Family Archives | Page 49 of 77 | TheJavaMama

My M&M’s Wedding Creation #MC

“I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Millennial Central for MY M&M’S. I received product samples to facilitate my review and to thank me for my participation.”

When my sister was living in Vegas years ago one of the first places I wanted to go was the M&M store. It was AMAZING! You can find anything and everything M&M related and it’s like a rainbow exploded in there 🙂 In a good way!

I remember seeing how you could create your own custom M&M’S. I have some friends who have had custom M&M’S made and been very happy with it. My M&M’S is a great addition to a wedding, birthday, anniversary, or any celebration!

My twin sister, Bonnie, is getting married in less than a month. I ordered some custom M&M’S in their wedding colors (Gold & Fuchsia) and added a picture of her and Vinny to one side of the M&M’S. They turned out amazing!

MY M&M’S offers a unique opportunity to add a level of personalization and customization to chocolate and gifts. MY M&M’S® is an exclusive online custom printing solution for personalizing an event or occasion. The collection consists of 25 vibrant colors, 20 of which are available for adding custom printed messages and images.

Ordering is quick and easy. Visit mymms.com to upload a photo portrait, type a printed
message and choose from among 25 MY M&M’S colors, including 20 customizable color
options that can feature your photos, images and messages.

MY M&M’S offers the following products, and more, that are perfect for weddings and
special occasions:
o Silver Favor Tins
o Elegant Lace Favor Bags
o Party Favor Packs
o Bulk Products

I will be posting one more time over the few weeks and show you exactly how I ordered and used the custom M&M’S at the wedding. I’m so excited about these and they’ll be the perfect personalized touch for the wedding!

I Need to Check Myself…and Friday Fives

I posted something on Instagram yesterday about how much I missed the “personal feel” of blogging. I used to go and read everyone’s blog and comment. It felt like I knew them and I built so many great relationships over the years. I have to be honest, I don’t do it as much as I should either. Life gets busy and everyone moves into different stages in life. Life gets FULL. Yet, I still miss the feeling of togetherness I once felt while blogging.

Someone left a comment on my blog yesterday too….

It said that they missed what I used to write about. That my blog is primarily sponsored content and it’s not attractive to readers and not what they want to read. I get it. I do.

I don’t want this to become a review blog and I’m guilty of letting it slowly shift in that direction. It’s hard for me to say “No” to opportunities that seem like fun. And let’s face it getting free stuff is pretty cool. STILL-I don’t want this to become a place where I’m not authentic. Product reviews are not why I started a blog, I do enjoy doing them….but I need to find a balance.

I need to get back to reality and write about valid topics. That’s why I started this journey. I’m not perfect by any means. I will finish up some reviews I’ve had in the works for awhile….but I’m going to try and slow it down a bit. I need to focus on why I’m here. What do I want to say? Sometimes it’s easier to do a review because you don’t have to “think” and just get to write about something someone else has given you.

I hope you don’t resent me for it. I really do value every single person I’ve met through blogging and I truly care about your life too 🙂

Anyway….just wanted to clear the air a bit and I promise things will get a bit more REAL around here!

Linking up with my favorite Friday gals: Darci & Lauren

1. There’s a fun little project going around on Instagram right now where you can share your favorite coffee mug and talk about why you love it so much, or just why you love COFFEE! Use #PCMugshots & find out more HERE

2. Connor got a torch. He is obsessed. He is “hunting” for everything with it 🙂

3. Happy Memorial day weekend! I am personally looking forward to a 3 day weekend with my boys! Here’s a flashback of my Ter-Bear in Iraq 2003. We love our soldiers!

4. I received this Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm in my monthly Birchbox. I LOVE IT! It’s super soft and a subtle hint of color.

5. Hope everyone has a good weekend. This Friday has been CRAZY so far! Whew!

Tyson #MealsTogether Photo Contest

I participated in this sponsored campaign on behalf of Tyson. All opinions stated are my own.

Tyson is one of my favorite companies. We eat a lot of chicken and it’s one of the only things I can get my 4-year-old to eat too! Tyson is launching a contest showcasing your family meals together. They want to see how you celebrate meal time. Do you sit at the table or on the sofa? Do you discuss your day together? What makes your meal time special?

All you have to do to enter is go to Tyson’s Facebook page and post a picture with hashtag #MealsTogether.

I try to make meal time fun for Connor. I bought these dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. He ate (and played a little) with them ;-).

Dinner time is especially important to us because it’s the one time all three of us are together after a long day. We talk about what Connor did at school and how the work day was for Terence and I. It’s a chance for us to connect and be together.

Go enter today on Tyson’s Facebook page and post a picture of your family meal time with hashtag #MealsTogether.

A Little Vacation

I had a much-needed week-long vacation last week. Saturday morning Connor and I loaded up and headed for Arkansas to visit family and friends. He was SO good in the car! We only stopped once for a potty break and then the rest of the time he watched movies on the IPad. The next day we celebrated mother’s day at my Mom & Dad’s house. It was a crazy feeling to not have a computer all week, but sort of nice too 🙂

Here are the boys…they sure are growing up fast! Jarrett + Connor = BFF

Connor & I on Mother’s Day

Thursday my Mom took off work and we got mani/pedis. I haven’t had one of those in FOREVER! It was so nice & good to spend some one on one time with my Mommy. My friend Sara and I also went out to dinner one night and saw “Moms Night Out”. It was SO good! I highly recommend it! I was laughing so hard I cried.

