Spiffies tooth-wipes Review & Giveaway

Maddisyn is a tiny little girl which I absolutely love.  The one downfall though to her being so tiny is that she has a tiny little mouth.  Having a small mouth I find it very hard to fit a normal kids toothbrush into her mouth between her cheek and her teeth and so I don’t feel her teeth are getting brushed properly in the side which leads to me be very concerned about her oral health.  On top of the toothbrush not fitting properly if I try to make it fit she has a fit because it hurts her mouth (totally understandable) and then when I say it is time to brush her teeth I get an absolutely horrid crying fit from it because she simply does not want to go through the discomfort.

Recently I was approached about trying out Spiffies teeth-wipes.  I have to admit that at first I was not sure of the idea but then I realized hey if it gets her teeth clean and causes her no discomfort then it certainly will not hurt anything to give them a shot.  When they arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see them in an adorable gift bag and the wipes individually wrapped so they are easy to take along if need be.  Maddisyn wanted to try them out right away as soon as I told her that they were for her and Holden so I figured no time like the present.  I can tell you without a doubt that Spiffies is one of the best products I have reviewed on this blog for my kids in a long time.

Spiffies come in three great flavors mango, apple and grape.  Maddisyn loves the grape ones the best and always goes for the telltale purple package when I tell her it is time to do her teeth.  Yes you read that right SHE goes and gets the package and is actually excited for me to clean her teeth, no more huge toothbrush that does not fit in her tiny little sweet mouth, no more yucky tasting toothpaste that makes her gag, and best of all no more horrid crying fits when it is time to do her teeth.  She just grabs her wipe, brings it over to me and sits on my lap while I make sure to clean each one of her tiny pearly whites.  Then when I am done going over her mouth she takes the wipe and goes through her mouth on her own cleaning her teeth.

I feel that because of Spiffies Maddisyn won’t be so freaked out when she does get older and her mouth grows to normal toothbrush sized.  I will have more success with her co-operating and her dental health being great rather then failing.  I also have to say that I love our bonding time we spend together when both she and I are cleaning her teeth up and getting ready to start or finish the day.

I have recently started using Spiffies on Holden as well, he tends to bite me more then anything but I know that I am at least getting him used to the idea of this and getting his little teeth cleaned.  He does not like the grape flavor at all (Maddisyn is fine with that) but he does prefer the mango ones himself for the amount he lets me use them.

My one and only complaint with the Spiffies is the wipe leaves my hands and the kids faces a little sticky, but lets be real here that is not much of a complaint when I think of all the good they have done, a simple wipe with a face cloth and a simple hand washing for me (which I do before and after I do each kids teeth anyways) and we are all clean, happy and ready to face/end our days.

Spiffies is made by a company called DR Products LLC.  DR Products LLC was founded in 2003 by a a practicing pediatrician, and his wife Marti, an experienced businesswoman.  Their goal with the company was to prevent tooth decay in the early lives of all children around the world.  The two flagship products for DR PRoducts LLC are Spiffies tooth-wipes and I Can Brush, a syrup created for toddlers.

Both are centered on the prevention of tooth decay with Xylitol, the ingredient in their products. Over the past 50 years, medical research has shown that Xylitol, first discovered in the naturally sweet part of birch trees, can prevent tooth decay in children and adults when used regularly.
• Spiffies Tooth Wipes are designed for a parent to cleanse the infant’s mouth after feedings. The delicate taste combined with a caring gentle massaging action provides a pleasant experience for both, while conferring a unique health benefit to the baby—in the months and years to come, for that baby, tooth decay may not develop at all. Tooth wipes are ideal for the teething infant.
• I Can Brush is a healthy, all-natural syrup that provides Xylitol protection against cavities and, unlike toothpaste, is safe for toddlers to swallow.
Both Spiffies Tooth Wipes and I Can Brush, and even the Xylitol used to create them, are made in the USA. DR Products has sold more than 4 million Spiffies Tooth Wipes to date.

I want to share with you this short video Maddisyn and I made of us cleaning her teeth.  We just did a quick job so that you could see how easy it is to do without having to sit through our entire routine.  Don’t Maddisyns poor boo-boo nose she was walking around with a cardboard house on her head and walked into the wall and banged up her nose a bit.  But that is a totally different blog post I will get to soon and will be our own PSA in it haha.

~WIN IT~
Spiffies is going to give one of my lucky readers a 45-day supply of Spiffies tooth wipes in an adorable gift bag like the one pictured above.

