Blog Tour

Rayovac Power Your Summer with 5 Minutes For Mom

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

The summer is here and so is the time to make sure that your house has a good supply for batteries. Whether you need them for the kids toys, your digital camera, flashlight for storms or something else we use them constantly. This summer Rayovac is having a promotion along with 5 Minutes For Mom to help share how important fun summertime moments are for the entire family.

Here are details on how you can join the fun.

#1 – Show us that you "like" the Rayovac brand and products on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RayovacFans and together with expert moms at 5 Minutes for Mom, they will offer great daily summertime family tips and a chance to win great prizes.

From June 21st to July 20th, access and complete the entry form on Rayovac’s website at www.rayovac.com/PowersYourSummer. Then tell them how you will "power your fun" this summer every day for the chance to win prizes ranging from cameras and bikes to camping supplies and a summer supply of Rayovac batteries. No hoops to jump through, simply tell them how you and your family add the "Power of Fun" to your summer.

#2 Are you on Twitter? If you are you can join more summertime fun when Rayovac and 5 Minutes For Mom host a Twitter Event to support the Rayovac Powers Your Summer promotion. Here are the details:

Rayovac Powers Your Vacation Summer Promotion Twitter Event
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Time: 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST
Location: #rayovac
Follow: @Rayovac_Battery, @5minutesformom, @CirclePRMary

The Twitter Event will feature more than 20 fun giveaways from Rayovac ranging from a summer supply of Rayovac Batteries to $50 Target Gift Cards.
You must be a US resident and 18 or older at the time of entry to enter the Promotion or the Twitter Event.

Be sure to Power Your Summer and have fun participating.

Disclosure: The first 99 bloggers to promote the Rayovac Powers Your Summer Promotion and the the Rayovac Powers Your Summer Twitter Event will win a prize package from Rayovac.

Summer is here – Safety tips for outdoor fun

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Although the temperature in most places has already felt like summer for quite some time, it officially began early this morning. As the mother of two little boys, safe play in the summer is crucial. Whether we play out in our yard, use bikes, go to the pool or spend time at the playground we must take steps to avoid trips to the doctor or emergency room.

Growing up, I used to spend most summer days at my Nana and Papa’s pool. It was an in-ground pool, complete with a diving board. We always had very strict rules about when we were allowed in and having an adult nearby to watch when little. I also remember when safety was stepped up even more. When my cousins moved in with my Nana, they added an additional safety fence with lock and key around the pool.

Lucky for us, Underwriters Laborities (UL), a leading product safety testing organization, has provided families with useful tips to help keep all of us safer around play sets and the pool. In addition to this, UL has made a water safety video using Pumba and Timon from Disney’s Lion King. Below are some of the tips that I would like to share as we all enter into the summer season.

Although pools are a lot of fun and keep us cool in the summer, UL notes that 4,200 people go to the emergency room each year due to pool or spa-related injuries. It is sad that I have known several people who have had children not only go to the ER from pool injuries, but also drown in a pool. There is no guarantee that these will be 100% effective, but every little bit will help your children to stay safe around water.

Pool Safety At Home:

If you have a pool at home, install a fence. The fence should be at least four feet high and have a self-closing, self-latching gate that has a locking mechanism beyond a child’s reach.
Cut overhanging tree limbs and remove chairs or ladders from the pool area to prevent children from climbing over the fence that surrounds the pool.
Keep grates and drain covers in good repair and secured in place. Alert your family and guests to stay away from these devices, as the suction from drain outlets can be strong enough to cause entrapment of hair or body parts, which can potentially cause a person to drown.
Make sure you know infant and child CPR if you own a pool.

Be Safety Smart While Swimming:

Supervision is a must. Follow the 10/20 rule when you’re at the pool. The 10/20 rule states the supervising adult needs to position themselves to be able to scan the pool every 10 seconds, and reach the water within 20 seconds.
Always have rescue devices, such as UL-LISTED life preservers, nearby.
Flotation devices, toys and inflatable swimming aids are not safety devices. They are toys and can easily puncture and deflate.
Always drain wading pools after children are done playing. Infants can drown in just a few inches of water.
Have a telephone nearby and appropriate emergency numbers posted.
Remove all toys when you leave the pool. Toys may attract children to the unattended pool.

If you prefer to stay on dry ground, also note that UL notes that each year there are more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger that go to the emergency room for play-set related injuries. My little guy, just three, has no fear and play-sets scare me at times. Still, I want my kids to enjoy and be able to have fun in the sun.

