Friday, November 30, 2012

Pandora Bracelet #Giveaway 12/20 CLOSED

Hosted by NYSavingSpecials, My Four Littles, Libby's Library, Verging On, Capri's Coupons , Monica's Rants, Raves & Reviews, Stay a Stay at Home Mom, Mew Review and

Natural Hair Latina

Come and join us on this great giveaway.

One lucky winner will win:

One Pandora bracelet size 7.5

And

One Pandora Collectible Cupcake Jewelry Box Ceramic Breast Cancer. This Collectible Cupcake was given in 2010 with every purchase of $150 or more it was given free, it's new in original box.

12/1 to 12/20

US resident only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mommie of 2 is not responsible for prize. Prize will be send by NYSavingSpecials.

Twirlyz Hair Accessories Review and #Giveaway 12/15 CLOSED

My daughter loves fun hair accessories. Twirlyz are just that! They add fun color and style to your child's hair. They were inspired by hairstyles in the Caribbean. They are a US made product. They are also non toxic, reusable and waterproof. Twirlyz are simple to put in and you can add fun to your child's hair quickly!

Twirlyz come in 2 different sizes. I received the short size because my daughter's hair is chin length. These were perfect. Twirlyz are great for sports teams, to show your school colors, cheer leading and more. Your child can match their Twirlyz hair accessory to their outfit too! Twirlyz come in so many different color choices. Twirlyz hair accessories come in the following colors . . . .

Blue & White

Lavender & Purple

Pink Raspberry

Orange & White

Gold

Baby Pink

and more!

The Twirlyz we received were easy to put in. I was able to put them in my daughter's hair very quickly. You just grab a piece of hair about the size of a pencil. You twist the hair a few times. You then take the hair and wrap it around the Twirly counter clockwise. It's that simple and you are done. My daughter loves the way they look too. They really are fun. They are comfortable for her to wear too.

You can purchase your own Twirlyz from their website for $8 for the small and $12 for the large. If you want one large and one small you can get them together for $20. These would make a great holiday stocking stuffer too! What color would your daughter want?

You can save 20% on orders over $20 at Twirlyz.com by using the code motwo20%.

You can save 30% on orders over 35% by using the code motwo30%.

You can also connect with Twirlyz on Facebook and Twitter.

Giveaway - Enter to win $20 in free Twirlyz.

Open to US residents 18 yrs of age and older. The giveaway will end on 12/15/12 at 8:59 pm PST. The winner will be chosen randomly via the Rafflecopter widget. The winner will me contacted by email and will have 48 hours to contact me back to claim their prize. The sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment. Mommie of 2 is not responsible for lost prizes or prizes not received.

Disclosure - I received a free sample to facilitate my review. No monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are completely my own. My participation is voluntary. I am disclosing in accordance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255.

When I found out about Tsukihoshi shoes I was very interested in them. I have a hard time finding shoes for my son that are comfortable and last. Tsukihoshi shoes are made just for children. They are made to provide them with comfort too. Tsukihoshi are shoes began in Japan and they have been around since 1873. I find this very impressive.

My son loves his Tsukihoshi shoes. He wants to wear them all the time because he says that they are so comfortable. They are a very light shoe too. They aren't bulky and I truly feel that adds to the comfort. I am really impressed by what goes into making these shoes so great. Tsukihoshi's website explains the process that goes into these. They have a 4 step process that is used that takes things into account like making the shoes light and comfortable, providing a balanced landing, providing proper arch support and also giving your child barefoot like comfort. They have gone above and beyond to create a shoe that truly provides your child with what they need to be comfortable all day.

Tsukihoshi shoes are also very unique in that they are machine washable shoes. I'm not sure about you, but I will say I have attempted to wash other shoes (that aren't machine washable) and it doesn't turn out too well. Tsukihoshi has made their shoes so you can actually do this to get them good and clean. We really need this because after all I have a son that will jump and play in the mud. One of the neatest things I learned about these shoes is that they have an antibacterial insole. This is so cool! The insole is treated with green tea to deodorize the shoe.

