Bring Out the Hugger Within with New Secret Clinical Strength Invisible Solid

Thank you to Secret for sending us Walmart gift cards to purchase the product and as a thank you for taking the time to participate in this campaign, for providing us with product information, and for providing an additional gift card for our giveaway prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Are you a hugger by nature?  I'm not.  With the exception of adorable children, lovable puppies, and cuddly kittens, I am not naturally inclined to initiate a hug.  It makes me feel outside of my comfort zone.  Something that adds to my anxiety about hugging is feeling less-than-fresh during warmer weather.  That's where my new Secret Clinical Strength Invisible Solid deodorant comes in.

I have used other "clinical strength" deodorants in the past, but none that have impressed me like Secret's.  Not only does it go on invisible and doesn't leave marks on my clothing, it actually keeps me odor-free for quite some time.  What really impressed me was how this deodorant kept working through the night, when I often get overheated.  Now I don't have to worry about not smelling fresh when I hug my children, my husband, or someone else.

Other common causes of sweating, in addition to heat, are physical activity and stress.  The main difference is that "stress sweat" is bacterial and can smell worse than sweat that was caused simply by heat or activity.  Secret Clinical Strength is designed to protect you against all 3 types of sweat, offering up to 4X the protection against stress sweat as an ordinary ordinary antiperspirant.  This not only goes for the Invisible Solid, but also the Secret Clinical Strength Clear Gel and Smooth Solid.

Each type of Secret Clinical Strength comes in fresh scents, such as Completely Clean, Powder Protection, Ooh-la-la Lavender, and Sport Fresh!  Learn more about these different formulas at www.nostresssweat.com and shop for all varieties of Secret Clinical Strength at your local Walmart store or on Walmart.com.

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Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Easy Recipe for a Pirate Fairy Family Movie Night on the Fly (plus Blue Pixie Dust Cookies!) #ProtectPixieHollow #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This #ProtectPixieHollow shop has been compensated as part of a Disney The Pirate Fairy social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.

I'd love to say that our household is very zen and stress-free, but I can't . . . not even a little bit.  The truth is that ours is a very high stress household.  Everyone works hard and even the children rarely get downtime on weekdays during the few hours between the time they get off the school bus and the time they go to bed.  My oldest son just completed two big projects for school and all 3 children just recovered from a terrible stomach bug.  That's why I thought a surprise family movie night in the middle of the week would be just what the doctor ordered!  Since Disney's The Pirate Fairy released earlier this week on April 1st, I went to Walmart to pick up the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and a few other things I would need for planning a family movie night on the fly! (Get it?  Pixies . . . fly?).


Here is my recipe for a quick mid-week family movie night . . . 

Step 1.  Get your children to do extra homework the night before to free up their time for a weekday family movie night.

Step 2.  Go to Walmart and buy Disney The Pirate Fairy (in the New Releases section).  I saw that the Walmart Exclusive gift set with the bonus Bake Off DVD, which also includes 10 animated shorts, was the same price as the regular Blu-ray/DVD combo, so I grabbed it.

Step 3.  If you don't already have the the following, you can grab these at Walmart too:  large cupcake liners that look like flowers (I bought Wilton cupcake liners, but you could probably cut the shapes out of regular ones), iridescent ribbon (like Tinker Bell's wings), green cellophane Easter grass, covered straw cups, refrigerated sugar cookie dough, blue sugar crystals, a small round cookie cutter, confectioners sugar, and some Pirate's Booty snacks (Arrrrrrrgh!!!).

Step 4.  Bake and decorate the mini Blue Pixie Dust cookies in advance (see the super-easy recipe at the bottom).

Step 5.  Set up a little "Pixie Hollow Patch" with everything you need for the movie with one serving of Blue Pixie Dust cookies, one serving of Pirate's Booty, and one cup of milk per child.

Step 6.  Eat an early dinner.  If you didn't have time to cook, then order takeout to make things as stress-free as possible and to ensure that the children don't get to bed too late since it's a school night.

