Welcome Winter and Carmex Skin Care. review and Giveaway.

Let me first start off by saying how sorry I am that I haven't posted in a while, before I knew it fall was upon me. Fall, to me, feels bittersweet. The leaves turn amazing colors, then they fall and I have to rake them up. The air gets cold, but I get to wear my favorite sweaters. Halloween and Thanksgiving, bring on more projects, stress, work, cooking, and shopping. I turn around and winter is here.

For me winter brings, snow, ice, Christmas, family, and dry skin. My skin is its driest in the winter months. Last year I was introduced to Carmex Skin Care line. 

Carmex Healing Lotion and Carmex® Healing Cream were designed to work on the rest of your body like the Carmex lip balm works on your lips, Moisturizing is the job and Carmex does it well.

First Carmex Healing Lotion is light, non greasy, and best of all it works. I noticed a change from day one. After using the lotion my skin went from being dry and scratchy to soft and smooth. The lotion itself doesn't feel much different from the popular lotions on the market as you are applying it, however after you have it rubbed in good it doesn't feel greasy like those same lotions tend to. I can tell it is there, but it is not an unpleasant feeling. The scent is soft,never overpowering. Carmex® Healing Lotion is made using a patent pending process that delivers healing and moisturizing without a greasy feel.








For the troubled spots I used the Carmex® Healing Cream. It has a similar scent to the lotion, however I could also smell a slight medicine smell which wasn't too unpleasant, and after using it every night for the past year, I barely notice it.  This stuff does work, it is thicker than lotion and I didn't really notice a greasy feel to it. The big difference between the two, is that while the Lotion started helping me right away, the areas I used the cream on were the worst and took a bit longer to heal. I started seeing dramatic changes within two days. Carmex® Healing Cream is made using a patent pending process that delivers concentrated healing and moisturizing of your driest, roughest skin.






Both work great for guys as well since they do not smell like flowers and junk. These retail for 5.99 USD each for the full size and 0.99 USD each for the travel size. They can be purchased at Walgreens and CVS, but look for them to come to a Walmart near you soon(estimated Occtober 2011).

Feel free to "Like" Carmex on Facebook, they have awesome giveaways and keep us up to date on the latest Carmex News. You can also follow Carmex on twitter.

I was given "Samples" of these products by Carmex to try so that I could give you my honest opinion, no monetary compensation was provided by Carmex and all opinions written in this blog are my own. All Images and logos belong to Carmex and I take no creative credit for them.






 Wait don't go yet......How would you like to WIN a set of  Carmex Skin Care products. One lucky read will do just that. The winner will receive One Carmex Healing Lotion Full Size, One Camex Healing Lotion Travel Size, One Carmex Healing Cream Full Size and One Carmex Healing Cream Travel size, all wrapped up in a nice gift bag..

It's Here, It's Here, Quest for Zhu is finally here!!!!!

The big day is finally here; The ZhuZhu Pets® movie, the Quest for Zhu™, is officially available on DVD and is available in stores. My girls are HUGE ZhuZhu fans and have been on the edge of their seats waiting for the release of the all new movie. I will be buying it soon, the plan was to put it up for Christmas, but seeing how excited they are, I do not think I will keep it until then and truthfully, I am excited to see it myself. I have posted a few of the movie trailers here on the blog, but you can also check out the Zhuniverse website for a sneak peak. Those little hamsters are just so darn cute!!!

Fyrflyz Review and Giveaway

If you have children in your home who watch certain children channels that feature annoyingly cute cartoons and shows, then more than likely you have seen the following commercial.






These are Fyrflyz, a simple but cool spinning toy that requires little effort to work, but lots of practice to master. The toy consists of the main body part, with a light on each end and an on/off switch in the center. Attached to each end is a long cord or string and a finger ring. Aside from tips on how to hold it properly and how to get it going good and keeping it going, there are no other instructions. This is the part I like, children have to use their imaginations to find ways of spinning, twirling, bouncing and turning their Fyrflyz to create fun light tricks. Who said the dark couldn't be fun? I was afraid my children would give up after a while, but thankfully they are stubborn, only time you ever see me be thankful for that, and they keep practicing, ever more determined to create the perfect trick. I can clearly see why this is predicted to be the "IT" toy of the 2011 Holiday season.  I must confess that I play with the Fyrflyz after the kids go to bed, they are not the only stubborn members of our family :) .

