Feature Friday: Paws.Plan.Create December Days Edition Christmas Planner 2015 TN Printable and Christmas Countdown/Planner Reminder Stickers PDF {Review and Discount Code} #LLRGiftGuide2015

I like to think I am organized.  At least I try.  Sometimes. It's funny when I think about it.  At the beginning of the school year, my classroom is always decorated {In owls, of course} and everything has its place.  More importantly, everything is in its place. Within six weeks, my classroom looks like a tornado hit. Papers are stacked everywhere. Art supplies are scattered throughout the room.  You get the picture.

With Christmas fast approaching, I NEED to be better organized than I was last year.  Oh my.  What chaos that was! We shopped, hid presents throughout the house, and forgot what we bought, how

much we spent, and where we hid everything.  {We were still fining presents months later!}

I promised myself that wouldn't happen this year.  Thanks to the Christmas Countdown planner that Hailey from Paws.Plan.Create. sent me to review, I'm feeling much better about this year.

This planner is seriously the bomb dot com. It has everything you need to be sure you have a great holiday {Well, minus the gifts and eggnog}.  For those who have an Elf on a Shelf, you will be able to track what you want to do with that pesky elf each day.  There's a countdown calendar- That page scares me, actually. I can see in black and white how quickly my days to shop keep slipping away.

In this planner, you have a weekly calendar and a grid page next to it- perfect for keeping track of your to-dos for the week and jotting important reminders to yourself {like where you hide the gifts!} The two parts of this planner I love the most is the online shopping tracker and the budget tracker.  {Hubby likes those pages even more than I do, because he lives for creating budgets!}

I would be remiss if I didn't mention how adorable the drawings are in the planner- so cute! Hailey truly paid attention to detail when she created this planner! If you want more decoration, purchase the countdown stickers well.  I like adding some washi tape to mine too.

This planner for your Midori notebook or faux dori notebook and the stickers are printable which makes them amazingly affordable! This was my first time attempting to print planner inserts on my own.  It was tricky at first, but Hailey was extremely patient with me and helped me to figure it out.  I wish I would have printed them on a heavier weight paper, but I am still thrilled with how they turned out!

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Paws.Plan.Create. is generously offering my readers a 10% discount on a minimum purchase of $14. Use the code LIVELIFEREVIEW10 at checkout.

Disclosure:
The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part.

STEAZ Organic Iced Teaz Review

There's nothing quite like a refreshing iced tea to satisfy one's thirst. My oldest son is a big fan of flavored iced teas, so when Mom Fuse asked me if I was interested in reviewing Steaz Organic Iced Teaz, I knew my boy would be up for the challenge.

Steaz Organic Iced Teaz are USDA Certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified, and are available in 16 oz. fully recyclable aluminum cans. The teas are lightly sweetened with 10g of pure cane sugar and are brewed without preservatives or additives. Flavors include four Green Tea varieties (Peach, Blueberry/ Pomegranate/Acai, Mint, and Unsweetened with Lemon), Black Tea with Lemon and White Tea with Lime and Pomegranate.

We were sent the mint and the peach flavors of Steaz Organic Iced Teaz to sample. Jake especially enjoyed the peach tea, and described it as having a nice sweet taste without having the peach flavor overpower the tea. He also said he could taste a hint of lemon. This is a tea he would drink again. The mint tea was harder for him to describe. He said he could hardly taste the mint, and so I tried the tea as well. I must agree that while this is a great tasting tea, if you want a stronger mint taste, you won't find it in this tea. Even so, it is a pleasant flavor. Since Steaz Organic Iced Teaz met with our resident iced tea-drinker's approval, we will certainly be stocking them in our refrigerator.

Steaz beverages are sold nationally in the U.S. in natural, specialty, gourmet and club stores, as well as food service companies. Steaz beverages are sold in retail outlets such as Whole Foods, Safeway, Publix, Wegmans, and Shaw's supermarkets. Steaz is also sold internationally in Canada, Australia, Mexico, India, Singapore, South Africa, the Netherlands, and the Middle East.
Click here to download a coupon for Steaz Organic Iced Teaz.

Thank you, Mom Fuse, for this review opportunity.

REVIEW: Simply Sarah Handy Hold All (Discount Code for Readers)

As I admitted in an earlier post, I am a handbag fanatic. My belief is that a girl can never own too many. I mean, seriously. I need different bags depending upon the occasion. You won't see me carrying my coveted Coach handbag to work (that's what all my totes are for!), and my Vera Bradley bags are fantastic for casual weekend outings, and...okay, well, you get the picture.

