Product Reviews by The Experimental Mommy
Mom and Baby Product Review and Giveaway Blog
I am trying to pull as many winners as possible in the hopes of getting your prizes before the holidays! So here goes another round of the lucky ones!
Cracker Barrel: Mistysunrise
Klutz Books: Sheila
Melissa and Doug: Debbie S.
Freschetta: Ellen C.
Land’s End Coat: Bethany C.
Congrats! You will all be emailed shortly. Please make sure your review the Winner’s Policy before claiming your prize.
As a teacher, I don’t get to stop and drink or eat something on the spot when I want to. I constantly have several varieties of mints and gum in my desk drawer and purse at all times. As soon as I finish most meals, I am looking for something to freshen my mouth. I was excited recently to try out Hershey’s new Ice Breakers Frost!
Ice Breakers Frost are available in two great flavors, Wintercool and Peppermint. Both are sugar-free and feature a flavor core coated with xylitol to keep your breath fresh. They are loaded with flavor crystals to deliver great taste throughout the entire mint. Best of all, they won’t add fluff to your waistline – check out the nutrition guide here.
I received a sample of the peppermint and tossed them in my purse on the way out to dinner with some friends and their children. After eating, my friend was digging for mints in her purse and I grabbed my Ice Breakers. All 10 of us (including the kids) sampled them and all agreed they were great! My two kids even commented that they weren’t too “spicy,” which is my daughter’s word when a mint or gum is too intense for her. We all agreed the Frost mints were perfectly flavored….not too weak and not too strong. I will definitely be purchasing more Ice Breakers Frost in the future! The only thing I will be looking out for is to see if the Frost container is made like the regular Ice Breakers container….it doesn’t have a “to share” tab so when you want to share, you have to open the whole container. Y’all know I am a germophobe and don’t like other people’s hands in my mints!
Be on the lookout for brand-new Ice Breakers Frost from Hersheys! Your mouth will thank you!
Recently, an elf visited my daughter’s classroom at school. She has talked about “Mr. Elf” for days now and finally decided she wanted an elf of her very own. Now, understand that my daughter does NOT want Santa anywhere near our home (she is completely terrified), so I was quite surprised that she requested the presence of an elf! I asked if she knew how the elves arrived (since I knew asking Santa was out of the question for her)? She said we just had to wish for one! Sounds easy enough, right? Last night, during our prayers and before the final Amen, she mentioned a dozen times that she really, really, really wanted an elf to visit our home.
As it turns out, the elf need a travel ticket from ElfMagic.com in order to be cleared to visit. Apparently, the “paperwork” is processed quickly because during the night, our new elf arrived and began some holiday antics. When my daughter woke up, she noticed the lights were lit on our tree (we always turn them off at night) and the stockings were hung on our mantel (we had yet to hang them ourselves). She is always observant, but she was obsessed with figuring out why things were “out of sorts” this morning. Soon enough, she noticed a red box on the mantel and when she opened it, she could not believe her eyes!
“IT WORKED, MOMMY!” she squealed. She’s here! She’s really here!
Immediately, she explored the suitcase and found magic snowflakes, pajamas and a book explaining how our elf arrived. After reading the story, she looked for the snowflake that should appear on the elf’s chest signaling that she really came from Santa. It was there and she was elated!
The elf, who is now named “Jingles”, has brought lots of holiday magic to our home. Each night, my daughters sprinkle her with magic snowflakes and leave crackers and water to remind her of home (crackers are crunchy like snow and ice water is melted snowflakes, of course). I know when Jingles returns to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, my daughter will be sad to see her go, but it will only add to the excitement of guessing when she will return in the future!
If you would like an elf to visit your home, visit ElfMagic.com to inquire about a travel ticket and sleigh delivery costs! And don’t miss what the little elves are up to! Follow ElfMagic on Twitter!
After working a long day in the lab, I love to come home and put on a pair of my most comfy PJs in order to relax. But, truth be told, they rarely (if ever) match and if I’m lucky they don’t have holes in them. I wear my jammies on a regular basis and they definitely are showing their age. So, I was thrilled to be accepted in to the Mom Central Soma Intimates Personality PJs campaign.
