Image Map

ShareThis

Friday, March 22, 2013

My house is messy—a lot!dirty-jobs-logo

No matter how often I clean (and trust me, it’s constant) or how many times I ask and then beg and plead before I finally start screaming, the messes only seem to multiply.  Part of the reason my house stays so messy is because of the 5 children who live here, but some of that mess also comes from the two full grown men/boys that live here as well.   And with all of those people to clean up after, I routinely find myself wondering if the people living in my house aren’t in fact, visitors from the planet Messy. 

If any of that sounds familiar to you, then you might want to pay close attention to the rest of this post because My Dirty Jobs (yes, the company behind those lovely cleaning products that are designed to tackle the toughest of messes) is launching a nationwide search for America’s top “Mess Masters”.  Send them a photo of the messiest mess your own Mess Master makes and if your photo is selected you could win a full year's professional maid service from Molly Maid, one of the country's top-rated professional home cleaning service companies.

Available at Walmart, Lowe's, and Albertsons Market stores across the country, Dirty Jobs broad portfolio of cleaning products are among the strongest and most advanced household cleaning products available anywhere.  They are the ideal cleaner-uppers for everyone's own Mess Master.

Qualifying as the biggest Mess Master requires no special training, just the ability to create the messiest mess.  Accepted entries can include kids and/or pets.  They just need to make a dirty mess and you provide the photographic proof of their best mess.

The contest will run for eleven weeks from February 21 through May 9, 2013.  Grand Prize winner will be announced on or about Mother's Day, May 12, 2013.  It's easy and simple to get in on all the fun.  Just visit the Dirty Jobs Facebook Page to enter your own favorite Mess Master.  

Send them your best Mess Master photo and you will be entered and eligible to win one of the following great prizes:

Grand Prize Winner - Molly Maid Cleaning Service for 1 year

First runner Up - $500 Gift Card

Second Runner Up - $250 Gift Card

Eleven Weekly Prize Winners will win a $100 Gift Card

Dirty Jobs Mess Masters Contest

You can’t tell me that doesn’t sound appealing, I mean, maid service, for an entire year?  That’s like my own personal fantasy!  If you have a Mess Master (or a whole slew of Mess Masters like me) then you should definitely submit a photo—who knows, maybe entering one of your kiddos messes in a nationwide search for the messiest of Mess Masters will inspire them to finally clean it up…it could happen. 

Don’t forget to check out the selection of Dirty Jobs cleaning products (available at Walmart, Lowe's, and Albertsons Market stores across the country), I had the chance to check them out recently and I just have to say, that the Dirty Jobs Heavy Duty All Purpose Cleaner (with Bleach) is about the only thing I use on tough kitchen jobs, it gets the job done and deodorizes while it cleans.  Of course, there’s a Dirty Jobs cleaning product available for just about every tough, dirty cleaning job you can imagine so make sure you pick some up next time you’re at the store and try them out on your messiest messes!

Disclosure:   I received a Walmart GC to purchase Dirty Jobs products in exchange for this post…all opinions are 100% my own!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

