Aidan is turning 4!

Join us for a Mouskarrific good time Wednesday June 12th at 5:00pm to celebrate Aidan's 4th Birthday.  The party will be taking place at Jump On It (located at 131 Industry Lane, Forest Hill MD, 21050)

RSVP by June 9th to mindy@thegoldmans.com or 410-612-2177

Besides plenty of energy and an appetite, be sure to bring socks for all jumpers and a signed waiver.
You can print out a copy of the waiver here to fill out prior to the party.

Want to know more about Aidan?

Check out some of these fun facts.
(click to view larger)

Aidan has wish lists at Toys R Us, Amazon.  But as you can see, his biggest wish this year is to make a trip to Disney World this Fall to meet all his favorite Disney Characters.  You can help make Aidan's wish come true buy purchasing a Disney Gift Card.

Woolite Washed - Tested and Approved

I've always heard about this Woolite, but never thought it was for me and my families' laundry.  I always had the thought that Woolite was best for delicates, but Woolite has been making the push to let everyone know that Woolite is for all the clothes you love: your favorite jeans, a special tee, or a great sweater.

So, I received my Woolite Sample and Share (thanks to Crowdtap) and got a little excited about trying Woolite for the first time.  BONUS!!  I received other samples to share with friends!  Woolite totes that it "helps protect the clothes you love by not causing fading, shrinking and stretching."  Okay, sounds good.

Off to the laundry pile to find some great qualifiers for the Woolite challenge.  And I found some good ones from both my husband's and my pile, and our almost 4 year old's pile:

Hubby's Photography shirt needed for an upcoming job.
He wears this a lot, so it needs to stay looking like new.

Just a nice shirt worn by an almost 4 year old.
These clothes just have to last the adventures
of preschool and the playground.

This hoody is VERY special.
Grandpa brought this from his trip to Italy.
It would be a bit difficult to replace.

It's Daddy's shirt now, but if it's still in great shape
I can wear it when I get bigger!

And it's personalized with  my derby name.

A Super important shirt...
Charm City Roller Girls!
Worn a lot over the past 3 years...

Another item from the Roller Derby collection...
My team track jacket

A pair of super cute jeans that I'd love to
keep looking like new as long as possible.

Dress pants - His and Hers...
Much needed for business-type activities.

In goes the Woolite.
Let's see how it works!

An hour or so later, the freshly laundered clothes came out of the washer.  The first thing I noticed was the scent.  It was fresh and clean.... just like the description says.  I practically sniffed each piece of clothing as it got transferred from the washer to the dryer.  I would have taken a picture, but I was too busy huffing the fresh scent.

The end result... the clothes came out great.  Not only did they smell fantastic, Woolite seemed to make even more over-worn Charm City Roller Girls shirt seem closer to what it was when it was brand new.  Gone were the little fuzzy balls that occurred over time of constant wear.  Even my jeans came out soft.  Usually, freshly washed jeans are kind of stiff and not comfortable.  I couldn't wait to get them back on after this wash.  My husband's photography shirt was ready to go for a full day event and survived all the running and stress.   Thumbs up for Woolite in this house!  Thanks Woolite and Crowdtap for the opportunity to try something new, and find a winner.

Now, if only Woolite can take care of the bigger messes....

***UPDATE:
What my other samplers had to say about their Woolite Samples:


Renee: "I was really happy with the results of using Woolite. It was honestly the first time I tried it. The girls clothes and our own came out with a nice and fresh feeling. I too thought Woolite was for special items only. Thanks to Mindy for sharing the sample!!"

Nicole: "I used my sample to wash my son's khaki pants that had grass stains on them. I used a stain remover in addition to the Woolite and the tough stains mostly vanished! The pants were soft and smelled fresh, but not with overpowering fragrance. Good stuff!"

Elizabeth: "I thought the woolight wasnt bad, I bought some new shirts (i always wash first) and the color seemed to be the same. Normally when I wash clothes they look a shade lighter."

April Showers bring.... OLD NAVY'S BEST TEES!

Ahhh Spring.  What a great time of year.  It means sunny days, beautiful flowers starting to bloom, and temperatures perfect for Tees!  And what a coincidence that thanks to yet another opportunity from Crowdtap and Old Navy, it also means FREE OLD NAVY TEES!

My favorite piece of mail to receive!
Old Navy Women's Best Tees Sample and Share!

As soon as I got the Sample and Share coupons in the mail, it was on to FaceBook to find out which of my friends would jump at the chance for free stuff.  I think I need to start having a Sample and Share raffle because EVERYONE jumps at these kind of chances.

I was joined again by my friend Elizabeth, who joined me on the Old Navy dress excursion.  I think we had a bit more fun with the tees.  Plus, it was a WAY better selection for both of our styles this time around.  Cue U2's Beautiful Day and let's get on with the Spring Time Tee adventure!

Let's start our search for the Best Tees by scoping out the Perfect Tees & Henleys and...

the Vintage V-neck selection.

Soooooo many choices, what to try first?  So, we grabbed a variety of shades and styles and heading to the dressing rooms for some model quality runway-like action.

Elizabeth feeling sunny and free
in a bright yellow Henley

Rocking the Henley/Tami combo
in Bawlmer Orioles colors  

 Best Baseball tee calls for a Best Baseball pose.
             Batter Up!

