Thursday, September 29, 2011

Eversave: Today's Deals

I have to admit that I'm still loving the Eversave deals. It's so much fun to see what's available in other cities, and I'm grateful that there are deals online, too, so that I don't have to be completely jealous of everything I'm missing outside Chicago!

Check out just a little bit of what's available today. There's so much more in so many more cities on Eversave's site. Check it out. (And those Vivitar cameras? Santa's bringing two for the wee ones this Christmas!)

Online Lots of deals and more deals!



Today's Save: Peggy Bank

Today's Save:$35 for $100 worth of digital media conversion from PeggyBank, plus free shipping and shipping kit

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 08, 2011




Bonus Save: Hotel Finisterra in Cabo San Lucas

Today's Save:$199 for a four-night stay at Hotel Finisterra in Cabo San Lucas (up to a $748 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Sep 30, 2011




Bonus Save: Vivitar Digital Camera

Limited Quantity: $69 for a 12.1-megapixel digital camera and accessories, shipping included ($130 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 07, 2011




Bonus Save: SkinIt.com

Today's Save:$15 for $30 worth of customizable cell phone skins and cases from SkinIt.com

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 06, 2011




Bonus Save: Picaboo

Today's Save:$25 for $75 to spend on custom photo books, holiday cards and calendars from Picaboo.com

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 02, 2011




Bonus Save: Smile Guru

Today's Save:$32 for an advanced LED teeth-whitening kit ($149 value), plus free shipping!

Expires 11:59 PM - Sep 30, 2011




Bonus Save: GlassesUSA

Today's Save:$50 for $100 worth of prescription eyewear and sunglasses from GlassesUSA, plus free shipping!

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 01, 2011




Bonus Save: VIOlight

Today's Save:$20 for $40 worth of toothbrush sanitizing products and more from VIOlight.com

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 05, 2011




Bonus Save: Ouchies

Today's Save:$10 for four tins of stylish kid's bandages from Ouchies ($20 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 04, 2011




Bonus Save: Basic Couture

Today's Save:$20 for $40 worth of customizable apparel and more from Basic Couture

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 07, 2011




Bonus Save: Jane Seymour Botanicals

Today's Save:$25 for $50 worth of silk floral arrangements from Jane Seymour Botanicals

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 01, 2011


Atlanta Skin Solutions Now



Skin Solutions Now

Today's Save:$29 for a European facial at Skin Solutions Now ($65 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 01, 2011


Austin Angel Day Spa and Salon



Angel Day Spa and Salon

Today's Save:$20 for a deluxe spa pedicure or facial from Angel Day Spa and Salon (up to $45 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 02, 2011


Boston HLC Med



HLC Med

Today's Save: $69 for a facial peel or $99 for an IPL photofacial at HLC Med (up to $250 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 01, 2011


Chicago Arriva Dolce



Arriva Dolce

Today's Save:$5 for $10 worth of coffee, gelato and more at Arriva Dolce Gelato and Coffee Bar

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 02, 2011


Dallas Imaginique Hair and Spa



Imagique Hair and Spa

Today's Save:$69 for full highlights and cut with Misty Balko from Imagique Hair & Spa ($145 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 01, 2011


Orlando Massage Crew LLC



Massage Crew LLC

Today's Save:$34 for a massage at your home or office from Massage Crew ($69 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 01, 2011


Philadelphia Split Rock Resort



Split Rock Resort

Today's Save:$349 for a weekend stay and indoor waterpark passes for four at Split Rock Resort in the Poconos ($698 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Oct 01, 2011


In the interest of full disclosure, I am an affiliate of Eversave. I do receive a commission for any items purchased on Eversave using the links shared above. That said, I am posting only those deals that I find interesting, and all opinions expressed are my own. Those can't be bought. Period.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Giveaway: Purse Perfector

I love infomercials. I am fascinated by them and frequently see products that I'd love to own, though I've never bought anything from them. I joke that I want to be an actress on an infomercial because their outsize reactions crack me up and have to be a blast to act in them. Then there are the products that just flat out make me giggle. Really? People think they need them? Ummm ok.