~TO ENTER~
Go to the Spiffies website and look around then come back here and tell me one of the benefits of using Spiffies wipes (you will find the answers on the Spiffies website).

~BONUS ENTRIES~
Please make sure to leave seperate entries for each thing, if it says you get 5 entries please leave 5 comments.

Johnson’s Natural Products

My mom used Johnson’s on me, I use Johnson’s on my kids.  I love the no more tears formula that Johnson’s is so famous for especially since my kids never stay still and get water in their eyes and it generally has soap in it.  The one big thing for me is that while I love Johnson’s it like many other products was not “green”, and no I don’t mean the color lol.  I have been doing all I can to make my family greener we do trashless lunches, turn off lights, reusable shopping bags and recently I discovered natural body wash/shampoo products.  I was very torn though as to whether I wanted to switch to a product because it would make me “green” or if I wanted to stay with Johnson’s because it is what I know and love.

Thankfully Johnson’s has now taken my dilemma away and made my choice as a mother so much easier.  Johnson’s has a new line called Johnson’s Natural.  Yay again Johnson’s rocks in my books and hit the nail on the head.  Johnson’s new Natural lineup provides us with a combination of 98% naturally derived ingredients.  It is designed to cleanse, hydrate and nourish baby’s skin.  It is also the very first naturally derived No More Tears Formula and with no parabens, dyes, or essential oils – Johnson’s Natural foaming baby wash, shampoo and lotion proves yet again to be gentle enough for newborns and “big kids”. Not to mention the 60% post-consumer recycled packaging, the products not only naturally work to nurture your child’s skin, but also help protect the environment.

The Johnson’s Natural line consists of head-to-toe foaming baby wash, baby lotion, baby shampoo, 3-in-1 shampoo conditioner & body wash and the 2-in-1 hand and face foaming wash.

I received all 5 of these products to review.  I took the time and tested each of them at least once.  I generally test more then that but unfortunately Maddisyn got ahold of the baby shampoo and well lets just say her dolls hair is super clean and environmentally friendly.  I did get a chance to use it once on each of the babies though .  I found that it was a little thin and so with Maddisyns’ hair it was harder to get it through her hair, but Holden has barely any hair and I found this perfect for his little head and had intended on using it further on him until my sweet angel got ahold of it.

I used the head to toe foaming baby wash and absolutely love it.  I find that it is easier to use and wash the babies with then traditional washes because it does not just run right off of their bodies before I get a chance to use it, it comes out foamy and stays foamy.  I always use baby lotion Holden after his bathes and have since he was a newborn.  I just like how soft it makes their skin and how yummy they smell after wards.  I was concerned that Holden would not smell as good with the Johnson’s Natural stuff but while he does not have that strong smell he still smells yummy.

Maddisyn really likes when I use the Johnson’s 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner & body wash.  It seems to speed our routine up by just having to wash her hair once and then wash down her body rather then washing her hair twice which means rinsing twice which means two meltdowns over water in her face and then washing her body.  I like it because it leaves her hair smooth and silky and super easy to brush out after bathtime.  Last product I want to tell you about but certainly not the least by any means is the 2-in-1 hand and face foaming wash.  Maddisyn uses this mostly because she stands at the sink and washes her hands and face during our bedtime routine.  she likes to wet her face and then I pump some into her hand and she washes her hands and face and then we rinse.  Her face gets sparkly clean and I feel safe knowing she did not just put a bunch of chemicals on her face to clog her pores.

All in all although I try to avoid change I am very happy I got to do this review and plan on continuing to buy the Johnson’s Natural line as opposed to the traditional line, I think it works well in my house and I love the products.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by  Mom Central on behalf of Johnson’s and received the products necessary to  facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me  for taking the time to participate.

Protect a Bed Mattress Protector Giveaway

Protect-A-Bed is hosting the Long Live Your Mattress Sweepstakes at www.protectabed.com. One lucky sweepstakes winner will receive $30,000 in honor of the company’s 30^th anniversary. Ten 1^st prize winners will receive complete bedding protection sets valued at nearly $500. The grand prize winner will also receive a bedding protection kit. The sweepstakes begins Tuesday, Aug. 10 and runs through Oct. 31 and is open to all United States residents. No purchase is necessary and winners will be chosen after Nov. 1.  Protect-A-Bed is based in Northbrook, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. To enter the Long Live Your Mattress Sweepstakes or to learn more about Protect-A-Bed and its products, visit www.protectabed.com.

