I have to admit I have not used Dove products too much in the past.  I think it might be because once I used some soap and the fragrance was way too strong for me.  But everything changes and I’m open to change.  That’s why when I was asked if I wanted to try out the new Dove Nutrium Moisture Body Wash I was more than happy to give it a try.

I received 3 bottles – Deep Moisture, Sensitive Skin, and Gentle Exfoliating.  Over the past month I’ve tried all 3 bottles and I have found a new favorite body wash.

Here is what I liked about them…

1. The Lather!!!! OMG there was so much lather.  I mean I’ve used other body washes that have good lather but nothing like this.  It’s amazing and the best part is you don’t need to use a lot to get the great lather!
2. The Scent!!!  OK, I know I said above I tried a Dove product in the past and the scent was way to strong.  Well that’s not the case with any of these.  The scents are soft and light.   Does that even make sense?? It’s the only way I can describe it.  My oldest used it a few times and she said she smelled like a mom!  How cute is that.
3. The way my skin feels AFTER!!!! Talk about soft.  Have you ever used soap or a body wash and when you run your hands along your skin it doesn’t slide easily??  Do you know what I am talking about??  I hate when that happens but it did NOT happen when I used any of the Dove Nutrium Moisture Body Wash’s.  My hand slides nicely along my skin and afterwards its very soft.

NEW Dove Body Wash with NutriumMoisture™:

• Repairs and maintains skin’s protective layer during cleansing
• Unlike moisturizers in other body washes, Dove Body Wash with NutriumMoisture™ penetrate surface skin deep down to replenish and nourish
• Clinically proven to significantly reduce dryness and improve moisturization
• Available in Deep Moisture, Sensitive Skin and Gentle Exfoliating

Next time this is on sale I will be grabbing some more!

My youngest is 2 years old and I still need to put her in a stroller from time to time.  Taking the two of them in a clothing store isn’t easy with them both running around.  Besides I like having a basket to put my purse in and also a cup holder.   The only thing is I don’t want to use the big stroller anymore, you know the one that came with the travel system?  It takes up way too much room in the car and it is just too big and bulky.

I decided I needed something more compact.

I was given the opportunity to receive the Deluxe Luce Travel Stroller from One Step Ahead for review and I was very happy because it looked like exactly what I needed.

When the stroller arrived I was very happy to see how light weight it was and it was definitely more compact than my bigger stroller.  Not as small as an umbrella stroller, but still pretty compact.

Here are some things I liked about it:

• The basket underneath was a good size.  I can fit my purse with no problem (I don’t carry a small purse) and even toss in a few bags while I’m shopping. It’s deep which I really like.
• It folded up so easily with the buttons right on the top.  It has a little latch to keep it closed.  I haven’t had any problems with it opening on it’s own.
• There are 2 cup holders on top along with a place to keep my keys and/or cell phone.  I used a few different size bottles/cups and they all fit fine.
• There is a removable snack try that goes on and off very easy with the push of a button.  I like having the option of removing it completely when I don’t need it, especially for quick in and out like when we are at the zoo.
• The seat material cleans very easily!  I found that out accidentally and was amazed at how easily I was able to clean it with just a baby wipe.
• It has shoulder and waste straps that you can use together or you can just use the waste straps.  Originally I used only the waste straps but then my 2 year old decided to try and stand up so I needed to add the shoulder straps.   They are completely adjustable for whatever size your child is.
• It rides so easily.  The wheels don’t get stuck, they don’t turn on their own, it flows nicely especially when I’m using one hand to open the door and push her in at the same time.  Nice smooth ride.

As you can see I really do enjoy a lot about this stroller.  However that being said there was 1 thing I didn’t like, but it’s not enough to keep me from using it.  The nylon material makes it very easy for my daughter to slide down depending on what she’s wearing.  For a smaller child that can’t hold themselves up well or that don’t reach the foot holder,  I think that would be tough.

I think this stroller would be best used for toddlers or preschoolers.  My preschooler also uses it from time to time.  My two girls take turns riding and walking when we we are at the zoo or a fair.  My toddler loves it too and I already promised to pass it along to a friend for her youngest once we don’t need it any longer.

The Deluxe Luce Travel Stroller can be purchase at One Step Ahead. You will also receive Free Shipping with a $100+ order.

I was recently asked to review the new Yoplait Yoplus Light Yogurt.  We love yogurt so I’m always happy to get some FREE yogurt.  When the package arrived I was happy to see 3 different flavors -  Honey Vanilla, Strawberry Banana & Key Lime.

