Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Review: Miss Management

From the product: Get ready to manage a team of zany animated coworkers as you step into the shoes of Denise, a young and beleagured first-time office manager. You'll have to juggle incoming work tasks, keep everyone from getting stressed out, and help the coworkers achieve their goals, from flirting at the watercooler to getting more work done than anyone else! Office politics was never as hilarious as this!

When I was asked if I'd like to review Miss Management, I jumped at the chance! As most of you know, lately I've been spending a lot of time getting hooked on computer games such as Sally's Salon, Cake Mania, Diner Dash, and Mario Party DS. (BWT, Cake Mania now has a Cake Mania 2 available. I haven't tried it out yet but I've heard the graphics are amazing! Ooh, maybe I'll get a chance to review it! *wink*)

Anyway, Miss Management, from Brighter Minds Media, takes you to an office setting where you have to juggle various assignments, deal with some difficult co-workers, and shop for office supplies, all while making sure company moral is high and productive.

In the beginning, the game went a little slowly to the point where I felt like I was standing around with nothing to do. However, once more workers showed up, things started to get more challenging and fun! It forced me to think about priorities and to budget my time and money. I told myself that I would play it for only an hour but ended up delegating tasks until after midnight!

As you can see, I really enjoyed the game and will definitely be playing it again. If you like strategic games where you have to prioritize and stay on your toes, you'll love Miss Management!

You can test out their free trial download but be careful, you'll get hooked! The full version is available for $19.99. Stop by and check out Miss Management and all their other popular computer games!

Wedneday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone
Just for Women
Just for Kids
Baby Essentials
Home & Kitchen

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Giveaway: Doodlebops Live in Concert

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation.
The winner is ToyStory. Congratulations!

From the cover: Grab your dancing shoes and get ready to rock with the Doodlebops Live in Concert - the Doodlebops' first-ever concert DVD! You've rocked with them on their hit TV show on Playhouse Disney. Now join the fun and sing along with Deedee, Rooney, and Moe as they take the stage and perform 25 of their favorite hits!

Includes 25 of your favorite performances such as Tick Tock, Tell Me More, Let's Get Loud, I Can Dance, and Get On Up. Special features include a Backstage Pass Featurette and 2 Sing-Alongs of Fans' favorite songs!

This video will be available to the public on May 6th for $14.98.

However, you can win one here! To enter, just mention in comments before midnight May 6th who your child's favorite Doodlebop is. That's it! A random winner will be selected and notified on May 7th. The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, subscribe to my feed and/or mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here. Don't forget to let me know if you're doing/did the extra credit so I can make sure you're entered properly. Also, leave a way to contact you in case you win!

This giveaway is open to everyone world-wide. Good luck!

Tuesday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone
  • The Full Mommy - Thermos Rock Bottle, 10-oz. and 16-oz. Food Jars, Reusable Brown Paper Lunch Bag, and American Classic Six-Can Cooler (May 2nd)
  • Mamas Like - Because I Said So, Social Stationary Note Cards, & Zoobie Pet (May 5th)
  • DatMoney.com - 310,000 unique visitors and other great prizes (May 9th)
Just for Women
Just for Kids
Home & Kitchen
Books & Movies for GrownUps

Monday, April 28, 2008

I Gave In to Pay Per Post

After much consideration, I've decided to join the posties at Pay Per Post.

Don't worry, this blog will not be bombarded with paid advertisements/reviews. Instead, I've decided that I'll just select a few opportunities that I can relate to and hopefully I won't come off sounding like a commercial.

I originally discovered Pay Per Post when I had my first blog and actually made pretty decent money with it. It's not something I could retire on but it did allow me to purchase some items for the girls like books, toys, and clothes.

However, when I started my new blogs, I decided not to participate because I've seen first hand the negative effects that too many sponsored posts can have. In fact, there was this one blog (who shall remain nameless) that I used to visit on a daily basis. Once she signed up with PPP, that's pretty much all she published. After a while, I just stop visiting. I missed hearing about her daily life.

If you're interested in signing-up, it's quick and easy to do. Just register on their site and you'll get a response within the next couple of days. Once approved, you can then browse through their blogger opportunities and see which ones best fits your style. How cool to be able to get paid to blog!

