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Disney’s Tomorrowland New Featurette

Tessa Smith
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Disney’s Tomorrowland New Featurette

OK, so as the days get closer and closer to my Disney trip (183 days but hey, who is counting, right?), I am digging more and more in to all things Disney. I love Disney – my family LIVES Disney! My husband and I honeymooned there – we are huge Disney fans. One movie we cannot wait to see is Tomorrowland. A new featurette was just released including interviews with George Clooney, Director Brad Bird & more – so of course I wanted to share it with you guys. Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqjH-JJknZM

STORY SYNOPSIS:

From Disney comes two-time Oscar® winner Brad Bird’s riveting, mystery adventure “Tomorrowland,” starring Academy Award® winner George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.

Featuring a screenplay by “Lost” writer and co-creator Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird, from a story by Lindelof & Bird & Jeff Jensen, “Tomorrowland” promises to take audiences on a thrill ride of nonstop adventures through new dimensions that have only been dreamed of.

 

Like TOMORROWLAND on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyTomorrowland

Follow Disney Pictures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DisneyPictures

Visit the official TOMORROWLAND website: www.Disney.com/Tomorrowland

TOMORROWLAND opens in theaters everywhere on May 22nd!

My Little Pony Tales: TV Series

Tessa Smith
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22
My Little Pony Tales: TV Series

Disclosure: Mama Smith’s Review Blog received this item in exchange for her honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% hers.

My Little Pony

My daughters love My Little Pony. It has to be their absolute favorite show. We probably have about 30 pony toys in our house right now. My husband and I love the show too. We know all the characters and the story line. The new season just started and it is actually really good and entertaining for adults as well. But when my girls first started watching it, I tried to tell them about how I used to watch My Little Pony but it was different. I explained that the ponies looked similar but were not the same and my 3.5 year old was really interested in watching what I used to watch. So I was so excited to find out that My Little Pony Tales: The Complete Classic TV Series is coming out on DVD this month! I have received a copy already and it is amazing! When it releases from Shout Factory! Kids on April 28th you will have to buy it for your little ones! My daughters really love this show as well. They have asked many questions and are really in to it!

Synopsis:

The Original Adventures – Now Together in One Set! Ponyland is full of excitement, if you know where to find it, and now all of your favorite My Little Pony Tales are finally collected in one amazing set! Join the 7 Pony Friends—Starlight, Sweetheart, Melody, Bright Eyes, Patch, Clover and Bon Bon — for 13 episodes of outrageous fun! Games, picnics, ice cream shops, roller derbies and even UFOs… nothing is off-limits when it comes to grand Pony adventures! Includes all 26 adventures and bonus sing-alongs!

Pre-order your copy of My Little Pony Tales: The Complete TV Series here.

Giveaway Alert

Enter to win a copy of My Little Pony Tales: The Complete Classic TV Series using the Gleam form below. Be sure to check out my other giveaways while you are here and GOOD LUCK!

My Little Pony Tales: The Complete TV Series

Easy to Make Scones for Mother’s Day

Tessa Smith
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1
Easy to Make Scones for Mother’s Day

Disclosure: Mama Smith’s Review Blog received this item in exchange for her honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% hers.

Barista Scones

I love scones – well I love fresh scones. I feel like most of the time when you purchase them already made in stores or donut shops they are dry and hard. My aunt used to make scones but honestly, I just do not have the time for that. It is a long process and half the time I do make them, they do not come out tasting all that great. So when I heard about Barista Break & Bake Scones I was so excited! All you have to do is open up the package, break them apart, and throw them in the oven. Then add the provided icing if you want.

Barista Scones      Barista Scones

I will honestly say that I was very skeptical of these. I am so picky about scones (I must be spoiled, right?). These scones came out perfect – and I mean PERFECT. They were warm and soft and just so good! My husband and daughters and I devoured them! We had them on Easter morning and it was the perfect holiday breakfast. Barista scones would be great to serve to mom on Mother’s Day. There is really not way to mess them up – trust me if there was, I would have figured it out (I am not the best baker guys). They come in 3 flavors – orange cranberry, blueberry, and strawberries and crème – so you’re certain to have a flavor everyone will love.

