Monthly Archives: April 2017

BedVoyage Bamboo Crib Sheet Sets- An Eco-friendly Option for your Baby’s Nursery

There is nothing better than a nice and soft sheet or blanket when it is bed time…I am very particular when it comes to the bed sheets I buy for my home as I truly believe that it has a lot to do with getting a good night’s sleep and I used to look for soft cotton sheets whenever I was shopping for bed sheets. That is of course until one day when I found a set of sheets that changed the way I shop for bed sheets.

One day the husband and I found a set of bamboo sheets and while neither of us even knew such a thing existed, we decided to get a set and give it a try. After that initial set, I became a bamboo clothing and of course sheet fanatic.


Bamboo fibers

The clothing and sheets made from bamboo, are generally not made from the fibers of the bamboo plant itself but a synthetic viscose made from bamboo cellulose and the resulting product is said to be the new cotton, because it shares several of the same properties and even offers a few extra advantages.

For example, bamboo is more anti-bacterial than other fabrics, which tend to be very absorbent, causing them to hold dampness in the sheet. Bamboo, on the other hand wicks moisture away, which it’s great for your circulation and skin. Not only that, but it prevents over-heating or chills from trapped-in moisture. As a matter of fact, the bamboo fibers adapt to the temperature and provides warmth when needed but prevents overheating. There is nothing like getting in bed and falling asleep with the luxurious softness of bamboo.

BedVoyage offers a selection of bamboo products like towels ( bamboo towels are amazing), bed sheets, bed sets, and also crib sheets and sets and of course I want my baby most of all to be comfortable and to get a good night’s sleep.

Bamboo crib sheet sets

The BedVoyage bamboo crib sheet set is available in a variety of colors to match your needs and it includes one fitted bamboo crib sheet and a crib blanket.

While I never used blankets in the little guys crib to prevent any possible hazards, he loves cuddling up to a nice blanket now that he is old enough to do that and as I have expected, he loves the softness of the BedVoyage bamboo crib blanket.

These eco-friendly linens are unbelievably smooth and comforting and of course feel amazing against the baby’s tender skin. The bamboo crib blanket on these sets are actually knitted which gives the blanket a delicate look and they are a great complement to any little boy or girl’s room.

Because the bamboo crib blanket, is knitted, it might be easy to pull threads out.

I must warn you, if your little guy or girl likes to carry a blanket around, these might quickly become their favorite blanket, so be ready to get a spare!

Easy to take care of, bamboo can be washed using a regular/ delicate cycle without softeners. A great option for parents looking for an eco- friendly option without sacrificing looks or comfort!

I love the way these bamboo crib sheets  look and feel…there is an almost vintage tone on the delicate colors and the knitted bamboo crib blanket that is really appealing and comforting.

The BedVoyage bamboo crib sheet set have a retail price of 54.99 and are on sale right now for only $32.99 so this is a great time to stock up!

Win it:
BedVoyage has kindly offered one lucky Jen’s Fun Finds reader, the chance to win a free bamboo crib sheet set in color of choice!

To enter this giveaway, please use the Giveaway Tools form below:

Please use the Giveaway Tools form for ALL entries. Except for the initial comment. Please leave comments containing 2-3 sentences in order to qualify- Comments like I like this or I want to win will not count! Contest open to the US residents with a valid street address. No PO Boxes please. This contest is void where prohibited. Winner(s) are selected randomly through the use Giveaway Tools unless otherwise noted and will be announce on the contest closing date. To claim your prize(s), you must contact Born 2 Impress within 48 hours of the contest closing Prize(s) not claimed by (48 hours) will be forfeited and a new winner will be selected.

Please provide a valid email address to be informed in case you do win a giveaway. Please note ALL entries are checked for accuracy and will be validated. Clicking on “enter” ensures that your task has been completed. If your task has not been completed, your entry will not be counted and will be considered invalid. If you are chosen as the winner of this contest and you have not completed the task(s) that you claim to complete, a new winner will be randomly chosen. So please be sure that you have completed a task before clicking “enter”thank you for your co-operation.

