Giveaway: Purse Perfector

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good luck!

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

Giveaway: Strawberries Cook Book

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.

Giveaway: $25 Wal-Mart Gift Card

In the interest of full disclosure, P&G and MyBlogSpark provided me with the Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPacs kit, as well as the $25 Walmart gift card that I am giving away. All opinions expressed are my own.

We've all been there before - dishes go into the dishwasher, and they come out looking pretty much the same as when they went in. I have really hard water where I live, which only exacerbates the problem - and I'm not a rinser.

P&G and MyBlogSpark dared me to try to stump the new Cascade ActionPacs. They asked me to make a blueberry cobbler, then let the dirty dish sit for twenty-four hours before washing it with their new ActionPacs.

Ha!

While I'm a fan of Cascade (I'm already a regular user of Cascades gel packs), that seemed a little extreme to me. Anything crusty sitting does not come out in my dishwasher. Ever. I make my husband hand wash those. And I'm a frequent user of the pots and pans setting on my dishwasher, too.

And blueberries stain, too. Have you ever tried to get blueberry out of clothing?

So I set about making blueberry cobbler (remember my Tasty Tuesday recipe?). And then my family set about eating it. Granted, it took us awhile as we don't eat sweets all the time, but we eventually finished it off. I've since been asked to make it again. And again.

I let the pan air dry for another day before putting it in the dishwasher with the new Cascade pacs. Before placing it in the dishwasher, I tried to swipe off some of the remaining blueberry with my finger. I couldn't. It was completely glued on.

Into the dishwasher it went.

When it came out, all those nasty sticky swipes and swirls were gone. Amazingly. The only thing remaining were some round blueberry stains where the blueberries had once sat. This was actually stained into the ceramic and not something that the detergent failed to get off. Needless to say, I was pretty impressed.

If only Cascade could some up with something to remove the blueberry stains from Mister Man's school shirts....

In the meantime, I'm not the only one benefitting here. I have a $25 Wal-Mart gift card from MyBlogSpark and P&G to give away to one lucky winner. You could use it to purchase some of the new Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPacs or something else, but who can't use that?

So what do you need to do?

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 June 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.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what dish makes the biggest mess in your kitchen. What do you avoid making because you hate the cleanup it requires?

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 Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Follower.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Follower.

Good luck!

Rayovac Powers Your Vacation-Magic Wand Sweepstakes

As a mom, I have children who are in love with The Mouse. And really, do you know any children who aren't? Growing up, Disney was one of my favorite places to go (not that we went all *that* often), and I never grew tired of it. I remember wearing out my parents and my grandparents to the point where they had to trade of sitting on a bench while my sister and I skipped ahead to more and more rides and adventures.

Disney has partnered with Rayovac for the Rayovac Powers Your Vacation-Magic Wand Sweepstakes where you could win a trip for four to either Walt Disney World or Disney Land Resort - a five day four night vacation including round trip coach class airfare, ground transportation, accomodation for the four for four nights, theme park tickets, $250 Disney gift card, and a magic wand themed gift basket for a total value of over $5,100. Pretty sweet - see here for sweepstakes details and to enter.

You could also win batteries for life ($3,600) or one of twenty-five $50 Disney gift cards. You've got until July 31, 2010 to enter, and it will be a random drawing for the winner.

Why a magic wand theme? Well, because there's a commercial all about what "Molly" would do with her magic wand at Disney if she had the opportunity.

The commercial is here: http://cdn.shoutlet.com/server/widget/3722 - someone teach me how to embed that video into this post? I've tried and tried and can't figure it out.

Cute, no? I love the frog!

There is also a Rayovac Twitter party to support this giveaway on Wednesday May 19 from 7-9pm CST (ummm can you believe that's less than a week away? Eek!) where they'll have more than 20 fun giveaways from Rayovac ranging from a summer supply of Rayovac Batteries to Disney Gift Cards.

The hashtag for the event is #rayovac. Go ahead and follow @Rayovac_Battery, @MomTalkRadio, and @CirclePRMary. I'll Tweet you there!

Giveaway: e.l.f. Cosmetics

In the interest of full disclosure, I received three pieces of makeup from e.l.f., identical to those I am giving away so that I could review them and provide my thoughts. I received no other compensation, and all thoughts expressed are my own.

Earlier this winter (I'm in Chicago and choose to still call this season winter, so this is allowed), I had the fun of doing an e.l.f. makeup party in my home where several of my friends and I tried out e.l.f. products just for the fun of it. And it was fun. Check it out here if you don't believe me!

I'd heard of e.l.f. before that, primarily through the emails that would go around first enticing people to buy the good quality but oh so cheap makeup before Nordstom hiked the prices, then the emails that inevitably followed saying it was all in error. I have lots of gullible friends who aren't familiar with Snopes, apparently.

