Smellyann Strikes Again

Website Review: Vimbly.com

Do you live in New York City, or are you planning on visiting there soon? If so, you should definitely check out Vimbly.

What is Vimbly, you ask?

Simply put, it's like your personal online concierge to find whatever you could possibly want to do in the Big Apple. And after you make your plans, you can use Vimbly to book it, buy tickets, etc. too. Pretty great, right?

What interests you? What do you want to do? For what can you search?

Vimbly offers over 3,000 things to do in NYC in these categories and more:

• Mother's Day
• Adrenaline
• Creative
• Food Adventure
• Cooking
• Dance for Beginners
• Martial Arts
• Live Shows
• Editors' Picks

Aside from choosing the category, you can also search for things to do by zip code or general area of New York, day of the week, price range, and start time. You can also submit your email address to get alerts for new activities that will interest you. Pretty great, if you ask me - Hey Vimbly, how's about setting us up with a page for Miami, 'kay? Thanks. 'Preciate it.

So, future visitors and current travelers to New York City, are you going to check out Vimbly? Let me know! I'd love to hear how you plan to use the site.

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Disclosure: Vimbly compensated me for writing this post. However, as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are completely my own.

Fin.

Product Review: Cottonelle Clean Care Routine

Recently, Cottonelle and Crowdtap asked me to review and share the Cottonelle Clean Care Routine, which includes both the toilet paper and wipes, in ye olde fashioned restroom.

 That long-ago commercial where one woman says to another, "Sometimes I just don't feel fresh," came to mind when I received this opportunity. You know? Sometimes when you use the restroom and you feel like you need to hop right in the shower afterward? The Cottonelle Clean Care Routine helps with that!

In my package, I received a big ol' package of Cottonelle toilet paper to keep, and two four-packs to give away to friends.

I was also given a box of Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes to keep, and two more to share with the same peeps who received the toilet paper. Three of us were to test the Clean Care Routine. I don't know about you, but I don't often approach my friends and ask them to try out new bathroom hygiene products and then discuss it with me, but hey, it was funny. I'm always up for funny.

As for the toilet paper, it was strong and thick and did the trick. (Hey, I'm a poet...!) The toilet paper never ripped when I used it, which is important. I mean, have you ever been wiping after a particularly messy, um, trip to the bathroom, and your finger went right through the paper? Yuck. I hate that. But that, my friends, was never an issue when I used the Cottonelle TP. WIN. 

Plus, it was soft. See that puppy? He looks comfortable for a reason. I don't know about you, but there are certain brands of toilet paper I will NEVER buy, no matter how big the coupon and how good the sale, because my ladybits do not need to be rubbed with sand paper. You know what I'm talking about. Talk about CHAFING. Owie. Again, not an issue with Cottonelle. I'm a fan for life.

As for the wipes? Hello. SCORE. From now on, I plan to never be without them. No more need to jump into the shower after a particularly messy, uh... I'll leave the rest of that sentence to your imagination. Occasionally, I needed two wipes, but most of the time, one Cottonelle wipe did the trick to make me feel fresh and super-clean. They were soft and NEVER ripped. { The pop-up tub was pretty great, too, so I had no problems with getting one wipe at a time during that critical moment. }

From now on, the Cottonelle Clean Care Routine is my go-to choice for keeping fresh after using the restroom. Which reminds me, I'm out of wipes right now. ::whimper::

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Not a member of Crowdtap yet? Make sure you sign up, because not only is it fun and interesting, but the site connects you with top brands for great sampling, sharing, and yes, partying opportunities. And did I mention, it's fun??

Full Disclosure: Cottonelle and Crowdtap provided me with the products for this review, but I received no other compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are, as always, my own.

Missions Links From Smiley360

In the spirit of sharing, I have a few things to tell you guys about, from my current Smiley360 missions. (Smile.ly is kinda like BzzAgent, for those who know it.)

First, there's the Orajel survey. Take the survey for a chance to win a $200 gift card. I know I could use that! Woohoo!

 

Next up is Children's Mucinex, of which I received a sample in the mail to use for when my kids got sick. Only, they never got sick, so the movers packed it up in our shipment of household goods. Of course, right away, my kids got sick, and I don't have it! What's a mom to do? Well, like you, I can use this coupon here to get more. I hope it works!

Finally, we have Campbell's Slow Kettle style soups. I was given a sample (and have since bought more), coupons, and even a warm and fuzzy pair of socks to wear! Fun. If you'd like to try it, there is a $1-off printable coupon here. Let me know what flavor(s) you try, if you do! SO delish.

That's it for now, folks! Try, and tell me how you liked these!

Fin.

Party Time With PinyPon & Nenuco!

Disclaimer: I was provided with products from MommyParties, PinyPon and Nenuco to review, distribute to my party guests, and some for my kids to keep. No monetary exchange took place. As always, all opinions in this post are mine alone.

A week ago, we had an awesome party at our house with some friends to learn about PinyPon products! Have you ever heard of PinyPon? No? We hadn't either, but now we are huge fans!

Here are my kids waiting for their friends with all the fun PinyPon figures we were given. So colorful and cute!

Note: only my childrens' faces are shown in the pictures; the rest of the parents declined to let their kids' images be posted on the blahg.

When the rest of the kids showed up, I distributed the PinyPon figures to them (saving a few for friends who couldn't make the shindig, since we were given so many), and let them go at it! 

Even Jack, the only boy there, enjoyed his PinyPon! So, it's not just for girls, peeps! I thought he'd just stay inside and play with his LEGOs, but he stayed and played the entire time!

We were also given this supah-dupah cool PinyPon Caravan for extra fun, plus another to give away to one excited little girl! The folks at PinyPon really thought of everything with this toy, because it can be played with and modified in so many different ways. Even I have played with it when no one else was around - hee!

