Reviews — Page 10

{Rafflecopter Giveaway} Win a GERM FIGHTER Prize Package!

Lysol makes staying Germ-Free Easy!

As a partner with Mom Select, I got to try out some super cool new products from Lysol, just in time for back-to-school… The new Dual Action Disinfecting Wipes, and my favorite- the No-Touch Hand Soap System!

The kids la-la-LOVE the new No-Touch Soap System… The youngest thinks it’s magic like Harry Potter, the older one tries to be sneaky and slow, and trick the dispenser… He says he’s being a ninja… But the Lysol Hand Soap system is totally ninja-proof, and senses his presence every time. …

Why these products Rock:

They both kill 99.9% of bacteria- the wipes make wiping out those germs on your counters, door-knobs, and other surfaces super quick and easy, and the hand soap dispenser makes washing hands fun. Seriously, the kids love it!
The wipes have 2 sides- they’re like a MacGyver of cleaning wipes. One side is for regular cleaning jobs, the other has scrubbers for tough messes. Awesome.
The dispenser starter kit comes with everything you need- the stainless steel pump, soap, and even the batteries. Love that.
The Super-cool No-Touch soap dispenser automatically senses when your hands are under it, and gives you just the right amount of soap- perfect for little ones that don’t know how much to use!

Teaching Kids About Germs:

We all know that anywhere with lots of people have more germs- like malls, grocery stores, or big offices. But while those places might be germ gathering places, anywhere that with lots of KIDS is like a germ Mardi-Gras Party, right?

Teaching kids about germs, how they spread, and why hand washing and keeping clean is important can do a lot to cut down on winter colds and flu… And while it seems crazy to think of that stuff, the sniffle season will be here before we know it!

Watch as Sid the Science Kid teaches about germs….

And, a fun little way to show kids how germs spread: Take a handful of those tiny craft pom-pom’s, then blow into your hand the way you would if you sneezed. Let the kids watch as the pom-pom’s blow all over the place- That’s what germs do when you sneeze, too!!

And watch as he teaches kids the importance of washing their hands. Love it.

At our house we sing this song when handwashing:

“Soap and water, that’s the way,

You can wash the germs away!

Keep on washing, ‘cuz when you do,

You’ll wash the germs away- it’s true!

Now your hands are clean, here’s why-

‘Cuz germs are down the drain, goodbye!!”

Silly, yes. But by the time they’ve sang the whole song and are ready to wave goodbye to the germs, they’ve washed long enough to really clean up.

Keep your family germ-free!

Look for these super cool new products in your local store, and check out Lysol.com for some great coupons and special offers.
And be sure to stop by their Facebook page and enter to win a prize that makes my heart beat faster…. A Stainless Steel Kitchen Appliance Prize Package!! That would be amazing, right? And you can’t win if you don’t enter….

{Disclaimer: I was provided with samples of both products, so that we could use ’em and share an honest review about our experience. All opinions are 100% mine.}

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

One lucky reader will WIN the same cool GERM FIGHTER prize package that we got to try out- The new Dual Action Disinfecting Wipes, and the No-Touch Hand Soap System too! Let your kids experience this super-hand-washing-excitement as the kiddo’s at my house….

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 26, 2011 Filed Under: Reviews, Contests | 5 Comments

New Family Movie Night- Game Time: Tackling the Past

Family Movie Night – Game Time: Tackling the Past

P&G and Walmart have partnered once again for a new Family Movie Night! The newest movie, Game Time: Tackling the Past, airs on NBC Saturday, September 3rd, at 8pm ET/7pm CT.

P&G and Walmart partnered for Family Movie Night to help you rediscover family time- Great quality movies with no inappropriate content, and they even keep the commercials family-friendly. I hate sitting down to watch something with the kids that I think will be safe… Only to have them startled something unexpectedly scary or violent, or have them see things that are too adult for them. I’m not at all conservative, but even I have trouble finding good family movies sometimes. So I definitely am a fan of these new Family Movie Nights!