Disclosure:

The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. I did not receive any compensation for this review. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Star Wars Celebration – a Family Friendly Event – Fun and Entertaining for all Family Members

This past weekend the husband and I visited Orlando to take part in the Star Wars Celebration. For those not familiar with the event, the Star Wars Celebration, is the ultimate Star Wars fan experience that is celebrated in different locations in the US and Europe.

We were invited four years ago when it was last held in Orlando and we loved it. So of course when we found out it was again going to take place in Orlando this year, we knew we could not miss it.

The event took place in Orlando, FL at the Orange County Convention Center 9800 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819.

Tickets went on sale months ago and fan from different parts of the globe were present at the celebration and the atmosphere was just like the previous time I was at the convention. That is to say it was filled with contagious excitement…And everywhere I looked, I saw fans in costumes, exhibits, screenings, and exclusive merchandise that fans could not wait to get their hands on…Some of the stands were sold out of merchandise within a few hours.

There were celebrity guests, panels, autograph sessions, fan-inspired activities and amazing displays like the Gentle Giant and 3D Systems…. Which had a life sized jabba the Hutt which was nothing less than realistic and was the reunion point for many of the princess Leia slaves…Really impressive.

The good mood and joyous feeling was tangible as soon as we walked in the convention center and saw storm troopers and other Star Wars characters. It was like stepping in to another galaxy, one far, far away…

 

While there was a lot to see, one of my favorite things in the celebration, was the fans and how they are all so ready to walk around in their costumes. Some of them as good as the ones you expect to see on a movie set and the fact that they are ready to roll play and allow other fans like me that did not dress up to take photos makes this a very unique experience.

 

 

There was lot to see and the scenario was constantly changing as new fans in costumes joined the celebration…The mashup costumes (where they combine 2 characters into one, such as Kermit Storm Trooper, or a favorite that I got a photo with of Snow White / Boba Fett) were amazing and the number of families with members of all ages was truly incredible. Kids 5 and under were admitted for free to Star Wars Celebration Orlando and did not need a ticket.

Kids 6-12 were required to purchase a Kids Ticket. The tickets were $65.00 for the adults for a day pass except for Saturday which was $65.00 for adults if bought preshow or $75.00 if bought on site. The kid’s tickets were $35.00 if bought pre show or $43.00 on site for the day pass for kids. While the event is very family friendly, you will see lots of women in skimpy costumes, so keep that in mind if that presents a problem for you.

The tickets which included a commemorative patch, could also be purchased for the full 4 days and had a price tag of $150.00 pre show, for the adults, or $170.00 on site. The 4 days kid’s tickets had a retail price of $70.00 pre show or $85.00 on site.

The Star Wars Celebration, is a four day event :

• Thursday, April 13, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
• Friday, April 14, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
• Saturday, April 15, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
• Sunday, April 16, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

We spent most of the time walking around and looking at the different displays and stages as there was a lot of memorabilia….Lucky little me got in line to go through the Rancho Obi-Wan, exhibit and happened to be luck visitor number 1138 (a common recurring number in Star Wars) and won an Obi Wan T-Shirt…I was as excited as if I had won the lottery. Thanks Mr. Rich Smolen!

If all the excitement of the day was not enough, you could also go to the after party held by the 501st (if you were lucky enough to get one of the sold out tickets). The 501st Legion,( also known as the 501st Battalion) which was an elite military division of the Grand Army of the Republic. Comprising highly-trained clone troopers engineered by Kaminoan cloners, the 501st served under the command of the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker throughout the Clone Wars.

 

On this occasion, the 501st was celebrating their 20th anniversary and threw the big party to celebrate. The party took place at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Orlando and featured honorary 501st member Weird Al Yakovich who performed for close to an hour… The acoustics in the room were awful and it was close to impossible to understand what weird Al was singing except when it came to the finale of Yoda (a play on the Kinks song Lola) that had everyone singing, but if I had to be honest, nobody seemed to care and everyone seemed to enjoy the concert and the party no matter what.

I personally had a great time and even got to take a photo with Billy D Williams (Lando Calrissian).

