MelissaStuff

Disney Scrapbooking Supplies - This is near and dear to my heart because I'm an avid scrapbooker, but anytime you can collect pieces to use when you finally sit down to put all of your pictures into an album it just makes the entire experience that much more special.  You can sometimes find these in your local stores, but there selection can be painfully limited. And quite expensive due to the Disney licensing. Shopping for clearance if you have the time is the only way to make this worthwhile. But if you are looking for unique, cost-effective products there are some great online resources including  Etsy stores. Look at some of the stuff I was able to find for my upcoming Disney scrapbook: DesignUrMemories offers digital papers, 12x12 papers, stickers, embellishments and more in their Etsy store. I got some amazing Disney items, but she also offers all sorts of scrapbooking supplies in various themes. This layout was done by ImAsMADaSaHaTTeR  - so fun! She do

The third week of my  Advocare 24 Day Challenge  was an interesting adjustment. The vitamins, pills and supplements you take are easy to follow and understand. I didn't have any kind of negative side effects. The only thing that was an adjustment for me was that the pills make me AMAZINGLY full and if I ate normally it was like just finishing Thanksgiving dinner. I literally had to lay down after the first couple of meals I felt so full. I quickly learned that if I would just eat less, I was just fine . . . which I'm pretty sure is the point. And I lost another 1.5 to 2 lbs as a result. LOVING the results I have to say. I even convinced one of the members of my family to try it out. That's a high recommendation right there. The cost is about $40 for 2 weeks of this product - but so far I have been pleased with it and would definitely find it worthwhile to jumpstart a weight loss plan or when you hit a plateau along the way. Now to finish up the last few days. Onc

I have officially completed the "cleanse" phase of the  Advocare 24 Day Challenge . First my thoughts on the cleanse . . . #1 - It works. You can tell it's cleaning your system out. However, I didn't feel sick or like I was running to the bathroom. #2 - However, I did discover the weekends were hard for me to stay on "clean" eating. We go out. We eat out. I don't work out. So combining that with the cleanse did cause me some stomach problems. I think if I would have just stayed on the track I was on, it would have gone without a hitch. #3 - After some research I found a recommendation to mix the  Herbal Cleanse - Fiber Drink  mix with juice. It was a HUGE help. I used mango juice and peach juice which were both way better than the plain water. The original recommendation was for OJ with no added sugar. #4 - The biggest surprise in this first stage for me was the effect that the cleanse had on my skin. It was very noticeable to me . . . as was t

Our ProjectMom giveaway is over . . . and we have FOUR winners! In just over a week, we will all be meeting right here to enjoy ourselves, eat, shop and maybe learn a thing or two to help us be the best moms we can be. Oh the winners? Yes . . . the winners are: Each of you should have received an email from me. If you didn't win, you can still go with us! AND, just for my wonderful readers, if you  use the code  STUFF  you will get 25% off your ProjectMom ticket . (Unfortunately, it doesn't discount the room rate at the Marriott.) Hope to see you there.

Link:  http://www.seeitfirst.net/pin/933288     CODE: 933288 Get tickets to see the new release of The Little Mermaid this Thursday evening! This screening will be interactive so we encourage you to bring your iPads and download the FREE “Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid App” to interact with the film, play games, find hidden treasure, sing along and compete with the audience for the chance to win great prizes! There will be no security at this screening. Tickets will be available for pick up at the box office on the day of the screening. When:  Thursday, September 19 th    Where:  Cinemark West Plano Theatre    Time:  6:00 PM

I started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge just a little over a week ago now. (You can read all about the beginning of this journey here .) After the first three days with the  Herbal Cleanse - Fiber Drink ,  I didn't have to do that anymore. Thank goodness. That was the only part that was really difficult for me. On the flip side, I've become a fan of  Spark - Advocare's energy drink . I have to be completely honest - you know, cuz that's how I roll - overall I've tried to do well with my diet and I think I have. But there have been a couple of lapses . . . a coke here and maybe a piece of homemade cheesecake my honey brought home special for me. But I've also gone to the gym more days than not - run my 3 miles, lifted my weights, you know. So my report at the end of the first week is that I'm 6 lbs down . I know - that's a lot. I think it may have been a lot of water weight after being out of town Labor Day weekend just before starting the challeng

