Do you color your hair?? If so, you need this! **Giveaway!!**

Let me begin by saying that I have NEVER colored my hair....

Yep, you read that right.  I have never colored my hair.  The closest I have come to it was highlights and I have blonde hair so you can only imagine how well that worked!  Honestly, I have always wanted to try lowlights or a different color but I am too afraid that I will not like it so I never follow through with it.  

Anyway, I have been a member with Vocalpoint for a few years now and I have had the opportunity to try different products as well as give them my reviews.  So, when they asked me to review Root Touch-Up by Nice 'n Easy I wanted to help them but, as you read earlier, I have absolutely no experience with hair color.  When I received the blogger kit in the mail, I was a little shocked but I will do my best to do what they ask of me (minus trying the product myself).  

First, let me tell you what I have read... (this information is from the Vocalpoint website)

Root Touch-Up by Nice n' Easy is a permanent formula designed to extend the life of your color for up to 3 weeks.  It can match salon and at-home shades, so your roots never get a chance to peek through.

I have been around enough people who color their hair to know how much of a pain it is for their roots to start showing.  Just imagine if you had this product at home and could keep that embarrassment at bay!  Well, I have the awesome opportunity to give away 4 coupons for FREE boxes of Root Touch-Up thanks to Vocalpoint!  Now you can try this product out for me and let me know how much you like it!  I am sure Vocalpoint would love to know what my readers think of this product!!

On to the giveaway...  GOOD LUCK!!

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Leave a comment telling me what color of Root Touch-Up you need for your hair.  
2. For an extra entry, follow me on GFC (leave a comment letting me know that you've done it).

Giveaway ends November 30, 2013 at 11:59pm.

You will receive a coupon for a FREE box of Root Touch-Up (valued up to $5.99).  Coupon expires 12-31-13.  

I received 4 coupons for FREE Root Touch-Up from Vocalpoint to share with my readers as well as a gift card for my time and review.  However, all opinions are my own and no other compensation has been received.

Lunchables Jr. Snack Packs

I know I am not the only mom that is always scrounging around trying to find decent snack options for her children.  I am pretty good at planning breakfast, lunch and dinner, but to be honest, by the time I am finished spending money for those, I am DONE!  I usually try to piece together some crackers and fruit or something that seems somewhat healthy and that will fill the munchkins up for a short period.  However, I have had my days when I just handed them whatever they asked for because, quite frankly, I didn't have anything else here for them to snack on.  I just didn't plan correctly and we had NO snacks!  

Well, the makers of Lunchables are trying to fix this problem that many of us moms find ourselves in.  They have created Lunchables Jr. snack packs.  These awesome little packs are great for little ones because the pieces are fun, flavor packed and bite size.  They are also great for moms because they are nutritious as well as quick and easy!  

There are 4 different kinds to choose from:

Ants on a Log

Very Beary Crunch

Teddy Bear Picnic

Blueberry Bonanza

Thanks to Crowdtap and Lunchables, my daughter was given the opportunity to try these new snacks for you and give her honest opinion :)  We received two packs of snacks (Ant on a Log and Very Beary Crunch), one for us to try and one for us to share.  Calleigh chose to try the Very Beary Crunch, simply because she doesn't like raisins and we gave the other one to her friend.  The Very Beary Crunch contains mini Ritz Bitz sandwiches, Teddy Grahams and strawberry flavored dried apple pieces.  The Ant on a Log contains honey graham sticks, peanut butter and Sun-Maid raisins.  

During snack time, Calleigh immediately went for the Ritz Bitz sandwiches (which I had anticipated). My daughter has a love for cheese that is just ridiculous ;)  After about 10-15 minutes, she was done and the snack was almost demolished.  In the end, the only thing that was left were the strawberry flavored apple pieces.  I was really surprised that she didn't eat those but after asking her about it, she said she just didn't like them.
  

I am super excited about these though because I often find myself searching for a snack option, especially when we are in the store, and it will be nice to be able to pick these up for those hurry up moments.  I feel good about serving these because the kids love them and they aren't completely sugar-filled.  

Thanks Crowdtap and Lunchables for offering us the opportunity to try these new snacks.  All opinions are my own and no other compensation has been received.

