Wife Mother Runner Blog - Wife Mother Runner

Save Money While Spending Money For Your Disney Vacation!

November 29, 2017

I have been learning how to be more frugal with my spending lately. I’m actually making money when I spend money! It’s like a game. I would say this is similar to those who like to clip coupons and come home with lots of free products.

How To Make Money While Spending Money

The two apps that I have been using to make this extra vacation money are ibotta and Ebates.

Ibotta

Ibotta is a rebate program. The best way to use it is to use that time that you may be playing on your phone or social media and dedicate 15 minutes to searching through the rebates available at the stores that you frequently shop at. This is my referral code to help me earn money so YOU can earn money!

The screen looks like this:

Click the plus sign next to each item that you may purchase. Even if you do not purchase it, it’s good to check it off just in case.

After you go to the store, you scan your receipt and the app looks for the items you selected and compares them to the items on your receipt. For all the matches it adds the rebate amount to your account. Some stores may require that you scan the bar code of some of the products to verify the purchase.

If you refer a friend to use the program and then they do actually use it you earn money as well!

Since I stared using this app in September I earned $60 and already deposited it to my vacation account!

Ebates

Ebates is great! I have been using it for my holiday shopping and also referred my husband to use it and he earned money and I earned a bonus for his referral and use. Now I just have to convince my mom to start using it! With the holiday specials going on stores such as Kohl’s is giving 6% cash back! I have been using it for 2 weeks and already earned $40 and just got notified that another $25 is on its way! Please use my ebates referral link to start saving your money and getting cash back too!

The great thing about having two adults in one household is that you can refer your spouse, family member, roommate, etc. you both can save and earn at the same time!

Consignment

It’s also that time of year to move out some of the old toys to make room for some of the new that Santa will be delivering. I gathered up many of the puzzles, books and younger toys that my children have outgrown and I will bring them to the consignment shop. Now is the most critical time to get them there for those shopping for their little ones. I won’t make a fortune on them but I’ll make more than having them sit in the garage and wait for a tag sale where I will practically give them away.

Affiliate Programs

If you are a blogger like me, it’s also great to be part of affiliate programs to some of the products you support. For instance I have affiliate links for the following:

Bluehost

Spanx

Mabel’s Labels

Amazon – the Echo Dot (2nd Generation) – Black

Please feel free to use my affiliate links to save money and/or create affiliate accounts of your own!

So there you have it, my tips on how to make money while spending money and tucking those little wins of money away for your Disney or any vacation!

Holiday Gift Guide

November 28, 2017

‘‘Tis the season! And I have a list of gift for just about everyone in your family. I have been curating this list throughout the year. Writing down ideas when I see them. I’ve included the links directly to the sites so you can get the latest and greatest prices being offered during these holiday sales.

Gifts For Children

The fad of the year was the fidget cubes and fidget sprinters. The latest fidget toy is called the Tangle Jr. Brain Tools and they come in all different colors and textures!

I discovered the Osmo Genius Kit for the iPad at the Mom 2.0 while visiting the Best Buy suite. This gaming system for the Apple iPad encourages your child to think creatively and solve problems. It features a reflector and base to aid with learning, this system transforms your tablet into an educational tool. With easy setup and a universal design, this Osmo gaming system is ready to work with any iPad in just minutes.

Also at the suite was the Dash Robot. It is a real robot that will teach your child how to code, while they are having fun. To use it you use the free Apple, Android or Kindle Fire apps to program Dash to move, dance, light up, make sounds, avoid obstacles, and even react to your child’s voice. There is also the freeform play option that allows Dash to present your kids with hundreds of projects, challenges, and puzzles as well as endless possibilities for having fun.

Movies for Everyone

There were great movies released this summer. The must haves on our holiday list are:

Cars 3

Born in China

Spiderman Homecoming

Guardians of the Galaxy 2

Gifts for Tweens And Tech Geeks Like Me!

I had the opportunity to go to the HP printly event while I was at the #BlogHer conference. HP gave us bloggers a sneak peak at several of their newer items that were released this past fall.

My favorite was the HP Sproket printer.

Phonetic eyeglasses. I have these glasses. I met the company at the #BlogHer17 conference and recently hosted a Twitter party promoting the glasses. I LOVE them! They eliminate blue light emitted from your computer, television, tablets and phones. It is similar to when you put your phone into “night mode” at night. You can also add magnification to these lenses when ordering to help reduce more eye fatigue. To receive 10% off a pair of Phonetics Computer Eyewear enter in discount WMR10 at the checkout.

Inspirational Gifts

Oprah’s newest book The Wisdom of Sundays is a must on my list. In fact I want a hard copy of it. I don’t want an ebook. I want to feel the pages. Highlight pages that speak to me and have it around whenever I need encouragement.

