Pizza Soup and Kleenex

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

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Pizza is probably not what you think of when you think of comfort foods when you're sick, but for my family, we combine our love of pizza and soup and make PIZZA SOUP! It is delicious, warm, soothing, and creamy- pretty much the best combination ever when you're feeling chilly and under the weather. It's great because kids love it, and of course adults love it because who doesn't love pizza? A better question is, would you even want to know someone who didn't love pizza?

Here's what you need- (I make very big batches, so if you want to make this soup, just double everything up)

1 lb of lean ground beef

1 bag of pepperonis (I cut them all in half so there isn't giant pepperonis floating around in there)

1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 box of chicken broth

1 block of cream cheese

1 green pepper (and if you're into mushrooms, you could add that too.)

1 clove of garlic

basil and oregano to taste

1. Cook up and drain your ground beef. 

2. Sauté your chopped up green pepper, garlic, and tomato paste. This is where you'd sauté the mushrooms too if you so please.

3. Throw your ground beef, sautéed green peppers, canned crushed tomatoes, and box of chicken broth in a pot. Season to taste and bring to a boil.

4. Once hot enough throw in your cream cheese and mix in. It makes it like a bisque. 

Feeling sick majorly sucks, it's true. And sometimes no matter how much comfort food you eat, you can't avoid feeling totally miserable. I personally love Kleenex tissues and whenever I need to buy some, I make sure to grab the aloe vera ones because they're like giving your face a cuddle. Super soft and literally the only tissues that don't make my nose sore. Anyway, here's a $1 off coupon for a Kleenex 4 pack or larger at Target! 

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. 

Land of Nod is almost here!

land of nod by irocksowhat on Polyvore

I am so excited! Land of Nod is having a Grand Opening at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California and I'M going! The official store opening is May 31st and it'll be awesome. Land of Nod will be having giveaways and free goodies for those that come out and shop early. I'm just stoked about this because I'm a huge Land of Nod fan. I love all of their bedding! My serious dream room for Wyatt would be all Land of Nod and we'd sit in his Land of Nod teepee and read books from Land of Nod and take naps with Land of Nod pillows and blankets. I just want a Land of Nod explosion in his room. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I stalk the Land of Nod Instagram feed and Pinterest. Both feeds will make you cry... mostly because you'll realize that your kid will have a much cooler room than you ever will. Okay I kid. I'd totally have a Land of Nod house. DON'T EVEN CARE!

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“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.”

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.

What can a $5 gift card get you at Target? #PollinateMedia @StyleWatchMag @InStyle

What can a 5 dollar gift card get you at Target? Here, let me show you...

>1. Hoop, Stud, and Lightening bolt earrings set.
>2. Hedgehog socks.
>3. This adorable pencil case.
>4. Sage Woods Hand Pour candle. 
>5. Batman boxers. 
>6. Anchor clear glass mug.
>7. Gimme Couture Rosalie hair clip. 
>8. Men's acoustic amp stand for your phone. 
>9. Homedics Mini Massager.
>10. Junior Sleep Mask.

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I've been running into the 5 dollar gift card deals at Target left and right. Recently I bought People Style Watch and Instyle magazines and received a 5 dollar Target gift card for purchasing both. You can find lots of mini deals like that throughout the store. Make sure you put those 5 dollar gift cards to good use! The People Style Watch and Instyle deal will only run for an extra few days, just a heads up (ends 12/7/2012)!

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are my own http://cmp.ly/3/KqtZiE