How do you like your clean care routine??

Yeah, you know what I am talking about....  your, (clearing throat) bathroom routine...

Yeah, you are probably wondering where I am going with this but the reason that I am referring to such a sensitive subject is because I was given the opportunity to try Cottonelle's Clean Care Routine through Crowdtap.  Honestly, at first I was thinking, how in the world am I going to talk to my friends about their bathroom habits.  I mean, yes, I love my friends and we talk quite a bit but I never talk to them about how they handle themselves in the bathroom.  Well, Crowdtap gave me the opportunity to try out Cottonelle's Clean Care Routine and to share the routine with my friends.  So, I did...

When I received the FREE products in the mail, I immediately came up with the two friends that I wanted to share the Cottonelle products with and waited for the next time that I saw them.  I changed out our toilet paper and added the wipes to the bathroom.  I am not going to give a detailed review for obvious reasons ;) but I will say that my husband has said that he wants me to continue buying the wipes.

I will admit that Cottonelle toilet paper is much thicker than my normal toilet paper and the wipes are a nice touch.  Thanks Crowdtap and the Cottonelle Clean Crew for allowing me to test your Clean Care Routine!  I think it's changed my bathroom habits... now how about yours??

I received the items above for FREE from Crowdtap and Cottonelle Clean Crew to test and share.  All opinions are my own and no other compensation has been received.

Sick baby = tired momma :(

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary!  It was such an inspiring and sweet day filled with family, laughs, and tears.  We had to travel about 4 hours to celebrate with them.  My husband and I both said that one of us would return home sick...it always happens and we knew it would happen this time as well.

On the way home, my daughter started complaining of a sore throat.  I immediately remembered that we forgot her allergy medicine and knew that was probably the problem.  Unfortunately, there isn't much that allergy medicine will do after the fact.  We figured we would give it a try, so we stopped and purchased some more allergy medicine for her.  We decided to grab dinner and stopped at a nearby Applebees.  My daughter ended up sleeping in the restaurant while the rest of us ate dinner.

We finally get home and put her to bed, but that didn't last long.  Before I knew it she was in the bed with us.  The next day Calleigh woke up stuffy and so much worse off than the day before.  My husband found a sample of Children's Mucinex that I had received for free from Smiley360 and decided to give it to her before her nap.  When she woke up, she said she felt better but there were no signs to back this up.  We decided to give it to her again that night.  Well, this morning she woke up and the stuffiness is gone!  She is still sneezing but at least we know the yuckiness is coming out!!  She is eating again and saying that she feels much better!  She said the red medicine helps her feel better!!

Thanks Smiley360 for including me in this mission!!  It was great to have that medicine readily available for my daughter when she needed it!

I received a FREE sample of Children's Mucinex from Smiley360 for me to try and share my opinion with others.  All opinions are my own and no other compensation has been received.

Another shopping trip??? Yes, please!!!

I must admit, I have become quite fond of shopping!!  Believe it or not, I didn't like to shop a few years ago.  As a matter of fact, I hated it!  I hated shopping for myself because I have such an odd shape and there is only so much shopping that you can do for your house.  That has all changed!!

If you don't know anything about Crowdtap, let me fill you in.  Crowdtap is an amazing company that often lets followers try products for free!  Yes, I said FREE!  They want your honest opinion about products and they often have lots of question for you when you login to their website.  The series of questions are referred to as Quickhits.  Then you can apply for different testing opportunities, party opportunities and other tasks.  You earn points for everything that you do with Crowdtap and you can redeem those points for giftcards and other rewards.  You are pretty much getting rewarded for them giving you things.  It's a win-win situation for you!  All it takes is a little of your time and an honest opinion.

So, Crowdtap and the Old Navy Style Council offered me another shopping opportunity.  This time they sent me out with a friend to shop for their Women's Best Tees.  I scheduled a trip out with my friend Becca and met her at Starbucks for coffee prior to our shopping trip.  When we entered Old Navy, the tees were right there.  My first thought was oh my goodness, they are so soft!!  The colors were amazing and they had different styles for different body types which I absolutely love because I have to get v-neck shirts.  Becca and I had such a hard time deciding which shirts to get.  We both were immediately drawn to the dark gray shirts but that's as far as our similarities went.  Becca ended up getting the dark gray v-neck and a green v-neck.  I picked up the dark gray v-neck and the orange v-neck.