Ready for Summer? Then you Need a Pair of Telic Comfortable Sandals!

 

Comfortable sandals for your vacation? Absolutely!

Spring is officially here and we starting to feel the temperature changing and it is quite nice here in Florida this time of year. We also took our first family vacation since the baby was born and headed to the Dominican Republic for Spring break.

We had a blast and I wanted to let you all know about a few products that made our trip even more enjoyable. One of the first things I pack whenever I am going on vacation to a warm destination is a pair of Telic sandals. For those of you that are not familiar with this great brand, let me give you a little background information.

Telic is a brand launched in 2012, starting with just a couple of colors. Since then, the brand has quickly gained in popularity and Telic sandals are sold and loved in several countries around the globe.

Featuring bright, fun colors, Telic sandals are perfect for any time you need a comfortable pair of sandals.

Telic is available in a variety of styles including a Z-strap design which is one of my personal favorites. They also have a slip on design preferred by men which features a no toe post and is contoured to support the arches of your feet. The sandal has a slight heel rocker to off-load heel pressure and accentuates the arch support, the slide is a mostly for sports enthusiasts looking for a comfortable, recovery shoe after a sporting activity. Telic is loved by golfers and marathon runners alike.

I probably own at least one pair of each style and Telic has never disappointed me and have always delivered great comfort and support and I have put my sandals to a test in several occasions on different trips…Cruise, Lego Land, Disney Land and of course the Dominican Republic are some of the places I have taken my Telic Sandals with me and I mean to tell you I have always been so happy to have them with me.


My husband and brothers are also Telic fans and my mom swears by them!

The reality is, I have not met anyone who doesn’t love Telic. No matter which style you prefer, comfort is present in all of them!


What makes these sandals so great?

Telic has combined a variety of features to create their one-of-a-kind comfort sandals. Crafted with groundbreaking Novalon material, they deliver the ultimate comfortable sandals, Telic feels the way you would probably feel if you walked on marshmallows but with a great arch support through the brand’s custom deep heel cup that also minimizes pressure.

 

I have flat feet and have developed Plantar Fasciitis and finding truly comfortable shoes can be a challenge for me living in Florida, I spend a good amount of time wearing flip flops. So far, Telic is the only brand of flip flops I can wear all day without ending up with foot or leg pain, Needless to say, I love them and while I prefer to go barefoot around the house, my doctor recommended not to, so I wear the next best thing to barefoot…My Telic sandals!

The only thing I would change on them? Probably their grip, they can be slippery when it’s raining.


Ready for comfort?

Telic has kindly offered THREE Jen’s Fun Finds readers, the chance to win a free pair of sandals of choice.
To enter this giveaway, please use the Giveaway Tools form below:

Please use the Giveaway Tools form for ALL entries. Except for the initial comment. Please leave comments containing 2-3 sentences in order to qualify- Comments like I like this or I want to win will not count! Contest open to the US residents with a valid street address. No PO Boxes please. This contest is void where prohibited. Winner(s) are selected randomly through the use Giveaway Tools unless otherwise noted and will be announce on the contest closing date. To claim your prize(s), you must contact Born 2 Impress within 48 hours of the contest closing Prize(s) not claimed by (48 hours) will be forfeited and a new winner will be selected.

Please provide a valid email address to be informed in case you do win a giveaway. Please note ALL entries are checked for accuracy and will be validated. Clicking on “enter” ensures that your task has been completed. If your task has not been completed, your entry will not be counted and will be considered invalid. If you are chosen as the winner of this contest and you have not completed the task(s) that you claim to complete, a new winner will be randomly chosen. So please be sure that you have completed a task before clicking “enter”thank you for your co-operation.

Disclosure:

The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. I did not receive any compensation for this review. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

What you Need to Know if You are Planning to Travel to the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the Hispaniola Island, also known as Quisqueya ( native name), the Island is located in the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region.

The Island is shared by the nation of Haiti which occupies the western one-third of the island making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands, along with Saint Martin, that is shared by two countries.

The Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean nation by land mass. Cuba being the largest at 48,445 square kilometers (18,705 sq mi) and is 3rd largest in population with approximately 10 million people. Approximately three million live in the metropolitan area of the capital city, Santo Domingo.

Surrounded by the Atlantic ocean to the north and the Caribbean sea to the South, the Dominican Republic has more than 1,600 kilometers of coast and 400 kilometers are beaches.

There are a few things to take under consideration if you are planning to visit this Caribbean. The main language is Spanish and currency is the Dominican peso.

There are different airports that will bring you there: Aeropuerto International de las Americas  (SDQ) or La Romana International airports  if you are going to  South Coast. For destinations on the North coast of the Dominican Republic, people generally fly into Puerto Plata Airport (POP). For destinations on the west coast of the Dominican Republic, people fly into Punta Cana (PUJ) Airport.

If you are planning to stay or start your visit in Santo Domingo, the Las Americas is your best choice. On the other hand, you are planning to visit Bavaro, La Romana, then Punta Cana is your airport.

There is a $10.00 tourist fee that everyone visiting the Dominican Republic, including babies, must pay and can only be paid in cash. There are several money exchange locations within the airport where you can get the local currency.

Most places would take credit cards in and out of the airport, but it is always a good idea to have some local currency available.

Driving in the Dominican Republic can be a bit challenging because traffic laws are not enforced as they should be. If you are planning on renting a car, you might want to make your reservation ahead of time. While there are car rental companies inside the airport, my experience is that it is sometimes better to book one of the agencies outside the airport. There are a few surrounding the airport and they will come and pick you up to do the paperwork. When you contact them, just make sure they do offer this pickup service.

While you can buy insurance through the same website you used to book the car, some credit cards offer insurance and make sure your credit card company covers the Dominican Republic. You will have to take an extra US $8.00 a day extra insurance besides whatever insurance you have. If you are traveling with kids and need a car seat, some rent car places do have them available for a small daily fee. I actually would recommend bringing your own.

If you are staying in the city, I highly recommend using a taxi service as the fares are really inexpensive and taxi drivers are familiar with the driving style and places. ALWAYS RIDE WITH A TAXI DRIVER FROM ONE OF THE LOCAL COMPANIES OR HOTEL TAXIS even though they are usually a bit more expensive. Whenever you call for a taxi, make sure to get the car color, and unit number and wait for that car, do not board with random taxi drivers.

Walking around town

Be aware and do not wear flashy, expensive jewelry as they are big targets for thieves. Cell phones are also big targets, even locals try not to be on their phones while walking around.

Zika
The Dominican Republic is home to the Zika and Dengue transmitting mosquito, so make sure to have the whole family protected, I have tried several products and brands and I have found the best results using the Para’Kito products. The brand offers cute, lightweight, and very comfortable bands that you can wear on your wrists and ankles and work wonderfully, I had my whole family wearing one of this bands and also we also used their roll on mosquito repellent. This was the very first time we left the island without mosquito bites!

 

 


Water

Weather in the Dominican Republic is really hot and humid, so staying hydrated is very important. The water in the Dominican Republic is not potable, in other words, YOU CANNOT DRINK WATER FROM THE FAUCET.

Food 

The Dominican Republic is famous for their delicious Caribbean cuisine and you will find plenty of restaurants any where you go…Grocery store prices are very comparable to the US prices.

Be careful to follow a few simple rules and you should have a great time in this beautiful Island!

Get in the Coachella Spirit and Get a 10 % off to Your Purchase from the Wendy Mignot Store!

Are you a Coachella fan? You know the worldwide famous festival held on the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, located in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado desert…The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival which first started in 1999, and has grown in popularity since then, has become the most anticipated festival of the year.

 

I like watching the different artists that perform in the festival and really love following the different trends and to see what people are wearing.

Wendy Mignot which is one of my favorite jewelry designer’s has an amazing selection of Coachella worthy pieces and if you are looking for a unique look this season, I recommend that you take a look at her catalog and if any of her pieces fancy you….Here is a discount code you can use: B2I10CIV and get 10% off from your purchase – Good through 04/30/2017.