That being said, I first tried out e.l.f. for myself at BlogHer last year, and I was amazed at the variety of products they carry. I had heard of the $1 line, and that set of products is pretty decent. In fact, I currently use several of their $1 products on a daily basis and have replaced my previous makeup with this. They also have a studio and a mineral line that are slightly more expensive (although really, $5 for a mineral face powder can't be called expensive!).

Having now used the e.l.f. products regularly for the past several months, I jumped at the opportunity to try out some of their brand new products. They are launching tons of new products from their Luscious Liquid Lipstick to their Brightening Eye Color to their Beauty Encyclopedia and more.

I was able to choose three products from here, and it took me only a few days to finally decide which to choose. I ended up with the Beauty Encyclopedia, the Ivy Eye Brightener, and the Mocha Ice Plumping Lip Glaze. Once I placed the order, I was happy to see that I received quick confirmation of my order and its shipment, along with tracking information once it had shipped. I love getting tracking information so I can see when and where my items will arrive. The package came quickly, and I actually didn't recognize it at first. Isn't the packaging pretty?

I thought a friend had sent something cool to me - although perhaps that is the case? Inside, I found my goodies:

Now, I have to admit that I've held off on doing this review and giveaway for a little over a week in the hopes that my hair will cooperate and allow me to show you what I look like with ome of this makeup on. It hasn't, and I don't want to delay any further.

The first item I played with the was the $5 Beauty Encyclopedia.

Inside, there are twelve different eyeshadows ranging from pale blue to grey to brown and everything in between. I've had a lot of fun mixing and matching, and no one has complained yet. There is an eyeshadow brush also included to assist in application, meaning all I need to take with me when traveling is this slim case. The cool thing about the case is that it closes magnetically with a plastic sheet over it so that your makeup doesn't get nasty between uses. Kudos to whoever came up with that idea.

On the left side of the open encyclopedia is a written and pictoral editorial on how to apply eye makeup to its best effect. I love having this there to review whenever I'm feeling uncoordinated. It's similar to the instructions I've been given verbally over the years by the department store people, but having a reminder handy - that isn't just on paper and won't be wrinkled or destroyed - is awfully nice.

My two favorite products in the case, however, are the two cream eye shadows and the eyeliner. I hadn't used cream eyeshadow before, but I am absolutely loving it. It goes on so easily and really blends well. I had been a bit nervous that it would crease and come off easily, but that hasn't been the case. These are my new daily eye shadows! The eyeliner has also grown into daily use. I did learn to actually follow the instructions on the encyclopedia and use the eyeliner before the shadows and then again gently afterwards. Just putting it on after the shadows - like I usually do - wasn't effective with the cream shadows.

And speaking of shadows, the eye brightening kit in Ivy was the next product that I'd selected.

When I had my e.l.f. party, I accidentally discovered that I look good in green shadow. Who would have guessed? The dual greens here along with the browns that I had been more familiar and comfortable with are great in this $1 pack - seriously, $1 for four shades of eye shadow and enough that this is going to last me well into that third month when I need to replace all my eye makeup! I love the different shades and being able to play them up or down depending on whether I'm going to a PTO meeting or out for a girls' night. They are great shades, and they stay in place even when I'm too lazy to use my primer.

My other new favorite is the lip plumping gloss. I'd originally hesitated to choose this one, as I am a lipstick junkie. I have more tubes of lipstick than I do shoes and socks combined. And that's after I went through and got rid of the shades I no longer liked. The concept sounded interesting, however, so I decided to go ahead with the lip plumper.

I will admit that choosing a lip color online is somewhat intimidating. They give you a good view of what the color swatch will be, but until it's on your lips, you never know. I chose Mocha Ice and was mildly concerned that it would be too dark. Nope, not at all. It's actually a really great natural looking lip gloss.

I had trouble with it the first time I used it since I couldn't figure out how to unscrew it, but that was a me issue. The wands are in the middle section, with both ends unscrewing for the colored gloss and the clear lip plumper.

One cool thing about this? It's mint flavored. Or at least scented since I did my best not to lick my lips and eat my lipstick. I haven't had a flavored lip product since I was in high school and we had the fruity ones. I loved having the scent there, and it went nicely with the gentle tingling I felt from the lip plumper part.

Did I actually see a noticeable size difference in my lips as they plumped? Eh, not really. But I'm fine with that. I liked the feeling of it, the smell of it, and the color was great. For $1, I'm not asking for much more. However, I did get more in that this lip gloss lasted. I was able to eat and still have it on afterwards. I tried putting it on after dinner one night, and I could actually still feel it the next morning when I woke up. Now that's staying power, and I loved it! This lip gloss is currently the only one that's living in my itty bitty spring purse.

