That Week I Drove a Swagger Wagon…and LOVED it!

August 29, 2016

Connor had his first week of FIRST GRADE last week people! Hold me…

To say we’ve been busy would be the understatement of the century. We are closing on our new home today!!! After a year and a half search we FINALLY found our home and I’m so excited to share with y’all. It’s going to take a lot of paint and love to make it ours, but I’m looking forward to that whole process.

Well, y’all we have definitely been riding in style lately. I got to test out the brand spanking new sparkly and shiny 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. This van definitely puts the “swag” in “swagger wagon“.

I grew up in a GMC Safari the size of the Titanic. You know the vans that looked like a tank. I wish I had a better picture of Big Blue…but this is her peeking out of the corner there 🙂

My Mom loved it because of the captain seats in the middle so my sister and I couldn’t touch each other or breath in each other’s direction…hence less fighting. She is also 6 feet tall, so she had extra leg room in the tank. Anyway….good times were had and I have to say I never saw myself owning anything related to a mini-van because they just seem so large and in charge. scn0062

Until a couple weeks ago when I drove the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. Ahem…sleek, modern, and definitely not a tank.

I want to show you some of my favorite features.

Okay, so when I first got in the van I was like “How do I reverse?”

It’s on a KNOB people! No more stick shifts or gears…a beautiful little round knob that would make your iPhone jealous.

The security features, gadgets, and gizmos had me playing for a while. I absolutely love the media and radio apps.

Heated seats and a heated steering wheel to give you warm fuzzies in cold weather. We Texans thank you Chrysler for a VENTED (air-conditioned) seat option because Lord knows it’s 110 degrees outside 7 months out of the year.

There is plenty of room in here for 7 people. Let’s just take a look at the captain seats in the middle shall we? If you and your sibling can’t stand to be within 5 inches of each other there is your answer!

Ample sized cup holders for my Starbucks addiction & plenty of storage compartments. 🙂

I don’t know about you, but I’m the kind of gal that likes to know exactly how many miles I have left in my tank until I get to a gas station. Because sometimes I’m cutting it a little bit close. Also, see the lane change warning, and speedometer. Basically, the people at Chrysler care about you and want you to be SAFE!

Okay, now this is what my son freaked out over and cried about when we had to give this van back. TWO TVs. The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica comes with the Uconnect^® Theater and as a Mom this is appreciated by both parties. I get to listen to my music and Connor gets to watch Star Wars to his heart’s content. It’s a win/win! Bring on the road trips!

Also, loved the hands-free power sliding doors. Because I only have two hands people!

Thank you so much Chrysler for our week in the Swagger Wagon dreams are made of, the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. I would definitely be driving this van loud and proud. Let’s just say I’m quite happy the days of driving a tank are over.

I think we need more kids to fill this…

14053852_10157269525210125_4272755957504399407_o

Here is a Facebook Live video Connor and I did together. I wasn’t planning on posting it, but it does show a lot of great features. We literally JUST got this van and drove to Starbucks…so we were still exploring! Ha ha!

Looking for a new car, but have an old station wagon sitting in the garage? Check out Junk Car Medics & make some extra cash off that old set of wheels!

I hope you enjoy it or at least have fun laughing at us and my frazzled state…

School Lunch with Pearls Olives-To-Go

August 22, 2016

This post is sponsored by Pearl’s Olives to Go. All opinions are my own.

Oh my gosh school starts TOMORROW people!

I’m over here like…

D7K_4969

I pack Connor’s lunch for school every single day. He’s gotten a lot better since Kindergarten, but he has always been a picky eater. Then again, sometimes I’m surprised what he likes. A lot of days it’s the same thing over and over again…so we like to switch up our routine with something different every now and then.

Last year we tried Pearls Olives-To-Go and they are soooooo great for school lunches people! There is no pitting, stuffing, or chopping. That adds extra time to my mornings and allows me to spend time on more important things. (Like maybe an extra 5 minutes of sleep! Ha ha!)

There are four different Pearls Olives-To-Go varieties to choose from.

olives

Packing lunches is so easy & I know Connor is getting a fresh fruit in his lunch!

We are so excited for first grade tomorrow and thank you for a yummy lunch Pearls Olives-To-Go!

Enter to win the Pearls Facebook sweepstakes:

#BetterWithPearls Mini Moments, where you can enter to win a weekly prize pack or the grand prize, a Mega Moment prize pack valued at $1,000. The sweepstakes runs from 8/15-9/9/16.

ENTER HERE

Back to School in Style with Mini Boden + Enter to WIN a $500 Boden Shopping Spree!

August 7, 2016

This post was sponsored by Boden as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.

School starts in a few weeks and my baby is going to be a FIRST GRADER! Somebody stop time for me okay? I mean seriously how cute is my lil’ guy?

DSC_3711-2

When I was a little girl my Mom would take my sister and I back to school shopping and it was the best thing ever! My Mom always made it a fun event shopping for school supplies, backpacks, shoes, and clothing.