Of course, because it has wheels, Jack was especially interested in the caravan. Of course!

I interviewed my kiddos after the PinyPon portion of the party to see what they thought of their new toys, and this is what Sophia, Chloë & Jack had to say (sorry about the lack of video editing, but it won't let me upload the edited versions, grrr):

 

My battery cut off or something there, so ... not the greatest blahg vlahg, but it'll do, Pig.

Make sure you check out Pinypon.com for more product and where-to-buy information, lots of coupons, games, and videos. Also, PinyPon can be found on Facebook and Twitter, so check them out there as well!

{Note: If you were part of the party and I forgot to send you the link to enter for great prizes, send me a nudge for it! You could win a $100 gift card to Toys 'R Us! ;) }

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In addition to all the PinyPon fun, Mommyparties sent us two baby dolls from Nenuco: one to keep and one to give away to yet another ecstatic little girly!

Sophia has been wanting a baby doll of her own for ages now, so she was completely delighted to have this Nenuco doll for playing with her sister and her doll!

Check out more Nenuco products here! You can also check the site for where-to-buy information, as well as games, special promotions, and more!

Please also be sure to visit Nenuco on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks so much to PinyPon, Nenuco, and MommyParties for letting us host this wonderful party!

Fin.

Bzz, Bzz: SMARTFOOD Selects Snacks Product Review

I'm back again with yet another awesome campaign product from BzzAgent! This time, it's the munchies, namely, SMARTFOOD Selects all natural snacks. I received three products in my BzzKit to try:

 

The first was a small bag of Feta Herb Hummus Popped Chips. I (reluctantly, I might add) shared some with Hubs, and we both agreed they were delicious. He was mighty surprised to like them, since he is not a ginormous hummus fan, like I am. The bag was gone far too quickly! The chips were fresh, crispy and full flavor. I have been on the lookout for them ever since - especially since SMARTFOOD snacks are on sale at Rite Aid right now. My store down the road doesn't carry their products yet - wahhh! - but I've requested them!

(Sorry for the blurry picture, oops!)

The second bag out of the box was opened immediately after we finished the first. I meant to share these Garlic Tomato Basil Hummus Chips with Rob, too, but unfortunately for him, he left the room for a few minutes, and I wolfed them down before he could get a single one. Too bad for him; I know he would have loved these, too. Delish!!

Finally, we received this big bag of Cinnamon Brown Sugar Popcorn. I will say that Rob didn't like this as much, saying, "The only sweet popcorn should be caramel corn," but boo to him, because the kids and I snacked on this and loved it so much, I've since used the coupon provided in my kit - together with a Rite Aid store coupon in their Flu Shot booklet - at a different Rite Aid I happened to stop in and find this at, happily, (no popped chips there, either. Bummer.) to buy two more bags! We're almost done with those, too, so quickly have we gobbled these down.

So have you tried these delicious, all-natural snacks made with smart combinations of real herbs and spices yet? If so, what did you try and what did you think? If not, what are you waiting for?! Get yourself a bag or three and let me know what you like - or not - in the comments below.

The bottom line for Team Odette: YUM, bring on more SMARTFOOD Selects!!

Fin.

Bzz, Bzz: Glade Expressions Product Review

 Have you tried the (fairly new) line of Glade Expressions products yet? Well, as a BzzAgent, I have been given the opportunity to try them out and get the word out about what I think of them. I bought them in all four scents I found available (more on that in a sec) a couple of weeks ago, but it wasn't until last night that I finally got a chance to start trying them out.

I love, love, love apple-scented anything, so the first product I decided to open was the Glade Expressions Oil Diffuser Starter Kit in Fuju Apple & Cardamom Spice. It was a pretty simple set-up, with the holder and diffuser card included in the package, and the only thing that needed to be done was inserting the card into the holder:

The only problem we encountered was that the directions said you were supposed to press the diffuser card into the holder until it clicked, which neither Rob nor I were able to accomplish. No click. So it's just resting in there, unclicked, but it's still quite effective that way! The apple-scented oil was immediately wicked up and started filling our home with the most wonderful scent! Even our four litterboxes, always stinky, were no match for this little guy. And the design blends right into the décor, too, which in our house is minimal at the moment - but still! ;)

I didn't want competing scents going on, of course, so I opened the Fragrance Mist in the same scent next. It's so easy. You just squeeze the top and it sprays a mist in your chosen fragrance out into the house. I don't really need to use it much with the diffuser in play, but I do squeeze it anyway, every once in a while, for a little scent boost when I want to smell it even more! Seriously, these smell GREAT.

I'll probably try the Pineapple & Mangosteen next, since I love fruity scents, and then there on the left, you can see what the Fragrance Mist refill looks like, in Cotton & Italian Mandarin scent. That sounds good, too, doesn't it?!

The final scent currently available is Lavender & Juniper Berry, which I plan on trying last.  I can't wait to see if they all smell as delicious as the apple & cardamom one, not to mention work as well. Being a fan of Glade products, I feel confident they will perform to my expectations!

So let me now if you've tried these, or plan to try them anytime soon. If you're nearby to me, I might even gift you with a set of your own - just ask! ☺

The bottom line? I love these new Glade Expressions products!

Fin.

Neon Tiki Tribe Party!

Disclosure: In exchange for this review, I was provided with a party kit including the materials shown herein, by MommyParties and Neon Tiki Tribe. No monetary exchange took place. As always, all opinions are my own.

I'll explain that in a minute. But first, what's a party without some snacks? We started off with pizza bites:

Yes, the glasses were part of our kit. Everyone had fun wearing them!

