Don't Get Your Undies In A Twist!

My husband is picky about his underwear.  Most of the time.  We joke about it because I feel like he goes through it like water, and he can't figure out how I get mine to last as long as I do.  When I told him he had a chance to upgrade his drawers with MaLo Underwear, he agreed readily - as long as I promised not to photograph him wearing it.  The man has his pride.

Why was he so happy right now?  Unfortunately, his underwear drawer was starting to look a little sparse.  He's a fan of boxer briefs, and apparently the elastic has given out on the majority of what he had owned.

He was down to a few of his "oldie but goodies" - which is part of where our teasing comes in.  There are three pairs of underwear that he's owned since I've known him (or at least, it feels like he has) that just never seem to give up the ghost, so they stick around.  They've been relegated to "backup" status when I haven't been as on top of laundry as I need to be, but he still has them.  And I hate them.  They are the old fashioned boxers, and they are cotton, but not the soft cotton.  There's no stretch or give to them.  And... they're ugly.

When the MaLo underwear arrived, I was slightly entertained by the package.  Instead of the usual shrink-wrapped plastic, they came in a resealable bag like they had to be kept fresh.  I thought it was clever.  The image of David on the front of the package wearing the underwear didn't hurt either!

My husband was happy when his new underwear arrived, too.  Men's fashion isn't really his thing. He likes to keep things fairly conservative.  While MaLo comes in all sorts of fun patterns, the package we were sent was perfect for him with black and grey unpatterned boxer briefs.

Wearing them took a little getting used to.  The legs of these boxer briefs are much shorter than the pairs I had been buying him previously.  While they weren't too short, they were noticeably different from what he normally wore, so he had a tendency to want to adjust himself to ensure everyone was staying where they were supposed to.  Once he got used to the new cut and fit, he was fine.

His favorite part was the band of the boxer briefs.  He was used to a simple layer of elastic around the boxer briefs.  While that is effective, it isn't the most comfortable all the time.  The band around the MaLo is just as soft as the rest of it, and it's thicker, too - which I'm hoping means that we don't have to do a replacement job as quickly.  Maybe this time, his underwear will last as long as mine!

So yeah, I might have thought it was a little odd that Mario Lopez would choose to put his name on underwear.  But you know?  I think he made a good choice.  I'll be hopping into Kmart the next time I need to replace more of my husband's boxer briefs because I think we have a new winner in the clubhouse thanks to #MaLoUnderwear!

Interested?  The MaLo Facebook page is currently running a contest for a chance to meet Mario Lopez himself and $75 in MaLo product.  Just take a photo of your man before and after MaLo and briefly describe your makeover.  Include your name and state, and the best makeover story and likes of it wins!  See the Facebook page for complete rules and information.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and MaLo, and all opinions remain my own.  #CBias #SocialFabric

Shutterfly Holiday Card Giveaway

Shutterfly has their holiday cards up already.  That's crazy, right?  Well, maybe not so much.

Last week, the wee ones and I had a playdate at the park with a friend when there was no school on Columbus Day.  While there, I ran into a friend who went to the park purely to take photos of her kids for her Christmas pictures.  Apparently it isn't too early to start thinking about it.

Me?  I have a bad habit of not getting my cards out until just before Christmas even though I have the best of intentions of doing them the week after Thanksgiving.  Life just gets insanely busy then, so maybe this is the solution instead.

I have yet to figure out what photos I want on my card this year - although I know this one of Little Miss in her holiday dress will go on it, as I promised back in July.

I love the options that Shutterfly provides simply because there are so many options out there.  Whether you want a flat holiday card or a folded religious Christmas card, there is something perfect.  I've used Shutterfly for the past several years, and the cards are always a nice heavy card stock with great printing quality.

While I prefer folded cards, there are plenty of options that are flat cards on photo paper, as well.  Those cards start at $0.40 apiece for quantities over 225, while a 5x7 photo card might be $0.85 apiece for 50 cards.