I want Connor to look forward to going back to school too. A few weeks before school starts I start getting Connor excited about getting a new backpack or lunch box…and CLOTHES! I know how I felt on the first day of school walking into class with a new outfit on. There is just something about wearing a new outfit that makes you feel a little bit more confident.

This year Connor and I picked out clothes from Mini Boden. I’ve always loved the prints and British styles that Mini Boden offers. The clothes I’ve bought from Mini Boden have lasted & lasted throughout the years. It’s one of my tried and true children’s clothing brands. The styles that Mini Boden offers are so adorable! And don’t worry about buying from across the pond, Mini Boden provides worry-free shipping (free shipping & returns over $49).

Here are some of our favorite outfits we got for back to school from Mini Boden:

I just adore these jeans, dress shirt, and shoes:

These Super Soft T-Shirts are a fall staple:

Connor is really into dinosaurs right now so of course we got this adorable Jurassic Stripe T-shirt!

No outfit is complete without a pair of shoes 🙂 We chose these Suede Desert Boots that can go with just about anything- dress up or down with a pair of jeans for khakis.

Connor is going to join Cub Scouts this fall, so he’s going go camping! Nothing is better than a nice cozy pair of jammies when camping. Mini Boden has the cutest styles and prints when it comes to pajamas!

I’m super excited about first grade and I know Connor is too 🙂 Thank you Mini Boden for sending us back to school in style!

Influence Central is hosting a contest for the new Mini Boden Back to School line at Boden through which your readers can enter to win one of three $500 shopping vouchers to Boden/Mini Boden

Contest opens on August 1, 2016 and closes August 22, 2016

I-C will randomly select 3 winners from all program entries and will handle fulfillment of the winning prizes.

#BacktoSchoolwithBoden Giveaway

Get 25% off your purchase at Mini Boden today HERE!

Follow Boden on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for the latest styles.

Baskin Robbins Blessings + National Ice Cream Month

August 2, 2016

Did you know last month was National Ice Cream month???

Yes Ma’am…it sure was! I know I’m a little tardy for the party….but, I don’t need a special month to tell me to have ice cream, but because we are celebrating and all….

Baskin-Robbins celebrated National Ice Cream Month with the launch of their new Polar Pizza. A couple weeks ago Connor and I got to go to Baskin-Robbins and create our very own Polar Pizza. Oh my goodness it was AMAZING!

Choices….choices….

Look at those chocolate dipped waffle cones covered in sprinkles!

We got to pick our very own toppings for our Polar Pizza. There are also Polar Pizzas ready and available in the grab-and-go freezer.

We chose Reeses Cups, M&M’s, sprinkles, and the flavor of the month OREO® Birthday Cake! It was soooooooo good!

My all time favorite Baskin-Robbins treat are the Clown Cones. My Dad used to take my sister and I to get Clown Cones as a special treat 🙂

Now that is a happy ice cream loving boy right there!

pizza

I’m so honored to support a company that sends donations to support the United Service Organizations or (USO) and the introduction of a new ice cream flavor.

The donation program and new ice cream flavor are in honor of the military nonprofit’s 75th anniversary and steadfast commitment to supporting our nation’s military throughout their service. Being a former military family ourselves, this means a lot to us!

I went to Baskin Robbins the other day and I bought several people in the store their ice cream. I told my friends I felt so HAPPY and excited to do a random act of kindness! We were given gift cards in exchange to talk about this promotion, but really you guys, I am so blessed to work with companies like Baskin-Robbins who give back to others. That’s exactly what I wanted to do….and the looks on all those people who were given something as simple as an ice cream cone was priceless.

We’ve already been back for more Polar Pizza. It’s so incredibly good, and I am a sweets connoisseur, so I know good desserts! Ha ha! This is a winner in my book. Choose from either a brownie base, or a chocolate chip cookie base. Pick your ice cream and toppings and there you have it….the perfect dessert!

My Trip to Pearle Vision + Enter to Win!

July 26, 2016

This post is sponsored by Pearle Vision and SheKnows Media

The summer has just flown by y’all! Connor is about to start first grade in a month and I just can’t believe it. Somebody hold me! We took Connor in for his 6-year-old check up a few months ago and one of the things his doctor recommended was to get an eye exam. Did you know that 80% of what children learn is through their eyes?

I knew it was coming….

I’ve had terrible eyesight the majority of my life. So have my parents and my sister, not to mention my husband also wears glasses. So it’s probably inevitable that someday Connor will need glasses. Last week Connor and I headed to Pearle Vision in Southlake for an eye exam. We had the best time looking around and trying on glasses. Connor actually WANTS glasses because he thinks they are “cool”. Ha!

He’s precious, glasses or not!

Everyone at Pearle Vision Southlake was amazing to us! They were super friendly and let us try on all kinds of glasses. They were quick to answer our questions and put Connor at ease.

Everyone knows kids have a ton of questions, and our doctor was so nice in answering all the questions in Connor’s little mind!

We loved Dr. Hannaman. She has children of her own, so she rocked at helping Connor feel at ease and comfortable.

As a kid, Connor had the option to take his eye exam with numbers or pictures. He chose pictures. This helped so much for him to relate what he was seeing.

