Just Between Friends Sale-Mainline & Reading

I was invited to the Just Between Friends presale yesterday & given a $25 gift card towards my shopping trip-which was awesome but you know I spent more!!!  This is my absolute favorite sale of the year, once in the spring & once in the fall, the quality of items is fantastic, there are so many items, you will find something you want & I think they have great prices!  The ladies at the Just Between Friends-Reading and Western Mainline event also told us that Friday is a great day to head to the sale!

2 of 30 (who was counting
though!) rows & rows
of clothing!

• Friday, September 13 9am-7pm There are usually smaller lines and they'll have a face painter from 11-2 so you can bring the kids if you need too! 
• Saturday, September 14th 8am-5 pm is the 50% off sale.  Many of the consigners mark their items at 50% off as a last and final push to get them out the door & make a few extra dollars! 
• Click HERE for more information about the Western Mainline Event & HERE for the Reading event in a few weeks!

I love consignment shopping because I love getting quality products for my kids at a discounted price! Kids grow so fast, that it is hard to justify spending a ton of money, when they grow out of it in a few months!  I try to choose quality items that will hold up and that I might be able to sell later!

There are a few things to know before you go shopping-so here are my tips!

Columbia Jacket-$10!

1. Know your kids sizes & what they need! You're not saving money if you buy them clothes they don't need or in the wrong size!
2. Check for stains, rips and missing buttons. Make sure the zipper works. Really look at the clothes before making the purchase.  Just Between Friends does check their clothing but occasionally something will get missed-so make sure you check.   
3. Wear sneakers or flip flops.  I wore a pair of flats yesterday because I went straight from work & my feet were KILLING me!  It's a concrete floor & you'll be standing, so wear something comfy!
4. Think about resale!  If it's a popular name brand in great condition & it makes it through your children, you might be able to resell the item.  (Think snow boots, pants, ski jackets, Easter dresses, etc) Items that won't get a lot of wear but to buy new can be costly.  
5. Have fun!  Digging for a great find at an awesome price should be fun and low stress!  

This was about half of the books!

Just Between Friends - Reading and Western Mainline provided me with a $25 gift card as compensation for my time, but 

the opinions expressed are my own!  

Learning to make Sandcastles with a Sand Master!

Right before school started, my family & I attended a Sandcastle workshop at the Golden Inn Hotel & Resort in Avalon, NJ for the second year in a row!  The Golden Inn has a great location right on the beach and our day started with breakfast and went until the rains came after lunch!  

Sandmaster Matt, from the tv show Sandmasters on the Travel channel was there again this year & my kids were excited to show him what they could do!  (Side note, we actually saw Matt & his wife a few weeks before the event, so the kids were excited he remembered who they were!) We used our amazing sandcastle kit called Can You Dig It Sand Tools that Matt designed.  You can check out the kits HERE.  and they did make a huge difference!  He then showed us how to create some great sand castles (FYI, sandcastles need a LOT of water...when you think you've got enough, add more!  !!!) So step one of great sandcastle? Make a big mound of sand & add a ton of water!!!  T
he sand makes a huge difference too...the beach in Avalon had great sand, super smooth & nice!  

Last but not least, thanks to my friend Joey Fortman from Real Mom Media for organizing the entire event.


Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I received goods & services to facilitate my review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by sponsors. 

Golden Inn Sandcastles

We all know a few weeks ago I was invited to attend an even at the Golden Inn Hotel & Resort in Avalon, NJ.  The Golden Inn was beautiful & right on the beach.  Our day started out a breakfast, which was delicious & my kids enjoyed it too!  We couldn't have asked for a better day, it was hot & sunny (aka perfect beach weather!) all day.

Making this beautiful day even better was meeting Sandmaster Matt, from the tv show Sandmasters on the Travel channel. My daughter loves LOVES the show Sandmaster & knew exactly who Matt was as soon as he walked through the door.  Matt and his wife were with us and were so nice.  Matt answered all our questions and smiled the whole time.  It was clear that he really loves what  he does!  Matt also gave us an awesome sand master kit called Can You Dig It Sand Tools that he designed.  You can check out the kits HERE.  and they did make a huge difference!  He then showed us how to create some great sand castles (FYI, sandcastles need a LOT of water!!!). 

Using our kit to make a turret & stairs!

We had some fantastic sponsors for the day as well!  Visit Ac was there to tell us about some great new activities for the family in Atlantic City.  Suddenly Safe  are dedicated to helping keep kids safe & Jordan Schneider – Insurance and Financial Services was so nice & knowledgeable too!  I loved the The Paint Home  decorations for our breakfast using ordinary home furnishings to make something extraordinary! Truly Custom Cakes made the best cupcake I have ever eaten ever, in my life (and trust me, I've even a number or cup cakes!) Honest Tea was there with a variety of teas & aides...which was excellent because it was super hot!  Last but not least, thanks to my friend Joey Fortman from Real Mom Media for organizing the entire event. 


Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I received goods & services to facilitate my review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by sponsors. 

With warmer weather upon us, we’re spending more time outdoors and more time noticing the repairs needed on our homes, but home improvements take time and cost money...

We Can Help!

Sign up today for Power Home Remodeling Group’s $50,000 Home Improvement Sweepstakes! The winner will receive new vinyl replacement windows, siding, doors, and roofing products valued up to $50,000.

To enter, visit http://www.powerhrg.com/50ksweeps/ and complete the form.

Last year’s winner, Susan Mastrangelo, was chosen from thousands of entrants up and down the East Coast.

Power Home Remodeling Group installed 15 new energy-efficient windows, a new roof, new siding, and two new entry doors. YouTube Video Embed Code:
“My initial reaction to winning the $50,000 was one of disbelief,” Mastrangelo said. “This was the first contest I’ve ever entered and these things just don’t happen to me!”

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History of the Hottest Holiday Toys!

This is a sponsored post brought to by the letter O, the number 4 and  Black Friday Ads 2011,  Sears Black Friday ad & Tiny Prints coupons.

Chance to Win $4000 AND an iPad2!

No, that is not a typo-the prizes for this contest are a $4000 gift card AND ipad2, two $500 gift cards and two iPad2s!

I want to tell you about Chinoki. Chinoki is a site where you can cherry-pick the businesses you want to hear from. You can create an account for free, and then begin picking! You choose from a list of interests that you have, then you choose your geographical area. From that information, a list of businesses will be presented to you and you pick the ones you want to hear from. You can edit your basket any time.

Right now, they are running a fantastic promotion to introduce readers to the site. They are giving away prizes such as a $4000 gift card, iPad2s and gift cards in other amounts. The contest ends December 16th, so enter today. I’m already daydreaming about how I would spend the gift cards.  Good Luck!

I apologize if you have to click throught to another page to see the Rafflecopter--but that is a work-around that bloggers have to do to make sure that it will show up on multiple sites. Good Luck!