Honest & Truly Reviews....

Giveaway: Dulce de Leche Cheerios Package

2012-02-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

When it comes time to get the wee ones up and out the door, I always feel like I'm behind. The start to the day for us frequently portends how the rest of the day will go. If we don't get it started right, we can kiss the day goodbye. That's one of the reasons a good breakfast is something on which I don't compromise. It isn't always the same thing, but I require that it's something that incorporates protein (yay scoops of peanut butter) and whole grains - and is something the wee ones will eat.

The majority of the time, the wee ones eat oatmeal. They love it, but sometimes they want something different. I was recently sent a box of a new Cheerios flavor - dulce de leche. It was perfect for us, as the wee one are fascinated by all things dulce de leche thanks to her Spanish class. She so wanted to try the dulce de leche Girl Scout cookies she was selling but couldn't because they contain dairy. Let's just say there was a little light in her eyes when she realized the Cheerios don't have any dairy and she could eat them. Me? I was happy with the 19 grams of whole grains per serving offered by the Dulce de Leche Cheerios.

The wee ones couldn't wait to try them out. We had to flip for who got to eat them out of the super cute bowl that also came with the cereal package I received from MyBlogSpark. I do wish that the only sweetener used was pure sugar or agave, but this at least doesn't have any high fructose corn syrup - something my family avoids eating. That said, there are 6 grams of sugar per serving, far less than the yogurt the wee ones like. The bowl was happily scarfed up, and the wee ones are begging to see when they can have it again.

Of course, I didn't just leave it as a cereal to be eaten. Nope. I have a bake sale at Little Miss's school on Friday, so I decided to make a treat for it using the Dulce de Leche Cheerios. There are several recipes on the General Mills website using the new Cheerios flavor. I ended up choosing the Dulce de Leche Cheerios Bars, although of course I modified them a bit. I chose them partly because they looked and sounded really good and partly because I already had all the ingredients in my pantry. Or ummm most of them. I'll post my version of the recipe on Honest & Truly! for tomorrow's Tasty Tuesday.

They turned out really, really good. I am currently working to fight my husband off eating them so that we have enough left for the bake sale. Wish me luck!

Want to win a prize pack like I received with a box of Dulce de Leche Cheerios, a beautiful bowl, a spoon, and a dulce de leche scented candle? You can...So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? 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 February 20 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 Dulce de Leche recipe would you try with your box?

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: "I entered to win a Cheerios Dulce de Leche prize pack #giveaway from @honestandtruly. Have you? http://bit.ly/AgBdr1" (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.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a sample prize pack as described above and the recipes described courtesy of Cheerios and General Mills via MyBlogSpark. I received no compensation, and all opinions remain my own.

Giveaway: $25 American Express GC from Nutrition Possible

2012-02-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

Every morning after I get the wee ones their breakfast and milk (or rice milk, in the case of Little Miss), I open our vitamin drawer. I hand over the Vitamin D and elderberry to boost their immune systems in the winter, Calcium-Magnesium to Little Miss since she can't have dairy, fish oil to Mister Man to help boost his focus, multi-vitamins to both - and suddenly I feel like I'm going overboard. I want to do the right things for the wee ones and for me, but it's hard to know what to do, especially when there are so many options out there.

With them, I make sure I've figured out at least some of it. For me, well... I gave up on me. It's just too confusing. Proof? This is the vitamin section at my store. I can't even truly call it an "aisle" because it encompasses multiple aisles. Frequently, even if I narrow down what vitamin I'm looking for, there are multiple dosages available, adding to the confusion. As I stood here yesterday, I actually watched two different people stand in the aisles holding vitamin bottles comparing them back and forth, trying to figure out what they should choose.

See what I mean? Seriously, that's a lot of health being sold every day!

I was recently asked to take a nutritional assessment on Nutrition Possible. The assessment was fairly thorough, I thought, asking about everything from how much I exercise to what foods I eat to my biggest concerns and more. In the end, the goods news is that I get high marks for several areas including fruits and veggies. Phew! I was surprised that my seafood intake needs to increase more. I thought I was doing sort of ok there, but apparently that lobster risotto I chose to eat last night was the right move! Whole grains was my other area where I fell short, which is mostly because I eat few grains most days altogether. Oops. It's a good reminder.

In the end, the assessment recommended three Centrum supplements (yes, Nutrition Possible is a Centrum promotion) for me. There was a multi-vitamin, one with phytonutrients, and Omega-3. It was nice to see not just what supplements Nutrition Possible recommended for me based on my assessment but also how much of each I should be taking. That definitely takes out a lot of the confusion and guesswork.

Did I mention that by taking the assessment, I also received a coupon for $10 off any Centrum Pronutrients supplement with purchase of a Centrum Multi-vitamin. The coupon is mailed to me, so I haven't started any new regiments yet!

Beyond just supplements, the assessment's results also recommended other changes. To increase my suggested foods, there was a list provided of foods I could eat more often. And if I'm not into that wheat English muffin? I can simply click the little "x" and it disappears to be replaced by something else - quinoa in this case. Yum, I forgot about how much I love quinoa! There were also suggested activities from dance moves to snacking on nuts instead of chips, with each one showing the benefits I receive from indulging in that activity. It's actually sort of fun, and as I make changes to my diet and activities, I can update my assessment to reflect those changes and get new recommendations.

Are you ready to get un-confused, too? Oh, and while doing so, do you have any interest in winning a $25 American Express gift card? I thought so. So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? 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 February 13 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. Check here for a full list of rules.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: What did the Nutrition Possible assessment show you were lacking that came as a surprise to you?

Note: if you try the link and it doesn't work well, try clicking on "create your plan" near the top under main menu and the page will load. I had the same issue!

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: "Want to win a $25 AmEx GC from NutritionPossible.com? Enter @honestandtruly's #giveaway http://bit.ly/w565WR" (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.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am participating in a sponsored campaign hosted by One2One Network. I received incentives and am eligible for prizing. While all opinions stated are my own, I make no claims about NutritionPossible.com as a product or its effectiveness.

Giveaway: Chicago Girls Night Out Benefitting Go Red For Women

2012-02-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

Did you know that my mom has a leaky heart valve? Did you know that my grandmother suffered from a coronary microvalve disease, much of which led to her decline in health and, ultimately, her death? It's genetic. Like as not, this is an issue I'll face, too. I'm not alone, as heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. That comes as a surprise, doesn't it?

I remember the first year I heard this, and mentally I started reeling off diseases that I thought were more prominent, that I heard about more. Well, I may be hearing about them more, but heart disease is what kills us women. February is now National Go Red month that focuses on raising awareness of this oh so frequently silent killer. The American Heart Association is behind the "Go Red for Women" campaign, and there are local events all over the country in support of it.

In Chicago, we have a Girls Night Out at Alhambra Restaurant where all ticket proceeds benefit the "Go Red for Women" campaign. On February 29, you can join Sassy Moms in the City and many others (yours truly included) at an event along with WBBM Newsradio, K-HITS, and B96 from 7-10pm. The $30 ticket price includes red carpet treatment, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, swag bag filled with goodies, mini spa services, a fashion show, and more. Attendees are also encouraged to bring gently used professional shoes and handbags to donate to Dress for Success. Those donations will be accepted from 6-10pm at Alhambra.

I have to say that I attended the event last year, and it was a blast. I can't wait to go this year. And you can join me and Sassy Moms in the City along with WBBM Newsradio, K-HITS and B96 for this fun and charitable event on Wednesday, February 29th. So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? 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!

When entering, please be sure you can attend the event on Wednesday February 29 at Alhambra! I don't want this tickets to to go waste.

This contest is open until Thursday February 16 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. Winners must be confirmed by February 17.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: who in your life has been touched by heart disease?

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: "Join @SassyMomChicago at the #GoRed #GNO 2/29 in #chicago. Win tix via #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/zmdWBk #spon" (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.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received two complimentary tickets to attend the event courtesy of Sassy Moms in the City. I was not compensated for this campaign. As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

DonorsChoose.org - Making A Difference

2012-01-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

I love to contribute to causes where I can, whether it's my time, talent, or treasure. That's probably why I'm on the PTO board at the schools for both the wee ones. And I am Little Miss's Girl Scout Cookie mom. And I helped out with the Autism One auction last year. And I still bake cookies and help out with the holiday bazaar for the animal shelter I volunteered for from college until after Mister Man was born. And and and... we all do it. When I donate money, I like to know that the money I'm donating is going to the cause I'm supporting - or at least the very vast majority of it - instead of to help run the charity itself. I'm sort of picky that way.

Even better is knowing - and help select - exactly what my donation will be spent to support. So yes, I do give to the animal shelter I listed above because I know that the funds will help buy the cat and dog food, along with pay the necessary vet bills. I donate to the school PTOs, seeing exactly where the funds are going in the classrooms and to the students. And I love DonorsChoose because not only do I know the funds are going to teachers for specific projects, but I actually get to choose what project to fund. It has become my new favorite spot for donations, and as the wee ones are getting their allowances and putting some away for donations, this is where I'll be directing them once they've saved a chunk.

I was recently given the opportunity to support a project thanks to Lands End. They provided me with a $25 credit to DonorsChoose, and a couple credits for me to share with other bloggers. We were able to go to the DonorsChoose site to choose projects that spoke to us and donate that $25 each towards a project. Let's just say that it was a challenge to decide what project to support, but this is the kind of challenge I love. Each project on the website is posted by a teacher who shares where she's from, the type of classroom, details about the project and why it's needed, and the cost. This information is verified by DonorsChoose, so you feel even more comfortable donating - or at least I do! There is also a ticker for each project showing how much time remains (if a project isn't funded by the deadline, your donation is refunded so you can choose another project) and how much funding the project has received to date.

As you scroll to the bottom of each project, it lists the detailed cost for each component of the project from the individual item cost to the shipping cost to the (optional) support for DonorsChoose as part of processing the request. You know exactly where every penny is going, and I love that transparency.

Personally, I loved seeing that there were many projects where corporations were matching any donations - if you donated $25 towards that project, they would kick in a second $25. While that played into my decision of what project to support, the most critical factor for me was that it was a project supporting special needs children. Mister Man, as most of you know, is autistic, and the supplies needed to effectively support so many of these children are often not funded to the extent they need to be because of budgetary issues - especially since special needs children are often hard on the equipment, and it needs to be replaced regularly.

As I entered the site, I searched for a project near Chicago for special needs students - some of the many criteria you can use to narrow your search. I looked for projects that seemed as though they would be something Mister Man could benefit from were he in that classroom. It was hard to narrow it down because so many of them were so deserving, but I only had $25 from Lands End as part of their Love Giving initiative. In the end, I chose a project for a classroom in Chicago that supported sensory needs for students who need the support to stay organized and focused - something Mister Man is struggling with in school this year.

My students require a lot of sensory devices to help them organize their bodies so they can focus on their educational goals. To help with this, I've asked for oral motor devices (vibrating and chew), vibrating pillow, pea pod, karate ken as well as a classroom swing. These devices will help my students fulfill their sensory needs on a daily basis.

Imagine you can't sit still because your body can't calm down. Would you be able to focus on your daily tasks? My students are unable to focus on the daily routine and classroom tasks without sensory support. Unfortunately we have very few sensory devices because we don't have the funding to purchase the devices my students require. Please help us stock our classroom with the devices our students need to be successful at school!

Mister Man doesn't have this available to him, and I really wish he did. I was thrilled to be able to support this program. I received a confirmation email almost immediately thanking me for my donation. Had I donated $50 or more, I would also have received a thank you note from students - a super thoughtful touch. The teacher sent me a thank you note within days, with a second thank you after her project was successfully funded. I don't need thanks, but it's nice to know that my contribution was received and that it did make a difference.

Thank you for your generous donation. Your support means the world to mean and my students. I can't express how important sensory devices are for some children with Autism. For those individuals who benefit from these devices it can make the greatest impact on their day.
I look forward to utilizing these sensory devices on a daily basis to help support the needs of my students. I know they will be better off for the donations made to our classroom so thank again for supporting my students. Your goodwill has not gone unnoticed!

I wasn't the only person who was able to benefit from Lands End's generosity. Two other friends shared their experience in donating to a project on DonorsChoose.

Two States of Chaos also chose a project for special needs - in fact, one I was considered funding myself!

I chose to donate the $25 to Ms. Ehlenburg's Special education class at Big Hollow Primary School in Ingleside, Il for a couple of reasons. For one, having two children who also attended Early Education for sensory and developmental issues, I can truly identify with the needs of the children at this age and I'm very well aware of the lack of funds there are to give these children the support they desperately need.

I also feel it is important to support the teachers in our state. The state of Illinois does not have the funds to support children with special needs like many other states do. I feel these children deserve the basic needs like these sensory items in order to get through their day in the most productive way possible. These items will help the children attend better to the teacher, therefore they will get much more out of their education.

I hope this class will be able to get the amount of donations they need to purchase these simple, yet effective items for the children in their class.

Busy Mom chose a project that also seems like it should be a no-brainer - providing snacks for children so that aren't hungry when trying to learn. Study after study has shown that children won't learn if they haven't eaten sufficiently, but not all schools are able to provide for their students. As she put it:

I have 3 kids in school, and both my husband and father are teachers, so I know a little about the dedication teachers have to their students.

I consider my family and our schools fortunate, but I know many are not. Teachers themselves are in the best position to tell us how we can help them, so that's why I love the idea of Donor's Choose. They make it easy to help public schools in need with real requests of what teachers need to make learning happen.

I was excited to have the opportunity to choose a project to support, and I was looking at schools local to me for perhaps a science-related request when I saw this one from a school in Nashville.

She is asking for snacks for her students. Not a computer, not books, not furniture, but food. Childhood hunger is real, and it's in my back yard. You can have all the resources in the world, but if the students are hungry there's no way to learn even the most basic information. I can't imagine what it must be like to ask for food for my students, but I hope my donation helps just a little.

It is amazing the scope of projects available - all of which have been verified and costed and are directly benefitting children now. Have you ever visited DonorsChoose? This wasn't my first time supporting them, nor will it be my last, but I'm grateful that Lands End provided me - and others - with the opportunity to make a difference once again.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with $25 credits to DonorsChoose for myself and others as part of Lands End's Love Giving campaign. I received no compensation, nor was I provided with any product. All opinions expressed are my own or that provided to me by the others who participated in the campaign with me.

Review: reBloom

2012-01-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I feel like that fan who follows his favorite star across the country but just can't seem to get introduced to that star. He knows everything there is to know about the star and can sometimes convince himself that they are good friends, but ultimately, reality wins out every time. My star? It's sleep.

I love the feeling of being well-rested. I love waking up after a good sleep and feeling like I can tackle the world. Or at least I think I do. It's hard to remember what that feels like anymore, since I so often don't get the sleep I need. It isn't because I can't fall asleep - most nights that isn't an issue at all. Instead, I generally wake up in the middle of the night and then I'm stuck. I just can't get back to sleep for hours on end. By the time I do, it's almost time for the alarm to wake me up, and I'm exhausted again.

I survive. It isn't ideal, but I don't want to turn to any sleep aids because I see all the warnings about them and feel like I should be able to just sleep. Besides, I like finding more natural solutions, whether it's cleaning supplies or what we eat or something to help me sleep. I already know to avoid caffeine after 9am (seriously - I'll be awake still at 3am if I don't), but I need to find something else.

I recently received two bottles of reBloom via Mamapedia to try a natural sleep aid that is designed to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep so that they wake up feeling refreshed. It sounds like the perfect solution for me, as the ingredients are chamomile, valarian root extract, melatonin, and l-theanine - along with filtered water, malic acid, lavender extract, natural flavors, and salt. That's the kind of natural relief I could use.

I was excited to try it out, as I was in the midst of another cycle of wake up at 2am and stay up until 5:30 then wake up at 7 feeling as though I could use another five to six hours of sleep. Each bottle contains 2.5 ounces of reBloom that is one full dose or two half doses. The idea is to drink either a full or half dose 30-60 minutes before you want to be asleep, and let it take effect.