Watch Game Time: Tackling the Past

What do you think?

I can totally relate to the message in this movie… How an unexpected event in life can cause you to totally re-evaluate your priorities, and suddenly realize what was really important in life.

This is pretty much what happened when I became a mother. I was working really long, crazy, unpredictable hours in retail management and fashion marketing. I loved what I did, but it was stressful. I worked hard, and on my days off, I played hard too- I had a super active social life. I had no desire for kids, and was totally happy as “Auntie Meagan” to my nephews. Like Jake in the movie, I thought I knew where I was going in life…

Then, I found out I was expecting. Woah- that really stopped me in my tracks! In the movie Jake has to make huge life changes due to the unexpected news that his father has suffered a major heart attack- The unexpected news of my pregnancy forced me to take a hard look at my life too, and make some huge changes. As my due date approached, I realized that I couldn’t just jump back into my old life- I couldn’t continue 50 hour work weeks, full time school, AND spend time with a baby. When discussing this with my employer, they abruptly decided to let me go!! What now??

I soon discovered that this was the best thing that could happen. My family rallied around to offer support, friends pitched in to help me out, and I realized that less money, but more time with my baby, was making me a million times more happy than what I had “thought” I wanted before! Just like Jake in the movie, I realized how important that support is in life.

“Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.” –Og Mandino quotes

When Winning is Everything, What’s Left?

That’s the main message of the movie, and I think it’s a great question to address with your family and kids after watching the movie. Family Movie Night films are meant to encourage teachable moments…

Ask you kids what they would do if they went through the same type of situation faced by Jake in the movie. Would they make the same choices? Get some discussion going… And look forward to another opportunity to do it again, and watch for the next Family Movie Night soon!

Learn More:

Visit the Family Movie Night Website here: FamilyMovieNight.com.
Follow them on Facebook, to stay updated on the newest movies: Facebook.

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.}

And don’t forget… The premiere of Game Time: Tackling the Past is on Saturday, September 3 on NBC at 8pm ET/7pm CT!!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 26, 2011 Filed Under: Fun Stuff, Reviews | No Comments

{Rafflecopter Giveaway} Time Island Kids Prize Package!

Check out the fun new kids game ~ Time Island!

“Time Island is a virtual world for kids where they can play games, learn about nature and survival and meet other children from around the globe in a safe online environment.”

I found out about Time Island from MomSelect; they chose our family to be part of a fun campaign to help spread the word about this great game!

I was worried at first that the kids might not like it… It’s a free game on the computer, and they’re used to playing the Wii and Xbox, you know? But they LOVE it.

Learn more:

Sounds cool, right?

The kids have so much fun playing it- they love meeting new kids and chatting online when they join other tribes, they love outsmarting the little green monsters, “Grogs”, and my youngest nephew just likes walking around and exploring the island!

As for me, I love that there’s no violence like some of their video games have, that it’s an interactive environment but it’s SAFE {if anyone uses bad language, bullying, or anything else, you can report it, and they won’t be able to play.}, and it really makes the kids think while they play, instead of just mindlessly blowing stuff up!

What is Time Island?

It’s like Survivor, but for kids. You have to figure out how to survive, join with others in tribes, explore the jungles and beaches, and use your wits to outsmart the others! Seriously, the boys would play this for hours if I let them…

Join Us!

To join us on Time Island, sign up here- TimeIsland.com. After you sign up {and remember, it’s totally FREE to join!}, they’ll send you a confirmation email {this is so that kids can’t sign up and play without you knowing… You confirm the email, and decide which settings the kids are allowed to play under!} After you confirm, the kids can build their own avatar to play with.

Are YOU on Time Island?

If you guys are playing on Time Island yet? What do you think of it? Or if you’re learning about it for the first time, what do you think? Any questions about it? Comment away!

Win it!!

Use the easy peasy Rafflecopter Giveaway form to win a Super Cool Prize Package filled with cool stuff:

Prize Package Includes:

One Time Island Backpack!

A Time Island Cell Phone holder!