With the Soma Intimates Personality PJs, you don’t have to sacrifice comfort for style! These jammies come in incredibly soft jersey and stain fabrics and can be purchased in sizes XS-XL. By taking the Personality Quiz, you will be matched with a pair of jammies that suit you to a tee. I was not surprised to be matched to the “romantic” PJs after I took the quiz myself. I received a light blue and tan set of jammies from the Soma Intimates Romantic Collection. My first impression was that the product was very pretty and incredibly soft. After trying them on, I found that the PJs run true to size and were quite comfortable. I brought my jammies to a blogger event in Pennsylvania this week and was so glad I did! The Soma PJs kept me warm in a climate to which I am NOT accustom.
Right now, Soma is having a 2 for $59 deal on the Personality PJs and if you spend over $75, you get FREE shipping, too! If you are looking for a great gift this holiday season, you really can’t go wrong with soft pajamas! Don’t miss any holiday specials…follow Soma on Twitter!
One of the best parts about the holiday season is shopping for your friends and family. After all, the season is all about giving, right? For this reason, I was so excited to be selected to participate in the T.J. Maxx and Marshalls Secret Santa project! I was recently sent a blogger’s name (who will remain nameless until the secret is revealed!) and a $50 gift card in order to send some holiday cheer their way. Armed with my gift card, I happily drove to my local Marshalls store.
I will admit that I am not a frequent Marshalls shopper. I had the preconceived notion that it would be difficult to sort through the stacks of bargains and that I would get frustrated quickly. However, when I walked in with my family, I realized that I was wrong. Even though it is peak shopping season, the store was very clean, organized and well staffed.
Because my Secret Santa lives North, I thought she may be able to use a warm, cozy blanket. I headed to the home section and laid eyes on an entire aisle of fuzzy blankets! My daughters helped me feel them all and we settled on a beautiful light blue one (it was the softest by far and only $19.99!). Keeping on the warm and cozy theme, we made our way over to the kitchen section and found an adorable snowman mug and chocolate chip muffin mix. Finally, on the way up to the register, I saw a section of winter themed candles and grabbed a peppermint one. It smells divine!
Before stepping foot in Marshalls, I braced myself for a long wait in order to check out, but I was pleasantly surprised that there was four registers open and only one person ahead of me. After ringing up my purchases, the total came to $48.37! Score! My gift card was enough to create the perfect warm, cozy gift for my Secret Santa.
I hope she loved it as much as I loved shopping for it! Thanks Marshalls for making my holiday shopping easy!
From the time I was born until about the age of 25, I was thin. I never had to watch what I ate mainly because I was a dancer and burned calories like crazy. I became pregnant with my first daughter at the age of 29 and managed to only gain about 20 pounds (thanks to gestational diabetes, ugh). However, even though I managed to take the weight off fairly quickly, my body was NOT the dancer’s body to which I was accustomed. After the birth of my second daughter in 2008, things continued to go downhill. My metabolism was never the same and my abs continue to be non existent. Guess what? This Mama wants her body back!!
Recently, I was introduced to the “Mama Wants Her Body Back!” DVD series and was more than willing to give it a try. Because I work outside the home, run this blog, and raise two children, I have little time for exercise. The fact that this series can be done from the comfort of my living room at a schedule that is convenient for me is ideal. A little about the program:
“Whether you just recently had a baby or have been carrying around extra pregnancy weight for a while, the new Mama Wants Her Body Back™ from mother and fitness instructor Lisa Druxman is your solution. Lisa’s takes her expertise in pre and post natal fitness to the next level and precision sculpts arms, abs and butts. This fitness program is intended specially for moms and addresses the biological changes to the body that occur throughout pregnancy.
The Mama Wants Her Body Back program includes three 20-minute total body workouts and a bonus DVD of three 10-minute abs workouts. To further help you practice a healthier lifestyle, a program guide and food journal are also included. The entire package is just $9.99+S&H and available at www.mamawants.com. Lisa Druxman, M.A. has been in the fitness industry for 20 years. She is the creator of Stroller Strides and Fit4Baby and the author of Lean Mommy.”