My son received a pair of the Youth Flash Tsukihoshi shoes. He loves the color combination too with the steel and yellow. He put these on immediately and wants to wear them all the time. They are a really great looking athletic shoe. I'm thrilled that he loves the look of them, but I feel so good about him wearing a shoe that is going to provide his feet with comfort and support all day long. We found that the shoe fit very true to size too. He was very excited to wear them to school today too and show them off to his friends. We both love that it has a velcro closure because this makes it so easy for him to put them on in the morning. I told him that there was green tea in the insole and even at 7 years old he thought that was really cool! These are going to be a great pair of shoes for him. They are made well and I know he will be wearing them all the time.

Tsukihoshi offers shoes in Baby, Child and Youth sizes. So this means if your child wears anywhere between a size 3.5 in baby sizes up to a 5 in youth then they make them in their size. You can visit the Tsukihoshi website to learn more about their products. You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Colortime Crafts Get 15% off all orders

Since 1990, over 5 million children and adults have loved creating t-shirts, pillowcases, backpacks, tote bags, bandanas, and more for parties, slumber parties, and scout meetings with our permanent fabric markers. We have provided our customers the opportunity to entertain their guests with a creative activity that becomes a permanent keepsake. Also, we are a licensed vendor of the Girl Scouts of America. Check out our wholesale program, great for your organizations.

They also offer free downloadable coloring pages (http://www.colortime.com/Free-Coloring-Pages-c64.html) and a "Birthday Club" (http://www.colortime.com/Birthday-Club-c85.html) with special incentives.

Get 15% off all orders Promo Code: 15USFG when you check out at colortime.com

Disclosure - I will receive a free product in return for this post.

Tavern Direct Review and Wasabi Lettuce Wraps Recipe

I am a big fan of great quality food products. When I first heard about Tavern Direct the products pretty much screamed gourmet! Tavern Direct offers high quality and amazing food products that will help you create wonderful food dishes. The products are full of flavor and can be used to add great depth to so many dishes.

Tavern Direct products are very unique. They may be amazing and delicious, but they are really much more than that. The products help benefit children. Tavern Direct's mission is to support the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Their goal is to educate and help teach people how to keep children safe. They are able to donate to this cause with the sales of their great products.

With the holidays approaching it is time for entertaining. Tavern Direct can help you create fabulous dishes with ease. They offer flavored oils, dipping sauces, balsamic vinegars, bbq and grilling sauces, marinades and more. They incorporate great flavors into these products. They even have a really nice recipe section on their website that will provide you with great ideas on how to wow your guests this holiday season.

Balsamic Vinegars

I received a bottle of Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinegar. This is a great balsamic for dipping or to use in dressings. One of my favorite ways to enjoy balsamic is to use it with olive oil to dip bread in. This was excellent this way. This vinegar has such amazing flavor from the Blackberry and Ginger. It would even be excellent drizzled on fresh berries or citrus segments. My 5 year old loves it on steamed vegetables. She won't eat her broccoli without it. How would you use it?

I also really enjoyed the Citrus on the Green Balsamic Vinegar. This vinegar was also packed with great flavors. This vinegar is excellent for dipping bread. It's great drizzled on salads along with some good olive oil. I could see this being excellent with fruit too. The Citrus on the Green Balsamic is loaded with flavor from oranges, tangerines and limes. I personally love this on my salad without even any oil. I use this vinegar as a healthy dressing.

Old Vine Cabernet & Fire Grilled Garlic Marinade

The Old Vine Cabernet & Fie Grilled Garlic Marinade is loaded with flavor. I love this marinade for all different types of meats. It's excellent on beef, chicken, pork and much more. This is a marinade that doesn't ruin the meat by masking the flavor though. It adds flavor without overdoing it. I love that the garlic is mellow because it has been roasted. It also adds flavor by incorporating Cabernet wine and delicious herbs.