Before Installing a Backyard Play Set:

Make sure your backyard is large enough for playground equipment. The site must also provide good visibility and security. Before setting up equipment, look out for obstacles, such as the garage, tree branches, utility poles and wires.
Read and follow the manufacturer’s directions when setting up play set equipment. Be sure your child’s weight and age fall within the manufacturer’s recommended limits for the equipment.
Install protective surfacing, such as rubber tiles or mulch under the play set, at least six feed in all directions, to prevent serious injuries should a child fall.

Before Heading Out to Play:

Carefully inspect backyard playground equipment. Make sure equipment is anchored safely in the ground, all equipment pieces are in good working order, S-hooks are entirely closed and bolts are not protruding.
Check for spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs. These spaces should measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.
Always supervise children on play set equipment to make sure they are playing safely.
Never attach ropes, jump ropes, clotheslines, pet leashes or cords of any kind to play set equipment. If used improperly, they can be potential strangulation hazards.
Watch for potential trip hazards, such as rocks, tree stumps and concrete footings. Make sure you’re children are aware of them as well.
Do a sandbox check. Before letting your child dig in, rake through the sand to check for debris or sharp objects. Also, inspect for any animal contamination or insect problems.

Please do your part this summer. Be sure to think ahead, look over your surroundings, watch your children and always be prepared in case you have an emergency occur.

What will you be teaching your children about safety before they head out this summer?

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Underwriters Laboratories. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Thank a teacher – Bing Teacher Appreciation Tour

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

As a classroom teacher, I spent a lot of my own money buying things for my classroom, students and beyond. It may have been a little here, and a little there, but it adds up quickly. Did I mind? Not one bit. To me it was part of my job and helped to make the classroom experience better for the kids.

Many people ask me why I became a teacher. It’s easy, I was inspired by my teachers. I loved how they spent each and every day trying to make us the best that we could be. They were the ones that taught me to read, write and have a fascination with the world around me. Although I am home with my boys right now, I am still a teacher at heart. When we go places, I am constantly thinking about lessons that could be taught. As I take photos, I inventory them for future use when I go back to teaching.

Right after I decided to stay home with my boys, I heard about DonorsChoose.org. This is an organization that works with teachers in the classroom to set up projects that need funding. Teachers submit plans for items that they need, you pick a classroom in need and donate money to them. DonorsChoose.org buys the requested items for the classroom with the money donated and kids and teachers benefit. One of my teaching friends, CityStreams, did a DonorsChoose.org project and wrote about it here. The possibilities are endless. Each teacher can submit an idea and donors help them to make their lesson plan a reality.

If you could take a minute to thank a teacher from your past or one that your child has now, would you? Would you do it if it meant you earned a $5 donation to DonorsChoose.org that you could put toward any project of your choice?

Now that I have your attention, let me tell you you can participate. Here is more about the Bing Teacher Appreciation outreach with DonorsChoose.org:

Starting on May 19th, Bing is encouraging students and parents to recognize teachers who have made a difference in their lives through a new philanthropic campaign focused on supporting kids’ education. Bing has committed to a gift of up to $500,000 and teamed up with DonorsChoose.org to provide both kids and adults with a way to express their thanks to a teacher and help another teacher or school in the process.

Visit www.bing.com/education to post a comment or share a story about a teacher who made a difference in your life (or the life of your child), and Bing will provide you with a $5 donation to DonorsChoose.org, which can be applied toward any classroom project of your choice. Each visitor can leave up to 5 comments, resulting in a total donation of $25. At the end of June, Bing will aggregate the comments and share them with each teacher in the form of a congratulations letter.

It really is that simple. You go to the Bing website, thank a teacher, and soon after receive a $5 DonorsChoose.org code to donate to any current project of your choice. So far I have sent thank you notes to NHL’s 1st grade teacher and the school Nurse Teacher. I will be doing an additional three to make sure that I get the $25 to donate by July 10.

Check out schools in your area. There are a lot in mine that are looking for donations. Right now, I am working with my son’s school to come up with a project. Why? Well, when I signed up for this Blog Tour I received a $100 code to use on DonorsChoose.org. I have donated with them before and seen projects that my teaching friends have accomplished thanks to them. I am looking forward to donating this $100 toward something that my children and others at our school will benefit from.

