Littlest Pet Shop Online LPSO Dancing Dog & Starter Pack Review

My kids, as most, love music and they love dancing.  They have access to computers, iPods, MP3 players and so forth.  They have had me record them dancing and they have their favorite lists of songs they dance to.  I was offered a complimentary Littlest Pet Shop LPSO Harmony the Dancing Dog and couldn't wait for them to see it as I knew they would love it.

(The table set up is for an upcoming baby shower I'm prepping for)

The Littlest Pet Shop LPSO Harmony the Dancing Dog plugs into almost any MP3 player or a computer and moves with beat.  The online code also lets girls play online for virtual awards and access to Littlest Pet Shop Online (LPSO) world.

  

The LPSO STARTER PACK for ages four and up retails for approximately $9.99 gives girls the ability to expand their LITTLEST PET SHOP pet collection and play at LPSO.com as Premium Members.  There they can create a virtual pet, decorate their pets’ home, chat with friends, play mini games, and embark on exciting adventures.  Each pack comes with one mini pet decorated like a star character from LPSO, and a 30-day Premium Membership to the exciting online world.  Adding to the collectability appeal, girls can also unlock 1 of 6 character-inspired virtual gifts for their pet upon creating an LPSO account.  After 30 days, Premium Membership converts to Basic Membership.

Our experiences with the Littlest Pet Shop was fun, fun, fun!  My girls love every aspect of it and can't get enough!  Have a tween or even a teen girl?  She will love this!  We definitely recommend it and that's an endorsement from a three and a seven year old!




*Disclaimer:  I received complimentary products in exchange for this review.

Elmer's Crafters BzzCampaign

I love being a part of BzzAgent and I love receiving the new campaigns.  This one in particular is very timely in that I"m preparing for my oldest daughter's baby shower for this Saturday.  Since I'm making all the decorations, the various products contained in my kit are so handy. 

• 2 pairs of X-ACTO decorative edge scissors
• 1 X-ACTO corner rounder punch
• 1 Elmer's CraftBond Permanent Tape Runner
• 1 Elmer's CraftBond Clear Glue Pen
• 1 Elmer's CraftBond All-Purpose Glue Stick
• An assortment of glue spots

So far, I've been able to use the scissors, tape runner, glue pen, glue stick and glue spots.  They have all performed as I had expected from the brand Elmer's.  I grew up with Elmer's Glue as most everyone else has and I have always counted on this brand as being my glue of choice.  Before I received the kit, I had also bought the Elmer's Adhesive Spray which is wonderful!  I used it to help make cupcake picks since I could spray the entire surface to leave a nice cover and it dried without being sticky.

I plan on posting more from the baby shower to share the various projects I used Elmer's on but here is one:

*Disclosure - I received a complimentary product kit as my participation as a BzzAgent.

3 Relatives Christmas Cheer - 11/21 - 12/5

Christmas is coming and we at Health, Beauty, Children & Family, Baby Plus Me and My So Called Home School Life are ready to help you make it easier with a great Christmas gift guide full of reviews and giveaways!


What can we offer:

• We have three sites with up and coming traffic - one has over 1500 followers
• One blogger was a Huggies Ambassador and a Juno Baby Ambassador
• Three moms with 11 children among us ranging in ages from newborn to 22.
• Unique population:  One military mom, one home school mom and one new mom
• Utilization of social media to cross promote your product

How do we cross promote:

• We use Twitter to tweet the giveaway at least once a day
• We use our Facebook pages to post our giveaways
• We on numerous other sites for added exposure on a daily basis.

About Health, Beauty, Children and Family:

• Has over 1500 followers
• Has over 2400+ followers
• Has a combined 500+ Facebook followers
• 33,000+ page views (last 30 days)
• PR rank set to 0 due to purchasing of domain
• Babbles top 10 Twitter Moms

About Baby Plus Me:

• Blogging since 2010
• Has over 30 followers
• Has over 70 Facebook Followers
• Has a newborn

About My So Called Home School Life:

• Blogging since 2010
• Has over 40 followers - growing daily
• Has five children
• Home schools

Want to be a part of the holiday guide?  Send me a message with more details on how we will promote to include free advertising!

Frownies: Better than Injectables?

