Back to School (GASP!) shopping with Gordmans!

One month from now, our kids will be back-to-school!

Already? HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN! With us moving to a new school district, our kids are starting school a week earlier than they would at their old school, so we lose a week of 'summer' but we are very excited, and maybe a little nervous, about our new beginnings this fall!

 

What better way to get excited about a new school and a new school year, than with Back-to-School Shopping!

 

While my kids aren't all that into back to school shopping, I am.  And since they no longer go with just whatever I bring home for them, they have to come along for the fun.

One of my favorite places to bring the kids to shop?

Gordmans!

Gordmans carries name brand clothing for all ages, & they have footwear, accessories, toys (start stocking up on birthday gifts now, because as soon as school starts, the birthday invitations come too!), and more, all at big savings every day!

 

The kids don't mind coming along to Gordmans to shop, because a special section called 'Gordmans Giggles' offers a children's theater with fun, colorful seating where they can watch kid friendly programming on a large screen tv.  A great place for them to take a load off while mom actually gets things done, and, a really great feature when the boy kiddo has to wait for the girl kiddo to try on article after article of clothing, right?

Both kids were happy to take a load off while I scoured the clearance racks (an additional 33% off the lowest advertised price! Hello $1.34 flip flops!)

And, if the sports minded man in your life is coming along for the fun, why not let them take a break in the 'Gordmans Grandstand' comfy seating area in the men's department where they can catch up on sports-oriented programming?

Suddenly, back-to-school shopping is pretty fun for everyone!

 

My kids just covet the 'fun' section - rows upon rows of fun furnishings for kids of any age, whether they be preschool, elementary school or even on up to college!

Gordmans delight guests with big savings, big selections, and wait, it gets better! 

 

Have you heard about Gordmans Loyalty Program ? 

 

I love a good loyalty program ~ a free and easy way for shoppers to earn and redeem points on purchases for future rewards.  It is NOT a credit card, but a simple rewards card. Love it!

gRewards Program Benefits

Earn one point for every dollar you spend
Receive a $10 reward for every 200 points you earn
Special birthday discount of an additional 10% off your entire purchase
Earn points faster as a Gordmans credit card holder
Spend $300+ to reach Platinum Status

 

Just in time for back-to-school-shopping, Gormans is holding some pretty great in store specials coming up!

8/2-8/4: 1st 100 guests in store each day of the weekend receive a $10 savings card

8/16-8/18: Loyalty members receive 10% off entire purchase and a free pair of earbuds with purchase

8/23-8/25: Mystery discount. Guests have the chance to receive a coupon for 15, 20 or 25% off a single item, or 15% off the entire purchase!

 

How do you get your kids excited for back-to-school shopping? Reply to this conversation and be entered into an amazing sweepstakes of $1,000 plus $100 to Gordmans!

Official Rules

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Gordmans. The opinions and text are all mine.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Gordmans.  The opinions and text are all mine.

Hormel Foods Launches New Hormel Rev Wraps ~ July 17th #hormelfamily

Just in time for back to school lunches and after school snacks, 

Hormel Foods is launching a brand new product:  

Hormel Rev Wraps!

Real meal.

Real cheese.

And more than 15 grams of protein to fuel what you do best!

Hormel Rev Wraps are hand held and portable, they require no preparation,
AND, you can eat them hot (with just 15 seconds in the microwave!)
or cold! 

Going from school to sports practices, work and the waterpark,
these are a great easy solution for a delicious snack on the go!

For me, these are a Godsend for our kids' camp lunches.
Oh how I HATE HATE HATE packing lunches.
Hate.

Add in the fact that the kids are outdoors, all day long, with their lunches on the ground under a tree until they get to it...
Have you ever seen a peanut butter and jelly sandwich after it's been hanging out in a 6 year old's back pack for a few hours?
I have, because sometimes, they are so squished, squashed and smushed that they don't get eaten!

Viola!

Rev Wraps to the rescue!

Want to try new them for yourself?

Click HERE to save $1.00 on NEW Hormel Rev Wraps!