All I wish for this time around is to be able to make a little side cash so that I'm able to drop a trip here and there and stay home more with my girls. At least I can hope.



Review & Giveaway: Tera's Dawn & Unicorn Races

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation.
The winner is Samsakara. Congratulations!

Tera's Dawn, written by Susan K. Schank, is about a young mare who loves to run free among the countryside. Then one day, she gets caught by ranchers and trained to be a plow horse on their farm. Her misery eventually turns to happiness when she makes an amazing discovery!

Even though Girlie Girl isn't a big fan of horses, she loved the way Tera overcame adversity and found her wish eventually coming true. A great book that your entire family will love.


If you have a child who loves fantasies, this is the perfect picturebook! In Unicorn Races, written by Stephen J. Brooks, every night after going to bed a young girl enters the imaginary world of unicorns among the stars. Riding as a princess on the back of a unicorn, she oversees amazing races past the moon, stars, and other exciting sights.

The best part of this book is the beautiful water-color pictures that makes you feel like you're right there in the action. Definitely one of the best books we've read in a long time!

How would you like to win both of these books for your family's library? Oh, and did I mention that they're both signed by the authors? Cool, huh? To enter, just stop by Purple Sky Publishing before midnight, May 5th and check out their other wonderful children's books. Then come back here and mention one that you find interesting. That's it! A random winner will be selected and notified on May 6th. The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

You may earn extra entries by doing one or all of the following for a total of 3 extra entries:
Please let me know if you're doing/did the extra credit so I can make sure you're entered properly.

Don't forget to leave a way to contact you in case you win! This giveaway is open to everyone world-wide. Good luck!

Monday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone

Just for Women

Just for Kids

Baby Essentials

Home & Kitchen

Books & Movies for GrownUps
  • One Chic Mama - Style Statement: Live By Your Own Design by Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte (May 5th)

Friday, April 25, 2008

Friday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone

Just for Women
  • Baby Buy Products - Four Peas Messenger Bag (April 28th)
  • Provence Gifts - Personalized Note Cards from Whitney English (April 29th)
  • Mamas Like - $50 to Nikki Knits (April 30th)
  • Tip Junkie - Your choice of the "MOM" charm with either a large traditional charm bracelet or the charm with a box chain necklace (April 30th)
  • Green Mom Finds - Beeswax Body Balm (May 1st)
  • Mom Logic - Me&Ro Compassion Slate 10k Gold Pendant (May 8th)

Just for Kids

Baby Essentials

Home & Kitchen

Books & Movies for GrownUps

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Thursday's Contest & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone

Just for Women

Just for Kids

Baby Essentials

Home & Kitchen

Books & Movies for GrownUps

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Review & Giveaway: Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation.
The winners are Jen @ Be Thou Exalted, Lisa @ The Mo' Fo', Pamela@sbcglobal, BloominWild89, & LindaW@gmail!

I'm sure most people would agree that cleaning the toilet is the worst job in the house. So, when I have the opportunity to test out something that could make my life easier in that area, I'm all willing!

Introducing the Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush Max Toilet Cleaning System.

From the site: "Our heavy duty, disposable toilet cleaning system cleans tough stains like hard water, limescale, rust and more. The scrubbing pad's tough stains formula starts working as soon as the pad touches the water. As you scrub, thousands of abrasive fibers in the pad loosen dirt and grime, so you have a clean, sparkling bowl. Once you're done cleaning, just throw the soiled pad away. There's no wet, germy brush to store."

The kit included a 19' handle which was really easy to put together. Just snap two pieces together and you're all set. Then slide the button on the handle to open the teeth, attach the scrubbing pad, then slide back the button until you hear it click.

The shape of the handle made cleaning the toilet really easy, even under the rim. When I was done, I just slid the button and the used pad dropped into the trash can.

The only downside was that it didn't take all the rust out. However, if I had this cleaner from the beginning, I probably wouldn't have let the rust accumulate in the first place. It's that easy to use! Also, it would be great if the pads were somehow flushable and bio-degradable - being Earth Week and all.

Now for the giveaway. I have 5 sets of the Fresh Brush Kit & 12 Pad Refills for 5 lucky winners. To enter, just leave a comment before April 28th saying which household chore is your least favorite. That's it! Five random winners will be selected and notified on April 29th. They will then have 3 days to claim their prize. Don't forget to leave a way to contact you in case you win!

