Life with the Boys Reviews

Christmas Advent and a contest contest closed

2010-12-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

The video below gives the details of our homemade Christmas Advent Calendar.

We cut the stockings out of pretty scrapbook paper using a stocking stencil, wrote selected activities on the back, put numbers on the front, and strung them up on a ribbon attached with mini clothespins. For a list of my suggested activities, email me at amiedanny@msn.com

Want to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer?

Sure you do! Please comment on this post and tell me your favorite holiday tradition. (Mine is visiting the LDS temple to look at the awesome Christmas lights and watch the showing of Luke II, then hit the QT for yummy hot chocolate on the way home.) Contest runs December 13, 2010 until December 25, 2010. Please leave a name and email so if you win I can contact you!

To enter, leave a comment

For a second entry, you can:

· Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

· Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

· Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

You have 9 chances to win! Check out the other reviewers’ creative videos by visiting the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page.

Visit the Official Pop-Tarts site

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Visit the Official Rules.

See what else we’re doing over on my main blog, Life with the Boys.

Gingerbread Pop-Tarts and a Contest contest closed

2010-12-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

I was asked to come up with something special using the limited edition Printed Fun Gingergbread Pop-Tarts from Kellogg’s.

Ginger is one of those finicky ingredients that only works with so many other flavors. Eggnog for one, but I am not a fan. Instead, I decided to mingle some hot and cold foods: ice cream topped with the crumbled Pop-Tarts and a steamy creamy cup of homemade cocoa.

These gingerbread Pop-Tarts have a little design printed on them, but you can’t see that too well once broken up.

What do you think?

Does it look like a yummy afternoon snack?

Or a holiday treat while gathered ‘round the campfire?

Everyone in the house found the combo of the gingerbread Pop-Tarts and the vanilla ice cream really tasty.

Priceless.

And the hot chocolate chaser kept us nice and warm on this really cold December day.

On to the good stuff!

Want to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer?

Sure you do! Please comment on this post and tell me your favorite holiday song. (Mine is “Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella” at present) Contest runs December 13, 2010 until December 25, 2010. Please leave a name and email so if you win I can contact you!

To enter, leave a comment

For a second entry, you can:

· Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

· Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

· Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

You have 9 chances to win! Check out the other reviewers’ recipes by visiting the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page.

Visit the Official Pop-Tarts site

Visit the Official Rules.

See what else we’re doing over on my main blog, Life with the Boys.

25 Days of Gratitude Thankful Jar with $100 contest contest closed

2010-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

We made a Thankful Countdown jar to help keep us in the Thankful spirit all month long.

We started out by following Valerie Lee's template that you can download here. It comes with directions on how to put this advent together. There are 26 Thankful-For themes as well as suggested activities for each theme.

We cut them out, rolled them up, tied them with ribbon, and put them in our Thankful Jar. November 1st we started pulling one out a day, talking about that day's Thankful subject, and then did the activity as suggested. It's a great reminder for the kids to be more thankful for every day things (and people!)

Check out the video we made!

Want to enter the contest for $100 Visa Gift card from BlogHer? Sure you do! Please comment on this post and tell me how you keep your family feeling thankful. This contest (in association with our Pumpkin Pie flavored Pop-Tarts post) runs November 11, 2010 until November 25, 2010. Please leave a name and email so if you win I can contact you!

We have had so much fun making and using our Thanksgiving Countdown. You should try it! You have 9 chances to win! Check out the other reviewers’ recipes by visiting the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page. And learn all about Pumpkin Pie flavored Pop-Tarts here.

To enter, leave a comment

For a second entry, you can:

· Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

· Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

· Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

Official rules can be seen here.

See what else we’re doing over on my main blog, Life with the Boys.

Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts and a contest contest closed

2010-11-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

We are having so much fun learning how to use our Pop-Tarts in creative ways. We again went with the dessert theme and decided to make S’mores using Pumpkin Pie flavored Pop-Tarts! Here’s what Ethan and I did to make our S’mores.

First, with mom’s help, we cut two Pop-Tarts in half.

Then put a big puffy marshmellow on two of the halves.

Have Mom microwave the marshmellows on top of the Pop-Tarts for 20-30 seconds.

Or until they get nice and puffy like this. (Watch out, the marshmellows and Pop-Tarts will be pretty warm!)

Next, slather some cream cheese on top of the two remaining halves of Pop-Tarts.

Then sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the cream cheese.

Here you can see what the Pop-Tarts look like with cream cheese and cinnamon on them.

Then smush the two halves together! (we later decided it was better to put cream cheese and cinnamon on both halves, then add and cook the marshmellow )

Doesn’t it look good?

Doncha want a bite?

“Don’t mind if I do!”

“It’s good, Mom!”

“Wanna share?”

(He didn’t.)

Want to enter the contest for $100 Visa Gift card from BlogHer? Sure you do! Please comment on this post and tell me your favorite holiday treat. Contest runs November 11, 2010 until November 25, 2010. Please leave a name and email so if you win I can contact you!

To enter, leave a comment

For a second entry, you can:

· Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

· Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

· Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

We had so much fun making S’mores with our Pop-Tarts. You should try it!You have 9 chances to win! Check out the other reviewers’ recipes by visiting the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page.

Official rules can be seen here.

See what else we’re doing over on my main blog, Life with the Boys.

$100 contest for your Halloween Traditions contest closed

2010-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts.

So...Halloween is here. I've kind of been dreading it all month.

I mean, sometimes, it just gets so expensive, especially with 3 kids.

The search for the perfect costume and whatever is needed to accessorize it...the pressure of trying to come up with the perfect yet clever costume as an adult...the bags and bags of candy for our church's annual Trunk-or-Treat party and then bags and bags more for Halloween night itself....and the hubby always wants to add something to our Halloween decor. These things add up!

Then, there's the existence of all that yummy tempting caloric candy in the house (I can't turn down a peanut butter cup...I just can't!), and the constant begging by the kids, the wrappers all over the place, the hyperactivity, the cavities...

I mean it's fun, and I enjoy it always, but it's work.

As far as costumes go, we go alternate costume buying every other year. I try to recycle and make our own as much as possible, but sometimes, ya just gotta put some money into it. Sean wants to be a vampire ("not a Twilight vampire mom, a real one"), Cameron wants to be a mummy (I'm envisioning toilet paper strewn around the house for days) [*EDIT, he's since corrected me--he wants to be a zombie! huh? how am I gonna pull that one off?*], and Ethan wants to be Black Spiderman, which I was able to find for $8 since it's not a really popular character any more. This will be a buying year for all of them I'm afraid.

One thing we love to do every Halloween, and I'm not sure how or why this started, but I love it: after the trick-or-treating is done, we stay up late and watch "Goonies." Something so classic and quotable about that movie! "Heeeeey youuuuuu guuuuuyyyyyys!" Love it.

Do you have any special Halloween traditions? Share them in the comments for your chance at $100 Visa Gift card sponsored by Blogher.

Enter 9 times by visiting the other reviews on the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page. Official rules can be seen here.

Please visit my main blog and say hello over on Life with the Boys.

$100 gift card contest -- Choc-o-Lantern Chocolate Frosted Chocolate Fudge flavored Pop-Tarts contest closed

2010-10-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts.

We always enjoy the opportunity to get creative with Pop-Tarts. Have you been shopping for these little delicacies lately? There are seriously so many flavors. I swear, just a few years ago, you could get strawberry, cherry, brown cinnamon sugar, and maybe blueberry, but since then, wow! All kinds of fun fruits and desserty flavors, chocolate and peanut butter and cookies and cream... (Is it still considered a breakfast food? I submit that yes, yes it is!)

We were able to have some fun with the new Choc-o-Lantern Chocolate Frosted Choc olate Fudge flavored Pop-Tarts. These are chocolate pastries with fudgy insides, frosted orange with small sprinkles of Halloween shapes on top. How fun is that?

We decided to make our very own pumpkin patch. Here are some pictures from our afternoon in the kitchen.

First, we cut out our Pop-Tarts into pumpkin shapes. We used a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter as a guide. Cameron very carefully cut out and sculpted the shape of the pumpkin, trimming when needed.

Then we made some chocolate frosting and piped it onto the pumpkins, making fun jack-o-lantern faces.

Then we made a home-made moist chocolate cake, frosted it, and put the jack-o-lanterns on top to make our pumpkin patch.

I'm giving away a $100 Visa gift card from Blogger! From the dates of Oct 18, 2010 to Oct 31, 2010 enter by commenting on this post and tell me: what is your favorite Pop-Tarts flavor? While you're at it, I'd love if you'd share your favorite unorthodox use of Pop-Tarts. Do you freeze them? Use them as pie crust? Make ice cream sandwiches out of them or dip them in chocolate? I'm always amazed at the recipes made out of these very versatile snacks.

Enter 9 times by visiting the other reviews on the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page. Official rules can be seen here.

Please visit my main blog and say hello over on Life with the Boys.

$150 contest - -making 7:30-8:30pm the magic hour and not the witching hour contest closed

2010-09-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and the makers of One A Day Multivitamins.

In the past, bedtime for three young boys has been something of a disaster. It went a little bit like this:

"Ok, it's a commercial, go brush your teeth!"

2 out of 3 kids go running off.

"Get your clothes out for tomorrow!"

