Betty Crocker Molasses Cookies REVIEW/GIVEAWAY

Congratulations, Melanie! You are the winner of the Molasses Cookie prize pack! Happy baking!

'Tis the season for cookies! Last night, I went to a cookie exchange with a bunch of ladies from my women's Bible study small group. There were piles of yummy treats, and of course my kids dove on my stash the moment they saw it.

My girls love baking. Sydney is always game for hopping up on the counter and "helping" me bake. Georgia and Audrey are actually helpful and are developing great kitchen skills.

So that's why when I was offered to participate in the Betty Crocker Molasses Cookie mix review, I knew Audrey would love to try them out.

I decided to let Audrey (age 9) do the entire thing by herself. She was so proud to try, and got right to work. Since it was a cookie mix, there was not a lot she had to do. She cracked the egg, softened the butter,  mixed it all up, and formed the cookies. She was able to make cookies, start to finish, all by herself. The kids loved them (except for Sydney, who doesn't like gingerbread)!

Would you like to win a Betty Crocker prize pack of your own? Just leave me a comment, telling me your favorite Christmas cookie. US addresses only, please.

I was provided with a Betty Crocker prize pack as a thank-you for posting. I was not otherwise compensated. All product, prize pack, information, and the giveaway have all been provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.

Aussan Naturals: REVIEW

I like to feed my family lots of healthy fruits and vegetables. It is not within our budget to buy only organic produce, but I do try to buy organic when I'm choosing something that's on the "dirty dozen" list. I'm fortunate to shop at a grocery store that has a wide variety of natural and organic foods. But even so, sometimes the produce I would like to buy is not available in organic. For example, last week conventional strawberries were buy one get one free. There were so many strawberries that there wasn't any space for the organic ones!

So that's why I was happy to try out Aussan Naturals products. Among many natural cleaning and household products, Aussan Naturals offers a fresh fruit and vegetable wash. From their website:

Spray firm produce, such as apples, bell peppers and tomatoes with a generous amount of Aussan Natural™. Allow product to sit a few seconds, then rub well, rinse, & eat. For softer produce, such as lettuce, berries and broccoli, place in a colander & spray generously with Aussan Natural™. Allow product to sit a few seconds, then rinse & enjoy. Leaves no residue or aftertaste!

It is 100% natural and non-toxic. I like that it is getting my produce cleaner than using water alone, and there really is no aftertaste.

I also had the opportunity to try out their all-purpose cleaner. For a few years now, I have only used natural cleaners in the kitchen. I like them because they work well but are healthier for my family. I know, I could just use vinegar and baking soda, but I really hate how vinegar smells. So I choose to spend a little more for a nicer scent. Aussan Natural has a very subtle scent. Nice!

I was provided with a free bottle of both Fruit and Vegetable Cleaner and All-Purpose Cleaner to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own. All product information comes from the product website.

Goal for it! REVIEW

There are several different chore charts online to help your kids become more responsible. But what about Mom? I don't know about you, but I NEED my lists of tasks each day if I am going to get anything done. That's what makes Goal For It! different.

Besides behavior charts and chore charts for kids, there are tools that allow anyone (even parents) to make and track daily to-do lists. I especially love the goal setting section. I set myself a blogging goal and was able to list different steps I will take to reach my goal. Then I can go back and keep track of my progress. I can even have the site email me reminders (could be necessary).

When you sign up, you create a profile and you have the option to make your goals private, public, or for your friends to see. This could be great if you are working on a project with others and need to keep track of what's been done.

As you create to-do lists, there are many icons already made for you to choose between, from health items to chores to fun things. There is also a way to custom-label an icon if the task you need to remember isn't listed.

Take a look at Goal For It! if you are, like me, unorganized when it comes to daily tasks or if you need a little nudge toward your goals and dreams.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

At-Home Date Night: GIVEAWAY!

Everyone can agree that date night is important. It is great to get away with your spouse for a couple of hours, have a break from being mommy and daddy and just be husband and wife again. But with four little ones at home, including a four-month-old, it is hard to get out of the house. Babysitters are expensive and I just wouldn't feel comfortable leaving little Joel with a teenager yet.

So we like to do at-home date nights. We feed the kids, put them to bed, and then often order take-out. We like to watch a movie or play a board game. It is almost as good as going out, and a whole lot cheaper!

