Don’t wait until you’re ready to file your taxes to start collecting and organizing the supporting documents you’ll need to complete your return. Avoid the scramble by capturing and uploading a digital image of your receipt each time you pay the babysitter or have a tax deductible transaction, fill a prescription at the pharmacy, or make a charitable contribution such as dropping off a clothing donation to your local thrift store.

4.       Opt for direct deposit. If you’ve done everything else online, why request a hard-copy check when it comes time to claim your refund? When combined with electronic filing, direct deposit is the fastest way to get your refund. If you’re on the other side of the spectrum and find that you owe taxes, opt to pay online and you can avoid the long tax-season lines at the post office.

5.       Call for help. Sometimes, outside advice is necessary, and you can now get the help you need without leaving home. Based on the complexity of your question, there are a variety of resources to turn to. For example, the IRS offers a toll-free hotline for tax questions during weekdays. Several tax-prep software providers also offer guidance via online forums or on their social media feeds.

I was given a Master Lock Storage Security Box to use and review. Here’s how I’m using mine:

Our family has owned a small fire-proof locked box for several years, but we’re starting to outgrow it as our family grows and our needs change. I have quite a few important paper documents that I need assurance will be safe and secure should an emergency arise or a disaster take place. I try to be prepared for all kinds of situations, and protecting my family’s records is just one of the ways to do this.

This Master Lock Storage Security Box (7148D) is made of durable steel, is fire safe, and is perfect for storing documents in an organized and safe way. It comes with two keys to keep your items secure. I feel so much better knowing that items such as our Passports, tax records, birth certificates, insurance information, and end of life documents are stored safely and in such a way that we can easy access them. The Storage Security Box retails for $21.99. Check and see where you can buy it in a local store!

Master Lock is offering a sweepstakes opportunity for you! You have a chance to win one of five $1,000 prizes when they register for a Vault account as part of the Master Lock “Tax Relief Rewards” Sweepstakes.

Disclosure Statement:  I was sent a free Master Lock Storage Security Box for my review. I received no other compensation for this post but they did provide me with their tips for tax filing!

Have you and your kids met The DripDrops?

My kids and I did, and we are loving the fun we’re having coloring the world with the DripDrops! This lovable bunch of characters are available through the Belugabloo bookstore app for Apple or Android. See the whole gang at thedripdrops.com and by downloading the bundle pack of apps! There are two apps, Color The World (iOS/Google Play) and Rainbow Racing (iOS only) which are FREE and available to download separately through your device’s app store or through the Belugabloo bookstore app, and four eBooks, priced from FREE-$0.99 each in the Belugabloo bookstore app!

After your kids fall in love with the characters, which I’m sure they will, you can listen to and see the words to three DripDrops songs on the website. There are also a lot of videos you can watch with your kids on the DripDrops YouTube channel!

Miles, my 4.5 year old, loves playing the DripDrops games and eBooks! These aren’t your typical eBooks; there are interactive games within the books, focusing on all kinds of skills — shape drawing, matching colors, mazes, puzzles, and more! There are mini-games on cleaning up trash, decorating cupcakes, and other fun things! There are so many things to do within each eBook, your kids will never get bored with what’s inside! Your child can have the app read to him or her or they can choose to read it on their own (or have Mom or Dad read it to them, of course!).

Your kids will love how much fun they have playing with the DripDrops, and you’ll love that they’re learning at the same time!

Check out this video of the newest DripDrops app, an augmented reality app called Rainbow Racing!

You can enter to win a bundle 4-pack of the DripDrops eBooks (a $2.97) value by entering via the Rafflecopter widget below! Allow a moment for it to load, read the terms & conditions on the widget, and good luck!

A book about playdates? Yes. Consider me there.

Totlandia is a short fiction novel series about the exclusive Pacific Heights Moms & Tots Club, a group with a waiting list and very selective criteria for inclusion. The Onesies books follow the group of moms and one year olds who are chosen for conditional acceptance into the PHM&T Onesies group. The moms are pitted against one another through a series of challenges designed to test each mom’s limits and have them show their worth to the selection committee, headed by the super-controlling and impossible to please Bettina.

I just finished Totlandia: The Onesies, Book 1 (Fall) and Book 2 (Winter) and loved them both! These women are so deliciously awful to one another. They each have secrets, which are revealed along the way and would surely disqualify them for membership in the Moms & Tots Club. The way they go about hiding their secrets from the group, plus the way that the other members of the group protect one another will break your heart one moment and have you giggling to yourself the next.