Enough on what I thought of the products. What do you get out of it? e.l.f. has generously agreed to give one reader a duplicate set of what I received - an Every Day Eye Edition Beauty Encyclopedia, a set of Eye Brightening Eye Color, and a tube of the Lip Plumping Glaze. The winner is able to choose the color of the shadow and gloss so that it best suits her style. Yay!

So what do you need to do?

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 April 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 color Plumping Lip Glaze you would choose from the e.l.f. website. If you don't do this one, no entries will count.

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 Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly!

Good luck!

Giveaway: BioGaia

Extended until Thursday April 22 at 7pm CST

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided a free sample of the chewable, liquid, and straw forms of BioGaia Priobiotics. I received no other compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

We spend most of our lives trying to avoid bacteria. Trying to stay as clean as we can and avoid any contact with them to remain as healthy as we can. However, there are healthy forms of bacteria that we're also killing off, and the samples sent to me by BioGaia aim to rectify that.

BioGaia are probiotics that come in three forms: probiotic drops for infants, probiotic straws for ages 2 and up, and chewable probiotics for everyone.

My family has been taking probiotics for awhile, and I am a big supporter of them in terms of maintaining gut health which leads to overall health (for a listing of research and info supporting this, see here).

The probiotics we've been taking always need to be refrigerated, which is a bit of a pain, and they come in powdered form, which can be messy as I try to get 1/8 teaspoon for Little Miss and 1/4 teaspoon for Mister Man. Having simply a straw or chewable option is far easier than what we've been using.

While this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, there are health benefits that have been researched (although as a supplement and not a drug, any statements aren't evaluated one way or the other by the FDA). It has been shown to reduce crying time in infantile colic by 74%.* GI symptoms, antibiotic use, and absences from daycare are reduced in children.^ Even adults benefit, with 92% of adults being free from diarrhea when taking antibiotics compared to 50% of a placebo group.#

This morning, I gave Mister Man his probiotic straw, and he asked if he could also have his yummy organge chewable probiotic, too. I explained that he could only have one each day, but he's happy to take them.

The first time we tried the straw, I wasn't sure how it would work. It's explained as being suspended in a drop of oil, but I didn't see anything as I looked down the straw, so I was concerned that it had evaporated or otherwise disappeared in transit. It hadn't, and I could see the probiotic when I turned the straw and looked at it in the light. After drinking a bit of his milk through the straw, I looked again and could see that the probiotic was now gone. Phew!

I really like how the probiotic grows with the child (and family) so that there is a form that fits for everyone. Additionally, although the drops require refrigeration, the straws and chewable tablets do not. That makes keeping up with probiotics while on the road much easier than what we've been doing in the past.

My only disappointment is that these probiotics contain traces of milk, which means that Little Miss is unable to take them. Given the effort that BioGaia makes to have a wonderful and healthy product, I was disappointed that it wassn't free of all the common allergens. Fortunately, I know this isn't an issue for many people.

Knowing what I know and what I've learned from reading the literature provided by BioGaia, my family will always continue to take probiotics. The chewable tablets taste good, and I love that we can travel easily with these probiotics.

So how can you purchase these for yourself? You can order them online from BioGaia. They are also carried in pharmacies nationwide, and if your pharmacy doesn't carry them, they can order them for you. You can also call BioGaia directly to order at 877 776 0101.

You can also win a sample of your choosing - the infant drops, the chewable tablets, or the probiotic straws. What do you need to do?

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 Saturday April 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 something new you learned from the BioGaia website that I didn't mention in this review. If you don't do this one, no entries will count. Please be sure to also let me know which of the three forms (straw, liquid drops, or chewable) you would prefer.

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 Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly!

Good luck!



*Savino, F., et al. (2007) Lactobacillus reuteri (American Type Culture Collection Strain 55730) Versus Simethicone in the Treatment of Infantile Colic: A Prospective Randomized Study, Pediatrics, 119, e124-30
^Weizman, Z., et al. (2005) Effect of a Probiotic Infant Formula on Infections in Child Care Centers: Comparison of Two Probiotic Agents. Pediatrics, 115, 5-9
#Cimperman, L., (2009) A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study of Lactobacillus reuteri for the Prevention of Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea in Hospitalized Adults. J Parent Ent Nutr, 33, 229 Abstract WP-31

Giveaway: Lily from Hot Locks

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a Ryann Deluxe Doll from the Hot Locks collection. I did not receive any other form of compensation, and all thoughts are my own.

