DIY Tissue Paper Pom Poms!

Woot, Woot! College football season has begun! Allison likes to pretend to get into the game with us, so I thought I would whip her up her own set of pom poms so she could cheer on our team. These tissue paper pom poms are so simple to make, they can be thrown together in about 5 minutes. Best of all, you can customize the colors to match your favorite team. Since we are huge Notre Dame fans, I chose blue and gold for our poms.

Start by stacking 4 pieces of tissue paper together. Fold stack in half. Starting from the open end of the stack, cut slits towards the fold, stopping about 1/2 inch from it.

Hot glue the end of a wooden dowel at the end of the stack.

Start rolling the folded end around the dowel until you reach the other end. Secure in place with another dab of hot glue.

 

 Flip it over, fluff it up, and you are all done! (For a more poofy pom, group 2 or 3 sets of the tissue paper cut outs together, then secure with glue and a ribbon.)

Do you watch football? What team are you rooting for?

 

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday- Spiders

Spiders are icky, but I have this thing about not killing them since they eat the even ickier bugs. I usually come across common house spiders here and there, but this summer I found a few that I had never seen before. They fascinate and creep me out at the same time.

This crab spider was really tiny. Like the size of a pea. He must have gotten into a scuffle since 2 of his legs were missing.

This guy was chilling between my husband's feet at the beach. Hard to see since he blends into the sand so well.

Do you smash the spiders or let them be?

DIY Countdown to Disney Yarn Wreath

We are taking the girls to Disney this fall, and I thought it would be fun to make a Countdown to Disney Yarn Wreath so they could get excited about the trip a little every day leading up to our departure. Since it's going to be a one time use kind of craft, I didn't want to spend a lot of money. The circular craft wreaths were running over $5 at the craft store for the large ones and the smaller ones were around $4 each. I really didn't want to spend more than $10 on all the supplies, but thanks to Pinterest, this nifty idea helped keep the cost to under $5, which included all the yarn and supplies.

Simply pick up some of this foam pipe insulation at the local hardware store (mine only cost 98¢), wrap it in a circle to the size you want your wreath, then hold it together with some duct tape.

I picked up some red and black yarn for a little over $1 each at Michael's, as well as a wooden cut out piece. 2 yellow buttons were under $1.

Wrap the bottom half of your wreath with the red yarn, securing ends with a little hot glue. (TIP! Do not put hot glue on the foam. It will melt it! Instead, place more duct tape where you want to glue, and glue to that!)  Repeat with the black yarn for the top half.

Wrap your smaller circles (for the ears) in black yarn, then attach them to the bigger circle with more more black yarn, followed by a dab of hot glue to secure.

Glue on 2 buttons at the base of the wreath.

I painted my wooden piece with a little chalkboard paint and secured it with some hot glue. Then my wreath was complete.


Tell me something you love about Disney! A favorite place to visit in the park, your favorite character, or even your favorite Disney film :)

Little Joys of the Week

I was sitting here feeling a little sad the other day about summer coming to an end. I always hate it when the girls go back to school. They drive me nuts with their bickering most of the summer, but I really do love the noise and chaos they cause when they are at home. To snap myself out of my funk, I decided to think of all the little joys I did have this week.

Allison telling me about her new friend. Each year she goes on and on about a new friend she has made, and it always turns out to be a special needs child. I love how she befriends them without a second thought about it. She's been doing this since 1st grade. A few autistic girls, a deaf girl, and now, just yesterday she told me about her new friend who is "bald and doesn't have eyebrows."  I asked if the girl had cancer and she just shrugged and said "I didn't ask. We just played." Simple as that. It makes me happy that she can just be so accepting of others, without boundaries.

This one probably makes me a bad neighbor, but it brings me joy that my neighbor got the worst of the storm this week instead of us. I'm sorry he has a split tree in his yard, but am glad that for once it isn't our yard that took the hit.

Listening to my girls be nice to each other when they don't think I can hear them. Allison puts aloe on Mariah's sunburned skin and Mariah tells Allison she has beautiful hair. I love catching those shared sweet sister moments. It's a rare thing.

Watching the sunset on the beach. Nothing is more calming for me.

What were some of your little joys this week?

Wordless Wednesday ~ Middle School

*Sniff, Sniff* Crummy photo, but I had to capture Allison's first day as a middle school student. My baby is no longer a baby anymore :(

*On another note, Mariah is thrilled. High School is without power today, so she gets an extra day of summer vacation! Yay!

Is summer break officially over where you live?