Step 7.  Sit down with your children and enjoy the movie!  (I totally enjoyed it as much as the children did.)


Other ways to make your family movie night fun . . . 

• Read a Disney Fairies book for your bedtime story after the movie
• Bookmark The Pirate Fairy games online, so the fun can continue the rest of the week.
• Print out these free printable Pirate Fairy coloring pages for use in the days to come.

Captain Zarina - The Pirate Fairy Scene on Disney Video
Although I've watched several Disney Fairies movies in the past, I have to say that this is honestly my favorite one.  Although I had been introduced to most of the fairies in past movies, this was the first one I've watched that really focused on each fairy's special talent and showed off how amazing and magical each talent was.  I think my favorite fairy is Rosetta because she is such a lady and she beautifies everything she touches.  Still, it would be exciting to have the talent of alchemy, which belongs to the newly introduced fairy, Zarina.

Something else about The Pirate Fairy that both I and my children very much enjoyed is that this movie had a place in time.  To me, other Disney Fairies movies were just adventures pulled out of no specific time from Pixie Hollow.  This one included the winter fairies, whom we were introduced to in the movie Secret of the Wings.  The viewer also eventually realizes that one of the characters is actually a young Captain James Hook (pre-hook) and a newly hatched crocodile named Crocky grows up to be Tick-Tock, the ticking crocodile from Peter Pan.  If your children have not already seen Peter Pan, it might be a good choice for your next family movie night as a follow-up to The Pirate Fairy.

Overall, this movie sends a great message about the flaws of not making an effort to see the potential in the new and nontraditional.  It also shows how important the ability to forgive is, something I want my children to be reminded about as often as possible.

Due to it being a school night, we had to save the bonus features and the Bake Off DVD for the following night.  The Bake Off also contained the theme of tradition vs. innovation and tied in very nicely with the story of Zarina, the pirate fairy.

If you're able to get The Pirate Fairy Blu-ray/DVD and Bake Off DVD gift set at Walmart before they sell out, let me know how you and your children like it!


Now as promised . . . 

Recipe:  Easy Pixie Dust Cookies

WHAT YOU NEED:

refrigerated sugar cookie dough

small round cookie cutter

blue sugar crystals

confectioners sugar

milk (or water)

Step 1.  Preheat the oven as directed on cookie packaging.

Step 2.  Slice the cookie dough per package instructions.  Then use your small round cookie cutter to cut your mini cookies out of the cookie dough slices.  Combine and flatten out the remaining dough to cut additional circles.

TIP:  Because of the small size of the cookies, I do not recommend using shaped cookie cutters.  I used a scalloped one, but it still baked into circles with smooth edges.

Step 3.  After the cut dough has been placed on a cookie sheet at least one inch apart, bake them for HALF the time recommended on the cookie dough package.  Watch the cookies carefully and remove them from the oven as soon as the edges begin to brown slightly.  Let them sit for a few minutes, then remove them with a spatula and put them on a plate to cool.

Step 4.  While your cookies are cooling, put 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar in a small bowl.  Then add a teaspoon of milk (can be substituted with water).  Stir until the icing is smooth and spreadable, but not runny.  If it's too thick, add another 1/4 teaspoon of milk.  If it's too runny, then add a little more powdered sugar.  Keep doing this until the icing is the desired consistency.

Step 5.  Neatly apply the icing to the top of one cookie.  Then sprinkle the blue sugar crystals on top of the freshly iced cookie immediately.  (If the icing begins to set, then the sugar crystals won't sink into it and will fall right off.)  Do this for all your mini cookies.  Serve after the icing has set completely.

Eat and enjoy!!!

Join Me for the #FamilyMobile #MaxYourTax Twitter Party plus $1200 in Prizes on Monday (3/10) at 8pm EST! #shop #cbias

Image Credit: ProfessorJosh.com

It’s tax season and that has a lot of us considering how to spend our refunds. Perhaps it’s time to tech yourself with a shiny new smartphone? Maybe it’s the perfect time to invest your refund into a new mobile plan with unlimited talk, text and data/web to save all year. Join us as we chat about the lowest priced unlimited plans and how you can save more monthly without getting locked into a contract. Which new smartphone would you “tech yourself” with from all those savings?