To earn extra entries, just subscribe to my feed and/or mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here. Don't forget to let me know if you're doing/did the extra credit so I can make sure you're entered properly.

This giveaway is open to US addresses only. Good luck!

Wednesday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone

Just for Women

Just for Kids

Baby Essentials

Home & Kitchen

Books & Movies for GrownUps

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tuesday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone

Just for Women

Just for Kids

Baby Essentials

Home & Kitchen
Books for GrownUps

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Monday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone

Just for Women
  • Gift Rap - VivaTerra Bamboo & Organic Cotton Robe (April 24th)
  • Shopalicious - Lands End Woven Metallic Tote (April 24th)
  • Mom Logic - Sole Beauty Products (May 1st)

Just for Kids

Baby Essentials
Books for GrownUps

Review & Giveaway: Huggies Clean Team

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation.
The winners are alyssasmommy2007 & Tiff of Three Peas in a Pod.
Congratulations!

Ever since Girlie Girl was born 6 years ago, we've been a loyal Huggies family. It was the first product we tried in the endless brands of diapers and since it worked well for us, we never thought to switch.

So when I had the opportunity to try out some of their new products in the Cleanteam line-up, I was thrilled! Their brand new mascots and colorful packaging actually make my kids want to wash up. Now that's something to get excited about!

Flushable Moist Wipes - Freddy Flamingo is in charge of making sure the whole Cleanteam is spic 'n span. However, his specialty is giving your kids a little independence by letting them finish up all by themselves with these pre-moistened, flushable, blue melon scented wipes. Girlie Girl loved the convenience of the pop-up container and it's easy for her little hands to use.

Hand Soap - Henry Hippo is one of my favorites because he comes equipped with a 20 second light-up timer to make sure my girls are thoroughly washing their hands. Henry works really well with Freddy Flamingo during potty times.

Extra Conditioning Shampoo - Now, Sammy Snake is an optimist and believes that everything will eventually work itself out. His special talent is making sure my girls scalp and hair are super shiny! And since the conditioner is already in the shampoo, that eliminates an extra step. I'm all for that! Sammy is tear-free and comes in a handy flip-top dispenser.

After reading all of that, I bet you can't wait to try it for yourself! Well, you're in luck. The Huggies Cleanteam is offering 2 sets of the products reviewed above. To enter, just stop by the Huggies Cleanteam site before midnight April 27th and check out their new products. Then come back and mention which mascot is your favorite. That's it! Two random winners will be selected and notified on April 28th. The winners will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, just subscribe to my feed and/or mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Huggies Cleanteam. Please let me know if you're doing/did the extra credit so I can make sure you're entered properly. Also, don't forget to leave a way to contact you in case you win.

This giveaway is open to US addresses only. Good luck!

Visit the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival for more amazing prizes!

Sunday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone
Just for Women
Just for Kids
Baby Essentials
Home & Kitchen
  • Mamas Like - 12 x 12 Name Art on Canvas (April 21st)
  • Mom Logic - $100 to Molly Maids (April 28th)
  • Mom Logic - Electronic Food Steamer (April 29th)
  • Moms' Buzz - $50 to Warm Biscuit Bedding Company (April 30th)
  • Cookerati - Magic Bullet Platinum Pro (April 30th)
  • mod*mom - Honest Beverage Giveaway (May 1st)
Books for GrownUps

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Review & Giveaway: Quarterback Dad

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation.
The winner is Danielle of Searching for Sanity.
Congratulations!

I recently had the opportunity to read the book Quarterback Dad by Bobby Mercer and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The book is written using many football terms which Dads will find themselves relating to. The Dad is called The Quarterback, Mom is The Teammate, and the baby-to-be is Future Star or 1st Round Draft Pick. It's written in a very simple yet humorous tone that even Mommies will find entertaining.

From the book: "You've just signed a new star player to your home team - but are you really ready for kickoff? With Quarterback Dad, you can suit up and take the field with the cool competence of an All Star! From learning the plays to clinching the playoffs, you'll triumph every yard of the way."

But it's more than entertaining, it's informative. This book talks about everything from the moment you find out the exciting news, to shopping for the nursery, morning sickness, baby showers, dealing with mood swings, delivery, nursing, talking to the pediatrician, and everything else involved with a brand new baby. And it's all delivered (so to speak) in a way that guys can understand. How cool is that?