Staples New Back-to-School Collections - Make More Happen for Less #MakeMoreHappen

 *Disclosure- I received a product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items. 

Today is the day the kids have been dreading all summer. It’s officially the start of a new school year. Even though my kids don’t look forward to heading back to class, the one thing that does excite them is shopping for school supplies. Allison couldn’t wait to get her supply list printed off, then immediately started pestering me to take her shopping for what she needed. Staples has always been one of our favorite destinations to get what we need to stuff the backpacks full without spending a fortune.  

This year we were excited to learn about the new, exclusive back-to-school collections that Staples now carries in their stores. New product lines from Teen Vogue and Nickelodeon patterns are not only fun and fashionable, but they make it easy for students to show off their favorite characters and styles while being functional at the same time!

Nickelodeon patterns, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Spongebob, are displayed on Staples BETTER® binders, pencil pouches, die-cut erasers, notebooks, folders and clipboards.

The Teen Vogue Collection, a Staples exclusive, has designer items inspired straight from the runway. Electric Jungle, Punk Prodigy, Rive Gauch and Festive Floral prints are featured across an array of school supplies including notebooks, pens, erasers, folders, pencil cases, and Staples Better® binders. Seriously, how CUTE are the Teen Vogue lipstick erasers pictured below!?

 

Staples certainly has an amazing selection to chose from when shopping for your back-to-school necessities. Not only do they offer Teen Vogue and Nickelodeon, they have added more trendy items to get your student excited about the upcoming school year, and there is truly something for everyone. Their must-have products for 2014 include products for the tech savvy, thrill seekers, animal lovers, organized students, and the girly girls who loves glitter and shimmer. And the best part is, the products are all affordable!

Staples is committed to saving their customers money on all their back-to-school needs with their Make More Happen for Less campaign. Offering a 110% Price Match Guarantee, Staples will match the prices of all competitors with retail store and online presence (including Amazon.com) plus give shoppers 10% off the price difference, whether in store or online. Some exclusions do apply. See www.staples.com/pricematch for more information.

Shoppers can also find great values each week on weekly hot deals by visiting www.staples.com/weeklyad. Staples Rewards® members will earn Staples Rewards on everything in the store and take advantage of free shipping on www.staples.com.

We need to replenish our school supplies throughout the year, and it's great to know that Staples carries iconic school products, all from their Less List, such as folders, notebooks and index cards that are low priced all season long, making it easy for families to save throughout the year as well.

You can find all of the products featured here today at a Staples store near you, or on the Staples website. 

WIN IT!

One lucky Theresa’s Mixed Nuts reader is going to win a $25 Staples Gift Card so you can pick up some of these fashionable back-to-school items for your student! Giveaway is open to residents of the US, 18+. NO PO Boxes will be accepted. The giveaway will run through 9/3/2014. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning email or a new winner will be selected.

**All entries are verified. Please make sure you are following all task guidelines you claim entries for. Failure to do so will result in your entries being removed from the form.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Meeting World Guy!

We live in a decent sized town, so it's not unusual to see some questionable characters when out and about. Lady jogging with her pet fox makes us say, "that's weird." Guy riding his bike down the road sporting a tin foil hat, "that's weird too." Usually we just chuckle and go on our merry way. A few weeks ago I was on my way to the farmers market when I see this guy walking down the road with a HUGE ball painted like the world. "Ahahaha! Look, Jason! He's got the whole world, in his hands" I proceeded to sing to him. (Anyone remember that one from Sunday School?) So, our car convo goes something like this:

Jason- Hey! I just saw him on the news. You should stop and have your picture with him. You can put it on your blog.

Me- I don't know what that guy is about. He could be a creeper. I can't promote creepers on my blog!

Thanks to modern technology, I was able to Google the fellow pretty quick. Turns out this guy is known as The World Guy. So far, he has walked with his big globe ball, and his dog Nice, through 39 states, totaling over 6,000 miles in an effort to raise awareness for diabetes. Since diabetes runs in my husband's family, this is definitely a cause I can support! So, we stopped to say hi, get a quick picture, and give him a little money for his travels.

If you'd like, stop over and check out World Guy's blog. He's got some neat photos of his travels posted. You can find him over at www.worldguy.org.

What are some weird sites you have seen in your town lately?

Update! Veet Infini'Silk Results After 5 Treatments

*Disclosure- I received a product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was provided. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items. 

AFTER USING THE VEET INFINI'SILK FOR MORE THAN A YEAR, PLEASE READ MY FINAL UPDATE HERE!

Back at the end of June I introduced you all to a new hair removal system from Veet called Infini'Silk. (You can read my first impressions HERE.)

