Wednesday, July 18, 2012

THE ORIGINAL DISH DRYING MAT

I absolutely LOVE my new The Original Dish Drying Mat. I received this complimentary from Influenster for testing and review purposes.
First off Let me Say I've never seen this product or even heard of The Original Dish Drying Mat prior to receiving one. So I was totally intrigued! I couldn't wait to get it out of the packaging (was really simple as it was just in a sleeve.
I followed the instructions. Prior to use I washed this with like colors in Cold Water and I put it on Low in the dryer . Per the instructions I did wash with a gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent, I did  NOT add any fabric softener or dryer sheets, and I tumble dried on Low.
This is definitely a brand new solution to the age old problem of where to dry the dishes. I have a dishwasher as you can see from the picture, but with the economy I prefer to wash my dishes by hand! I hate the bottom of the dish drainer I have one that is stainless steel and it tends , after a while to rust. Also soap scum was always an issue. What to do , what to do. Well i did think of putting my dishes to dry on a dish towel but it would soak to the counter , not to mention that it is totally unsanitary as any bacteria under a glass can grow , even after a few minutes. Well THE ORIGINAL DISH DRYING MAT has most definitely solved this problem.
First off it's made of microfiber and can hold 4 x it's weight in water. Secondly since it is made of a piece of foam sandwiched between two layers of a very high-quality super absorbant microfiber it literally can cushion even the most delicate of stemware and still protect you against bacteria.
This is definitely one of the best products I've ever received to test and review. The Original Dish Drying Mat will also protect your counter tops from scratches and scuffs.
And it's the perfect size at 16" x 18".
I love that it has a loop on it so I can literally hang it on the back side of a cabinet door. The Original Dish Drying Mat can also fold and store very easily underneath a counter in easy reach for when you do need this.
The color I received from Influenster complimentary to test is called "Cream" but it does come in 3 additional colors: "Green", "Gray", and "Red".
This item is very affordable at only $4.99 at either Bed, Bath and Beyond in store or online at BedBathBeyond.com . The Original Dish Drying Mat is sold EXCLUSIVELY at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.
I also found a few other uses for my mat: #1- I have a very mischievous and highly active 2 yr old son who loves to splash in the tub and bring his favorite toy boat that gives you a waterfall of water into the tub and loves to use a washcloth rather then a sponge. Sooooo..what's a mother to do? I'm there making him bathe and he just loves soaking me! LOL! I've found that since this is so fantastically super absorbent that I've bought an additional one for when I take my son out of the tub to put the washcloth and the toy boat on it to dry. No longer do I have to wonder where to put his boat to dry out (has a lot of holes on bottom so drying with a towel isn't practical!). I just get him out. Take out my The Original Dish Drying Mat and put his washcloth and Toy Boat onto The Original Dish Drying Mat and Voila..Problem is now solved!
Another practical use is for gift baskets for birthdays, housewarming parties, kids going off to college and moving into their own apartment or dorm, engagement parties and weddings, just to name a few! LOL! I love making it as the centerpiece of the gift basket! I bought 10 in the "Cream" of The Original Dish Drying Mat , as how can you go wrong with such an awesome product that only costs you $4.99 plus tax (and s/h if ordering online)! Heck that's the price of one of those high end Cappuccinos! So far I haven't made the baskets yet, but I've got one housewarming party coming up the beginning of August! When I make the basket I'll be sure to post this here! So be sure to come back!
Again I'm an Influenster from Influenster.com and I get VoxBoxes containing various products to test and review on my blog totally complimentary.



imPRESS Manicure by Broadway Nails Really Rocks!