Take-out can add up, though. Fortunately, Wanchai Ferry and Macaroni Grill, through MyBlogSpark, sent me some dry dinner kits to try out. Rich and I tried the Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken. You just had to add your own chicken (or pork or shrimp) and everything else was included. I followed one of the tips on the back and added half a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables. It was tasty! There was plenty of sauce for the chicken and the veggies, and there was also enough to drip down over the rice (always a concern for Rich). We enjoyed this meal. Other flavors include cashew chicken, spicy garlic chicken, and Kung Pao chicken.




We also got a box of Macaroni Grill Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken to try for our next date night. Yummy!

If you would like to win a prize pack, including a Wanchai Ferry meal, a Macaroni Grill meal, and a $25 gift card for your own at-home date night, leave me a comment about your favorite way to enjoy at-home dates. Or you can tell me about a memorable first date you had! US addresses only, please. Make sure I have a way to contact you if you win! Contest ends October 31.

If you want to try the dinners out right away, MyBlogSpark has provided my readers with a coupon for $1.50 off of two boxes.

I was provided with a prize pack including two boxed dinners and a gift card to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

Trivial Pursuit Steal: Review and Giveaway!

My husband is the kind of person who remembers Everything. Little, unimportant details, statistics, events, they are all somehow stored in his brain.

So it logically follows that one of his favorite board games is Trivial Pursuit. For a long time, I was frustrated whenever I played with him, until I realized that I just need to be on his team. Problem solved! We always win!

I was excited to hear that Hasbro is introducing a new game in their line of card games called Trivial Pursuit Steal. It takes the fun of Trivial Pursuit and adds a new twist that allows players to steal wedges of pie from other players.

The other night, Rich and I broke out the new game. The nice aspects of the game were that we were able to play in a much shorter time than traditional Trivial Pursuit (about 15-20 minutes). Also, since it's a card game, it is much more compact and great for taking on vacation. It also seemed that players could be on a more even playing field, since there are "steal" cards. If you get a steal card, you can take another person's piece of pie to complete your pie.

This aspect of the steal was a fun twist for me, but I will have to be honest and say that it frustrated Rich. It may have been because I stole four pieces of pie from him and won...

Maybe next time we play I will have to shuffle the deck a little more thoroughly :)

Would you like to give Trivial Pursuit Steal a try? I am giving away THREE games to THREE lucky readers! To enter, just leave me a comment telling me one of your favorite board or card games. I will pick a winner on October 17. US addresses only, please.

I was provided a free game of Trivial Pursuit Steal to facilitate my review. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

BJ's Spring Clothing Line: REVIEW

We have been members of several warehouse club stores in the past, but our favorite has been BJ's. We like that BJ's accepts manufacturer's coupons in addition to their own coupons, carries brands you will find in the grocery or discount store, and accepts major credit cards. And their store brand diapers are great (and cheap)!

Recently, I was contacted by BJ's regarding their new spring line of clothing. According to my contact, you can dress a family of four for under $100.

Spring highlights include:

• Men’s IZOD Short Sleeve Polo – 100% cotton. Available in a variety of colors. Small – XXL. $14.99-$16.99 ($50 Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP))

• Men’s Nautica Jeans – Assorted washes. Sizes 32-42. $19.99 (Compare to more than $49.50 at department stores)

• Women’s Liz Wear Knit Top– Short sleeve chiffon trim mixed media top. Available in various colors. Small – XL $14.99 ($39.99 MSRP)

• Women’s Liz Wear Crop Pant – Available in black, khaki, chocolate and olive. Sizes 4-18. $19.99 (Compare to $65 at department stores)

• Girl’s Nicole Miller Knit Tops & Capri Sets – Charmeuse and knit tops with capri bottoms in various colors and patterns. Sizes 12-4T. $12.99 (Compare to $38)

• Boy’s Wes & Willy T-shirt & Short Sets – Graphic tee and nylon short sets in various colors. Sizes 3-8. $12.99 (Compare to $39)

= $98.94 BJ’s pricing, $291.49 value

BJ's offered me a $25 gift card to try out some spring things for the girls. There were a bunch of cute choices:


But as soon as Sydney saw the Dolly and Me outfits, we were sold.

Too cute, girls!

If you are not a member of BJ's, you can print out a free 60-day membership pass, which must be activated by July 5, 2010.

BJ's provided me with a gift card to try out their new spring line. All opinions are my own. Pricing information provided by BJ's.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser: WINNER!

Congratulations, melanie, you are the winner of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! It will be on its way once I get your address.

