Traveling Mamas

I was sipping my morning cup of Community Coffee this morning when this came through my inbox. While I’ve always been a big fan of this Louisiana brand, I also love how they give back to the community, with the Community Cash for Schools and the Military Match program. This news comes just in time for Veteran’s Day.

Children can support our troops through Community Coffee Company’s Military Match program by hand-coloring Community Coffee’s official “Thank You” cards.  One card will be placed inside each Military Match gift set box prior to shipment overseas.  The cards can be downloaded from www.CommunityCoffee.com/ThankYou.

The Military Match program provides an opportunity for friends and family to purchase four bags of traditional Red Bag™ 16-oz. or 13-oz. Community® ground roast coffee, and in turn the company will match the order with four bags free. All completed cards can be mailed to Military Match Thank You Cards, Community Coffee Company, P.O. Box 791, Baton Rouge, LA 70821.

“We are grateful to U.S. military service members, at home and abroad, who protect the freedoms and privileges enjoyed by all Americans,” said Matt Saurage, president and fourth-generation family owner of Community Coffee Company. “The Military Match program is our way of demonstrating support for those away from home, family and friends during this time. Since school children have been a part of our company through our Community Cash for Schools Program for over 20 years, we wanted to give them the opportunity to be a part of our Military Match initiative as well.”

“As Veterans Day quickly approaches, we want to share this program with our customers and encourage all children to color something special for soldiers who may need a picture and cup of comfort as a reminder of home,” said Saurage.

“Support of the troops in this fashion is vital to morale. It is always good to see something from home,” said John D. Burke, recent recipient of a Community Coffee Military Match gift set box.

In the past four years, Community Coffee Company has donated over 12,000 pounds of coffee to troops overseas through this program.

Community Coffee Company has sold premium quality coffee in Louisiana since Henry Norman “Cap” Saurage began serving coffee out of his country store in 1919. Made from 100% Arabica coffee beans, Community® coffee can be found in grocery and convenience stores, offices, hotels and many of the best restaurants throughout the South. It is also served daily at CC’s Community Coffee House® locations in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans, and is available worldwide through CommunityCoffee.com. Community Coffee Company is the largest family owned and operated retail coffee brand in America.

You may be traveling this holiday season – or you may have relatives traveling to your home this year. At TravelingMamas.com we’ve been putting together our personal holiday travel tips to help make your holiday travel easy and stress free.

If mailing or carrying on your holiday gifts, be sure to check and see which items need batteries as their power source. Nothing is worse than giving a battery operated gift without the batteries included, especially when gifting to little ones.

Rayovac recently polled moms and found out that 65% have forgotten to purchase batteries to go along with their gifts. To help these moms, and also ease your last minute holiday gift purchase stress, Rayovac has put together this handy batttery shopping list of some of the most popular battery powered toys this holiday season:

If you’d like the direct link to the Rayovac Battery Guide for Top Holiday Toys, be sure to check out the Rayovac official website. Also, the Rayovac Facebook Page offers coupons to help you save money on these already value packed batteries.

This post is sponsored by Rayovac.

Last year I took my first ski lessons, thanks to SkiUtah.com. One thing I noticed about the fashion at the various ski resorts is that women want to look good both on and off the slopes. I had no idea what type of ski wear to pack for a cold weather destination. Keeping your feet warm and dry after a day on the slopes is important, but there’s nothing wrong with keeping with the current fashion. Here are some of the best apres ski boots that work for both function and fashion.

Teva Kiru Boot – We love Zappos.com, not just because they’re friendly people, but because they offer great products at fabulous prices. These Teva Kiru print boots will keep your feet warm and cozy when the temperatures drop. The side zipper makes it easy to slide these boots on and the top laces help with taking these beauties off. They not only look fabulous with your apres ski attire, but they keep you upright with their non-marking Spider soles that help grip on slippery surfaces.

Sorel Cate the Great Boot – Waterproof construction is important when temperatures are below freezing. Sorel is one of the top brands that keep feet warm and dry in winter and these Sorel Cate the Great will help you look fashionable too. The upper is leather and suede and the recycled inner felt InnerBoot is removable. These boots even fit those with a little bit larger calf, which is sometimes hard to find with taller boots. Be aware that if you are looking for tight ankle support, these boots fit a little loose in that area.

Keen Charleston Boot – Not everyone is comfortable wearing tall boots as their apres ski attire. Keen is a classic brand that produces quality products for all seasons. The Keen Charleston Boot boasts a soft, microfleece inner lining to keep your tootsies toasty. These boots aren’t just quality and will keep your feet warm and dry, they are also very light for apres ski boots and will be a welcome respite for your legs after a day on the slopes and the binding fit of ski boots. You can find these boots online at 6pm.com, the sister site of Zappos that offers AMAZING discount prices.

Khombu Moon Boots – The Khombu Moon Boots are cute, fur-trimmed waterproof boots for apres ski. They have a faux-fur lining and removable foam-cushioned insole. The rubber outsole is great for gripping icy sidewalks and stepping through snow to get to that apres-ski lunch or afternoon of shopping after a day’s adventure on the slopes. We found this boot and many others at SierraTradingPost.com.