After my daughters were asleep, I decide to pop in the first ten minute ab workout video because I feel like this is what I need the most work on. I managed to get through the entire video (ok, I had to stop once, but it was a quick break). I love the fact that Lisa has assistants who demonstrate the various levels of difficulty so it is easy to modify the exercise to suit your needs. I was proud that I made it through the session and I didn’t feel very sore….until the next day! HOLY MOLY did my abs burn! So I knew that the exercises geared towards my lower tummy pooch made a difference!
I have been doing the 20 minute cardio and 10 minute abs for about 2 weeks now. I do not expect to see physical differences so quickly (I will spare you the pictures), but I can tell you that I can complete the exercises easier now than when I started. I am building endurance and burning calories! In addition to the DVD, you will also receive instructions on how to tailor the program as well as tips to eat healthy and a journal.
The DVD series can be purchased for $42.97! Much cheaper than a gym membership!
GIVEAWAY
Are you ready to get your body back?! One reader will win the entire DVD set reviewed here (ARV $42.97)!
How to enter:
1. Tell me what you hope to accomplish with this video.
Additional entries:
1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).
2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)
3. Subscribe to my blog.
4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook.
5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.
6. Subscribe to my Feed.
Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 15th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.
Before the blog, my nightstand used to be filled with pictures of friends and family. As my blog grew, so did the need for more technology and I found my nightstand piled with electronic devices. It became impossible to plus them all in at one time which resulted in spreading everything out around the house. I am getting frustrated with this process and as usual, am looking for a better way!
Recently, I was introduced to the Energizer Inductive Charger which I think may just solve my problems. A little about the concept and product from their website:
“Inductive charging is what happens when two devices—one designed to send power and the other designed to receive it—touch one another and energy is transferred between them. Until today, these two devices had to be designed specifically for each other. But Qi changes all that. Established by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), Qi allows you to universally charge your Qi-enabled smartphones, cameras, mp3 players and anything else that uses up to 5W without directly plugging in those devices.”
Ok, so what does all this technical stuff mean? Basically, by placing a Qi accessory on my SmartPhone, I can charge my phone by simply dropping it onto the Inductive Charger. No more finishing for an available outlet! The Inductive Charger Pad can charge two things at once which will free up space and eliminate the look of messy cords.
This all sounds great, right? But does it work? Check back with me tomorrow to get my thoughts on the Energizer Inductive Charger Pad and the accessory for the BlackBerry Curve. In the meantime, how about a giveaway?
GIVEAWAY
Want to try out this new system? The Energizer Inductive Charger and accessories can be purchased at Target, so I have one $25 Gift Card to a major retailer who carries the charger to giveaway to one lucky reader!
How to enter:
1. Visit the Energizer Inductive Charger website and tell me why you need this system!
Additional entries:
1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Cold and Energizer (10 extra entries).
2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)
3. Subscribe to my blog.
4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook.
5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.
6. Subscribe to my Feed.
Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 22nd. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.
Here are the latest round of holiday winners! Congrats!
Colgate: Sarah E.
Expressionery: Jennifer H.
Real Tooth Fairies: Jaime P.
Kodak: Erica C.
Constructive Playthings: Katherine
Zippo: Leah
iWave: Tawnda
Carolina Pad: Sharon H.
Dominos: Eve
First Impressions: Lauralee
Dreamy Eyes: Cynthia R.
Pillow Pets: Linda R.
Clorox Toilet Bowl: Angie
About One: Ruth
Sir Bingley: jr911
Ovaltine: Cori W.
Nestle Paul Frank: Leah W.
CONGRATS! You will all be emailed shortly! Please make sure you are aware of my winner’s policies.
After all the gifts have been purchased, the wrapping begins. I try to buy wrapping paper and bows well ahead of time to avoid the last minute panic and run to the local corner store. However, it never fails that I forget something and 9 times out of 10 it is either boxes or gift tags.
