July 13th, 2012

David Yurman Collection at Lux Bond and Green

As a proud owner of David Yurman jewelry, I can attest to its classic, timeless, yet sturdy, beauty.

As a Mom to young children, it is always a blessing to be able to wear a necklace, bracelet or earrings, but even more so when it is an amazing luxury brand. So I was honored to be able to attend an exclusive launch of the newest David Yurman Collection at one of the physical locations of Lux Bond & Green (LBG). (See my full review of LBG here.)

 

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Despite the worried looks on guests faces as I waddled into the event nine months pregnant, I can probably say that many people will remember me (well, maybe not me, per se, but the hugely pregnant woman). I could not partake in the wine or the appetizers because of said pregnancy status, so it gave me some extra time to really look at the new collection.

I pursued the stunning new David Yurman pieces, and fell in love with them all. Yet, there was one item in the David Yurman collection that really caught my eye, for two reasons. One: it was a ring and Two: it would be a perfect set of jewelry for a new Mom.

 

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These are stackable rings that come in different setting shapes (cushion, round, oval and marquis, which David Yurman has never done) and a variety of stones from which to chose. It would be perfect for a Mom who could have a ring honoring each child. (The photo doesn’t do its justice!)

I’ve seen rings like this in recent months. It is such a refreshing and modern take on the “Mom Ring” and a breath of fresh air from the recent popularity of the initial necklaces. While you can get stackable Mom rings from Etsy (there are some great ones), this would be a great option to supplement your David Yurman collection or to begin one. Since they are sturdy, well-made pieces, you won’t mind wearing it with little ones in tow, and if you like the finer things in life, or the style status factor, then these would fit the bill to a T! Each ring varies in price depending on the stone and the setting, but they are around $350+ per ring.

This the new thing I am coveting and will definitely be putting on my wish list.

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Note: As a guest of the event, I received a goody bag with a store credit to LBG. However, all thoughts, opinions (and the decision to post) are my own. 

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March 15th, 2012

Next Size Up Kids Consignment Sale

The Next Size Up Kids’ Consignment Sale will hold its biggest event on Thursday, March 29, 2012-April 1, 2012 at the former Borders Books on Route 1 in North Attleboro. Parents can shop from thousands of gently-used toys, clothing, baby gear, books, DVDs, video games, kids decor and more. (And save a lot of money in the process!)

According to Tiffany Miller, who co-founded Next Size Up, “Our shoppers are always telling us how impressed they are with the quality of our items. We have a team of volunteers who spend many, many hours looking at every single item we sell – they check clothing for stains and wear, test toys and make sure high chairs and strollers are clean and in good working order.”

Charity is another important aspect of the Next Size Up sale. Food pantry donations will be collected throughout the sale, and shoppers are encouraged to bring not only non-perishable food, but also diapers, wipes and similar items that benefit children. Consignors are also given the option of leaving unsold items with Next Size Up for donation to Cradles to Crayons, a charity that works directly with families in need. Furthermore, if you have quality, clean children’s clothing, shoes, coats, books and baby equipment that you want to donate, stop by the sale on Sunday, April 1, from 2 to 5 PM and it will be added to the Cradles to Crayons donation truck.

The consignment sale will be open to the public with free admission Friday, March 30, from 9 AM to 9 PM and Saturday, March 31, from 9 AM to 6 PM. Cash, VISA and Mastercard are accepted. On Sunday, April 1, many items will be marked down to half-price. Anyone bringing two items for the local food pantry for the Sunday half-price sale can get early admission at 9:30 AM.

A private presale will be held Thursday, March 29, from 7 to 10 PM with a $10 admission charge. (Active military moms and dads can sign up for free passes on the sale website.)

(*Note: no winner from previously posted giveaway as the required number of entrants was not reached.)

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February 17th, 2012

Quinn Popcorn

When I was grocery shopping last weekend at Whole Foods, I saw this in a display section.

Quinn Popcorn Box

I don’t know what drew me to it. The box design? The fact that it was microwave popcorn? Well, whatever the reason, the ploy worked. The really cool popcorn flavors sweetened the pot. Parmesan & Rosemary? Lemon & Sea Salt? Vermont Maple & Sea Salt?

Yes, please.

Then I saw that is was all natural popcorn, with no hydrogenated oils, no preservatives, GMO free, rBGH free, with a pure bag that is just paper. That sealed the deal. I squirreled it away in my shopping cart.

Just like ordinary microwave popcorn, you put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Then you get to be a bit of a culinary wonder.

Quinn Popcorn Spices

You add the separate packet of GMO free canola oil into the bag. Give it a shake. Then you add the packet of natural spices. Shimmy shake again. Then dig in or put into a bowl for sharing. Though, really, you may not want to share.

