Check out the Blog Smog!!!

LOOOVVEEE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!

(The Cat poster at the end ROCKS my world!!!!)

Dont forget ...

To enter my Smelly Washer Giveaway!!!

And by ordering with my code "MUFFINTOPS" not only will you save 10% but you'll help put ME in the running to win $100!!!

Ryans birthday is around the corner, I'd be forever grateful to anyone who ordered with my code!!!

Boogie Wipes

I have a VERY vivid memory. My friend Emily, who I have literally known my ENTIRE life, has a son who is 2 months older than Andy. Emily, her husband & Sam, her little boy came by my moms house to see my sister when she was visiting.

Emily goes "Ooh!A boogie!" and she plucked it from Sam's nose.. she looked around & said "Well..I'll put it in my pocket!" and wiped it in her pocket. I will laugh & recall this for the rest of my life.

But how true is it? Those little baby boogies, oh, that are IMPOSSIBLE to get.You grab them when you can because they are THAT hard to get!!

Either the booger sucker ( as we call a bulb syringe) scare your kiddo, or they think its so funny you cant use it. They get mad when you wipe, or don't even let you close enough. I know some people who even use the "twist and stuff" method of tissues being twisted & them crammed in the nose to grab what it can ((coughHailey)

This is all over my friends..

BOOGIE WIPES! The new solution for, well.. the nose solution!

Saline sprays for babies noses are GREAT but I cant hold my kids down with both hands and knees to get that thing up their nose.Heck, I hate saline solutions & I'm 25!!

Boogie Wipes are soft, moist tissue like cloths that have a saline solution ON them! Like they say, "Its SNOT your average wipe!"

And this is the truth. I am not embarrassed to say I have my finger jammed up my nose with one right now! Grape is my personal favorite!

The alcohol free, hypoallergenic, paraben free wipes come in softly scented in several *flavors* Grape ( my faavvvee!!) Fresh Scent and Menthol which is going to be added as a main staple in my medicine cabinet for those stuffy winter months. They even come in single use packets, perfect for tucking inside little compartments, lunch boxes, coats, purses, you name it.


Julie & Mindee are 2 moms, just like you & I who created Boogie Wipes. They much like you & I, were tired of the boogie suckers, tissues, sprays & other nonsense that just makes for a mad kiddo, whose till has a stuffed up, boogie nose. I love that this was created by moms, just like me. Its great inspiration to think that they had an idea, went for it & now their invention is being used all over by moms just like them, and for sale in places like Walmart, Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Rite Aid, baby boutiques & drug stores all across the country.

Are you ready for my personal review?? I know, it involves boogies, so beware!!

With the ever changing weather here in Ohio, ALL of us get the sniffles, snuffles & stuffles around this time of the year. Hot, or cold? Warm or cold & rainy? Three feet or snow or 60 degree temps?? Ohio cant make up its mind, and in the mean time we all get wacky things from fevers to runny noses to stuffy noses & colds.

Ryan has has a runny/boogie nose this last week, sometimes it seems a bit runny, then he naps & it goes to that crusty yuck thats impossible to get out.Perfect timing ( sorry Ryan!) to test out as new product!!!

Ryan loved the bulb syringe as an infant, jerked once & its all been down hill since then. Andy gets flat out TICKED at having his nose wiped any way but on his sleeve.

I grabbed my favorite Grape & went at Ryan's nose tonight.

Success!!!!

I think the moist, softness of the wipes is so much different that a dry tissue, that it didn't alarm him.Yet the ingredients are likely more gentle than a baby wipe, so its something safe to use on little noses. I got each & every crusty dried snot stain off Ryan. And he just laid there breathing in the sweet scent of grape.

I tried them myself, as well..I can honestly say my nose has never felt like this before. I flat out stuck that baby up the nose, swirled & gave my nose a good old cleaning with the fresh scent of grape! I may never use tissues again.

The true test...Mike.. the tissue twisting master. Here is what he had to say..

"I don't know about the kids, but my nose has NEVER felt better. I really effin like em babe!!!"

Our poor children.. between the 2 of us, if we don't start buying in bulk,they may have to fight us off for Boogie Wipes!!!!

One reader will win 2 packages to attack their own ( and childrens) boogies with! So, BOOGIE on over to Boogie Wipes & tell me something interesting about their web site.

Extra Entries-

-Follow me

-Follow me on Twitter.

-Tweet about this giveaway.

-Blog about this giveaway.

Be sure to leave a comment & a link for each of your extra entries!! Good luck! I'll pull a winner using Random.org on April 6, 2009.

AOL Users...

Is anyone having massive problems with their email lately???

My BlackBerry will tell me I have new mail..and I see them, then I go to AOL & there is nothing. It tells me I have a new number of emails, but the email isnt visable.

Then I'll randomly get emails popping up as new, that I already deleted or read.

Or, even better. I just dont get them period.

Anyone?? What email service do you guys use? I might need to find a new one...

Yo..Roo!

We went to the zoo the other weekend..check us out!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Green + Clean Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered..my winner is..



True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 1 Powered by RANDOM.ORG


mama of 4 said...
CommentsCounter=CommentsCounter+1;
document.write(CommentsCounter)
1
oh I want to try the Dog & cat carpet spray.. I don't have any animals but I do have 2 boys... their room.. Yeah lets not go there ok!And I am following you too!

And that would be..BETH!!

