Finding the Perfect Homecoming Dress

With the school year officially back in full swing, parents and students alike have a ton to look forward to. Returning to school means early mornings, homework and headaches, but it also brings us sports, activities and school dances. The arrival of fall kicks off with football, and of course, homecoming. This is typically the first dance of the school year, and for some it will be their first dance ever. Homecoming brings with it a wave of school spirit, and the desire to be the most beautiful girl out on the dance floor.

Shopping for the perfect dress can be a daunting task for anyone. You need the right color, the best fit and a style that suits the age and shape of the person wearing it. While it may not seem like a huge deal to parents, the dress will be the most important part of the night for many young ladies, so it cannot be taken lightly.

There are some important things to remember in your search for homecoming dresses 2013. The location matters quite a bit more than you would first think. If the dance is held outdoors, you need to consider the length of the dress because you don't want it touching the ground and becoming soiled or torn. Weather is also a factor, a dress that leaves you too hot or cold can make the night uncomfortable and spoil the experience.

The school dress code should also be considered. Length and coverage are huge factors in this decision. Many school have specific requirements for students and since a school dance is still part of school, the dress codes are normally enforced during dances as well. You don't want to waste time and money buying a dress that will get turned away at the door.

Most importantly, you want a dress that will leave the wearer smiling with joy, something that will enhance her natural beauty and figure, not take away from it. Some dresses look best with certain hair colors, some work to flatter a fuller figure, while others look best on a smaller frame. It may take a little time to find just what you need, but the end, the pleasure it brings will be well worth it.

Give wine in style with Wine Wear

Have you ever had an occasion where you needed to give a gift or bring something to a party but you had no idea what to get? You don't want to go empty handed, yet you want something that will work for just about anyone and can be grabbed on the go. The traditional gift for this type of situation is a nice bottle of wine, but sometimes that just seems too plain or makes you feel a little cheap.

Now there is a quick and easy way to fix this issue. You can still give that amazing bottle of wine, and not feel out of place, by jazzing it up a little with Wine Wear. Wine Wear comes in a variety of designs to fit just about any need and allows you to write your own message on the patented wine bottle greeting card.  

Wine Wear is a no hassle solution to your gift giving needs. Simply select the bottle you want to give, write your message and slide it over the neck of the bottle. It goes on in seconds and adds style and flair to your gift for housewarming, graduation, weddings and more. For only $3.49, you can save yourself the hassle of searching for a card or trying to jazz up the bottle yourself. Grab a variety pack for only $14 and keep a few on hand so you always have an instant gift for anyone, any time.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Relaxing at Happy Hills Campground

My husband and I went on several small trips while the kids were visiting family in Virginia. We had planned to go camping, but we hadn't decided on where we wanted to go. After the first night of getting eaten alive camping by the river, we chose to go elsewhere for the rest of our camping trip.

We discovered Happy Hills by accident really. It was close to where we were and had open spaces, so we headed there to check it out. We ended up having an amazing camp site and were still somewhat secluded too. It took us a short time to set up camp, then headed over to check out the rest of the place.

There was a small lake where you could swim, take out a boat or fish, as well as a game room by the little store there. We played a few games, Brad won me a stuffed monkey and we went to partake of the cold pool water. On my way out of the shower house, I was stung in the ankle by what turned out to be a Bald Faced Hornet. I discovered this after I went into the camp store, in my swim suit, because it had swollen and hurt so much that I was concerned about it.

The water didn't help a lot, but at least I was able to swim in clear, cold water. I have this issue with swimming in murky water, or where things swim by that you can't see. I usually only swim in pools or at the water park.

We ended up leaving the next day and came back home to recover from sleeping on an air mattress. Not fun! I enjoyed our visit to Happy Hills. It was not too crowded, the staff was very friendly and we had a blast, even though we didn't even do everything offered. If you are camping near Logan Ohio, I would stop in and see for yourself.

Visiting Virginia Kid Style

The kids are back from their vacation to Virginia to see family. They were so excited when they returned to tell us all about their trip. Of course, we had spoken to them several times while they were gone, so we knew most of what they had done, but they just had to go over it all in detail again.

They spent time visiting their brother who lives there with his mom. That was really great for them since they haven't seen him in forever. They actually have two brothers there, but they do not ever get to see the other one. It is a sad situation really, but one that I cannot change for them.

