Road Trip!

OBX, 2010

So I have a few road trips coming up in the next few weeks and I'm so excited about them.

Right now, you're probably thinking "what crazy girl would be excited for a road trip at 8 months pregnant?"  Well? Me.  Not for the actual driving itself, but for the discussions, the laughs, the SNACKS, the music, and the overall excitement of going somewhere fun.

You just can't beat it.

My first road trip occurs this week {squeeeeee!} and it's with this girl... I can't wait!  I'm meeting her off the beaten path in Central Jersey so that we can then head up to New York City for BlogHer12!

There will be snacks.  There will be coffee.  There will be loud music.  There will most definitely be singing.  And I can pretty much guarantee you that there will be dancing.

It's here that I must also send a shout out to my dad! :) Papa Joe is driving me 45 minutes north so that I can meet Steph on the way to NYC.  And I only had to promise to buy him lunch {I know the way to my dad's heart.... Philly cheese steaks.}

My next road trip takes place less than a week after I return from BlogHer.  Yep... our annual family vacation to Outer Banks, NC!  I can. not. wait. to go to OBX this year.  We had to move our trip up a few weeks because of the babe {and also, my sister's due 4 days before me as well... so it wasn't just my fault ;}  Much more to come next week on this! =)

Oh, why yes, the 8 hour drive south will be a bit tough to handle, but we decided to break it up this year.  We'll probably go about half way and stay over night in Virginia Beach on Friday night.  We think it will help both the kids and myself, and it'll be fun to exit the highway and do something fun in a new place!

We're already getting the SUV ready for this trip... it's at the shop today, then off for an oil change next week.  After that, Bob and I {but mostly Bob} will clean it inside and out, since we both can not road trip anywhere with a dirty car {is anyone else like this?  Scrub the car before a big road trip?  Good, it's not just us then.}  We'll also pack the cooler full of drinks and snacks... our "go-to" road trip snacks are always...

• Pringles {and our #1 beach food as well!}
• Orange Gatorade/soda/water/Capri Suns
• Pretzel & Cheese Combos
• Cheese Sticks
• Cheez-Its
• Sweedish Fish
• Starbursts
• Gum

All extremely healthy stuff, ya know? So tell me... how do you plan for a road trip? What do you bring with you?  I hope, no matter where you go, you'll have a lovely {and safe!} trip.  Also, don't forget to exit the highway and take the scenic route... by pledging, you can be entered to win a brand new Toyota Prius V.  And, for extra entries, submit photos from  your trip!  No matter where the road takes you, I hope you can enjoy it with the people you love most!

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

100 Cars for Good

Well, our good friends over at Toyota are doing it again.  For the second year, Toyota is running their 100 Cars for Good campaign in which they are giving away 100 cars to nonprofits organizations throughout the country.  And guess what?  You pick the winners.  Yep, your votes will help them do it!

Each day for 100 days, online voters can choose which of five nonprofits will take home a new set of wheels. The organization who receives the most votes at the end of the day takes home a brand new Toyota.

Simply visit their Facebook page {nope, you don't even have to "like" their page to vote... they want to earn their likes!} and vote for the organization that you think deserves a free Toyota.  You can even search by organization and/or by state, to vote for someone in your local community. :)

This is an amazing campaign and it just makes me even more proud to be a member of the Toyota Women's Influencer Network (TWIN). Great job Toyota!

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

TWIN Camp

Remember way back when I posted about me flying across country for the wonderful opportunity to go to Toyota's TWIN camp for a few days?? My gawd, that seems like forever ago {right before they found the mass} but I still wanted to talk about what a wonderful experience I had out in Torrence, CA.

First, I  must just say how excited I was to only bring a carry-on wheely case on the plane with me.  For 3 days away from home.  I think that's amazing.

The first thing I did when I arrived after my 5 hour flight, was run off to squeeze this girl.   I was so excited to see her again {and she's lucky enough to be rooming with me at BlogHer12!}

 

After squeezing her for a bit, I checked into my hotel room.  We stayed at The Beach House in Hermosa Beach and it. was. gorgeous.  I mean... just check out my view!

After drooling over my view, Chelsey and I ran to get something to eat real quick and then walked around Hermosa Beach for a bit with Jess and Wyatt, {one of my other BlogHer roomies!  Jess, not Wyatt ;} taking in all the interesting sites {We seriously thought this girl was dead.  She wasn't.}

We also walked down to the beach so this East Coast girl could stick her toes in the Pacific {26 week belleh!}

We ran back to the room and got ready for our wonderful TWIN camp dinner where we were able to sit with Toyota executives as well as other Clever Girls {including Cat and Edita!}  It was so fun.  And so YUMMY!  I was lucky enough to get two desserts {one for me and one for baby.  What Don't judge.}

The next morning, we were up bright and early to start our day at the Toyota campus.

