It's Time To Rethink The Way You Clean With iQ-The Smarter Cleaner Review And #GIVEAWAY! 10/179/17/2011 Have you ever stopped and thought about the household cleaners you're using in your home? Or even more, have you ever read the labels on them? It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of cleaning solutions are toxic and full of harsh chemicals that can poison not only your family and pets, but also the environment. Don't believe me? Just take a look at the warnings listed on the packaging. It's enough to unnerve me, that's for sure, especially considering that I have 3 kids and a small dog in my home. Even if you carefully follow the instructions, these many cleaners still leave behind a chemical laden residue that can prove to be very harmful if it comes into contact with people or animals. And no doubt, these chemicals DO come into contact with us every single day. Think about your kitchen counters, for example. If you're like me, you clean and disinfect your kitchen surfaces often. Well, if there is a residue left behind on the surfaces used to prepare food, guess where these chemicals end up? That's right! In our food and ultimately in our bodies. Pretty distressing, isn't it? Sure, there are a ton of so called "green" cleaners on the market that promise to be non-toxic to pets and humans. They are even made of eco-friendly ingredients and come in recyclable packaging. While this is definitely a step in the right direction, most of these cleaners don't offer the most effective cleaning, and they also come with quite a hefty price tag. There have been many occasions when I have been totally disappointed with the performance of eco-friendly cleaners. I have found that I ended up needing to three times more cleaner and still only achieved mediocre results, at best. Not to mention the excessive elbow grease required when using these products! There has GOT to be a better eco-friendly alternative, right? Well there is, and I would love to tell you all about it! It's all about finding a smarter cleaner. iQ Cleaners are just that. What makes iQ Cleaners so unique? To put it simply: Everything!
67 Comments
One thing every child loves is cookies. Okay, adults, too! And now that summer has come to an end, it's time to start planning those Holiday desserts and treats. One thing I have always loved about the cooler months is sitting wrapped in a blanket with some hot cocoa and some spice cookies, like Ginger Snaps or Molasses Cookies. There is something about these kinds of cookies that just screams autumn to me! One thing I have always hated about Molasses cookies is the inevitable mess that comes along with making them! Molasses is very sticky and gooey, and it's a pain in the behind to clean up globs of Molasses cookie batter that end up on the counter tops. So while I love these cookies, I don't make them often. Until now, that is. This fall, Betty Crocker is introducing a Molasses Cookie mix that takes the pain out of the prep-work and clean up, allowing your family to enjoy these nostalgic, tasty cookies any time with no mess, and no fuss! I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to sample these cookies with my family, and they were absolutely delicious! Each pouch of cookie mix yields up to 3 dozen 2 inch cookies, so there will be enough for the whole family! These cookies have a delectably soft and chewy texture, and great spice cookie taste, new Betty Crocker® Molasses Cookie mix combines real molasses flavor with hints of cinnamon and spice for a homemade taste that you´ll love. I am already planning to include these delicious cookies in my Holiday and Fall celebrations! My husband's family is having a bonfire birthday celebration in October, and I think I will bring along a batch or 3 of these along with us. I am also planning on preparing some of these around Thanksgiving and Christmas time as well! These soft, spicy treats are sure to be a perfect addition to all of our family gatherings. Even though the weather is starting to get blessedly cooler and summer is saying goodbye for the year, it's never a bad time to invest in a great new swimsuit. After all, many of us are members of organizations like the YMCA, (or comparable places) and these great family institutions often offer year round swimming in their indoor, olympic sized pools! I remember being a kid in chilly North-Eastern Ohio and going swimming at "The Y" and the Natatorium in the dead of winter. It was definitely a lot of fun and even made me forget about the feet of snow and icy winds that awaited us once we left the warm, heated water. And for many lucky families, winter time means vacations to somewhere warm and exotic. Perhaps Florida or the Caribbean, or perhaps even Hawaii! I personally have never been to any of these reportedly fabulous locations, and my family certainly can't afford to visit them any time soon, but I know there are a lot of lucky families that do get to enjoy these vacays during the cooler months. Yep, I'm just a wee bit jealous, haha. So just because summer may be coming to a close, great swimsuits are still a must have. That's why I was so excited to get the opportunity to review the cute, modest swimwear from Hapari. Hapari offers a ton of fabulous, fashion forward swimwear that is cute enough to get you noticed but modest enough to keep you off of tabloid covers. Their swimwear is perfect for me as a mom because I don't really like letting it all hang out when enjoying the pool with my family. Hapari swimwear is designed to hold everything in the swimsuit where it belongs, while still looking young and fresh. Hapari offers many different styles of women's swimwear from fun tankinis, cute bikinis and even flattering one pieces. They even have a special lines of Junior's swimwear, as well as great options for men and boys! But that's not all! Hapari even has Plus Sized swimwear and special mastectomy swimwear for those breast cancer survivors out there. So I think it's safe to say, Hapari has something for everyone. Here are a few of my personal favorites from the Hapari collection: When I think of quality, fun baby gear and toys, one name immediately comes to mind: Bright Starts. I'm sure you're familiar with this household name, too! Bright Starts makes a wide variety of terrific products like swings, playards, bouncers, and even play gyms and mats! With fun, vibrant colors and whimsical designs, babies love Bright Starts products because they remain engaged through explorative play. I have been a fan of Bright Starts for years now. As a matter of