weight-watchers-logo
The older I get the more I realize how much I took for granted when I was younger and no place is it more evident than at my waist line.
When I was younger I pretty much ate what I wanted with no repercussions,  but I swear as I get older I gain weight by simply looking at all of the things that are bad for me.  So in an effort to keep myself from gaining too much weight, I decided at the beginning of this year to cut out some of the junk food that I love, including ice cream.  Now I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always enjoy ice cream, it’s not usually at the top of my list of junk food, but when I want ice cream, I want ice cream and since deciding to stay away from it, keeping my cravings at bay seem to be more and more difficult.  Enter Weight Watchers ice cream and not only can I give in to my cravings, but I can do so without feeling guilty.
This isn’t the first time I’ve reviewed Weight Watchers ice cream, I also had the very difficult task (insert sarcasm here) of reviewing several Weight Watchers ice cream treats last year as well, so I knew in advance that I was in for a treat, quite literally.  If you’ve never indulged in the goodness that is Weight Watchers ice cream, then you my friend, have no clue what you’ve been missing.
Weight Watchers may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of ice cream, but maybe it should be.  I’ll admit, that prior to working with Weight Watchers last year, I probably wouldn’t have believed that “diet” ice cream could actually be good and I would have been very, very wrong.  While I’m not personally following the Weight Watchers diet, I do occasionally buy a few varieties of the Weight Watchers Ice Cream (and then promptly hide it deep in the back of the deep freeze) and I have to admit, I’m a little more impressed with each new frozen treat that I try. 
I have to pause for a moment and tell you that Weight Watchers has quickly become one of my favorite brands to work with; not because of all of the yummy ice cream goodness that they send me (though I can’t deny that helps), but because they get “it”, “it” being this whole PR blogger relationship thing.  Being a blogger isn’t always all free products and paid trips, it’s hard work and working with a company (and PR rep) who understands that, makes my job that much easier, which in turn makes me want to work that much harder for them…it’s a win—win!
Anyway, back to the ice cream.  As I mentioned earlier, Weight Watchers sent me some of their newest ice cream treats to try out and since they’re all either in stores now or on their way, you’ll be able to try then out for yourselves!
In addition to couple of Weight Watchers ice cream treats that got a little bit of a makeover, Weight Watchers is also introducing four new ice cream treats to tempt your taste buds, but not your waistline.
weight-watchers Collage
New—Weight Watchers Greek Frozen Yogurt Bars
Greek yogurt has exploded in the past couple of years as a popular snack, so why not offer people a frozen version of the snack they love? The new Blueberry Swirl and Peach Swirl Greek Frozen Yogurt Bars are made with low fat Greek frozen yogurt and real Blueberry and Peach fruit swirls. Each bar offers the nutritional benefits of Greek yogurt including 2 active cultures and 5 grams of protein with just 80 calories and a PointsPlus value of 2. No spoon required!
New—Weight Watchers Snack Size Red Velvet Ice Cream Sandwiches
Staying right on trend with the current red velvet craze, the Snack Size Red Velvet Ice Cream Sandwich is made with low fat cream cheese frosting flavored ice cream with a red velvet chocolate swirl between red velvet chocolate wafers. It has 100 calories, 1.5 grams of fat and a PointsPlus value of 3 per sandwich.
New—Weight Watchers Chocolate Smoothie Frozen Yogurt Bars
For traditional frozen yogurt fans, the new Chocolate Smoothie Frozen Yogurt Bars are made with low fat frozen yogurt and real chocolate to satisfy cravings with just 60 calories, 1.5 grams of fat and a PointsPlus value of 2 per bar.
NEW—Weight Watchers Cookies & Cream Dessert Bar
This treat offers three levels of cookies & cream goodness in one bar. It’s made with low fat cookies & cream ice cream with a chocolate cookie fudge swirl dipped in a rich chocolaty cookie crunch coating. And as if that wasn’t enough, it has just 120 calories, 5 grams of fat for serious indulgence at a PointsPlus value of 3 per bar.
NEW AND IMPROVED—Weight Watchers GIANT Latte Bars
The classic GIANT Latte bar is better thanks to an even creamier low fat coffee flavored ice cream base. Coffee lovers will swoon for this treat which weighs in at just 90 calories and 1 gram of fat and a PointsPlus value of 2 per bar.
While I really do enjoy all six of the new Weight Watchers ice cream treats, I especially love the Chocolate Smoothie Frozen Yogurt Bar most, it’s soooo good.  And just in case you have any doubt about how good these are, I tried each of the varieties out on my kiddos and all of the kids (and even a few of the kids from the neighborhood) thought they were “super yummy”.  I don’t know about yours, but my kids are super picky, especially when it comes to their ice cream and they couldn’t tell the difference between their regular ice cream and these when it came to flavor…major score! 
You can find out more about these and other Weight Watchers products at the Weight Watchers supermarket foods Facebook page.  And don’t forget, if you can’t find these yummy Weight Watchers ice cream treats in your supermarket, be sure to ask the store manager when they’ll be arriving!   
Disclosure:  I received the products mentioned above in order to facilitate my review…all opinions are 100% my own!

Friday, March 15, 2013

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ0Y9jRroWRu-irHMeQ_jkwcAyr-JDO1ftLKrhRBP17yaJP_7ZtowI know I’ve mentioned before how much I deplore the dry winter weather here in Ohio…it seriously wreaks havoc with my skin.  So with all of the dryness I am always on the lookout for products that help get rid of dry skin and keep it away, products like immerse me from  b•liv by Cellnique.  If you’ve never heard of b•liv, let me be the first to introduce you!

