Gourmet Gift Baskets Father's Day Deliciousness ⋆ My Sparkling Life

With much of the land of Costa Rica having protected status, it’s no surprise that this country is the flag-bearer for conservation of nature and wildlife. An astonishing twenty-six percent of this gorgeous country is designated as a national park, wildlife refuge, biological refuge, or some other category of protected status. Both public and private […]
If you’re like our house, you’ve fallen in love with the next generation of the Lion King saga….The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar on the Disney Channel. Disney’s Lion Guard comes out on DVD Today, Tuesday, February 23rd, and to celebrate we have some fun downloadable activity sheets & video clips to share with you courtesy […]
With 4 boys and a husband, you better believe we have plenty of super hero fun! But there is always the battle over “the best”. With the new Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice coming out, the battle is fiercer than ever…and the epic showdown starts with breakfast with the Superman™ Caramel Crunch and Batman™ […]
Valentines may be over, but it’s never too late to have a romantic night in! Gourmet Gift Baskets can help with that. Send her the Italian Dinner for Two then let her sit back and watch you cook it…or enjoy cooking it together! What’s a better way to celebrate your love than with all the […]
When you hear phrases such as have mercy, cut it out, how rude or neighborino…I’m sure, like me, you flash back to the hit show Full House! Full House was one of my favorite shows growing up..laughing and crying along with them. So when Netflix announced they were going to reunite the cast in an […]

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Summer for a lot of families means travel, whether it’s on a beach vacation or just visiting family it can be a bit stressful. Trust me, with 4 kids I know! From packing to timelines to the actual traveling it can all become overwhelming, so I have 5 tips to hopefully give your summer stress-free family travel.
1. Plan. If you know that you will be traveling this summer create a travel binder with checklists so you have everything planned out. From route or flight numbers (tickets) to lists on what to take. Having a list and everything in a neat little package saves time, energy and stress.
2. Pack Early. Don’t wait until the last minute to pack! Have your bags packed at least a week in advance, that way if you realize you forget something (that shouldn’t happen if you create lists, but you never know) you have time to get it done and not stress about your time limit.
3. Let The Kids Help. Yes, I’m sure you’re saying “but I thought you said stress-free..the kids only add stress” well, If you give your kids a printout or hand drawn paper with exactly what to pack, they can at least have their items ready for you to place in the bags neatly…
4. Have It Ready. Go over your final check the night before and have them by the door, or packed in your vehicle ready to go (I don’t pack in the car the night before because we live in an apartment and that is just screaming break into me).
5. Don’t Sweat The Small Things. If even after you go through all this and your on your way..you happen to forget the toothbrush because, well they had to brush their teeth that morning and you didn’t want to buy brushes just for the trip…there are drug stores everywhere just go purchase one. It’s nothing to freak out about. Things will happen all you can do is breath and calmly handle it.
I hope these tips help you have a stress-free family vacation this summer! What tips do you have?
Where are your travels taking you?

The personal blender has come a long way in the last few years. You have so many more option and breakout brands that help you create the foods & drink you’ve been dying to make in your kitchen. Living in Texas we love mason jars so whats better than a personal blender using mason jars!
Now you can blend, serve, and store your favorite blended recipes in the same glass container with the Tribest® Mason Jar Personal Blender® single-serving blender and grinder! The Mason Jar Personal Blender has all of the time saving and convenient features of the original Tribest Personal Blender®, but uses glass mason jars as the blending, serving, and storage containers. It is compatible with most* regular-mouth mason jars, making the possibilities for upgrading limitless. With the Tribest Mason jar Personal Blender, you blend, serve, and store your recipes in the same container, so there’s no waste, no mess, and no hassle.
Details:
Blend, serve and store your favorite recipes in regular mouth glass mason jars
Works with most regular-mouth glass canning jars
Great for making single servings of smoothies, protein drinks, and more
Powerful 200-watt motor crushes ice, blends frozen fruit, and grinds coffee in a snap
The PB-350 Mason Jar Personal Blender Includes:
Personal Blender Motor Base – (AC 120V, 60 Hz, 200W)
one S/S Blending Blade Assembly (4 Pronged)
one S/S Grinding Blade Assembly (2 Pronged)
Mason Jar Adapter
one 16 oz.* BPA-FREE Large Cup
one 8 oz.* BPA-FREE Small Cup
one Cup Lids
one 16 oz.* Glass Drinking Mug
one 12 oz.* Glass Mason Jar
one 8 oz.* Glass Mason Jar
one 4 oz.* Glass Mason Jar
three Mason Jar Lids
one Commuter Lid
This was such a perfect gift for my MIL who loves to cook and loves mason jars! Tribest makes some of the most rugged blenders on the market which are extremely durable and you also have access to replacement parts in case something happens…so it’s a great option for the cook who would use this almost every day like my MIL does. It doesn’t leave a lot of chunky bits, so if your looking for something to make salsa or just chop foods this isn’t really the product for that. It is however great for soups, smoothies and sauces. She’s been using it for a few months and it still runs like new, and is easy to clean which is a big deal when your cooking a big dinner, having one less thing to worry about scrubbing is a plus.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