How would you like a copy for yourself? To enter, just stop by Quarterback Dad's official site before April 23rd then come back and mention one newborn/toddler tip listed there. That's it! A random winner will be selected and notified on April 24th. The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, just subscribe to my feed and/or mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Quarterback Dad. Please let me know if you're doing the extra credit so I can make sure you're entered properly. Also, don't forget to leave a way to contact you in case you win.

This giveaway is open to everyone world-wide. Good luck!

Friday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone
Just for Women
Just for Kids
Baby Essentials
  • Baby Luxe - Newborn Bling Ballet Slippers (April 23rd)
  • Green Mom Finds - $25 to Jack's Harvest Organic Baby Food (April 24th)
Home & Kitchen
Books for GrownUps

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Thursday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

Electronics

Just for Men

Just for Women

Just for Kids
  • NeatoStuff - Pink Whimsy Bracelet from Baby Emi Jewelry (April 18th)
  • Ellinghouse - Hair Clips from Glamorous Girl Accessories (April 19th)

Baby Essentials

Home & Kitchen
  • subu inc. - 4 100% cotton exfoliating crochet facial scrubbie cloths (April 17th)
  • From Dates to Diapers and Beyond - "Hippy Rose" Cocoa Butter Bath Truffle, "Emerald Isle" bar soap, and a sample of Vegan "Needle Leaf" Laundry Soap (April 21st)
  • Table for Five - Year's Supply of Reddi Whip and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream (April 29th)

Books & Movies for GrownUps
  • Mommy Cracked - After Me You Came First by Sara Armstrong and Lillian Redding (April 20th)
  • Laura Williams' Musings - Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex & Brett Harris (April 22nd)

Monday, April 14, 2008

We Interrupt Regularly Scheduled Programming

. . . for this important message.

Due to sickness (mine) I will be taking a short break from posting daily contests and giveaways. I hope to be better again real soon!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Sunday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone
Just for Women
Just for Kids
Baby Essentials
  • Mom Reviews - A Pair of sunglasses from Baby Banz (April 20th)
Books & Movies & Music for GrownUps
  • BonggaMom Finds - Parenting Inc by Pamela Paul (April 15th)
  • MomReviews - Sheryl Crow live set DVD, iTunes downloads, and Unilever products (April 21st)
Home & Kitchen

Friday, April 11, 2008

Friday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone
Just for Guys

Just for Women

Just for Kids

Baby Essentials

Home & Kitchen

Books & Movies for GrownUps

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Product Review: Action Scrubber by Scrubbing Bubbles

Like most people, my absolute least favorite room to clean is the bathroom. My girls share one and it always amazes me how two little ladies can be so dirty! To make matters worse, our tub has a porous finish which traps dirt into little crevices. Whoever designed that one definitely never cleaned a tub before.

A while ago, I was fortunate to be able to try out the new Action Scrubber by Scubbing Bubbles and found that it worked great. The new design allows you to attach a disposable pad onto a handheld scrubber which allows you to reach tight spaces and around corners. It got most of the dirt out of the grooves and even removed those pesky bath crayon marks off the tiles. And the comfortable handle made scrubbing easier on my hands. Once I was done, I just tossed the pad into the trash. Easy!

The Action Scrubber doesn't use any chemicals or harsh abrasives so it's safe to use around kids and it leaves your surfaces shiny and clean.

I loved that there are no messy sponges to have to dry and store for later use. However, it would be even better if the disposable pads were somehow biodegradable. All in all, it's a great product that does what it's supposed to do.

If you'd like to try it out for yourself, stop by their site and get your $1 off coupon!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Thursday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone

Just for Women

Just for Kids

Baby Essentials
  • Prizey - Just Right Gift Set from Green to Grow (April 16th)
  • Goodies for Mom - Nursing Mom Cover Up (April 16th)
  • Mamanista - Love & Blessings Bebe Au Lait nursing cover & Burp Cloth (April 30th)

Home & Kitchen
  • Props & Pans - A month' supply of Attune Probiotics Wellness Bars (April 14th)
  • Goody Blog - Red Vines Licorice Giveaway (April 14th)
  • Shak in Style - 5x7 area rug from Plaza Rugs (April 29th)
Books for GrownUps

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Product Review & Giveaway: Diaper Goop

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation.
The winner is clenna (at) aol (dot) com.
Congratulations!

