Real Mom Review by Tracy Roberts.

We have a stinky sweet English Bulldog and I couldn’t wait to try the Clorox Anywhere Anti-Allergen Spray.

From their site:

This gentle and effective formula helps neutralize up to 90 percent of common indoor allergens* that can hide in upholstery and fabrics throughout the house. The formula works by changing the structure of allergen proteins, rendering them inactive. The fragrance-free, dye-free spray is safe on virtually all fabrics and gentle enough to use around kids and pets. Not recommended on fabrics that are prone to water spotting such as leather, wool, silk and mohair.

Highlights

• Neutralizes up to 90% of allergens*
• Gentle enough to use around kids and pets
• Fragrance-free
• Dye-free
• Safe on virtually all fabrics**

Can I tell you I’m in love with this product?  It can be used virtually anywhere and baby, do I use it!  Anywhere and everywhere the dog and cats have been gets doused and let me tell you, it has reduced the sniffles, sneezes & scratchies for everyone is the house – including the animals.

Clorox provides an FAQ section to help you with any questions you might have regarding this product.

As I was browsing around the Clorox site I was excited to see they have  Healthier Lives and Cleaner Home sections to provide practical information for various situations.

Our family will continue to use the Clorox Anti-Allergen Fabric Spray in our efforts to reduce our allergies.

Special Thanks to Mom Central! for hooking us up with this awesome product.

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A Real Moms Review by Crystal Unrau

When I was younger, my mom used to send us little notes or treats in our lunch boxes from time to time. It was her way of letting us know she was thinking about us during the day and that we were loved. I loved finding those little surprises at lunch time, especially if I’d had a rough morning. That’s why I was so excited when I saw Kids Lunch Box Cards!

Kids Lunch Box Cards are made by Kids Fun Cards LLC and they come in packs of 5. They are available in different themes with riddles, jokes and/or funny facts to add a little laughter to your kids’ lunch boxes. The back of each card is blank so you can write your own personal note to your child as well.

Since the cards come in packs of 5, you can put a card in their lunch every day for a week or you can save them for special days, or days when you know your child could use a little pick me up. Maybe they have a difficult test, or they’ve been having a rough week and you just want to encourage them.

As a working mom, I know that by the end of a busy week – it’s nice to just remind them that I am thinking about them and that I miss them. Lunch Box Cards are a great way to accomplish that.

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Lovable Labels

A Real Mom Review by Sara Lily

With my little man starting preschool for the first time this year (sniff, sniff), I knew that I had to find some way to keep my son’s belongings from getting mixed up with the other children’s. With a classroom full of toddlers I knew things could very easily go missing, so I wanted a way to limit that from happening with us. But between sippy cups, shoes, bookbags, and such I wasn’t sure that I knew the way to label such a variety of things. I really hated the idea of writing on the items with permanent ink, but was unsure what else to do.

Lovable Labels has really come through for us and solved our dilemma! Lovable Labels is a Canadian based company that offers anything you could imagine when it comes to labeling. They have such a large variety of labels that covers almost anything you could imagine, including sticker labels, iron-ons, bag tags, and medical and vital ID wristbands. I received an assortment of labels to try (Starter Pack) and was very impressed with the value that this package offers. Loveable Labels claim that their labels are extra tough, UV resistant, dishwasher, microwave, and laundry safe….And let me tell you, they did not disappoint. I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical as I put a labeled sippy cup in the dishwasher and a labeled shirt in the washer, but they both came out looking as good as they did when they went in! Talk about impressive! With my order I also received a brochure with many uses that I hadn’t even thought of for the Lovable Labels. They offer a wide variety of colors with fun icons that your children are sure to love! The labels they offer would also be great for teachers and the elderly to label their personal items.

Overall, I give the Lovable Labels an A+ and I will definitely recommend them to everyone I know. Their labels are eye-catching, cute, easy-to-use, and very durable….What more could you ask for? They have so many uses and with the wide variety of sizes and types, they are the most versatile I have seen available.

Karin Magar  an agent of Lovable Labels was super easy to work with and she handled my order professionally and timely. I was very happy with her service and my labels! Check her out and give them a try….I am sure that you will be pleased you did!

Lovable Labels has a fundraising program and is always looking for new consultants. Don’t forget to sign up for Karin’s newsletter to be notified of monthly specials and new products while you’re there. Start shopping for Lovable Labels.

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I will admit, when Tracy first asked me if I could do this review, I wasn’t terribly excited. I’ve done the skins thing before. Two years ago I gave my husband a PS2 with a Spiderman skin for Christmas. It’s a neat way to customize your stuff but I wasn’t sure what I was going to use it for.

So, I logged on to the Unique Skins site and took a look. They offer skins for laptops, game systems, cell phones and more. And, you can design the skin yourself using your own photos! When I saw that, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my skin – take a look!