The first one I tried was the Honey Vanilla.  There seemed to be just a hint of Honey, enough to sweeten it up a bit.  I really enjoyed it.  My husband wasn’t so crazy about the “hone” part but when he tried it he agreed the honey was not over powering.

Then I tried the Strawberry Banana, which is a flavor I’ve always enjoyed, and I was not disappointed.  It’s amazing to think the YoPlus Light has 1/3 fewer calories than the regular yogurt because this was just as smooth and creamy and full of flavor as the regular yogurt.

And finally I tried the Key Lime, which to me was more of a dessert than a healthy snack.   Again this did not taste like low fat yogurt and I swear I could taste a bit of the graham cracker crust in the flavor too, it was weird but so good!

I used to think of yogurt as a ‘diet’ food and I’d force myself to eat it.  I don’t feel that way anymore because there are so many great flavors it’s more of a treat to me now.

Here is some information about YoPlus Light:

“Similar to YoPlus yogurts already available in supermarkets nationwide, YoPlus Light contains a special blend of probiotic cultures and a natural dietary fiber, but now with 36 percent fewer calories. Research shows that the combination of special cultures and fiber in YoPlus helps support digestive health and can help consumers regulate their digestive health when eaten regularly.”

“YoPlus Light! The new low-cal yogurt offers the benefits of probiotic cultures in three new delicious flavors (Honey Vanilla, Strawberry Banana and Key Lime) and now, with only 70 calories per cup!”

The suggested retail price is $2.79 per 4-pack of 4 ounce cups. For more information on YoPlus Light, YoPlus and probiotics, please visit Yo Plus.

If you’d like to try YoPlus Light, here is a $1.00 printable coupon.  You should be able to print it out twice.

My 4 year old does not hold her pencil correctly.  She never did.  She also had trouble using a fork so I believe the two go hand in hand, but I’m not sure.  I’ve been trying for a while to get her to hold the pencil correctly but she gets very frustrated with me and just can’t seem to get it right.  Even at preschool they’ve tried to help her.  One teacher suggested giving her a short pencil so there isn’t enough ‘room’ to hold it wrong, but she still does.

I was asked to review  the Twist ‘n Write pencils by PenAgain which are ergonomically shaped to help a child hold the pencil properly.  I knew we needed something like this so I was very happy to do it.   I received a 4 pack of Erasable No.2 Twist ‘n Write pencils.

I tried it first and I found it very easy to hold and I can see how it ‘forces’ you to hold it correctly.  It’s also extremely comfortable to hold and write with.  I thought it was a fantastic design and I really believed it was going to help my daughter.

Here is a little bit of information about Twist ‘n Write pencils:

The Twist ‘n Write™ pencil is a new model specifically designed to fit smaller hands and bring back the fun in writing.

A thick 2 mm pencil lead provides for long lasting write-out and never needs sharpening. Simply twist the tip to expose more lead. Kids simply love the PenAgain Twist ‘n Write because its fun to use and it gets them excited about writing!

The wishbone shaped design forces the school taught “tripod” position. The unusual, curvy design and fun colors will make your kids want to pick up and write or doodle.

What Harry Potter books did to gettings kids to read the New Twist ‘n Write will do the same to get them excited about writing

She’s been using it for a couple of months now and I do have to admit, she won’t use it every time she writes because it’s uncomfortable for her to hold. But she is getting better with it and can almost hold it properly, she still somehow manages to twist her fingers, it’s really weird and I have no idea how she does it but I have seen a slight improvement since she’s been using the Twist ‘n Write.

I even gave her teacher one for her to use in school. I haven’t had a chance to talk with her teacher yet to see how she’s been doing, but like I said I have noticed a slight difference so I’m confident that in time she will be able to hold her pencil correctly thanks to the Twist ‘n Write.

You can purchase PenAgain products in over 20,000 convenient retail locations including CVS, Walgreen’s, Staples, Office Max and more. Check out the website for a list of all local retailers.

I was sent a copy of one of Leap Frog’s newest learning DVD’s called Talking Words Factory. This DVD helps to make Reading Skills fun!

Product Information:

“Leap, Lily and Tad journey to the word factory where the Word Whammer, Sticky-Ick-O-Rama and more amazing machines take letters and make them into words.  Humorous rhyming songs and an out of control word machine add to the fun.”

My girls really enjoyed the Talking Words Factory and my 4 year old was trying to sound out words like crazy after she watched it.  It really did promote learning and made it fun.  She loved how each letter was introduced in a fun way.  She caught on really quick and as they began building more and more words, she was sounding out all the letters and figuring out the words herself!