Stay tuned for more great giveaways coming up!

Minimizing Morning Madness: WINNER!

Congratulations, Daisy, you are the winner of the Scrubbing Bubbles gift basket! Enjoy!

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser: GIVEAWAY

Who doesn't love a Magic Eraser? My personal favorite chore to use it on is to clean the refrigerator doors and handles. For some reason, other cleaners just don't get into the textured surface like a Magic Eraser does.

Mr. Clean has recently released a new version of a Magic Eraser specifically for cleaning bathrooms. It has the scent of Febreze and is larger for bigger jobs.

Mr. Clean sent my my own pack of Magic Eraser Bathroom Scrubbers to try out. They are billed for being useful for grout, tile, shower walls and doors, tubs, sinks, and counters. I tried it out on our shower floor, which has always been my toughest bathroom surface to clean. It is nubby like the front of a refrigerator, except even more textured. The dirt and soap scum get stuck in those crevices and is very hard to get out.

I have tried various scrub brushes and even regular Magic Erasers, but using the Bathroom Scrubber worked better. I liked the clean, Febreze smell as I was scrubbing, too.

Now I do have to say that you still have to scrub with the new Magic Eraser. But after scrubbing, I was able to achieve a clean shower floor.

I would recommend the Magic Eraser Bathroom Scrubber. Follow package directions to avoid damaging your surfaces or anyone's health.

Would you like to try them out yourself? Mr. Clean would like to give one lucky winner your own two-pack of scrubbers. Just leave me a comment telling me your toughest bathroom surface to clean. I will choose a winner on April 15 and the winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email. Please remember to leave a way for me to contact you!

I was sent a free pack of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bathroom Scrubbers to try out. I was not compensated in any other way for this post.

Poster Print: WINNER!

Congratulations to wigirl, you are the winner of the UPrinting poster print! I hope you let me know what you will be getting your poster of!

Enjoy!

Stay tuned for more reviews and giveaways in the works, and don't forget to enter my Scrubbing Bubbles gift basket giveaway, there is still one day left!

Poster Print: GIVEAWAY!

I know I have among my readers some great photographers. Here is your chance to get a BIG print of one of your favorites!

UPrinting is one of my blog sponsors. Among other things, they do poster printing. This could either be a photograph, or something more along the lines of something for a business. These posters would look great hanging in a baby's nursery or anywhere, really.

Leave me a comment if you would like to win a poster print from UPrinting! Below are the specifics of this giveaway:


18x24 Poster Print for One (1) Winner

Paper Stock: High Gloss or Semi Gloss

Specifications: 1 Business Day Turnaround

Shipping: FREE UPS Ground Shipping

Eligibility: Limited to US Residents only

This giveaway has a short turnaround. It will end on Monday, March 29 and I will need to hear back from my winner within 24 hours. Be sure that you leave a way for me to contact you, either in your Blogger profile or in the comment itself.

UPrinting has agreed to supply me with a poster print of my own. I have not been compensated in any other way for this post.

Minimizing Morning Madness: GIVEAWAY!

Anyone with a schedule that involves arriving at a certain location by a certain time knows that mornings are hectic. There are lunches to be packed, hair to brush, shoes to find, and permission slips to sign. And we all have ways of dealing with the hassle, from being super-organized (we all know that's NOT my way), to running frantically around the house with a brush in one hand and a pair of socks in the other. By this point in the school year, we are all pretty sick of running around every morning.

That's why I was so thrilled to be invited to a spa morning hosted by Janice Croze of 5 Minutes for Mom and sponsored by Scrubbing Bubbles! They invited some Philadelphia area bloggers to a center-city spa for some pampering and ladies' time. Beth and I hopped on the train and headed down together. Even though we are neighbors and see each other all the time, it's fun to be able to hang out sans kids once in a while!



Janice flew all the way from Vancouver to hang with us! That is some serious dedication. I sure hope your pedicure holds up for a WHILE, girl!

There were tasty treats...

Spa treatments (I got a facial and pedicure! Squee!), and time to hang out with the girls. I have to say, this was my first facial Ever. And it was amazing. I was so relaxed and my skin felt great!

(Here are Mommy Esquire, yours truly, Classy Mommy, and Janice)

Before we left, we each got a basket filled with morning helpers, like Scrubbing Bubbles, coffee, and this cool waterproof pad of paper for the shower.

