Gamestop

A few weeks ago, we were given a $30 giftcard to Gamestop via Mom Central to spend as we wished and to let everyone know about our experience. And since we have a Wii, we thought it would be great to go get a new game.
So off we went. There are actually a few Gamestop stores in our area, including one even in our town, but we were venturing off to a mall since we had a few other places to hit as well. The games were organized well in the store and we quickly found the Wii wall of games. Ray gravitated towards Tiger Woods golf and Ashley found her idol, a Hannah Montana game.


Yes, there is a Hannah Montana game for the Wii. Ray quietly gave up his golf game and off we went. At home, Ashley was excited to play it, even though it was a little too old for her. It is basically a game where you do dance moves using the controllers and arm movements. And I won't tell you how Ray and I stayed up late that night playing it, and the next night, and the next. And then Ashley's friend from across the street was over the other day, and her Dad played it as well.


It's addictive, that's all I got to say.


So yes, our experience with Gamestop went well, and I would visit again to get another game for our Wii.

I Heart Strawberries

Strawberries are my sweet addiction when it comes to fruit. And thankfully, Ashley shares in my love of them (the other child who shall not be named won't touch fruit, the stinker). I am constantly looking for new recipes to use strawberries. Fortunately for us, we have a local farmer's market as well as plenty of farms around us to get the freshest strawberries.


And while we may not live even remotely close to California, the California Strawberry Commission website offer tons of information.

If you are looking for recipes, check out this site.


If you are looking for a fun site with cool activities for kids, check out Strawberryville.


Some fun facts to stump your 5 year old (or heck, stump yourself):
- There are about 200 seeds on the outside of each strawberry
- If you lined up all of the strawberries grown in California in one straight line, they would wrap around the entire Earth 15 times
- One acre of land (about the size of one football field) grows about 50,000 pounds of strawberries - that's the same weight as 4 elephants

Schlage Locks

At least two or three times a week, there are packages on my doorstep. I do a lot of online shopping since I work full time and don't have the time to actually go to a store to shop. Plus, I get a ton of mail for this site and my review site to review.

But when I came home one day two weeks ago and found 20 boxes on my front porch from Schlage, I was pretty shocked. That meant that I had 40 locks to try out from Schlage as there were 2 locks in each box. Kind of crazy. I called the wonderful women at Mom Central who were already doing what they could to rectify the situation. Then not soon after, a helpful customer service representative called from Schlage and we arranged a pickup for 19 of the 20 boxes. It actually didn't end up being an inconvenience for me as I left the boxes on my front porch until they were picked up. No harm done.

And the lock? It has already come in handy. Lucky for us, we already had Schlage locks on our front door, and we easily ordered the right finish to match what we already had. I had geared up for my husband to do a ton of cussing to get the new lock installed, and it only took about 15 minutes and no curse words, and we had a new lock on our front door. Specifically, this lock:
Why has it come in handy? My parents were in town last weekend, and got to our house before we got home from work. We let them know the code and they were able to get in. My husband is in real estate, and we have some realtor signs in our garage. He had a coworker stop by our house to pick one up, and his coworker was able to get in using the code.

I am excited about the lock because I lose things. I would lose my head if it weren't attached to my body on some days. I also tend to forget things...and keys are a pretty frequent item I forget (that and my purse)(oh, and my cell phone, which really makes Ray mad).

My point is these locks kick butt. They are useful, stylish, and provide the right security.

Cool Site

My friend Debi and her good friends started a great website - Love is...New Additions To The Family. It's a great resource for any size family, but I love seeing how they all manage with larger families.

A few good links to check out..

There are some days I literally feel like I have seen the entire internet, even though I know that is not even remotely possible. I love hearing about new websites to check out...when I do, I will pass them along here.

One cool website is Carmax.com. It is redesigned and now allows users to search for vehicles based on reliability and safety ratings from the NHTSA and J.D. Power, customer and expert reviews from Edmunds.com and others.

One site that is interesting for those who want to pay less for electric (would be really, really nice to pay less for gas, but I digress). The Campaign for Fair Electric Rates is committed to raising awareness of the price discrepancy between regulated and deregulated states.

And one last site I am sure does not need explaining...Bossbitching.com. For all of us living in the corporate world or who just want to laugh at all of us living in a corporate world at work.