Timberland Crystal Mountain Mid Pull-on Boots – Timberland is a classic outdoor adventure brand and their winter offerings won’t let anyone down. These Timberland Crystal Mountain Mid Pull-on Boots don’t have that bulky look of Timberland’s classic hiking boots. These are very fashionable for apres-ski adventures. The removable anti-fatigue footbed is an added aspect to these already quality boots. The rubber outsole not only provides traction on slippery surfaces, but it’s also eco-friendly. Campmor is one of the many places to purchase these apres ski boots for women.

These are just a few of the many apres ski boots available for women. What are some of your favorite brands of winter boots?

Sometimes when I check into a hotel room on a girlfriend getaway or family vacation, I like to listen the personal road trip soundtrack I’ve put together on my portable music device. Hotels are not all created equal with only some of them providing iPod docking stations or mp3 player connections as an in-room amenity. I do have an inexpensive portable speaker case to play music when the family is at the park or I’m sitting down near the pond for some afternoon fishing, however, the gadget is a few years old and it finally gave out.

I recently tested out the iMainGo X Portable Speaker system and also handed it over to each of the kids to also check out and provide their opinions. My daughter was the first to check it out, claiming that it was now her gadget so that she could listen to the Glee soundtrack and make up a dance routine. We had to wrestle the iMainGo X from her so that my teen son could check it out. He has an iPhone 4 and proceeded to put his phone in the protective case of the iMainGo X and then tortured us on the way to a family dinner with his collection of those annoying commercials about Real American Heroes – you know, the ones that begin “Here’s to you, Mr. Nosebleed Section Ticket Holder”. Annoying. Fortunately, as the mom, I was able to declare his review time as expired and that it was time to hand the iMainGo X back to me.

The iMainGoX isn’t just portable speakers, but it’s also a protective case for various products, such as the Apple iPhone, Microsoft Zune, or your preferred MP3 player. It does NOT protect the iPod Shuffle, but will work with other electronics such as a laptop, portable gaming systems, Kindle, and even the iPad and other devices with a 35mm connection. I will admit that what makes this portable speaker system with case better than my older system is the ability to control my device without having to open the case. The clear protective covering allows me to use the touchscreen without going through too much trouble.

This device is powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery which lasts for up to 12 hours. The exterior is made of Neoprene waterproof material (great for the beach or poolside), but as with any electronic device, try to keep it from getting wet. This item comes in black and also in a recently released pink. MSRP is around $75 but can be found online at various retailers for a few dollars less.

How to Enter: TravelingMamas.com was sent an iMainGo X for review and we also have one for a lucky reader. Just leave a comment telling us where you would take this portable speaker system and what device you would use with it, should you win. Once you leave that comment, you can like us and share this post on facebook or follow us on Twitter and tweet this post for bonus entries. Be sure to leave a different comment for each entry to count. Comments close at 11:59PM EST on December 10, 2010. Contest is open to US residents ages 18 and older.

Searching for the perfect holiday travel gift that won’t break the bank? Here are a few of our favorite travel gifts and gadgets that are affordable and practical for this holiday season.

Monster Cable mini power strip – I travel EVERYWHERE with this travel sized power strip. It is compact and has saved my behind at many layovers. Have you ever arrived at your assigned gate only to find that the one plug in the entire airport is already claimed by two other travelers? I have yet to have someone tell me they won’t share their power with me once I show them this awesome travel gear. It also comes in handy in hotels when charging all those gadgets.

Bottlewise Bot’l Pak – Bottlewise has come up with a practical way to transport bottles of wine or other breakable items when checking luggage on a trip. Their innovative system not only keeps the bottle protected, but also helps keep your other items safe, should a leak occur. I have a Bottlewise Bot’l Pak wine travel bag, but hope that I get one of their new rollup bags under the tree.

Travel Size Beauty Items – Since we are usually carry-on mamas, we’ve got compact packing down to an art. Travel size gift sets of our favorite body cleansers or beauty items make us very, very happy. ThemeparkMom found a great site, 3floz.com, which sells travel gift sets in TSA friendly sizes.

The X-Shot – Have you ever been in one of those situations where you want that family photo but have no one to hold the camera and no place to set it for the timer shots? What about when traveling or trying to take a video of yourself? A few years ago I bought an X-Shot, the ultimate camera extender. There have been upgraded models to come on the market, but I still use the original.

Shoes Bags – Shoe bags for travel aren’t boring anymore. We’ve found a variety of fashionable shoe bags that aren’t just practical, but make you smile when you pack for your next trip. Find one that fits any personality, from classic colors to bold prints.

Coffee Travel Tumbler – Travel tumblers are perfect for the coffee lover on the go. This is an easy to find item available most anywhere. The particular coffee travel tumbler I take everywhere is sold on the Community Coffee company website as the New Orleans travel tumbler set. I love the way it fits in my hand, and of course I adore the design.

Gloves for Touchscreen Mobile Phones – Do you have a touchscreen mobile phone and plan on traveling to a cold weather destination? Check out AGloves, the glove that works on touchscreen phones. We heard about these types of gloves last season and this year CarolinaMama has reviewed AGloves to see if they really work.

These are just a few of our favorite travel gifts for the holidays. What are some of your favorite affordable travel gifts?