Throwing a Party Cheaper with The Coupon Mom

This couldn't have been at a better time, the Coupon Mom has released a new video on throwing a party for less.  I have a birthday bash and a going away for my hubby who will be leaving in May for Kuwait.  The Coupon Mom lends her advice to a mom getting ready to celebrate a party for her parents for 100 guests.  To cater the event, she would have been looking at around $5,000!  With the Coupon Mom, she will find out how to save a lot!  What would have costs $50 per person (catering) ends up costing $2 per person.

Making your own food for a party is definitely the cheaper way to go if you have the time and the space to store the food.  The Coupon Mom showed how to price the food per person to ensure you are getting a good deal and showed how much convenience costs.  It's amazing when you hear it broken down like that.

Another episide, which any woman can use, shows how a mom was able to cut down $200~ of beauty product spending for her two teen daughters down to under $50.  Most coupon bloggers know how great CVS and other drug store specials are.  Coupon Mom said drug store beauty products can be up to 80% off.

I like watching the Coupon Mom on YouTube just to catch some good tips and hints.

Friday Follow: Week 6

Pravana: Great Shampoo for Blonde/Gray Hair

Years ago, I used to use this great shampoo that would bring the highlights out in my hair while brightening the blonde color.  It was a purple shampoo and I cannot recall the name but I looked over and over for it and never could find it.  I've tried other brands of shampoo that claims to do the same thing but none of them did.  When Joni Rae & Associates offered two bottles of Pravana Natureuticals products to try, I definitely wanted to after I looked up what their products were.  I don't just review any product and when I pick one to review, I have to have a reason versus having something to post about.

Pravana has a host of hair care products but for this post, I'm focusing on the Pure Light line.  Pure Light is a brightening shampoo and conditioner in a deep, pretty purple color and an amazing fragrance.  If you are a blonde or have gray hair, you know the importance of using a purple based shampoo and conditioner on your hair.  You achieve the maximum results with this.  What's even better is the Pravana line is the first sulfate-free cleansing and conditioning system formulated to instantly brighten and whiten blonde, highlighted or natural silver/white hair.  Removing yellow tones is such a huge bonus to any shampoo and conditioner.

If you have blonde, highlighted, silver or white hair, I highly recommend the Pravana line.  It really works but for me, I found I can't use it daily due to the powerful effect it has in working.  The fragrance alone is worth purchasing it.   I've never had a hair care product smell so good.

To find a salon that carries Pravana, click here.

ResourcefulMom and Kotex First Period Twitter Party 2/22

Remembering when that wonderful journey into womanhood hit me, I received so much advice, support and information ...NOT!  Maybe it was the times or just my mom was too busy to talk to me about it but I got my information from my friends which wasn't too scientific as 15 year olds didn't know a lot back then as the internet wasn't really popular (yes, I'm showing my age).  When my now 21 year old hit that moment, I don't think I discussed it too much with her other than telling her about the options after having that sinking feeling of "oh no, I can now be a grandma at any point!"  I think ten gray hairs grew in at that point!

So I have one down and two more to go but luckily I have some time but then again, these girls are crossing over to the land of bliss earlier and earlier so who knows when my now almost seven year old will be there.  Luckily for me, I can pick up great tips and more understanding as this Monday, ResourcefulMom and Kotex are hosting a Mom Are You Ready Twitter Party from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm EST on 2/22.

Kotex has this first period kit that includes product samples, a cute bag, brochures with helpful information and more.  You can get it for free by clicking here or by registering at ResourcefulMom.

Join the Twitter party and you might win some of the great prizes too which includes a $250 card!  That could buy a lot of pads or at least some hair color dye to get rid of the gray hairs they are about to give you!

Simply FaBOWlous Review and Giveaway 3/10 CLOSED WINNER

CONGRATULATIONS TO....

couponmommy8706@yahoo.com

An e-mail has been sent!  If no response, another winner will be selected in 48 hours.

Thanks to all those who entered this great giveaway and don't forget to check out all the good causes FaBOWlous supports especially Layla Grace!

Trying to find cute, fashionable and trendy hair bows and headbands can be a chore at times.  My six year old won't wear them but my two year old doesn't mind.  She's a girly-girl and looks so cute with them.  Given that she has no bangs, I struggle with keeping her hair out of her eyes.  This is where hairbands come in handy.  Simply FaBOWlous has accessories for mini-divas which is what I have!

