Boys and Their Toys

Zhu Zhu Pets Move to Video Games

2010-02-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

Remember the post I did about Zhu Zhu Pets last year? (At the time they were called Go GO pets). Remember how the hamster ball broke and half and Wicked Awesome Engineer Dude contacted me to let me know they had revised the design and then sent me a new one that wouldn't keep falling apart? Well, because the company thought enough about its consumers to address this problem, I am always happy to help them introduce new products.

We all know that Zhu Zhu Pets have become quite the toy phenomenon the last few months, it only makes sense that they would extend their line of toys to include a video game, right?

So if you are a Zhu Zhu Pets collector, you won’t want to miss this! Baxter, an exclusive Zhu Zhu Pets™ hamster baby, will come packaged as a Collector’s Edition with the initial release of the Zhu Zhu Pets™ video game for Nintendo DS™. This is a limited edition item, which will sell $29.99, and will only be available until the product sells out! What do you get for your cash? Zhu Zhu Pets fans get more than they could ever imagine - an amazing, adorable game and a rare Zhu Zhu Pets baby hamster that fits perfectly into the collection!

The video game, Zhu Zhu Pets for Nintendo DS, allows players to care for and play with their favorite toys virtually. Players can race their hamsters through different mazes to collect carrots, coins and new hamster friends and babies. It's an endlessly enjoyable game that lets you have fun with Zhu Zhu Pets anywhere! Perfect for road trips or long waits at the Dr.'s office where the real Zhu Zhu pets can't roam!

Soft Scrub Total Bath and Bowl Review and Giveaway

2010-01-20T16:19:00.000-08:00

My first duty as a Soft Scrub Club Captain is to share information with you about how new Soft Scrub products work. I received my first product last week and actually made a video showing how well it works, but am having a hard time getting it posted. So as soon as I work out the bugs with that, I'll get the video on here.

In the meantime, let me tell you a bit about Soft Scrub's new Total Bath and Bowl. It's made to clean the entire bathroom, whcih means I don't have to lug around nine bottles of product to clean one room. Me likee!! It can clean tough tub rings and soap residue along with sinks, counters and toilets.

The bottle has some unique design features that allow you to use the product a few different ways. First of all, you have the option of foam or spray. I found that on tough, small jobs, like the toilet and my shower stall, the foam was great because it clings to the areas that I need it to work much longer than the spray would, giving Total Bath and Bowl more time to loosen the tough dirt and soap scum.

There is a little tab that you flip over and snap into place to change from foam to spray. Very easy and user friendly! I used the spray on the jobs that had large areas to cover, like my countertops and bathroom sinks, as well as my big garden tub. Both the foam and the spray do their job and my bathrooms were the cleanest they have been in awhile, without me having to spend hours really scrubbing!

The other feature I loved about Soft Scrub Total Bath and Bowl is that the bottle is shaped so that you can flip it upside down and spray under the toilet rim. I know...how many years did it take for someone to finally figure that out? Yay for Soft Scrub! And it actually works!

I used it on all of my bathrooms, which were really in need of some serious cleaning. It worked really well on the tubs, sinks, showers and countertops, it even removed some of the hard water deposits from my glass shower door! It tackled everything but the hard water deposits (we have extremely hard water here!) at the water line of my toilet bowls. Unfortunately, it didn't make much of a dent in those, but nothing but a jack hammer or hours of pumice stone can really handle those bad boys! But the rest of the bowl looks sparkling clean, which is saying a lot given the fact that I live in a house full of males with poor aim!

Soft Scrub Total Bath and Bowl really is an all in one bathroom cleaner that saved me A LOT of time and made cleaning my bathrooms very, very easy and I can honestly say I will purchase the product again when this bottle is gone. I am looking forward to trying out the other Soft Scrub "Total" products as they hit the market.

Win a bottle of Soft Scrub Total Bath and Bowl for yourself! Leave a comment telling me what part of the bathroom you hate cleaning the most! Winner will be chosen using Random.org and I will send the winner a coupon for free Soft Scrub Total Bath and Bowl. If you want extra entries you know the drill: Twitter the contest or post it on Facebook and leave me a separate comment! Contest ends on February 5th, at 12 midnight Arizona Time.

Winner - Ecostore Gift Card!

2009-11-18T21:15:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Heidi! And thanks to everyone who took the time to read the review and enter the giveaway!

Trident Layers Gum Review

2009-11-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

I have been chewing Trident gum since I was a kid. That was a long, long time ago, which should tell you young people that Trident has been around for awhile. Which is good as far as businesses go. It means they must know what they are doing when it comes to gum, yes?

My "go to" flavor (when I didn't feel like experimenting) has always been the classic pink bubblegum, with cinammon being the backup, because that's what my Grandma always carried in her purse.

So when Trident asked me to review two new flavors, I was all over it, because frankly? I ready for something new when it comes to a favorite chew. So in return for this review, Trident sent me 2 packs of Trident Layers: Wild Strawberry & Tangy Citrus and Green Apple & Golden Pineapple.

First off, I just want to say, I love the way the gum is packaged now, with the neat little carrying cases. Much easier to find in a purse. When you remove the foil wrappers you can immediately smell the fruit and it looks like a little gum sandwich in your hand with the different colored layers! My boys thought that was awesome.

After tasting both flavors, I have to say I have become a fan of the green apple/pinapple combo, which is really surprising, because I am normally really into citrus and strawberry, seperately or together! I like the strawberry/citrus combo well enough and my boys really liked it too, we just all agreed that the green apple/pineapple combo had a stronger flavor that lasted longer.

I love the fact that the gum is sugarless, especially when the kids chew it. Actually, we don't really ever chew sugary gum. It would be nice to see Trident incorporate a natural sweetener like Truvia into the "Layers" line. I know some of their other gum products contain an all natural sweetener, not sure why this one is different, but with all the confusing information out there about artificial sweeteners, I would feel a lot better about my kids chewing this gum more often with that minor switch!

Having said that, both my packs are gone now, so Trident Layers was definitely a hit in my house. I'm interested to see what other flavor combos Trident will introduce! After trying new Trident layers I can say one thing for certain: I don't think I'll be going back to the pink bubblegum for a long time. I'm kinda diggin' on the new fruity layer flavors! They are fun to look at and they taste great.

You can try new Trident Layers yourself with this coupon for 75 cents off!

Ecostore Citrus Spray Cleaner Review

2009-10-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to be honest about my whole "green" mentality. I am a person of convenience. If it's fast and easy, I'm on it. Having said that, one of the big epiphanies that came from my blogging this year is the realization that my convenience mentality, while quick and easy in the moment, may not always be best for me or my family in the long run.

So we are trying to make somelifestyle changes here at the Boymom house. One of the areas we've chosen to look at is what is coming in and our of our home that can be eliminated in the way of chemicals. So when Ecostore USA asked me to review some of their natural cleaning products, I was quick to jump at the offer, as there is SOOO much "natural" product out on the market now, it's hard to know what's really worth buying.

I chose to try two products from the Ecostore USA website which I thought I would use the most.

The first is the Citrus Spray Cleaner. Ecostore's product description says they've had good feedback about this product working well for black appliances. I took that to mean that it would clean well and not leave a bunch of icky cleaner streaks. I was not disappointed. I have a black gas range that my husband thinks is the bacon frying Alter to the Gods. Every time he fries bacon, he cooks it on high, letting grease splatter over about a 6 foot radius of the kitchen. As thankful as I am for his willingness to cook, I later regret his generosity in the kitchen as I am left to clean up the aftermath. ANYWAY...I used the Citrus spray cleaner this time to see how it cut through the grease. I was expecting instantaneous results like I get with my regular chemical filled product. I will be honest and say that the cleaner did not cut through the grease quite as quickly as the chemical laced stuff. HOWEVER, I appreciated the wonderful smell that quickly cut through the bacony odor left behind with the grease and after I resprayed and let the Citrus Cleaner set for a few minutes, it did a really nice job on cleaning up the mess.

It looked clean and new and my kitchen smelled very, very nice. For some reason, knowing that there wasn't a bunch of chemical residue left around the kitchen made it feel better. More - ummm - natural. Does that make sense?

So while it may not work quite as fast as what I used to use, I am certainly willing to trade off a few extra minutes of letting the spray work if it means less harsh chemicals coming in contact with my family.

The 2nd product I chose to try is the Pure Oxygen Whitener. I use a similar product once in awhile around the house to remove stains and to whiten my laundry and I wanted to see how Ecostore's product compares. To date I have only used it with my laundry, not as a stain remover on anything else (like the myriad of carpet stains that appear out of nowhere everyday!). I have added it to my laundry loads as directed and at first I wans't sure i really noticed a difference, but after using it with every load I wash, I have noticed a slight change in the way my clothes look coming out of the dryer. The whites are starting to look less gray and dingy from our hard water. They definitely smell fresher and cleaner and I did have success removing a couple of stains on a white t-shirt in a regular wash cycle with the Pure Oxygen Whitener added to the load. Where I have found the most success with this product is when I soaked a few tops that had the major yellow underarm stains in hot water and the powder overnight. I have reached that age Ladies, where body stuff is changing and this new and annoying problem I have now with underarm stains is due to those lovely feminine late in life issues that we all get to experience. TMI? Sorry...just letting you know why I am so pleased that Ecostore's Pure Oxygen Whitener did it's job with my tops. No icky yellow pit stains! Yay!

