Cascade Platinum Pacs Review and Instagram Contest #MyPlatinum

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating. 

Some people love to clean.  I am not one of those people.  While I like the results that come from cleaning the house, I find tasks like laundry, dishes and cleaning bathrooms mundane and boring and worst of all...ENDLESS!!  I can clean the whole kitchen, walk away for 3 minutes and come back to a plate, a knife with jelly on it and a half a glass of milk sitting in the sink that I just emptied!  AAUUGGHHH!!   Thank freaking GOSH for dishwashers!

When I moved into this rental house, the dishwasher that was here looked like one of the first models ever made and sounded like a Mack Truck was driving around our kitchen every night.  I would load it with dirty plates and start it up, then cross my fingers that it would actually clean them.  The results were a crap shoot.  Some days I won, some days I lost. 

Then one day that beastly dishwasher died and I rejoiced aloud about the new replacement that arrived a week later!  It was shiny and new and I was sure I would never see a dirty dish come out of that dishwasher after running a clean cycle again. 

I was wrong.  On more than one occasion I have opened my new dishwasher after a two hour cycle to find my plates covered with "washed food particles or my drinking glasses covered with a hazy residue.  So...I concluded it must be a detergent problem and not an appliance problem and started experimenting with dish washing soaps and tabs. 

The Review

As luck would have it, I was asked to review new Cascade Platinum Pacs this month!  I know!  The timing could not have been better.  Now that my kids are taking more responsibility with the dishes, I sometimes find that in their desire to speed through the chore of loading the dishwasher,  the rinsing of dirty dishes doesn't always happen like it should.  Ok, fine.  I never rinse the dishes either.  But at least I knock off the big chunks.  Cascade Platinum Pacs are our new best friend, as they are specially formulated with an increased enzyme power that eats through food particles better than anything I have tried so far.  There was not one speck of food left on anything in that dishwasher when we emptied it after using the Platinum Pacs.  Not. One. Yay!! 

The other thing we noticed immediately after using the Cascade Platinum Pacs is that our dishes come out sparkling and shiny!  Platinum Pacs contain surfectants and chelant/polymer systems that  prevent hard water spots or hazy film on glasses or silverware.   My dishes look almost new again! I love not having to apologize to my guests while I wipe the spots off the drinkware before serving them a beverage!  How unappetizing is that?!

Gail Simmons, Top Chef judge and editor of Food-Wine Magazine, agrees that perfect presentation is an important part of entertaining and she has partnered with Cascade to share her thoughts and ideas on how to beautifully present your culinary creations.

  

I love Gail's comment about impressing with a Platinum Presentation, because it's something I kind of struggle with:

“The easiest recipes pop with unexpected, gourmet presentations. Drizzle bright sauces on sparkling white plates or layer desserts in crystal-clean glassware. Keep your presentation sparkling with Cascade Platinum, which keeps dishes perfect for anytime entertaining and impromptu guests.”

Cascade "My Platinum" Contest

With the advent of social media, everyone can post great photos of their best kitchen efforts these days.  Food photography is everywhere! To celebrate the launch of their newest product, Cascade is holding a 4 week Instagram contest encouraging fans to upload photos related to the weekly contest themes listed below for a chance to win a $10,000 Kitchenaid Kitchen Makeover! I know, right?  $10,000 could do a lot for my poor little kitchen! 

Week 1: (Week 1 is over) My Platinum Plate (Entry Period: 6/3-6/9) - Show us your best dish styled from the sparkling plate up!
Week 2: My Platinum Bite (Entry Period: 6/10-6/16) – Show us your best bite and most creative use of sparkling silverware!
Week 3: My Platinum Clink (Entry: 6/17-6/23) – Show us how you serve up creative concoctions in sparkling glasses. Cheers!
Week 4: My Platinum Table (Entry Period: 6/24-6/30) – Show us your sparkling tablescape for your most special celebrations!

You do need to register before you enter, but it just takes a few minutes to that.  And you will need to upload the photos to Instgram and use the hashtag #MyPlatinum” as well as tag @MyCascade.  More information about the contest can be found on the contest’s official page.

JT SplatMaster Review

My boys are getting older now, so lots of toys they had when they were younger are starting to lose their appeal.  It's like torture kind of hard sometimes to keep them occupied and finding gifts other than electronics and video games is getting more difficult every day!  Keeping them active and happily playing together is constantly a concern. I want them to love spending time together doing fun things so as they grow up and move on in life they have shared interests and passions that will help them stay close to one another.

With Christmas coming, I am especially aware of their changing preferences for play things.  So I was really glad that my family was recently invited to try out something new for kids, called JT SplatMaster. 

 

JT SplatMaster is an outdoor sporting goods product that shoots color-filled biodegradable ammo resulting in a SPLAT that you can see! In other words, it's a kid-friendly version of paintball.  Yes - I said it...paintball. 

I know. You are immediately thinking about messy paint and possible injuries.  How do I know?  Because that's what I thought of when my boys first asked if they could go paintballing with some friends.  I hear the guys at work talking about their "weekend wars" and showing off their paintball welts and my first response to my boys when they asked to go was  "I don't think so."  I'm not sure they are ready for that.  Or rather, I'm not sure I'M ready for that. 

Well, the makers of JT SplatMaster realized that there needed to be a more kid-friendly version of the game and came up with a paintball gun that is low impact, spring loaded and shoots at a velocity of 110-140 feet per second.  Less velocity means lower impact, which means less chance of injury! Don't think that less velocity means weak shots though.  Those paintballs really fly and make a pretty big splat on impact, which the boys found to be "AWESOME"!

