That's Fabulous!

Stay Tuned!

2012-02-01T04:33:00.001-08:00

I'll be blogging a new give-away shortly, a lactose-free Yoplait prize package, after reviewing the product. I'll also be blogging the latest sweepstakes from BlogHer early next week. And yes, there are a few more promotions and give-aways in the works.

All coming SOON!

Super You!

2012-01-09T15:49:00.001-08:00

Are you ready for a new look this New Year? Progresso^® is excited to announce the return of their Souper You^® Contest giving you the change to win an incredible makeover! By telling Progresso why you deserve a makeover and what you love about their soup, you could have the chance to win an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood this Spring!

Now that the ball has dropped and the confetti has settled, it´s time to consider how you will stick to your resolution for the New Year and maintain your weight management plan, without sacrificing on variety or the taste of foods you love. Thanks to Progresso^®, you can have your soup and eat it too!

With 40 delicious soups with 100 calories or less per serving, Progresso Soup has a variety of offerings that help you beat diet boredom and satisfy your taste cravings, while helping you stick to your weight management calorie goals. Progresso soups are packed with hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, rice, meat and vegetables that suit your taste buds and make you feel good about including it in your meal choices.

o This year, the Souper You^® Contest will provide three lucky winners with an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood; this includes a trip for 2 to Los Angeles, California where the winner will receive a head-to-toe makeover including hair and makeup, guided shopping spree with a $1,000 fashion retailer gift card, $1,000 spending money and 2 tickets to this season´s live finale of NBC´s The Biggest Loser

o Progresso is asking fans to visit www.SouperYou.com and submit their photo with a brief essay about why they love Progresso soups and why they deserve a makeover, by no later than February 22nd

o Fans can check back on March 12th for the announcement of the top ten finalists, and to vote for their favorite finalist until March 25th

o In addition, visit http://bit.ly/ProgressoCoup to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off the purchase of four (4) cans of Progresso Soup today, and feel free to share with your blog readers so they can take advantage of the savings as well

o Also, tune into The Biggest Loser on NBC Tuesdays at 8/7c

Click here to watch this amazing video of the 2011 winner experience. To share with others, simply embed the code below within your post or include this link, http://bit.ly/ProgressoSY11 in your Tweets, Facebook updates and blog posts.

If you decide to share the link to the online coupon or information about Progresso Soup or the Souper You^® Contest, provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark.

Adding that Holiday Bling

2012-01-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

The holidays have just passed, but all the holiday activity isn't over just yet. There are still parties and events and goodness knows that Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Part of the fun of the holidays is dressing up, adding some bling, and feeling extra fabulous about your appearance. At holiday time I go for a little extra shine in my clothes. I prefer gold and other metallic looks in my fabrics to add that subtle luster without going for bling overload.

These days I prefer a subtle sophisiticaion to my look that I can't achieve with some of the standbys of my youth, like glittery nails polish and eyeshadow, but I still like to have that glittery, glamour to my style. A simple metallic silver shell under a black blazer with a jewel tone scarf... an argyle sweater shot with metallic threads, or maybe a shiny gold mandarin style blouse. They all add that little extra "umph" to my holiday wardrobe.

Find more ideas to add sparkle to your holiday look on BlogHer.com, and while you're there, be sure to enter the Life Well Lived Sweepstakes for a chance to win a Kindle Fire and a $50 gift certificate from Amazon!

Beauty is a Force Winner:

2011-12-02T15:26:00.001-08:00

I just got my confirmation from BlogHer (who randomly selected the winner for the drawing) and the winning comment number was 25... that's Dee. I've sent an email off to Dee to get the information so that her prize can be sent out to her.

Congratulations, Dee!

Private Selection Frozen Food Review

2011-11-25T17:36:00.001-08:00

I recently received coupons from BzzAgent to try some Private Selections Frozen Foods. I was able to get, for free, a pizza, an appetizer and a desert (not ice cream).

I consulted with the kids, and we decided on the Roasted Garlic and Pepperoni Pizza, the Mediterranean Appetizers, and the desert was a toss up between the Norther Spy Apple Crisp and the cream puffs. Then off to our local Smiths...

Where we found that they carried the desserts, but not the pizzas or the appetizers.

From customer service, we called the Smiths in a little better neighborhood and found they carried all the foods, but by then I wasn't feeling well, so I sent the kids. They got the pizza (no problem) and called to argue over the deserts (there were plenty of them) and they couldn't find the appetizers we agreed on, but they could find the Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets, so I told them just to grab those and come home. I can see where product availability could be a problem for some customers.

The products ran a little more expensive than I'd like (well, the regular cost that is) but still less than some of the name brands. The volume was also a lot less than the name brands, but fine for our little group this holiday. We had these as a Thanksgiving Eve family dinner, and everyone liked the products. Liked, but not loved... except for the cheese puffs, those went over VERY well.

The pizza is small, and although it claims to serve 2, it easily served three. I'd read reviews and expected a stronger garlic flavor (which some reviewers complained about) but I didn't find the garlic terribly strong compared to other garlic crust pizzas. The Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets were delicious. The tortilla trumpets were crisp, and the chicken filling tasty. The only thing I didn't like was the volume of food in the package. The flavor was very much like El Monterey Chicken & Cheese Taquitos, which I think are a better value for the price, although the meat to tortilla proportion is much better in the Private Selection.

Since BzzAgent sent coupons to share, I may hold a couple back and get some of the other kinds of appetizers for Christmas, IF I can find them.

You can get coupons for these items at the Kroger Site, but you'll need to create an account (free) The coupons are for $3, and the offer is valid from November 27th to December 31st, 2011.

The Truly Awesome Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookie

2011-11-21T11:57:00.001-08:00

BzzAgent sent me two boxes of The Truly Awesome Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookie from Kroger. Now, I'd had all these wonderful photos planned of the kids and I enjoying these cookies, but before we did that, I thought we'd try them first. And that's where it all went wrong. Because these cookies ARE TRULY AWESOME. I opened the box, and Tay and I each tried one. We figured, we'd have Cay try it when she came home, and then we'd shoot the photos. Now these things have 10g of sugar and 120 calories each, but are large enough that it would be worth it. I told myself I could eat just one. The problem is, Cay was really late coming home, so I figured I'd just go back an nip another. And I guess Tay thought the same thing. But Cay was really REALLY late... I guess at this point you can imagine where this is going.

I'm NOT a big cookie fan, but I'm a big fan of these. By the time Cay came home, we had to open the second box. I told the kids they ABSOLUTELY had to leave enough cookies for a photo shoot in the morning (I was dead tired at that point) but when I woke up in the morning, ALL THE COOKIES WERE GONE.

I'm not surprised. As the name says, these are TRULY AWESOME.

Now I have a heck of a dilemma, because BzzAgent also sent me a bunch of coupons worth $1 these cookies... and for the first time ever, I'm having a heck of a time even THINKING about giving these coupons up.

Cay, BTW, prefers soft cookies to crunchy, so she popped her cookies in the microwave for a few seconds (following a suggestion on the back of the box) and declared them the best cookie ever.

Tay's review? "NOM NOM NOM!"

Yup, I'm definitely going to be getting more of these cookies!

Digital Scrap Booking Software Review and Give-Away!

2011-11-16T05:59:00.001-08:00

I was recently contacted by MyMemories.com to review their digital scrap booking software. As many of you know, I take thousands of photos every year, and this seemed like a great way to take these photos and present them. The software lets you make all sorts of arrangements from scratch, as well as using one of their many preset templates. You can create a digital scrapbook and have it ready to bind in minutes!

Now I've been interested in a while in the idea of scrap booking, always thought about doing it, but didn't want to deal with all the little bits and things that go with it. I could never see buying all those endless felt shapes, buttons, ribbons and do-dads when I could just Photoshop the same things... but Photoshop takes a long time to set up pages, and you can't switch elements out easily when doing something like that, and each page is a separate document. Let's face it: Photoshop just isn't designed to do digital scrap booking.

MyMemories is. I downloaded my software (which the company provided to me free to do this review) and within a few minutes I'd made this:

The thing that makes the software so easy to use is that it's SET UP to do this kind of thing. There are menu lists divided by type of decoration and color, so it's easy to get your hands on exactly what you want without scrolling through endless lists.

A preset template comes with different formats, so that each page can be share a common theme with a different layout. All of the preset templates can also be changed, all of the elements are moveable.

This is an example of a preset template page and the interface:

As you can see, there are also pop up hints and tips that teach you about the program as you use it. There are also a number of viewing options, including overlaying a grid on the project to make sure everything is lined up the way you want it to be (my FAVORITE option when creating custom pages)

Now I've focused a lot on the pages and the printing aspects, but this is a DIGITAL scrap book, and so it has a lot more options available than a print. For example, the "photos" can be movies instead of stills, and you can add music to the entire scrapbook, and you can make it into a digital slide show presentation, which adds a lot more dimension than having a simple (although beautiful) printed book.

I think this video says it best, and shows more of the options. I'm still exploring MyMemories. My feeling in all this? Well, whoever else wins, I've already won. This is a program I see getting a whole lot of use out of, especially with the girls going off to college next year. What a great way to do yearly photo memory albums to send out on disc instead of annual family newsletters... or to make custom cards, wedding albums, or baby books!

Now comes the best part for YOU... the GIVE-AWAY!

Now I'm giving away a free download of MyMemories. The winner will receive a code for a free download of the My Memories Suite.

The drawing will end on Sunday, November 27 at midnight MST.

Now there are a WHOLE lot of ways to get entries, and here they are:

Subscribe to the MyMemories Blog

Follow MyMemories on Twitter

Follow MyMemories on FB

Follow That's Fabulous on Google Friend Connect (link in sidebar)

Follow That's Fabulous on FB (link in sidebar)

Follow Fab50Kate on Twitter.

In addition, you may tweet this give away once a day for a daily additional entry, and update your FB status with a link to this give-away once a day for a daily additional entry. Please use @fab50kate so I can see your tweets!

Share your memories for free: My Memories Digital Software Give-Away at That's Fabulous: http://t.co/unfYbL5e @fab50kate

and for 5 MORE entries, blog this give-away!

The winner will be selected based on comment number selected using Random.org.
The drawing will be held on Monday, November 28th. The winner will be notified by email, and will have 48 hours to respond to verify email address, upon which the download code will be mailed to the winner. If the winner does not respond, a new winner will be drawn.

Breakfast With Pillsbury Winner

2011-11-13T04:58:00.001-08:00

The winner of the breakfast with Pillsbury prize pack was drawn at random.org and the winner is...

Comment #10, that's Julie! Julie, you've been emailed and have 48 hours to get back to me with your shipping information. In the event that no response is received, a new winner will be drawn.

Bounce Dryer Bar Review

2011-11-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

Now about a month ago BlogHer sent me a Bounce Dryer Bar to review. Because of my travel schedule, I didn't get to try it out until last week, but the kids have been using it.

We have mixed reviews on the thing. The kids loved it. They always forget to put the dryer sheet in with the clothes, and as a result they have static like crazy. Here in the desert southwest, that can be a major issue! Having the dryer bar in the the dryer already eliminates all of that. The kids love the convenience, and loved that there was no overbearing scent.

When I came home, I was less than happy with the dryer bar. I thought it left too much residue on the clothing, and ended up removing the bar from the dryer. This lead to a second problem, because the bar is attached on the inside of the dryer with a plastic clip. Leaving the clip in the dryer without the bar caused snags on my clothing, so I pried the clip off. It is attached pretty firmly with a double backed foam sticky tape-like substance, that holds really REALLY well. This ended up leaving an adhesive residue which wouldn't come off easily when scrubbed, even though at that point I was taking the inside finish off the drier drum... a definite no-no since I don't own this dryer: it's property of the apartment complex where I live.

Now, I have to add a disclaimer to this, because in my situation, we may not have given a fair trial for this, because at the same time I was worried about the residue on my clothing and pulled the dryer bar, we were also having issues with residue on our dishes from our dishwasher, and it's possible that there was a problem with our water at that point, and the dryer bar was just fine.

Although I received this dryer bar for free, I wasn't part of the BlogHer promotion that includes the give-away, but The Simmons Family is, and they're giving away a Bounce Dryer Bar and a $50 Visa Gift card from BlogHer and Bounce. You may want to check it out!

Breakfast with Pillsbury review and Give-Away

2011-11-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

Recently MyBlogSpark sent me three coupons for free Pillsbury breakfast foods which I could use for Pillsbury Scramblers or for Pillsbury Grands! Biscuit Sandwiches, and a small Pillsbury Dough Boy plushy as well as a Pillsbury Dough Boy key ring. At the end of this post, I'll tell you how you can win the same thing.

First off, I need to point out how important breakfast is. I've learned during my weight loss and fitness journey, that skipping breakfast is about the worst thing to do, so I've been looking for some quick and easy breakfasts that have the protein I need. Now when I went to do my shopping with my coupons, I bought two of the breakfast sandwiches (bacon egg and cheese, also the ham egg and veggies) and one of the scramblers (with sausage).

The first thing I tried was the sausage and egg scrambler. It was... sausage-y. I'm not big on sausage, but I like a little now and then, but I found the taste of the sausage overpowering. My daughter, who loves sausage, loved it. I went on to eat one of the egg and bacon sandwiches, which is egg, bacon and cheese on a biscuit. I thought the biscuit was less than the flakey delight I'd hoped for, but the over all taste was pretty good. Again, my daughter loved it, and this morning the entire package was GONE.

Now at this point, it occurs to me that even if these aren't my own personal favorite breakfast foods, my kids love them, and they're a heck of a lot better that grabbing a pastry at school... you're getting them to eat a fairly balanced breakfast. The other pleasant surprise was that there isn't an outrageous calorie count for these things... they're something I can feel good about buying for the girls.

