2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Annoying Orange Products Review

Have you seen the Annoying Orange video clips on YouTube? My daughter has been a huge fan since she discovered them months ago. They are pretty funny, I have to tell you!

“The Annoying Orange has taken the Internet by storm with an impressive 840 million total views and more than 100 episodes at: http://www.youtube.com/user/realannoyingorange. Created by Dane Boedigheimer, the popular web series features an endearingly annoying Orange that playfully heckles other fruit and vegetables”.

Annoying Orange and the entire Kitchen Crew have an array of cool products out right now, including talking plush, clip-ons, collectible figures, and apparel that make great gifts and stocking stuffers. My daughter and I had the opportunity to review the Annoying Orange and Midget Apple Talking Figures. My daughter was so excited to open the containers and try them out. I have to admit that it was slightly addicting to repeatedly tap the buttons on the bottom of the figures to make them speak. They are pretty entertaining and I think my students would enjoy them as well.






More information about the Talking Figures:
These plastic talking collectibles are textured with detail and include TRY ME feature to hear the classic jokes and puns from each Kitchen Crew member. Each 2.5” figure is packaged in a gift-like window box for added collectability. Collect them all: 4 Orange styles, Pear, Midget Apple, Marshmallow and Passion Fruit. SRP: $9.99 Available at Toys “R” Us and ToysRUs.com.

I know that it is too late to purchase these products online in order to receive them in time for Christmas; however, if you have a Toys R Us store nearby, I highly suggest going and checking them out. They are quite amusing. Please visit the Toys R Us website to view all the Annoying Orange products available!

*Disclaimer: I did not receive monetary compensation for this post.  I received free products for the purpose of this review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.

My Guest Post for Allstate: Strategies for Teaching Your Children the Value of a Dollar

There are many kids who do not understand the value of a dollar, including my own daughter.  She has always had everything she needs and has been given so many things that she wants.  There are numerous ways in which we can teach kids the value of a dollar.  I wrote a guest post for Allstate on this topic. 

Please come read my article here:

http://community.allstate.com/community/allstate_blog/blog/2011/12/08/strategies-for-teaching-kids-about-money

Shutterfly Photo Book Review & Giveaway

I love looking at photos, regardless of whether they’re my own or someone else’s photos. I enjoy sharing the stories and wonderful memories I have for them. I have albums and albums of my daughter’s life and I am currently in the process of creating my son’s album to document his short life so far. I never get sick of them.

Photos tell a story and it is only natural for the photo books you create to tell a story to others. I recently had an opportunity to create a photo book through Shutterfly. I created a book that told the story of my children’s past year, which highlighted our favorite moments. Shutterfly has a Storytelling destination that provides customers with tips on how to best represent your stories and memories within photo books you create. These tips are provided by Shutterfly Chieft Storyteller, Heather Maddan. New content is presented each month. This month’s theme is “family storytelling” and more specifically, tips on sharing your family’s story through holiday photos is discussed.


As I mentioned previously, I was able to create a photo book of my own. I received an 8x8 photo book, which was a wonderful size and does not take up a great deal of room. It is a beautiful hard cover book. I chose the theme design called “Confetti”. The colors are so bright, which make my photos truly pop out. This photo book is perfect for keeping on our coffee table and my kids have been picking it up often to look over. The book was easy to create and I ended up purchasing a book to give to my mother for Christmas as well.   By giving her this photo book, we are able to share such memorable times of her grandchildren's lives!

Shutterfly has been very kind to offer one Tidbits From A Mom reader with the opportunity to win a photo book of their own valued at $35! Please complete the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

Crossword Cubes Game Review & Giveaway!

I really enjoy playing word games. I have apps on my iPad and I often play against friends on the computer. I love the competition against others as well as competing against myself to improve my scores. I find these games relaxing. I can zone out and I have added “word games” to my stress management list.

My family and I had the opportunity to review a new game recently from Marina Games called Crossword Cubes. Essentially, it is a cross between a crossword puzzle and Scrabble. Each player takes turns placing all the cubes in the cup provided, shaking the cup, and then pouring the cubes out. The player arranges the cubes into words in order to build their score. Each of the words needs to be built off of the other as you do when you are completing a crossword puzzle. The player to score 300 points first wins.

This game was a huge hit with both my family as well as my elementary school students! The game moved quickly. Even though we were playing against each other, my daughter and I were helping each other because it was exciting to point out when we saw a word in the cubes. I did need to assist my elementary school students a little bit more because many of them have issues with reading and spelling. However, this did not deter their interest in the game. They appreciated the help and were still challenged to try and beat me!

I think this game is wonderful. I also like the fact that it is in a really small container; therefore, it takes up no space at all. It can be brought on trips to pass the time. I am looking forward to bringing Crossword Cubes on our trip to Florida in the spring!

Marina Games has been very generous to offer one Tidbits From A Mom reader the opportunity to win a Crossword Cubes games of their own! Please complete the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

The Steam Team: Comprehensive Carpet Cleaning Services and More!