I've had the chance to try the Walmart #FamilyMobile plan for myself and I have two pieces of advice . . . First, don't let the concept of a cheap wireless plan fool you!  The top wireless phones are available with this plan, including the Samsung Galaxy S4 (not the Nokia phone pictured) being given away as the Grand Prize on Monday!  Second, take the time to find out how much money you can save on your monthly wireless bill to learn how you can #MaxYourTax refund and still treat yourself to a new phone.


Join Me at the #FamilyMobile #MaxYourTax Twitter Party on SoFabChats!

DATE: March 10, 2014

TIME: 8:00 – 9:00pm ET

PRIZES: 5 – $100 Walmart Gift Cards

GRAND PRIZE: Galaxy S4 Prize Pack (ARV $654)

EARLY BIRD: 1 – $50 Walmart Gift Card

RSVP: #FamilyMobile #MaxYourTax

LOCATION: SoFabChats Tweet Grid

HOST: @SweepTight

CO HOSTS: @dodomesticdad, @_Karen, @mausekindmom

PARTY RULES: #FamilyMobile #MaxYourTax Official Rules


Tweet to Share!

RSVP for #FamilyMobile #MaxYourTax Twitter Party 3/10 8pm ET. "Tech" yourself! BIG Prizes! Rules http://cbi.as/ejsx2 #shop

Love Twitter Parties? New to Twitter Parties and want to learn more?

Stay in the loop with the SoFabChats Twitter Party Schedule, RSVP for individual Twitter parties, find SoFabChats Twitter Party Tips and sign up for SoFabChats Twitter Party email alerts!

RSVP today and learn how you can enter to win our special Early Bird gift card prize!

Join Me for the Crayola #ColorfulCreations Twitter Party & $550 in Gift Cards - Weds (2/26) 2pm EST! #shop #cbias

When the winter weather keeps you and your children home and indoors, it’s time to pull out your colorful Crayola art supplies! With the wide variety of Crayola products, you can nurture your child’s creativity and have fun doing it! Something for all ages, Crayola can provide indoor fun on the snowiest and coldest of days. From basic ever-popular coloring, to drawing with washable markers on all different mediums, construction paper crafts and indoor chalkboard art can entertain for hours on end.

Here in Massachusetts, it has snowed 9 times over the past 16 days.  Even if the temperatures decide to stay above freezing, it would likely take until April for all the piles of snow to melt.  I know snow has affected so many parts of the country.  Luckily, we can help our children battle Spring fever with some cheerful Crayola colors!  If you need to replenish your stash of art supplies, you'll be happy to know that there's a Rollback on Crayola markers at Walmart.  They are currently only $.97 per box (Reg. $2.97).  At this price, you could donate a few boxes to your child's classroom too!  I bet they could use it after so many months of indoor recess.


Join me at the #ColorfulCreations Twitter Party on SoFabChats!

DATE: Wednesday, February 26th, 2014

TIME: 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET

PRIZES: 5 – $100 Walmart gift cards

EARLY BIRD: 1 – $50 Walmart gift card

RSVP: #ColorfulCreations Party Page

LOCATION: SoFabChats Tweet Grid

HOST: @KellysLuckyYou

CO HOSTS: @LaughWithUsBlog, @7onashoestring, @_Karen, and @JManMillerBug

SPECIAL GUEST: @Crayola

PARTY RULES: #ColorfulCreations Official Rules

TWEET TO SHARE!

Join #ColorfulCreations Twitter Party 2/26 2pm ET. Kid’s craft ideas! Prizes $550! Rules http://cbi.as/-su8q #shop #cbias

Love Twitter Parties? New to Twitter Parties and want to learn more?