While fishing is something you can pretty much do all year round, especially in warmer climates like here in south Texas, but there is just something about spring and summer that brings out the fisher in everyone. My husband and older boys love to bond over this experience, but how can he bond with the little ones when they’re not old enough to enjoy going out fishing yet? We were recently given the opportunity to check out Little Tikes Fish’N Splash Water Table and love how it provides a fun way for my hubby and the smaller boys to bond over fishing, even if it’s not real fish.
Fish ‘N Splash Water Table is just the right size for toddlers to enjoy a day of fishing. Kids will learn colors and counting as they play!
I love knowing that its toddler safe and can be used in the back yard, with or without my husband playing with them…they now practice on their own, but still love when they have daddy fishing time.
The Fish ‘N Splash Water Table was simple to piece together and sturdy enough to handle my little guys. My 5 year old loves fishing the most and my 2 year old loves to fill up the scoop and watch the water run down the “slide” onto the lilly pad and into the table. They look forward to fishing day every week with daddy!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
In celebration of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR opening, I wanted to share an amazing video highlighting the female stars in the film including Scarlett Johansson (“Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow”), Emily VanCamp (“Sharon Carter / Agent 13”), and Elizabeth Olsen (“Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch”)!
Marvel’s Captain America Civil War finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in twocamps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.
Marvel’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR is now playing in theatres everywhere! I promise that this is a movie that the whole family will love – and make sure you sit through the entire end credits!
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Dora and her friends celebrate all of your favorite holidays in this festive 3-Disc DVD Box Set. Kids can join the whole Dora the Explorer crew on Halloween, Christmas and birthday adventures in Dora the Explorer: Celebrate with Dora. Created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, Dora the Explorer: Celebrate with Dora’s repackage will be released on DVD on September 9, 2014.
Dora the Explorer: Celebrate with Dora Episode Synopses:
Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Christmas!
A Present for Santa It’s Christmas Eve! In the spirit of giving, Dora and Boots trek to the North Pole to deliver a present to Santa.
Rapido Tico
Boots waits for a new toy fire truck to arrive in the mail but when the package arrives, it’s empty! Dora and Boots must travel to the Snowy Mountain to recover the gift before Swiper the sneaky fox finds it.
Quack Quack!
Dora and Boots are coloring a picture of Mami Duck and her eggs when the coloring book suddenly comes to life. The eggs start to hatch and the wind blows one of them away. Dora and Boots must jump into the coloring book to bring the newly hatched Baby Duck back home to Mami.
School Pet
Dora and Boots save the school pet, a hamster named Mimo, who goes missing from his cage.
Bonus Features include:
“Santa’s Super Scavenger Hunt” “Nick Jr. Baby Video Sneak Peak”
Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Halloween
Boo! It’s Halloween! Dora and Boots are trick-or-treating when a cute Little Monster surprises them. They help Little Monster hurry home before the big clock strikes 12.
The Missing Piece
Dora and Boots meet a wizard, El Encantador, who is missing his magic wand. They set off to find El Encantador’s wand so that he can perform his magic.
To the Monkey Bars
Dora has never been able to climb all the way across the monkey bars. Dora and Boots set off for Play Park so that Dora can give it another try.
The Big Storm
A big storm cloud is coming. Dora and Boots have to warn all their friends in the forest to get home before it starts raining.
Bonus Features include:
“Dora’s Halloween Hunt Game” “Nick Jr. Baby Video Sneak Peak”
Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure
Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure (Double Length Episode) Happy Birthday, Dora! In the final episode of the Magic Storybook Trilogy, Dora and Boots need to get home for Dora’s birthday party with all her family and friends. Before Dora and Boots can jump out of the Magic Storybook, a twisty wind picks them up and blows them into Wizzle World.
Dora Helps the Birthday Wizzle
Dora is reading a storybook about a Birthday Wizzle who could make birthday wishes come true with his magic wand. Today is his birthday so it is his turn to make a wish, but a wind comes in and blows the wand out of the book. Dora must jump into the book and bring the wishing wand back to the Wizzle to give him his birthday wish.
Wizzle Wishes
Dora and Boots meet a cute little Wizzle who lost his bag of wishes and can’t get home. They set off in search of the lost wishes, but their friends keep finding the wishes first. Dora and Boots must overcome a giant sunflower in Isa’s garden, a storm of raining nuts in the Nutty Forest and slippery slopes at the Wishing Well in order to return the wishes to their rightful owner.
Bonus Features include:
“DVD Game” WIN IT!! One lucky Mom of 4 Boys Reader will win a Celebrate With Dora DVD!! This giveaway is open to US residents 18 years old or older. Entering this giveaway means that you accept both my rules & disclosure. Be sure to add [email protected] to your contacts to make sure you get your winning email!
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