Frownies either makes you think of unhappiness or with a slip of the chocoholic minds, brownies but it's not!   Frownies are facial pads made from natural, skin friendly materials of unbleached Kraft paper that allows the skin to breath and a vegetable starch based adhesive that is water activated.  Rose Water Toner Hydrator is used to activate the adhesives on the patch and add an antioxidant treatment to the skin.  

How Frownies Forehead and Between Eyes work is by applying a few nights a month directly over the lines to splint the muscles under the appearing skin lines.  Good Housekeeping even called them the easiest wrinkle reducer.  If you have early stage lines, they will be gone in three nights while deeper lines take longer.  Once they start to reappear, start using Frownies again.  A box contains 144 for $19.95 which is quite a bit and probably cheaper than injections and safer given the natural ingredients.


I did receive a complimentary box months ago, tried them and saw a difference that I really liked.  As soon as I run out, I plan on purchasing some on my own.


Frownies was actually started via B&P Company in 1889 and has been used by Hollywood actresses and many others.  For a business to be around that long, it should tell something and they are part of the BBB and are a fourth generation women owned company.


Some other products by Frownies include:

• Under Eye Gel Patch
• Corner of Eyes & Mouth Patch
• Rose Water Hydrator Spray
• Immune Shield Skin Serum
• pH Balancing Complexion Wash
• Face Lift in a Bag
• Beautiful Eyes Bag
• Your Health in the Kitchen DVD
• Health & Beauty Supportive Book
• Living in a Healthy Body

Kathy Wright, daughter-in-law to the Wright family, is a Naturopath, Nutritional Consultant, Author and Wellness Educator.  She's now acting CEO/General Manager of B&P Company.  Kathy utilizes her knowledge with B&P Company's knowledge to continue to deliver products that help you be healthier.

Frownies is going to be part of 3 Relatives Christmas Gift Guide:

Crossroads

Isn't it funny that no matter your age, well sort of, you get the fabulous question to answer of "what will I do when I grow up?"  If you think back to the "old" days, they didn't have the luxury of flexibility as we do now.  It's not unheard of to switch careers and try something else and I think that's an enormous change from what our grandparents experienced.  Now based on what my father told me, my grandparents did change careers a lot but that was mostly due to the depression and they did all they could to make things work.  I don't think welfare was such an easy prospect and I think it was FDR that started most of that in response to the depression.  


When I started out in college, I wanted to be police officer as it really did appeal to me to want to serve people.  I ended up getting married young and had my first child eight days after turning 20.  I continued on the path for a criminal justice degree with more reluctance now that I had a child.  I contemplated law school but being right out of college, I was ready to start something outside of school.  


I ventured down the path of something unexpected which was an environmental officer with a state.  It was a job that afforded me the ability to assess high penalties against the public for violations.  I had the southern part of the state and with that territory, for some reason, came a lot of sexual harassment.  After dealing with it too much, I left and the next position that happened into my path was with a pharmaceutical company.   This was something I knew nothing about but dove in.  I LOVED WORKING AT THIS PLACE!  I did for at least the first eight or nine years.


Then came new management and a change away from employees that mattered.  Much happened through my career there and I felt I was part of the bigger picture in running clinical drug trials on patients to assess safety and efficacy.  Most of my work was done on diabetes so I learned a lot about it.  Eventually, this June, I ran the course of that career and now I'm a stay at home mom which I love.  


Once upon a time, I took the LSAT and I didn't do that hot on it.  I found out they have shelf lives and expire which means I get to take it again.  My passion is to work on innocence projects for those falsely accused.  Now my choices are law school which means I would have to live apart from my husband because we keep getting deployed at installations where there are no law schools or continue to put my dream on hold.


Isn't it nice we have choices?

Star Wars Fan? Gotta See This

We're part of the geek elite and are Star Wars fans.  We are such big fans that my husband and I actually met online playing Star Wars.  We don't go to the conventions and we don't have costumes so we are not part of the geekest of geeks!  I fell in love with these car stickers.  You usually see the ones with stick figures but these are of Star Wars!

  

She does carry other characters like Star Trek, Mario Brothers, Autobots and much more.  Interested?  Check out her Etsy shop here.  Customer service is exceptional!

