Happy 35th Birthday to Me!

Well, would you look it here!  I'm 35 today!  A big Happy Birthday to me!  I can't believe in 5 years I'll be turning the big 4-0!  Am I ready to take that next chapter in my life?  Sort of.  For some reason, I feel 40 is when I start looking and feeling older, plus my girls will be hitting adulthood and I'm not ready for that.  But like a good blogger friend shared with me, "You're only as old as you feel/look."  And that is so true.


Honestly, I don't feel old at all.  I think I still look quite young considering I have two daughters hitting the teen stage of their lives.  But I have to give thanks to them, they keep their mother young with always having me in so many different places.  It keeps me uplifted, high spirited, and high energy.


For my birthday this year, I wanted to do something to pamper myself at spa facilities.  I know you all hear about "Self-Care" a lot, I guess it's like the newest trend right now since everyone seems to speak about self-caring for themselves, however, I always make sure I take time for me because I can't give my all if I can't function properly.  That's why I'm able to do all the things with my kids.


To start off my birthday month, yes, month, Mr. M and I did some relaxation and meditation at a Salt Room spa, plus lunch date.


Oh, and beyond my control, I had an emergency dental surgery a few days after my pampering session at the Salt Room Spa.  I had excruciating pain from a tooth way in the back of my mouth that had to be immediately removed.  Never have I had to experience having a tooth removal, so scary!  The procedure was no fun and had me down for a day, but I'm back to myself again running these streets with my girls.


By the way, keeping up with your dental health is very important as well to help you stay healthy, avoiding pain and sickness like the periodontal disease. Tooth related infections can link to other health issues like heart complications, strokes, diabetes complications, and respiratory issues.  So, make sure to visit your dentist every 6 months.


And for those that don't have dental insurance, I highly recommend signing up with DentalPlans, it's a discount card that saves you 10%-60% on your dental care.  I used this dental discount card before when my dental insurance didn't kick in yet with my last job.  It truly did save me a lot of money.  And another great thing about this card, you can use it with your dental insurance to maximize your savings.


So besides the dental surgery fiasco, I got to take more relaxation time for myself at the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa for my birthday.  I hope you been following along on Instagram to see all the things I'm up to there.  But of course, I'll be blogging about it here soon.

Thank you yall for all the birthday love!  I know year 35 will be another blessing for me.  So far, my 30's have been great, concurring fears, taking leaps, making boss moves.  30's have been so wonderful for me, and I'm looking forward to what the rest of my 30's have to offer.

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20 Places to Get Free Birthday Freebies

Did you know that there are places that will offer you free things simply because it’s your birthday? If not, you will want to keep reading today’s article as I’m sharing 20 places to get free birthday freebies.

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My First Salt Room Experience: Intown Salt Room Atlanta

Hey Yall!  Since the girls have been back in school, Mr. M and I use the beginning of each week to go on day dates.  So far we have escaped away to see movies, enjoyed lunch dates and having glasses of wine at our local winery, and this past Monday we unplugged and unwind for a couple of relaxation and meditation sessions at Intown Salt Room located in Grant Park, Atlanta (563 Memorial Dr. SE, Atlanta, GA 30312)


Believe it or not, I have never been to any types of spas because I thought all therapeutic facilities were about being disrobed and had strangers touch all over you, just the thought of that makes me uncomfortable.

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Being a Tourist in My Own City: Educator's Open House Atlanta Recap

Hey Yall!  Have you been following along on Instagram of all I did this past weekend?  The girls and I played tourist in our own city visiting 3 of the Top Museums in Atlanta, World of Coca-Cola, Center for Civil and Human Rights, and Georgia Aquarium for Educator's Open House.


Remember the post I spoke about Educator's being able to visit all three museums free for a day to get a chance to explore these museum's educational field trip programming during the school year?


Well, this past Saturday was the day, and it was filled with teachers museum-hopping checking out what all places had to offer education wise.

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My Top Pick of Clothing Stores for Teens

Hey Yall!  I shared a little bit about the places I purchased my daughters' clothes from on Instagram and wanted to share it here on my blog too.


I have parents all the time ask me where I shop for my girls' clothes, and even my daughters' friends ask them as well because they're always so stylish with their outfits.


I like to shop at my local mall, Mall of Georgia for my daughters' wardrobe because I'm the type of person who likes to touch and see in-person clothes I buy for them, including for myself.  Plus, malls provide a variety of different stores to choose from all in one place. I barely purchase their clothes online; I'm all about the buying experience, going outdoors being around other people.  I'm a very social person, not an introvert; already I spend so much time in the house since I work for myself, I want to be out and about spending quality time with my daughters during our shopping outings.