1 might follow this one.

"Go potty one last time!"

("but Mom, I haven't finished brushing my teeth yet")

"Who brushed their teeth? You left the toothpaste out!"

("I haven't done mine yet")

"Where is your backpack?"

("Mom, I forgot I was supposed to have you fill this out and send in $5")

(crash)

"What was that?"

("I dropped all the cups when I went to get a drink of water.")

"Did you guys take showers tonight?"

("Can't I do it in the morning?")

"Whose toothbrush is still dry?"

(silence)

"Whose clothes are all over the floor?"

(silence)

"Why are you in the backyard???!"

"Shoot, the show's back on, let's finish at the next commercial..."

And so on and so on.

The first thing I learned these past few months, is for heavens sake, to shut the TV off. With kiddos' bed times at 8 and 8:30, there's just no way to get invested in a show and still get everything done that needs doing.

As soon as school got back into session in August, and bedtimes became more stringent, we started a new schedule that works really well.

We start at 7:30. The TV goes OFF. While child #1 takes his shower, I work with the younger two on brushing teeth, bathroom visits, last drinks of water, and then with remaining time, we read fun books out loud. This is also the time for getting clothes ready for the next day and putting backpacks in place (with snack if I remember).

The longer they take, the lesser time for fun reading. It's really up to them how they want to use their time. Once they're done, the three of us sit and read, sometimes for 5 minutes, sometimes for 20, but up until about 7:50.

With the younger two prepped and the oldest out of the shower, we all gather around for some scripture study and family prayer. This is a staple. If nothing else, we do this every night. Sometimes we read 10 verses, sometimes it's a chapter--whatever we're needing at the time, but we won't skip. We take turns each day saying the family prayer. We kiss, we hug, we say personal prayers, and kids #2 and #3 are done for the night. No excuses, stay in bed, 8:00 curfew.

Then Child #1 gets some reading time. Normally I'd let him read silently in his room, but he really likes reading together with Mom, and he's happened to pick a rather lengthy book at present that I prefer to edit slightly, so I'm reading out loud to him too. At 8:30, he too gets kissed and sent off to bed.

After 8:30, I can look around my house and see that backpacks are ready, kids are in bed with clothes ready for the next day, and I take a few minutes to otherwise clean up. I get the dishwasher started, maybe fold a load of laundry, and the Mommy day is complete.

In the past, that hour of bedtime prep has been done with a lot of yelling, reminding, scolding, whining, and otherwise going-to-bed-angry--from me and the kids. Having this routine and evening schedule, the kids know what is expected of them and things run smoothly. We stick as close to the routine as possible, and it's made going back to school time much smoother and effortless. When the kids wake in the morning, clothes and backpacks are ready and there's not too much to stress about, which makes the 6:30-7:30 am hour much nicer as well.

We all have more or less stressful times in our day, whether it be the dinner-prep hour or the immediate hour after school gets out, there are times when everything is happening at once, and all of a sudden the living room can look like the remains from a fallout shelter. We are creatures of habit, and as a rule, generally like knowing what to expect each day, know what is expected of us, and so on.

How do you plan your days? Some people use planner books or agendas, have big wall calendars or to-do lists. I've seen families use giant white boards to detail the hours of the day and what is expected when. One such tool that can help you keep organized and on track, especially during this busy back-to-school season, is the My Tree Tool from the makers of One A Day Multivitamins. The site helps you make goals and outline when you're going to accomplish them, be it daily, weekly, etc.

I used this to prioritize 3 things at the start of this Fall: Spirituality, Health, and Relationships. I can schedule and track how often we read our scriptures together, how many times a week we want to exercise together as a family outside, and set a plan to read to my kids every night. The tool offers some really insightful suggestions and ideas to implement your plans and goals. It may be just the thing you need to get life on track this season.

What do you use to keep your days and weeks on track? Answer in the comments for a chance at a $150 Visa gift card! Contest runs 9/21/10 through 10/21/10 and winner will be randomly chosen and contacted by email, so make sure you leave a valid way to contact you.

There are 5 chances to win plus a chance at a bonus $100 by checking out the Exclusive Offers page. :) Read official rules for more info.

Don't forget to check out my blog, Life with the Boys.

what matters more contest closed

2010-08-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Bayer One A Day Multivitamins.

With three active boys and a husband who is often gone on 24-48 hour shifts 2-3 times a week, there are many opportunities around here to get lost in the hustle and bustle of need to do, gotta do, wish I could do.

During any given week during this past school year we (big breath) had three scout meetings to attend, two basketball practices and two games, 3 afterschool activities (art, drama, and NEHS) and more. For them. For me, there was school and clinicals twice a week, church activities, and of course the regular house managing duties. I get a lot of help from Hubby, (when I ask, and when he's home) but for the most part, I am the driver, the shopper, the cleaner, the cook, the budgeter and more.

We all have busy lives. We all have to find that balance and learn to juggle, right? Find out what is most important, not be afraid to say 'no', and prioritize. I've been using Bayer's "What Matters to You" website (home of One A Day Women's Multivitamins) to plan my days and remember to keep the more important things at the top of my To Do list. Their "My Tree Matters" tool helps me manage the goals I have per week (or longer) while encouraging me to live a balanced and healthy life. I was able to break down my weeks into varying segments that I wanted to focus on: I chose creativity, relationships, and leisure, but I could have also chosen family, health, money, health, nutrition, and more.

This past year, certain things to me were critical for my personal well being and sanity. One was allowing myself a few minutes a day or hours a week to just sit and read for pleasure. Yes I was in school, and yes I had some pretty heavy subject matter. But there's something about just opening a book because you want to in order to escape Momhood and the constant pressures of Go Go GO. To just indulge in someone else's imaginary land and reboot, so to speak. Leisure time was paramount to me and my overall well-being.

Another thing I absolutely did not want to do without (and I think I only missed 2-3 times the whole year) was the opportunity to volunteer weekly at my children's school. Though technically not leisure time, (giving up a day of my week was a sacrifice!), there are many reasons I do this...1: I enjoy getting to know my kids' teachers. 2: I like them to know I'm an actively involved parent regarding their education. 3: I like to know what my kids are learning. 4: My kids love it. And 5: it's a great way to say thank you. Even though I'm doing it for them, I also do it for me. My children love it and I have fun with it, and it helps me slow down one day a week and better connect with my boys.

Having and acting on my priorities, including allowing for leisure time, made the busy busy year not so toxic. There were few (yes, I'll admit) meltdowns along the way, but finding a little bit of personal time to relax and a bit of a public way to give back helped me keep my world going, and helped me feel like I mattered to someone by being there for them.

For the $150 BlogHer giveaway, tell me what matters to you more? how do you prioritize your personal time? Yes, we all have our gotta do's and our need to do's, but what makes your list of just plain old wanna do's? Share your opinion here in the comments.

Contest runs 8/11/10 through 9/11/10.

Five more chances to win here, as well as one chance to win $100 from the exclusive offers page.

See here for official rules.

hey...those are mine! contest closed

2010-07-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Ritz.

So this summer is my first summer NOT doing home daycare or working in some form or another since...umm...since I was 16 maybe? Being that I have 3 active boys and I am in fact a student myself, the school year was busy and hectic and went a mile a minute. So I was so looking forward to this summer of just me and my boys. (and their dad) PS: I loved my daycare kids, but there's something about just having my very own kiddos and being on our very own schedule!

Lets start by saying I'm in the car easily 4-5 times a day. I take them to the weekly summer movies at the local theatre, I'm at the library 3+ days a week dropping off and picking up movies and books, I schlep 'em out to the water park 2+ days a week, I drive them to and from cubscout meetings, and sit on the sidelines during basketball. I'm at the grocery store, the bank, the gas station, etc etc etc! We are on the run constantly! When I do have a minute or two free, my favorite thing to do is take a breath, grab a snack, and read a book.

Running around town or hiding in my corner hanging out with the latest author, snacks on the go are a must. Ritz Crackerfuls filled crackers are portable and so easy to grab in a pinch. The 6 grams of whole grain in each serving make this a filling and healthier alternative to all the sugar snacks that seem to sneak their way into my cupboards.

These snacks get snuck OUT of my cupboards just as quickly!

To enter the $100 Visa gift card giveaway, tell me what you do when you have a few moments all to yourself. Do you hop online? Take a nap? Work on a hobby? Watch TV? Knit? Play the trombone? Garden? Tell me in the comments.

The contest runs July 9th-July 31st and there are sixteen other chances to win! Please check out the other bloggers' pages and contests here. Official rules can be read here. Read about Ritz Crackerfuls, and save $1.00 on Ritz Crackerfuls filled crackers by clicking here for your coupon.

Banana & Peanut Butter S'more-Wiches contest closed

2010-04-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Kellogg’s® Pop-Tarts® Toaster Pastries.

We were asked to come up with our own recipe using Pop-Tarts. I took some of my favorite flavors and decided to make S'more-Wiches out of them.

We took the S'mores variety of Pop-Tarts and layed them upside down.

We then added creamy peanut butter on top.

Then cut into 6 pieces each.

We sliced half a banana and put the slices on top of 6 squares of the peanut butter.

Then topped with the other Pop-Tarts.