I have to admit that a competitor of the Purse Perfector had an infomercial and was one of the product that made me giggle. And roll my eyes. I just didn't see a need for it. At Type A Conference back in June, I was given a medium Purse Perfector in sand. I brought it home, and it enjoyed its life sitting in a basket in my kitchen for the next couple months.

This isn't to say that I didn't have a problem with my purse. I can't tell you how many times I've dug and dug and dug for my keys, finally putting my purse on my car's hood and taking items out one by one before I found them. And that's not counting the times I've missed a phone call because I couldn't find my phone somewhere in the mess. Plus, my purse just looks... frumpy because it isn't full enough and just flops over.


And did I mention that it was really hard to find things? Tell me your purse doesn't look something like this (or more messy).


Part of the reason it's so hard to find things in my purse is because so many are black. If you noticed the inside of my purse is black. So are my keys. And my phone. And my sunglasses case. And most of my lipsticks. And my pen. Plus, my camera when in it - and my video camera - are also black. It doesn't make digging any easier. For the moment, we'll ignore any safety issues if I'm trying to find something while driving.


On a whim, I picked up the Purse Perfector one day when I was really annoyed, just to see if it would help. I quickly packed up the contents of my purse into the Purse Perfector - with room to spare. I was surprised by how little space everything in my purse used once it was actually organized. Shrugging my shoulders, I put it in my purse for the day.

I've yet to take it out. Actually, I take it out. I've taken it out regularly, though not in the way that I'd originally anticipated I would. I'd thought that I'd use it one day and then discard it. I love the Purse Perfector. When I switch purses - and I do so regularly now - I simply grab the Purse Perfector and move it into my new purse lock stock and barrel.

My car keys have their perfect spot, and I can find them almost instantly without looking. My phone goes in a pocket that's easy to find, and I haven't missed a call - even when my phone is in my purse and I'm in another room running to grab it. I have a little spot to put the gift cards that I use somewhat regularly so that they're easy to grab when I need them. My wallet goes in the middle pocket, and it's easy to get when needed.



I was probably one of the biggest skeptics of the Purse Perfector when I was given one. I almost didn't accept it, in fact, but I'm so glad that I did. It has reduced my frustration so much because it's so easy to find things. I really like the fact that my Purse Perfector zippers apart, too, so that if I have a smaller purse, I can take just half of my Purse Perfector with me.

While I originally wished that I had a color other than sand given the colors of purses that I generally use, the color options are actually smart. They are a good contrast to the items that are usually in a purse, which means you can more easily find things. The Purse Perfector seems to be a pretty solidly constructed organizer - and I love the fact that they are hand tailored in San Francisco then packaged in Cincinnati by special needs adults via Easter Seals, giving them jobs that they otherwise likely would not have.

I've shown the Purse Perfector to several friends since I started using it because I have to admit that I'm still sort of shocked that I like it as much as I do - I've done a complete 180 - and they have all been pleasantly surprised by it. In fact, I suspect that there are a few orders for the Purse Perfector in the works because of my show and tell.

And the silliest reason I like the Purse Perfector? It's complete vanity, but it makes my purse look better from the outside. The Purse Perfector provides structure to my purse so that it is supported from the inside and looks better from that perspective, too.


Go fig. Let's just say this wasn't a review I was expecting to write!

Better yet, I have one medium size Purse Perfector (of the winner's choice of solid colors) to give away to a lucky reader. It's the perfect way to try it out yourself. So what do you have to do to win? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Tuesday October 11 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what you tend to lose most frequently in your purse.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me and Purse Perfector on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Is your purse a mess? Fix it with a @PursePerfector #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/riZukF" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

And no, you won't earn any extra entries for it, but you will get good karma for following me on Facebook and liking Purse Perfector, too!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a medium Purse Perfector for review purposes. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Winner!

Congrats goes to Amy from Tiramisu Mom who won the Mechatar robot giveaway. She has 24 hours to get back to me with her contact information before I have to draw a new winner.

Keep an eye out for more giveaways!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Eversave: Deals and Savings!

I've been receiving updates for all of the Eversave deals, but I haven't posted them in a bit. It's been a little crazy around here, but now it's slowing down. Time to share them with you. I am only posting my favorites, but there are lots more out there, so go check them out! Don't forget: New members receive a $3 bonus, making the deals even more affordable.