Now, this is the part where you win three free breakfasts... that is to say, you'll win three coupons you can use to get free Pillsbury Scramblers or Pillsbury Grands! Biscuit Sandwiches. You'll also get that cute little Dough Boy plushy and key chain.

and because I was late getting in this campaign, we're going to give it away FAST.

THE RULES:

Comment below and tell me why you want a quick, delicious, microwaveable breakfast. (one entry)

Tweet this drawing daily (one entry per day)

Blog this drawing (3 entries)

Friday NOON MST is the deadline. At that point, I'll draw from the comments using random.org, and submit the winner's email to MyBlogSpark, which is providing the prize pack. YOU MUST INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL IN YOUR COMMENT TO WIN. Because we're running late on this, I want to be SURE you get your prize pack in on time!

Pillsbury Website: http://bit.ly/pillsburybreakfast
Pillsbury Facebook: http://on.fb.me/fbpillsbury
Pillsbury Twitter: http://bit.ly/twpillsbury

Shutterfly Card Give-away winners.

2011-11-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

Three winners have been drawn. Random.org drew 7, 6 and 2. The winners will shortly be receiving an email with the promotion codes to order their free cards.Congratulations!

Beauty is a Force: bareMinerals give-away!

2011-10-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've always been a little skeptical of the word "beauty". To me it's been a wonderful way to describe a sunset, a flower, a piece of art... but not people. It seemed to me to be the least important aspect, perhaps almost insulting to say, as if you couldn't find anything else wonderful about a person but their appearance.

Beauty is only skin deep. How many times have we heard that? But there isn't a problem with the word, there isn't a problem with being beautiful, the problem is in our perception.

Because beauty doesn't preclude smart, caring, creative, or any number of other qualities. In fact, true beauty is a reflection of all those things.

True beauty shines from the inside out. It's the reflection of our spiritual selves on our physical bodies. It's the way we express the joy we have in life, the pride we have in ourselves, and the image we want to show others.

When I struggled with the kind of emotional oppression of years of abuse, I didn't want to look beautiful. I wanted people to look past my extreme weight, my baggy raggedy clothes, and my lack of makeup and hair styling and see the person inside of me. And I was disappointed that they didn't, never acknowledging that the reason they couldn't find it was because I had it hidden... I was not expressing my beauty, and somehow expected others to see what I made a point of obscuring from them.

Now I'm finding my way towards new self confidence, new senses of empowerment, and with that has come new understanding of beauty. I love expressing myself with my clothing, my hair, my makeup, and my jewelry. But none of that comes without challenges!

I have very sensitive skin, so for me makeup has been a sticking point. Now that I've discovered mineral makeup, I've been enjoying more makeup more often, and finding ways to accent and show off my own inner beauty with makeup. Along the way, I've also learned that not all makeup is created equal. bareMinerals® makeup has a silkier feel, better blending, and more even color than a lot of makeups I've tried.

BlogHer and bareMinerals® sent me a bareMinerals READY™ Eyeshadow 2.0. The color combination is The Promise, a pair of wonderful neutrals perfect for every day wear.

As I explored bareMinerals®, I also came across their ad campaign, which really appealed to me for its expression that real beauty is a force that's expressed from within:

Now you have the opportunity to experience bareMinerals® and express your own force of beauty and win your own bareMinerals READY™ Eyeshadow (retail value $20) :

How do you define a force of beauty? Share your thoughts and opinion in the comments section for your chance to win a bareMinerals READY ™ Eyeshadow Duo.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post.

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

This sweepstakes runs from October 25 - November 30, 2011.

Be sure to visit the Promotions & Prizes page on BlogHer.com where you can read other blogger's reviews and find more chances to win!

Like Bare Escentuals on their Facebook page and receive even more information about the Force of Beauty campaign!

What do you think is the hardest makeup trick to master and what are your tips for achieving it?

2011-10-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

BlogHer has asked what my best makeup tip is, and wants to know yours, too.

I've recently learned the importance of having the right tools for the right job when it comes to makeup. For me, having a set of good quality brushes has made all the difference in the world. While in the past, having some of the lesser quality brushes has irritated my skin, the biggest impact I've found is that the better brushes really do help the makeup go on smoother and blend better.

Comment below and let me know what your best makeup trick is, and be sure to visit Blogher.com to read and share makeup tips with others across the web. ... and while you're at Blogher, be sure to enter the current $250 Life Well Lived Sweepstakes

Customized Photo Holiday Card Give-Away and Review

2011-10-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm getting 50 free holiday photo holiday cards from Shutterfly. Three of my readers will get 25 free cards each... info on that at the end of the post.

I'm always trying to find just the right holiday card. I like the idea of photo cards, don't like that (until now) I haven't found much of a variety. Check out the holiday cards available at Shutterfly... go ahead... I'll wait...

Amazing, right? So many, I'm really not sure what to choose. The thing I like best is the variety. Some are kinda general holiday cards I can send to my friends who aren't Christian. Some are more religious, and since they're customized, you can take one of the ones that you like the cover from and add a religious message inside, and quite a few of the ones labeled "religious" (like the Joy card) can be more secular.

I know for my daughter, the choice would be easy. She's a film student:

But for me, every time I go to the website, I find something new and think, "I want THAT one". I know I'll have to make up my mind soon...

Now, for your chances to win one of three packages of 25 customized cards, Do any (or all) of the following, for one entry for EACH thing you do:

-- Go to the Shutterfly Holiday card page linked here, and tell me which card (or cards) you like best in the comments below.
-- Tweet this giveaway
-- put my That's Fabulous button on your blog sidebar.
-- Mention and link this give-away on your blog
-- mention and link this give-away on your FB page

Drawing ends Nov 5th at midnight... winners will be selected by comment number using the random number generator at random.org and announced on November 6th. Winners must respond within 48 hours to confirm email address, and a promotion code for the free cards will then be emailed to the three winners.

Looking for another chance?
Are you a blogger? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season?
Register here: http://goo.gl/DDw7Q

Hills Science Diet Age Defying Cat Food

2011-10-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

As I posted earlier, my cat, Kali, has been trying out the Hills Science Diet Senior 11+ Age Defying Cat Food. She loves the taste, which has made feeding her according to schedule a little challenging. Kali can be pretty demanding about her food.

It wasn't too long after she started eating the Hills that the girls started asking "what's gotten into Kali?" She was definitely friskier than she had been.

Unfortunately, despite the increased activity (which I'm not sure whether to attribute to the new cat food or the cooler weather) she has gained some weight (a problem with her).

My issue with the Science Diet is the cost, but it's something I'd be willing to pay if I discover that it was really the reason behind Kali's increased activity levels. I'm doing a second trial, putting her back on another organic specialty cat food that's considerably less expensive (Iams) and checking to see if she is still as energetic as she was on the Hills. If she isn't, if it's really the Hills that made the difference, then it's definitely worth the extra money to make my cat feel happier and healthier. I'll just have to be a lot more careful about who's feeding her, how much and when.

Kali is extremely particular about her cat food. She won't eat canned. Won't eat most dry. It's got to be one of the better quality (read: more expensive) foods and she tends to prefer some of the organics, although I have to say that when we changed back from the Hills yesterday, she turned her nose up at her dish at the organic food she'd been given, the last of the food we'd bought before the Hills. Now we're back to Iams (which she likes a lot as well) and we'll have a better idea of how much the food she's gotten has contributed to behavior... and whether or not the Hills is worth the price.

But I'll say right now: If I were working instead of on Social Security, there would be no question in my mind that I'd get the Hills for Kali. Even if the benefits claimed by the company are over-rated (and I'm not convinced either way at this point) the fact that she likes it and did show some behavioral change would be enough for me to invest in it for her.

After all, how often do we treat ourselves with food? Get a chocolate bar when we're down? Pay a little extra for the better cut of meat? Splurge on a latte or that slice of cheesecake? and if we would spend a little extra on foods that make us feel good, if only emotionally, why wouldn't we want to spend a little extra for our pets?

I received this bag of Hills Science Diet for free as a BzzAgent reviewing the product. My opinions on the product are my own.

And the winner is...

2011-10-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

The winner of the $100 Dick Sporting Goods Gift Card from BlogHer and Gatorade is...

Helen Keeler!

BlogHer selected Helen's comment at random, and just notified me of the winner. Helen has 72 hours to respond to my email, copying in BlogHer, to claim her prize.

Congratulations Helen!

Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner

2011-09-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

So I'm not one of those people who think cleaning the toilet bowl is the worst job in the house, but when BzzAgent gave the the opportunity to review Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner, I stepped on it (pun intended). Now, my bowl has never been cleaner, but I'm not yet sure if this is a product I'll continue to buy. Why? Because, as I said, scrubbing the toilet has never been the issue. I hate cleaning the OUTSIDE of the toilet, and this product just doesn't do that.

Now, on the other hand, my kids love it. Cay shares the bathroom chores with me, and she HATES cleaning the bowl so for her, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

The idea of the product is that you clip the sprayer on the side of the toilet under the seat, then you just have to tap the pump (with the product inside) with your toe to clean your toilet. It's recommended that you tap twice a day.

Like I said, my toilet has never been cleaner inside, but I'm not sure this product does any better job than some of those things you drop in the tank... the difference being that in an emergency, your toilet tank water would be safe to drink if you use this product (even though the toilet bowl water, obviously, would not!) But I'm not one of those who would choose a cleaning product on that basis.

Now, this time around I'm going to do something a little different. My daughter has already called dibs on some of the coupons I've received from Scrubbing Bubbles for this program, but I've still got 10 coupons for starter kits and 10 coupons for refills. The starter kit coupons are $4, and the refill coupons are $2.

Do YOU want them?

Because the first 10 people who sign up below in the comment section with your email (I'll send you my address and you'll send me a SASE) will get a pair of coupons: One of the $4 starter coupons and one of the $2 refill coupons.

Tomorrow is Talk Like a Pirate Day

2011-09-18T13:13:00.001-07:00

Do you have your Pirate Wench Shirt?

What's the Bzz? BODUM and Science Diet.

2011-09-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

Right now BzzAgent is working on a new program, the daily Bzz. The idea is to preview products BEFORE you join the campaign. Do I love it? Maybe. There's a better chance in getting in on certain campaigns, and I can pick from a number of campaigns to do the ones I like most, like this double wall hot/cold beverage cup from Bodum. It's a smart move by BzzAgent, because now we're all out here competing for the programs and in the mean while, promoting the product.

I'm hoping it's a good development for me as well, because there are a few things coming up that I really want in on... and won't have to wait in line for. On the other hand, there are a LOT of BzzAgents out there Tweeting right now...

More on the product itself when/ if I get in on this campaign!

SCIENCE DIET UPDATE!

I've previously posted that I got in on the Hills Science Diet Campaign Senior 11+ Age Defying™ Cat Food. Kali is pretty much the laziest cat I've ever seen, so the other day I was a bit surprised when one of the girls said to me "What's gotten into Kali lately? She wants to play all the time!" Now, I have to admit, I've been a bit skeptical of the whole claim that you can "fight the signs of aging in 30 days" with a change in diet, but so far it seems to be the case! I've complained a bit about the price, but who wouldn't spend an extra $7 to $10/ month for a happier, healthier cat? I know I'm sold... and all in.

I'll update again in another week or so, to see if there's further change, or her behavior is consistent.

SCRUBBING BUBBLES ONE STEP TOILET CLEANER:
I should be getting this product sometime this week. Earlier today I mentioned it to my daughter, who asked what campaigns I'm in on with BzzAgent. When I told her we were doing a Scrubbing Bubbles, she did a "happy dance" right there on the bus! I have to agree. Scrubbing Bubbles has been my go-to brand for cleaning for a long time now. Maybe I'm just lazy... but I like the products where I have to do the least actual WORK when it comes to cleaning, and that's what Scrubbing Bubbles does best.

BzzAgent Update

2011-09-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

What I'm Bzzing about now:

True Care: FAIL... I signed up for True Care, which tracks my kids activity online and allows me to get alerts when certain keywords are used by their friends. True Care puts out some great info on cyberbullying and such, but the most important thing is that you know what's going on in your kids' online lives. The issue? The kids have to be cooperative, and give you their passwords. True Care doesn't work if the kids don't cooperate, and while you may know something isn't right if your kids don't give you their passwords, you can't know what's actually going on, because the program won't work.

Now, once you DO get the passwords (assuming they don't change them) you'll get alerts for every key word they or their friends post. This can be HUNDREDS of emails a day, containing words that my young artist and my young film major uses every day, like "LINE". And gamers? Watch out. I got 400 emails in one afternoon with the word "FIRE" because the kids were playing Fire Emblem. It got to the point where I was just scanning the emails, which meant I could miss something important... then it occurred to me that I could just use my kids' passwords and scan their FB accounts anyway if I wanted to, without paying a monthly subscription fee.

The one thing I found best about True Care is free: this parent/child agreement. It's a great way to open up dialog and to guide parent and child behaviors in assuring the child's safety on the web.

Science Diet: PASS... I'll be blogging more about Science Diet Senior Cat Food a little later in the week. My cat is getting up in years, and I thought this would be a great campaign to get in on. When I saw the price of the product, I nearly had an aneurysm. Nearly $20 for a 3.5 lb bag! on the other hand, my cat is also very picky about what she eats (she'd rather cry and go without food for days on end than eat something she doesn't like) and she LOVES the product. Now, will it make her healthier in 30 days? I don't know yet, but if it does, it's well worth the money!