Congratulations Beth!!! Thanks to Green + Clean & everyone who entered, be sure to check them out & give them a shot, its worth it!

Small Talk Six- Baring more than your Soul!

6 things you would like to do naked if you lived alone

Hm.... LOL.. Okay lets see..

Seeing as how I live alone, I probably never had kids SO!!!

1- Exercise naked..it would be way better than post baby excerise, eek!

2-Eat naked. For the simple fact that COOKING naked, is a BAD idea.

3-Shower naked.I know, I'm creative.

4-Lay in a pool of Jello in my kitchen ((shrugs)) I dunno.. I'm not having the best time with this topic so ..LOL

5-Sleep naked.

6-Vaccuum nekkid.

Check out Momdot for more Small Talk Six!

Oh Shit.

LITERALLY. And my shit, yes, I do mean POOP.

I'd like to tell you a story.

YES MOM! I AM blogging about it!!

Today I gave Ryan a little naked time..Little man had a bit of a rash.

Andy wakes up, both kids are in a great happy mood. Mom goes to grab the mail..

Literally, I walked from the back door, to the mail box & back.

Andy tells me "You go get Ryne!" .. Ah, Ryan shut himself in the bedroom, he does this often..

Open door..

..What,what is that..where did you get,,Chocol.. Oh.. Oh..NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

I followed the tiny turds & shitty foot prints to see Ryan sitting on the floor, with a gigantic POOP stuck to the bottom of his foot ( thus the tracks!) and see Ryan's little chubby fist ..full of poo..going to his mouth..

OMFG.

Poor kid, I yanked him up so quick & tried to wipe his hands so fast he didn't know WHAT hit him! I tossed the poor boy in the shower & LUCKILY Mike walked through the door to help me rinse him quickly.

Poor Ryan, he then sat there, looking ashamed.. although I said "I think he was just more pissed he wont get to enjoy his own poop again!"

Mechanical Bunny

I am a mother of 2 boys, they are 21 months apart & the oldest isnt even 3 yet.

Apparently I'm also a wife, a woman & lots of other things that tend to get pushed to the back burner as well. I often forget that I'm still Claire, not JUST Mom.

I came across Mechanical Bunny and saw clothes than reminded me, I'm still a wife, and a woman too!!!! From dresses, to skirts, to shirts, Mechanical Bunny has it all. And by all, I mean, super hot clothes people. Their goth, punk, victorian,skull inspired clothes to bring out the funky in your monkey!! I know that I personally LOVE certian items that arent so "me" in terms of types of clothing, but Mechanical Bunny works the goth/rocker look in, in a way that people who never thought of themselves as goth, or rockers can wear & love.

I got the super awesome opportunity to try a Tartan Tunic Dress. Okay.. that model is super cute.. please remember the first line in this blog.. And no, I'm not expecting baby 3, its just a food baby. Thats all. And no, I dont have makeup on, sorry for scaring you!!













This one, I just had to include, I tried to take a picture of myself using the smile detector. Still havent figured out to turn the smile detection DOWN..obviously.


Yeah. Okay. I may not be super model status but I FELT hot as could be!! This dress is silky smooth material, it just slides right on comfortably as can be. It has a tie in the back, so you can adjust your looseness or tightness on it as need be, and you can pull the front shut if you arent into showing off the girls.

I wore it over jeans, over leggings and just alone as a dress. Mike liked it most as a dress( of course) but due to my height, I wont be wearing it with out pants outside of the house anytime soon!! I think I liked it over jeans best for a warmer look, but for when the weather heats up, leggings are super cute too. Ooh..I wonder if I could find red ones..... THAT would be cute!!!

This dress is adorable, its well made & Mechanical Bunny, is the perfect company to give us moms a little reminder.. we're not JUST moms. We're still hot ladies too!!!!



One of my readers can take home this dress for themselves! It comes in S-M-L & will make you feel GORGEOUS just like it did me! I'll draw my winner using Random.org on April 4th.


I have several ways for you to enter,

1-Go to Mechanical Bunny, and link me to an item that you love, and tell me why.

2- Tell me why you need this dress! Will it make you feel like a hottie, or do you have a date coming up you could wear it to??

Extra Entries-

-Tweat about this giveaway & get one extra entry ( Link me!)

-For an additional FIVE entries, make a purchase from Mechanical Bunny, let me know so I can get the information to qualify you!

The lies we tell our children..

"No, the last piece of cake is gone" ..aka... it will be gone, into my TUMMY when your in BED!

"Eating those peas make you big & strong" ..aka..actually they just taste like ass & I dont want to eat them so I gave them to YOU.

Mike & I were sitting in a waiting room at a practice an hour away 2 summers ago. I was 7 weeks along with Ryan & had been having some bleeding. They sent me for an ultrasound to double check everything was OK and I was flipping through a magazine, trying not to pee myself.

"Lies you tell your Children" was the title of the page, in WonderTime magazine. As I flipped through I read one that nearly forced me to pee myself, it read-

"I told my children that the ice cream truck was actually a music truck. It drives up and down roads to spread cheer through out the neighborhood."

I about died. Mike thought it was hilarious as well.

We wnt on about our day.

A weke later..what did we hear?? The musical twinkling of.... the MUSIC TRUCK! We both exclaimed!!

Fast forward many months, and today, the first sign of Spring came about in the sound of a twinkling tune! Andy, now almost 3, said "Oh!! Did you HEAR that??" and I smiled to myself and yes "Yep, Andy thats the music truck!!!!!"