Shopping for teens can be quite hard due to their style changing out of all the young kid's appeal, going into more of a grown-up look, but still youthful.  However, again I make sure my girls' choose outfits that are modest and age appropriate because I see today too many young girls walking around with their midsection showing with jeans leaving little to the imagination.  So not cute!

There are several stores I like to shop for my teen girls' clothes, here is a top list of my favorite stores:


JCPenney- If you been following my blog for a while you know how much I adore JCPenney!  They have great prices, fashionable clothes for the whole family, plus the girls and I get our hair done there together too.  It's like our one-stop shop for everything clothes, hair, home goods, shoes, and more!


Justice- At first I wasn't a fan of Justice because their clothes used to be cheaply-made, and clothes were not suitable for young teens, more for older girls soon entering into adulthood. However, the brand has made a complete 360, creating cute outfits for young girls who are coming into their early teens.


The Children's Place-  This store will always hold a special place in my heart!  My daughters grew up on The Children's Place, and it's like the brand grown with them.  The store prices are affordable, trendy, and offer styles for children up to 16!  Their style of clothes is cutesy, right up Michelle's alley, but Lauren has grown out of that going towards darker, solid colors without all the wording graphics.


Hot Topic- Hot Topic can be too dark and Gothic for some parents. However, they do provide clothes that are suitable for teens that won't have them looking like they're about to be a part of a heavy metal rock band.  They even offer Disney outfits!  I go there for Lauren who likes to shop for anime shirts.


Old Navy- You can't go wrong with Old Navy.  Their styles are great for the whole family who likes a California laid-back casual style. Plus, they always have sales and coupons.


Von Maur-  I'm not going to lie, Von Maur is more on the high-end side, and I shop there only for shoes.  Lauren likes going there to get pairs of Kate Spade footwear.


Footaction- Michelle likes to wear tennis shoes a lot, so we go to Footaction because they have a massive selection of top tennis shoe brands like Nike, Reebok, Adidas, etc.


Boutiques- I don't just shop at name brand department stores for my teen girls, I also shop for clothes for them at boutiques too.  We usually buy in boutique stores when we're on vacation, or whenever we have a Girl's Day Out.  I love shopping at small businesses, although their prices are higher, the service you get is unbeatable.

So there you have it!  The top places I like to shop for clothes for my teen girls!

Where do you shop for your teens?  Also, do you prefer to shop online or in-stores?

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Hey Atlanta! Win a Family 4-Pack Tickets to See SMALLFOOT Giveaway Ends 9/19

Hey Atlanta!  Would you like to see the movie SMALLFOOT before it hits theaters nationwide on September 28th?

I'm giving away Family 4-Pack tickets to five of my readers/followers for the private screening of SMALLFOOT.  Sneak peek screening will be Saturday, September 22nd, 11 AM at Regal Atlantic Station (261 19th St NW #1250, Atlanta, GA 30363).

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How to Get Paid to Test and Review New Products Free at Home

Update September 2018

Hey everyone!  Did you know that you can become a product tester for Top Name Brands and get paid to test and review their products?  Yep, you can and all for free!  Scroll down to get started!

I've been testing products for money for the past nine years, and love doing it!  I get about 4 to 5 full-size products and sample products to review a month.  I'm getting the first exclusive look at up and coming products not yet on the market.

The reason for product testing is that Top Name Brands would like to know what consumers think about newest products they're developing to be sent to stores, but before they do that they need your opinions.  This way, it'll save them time and money if the product doesn't do well and require changes.

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Top 7 Things to Do in Atlanta This Labor Day Weekend

Hey Yall!  Are you looking for exciting things to do this Labor Day Weekend in Atlanta?  You came to the right place because I have you covered!  Several fun events are happening around town to keep you entertained during the long three day weekend.  Here are the Top 7 Things to Do in Atlanta this Labor Day Weekend:

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Top Fun Things You Need to Do This Fall

Fall is one of the best seasons. There is so much to do and the leaves change color, which brings the scenery to life. While during all seasons you can do fun things, fall just has a magical touch added to it. Today, we’re going to be discussing the top fun things that you need to do this fall. 

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15 Ways to Get Paid to Watch TV and Videos

Have you ever wanted to get paid to do something that you already do for free such as watching tv and videos? I’m here to tell you that it is possible. Today, I’m sharing 15 ways that you can get paid to watch tv and videos.

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