From the cellnique website…

b•liv is about confidence as we are seeking to inspire young people to believe in themselves and motivate them to make a difference not only in their skincare but also in their lives. The name “b.liv” is not just a contraction of the word “believe” but also a union of the words “be” and “live” aiming at forming a life style motto that encourages b•livers to “live the moment. For over 15 years, Cellnique has been delivering result-driven skin care science and products to help women attain the vibrant, confident and healthy lifestyles they deserve

I received the Immerse Me, a Japanese silk mask that immerses your skin in moisture and works to cure dry skin by penetrating into your deepest skin layer to insure continued moisture!  Typically I am super careful about what I put on my face since I tend to break out so easily so I always proceed with caution when using a new product.   I’m happy to report that immerse me only made my skin feel amazing—no breakouts, no oily residue, major points in my book! 

immerse-me

b.liv’s Immerse Me is a sheet mask that comes individually packaged and is very easy to apply. The active ingredients in immerse me are Cationic Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid and Cogongrass Extract and they work together to give your skin instant hydration and lasting moisture. 

Check out some of the benefits of immerse me…

    • Provides instant hydration
    • Helps skin preserve its optimum moisture balance
    • Improves skin water retaining ability and provides long lasting hydration

BUY IT!

You can find Immerse Me online at the cellnique website, a package of 14 masks is $30.

Disclosure:  I received the products listed above in order to facilitate my review…all opinions are my own!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

biore-logo
A couple of weeks ago I celebrated another birthday, while it wasn’t the one I dread above all others (40), it does put me another year closer to it…and I don’t like it! 

The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to take care of my skin, because whether it’s due to good genes or just plain good luck, I don ‘t have really any wrinkles (except for the three deep lines in my forehead that I hate so much) and I’d like to keep it that way  Of course, taking care of my skin means that I have to remember not to go to bed with makeup on (I do that way too much) and establish a skincare routine that I can actually stick to and let’s face it, that’s not always an easy thing to do  Thank goodness Bioré knows what women need in a skincare routine and they make it so easy for you to take great care of your skin at home and on the go!
 
Chances are that you’re familiar with the Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips, but did you know that Bioré also has a great Warming Anti-blackhead Cream Cleanser?  I’ve been using the Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips for years, I love them for quickly removing blackheads, but the Bioré Warming Anti-blackhead cream cleanser kicks it up a notch and not only removes unsightly blackheads, but also prevents new blackheads from forming—and it works! 
biore-blackhead-cream-cleanser

Bioré Warming Anti-Blackhead Cream Cleanser ($7.99): The ideal prep for the most romantic night of the year, the warming cleanser pampers skin as it whisks away buildup and oil. The powerful daily line of defense against clogged, congested pores contains Zeolite, a special mineral clay that warms on contact with water, and Salicylic acid, a powerful yet gentle ingredient that penetrates pores to help fight breakouts by dissolving clogged oil.  biore-pore-strips

Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips ($9.99 for 14 strips): Lift out any stubborn dirt and oil with the ultimate antidote to clogged pores and blackheads. The perfect final step to your cleansing ritual, the hard-working, oil-free pore strips remove deep-down dirt in just one use for a clear complexion. Tea tree oil cleanses skin and rids pores of bacteria as witch hazel reduces redness and inflammation. Menthol minimizes redness and provides a tingling cooling sensation that signals a deep clean.

With five kiddos to chauffeur around and unless to-do lists keeping me busy most days, I can’t always find time in my busy schedule for an all-out skincare routine every night, but Bioré makes it easy to take care of your skin on the go with the Bioré® Skincare’s Daily Cleansing Cloths and Makeup Removing Towelettes.  I’m new to these two Bioré products, but thanks to the very awesome PR people who rep Bioré, I was able to try out all of the products above, including the Daily Cleansing Cloths and Makeup Removing Towelettes! 

biore Collage

I have to admit, even  though I know that I should always remove my makeup at night, sometimes I’m just too tired to do it, enter Bioré Makeup Removing Towelettes and removing my makeup is a breeze!  And the best part is that I don’t have to lug around 5 different types of makeup remover when I travel, I can just pop the Bioré® Skincare’s Daily Cleansing Cloths and Makeup Removing Towelettes in my purse or bag and I have one product that does the job of several in a convenient, to-go package—pure genius!  Since I definitely believe that seeing is believing, I thought I’d share a video with you of the Bioré Makeup Removing Towelettes in action!