Wasabi Wonder

This last product I want to talk about is one of my absolute favorites. The Wasabi Wonder is a great sauce for those that like a little zip in their food. The Wasabi Wonder can be used so many different ways. It is a marinade, dipping sauce and can also be used as a finishing sauce. How would you use it? I love it for dipping chicken, but it's also great to incorporate into recipes. I made a really great lettuce wrap recipe with the help of this! I have included my recipe below. I hope you enjoy.

You can find all of the products I mentioned on the Tavern Direct website. These are just a few of the wonderful products they offer. They even offer a nice selection of gift baskets too. Their products would make a wonderful gift for the foodie this holiday season. You can learn more about Tavern Direct by connecting with them on Facebook and Twitter too!

Wasabi Beef and Mushroom Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup sliced and cleaned mushrooms (any kind you like)

1 TB fresh ginger finely chopped

2 TB soy sauce

1 clove of crushed garlic

1/2 TB finely chopped cilantro

1 TB Wasabi Wonder Sauce

Toppings

1/4 cup finely sliced green onions

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 cup shredded carrots

Butter lettuce cleaned and dried

chow mien noodles

Directions

Brown the ground beef , mushrooms and garlic and drain the fat. Add the ginger, soy sauce, cilantro, and Wasabi Wonder Sauce. Cook and mix over low heat for 2 more minutes. Remove the mixture and place in a bowl.

You are then ready to assemble your lettuce wraps. Place meat mixture in the center of a piece of butter lettuce. Top with whatever you like - green onion, cabbage, carrots. Drizzle with more of the Wasabi Wonder for more added heat and flavor. Enjoy!

Serves 3 to 4 for a meal or 6 to 8 for an appetizer.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Dial Complete Foaming Hand Wash Review

I was so thrilled when two bottles of Dial Complete Foaming Hand Soap showed up to review. My kids use hand soap like crazy. I can't complain about it too much though because I'm happy that they wash their hands after they use the restroom. I find that liquid hand soap is much easier for kids to use than bar soap in the restroom.

I Dial Complete Foaming Hand Soap that I received were in the cutest containers. I love anything that makes my house look more festive during the holidays. The Dial hand soap does just this. It really adds a fun holiday look to your bathroom sink.

Dial Complete Foaming Hand Soap works great to wash your hands, but you may also be wondering how well it does in killing germs. It actually gets rid of 99.9% of germs. This is just as important to me as is the bottle being cute! With the Dial Complete you can have a great looking bottle of soap and the great benefits that it provides. I have a hard time in the cooler months with hand soap drying my hands out. I love that Dial Complete is gentle on my skin!

My kids love washing their hands with the cute containers. My daughter's favorite is the snowman. She insisted that specific one be in the restroom she uses all the time. This might be a great way to help kids wash their hands all the time. I think that making hand washing fun with the use of fun hand soap containers is a great idea!

You can learn more about Dial Complete products by visiting them on Facebook.

Disclosure - Dial provided a free sample of their Holiday Foaming Hand Soap for this post. My participation is voluntary and my opinions are completely my own.

Evriholder Products Review

My kids love anything that makes mealtime more fun. I love it because it makes my life easier. I find that products geared towards making mealtime fun for kids helps them try new things, but mine are more likely to eat what I give them. I received some products from Evriholder that my kids love! Evriholder offers a big selection of products for the kitchen, but they also make barware, cleaning products, storage products and more.

Evriholder sent me some sandwich crust cutters. I have seen these in my grocery store and always wondered how they work. My kids were so excited to try these out. They of course insisted that they have sandwiches today for lunch. The crust cutters are used easily to turn your sandwich into a fun shape. It also does something else though. Does your child hate the crust on their sandwich? Mine usually leave it if I don't cut it off. The crust cutters remove the crust too. The great shapes make it fun for your child to eat their meal too! I received a Flipper Bytes and a Dyno Bytes crust cutter. You can see how much fun these are in the photos below.