A big thank you to Bing for supporting teachers and all that we do in the classrooms to help the children that will be the leaders of the world in years to come. Now please do your part and thank some teachers to help classrooms that are in need. Let’s make sure that Bing donates the maximum amount to needy classrooms all over.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Bing and a $100 DonorsChoose.org giving code to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me a thank-you gift certificate.

U Taste We Donate Campaign from Pringles Multigrain

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

A lot of people may not realize that I am not a huge chocolate fan. Instead, I often crave salty snacks. Growing up, I remember begging to take Pringles Light Crisps in my lunch to school. My obsession continued into college, where I would often have a canister in my car for emergencies. They also were easy to pop into a bag for a hockey road trip back in the day.

These days, we are always looking for items that are multigrain and a little more health conscious fun for occasional snacks. Recently, I was asked by Mom Central to participate in a Blog Tour about Pringles Multigrain and their new campaign.

More about U Taste. We Donate.:

From the Press Release:

Pringles, America’s favorite stacked potato crisp, introduces consumers to new Pringles Multigrain, a surprisingly tasty twist on multigrain snacks. As the latest addition to the Pringles family, Pringles Multigrain is packed with multigrain flavor and crunch and comes in three mouth-watering varieties: Truly Original, Creamy Ranch and Cheesy Cheddar. As part of the nationwide rollout, Pringles and Celebrity Chef Tyler Florence are working together to make it easy for consumers to also make a difference while trying new Pringles Multigrain with the “U Taste. We Donate” campaign. Enter the UPC code from any can of Pringles Multigrain between March 15 through June 30, 2010 at www.PringlesMultigrain.com and Pringles will donate one dollar (with a total donation of up to $100,000) to Share Our Strength®, the leading organization working to end childhood hunger in America.

My family received each of the varieties of the the new Pringles Multigrain crisps to try. It was like a trip down memory road hearing the air release as I popped the top of the canister. The smell of the snacks was enough to get my mouth watering. I am a traditionalist and prefer the Truly Original, but the boys are fans of the Cheesy Cheddar. What really impressed me was they are Kosher. We often have a hard time finding multigrain flavored items that are marked as Kosher, so it was a very nice surprise. When we are looking for a special multigrain snack, we will definitely buy more Pringles for our house.

Of course, I also went to the website and entered the UPC codes from my packages of Pringles Multigrain container. The box to enter the UPC code is easy to spot on the first section of the website. Kuddos to Pringles for teaming up for such a great cause.

Confession time, do you like Pringles? If you do, have you tried the Multigrain variety and which one would you love to try to help "U Taste. We Donate."?

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Pringles Multigrain and received a tote bag with samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Rayovac Powers Your Vacation-Magic Wand Sweepstakes

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

It is no secret that we are HUGE Disney fanatics in our family. Just a year ago, we were celebrating the first visit for the boys, along with JSL’s second birthday at Walt Disney World. Then in February, I was lucky enough to be at the first ever Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. Thanks to this, I was sent information about a great new Sweepstakes taking place.

Starting May 12 and running ti July 31 you can enter the Rayovac Powers Your Vacation-Magic Wand Sweepstakes for a chance to win a celebration vacation for four to Disney World or Disneyland. In addition to the Grand Prize, there is also a chance to win a lifetime supply of Rayovac batteries or a Disney Gift Card from Rayovac.

Of course, I have stopped by the official website and entered and so can you. Just click here. In addition to the Sweepstakes there will also be a fun Twitter event taking place. The details are below:

#Rayovac Powers Your Vacation Twitter Event

Join Rayovac and MomSelect for a Twitter Event to support the exciting Rayovac Powers Your Vacation-Magic Wand Sweepstakes. The evening will feature more than 20 fun giveaways from Rayovac raging from a summer supply of Rayovac Batteries to Disney Gift Cards.

Date: Wednesday, May 19th

Time: 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST

Location party hashtag: #Rayovac

Follow on Twitter: @Rayovac_Battery, @MomTalkRadio, @CirclePRMary

Good luck to everyone and I hope to see you on Twitter that night, I know I will be there.

Disclosure: As one of the participants at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, I was asked to share this information with my readers. By doing this post, I will be entered into a chance to win a gift card/batteries for myself.

Home Farming with some help from Triscuit

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Six years ago this April, we bought our house and moved in by July. The following year, TechyDad wanted to start planting flowers and possibly some vegetables. Over the years, he and our oldest son, NHL, have attempted growing many different items. Each year, our biggest nemesis has been the neighborhood "wild" bunny family. These furry pests have destroyed many items over the years.

