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Nighttime Is The Right Time to Downsize Your Bag

Nighttime Is the Right Time to Downsize Your Bag

Most women headed out for a night on the town wouldn’t dream of hauling around the giant hobo bag they use during the day. After all,
you don’t need a handbag that can fit an extra bottle of water when you are out for the evening.
The basic rule of thumb is that you just need a few key ingredients
when packing the perfect evening bag. Here are some tips on how to ditch your behemoth day bag.

Choosing the Best Bag

The appeal of a big handbag for daily use can’t be denied. We all need a place to stow our “necessities,” plus some extras.
But lugging around a giant purse not only can be a drag on your evening, it can also totally ruin the ensemble you spent days trying to perfect.
A small, structured purse with short handles is probably the largest you’d want to go.
The smallest might be a clutch. Another popular option is a crossbody, which is a small purse with long strap that you wear across your chest.
These may be suitable for a night of clubbing, but they are too casual for an evening at the opera.

Just the Essentials, Ma’am

Now that you have your evening bag, it’s time to make some selections for what you will be bringing with you. It may be just a tiny fraction of what
you are used to carrying, but don’t worry, you’ll be able to go back to the huge bag in the morning. Of course, the essential things to pack are your
identification, a credit or debit card, and maybe some personal business cards, if you are going to an event where networking will take place.
Cash is essential, and a mini phone charger is a great addition. In order to maintain the integrity of your makeup, you might include
blotting papers and a lip color. Don’t forget a small atomizer of perfume and some breath mints.

All in the Placement

You may wonder what to do with your purse when you are out. If your evening includes dining out, you can leave your clutch in your lap under your
napkin on in your chair behind you. It shouldn’t go on the table. For petit purses with short straps,
hanging it on your chair underneath your coat is acceptable.

Swapping out your day bag for a smaller evening bag is a simple process if you keep in mind a few essential guidelines.
With a perfectly packed purse, you are free to enjoy whatever the night brings your way.

Updating My Mommy Shirts: From Blah to Ooh La La with ShopatHome.com

I completed this post as part of the ShopatHome.com blogger program. I will be compensated for my work with this campaign.

There was a point in my life that I did buy nice clothes for myself, honestly there was. I can remember buying cute shirts for myself and taking the time to find matching shorts or coordinating belts. Of course, priorities shift after having kids. I truly enjoy buying clothes for my kids and finding deals to stay within budget by using cash back sites like ShopAtHome.com

Recently I’ve been going through my own wardrobe and realized how “blah” it is. Plain t-shirts, tank tops, cardigans. I realized I lost the style. I went from having nice clothes I was complimented on years ago to a convenience wardrobe. Don’t get me wrong, I still like my tank tops and yoga pants but I realized I need some style. Something to wear on my date nights with hubby or when I want to make a good impression. I decided that I was finally going to update some of my tops at least. Being on a budget I only allowed myself so much to spend so I want to get the most bang for my buck. I liked a lot of the tops on Sears.com then I realized “Hey I can earn 3% cash back from ShopAtHome.com , use coupons available on the site AND earn my Shop Your Way Rewards points through Sears.com to possibly replace more items of my wardrobe!

Alright so I’m now going to show you the embarrassment that is my wardrobe and what I’d like to replace it with from Sears.com:

Here is a deal scenario when buying these tops. Go through ShopAtHome.com to shop Sears and earn 3% cash back. Then there is a coupon on ShopAtHome for 20% off purchase a $50 purchase of clothing and accessories at Sears. If you have a sears card you get an additional 5% off. Then if you’re a ShopYourWay Rewards member you’ll also earn ShopYourWay reward points. You can also earn 50 ShopGold points on ShopAtHome.com that, once accumulated, can be cashed in for gift cards!

If you would go through ShopAtHome.com to earn cash back for an update to your wardrobe, where would you shop?

Make Going to the Playground a Discovery this Summer

This post is sponsored by the Voice of Play

Local public playgrounds are a great way to get kids moving, encourage socialization and group play, and it’s a free way to have fun with your kids over the summer. We’re lucky enough to have a couple playgrounds within walking distance and a few that are only a couple minutes drive. A few years ago I worked with a company called KaBoom to help map playgrounds in my area for their app. It was this activity that made me realize how many different playgrounds there were in our area and what each one had to offer.

I have 4 kids ranging in age from 2 – 13 and they all love going to the playground. The older boys usually shoot hoops or throw a football around while the younger ones love climbing, sliding, and exploring. One playground is smaller but it’s one of my faves. It’s within walking distance from our house, it has a nice climbing tower with a slide and swings, including a baby swing for my little one.

Another park near us has a bigger playground for the kids, a nature trail, a basketball court, volleyball courts, picnic tables, and even a skate park. This one is of course, a favorite of my older boys. I love the nature trail myself, so peaceful. The boys love it because we can see some of the wildlife like squirrels and chipmunks. They can sometimes discover salamanders under some of the rocks.