We have a protect a bed mattress cover on our bed and we have one on Maddisyns bed.  I love them because I feel like my bed is better protected against wear of time, and I am better protected against bed bugs.  I really think that you should all consider a Protect a Bed mattress protector.  One big thing I noticed when I was putting Maddisyn’s on her bed is that it is also waterproof, and for any parent potty training we all know how important waterproof bed protectors are.  I also really like how fluffy it feels when you put a top sheet onto your bed over the protect a bed mattress protector instead of just the feel of the mattress underneath.

Go check out the sweepstakes and enter to be one of the lucky winners.

~WIN IT~
Protect a Bed is going to give one of my readers their choice of one of these three items Premium Mattress Protector (any size), set of Pillow Protectors (any size) or Premium Crib Protector.

~TO ENTER~
Tell me which one you would choose.

~BONUS ENTRIES~
Please make sure to leave seperate entries for each thing, if it says you get 5 entries please leave 5 comments.

Moon Dough Barn – it’s out of this world

Moon Dough is out of this world and thanks to my relationship with Team Mom we got a chance to play with it.  Now let me first say that while Maddisyn loves the Moon Dough I am not a big fan of using it in the house.  It makes a huge mess because it crumbles so easily.  Maddisyn played with it inside the first time around and after that she used it outside.

We received the Moon Dough barn for review.  With this one you get to make your own animals by loading the top with moon dough, move the handle back and forth and voila an animal pops out the barn door.  It is a really great idea and Maddisyn absolutely loves making the animals then playing with them in her barn.  The barn can make four different animals, you cannot choose what animal comes out of the machine it is a surprise each time, I love listening to Maddisyn squeal with delight each time.

Moon Dough is hypo-allergenic and wheat-free, soft and marshmallow-like, Moon Dough does not stick to or stain material.  If it gets in your carpet you simply pick up the big pieces, take a comb and comb the remaining and then vacuum the floor like normal and it should come up.  Best of all unlike play dough Moon Dough will not dry out.  All you do is pick it up and stick it into a resealable bag and you are good to go, no worrying about getting all the air out or it won’t be any good in the morning.

The product featured was provided to me free of cost from Spin Master as part of a campaign by Team Mom. All opinions given are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

Herman T’s BBQ sauce Mix Giveaway ends Sept 7

My kids love BBQ sauce, I am not sure what it is about it because to be honest I am generally not a big fan, the stuff just leaves a bad taste in my mouth even when it is cooked on something like chicken or hamburgers on the barbecue I still find that I don’t like it.  I think I am simply too picky of an eater.  Thanks to the Family Review Network we got the chance to try out Herman T’s BBQ Sauce.  I figured if nothing else the kids would love the new BBQ sauce and I would continue to eat my food plain haha.

Herman T’s BBQ sauce is incredibly easy to make and the directions and amounts required per batch make it even easier to to only make as little or as much as you need.  The entire package can make up to 3/4 of a gallon of BBQ sauce although we make it in the smaller batches so that it is fresh and it does not take long to make so it is no big deal we make it while we are prepping the meat for the BBQ.

Directions:
In a sauce pan combine
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of ketchup
1 Tablespoon of mix

Whisk to a boil and reduce to low heat, Simmer for 5 minutes

That’s it, it really is that easy. The only thing I wish is that it was a little bit thicker, it’s a little bit runny for brushing on to your meat while barbecuing. I did however find it the perfect consistency to marinade the meat in for a while before hitting the grill.

As I mentioned my boys love BBQ sauce so there was no question in my mind that they would love this, but if you will remember I also said that I absolutely did not like BBQ sauce.  I knew though that since I was reviewing this it would only be fair to try it myself to be able to give you all an honest opinion.  Ready for that opinion?  Well are you?  I thought it was fantastic.  For once I found a BBQ sauce that I can actually eat and enjoy eating.  We will continue to buy this BBQ so that A) I can continue to eat it and B) we will always be able to make fresh BBQ sauce.   Here are a few pictures we took of the making of the sauce as well as it spread on our sausages we had for supper the other night.

Now I want to make mention right now that Herman T’s sent me two packs of BBQ sauce to try out one was regular and the other was hot.  I did not try the hot sauce because I do not handle spice at all but Lee really enjoys that one and says it has a nice little bite to it.

Now for the yummy part for you.  You get the chance to win some of the Herman T’s BBQ sauce to try for yourself.