They all had things they wanted to do while they were there and I think they got to do all of them. They went to the beach to go swimming and got to see the difference between swimming in Ohio and swimming at the beach.

They visited the Natural History Museum which they all enjoyed a great deal. They saw tons of animal bones, several really cool fossils and much more.

They spent a day visiting art museums and found a multitude of things they enjoyed there as well. From modern art to the more conventional pieces, the Fralin Center for American Art has a variety of displays from museums all over the country. It was a good time for them all and they took a ton of pictures to prove it.

All in all they managed to squeeze quite a bit of education into their trip so I guess I can't complain. Especially since they selected most of what they did. The side visits to Build-Bear, Toys R Us and Chucky Cheese don't sound so bad after that :) I am glad they had a good time, and even though I missed them, I enjoyed a bit of peace and the chance to get things done at home without them under my feet the whole time!

Camping at Lake Logan Ohio

I mentioned to you before that we had some children free time this summer. I haven't had a chance to tell you a whole lot about it, but wanted to share some now. I told you we wanted to go camping, mainly I think because we did it the summer we first met and it seemed only logical to revisit that time again.

We finally decided to go to Lake Logan first. We wanted to go boating while we had time, and there were several places to do that easily on the lake. We found a quiet little place right off the water and headed there to begin our outdoor adventure. When we arrived we found our site to be set back by itself in a peaceful little alcove. It was aptly names Paradise for it's location and size. We could walk about a minute to the water, yet we were all by ourselves without any unwanted interference.

We set up camp and soon discovered the set back to being on the water in the middle of summer...mosquitoes. Those things were everywhere! It took a little adjusting and a trip to Walmart for candles, but we eventually got everything ready and were able to enjoy our dinner and relax for a bit. It was too late to go on the water, so we headed out to see what there was to do in the little town. It turns out when you chose a camping destination based on location and water, you shouldn't expect mush else to be close. We found a local watering hole to play a few games of pool, discovered there wasn't anything else to do during the week, and we headed back to camp.

The next day we went boating as planned. I will tell you about that in another post. We enjoyed our stay, but wanted to avoid the bugs and find something else to do, so we headed off to find another place to go for the rest of our camping trip.

Do you and your family go camping? Have you ever visited Lake Logan Ohio?

2 Weeks With No Kids

My husband and I had a chance to spend two weeks together without any children.They went to visit family before summer ended and it was a much needed rest for us both.  Now don't get me wrong, I love my children dearly, but it is always nice to have a break. Of course, since I have surgery coming soon, my husband couldn't take the whole time off work, but we did have 10 days to spend doing whatever we wanted.

We decided to do several small things instead of taking a big trip this time. We really didn't have a plan in mind, so we just decided to take it day by day. We spent a couple days just lounging around the house, went camping, spent a day at the fair, went to Bingo and the casino and a bunch of other stuff. I will be posting more about this soon.

All in all it was a fun time, but now it is over and we are preparing for school. I hate to see school start again.

Do You Play Bingo? I Do!

As you may have noticed, I have been missing in action quite a bit lately. It has been super hectic in my house, but I will tell you more about that later. I didn't think I had shared my love of bingo with you before, so I thought I would tell you about my newest experience.

My husband took me to bingo last week just for something  to do one evening while the kids were not home. We spent around $30 to get our packets, and went to find seats. Of course, this being a small town, the place was pretty full. It seems like there is never much to do in small towns except bowling and bingo. :)

We found seats, went to grab a drink and started getting our pages ready for the first game. It took a minute for us to get used to the rules, but after that we did pretty well. We got close on a few games, but we never did hit a bingo. I managed to get a lucky pull ticket and won $100 though, so it all worked out well in the end.

Have you ever played bingo? I have been playing for around 15 years but not as much as I would like!

Make A Plate Art Project Discount Code

I’ve just been given the opportunity to review the Make A Plate Art Project and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you. If you want to follow along, my readers save 30% on their Prepaid Art Plate Kit (that’s a savings of over $5!) - USE PROMO CODE: USFAMILY at http://www.makit.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductCode=K1100PP

Makit has been in business for over 40 years. Make A Plate kits allow children to let their creativity soar in crafting a lasting gift for Mom, Dad, Grandparent or teacher. All Make A Plates are nontoxic, BPA-Free, dishwasher safe and proudly made in the USA.

Stay tuned for my review of this fun kit!