Because I was wary of waking up groggy, the first night, I took a half dose. It tasted similar to many herbal teas I've drunk - which makes sense given the ingredients. It wasn't unpleasant and had an herby aftertaste. That night, I didn't have any trouble falling asleep - but I generally don't have that issue. Unfortunately, I still did wake up around 2am although I was able to fall back asleep sooner than I normally do. The second night, I took the other half dose (having put the bottle in the fridge after I'd opened it, as directed) and again still woke up, but this time went back to sleep fairly quickly for me. The third night I took a full bottle, hoping to stay asleep the whole night and not worrying about grogginess since it was now a weekend and I didn't have to wrangle children out the door early in the morning. Again, I woke up in the middle of the night, but I was able to fall asleep within about fifteen minutes which is huge for me.

I was pleased that I never woke up feeling groggy like I'd taken sleep medicine. I do wish that I had been able to stay asleep all night using reBloom, but I have a feeling that I'm somewhat of an outlier given my consistent middle of the night waking and the length of time before I'm able to fall back asleep. I wish my samples for review had been more than two bottles, as I wonder if being less tired when I go to bed would have an impact on how well I sleep at night. I know with the wee ones, the more tired they are, the harder time they have sleeping through the night.

ReBloom would be a useful tool for those nights when you know you need to get a really good sleep and just want a little push, especially if you were traveling and wanted to get over jet lag. I was comfortable with the ingredients and happy to see more natural products out there.

You can order reBloom direct from the company. There are different packages available, but each bottle costs on average a little over $3. Using the link above, you can try reBloom simply by paying $4.95 shipping and handling for two bottles.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received two bottles of reBloom via Mamapedia for review purposes only. I was not compensated, and all opinions are my own.

Recap: North American International Auto Show Part 1

2012-01-13T18:51:00.000-08:00

I am somewhat of a geek. I love seeing how things work, and I'm fascinated to see all the different ways that technology is making the things we do on a day to day basis easier. A perfect example of this is the technology being put into cars today. I've talked before about how I love what's been integrated into some of the new GM cars I've driven over the past year.

After spending a couple days at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), I really really want a new car. It goes beyond the heated and air conditioned seats. And the heating/cooling cup holders. And the infotainment systems that rise from the console. And the cargo holders that most and adjust to fit what you're carrying. And the improved gas mileage. And the acres and acres (it seemed) of hybrid and electric cars. And the in vehicle communication and management systems. I suffer from severe car envy.

GM hosted me and other members of the press during the NAIAS, and we were able to attend some fun and informational events, as well as interviewing several GM team members. We had a blast, and I learned a ton.

John McFarland from Chevy spoke a lot in their press conference about where Chevy is heading. They introduced two new concept cars, the Tru 140S and the Code 140R. Pretty sweet cars, but very different from each other.

I was fascinated to learn that when they designed these cars, they gathered information from millenials about what they wanted and needed. The focus for Chevy is is on young consumers - technology and digital interactions are key. People now have so many digital experiences without leaving the driveway. They are passionate about brands like Facebook, Nike, etc., but car brands fall between disinterest and complacency. Chevy's aim is to take their initial interest and turn it into passion while staying true to their brand. From product planning to marketing now involving the millenials more and more. They want to capture minds and hearts of young consumers - and there are 32 million out there.

Chevy is asking for customer feedback via interactive kiosks both at NAIAS and at other shows to then lock down what ideas the cars will include and how they will incorporate them. Chevy wants to ensure the cars will be designed to delight the customer. They want to find out what makes the largest car buying block that will be emerging over the next years.

Chevy has several lines they're focused on growing right now. The Chevy Cruze, was number one last year in the small and compact car segment. The Sonic will grow this market for them, too - it's designed with the buyer in mind. They are currently three months into launch, and they've done no tv ads, just a strong presence online and they can barely keep up with demand. The 2013 model has a lower suspension to improve handling and a 1.4 liter turbo with more aggressive sports styling to make it look "better". They've also incorporated a racing inspired steering wheel, and the MyLink infotainment is standard. Drives can now access hands free calling, listen to streaming music via their smart phones, and there is a new nav app to make life easier for others.

Really fun about the Sonic at the NAIAS was their display. You can create a ringtone for your phone using a funky electronic table, something individual and unique. Why yes, I did create a ringtone, and I love it. It took me a little bit before I actually recognized when my phone was ringing. It was just too hip to really be my phone, right? I sort of want to go to the Auto Show when it's in Chicago so I can make another one. Or two.

The new compact car for Chevy is the Spark. It is selling already in Europe and Asia and will be coming to the States and Canada this summer. Even more cool? It will be a pure electric vehicle in some markets. I'm fascinated by the oh so cool colors it comes in. This is the car I could so see myself driving right after college.

It was interesting, too, to learn about some of the customer care initiatives GM is working on. Jim Maloney from Buick's customer care spoke to us about his philosophy and what they're putting together on the Buick side. They are really using social media to monitor customer sentiment. Online, they found people complaining, asking about product configuration, dealer locations, etc. There is also a dealer side which focuses on technical services questions or issues with parts procurement (primarily phone calls).

The goal with Buick's customer care is that they want to get more proactive rather than waiting for customers to contact hem. This initiative started in summer 2010. They started with monitoring and interacting on Facebook and Twitter but realized the need to migrate to forums where customer enthusiasts are. Now, they have representatives monitoring nearly 100 sites. Where they have an actionable opportunity - to correct misinformation, take customer issue offline to solve - they can do so. They have agents monitoring Monday to Saturday plus now Sunday hours, as well.

Lots more to come on the NAIAS... come back to see more about concept cars, see some of my favorite new features, learn about how OnStar worked and evolved, and more.

In the interest of full disclosure, I attended the NAIAS as a guest of General Motors. I was not asked to write about my experience, nor was I compensated. As always, all opinions are my own.

Review: Just Dance 3

2011-12-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

I recently received a copy of Just Dance 3 for the Xbox Kinect. I was excited to receive it, having first played with the Just Dance family on Wii at Type-A last June. It was a blast, and yes, my team amazingly managed to win the dance off (and the copy of Just Dance 3 was our prize for dancing our rear ends off). When the newest member of the Just Dance family came, I was excited to see how it worked on my Kinect.

The best way to find out is not only to try it myself, but to have friends and family play, too. Fortunately, I tried it out before they arrived, as the game required that I do an update to my Xbox before being able to play it. The update didn't take long, and I was quickly ready to try it out.

The game was easy to maneuver. Once we got into the game, we got to the segment where we could choose our songs intuitively. I do wish that there was a list of all songs available for the game in the package so that we could more easily decide what we want to dance to next. We did have a little bit of an issue sometimes choosing the song we'd intended. The list would scroll one too far when we tried to swipe a song to select it, but fortunately you can still go back a step at that point.

And the songs are a hoot. Many of the wee ones' favorite songs are options from Taio Cruz's "Dynomite" to Katy Perry's "California Gurls." They love playing it just as much as the adults do, which is great as we can only do a couple songs before we need to take a break because we're too tired. This really is a great workout.

The game is designed to be played by up to four people, which keeps arguments over whose turn it is to a minimum. That, I like. We've had to be careful about where we place people to avoid the sensor getting confused, but four people playing at once definitely works. We enjoy it with most songs, but there are a few songs where there are multiple dancers onscreen who do different things, and each player needs to first figure out which figure to follow then do that dance. This has proven to be our biggest challenge, as we can't always tell who is supposed to do what. We mostly avoid those songs now.

The good news is that Just Dance 3 is something easy enough for everyone to do. While we did have one friend who tried to do the exact thing the dancers did instead of the mirror image (e.g., when the dancer moved to her left, my friend moved to his left), but all the other adults got it and enjoyed it. We even got my mom involved, and she's not exactly a dancer yet joy still enjoyed it.

This is definitely a keeper of a game. I love the exercise I get, and it's a great bonding experience. We have a blast seeing who can earn more stars - as you accomplish moves (and the game tells you how you're doing with each movement), you gain points and at certain point levels, you earn stars. I am proud to say that I was the first one to earn five stars during a dance - and I even did it before the end of the song.

Just Dance 3 is available on both Wii and Kinect for Xbox. You can purchase it anywhere games are sold. You can buy Just Dance 3 for $39.99. There are lots more features available - from the ability to shout out lyrics to gain extra points to the Just Sweat mode that gives access to playlists and challenging workouts. You can also purchase more songs from the Just Dance store, but I have to be honest that I don't feel the need to do this.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of Just Dance 3 from Clever Girls Collective via their Ubichamps program. I received no compensation. Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

Pillsbury Appetizer Potluck - Yum!

2011-12-13T19:47:00.000-08:00

It's the holiday season, which in my neck of the woods means that we're partying up a storm. And the parties inevitably involve food. Lots and lots of food. I love cooking things that are a little bit different from the standard fare, just to be interesting. At the same time, I need the foods I make not to be super fussy because there are a lot of people eating and never enough time to do all the cooking and cleaning.

This holiday, the focus is on creating appetizers that don't require a ton of ingredients and are tasty and simple. Pillsbury has lots of recipes like this available, and they invited me to host a potluck with my friends that included appetizers made with their products. Now that's something up my alley (although I will admit that I don't generally purchase prepared dough, other than phyllo, because of so many of the ingredients and because it's not too hard to make myself - that said Pillsbury has introduced the Simply line that has more natural ingredients), and I jumped at the chance.

Preparing for the potluck was relatively easy. I just had to put drinks and other sides and desserts together, all of which can be done ahead of time and keeping me more relaxed. Of course, that extra time just means my house is a little closer to the cleanliness standards my mom tried to impress upon me when I was a child.

We had a ton of fun at our potluck, with each of my friends bringing a very different dish using the Pillsbury coupons and all sorts of tasty accompaniments making for quick prep for our varied and tasty potluck. We all ate until we were stuffed silly, and then we tried to decide what our favorite was. I think we all could happily have had any of the items again.

I made the Tomato Basil Cups that I posted on my regular blog earlier today. I used a recipe I found on the Pillsbury website - and wow are there a ton of recipes - as the inspiration for my dish, but ... I had to change it up, of course. It turned out really well, and I actually made it again when I hosted bunco this weekend. Let's just say I had more than one request for the recipe.

My friends brought other dishes from the traditional baked brie - with strawberry preserves inside:

And an awesome twist on bruschetta:

And a really good ham sandwich with dill and all sorts of original yumminess made by a friend who used no recipe but instead just made up her own awesomeness:

We had the pesto pinwheels, too, which are always so yummy and look so much fancier and harder than what they actually are. I know I had a photo of that one, but it's hiding somewhere on my computer, and I can't find it at the moment.

We loved how there are so many possible flavors for the appetizers, although interestingly we so often focused on Italian flavors. Apparently that's just my friends! In the end, I think the most popular recipe is the one I made. The flavors were great - not too rich but oh so satisfying. I liked the changes I ended up making, putting the basil into the filling instead of baking fresh basil atop it (ick - basil burns) and using cut up cherry tomatoes instead of a single tomato sliced across the top. And of course I amped up the cheese in it. How can you not?

There are tons more ideas for appetizers for all seasons on the Pillsbury site. If you're hosting or attending a holiday gathering, there are plenty of recipes including many with few ingredients and quick prep times. What will you make?

And yes, the widget has a coupon for $1.10 off any 3 Pillsbury products, just to make things a little easier for you. What would you make?

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Enjoyed learning about what Pillsbury is up to with their recipes? Feel free to like Pillsbury on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received coupons for myself and my friends to purchase Pillsbury products for the potluck courtesy of Pillsbury via MyBlogSpark. I also received a gift card to help offset the expenses of the potluck party. That said, all opinions expressed are my own. Those can't be bought. Period.

Eversave Deals - Great Gift Ideas

2011-12-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

Please tell me I'm not still the only one out there shopping for gifts. And don't talk to me about the Christmas cards that I have yet to send. Fortunately there's not only time to purchase gifts, there are tons of great savings out there for everyone on your list. Check out Eversave online for tons more deals in lots more locales.

Even better? Now through midnight December 8 (don't ask me the time zone - it doesn't say, so pretend it's EST so you don't get burned) you can get an extra $5 credit towards any Eversave purchase. Use it before it expires!

Online: Wine.com

Wine.com

Cheers:$35 for $70 worth of premium wine and gifts at Wine.com

Online: Vice Couture

Vice Couture

A sound gift:$74 for a set of BeatTubes+ portable Bluetooth speakers, plus free shipping!

Travel: Villa De Cerritos Beach

Villas De Cerritos Beach

Today's Save:Five-night stay + massage, yoga, dining and surfing from $259 in Baja California Sur

Atlanta: The Polish Bar

The Polish Bar

Today's Save:$35 for a Shellac manicure and express pedicure

Charlotte: Burgundy Moon Spa and Winehouse (my kind of place!)

Burgundy Moon Spa and Winehouse

Today's Save:From $35 for a Swedish massage and foot soak at Burgundy Moon Spa & Winehouse

Denver: Go Green Gourmet (LOVE this!)

Go Green Gourmet

Today's Save:$65 for an in-home cooking class for two from Go Green Gourmet

Philadelphia: On-Site Detailing

On-Site Detailing

Today's Save:$99 for a full auto detailing service from On-Site Detailing ($199 value)

Seattle: Larson Family Medicine and Medical Aesthetics

Larson Family Medicine and Medical Aesthetics

Today's Save:$29 for a medical-grade glycolic chemical peel

St. Louis: Dining Delicacies

Dining Delicacies

Today's Save:$49 for an in-home, four-course gourmet dinner for four

Washington, DC: Misty Clean

Misty Clean

Sparkling savings:$45 for house cleaning from Misty Clean ($110 value)

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.

Winner!

2011-12-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

Congrats goes out to i find bargains who won the giveaway from MyBlogSpark, General Mills, and DC Entertainment for the Justice League prize pack. Congrats - and the 48 hour window to respond with contact information is ticking down.

Congrats again!

Eversave: Today's Deals

2011-11-30T06:59:00.000-08:00

Cyber Monday may be over, but there are still a ton of great deals out there, both for the gifts you know you need to buy and the pampering just for you that you so desperately need this time of year. Don't see one for you or in your area? Check out Eversave online for tons more deals in lots more locales.

Online: Smoky Mountain Minerals

Smoky Mountain Minerals

Today's Save:$16 for a mineral makeup kit from Smoky Mountain Minerals, plus free shipping!

Online: Isaay.com

Isaay.com

Today's Save:$50 for $100 worth of Merrell, Frye, Sorel, and more designer shoes and apparel, plus free shipping!

Travel: Riviera Palm Springs

Riviera Palm Springs

Today's Save:$195 for a one-night stay plus a spa or dining credit at the Riviera Palm Springs (up to a $430 value)

Atlanta: (Wish I lived there now!) Cherokee Valley Ranch

Cherokee Valley Ranch

Today's Save:$15 for an hour of unlimited tubing and tobogganing for two

Austin: Austin Zoo

Austin Zoo

Today's Save:$8 for admission for two at the Austin Zoo

Columbus OH: Nail Elegance of Dublin

Nail Elegance of Dublin

Today's Save:$29 for a spa mani-pedi from Nail Elegance of Dublin

Winner!

2011-11-29T14:12:00.000-08:00

Apparently the Activision DS games giveaway was just a little bit popular. It's always good to see new people come enter giveaways and hopefully find something that they like and then stick around.

That said, the winner of the DS game bag was Laila of Only Laila who I'm guessing is just a little bit excited right now. That said, she has 48 hours to get her contact info to me or I'll have to draw a new winner. Congrats!

Review: Apothederm Firming Serum

2011-11-22T13:51:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to get to that again. You know, the one where you have parties with your friend and they discuss the impact of pulling grey hairs instead of coloring them? If you don't know, good for you. For the rest of us, stick with me here. I've done my best to take care of my skin over the years, but it always feels like there's more I can do. I recently had the opportunity to try out the firming serum from Apothederm which has data from clinical studies showing that it reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in fourteen days.

The serum is very easy to use, and I love that it doesn't have a scent. For those of us with sensitive (scensitive?) noses, that's huge. There are many products I can't use because they give me a headache. The firming serum is applied morning and night to a clean face before moisturizer. I really like that it isn't greasy. In fact, when I apply it, it feels cooling and absorbs quickly without feeling like it's drying out my skin. When I put my moisturizer atop it, I need less moisturizer than I normally do, which tells me that the serum is doing something.

I haven't noticed that my fine lines (I refuse to admit that I have wrinkles yet) are disappearing yet, but I haven't used it for the full fourteen days yet - and I look at my skin constantly, so it's hard to notice a difference. I do like the way my skin feels, however. And I like that the firming serum comes in a one ounce container, which means I can fly with it in my carry on. That said, the one ounce is a decent size (at a cost of $75) and will last me quite awhile. It takes less than two squirts of the serum to cover my entire face and neck.

