MomReviews

It’s not so much that I don’t LIKE cleaning my house, although it certainly doesn’t rank as high as, say, watching a rerun of “Law and Order: SVU” or eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream. I actually do get a degree of satisfaction from looking around and seeing a clean house, but it just takes SO MUCH ENERGY to get up off the couch where I do my blogging and, you know, CLEAN.

*sigh* First I have to pick everything up off the floor, and find a place to put it, which usually means balancing a stack of things on top of another stack of things because I am a hopeless piler-hello, my name is Elizabeth, and I can’t stop piling stuff up in higher and higher piles all over my house. Then, I have to drag my extremely heavy vacuum cleaner out from the coat closet, plug it in to a socket in the living room, vacuum, then unplug it, drag it to the playroom, plug it in again, vacuum that room, and repeat that two more times to do the two bedrooms with carpet. It’s just such a huge PAIN. What I really need is a CORDLESS vacuum!

Guess who is now making a cordless Accucharge Stick Vac and a Hand Vac that not only charges faster, but uses SEVENTY PERCENT less electricity AND has received Energy Star Approval? Watch this video to find out!

Of course, if I were to put a Dirt Devil Hand Vac in my kitchen to clean up crumbs around the table, it would mean my poor dog would lose his job as the official spilled food cleaner-upper. Because it’s so much easier to just call the dog than to expend energy leaning over to wipe up spilled food with a napkin! But, I think the dog would get over it, and I would sure LOVE a cordless Stick Vac that I could easily move from room to room. I bet my daughter would love to use the Hand Vac, too. Because the BEST way to use LESS energy while cleaning?

Get SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT.

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Giveaway Closed. Congratulations to the four winners!

Kathleen W. from Katydid and Kid
Linda Lansford (no blog)
Leigh Nichols (no blog)
Kristinia Clos from Loving Heart Mommy

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I’m going to come right out and say it-I am the world’s WORST gift wrapper. I cannot cut the paper straight, I cannot figure out how much paper to cut, I always have huge overlaps or the edges barely touch and I’m cutting little strips trying to fill in the gaps, I am HOPELESS. Most of my gifts look like they were wrapped by rabid badgers, I AM SO NOT KIDDING.

So when I got an email asking if I would like to try new self-adhesive wrap from Hallmark, I was all SIGN ME UP. Next thing I knew, a truck was pulling up outside my house to deliver a ginormous box with this:

NINE rolls of self-adhesive wrapping GENIUS. See the one on the far left, with the black and white photos of cute baby faces and monkeys and fathers with their sons? I used that one to wrap my husband’s Father’s Day gifts. The inside of the wrapping paper has LINES printed on it to guide the scissors, so even I could cut straight, and it is slightly sticky but not too much. You fold one side over the gift and press down lightly so it sticks, then fold the other side over. You won’t need any tape for that part, but for the flaps on the ends, Hallmark thoughtfully provides a sheet of small sticky strips that you peel off to secure the flaps. I used one on each end and the gifts looked perfectly wrapped. If I can make gifts look that good, Hallmark deserves a freaking MEDAL!

GIVEAWAY-Four winners will each receive two rolls of the Adhesive Gift Wrap, the design will be chosen by the sponsor. If you post the banner or button from the top of the post on your blog or website, you automatically get one entry in every giveaway. Let me know in your comment if you do. Otherwise, for one entry, leave a comment on this post with your REAL NAME or blog alias and a VALID email address. In the event that I send the winner an email and it comes back as a bad address, I will choose another winner, so type carefully. Comments left with keywords instead of names will be deleted. Open to U.S. only, one entry per person. Enter by Thursday July 3rd at 9:00 AM EST. Winners will be contacted by email. Good luck!

**not required but always appreciated-subscribing to my feed in a reader or by email, links in sidebar. Adding this blog to your Technorati Favorites, link in sidebar. Adding the post to StumbleUpon, Digg, Kirtsy, other social bookmarking sites, or mentioning it on your own blog is GOOD KARMA and makes me SUPER HAPPY

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Until I was contacted about doing the review of Purex Naturals Laundry Detergent, I didn’t realize how many other products that I use in my laundry room are part of the Purex family. One product I had seen in the store but had never used was 20 Mule Team® Borax, so when I was offered a box to try for this review, I said yes. So, what is it?

20 Mule Team® Borax is an all natural product with many practical uses in the laundry room, kitchen and bathroom. It’s made of 100% Borax, a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. 20 Mule Team® Borax is not harmful to washing machines, plumbing or septic tanks and does not contain phosphates or chlorine. For over 100 years, 20 Mule Team Borax has helped the world get their clothes smelling fresher and their households looking cleaner. Borax has long been, and will continue to be the natural way to clean. 20 Mule Team is all natural and always has been!

