Sponsored

Car Review, Sponsored
The Elfmobile aka Kia Soul Review
- 12:39 pm
- 0 comments
- by Adanna Dill
This is the last week of the year and it’s been pretty laid back, I’m taking the time to relax and rest after a really busy December. The holidays were lovely for my family but I definitely spent a whole lot of time and energy preparing to make it extra special for my children. Fortunately, we had the chance to test drive the 2015 Kia Soul crossover during the week before Christmas and that made getting around the city not only easier but a bit more fun.

The Kia Soul! has a really unique shape and the one we reviewed was in a festive green color which was just perfect for our holiday shopping, family visiting and hanging out around New York City. Our family’s elf, YJ even made his annual grand reappearance in this vehicle and the kids were blown away with excitement at the surprise of seeing him. So much so, that the Kia Soul earned the nickname The Elfmobile.

When the Kia Soul was delivered, I was slightly worried about its size but by the time my son’s car seat was installed I realized that it was actually very spacious despite its small exterior appearance. Our family was able to fit comfortably and even my mom (who is also tall) was surprised by all the space in the crossover. Although, my tall family was able to fit comfortably in the crossover the trunk space was a rather tight. I managed to squeeze in some of my groceries in the trunk but it was a tight fit and I had to store some of the groceries inside the Soul which was a small inconvenience. If you still use a stroller for your kids, depending on the size of the stroller it may be difficult to get it into this crossover.

What I loved best about the Kia Soul is how smoothly it drives, it’s a very easy drive especially for new drivers. Although, we zoomed all over town it was very easy on gas with 24 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. We also loved the heated front seats, panoramic sunroof, and the Kia Soul’s signature mood lighting. The mood lighting was really fun for driving at the night and the kids loved it.

The Kia Soul is inexpensive and starts at $15,190. You can get more information about the Kia Soul and find local dealerships here.
DIY, Holiday, Sponsored
Creative Gift Wrapping Idea
- 4:41 pm
- 2 Comments
- by Adanna Dill
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GiftOfPhilips #CollectiveBias

Gosh, are you guy as excited as I am about holiday gifting? I remember when all I cared about was what I got but now I care more about what I’m giving. I’ve shared some of the gifts that I got for the kids over the past few weeks and I wanted to share one of The Princess Fairy’s gifts that I know she would really enjoy. As a mom, this is one of my favorite gifts to her because I know that it will be very beneficial to her. This gift is Philips Sonicare For Kids, I purchased it only for The Princess Fairy at Walmart since her brother is still too young for one.

[Tweet “Do your kids love reindeers? Here’s a creative gift wrapping idea they’re going to love”]

Now that she’s transitioning into her permanent teeth, I thought it was time to transition to a better toothbrush as well. The Philips Sonicare For Kids is enabled with Bluetooth® technology and connects to engaging brushing app where the kid’s get a brushing partner, Sparkly who helps get them excited about brushing their teeth. This gentle toothbrush delivers 500 brushstrokes per second and removes up to 75% more plaque than a manual toothbrush and gets hard to reach areas like between teeth and the gumline. This is all good news for me, and with my girl walking around with one wobbly front tooth, I know the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

Anyway, since my little one likes to play with her gifts while they’re under the tree I wanted to wrap it in a very fun way. I did it in a creative reindeer inspired wrapping and I wanted to share it with you as a cool way to wrap your kids gifts too.

You’re going to need:
- Popsicle sticks.
- Glue.
- Brown crayon.
- Pipe cleaner.
- Small craft eyes.
- Craft pom-pom.
- Bright gift wrapping paper (I used red and white polka dots).
Instructions:
1. Color popsicle sticks
2. Glue craft eye to the middle of two of the popsicle sticks.
3. Glue the ends of the popsicle sticks together in the triangle shape with the sticks with eyes on the sides and the one without eyes at the top.
4. Cut the pipe cleaner in half and attach them to each side of the popsicle at the top of the triangle as antlers.
5. Add the pom-pom to the middle as the nose.
6. Wrap gift while the glue dries.
7. Attach popsicle sticks reindeer to the middle of the wrapped gift box.
8. Allow to dry.
This is a simple and fun way to gift children, you are free to make other animals in the place of the reindeer. Don’t forget to make Rudolf!

Which one of your gifts are you going to use this fun wrapping idea for? Are you going to gift your child this toothbrush?
DIY, Healthy Eating, Sponsored
DIY Motivational Water Bottle
- 10:17 am
- 0 comments
- by Adanna Dill
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WaterMadeExciting #CollectiveBias

It’s the end of the year and I’ve been doing some reflecting over the past few days, evaluating my year and taking note of the areas where I progressed and those where I regressed. Unfortunately, my food choices fell in the latter group this year, I’m not proud about that, but I’m grateful that I have all the resources to change that in 2016. As I focused more on what my family needed from me in 2015, I focused less on what I needed from myself and I plan to change that in the new year. Anyway, I don’t like to dwell on the negative too much so my personal mantra for 2016 is ‘Keep on moving’. I love this message so much that I made a motivational water bottle inspired by my new SodaStream Power Automatic Sparkling Water Maker which I plan to use to stay on track and make better choices in the new year.

As I mentioned over the summer, I love sparkling water so a sparkling water maker was the perfect gift for me. I was sent this maker and I must admit that I was a bit worried that the sparkling water wouldn’t be as good as my favorite brands, but I ended up pleasantly surprised.

It’s really good and I love the convenience and the ease of not having to worry about running out of sparkling water. Mr. Rattles who was very reluctant to try it is now a fan of the low-calorie SodaStream Sparkling Drink Mixes. Our SodaStream Power Automatic Sparkling Water Maker came with the following flavors: Fruits – Berry Mix, Sparkling Gourmet – Lime Basil, Zeros – Cranberry Raspberry and his favorite Sparkling Gourmet – Blackcurrant Lime (which smells amazing).

I made this dazzling motivational water bottle inspired by the sparkling water that the SodaStream Power makes. I decided to use glitter letter stickers for the sparkling look and a bit of blue for contrast to make the design stand out. You’re welcome to use colors that you like.

To make this motivational water bottle, you’re going to need:

Waterproof sticker letters (2 sizes and 2 colors of choice)

A clear Water bottle

Here’s the easiest part, making it:
1. Wash and dry your water bottle properly. Make sure the surface is dry and free of all particles.
2. Find a spot to put your motivational message. If you’re using a bottle with measurement markers make sure that you have enough space for your message away from the markers. I did my message on the other side of the bottle.
3. Stick the letters on.
4. You’re done! Easiest DIY ever.
My journey with sparkling water actually started back when I was pregnant with The Princess Fairy. Around my fifth month of pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Fortunately, it was mild so I didn’t have to take any medication but go on a diet. The specialist who helped me develop a diet plan recommended that I replace juices with sparkling water and so my love affair with sparkling water began.

As a result of this experience, I’m not surprised to learn that SodaStream is a National Stop Diabetes® sponsor of the American Diabetes Association. The goal is to stop type 2 diabetes and the calorie-free flavors will sport the “Stop Diabetes” logo so people with diabetes can enjoy the great tasting drinks.

If you’re a sparkling water junkie like me, you can purchase your own SodaStream Power Automatic Sparkling Water Maker at here which includes free shipping for orders over $50. Also, here are some exciting offers to take advantage of.

Are you going to make your own SodaStream Power inspired motivational water bottle?