fact, their Ingenuity Playards and Perfect Place Highchairs are on my Baby Wish List! So imagine my delight when Bright Starts agreed to be a sponsor in my upcoming In Honor Of The Tatas event! I have never tried a product from Bright Starts that I didn't absolutely love, so I was very excited to include them! And they had the perfect additions to this HUGE event with not one but TWO items from their Pretty In Pink line of products, the Bounce-A-Bout and the PTPA Award winning Put & Take Purse! These fit beautifully in this pink themed event, and are products any little princess is sure to enjoy! Take a look at these awesome products! Okay, so I have a confession to make: I am technologically impaired. Big time. I cannot assemble things for the life of me, I don't know how to program electronics, and I do not have the first clue how to use my Canon ELPH 300 HS that I got as a birthday gift from my husband. I generally rely on my husband to be the one to figure such things out, while I continue to sit here confused until he shows me, hands on, how to do something. Looking at diagrams and reading instructions has never been overly successful for me. When it comes to my nice new camera, I always just relied on the Auto setting to take the guess work out of things. However, I noticed that by using the Auto setting, I have not always gotten the best possible photos and my camera definitely hasn't performed to its full potential. I just accepted this as something I would have to just live with, since I didn't understand how to operate manual settings. That's why when Kristen Duke, the author of a great book called "Say NO to Auto", and professional photographer, asked me to review her pocket guide to understanding manual camera settings, I eagerly agreed to do so. The book promises to make learning how to capture the perfect shots consistently easy and relatively painless. I have a couple of lucky winners to announce! Ladies, you've been e-mailed. Please reply within 48 hours to claim your prizes! Thanks to everyone who entered!
UPrinting: Tiffany Berry Ball: Heather S. Okay, folks. This is a review and giveaway I am truly excited about. We all want special keepsake gifts for our babies, but sometimes these aren't the easiest items to find. One thing I happen to love are baby blankies. When I was a kid, I was definitely a blankie girl. I had 3 of them, if memory serves correctly: A yellow one and two blue ones. I am pretty sure my mom had to cut them smaller and smaller till they were gone to wean me off of them. But I do remember just how comforting it was to have my security blankets. I would wrap them around myself, snuggle with them, and carry them literally everywhere I went. So yes, I am definitely a fan of giving my kids their own special blankies. Kyle, who is now 11, had a plush Winnie The Pooh blankie, which he generously donated to his sister when she was born. But when I was pregnant with Xander, my youngest, I stumbled upon a great blog giveaway for a personalized, luxury blankie from a company called Fill In The Blankie. I was thrilled when I was chosen as the lucky winner of this giveaway, and I had a super soft fleece blanket custom made for Xander. When the blankie arrived, we absolutely loved it. It was soft, beautifully embroidered, and had a gorgeous satin trim. Xander loves his blankie, as you can see above, and I am sure it will be a keepsake that he keeps for many years to come. So when the nice folks at Fill In The Blankie agreed to let me review one of their fabulous blankies, needless to say, I just HAD to have one made for Sophie, my little princess. Fill In The Blankie specializes in customizable, personalized blankets in a variety of different colors and fabrics. Each blanket can then be totally customized with embroidery in many different colors and fonts. You can even choose glow in the dark thread! If you're a bit flabbergasted about how to personalize your blankie, they even have a ton of wonderful ideas with heartwarming phrases, as well as sayings to fit many different occasions. They will help provide the inspiration if you need it, but you have up to a whopping 200 characters to make this blankie your own. This really helps to make personalizing your blankie easy, and reflect just the sentiments you'd like. You can even have some really cute emblems embroidered on the blankie as well! My oldest child just started middle school. At 11, he is definitely growing up quickly! One thing he was hoping this milestone would bring is that his "strict Mommy" would lighten up and allow him to do things I would not approve when he was younger. So when I told him he was FINALLY allowed to have Heelys, you can imagine how thrilled he was! He actually told me I earned the "Mom Of The Year" award! You see, Kyle has wanted Heelys for years. Probably since Kindergarten. I was working at his school at the time, and I knew these shoes were not allowed. Plus, my son is not the most graceful or athletic child, so I was a bit worried about him falling down and hurting himself. I promised him that when he got a little bit older (and more coordinated) I would revisit the Heelys request. Well, I recently got the opportunity to review these awesome shoes, and decided that I would put my cautious mama instincts aside and let him have a pair of the shoes he's been drooling over for so long now. I used to work in my local Elementary Schools, and I know first-hand the value of providing recess to children. It not only helps kids decompress from the stresses of their day, (and YES, kids get stressed, too!) it also allows kids to get physical exercise and social interaction. Being cooped up at a desk all day is almost unnatural for small children. Kids need to be able to run, play, and explore the world around them. I know as the adult in charge, I looked forward to recess, since once the kids got their energy out, they were much more willing to participate in educational activities and were generally much better behaved. They were able to focus and concentrate more readily after having a chance to play a game of tag, Mum Ball, or Around The World. There even seemed to be less fighting! I think my husband has created a monster here...She sure does have his addiction to chocolate! This was too cute not to post! |
PR Friendly Mama!
I'm Brandy, a happily married, proud Mom of 3 amazing kids. If you're interested in building a working relationship, please feel free to e-mail me at: NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3@gmail.com Links We Love :Archives
June 2023
|