We selected from purple, green, and gold glasses. It was like Mardi Gras in here!

Rob and I wore the t-shirts, since they were adult-sized, and it was just us for the party as everyone else called out with the latest bug to go 'round. We look adorable, I know. ;)

Now for the Neon Tiki Tribe, whose members include, from Left to Right: Mowah, the strongest; Tia, the smartest; Zeke, the leader; and, Dar, the fastest. Each of the four of us (Sophia was also out sick!) picked a character to be for the remainder of the party.

So. What IS the Neon Tiki Tribe? Tiki stands for Thoughtful, Intelligent, Kind Individual. It's a series of children's stories about issues relevant to kids with a moral involved in each story. Right now, there are three books available, and we received one for everybody, along with character posters:

The good guys, Neon Tiki Tribe members, battle the Evil Ku Tiki Tribe in each of the stories, so in addition to having a moral issue to discuss at the end of the story, good triumphs over bad each time. We received posters showing the bad guys, too:

 

 

First, we read Tiki Beach Battle! to introduce ourselves to the characters and the special powers each one gains when they put on their sunglasses. What's also cool about the books is that they use a Dyslexic-friendly font as well, since Dyslexia affects 1 in 10 kids. Pretty thoughtful!

We stopped to discuss the moral of the story over our shrimp cocktail. Hey, it went along with the beach theme of the story, so why not?

The kids clamoured for more, so we read Dog Rescue Mission! second, again taking turns. After that, I interviewed Rob and the kids about the characters, their powers, and the themes of the stories. We had fun seeing who could come up with the right answers the fastest!

Lastly, Chloë - our bookworm - read Bullies: Playground Push-Around to the rest of us by herself, while we followed along in our own books. We discussed the stories some more and related them to our own lives. After that, we called it a day!

If this sounds like something you could use in your own lives, schools, or other kid-related groups, head on over here to the Neon Tiki Tribe Store to see what books merchandise are available.

Enter Promo Code: Tiki300 to get 25% off your order!

Thanks to Neon Tiki Tribe and MommyParties for this fun and educational party experience for us. And yeah, I'm totally going to wear my glasses when I go out to the store tomorrow. Hee!

Fin.

Bzz, Bzzzzz: UNREAL™ candy UNJUNKED™

Disclaimer: I received a coupon for a free package of UNREAL™ candy, along with several Buy-One-Get-One pass-along coupons in exchange for sharing my thoughts on the product with anyone I felt like, so here I am. No monetary exchange has taken place. All opinions are, and will always be, my own.

If a picture says a thousand words,... well, okay, this one actually DOES say a few, but they kind of make you sit up and take notice, right? I mean, CANDY? With nothing artificial and no corn syrup or hydrogenated oils? Either I've gotta be joking, or it must taste, well, like crap, right?

WRONG.

Check out their website, where you can learn all sort of interesting information about UNREAL™ candy unjunked™, like, well, I'll let you read their story and the FAQ, if you want (you should!), but we all know what you're most interested in finding out, don't we?

HOW DOES IT TASTE?!!

Dudes. Let me take you through each of the five varieties of unjunked candy currently on the market, and let you decide:

#1: UNREAL8™ Chocolate Caramel Peanut Nougat Bar UNJUNKED™

 

(Oh. I should say that I totally used two of those BOGO coupons so I could buy all five varieties, which worked out perfectly for us, a family of five, to each try one kind.)

We let Daddy go first, because it was his birthday week. Here he is Vanna White-ing his selection of candy #1.  We all watched with anticipation as he opened the wrapper, took a bite, chewed, and ... gosh, he ate some, ya dig it? So what did he think of it?

Woohoo! He likes it, he really likes it! Which, you may not realize, is actually saying a lot, since he's kind of a food snob and tends toward a rather sophisticated palate. Score one big one for UNJUNKED™!

#2: UNREAL77™ Peanut Butter Cups UNJUNKED™

Now comes the real test, folks. I mean, who hasn't had a billion peanut butter cups already, and has an opinion formed about how they should taste?

As the oldest kid, we let Chloë go second, and of course she went straight for the PB cups. She's her mother's girl, after all. She dove in much faster than her father, thank goodness. (He likes to keep us in suspense.)

She didn't even finish her first bite before flashing me the two-thumbs-up signal. I'd say that's a pretty good argument for extreme deliciosity.

#3: UNREAL41™ Candy Coated Chocolates UNJUNKED™

I know what these are. You know what these are. Everybody loves the "real deal," so how does this version stack up?

Don't ask me why Jack got bypassed and Sophia, our youngest, got to go next. I'm sure there was a good reason, but heaven help me if I can remember now what it was! ANYway, she chose the, uh, candy-coated chocolates, being quite the fan of the "regular" sort, so what did she think of these?

Two more thumbs up. UNJUNKED™ is three for three! Not too shabby, eh? And people, we like to eat, okay? If something was yucky, I'd tell ya. So far, though, not yuck. Yum.

#4: UNREAL54™ Candy Coated Chocolates With Peanuts UNJUNKED™

Second verse, same as the first (because "fourth verse, same as the third" just doesn't quite have the same ring to it), except with peanuts this time. We all know and love this guy, too. 'Least I do. But it still wasn't my turn.

Jack got to pick the peanut, um-um-um's ;) and he took the task seriously. Very. See:

What the heck?! Two more very enthusiastic thumbs up? What is going on here? Mind you, I'm sitting behind the camera the whole time, patiently (cough) waiting for my turn, expecting at least one of these dern things to, well, suck! But thumbs were popping up all over the place, and I was quite the surprised one!

So now me, at last. Guys, I am a chocolate FIEND. An aficionado. A huge lovah, if you will. So what did I think of...