It was so interesting to be able to sit and talk with people about Toyota's marketing strategies, our car buying experiences, and the huge role that women play in both.  I felt that they really listened to our problems and ideas and we came up ways to improve the car buying experience! 

We also talked about philanthropy, not only on a national level, but on a local community level as well.  There are plenty of ways to get involved and I have a post coming soon about some of the great things Toyota is already doing {and how you can help out a local foundation just by voting online!}

But we certainly just didn't sit in one room all day.  We got to tour the huge Toyota campus... I loved this recharging station that was fueled completely by solar energy. 

We also got to drive a few cars!  I drove the new fuel cell Toyota Highlander, that isn't even on the market yet!

I got to meet such fabulous people while I was there as well.

After lunch, we headed to the Toyota Automobile Museum.  It was so interesting!!

 

 

We did get one group shot of everyone before we left the museum.  Bet you can't find me.  {And I have mad ups for a pregnant chick, right?}

We then headed to a fabulous restaurant that night where we ate yummy food and recapped our day at Toyota...

 

The next morning before I left, I wanted to be sure to soak in the view from my room.  It was so nice to get away, but I also couldn't wait to get home to see my babies again!

I then grabbed a quick breakfast with Chelsey and Kristi before I had to catch my flight, which was a lovely way to end my trip! :)

Overall, it was such a great experience.  I got to talk to so many people, especially from the marketing department in Toyota and they were all wonderful.  I was actually surprised at how many of them were from the South Jersey/Philadelphia area {one I think I played soccer against in high school, ha!} And I want to thank both Toyota and Clever Girls for this wonderful experience!

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

Y3W: I'm finally home!

 {On our way home from the airport.}

And let me just tell you how excited I was to squeeze their little faces and kiss them all over.

Although I had a fabulous time and learned oh so much at Toyota Headquarters in California over the past 3 days, there is nothing better than coming home to your family.  Thankfully I work from home today, so my 2 adorable kiddos are my coworkers for the next few hours ;)

I can't wait to post all about my trip, but for now?  I play catch-up. Not a very fun game, but it is what it is.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!


Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

Wordless: Current View

Oh, ya know, just the view from my room.  No big deal.

This will be short and sweet {since I'm going on almost 20 hours with no sleep!}  I have arrived safely here in Hermosa Beach and it. is. gorgeous.  I've had a wonderful day catching up with old friends and meeting new ones and I look forward to our jam-packed day at Toyota Headquarters tomorrow.

I hope you're following me on Instagram and Twitter... I've been, and will continue too, post a ton of pics there! You can also follow #ToyotaWomen for even more fun :)

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Catch ya on the flip side!

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

Y3W: Flying across country!

That's right folks... bright and early on Tuesday morning, I'll be flying from Philly to Los Angeles for an exciting trip to visit Toyota headquarters in Torrance, CA. 

I am beyond excited about this trip for many reasons, but mostly because I am slightly obsessed with the car industry and to have the wonderful opportunity to visit the headquarters of an amazing company such as Toyota just has me freaking. out.

But on top of all the awesome things will be doing during our visit to Toyota, I also get to eat amazing food, relax a bit, meet other amazing bloggers that are apart of TWIN as well as see some old friends.

Oh, and the kicker?  We're staying here.

No big deal.

So yeah, there's that.  I have to start packing.  I'm trying my hardest to only bring a carry-on.  What are the chances of that? ;)

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

Happy Friday!

Swagger Wagon

Ha! I still love this music video...

I know a lot of people have a stigma about one day owning a minivan. Hell, even some of their commercials start with "Frankly, the idea of owning a minivan use to make me cry myself to sleep at night." {via} But I think Toyota did an amazing job of making the minivan seem cool.

And they have officially sold us.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to ride around in a brand new {and fully loaded} Toyota Sienna. Why yes, I did have my choice of ANY Toyota... and yes, I chose the Swagger Wagon. I've come to realize that with baby #3 on the way, we are eventually going to need a minivan. It is almost inevitable. So why not try it out now?

Wow.

After driving it around for 4 days straight, we honestly didn't want to give it back.

But the person who wanted to keep it the most?

Carter. He absolutely loved it. He loved that he had his own sunroof in the back. He loved that it opened. He loved that his side window went all the way down. And most of all?

He loved that he could watch his movies. Of course we have the portal DVD players and iPads, etc but it is not the same. He absolutely LOVED the flip down TV.

Do I look like a soccer mom?

Good.

It seems like Toyota has literally thought of everything for this van, and we were so impressed with the features. Some of the things I wanted to point out were the easy-to-use navigation system and rear view camera...

The amount of space in the van was unreal. A lot of times when the 3rd row seat is up, it leaves little to no space to put things in the back, but this van did not lack in the space department.

