Zhu Zhu Puppies review and giveaway!

***And the winner is Jen S.!***

I guess its time for the big ticket items to start hitting the shelves for the holidays. I received our annual preview of the latest ZhuZhu craze the other day, thanks to MomSelect.

This year it is ZhuZhu Puppies! And ZhuZhu Babies and ZhuZhu Fashion, too, but we were sent the Puppies. We received one puppy, one outfit, and the Puppy Car and Meter to test out.

Kiel thought the puppy was so cute. Thor was thinking "puppy? who said puppy?".

The car was the most exciting part.

The outfit was cute, but Noah said it was too girly for him.

It didn't stop him from taking an opportunity to look cute for the camera though.

Here's a little video of the puppy in action, along with a little cat terrorizing action.

My thoughts:

This is definitely cute. Kiel was very excited when we opened it up. Like the other ZhuZhu toys you have to have a very smooth surface for them to run if they are not on a track. We had varied results using the car, especially when trying to get the puppy to go into it himself from the parking setup since it kept getting stuck.

The outfit we received was a little disappointing as it didn't fit very well. The Velcro in the front kept coming undone so then the outfit slid around or came off entirely when the puppy was moving. Kiel took it off because it was frustrating him.

It was definitely entertaining when we just let him run around, especially when the cat was watching.

Noah lost interest pretty quickly (he's 8 1/2). Kiel (3 1/2) played with it on and off most of the afternoon. He played with it in conjunction with his fire station and trucks.

I don't think this is the kind of toy that is going to be used every day. It could be frustrating for kids because it doesn't always work as it is supposed to. My past experience with the pets themselves is that if you push them while the wheels are running you will break the mechanism that turns the wheels. I doubt the puppies are any different.

I sense this is the kind of toy that will get a day or two's use and then will have broken or will lose its excitement. If Santa leaves this under the tree for your kids I imagine they will be pretty excited, but I'd be surprised if it is used much past New Years. Or maybe that is just my kids.

Overall: two MNT thumbs-up for cuteness, one for the fun factor, zero for the likelihood of getting your moneys worth.

That said, I would not pass this up if I received it for free, which I did!

And even better, one of my readers is going to win a Puppy and outfit!

To enter to win your own ZhuZhu Puppy and one outfit all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post!

Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it.

You have until midnight on Sunday, September 11, 2011 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you!

Full disclosure: MomSelect and Cepia, LLC provided me with our ZhuZhu Puppy and accesories . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. 

Young Rembrandts

The following is a guest post from Lisa Zollinger of Young Rembrandts. I thought you would find this art program interesting for your children.





Hi readers of Mommy Needs Therapy! Many thanks to Kristine for this wonderful opportunity to share my story with all of you. I hope you’ll enjoy my tale of how I left a fast-moving career to open a Young Rembrandts franchise and teach children how to draw.

From the time I was a child, art has been a passion of mine. I expressed myself through drawing, painting, and creating art of all kind. As I worked my way up the ranks and my career developed at the Philadelphia Inquirer, I decided to temporarily shelve my dream of making art my career for the betterment of my family.  I always knew I’d fit art into my life one way or another when the timing made sense. Sure enough, one day I had an epiphany and realized that the time was right. I took a leave of absence from the Inquirer and decided to pursue my lifelong passion of starting my own business related to the arts.  Through research and careful consideration, I found Young Rembrandts.

At this point, you may be wondering how I could make such a bold move in today’s economy. Secure job, great lifestyle, and I (seemingly) throw it all away to take a chance on an ambitious dream. As off-the-wall as it sounds, I was one hundred percent confident in my decision and knew I couldn’t deny my purpose any longer. It also helped that the Young Rembrandts unique and proven method, developed by an artist and educator, fit my needs perfectly. The program allowed me the flexibility to be there for my family, and was the perfect avenue for me to share my passion with children of all ages.