And Scrubbing Bubbles has generously offered to send the same basket of goodies to one of you! Just leave me a comment and you will be entered to win. US addresses only, please. Contest ends March 31. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email (make sure I can contact you!) or I will pick another winner.

My spa morning was paid for by Scrubbing Bubbles and they also provided me with a basket of goodies for myself and one for a reader. I was not compensated in any other way, and my opinions are my own. Pictures are courtesy of Janice Croze and Scrubbing Bubbles.

Joshua Bell: At Home With Friends REVIEW

Recently, I was given the opportunity to review Joshua Bell's new album, At Home With Friends. On it, the violinist collaborates with some of his favorite instrumentalists and vocalists to create a truly unique compilation of music.

I will not beat around the bush, I absolutely love this CD. I haven't listened to a lot of instrumental music lately and I have really enjoyed having this music on. My favorite track right now is "My Funny Valentine" in which Joshua Bell collaborates with Kristin Chenoweth. My third grader, Audrey, has just started playing the violin in school and is also loving this CD.

Hearing the amazing instrumentalists and vocalists makes me miss the days in high school and college when I used to sing in choirs. It has actually made me think about finding a choir to join around here somewhere!

Disclosure: I was provided with a free CD for this review, thanks to the One2One Network. I was not compensated in any other way for this review, but by reviewing I am entering a contest to win a gift card.

Your Songs CD: Review

Recently, I was given the opportunity to review Harry Connick Jr.'s new CD, Your Songs. Thanks to One 2 One Network, I received the CD before its public release.

Listening to this CD was such a treat. On it, Harry (we're on a first name basis, of course) sings his own rendition of classics we know and love. And who doesn't love hearing his velvety voice wrapped around those great tunes and lyrics?

My two favorite tracks were "The Way You Look Tonight" and "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." But really, you can't go wrong with any of them.

If you like jazz with a full orchestra and tried and true songs, pick up a copy of Your Songs.

Greeting Cards: GIVEAWAY!!!

This is your lucky day. I have another fantastic giveaway for you from UPrinting! How would you like to have 250 7 x 5" (folded to 3.5 x 5") Custom Greeting Cards ($96 value)?! Well, that is today's giveaway. UPrinting offers Greeting Card Printing for any type of cards you can imagine. I am so excited about these cards. I will be using my set for our family's Christmas cards this year, but they would also be great for invitations to a big party, great birth announcements, or some beautiful notecards. Note: Envelopes are not included, but shipping is!


If you would like to win these notecards, please leave me a comment telling me what you would use them for. For an extra entry, blog about this giveaway and link back to this post and UPrinting. (And then leave an extra comment with your link). US addresses only, please. Contest ends Friday, 10/9/09. Good luck! And when you win, be sure to send one of your cards to me :)

Vinyl Banner: GIVEAWAY!!

Today, I have another fabulous giveaway from UPrinting.com which I am so excited to tell you about.

How about a huge 24" x 36" vinyl banner with grommets ($62 value)? There are endless possibilities for your banner. If you have a club or business, you could get a banner with the logo. Or if your neighborhood has an annual event or yard sale, a banner would be perfect. A "Happy Birthday" banner would be fun:



I think I will be using my banner for our church's nursery school. It would be great to hang at an information table if we had an information booth at a fair, or even to hang out during events.

If you would like to win your own banner, leave me a comment telling me what you would do with yours. For an extra entry, blog about this giveaway and link back to this post and UPrinting. US addresses only, please. Contest ends next Friday, 10/2/09.

Photo Poster Giveaway!

This week, LargeFormatPosters.com will be giving away a custom poster to one lucky reader!

You can win an 18x24” Rolled Poster Print courtesy of LargeFormatPosters.com. You will love this photo-quality poster prints! Create your own photo enlargement or custom poster for free!

For more information, check out:

Poster Printing - http://www.largeformatposters.com/

Large Format Printing- http://www.largeformatposters.com/large-format-printing.html

Along with one of my lucky readers, I will be getting my own free 16x24 poster print. I think I will have them blow up one of the pictures we took on vacation in Myrtle Beach this summer. I love pictures of my girls at the beach, especially when I can enjoy them in winter.

US residents only, please. FREE UPS Ground Shipping for US residents.

To enter, just leave a comment explaining how you would use the Poster Print if you won.

For two extra entries:

OPTIONAL – Blog about the giveaway and link my blog as well as LargeFormatPosters.com

OPTIONAL – Tweet the Giveaway @uprinting with trending topic ‘#giveaway’

For each extra entry, please leave a separate comment for each with the link.

