Southern Yankee Mix

Taste Addison May 17-19 | Win Tickets and Dinner! {Giveaway} #DFW #Dallas #TasteAddisonGiveaway

May 152013

Summer is right around the corner and it’s time for all of the outdoor festivals and fun! Last year, we had such a blast at Taste Addison and we’re ready to go back again this weekend. If you haven’t been before, Taste Addison is a 3-day festival featuring tons of great food, entertainment, and fun for the whole family. This year there will be more than 70 restaurants serving up samples of their amazing food at great discounted prices.

Taste Addison 2013

May 17 – 19, 2013

Addison Circle Park

Friday, May 17, 2013 6 p.m. – Midnight $15*

Saturday, May 18, 2013 Noon – Midnight $5 before 5pm; $15 after 5pm*

Sunday, May 19, 2013 Noon – 5 p.m. $5*

Ages under 4 are free

Buy one ticket, get one 25% off anytime tickets sold at DFW area Albertsons stores.

FREE parking at the corner of Dallas Parkway and Arapaho Road.

Get the full details at: www.addisontexas.net

Just so you are aware, if you do go, make sure you adhere to Taste Addison’s guidelines for what is and isn’t allowed to bring with you. ”Animals, coolers, lawn chairs, laser pointers, illegal weapons, bicycles, rollerblades, or skateboards may not be brought on to the festival grounds. Strollers, child’s wagon, and wheelchairs are allowed.”

Beyond the amazing food, there is a ton for families to do! As you can see, we had so much fun last year. Just a little tip, one parent to another, bring a change of clothes for your kids or layer their swimsuits under their outfit. There’s a great splash pad fountain on the premises! (We drove home with kids wearing random blankets we had in our car, LOL.) There are also a bunch of carnival games and a midway, with something for the littles on up.

On Friday night, this year’s event features a Texas Country night with headlining acts like Reckless Kelly and Turnpike Troubadours. Saturday will cap off a full day of musical entertainment with favorites Sister Hazel and Blue October. There will also be celebrity chef demonstrations, award-winning children’s entertainment, and more! For full event details visit AddisonTexas.net.

Now, I have a super fast FLASH giveaway for you! Who wants to win 4 tickets to Taste Addison ($60 value), along with 4 Combos for Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers ($30 value)?
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I have been compensated with event tickets and a restaurant gift card for this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Posted by Tamara on May 15, 2013 Addison, Dallas, DFW, food, giveaways 3 Responses »

My Super Wiggly Baby Meets Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers #HuggiesTester

May 152013

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Huggies®.

At six months old, we have definitely entered the wiggly, bendy, rolling, scooting, crawling baby phase. Liam is seemingly in constant motion, unless he’s asleep. It’s sometimes comical the positions he puts himself into. Lately, it’s hard to get a clear picture of him without finding a blurred body part in the final image. It’s like this silly session of baby yoga poses.

With a baby who’s moving a hundred different ways, in seemingly perpetual motion, having a diaper that can keep up with him is a definite must-have. We were challenged to put new and improved Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers with SureFit Design to the test. With any new diaper, I’m slightly wary, especially with this being my third child. I’ve seen what has worked for the other two. The new Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers have a flexible waistband to move with your baby and help keep the mess in.

I’ve used Huggies Little Movers Diapers with my other kids, and the stretchy waistband is one of my favorite features on them. I’m so glad to see that they’ve brought this feature to the Snug & Dry line! After putting Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers through a myriad of baby yoga poses and even some army crawling, nothing escaped the diaper. We did have a few incidents with the dreaded diaper blow out. But in fairness, this little boy can blow out a diaper like no one’s business, even the expensive ones.

I would definitely say that Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers with SureFit Design work just as well as their pricier counterparts. My favorite features have to be the trim fit and the stretchy, flexible waistband in the back. While we’ve been putting Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers through the paces, as an Huggies Official Tester, we’ve also been earning fun badges and getting entries into prize drawings. Plus, for every prize entry, Huggies is donating a diaper to a baby in need!