Stay in the loop with the SoFabChats Twitter Party Schedule, RSVP for individual Twitter parties, find SoFabChats Twitter Party Tips and sign up for SoFabChats Twitter Party email alerts!


RSVP today (follow this link to the SoFabChats page) and learn how you can enter to win our special Early Bird gift card prize!

5 Ways Del Monte Fruit Burst Squeezers & Mango Fruit Cups Make Healthy Snacking Easy

The Del Monte products, information, gift pack, and gift card have been provided by Del Monte for the purpose of a product review and for a reader giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own.

Del Monte is a trusted company because they produce quality products that families have loved for over a century. Their newest products, Del Monte Fruit Burst Squeezers and Del Monte Mango and Mango Pineapple Fruit Cups, are delicious, nutritious, and make my life much easier for many reasons . . .

1. They are a healthy, natural snack that I am happy to see my kids eating. With high-fructose corn syrup being a prominent substance in most packaged foods, it makes me happy that these Del Monte foods are free of that.

2. They are tasty and therefore, we like to eat them. It’s rare for my kids to like anything that is healthy, so I love that they not only eat these, but also ask for them and actually crave them. This is a craving I am happy to indulge.

3. They are not messy. The Fruit Burst Squeezers come in a handy pouch so there is absolutely no mess to eating them and the Fruit Cups just require removing the plastic covering and then they are ready to eat. I like to drain some of the juice from them before giving to the kids so we don’t end up with the occasional spilled fruit juice.

4. They are convenient! Even if we are rushing out of the house, I can tell my boys to grab a Fruit Squeezer pouch to eat in the car. I know they won’t end up sticky and they will get a precise 1-1/2 servings of pureed fruit filled with Vitamins A and C. The Fruit Cups are slightly less convenient for eating on the go, but it’s still easier for them to pack the snack cup and a spoon to enjoy a snack away from home (at the park, on a field trip, etc . . . ) than it is to cut and store fresh fruit and to keep it chilled. And the convenience of the pre-portioned sizes cannot be overlooked either.

5. Some varieties of Fruit Squeezers have vegetables in them too. You can’t taste the veggies at all, but it’s great that my children are getting those vital nutrients without all the complaining about not liking vegetables.

We are really happy with these yummy Del Monte products. You can purchase Del Monte Fruit Burst Squeezers and Del Monte Mango Fruit Cups at Walmart. To learn more about these and other Del Monte products, visit www.delmonte.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Join Me for the #AmericasTea Twitter Party & $500 in Prizes (January 21st at 1pm EST)! #shop #cbias

I hope everyone is having a wonderful year so far....I can't believe we are already half way through January! How are you doing on your New Year's resolutions? Getting healthy, losing weight, and cutting back on caffeine are all popular resolutions to make and including more Bigelow Tea in your day is a great way to get started. Whether it is a glass of refreshing homemade iced tea, a soothing herbal blend or an invigorating mug of green tea, picking up some Bigelow Tea on your next trip to Walmart will help you achieve your goals for a healthier you!

All 3G2S readers are cordially invited to join me at the #AmericasTea Twitter Party where we’ll discover together how easy it can be to incorporate tea into your daily routine for a healthier you in 2014 simply by replacing soda, juice and coffee with a mug of Bigelow tea!

Join me at the #AmericasTea Twitter Party on SoFabChats!

DATE: Tuesday, January 21st

TIME: 1-2pm ET

PRIZES: $500 in Walmart Gift Cards

RSVP: #AmericasTea Party Page

LOCATION: SoFabChats Tweet Grid

HOST: @turningclockbac

CO HOSTS: @ruralmoms, @blueviolet, and @_Karen

SPECIAL GUEST: @bigelowtea

PARTY RULES: #AmericasTea Official Rules

TWEET TO SHARE:

Let your friends know about this fun party by sending out a tweet . . . 

Join #AmericasTea Twitter Party 1/21 1pm ET. Make the switch! $500 in prizes! Rules http://t.co/ri2FKQNjGX #shop #cbias

Love Twitter Parties? New to Twitter Parties and want to learn more? 