Thankfully, this year Connor did not require glasses. We were told he probably would need them sometime in the near future. Dr. Hannaman talked with us about blue light and how it affects Connor’s eyesight. He spends a lot of time on the iPad and watching TV…more than I would like.

Blue light is the harmful light given off my electronic devices and now Pearle Vision actually makes blue light lenses your child can wear to help prevent blue light from affecting their eyesight. Even if your child doesn’t wear glasses, they can still use blue lenses while watching TV or the iPad.

Pearle Vision did an awesome job providing comprehensive eye exams for both Connor and me! Pearle Vision will make sure to get the prescription right. Comprehensive eye exams are essential starting at the age of 3 or if your child shows signs of visual impairment.

Right now is the perfect time to take your child into Pearle Vision before school starts! Pearle Vision has a limited time offer for free lenses for kids 18 and under. Can I get a Woohoo for FREE people???

Thank you Dr. Hannaman we will see you next year! xo – The Branch Family

Follow Pearle Vision on Facebook & YouTube for the latest news.

Pearle Vision has close to 600 eye care centers located throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, Pearle Vision is built around a doctor-centered business model with a primary focus on delivering genuine eye care to patients. It has become a trusted source for all my eye health needs.

Tell me about your child’s vision needs. You could win a $100 Visa gift card!

Entry Instructions:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1 Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

2 Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#Sweeps” and “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

3 Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

4 For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 7/25/2016-8/25/2016

Be sure to visit the brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

GMC YUKON- That Week I was a Baller

July 13, 2016

BALLER:

adjective

extremely good or impressive; excellent.

A few weeks ago I got to drive around in a fabulous 2016 Yukon Denali. To say this would be my dream car would be an understatement. I could practically live in this car and be happy! Actually, I could just move into this car instead of buying a house right? LOL!

ab3eee35-bf06-4b31-9f99-c525c7b4462e

Connor and I were the ones that used it the most during the week. Connor just LOVED that he could watch Star Wars while we were driving. The Yukon Denali would be perfect for road trips! We are planning a trip to Branson with my family in a couple weeks and this would be perfect with two 6-year-olds in the back seat.

8d01f56d-0a96-4905-bbe7-3bace8097328

Connor said “Oh my gosh Mom this car is so big we can go camp in it!” The Yukon Denali comes complete with headphones. While your little ones are watching movies in the back you can still listen to your music too! 5bd231d1-da7a-4401-9e8b-af9a1a0ac4f2

This is a MUST for Texas summers. It’s been over 100 degrees this past week. Nothing soothes the summer heat faster than an air conditioned seat. LOVED this!

d37cd86c-d3f7-46ec-85e2-0603362f54ea

There is plenty of room and storage for EVERYTHING! a6a1429b-d998-4bdd-b4c1-8858e4db3c81

We had the best time trying out the Yukon Denali and maybe someday we’ll be able to get one of our own. It’s definitely a dream car. Thank you #GMC for everything! 84645005-281b-4228-8600-cb3ec66120cf

Check out my video below where I talk about all my favorite features 🙂

Summerfest Fun at the Gaylord Texan!

June 26, 2016

Holy Guacamole y’all summer is here in Texas and it’s so hot the chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs! Just kidding….sort of….

I have a lot of friends from back home in Arkansas that love to come and visit and I always recommend the Gaylord Texan. The service is above and beyond and the rooms are so very nice!

We’ve been to several events at the Gaylord Texan over the years, including my favorite – ICE! If you come back in December, please for the love of all things Merry & Bright go visit ICE! at the Gaylord Texan.

Last week the boys and I attended a spectacular event called Summerfest: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. We got to visit with the Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, and of course Alice herself. The characters were so good with our kiddos. We enjoyed a dessert bar and drinks while watching a 3D visual light show called “Breaking Through the Looking Glass”. It was so cool!

The sweets…oh my! 20160618_195558-2 20160618_195607-2

Connor and Brody enjoying the ice cream 🙂 20160618_200857-2

IMG_20160618_220606-2

The Queen of Hearts paid a visit 20160618_201434-2 20160618_202920-2

That silly Mad Hatter

20160618_203603-2 20160618_203823-2 20160618_210634-2

We also went through the Alice & Wonderland vortex maze with our 3-D glasses. It’s a tricky one let me tell ya! I posted some video of the maze on Instagram if you want to go see.

20160618_210953-2 20160618_211010-2

The show begins….

20160618_213438-2 20160618_213727-2 20160618_214053-2 20160618_214056-2

We had the best time & we never leave the Gaylord unimpressed. It’s our own little piece of magic here in Texas. 20160618_215802-2

The Queen of Hearts “Light Up The Night” Glow Party and 3D visual mapping show “Breaking Through the Looking Glass” are FREE events every Friday and Saturday (Sundays on July 4th and Labor Day weekends) starting at 9pm at the Gaylord Texan!

If you would like to see our past experiences at the Gaylord Texan visit HERE, HERE, HERE, & HERE.

Flashback to our Shrek experience in 2012…my baby!

D7K_4005