I gave these to the kids for breakfast and was surprised that we all loved them! Even me. :) I'm not a big fan of banana being added to anything, but these were surprisingly delicious and creamy. We had not cooked the Pop-Tarts first, so the pastry was nice and soft, just how I like it. (Next time I make it, I'll try cooking them first. I think the warmness of the S'mores Pop-Tarts combined with the gooey-ness of the peanut butter is likely to be a winning combination!)

I think the dominant flavor was the peanut butter, which again, I really liked. But if you aren't as PB-crazy as I am, you could always cut the peanut butter way back or only put it on one side of the 'wich.

Try them! They're tasty!

To enter the giveaway for a $100 Visa gift card, comment on this entry and tell me what your kids usually eat for breakfast. Are you the type to cook something healthy and nutritious every morning? Do your kids get cold cereal? Are you breakfast-skippers? In my family alone I have one child who could do without breakfast, one who wants and asks for "porridge" every day, and one who'd be happy with cold cereal and, you guessed it, Pop-Tarts. Tell me the norm for your family.

Contest winner will be drawn on April 16th, so you only have 2 weeks to enter this one. Read and comment on other reviews here on the BlogHer.com special offers page. You have 9 other chances to win. Visit Kellogg's site for more information about Pop-Tarts and all the many varieties.

Official Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here: http://www.blogher.com/pop-tarts-sweepstakes-official-rules

Please visit my other blog, Life With The Boys.

It's Pop-Tart Love contest closed

2010-04-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Kellogg’s® Pop-Tarts® Toaster Pastries.

When I was first contacted about doing this review for Pop-Tarts, my first thought was about my middle son, Cameron.

He loves to create art of any kind, stick it in an envelope, tape it up (usually with masking tape--it is his adhesive of choice), and ask me to mail it to Grandma So-and-So.

One day he did just this, was busy in the kitchen with his supplies, etc, and eventually handed me a pretty thick envelope. It felt a little...off. Like it didn't feel like his usual mass of folded paper and creations.

I wavered a bit on whether I should open it or not, or just stick some stamps on it and send it on its way to Utah. But I did eventually decide I'd better find out just what he was sending USPS.

Ladies and gentleman, it was a package of Pop-Tarts. Folded up in a nice creation he had made on which he'd written on the bottom how he'd wanted to share his breakfast with her.

I laughed so hard.

I didn't send it, but I let his Grandma know that he had been generous in offering up his breakfast. And ever since then, I pat down Cameron's letters carefully before sticking postage on them.

Aren't Pop-Tarts great? Seriously the go-to quick breakfast in the morning. My kids actually like them unheated and eat them for breakfast, for treats, or just for something quick while on the go. The packaging makes them easy to take and go, and they come in a plethora of varieties. I don't know anyone who doesn't like a good package of Pop-Tarts in the morning.

We recently tried the new Strawberry Milkshake variety, something new from Kellogg's. My kids really liked the creamy strawberry insides (I had no doubt), and at one point when looking at our case of samples, my 10 year old sighed and said, "Ahh...Pop-Tart Love."

Indeed.

We were instructed to make the following fun recipe.

We cut the Strawberry Milkshake Pop-Tarts into fourths.

We then put ice cream on the non-frosted side.

Then topped with the other, sandwich-like.

We then dipped the "ice-cream sandwiches" into sprinkles.

And wrapped them in plastic wrap.

Froze them for about half an hour.

And later ate them for a fun dessert.

What's not to love?

Pop-Tarts: good.

Ice cream: good.

Sprinkles: good.

These Sprinkly Ice Cream Bites were a cute springy dessert.

To enter the giveaway for a $100 Visa gift card, comment on this entry and tell me what your kids usually eat for breakfast. Are you the type to cook something healthy and nutritious every morning? Do your kids get cold cereal? Are you breakfast-skippers? In my family alone I have one child who could do without breakfast, one who wants and asks for "porridge" every day, and one who'd be happy with cold cereal and, you guessed it, Pop-Tarts. Tell me the norm for your family.

Contest winner will be drawn on April 16th, so you only have 2 weeks to enter this one. Read and comment on other reviews here on the BlogHer.com special offers page. You have 9 other chances to win. Visit Kellogg's site for more information about Pop-Tarts and all the many varieties.

Official Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here: http://www.blogher.com/pop-tarts-sweepstakes-official-rules

Please visit my other blog, Life With The Boys.

let's talk laundry & enter the $100 Visa gift card contest contest closed

2010-03-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and OxiClean.

I don't know about you guys, but for me when it comes to laundry, I'm kind of a fix-it-and-forget-it kind of girl.

I set up my washer by setting the temperature and load size appropriately, I put in the required soap, and I go--and I assume my laundry detergent of choice will do it's job. After all, that is it's ONE JOB right? To take out dirt and stains and clean my clothes?

I rarely check my loads before hand for specific stains. I never pretreat. Honestly, I hardly ever even bleach because it's always an afterthought way too late. (Am I supposed to put it in while the washer is loading, or only after it is full and in it's agitation cycle? By then, I have moved on to other things, sister.)

And I have to admit, I'm kind of a laundry snob, and I'll tell you why this is. Because I want my clothes to come out clean with the least amount of effort for crying out loud. It makes me crazy when a product doesn't do what it is designed to do. So I've become a big fan of the orange bottle. You know the one I'm talking about. It's a name-brand, it's usually a little bit more pricey, but for my money, it just works and I can pretty much depend on it to do it's job.

Now on a side note, since I do have a child with extreme eczema, I have had to be a bit lenient, and sway from my tried-and-true brand. I now use a brand free and clear of all dyes, and my opinion is, it's OK. It doesn't knock my socks off, it doesn't clean as well, but it helps kiddo's skin, and I am way too lazy to wash his things separate from the rest of ours.

All of this to say that I've always wanted to try the Oxiclean detergents. The idea of one product making my whites so much whiter, cleaner, purer is awesome. However my thrifty self could not justify the extra cost, since Oxiclean is used in addition to your regular detergent, not in place of it.

So this week, I was able to use the Oxiclean Max Force Power Packs for this review for the first time! I was pretty excited about it--as excited as one can be about such a mundane task as laundry--and tried the tablets on several loads. (On a side note, the name Max Force Power Packs reminds me of Homer Simpson's super hero name...remember the episode when he was looking at the hair dryer when trying to come up with some moniker and settled on Max Power? *giggle*) The Oxiclean Max Force products are made with four types of stain-fighters to fill your laundry needs.

These laundry pouches come in biodegradable packets that disintegrate in the wash. They release active oxygen that find the stains and work with your favorite detergent to overall benefit your whites and brights. They can be used for all your colors and at any temperature.

I used the power pack in my whites, colors, and a load of towels. Everything came out looking pretty ship-shape. I like the subtle smell that accompanies the fresh loads, and there was no extra filminess or residue left on my clothes.

Also in my sample kit was the Oxiclean Max Force Gel Stick. Here we go with the extra work! The pretreating! As you know, I have 3 boys, and since I haven't been using my orange bottle, sure, some pretreating has been needed. My middle child is an artist and comes home invariably covered from head to toe in art supplies, glitter, markers, glue, not to mention lunch and or snack dribbled down his shirt. It's a miracle he has any clean clothes at all really.

So I definitely had articles of clothing on which to test out the gel stick. It has this kind of funky applicator that helps get the cleaning agent really deep down into the fibers of your clothes, where it sticks to the stain and breaks it apart, supposedly much more effectively than your regular detergent alone. You push down on the tube, and rub the gel into the stain--easy application and no muss, no fuss.

To test, I tried the gel stick on shirts with the following stains: maple syrup, hot cocoa, grease, and cream of chicken soup mingled with mashed potatoes. The gel stick ended up getting all the stains out except for the hot cocoa. I may try this repeatedly over the next week to continue trying to get out the stain. I ended up really liking this product; definitely something I'll continue to look for at the ol' market.

Are you an Oxiclean user and what do you think of it? Comment on this post between 9am on 3/9/10 and 5pm 3/31/10 to enter into a drawing for a $100 Visa Gift Card! Please leave a name and/or email so if you win, I can contact you.

To read other stories, see other pictures, and enter other sweepstakes (each for $100 folks!!) go look at the BlogHer.com special offers page. There are now 7 other chances to win, plus a grand prize $300 sweepstakes!

Check out the BlogHer.com rules page if you have any questions about how this contest will work.

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

And don't forget to check out my websites, Life with the Boys and Our P90X Journey.

V8 V-Fusion & $100 giveaway = great blend closed

2010-01-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

Contest is closed and the winner has been notified and responded. Thanks to all who entered!

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and V8.

Over the years there have been many successful and not so successful mixtures of two food products or flavors combined together to make one yummy one. Certain things just go together. Such as:

chocolate & peanut butter anything
broccoli & cheese
french fries & ranch dressing
ham & pineapple
meatloaf & ketchup

Is that last one only me? I apologize. Though in our house, ketchup is its own food group and has been seen accompanying such food items as french toast, mashed potatoes, grilled cheese sandwiches, and of course, fish sticks.