~WIN IT~
Herman T’s is going to give one of my lucky readers two packs of bbq sauce to try for yourself.

~TO ENTER~
Tell me what you use BBQ sauce on in your house the most.

~BONUS ENTRIES~
Please make sure to leave seperate entries for each thing, if it says you get 5 entries please leave 5 comments.

mOmma Review

My kids are very particular on what they will eat with/off/drink out of.  When I was given this opportunity to work with mOmma due to my relationship with Team Mom I was excited but unsure of what my kids would think at the same time.

When our package arrived I was surprised to see just how big around the cups really are, but knew that my kids would love them regardless.  Right away Holden claimed the straw cup to be his and Maddisyn claimed the normal cup which is how I knew it would go because Holden refuses to drink out a traditional sippy cup and will only use the straw ones and Maddisyn does not do the straw cup and for some reason continues to tip it up rather then holding it down so the straw stays in the liquid.

We received the mOmma Sippy Cup valued at $13.25, the mOmma Rocking Cup valued at $12.25, and an awesome wash brush, valued at $8.25, to clean both the cups with this sucker is huge and awesome because it fits in them and gets all the nooks and crannies clean.  We also received mOmma Developmental Meal Set valued at $22.00.  Now that I have told you what I got, let me tell you about it all.

The sippy cup is stage #2 in the mOmma feeding family, stage 1 being a feeding bottle that we did not receive and so I will not review.  If you have already used stage #1 then the second stage is a natural step for your little ones.  Shaped just like the bottle if provides familiarity but adds a stage of growth by introducing a set of handles to help strengthen your little ones grip.  The cup remains upright, eliminating the fears of unhygienic surfaces, should your little one nudge or drop.  The cup is equipped with a non-spill lid to prevent liquids from dripping when carried along to play dates and doctor visits.  This cup is the one that Maddisyn absolutely loves and uses all the time.

The rocking cup is stage #3 in the mOmma feeding family, it is a dual handle cup with a straw instead of a sippy spout.  The best thing I love about this cup is that you don’t need a separate lid you just twist the top of this one and the straw bends down into a special space inside and it is closed up and won’t leak or get dirty.  This also helps your little one to increase motor skills and further strengthens their grip.  The best part of these cups/bottle is that each bottle is interchangeable with the other, so if you have a straw cup and a sippy cup then you can use the bottom on each other so no worries about one being dirty or worse.  The Rocking Cup is Holdens favorite cup and he gets very angry if his sister gets ahold of it.

Last but certainly not least is the mOmma Developmental Meal set which consists of a Feeding Plate designed with non-slip and non-tip base. Two compartments separate foods, promote taste differentiation and develop dipping skills.  Holden uses this occasionally in rotation with his other great plates and dishes that he has received in the past.  It does not slip but Holden still tends to pick it up, dump it out and throw it on the floor like he does with all other plates, apparently big boys don’t need to eat off a plate haha.  It also came with a Soft Spoon and a Soft Fork.  These are the best invention I think ever.  The rolly polly round bottom keeps the utensils upright and off of dirty surfaces, as a mother sometimes our biggest fears can be the germs our kids ingest and well if nothing else they are super adorable.  The spoon is good for babies aged 4m+, the fork is good for little ones aged 6m+.  Maddisyn loves to use the spoon, the fork is hit or miss with her but so are clothes so her opinion doesn’t tend to count much yet haha.  Each utensil comes with it’s own cover making it perfect for tossing into the diaper bag and knowing that it will be clean.

mOmma is a new company to me but has quickly become our favorite for the kids drinking cups.

The greatest show on earth

and no I am not talking about the circus.  I was lucky enough to attend a KISS concert last night and it was AMAZING.  They played for nearly 2 and a half hours and we rocked out the entire time.  It was an amazing show and I am so glad that I got to go, I doubt I will see a show that good again ever in my life.  The fire, the lights, the crowd, the music, the band it was all so amazing.

O Cedar ProMist Review

I hate washing my floors, getting out the pail and mop, filling the pail, washing the floors, then waiting for them to dry cause the mop always leaves them too wet. I normally use a rag mop because i find sponge mops tend to streak my hardwood floors and it’s near impossible to not get them too wet. I bought a steam mop and while I love it and it cleans the floors decently it still needs filled and the cord isn’t long enough so i have to keep unplugging it and moving it to a different outlet, I am finding the same issue with my Hoover Floormate although I still get that sucker out to clean up spills pretty much daily.