Young Rembrandts is built upon an exceptional mission, to teach the drawing skills children need while developing learning skills that give children an academic advantage in the classroom. Young Rembrandts teaches children how to draw using a proprietary method, which combines unique step-by-step instruction and best education practices.  Coupled with the fantastic curriculum, that is what defines Young Rembrandts and sets them apart from other art businesses.  The same structured, skill based learning used to teach science, math and reading is used to teach children how to draw.

I was also honored to learn that my franchise would mark the Young Rembrandts’ hallmark 100th opening, which is an incredible testament to the power of the program. For over 20 years, this program has delivered a top quality classroom experience that is fun, engaging, educational and affordable. To find a Young Rembrandts location near you, enter your zip code on our Class Locator page (http://www.youngrembrandts.com/Locator/).

There will undoubtedly be bumps along the road, and we’ll face our fair share of challenges, but I’m excited to see where this next chapter of my life takes me and my family.  This is a new family-friendly lifestyle where I can apply my business skills to a new venture.  Sometimes you just have to have faith in yourself and trust that the reward will be greater than the risk. Knowing that my franchise will mean dozens of small smiling faces every day serves as a constant reminder that I did the right thing by following my instinct. I hope you see the power in art as much as I do! 

- Lisa Zollinger

Powertek Precision Cordless screwdriver set by Husky Tools Review

In a departure from the products I typically review on MNT, I was sent a 13-Piece Powertek Precision Cordless screwdriver set by Husky Tools to review.

I figured the perfect time to review a cordless screwdriver was at Christmas when I'm putting together toys!

Husky Tools has a number of under-$20 tools available at Home Depot.

I have to admit when this showed up in the mail I wasn't quite sure what it was. (At first I thought maybe it was a surprise gift from one of my sponsors that also sells "tools" that often require batteries.) Obviously, I figured it out.

  You can get a decent idea of the size of it in this picture. 

Here is some info from the company about the screwdriver.

13-Piece Powertek™ Precision Cordless Screwdriver Set - ($9.88)

* Easy to Grip, Soft Touch, Forward and Reverse Precision Cordless Screwdriver Set
* Ideal for Toys, Electronics, Eyeglasses, Hobbies, Crafts and More
* Contains 12 Multiple Use Mini Bits with a Single Tool Design
* Includes Easy Use Bit Storage Case
* Ready to Use with 2 - AAA Batteries

*Guaranteed Forever

Initially I was underwhelmed. It felt very light and bit flimsy. You also have to provide the batteries. I didn't immediately grasp that because it's a "precision" set it its for smaller jobs and uses mini-bits. I first tried to use it to put together a wooden fire house for Kiel, that requires regular size screws to be screwed into wood. It took about two tries before I set it aside and was using our regular rechargeable screwdriver for that job.  

The next day however, I needed something to open up the battery compartment on one of Kiel's cars so I figured I'd give it another try. It worked beautifully! And that was when I really looked at it and the size of the bits. Duh! Mini-bits!

We've used it several times in the past week to open and close battery compartments and it is great. The bits are the perfect size and the power provided in forward and reverse is good. 

The set comes with 12 mini-bits. I have no idea what I would use the majority of the bits for, but as long as it has the three or four that I would use who cares, right? The storage "case" holds the bits and also allows the screwdriver to stand upright in the middle of it. I like that because I have it on my kitchen counter where I keep my pens and other odds and ends, and it is easy to find. 

Husky Tools provided me with this set. All opinions are my own.

Lionel Little Lines Train Playset Review

Did you know that Lionel Electric Trains now has a retail store in NYC? They also opened pop-up stores this holiday season in Cherry Hill, NYC, Westchester, Dallas, and Minneapolis. I'm not exactly sure what a pop-up store is, but if it involves trains I know my boys would enjoy visiting it.

We weren't able to attend a special event in Cherry Hill earlier in December, so Lionel sent us their Lionel Little Lines Train Playset for the boys to play with and me to review. I didn't want it to get missed in the chaos of Christmas, so we just opened it up today to play with. 

Rich and I put it together while a very 

excited Kiel waited a bit impatiently. 