Applecore: FAIL... If you read my last post, you'll know I'm no fan of the Applecore, a wire organization system that I've ended up using as a cat toy. Enough said.

Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Unknown... I haven't received this product yet, but am excited about getting it. I've become a big fan of Scrubbing Bubbles products. I've previously tried the Scrubbing Bubbles Extend a Clean Bathroom Cleaner, and LOVED it! Not only because it makes cleaning easy, but because it makes cleaning less frequent. Now I'm hoping to find the toilet bowl cleaner just as convenient and effective. More when I get the product!

Applecore

2011-09-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

Generally, I love being a BzzAgent. I get all this neat stuff to try out, and I get to choose what to try. I was really, REALLY excited about this product.

Now, when I signed up for the campaign, I knew only that this was a product that would keep my cords organized, something I was all for. I'd talked to some of my friends on the phone about it, and they were excited about the product, because who DOESN'T have a massive tangle of cords for cameras, phones, MP3 players, and other rechargeable devices?

And I waited... and waited... and waited....

And finally the product arrived:

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Now the product DOES come in a number of sizes, but the one I got was fairly small, and didn't fit too many cords, just my phone and some of the smaller wires. I don't see the point in buying the product, then having a lot of colorful Applecores hanging off the desk. And it's too bulky for me to be happy using it on my MP3 player headphones, although that does seem to be the best use for it for me. I do get sick of the wires hanging down, but am not sure that having the yellow Applecore bouncing over my chest when I run is any improvement.

The product pricing is decent. The little one, which I have, is only $1.99, the medium is $2.99 and the large, which will handle electrical cords the size of the ones you have on your lamps at home, is $4.99. They also come in a variety of colors.

But then so do zip ties, and they're a heck of a lot cheaper.

For me, this is the single most disappointing product I've tried, even worse than True Care, which I loathed. At least I could see the reason someone would join True Care, and I don't see a heck of a lot of reason for Applecore.

Now, I'm not going to throw the thing out. It rolls nicely on the floor, and my cat needs a new toy. So maybe a bit of a tumble in the catnip and someone in the family will enjoy the product.

Gatorade Moms: Helping Young Athletes BECOME

2011-08-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Soccer,volleyball, track and field... My daughters loved their sports, untiltheir school canceled the girls' sport team programs. Now as wecontinue to strive for optimum fitness, it falls to me to be not onlymom but coach.

It'seasy to let go, to find excuses in a busy schedule, but while I'm notheading out to games, I am spending what would have been practicetime with my kids. Now we hike, and we train for charity 5ks, sosport nutrition continues to be an important aspect of family life. We commit to at least an hour exercise a day, whether hiking a bosquetrail, working out in the gym, or doing aquatic workouts in the pool. In the Albuquerque heat, that can be brutal, so hydration andelectrolyte balance are always on our mind, as well as optimizing ourprotein and carb intake to match our exertion levels and types.

Being amom, we know that what happens off the field is just as important aswhat happens on the field. Sometimes it isn't easy. The kids don'twant to exercise, or they don't want to eat right... but once theystart up, they remember what it's all for. Today Tay didn't want toleave her computer, and getting her to the gym was a battle. Shedidn't like the flavor of protein drink we had at home. She'd drankall her Gatorade the day before and didn't want to bring a waterbottle. She just wanted to sit in front of the computer and playvideo games. But once she got to the gym, and started on her cardio,she was all smiles.

Andthose smiles are what makes it all worth while, when our kids feelgood about themselves and what they can... and will... accomplish.

As moms,it falls to us to see that our kids are ready to face the athleticchallenges they've chosen to pursue. How we help them with theirfoods and hydration will determine whether or not they're physicallyready to compete, and whether or not they're competing at their best. When we put dinner on the table, or pack a school lunch, or packfoods for after workout, we're nurturing future champions.

Takethe pledge now to help your young athlete become the best she (or he)can be at the Gatorade Moms page.

Formore information and to encourage moms to support their athletes as

theyBECOME, Gatorade will donate one dollar up to $10,000 to the Women’s

SportsFoundation for every pledge we receive at Gatorade Moms.

Visit the Official site

Now until September 30th you can enter to win a $100 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods to help support your young athlete. Just tell me what steps you take to ensure your athlete is prepared physically and mentally.

Rules:  

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Visit the Official Rules

For even more chances to win, visit the BlogHer Promotions & Prizes section

Another True Care Update

2011-08-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

Excuse the lack of logos. For those just joining us, I'm a BzzAgent, that I got a three month trial to True Care for free, and had a problem getting the ap set up on my daughter's FB account. Then yesterday when I tried yet again to set it up, it set up fine, and today I started getting alerts.

A short time ago I blogged about the alerts, but within a half hour of writing that blog, I was inundated with email alerts from True Care about stuff my daughter's friends had written on their wall. The vast majority of them didn't have sufficient context to review, and I would have had to log into my daughter's account directly to see them all. In many cases, the word that generated the alert was "fire". My daughter and several of her friends are playing Fire Emblem (a RPG emulator of an old GameBoy game) online. The other word that came up time and time again was "line"... and since my daughter is a manga artist and animator...

I was quickly frustrated with all the emails pouring in non-stop, and went to the True Care website to turn them all off, figuring I'd read them online when I got a chance. BUT THERE IS NO WAY TO TURN OFF EMAIL ALERTS.

When I told my daughter all this, she had a great laugh, then started posting a ton of stuff with key words, like "I'm going to nuke up a burrito, do you want one?" and "I'm going to play Fire Emblem all day." and "I think that all my characters are going to die." and "Gee, I could really go for some hash browns about now."

... which, of course, resulted in a new flood of email alerts.

So I got her help in another experiment. What would happen if she changed her password?

Well, the alert mails stopped, and I got this email from True Care:

Dear fellow parent,

Our system has not been able to access one of the sites you set up for tracking within your account. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including:

You input incorrect information by mistake.
The account is no longer active.
Your account may no longer be friended with the specific account you initially submitted for us to track.
The password on the account has been changed.
The URL for this blog is not valid
Your child may have uninstalled or never installed the Responsible Social Networking application.
Your child may have limited access to their account for the Responsible Social Networking application

If you believe the account is still active, we recommend that you check the information you have input. If that is correct, we recommend that you have a discussion with your child regarding the current password and/or friending situation.

Sincerely,

The TrueCare® Team

Remember, True Care only works if your child agrees to let you monitor him or her... something that a child you really have to worry about isn't likely to let you do.

True Care Update

2011-08-02T14:03:00.001-07:00

As of my last post, I still hadn't been able to utilize True Care to monitor my kids. A couple days ago, however, I tried again, and connected right away. Today I got my first email alerts from True Care... Four of them. In the first three, the program alerted me to the fact that her friends were dropping the F bomb, and that she used the F bomb once, as in "WtF?" In those cases, I was able to click on the link to the page where the swearing was going on and see the complete context (Ture Care gives you the text in context of the sentence it was used it, which in some cases was just the word and an exclamation point) and I could see that they were all joking and swearing over an ap that let the page user rank his top 20 friends. And it was no big deal.

The other word that triggered the result was "suicide", and the context didn't help, because it was "passion, Kiss, and suicide" which I'm not sure is the title of something (because of the capitalization) or a sign off, or something I need to be concerned about. And of course True Care did provide a link to the page where that occurred as well, but I wasn't able to access it on my account because I am not a "friend" of the person who's page it was on... Which means I have to do one of two things: either ask my daughter (and if I were a mom who couldn't do that, how would I have gotten her password to connect her account to True Care in the first place) or log on with her account and read her friends messages (in which case do I really need True Care?) anyway, this is what I got:

Word(s) Used: suicide
Page Source Type: Friend's Comment

Context:
... passion, Kiss and suicide ...

For those who were curious, I did sign in and find out: they were answers in a Word Search Puzzle.

Now too be fair, I wouldn't have found the three F-bombsher friends used, but I would have seen hers (I'm on her friends list, and see her comments) And I wouldn't have seen "suicide". On the other hand, none of these alerts lead me to anything alarming... which is, I suppose, the way we all want it to be.

But at least I know that should there be anything to worry about, it would be in my mailbox with the rest of the alerts.

Please note that I have a free 3 month membership with True Care, but that it took more than a week to get the thing up and running. I'm blogging my reviews as things happen, as my assessment of the product may change. I still haven't hooked up her YouTube account, so I'm not sure how that will work, and it seems to me likely that it's only good for print items, not video or audio comments.

I did not end up having to call customer care to get things going. The last time I tried, it connected right off. I did, however, receive comments on my other review (on the BzzAgent website) that another person had experienced the same problem with True Care. Right now I'm assuming it was an issue with their web site, although I have no evidence to support that assumption other than the fact that it seems to be working now.

Mary Kay Mineral Makeup Review

2011-07-31T14:57:00.001-07:00

Recently I was sent some Mary Kay mineral make-up to try. They sent me a mineral eye color bundle and the matching compact, with a blush... all the products fit in the smallest of the compacts, which was probably the coolest makeup gadget I've seen in a while. The compact is magnetic, so you can configure it with any of the products, which have metal casings. The makeup was a disappointment at first. I'd hoped for some foundation, some mascara, and maybe a liner and lipstick. It would have been great to get a whole makeup kit, like the ones that fit into the largest of the compacts Mary Kay offers. The other thing is that I chose the brown eye package because I liked the colors... and later found out that wasn't the brightest thing I've done.

I tossed the makeup in my makeup case, and since I don't often wear makeup, forgot all about them... until last week, when my daughter and son-in-law decided to take us out to a nicer restaurant, and I wanted to pretty up.

Now there's a good reason I don't wear makeup. I think makeup feels icky on my face. I don't like the heavy, itchy feel, and I hate the heavy look of a mask that some makeup has. It' s either too washed out or too heavy, and I haven't found anything I've liked since the 80s.

And then I put on the Mary Kay.

The colors went on smooth, blended well, and looked great. The blue that came with the brown eyes kit didn't look the best with my blue eyes, and I wished I'd gone for something with browns or a plum, which would have been what came with the blue/green and hazel kits (my eyes have been called all three at one point or another). The blush actually showed up, but not in a glaring way... and it blended well and looked totally natural.

Anyway, I'm a believer. And I have a new shopping list. I'll be tossing out all my old makeup and getting...

Mary Kay Compact
Hypnotic Hazel Mineral Eye Color Bundle
Mineral Powder Foundation in Beige .5
Cream Lipstick: Shell
Shadow and Line Eye Duo: Frosted Fig
Lash Love Mascara (I ♥ Black)

I already have Mineral Cheek Color: Strawberry Cream, so I'm set for blush.

The only problem with all this? Price. For me this will be a major difficulty. But then again, you get what you pay for, and my experience with the Mary Kay products are that they're worth it.

BTW, I did get these products for free, but was NOT required to write a review in order to get them. Mostly, I did it on a lark, and because I figured I might need some new makeup at some point. Honestly? I never expected to want to buy these products. Really REALLY REALLY want to buy these products.

True Care Media Monitoring.

2011-07-20T18:44:00.001-07:00

Recently two things happened in my life. I didn't make the connection at first, but perhaps I should have. Let me backtrack.

I, like so many parents, feel pretty confident that my kids aren't doing anything wrong online and are pretty savvy about the people they meet there. The idea of "spying" on my kids with various programs made me feel a little dirty. I just didn't see the point in doing it. Now, I was the first to say that yeah, there are SOME parents who'd be better off monitoring their kids that closely, but no one I know.

So I almost turned the campaign down, but doing the campaign puts me in line for another campaign that I really want, so I talked to my kids and decided to do it. Now mind you, my kids gave me the big "So what?" when I told them I'd be monitoring them with True Care, but one of them said something that really hit home. She said, "Do you think if D______'s mom had this program, D_______ would have been safe?"

D_____ was my daughter's best friend. She spent the night before her 17th birthday with us. Then she went home. Then the next morning she was gone. D_____'s mom was aware that D_____ had been online with an older man and that they said they were "in love". D______'s mom decided to cut off her computer and phone, but D______ was able to keep in contact over the internet using other computers. Monitoring D_______ probably wouldn't have stopped her from running off, but her mom, and the police, would have had more to go on if there were records of who she was talking to and what she'd planned to do.

The biggest flaw I see with what True Care does is that it's limited to a few sites and media. Online, it monitors FB, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube. I'm more concerned with who my daughter meets in gaming sites and Deviant Art.

I've been trying to connect to my daughter's FB page and have been totally unable to do so. Is it some security she has on her account? Does she have secure browsing? I can't connect to YouTube, either. In fact, I've been totally unable to connect to anything. When I try to connect to YouTube, if I DO get a prompt, it's usually for Twitter, which my daughter does not use. When I do get the prompts to connect (it takes several tries) the buttons to "agree" to install the ap does nothing. Neither does the "no thanks" button. I've never successfully connected to ANY of my daughter's accounts.

Most of the time I spend on True Care is with a screen that looks like this:

There's another catch. Your kids have to agree to be monitored if you don't have their passwords. True Care sends an email asking them to agree to the ap then connects them. I kinda think that if your kids are hiding something from you, they certainly aren't going to give you their passwords. On the other hand, I would guess that this keeps people from monitoring people OTHER than their own kids. You have to be logged into your kids account to install the ap to monitor. If you have your kids' passwords, why not just review what they've written periodically?

True Care only costs $4.99. When asked in a survey how much I thought I'd pay for a service like this, I selected $9.99 thinking that it'd be way less than the actual price of the program. But if the darn thing doesn't work, what good is it?

Now the whole set up made my skin crawl a little from the get-go. I gave them my address and email, and they pretty much claim the right to change their privacy policy any time they darn well please. The other part of all this is that in order to cancel your membership, you MUST do it by phone.

