Adam's had a beard since after we got married in 2004.  Since then he's only shaved it twice while we were at the beach and the snorkeling mask would not stick well to a hairy face.  Here he is before.  I know, I know, he's a cutie.  Don't get too jealous.

MY THOUGHTS

One US or Canadian reader will win a Disney Princess Belle Toddler doll! Lucky you!
This review and giveaway was made possible by Tolly Tots. Thank you to Tolly Tots for providing the product for review and giveaway! I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I paid for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Please refer to my Disclosure.

Hosting a giveaway? You can link it here to promote it! Please include blog name - prize - end date and link directly to your giveaway. My current giveaways are listed in the right sidebar. Please keep it family friendly or identify it as adult content. Thanks for visiting!

Typical evening at our house - more fun with packing supplies.

From February 27th through March 12th, shop Kroger’s biggest-ever promotion and find the hottest prices around on more than 35 brands, across more than 60 categories from General Mills, P & G, Nestle, Pepsi and Kroger Banner Brands. During the Cart Buster Savings Event, you’ll find great savings in almost every department at the Kroger Family of Stores, which includes Kroger, Ralph’s, King Soopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Pay Less Super Markets and Scott’s Food & Pharmacy.
Here are just a handful of the great brands participating in the event: Multigrain Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Hamburger Helper, Yoplait, Progresso, Totino’s, Green Giant, Cascadian Farm, Tide, Charmin, Bounty, Pampers, Pantene, Crest, Iams, Febreze, Old Spice, Bounce, DiGiorno’s, Nestle Toll House, Juicy Juice, Coffee-Mate, Edy’s, Stouffer’s, Lean Cuisine, Hot Pockets, Nestle Candy, Purina and many more!
WIN IT
One US reader will win a $25 Kroger gift card that you can use on the great savings available during the Cart Buster Savings Event. Lucky you!
MANDATORY ENTRY
1) Tell me how how they plan to save big on the brands that they love at the Cart Buster Savings Event at Kroger?
This giveaway is closed.  The winner was #600 Delena - congratulations!

Disclosure:  the Kroger Family of Stores and General Mills/Nestle/P&G provided me with the gift card, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark - thank you!!

1) Tell me how you incorporate whole grains into your diet or what Big G cereals are your favorite?

Disclosure:  General Mills provided you with the free product, information, and prize packs through MyBlogSpark.com - thank you to both companies!

Hosting a giveaway? You can link it here to promote it! Please include blog name - prize - end date and link directly to your giveaway. My current giveaways are listed in the right sidebar. Please keep it family friendly or identify it as adult content. Thanks for visiting!

So a few weeks ago I blogged about my annual shopping trip.  Yes, I shop in the mall about once a year.  Leave me be, it works for me :)  Anyway...before I hit it big at Ann Taylor, I had an unfortunate experience at another retailer which I am now boycotting.

Stop #1 was BCBG. Now, I have a nice BCBG jacket (thanks, mom!) from last year that I love. I wasn't in love with anything I tried at the store but liked this nice cashmere wrap/sweater thing.  I decided to buy it.  Surely it would come in handy at work. I  was rung up, my card was swiped and I heard "that was $181.  You have 10 days to exchange it or return it for a store credit."
Um.  OK....WHAT?!  I left the store in somewhat of a daze. I bought something.  Great.  But wait.  Did I just pay $181 for ONE ITEM.  A sweater/wrap thing that I only kinda sorta like.  And I can't get my money back?  Um, OK.

After some consultation with my mother and sister, it was determined that I had a panic attack.  Of course, my sister claimed it was a pretty mild one since I didn't even vomit (thank god).  I don't know why it happened.  I can afford a $181 sweater, so it wasn't so much the money.  OK, actually it was.  I knew that I had set a budget of $500-1000 for my annual work-attire re-stock.  Knowing I had accidentally blown a large chunk of it on sweater made me panic!  I know, I probably should have checked the price before I walked up to the register but we were all under the impression that everything was 30% off.

