Diapers.com

If you haven’t been to Diapers.com recently, or EVER, you’re really missing out.  Because it’s SO much more than diapers, it will totally BLOW YOUR MIND.  They’ve got toys, clothes, feeding essentials, baby safety gear, nursing gear, stuff for potty training…and did I mention the CLOTHES?  Because they carry Kee-Ka & Tea Collection, which are retailers that produce some of the most ADORABLE baby clothes.

Really, it’s true.  Go see for yourself.

If you’re new to Diapers.com and you register on the site with this code, MEGH0015, you’ll get $10 off of your first order of $49.00 or more!  AND, with every $49.00 purchase, you receive FREE two day shipping!

But, it gets better!  Because the wonderful people at Diapers.com have given me some items to giveaway!  One lucky winner will receive: a toddler silverware set, a duck bath temperature gauge, a Green to Grow BPA FREE bottle, a cord shortener, and an oven front lock!

Even if you’re not in the market for baby items, surely you know someone having a baby.  Diapers.com is a great way to shop for baby shower gifts.  Believe me, as someone with two kids under my belt (figuratively speaking, of course) getting a pack (or ten!) of diapers and some other essentials is the BEST baby shower gift EVER!

To enter the Giveaway, simply visit Diapers.com and look around.  Come back here and leave a comment letting us know what you saw that you liked!  Easy, right?

The contest will close on Friday, November 7th at 12pm.  I will email the winner, and they will have three days to send me their shipping information before I choose another winner!

And don’t forget to check out our other giveaway, My Baby A to Z DVD.  And be sure to visit the Bloggy Giveaways for a thousand (literally) other items to win!

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Bella Sara

When I first received the Bella Sara cards from Team Mom to review I was mystified.  I mean, I have two BOYS who are 3 1/2 AND 1.  They’re CLEARLY not the target demographic.  But then we started playing with the site and Dylan and I were instantly hooked.  So, I’d like to take this opportunity to admit to you all that I’m a TOTAL and COMPLETE dork.

Which isn’t saying that Bella Sara is for dorks, but it IS marketed to YOUNG girls.  Meaning, like, Tweens.  You know, the type who TOTALLY, OH MY GAWD, LOOOOOVE the Jonas Brothers and the High School Musical series.  Which, I have to say, I know nothing about.

If you’re sitting there wondering what in the heck I’m talking about, let me explain.  Bella Sara is a magical online world, called North of North, where you can spend time frolicking with your horses.  Where do you get these horses, you ask?  They’re kind of the female tween version of baseball cards.  And they’re available at any number of retailers, including Kmart, Borders, Tors “R” Us, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble and Blockbuster.  And the best part is that they’re only $2.99 a pack.  And a pack contains SEVEN horses.

Once you’ve purchased your pack(s), you go online and register.  Then, you can enter your codes (each horse has a specific code) and start playing with your horses.  Dylan thoroughly enjoyed cleaning out the horse stalls, giving them water, brushing them and feeding them.  There are also a bunch of games you can play that are located throughout the magical Bella Sara world.

The best part is that there are babies being born soon!  Who doesn’t love a baby horse?!  And, in celebration, they’re having a Birthday Party!  Beginning on November 6th, a 10 day celebration begins!  There will be a contest, and winners from different age groups will win Bella Birthday packages consisting of decorations and special goody bags, as well as full sets of Bella Sara merchandise and accessories!

So, I realize that I’m (almost) 30 and that my actual enjoyment of this website makes me a dork, but I’m not afraid to admit it.  And I GUARANTEE you, if there’s a 7 to 13(ish) year old in your life who likes animals and has a great imagination, they will TOTALLY love the Bella Sara cards & online world.

I give Bella Sara a Rating:   And I’m not that embarassed about it.

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Country Bob’s Steak Sauce

Heather Says:

So, I hate to cook. Well, it’s not that I hate it. It’s just that I am not good at planning meals, I don’t have a lot of patience, and until five days ago, I didn’t have the time or energy to make dinner. And now that I have the time…who am I kidding?! I hate to cook!

Luckily, my husband is a fab cook and he loves to grill on our BBQ. When I got the samples of Country Bob’s All Purpose Steak Sauce, he ran to the grocery store so quickly that there was a Mike-shaped cloud of dust in our kitchen.

Mike did all the prep work for our steak dinner. I helped by drinking a glass of wine and staying out of his way. I knew things were going well when our dog Rigby started to go crazy. She could smell the cooking steak and it made her doggy senses go crazy. I couldn’t wait to taste the steak.