Huggies® is introducing parents to improved products that are designed to take on some of the messy challenges of parenting: Huggies® Snug & Dry Diapers with NEW SureFit* Design, Huggies Natural Care® Wipes with NEW Triple Clean* layers. In addition to the same trusted Leak Lock® protection parents have come to love and trust, only Huggies® Snug & Dry Diapers now have NEW SureFit® Design, to provide long-lasting fit for up to 12 hours of leakage protection.

Interested in trying out these new products for yourself? Huggies® is encouraging parents everywhere to become Official Huggies® Testers at Huggies.com/Tester and put their new and improved diapers and wipes to the test in their everyday routine – from playground play dates to messy mealtime.

To get coupons and other great rewards, visit the Huggies® Test Town!

Or check out the Huggies® Facebook fan page to learn more now!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Huggies®. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Posted by Tamara on May 15, 2013 baby Tagged with: diapers 5 Responses »

New from Del Taco – Buck & Under and New Tastes Menus {Giveaway}

May 082013

Win a $20 Del Taco Gift Card via southernyankeemix.com

Last year Del Taco opened it’s doors in our area and we quickly discovered we were fans (especially on Taco Tuesdays!) Well, they have two new menus at Del Taco – the Buck & Under Menu and the New Tastes Menu. During the month of May Del Taco wants you to try their new items out for free! On each Wednesday, beginning May 8th, from 3-9pm, you can get a free item with any purchase.

On May 8th and May 15 you can pick an item from the Buck & Under Menu for free. The Buck & Under Menu includes 11 items for 50¢, 75¢ and $1. There is a variety of tacos, burritos and drinks offered, including 3 new products.

Mini Cheddar Quesadilla - new!
Mini Bacon Quesadilla - new!
Crunchy Chipotle Beef Taco - new!
Regular Taco
Value Bean & Cheese Burrito
Jacked Up Value Bean Rice & Cheese Burrito
Grilled Chicken Taco
½-Pound Bean & Cheese Burrito
Double Beef Classic Taco
Strawberry Lemonade with real strawberry slices
Medium Size Brewed Iced Tea

On May 22nd and 29th you can get a free item (with any purchase) from the New Tastes Menu! The New Tastes Menu has 3 fresh new items:

Bacon Ranch Grilled Chicken Taco
Chili Cheese Fry Burrito
Fiery 6 Layer Burrito

“At Del Taco, all menu items are prepared to order using fresh ingredients including cheddar cheese grated from 40-pound blocks, hand-made pico de gallo salsa featuring ripe tomatoes, diced onions and fresh cilantro, lard-free beans slow cooked from scratch with Del Taco’s signature flavor, and marinated chicken grilled in the restaurants.”

With more than 550 restaurants in 18 states there’s sure to be a Del Taco near you! If you haven’t been there before, now would be a great time to check them out. To get you excited about their new menus, Del Taco is going to give one of you a $20 Gift Card to get your yum on!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a gift card in exchange for this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Posted by Tamara on May 8, 2013 food, free, giveaways Tagged with: food, giveaway 34 Responses »

New from Graco – FastAction Fold Jogger Click Connect Stroller

May 012013

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Graco.

Last week the boys and I headed over to Ft. Worth and met up with some other blogging mamas. Graco sent all of us their new FastAction Fold Jogger Click Connect Stroller to try out. Brittany, from Naturally Estes, was our gracious hostess and educator for the morning.

When we got to the park (after we got a little lost), I walked over to where all the other girls were and jokingly commented that it was like a stroller club where everyone had the same stroller. Brittany added some fun to our pavilion by writing the event hashtag in sidewalk chalk and adding some cute bunting banners. We got to just hang out for a bit and eat a delicious lunch from Zoe’s Kitchen. Then, we got down to business and Brittany gave us a demo of all of the stroller’s features and how it worked. Which, I have to say, is really intuitive and simple.