On the other hand, there are flavors that just do not work together. Such as:

orange juice & mint (don't believe me? go brush your teeth and then try to down a glass of OJ. *shudder*)
lime gelatin & bacon bits (I've seen it done...it ain't pretty)
chocolate ice cream & lemonade
and I know I'm in the minority here, but, potato salad & eggs (yuck Yuck YUCK)
anything with brussel sprouts--strike that, brussel sprouts are revolting all on their own

However the folks over at V8 have come up with a perfect vegetable and fruit blend in their V8 V-Fusion. We all know that child or spouse (or self) who has a hard time getting his daily allotment of vegetables. V8 V-Fusion combines the vegetables and fruits together giving a full serving of both in one glass.

I found the vegetable taste to be subtle, and secondary to the juice flavor, but it was definitely there. It reminds me of drinking V8's regular vegetable juice (which I love) but only at first, and then the fruit juices take over.

There are several flavor combos to try out including Passionfruit Tangerine, Cranberry Blackberry (my favorite), Strawberry Banana, Pomegranate Blueberry, and others. And for those who are watching their sugar intake, there are also several Light varieties.

My kids and hubby all really liked the juice--hubby said he liked knowing that it was healthy while still being tasty, and I like that the kids can get a full serving of veggies without even knowing it!

Want to try it? Go here to get a coupon for $1 off.

And I wish I'd seen this sooner--a site dedicated to recipes you can try using your V8 original or V8 V-Fusion! From chili to berry dip to smoothies recipes.

Please check out reviews from other BlogHer reviewers and enter their giveaways on the BlogHer.com special offers page.

To enter this contest for $100 Visa gift card, leave me a comment below and tell me what your favorite V8 V-Fusion variety is, or if you haven't tried it, which one you are most excited to try. Or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin 1/12/10 and will end 2/09/10. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here: official rules.

Please visit my blog at Life with the Boys.

Hershey's $100 giveaway winner!

2010-01-01T08:50:00.000-08:00

My winner was #40, Melinda.

Congrats!

Only brush the teeth you want to keep: $100 giveaway

2009-12-15T09:01:00.000-08:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Tom's of Maine.

Only one natural oral care company carries the ADA Seal of Acceptance for a children’s toothpaste, Tom’s of Maine Anticavity Children’s Silly Strawberry with Fluoride. And because we care as much as you do, we’ve never tested it on animals or added artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. It’s flavored with natural oils for a great strawberry taste they’ll love.

My dentist always said, "Only brush the teeth you want to keep." (shout out, Dr. Lamb!)

My family was asked to review Tom's of Maine Natural Care Toothpaste. This particular product of Tom's is an anticavity fluoride toothpaste for children--our flavor was called Silly Strawberry.

The lack of artificial colors in this product keeps it natural--you'll notice that it's actually an off-white paste even though it is strawberry flavored? The ingredient list on the box says this toothpaste is flavored with fruit extracts of strawberry, banana, and other natural flavors, as well as "carrageenan (Chondrus crispus) (seaweed)..." Eh? There's seaweed in the toothpaste? Maybe that's why it's 'silly'? Certainly natural!

I put together this little video of my two youngest kiddos trying out the new tube in a creative way. They are 7 & 5. And yes my house is always this loud.

For the sake of the review, I did try the toothpaste as well. It actually tastes like a strawberry/cherry combo and for that reason, I'd never be able to use it again. [I have a severe adversion to anything cherry flavored as it only reminds me of cough syrup I was forced to take as a child when sick. See what you've done to me Mom? I can never eat cherry-flavored candy, cough drops, mixed drinks, and now, I can't use Tom's of Maine Silly Strawberry flavored toothpaste.]

The kids liked it about as much as their regular toothpaste and I feel good knowing they're using a natural product without artificial colors or flavors.

Now the good stuff! To enter the $100 Visa gift card drawing, tell me how you get your kids to brush! Leave me a comment below or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. Contest will begin at 12/15/2009 and will end 1/15/2010. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here: Official rules

Be sure to check out other Tom's of Maine products and check out other reviewers' blogs and contests here on the BlogHer.com special offers page.

Please check out my blog at Life with the Boys.

spreading the holiday calories—uhh, I mean--cheer (now closed)

2009-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

(this contest is now closed)

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Hershey's

So, my mom is a baker. A fantastic baker. Every holiday there were always mounds and mounds of treats of all varieties. Christmas was always amazing with red & green candy cookies, coconut christmas tree cookies, wreath sugar cookies, fudge, wassail, and more. For each holiday during the school year, she’d make literally dozens and dozens of holiday-shaped sugar cookies that we would share with our classes in school. I could go on and on but I just gained 4 pounds thinking about her yummy treats.

All this to say that, baking is in my blood. My mom practically lived in the kitchen when we were growing up—partly due to the fact that we didn’t have a dishwasher—but mostly due to the fact that she cooked and baked and gave things away as charitable acts of service. Someone’s sick next door? Let’s take them over a casserole. So and so had a baby? Let’s take them some chocolate cake. Your friend had a bad day? Go take her these cookies.

I have to admit I’ve taken after her just a wee bit when it comes to giving away food. Since I too love to bake, but unfortunately am an eternal dieter, I often bake dozens of cookies just for fun, only to give them away to neighbors and friends so I don’t have to be tempted by them. I have a friend who is going thru a rough pregnancy and I’ve volunteered to take them a meal every single week if to help out just a little bit. I remember when an old friend had a horrific miscarriage—I showed up with some cinnamon rolls and said, “I don’t know what you’re going through, and I don’t know how I can help, but I can bake, so please, eat.”

One of my favorite ways to share treats, like many of you, is to make goodie plates during the holidays. Yes, Christmas—there, I said it. =) No political correctness on my blog! And like many of my neighbors, I like to come up with some special recipes, some tried and true, and some brand new what-do-you-think-of-these treats.

For this review I was given the opportunity to test out several of Hershey’s Kiss varieties. I baked and baked one Saturday afternoon, standing for approximately 4.5 hours (and yikes did my back hurt the next day!), taunting myself because I was on a liquid cleanse that week and couldn’t taste test what looked like master succulent creations. I had fun trying new things and make a humongous mess of my kitchen.

And forgive me, but I had my kids and hubby snap pictures of my journey along the way. I leave it to you to guess which shots were snapped by my hubby of eleven years. :)

I tried the recipes listed here on Hershey’s Kisses baking website. I made the Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, the Triple Chocolate Cookies, and the Peanut Butter Blossoms. I also made the Kisses Cocoa Cookies but those didn’t turn out right. (I now know precisely what happens when you accidentally add twice the amount of required butter to a cookie recipe.)

I used the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses for all these cookies—minus the ones that failed, I used the Hersheys Meltaway Kisses (which are oh-so-yummy)—and then shared them with friends, neighbors, and my kids’ friends. I’m still finding Hershey’s Kiss wrappers all over my house!

Anyway, it was interesting to see how people responded to the three different kinds. The Chocolate Thumbprints have a lot going on—chocolate cookie covered in peanuts and then a dollop of white icing and the Hershey’s Kiss on top. It gives a nice blend of sweet and salty. These were a favorite of some.

The Triple Chocolate variety consists of a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips inside and then a Hershey’s Kiss on top. Many said this cookie tasted like a brownie and it was the overall favorite. [It will in fact be the big Go To Cookie for the neighbors for Christmas this year]

My favorite was the Peanut Butter Blossoms as I am a huge sucker for anything peanut butter. The cool thing about these is they were made with sweetened condensed milk, which I do not bake with often. I love how soft the milk made this recipe. Several said there wasn’t enough peanut butter for these to be true peanut butter cookies—but the softness and consistency easily made these my favorite.

Ummm…yeah….there’s one of my hubby’s shots.

What’s your Go To Cookie for the holidays?

To enter the drawing for $100 Visa gift card from Hershey’s and BlogHer, comment or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin 12/4/09 9:00am and go until 12/31/09 11:59pm. It makes is much easier for me to contact winners if they include their email address in their entry. Please make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here.

You have 8 chances to win! Enter them all here at the BlogHer.com special offers page.

Check out many more recipes on the Hershey's Holiday website.

Please check out my website Life with the Boys.

Legos Giveaway Winner!

2009-12-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

My official winner was #53, Jana of TigWeb!

Congrats!

imaginations home grown (closed)

2009-11-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Duplo

I see them here

I see them there

I see those LEGO® bricks

everywhere.

Under couches

in the hall

beneath the table

near the wall.

Red, yellow

green and blue

LEGO®bricks come

in every hue.

600 LEGO® bricks

the box said

But at least half of those

are beneath my bed.

LEGO® bricks

seem to repleat

Mostly

underneath my feet!

I see them here

I see them there

I see those LEGO® bricks

everywhere.

I wrote this poem a year or so ago when my little guys were having issues cleaning up after their toys. Since then, we actually had to take all the toys out of my 7 year-old’s room because he was so bad about not putting things away. He’s slowly earned them all back, and things have gotten much better.

I was thinking though, how I wouldn’t have these itty bitty surprises underneath my feet as much if my kids just stuck to the larger LEGO® DUPLO® bricks. Have you seen these? They’re kind of the middle-man between the little LEGO® bricks and the larger meatier can-fit-one-in-the-palm-of-your-hand variety. My sweeties have been playing with this set this past week and have been having so much fun with them—and bonus, I haven’t found any little pieces beneath my couch!