To catch my new readers up to speed, the Veet Infini'Silk is an IPL (Intense Pulse Light) hair removal device that you use in the comfort of your own home. The Infini'Silk is used for permanent body hair removal since the light pulse stops hair growth at the root. One should start to see results in as little as 4 to 5 treatments. I have just finished my 5th treatment, and wanted to share my results up to this point.

I descend from Italian heritage, so my hair grows fast, dark and thick. If I shave my legs in the morning, by late afternoon I feel stubble coming along again. By the 4th treatment my leg hair was growing in at the same rate, but it seemed to be coming in much thinner. After the 5th treatment, I am going 3 days before the stubble starts to reappear. I am also using the Infini'Silk on my underarms. However, I am not seeing as good of results as my legs. It is still growing in at the same rate, BUT it is growing in thinner. I think with a few more treatments, I'll have the same results as I am getting with my legs. I am using the device on level 5, which is the highest setting.

Pro List for Veet Infini'Silk:

• Easy to use and store.
• Lightweight. Is designed well, so it is comfortable to hold.
• It seems to be working as promised.
• Pain free.
• Reasonably priced. The Infini'Silk has a SRP of $249.99, which may seem like a lot up front, but when you factor in what you are saving on salon visits, waxing kits or razors, over time this product will pay for itself. It also comes with a 60 day money back guarantee.
•FDA approved. 

Con List for Veet Infini'Silk:

• Time consuming. It takes me about 20 minutes to treat my legs. (However, treatments are spaced 2 weeks apart for 1 through 5, then every 4 weeks after that.)
• Only works on a hair free surface, so you still have to shave before using it.
• Difficult to use on knees. The entire light strip needs to cover skin, so on bony knees you have to press hard to get the light to go off.
• Not for use on facial hair.
• Not safe for people who have dark skin tones.

• I have not personally experienced any of these side effects, but using the Infini'Silk can result in minor skin discomfort, skin redness, increased skin sensitivity, skin wounds or burns, scarring, pigment changes, excessive redness or swelling, infection, or bruising.

Here's a Vine video I made showing a quick demo of Veet Infini'Silk:

Veet Infini'Silk demo https://t.co/EbKegR7Ww9
— Theresa M (@marison459) August 18, 2014

My treatments are now supposed to be planned for 4 weeks apart, so I am hoping to be hair free by Christmas. By my calculations, this is a 6 month treatment process. I will post up another update when I have completed a few more treatments, so be sure to check back on future results!

If you would like to learn more about the Veet Infini'Silk, or if you would like to purchase one of your own, they are now available on the Infini'Silk website. You can also purchase Veet Infini'Silk Light-Based IPL Hair Removal System on Amazon


What method of hair removal are you currently using? Is the Veet Infini'Silk a product that you could see yourself using for body hair removal?

Go Back To School In Style With The SOL REPUBLIC Deck! #DECKspeaker {Giveaway}

*Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

The start of the new school year is nipping on our heels, and while we are mourning the end of summer, we are actually looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. My girls are looking forward to reconnecting with their friends, going to after school events, and maybe learning a thing or two along the way this year. When hanging with friends, studying, or just relaxing in their rooms after a long school day, my girls like to crank up their favorite tunes to either help them mellow out or get their mood lifted. And nothing goes hand in hand better than music and SOL REPUBLIC, which has been a staple brand in our house for quite some time.

What makes SOL REPUBLIC so great is their high quality products that are offered at affordable prices. We own several pairs of their headphones, which have been useful both at home and for travel. But sometimes you just want to listen to music without the hassle of cords, or you want to be able to listen to your favorite songs with friends. That's when the SOL REPUBLIC DECK comes in handy.

The DECK is a lightweight, portable speaker which can be paired with your Bluetooth device. Syncing it is as simple as turning on your Bluetooth, hitting connect, and within seconds you are ready to rock.

The DECK has some fabulous features:

• It offers up 360° Full Sound, which can be heard from anywhere in the room.

• Heist Mode allows up to 5 people to pair at the same time, taking turns controlling the music.

• Super-Power Wireless allows you to control DECK from up to 300 feet away.

• Outdoor Boost Mode lets you take the party outdoors, so you can hear it from further away.

• Speakerphone can be used for hands free calling.

• The rechargeable battery lasts up to 10 hours.

• You can still use your old school devices with the Stereo-In Jack.

I am most often technologically challenged, so I was really happy with the ease of using the DECK.

It also has your standard power button, in and out jacks, and a sliding boost button on the side. Super simple to operate!

