Friday, September 21, 2012

Star Trek for Halloween

My son loves all things Star Trek! I don't know Where he gets that from?  I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that both his parents like it too!  When I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween, you know what he said...  A Star Trek guy!

After doing some searching on different websites, we found a great Star Trek costume!  My son felt very strongly that he wanted the red shirt.  Me, being a fan of Star Trek, had very mixed emotions.  Red-shirted crew members didn't fair so well in the episodes.  If you watched Star Trek on TV, you know that one red-shirt met an untimely end each episode.  But, my son loves red so we got it!

He is absolutely thrilled with his costume!  When it arrived (with very prompt shipping, I might add) he immediately tried it on and assumed many Star Trek poses.  I had fun watching him enjoy his costume so much!  Now, he's having a hard time waiting for Halloween to get here!  Me too, but my anticipation is much more candy-based!

The Star Trek costume fit great and is well-made!  It even passed my husband's inspection, which is something, since he is a much bigger fan than me.  In fact, without spoiling it, our Halloween this year will definitely have a theme and will involve whole family!  I'll take pictures when everything is finished.

Now I'm on the hunt for phasers, and blue face paint (no, not for smurfs).  Wish me luck!

Disclosure:  I received this product for the purpose of a review.  The opinions are all my own and free of charge!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

What a Delight!

Have I mentioned my affection for frozen treats?  Have you noticed I may have a bit of an over-developed sweet tooth?  Maybe you've also noticed, but were too polite to say anything, that I am pleasingly plump.  I'm sure it has nothing to do with my over-developed sweet tooth.... sigh....

This week my sweet tooth has been not only satisfied, but down right indulged, and I have happily avoided the guilt that comes with that.  How, you ask? Well, let me tell you....

Arctic Zero!  Arctic Zero!  Arctic Zero!  That's me shouting it from the roof-tops (okay, maybe I'm just saying it loudly while I sit at my computer, but the emotion is there!)

Arctic Zero are frozen desserts that I must say, are very yummy! Yet, these yummy desserts contain less than 150 calories per pint, are fat-free, gluten-free, and have 14 grams of whey protein per pint!  Are you completely amazed?  I am!  There are no sugar alcohols, and are suitable for type 2 diabetes.  For you carb counters out there (I'm one of them) the delicious chocolate pint I just finished only had 6 carbs per serving, or 24 total for the pint.  Yes, you heard me right!

I love the taste, and really do feel like I can finally indulge my sweet tooth.  My daughter has type 1 diabetes and so we count every carb in this house.  This is so wonderful, that she can sit down and have a delicious dessert without sending her carb count through the roof!  Woo hoo!

Artic Zero has Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cookies and Cream, Strawberry, Vanilla and Maple, Coffee, Mint Chocolate Cookie, and right now a Pumpkin Spice flavor that is my absolute favorite!  My daughter's also!  After dueling each other with our spoons, we decided to share and had a great bonding moment over a pint of Artic Zero Pumpkin Spice!

They also have Arctic Zero Bars with only 85 calories per bar, and 70% fewer calories, fat and sugar than other preumium bars!  They come in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and orange and are all covered in a chocolate coating!

I know I'm raving on and on about Arctic Zero Frozen Desserts, but these are such a blessing for us!  My daughter wants to be a normal teenager, but with type 1 diabetes, there are things she just has trouble with.  Arctic Zero is a dessert that is delicious, and she can eat without causing her blood sugar to go off the charts!  I can have a dessert without all the accompanying guilt.

I think you'll really enjoy these!  I am so glad Arctic Zero now has a prominent place in our freezer (but not too prominent, cuz I am having a hard time sharing!)

I can find them at my local Fry's and Sprouts, but they are also available on Amazon.

You can check them out on their website, www.myarticzero.com or on their Facebook page, or Twitter!