Ecostore USA has lots of other products I will be looking to try, like toilet cleaner (if you read my "About Me" section, you know all about the issues I deal with as the only female in a house full of males with no aiming skills! I need some good product to keep on top of that chore.

What product would you try? You can check out their blog to learn more about Ecostore's products and their philosophy. They are an e-commerce site that has launched at all 186 MEIJER grocery stores. Ecostore USA always offers free shipping on orders of $25 and more. I like Ecostore. So far I've found them to be a friendly company, to the environment and to society in general.

In fact, they are so friendly, they want to offer my readers a chance to win a $25 Ecostore gift card so ya'll can try out some Ecostore products yourselves! Here's what to do to enter:

Go to the Ecostore blog and sign up for their newsletter. Then come back here and leave a comment telling which product you would like to try. If you want extra entries you can:

follow Ecostore on Twitter and tweet this contest or
become an Ecostore fan and post a status update about this giveaway on your Facebook page.

Just make sure you come back here and leave me the links for your extra entries in separate comments. Contest ends Saturday November 14th at 12 midnight PST. I'm off to reclean my stove..."Frying Man" struck again and made hamburgers. Hello!?! Isn't that why we have an outdoor grill?!

**Disclosure: I received free product from Ecostore USA in exchange for this review. Receipt of free product does not guarantee a postive review. My review is an honest and accurate assessment of my experience with Ecostore USA and their product.

Winner of Five For Fighting Autographed CD

2009-10-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

Drum roll, please!!

(Make you own drum roll sound effect here)

The winner of the Five For Fighting Autographed CD is...

actually very tiny and hard to see!

It's number 1 - Johnson Team Mom! Whoo-hoo! Congrats!

Five For Fighting Slice Review and Giveaway

2009-10-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

So if you came here by way of my regular blog, you read a little bit about why I love Five for Fighting so much. If you happened across this review from some other linky, you can take a quick trip here to catch up on my passion for John Ondrasik.

In the meantime, let's talk shop. One2One Network gave me the opportunity to download and listen to Five for Fighting's new CD entitled Slice this week. (Does that statement suffice as disclosure for the FCC? ) I have to say, having some beautiful music to listen to made it a much easier week. Anyone who is familiar with John Ondrasik's previous work knows his greatest talent lies in being able to convey such raw emotion in his music, through both his singing and his instrumentals. The playlist on Slice is consistent with his other work that way. I think the thing I found most interesting about this particular album is the subject matter. Since the press release said it better than I could, I will let you read it:

"If every album provides snapshots of where an artist’s mind at heart is at the moment, Slice, the latest offering from John Ondrasik (aka Five for Fighting), is a collection of digital jpegs and faded Polaroids. The album takes stories of friends, family and even American servicemen, and sets them to music shot through with the spirit of the great songs of his youth. It’s a diary, or a blog, in which Ondrasik speaks his mind about current issues, experiences and sentiments, while setting those thoughts to piano, bass and drums."

Slice is an eclectic collection of songs that give us some insight into who John Ondrasik is as a person. Which is why I am drawn to his work, because he seems...Real. Normal.

I enjoyed the unique arrangements of these new songs, which incorporated shout-outs to some of his favorite older songs, either with lyrics or instrumentals. There were hints of Billy Joel, Earth, Wind and Fire and even actual words from Don Mcclean's American Pie. Academy Award-winning composer Steven Schwartz (who penned the songs for acclaimed musicals such as Wicked, Godspell and Pippin), collaborated with Ondrasik to bring the idea to fruition. He helped write the title track Slice (as well as the song Above the Timberline).

“We sat down at a coffee shop to talk about writing together,” says Ondrasik, “
I told him about my idea for ‘Slice,” and ‘American Pie’ actually came on the
radio. It was surreal. Stephen immediately wrote the first two lines on a
napkin, and we were off and running."

My favorite songs on the CD have to be Story of Your Life and Song to the Unknown Soldier. I love that he is an active supporter of our military. Did you know John created & produced “For the Troops”, a CD compilation of superstar recordings that is available for free to every active service person in US Armed Forces? And he regularly performs for US Forces at Guantanamo Bay, Hawaii, Guam and Japan on USO tours.

Slice will be available for purchase on October 12, though you can pre-order your copy now throug Amazon.com, were you can also listen to samples of the playlist. While you are waiting for your CD, you can check out some of Five for Fightings sites:

FFF Website: http://bit.ly/FFFWebsite

FFF Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/johnondrasik

FFF Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fiveforfighting

He'll also be doing some guest spots in the next few weeks, so you can catch him on these shows:

CBS Saturday Morning - 10/10

The View - 10/14

The Today Show - 10/16

AND THEN, if you want to catch him live, he'll be doing a concert series called An Acoustic Evening with Five For Fighting. I am so bummed that there is nothing schedule for Phoenix yet, I would love to see what is sure to be an amazing show. To find out about how to get tickets in a market near you, go to his site.

And if you've made it through my entire review post, you get a reward for your diligence! Mom2Mom Network is donating an autographed copy of Slice for me to give away to one of my readers! I am soooo jealous! I didn't even get on e of those! To enter, just leave a comment naming your favorite Five for Fighting song. If you want extra entries you know the drill, just leave a separate comment for each action you take:

tweet the contest
leave a link to this page on your Facebook page
Follow my I Am Boymom blog

Contest will end at 12 Midnight PST on October 20, 2009 and is open to US and Canadian residents only.

Disney announces "Give a Day, Get A Disney Day"

2009-09-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

We didn't make it out of town for summer vacation this year due to budgetary constraints, so we are really looking forward to working in a vacation sometime soon. We had the opportunity to see Disneyland for the first time last Christmas and because ti was our first time, we didn't get to see as much of it as we would have liked. I know...first timer...we didn't have a good plan. But now we know and we are excited to make a return trip!

Because I am a person who likes to do lots of research before I go somewhere, I usually scour the internet looking for info about my destination. So I was happy to learn that Disney has a new blog, the Disney Parks Blog! The Blog will be a source of information on Disney destinations that guests can rely on to learn about new attractions, new programs, and experiences that make a Disney vacation so magical. Cool! Great tool.

The other thing I was happy to learn about from Disney is that Disney has come out with another program that will allow so many families to take a vacation they might not be able to afford otherwise! It's called "Give a Day, Get A Disney Day." Yes -- a free ticket for doing volunteer service!

Disney hopes to inspire families across the country to volunteer in their communities with this special program. One million people who perform volunteer service for a participating organization will get a free one-day admission ticket to a Disneyland Resort or a Walt Disney World Resort theme park.

The program kicks off Jan. 1, but guests can learn more about the program and how to get their free one-day admission to a Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme park right now by visiting www.DisneyParks.com. Here's another link that will answer may of your questions about the program.

My family will definitely be checking the volunteer opportunity out! What a great way to teach kids about the importance of giving service and the law of the harvest..."You reap what you sow." So our goal is to sow good seeds with a great service project this year and hopefully we will reap the benefits of Disney's generosity. Thanks for the great program, Disney, hope to be there this summer!

Harry Connick Jr. Sings "Your Songs"

2009-09-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

I was just sayin' on my home page how out of touch I have been with the music scene and how much I miss having music in my life. With all the chaos that seems to be part of our daily life around here, sometimes it seems like we get overwhelmed by the constant NOISE that seems to follow us everywhere we go! I used to find music relaxing. Now it seems like ANY noise just ups the stress level, whcih is already too high as it is.

So I was really happy when I was asked to review this new CD by Harry Connick Jr., for a few reasons. First, I love Harry Connick Jr. He's good looking AND he can sing! How could I possibly be stressed out by that combo? Second, I really love all of the songs on this new release, called Your Songs. I know I am dating myself by admitting this, but I KNOW all of these songs. They are classics! Third, the music is easy to listen to...no heavy bass beat, no screaming guitars, no loud, offensive lyrics. Just good music sung in a laid back and easy going way. Totally relaxing. Just what I needed to ease myself back into the music scene.

Harry Connick Jr. has such a smooth voice (it ought to be good, he's been singing since he was 3 and made his first public debut when he was 6!), anything he sings sounds good. But his voice really lends itself to some of these older tunes, first made famous by such artists as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Roberta Flack. That's especially true with tracks like All the Way and Mona Lisa, which benefit from the big band orchestra used as backup to accompany Connick's vocals.

There were a few tracks I did not love, like Harry's rendition of Just the Way You Are, originally sung by Billy Joel. It just seemed lackluster to me. Flat. No personality. Sorry, Harry...that song just isn't you. And the other track that left me kind of bumming was the Elvis classic, Can't Help Falling in Love With You. I was curious to see how it would go over when another artist tried to sing it...it didn't. Go over I mean. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think there is a person on this earth that could ever do that song justice. It's an Elvis song and only the King can bring the depth of feeling to it that makes it a great song.