 

JT SplatMaster is all about safety and proper training!  They make great eye protection goggles and extra face protection gear to go along with the guns.  I was pretty sure I was gonna hear lots of groaning about the goggles, but surprisingly, the boys found them to be a very cool part of the whole "look" and experience.  For them, the goggles and safety gear are an integral part of the uniform.  Which I find "awesome."  Less worry for Mom!  Their website is full of training and safety videos that guide and direct anxious and excited kids through proper handling and usage of SplatMaster products. 

I really love that the makers of JT SplatMaster created all kinds of game options that don't involve the boys shooting at each other!  But if when they do decide to have a paintball war, I know that the product they are using is safe, as long as precautions are taken.  Having said that, I think the key to having fun with JT SPlatMaster is adult supervision.  When the kids know an adult is present to enforce the rules, they can relax and enjoy the games and not have to worry as much about another kid making a poor decision that might result in injury.

We took the SplatMaster z200 out in the backyard for a test run and the boys had a blast! Here are a few action shots:

 

   

 

 

 

The consensus?  JT SplatMaster really is a safer version of paintball and the non-toxic paint cleaned up easily with a quick spray from the hose.  The little biodegradable paintball capsules dissolved after a day or two and left no trace of the target practice that had taken place a few days earlier.   The guns are surprisingly accurate and easy to use and come with safety plugs to block the barrel while strategies are being discussed, as well as working safety switches on the actual gun to prevent accidental firing.

 

The boys would like to be able to get some of the gear they saw in the videos, like the cool facemasks and flak jackets which are not currently available anywhere that I could find.     The only other complaint they have at this point is that we can't find more ammo anywhere here in Boise yet, so I'll have to order it online, which means we'll have to plan ahead.   

 

JT SplatMaster is a mega-hit in our house and the boys are definitely the envy of the cul-de-sac right now.  If I understood the weekend confab with the neighborhood boys that took place in my backyard correctly, the plan is for ALL of them to try to get one for Christmas so the group can have a paintball war on Christmas Day.  Not sure how the other moms will feel about that, but I think it sounds like a heck of a way to get some outdoor activity during the holidays!  It'll give new meaning to yellow snow!

 

JT SplatMaster sets are currently being sold at Walmart, at various sporting good stores and paintball stores all over the country for between $25-$40, depending on the model and accessories you buy.  You can check out the website and use their store locator to help you find a reatailer near you.  OR you can take advantage of this awesome promotion and save money by buying online! 

 

 

 

Starting October 29th, for a limited time and while supplies last, anyone purchasing a JT SplatMaster z100 or z200 one free ammo grenade  (50 ct ammo, $7.99 value) free!

Warning:  They'll go through 50 rounds in about 10 minutes so you'll wanna stock up.

**Disclosure:  I received no monetary compensation for this review.  Kee Action Sports, LLC  provided me with a JT SPlatMaster z200 to facilitate the review.  As always, my honest opinions are always my own.**

Ultimate Blog Party Post

I'm a little late getting this post up, but wanted to make sure I let you all know that it's time again for the Ultimate Blog Party over at 5 Minutes for Mom.  Why?  Because it rocks!  Not only do they give away a gazillion products during the week, they also give all of us bloggers a chance to find neww blogs and make new blogger friends.

This year they asked the participants to tell a little about ourselves on our blog.  So...

I am Geri.  I am Boymom.  Mom of two boys. (Sometimes three, depending on the maturity level of my husband on any given day.)  Like my header says, it's what I do.  I have two wonderfully, hilarious  pre-teen boys and an equally hilarious husband who contstantly amazes me with his wit and wisdom.  As the only female in a house full of males, I sometimes forget what it's like to be a girl. I have an obsession with Clorox Wipes, due to aiming issues in the bathroom that are beyond my comprehension.  How do you miss a bowl with such a large opening?!  Seriously!!

I also write product reviews for various family friendly products and toys here on my own blog and I am a guest contributor for product reviews at 5 Minutes for Giveaways.

When I'm not writing reviews, I am busy working to get our fledgling non-profit up and running.  I am a founding director of Helping Our Warriors, a non-profit dedicated to the support and stabilization of military families as they deal with everchanging circumstances due to their service.  Through annual retreats, we will offer these families a safe and peaceful place to bond and develop coping skills that will strengthen the family unit so they can thrive and succeed no matter the situation.  We are excited to be up and fully running this year as we work to get a full Board of Directors in place and embark on some major fundraising events.

Finally, we just moved to a new town, so of course I had to start a new blog about our life here, right?  I just got at home in {Boise} going, so you can stop by there once in a while to find out all about our new home and the people and places in our new community.  Okay...I said stop by, which you can do, but I still have to get some posts together, so be patient.  I started a new job a few weeks ago, so it's taking all my brain power and energy to deal with training the last few weeks so y blogs have suffered.  But I'm done training this week, so I'll have more time to get caught up with posts and such! 

So that's me!  I hope you'll stop by once in awhile, introduce yourself and leave a witty or insightful comment!  I'll try to do the same for you!  In the meantime, I'm gonna put some party music on and enjoy UBP 2012 with 5 Minutes for Moms!  Join me!!   

New Glow-in-the-Dark Hexbug Review and Giveaway

Technology never ceases to amaze me.  I was gonna say that I couldn't even begin to imagine what life was like before all these amazing advances, but then I remembered that I was born 47 years ago...before all of these amazing advances. 

I was amazed again this week when we had our Glow-in-the-Dark Hexbug Party, thanks to MommyParties and Hexbug.  The makers of the original Hexbugs took it up a notch with their newest creatures and tracks that truly glow in the dark! 

