Niagara Chocolates Party

 If there's anything that can put a smile on my face, it's chocolate. If I had to subsist on just one type of food for the rest of my life... chocolate. When you've had a rough day and need a pick-me-up... chocolate. Something great happened and you need to celebrate? Chocolate. Want to show someone a lil' love? Chocolate! I'm pretty sure there is no situation in life where chocolate would be an inappropriate response.

So, now that we've clarified that, what could possibly be better than an entire party dedicated to eating tons of different premium, hand-crafted chocolates?! I would submit that there is NOTHING better. Honestly I didn't think I would get chosen for this opportunity, so I really was excited when I got an e-mail from Tryazon saying I was picked to be a host and receive a box full of samples. I had never heard of the company before, but as a lover of all-things chocolate I could tell from just a little bit of reading that they were a good company producing what I was sure would be high-quality, super tasty treats. (Guess what? I was right!) Plus, I saw a bunch of their little commercials about their hand-crafters which I thought were pretty humorous, which is always a plus with any company.

At first I was worried about the timing of the party, because originally I had planned on hosting it on the earlier date in October, until they decided to hold off in case of warm temperatures during shipping. I had to re-arrange some things and I wasn't sure the package would arrive in time for the day that worked best, but it all ended up working out. And I have to say, it was probably a good idea they decided not to ship a few weeks earlier when it was still super warm here in Texas. I could tell that some of my chocolates, while not actually melted, had probably gotten a bit warm and were mildly clumped together. But it was not bad at all and the taste of the chocolates was not in any way affected.

So I decided to host my #niagarachocolates party on a Saturday when I knew some friends and family would all be in town together for another event. It worked out that we could host them all at our house afterwards for lunch. Part of the morning's activities included a 1.5mile walk - which meant we were totally justified in eating as much of the chocolate as we wanted, right? 😅At least that's my story. We invited everyone to come hang out and visit with us for lunch and some chocolate tasting to learn about a "new" company. (They're obviously not new, but like me, no one else had ever heard of them before.) Free food AND free chocolate definitely piqued everyone's interest.

I set up a display to showcase the wide variety of options Niagara Chocolates offers - from bars, to cups, to clusters. There really is something that I think ANYONE could find to enjoy (unless you really just don't like chocolate, in which case, I'm not sure we can be friends...). I also made up a few different platters to set the chocolates out - some that were just straight chocolate, and others that included other items to pair with the chocolate like wafer cookies, marshmallows, fruit, nuts, pretzels. I mean really, there's not a whole lot that chocolate DOESN'T go with. As I mentioned, no one else had heard of the company so I made sure to emphasize that they are an American business (that was a big thing for some of the guests!), that they hand-craft the chocolates to get that perfect small-batch quality, and "good-for-all" perks such as having non-GMO ingredients and using responsible/sustainable practices (Rainforest Alliance Certified).

I had to encourage everyone to come "dig in" and help themselves to tasting each kind, but once they started I think they got hooked - it didn't take long for the plates to be empty! Some people were playing guessing games, some tried (unsuccessfully, haha) to be sneaky about how many pieces they were eating, and some were just raving about their favorite kind. Know what it was? Coconut. I was totally surprised because I'm not a big fan of coconut and I was worried how a cluster packed with coconut would be received, but that one went so fast! Some of the guests were seriously just going on and on about how amazing it was, haha!

It was a really fun afternoon, and I enjoyed getting to talk one-on-one with some of the guests about the company. Near the end, I had everyone enter their name for a drawing to win some of the packages I had saved as door prizes. That was a hit for sure, to be able to take some home, and luckily I had held back enough aside from the sampling that I was able to also give some "consolation prizes" to those whose names hadn't been drawn. A couple of people were really excited to go check out the website later and asked to take multiple coupons, so I'd say Niagara Chocolates is doing something right and really producing some quality, delicious items. For some, they really loved that the company made their product here in the USA, as supporting 'local' is important to their family. And for me, I really love the hand-crafted, small-batch quality that they emphasize. You really can taste the difference versus a random box you just pick up in the candy aisle at any store. The chocolate was so smooth and creamy, it just melted perfectly in your mouth. I definitely prefer milk chocolate over dark, but they have done an excellent job with their dark varieties. It still has a sweetness too it - not overly bitterly like many I've had, and the fillings are the perfect touch to round out the richness of the dark chocolate. I am a crazy peanut butter lover as well, so those were my favorite kinds, but honestly, you can't go wrong with any of the flavors they have created.

