Review: T-Mobile@Home

T-Mobile recently announced that they're entering the home phone market. A great thing for all existing T-Mobile cell phone customers.

For just $10/month, which can be added to your current T-Mobile cell phone plan, you'll receive free unlimited nationwide calling, caller ID, call waiting, & voicemail. This service makes use of your current broadband internet connection using a special Linksys WRTU54g-TM router and provides you with up to 2 phone lines.

When I first received the phone & wireless router, I was a little overwhelmed. I just couldn't understand how it was all supposed to fit together. However, once I read the manual and actually started looking at the components, it all made sense. First, I installed the wireless router program into my PC and which didn't take much time at all. Then I inserted the SIM card into the back of the router. Finally, once it was connected to the internet, all I had to do was plug in the phone and I was all set. I found the sound quality to be very clear on both the sending and receiving end.

Overall, I felt this was a great service at a great price!

For more information, stop by T-Mobile@Home.

Go Green with Seventh Generation

Recently, I've been introduced to a company called Seventh Generation whose mission is "to becoming the world's most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home." Their products are non-toxic, recycled, and chlorine-free.

I was sent a Home Starter Kit which contained cleaners for Glass & Surface, Toilet Bowls, Showers, Tub & Tile, Kitchen, as well as an All-Purpose Cleaner in various scents. I even got 2 rolls of Natural Paper Towels & a Seventh Generation tote. How cool is that?

I've been able to test out each one of these products and can say that they work like a charm. Not only is my home clean but it makes me feel better knowing that I'm being responsible when it comes to the environment.

In addition, Seventh Generation has teamed up with Health Child Healthy World, the design firm IDEO, Rickshaw Bagworks and renowned architect William McDonough to develop an Eco Diaper Bag from Wee Generation. 100% of the profits go to the Health Child Healthy World which helps to protect kids from harmful environmental exposure. At $200, this may be a little bit pricey but just think about all the good your money goes towards. I think it's worth it.

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!

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!

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!

Review & Offer: SENSEO Gourmet Coffee Maker

I love coffee. I can barely function in the morning until I have my first cup of java. That’s why when I found out about a great offer from Senseo Gourmet Coffee, I jumped at the chance.

Offer: The people at Senseo are offering a free Coffee Pod System, a bag of Senseo coffee pods, and a coffee pod canister (value $70 +). All you need to do is pay for the shipping & handling ($15). To find out if you qualify, just fill out their short survey and you’ll get your results immediately.

After filling out their relatively short online survey, I was immediately notified that I had qualified. I sent my $15 via PayPal and then waited for it to arrive. It took about 4 weeks and it arrived I was pleasantly surprised.


The coffee system has a very modern look and built well. It came with everything that was promised and the instruction manual was easy to understand. It took up very little space on my counter which is also a plus!

Before you brew your first cup, you MUST flush out the system. This is a one-time thing. Let me warn you though, the flushing noise is a little louder than you’d expect. It took me by surprise and I almost dropped my cup!

Once that’s done, you can now start brewing. The whole system was very easy to use and I love the idea of being able to place your cup under the spout and make just one cup of coffee because this eliminates the need to wash a coffee pot.


The downside is that it’s designed to only use the Senseo coffee/tea pods and I’m not sure how readily available they are in your local grocery stores. You may purchase them online for various prices and quantities.

Bottom line: It’s a very good deal and the coffee tasted great. It has a stylish design and it’s easy to use.

Thank you to Almost Somewhat Positive for letting me know about this!

Pure Essentials Giveaway by Procter & Gamble

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation.
The winner is Cory of My World, CJ!
Congratulations!

With Christmas fast approaching, I'm sure a lot of you will be entertaining guests for the holidays. Getting ready will probably include cleaning the house, shopping for groceries, and of course, doing the laundry.

To help you, Procter & Gamble has recently come out with a new line of fabric care products called Pure Essentials which includes Tide, Downy, & Bounce. These products are available in two new scents - White Lilac and Lemon Verbena.

• Tide Pure Essentials includes baking soda and citrus for exceptional cleaning and stain fighting results.
• Ultra Downy Pure Essentials uses two of nature's symbols of softness - aloe and chamomile - to help make your fabrics feeling soft and smelling great.
• Bounce Pure Essentials controls static cling and leaves fabrics feeling soft to the touch.

The people at Procter & Gamble would like to give you a chance to win a Pure Essentials Gift Basket of your own. It includes:

• 50 oz. Tide Pure Essentials
• 44 oz. Downy Pure Essentials
• 70 sheet Bounce Pure Essentials
• 20 oz. Febreze Fabric Freshener
• Wicker Basket
• Bath Towel

To enter, just leave a comment below before midnight December 10th saying you'd like to be entered. A random winner will be selected and notified on December 11th. That's it!

As usual, you may get extra entries by subscribing to my feed and/or mentioning this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Pure Essentials. Please let me know if you're doing/did the extra credit so I can make sure you're entered properly.