Here is a picture of the pieces right out of the box. The train isn't in this picture, but it includes an engine, coal car, carrier car, and caboose.

As with all toys we review, Thor is right in the middle of the action. He was actually more patient than Noah and Kiel were during the assembly. 

The assembly itself wasn't too bad. I only swore once when I pinched my hand between two of the tracks. I was impressed by the solidity of the track considering it is made of plastic. 

Snapping the tracks together took some force, but other than some difficulty snapping the tracks into the risers until I figured out it was easier to slide them in than snap them in, it wasn't too bad.

The hardest part was getting Kiel to stop playing with the engine before the track was ready.

Here we are mid- construction. 

You can see my little engineer is anxious to get started.

Here it is 95% complete, just before I realized I had a 3" piece of the track under the bridge that wasn't supposed to be there, which was making things not quite snap together correctly at the curves. After I fixed that part the track looked and felt very stable.

The engine itself moves very slow in the forward direction, a bit faster in reverse. We didn't have much luck getting the engine to pull the other three cars around the track. Fortunately, the boys were happy just playing with the engine. 

The remote control is easy to use and a nice size for little hands to hold. You can see Kiel is holding the remote in the picture below.

We have to keep an eye on Kiel because he really wants to push the train around the floor himself. We don't typically have good luck with trains/cars/ Zhu Zhu pets that have a gear mechanism because of that, as eventually the inner mechanism breaks from the misuse. Hopefully, I can prevent that from happening with this train. 

**Updated to add that four hours in and the train now only works in reverse.**

The engine is a little tricky for Kiel to get on the track correctly but Noah does fine with it.

The age range is 2 1/2 +. I think that is a realistic age as far as ability to use the remote, but not to play with the train by itself.

Both boys have been playing with it (together even) on and off all afternoon and the track is still in one piece. We've had a couple small plastic Thomas sets in the past that quickly became frustrating because the track wouldn't stay together. So far that isn't an issue with this Lionel Train set.

My thoughts on this set: 

Durability of the tracks initially seems good and feels solid. 

The engine is slow, which is a little disappointing. I think it would keep kids attention longer if it had a bit more pep. 

If you are thinking of getting this for a toddler keep in mind that if your kids are like mine you are going to have to supervise any use so they don't try to push it themselves, which will likely break the mechanism in the engine.

I don't see where you can buy additional track for it, but if you can that would be a nice feature.

I'll let you know if you can buy the engine by itself, since its a shame we now have a nice track without a working engine. 

Lionel Trains and Dan Klores Communications provided me with the Lionel Little Lines Train Playset. All opinions are my own.

Thomas & Friends: Merry Winter Wish DVD - review and giveaway - ended

 ***Congrats to mamaOtwins+1!****

I have one more Thomas & Friends DVD to giveaway today!

This one is Thomas & Friends: Merry Winter Wish. Just in time for the holidays!

I've been saving this one for the kids until after Thanksgiving. I think we are going to put it in tonight and enjoy it together with a bowl of popcorn!  
 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Celebrate with the ultimate collection of Thomas & Friends™ tales that every child will be asking for! Just in time for the holidays is the first collection of fun, festive, winter-themed adventures in new CG animation with Thomas and his engine friends in Thomas & Friends: Merry Winter Wish available in DVD, Digital Download and On Demand from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment. Children will also enjoy host Driver Perkins, who can ONLY be seen on DVD, and engages children with interactive dialogue and extra fun!

DVD SYNOPSIS

Next stop, Winter Wonderland! Join Thomas and his friends as they celebrate the holidays in these four enchanting tales. Thomas has a special delivery for the season - the Star of Knapford, a festive light that makes wishes come true! The children are excited for the Snowman Party in the Town Square but it’s up to Thomas to find the snowman a special hat before the party can begin. Watch Bash, Dash and Ferdinand prepare for the first ever Misty Island Christmas party. Then Henry helps Sir Topham Hatt prepare a secret holiday surprise for all of Sodor. The more friends the merrier, so join the fun and see that winter wishes do come true with Thomas & Friends!

