Sleep Number is hosting a HUGE Sleep Better Chat this month!

On Monday, May 21st from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. CST, join the experts from our Sleep Number team (@SleepNumberSara, @SleepGeekPete) and our EXCITING CELEBRITY CO-HOST — actor/model and soon-to-be Mom, Molly Sims (@MollyBSims) — as they share their best sleep tips for women. This is a chat you won’t want to miss! A very pregnant Molly was on The Ellen Show last week talking about how much she loves sleeping on her new Sleep Number® memory foam bed.

Participants can enter for a chance to win a Queen Sleep Number memory foam bed set with standard UPS shipping (valued at $3,279.97) for participating in Molly’s chat!

Visit this link and enter for your chance to win: May Sleep Better Chat Sign Up

You can attend the chat on Facebook or Twitter!
Twitter: Follow our hosts and tweet with the #sleepnumber hashtag during the chat
Facebook: Watch the live feed and participate here – May Sleep Better Chat

We hope you can make it!

Follow us on Twitter and like them on Facebook for exclusive access to deals, sweepstakes, offers, sleep tips and more!
facebook.com/sleepnumber
twitter.com/sleepnumbersara

Why Sleep Number is Different

• Nine out of 10 couples disagree on mattress firmness. The Sleep Number bed eliminates the need for compromise since it gently cradles and supports your body with adjustable firmness on each side of the bed-so you both enjoy a more deep restorative sleep.
• The Sleep Number bed’s DualAir technologyTM distributes your weight more evenly reducing the pressure points that can cause tossing and turning, and it’s the only bed clinically proven to relieve back pain and improve sleep quality.
• In a recent survey, 88% of Sleep Number bed owners said they would recommend the bed to a friend.
• Sleep Number’s Sleep Professionals can help solve sleep issues with individualized solutions. Visit www.sleepnumber.com, call 1-800-SLEEP NUMBER or visit your nearest SLEEP NUMBER® store.

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ABOUT:

OOFOS is company that was formed by a passionate group of people and shoe experts with an innovative idea.  Through using a material call OOfoam, OOFOS shoes feature a patented foot-bed design with unique energy absorption capabilities.  OOfoam is 37% more impact absorbing than any existing EVA, the most common material found in footwear.

OOfoam technology:

• Absorbs shock to lessen pain
• Reduces fatigue and restores vigor
• Recharges and rejuvenates feet

MY THOUGHTS:

I walk a lot with my kids and I am always looking for god comfy shoes.  Its funny how when I was younger, cheap flips flops didn’t bother me; however now I need good shoes but prefer the cute style of flip-flops.  OOFOS sandals are awesome as they come in colors I like and they are so comfortable!  They are the shoes that you put on and go “Ohhhhh!”  I love the OOriginal Thong design but for those that prefer non-toe jamming ones they have the OOahh Slide sandals.

I can’t really put into words how comfortable the shoes are other than to say they are wonderful.  They are all foam so there is nothing to scratch your feet or even irritate them.  OOFOS sandals are also flexible, lightweight, machine washable and durable for everyday wear!  I have them in Fuchsia and think I may have to get them in black, or maybe even Tangerine!

BUY IT:  Check out the Retailers page to find a store in your area that carries OOFOS sandals or the OOFOS website for more information.

WIN IT:  (1) US winner will receive a pair of OOFOS OOriginal Thong design sandals

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mom and More Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for my honest opinion. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

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So luckily the device was here in Chicago, so I hopped on the train and headed to the Hard Rock hotel.  We had a meeting and heard a little about Verizon and then from Alli Worthington (Blissfully Domestic, Blissdom).  Alli was telling us how important it is to have a competitive edge and then opened our eyes to how important being “mobile” is.  Whether it is a blog on a smartphone or tablet, it needs to be there and your content needs to be shared via social networks.

Finally, the time came and we were handed our “devices.”  Suspense….. It was a Droid XYBoard tablet!  I had never seen one before and again I was closeminded to only a certain brand’s tablets.  The Verizon XYBoard has opened my eyes and wow is this thing awesome!  It can do so much – apps, check, word docs, check, movies, check, games, check, HotSpot capability, check, and that is just the icing.    And guess what…I will be sharing my thoughts with you on it over the next six months!  I will also be sharing Verizon promotions and maybe in a few months another Verizon product!

I am so thrilled to have been chosen as a Verizon Midwest Savvy Saver and I hope to really open everyone’s eyes as to the Droid XYBoard and its awesomeness!

Here is a quick snippet about the Droid Xyboard:

Xyboard is a home theater system compressed to fit in your hands. Just 9mm thick and 1.3 lbs, it packs explosive power in a highly portable design. Take it anywhere, and get pulled into your entertainment with a 10.1–inch theatrical HD screen. 