Stay in the loop with the SoFabChats Twitter Party Schedule, RSVP for individual Twitter parties, find SoFabChats Twitter Party Tips and sign up for SoFabChats Twitter Party email alerts! RSVP today and learn how you can enter to win our special Early Bird gift card prize!

Have Some #FrozenFun with This DIY Disney FROZEN Castle Bingo Game (Free Printable) #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This Walmart toys shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification about FROZEN toys for Collective Bias and its advertiser.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Whether your children have had the chance to see FROZEN the movie by Disney in the theater or not, it is likely that an Olaf toy, an Elsa toy, or an Anna toy is on their wishlist.  We were saving a trip to see this film as one of the family activities we could do to celebrate our daughter's birthday this month.  Still, even not having seen the film yet, she was super-excited when we went to shop at Walmart for FROZEN toys.  I was particularly looking for a variety of figures from the movie to do a photo bingo game craft for my children, but there were not enough different figures in stock to do what I wanted.  Then we saw the Disney FROZEN Castle Play Set and decided to purchase it because my idea began to evolve.  Plus, who could resist this pretty-pleeeeeeease face . . .

Since the play set only comes with an Olaf figure, we agreed that our daughter would use her own Christmas and birthday money to buy the Anna and Elsa dolls to go with the castle.  In the meantime, the castle will be used with her other fashion dolls and may very well be turned into an evil lair or a secret hideout by her two brothers at some point.

After we shopped that day, we stopped into the Subway at Walmart for lunch. Along with their Fresh Fit Kids Meals, the twins received an Olaf keychain (a Walmart Subway exclusive), a FROZEN jigsaw puzzle, and their meals came in two different styles of FROZEN-themed reusable bags.  The twins were wondering what they could put in their new bags, but I already knew what they would be perfect for . . . our DIY Disney FROZEN Castle Bingo Game!

What you'll need to make your own FROZEN Castle Bingo Game:

• Print out pages 1 and 2.  Then cut out the 4 bingo boards.
• Print out page 3.  Then cut out each individual bingo calling card.
• (Optional) Print out page 4 if you would like a reference for the names of the items shown in each picture.
• Small items to use as bingo markers (see suggestions below)
• A paper or reusable lunch bag to store the bingo calling cards (bag should not be see-thru)
• A sandwich bag to store the bingo markers
• A small tote to store all the items above

TO PRINT:  Be sure your printer is on and ready to print.  Click on the desired image to enlarge.  Then right-click and select print.  Use your browser's back arrow to return to this page.

What can you use for bingo markers?

I really wanted bingo markers that were fun and went well with the theme and colors of the bingo boards.  I wandered around Walmart for awhile and then I found this set of 4 faux gem elasticized bracelets in the party favors section for just $2.97.  That's when I got the idea to cut the elasticized string and use the individual gems as bingo markers.  I also had some sparkly pompoms I had picked up in a craft store and thought those looked like they could be snowballs.  I really could not decide which bingo markers I liked better, so I decided to use them both!

Some other ideas for small items to use as bingo markers would be blue and white M&Ms, buttons, foam shapes, and pennies.  What else could you use?

Making this bingo game was easy, although a little time-consuming.  All I had to do was take photos of different things in the Disney FROZEN Castle Play Set.  Then a resized the images, cropped them into identically sized squares, and digitally pasted them onto a large solid colored square.  To make the calling cards, I just used the same images I used on each bingo board and digitally pasted them onto one page.  You could really make this bingo game with any theme as long as you have enough items to photograph.

In addition to enjoying this DIY Disney FROZEN Castle Bingo Game with your children on a rainy or snowy day, it would also make a fun inexpensive party favor for a FROZEN-themed birthday party.  You can just print and cut out a set for each guest and include a little bag of M&Ms to use as bingo markers in the goodie bag!  What do you think?!