I always have to give a fair content warning, so that y’all aren’t surprised by some things. There are some…ummmm romantic scenes that are a bit graphic, but other than that, there isn’t a lot of language throughout the books.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, though I can’t say they’re all likeable. These are women dealing with situations that could be happening to you or your neighbor. Sure, they’re dramatized for the books sake, but many of the conditional Onesies felt so real to me. A newly single mom, a working mom struggling to do it all, a mother crushed by the realization that child is struggling developmentally. You’ll find yourself warming to these women soon after meeting them and rooting for them, whether or not that means they make it into the Pacific Heights Moms & Tots Club!

I was able to ask some questions of Josie Brown, author of the Totlandia books. Here’s my Q & A with her:

Q: Which character do you identify with most?

 

A: Ha! That’s a hard one, since there’s a bit of me in all of these women (sadly, including Bettina, LOL!)

 

If I had to choose one, I’d say it’s Ally. I’m just as happy working as I am raising children. (I have two, a boy and a girl…but both FAR beyond the TOTLANDIA age…) Also, I love her sense of humor. 

 

Jillian is the part of me who sometimes doesn’t see the forest for the trees, metaphorically speaking. She tries so hard to have it all, but is that possible?  We all know the answer to that, but we love watching her find out the hard way.

 

Lorna is the vulnerable side of me. She presents a facade of having things under control, but in fact has those insecurities that hide beneath the thin skin each of us have, and is so easily pricked.

 

And Jade is the part in me that throws caution to the wind. When you’ve fallen greatly, there is nowhere to go but up, am I right? She puts it all out there because she’s got nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

 

Last but never least is Bettina. I never was the mean girl, the queen bee. I was too shy for that, and my mother had taught be to be gracious, even when confronted by bullies. But now, through her, I get to be bad! 

 

(Squeeeee! Lovin’ it!…oops! I guess I shouldn’t write that….)

Q: Have you been a part of a super-selective playgroup before? Do these groups really exist?

 

A: I think, in some sense, you find them everywhere. They are the cliques in which you hope you –oh yes, and your child — is invited to play with. Maybe you were asked once, but then you (or your child) said or did the wrong thing. Suddenly, these women are “too busy” to schedule you in…

 

Personally, my own negative play group experience happened  while my family and I lived in a wealthy neighborhood  populated with other pre-schoolers, most who had SAH mothers. I worked part-time, as did one other mother who happened to be a federal judge (LOL! You’d think they would have cut her some slack at least!) She and I, and our children, were ignored because we had au pairs for our kids during the hours we worked, which sometimes interfered with times for play dates. 

 

Once my son was invited to a country club pool party by one of the SAH moms. But because my daughter (who is two years younger, and a toddler at the time) wasn’t also invited, of course I had to stay home with her, so I dropped my son off, not realizing this was considered a no-no. Subsequently, payback came at my son’s party. All the other moms dropped off as opposed to hanging around, like they had done at the country club.

 

And yes, I’m glad we later moved to a place with less ‘unwritten rules.”

Q: Why do you think moms are so hard on other moms? Why can’t we just give each other a break?

 

A: Wonderful question! My guess is that, in so many ways, we project our parenting anxieties onto others. It’s easier to be judgmental than to (a) admit you may be doing something wrong, or (b) your child has an issue, which you aren’t yet ready to address.

 

Parenting is nothing we can formally train for. How could you? Each child is different, so it’s learn-as-we-go. That said, we judge ourselves harder than we judge our peers, just as we did as pre-teens and teens. 

 

But then there are those parents who take the offensive and publicly judge others. My guess is that they were their schools’ “mean girls.”  They learned in high school that, by setting the bar, you become judge and jury. And you’re ensuring no one is allowed to judge you, too.

 

As if! 

Q:  Have you had a real, groan-worthy experience with another mom that you’d care to share with Playdate Crashers readers?

 

My children attended a private school. Many of the students’ moms had transitioned from the board room to baby-on-board, but they still had the need to prove themselves. They were certainly tiger moms, and über moms, too! 

 

One day, my son’s “class mom” gave me the task of providing the set-up on the day we were to celebrate the class’s monthly birthdays. Sounds simple, right? Bring a birthday cake, some paper plates and plastic dining utensils, and a sheet for the table….

 

Wrong! Plain white paper plates? Forget about it! I hadn’t created a “theme” for the party! She let me know I’d let her down. (Note to self: next time, Venetian Carnivale or Cirque du Soleil!….um, not!)

 

Sadly, there are MANY Bettinas out there. Of course, none of them would recognize themselves in TOTLANDIA.

