Thirty one Global Inspired #Giveaway #NationalHandbagDay #ThirtyOne

Welcome, all the colors of fall with us and the new Global Inspired line from Thirty-One Gifts. These new exotic prints know no boundaries! We're kicking off National Handbag Day with the chance to win two fabulous bags from the Global Inspired line plus two matching zippered pouches to store all your goodies in style!

About Thirty-One Empowering women to succeed Thirty-One Gifts is also a woman-owned company! Their products are sold through a network of local sales consultants via their websites or home parties. Want to join the team? You can get started today! Visit Thirty-One Gifts to learn more about saving on products and earning income by joining as a consultant.

Enter the Giveaway! One lucky entrant will be selected on the entry form to win the Thirty-One Global Inspired Prize Package! Includes: (1)Retro Metro Bag, (1) Cross Body Organizing Tote, (2) Mini Zippered Pouches  (ARV $120) Open for entry US, 18 years and older from 10/10/18 at 12:01 a.m. ET thru 10/31/18 at 11:59 p.m. ET. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to notification email to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected. See Rafflecopter for official rules. The Mommy Island and participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Twitter ‘Egg’ profiles and dummy accounts are ineligible for entry and will be blocked. Authentic accounts only are eligible to win. Follow The Mommy Island on Facebook and Twitter then use the entry form to enter!

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Halloween DIY Crafts For Kids + Best Non Candy Treats

I can't believe it is already October ya'll! 👻 I don't know about you but my children's school doesn't allow candy treats to be brought in for any occasion, including Halloween! So I have been brainstorming some kid friendly festive treats that are not candy/food. I'm going to share some fun idea's with you in case you are in the same boat as I am. I'm also going to share some super cute and easy Halloween DIY crafts for kids.

If you're not already following me on Pinterest you should be! I have a whole HALLOWEEN board with a ton of fun idea's from recipes to Disney pumpkins.

Here is a fun craft that just about anyone can do! All you need is paper, glue and pumpkin seeds.

Simply draw a pumpkin on a piece of white paper and let your kids have fun painting the seeds orange. Then once the paint has dried let your kids glue the seeds to the pumpkin! If you want to avoid painting you could always just spray the seeds orange.


The paper plate pumpkin is always fun, but it can get a bit messy with the painting!

My kids really enjoy this fun craft

Simply glue q tips to your paper and you have an instant skeleton!!

Check out The Suburban Mom's website for details on how to create an adorable Halloween Popsicle Stick Door Hanger!

*Photo Credit The Suburban Mom*

Non Candy HALLOWEEN Treat Ideas

• Halloween Pencils
• Glow Sticks (Five Below has a pack of 100 for just $5)
• Play Doh
• Spider Rings
• Halloween stampers
• Glitter sticky hands
• mini slinkies
• Vampire Teeth
• Bouncy Balls
• Halloween Rubber Duckies

Head to Oriental Trading website for a ton of fun and affordable non candy options for trick or treaters! Another great place to find Halloween treats that are non candy is the Dollar Store. Also Amazon has great bulk novelty toys for Halloween! 

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All About Kings Dominion's Great Pumpkin Fest + Giveaway!

What is Kings Dominion's Great Pumpkin Fest?

• Kid friendly event held Saturdays & Sundays September 22nd-October 28th
• Tons of kid friendly activities located in Planet Snoopy
• Sally's Pumpkin Painting Patch (complimentary pumpkins!)
• Pig Pen's People Washer (Foam Pit!)
• Franklin's Scarecrow Maze
• Meet n greet with various Peanuts gang including Snoopy!
• Ghostly Games where everyone wins! ($2 & $5 games)
• Stop by the Great Pumpkin Fest Headquarters located at the entrance to Planet Snoopy and receive your complimentary treat bag filled with crayons so you can collect treats at the various booths set up throughout Planet Snoopy
• Check out our fun on my YouTube channel

Children can dress up in their Halloween costumes for the Great Pumpkin Fest!

Giveaway!!

Enter to win an awesome Kings Dominion swag bag filled with tons of goodies! 

Swag bag includes: Snoopy stuffed animal, Peanuts pencil/sharpener, notepad, lightup Charlie Brown, Snoopy ruler/puzzle, drawstring Kings Dominion bag, "No Boo" lightup necklace! 

Click the link below to enter the giveaway:
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Super Easy & Delicious #Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins #Recipes

These pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are SO soft and yummy and the best part is they are SO easy to make!! Here are the ingredients you will need:

1 1/2 Cups granulated sugar

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1 Cup vegetable oil

2 Eggs

4 Cups Flour

2 Cups Pumpkin (canned)

2 Cups Chocolate Chips (I prefer mini morsels)

1 1/2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

4 teaspoons baking powder 

Instructions: Mix sugars, oil, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla & pumpkin pie spice with a mixer. Mix remaining ingredients in separate bowl (except chocolate chips, save these for last). Add flour mix to the pumpkin mix. Mix until your batter is a creamy thick orange color. (See photo below). Fold in chocolate chips and gently mix with a spatula. Line muffin pan with cupcake wrappers. Bake at 350* for 10-11 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. 

Bake 350* for 10-11 minutes

This recipe will make 36 muffins 

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Celebrate Howl-O-Ween At Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg

Howl-O-Ween Brings Spooktacular Fun to Great Wolf Lodge!

With fall less than two weeks away, that means Halloween is right around the corner! It’s almost time for kids to start planning their costumes, collaborating on the best trick-or-treat routes and asking around for the coolest Halloween party to attend. Parents, look no further! Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg is offering all of this and more in one place for a ghoulishly delightful, fun filled vacation!