Prizes will be awarded by coupon code. All coupon codes will be sent out in bulk e-mail on Oct. 1, 2009.

Contest ends on Monday, September 28, 2009.

Peek Handheld Device--GIVEAWAY!

Raise your hand if you are pretty much addicted to constantly keeping tabs on your online "life." Yeah, my hand is raised, too. Well, I have a fun product this week that promises to help us stay up-to-date, while being budget friendly as well.

Let me introduce you to the Peek handheld device. This baby is sleek, cute, and "ridiculously affordable" (their description). It enables you to check and send email from wherever you are, as well as send and receive text messages. And all of this with no contract and a flat monthly fee of $19.95. So you can imagine that I was more than happy to try out this gadget and give you my take on it.

I have been using my Peek for a month and here are the pluses and minuses as I see them.

Pluses:

• Compact, light, sleek, overall great looking device. It comes in three colors, mine is dark grey, but you could also get red or blue.


• Easy to type text messages or short emails. The keyboard is very easy to use, and has a dedicated row for numbers. My hubby's smartphone requires you to push "Alt" before typing a number, so the Peek's keyboard is easier. Plus, when you send an email, it adds a tag saying you sent the email from your Peek. Very cute.


• Great for checking emails on the go. The only time I had any difficulty getting a signal was on a bench inside a movie theatre. But in a different spot in the theatre, the signal was again fine.


• Also great for texts. My husband has a text message plan on his cell, but I don't (I don't send many texts. Actually I almost never text). So it was kind of fun to be able to bother text him all day with my Peek.


• When emails are received by the Peek, the device vibrates silently. This is nice so as not to bother others, but I kind of wish that you could change the setting in case your Peek is in your bag where the vibrating cannot be felt.


• The Peek can receive emails from several different addresses. Great for bloggers who also have a personal email account!


• Service is cheaper than Blackberry service and there is no annual contract.

Minuses:

• My only complaint with the keyboard was that the shift key seemed a bit "sticky." This might just be my unit, or it might loosen up with more use. Not a huge deal.


• I use Yahoo! mail, and the Peek was unable to receive emails that were filtered into folders other than "Inbox." This became a problem because my blog email address is linked to my personal account. Emails from my Occupation: Mommy account automatically go into a folder in my personal account, so I never was able to read them on the Peek. I think the only way to fix this would be to have all my emails go directly to my Inbox, which I am not willing to do.


• The protective pouch that comes with the Peek has no clip on the back, so I was not able to clip it onto my waistband or pocket like many cell phones. Thus, I could not feel the vibrating signal to let me know I had just received an email.

Bottom line: The Peek is a lot of fun to use. If you are used to a smart phone, the Peek may not have enough features (can't browse the Internet, etc.). But as an alternative to a more expensive smart phone, I think it is a great gadget!

And I have one to give away! If you would like to enter, please leave me a comment below. Your comment must include your email address if it is not linked to your Blogger profile (so I can get in touch with the winner). This contest will run through July 17. US addresses only.

*Disclosure: Peek and Six Apart sent me a Peek device to review and another to give away. My opinions are my own and are not influenced by either company.

Sun and Earth--GIVEAWAY!

In cleaning my home, I have been increasingly concerned about using products that not only clean effectively, but are safe to use around my girls and are safe for the environment. For the last couple of years, I have been using Clorox Green Works products and I have been happy with them.

But a few weeks ago, I was approached about reviewing some Sun and Earth products. They sent me a HUGE box full of their products. I got laundry detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets, stain remover, all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, hand soap, dish soap, dishwasher soap, and a reusable shopping bag!

So I put those Sun and Earth cleaners to work. After using them for two weeks, my favorite thing about the line is the scent. They all smell like oranges, and not like orange cleaner, but like actual ripe oranges. Every time I clean the table, the girls sit and sniff it. My house has been smelling great!

I have not noticed any difference between the Sun and Earth products and what I normally use. The laundry detergent seems to work fine and I will definitely be switching to Sun and Earth all-purpose cleaner when my other brand runs out. It's great to be environmentally friendly and still have products that work efficiently.

Now for the fun part! I am so excited for this giveaway. One of you is going to be very, very happy shortly because Sun and Earth is going to send the same package I got to you! Just leave me a comment to enter. If you feel so inclined, tell me a cleaning gone wrong or funny story.

Contest ends Sunday, June 7. US addresses only.