Hey there, hi there, ho there! How is everyone's summer going? I can't believe it's already August! Around these parts, most schools are already back in session - that's just nutty to me! As a kid, I remember having until at least Labor Day before the daily grind started back up again. In high school we returned in late August, but it just seems to get earlier and earlier every year! Poor kids, though I'm sure parents across the country are rejoicing!
I have a special post for you all today! I have partnered once again with Balance Bar, and this time also with Walmart, to talk about some of my summer essentials, try some new flavors of Balance Bar, and offer a GIVEAWAY at the bottom of this post! Let's get to it! First, Walmart provided me with a gift card to purchase what I feel are some summer essentials. Here's what I found:
Being pregnant in the summer means that one mega-important summer essential for me is being comfortable! I was 27 weeks pregnant when this picture was taken and quickly running out of shirts that didn't make me look like I have a beer gut hanging out from underneath the bottom hem. I've since remedied that problem, including this cute striped shirt from Oh! Mamma. I still haven't quite got the hang of sizing on maternity clothing. Everything says to order your pre-pregnancy size because the clothing is already created with the appropriate amount of extra room, but I have such a hard time trusting that! It's so odd to order your regular size while at the same time thinking, "What? That will never fit!" But I digress. Working from home is super convenient when you're pregnant, because I can get away with wearing old stretched out t-shirts and enormous elastic shorts for most days while keeping just a few "suitable for the public eye" outfits on hand for whenever I need to leave the house. Maternity clothes are not cheap! My other comfort item was a huge body pillow with a soft grey velour cover. I don't have a photo, but it's pretty self-explanatory, and definitely helps to have stuffed against my back on those nights when I just can't find a comfortable position!
Okay so this one is a little obvious - summer is about fun in the sun! I spied this Gazillion Bubble Hurricane Machine and thought it would be fun to fire it up in the backyard and see how Dexter and Dewey would react. We went out one balmy afternoon and gave it a try. At first, Dewey wasn't so sure about things. He kept his distance for a while, but eventually he crept closer with his cute little worried face on full display.
He did a sweep of the perimeter of the bubble cloud, checking for any funny business.
Eventually, his worried face gave way to his usual Dewey-grin, and he started investigating a few nearby bubbles.
He chomped at a couple of them, got bored, and resumed his perch next to the fence to wait for the neighbor's dog to come kiss him.
Dexter was a brave soldier, marched right up to the offensive machine, and took a bubble blast right to the face!
Personally, I think he liked the tickle of the bubbles against his face and nose because he stood here for a long time!
Because Dexter is a little ball crazy I expected him to go ape at the hundreds of "balls" floating around, but he seemed quite content to watch them calmly. He couldn't figure out what they were!
He's such a photogenic little dude - he can't help himself.
Even though they had a milder reaction to the bubbles than we were expecting, I think they enjoyed themselves. I'd call the bubble machine experiment a success. 🙂
We often use the summer months to get organized! I save coupons that I think I might use as well as receipts that are still within the window for a refund in case I need to return something. Usually, these get shoved into my purse without any rhyme or reason, and it ends up looking like this. Yikes!
I found this simple case while meandering through the 'Back to School!' aisles and inhaling the intoxicating smell of fresh, unsharpened pencils. Please tell me I'm not the only one who loves new school supplies, even though the last time I was in a classroom of any kind was almost a decade ago.
Voila! Much better I think.
Summer is the perfect time to try a fun new look! Lately I'm too lazy to bother with a full face of makeup - a little concealer, mascara, and a swipe of eyeliner across my lower lashes is about the extent of my face-spackling on most days. But when I actually sit down and play around with it, I do enjoy makeup quite a bit! This eye palette by Revlon caught my eye mostly because of the packaging (I totally admit I am a sucker for packaging). It is the Revlon Photoready palette in Muse, and I like it because it takes the guesswork out of which shades to use for each part of your eye. It even has a primer (lower left color) and a corner accent color (lower right) so you can really spice things up! There are certain things you should not do after getting lash extensions, according to Revolution Lash Studio.
Did I mention it has sparklies? Sparkles make everything better!
Here are the colors swatched onto my pale-as-death skin. I know the crease and accent color look scary dark, but don't worry - you only use those in teeny tiny amounts to add a lil' definition.
I also picked up a Scandaleyes white cream eyeshadow stick by Rimmel London. Have you guys ever used a white eyeshadow stick? Omg, they're so versatile! I usually dab it onto my eyelids (it's soft and creamy) and then spread it out with my finger as a makeshift primer for underneath my eyeshadow. It works beautifully and is way less expensive than actual eyelid primers. Bonus! You can also use a little bit just below your lower lash line to subtly brighten up your eyes if you had a rough night and are looking a bit haggard the next morning. We all have those days.