To enter to win your own DVD all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! For fun tell me what your favorite holiday DVD is.

Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it.

You have until midnight on Sunday, December 5, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you!

US mailing addresses only.

Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. 

Thomas & Friends: Adventure Pack 4-DVD set - review and giveaway - ended

 ****congrats to slb3334!!*****

Kiel and my husband have about a 45 minute drive to and from work/daycare every day. They usually take our minivan which has a DVD player in it. That allows Rich to listen to his sport radio crap and Kiel is mostly entertained.

When we got the 4-DVD Thomas & Friends: Adventure pack, which includes a complete TV season of Thomas & Friends episodes.

Now, I haven't watched these myself, but my husband said Kiel has been enjoying them on their drive for the last several days. Each disk is just about the right length of time for their drive.

DVD SYNOPSIS
Full steam ahead for friendship and fun with Thomas and his engine pals! This full series set has exclusive, heartwarming tales on the tracks filled with more adventures, and more lessons than ever before. Capture the spirit of Thomas as he learns to share his workload and experience exciting festivals and surprises in these episodes, including never before seen on TV footage exclusive to the DVDs. Hop on board and put on your conductor's hat for this thrilling all-in-one-set with Thomas & Friends.
 


DVDs include:
· Thomas & Friends: Railway Friends
· Thomas & Friends: High Speed Adventures
· Thomas & Friends: Team Up With Thomas
· Thomas & Friends: Percy and the Bandstand

To enter to win your own DVD all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post!

Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it.

You have until midnight on Sunday, December 5, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you!

US mailing addresses only.

Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. 

Barney: Best Fairy Tales - review and giveaway - ended

***congrats to Kathy Pease!!***

Barney doesn't irritate me as much as he does some people I guess. I wouldn't say I look forward to watching that purple dinosaur, but there are times when a half hour of an entertained and quiet child is priceless. 

Barney: Best Fairy Tales, (released November 9, 2010) did not disappoint when it came to the "keep my child occupied" factor. And honestly, there were a few parts of it that even I thought were kind of cute.

Barney brings nine of the best known fairy tales to life, including Jack And The Beanstalk, Goldilocks and The Three Bears, and Three Billy Goats Gruff.

SYNOPSIS

Once upon a time in a land of friendship and fun, a fairytale celebration had just begun! In this collection of enchanted stories, Barney, B.J., and Baby Bop share their favorite tales about Goldilocks, Elves, Tortoises and Hares. Let your imagination unfold as you delight in new dances and plays, and learn that no one is too big or too small --everyone is perfect just the way they are! With your beloved dino friends by your side, you'll be sure to live happily ever after!

Classic tales include:
Jack and the Beanstalk
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Three Billy Goats Gruff
Shoemaker & Elves
The Sharing Hen
Little Boy Blue
Three Little Kittens
Tortoise and the Hare
Girl Who Cried Wolf

To enter to win your own DVD all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! For fun tell me what your favorite fairy tale is.

 
Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it.

You have until midnight on Sunday, December 5, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you!

US mailing addresses only.

Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. 

Thomas & Friends: The Lion of Sodor - review and giveaway

 ***congrats to lstanziani!!***

Kiel has learned to recognize the large yellow envelopes that arrive with DVD's in them.
"Is it Thomas?" he asks? He's pretty excited by anything we receive to review, but Thomas and Shaun the Sheep are definitely his favorites.

There was something extra exciting about Thomas & Friends: The Lion of Sodor though. Probably the golden lion on the front. "Rrrrrarww" says Kiel!

I like the message in this one that stresses the importance of listening to others. I need to get my older son to sit down and watch it a few or 20 times!

Thomas & Friends: The Lion Of Sodor will be aavailable On DVD, Digital Download and On Demand
December 7, 2010

DVD SYNOPSIS

Join Thomas as he roars down the tracks with the most special delivery yet, The Lion of Sodor. Thomas’ special delivery is not what he thinks it is - a real lion. When the other trains try to tell him that it’s actually a statue, he is too excited to listen. Join Thomas as he learns the importance of listening to others in this lionhearted collection of tales from the tracks.