PLEASE don't forget to leave a way to contact you if you win. Good luck!

Review: Reynolds Handi-Vac System

I was so thrilled for this review opportunity since I've been thinking of getting one of these myself. It's the Reynolds Handi-Vac System.

Now why was I dying to get one? My husband does not cook. Ever. And so when I'm away for work, my poor girls are usually subjected to COSTCO Rotisserie Chicken or Zippy's Chili. Those are their two choices. I try to cook something before I leave but it's not always feasible. That's why I thought if I could make meals in advance when I do have the time, I could freeze it for future use.

This Handi-Vac System worked really well. I liked that it was small enough to fit into the drawer and yet powerful enough to get the job done. Basically, you fill the special bags with food, lay the bag flat on the counter, attach the sealer, press a button and watch it go. Worked like a charm.


When it was time to defrost, I just left the bag in the fridge overnight and microwaved it at dinner time. You could take it directly from the freezer to the microwave but make sure you use the defrost setting under a low power.

Now all this was done under a short time period. I haven't had this system long enough to test it out long-term. It claims to eliminate freezer burn in the long run but I have yet to find that out. Overall, this is a great way to preserve food and the price can't be beat. It usually sells for $9.99 and the bags are $3.29 for 12 quart-sized bags.

And I have to say, my girls love the fact that they can enjoy my somewhat home cooked meals while I'm gone. Now that's priceless.

Clocky To The Rescue

I don't know about you but I'm usually pretty good about getting out of bed when the alarm goes off. Maybe it's because I'm afraid that if I hit that snooze button, I may never get up in time.

My husband on the other hand can hit the snooze over and over again. It drives me crazy since I wake up each time the alarm goes off.

Then I saw a funny alarm clock named Clocky. As you can see, Clocky has a wheel on both sides and will jump off the table and roll around on the floor until you turn him off. Isn't that hilarious? I'm not sure this will cure my snooze button hitting husband but it should bring some giggles to my morning.

You can find Clocky at Target.com for $49.99. For a limited time, when you spend $50 or more in select categories, you'll get free standard shipping. Offer available online only.

Review: Febreze TO GO

This was an easy one for me.

I've always been a fan of Febreze ever since we accidentally left a bottle of milk in the car for a couple of days. DH and I were driving when the smell hit me. Of course, I blamed him and his feet. However, he insisted that it smelled like spoiled milk. That afternoon we came across the culprit. Oops! hee hee! We shot some Febreze on the car upholstry and I couldn't believe how fast the smell went away! I was in love with it ever since.

As a flight attendant, you can just imagine all the different *ahem* smells that I come across every day at work. Not just on the airplane but in my hotel rooms as well. This 2.8 oz travel size makes it so much easier to take it along.

Whenever I come across a passenger that offends, I just give the area a couple of squirts (behind his back of course) and everything smells fresh again. Or as fresh as possible considering we're all breathing recycled air.

Anyway, I think this is a great product and would definitely but some when I run out. You should never leave home without it!

Review: Dawn Simple Pleasures

I have always been a big fan of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. So when I was asked to review their new product - Simple Pleasures Dishwashing Liquid & Air Freshener - I was thrilled. I figured at the very least I would have more liquid to clean my plates.

However, I was pleasantly surprised at the new design of the bottle. It's very modern and sleek looking. The best part is the separate air freshener compartment located at the bottom of the container. The waterproof fragraent beads continually release a soft and pleasant aroma throughout the kitchen. It's not too sweet or too flowery. It's available in Water Lily & Jasmine, Apple & Pear, and Lemon & Tangerine. For me, I think the Water Lily & Jasmine is my favorite.

And of course, it's filled with their famous dishwashing formula that's tough on grease! Just a little goes a long way.

This two-in-one product is great especially for those who are tight on counter space. I really liked Dawn Simple Pleasures and would definitely buy it in the future!

Review: Clean Rest for a Good Rest

For someone like me who suffers from allergies, the thought of a product like Clean Rest is very appealing.

Clean Rest is a product line of encasements for your mattress, pillow and bedding. These encasements are supposed to provide the best barrier there is to the millions of micro-toxins that build up in a mattress and prevent healthy sleep.

It's pretty simple to use. These products are placed between your bedding and your linen to help prevent dust mites and other particles to reach you.

I've been using mine for a while now and have noticed some changes in my ability to breath at night. The congestion and sneezing have definitely decreased. Anything that helps me sleep better is great!

The only downside is that the product is made of some sort of plastic feeling material - kind of like a thin shower curtain liner. I'm not one to move around a lot when I sleep but if I did, the slight noise it makes may bother me.

On the whole, I think this is a great product however, it is a little pricey. The standard pillow cases cost $19.99 each and a Queen sized mattress case is $99.99. Then again, can you really put a price on a good night's sleep?