The carpets in my home are long overdue for a cleaning. No matter how careful my family is about removing their shoes when they come in the house, the dirt builds up. We have a big black Labrador retriever that I believe is doing the most damage. I have a rug cleaner that I can use to clean myself; however, this never seems to provide the deep cleaning that is necessary.
 
I would love to be able to afford a rug cleaning service, such as The Steam Team, to come into my home and clean every carpet. The Steam Team provides a variety of cleaning services for both residential and commercial properties. These services include carpet, oriental rug, upholstery, leather, drapery, air-duct, hardwood, and pet odor cleaning services. Additional services include smoke and fire restoration, construction services, marble polishing, and ceramic tile and natural stone cleaning. I am amazed by the sheer variety of services. They are a “do it all” company!

The Steam Team has been Carpet Cleaning Brushy Creek, just one of the numerous areas in TX, for years. If you live in or around this area and are in need of one of their services, it may be well worth looking into them.

If you are interested in hearing more about The Steam Team’s cleaning services and you live in the Austin, TX area, visit http://www.thesteamteam.com/austin-carpet-cleaning/

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.  However, the opinions expressed here are my own and have not been swayed by sponsorship.

Trimback.com: A Site Full of Coupons & Deals!

I have numerous different email subscriptions to coupons sites, which email me weekly or even daily with deals for food, clothing, and events in my area.  It is quite time consuming to search through emails to see if they are relevant to me and my family.  I don't have that kind of time.  I was introduced to Trimback.com recently.  Trimback.com is a site which provides coupons for over 8,000 online stores as well as Red Plum coupons.  What is different about Trimback.com is that anyone can add a coupon code.  I know many of us like to share the deals we hear about and Trimback.com is another venue where we can do this.

Coupons at Trimback.com

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Trimback.com.  However, the opinions expressed here are my own and are not influenced by compensation.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Softlips Review & Giveaway

Not only do I dehydrate easily, but I also blast my heat during the winter months in my car and my office. This leads to dry lips and skin. I have been a fan of Softlips for years and I was very happy to hear about their new winter flavors - Winter Mint, Sugar Cookie, Sugar & Spice, and Sugar Plum Berry! I was sent these flavors to review and they certainly did not disappoint. The Softlips tubes came in a pretty light purple organza gift bag, which would be perfect for a Christmas stocking or a gift for a teacher. I loved all four flavors; however, if I needed to choose the Sugar Cookie is my favorite. One of my favorite features of Softlips besides the flavor and that they keep my lips moist for a great deal of time is the fact they have SPF 20.

Jenn Falik, beauty & style expert, shows how easy it is to be "so thoughtful," and give the gift of beauty this holiday season in the YouTube video below. Some tips are also provided below!





Give a Lip Treat This Holiday Season with Softlips
Be "so thoughtful," and give the gift of beauty this holiday season! Softlips' beauty and style expert, Jenn Falik, offers great beauty gift ideas that you can customize for someone special, whether it's a homemade beauty basket sampler, a glittery holiday stocking filled with pretty presents that pamper or the "little extra" finishing touch of a treat of Softlips lip balm pack tied with a ribbon on a gift! Perfect for sisters, mom, teachers, babysitters....beauty is the gift that keeps on giving.

Basket of Beauty: So many stores offer gift sets, but the person you’re buying for might not use or like everything in the set and it can come off like you were in a hurry to buy a gift. An easy solution is to buy a basket or small bin and fill it with items that you know they like. Each basket or bin can be customized to the person whether it’s a basket of beauty products including Softlips lip balm or a bin filled with hair products for the hair junkie. Finish the look by covering the gift set with cellophane and tie it with ribbon.

Glamorous Stocking Stuffers: Holiday stockings are an easy way to stash a variety of beauty goodies. You can find a glittery stocking to fill with pretty presents that pamper such as makeup brushes, shimmery jewelry, nail products for a manicure and Softlips lip balm.

Stylish Gift Wrapping: No matter what the gift is, with just a few simple steps you can transform an ordinary gift to an extraordinary gift. Add a touch of glam or beauty to your gift by attaching a pair of shimmery earrings or bangle bracelets to the ribbon or look for beauty products with peg holes in the card, like Softlips lip balm, and attach it to the ribbon on the gift bag or present.
For the latest information, news, consumer offers, and Softlips. So You. videos, connect with Softlips at:

www.softlips.com
www.facebook.com/softlips
www.twitter.com/ilovesoftlips
www.youtube.com/ilovesoftlips

More about Softlips availability:
Softlips availability: Now throughout the holiday/winter season, there will be select dual-packs (Winter Mint/Vanilla, Sugar Cookie/Raspberry, and Sugar Cookie/Cherry) available at stores such as Walmart, Target, and Rite Aid for $3.99. There is also a Winter 5-Pack that’s available exclusively in the Softlips online store, Softlips.com that offers all four winter flavors and a bonus flavor of Mint with a Hint of Vanilla. This set is packaged in a festive, blue sachet for $9.99.
Great news! I have the same four-pack of winter flavors to give away to one Tidbits From A Mom reader! Please complete the Rafflecopter form below to enter!