I'll let you know how that goes.

About.Me

2011-06-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Today I was over on the BzzAgent Website, and I was looking at campaigns I'd previously turned down, and came across about.me. What made me hesitant with this one is that I really don't consider myself a "brand". If I were out there promoting myself as a speaker or entertainer, or if I were in academics with multiple sites, I think I'd love this site for self promotion.

I really don't know what to do with it, though. Because I don't consolidate all of my blogging and social networking... because I don't have anything "professional"... I'm not at all sure what good the page does me. Now I think this is a BRILLIANT choice for someone who's branded themselves. Those who blog in multiple locations etc... it's like an online resume. I even think this'd be great for my daughter as a way to link together her art, her shops, and so on.

This is what I came up with:

Maybe I'm just not tech saavy enough to get it. Maybe at some point I'll find something to do with that page, or I'll create another one to consolidate my shops.

The site has marketing potential... but marketing and self promotion simply isn't what I do best.

I'm a total GLEEK!

2011-06-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should have posted about this hear last month... bzzagent was kind enough to send me the Season 1 Glee DVD set to review. But while I've been a good little bzzagent and put the info up on twitter and FB, I never blogged about it here.

Now the campaign is over, and this doesn't "count" but I wanted to share it anyway. And now of course there's no onus to give the set a great review...

But I will anyway. I'm a total GLEEK! I love Glee... my kids love Glee... and it's probably one of the most unexpected things in my life right now.

Look, I'm not a real TV person. When I first heard about Glee I purposely didn't watch it. I tend to have a little more esoteric tastes when it comes to media. I figured I'd be bored out of my skull. AND I WAS WRONG. I watched a show at the suggestion of a friend, and got hooked. Now I watch them over and over again.

Glee is the kind of feel good show that really takes the edge off of a hard day. Some of the characters have crossed the line between character and caricature at times, which can be a distraction, but the show has an almost comic-book feel in the extremities of the characters which can be appealing. Add music, romance, high school drama, and a few not-so-shallow moral lessons and you've got the formula for a winning show... the formula for Glee.

Now I can hardly wait for season 2 to come out on DVD. Do you think I can review that, too, Mr BzzAgent Jono? Because I just gotta get me some more GLEE!

I FLIP for this!

2011-04-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

OK... quick teaser. I recently was sent a Flip Ultra HD camera from BzzAgent. I've been having a great time with it, including heading to the zoo and filming a bunch of clips:

I tried sound in different environments at the zoo (note the seals and sea lions in the back ground of many of the shots, and listen carefully to the sound of the ducks on the rocks)

Cay is a film production student, and she can't WAIT to get her hands on it, but I've been taking it to the hospital with me every day in case THAT day is the day my grandchild will be born (my daughter in law has been in the hospital for a week now) ... the other great thing about Flip is that it's small enough to keep in my purse.

And the other feature of the camera is that it has a built in USB plug so you stick it in the side of the computer like you would a flash drive. I LOVE that, because I'm always looking for the right cord for my other camera.

Anyway, more videos to follow. Including, hopefully, some videos of my grandson.

It's Free Stuff Friday

2011-03-18T08:03:00.001-07:00

on Lauren's Hope

custom medical alert bracelets, tags, necklaces, and anklets.

WINNER: Food Should Taste Good!

2011-03-14T13:09:00.001-07:00

CJSIME007 has been notified by email, and has 48 hours to respond with shipping information.

Food Should Taste Good Review AND GIVE-AWAY!

2011-03-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

Food should taste good. Everyone KNOWS that, but it took this company to really make it so. Gluten free, chemical free, and for me, guilt free snacks... What more could you want? The people over at Food Should Taste good allowed me to select 5 flavors to try. Mind you, they didn't send me whimpy sample packs... they sent me full size bags, and are sending the winner of this week's drawing 5 full size bags of their choice of chips (more on that at the end of the post)

So I've broken it down a little for you, to cover some of the yummy products:

MY MOST DARING SELECTION:

I know, "chocolate corn chips?!"

Right?

But they were a great choice! Not too sweet, with a slightly salty chocolaty flavor that I love! Will I get them again?

DEFINITELY!

THE ONE I DIDN'T SELECT:

I didn't have to.

I'm already a Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chip addict. So are the girls. Now, before this, I wasn't much of a fan of sweet potatoes. This product has changed my mind.

A NEW FAVORITE:

The Works! I didn't read up on this before ordering it, and I thought that it'd be something like bacon, cheese and sour cream... and wondered how they'd do bacon without chemicals. I was a bit hesitant when I saw it wasn't what I'd thought it would be, then popped one in my mouth... HEAVEN!

The caraway seed flavor is so totally unique in the chip, and the other flavors so subtly enhanced the taste... I think it's going to give the Sweet Potato a run for the money with my family.

I also had the White Cheddar, the Lime (which I haven't opened yet) and the blue corn (which I'm saving for our movie night tonight)

So here's the give-away part:

MANDATORY ENTRY:

-- head over to FoodShouldTasteGood.com and tell me which flavors you'd like to try.

EXTRA ENTRIES (one each):

-- Like Food Should Taste Good on FB
-- Like That's Fabulous! on FB
-- Follow this page on Google Friend connect
-- Follow this page in Networked Blogs
-- Tweet "Food Should Taste Good, and here's the give-away that lets you know just how good it is: http://is.gd/Iz6iwY #fab50kate"

and for FIVE extra entries:

-- Put my button on your webpage (and post your page link in the comments)
-- Blog about this giveaway, posting a link (and post the link to your entry in the comments section here)
-- Join the Food Should Taste Good Fan Club (and get a $1 off coupon!)

Entries must be in by Sunday, March 13th at midnight MST.

The winner will be announced on Monday, March 14th.

DISCLAIMER: Gift pack for the winner and the chips I received free of charge come directly from Food Should Taste Good for the purpose of this review and give-away. All images in this post property of Food Should Taste Good and are part of their press kit. The opinions expressed in this blog are purely my own, and yes, I do actually buy these products because I love them so darn much!

If you could design a snack chip...

2011-03-01T20:19:00.001-08:00

what would it be like?

I know my answer... I know the flavors, the ingredients, the price, and the deal.

And next week, I'll be sharing a review and give-away of some delicious, healthy snack chips.

In the mean while, tell me: if you could design a chip, what would it be like?

Thomas' Bagel Thin Review

2011-01-22T06:04:00.000-08:00

I was lucky these last couple weeks to have been chosen to review two of my favorite foods by two different agencies. You've read the Progresso review and give-away, now it's time for another staple in my kitchen: Thomas' Bagel Thins.

Since having bariatric surgery, I can't do a lot of bread. Regular bagels are difficult. But I can (and do!) eat Thomas' Bagel Thins. They've made sandwiches possible again, and I have to admit, I also snack on them with some low fat (or faux) cream cheese.

My very favorite is the bagels "With Everything". They also come in Plain, Wheat, and Cinnamon Raisin (although I've NEVER found those last in my supermarket).

BzzAgent sent me a coupon to try the product for free (even though I've already tried and loved the product) and a bunch of $1 off coupons. It's going to be the hardest thing I've ever done to hand those coupons out and not buy all those bagels for myself!

After I got the bagels the other day, I was going to photograph them, but the kids and I ate them. (oops)

Progresso Soup Review and Give-Away

2011-01-22T05:46:00.000-08:00

If you read my other blog, you know how much I love, love, LOVE Progresso soups, so when I was approached to do a review, it was a no-brainer for me... especially since they (Progresso through MyBlogSpark) sent me some more soup, as well as a soup bowl and spoon rest.

I was also sent one of the can and rope 'telephones' you see in the current commercials. BTW, am I the only one who remembers making these and playing with them when I was young? The idea was to make our own Progresso Soup TV commercial and post it for you all to see.

Well, the chaos of the move put an end to that. I never found the box that had the soup can phone (and a number of other items!), but I CAN share the script with you.

Scene: A messy teen room. Cay eating a bowl of soup in front of her computer.
CAY: Ring ring!
Scene, me in the kitchen.
ME: Hello?
CAY (after a pause): MOM?
ME: Um, yeah. Who did you expect?
CAY: I thought this was a direct line to the Progresso soup kitchen.
ME: Well, it's kinda the same thing.
Cay: How so?
ME: well, weren't you calling because you wanted to talk to someone who made healthy soups with no MSG, light soups, and lower sodium soups?
CAY: And good tasting soups... don't forget that.
ME: Well, my soups are all those things.
CAY (after a pause): Mom, I've only seen you make homemade soup once or twice... and it takes a really long time.
ME: Hey! I'm making soup now!
CAY: Homemade soup?
ME (a little sheepishly): Well, no... but the next best thing! (Picks up the can of Progresso soup and stirs the pot.)

Anyway, It should be pretty obvious by now to any of my readers that this is the soup of choice for our family. Cay and I don't eat other brands at all anymore (and since I was a faithful Campbells customer for YEARS, that's saying a lot)

now it's your turn to win!

The winner’s prize pack will include VIP coupons for two cans of Progresso soup, a spoon rest, a soup can rack and a soup mug with matching spoon.

ENTRIES: ONE FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING:
-- tell me what your favorite Progresso Soup is
-- LIKE Progresso Soup on FB
-- LIKE Fabulous @ 50 on FB
-- Put my button on your page
-- Follow me on Google Connect
-- Blog this give-away
-- Tweet this give-away

Do it quick! This giveaway ends Monday at midnight, mountain time!

* I was provided with information, sample and prize pack from Progresso through MyBlogSpark.

New Reviews and Give-Aways Coming!

2011-01-13T07:28:00.000-08:00

I've been absent more during the holidays, like so many of us dealing with everything that the winter holidays brings: Food, family, and the events we all attend. In addition, I've recently moved, and am trying to get everything in order in the new place.

Living in a smaller space is a challenge, and I've abandoned all of my big, overstuffed furniture and have been shopping for more streamlined modern furniture that better fits my style and apartment size. Right now I need bar stools for the breakfast bar, a modern sofa bed, and perhaps some art for my bare walls.

During this time I've also signed up for a number of new reviews and give-aways, which should be coming shortly.

KEEP ALERT! you might be picking up some nice prizes here very shortly!

Win a Cruiser bike from Click!

2011-01-05T05:43:00.000-08:00

Click is giving away a lovely pink cruiser:

How do you get in on the drawing? Just "LIKE" Click on FB.
Want Click to give you 10 more entries? Let them know that Fab Kate of Fabulous@50 sent you.
If Click gets 2011 “Likes” by midnight 1/11/11, they will randomly draw a winner.

What IS Click some of you are asking? Click is an espresso protein drink. You can learn more about their product at drinkclick.com.

Healthy Holidays

2010-11-09T04:50:00.001-08:00

I've put my Healthy Holiday shirts back up on Zazzle.com. In my shop, you can get them in a men's ringer style, a women's hoodie, or a performance T. And of course you can click on any style for that design and change it to any style T-shirt, sweatshirt, or tank top you want, so basically any style zazzle offers, you can put the graphic on:

click to order

Welch's Healthy Start (review)

2010-11-07T19:18:00.000-08:00

I recently received a coupon to try Welch's Healthy Start juice from BzzAgent as part of a promotion, as well as a handfull of $1.00 off coupons. You can get $1.00 coupons as well on the Welch's Website

The girls and I actually like the taste of this better than any of the other grape juices we've tried... I would guess it's because there is no added sugar, Cay says it "tastes more like grapes". The other thing we all like is that it's 100% juice.

Now the Welch's campaign is all about starting your day off right, but I'm all about juices through out the day. It's not just about breakfast for me, and especially during the holidays, we love our juices. We don't drink alcohol in our family, so it's often a challenge for us to find a tasty and grown up substitute, so we make our own "healthy sangri" without wine. Today I discovered that having a 100% grapejuice with no added sugar makes it taste even better!

Healthy "Sangria" Punch
2 carton Welch's Healthy Start 100% Grape Juice.
2 liters diet lemon-lime soda (like 7-up or Sprite)
2 lemon
2 lime
2 small orange

Slice Citrus.

In a punch bowl, combine soda and grape juice. Add sliced citrus. Serve cold.

So it's easy, it's delicious, and rather than alcohol, your guests (and you and your kids) are getting a tasty punch with vitamin C and antioxidants. We'll be serving it at all our family holiday dinners and any parties this year.

...and we'll probably try it with the other two Welch's Healthy Start flavors as well. I'd love to make some up with the Blueberry, Pomegranate, Concord Grape juice, and I'm dying to try it with the White Grape, Orange Mango as well!

Old El Paso Taco Night Winner:

2010-11-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

Julie has been notified by email and must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be drawn on Monday.

Prize packs for this drawing have been provided by Old El Paso through MyBlogSpark.

Old El Paso TACO NIGHT!

2010-10-31T07:52:00.000-07:00

Nothing makes my daughter's happier than when I declare taco night at our home. My youngest is so obsessed with tacos that she has several t-shirts with various sayings relating to tacos on them. One of the best things about tacos for us is bringing out various fillings and customizing our own meal, so it's like we're getting what we like as individuals as well as only cooking one meal as a family.

The basics for us on taco night is, of course, the meat (or meat substitute) with the seasoning. Recently I was invited by MyBlogSpark to participate in review and give-away of Old El Paso taco seasoning. In addition to the seasoning, they sent me a $10 gift card to buy my meat and shells, as well as some nifty chili and cactus shaped plastic dishes (which my girls promptly declared "theirs"). You can win a duplicate set of all that in the comments (I'll tell you how in a minute)

One of the worries I have when serving tacos is the sodium, but the Old El Paso seasoning has 40% less sodium than some of the "bargin" seasonings I've bought in the past... and I LOVE the flavor!

