Just in time for a new end-of-Summer wardrobe, ThemeTrip.com has teamed up with some amazing bloggers to bring you a chance to win a fantastic prize.
I hope you win! I also hope that you find some amazing new blogs, learn interesting new things, and maybe become one of our new followers.

Browse our website for:
* tips on unique, budget-friendly activities for the family.
* Family fitness and health tips. Interesting, up-to-date, and researched.
* Travel activity ideas. Getting away from the normal on vacation.We even have a blog that follows a lovely military wife abroad.

We appreciate our readers! Best of Luck.


GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize: $500 Nordstrom Gift Card or Cash (via Paypal) - winner’s choice

Co-hosts: ♥ Jenn's Blah Blah Blog ♥ Erika is Little ♥ Mommy on the Money ♥ Ashley Brooke ♥ Stripes N Vibes ♥ Style Tab ♥ Sweet Haute ♥ The Mommyhood Mentor ♥ Prescribed To Fashion ♥ Cityrocka's Celebrity Accessories and Gossip Blog ♥ Pink and Navy Stripes ♥ Theme Trip ♥ Film+Fashion+Fun ♥ Daily Style Finds ♥ Notes On Lifestyle ♥ TonieGirl ♥ Maple and Mint
Giveaway organized by: Oh My Gosh Beck!

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter daily. Giveaway ends 9/29 and is open worldwide. Winner will be notified via email.

Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog? Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers.

Please make sure and read/follow all of the rules on both rafflecopter and our website. Thank you.

ThemeTrip is excited to collaborate with some amazing bloggers to offer our readers a chance to win a $800 Nordstrom Gift Card! Wow. Talk about adding some serious cash to your fashion budget.

We all know the prize is good...No,the prize is  great! But I hope you find much more than that when you enter. I hope you find some amazing new blogs, learn interesting new things, and maybe become one of our new followers.

Browse our website for:
* tips on unique, budget-friendly activities for the family.
* Family fitness and health tips. Interesting, up-to-date, and researched.
* Travel activity ideas. Getting away from the normal on vacation.
*Activities to do with your dog.
* We even have a blog that follows a lovely military wife abroad.

We hope you enjoy our contests and share them. If you can, try and visit some of the other bloggers on our giveaway. So many wonderful ideas and tips await you. 


As always, check over the rules below.


GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize: $800 Nordstrom Gift Card

Co-hosts: The Style Boro // Stylish Adventures with AL // The Relevance Report // Sweet Haute // Strawberricurls // Jenn's Blah Blah Blog // J. Frances // Cool Gear Cavalier // Mommy on the Money // ThemeTrip // Life is Poppin' // La Mariposa // Rhea Et Cetera //TonieGirl // Jolie Pagaille // NYC Recessionista // A Lily Love Affair // TheItMom.com // Mr Modernist // TheBoxQueen // On the Daily Express // The Real Fashionista // A Pocketful of Polka Dots // The Fairy Princess Diaries // Mass Musings // everychicway // Livin' Like Larz // October June // A Journey East // yourownboss.ca // Willfully Elegant

Giveaway organized by: Oh My Gosh Beck!

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter daily. Giveaway ends 3/20 and is open worldwide. Winner will be notified via email.

Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog? Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers!

Who loves MAC Make-up? We do! They have the most amazing eye shadows and eyeliners in a huge range of colors; from sharp edged to demure.
ThemeTrip is proud to be co-hosting a contest with a group of other great bloggers so our readers can enter for a chance to win a $400 MAC Gift Card! Check out the rules below.

Here's a tip: If you call ahead and set up an appointment, one of their professional make-up artists will do your make-up. Perfect for an upcoming event or something to do with your teenage daughter. A group of us ladies had our make-up done on an out of-town-trip just for fun. Usually, all they asked is that you purchase a minimum amount of make-up. (Check with your own MAC store to confirm their policy on the cost of the make-up artist.)  

Make sure and enter for a chance to win a $400 MAC Gift Card.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize: $400 MAC Cosmetics Gift Card

Co-hosts:  Fashionabella • Jenn's Blah Blah Blog • Nail Polish Anonymous •  LABELTWENTYNINE • My Fashion On The Rox • ThemeTrip.com • Put A Little Umbrella In Your Drink • Mommy on the Money • The Bariatric Beauty • Pretty Thrifty • Ashley Brooke •Parenting Healthy • Delightful Chaos • Giveaway Fairy • Mandy Jean Chic •  Geniabeme • Coming Up Roses • Beyoutiful Beauty • Pumps and Push-Ups • We Shop in Heels • Oddly Lovely • Luv Saving Money

Giveaway organized by: Oh My Gosh Beck!

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter daily. Giveaway ends 1/30 and is open worldwide. Winner will be notified via email and can opt for a MAC gift card or cash via Paypal.

Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog? Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers!