Bronzed Envy Review and Giveaway

Oh summer is slowly departing which saddens me as I love the warmth of the sun.  I used to tan all the time but after getting older, I realized how bad it is on my skin so I started using self bronzers and tanners.  I found from trial and error that you can't just pick any self tanner as they can give you a fake tan appearance, possibly break you out or give an uneven look.  This is where I was able to try a complimentary bottle of Bronzed Envy for my review.

You might be thinking, "yeah, yeah, another tanner" but this one is different.  Here are the things I like:

• It's a spray on which gives you more control and a more natural appearance.  You do have to watch out where you use it and I found the shower is the best location since you can rinse out the residue and you have to learn how to spray just the right amount to avoid runs and streaks.  It only took me two times to get down how to spray it properly and it's so easy to use.  
• The other bonus I like about it is there are no overpowering odors like many others have.  I used to use a product that I could smell all day long and hated it.  
• This one also lasts so you don't have to use it daily.
• It dries quickly too and if you want to be a little darker, reapply once dry.
• Application to the face did not leave any effect on my hair.  I did pull my hair back but with the creams, I found that it leaves a line near the hair line whereas Bronzed Envy did not.
• It's very easy to use.

I didn't find anything I didn't like about it

Here is where you can try your luck at winning your own Bronzed Envy.  Go to Bronzed Envy's blog and enter to win the Bronzed Envy Gift Package valued at $130 (pictured above)!

Five Months Post Deployment

We have now just about hit the five month post deployment moment for my husband's Kuwaiti assignment.  This is the longest he will be deployed since we've been married given it's a year deployment.  Our youngest, three, will burst out when she's sad that she misses her "daddy."  The middle one, seven, doesn't quite understand the duration aspect of his return.  


Being a military family is definitely a different experience and one that I did not fully understand until we got married almost four years ago this November.  My father was in the Air Force for 13 years before meeting my mom in England, marrying, having a child there and then returning to the States to have myself and then my brother.  By the time I was born, he was already honorably discharged.  So that's my first sorta of experience connected to the military.


I ended up marrying a former Army man who turned National Guard so I was used to the weekend warrior routine and the two week camps in the summer.  Not a big deal as it was only two weeks and he always received double pay from his state job and from the Army. That didn't last but seven years before we unfortunately parted ways post college and the beginning of what began my life as a career woman.


Meeting my husband was different as we met online playing Star Wars.  It was a chance encounter and he was in Iraq at that time.  We met, my children and I uprooted from Indiana to Hawaii, we married and then along came Danielle.  Danielle was premature and so we had some real health issues as we were to PCS (move in civilian terms) within two months of her 30 day early birth.  Altogether, we were in Hawaii for 10 months before we moved to Georgia.


Now, after three years in Georgia, it's time for us to PCS again.  Since he had to serve a one year tour in Kuwait, it stretches out to four years almost for the kids and I.  Unfortunately, we purchased a house thinking he would retire and we would stay ... nope!  So, now while he's deployed, I have to figure out how to get the house on the market and hopefully sold in time for his return.  Otherwise, it looks like he'll be in Texas and we'll be in Georgia.


If you ever wondered what life in the military is like, it's not bad as it has it perks but it's also trying when you have to explain why mommy/daddy has to leave again, when they will be back, that they love you, etc etc.  It's filled with moving every three years, a less than par health care system in some instances and sheer uncertainty.  I can definitely see how children and marriages suffer and being married to a military member is ideal if you are one of those people who don't mind your spouse gone frequently.


The plus side is:  I am proud to be sacrificing for my country.  I love my country and I am proud to be an American.  I hope we can restore the same greatness we used to have and rise above and sparkle to the world.  I am always misty eyed when I see a group of immigrants getting sworn in for citizenship and I still tear up when I hear the National Anthem.  I am a proud patriot and love my country.

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce Review and Giveaway for Two 10/2: WINNERS CLOSED

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO ...

AILEEN AND CRAZY CAT LADY!

e-mails have been sent and both have 48 hours to respond!  Thanks to all those who entered!

Tired of plain boring steak and hamburgers?  I know we are and always are on the look out for something that will add some pizazz or at least some flavoring!  We have experimented with spices and sauces and hadn't found anything that really kept us going back.  I received two complimentary bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce for my honest opinion from Tomoson.