There are lots and lots and lots of deals more than what's listed. Go check out Eversave to see what's in your neighborhood. Each location has multiple deals, and I'm sorta wishing I lived in some other locations so I could take advantage of some of them. Mmmmm, Pho in Atlanta!

Online Canvas Zoo Disclosure: I'm purchasing this one myself!



Canvas Zoo

Today's Save:$35 for $99 worth of custom photo canvases from Canvas Zoo, plus free shipping

Expires 11:59 PM - Sep 23, 2011


Online Smile Guru



Smile Guru

Today's Save:$32 for an advanced LED teeth-whitening kit ($149 value), plus free shipping!

Expires 11:59 PM - Sep 30, 2011


Online Abe's Market (natural foods)



Abe's Market

Limited Quantity:$25 for $50 worth of all-natural home supplies, food, baby products and more from Abe's Market

Expires 11:59 PM - Sep 29, 2011



Austin Austin Zoo



Austin Zoo

Today's Save:$8 for two admissions and two bags of animal food at the Austin Zoo ($18 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Sep 23, 2011


Boston Connors Farm



Connors Farm

Today's Save:$18 for two tickets to the haunted corn maze at Connors Farm ($36 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Sep 23, 2011


Chicago Ritz and Wolf Camera



Ritz and Wolf Camera and Image

Today's Save:$39 for a photo shoot plus prints and CD from Ritz & Wolf Camera & Image ($180 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Sep 23, 2011


Orlando L'Europe Nails and Spa



L'Europe Nails and Spa

Today's Save:$39 for a mini-facial and aromatherapy pedicure from L'Europe Nails and Spa ($80 value)

Expires 11:59 PM - Sep 23, 2011


In the interest of full disclosure, I am an affiliate of Eversave. I do receive a commission for any items purchased on Eversave using the links shared above. That said, I am posting only those deals that I find interesting, and all opinions expressed are my own. Those can't be bought. Period.

Giveaway: Hallmark Cards

I'll admit it. I'm an email person. I currently have 383 unread emails - which granted is a ton for me because I've been spending my life at a volunteer gig for Little Miss the past couple weeks - but I'll go through them all, and email is my most frequent method of communication. I also talk a lot on the phone, but one way I've really dropped off in communication? Actual written communication.

Granted, I still send out Christmas cards, but they're the photo cards now with a typewritten letter attached. And we still do handwritten thank you cards, as I find the emailed or photocopied thank yous to be very hollow and lacking in sincerity. Beyond that? I just don't do cards that often. I don't even give my husband a card for his birthday or our anniversary.

Hallmark contacted me to ask if I might be interested in joining their Get Carded Challenge as part of their Life Is a Special Occasion campaign. As part of it, I was to send out cards to people for seven days for various reasons. Realizing that I could use the extra connection and that I think it might make some of my friends' days, I jumped at the chance. As I waited for my cards to arrive, I debated who to send the cards to and why.

Once they arrived, I had so much fun figuring out who to send each of them to. Actually, I have to admit that I ended up sending more than seven cards. I enjoyed it, and I think my friends enjoyed it, too. I forget how many just fun cards are out there to help show how you feel even when it isn't a "special" occasion. Telling people you care is enough of a special occasion for me!

My first card went to a dear friend who is always there when I need her. She's my sounding board when something's up with Mister Man. She has us over to her house all the time to swim and eat and play and more expecting no reciprocation, as much as I try. She always has a glass of wine waiting for me (white wine, even though she doesn't drink it herself), and she's just awesome in every way. How can I not tell her how much I appreciate her? Of course hers had to be the first one to go out!


That also inspired me to share a card with my carpool buddy who also has my back whenever I need her. She saves me over an hour every day by driving one way of carpool. Plus, Mister Man couldn't go to the school he does if it weren't for her because I couldn't get Little Miss home from school without her help due to the different schedules of her school. She's another one who is always ready to help and step in and volunteers nonstop at our school. I know she sometimes feels unappreciated, and that's not right. I loved being able to light up her face for even just one moment with this card.