Purchase your Break & Bake Barista Scones in the Dairy Aisle of your local Walmart. 

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Spot It! Disney Frozen Olaf

Tessa Smith
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3
Spot It! Disney Frozen Olaf

Disclosure: Mama Smith’s Review Blog received this item in exchange for her honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% hers.

spot it olaf

I love to play games with my family. It is always so exciting when we can find a game that we can all play and understand – even my 2 year old. We found that with Spot It! from Blue Orange Games. Now we have played Spot It! before – we own the Doc McStuffins version (you can read that review here) and we love it. I was so happy to see a Disney Frozen version come out because we still watch that movie on repeat in our home. I know that mommy loves it just as much as my girls do. Spot It! is the perfect family game, especially when your family contains little ones.

Spot It Olaf  Spot It Olaf  Spot It Olaf

One of my favorite things about Spot It! is that there are three different ways to play it. This keeps everyone from getting bored because you can switch it up. I am not exaggerating when I say that we have played Spot It! as a family every day for the last month. Every night we have played all three versions of the game and once Disney Frozen Spot It! arrived, we started playing six (three of each one). Another reason I am a huge fan of this game is that it helps my daughters with numbers and shapes recognition. My 2 year old can play this game by herself. She can look at the two cards she is comparing and point out what matches on them! It makes me so proud! And if you *gasp* don’t like Frozen, don’t worry, there are plenty of other editions that you can purchase. Blue Orange Games also has many other games that would be a great addition to any family fun night. Spot It! is also a perfect game to take with you while traveling. It is fun and comes in a small tin so just stick it in your bag! I know we plan to take ours on our Disney trip in October!

Spot It Olaf

Purchase Spot It! Disney Frozen Olaf Edition Here.

https://instagram.com/p/0803laPvtC/

 

 

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Nutrisystem – Before & After

Tessa Smith
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Nutrisystem – Before & After

Disclosure: I received three months of Nutrisystem in exchange for my unbiased, honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Nutrisytem Food

I am so sad to see my Nutrisystem NSNation experience come to a close. Nutrisystem has really helped me get my weight back on track. It has been a long road filled with ups and downs but as of yesterday, I hit my goal of 135 lbs – that is a weight loss of 21 lbs in just 3 months. That may not sound like much, but I had already lost over 50 lbs. My doctor has told me she absolutely does not want to see me at less than 135 lbs and that is fine with me. I am 5’7 so I am on the tall side for a woman. I think that 135 is a great weight for me – now I just need to work on toning up a bit more. The workouts were the hardest for me to get to because – if I am being totally honest – I have been really busy with this blog. If I have free time, I am trying to get a post or two done rather than spend 30 minutes working out. However, with the weather getting warmer, I will be going outside for walks with my girls and getting much more exercise.

I highly recommend Nutrisystem for any one who has issues with portion control and healthy foods. For me, finding time to make myself something heathly was hard. By the time I fed the girls, half the time I would skip lunch and binge eat later. That is not good at all. I am thrilled that I have about 1.5 weeks left of foods because of receiving the new foods to try part way through last month and because of a vacation I took. So I will continue to eat those and I may be ordering some breakfasts and lunches out of my own pocket. There were a lot that I loved and it would be great to have on hand for busy days. I am even toying with the idea of purchasing another Fast 5+ box. I LOVED those shakes.

The Nutrisystem food has been delicious. I was so pleased with almost every single meal I tried. The food gets delivered right to your door which makes life easy! Think about it, all your meals, portioned out, delivered to your door. All you have to go out and purchase are fresh veggies. Below are my absolute favorite Nutrisystem foods. It was hard to choose just one from each category, but I did it! These are my recommendations if you go ahead and sign up (which I totally think you should).

 cinnamon roll

Favorite Breakfast Meal: Cinnamon bun – This is a frozen meal and it takes just seconds to prepare in the microwave. You eat it warm and it just melts in your mouth. It tastes amazing. Do yourself a favor, and have it with a nice cup of coffee! Yum!