Dad walked in the door a minute later & Andy yelled "DAD!! DID YOU HEAR THE MUUUSIC TRUCK!!!?!??!?!?!?!"

Mike laughed and said "I was pulling on the street when I saw the music truck!! Its spreading joy & happiness through out the streets Andy!!"

To which Andy replied "Ya, the music truck!!!" and went about his merry, innocent, incredibly still gullable way.

Ah yes.. I think we might have alucky few years of enjoying the Music Truck in this house.. maybe when we move, I'll shock the kids by telling them the new neighborhood doesnt have a MUSIC truck but SHOCKER!! It has an ICE CREAM truck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh yeah..THAT will be my incentive for them to move!! Fo' SHO!!

Eebee Baby

Have you guys seen this before??




Eebee baby, interactive play and learning for your little ones, using things everyone has in their own home!!

Eebee is the cute little guy whos helping in the video.. What do you think of him??

Go vote for my friends design!!!

If ya'll could take about 3 minutes I'd SO appreciate it!!

Go here-

http://www.mybecobaby.com/

You DO have to register for an account, but its quick & you just have to activate it froma link they email you immediately.

Then would you mind voting for the Kassie print in the contest?? It ends tonight so PLEASE, go give her a few votes!!!

Chocolate FACT!

Did you know, that after having children, there is an actual PHYSICAL NEED for chocolate??

Yep, I just made that fact up yesterday while tearing my cupboards apart in frantic search to fill my chocoholic shakes.

Don't worry, I found some white chocolate cookies & cream chocolate from the after Christmas sale at Target shoved in the back...

And I took a bite.Just one though.

What?? It isnt THAT old!!!

Seriously though, I remember as a kid I'd hold chocolate by my moms knees when she exercised ( sorry Mom!!!) as a joke because she is the original choco-holic.

Now as a parent, maybe its a hormonal thing, but I am telling you. Some days I flat out NEED chocolate.

Like yesterday, just a quick fix, a tiny bump, a quick puff of rich gooey goodness & I'm good again! Ah yes.. Chocolate is in fact a NEED, much like water..and air, in my world.


PS- I did shove the chocolate back in the cupboard, for another day when my withdrawls are driving me to shakes!!

Kimochi Winner

I think my mom wasnt too thrilled about having to make a choice because she told me "Awww!!This is making my heart ache! I want to give one to everyone!!!"

But she made her decision..

And the winner is Carol & her Joey!

Joey's Mama said...
4
Joey (age 4) has high functioning autism and has trouble identifying his emotions and expressing them in an appropriate way. He is very bright but his limited communication skills result in some challenging behaviors. He is a very visual learner and I make lots of charts and do social stories to help him in different situations. I first saw Kimochis a month or two ago and thought they would be a great visual tool for him. I would love to have one for him. Thanks Claire, you are awesome!!!

Joey was nominated by other people TWICE as well!!! My mom had a tough time choosing between a few of you, but she told me that she really thought that age 3-4 was a good time to start using a toy like this. She also wanted me to tell all of you mamas what a great job your all doing with your little ones!!

So, congratualtions Joey!! I hope we'll see some pictures of you & your Kimochi when you get him!

As for those who didnt win, you can save 20% on your order by using code KimochiFF1 in the checkout when you grab a Kimochi of your own!

Thanks to Nina over at Kimochi & everyone who entered!!!

Smelly Washer

I personally, as a wife, do alot of laundry. I think I can count the number of times Mike has done laundry on one had. Add in 2 boys under the age of three, the fact that dad doesn't like to use bibs, he prefers to "just change the shirt", a geriatric dog who sometimes has accidents, 2 shedding white cats and the fact that we use cloth diapers.

I.Do.A lot.Of.Laundry.

Seriously. I have actually washed my washer before. Sounds crazy, I know, but sometimes I just get the feeling that despite all the washing it does.. It isn't really that clean! It doesn't stink, per say but it doesn't exactly smell like I'd like it to. I mean, how could it, with all the moisture, the dirt its removing from clothing, the stains, the smells.

Washing your washer isn't easy.

But now it can be!

Smelly Washer is a natural way to get the smells & odors out of your washing machine that even bleach cant take care of. It gets rid of mildew or moldy smells too!

I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but I remember backing out of our driveway to go on a 4 day trip when Andy was a few weeks old.. and about an hour into it realizing that I left sheets in the washer.

Ew.

It took a good couple of washings when we got home, alot of detergent, and alot of fabric softener for me to feel like they were up to par.

Had I known about Smelly Washer, I could have just tossed a scoop into the load. It is guaranteed to remove the odor & problem from ANY item that's come in contact with mold, mildew, or just plain stink with in the items entire last year! That's pretty impressive. It even gets rid of build up from detergents, softeners & laundry add ins.

I tried Smelly Washer out last night.I gave my washer a sniff before starting & no..it didn't STINK but it had.. a smell. Not necessarily BAD, but I'd prefer my washer to not have ANY sort of a smell, you know what I'm saying???

One cap full, hot water. agitate for 2 minutes..let soak over night.Okay...

It's on the final spin right now.. lets see!!!

((sniff sniff)))

The sniff tests finds NO smell. Not a *I'm fresh & clean perfume* just flat out NO smell.

I like this!!