My favorite "new" feature is that many of the cards offer either a "what we did this year" type list on the front of the card or a text area inside the card where you can input a (short) holiday letter instead of printing and sending another note with the card.  My favorite has to be Our Top Ten, but there are several others that allow you to quickly share what you've been up to.

Because I can never decide on just one photo - and it's rare that both the wee ones are behaving in the same photo - I tend to go for cards with multiple photo options.  If you remember last year's holiday card, I gave up on the behaving part in the end and went with a goofy photo, but it worked.  Framed Wishes (shown below) is really close to the card I chose last year.  I still love it, but I probably need to get a little more creative.

My brain always seems to be spinning with one activity or child or another, so I seem to be drawn to the holiday cards that have different sizes and layouts of photos, with everything not in a neat little line.  Very Merry Moments fits that perfectly, although because I have so many Jewish friends, I typically choose a card that doesn't blatantly mention Christmas.

Instead, I think I've narrowed my selection down to Peace Cheer Monogram holiday card.  I'm not usually a big plaid person, but I love it in this case.  And I think the colors will go beautifully with Little Miss's red dress - which she's since outgrown by the way.  Now I just have to figure out what other photos to put in there.  One down, five to go, right?

Have I inspired you to start thinking about your holiday cards yet?  Go check out the Shutterfly special offers to see what discounts you can get.  Better yet - if you're ready, I have a code to give away for $50 off your Shutterfly order (excluding shipping, can not combine with any other promotions).  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 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 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me - when do you start your holiday cards?  Or do you not do holiday cards?

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: "It's only October, but @Shutterfly has holiday cards read.  Win $50 off your order via @honestandtruly. http://bit.ly/WqrJIk" (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 will receive a discount for my holiday cards as part of this campaign for Shutterfly.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus Chicago Ticket Giveaway

It's not even Halloween, and already a friend of mine asked if I am working with Feld Entertainment on promoting the annual Chicago visit of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus to both Allstate Arena and the United Center. The good news?  Yes, I am.  And yes, she has already bought her circus tickets with the discount I have to share.

This year's big top features the show Dragons, one I know Mister Man will be excited to see.  The show celebrates the Year of the Dragon, and brings together mystic dragon lore and authentic circus feats.  The show will once again start at Allstate Arena before moving to the United Center.  One new thing this year?  The Allstate Arena joins the United Center in offering free parking in the official lots, making this year even more of a treat than ever.

The shows at Allstate Arena run:
Thursday November 1 at 7pm - $12 tickets for opening night!
Friday November 2 at 10:30am and 7pm
Saturdays November 3 and 10 at 11:30am, 3:30pm, and 7:30pm
Sundays November 4 and 11 at 1pm and 5pm - special Spanish language concert after the 5pm show and tickets are $5 more
Wednesday through Friday November 7-9 at 7pm

The shows at the United Center are:
Wednesday November 14 at 7pm - $12 opening night tickets
Thursday and Friday November 15 and 16 at 10:30am and 7pm
Friday November 23 and Saturdays November 17 and 24 at 11:30am, 3:30pm, and 7:30pm
Sundays November 18 and 25 at 1pm and 5pm - special Spanish language concert after the 5pm show and tickets are $5 more
Tuesday November 20 at 7pm
Wednesday November 21 at 2pm and 7pm

The show is fun for all ages, with a free all-access preshow for 90 minutes before the start of the performance.  All ticket holders are invited to the arena floor for the Power Party where you can meet your favorite performers and animals.

Tickets range from $13 to $90 for the Circus Celebrity tickets (where you and your family are actually a part of the circus and which sell out quickly!), but I have a 40% discount code for weekday shows and 20% off all weekend shows.  Simply enter the promo code MOM when you order your tickets. (Fine print: Weekday is defined as any show Monday through Thursday or Friday matinee, not including holidays such as the day after Thanksgiving. Discount does not apply to Circus Celebrity, Front Row, or VIP seats. No double discounts. Service charges, handling, and facility fees may apply.)