Chicken Quesadilla Lunch

Favorite Lunch Meal: Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla –  It takes about 15 minutes to prepare in the oven and is so delicious. It is cheesy and the flavors are amazing. I was so bummed when I did not receive any for month 3. If I do purchase some lunches, I will be grabbing a ton of these!

Nutrisystem Pizza

Favorite Dinner Meal: Italian Sausage & Turkey Pizza – I am a sucker for pizza. I love it. I could eat it every single day. This pizza was delicious. I really enjoyed the flavors of the meats. Hand down, one of the best pizzas I have ever had!

Fudge Brownie Dessert

Favorite Dessert: Fudge Brownie – I have said before how much I love chocolate and sweets so this was an obvious favorite for me. It tasted like it was so bad for me – which is awesome.

My good blogging buddy Joyce over at Women and Their Pretties starts her journey today –

so read about her experience on her blog here.

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I was so excited that I hit my goal! I feel so much healthier now and I know I have learned a lot about portion control and what foods are better to eat than others. I feel like I can really see a difference in my face. I started at 156 lbs and am now 135. I feel amazing! Thank you Nutrisystem!


#NSNation Week #13 Stats:

Weight: 135 lbs (down 21 lbs from Week #1, down 3 lbs from Week #12)
Waist Inches: 27 (down 6 inches from Week #1, down 1 inch from Week #12)
Hip Inches: 33 (down 5.5 inches from Week #1, down .5 inches from Week #12)
Before & After Photos:

Nutrisytem Day 1      Nutrisytem Day 1

Before

 After     After     After

After

Find out more about the Nutrisystem program here.

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Why We Love Our Diono Rainier Carseat

Tessa Smith
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47
Why We Love Our Diono Rainier Carseat

Disclosure: Mama Smith’s Review Blog received this item in exchange for her honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% hers.

Diono Rainier

I am a huge fan of extended rear-facing. And because of this, the Diono Radian RXT is a carseat that I had been looking into when I was picking out carseats for my daughters. I know I have mentioned it before but my husband is a researcher. He was also looking into the best discount auto insurance while he was at it. He spends hours – no days – no weeks – researching items that he wants to purchase before making a final decision. Ultimately, while we REALLY wanted Dionos, we went with something else because of the price. The issue being that we would need to purchase two. If we were buying just one, it would have been a Diono, no questions asked. I can confidently say that if we had gotten to try a Diono out, we would have purchased them hands down. We love our Diono Rainier (the “updated” version of the Radian RXT) and will be purchasing a second one very soon.

Diono Rainier

This carseat has so many awesome features that I love that I really do not even know where to start. This carseat makes extended rear-facing extremely easy. It comfortably rear-faces from 5 – 50 lbs! 50! That means that my almost 4 year old could STILL be rear-facing (boy do I wish that was a fight I could win with the hubby, but that is another story). The Rainier also has the highest forward-facing capacity of any car seat in a 5-point harness (from 20-90 lbs – up to 57″ in height). As if that is not enough, it converts to booster mode for children between 50 and 120 lbs (up to 57″ in height). So basically, you can purchase a Diono Rainier for your newborn baby – and have it until they no longer need a booster. That more than justifies the cost. The main reason we did not purchase a Diono before is because we were already out of the newborn stage when we were shopping for new carseats.

Diono RaInier Diono RaInier

When it comes to safety, the Diono Rainier is unmatched. It has a full steel frame and aluminum reinforced sides. It also has energy absorbing EPS foam surrounding the side and head for added safety. The Rainier is NCAP crash tested, which is the industry benchmark for verifying child seat performance in severe accident conditions. My husband even commented on how sturdy it is as he was setting it up and installing it. It has an angled cupholder which keeps drinks completely upright. I love that because we have had way too many spills in our backseat. You can also move it to three different spots for what is most comfortable for your child – and it is easy to remove and clean – a HUGE plus in my book. Something else that is really cool is that there is memory foam in the seating area. Talk about comfortable on long trips for the little ones!

