3 Holiday Must-Haves For Your Home!

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post in partnership with Niche Parent Network.  I am a Kmart SC Johnson blogger, though all opinions are my own.

The Winter holidays are the busiest time of the year for just about everyone.  I wish my shopping was finished last month because our December is looking crazy with travel.  I want to get it out of the way this weekend!!!  I am usually the crazy woman running around checking out every single store for the best deal along with other frantic shoppers.  But what I'd really like to do is chill out at home with candles burning or baking.  This year Glade® Winter Collection features four limited edition fragrances, I went to my local Kmart to smell each and every one and my favorite is Frosted Berry Kiss.  It smells like red ripe berries and fresh green garlands, super fun and flirty - reminding me of kissing Santa under the mistletoe.  Not that Santa, my Santa!  The three other scents are Apple Cinnamon Cheer (smells like a mug of steaming cider, let the yummy apples and spice warm you from head to toe), Pure Vanilla Joy (smells like a fresh-baked batch of frosted sugar cookies, keeps you in the holiday spirit all year long) and Sparkling Spruce (smells like fresh cut pine) and they come in jar candles, PlugIns scented oils, WaxMelts and automatic sprays.      

Since I'm a fan of limited edition and holiday everything - I couldn't help but notice the Ziploc® Holiday Collection.  Hello, perfect for giving out fresh baked cookies and treats to friends and family!  I was wondering how I would be able to share my pumpkin tres leches cake...

At Kmart, SYWR Members get a $5 coupon to spend on groceries, health or beauty products with a $15 or more purchase of select Glade or Ziploc Holiday collection products.  And over $12 of additional savings can be found on Kmart.com for Glade and Ziploc holiday collection products!

We Scored At Toys R Us #DisneyInfinity

This is totally not a sponsored post but we got a great deal at Toys R Us and I had to share!  I spent a couple hours last night looking over the best deals for Disney Infinity - Toys R Us has a 20% off coupon code: 962213 which made the Disney Infinity Starter Pack $59.99 (suggested retail is $74.99) and because I bought online during their presale I was able to score a free figure and power pack!  What made shopping online even more awesome is that Toys R Us offers free in-store pickup!  We printed our order receipt, walked right in, let an associate know we were there to pickup and we were done!  SO EASY!  This option is the best!!!

Plus now till Sunday, August 24th - All Disney Infinity items are Buy One Get One 50% OFF!

Out of stock!!!

Disney Exclusive!

These are absolutely a good idea!

I think we'll be investing in these!

Villains Pack!

We got the starter pack, Mater and a power pack for $64 total!

My little gamer says it's like Christmas!  He's so excited to play with his Sorcerer Mickey I got from D23 Expo!

FREE SeaWorld San Diego Pass for Preschoolers!

SeaWorld in San Diego is offering FREE Annual Passes to kids ages 3-5 years old!  You can sign up here.  

Disclosure:  This is not a sponsored post.  

Save on Family Fun At Boomers

If you know me, you know I love a good deal.  Nothing is more satisfying than stretching my dollar especially when it comes to family fun.  A fun day can run a family hundreds of dollars so coupons are great (and much appreciated)!  Now I get to surprise the kids and Hubby with a trip to Boomers!  I'm so excited!!!  

When it comes to fun, Boomers is a blast! Whether you're celebrating a birthday party, doing corporate events and team building, or spending quality time with family and friends, Boomers makes everything easier and hassle free. With attractions like Batting Cages, Miniature Golf, Inflatable Water Slide, Go Karts, Bumper Boats, Bowling, Laser Tag, Rock Wall, Arcades, and a Kid's Playland, Boomers is the perfect place for fun!

11 California Locations

• Fresno
• Livermore
• Modesto
• Palm Springs
• Santa Maria
• Upland 
• Fountain Valley    
• Irvine
• El Cajon   
• San Diego   
• Vista 

Coupon: Check out today's special offer at Boomers

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post.  All thoughts are my own.

Strength of 1 with Freschetta Pizza!

I love this type of deal because I love pizza and I love flowers!  My husband loves buying flowers for me but I always give him a hard time about spending too much money on bouquets.  With this deal, just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month - you buy 2 Freschetta Pizzas and SAVE $5 on Flowers at Vons!  You have to have Vons Club Card and sign up for Vons Just for You Program to find this digital coupon download.   

It's easy to get your Vons Club Card - you can sign-up in-store or you can go to Vons.com, print out the form and bring it to your local store.  With your Club Card, you can enjoy exclusive savings all across the store AND anytime you shop online at Vons.com. Vons Club Card membership entitles you to enjoy all our special money-saving promotions.

You can save 10-20% more with just for U - Benefits include coupon center - digital coupons, no clipping; personalized deals and your club specials.  Sign-up online or in-store!  

Every ONE of us has the power to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. Join the FRESCHETTA® team to see how your efforts, both big and small, can add up to great results. Learn more about The Strength of 1 ™ 

Disclosure: This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™.  All thoughts are my own.  

Fall Fashion with #CookiesKids

Fall is my favorite time of the year for clothes shopping, especially for the kids.  We just started experiencing cooler weather this past week in Southern California and I love every minute of it.  That's the signal for us to get started on Fall shopping!  My husband Chris and I are picky about clothes.  We always insist that family and friends not buy them clothes for Birthdays or Christmas.  That sounds harsh but the fact is, our kids love what we pick out for them and they love being able to pick out what they like too!  (We're not picky about brands - we're fans of style, quality and price)    

The first time I heard about Cookie's Kids was seeing fellow bloggers tweet about the amazing prices and selection of clothes for kids.  I checked out the site and could not believe some of our favorite kids' brands were on there: Disney, LRG, Levi's, Guess, Carter's, Puma, Paul Frank, Hello Kitty...
Cookie's Kids has 7 stores in the NYC area - Brooklyn, Bronx, Jamaica and online at CookiesKids.com

I invited Chris to check out the site and put his top picks in the cart and we would agree on what to get Duke.  We almost always check out the Clearance section first.  I noticed the $5 flat rate shipping!  I decided to sign up for the Cookie's Kids newsletter because companies email discounts or specials every once in awhile and I love stretching my dollar.