I also received some great little Portion Packers. These are little plastic containers that are great for lunches on the go. They are the perfect size to put fruit in for lunches. They are also great for things like salad dressing. These are even great for snacking at home because it is a good way to control portions. I love that these are BPA free and can even be put in the microwave.

What is more fun than drinking from a straw as a kid? Drinking from a Crazeee Straw is always more fun! My kids love the Crazeee Straws that we received. They will drink just about anything I give them out of these. They are great for juice, milk and water. Do you have a hard time getting your child to drink more water? How about trying a Crazeee Straw?

You can learn more about all of the great products that Evriholder offers by visiting their website.

Hoppin’ For The Holidays Giveaway Hop Sign ups!

Hoppin’ For The Holidays Giveaway Hop

Blogger Sign Up’s are OPEN!

Christmas is fast approaching and we’re all starting to think about holiday gifts, decorating, and snuggling up under the mistletoe, so why not participate in a FREE giveaway hop event to give our readers some holiday joy before, during, and after Christmas? Join MamaNYC this December for a FREE giveaway hop event to celebrate the holidays! The Hoppin’ For The Holidays Giveaway Hop will run from December 13-29th.

I’ve already signed up for this event, but wanted to tell all of you about this event. All you have to do is add your blog name and URL to the linky, prepare a giveaway with a $25.00 prize value minimum, and include any necessary buttons, banners, and linky codes! There are NO pre-event requirements, such as sidebar buttons or pre-event promotional posts.

EVENT NAME: Hoppin’ For The Holidays Giveaway Hop

DATES: December 13-29, 2012

SIGN UP’S DEADLINE: December 10, 2012 (11:59pm EST)

FEE: FREE {with NO pre-event requirements!)

HOW: Head on over to the Hoppin’ For The Holidays Giveaway Hop event sign up’s page and add your blog to the linky today!

[SIGN UP HERE!]

November Starbox from Starlooks Review

I was very lucky to be able to review the November Starbox this month from Starlooks. I recently did a review on their October Starbox and absolutely loved the products in the box. Starbox is a monthly box you can purchase that offers high end makeup valued at $35. The best part about this is you don't pay that much for the goodies in the box. You only pay $15. I love that you get fun surprises in the box. This is a great way to try Starlooks makeup at a fraction of the price. If you aren't familiar with their makeup it is high end makeup. I love the way it feels on my skin. It applies easily and smoothly too. The quality is said to be similar to M.A.C. The Starlooks line is affordable even when not purchased in the Starbox.

I opened my November Starbox and was in love. I loved the cute animal print design on the outside of the box. I actually recently ran out of my favorite eye shadow. When I opened the November Starbox and saw 4 great shadows I was happy. The best part was that these were great colors that would look awesome on just about any skin tone. My box included 4 great shadows. It even came with some instructions on how to apply these to give you a specific look. I was really impressed with how simple it was to get this look. The eye shadows are not only great colors, but they go on great. They are easy to apply and have a nice finish. They feel really soft and light on too. They seemed really gentle to me too. I have very sensitive eyes and they were great when I wore them. The November Starbox also included a great tool to help you apply mascara flawlessly. I always have a problem with this. I will spend time applying my eye shadow and liner and then bump my eye and end up with mascara somewhere that I don't want it. The tool that was in my box helps you apply mascara, so you don't make a mess.

I also received another product that I really love. My new favorite lip color is the tender gloss lipstick that was in my Starbox. This is a great lip gloss that is easy to apply. It applies like a lipstick, but it goes on very lightly and smoothly. I received it in the pearl color and it's perfect for most skin tones. The pearl tender gloss goes on and has a really nice shimmer to it too! This is a great color to wear anytime. It is going to be in my purse all of the time now!

You can learn more about all of the Starlooks products by visiting their website. You can also order your own Starbox directly from their website. These retail for only $15 and once again you will receive $35 worth of quality makeup. This is even great to send someone as a gift this upcoming holiday season.

You can also connect with Starlooks on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.