There are 60¢ off coupons for any two Old El Paso products available online here: http://www.myblogspark.com/uc/main/b069/

Now for the drawing: If you'd like to win the Old El Paso “family taco night” prize pack which includes a packet of Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, a Cactus Chip & Dip Serving dish, a set of 3 Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes and a $10 gift card to purchase your taco fixings, you can gain entries by doing the following:

(1 entry each)

Tell me in the comments below: what are your favorite taco fillings?

Tweet the following:

Old El Paso prize pack giveway on That's Fabulous : http://is.gd/gwRRH #myblogspark #Fab50Kate

(2 entries each)

Put my button on your page

Like That's Fabulous on FB

(3 entries)

Blog this give-away

FB this give-away

Winners will be drawn on Saturday, November 6. All entries must be received by Friday November 5th, midnight Mountain Time. Please include your email in the comments. Winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours of email contact, a new winner will be selected. Winners will be selected by comment number chosen at Random.org.

Prize packages will be provided by Old El Paso through MyBlogSpark.

Secretariat: a real winner!

2010-09-26T07:45:00.001-07:00

Thursday night the girls and I walked to the movie theater. We walked home in the dark. I'm still sore and tired from the surgery I had earlier this month, but it was totally worth it. Everyone loved Disney's latest: Secretariat.

We were lucky enough to be able to go to a sneak peak of the show. This actually comes out in theaters on October 8th. Some cities will get early releases and special showings on October 2nd.

When we went, I had some pretty high expectations, some that were met, some that were not. I was interested in reviewing the movie in three different areas: Technical quality, capturing the "spirit" of the Secretariat Triple Crown Win, and over all interest as a movie. Oddly, I found that some of the things that made it a good movie in one respect made me less happy with it in others.

TECHNICAL QUALITY
I rely a lot on the girls for this one. Having film majors in the family makes for an interesting movie going experience anyway. If you recall, what my girls took away from Eat, Pray, Love was how important it is to have someone really good in the script editor's role because scene continuity errors can be extremely distracting. In this movie, Tay noticed one scene continuity error, Cay found zero. The error involved a lemonade glass and the direction it was turned in towards the camera... noticeable because of the print on the glass. Not something terribly distracting, and Tay told me she wouldn't have noticed it if she weren't specifically looking for continuity errors.

The theater we were in had some audio problems for the first part of the film, which caused a distracting low hum, but that's not a film issue...

CAPTURING THE SECRETARIAT EXPERIENCE
I would have liked the movie to be more about the horse. I suppose, then, it would have been a documentary, and not the kind of film it was.

I was afraid as the movie started that I'd be bored with all the human drama and what I considered transparent messages ("You've got to RUN at life") of hope, courage, and determination. I was concerned the movie would get a little too preachy. Surprisingly, it was during the race scenes when I saw the most audience members checking their phones and watches. I didn't check mine at all.

The race scenes were more than excellent. A week ago or so I started pulling some of the old AP news stories and photography (much of which is archived online) and found that the camera placement for the movie was, in many cases, specifically set to mimic the same shots as the AP photos. During the film, I could say "I could remember seeing it just like that!"

For me, I found that the most interesting part of the film, because it recaptured an experience I had as a child. For the kids, even though I'd told them that Secretariat had won the Triple Crown, they found themselves so lost in the movie that during the recreation of the Preakness my daughter grabbed my arm and asked "Is he going to win?".

After the movie, the girls both informed me that (a) they wanted to buy the movie when it came out on video and (b) Secretariat has now replaced Sea Biscuit as their very favorite horse.

Secretariat "experience" achieved.

OVER ALL INTEREST AS A MOVIE
I think Disney hit the nail on the head on this one. The movie was a bit heavy handed in the "you can do anything you put your mind to" message... and what made it interesting (and surprised me for Disney) is that the message seemed very specifically directed at young girls. Run at life. Take chances. Follow your heart. Both Penny (the mom and Secretariat's owner) and her daughters were involved in things they believed deeply in (horse racing, war protests) despite the disapproval of the men in their lives (Penny's husband and her brother had their own ideas which they tried to impose on her).

This seemed to be the overwhelming message of the movie: That success comes when you persevere against the odds... or the expectations of others. Not a bad message for young girls to take away from a movie in a time where women seem to be once again increasingly marginalized in our society.

$500 Visa Gift Card Winner!

2010-09-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

Bright and early this morning I cruised on over to Random.org to get the winner of the $500 Visa Gift Card drawing here on this blog...

and the winning number is...

so let's see who the actual winner is:

Teaching Mommy will be sent an email shortly. She will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

Congratulations Teaching Mommy!

Just One More Week!

2010-08-22T12:59:00.001-07:00

THE GIVE-AWAY FOR THE $500 VISA GIFT CARD FROM JUST MY SIZE AND BLOGHER IS STILL OPEN.

Lauren's Hope (my happiness)

2010-08-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

"If you own a WEBSITE or publish a BLOG, we welcome you to link to www.laurenshope.com. If you mention Lauren's Hope on your blog or website and post a permanent link to us, email the URL to: links@laurenshope.com. Once the link has been verified you will receive a 1 time $50 gift certificate."

~ From the Lauren's Hope blog.

I've posted about this briefly before, and gotten my $50 gift certificate. I've been agonizing over which of the medic alert jewelry I wanted most these last several days, and today's give-away made it easy to choose.

Technically, I guess, this is a men's design, or at least the graphic ID is A41menstube.jpg but I really love the idea of a cuff, so I ordered it.

Now I've got to save up for one of the turquoise bracelets... a girl can't have too much jewelry...

especially if that jewelry has the potential to save her life.

I want: $750 cash

2010-08-16T04:55:00.001-07:00

who wouldn't?

Coming soon:

WINNER: $25 Walmart Gift Card

2010-08-13T05:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I (and Random.org) selected the winner at random from the comments on the post relating to the General Mills/ MYBlogSpark give away for the $25 Walmart Gift Certificate.

And the winner is (drum roll): DAVNEY!

An email has gone out to Davney, who has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

THE GIVE-AWAY FOR THE $500 VISA GIFT CARD FROM JUST MY SIZE AND BLOGHER IS STILL OPEN. You may not have won the General Mills drawing today, but you still have a shot at winning on that post!

LINK YOUR GIVE-AWAYS HERE!

2010-08-06T06:20:00.001-07:00

Back to School Deals that Support Education-- and a $25 Walmart Gift Card Give-Away

2010-08-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

When I go to Walmart this weekend to take advantage of our state's tax holiday and pick up some great new items for the twins as they start the new school year, I'll be keeping my eyes open for items with Boxtops for Education.

Walmart has over 20 brands with over 40 items offering 4 box tops in August including Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, Pillsbury Toaster Strudel pastries, Trix Yogurt, Hamburger Helper skillet meals, Totino´s Pizza Rolls snacks, Nature Valley Granola Bars and Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups snacks. There are also box tops on Ziplock, Kleenex and Hefty products as well, all of which I use regularly.

This weekend I'll be shopping with a $25 Walmart gift card that General Mills sent me through My Blog Spark to blog about this promotion. For me, it's a win/win/win situation! Great products at great prices, supporting my local schools, and (as a MyBlogSpark participant) shopping on General Mill's dime.

If you'd also like to get a $25 Walmart gift card, we're giving one away in a drawing. This'll be a short drawing, since I know you all want to get your cards to shop this month...

Here are the rules:

I'll be drawing the winner on Friday August 13th, making an unlucky day a lucky day for one reader. That means all submissions must be in by August 12th, midnight, MST.

Get an entry for each thing you do:

Blog about this give-away (with link)
Tweet about this give-away (with link)
Follow this blog with Google Connect
Put (or have) my badge in your sidebar (with link)
Subscribe to this blog by email or in an RSS reader other than Google

Just My Size Review and Give-away

2010-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Just My Size Sportswear apparel.

At the end of this post, I'll be telling you how to enter for a $500 gift card you can use to have the same fabulous wardrobe experience I'm having now!

Me wearing and holding some of my JMS clothing

I'd been down in the dumps over my clothing options... then I was contacted to do this review. Since I was a bit familiar with the brand (I'd bought the bras and panties for years now) and liked the outerwear (although I hadn't shopped in a while, and thought it was mostly workout capris and tanks) I took it on, and the $200 gift card that BlogHer and JMS sent out to me to try the clothes.

And I went shopping.

And shopped...

and shopped...

and shopped.

Day one of shopping I came home with all of this:

and still hadn't spent all the money they'd sent me. So I went back and got a few more things, and STILL hadn't spent it all...

Now I'm waiting until I get back from Sante Fe to spend the end of it. The issue? Not that I can't find things I love, but that I've found too many. At this point I'm torn between the cute drop waist gauze shirt in pumpkin, the tie-dye dress with the wood bead medallion at the bust, the white gauze shirt with the embroidery and the drop waist, The tie front shirt, the beaded neckline tank (which looks fabulous and glamorous, and can be worn over a longer shirt year round), more great fitting jeans, or the purple hoodie my daughter thinks looks so great on me.

Here are some of the items (in different colors) I'm still considering (photos from the JMS website):

There are two things I really love about the Just My Size line: Price and variety. Of course quality comes first, but I wouldn't even consider buying clothing I don't think are quality, but for quality clothing lines, Just My Size has everything from the undergarments and workout clothes I'd been buying for a while, to cotton slacks, jeans, dresses, blouses, and great beaded tops perfect for a night out.

I recently had to go to Santa Fe for a work trip, and was a bit worried. First off, some of my uniforms clothes were getting a bit shabby, and some just didn't fit right. Since we're required to wear black, brown or khaki pants on the job, I needed to find some nice cotton slacks to wear. My answer? Just My Size. I also needed white shirts and blouses. Again: Just My Size. And finally I needed some fun clothing to wear around the many events here in Sante Fe... and again, my answer was Just My Size.

I was getting t-shirts and camis for $6 and $7, Jeans for $16 and $18, and blouses around $14. For that price, I was able to build an entire (and extensive) wardrobe of clothing I feel beautiful in. And I'll be going back for more.

This shopping experience was probably the one I've enjoyed most since picking out my gown for my Junior prom oh so many years ago. I felt like Pretty Woman getting all these fabulous clothes. The only difference? The sales people at Walmart weren't mean ;)

Even when the rest of the gift card is spent, I know I'll be going back to Walmart for more fabulous Just My Size clothing.

Now you can also have this same fabulous experience I've had! I'll be drawing a winner from this blog to receive a $500 Visa gift card with which to purchase your own fabulous Just My Size wardrobe.

Mandatory Entry: Use the Just My Size Mix and Match Tool to create your own virtual look and tell me which products you like on your body style.

for additional entries (1 each):

Tweet this drawing (add #fab50kate to your tweet)

Follow Just My Size on Facebook

Post a screencap of your Mix and Match look on your blog, linking back to this give-away.

Official Rules for the drawing can be found on the Just My Size page on BlogHer.com

For more entries for additional drawings, check out the other bloggers offering this promotion on the Just My Size/ BlogHer roundup page.

Crystal Light $100 Visa Gift Card Winner...

2010-08-03T03:43:00.000-07:00

and the winner is....

Congratulations! An email has been sent out, and Nape has 48 hours in which to respond with her mailing information or new winner will be drawn.

$100 Visa Gift Card Drawing - Crystal Light - Ends this weekend!

2010-07-29T03:55:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.

DRAWING FOR $100 VISA GIFT CARD MONDAY MORNING! You don't want to miss it! Be sure to check out the four links below to enter on my blog, then try for other $100 gift cards on other sites by visiting the BlogHer.com CLB exclusive offers page., where you can also find out how to enter to win a $1,000 Visa Gift Card!

Crystal Light wants you to remember to water your body! The four week promotion includes four blog posts here at That's Fabulous, each with a chance to enter a drawing to win a $100 Visa gift certificate!

Complete rules can be found on the Blogher/ Crystal Light Rules page. This blog, and 5 others, will be giving away one of 7 gift certificates, the 7th will be given away on the Blogher site. Remember, the more sites you visit, the more chances you have to win!

Crystal light is also giving away a $1000 Visa Gift Card... you can find out more about that on the BlogHer.com CLB exclusive offers page.

As for the contest here, you can enter on every one of the four posts this month for a total of four chances to win. Winners will be chosen at random this Monday, so hurry and enter!

Week 1: How do you remember to keep hydrated?
Week 2: Who inspires you to lead a healthy lifestyle?
Week 3: How does staying hydrated have a positive effect on your life?
Week 4: How do you handle stress in your life?

On Monday morning I'll be holding the drawing. Be sure to enter on all four posts linked above. I'll first be entering 1-4 on the random number generator at Random.org to select the post from which the winner will be drawn. Then the number of comments for that post will be submitted, selecting the winning commenter. Remember to increase your chances by commenting on each post.

This reminder post is NOT one of the drawing posts.

Winner of the Cheerios Do What You Love Drawing...

2010-07-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

(drum roll, please)

FOODIEMCBODY!

Congrats. I've sent an email out notifying the winner, and need to hear back in 48 hours.

Remember, the Crystal Light drawing is still going on, and you have 4 posts on which you can leave a comment to enter. The numbers are still low, so your chances are still good!

Handling Stress

2010-07-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.

(comment on this post for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card... rules below)

Crystal Light has asked me how I handle stress in my life. It's an apt question, as this month has been unusually stressful. I've been hitting the road for the zoo a lot, covering various education programs that would normally have been canceled. It involves a lot of organization and very little sleep at times.