Gift Ideas for Dads

I have received a few emails over the past few weeks about some great gift ideas for Dads for Father's Day. I would like to share a few here...and please check out Lookit!...I Spy for more. We will be updating continually today with more ideas. I know I am definitely a person that doesn't think up good gift ideas on my own.

Best Buy has two great products right now for Dads (and Grads...).

The first is Best Buy’s Microsoft® Zune 30GB Bundle. It retails for $199.99-214.99 and includes:

- Action Jacket armband for convenience when exercising
- Storage up to 7,500 songs at one time for a long-lived, traveling library
- Exceptional FM radio signal for additional entertainment options
- Up to 14-hours of battery life (for music playing only)
- Integrated wireless allows sharing of songs and photos

They come in either black or red models and are available now at Best Buy stores.

The other product is Best Buy’s Insignia MP3 Fitness Bundle that retails for $99.99. This bundle includes:

- Insignia 2GB MP3 player can store up to 500 songs to keep you in the zone
- $10 Best Buy Digital Music Store download card to complete your perfect workout playlist
- Init armband ensures the lightweight Insignia MP3 player is securely fastened
- Water bottle used as packaging is also included as an added bonus

This is also available at Best Buy. Good luck with the gift giving!

American Standard AccuClean for Allergy and Asthma Sufferers

Allergy season for our house starts about February and runs until November. We have not had Audrey tested yet, but something makes her miserable for most of the months of the year. Ray has allergies as well, and seems to be the worst in the fall. Audrey is on Zyrtec daily, and will be evaluated at her three year appointment on what to do since it would have been two years that she would have been on Zyrtec. Ray switches pretty much to what is on sale or what we have a coupon for between Claritin and Zyrtec or other store brands. And this sucks for a family that likes to be outside as much as we do. We are outside playing most evenings as soon as it is warm enough, and we almost always eat dinner on the deck.

I know a few of you out there have allergy sufferers as well, so I would like to pass along information about the AccuClean™ Whole Home Air Filtration System. With this system, your house can be rid of 99.98% of allergens in the air. It also removes over 99% of the common flu from the filtered air in your home. The system works with a reusable filter that can be vacuumed or washed and is 8 times more effective than the best HEPA room appliance. Check out the website for more information as well as dealers in your area.

Clorox Wipes

When I received these in the mail, I was in desperate need of wiping down my counter tops. And then someone stepped in mud and tracked it in the front door. And then someone else spilled some milk.

So yea, they got a lot of use that first day.

Clorox has come out with Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes that are thicker than the old ones. They work as a sanitizer or to disinfect by wiping and letting it sit for 30 seconds to sanitize or 4 minutes to disinfect. Easy as that.

As yes, I used them on the counters, hard wood floors, to pick up caked on mud. They worked great. I was able to use one wipe to clean the entire half bathroom since they are thicker. They also have a low streak formula, and did not streak on my counter tops.

When you are in a time crunch like I am, these wipes will definitely come in handy. Thanks to Mom Central for the sample.

Ragú® Fresh and Simple Pouch

Sitting down together as a family is extremely important to me. It's something I want my kids to remember when they are adults and no longer living with us.

But as a Working Mom, it's hard some days to come home and make dinner. I am constantly making meals the night before just so that I can pop it in the oven when I get home so have more cuddle time with the girls.

One night a week, Ray works late making client calls. It's those nights I really don't want to cook. And it's those nights I frequently turn to pasta.

And now doing so will be that much easier. Ragú® just came out with Fresh and Simple Pouches you just pop in the microwave for 90 seconds. There is no sugar added (a huge plus when feeding sugar-sensitive Ashley) and no artificial additives or preservatives. They taste great, and if it's something I don't have to dirty a dish for, then even better.

Not only that, but you download a recipe booklet that includes a bunch of great time saving tips and meal planning suggestions for healthy meals for your family. Go to Feedourkidswell.com for more information.

Thanks to Mom Central for the review...

RS Designs

I am just full of information this weekend. That and I am totally loving being able to schedule posts in blogger. Very cool.

Anyway, you may notice a button on the sidebar of this blog. It's for RS Designs, the very cool ladies that designed mine and SJ's review blog. If you want a redesign, seriously, go there. They are unbelievably affordable and extremely quick.