I love catching them so deep and into their pretend play. Whether it’s the DUPLOs®, their trains, cars, or whatever, they get so wrapped up in their make-believe world and it does my heart good to see them using their creativity and imaginations. They usually get along better when they’re using their minds too. There’s something to be said about taking away all the bells and whistles and electronic items and just having good raw Imagination Play. In their made up world they are pilots and firefighters, presidents and artists. They scale 10 story buildings and shoot off into outerspace, drive big trucks and dig big holes. They fly and fall and become superheroes.

A couple of days ago, my 5 year old came up to me and said, “I know what I want to be when I grow up.” When I asked him about it, he said, “a creator.”

“A creator?” I asked. “What kind of creator?”

“Any kind…whatever I want,” he confidently answered.

And I thought, yes, yes you can.

Check out other bloggers' reviews and giveaways at BlogHer.com's special offers page.

To enter to win a $20 LEGO® DUPLO® gift card, leave me a comment below and tell me how you get creative and stimulate development in your kids. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) November 23, 2009 and will end 8:59 a.m. (PST) November 30, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here: Official rules

Please check out my webpage Life with the Boys.

cheer review winner!

2009-11-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

April Lewis of Polar Bear Burrow was my randomly chosen winner! Congrats!

(actually, she was the second pick...the first pick hadn't left an email address or a way to contact her, so she got the boot!)

febreze winner!

2009-10-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

The $100 Visa gift card and goodie basket from Febreze NOTICEABLES and Blogher was:

Kelsey Kim, of ohholykims

Congrats!!

cute and clean and perty and bright

2009-10-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Cheer

Twas the dawn of another busy Monday in my household. The kids were up, dressed, fed, and taken to school. I myself, was presentable, as I am the type that always gets ready and made-up – I’m just weird that way; plus I look 12 years old without mascara on and that just ain’t pretty – and I was ready to take on my house.

For Monday is my Cleaning Day. My recover-from-a-weekend-with-four-messy-males-in-it day. My let’s-set-everything-in-order-and-start-the-week-right day. My day to get my house neat and tidy and back to ship-shape.

I love Mondays. The cleanliness brightens up my life.

Well, I hate Mondays for the same reason.

But by about 10:30a.m. when I’ve swept, mopped, vacuumed, and done three loads of laundry, I feel better.

And here I was, beginning another Monday.

Wait. Scratch that. It was Tuesday. Or . . . wait . . . yeah, it was definitely Tuesday because we had gone camping all Labor Day weekend and I had Mount Washmore to tackle in my laundry room. Not only darks, lights, and whites, but towels, sleeping bags, and other camping paraphernalia.

Why is paraphernalia spelled with that ‘R’ there in the middle? Ever wondered that?

Anyway. I digress.

I love digressing.

It brightens up my life too.

So yes, it was indeed a Tuesday, but being that we’d been gone camping for the four preceeding days, I still had all my Monday chores to catch up on. And Mount Washmore was looming. I had a new bottle of Cheer to try out and I was going to put it to the test.

Boy was I ever going to put it to the test.

Because camping? With four boys? In the wild? Where we eat, sleep, play (and yes poop) in the woods? It gets dirty.

Oh so dirty.

This dirt is never more obvious and evident than it is upon our socks. Why is that? It’s not like we walk around camp without shoes on. Shoes go off when entering the tent but back on as soon as one leaves . . . so the whole reason as to why our white socks end up absolutely filthy is beyond me. And that does not brighten up my life.

So I popped open the Cheer, put in the allotted amount, and crossed my fingers. I purposefully did not use bleach because I wanted to see what the Cheer alone would do for my dingy whites.

I am sad to say, my whites came out just as dingy. Boo.

So in rewashing them in the next load, I used my Cheer and some bleach.

And my whites came out just as dingy.

MY GOSH WHAT HAVE WE BEEN CAMPING IN?? TOXIC WASTE?

I then used the Cheer on my colored laundry and towels – and everything came out shipshape. This particular load of white socks may be lost. They may have to be the martyrs of the camping experience, sacrificed to the Cause of Camping Chaos because I’ve tried pretty much everything and those white socks just are not working with me.

WORK WITH ME, SOCKS!

Ok, no worries. We all have more socks. And I can always buy more. (I love the feel of new socks. Don’t you? All snug and comfy, white and pristine. “Cute and clean and perty and bright!” 10 points if you can name that movie/play!) And then I walk outside in them to retrieve the newspaper and all is lost.

*forehead slap*

So now the fun part. I’ve told you some of the simple things that brighten my life – walking around in dingy socks not being one of them -- I’d love to hear what brightens your life and more specifically, how do you brighten the lives of others?

To enter for a bottle of detergent, leave me a comment below and tell me how you brighten the lives of others. Or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) October 5, 2009 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) November 5, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents, age 18 and older
Winners of the bottles of detergent will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here.

You have EIGHT chances to win! Go on over to other BlogHer reviewers and check out their giveaway posts as well.

Check out Cheer’s official site for more details on their products or try out their fun instant win game.

Please check out my main blog Life with the Boys.

3 boys, 2 toilets, and why I really really needed this air freshener. Really.

2009-09-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Febreze NOTICEables

Snakes and snails
and puppy dog tails
that’s what little boys are made of.

Boogers and snot
old socks full of rot
that’s what little boys are made of.

Stink and sweat
too bad to forget.

Belches and farts
and jokes about ‘parts’.

‘Nuff toe jam and dirt
to cause an alert.

Grime and grit,
a whole lot of spit.
That’s what little boys are made of.

And I have three of them.

Now granted, mine are 5, 7, and 10, and although on occasion they get a bit ripe, they’re not yet at the phase of needing deodorant, cologne, or dose of napalm in their rooms. However, due to their ages, their height, and their aim, their bathroom is . . . shall we say . . . not always the most fragrant room in the house.

Seriously, that room could be spotless and sweet smelling at 3p when I’ve cleaned it, but after they’ve used it, bathed, and brushed teeth, by 8p it’s full of spilled bathwater, smeared toothpaste, and other unfortunate happenings as such that befall the area around the toilet.

Maybe I should have the boys go back to sitting down to ‘go’, if you get my drift.

All this to say, when I was asked to review these Febreze NOTICEable plug in air fresheners, I jumped at the chance. I knew precisely where I’d put mine. As luck had it, I was given three with a variety of different scents to try, so I’ve actually been altering the flavors in the unit as well as moving them around the house as needed.

There are so many choices. And the draw about these is, two flavors are plugged into each unit.

See how it’s two bottles in one? They don’t mix – they aren’t going off at the same time. Here’s how it works.

You put your choice of Febreze NOTICEable into the unit.

Like so.

You set it on low or high. I actually set mine on low because I was worried about the scent overpowering such a small room. I have a teeny house. :)

Next, you plug it in.

And then over the course of the day, the unit will alternate the stimulation of either scent, with the idea that you don’t ‘get used to’ one scent or another. As it’s constantly switching, you constantly NOTICE the yummy smell. Get it?

This flavor is what I have going on in my boys’ bathroom right now. And I have to tell you, I am the biggest NON-fan of pumpkin that you’ll ever meet. But the two of these flavors off-setting each other . . . the berries and the pumpkin . . . very yummy smelling. (And don’t you love how each box has both flavors available for scratching and sniffing so you can get an idea of how they smell together? I know I do!)

During the day, you’ll notice the light change from one side of the plug-in to the other, and that just tells you that it’s alternating between the two scents. Kind of ingenious if you ask me. And my boys’ bathroom smells like the wild outdoors. Well, at least it doesn’t smell like someone’s gone wild indoors. :)

And now for a giveaway!

Febreze is giving away a $100 Visa card and a free Febreze gift basket to one lucky winner from my blog.

The contest will be open from Sept 28th until October 27th.

All you have to do is answer the following question: What is the most important thing you do to maintain a clean, fresh home?

You have 9 chances to win! Go check out other reviewers’ blogs here and enter their drawings for the shot at the $100 gift card.

Now for the legal stuff:

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me what is the most important thing you do to maintain a clean, fresh home - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at Monday, September 28, 2009 and will end Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Good luck!

(be sure to check out my blog Life with the Boys)

Friday--last day of the challenge

2009-08-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

My dear hubby is a Paramedic. And my dear hubby's paramedic shift starts at the lovely 6:00 a.m. A.M. as in in-the-freaking-butt-crack-of-dawn morning. My dear hubby works this early morning shift until the following morning at the same time--yes, 24 hour shifts. And my dear hubby, like most men, likes to eat. Which means when (and if) I pack lunch for dear hubby, I have to pack it for basically three meals. When (and if) I wake up early enough to pack his lunch, I send a variety of different things, some frozen burritos, hot pockets, taquitos, etc, perhaps some homemade sandwiches when (and if) I am awake enough to make them. 6:00 comes early y'know.

One thing that has been a life-saver with his lunches (the drinks at least) are the single-serve Crystal Light packets. They contain enough for two servings, about 16 ounces of refreshment. These are perfect for my picky husband who doesn't like water. (Who doesn't like water for crying out loud?) The available flavors have grown this last year, in that there are now a dozen or so choices to choose from. His favorite? Cherry and grape. Pretty boring, but it makes him happy. And it's a no brainer when (and if) I pack his lunch at the horrid hour of 5-something in the morning.

