Have you been shopping and saving this week during Kroger’s Cart Buster Savings event? I have gotten to take advantage of some really awesome deals. Don’t worry if you haven’t done your shopping just yet, there is still time! But not much:  These deals go away on March 16^th!

There are hundreds of products on sale throughout the store. Kroger always clearly marks sale items so you can shop more efficiently. During Kroger’s Cart Buster Savings event, you’ll find deals on Tide, Pampers, Bounty, Gatorade and many other favorites from P & G and Pepsi.
 For a complete list of brands on sale, click HERE . Once you've looked over participating brands, set aside some time make your shopping list and organize your coupons. Your wallet will thank you.

On Monday, I was able to stock up and save on Bounty paper towels and Tropicana orange juice.  With Spring Break right around the corner for my kids, today I will stock up on some of their favorites like Tostitos and Gatorade.
 I am planning ahead because I know there will be at least one sleep over in my future, so I want to save on these items that seem to evaporate around kids. I will also replenish our Pantene shampoo and conditioner supply during this savings event. 

Another fun element to Kroger’s Cart Buster Savings event is the Select Your Deal option.

This is an easy and fun way to save even more! Head on over HERE today March, 15th, sign in to your Kroger account (you must have a Kroger.com account and sign in to get the coupons). Once you are signed in, Kroger will generate 3 random coupons for you to choose from. Then you just select your deal and it will be loaded onto your Kroger shopper card.  This is a super easy way to really save on items.  Today is the final day to take advantage of the Select Your Deal coupons. 

I went first thing this morning and selected a $ 2.00 off Crest 3D White toothpaste! 

Since these are randomly selected deals, your deals will probably be different, but  with products such as Tropicana orange juice, Secret deodorant, Pantene, DiGiorno pizza and more;  I’m sure you will be served up a can’t miss deal.

I hope you will be able to shop and save during Kroger's Cart Buster Savings event.

What item do you plan to stock up on this week? 


Disclosure: I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

We are big fans of a Friday night movie and a pizza. Our kids' movie choices are usually animated, so we were delighted when we got the opportunity to watch a DVD sampler set of movies from DreamWorks.  

They sent us an awesome movie night pack which contained:

Set of 4 DreamWorks Animation DVD samplers

"The Croods: Grub's Survival Guide" book

"The Croods: Movie Novelization" book

Film Reel tin filled with movie theater treats

We all know how much we've grown to love our favorite characters 

from the DreamWorks Animation films like Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, and more.

For a special time (until March 15th or while supplies last), Big G and DreamWorks Animation have teamed up to create four collectible DVD samplers containing content from Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar, just for you!

Each DVD contains fun episodes, behind the scenes footage and bonus material from your favorite DreamWorks Animation movies. 

Hurry, and collect all four! Plus, look for an exclusive sneak peek at "The Croods", coming to theaters March 22, 2013.

You can only receive these four collectible DVD samplers by purchasing specially marked boxes of your favorite Big G cereal, seen below.

We enjoyed our snacks and the DVD samplers. The favorite among the girls was, of course, the sneak peek of "The Croods".

The girls really want to see the movie now after seeing the sneak peek and reading the books, so we are adding a trip to see "The Croods" as one of our spring break treats. 

I hope you will be able to get your own set for a fun family movie night at your house. I am lucky enough to be able to share this gift pack with my niece and nephews, who live out of state. I think they will have as much fun as we did watching these DVDs and enjoying the treats. And, it might even get me some cool Auntie Cred! 

What is your favorite DreamWorks movie? I’m still rather fond of How to Train Your Dragon.

Disclosure: The information, products and General Mills gift packs were provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Attention Kroger Shoppers: Get your shopping list and coupons ready for the Kroger Cart Buster Savings event! Save big by shopping at any Kroger Co. family store from March 3, 2013 through March 16, 2013.

There are hundreds of products on sale throughout the store. All are very clearly marked to make shopping and saving easy.  You’ll find deals on many brands from P&G and PepsiCo. To help you prep, I’m including just a few participating brands:

• Olay Body Wash
• Olay Skincare
• Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner
• Vidal Sassoon Hair Color
• Tampax Tampons
• Tide Laundry Detergent
• Bounce Dryer Sheets
• Downy Fabric Softener
• Downy Unstoppables
• Tropicana
• Doritos
• Lay's Classic Potato Chips
• Lay's Kettle Chips
• Charmin Bath Tissue
• Cascade Action Pacs
• Dawn Dish Detergent
• Febreze Air Effects
• Bounty Paper Towels
• Pampers Diapers
• ZzzQuil
• Crest Toothpaste
• Pepto-Bismol
• Puffs Facial Tissue

I’m excited because Bounty paper towels are on sale. We refuse to pay full price for paper towels, or buy an inferior brand just to save money, so this is my chance to stock up! Kroger’s cart buster event also includes another product my family loves, Tropicana Orange juice.  

You must have a Kroger.com account and sign in to get the coupons.

 I think this is a fun way for Kroger to share coupons. Everyone will be shown three deals and you can choose the one you want to use. These deals may include products like Crest 3D White toothpaste, DiGiorno pizza, Tropicana orange juice, Secret deodorant, Pantene and more. 

When I went first thing this morning I got to lucky and actually got to choose and upload a coupon for the Tropicana Orange juice that is on sale! 

Recently I received a box full of goodies to review for Vitacost. Since the representative couldn’t tell me exactly what products I might receive, I was pleasantly surprised with my box. It was a mixed lot comprised mainly of health and beauty products and health and nutrition bars and supplements. 

Today I want to share my thoughts on the bars I received and a little bit about Vitacost the company.

Vitacost.com- We take the cost out of healthy living.