(I know, not a very good image. I had to borrow it because my camera could not pick up the amazing glow in the dark features, because my camera is old and it sucks. But that it a post for another day. For now, just bask in the glow of this neon bug thingy.)

We received our kit a few weeks ago, which was chock full of Glow-in-the-Dark Hexbug Nanos and Habitat sets, as well as some wicked cool Halloween Mutant Zombie Nanos.

 
A new addition to the Hexbug family found its way into the box too...Hexbug Larvae.  I know...just the name makes me squeamish.  Larvae.  If you click on the link, you can watch it squirm.  I don't like to watch it squirm, but be my guest.  The boys love it.

They really got a kick out of the Mutant Zombie Nanos with the glowing exoskeleton.  They all immediately ran into the garage where it is pitch dark and let the little bugs run around.  Again...lame camera couldn't get any of the action.  They fun with the lights on too though, as evidenced here:

I love that the glow-in-the-dark feature has renewed their interest in these little robotic toys.  I do have to admit that one of the larvae already lost it's life to experimentation.  The power switch was broken, so they performed a surgical procedure, which unfortunately for the larvae was unsuccessful, but it was very enlightening and interesting for the two amatuer scientists.  If I had paid for that Hexbug, I might have been a little peeved that it broke after 5 minutes of use, but the other two seem fine.    

The Zombie Mutant Hexbugs are availble for a very limited time at Radio Shack and the Glow-in-the-Dark Nanos and Habitats are in retail stores like Walmart and Target.   If your kids are Hexbug junkies, then keep an eye out during the upcoming holiday season for more cutting edge Hexbug products!

Win a Glow-in-the-Dark Hexbug Nano and a Mutant Zombie Nano!  Just leave a comment and let me know which of the Hexbug creatures is your favorite.  Contest will end at 12 Midnight PST November 12th.  U.S. Residents only.  Winner will be chosen at random.      

***Disclosure:  I received a Hexbug Halloween Party Kit from MommyParties and Hexbug to facilitate this review.  As always, my honest opinions are my own.  ***  

Defiants 4 x 4s Review

This is how we spent last Saturday...

These little Defiant trucks are a blast!  Their climbing ability is pretty amazing.  As you can tell, the boys loved them. 

(I had more boys there, but some of the parents don't like me taking pics of their kids and posting them on the internet...I try to be respectful of their feelings, but sometimes it kinda kills my blog post. Ummm, HELLO!!  How can I rock the review posts when I can't show your kids loving or hating the things I review?!  I'm so KIDDING!  Kind of.  But seriously, I get it...some parents don't want their kids pasted all over the internet because of safety concerns. I don't always like it, but I get it.)

So, the boys ran the trucks until the batteries died (2 AAA's), then we had some snacks and refueled.  Caramel Rocks and Boulders with Road Rally Gully Punch to drink for the boys.  More batteries for the trucks. 

We'll be taking them out into the desert this weekend to see how they do on the rocky terrain outside, so look for some more videos in a few days.  Also, check out the Defiants 4 x 4s website for more product info. 

Defiants 4 x 4s made their debut in Phoenix and so are only available right now in select Walmart and Toys R Us stores in Arizona.  Again, check the Defiants 4 x 4s website for purchase locations. 

I love that the company supports our troops and will be contacting them to see if they will work on a fund-raising project with my non-profit: Helping Our Warriors.

FyreFlyz Giveaway Winner

DaGeDar Review

Remember the good folks at Cepia?  They're the company that did Zhu-Zhu Pets...the robotic hamster things?  Well, they've come up with a new toy that we got to try out last weekend called DaGeDar (pronounced DAH-geh-DAAR).  Here's some background on DaGeDar:

"DaGeDar™ (pronounced DAH-geh-DAAR) collectible supercharged battle balls have a special feel and weight that almost demand to be raced! Each DaGeDar™ battle ball boasts a graphic design that reflects the true energy contained within. More than 240 different DaGeDar™ ball graphics are planned for release this year, with varying degrees of rarity. Each ball carries a special code number that when registered on the DaGeDar™ website (www.dagedar.com) will reveal the true spirit contained within the DaGeDar™ ball, as well as its hidden powers, which can assist in racing strategy and let kids unleash the power within!

Racing DaGeDar™ balls requires skill, practice, agility and finesse. Players must control the speed and velocity of DaGeDar™ balls in order to propel them through thrilling loops and turns without forcing the balls off the tracks. Exciting tricks and stunts can be refined by whirling DaGeDar™ balls in Spinners or loading several balls into Battle Launchers to unleash them with supercharged battle play."

They seem a little simplistic at first, I mean really they are nothing but steel bearings encased in foam rubber stuff with some really cool looking designs on them.  But...put them in the hands of little boys and add some tracks to race them on, suddenly they are amazing to watch and play with!
  

I could not believe how much they enjoyed these things!  I heard nothing but constant laughter and strategizing for 2 solid hours!  It took the boys some time to figure out different ways to spin and launch their DaGeDar balls to get them to stay on the track and to make them go faster, but  after some practice they got much better results on the track.  I love that the balls encourage creative and analytical thinking, as well as some agility and coordination.  The boys love the collectible feature and since last week have spent almost every day comparing and trading their DaGeDar balls with friends and neighbors who recieved some of their own at our DaGeDar launch party.  The track comes out almost daily during playtime now, it is quick to set up and break down, and the boys haul it around the neighborhood to various friends' houses to race.

DaGeDar was just launched this month in the Phoenix area, so look for them in select Phoenix area Wal-Mart and Toys R Us stores. The price ranges from $4.99 for a DaGeDar ball to $19.99 for various racing and launching components and sets.  Don't forget to check out the DaGeDar website for some AWESOME videos and really interesting facts! 

