The Bluebird Patch

It's The Stinkiest Time Of The Year It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas! The clean, fresh scent of a live Christmas tree, sweet treats baking in the oven, and the spicy aroma of mulled wine, holiday smells are an instant connection to our Christmas past. Holiday smells can evoke powerful memories and instantly transport us down memory lane with multiple emotions and vivid mental images for the place or person we associate with the smells. However, while the holidays really are magical, the truth is, they can be filled with entertaining chaos and sometimes…they literally stink. Let's be real, when you open those Christmas boxes from the attic after 11 months, it feels like a slap in the face. Dusty ornaments, musty stockings, and funky smelling lawn decorations, the lingering smell is nasty. But, the reality is that you don’t have to embrace these stinks, when you can eliminate them with Febreze and be guest ready all season long. Whether i...

Gifts That Give Back! Buy one Comfy Critter and another one will be donated to  Children's Healthcare!  Comfy Critters loves to create new products that bring joy, fun and happiness to the lives of people of all ages. Their first product is the patented Huggable Hooded Blanket, the first and only huggable stuffed animal that is also a cozy, snuggable hooded blanket. You can hug, love, wear and cuddle up in your Comfy Critters Huggable Hooded Blanket, and it's great for all kinds of occasions: naptime, playtime, sleep over time, car time or anytime!  This holiday season, Comfy Critters is proud to partner with the Atlanta Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital . During the month of December, Comfy Critters will donate one unit to the hospital for each unit sold. When you enter the code BUY1GIVE1 during checkout you can order your favorite critter and give one back to the hospital. Visit   Comfy Critters  to choose your favorite critter!  ...

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the World of Coca Cola in Atlanta. The interactive home of Coke launches its holiday celebration today with lights, photo opps galore, me orable gifts, a letter-writing Coca-Cola Polar Bear and more.“The World of Coca-Cola is a favorite holiday destination for fans of all ages from around the world,” said General Manager of Retail and Attractions for the World of Coca-Cola Russell Jacobs. “We are always planning new ways to surprise and delight our guests, and we’ve put together a list of our top ten reasons to spend the holidays with us this year.” Guests can: Mail friends personalized letters from the desk of the  Coca‑Cola Polar Bear  inviting them to the attraction Give a one-of-kind holiday gift that friends and family will always remember Savor the season with signature beverages like Gingerbread Coke and Mistletoe Flow starting the  Friday  after Thanksgiving   Snap and share selfi...

Looking for a memorable experience with out-of-town relatives? There’s no better place than Six Flags Over Georgia Holiday in the Park! Their magnificent shows and street entertainment provide all of the best holiday tunes to get you into the Christmas spirit.  Experience our festive shows, dozens of Christmas trees, more than one million LED lights and meet Santa Claus. Stroll through Peppermint Plaza, the North Pole and snowy Main Street Christmas (with a little help from a snow machine)! Walk through a mistletoe tunnel or journey back in time to simpler days of Christmas past with Retro Christmas USA.  To buy tickets, check schedule and plan your visit please visit: holiday.sixflags.com/overgeorgia

Home Is Where You Feel Happy and Cozy After a Long Journey Marie Callender’s creates homemade meals and desserts made with high-quality ingredients and signature special touches that your family can slow down and savor together.  When you are a military family like us you know you do everything within your reach to send comforts from home to your soldier no matter how far they are. Sometimes is the smallest gestures that bring them the biggest joy.  This is why we are so happy to see how Marie Callender’s announced the return of the Comforts from Home Project , a partnership with the United Service Organizations (USO) that’s dedicated to bringing the heartwarming feelings, flavors, and favorites of home to those who miss it most. To help bring the comforts of home to the brave men and women of the U.S. military, Marie Callender’s donation to the USO will provide electronics, sports gear, books, games and more to troops stationed in remote locations a...

