FUN TIMES AT MY SECOND BACK TO SCHOOL PICNIC #NilimonickyBTSPicnic

Summer seems to have come and left so quickly this year. It also seemed like school started much earlier than last year. I decided to have my second Back To School Picnic. Friends and family were invited. This time I had it September 7th in Central Park again of course. It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day. With the help of my friend Denise from @boyzruleourwrld we headed downtown to pick up a catering order from the famous Hill Country Brooklyn. They were very, very generous in donating food for my picnic to feed my guests. They provided us with BBQ Chicken, Cornbread and Texas Black Eyed Caviar. Everything was amazing and everyone was able to get more if they wanted. I am in love with their new location in Brooklyn located at 345 Adams St. It is huge and as soon as you get out the train it is right across the street. The BBQ is delicious and there is also live music. Great for any event or party and on Mondays they have an All You Can Eat special from 5pm-10pm for $30 per person and kids 12 and under eat free when accompanied by an adult. I definitely will be taking my kids and a few friends with their kids to enjoy this special. For more info visit their website and check out the menu http://www.hillcountrybk.com and their Twitter handle is: @hillcountrybk Thank you again for donating food, utensils and paper products.

Crayola hooked the kids up with their fabulous New Ultra -Clean Washable Markers. Just the fact that they are washable made me and every parent happy. Where were these when I was growing up? Crayola has always been my favorite brand when going back to school shopping with my mom. I always asked for the 64 crayons with crayon sharpener built in. I still buy Crayola for my kids and will always use their products. Find them at http://www.crayola.com and on Twitter: @crayola

Bitsys Brain Food is one of my favorite snacks for kids. Made with organic ingredients, nutritious, real fruits and veggies. They donated their fabulous Sweet Potato Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I found out about these at an event I went to and fell in love immediately. The toddlers at my picnic loved the cookies. I gave extra to everyone to take home. There are 4 flavors to try. They also make cereal as well. Check out their website and try all the delicious flavors. http://www.bitsysbrainfood.com on Twitter it’s: @bitsysbrainfood

Pirate’s Booty blessed me for my picnic last year and again this year with their aged white cheddar puffs. Kids love these and my guests went home with enough for their kids to take as a snack in their lunch bags. You can never go wrong when there’s Pirate’s Booty snacks around. Check out other flavors on their web at http://www.piratesbrands.com and on Twitter: @piratesbooty

Vera Bradley was gracious to send me a stylish backpack to give away. I recently visited her showroom in Manhattan because my daughter modeled there for a back to school fashion show and we fell in love with everything from bags to accessories. My winner was Tanisha Gomez from My Journey With Josh. She was so happy because she’s starting school and really needed it so I am so glad she won. What’s your favorite style? Check for beautiful selections now: http://www.verabradley.com and on Twitter @verabradley

Arizona Beverages provided everyone with their famous iced tea. From the kids half and half to the adults lightly sweetened, lemon and unsweetened Oak Brewed Tea drinks we were hydrated throughout the day. The kids drinks were just the right size for smaller hands and perfect it fits in any lunch bag. I loved all the Oak Brewed Tea flavors made with Black Tea. My kids like opening their lunch bags and finding an Arizona inside. Find your favorite at http://www.drinkarizona.com Twitter: @drinkarizona

Krusteaz known for their pancake mixes, dessert bar, pie crust, muffin and crumb cake mixes and a variety of others sent me coupons so I could make their products to serve at my picnic but I couldn’t find the lemon bars anywhere so I just handed out coupons to guests so they could get a free box of their favorite. I will find the lemon bars and make the and serve at my next party. If you like baking go to their website http://www.krusteaz.com and on Twitter @Krusteaz

Hefty famous serving, storage and disposal products brand sent me a coupon to use for plates or bowls. I appreciated the coupon but didn’t use it yet because the food that was catered provided us with plates. However, I will be using this as well at my next party. Need products? http://www.Hefty.com and @Hefty on Twitter.

Musselman’s Apple Sauce sent over packs of applesauce. Best tip they shared with me was to freeze the cup of applesauce and use it as an ice pack in the lunch bag. By lunch time the cup is thawed enough to eat as a healthy slushie. Isn’t that a great tip? I think so. So I tried that tip and the day of my picnic forgot to bring the applesauce with me. OMG. I was so upset. I knew I would see some of my guests over the next few days after the picnic and gave some out. My kids enjoyed the slushie in their lunch bags. For more awesomeness check out http://www.musselmans.com and @Musselmansapple on Twitter.

Aquaball the great sugar-free naturally flavored water for kids sent over a variety of drinks with Disney characters on the labels. Flavors included fruit punch, berry, grape and orange. The kids loved having their favorite Disney character to collect on their bottles like Disney Princesses, Marvel Avengers and Disney Planes. Aquaball does not add any artificial colors and flavors. No high fructose corn syrup which I make sure not to give my kids. Zero calories. What parent wouldn’t want that? Don’t buy the sugary drinks, give Aquaball drinks a try. Visit http://www.theaquaball.com for more info where to purchase. @AquaballDrink on Twitter.

Poketti Plushes reached out to me with their adorable animal pillows with back pocket designed by 14 year old Sydney Loew from Palo Alto, California. These are great pillows and you can stuff a favorite toy, glasses, pacifier, cell phone or even a tooth for the tooth fairy in the back pocket. There’s Baxter the Puppy, Roxi the Kitty, Sydney the Penguin and Toni the Bunny. My guests got to choose their favorite. These pillows are super soft plush with 100% cotton and are great for any age. I find myself sleeping with one and putting my phone in the pocket. These are available for purchase and are currently on sale. Check http://www.poketti.com for price and stores that sell Poketti. Twitter @PokettiPlushies

GoGo squeeZ kept everyone happy with their 100% fruit squeezable applesauce. I personally love their commercial and products. There are a variety of flavors available and the package is so convenient it fits in anything. My kids take them to school and my oldest always grab one as he leaves and when he comes home. Come on, who doesn’t love applesauce?
I always find them on sale at my local Target store. The parents had a good time getting our GoGo squeeZ on as well. You’re never too old for GoGo squeeZ. Find them on Twitter @GoGosqueeZ

Vamousse I recently met at an event and wanted me to provide their product in the gift bags. Non-Toxic and Pesticide Free head lice products that treat, prevent and protect children and their families against lice, eggs and super lice. I didn’t even know there was a super lice. I’m sure no parent wants to experience any type of lice on their children. It’s good to have this product ready just in case. For more info you can check them out at http://www.vamousselice.com and @Vamousselice on Twitter.

Thank you to everyone once again who donated, attended and helped out. I really appreciated it. Let me know if you visited any of the Sponsors listed above and what you thought of their products.
Enjoy the pics. I can’t wait for the next #NilimonickyBTSPicnic