Luckily, my sister went to return the offensive garment but despite her pleas, they WOULD NOT refund my money!  My wonderful mother who shops at BCBG occasionally bought the credit from me (thanks mom, AGAIN!).  I vow to never step foot in that store.  I know I should have paid more attention to the store's policies but I have never, ever heard of such a restrictive store return policy.  How come I can't return an item I purchased less than an hour ago?  Ridiculous!  Have you seen such absurd policies where you shop?

This giveaway was made possible by Baby Einstein. Thank you to Baby Einstein for providing the product for giveaway! The opinions I have expressed are my own and no monetary compensation took place. Please refer to my Disclosure.

To celebrate, little birdie is holding the Feather Your Nest Giveaways. Two lucky winners (one (1) NYC area and one (1) Atlanta area parent) will each receive a $4,500 dream nursery/kids’ room makeover from celebrity decorator, Sherri Blum. A third winner chosen from anywhere in the U.S. will receive a $1,000 shopping spree.* To learn more and enter, please visit http://bit.ly/gdPW0J.

Little birdie is also excited to announce that they are hosting a Twitter Party complete with door prizes for participants!**

little birdie Twitter Party!
When: Thursday, February 17th from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: #littlebirdie tag on Twitter
How: To participate, follow hostess @ResourcefulMom, sponsor @littlebirdieUSA, @littlebirdieATL and @littlebirdieNYC and special guest @SherriBlum.

PRIZES:
(3) Three winners will each receive a personalized wall art canvas from celebrity decorator and guest, Sherri Blum
(3) Three winners will each receive a $25 little birdie credit to be used upon the launch of the site landing soon in NYC and Atlanta!

*No purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 or older who are expecting a child (pregnant or in the process of adopting or surrogacy) and/or have a child or children 12 or younger. Sweepstakes starts 3:01pm ET 2/15/11 and ends 11:59 p.m. ET 3/31/11. Void where prohibited. For complete details, see Official Rules at http://bit.ly/gdPW0J , which govern.

**No purchase necessary. Must be a legal resident of the 50 U.S. or DC, 18 or older. Ends 9:00 p.m. ET 2/17/11. Void where prohibited. Winners will be selected on a random basis during the party by ResourcefulMom.com and will be notified via @ResourcefulMom. Failure to claim via an online form within 48 hrs of notification will result in prize forfeiture. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible participants. Credit is subject to terms and conditions specified by little birdie. Sponsor of Door Prize Giveaway: ResourcefulMommy.com.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post through Resourceful Mommy Media. Please refer to my Disclosure Policy if you have any questions.  What? Busy Working Mama doesn't work for free!



The only way you can have access to these premium brands at such steep discounts is by becoming a member of our club.
Deals Beginning Tuesday February 15:


 

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and chop.  Cool and serve.

From now on, all my recipes will be posted on my new recipe blog - RecipeObsessed.com.  I love love love to cook and have had quite a backlog of recipes so I decided to start posting them in a new place.  The new blog still needs a lot of work but I will be filling it with some good content soon!

The Babyliss Pro Tourmaline Ceramic Curling Iron is rated #2 on our Best Curling Iron list for one reason alone and it is the price. If price wasn't a factor, this curling iron will for sure be the #1 choice. The Babyliss Tourmaline Ceramic Curling iron emits negative ions and far-infrared heat that brings a number of additional benefits to your hair.

•Unique POP-IN/POP-OUT temperature control
•Instant heat recovery
•Heats up to 428ºF(220ºC)
•Two year warranty
One US or Canadian reader will win their own BaByliss Pro Curling Iron (ARV $119 - on sale for $84)! Lucky you!

This review and giveaway was made possible by Flat Iron Experts. Thank you to Flat Iron Experts  for providing the product for review and giveaway! I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I paid for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Please refer to my Disclosure.

I think Lily likes the cake batter more than the actual cake :)

We have a very small bar stool area that seems to get scuffed by shoes or slippers all the time.  I have re-painted it with the same old cheap flat paint but the scuffs come right back.  We contemplated tile or stone but I didn't want to spend a lot of money.  The solution?  An easy and quick wainscoting kit from the Home Depot!  Adam tackled the project and finished it in one afternoon.  I do need to paint it with some nice trim paint sometime soon.  Doesn't it look great?  Good job, Adam!

One US reader will win a $30 gift certificate to Dezign With a Z!  Lucky you!