Some Features:

• Built to last with Gorilla Glass to resist scratches and nanocoating to repel water
• Dual Core ½ GHZ processor
• 5MP camera for pictures and full-screen video chat (includes front-facing camera)
• Android App store (many free apps!)

Follow all of the Verizon Midwest Savvy Savers tweets at #VZWSS

Mom and More Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Savers program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.  I also received travel compensation and meals during a trip to learn more about Verizon. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

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Beanfields Nacho Bean & Rice

ABOUT:

Finally a non-dairy snack with all of the familiar cheesy flavor of the worlds best selling chip flavor – NACHO! Our most addictive flavor yet, you won’t believe how good these taste even without any of the top 8 food allergens, including dairy, and with all the nutrition of our bean based chips.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have said before that I am a huge snacker, and now my 3 year old is just as bad.  My little guy’s favorite chips are anything cheesy.  The Beanfields Nacho Bean & Rice chips look similar to other cheesy chips but they are infused with black navy beans and rice and of course free of the top eight food allergens.  They are cooked in high-quality safflower or sunflower seed oil which gives them a distinctive crunch and taste.

I thought these chips would taste too “healthy” for me but actually they are really good.  I love that I don’t have grease or cheese covered fingers after eating them.  They definitely have a unique taste, but I mean that in a good way.  These chips are perfect for snacking anytime and I don’t feel all the guilt eating them.  The Nacho flavor is cheesy and full of flavor.  Oh and they even have 4 grams of protein and fiber (twice as much as most other chips.)  If you are looking for a chip-substitute Beanfields has some great varieties available in addition to their Nacho flavor!  Don’t let the bean and rice ingredient scare you off as plain tasting, they are crunchy yummy chips!

BUY IT:  Look for Beanfields chip in both 6 oz and 1.5 oz. snack size at the Beanfields online store or at their growing number of retail outlets.

WIN IT:  (1) US winner will receive 6 bags of the 6 oz. size Beanfields Nacho Bean & Rice Chips

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mom and More Disclosure: I was sent this product to review in exchange for my honest opinion. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

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ABOUT:

In the 1990’s Nickelodeon came out with Floam and Gak, both were hits with kids for hours.  Now Nickelodeon’s Floam and Gak are reformulated and back and better then ever.  They are two unique reusable compounds for fun imaginative play.  They are both non-toxic, non-staining, phthalate-, latex-, and BPA-free.

MY THOUGHTS:

I loved Gak and Floam when I was younger but they were messy.  Gak was probably my favorite because of the funny noises it made and bright colors it came in.

New Nickelodeon Gak is a stretchy, squishy collectible compound.  Gak can be squeezed, stretched, bubbled and more – once kids pick up Gak, they won’t want to put it down!

New Nickelodeon Floam is an incredible, reusable molding compound.  Mold, fold and roll new Nickelodeon Floam into any creation imaginable – the possibilities are endless!

While Gak and Floam are for ages 6 and up, my 3 year old had a blast with them.  He obviously takes after me because his favorite was the funny (fart) noises the Gak made!  He smooshed it, rolled it, stretched it and twisted it over and over!  Then he did something I gasped at…he put it in his hair and on his shorts.  Now I have seen other play substances before get so stuck in my boy’s clothes that I threw them away. Surprisingly the Gak washed out of his shorts and hair with just some water! (Not that I hope to test that theory again.)

Gak is more for playing with, while I felt Floam was more for building and creating.  I think it is awesome that if you want Floam to dry and harden you can by leaving it out overnight, or just tighten the container for more fun later.  So far I only let my boys play with the Floam with separate colors as they would just mash all the colors together, but they had fun just smooshing and creating little objects with it.  I was amazed at how both felt soft and didn’t fall apart!  Floam is pretty together and durable.

Whether your child wants something to play around with or create something, the new Gak and Floam are definitely fun!  I would recommend starting with a clean surface and clean hands too otherwise your Gak and Floam will get dirty.  Oh and I don’t recommend mixing the two either!  Overall though I do think the formula was improved and I actually don’t mind my boys playing with it.  I also want to add that while we haven’t gotten this on carpeting (I make my boys play in the kitchen with it) I was impressed with how well it cleaned up from my son’s hair and clothes with just some water.

BUY IT:  Gak ($6.99) and Floam ($6.99) can both be found at Target, Toys R Us, Bed Bath & Beyond, A.C. Moore and Walgreens.  You can also check out www.gak-is-bak.com and www.floam.com.