So are you ready to head off to the big top?  I have a family pack of tickets to give away for your choice of shows: at Allstate Arena on Thursday, November 1 at 7pm or Friday, November 2 at 10:30am or at United Center on Wednesday November 14 at 7pm.  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 25 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 is your favorite circus act?

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 Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® is coming to Chicago.  Win tickets via @honestandtruly. http://bit.ly/W7STUf #ChiRingling" (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 am a Feld Family Ambassador.  As such, I am receiving complimentary tickets to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus as part of my outreach.  I am not otherwise compensated.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Dominick's International: Tomato Soup

If you know anything about me - anything at all! - you'll know that I love to cook and bake.  The more I can do at home, controlling what I put into my dishes and what my family eats, the happier we all are.  When given the opportunity to participate in a culinary challenge with Dominick's, highlighting some of the new international foods they are now carrying, I jumped all over it.

I took a deep breath and crossed my fingers as I read what my two mystery ingredients would be.  I got Dell' Alpe extra virgin olive oil and Dell' Alpe imported canned pear tomatoes.  To say I was happy that I got ingredients that go together is putting it mildly.  But... they almost go too well together.  I use tomatoes and olive oil constantly.

I thought and thought and tried to come up with something creative.  Something unique.  And then I remembered that when we went to Medieval Times, Mister Man enjoyed tomato soup for the first time in his life.  Bingo - I need to foster that enjoyment of tomatoes in a healthy and yummy form.

So I decided to make a simple tomato soup that really features the Dell' Alpe tomatoes.  And it was awesome.  Serve it up with a little bread, and everyone was thrilled.

Tomato Soup featuring Dell' Alpe evoo and Dell' Alpe pear tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 white onion
2 T Dell' Alpe extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 T flour
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable to make it vegan)
1 28 ounce can Dell' Alpe imported canned pear tomatoes
1 T tomato paste
2 T sugar*
salt and pepper to taste
10-15 fresh basil leaves

*Depending on your tomatoes and tomato paste, you may need to adjust this a little to get to the taste you want, usually just a little more sugar.

Directions:
Preheat a large pot.  Chop your onion while it's heating.  Once it's fully heated, add the olive oil, then add the onion.  Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned.

As the onion is cooking, prepare your garlic.  To help keep it from burning, you don't want to cut it up.  Instead, smash it with the flat of your knife.  Once you smash it hard, you can just pluck the peel off, easy peasy.  Add the garlic to the onion once the onion is pretty much done.  You just want the garlic to get fragrant.  Go ahead and add the flour, stirring to ensure that it is evenly coating the onions and garlic, and let it cook for two minutes.

Add the chicken stock and canned tomatoes to the onion and garlic mixture.  Make sure you're using good tomatoes, like the Dell' Alpe imported canned pear tomatoes, because they will be the focus of your soup.

How do you know you have good tomatoes?  Seriously, take a look at how gorgeous these tomatoes are!

Add the tomato paste and sugar, as well as 1 t of salt and maybe 1/2 t of pepper.  Turn the heat down so that it is just simmering.  You don't want this to boil.  Cover your pot and cook it for 30-40 minutes at a simmer so that everything starts to break down.

After that 30-40 minutes, puree your soup.  If you have an immersion blender, you're set.  If not, buy one but use your regular blender in the interim.  If blending in a blender, blend in batches and don't fill the container more than one-third full.  Use a kitchen towel and hold the top on, as blending hot liquids will create pressure that could force the top off.  Keeping it fairly empty and holding the top on helps a ton.  Or ... that immersion blender means you can do it all at once and in the same pot so no extra dishes.  Puree it completely.

Serve it immediately.  Chiffonade the basil and use it as a garnish or add some shredded Parmesan for an extra flavor boost.  The wee ones weren't interested in these accouterments, but I'd definitely go for them.  This will keep in the fridge for a few days, and it tastes better the second day once all the flavors have had a chance to meld.

Interested in making this Dell' Alpe highlighted soup?  Or exploring other international options Dominick's now carries?  I have a $50 Dominick's gift card to give away.

