Take the Opportunity to Give

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Arkansas Children’s to support the 2018 Festival of Stars toy & donation drive. I am helping promote the statewide event as part of a paid promotional partnership. However, all opinions are my own.

With the busyness of the holiday season in full swing, I want to take a minute to offer up a simple way to share some goodness in your community. The Festival Of Stars toy drive for Arkansas Children's Northwest in Springdale will be next Friday, December 14. That means you have just over a week to run out and purchase a new gift or toy for a child who needs a brighter Christmas this year. There is a particular need for items for babies and teens, though gifts for all ages are collected. 

In Springdale, the collection will take place from 7am until 6pm, at the new hospital on Gene George Boulevard, just west of I-49. There will be hot cocoa, holiday music, snacks and special guests for people to enjoy when they stop to make donations on site.

Our family has a yearly Advent calendar that includes special activities and acts of kindness listed to complete each day. Many of our activities include an aspect of giving to others during this month. It's an easy way to help my kids understand that the holiday season is about so much more than them being on the receiving end of gifts. We donate to little free libraries, bell ringers and food pantries during this time. A toy drive makes a great addition to the list! 

Unwrapped toys collected on December 14 will be given to patients and their families who are staying in the hospital on Christmas. There are drop-off locations all over the state, and an online donation site for those who prefer to make a financial donation. Here are just some of the things that your monetary donation can help with:

In this season of giving, I encourage you to find something that makes your heart happy to support. Let us all remember others who are in need of a little holiday cheer.

My Kids are Flipping Out {sponsored post}

This is a sponsored post. I am currently serving as a blog ambassador for The Jones Center, who has compensated me for such. The photos and opinions are real, and are my own. This is a reflection of my family's personal experience as members of the facility.

My girls have decided that they would like to give gymnastics a try. This makes me happy for several reasons, one being that I waited until I was 12 or 13 to start gymnastics and it was too late for me to be successful. I was always sorry that I never learned basic tumbling skills; I never even learned to do a cartwheel. Boo!

As we've discussed the possibility over the last few weeks, I told the girls that we'd go check out the gymnastics class at The Jones Center. Since we go there a lot already, I knew that they recently started offering both dance and gymnastics classes. 

I'm happy to report that we went to visit a class last week and the girls loved it! There are about a dozen kids in a class and it's beginner level, right where my girls need to be. The kids were all welcoming to my girls and the instructor was very patient and kind. After one night of testing the waters, I came right home to sign them up online. For the record, Boy Twin chose to stick with soccer this spring, so he won't have time for gymnastics, too.

We are going to be in the Thursday evening classes. Girl Twin is in the age 5-7 class, which meets first, and Big Sis will be in the age 8+ class afterward. The classes are very affordable for anyone--especially for families with multiple kids. The cost is only $25/month per kid, which I can totally justify. I sat with another mom who was watching her 10-year-old twins practice. She said the same thing---The Jones Center really is a blessing to mamas who need to enroll more than one kid in class. Yes!

Another cool feature of the gymnastics class at The Jones Center? They offer multiple nights for convenience (even some daytime classes for younger kids) and you sign up online. You enroll each month. This means if you get busy during the summer and need to take off a  month, then you aren't stuck paying. Or, some kids want to play spring sports and take off gymnastics--no harm done! Just come back and sign up for the month that you want to participate. I love this convenience! 

Here's the link for more information about gymnastics classes at The Jones Center in Springdale. Check it out if you are interested. 

I Think I Might Be "Tech People" After All!

Last Tuesday, I attended the 2015 Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit, presented by the Bentonville-Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce and the NWA Tech Council. When I first heard about the event, I was sure that it was not a place for me. My mental image was that of people with pocket protectors and social skills akin to Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. File me under "prone to stereotyping" again.  (shame)

 

The event was very well organized and full of more information than my non-techy self could process. It was great in every way! I was exposed to so many new ideas and lots of things that apply to my life: professionally, as a blogger and as a consumer. 

 

Nearly 1,000 people were able to come together and learn from people who are getting it right when it comes to blending technology with their businesses. People were welcoming and encouraged questions and offered explanations. I was able to join a group of my fellow Northwest Arkansas bloggers to help promote the event on social media in real time, which was also fun.

 

Professionally, I knew that I could take away some things that would certainly help me in my daily marketing duties...and boy, did I! Mainly, as much as the world has gone to digital and online shopping, there is still a place for brick & mortal retail in the world. People may go into a store only to pull up an item on their phone to purchase, or check out an item in person before they buy online. It's still our job, as sales professionals, to provide excellent customer service to earn the customers' trust and make them want to buy from us.

 

Customer service is universal in any business; in person and online.