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Totlandia: The Onesies, Book 1 (Fall) is FREE for Kindle right now, for a limited time! Regular prices on Amazon.com are $0.99 for Book 1 and $3.99 for Book 2. I’ll be reading Book 3 (Spring, $3.99) next and we’ll have a giveaway for that one soon!

Pick up these books for your next road trip or for a weekend of playdate reading! Enjoy!

Disclosure:  I received Book One and Book Two of the Totlandia series free of charge to facilitate my review. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions are my very own. Post contains affiliate links.

Long car trips with kids SUCK. There’s no other way to put it. They just suck.

When we go to visit family, it’s at least a 5-6 hour drive, or close to 12 when we vacation at the beach. Our boys are 4.5 and 3, so they need a lot of entertaining while we travel. So it’s either come armed with a ton of great ideas to engage them in quiet play from their 5-point harnesses or let them watch ridiculous amounts of TV on a portable DVD player or iPad. I don’t know about you, but I like a little both — handing them toys to stimulate their mind and also letting them zone out a bit. However, I don’t want to load down our precious car space with a ton of toys. I want to conserve space and use what we bring in the most efficient way possible.

I have seen some great ideas for car travel activities with kids via Pinterest (See bottom of post for all the things I’ve Pinned for travel with kids!), and decided to try some out this trip. I had to make a few tiny purchases, but it had a huge payoff. And now, friends, I present to you…

1. Puzzles

Take some of the puzzles your kids have (I suggest using simple ones!) and stick magnet strips on the back so that they can do their puzzle without the pieces ending up all over the car.

2. Magnetic “Paper” Dolls

I found this cute magnetic doll set at Dollar General for $1.00. No boys sets, but both of my boys loved dressing the little magnet girl in all kinds of outfits.

3. Magnetic Shapes

Our local Dollar Tree had several magnetic shape sets for $1.00. Both boys loved creating little scenes with the shapes, which have strong enough magnets to keep them from sliding everywhere.

4. Matching Games

My boys love the Octonauts and I found this Octonauts Tot Pack on 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. I cut out the matching character game, laminated them with clear contact paper, and finished up by adding magnet strips. I had already done the first part months ago, so before our trip I only had to do the magnet part. They have more amazing Tot Packs and Preschool Packs for homeschoolers and more at 1 + 1 + 1 = 1!

5. Travel Bingo

MomsMinivan.com has some awesome printable car activities. We really like the Bingo games. I had previous had the boys put their Bingo card into plastic page protectors and used those cheap dot stickers for markers. That worked okay, but not great, because with their preschool-sized coordination, they needed a flat surface to put their Bingo card on while they looked and then added their markers. I trimmed the page protectors a bit so they would fit onto the cookie sheet, then used 1-2 circle stickers to stick it to the cookie sheet. Time for Bingo!

6. Magnetic Letter Fun

If you have a little one learning their ABC’s or learning to read, there’s all kinds of things you can do with a set of magnetic letters! Practice letters, sounding out words, spelling short words, and more!

7. Coloring surface

This is kind of a no-brainer, but why spend lots of money on a car lap desk when you can use a $1 cookie sheet for the same purpose? It’s a great surface for coloring/drawing/creating, washes clean, and the edges keep markers from sliding away!

8. Table for eating

When we take trips, we do a lot of eating in the car, and little kids sometimes have trouble with this. Having a flat surface that can steadily hold their food still really helps!

A few bonuses:

Just because you’ve arrived at your location, the fun doesn’t have to end. If you have a refrigerator at your destination, all those magnet games can be played there!

I store all these games and such in Ziploc bags, because I’m cool like that. I want them safe from sippy cup spills but in a container that doesn’t take much room at all.

What else can you think of for using a $1.00 cookie sheet in the car? Tell me in the comments below!

It’s hard to put your finger on exactly why Amber Dusick’s Parenting:  Illustrated with Crappy Pictures blog and book are so incredibly hilarious. The illustrations aren’t complex or anything, they’re just…perfect. The drawings, originally drawn one-handed by Amber on her laptop while she nursed a baby, are so rough and full of the essence of parenting. They’re so simple but hold the joy, frustration, absurdity, and truth of parenting young children.

After following Amber’s blog, Parenting:  Illustrated with Crappy Pictures (found at crappypictures.com!) since the beginning, I watched her explosive growth in Internet fandom. The response to her hilarious blog posts was incredible;  by her second post, the blog received over 500,000 views! Parents everywhere were relating to her life and it was inevitable that her blog would be turned into a book that would be even funnier than the blog.