Blackie Chan Strikes Again...Clean and Green Review/Giveaway

Okay, I have to say it out loud.  I haven't been a responsible pet owner.  I have had Blackie Chan for 3 years now and have still not had him neutered.  I know.  I KNOW!!!  It is irresponsible.  In my defense though, there are no spay/neuter clinics close to my house, they are all like an hour away and I have to have the cat there at 6 a.m.!   I used to use that as an excuse a lot...until my awesome neighbor who has the energy of five Energizer bunnies told me she made the trip for her cat a few months ago.  She's got kids and a job and all of the issues I have, but she was responsible and did the right thing.  And now I need to finally get my cat crap together and do the right thing too.  For my cat and for my neighbors.  Also because "Kitty Karma" paid me back in spades a few weeks ago for not taking care of Blackie Chan's maleness.

Here's how Blackie Chan's Ninja attack went down.  We're all sitting in the family room one day, watching TV.  Blackie is getting a major rubdown by Big Brother and loving life.  You could here him purring all the way upstairs.  Then all of the sudden he jumps up and starts running toward the front door, yowling his head off to go outside.  Well, apparently no one got there fast enough for him because while he was waiting he decided to spray my really nice, big brown, velvet comfy chair.  You know the smell, right?  It's freaking noxious and I swear I have never made it across a room as fast as I did that day to open the door and chase that cat outside.  I think I said some not very lady-like words while I was running him out the door.  

AAUUGGHHH!!!  Cat spray is one of the nastiest smells in the world, and now it was in my house!!!!   The kids were freaking out, Big Man was ready to nueter the cat himself and I was trying not to gag when I remembered a can of stuff I received in the mail a few weeks prior to the spraying, so I ran into the kitchen to grab it.

It's called Clean and Green and it is the most fabulous stuff on earth for removing pet odors!  I am so not making this up, people.  This really did happen and I really did get a sample of this stuff to try and I am telling you all about it because it is one of those wonderful products that actually does what it says it will do!  It literally saved my cat and my furniture.  I sprayed it on the area as directed and almost imediately noticed that at least the smell in the air started to dissapate.  As far as the chair goes, it took three applications to totally remove the smell, but I swear to you there is not one bit of lingering odor left on that chair.  It really is amazing stuff.  It's made by SeaYu® Enterprises.  Here's their bio:

At SeaYu®, we love animals – and we care about the world we live in. That’s why we’ve carefully developed safe, effective, pet cleaning products. Clean+Green® are eco-friendly aerosol pet cleaning products, delivering instant results in a non-toxic, eco-friendly solution. Based in San Francisco, SeaYu was founded 2002 by two fun-loving dog owners – one a former high-tech executive who is passionate about pets and cleaning her house, and the other a former apparel marketing executive who loves animals as much as he loves the planet. For more information, visit us at  www.odorandstainremover.com.

So what's the moral here?  People who don't get their cats neutered will eventually be victims of their own negligence.  So I have made an appointment at one of the clinics to get my cat neutered.  And I will drag my lazy butt out of bed at 5 a.m. to get him there so that no one has to endure his smelly spray again, although I am told that getting him neutered may not stop him from spraying, which means I'd better stock up on Clean and Green.

In the meantime, you can win a can of Clean and Green!  It's good for neutralizing all kinds of pet odors, so it works for dog owners too!  All you have to do is "LIKE" Clean and Green on Facebook, then come back here and leave me a comment telling me you did so. Easy peasy, right?  Contest will end on April 24th at 12 pm. Midnight.  US addresses only.  

Episencial Skin Care Products Review

A few weeks ago, I received some really great skin care products from Episencial and Mommy Parties to try out.  They arrived at the perfect time, because here in the desert, as the air gets colder, it also gets even drier than in the hot summer months, if you can believe that!  My boys both look like they have alligator skin right now, but I have to be really careful about what I use on Little Man because his skin is super sensitive. 

Episencial makes several all natural skin care products specially formulated for babies and kids (but adults can use them too!).  Free from the bad stuff like parabens, phthalates and fragrances, Episencial products are loaded with all-natural goodness and healthy organics.  All of the formulas are safe for newborns and actually contain an exclusive "skin immune complex" to help the boost the skin's immune functions. 

I got together with some friends and we tested some of the lotions on some of the toddlers in the group:

We used the Better Body Butter and everybody really loved the feel and smell of it, it wasn't oily at all.

Melisa was happy to get the Nurturing Balm for her 3 month old baby girl to help keep the diaper rash under control and the "Kristys"( two of my neighbors are good friends who live next to each other...both named Kristy!) were both excited about the Playful Foaming Wash.

My camera had a meltdown, so couldn't take any more pics, but all of the guests received gift bags full of samples so they can try out several Episencial products.  I came home after the party and used the Soothing Cream on Little Man who always struggles with a bit of eczema behind his knees and on his arms.  He usually hates using lotion on those spots, because it either burns or feels greasy and iscky to him.  To his and my delight, he felt no burning or irritation and he said the itching started to go away pretty quickly.  Yay!  Something that actually works for him!   

It was a fun to get together and I want to thank Episencial and Mommy Parties for letting us try out their new line of all natural, organic skin care products for little ones.  We love what we have tried so far!  

**Disclosure - I was not compensated for this product review.  Episencial and Mommy Parties provided me with skin care products to help facilitate this review. **  

WaterPik Sinusense Review

Everyone in my neighborhood is sick right now with horrible head colds that turn into horrible chest colds.  I've been lucky so far and have somehow remained untouched by this rotten pre-winter cold/flu stuff (crossing fingers, knocking on wood!).  My husband was not lucky, however and found himself waking up a few weeks ago with a head full of icky stuff and a nasty sinus infection. 

