Laughter rippled through my family room last Friday night where several women from my church congregation came together for a fun “Moms’ Night Out” watching the movie by the same name.

Moms Night Out was just released on DVD and Blu-Ray (not to mention instant viewing on Amazon Prime) and I have to admit that yes, I really have seen this movie FOUR times and still can’t tear my eyes away from everything that ensues when three women decide they need to get out and have some fun and things don’t go exactly as planned.

Sarah Drew, known for her role as Dr. April Kepner in the ABC medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy, plays stressed-out mom Allyson who simply needs to go out with a few friends. Patricia Heaton, known for playing the mom in Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle,  plays the pastor’s wife who appreciates being invited out while still dealing with arguments with her own daughter – providing contrast between moms of kids at various stages and at the same time, similarities of simply being a mom. The whole family gets involved when a baby goes missing and the women decide to get involved, sacrificing their night of freedom.

Read my previous review when I attended the screening of this movie before it came to theaters. I highly recommend getting this movie and watching it with friends, family, church members. It helps you laugh at bit at yourself, laugh with each other and appreciate the poignant moments when a young mom learns a thing or two about being too hard on herself.

(Disclosure: I received a DVD/Blu-Ray for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

As we get settled into the routine of the new year, my teen daughters are enjoying the review of several new items to the market, great for several back-to-school needs.

1. Snackeez Travel Cup (MSRP: $9.99): My 16-yr-old literally squealed when she saw the Snackeez drink/snack combo cup on the counter. Dishwater safe, this 2-in-1 snack cup boasts a fliptop snack lid, 4 oz snack cup, non-slip grip and 16 oz. drinking cup. She loved filling the top with Triscuits and the bottom with pink lemonade and loved the curious glances all day at school the first day. Everything stayed sealed in and safe until ready to consume.

2. Flips Audio FH2814BK Collapsible HD Headphones and Stereo Speakers, Black (MSRP: $120): These incredibly cool headphones that flip to become speakers were immediately snapped up by my 17-yr-old daughter who loves anything audio/video (just like her dad). She wants to go to college for film and picks up technology very fast. Flips are headphones with custom vented ear cups & memory foam that turn into 40mm neodymium speakers with amplified sound. They fold and store in a protective case that comes with purchase. A rechargeable Li-Polymer battery recharges via standard USB cord.

3. Copper Fit Copper Infused Knee Sleeve (MSRP $19.99/2 + $7.99 s&h on Copper Fit website) – My 16-yr-old plays volleyball and rides horses, doing both almost daily during the Fall. She gets aches and pains in her ankles and I thought she could perhaps try the knee compression sleeve for her leg. She thought it felt like a legging and took it off. I think I would need to buy a smaller sleeve for her than the one received for review. The benefits of the sleeve are that it helps reduce recovery time of muscles, wick sweat away from the body, provides support for muscle stiffness and pain and supports improved circulation of active muscles.

4. Master Lock Dialspeed Electronic Combination Padlock (MSRP $39.68): (Note: The vendor on Amazon lists it at $89 but the Masterlock website lists it at $39.68) This nifty digital padlock is mine to treasure. My kids are provided locks at school so I get to use this one when I go to the Y or other various places I need to secure my belongings. Love the lightup keypad with one hand operation. And, if you forget your password, head over to masterlockvault.com where you can back up your passwords for easy retrieval. (Note: that’s my daughter’s chipped nail polish showing off the cool light-up feature – just sayin’).

Now through September 7, 2014 visit www.MasterLockPhotoHunt.com for a chance to win back-to-school security items, and create a wish list for easy shopping.

(Disclosure: I was sent the above items for review thanks to Snackeez, FlipsAudio, Copper Fit and MasterLock. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

This September, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is going the distance in launching Alex’s Million Mile – Run. Walk. Ride.

With firsthand knowledge of just how far parents of children with cancer would go to find a cure for their child, the Foundation will challenge supporters everywhere to go the extra mile this September, collectively running, walking or cycling one million miles to work toward better treatments and ultimately cures for all kids with cancer.

One Month. One Cause. One Million Miles.

 The brainchild of Foundation Co-Executive Director, Jay Scott, a running enthusiast, Alex’s Million Mile invites ambitious individuals, as well as teams, to pledge to run/walk/ride and contribute to the one million mile goal during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Drawing from the inspiration of Foundation creator Alexandra “Alex” Scott, who set out to raise $1 million through lemonade stands in 2004, Jay Scott feels that through combined efforts, reaching one million miles in just thirty days is attainable. The initiative provides a fun, easy and free way for people across the country to make a difference in the fight against childhood cancer.

Alex’s Million Mile will utilize both the MapMyFitness applications and the ability for participants to manually enter the miles they log daily. Individuals and teams who participate can log as many or as few miles as their ability level allows, every mile will count toward the larger goal. For those wishing to push themselves to reach 100 miles throughout the month, individuals will need to average 3-4 miles a day, while teams can split up the 100 miles. For instance, a group of 4 employees can walk a mile at lunch every day and easily reach their goal.

In its inaugural year, Alex’s Million Mile (formerly known as the Million Mile Run), mobilized more than 5,000 participants to log 250,000 miles and raise over $500,000 for the cause. Among the various ways that miles were logged by participants from coast to coast: parents walked their children to school each day, logging one mile each way; families walked to Friday night dinners and back; instead of taking public transportation, individuals ran to work or evening outings. The possibilities are endless, with each step being counted toward the ultimate goal of logging one million miles, and more importantly raising vital awareness of the number one disease killer of children under the age of 15 in the United States.

New to the 2014 event, Booster, LLC  (www.booster.com) will provide participants a platform to easily launch their own t-shirt fundraising campaigns to support their Alex’s Million Mile efforts.Participants who sign up for Alex’s Million Mile will have the opportunity to use Booster to create their own designs and in turn sell custom t-shirts to raise money without buying in advance or holding any inventory.  To learn more, or to launch a Booster campaign to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit: https://www.booster.com/alexs-lemonade-stand.

Individuals and teams who are interested in participating or learning more about Alex’s Million Mile can visit AlexsMillionMile.org where they will find a video detailing the effort, testimonials from those who participated last year, and starting in September – live updates from social media on efforts in 2014 utilizing the hashtag #Journey2aMillion.

 About Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $80 million toward fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure, funding over 450 pediatric cancer research projects nationally. For more information on Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit AlexsLemonade.org.