4th of July and BBQ at BJ's @bjsrestaurants #BJsRestaurants #PMedia

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and BJ’s Restaurants  but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BJsrestaurants http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

Hope everyone had a good 4th of July weekend. I know we did. So much so that I've pretty much been MIA for the past few days and it's been a glorious unplugged from the internet holiday! My weekend has been filled with food and fireworks just like every other American, I'm sure. Food is such an essential part of a good 4th of July and I was excited to try out the new BBQ menu at BJ's Brewhouse. BJ's Brewhouse asked if I could blog about my experience and I was happy to do so because I mean, FOOOOOOD. Plus, barbecue just goes hand in hand with a 4th of July weekend. It was like a divine barbecue god came down to earth riding a big bottle of Blues Hog Original Barbecue sauce and all the stars aligned and I ate delicious food, the end/. 

Just kidding! But really, I was pretty pleased with Big Poppa's Smoker's BBQ specialty menu at BJ's. My brother in law and I both were ready to order. I ordered the BJ's bbq lunch platter and of course bbq wings with ranch. Good eatin', I swear it. This menu is only at participating BJ's Restaurants (exception of Balboa, Laguna Beach, Belmont Shore, La Jolla, Westwood), so if you really like BBQ, I'd suggest going to checking it out. 

Oh, and I saw this on BJ's Brewhouse's twitter, so I thought I'd share with you all... they had me at "free entree". (I might have claimed this offer.) Also, here's their Facebook, too.

The rest of our holiday was equally as awesome. We shot off fireworks and swam all day. I really love 4th of July and this year was even better than the last. Wyatt loved playing with sparklers and seeing the fireworks go off. Every time there was a firework it resulted in him screaming, "FIREWORKS!"... EVERY. TIME. I think he thought that was what you were supposed to do or something? I dunno. Crazy kid. Wyatt also doesn't understand that it's not 4th of July everyday. Our neighborhood has been shooting off fireworks for days (yay? no.), so he doesn't believe me when I tell him there isn't some amazing fireworks display happening outside our apartment whenever we hear a loud boom. Oh, and I've heard Wyatt accidentally call 4th of July "Captain America's birthday", he's made that connection after me telling him it was our country's birthday. He kills me.

So, how about you? Have a good 4th of July?

The Land of Nod VIP party

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Land of Nod, but all my opinions are my own. #PMedia #NODinCA   http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

As a mother of a young boy child, I am absolutely frustrated with the lack of color and style with boy toys and décor. I feel like I’m confined to a bubble of primary colors and it’s hard to break free of that. Whenever I do see an item that is unique, a beautiful color, or simply could be loved by boys AND girls- I jump all over it.

Last week I was invited to The Land of Nod’s VIP party at their brand new Costa Mesa store at the South Coast Plaza. It was so awesome because I was submerged in a world where style meets fun, and “boy style” isn’t limited to a football print on a bedspread (not that there’s anything wrong with that, but if you’re not a football lover, why should you be limited to football decor?). I really appreciate The Land of Nod and their marketing team for not being too themey with their boy stuff. I felt that they simply shared a love for all things ‘kids’, instead of following traditional gender “rules”.

The party itself was so great because we got to see exactly what The Land of Nod was about. I brought along my friend Julie and we slowly made our way around the store, picking up toys and décor, sitting on furniture, and thinking just how genius and fun everything was. So many products could easily be used in my home… or better yet; the products were actually not annoying and made with good design in mind.

My favorite thing about The Land of Nod was that they encouraged you to touch their products. Everything was easily accessible and you could undoubtedly see how something would work without any guesswork. I flipped through books, rubbed my hands on bedding, squeezed soft plush dolls, and stacked colorful wooden blocks.

The “about me” section of The Land of Nod’s Instagram reads, “Design for kids and people that used to be kids.” I think that is so fitting now that I’ve experienced the store in person. My friend and I were totally awing at how we wish we could just live in the store. Everything was simply cool. (Side note- their Instagram and Pinterest are insanely beautiful and inspiring).

So what did I get Wyatt?

Blocks. The kid loves blocks and I couldn’t pass up these interesting shaped wooden blocks. They’re stained all sorts of colors and feel great. They have a permanent home in our living room right now and I don’t even mind. 

Naturally honest with The Honest Company

I was given the opportunity to try out The Honest Co. products last week. Interestingly enough, I've been really interested in more eco-friendly, non-toxic, and natural cleaning products, but I hadn't quite made the switch just yet. For me, switching to another product was something I wanted to do, but I had some reservations. Would a green product actually clean the same way my standard household cleaners did? Would I have to sacrifice convenience in order to use a more natural product? I was pleasantly surprised after using The Honest Co. The products were simple, smelled awesome and nothing like my old cleaners, and actually did the job. I officially made the cleaner switch in the bathroom! I've been using The Honest Co.'s Honest Multi-purpose cleaner, Honest Bathroom cleaner, Honest Bubble bath, and Honest Wipes.

First off, I just have to tell you that these cleaners can be used anywhere! There is no specific "bathroom" smell. With scents like White Grapefruit and Eucalyptus Mint, it's safe to say everything has a multi-purpose scent. I've actually been using these cleaners throughout my house and not just the bathroom. I have found that the sprays worked just as well as the standard cleaners but without the chemicals and that chemical smell. I noticed there isn't any residue left behind and I don't feel weird knowing that my kid's hands will be all over everything I'm spraying.

Wyatt really enjoys his new Honest Bubble bath, too. The most important thing as far as bubble baths go is if it can produce a decent amount of bubbles, and the answer is yes! The smell is light and didn't leave gross sudsy residue in my tub, which is a huge problem I have since I give Wyatt a bubble bath everyday. A little goes a long way, too.

Things I found interesting about The Honest Co.-

• Their products are not only designed to be safe and sustainable, but beautiful, fresh, and fun. (The design on the bottles is much more appealing than some of the cleaners I see at the store).

• Honest is a Certified B Corporation. Which means they are dedicated to making a profound social difference, safeguarding people and the planet, and making efforts to a be better business. It’s like earning a LEED or Fair Trade certification, but for a business. They are very proud to be an active member of the B Corp community of like-minded organizations, because they believe that together, they can make it better.

• Charitable Giving. With every purchase you make, The Honest Company donates time, money, and product to their current charitable partner Baby2Baby.org. This worthy non-profit supplies families in need with essential baby gear and clothing for children up to age 12.

• The Honest Company’s goal is to provide customers with products they need and love (and exceptional service). This means that their ear is always to the ground—they love to hear from their community and take the feedback they learn from Facebook, Twitter, their blog, and customer support to create products that make sense for your lives. It's these honest discussions with their customers that inspire them to expand their offerings in current and new product categories.

Please make sure you sign up for The Honest Co.'s Cleaning trial (or Diaper trial!) and sign up for their Email.

**Get $10 off a $40 purchase at The Honest Company using code Pollinate10off40. (Limited to first-time customers and one use per customer. Expires April 26, 2013.)**

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and The Honest Company  but all my opinions are my own. I really do love The Honest Company. #pmedia #NaturallyHonest http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.