To enter to win your own DVD all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! For fun tell me what lessons your kids learn from Thomas.

 
Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it.

You have until midnight on Sunday, December 5, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you!

US mailing addresses only.

Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. 

FiberOne giveaway - includes a $25 Safeway giftcard! -- ended!

****And the winner is  allthingsnew who said..."I'd like to call the Caramel Delight cereal! Thanks so much for hosting this giveaway!"***

I have another MyBlogSpark giveaway for you guys!

This one is from Fiber One and is for VIP coupons good for one free box of Fiber One cereal and one free box of Fiber One bars, in addition to a $25 Safeway gift card (also valid at Dominick´s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, and Genuardi´s). 

Fiber One products have you covered with at least 35% of your daily value of fiber in every serving of their cereals and bars. And now they taste even better!

I haven't tried the Fiber One cereal yet, but I have a new box in my cupboard just waiting. I love the FiberOne bars! I learned the hard way not to eat more than one at a time however, if you know what I mean.

Even my little one who barely eats anything likes the bars!

If you would like to win two VIP coupons for Fiber One and a 25$ gift card to Safeway just leave a comment on this post.

Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it.

You have until midnight on Sunday, November 14, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you!

US mailing addresses only.

Disclosure: The VIP coupons and a $25 Safeway gift card for me and for one of my readers was provided by Fiber One through MyBlogSpark. Any opinions given are my own.

Family Flick Night gift pack giveaway --ended

***And the winner is shirley who  said..."Here we use dry Trix and Reese Puffs for snacks, too. Thanks"***



I received a box from MyBlogSpark and General Mills today. I opened it up to find a "Family Flick Night" gift pack, which included a box of Lucky Charms cereal and Trix cereal.

Noah saw me open it and declared this was "the best day ever!" Kiel jumped up and down with excitement. I'm seriously going to wrap up boxes of cereal for Christmas since it excites them so much. I think it's obvious we don't buy "sugar" cereal.

The exciting part for me though was that the box also included four Movie Cash certificates! Yeah!

Right now General Mills is running a promotion when you purchase two specially marked packages of Big G cereals including Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms® (16 oz.), Trix® (14.8 oz) and Reese´s Puffs® cereal (18 oz.

After purchasing two participating cereals, visit generalmills.com/moviecash to enter the unique code found inside each box of cereal and print your free Movie Cash certificate (good for one admission of up to a $12 value at participating theatres). To find a participating theater in your area, log onto http://emoviecash.com/dis_locator/. 

 

If you would like to win your own "Family Flick Night" gift pack which will include two boxes of the participating Big G cereals and four Movie Cash certificates just leave a comment on this post. 

Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it.

You have until midnight on Sunday, November 14, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you!

US mailing addresses only.

Disclosure: A "Family Flick Night" gift pack for me and for one of my readers was provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. Any opinions given are my own.

The Day Leo Said I Hate You

What do you do when you kid tells you for the first time that he hates you?

Unfortunately, with a seven year-old with an attachment disorder I hear that phrase pretty much every time he gets mad at me. I also hear "you are a lier," "you are stupid," and the latest "you wear hideous clothes," which I have to say gave me a good laugh.

My almost three year-old on the other hand hasn't done more than the stomp his feet and cry temper tantrum with a few "I don't yike that mommy" thrown in there, when he is mad. And then you can tell he immediately feels bad if he senses mommy isn't happy with him. It's a wonderful thing!

I do know that the phrase "I hate you" is in our future. Not only does he hear his older brother say it, but I think its a normal feeling for kids to have at some point, as they try and figure out what their feelings mean and appropriate ways to express them..


When I was offered the chance to review the childrens book The Day Leo Said I Hate You! by Robie Harris I was excited. 

 

I'm always happy to add new books to our library, and this one has become a regular in our nighttime story routine.