#5: UNREAL5™ Chocolate Caramel Nougat Bar UNJUNKED™

Darn. Nougat. I got stuck with the nougat one. I'll say I generally don't like nougat, because I don't know what the heck nougat is. Do you? I mean, c'mon, really, you can't find nougat in anything but certain candy bars that I don't like. So I was totes expecting to be the lone hold-out on the candy-train of love we had goin' on here.

At least I looked kinda cute holding my (ick) nougat (ick) bar. Time for a taste. My answer to the camera finally pointed my way?

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! I pulled a Chloë and shot those thumbs up before I even finished chewing and swallowing my first bite! For real, this stuff is GOOD.

So, I have a confession to make: I didn't share ANY of the pass-along BOGO coupons. No, I sure didn't. I went back to the store and used 'em a couple days later, and we had some more UNREAL™ candy. PIGS, we were. ARE, because if I had more of those coupons, I'd use those, too.

So, to recap this rather lengthy post about better-for-you treats, here's what there is:

... and here's what the five members of Team Odette thought of them:

So what about you? Have you UNJUNKED™ your candy yet? Will you try UNREAL™ candy now that I've told you how freakin' good it is? If you do, let me know, and which ones, 'cause I'm nosy like that. No, really, I want to know if you like it, too, or if we're a bunch of weird healthy-candy-lovin' mutants. 'Kay?

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Thanks to BzzAgent and UNREAL™ candy for the yummy yum yums!

Fin.

Product Review & Party: Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters

Disclaimer: We were provided with a huge party pack from MommyParties and Bobble Bots in order to have a giveaway party with our friends and write this review. No monetary compensation took place. All opinions are, and will always be, my own.

A long, long time ago (like, six months ago, no lie), we were sent this really awesome party pack from the sponsors mentioned above, but because of circumstances beyond our control, we weren't able to have the party until my birthday cook-out this past weekend. Better late than never, right?! And LOOK at everything we received: Four playsets worth $19.99 each (the Bizarre Bazaar Store, Gross-ery Store, Ice Scream Store, and Yukea Store), two Starter Sets worth $9.99 each (I'm not sure which two, honestly!), TEN individual Moshlings worth $5.99 each, and three spare packages of batteries for the Moshlings, which we didn't actually need AT the party and divvied up amongst the four families in attendance. WOW!! What a great pack.

(And yes, the awesomeness of said pack made me feel guilty for taking SO long to have the party! But I digress...)

Before long, our guests arrived, and it was time to start the Moshi Monster Bobble Bots battle for global domination!!! Er, um, I mean, split the kiddos into two teams and let them quite literally "go to town," setting up their designated Monstro Cities and be the first team to get all their Moshlings to go into both Stores. It was quite a scramble for victory, amidst cries of, "I need help opening this!" and "I want this one! I want that one!" Yup, we let 'em duke it out, just like that.

(Click collage to embiggerate.)

There was a great deal of running around, clamoring for parental attention to small pieces and parts that needed help being separated from their packaging, but it was fun times for all involved. NO TEARS, thankfully, as every family ended up getting a piece of the party to take home for later. But first, who won?!

Team A got their Monstro City set up and their Moshlings vibrating and bopping around from store to store, claiming victory about 20 minutes or so into the game. But wait! ...

.... At the same second, Team B declared their own victory over Moshi-land! Well, it was a good thing the prizes were the playthings themselves and dinner was ready at that moment, because I had to declare it a tie. And what kid likes a tie? None I've met. Hee. NO TEARS, people, that's the important thing to remember. They really, really liked the Moshi Monsters party, I say in my best Sally-Field-wins-an-Oscar voice!

But guess what else?! That's not the end! Oh, nooo...

There's a whole Moshi World online, here, where the Moshlings can be "adopted" and played with in educational games and activities, much like Webkinz World, for those of you familiar with that site. And, of course, it's FREE!

Here's what a couple of the parents had to say about Bobble Bots:

Saritah: "Moshi Monsters Bobble Bots were a lot of fun. The kiddos really enjoyed reconfiguring the setup with the litle decorations and having their moshlings run all over them. We had never heard of them before, but now my kids are all talking about who is going to collect more moshlings!"

Gotcha: "My three year old loves his Moshi Monster Bots.  We created an online account and he enjoyed choosing his monster and setting up its home. The games so far are too hard for him, but it gives us time to spend together and he enjoys tickling his monster. He has played nicely at the table with his Battle Bots Gross-ery store many times over the last couple days and is really enthralled with them. As expected the batteries have already started to fail from the heavy use, so we are grateful for the spares! 

"I did look for more Battle Bots at the store but only found collectible figurines of the Moshis which he did not seem as interested in, he likes the vibrating/running around aspect of the Battle Bots."

Alodeuri: "The kids enjoyed the Moshi Bots, they are a tad noisy and the small pieces have to be monitored because of the baby, but they did enjoy them. They mostly just focused on the little bots and not the town part. They have been playing with them."

As for me and mine, we haven't had a chance to set them up either in person or online yet, because we homeschool and have been busy with that (though all three of the other families do as well, so go, you guys!), but we definitely will! I'll be looking for more Moshlings in store and/or online as well, because I know they really enjoyed playing with them at our party!

Moshlings and their playsets can be found at Target, Toys 'R Us, online, and other fun retailers, so let me know if you check 'em out and what fun you've had, too!

☼

Thanks, MommyParties & Bobble Bots for the fun Moshi Monsters party!! We're sorry it took us so long - forgive us?

Fin.