I hate shopping for household staples. Laundry detergent? Boring!  Vitamins? Sure, let me just pull my hair out first. I am always looking for ways not having to go to the store for things I don't like.  Things like chocolate cake? Now, that I will make a trip for. So, where is this rant taking me?  To what I consider to be my new life hack... Online shopping.  Not the online shopping for the fun stuff, I mean the boring stuff, the heavy stuff, the stuff you have to go to the drug store, the health food store, and the grocery store just to get the right items that one store does not carry. I found Amazon Pantry! NO, this post is not sponsored by them.  I just felt I should pass this precious info on to you. 

So, here is the deal... You can go online to Amazon and make what they call a pantry box, for $5.99 they will ship up to so many pounds to your front door. I loaded mine with laundry soap, vitamins (more on that later), grains that I usually have to hit a fancy health food store to find, and drinks that usually take up my whole cart. Click and done!

Pros: I don't end up having to go to three separate stores for the exact products I like, so I save on gas. With the price of gas, that makes up for the shipping.  I didn't end up buying things that I didn't need (like chocolate cake).  I did not have to do the heavy lifting from the store to my home. I saved time not doing a store search. I remained in the comfort of my air-conditioned home.

Cons: Although they do have coupons online, you can probably do better on some of the pricing by coupon clipping at the regular store. You need to be diligent and search through the items to see what is on sale. I found some things cheaper and some more expensive.  They did not have generic brands. I did not get a chocolate cake that should have slipped itself into my cart when I wasn't looking.

If you want to know more about the Amazon pantry, you can check out one of their current specials below the contest on our link. 

I told you earlier I would tell you about the vitamins. My doctor recommended I take Fish Oil, you know that whole Omega-3 thing?  Well, I did my research and found this brand called Dr. Tobias fish oil. This stuff has some of the highest ratings in independent lab tests and I found it on sale on Amazon. Score! Those went right in my pantry box.  I put the link below the contest in case you are interested.

So, on to the Giveaway.  ThemeTrip is sponsoring a chance to win a $50 e-card from Amazon so you can try this life hack yourself, just because we appreciate our readers. Yup! Just because.  Contest ends at 12:00 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2014.  One prize will be awarded.

As always, we must do a full disclosure on every single thing we can think of. My eyes are brown, I hate feta cheese and... Well, just make sure you read our giveaway terms and conditions on our contest or I will go on and on.  Full disclosure: We are Amazon Associates, but this giveaway is in no way sponsored by Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and actually buy from them, we are given a monetary thank you. We are not sponsored by any social network such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or where ever the newest place to visit online is. Our friends and family enter our contests, they may actually win. If we made it impossible for them to play, we would have no family or friends.  BUT!! We do not choose our winner. It is randomly selected through the Random.org App. at RaffleCopter. We do not cheat!  We were taught not to do that. That it is very, very  bad.  Are you still reading this?  Awesome. Thank you. Good luck and come back daily to enter.

Congratulations Thomas M, Our $50 Amazon e-card winner! Thomas was chosen by random.org and has been notified. Thank you to everyone who entered.

ThemeTrip was excited to be chosen to review the new portable power bank charger by Wusic Tech. With as much travelling as we do and being on the go with multiple smart phones, we were excited to try out this cute little gadget.   
I know I should never air my dirty laundry in public, but for this review I will. The truth is that we are a divided household, split straight down the middle between "I would never own anything but an iPhone", and  "Are you crazy? Nothing beats an Android!".  So, you can understand why I was thrilled this little gem could handle both phones. We needed one charger that we could take on our trips that would work for all of us. I decided on the green charger as opposed to the clean white one since I seem to forget things that are plugged in when I'm checking out of a hotel. Anything that blends in with the hotel room is left behind. So, how did my color choice work out?  I love the green!  It's an in-your-face lime green that refuses to be forgotten. That works for me. 

Probably the most important thing you want to know, how does it work?  It's pretty simple, even for someone like me who sometimes will stare at a new microwave for a while. You plug it in, charge it up, then plug your phone into it.  Waa laa.  Perfect for those times you overuse your available battery life, which, for me, is all of the time. Mine came in the mail fully charged, so I immediately put it to the test. I attached both phones to it. The cord that came with it worked for the Android and I used my normal charger cord for the iPhone.  This is the charge time that I got...

Android: Started at a 72% charge, thirty minutes later is was at 93%, and fully charged in an hour.
IPhone:  Started at 27%, thirty minutes later it was at 48%, one hour and fifteen minutes later it was at 100%.
Both were done simultaneously!  The power bar on the unit started at the full four lights, at the end of the charge, it was at three light charge. Still had plenty of juice for another item. I put my iPad on it that started at 21% and an hour later it was charged to 67%. The battery was drained at that time, but I had my needed charges. Time to charge the portable power bank back up for the next time.