While I did use the Bioré Makeup Removing Towelettes to remove eye makeup, it is recommended that you don’t use get the product in your eyes, but I use them nightly to remove mine with little to no irritation, just wanted to throw that out there!

I’ve always loved the Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips, but I’m so glad that I found three more Bioré that work great and make my nightly skincare routine that much simpler—thanks Bioré!
You can find these Bioré products wherever beauty products are sold! 

Disclosure:  I received the products mentioned above in order to facilitate my review…all opinions are my own!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

I have a bit of a confession to make…I’m kinda a deodorant addict.  I know that may sound a little strange, but if you ask anyone who knows me in real life, they’ll tell you that I do indeed have a “deodorant issue”, that’s what we like to call it.  It’s not unheard-of  for me to have at least 2 sticks of deodorant with me all the time, actually it’s rather uncommon if I don’t. 

secret-deodorant-logo

So why you may ask do I have a “deodorant issue”? 

Well, to be honest, I just want to smell good—like all the time. 

Since I do have a bit of an addition to it, I would kinda, sorta consider myself a deodorant  aficionado; I’ve used nearly every brand and while I do have one brand that I use more than others, I’m always open to trying new brands and new products.  One of the brands of deodorant that I’ve used for years is Secret, so when I received an email asking me to try their Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response deodorant, I just couldn’t resist. 

Before I get into my own opinions of the Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response deodorant, let me tell you a little more about the product itself…

Secret deodorant commissioned a study women’s stresses with HealthyWomen* and found that whether personal or work related, running late was the most stressful scenario reported by women at almost 70%, I can definitely attest  to that! 

An effect of all that stress, which you might not have realized is happening, is stress sweat – which actually smells worse than other causes of sweat! New Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response can help protect you from the odor and wetness that’s caused by stress sweat with its proprietary BCD technology: odor-neutralizing molecules that trap and neutralize odor, then replace it with a fresh scent to keep you smelling clean. This is critical for stress sweat, because unlike sweat caused by heat or physical activity, the odor from stress sweat is stronger so simply masking it with fragrance can make it smell worse.

Oprah's Lifeclass Curriculum Contributor and Life Coach, Martha Beck gave us some tips on how best to navigate Valentine’s Day related stress (and we all know how stressful that day can be) and I think they’re actually great tips in general that can be used every day of the year…check them out!

Just like Valentine’s Day gift giving can be super stressful, so can other gift giving holidays (Christmas, Birthdays, etc), but Martha has this to say about that stressful gift-giving…”Skip the gift-giving stress by just expressing what’s truly in your heart, without worrying about your beloved’s reaction.”  I don’t know about you, but that makes complete sense to me!  Romantic relationships can make you hot under the collar in more ways than one, but Martha says that if you start the day with Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response you’re less likely to experience the kind of sweat and odor that will make you less attractive and much more likely to come out smelling like a rose!

secret-stress-response-deodorant

I have to admit, I am very picky about the types of deodorant I use, remember my confession about being a scent snob?, yeah well multiply that by 50 and you can get a better idea of how picky I am when it comes to my deodorant.  I’m also a little hesitant when I try a new deodorant, but Secret has always been such a loved brand for me that I had a feeling I would really like the new Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response. 

I received the Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response in Serene Citrus scent and wasted no time at all trying it out.  Since my life is so full of stress all the time, it didn’t take long for me to put the Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response to the ultimate test at the last of Sporty Spice’s peewee basketball games.  After spending all day at  the school watching and waiting on games, I had words with another parent and immediately after that watched one of the most stressful, tense games I’ve ever watched my daughter play—to say that the deodorant was tested, is a huge understatement…I gave it heck!  Normally I spend game days worrying about my deodorant (because, like I said, I have issues), but through all of the stress of that last game, I didn’t worry once, because while everything else that day was crazy and out of control, my deodorant, did its job and kept the stinky stress sweat at bay—way  to go Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response!

If you sometimes find yourself in the middle of that stinky stress sweat, then make sure you check out Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response, available wherever personal hygiene products are sold.

Disclosure:  I received the product mentioned above in order to facilitate my review…all opinions are 100% my own!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

It’s no secret that I love my iPhone and it’s definitely no secret that I also adore iPhone accessories, so I always get extremely giddy when I get a pitch to review something cool for my iPhone.

good-call-logo

A couple of weeks ago I received a pitch from Good Call for a Bluetooth handset for my iPhone and I was immediately intrigued.  While I really do love my iPhone 4, it’s not the easiest phone to have a long conversation on simply because of the design.  I know some people may disagree with that statement, but for me personally, if I’m not using a Bluetooth headset while having a conversation on my phone, then I usually try to cut the conversations short, sad, but true.  Though I’ve tried several Bluetooth headsets, I’ve never used a Bluetooth handset, but I was excited about the possibility of being able to use my phone without being annoyed.