Product Review: "What's In The Bible DVD"

I was selected for participation in this review and given the What's in the bible DVD as a member of The Homeschool Lounge Review Team. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

A little while back, we were given this DVD: Volume 1: In The Beginning / Genesis from the "What's in the Bible" series to review. It's taken us a while to watch the DVD because our machine broke, and then the laptop wouldn't read the disk properly. Argh! We finally had a chance to view the 60-minute DVD Monday night, after I figured out how to get it to play in the afore-mentioned laptop. At last!!

 

You may or may not be able to read that top-right corner, but it tells us that this series is from Phil Vischer, the creator of VeggieTales®, of which we are huge fans! Indeed, I recognized several voices from VT, so it was a little bit of familiarity embedded in something novel for us.

All three kids sat transfixed throughout the hour-long, two-part DVD, and they erupted into giggles many times in that time. Volume 1 covers the structure and purpose of "the world's most important book," along with who wrote it. Covered topics include Adam & Eve and Noah and the Great Flood, amongst others. A bonus short section,"Quacky's Questions," answers "What is kindness?" My children watched the entire DVD, and then we discussed it.

Jack, my 9-year-old son, was exhausted by the time it was over, so he (as is typical for him) claimed not to have enjoyed it or learned anything from it (though I know he did both) and went straight to bed when it was over. Well! That left the girls.

Sophia, seven, told me she learned that it's important to always try to be good and obey her mom and dad, and God, and not be bad. She learned what sins were, and she learned about Noah and the flood. She said she was glad that God promised not to flood the entire Earth again, and she also learned that God separated people and gave them different languages to speak so there would be less sinning in the world. (Hey, I'm just telling you what my baby said; take what you will from it.)

When asked if she learned anything additional, Chloë, 11, told me that she learned that the Bible is the most important book in the world. We've talked previously - earlier in the same day, even - about respecting The Good Book and not losing or mistreating it (or any other books, but especially this one), so it didn't surprise me that she had this to say.

Both of my daughters said they loved the DVD and thought it was really funny, especially when the characters spoke in silly voices. They were surprised to learn that we get to keep the DVD instead of "renting it back," as they say, and also that it was given to me for us to review. Chloë said, "I thought you bought it for us as a fun surprise! Can we get more of them?"

 

Indeed,  I think it's possible this will make a great set for Christmas, and I know they - and the like-minded amongst you out there - will be thrilled to receive it!

If you visit the site, you'll see there are some great **free** resources and activities to go along with the series, including coloring pages, Bible flashcards, a Study Guide, and more!  Let me know if you end up getting the set or any parts of it, and what you think, too!

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Thanks to The Homeschool Lounge review team and the series for providing us with this excellent jumping-off point for discussing all things Biblical!

Fin.

Product Review & Party Time: Hearts For Hearts Girls®!

Recently, we had a girls' party in the park, with six girls from three families, ranging in age from one to eleven. We were there to have fun with Hearts For Hearts Girls^® dolls, of which we'd been given two from the brand and from MommyParties!

The great thing about Hearts For Hearts dolls is that for every one purchased, a donation for needy girls in other countries is made! The dolls are all representative of different countries, so in addition to the fun of playing with some really awesome, well-made dolls, collecting them results in the ability to have a great cultural lesson between parents and children!

The first doll we were given was Dell, representing the USA. Like all Hearts For Hearts Girls^®, Dell stands 14" high and has a poseable, smooth vinyl body, and high-quality rooted hair for hours of doll play. Her eyes are a deep teal-blue, and her
gleaming hair is a true brunette brown. A sprinkle of freckles crosses her nose
and cheeks. Dell comes dressed in a summery floral top of corals and pinks, and frayed jean cut-offs of real denim.

Also, like all the HFHG dolls, Dell comes with plenty of accessories, including:

• Camouflage baseball cap
• Suede choker with enamel-like butterfly pendant
• Bright bangle bracelets
• Silvery flower dangle earrings
• Slip-on polka-dot distressed tennis shoes
• Doll-sized hair comb with hair elastic
• Girl-sized H4HG power bracelet
• Beautiful mini storybook about Dell’s life

Pretty cool, huh?

The second doll we were given was Consuelo, representing Mexico. Her hair is a waist-length fall of shining black and her eyes are deep brown with copper highlights. Consuelo comes dressed in a ruffled, lace-trimmed turquoise skirt and a
lime-green blouse with lively floral embroidery on the collar. Her accessories include:

• Silvery hoop earrings strung with bright beads
• Color-coordinated bangle bracelets
• Festive hot pink flower head band.
• Bright pink shoes with silky ribbon ties
• Doll-sized hair comb with hair elastic
• Girl-sized H4HG power bracelet
• Beautiful mini storybook about Consuelo’s life

The dolls are completely collectible, and every girl there couldn't wait to get their hands on them! We were technically supposed to give one away and keep one for ourselves, but my girls and I decided that each of the other two families, also each with two girls (an older child and a 1-year-old), should get to pick a doll. To be fair, I had them try to guess my secret number, and the one who came closest without going over got to choose first:

That honor went to Team RB, who chose Consuelo from Mexico. They opened her right up and checked her out. Later, their mama told me, "The doll is wonderful, easy to play with, dress and undress. The girls have been doing her hair, and she even fits clothing from another brand of dolls! We loved reading about her culture and even discussing how she is different and similar to us ... lots of questions about Mexico and Mexican heritage, even got to discuss my own mother being part-Mexican :)"

Sounds like a win!

That left the USA's Dell for Team SB. Miss G also opened her doll up right away and began exploring all the goodness that was contained within the box. (For my girls and everyone else who wanted one, we were given a whole bunch of extra HFHG bracelets to wear, and they loved that!) Miss G's mommy later told me, "G loves her doll! She slept with it the first night! The next day we did her hair together. G likes her cute clothes and the fact that she moves so easily."

