Bounce Gives Us A Break

In college it was a luxury to buy dryer sheets. Since everyone at that time in their lives seem to be pinching pennies, you have to have priorities. Personally mine was to save money in any way I could in order to pay for access to cool clubs in Boston, and for cheap Boones wine. Alas my clothes were cleaned but not static free- or smelling sweet. I tried to make do with a bottle of perfume over my wrinkled clothes. It didn't work very well, but at least I got to have a social life on a non-income budget!

I graduated to the lower level of dryer sheets when the income started to come. Since I was getting a degree in Social Work, the wind fall of Benjamen's were certainly not in my future. My clothes smelt a bit better but I still remained static clingy and wrinkled. I loved going home to my Mom's washing machine because my clothes came out smelling fresh and clean--AND without static and wrinkles. My Mom was loyal to the Tide and the Bounce!

As I got older my priorities changed, and my appearance started to crawl to the top of the list. I couldn't exactly get a fancy job in NYC while wrinkled and static filled. And so I took my part fund and bought the essentials to proper clothe wearing. This of course included Bounce dryer sheets. I loved the smell so much I would often take the used ones and recycle them in my underwear draw.

When I became a Mom later on and my wardrobe went back to sweatpants and shirts stained with spit-up, I continued my loyalty. However, when functioning on what we all call "mom brain", nothing is worse than doing a load of laundry to find you forgot the dang dryer sheet! You are welcomed with spit-up loved shirts that now also include static AND smell mildly like it was never washed. Some absolute genius must of heard of this grumble and about "mom brain" because Bounce came out with Bounce Dryer Bar ! Not only is it super convenient and takes off some of the pressure on busy Mom's--IT WORKS!

All you got to do is stick that bad boy in your dryer and forget it! It lasts for MONTHS PEOPLE! This is also an added bonus for young twenty-something who are poor and hung over! They can afford this and stick in their dryer and never forget to smell fresh (or at least their clothes). No more smelling like the bar from last night OR spit up! No more having to remember to put the actual sheet in the dryer every. single. time. Never mind you get more for your money!

Needless to say I am sold! Stick one in stocking this Christmas and give someone a break!

Clean Face

I have always been a huge fan of beauty products. When Sephora debuted I was living in NYC and in product heaven. At that time in my life I was working full-time, and single. I could afford a high priced face wash that broke the bank. It was lovely and imported from Paris. Then one day I realized the price it was being sold for was insane, and I needed to find something more reasonable but still gentle to my face.

Once married with kids I had to go REAL cheap. Which probably explains the reason I often look like a teenager. The selection is slim at the local drugstore. I now go to depart stores just to hold the pretty packaged items and dream of buying them again. My face was longing for some love and I had neglected it (my dermatologist can atest to this!)

Luckily I was given this to try:

I was gitty with excitement! I had no idea what the retail value was at the time, but had guessed upon it's arrival that it was up there with my fancy Paris brand. It's cute, clean packaging made my face feel clean before I even put it on! AND to my surprise it was not as pricey. Granted, you can't find it on sale for $5.99 at your local drug store, but you get what you pay for!

I have been using this beauty for the past two weeks! I must say much of my skin has cleared, my pores are visibly cleaner, and every time I use use it, my face feels like a layer of dirt has been lifted. The best part is it was just what my dermatologist had told me to try--Fragrance and Paraben Free! (you can't say that about said $5.99 brands). And so me and my new cleanser started a brand new relationship. Like any new relationship I learned things about it I wish I could change (I had difficultly squeezing the thick cleanser out of the bottle and wished there was a pump to it), and things I loved about it since the moment my face met it (the feeling of CLEAN I got was immediate after first use).

The only thing I wish I had planned better was purchasing the moisturizer to go with it. I feel like to get the full affect of a product, you need to use the line. My mix and match of different moisturizers after using this gem, often caused my face odd break out spots. I personally think a moisturizer is an essential part of helping to deliver the best a cleanser can provide. They work hand and hand. My lesser brand wasn't cutting it. And so next round, I buy the product line! Luckily Apothederm is running a great sale now through 12/31/11 for all of you! All you have to do is use the discount code TENOFF when you check out, and you are on your own way to clean skin! After all, your face is the first thing people see when they meet you, you might as well treat it good!