I LOVE it! I picked one of the backgrounds they offered cause I didn’t have one I wanted to use, and then I added a Moms In A Blog button to the back. Now, my cell phone is a conversation starter! Because of the eye catching colors, people notice the button often and ask about it, giving me a chance to tell them about Moms In A Blog! It’s probably the cheapest publicity bit you can get!

The skin was very easy to design, and affordable to (about $8 I think). It was also very easy to apply, even for me and my shaky hands. It fit perfectly, and it looks gorgeous. It sticks quite well, so I don’t have any peeling corners either. I LOVE IT!!

If you have a blog or business you want to promote, I recommend you consider some skins. Your cell phone and/or laptop could become one of your more powerful marketing tools. Imagine your laptop with a gorgeous skin designed to match your business. Imagine taking that laptop with you to the local library or coffee shop while you work, and everyone around you sees your “ad” in the mean time! The only thing I would do differently next time is to include the actual URL. I didn’t think of that, if I had then even those who were to shy to ask would see the URL and perhaps check it out for themselves later.

Thanks to the Family Review Network for this opportunity.

BlogHints Blog Directory

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A Real Mom Review by Tracy Roberts

Sesame Street K’NEX

K’NEX introduced a new line of Sesame Street themed building sets for 2-5 year olds this month and we were lucky enough to get one to play with.

When Oscar arrived at our house my 3 year old daughter had a ball working with the chunky pieces to create an Oscar The Grouch complete with trash can (container) and Slimey the Worm.

She had a ball playing with it and her little brother who is 9 months old had a great time watching her – all the while trying to nab the pieces for himself.

This creative building set includes fun stickers and an educational “Play & Learn” activity sheet for parent & child to do together – build & learn about vehicles with Oscar! When playtime is over, store the parts in the canister for a quick and easy clean up. Includes 14 pieces, including KID K’NEX rods, connectors and blocks plus unique parts like specially-designed character hands, eyes and even Oscar’s pet worm Slimey!

The sets retail for $10.99 but a trip recently to our local Target store had them priced at $10.50 and it looks like I’m going to have to buy more characters.  You can get these sets with Elmo with his goldfish Dorothy, Ernie and his rubber duckie and Cookie Monster.  Larger sets are also available.

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Congratulations to SweetPeas!  Your gift pack is on its way!

Yoplait Kids Yogurt

A Real Mom Review by Tracy Roberts

My entire family adores yogurt but none as much as my 12 year old son and my 3 year old daughter.  So, when given the opportunity to try Yoplait Kids yogurt my 3 year old picked it out – Strawberry but my 12 year old had the most of it.

We tried both the drinkable and the spoonable versions of this yummy stuff.  Both kids decided they liked the small, drinkable bottles best.  And they went quickly!  I don’t think it lasted more than a day before I was asked to go and get some more.

Currently, Yoplait Kids has a $1.50 coupon offer online that is available to download online at www.yoplaitkids.com.  Yoplait Kids yogurt now contains the nutrient Omega-3 DHA, an important nutrient to help support healthy brain development.

Yoplait Kids yogurt, features kid-friendly characters like Dora, Diego and the Backyardigans and comes in multiple kid-pick flavors too.  So, if you’re kids are like mine you won’t be able to get away with just one package.

Yoplait Kids has given us  a prize pack including a coupon for Yoplait Kids yogurt, a brain building travel game and a cooler to giveaway.

Simply visit YoplaitKids.com and let us know your child’s favorite flavor. Then come back here and let us know in your comment.  We’ll check all our comments on this post on Friday 10/2/2008 and choose a random winner.

We need a valid email address for your entry to qualify and that is how we’ll contact you so make sure it’s one you check frequently.  If we don’t hear from you within 3 days we will choose another winner.

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When I was first asked to review Weight Watchers Golden Sponge Cakes my first thought was that I LOVE twinkies so much that there was no way that I would like a “diet” “sponge cake”

I couldn’t have been more mistaken!

I had to take my little box of 6 yummy golden sponge cakes and hide them in my room so my kids couldn’t get ahold of them but I shouldn’t have bothered since my husband helped himself to a couple one night.

These little golden beauties are well worth every each of their under 100 calories (and only 1 point!) and they’re not just for dieters or people on Weight Watchers.  They taste great!  The sponge cake is tasty and the creme filling isn’t all greasy tasting like some others on the market.

These tasty little cakes get my family’s big thumbs up!

Thanks to Family Review Network for hooking us up!

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A Real Mom Review By Crystal Unrau

BigIQKids.com

I have three great kids and each of them are gifted/skilled in their own way. My eldest is academically brilliant. She talked early, could spell early, read early, etc. For her – the challenge of learning and the pride of accomplishing what she was trying to learn was all the incentive she ever needed to take on something new. She preferred as little help as possible, always trying to “do it herself” before she was ready.