3 Time Island wrist-bands- One for you, 2 to share with friends!

Super cool Time Island Sunglasses- Black front, green sides with the game logo!

Time Island Stickers- 3 sets!

Bunches of assorted Time Island temporary tattoo’s- featuring the avatars from the game, as well as the Time Island game logo!

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 26, 2011 Filed Under: Reviews, Contests, Freebies, Fun Stuff | No Comments

Get a FREE book download and Enter to Win the BIG Giveaway!

Learn how to avoid the “Entitlement Trap” in your family…

The newest book from NYTimes bestselling authors Richard and Linda Eyres, focuses on a problem facing many families– “Children who think they should have whatever they want, and whatever their friends have, and that they should have it NOW, and without having to work for it” — The Eyres have named this the Entitlement Trap, and have come up with a road-map “to get families (and kids) from entitlement to responsibility.”

A little more about Richard and Linda:

You may have seen them in the media, on programs like Oprah, the CBS Early Show, Prime Time Live, Today, and Good Morning America. Or heard one of their presentations to groups such as the American Bar Association, the AARP, and the American Dental Association.

Maybe you’re even familiar with one of their other books… Teaching Your Children Values was the first parenting book in fifty years – since Dr. Spock – to reach #1 on The New York Times bestseller list, which is a pretty exciting achievement! And their last book, The Book of Nurturing was endorsed by Dr. Phil.

Giant Giveaway!!

To celebrate the release of their newest book, The Entitlement Trap: How to Rescue Your Child with a New Family System of Choosing, Earning, and Ownership, the Eyre’s are giving away some amazing prizes:

Everyone who pre-orders the book {get it on Amazon for less than $12 bucks at the pre-order sale price} will get a link to a free animated musical audio book for children on Honesty (the first in the applauded children’s CD series, Alexander’s Amazing Adventures (based on the Eyres’ NYTimes Bestseller, Teaching Your Children Values). This download is a $10 value. And EVERYONE who sends their info will get this for FREE!

Plus they’ll be entered to win these BIG prizes-

Platinum Prize:

Two tickets to the Power of Moms Couples’ Retreat sponsored by The Power of Moms and Valuesparenting.com at the Eyres’ Park City, Utah home on September 9-10, 2011, PLUS a travel voucher for up to $400 to help you get to this Retreat (if a flight is required). {See giveaway page for more details}.

Gold Prize:

Dinner for two at a Park City, Utah restaurant with Richard and Linda Eyre ($200 value).

8 Silver Prizes:

Five-packs of The Entitlement Trap mailed to you to share with friends and family ($100 value for each prize).

How to enter:

Head over to Amazon and pre-order your copy of this amazing new book, at the discounted price, then send an email with a copy of your receipt to honesty@theeyres.com before September 1st. Easy peasy!

To read more details about the book, watch some great videos, and learn more about the giveaway, check out their site, EntitlementTrap.com.

{Earn rewards for every coupon your print and redeem. Learn how today, and start earning FREE gift cards and more!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 25, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Reviews, Contests | 1 Comment

Busy Mom Solution: It’s like having your whole filing cabinet in your pocket!

It’s like having your whole filing cabinet in your back pocket!

“Help for busy moms.” Oh, isn’t that a phrase that you’d like to hear more often? Well, AboutOne is a super cool new service that can seriously make your life easier. Read on to learn how to get organized with some help from AboutOne…

How it works:

You sign up here: Join AboutOne -for a FREE subscription. Then you enter in as much information as you want; things like health records, address book, family memories, education history or vehicle records… And more. Then, AboutOne stores all of that important info in ONE safe place, so when you need to find it, you don’t have to waste time digging through folders or boxes, trying to remember where it is! It’s a digital filing system, and more!

Easy, peasy.

When you sign up with AboutOne, you can also choose to just enter info as it happens. You can upload pics and videos from your cell phone, set alerts or reminders of events coming up, scan receipts, kids artwork, or other records directly into your account.