What you may not know about Country Bob's, is Country Bob perfected his sauce in 1968 which means it's been around as long as me!  For a product to be selling since 1977, it means something to me as something has to be good to last that long.  It evolved from a steak sauce into an all purpose sauce.  I remember my brother would eat Country Bob's with fried potatoes and probably still does.  Both my mom and sister routinely purchase Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce and to be honest, I forgot all about it until I saw a promotion.  As you can see from the picture above, there are many products available and you can click here to see them all.

  

If you are stuck with some ideas and need recipes, there are even a great supply of very appetizing ones here.

For this review in particular, I tried the hamburger recipe.  Country Bob's has a rich taste with a slight sweetness.  It's nice and thick which I like in sauce.  I couldn't really taste much of a difference with it being cooked inside the burger but when I used it in place of ketchup, it's fantastic!  The hamburger was definitely juicier.


I'm hooked and love it!


Want to know more about Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce?   Check them out on Facebook or Twitter.


Never tried Country Bob's?  You can sign up for a free bottle and newsletter here.


The Giveaway:


Two readers will win their own bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce.


To Enter:


Follow my blog and leave a comment that you want to win.


Extra Entries:

• Subscribe to my blog
• Follow Country Bob's on Twitter
• Follow me on Twitter
• Fan Country Bob's on Facebook
• "Like" me on Facebook
• Tweet about this giveaway (can be done daily)
• Blog about this giveaway (five entries) - leave url
• Enter any of the on-going giveaways (five entries)

Giveaway ends 10/2 at midnight - winner chosen by random.org - US Only Please

This Product Was a Free Giveaway

The Winner of Blogmania 2010 is ...

I was going to write another Congratulations type message on the top of the Blogmania post but when I verified the winner's information and saw she has 11 children, I wanted to provide an extra post!

Becky Jane of My Eleven Reasons has a blog and as you can see, one big beautiful family!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Activeion ionator HOM™ Review and Giveaway 10/8 - WINNER CLOSED

CONGRATULATIONS TO ...

BARBARAWR!

An e-mail has been sent and she has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected by random.org.

Thanks to all those who entered and if you didn't win, you should really get one of the ionators!  I LOVE mine!

Ever struggle between wanting a clean house but not having the time or energy?  I really, really want a clean house but it's so hard to be motivated with so many other tasks.  I have about every type of cleaner you can imagine on my shelf but since blogging, I became worried about the chemicals and other harsh ingredients added to different cleansers.   I first made the switch over to one of those steam mops that uses steam in my first attempt to be more eco-friendly too.  That was one way to clean a particular area but I still had to figure out how to clean the other 70+% of areas that needed to be clean.  This is where the Activeion ionator HOM™ came into my life.

If you haven't heard about it, it's the up and rising superstar featured on PBS, Forbes.com, The Doctors and other shows  to include many other endorsements.  The ionator HOM™ works using two scientific concepts of electrolysis and electroporation.  Activeion is the first to combine both technologies into one hand held device.  The benefit to our families and ourselves is you get an eco-friendly, non-toxic, chemical free cleaning product that will also save you money!

When I first received the ionator HOM™, it arrived ready to go.  All I had to do was release the small reservoir tank, fill it with water and start using it.  The only draw back is it does use water fast so you have to refill it frequently for large jobs but on the flip side, it assures you don't leave water sitting in the tank long.  It was so easy, my seven year old was using it and actually liked it since it looked like something from Star Wars (her words).

We experimented with cleaning the shower area which desperately needed cleaning and the tub.  The pictures don't do it justice but it was amazing to see how water did such a great job cleaning!  It worked just as well as some of the other name brand cleaners I usually use without the harsh chemicals or ingredients.  I had to try it out so next I went to the kitchen garbage area and tried it out on the doors nearby and it was amazing how clean they were.   Tomorrow, I plan on using it on the inside of my car as it needs a good cleaning!

It's really so easy:

1. Fill tank
2. Spray
3. Wipe

It's definitely my new favorite cleaning product and since we are trying to save money, it will also help with not having to buy anymore cleaner.  I would recommend this to anyone wanting an eco-friendly product, a better choice for their family or to save money.  It's a great product!