Released this week, Parenting:  Illustrated with Crappy Pictures (Harlequin Nonfiction; April 2013; $16.95 US/$19.95 CAN) is a collection of Amber’s best work. The first nine chapters provide advice on:

• Sleeping (or NOT sleeping): why the advice “sleep when the baby sleeps” is a total load of bull
• Traveling:  maximizing your pit stops by peeing as a family on the side of the road (I laughed until I cried at this chapter)
• Sickness:  why the indoor playground is the most sinister place on earth
• Eating:  the fine line between a bowl and a hat
• Language:  how a visit from the pizza man may require an anatomy lesson
• Pooping:  avoid upholstered chairs at all costs

The book wraps up with the painfully familiar 50 Crappy Laws of Parenting, which will make you nod with recognition, breathe a sigh of relief that you’re not alone, and smile when you realize how far you’ve come.

Suffice it to say, if you don’t love and appreciate Amber’s sense of humor and work, we just can’t be friends.

You will absolutely LOVE this book. It’s a quick read, but you will laugh all the way through. You’ll go back to read it again when you need a good giggle. You’ll show it to your friends when they complain about how they got no sleep last night. And mostly, you’ll be comforted because you’re not alone in this crazy-and-sometimes-crappy world of parenting.

You know you want to get your hands on a copy, and here’s your chance! BUY THE BOOK, but enter to win a copy here, either for yourself or to give to a new parent! Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter — good luck!

Giveaway open to U.S. residents 18 and over only please. Facebook, Twitter, and MailChimp are in no way associated with this giveaway and are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Winner will be notified by email and have 48 hours to claim their prize before a new winner is picked. Giveaway ends Friday, April 5th at midnight EST!

When Jamie and I were regularly podcasting, I joked that I should do a segment called “Krista’s Ridiculously Outdated Movie Reviews.” Many moms can identify with being unable to go to the movie theater to see new releases, and I’m no exception to this. Only on vacation, when we have grandparents around to watch our boys (for free!), are we able to get to the movies. Or, you know, when I’m anxiously awaiting a huge release and attend a premiere party with friends.

So anyway, I was able to sneak away after work yesterday, on my husband’s day off, and see a movie by myself. It was a once in a blue moon opportunity — a movie I wanted to see, of a book I just finished, someone to watch the boys, and time to do it. All of that AND Tuesdays are $1 days at this particular theater. Score! (Do people still say “Score!” like that? Probably not. Oh well, deal with it.)

The movie I went to see was “Beautiful Creatures,” a screen adaptation of the book Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I really enjoyed the book, after getting off to a slow start, and really wanted to see the movie before it leaves theaters for good (since it came out on February 14th of this year). I’m way behind on this whole series, I realize, so yeah I’m totally a Johnny Come Lately. Better late than never, right? I love all these YA fantasy books and while it took me awhile to adjust to it being told from the male perspective, it’s a great story.

Here’s the official movie description:

A supernatural love story set in the South which tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers: Ethan, a young man longing to escape his small town, and Lena, a mysterious new girl. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town. The film is based on the first novel in the best-selling series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

And my thoughts on the movie, in bullet points (Caution, minor spoilers ahead!):

• Ethan (played by Alden Ehrenreich) is so much more charming in the book than I imagined him from the book. You can’t help but smile at him as he delivers his lines.
• I loved the visual effects, especially the Harvest celebration scene at Ravenwood. Simply gorgeous.
• I missed so much of the high school stuff from the book. I was looking forward to the Winter Formal scene!
• Lena (played by Alice Englert) isn’t as “dark” as I imagined, I pictured her being much weirder. And for some reason, I pictured her charm necklace as being GIGANTIC.
• Jeremy Irons is PERFECT as Macon Ravenwood. Perfect. I pretty much loved all of the casting.
• Amma is totally different from how I pictured her. I pictured her being a large woman and moving really slow. This Amma is fit and not the apron-wearing nurturer that I expected.
• There are so many missing characters!
• Toward the end, I was all “Whaaaaaat?! What is happening right now?!” To read more about the major differences between the book and the movie, see this article at TheDailyBeast.com, 14 Notable Differences from the Book to the Screen (Warning:  Contains MAJOR SPOILERS)

Overall, I loved both the book and the movie, just differently. As with The Hunger Games or any other book to screen adaptation, you have to see them as separate entities that have different audiences and the story has to be told differently. I understand WHY they made the decisions they did when changing major aspects of the story and I think they still serve the larger picture even with the changes.

For another review of Beautiful Creatures, check out Yes/No Films’ take!

Did you read the book and/or see the movie? What did you think?

*Post contains affiliate links