Now that your mouth is watering, I'm going to tempt you some more with a great contest!  One of your lucky readers can win your own sample pack of Arctic Zero!  Let me tell you, it is one amazing sample pack!  I'm still sampling!  I received a pint of every flavor they have, plus two boxes of their bars!  Very generous!

Mandatory Entry:
Please leave me a comment letting me know which flavor you'd like to try! How easy is that? Please include your email in the comment if it's not visible in your profile (jane smith at yahoo dot com)

Extra Entries:
Leave a separate comment for each extra entry:

Like Arctic Zero on Facebook

Follow Arctic Zero on Twitter
Follow my blog publicly on GFC
Follow me on
Twitter
"Like" me on Facebook

Contest ends Wednesday, October 3, 2012. One winner will be randomly chosen from all correct entries. Winner will be notified by email and have 72 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. This contest is open to residents of the US.


Contest is over and winner has been chosen.  Thanks to all you amazing readers!

Disclosure:  I received the products for the purpose of a review.  The opinions are all my own and free of charge!

Friday, September 14, 2012

Finding Nemo - Again!

I grew up watching Disney movies!  I remember wanting to be Cinderella, going to the ball!  My kids are growing up with Disney too.  We try to catch all the Disney movies as they come out in the theater.

We took our daughter to see Finding Nemo when it first came out and loved it!  We have the video and watch it at home, and love it.  Though, I've seen it so many times that I have a tendency to tune it out.

When I was offered the chance to see Finding Nemo in 3D, I thought it would be a great opportunity for my son to see it in the theater.  I thought, "Oh, he will really enjoy this!"  Well, he did... and so did I!

I was completely swept away in the moment.  I loved the 3D effects, truly amazing!  I loved that the 3D glasses were orange and white striped like a clown fish. (Way to go, Disney!)  I loved the story!  I forgot how much I loved the story of Finding Nemo.

I laughed, I cried, I even pondered.  As I watched other parent figures (granted, they were sea creatures) I evaluated where I sat on the parenting scale.

I forgot how funny this movie is!  I belly-laughed many times, plus lots of giggling!  The sea turtles are a personal favorite of mine.... dude.  They totally rock, dude!  Here's a little trivia for you... did you know that the director, two-time Oscar winner Andrew Stanton, also did the voice of Crush, the sea turtle?  It's true, dude.  (sorry, just channeling my inner sea-turtle!)

My son and I thoroughly enjoyed Finding Nemo in 3D!  In fact, the audience applauded at the end of the movie!  It is so worth it to see it in the theater.  Even if you've already seen it, even if you have the video, even if you think you're too old for Disney (which I think personally, no one is too old for Disney!).  It opens in theaters nationwide today, September 14th! 

Rediscover Finding Nemo in 3D, and remember fish are friends, not food!

Disclosure:  I had the opportunity to see the film for the purpose of a review.  The opinions are all my own and free of charge!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Come Take a Bubble Ride

I love music!  Right now I'm jammin' out to ABBA (can you jam out to ABBA?) As you can guess I have a very broad taste in music!  I like lots of different genres, tunes, etc.  And yes, I love kids music!

Let me tell you about a very fun CD called Bubble Ride.  It's by Vanessa Trien and the Jumping Monkeys.  They are a Boston-based singing group.  They do live performances plus have several CDs available.

Bubble Ride is definitely written for the younger crowd, but the tunes are so catchy I find myself singing and dancing along!  The songs are folk-roots based, but there's definitely some funky tracks and some kicky beats in there!  I was really impressed with the quality of the music and the vocal talents!

There are 15 tracks on Bubble Ride.  Some of my favorites are Peacock Walk (very fun to listen to) and Deep in the Jungle which has a great jungle beat to it.  I also loved that it includes Free to Be You and Me!  I loved that song as a child growing up (oops, did I just admit my age?!) and listening to it brought back some great memories!

My son and I really enjoyed this CD and I can hardly wait to share it with my nieces and nephews also!