Even hours after applying it, my skin still feels smooth and not at all oily, as it frequently does when I just apply my moisturizer. That's a nice benefit in and of itself. And yes, my makeup (I use mineral foundation only) goes on easily and smoothly and requires less buffing to get even coverage than what I normally require. I'm officially a fan.

Ready to try it? Not only does Apothederm offer free ground shipping on all orders over $75, but you can use the code TENOFF that will get you $10 off any order on the Apothederm website now through December 31, 2011. Winter is coming; it's time to take care of your skin!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a firming serum for review from Apothederm. I was not compensated for this campaign. As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Tiny Prints:Talent Search Contest

2011-11-19T15:25:00.000-08:00

We all think we have the cutest kids and pets ever, right? I know that Mister Man was the cutest baby who ever lived without a doubt, and Little Miss really takes the cake with some of her precocious expressions. The Tiny Prints community agrees - to a point. They are holding their third annual contest to see who has the cutest baby. Or pet. Or couple.

It's easy to enter, and the grand prize winner walks away with $1,000 cash plus a $500 Tiny Prints gift card. Who wouldn't want that? You can enter for the Cutest Baby (From ages of 0-24 months), Cutest Kid (From ages of 25 months to 10 years old), Cutest Family, Cutest Couple, or Cutest Pet & Owner. You only have until November 21 to submit your photo, so hurry!

After the first phase of the contest, the community will vote on the their favorite photos in each category until November 30 when the top ten vote getters in each category will be presented for voting by the entire community December 5 to December 16, 2011. There will be three winners for each category and one grand prize winner, and I can't wait to see what those photos will be. You can find the official rules on the Tiny Prints site.

To enter, you can go to the contest page on the Tiny Prints website or via the contest form on the Tiny Prints Facebook page (which you can access only by liking the page) and submitting all the required information as directed on the contest page. And yes, you can only enter one photo per category per person. As for me, I think I'm entering Little Miss in the "Cutest Kid" category with this one. What do you think? (Nope, not retouched or edited at all - both of which are prohibited in the contest.)

In the interest of full disclosure, I received 25 complimentary cards from Tiny Prints in exchange for publicizing this campaign. I was not compensated for this campaign. As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: Big G Cereals DC Super Heroes

2011-11-17T19:36:00.000-08:00

I remember growing up when my mom would every great once in awhile allow me to choose a special cereal. It was always a big deal, and I would walk up and down the aisles trying to decide which cereal that I loved had the best prize at the time since we didn't generally get to choose our cereal. Once we had our cereal, we would also have the special treat of getting to eat our cereal while sitting in front of the tv and watching cartoons. Oh, how I loved the cartoons of old - especially Super Friends. I loved all the heroes of the Justice League.

And super sweet? The Cartoon Network is launching a new Green Lantern cartoon series in 2012, and General Mills is getting in the act with Justice League comic books inside specially marked boxes of Big G cereals - Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios, Trix, Golden Grahams, Reese´s Puffs, and Cocoa Puffs. There are four different comic books to collect.

Let's just say that the comic books have been a hit around here. We received a box of Honey Nut Cheerios, along with a set of the four comic books, and a Green Lantern action figure. I know I set the comic books on my counter when I opened the package, but I haven't seen them since. I've heard the wee ones talking about them, so I know they've swiped and read them - repeatedly, by the sounds of it - which I suppose isn't the worst thing. It's always good to see them excited about reading.

I love having some of my special memories from childhood that I can pass along to the wee ones and have them enjoy and cherish, as well. I think this weekend, we may need to go sit in front of the tv with a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and watch some classic cartoons. Just because.

Courtesy of MyBlogSpark, I have 1 box of a participating Big G cereal, 1 set of the collectible DC Super Hero comic books, and 1 Green Lantern action figure to give away to one lucky reader. So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? 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 Thursday December 1 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: who was your favorite superhero growing up?

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: "Are you a Justice League fan? Big G cereal, action figure & comic book #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/rp6ibz via #MyBlogSpark" (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 liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received gift packs as described above courtesy of General Mills and DC Entertainment via MyBlogSpark. I was not compensated for this campaign. As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Winners!

2011-11-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's once again time for some winner announcements. I've had two giveaways end, and I think there are going to be some happy people.

For the Shutterfly giveaway, I had three winners who will receive codes for 25 free cards each - note that they expire December 31, 2011! The winners have 48 hours to contact me with their information or I will have to choose a new winner. Congratulations go to: Shutterfly Adict from Shutterfly Experience, Angie from Angie's Spot, and Carrie at In the Hammock. Congrats, ladies!

I also have the $100 Red Envelope gift card winner to announce. Congratulations, Eunice from Random Walk Down Mommy Street! She also has 48 hours to get back to me before I choose a new winner.

Enjoy - and come back soon for more great fun and giveaways!

Giveaway: Activision DS Games For Girls

2011-11-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

We got a video game system for the wee ones because Mister Man needed some help. He's autistic, though very high functioning. Socially, he's got a deficit, and his fine motor (ok his gross motor, too) is not quite on par with his peers. As he got into elementary school, he needed to have some things that made him fit in with his peers who have been walking around with their noses glued to their DSs since preschool (not joking - in preschool, he was the only kid on the bus not playing with a DS on the way to and from school every day).

The gaming would allow him to improve his hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills, I justified. And he'd know about video games and be able to jump in when his friends at school talked about them. Little did I know that there's actually research to support this! I recently attended the Activision Games for Girls Summit featuring Suzanna Kantra, a mom and tech expert, cohosted by Chicagonista where not only did we learn more about the benefits for gaming (and they are out there) but also many of the new games Activision is releasing this fall that are aimed at girls - yay for Little Miss!

The stereotype is that girls don't game. It's the boys who are enmeshed in the world of gaming and who are the ones who want to spend all their time playing. Not true in our house, as Little Miss is just as anxious to play as Mister Man when they're given the opportunity (and yes, we strictly limit our screen time for them, so they don't have anywhere near an open invitation, nor can they play every day even). In fact, according to a 2010 A&U study, 40 percent of gamers 8-12 are female. Little Miss is definitely one of those, even though she's only 6.

When she plays, I am always in the room with her, and I'm frequently playing with her because ... well, the games are fun. Brigham Young University's School of Family Life conducted a study in February 2011 where they found that girls who played video games with a parent had positive impacts on their lives. They behave better, they feel more connected to their families, and they have stronger mental health - all things that I want for Little Miss. Interestingly there aren't the same impacts on boys who play with an adult, but I'm still using this as proof in my excuse that I need to play with them.

There are overall benefits to gaming for everyone, including some of the ones for Mister Man that I instinctively knew and others that I hadn't been aware of. According to “Reality is Broken,” By Jane McGonigal of the University of California at Berkley’s Institute for the Future, published January, 2011 Penguin Press, games provide us with the 4 ingredients that make for a happy meaningful life: satisfying work, real hope for success, strong social connections, and a chance to become a part of something bigger than ourselves. More critically, since gamers spend 80 percent of their time failing at the game, it helps make them more resilient in the face of other failure - something both of the wee ones need.

Part of the reason for this is that video games progress - they get harder as we go further into them. According to an article in the Boston Globe in October, 2009, this helps to keep people at the edge of their abilities and constantly pushes them further, something we all need to learn to be comfortable with if we want to succeed in life. Adaptive challenge is stunningly powerful for learning, according to John Gabrieli, a neuroscientist at MIT.

There are measurable benefits, as well. The Office of Naval Research has proven that playing video games teaches our brains to process information faster and that gaming improves our fundamental abilities to reason and problem solve in novel contexts. In 2004, a study on the cognitive neuroscience of games showed that those who played video games had several improvements compared to non-video game players. They had faster reaction times and increased hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity, as well as increased spatial skills. The video game players also showed a better ability to divide and switch attention, meaning they could pay attention to more than one object/person at a time. I feel better about using video games sometimes as therapy for Mister Man since he can use improvement in all of these areas - as can we all.

That said, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours for kids older than 2 (and zero for children under 2), which includes all screen time from video games to computers to television and the like. Setting those limits is critical to ensure that the other parts of their brains and bodies also develop. Fortunately, the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California found that children who strongly agreed their parents had rules about television viewing time were less likely to exceed recommended screen time limits. Set your limits!

So what is Activision doing in this realm? They have more than twenty new games coming out this fall, with several of them aimed specifically at girls who frequently are interested in playing games but can't find any that are interesting to them. The games Activision is releasing are all on the DS platform, as research has shown that girls are more likely to play DS compared to other platforms (interestingly, not in our household, however, where the Kinect gets the biggest workout and the DS often goes forgotten). We brought up the concern that the DS is less social than many of the other platforms, but research apparently shows that girls talk about what they're doing, watch over each others' shoulders and otherwise interact about the game even when it isn't on a large screen where everyone is playing the same game at the same time.

At the Summit, we had the opportunity to see six of these games in action and try them out before five of them were even released. And I promise that although I was having lots of fun playing Squinkies 2: Adventure Mall Surprise during part of the presentation, I promise I was paying attention to all that was said and done - see, gaming does help improve your ability to divide and switch attention. In that game, you use your Squinkie to find other Squinkies throughout the mall to invite them to a party. Your Squinkie has to search to find the over 600 Squinkies in the game to invite them by jumping (including a funny squishy high jump), bouncing, climbing and more. Each DS game also includes aan exclusive, limited release and ultra-rare 3-piece Squinkies playset. This game was released on October 25, so you can go find it now.

We also played Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo where the online game is now expanded to the DS as of November 6. Here you explore the Wooly Wilderness in search of ultra rare Moshlings to add to your zoo. You can play games within the game to keep your Moshlings happy and healthy. This isn't identical to the online game, and it isn't meant to be. The game instead focuses on becoming an extension of the online game so that it isn't simply a repeat.

Are your girls wayyyyy into Lalaloopsy? There's a DS game now, also released on November 6! You choose your Lalaloopsy friend and then work to match the Lalaloopsy girls with their missing pets. You can then do all sorts of fun crafts once you've found the pets; each one has their own mini-game craft. And yes, each game comes with an actual mini Lalaloopsy doll. Too cute!

Zoobles! Spring to Life! launched November 1 has players care for their companions. They can bathe them when they're dirty, cook for them, and play different games with them. Each Zooble also has a Happitat (happy + habitat = happitat) that players decorate to perfectly suit them from furniture to decorations and more. You can make friends with other Zoobles in the game, as well, though the game focuses on paying attention to and caring for your own Zooble. And yes, for now each Zooble game includes a Zooble toy.

And of course there has to be a ZhuZhu Babies game (also released November 1). ZhuZhu Pets are huge in my house, and with this game, players care for the ZhuZhu Babies in a nursery as they run wild. When the ZhuZhu Babies are tired, you must put them to sleep, feed them when they're hungry, and more. They each have their own personalities, which makes the game fun. As you explore the world to find the missing ZhuZhu baby Razzmataz, you have to also find hiding spots for them as they travel. It's much more fast paced than I had expected but tons of giggling fun.

And then there's the Wappy Dog, which is a brand new interactive pet. You can either interact with him via your DS (home mode) or leave him at home while you play with a virtual version of the Wappy Dog on the DS (travel mode). Through the DS, players can communicate by selecting prompts on their DSs where the dog responds via barks and moving, and yes, he does tricks. The perfect pet, no? When the Wappy Dog isn't with the player, you can play games online from grooming to feeding and more. Once you reconnect the dog to the DS game, there is a data exchange so that the dogs are really one dog to the player. It's pretty cool, I think, and nice for when you can't bring the dog with you. He is released today - November 8.

At the event everyone attending was given a bag filled with goodies from Activision from the not yet released DS games - Lalaloopsy, Zoobles! Spring to Life!, Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo, Squinkies 2: Adventure Mall Surprize!, and ZhuZhu Babies. There's also a Wappy Dog. And toys featuring characters to go with most of the games. And Moshi Monsters trading cards. And a magazine. Phew - in my house this is Santa for a few kids! So what do you have to do to win all of this? 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 November 22 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 video games you remember playing growing up - what was your favorite?

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: "Love your DS? Need some games for your girls? Check out this score #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/t8DyrP" (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 liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a bag filled with similar items to the giveaway described above at the Activision Games for Girls event. I was not asked to write about my experience, nor was I compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Review: Sleep Innovations Mattress Topper

2011-11-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

Remember the first time you laid down on that new mattress? Do you remember how soft it felt, how perfectly it cradled you, how restful you sleep was? Yeah, me neither. In fact, it's been (shhh) almost fifteen years since I last purchased a mattress. When my husband walks across the floor, I can actually feel the mattress move and sway. When he rests his hand on it to set an alarm or a foot on it to put on his socks, I feel it. When he rolls over in the night? When he comes to bed after I do? Yep, I feel that, too.

Well, I did anyway. I feel it much less now. The solution wasn't a new mattress - yet - but instead a new mattress topper I received for review. The Sleep Innovations mattress topper is a two inch gel memory foam topper that you place atop your mattress. For me, it's meant that my husband can roll over in bed without disturbing me, which is a huge feat given how lightly I sleep. When I lay on it, it is incredibly comfortable and supportive, and I am less likely to be tossing and turning all night myself.

When the package arrived, I was shocked by how heavy it was. For some reason, it didn't dawn on me that the mattress topper would be quite so heavy, but that's not a bad thing. In my mind, the fact that it is heavy means that it has enough material making up the foam topper that I will enjoy the comforts of my "new" bed for a long time to come. Opening it up was similarly daunting. The topper comes rolled up in a tight little package, and I was nervous cutting off the wrapper that I would accidentally cut the topper, too, but fortunately I did not!

Actually getting it onto my bed was both more complicated than I had initially expected (naive me, I thought I'd just put it on my bed and voila be done) and much better than I had thought it would be. The mattress topper itself is actually encased in what is essentially another fitted sheet, which means that it won't move around on the bed and instead stays in place. That meant I had to take my bed completely apart to put on the mattress topper, which wasn't really a big deal but did make me wish I'd procrastinated a few hours on changing my sheets! Once you have the cover in place, the mattress topper goes atop that and then there is another layer that zippers the sheet fully together to protect the mattress topper and keep it in place. That also means that the cover is completely washable, which I love!

Once I got my bed put back together and made again, I laid down on the mattress the first time. I was tempted to not move again. I had forgotten how nice it feels to be comfortable and supported when resting. This was nice. This was very nice. I could feel myself slowly sink into the mattress topper, but when I moved I didn't feel any resistance from the impression I'd made where I was first laying, which was one of my concerns. More than once since then, I've taken my laptop upstairs to sit on my bed to work because it's simply so soft and comfortable and not what I'm used to. Given how much the mattress topper expanded when I first removed it from the packaging, I was mildly concerned that it would be comfortable for a week or two but then slowly lose its support. Three weeks later, it's as firm and supportive as the first day I laid on it.

The only real downside to the mattress topper is also one of the benefits of the topper. It's gel foam itself is two inches thick. Placing the sheet above and below it to secure it plus my mattress pad warmer before I get to my regular fitted sheet means that I probably need to buy new sheets. They are absolutely stretched to the max to get to the base of my mattress, and it doesn't stay there well. Granted, it's just an excuse for me to get new sheets, but I'd rather it were my decision. If the mattress topper were thinner so that my sheets fit well, the mattress topper probably wouldn't do its job.

All in all, I'm thrilled with my new Sleep Innovations mattress topper. It's making my nights - and some of my days - a whole lot more comfortable, and the price for the mattress topper is significantly cheaper than purchasing a brand new mattress!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a foam mattress pad as described above for review purposes only. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: $100 Red Envelope Gift Card

2011-11-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

I wrote recently about Red Envelope and their personalized gifts for kids. Little Miss absolutely adores her pillow. Lucky me, Red Envelope also sent me some canvas wall art that again was personalized for Little Miss.

Note: I blacked out Little Miss's name and birth date for privacy purposes. The text matches the pink of the canvas and fits nicely with the rest of the artwork.

I've been working on completing her room, as I mentioned in my last post about Red Envelope. It's hard for me to find items that work for her because she isn't your traditional girly girl, but we have her room painted lilac which reduces our options. This canvas art was perfect for her. It has her first and middle name and is also customized with her birth date.