I have a closet full of towels yet I always use the same ones, I put them in the wash, then straight from the dryer back into the bathroom on every ones lettered hook. I don't like folding laundry so this, to me, eliminates that ugly step.

I have those soaking right now, this will be my true test!!

I have found it interesting, Smelly Washer looks like sugar, or salt, its actual granules not a powder & it only takes a level cap full to do the job ( maybe a little under a tablespoon, I'd guess?) I mean, wow, thats some powerful stuff to only require such a small amount!!

Well the towels are done & both Mike & I sniffed them. They smell better than brand new towels, as Mike said! I love it! One bottle does up to a full year of washer cleaning! This stuff lasts & lasts!

Ceck out Smelly Washer, the testimonials on there attributing to better health because the allergens from mold & mildew being removed is amazing!

All of you can take 10% off your order from Smelly Washer, by using code- muffintops.

Try ONE bottle. One bottle lasts at the least one full year.

All you cloth diapering mamas?? This is ALL NATURAL. It wont leave a residue on the diapers, it wont build up, it will CLEAN the build up from the washer & your dipes will come out EVEN cleaner ( mine did!!!) Its natural, so no rashes, it will remove the build up of things that CAUSE the rashes on cloth! I challenge ALL of you, buy ONE bottle, and do a little video for me, of before & after (show me a washer sniff!!!) For those of you who do, I'll personally do something special for you!!!

2 of my readers will each win a bottle of Smelly Washer to try for themselves.

Visit Smelly Washer & tell me something you learned from their website.

You have to do this to get extra entries!!

-Follow me ( leave a comment saying so!)

-Follow me on Twitter. ( or remind me you already are!)

-Subscribe to my blog ( little link on the left side) Let me know you are!

-Blog about this giveaway, leave me a link!

Action Canyon!

Ohh Thomas the Train.

Boy oh boy..

Andy had no interest in Thomas until Mom made the silly mistake of trying to shove it on him after hearing how much other moms children LOOVEE Thomas..

Now Andy has Percy, his havorite. Percy "has big stinky poops" Percy needs a bath. Percy is ALSO cheeky!

You name it, Percy does it. Andy told me "I dont wear a shirt..I needa PERCY shirt" yesterday..and has not forgotten today, sadly.

Well its Andys lucky day, check out Momdot for this AWESOME Thomas Giveaway!!! I know I'll be obsessively stalking trying to win a fabulous new Action Canyon!!!

"The Moose With Loose Poops" By Charlotte Cowan, M.D

If you have children, children of any age really, you KNOW how difficult it can be to explain whats going on when tummy problems happen. Be it having loose poops, or the exact opposite, its not easy to explain to a little one whats going on when all they can focus on is how bad their tummy hurts!

Charlottoe Cowan, a doctor decided that this was something that needed to be put into children's terms, so she wrote a book called "The Moose with Loose Poops"

When it showed up today, Andy & I sat down ( with perfect timing!!!) and read about Miles and his tummy troubles.

The pages are glossy, Penelope Neal did beautiful illustrations through out this book. The story reads easily, I would say its best for children over 3 or 4, depending on the level they are at. Although, Andy isn't yet 3, and he nodded along & told me "moose tummy hurts" so even he got it.

"The Moose with Loose Poops" touches on issues from vomiting, to diarrhea. They talk about how one can lead to another, that apples can help the latter of the two, and how important drinking liquids, rest & taking care of yourself is when both of these happen!

It's a sweet book, well written,easy for a child to follow but not boring. It has beautiful pictures and a helpful booklet in the back cover for Mom & Dad to learn more about gastroenteritis.I ended my night last night with Andy asking for "The loose poop Moose book.." as we read it he told me "Oh no, Moose tummy hurts, he's got to take a nap!" It was pretty sweet. just like this book.

Charlotte Cowan has also written books featuring "Dr. Hippo" discussing the topics of colds, sore throats, ear aches, fevers,and now, tummy troubles, just for kids.

One of my readers will get to take home "The Moose with Loose Poops" for themselves!

You can enter several ways-

1- Follow my blog, leave me a comment telling me you are doing so, or already do follow.

2- Follow me on Twitter.

3- Tweet about this giveaway! ( you can twitter once a day during the contest, just leave me a link to your page!)

Leave me a comment for each entry & I will draw a winner, using Random.org on April 1st, 2009!

Lets Talk Perfume

Lets Talk Perfume. Do you have a favorite???


I dont know if I could pick just one, so I'm going to pick three.


1- Clinique Happy TO BE.








They actually dont make it any longer, and for that I am SO sad. It was the first bottle (and come to think of it..only..) of perfume Mike got me. I cant wear it with out memories flooding back of our first apartment, the start of our love, and with out just feeling gorgeous!!


2- Burberry Brit.







I cant even describe it, if you havent smelled it. Your missing OUT.




3- Armani Aqua Di Gio.

I just have to say, I loved this cologne before it was popular. And now every Tom, Dick & Harry wears it, but its STILL a favorite!!!


Whats your favorite perfume?? Take a sec & Talk Perfume with me!

Sinupret Winners!!

Sorry I didnt get to post this yesterday, it was a looonngg day..Here are my 5 Sinupret for Kids winners!!!