New Before and After shots of cleaning my car:

It cleaned the interior so easily and the wheels were a breeze!  No chemicals, no other product other than water!  

The Giveaway:

One winner (US) will win their very own ionator HOM™ !

To Enter (requirements are a little more than normal but you will love it if you win):

• Follow my blog
• Visit www.activeion and return here to leave a comment on something you learned about Activeion and/or tell me how your family would benefit from winning the ionator HOM™ .
• Like Activeion on Facebook, leave a comment that "Health, Beauty, Children and Family sent you" and how the ionator HOM™  would benefit you or your family (example: Ø  My family would benefit from the time savings of using an ionator HOM.  I just entered to win one at Health, Beauty, Children and Family! You can too: http://bit.ly/cfLGuS).
• Follow Activeion on Twitter and post a tweet that includes @activeion, @stayingyoung2, the link to this giveaway and the hashtag of #green, #chemicalfree, #nontoxic or #ecofriendly (example: Activeion cleans & sanitizes your home using tap water. No chemicals! @activeion @stayingyoung2. Win one: http://bit.ly/cfLGuS #green).

Extra Entries:

• Follow me on Twitter
• Like me on Facebook
• Blog about this giveaway (five entries)
• Always check home page for more opportunities for bonus entries.

Giveaway ends 10/8/10 at midnight (EST) - US only and winner will be chosen by random.org.  Winner's information to include Twitter handle, Facebook profile and e-mail will be provided to the sponsor.

*Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary product for the purpose of this review and giveaway.  The opinions are of my own.

Border's Suess-cal Celebration 9/18

On Saturday, September 18, at 11:00 a.m., participating Borders will host a free Suss-ical Celebration. Though there won’t be any costumed characters, there’ll be storytime, games, & more during the event.

  

Wonderful Customer Service at aBaby.com

Every now and then, you experience extraordinary customer service and it makes you feel good.  It's funny when we experience poor quality, rude customer service agents or just a bad experience, we will report it.  When you have exceptional customer service, it really can set the tone of your own mood.  I can't recall how many times I went shopping and my mood was lifted just based on friendly, sincere and caring cashiers.  


I purchased a less than stellar bassinet for my daughter at a really great price but the fabric was ugly and of low quality.  When I saw a very expensive one at another store, it made me want to hunt down something better as my first grand baby deserves it.  So off I went shopping online as that's my favorite way to shop via Amazon.  I saw the Embossed Damask Creation Liner -skirt & Hood - Color Ecru - Size 16x32 and had to have it!  I placed the order from aBaby.com in hopes it would make it in time for the shower but there was a problem.

The customer service agent contacted me inquiring about the size of this and the petticoat I ordered.   I didn't know the size and wasn't feeling well so I just gave her the product description of the bassinet.  She responded back asking for the precise measurement to ensure we get the right item.  I was surprised at the over and beyond effort she made in delivering us what we wanted.

We received it today and love it and thank you Esty at aBably.com!

Live Chat with Avon's Tippi Shorter 9/22 and Advance Techniques Frizz Control Lotus Shield

Like Avon's new product Advance Techniques Frizz Control Lotus Shield or have you had a chance to try it?  I have and love it!  I have the hair that likes to curl but it also likes to frizz.  I like to straighten my hair and have found Avon's new product truly does help prevent the frizzies.  Click here is my past post on it.

Next Wednesday you can take part in an exclusive live chat with Avon's Global Stylist Advisor, Tippi Shoter from 12 to 1 pm (EST).   On September 22nd, Tippi will share her insider access to the hairstyles from the Cynthia Steffe show, Avon's revolutionary treatment product, Advance Techniques Frizz Control Lotus Shield, upcoming trends and will field your questions.


You can RSVP on Avon's Facebook Events page.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 22nd from 12PM-1PM EST

WHERE: http://www.facebook.com/AvonProductsInc (Livestream tab) 

Avon on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/AvonPRNewsflash

Avon on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AvonProductsInc

It's a Social Parade - Follow on Fridays

Social Parade Follow on Friday Blog-Hop is a weekly link-up hosted by Smart and Trendy Moms.