I wish that we could customize the text further like I could with her pillow (we did her first and middle name instead of first and last as is suggested, but that was all we could do). She loved it anyway because it's all about her. The canvas comes in three sizes - 24x32", 18x24", and 12x16" so that it fits in the space that you have to fill. While the canvas shows Little Miss as a little light skinned blonde haired girl, there are other options - including boy options - for hair and skin color. Oddly, you can't choose any skin color with any hair color as I could with the pillow, which may limit you if you have a child with black hair and medium skin tone, but the vast majority of options are available.

I will say that when I first received my canvas - wrapped securely in bubble wrap and then in a couple of very sturdy layers of cardboard to prevent any damage - the canvas was wrong. There are multiple possible ways to spell Little Miss's name, and unfortunately it came out wrong. Red Envelope immediately made it right with no questions asked, and a corrected canvas arrived very quickly. Things happen sometimes, and I absolutely respect companies that take care of issues immediately and politely. Red Envelope definitely fit the bill here. After all, when you're doing this much personalized kids room decor, you're bound to have something go wrong now and then.

With all the options, what would you shop for? Red Envelope has tons of gifts for everyone in the family, and I have the fun of giving away a $100 gift card to Red Envelope to one lucky reader. Yay, right? 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 November 16 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 would spend your $100 gift card on.

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: "Sweet! There's another $100 Red Envelope GC #giveaway from @honestandtruly - holiday shopping made easy http://bit.ly/vpM1OU" (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 liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a canvas featuring Little Miss for review purposes only. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: Shutterfly Cards

2011-11-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Now that it's officially November 1, I can start to talk about Christmas. I still have my focus on Thanksgiving, but this is finally going to be the year when I get my Christmas cards out on time. By on time, I mean mailing them early enough in December - or, la! in November after Thanksgiving - so that it doesn't look like I'm only sending people cards because they sent me cards first. That means I need to think about what cards I want to send and start getting a holiday picture taken now.

I was one of the last people I knew to convert from the traditional Christmas cards where you sign them yourself and write a little note inside to the preprinted photo cards. I resisted them a long time because they seemed so impersonal to me. They've changed a lot, however, in the past few years, and I actually enjoyed sending them last year - along with a Christmas letter, of course.

Now many of the cards are more traditional folded cards where I can still sign myself and write a little note congratulating people on their new babies or asking how lives are going in new cities and the like. I can keep my connection with them, and it feels much better to me.

In fact, I think I've already found the card that I'm going to send this year. I'm not sure it fully replaces the Christmas letter that goes in each of the wee ones' memory boxes, but I love how the card itself is personalized with memories.

Because so many of my friends aren't Christian and don't celebrate Christmas (hello, my Jewish friends!), it's important to me to find a card that is something I can share with them. In the past, I've had to carefully sort through my cards to find ones that are focused on the "season" - though I hate that expression as it has been co-opted - to send to them in recognition that not everyone celebrates Christmas. Fortunately, Shutterfly offers lots of holiday cards that aren't so religious, including many that focus on it being the end of the year and recap and reconnecting rather than Christmas. Fortunately, even some of the ones that are overtly Christmas in the Shutterfly collection can be edited to not say "Merry Christmas" as needed - and yes, I need it.

On second thought, maybe I'll go with this card this year.

Or maybe this one.

Ok, so maybe part of the reason I always get my cards out late is because I can't decide. But hey, if Shutterfly didn't have such a great selection of holiday cards, I wouldn't have this problem, would it?

Because misery loves company (yes, my tongue is placed firmly in my cheek here), I'm not the only one going to have to agonize over what card to send this year. I have three codes for 25 free cards from Shutterfly to give away to lucky readers. Yay, right? 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 November 15 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. Though there are two prizes, a person can only win once.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me which holiday card you would choose.

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: "Time to start thinking about your holiday cards. Win a 25 card #giveaway from @Shutterfly and @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/s3mu0f" (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 liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a package of 50 free cards from Shutterfly. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Event: Hallmark Between the Moments

2011-10-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a breakfast with Hallmark to share their campaign around the Moments Between the Milestones. I love the idea behind it. It's about celebrating the little things and recognizing that they're out there instead of rushing through them as we so often do.

The breakfast event was great. I loved being able to ask questions of some of the writers and marketers about what they're doing with cards and how they're created. Did you know they make step parent cards that don't focus on the evil step mother? If your local store doesn't have them (each store has a different assortment), check online for the perfect card for you - or make your own customizable card.

We spent a lot of time talking about the connection that Hallmark tries to make with their cards, by using photos to evoke emotions without having them be completely apparent who the person is and thus limit the applicability of the card. We were then sent out to create our own emotions with photos by taking photos but not showing faces. I loved the challenge and had all sorts of ideas. What kind of a card would you put this photo into?

Note that the photo is taken vertically. Most of us take our photos horizontally, but for cards, the pictures tend to be vertical. Try flipping your camera sideways to see what comes up.

My favorite part of the day, though, was the writing exercise we did. Apparently this is something they do sometimes at Hallmark itself, and wow did it work. We were each provided with an envelope filled with words. We selected three or four words randomly then spent ten minutes writing. We could write anything so long as it included those words, then we shared them. I was amazed by the heartfelt stories that emerged from these quick minutes. Every one was so different, and many provided some great ideas for future posts for me, as well.

My story actually became a full post here. And I wrote it in ten minutes. I'd never before written down a post longhand, let alone in ten minutes, and I was amazed by what I came up with. I could actually write something that made some sense. I'll be using this technique again - and I'm planning to do a linky like this potentially.... I think it has great potential.

The breakfast was inspiring and educational, with the most awesome slide show of photos and videos from the attendees showing our own perfectly imperfect moments. Mine? Well of course that was a video of my husband playing with Mister Man tossing him over his head and ... promptly being puked on. I still can't believe I caught that on video.

Thank you to Hallmark for including me in their Moments Between the Milestones tour. This is so what I can get behind. And the card I sent to Mister Man congratulating him on his awesome work doing his best at school? Now that made his day when it arrived. Because really, who doesn't love getting a surprise card in the mail?

In the interest of full disclosure, I attended an educational breakfast with Hallmark where I received a gift bag including two recordable story books and a lovebug. I was not compensated in any way, nor was I asked to post about the event. As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Winner!

2011-10-31T08:31:00.000-07:00

And the Freschetta quick giveaway has ended, and Digital Hope was our winner with the first entry (see, number one does come up in Random.org sometimes!). She is @WindyCityHope on Twitter, and she has already claimed her package. Congratulations to her, and keep an eye here!

Giveaway: Freschetta Proud To Support Pink

2011-10-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

It's still breast cancer awareness month, and I am constantly amazed by the unique ways that companies are continuing to find ways to support this campaign. I wrote about Freschetta pizza a few months ago, and now they're back with a slightly different sort of program.

From now through October 31 - so hurry! - every time you purchase a Freschetta pizza or Artisan pizza crust, you can help them achieve a goal of donating $50,000 to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. All you need to do is enter the code from the package into their Proud to Support Pink site. They're only around $15,000 right now, so that's a lot of codes yet to be entered!

If you can't buy your pizza by then, you can still help them reach their goal. You can "donate" $1 with no purchase required with the code FRESCH11 on the same Proud to Support Pink site. Please share this with your friends and family so they can reach their $50,000 goal.

Beyond doing the nice thing, what's in it for you? Each week in October, Freschetta is giving away 50 pink iPods to those who enter the code. You know you want to be one of those 50 this week, right? And yes, Freschetta is also donating 50 pink iPods each week to cancer centers throughout the States for breast cancer patients to use while undergoing treatments. That may be a small measure of comfort, but I love the thought and effort behind it.

Now that I've talked you into buying that pizza, how about you save some money while doing so? Use this $1 off Freschetta coupon to purchase your pizza, and remember to enter your code by October 31!

Oh, and did I mention there is a giveaway associated with this, too? I have a coupon for a free Freschetta pizza and two sets of pink earbuds - one for you to keep and one to make someone's day by sharing with them (or be like me and replace the earbuds you lost ... again).

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 Sunday October 30 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: Tell me who you would share your extra pair of earbuds with.

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: "Think Pink with @FreschettaPizza and win yourself pizza & pink earbuds #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/vFt0DH" (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 liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a coupon and two sets of earbuds as described above. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Winners!

2011-10-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have winners for three different giveaways to announce today. And yes, I have more giveaways coming soon - hopefully one later this afternoon, too. Yay, right?

Elisabeth (no blog) won the Pink Together giveaway and has 48 hours to get back to me before drawing a new winner.

Kristy from Momma Loves 2 Shop! won the tickets to see Ringling Brothers in Chicago. Because of the timely nature of this one, she has just 24 hours to get back to me.

Susan from Susan's Disney Family won the $100 Red Envelope gift certificate and also has 48 hours to get back to me. BUT I have another $100 gift certificate from Red Envelope coming soon, so stay tuned!

Congrats everyone!

Giveaway: 4 Pack of Ringling Bros Tickets (Chicago)

2011-10-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

This year, Ringling is coming back to Chicago for their annual trek through the United Center and the Allstate Arena (so hard for me not to call it the Rosemont, STILL). Fully Charged - the name of this year's Ringling Brothers show - is at the Allstate from November 3 to 13 and at the UC from November 17 to 27.

The show includes the usual suspects from animal trainers to clowns, but the focus is on the power of the circus. You will see Tabayara with his animal acts from riding a rearing stallions to performing with twelve tigers. There is also the strongmen with their feats, including acrobats balancing on the very items they're lifting. Personally, I can't wait to see the human crossbow. And yes, yes there will be clowns, as always!

One of the parts that really makes the circus special for the wee ones is the all access pre-show where all ticket holders are invited into the floor for an hour before the circus to meet selected performers, try on clothes, and more. It's always a highlight - and another reason to be sure we get there early!

Does it sound like a show you want to attend? Get your kids excited about it, too. Tell them that you're going by printing out the coloring sheet so they have something to get excited about. I know this is one of Little Miss's favorite things to do.

I know you've been waiting for the "what's in it for me" moment, and there is a great discount available again this year. You can get 4 Tickets for $44 on Weekday Shows OR Save $4 on Weekend Shows! (Weekday shows include any performances Monday through Thursday. Weekend shows include any performance Friday through Sunday.) To take advantage of this offer, use the offer code "MOM" at Ticketmaster.com, at the box office, or call 800-745-3000. Note that this offer is not valid on Circus Celebrity, Front Row or VIP seating. No double discounts. Service Charges, Handling and Facility Fees may apply.

And don't forget my very favorite part of seeing family events at the UC - free parking! Yep, you don't have to pay an additional fee to park when you see the Fully Charged show downtown, and that's something that I know makes lots of people happy, not just me.

There's more than just the discount though! I have a family four pack of tickets to give away to someone. The winner gets to choose the date: Thursday Nov. 3 @ 7:00 pm, Wednesday Nov. 9 @ 7:00 pm, Wednesday Nov. 10 @ 7:00 pm, Wednesday Nov. 16 @ 7:00 pm, or Thursday Nov. 17 @ 7:00 pm. 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 October 23 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: Tell me what your favorite circus act is.

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: "Ringling is coming back to #Chicago, and it's time for a ticket #giveaway from @honestandtruly. Win a 4 pack http://bit.ly/qpWQab" (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 liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received tickets for my family to attend the circus. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Winners!

2011-10-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

I have several winners to announce, and there are more giveaways coming so keep checking back!

The Hallmark cards pack was won by Summer of A Mom Less Ordinary.

The Purse Perfector was won by Susan from Susan's Disney Family.

And Lexiquinn (no blog - and no, having a blog is not a requirement!) won the Big G prize pack, including the $25 gift card.

All winners have 48 hours to provide their contact information, or I will draw a new winner but I'm hoping I won't have to!

Congrats to all the winners, and check back soon for more fun here.

Giveaway: $100 Red Envelope Gift Card

2011-10-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

Little Miss has been in a big girl bed since she was ninteen months old when she started crawling out of her crib, took a nap in Mister Man's bed one day when he was at preschool and promptly refused to set foot into the crib again. Needless to say, her room was set up quickly and not quite perfectly. While we've added various touches to it over the last four years, there's still more work to be done to make it the perfect room for her.

Enter Red Envelope, which is adding almost 400 new items this fall. They have everything from Beer and Wine Accessories to Men’s Gifts to Kids Room Décor and more. When offered the opportunity to choose something from their new product line, I jumped at the chance, and Little Miss's room was my first thought.

After looking over some of their new products, I decided upon one of their personalized pillows for kids. I love that the pillows allow you to share your child's personality with the pillow. The base is always white, but you can choose either a boy pillow or girl pillow. I would have loved to see multiple hair and skin color choices, but fortunately Little Miss is a blonde haired little girl, so it worked out well for us. You then choose your child's name, and a sentence that best describes your child.

Little Miss is frequently called Peanut by me and others because she's so skinny and tiny. I also call her my "perfectly pigtailed person" - something left over from my childhood. Since the picture on the pillow doesn't have pigtails, I decided to stick with Peanut, and now she knows that she's the best little peanut in the whole world. I like the script on it, and I think the stylized all lower case really works for this.

Note: I placed the black line over Little Miss's name to protect her privacy, but trust me that it looks cute in all caps block letters.

When the pillow arrived, it was packaged quite well. It was wrapped tightly in a plastic bag to ensure that it didn't get dirty or damaged while shipping. I opened it, and I will admit that I was surprised by the fabric the pillow was made from. It is a canvas type material, and I had expected something softer from a pillow. I would also have loved to see the cover with a zipper so that when we have the inevitable stains, it would make it easier to clean.

That said, Little Miss loves her new pillow, and it helps finish off her bed. I keep trying to explain to her that it's a decorative pillow, but so far she's insisting that she sleep with it. Too cute!

I have something for you, too: a $100 gift card to RedEnvelope.com to give away to one lucky reader. Note that the gift card is a one time use gift card. You must use the full amount in a single purchase. 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 Friday October 21 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 descriptor would you put under the name for your pillow.

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 ever shopped @RedEnvelope ? Now's your chance to try it. Win a $100GC from @honestandtruly #giveaway http://bit.ly/nvOfnG" (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 liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a customized pillow as shown above from Red Envelope for review purposes only. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: Pink Together

2011-10-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

I hate being sick. For me, sick is a few days of something that makes me feel cruddy before it goes away. That's not what being sick means for Brandie and far too many others. For them, living with breast cancer is a daily experience, and a miserable and painful one at that. October is - as you'd have to live under a rock not to know - Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So many brands do so much to try to raise awareness and funds, and General Mills is no different.

For the fifth year, they're working on the Pink Together campaign. There, you can share your personal stories as well as messages of hope. The stories aren't just to go into the ether. General Mills will donate $1 to the Komen organization for each Message of Hope that is sent to someone who has shared their story on PinkTogether.com (up to $25,000) during October. This is in addition to a $2 million donation General Mills is making to the Komen organization.

Beyond the fact that the donation comes from something I can do rather than requiring me to make a purchase appeals to me. Even better? For the first time, we can choose how $1 million of this donation will be shared between two different Komen programs: the Treatment and Assistance Program, which assists women in securing care they otherwise may not be able to afford, and Prevention Research, which helps unlock the keys to preventing breast cancer. You can vote from September 19 to April 14 next year on the Think Pink site. Results will be announced on Mother´s Day 2012 - Sunday, May 13, perfect timing, I think!

In support of this campaign, General Mills via MyBlogSpark is offering a giveaway, and I have a prize pack to give to one lucky reader. The prize pack includes a box of Total cereal, coupons valid for one box of Cheerios and Multigrain Cheerios cereal and one cup of Yoplait yogurt, a Betty Crocker Living with Cancer Cookbook Pink Together Edition, a water bottle and removable silicone awareness bracelet, a sport backpack, and rhinestone ear buds. 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 Thursday October 20 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 how you have been touched by breast cancer.

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: "Think Pink and share your breast cancer stories. Learn how via a #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/rohgcu" (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 liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a prize pack as described above for review purposes from General Mills through MyBlogSpark. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: Big G Prize Package With Gift Card

2011-10-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

We are Star Wars fanatics around here. Last year, both wee ones were Storm Troopers for Halloween. (I learned the difference about this time last year between a Storm Trooper and a Clone Trooper.) This year, Little Miss is a Storm Trooper again - yay reusing costumes - and Mister Man is going to be a Jedi knight. I hear about Star Wars morning, noon, and night. The release of the complete saga last month, I've heard nothing but Star Wars everywhere.