I was recently given the opportunity to test out a BRAND NEW PRODUCT, the O-Cedar ProMist. The O-Cedar ProMist is the answer to all my problems. It has a machine washable, up to 100 times, Microfiber pad that doesn’t streak my floors, there’s a refillable bottle that attaches to the handle and with the easy squeeze of the handle trigger and it sprays a mist of your choice of cleaning solution in a fan pattern then you mop it up, no pails!  You can also get a disposable microfiber pad that can either be washed or tossed but since i am semi-green I prefer to be able to wash it.

One of my favorite parts has got to be the refillable bottle. You can use any cleaning solution you prefer. Normally I use water and vinegar because i don’t like using chemical cleaners on my hardwood or with the kids and pets playing on the floor so this is great for us, it’s also much cheaper than having to purchase special refills and there’s NO BATTERIES like some other similar models.  Hey I don’t need to get out a pail to mop my floors that in itself is enough for me haha.

Best of all I can leave the bottle full and ready to go anytime right beside the fridge. if the kids or dogs walk across the floor with dirty shoes it’s right there and you can use it dry too. Even when the kids are napping during the day it’s ready to go, I usually give the floor a quick sweep then wash it and put it away, i can now easily keep my floors clean and looking nice and shiny and it doesn’t even feel like work.

ISI Easy Whip Review

Through the summer we tend to have Barbecue’s, Picnics and get togethers where we almost always prepare some kind of Dessert or even just friends over for coffee etc. We generally buy whipped cream or cool whip but it just costs so much to buy it in a can and the tubs never look as dice when plopped with a spoon on top of something.
that’s where this item comes in great.

I received the ISI Easy Whip Cream Whipper for review, and it is fantastic. not only can i control the sweetness using syrups and simple sugars (water and sugar boiled to dissolve the sugar granules) but I can even color it etc. just simply add whipping cream or half and half securely screw on the lid use one of the NO2 cartridges to charge it give it a shake and away you go. Great on desserts, with fruit, anywhere you would use cool whip as a topping. You can even use it sweetened or unsweetened to add flare to coffee, hot chocolate espresso, cappuccino, ANYTHING! You can even use your fave flavor of coffee creamer for that little extra.

As easy as it is to use it’s even easier to clean. There’s very few parts to it so disassemble and cleaning is incredibly easy,
Just simply hold the button until the dispenser is completely empty and unscrew the lid. remove the gasket from the lid, rinse out the valve on both sides with warm water. Then wash the components with regular soap and water, clean small parts using the supplied cleaning brush.

Just be sure to hold the can upside down not sideways when you are dispensing, Lee made that mistake then spent the next few minutes washing down the table wall and fish tank haha.

Costume Supercenter.com Review

Back to school time is here already and with that is the rapid approach of needing to find Halloween costumes for the kids. I absolutely HATE shopping for these things, The older boys can never decide on what they want to be and when they finally do it’s an obscene amount of money for something they’re only going to wear once. As for the little ones it’s hard to find something cute in the right size and still be able to fit warm clothes under it where we live (more often than not it is freezing, raining or snowing on Halloween here).  Toddler costumes are few and far between around here that are actually adorable, they are usually cheap and thing and just no good for our Halloween weather. Then there’s the stores… all the kids doing the same as mine and wanting to be everything, it’s chaotic.

That’s where Costume Supercenter makes this task that much easier. We get to order the size we need, and we get to go through tons of different costumes to pick the perfect one all without having to deal with anyone else. With such a huge collection in varying prices there is bound to be something here for everyone. Although my older boys are looking with me they still want to be everything.

For Maddisyn, I chose the Toddler Girls Baterina Costume, it’s super cute and I absolutely LOVE how adorable she looks in it. It came with the the black and purple tutu dress and wings, the glovelets, Headband and I got the matching tights separate because as I mentioned already it gets cold here for Halloween.  I had a really hard time choosing though from all the adorable girls Halloween costumes but Maddisyn helped me make the final decision.

I put ot on her right away when I got it here to check the fit and see how it looked on her, the fit was perfect, just a little big to fit some warmer clothes under. and she definitely loved it. I took some pictures and told her it was time to take it off, she Ran away screaming, NO I LOVE IT, IT’S PERFECT AND CUTE!!!!

So I guess that pretty much summed it up for me, if it’s a hit with her and makes her happy it’s for sure a hit with me.

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