The Brumwell Chronicles

 If you don't know by now, I'm not like a regular mom. I'm a cool mom! Obviously, I gotta do cool mom stuff over the summer and one thing my kids always want to do is go camping. Unfortunately, we are currently living about 3 miles from the sun's surface and it is a billion degrees outside. Luckily for my kids, as previously stated, I am a cool mom. What do I do? Pull out our camping tent, push our couch out of the way, and set it up indoors.  Another unfortunate for my kids is that I am also like the princess from the princess and the pea story and there is no way I am going to be sleeping or even laying in the tent with them on the hard floor. Luckily for them, we just got a new Airbed from BestwayUSA and it was the perfect time to try it out. This wonderful Queen sized beauty comes with a built-in pump that is so quick and easy to use that a 5-year-old can plug it in, and turn the knob to have it filled with air before his mom can finish dancing to a quick Taylor Swi...

 Have you ever yelled something at someone and then at that moment realize that it is clearly something you've always needed to yell at someone? Did I go through life thinking "I can't wait for the moment that I get to yell 'You lying sack!'" at someone? No. But when it happened it was absolutely evident that it was something that checked off a box in my life. Now I crave to yell it at someone in a non-game setting.  Game nights are my jam! We try to play family game nights at least once a week but often times it is multiple times a week if our schedules allow it. When we go on vacation I have a whole suitcase dedicated to games that we will play while away from home and of course a large purse with several good books for after-games.  Anytime that Tryazon has a game night opportunity I always apply, especially if that game night is by one of my family's favorite game companies Exploding Kittens. We love that they are always quick and easy to learn which i...

 Santa came early this year! Okay, it wasn't Santa, it was Squaregles and Tryazon, but I am sure that Santa will be getting plenty of lists requesting Squaregles this year.  Anytime someone says they have a toy that will keep my kids off electronics I'm first in line to try it. As an Engineer, my husband is very passionate about our kids playing with toys that promote STEM learning and creative thinking. As a stay-at-home, I am just passionate about anything that will keep my kids busy and allow me to clean the kitchen, put away some laundry, or let's be honest, let me read a few chapters of my current book.  Building toys are one of my kid's favorites, blocks, Legos, and magnetic tiles are always a go-to for them. I was curious to see what made Squaregles different from other magnetic tiles on the market. When I tell you that co-founders Joe and Noah put so much thought into their toy I mean it.  Squaregles are larger pieces and have stronger magnets than other tile...

 The summer season is fast approaching, and that means it's time for parents to start getting ready to get their kids outside for some amazing fun times! While it can be hard to compete with electronics; there are a few things that every kid loves. One of those things is Bubbles! And what's better than bubbles? Ginormous BUBBLES!!!   Thanks to the  South Beach Bubbles  you can get your kids outside with giant, colorful, high-flying, and long-lasting bubbles. They are fun for all ages and ideal for almost any outdoor event! There are multiple kits to choose from and parents can't help but join in on the fun.  There was a small bit of a learning curve to get the giant bubbles without popping them, even the youngest of our crew (2-year-old) was able to get some great bubbles blown. Be prepared for a little bit of a mess if your little one is wild and slings the wand out or around, but other than that they are easy and a lot of fun! Even the adults simply could...

 In case you weren't clued in by my name; I love the Summer. My birthday is in the Summer (which is how I got my name), I love being outside in the sunshine, and the kids are out of school which means we get to SLEEP INNNNN! There are BBQs and ice cream all the time, campfires, beach trips, I mean the list of reasons why I love the summer go on and on!  The list of reasons why I don't love the summer can pretty much be summed up into one thing... it's HOT! If you're in the south like me then there is no relief from the heat. Even being in the shade is still so hot (thanks humidity!). Having a place to swim in the summer is so important. Unlike some of my southern friends, I'm not a huge fan of swimming at the lake or river.  So when Tryazon emailed me about the opportunity to try out The Coleman Power Steel Swim Vista Series II from Bestway, I of course said Yes!  This pool has so many awesome features like it's steel frame (which is rust and corrosion resistant...

If there is one thing that our family loves, it's a good game night! One of our favorite gaming companies is The OP Games. They make lots of family friendly and fun games. One of my all time favorites from The OP Games is call Telestrations. It's a fun take on the game telephone, but you sketch stuff out. For those who don't know.. I'm an amazing artist.. amazingly bad artist. Even so this game always leaves us laughing and playing "one more round"  When I got an email from Tryazon asking if I wanted to host a game night for a new OP Games game called Telestrations Upside Drawn, it was an easy YES!  Players use only a pen and board in a race to be the first team to sketch and guess the secret word.  Players divide into teams of 2 or 3, each team gets a dry-erase board and marker, pick which color side of the card to use. Each team has a guide, someone who controls the board and knows the secret word, and a guesser(s) who controls the pen and does the sketching...

It is time that I let y'all in on a little secret... I am not actually 22 anymore.. *gasp* I've joked so much about staying 22 and refusing to age that I have actually started to forget my real age! Seriously, just ask my friends and it is a running joke that no one knows how old I am, not even me.  However, it is starting to get more and more noticeable that this is not the face of a 22 year old. This is the face of a very tired mom, who laughs a lot (aka has hard laugh lines), who spent years refusing to wear glasses because she didn't like them (aka spent years squinting and now has the forehead lines and crows feet to prove it). It has started to make me so self conscious. One of the first things people notice about you is your face, and when you don't feel great about the way that your skin looks on the outside, it effects how you feel on the inside. I once read that the reason Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen never smile in photos is to help prevent wrinkles.. I tried t...