All the top brands for discount vitamins, supplements, whole foods, health foods and sports nutrition online at up to 50% off other companies. Plus, they offer a flat rate shipping fee of $4.99, or free with any order of $49 or more. 

They also have a refer a friend opportunity where you can earn $ 10 each referral.  I signed up and would love it if you signed up using my link here.

My Product Reviews:

Pure Bar Gluten Free Bar Wild Blueberry

I wanted to love this totally organic, healthy sounding, delicious smelling bar, but I didn’t. I just liked it. 

I could taste the dates and Agave nectar more than I could pick up on the blueberries.   My daughter and my husband on the other hand LOVED this bar and wanted more, so I will buy again.

22 Days Mocha Mantra Bar

This bar is made with raw and super foods, one of them being Hemp.  Again I wanted to love this bar. 

It looks like dark chocolate and smells like Mocha. Win-Win for me.

  But, I did not like this bar at all. It is thick and dense. It leaves a vitamin taste in your mouth. And I experienced a mild case of burps in which I could taste the Hemp, or what I perceived to be the Hemp, I likened it to eating grass clippings. My family didn’t care for the taste or texture of this bar either, so we won’t buy again.   

PromaxPro Series Protein Bar Peanut Butter Crisp

I hope you have found these reviews helpful. I will have another Vitacost review for you soon where I will share the rest of the products included in my Vitacost box.

To learn more about Vitacost, visit their website or like them on Facebook or Twitter.

Disclosure: I received the above listed products to facilitate my reviews. No monetary compensation was provided, however, if you should use my refer a friend link provided in this post, I may receive a referral credit to my Vitacost account. All opinions are 100% my own. 

We were watching the Oscars last night,  my husband and I hoping that the last joke Seth McFarlane said flew right over our dear daughter’s heads, when all of our phones started ringing at the same time.

 This usually means only one thing: there will be no school the next day or the schools will be opening late due to inclement weather.

 These messages are met with glee on the part of the kids and since I’m a work at home Mom, I am able to roll with it much easier than my working Mom friends. 

What startled us was the reason behind this closing: a manhunt was happening right then for a man who worked at one of the counties schools and had access to said schools.  According to the news, this man was involved in a domestic violence issue.

I applaud the district for putting safety first. In light of all that has happened in and around public schools of late, I say it was an excellent call, but it raised a deeper question for us as parents. 

What type of background checks are being done for employees in supporting positions such as this man who was a maintenance worker?  Is this another area our public schools need to improve upon?

 I honestly do not know what criteria are in place. But I mean to find out. I am a bit embarrassed that I don’t know.  I just assumed that these workers were asked to go through the same screening process as teachers, staff and even volunteers.

 For example, I am a tier 3 volunteer in our school district which means I have been finger printed and had a background check completed; therefore I am able to go on field trips and volunteer for activities that put me in direct contact with children.

I hope in my search I do find out that all workers entering our schools have had to pass this same level of security, if not more.

We spoke with our girls at length about safety at schools and let them know we felt comfortable sending them to school because our district did go the extra mile to ensure our schools were as safe as possible. 

Thankfully this dialog ran long ( much like the Oscars) and we had stopped watching the show to talk. This saved our kids from hearing any of the song Seth McFarlane entertained the audience with next. You know the one about female body parts? So not kid friendly. 

 By the end of the Oscars, when my kids had been fast asleep for some time, our local news reported that the manhunt had ended. The man safely in custody and that schools would remain closed.

Good.  I am very thankful that this story has a happy ending.

 So has your school ever been shut down for something like this? Do you know what your school districts security policies are?

Please share your thoughts on this. 

I know you are a Mega- Super Star and all Barbie, but at my house you are losing your status big time. 

 You have been an elite member of our home for over 12 years, reigning supreme over playrooms, play dates and wish lists for so long that it surprised me when you did not make the all-important Christmas wish list for my youngest daughter this year.

She always and I mean always asks for either the collectible Barbie or a new Barbie set and accessories.  Again, you were strangely absent from the same said daughter’s birthday wish list a month later.  

The love affair of all things Barbie started early with both daughters:

As your popularity started to wane yearly, the collection was downsized and moved to a corner of each daughter’s room. 

Then just the youngest daughters room, until now Barbie; you have been downsized until you live in two bins in the back on my ten year old's closet. 

The cars are parked on the opposite side of the closet with purses and backpacks on top. Clearly not ready to roll at a moment’s notice like in your hay-day.

This realization caused a moment of reflection for me as I tried to remember at what age my oldest daughter gave all her Barbie’s to my youngest.

 It’s a hazy memory, not one that is seared in my mind like the first lost tooth or first day of kindergarten, but I do think she was around ten.

Yep, your days are truly numbered Barbie. 

When I asked Melissa about it, she said she still liked Barbie’s okay and might play with them more if she still had the big Barbie house (which she said was okay for me to get rid of last summer) and if Barbie would just stick to the classic look and not launch a new doll for every new book and movie character that comes out.  Hmm… stick to the classics - Smart girl.

I’m turning pages quickly in the books of life with my daughters, reaching milestones in their teen and tween worlds. Some make me happy, some are bittersweet. This Barbie thing is the latter.  I can’t count the hours I’ve spent playing Barbie’s with my girls.

So yes, I’m putting you on notice Barbie, you seem to have shelf life of about 10 years and then you are relegated to a corner in the closet and then… who knows?

But before I let go completely, I am going to ask my daughters to play Barbie’s this weekend. I bet I get at least one taker.

Is there a special toy languishing in the bottom of a toy box or closet at your house too? What is it? 

Do you think you should invite your kids for one more play date with that toy?