Whether you are looking for a hat, a headband, hair bows and clips, tutus or other accessories, they have it all!  Items for girls and yes, even for little boys in the Tattoo Art Baby category.  One criteria I look for especially when purchasing off the internet is to see the reviews and they even have reviews by celebrities.

Co-founder Cheri White started Simply FaBOWlous in 2006 and has an interesting story that is inspiring for mompreneurs.  Simply FaBOWlous even contributes to Bailey Baio's Angel Foundation with the full story here.

Products from Simply FaBOWlous are CPSIA compliant:

We care about the safety of all children, and that is why, even though Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) does not currently require testing of certain products, that by nature, will never exceed certain lead content limits, we have done the testing anyway. We want you to rest assured that our products are safe for your child

To read more about CPSIA and Simply FaBOWlous, click here.

The Review:

I received two beautiful headbands:  The Bailey Headband in Brown/Pink Peony is featured in the first picture below.  It is a wider strip across the head with a bigger peony to add sass and fashion.  I liked it because it was a little snug which helped keep it in place for an active tot and it was so cute on her!  Even though the colors didn't match the dress, you get the idea at how cute it would look with accentuating colors.  I love the larger size peony and how it adds so much flare keeping with her personality.

This one is the Skinny Mesh Hawaiian Flower Headband in pink.  Since Dani was born in Hawaii, how could I not choose this one?  The skinnier band still holds the hair back while providing a beautiful accessory to the dress.  Again, this one is fun and sassy which brings out her personality even more.  It stayed in place which is important to me as other headbands tend to slip.  I like the stretchy material and how soft it felt.  Neither headband were too tight and didn't cause duress with her wearing them as some do.

I would definitely recommend Simply FaBOWlous due to the quality of each headband and the look is so adorable. 

The Giveaway:

The same two headbands I reviewed!

To Enter:

Follow my blog and go to http://www.fabowlous.com/ and tell me something else you like.

Bonus Entries (worth two entries each unless otherwise noted):

• Become a fan of FaBOWlous on Facebook.
• Sign up for Simply FaBOWlous' newsletter.
• Follow FaBOWlous on Twitter.
• Follow me on Twitter.
• Blog about this giveaway (worth five entries)
• Tweet about this giveaway (can be done daily)
• Enter any of my other giveaways (worth five entries)

Giveaway ends 3/10 at midnight.  Winner will be chosen by random.org.

Open to all.

*Disclosure:  I received two headbands in exchange for my honest review.  No other financial compensation was received from sponsor company.

Win a Flirty Apron with the Flirty Apron Contest!

CONTENT CONTEST!!!! Go to the Flirty Aprons website and take a look at the resource section located at the bottom of the page. Then submit a paragraph or two that could be used in our new resource section titled Bridal Shower Gifts. The best/longest submission will receive a FREE FLIRTY APRON and the runners up 50% and 25% off ...respectively. All submissions can be sent to mail@flirtyaprons.com.

Ends February 28th!

Get those creative writing skills going and enter for a chance to win!

Please note that this contest is going across all the blogs that have worked with giveaways and Flirty Apron.  Winners may be selected from another blog.  Good luck!

Five Ghirardelli $1.50 Coupons for Peanut Butter Bags

I have five coupons for $1.50 from SheSpeaks that need to be used by 4/30.  Anyone want them?  If so, please leave a comment!

Thanks!

Jenny McCarthy Your Shape for Wii Giveaway 3/10

Every year, most of us decide the new year is going to be a better year.  Whether the reasons are for health, wellness or other reasons, it's good to have goals to reach for. 

My top five resolutions are:

1. Eat healthier - I want to choose better foods, more organic type products and less processed foods.  Reading books such as Prime Time Health by Dr. Sears has been inspirational in getting healthier and eating right.
2. Quality time - I want to realize what is important and what isn't.  Not sweating the small stuff is definitely a path I want to focus on.  Spending more time with my kids and my husband is going to be a priority and will compliment a healthy mind. 
3. Lose weight - yeah, right ... who doesn't, right?  Seriously, I started this endeavor last year but have slowly moved a mind set to realize this want.  I have finally learned that I can't do this cold turkey so I have devised a plan to lose it healthier and slower.  Losing weight is right up there with getting healthier for 2010.
4. Exercise - you can't be healthy without exercising.  Exercising is instrumental in every facet of our lives and when you don't exercise, you put your body and health in jeopardy.  My goal is to utilize my bike and my Wii system.  I love working out with my Wii and it's a great way to get your kids to get involved as well.  Read more below.
5. Volunteer - giving back is a key to happiness in my opinion.  Giving a smile, a chance of hope or time to someone in need is priceless.  I want to continue the giving and volunteer time to instill a sense of duty to my children.  Our goal this year is not only to support deployed troops (my husband is deploying for Kuwait in May for a year) but also to give to pediatric patients in our local children's hospital.  Having two children with fairly new chronic medical conditions and being placed in hospitals numerous times, I sympathize with the patient and the family.  My goal is take unused happy meal toys and supplement it with other toys and treats to give to those tiny little brave ones.