When I was a little girl we would get a toy similar to these, although not nearly as fun or entertaining, from the games at the fair. Granted when I was small everything was amazing and valuable, but I did enjoy playing with it until my brothers found ways to use it as a weapon when forcing me to play some sort of war game. Not to worry I got back at them by making them play house and have tea parties with me. My old spinning toy did not light up and the coolest trick I could perform was to keep it spinning for more than 5 minutes. Kids today are so lucky, they have grown ups who grew up with the same simple toys and used their imaginations to transform them into AWESOMENESS, as my daughter Morgan says.


In my attempts to always give you my honest feedback concerning anything on this blog, I will point out when attempting to make the Fyrflyz spin faster it is important that you not put your hands too close together, coming in contact with a spinning anything is not fun. I received no cuts, scrapes, bruises or broken nails, but it did smart(hurt), so learn from my mistake and take care. The good news is the lights are covered by rubber tips.

 

"Each Fyrflyz has its own unique color combination to create color coordinated craziness." Cyclone has white and green lights, Nytfyr has blue and red lights(this is the one Morgan is using in our video), and our favorite the Blue Angel has a blue light on one side and changing color light on the other side. Fyrflyz are available at Toys R Us stores. Be sure to check them out on facebook and twitter.

And here is Morgan.



While I am not paid for this post I am given the products to try by Mom Select, however this does not influence my opinions in any way, all opinions are my own, all product pictures belong to Fyrflyz and are used with permission, the last video is my own and should not be used without my permission.The nice people at FyrFlyz and Mom Select are also allowing me to give one lucky reader their very own Fyrflyz. Just enter below on the Rafflecopter form, Good luck.

Quest for Zhu-No Place Like Here

Check out this adorable music video, featuring my daughter Auriel's favorite Zhu Zhu Pet Jilly!!



Don't forget to check out the Quest for Zhu when it hits shelves this September 27th. You won't want to miss this lively tale full of adventure, humor, and song where Pipsqueak learns that sometimes all you've ever dreamed of is simply waiting for you at home!

Carmex Lime Twist and Vanilla Sticks are Back!

I am a huge fan of the Carmex line of products, I use the lotion, cream, and all of the lip products. Just when I thought things couldn't get better, they did.

 During a holiday season, Carmex introduced two limited edition flavors, Lime Twist and Vanilla click sticks, but then they took them away. I guess my fellow fans and I made enough noise, because they have brought them back and are giving them a permanent place in the product line.

 Carmex always makes great products that work. I suffer from severe dry skin and lips, so having access to products that work consistently is always a want and need, even more so in the winter months, Carmex has never let me down, even my children use the products, I trust them that much.

 Both the Lime Twist stick and Vanilla stick are made to be Ultra Moisturizing, which means not only do they contain the same moisturizers found in the other Carmex products, but they also contain additional ones to help pamper your lips. Both sticks also contain SPF 15, to help protect them from the suns harmful rays. Protecting your lips form the sun help reduce lines and discoloration, so they look younger and more healthy.

Carmex Lime Twist stick has a nice subtle lime flavor, but not the sour kind, more like that of Key Lime pie, the flavor isn't overpowering, just enough to make you stop and realize it is there.






 Carmex Vanilla stick is the same way, just enough flavor to make you notice, but not enough to make you wish you could wipe the stuff off.

 While I enjoyed both flavors, I have to say that Vanilla is my favorite and my girls preferred the Lime. I can also feel the trademark tingle when I apply them to my lips, this lets me know that it is working. With winter just around the corner I will be stocking up on both flavors so we wont run out. You can get your own at your local CVS, Walgreens, or Wal-mart. I also suggest you like Carmex on facebook, they often have coupons to help save money on their products as well as giveaways and information on new and exciting things happening with the Carmex line.