I was relieved to have the opportunity to review the personalized photo gifts tags from Cardstore.com because it solidified the fact that I would indeed be prepared this year. But what I was not prepared for was how much I would LOVE this product! Shortly after taking our Christmas photos, I uploaded my favorite to the Cardstore.com website and began choosing a template. There are many styles of holiday tags to choose from and I quickly found one that coordinated with the girls’ outfits.
We chose the Red Christmas Photo gift tags which can be purchased for $15 for a set of 25. Uploading the picture was a piece of cake and personalizing the back was fool proof as well. Before ordering, you can see your proof real time to make sure you have exactly what you want. The check out process was simple as well and my cards arrived quickly.
The gift tags were packaged beautifully in a stylish storage case which will allow me to store the tags without bending them. The tags are printed on a nice quality card stock (130 lb matte recycled cardstock to be exact). The colors of my image are crisp and clear, too. I can’t wait to place these personalized tags on our Christmas gifts this year!
If you haven’t sent your holiday cards just yet, check out the selection of holiday cards and photo cards. I am also in love with the photo notebooks! At just $18.00, wouldn’t these make adorable teacher gifts?
GIVEAWAY
Do you need some gift tags to complete the wrapping of your holiday gifts? Cardstore.com has generously donated one set of photo gift tags to one lucky reader!
How to enter:
1. Check out the Cardstore.com photo gift tags and let me know which ones you like the best!
Additional entries:
1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Cardstore.com (10 extra entries).
2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @cardstyle on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)
3. Subscribe to my blog.
4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Cardstore on Facebook.
5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.
6. Subscribe to my Feed.
Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 13th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.
A few days ago, we wore shorts to our Thanksgiving dinner! Today, I woke up to temperatures in the 50′s and they continue to fall! I know for those of you up North, 50 is still warm for you. But for New Orleanians, when the temperatures hit 50 degrees, we break out the heavy coats and scarves!
My daughters are still quite young and are growing like weeds! Their coats do not fit from last season, so a few weeks ago I began searching for replacements. Fortunately, Rothschild Kids must have heard my call! We were sent the Sporty Snowflake Winter Jacket to test out on my two year old. About Rothschild Kids:
“Rothschild designs coats and outerwear for boys and girls in a variety of styles and sizes for infants to pre-teens. The label is famous for its legacy wool-blend coats, which are renowned for their classic style, warmth, and durability. The contemporary collection features mid-weight jackets, coats, pram suits, and snowsuits in modern fabrics engineered for the cold weather.”
The Sporty Snowflake Winter Jacket (sold for $55) features stripes down the sleeves, a matching fleece hat and scarf (my daughter’s favorite part), a Velcro hood, and hits at the hip. The bright color definitely caught my daughter’s eye and I like that it makes her easier to spot. The weight of the jacket is nice and perfect for our winters while the inside is soft and comfortable to wear.
Rothschild Kids carries lots of different styles to please even the pickiest kid. Check out their girls coats, boys snowsuits and teh adorable infant jackets. Found something your like? Now through December 8th, use the code THANKU40 to receive 40% off and FREE shipping!
How to enter:
1. Visit Rothschild Kids and tell me one coat you love!
Additional entries:
1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Rothschild Kids (10 extra entries).
2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)
3. Subscribe to my blog.
4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Rothschild Kids on Facebook.
5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.
6. Subscribe to my Feed.
Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 15th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.
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In 2009, Bridgette co-founded a consultation service, Double Duty Divas, LLC in order to connect brands and bloggers. Expanding on this business, she will host the first blog conference geared towards product review bloggers, Reviewer's Retreat in May of 2010. [Read More …]
“Inductive charging is what happens when two devices—one designed to send power and the other designed to receive it—touch one another and energy is transferred between them. Until today, these two devices had to be designed specifically for each other. But Qi changes all that. Established by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), Qi allows you to universally charge your Qi-enabled smartphones, cameras, mp3 players and anything else that uses up to 5W without directly plugging in those devices.”