The story starts out with Leo making some poor behavior choices (rolling tomatoes in the house until they burst, droping string beans into the fish bowl, and squeezing toothpaste all over the toilet) to which his mother repeatedly tells him "no." Leo's frustration at being repeatedly told "no" overwhelms him and eventually he tells his mother that he hates her. His mother, at first horrified, then explains to him that you that words can hurt, but there are things you can hate, like broccoli. 

The illustrations are colorful and engaging, and mirror the intensity and emotions of the story.

I was somewhat nervous reading this with Kiel, because I didn't want to introduce these words to him and then live to regret it. While that would have been the case with his older brother, with my younger, well attached, "typical" child I did not need to worry.

Kiel was fascinated by the illustrations and recognized immediately when Leo was doing something naughty. Watching Kiel shake his finger at the pages of the book and say "naughty" to Leo was adorable. 

Not only did we use the story to talk about "mean words," which honestly I think went over Kiel's head a bit, but we used the illustrations to work on recognizing and talking about feelings. Kiel was drawn to the emotions shown on Leo and his mothers face and was very animated in telling me that Leo was sad, or Leo's mom was mad.

Some of our books we read purely for the enjoyment of the story and just snuggling together. Other books we use in a more dynamic way, with the two of us interacting with the story line. The Day Leo said I hate You! is definitely the kind of book that your child will enjoy the story and the illustrations, but as a parent you can feel like you are teaching your child something too.

The next time my older son gets mad and says mean things to me, after he calms down, I plan on pulling out this book and reading it with him. Although it is meant for younger children I think we can use it as a discussion starter with him.

The Day Leo Said I Hate you is now available in paperback and for Kindle, as well as in hardcover. All versions are on sale at Amazon right now.

I was provided with a review copy of the book by Raab Associates Inc. All opinions are my own.

Betty Crocker Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes Review and Giveaway - ended

 **And the winner is.... Have A Sweet Day! who said..."we usually make them from scratch but with 6 kids and all the things we have going on this would be great."**


I grew up in a family that thought instant mashed potatoes were the side dish of choice. We also drank Carnation instant milk for several years. The milk was to save money I think. The instant potatoes were to save time. Peeling and mashing potatoes was reserved for holiday meals.

By the time I was in college I hated instant mashed potatoes. Watery, flavorless white mush.

When MyBlogSpark and Betty Crocker offered me the chance to review the new Betty Crocker Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes I almost turned them down. Then I thought maybe I should try them and see if I was surprised. Either way I was going to be honest about what I thought.

With a just-like-mom´s taste, Betty Crocker Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes go from stovetop to table in just eight short minutes. Based on a scratch recipe, the Homestyle Creamy Butter variety will have your family thinking you spent hours in the kitchen the next time you serve up a hearty helping. If you prefer an extra kick of flavor, give the Roasted Garlic variety a try. And with two pouches in every box there´s plenty to go around.

I made them tonight and served them with my homemade meatloaf. This was the reaction:

 Noah gave them two thumbs up! He wanted more.

This is Kiel giving his "yuck" face. He didn't care for them. Unfortunately, he didn't actually try them either, so don't take his opinion seriously.

Rich said they were the best instant mashed potatoes he has had. He would eat them again.

Me? Well, I'm a purist. I still prefer the real thing, but I do agree with Rich that for instant they weren't bad. 

If you would like to try them yourselves you can grab a $0.55 coupon here. 

And, if you would like to win the prize pack pictured below leave a comment on this post.

Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it.

You have until midnight on Friday, November 12, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that weekend. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you!

US mailing addresses only.

Disclosure: The Betty Crocker Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes, the prize pack, information and the prize package for giveaway were all provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark. Any opinions given are my own.

Blow it out your nose - a SinuSense review

Ten years ago if you asked me what I wouldn't travel without I probably would have told you my hairdryer and curling iron.

Now, I won't travel without my sinus wash.

I know, I'm sounding old. But I sure do enjoy having clear sinuses!