If you are not big on flavored lip balm, you can always try Carmex Moisture Plus line, it offers great Carmex lip products with a touch of shine and they even offer some with a touch of color.






  One lucky reader will get to try all three of these products and will also get a cute picnic blanket that folds up and has its own carry handle and zipper pocket, the pocket is perfect for carrying your Carmex with you.

 

The winner will receive the following:                                                                                               

• 1 Carmex Lime Twist click stick
• 1 Carmex Vanilla click stick
• 1 Certified Awesome Picnic blanket* (it's really cute)
• 1 Carmex Moisture Plus® clear satin gloss finish

I am a proud member of the Carmex Blog Squad, while I am not paid for this post I am given the products to try, however this does not influence my opinions in any way, all opinions are my own, all product pictures belong to Carmex and are used with permission, the last photo is my own and should not be used without my permission.

Tastes from Home with Frito-Lay

When I think of home I think of my childhood. I spent the majority of it being raised by a single mother who worked hard to put food on the table. We were not a well to do family and at times mom was gone most of the day, but she always made sure we had a hot meal on the dinner table.

To make pennies stretch as far as she could she made a lot of casseroles, one of my all time favorites was her warm chicken salad. As a child it was my favorite because it was topped with potato chips and she always served it with veggies from our family garden.

The recipe is very simple:

4 c. diced chicken or turkey, cooked
2 c. diced celery
1 tbsp. minced onion
1 tsp. salt
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 c. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. frozen peas
1 pt. mushrooms

Topping 
1 c.  Crushed potato chips any kind, but I suggest Lay’s Creamy Garden Ranch flavored potato chips.

Combine chicken, celery, eggs, onion, salt. Add soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, peas and mushrooms. Mix well, refrigerate overnight. Top with potato chips. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Serve with toast points and a veggie side, we love to have this with green beans picked fresh that day, but you decide what works best for you.

While we are on the subject of flavors that remind us of home, Frito Lay has come out with some new flavors that were inspired by popular American regional cuisine. They are:

1.       Northeastern U.S. – Lay’s Honey Mustard

2.       Midwestern U.S. – Lay’s Creamy Garden Ranch

3.       Northwestern U.S. – Lay’s Balsamic Sweet Onion

4.       Southwestern U.S. – Lay’s Chipotle Ranch

5.       Southeastern U.S. – Lay’s Cajun Herb & Spice

I would love to try some of the other regions like the Lay's honey Mustard from the Northeastern US and the Lay's Balsamic Sweet Onion from the Northwestern US, oh who am I kidding i would love to try them all.

All of the Lay's Regional Flavored potato chips are made with all natural ingredients and cooked in healthier oils, like corn and sunflower oils, which contain 80% or more of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat - the "good fats." They also contain 0 grams of trans fats per serving! There is also less sodium in them than you might think – a 1-oz serving of our Lay’s Regional Flavored potato chips contains less salt than a plain bagel!

 

How would you like a chance to get to sample all of the new Regional Flavors, well Frito-Lay will send one lucky reader their very own Variety pack a Lay's regional Flavors. All you have to do to enter is follow the steps below. The only mandatory entry is to leave a comment on this blog post telling me what flavors or recipe remind you of home, it is that simple, but be sure to fill out the entry form after you comment.

While all opinions are mine and I received no money for writing this, Frito-Lay provided me with the chips and my blog post is a form of entry for The Tastes from Home with Frito-Lay recipe contest. Any and all pictures are the property of Frito-lay and are used with permission.

What are we going to do today?

"There's 104 Days of Summer Vacation, And School comes along just to End it. So the Annual Problem for our Generation, Is finding a good way to Spend it."



On August 5, 2011 Disney Channel premiered their new movie "Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension", We had a blast at our premier party!!

Prior to the party the girls and I made some yummy treats like this giant Perry rice cereal treat, his beak and feet are make form flat, square marshmallows that we painted with Icing coloring gel. We also served platters of finger sandwiches and potato chips.