Duke has a bunch of jeans, sneakers, t-shirts and hoodies.  Even though he's outgrowing most of his t-shirts, they still look good on him so the goal for this shopping trip was to buy a coat / jacket for Fall.



I did a Size search first and then Brand search for local Southern California brand LRG - This is what came up and I immediately fell in love with the LRG "Leo" Hoodie.



Chris found this jacket and we all fell in love with it.  It's the Sportier "Laughlin" Military Jacket and Duke ultimately decided this was the one jacket he wanted for Fall.  If you look where the Size menu is, you'll notice the Alva Kids app - The app is easy to use, it asked a few questions about your child (gender, age, etc.) and suggested I get a size 5 for Duke but I ordered a 7 because I figured he's 6 years old and I should get one year up so he could use it for next year too.


Alva Kids sizer!


Here's a bigger shot of the jacket.  It is gorgeous and definitely one we've been wanting to get him forever but the prices were never right.  $24.99 is just right.


We looked at a lot of clothes on Cookie's Kids - You can see what other items we were eyeing and what we bought in our Google+ album!  Since Duke helped in shopping for his own clothes, he was so happy when the package arrived and it was labeled Cookie's Kids!



So, you are probably wondering where is the picture of my cutie pie in his new jacket, looking fashionable for Fall?  Well, I was wrong in ordering a size 7.  It was too big for him.  It was completely my fault!  The jacket is excellent quality and still can not believe that it was only $24.99 - When I contacted Cookie's Kids to request an exchange, they were wonderful!  We're so excited for the correct size because we're in love with this jacket!  (I will update this post with pictures of Duke in his jacket when we get the new size)

Update!  We got the correct size a few days later and it fit Duke perfect!  We love it, it is absolutely great quality and he looks so cute in it!

Get Social with Cookie's Kids!  @CookiesKids on Twitter / Cookie's Kids on Facebook

Save 10% off your next order with code: raisedbyculture

Disclosure:  I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and CookiesKids.com - All thoughts are my own. #CBias #SocialFabric

Kroger Cart Buster Savings Event 10/7-10/20 #CleverCartBuster #Spon

The beginning of Fall signals the start of Holiday season in our home.  That means I need to kick it into high gear and start getting my Christmas shopping done.  Holiday shopping isn't only shopping for gifts but stocking up on everything from Bounty Paper Towels to Duracell Saver Packs!  Bounty to help me clean during the many hours I'll be slaving in the kitchen and Duracell batteries for the gifts I'll be giving or the kids will be receiving.  I learned my lesson a few years ago when Duke got a remote-controlled car for Christmas from a friend and we didn't have extra batteries.  He was so bummed that he had to wait till December 26th to play with one of his new toys.  Now we make sure we're stocked up during the Holidays cause you never know what someone might give you or the kids.

What do you stock up on for Fall?  

Download a digital coupon for a different product each day straight to your shopper card at the Cart Buster site for great deals on your favorite products at the Kroger Co. Family of Stores.

Kroger Co. Family Stores include:
Kroger
City Market
Dillons
Food 4 Less
Food 4 Less Fremont
Fryís
Gerbes
Jay C
King Soopers
Owenís
Pay Less
QFC
Bakerís
Fred Meyer
Ralphs

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.

Knott's Halloween Haunt Turns 40!

Update: Here are coupons for you to buy Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt tickets!

I live in Buena Park and love my city.  It's home to Knott's Berry Farm and even though I haven't been in 17 years, I love Knott's Halloween Haunt and congratulate them on 40 years of screams!  Tomorrow kicks off opening weekend and will be bringing back memories of when I was a teenager.  Going with a big group of friends was so fun, we fed off each other's fears and had amazing amounts of fun.

Are you wondering why I haven't been in 17 years?  I don't think my heart can handle it anymore.  Seriously.  Having kids made me a wuss!  I am completely terrified of the dark and unknown at Knott's Scary Farm.  If you have never been... you need to get your haunt on.  I promise you, you will flinch at least once.      

This year's Halloween Haunt promises to be killer with 13 mazes (5 NEW ones!) and ride through attractions, 9 live shows, and four scare zones.

Knott’s Halloween Haunt dates are September 21-22, 27-30, October 4-7, 11-14, 18-21, 25-28, 30-31, 2012. Event hours are 7pm - 1am; Fridays and Saturdays from 7pm-2am.

The Halloween Haunt at Knott’s Scary Farm is a special ticket event not covered by regular Knott’s Berry Farm admission or a Knott’s Season Pass. Ticket prices are $36 - $52 presale online and $60 day of event. 

For more general event information on Halloween Haunt, call the Haunt Line at (714) 220-5200 or visit www.knotts.com 

Halloween Haunt is a scary event and definitely not recommended for children under 13. There are no guest costumes or re-entry privileges allowed for this event.

For the younger set, Snoopy’s Costume Party in Camp Snoopy is an alternative daytime non-scare celebration of Halloween cheer rather than fear offered weekends October 6-28, 10 am to 5 pm and is included with regular park admission. This special, family event includes a costume contest, a live show, kid-friendly mazes, storytelling, and of course, trick-or-treat stations. 

Disclosure: This is not a compensated post.  I am very proud of my city and will be sharing everything Buena Park, CA.  All thoughts are my own.