As fate would have it, the Fed-X man delivered a package that very afternoon, just minutes after my husband went to work wondering how he was going to manage this illness without calling in sick to his parttime job, which is all we have going for us right now since my census job ended!

Even more of an issue is that we don't have insurance right now either, so a trip to the doctor just seemed impossible.  So the question of how to help him get his sinus infection under control was looming large.  But miracles do happen people!  The box that was delivered in such a timely manner?  Contained this:

 and also this:

I KNOW!  How fortuitous, right?  WaterPik has some new products out that are specifically geared toward sinus health!  We know that WaterPik has a wonderful reputation in the dental car world, but had never heard of their Sinusense products.  My husband took advantage of our opportunity to review the products by immediately ripping the boxes open as soon as he walked in the door from work.  He headed straight upstairs to the bathroom and began to put the Sinusense products to the test! 

He tried the Neti Bottle first, just because he had heard so much about the benefits of Neti Pots and wanted to see what the difference was between using a Neti device vs. a regular squeeze bottle.  Following the directions, he filled the Neti bottle with warm, distilled water and the Saline Packs that were included in the Sinusense kits.  His first reaction as he squeezed the solution out of the bottle into his sinus cavities was that it didn't burn like regualr salt water does.  Waterpik's Soothing Saline Packs contains eucalyptus oil and aloe vera to help take the sting out of siuns cleansing.  His second comment was that the neti bottle seemed to somehow get the solution further back into his sinus passages than a normal spray bottle does and that it does so gently.  No shocking blasts of water to make you choke and gag.   

He went to bed that night breathing much better and was actually able to sleep through the night, which was good for me too, as I was completely exhausted from his previous night of coughing and snorting.  The following morning he used the Squeeze Bottle instead of the Neti Bottle, just to compare the two.  He found that with the bottle he could get a much more powerful spray of water into his sinuses and he was able to manipulate the bottle easier.  He also mentioned that he appreciated the flow control mechanism on both of the bottles that prevented the water in his nose from going back into the bottle when it came running out.  Ummm...yeah.  Nose backwash would be kind of gross.  So that is really a nice feature.   

In the end, he liked both kits for different reasons and ended up alternating between the two of them all week long.  While our neighbors suffered through their stuff for a few weeks, my husband moved through his infection in about 5 days.  The final verdict?  Easy squeezy, no more sneezy!  We are definitely attributing his ability to get over his sinus issues so quickly and without medication to the Waterpik Sinusense kits.  We will continue to use them throughout the winter to fight off cold and flu season. 

Wanna try WaterPik Sinusense yourself?  Go to their website and print out a coupon good for $2 off any Sinusense product!  While you're there you can find out more about the entire Sinusense line.  Stay well this winter, my bloggy friends!

Light Up Marble Racer Review and Giveaway

Hot Wheels has some wicked new competition these days.  They're called Light Up Marble Racers.  Yes...the name is a lot longer than it's counterpart, but the coolness factor more than makes up for the lengthy moniker.  (I know - I just used the word moniker.  I feel like a real writer now!)  

We got ours in the mail the other day and the boys went CUHRAAAZZZYYY!!   Seriously.  It was like Christmas in July.  Or May I guess.  Anyway...it was way cool.  So of course we tore right into them and here is what we found:

Things we love about Light Up Marble Racers:

1. They light up.
2. They have cool decal labels so kids can customize them.
3. They light up.
4. They go fast.
5. They light up.
6. Blackie Chan the Ninja Cat does NOT like them.

With 6 different models to choose from, every kid should find a favorite. 

And more good news!!  Right now CVS is running a Buy One Get One Free special on all six models in Arizona, California and Nevada! To take advantage of this great offer:

Mail or email a copy of your CVS receipt with your Light Up Marble Racer purchase to the following address:

Skullduggery

5433 E La Palma Ave

Anaheim, CA 92807

skorders@skullduggery.com

Include the following information:

• Your name and address (No PO Boxes).
• The name of the Light Up Marble Racer you would like sent to you for free (Fire, Police, Confetti, Cat's Eye, Volcano or Cyclone).

This offer expires May 21, 2010 and Sales slips must have a date of May 21, 2010 or earlier. This offer is limited to CVS purchases in ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA & NEVADA only. Offer limited to the first 1000 entries so hurry and get yours!! 

WANNA WIN IT??  One lucky reader can win a Light Up Marble Car 6 Car Collector's Set!  Yep...a whole set!!!  Check out the Skullduggery website and leave me a comment telling me which car you like best and to whom you would give it!  Do it by May 23rd AT 12 p.m. PST, because that's when this contest officially ends.  The winner will be chosen by random.org.

To get extra entries you can do any of the following: 

• Tweet the contest,
• post it on your Facebook page,
• blog about my givaway or
• post my giveaway on a Mr. Linky somewhere

Good Luck!  Ima go scare my cat with some Light Up Racers.

***Disclosure:  Thanks to Mom Select and Skullduggery for providing me with free cars to test drive to facilitate this review.  I did not receive any other compensation for this post. 

Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk Giveaway and Review

Here's something you may not know about me:

I loves me an ice cold glass of milk.  But it can't be just any milk.  I am kind of a milk snob.  I can't stand warm milk or room temperature milk and I will only buy certain brands.  And truthfully?  I only drink whole milk.  I know, I KNOW!  I see you all rolling your eyes.  Whole milk is so fattening and 2% or lowfat is just as good and much better for me, right?  I watch TV and I hear all those nutrition people, so I KNOW!  But I don't agree that 2 % or lowfat or skim milk tastes just as good as whole milk.  It doesn't.  It tastes like someone just drank a glass of milk, then instead of getting a clean cup? They filled the milk cup with water and the result is milky water. Which is what lowfat milk tastes like to me. Milky water. I know, I know...you "learn to like it."  Well, the thing is, I don't want to learn to like my food just because it's supposed to be good for me, I would like to just like it because it naturally tastes good. 