As the guests started to arrive we played a round of  PHINEAS AND FERB TRIVIA. It was fun to see how many parents knew the answers, nice to know I am not the only mommy who watches Phineas and Ferb. We still had time before the movie started so we played a few rounds of a hide and seek typed game called "Where's Perry". I hid a Perry beanbag toy and sent the children off to find him, this also gave me time to clean up the food mess and get the popcorn bags ready.

After finding Perry(6 times, I might add), it was time to find a comfy seat and enjoy the show. The children were each given a goody bag which consisted of a sling backpack filled with great goodies like tattoos, buttons, stickers, fruit snacks, pudding, erasers, etc, oh and a mask.

Even some of the "Big Kids" had to play too.

 

Over all the show was GREAT, the kids sat still and watched it as intently as a grown man watches the Super Bowl. There was one part that had everyone holding their breath, when the boys thought they might lose Perry forever, but we were all happy when they figured something out and Perry got to stay.

I had a lot of fun and was glad to get to do one last fun event before school starts next week.
I want to personally thank Child's Play Party and Disney for allowing me to host this party and for giving the children some great goodies and memories.


"Oh, there you are Perry!"

Testing

Ok so this giveaway is to test out this raffle thing, I am not going to post all the stuff you will get so it will be a surprise, I will tell you you will get some grocery totes(saves some trees), some stuff from Disney's Phineas and Ferb Movie, some keyrings, coupons, samples, and whatever else I can fit in a bubble mailer out of my box of leftover product sponsored parties or reviews. I promise everything is new and I do not allow smoking in my house. We do have two cats, but they have never been in my office so they do not come in contact with this stuff, however if you feel it may still cause an allergy issue you may not wish to enter. Most of my giveaways are sponsored so the prizes are never at my house, this time is different.

Parent's Choice Formula, Calculate the Savings.

Let's face it having children is expensive, even more so when they are infants. Having to buy diapers, wipes, soaps, clothes, and especially baby formula can really put a strain on a family budget. Today more and more parents are learning that name brand isn't always the smartest choice. I notice that I buy store brand a lot more than I buy a national brand, but I am picky, the store brand has to be just as good as the name brand.

For 13 years, Parent's Choice Infant Formula has helped parents to save an average of $600 USD a year and Parent's Choice Formula has nutritional equivalence of national brands. I don't know about you, but to me that is some much needed money that could be used to get other things a child needs. One of my favorite things on the Parent's Choice website is the Savings Calculator. It allows you to pick a national brand/type of baby formula. It then shows you a comparable Parent's Choice Formula. It shows you the average cost of each, and then goes on to show you how much you would save per year, month, week, day, and bottle, below you will see how it calculated the savings of purchasing Parent's Choice Organic over Similac Organic.



I was amazed that one could save $523.55 per year on average. *Total savings with Parent's Choice Infant Formula calculations based on a price per fl oz comparison of Parent's Choice Infant Formulas and their comparable national brands.

Parent's Choice, partnered with PBM Nutrionals, the largest manufacturer of store-brand infant formulas and nutrition products, wants to help one family save even more with the "Parent´s Choice Infant Formula" Sweepstakes. One lucky winner will receive a $10,000 college scholarship in the form of a College Savings 529 Plan. From now until 11:59pm on August 15th, 2011 you can choose to increase your little one´s chances of attending the college of his or her choice, by "liking" Parent´s Choice Infant Formula on Facebook and filling out the simple form.
Be sure to check out the official sweepstakes rules.

While Parent's Choice has always had my and my children's seal of approval, please speak with your baby's doctor prior to switching formula.

Still unsure here are some facts that may help ease your mind.

• In the US, all infant formulas are subject to the same regulations for manufacture and ingredients required for the growth of healthy babies under the Infant Formula Act.
• Store brand formulas sold at major retailers are a premium national substitute at a value price and meet the same FDA nutritional requirements as all of the major brands.
• The quality and safety of the manufacturing of infant formulas are also inspected by the FDA in the same way.