23-
Jen said...
23
Following!
March 16, 2009 4:04 PM

4-
Mudshrimps said...
4
I learned they have been around for 75 years....woot!
March 16, 2009 11:11 AM


6-
Kimi said...
6
ok here is something I found out... That it's made up from European Elder, Common Sorrel, Cowslip, European Vervain and Gentian Violet.I thought GV was just for Thrush.... no really lol. learn something new every day.
March 16, 2009 11:45 AM



31-
95 % of ENTs recommend it!!!You know my email =)Rachel

13-
Jess said...
13
Supports a healthy immune system :D
March 16, 2009 12:45 PM


Congratulations Amber, Jen, Jess, Rachel & Kimi! I will be emailing all of you for your mailing addresses so Sinupret can get your prizes out to you!!!

Thanks to Sinupret for kids, and everyone who entered!!

Clean + Green

I recently got the opportunity to try out SeaYu's Green+Clean Odor, Stain & Pet
Cleaner.

Let me start by thoroughly grossing you out.

My dog, Echo. Is old. To say the least,we don't even know how old she really is, when we got her almost 5 years ago, the guess was between 8-12. She was a breeder at a puppy mill in Missouri. Echo is in preettyy rough shape!

We once had a couch. Echo lived on the couch.
Echo also pees in her sleep. We no longer have a couch, but we have a nice futon, which looks like crap because we have placed a waterproof mattress & sheet over top of the futon mattress.

Echo leaves the couch for several reasons. One is to eat, another to steal food from the children, yet again to go munch in the cat box, to go outside, and to pee on the floor.

Seriously. My night time goes like this-

Take Echo outside. Start to rock Ryan down for his nap.. Echo eats.. Ryan started to fall asleep, Echo circles & pees on the floor, right in front of me.


She is a 9 lb Min Pin, so her bladder is pretty small, after she eats I guess she just cant hold it in, so she just pees on the floor!! It rocks my word.


Needless to say, I have obsessively tried everything to get the pee smell out of our carpets. Luckily, you can't smell it unless your laying on the carpet, dont worry, my house doesnt smell like dog pee, LOL. I have used carpet cleaners, carpet cleaning solution, the pet odor carpet cleaning solution, Natures Miracle, BioKleen, Bac Out,Febreeze,Odoban, Tea Tree Oil, Vinegar, I've used natural remedies. We've taken then carpet outside and SCRUBBED it with brushes & hoses and soaps of every kind.


It *helps* but, yes, this is gross, but anyone who has this dog issue knows.. You CANT get the smell out completely. Its nearly impossible.

We've been getting ready to just throw in the towel & get a new carpet, a very expensive, crappy solution to our problem. I have a comforter that we lay on the floor every morning & take up every night, so that when the kids lay& play on the floor, well.. Mom feels better about it!


I came across Green + Clean and to be honest, didn't really expect it to work. Everyone swears by Natures Miracle & that didn't work for us either, why would this be any different. Sometimes "natural" products especially don't work. Needless to say, I was skeptical, but I will try anything once!


So, I got a bottle of Dog & Cat Carpet & Unholstery Cleaner in the mail the other day.



Okay, so read the information that comes along with it..


..Clean up mess.. spray directly.. blah blah.. Okay got it, Lets see what this stuff has got!


I dragged the carpet outside so I could get EVERY angle with out bothering the boys playing. We put the rug on our picnic table & I just COVERED the entire black center of the rug ( its where Echo ALWAYS goes)


You don't have to saturate it. Just make sure you spray directly on the spot. Obviously we probably have a bazillion spots, so I just went ahead & sprayed the whole thing. Its a different sort of spray, its not quite like hairspray, but not like a Windex type of spray, its not a foamy spray either.


The sun was out & I wanted the carpet to dry ( I hate walking over a damn carpet!) so I headed back inside.


This is where they need to create Smell-O-Vision for computers ( or in general, I guess would be helpful)


I stepped outside to take a sniff ...and I didn't smell anything. Yeah right, good spot.. So I probably looked completely crazy but I walked around the whole carpet sniffing every angle I could find.


I walk inside & call Mike "..Dude..I think the carpet... doesn't have a small anymore."


Mike says "yeah RIGHT!" and LAUGHS at me.. Yes, its THAT bad of an issue that he just flat out laughs whenever I find something that I swear will work.


Mike comes home a little later & I ask him to bring the rug in...He does & looks at me..


"So..it smells like.. a rug." I nodded at him. "Wow."


I could totally be lying to you, who knows with product reviews, however I kid you not. I would lay anything down to test ANYONE to try this product out if they are still in search of a pet odor remover. This will be your LAST stop.


Our rug smells like NOTHING. Previously, gross, but it smelled like left over dog pee. We've all been laying on it, sniffing it, double checking since we pulled the rug back in yesterday. Nothing. It hasn't smelled this..peeless.. since the day we bought it.


I called my mom because her dog has a peeing habit as well & she's on her way to go find some in a local store this weekend!


Green+Clean has cleaners/odor removers for everything, from dogs, to cats, skunk odor,to rodents, ferrets and birds. But its not just for carpets, they have it for concrete, upholstery, wood, tile, furniture, cages, little boxes to bird cages.


My FAVORITE thing about Green+Clean, I'm sure you already figured out, from the name. Its chemical free, non-carcinogenic, non toxic, and eco friendly!!! And hello.. it WORKS.


I personally will be ordering a life time supply of the Dog/Carpet the minute we get paid!!!..Although technically I probably only need it for Echos lifetime, huh??? You can buy it directly, or find a local store. If my mom doesn't grab hers at a local store, I think we'll both be buying in bulk together!