Sounds like another winner - fantastic!

I'm so pleased that the dolls were such a huge success, and I'd love to hear if you get one, too. I know both of my girls are hoping to get one for Christmas, and I think they shall. I can't wait to go pick out which one for each of them!

**I can offer you the following code for $5 off your purchase, too: H4HAUG12, good through October 2012. Please let me know which one you choose, if you do!**

 And remember, in addition to the fun your girls can have with their Hearts For Hearts Girls^® in real life and online, as well as games and activities on the site, each one sold does a good deed for a needy girl in other countries. And I think that's great - so check 'em out!

Disclaimer: MommyParties.com and Hearts4HeartsGirls.com provided me with two dolls to keep and/or give away. No other compensation, monetary or otherwise, took place. As always, all opinions are and alway will be my own.

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GIVEAWAY & Product Review: Creativity For Kids Craft Kits

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winner, MamaP of Fostering Love. Enjoy your prizes, MamaP & Kids!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Creativity For Kids and bsmmedia.com, in which we were given three craft kits to use for this review. No monetary exchange has taken place. All opinions, as always, are 100% my own.

Wow! Like I've said, sometimes this blahgging thing has its perks, and this time we really enjoyed that. We received three kits from Creativity for Kids in the mail to review:

(1) the Deluxe Glitter Art Kit (MSRP: $29.99);

(2) the Mossy Meadows Gnome Garden kit (MSRP: $29.99); and,

(3) the Tile Art Necklaces kit (MSRP: $15.99)!

The first kit we broke into, per the kids' request, was the Deluxe Glitter Art kit. At first, it being on the 'girly' side, Jack had no interest and stayed in his room watching plane crash videos on YouTube on the laptop. So the girls and I dug in with the first of three separate activities within the kit:

(click on photos to embiggerate)

Sophia, Chloë and I each made our own trinket boxes. Everything was included in the kit that we needed, from glue to glitter and rhinestones to the boxes themselves, so there was never any need for me to get up and go get something that we didn't have. Well, except plenty of newspaper, since we were working on Chloë's bed!

I thought all the boxes were lovely, but since my girls declared mine "the best," here's my finished product! I used lots and lots of glitter, glitter pens, and glue to make my box, and here it is, over a week later, still intact after plenty of drying time. Isn't it so cute?! I gave it to Chloë, but now I'm wishing I'd have kept it as a memento of the fun time we had crafting together.

Having wandered in and discovered that, hey, this is actually pretty fun, Jack sat down and joined us for the second activity in the kit: decorating pre-glittered gift tags, which will be super fun to use for birthday and holiday presents! The only problem we ran into with this activity was keeping our four cats off our drying table! They kept hopping up and smushing our glitter glue. (We eventually got smart and kicked them out with the door shut, but that took an embarrassingly long time to figure out.)

Our finished tags: the kit came with 12, so we each got to decorate three. Pretty cool, huh? (There are ribbons to tie them to packages and what-not, but at this point they were still in the drying phase.)

 

The third activity in this first kit saw us making eight glittered and bejeweled cards, which came with envelopes. What fun it'll be for the kids to send out their thank you notes and other correspondence on note cards they decorated themselves!

Our finished cards - two for each of the four of us to make.

The kit comes with a detailed instruction sheet, as well as project ideas, so you'll never be at a loss for what to do with this Deluxe Glitter Art set!

The second kit, the Mossy Meadows Gnome Garden, has been the most anticipated project by the kids, especially Jack, since it's less girly than the other kits. Like all the Creativity for Kids kits, at least in my imagination, it comes with thorough instructions and wildly colorful depictions of what to do with it. The back of the box is cute, too, showing all the contents and even telling a little background of what's being made.

I insisted this kit be worked on outdoors, but unfortunately, the weather hasn't cooperated, and we haven't had a dry day in weeks to complete it. (Apologies to those suffering with a drought!) This is what I found when I first opened the box and pulled out the pieces: Lots of "stuff" to explore here!

Look at all this cool project material! The kids are absolutely chomping at the bit to get into it, and truth be told, so am I, because it looks so cute and fun. There are little ladybugs and wee gnomes and everything! Rain, rain, go away...

 

Finally, after several days, we gave up and got into the last kit, the tile necklaces. Just like the others, everything necessary came with the kit so that we had every last thing we needed to make our necklaces from start to finish. Even scissors and glue were included! I think that's really smart, because busy moms like me are often willing to do crafts with the kids, but we're pressed for time and often don't "want to get into it," when it comes to searching for and procuring all the necessary materials for a given project. Creativity For Kids is awesome, because it solves that problem - at a wide variety of price points for every budget.

As you can probably tell from all the pictures in this collage, this project was a bit more involved. Some parts were a little troublesome for the kids, each of whom was able to decorate three tiles, though the project technically only comes with ALL the materials for eight necklaces. I merely sat by at the ready with my handy-dandy camera and a helping hand where needed. It took several hours to finish - well, more if you count drying time - because it's geared for ages 8+, and it really means it, darn it! There were quite a lot of steps, but they enjoyed making the necklaces every step of the way.

How much did Jack like making these projects??

Yes, this was literally his answer to my asking that - no staging required! They had SO MUCH FUN.

Oh, you wanna see the finished necklaces? Okay, of course:

One of Sophie's findings came unglued while she was threading the cord, so it's re-drying now. She's keeping all of hers, natch. She is seven, after all.

Chloë was going to give two of hers away, but she's capricious like her mama and keeps flipper-flopping about that decision! The third needs a finding and cord still, too.