Our Wii system was one of the better investments I could have made.  Not only is it allowing myself and my oldest to work out together but it also encourages my little one's to play.

This new game, Your Shape featuring Jenny McCarthy is a must have mostly due to Jenny as she is really a funny person. Your Shape builds in a workout program based on YOUR fitness level, goals and schedule.  You can watch a video HERE with Jenny about the game. 

Here are some of the features:

• Personalized to You - Your unique plan is based on the results of your fitness test, combined with your personal fitness goals. This plan will mix the right level of intensity with exercises focused on achieving your goal.
• You’ll Always Do the Exercises Correctly - The camera projects your image onto the TV screen so you can see yourself exercising next to Jenny.
• Exercise Controller-Free - The camera sees you, so it works without requiring any additional hardware (such as Wiimotes, nunchucks, and balance boards), leaving your hands free to focus on the exercises.
• Exercise That’s Fun and Motivational - not only is Jenny your in-game workout buddy, but you can choose from 6 background colors, 100 motivating animations, and more than 75 music tracks.
• More Exercises Than Any Other Game - Your Shape includes close to 500 exercises – which means that your routine is always focused on meeting your goals.

The Giveaway:

Jenny McCarthy's Your Shape for the Wii System.

To Win:

Follow my blog and that's it!

Bonus Entries:

• Subscribe to my blog and leave a comment (2 entries each)
• Follow me on Twitter (2 entries each)
• Enter any of my other giveaways (5 entries each)
• Blog about this giveaway (2 entries)
• Tweet about this giveaway (2 entries) - can be done daily

Giveaway ends March 10 at midnight (EST) - winner will be chosen by random.org

 

Grab Your Chocolate!

Great news as of February 17, 2010 if you are reading it here ... according to the American Academy of Neurology, recommends eating a bar a chocolate each week to help reduce chances of strokes!  The study also suggests that eating chocolate may lower the risk of death after a stroke.  Now hurry and eat your chocolate before a new study counters that claim! 

*Here are the findings:

• One study they looked at found that 44,489 people who ate one serving of chocolate per week were 22% less likely to have a stroke than people who ate no chocolate.
• Another study found that 1,169 people who ate 50 grams of chocolate once a week were 46% less likely to die following a stroke than people who didn’t eat chocolate.

Dark chocolate (usually described as containing at least 70 percent cocoa solids) contains plant pigments called flavonoids, which have been linked to health benefits. These include reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (such as heart attacks and strokes) or cancer. Chocolate is not the only source of flavonoids. Most plants contain some flavonoids, and good sources are tea, citrus fruit, and red wine.

The research appears in this week’s Neurology and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd annual meeting in Toronto in April.

I've been using that excuse to eat a piece of dark chocolate every day.  Enjoy!

*Taken from the Health Freedom Alliance Organization.  To read the full article, go here:  http://blogs.healthfreedomalliance.org/blog/2010/02/16/chocolate-reduces-risk-of-stroke/

Aspartame is Now AminoSweet but is it Safe?

Aspartame, it's in so many products and because of that, one would think it's safe...or is it?   I never really paid attention to aspartame until I started an Atkin's Diet.  Okay, until I restarted an Atkin's Diet and became serious about following it.  The rules are no aspartame so I started reading my package labels on various products to assume I didn't violate the rules and low and behold, it's in almost everything that is touted as low sugar or sugar free.

A big misconception that many have is if it's been approved by the FDA, it's deemed safe.  What some forget to understand that although drugs go through a long term process of clinical testing to ensure safety has been achieved, there are rarely any long term studies done to assess safety or to understand mixing of different drugs, conditions and so forth.  No one will know with certain if something is safe because there are too many factors involved whether it's genetic, environmental or a reaction with another drug.  We all have seen the recall notifications and class action lawsuits against approved drugs that were later found to cause deaths or other serious medical complications. 

The artificial sweetener debate has been going on for some time and there was even one that was taken off the market year's ago which makes me think if one was bad, why not the rest?  In my e-mail box this morning, there was a story on asparame's new name change which the story eluded that the company's name change was one of profit versus concerns for the health of its consumers. 