On Friday we headed out to the farm to see Nannie and attend my cousin Lindsey’s graduation party. I can’t believe my little flower girl is graduating high school….oh how time flies!
Connor LOVES the farm and playing with Nannie’s new cat Bella.
I think all the photos do most of the talking…but isn’t the farm just a beautiful place! Next time we go those two above will be getting married next month!

Now it’s back to the daily grind…I’ve got a serious case of the Mondays. Why is it always so hard to come back to work after you’ve been gone more than a couple of days!

Hope you are all doing well…..

xo Becky

Five on Friday

This week has been crazy busy with stuff to do…so I’m anxiously awaiting our vacation to Arkansas next week! Yay! I haven’t been home since Christmas and I’m so ready to see my family.

1. Connor’s class photo 2014

2. One of Connor’s favorite shows, Chuggington, has a traintastic new movie out called Chuggington: Explorer Koko. The latest Chuggington release from Anchor Bay Entertainment features six action-packed episodes that bring exciting adventures to young fans everywhere. Super cute movie y’all!

3. We celebrated Mother’s day a little bit early with Terence’s family last weekend. It was a beautiful windy day and all the kids had fun playing outside 🙂 We had some good food, including a Petit Jean Ham that was delicious!

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4. I’ve had so much fun shooting Mommy & Me shoots this past weekend…here are a few sneak peeks I’ve posted:

5. My and my baby on a HAPPY FRIDAY #selfieaday Instagram post 🙂

Who is Your #MyHeroMom ?

“I participated in an Ambassador Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating #MC .”

momhero

Meet Jaycee & Mollie. These two little girls have been on my heart for the last couple of years.

We know Jaycee because her Dad & my husband were in the Air Force together. Jaycee has been fighting cancer for the past year and has been through quite a battle. She’s such a sweet little girl and she’s not able to do so many things a lot of kids her age are able to do. Jaycee is not out of the woods yet, & prayers are always appreciated. Read more about Jaycee’s journey HERE.

Mollie is a beautiful girl with a beautiful heart. Mollie is raised by her grandparents who are very special to my family. Her Grandpa is a preacher. He married Terence and I & he also baptized me, my sister, and my Dad. Mollie was diagnosed a few years ago with cancer that stemmed from her leg. She went through a long treatment process that ultimately ended in her leg being amputated. Mollie has the sweetest spirit and is a great artist 🙂 Read more about Mollie HERE.

These two girls are heroes. So are their Moms and families.

From now until May 13 Northwestern Mutual is rallying sons, daughters and those who want to honor their own “heroic” moms or mother figures by uploading images of them to Twitter, Instagram and/or Facebook with the hashtag #myheromom.

For each social action (image upload, Facebook share and like, tweet and retweet) generated by consumers, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation will donate $5 to its nonprofit partner, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), up to $50,000 for childhood cancer research. This is a great cause you guys!

To learn more about the #MyHeroMom initiatives please check out the video below:

Upload your images today using the #MyHeroMom Facebook App

Please be sure to tag the image with the #MyHeroMom hashtag.

Here’s #MyHeroMom & I can’t wait to see yours!

euphoria Calvin Klein: A Radiant Gift For Mother’s Day #MC

“I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for euphoria Calvin Klein. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

Mother’s Day is this weekend. We all know how much Mom’s do for us and want to make them feel extra special on Mother’s day. Growing up I didn’t always appreciate my Mom like I do now…but I’m so blessed to have her as my Mom.

My Mom did so much for us. She gave birth to twins (I can’t imagine), cleaned our bottoms, fed us, took us shopping for clothes as teens (the horror!), and so much more I’d have to write a book on everything my Mom has done for us.

Every year I always try to get my Mom flowers or a corsage. Anything to make her feel special on Mother’s day & remind her how much I love her. My hope is every time she looks at it she feels special 🙂

This year Macy’s has a great deal for Mother’s day. If you purchase a euphoria Calvin Klein perfume, you will also receive a beautiful potted Orchid.

You can purchase this deal online or in the store. Your gift will be added automatically at checkout with any qualifying euphoria Calvin Klein item. Available while supplies last. A list of Macy’s stores can be found HERE.
The Orchid is so beautiful! It arrived at my doorstep in perfect condition and I’ve been enjoying it ever since. The perfume is a polished scent with notes of pomegranate, persimmon, lotus blossom, and mahogany. I’ve really enjoyed wearing it. My husband likes it too!

Sometimes as a Mom you don’t always feel “put together”, but spraying on a beautiful scent can automatically make you feel good and change your mood. For some reason when I spray my favorite perfume on in the morning I feel like I’m ready to face the day.

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The euphoria Calvin Klein perfume is perfectly paired with the Orchid for a special Mother’s day gift. As a mom I can tell you that I would love to get this on Mother’s day 🙂

Hurry! This deal ends on May 12.
Connor took this picture of me. He always calls me “his princess”. He’s such a sweet boy 🙂 I love being his Mommy and I’m even more excited because we are going to visit MY mommy next week in Arkansas. I haven’t seen my Mom since Christmas, so it’s going to be an extra special time. I can’t wait to tell her how much I love her and how thankful I am for everything she’s ever done for me.

We hope you all have a blessed Mother’s day and don’t forget to tell your Mom how much you love her!

Copywright The Java Mama/Becky Branch 2014