She was fascinated with the vowels and asks me all the time if a letter is a vowel and if it’s going to stick the other letters together. She will pick a letter and sound it out and try to figure out what words begin with that letter. I had not heard her sounding out words like this before she saw the DVD.

My 2 year old didn’t get the same thing from the video as her sister but I know it will give her a jump start and before long she’ll be sounding out words too.  I think she needs to watch it a few more times for that to happen, but it held her attention and she loved the songs and the charactors.

The best part of this DVD is that I enjoyed it too.  It was fun going back to the beginning and re-learning with my kids.  And the songs were pretty catchy, but they weren’t annoying like some other DVD’s.

Purchase Information:
The MSRP is $14.98 and you can purchase the LeapFrog Talking Words Factory DVD here.

Christena from Creating Photo Memories asked me if I’d like to review one of her Photo Books and of course I said yes!  I love photo books.

Before I make a picture book I always gather the photos that I’d like to use and put them in a separate folder in my picture file this way I can just upload them all at once. Once that was done I found some time to sit and make my book.

Product Information:

The site is powered by Rocketlife, which is an amazing software plugin, that is fun and fast! But I had to use Internet Explorer because it’s not compatible with Firefox.

There were a bunch of themes and backgrounds to choose from but you can also use any digital scrapbooking pages and elements you might have to have even more possibilities for backgrounds/themes. That was a nice plus too because I do like to create digital scrapbook pages and I was happy to know I could use those files too.

I selected the softcover personal photobook and then it asked me to upload my pictures. Since I had them all in one spot it was pretty fast to get them. Within seconds my photos were ready to be placed in my book.

The program was super easy to use. I was done in less than an hour. And the only reason it took me that long was because I moved some pictures around a bit to fit all the ones I wanted to include.

You then get a choice of either an Instant layout which will automatically fill your photos into a book for you or you can choose the Manual Design and do everything yourself. I choose the Manuel Design because I already had an idea of what I wanted.

I choose my theme (background papers) and began selecting my pictures. It will automatically size your pictures so they fit on the page but you can always change the sizes if you’d rather have one bigger than another or if you want them all the same size. It’s really easy to do.

If you want to add text you can select “Text & Titles” from the left sidebar and place the text where ever you want on the page. You can edit the font and size to the way you want it as well.

You can also edit your photos when you select “Edit Photos”. This is handy in case you want to crop someone in or out of the picture. There are lots of options for editing the photos.

If you choose “Theme Design” you can change the background page that the program automatically put in place for you. I liked that options too.

Once your all set with that page you just select “Add Page Spread” and it will move onto the next page. You can always go back to edit your page if you’d like.

There are 20 pages plus a cover in each book and the cover can have a picture on it too. You can fit a ton of photos in this book and you can even add more if you’d like for an extra charge.

When your book is complete and you’ve reviewed it carefully your done!

I enjoyed making my book and I was very happy with the finished product. The pictures were nice and crisp and the product itself was professionally printed.

Purchase Information:

To make your own photo book and for pricing information visit Creating Photo Memories.

The Giveaway:

I am hosting a Giveaway for a FREE photo book.  You can find the details of the giveaway here.

My husband and my oldest daughter bring snacks with them to work and school. I tend to buy more items in bulk rather than individuals packs because of the cost.

I felt guilty using plastic bags everyday because I’ve been avoiding plastic bags in other areas.

I was very excited when I was offered the opportunity to try out the new Ziploc Evolve Sandwich Bags this summer. They are made with 25% less plastic than traditional Ziploc bags so that means using fewer resources and generating less waste. But at the same time they offer the same quality seal and freshness protection.

They do feel a little thinner than the regular bags but they still hold just as well. I’ve even trained my husband to use them every day when he packs his lunch. We are both happy to know that we are helping the environment and saving money at the same time

Here are some facts about the new Ziploc Evolve Snack Bags:

The protective ultra-light bags are:

• Made using 25 percent less plastic than traditional Ziploc bags, which means using fewer resources and generating less waste
• Manufactured with wind power1, a cleaner renewable energy source
• Manufactured with less energy overall, which can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Like all Ziploc products, packaged in recycled paperboard, which means conserving more trees
• They are available in grocery, mass merchandise and drug stores nationwide.

I love that more and more companies are turning to wind power to get their energy sources.  It’s definitely going to make a difference over time.