Win a Diaper Caddy

H0st Blog: The Opinionated Parent
Deadline to Enter: October 9, 2007
Prize: Diaper Caddy by The Polkadot Platypus

Keep those diapers and wipes organized in this stylish diaper caddy. If you'd like to win one, just email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com before midnight MST on 10/9/07 with Polkadot Platypus in the subject line and mention the name of your favorite diaper caddy style.

This is my favorite one!

Are You Potty Training?

Host Blog: MomFinds
Deadline to Enter: October 3, 2007
Prize: Boon Potty Bench

If so, this is perfect for you! Boon has some of the stylish children's products around. This cool potty seat/stool could be yours.

Here's how to enter:

1. You must be a subscriber to our newsletter to be eligible. Sign up here if you haven’t already done so.
2. To enter, reply to the contest post in the comments section and leave a potty training tip for other moms. One comment per person, please.
3. You must supply a valid email address.

Product Review: Cascade Complete

I have to admit . . . I don't use my dishwasher very much.

I'd like to say that it's because I'm being energy efficient, but the truth is, I just can't see rinsing off all the dishes and then putting them in the dishwasher. Why not just wash them once the first time? Besides, washing the dishes was my main chore when I was growing up and I guess it's still in my system.

So, when I received the new Cascade Complete as well as a leading brand to try out for free, I figured they were all the same. I decided to conduct two separate tests involving both products in each one.

For the first test, I did what I usually do - rinse off all the dishes, pots & pans and then run the washer. The Cascade scent was a little strong but nothing I couldn't deal with. When the cycles were over, the dishes were clean like I expected them to be.

The second test involved putting the dirty dishes directly into the washer without rinsing first - and I'm talking baked on spaghetti dirty. I hit the wash cycle and waited. The leading brand results were typical, pretty clean with a tiny bit of spaghetti left. As for Cascade, can you believe that the dishes came out just as clean as the first time? Do you know what this means? NO MORE RINSING FIRST! Hallelujah!

Looks like I'll be using my dishwasher a lot more often now!

Win $100 to CocktailVibe

Host Blog: Hostess with the Mostess
Deadline to Enter: September 12, 2007, midnight PST
Prize: $100 to CocktailVibe

How cool would these look at your next dinner party? To win a $100 shopping spree, just post a comment on the contest post saying what your favorite drink is. Hurry, this giveaway ends at midnight!

Giveaway: Redecorate with Olive Kids

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation.
The winner is Laura Williams' Musings! Congratulations!

Tired of seeing the same old television characters in your child's room?

The founders of Olive Kids were and decided to come up with their own line of kids room decor with bright and colorful designs. "We feel kids should be able to surround themselves with art, design and decoration that encourages creativity and fun without all the hype and sales pressure of TV and movies."

What a great concept! And boy, do they have the cutest things!

They sent me a personalized wall clock for Girlie Girl just like this one (only with GG's name on it). What really impressed me was the way it was packed. *I used to work for a pack-wrap-ship place while in high school* Very professional and secure - nothing was getting to that clock! It's now hanging in Girlie Girl's room and she loves it! What I also like about it is that it's quiet. You can't even hear the tick-tick. Definitely a plus!

They also have very affordable bedding ensembles in bright colors and designs that would enhance any child's room. Add some coordinating rugs and wall art and you're all set!

And how about these cute place mats? I know my kids would love to eat on these especially with their names on them!

But don't take my word for it, try it out for yourself. Olive Kids is giving away a $50 gift certificate to one lucky winner. How cool is that?

Here's how to enter:

• This giveaway will run from August 21st to August 27th.
  
• Post something on your blog linking back to this giveaway and to Olive Kids.
• Leave a comment below indicating one of your favorite items at Olive Kids.
  
• Don't forget to leave a way to contact you!
• That's it! A random winner will be selected using Random.org.
• Good luck!
  

Breast Cancer Awareness

Host Blog: mod*mom
Deadline to Enter: October 1, 2007
Prize: a pink Dyson Vacuum Cleaner ($399 value)

Are you a survivor of Breast Cancer or know someone who is? Stop by mod*mom and share your experiences with Breast Cancer and how to detect it early and you could win a pink Dyson Vacuum Cleaner! This limited edition is sold only at Target which will donate $40 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation for every pink vacuum sold. How cool is that!

Why Do You Like Kaboost?

Host Blog: Mod Mom
Deadline to Enter: August 31, 2007
Prize: Kaboost Portable Chair Booster

Do you have a child who wants to sit in a regular chair like everyone else in the family? Kaboost has come up with a clever way to solve this problem.

To win your compact collapsible chair booster, stop by Mod Mom and tell her why you like this product. Don't forget to leave your email so she can contact you if you win!

Maven Designs Giveaway

Host Blog: Your Heart Out
Deadline to Enter: August 27, 2007
Prize: Adult apron & a Suite Roll (diaper carrying changing pad) from Maven Designs - value $65

To enter this giveaway, just stop by the contest post and leave a comment before August 27rh.