Tracks I big, red puffy heart love? Close to You (Carpenters original from the 70's) and Roberta Flack's hit First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. HC was was able to make both of those his own, but without losing the vibe and the soul that made the original versions so good.

All in all, I really do love the CD and have spent the last 2 days fully enoying it. Your Songs is a worthy effort by Harry Connick Jr. The CD showcases his talent with songs we all know and love in a big band setting that is true to Harry's style. For me, it's a welcome change of pace from top 40 and hip hop noise. And BONUS!!! Harry is doing the rounds to promote the CD, so you can see him on several TV programs in the next few weeks! I know! Now you can stare into his gorgeous blue eyes while you listen to him sing (and dig his subtle Louisiana accent when he talks).

Just don't get caught doin' the I don't know the words so I'll fake it Oprah move (read here for explanation). Not cool.

Here's where you can see Mr. Connick in the next few weeks.

9/25 – Oprah “Live Friday”

9/28 – Today Show

9/29 – The View

9/30 – Imus in the Morning

9/30 – Letterman

10/1 – Today Show

Week of 10/5 – Rachael Ray

After you watch him on TV you can run out and buy his CD. It's available at all the retail stores. He'll thank you, I'm sure. Probably not in person, but you can pretend if you want to.

We Have a Winner!

2009-09-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here's the winning draw for the Trio Building Set, hope ya'll will come back and try again the next time I have a giveaway! Thanks for stopping by!!

Can you see the number? It's 5! That would be Bandana Mom!! Congratulations! hope this helps while you are babysitting!!

And thanks to Mom Select and Fisher Price Toys for sponsoring the giveaway!

Trio Building Blocks from Fisher Price

2009-09-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Little Man LOVES my blog because he has been the beneficiary of my efforts to review and share info about many new products. I am happy to try out new products and share my opinions about them, because as a mom on a tight budget, we don't have money to waste on products that are sub par and I know most of you feel the same way. So if I can give someone a heads up BEFORE they go spend their hard earned cash, I'm glad to do it!

So last week we received a box from Fisher Price and my Little Man was running in circles around the box while I opened it, waiting to see what was inside. Here's what we found:

I should have taken a better picture of the box. They are TRIO Building Sets, by Fisher-Price. I was really surprised at how much he enjoyed them, I thought he would get bored of them very quickly. It turns out he loves them! I love them because they are a LOT easier to pick up than some other little, tiny square building blocks that I find in every single room in my house. Since you can actually see TRIO components, you don't step on them in bare feet and then hop around doing the pain dance. I KNOW you know what I'm talking about!

Another bonus? The TRIO Building components CANNOT clog up my vacuum. They're too big! YAY! But I think the best bonus was that my son really uses and enjoys them. He was able to be creative and use his hands to build things, which he loves doing. I loved the fact that for a week straight he stayed busy and wasn't driving me crazy with his excess energy. Here are a few of the things he built:

He even used that monster/robot thing one night at dinner to hold his cup by pointing the finger things up and placing cups in them. He was so proud of himself! Fisher-Price says the sets are for ages 3-9, but my 10 year old jumped in at one point to build something too and I noticed they have all kinds of sets that allow kids to build castles, critters, airplanes, etc. Also, the set came with a booklet that shows how to build certain items, like the boat Little Man made.

I can say without pause that TRIO Building Sets are definitely worth having. Anything that gets my kids out from in front of the TV and gets them to use their imagination is a good thing and TRIO has done a good job of giving Little Man a chance to be creative and develop his mind.

Wanna check TRIO Building Sets out? Fisher Price has a coupon good for $5 off your first purchase. Just click the link to get your coupon! The offer expires on October 1st, so don't wait too long.

$5 off TRIO Building Set

Now the good news gets even better...Because they're good like that, Fisher-Price and Mom Select are giving away a TRIO Bulding Set to one of my readers! Leave a comment to win your own set and watch your kid build amazing things! Contest is open to US and Canada and ends September 20th at 12 midnight PST.

If you want extra entries you can:

Twitter the contest
Blog about my giveaway
Post a Facebook Comment with a link to the giveaway

Thanks to MomSelect and Fisher Price for letting us try out TRIO. This TRIO set has found a happy home and will be used often!

Sun Detergent Review

2009-08-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I received a free bottle of Sun Detergent to try. I have to be honest and admit this is not a brand I usually purchase, mostly because it is on the lower end of the price scale and being the detergent snob that I am, I had preconcieved notions about how well it might clean my clothes.

So I decided to take the plunge and use it on one of my worst loads of kids dirty, stinky clothes and really put it to the test. The first thinbg I noticed is that it is clear. No color. Maybe it's a mental thing, but that one thing alone made me feel better about using the detergent. Less additives.

There is a slight fragrance, but it is very light. Again, while I don't mind some things smelling nice and flowery after being washed, I don't need my boys getting funny looks cause they smell all perfumey! Plus my Little Man has sensitive skin and sometimes the additives in detergents irritate his skin. So again...very little scent was a good thing in my book.

I threw the load in with the measured amount of Sun detergent and let the washer and the saop do their thang. the load came out clean and fresh, except for a stain on one shirt that I neglected to pre-treat. The sweat? Gone. The dirt? Gone. The smell? Gone.

Since I had pre-treated everything else but the shirt, I decided to do a test load without pre-treating the stains. I tried the detergent on some of my husband's work clothes that tend to come home with grease spots and food from lunch, as well as HUGE sweat stains from working out in the sun all day. After running a load through a pre-soak, a heavy duty wash and an extra rinse, some of the food stains came our, but most of the grease spots remained. So I know when I use Sun Detergent that pre-treating the stains is necessary for the detergent to do it's job. But I have to pre-treat with other detergents too, so I am not suggesting this is a weakness directed only at Sun, it happens to be an issue I have with lots of detergents.

So, for the price, I am definitely going to be looking at Sun Detergent as an alternative to some of the more pricey stuff I have been using. It does a good job with basic laundry needs and I love the fact that it is free af some of the additives that other detergents contain. I am happy to report that I am no longer a detergent snob.

A big thanks to MomSelect and Sun Detergent for giving me the opportunity to test this product and for offering coupons for me to share with my readers. I usually hold contests to determine winners, but decided this time i would reward my loyalist readers with a free bottle of Sun Detergent, courtesy of SUn and MomSelect.

These Bloggers have been with me almost from the beginning of my blog and I think they deserve a reward for sticking around!

Stefany at Pikes Pickles
Miss Hope at Hope from the Edge
Stacy at Johnson Team Mom
Kristi at Kunz Family
Sports Mama at You Don't Have to Like Me

Thanks Ladies!!! You have added so much to my blogging experience! Enjoy the Sun Detergent!

World of Color Water Show Coming to Disney's California Adventure

2009-07-28T23:45:00.000-07:00

We've only been to Disneyland once so far. I KNOW! We are so behind! We missed so much because we didn't know how much there was to see, so we are really looking forward to going back someday soon. We didn't even venture into California Adventure last time, we just ran out of energy!

There are so many new things coming to Disney's California Adventure! In the spring of 2010 they will unveil a new water show called World of Color, featuring a “cast of fountains” that shoot from 30 feet to as high as 200 feet in the sky. The show will be viewed on the world’s largest projected water screen — a wall of water 380 feet wide by 50 feet high for a projection surface of 19,000 square feet. That is huge! My boys are fascinated by fountains and I can imagine they will be thrilled to see this show. Apparently the fountains will do some really incredible things, like form a conga line. Find out more about it here!

There are all kinds of other plans going down at Disney's California Adventure in the near future besides the water show. You can click here, which I did, to see what kind of adventures are being planned for the coming years. I continue to be amazed at the creativity involved in bringing the ideas to life. Disney really is a magical place.

California Adventure sounds just as fun as Disneyland was and now that we know how to plan our time there the next time around, I think we will get a lot more seen and done our second time around! I can't wait to go back and spend a couple of days at the part of Disney we missed the first time. Guess I'd better quit blogging and start working so I can pay for the trip!

Win Free Fruit! Another Fruit2Day Giveaway!!

2009-07-20T10:27:00.001-07:00

Here's a follow-up to my last review for Fruit2Day. Since our initial taste test, my family has continued to enjoy Fruit2Day as part of their weekly snacks throughout the day.

My son tends to struggle with his weight, at 9, and while I don't want to make a big deal of it, I am concerned. So I am very happy that he loves Fruit2Day and will choose it as a healthy snack over something with less nutrition. I'm planning on sending these to school with him as part of his lunch! The bottles will fit perfectly into his lunch box.

My husband has found them to be particularly important as part of his diet as he has recently found himself back out in the heat with a temporary job that demands a lot of him physically. (Honestly, I don't know how he does it and I am very grateful that he is willing to do whatever it takes to bring in money to pay our bills.)

Big Man likes the Strawberry Orange and Cherry Grape flavors. He takes them ice cold to work and says they go a long way in helping him cool off and re-energize himself about 10 am and again at about 1 pm when the temps here are hitting 113 degrees. Plus he doesn't find them heavy or filling to the point that he feels sluggish after drinking/eating them.