I, of course, procrastinated and didn’t even take the stroller out of the box until the morning of the event. I’m only telling you that to tell you that it was super easy to put together. It really involved popping the wheels on and child and parent trays on, and doing a few snaps. So easy! This stroller has a lot of great features, but right off the bat I had a few favorites. First, it has a holder for your smartphone/iPod in the middle of the parent tray. It makes it so it’s visible, but safely secured so it won’t fall or get lost. (The only thing I was a little sad about, was that my iPhone5 wouldn’t fit into it in the vertical position.)

Second, I loved that the FastAction Fold Jogger offers a really great mix of features from both a jogging/all-terrain stroller and a classic stroller. It is definitely built with a very sturdy frame. It has big rubber air-filled wheels and the option to lock the front wheel for added control while jogging. The stroller has a great large basket for storage on the bottom and even a pocket to tuck away the jogging safety strap so it’s not just hanging there. For convenience, it works seamlessly with the Graco Click Connect infant car seat to create a travel system. It has an awesome parent tray with 2 deep cup holders, a covered storage compartment, and the aforementioned smartphone cradle. The child’s tray also has a cup holder and can pivot open or be completely removed for easy entry/exit and cleaning.

The Graco SnugRide Click Connect 35 Infant Car Seat is one of my favorite infant car seats. Its easy to use and, again, intuitive. It has a large sun canopy that will meet with the sun canopy on the stroller to completely cover the baby if you want it to. Securing the car seat into the stroller is so easy, too. The stroller has a great reclining seat that you just squeeze and move up or down. If you are putting the car seat in, you put it all the way down. With Click Connect you then just put the car seat into the stroller, listen for the clicks and then you know it’s secure. Getting the car seat back out is as easy as squeezing the handle on the back of the car seat and lifting it out of the stroller. When you are done using the stroller the best part is the one-handed FastAction Fold. You just grab the fabric handle in the middle of the seat and pull up. In one movement, the stroller folds in on itself, rests on the front wheel and a kickstand that pops out when you’re folding, and the stroller will also lock.

{via Julie Harding Photography}

We all had a great time putting our new strollers to use and learning more about its features! The Graco FastAction Fold Jogger Click Connect Stroller is definitely one of my favorites. It’s really a great cross between my first two strollers I ever had – a Graco travel system and a heavy duty jogging stroller.

Graco’s NEW jogger is the ultimate crossover stroller, combining all the comfort and convenience features of a traditional stroller (FastAction Fold and Click Connect Technology) with performance and maneuverability of an all-terrain jogger.

As an added bonus, Graco’s innovative one-second, one-hand FastAction™ fold automatically locks & is self-standing.

This post is sponsored by Graco.

Posted by Tamara on May 1, 2013 baby, reviews 7 Responses »

Bedwetting – Tips for a Good Night

Apr 262013

For the past couple of months I’ve brought you a few posts about bedwetting, aka nocturnal enuresis, and talked about our challenges as well as dispelling some myths. GoodNites Bed Mats were a new addition to our house a little over 2 months ago and I wanted to give you an update and some final thoughts about them. I think it’s a little funny when you find something that makes things easier sometimes the problem itself disappears. In the past couple of months I think my son has only wet the bed twice and I haven’t had to use GoodNites Bed Mats as much as I thought I would be. But, it was nice to know that if he did wet the bed that I would have to deal with one less thing and not have to be washing sheets. For that, I’m thankful.

I love that while the bed mats are disposable, they are still strong, and on the nights that there aren’t any accidents we can keep the dry mat on the bed for the next night. Depending on how much tossing and turning they will last from a couple of days up to a week, giving that extra protection your child needs. On the nights there are accidents, it’s so nice to be able to just peel off a bed mat and not have to change an entire set of sheets.

I wanted to share a few tips that I’ve picked up in this bedwetting journey. Things that have helped me as a mom, and my son, have a better night, and in turn a better morning.

Have your child stop drinking a few hours before bedtime. I do let him have a drink of water before bed though. And I mean, a sip or two, not a whole cup.
Put a GoodNites Bed Mat on the bed before going to sleep. If there is an accident it cuts down on the cleanup time – back to bed or on with your morning with much less fuss!
Remember that bedwetting isn’t something your child can control. Stay calm, reassure your child, and move on. They will eventually grow out of it. Until then, be supportive and loving.