Kids and parents alike can enjoy Halloween-themed activities at Great Wolf Lodge such as:

• Trick-or-Treat Trail - Multiple trail stops will be set up throughout the Lodge where little goblins and ghouls can collect candy and participate in an interactive activity such as the Witch Hat Ring Toss, Mummy Bowling, Pin the Wolf Ears on Mr. Bones, and more.

• Howl-O-Ween House - A life-sized, not-so-haunted house will come alive in the Grand Lobby, which will also serve as the first stop on the Trick-or-Treat Trail. Additionally, the Howl-O-Ween House will serve as a Teal Pumpkin stop for guests with food allergies and a non-food treat will be distributed for guest enjoyment. 

• Costume Parade - Guests will put their boo-tiful costumes on display and join the Great Wolf Kids for a Costume Parade around the Grand Lobby.

• Monster Bash Dance Party - Witches, mummies and more can show off their scariest dance moves set to favorite Halloween tunes that are sure to get everybody’s bones moving and grooving.

• Spooktacular Story Time - A Great Wolf Lodge tradition takes on a Howl-O-Ween twist as young guests are treated to a festive Halloween story. The interactive tales will transport guests into a boo-bit scary, but mostly silly land every night in the Grand Lobby.

In addition to packing plastic pumpkin pails and plenty of ghostly garments for costume parades, families can’t forget to bring their bathing suits for Great Wolf’s massive 84-degree indoor waterpark, featuring areas specifically designed for toddlers, tweens, teens, and even adults. And when it’s time to dry off, families can enjoy dry play activities, such the interactive live-action role playing game Magiquest® or Howlers Peak Ropes Course. There’s something for everyone!

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Selecting The Right Backpack #BTS

There are so many options now days for backpacks!! I am going to break it down from a Mom's point of view. It really depends on what you are looking for. Decide if you want a bookbag for just a few school years or forever.

1. Functional

2. Fashionable

3. Forever

If you are looking for the "Forever backpack" then head to LLBean and check out their wide variety of backpacks. I have had my LLBean backpack since I was in elementary school and it has lasted for over 30 years ya'll!! If the zipper ever does break or the backpack becomes damaged they will send you a new one. LLBean offers a variety of different sizes for children ranging in age/size. The Deluxe Book Pack is the one I would recommend for elementary/middle school. The Deluxe backpack is $49.95 and available in a variety of fun designs.

*Photo credit LLBean*

The Original Book Pack is perfect for younger children, Kindergarteners, First Graders, Second Graders. The Original Book Pack is available in fun patterns and it has a convenient water bottle pocket on the side. These can be personalized too. The Original Book Pack is $39.95. This is what my youngest daughter uses.

*Photo Credit LLBean*

If you have a preschooler then I would recommend the Junior Original Backpack. This is much smaller and perfect for the little one's. The Junior Original Backpack costs just $29.95 and it is available in 3 colors.

*Photo Credit LLBean*

Now if you are looking for a fashionable and functional bookbag then head over to Pottery Barn Kids and check out the wide variety of backpacks including Disney princess, glittery, butterflies, unicorns, cats, camouflage, Disney Cars, Star Wars, sharks, transportation, MBL, Snoopy, etc SO many options ya'll!!

My kids have always loved their Pottery Barn Kids bookbags. But I do need to warn you, they are pricey and they do not have any warranties. Womp womp. We have purchased at least 6 PBK backpacks over the years. They are great for road trips, sleepovers, field trips, school, etc. But I would not recommend planning to use them "forever" as we have already had a zipper break on one, a hole form in another, etc. And I called the customer service number and sadly they did not offer to send us a replacement. The Pottery Barn Kids bookbags are available in 4 sizes: Pre-K, Small, Large & Rolling. Prices range from $34 to $74. My rising 6th grader has the Large size and it fits the 3" inch binders and her lunchbox. At our school the rolling bags are not allowed. But I love the rolling bags! The rolling bags are especially nice for airports, traveling, etc.


How cute is the Disney Princess collection at PBK?!
*Photo Credit Pottery Barn Kids*


How cute is the Marvel SpiderMan collection at PBK?
*Photo Credit Pottery Barn Kids*

Now if you are looking for a more fashionable, affordable backpack you could always go to Justice and be blinded by the glitter when you walk in the door LOL. They have some really cute initial backpacks and really sparkly mermaid backpacks. The prices are very affordable, starting at just $20

If you are on a budget then head over to Five Below. They have backpacks for just $5. I have seen Shopkins and Redskins backpacks there!


*Photo Credit Five Below*



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Find Out Why I Love This Scented Nail Polish Kit

My girls love to paint their nails! I had stopped buying nail polish after hearing that certain brands were using harmful chemicals and toxins. But I just have to share with ya'll this super cute Emoji Nail Kit I received from SMITCO. The nail polishes in this kit are toxic free and water based so no need for harmful acetone to remove. The kit includes 6 scented nail polishes, 2 nail files, nail stickers, stick on nails and tools to decorate your nails. These are truly scented and my whole bathroom smelled like cupcakes and strawberries after my daughter painted her nails! Yummy! You can purchase them on Amazon.com for just $26.99 😋

Perfect for any occasion, a sleepover or a friend's birthday present😍

How cute are these scented nail polishes?! The bottles alone are adorable ya'll1

My tween loves that the kit included this awesome hollographic paper 

Look at how cute the neon pink nail polish is! Here is what is included in the kit 😎

Peach scented nails 😍😍😍😍

Nail Polish Kits For Girls - Non Toxic Emoji Nail Art Manicure and Pedicure Kit For Kids With Scented Stickers, Peel-Off Nail Polish and More - Gifts Set for Girls 6 Years and Older

My readers get to save!
Get 20% Off Entire Cart Of Gifts! Go to: http://amzn.to/2a3d3v8 and use coupon code N3CQD6AE on checkout

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