Have you ever heard of Project Mom? Well, I hadn't . . . not until last year. And then all of the sudden my Facebook page and my blogger feed started blowing up with people talking about attending, looking for tickets, how much fun they were having and I was stumped about how I had missed out on something that was apparently this important for moms like me. So when I was approached recently about hosting a giveaway for this year's Project Mom and have the chance to attend with my best friends, I was sold. They didn't have to ask twice. I mean, let's think about it for a minute. A Friday night and Saturday hanging out with my best girl friends, in the peace and quiet of a hotel room. We get to hang out with other girls like us. If we want to sit quietly and read we can. If we want to go out to eat and laugh until we cry about "girl stuff," we can. We will be able to sleep the entire night without being woken up by any little ones. We can wake up when

Being new to the Disney traveler's world meant being new to the FE world . . . and as we researched how we were going to participate in the FE that is a part of our cruise, we came across a lot of good FE ideas so I thought I would share them. Disney Earrings - there are all kinds and many of them are one-of-a-kind but these are a novelty that I know I would love to get as an FE from someone else Vintage Mickey Mouse Earrings - $3.99 MindieMay Disney Character Clothes Pins - These would work well to close bags that hold other FE gifts or you could put a magnet on the back of each one and everyone could use them as note holders on the walls of their stateroom. Super cute - this vendor does a really good job with them. Disne y Character Clothes Pins -  OneMoreSunshine Wave Phone Holders  - If you need more information on what these are, you can see my previous post Top 5 Disney Necessities. Basically these are simple holders for a phone that Disney provide

I was able to go shop at the pre-pre-pre-pre-sale at the JBF Mckinney/Allen Consignment Sale this week. Ha! It's like a kid in a candy shop. I loved every minute of it. (If you missed my tips for shopping consignment , check it out before you go.) This sale is the biggest sale JBF Mckinney/Allen has ever had. In fact, they've grown so big that next year they're moving to a new location. I found some amazing deals - DVDs for a $1, belts, socks, underwear, and black shoes (5 pairs, I think!) It was fun just to walk through and see everything that was available. Here's a little of what you will see . . . There are shoes literally stacked on top of each other. I found brand new Stride Rites for $8. Some great play shoes with lots of wear left for just $3. Games - board games, video games, toys, puzzles, books. This is the place to buy all of those things that get lost, broken and used up so fast that paying full price is a waste.  There's an ent

Have you heard of Pleygo? It's kind of like Netflix for LEGOS. You pay a flat rate monthly and you can rent LEGO sets.  Shipping is always free both ways and sets are sanitized when returned.  This is a great convenient, quick, and inexpensive solution that can relieve clutter and save space at your house while saving you money at the same time.    There are 3 levels of subscription starting at just $15 so you can find the plan that best suits you.  You can earn credit towards your account for any sets and mixed bricks that you donate to Pleygo, and they'll even provide the shipping label too!   What a a perfect gift for a family friend, loved one, or birthday party.  If you purchase a gift subscription you can send it with a special message from you. And Pleygo is constantly expanding their inventory with new sets. If you have LEGO lovers at your house like I do at mine, this would be make their year. Receive your First Month FREE at   http://www.usfamil

Why yes I am participating in the 24 Day @advocare challenge . . . Why do you ask? ;) pic.twitter.com/mQhmByK79n — MelissaStuff (@melstuffblog) September 5, 2013 Yesterday, I started the 24 Day Advocare Challenge  yesterday. Our Disney cruise is coming in almost exactly one month so the timing couldn't be any better. After slacking for months and then having surgery and then recovering for several months, I've been working out 2-4 times a week since May. I've lost about 10 lbs. and definitely gotten some stamina and some muscle mass back. But I still have a ways to go and I just haven't been making progress very quickly. So when I was approached about doing this Advocare Challenge by  WWW.ADVOCAREHEATH.COM , I was all over it! This is how my first few days are going typically: First thing in the morning, I start with Spark - Advocare's energy drink . It tastes good, has ZERO sugar and works well. It comes in little powder packs that are easy to take

I had the privilege of driving a Toyota Tundra all week this week . . . and we even drove the entire family to Waco for Labor Day weekend. This is what 3 hours in a truck with our little ones looks like. #toyota pic.twitter.com/wP3mGzQ7hi — MelissaStuff (@melstuffblog) August 31, 2013 I was originally worried about being in a car for three hours or so without our trusty DVD entertainment system - available in the new Tundras just not on the model we drove - but my boys did great. They begged to ride in the Tundra throughout the week rather than our family vehicle. It did give us a chance to learn some fun new things about the Tundra: Did you know the #Toyota Tundra CrewMax back window rolls all the way down? My boys are going to think that's the best thing about it! — MelissaStuff (@melstuffblog) September 2, 2013 #Toyota has a factory in San Antonio where the Tundra is made, making it one of the most "American-made" full size trucks on the market. —