*** As a Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger, I was given samples of Rev Wraps to try out in order to facilitate this post. *** 

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Budding Artists

Way back when during the school year, the boy did a self portrait of himself in art class - 

I immediately fell in love with it, and shared it with you all - 

I mean really, for a 6 year old, the likeliness was pretty uncanny, via some construction paper, paint, and yarn, no?

Well, when I shared it, we got some great feedback, and one of our friends who appreciates the finer art in life asked if he could commission Derek to do one of these portraits of him...

I asked Derek what he thought...

and he, in his usual laid back fashion said

'Sure, I guess so'

I put all the art supplies on the table, and let the kids get to work

(both of them, because generally, where one is, you'll find the other...) 

I busied myself with other stuff, and they crafted ~ 

'Mom! Come and take some pictures of my portrait so far.  

Just in case Matt ever wondered what he'd look like bald, now he can know!'

Good idea buddy! Thanks!

*** I love love love how with today's technology, a camera is only seconds away at any given time via smart phone.  I was able to snap these pictures with my Droid Incredible 4g in seconds, without interruption to my little artists, or to me, trying to multitask while they worked! ***

(And, now you know Matt, in case, you know, you ever were wondering what you'd look like bald...)

The finished product, pretty darn great, says the biased Mom!

(If you don't know Matt, you can read more about his book here...)

And just when I thought that was some pretty awesome likeliness, and it would be pretty tough to recreate something this amazing, our girl wrapped up her project...

And while it's different, it also resembles an uncanny portrait of Matt!

Ah, through the eyes of a child!

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Playin' in the Dirt

Generally the 'weekend news' that came home from school had to do with baseball.

Imagine my surprise, when I saw this one!

An adorable child standing a top a big ol pile of dirt!

'I had a Big piol of drtae dalevrd to my hose'

or, for those of you not versed in kindergarten, 

I had a bit pile of dirt delivered to my house!

It's been a few years since we've done this, 

so naturally we'd forgotten how much work it was actually going to be.

4 yards of dirt, doesn't seem quite so bad when you say it out loud, or even when you look at it.

But then you put your shovel in the pile, and maybe, maybe it is a little more than you thought...

But, there are ideas and blank slates and things that need some TLC, and dirt.

Even three years older than the last time, a big pile of dirt is always a good time.

But it's going to take us some time with these little shovels, I think.

One of the few things that is more fun than dirt, well, MUD, of course - 

Because that's the kind of mom I am, I let the kids dig a hole in the middle of the dirt pile, and then fill it with water...A booby trap, in their imaginations.

And while they'd of been content to keep this pile there for the rest of their lives...

Turns out that the hubs and I have other ideas for it...

So, grab a shovel!

#motivatedsellers?

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The Boys of Summer

Named for one of the bigger names in baseball, it seems only natural that our kiddo couldn't wait to play some real ball this summer (as opposed to last year's community ed craziness...)

He hasn't used a T to hit the ball in years, so he was more than ready for 'air ball' pitching via the BAC this year.

Man, are they ever adorable at this age!

Their feet don't even reach the ground when they sit on the benches!

ACK! 

Be still my heart!

With 13 kiddos on the team, and everyone getting a chance to bat,

                                    
                                     some games were a little longer than others were ~ 

But thankfully he had his big Papi as a coach, to help him pass some time and give him pointers here & there.

I was hoping his hockey number would stick, and that would be, you know, 'his number' for his sports careers, all of them - but apparently life doesn't work that way here...

Yet another 'we're not in North Dakota anymore' moment, I guess!

He's pretty cute, regardless.

I was pretty impressed with the program, and how great the kids were, even in their first year.

The program had preK, K, and first graders playing together, which is a huge age gap for a sport like baseball, but the kids were amazing, and did really, really well.

These two little troopers, the big and little sister of players on the team, buddied up and had a great time and games and practices, 2, 3, 4 or more nights a week.

The kids all loved the position of catcher - what age does that go away?

They do look pretty cute all dressed up in that catcher garb, and thankfully, we never had any awful, hot nights, so wearing that equipment and trying to catch random baseballs wasn't too big a deal.

It was a good season, over before it started, thanks to the rainy spring and summer that Mother Nature threw our way, but we definitely had fun, and look forward to playing again.

Not ones to wish away the months, next May seems like forever away at this point.

Neighborhood pick up ball game anyone?

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