Mom and More Disclosure: I was sent this product to review through Child’s Play Communications in exchange for my honest opinion. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

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GO 1” Styling Iron by FHI Heat

ABOUT:

• 1” styling iron made by FHI Heat for top notch hair.
• Features:
• Limited edition patterns and fashion colors
• Convenient portable size
• Extra long cord (9-foot)
• Dual voltage international plug
• Adjustable heat from 140 to 410 degrees
• Super fast heat recovery
• One swipe technology
• Ceramic tourmaline plates
• Beveled plates with round edges

MY THOUGHTS:

I started using a flat iron about ten years ago and I admit I am addicted.  I have curly/wavy hair that yes sometimes flows nicely but most of the time it is a birds nest.  I am all about having a good flat iron.  After buying too many cheap flat irons I realized that Ceramic plates are a must.  “Ceramic coated plates covered with lots of tourmaline crystals = a large negative ion count = healthy heat = strong, soft, shiny hair!”  I also found that a good flat iron is a good investment.

I figured the best place to check out my new GO Styling Iron was on my vacation to Florida.  I mean if my hair could stay flat and stay look good through Florida heat then it is a keeper.  Well the GO Iron did not let me down, it made my hair look awesome!  The best feature (other than the super long cord) is that it heats up so fast!  By the time I am done blow drying my hair, my iron is ready to go.  The size is also small enough to throw in my bag, but still super powerful.  The price of less than $100 is also great because a good ceramic iron is usually way over $100!

Nice straight hair:

BUY IT:  Look for the GO 1” Styling Iron for a suggested price of $85 at select beauty salons and retail outlets or check the Where to Find GO page.

WIN IT:  (1) US/CAN winner will receive a GO 1” Styling Iron ($85 value)

RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mom and More Disclosure: I was sent this product to review in exchange for my honest opinion. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

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We also heard from the manager of Disney Signature Dreams.  She showed us such fun floral arrangements that they can put together for placing in guests room and shipping all over the world.  You can even order a Christmas tree for your room with stockings too!  Oh and Disney even has professional photographers now that you can buy sessions with!

After breakfast, we broke out for different sessions.  I chose the Disney Cruise Line – Fantasy Session.  My husband and I went on a cruise for our honeymoon and ever since have been dying to go back.  Now that we have kids it seems only fitting that we go on a Disney Cruise!  The Disney Fantasy Cruise ship is the newest ship that has the features of other Disney ships but even more!

Some features:

• rotational dining
• deck parties
• adult only sections – pools and dining
• lowest ratio of counselors to kids in the kids areas
• Aqua duck water-coaster on boat
• Magical portholes inside cabin rooms so you can see sea outside even if you have an inside room
• You draw a picture at dinner and it is transformed into animation on screen
• Europa – adult clubs to lounge with specialty drinks
• Artwork in hallway interacts with you
• Aqua lab – fun water activities for kids (and adults)
• Visit Castaway Cay – private island

I never really thought of cruising with kids, but Disney makes it fun for both adutls and kids.  My favorite features though is the free kids care!  The speaker was actually a mom herself and said her son always wants to stay longer in the kids care area, so that is nice to know.  If we went and I wanted to have dinner or even just take a nap alone with my husband, I could without the worry of a stranger far away with my child.  Oh and the Disney cruise ship also has areas from infants through tweens, so everyone has their own area with kids their own ages to hang out with.  The ports are amazing too and there are even four ships that cruise out of different ports including one on the West and East coast.

So after being totally jealous that we can’t afford to go on a Disney cruise just yet, we headed off to our final dinner of the night.  We were bussed to the new Disney Resort “Art of Animation.”  While the hotel doesn’t open until May 31^st we got a sneak peek into the hotel and the Nemo pool area.  It is a Value Resort that includes standard rooms and family suites.  We got to see a the family suites and they are amazing.  They sleep up to six people, with one of the beds transforming from the table to a pull down bed and a separate master bedroom!  Oh and they even have two bathrooms!  I am so excited to check out the Art of Animation Cars Suites when they open as we have stayed at two of the other value resorts and loved it, and that was just a standard room.  The suites include Finding Nemo, Cars, and Lion King, with standard rooms featuring Little Mermaid.  There is even an animation-themed food court.

Overall, the dinner was amazing and my boys were totally wiped out.  I was sad that the conference was over but ending it with an exclusive peek into the Art of Animation was a perfect ending.

I had to post a pic of the desserts (and yes I ate all three myself):

Splash Pad:

Lobby:

Cafeteria:

Game Room:

Suite:

Table becomes bed:

Mom and More Disclosure: I paid a fee to attend the Social Media Moms Celebration at Walt Disney World, but as an attendee I received complimentary items, special discounts, and other exciting benefits such as food and entertainment, so my family and I could experience the magic of Disney.  Please see my Disclosure Policy.

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Friday was our busy day, full of fabulous speakers and comedy.  First we had an introduction from Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort.  She told us about how Disney World has 64,000 employees and gave us an insight into the new Fantasyland coming this summer and beyond.