 

Another big takeaway for me? The job opportunities! This gave me such hope for my kids' future! I got even more affirmation to challenge, encourage and show them the value of technology in their lives now and in the future. I want my kiddos to embrace it and go toward it. The possibilities are unlimited and will continue to grow as they do.  

 

Here are a few of my tweets from the presentations at the Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit.

The event will be coming back in 2016, so watch for information if you missed this one and might want to check it out! If I can learn from it, you can too! Let me know and I'll save you a seat.

Our Summer Fun Place {#sponsored}

 

This is a sponsored post. I am currently serving as a blog ambassador for The Jones Center, who has compensated me for such. The photos and opinions are real, and are my own. This is a reflection of my family's personal experience as members of the facility.

 

 

 

This summer my family has spent a lot of time at The Jones Center, in Springdale. It's close to home and offers so many fun things for the whole family to enjoy. While we have gone ice skating and played some basketball in the gym, the awesome indoor pool is hands down our favorite part of the whole facility. In fact, the kiddos beg us to go swimming on a weekly basis! 

 

 

If you aren't familiar with The Jones Center, let me tell you what you are missing. It's a community center that's available to anyone via memberships or a daily use fee, based on the activity you choose. They have a basketball gym, a workout facility, ice rink, indoor pool area with a kiddie pool and huge slide, along with an Olympic lap pool.  They host various community events and meetings throughout the year as well. On top of that, they offer swimming lessons and gymnastics, too. Right now, we are mostly using the pools but I am thinking of putting Big Sis in ice skating lessons this fall, as she really enjoyed getting out on the ice this summer.

 

 

 

Here is the slide that we all love--adults and little ones, too.  

 

 

Girl Twin has turned into quite the little fishy this summer. The Jones Center has implemented a new required swim test before the kids can get into the water. The swim test determines their swimming capability. We take our own floaties for the twins, but the Center does provide life jackets for the kids who aren't independent swimmers yet. 



This little boy is not scared at all. No sir!

Big Sis passed her swim test on the first try and I think she's told everyone she saw this summer about it! She is one proud little swimmer.

 

 



 

 

We have really enjoyed our summer of fun at The Jones Center. We have even taken all of our summer visitors there with us! We were able to go swimming on a rainy day when Grammy and TP visited us, and again when Aunt Dee and Jen visited last month.

 

If you haven't been to The Jones Center yet, or if it's been awhile, go check it out. It's a great place for some family time, with so many activity choices that everyone will be happy for sure.

 

That one time when I had a relaxing lunch...

#sponsored post

This post is sponsored by Downtown Bentonville, Inc. I was compensated for my review of the event that follows. All opinions are my own and are not affected by fact that I was compensated.

It's no secret that I rarely escape from home and the demands that come with it. So, when I got invited to attend the Farm To Table: Backyard BBQ luncheon, and give a review, I jumped at the chance. As luck would have it, my sister-in-law Dee was visiting from out of state, so I was able to take her along with me for a nice, relaxing lunch. As every mom knows, sometimes just getting away for a few hours can make a huge difference in how you feel.

On our way to lunch, I was able to show Dee the downtown Bentonville square area. We also decided to walk the 5 blocks to the Bentonville Bungalow, where the event was being held. It was a beautiful, sunny and warm July day, and we soaked up every minute of it.

The Bentonville Bungalow is tucked away on a quiet, unassuming residential street just minutes from downtown. Upon our arrival, we were able to tour the inside of the quaint home and see where many couples and families have been able to stay when they've visited the Bentonville area. The home has two bedrooms and two baths, and it's fully furnished with anything one could need for a weekend stay (or longer). We found out the home can be rented nightly, weekly and beyond...which is perfect for a couple's getaway, a wedding reception or even a Razorback weekend.  If you are interested, rental info can be found here.

We were ushered out into the backyard and greeted by a lovely, shaded yard with rows of tables set up for the luncheon. I understand that it's a regular event throughout the summer, and it's open to the public. It's a family-friendly event that's fine for taking the kiddos along, or for enjoying on a date or just with girlfriends. Ticket info can be found here.

We filled our plates with a delicious lunch that was prepared by the guys from Tusk & Trotter with fresh ingredients found mostly from the Farmers' Market. The white beans with ham was delicious, and we enjoyed all of the fresh fruit, salad and sausages.  I will say that Dee and I both agreed that our favorite part was the signature cocktail we had called the Bees Knees. It was so refreshing on the warm day! Everyone was casually visiting in the backyard, while listening to the songbird voice of Dana Louise.  The food was great, the company was excellent and the setting was perfect for a mid-summer outing in our beautiful Northwest Arkansas corner of heaven.

After lunch, Dee and I walked back downtown where I went with her through the Walmart Museum and the Walton 5 & 10.  Since we were already in Bentonville, we met up with the rest of our crew and ended our day at the splash park at Lawrence Plaza for some cooling off!