Of course the hot weather here in the desert Southwest doesn't make it any easier.

Right now the most important things are (a) keeping hydrated and (b) finding a way to stay refreshed. It's not just about gulping down cold water, but finding that certain relaxing comfort, perhaps in some ways stereotypical, I get with an ice cold glass of lemonade.

Even the twins seem to be affected by everything going on, and have been enjoying drinking lemonade this month... almost to the exclusion of all else. There's just something about lemonade that says "summer", "relaxing" and "enjoyment"

and who couldn't use a little more of that?

This is the last in a series of posts about about Crystal Light and keeping hydrated. You can follow all my posts from my Crystal Light promotion page, and comment below for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card from BlogHer and Crystal Light. You can check out the official rules for the give-away here on the BlogHer/Crystal Light Sweepstakes Official Rules Page and get all the info on the other blogs involved in this promotion at The Crystal Light Promo page on BlogHer. Be sure to go back and comment on each of my weekly posts to gain more entries for the $100 give-away, and go visit the other blogs that are taking part in this promotion for even more entries.

Do What You Love

2010-07-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

Cheerios is offering a give-away of a box of Cheerios and a $25 American Express gift card.  To participate, let me know what YOU love to do in the comments below. The drawing on my site will be on July 23rd.

What is it I like to do? Volunteer. I do a lot of volunteer work in the conservation field.

Often I feel very helpless about the state of the planet. Events like the recent Gulf oil spill only highlight that for me, but working with different programs to address our local environmental needs (doing things like planting trees and working with riparian ecosystem restoration projects), worldwide conservation and conservation education (like working programs at our local zoo, aquarium and botanical gardens) is a rich and fulfilling experience.

planting cottonwoods along the Rio Grande	building fences at the wolf sanctuary
teaching at the gardens	doing education outreach for the zoo

The kids also enjoy the time doing something positive for the planet, and it provides us with some real quality family time doing something more meaningful than spending a few hours in the evening on the couch together watching TV.

Cheerios isn't only doing a give-away here on my blog, but this is part of a larger Do What You Love promotion. Cheerios and MyBlogSpark sent me a box of Cheerios and a $25 American Express gift card to participate in this promotion. Those Cheerios have made a great evening snack for me... a lot better than some of the less healthy food I'm tempted to eat. And honestly? It's the healthier eating in general that has allowed me to do what I love.

Cheerios is partnering with country music superstar Martina McBride and professional athlete Cal Ripken, Jr. for the “Do What You Love” Contest. McBride and Ripken will recognize two lucky people with prizes that will make their hearts race.

One music lover (and a guest) will tour the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum with McBride, hang out with her in her recording studio – the world famous Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tenn. – and even get VIP tickets to one of her upcoming concerts.

Another lucky baseball enthusiast (and a guest) will have the chance to hang out and play catch with Ripken and to tour the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy in Aberdeen, Md., with the “Iron Man” of baseball himself. In addition, the winner will throw out the first pitch at the Cal Ripken World Series and sit in Ripken’s reserved seats at a Baltimore baseball game.

Now through July 23, 2010, you and your readers can submit your 150-250 word original story and photo, showcasing what they love to do. For a chance to win the experience of a lifetime with McBride and Ripken, visit http://www.cheerios.com/love today.

How does staying hydrated have a positive effect on your life?

2010-07-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.

It's been around 100° out there these days, and proper hydration has been absolutely necessary. I've been out working in various venues: Yesterday education out of doors, today working on the historical farm lands in the apple orchard. Without proper hydration I wouldn't be able to do any of that.

And today, perhaps because of the setting, I had a hankering for lemonade... minus all the sugar.

Enjoying my fluid intake allows me to keep hydrated enough to live my day to day life here in the desert southwest. The health effects would be extreme should I not stay hydrated during the hot, dry summers here.

and as much as I love my water, I do get bored with it, and frankly, some of the city water doesn't taste as good as it could. That's when I'm especially glad to have some Crystal Light around.

Crystal Light
I'll be posting a little more about Crystal Light and keeping hydrated as the summer progresses. You can follow all my posts from my Crystal Light promotion page, and comment below for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card from BlogHer and Crystal Light. You can check out the official rules for the give-away here on the BlogHer/Crystal Light Sweepstakes Official Rules Page and get all the info on the other blogs involved in this promotion at The Crystal Light Promo page on BlogHer.

Inspiration for a Healthy LifeStyle.

2010-07-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.

inspire
\in-ˈspī(-ə)r\
verb

1 b : to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on

As bloggers, we often look to each other for inspiration, and find it in so many places! For me, however, my first bit of inspiration came from a little closer to home.

The way we were...

A few years back, I used to get up every morning and think, "Please, please, please, just let me make it until the girls are 18 and they can be on their own." I was dealing with Lupus, masses in my lungs, kidneys, and reproductive organs. I was severely obese.

And my life was a mess.

At first, it was all about the kids... but as time went on, it became about me.

Now a days, with Lupus in remission, tumors fading (and none malignant!), and being on the right side of 200 lbs rather than the wrong side of 400, I am my own inspiration. Each success I have spurs me on to new challenges and new hope.

Today when I wake up in the morning I think, "Please, please, please let me live a long life, because I'm loving every day." Living a healthier lifestyle has made that difference for me.

Crystal Light
I'll be posting a little more about Crystal Light and keeping hydrated as the summer progresses. You can follow all my posts from my Crystal Light promotion page, and comment below for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card from BlogHer and Crystal Light. You can check out the official rules for the give-away here on the BlogHer/Crystal Light Sweepstakes Official Rules Page and get all the info on the other blogs involved in this promotion at The Crystal Light Promo page on BlogHer.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Crystal Light: How do you remember to stay hydrated?

2010-07-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.

I live in the desert southwest, so hydration is a big issue with me. It's easy not to feel the heat when it's not accompanied by the humidity, so it's doubly important to be aware of the amount of water I'm getting, as well as the amount of water my kids are getting. Here hydration is something we're constantly aware of, constantly concerned about, but no matter where you live, it's an important part of your health.

The kids and I live a fairly active lifestyle, so we're often carrying water with us. The preferred method is carrying water in eco-friendly water bottles, which we refill throughout the day. But we also sometimes get a little bored with water, not always remembering how often we've refilled, and that's where on-the-go style flavor packets like the Crystal Light On the Go. Carrying these little packets in our purses, backpacks or fanny packs when we're on the go reminds us to just add water. When the packets are gone, we know we've had our goal quantity of water for the day.

I'll be posting a little more about Crystal Light and keeping hydrated as the summer progresses. You can follow all my posts from my Crystal Light promotion page, and comment below for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card from BlogHer and Crystal Light. You can check out the official rules for the give-away here on the BlogHer/Crystal Light Sweepstakes Official Rules Page.

Summer is also the time for vacations and family fun, so Crystal Light and I want to know...

Is your body feeling parched and dry? Water it, with Crystal Light.
With twenty eight fruity and fabulous flavors, you can be assured of never being thirsty, or bored! It's a delicious, low calorie way to help keep your body hydrated and happy. So grab some Crystal Light today, and Water Your Body.

Clothing Giveaway! (Items 1-49)

2010-06-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

Clothing Giveaway! (Items 1-49)

Check out these freebies from Phoenix Revolution! She's giving away some of her clothing that she's shrunk out of and paying it forward by sending them off to other dieters in need.

Catch Up

2010-06-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well, all the stuff around the surgery took a little more out of me than I thought it would. I once again have a huge file of "I want" and drawings I want to enter on my desktop, which I hope to get through this week. I really have to respect all those mommy bloggers whose badges are at the bottom of my blog who are able to keep up with all of this. I don't know where they find the time!

I'll be the first to say it's hard work, and while I'm not in their league, hopefully I can get some promotions that are fun, interesting and beneficial as well as giving my readers the heads up on some of the really great give-aways and contests that are out there.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store with some of the coupons I'd won or received from companies for signing up for newsletters. I got 3 half gallons of chocolate organic milk and a can of asparagus for free. When I left the store, I had 15′ more in my pocket then when I walked in.

And that's what keeps me going.

Winner Announcement:

2010-06-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

ALuckyHorseshoe Vinyl Wall Art winner:

PettyTiffany, I'll be contacting you later tonight via email and get you in contact with ALuckyHorseshoe for your $25 gift cert.

Congratulations!

I want: Zero Water Pitcher

2010-05-27T20:19:00.001-07:00

Peaches' Reviews and Giveaways: ZeroWater Review and Giveaway

I go through a lot of water, living in the desert, SW... most of it, I'm ashamed to say, bottled. Since my surgery, I find I can taste all the chemicals in our tap water, and it makes it very difficult for me to drink without gagging. Having filtered water has been a dream of mine for some time... and now I have the possibility to win it with this give-away!

Hot give-aways... low comment counts

2010-05-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Fight Fat Phobia is giving away a summer fun pack with 300 items... fun, happy items. At this point, there are only 40 entries. Note: you MUST follow Fight Fat Phobia on Google Friend Connect in order to enter.

I'm giving away a $25 gift certificate to buy wall art from A Lucky Horseshoe Currently there are zero entries. $25 will get you many of the beautiful vinyl wall decals for free... decals like these:

There's No Place Like Home: $14

no more monkeys jumping on the bed: $18

wall flowers: $14


celtic design: $22

The bonus for apartment dwellers like me? They're removable! BE SURE TO ENTER.

Also a give away with 4 entries: Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-a Clean coupons. One coupon for the starter pack ($5 off the 8.99 suggested retail) and one for a refill. Read my review and enter two win one of 9 coupon sets (yes, I love the product so much I'm keeping the 10th) So far there are only 4 entries.

Give Away and Review: ALuckyHorseshoe Vinyl Wall Art

2010-05-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

There's a gift certificate give-away that goes with this post, scroll down for details...

So I'd entered a give-away for vinyl wall art from aluckyhorseshoe, an etsy shop... and I didn't win. But I did contact the owner, because I like her stuff so darn much, and she sent me my choice of wall art to review. I chose the tribal lizard, which is fairly large, so she scaled it down for me a bit...

When I ordered the piece, I have to admit I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't sure if the transparent pieces were transparent vinyl or they were "spaces" in the transfer. Once I started putting the transfer on I realized that they were spaces, and that the transfer itself is a bunch of little pieces. That looked great, since it didn't look like putting a massive sticker on the wall, but it also means that once I remove it when my lease comes up, I won't be able to put it back up in my new place. At the price (only $19) I could afford to get a new one, or one of the other nice pieces.

A lucky horseshoe also sent a small sample (a bird) which I tested on my laptop, but was quickly stolen by my youngest who put it on the top of her printer/scanner. Aluckyhorseshoe also has vinyls designed to go on laptops. which are also really neat, including another tribal lizard, and several horses.

I'm also pleased with some of their words of wisdom offerings... sayings for every room in the house!

Now aluckyhorseshoe has also offered a $25 gift certificate to give away to one lucky winner. That's more than enough to get yourself some wall art absolutely free... maybe even a couple pieces!

So here are the rules:

~ MANDATORY ENTRY: go to aluckyhorseshoe's shop on etsy and tell me which is your favorite wall art piece and comment below.

~For 2 additional entries, add follow me on Twitter

~ For 3 additional entries, follow me on Google Friend Connect

~For 4 additional entries, add my button to your sidebar (include a link, please!)

~For 5 additional entries, blog this give-away, including a link to this post and to aluckyhorseshoe's shop on etsy.

~Tweet this give-away daily for 1 additional entry per day.
Vinyl wall art from aluckyhorseshoe give-away on That's Fabulous: http://bit.ly/ay04Mo @fab50kate PLS RT

This give-away ends June 1st, 2010 at midnight.
Please remember if you do not have an email address linked on your profile to include it in the comments! I'll notify the winner via email on June 2, and they will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.

I was not paid to do this review and give-away, however I did receive my cool tribal lizard for free to sample and review.

I want: Vinyl For All

2010-05-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

His Little Mrs: Vinyl For All Review & Giveaway:

I live in an apartment... lots of bland white walls. Vinyl wall art allows me to spice up my spaces without fear of security deposit reductions down the road... and when I move, I just can take them with.

If I win this one, you can see what I chose. My next apartment, which I went to do a go-see on yesterday, will have it's own laundry room. Who said laundry rooms couldn't be fun or pretty?

I liked this so much, I have to have it! and it'll also serve as a good reminder for the kids... who, btw, are just about out of clean clothes...

You can buy these directly at Vinyl For All on Etsy

I want: A couple of gift cards

2010-05-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

The 50 Factor is giving away gift certificates: a $60 to CSN online stores, and a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

Yup... I can think of a few things I could really use about now...

The Fifty Factor: Procrastinate & GIVEAWAY

I want: The Good Cheer Company Affirmation Jewlery

2010-05-20T06:21:00.001-07:00

This particular drawing struck close to home for me. As some of you know, I have a daughter with autism. The puzzle piece is a symbol of autism awareness, and seeing this I immediately thought of my daughter. The jewelry given away has 40 different messages you can chose from, all with the words "I am" on one side, and an affirmation on the other.

I chose "I am awesome" for my daughter should I win, but I may change that, because there is another puzzle piece affirmation that I also love.

It says "without me" on one side, and on the other "the puzzle is incomplete".

I think that's also a unique and beautiful affirmation.

Little Yaya's: The Good Cheer Company Review and Giveaway

I want: Vapur Water Bottle

2010-05-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

My life with rats and more: Review and Giveaway- Vapur Water Bottle Ends 06/01 (Worldwide)

This rocks. One of the main problems I have with reusable water bottles is that once they're empty you're still stuck carrying them. On long walks, hikes, or 5K runs, that's a pain. This is a soft bottle which can roll up and fit in your pocket, like an old fashioned wine or water skin, only without the questionable material.