You can purchase the CD at www.vanessatrien.com or through Itunes.  I found some of their other CDS on Amazon, so fingers crossed that, hopefully Bubble Ride will be available there soon too!

Enjoy the Bubble Ride!

Disclosure:  I received the CD for the purpose of a review.  The opinions are all my own and free of charge!

Soft Scrub - Tough on Stains!

Let's just start this out with, I really love this product!  What is it, you ask?  It is a wonderful Household Cleaner called Soft Scrub.

I've used Soft Scrub in the past, but now they have different types and I love them all!  They have cleaners that are all purpose, bath and bowl, and one that works on grease.  The new bottles have a patented trigger that will either spray a fine mist or a thick foam.  You can even spray upside down so it will reach in those tricky spaces, like the rim of the toilet bowl.

Another plus for me, is my kids really like to use the foam so they are much more willing to clean because the cleaner is "cool!" as they put it!  The bathrooms looked sparkling clean after using the Soft Scrub Bath and Bowl cleaner.

I tried the Soft Scrub All Purpose Cleaner on my kitchen sink.  Check out the before and after pics:
Before - totally Gross!

After - Sparkly Clean and Disinfected!

My kids leave all sorts of gross messes in my kitchen sink, but Soft Scrub got them out and with very little scrubbing on my part!

I love it becaue it got the stains out, but is gentle on the surfaces.  Plus, it cleans and deodorizes.  I told you I loved this product!

Right now Soft Scurb is holding a sweepstakes with $3000 in prizes!  Can you say Woot! Woot!  One lucky winner will will $1000 and 50 other winners will win $40 each!  You can enter here!

Now, for even more contesty fun... how about a chance to win some coupons for a free bottle of Soft Scrub!  Three winners will each win two coupons for one free bottle of Soft Scrub Total, Soft Scrub Bleach Clean, or Soft Scrub abrasive product!  Very cool!

Contest ends Wednesday, September 26, 2012. Three winners will be randomly chosen from all correct entries. Winners will be notified by email and have 72 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. This contest is open to residents of the US.

Disclosure:  I was given this product for the purpose of a review.  The opinions are all my own and free of charge!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bf96860/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Shaking Things Up!

Can I just tell you, I love to blog!  I really do!  One of the reasons, (besides giving my opinion, which I LOVE to do!) is I get to try the neatest things!  Oh, I can hardly wait to tell you about this!
 
Betty Crocker (who is one of my go-to brands to begin with) has come out with the neatest product!  It is called Betty Crocker Shake-N-Pour.  They are mixes that you just add water to, shake, and wait for it.... pour! See, I told you it was neat!
 
We had so much fun trying these mixes out!  We got the Chocolate Cupcake Mix out, added water, and had a blast shaking the mix!  I even added a little dance as I shook it up!  Wait, does that count as exercise?
 
The kids each took turns shaking (not because it needed that much shaking, it was just fun to do!) and then my daughter poured it into the cupcake papers, plopped it in the oven, and soon we were eating heavenly chocolate cupcakes!

You can find these gems in the baking aisle of your grocery store.  You can try the Chocolate Cupcake, Confetti Cupcake, and Chocolate Brownie.  Is your mouth watering yet?
 
I love the quickness and convenience of this.  Plus, my son with special needs can now help with the baking, which I love!  I highly recommend Betty Crocker Shake-N-Pour!  They're easy, convenient and delicious! 
 
Well, just when you thought it couldn't get any better... one of you lucky readers can win your own prize pack!  It includes:
 
*All three varieties of the Betty Crocker Shake-N-Pour Dessert Mixes
*60 minute baking timer
*Treat stand
*Oven mitt
 

Very cool! Don't you love trying new things!