Recently MomSelect and Waterpik offered me the chance to try out Waterpik's new SinuSense line of products, including their SinuSense Squeeze Bottle and SinuSense Neti Bottle.

I've been using a fairly traditional form of the Neti pot for the last year, but I was open to trying some other options so I said yes.

First, let me tell you that if you aren't doing some form of nasal/sinus rinse and you have sinus issues, you really should try it. It was a little strange the first time but once I got over the fear that it was going to hurt (It doesn't!) or I was going to choke or inhale it (I didn't, just make sure you breathe through your mouth when you use it.) it was really kind of cool.

I know it sounds gross, but I actually get a kick seeing how much crap I can get out of my sinuses some days. I've never been that great at blowing my nose and usually feel like my congestion is further back in my sinuses than I can easily blow out. The sinus rinse gets in further and cleans more out than I could ever blow out on my own.

(I wish I could get my husband to try it. He's chronically congested and of course snores like a rough engine at night because of it.)

Waterpik SinuSense™  Squeeze Bottle- allows you to customize the amount of water flow for a complete cleanse, simply with an easy squeeze. The SoftSeal™ nozzle maximizes comfort and the One-Way FlowControl™ valve prevents backflow to maintain solution purity.

      Waterpik SinuSense™  Neti Bottle- a unique approach to the traditional neti pot; its ergonomic shape, SoftSeal™ nozzle and One-Touch FlowControl™ valve make the Neti Bottle easy to hold, comfortable against your nose and creates a controlled gravity-fed water flow that provides a gentle sinus cleansing.

One of the issues I have with the traditional Neti pot is that they aren't sealed, at least the one I had wasn't. It was very much like a tiny tea pot without a lid. Since you add a packet of saline salts to the water, I typically ended up using my finger to mix it up since the cat was always stealing the little spoon that came with it and I could never find it.


With the SinuSense products you remove the nozzle, fill the bottle, then replace the nozzle, which allows me to shake it to mix in the saline powder. (It's the little things people, I'm lazy, I admit it.)


I used both the Neti bottle and the squeeze bottle for a month and I think I prefer the squeeze bottle over the Neti bottle, but by a small margin. I'd really like to try the Water Pulsator since it sounds like it is a bit more aggressive in how it cleanses, now that I'm an experienced nasal cleaner. *snicker*

You can check out the Waterpik site to read more about their SinuSense line and the health benefits of a sinus wash.

MomSelect and Waterpik provided me with the products. All opinions are my own.

Thomas & Friends - Misty Island Rescue DVD review and giveaway

 **And the winner is 11newmom. Sorry I'm so late at posting this!!  **

There is a new Thomas & Friends DVD available tomorrow! My friends at Andrea Blaine Public Relations sent me an advance copy and the boys and I watched it this weekend. Several times! All Kiel wants to watch is "twain, twain." It's a cute movie, and as always, has some good messages in it. This is the first time a Thomas movie will be available on Blue-ray as well as a standard DVD.

Thomas and his engine friends embark on a thrilling new journey that takes them from the Island of Sodor to the mysterious Misty Island in the all-new, CG animated adventure  Thomas & Friends™ Misty Island Rescue - The Movie available on DVD, Blu-ray Disc+DVD combo pack, Digital Download and On Demand, September 7, 2010 from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment.

SYNOPSIS

The engines are hard at work to build a new Search and Rescue Center. When Thomas helps a friend in need, he is rewarded with an exciting trip to the mainland.  Along the way, he gets lost at sea and finds himself on the mysterious Misty Island, where he meets new friends Bash, Dash and Ferdinand. Together they discover the secrets of Misty Island and help Thomas find his way home.  Will Sir Topham Hatt's search party ever find Thomas? Find out in this action-packed movie adventure the whole family will enjoy!!          

To enter to win your own DVD all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! For fun tell me which engine is your child's favorite.

Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it.

You have until midnight on Sunday September 12, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you!

US mailing addresses only.

Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertaiment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own.