It also has that little clip on the side you can use to attach it to a belt or belt loop, so you don't have to worry about a fanny pack with a water bottle holder if you want to run or walk hands free.

I want: Subway for breakfast a giveaway!

2010-05-19T06:16:00.001-07:00

Prior Fat Girl: Subway for breakfast a giveaway!

It's a $10 gift certificate for Subway... Steak eggs and cheese, here I come!

I want that: Pantech Reveal for At&t Review and Giveaway!

2010-05-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

I need a new phone. Desperately. And this looks like it'll do everything I could ever want a phone to do and more, so I've entered this give-away:

Frugal Family Fun: Pantech Reveal for At&t Review and Giveaway!

Ah...Me So Hongry! Misadventures of a Weight Watchers Repeat Offender!: What a CROCK...CSN Stores Giveaway!

2010-05-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

Ah...Me So Hongry! Misadventures of a Weight Watchers Repeat Offender!: What a CROCK...CSN Stores Giveaway!

I want... and BLOG THIS!

2010-05-18T10:47:00.001-07:00

The "I want" posts get pretty ungainly at times, so instead of a paragraph and image for each give-away, I'll just link them all here:

Slice of Life Adult Gummy Vitamins from Finding Radiance

16x20 Canvas Print from LargeFormatPosters.com Giveaway

$25 Walmart gift card give-away from My Life with Rats and More

Flojos fashion footwear give away at Baby Loving Mama ... review of Flojos Fashion Footwear in same post.

New process: I've discovered the "blog this" link for my bookmarks in my browser toolbar... this will make blogging the give-aways easier, because now all I have to do to post someone else's giveaway here is to hit the "blog this" link.

If you have a blogspot blog, you can find out about and get the "blog this link" by clicking THIS LINK to the blogger help page.

Product Review and Coupon Give-away: Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-a-Clean

2010-05-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

I love scrubbing bubbles, so when I got an email from BzzAgent asking if I'd be interested in reviewing this product, they didn't have to twist my arm. In addition to the product, I also received a booklet of 10 coupons for $5 off the price of a power sprayer starter pack (suggested retail price is $8.99, so that's more than half off!) and $1 off any refill (suggested retail price $3.99)

I'm keeping one each of the coupons, because I'm also going to try the Daily Shower Power Sprayer, which you can also get with these coupons, but the other nine I'll be mailing off to some lucky readers... 9 readers will each get one of the $5 starter kit coupons and one $1 refill coupon. More on that in a bit...

Now for those of you who read my other blogs, you know that last weekend I was out at the Wolf Sanctuary with the girls building fences. It's hot, sweaty and dirty work, and the wind blowing the dirt into our clothes, skin and hair wasn't terribly pleasant. Sunday night we all got home, hit the shower, and Monday morning I awoke to two things: My package of product to sample and a ring around the tub that wouldn't quit.

Now as much as I love Scrubbing Bubbles, the kind of mess we make in the shower after service projects generally requires a little elbow grease, so I relegate cleaning the shower to my teenagers, who still never seem to get the shower clean to my satisfaction. So I figured, "this is the acid test for this product." After reading the information on how the product works (it creates a film which washes away over time, taking the dirt with it) I figured it'd take the full 4 days the product works over to see any improvement.

But I sprayed and wiped, and my tub sparkled. And it kept on sparkling for the rest of the week. Last night I showed the product to my eldest, and showed her how easy it was to clean the tub now. And she wants to use the product as well.

The one thing I didn't like about the product was the strong citrus smell, and I was worried that my daughters (especially my autistic daughter) would have problems with that, but both daughters disagreed with my assessment about the scent: they found it pleasant.

Having Lupus, cleaning the tub/shower has always been a chore for me. Between not having the strength to scrub out the stains and not being able to bend or kneel for long periods of time, I had little choice but to put up with whatever level of cleaning I could get the kids to do. Now, it takes so little time and so little effort, that I can comfortably do it myself, even on my worst days. Even better, the product comes with a continuous spray nozzle which means no pumping... a terrific benefit considering my hands.

After reading how the product worked, I was very worried at first about this "film" of product that dissipates over time. Would it be slippery in the shower? Would I need a shower mat or something to prevent a fall? Would it be safe to bath, or would the bath water contain an irritant as a result of the product film?

Well, I am very happy to report that the film is not slippery, nor was it in any way detectable by me, except that the shower and tub stayed clean.

I can't imagine anyone not liking this product... aside from the strong scent. It's quick, easy and safe for moms, easy to use for the elderly and disabled, and even the kids, who don't like to clean anything, don't object to cleaning the bathroom with this product.

So here's the give-away part. 9 readers will receive $6 total in coupons so you can buy these products yourself. (one $5 for the starter pack and a $1 refill coupon)

All you have to do is enter below by doing any one (or more, if you want additional entries) of the following:

*Follow me using Google Friend Connect
*Subscribe to my feed via Email
*Put my button on your page
*Tweet this give-away
*Blog this give-away

The drawing closes on May 30 and the winners will be announced on May 31 and notified via email on that same day. Winners have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or new winners will be selected. Since the coupons are being sent directly from ME, all winnings will go out no later than June 4th.

Product Review: Cascadian Farm foods.

2010-05-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

A short while ago I received a selection of Cascadian Farm foods to try. I was thrilled to death to hear that I would be receiving these products, because I'm big on organic foods and foods with ingredients you don't need to be a science major to recognize.

Upon visiting their website, I learned that Cascadian Farm is a real place... a real farm in Washington, sitting on 28 acres, and is the "home farm" and origin of the company. You can still by products at the roadside stand there.

After receiving the products and looking over the contents, only one concern came to mind: How to keep the kids from emptying the boxes long enough for me to sample all the items.

For me, what to try first was a no-brainer: the Dark Chocolate Almond Granola. I thought I'd gone to heaven. Now granola has a reputation for tasting like "twigs and sticks"... but not this stuff. Even if I weren't eating it for health and sustainability reasons, I'd eat it just for the taste.

Next was the Cinnamon Crunch. I only got a handful of that. The kids love cereals like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and the other major brand cereals that taste like that, but those items are banned from our house for health reasons. The Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Crunch cereal is something I can feel good about buying for the kids. I would have said it was the perfect compromise, but for me (and the kids) there is no compromise involved.

I reserved their Oats and Honey Granola for cooking with. We all love a sweet desert, so sprinkling this over some fresh fruit with a little Splenda and baking it makes a great substitute for a crunch or cobbler. Even though the cereal is good enough to eat on it's own, it's also a great cereal to customize with your own nuts and fruit.

Now the granola bars sealed the deal for me. I use a lot of granola bars and protien bars for meal replacements and healthy snacks on the road when I'm traveling or out doing environmental service projects, and it takes longer to buy a variety of granola bars in the grocery store than it does to do the rest of my shopping, because so many granola bars are just junk food in disguise. These bars were not only tasty, but had recognizable ingredients... something that's often missing on the supermarket shelves.

Cascadian Farm sent me the Chocolate Chip and the Fruit and Nut, but they have a variety of flavors, including Blueberry Pomegranate, Sweet and Salty Mixed Nut, and my own personal weakness, Dark Chocolate Almond.

Cascadian Farm doesn't just sell cereals and granola bars, though. They also have fruit spreads, frozen fruit and veggies, juice, potatoes and relishes.

Cheribundi!

2010-05-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

I received these free boggles from Cheibundi to try out. There bottles of Tru Cherry, Skinny Cherry, and Whey Cherry. And they're all yummy. The kids also loved them, which is terrific because you know how kids can be about "all natural" and "healthy".

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about the protein added version. As a bariatric patient, I've tasted a lot of protein drinks. The only thing I can say is that I wish I'd known about this stuff a year ago. It would have saved me a lot of miserable mornings gagging down protein powder concoctions.

With summer coming on, It's especially cool to freeze these and eat them as pops or as frozen slushies (I use a small icecream maker that makes individual servings)

There's two things to look at here when buying these: First off is the "all natural" thing. It's great to look at a list of ingredients and actually recognize them all without an advanced chemistry degree. But there are a lot of people out there who don't put a lot of stock in that (I'm NOT one of them) and that's not reason enough to order these. Taste and freshness should be.

Now I've searched the Cheribundi site and they do NOT claim that these are good for your kidneys, but I'll tell you, my nurse from my primary care doctor's office called me and told me that tart cherry is even better than cranberry juice for preventing kidney stones and general kidney health. Now I'm not a doctor, and I'm not going to pass judgment on that without seeing some research, but my nurse's recommendation was enough to send me out shopping for tart cherry juice. Let me say that I only bought one bottle of Cherry Juice (from Trader Joe's) before this. I can say absolutely without reservation that the taste of the Cheribundi is much better.

Go check out the Cheribundi website and look at the information about their processing and the benefits of tart cherry... but in the end, it's going to be the taste that hooks you!

I want that: Mega Edition Interuptus

2010-04-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

So I'm interrupting getting all those backlogged give-aways I'm planning on entering out for a bit to get these new ones out. I think they're items everyone can use.

And that kinda brings up a point. Because my kids are older, I don't always post about stuff for kids. But a lot of the mommy bloggers and give-away sites are more tailored to those women with younger families. For every contest I enter, there are about 10 for younger families which I don't enter, so I suggest you hit some of the links I have at the bottom of the page as well for products for young children.

Now on to the give-aways:

$25 Walmart Gift Card Give Away from Mom's Own Words
I don't have to tell you how much I like Walmart Gift Cards. They're always a perfect fit!

Timeless give-away from A Gal Needs at least 2 Blogs

Timeless gentle exfoliant. At my age, I've become more aware of the need for good facial cleansing and skin care... this isn't something I could afford to buy, but would love to win!

A Yoplait Greek Yogurt and Spa Gift Pack from Just Trying to Save Money
I would have entered just for the yogurt!

Bold Rugs Giveaway from One Bored Mommy:

I'm trying to win this rug:

But there's an option to win from a selection of rugs from Bold Rugs:

I want these: Mega Edition Part 1

2010-04-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, there are so many great drawings out there, that I've had to spend some time putting things together this week. I've actually missed out on two great drawings, which goes to show you really have to stay on top of this stuff!

The Silver Maple Jewelry give-away from Endurance Isn't Only Physical

The Silver Maple

It's not just runner's jewelry. In fact, this one is my personal favorite:

A $25 T J Maxx gift certificate from Baby Lovin' Mama
With spring here and summer fast approaching, I've been thinking of actually buying a dress. Yes, ME IN A DRESS! $25 would go a long way towards meeting that goal. And I LOVE T J Maxx.

free coupon for Yo Crunch 100 calorie pack give-away from Helping Mommys Win

What's not to love about free yogurt? AND it comes in cheesecake flavor... CHEESECAKE! mmmmm....

CNN Stores $50 Gift Card from Mom's Own Words.
$50 to spend on whatever!

$100 Walmart Gift Card give-away from My Life with Rats And More.
I spend about that much every time I walk into Walmart. Considering I get everything there from my underwear to my bulk food items, this is the perfect thing to win!

I want these!

2010-04-17T04:56:00.000-07:00

$25 Hallmark gift card, selection of Kids Collection greeting cards and their choice of gift from the Kids Collection from Baby Loving Mama.

I'm all about encouraging kids of all ages, and when Hallmark first came out with this campaign (and their free cards) the first thought I had was "I want that!" OK... so my kids are 16, 25 and 29... these cards are STILL terrific!

$20 Gift Certificate to Sunglass Warehouse from Baby Loving Mama:

Summer is coming, and even though I have transition lenses, I have two teenage daughters who could really use some fashionable shades!

$20 health themed gift card from Endurance isn't Only Physical. Make a pledge for better health (just choose one way to make your life healthier) for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate.

Mineral Basics Makeup from The Life of a Coast Gard Wife

I've been dying to try mineral makeup, but just haven't had the money to update my makeup kit. One problem is that I have allergies and very sensitive skin. Mineral Basics addresses those issues, so I figure it's worth the try. After all, I can always use a little more beautiful!

$100 gift certificate for Walltat Wall art from Baby Loving Mama

Living in an apartment can be a drag with the solid white walls, and a lot of wall art either involves nails or wallpaper glue, which can be a problem when the lease runs out. These wall adhesives seem like the perfect solution for me. They're removable, and they come in fashionable mature designs and not just Disney Characters.

Back Up... I want that!

2010-04-16T05:26:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty busy for me this past week, with the result being that I have a folder full of give-aways and "I want that" posts to put up this weekend.

I did want to mention pretty quickly that there IS a give-away ending today that you might want to hit before it's too late: It's the Pink Paisley giveway at Burkett Blessings.

Pink Paisley offers all sorts of cool monogrammed gifts... I have my eye on the monogrammed beach towel, but there are also water bottles, totes, baby items and lots more!

Now with Earth Day coming up, I'm excited to announce I'll shortly be reviewing Cascadian Farm products. Those of you who read me on Fabulous @ 50 know how important I think clean eating is to our health, and those of you who read me on The Adventures of a Free Range Urban Primate know how I feel about conservation. It's nice to find a company I can get behind and support on ideological grounds.

Speaking of Cascadian Farm's ideological grounds, with Earth Day coming up, they have a pledge application on Facebook. You pledge to help take care of the earth (drive slower, recycle, turn out lights you're not using) and they make a monetary pledge to the Organic Farming Research Foundation. Sounds like a win/win situation to me!

I want: This Kettlebell!