Who needs Paris? I have made in the USA!

Back To School Review!

This poor blog has been on my "to do" list all Summer long. Suddenly it is Labor Day and I flop on my face with pure fail! It doesn't mean I haven't run into some AWESOME products or places/things I love! Since we are heading into Fall and the new school year I will save you the "Summer" post with hopes that hopefully next Summer I can get my act together and get this party started right! First there is ONE Summer review I neglected and feel badly for not featuring it--especially since my kids LOVE them!

I would like to thank McDonald's who early on in Summer gave my kids a full set of these awesome Rio Toys:

Honestly, my kids have not stopped playing with them, or fighting over them! I am a big toy review FLOP--as I was supposed to offer some of you to win these and my brain got filled with ocean & sand. Sorry McDonald's! My kids LOVED (still LOVE) them, but not as much as your cheeseburgers and french fries!

Now onto my favorites for Fall/Back to School:

• Wondering how to keep your kid hip while not spending the ogles of money some of the brand names try to get you to pay? I got your answer: ZULILY my friends. I was floored by not only their deals, but there array of brands. I also totally loved how if you refer people, and that person uses Zulily, you get a $15 credit! This summer I was able to get cute clothes, Laurie Berkner videos, AND an awesome ice tea maker. The deals they feature change daily so you have to act FAST!
• It's a hard economy and nobody seems to be in a spot of hefty spending. However, we all want to try out that new fancy spa in the area, or be able to attend that awesome kid class that costs a gazillion bucks! Groupon makes this happen at DISCOUNT prices in your area. For example, today's feature on mine is For $40 get a $209 package of JcPenny Portraits!
• I needed something of substance to help get Rylan where he needed to be for Kindergarten this Fall. I purchased these AWESOME books to help with handwriting, cutting, mazes, and much more! Most "workbooks" are often frowned upon in the teaching world. As they have no depth to them, and no real teaching point. These books were phenomenal. If your kid needs a little extra help, busy work, prep for preschool, homeschooling or tutoring work, you MUST check out Kumon! You will find them so inviting, to the point and exactly what you paid for.

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• I also went high and low to find the right pencil for Rylan to use in his efforts to strengthen his grip. We used all kinds of pencils, and markers. But nothing competed with this:
  
  

Seriously--is there a better maker of pencils in this world then Ticonderoga! Most teachers will tell you HELL NO! It was literally the ONLY kids we allowed in the classroom. I was so excited they made this specialty pencil!

• My kid is a picky eater. When thinking about what to pack him from lunch I couldn't help but think he would be eating peanut butter and fluff every single day. On a whim I tried a Lunchable this Summer. I always thought these things always looked so unappetizing. Luckily they have done some remodeling, and although you won't find me curled up around one, you will find my kid! Success! Now I can send him to school with a full lunch that I didn't even have to lift a finger to make in our busy mornings.

ENJOY!

FInally: ROOM IN MY OVEN

This makes me single handedly want to shout from the roof tops! I have been complaining about the lack of room in my oven when hosting big events. I know I can't be alone in this, as many of my friends/family have brought up the fact they can never cook or prepare things all at once. Well my friends, our prayers have been answered:


COOK AWAY! I bought this today at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, wondering if this would really save the day when it ONLY COSTS $14.99! Let me tell you--it is the best $15 I ever spent! (Plus I got to use my 20% off coupon!). If you are a cooker, and you love to host holidays or events, this is your calling! It also would make an AWESOME bridal shower gift! I sure wish I got it years ago!

Playtex Wins The Sippy Cup Fight

I am a sippy cup snob. How many times do you buy a new sippy cup and you get the let down of the plug coming out and the liquid inside pouring all over your favorite sofa, or kid for that matter. Yeah that has happened to me about 12,456 times, and then I learned not to buy the other brands.

My full disclosure is YES Playtex has sent me a FREE sippy cup, but they truth is they already earned my loyalty long before. Luckily all of there cups have a plug that is so secure and snug, it rarely comes out of place.