Last week, I received a package in the mail that included a brand new doll from Hot Locks to review, with a second included to give away. While I have a four year old daughter, she isn't really into dolls. In fact, I've seriously considered going through the baby dolls she does have and doing a purge. However, these seemed a little different - more "grown up" - so I decided to give it a try and see what she thought.

The Hot Locks dolls are a new line of four inch poseable dolls from Think Wow Toys. They are currently available only in Chicago and Phoenix, but they'll be launching nationwide this summer. Both Wal-Mart and Toys 'R Us will be carrying the line, and you can also buy them at those stores' online presence.

There are eight dolls - four standard and four deluxe, along with the cut and style salon and the braid and style salon. They aren't too expensive, at $7.99 for the standard dolls, $12.99 for the deluxe dolls, and $24.99 for a salon (which includes an exclusive doll not sold separately). Prices are quoted from my local store and may vary.

The dolls are not tarty (there are certain unnamed dolls that don't make it past the doors of my home), but they're funky and fun. They remind me of a modern day Punky Brewster. I love the bright colors and neat outfits they wear. They're vinyl, which means easy cleaning, and the hair is very soft and has yet to get tangled.

The standard dolls have fourteen inches of hair to brush and style, and they come with three barrettes and a styling comb. The Deluxe Dolls have an advertised twenty-eight inches of hair, and have a styling accessory in addition to the barrettes, plus a clip in barette with matching hair.

This is one of my few issues - and it's with the advertising only. When a company says twenty-eight inches of hair, that's impressive (and really, so is fourteen). I expect to see a twenty-eight inch long ponytail. I don't expect two fourteen inch ponytails. In my mind, that's still only fourteen inches of hair. However, this did not dismiss Little Miss's enjoyment of the doll whatsoever.

The barrette that clipped into Little Miss's hair was longer than her own hair (not that this is that difficult a feat, considering her hair doesn't grow at all), but it didn't stay in well. I had to modify it slightly to keep it from popping open immediately after placing it in her hair. She thought it was awfully cool to look just like her doll, though.

The Ryann doll comes with a flat iron that allows you to place gems into her hair. The gems have a Velcro bottom side, which is what allows them to stick. After some trial and error (there's no directions), I figured out how to insert the gems into the flat iron. However, the green button you need to depress to eject the gems from the flat iron into her hair was too difficult for Little Miss to do alone. In fact, it wasn't easy for me, either. However, we were able to get them to work - with a few fixable jams along the way - and the gems are still in Ryann's hair five days later, even after some exhuberant play. I was impressed by this!

Each of the dolls also has a personality that is featured in a Facebook like view on the back of the packaging. I think this is pretty cute, although Little Miss didn't really get it. Ryann, for example, is artistic and has a good sense of design. She's into tech gear and video games, and is (as I can see clearly by looking at her) influenced by Asian fashion. She likes to connect with people, too. I'm thinking that having some of this more sophisticated detail as part of the doll like, it may extend the age level that is interested in the toy beyond the very early elementary years. And anything that keeps my children playing with innocent toys longer, I appreciate.

Finally, we have a doll that Little Miss is interested in playing with. And yes, those baby dolls and their accessories are heading out the door. We'll be asking for more of these dolls and accessories for her birthday in August.

In addition to the Ryann doll that Little Miss rarely lets out of her sight now, I also have a Lily doll to give away. I will be mailing the doll directly, so US addresses only (and no PO boxes).

So. How do you 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 April 12 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 something new you learned from the Hot Locks website that I didn't mention in this review. If you don't do this one, no entries will count.

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 Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly!

Good luck!

Giveaway: Progresso Soup

In the spirit of full disclosure, I received fifteen Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups, a Progreso soup bowl, and a digital jump rope. I received no other compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to Progresso and MyBlogSpark, I'm working on getting back in eating healthy and watching my portions. Let's just say that winter, being busy, and being stressed with work among other things aren't exactly the best combination for me. They were kind enough to send me sixteen different soups, and -- surprisingly -- I actually liked them.

They sent me fifteen soups, about half of which were dairy free so that Little Miss was also able to share with me. I was somewhat surprised by some of the soups that had milk ingredients (vegetable soups that were I making them would have no trace of dairy), but I'm guessing they were there to add a bit more protein.

The soups are generally between sixty and 100 calories per serving, which is a half can. For me, that's a little bit low on the calorie side, so when eating them, I generally ate an entire can for a meal (and with 160 calories for a lunch, that's still totally my idea of a very low cal and healthy lunch). They filled me up pretty well, and they weren't overly salty, which made me happy. I don't eat much salt, and I'm always leery of prepared foods because of the amount of sodium generally in them. These I could handle -- good job, Progresso! I was also very pleased to see that most of them touted having no MSG added.