Want to try Parent's Choice Baby Formula? Visit their website to request a free sample or better yet, enter the giveaway below, one lucky reader will win the following:

12.9 oz can of Parent´s Choice Premium to try.
12.4 oz can of Parent´s Choice Advantage to try.
Two $3.00 off coupons for Parent´s Choice Infant Formula (redeemable at all Walmart stores)
Parent´s Choice Starter Set - a complete nurser system that includes a variety of bottles, nipples, liners, leak proof caps and retainer rings.



"Disclosure: The Parent´s Choice Infant Formula product sample, information, and giveaway have been provided by Parent´s Choice through MyBlogSpark."

This Giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Facebook, giveaway ends at 11:59PM CST on August 15,2011. Winner will be emailed at this time and will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be mailed directly from MyBlogSpark. This Giveaway is open to US residents only.

Testing 1 2 3

Just testing out some things.

I love hand-me-downs.

I do not personally know any mom who would turn down hand-me-downs that are in wearable condition. It just wouldn't make sense. Kids grow so fast that half the time their clothes are barely worn. I use to box all the clothes my girls had outgrown and either save them for friends and family or donate them to the Goodwill. Then I discovered Thredup.

Thredup is a clothing swap type of site that follows the fact that "Clothes don't grow, kids do." It is very easy to use. First you sign up for an account, which is free to join at thredup.com. Then you browse their list of thousands of boxes full of pre-loved kids clothes & toys, each box is just $5.00 USD plus the cost of shipping which is $10.95 USD for a medium flat rate box. Users who post the boxes list the items that are inside as well as some of the brands of clothing. You can search the boxes by size and/or gender. Most of the boxes are very full. I received my first box back in June and I received 3 pairs of shorts, one pair of jeans, a skirt, two shirts, and a jacket. Everything was name brand and in awesome condition.

Post your own box of pre-loved clothes/toys your child no longer wears on thredUP. It takes just minutes to list out the great items your kids no longer use. When another member picks your box, send it 100% free of charge. Thredup provides boxes, postage, and even schedule the pick-up. the only thing you need is a working printer.

Another great site I use, savemore.com, has a ThredUp deal for a day only. For $16.00USD you can get Two Boxes of Kids Pre-Loved Clothes, Books or Toys ($31.90 Value). Better yet if you are a new savemore.com user you can get a free $10.00 USD credit, which means you can get your two boxes for only $6.00 USD. That is an awesome deal on some great pre-loved clothing, toys, or books.

Deal terms and conditions: Expires July 23, 2012. May not be combined with any other promotional offers. Valid for new customers only. Redeem online at http://www.thredup.com/savemore . Limit one voucher for yourself and two as gifts.

The opinions posted in this post are completely mine, I was not compensated for my post. Any Links posted in this post are referral links and I do receive credit for those who sign up for either site via my links.

Coming Soon

I have some great things coming soon so stay tuned.

ZhuZhu Pets Movie "Quest for Zhu" trailer - Time for Action!

The upcoming ZhuZhu Pets movie "Quest for Zhu" is loaded with action that will keep Zhu-natics on the edges of their seats! Watch this week's teaser to get a sneak peek at the adventures of Pipsqueak, Num Nums, Mr. Squiggles, and Chunk as they travel through the Zhu-niverse. Coming in fall 2011 to DVD and Blu-ray. Check out http://www.zhuniverse.com for more info!

The girls and I are so excited, we can't wait to see all the Zhu Zhu pets in action, especially our favorite character Num Nums.

Handmade Gift Exchange Summer 2011

My friend Jennifer of Jennifer's Deals, let me know about a blog that was putting together a Handmade Gift Exchange. Being the crafter I am, she thought it would be something I would enjoy. I was paired with a 12 girl named Hannah. I sent her gift off and then my camera ate the pics, I have asked her to take some for me and email them to me, but she loves to read, loves butterflies and her favorite color is purple so I painted on card stock a picture of butterfly hovering over a flower and made it into a bookmark. I them took a metal tin with a hinged lid and covered the top with polymer clay. I took more clay and put the letter "H" and a small butterfly. i also made a purple butterfly keyring form clay and after both pieces were baked hard, I padded the tin with cotton and put the keyring inside. As soon as she sends me the pics I will update this post with them.