Diono RaInier Diono RaInier Diono RaInier

My absolute favorite part about the Rainier though is tightening and un-tightening the straps. Our old carseat (and the one that my youngest is still in) is awful. I have to practically get in the car and crawl on top of my daughter to pull it tight, and even then it feels a lot looser than it should be. And when I try to take her out it is near impossible. I have actually just unbuckled her without loosening the straps before because I was so fed up. The Diono Rainier can fit three across in the back seat if you need them to. I am looking forward to having a second Rainier so I can comfortably fit between the girls if I need to (like when my mom is visiting). My daughter keeps talking about all the room she has now and how she is not “squished” like in her old carseat. She never puts up a fight about going anywhere now – she loves riding in her new carseat. The Rainier also folds flat for easy travel – and even has straps so you can carry or wear it easily. And the color selection! Don’t get me started on my love of the Orchid color we have.

Diono Rainier Diono RaInier

I will say that when it came to installing the carseat, we had some trouble at first. My husband breezed through the installation instructions and headed out to the car. About 15 minutes later, he came in, very frustrated, saying that the Diono was never going to work in our car – at least not for forward facing (which is how we were installing it for our almost 4 year old). Of course, I was pretty upset – I loved this carseat already and wanted my daughter to use it. I asked him why and he said that the way our seats were, it was impossible to pull it tight. I went out with him and noticed what he was talking about. The seat itself would move several inches when pushed (it should move no more than 1 inch). As he was tugging on the SuperLATCH it was getting caught between the Diono and our car’s backseat. He had to climb inside the car, put his knee on the Diono’s seat, and pull REALLY hard several times. After one of them I noticed the seat push flush against the back seat. That was it! We latched the back strap and pushed the sides. This seat is going no where! Now that we know how to install it, my husband is pretty confident that he will be able to quickly install our second one (because we will be getting our younger daughter one). I plan to video it and post on my YouTube account for you guys because we would have loved to see a good Diono Rainier installation video while installing ours.

Diono RaInier unnamed (6)

Overall, we all love this carseat. My BFF is a bit of a carseat expert and she flipped when she heard I was getting a Diono Rainier. She could not say enough good things about it and I now see why. I am really excited to be getting one for our youngest daughter soon. I understand being scared off because of the price but don’t be. It is worth every penny (and more!) in my honest opinion. We are a Diono family for life!

Purchase your Diono Rainier here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqPiTNvUdyI

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Bring on My Final Nutrisystem Week!

Tessa Smith
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0
Bring on My Final Nutrisystem Week!

Disclosure: I received three months of Nutrisystem in exchange for my unbiased, honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Nutrisystem-640x140

 

I cannot believe it is here. Today I start my final week on Nutrisystem. It certainly had it’s ups and downs but overall this has been an amazing journey. I plan to really push hard this last week and lost that last 2-3 pounds that I want to lose. I wish I had the stuff to do another Fast 5 like the first week, that was great! This week was OK but this weekend I attended a birthday party and Easter event and indulged a bit too much. I am really upset that I did not save some of my favorite meals for my final week and am hoping I can stick with it even with just my “ehhh” meals left. Don’t get me wrong, they still taste great, I will just have to push harder a little because I have some duplicates. There will not be much variety this week, but I know I can do it. I will have a few extra meals and will finish them up the following week as well.

Wish me luck guys! My next post will be all about before and after, favorite overall meals, and what I plan to do in the future to keep this weight off!

#NSNation Week #12 Stats:

Weight: 138 lbs (down 18 lbs from Week #1, down 2 lbs from Week #11)
Waist Inches: 28 (down 5 inches from Week #1, down 1 inch from Week #11)
Hip Inches: 33.5 (down 5 inches from Week #1, down 1.5 inches from Week #11)
Photo: Day 76

Nutrisystem

Find out more about the Nutrisystem program here.