I know, its hard to read one persons review & be "so sure" it will work for you. So guess what???


One of you will get to try a product of choice from Green+Clean & then report back to tell me that you, likely were as impressed as I was!!!


Check it out if this sounds like a product you need. You dont have to use it for animals smells, diaper smells, bathroom smells, husband smells. Its an odor remover, not just for pets!!


I was shocked to see how affordable their products are. They also have a free shipping deal going on right now on qualifying orders & it is worth EVERY penny. I'd even pay way more than they charge its that good ( but please SeaYu, dont charge more, I quite enjoy the current price!!!)


Alright, here is how to enter to win a product to try yourself.


-Visit Green + Clean, come back & tell me what product you'd like to try and why.


You MUST do this to be qualified for extra entries, and here is how to get extra entries.


-Follow me here on Blogger ( leave a comment telling me so!)


-Follow me on Twitter ( leave your twitter name so I can check! Or tell me you already follow & leave a link)


I'll be drawing a winner from Random.org on March 29th, 2009. Good luck everyone, and even if you dont win, this is one product worth trying!!!!!!

Update to the Kimochi Giveaway!!

Be sure to check it out, AGAIN! Because i've been lucky enough to add a 20% discount code!!!!

Thank you to Nina, over at Kimochi, you have warmed my heart by working with you Nina!!!

The ZOO!!

Is where we went today!!!! =)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Small Talk Six

" 6 things you love or hate about springtime"

1- Love/Hate maple tree seed pods-
I remember being forced to pick their little mini trees out of the ground every spring by my mother.It was awful. Now, as an adult, I'm kind of twisted & like it!!!



2- FLOWERS!!! My favorites all come out!!
Lily of the Valley-



Peonies-


Lilacs-



3- The SMELL of spring!!!!!!



4- Opening the windows!!!



5- Getting the hell out of the HOUSE!



6- Knowing SUMMER is coming!!!



For more Small Talk, visit Momdot!

Kimochi- Toys with Feelings Inside.

As you guys all obviously know. I've just began to get into review blogging and I am really enjoying it. I love to talk & have been the "I need to have it first & then tell you about it" type person since I was little!

A week or so ago, I was flipping through a magazine when I saw the cutest thing..



I was instantly hooked, but then I read the article. These are dolls with feelings! They have little (I call them bugs) that each have their own emotion, be it happy, sad, brave, jealous, scared,shy,etc. Your children can use these "bugs" to have their Kimochi doll tell Mom/Dad/caregiver how they are feeling by sticking them in the pocket/pouch of their Kimochi doll!!

I thought "Ohhhhh" And I immediately thought of several of my friends whose children are on spectrum's for things like Aspergers and Autism, or who just have speech troubles, or just a hard time expressing themselves ( lets be honest, who doesn't at times??). I can't count the amount of times they've spoken about how it can be difficult for their children to express their feelings, or communicate effectively with them & how hard it can be for not only the child, but the parent.

I fell in love even more! WHAT an amazing toy! Not just for children (and parents!!) who need the extra help, but for ANY child!! I know that Andy sometimes tells me "I so crabby, I go take a nap" right after doing something he shouldn't have ( aka pushing his brother)
He isn't even three yet, he doesn't fully communicate but a toy that helped him communicate..he could get that!!

I took a chance & emailed the company to express my interest in spreading the word & fell in love yes, again,even more. The nicest woman,Nina, emailed me back and was just as excited as I was to help get Kimochis names out there, she even recognized that Mommy bloggers are great for that! (Yes, I would be showing the proud *bug* when I read her email back!)

So she graciously sent a Kimochi Bug for us to check out.

Let me start by saying.. even if my children didn't like this at all, I personally am SMITTEN! Holy poopers..

The Bug is ADORABLE. But what REALLY actually gave me warm fuzzy feelings was what was written on the box..
I am going to type it ALL out because it was THAT awesome...

"BUG is thoughtful and is extremely cautious. He is really smart, a skilled conversationalist and is known to talk himself and the others out of any given situation, because he likes to examine all sides. This can sometimes confuse the Kimochis and make them forget what they were trying to accomplish. Bug lives in a Manzanita tree. Bug has a swimming hole with a tethered rope swing in the center of his living room. When the weather gets hot the Kimochis can always be found splashing around Bug's place! Bug's lucky number is 2 and his favorite color is magenta. He loves the smell of rosemary and the taste of wildflower honey. Bug plays the mandolin.

Bug is afraid of change and because of this, being a caterpillar is not easy for him. He is always the last one to try something new. Although Bug is afraid, he secretly dreams of flying. Bug loves to read maps and has a great sense of direction."


Okay. Lets put everything aside & focus on what myself, as a parent thinks of this.

TOO COOL.

I LOVE rosemary( especially on roasted chicken!) for a toy of my children's "to love it too" just tickles me. The fact that a caterpillar is scared of change ( hellooo butterfly!) just cracks me up.I feel that, as an adult( who is the one buying toys, of course) this just rubs you the right way all the way down to feeling warm & fuzzy. I can feel myself relate to Bug, as I am an adult & don't even like change!


I put together a little video of Andy meeting Bug.. I dont know if it was a good thing, or bad thing that Andy skipped his nap that day, but boy, it was good timing for the Kimochi to come out to play on a day that emotions were running high ;-)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Currently, there are 3 different Komochis available, Bug, who we have, Cloud, who is simply TOO cute! And last but not least, Huggtopus!