But I had to fork over the goods, because my toddler got a whiff. Actually, I think the popping noise in the microwave gave me away. (Microwave traitor!) I think he ate more than his fair share, so if you wonder if it passes the kid test, I would say a strong yes.

I love how the product, and the packaging, is pure as can be. I love how it is a Massachusetts-based company. (I’m a bit biased.) I also love their website and super cute instructions on the packaging. Oh, and this is just the first round. More posh popcorn is coming down the pike. And they are totally open to feedback.

Quinn Popcorn Pack

So for a fancy popcorn and wine party (great idea, eh?) or a Saturday afternoon movie fest, pop a bag, know it is free of yucky stuff and still yummy too.

Happy noshing. (You can thank me later.)

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Image Credit: ©CharleneChronicles

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. I just loved the popcorn and thought I would share to popcorn goodness. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For ingredients and calorie information, visit their website directly.

 

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October 17th, 2011

Party Pooper

So last Saturday I found myself in Rhode Island with a booked hotel room in an expensive hotel for our belated anniversary, a perplexed husband, a mom who drove 90 minutes to stay overnight at our house to watch our 23 month old, and a staff at the StillWater Spa in Newport, RI wondering what the hell I was talking about.

You see, we had driven 2 hours to the Spa Week/Stillwater Spa Pink Martini Night on October 15th. The issue? It was on October 7th. A week before.

I left with tears and feeling like it was my fault. But how could it be? How could I have gotten the date so wrong?

Here is the story.

I had gotten the heads up on the event on the Spa Week Blog. As a Hot Spa Mom, there is a list of us on the Spa Week Blog. I thought nothing of the post being outdated since it is constantly getting new Hot Spa Moms added and the opening paragraph of the post listed the correct week for the Fall Spa Week festivities.

Hot Spa Moms

As you can see from the bottom of the image above, it had listed a great blogger as being a host of the Pink Martini Night Party. So I clicked on that link. This is the post the link took me to….

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So there was nothing that gave me pause that anything was amiss. I clicked on an active blog post that took me to another blog post where, on its face, nothing would indicate it was an old post for an old party.

However, when I was standing in aforenamed Stillwater Spa, they informed me the post was from 2010 and that I should have noticed the small box on top of the page.

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Yet, why does that matter (even if one did notice the teeny box at top on a page with tons of ads and a huge hot pink invitation image competing with it.) The link from the Hot Spa Moms took me here. Furthermore, that Hot Spa Moms page even had a 2010 date, but it is an active post, so why would I think this post would be any different. (Especially since the “invitation image” didn’t have the year on it?)

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It turns out there was another post, posted on October 5th, 2011 about the October 7th, 2011 Pink Martini Night Party. However, I had called on September 20th to register for the October 15th party according to my phone records. Everyone following me here? How could I have registered for such party if there was no post until a couple of days before. How is it as a Hot Spa Mom that I am not getting notice of these events? Even when I called to register, there was no notice from the staff of an incorrect date on my part.

I even tweeted to the Spa Week corporate account the day before the supposed party.

Spa Week Tweet

As of the time and date of this post, I still haven’t gotten a return tweet saying “Huh?” Or anything like that.

So thanks to the wonderful Hyatt in Newport, they refunded us the room. We called my Mom and drove the two hours back to Massachusetts. Around 9pm that night, we had a bowl of cereal and went to bed. Not the night I was expecting and out $8 in tolls and a $50 tank of gas.

But here are my Social Media tips that any company or business should consider when they have a company blog.

 

  • Constantly check your links. Even as a small blogger I do that. There are great WordPress plugins like ReDirect and Broken Link Checker to help.
  • Spend one day a month reviewing posts. I go through my small blog once a month and clean up old or irrelevant posts, like event listings or old giveaways. One can delete them altogether or make them revert back to draft form for updating later. It is easy to do ‘en-mass’ in WordPress too.
  • Update the post date. If you are updating a post, update the post date. In WordPress, it is easy to do. Just above the “Update” button on an existing post, you see the option to change the date of the post. More often than not, it is a good thing for SEO since it makes your post more relevant for the bots to find. And prevents confusion like my post above shows.
  • Have an active Twitter account. If you are a company or run your own business, always be checking your account, even on the weekends or at night because a lot of people tweet about events, issues or activities and you want to be able to respond in a timely manner to head off any problems early on.

All in all, should I have known? Do you have other tips? Do you think someone as SpaWeek should be accountable? Should Stillwater Spa have handled it better? Let me know your thoughts. (Because I am still weepy over it.)

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