This one?  Super easy to enter.  You must tweet what your favorite international ingredient or dish is, using @Dominicks and @honestandtruly in the tweet along with the hashtag #DominicksIntl.  The only caveat is that you can't use the Twitter handles or hashtag as the first word in your tweet (e.g., "@honestandtruly @Dominick's I love..." doesn't work; "Hey @honestandtruly and @Dominicks" does work).

Tweet by Sunday October 7 at 7pm Central, and I'll choose a winner from eligible entries at that time.  You do need to be a US resident and 18 years of age or older.  Only one tweet per person is eligible.  You will need to provide me with your contact information within 24 hours so that you can be sent the gift card if you are chosen by random.org or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a gift card to purchase ingredients for my dish.  I was not provided with any additional compensation.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

2Toots: A Restaurant I Can Feel Good About Enjoying

I wrote a few weeks ago about Mister Man and I eating at 2Toots Train Whistle Cafe in Bartlett.  He keeps asking me when we get to go back.  And we'll be back soon because it's somewhere that I can feel good about eating.  Yes, it's hamburgers and other diner food, but it isn't pull out the overly processed frozen food from the back and who knows what's in it, and that's why I like it.

The beef in the hamburgers is Bill Kurtis's Tall Grass Beef, which is 100% grass fed, 100% prairie raised beef that is given no hormones.  Not only do I feel better about that, but there are nutrition benefits from this beef, too.  There is up to 1.5 times more protein in the leaner grass fed beef, and it has more Vitamin E, omega 3s, and CLAs - all of which help our bodies work properly.  The hot dogs are also from Bill Kurtis's farm and are preservative and gluten free and have no added nitrites or nitrates - something we try to avoid in our house.  They even offer gluten free buns now, making life easier for those with dietary restrictions.  And if that isn't enough, if you have further dietary issues, you are welcome to bring in your own food without being saddled with fees for it.  Provided it fits, they'll even deliver your outside food on their train, just like all the other food.

So no, this isn't something we're going to eat every day, but when we eat out, I love that we have an option with a restaurant that holds itself to the same standards I do in our house.  Even the milk is Horizon's organic milk in both chocolate and vanilla.  I still smile when I think about Mister Man not wanting to get the chocolate milk because his experience with restaurant chocolate milk is that it's too sweet and tastes funny.  I barely managed to convince him to try the chocolate milk at 2Toots, but when he did, he loved it.

We signed ourselves (ok, Mister Man and Little Miss) up for the birthday club, which means that we'll get a card in the mail before their birthdays for a free kids meal and cupcake.  With Mister Man's birthday only a little more than a week away, I know he's anxious to go back... since I hear him ask me about it almost every day.  I love restaurants that help me celebrate with my child.

The cupcakes come with train whistles atop them.  I've been to other restaurants that have the same type of whistle.  I learned the hard way.  My rule: in the restaurant, you may blow it once and once only.  Outside the restaurant you may play with it until we get to the car, at which point it is mine, and no you may not have it back.  It's a shame that it's a waste.  At 2Toots, it gets better because apparently I'm not the only parent thinking this way.  You can save up those whistles and trade them in for other prizes.  I love it!

The whole feel of the restaurant is one where they are parents who've been there with their kids.  More proof of that?  They have a fundraising program for schools where 10% of profits go back to the school during a special event you can sign up for.  We do dine and share events (as we call them) at our school periodically, and it's always fun to try somewhere new and eat with friends and family.

The restaurant is all about fun, and I applaud 2Toots Train Whistle Cafe for that.  The seating at the tracks keeps the kids occupied, although I will admit that next time I will choose a seat that doesn't have a television near it as we didn't need that distraction.  There is an old-fashioned ride on horse for a quarter if the train tracks and food isn't enough, but the food came quickly and it was delicious - and filling.

No wonder Mister Man keeps asking when we get to go back!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a gift card from 2Toots for participating in this campaign.  That said, all opinions remain my own.

U.S. Cellular - Promising More With Hello Better

This is a sponsored post.