Surviving 3 January Birthdays with the Help of Hallmark #ValueCards & Party Supplies for $.97 and Under! (#shop #cbias)

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This value greeting cards shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser Hallmark.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Our son just turned 10 at the beginning of January!  I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around how our little baby turned into a young man overnight.  It used to be that we took his January birthday in stride, even though it takes place so close to Christmas.  Then, when the twins came along, we added two more January birthdays to the equation.  Even though they will be turning 7 later on this month, my stress level goes up when December approaches.  It's not just the amount of planning it takes to make both Christmas and the 3 birthdays special each year, it's also the amount of money it costs.  Over the years, I have fine tuned what works best for us to make our children's birthdays memorable, but also affordable.  My latest victory is discovering Hallmark value greeting cards, gift wrap, and other party supplies at Walmart for $.97 or less!

Checkout what I purchased on our recent trip to Walmart . . . 

• (A)  Luncheon party napkins for $.97
• (B)  Square party plates for $.97
• (C)  Hallmark birthday cards for $.47 and $.97 each
• (D)  Gift bags for $.97 each
• (E)  "Happy Birthday" Buttermint Creams for $.97
• (F)  Number birthday candles for $.97 each
• (G)  Sequin tissue paper for $.75

The best thing about these greeting cards and party supplies from Walmart are that they are part of the regular inventory in most store locations.  It's much different than shopping at a dollar store where you never know what you will find.  I was thrilled with the selection of Hallmark Value Cards available.  Not only were there birthday cards for children, pre-teens, Moms, Dads, and other members of the family, there were also Valentine's Day cards.  I was able to buy cards for each of our 3 January birthdays plus one for my grandmother's and my mother's birthdays coming up in February and March for just $3.85 total (not including sales tax)!  I would say the average price I normally pay for a greeting card is $3.99 to $4.99.  Compared to paying $3.99 each for 5 birthday cards, I saved $16.10.  What could $16.10 pay for? . . . A birthday cake, another birthday gift, or how about 2 or 3 dinners from the children's menu at your favorite family restaurant?

When I choose a card, I try to find something lighthearted and humorous.  Then I write a personal message inside.  I know my children take to heart what I write and they save all their cards as keepsakes.  Some people skip giving cards to save money, but I never do.  With the price of these Value Greeting Cards by Hallmark, you don't have to.

To add to the value of buying Hallmark Value Cards at Walmart, you can earn a reward for every 5 cards you purchase and report with the Hallmark Card Rewards Program!  It's free to register and it is a separate program from the Crown Rewards Program.

Reporting my purchased cards could not be any easier.  I just used the Hallmark Card Rewards app on my smartphone to scan the UPC bar code on the back of each card and selected the name of the retailer where I made my purchase.

I still cannot believe that I spent $3.85 on cards I needed to buy anyways, but now I get to choose a reward for doing so!  Some of the rewards currently available are $5 gift cards to retailers like Nike, Lands' End, and Starbucks or $10 promo codes to Shari's Berries and Omaha Steaks.  Which one would you choose?

Make sure you check out connectionsfromhallmark.com to sign up for Hallmark Rewards, and to see great content from other bloggers. You can also join in on the #valuecards conversation on Twitter!

Ad: Turn Dinner and a Movie into a Fun Smurfy Low-Stress Family Night (Smurfs 2 Free Printable) #TastyTenders #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This Smurfs 2 shop has been compensated as part of a family night social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client.

When you think of dinner and a movie, what most likely will come to mind is a night out without your beloved children.  However, when that is not possible, it might be fun to turn movie night into family night.  If your family is busy like ours or if your children have early bedtimes, fitting in a full-length movie after dinner can be a bit of a crunch, so why not combine the two?  If allowing your children to eat in the living room is not one of your favorite things to do, let me tell you how we were able to have an easy low-stress Smurfs 2 dinner and movie without dragging out tray tables or worrying about our children spilling their food and drinks.

There were four key factors that made our family night a success . . . a fun movie, a low-mess finger food dinner for kids, a sturdy container for the food that a child can hold steadily with one hand, and a virtually spill-proof straw cup that can be lifted one-handed.  I also added some fun Smurf-themed printable labels to the food tubs and the cups.  Luckily, I was able to find everything I needed in one shopping trip to Walmart.