2010-03-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Tony, of Tony's Diet Log, is giving away this Troy Barbell 40 pound Cast Iron Kettlebell

I can't help but think what a great aid this would be in my at home workouts. After all, I have just about this much to lose. Coincidence? Or the universe telling me that this kettle bell will be MINE?

I want: a flirty apron!

2010-03-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

Helping Mommys Win is having a giveaway for a choice of aprons (mens, womens or kids) from Flirty Aprons. Guys, this isn't JUST for the ladies. There are BBQ aprons with catchy phrases like: My grils is hotter than yours! and I turn grills on!

I want: This Space Saving Blender!

2010-03-28T05:20:00.000-07:00

A Heart For Home: Review & Giveaway :: CSN Stores (Proctor-Silex Blender)

OK, blenders are expensive, and they take up room. On my income and with the tiny amount of counter and cupboard space, that's a serious problem. And I've had blenders before, but haven't kept them because of the space issue. But hand mixing my protein shakes leaves lumps, and this summer I'm really going to want to be able to make some ice cream shakes, and that just isn't going to work without a blender. This one is perfect.

I want: all these!

2010-03-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

...an eco-friendly tote from Twisted Orchid. I can win it, or another cruelty free or eco friendly accessory, by entering the drawing by One Bored Mommy.

There are tons of styles of bags and totes to chose from, including some fabulous leather bags to die for, but I really need a gym bag, and this just may be it!

One Bored Mommy is also giving away this great waffle knit robe from CottonAge.com:

I ALSO WANT:
...A$75 gift card to Macy's. Who wouldn't? Baby Lovin' Mama is giving away one.

I want: This charm bracelet

2010-03-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Burkett Blessings is giving away this pretty charm bracelet.

I want: Kettleworx!

2010-03-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

Endurance Isn't Only Physical is having a KettleWorx give-away. oooh... I can't TELL you how badly I want this one!

PRODUCT REVIEW: POM!

2010-02-18T05:34:00.000-08:00

A while back I was approached to do a review of POM Wonderful. I have to admit, I was skeptical. I let the advertiser know that we've never cared for pomegranate... even sent these photos of my daughter trying a Starbucks pomegranate beverage a few years ago:

I was told that POM Wonderful's 100% pomegranate juice would be different, and that we'd love it, and we should check out some of the recipes on the website. I figured I had nothing to lose. Of course, I didn't have much to gain either; I'm not getting paid for this review. The worst that could happen would be that I'd have to find people to give away a whole lot of pomegranate juice to. After some back and forth (and a warning that they were probably giving a case of juice to the last person likely to give the product a favorable review) I finally agreed.

A couple days ago the POM Wonderful arrived. My daughter (who was eating mint chocolate chip ice cream at the time) Took a sip, with similar results to the previous result. In all fairness, she conceded that probably no juice would go with the mint chocolate chip ice cream. I took a sip, and it wasn't that bad. I could pretty much immediately see how it would be good in recipes, like a reduction sauce for poultry. I figured when I got my social security check in, I'd try something like that. In fact, there are quite a few good looking recipes on the site.

And there in lies the problem for me, because it looks like we're going to run out of POM before I have money to buy poultry.

Look back up to the top of the post. See that face that little girl is making? Well, that same little girl (now 16) is taking POM to school with her lunches, after trying the juice again (without the mint chocolate chip icecream). Her friends have tried it with her, and love it. She's asking me if she can take some to school for her friends as well. Suddenly, POM Wonderful has become the gold standard in our house.

Honestly? If you'd have told me this a month ago, I would have said you were crazy.

I've gone and checked out the POM website, and have to admit I'm intrigued. Yes, there are some studies on the site about the benefits of pomegranate, including cardio-vascular benefits, prostate health benefits, increased erectile function (who doesn't love THAT?) and antioxidant potency. I consider myself a bit of a science geek, so I won't comment on those studies until I've reviewed them myself, found out how they were funded, and how they were "peer reviewed".

Regardless of all that, it's pretty darn obvious that pomegranates are healthy food, and that 100% pure pomegranate juice is more healthy than some sugar and preservative laden wanna-be.

Another quick note on this: POM also sells other products that are pomegranate based, including an antioxidant pill, teas and iced coffee, and bars.

GIVE AWAY: Stay Connected

2010-01-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Sprint

So family is important. As I go through my weight loss journey, I've had to focus a lot of attention on myself for the first time in my life... to my own needs. This means I've had to re-evaluate my family relationships, building stronger, healthier, and less co-dependent bonds with my teens.

Before, they were an excuse for everything: I can't take time/ money to go to the gym because the girls need ________. I don't want to live here, do that, or whatever, because I want to do _____ for the girls.

Now that I'm nearing goal, I've been re-evaluating our relationships. I've already posted about the improvement with my autistic daughter... now I'd like to add a few fun things I plan to do in 2010 to keep our relationships moving in the right direction and to re-connect with my kids:

#1 and 2: Develop mighty thumbs . I have come to realize that the kids communicate and recreate differently than I did as a kid. First off, I need to develop mighty thumbs so I can pound the A and B buttons rapidly with one thumb while rotating the analog stick with the other. Once I do that, I gain admittance to the secret world of their video games, understand the constant peppering of references to “Cloud” and “Vincent” in their conversations, and have access to a whole new lexicon.

I also need to develop mighty thumbs to text. For some reason, it seems that the kids can't pick up a phone and speak into it... they need to write into it. Once I get the hang of texting, the girls can get in the next room and talk to me about all the stuff they used to find to embarrassing to tell mom... like the boy who sits in front of the elder twin in class is kinda cute, and keeps looking at her.

#3 LOL. I know I need to lighten up. Especially in this economy and with health issues and so on, it's really easy to get wrapped up and focused on what I perceive as “needs”. One of the biggest needs we have is family fun time. Whether we'll be playing games, seeing movies, or just hanging out, this year our family enrichment activities will include a healthy dose of just plane fun.

#4 A Little One on One Time. I've really focused on having one on one time with the elder twin in the past, because I didn't think my autistic child was benefitting from it... in fact, she often voiced that she'd rather stay home, or wasn't interested in being with me. What I've found is the opposite. After telling her (rather than asking) that I had some one on one time planned, she really warmed up more. This year I'm planning more one on one time with both kids, keeping in mind that a get-away that starts out with “aww, mom, do I have to? ” often ends up with “aww, mom, that was great!”

#5 Foster independence: Nothing kills a relationship like excessive clinginess... and after all, as parents, isn't it our goal to prepare our kids for adulthood and independence? I've found that the more I encourage the girls to go out on their own, to do things for themselves, and to develop individual social connections, the more confident and outgoing they become. That includes more communication with me. This year I'll be encouraging more school and social activities, as well as some financial responsibility.

#6 The Family Table: With all the busy schedules and one heading this way while the other is heading the other way, family meal time and sitting down together seems to have gone by the wayside. In the past, I've noticed that the kids open up more in these settings, and 2010 is marks the return of the family dinner table for our family.

#7 Bus It! Remember a decade or so ago when there used to be billboards with conversation starters for families traveling together by car? That was generally a total bust for us. With the kids in the far back seat of the suburban mom-mobile and me up front with my eyes on the road, there was zero eye contact and low focus when it came to family conversation. I've started this year with a bus pass, and for some of our family activities, we plan to bus it. Not only does it save on gas and help reduce our carbon footprint, but it offers an expanse of time where we're doing nothing that takes away our attention, and can devote it totally to each other.

#8 The Family Cause: For us, one of the things that keeps us connected is having a common cause. This year we're revisiting that and recommitting ourselves to doing something for the world as a family. We'll be planting trees and working on environmental causes, as well as doing some volunteer work at our local zoo and aquarium. Sharing a common goal keeps us moving in the same direction together as a family.

#9 Just Ask! After being a mom for 30 years, I often get to thinking that I know the kids pretty well. Just this past month in a conversation with my daughter, I realized that I'd replaces “ask” with “assume”... and needed to reverse that. Finally, I asked my daughter, “What is your idea of an ideal family outing?” and she came back with the very last idea I had imagined her wanting. This year “ask” is making a comeback for me.

#10 Utilize technology: The twins are at home, but the rest of the family is scattered across the country. I've set up a facebook for the family, keep in touch by cell when they (or we) are on the road, and rely quite a lot on email. Growing up and relying on a phone with a cord tethered to the wall meant as a kid, I didn't have the option of instant access to the rest of the family. Today I find myself having to say “I wish you could have seen...” less and less, because they can see it as it happens or shortly there-after.

You have 9 chances to win $200 at the BlogHer.com special offers page
To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me What are your best tips for keeping your family connected in the New Year? - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 1/13/2010 and will end 2/9/2010. You must include your email address with your comment so I can contact you.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US-residents, aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Please see the official rules here: Official rules

Check out the Family Connections Group at BlogHer.

PRODUCT REVIEW: That's Just SOUPER!

2010-01-12T05:54:00.000-08:00

As I've previously blogged, I'm hosting a give away for Progresso Soups HERE. Go ahead, click over there and enter. This blog can wait a moment...

(insert MUZAK)

OK, so about the soups.

I haven't had an opportunity to try a lot of them. Of the 15 cans I was sent, I've had only a couple. But there's a good reason. The girls are eating them. They eat them for breakfast. They eat them for lunch. They eat them for dinner. They're driving me crazy. At first they'd tell me what they were opening and give me a spoonful to try. They were thrilled with making observations about the soups. Their first comment was that they loved the soups, and that they had the best broths they've ever tasted. That's high complement.

Now they're sneaking the soups because they don't want to share. They see the dwindling stock of soups (no pun intended) and want to "reserve" soups.

But that probably isn't necessary.

Let me backtrack.

I grew up with Campbell's soups. I've pretty much been a loyalty customer. When I was pregnant, I'd send hubby out for Campbell's chicken noodle soup. If he brought home a different brand, I wouldn't even eat it.

Now I've been curious about Progresso, but never tried Progresso soups. It's easy to get into habits about food, and for some reason it always seemed to me that Progresso was too expensive, never on sale, and I couldn't find coupons. Oh, I always had a reason NOT to try Progresso soups. Until they sent me 15 free cans.

The soups were light, reduced calorie and reduced sodium. Let me start out by saying, that one problem I have with ALL soups is the sodium content. Even reduced sodium foods have a heck of a lot of sodium in them to my mind. The other thing is that soups in general have lower calorie counts than many other foods. So I was a bit skeptical about the whole thing.

So maybe these soups cut down calories a little, and cut down sodium a little... a little is better than nothing, right? Cut a little here, a little there, and it adds up.

But that wasn't what it was all about for me and the kids eating these soups.

It was about taste, plain and simple.

I like good food. I've recently learned that I'm healthier and happier paying a little more for better quality foods. So even with my preconceived notions about Progresso prices, store sales, and coupons, after eating some of the soups I find it hard to believe that I'd be terribly motivated to go back to my old soup brand.

So yesterday I went down to the local market and looked at all the soups Progresso offered.

and guess what?

Not only were they on sale, but their regular price was lower at that store than the competitor's brand.

I suspect a lot of us grew up thinking that Campbell = soup, but having tasted Progresso, we're redefining soup in our family.

Remember, you can score some free soup, a jump rope, and a Progresso Soup mug (which could be a whole other review right there, the kids are always fighting over who gets the mug!) and find out more about entering a drawing for a fabulous NYC makeover from Progresso Soups by clicking THIS LINK.

GIVE AWAY: Souper You Debut

2010-01-05T05:46:00.000-08:00

So I'm kicking off the New Year with a give-away, and two ways for readers to win. Progresso Soups will be sending one of my readers a gift pack of Progresso Light and 100 Calorie soups (Two cans), a soup mug, and a jump rope which counts jumps and calories burned. The winner will be selected at random from those who comment below.

You can also enter at www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to win the grand prize of a makeover, $1,00 wardrobe shopping trip, and two nights trip to New York City!

Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd. The prize includes roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1,000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store.

To enter, you’ll need to do the following:

· Go to www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to learn more and enter the contest
· Submit your essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 Calorie Soups and why you would like a makeover
· In addition, please submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay

Once you enter, you’ll have the chance for your photo and/or an excerpt from your essay to appear on www.Progresso.com/SouperYou, so be sure to check back frequently! Once the 10 finalists are announced, you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou from March 29 through April 12 to vote for your favorite.

In addition, throughout the duration of the contest you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to download a coupon for $1 off any three varieties of Progresso Soup!

To enter here for the gift pack, leave a comment here. The winner will be selected at random on January 16th, 9am MST. PLEASE REMEMBER TO LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS! else, how can I contact you when you win?

Want extra chances to win?

Tweet this

facebook this

follow me on this page

follow me on my main page.

Then comment that you've done that. For each of those actions you complete, make a comment telling me for another entry.

Remember, you may see this give-away on other blogs, but the more blogs you enter on, the more chances you have to win the sample pack!

The gift pack will be provided by Progresso Soups.

In addition, I will be receiving a selection of Progresso Light and 100 Calorie soups to review from Progresso, and that review will appear here on this page when I receive the product.

New Page!

2009-12-17T10:59:00.001-08:00

I've been asked to review products in the past, but haven't been able to do so in good conscience because they aren't products I'd normally use or try. Some of that has changed, and in order to comply with BlogHer, I've set up this new page where I can offer give-aways, review products, and so on.

In every case I will tell you:

How I got the product...
whether or not I paid for it...
and my own review...

I will not write scripted posts, nor will I write reviews that are contrary to my own opinion on the product.
I will also turn down any promotions for products or companies I can't support on the grounds of company ethics or product quality.

This seems to me to be a fun way to try new products and to get some great stuff out to those who are reading here. And I'd like YOUR opinions on the products as well!