Some other features that I loved were the push-button start, the automatic open and close side doors and rear gate {even with the car remote}, the reclining {w/ foot rest!!!} 2nd row bucket seats...

...I mean, are you kidding me with that!?! It was difficult for me to restrain myself from sneaking out there sans kiddos for a little mommy time out! {Remember that commercial? Now I believe it.}

But even the little things, like a pull up sun shade...

...has made me believe that they have literally thought of everything.

The Toyota Sienna is the most family-friendly vehicle I have ever driven in and I honestly can not wait to own one. My college self might have been saying ""Frankly, the idea of owning a minivan use to make me cry myself to sleep at night" {via} but my mommy self is now saying "Frankly, I'd be an idiot not too."

Poor Brynnie couldn't see any of the movies.

Now here's the part of the post where I'd put in all my complaints about the van. But I honestly can't think of a damn thing. We had it for 4 days and never had to get gas for it {after driving it quite a bit to birthday parties, into Philly for dinner, etc.} It drove like a dream... Bob and my sister, Kristi {who wants this exact van} were actually both jealous that they couldn't drive it {and I was glad I was the only one that could ;} And, like I said, even the kids loved it.

If you're on the fence about a minivan, give in. And if you're considering a Toyota Sienna, go for it. You won't be disappointed.

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

Y3W | Hiring Our Heroes

Have you guys seen this all over the news lately? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has started an initiative called "Hiring Our Heroes" that is dedicated to hiring our veterans who have returned from serving our country.

I first heard about this wonderful program earlier this week while working from home. {Since it's just about the only time I can watch adult television, including this Today Show segment, which is where I first saw/heard about it.} Their goal in 2012 is to host job fairs in over 400 communities across the country. You can find all of the upcoming fairs, including those near you, on their website here.

As a member of the TWIN Network, I was proud to see that Toyota is heavily involved with this wonderful initiative as well. If you know of any veterans looking for a position, you can send them to Toyota's Hire A Hero site to search for open jobs in their area. Toyota is making it easier for our veterans to transition the skills they've acquired in their branch of service in order to find meaningful employment for them in the civilian job market. This is a great resource for those that may not have the time to attend one of the 400 job fairs, or even in addition to a job fair they may have already attended.

You can read more about Hiring Our Heroes on the Today Show website, which also includes additional resource links for veterans. Hiring Our Heroes has helped thousands of veterans in their search to find meaningful employment and my hope is that it helps thousands more!

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Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

TWIN | Consumer Reports

The new Consumer Reports is out this month and it's not surprising that Toyota has dominated all major categories! You can see the full report here, but to highlight, the new Toyota Camry has won for best "Family Sedan" and that's really no surprise considering it's great fuel economy, hybrid status and newer, more cost-efficient price tag.

Other Toyota winners... the Rav-4 won for best "Small SUV", the Sienna (aka the Swagger Wagon!) won for best "Family Hauler", the Prius won for best "Green Car", and the Highlander won for best "Family SUV" ensuring Toyota's domination over the top 10 categories.

Be sure to check out the full report and see where your current family car matches up against Toyota's steep competition!

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

The cars between us...

Bob and I were talking the other day and, since we've been together {ahem almost 11 years} we've had about 9 cars between us. {Is that a lot?... It seems like a lot.} Anyway, three of the cars we've loved the most? Toyota's. There's just something about them. The reliability. The way they run. The security you feel when you own one.

You just know it's a good car.

When we first got together, Bob got a Scion tc. He LOVED that thing. It was a really great car and boy was the price right. It had a Toyota Camry engine {one of the reasons he bought it!} was super sporty and, of course, he just had to get a stick shift. At the time, I didn't know how to drive a stick, so I was a little sad that I couldn't ever take it for a spin. But just riding in it, it was so nice.

Shortly after, I got my brand new Toyota Camry SE. Yes, it had to be the SE {Sports Edition} with the body kit, spoiler and sun roof. I loved that car. I was pregnant with Carter at the time and I knew it would be a very safe and reliable car to drive around our brand new baby. =) Once Carter finally arrived, Bob quickly realized this his sporty little two-door Scion just wasn't going to cut it anymore. It was time to grow up and grow up he did...

He bought a Tundra.

Bob had that Tundra for about 5 years, I think, and he totally would have kept it longer had we not gotten pregnant with baby #3. The Tundra, even with it's roomy back seat that easily fit 2 car seats, would never fit a 3rd. The truck itself was awesome and in that 5 years, we never had a single problem with it. Not one. We even drove it all the way down to OBX for family vacation 1 year and it was so comfy and easily fit all of our stuff for a week at the beach. We were so sad to trade it in, but with #3 on the way, we needed something with 3 rows. {All these babies!}

So there you have it... just a little background on the cars between us. Or should I say? The Toyota's between us!

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.