The taste was surprising, but still enjoyable. It had a bit of a sweet taste, but then there was a kick in the after taste that I enjoyed. I say the taste was surprising because I think I was expecting something…hmm. Meatier. More, I dunno, salty? But I liked it. That will teach me to make assumptions.

I know Mike liked it because he practically licked his plate. And I know Rigby liked it because she DID lick MY plate. So if it were up to the two of them, I’m sure they’d give Country Bob’s top honors. As for me, I’m giving the steak sauce

a Rating: . If you’re in the mood for sweet and kicky, it’s the perfect sauce for you. If you like to salt the crap out of your food like I do, it’s not a perfect match, but still delicious.

Meghan Says:

It may shock you to know that not all that long ago I didn’t eat red meat.  Or pork.  Seeing as how, at this point in time, a good steak is one of my favorite things in the world, I’ve clearly gotten over it.

But, in the days going from semi-vegetarian to full on meat eating woman, I needed some…assistance in getting the meat down.  And for that, I turned to sauces and toppings.  I mean, ANYONE could choke down a bite of steak if it was doused in yummy sauce.

So I was happy to have the opportunity to try Country Bob’s All Purpose Steak Sauce.  Mainly because it was a GREAT excuse to have a steak dinner.  Or two.  And while I’m happy to say that I liked Country Bob’s Steak Sauce, I can’t say that I loved it.  The main reason being that I’m on some sort of whacky spicy-loving thing lately, and when this steak sauce first hits your tongue, you get a definite sweet taste.  And as I’ve said before, I’m much more of a savory/salty person than sweet person (and that says NOTHING about my personality, so hush).   And once you get a few seconds in and can get past that first sweet flavor, it does have a bit of a bite to it.

I’m encouraged to see that Country Bob’s has a SPICY Steak Sauce, though.  That sounds like something that might be right up my alley.    They also offer Barbeque Sauce & Seasoning Salt and you can buy any and/or all of them on their website.  They also have a section that’s just for kids AND they’ve got an entire recipe section!

Because I’m not a huge fan of the sweetness, I’m going to give Country Bob’s Steak Sauce a Rating: If you’re not a spice lover, but still love steak sauce, Country Bob’s is perfect for you!
***UPDATED:  Country Bob’s was kind enough to send me a bottle of their HOT Steak Sauce and I *LOVE* it.  I use it ALL the time.  Now  DJ and I have our very own bottles!***

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My Baby A to Z

I’m a major TV addict. In fact, I’m so serious about my TV that I have rules for TV watching that my husband must abide by. So it’s no wonder my daughter loves to stare at the moving pictures on the screen. It’s in her genes!

Now that she’s almost a year and seems to be soaking up EVERYTHING she’s exposed to, I figure a steady TV diet of Gossip Girl, The Office, and 90210 probably isn’t the most educational programming. So when Parent Bloggers Network gave me the opportunity to review My Baby A to Z – Come Explore Shapes With Me, I thought, “hey, TV that educates.”

Maddie and I sat down in front of the TV and for the next twenty three minutes we learned all about shapes. I mention the length of the DVD because I think it’s the perfect length for little kids. Maddie got a bit antsy during some points, but she’s not even a year old yet so I cut her some slack.

To help Maddie, I shouted out shapes and answered questions for her. Watching her do double takes between the TV and me was pretty hilarious. She loved to wiggle to the music, and she laughed whenever the puppets came on screen, especially Moo since that’s our nickname for Maddie.

While I think Maddie will benefit from watching this over and over, this DVD would definitely be better suited for older kids who can respond to the interactive questions. For that reason I give this DVD Rating:

Want to win a copy? You’re in luck! I have a DVD to give away to one of you lucky readers (and YES this time I will pick a winner on time, sheesh!). Just leave a comment with your favorite shape by Monday, November 3rd by midnight! And, if you want to improve your chances, head over to PBN’s Blog where they’re giving away another 20!

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AquaDoodle & Bath Blizzard

Meghan Says:

I don’t get kid’s toys.  I mean, some of them are awesome and I find myself playing with them regularly.  And others?  I think they’re totally lame, but my kids LOVE them.  And then there are the ones that I think are totally awesome and the boys don’t give them a second glance.  But we’re talking about the second grouping today.

Take, for instance, AquaDoodle.  You draw with WATER.  What could be more boring?  (Using completely invisible ink, I suppose.)  But Dylan thinks it’s the greatest thing ever.  Coming from a mostly completely non-artistic family, my kids are definitely destined to be art challenged.  And because drawing was never really something I was into as a kid, it’s not something that I regularly think about setting up for my kids. But with AquaDoodle, all we have to do is pull out the mat, fill up the pen with water and VOILA, time to create some art!  Dylan sits at the kitchen table and draws all sorts of unidentifiable masterpieces.