Rice Krispies® - Childhood Is Calling

I am constantly thinking of ways to build memories with my kids. I want to have traditions like Sunday morning pancakes and family movie night. Before long, we will only have these memories as the kids are going to be young adults way too soon.


Rice Krispies® has partnered with Playing for Keeps to create Operation Spark. Operation Spark provides insights and advice about how to strengthen the family connections and turn everyday moments into quality time.


Exactly what I am talking about.


The other cool thing Rice Krispies® has created is a site called "Childhood is Calling". It provides music, games to play with kids, recipes, ideas, the list is endless. Check out the site and let your kids check out the site. And if your kids are into cooking as much as Ashley is, they have a section on cooking with kids. Have fun!

SimplyMobile™ Mom

I am beginning to rely heavily on my cell phone. I no longer find keeping track of my planner efficient or easy. I end up leaving it at work or at home when I need to look something up.

And now? I use SimplyMobile™ Mom. I am telling you, for those of you who use your cell phone for texting, this will change the way you do things. You can:

- Add content to your phone that you read on any web-pages
- Share content with friends and family by adding it to their phones
- Connect to your Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo! mail from your phone
- Type notes and lists for quick access when you are away from your computer
- Have important content sent directly to you by text message

And the best part? It's free. And one question I had since "Moms" was in the title was can Dads or Grandparents or Uncle Earl (I have been watching way too much Hannah Montana...) use it?

Here's what the site has to say:
"The software was designed to appeal to the way mom's use their computers and their mobile phones. As an application built by GoWare on their innovative DoMo Platform, SimplyMobile may eventually be targeted to lots of different user groups—fantasy sports players, travel enthusiasts, stock brokers, etc. Each of these applications will operate based upon the behavior of those "vertical segments.""

And now if you sign up before May 19th, you could win an 8gb Apple iPhone and 2-years of service from AT&T just for adding content to their phone. For each content item you add, you will be entered into a drawing to win a brand new 8gb iPhone and a two-year service contract with AT&T.

Check out it out now, and thanks to Mom Central for another great find!

Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Gold™

Cereal is a plus in our house...not only for breakfast, but snacktime as well. And not just a snack for me, Ashley often requests a bowl of cereal for snacktime too.

The sugary sweet cereals don't make it in our house. I for one love plain cereals like Cheerios and Krispix. And now that Ashley can't eat too much sugar in the morning, a cereal like Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Gold™ is perfect.

I could not get the box open fast enough when Ashley saw it. And she loves it. A definite hit in our house. For me, having fiber is important to start my day as it tends to fill me up. I am often eating breakfast at 6:00am before heading out to work, and I need that breakfast to last until noon.

Thanks to Mom Central for sponsoring this blog tour...

A Plumm Summer

I am a huge sap when it comes to movies...my favorites include Indecent Proposal, Dead Poet's Society, Hope Floats. I love movies that make me cry and that have good endings. I love good fashioned love stories.

With a fast approaching 5 year old who has now graduated from watching the Backyardigans to Hannah Montana and High School Musical, I realize that sometime in the near future there will be movies we both love (although, really, I love High School Musical, the big dork that I am).

I was sent a copy of A Plumm Summer directed by Caroline Zelder and produced by Fairplay Pictures from Mom Central. The film opens this weekend in the following areas (or check the website for updates):

California: LA and surrounding areas

Alabama: Birmingham, Trussville

Minnesota: Oakdale, Lakeville, Eagan

Montana: Billings, Bozeman, Kalispel, Livingston or Missoula

The film already has a ton of accolades; it was winner of the Audience Best Film Award at the International Family Film Festival and the winner of the Audience Vote for Best Family Film in Austin, just to name a few.

The film was adorable - fast paced, cute, great actors (Henry Winkler, William Baldwin, Brenda Strong), great storyline. It is set in Montana in 1968 where a well loved local tv legen and puppet, FroggyDoo, gets stolen during a live show. The story follows two brothers who search for the missing puppet. It has romance, family drama, suspense. I even cried with the scene with the older son and Dad...I won't reveal too much more.

I think Ashley is a little young for this, although I never know. I am definitely going to try it one of our family movie nights.

I hope this film gets picked up nationwide. If you have older children, it would be a must to see.