Here are the items she made for me. Four collages with a time theme and two ponytail holders she made for my girls.

It is hot outside.

Well after much complaining about the rain we were getting, we can finally complain about the heat. It is hot. We have not been able to get much geocaching done do to the rain flooding the caching areas out and now it is too hot to even sit on the porch, much less hike through the woods looking for treasure. My only hope is that it evens out before school starts back up, I know the girls are really bummed.

We attempted a beach trip the other day, but the lake is the highest I have ever seen it. Water up to the sidewalk.

Due to the heat and Rick's new schedule we have no plans for the fourth either, not that I am complaining, I would much rather enjoy a quiet evening at home with my girls.

I go to pick up my bike on Monday, I am super excited. I havent riden a bike in over 13 years, but with the present state of my knees, the doctors say the bike will be better for me than walking and will help me lose some weight, plus it is something we can do as a family in the evenings when it is cooler outside.

Another goal for this month, to feed us 3 meals a day for less than 100 dollars a week including beverages. i do not coupon as well as my friends so this is a challenge. I also prefer to make most things the old fashion way and well they just do not give out very many coupons for meat and veggies in my area. I created a Menu template on Google Docs to try and help me plan the week out. I usually have no issue in planning my meals, but when faced with little boxes I needed to fill in I drew a blank and the family was no help. I am confidant that if i stick to it, this will become routine and will get easier as i go along.

I hope everyone reading this is doing well and having a great summer. If you blessed(sarcasm) with the heat we have, I hope you find plenty of fun ways to stay cool. Please have a safe Fourth of July and drink plenty of water.

Quest for Zhu

Check out the extended trailer for the upcoming ZhuZhu Pets movie "Quest for Zhu" coming to DVD and Blu-ray in fall 2011! Mr. Squiggles, Chunk, Num Nums, and Stinker join Pipsqueak on an exciting adventure in her quest to find her way back home.

"Quest for Zhu" Trailer Check out what is next for Zhu Zhu Pets.

This looks like it will be a very cute movie, I for one can not wait to get this dvd for my girls.

Life Happens

I want to first say that I am sorry that I have not posted anything in quite some time. There really isn't anything going on in my little world. We had a pretty cold winter, but it appears to be slowly passing us by. the girls and I are excited. Nice weather means we can get out more. They are ready to go geocaching again. What is geocahing? It is an activity that the girls and I enjoy doing together. We get exercise and excitement all rolled into one, I am working on a post dedicated to this topic. Look for it to come in the near future. We will be hiding our own cache and will be giving away a cache for one of our readers to hide in their area. Should be fun.

Morgan is doing very well with her trombone. She had to compose her own piece last month, I hope to get video of her playing it and post it soon, but she said I had to wait until she was really good at it first. She and I are currently working on a big science project due in May, she has to build a catapult made mostly of recycled material. It has been challenging coming up with a good working model, but when we are finished I will write about that as well.

Not much going on with Auriel, she is getting straight A's which is good and her behavior, while not perfect, is getting better. She has found a great love of reading(like her momma) and hope that love continues to grow, books can take our imaginations to far greater lengths than television or movies have ever done. She is also starting to show an interest in cooking. She is constantly asking me to teach her how I make this or that.

I am still me, I keep attempting to work on my art more, but dull gray weather really has not inspired much creativity in me. I am excited for spring. Some of the flowers have begun blooming, I can not wait until the hummingbirds come back and see that I got them a feeder, maybe then they will not attack me while I sit on the porch. I am curious if I will make friends with some honeybees this year, for those who do not know, I befriended 3 very nice bees last summer, they enjoyed being fed soda on the outside table, but I think they may prefer the hummingbird food.