Get KuKee with Hello Kitty

 This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and KuKee, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #KuKeeapp  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

It's fun having a three year old. Really fun. It's fun to converse with her, challenge her, educate her, and watch her personality unfold. From her food choices to her clothing choices, it's amazing to see what she likes versus what she doesn't like. We try to encourage as much independence as possible. As much as a three year old can have at this point in time. 

We give her choices for what she'd like to eat,what she'd like to do as well as what she'd like to wear. Well, when it comes to food, she's always been very vocal about what she would prefer. Banana, breakfast bar, and a bowl of cereal first thing in the morning. What she'd like to do? The first answer is always either the Children's Museum or the Zoo. Good thing we have year long passes to both. But as far as clothes go? It wasn't until recent that she started to develop a sense of style.

I cannot believe I'm talking about my baby's style. My baby who, it seems, I just gave birth to. But it's true, they turn into these little girls with big personalities. And these days? These days we are picking from leggings to jeans, from vest to cardigan, from boots to sneakers, and even debating over the color of the hairbow to be worn. It must match she says. Although I don't really think she has yet grasped the concept of matching. 

I like it though. I like when she decides what she wants to wear and watching her choose.  

Her favorites lately have been layers, and throwing random things together. Leggings with a skirt, shirt with a vest. A scarf to add dimension. And of course paired with her favorite pair of sunnies. Not to mention cheetah boots.

We headed off to Macy's the other day to pick up a Hello Kitty outfit of her choice. I have to say, the options were endless, which resulted in a toddler that just wanted it all. I don't blame her, I would too if they came in my size. She finally settled for the bright pink skirt and the grey jacket to pair with it. And mama over here was on cloud 9 because Macy's had a big 50% off sale, so I scored everything for half off. Deals are my thing, so if you are wanting to pick up some Hello Kitty Let's play items for your little ones---do so now, or don't forget there will be big Cyber Monday and Black Friday deals going on.

When we got home, I told Elliana that she gets to do a little scavenger hunt with her clothes. This was a foreign term to my little girl, so I had to go a little more in depth and show her exactly what I was talking about. I had downloaded the KuKee app the night before just so I would be prepared for this. I showed her how to hold the phone and then scan the little marker and her excitement was quite hilarious when the app opened up, and she saw her little face next to KuKeeeeeeeee {as she calls it}. The picture taking was pretty much what consumed the next 20 minutes of our lives.

Then, it got even better when I showed her that she could take a picture of her Hello Kitty on her jacket. We did that

Want to know how this app works? Look at the image below. There are 4 simple steps

1. Download the app on your apple or android phone.

2. Find the Hello Kitty dress up icon marker, like the one I showed you above {see that little yellow round sticker attached to the instructions? That's the marker}.

3. Aim at the marker to launch.

4. Let's Play unlocks all the fun!

5. Be sure to share with your friends by using the hashtag #mykukee

JACKET- Hello Kitty | SKIRT- Hello Kitty

Check out the KuKee pinterest board to get more great ideas.

So not only are the clothes cute, but your child gets to have a little fun with it too. It's also a great opportunity for parents to interact with their kids, and a great gift option for the holidays to come.

What are you waiting for... go get KuKee with your little girls!

You can find KuKee on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

How we #GetItDone

This is a sponsored post on behalf of One2One Network. All opinions stated are my own. 

When I was talking to Andrew the other day about my own blogging and what I do on this little space of mind, I was quickly reminded of how the internet and technology world has impacted the career force. I simply cannot think of a single job profession out there that is not influenced by technology in some sort of way. Because that's just the truth of the matter; it's all around us. And I did not start thinking about it as in depth until the conversation began.

The thing about our "jobs" is that we have many different roles in life. Aside from the typical 9-5 desk job, we continue to have responsibilities, commitments, and deadlines for ourselves outside of work. Whether that be with our family, our friends, or even our internet jobs, such as blogging, there is always an appointment to pencil in, a deadline to meet, and projects to complete. Always. That's why modern technology is important. To make us more efficient than ever before. Not like the past where our calendars hung on the fridge, our chores charts were scribbled messily on paper, and the bills were written down one by one each month to remind us of the due dates. Now we have technology to speed things along. Not to mention-make things look better.

For me, what is most important is that my husband and I are always on the same page when it comes to our schedules. And that's where technology comes into the picture. His work schedule is pretty predictable {9-5 Monday-Friday} and mine is all over the place {3 twelve hour night shifts a week}. As the years go by, our schedules only seem to get busier and I love the flexibility of filling out our committments from anywhere and anytime through Microsoft Outlook. All of our individual schedules are color coded so we know who has what and when. And my husband no longer has to call me at work to find out what my schedule is, he can login himself and have access to it and make changes to meet his own personal needs. Better yet, I love the fact that I have the ability to access Office through our iPhones {you can also access through Android, Windows phone, and Ipads}.