For the food tubs, I used white Limited Edition (for the Holidays) Ziploc medium square containers and placed a Great Value clear 16oz cup inside each.  I was going to use acrylic straw tumblers for the children's drinks, but then I saw these adorable handled mason jar mugs complete with lids and straws at Walmart.  They came in a variety of colors, but the blue and white seemed especially perfect for our Smurfs-themed family movie night.

To add a little fun to these functional tubs and mugs, I used a downloadable image from www.SmurfHappens.com to make these printable blank Smurfs 2 tags.  You can print them out and use them for name tags, favor tags, or whatever you like.  Instead of putting our children's regular names on the tags, we gave them each names inspired by the Smurfs.  You can write the names directly on the tags after you print them or save the image to your computer to add text digitally before you print the tags out.

TO PRINT:  Make sure your printer is on and ready to print.  Click on the image below to enlarge.  Then right-click and choose print.  Use your browser's back arrow to return to this page.

My husband and I named our children Trendy Smurf, Gamer Smurf, and Hungry Smurf.  I punched holes in one set of tags and used elasticized string to tie them around the mugs.  You could also use regular string, yarn, or ribbon to tie the tags onto the handles.  To attach the labels to the tubs, I simply put rolled pieces of tape on the backsides of the paper.

I was just going to pick up the Smurfs 2 DVD for our family night, but found the Holiday Blu-ray & DVD Movie Gift Set on sale at Walmart, so I could not resist buying it.  Papa Smurf was always my favorite Smurf!

For beverages, we gave our children milk because that is what they usually drink at dinner.  Also, it doesn't hurt that it's not sticky, doesn't stain, and it goes with our Smurfy blue and white theme!

For the finger foods, we chose to serve kid-friendly Batter Dipped Chicken Breast Tenders made by Tyson in Original and in Honey paired with fries.  Both were easy to prepare in the oven and easy to serve.  The fries were served inside the clear cup, which was surrounded by the batter tenders.

This family night was a huge success because of the hot, tasty, and filling batter chicken dinner, the kid-friendly tubs and mugs, and a movie that all 3 children found to be hilarious.  We will definitely be doing dinner and a movie with the whole family again soon.  It was such a fun, stress-free, and mess-free evening.  Which movie would you recommend for our next movie night?

By the time we were done with the movie, our children were stuffed and it was getting close to their bedtime.  If you start your Smurfs movie night earlier, here are some fun activity ideas for after the movie . . .

• Play Hot Potato with your plush Smurf toy.
• Serve blue M&M chocolate chip cookies (baked in advance).
• Print the Smurfs 2 coloring pages for your children to color while watching the movie's bonus features.

What other ideas do you have for fun ways to wrap up family movie night?

New Tidy Cats® Lightweight 24/7 Performance® Litter Now Available at Walmart

No compensation was received for sharing this new product and giveaway with 3G2S readers.

Two things I've always told my husband that I wished we could get delivered to the house are large bags of dry cat food and cat litter.  They are both so heavy and take up so much space in the trunk of our car.  This is one of the reasons why it is my husband's job to buy the litter and to change the litter in our extra-large multi-cat litter box.  It's actually been his job for nearly two decades.  Well, he'll be so excited when he finds out that those chores may not be his sole responsibility for much longer.  Tidy Cat's new Lightweight 24/7 Performance Litter offers the same performance as regular scoopable Tidy Cat brand litter, but at half of the weight!

Now, if only someone would develop a cat food that is 50% the normal weight . . .

Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win one of two $25 Walmart gift cards.  That's enough for you to buy some new Tidy Cat Lightweight 24/7 Performance Litter and to pick up a little something extra for yourself!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

US only, contest ends on 11/29/13, please whitelist momdot@live.com to ensure contest prize delivery email. This is a multi-blog giveaway. 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires is not the administrator of this giveaway.