There are certain products that we have to have in this day and age that people generally bemoan.  So many people hate their cable company. I  hear constant dissatisfaction with pediatricians.  Don't get me started on the airlines.  And cell phone companies tend to fall into that mix for far too many, too.

Personally, I switched carriers in April of this year, and I'm happy with my carrier now, for the most part.  Before that point?  I was counting down the days until my contract ended.  From about seven months before my contract ended, I could tell you exactly how much longer I was stuck with them, and you can bet that the day my contract expired, I escaped and went to a new carrier - who I had been researching for months prior to determine what I wanted and who best fit it.

Why was I so unhappy with my previous carrier?  Well, it's one of the two most expensive carriers out there.  And money matters.  Yes, they had great coverage - for the most part - but my husband and I had 1400 minutes to share, and I had a data plan.  Neither of us had a text plan.  And we had a nice 17 percent discount on the first line only thanks to the company I had worked for.  Even still, we were paying $125 a month for that, primarily because the first line was $49, and the second was $49.

As more and more of my friends started using texting as their primary method of communication, it was difficult for me to explain to them why and how I didn't text.  Texting would add another $19.99 to our already too high to really justify for two people bill.  Each.

The worst part was that even if I wanted to add texting, any changes to my plan would restart my contract date, adding another two years before I could move to another carrier without penalty.  Trust me, I checked on that one, although it took me talking to three different people to get the same answer.

That was another pet peeve of mine with that carrier.  Whenever I would call or stop in with a question, I wouldn't get a consistent answer.  Unfortunately, that meant I really lost faith in any answer I received and instead just held out, counting down those days.

U.S. Cellular (who FYI is not the carrier I selected, although it was in the running!) understands that far too many people aren't satisfied with their carriers.  And they want to do something about it.  They introduced the Hello Better campaign.

Far too often, people stick it out because the penalty for moving carriers is just too high - or they feel like there's nothing better out there.  In fact, 56% of respondents in a survey admitted to being unhappy with their carrier in the past year, but only 35% of respondents had ever broken up with their carriers.  U.S. Cellular aims to prove that there is something better, and that they're it. Their goal is to treat their customers like neighbors instead of numbers.  I love that concept.

And friends who have U.S. Cellular plans have been happy with them.  It's one of the few carriers where I don't hear regular complaints from friends.  Even the carrier I have now has some complaints from people, but we're now paying $81.24 per month for two phones with 700 minutes, unlimited texting and 4gb data usage on both phones.  I'll deal with a few pockets here and there of coverage issues for that difference in price and respect.

So what is U.S. Cellular doing that actually proves they're different?  They have the industry's only points-based reward system so that you earn rewards for the things you do as a good customer.  My personal favorite is that there is no contract after the first contract ends.  The free incoming calls and texts really would have saved me with my old carrier - think of how many minutes you wouldn't use!  And the offer free overage protection and a free battery swap for your device, other things that come in handy far too often with your mobile devices.

Are you happy with your carrier?  If not, why are you staying?

This has been a sponsored post from One2One Network.  That said, all opinions remain my own.

Gutzy Gear Winners!

Ok, so first of all, THANK YOU to my Facebook friends who let me know that Blogger at some point in time turned on word verification for my blog and that it was not friendly.  I had zero intention of having word verification, because I hate it.  Unfortunately, it didn't show up for me when I tried to comment, so I had no idea that it was there.  When you see things like this, let the bloggers know - sometimes they aren't aware.  Needless to say, my settings are updated to allow for more people to comment and there is no longer any word verification.  If you see it, let me know!

Whew.

I have three winners to announce for the Gutzy Gear giveaway, and I apologize for the delay in announcing them.  I have started getting migraines more and more often, and I've been down and out with them for the majority of the past two weeks.  It kept me from my computer for way too much, but knock on wood I'm up and running now.

So yay, three winners!

They are:
Mel S from Two Mom, a Little Time, and a Keyboard
Paula from Frosted Fingers
Melanie from Tales from the Crib

Congrats, Ladies!  You have 48 hours to get back to me with your contact information, or I have to chose a new winner, and I don't want to do that!