I also grabbed a Wet 'n Wild MegaSlicks lip gloss to try. I prefer subtle glosses to full-on lipstick - I have a hate-hate relationship with my big ole teeth, so anything I can do to not draw attention to my mouth is always preferred!
Part of my partnership with Balance Bar and Walmart for this post included trying out the Peanut Butter and Cookie Dough flavors. While shopping, I spied a couple more flavors that I had to grab as well. They sounded yummy.
Let's start with the cookie dough! I love that 15 grams of protein are packed into these little bars, as well as them having 200 calories or less!
Normally I'm pretty picky about "cookie dough flavored" anything. If it's not actual cookie dough then... it's not actual cookie dough. I was impressed with this one though - definitely the closest to an actual cookie dough flavor that I've had so far! I also liked the texture of the inside - not too chewy and weird like some protein bars, so that's a plus!
Peanut butter! The smell of this one was the first thing to hit me - like sweetened fresh peanuts. The outside peanut butter coating is buttery smooth and the inside was chunky without being dry or brittle... sort of like a soft nougat.
This one was the sweetest of all of the flavors I've tried - definitely makes you feel a little naughty. But it didn't have any odd after tastes or strange textures. I like it!!
How could I resist picking up a bar with a title like dark chocolate caramel macchiato? Um, yes please!
This was my favorite out of them all. The coffee flavor was so strong, which surprised me - usually something that's coffee-flavored is anything but - not these! The dark chocolate brownie layer filled with krispie bits, topped off by a smooth caramel layer and additional dark chocolate drizzle... doesn't get much better than that! Total winner.
Last up is dark chocolate coconut! I'm not silent about my coconut-loving ways, and anytime you pair coconut with dark chocolate, you can count me in.
Part of why I love coconut is the texture, and it's certainly present here without being too overpowering, since the majority of the toasted, shredded coconut is found in the thinner upper layer. The dark chocolate brownie on the bottom is a nice balance, though the coconut flavor still comes through as the major player. This one gets my approval!
GIVEAWAY!! GIVEAWAY!!
Now for the fun part!! Walmart and Balance Bar are giving away a $10 Walmart gift card as well as a variety pack of Balance Bars to one of our readers! Simply follow the instructions below to enter. Contest will end on Saturday, August 16th at 11:59pm so get those entries in now!
Ways to enter (you will receive an additional entry for each of these that you complete):
1. Comment on this blog post and tell me what your summer essential(s) is/are!
2. Like Brownie Bites on Facebook. Leave an additional comment telling me that you've done so!
3. Like Balance Bar on Facebook. Leave an additional comment telling me that you've done so!
4. Like Walmart on Facebook. Leave an additional comment telling me that you've done so!
5. Follow Brownie Bites on Twitter. Leave an additional comment telling me that you've done so!
GOOD LUCK!!
Vibrant C
I blog quite often and I seriously appreciate your information. Your article has really peaked my interest.
I'm going to bookmark your site and keep checking for new information about once per
week. I subscribed to your RSS feed as well.
chickie brewer
I follow Balance Bar on Facebook. c
chickie brewer
I followed walmart on twitter.
chickie brewer
I followed you and shared on twitter. https://twitter.com/chickie717/status/760602881191845888
Amy Orvin
Following Brownie Bites on Twitter as @amyorvin
Amy Orvin
Liked Walmart on Facebook as Amy Orvin
Amy Orvin
Liked Balance Bar on Facebook as Amy Orvin
Amy Orvin
Liked Brownie Bites on Facebook as Amy Orvin
Amy Orvin
My summer essentials are lip gloss and sun screen
Betty C
I follow Brownie Bites on Twitter
@willitara
Betty C
I like Walmart on Facebook
Betty C
I like Balance Bar on Facebook
Betty C
I like Brownie Bites on Facebook
Betty C
My summer essentials are water and a camera.
Calli
lip balm and sunscreen!
Samantha
I like Walmart on FB. Samantha E.
Leanne G
I follow Brownie Bites on Twitter. @ladyleanneg
Samantha
I like Balance Bars on FB. Samantha E.
Leanne G
I like WalMart on Facebook. Leanne Godfrey
Leanne G
I like Balance Bar on Facebook.
Leanne G
I like Brownie Bites on Facebook. Leanne Godfrey
Leanne G
My summer essentials are lip balm and sunscreen.
Samantha
My summer essentials are sun screen, chapstick, flip flops and tennis!
CharityS
Like Walmart on Facebook.
Charity S
CharityS
Like Balance Bar on Facebook.
Charity S
CharityS
I need healthy snacks, water, and fresh fruits.
Dawn Keenan
I like Walmart on Facebook too.
Dawn Keenan
I like balance bar on Facebook
Dawn Keenan
My summer essentials are flip flops, sunscreen and corn on the cob!