After the first attempt at putting them into the ground did not work, the boys tried to put them into pots that were off the ground. This did better, but there were still problems. Last year, our plants were in large pots on our front patio. Finally, we had items that were successful. We had a bumper crop if jalapeno peppers, a lot of mint, several cucumbers and a handful of tomatoes.

With Earth Day coming next week, we will probably try to plant some items this coming weekend. Our 2010 home farm will likely be grown inside our covered porch. This will allow it to have plenty of light, but protect our plants from bunnies, birds and hail.

During the Spring and Summer, we always support our local Farmers Market and love the local and fresh produce. Still, there is just something extra delicious about items picked from our own garden. In addition to the savings, our children have also learned valuable science and life lessons from growing our own plants and vegetables.

Thanks to Mom Central, I recently found out about a Home Farming campaign that Triscuit is working on. I received one of the four million boxes of specially marked Triscuit boxes that contains seeds to help start our own Home Farm.

Here is more about the program:

In an attempt to help Americans celebrate the values of simple goodness found on farms and encourage the growing of fresh herbs and vegetables at home no matter where you live, Triscuit has launched the Home Farming Movement in collaboration with the non-profit organization Urban Framing. Together, Triscuit and Urban Farming plan to create 50 community-based home farms across the country in 2010 in order to connect communities through growing food together.

To help get this fantastic program off the ground, Triscuit is putting plantable herbs seed cards in four million boxes of Triscuit crackers to be grown on home farms in backyards and balconies. With Earth Day right around the corner, this spring proves ideal for incorporating home growing values into your family’s life. Head to the Triscuit Home Farming Movement Web site, www.triscuit.com/homefarming, for more information on how you can start your own home farm or get involved in the Movement.

So will you be joining in on the Home Farming movement this year? If you are what do you hope to plant this year in your garden?

I know that we will be planting the basil that was included on our Triscuit box along with tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and other items that we find. With any luck we will have more nutritious and delicious items to eat right after we pick them. Happy planting!

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Trisciut and receive the product necessary to facilitate my candid review. In addition, I received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

The Great Debate – Roll Poll Results

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

When TechyDad and I got engaged, we had a few pieces of "business" to take care of. One item that I insisted on: he HAD to put the toilet seat back down when he was done using the bathroom. I had heard too many stories of women going to sit down in the middle of the night, while half asleep, and getting a rather unpleasant surprise. On the flip side, TechyDad had a demand of his own. He wanted the rolls of toilet paper to go over and not under. At the time, I preferred the roll going under, but was willing to give into his request. Now, almost 9 years later, we have both adjusted nicely to these bathroom rules of sort.

For months, I had been reading people on blog posting about Cottonelle’s campaign called The Great Debate or Roll Poll. People were asked whether they were part of Team Roll Over or Team Roll Under. The results of the Roll Poll are now in and it was not even close.

Thanks to these results, Cottonelle has reformulated their toilet paper to be even softer and stronger than it previously was. This will help those of us that roll over to keep our paper in check.

The paper seems really soft and durable to me. Very easy to grasp when rolling over for my oldest son. I have to admit though, I really like the cute puppy on the packaging and the fact that Cottonelle has Box Tops for Education. It is always great to help support our school, even when selecting what to use when . . . well -er wiping our rears!

So are you on the winning Team Roll Over or the less popular Team Roll Under?

BTW if you want to see some funny videos, check out the ones on the Cottonelle website. The boys and I laughed along with them.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Cottonelle and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Making things sweet with Splenda

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

Making things healthier for our family is a major goal in our house. We do not bake sweets too often because of extra sugar in these items. In addition to this, my mother and TechyDad’s mother are diabetic. We try to watch things because we know diabetes is in our genes. I was recently asked by Mom Central to participate in a Splenda tour to receive a free sample of Granulated Splenda No Calorie Sweetner and the Splenda Tastebook. I agreed since it was a fabulous opporunity to have some recipes to try with my family and friends that are diabetic and/or trying to watch their sugar intake.

We had Splenda packets in the house before this, but had never really used it for anything beyond adding to drinks. Splenda recently teamed up with celebrity Mom chef, Katie Brown, to offer recipes and tips on how to use Splenda in more items than you can imagine. Brown offers recipes for cookies, cakes, breaks and even smoothies.

Our sample and cook book arrived just before Passover . We wanted to try something quick and easy that did not require baking. TechyDad mentioned that we had a lot of overly ripe bananas. I opened up the Splenda Tastebook and found the Banana Strawberry Shake. It was the perfect fit since we had strawberries in the freezer. Bananas, strawberries, Splenda and fat free milk was all we needed with our handy dandy blender.