I like them as part of Big Man's lunch because they are easy to pack and don't require a lot of extra work on my part, although that sounds really selfish when I say it, seeing as how he is willing to work so hard in the heat all day. I love the ad with the machete comment. Have you TRIED to open a mango?! Freak!

I personally had struggled with the texture the first time I tried Fruit2Day. I love the taste of the Strawberry Orange flavor, but was having issues with the chunks of fruit mixed with the juice. I know...it seems stupid, but I'm good like that...having stupid issues, I mean.

Well, I took the time to figure out how to overcome my texture issue with Fruit2Day and
found that if I throw the fruit/juice in a blender with some ice, I get a nice smoothie that gives me a great boost at about 3 pm when my energy levels really take a dive.

I'm so glad we had the opportunity to try Fruit2Day. This is a product that we have been able to incorporate into our daily lives that really has aided us with changing our eating and snacking habits.

Wanna know where to find them in your neighborhood? Click here!

The good people at Fruit2Day want to give some of my lucky readers the chance to try Fruit2Day for themselves and are offering 2 more coupons for free samples of the product! Leave me a comment telling me which flavor you want to try! Contest will end on August 1st, 2009 at 12 midnight.

Fruit2Day Review

2009-06-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

If your family is like mine, we are on the go a lot and don't always take the time to eat the way we should. So I was really happy to hear about a new product that offers a healthy alternative to unhealthy snack foods that we often grab when we're in a hurry.

Fruit2Day is a unique beverage/snack. The website says it's not a juice, it's a snack. I would agree it is not a juice. It has more of a thinned out smoothie consistency with little chunks of fruit in it. It is all natural, with no sugar added and only has 110-120 calories per serving. And it contains 2 full servings of fruit! It comes in four flavors: Cherry Grape, Strawberry Orange, Pineapple Banana and Mango Peach. Packaged perfectly in a 6.5oz bottle, you can just grab it and go.

My samples arrived icy cold and my oldest son immediately grabbed the Mango Peach and started chugging/chewing. He gave it rave reviews. My youngest, who likes almost nothing, snagged the Pineapple Banana bottle and took one drink and declared it "gross." At least he was true to form. I tried the Strawberry Orange. Here's my honest review about it: while I loved the flavor combination, I had a hard time with the chunks of fruit mixed with the liquid. But I have texture issues when it comes to food, so the combination kind of threw me off. Seperately, the juice and the fruit were good. The fruit was not mushy, it was firm and crisp and sweet...not icky or sour. There were lots of chunks of strawberry, little bits of orange pulp, and many tiny pineapple pieces and the juice was a delicious mixture of several different all natural fruit juices mixed with banana puree, which would account for the consistency.

Later that evening my husband tried the Cherry Grape flavor and declared it "not bad." I noticed he finished his bottle quickly and asked me to pick some up for his lunch box, so I am assuming that "not bad" meant "pretty good."

I will definitely buy them again for a healthy snack for my son and husband, but in the spirit of being honest, I probably won't drink them myself. While I absolutely love the concept of this healthy drink/snack, I can't get over my texture issues enough to give Fruit2Day a place in my personal food routine. I am ecstatic that my son likes it though and am happy to keep it handy for him, as I would much rather have him drink/eat one of these than a handful of chips or a candy bar. Now if I can just get my little guy on board!

Wanna try Fruit2Day for yourself? Two (2) Lucky readers can win a coupon for a free 2-Pack of Fruit2Day! Just leave a comment telling me which flavor you think you might like! Contest is open to U.S. and Canadian Residents and ends at 12 midnight MST on July 10th. Win extra entries by Twittering this contest or mentioning the contest on your blog! Leave separate comments letting me know about your extra entries.

Purex Complete 3 in 1 Laundry Sheet Review

2009-06-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

I'm all about convenience, because as many of you know, my organizational skills as a business woman somehow managed to escape when I made the transition to becoming a SAHM 10 years ago. I thought maybe they were taking a short vacation. But they have been slow to return. So when I find a product that makes my life easier, I LOVE to talk about it! And just so you know, I always give HONEST reviews. I will not say a product is great if it doesn't work. Having said that, I have lots of products to review this week!

Purex Complete 3 in 1 Laundry Sheets are the newest thing to hit the laundry detergent market. The sheets contain detergent, fabric softener and anti-static all in one easy-to-use little cloth like sheet. The detergent is released during the wash cycle and the softener and anti-static are released in the warm dryer. Seriously? This product just might catch on!

When I received a pack of Purex Complete 3 in 1 Laundry Sheets last week, I was a bit skeptical about how well 1 sheet would clean my clothes. I have two boys and a husband who sweat hard and who roll around in the dirt all day. I demand a lot from my laundry detergent. One little sheet? I shook my head and threw it in one of my stinkiestt, dirtiest loads. I had my doubts, but remained hopeful, because if this stuff works? My WHOLE laundry routine just got a LOT easier!

An hour later, as I pulled clothes out of the washer and transferred them to the dryer I checked a few to see how they looked. They looked and smelled clean. We have really hard water where we live so fabric softener is a must and I am horrible at remembering to add it to the wash, so I was anxious to see how the clothes came out of the dryer. I am pleased to report that the sheets do exactly what Purex says they will do. My clothes came out of the dryer clean and soft and lightly scented.

Now, I still have to use a stain treatment on many items of clothing, which I do with any detergent I use, so know going in that Purex does not claim that these sheets will eliminate tough stains without pre-treatment of some kind.Also, the directions do state that you should use 2 sheets for really large loads.

All in all, I was really pleased with the sheets and am excited about the prospect of not lugging home big bottles or boxes of detergent every few weeks. Purex Complete 3 in 1 Laundry Sheets come 21 to a pack and run about $6.99 in the retail stores where I've seen them. Packages are available in three scents - Spring Oasis, Tropical Escape, and Pure & Clean. The laundry sheets are compatible with both front or top loading washers and are HE compatible. Considering that one pack of these sheets eliminates the need to purchase fabric softener and dryer sheets, it is really cost effective! I am excited to think that I have just streamlined one of my least favorite tasks.

Thanks Purex for your innovative addition to the laundry world, you have just made a lot of moms really happy and left us with a few more minutes on our hands...that's not an easy thing to do!

Wanna try the sheets for yourself? Win a pack by leaving a comment! Contest is open to U.S. residents only (sorry...shipping!) and will end at 12 midnight on Friday, July 10th. Earn extra entries by Twittering this contest or mentioning it on your blog! Make sure you let me know about the extra entry in a separate comment.

Great Stuff to Know for Your Summer Disneyland Vacation!

2009-06-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

If you are planning a Disneyland Vacation this Summer, here is some information to let let you know what's new at Disneyland, along with some money-saving deals!!

* A new fireworks show, Magical, that will include a Dumbo puppet flying through the sky and Eden Espinoza (the star from Wicked) singing "Baby Mine" (all kinds of emotion in that show!). The way the music is choreographed to the bursts of color in the sky, our Fireworks shows become enchanting storytelling.

* New characters in the Fantasmic! show on Rivers of America, along with HD projection. HD also stands for Huge Dragon – he’s 40 feet tall and breathes fire! (Just scary enough to be frightfully fun).

* New floats and new lighting, along with enhanced musical effects for the popular favorite, Disney's Electrical Parade. The new lights are LED, too, so they’re more energy efficient and kind to the environment.

For Southern California residents, the Summer Fun Pass is a fabulous deal -- 3 days for $99. Yes, that's only $33 a day, between June 1-Aug. 23.

For travelers, we're offering 2 nights free when you buy three nights at a Disneyland Resort hotel, or a nearby Good Neighbor Hotel. The package includes park-hopper tickets for each day, as well. That's five days of fun for the price of three!

In case you missed it, we also opened a new street show this spring.
Celebrate! A Street Party is a dazzling street show featuring a cast of nearly 100 dancers, DJs and Disney characters inviting guests along the Disneyland parade route to celebrate with them as they perform music numbers in a lively presentation that allows some guests to show off their own dance moves in a conga line or twist party.

Details on summer deals:
Summer Fun Pass: Now through June 3, Southern California families (zip codes 90000-93599 in California, 21000-22999 in Baja California) will find the best value at Disneyland Resort by purchasing the “Southern California 2fer Ticket,” which enables guests to visit either Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventure one day, then come back on another day to play in the other park, for free! Information is available at http://www.disneyland.com/ or by calling (714) 781-7290.

2 Nights Free: For those planning a multi-day getaway at Disneyland Resort, there’s the “2 Nights Free” offer. Guests who purchase a three-night summer vacation package – three nights of hotel accommodations and three days of theme park admission – will receive two more nights at the hotel and two more days of theme park admission. That’s a total of five days and nights of Disneyland fun for the price of three. Details on these packages are available at http://www.disneyland.com/ or by calling (800) 854-3104.

Free on Your Birthday: These travel values are in addition to the first-of-its-kind “Free on Your Birthday” offer – one day’s free admission to a Disneyland Resort park with valid ID. Register for Free on Your Birthday at http://www.disneyparks.com/.