While I won't let the wee ones watch all movies yet, we're finding ways to incorporate Star Wars into the wee ones' lives where we can. There are Star Wars books we've gotten from the library and the Star Wars Legos we play with constantly. The other day, I received a package that more than made the wee ones' days.

As thrilling as they found the gift card - they've learned already that gift cards mean money to spend in stores, though I'm not sure this is a good or bad lesson. Ok ok, I admit, this wasn't the view that thrilled them, as happy as they've been for the past several days to have Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast, along with a large scoop of peanut butter, half an orange, and a glass of milk (or rice milk in the case of Little Miss).

This was the view that enthralled them:

I made the mistake of putting together this little panorama during dinner. It was too tempting not to. Unfortunately, it also proved to be too tempting for the wee ones, who kept trying to get up from the table to stare at the "very most coolest ever" cereal boxes. I've had to promise that when we finish the cereal, I will cut out the backs of the boxes and let Mister Man hang them in his room.

These cereal boxes can be found exclusively at WalMart on specially marked boxes of Big G cereals - including Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The front of the boxes show if they are part 1, 2, or 3, so you can make sure the cereal you purchase makes the full panorama (or two, if you have multiple children requesting them on their walls, ahem.)

I have a prize pack to give to one lucky reader. The prize pack includes three Big G cereals - Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch that together form the panoramic poster, plus a $25 gift card to WalMart. 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 October 17 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 your favorite Star Wars character.

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: "Love Star Wars? Win a Big G prize pack & make a panoramic poster +$25GC via #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/rhVIcY" (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 liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a prize pack as described above for review purposes from General Mills through MyBlogSpark. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Eversave: Today's Deals

2011-09-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

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

Giveaway: Purse Perfector

2011-09-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-09-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

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!

Eversave: Deals and Savings!

2011-09-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

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

Giveaway: Hallmark Cards

2011-09-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-09-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

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!

Giveaway: Mechatar Robot

2011-09-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

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.

Whole Foods Market: Healthy Snack Tips

2011-08-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

It's back to school time for ... almost everyone. For me, that means sitting down and trying to figure out what I'm going to feed the wee ones both for lunch and snacks. While our schools require that snacks be only fresh fruits or vegetables, our snacks outside school aren't always. Whole Foods invited me to video my healthy snack tips for the wee ones and share it with you. It's currently live on the Whole Foods Facebook page.

Check it out and tell me what you think!

Are you a fan of Whole Foods? You can sign up for the Whole Foods weekly special (scroll down) and possibly win a $500 gift card to Whole Foods Market. Score!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was compensated for this campaign by Whole Foods Market. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Eversave: Bonus $10 And Deals

2011-08-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned Eversave before, and I am so enjoying the new deal site I found. It isn't the only one I belong to, but it has some great deals from travel to online to local. And right now... they are giving everyone a $10 bonus. That's $10 free for you to use to purchase your next save. No strings attached... except that the $10 expires at midnight tonight. All you need to do is choose your deal before midnight and purchase it to get your $10 (limit to one $10 bonus per account, so if you've already used it... well, you already used it!).

Need some ideas of what to purchase with your bonus? Check out the offerings below. This is only a sampling of what is available in each city, and there are more cities available that I didn't include. How can you not find something you want, especially with an extra $10 to spend?

Online Canvas Megastore

Canvas Megastore

Today's Save:$35 for $90 worth of photography and fine art prints from Canvas Megastore, plus free shipping!

Expires 11:59 PM - Sep 03, 2011

Online Jeans.com

Jeans.com

Today's Save:$40 for $80 worth of celeb-favorite designer denim from Jeans.com

Expires 11:59 PM - Sep 01, 2011

Online NuMe Style

NuMe Style

Today's Save:$18 for $85 worth of premium hair-styling tools and products from NuMe Style

Expires 11:59 PM - Aug 28, 2011

Online PhotoBin.com

PhotoBin.com

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Atlanta The Mesotherapy Center

The Mesotherapy Center

Today's Save:$55 for a rejuvenating IPL laser facial at The Mesotherapy Center ($300 value)

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Austin Austin's Boat Tours

Austin's Boat Tours

Today's Save:$32 for $65 toward rentals, tours and parties from Austin's Boat Tours

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Baltimore T and A Detailing

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Last Chance:$59 for a full auto detailing or $75 for a window tinting at T & A Detailing

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Boston James Hook and Co.

James Hook and Co.

Today's Save:$30 for two lobsters, clam chowder and bag of mussels from James Hook & Co. ($61 value)

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Chicago MG Rejuvenation Center

MG Rejuvenation Center

Today's Save:$49 for a customized facial from MG Rejuvenation Center ($125 value)

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Columbus Skin for All People

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Indianapolis Blush and Bobby Pins

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New York City Eden Salon and Spa

Eden Salon and Spa

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Expires 11:59 PM - Aug 29, 2011

Winners!

2011-08-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

Yay, a couple more winners for me to announce. That's always a good day, I think!

First off, we have the winner of the Strawberry cotw asok. That was The Stockwell Family from The Stockwells in Colorado! They have 48 hours to get back to me with their contact information before I select a new winner.

We also have winners for the Giddy Snacks. Remember, this was two winners this time around. The first winner is Cheryl F. from The Lucky Ladybug. The second winner from this giveaway was Mommy who does not have her profile enabled and did not provide me with an email address. I have my fingers crossed that I receive the contact information for both winners in the next 48 hours, or again a new winner will have to be chosen.

Congrats, and check out more to come!

Event: Cadillac Challenge

2011-08-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that I love food? A lot? I love cooking or baking it, sharing it with friends, and eating it. And yes, watching it on television is a possible vice of mine. This weekend, I can attend a cooking demonstration by two renowned chefs. How fun!

In Oak Brook, Cadillac is having a Culinary Challenge with Chef David Burke versus Chef Abel Cortes on Saturday and Sunday August 20 and 21. There are three different demonstrations each day, at 11:30am, 2pm, and 4pm.

You'll be able to taste test their food at each of the demonstrations, and Cadillac is also running test drives of their cars versus the competition. You can compare how Cadillac runs to challengers from BMW, Lexus and Mercedes. And who doesn't love a good test drive in a luxury car?

Sound fun?

Come play on Saturday or Sunday all day. The event is in Oak Brook at Oak Brook Center: 100 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523. So come, have fun - and find me on Sunday! Don't forget to register for the Cadillac Challenge if you're planning to come.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am attending this event, which is free to the public. I have not received any compensation, and as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: Lawry's Seasonings and Marinades

2011-08-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

It's summer, so you know I'm avoiding turning on my oven or stove as much as humanly possible. When TheMotherhood offered to let me combine some of my favorites - grilling, cooking with friends, and trying new recipes - it was a no brainer. Of course I was in.

Our team of Melissa from Peanut Butter in My Hair, Vanessa from ChefDruck Musings, Hyacinth from Undercover Mother, Cher from Mom and More, and Paula from Frosted Fingers were part of our team, assigned to come up with three recipes using Lawry's products on a vacation theme. It was such a blast, and it renewed our commitment to getting together to cook with friends.

After much thinking, we came up with a great menu, a twist on vacationing through the Mediterranean. Although Paula and Cher had to do a separate get together due to schedules, it was a blast cooking with Vanessa, Melissa, and Hy! And oh was our lunch scrumptious! We all left stuffed to the gills.

How could you possibly resist that?

Watermelon Gazpacho with Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients:
1 Medium Seedless or Seeded Watermelon, Finely Diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 avocados, coarsely chopped
3/4 lb large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 T white wine vinegar
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 T of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
Salt and Pepper to your Taste

Directions:
Mix watermelon, cucumber, bell pepper, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil in a large bowl. Measure 3 cups of the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree. Transfer to another large bowl. Puree another 3 cups and add to the bowl.

Taste the soup and salt as desired. Top with the remaining diced mixture and the avocado.

Season the shrimp with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. Thread them onto skewers. Cook on direct heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Remove the shrimp from the skewers and arrange them prettily around the soup. Serve the soup chilled.

Lawry’s Balsamic Marinated Chicken Kebabs with Grilled Pineapple

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 c Lawry’s Balsamic Marinade
1 pineapple, peeled and cored, and cut into 2 inch cubes

Directions:
Wash and cut the chicken into 2 inch cubes, removing most fat and the tenderloins. Place chicken in a bowl and cover with the marinade overnight.

Soak bamboo skewers in water for an hour.

Preheat your grill with one direct heat zone and one cooler indirect heat zone.

Peel, core, and cut the pineapple into 2 inch cubes. Thread the chicken onto skewers. On separate skewers, to maintain even cooking, thread the pineapple. Mixed fruit and meat skewers may look prettier but they don’t cook as evenly or safely.

Cook the chicken first on indirect heat, 5-6 minutes on each side. Cook the pineapple second, also on indirect heat, 2 minutes max on each side to have it caramelize but not burn.

Serve immediately, or place in the fridge to serve cold. The peach chutney makes a delicious dipping sauce.

Peach Chutney

Ingredients:
2 fresh peaches, peeled and diced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 T of white wine vinegar
2 T of brown sugar
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil

Directions
Chop the peaches, shallots, and onion.

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the shallots and onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the peaches, lemon juice and zest, sugar, and vinegars. Stir well. Lower heat to medium low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chutney has come together and is a little brown.

This will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days after preparation.

Tomato Mozzarella Pasta Salad with Lawry’s Balsamic Herb Marinade

Ingredients:

1/2 c basil leaves, chiffonaded
3/4 lb fresh Mozzarella balls (Ciliegine size)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 lb pasta noodles (any round type variety that will work well with a fork)
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 c Lawry’s Original Seasoned Salt marinade (or you could use Lawry’s Balsamic Herb)

Directions:
Cook pasta noodles but don't let it completely cool. The salad will come together better if you add the dressing and accompaniments while it's still warm. Chiffonade the basil leaves, rolling them up then slicing the roll you created. Dice the red onion, and and chop mozzarella into bite size pieces. (You can cut up tomatoes if you’d like but we kept them whole.)

Toss everything together and stir in Lawry’s Balsamic Herb. Let it sit together for a few hours in the fridge for the flavors to meld, then serve cold.

Thanks to all my wonderful cooking partners for an awesome meal I'm ready to eat again right now!

Ready to start your own grill right now and invite over some friends? Me, too. I'm ready to do this again. Now. And I already ate dinner tonight. One lucky winner will be able to replicate this meal with seasonings from Lawry's. I have a 16 oz Seasoned Salt, a full size Balsamic Herb Marinade, and a full size Seasoned Salt Marinade to give away. Yum! 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 August 29 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 is your favorite thing to grill?

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: "Time to kick up your grilling. Win #Lawrys seasoning and marinade from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/qT8yqn" (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 was given samples of the Lawry's products as described above for review purposes. I was also compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Review: Natural Versus Processed Cheese

2011-08-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

If you know anything about me, you know that I tend to like my food natural. I would love to avoid all sorts of processed foods permanently if possible. I know not all my friends feel the same way, however, and that's fine. When Sargento approached me with the opportunity to do a natural versus processed cheese tasting with friends though? How fun could that be!

And so tonight they came over for dinner (a meal that Mister Man planned, which was so cute!) and before I fed them my food, I used them for a little taste test.

We had a little crackers and cheese appetizer. Before we dug in, we read a little about natural and processed cheese and read the tasting guide. I've done wine tastings before, and I sorta know how those go... cheese tastings though? This was new to me.

What do you do in a cheese tasting?

First, you look at the cheese. When comparing the two, it's obvious which is the processed cheese. Cheese shouldn't be shiny. It just flat out shouldn't. No matter the color of the natural cheese - and they will vary based on type - it should have a texture to it, and it should not be glossy.

Touching the cheese is next. When you bend it, it should break and not roll. Some cheese are soft, but natural cheeses in general shouldn't feel mushy. The processed cheese felt sticky and just ... not quite right to us.

Then we smelled the cheese. My husband picked up on the smell of cooked milk, which doesn't belong in cheese in our opinions. The natural cheese has a sharp smell. It smells like cheese and is much stronger than the more muted tones of the processed cheese.

Lastly, we tasted the cheese (see, it really is like a wine tasting, isn't it?). The processed cheese tasted flat to us. And it was very salty. While some natural cheese can be salty, that isn't the predominant note, as it was for the processed cheese. We enjoyed the flavor of the natural cheese better, especially the continuing flavor.

One of our tasters tried to eat the processed cheese. As she tried to peel it up from the plastic wrap it's surrounded by, it just broke apart every time she tried to pick it up. She did her best, but eventually she gave up about halfway through the slice.

That didn't sell all our tasters on the natural cheeses. Some of them purchase processed cheese for their families because their families ask for it, and they didn't really see the difference. As one friend stated, "Now that I've seen this and tasted the difference and read about the cheeses, I'm not buying the processed kind any more!" Another friend wanted me to point out to Sargento that "this was worthwhile. They just got a new customer in me!"

Why?

Natural cheese is made with only milk, cheese cultures, enzymes, and salt. It's aged naturally and tested by professional cheese graders to ensure the quality. It is made in a block and cut directly from the block, then packaged - not melted while being made. It needs to be refrigerated (that seems like a "duh" statement, doesn't it?). Interestingly, a 21 gram slice of Sargento cheddar has 130mg of sodium.

Processed cheese has emulsifiers added to it, as well as preservatives like Sorbic Acid. It is typically heated to 180 degrees and cooked with direct steam, removing delicate flavors. Many processed cheeses are sold on shelves and not refrigerated for months at a time. And creating that slice in the little plastic package? It is often pumped into plastic packaging and run over a series of rollers to form the slice. Tellingly, a 19 gram slice (smaller than the natural cheese slice) has 250mg of sodium. With the new recommendation that we get no more than 1500mg of sodium per day, that's a lot of our daily sodium in one small package!

I think I made some new converts to natural cheese. It wasn't necessarily my intention, but it was interesting to see the reactions not just to the nutritional information but to the cheeses side by side. Definitely a fun evening for all of us!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with a sample of both Sargento sliced cheese and a processed cheese food, along with compensation courtesy TheMotherhood and Sargento. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Review: Chevy Volt

2011-08-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

It's time for our annual jaunt down to St. Louis to visit my in-laws. It's not a super long trip, but it puts a ton of miles on our cars to do it the three to four times a year we go. When GM offered to let me try out the Chevy Volt, I immediately thought of the trip as the perfect time, after all I wasn't driving carpool with five kids in the car at that point.

Then I thought about what the Volt was and briefly panicked about driving with four people to spend four days out of town in such a small car (after all, my car seats eight!). After thinking about it, I agreed, and I'm sorta glad I did. I had this fun little treat sitting in my driveway all ready to take me down to St. Louis and back - on less than 12 gallons of gas, total. My pocket book is a huge fan of the car for that reason alone, but we'll get there.

It's a really cute car, no? It was amazing to me how many people gave the car a once over (or simply stared) while we were driving it, and even the couple at Costco who were standing there having a conversation about it while I pushed my cart full of goodies towards it - and yes, the trunk did fit the me, the wee ones, and our Costco shopping trip.

So you know the Volt is an electric vehicle, right? It has a special long charge cord that is stored in the trunk that plugs in just outside the driver's side door. It clicks into place and stays there until you squeeze the handle to remove it when you're ready to go (the manual suggests leaving it plugged in when you aren't driving to help regulate the battery). I was a little taken aback the first time I unplugged it because both the handle and the plug were distinctively warm. It seemed to be less warm when I unplugged it after it had been fully charged for awhile, and it was never burning hot, just definitively warm.

The charge is good for about 37 miles according to the book on the car, although each time we drove it, we got significantly more. There is a cool screen on the "edutainment" center (their name, not mine - but I like it!) that shows how things have been going for your drive. When you look at this one, you can see that I got almost 43 miles on my charge and drove 4.4 miles using 0.13 gallons of gas (that's over 36 miles per gallon, though we frequently got much higher mileage when driving on the gas engine). The lifetime mpg is somewhat confusing, as it includes the electric miles where you use no gas so mentally (to me at least), it's inflated.