Imagine going to the nail salon 4-6 times in one month. Price? Around $80-100 minimum! Now imagine getting 4-6 bottles of nails in colors and patterns that are fun and easy! All for about $5.99 per bottle for solid colors or $7.99 for patterns! SAVINGS! Savings= NEW CLOTHES OR MAKEUP!:) 
This is TRULY a REVOLUTIONARY and QUICK way to apply polish! It's called imPRESS Press-On Manicure by Broadway Nails. It's fast and easy! Just find the correct nail size, peel, and Press with pressure and Voila! Your new nails are done! :) They're made to last about a week w/ regular wear and tear. and best of all? NO DRYING TIME! Easy and lasts for up to a week! 
According to the information I've received these nails are available in 36 patterns and solid colors combined so you can truly wear a different color or pattern every day for an entire month and still NOT have tried them all!:) 
These are available at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Kmart and several other stores. For a complete list of stores and for more information on this wonderful product go to : www.imPressManicure.com
The only thing I will let my fans and friends know is that with the imPRESS Manicure by Broadway Nails it works better on shorter more manicured nails; not long nails and that's the only fault I've found with this product.
NOTE: I was very fortunate that I was able to try product complimentary as part of being an influenster on Influenster.com and getting to try this as part of being in my Mom Voxbox. A Voxbox is a box with several items that come in a box that I get to try complimentary. In exchange, I review them with my honest opinions and that's what you're getting in this review. My honest opinion on imPress Manicure by Broadway is that this truly Rocks!:)  I received the color Stiletto and it was really a nice shade of pink. Perfect from going from day to night! I've been a HUGE fan of ImPress Manicure Nails since I first received them in my Holiday VoxBox from Influenster back around December 2011. Since then I've been buying these nails, including them in gift baskets etc. Above you'll find a pic of my wonderfully new manicured nails that I received in my Mom VoxBox in Stiletto! Hope you enjoy! 
More information  on these amazing nails can be found at  : http://impressmanicure.com/

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

A Chance to win one of 50 $5 Starbucks Gift Card! WOW

Just click on this link : http://www.ugiftideas.com/promo.php?ref=147287 
Then Follow these simple rules: Follow uGiftIdeas on Twitter
Share this giveaway on Facebook
 Share referral link below on your blog
 Alternatively, you can share referral link directly to the giveaway page on uGiftIdeas.com
 Official Rules:
1. Entry period: The Giveaway begins at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time ("EST") on July 9, 2012 and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on July 12, 2012.
 2. Eligibility: Giveaway is only open to legal residents of the United States and Canada who are at least 18 years old as of the date of entry, except officers, directors, members, and employees of uGiftIdeas.com. This Promotion is void outside the United States, District of Columbia, Canada and where prohibited.
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7. Winner selection: uGiftIdeas.com will randomly draw fifty winners from the eligible entries.
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Monday, July 9, 2012

"Dino Lingo" A New Way For Your Child To Learn a New Language

While I didn't receive the DVD in my MomVoxBox from Influenster to try and review I was able to go to their website : http://www.dinolingo.com to try a lesson with my son in Spanish. He's a very active 2 yr old boy. I really didn't know if he would take to this or not. He was able to sit through it though he isn't all that verbal yet, so I was totally amazed at how he was able to say one word "Ghato" meaning "cat"... According to their website the way the program works is that :"Dino Lingo is an interactive language learning program for children. Fueled by a child's own imagination, kids learn a new language through interactive teaching techniques that incorporate play and storytelling and encourage your child to start speaking it almost immediately." You can choose from several different languages , and being my son is 1/2 Hispanic we chose Spanish. It's a great tool but I personally would recommend it for ages 3 and up though 2 yrs old is a great starting point if only to let your child look at it like we did. It's $99.95 plus $5.95 for standard shipping but I do love the fact that it comes w/ a complete 30 day money back guarantee. My husband and I are seriously considering buying this set in Spanish when my son becomes a little bit more verbal so that we can teach him a 2nd language. After investigating all the other children's learning a 2nd language kits on the market this one seems to be the best and the only one that has actually held my child's interest which is why we're going to buy this one. They even just released an Italian version and being 1/2 Italian myself we can teach him both Spanish and Italian. But we're going to start with the Spanish one first. Highly recommended. Here's a picture of my son going around saying "Ghato" meaning "Cat" in Spanish! He is so proud of his accomplishment!