Aspartame was discovered 25 year's ago by mistake and was initially going to be marketed to be used as a drug for ulcers.  Due to its sweet taste, it was sent to the FDA as a food additive.  The story notes that even one of the origin company's scientist objected to its use but it passed the FDA anyway.   The articile claims that aspartame causes neurological brain damage, cancerous tumors, endocrine disruption among other things.  The new name is AminoSweet. 

For more information on the article, go here:

http://blogs.healthfreedomalliance.org/blog/2010/02/15/aspartame-has-been-renamed-and-is-now-being-marketed-as-a-natural-sweetener/

Link Up Your Giveaways!

Don't forget to link up your giveaways:

http://youthfultips.blogspot.com/p/link-up-your-giveaways.html

Thank you and have a great day!

Giveaways Ending Next Week and New Giveaways Coming

Don't forget to enter the Sears $50 Gift Card and Mikisso Hana $220 Flat Iron giveaways ending soon!

I have a host of reviews/giveaways that will be added today and onward to include:

• Jenny McCarthy Your Shape Wii Game
• FaBOWlous Hair Bow
• Flower Arranging DVD
• Jump Start Kids Online Membership
• $50 Gift Card (reader's choice)
• FlirtyGirl Tee
• Bummas Baby Cloths
• Expressiva Nursingwear Gift Card
• CPR Cleaning Products
• Air-O-Swiss Humidifier

Do you have an idea for a giveaway that is reasonable?  Let me know and I'll see what I can do.  Do you like the multiple bonus entry options or do you prefer that each entry has a smaller set of chances to win?

Military? Check Your W4s for Residency Due to New Law

I wrote about this before but had forgotten it until I was reading the Army Times over the weekend.  Apparently in November, they passed a bill granting the spouse of a military person the right to claim the same state residency.  For those in the military, you know what a pain it is to have to fill out two state tax returns, one for you where you live and the other for your spouse for the state he/she lived in when first enlisted.  I've not been a good military wife as I never learned all the correct Army lingo but I know there is another word or statement for that.

The article furthered the fact that it's retroactive for 2009!  If you meet the requirements,  you get to fill out your appropriate state's form to get that money back and to halt any new deductions.  This is great news because my husband's home state is Texas which means no state tax!  I figure they will tax the tax refund so it's less than I'll have put in.  Whatever happened to no double taxation??

I was happy nonetheless so if you are in the military, check it out by visiting your state's tax page or check it here:  http://m.military.com/news/articlerss/army-news/tax-law-grants-gis-spouses-protection.xml/2

The Taylors' Civil War by Lowell F. Volk Book Review

I received a complimentary copy of The Taylors' Civil War as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Co. Inc. (June 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434902439
• ISBN-13: 978-1434902436
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches

The Taylors' Civil War by Lowell F. Volk is set in Virginia and chronicles the trials and tribulations of a southern family, the Taylors, during the Civil War.  It is a classic revenge book with action packed events that captured my attention and captivated me to finish reading it quickly.  Although it was predictable at times and short, it had drama, love, action and suspense.

The Taylors were a family who only wanted to live their lives and be farmers.  While they were supportive of the military during the War, further events such as the murder of their son and events post the War tested their patriotism and their own will.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in story that is well written and articulated with accuracy to the period and characters in which it takes place.

About the Author:
 
Lowell F. Volk, a native of Minnesota, has already finished the sequel to this book and has begun writing his third of a series of five books planned for the Civil War period.  Mr. Volk is retired and resides in Colorado where is a member of the Montezuma County Sheriff's Posse.  Mr. Volk and his wife have five children.
 

Ruminations of a Twenty Something Momma Expressiva Review & Giveaway

Ruminations of a Twenty Something Momma is hosting a review and giveaway of Expressiva Nursingwear.

After months of nursing a child, the idea of breastfeeding becomes less of an action and more of a lifestyle. Daily events start to revolve around your baby’s mealtimes, and leaving the house means choosing an outfit that will allow easy, comfortable access for feeding.


Therein lies the problem – coordinating clothing for ease of nursing isn’t always easy. Some women prefer to keep their breasts mostly covered, while others are more worried about exposing their back or stomach in public.

Layering works with some outfits, but not others, and wearing your favorite shirt may no longer be an option depending on how high (or low) the neckline is. Nursing bras and tanks become wardrobe staples, but sometimes it’s simply not possible to coordinate an entire outfit around these pieces.

Click here to read and enter!