If you are interested in the recipe you can find it here. One item that I especially liked was the nutritional information was included – big kuddos for that! As you an see below, both of my boys loved it. My little guy actually drank a lot and told us he now likes strawberries. We liked it SO much that TechyDad and the boys actually made three batches of this for the entire family for a snack. It was delicious!

When Passover is over, there are a bunch of other items that look really good including the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars. I will also be looking at other items to add to my online cookbook to make for my son’s party to bring special for the diabetic members of the family present. I know I have a lot of options with the online recipes and ones in my Tastebook thanks to Katie Brown who included not only drinks, desserts, but also side dishes, sauces, salads and salsas.

Have you used Splenda in any recipes that you liked? Please share, I would love to know.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Splenda and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review. In addition, a donation was made in my name to the Meals on Wheels organization to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Betty Crocker Fruit-Flavored Snacks Win & Give (Giveaway)

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

Right now, the world economy is in a tough spot. Even during these penny pinching days, people all over are working hard to help others. Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I learned about the new project that Betty Crocker is working on. They have joined efforts with One Lap Top per Child to help provide laptops for children in Africa.

Participating is easy thanks to the Win and Give campaign. With this new program, children can help in an easy and fun way.

More about the program:

With specially marked boxes of kid favorites – including Fruit Roll-Ups, Gushers, Fruit by the Foot, and Stickerz & Shapes – your child could win one laptop to keep and Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks will donate another to a child in Africa.

Each day from now through May 30, 2010, one laptop prize will be awarded to a U.S. winner. For every laptop won, one laptop will be donated to an African child through One Laptop per Child, an organization that creates educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning. For your chance to win, simply enter the unique online code printed on participating Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snack packages on www.WinOneGiveOne.com.

We were sent two boxes of Betty Crocker fruit snack. The boys enjoy them and they bring back fun memories from my childhood. One of my all time favorite snacks growing up were the strawberry Fruit by the Foot. There is just something fun about them, plus are a low calorie snack.

Giveaway:

Thanks to MyBlogSpark and Betty Crocker, one lucky reader will win two boxes of Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks and a $25 donation to One Laptop per Child will be made on your behalf.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Answer one of the following questions: What have you done to encourage your children to help others? -or- What is your favorite experience that has been with helping others?
1 Bonus Entry – What is your favorite flavor fruit snack?
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and Betty Crocker Win and Give Giveaway in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use): Win Betty Crocker fruit snacks and have $25 donated in your name to One Laptop Per Child from @TheAngelForever http://bit.ly/bMHKBy
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of January/February/March. Be sure to leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done only twice per person.
3 Bonus Entries – Add my blog button to your website and leave a link with the location. Be sure to give yourself 3 comments for credit.
5 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the giveaway. Be sure to leave 5 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today March 7th and ends at 10:59 EST on March 21, 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only.

Disclosure: I received two packages of Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks with the Win & Give game pieces on them. In addition to this, $25 has been donated in my name to One Laptop per Child. No other compensations was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own feelings about the promotion.

Rainbow Brite is back

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Flashback to the 80′s and what toys do you remember? A few that crop up in my mind immediately are Care Bears, Pound Puppies, He-Man, Cabbage Patch Kids, Nintendo and of course the very colorful Rainbow Brite who was created by Hallmark (a little known fact).

Did you know that Rainbow Brite is back for her 2010 debut?

Yes, you read that right. In February 2010, the new revamped Rainbow Brite doll collection was released in Toys R’ Us and Target stores. Availability, free games/activities and more can be checked at http://www.rainbowbrite.com. Once again you can see Rainbow Brite and her two loyal friends Moonglow and Tickled Pink, and their companion horse friends Starlite, Shimmer and Sunriser.

Once again Rainbow Brite is back empowering children to use their imaginations for adventure she spreads her message of courage, kindness and hope.

Yes, I have two little boys, but I am still happy to share a piece of my childhood with them. Thanks to Mom Select, my family and friends received Rainbow Brite CD packs that include Rainbow Brite games and activities.

Be sure to head over and check out the 2010 version of Rainbow Brite and friends. There is nothing like a little nostalgia from your childhood to make you smile.

Disclosure:I did not receive any compensation for this post. MomSelect supplied me with the Rainbow Brite CD packs for my family and friends. All opinions are 100% mine.

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