Links for today...

Mouse Made Easy - You guys know how much I love Disney (only 150 days until our next vacation there). And part of the excitement about going to Disney is the planning. My friend Sabrina started this site to make it a little easier for everyone.

Go here to see my latest baking extravaganza...I am obviously still learning.

Want a chance to win one of two $25 gift cards to Kroger? Go here...

And in celebration of Earth day, check out some new Earth friendly dishwasher detergent

And Lori of Teacher Turned Mommy gave me an award...I wish I could list all the blogs I read here in this post and why I love them all, cause I do. But I am going to pass this along to three other blogs that I started reading in the past fews months that I love.
Emily - two girls, same craziness as my house...I think we have a lot in common.
Jen - I just started reading her blog not too long ago. She knows how to have fun, and I admit it. I am jealous she lives in Florida.
Mel - Okay, so I haven't started reading her in the past few months, much longer, but I still love it. And I like how she keeps me entertained on Twitter...

Mamma Mia Contest

I recently found out that they were making a movie for the play Mamma Mia. Let me just say, I love musicals (High School Musical anyone??). I mean, really, really love them. My favorite kind of thing to watch. And I saw Mamma Mia when it was touring in Washington, D.C. a few years back. It was so much fun and people did really get up and dance in their seats. I even own the CD.

I am super excited about the movie - can anyone say Colin Firth? And just to make it more exciting, Pond's has partnered with the big screen remake of Mamma Mia for a contest. Women 40 and older are invited to form a singing trio to perform their own take on the classics "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen" and submit videos of their performances via the Pond's website, which also houses music and lyrics you can download to rehearse. It's like American Idol for grown ups, but designed for amateur karaoke enthusiasts who just love the music from Mamma Mia! Add two friends and a digital camera recorder, and you're in business! The winners of the contest will win a lavish trip to London to live the life of three Dynamos at the world premiere of Mamma Mia.

Go here for details and to submit your video...so does anyone want to sing with me?

Virginia Tech - One Year Later

As a Virginia Tech alum, today is a day that I honestly don't want to remember. One year ago, 32 lost their lives in the worst tragedy on a college campus. On my college campus. Where I spent 4 years of my life becoming who I am now and meeting the one I will spend the rest of my life with.

If you know a Virginia Tech Alum, take a moment to give them a hug or send a kind word. For today, we are all Hokies.

Triangle Mom2Mom

The site I am writing for once a week is live, but still in beta. They are working on the kinks and hopefully will have those hashed out in the next couple of weeks. My blog is featured on Wednesdays.

Go here to check the site out...though it might not be interesting to you if you don't live in the Raleigh area.

And you might notice I finally got off my butt and updated my blogroll. If I accidentally left you off, I am really sorry, just email me a reminder.

Here are links to the other great bloggers I am writing with on the TriangleMom2Mom site. I get to meet these ladies for lunch today. Finally, I get to meet some more bloggers in person.

Live and Let Di
Mother Bunker
A Day at the Park
Flipper and Me
Stroller Lane

Kellogs New Cereal

I was sent a box of Kelloggs new cereal, Wild Animal Crunch, through Mom Central. Go here to read the review....

LiceMD® Information

You may recalling reading about my neighbor's daughter who comes over on Wednesday nights for tutoring and how she had lice. Since then, she has had a couple more occurences of lice. Her Mom was having to use home made products to try and get rid of them. Her daughter is prone to seizures, and she didn't want to use products with pesticides directly on her head as no one knows what the impact of that would be to a child like that. It may cause more seizures, it may not.

I was selected from Mom Central to get a sample and review LiceMD®'s new product for head lice. LiceMD® is a real alternative to pesticide lice treatments and is pediatrician tested and clinically proven to eliminate lice, eggs, and nits (I had no idea what nits are, so go here). Finally a product that works and is pesticide free. Plus the site provides tons of information, stuff I had no idea about like:
- 6 to 12 million cases of head lice are reported each year
- head lice is the second commom most conidition among children, right after the common cold
- lice infestation is not due to poor hygiene

You can also get a $1.00 off coupon on the site as well as information on where to buy it. If you are unfortunate to have your child get head lice, this product is getting great reviews. And yes, I will be passing on my sample to my neighbor.