It is amazing where we have come as society in regards to technology. It is amazing to think that this may just be the beggining. As a result, life has become simpler, a little more organized, and lot more efficient.

For me, because of technology, I've been thinking about going down to 2 days a week at my job, and shifting my focus more to my passion behind my writing. Will this effect me financially? Sure. But the flexible schedule sounds perfect right about now.

As Andrew and I were getting ready for bed, we talked further about where blogging will take me, where I plan to go from here, and how I plan to incorporate it more into my life. I don't know all the answers, and I'm not sure I will know the answer, but for now I am grateful for the technology that we have, for an organized schedule, and for a more efficient means of communication.

Be sure to go enter the #GetItDone contest on Facebook and tell Microsoft how you #GetItDone. By doing so, you can have the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip of a lifetime. You can enter now through November 21st. 

Enter below to win a one-year subscription (US $99.99 value) of Office 365 Home Premium.

This includes: Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. You can use one license for up to five devices on either PC or Mac. With this, you will also get 20GB of SkyDrive cloud storage, 60 free Skype world calling minutes per month, future upgrades, and automatic saves to SkyDrive so you have the ability to access your personal documents from anywhere at anytime.

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Rocking it out with Kleenex. Rocking the immune system that is.

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group®and Kleenex but all my opinions are my own. #KleenexAllergy #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO. "

Every year, we are faced with the same plague that hits right around this time of season. I call it a plague, but there is also another fancy name for it...allergies. Weather changes. Climate changes. Temperature changes. And the seasonal allergies hit. It seems as though for a good solid two months we are stuck battling the sneezing and runny noses.  We do okay. We figure it out, and we sure go through a lot of Kleenex along the way, but it beats a situation where we are all out cold moping on the couch complaining about not feeling well. Let me tell you about how that goes down.

Last week, I sent a text to my husband:

"Andrew, little miss got her first real sickness. She's hacking, her nose is running, and her poor eyes look sad."

We proceeded to talk back and forth about feeling bad for her, making her some of my famous homemade chicken noodle soup, and letting her snuggle up on the couch and watch cartoons all day.

I then ended the conversation by mistakenly telling my husband:

"Good thing I don't have to worry about catching the cold from her, because my immune system rocks!" He laughed, although knowing that it is {for the most part} true, he reminded me that now I was doomed to get it. I assured him that was not a possibility. Remember, "rocking" immune system. And then I ate my words...Because apparantely, it was in the cards for me. And not only did I catch the sickness, but I was out cold for two days, off work, on the couch, and feeling like a truck ran over me. Backed up, and then ran over me again, and again, and again. My nose was stuffed, I went through a box of Kleenex, and my body ached from head to toe. And of course, as soon as I get better, my poor little baby catches it too. Which means more loving from this mama. So by day 3, my daughter and I both had it and were recovered, and my son was beginning the course of the illiness. The only person that was left unwounded was my husband, and I knew for sure that he was the last person I wanted to get sick. Because let me tell you something; when he gets sick... it's the end of the world. Why is that men are that way?

We were doing fine there by day 4-5. I truly thought that my husband was going to be spared. And then by the end of day 5, he started complaining of not feeling well, which turned into a runny nose, a new box of kleenex to be opened, and a whole lot of pouting. From all of us.

By the end of the week, we were all grateful that recovery was upon us. We were grateful that the worst thing that we had to deal with were runny noses and sore bodies. We were grateful that we got to feel better, that we had a warm bed to climb into, and that most of all, we still had each other. Although during times of sickness it's hard to think of situations that are worse, people that are suffering more than us, and illnesses that are far greater, it's important to keep those sort of things in mind. It's also what helps us to get better.

I'm reminded of how not feeling well doesn't always have to turn into something bad. That the extra snuggles from the kids {and husband}, the warm soups, the hot tea {with honey or raspberry preserve}, the piles of Kleenex on my night stand, and the amount of on-demand that is watched is good for the soul. Good to sit back and appreciate the "nothings" in life. To throw tissues on the ground. To wear the same clothes for 48 hours. To eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And to just not care about what is going on in the outside world. Briefly.

The thing about seasonal allergies is that they always have a way to creep back up on us. So does the typical cold. It's like the two are following each other around. So we try to be more prepared when that time comes. Because a the end of the day, there just is no way to get away from the environment and the triggers of our allergies. We'll continue to sneeze. We'll continue to have runny noses. We'll continue to have watery eyes. That we know for sure. Therefore, finding a product that you can trust for your allergy needs is what is most important for us.

And if you're anything like us, where when one has a household of battling allergies and sickness, then you'll need to invest in a few boxes of Kleenexes to stock up for allergy and cold season. Better yet, grab this coupon to use at Target and you can get a free wallet pack or pocket pack when you buy a 4 pack { Buy Kleenex 4pack, get free wallet pack (2-pk) or pocket pack (3-pk): http://goo.gl/186og3 } *while supplies last

Now, I'm off to go sanitize the whole house. I'm determined to keep this immune system rocking.