So when I was asked to try Horizon Organic Low Fat Milk with DHA-Omega 3, my initial response was enthusiastic because my entire family loves chocolate milk.  I love the fact that Horizon products are organic, and I was overjoyed to find that this Horizon product contains DHA-Omega 3, an important nutrient that helps support heart, brain and eye health. Good for all of us, right?  But I kind of don't do lowfat milk.  Until now.  'Cause I gotta tell ya, this was some kick-butt good chocolate milk! My whole family got in on the gig and 2 half gallons I bought on Monday?  Were gone by Wednesday.  Every time I turned around they had a new cupful!

I feel like I really accomplished something this week by adding Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk to our diet, even though the kids totally overdid it and drank it in 2 days.  For one thing, I overcame my issues with lowfat milk.  Yes, I realize the addition of chocolate made the lowfat milk more palatable, but the point is, I drank it.  And I liked it and now I will drink it again and probably even try plain lowfat milk again.  Soon.  Maybe.  Okay, probably, but let me ease into it, will ya?

The other thing I feel like I accomplished was giving my family a product that is good and healthy.  We are trying so hard to overcome our poor eating habits and get healthy this year and Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA-Omega 3 helped us do that this week.  While I drank it, I sat down and perused Horizon's website.  Here is what I learned:

• DHA provides a nutritional boost for children's growing minds and bodies. Children's brains grow incredibly fast. In fact, the brain nearly quadruples in the first five years of life.
  
• DHA is a key structural component of the brain, yet many young children don't get their recommended daily amount of DHA as it is found in a limited number of food sources.
• Horizon Organic Milk Plus DHA Omega-3 is fortified with a natural, 100 percent vegetarian and sustainable source of DHA - a safe, wholesome, delicious way to bring more of this important nutrient into your family's diet.

I also learned alot of facts about milk in general.  Did you know that a 2006 study showed that low fat milk was as effective at post-exercise rehydration as sports drinks?  Who would have thought!? Apparently, because of the natural carb:pro ratio in flavored milks, low fat chocolate milk is an effective post-exercise recovery beverage.  So now you can feel the burn, then squelch it with some lowfat choco milk, which is good news for me, cause I really don't like sports drinks.  At all.  Not even a little bit.   Consuming carbohydrate and protein post workout has been shown to:

• Enhance muscle glycogen formation
• Promote a hormonal environment that encourages muscle growth
• Promote muscle protein production
• May lessen immune-suppressive effects due of intense exercise

All of this is great news for me as I struggle to gain control of my body this year.  And believe me when I say, it's a HUGE struggle! 

I want to thank Horizon for letting me have this opportunity to try their Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA-Omega 3.  I am more knowledgeable now about the benefits of Omega 3 and I am feeling like I have options when it comes to the healthy products I can incorporate into our menus.  Knowing that I do not have to feel deprived and eat things I don't find tasty is half the battle, right?  And knowing that my kids are getting soemthing healthy in their bodies makes me feel less guilty, which means I personally won't use food to ease my guilt as often.  Horizon Organic® products are produced without antibiotics, pesticides or cloning, from cows not given added growth hormones. So in addition to the good stuff in the milk, I can feel good about the stuff NOT going into the milk. Win-Win, yes!?

There's lots of interesting facts on the Horizon website. You should check it out. I love the little kids laughing and running around on the home page, they make me giggle!

While you are there, find and interesting fact about one of their products then come back and leave a comment for your chance to WIN FREE Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk! 2 winners (yep!  Two of you!)  will recieve 4 coupons each (2 coupons for a free half gallon of the chocolate milk and 2 coupons for $1 off a half gallon of the chocolate milk). That's a lot of milk, people!

 

Want extra entries?

• Tweet this giveaway
• Blog about it on your blog
• Post it on Facebook
• Become a Facebook Fan of Horizon Organic Products
• Add the giveaway to a Mr. Linky somewhere and leave me the link in your comments. 

Contest is open to US residents only and will end on February 27th at 12 midnight PST. I will choose the winner using random.org and notify the winners by email.
**I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.  I did receive 2 coupons for free Horizon Organic Chocolate milk in order to facilitate this review.

Surf Sweets Giveaway and Review

Do you love gummies?  As in Gummy Bears, Gummy Worms, Gummy Fruit, Gummy Whatever?  Boymom's family is big on Gummy's, the boys especially love the sour gummies.  I don't buy them very often though, because I am trying to incorporate more healthy eating habits into our routine.  So candy has taken a big hit this year when it comes to what I will purchase for a treat for them. 

Luckily for my boys, Surf Sweets has created an all natural and organic candy that is a much healthier choice than some of the other gummies out on the market.  And even luckier for the boys was the fact that they were able to try some of Surf Sweet's products, as was I, when they arrived in the mail a few days ago. 

So here's the scoop on Surf Sweet and their gummy stuff:

• Made with Organic Fruit Juice and Sweeteners
  
• Natural Colors and Flavors
  
• 100% RDA of Vitamin C
  
• Free of Corn Syrup and GMO's
  
• Made in a Nut-Free Facility
  
• Gluten Free
  
• Casein Free
  
• And Made in the USA!!
  