Some peeks into Fantasyland:

• Prince Eric’s Castle
• Beast’s Castle – dining
• Seven Dwarf’s mine train ride (but this won’t be ready for few years)

Here is a pic I took:

Speakers were next up and we had a full day ahead of us.  As a previous attendee of the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration the last two years,  I am always amazed at who they have for us and love the diverse lineup.

Amy Jo Martin was first up.  She is the owner of Digital Royalty and built the company on her own.  Her story was amazing as she was a military-child who traveled a lot and become a PR leader in social media.  She helped Shaq with his Twitter and pushed social media presence before it was so popular.  Amy was a workaholic too who tweeted so much that her mother actually emailed her asking is she was okay since she hadn’t tweeted in 23 hours (only due to her phone breaking.)  Her parents asked her to please tweet every 12 hours!  She spoke of how humans relate to humans not logos.  For example, Apple – Steve Jobs and Oprah.   She says it is important to value “Balance” in the sense of “Work. Self. Family.”  You can have all three she stated.  The goal being to connect with people who believe what you believe to succeed.  Surround yourself with people who have similar beliefs.  Finally, she told us about “Ready. Set. Pause” meaning to take a 8 minute break each day.  Just 8 minutes of basically meditating or even listening to music alone, just for a break.   Amy also overcame breast cancer, her story is truly inspiring!

Our next speaker was Ramon DeLeon, a Domino’s Pizza store owner who is a huge presence in social media.  He actually owns six Domino’s pizza stores right here in Chicago.  He is a loud and energetic speaker that it is impossible not to smile and listen to.  It is amazing how much he really cares about his customers and brand.  He spoke of delivering pizzas in a blizzard, tweeting his customers directly, sending video thank you messages, and basically being the face of the pizza here in Chicago!  Ramon told us about how companies fall into “Bad social media disease” meaning you need to make it easy for users to find your brand on Facebook and Twitter.  Make your brand stand out in social media on a personal level.  Use social media in addition to your core business plan, not to replace it.

(pic from 5 Minutes for Mom)

Next up was a brief speech from Gary who told me about Star Wars weekends.  I guess since my boys are young (3 and 5) and aren’t into Star Wars yet I didn’t think of how big Star Wars fans are, but I will say the clips made the weekend look fun!  It is a weekend of Jedi fighting and training, meeting all the characters and other Hyper Space hoopla!  So instead of princesses, you have Star Wars characters!  He also told us about the Star Wars Star Tours 3D ride that recently opened and how it has more than 50 story combinations (although you may not want to tell your kids that or you will have to ride it 50 times!)

(pic from 5 Minutes for Mom)

Amy Foster was up next with quick insight into how important family vacations are.  She works with Disney Destinations Consumer Insight.  The one thing I got out of her speech was that families only have 18 summers with their kids!  I had never thought of it like that but 18 summers (less when you think of how kids under 5 or so won’t remember and the teenage years they are usually rebelling) will go by fast!  I am definitely going to make the most of our family time and vacations from now on!

Up next was Peter Shankman, from Geek Factory.  He was probably my favorite as he was so casual and down to earth but actually really successful.  He told us how we should all be weeds – if you think about it weeds master survival, stick around against all odds and are different.  He said how nothing ever exciting happens in your comfort zone so expand your horizons!  For social media, he pointed out that haters are good and the goal is to turn them into fans!  He spoke too of how different he was as a child and how he struggled with ADHD, makes me feel as if there is hope for my sons!

Lisa Druxman from Stroller Strides was our next speaker.  She started Stroller Strides as a way to not go back to work after having a baby.  She had no clue how big Stroller Strides would get and shared some inspiration with us.  Her tips were “Take Baby Steps” “Success begets success” “Get rid of Gremlins” “Meditate” and to create rewards for yourself.  She also pointed out that if you want your kids to be happy, healthy and stress-free, then be a good role model for them!

Chris Brogan was our final speaker from the day.   His overall point was to:  Make a goal and be bold, active, clear, and big.

(pic from 5 Minutes for Mom)

Oh and I forgot to mention that our host was Maryellen Hooper, the fabulous comedian!  She had me laughing the whole time!

We broke then for a few hours before meeting up at Animal Kingdom to have a private dinner in DinoLand!  Dinner was fabulous but the best part was having DinoLand to ourselves and riding Everest at night (which Animal Kingdom is usually closed by dusk.)

Mom and More Disclosure: I paid a fee to attend the Social Media Moms Celebration at Walt Disney World, but as an attendee I received complimentary items, special discounts, and other exciting benefits such as food and entertainment, so my family and I could experience the magic of Disney.  Please see my Disclosure Policy.

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