For the most part, they also tasted pretty good. I won't say it's just like homemade, but I generally am not a fan of canned soups. These I'd buy. The ones with meatballs tasted a little processed to me, but especially the varieties of vegetable and chicken noodle soups were pretty tasty. And yes, Little Miss agreed!

So why should you care?

Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups are holding a contest through March 15th for a chance to win a full makeover in New York City. Visit here to enter the Progresso "Souper You Debut" contest.

Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd. The prize includes roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1,000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store. And yes, of course I'm entering!

To enter, you´ll need to do the following:

Go to here to learn more and enter the contest

Submit your essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 Calorie Soups and why you would like a makeover

In addition, please submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay

Once you enter, you´ll have the chance for your photo and/or an excerpt from your essay to appear on the website, so be sure to check back frequently! Once the 10 finalists are announced, you can visit the site from March 29 through April 12 to vote for your favorite.

In addition, throughout the duration of the contest you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYouto download a coupon for $1 off any three varieties of Progresso Soup!

And beyond that, I'm also giving away a gift pack that contains the mug, jump rope and two cans of Progresso Soup. While I might not have tried out the jump rope yet - I have a good reason - it's pretty cool!

So. How do you 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 February 9 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 Progresso Soup flavor. If you don't do this one, no entries will count.

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 Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly!

Good luck!

Giveaway: $200 LOFT Gift Card

This is a compensated review
by BlogHer and Loft.

I received a $200 LOFT gift card in exchange for participating in this event, but all comments and opinions expressed are purely my own and not influenced by this.

Most women love shopping, and I’m generally one of them. Except that now that I’m a mom with two kids, I don’t quite have the time or patience for shopping the way I used to. This is only partly due to the fact that I apparently lost my fashion sense when I gave birth, so I have a hard time finding clothes I like that look good on me.

Enter the LOFT (formerly Ann Taylor LOFT). I’ve always been a fan of theirs and have fond memories of trips to the LOFT in Michigan City to go shopping with friends after I graduated college, although I haven’t spent as much time there lately as I now think I should have.

The LOFT invited me to a holiday event at their store on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, and I jumped at the chance to have a stylist dress me. We had a 45 minute style challenge (and I was a challenge!). We had to put together three perfect holiday looks: the perfect party outfit, an office to party outfit, ad a casual holiday look.

Poor Helen (my dedicated stylist – I love saying that!). I told her that I was game for everything, but I warned her that I also might veto things, as many things that are fashion forward tend to accentuate features I’d rather avoid. Let’s just say that the whole belting a sweater trend is going to pass me right on by.

With a photographer in tow, Helen and I started touring the store. The music was loud and pumping, as they were having a shopping event that afternoon (visit eventsatLOFT.com to find one near you), and I was a little overwhelmed at first. Helen obviously knew the store well, and ohhh those colors and clothes!

We decided to work on the holiday casual outfit first. Helen pointed out a few sweaters that she thought might be a good fit (ha, ha?) for me and left me to peruse the tops and pick out a pair of jeans. We decided that the boot cut was probably the jean I wanted, and then Helen said something to me that made my day. It was probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.

Don’t bother trying the curvy jeans. You are not curvy. You have really nice legs, and you don’t need the curvy ones.

I almost cried when she said that. I grabbed a pair of jeans that looked good – feeling like a celebrity with my paparazzi snapping trillions of photos of me. However, I decided to let Helen chose my top. She pulled out a great midnight blue silk sleeveless blouse to go under a fun beige sweater that had all sorts of cool, drape-y layers to it. While I liked the sweater, I had no idea what to put under it, and I would never have even tried the blue blouse. She also picked out a truly funky matching necklace to finish it off, and we headed into the dressing room.

The jeans were amazing. In fact, I bought a pair of them because they fit so well. Usually when I buy jeans, they fit in the waist and the thighs and everything, but there is some excess material under my rear that isn’t the most flattering. These were perfect. Yay! One sixth of an outfit was complete.

Apparently my thinking face is crabby. I certainly hope that Helen knows that I wasn’t unhappy with any of this. This is an outfit that I tried on first that I had to think about.

The sweater unfortunately did not work for me, but we loved the blouse. We kept working and pulling out other options (Helen was very patient with my vetoes – I may not know what I like, but I’m still picky) of things that were really quite cool but just not quite perfect for me. Then we had the brilliant idea of switching out the blouse for a different color so we could do a black sweater over it.

Ta da! Fuscia blouse with matching necklace and the black sweater to fun casual finish it off. You know I liked it when the whole outfit came home with me. And none of it was on sale (ok, except that during the shopping event, the whole store was 30% off!). One down, and I was a happy camper.