As for me, yesterday's water challenge went better. I noticed that if I pound down the water, taking several gulps at a time, I really get through more water more quickly (duh, Amie!). Not that that is a surprise, but Wednesday when I was just sipping all throughout the day, it really felt like I was constantly drinking yet never getting anywhere in my ounce-count. Does that make sense? By the end of my class yesterday I was half-way through my water, yet I didn't feel as if I'd been nursing my bottle the whole morning. And that was a bit more pleasant.

Today will mark the end of my week-long challenge. I've done pretty well--I hit my 8-10 glasses each day, exercised three times (last night was my third) and drank no pop the entire week. One thing I noticed is that water can cure a craving. I'm a munchy-type person. I snack out of boredom. Not necessarily out of hunger (though that is most certainly the case sometimes), but just out of needing something to do. I found that drinking my water constantly kept the hunger and boredom away.

I would like to say that my skin is clearer and I lost weight and I feel healthier and so on. However, I lost no weight, I have actually broken out a little bit around my mouth (why there?) and health-wise I feel about the same. But I also know that you can't become healthy overnight, or even over five nights. ;) It's a life-long thing.

It's good to know though, that the options are there for tasty, low-calorie drinks. And whether we use it to just replace 2 of our 8 glasses of water a day, or use them in popsicles, party drinks, snack-attacks or whatever, Crystal Light is a great option for a sweet drink without all the refined sugar of other flavored drinks. And the stuff tastes good too.

What more can you ask for? :)

Thursday

2009-08-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

So...I'm like an eternal dieter. Seriously.

I'm constantly worrying about fat, calories, sugar, carbs, or something. And I love fad diets. I'll be the first one to admit this horribly unhealthy truth about myself--a new pill? Sign me up. Nothing but cabbage soup for a week? I'm on board. Counting points? Counting carbs? Nothing but grapefruit? Cookies? Lemonade? Shakes in a can? Yes, yes, and yes. I'll try it. Anything to try something different.

One thing that has never changed is that I don't drink my calories.

And that's why one of my favorite drinks is a combination of cranberry apple Crystal Light and a 2 liter of diet lemon-lime soda in a large fancy glass punch bowl, served with a few lemon slices and sipped through a straw from a pretty glass. This is always great for holiday parties, baby showers, wedding showers, backyard BBQs, whatever. Tart, sweet (without the calories!), bubbly, refreshing, and delicious!

What combinations have you tried?

Yesterday's Day 3 of the challenge was a little bit hard. I was in and out all day, but I took my water with me. Still, by 6:00 at night, I was only half-way through my 8 glasses. Why is it so hard to consume water all day? I felt like I was constantly drinking from my bottles, but I guess I was only sipping all day, and that got me nowhere fast.

And, I hate to say it, but I'm getting a bit tired of water. That's where those 2 replacement Crystal Light glasses count and become quite the life savers.

What about you? Do you get tired of drinking water all day? Are you a sipper or a pounder? I can't really pound down the water unless it's room temperature. I'll be in class, away from home again for 6 hours during the day. I hope to do a bit better than Tuesday, yet I hate to have to leave class due to the Call of Nature.

Wish me luck.

wednesday

2009-08-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Like most moms out there, I try to make our snacktime healthy and delicious and full of nutritious ingredients that are going to satisfy and sustain my kiddos, not just amp them up and fill them full of sugar and then send them off to conquer and destroy everything in sight.

And being that I’m from Arizona and being that this Summer the hot hot ~~hell~~ weather that we experience got up to 117 degrees and furthermore being that we have 3 children age 10 and under and at the time had 3 daycare children also in our humble abode—being all that, we go through a lot of popsicles around here.

Sometimes, nothing else is going to quite do the trick like a nice frozen treat and more often than not, when we reach for a popsicle, it’s one of those sugary flavored ones with the cartoon characters on them—you know the ones, they come like 300 to a box for $4?

A great alternative to this, I’ve found, is making my own Crystal Light popsicles. (And yes I realize that Crystal Light actually has a line of popsicles available for purchase, but in a pinch, this works) I can make my own flavors from the variety of Crystal Light I have on hand, freeze them up, and within a few hours, voila, sugar-free popsicles that taste much much better than those cartoony doohickeys.

This is actually my preferred way to consume the Lemonade variety. Have you tried this?

Day two of the Water Challenge was definitely harder yesterday, for all the reasons I previously mentioned. I was away from home from 9 – 3 and drank approximately 5 ounces while I was out. I did take water to class (everyone had water bottles I happily noticed) but I was concerned that if I drank too much, I’d have that all-too-predictable effect of needing to run to the restroom every 20 minutes. Definitely a place I’ve been visiting more since starting this challenge I admit! But since my lab went approximately 3 hours, I didn’t want to risk it.

So, the rest of the day I was pushing myself to drink up. I did achieve my goal of 8 glasses and I even walked on the treadmill again because I was bored. (Hubby was away working on shift at the Incubus concert) Today should be easier because for the most part I will be home.

Did you hit your goal yesterday?

Tuesday

2009-08-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about Crystal Light is that it comes in so many flavors! They carry four different lines in which you can pick precisely what you need: Refreshment, Tea, Enhanced (with extra nutrients and antioxidants), and Sunrise (with caffeine if you need to jumpstart your day).

We generally stick to the Refreshment label. And the choices are: (big breath here) lemonade, pink lemonade, fruit punch, cranberry apple (my fave), iced tea, raspberry ice, pineapple orange, strawberry kiwi, and strawberry-orange-banana. We drink it usually with lunch and dinner and then my kids walk around with lovely red mustaches on their upper lips for the rest of the day.

I drink mine with a straw. :)

Yesterday when I started my Water Challenge, I have to tell you I had no problem getting in my 8-10 glasses of water. But I was home where it was very easy and convenient for me to grab, drink, and refill water bottles during the day.

Today, Tuesday, I start my college class and lab (Anatomy & Physiology II--pray that I'll have strength!) and I have a feeling that it will be a bit harder to consume my water because I'll be away from home for 6 hours. I'll have my water bottle of course, but who knows how convenient it will be to refill it during class. I don't necessarily care for the idea of sloshing up to the Science building with 3 water bottles in my backpack. (Do college students still carry backpacks? It's been a looooong time since I last was enrolled in school.)

**Speaking of water, as I type this, I just heard my 5 year old son (who is supposed to be taking a bath) yell "CANONBALL!" at the top of his lungs and then jump into the tub. This is my life.**

So far so good for the challenge. I drank 8.5 glasses of water yesterday and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes. How are you doing on your challenge? You can check out other BlogHer Water Challenge participants and their stories here.

Monday

2009-08-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

When I was asked to participate in the Crystal Light Water Way Challenge, I most enthusiastically said yes, for several reasons.

I love drinking Crystal Light--I have for years...ever since I was a teenager, in fact. It's sweet and tart and satisfying.

And of course I love that it is sugar-free! I am a big proponent of not drinking your calories (what a waste!) and so this has long-been a diet-friendly drink of choice for me.

In truth, about two months ago, my entire family made the move from calorie and sugar-filled drinks to Crystal Light. The effect? My kids didn't even notice the lack of calories. My husband likes it better than what we were drinking before. And I have the comfort of knowing I'm not pumping my kids full of sugar at every meal.

Of course Crystal Light should not replace good ol' H20. We are counseled by doctors across the globe to consume 8-10 glasses of water a day just to stay hydrated and replace the 8-10 we lose by way of sweating, breathing, and eliminating waste! However, 2 of your 8 glasses of water can be healthily replaced by Crystal Light and that's OK. Some, like my husband, have to have a flavored drink with a meal. If this is the case for you, simply drink your two glasses at lunch and dinner, and drink water the rest of the day. You'll feel better and healthier for staying so well hydrated.

Try joining the Crystal Light Water Challenge here!

I never say no to a challenge! (especially if it's going to make me healthier)

2009-08-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Monday's blog.

Tuesday's blog.

Wednesday's blog.

Thursday's blog.

Friday's Blog.

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and the Crystal Light Water Way Challenge.

I was asked to blog for a week on the benefits of adding Crystal Light to one's diet and challenging myself to drink more water. This is a great opportunity for me because Crystal Light is a staple in our house. I've drank (drunk?) it for years and recently my entire household made the switch from sugary flavored drinks on over to nearly calorie-free crystal light without even noticing. My hubby even takes the single serve packets along with water bottles to work--they are muy conveniento! *a little spanish lingo for you there*

So I checked out the website, joined the challenge, learned what I'm doing right (not consuming lots of caffeine and sugary drinks), what I'm doing wrong (definitely not drinking enough water) and set out for a week-long challenge.

My goals:

drink 8-10 glasses of water a day (2 can be replaced by Crystal Light)
drink no soda pop for one week (this isn't a biggie for me, but I will do it just to prove I can)
dust off my treadmill and use it thrice this week!

You too can join the challenge and conversation going on at BlogHer. Just join here! You'll need to create a blogher.com profile with just an email and a username. That's it.