Becca was amazed at how nice the shirts were and also by the other deals we found while shopping at Old Navy!  I am a huge Old Navy fan and love that their clothes are such good quality.  Just to let you know how well their clothes hold up...I have been married for over 8 years.  I have 2 pairs of Old Navy jeans that I have had since before I got married!!  They still fit and are still in good shape!

I want to thank Crowdtap and Old Navy Style Council for giving Becca and I the opportunity to try the women's best tees for free!  It was a great experience and we absolutely love the clothes!!

I received 2 coupons for 2 free Women's Best Tees for myself and a friend.  All opinions are my own and no other compensation has been received.

Thanks Old Navy and Crowdtap for giving me a new excuse to go shopping :)

First, let me just say that my posting is a little delayed because I have had a ton of things going on besides the holidays!  Two of my friends had babies within a week of each other!  Both were by c-section and one was 3 hours away so I have been a busy bee trying to be there for my friends.  Also, the holidays brought about travel so I haven't had a free moment to myself in weeks!

Anywho, once again Crowdtap gave me a wonderful opportunity to take one of my friends out shopping for new clothes!  This time Old Navy and Crowdtap gave me 2 coupons for FREE Old Navy dresses!!!  Yes, you read that right...FREE dresses.  Have I mentioned lately how much I love the Old Navy Style Council with Crowdtap???  They have been so generous and this is the 4th item that I have received since I joined on to the style council!

SO, I planned a day with a friend (without the kids of course) for some much needed girl time!  My friend and I will be going on a cruise in January so getting new dresses came at the perfect time!  First we went out to lunch and then went off on our shopping adventure.  After entering Old Navy, we immediately started looking for the newest dresses, which weren't hard to find because the mannequins were dressed to impress at the front door.  Chelsea and I browsed through the dresses at the front, grabbing two or three, then headed to the women's department to find more options.  By the time we made it to the dressing room, I had 3-4 dresses, some t-shirts, shorts and a scarf!

The first dress that I tried on was the cap sleeved wrap dress in red.  I will admit that I didn't have good luck with this dress.  I am a little more top heavy and I had a hard time getting this one on just right.  On to the next one :)  This time I tried on the v-neck sweater dress in lime green and gray.  I immediately fell in love with this dress!  I really was trying to talk myself out of this dress because I just recently bought a black and gray sweater dress.  The size that I had gotten for the sweater dress was a little big so I used that as an excuse to pass and try on the last dress.  The final one that I attempted (the first dressing room trip that is) was the belted cap-sleeve knit dress in purple.  Chelsea really liked the way this color looked on me but once again the fact that I am a top heavy made this one difficult to pull off.  Usually I have to wear something with a v-neck or a slinky type neck, otherwise it doesn't look right.

I then decided to try on a few more versions of these dresses and a different size in the sweater dress.  My second trip to the dressing room ended in me making my decision!  I purchased the v-neck sweater dress in lime green and gray!!!  I love this dress!  It's so comfortable and form fitting!  It looks good with leggings or by itself.  I can't wait to wear it on a night out with the hubby!!!

Chelsea tried on the same dresses that I did except for the wrap dress (they didn't have it in her size).  She eventually decided on the v-neck sweater dress in black and white.  It looked great on her!!  She says she will wear hers with leggings and flats while I think I will wear mine alone with knee high boots :)

Chelsea and I both had such a great time shopping at Old Navy for these new dresses!!  Even though the store was extremely busy (waiting line at the dressing room), everyone was super friendly and tried to accommodate everyone.  The only complaint that I had during this specific trip was that I wished they would have had more dresses available.  There are quite a few online that I would have loved to try on!!  Either way, I think I ended up with a great dress and can't wait to wear it!!  Don't worry, when I do, I will post pictures!!!

I received 2 free dress coupons from Crowdtap and Old Navy.  All opinions are my own and no other compensation has been received.

Finally received my first Cravebox!