Another pretty cool screen is the standard dashboard, which isn't so standard on a Volt. Admittedly, it took me a bit of time to get used to it, but I eventually did. There is no traditional gas gauge. When there is a charge in the car, there is a ticker with a battery icon showing how many more miles you have before it switches to the gas engine. And I am happy to report that switching from the electric to the gas engine is smooth, with no scary bumps or jerks as I feared might happen the first time. Once you have the gas engine running, the miles remaining for gas pops up on the screen with a gas pump next to it so that you know which power source you're using.

That screen also has an "environmentally friendly" meter, as I'll call it. This seems to be the popular thing in new cars now to encourage people to drive in a way that maximizes fuel efficiency and reduce wear on cars. The Volt has a little green ball that you try to keep in the middle. If you accelerate too fast, it will raise up, lose its three leaves and start to turn yellow. If you decelerate too quickly, the same thing happens except that the ball lowers in the bar. I am proud to report that I drove the vast majority of my time in the middle of the bar with all three leaves firmly attached to my spinning earth ball.

One of the coolest features (and I apologize for the horrible picture - my "good" camera was in the shop when I had the Volt, so I was back to my point and shoot that really needs to be retired) is the backup camera. Now, I know backup cameras are sort of old hat. Just about every car made now has them, except mine of course. The one for the Volt is positioned in the "edutainment" center, too - just a different display option on the screen, of which there were many. This backup camera? First of all, it's in color, which not all of them are. Second, it was really large, which was helpful. Third - and coolest, the camera has a red grid that shows your driving path. If you turn the wheel, the red grid moves, too. It was so cool. And it's possible that I played with this a lot just for fun, and that I showed it off to every friend who came anywhere near the Volt during the week I had it. When something - or someone - gets into that red grid, it beeps and has a little hazard icon appear. It also works well at night as it must be lit from behind. I really, really want one for my car now. I got a little spoiled.

The car itself is not made for families, however. The five children I carpool daily during the school year would not fit in the car, even without me. This car very clearly only seats four people. It is a very narrow car, with little room between the seats.

And when I say four people, I really mean two people and two small children. This shot shows how much room the wee ones had between the ends of the back seats and the front seat. Had they been any older or bigger, this would not have been a comfortable ride for them around town, let alone to St. Louis and back.

This is a great car. I really enjoyed driving it. That said, I couldn't have this be my car at this point in my life. I would have loved to have had it before I had children, especially when I was single. It would also be great once the wee ones are out of the house, but this is not a car for more than two people unfortunately. And given the price tag - the car I drove was $43,700 - I have a feeling I wouldn't have had the money to buy it back when I was single, even counting for the greatly decreased fuel cost. A single charge that gets me personally about 43 miles costs approximately $1.07. Translating that to the current $3.90 per gallon we have by me, the equivalent miles per gallon are almost 157 for the same fuel cost. I could live with that. Happily. Someday, someday.

In the previous picture, you can also see part of my car charger. Odd, no? Well, yeah, sorta. There is no car charger in the usual spot. In the spot of every other car I've ever seen or driven, in fact. When I first got in and searched for the car charger, I couldn't find one at all. I eventually found one on top of the dashboard, inside a hidden container, but I don't want my devices and cords hanging down like that. The only other charger I found was actually in the console in the back seat, which wasn't the most convenient. We'll leave it at that. And no, there weren't as many cup holders as we're used to either - but then again, this isn't a family car. I did miss not having my adjustable cup holder that will hold my 40 ounce water bottle, but apparently I am lucky and this is an uncommon feature.

But what is in the place of the traditional power cord? It's actually the parking brake. Yep, the parking brake. I've never seen it anywhere but than down by my feet. I thought this was a very odd placement, along with the only place containing door locks. I kept reaching to the door to lock and unlock doors, but only the window controls were there. It took a little getting used to, but I survived.

I also found it a little odd that the window lock (which I use frequently, especially in car pool to keep kids from rolling down the windows when we - meaning "me" - don't want them down) also controls the child safety lock that allows the back seat passengers to open their own doors. I actually had to get help with that one, since Mister Man freaked out when he couldn't open his door. Fortunately, the wee ones are well-behaved enough that I trust them to not use the window lock, so we were fine after that.

My other pet peeve about the car was the controls in the edutainment center. They are all essentially touch driven (you can see some of them in the above picture). When driving, if I want to check something or change something - from making it warmer or cooler, turning up or down the fans, changing the radio - I have to look at the center and ensure I press the right button. There's no going by feel and pushing the button I know is there. On the flip side, when I'm scanning radio stations as an example, my hand would continually accidentally touch one of the buttons, changing the display and forcing me to start over again. I was not a fan of this feature, and I really hope that it is changed at some point. Ironically, with the super futuristic buttons on the edutainment center, the steering wheel buttons for cruise control, etc were ummm not. They were fairly cheap feeling, clicking back and forth and sticking out like old fashioned window power controls. The juxtaposition really surprised me. For both, I'd like the happy in between that features slightly raised buttons of various shapes that tell you what they are but that aren't overly sensitive.

My last comment is another really cool feature. I think. Instead of turning a key to turn on the car, you simply ensure you have the key fob with you, press your foot on the brake, and and push the power button. Both when you enter the car with the fob and when you turn the car on, there is a very cool futuristic noise that greets you, letting you know that you have the fob with you (phew!) and that the car is on, respectively, since in electric mode, the car is quiet. That said, because I didn't need to use the key fob for anything, I was constantly paranoid that I would lose the key or leave it locked in the car, and so forth. I'm not sure why using the key gives me such reassurance, but it did. I have a feeling that once I get into a routine of not plugging in a key, I'd be fine with this - and I'm sure this is the direction most cars are now going.

All in all, I really enjoyed the Volt. It's super cheap to operate, and it's got pretty good get up and go. It's good looking and functional. I had fun driving it and loved the looks I got. Were I in a different situation, I'd seriously look into buying one, especially as I see gas prices going up - again. Unfortunately, it is not made for people who have a family. It really is ideal for single people or those who are married with no children - or grown children. I'll keep waiting until they make a car like this that can help me drive my carpool around, dreaming instead of the fun I had in my Volt, pretending to be cool for a week!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with the Chevy Volt to drive for a week for review purposes. That said, I have not received any compensation, and as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: Giddy Snacks

2011-08-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you've picked this up about me or not, but I'm a little particular about what the wee ones eat. If I could go back a hundred years and feed them no processed food whatsoever, I'd do it. There are so many foods (and other products, for that matter) that have ingredients in them that we avoid. It gets difficult when other children are involved, and as the wee ones have gotten older, that's happened more frequently.

We are among the strictest parents in terms of what we will and won't feed the wee ones. My friends with multiple food allergies and issues are the exception, I suppose. However, when the wee ones have friends over, it's important socially that we have snacks that the other kids are interested in. In carpool, the healthy-ish snacks that I provide have frequently been rejected by others in the carpool as not being sweet enough or for other reasons.

Then I got sent Giddy Snacks, which is a new product that is in limited distribution in Target stores in the Chicago area. I can only hope that the distribution will increase quickly! This was a snack that not only the wee ones enjoyed, but their friends did, too. And yes, we shared. A lot.

The Dip 'Ems are pretty cool. They don't have any artificial ingredients - no HFCS, no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, no dyes, no ingredients I can't pronounce. These are the kind of snacks I am ok feeding the wee ones. They are still a cookie with a fruit dipping sauce, so this isn't an every day item like a whole apple, but it's great as a snack.

The Dip 'Ems come in four different flavors: strawberry, grape, sour apple, and tropical. We tried the first two, and while I prefer the strawberry, Mister Man likes the grape better. He isn't as much a fan of the slightly sour taste of the strawberry, but I love it. That said, he will eat them but simply chooses the grape when he can. The multiple friends we've shared the Giddy Snacks with have also been fans, including those who had rejected other relatively healthy snacks I've offered. I think we have a winner!

Giddy Snacks are sold in four packs of a single flavor. Each package contains four individual servings that contain four biscuits and a container of the dipping sauce. It isn't too much food, but it's enough to take the edge of hunger or to share amongst multiple children.

I really like that the dipping sauces aren't overly sweet. The grape is definitely sweeter than the strawberry, but it's naturally done, not by adding all sorts of fake stuff. The sauce is also slightly thicker than I had initially anticipated, which I found to be a good thing. It meant that the sauce was less likely to drip off the biscuit before the wee ones got it into their mouths. I'm all about the snacks that don't require me to do a massive cleanup afterwards!

Are you sold on Giddy Snacks yet? Do you wish they were sold in your area? Their distribution is starting to increase, and if they don't have it by you yet, you can still order them from Amazon. Want to try them first? You can! I have a week's worth of Giddy Snacks for two winners - three boxes for you to try out.

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 August 24 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 snacks do you feed your kids (or yourselves)?

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: "Finally. A snack you can feel good about. Win samples of Giddy Snacks from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/qT8yqn" (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 was given samples of the Giddy Snacks for review purposes and to share with friends to get their reaction. That said, I have not received any compensation, and as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Savings For You: eversave

2011-08-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

I got back from BlogHer late Monday night, and there is so much to share from there. I loved loved loved it, once again. And yes, before you ask, I will be back for BlogHer in New York in 2012. In fact, I've already purchased my ticket. Ahem.

I love connecting with new brands and learning about products I've not experienced before (and of course the ones I already love). I know I can't possibly post about them all, but I'm going to do my best. One of my favorites was the deal programs out there. I'm already a member of ahem a few programs, and I learned about more while at BlogHer. When I see some good deals coming through, I'll be posting and sharing them here for you.

And it's actually a win win (win). I was asked to sign up to be an affiliate with eversave, for example, which is a new deal site offering deals both online and in local markets. Yay, Chicago was added on Monday! I've already seen some pretty cool deals and wished I lived elsewhere so that I could take advtange of some of them. But no... that's for you instead.

For example, you can get $15 worth of Okabashi sandals and footwear online for $7. They've got some pretty cool sandals because yes, I checked them out. In fact, I have a pair or two coming to my house now.

Best of all, if you're new to eversave, you'll get an instant $2 credit when you sign up. That makes the Okabashi deal just $5 for $15 worth of sandals. You can also use this $2 new member credit on any of our local deals on family activities, dining out, spa treatments and more in cities nationwide. Why not?

Some of my other current favorite deals:

(Valid until August 12)
$15 for a 100% natural mineral makeup kit from Southern Magnolia Minerals ($37 value), plus free shipping!
Offer expires: 11:59 PM - Aug 12, 2011

(Valid until August 11)
$9 for a fiber-rich, all-natural Gnu Foods 7 Bar Sampler with shipping included ($19 value)
Offer expires: 11:59 PM - Aug 11, 2011

(Valid until August 12)
$12 for $25 worth of funky apparel with a big heart from Life is Nutz
Offer expires: 11:59 PM - Aug 12, 2011

(Valid until August 19)
$25 for $50 worth of decorative wall art for kids from ZWalls.com - plus 50% off shipping!
Offer expires: 11:59 PM - Aug 19, 2011

I now want to move to Baltimore (valid until August 12)
$39 for a 60-minute signature facial or $36 for an exfoliating body polish
Offer expires: 11:59 PM - Aug 12, 2011

Because I need to live in Boston to pamper myself this way (valid until August 11)
$35 for a Swedish or deep tissue massage at My Spa 2 in Newton (up to $80 value)
Offer expires: 11:59 PM - Aug 11, 2011

In the interest of full disclosure, I have an affiliate relationship with eversave where I earn a commission for each sale purchased with my links. That said, I am sharing the links that I find worthwhile and interesting because as always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Giveaway: Strawberries Cook Book

2011-08-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

I recently was invited to attend an event hosted by California Strawberries. Granted, at the time I had a four pound box of strawberries from Costco in my fridge, so it's possible to say that I'm a fan already. And it was hosted at The Chopping Block downtown - which is where I honed my cooking skills and is still one of my favorite places in the city. How could I say no?

It was interesting to hear from the various speakers, farmers and marketers and the most entertaining dietitian I've ever met. They shared tons of information that made me feel even more confident buying strawberries. I was interested to hear how they irrigate strawberries - from the bottom, covered in plastic, etc - to ensure that they are as disease free. Anyone going into the fields has to be noted and checked to ensure there are no contaminants getting into our food supply. The safety taken was comforting.

Then there was the info about how they're picked. They are all picked by hand and packed into cartons in the field. Those are the cartons we buy them in - they aren't processed any further (so umm don't forget to wash before you eat them!), which keeps them fresher. Trucks have to get to the distribution within three hours, and they arrive in the midwest in three to four days after picking. No wonder they taste so good!

We also had David Grotto, dietitian/comedian, chat with us. He shared the new FDA guidelines, apologizing that it had only vegetables and no fruits, since the only one he had was one sponsored by a vegetable company as it's so new. And he complained that his suggested dessert and alcohol food groups were left off the plate. He was a hoot, and he imparted great information. I already knew they were super low in calories and good for you. But I had no idea strawberries were so full of fiber or that they had more vitamin C than an orange. Go fig!

It was a super fun event, and of course they shared strawberry recipes with us. I think my favorite was the strawberry goat cheese pizza, which I've already made, but there were some really awesome and unique items that we all enjoyed. In fact, I was lucky to get the strawberry gazpacho, as it ran out - so I shared with Vanessa from French Foodie Mama. I made a pregnant lady happy.

We also had some awesome muddled strawberry mojitos both with and without balsamic vinegar (I preferred it without). Because we have to prove you can even use strawberries in alcohol, right?

And then there were the crab tostadas. It's a shame that Melisa from Suburban Scrawl didn't want hers. I was forced to eat her portion and oh was it a chore. I think I ate someone else's portion, too, but I promise they umm didn't want it either.

All the food was incredible from the strawberry sliders to the panino

The recipes all came from a really fun cookbook that I promise you can make room for on your shelf. The California Strawberry for Everyday cookbook had tons of great recipes beyond this, many of which I can't wait to try. Have I mentioned my addition to the four pound boxes of strawberries at Costco?

And I have a copy for you, too! I am giving away one copy of this awesome cookbook. 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 August 23 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 do you love most about strawberries?

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: "Because we all need more cookbooks! Win a Strawberry Recipes for Everyday cookbook from @honestandtruly. http://bit.ly/nihXRo #giveaway" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following Honest And Truly Reviews publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

While it won't get you any extra entries, I do encourage you to like Honest & Truly on Facebook so you can stay up to date on giveaways and other cool info and news.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was attended an event by California Strawberries that featured their product and information about them. I also received my own cookbook. That said, I received no compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Winner!

2011-08-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Liz of a belle, a bean, and a chicago dog who was the winner of the BusyBodyBook organizer. My apologies for the delay in announcing. It's been hectic with BlogHer, and I discovered that my iP*d does not post on Blogger anymore. Boo.

She has 48 hours to contact me before I draw a new winner. And yes, more giveaways going up ... almost immediately!

Update: Liz has acquired a BusyBodyBook of her own since the contest (go her!), so she is graciously giving up the prize for someone who does not already have one. That means our new winner is: Cheryl F. from the Lucky Ladybug! She also has 48 hours to contact me before a new winner is chosen.

Get Your Rock Star On at BlogHer!

2011-08-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

I officially head to San Diego for BlogHer tomorrow morning. In fact, my plane will be taking off in ten or so hours. Am I ready? Absolutely not. In fact, instead of packing - like I probably should do soon! - I am just now finalizing my schedule for BlogHer and catching up on things at home before I head out.

Am I panicked? Nope, not in the least. This is my third year attending BlogHer, and it is funny how so many of the things I used to worry about: am I bringing enough clothes, what will I wear, will I find someone to talk to, how does this whole Expo thing work, what is an Expo, OMG what if I don't get into the "good" parties - all that has completely melted away. I know I'm going to have fun. I've simply decided that I will, and I have had fun every single year that I've attended. It's as simple as that.

No one cares what I'm wearing. And if they do, well... I have better things to do with my time than worry about that. I'm dressing in what's comfortable for me, which means resort casual (oh how I love that term). It's polished enough to have conversations with brands, and I'm comfortable enough to walk miles and miles and miles every day I'm in San Diego.

There are 3,000 women. Twitter has been a great way to find people I want to meet up with, and I've yet to run into a situation where I strike up a conversation and am completely rebuffed. People just aren't that icky. I've made awesome friendships every year, and there are so many women that I am so excited to catch up with again this year.