The details:
Dual USB to charge two devices simultaneously 
7800 mAh battery capacity.  External Samsung SDI Battery Core 
Built in LED flash light
 Good for for Iphone 4 5/C/S, Ipad Air/mini, Galaxy S3/S4/S5, Note 3, Nexus 4, HTC One, 
 Droid, Moto X, Ps Vita, Gopro, Most Smartphones, Tablets and Mobil USB Devices Smart MCU touch system

Pros: Cute, convenient, easy to use, keeps a charge, fits in my purse without a lot of bulk. It's slender and fits in my hand. Price is very reasonable. Love that it charges two items at once so we don't have to take turns passing something back and forth when we both lose charge at the same time.

Cons: I know I'm supposed to come up with this so let me think a minute... Well, I would say that it doesn't come with cord to for the Iphone 5, but since that pretty much goes for anything that is not made by Apple, I can't really ding it for that. There is no way a company can keep up with how they change each charge cord with every product.

Buy it:  The Wusic Tech portable charger is currently on sale at http://wusictech.com/collections/power-bank

Win it:  Now on to the best part!  You can win one of your very own, complements of Wusic Tech.  Enter the drawing by July 1, 2014. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter on July 1, 2014  at 11:59 p.m Arizona time.  You will be given 48 hours to accept the prize and provide your proper address for shipment so that we can provide it to Wusic by our deadline. It is your responsibility to accept the prize and provide your correct information in that time period. Please read ALL rules, terms, and condions on rafflecopter form.

Disclosure: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or any other social media outlet!   #wusicpowercharger 

 With Father's Day right around the corner, we have been asked if we have any ideas for the perfect Father's Day gift.  In our family, most anything for the BBQ is a big hit.  For a few years, we have been using and gifting Omaha Steaks. This makes it a perfect review product for us.

PROS: What I think is the best thing about Omaha Steaks is that they are individually packaged. Portion control is very important in our family. Give my husband a huge steak or me a big slice of cake and there is a good chance we will eat it all, which is not always the best choice.  We also do not always have more than the two of us for dinner.  If it is a kid-less night, we take out and use only what we need.   The steaks are super easy to thaw in the event you forgot to take out something to cook that night. Throw them in the sink with water and, in about ten minutes, they are fully defrosted. The assortments of products online from their company are vast. From main-dish meats and seafood,  prepackaged entrees, sides, and desserts to even pet treats, it can be a one-stop shopping event.  The price can be both a pro and a con.  If you check out the specials and overstock items, there are a lot of deals you can find.  If you get the deals, the price is a pro.

CONS:  The size of the individual packages that I also list as a pro for those who are calorie conscious can be a con for those that want a bigger portion.  The price can be prohibitive if you are making meals for a large family since  quantity can cost less when you buy in bulk at other places like Costco.   I am not a big fan of a few of the steaks, like the top sirloin. That is a personal-taste thing. They are too lean for me.  I prefer some fat on them for flavor.  If you cook them too quickly without the fat, they can be tough. I did like them for stir-fry however.

My Favorite items:  The bacon wrapped filet Mignon. Need I say more? Flavorful and perfect for a quick cook in the oven.  I also love the potatoes au gratin.  Puffy balls of potatoes that are a perfect side. They are big and come in packs of ten.  We usually make two each with a steak. For us, that is plenty.  As for dessert, they stopped making my favorite lemon cake, so I am still a little bitter, but my daughter loves their crème bulee.

Our recommendation for a Father's Day idea:  I went on their website and, as usual, they have some great value intro packs right now. Perfect for helping loading up all the favorite fathers in your life. They send the product directly to the recipient in a solid Styrofoam cooler (we always keep these, they make great future take-aways for BBQs). Our order always arrives well insulated, even in Arizona.  

Go to Omaha Steak and check out their Father's Day Deals.  So many to choose from, we did not feel it was best to recommend one over the other.

http://www.omahasteaks.com/servlet/OnlineShopping

These fitness dice are the perfect answer to getting kids participating in a game that actually requires them to move! I purchased these for my nephews and the rest of the family ended up involved. We all had a great time cheering them on, as well as competing with them. They loved the activity and the attention. What a difference it makes when you add fun to a workout. 
For those with the ability to craft or sew, you can probably make some yourself. I bought them because I had no skill and I did not want the dice to turn out looking like a ball. 

You can either try your own skills in making them or click the Amazon link below, where I bought mine.

One of the gifts I like to buy for kids are puzzles. Recently, I have been gifting the 3D geography puzzles because they are a two for one gift. First, it is an activity for them to do. Second, it is a way for them to learn while they play.

When kids are searching for pieces and trying to figure out where they go, they are absorbed in their learning. I found this method works as a great teaching tool for kids that have trouble concentrating on homework. I  like the Ravenburger puzzles because they are solid. I will tell you, they are a bit more expensive than regular flat puzzles, but, personally, I thought they were worth the extra money. The cheapest ones I found were on Amazon.

I bought the USA map recently for a tween gift. He loved it and so did his parents!  The link below is to the one I ordered on Amazon. But, as I always recommend, find the best price and seller, then buy it there.