Elizabeth is feeling the power of a pink Vintage V-neck Tee, after finding a more perfect fitting size

 

Hmmm... these stripes look rather nice

Wait?  Am I seeing Double?!?!
I guess two great minds thing alike when considering the Best Tees!

Same tee, different ways to wear it:

By itself or layered with another vintage vneck

 

Feeling a little Blue in our Baseball tees... not available from the rack in our sizes

 

We're not twins, but we have some sort of twin-sync when it comes to Best Tees

FREE SPIRIT!

                       

Here's a recap of my Best Tee Choices (btw - it was a hard decision)

Vintage V-necks that layer
perfectly with a white v-neck

Henleys paired with a comfy Tami

Batter Up with Baseball tees

And the finalists of the Old Navy Best Tee Search......

*special thanks to the Modelquins for helping with the final decisions

Call Me Maybe.... on my Windows 8x by HTC

Hey I just met you, and... this is crazy.  But here's my number, so call me maybe.... on my Windows 8x by HTC!!

Meet, the Windows 8x by HTC.  It's sleek, slim, easy to use, and in the best color ever (what I refer to as Night Terror Blue)!  How else can you truly  find out just how cool this phone is, unless you take a test run on it?  So, thanks to Crowdtap and Verizon, we had a reason to have a party and play with new technology!

What is there to know about the Windows 8x?  PLENTY! 

Of course, it's running the Windows 8 OS.  That's obvious with a first glance at the Live Tiles start screen.  These are customizable to represent you.  I'm running an Windows 8 laptop, so it was a pretty easy transition to the Windows 8x phone.  How do you customize your start screen?  Easy. You pin your favorite apps or friends to instantly see the latest updates.

Main Camera... great pose Indy

There are 2 cameras, the main camera and the front camera. The main camera is 8 megapixels with auto focus, LED flash and a BSI sensor to help in low light.  The front camera, perfect for those self portraits, features a 2.1 megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. 

front camera... super cool self portrait

It runs Beats Audio?  You mean the same Beats Audio created by Dr. Dre and has all those cool headphones.  Sah-weeet!  Not that I've ever used my phone as my primary MP3 player, but I've never had one with Beats Audio either.  I'm down with having some tunes stored on my phone if it will give the sound justice.

The sleek slim design is  a bit of improvement on my current smart phone.  I mean... look... my LG looks HUGE and bulky compared to the HTC Windows 8x.  I carry my phone in my pocket.... so the HTC would definitely fit a little more comfortable than my current phone. 
  

Kid's Corner for well.... kids.  My 3 year old definitely like to play games on my phone. And of course I have to go through methods to ensure a certain little head isn't making crazy calls, or downloading thousands of dollars of app or in-app purchases when I think he's innocently playing Super Why or Angry Birds.  Kid's Corner, takes out some of the hassle.  I create an environment safe and secure for my littlehead to happily play in his own games and apps, without worrying what else he has stumbled into.  My only issue... has to do with apps that have ads that when clicked, open a browser even in Kid's Corner. Now, it does prevent any real browsing like entering a web address, but it's surprising just how far some simple clicks within a webpage can navigate to somewhere not so preferable.  

Meanwhile... back at the Call My Maybe party....

We can't be expected to test out new technology on empty stomachs.  So, we had plenty of hunger reducing apps... no downloads required.  Live Tile cake pops gave everyone a tasty sense of what can be customized in Live Tiles. And these super tasty rice treat HTCs were available in many of the HTC color schemes!

Live Tile Cake Pops

More Live Tile Cake Pops

edible HTCs

mmmm....Live Tiles....

hello?  hello?  what's up with this...oh...

And what's a party without games!  We created our own version of Live Tile during the "Meet My Windows Phone" Pinterest Challenge.  What a great way to get to know more about your friends?  You can check out ours on the Call Me Maybe Pinterest Page.   Here's a little preview:

We had a great time getting to know the Windows 8x.  And, of course, no one left empty handed!  

Welcome to the Verizon Insiders!

A Monster Bowl Celebration

OMG!!  Did you hear?!?  The Battymore Ravens won the Super Monster Bowl!  We have to celebrate!

Hi There!  Mavis here! 
After my most favorite Monster Team won the Super Monster Bowl, and my favorite player, Ray L. Beastis, announced his retirement, I convinced Dad to have a little shindig here at the Hotel Transylvania!

It was great!  There were great snacks, FANtastic friends, and we did a little Lie In Movie screening.

The Monster Bowl trophy (The Zombardy Trophy) was in the hotel. 

 It was such an honor to have it in our presence.

The menu was superb, just like always. Dad only hires the best chefs in all of Transylvania.

Monster Brain pizza

Ghoul Eye Ball Pops

Mini Mummy Dogs

Well, that Ghoul eye could work.
I don't think it's time for
a transplant though.

Enjoying the delicious snack
in the company of the
Zombardy Trophy

"I'm not too sure about these
Ghoul eye pops.  They keep
eying me up."

Special thanks to Delilah for acting as both
security and fire chief for the event.
We've never felt safer.

The Lie-In Screening...
complete with blankets and pillows.
Lacey thought is was a Drive-In, though.

"No paparazzi!"
It wouldn't be an official screening
if the paparazzi didn't arrive.
Lacey handled them well, though.

 

I always enjoy entertaining here at the Hotel Transylvania. Thanks so much to the FANtastic friends who came and celebrated with us.