Given how well other SOL REPUBLIC products that we own perform, I wasn't too surprised with the high quality sound coming from the DECK. The sound was crystal clear. No static or loss of sound quality when roaming from room to room with my phone.

My daughter actually has very sensitive ears, so she prefers using the DECK over earphones when she is doing her homework or socializing with her friends.

The DECK by SOL REPUBLIC is perfect for those heading back to school. The lightweight, compact design makes it portable, so taking it on the go is a snap. It can be used when getting ready for the day, in the car, at parties, or just hanging out alone, winding down for the night.

THE DECK is available in two colors- Lemon Lime and Gunmetal. It can currently be purchased at Radio Shack for $129.99.

To learn more, visit SOL REPUBLIC on their website!

WIN IT!

One lucky Theresa’s Mixed Nuts reader is going to win The DECK by SOL REPUBLIC! Giveaway is open to residents of the US, 18+. NO PO Boxes will be accepted. The giveaway will run through 9/1/2014. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning email or a new winner will be selected.

**All entries are verified. Please make sure you are following all task guidelines you claim entries for. Failure to do so will result in your entries being removed from the form.

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Hanging With The Animals At Lincoln Park Zoo

When we took the girls to Medieval Times a few weeks back, we decided to play tourist in Chicago that day since our show didn't start until late that evening. We ended up taking our bikes with us to save on taxi and parking fees. I do want to point out that they do offer bike rentals in the city for $7 per day. Had we known that ahead of time, we would have saved the headache of loading and unloading our bikes from the car. Anyhow, one of our first stops was the Lincoln Park Zoo. 

We have been to this zoo many times before, and it never gets old. The thing we really like about the visit, is entrance is completely FREE! If you drive in and park, you will get charged about $20 for parking, but since we rode our bikes, we didn't pay anything for our visit. 

The first stop for us is always my favorite- the gorilla house! The girls like to test their climbing abilities on the bamboo poles. 

There's a striking comparison here, I'd say!

The rainforest section is really fun to go through. With mini waterfalls, lots of birds, and this awesome aquarium to gaze at.

Even though the zoo is free, it is certainly not lacking on animal exhibits. I honestly think this is one of the better zoos in terms of which animals they have on exhibit that we have ever been to.

Since we were short on time, we only stopped at our favorite exhibits that day, but I'd say plan on a good 2 hours to go through the entire zoo when you visit. 

Lincoln Park Zoo is located at 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago IL 60614.

What are some of your favorite exhibits at the zoo?

My Fair Ladies Had A Ball At Medieval Times

Last year I won 4 tickets to Medieval Times through one of their Twitter promotions. This is something that we have been wanting to do with the girls for a while, so winning the tickets was a real treat! Jason finally got a little time off work this summer, so we headed to the Shaumburg, Illinois location a few weeks back. 

After a quick walk through the castle hallway, we were given hats to the section of the knight we would be cheering for during the tournament. We were rooting for the yellow and black knight. Shortly after we were seated, the food was brought out. I was stumped as to why there was no silverware, and the kids had to tell me it wasn't coming because they didn't eat with it back then. Everything had to be eaten with our hands. The portion sizes were huge, and the food was amazing, but I wasn't able to eat my entire meal because there was just so much!

The food is actually brought out in stages as you enjoy the show. I believe there were 6 knights in all, all fighting for the honor of the kingdom. Before each jousting tournament, the knights throw out carnations to a few lucky ladies in their section. 

And Allison was thrilled when she was the lucky recipient of one. What was even better, he came back around and threw one to Mariah too! Oh, happy day! No sibling jealousy now :)

Or, at least there wasn't until our knight came back and selected Allison to be his "queen for the tournament." She thought that was the coolest thing ever!

Then the fighting began. Our yellow and black knight promptly died, so the girls were a bit bummed, but all of the knights put on a great performance.

Overall, the entire show lasted about 2 hours, and at the end of the show you have the opportunity to meet and greet the performers. Of course, the girls needed their picture taken with their fair knight. He even signed the queen of the tournament sash for Allison.

 For an additional $2 fee per person, you can visit the torture rooms. Here you will see some of the medieval devices they used to torture their prisoners. 

 What the hell was wrong with those people!? I'm glad we've become a little less barbaric since then!

Overall, we thought the entire experience was fabulous! It was definitely one of the most favorite places the girls visited this summer. Again, I won the tickets, so I wasn't compensated or asked to do a review. We just had so much fun, I wanted to share our experience.

Have you been to Medieval Times?