The All-New 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Has It All! @Chrysler #Ad

    Let me begin by telling you all that I have never been a big fan of minivans.  When I was a teenager, my father had one and it was never my favorite vehicle of all the ones he had over the years.  Last Spring, we had the opportunity to check out the all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and I definitely changed my mind!  This is definitely not my father's minivan!     Imagine my exhilaration this past month when I was told that I would actually have the opportunity to drive the new Pacifica and enjoy it with my family.  You guys know that I am always very honest with you guys about products or vehicles that I have had the pleasure, or displeasure, of reviewing with my family.  I simply cannot stop raving about how amazing this car is, it really does everything that you could possibly imagine a car doing.  Not to mention that it is just stunning to look at.     We … [Read more...]

Summer Cruising In The Mazda CX-5! #DriveMazda @MazdaUSA @DriveShopUSA #Ad

    As many of you know, red is absolutely my favorite color.  You can imagine how excited I was to see the 2016 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring parked in front of my driveway in candy apple red!  When I realized that I would have the opportunity to drive such a beautiful car in my favorite color, I knew that we were sure to have a memorable week.  Our drive out to a local resort that weekend would certainly be a classy one.     I have to be completely honest, I have driven other Mazda models in the past and I loved them but I couldn't help feeling like they really outdid themselves when they designed the CX-5.  You really do get the best of both worlds with this vehicle because is is the perfect size to accommodate a family of four like ours but sporty looking enough to not have that whole minivan vibe that I personally like to avoid.     The CX-5 comfortably seats 5 and has a lot of legroom.  My 12 year-old commented about this throughout our entire road trip.  He loved that he was … [Read more...]

Adventures Of A New York City Family In The Mazda CX-9! #DriveSTI @MazdaUSA @DriveSTI #Ad

      It's no secret that we had an extremely rough winter here in New York City.  Aside from our hectic schedules throughout the work week, we also had to maneuver around all the snow and harsh weather to plan creative outings as a family.  The Mazda CX-9 was the perfect fit for our family to be able to spend quality time together this season!  Not to mention its gorgeous leather trim interior which was love at first sight for my husband and I!     Since I have an eleven year-old and a nine year-old, they always want to invite their friends and cousins on outings with the family.  That usually means that, aside from our medium-sized family of four, Hubby and I have to make sure that we have enough room in the car to safely accommodate everyone on road trips.  After all, not having enough space can make us lose serious cool points with the Tweens!     So we all packed in to the Mazda CX-9 and headed around New York for some weekend fun.  If you are familiar with the area … [Read more...]

Take @Netflix With You This Holiday Season! #NetflixKids #StreamTeam #Ad

*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Netflix.  As a member of the Netflix Stream Team, I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.     Every Christmas and New Year's, my husband and I try to split our time equally between both sides of the family.  It's important that his family and mine get time to spend with us and our boys.  As a result, we do end up spending some time in the car traveling back and forth.  Additionally, since the grandparents are not that technologically advanced, we appreciate that we can take Netflix with us on our travels to keep the kids engaged and entertained.     We love how accessible our boys' favorite Netflix movies are from our smartphones and their tablets which allows us to bring their TV shows and movies to any destination.  We've put together some of our own beloved holiday titles that you can take to Grandma's this year including Charlie Brown, Thomas the Tank Engine and Clark Griswold from Christmas Vacation.  Since … [Read more...]

Keep Your Kids Safe And Comfortable With Seat Pets And Tummy Stuffers! #Review #Ad

*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Seat Pets and Tummy Stuffers.  All opinions are 100% mine.     Whenever we are planning a road trip, we always take into consideration how we can keep our boys safe and comfortable in the backseat.  Let's be honest, even the best behaved kids can get tired and frustrated during a long car ride and it is important to plan ahead to keep them happy.  You definitely don't want to plan your next road trip without Seat Pets and Tummy Stuffers!     My seven year old loves to play with his electronics in the car and he sometimes falls asleep while he is playing with them.  We love our Seat Pet Lincoln the Lion because my son is able to cuddle with him during road trips.  My husband and I especially love the fact that it he loves Lincoln so much that he is eager to strap on his seatbelt the moment he gets into the car.  It is a relief to know that his Seat Pet motivates him to be concerned about his safety.     Aside from his … [Read more...]

How Can You Keep Your Children Entertained On Holiday Road Trips? #KiaHolidays

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Kia Motors     The holidays are coming and many of you are probably planning some road trips that will take you to the homes of friends or family members in order to spend this special time with them.  If you have children like we do, planning for a road trip can become a little more complicated.     After all, children do not have the patience that adults have when it comes to sitting in a car for hours.  As a result, parents have to get creative when it comes to making sure that their children are kept happy and content throughout the long ride.  Being that we have taken many road trips with our children, there are some special steps that we always take to make these rides run a lot more smoothly.     We have found that planning in advance for the music that we play in the car makes a world of difference.  Our boys love to sing along with Christmas Carrols and holiday music so we always pack a variety of CDs that they can sing … [Read more...]

Tips For A Great Road Trip Experience! #KiaSocialClub

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Kia Motors     One of my most memorable road trips took place when we drove across Spain to visit France.  As you can imagine, we were all very excited, after all, it's not every day that one gets to drive across Europe.  Once we arrived at our destination we had a great time but the road trip itself was far from stellar.  There were many things that we could have done differently to make the trip itself a lot more comfortable and we definitely learned a few things about planning for road trips in the future.     First and foremost, we should have come up with a much better plan for having our meals.  Although we packed a few snacks, we were totally unprepared for how much food and drinks we would need throughout the ride.  As a result, we had to stop often to purchase food and this put a huge dent in our vacation budget.  Next time, we will spend the extra money buying a cooler which will keep everything cold and buy easy snacks … [Read more...]