Beethoven: Patti H.

Barbie DVD: Daniel M.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD: Nan

Cutey Charm Bracelet:  Hoa Lee

Rudi’s Organic Bread: Allison D.

Disney Princess Dolls: Julie

Easy Bake Oven: Ana

Cheerios Prize Pack: Laura E.

Juicy Juice and Cars 2: Ellen C.

Rockboard Scooter:  Tannawings (Ellen)

Congrats!  You will all be receiveing an email shortly.  Please respond within 72 hours to claim your prize.

One of the best things about owning Experimental Mommy is turning my online relationships into true friendships.  I have met all types of women from beauty bloggers to coupon clippers, review bloggers to foodies but I am always amazed at the strength and courage of the military families I have met along the way.  Behind every soldier is a family that rises to the challenge and serves this Country as well.

This holiday, send a note of thanks and “cheer” to our Military families.  Cheerios and the USO have partnered in a postcard campaign that spreads Cheer directly to these honorable military families and supports USO programs. Through the end of November, purchase a box of specially-marked Cheerios and cut out the postcard from the logo.  Write a note of thanks, add a stamp and mail the pre-addressed card to the USO who will deliver the cards to military families across the country.

This campaign not only helps to spread cheer to military families, but raises money for the USO as well.  For each postcard received through November 2012, Cheerios will make a $1 donation to the USO to help fund programs that support military families!  What a great way to say THANKS this holiday season!

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive a Cheerios bow, spoon, cereal dispenser and box of Cheerios!

How to Enter:

1. Tell me what you would write on the Cheer Postcard!

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! Limited to 10 a day, please. (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 Cheerios on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 6th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  While a sample was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% honest.  Cheerios cereal, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Because our family consists of two full time working parents, we have very little time to prepare healthy, balanced meals when we get home.  It is often tempting to eat out because it is quick and easy (although not healthy or budget-friendly).  My husband and I have really tried very hard lately to plan our week of meals in advance.  If we know what’s for dinner, we don’t waste time deciding and are much less tempted to grab a take-out menu.  Boxed meals are something we tend to grab at the grocery because honestly, they are quick and cheap.  But, more often than not, a boxed meal contains more calories than we should really be consuming at dinner.

Thanks to My Blog Spark, I was able to try a new dry dinner kit from Good Earth, the Mediterranean Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta.  From the press release:

“With appetizing entrées from Good Earth, dining in is sure to become the new dining out. Enjoy cooking a sophisticated, restaurant-quality meal in the comfort of your own home. Each variety includes vibrant and flavorful sauces along with specialty ingredients like sweet basil, white wine and dried tomatoes. Delicious dinners that allow you to keep a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing taste, Good Earth dry dinner kits are perfect for whipping up a no-fail, five-star cuisine in less than 30 minutes.

100% whole grain, no trans fat, no artificial flavors, no artificial preservatives, no MSG – just add meat and, voila! Dinner is served!”

The dinner kits come in 4 varieties: Mediterranean Chicken with angel hair pasta, Spicy Citrus Glazed Shrimp with angel hair pasta, Herb Crusted Chicken with mushroom risotto and Tuscan Chicken with penne pasta. We prepared the Mediterranean Chicken for my family of four tonight at dinner.  It was very easy to fix (the hardest part was cutting the chicken!) and really was finished in 30 minutes.  The quantity was perfect for my family size and it was delicious!  Even my two year old asked for seconds!  The meal did not taste boxed and I was very happy that we managed to serve a successful hot meal for our family in a short amount of time.

GIVEAWAY

Want to try it, too?  I have one Good Earth prize package including one Good Earth Mediterranean Chicken dry dinner kit, two sets of bamboo flatware, two bamboo dishes, a bamboo utility board and a 100% recyclable grocery tote for one lucky reader!

How to enter:

1. Tell me which variety of Good Earth Dry Dinner Kits you would love to try!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Good Earth (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 July 26th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This product review is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy. Others may have a different experience. A product was provided from Good Earth and My Blog Spark to facilitate this review, but all opinions remain 100% mine.

The weather this winter has wreaked complete havoc on my skin causing it to be abnormally dry and flakey. Couple that with the fact that I am about to turn 36 and you have one major need for skin revitalization! When My Blog Spark asked me to take a look at the new Olay Total Effects Body Wash, my skin was more than happy to oblige.

A little about the body wash:

“With jojoba butter and VitaNiacin, Olay Total Effects Body Wash – Deep Penetrating Moisture can help you get soft, smooth skin in one shower, improved elasticity in one week, and young-looking, radiant skin in one month. Proven effective in fighting multiple signs of aging, the exclusive VitaNiacin formula helps rejuvenate and beautify your skin while improving the condition of the skin´s moisture barrier. Also available is the Olay Total Effects Body Wash – Exfoliating and Replenish, which has micro-derm beads and VitaNiacin to help keep you looking and feeling young.”