And the parties. Ohhhh the parties. I have to admit that I'm a little saddened by people. I've seen so much whining by so many people over who is invited to what parties and oh pleeeeaasse let me in because no one wants to be left out. Trust me. You won't be. There are so many parties that it's impossible to attend them all, and I know I have much more fun if I find something I enjoy and hang out there rather than racing from place to place to try to fit it all in. They're parties. You may not be invited to them all. I know I'm certainly not, but I have a calendar that's plenty full, and I'm planning to take advantage of it - and the down time. Some of the most fun is hanging out at the hotel with new and old friends just by ourselves where we've found a little corner or outside a party in a hallway. Plus, there are 3,000 women at BlogHer this year. Everyone's gotta share, right? It's alll good.

So ummm please. Please? Pretty pretty please? If you're not on the invite list to the Clever Rock Stars party on Thursday night, don't beg and plead with the people working the door to get in (ummm yes, I'm one of them, and I can't let you in, sorry!). People working the doors of the parties are doing their very best to get everyone in who's supposed to be in the parties as quickly as possible. Don't make it harder for them by putting them in an awkward position - but hey, you wouldn't do that anyway, would you?

My only issue right now is packing. I've already decided that I'm not checking any bags on the way to BlogHer. Yes, I'm that good a packer. Being a management consultant and on the road for three straight years does that to a person. I refuse to take swag just for the sake of taking it. If it isn't something I really want, it isn't coming home with me. My challenge now is deciding whether to just ship things home (less than the cost of baggage each way, I've figured out based on a 45 pound box being shipped to my house - and who needs more than that or even that?) or packing a duffel bag meaning I'll need to check a bag on the way home. But somehow it'll work out, and I'm just not that stressed about it. Which is why I have nine and a half hours before my plane leaves and I've yet to start packing.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go practice my Smurfy dance moves. I've heard there's a dance off at the Clever Rock Stars party, and I have to defend my title after the shocking Type A Conference win by Team Maxi Dress. Packing, schmacking.

Come find me at BlogHer. Tweet me @honestandtruly to find out where I'm at this week!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am receiving compensation from Clever Girls Collective in the form of a partial sponsorship to BlogHer. I was requested to write a post before and after BlogHer, but the topics were up to me. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Sprinkles Cupcakes!

2011-08-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

I love Food Network. And food. And desserts. And baking. And cupcakes. Yum. When I was invited to visit Sprinkles Cupcakes in Chicago - owned by Candace Nelson, a judge on Cupcake Wars on Food Network (PS Food Network, please renew them for a fourth season!) and the founder of the first cupcake bakery in the States, I was ummm beside myself with excitement.

Walking into the bakery was a tiny bit of nirvana. The different cupcake varieties available were daunting. Summer cherry. I will have to make a return trip for that one alone. Plus the key lime. And maybe one or ten others. The employees there are super nice and considerate - I love that they take people's names when they are ordering and then actually call them by name throughout the process.

We were ushered into the back where we were introduced to the incredibly skinny Candace Nelson (who had a baby eight months ago - do you hate her just a little bit yet?). She was the sweetest person to the point where it didn't dawn on me at first that this was Candace Nelson. And her husband. While she did reassure me that my decorated cupcake would end up in the cupcake graveyard, she was very sweet about it.

What is a cupcake graveyard, you ask? Well apparently the people at Sprinkles are a little more of a perfectionist about decorating than I am. Any cupcake that isn't perfect is set aside on a separate pan and not sold. They could have a little bump on them. The frosting might not go quite all the way to the edge. They might not be totally even on the top. The paper might be slightly separating from the cupcake. Ummm, really? I'd still buy those cupcakes. I wouldn't even require a discount. That said, the perfectionism speaks volumes for Sprinkles, doesn't it?

The decorators at Sprinkles are truly impressive. Watching them spin the frosting around in the bowls and then accurately and speedily decorate the cupcakes was fascinating. They had so many different options, and it was cool to see how beautiful each cupcake turned out. And no, I didn't see them make a single one that had to go to the graveyard!

We also got a chance to try out hands at decorating cupcakes. We were provided with red velvet cupcakes (their best selling flavor) and cream cheese frosting. I was a brave soul and went for it. It was a whole lot harder than I thought it would be, and it's possible that I nearly tore the top off the cupcake. It actually turned out sort of ok, especially once I added the Northwestern N to the top. But Candace told me it would end up in the graveyard anyway; it wasn't quite even enough. In my case, I got to take it home, and my husband didn't notice the graveyard quality frosting one bit.

One of the things I loved best was that Sprinkles thinks about those with food allergies. They make a vegan cupcake (yay, Little Miss can have one - she of the dairy allergy) and there is also a gluten free cupcake. Both are kept clean of the other cupcakes to avoid cross contamination, and they are also both made of red velvet cupcakes. Personally, I'd love to see these made with flavors that didn't include food dyes (especially red dye), as those are also frequent allergens and avoided, especially by those on the autism spectrum which is a big portion of those who are gluten free. That's for the future, right? Even now, I'm impressed that these have offerings like this at all. And Little Miss is rather grateful!

Yum. Let's just say that I'll be back, and I can't wait to try more flavors!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was invited to visit Sprinkles Cupcakes in Chicago to tour their kitchen. We were fed cupcakes while there and also able to take home a couple. There was no compensation of any kind, nor any expectation that we would write about the event. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Illinois Field Moms

2011-07-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

Remember the days of elementary school field trips? Some of my favorites were always the outdoors ones, whether it was visiting a farm or a zoo or an old homestead for school or Girl Scouts. I loved being outside, and I loved feeling a little bit more connected to my life and especially where my food came from.

As an adult, I've enjoyed chaperoning field trips, and one of my favorites was the Waggoner Farm field trip in Glenview, Illinois where we visited an 1800s farm and learned all about how it worked. Yes, the kids even churned their own butter to put on crackers. I thought it was pretty cool, too, and I learned why some chickens make brown eggs and some white eggs.

Now you have a chance to do the same kind of thing with the Illinois Field Moms program. They are currently recruiting applicants to come learn about Illinois farms and where we get our food. It's a grown up sort up, field trip, and pretty cool, I think. As a field mom, you'll have a chance to go visit various farms and ask any question your heart could desire. The tours will take place on Saturdays, with transportation provided to and from Chicago. Even better for moms? Reasonable childcare and transportation expenses will be reimbursed - making things even easier!

Each Field Mom will be provided with a video camera to capture the tour and what she's learned so that you can share your adventure with other people. You do not need to be a blogger to participate, although the Illinois Farm Families will ask that you post about your experience on their blog. There may also be some media opportunities to share what you learned and saw.

The exact farms and types of tours will vary based on what the Field Moms are interested in seeing, which will make it all the more interesting. There are opportunities to see beef, pork, dairy, corn, soybean, and more farms at different points in the life cycle. Tours will occur starting this fall and continue through early next summer to allow the Field Moms a chance to see the work done during different seasons.

Why are the Illinois Farm Families doing this? They know that consumers, especially moms, have questions about how their food is grown and are interested in taking an opportunity to answer those questions one-on-one. As they said, "We’re proud of what we do, and we’re opening our doors to show you how we grow and raise your food."

They are looking for Chicago area moms over the age of 18 who have at least one child under the age of 13 living at home. Obviously an interest in learning about where our food comes from is key! They are taking applications through August 21 at the Watch Us Grow website.

Go. Apply. Have fun (and good luck!). And tell them I sent you. If you have any questions, shoot me an email which you can find on my about me page or you can email info (at) watchusgrow (dot) org.

There will also be a meetup on on August 8 at 7pm to learn more about the program. While it isn't required that you attend the event to apply, but it's a great opportunity to learn more about the program. There will be fun, food and wine - and possibly some fun giveaways, too. You can learn more on their Facebook page - and please RSVP if you're able to go so they can plan for the right number!

I hope to see you there!

In the interest of full disclosure, I have been compensated as part of being an ambassador for the Illinois Field Mom program. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Giveaway: BusyBodyBook Organizer

2011-07-19T20:11:00.001-07:00

It's the middle of July. In my household, that means it's time to start working on the calendar for the next school year. With the wee ones in school - and my husband as a schoolteacher - my life revolves around the start of the school year. I remember the days when my calendars started in January, but that ship has sailed. My biggest problem in recent years has been trying to coordinate my schedule with my husband's schedule with each of the wee ones' schedules (that are shockingly filling up as they enter school) to ensure that everyone arrives in the right place at the right time and ... we have adequate child care coverage.

Trust me, it's been a problem in my house.

My husband writes something illegible across an entire square of a day, leaving me no room to write anyone else's information. He has a nasty habit of writing "no school" in a square, leaving me to guess later if it's him who has no school, Little Miss who has no school, or Mister Man who has no school - or possibly a combination of the above? It's lovely when I have three people at three different schools, let me tell you. Our calendar has been the source of more than one "disagreement" between my husband and me.

That's stopped for the most part as of last year. I wrote about my BusyBodyBook Organizer and how much easier it was making my life. We'll ignore the part about how one has to actually look at the calendar for it to work properly - witness my husband "forgetting" today to take Mister Man to tae kwon do, although it was on the calendar under Mister Man's box and I reminded him before I headed into the city. Some things apparently can't be fixed by the BusyBodyBook ... yet.

I am still thrilled with the book. The 2011-12 version (which comes both in calendar year and academic year versions) has the same great column idea as the 2010-11 version. It still runs from the first week of August to the first week of September - and thank goodness for the overlap, because we do have activities scheduled into September already, yikes! It has the to do lists both on each week for reminders of what I have to do at a given point in time and that are perforated so that I can rip them out and hand them to others as reminders or use as my shopping lists.

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It even has features that I don't use but that I can see being really useful to others. There are pages to notate recurring dates like birthdays and anniversaries you need to track. There is a month at a glance calendar for the current year (I have a hard enough time writing information down once; it isn't going to happen a second time!), and there is a place to start writing down the plans for the next calendar year as you start edging into that "uh-oh, I have something coming up in six months but my calendar doesn't stretch that far" phase. Sadly, I know me, and I need to write those on the last page of my current calendar rather than being more efficient and writing them on the month for a future calendar as the BusyBodyBook obviously urges. Old habits die hard.

I appreciate that the calendar comes in four different designs - two each for the academic year and calendar year versions - though I never close my book. It is always open to the current week, so I had to actually close my 2010-11 version to even see what my design is. The ones for 2011-12 are new ones, interestingly, perhaps to help ensure you can keep track of which is the current year and which is the next year? My biggest issue with the BusyBodyBook last year is that the bookmark in the calendar was not very sturdy. I moved it once to a new week, and I could never get it to stick in the book again. They took this feedback to heart, and I've tested out the calendar book mark a few times now, and it's much more sturdy and has yet to fall out of the book - even when I shook it sideways. Yay!

The book remains a great size, meaning I can fit it in my purse (10"x7") so keep track of my calendar and commitments while at meetings. Oh and remember those to do lists and weekly notes (or "to doodles" as they're called - it still cracks me up)? Let's just say that those have saved me more than once when I forgot a notepad.

Of course if there were a way to attach a pen to the BusyBodyBook, I'd like it even better. Having a notepad and calendar to write down information is only helpful if and when I have a writing utensil or can beg/borrow/steal one. Even an elastic loop on the front cover would be great. The only other change I'd make to this calendar would be to make the upper right hand corner perforated so I can tear off the top at the conclusion of each week and be able to mark my spot. It's a little easier than the book mark - and my preferred method - although the book mark will work much better this year now that I won't lose it the second time I open my BusyBodyBook.

Are you ready for your own five column calendar to help you organize your life, be it work versus personal life or each child or your co workers or various projects you're working on, I can see this being supremely useful for lots of folks. Better yet, you can buy your BusyBodyBook for $17.95 or you can win your very own copy here because I have a copy to give away! 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 August 2 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 is your biggest calendar challenge?

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: "Need to get your life together? Win a BusyBodyBook Organizer from @honestandtruly. http://bit.ly/iZ3k2H" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following Honest And Truly Reviews publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

While it won't get you any extra entries, I do encourage you to like Honest & Truly on Facebook so you can stay up to date on giveaways and other cool info and news.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was sent a BusyBodyBook for review purposes. I received no compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Winners!

2011-07-19T19:30:00.001-07:00

Yikes it's been awhile since I've posted here. My apologies; I've been out of town way too much lately. That said, I am about to change that, yay, right? First off, I have to announce two winners of contests that ended:

Allison of Sassy Moms In The City won the copy of Chicken in the Car and the Car Won't Go. I can't say again how much I'm loving that book as ideas of where to take the wee ones. I highly recommend it if Chicago is anywhere in your future!

Tina from Bonggamom Finds won the Wendy's gift card.

Congratulations to both of them. They have 48 hours to get back to me before I have to choose a new winner.

Giveaway: Chicken In The Car And The Car Won't Go

2011-06-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

School is out, and we're even partway through summer school. We've done the obvious things with the wee ones - from heading to Legoland to visiting the zoo. The further we get into summer - and the older the wee ones get - the more we search for something unique and different to do.

Enter Chicken in the Car and the Car Won't Go: Nearly 200 Ways to Enjoy Chicagoland with Tweens and Teens. This book, written by Melisa Wells, is a travel guide to Chicago and its suburbs that isn't meant for parents with young kids nor adults. It's a market that doesn't really have anything out there, and as a parent of kids who like to do "grown up" things sometimes, this is perfect for us.

I love finding hidden gems all around Chicago that Melisa has uncovered, from the drive-in in West Chicago that I didn't know existed to Dave's Down to Earth Rock Shop & the Prehistoric Life Museum in Evanston. Both were news to me, and hello, I went to college in Evanston. We found a ton of things to do that we've never experienced before, and they span a variety of seasons, so this book is valuable for far more than just summer vacation.

Melisa did a great job organizing it, so you can scan through activities by section of Chicago so that you can find things to do in specific areas. There's also an index by city in the back - as well as an index by location name and by type of activity (show, sports, fun and games, food, etc). Each entry not only has the location details from website to address, but also includes the hours and approximate cost of each entry. They all have detailed descriptions to help you understand if the activity is up your alley or not - and let's face it, we all have different interests.

Chicken in the Car and the Car Won't Go also includes tons of useful information about Chicago in the front of the book to help with planning. She shares local information on television and radio stations, as well as how to get around Chicago and more. I love her suggestions of how to use social media to get discounts and answer questions. She really thought this through, and it's an easy to use book. I can't wait to go visit some of the new places we've discovered since paging through the book. I may even devise a summer camp later this month, as Melisa details how to do in the introduction.

But wait - so you live in or someday want to visit Chicago and need this book? You could go buy it. Or you could win an autographed copy from me! I have one to give away. 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 July 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 is your favorite touristy activity?

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: "Need to find something for tweens or teens to do in Chicago? Win the perfect book from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/jRSx30" (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.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was given a copy of this book by its author. I also helped with some of the editing of the book and provided encouragement for it along the way. That said, I have not received any compensation, and as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Review: Here, Home, Hope

2011-06-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Ah, summer. The time for sitting on the beach or by the pool with a good book, soaking in the sun, and just relaxing. Or so goes the theory. Personally, I love curling up with a good book any time of year, but summer is my favorite. When I read, it is my downtime, my escape from the pressures of everything that has to be done now. It allows me to recharge my batteries.

Needless to say, I read a lot. I average at least two to three books a week - more if I have some "extra" time.

Because reading is my relaxation, I generally prefer books that are on the lighter side. They don't need to be brain candy - although I'm definitely not opposed to that - but I love a good fiction. I had the opportunity recently to read Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda thanks to the One2One Network, and I really enjoyed it.

The novel shares Kelly Mills Johnson's midlife crisis. She's thirty-nine and vaguely unhappy with her life, frustrated with where she is but not quite sure where she wants to go or what she wants to do. Her sons are at camp, and her husband is busy with his career, while her friends have perfect lives she envies. The premise to me sounded rife for lots of whining and complaining. I wasn't sure if I would like this, afraid it would be a downer.

I was surprised that I really enjoyed it. Kelly is not your typical protagonist. She may be vaguely unhappy with her life, but she doesn't just whine about it. She has spunk and is forthright with herself, with plenty of wit and sarcasm to keep me interested in her. She isn't a perfect size six, and her goal isn't to become one - something I found refreshing. Her marriage wasn't in trouble, and her husband was refreshingly supportive - while being realistically clueless periodically. Let's just say I'd enjoy hanging out with Kelly.