Each doll comes with a book, for parents and children on how to best use your Kimochi doll to help your child to express their feelings. It has a gorgeous little cloth bag that the "feelings" ( really do call them bugs!) come in with the book.

You can also buy extra packages of emotions, there are 3 different packages to choose from, each of which contain 6 emotion *bugs* as I call them.



Which are too cute & on my shopping list! I absolutely love them, they remind me of Lil Mr & Mrs books!!! I think the coolest part is each package has a blank feeling, and includes a washable pen do your child can express a feeling that isnt already there, HOW cool is that??

The amazingly lovely people over at Kimochi are going to give one of my readers a Kimochi of their very own.

I am SO excited for this!!!

I'll be drawing ONE lucky winner on Friday, March 27th. Here is how to enter.

-Tell me why you ( and your little one!) need a Kimochi.

I have to be honest, this is something I want to PICK a winner for. I believe in the concept of this doll SO much that I want it to go to someone who will reap the benefits of a toy like this time & time again.

My mother is a school psychologist, shes worked with children from Pre K to adulthood as long as I've been alive & I am going to take my top 5 choices and have her pick who she thinks is most deserving.

This Kimochi doll review has been really special to me, and I want it to go to someone who will find it just as special as I did.

SO! Tell me why you NEED a Kimochi!! Don't hold back, let me know! The more you share, the better your chances are of me & my mother realizing how one of these guys could be really helpful in your daily life.

You can also leave a comment telling me about someone you know who deserve to gain a Kimochi doll. Leave your ( or their) contact information so if they are a winner, I can get their information. But be sure to tell me WHY they need a Kimochi!

Good luck everyone! To those who dont win.. Please, check them out at Kimochis! I know for a fact I'll be buying another one.. or two..possibly one just for me.. I could write it "very ticked" on the blank one for my husband, right?? ;-)

GUESS WHAT?? BIG NEWS!! I emailed Nina, the fabulous woman over at Kimochi about how pleased I was with our Bug, that my blog was up, and how hard its going to be for my mom to pick just one winner and she yet again, stunned me with how AWESOME she & Kimochi are and is offering a 20% discount to my readers, just use code- KimochiFF1 in your check out.

THANK YOU NINA! You've been amazing to work with and you bet we will be keeping in touch!

Thank you Kimochi, for this wonderful opportunity, its been eye opening in ways I cant even express & I LOVE our dolls!!!

Amber Winner!!!

Alright ladies & gents..I'm ready to draw my winner for the Inspired by Finn contest!!!


I had 15 comments and the lucky winner is number....


Result: 7


Which would be..

Stephanie said...

7
I'm a follower! I gave my friend at work a necklace for her little man (from Inspired By Finn)! I can't wait to order some more for own baby-to-be! (If the baby is a girl, I'm going to get matchy ones for me!)

And I must say..No one is more deserving!!!! Yay Stephanie!!!!! I'll be contacting you shortly & thanks to everyone who entered & remember to keep using MUFFINTOPS to save 20% on your order at Inspired by Finn!!!

And thank you, Kate, for the fabulous giveaway!!!

I got my hair did!

So, my BFF since 3rd grade & I lost touch years ago over silly silly high school things that go tpushed to the point where we were too young to know how to fix them.. BUT we reconnected a few weeks ago..S

hes getting ready to finish hair school & move to FL so she & I grabbed coffee & she thought she'd do my hair for me!!

It's going to be a 3 stage process.. here is the first stage!!

Before-

And after-

She got rid of the red my hair tends to pull ( YAY) She started by bleaching the highlights & then coloring over my whole head so we're starting with being sun kissed..The plan is to be fully tongue making out with the sun by the time we're done, but its a bit hard to do massive highlights with 2 little kids.. so.. it'll be a long fun process & we'll get to get caught up on the last 10 years we've missed with eachother!!!

Stupid boys.. It's interesting to find out why you & your BFF since age TEN grew apart so many years later..it puts things into perspective that neither of us were mature enough to handle at the time, and neither of us knew completely. I missed her all those years & I'm SO glad to have her back.. atleast for 2 months til she moves again.. But this time, I know we'll just have to keep in touch!!

If you stumble here..KP... I DID miss you, I'm glad we're back!

Skin MD Naturals

To say that I love lotion, would be an understatement.

One of the saddest days of my adult life was when I realized, my 2 Xerox boxes full of lotions, perfumes & body products waiting to be put into the U-Haul, in Florida, were still waiting under the bathroom sink.

We had been living in Ohio for 3 days.

I have been pregnant, nursing, or both since October 2005. My skin has stretched to carry two beautiful boys to 42 weeks, 2 times in the last 3 years! My bump with Andy defied gravity, and while Ryan was a smaller tummy bump, he was 10 pounds at birth, he didn't exactly treat my stomach skin gently either!

I've been breastfeeding for almost 3 years straight. I've been changing diapers for almost 3 years now too. I was my hands ALOT. Not to mention, I literally get the liquid sucked out of my body! I try to drink lots of water, but sometimes, the skin around my mouth starts to get tight & I know I'm beginning to dehydrate. Aside from worrying about getting enough water for my own body, it really takes a toll on my skin! I of course, horde lotion like the world is coming to a lotion end. And while I LOVE scented lotions, I do know that alot of what gives it such great scents, is really drying to the skin.