And then gets totally pissed when they dry and fade away.  But, he can just start over which is nice.  AND, it’s environmentally friendly because I’m not tossing away sheet after sheet of scribbled on paper.  PLUS, there’s no mess, which makes my life that much easier.  And even if there IS a mess, it’s just some spilled water, so cleaning it up really just helps me wipe up the kitchen table or floor.  (BONUS!  It helps me CLEAN!)

AquaDoodle gets a Rating: from Dylan.

The Kid Kleen Bath Blizzard is another item that would get way higher reviews from Dylan than it would from me.  We’ve had it a week now and he’s insisted on taking a bath EVERY NIGHT just so we can turn the damn thing on.  AND, it took ME so freakin’ long to figure out how to get it to work correctly that he’s barely been able to fully enjoy it.

But, again, he LOVES it.

What IS the Bath Blizzard, you ask?  It’s this little machine that you fill with water and bubbles, hang over your bath faucet and turn on.  It has a little blower that forces bubbles to cascade out and into the tub.  He loves to watch the bubbles appear and trail into the water, and he thinks that catching the bubbles as they fall out is fun.

It doesn’t produce nearly enough bubbles to fill the tub or even cover the top of the water, but this hasn’t caused any issues for Dylan.  The creation of the bubbles is enough to make him happy, so he hasn’t cared that there aren’t “bubbles everywhere” like there normally are when he takes a bubble bath.

A few tips/tricks, some of which are included in the instruction sheet:

• Use the machine’s cap to measure the bubble solution, not the bubble bottle cap.
• Make sure the mesh covering is completely wet, that the cap is loosened, and that the bubbles & water are fully mixed up inside the machine.
• Add regular bubbles to the bath as you fill it up (if your kid likes a bath FILLED with bubbles).
• This might be obvious to most people (not me, though!), but make sure you don’t have the faucet on when you’ve got the machine running.  Total buzz bubble kill.  DUH.

I’m curious to see how it works with other bubble solutions.  I have NO idea how different bubble solutions might change the bubble production outcome, but I’m hopeful that it will increase.

I would definitely say it’s a fun product, and if you have a kid who loves bubbles, but doesn’t love the bathtub, this might be just the trick to get them in the water AND actually enjoy it.  It retails for $19.99 which is pretty reasonable, especially if you need a bribe to get your kid to take a bath without throwing a fit.  It’s definitely worth a shot.

I’m going to give this one a Rating:   It’s a GREAT idea, but doesn’t quite live up to the expectation.  Especially if you, or your kids, have seen the commercial.  Hopefully when I start switching up the bubble solution I can amend my rating and bump it up a bit.  OR, if I figure out that I’m a complete dufus and am using it incorrectly, I’ll be sure to let you know!

**For some reason, I’m unable to upload photos.  Once I get the problem resolved, I’ll be sure to put up images.  In the meantime, click the links so you know what I’m talking about!**

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Primo Water

Meghan Says:

Water is a hard thing to review.  I mean, it’s WATER.  There’s not too much going on there.

Except if you’re a freak like me and you’re kind of picky about the “taste” of your water.  And if you’re rolling your eyes right now, bite me.  Because water DOES have a taste and, sometimes that extra “flavor” can ruin a glass of icy cold goodness.

Which is why, whenever I’m at a restaurant and I’m not sure what the water’s going to taste like, I order it with lemon.  I’d rather drink the germs on the lemon peel than have to taste nasty water.  True story.

But I digress.  Because today we’re here to talk about Primo Water.  And while I’m not really going to focus on how it tastes, you do need to know that it gets a thumbs up from me in that department.  But it’s bottled water, which generally gets a thumbs up for taste and a thumbs down for earth friendliness.

Until now. Because Primo, through some crazy new fangled technology that I can’t understand explain has figured out a way to make their bottles from plants.  Not crude oil.  You can see a video about it here.

I don’t know about you, but if I can get some fine tasting bottled water and NOT feel guilty about using plastic bottles, that’s a Win/Win in my book.

And if you’re wondering where you can find Primo water in your area, it’ available at Kroger stores.  You can just go here and enter your zip code, also.  OR, you can see below and have the chance to WIN an entire case of Primo  Water!  Now THAT’S a win/win.