These are great for people with food allergies and intolerances and the truth is, they really taste good!  They were fresh and soft and chewy and seriously full of flavor.  I tested the Fruity Bears while the boys tried out the Sour Worms.  Big thumbs up from the boys as they played with and ate the Sour Worms.  Big thumbs up from mom as I ate the Fruity Bears and thought about how glad I am to have a healthier alternative to the sugar filled gummies we usually purchase.  I also like supporting a company that supports good causes.  Surf Sweets donates a portion of their sales to help fight childhood obesity.  You can learn more about their products and causes here.  

And by the way...I also like the clarity of the Fruity Bears.  Have you ever held a gummy bear up to your eyes?  The really clear ones let the light through and you can see the world through rose colored gummy bears.  Try it sometime when you have nothing better to do but play with your food.  It's kinda cool, despite the fact that it's really juvenile, and the kids think I am a pretty fun mom for thinking of fun things to do with my candy. Like when I pull the heads off the bears and put them on different colored bodies. What?!  Don't sit here reading and act like you've never decapitated a gummy bear!

My only problem now is where to buy them!  You can find them at your local Whole Foods or Buy Buy Baby and even at Lifetime Fitness, as well as other natural and specialty food stores.  We don't have any of those stores close to us (actually NO STORES of any kind are actually close to my home), but I will be looking for Surf Sweets in some of the health food stores next time I go shopping. 

Are you craving some candy now?  You could win some Surf Sweet Gummies of your own!  Stop by Surf Sweet's website and then come back here and leave a comment telling me which product you would like to try. If you want extra entries, feel free to do any or all of the following:

• Twitter this contest
  
• Post a link on Facebook to this contest
  
• Post a link on a giveaway Mr. Linky somewhere and leave a comment with the site name
  
• Write about it on your blog!
  

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each item you do so I can give you an entry credit for each effort you make!

I will choose the winning comment using Random.org.  Contest is open to US residents only and ends on February 13th at 12 midnight PST.

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my blog!

**Disclosure: I did not receive monetary compensation for this post.  I did receive product samples from Surf Sweets in order to facilitate this review.    

Suave Wash Them Grow Contest and Review

My family has always used and enjoyed Suave products. I love the fact that Suave products are easy on my budget. My kids like the products because they smell good and are easy on their hair and skin.

So I am happy to help promote the Suave Kids® Wash and Grow Sweepstakes that started January 18th and runs through February 22nd.

Weekly Prizes include a Family e-Keepsake Kit (a Sponsor-selected laptop, a mini digital camcorder and a Sponsor-selected Digital Camera)and the Grand Prize is an 8-day/7-night trip for four to Orlando, Florida! Now that is a serious vacation! Wanna enter (of course you do!)? Just head over to washthemgrow.com to to get more information about the contest Bath products! Don't forget to play the online trivia game while you're there so you can receive an automatic entry into the Suave Kids® Wash Them Grow Sweepstakes. You can play once a day through February 22nd!

And by the way - There is a separate contest going on for the blogger who drives the most traffic to the sweepstakes. If I win I will get a $100 gift card to Build-A Bear Workshop and win a year's supply of Suave Kids Products. Not to shabby! But it gets better. If I win? I get to choose 10 of my readers to receive the same awesome gift I win! WHAT, WHAT!?! I KNOW! So all of you lurkers, now is the time to get on over to Suave and help a sister out, so we can all win some great stuff!

The REVIEW

The UPS guy dropped off a box of Suave Kids Body Wash on Friday, so my boys were happy to take a bath Friday night to try them out. I thought that as my 10 year old started getting older he would prefer showers over baths, but actually, the opposite has happened. He really loves my whirlpool bathtub and uses it almost nightly to "unwind." What he has to be so stressed about that he needs to "unwind" at night is beyond me, but it's his bathtime, so whatever! Both of the boys loved the bubbles, especially in the whirlpool tub!

My youngest has sensitive skin and has figured out pretty quickly that he has to be careful about what he uses ,so he chose to start out with the Suave Kids Free and Gentle Body Wash (no dyes to irritate skin!) The Oldest Chose the Berry Body Wash because "he's getting older and needs to make sure he doesn't smell like a "stinky man." I didn't want to tell him that the Berry scent would pretty much kill any thoughts of him being mistaken for a man at all, let alone a stinky one.

Tonight they both tried the other two products:

■Suave Kids Strawberry Body Wash

■Suave Kids Moisturizing Body Wash

Verdict? Oldest likes the Moistuizing Body Wash and has dubbed it HIS, not to be touched by younger sibling EVER! Youngest likes them all and will use them in rotation, depending on what his "nose feels like smelling" on any given day.

My verdict? Anything that gets my boys to take a bath without complaining is good. I love that Suave Kids Body Washes are made especially for kids' skin. They are tear-free and opthamoligist-tested, so they are gentle and leave their skin feeling soft and smooth - which the boys don't care about, but it is so nice to hug my guys and have them feel and smell like soft little boys and not stinky, scaly little critters!

Click HERE to print off a coupon for Suave Kids Body Wash!

*I was not compensated monetarily for this post.  I did receive free product from the company in order to facilitate the writing of this review.

Soft Scrub Total Bath and Bowl Giveaway and Review

My first duty as a Soft Scrub Club Captain is to share information with you about how new Soft Scrub products work.  I received my first product last week and actually made a video showing how well it works, but am having a hard time getting it posted.  So as soon as I work out the bugs with that, I'll get the video on here. 

In the meantime, let me tell you a bit about Soft Scrub's new Total Bath and Bowl.  It's made to clean the entire bathroom, whcih means I don't have to lug around nine bottles of product to clean one room.  Me likee!!  It can clean tough tub rings and soap residue along with sinks, counters and toilets.