Living in Ohio in the winter, washing my hands upwards for 20 times a day, nursing, all my daily activities really take its toll on my hands and my face.

That has ALL changed. I kid you not. Skin MD Naturals gave me the opportunity to try their protective shielding lotion. Lotion, yay, right up my alley! When I started reading the testimonials I thought "Okay wow, maybe this actually is totally different than regular lotion.." So I gave it a try.

I washed my face & put just a bit on my face, it really doesn't take much, they even remind you to just use a bit. The first thing I noticed was its a thin, smooth lotion. I know sometimes when I think of "intense moisture" I think the cream has to be thick, rich & heavy.

Nope, Skin MD Naturals is thin, not greasy & slides easily on. I almost never use facial lotion in the morning, I just feel greasy afterwords, but I cant even tell I applied lotion, if I touch my face, I can FEEL a difference

It's softer and it actually looks more even in the mirror. I don't wear cover up, or powder so I don't like using a lotion that gives me a greasy appearance to my face, but Skin MD doesn't leave anything behind but soft rosy, even cheeks.

I was impressed immediately. However, Skin MD Naturals is a universal lotion. Its not just for your face, its for your hands, feet, eczema, its for any part of you that needs moisture and restoring. I cant say I've ever found a lotion that ACTUALLY does the job for all parts, but I put just a bit on my hands & sat down to rock Ryan to sleep.

I laid him down 5 minutes later & rubbed my hands together. I have NEVER come across a lotion like this. My hands feel DIFFERENT. I cant tell I put on lotion, but my hands feel soft. You know that feeling of healthy, what they call "dewy" skin, where it isn't achieved by lots of lotion, its achieved by actually having really healthy great skin?? My hands feel like that.

It doesn't feel like a moisturizer, if feels like a skin repairer. My hands don't have a "coating" of moisture, my skin actually IS moist, below the layers of skin, down into places that are radiating out word. The best way I could think to explain it is like this. They say "soft as a baby's butt" for a reason. That skin that has never held a tool, dug a hole,been washed hundreds of times over, its perfect, flawless & moisture & daily life haven't yet tainted a baby's skin. This lotion is your best bet at your skin EVER feeling and looking like that AGAIN.

I cant tell you how much I am loving this stuff, my feet get stepped on by my husband daily, I actually have 2 toes that just dont feel anymore, they are cracked & before they went numb, were painful! I've been using ONE DROP of this on them every night & you can see a HUGE improvement, not even straight vaseline or vitamin E did what Skin MD Naturals has done ina matter of nights for my feet.

I've gone from this..

to this..

Go to Skin MD Naturals, take a 10 second survey, get a sample & try it yourself. You wont believe it until you try it. Be sure to come back & let me know how right I was, and how fabulous your skin is doing!!

Wordless Wednesday

Everyones favorite thing...

Claires RANDOM thoughts!!!

- I would rather NEVER leave my house again than take public transportation. When I was young & my mom suggested "taking the bus" I laughed because well, I was just a snot. But the recent whole.. "beheading/eating flesh thing" only drives my point home even more. I dont mingle. Yes, this also includes airplanes. Oh GAG. All that air, being breathed over & over, people who eat.. and breathe.. and smell, and are close to you. Oh GOD, I'm about to be sick just thinking of it!!!

-I would rather sit on the floor of a movie theatre than sit next to a stranger. I "dont do" sold out shows and I DONT sit anywhere but the aisle seat. You know those sushi places where they seat you with strangers?? Oh God, a lifetime supply of Valium wouldnt be enough on a busy night!

- Both of those would lead to.. I think I'm a germ a phobe man.. people just creep me out, with their dirty hands & germy ... germs!! ((shudders)) Seriously, its a wonder I can even go out in public some days!!



-Whenever I see a firetruck ( like I just did!) I think back to a memory...

It was winter, it was cold, it was icy. I was driving to work & hit a patch of black ice. My car swirled & finally came to a rest in someones front yard, I looked to my right & saw an SUV unable to stop as they too hit the ice..I could see the passangers mouth saying "STOP STOP!" and the driver saying "I CANT" as they hit me directly into my drivers side door.
I of course was freaking as I called Mike ( we had just started dating!! And yes, I called 911 first!!!) Once we checked we were all ok, I realized I couldnt get out of the car & just sat there & lit a cigarette to calm my nervs ( ironic statement..) The firetruck came rushing up.. and ladies..
It was pretty hot. I mean, it was like a movie.. handsome fire fighter runs to my car, swings open the door & I am telling you... I think I stopped breathing for a second.

Then he took off his hat & I choked on the breath I'd been holding. Poor guy looked like Bozo the clown!

I shake my head with sadness every time I recall this story.. it was a PERFECT moment.. and go figure, it ended like that!

-I seriously think I am just not a nice person. I mean, I CAN be, but man..I am MEAN!!!!!! You doint even want to know half the crap that rolls through my brain all day. I just am geuninely easily disgusted by most um..everyone!!!

I would really love to be a vegatarian. I get so sad when I think about who I am eating. But..I really like a nice medium steak. Poor cows =(

-I'd like to know why eyebrows dont continue to grow, hell, how did eyebrows even come to be to begin with?? "Oh lets put little tufts of hair above the eyes!!!" Eyelashes are obvious..but eye brows?? Not so much.

Thats all for now, Until next time my friends!!!

xo!