Primo Water definitely gets a Rating:

Heather Says:

When Meghan and I were approached to write a review about Primo Water, I kind of laughed. I said to Meghan, “My review will say: PRIMO! It tastes like WATER! The end!” And then I got worried because Meghan is totally a freak about her water. She’ll get water at a restaurant and then complain that it tastes stale. Or dusty, or “too wet.” Seriously, why am I friends with her?

Anyway, then I read about Primo Water and I realized WHY they wanted us to write about it – because it’s environmentally friendly. And since you’re a very smart reader, you’re thinking, “how can bottled water be environmentally friendly?” Since I’m NOT a smart reader, I was still pretty clueless about this whole newfangled environment thing, so I did my research.

I never knew that other water bottles are made from crude oil. Um…that’s disgusting. And, as we all know, crude oil is a non-renewable resource. Primo Water bottles are made from plants. And even though I watched a whole video about the process of making the bottles, I’m still pretty certain magic is somehow involved. Which is fine with me, because who doesn’t love magic? And, because the bottles are so environmentally clean, you can use them over and over again without worrying about that nasty “over-used plastic bottle taste.”

Besides being all zen with the environment, Primo is also pretty tasty. I know, I know, but seriously. It’s clean and refreshing, and it quenched my thirst every time I drank it. And it cures hangovers and makes you see the future. A clean, green future.

Duh, Primo Water totally gets a Rating:

Giveaway!

Want to try Primo Water for yourself? The awesome people at Primo Water have given us ten cases to give away. Just leave a comment here and we’ll draw the winners randomly on Friday. Yaaaaaay Primo!!!

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Drinking Coffee Cures Breast Cancer

Heather Says:

Cancer sucks. I know, you’re thinking, “DUH” of course it does. Anyone who has read my personal site in the last few months knows that cancer has shown its ugly face and is attacking one of my best friends. So far, she is winning. Thank God. But you don’t know that cancer has hit other people in my life as well. Specifically, Breast Cancer.

I was still in elementary school when my beloved Auntie Lynn was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She’d found a lump. Even though my brother and I were pretty young, and our parents tried not to tell us much, we knew cancer was BAD. I remember hearing my parents and grandma talking about it in hushed tones. We were scared. Luckily, my aunt has a happy ending. Her diagnosis was eighteen years ago, and she’s still here, thriving and loving on my little girl just like she loved on me when I was little.

My coworker Desiree is currently going through treatment for breast cancer. She found a lump and it was aggressive. She had a partial mastectomy, and when that didn’t get out all the cancer, she had to go back and have a full mastectomy. She is undergoing chemo treatments, and she’ll have radiation soon. Through all this, she has an inspiring positive attitude. She comes to work most days. She even sent a bunch of scarves and other goodies to Jackie!. It blew me away she was thinking of my friend when she was going through the same thing.

So, why do I bring all this up? Well, because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I wanted to throw some facts at you:

• Every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers.
• For every 100 women diagnosed, one man will also be diagnosed with breast cancer.
• It is estimated that in 2008 about 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States.
• The rate of breast cancer deaths has steadily declined in women since 1990, with larger decreases in women younger than 50 (3.3% per year) than in women 50 and older (2.0% per year.) These decreases are due to a combination of earlier detection and improved treatment.
• 70% of all breast cancers are diagnosed by breast self-exams.
• Mammography can detect breast cancer up to two years before a cancer is large enough to be palpable.
• On average, mammography will detect about 80%-90% of breast cancers in women without symptoms.
• Breast cancer that is detected and treated early has a five-year survival rate greater than 96%.

It’s kind of staggering. But it’s empowering to know that mammograms and self-exams are so easy and can help catch this terrible disease.

I want to raise Breast Cancer awareness, but I’m also hoping all of you might be moved to do so as well. So I have a fun giveaway. The cool people at Folgers are selling a limited-edition Pink Coffee Canister in support of breast cancer research and prevention, and they’ve given me two to give away. TWO GIANT CANISTERS OF COFFEE! Considering how much I LOOOOOOVE coffee, I can’t believe I’m giving these away, but I am. Look how pretty and full of beautiful delicious caffeine coffee they are:

You know you want one! This is how you can win one. Leave a comment here or at The Spohrs Are Multiplying (where this post will also be up) saying, you know, BOO CANCER or words to that effect. If you send a Wake Up Call, mention it in your comment and you’ll get TWO entries. On Friday at noon pacific I’ll pick two winners at random.

What’s a Wake Up Call? You can send one by clicking this cute little picture:

I don’t want to be preachy. I just want everyone to be healthy and have cancer-free boobies!

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