The bottle has some unique design features that allow you to use the product a few different ways.  First of all, you have the option of foam or spray.  I found that on tough, small jobs, like the toilet and my shower stall, the foam was great because it clings to the areas that I need it to work much longer than the spray would, giving Total Bath and Bowl more time to loosen the tough dirt and soap scum. 

There is a little tab that you flip over and snap into place to change from foam to spray.  Very easy and user friendly!   I used the spray on the jobs that had large areas to cover, like my countertops and bathroom sinks, as well as my big garden tub.  Both the foam and the spray do their job and my bathrooms were the cleanest they have been in awhile, without me having to spend hours really scrubbing! 

The other feature I loved about Soft Scrub Total Bath and Bowl is that the bottle is shaped so that you can flip it upside down and spray under the toilet rim.  I know...how many years did it take for someone to finally figure that out?  Yay for Soft Scrub! And it actually works!

I used it on all of my bathrooms, which were really in need of some serious cleaning.  It worked really well on the tubs, sinks, showers and countertops, it even removed some of the hard water deposits from my glass shower door!  It tackled everything but the hard water deposits (we have extremely hard water here!) at the water line of my toilet bowls.  Unfortunately, it didn't make much of a dent in those, but nothing but a jack hammer or hours of pumice stone can really handle those bad boys!  But the rest of the bowl looks sparkling clean, which is saying a lot given the fact that I live in a house full of males with poor aim!

Soft Scrub Total Bath and Bowl really is an all in one bathroom cleaner that saved me A LOT of time and made cleaning my bathrooms very, very easy and I can honestly say I will purchase the product again when this bottle is gone.  I am looking forward to trying out the other Soft Scrub "Total" products as they hit the market.

Win a bottle of Soft Scrub Total Bath and Bowl for yourself! Leave a comment telling me what part of the bathroom you hate cleaning the most! Winner will be chosen using Random.org and I will send the winner a coupon for free Soft Scrub Total Bath and Bowl. If you want extra entries you know the drill: Twitter the contest or post it on Facebook and leave me a separate comment! Contest ends on February 5th, at 12 midnight Arizona Time.

**Disclosure: I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.  I did recieve free product from the company in order to facilitate my review.

My Kid May Be Part Cling-on

Little Man's home sick this weekend, which is not fun. Because truth be told, he's REALLY needy and clingy when he's sick. He doesn't just lay on the couch and sleep it off. He talks about how sick he is constantly and asks for a fresh cup of water every 5 minutes. He wants to try to eat all day, even when he just threw up 10 minutes ago. He's just...needy. I love that he loves his Mom. And I love that he's a cuddlebug that still needs lots of hugs. And I don't mind giving him some extra love and attention when he is sick. I don't even mind rocking him in my lap for awhile. We're a huggy family.

But when Little Man gets sick he goes into cuddle overdrive. He's like that icky black stuff that turned into the evil SpiderMan suit that killed Topher Grace in SpiderMan 3. (That sounded bad. Keep reading so you don't think I'm saying Little Man is evil!) He attaches himself to you and won't let go!! You literally have to PEEL him off of you and the whole time you're peeling his feverish, sweaty little body from yours, he's reattaching every free limb and holding on for dear life like he's about to be tossed out into the ocean or something! DUDE! I just wanna go answer the phone, I'll be right back! Just sit here on the couch for a minute! Yeah...he can be that bad when he's not feeling good.

So it was a HUGE blessing that we received a product to review last week, because it has helped to keep Little Man somewhat occupied while he is sick this weekend. Thank you Fisher Price and MomSelect! You SAVED me from having a sick kid permanently molded to me and you gave my Little Man something to focus on besides his illness. (Pics were before he got sick...he does NOT look that happy right now!)

Check out What Would Boymom Buy for a TRIO Building Set review and giveaway. There's a link there for a $5 off coupon too! Make sure you leave a comment to try to win a set for your kids!!

While you do that, I'm gonna try to extricate myself from my son and go get lunch started for the rest of us.

Have a good Labor Day Weekend!

Middle of the Week Blogoversary Giveaway Bash!

I posted on my real Blogoversay back on May 8th and I told you then we'd celbrate with some kind of party, so let's DO THIS THANG! I've thought long and hard about the best way to hold my Blog Party Giveaway Bash and in the end, it just didn't seem right to make everyone jump through a bunch of hoops to win a prize. I mean, we all have enough hoops to jump through in real life as it is, right? So let's just share some thoughts and experiences and enjoy the party!!

And who says we have to wait for the weekend to PARTAY! Boymom's 1st Anniversary Blog Party Starts Today!! There will be lots of fun and prizes, so come hang out with my blog for a few minutes throughout the rest of the week and let's chat about the things you like and dislike here at I Am Boymom, so I can work on making sure you wanna spend some time with me for another year!

First thing's first though, let's do a giveaway! I recently did a review about Drycleaner's Secret. The good folks from Woolite sent me 2 more kits to give away! So leave a comment about your worst drycleaning experience by Sunday, May 31st and we'll pick 2 random winners on Monday, June 1st! You can read about my worst experience with dryclean only clothes on the Drycleaner's Secret review if you are so inclined. For the record, it did not actually involve a drycleaner.

Then tune in tomorrow and we'll have a new giveaway! Whoo-hoo! I am in such a good mood right now and I have to say, it's been a while since I've felt this happy. Parties are good that way, aren't they? See ya tomorrow!

I Am ReviewMom Needs Some Love, People!

Don't forget to check out my Review and Contest Page! Lots of cool contests taking place on the blogosphere and many new products to read about!