I have no problem whatsoever acquiring bags. The issue for me is storage of said handbags. I used to keep them in my closet- until I ran out of room. Then, I purchased plastic storage bins and stashed them in those under my bed. I ran out of room there too. Finally, I had them on the floor next to my bed; what a mess!

Storage for my handbag addiction is no longer a problem thanks to the Simply Sarah Handy Hold All which Mom Fuse recently asked me to review.

The Simply Sarah Handy Hold All is at long last a stylish solution to the problem of efficiently storing handbags, baseball caps, and scarves. The patented Handy Hold All is 100% cotton, measures 39"x4" and has 7 hanging loops with silver snaps and a grommet for easy mounting in a closet or on a door. Each loop can hold 2-4 items.

I love that the Handy Hold All is oh so pretty and stylish. My husband feels more practically about it; he's just relieved that he doesn't have to step over handbags anymore to get into bed!

If you or someone you love has an out-of-control storage situation going on with their handbag, baseball cap or scarf addiction, then the Simply Sarah Handy Hold All is a must have product!

Purchase a Handy Hold All for only $30 by visiting the Simply Sarah online store. While there, be sure to take a look at the other beautiful products offered for sale.

Simply Sarah has generously offered living life one day at a time and Mom Fuse readers a fabulous 50% discount to be used on all purchases! Enter the code: momfuse at checkout. Happy shopping!

REVIEW- Top Chef: The Game and a SWEET Discount Code

I do believe that in an earlier post I confessed to you that I am a less-than-skilled cook. Do you remember that? Well, if you don't or you are new to my blog, you now know that my skills in the kitchen are fairly bad. That doesn't mean I don't want to cook. I sometimes find some amazing recipes that I attempt, and sometimes my family likes them. Needless to say, there are very few things I make which don't require the use of a recipe; in fact, there are only two things I make unassisted- meatloaf and stuffed pork chops. Even so, I do sometimes dream about becoming more of a kitchen goddess (okay, I'll skip the goddess part and will settle for pretty-darn-good-cook. ).

I'm thinking that maybe- just maybe- this dream of mine can be attained with the help of this new game I was asked to review for Mom Fuse and Brighter Minds Media. The game that will one day make me into the amazing chef I know I have in me (somewhere) is Top Chef: The Game.



When Mom Fuse asked me to review Top Chef: The Game (for PC), I was so excited! My family honestly believed that I was kidding myself thinking that I could play the game. Little did they know I intended for all of them to play as well. :)

When Top Chef: The Game arrived, I wasted no time slipping the CD into my computer. With the kids breathing down my neck, I (very easily) installed the game and set up my profile. The only problem I had was that in my impatience to prove to my family that I could indeed succeed in the kitchen (even in just a virtual sense), I neglected to read the instructions. Therefore, I became frustrated when I couldn't get the game to move quickly enough. (Note: to avoid my mistake, take the time to go through the tutorial. It really speeds things up for you later.) Once I started over again, I sailed through the first two challenges. Unfortunately, I didn't fare as well in the elimination challenge and had to pack up my knives.

The boys, eager to try the game, took over the computer, and as embarassing as it is to admit this- did better that I did! Rematches ensued. (For the record, they are still better at this game than I am; however, I am hooked and will continue playing until I am Top Chef!)

Information from the Brighter Minds Media Website:
Whether you're a gourmet know-it-all or a culinary novice, you're invited into the Top Chef kitchen - and the competition is just heating up.

Take on the role of a contestant in Top Chef the Game, compete against a line-up of tough and talented chefs, and have your dishes judged by the Host Padma Lakshmi and Head Judge Tom Colicchio.

Bottom Line:
Graphics- Good. Hand-drawn, but visually appealing.

Sound- Good. Some background music, kitchen sounds and the voices of hosts Padma Lakshmi and Head Judge Tom Colicchio add to the appeal of the game.

Game Play- Easy to learn. Simple challenges at the beginning which then becoming more challenging as you progress through the game.

Fun Factor- Excellent. My entire family enjoyed playing this game.

Rating- E for Everyone

I highly recommend Top Chef: The Game for anyone looking to have some (addicting) fun on the computer!

Thanks Mom Fuse and Brighter Minds Media for allowing me to review Top Chef: The Game.

The great folks at Brighter Minds Media have offered all living life one day at a time readers a DISCOUNT CODE. Visit Brighter Minds Media and use the code: MomFuse40. It is good for 40% off your entire purchase, and can be used when checking out at the online store at Brighter Minds Media. It’s not to be used in conjunction with any other offer, and will expire in December of 2009.