(Have I mentioned that I hate pictures of me? Especially when I’m having bad hair days. And they aren’t candid photos? I make a horrid model!)

The second outfit was the office to party look. This one went pretty quickly, as we found a cool suit that I would never have chosen for myself. It’s a cut that I’m going to have to remember, as it was surprisingly flattering. This was one of the best parts about this event. The whole outfit I would never have chosen – I don’t wear suits that often anymore, I would never have picked up that print for myself, and the cut of the jacket would have meant that it would have stayed on the rack. Yet, check it out – it totally works.

Our last outfit was the truly fun one. I got to dress up in my perfect party outfit. Again, Helen chose a skirt and top that I would never have picked up for myself – that skirt was so much shorter than what I usually wear! – but they were great together. I definitely needed something to put on top of the blouse, but LOFT had several good choices. We finally narrowed it down, and sadly my day of glory with people who dress me was over.

I wandered back out into the store sans my personal photographer, and I looked around at some of the clothes that I’d missed before. They really had some great stuff, and I was able to quickly fill my arms. Now that I wasn’t being whisked through the store, it wasn’t so intimidating or overwhelming. I came home with a very large bag (which I’m sure was part of the reason they invited me!), and I’m wearing one of my brand new sweaters right now. My mom even commented on how much she loved it, and she never notices what I’m wearing.

The people in the store were so nice. Everyone from the store manager to the associates working the floor were as friendly as can be – even when they didn’t know I was there for something “special.”

The event was so much fun, and I’d forgotten how much I love the LOFT. I didn’t even get to see the whole store, but I’ll have to visit the store closest to me soon to do a closer look. I wasn’t the only one who benefitted from the LOFT’s generosity, and you can, too. There were fourteen other bloggers around the country who also enjoyed this special event, and we’re all giving away $200 gift cards to the LOFT– that’s fifteen chances to win a $200 gift card! BlogHer.com special offers page

Want to win one here? Make sure you follow the rules, and I’ll be drawing a random winner on December 25.

Even if you don’t win the gift card, you still win. Go to the LOFT for this exclusive 20% Off Coupon for your in-store purchases (valid through 12/31/09).

This contest is open until December 25 at 9pm 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: You must vote for your favorite of the three outfits I was dressed in: holiday casual, perfect party, or office to party and tell me why you liked it best. If you don't do this one, no entries will count.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry):

Earn one additional entry for Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
1) Earn one additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly!

Good luck!

Giveaway: Movie Moment Prize Pack

Disclosure: I received a coupon for a free box of General Mills cereal and four movie passes in exchange for this review, but the opinions presented are solely my own.

I love going to the movies, although I've done so far less regularly since the wee ones were born. In fact, the last time I was at the movies on a regular basis was on Mister Man's due date when I saw Finding Nemo.

That's partly due to time and the cost of finding a babysitter, but also I lack the motivation to some degree. Having two small children puts a damper on any sort of social life, as I'm sure many of you know.

General Mills recognized this, and started up a new promotion called the General Mills e-movie cash. You can receive a free movie ticket when you purchase two specially marked packages of General Mills´ Cereals. After purchasing two cereals, visit generalmills.com/moviecash to enter the code found inside each box of cereal and print your free movie certificate.

Participating brands include select sizes of: Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Trix, and Reese´s Peanut Butter Puffs.

The Movie Cash certificate is valid for any showing of any movie at participating theaters -- and there are a lot of them, anywhere from Cinemark Theaters to Regal Cinemas and more. To fit the list of all the eligible theaters, I think the font is in six point type!

Now that's motivation to go see a movie. So we did, since there are four of us and I received four movie passes. This was Mister Man's second movie ever, and Little Miss's first. Amazingly, they both sat still for the whole movie. They thought it was the coolest thing ever, and I'm saving this as a reward for good behavior in the future.

When we got to the theater, we had no problems with the coupons for the tickets, which was a little bit of a worry for me. Fortunately, the cashier took them and figured them out immediately, so there was no hassle at all.

And really, with children around, who doesn't go out and buy cereal on a regular basis? You don't want to know how many cereals we have at my house -- and I even make my own from scratch!

You have until June 30, 2010 to enter your codes into the website, and the certificates are valid for 60 days from the date you print them. Win-win, no?

Go, buy some cereal (especially the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which was one of my favorites growing up).

Or you can win your own Movie Moment prize package here that includes four free e-movie certificates (each valid for one admission up to $12) and a coupon for a free box of any one General Mills cereal courtesy of General Mills via MyBlogSpark.

You have until December 14 at 8pm CST to enter. 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 the first movie you remember ever seeing and what you remember of it or the first movie you took your child to see and how it went. This must appear in the comments below or none of your entries will count.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry):
1) Earn one additional entry for Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
3) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog.
4) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly!.