GoGo Pets Hamsters

2009-05-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Some MORE Added Update at bottom of post and on Boymom blog!!!!!

My Little Man loves him some animals. Creatures of every kind are interesting to him and we have had numerous discussions about what can and cannot come in the house to become a pet.

So far the only things that have made it throught the door are a lizard that he kept in an aquarium and our cat, Blackie Chan. He has BEGGED for a hamster and I have refused to allow one into my home, because I've had hamsters and I know how they smell!

Well, the good people at MomSelect and Cepia have solved one of my long standing pet issues and I have to say...I am grateful. Really, really grateful! Let me show you what we did last week:

(Couldn't get the party video to upload, but here's on of Little Man and the hamster with fresh batteries!)

Can I just say that Go Go Pets Hamsters are one of the best toys to come along since the hoola hoop and Furbies!?! No kidding!

We had a Go Go Pets Party and invited some friends over to try them out with us. Along with the hamsters, we also received a whole Hamster Playset so the kids could experience the hamsters in action. Word to the wise, some of the playset items take a bit of effort to put together. Not like backyard swingset effort, but a little bit of concentration and just a tiny bit of muscle. The playset is made of plastic and did not seem to be cheaply made. I was impressed by the fact that nothing broke on us after we had to take a few things apart after we put them together incorrectly.

The one negative comment I do have regarding the playset items is that the Adventure Ball kept coming apart. It is made of 2 halves that kind of just snap together, but it wasn't a tight fit and the kids got a little frustrated that it kept coming apart. I finally Super Glued it and it works fine now. But if I were spending money on it I would be a little miffed at having spent money on a toy that doesn't hold together well. Maybe mine was defective...don't know.

Anyway...everything else worked wonderfully and although the Hamsters don't go through the Playset as smoothly as the video on the GoGo Pets Website shows, they are still a lot of fun and the kids have had a blast playing with them. They can make over 40 little noises and Little Man takes his with him wherever he goes. The hamster chatter can get a little annoying after a while, but the hamsters shut down on their own after a short time, then there's a button on their back to start them up again.

There are 4 different colors of hamsters availble, each color has it's own name and personality. The Go Go Pets website has more information and some fun games that will help kids get to know their hamster better. The little accessories are fun, it is hilarious to see a hamster driving the little car around. All the kids at the party left with one and most of the parents were interested in picking up an accessory or two for their child. The Hamsters run about $7.99 each and you can pick one up, along with some of the Habitrail accessories at Walmart or Toys R Us.

What do I love most about Go Go Pets Hamsters? No food to buy, no cage to clean, no hamster poo to deal with. In fact, the sticker on the side of the box the toys came in says "Pets without Poop." It left the Fed-X guy who delivered the box scratching his head, so I had to explain the whole Smart Pet thing. He was pretty impressed. So am I. So are my kids and their friends. So are the friends' moms. That's alot of impressed and happy people! I think we have a winner here, folks!

Update: I received an email today from one of the engineers from Cepia, LLC - makers of Go Go Pets Hamsters. They addressed the Adventure Ball issue so that it doesn't come apart anymore and I will be testing the new design. I will post results after the test. But how great is it that they actually took the time to listen to consumers and fix the problem!? Also, I put fresh batteries in both our hamsters today and there was a WORLD of difference in how they performed on the Habitrail! They ran much faster and smoother through the Habitrail thing and my boys enjoyed them a lot more tonight.

Update on New Adventure Ball: Received the new ball last week and the changes that the engineers made were definitely an improvement! The ball has held together well without the Super Glue! I noticed the new one also included a stabilizer to put on the botton of the hamster to keep it from tipping over when it is in the ball, which they tend to do. The stabilizer helped with the tipping issue, but the hamster sometimes got hung up on the lid of the ball with the stabilizer on it. All in all though, the product was much better than the first ball we received. I want to thank Cepia LLC for listening to their consumers and making the necessary product changes to ensure that their customers get a decent product for their money!

Check out the Boymom Blogoversary Giveaway Bash to win a GoGo Pet hamster of your your own!!

Chemical-free cleaning with Steamboy T1 Mop Giveaway

2009-05-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

Housecleaning causes me lots of stress, mostly because I am still trying to find a way to enjoy it. Because I tend to be a "gadget" person, I can pretend like I would enjoy housework more if I had a cool gadget with which to clean. Like a Steamboy. It's a floor cleaner, folks, not a hot dude in a sauna. Anyway...I'm trying to win one. The floor cleaner, not the hot sauna dude. Unless the sauna dude mops floors, then maybe....

Anyway...Check out this contest at 3 Kids and Us :

Steam clean your way to a greener life with the Steamboy T1 Steam Mop. Chemical-free cleaning with the power of steam just got easier. Read about the experience mom blogger Cat at 3 Kids and Us had with her Steamboy T1 and enter to win a steam mop for your house too! Giveaway ends May 31st.

ProWash Activewear Detergent Review

2009-05-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

I received a pouch of ProWash last week and I have to say, I was pretty skeptical about claims that it could remove sweaty odors that regualr detergents tend to cover up with fragrance. ProWash's website says "ProWash is designed to target perspiration and odor molecules in the wicking of the garment which ordinary detergents cover with perfume. This innovation actually removes odor molecules and detergent residues left by ordinary detergents."

I know A LOT about sweaty odors. I live with boys. Who play really hard. In the desert heat. They dig holes and play with the neighbor's smelly dogs and catch lizards. My husband is a Pool Man who works outside all day. And I won't even go into my whole peri-menopause thing, but my hot flashes are leaving me with "pit" odors and stains on some of my cotton/poly blend t-shirts. The smells that come from my hamper would bring the inventor of Limberger Cheese to his knees. So I was eager to see if the stuff really works.

Using the stuff was a little difficult at first, just because I had to get used to not squeezing the pouch too hard when I poured the liquid in the little measuring cup, thereby shooting the liquid out of the top and all over the floor. I used a little bit more that the recommended amount on my first load of stuff, which consisted of more than just "activewear." Anything my kids wear should be considered activewear! So the load included cotton t-shirts and shorts, some spandex stuff and my cotton/poly t-shirts. (Directions say use 1.5 units for front-loaders, with each unit equaling 1 Tablespoon.)

I treated stains and ran the load as I normally do, but without my usual extra rinse cycle. I have to say, when I opened the washer door, there was a pleasant, clean smell. As I transferred the washed clothing to the dryer, I smelled each item and found no icky, sweaty body odors left in most of the clothing. The only articles that did not respond to the detergent were my t-shirts, which made me a little sad. They still had a BO smell and yellow staining. Stinking hormones are wreaking havoc on my t-shirts! I'm gonna run them through again, this time I will pre-treat them with ProWash before I wash them again and see how they do.

The rest of the clothes came out of the dryer smelling fresh, not perfumey. And they felt clean and soft. So...I am giving ProWash a pretty good grade. It did a good job on stinky boy clothes that were covered with dirt and stiff with sweat. I think it will do great on everyday sweaty odors, but it may not be able to deal with really old or set-in underarm stains and odors. If I see a change in my t-shirts after a few more washes I will revisit this review.

The website says that you can add ProWash to your regular laundry, along with detergent, to boost cleaning power and reduce detergent build up. I tried that and did notice my clothes didn't smell like soapy fragrance, but at $10 a pouch, while I will continue to use ProWash for my worst smelly clothing, I'm not sure I will mix it with my regular loads.

Woolite Drycleaner's Secret

2009-05-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not really big on buying clothing that has to be drycleaned. I used to have a whole closet full of dresses that required drycleaning. This was when I owned my own business and was busy in the corporate world. Yeah...Pre-Boymom days. I no longer have most of those dresses for a few reasons. First, I had kids and outgrew a few of them cuz I now have Mom Body. Second, a few picked up stains that never would come out, no matter what anyone tried. And last...my mother-in-law washed about 7 of them, thinking she was doing me a favor, in the washing machine. It never occurred to her to read the labels. How long has this women been doing laundry?! ? So my 7 dryclean only dresses went through the washer and dryer and came out the size of my old doll clothes. I actually cried I was so angry. I swore I would never do drycleaning stuff again. (I don't know why boycotting dryclean only clothes made the situation seem bearable, but it did. I never said I was a rational person!) But we all know "never" rarely means never and I have managed to pick up a few really nice tops and a couple of dresses and a skirt that require I make a visit to the drycleaner once in awhile.

So imagine how excited I was to get the opportunity to try Drycleaner's Secret by Woolite. Drycleaning is getting expensive! The thought of saving gas AND time AND money? I am so on it!

I used one of my blouses with a stain on it (enchilada sauce) and my husband's wrinkled rayon suit pants that were laying in the back of the closet waiting to be dropped off at the drycleaners for the trial run. The pants were dusty and smelled kind of sweaty. Drycleaner's Secret comes in the form of cloths that are moistened (wet would be a better word) with a drycleaning/spotting solution. I followed instructions and put a paper towel behind the stain, then dabbed it with the wet sheet. After a few minutes of working at the stain most of it was gone, but it wasn't completely removed. The pants had no stains, so I threw them in the dryer with the drycleaning cloth and my blouse and ran them on low for 20 minutes. No bags, no hard steps, just throw the cloth in the dryer with the clothes.