The next card went to my aunt and uncle. They graciously offered up their home when the wee ones and I (and my dad) went to visit Minnesota during the first week of school. Beyond that, they went above and beyond in ensuring that Little Miss would have dairy free foods to eat. I think they bought out the store with everything from ice creams (yes, multiple) to yogurt to pancakes to rice milk and more more more. It was so thoughtful and so not even necessary. I was truly touched, and I wanted them to know how much I appreciated their generosity and hospitality. Needless to say, I had the perfect card for that.


Then we have another friend who has a special needs child. She does everything she can for him, and being in a similar situation, I know the time and effort and money she puts into it. She doesn't just work for her child, though, she works to help find solutions and help for all children afflicted, and that is amazing to me to see how much energy she can still give to others, knowing how depleted I often feel. She is awesome, and she needs to know it. So I told her.



And my husband and I took and impromptu trip to New York City. It was last minute, and I was somewhat loathe to have to spend the money they overcharge for New York hotels. On a whim, I called a friend of mine who lives in New York to see if we could possibly stay with her. For three nights. Without hesitation she agreed. And she bought a brand new air mattress so we'd have a more comfortable place to sleep. And she and her husband took time off work to spend with us. She was kind and sweet - they both were - and I was so thrilled to be able to spend so much time with them. How can I not send them a heartfelt thank you after that? She really did make my life better.



And then we have Melisa. I couldn't believe that this card was in my pack, as it was just too perfect. Did you read about the problems that she had with her beagle recently? I felt sorry for her day, but I was still laughing because it was just so funny. I figured she could use a pick me up, and this card with the beagle on the front was begging to head her way. It was the perfect way to help perk her up, so out it went.


And then there was a certain winner of a promotion on this blog who ... didn't get her gift card. I had marked it as completed on my spreadsheet but neglected to actually send her the gift card she had won. Oops. Needless to say, I was happy she contacted me to see if I knew where her gift card was. Well, yes, it was in the folder where it belonged a month earlier but not now. I included a nice hand written card to her apologizing for the delay, hoping that she'd understand about life getting hectic and brains shutting off. I love this card - it still makes me giggle.



The last card was a sweet one. And the person I sent this to needs lots of support and thanks. My mom does so much for me and for the wee ones. She is my free babysitter whenever I want basically. She buys the wee ones clothes and shoes before I can say no. She brings over fruit and dairy free muffins for the wee ones all the time. She picks up Little Miss from school every Tuesday and Thursday so that she can go to gymnastics while I take Mister Man to Tae Kwon Do. Whenever I need her or my dad, they are there. And my words of thanks I think sometimes fall short. Written thanks though? That stays around a little longer.


I had so much fun sending these cards. Did you notice I sent more than seven? I couldn't help myself! I love the Get Carded challenge. I think sending cards is making its way back into my life as a special treat for those around me. It's such a personal way to share how you feel, and that is so often missing now in our world of email and text.

Are you up for it, too? I have a 14 card pack from Hallmark to give away to a lucky reader. So what do you have to do to win? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Wednesday October 5 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me one person you'd send a card to and why.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "How do you tell people that you care about them? Win a Hallmark card pack from @honestandtruly and show them http://bit.ly/nhmWgp" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

And no, you won't earn any extra entries for it, but you will get good karma for following me on Facebook, too!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a fourteen card pack of Hallmark cards for purposes of this campaign from Hallmark. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Winner!

Yikes! It's possible that someone (that would be me) has lost her brain lately. I could have sworn that I'd drawn and contacted the winner for the Lawry's seasonings back when school started but guess who didn't. My apologies for this. It's a good thing I did take a look at the posts I've done recently to notice that I hadn't put this up.

That said... the winner was entry number 3, Morninglight Mama from My Thoughts Exactly. Congrats, Dawn! She has 48 hours to get back to me with her contact information, or I will have to choose a new winner.

Did you see the Mechatar giveway that's up now? And there's more coming shortly, too!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Giveaway: Mechatar Robot



The wee ones love the traditional “boy” toys. Anything that is dinosaur related or mechanical or on the computer or remote controlled or the like is right in their wheel house. A toy that combines all of those? Let’s just say that the Mechatar robot we recently received to review is already on its second set of batteries.