Good luck!

Giveaway: $200 Visa Gift Card

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Sprint

I received $75 in compensation in exchange for sharing my (I hope) funny story about a holiday road trip.


Want to win a $200 Visa Gift Card? Read on for my story, and share yours for a chance to win. Plus, seven other bloggers and BlogHer are giving away additional $200 Gift Cards. Visit the BlogHer.com special offers page - you've got 9 chances to win a $200 Visa Gift Card!

***

Everyone always wants to go home for the holidays, especially the recent college grads who like to pretend their independent and above it all but really just want some home cooking and laundry and comfort.

The first Christmas after I graduated college, I was living in Chicago in an apartment by myself. My family was in Minnesota, and I was thrilled to be flying home. Me being the cheap me that I am, I flew out of Midway because it saved me a good $30 on the ticket.

I took the orange line out to Midway and waited for my flight to take off. Silly Chicagoans, they canceled my flight due to the heavy snow falling. And they canceled the rest of the flights heading out of Chicago to Minnesota that day, too. Since it was Christmas Eve (it’s cheaper to fly then, ya know), I sort of needed to get home.

When I asked what I could do, the lovely gate attendants offered to book me on a flight out of O’Hare – the other airport in Chicago – as they hadn’t canceled flights. I’d have to get there on my own, and the flight left in three hours, but it was doable.

I hopped in a cab and was on my way to my second airport of the day. Taking the el back to the city and then out to O’Hare was cutting it a little close for my flight. Of course, since it was snowing heavily, traffic wasn’t exactly moving.

Almost two hours into the drive, I realized I wasn’t going to make that flight no matter what I did. We were still on the highway and not exactly close to O’Hare. It was about then that I looked at the cabbie’s meter.

It was at $78. And this cab didn’t take cash. And I’m not one to carry a ton of cash on me (I’m still not, in case you’re thinking about mugging me someday). I quickly opened my purse and fished out my wallet to discover that I had exactly $80 on me.

Eek!

I quickly asked the cabbie to drop me off at the closest bus station, which fortunately was at the next exit. He took all my money, and he wasn’t nice about it either.

By this point, I was starting to get a little panicky. Everything that could go wrong was, and all I wanted to do was just make it home. This being back in the age of the dinosaurs before everyone had cell phones, so I picked up a payphone and called my parents collect.

After reassuring them that I was alive, I decided that I’d play the brave, strong woman. I told me parents that I wouldn’t be able to make it home for Christmas this year. Instead, I’d head down to Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Chicago to go to Christmas Eve midnight mass by myself. It would all be ok.

I hung up the phone and pulled my fare card out of my wallet – I could at least afford to take the el back to my apartment! – and started the journey back to my apartment, spinning tales in my head about how sad the situation was and how tragic a figure I made. I cried silently to myself as I walked through my door.

It was about then that I realized I didn’t know where Holy Family was, and walking there (since I had no cash, remember) for midnight mass was probably not going to happen. I wish I could remember what I ate for dinner that night, as I’m sure it only adds to my comic tragedy. I have to assume it was something like macaroni and cheese. From a box. This was in the days before I really knew how to cook well.

Around 2 in the morning, my parents called. They had driven down from Minnesota to pick me up. They picked up my suitcase that was still packed, and we all climbed into my parents’ car to drive home in time to celebrate Christmas morning at my parents house. Or at least what I remember of it.

But hey – every story has to have a happy ending, right? Fortunately, I learned all the appropriate lessons from that trip, and knock on wood, I’ve managed to avoid so many woes trying to get home ever since then.

So what’s your funniest holiday road trip story? Share your story in the comments below, and you can win a $200 Visa Gift Card.

This contest is open until December 31. 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.

Please see the official rules here: Official rules

Mandatory Entry: You must leave me your best holiday road trip story in the comments below or none of your entries will count - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry):
1) Earn one additional entry for Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
3) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog.
4) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly!

Good luck – and I can’t wait to read those road trip stories!

Giveaway: JumpStart Membership

I remember as a child playing some of the new technologically advanced games of the day -- Space Invaders on my Atari, the Smurf game on my uncle's ColecoVision, Oregon Trail on the Macs at school, and eventually Ultima III on my home computer with my dad. The wee ones? It's a whole new world. Literally.

I was given a membership to JumpStart to try out, and we are having so much fun with it. My only real experience with gaming today are WebKinz that Mister Man has and a little bit of an educational site called Starfall.

JumpStart is like a custom catered twelve course meal compared to the McDonalds of what I've experienced before.