Jack's decided to give his three away for presents, and to help with that endeavor, the kit even came with three cute little gift packets! He's all excited now, to give his presents to some very nice ladies we know. :)

☼

So now that I've told you how awesome Creativity for Kids can be, how would you like a giveaway, hmm? Oh you would, would you? Well, one lucky reader of this blog is going to win not one, but TWO kits from Creativity for Kids!!! YAY! The winner will receive the Deluxe Glitter Art kit:

...along with yet another awesome kit that I didn't review:

the Beach Buddies Shell Crafts Mini Kit (MSRP: $5.99), which, I have to admit, makes me jealous, as a marine biologist! Ooh, pick me, pick me!

Contest Rules:

- The winner will be chosen from the Random Number Generator at 11:59 PM EST on September 1, 2012.

- ONE entry per person, please.

- To enter, you MUST leave a comment on THIS post telling me which Creativity for Kids kit intrigues you the most, who you will use it with or give it to... and your favorite colour.

- You may refer friends via Facebook, Twitter, your blog, etc., but there is still a limit of ONE entry per person.

Any questions? Let's begin! Good luck!!!

Fin.

Glad To Be Here!

Disclosure: I received products for review from Glad.com and BSMmedia.com as described below. All opinions are and will always be 100% mine.

For participting in the BlogHer conference in New York City this past weekend, I was given a Mom-Made Meal Kit from Glad to help prepare my family for eating in my absence. Sorry about the blurry picture above; we received a recipe for Mom-Made Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas, along with some of the ingredients: tortillas, Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce, and Ortega Diced Chiles.

And of course, I was given a package of Large, family-sized Glad FreezerWare containers for storing their meals while I was going to be away.

However, as is typical for us, I didn't have all the necessary ingredients on hand for the recipe, nor did I have the time to go shopping beforehand, so we impovised and used the Glad FreezerWare containers to make three boxes of macaroni and cheese, all different kinds for variety's sake (I mean, kinda, hello), instead.

Here's Rob (aka "Hubs") putting the first batch of mac & cheese into a Gladware container for freezing.

Makin' sure he gets every last drop of cheese, because this is the good stuff! ;)

After the first batch was made, Chloë (aka DD1, aged almost-11) put the container in the freezer for the duration. I don't have a picture of the 2nd variety being made and frozen, but Sophia (aka DD2, aged 7) got to put that one in the freezer, if it's important to you to know!

As for Batch Three? Well, two things came into play at that point: We were out of Glad FreezerWare containers, and our mouths were watering from the first two batches of mac & cheese. So we all dug in and ate that right up. Hey, ya gotta eat every day, right?

So how did the frozen macaroni and cheese fare in the Glad FreezerWare containers? Perfectly! There was a tight, secure seal on the lid, and the food within tasted as good as freshly-made M&C when reheated a day or two later. Or three; I forget.

Maybe we'll get around to that Enchilada recipe sooner or later, but one thing's for sure: Glad FreezerWare containers are sticking around this household for the long haul! And, well, so is the macaroni and cheese. Heh.

Fin.

Product Review: Depend Silhouette For Women Briefs - Oh Yes, I Did That!

Never let it be said that I'm not a little zany. Some may say "crazy," but I prefer zany.

Anyway, I got a three-pack of these for free a little while back, and since I occasionally, well, leak when I laugh and sneeze and generally really need to pee (yeah, so? I had four kids in 3½ years, dammit!), I figured I'd give these babies a go. I wear about a size 6, give or take a size depending on make and manufacturer, so I got the small/medium size.

Well, the first problem was, they were HUMONGOUS on me. HUGE. So if they made an XS, I'd try that and report back, but I don't think they do. I'm going to get my friend Jenny From the Block to try them out, too, and see how they work for her.

Anyway, so I got my big ol' bladder nice and full, pulled on a pair of these Silhouettes, sat down on the living room floor, and... yeah. I did it. I peed my pants. Totes on purpose. Sitting on my laminate-wooden living room floor.

And they leaked like CRAZY. Rob thinks they would've worked better if they fit better, and he may be right, but I think the liter-plus of wizzy I put in them was just entirely too much. No lie, I can hold more than a liter at a time. Believe me, I've measured it.

So I had a huge puddle to clean up, and weewee all over my lower half, to boot.

To sum it up: If you're going to try these, make sure that you go down a size than you would normally buy. Although I have it on good authority that the Tena brand is better. I have some of those, too. Should I let you know whether I concur?

Fin.

P.S. I thoroughly laughed my ass off while doing this. Yes, I had fun. And no, I didn't poop my pants. You've gotta draw the line somewhere, y'know.

Hey! That Works For Me!

As I mentioned previously, my pet tips "Works For Me Wednesday" post from several years ago was selected to be featured in this awesome new e-book, That Works For Me! How exciting! And now you have a chance to win a copy of that e-book from my little ol' bloggy here, Smellyann Strikes Again.

Check out this video to learn more about what's going to be in this book:

  

There's also another That Works For Me! contest going on, to win a $150 house cleaning, throughout the month of April. Submit a tip here for your entry to win!

Follow the e-book on Twitter for an extra entry, and for another extra entry, like them on Facebook!  Check 'em out and follow on Pinterest - you can add your blog posts with tips there, too!

Last but not least, if you don't win the giveaway copy of the e-book but would like a discount, here's your coupon code for $1 off the regular price of $9, making it $8 (but you could figure that out, right?): SAVE1. (Not sure when it expires, so don't wait!)

Giveaway ends April 18th at midnight EST! Just comment on this post about the e-book or whatever's on your mind, and don't forget about the contest they're running, too. Good luck!

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Coppertone Water MOM Here!

Disclosure: As a member of the Coppertone® Water MOMS group, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.