It’s like having your whole filing cabinet in your back pocket!

They store your info with bank-level security, and you can access it from anywhere! If you have a smart phone, that means that you would be able to get any of your family info you need, anytime, from anywhere. So great, right?

There are other “fun” features to this site too!

It can “auto-magically” create great stuff like:

Multimedia family newsletters, digital scrapbooks, and hard copy memory books.
Paper greeting cards and invitations that mail themselves.
Education summaries for college applications.
Health summaries and babysitter instructions.
Home improvement reports for tax reporting.
Plus, with AboutOne’s patent-pending service, you’ll have all the information you need, right at your fingertips, to make informed decisions and respond quickly to an emergency.

Get a Great Start this School Year!

Kids bring home SO many calendars, forms, menu’s, lists, and more… It can be really tough for even the most organized mom to keep track of it all! Watch this video to learn how AboutOne can help you stay on top of it all this year…

How great does this all sound?

I just signed up for my own free account, and honestly, have been having SO much fun trying it out. I’m actually a really organized person, but I still like the idea of having all of this info in one easy to locate spot, and the tools available on it are really cool, and super simple to use. I love that this shows me how to declutter all of my piles of paperwork… that is my biggest are of clutter in the house!

What do you think?

What are YOUR biggest challenges to staying organized? Do you think AboutOne could help you stay on top of things? How great would it be to NEVER have to search through piles or paper or filing cabinets again? If you love it, share it with a friend using my easy peasy share buttons up top, or under this post :)

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 22, 2011 Filed Under: Reviews, Busy Mom Solution, Freebies | No Comments

Find Amazing, Fun, & Free Resources at School Sparks!

All Children Can Start School Prepared to Succeed!

That’s the goal behind a totally amazing website I found today, School Sparks, where you’ll find a ton of really great resources for your child.

School Sparks is targeted towards parents of preschool kids, who are preparing them for school, and wanting to know if their child has the needed skills and development to start kindergarten. It has an assessment you can use to see how your little one is doing, and loads of great resources and activites! It’s also great for those with kiddo’s who have already started school, with fun activities to reinforce the skills that they’re learning each day.

This site is run by Renee, who is a preschool and kindergarten teacher, now retired after decades of educating young children. Heather is her daughter, mother of two young boys. This blog is their collective scrapbook, passing wisdom from one generation to the next.

Free eBook:

Get the Free eBook, Stepping Stones for Early Readers, that will help prepare your little one for school, as well as help develop reading skills in kids who are already learning words at school.

Free Worksheets:

This site has over 100 different Kindergarten worksheets that you can access and print! There are sections for developing gross and fine motor skills, social and emotional awareness, and fun pages like Alphabet Parade. I love, love, LOVE these printable worksheets! We put some of them into page protectors, so that my little guy can use dry-erase markers to do activities several times.

Free Assessment Test:

This site also has a Kindergarten Readiness Testthat is really easy to use. It asks a few questions in each of the major categories, and you simply click a box for “yes or no”, then get an evaluation of what your kiddo might want to work on to get ready for school. My littlest guy is starting Kindergarten this year, so this was a really cool tool to see where he still needs some help!

Understand How Early Child Development in 8 Areas is Critical to School Success:

Get information on Early Childhood Development, including what will be expected of your little one during preschool and kindergarten.

This covers the 8 areas of that are most important:

Gross Motor Development
Fine Motor Development
Auditory Processing
Visual Discrimination
Letter and Word Awareness
Phonemic Awareness
Math and Number Awareness
Social and Emotional Development

This is just one of the coolest sites, with SO much helpful information and tools, and it’s all presented in such a bright, fun, easy to find layout.

You can find them anywhere you’re hanging out on the web:

Their website: SchoolSparks.com.
Their Facebook page.
On their blog: School Sparks Blog– Make sure to sign up for the newsletter!
And on Twitter too!

{More great kids activites: Sign up for free, educational, safe gaming accounts just for kids: Time Island, and Kabongo, two of our families favorites!}