When you start out, you create your own avatar called a "Jumpee" that is completely customized with hair and eyes and lips and clothing and more. It is incredibly realistic and moves so smoothly. They are so well done that it is almost too realistic for me in that there are too many variables to think about. We're adjusting though.

I love that JumpStart has educational component as well as just pure entertainment parts to it. When you log on, you start in the "village" and can choose to go into any number of different worlds from the brand new Future World (where you can earn coins by correctly answering math and language arts questions or play games visiting future or ancient worlds) to MarineLand to AdventureLand, and more.

Each world is labeled for the approximate age range, which helps me out greatly. StoryLand is the one that best suits Little Miss (ages 3-5) while Mister Man enjoys hanging out at AdventureLand or MarineLand (5-8 for both). The new FutureLand is aimed at the 8-10 year old set, and some of those questions really make me think. "What three digit number is between 400 and 600 with the second digit half the third?"

As you enter each land, you are given an introduction to the area by the character that inhabits it. This takes you into a little vignette and makes it clear what your goal is for each world. My one main frustration with JumpStart is that my personal computer loses the volume whenever we go into one of those vignettes. I can hear the background noises, and I can hear the movies that I've played there, but the character vignettes are inaudible. The engineers at JumpStart aren't quite sure what makes me so special, but when we play this on my dad's computer or my husband's, the volume is just fine.

Fortunately, there are great help buttons as part of the navigation, so I'm able to determine what we're supposed to be doing for the most part. StoryLand is a challenge, as it's designed for kids who don't yet read, so I have to do a lot of guessing and MarineLand has some verbal riddles I'm supposed to solve, but beyond that we've made do quite well.

Little Miss and I play it for a few minutes most morning while waiting for her bus to come. She can do StoryLand by herself, as it is purely mouse-driven, but she also really enjoys it when I "help" her with the more advanced worlds and the games within there. Granted, I'm not figuring out syllables or the times tables with her, but there are lots of things that just tickle her (and me).

Since we've been trying out JumpStart, there are a number of innovations that they've made, which really goes to show how they're ensuring that this will continue to be something that holds kids' interest. MarineLand and FutureLand have both been introduced within the past month. For Halloween, the whole town was decorated appropriately and also included a fun haunted house (don't ask how many times we went through it).

While JumpStart is a site that you can enjoy for free, the free portion of it is somewhat limited. You can access StoryLand, AdventureLand, Buggy Racer, and Ghost Town Grab, as well as buying some items from the Threadz Store, but you don't get full access to the worlds (and you don't get MarineLand or FutureLand, which are our favorites.

The paid membership also allows you to download programs to your computer that are appropriate for preschool through second grade. The cool thing about these programs (aside from just being cool themselves) is that you can track your children's progress individually on the software downloads so you can see what they're learning. I love that parent-friendly touch.

One of the fun features is that you can set up individual avatars for each person in your family once you become a member. Mister Man has his own coin earnings and star rating and dude, while Little Miss has hers. I love that there's no fighting over who something belongs to or what someone is doing because it's like they each have their own membership.

That also comes in handy as you start to adopt pets, another new feature that adds another layer of interest for kids. To be honest, there are so many facets of JumpStart that I haven't been able to explore them all. I'll keep working on that, and the wee ones are more than happy to help me.

The only other kind of odd thing for me was that there was no log off button. When you're done playing, you simply close the window. To me, I feel like that's missing something, but that is the way it's set up for now, and it works fine. I just like logging off.

So what about you? Are you ready to become a member of JumpStart? Head over to their site. You can try it out for free to access parts of the site. Membership is $7.99 per month for as many children as access your account.

Want to win it instead? I'm giving away a three month membership to JumpStart's website to one lucky reader. (And I do mean lucky. It's possible I keep playing JumpStart even after Little Miss has hopped on the bus.)

This contest will run until Tuesday November 10 at 9pm Central. The winner will be chosen by Random.org based on the valid entries received. You must provide me with an email address or the ability to contact you via your profile or you will be unable to win. The winner will have 48 hours from being notified to contact me, or I will choose another winner. Leave a separate comment for each entry to make tallying that much easier for me!

Mandatory Entry: What was your favorite computer game growing up? Other entries won't count if you don't do this one!

Bonus Entries:
1) Follow this blog. (one extra entry)
2) Follow Honest & Truly - my "regular" blog. (one extra entry)
3) Visit the JumpStart website, and tell me something new that I didn't mention above. (two extra entries)
4) Tweet this giveaway, and post the link below. (one extra entry)

That's it! Five easy ways to enter to win access to this oh so fun world. And if you'll excuse me, I have some math to go practice.



I did not receive any compensation for this review. I was granted access to the JumpStart website. The opinions expressed here are purely my own -- and my family's.