A quinceañero is one of the most important celebrations for fifteen-year-old Latina girls. It represents the rite of passage of a young girl to womanhood. For Latinas from Puerto Rico like us, this is an old and revered tradition that is constantly evolving. Aesthetically, the quinceañera resembles a wedding. It is an extravagant event that encompasses many aspects of a marriage ceremony: the family, the dress, the dance, the cake, the gifts, the fancy venue, and lets not forget the glorious food. It's no secret that quinceañeros are often as costly as a wedding and many families use this opportunity to flaunt their wealth and social status. Planning a q uinceañero or "Sweet 15" can be stressful especially when you want to follow the tradition but since we are anything but traditional we took a different route. When planning for this event we made a list of all the things we dislike like about quinceañeros and one thing was crystal clear, we didn...

WIN A FAMILY FOUR-PACK TICKETS BREAK THE FLOOR PRODUCTIONS and the Fox Theatre are pleased to announce that North America’s hottest new dance show — SHAPING SOUND — will perform one night only at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, priced at $39, $49, $59 and $100, are on sale at  www.FoxTheatre.org , by calling 855-285-8499, or at the Fox Theatre Ticket Office. Discounted tickets are available for groups of 10 or more by calling 404-881-2000. Experience the exhilarating collaboration of North America’s newest dance visionaries as they mash-up music genres and dance styles in an explosive dance theater experience perfect for all ages. Under the Artistic Direction of Emmy Award Winner, TRAVIS WALL, and co-created with NICK LAZZARINI, TEDDY FORANCE and KYLE ROBINSON,  SHAPING SOUND  is an electrifying mash-up of dance styles and musical genres brought fully to life on stage by a dynamic company of contemporary dancers. After risin...

Looking for something to do with out-of-town guests and the out of school kids during the week of Thanksgiving? The Fox Theatre has a list of family-friendly shows to keep the entire family happy. Kickoff the holiday season with a great lineup of shows, including: Cirque Dreams Holidaze – Nov. 25 & 27! Now in its 7th year of multiple simultaneous touring productions, Cirque Dreams lights up the 2015 holiday season with its critically acclaimed holiday stage extravaganza… Cirque Dreams Holidaze , a new cirque show…Broadway musical… and family Christmas spectacular all in one!

I remember my first Christmas at Stone Mountain . We just moved to Georgia, and were feeling downhearted, due that all of our family and friends were overseas. Spending Christmas in a new city with small children can put a lot of pressure to a young couple. You always try to make sure your children are happy and healthy, specially during a time where you are supposed to celebrate with your loved ones... but you can only do so much. I'm thankful Stone Mountain Christmas helped us forget about all the things we left behind and showed us all the beautiful things awaiting us. The beauty about Stone Mountain Christmas is that it transports you to a place full of magic, love and Christmas cheer. This is the perfect place to take your family for a holiday getaway.  You can watch live shows, ride a train, buy gifts, take pictures with Santa, build a snowman, zoom down the 400-foot hill all together in family-sized tubes, or just go alone as a single rider. Is just a gr...

THE EXPERT IN ANYTHING WAS ONCE A BEGINNER There’s little doubt that learning to play a musical instrument is great for developing brains. Learning a musical instrument is a superb opportunity for children to express themselves creatively while picking up a new skill. My son joined the school band during sixth grade and I love seeing how much this experience has changed him.  He now has less feelings of anxiety, has a greater control of his emotions and is more focused and attentive during his classes. His ability to memorize and remember information is off the roof. Is almost as if playing an instrument has all of the sudden optimized his brain. He loves music so much that he joined a second band (pep band) and guess who is always traveling back and forth making sure that is on time for the games or school concerts? Yep, me. High school awaits next year and he already made the commitment to join the marching band. He plays the flute, and normally...

Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you. Loretta Young   The say your wedding is the least important day of your marriage but it is definitely that one that you will remember the most. You see a wedding is one of those autobiographical memories in your life that imprints in your brain automatically. This memory is not part of you, but actually a piece of you, for better or worse. You may forget many visual details, but you will never forget the emotions and feelings you experienced that day. When you are planning a wedding the only rule you need to remember is that there are NO RULES so might as well have fun with it.  I love Boho-chic weddings because of their organic, ethereal yet romantic feel. Boho-chic weddings are whimsical, vintage-inspired, super chic and unpretentious.  They are perfect for dreamers and lovers of all things non-traditional. I created my first Boho-Chic wedding guide on Ebay to help you find all...