I took the Crystal Light Water Way challenge on their website and learned a few things. If you'd like to check it out and perhaps join this challenge, take the Water Assessment and get your own widget for your blog by registering at the Water Way Challenge site. First, create a login at http://deliciouschange.glam.com/ and then go to http://deliciouschange.glam.com/water-wisdom-assessment/. The widget is located on the right hand side of the screen in a yellow box, and is called "Water Way Challenge Widget".

You can get one of these cuties to stick on your own blog as well.

For more information, please visit Crystal Light's main site.

I'll be updating this blog all week--please come back to follow along with me in my effort to be a bit healthier and hydrated!

Let's do this together! Let me know if you're up to the challenge yourself and count those water glasses this week. Feel free to leave your own updates in the comments or keep the widget tracker on your blog. Good luck!

and the winner of the Ritz $100 Visa Card is...

2009-08-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

Rita from wonderful-mornings arochel52@hotmail.com!

Thanks for entering and thank to Ritz and BlogHer for sponsoring this contest!

Ritz Crackerfuls $100 giveaway! contest closed

2009-07-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

**contest closed**

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Ritz Crackerfuls.

Like just about everybody, my kids need a good pick-me-up snack mid-afternoon. They were excited to try the new Ritz Crackerfuls.

They come in two flavors, cheddar cheese and four cheese varieties.

The snacks come individually wrapped, 6 per box, and are a good size. These are great for travel--it's very easy to just stick a few in my purse or backpack and head out for our activities.

2 out of 3 of my kids really liked the crackers--but kid #3 is really picky so his opinion rarely counts. ;)

This tastes like a hearty ritz cracker (yum!) with filling in the middle.

Now for the fun stuff!

To enter the contest for $100 gift card, tell me what time of day you find you need that certain pick-me-up snack. You can enter by commenting here or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) 07/21/09 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) 08/20/09. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US residents, aged 18 and over
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here: http://www.blogher.com/ritz-crackerfuls-official-sweepstakes-rules-0

Visit the official site for more information.

it’s pronounced “fa-yeh”

2009-04-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Several friends of mine and I were recently able to review Fage Greek Yogurt as sponsored by BlogHer and Fage (pronounce fa-yeh).

The draw about said yogurt is that it is 100% natural. As per Fage’s website, it has no added sweeteners, preservatives, or additives and is made from only raw milk, raw cream, and live active cultures—the watery whey has been removed. The milk and cream supply come from cows who have not been treated with rBGH. Fage’s yogurt is also suitable for diabetics, and non-gluten eaters.

My first impression upon receiving the yogurt was that the serving size of the flavored varieties was small—approximately 5.3 ounces. (the plain yogurt is 8 ounces worth) Each flavored container is actually two-in-one: the 5 ounces of plain yogurt, and then a little side plastic pocket if you will, of the flavoring. We were able to sample peach, honey, strawberry, and cherry in addition to the plain.

Plain—I’m not a big fan of plain yogurt, but I tried it and found it to be very thick, quite similar to a sour cream consistency and taste. It strikes me as something that would be great for baking as a substitute for other more caloric ingredients. But as far as just plain yogurt goes…ehh…I’m not sure what the hubbub is all about. Isn’t that like eating plain vanilla ice cream without anything in it? Or a sandwich with no insides? A taco without the filling? It’s just not for me.

Honey—I’ve never heard of nor tasted honey-flavored yogurt before, and I tell you what, I loved this. The combination of the thick yogurt with the sweet honey was so good. Only half our taste-testers liked it, however I liked it so much that I decided to use the rest of my plain yogurt with some of my personal honey (now that sounds like something used in a personals ad, doesn’t it?—“personal honey”?) and mix it up. Good stuff, and great idea, Fage!

Peach—This was good. Most of our tasters really liked this. It’s flavor was subtle; mine was actually a bit too subtle, which tells me I didn’t combine and dish out the portions very well to our testers, but I liked it.

Cherry—My least favorite. But I equate any and all cherry-related things to cough syrup so this one I could do without. The rest of my testers liked it, however, aside from one gal not liking chunks in her yogurt.

Strawberry—We all liked this. This was easily the house favorite and a flavor I’d likely purchase again for my family. Just sweet enough, not too many chunks (ha!), just enough flavor without the overkill. 4 stars.

Fage’s greek yogurt is a good alternative for the health-conscious or those under restricted diets. It’s a little high in calories compared to some other brands out there, so I wouldn’t necessarily call it a diet-friendly food, but give it a shot.

Get your own opportunity to win a case of this yogurt here!

how to monitor your use of plastic--it's fantastic!

2009-03-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is a paid review from BlogHer and Discover. =)

When I first was notified about the chance to review Discover Card's SpendAnalyzer program, my thought was, "But I only use my Discover Card for gas." It's true, for the most part, that is what our card is for. We have never been the type to ever carry an outstanding balance on our card. We pay it off every month without fail, and mostly only have it for emergencies. But I thought I'd try this new tool Discover Card offers on its site.

First of all, I am no stranger to the Discover Card website. I use it at least twice a month as I am setting up and balancing my budget to make sure I'm on the same page as far as purchases and payments go.

And because of this (honey, close your eyes), I have my credit card number memorized.

Is that not sooo dangerous?

(Eyes back open, honey) Sure sure I have it memorized and could probably use it at whim to purchase any number of things online or over the phone. From late night infomercials of that mineral make-up I really want to try to the latest fat busting acia diet (as seen on Oprah!), I could really do some damage. But, alas, I am a smart shopper, budget wise, and a saver, not so much a spender. Thank you Mom and Dad. Again, when it comes to this card, it's mostly just used at the gas pump.

However, when I pulled up the SpendAnalyzer and adjusted the options to include everything I'd used my card on the last year, I was surprised I actually did use it for quite a bit more than gas. The program can be set up to view either the past month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months, or just the past year. I saw immediately that the pie chart was distinctly divided between purchases under the categories of gasoline, merchandise/retail, travel/entertainment, automotive, education, home improvement, restaurants, and supermarkets.

I was reminded that oh yeah, we put our "Wicked" tickets on the card (and immediately paid them off--gotta love Discover Bonus Rewards!). And ahh yes, the almost a thousand bucks we put into our car went onto the card. Our school payments and books, some computer buys, a bit of home improvement when my hubby decided he wanted to build himself a shed (and it looks fabulous by the way), some eating out (using the aforementioned Discover Bonus Rewards of course!) and random things here and there in addition to about $3,000 worth of gas-o-line. Yikes.

I like how the bar graph shows your pattern of spending over the year--no surprise our bars are at the highest during the summer and around Christmas time--and how I can view my spending history with just a click of a button.

The SpendAnalyzer is a nifty little tool that can help you budget in the way of showing you what you've purchased with your card in the past, how much over a certain area of time, and in what categories. In that way it could help you plan for your future budgets as well.

And...it's gonna force you to be honest with your spouse if he ever sees it.

Thank heavens I bought that set of Ginsu knives with a check.

Check out other blogger's experience with this program here.

winner(s) revealed!

2009-02-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

Reading these 170 entries has really been quite entertaining for me this past week! I've learned from reading all your good-ideas-gone-wrong, that it's never a good idea to highlight your own hair, definitely stay away from home perms, and never try to wax your eyebrows yourself ever ever ever!

The random number generator spit out lucky #13 (you know I love 13s, having both my wedding and birthday on the 13ths!) and that is April!

Blogger April said...

Ok...my disaster has nothing to do with color, but it does have everything to do with hair! I do not share this with most people (until now) because it still brings back memories I would truly like to forget. Ok...here goes it! I wanted extensions...enough said...just kidding. My friend was a hairdresser and she had the extensions. These were the kind with wax on the ends, you just melt them into your hair with a sort of straightening iron thingy. Anyway, We got done with all the extensions. She said there were some areas that needed to be filled in and she would get more hair. Ok, first of all, my hair is not naturally straight but frizzy. This hair was straight as straight can be. Second of all, it hurt like all get up! Third, I LOOKED LIKE I HAD A MULLET! I remember my husband coming home from work, taking one good look at me and he looked liked he was going to die if he didn't laugh. So, I didn't want to hurt my friend's feelings because it took so long to do, and I really wasn't sure how to get these things out of my hair, so I left them in for a week. One week of pure h...!. It hurt so bad to sleep. Finally, I gave in (my friend still never had the rest of the extensions) and my husband (bless his heart) helped me get them out. He took my hair dryer and a fine toothed comb and heated my hair until the wax was warm enough to comb out. It really was the worst hair experience of my life! Unfortunately (or fortunately in my case) I did not get any pictures to prove that I really did have a mullet.

February 9, 2009 2:43 PM

This really was one of my favorite stories, so I'm glad April won!

My favorite was Dahlene's story, which she linked from her blog about homemade explosives. Because I liked hers so much, I'm going to give her a 2nd prize on my own, a $10 gift card to the restaurant of her choice!

Congrats April and Dahlene! And thanks for participating everybody!

Attention Chocoholics: M&M's Gift Basket Giveaway (CLOSED)

2009-02-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

I recently had my hair done by the great Kaylene (who seriously needs to get herself a computer. . . how do people survive without one these days?) and went a bit darker, a bit redder than I was the last time. I really like it, but as she mentioned, red hair is really hard to keep up. It just fades so fast. I look in the mirror and I feel all hip and in-the-now and full of moxie and though I don't even know what that word means, I'm sure it has something to do with being ultra modern and cool with flaming red hair to boot.