My second child, and only son, is the complete opposite. The challenge of learning new things overwhelms him and he is very quick to ask someone to just do it for him. The frustration he feels when he is trying to learn something new leaves him to overwhelmed and upset to feel any pride in the accomplishment. Because of this, he struggles quit a bit in school with reading, writing, etc.

My son is now in grade 2, and since he entered preschool 3 years ago we have had to adjust both our expectations which where based on the experiences we had with his elder sister, as well as the methods that we used to help him along his learning curve. With our eldest, we just needed to provide the challenge and let her run with it. With him, we have to continually find ways to disguise the challenge so it is fun and provide incentives that distract him from the fact that he is learning in the first place.

When Tracy told me about Big IQ Kids, I thought it would fit in perfectly with what we are currently doing at home. Big IQ Kids is structured in such a way that it meets many of our son’s learning needs:

1. It is highly interactive and engaging with characters that talk to you through-out the process and activities that are varied and moving enough to keep the attention of a 7 year old with a short attention span.
2. The lessons themselves are structured in a game-style where there is a time limit, a reward for “winning”, etc. Sure, the game requires him to spell, read, ad, subtract, etc – but it’s still a game in his mind.
3. When each lesson is complete, he is rewarded with a coin that he can use to play one of the arcade style games at the end. For my son, and any child who LOVE game systems, this is a highly motivating reason to keep plugging through the lessons even when they get a little difficult.

The first time I let my son sign in to Big IQ Kids, he spent an hour and a half before he decided he was done for the day. For my son, who can barely sit still for 5 minutes for a regular school workbook, that is amazing. I know that we are going to get a ton of mileage out of this year’s membership.

I would recommend Big IQ Kids to all parents, especially if your child falls into one of these categories:

• LOVES being online and you want a great site you can trust, where they will both have fun and learn at the same time.
• Has trouble with conventional learning methods, like my son, and benefits from fun learning activities
• Is homeschooled and you are currently looking for a great, affordable learning resource (Oh – and you can log in as the parent and check their marks and progress as well! It’s perfect for a homeschool environment!)

Thank you to Big IQ Kids for letting my son try out your program. It is amazing program!

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A Real Mom Review by Sara Lily

When I think of Summer and Fall, one of the first things that comes to mind is COOKOUTS! Family, friends, and food just seem to go together at our house! There’s nothing more relaxing than some good food and good conversation in my opinion. I do, however, have a problem sometimes with what to serve on. Usually, we go with the good ole’ paper or plastic goods to get the job done…Sometimes they work, and sometimes they just end up being too flimsy! Plates that soak through or tear can really be a party pooper if you know what I mean! LOL! Also, with my family taking strides at becoming more environmentally friendly, paper and plastic goods are not really the best choice for our get togethers.

I am proud to announce however that I have found the perfect fit for our family when it comes to disposable dinnerware! Verterra Dinnerware combines all the great aspects that you look for in good dinnerware, and are the most environmentally friendly that I have seen out there! They are made exclusively from fallen leaves…How cool is that? Here are a few more reasons that I am so impressed with Verterra:

• Made of 100% renewable plant material
• No trees are cut down-only use leaves that have fallen
• Biodegrades in 2-6 months
• 100% Compostable
• Microwave and oven safe
• Chemical and bleach free
• Can be used multiple times-simply hand wash Verterra between uses
• No plastic, wax or anything else you would not want to eat

And not to mention the cool look they have! I was given the chance to try out a few of the plates and we used them over the Labor Day holiday.  We opted for a “Backyard Barbeque” and the look of the plates blended perfectly! The plates were lightweight, super durable, and to be quite honest….I did NOT throw them away! The plates can be hand washed and used again…Can I hear a WOOHOO?! Talk about a money saver! My guests were really impressed at the look of the plates and how well they held up. They turned out to be a big hit with our family and friends! Verterra just really hit the mark all the way around with these disposables! Make your next cookout a memorable and more “green” one with Verterra Dinnerware! Thanks Verterra, for allowing me to give your dinnerware a try…You’ve definitely made me a believer in your products!

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Lily has discovered that when then mailman brings boxes to our house it usually means yummy and/or fun stuff for her.

This last time she heard the doorbell ring it was a boxed filled with Horizon Organic Milk.  Lily tore open the box and we saw the cutest “cow” packaging.  Then she instructed me to get the camera because she’s also discovered she likes to see herself on the computer!

Our milk package contained 4 single serve, shelf stable containers of flavored milk -strawberry, chocolate, vanilla and plain.  We immediately opened up the strawberry flavored milk (unrefrigerated) and Lily drank it right down.  A neat feature is the retractable/extendable straw.

Over the next few hours each flavor was consumed with gusto!

Horizon Organic has a ton of information for parents

Recipe Finder

Raising Organic Kids

and fun stuff for kids.

An Activity Book

Fun Milk Facts

Coloring Pages

I love the fact that my kids love this milk and it’s shelf stable.  That means more room in the refrigerator and the ability to stock up for emergencies like hurricanes – how nice to have milk on hand then.

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