I also saved a milk chocolate bar for all of us to try out using on s'mores later that night. The little squares were maybe a bit thick for a s'more (especially for a child trying to open their mouth wide enough, haha), but honestly I don't think any of us would complain about it. It taste amazing! The edges were melty from the heat of the marshmallow, and it just was a perfect blend of flavors. Seriously, soooo good. There was no question the Niagara chocolates were preferred over some other brands that night.

The party was a definite hit - I think a lot of people were happy to have found a delicious new indulgent treat, and you really just can't go wrong when chocolate is involved. I was glad to have gotten this opportunity and look forward to seeing this brand around more when I'm shopping! To see a bit of the fun we had, check out the photos below!

#tryazon #niagaraparty #niagarachocolates #niagarahandcrafted

Prize Winners & Coupons galore!

Tasting/Guessing Games

Mmm, coconut!

SwimWays Little Swimmers Party!

 Hello, from one of my favorite places on earth! I was so happy when I saw that I had been chosen by Tryazon to host a party with these products from Spinmaster, and that the dates were going to line up perfectly with when I would be visiting family at the lake!

Unfortunately, due to some shipping/distributor issues or something, the products didn't show up until later than expected, so I was unable to have the same sort of get-together I was originally planning, but we made do thanks to technology! Those of us who were still there got to actually participate and use the products with the kiddos, and then I had a FaceTime call to include some others with young kids who couldn't be there due to work/changing COVID restrictions, etc. It was a little trickier, but still good nonetheless.

I hadn't realized before that SwimWays was part of the Spinmaster brand - I thought they only made toys so that was a cool connection for me! I already have lots of various Spinmaster products so I felt like this was a brand I was comfortable using for my family. And after starting to discuss the Swim products and show them off, one of the guests realized that a swim floaty she had recently purchased was also actually part of the brand. She told us all she liked using it and it worked well for her children, so that was a solid outsider endorsement!

While I wouldn't say that the 3-Step "program" so little swimmers is exactly revolutionary, it does lay out a simple, clear progression for kids to develop skills and confidence in the water. One of the first things I noticed when opening the Swim Trainer & Soft Swimmies was how soft the fabric actually was. Even with newer manmade materials and technologies making better options for kids these days, there are still a lot of features that are not super comfortable. But the material on these items really was soft - my son even asked why it was so soft! So that was a definitely plus, and makes the kids way more likely to wear them without complaining, even when they've got it on all day. No more trying to peel the hot, sticky armbands off! 😝 I also really liked the shape of the Swim Trainer - the other similar products we own aren't designed quite as well to fit around little bodies with short arms, so it's harder for them to play as well. But on this, the piece that goes across the chest and around the back is more curved, so they have greater mobility in their arms and it doesn't get in the way as much I felt. After trying this one out that day, my son was obsessed and refused to go back to the other lifejacket he'd been using! The only thing I wish is that the strap for the buckle on the back was a bit longer. He's still within the weight/age range, but much bigger and we wouldn't have been able to do it up! The Soft Swimmies felt really comfy and durable as well, and they were super fast and easy to blow up. They were also a lot easier to get on kids' arms than what we had growing up!

My feelings on the Baby Spring Float with Sun Canopy were a bit more mixed. It's a really cute design, and I love that it comes with a little case so you can fold it up and transport it easily. It was a bit tricky to get small enough to get back in there, but we did it! I also like that the canopy is designed to either be straight up or angled for different times of the day as the sun moves. But for us the canopy wasn't working too great. I don't know if we just got a defective one or what, because it was great when we had it snapped onto the back for an angled shade (and it's super easy to just loop it through and snap it up!). However when we tried to use it straight overhead it kept flopping over. We could never get it to stay fully upright. I also wish the floaty part at the baby's chest was a little bigger/higher. My baby (especially if we were in the shallows where he could put his feet down and push himself forward more) was constantly leaning forward and getting a mouthful of water. So if it was just set up a tiny bit more to have them leaning back that would have been better. The airholes to blow up the floaty sections were also tricky - the valve wasn't as big or long as the Soft Swimmies and couldn't be pulled out/pushed in, so it was harder to blow them up. Overall not terrible, but the Swimmies were notably easier. But aside from those things, my little babe loved it! He was in heaven being able to kick and splash around, and it was nice that I could let him move freely in that without trying to hold onto a wet, squirmy body! We ended up using it many times while at the lake.