The pants came out great! They smelled nice and they were unwrinkled and ready to go! The blouse came out just okay. The stain was still just a tiny bit visible, but the blouse came out looking and smelling really nice other than that.

So...I think the product is fantastic for simple drycleaning of items that need just a freshening up. The stain removal power probably depends on the age and type of stain. I will definitely post another review when I try it on a different type of stain.

Dry Cleaner's Secret comes boxed in a 6 pack, with each sheet capable of cleaning 4 garments per load. That's 24 garments you can clean at home for around $10, which is waaaaaay cheaper than the drycleaner! While it may not work for every garment, it will definitely be part of my laundry routine for items that don't require major surgery to clean.

Stay tuned to I Am Boymom for a chance to win your own box of Drycleaner's Secret!

$100 Tyson Giveaway @ Busy Mom

2009-05-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

Busy Mom is giving away $100 worth of Tyson Any'tizers! I don't know about all of you, but I could use a few bags of quick chicken appetizers n days that are jammed packed with sschool, sports and parent teacher conferences. I was looking at the different products and know my kids would love the Ranch Chen Fries and the Cordon Bleu minis.

Hope I win, but I am willing to share this great contest with ya'll! Head over to Busy Mom and Enter!

Primrose Schools - Where Were They When My Kids Were Younger?

2009-05-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

I never wanted to be a mom. I know, a lot of women wouldn't say that out loud, but there it is. I didn't think I would have that nuturing motherly instinct and I didn't want any kids for which I would be responsible to feel like a burden because of my issues, so my plan was to never have them. Then I got married and a year later found myself pregnant. At the time I had my own corporate concierge service and was very busy and enjoying my work and the thought never crossed my mind that I would want to stay home with my child. I assumed I would be back at the office in 6 weeks. Then my oldest, Big Brother was born. My heart melted and my world changed. Work was still there and I was even on the phone the day he was born trying to find some elusive concert tickets for a client. But when it came time to actually head back to the physical office, I found myself completely overwhelmed with sadness and panic at the thought of leaving him with anybody for even an hour, much less a whole day. I was shocked, but happily surprised that those motherly instincts I thought I might be lacking were indeed very present.

After much discussion and some changes within our business, I decided to bypass daycare and work from home while my husband joined the company and worked from the office. I count myself lucky that I had both the choice and the opportunity to stay home with my kids and still earn an income for awhile.

When my next son was 3, I had enough mom experience to know that he would be okay in a good pre-school program and that in fact, he would be better prepared for Kindergarten if he had pre-schoool under his belt. Again, I was very lucky to find a great woman who did pre-school from her home and Little Man thrived under her care for 2 hours a day.

Now I am faced, like many mothers, with the prospect of re-entering the work-force. Only this time my boys are both in school and child care isn't an issue for me. But it is a huge issue for many of my friends and neighbors with younger children. Let's be honest...we've all heard horror stories about bad experiences and it can be scary and difficult to find a safe environment where we feel comfortable leaving our kids.

So with that in mind, I happily accepted an invitation to attend a Mom Mixer at the Primrose School in Peoria to get a better idea of what kind of child-care situations exist in the Greater Phoenix area. Maria Bailey, creator of MomSelect and BSM Media, coordinated the event and was on hand to help answer questions and introduce the great folks at Primrose.

If you've read my blog at all, you know that if I have an opinion, I share it. Well, after spending a few hours at Primrose, I definitely have an opinion. My first impressions as I drove up to the school were very positive based on 3 things:

1)It was very close to a grocery store...convenient for moms who are running behind to quickly run in and grab last minute dinner items. I know...that has nothing to do with how good the school is, but after talking to the owners of 3 different locations and mentioning the stores, they all told me they purposely chose a location near conveniences, which tells me that they make decisions about their business with both their adult and young clients in mind.

2) The parking lot and playground areas were very clean and well maintained and the school was pretty secure. I wasn't all icked out (my high school journalism teacher would lose her mind if she read that phrase!) when I pulled up to the school, wondering what kind of disrepair I would find inside. It was apparent to me that the owners of the schools are committed to the ENTIRE school and pay attention to details.

3) When I opened the front door, the halls were filled with bright, creative and colorful bulletin boards. It was very upbeat. It felt fun. It made me want to find out more about their program. My 7 year old went with me. His curiosity was immediately piqued by the fun designs and he was very interested in what other kinds of things he might do there at the school.

As we toured the school, we talked about the Primrose School curriculum. Their Balanced Learning® program emphasizes learning, play, self-esteem and character development by combining child-initiated and teacher-directed activities. Primrose is the first educational child care company to achieve accredidation with CITA and both the SACS and NCA CASI's based on that curriculum, along with being able to meet their stringent standards for safety and teacher training.

I found many aspects of the curriculum interesting, including the fact that they incorporate the use of computers into their teaching as early as age 3 (on a very limited basis) and that they really promote and get the children involved in worthy community service projects. The whole program seems very well thought out and well-rounded.

There were other little details that Primrose addressed, like the fact that the schools provide the bedding for each infant in the infant room and launder it daily. Each infant also has his/her own little drawer, where moms can leave changes of clothing so that they aren't constantly having to pack a huge bag.

The little folks all get a cute little back pack of their own when they start school at Primrose, which I think is a great way to help them feel like "big" kids as they pack their backpack for the day and wear it to school. The pack is used to send items home daily.

The playgrounds are separated by age, so that the bigger kids aren't mowing over the little kids during a more rambunctious moment of play.

The more I learned about Primrose Schools, the more I wished it had been available when my kids were pre-school age, because I can tell you with all confidence that I would feel absoultuely 100% comfortable sending my boys to a Primrose School. There was nothing there that led me to believe they would receive anything other than a wonderful, preparatory education from kind and nuturing individuals.

Aside from all of the great educational and child-care benefits at Primrose, I was really amazed to hear that Primrose offers franchises, which is a unique concept in child-care. I met 3 different Primrose franchise owners from Mesa, Peoria and Goodyear. I spoke with each one of them regarding their decision to enter the world of child care and found each one of them to be very dedicated not only to the success of their own schools, but with the success and happiness of each child under their care. I think the thing that stuck out in my mind the most is that they are there, at their schools, every single day to eversee and direct their staff. They know every child at the school. Why? Because it is their business, not just their job. They all have children of their own and understand what moms go through in our search for a safe and stimulating environment for our children. Kathy, Heather and Karen are committed to creating a wonderful environment in each of their respective schools, where both children and families can grow and learn.

I'm glad Primrose took the opportunity to get to know us and introduce us to their great schools as well as their unique business model. Now more than ever, quality child care is important and Primrose is leading the pack in providing it, along with opportunities for entreprenurial minded people who are passionate about providing a nurturing atmosphere where youngsters can thrive.

Wanna see for yourself? Call the Primrose School near you and set up a tour. Many offer summer programs as well, even for children as old as 10 or 12. The summer programs sound really fun and include field trips. Check out the website for more details and to find a Primrose School near you!

Florastor Kids

2009-04-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

I was recently invited by Mom Select to try out a new product called Florastor® Kids. I have to tell you, it actually came at a really good time. My kids have both been sick recently and both required antibiotics to kill the bacteria. Because I have had some pretty severe health problems due to overuse of antibiotics, I am very paranoid about the use of antibiotics for my children.

Florastor® Kids is a product that helps restore the good bacteria our childrens' bodies need to help their digestive and intestinal systems function properly.

Now for the technical part of the review:

Dr. James Sears, board-certified pediatrician, author and co-host of the CBS-TV show “The Doctors,” has recommended Florastor Kids to patients for years. Below are some of the answers he gave in a recent interview about the product:

What is the active ingredient in Florastor Kids and how does it work? The active ingredient in Florastor Kids is a freeze-dried form of yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii lyo. It helps promote the growth of good microbiota, while attracting and removing pathogens from the intestines.
Have any clinical tests been done to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Florastor Kids? Yes. The active ingredient in Florastor Kids, Saccharomyces boulardii lyo, has been studied in more than 40 clinical trials. Studies have been published in top medical journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and Gastroenterology magazine.
How do the effects of Florastor Kids differ from those of bacteria-based probiotics, such as acidophilus? One of the key differences in a yeast-based probiotic, such as Florastor Kids, is that it can not be killed by antibiotics, and it, in turn, protects the body’s own flora during the course of antibiotic treatment to guard against antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea occurs when antibiotics disturb the natural balance of “good” and “bad” microbiota in the intestinal tract, causing harmful bacteria to grow far beyond their normal numbers.
Why would a parent choose to treat a bout of diarrhea with Florastor Kids as opposed to an anti-diarrheal product? Anti-diarrheal medications such as loperamide (Imodium) are typically not recommended for young children. Florastor Kids helps remove toxins from the intestines and at the same time bolsters the body’s defense against the pathogens.