Subscription Gifts

I like gifts that keep in giving. For my son’s birthday I ordered the Tinker Crate subscription for him. He gets a new box every month with an age appropriate science project.

Stitch Fix and Birch Box are also popular for women. You answer questions regarding your style preferences, products you like or dislike and then customized packages arrive to your house each month or the frequency you set them to and it’s like getting a present every month!

The Dollar Shave Club is a great choice for men. Just like the Stitch Fix and Birch Box subscriptions, you select the type of kit you want, the frequency of the shipments and then once you set up your account your packages arrive and you can keep receiving them or cancel them at any time!

For the runners in your family there are also runner’s boxes available sharing the different products available to runners. The most popular ones being Runner Crate and Stridebox.com. These boxes include anything from energy bars, gels, and other foods to apparel, gadgets, and other fun extras. Each month is a surprise, and allows you to discover and experience new brands and products without doing all the legwork of finding them.

Gifts For Your Athletes

I recently became a Snapchat user. And Chalene Johnson shares a lot of her secrets to those who follow her. One of the best tools she shared is the vibrating foam roller. This could be the best $200 gift you can give your athlete.

Aftershokz headphones were at the NYC marathon expo and they are also a sponsor of the Another Mother Runner podcast. I tried them on because I wanted to know how I would hear with them on and not inside the ears. The sound was very good. And they come in two sizes. To save $30 on purchase of AfterShokz Trekz Titanium headphones + get free sport belt, go to amr.aftershokz.com and use code AMR at checkout.!!

Spanx now offers athletic wear leggings with 360 degree shaping fabric and a contoured tummy-taming waistband.

Gifts for your Fashionistas

Another items on Oprah’s Favorite things list were the New SPANX Arm Tights™. When I first heard about them I was like what??? But they are brilliant! You can wear them as an alternative to a long sleeve shirt underneath your favorite warm season items so you can get more time out of them during the colder season! Great job Spanx!

Wrapping it all up

When you’ve saved a lot of money with all your deals, and wrapped everything up, don’t forget to use Mabel’s Labels to identify who’s is who’s! Mabel’s Labels came out with a new holiday line this year that are adorable!

A Wrinkle In Time Coming to Theaters March 19, 2018

November 27, 2017

When we were at the movies this past weekend for the Opening of Disney Pixar’s COCO we saw the trailer for A Wrinkle In Time. This movie looks sooooo good!

Take a peek at the trailer here!

About A Wrinkle In Time

First of all, I LOVE Oprah Winfrey! Secondly, I love sci-fi movies. This movie looks so mysterious, complicated and interesting!

From visionary director Ava DuVernay comes Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic which takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and, ultimately, the triumph of love. Through one girl’s
transformative journey led by three celestial guides, we discover that strength comes from embracing one’s individuality and that the best way to triumph over fear is to travel by one’s own light.

Meg Murry is a typical middle school student struggling with issues of self-worth who just wants to fit in. The daughter of two world-renowned physicists, she is intelligent and uniquely gifted, as is Meg’s younger brother, Charles Wallace, but she has yet to realize it for herself. Complicating matters is the mysterious
disappearance of Mr. Murry, which has left Meg devastated and her mother broken-hearted. Charles Wallace introduces Meg and her fellow classmate Calvin to three celestial beings (Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who) who have journeyed to Earth to help search for their father, and together they embark on their formidable quest. Travelling via a wrinkling of time and space known as tessering, they are transported to worlds beyond their imagination where they must confront a powerful evil force. To make it back home to Earth, Meg must face the darkness within herself in order to harness the strength
necessary to defeat the darkness rapidly enveloping the Universe.

Directed by Oscar® nominee Ava DuVernay from a screenplay by Oscar winner Jennifer Lee based upon the beloved novel by Madeleine L’Engle, “A Wrinkle in Time” stars: two-time Academy Award® nominee Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which, Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit, Emmy® nominee
2 Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Mrs. Murry, Michael Peňa as Red and introducing Storm Reid as Meg Murry, with two-time Emmy winner Zach Galifianakis as The Happy Medium and Emmy nominee Chris Pine as Mr. Murry.

Produced by Jim Whitaker and Catherine Hand with Doug Merrifield serving as executive producer, the film also boasts an impressive creative team featuring some of the most talented and skilled craft persons working today, including: Tobias Schliessler, ASC as director of photography, Naomi Shohan as production designer, Oscar®-nominee Spencer Averick as film editor and two-time Academy Award®-nominee Paco Delgado as costume designer.