Taking my kids to the playground is summer fun that everyone enjoys and it doesn’t cost a thing. I’ll pack us up a picnic lunch and we’ll have lunch sometimes at some of the parks. This is perfect to get my kids (and myself) away from the electronics and have real family time together.

Since discovering a few playgrounds that year, it’s now a annual thing for us. We set out to find new parks, new playgrounds, new free and fun things to do over the summer. We have our sites on a place called Mammoth Park this year that has a big metal slide and a pond where you can feed ducks. I can’t wait to take the kids!

Do you have a favorite playground or park you go to? When was the last time you discovered a new one? Check out VoiceofPlay.org for more ideas!

Greenwald’s Citrus All-Purpose Cleaner

I received the below mentioned product in order to complete an honest review. Any opinions expressed are my own.

I have 4 kids, kids make messes. Maybe you’re thinking “Thanks for that Captain Obvious” The messes my kids make on a daily basis would be enough to justify hiring a maid and keeping her busy for 8 hours straight. But I can’t afford a maid so instead it’s just me doing the best I can. The worst ones are the ones that I don’t see right away, the ones that maybe leaked down the side of a table and are now a hard crust. Or the accumulation of sticky hand prints at the bottom of the fridge that at first didn’t look too bad but are now a big chore because weeks of hand prints built up over time.

For the most part I use chemical free cleaners like vinegar and water or essential oil solutions. BUT, there are those messes where I really need to bring in the big guns. I’m talking about cleaners like Greenwald’s Citrus All-Purpose Cleaner.

I received Greenwald’s Citrus All-Purpose Cleaner kit to review. The kit comes with a reusable bottle and 6 refills. Each refill makes a 32 oz bottle of the Citrus all-purpose cleaner. Looking at it on Amazon it has a price tag of $19.99. Before receiving my kit I thought that was pretty high but when I realized the whole kit makes 6 full 32 oz bottles of all-purpose cleaner then it’s really a good deal.

I do have a love hate relationship with this product. First let me tell you the loves:

–Easy to refill, just pop one of the pouches into the bottle (no need to open the packet) add water and shake. Ready to go.

–Spray bottle works great.

–Nice citrus scent

–Definitely gets the job done. My kids constantly muck up our dining room table. I took before and after pics of the table and I was able to clean everything off with a few sprays and minimal elbow grease.

Now the for the not-so-much love. This is definitely not a cleaning product you want within reach of your kids. Easy to pump and spray. Reading the label I feel like I should have it a locked in a safety box when not in use with phrases like: “Harmful if swallowed” , “Causes skin irritation”, “Avoid excess handling” “do not eat, drink, or smoke when using this product”, honestly there’s more.

The packets you are not to open and drop directly in the bottle. The pouch dissolves in the water. The packets would definitely be something my 2 year old would be interested. Bright colors, nice scent, etc. Almost look like small freeze pops. I keep mine in a cupboard in my basement that’s at my head level. My kids will not be able to help clean with this product.

Summary: works well, good bargain for an purpose cleaner, not safe for kids. You can find Greenwald’s Citrus All-Purpose Cleaner Kit on Amazon:

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If you like, you can check out my YouTube video review as well:

Joy Williams “Venus” Available June 29

I participated in the Joy Williams Venus album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.

If you were/are a fan of the group “The Civil Wars” you might want to check this post out. You might know Joy Willams as 1 member of the duo “The Civil Wars” but after the break up of the duo Joy Williams created her solo album Venus which will be available June 29. The album is meant to be about her journey out of darkness. An honest and straight forward story of events sparing no one, including herself.

For someone like me, I honestly couldn’t tell you one song by the The Civil Wars. Sure I had heard of the duo. I mean, they were grammy award winners after al,l but I really didn’t follow the music too much. I’m not even sure what made me decide to do this review. Honestly, at first glance, I thought, meh I don’t know if I feel like it. But then I read the description of the album and felt drawn to it.

I received my digital review copy. I procrastinated on downloading and listening to it thinking it just wasn’t going to be for me. (I need to have a more open mind when it comes to some music). I eventually did download it. The first song off the album Before I sleep made me want to listen to more. Joy Williams has a beautiful voice. The flow and beat of the song was just what I need to say “Hey you know what, this is pretty good”. I relistened to several songs on the album. As a woman in my mid-30’s having gone through some things myself, I could relate some of the songs to my own experience.

I do have an eclectic music collection. Everything from hip hop, country, heavy metal, classical. I find music as my way to unwind, give me energy, or help me through things. This album will definitely be added to my collection.

You can add it to your collection to. The album will be available on iTunes: http://bit.ly/JOYWILLIAMSVENUS and on Amazon: http://bit.ly/VenusAlbumJoyWIlliams

I leave you with a video for another song on Venus titled Woman (Oh Mama)