DISCLOSURE:  I was given free product to facilitate this review.  My opinions are my own.

Summer's just around the corner!  Our local pool just opened for the season this past weekend and right now we're away on vacation in the Outer Banks, NC.  This is the baby's first trip to the beach and we needed to get her some swimwear.  The house that we're staying at is within walking distance to the beach and has its own pool.  So, I wanted to get her several suits.  In addition to some swimsuits that we inherited from her older cousin, I had the chance to work with a great company called SwimZip.

SwimZip was born after its founder, Betsy Johnson, was diagnosed with skin cancer at age 26.  After recovering, she set out to create something that could help protect others from the harmful effects from the sun.  SwimZip offers UPF 50+ swimwear for babies, toddlers and children.  They feature:

• Full length zipper - allows for easy-on and easy-off UV protection
• Protective zipper flap - keeps your child's tummy safe when zipping on their SwimZip
• Zipper garage - protects your child's chin from getting scratched or irritated by the zipper
• Quality fabric - Lycra/Nylon blend allows for quick drying and is chlorine resistant
• Flatlock stitching - leaves no chafing or irritating seams
• Working drawstrings/elastic waistbands - important for skinny kids like mine!

DISCLOSURE:  I received free products from Smiley360 to facilitate this review.  My opinions are my own.

I'm so bad at taking vitamins.  I hate swallowing pills.  It took me forever to learn how to swallow them.  I used to chew pills and then chase it with a flavored drink and chew gum to get rid of the nasty taste.  Even after I learned how to swallow pills, I still didn't like having to do it.  When I first got pregnant and had to start taking a daily prenatal vitamin, I learned that there were gummy vitamins.  They fast became my favorite way to take my vitamins.

I recently had the opportunity to try Nature's Bounty Hair, Skin & Nails Gummies.  These vitamins provide you with the right balance of nutrients you need to support lustrous hair, healthy nails and vibrant skin.  They come in a strawberry-flavored gummy.

DISCLOSURE:  I received free products from Listerine and Crowdtap to facilitate this review.  All opinions are my own.

I'm not a regular mouthwash user.  I tend to use it most on the days leading up to a dental visit and any time I feel like my mouth could use some extra freshening.  Most mouthwashes are just too strong for me to use everyday.  But, when I do use mouthwash, it's usually Listerine.  There's just something about that burn that makes me feel like it's working and getting rid of those bad breath germs!

Did You Know?
Did you know brushing alone misses 75% of your mouth?  This leaves plenty of room for bad breath and disease causing germs to grow.  Listerine recently launched the 21 Day Challenge.  They assert that you will feel a difference in your mouth after using Listerine for 21 days or they will refund your money.

DISCLOSURE:  I received free products to facilitate this review.  My opinions are my own.

If you follow the blog, then you might remember I did a review on the Montagne Jeuenesse Clay Spa Face Masques back in January.  It was the very first time I had ever used a face masque, but I was happy with the results!  They were easy to use and kind of fun, too!  Since then, I've started seeing the Montagne Jeunesse masques everywhere!

Montagne Jeunesse is an international brand of skin and haircare products.  They use all natural ingredients and are proud to be cruelty-free.  The brand offers a wide selection of face masques, including muds, peel-offs, fabric, scrubs and self-heating.  I recently had the opportunity to try a few of the newer masques that the brand has to offer.

It's only the beginning of May and so far, this month has been turning out to be pretty exciting!  My sister is getting married on Saturday.  My youngest will be turning one at the end of the month.  I'll be celebrating my 11th wedding anniversary later this month.  And I just received an invitation to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration "On-the-Road" event in Philadelphia!

This invitation means so much to me!  So far, blogging has been a part-time thing.  It used to be I would blog all the time about whatever was happening with me.  But, once I got married and got a job and had kids, I pretty much stopped.  I had a short-lived free samples blog for a little while, but I didn't always have the time to update it.

Now, that I only work part-time and spend the rest of my time home with the kids, I have been wanting to expand this blog.  I've wanted to make it more than just random product reviews and make it more of a lifestyle blog and a business.  But, I wasn't sure where to begin or if it was even possible.

Knowing that the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration "On-The-Road" event is invitation-only and that I was picked over so many others who applied gives me some validation and makes me feel so honored to be invited!  I can't wait to hear from the speakers and learn how to grow my blog and business.  And I can't wait to meet all the other bloggers -- many whom I've already been following!

The event takes place in mid June.  I'll be sure to post here about the event and you can follow along with me on Twitter (@mandarin831) and on Instagram (@mandarin831).  You can also follow the hashtag: #DisneyOTR.  I can't wait to share and implement everything I learn!

DISCLOSURE:  I received a free sample from Crowdtap to facilitate this review.  My opinions are my own.

Do you remember those Herbal Essences commercials back in the day with the woman who goes to take a shower with her Herbal Essences shampoo and has a hairgasm?  Now they have body washes that can give you that feeling all over!

I haven't really used any Herbal Essences products in a long time.  I remember buying the hair products a lot back in the '90s.  It wasn't until recently that I started buying them again.

DISCLOSURE:  I received free products in order to host a party from Burt's Bees Baby and House party.  All opinions expressed here are my own.  No further compensation was received.

It's been a long time since I was last selected to host a party with House Party.  I was actually about to give up on applying right before I got the email notifying me that I was selected to be a host of the Burt's Bees Baby Bee House Party.  So, I was super excited that, (A) they finally chose me to host a party, and (B) it was for a brand that I really liked!

If you aren't familiar with House Party, it's a site that connects people with brands.  Members apply to host parties for certain brands.  If selected, they're sent a pretty nice party package that includes a lot of the things you would need to host a fun party.