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Wild Kratts Live! coming to Syracuse

Tessa Smith
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0
Wild Kratts Live! coming to Syracuse

Wild Kratts LiveMy daughters LOVE Wild Kratts! They are 2 and 3.5 and we watch them everyday on PBS Kids. My husband and I love this show too because it teaches them all about animals in a really fun way – I don’t think they even realize that they are learning so much! So imagine how excited I was when I saw that Wild Kratts is coming to the live stage! I was even more excited when I saw that they were coming to The Oncenter – one of my favorite venues in Syracuse, there is not a bad seat in the house.

Wild Kratts LIVE! will be at The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater on Friday, July 31. Tickets go on-sale Friday April 3 at 10am and can be purchased at in person at the Solvay Bank Box Office at The Oncenter (760 S. State Street), charge by phone (800-745-3000) or online via ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at just $25, plus applicable service charges.

oncenter

Show Synopsis:

Animated Kratt Brothers, Martin and Chris, “come to real life” in a classically Wild Kratts story. In “To the Creature Rescue!,” the Emmy-nominated Kratt Brothers activate some fan favorite Creature Power Suits to confront a comic villain. Through hilarious pratfalls and amazing animal ‘wow facts,’ the Wild Kratts team rescues their favorite invention from Zach’s clutches so the animals of the creature world are safe once again. Wild Kratts LIVE! is created for the stage by the imaginative minds of Martin Kratt and Chris Kratt from Zooboomafoo, Kratt’s Creatures and Be the Creature. The Kratt Brothers’ national tours draw tens of thousands of creature-crazy kids and their families. The not-for-profit Kratt Brothers Creature Hero Society, together with kids, has successfully protected critical wildlife habitats through the creation of nature reserves.

Connect with Kratt Brothers on Social Media:

Website: www.krattbrothers.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildkrattsofficial

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildKrattsOffic

Disney Princess Fleece Blankets

Tessa Smith
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2
Disney Princess Fleece Blankets

Disclosure: Mama Smith’s Review Blog received this item in exchange for her honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% hers.

Disney Princess Throw BlanketsSince we live in upstate New York, we have to deal with the cold for quite a while. And there is nothing better when watching a movie on family movie night (Sunday night’s for us!) and cuddling under a blanket together. I know that some day they will shudder at the thought of cuddling with their mama so I am going to milk it as long as I can. We recently booked a trip to Disney World and it is all they have been talking about since they found out. It is not until October but we are already planning (I am a planner, what can I say?!) and I know that these Disney Princess Fleece Blankets from Northwest will be perfect for the trip!

Disney Princess Blanket    Disney Princess Blanket    Disney Princess Blanket

These blankets are extremely soft and the girls absolutely love them. This will be their first time on a plane and we will be traveling late so I know these will be perfect for napping on the way. They will also be great to cuddle with at the hotel. These blankets are the perfect size for little ones. Northwest has many other blankets and bedding for your little princesses and princes so check out all they have to offer here.

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FREE Inside Out Family Activity Printables

Tessa Smith
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0
FREE Inside Out Family Activity Printables

Inside Out

I love to spend time with my daughters doing different crafts and activities. Every morning, we head to the computer and my 3.5 year picks out some printables that she wants to do that day. She usually picks out things for her 2 year old sister, but sometimes her sister gets upon my lap and decides too. Ever since we booked our Disney trip, whenever the girls see that signature “D” they flip out. So of course, Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out has been a big hit in this house. Every single time a preview comes on they both jump up and down and beg to go see it. I promised them that opening weekend in June, we will be there.

I have some really cool Inside Out family activity printables for you. Just click on the links to download them and you will have hours of fun with your kiddos! And be sure to go see it in theaters this summer – it looks great!

Coloring Sheets

Coloring Sheets

Door Hangers

Door Hangers

Easter Egg Decorations

Easter Egg Decorations

Emotions Around The Worlds

Emotions Around The World

Spot The Difference

Spot The Difference

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