“The Many Uses of Ivory”

I'm sooo excited to have received a full size bar of Ivory Soap as part of being an Influenster as part of my MomVoxBox. You see I received this product complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster and Ivory as a participant in the Mom VoxBox campaign. There is so much I can say about Ivory Soap. I love that it is 99.94 % pure. No extra additives or irritants that can irritate one's skin much less my baby's skin. My son isn't super sensative to soap but I've found that this one seems to be the gentlest of them all. I also found that there's another use that I'm going to investigate later on and that's to make home made laundry soap at a fraction of the coast of traditional laundry soap! WOW who ever thought of that was a genious. Plus it's the only soap that actually floats. My son loves crafts and loves boats so I did something that we as kids used to do and that was to make a boat out of the Ivory Soap before we used it! :) To do this is super simple: take 1 bar of Ivory Soap, 1 took pick, 2 sticky notes and a pen to write a message if you like, a little scotch tape and that's it. To put this together is super easy. Just take the toothpick and put it in the center of the bar of Ivory Soap. Then take the two sticky notes after writing a message (In our case we put the USS Sylva on both sides LOL )and then put a little bit of scotch tape at bottom of the ticky notes and around the toothpick to seal it. Then just fill the bathtub and let it float! It was a lot of fun as you will be able to see from the picture! My son really enjoyed this bath and was almost like a prune when he got out as he just had so much fun playing with his floating "boat". LOL Ivory is also very affordable. It's like $1.34 for 3 bars or $4.99 for a 10 pack at most stores like WalMart and Target. I even suggest following Ivory on both Twitter and FB. Here's their FB page :https://www.facebook.com/Ivory and here's their twitter page: http://twitter.com/Ivory Years ago I heard how Ivory Soap can be used as a stain remover for getting things like "ring around the collar" out. I was skeptical but when hubby came home last week w/ a case of "ring around the collar" I decided to give it a try! Well guess what? NO MORE "RING AROUND THE COLLAR" . I'm really impressed with how many uses there are for Ivory Soap and how affordable it is , especially in today's economy where everyone, myself included is trying to save money. I'm sure that once you try Ivory Soap you will find just as many uses as I have and maybe even more. If so please feel free to leave new uses here on the blog!

"Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies" A New Family Favorite

I received a Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookie as part of my Mom VoxBox for being an Influenster on Influenster.com. It was complimentary for testing and review purposes as I'm a trendsetter and love trying new things and am a big influence on family, friends, people from church and even complete strangers. The Quaker soft Baked Oatmeal Cookie that came in My MomVoxBox was a Soft Oatmeal Raisin cookie. Just like my mom used to bake. Nice Soft and sooo delicious. The only problem? My 2 yr old son Vincent got a hold of it as I was unpacking my MomVoxBox and luckily I was able to grab a small nibble so I could try it in order to write this review. LOL It was a tremendous hit so on our next trip to our local WalMart SuperCenter the next day it was added to my list. Only problem was the only flavor they had in stock was Apple Cinnamon. I figured why not just try it out. Well I'll be honest. I NEVER thought that I could find a soft cookie that could out do the Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. The Apple Cinnamon did just that! It's totally delicous. I'm glad I bought 2 boxes instead of just the one box I thought I'd buy. Because the next day when I went to get a cookie I was left with an empty box..courtesy of my husband and 2 yr old son who is now able to get the stepstool and get to the "Cookie Closet". LOL Here's a picture of what the box looks like . It's totally awesome and like I stated I got this complimentary from Quaker as part of my MomVoxBox from Influenster in order to test and review this product. It's definately 10 fingers up.. I surrender. This is a fabulous tasting cookie!