Have I ever detailed on my blog the time I went blonde? Err, I mean, tried to go blonde. I'm not talking about the highlights that I've had off and on over the years, I am talking blonde blonde like 3 yr old tow-head blonde, Paris Hilton blonde, blonde I've been living on a beach all summer long wearing nothing but a speedo and a smile. Oh wait, strike that from image from your mental warehouses.

It all stems from the fact that my loving, fully accepting, always supporting husband of 9 years (at the time--we've now been married almost 11 years) decided husbands of blonde wives have more fun. Well, no, he didn't word it that way, but it was all his idea. He wanted me to go true blonde, like Allison Mack (Chloe) in Smallville.

I mean, no pressure right? First of all, she's gorgeous (and I think is wearing leather in this picture, so she gets extra points from the male point of view right there) and second of all, she's pretty darn blonde. Afraid I'd look like an albino scarecrow if I tried this, but ready for a new adventure in hair color, I bought a box.

Yeah. . . that was my second mistake. I bought hair color at the good ol' supercenter {do not do this}, slathered the stuff all over my head {do not do this}, and watched the clock. In fear. {again I stress: do not do this!}

When the timer dinged, I carefully rinsed out the peroxide mix and quickly started styling. It didn't take long to figure out that this plan had gone horribly horribly awry.

First of all, on the top, my hair could only be described as being freaky comic book yellow. I mean, Pow! Smash! Bang! Batman character yellow. The ends were a nice buttery blonde. Probably livable. But in the middle heaven-help-Brittney-Spears it was a horrible splotchy orangey concoction. It was horrid. Scary. Humiliating.

Well, what does one do when suffering through a hair emergency? I cried of course. I put a hat on and sobbed to my husband that I had ruined my hair and it was all his fault and being that this was all done on a Friday afternoon, it was too late to find a store open to help me fix it or dye it back. I even called the 1-800 # on the box and their suggestion was: go somewhere and have it fixed professionally!

I did some quick calling around and found a lovely salon nearby that was able to help me during my Disaster Of The Tresses and fix it. I'm pretty sure I was the cause of much giggling behind magazines that afternoon as I came in and meekly took off my hat and said, "Yup, I am she who hath ruined her hair. Please fix me."

Ladies, please leave the bleaching and the dying to the professionals. They ain't joking when they say: Don't try this at home.

In the end, my hubby was sorry that he'd asked me to turn into someone I am not. He was graciously OK with our forking out $87 that day to make me presentable. And he's never offered a hair-related opinion since. I told him I'd find some leather outfits a la Chloe to make up for it.

Ah well, you try something new...sometimes it works, sometimes it costs you $87.

I was recently asked by M&M's to try their new M&M's brand Premiums. Being that I'd just gotten off my cabbage soup diet for one week, I was more than a little happy to get my hands on these bite-sized tidbits of joy.

I love my job. I kid you not, I said this outloud when Mr. Fed-Ex delivered this box of chocolatey goodness into my hands.

Summary of the 5 flavors they had me taste-test (and I promise you I did not eat each and every one of these four-servings-per-box containers. I didn't. I really really didn't. Honest. I shared.):

Raspberry Almond: because these are wrapped in dark chocolate, they are naturally high on my list. They're good--just the right amount of raspberry in that it's not overpowering--you can still taste the chocolate, and there's a good sized almond in there too. They're so good that I had to give the remaining half a box to my neighbor once I got started and couldn't stop.

Chocolate almond: I actually expected to like these the best--however, after just a few bites, I personally felt (and a few others agreed with me) that the almond bite is pretty overwhelming and you don't get enough chocolate. Plus, you get thirsty real fast...not so much after scarfing down half a box of the raspberry ones for some reason. Maybe the dark/milk chocolate difference has something to do with that.

Triple Chocolate: These actually ended up being my favorite. I can plow through these like nobody's business. Though taste testers agreed we couldn't taste the three different chocolates, this flavor is still really good. And you don't get thirsty as fast so you can eat more. ;)

Mocha: I'll admit that I only tasted one of these, decided it tasted too much like coffee (which I don't drink or like the smell or taste of) and gave away the entire box to my son's teacher. She said they were good. Having a happy 1st grade teacher is always a good thing, so my job there was done.

Somehow, I didn't get pictures of the mint ones, but again, I didn't even taste them. I am not a fan of mint and chocolate together, but I have plenty of friends who are. Bad news: they did not care for the mint flavored Premiums. Too minty, too overpowering, reminiscent of a junior mint, but not as good. None of my friends said they would buy these if given the choice.

The pros: The packaging--very cool and fancy looking, and I love the actual design of the Premiums M&Ms:

You can see they almost have a metallic sheen to them--very neat design. And they're much larger than regular M&M's, a bit bigger than the peanut variety even. Also on the pro side, the different fancy flavors and colors. These would be great for baby or wedding showers, in fancy glass bowls and decanters.

The cons: Almost everyone who tastes these said they missed the trademark hard candy coating that regular M&M's have. These are much softer candies. Due to their size and fancy nature, they will obviously be more expensive than their M&M ancestors, and sadly, most people admitted that they wouldn't purposefully buy these unless for a fancy party or something. 9 our of 10 surveyed preferred original M&M's.

I applaud M&M's for trying something fun and different!

So what new things have you tried that did (or didn't) work out the way you wanted? What adventures have you taken, what spontaneous moves have you made, what stylistic choices have you purposefully selected only to have them either not quite work out as you had intended or end up a total success despite your trepidation?

M&Ms is sponsoring the following contest: All you fun, spontaneous, adventurous, and confident women out there, leave me a brief story in the comments of this post, detailing a hairbrained idea gone wrong. Or right! The crazier the better--anything to get the focus off of me and my tri-colored mop top.

Your prize will be an M&M sponsored gift basket full of all kinds of nifty neato presents including:

The prize pack:

1 carton of M&M'S® Premiums Raspberry Almond
1 carton of M&M'S® Premiums Chocolate Almond
1 carton of M&M'S® Premiums Mocha
1 carton of M&M'S® Premiums Triple Chocolate
4 M&M'S® Brand Martini Glasses
1 pack of M&M'S® Premiums Wine Charms

To enter, leave me a comment below and share your story - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 12:00 a.m. (PST) on Monday, February 9th, and will end Sunday, February 15th at 11:59 p.m (PST). Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct. (And your e-mail address will remain private.)

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
See the official rules for details.

Please check out other BlogHer M&M's reviews here. Go here for official rules to this contest. And, you can learn about M&M's Premiums on their web page.

I'd love you to drop by my main blog at Life with the Boys. Stop by and say hi. We can talk chocolate, boys, and scrapbooking. I consider myself an expert at all three. Or not.

PS: this doesn't have to be about hair! Although I am enjoying all your hair emergencies!

Life with the Boys Reviews

Christmas Advent and a contest *contest closed*

Gingerbread Pop-Tarts and a Contest *contest closed*

25 Days of Gratitude Thankful Jar with $100 contest *contest closed*

Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts and a contest *contest closed*

$100 contest for your Halloween Traditions *contest closed*

$100 gift card contest -- Choc-o-Lantern Chocolate Frosted Chocolate Fudge flavored Pop-Tarts *contest closed*

$150 contest - -making 7:30-8:30pm the magic hour and not the witching hour **contest closed**

what matters more *contest closed*

hey...those are mine! *contest closed*

Banana & Peanut Butter S'more-Wiches *contest closed*

It's Pop-Tart Love *contest closed*

let's talk laundry & enter the $100 Visa gift card contest *contest closed*

V8 V-Fusion & $100 giveaway = great blend *closed*

Hershey's $100 giveaway winner!

Only brush the teeth you want to keep: $100 giveaway

spreading the holiday calories—uhh, I mean--cheer (now closed)

Legos Giveaway Winner!

imaginations home grown (closed)

cheer review winner!

febreze winner!

cute and clean and perty and bright

3 boys, 2 toilets, and why I really really needed this air freshener. Really.

Friday--last day of the challenge

Thursday

wednesday

Tuesday

Monday

I never say no to a challenge! (especially if it's going to make me healthier)

and the winner of the Ritz $100 Visa Card is...

Ritz Crackerfuls $100 giveaway! **contest closed**

it’s pronounced “fa-yeh”

how to monitor your use of plastic--it's fantastic!

winner(s) revealed!

Attention Chocoholics: M&M's Gift Basket Giveaway (CLOSED)

Christmas Advent and a contest contest closed

Gingerbread Pop-Tarts and a Contest contest closed

25 Days of Gratitude Thankful Jar with $100 contest contest closed

Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts and a contest contest closed

$100 contest for your Halloween Traditions contest closed

$100 gift card contest -- Choc-o-Lantern Chocolate Frosted Chocolate Fudge flavored Pop-Tarts contest closed

$150 contest - -making 7:30-8:30pm the magic hour and not the witching hour contest closed

what matters more contest closed

hey...those are mine! contest closed

Banana & Peanut Butter S'more-Wiches contest closed

It's Pop-Tart Love contest closed

let's talk laundry & enter the $100 Visa gift card contest contest closed

V8 V-Fusion & $100 giveaway = great blend closed

Ritz Crackerfuls $100 giveaway! contest closed