I was personally very glad to learn the Florastor Kids cannot be killed by antibiotics. We recieved and began using the product a week after both of my boys were done with their course of antibiotics. Little man always struggles with "gut issues" after the antibiotics. ALWAYS. I will tell you, Florastor Kids went to work immediately and he has never recovered from a course of antibiotics as quickly as he did with the Florastor Kids. After 2 days of using the powder, which I put in juice for him, his gut attacks disappeared. It was awesome for both of us. Little Man is very vocal and very grumpy when his tummy is rumbling and his booty is busy.

Because Florastor Kids is such an effective tool to deal with diarrhea, we decided to pick some up for our 72 hour emergency kits. It would be great to take along when you travel too

Florastor Kids is available in a box of 10 powder packets for a suggested price of $12.95 and in a box of 20 powder packets for a suggested price of $21.95.

In my opinion it is totally worth the price. Knowing there is a natural remedy available when my kids need help dealing with gut issues puts my mind at ease and the speed with which it worked makes it a worthwhile item to keep in my medicine cabinet.

You can find it at most pharmacies or check out the Florastor website to see who carries it in your area.

Stacy's Pita Chips

2009-04-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hey All!! I received my box of Stacy's Pita Chips on Saturday. They were the Naked with Sea Salt Variety and I have to be honest, when I first tasted them I was a little unsure about them. My kids dove in and my husband really likes them. I thought they were a little plain. To me, they taste like a really good cracker. Then I decided to add some toppings and DANG! if that didn't change things up! I like that they stay crispy with a topping and I will admit that after munching on a few plain chips while adding the toppings, the untopped chips grew on me. They are really great as a healthy snack and would make a great appetizer! My kids helped me come up with topping ideas and we took a picture of our creations:

We tried them with Cottage Cheese (middle), Cream Cheese and Green Olives w/Pimentos (top), Peanut butter and jelly (right), Bruschetta style (bottom) and green chilis and grated cheese (left). Everyone had their favorite, I actually like them all.

Plain or topped, these are really good and healthy snacks. We are excited to try the Cinnamon Sugar flavor and will definitely be picking them up next time we hit the grocery store.

Yanni is Back and He brought Some Friends

2009-04-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

I will start by saying I have had no previous experience with Yanni's music, I've always known him as some new Age instrumental guy, but never really followed him. So, this CD was really a happy surprise.

I liked knowing that the artists were asked to write their own lyrics to Yanni's instrumentals, a nice collaberative effort. Right off, the first track Omaggio grabbed my attention because it was so uplifting. Nathan Pacheco's voice really blends well with the instrumentals. I also liked the 2nd track with Leslie Mills, The Keeper. It's really upbeat and snappy and kept my attention. I found Chloe's song Set Me Free to be a nice ballad that was both relaxing and a bit haunting. It is definitely one of the more contemporary songs on the CD. While I love Ender Thomas' voice, I was sad that both of his songs were sung in Spanish. I would have liked to hear him sing something more contemporary in English.

All in all the CD is a nice, relaxed listen that I would enjoy in an adult setting, like at a casual dinner party or as background music in a nice restaurant. There was a point halfway through when I thought the songs kind of started to sound the same, but I will definitely keep this CD around for moments when I need to bring the stress level down.

Disney on Ice - Turns Out Mr. Incredible Can Skate!

2009-04-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

One of the blessings this blog has given me is the opportunity to work with businesses like Feld Entertainment and Mom Central.

Feld Entertainment and Mom Central were nice enough to send us to Disney on Ice last week, where we had a wonderful time enjoying the Disneyland Adventure themed skating show.

I have to be honest, I was a little afraid that my boys might not be into ice skating. But they seemed excited by the fact that it was Disney related, as our recent first trip to Disneyland is still fresh in their minds.

When we got to the US Airways arena we were able to meet and visit with other Mom Bloggers from Mom Central. We met some really great folks (Melanie at My Little Patch of Sunshine and the Hartung Family whose blog address I misplaced!) and had a light dinner before the Incredibles showed up for pictures. Our family loves the Incredibles...we so identify with their family dynamic!

The boys were really interested in looking cool with their cousin, who was our guest for the night!

After shaking hands with Mr. Incredible we went to the arena and took our seats. The souvenir vendors were out in force and of course the kids had to have a souvenir, and thankfully Grandma gave me some pocket money for the event. The boys chose a Dash cup with a snowcone in it. Pretty cool.

The show itself was really fun, the storyline was the adventures of The Incredible family as they visited Disneyland. It was really fun to see the different parts of the park being represented as the show unfolded...Frontierland, Pirates of the Caribbean, even the Teacups were all part of the presentation! Of course Syndrome showed up to try create some chaos and Frozone showed up to assist the Incredibles. The special effects created with the lighting were really interesting and fun and the skaters were all very talented, doing jumps and spins and really giving their all to make a good show.

Remember a few posts back when I was wondering how Mr. Incredible would do on ice? Pretty darn good, let me tell ya! The out-of-shape Mr. Incredible was the in-shape guy with a big belly pad.

The little girl behind us loved, loved, loved the show and screamed her lungs out everytime a new Disney character popped out onto the ice. My boys thought her reaction was a bit extreme (I think the exact quote was "she was crazy and LOUD, mom!") but I thought she was really cute and it was hilarious to see her get so excited.

The Disney on Ice show is over here in Phoenix but it's still going on in other parts of the country! Here's a link with the show schedules. It is a really fun way to spend an evening and if you go to Ticketmaster.com you can still get tickets. be sure to enter the coupon code MOM to get a discount on a family 4-pack!

Feld Entertainment has been in business since the 1960's and run by the same family for 3 generations. They focus on quality family entertainment and along with Disney on Ice, they also put on Ringling Barnum and Bailey Circus and Disney Live shows. One of the things that impressed me about Feld Entertaiment is their contributions to communities they visit. Through their ticket donations, Feld has provided more than 330,000 children with an opportunity to attend one of their wonderful productions.

Land's End Comes Out with New UV Protective Clothing!

2009-03-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

This is NOT and advertisement, you can see the advertisement on my review blog.

Okay, have you seen my kids? They are difinitely fair skinned and prone to burning, which makes living in the middle of the desert a difficult thing.

Up til now it has been a constant battle of wills to get them to wear sunscreen. They are doing much better about covering their heads though. "It's stinks! It's sticky! It feels gross! It burns my eyes!" are all things I hear when I try slather them with stuff or spray them on their way out the door so they can run around outside.

So as a person who knows how badly sun can damage your skin, I am glad Land's End has come out with this new line of clothing. I am actually really excited to try it and seeing as how we are going to reach almost 90 today, I will soon have the chance!

Can I just take this opportunity to say again how much I despise living in Phoenix in the summer? March 2nd...the rest of the country gets snow, we get 90 degrees. I'm scared...will we reach 100 in April? I'm not ready for the brain searing heat, people!

New Snuggle Creme $2 Coupon

2009-03-27T11:48:00.001-07:00

Laundry is one of those necessary evils in life...nobody really likes it, but it has to be done! One thing that helps me get through it is knowing that my clothes will smell nice and clean and feel soft to the touch when I pull them out of the dryer and put them on. Yeah...we pretty much get dressed by the dryer, 'cause I never get caught up enough to have all my clothes folded and put away.

Anyway...the folks at Snuggle have a new product and have offered all of my readers a $2 off coupon for their new fabric creme. I know...creme. It sounds so luxurious, doesn't it? Now for the record, I have not tried the product yet, but I am definitely up for an experiment when I have a $2 coupon to help me save on my purchase!

It's available in two indulgent scents - Sweet Almond and Jojoba Essence. It has a rich, creamy textures and delicate fragrance designed to leave your clothes feeling smooth.

The Liquid concentrate comes in 32, 50, 150 load bottles and it now comes in sheets as well, which come in boxes of 70 count and 105 count. I'm all for the dryer sheets...I'm totally into convenience!

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR $2 Coupon

For the Love of Cheese

2009-03-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

We are cheese people. There is not a day that goes by that someone in my family doesn't ask for cheese. Sometimes on sandwiches, sometimes melted on vegetables, sometimes for cheese crisps. We are a cheese loving family.

So I was excited to see that Borden loves cheese people like us. They love us so much they have created some new products! They are called Single Sensations and come in new flavors like Applewood Bacon Cheddar, Sun-dried Tomato Basil and Southwest PepperJack. I am so tasting them on a grilled burger right now!

And just so you know how excited I am? I am getting nothing for this review or post...not even free cheese! I am doing it because the cheese sounds awesome and because I want to let you know about the contest Borden is currently running, cause who couldn't use some help during these difficult times, yeah?

Borden wants to hear about all of the great people we know. Tell Borden about someone you think has done something sensational in your community. If your nomination gets the most votes, you both win a year's worth of groceries! Dang! And why is this so awesome? Because the only thing better than cheese? Is cheese you and your friend will be eating on chips and salsa that you won because your friend is wicked awesome and loves to serve his/her community! Am I right?

So why are you still here? Get over to Borden!!