As she decides to reinvent her life, she creates a "Things to Change" (T2C) list on Post-It Notes that she places throughout her life. They range from remembering her blessings to yelling without crying (when in a disagreement) to not comparing herself to others. So many of the items on her list are ones that we all need to focus on more and live by, and this book was a great way to put it all in perspective.

Kelly didn't, of course, simply make the T2C list. She put it into action. She wasn't successful with all the items immediately, nor did she stick to any given one all the time. That simply made her more human, along with her hair angst and other personality quirks that made her so easy to relate to. I know I've been there!

As she worked on her T2C list, she began to find that she wasn't so much a victim. She had a lot of power and a lot going for her, and things began to fall into place because of how she was taking charge of her life. I found it inspiring, as there are so many times I feel that way myself - vaguely dissatisfied but not quite sure what to do next. Kelly took that leap, and her gambles repaid themselves in so many ways from becoming so much closer and more open with her friends to finding her passion and being able to run with it to finally telling off that mom who consistently finds little things to nit pick with everyone.

The novel isn't perfect, but that's part of what makes it so enjoyable. It doesn't go in the direction you expect it to, but the reactions of the characters to each of the situations is definitely realistic. Granted, some of the situations are a little out there and unrealistic, but hey - it's a novel. And I enjoyed it enough that I'll seek out her other two novels this summer as I'm looking for something to read.

Want to buy the book yourself? You can also follow Kaira Rouda on Twitter or like her on Facebook.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of "Here, Home, Hope" for review purposes only. I have not received any compensation, and as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Review: Mr. Popper's Penguins

2011-06-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

Last week, the wee ones and I attended a preview screening of Mr. Popper's Penguins. Mister Man has been beyond excited since he discovered this movie was being made back in April. His class was in the process of reading the book, and he was enjoying it immensely. Seeing the book come to life was a dream come true to him.

After seeing the previews myself and realizing that Mr. Popper was being played by Jim Carrey, I knew the movie was going to be nothing like the book. As someone who generally avoids seeing movies based on books - especially books I've enjoyed - that put up a little red flag for me. As much as Mister Man loved reading the books, how would he do with the movie being different?

Having seeing the movie now, I can count on one hand the things in the movie that are the same as the book. It's hard to even say the movie is based on the book with all the differences. In a way, I think that made it easier for Mister Man to enjoy it, as it was a whole new story. I would have been just as happy with the original book turned into a movie, set in the beginning of last century and all.

In the movie, Carrey plays Mr. Popper, a man who grew up with a father who was always traveling to remote places looking for "something" that is never defined for us. He keeps in touch with his son primarily through radio contact when he can, but Mr. Popper grows up to be nothing like his father. He is a hard dealing, slick businessman who works for a company purchasing real estate to turn into a whole new entity. He's thisclose to making partner at the firm, and all he needs to do is get the owner of Tavern on the Green in Central Park to sell to him.

Enter the penguin who is left to him by his father in his will. Although there are more penguin excrement jokes in the movie than I needed, hilarity ensues. Mr. Popper does his best to return the penguin but accidentally orders five more. And then his son comes over to celebrate his birthday - he and his wife are divorced, and Mr. Popper's son and daughter live primarily with her - and thinks the penguins are his for his birthday.

The fact that the movie doesn't take itself seriously helps. A lot. Mr. Popper's assistant Pippi, played by Ophelia Lovibond, speaks completely in "P" alliterations. Amanda - Mr. Popper's ex-wife, played by Carla Gugino - has an over-the-top the world is full of sunshine and roses boyfriend Rick played by James Tupper. And then there's the wonderful surprise of seeing Angela Lansbury play Mrs. Van Gundy, the owner of Tavern on the Green.

Yes, the story is predictable. And yes, it's completely different from the book. And yes, there is some sophomoric humor tossed humor tossed in there that I personally could have done without. That said, the wee ones really enjoyed it. Mister Man was bouncing in his seat, and Little Miss was enthralled. It wasn't too scary for her (and trust me, she ran up to her room because Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was too scary for her).

There were many cute parts in the movie from the penguins sleeping with Mr. Popper to the penguins invading a black tie event looking for him to Captain flying using a kite. It was better than I had expected, although still so different from what I had anticipated walking into the movie.

The movie opens today, June 17, in theaters nationwide. It is rated PG and runs just over an hour and a half.

In the interest of full disclosure, the wee ones and I attended a screening of "Mr. Popper's Penguins." I have not received any compensation, and as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Winner!

2011-06-17T04:34:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Angie from Antics With Angie for winning the Kung Fu Panda 2 gift pack from MyBlogSpark. She has 48 hours to get back to me with her contact information. Congrats again to her!

As always, look for more fun to come!

Giveaway: Wendy's Gift Card

2011-06-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

I am all about giving back to my community when and where I can. That's why I'm on the board of the PTO for both the wee ones schools and seem to spend more time there than at home sometimes. Blogging has given me a great opportunity to connect blogging and companies' desires to give back, too.

Wendy's is the company who is making the donations this time around, and they are for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption that focuses on finding permanent adoption homes for all children who need them. They go through a wide variety of avenue to accomplish this from education to supporting adoption agencies throughout the US and Canada to sponsoring A Homes for the Holidays, an annual CBS special on foster care and adoption featuring stories from some children and musical guests.

As with every charity, there is always a need to fundraise, and this weekend, Wendy's is partnering with ... us to support the DTFA and its program Wendy's Wonderful Kids, which is a program that helps foster children in need find great homes. There are lots of ways to participate, and only purchasing Frosties this weekend (June 18 and 19) costs any money - but who doesn't want an excuse for a Frosty?

You can use Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare, or buy that Frosty.

With Twitter, you can use the Treat it Forward application on the Frosty Facebook page via the Treat it Fwd tab, or tweet with the hashtag #TreatItFwd. A fifty cent donation will be made by Wendy’s for each designated tweet or retweet made from Treat it Forward.

You can also send a Facebook friend a “virtual” Frosty, or tell friends about Father’s Day Frosty Weekend through the Facebook application, again on the Treat it Fwd tab of the Frosty Facebook page. When you do, Wendy’s will make a donation.

Also, from Facebook, on Father’s Day Weekend only (June 18 & 19), offer a “Here’s to You, Dad!” Frosty “virtual toast” by snapping a photo of you raising your Frosty cup to Dad, tagging it with the words “Wendy’s Father’s Day Frosty Weekend” and posting it to Wendy’s Facebook wall or tweeting it. That's another donation from Wendy’s.

Plus, every person who checks in at a Wendy’s during Father's Day weekend only (June 18 & 19) will result in a donation from Wendy’s.

And of course, every Frosty purchased during Father's Day weekend - again, that's this weekend for those of us who haven't prepared to honor the fathers in our lives yet, June 18 and 19 - will result in a $0.50 donation to the DTFA.

I love it - and guess who's getting Frosties this weekend?

I have a Wendy's gift card to give away to one lucky reader who can go enjoy a couple yummy Frosties courtesy TheMotherhood. 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 Thursday June 30 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 - if you could donate $0.50 to any cause in the world, what would it be?

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: "Win a @Wendys gift card from @honestandtruly. Tweet #TreatitFwd by 6/19 & you donate $0.50 to @DTFA too http://bit.ly/iZ3k2H" (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.
4) Like my blog on Facebook and let me know what name you used to like it.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with a Wendy's gift card to go buy a Frosty this weekend via TheMotherhood. I have not received any compensation, and as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Winner! Cooking Matters Gift Bag

2011-06-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

I feel sort of sad. My official connection with Cooking Matters is coming to an end. With all that I've learned over the past several months, I truly wish that I could get involved long term in teaching and volunteering with the program, but the location in Chicago is too far. That won't keep me from advocating for them though, and I still do aim to get involved with the Northern Illinois Food Bank because of my experience.

Want to know why?

Read Part 1 - the first day of my Cooking Matters Bloggy Boot Camp experience last week
Read Part 2 - my experience with the Cooking Matters Boot Camp here
Read Part 3 - discussing the Cooking Matters class I took back in Chicago
Read Part 4 - interview with the Cooking Matters director on the program in Chicago here

Summer has arrived, and that means hunger is here more than before. The school programs that fed kids breakfast and lunch have ended, and those meals are no longer being provided. More than sixteen percent of the population in Cook County (where Chicago is located) are food insecure, and 35% of those are more than 185% over the poverty threshold. Thirty-seven percent of the people served by the Food Depository are children under 18. How scary is that?

We can all make a difference whether it's donating to our local food banks, helping with the Cooking Matters programs to increase education, or something else entirely. You can take a pledge to help end childhood hunger by 2015, which has tons of information and opportunities to get involved.

And if you're in Chicago, there's a fundraiser for Taste of the Nation on August 10 at Navy Pier. For $95, you can get a ticket to Taste of the Nation Chicago, with a gathering of talented local chefs from Chicago and celebrated mixologists. You will be served all sorts of great bites, in addition to fine wines, local craft beers, and premium spirits. The evening also features live entertainment by DJs, and a silent auction. You can purchase tickets here.

And yes, I do have a winner for that Cooking Matters gift bag. Congrats goes to Lexiquin! She has 48 hours to get back to me with her contact information before I have to choose a new winner. Congrats - and don't forget, there is so much you can do for childhood hunger!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with some of the items in the gift bag (the tote bags, calculator, measuring cups, cutting board, etc but not the gift card) as a thank you from ConAgra Foods Foundation. I was also compensated by the ConAgra Foods Foundation for my participation in the Bloggy Boot Camp and the posts I've written. That said, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: Theraderm Skin Renewal System

2011-06-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

I'm in my 30s. And like most women, I'm starting to look at people around me and realize that those people who looked so old to me when I was in my teens are now ... my friends. We don't look old to me now, though, and I want to be sure I for one never do. That said, I'm not willing to invest hours and thousands of dollars on treatments and skin creams and specialty this and that. It just doesn't fit into my schedule.

Therapon Skin Health sent me their Skin Renewal System, which is a four step product. Let's just say that I wasn't sure how that would go. I've used other products that have multiple steps to their systems, and I've never stuck with it. I don't like the smell of them, or they take too long, or I don't like how they make my skin feel, or something else. This one I've been using for almost a month, and I'm good with it.

I keep the cleansing wash in the shower and use it every morning when I'm taking a shower. It's perfect, as the directions suggest using a washcloth to wipe the foam away, and I have everything I need right there. I like the cleaner because it doesn't have a scent - something I'm sensitive to - and it makes my skin feel clean without drying it out or making it super squeaky.

The next step is the fruit acid exfoliant, which sounds only slightly cooler than it is. The system includes little pads to apply the exfoliant, which is a nice bonus. I like the frugality of Therapon here (the system is $137.50, so it's all relative, right?) where they recommend using both sides of the pad rather than using it once and throwing it away. Simply place ten drops on the pad and that's enough for your entire face. When I do this, I have a bit more what looks like dirt come off onto the pad, but I'm pretty sure that's just dead skin cells, which is the point of this step.

The third step is the OPC Reparative Gel. This one is the step that gave me pause at first. It's brown, which just seemed odd to me. It takes two squirts to cover my face and neck, as directed. Fortunately, the color immediately disappears, and it isn't sticky the way I'd feared the gel would be. It dries pretty quickly, too, which means that by the time I've brushed my teeth, I'm ready for the last step.

I really like the gently moisturizer. It takes just a tiny amount to cover everything, and it doesn't leave me feeling greasy. It has a very subtle citrus scent that I like, and I can apply my makeup almost immediately after the moisturizer since it doesn't take long to absorb into my skin.

Best part of the whole system? My skin looks and feels great. It feels soft without being greasy. Interestingly, I've found that while I don't have regular breakouts, I do get them somewhat at that time of the month, but while they haven't completely disappeared, they were minimal this time around, and I love that. This has been my only change, so I have to figure that the Therapon Skin Renewal System had at least something to do with it.

I do wish some things were a little different though. Remember the two squirts of the reparative gel I mentioned? I need one squirt of the cleanser, ten drops of the fruit acid exfoliant, and just a tiny bit of the gentle moisturizer, but two squirts of the reparative gel. I doubt that I'm going to finish up any of the portions of the system anywhere near the same time. I would like the sizes of the products adjusted so that you did finish things up near the same time. Granted, I can purchase the individual components, but it's cheaper to buy the system of course.

I also wish that the moisturizer had sunscreen (physical barrier versus a chemical barrier!) included in it. Once I put on my moisturizer, I don't want to add another lotion, as that is too heavy for my skin, and it makes me feel greasy. Down the road, I can almost guarantee that I'll simply switch out the moisturizer for one with sunscreen.

All in all though, I'm really happy with the system. Yes, it does cost $137.50, but in the month or so that I've been using it, I've barely made a dent in the product. This is going to last me a long time, making it easier to justify the purchase price for the system that makes my skin feel good.

Even better, one of you will get to try out the system, too! I have a Therapon Skin Renewal System to give away to one 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 June 29 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 is your biggest skin challenge?

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 and and Therapon on Twitter, then tweet this contest with the following tweet: "Need a new solution for your skin? Win a Skin Renewal System from @honestandtruly and @TheraponSkin http://bit.ly/lgPuBX" (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.
4) Like my blog on Facebook and let me know what name you used to like it.
5) Like Therapon Skin Health on Facebook and let me know you did.
6) Sign up for Therapon Skin promos here and let me know you did so.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with a Theraderm Skin Renewal System for review purposes from Therapon. I have not received any compensation, and as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Winner!

2011-06-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

Congrats goes to Deanna G - whoops, not sure where I got her blog from initially! She doesn't have one (and that's ok; you don't need one to enter) - for winning the Lands End gift card. I'm sure she'll put it to good use - IF she gets back to me within 48 hours. My apologies for the delay in getting the winner out for this one; the last week of school has been a busy nightmare for me, and I haven't been near my computer at all.

That said, look for more fun to come!

Giveaway: Kung Fu Panda 2 Prize Pack

2011-06-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

Do you remember growing up and getting to choose your own cereal at the grocery store? Maybe this is why I love grocery shopping to this day? Hmmm. Anyway, one of my favorite things to do was to get to walk back and forth down that cereal aisle trying to figure out what I was going to choose. I always chose a cereal I liked, of course, but a big factor was also what toy or special thing on the box was available at the time. They used to have some really neat ones.

Actually, I shouldn't say they used to. Cereal manufacturers still do, to be honest. Have you seen the General Mills promotion now? Inside specially marked boxes of Cocoa Puffs®, Trix®, Golden Grahams®, Reese’s Puffs®, Cheerios®, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios®, Cookie Crisp®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Honey Nut Cheerios, there are Kung Fu Panda 2 spin fighter toys.

Do you remember spin fighters? They were the little circle helicopter like things that you placed on a base, wound up and then released to go flying through the air. Once upon a time, I could really get them to fly high. I tried again with these new ones, and I almost got it to hit our cathedral ceiling, but ... my talents have definitely diminished over the years!

These spin fighters feature many of the characters from the Kung Fu Panda 2 movie that is out right now. There are eight different characters in the boxes, Po, Tigress, Shifu, Monkey, Lord Shen, Mantis, Crane, and Viper. The boxes add more fun to the spin fighter game. There are targets on the boxes for you to cut out and set up, then attempt to knock over with your spin fighters. Did I mention my skills have diminished? I have yet to hit a single target.

Sound fun? You can win your own Kung Fu Panda 2 prize pack that includes one box of a participating Big G cereal, a Kung Fu Panda 2 spin fighter toy, and the original Kung Fu Panda movie on DVD. (Since we missed the first one, as the wee ones were too young to see it in 2008, this is perfect for us to catch up before seeing the sequel!)

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 Thursday June 16 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 - who is your - or your child's - favorite character from the Kung Fu Panda movies?

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 and tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Win a Kung Fu Panda 2 prize pack with the first movie DVD & more from @honestandtruly and #myblogspark http://bit.ly/jclsdy" (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.
4) Like my blog on Facebook and let me know what name you used to like it.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with a Kung Fu Panda 2 prize pack as described above courtesy General Mills and DreamWorks through MyBlogSpark. I have not received any compensation, and as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.