Guess what?! I've been accepted to this new product sampling and review opportunity for Coppertone sun care products, and I'm so excited to get my first sampling kit in a few weeks. Stay tuned for my review(s)!

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Keekoo.com - Join Now If You're A Mom OR About To Become One! :)

As you may have heard, keekoo.com has recently gone live with new member signups, and

Check it out - I'm excited to find out what's going to be offered! Aren't you?!

their amazing members‐only sales events will begin in mid‐March! Click my link above to get $10 credit when you join, and when the sales are live in March, you'll have access to up to 90% off on great deals for pregnant and new moms and their babies and children.

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Information About Eyecare & Contact Lenses: Zeiss

If you have vision-correction needs and would like more information about getting the most out of your next eyecare visit, please click here to find out more from Zeiss about the right questions to ask, what to expect, and how to get the best contact lenses to regain sharp vision. As someone who has worn glasses and/or contacts for the past 23 years, I found the information helpful and valuable, and I hope you will, too.

Some key points for Individualized Vision:

•  Every eye is just as unique as a fingerprint. More than any other sensory organ, our eyes allow us to experience and perceive our environment. Carl Zeiss Vision understands the importance of taking individuality into account when rendering consulting and diagnostic services to people who wear glasses and of course, when producing lenses for them.    

• ZEISS spent years developing cutting edge technology to improve the experience of eyeglass wearers with Zeiss Individual^®. It is the first progressive lens to integrate how your frames, face and prescription work together to create a one-of-a-kind lens that is precisely personalized for the wearer.

 

• i.Profiler^plus®  by ZEISS is a diagnostic tool that analyzes the performance of eyes to a level of detail far beyond traditional methods. These measurements are used to create a customized i.Scription^® lens that meets the unique vision needs of the individual more accurately than any previous technology. The result is sharper vision with better contrast and color perception.
• Lens performance is also influenced by the accuracy of fitting within the chosen frame and on one’s unique face. The i.Terminal^® by ZEISS measures such dimensions as pupillary distance, vision height of the eye, tilt of the eye glasses frame, distance between the eye and lens and the frame wrap to ensure that you receive the best possible visual experience from the ZEISS lenses.

 

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: In exchange for this post, I received a Target gift card and Zeiss lens cleaning kit. All opinions expressed are, and will always be, my own.

Fin.

Children's Advil - My Blog Spark - Coupon Link

Calling all parents!

Flu season may leave your child feeling feverish, so as the season heats up, don't get caught empty-handed and having to make that midnight run to the pharmacy.

Children's Advil^® is there to offer the relief you and your child can depend on! Children's Advil^® provides up to 8-hours of fever relief in just one dose, relieving fever faster and keeping it down longer to help kids get back to feeling like kids again.

Click here for an online coupon link for Children's Advil.

Dye-free Infants' Advil^® is available for children ages 6-23 months and Children's Advil^® is available for ages 2-11 in four great liquid suspension flavors including Grape, Blue Raspberry, Fruit and Dye-Free White Grape, as well as convenient Grape Chewables.

For more information, visit us at www.childrensadvil.com.

Note: I was provided this information for Children's Advil to share with you from MyBlogSpark. I did not receive any financial compensation, other than coupons to try the product.

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Oral-B Stages III & Oral-B Crest Pro-Health FOR ME - Brought To You By MommyParties!

Disclaimer: MommyParties and Oral-B/Crest provided this awesome party package to me in exchange for sharing it with you. No monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are, as always, my own.

I was lucky enough to be selected by MommyParties to hold this really cool party sponsored by Oral-B Stages III and Oral-B Crest Pro-Health FOR ME, and we held it last month. (Yes, I've been remiss about posting about it in a timely manner; sorry!) Look at all this great swag they sent me to give out to our party guests!

 

There were informational hand-outs for the parents, along with goody bags for the kids to take home all their, well, goodies!

 

It was really awesome of them to send me a DVD of Cars 2, for the kids to watch at the end of the party. We were given popcorn and popcorn boxes as well, for enjoying during the party. How cool is that?! There were Cars-themed Gummy Vitamins for the kids, and this packet of tips and trivia for healty teeth. I asked the kids (and their parents) some of the questions, and we had fun learning new facts about keeping our mouths in tip-top shape.

We received a dozen tubes of Crest Pro-Health FOR ME toothpaste, for the kiddos to add to their goody bags.

We also received Oral-B Pro-Health FOR ME Floss Picks for the 8+ crowd, along with Toy Story- and Disney Princesses-themed Flossers for the younger set. So fun!

They also gave us Oral-B Stages toothbrushes in Disney Princess themes for the 5-7-year-olds, along with Pro Health FOR ME toothbrushes for the 8+ children. We even received several full-sized bottles of Crest Pro Health FOR ME mouthwash for the kids to try!

 

My kids were SO excited for the party to start, and they couldn't believe everything that was sent to us! (Other parents opted not to have their children photographed.)

When the party started, I showed everyone their loot and asked them to show me what looked most exciting for them to try. This one, age 10, couldn't wait to try the mouthwash! (And she did, after brushing her teeth, right during the party. She said it tasted great!)

This 6-year-old wanted a Disney Princess toothbrush, and she, too, wanted to go brush her teeth right away! I gave everyone a box of toothpaste, so they each had their own. It was so funny how thrilling that was for each of them!

True to form, my son Jack, 8, went right for the Cars 2 movie and gummies! He couldn't wait to watch the movie!

Chloë shows off all of the goodies she quickly added to her bag, and then we all sat down to watch the movie and eat some popcorn.

In the end, this was a really fun opportunity, and I'm glad MommyParties and Oral-B & Crest chose me to host it. Thank you for the great party package! I hope to bring you more MommyParties again soon. ☺

Fin.