The Mechatar robots are “blended reality” toys. They are amongst the group where you can play with them both online and offline, giving them more chances to keep kids’ interests. Offline they are a remote controlled robot – ours is a T-Rex looking remote controlled guy named Wrexx – where you can do more than simply drive him around. You can also complete “missions” that you purchase online from your account using coins you earn via online activities or battle amongst other Mechatar robots, the latter of which we obviously didn’t try out yet, as we had just the one robot. This alone kept the wee ones entertained for hours as they’d drive all over the house pretending to shoot and battle various things from my foot to our cats to the table leg.


Online is a whole world. You create a free account where you can battle other Mechatar robots, complete challenges, and “train” your own robot. There are three training battles you can do each day to earn experience points and coins. The experience points move you up in levels while you can use your coins to purchase additional weapons, equipment, sounds, missions for offline, etc. You can also earn coins by completing the online challenges.

I like the fact that the battles match you up with robots who have similar experience as yours so that you aren’t constantly defeated by an expert who’s just beating up on everyone. We’ve won our fair share of battles, but we’ve also lost some. That said, the attacks in the battles use eight different elements, all of which are interconnected and some of which overpower the others. Trying to figure out what attack is best to use at what point and which attacks will be most effective against your opponents and versus their most recent attack is still a challenge for us, and I’ve been trying to help the wee ones figure that out. We’ll get there eventually, I’m guessing, but it’s somewhat frustrating for them.

The challenges are far less difficult for them. There are several different challenges you can complete (over and over, if you like) from pressing 1, 2, or 3 on your keyboard when bars light up together to clicking on the “go” box with your mouse when a line stops spinning or when a bar passes over a lit up section. Those games are easy enough for the wee ones, although they are progressively more challenging to the point that even I don’t have the reflexes necessary after awhile. The gradual increase in difficulty means that the wee ones feel like they have some success while still being challenged – and the use of the hand eye coordination is great practice for Mister Man.

Once you’ve played online, you can sync your robot to your online account to download any missions or additional weapons or sounds that you’ve purchased. Supposedly it’s an easy connection – simply plug the USB port into your computer and push the other end into your Mechatar after which a browser window will pop up taking you to the Mechatar site. It wasn’t so easy for us. I actually tried two separate days to connect our Wrexx to the computer before emailing the customer service who replied simply that I wasn’t connecting the port in the robot well enough – “It is a little tricky to get the USB cord properly plugged in to the Mechatar.” As this is a child’s toy that I had difficulty properly connecting as a fairly tech-savvy adult, that wasn’t what I was hoping to hear. We were able to properly connect the robot after this when I used more force than I had thought necessary to push the connector into the robot. I would prefer that the wee ones’ toys be easier for them to operate to avoid frustration.

There is lots and lots more to say about the robots, but we haven’t had nearly enough time to fully explore the worlds and the robot. The wee ones are truly enjoying playing with him, although I’m a little leery of the focus on battles and such. There is no gore online, however, which made me happy. For a $39.99 toy, this does have a wide interest level not just for Mister Man but also for Little Miss. While she isn’t a girlie girl, this is a toy with cross gender appeal even though it’s marketed towards boys. You can find them this fall nationwide at stores like Target, Radio Shack, Amazon, Toys R’Us and iloveRobots.com.

Interested in this CleverRobot? I have a coupon code to share with you: MECHMOM will get you a 10% discount on your purchase at the iloveRobots.com site through November 30, 2011. I also have one Mechatar robot to give away to a lucky reader. So what do you have to do to win? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Monday September 26 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Visit the Mechatar website and tell me which of the Mechatar robots you'd most like to win.

NOTE: In order for you to see the Mechatar line up, visitors to the site need to click on “play now” then “register” but no information needs to be submitted.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Have you seen the new Mechatar blended reality robots? Win one from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/oicGkL" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

And no, you won't earn any extra entries for it, but you will get good karma for following me on Facebook, too!

Good luck!

I was selected to participate in this sponsored post series by Clever Girls Collective. In the interest of full disclosure, I received a Wrexx Mechatar for review purposes by the Clever Girls Collective. I was also compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.