It doesn't matter how often I change Baby Bug's diaper, she will still end up with diaper rash.

Since she's been born, we've had to make sure we kept a large supply of Desitin on hand just in case. It's always worked great! However, I'm always willing to try new things so when the opportunity came up to test out Diaper Goop courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network, I jumped at the chance.


Description from the website:
DIAPER GOOP® is a product developed for use on Diaper Rashes on children and adults. It contains Lanolin and other Natural Ingredients that not only help prevent dipaer rash but also naturally and quickly assits in the healing of irritated skin. Diaper Goop is available without a prescription.
What we've found is that it really does work in treating and preventing diaper rash. It wasn't an overnight solution but Baby Bug's diaper rash was gone within a couple of days. The only thing I would suggest is that they package the product in a tube instead of a jar. I think it would be a little more convenient and the creme wouldn't get under my nails.

Other than that, we loved it!

Would you like to try it out for yourself? I'm giving away 3 2-oz jars to one lucky winner. To enter, just leave a comment below before April 14th saying how you prevent/treat diaper rash. That's it! A random winner will be selected and notified on April 15th.

To earn extra entries, just subscribe to my feed and/or mention this giveaway on your blog. Please let me know if you're doing the extra credit so I can make sure you're entered properly. Also, don't forget to leave a way to contact you in case you win.

This giveaway is open to US addresses only. Good luck!

Monday, April 7, 2008

Tuesday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone
Just for Women

Just for Kids
Baby Essentials
Household Items

Giveaway: TurboTax for Procrastinators

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation.
The winner is sendmyspamto (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Congratulations!

Are your taxes filed yet? If not, better get a move on because the deadline is coming up fast!

TurboTax has compiled a list of the top 10 procrastinating US cities when it comes to tax season. This is based on the number of tax returns electronically filed online via the TurboTax Online service from April 14-April 17, 2007. Is your city on the list?
  1. Chicago, IL
  2. New York, NY
  3. Houston, TX
  4. Austin, TX
  5. San Francisco, CA
  6. San Diego, CA
  7. Seattle, WA
  8. Las Vegas, NV
  9. San Antonio, TX
  10. Los Angeles, CA
To help you try to make this year's deadline, TurboTax is giving away a TurboTax Software to one lucky winner. To enter, just mention in comments before Friday, April 11th why you think you need this. That's it! A random winner will be selected and notified on 12th.

For extra entries, just subscribe to my feed and/or mention this giveaway on your blog. Please let me know if you're doing the extra credit so I can make sure you're entered properly. Don't forget to leave a way to contact you in case you win.

Good luck!

Monday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone
  • DS Fanswag - Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicals: Ring of Fate (April 9th)
Just for Women
Just for Kids
Baby Essentials
  • Green Mom Finds - Bum Bum Balm Diaper Creme (April 11th)
  • Classy Mommy - The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears & A Case of HappyBellies Baby Cereal (April 11th)
Books & Movies for GrownUps

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Sunday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone
Just for Women

Just for Kids

Baby Essentials

Household Items

Books & Movies for GrownUps
  • teensygreen - Big Green Purse by Diane MacEachern (April 11th)
  • Breeni Books - The Spirit's Self-Help Book by Glenn Poveromo (April 13th)
  • SciFiChick - Madhouse by Rob Thurman (April 18th)

Friday, April 4, 2008

Friday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

Just for Women

Just for Kids

Baby Essentials

Household Products

Books & Movies for GrownUps

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Thursday's Contests & Giveaways

For a list of my current giveaways, please see the sidebar.

For Everyone
  • Gagazine - $50 to Amazon.com (April 7th)

Just for Women

Just for Kids

Baby Essentials
  • Bloggy Giveaways - Royalty Gift Set from Snaps Couture (April 6th)
  • Mommy Mandy - Newborn Swaddle & $50 to JuJu Beane (April 14th)
  • Mom Logic - Baby Toiletries from babyGap Home (April 15th)
Household Items
  • subu - Green Door print by Heather of Wanderlust Design Photography (April 3rd)