Bryan E.
Like Walmart / Facebook: bryan eason
Bryan E.
Like Balance Bar / Facebook: bryan eason
Bryan E.
Like Brownie Bites / Facebook: bryan eason
robyn paris
i follow brownie bites on twitter.
robyn paris
i like walmart on Facebook.
robyn paris
i like balance bars on Facebook.
robyn paris
i like brownie bites on facebbook.
robyn paris
my summer essential is swimming in the pool and drinking iced tea
Breanne
Definitely sunscreen!
Holly C.
like walmart on facebook
Holly C.
like balance bar on facebook
Holly C.
like brownie bites on facedbook
Holly C.
my summer essentials are first water, a hat, sunglasses and of course a snack 🙂
Rebecca Lock
My summer essentials are water, sunscreen, and sun glasses.
Susan Smith
Like Walmart on Facebook Susan Smith
Susan Smith
Like Brownie Bites on Facebook. Susan Smith
Susan Smith
My summer essentials are sunscreen, sandals and sunglasses
Nicole Millheim
My summer essential is a grill 🙂
Hesper Fry
I like Brownie Bites on Twitter (@eveningstarr1)
Hesper Fry
I like Walmart on Facebook (Hesper Fry)
Hesper Fry
I like Balance Bar on Facebook (Hesper Fry).
Hesper Fry
I like Brownie Bites on Facebook (Hesper Fry).
Hesper Fry
My summer essentials are sunscreen, water, fresh fruit and ice cream.
rachel
A sundress, iced coffee, ice cream and my jogging stroller!
Erica B.
I have to have chapstick and ice water.
Robin
I like Walmart on FB - Robin Trexel
Robin
I like Balance Bar on FB - Robin Trexel
Robin
I need to have air conditioning and lots of ice.
Danielle D
Lipstick and moisturizer!
Barbara Montag
Follow you on Twitter @JalapenoMama
Barbara Montag
Like Walmart on Facebook Barbara Montag
Barbara Montag
Like Balance Bar on Facebook Barbara Montag
Barbara Montag
FB like your blog Barbara Montag
Barbara Montag
My summer essentials - a good water bottle & sunscreen.
thank you
Christina G.
I follow Brownie Bites on Twitter (PuffyBiggers2).
Christina G.
I like Walmart on Facebook (Tina Marie/Christina Gould).
Christina G.
I like Balance Bar on Facebook (Tina Marie/Christina Gould).
Christina G.
I liked Brownie Bites on Facebook (Tina Marie/Christina Gould).
Christina G.
My summer essentials are sunglasses and SPF. Thanks for the giveaway!
Lisa V.
My summer essentials are water and sunscreen.
katherine
follow on twitter @Kayday3
katherinedibello (at) gmail (dot) com
katherine
like walmart on fb
katherinedibello (at) gmail (dot) com
katherine
like balance bars on fb
katherinedibello (at) gmail (dot) com
katherine
like you on fb
katherinedibello (at) gmail (dot) com
katherine
watermelon and ice cream!
katherinedibello (at) gmail (dot) com
Valerie Taylor Mabrey
I have to have a good water bottle so I can carry it everywhere.
vmkids3 at msn dot com
Tari Lawson
My summer essentials are sunscreen and flip flops.
Kimmy Ripley
My summer essentials are flip-flops and maxi skirts.
Adrienne gordon
Mine are sunscreen and lip gloss
Cynthia C
Like Walmart on fb
Cynthia Conley
Cynthia C
My summertime essentials are sunscreen, sun glasses, water and flip flops.
danielle Marie
for me it is sunscreen and sun tea. gotta stay protected and hydrated.
nickie
Brownie bites facebook fan
nickie
Walmart FB fan
nickie
My summer essentials are sunglasses, Lemon aid and air conditoner
heather s
like walmart on fb heather s
heather s
like balance on fb heather s
heather s
sun screen and moisturizer
Brittney House
balance bar facebook fan Brittney House
Brittney House
Walmart facebook fan Brittney House
Brittney House
brownie bites facebook fan Brittney House
Brittney House
My essentials are bug spray and sun screen.
HS
. Like Walmart on Facebook.
HS
Like Balance Bar on Facebook.
HS
My summer essentials are sunglasses and sunblock.
Elena
I like Walmart on Facebook as Elena Istomina
Elena
My summer essentials are sunscreen and sunglasses
Kara B
I follow BB on twitter.
Kara B
I follow on Facebook.
Kara B
My summer essentials are easy open toed sandals, cute nail polish, comfy and light weekend cloths, sunscreen and bugs spray!
Mami2jcn
I like Walmart on Facebook as Mary Happymommy.
Mami2jcn
My summer essentials are air conditioning and iced tea!