Mandatory Entry:
Please leave me a comment letting me know which mix you'd try first! How easy is that? Please include your email in the comment if it's not visible in your profile (jane smith at yahoo dot com)

Extra Entries:
Leave a separate comment for each extra entry:

Like Betty Crocker on Facebook
Follow my blog publicly on GFC
Follow me on
Twitter
"Like" me on Facebook

Contest ends Friday, September  21, 2012. One winner will be randomly chosen from all correct entries. Winner will be notified by email and have 72 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. This contest is open to residents of the US.


Disclosure: The product, gift pack, information, and additional sample have all been provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.

Contest is over and winner has been chosen!  Thanks to all you amazing readers!

Monday, September 10, 2012

Sports Illustrated KIDS

I love a good bargain and I love a good contest!  Well, I want to pass on some info about both!  Woot!

Sports Illustrated Kids is offering their August tablet issue completely free!  Cool, huh!  The tablet edition has everything that the print magazine does,but it also includes bonus photos and interactive features like games and sports cards that kids will loved.

You just need to download the SI kids app on an iPad or Kindle Fire, and then use this info to get the latest issue:

Login:  freeissue@sikids.com
Pasword:  september2012

SportsIllustrated Kids is also holding a contest for the 2012 SportsParent of the Year!  The Grand Prize winner will receive a $1,000 gift card to held support their child's or community team's sports needs.  The winner may also be featured in an upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated Kids magazine and/or on SIKIDS.com.  The deadline for the entries are 9/24/12.

It's pretty easy to enter:

Decide who you'd like to nominate.  It can be yourself, your spouse, or another parent.

Go to www.sikids.com/sportsparent and follow the instructions to submit your nomination.

You can only nominate one person.

Like the Sports Illustrated Kids Facebook page.

Share your entry with your friends and followers via social media (Twitter hashtag: #SPOTY2012)

Good luck!

Disclosure:  I received a product for the purpose of a review.  The opnions are all my own and free of charge!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Motion Sickness - Be Gone!

I have been plaqued with motion sickness all my life!  I've learned all the tricks, fresh air blowing on me, keeping my eyes fixed forward, and absolutely no reading while I'm in the car!  Blegh....

Trips were always miserable, curvy mountain roads were torture!  I missed out on lots of amusement park rides because they made me throw up.  Blegh...

Then I discovered Dramamine!  What a lifesaver!  I could take a pill, and then be able to do the things everyone else in my family could!  I even went on a boat, woo hoo! The only drawback was how drowsy I felt when I took it.  Though, when you think of motion sickness and all the symptoms associated with it, drowsiness was well-worth it.

Now, Dramamine has come up with Dramamine Less Drowsy!  My family recently took a road trip down to Tucson.  I took Dramamine Less Drowsy and was able to enjoy the trip down and back, plus all the driving we did (including lots of u-turns as we tried to find different destinations!).  I didn't feel so tired as I usually do on Dramamine.  Plus, one pill lasted 24 hours.  I could be a Dramamine Poster Child!  This stuff allows me to enjoy vacations with my family, and take trips that used to be just horrible. 

There is also Dramamine for Kids which comes in a safe, precise children's dose.  It prevents motion sickness.  I wish I had this as a kid.  I hated getting sick, then begging Dad to pull over because I was going to throw up. Then, having all my brothers and sisters making comments and gagging noises!  Geesh!

Now, not only is Dramamine a wonderful solution for me, but they are also offering an opportunity to win a week long cruise!  You know I'm all over that!  Entering is easy!  Just go to www.Dramamine.com and click on the sweepstakes banner.  Just tell them in 50 words or less why you wished you had used Dramamine on a recent trip, and you could be chosen to win a week long cruise for four people!  Oh yeah!  Four finalists will receive a travel package containing headphones, an e-reader (Kindle fire), neck pillows, eye masks and of course, Dramamine!  How fun!

Go enter!  But hurry, the contest ends September 30th, 2012.

Thanks Dramamine, for giving me back the chance to have travel adventures with my family again!

Disclosure:  I received samples for the purpose of a review.  The opinions are all my own and free of charge!