Visit www.ziploc.com to learn more about Ziploc evolve bags and discover new food storage tips and ideas.

I was asked to review a cool product called My Tot Clock. When I checked it out I thought this may be something that would work for us and guess what I was right! Our 2 year old loves her My Tot Clock and believe it or not she sometimes asks to go to bed.

What she loves the most about her My Tot Clock is the bedtime story and music that comes on automatically at her bedtime. You set the time you’d like it to come on but you can also turn it on whenever you need it. It also plays white noise all night long if you’d like. That’s something that we’ve always used for her so I was glad to have it incorporated into the clock. You buy additional cartridges that have different stories and music and a different face plate to give it a new look.

You can also set a wake up time and music will come on to wake your child. We don’t use that because I don’t have a specific time she needs to be up but this can also be used to let the child know it’s ok to get up. We are working on that part.

My Tot Clock also has a lighted background that changes for each function which is very helpful for so many reasons. My daughter loves the colors and we talk about what color comes up each time. It’s a great way for her to understand what is about to happen.

It’s so easy to use and within minutes I had it all set up. You set the time on the clock in the front with a dial and on the back there is a digital clock too. Then you select each function and set the time of day or duration of each. The nap time has a nap duration so when she goes to sleep the story comes on, the light turns yellow and then when nap time is over the music will come on according to how long I set her nap time.

What I loved most about My Tot Clock is all the buttons need to be held down for 5 seconds in order to work so little fingers can’t change everything I’ve set. That was a great idea when it was designed.

Thanks to My Tot Clock my daughter hops right into bed waiting for her story to come on every time she goes to bed. I truly believe her bedtime was made more fun by having that clock.

You can purchase your own clock at www.mytotclock.com for $49.95. You can also receive 20% off when you use coupon code MomBlog until August 31st.

I won Mitchel Musso’s CD from Beeb at Contest Corner and my 4 year old was so excited.  She is a huge fan of Hannah Montana and she loves all the actors so when she saw that Oliver (Mitchel Musso) had a CD out she asked me if we could buy it.  I found a few blogs that were giving it away so I entered.

Every day since then she asked me “Did we win Mitchel Musso’s CD yet?”  and each day I told her “No not yet and we may not win, not everyone can win”.

I received an email from Beeb saying I won and I was probably just as excited as my daughter because now I didn’t have to buy it!

We just finished listening to it and you know what?  It’s really good!  I have to admit, I was surprised.  I figured that he got a break being a friend of Miley Cyrus but he really can sing.  Of course my daughter loved it, I didn’t expect anything else from her.  So now it looks like Mitchel’s CD will be the one we listen to every day in the car until we get something new.

Thanks again Beeb! Holly also wanted to thank you too so we made this video of her dancing just for you.

I’ve teamed up with Chicken Soup for the Soul and each  month I will be reviewing a new book and giving some away!!

This month I was asked to review “Chicken Soup for the Soul Tough Times, Tough People”.

Tough People is all about overcoming adversity, pulling together, making do with less, facing challenges, and finding new joys in a simpler life. This new collection shares tales of people who have been laid off, lost their homes, and endured wrenching life changes, but discovered the underlying gifts in their new situations. More time at home with family, creative “staycations,” more satisfying job opportunities, and renewed gratitude for health and life are just a few of the silver linings these survivors have learned to cherish.

Growing up we had it pretty good. We always had food on the table, a roof over our heads and new cloths for each new school year. I remember it was a big trip to the mall and even my grandmother came with us just to make sure we had new cloths. My father owned his own business and it was doing well, not that we were rich because we were far from it, but he did well enough to support our family. He also worked ALL THE TIME. We didn’t take too many vacations because my grandmother lived with us and couldn’t travel much but when we did we had a great time.

I look back on my childhood and I have nice memories. I want that for my children. I also don’t want them to take things for granted.

We live in a touch economy right now and things don’t come to easy. With mortgage payments, car payments and car bills, house bills…. I could go on, it doesn’t always leave much extra. However we are forunate enough to live comfortably (with the help of my money saving skills).

Not everyone lives comfortably. Some people really have to scrap to get things that others take for granted. These are Tough Times but the Tough People are the ones that will make it through. That’s what this book is about. Heartfelt stories of how people get through the hardest times and do whatever it takes to do it.

I am about half way through the book and I’ve cried and cheered for these people and so many of them made me proud.  Now it’s your turn.  Be sure to enter my Giveaway for 2 Chicken Soup for the Soul “Tough Times, Tough People”.