I know they aren’t some huge revelations, but honestly, sometimes it’s the little things that help the most. If you would like more education and tips for success when dealing with bedwetting, don’t forget to visit GoodNites website. It’s a wealth of information! Also, don’t forget, you can still get a coupon for GoodNites Bed Mats. (It does expire 2 weeks after you print it, so be ready to use it shortly after you print it.)

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of GoodNites. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Posted by Tamara on April 26, 2013 health, kids, Parenting 6 Responses »

BJ’s Restaurant – Party for Two! {or Five} #BJsRestaurants #PMedia

Apr 172013

The other night we got to go to dinner at one of my favorite places to eat, BJ’sRestaurant! (Their Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Salad with awesome balsamic glaze is what made me a fan – it’s SO good!) Anyway, we were offered the chance to go to our local restaurant and experience their new Party for Two deal. Ideally it would be a date night, but instead it was a party of five (small children, hello.)

So my four favorite people and I headed out for dinner. Our local BJ’s restaurant is in Plano, TX and is always buzzing but doesn’t take long to get seated. (Which is great when you have kids.) We knew we wanted to try the Party for Two, but we took a quick look at the menu anyway. We ordered up an appetizer to keep everyone happy while we waited on the “real” food. The Santa Fe Spring Rolls were awesome for everyone – enough flavor, but not too spicy for the kids.

Nick wanted his favorite, so the kids and I decided to order the Party for Two for ourselves. The Party for Two is only $19.95 and includes soup or salad for two people, a medium pizza, and BJ’s Restaurant’s famous Pizookie for dessert. We got 2 house salads with Italian dressing – one for me and the kids split the other one.

For the pizza, you can get any BJ’s Restaurant Signature Pizza that you like, but we went with the deep dish that BJ’s Restaurant is known for. The Buffalo Chicken Pizza in their menu looked amazing so I decided I wanted that on my side of the pizza. We’ve been trying a dairy-free diet for Hanna for the past couple of months but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy pizza too. We ordered double pepperoni, no cheese on the other half of the pizza. The kids loved it!

My pizza was so good! BJ’s Restaurant menu says it’s, “For Buffalo Chicken Wing lovers! Diced celery, red onions and grilled chicken breast marinated in hot and spicy buffalo sauce, drizzled with ranch dressing and buffalo sauce.” Really, really, good.

The pizza was a really good size, too. We all had a couple of pieces, including Nick, who wanted to try one, and we still had a few pieces left over. Then came the best part… The Pizookie! What’s a Pizookie, you ask? It’s a really big ode-to-deep-dish style cookie that’s topped with 2 big scoops of ice cream. You get to pick between Chocolate Chunk, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Peanut Butter or Oatmeal Raisin Walnut. We decided on the Peanut Butter, ice cream on the side.

The Pizookie was so yummy! It had whole peanut pieces baked right into it. The only thing that maybe could have made it even more amazing would have been a drizzle of chocolate. (Peanut Butter and Chocolate – yes, please!) I’m sure if I would have asked they would have brought me some. But, we were too busy gobbling it down.

We had such a nice family night at BJ’s Restaurant. Good food and great company always makes for a nice dinner! We went to our local restaurant, but the Party for Two deal is happening at all BJ’s Brewhouse Restaurants from March 18 – April 29, 2013. I would definitely recommend BJ’s Restaurant for your next date night or even family outing!

Want to connect with BJ’s Restaurant? Keep up to date on all their delish food and great deals!

BJ’s Restaurant Website | BJ’s Restaurant on Twitter | BJ’s Restaurant on Facebook

BJ’s Restaurant on Pinterest | BJ’s Restaurant on Google+

Disclosure: This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Bj’s Restaurants but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #Bjsrestaurants http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

Posted by Tamara on April 17, 2013 food, reviews 9 Responses »

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