I recently signed up with Cravebox, a company that sends out the best new products to members to try out for themselves.  I have a few friends that had received boxes from Cravebox and they posted pictures of the items that they received which peaked my interest.  SO, I signed up to be a member.  The first box that I was offered was the Back to School box.  My son recently started kindergarten so I was super excited to see what was included.  

When I received my box, I couldn't wait to open it!  Here's what I found...

BIC® ATLANTIS BALL PEN  

• Try BIC® ATLANTIS Ball Pen for super smooth writing with a contoured grip. Try all 4 bright ink colors: light blue, pink, purple and lime green that retract in one click!

BIC® ATLANTIS MECHANICAL PENCIL  

• Try BIC® ATLANTIS Mechanical Pencil in fashionable bright colors with cushioned tips for less breakage.

FRUIT OF THE EARTH ALOE GEL  

• Made with the most concentrated amount of fresh Aloe Vera leaves on the market, this cooling gel forms a protective barrier that helps retain moisture and promote healing.

HALO ORAL ANTISEPTIC  

• Halo is the first-ever, FDA-monographed oral antiseptic that has been clinically proven to provide up to 6 hours of protection and scientifically proven to kill 99.9% of infectious germs. And, just in time for back-to-school, Halo is the hottest new product that every mom will want to help protect themselves and their families from airborne germs.

YUMMI BEARS® 

• From Hero Nutritionals®, the original, #1 nutritionist-recommended Gummy vitamin. Supports your child's healthy brain and eye development. Allergen-, gluten- and dairy free.

KLEENEX SLIM PACK 

• Thin and sleek, so you can always keep a tissue on hand. Their trendy design makes it the perfect accessory for hip kids, while their convenient size makes it easy to slide them into pockets, back packs and bags.

LUNCHABLES™ with SMOOTHIE from OSCAR MAYER (a coupon for a free one)

• Introducing 3 Lunchables™ combinations that include a delicious Chiquita® Strawberry Banana Fruit Smoothie. Real fruit. Real fun.

LITTLE PIM® EARLY LEARNING LANGUAGE PROGRAM  

• The #1 early language learning system, featuring the award-winning Entertainment Immersion Method™ - Give your child the gift of language at the age they learn best!

These descriptions and list was pulled from the Cravebox website.

At this point I have tried the pens, pencils, aloe gel, gummy bears and the lunchables (well my kids tried them!).  The pens write so smoothly!  I love them and I love the fact that it's not your "normal" colors.  Ever since high school I would much rather write with bright colors than blue or black...I guess that's the girl in me :).  

The pencils were great!  I always choose mechanical pencils instead of regular pencils (when pencils are needed) so I was happy to see those included in the box.  I have a house full of regular pencils since my son is in Kindergarten so these pencils will be just for me. 

The Aloe I have only used once.  My daughter woke up a week or so ago with these weird bumps on her arm.  I tried using lotion, assuming it was just dry skin and it didn't do anything.  So, when this Cravebox came in I decided to try the Aloe.  Unfortunately it didn't work but I loved how smoothly it went on her skin and that it is all natural!

The Yummi bears have been my children's favorite.  They love anything that's a gummy and since it's a "vitamin" they think the more the better :).  The only thing that I am a little hesitant about is that I am unsure about how great DHA/Omega-3 is for children.  Are the claims really true???

Lastly, the Lunchables coupon was gone before I knew it.  We had some grocery shopping to do and they kids are always begging for the quick meals.  When we passed the Lunchables, that was all she wrote.  Luckily I had the free coupon!  Since my family doesn't eat meat, the choices were slim to none but my daughter decided on the cheese pizza one.  My daughter is only 3 so I was thinking that the meal would be a little much for her.  Boy was I wrong.  She ate the entire thing...Oreos and all!!!  There were no complaints coming from her!

I am so excited that I found the Cravebox program and can't wait for my next box!!!  I have also been joining their Twitter parties (as you probably noticed in a previous post) and they are so much fun!  If you love trying new products you should check out Cravebox!  There is a small fee when you sign up for a box, it's anywhere between $10-$15 per box but the membership is completely free.  You do not have to request/pay for a box to be a member, but you do have to pay for the box to get to try the awesome goodies!!  

All opinions are my own and no compensation has been received.