Playtex offered me The First Lil' Gripper Straw Trainer Cup to check out:

I thought this cup would be to young for Addison, but when I received it I realized it was perfect. She has been wanting a straw after ogling her brother using one. This gave me the option to give her a straw with a completely covered top that was leak proof. It also has the handles on the side which she loves and prefers. I also loved that it had a flip top that easily avoided getting dirty when inside a baby bag. I also adore on most of their cups, that they have the twist n' click tops to ensure the top is on completely.

I am sure this cup would have been great to transition off of a bottle to a cup. It also seems to be a great way to teach a child how to use a straw as it has a place for an adult to squeeze so that the the liquid will travel up the straw.

Besides giving this cup a big thumbs up, I also want to say these two are also on my favorites list:

This insulator cup keeps drinks so cold that ice is still present hours later:

And this cup is a HUGE MEGA PUFFY HEART LOVE. This is the Coolster cup that not only insulates like the one above but also looks like a coffee mug. I love this because my son who is almost five, can use it and not look like a two year old with a sippy cup.

I would like to thank Playtex for the generous gift, but really, I have to tell you, you had me a leak-proof.

Thanks Smuckers For The Date Night

Sometimes the bonus of blogging comes with a great price! This time it happened to be a FREE date night! I always wanted to see professional ice skating in person, and thankfully the people at Smuckers gave that to me! (not to mention a lucky reader).

We spent a date night consuming a Five Guys Burger, (which was outstanding), and going to see Smuckers Stars On Ice!

We also got to pay it forward! We gave a couple at the box office two free tickets since our friends couldn't make it. They walked away feeling confident that my husband wasn't a scary person, and that it wasn't a scam.

The show itself was good. I sort of wished I was watching more of the old timers, but over all it was entertaining. The couples skating was amazing. The other thing I got sick of were the corny group routines. There is a part of us that felt like we were watching a James Taylor concert. Pete I think actually fell asleep at one point. However, it didn't mean we didn't enjoy ourselves, or think it was amazing to see live. We also loved our Swedish Fish Italian Ice from Rita's!

We left with goodie bags from Smuckers. I tried there low sugar jam today on toast! I loved it, and when my samples run out, I will be purchasing a large jar!

We LOVE Smuckers & Ice Skating! Win Your Chance To See Them LIVE!

AND THE WINNER IS:

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YEY for comment #1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just when you think you are about to pull your hair out with whines of "I don't like this. I am not eating it. Make me a new meal", a purple box in the freezer always is an answer to your prayers. (Well at least mine anyway) Who ever made up the idea of the Uncrustables is a damn genius! I used to think it was ridiculous--I mean who doesn't have the time to make a peanutbutter & jelly sand which and cut of the crusts? Busy Moms that's who. Busy Moms that already tried three meals with a picky eater and is exhausted. So when you see me happily plate one of these bad boys to my kid my forehead should read:Smuckers saved a Mom.

I already had crazy love for Smuckers. I didn't need convincing on how great the brand is. So when I got an e-mail today offering up an amazing giveaway to local readers, and a fantastic opportunity for people that adore ice skating to get a little VIP treatment, I jumped at the chance.

The Smucker's Stars On Ice 25th Anniversary Tour is on the road again! Headlining this awesome event is the 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist Evan Lysacek! Smuckers is offering an exciting opportunity to "Be Evan's Guest". This includes a chance to be his VIP guest at the East Rutherford, NJ performance on April 2! Travel, accommodations, and VIP tickets to the performance is all included! AND IT GETS BETTER! You and a guest will also have dinner with Olympic star and receive a backstage tour! All you have to do is go to the Smuckers website and ENTER!

As for you local Connecticut or neighboring state, ice skating lovers, here is your chance to WIN a FAMILY 4-PK of tickets to the tours April 9, 7:30 event in Bridgeport, CT! All you have to do is leave a comment with either your favorite Smuckers product or your favorite ice skating star!!! The winner will be chosen at random on Thursday March 18th. Tweet or facebook this giveaway and get another entry! Entries close by noon on March 18th!

Good luck! And don't stress yourself out with your picky eaters tonight--grab a box of Uncrustables!

A review of the program will be featured on this blog as well in the near future!