Ballas Hough Band New CD Review

2009-03-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of the Ballas Hough Band? They're new. If you're a fan of Dancing with the Stars (I catch it now and again...Cloris Leachman was a hoot last season!), you'll recognize the 2 lead singers of BHB. Mark and Derek were both top dancers on the show the last few seasons! So they dance AND sing! And now they have a band!

I listened to the CD yesterday when I went to pick up the kids from school. The songs all have a really fresh sound, very upbeat. The first song on the CD, "Do It For You," was co-written by the new American Idol judge, Kira DioGuardi. The second track, "Devastated" was kind of edgy and with lots of interesting musical sounds to back up the singing. "Longing For" is a nice, sweet ballad that will have your tween girls swooning,

My boys are 7 and 9 and thought the music was kind of "cool" and my 13 year old niece has hijacked the CD. While I enjoyed the songs, I think Ballas Hough's audience really is the "tween" set. Their songs, while hip and current, have a Boy Band sound that I could not listen to more than once in awhile. My niece big red puffy hearts them!

I hope the band makes it though, because they really are talented guys and I think they will continue to have an impact on the music world. It will be interesting to see how their sound and music matures as they continue their career. Their music is fresh and fun, but I think it plays better for a younger crowd.

Wanna check out the new CD? Buy it here.

Win a New Vacuum!!

2009-03-06T11:08:00.001-08:00

Have you seen Arizona Midday on Channel 12 News? It airs from 1-2 pm weekdays. Destry Jetton (doesn't her name totally bring to mind some beautiful and mysterious cowgirl from the Wild West?) is the host of the show which focuses on family here in the Valley. We have everything from fun fashion segments and makeovers to things around the house and finance fixes.

She's started a Family Feedback Forum and wants you to join! If you do, you'll be entered to win a state-of-the-art vacuum! All you have to do is send me an email at familyfeedback@12news.com saying you want to be a member and you'd like to be entered into the contest.

One winner will receive a Hoover Platinum Lightweight Bagged Upright Vacuum valued at nearly $400! It's a two-in-one vacuum with a ton of features to make this household chore a breeze! To see full rules and eligiblity for this contest, click here.

You have to go to her site, not mine, to sign up. I repeat, her site. Not mine. If you try to enter the contest on my site I will have to give you my crappy vacuum that has to have the filter cleaned halfway through each room. You wouldn't be happy with it. Then you would be mad at me and this whole uncomfortable thing would happen everytime you visit my site...it would jsut be too awkward. So click here and find out more about the Family Feedback Forum and enter to win a new vacuum!

Land's End Has New UV Protective Summer Clothing!

2009-03-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

Introducing The New Lands' End Collection

Sun.Life

In December we had asked you to provide some insight into what matters most to Moms when it comes to summer clothing and summer safety. We wanted to let you know that your opinions have made a difference!! Thanks to your valuable insights and opinions, Lands' End has created a new collection of clothing... and they couldn't have done it without YOU!

More than ever before, people are aware of the sun's damaging affects on unprotected skin. From painful sunburns, to serious skin diseases, to cancer; overexposure has people concerned about excessive time in the sun. Lands' End answered your concerns with a new, innovative, protective, and stylish collection of clothes simply called Sun.Life. The new Sun.Life collection is a full line of adjustable, breathable, and comfortable clothes for the entire family with an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) rating of 30 or 50.

"Our customers always look for the best quality, performance and style and we have built in all the attributes we felt were absolutely necessary to offer a fully functional, sun-protective outdoor apparel collection with everyday comfort and style."Suzanne Bryant, Vice President of Design for Lands' End.

To address your concerns, the new Sun.Life line offers bright colors and patterns along with cotton-rich fabric blends that keeps the entire collection looking like normal, everyday clothes! Here are just some of the really great Sun.Life items you might enjoy:

Women - Bright colored convertible pants and long sleeve t-shirts
Men - Functional shirts and pants
Girls - Solid and patterned hoodies and t-shirts
Boys - Half-zip mockneck shirt and shorts

Click on the image below to watch how Lands' End's new collection is something every mom can appreciate and enjoy:

And for a limited time, Lands' End is offering MomSelect members FREE SHIPPING on your Sun.Life purchases. Just use the following information at checkout:

Promo code: KIDSSUN

Pin #: 6852

End Date: March 9, 2009

Limited Time Offer - Receive Free Shipping and handling on up to two orders that include regular priced merchandise to U.S. addresses (includes U.S. territories, APO/FPO) when you supply a valid Promotion Code and PIN at the time of order. 4-7 business day delivery to most addresses. For items with monogramming, engraving, or hemming requests please allow another 1-2 business days. Shipping upgrades, drop shipments and items requiring Specialty Shipping excluded. This offer has no cash value and is not redeemable for cash. Applies only to merchandise purchased from landsend.com and Lands' End consumer catalogs. Not redeemable at Lands' End®, Sears® and Kmart® retail stores; at Sears.com and Kmart.com; on Lands' End Business Outfitters purchases; or by SHC employees. Consumer is responsible for applicable taxes. Offer valid through 11:59 p.m. CST Monday, March 9, 2009. Not valid on previous purchases or when combined with any other promotional offer.

Win a $25 Gift Card - MomSelect Survey!

2009-02-26T15:17:00.000-08:00

With Spring Break just around the corner and summer not too far behind, the topic of travel and vacations seems to be on everyone's mind. As parents, we try and make these breaks extra special by fitting in a family trip to the beach, to a park or to visit grandma and grandpa. But with the economy the way it is, are you struggling to find the extra time and money to travel? We want to hear your thoughts on this subject and how you are planning to spend the upcoming time-off from school with your kids. Please take 5 minutes to complete this short online survey regarding your thoughts on travel destinations and family vacations. Three (3) Lucky Moms will win a $25 Target gift card!

Take the Survey Now!

We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your participation. And congratulations to the winners of our most recent survey:

Linda from North Carolina
Darlene from MichiganThanks again for your valuable insights!

Sincerely,

Your Friends at MomSelect.com

If you are interested in participating in future MomSelect sponsored events and programs, register at MomSelect.com!

Win Some Cool Stuff!

2009-02-23T10:34:00.001-08:00

Mormon Mommy Blogs is doing an awsome giveaway! What can you win?

Love Boxes By Tiffany
Choffy
Meltmywax.com

and more!!!

Stop by their site and enter to win!!

Wanna Win A $25 Target Gift Card?

2009-02-21T09:03:00.000-08:00

MomSelect is doing a survey!! Here's the info, it's quick and easy and you could win a gift card!

It's no secret that Moms worry. And the concerns we have regarding our kids only seem to multiply as they grow older.

Whether you're currently raising teens or toddlers, we want to hear your about your present and future concerns as a Mom, as well as your thoughts on kids and technology.

Please take 5 minutes to complete this short online survey. Three (3) Lucky Moms will win a $25 Target gift card!

Take the Survey Now!

We look forward to hearing from you! Thank you for your participation and valuable insights!

Sincerely,

Your Friends at MomSelect.com

If you are interested in participating in future MomSelect sponsored events and programs, register at MomSelect.com!

Give a Little Soul (Seal) This Valentine's Day

2009-02-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

Seal's PBS Soundstage special premieres TONIGHT, Feb 12 at 9pm (CST).

For a sneak peek, check out this link to Seal performing his rendition of "If You Don't Know Me By Now". Click here for a complete set list of his hit songs performed during the broadcast.

Check this link for your local PBS airdates and times.

When you are done watching Soundstage, take a minute to send a Seal ecard! Seal's eCard features the song "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and you can customize it with photos, videos and a personal message!

Mom Select Wants to Hear From Single Moms!

2009-02-12T13:21:00.000-08:00

Motherhood is the most rewarding job in the world, but it can also be the most challenging, particularly for those Moms who are doing it alone. If you are a single mom, we want to hear from you and understand your experiences. Please take a few minutes to complete this short online survey regarding your role as a single mother. Three (3) Lucky Moms will win a $25 Target gift card!

Take the Survey Now!

We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your participation!

And congratulations to winners of our most recent survey:

Kathy Jo from Wisconsin
Judy from Florida
Thanks again for your valuable insights!

Sincerely,
Your Friends at MomSelect.com

If you are interested in participating in future MomSelect sponsored events and programs, register at MomSelect.com!

Disney Comes to Phoenix!! (Okay, technically it's Chandler)

2009-02-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

Disney Parks Celebrates The Valley and Wants to Know

“What Will You Celebrate?”

Come to Chandler Fashion Center on February 16 and join the festivities! Get free Mickey Mouse balloons, a chance to win a Disney Celebration Vacation and the opportunity to sign up at Registration Stations powered by HP for a free ticket to a Disney theme park on your birthday in 2009!! (Valid birth date documentation required)

WHO: Everyone!! Everyone is invited to be part of the excitement!

WHAT: Straight from the Parks, cast members are sharing the magic of Disney with area guests to announce a special celebration. Come meet some of your favorite Disney characters!!

WHEN: Monday, February 16 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

WHERE: Chandler Fashion Center
3111 West Chandler Blvd

Chandler, AZ 85226