Looking around the Olay site, I found a quiz you can take to determine your skin’s age.  To my surprise, this 36 year old has a “skin-age” of 24-33! YAY!  Nonetheless, it is never too early to take steps to protect your skin, right?  When first using the new body wash, I noticed how thick and creamy the body wash felt…. it just looks like it would nourish the skin.  The scent is also light and pleasant, definitely not overpowering and it lathers very well on my loofa.  After one week of using the body wash daily, I can actually feel a difference in my skin.  It is soft, smooth and appears less dry.

If your skin could use some nourishment, request a free sample and then enter to win a $10 Walmart gift card so you can purchase a full size bottle (suggested retail price is $7.99).

How to enter:

1. Tell me what you do to take care of your skin!

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 and Olay on Facebook.

5. Place my button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on March 26th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This review is the opinion of The Experimental Mommy. Other may have a different experience with the product. Thank you to Olay and My Blog Spark who provided the product for review and gift card to giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.

I love to go to the movies!  But having kids has certainly changed the frequency with which we choose to go to the theater.  My husband and I treated our daughter to a “Lily Day” which consists of our undivided attention to do anything she chooses together as a family.  Of course, she wanted to see the Hannah Montana movie.  Even though my husband was THE ONLY man in line for the Hannah Movie, he happily sat in the theater because it was Lily’s special day.  However, he was NOT so happy with the cost!

Movie ticket prices had soared reaching $9.00 a ticket, popcorn prices were insane and drinks the size of my head.  Lily had a great time, but we left the theater feeling robbed!  Because of the expense of going to the movies, we haven’t gone often.  But with the holiday season fast approaching, I know there will be some great children’s movies coming out!

Starting in November, when you purchase two boxes of specially marked packages of General Mills’ cereals, you can receive a FREE movie ticket (up to $12.00)!   My kids go through TONS of cereal, so we should be able to rack up lost of free tickets!  Once you purchase the cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Trix and Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs), simply visit the General Mills website to enter the code found inside each box and print your free ticket.  Your tickets can be used at any participating theater!

Can’t wait to take your family to the movies?  General Mills and MyBlogSpark have teamed up to offer one Not-So-Blog reader FOUR free movie tickets (up to $12.00 a piece) and one coupon for a FREE General Mills cereal!

How to enter:

1. Tell me what is your favorite movie!

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. Favorite me in Technorati!

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on November 18th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This review is the opinion of The Experimental Mommy. Other may have a different experience with the product. Thank you to General Mills and MyBlogSpark for supplying the product for review.

Working full time while raising two daughters, while quite rewarding, can be extremely hectic! My husband and I have a fairly rigid schedule of responsibilities when we get home from work which includes bathing the kids, ironing clothes, washing bottles, packing lunches and of course, playing with the girls. So, easy dinner meals are always a huge help to us.

Thanks to My Blog Spark, I got to review one of the four new dinner kits inspired by the chef’s at Romano’s Macaroni Grill! I received the Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken and Pasta along with a colander, a serving spoon, a cheese grater and 3 coupons for FREE boxes of Macaroni Grill’s dinner kits.

From the Press Release:
“The dinner kits include everything needed to create a high-quality meal in one box including premium ingredients such as such as vine-ripened tomatoes, select cooking wines, specialty herbs and 100% semolina pasta. All you have to do is add one pound of chicken or your choice of proteins such as shrimp or Italian sausage. Varieties of Romano’s Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites dinner kits include Garlic & Herb Chicken Penne, Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken & Pasta, Chicken Alfredo with Linguine and Chicken Marsala with Linguine.”

The fact that a tasty, hot meal can be made in 20 minutes was enough to appeal to me!  I decided to prepare our Creamy Basil kit tonight for dinner.  The instructions were very easy to follow and all of the ingredients were provided except chicken, butter and milk.  From start to finish, I was indeed finished in 20 minutes and it smelled great! I couldn’t wait to enjoy one of our restaurant favorites at home!

My husband, Lily, Aubrie and I sat down to enjoy a nice Italian meal together.  Both my husband and I really enjoyed the taste of the meal.  And the real testimonial is that BOTH of my girls cleaned their plates!  This NEVER happens in my house unless I am serving chicken nuggets.  So, you can imagine my surprise when even my 1 year old could not get enough of the pasta!

I can’t wait to use my coupons to try out the next variety!  Please take a minute to watch the slideshow of our meal prep and tasting!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Want to try the Macaroni Grill dinner kits?  I have THREE “What’s For Dinner” prize packs including the dinner kit, a colander, a serving spoon, a cheese grater and three coupons for FREE Macaroni Grill dinner kits for my readers!

How to enter:

1.  Visit Romano’s Macaroni Grill Favorites and let me know which variety you would like to try!

Additional Entries (please leave each entry as a separate comment):

1.  Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog.

2.  Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway.

3.  Favorite me in Technorati.

4.  Subscribe to my blog.

5.  Tell me how often you and your family eat dinner together!

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on April 30th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited.  Open to U.S. Residents only.