Three tips to survive the rain at Disney World

Rain.  It ruins my blowouts, cancels my plans, and makes my otherwise cute clothes inappropriate. It can be so...annoying. And if there's one place where I can expect to see a thundershower or two is at Walt Disney World.  I recently returned from the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration held there and sure enough, it rained.

But like most things in life, you can let the rain get you down and spoil your trip, or you can make the most of it and salvage the day.  For those who want to be prepared. Check out my tips, direct from Disney World:

Disclosure: I was compensated for doing this video but all opinions are of course my own. I attended the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration at a reduced rate.

Moms, Stop Lying!

Me, breastfeeding at Disney

Moms, stop it. Stop it right now. Stop believing all the lies, half truths and lies-by-omission that you tell yourself everyday.  You're smart.  Don't buy into the hype. I'm writing this post to call us out. (Yes, I have been guilty of doling out these little white lies too.). Here are the top 5 lies us moms MUST stop telling ourselves right now:

1. I just had a baby. If your baby is over 6 months old, you did not "just" have a baby. Stop using that as an excuse to explain your weight gain/lack of sex drive/energy level/lateness/etc. 

2. I can't afford another baby. Get ready for it: Yes you can. You just don't want one bad enough. Or your husband doesn't. Or you don't want to sacrifice your lifestyle, or that of your other kid(s). Or the thought of all the changes is just too overwhelming.  And that's A-OK! Really! It's ok not to have another baby, but just stop blaming it on money. 

3. I'm so much better than you because I breastfed for xx months. I'm calling bs on myself.  I've caught myself judging a mom formula feeding a newborn while I'm trying to keep my gut from showing and wincing in pain trying to breastfeed. Surely, I'm the better mom, right? NOPE.  No one is better or worse. (But she sure did look more put together.) Just stay in your lane and do what's best for you.  And buy lots of nursing tanks.

4. The Mommy Wars don't exist. Of course they do! Birds of a feather and all that jazz. But we don't have to perpetuate it to make the chasm larger. Own whatever choice you've made and don't worry about others. Being a mom is hard. Stop making it harder.

5. Child birth was beautiful. Oh no you didn't! Stop romanticizing the painful, bloody, gory mess that is child birth. Stop giving me the "instagramed" version of your birth story. Stop making women who haven't yet been through this rite of passage feel like its supposed to be a zen moment. The baby is beautiful.  Getting him or her out is definitely not.

What do you think about these lies? Which ones do you tell?

Review: World of Eric Carle products

MomSelect recently sent me some World of Eric Carle products and asked me to review them with my kids. My little ones were more than happy to oblige. You can check out their products online! Here's what we thought of them:

http://youtu.be/tEJWnKIHFtM

Disclosure: I received World of Eric Carle products to review. All opinions are my own.

Would you buy a car online?

I buy pretty much everything online. Sure I still like to shop at brick-and-mortars but I find online shopping to be fun, convenient, and a lot of times cheaper. But when I heard about the new car company, Carvana, selling cars 100% online I was a little skeptical. No car lot? No pushy salesman? No feeling like the finance guy was laughing at my "job" title? Wait...this might be good.

A 2011 Honda Pilot is on it's way!

My friends at Carvana heard that I was intrigued and offered to set me up with a test account so I could try out the service and use a car for a week. I jumped at the chance. They were nice enough to schedule the demo right before the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration so my family and I can ride down to Orlando in style. Woohoo!

I "bought" the car on Friday night and it will be delivered Tuesday afternoon. No driving to a dealership. No haggling over price. No pressure to use their financing (though they do offer it). It was all the fun of shopping without the hassle of a used car lot. It took an hour tops, from start to finish, and that's just because I kept going back and forth between two cars. The whole process was super easy, relaxing, and...fun.  Their goal is to create a consumer-friendly technology (their 360 degree online experience is pretty awesome) and give complete control to the customer without the typical stressors of buying a car.  From my experience, they have done that and more.

They have over 200 cars on the site, covering many makes and models from Mercedes and Lexus to Civics and yes even several minivans. They are backed by the billion dollar company, DriveTime, who have over 20 years in the car buying and selling business.  So while Carvana is new, (they launched in January 2013), they do have dependable partners.

Since my family needs at least a 6 passenger car our options were a bit limited but we still had about 10 cars to choose from. We opted for a 2011 Honda Pilot with all the extras (leather, navigation, DVD, XM, etc). All Carvana cars are certified so I don't have to worry about them being "lemons". Plus, they have a 5 day no-questions-asked return policy. Yes! A return policy for cars...genius!

I get my car tomorrow so I will let you know ow it looks, drives, and feels. Right now, I'm just so excited to not have to drive my 7 year old minivan. I get to be a cool kid...at least for a week! So the question stands...would you buy a car online?

Disclosure: I received a car to test drive for a week. All opinions are my own.

Do you know an amazing Mom? Win a @Target gift card for her!

My own mom is pretty darn amazing!

My friends at Target (gosh I love that store), wanted to celebrate special moms this Mother's Day. So they asked me to reach out to you my fabulous readers to see who you think is the best mom and why.  And they will give the winner a $50 Target gift card!

Is your own mom awesome at those arts and crafts projects you aren't so apt to do?  Does your sister handle a houseful of kids with grace, humor, and a godly spirit?  Perhaps you feel like you deserve the title of amazing mom just for all the faces and butts wiped each day?  Well I say YES! Each of those people are amazing and worthy and you should tell me about them.

Giveaway details
This one is super easy.  Just leave me a comment below telling about the mom you think deserves the "Amazing Mom" award.  You can enter as many times as you like but you just have to honor a different mom each time.  The winner will be picked on Monday, May 13 via random.org.  The person who writes the comment will get the gift card and can do with it what she or he pleases. (But it would be nice to buy that special someone a little something.  Hint. Hint.)  I can't wait to hear your stories!

Disclosure: I was compensated for hosting this giveaway.  All opinions are my own.

Mother's Day gifts that give back: Maiden Nation

The team at Everywhere has introduced me to a variety of things, including worthy causes even moms like me can support. They recently sent me this cool FEED 5 woven bracelet from Maiden Nation. I really like the style statement it makes but even more so I like the political, socio-economic, charitable statements it makes too. You see this is no ordinary bracelet. For everyone bought (for $40), five children will be able to eat. Now that says Happy Mother's Day to me!

The proceeds of this bracelet benefit stylista Lauren Bush's FEED project. Handcrafted from palm leaves by local artisans in Columbia, the open circle band is both meaningful and beautiful. And with every purchase of these unique bracelets, you’ll provide five school meals through the United Nations World Food Program. The FEED project has provided over 60 million school meals to children living in 62 countries across the world. In addition to the work they have accomplished globally, FEED supports nutrition programs around the world and in the US through the help of organizations like UNICEF and DonorsChoose.org.

More on Maiden Nation
Maiden Nation was founded on one basic principle: empowering women through ethical fashion. Their designers are of the moment. Their products are ethically sourced. And they reinvest their profits into women’s entrepreneurship projects. Their goal is to create a marketplace where items are designed with both beauty and social consciousness in mind. With sayings like "we are connected, not ranked" designed by Gloria Steinem, and "imagine peace" designed by Yoko Ono, the products speak the creative and charity driven sides of women.  And anyone, including "just" moms, can be a part of it.

Disclosure: I received a bracelet from Everywhere to review. No other compensation was given and of course all these opinions are my own.