If you’ve never heard of Good Call, here’s a little more about the company and their seriously cool product…

iG1-iPhone-Bluetooth-Handset
The iG1 Bluetooth iPhone Handset, is a wireless handset that allows you to pick up a call (and then hang up a call) without having to wear an earpiece, the ergonomic design allows you to comfortably cradle the handset between your ear and your shoulder for optimal comfort during call, yes, even the long ones.  You can even use Siri to make calls even easier and even more hands free by simply picking up the handset and telling Siri to call anyone on your contact with ease.  One of the coolest features of Good Call is the fact that your iPhone doesn’t need to be docked to make a call on the handset, you can even take the handset with you almost anywhere as long as your iPhone and handset are within general Bluetooth range!  I also really like that with the Good Call iG1, you can sync and charge your iPhone while making a call, which is great for those long talks with friends!  Finally, another of my favorite features of the Good Call iG1, is that you don’t have to worry about staying in areas of your home with the best reception, you simply leave your iPhone where you have the best reception and you can walk around your home or office with ease—pretty cool if I do say so myself! 
As I mentioned above, I like to talk on my phone—a lot, but talking on my iPhone for long periods, can sometimes be a pain, that’s why I was super psyched when the iG1 by Good Call was as awesome IRL as it sounded online.  Since I definitely believe that seeing is believing, here’s a little video that the big kids and I put together to show the iG1 in action.




There you have it, Misadventurous Mommy’s thoughts on the iG1 Bluetooth iPhone Handset from Good Call and if you want to check it out so you can get one too, you can find more information, including where to buy it, on the Good Call website—you can also get it in HD!

Disclosure:  I received the product mentioned above in order to facilitate my review…all opinions are 100% my own!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Movies are a big thing at our house, if my husband and I aren’t watching a movie, then there’s a pretty good chance that one of our kiddos are.  My kids are definitely movie buffs and are usually content with watching almost anything, so when I received two new titles from Anchor Bay to review recently, they were more than ready to help me out!

Chuggington: Safari Adventures

Chuggington-Safari-Adventures

Get ready to ride the rails to a fun jungle expedition when “Safari Adventures” – the latest all-new Chuggington DVD – pulls out of the station nationwide on February 12. There will be two versions of the title – including one that features a collectible Mtambo toy engine from TOMYTM, making it the perfect  treat for young Chuggington fans!  “Safari Adventures” lets preschoolers explore a whole trainload of six exciting stories (and a special Badge Quest episode!) – in which Koko helps a pack of trackside squirrels, Brewster investigates banana thieves and Wilson manages to haul a mischievous elephant to its new home.  The action continues with monkey business for Zephie, a royal visitor for Mtambo and even more. 

Baby Geniuses and the Mystery of the Crown Jewels

Baby-Geniuses

Babies rule in “Baby Geniuses and the Mystery of the Crown Jewels”, a screamingly fun new family DVD toddling onto shelves nationwide today.  Featuring Join Voight, the third Baby Geniuses film title focuses on the laugh-filled international adventures of the intrepid young investigator team, The Baby Squad.  After the Queen of England’s crown jewels are pilfered by a nefarious thief, can little Skip Bobbins and his pals find and return them to their rightful owner?

Lil Man and Lil Diva are huge Chuggington fans, their Chuggington wooden railway set is one of their rfavorite (not to mention, most played with) toys so I knew they’d love Chuggington: Safari Adventures and they did and they were super excited about the new addition to their Chuggington railway family!  Baby Geniuses was something new for my lil ones, so I was a little worried that they wouldn’t be as interested in it, but turns out they loved Baby Geniuses and the Mystery of the Crown Jewels, it’s even their new favorite bedtime movie—score!

WIN IT!!!

Both of these titles are available from Anchor Bay wherever DVD’s are sold, but one lucky MIBR reader is going to win both of them!  Check out the Rafflecopter widget below for official rules and to enter…GOOD LUCK!

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  I received the products mentioned above in order to facilitate my review, all opinions are my own!