Follow A Wrinkle In Time

Like A WRINKLE IN TIME on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WrinkleInTimeMovie/

Follow A WRINKLE IN TIME on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WrinkleinTime

Follow A WRINKLE IN TIME on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrinkleintime/

Visit the official A WRINKLE IN TIME website here: http://movies.disney.com/a-wrinkle-in-time

2017 Inflation Celebration

November 24, 2017

Our tradition has continued into its third year. The day before Thanksgiving we take a trip into New York City to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Inflation Celebration. My kids and I are big on traditions. They knew we were going to the city but they didn’t know for sure which day. I am lucky enough that they didn’t know specifically which day Thanksgiving was during their school break.

We surprised them on Wednesday morning. My son thought there was a school delay so we went with that as part of the surprise reveal. I faked them out by using my iPad instead of my phone to record them. My daughter is on to me when she sees me recording them. We revealed few surprise and then got ready and met my parents at the West Haven train station.

We took the 10:49 train down to the Grand Central and arrived at 12:45. We got on the subway and arrived to the Museum of Natural History close to 2:00. Usually that time works out perfectly, but this year there was a change in the logistics of how they navigated people to the viewing area. Instead of being able to walk right over to the first row of balloons, we had to walk a 10 block radius around the viewing area for safety reasons. This added close to an hour to the time that we could actually enter the viewing area. This year there were four new balloons: Olaf, Jet, The Aflac duck, and Harold the baseball player.

Enjoy the video recap of our new annual tradition!

Do you have a special holiday tradition? Share it with me in the comments section. I’d love to hear what your family does.

Thankful

November 23, 2017

I have much to be thankful for. I have my health, I have a job, a home, a family, great friends. I am lacking nothing.

This year I chose my word of the year to be strength. I chose that word because of our dear friend Lyla. She had strength like no other. There have been times in my year where I was feeling weak and losing my confidence. But then I would quietly focus on our friend and her family and tapped into their strength to rise above my insecurities and my fears.

I accomplished a dream race just a few weeks ago. I ran the New York City marathon. I have wanted to run that race for 15 years. I applied for the past four years and was selected. To this day it was my favorite marathon. It was epic. I felt amazing before, during, and after the race. I ran this race hard and am proud of my finish time. It wasn’t a PR for me, but it was a personal boost I needed to get my head back into racing and believing in myself.

I set some goals for myself this year to grow my blog and my social media presence. I attended several conferences and met a lot of great people. I am thankful that I invested in myself. I was brave and made some bold moves and stopped worrying about what other people say or do. These bold moves have given me the chance to work with and meet some great people. People that I admire in the industry. I am going to continue to grow and hope to achieve greater things over the next year.

My children have made me proud this year. Adrienne has overcome her anxiety and surprised me this week. We surprised the kids with our annual trip to NYC to see the balloon Inflation Celebration for the parade and she told me she was sad that she was missing school! She also stepped up as a softball player and really embraced the sport this year as the pitcher. Her leadership on the team is also spilling over into her role in her classroom too.

Kevin has made me so proud with his trumpet playing. He definitely has the musical ear from me. He has a natural talent and plays beautifully by ear. I enjoy listening to him practice. He continues to do well in school and enjoys running with me. He has become my 5K buddy. He is also a true friend to his classmates. He works hard and wants to do the right thing always.

I am so grateful to my husband. He suffers through so much pain, yet no one has any idea. Only those of us who are very close to him know when he is struggling. But even then he still gets up every day and does what he needs to do and helps our kids and the family.

I am so grateful for my core four. We are us, we have fun, we love life, work hard, play hard and remember what is most important – each other.

Incredibles 2 Coming In June!

November 19, 2017

Last week my kids have been watching the Incredibles on repeat lately. Then I broke the news to them that there is a new Incredibles coming in June of next year. They were ecstatic to hear that! So what is the new movie going to be about?

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Everyone’s favorite family of superheroes is back in “Incredibles 2” – but this time Helen (voice of Holly Hunter) is in the spotlight, leaving Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) at home with Violet (voice of Sarah Vowell) and Dash (voice of Huck Milner) to navigate the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life. It’s a tough transition for everyone, made tougher by the fact that the family is still unaware of baby Jack-Jack’s emerging superpowers. When a new villain hatches a brilliant and dangerous plot, the family and Frozone (voice of Samuel L. Jackson) must find a way to work together again—which is easier said than done, even when they’re all Incredible.

Teaser Trailer:

Download the poster and new image
Like INCREDIBLES 2 on Facebook
Follow Disney/Pixar on Twitter
Follow Disney/Pixar on Instagram
Visit the official INCREDIBLES 2 website

INCREDIBLES 2 opens in theatres everywhere on June 15, 2018!