Overall we had a good time testing out all the products and talking about getting kids used to swimming in the water. Because of how the timing worked out, and not being able to get WiFi down where we were, I was only able to call people with my phone so it was a little harder to show/see everyone and everything, but I think it all still worked out pretty good. And having someone else there who also owned one of the products and had positive things to say was a show of confidence for the rest of us. All in all, a very fun time!!

#Tryazon #Spinmaster #SwimWays @tryazon @Spinmaster @swimways

"One for the money...!"

On second thought, I'll just ease myself in! Good thing this floaty still allows for tons of mobility!

Swim Steps is great for families with kids of all stages!

He absolutely loved it! Now if only that front part kept him back a little more so he didn't drink so much lakewater. 

I wish I could have used some other devices so that you could actually tell there are people actually joining us via FaceTime! Didn't realize till looking at pictures later that it just looked like a black screen thanks to glare from the sun.

Deflect "Clean Up The Clutter" Party!

 I'm back with an all-new party thanks to #tryazon! This time we're showcasing some products I'm desperately in need of - organization! As a mother to 3 young kids (and as someone who has a hard time making decisions) I'm constantly dealing with messes and trying to figure out how to contain everything! Enter this line of kid-friendly storage options from #deflecto. These brightly-colored plastic containers come in a range of options to fit any storage need - caddy's, bins, pencil boxes, etc. When not in use, they stack beautifully and they seem very sturdy!

@Deflecto and @Tryazon sent me a sampling of the various containers to try out and show off in my party. Deflecto's products are simple and basic in design - making them great to fit into various rooms and appeal to kids without being complicated or overwhelming. That can be a bit of a drawback though if you're going for a different aesthetic; for me I'm generally pretty minimalist and simple (at least in my design style! 😆) so it's not too big of a deal, especially since it's being used for the kids' stuff. I do however wish they came in other colors. In some pictures I saw a few different ones, but all the products I received only come in red, yellow, and blue on the Deflecto website.

The thing that's really nice about all these storage containers is they now are made with SteriTouch, which is an anti-microbial agent. Basically that just means they use something that stops the growth of nasty little germs that can cause odors and mold, eventually ruining the material. I don't know about any of your kids, but mine are DEFINITELY touching everything all the time, so who knows what microorganisms they're constantly in contact with, so this is reassuring to know they are easily wipeable and can stand up to the messiness of children.

I think my favorite of the items I got is the 6-cup craft caddy. They of course can hold the Deflecto no-spill paint containers, but they're also perfect for separately holding crayons, markers, glue, scissors...all the things kids need for craft time! The handle makes it easy to move around, heck it could even be great to use as a snack holder for movie night or road trips. Maybe I should try that out next time...🤔It could be perfect to hold a drink and separate a couple different snacks.

Due to COVID and end-of-school craziness, I decided to host a virtual party this time. I mostly invited other women, but we got a few husbands to join in on the sidelines. We have kids of lots of varying ages, so we got to chat about the different stages of raising kids and the messes that come along with it. We were able to chat about strategies and tips we have for organizing things based on our needs and the ages of kids. It was a lot of fun "venting" a little bit together and getting to trade funny stories. We got together on an app called "House Party" because you can play games with each other and I had planned on doing a few and giving some of the products to the winners as door prizes, but we were having so much fun just chatting about life, kids, and organization (or lack thereof!) that I completely forgot until after.

It was a really fun night and what with how hard the last year and a half has been in some ways, it was so good to just be able to connect over things we have in common with our kids and feel a sense of community in trading advice. I can definitely tell these products from Deflecto are going to last a long time in our house, and help us maintain the clutter a bit. Since coming in the mail, I've even used some of the storage bings to tote around various baby items (bottles, food, etc.) in the car for a couple road trips. And it was super easy to just rinse out once we got home. They've been great! Check out some pics below!

#tryazon #deflecto #deflectokidsstorage #kidsstoragesolutions #kidsstorage #teacherstorage #cleanuptheclutter

She was most excited about the trays! They're labeled as "finger paint trays" but they also work great to keep all your coloring things from rolling away!

Perfect for holding books, games, craft supplies... you name it!

Always a good time with these ladies! (And those unseen men too, we love ya! 😉)