How to use 20 Mule Team Borax in your laundry:
In Regular Wash
Add ½ cup of 20 Mule Team® Borax to each wash load along with the recommended amount of detergent. For large capacity and front-loading machines, add ¾ cup.
Pre-Soaking Stains
Add one tablespoon of 20 Mule Team® Borax per gallon of water or ½ cup in washer. Pre-soak for at least 30 minutes before washing.
Hard Water
Got hard water? 20 Mule Team® Borax works great as a water conditioner, helping your detergent to work more effectively. Add ½ cup of 20 Mule Team® Borax along with your regular laundry detergent. You’ll get clean, fresh smelling laundry.
Delicate Hand Washables
Dissolve ¼ cup of 20 Mule Team® Borax and 1 - 2 tablespoons detergent in a basin of warm water and soak them for 10 minutes. Rinse in clear, cool water, blot with a towel, lay flat (woolens) or hang to dry (away from sunlight and direct heat).
Cloth Diapers & Baby Clothes
Flush out cloth diapers and begin soaking immediately, using ½ cup 20 Mule Team® Borax for each diaper pail of warm water. Follow soaking with warm wash, using the “regular wash” instructions above.

You can also download a PDF Booklet(link is at the bottom of the 20 Mule Team page) that gives uses for around the house, such as deodorizing your refrigerator and garbage pail, cleaning and deodorizing your shower, tub, and toilet, you can even use it to preserve flowers and make candle wicks! And the best part? It’s NOT EXPENSIVE! A 76 ounce box costs $8.69 on Drugstore.com, and that’s going to last you a LONG time.

Become a fan on the 20 Mule Team BoraxFacebook page! For more fun, add the Dirty Girl Quiz application and find out what kind of “Dirty Girl” you are! I’m a Dust Bunny Diva:

I’m giving 20 Mule Team Borax a MomReviews Fabulous Find badge for their Facebook page!
Purex also makes Zout Stain Remover, which I need to buy, because my favorite sweatshirt has some kind of greasy/waxy stain on it, and I’m determined to get it out. Do you use 20 Mule Team Borax? Tell me in your comment what your favorite use for it is!

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I’m going to post the same disclaimer here that I posted on Table for Five- I thought Father’s Day was NEXT SUNDAY. My Outlook Calendar has posts scheduled for that whole week, which is when I was going to tell you all about the best, hottest gifts for Dads this Father’s Day. Which is THIS SUNDAY! OOOOOOPS! So, instead, you get the gift guide TODAY! Here’s how it’s going to work-I’m going to tell you about and link to some great products that I have personally researched that I think will make great gifts for Dads. Some can be bought in stores, so if you haven’t already bought something, you still have time (go, this weekend! Go SHOPPING!). Anything that needs to be purchased online, here’s what you do-if it’s the perfect gift, print out a screenshot of the page and fold it up inside a Father’s Day card that lets him know that the gift has been ordered and is on it’s way! Ready? Let’s talk great Father’s Day Gifts!

For Dads Who Like The Latest Technology:
**Philips Eco TV
The Philips Eco TV is a gift Dad will enjoy as he experiences the ultimate in television picture quality without paying for the hefty power bills.
It has energy-saving features including proprietary technologies designed to lower the LCD panel backlight to reduce power consumption without compromising picture quality.
It offers a stylish design and environmentally-friendly features such as lead-free components and flame retardant materials.
The Philips Eco TV retails for $1,399.00

**Philips Moisturizing Shaving System:
Condition his skin and create a healthy look with the Philips Norelco Moisturizing Shaving System. The integrated Nivea for Men skin lotion helps provide a more comfortable shave that will make his face touchably soft.
Glide Rings provide for a smooth, gliding experience and unmatched comfort and protection.
Precision Blades allow for optimum skin contact on all areas of the face so no stray hairs are left behind.
The Philips Norelco All-In-One-Grooming System retails for $79.99 - $149.99

**Philips Norelco Arcitec Electric Shaver:
Give him an easy shave – whether headed out to drop the kids off at school or after the gym. The Philips Norelco arcitec electric shaver pivots 360-degrees for a more meticulous shave on his face and the challenging contours of the neck, giving him a smooth shave.
The Triple-Track Shaving Heads give guys the convenience of faster and closer shaves, and the Precision Tube Trimmer helps maintain moustaches and sideburns.
The Philips Norelco arcitec retails for $169.99 - $249.99

**Philips AJL308
Dad will wake up with a smile with the Philips AJL308 – a clock radio, photo frame, video player and music player in one. It features a smart design and chic seven-inch color display and is a useful – and fun – gift for Dad to use on a night stand, side table or desk. It also includes a USB connection and SD card slot to easily access favorite photos, music and even video clips. The Philips AJL308 retails for $129.99
**All these great Philips products are available on the Philips website and also at major retailers like Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Target, Meijer, Lowe’s, and Radio Shack.**

For The Dad Who Likes To Play With The Kids:
Kidstuff PR is proud to announce that several of it’s clients’ products were awarded the Mr. Dad Seal of Approval! Although the Dads out there may or may not appreciate receiving some of these toys for themselves for Father’s Day, the point of the awards is Armin Brott’s (aka Mr. Dad) assessment of toys our kids love to play with that are especially great for dads to enjoy with their children too, that foster a special bond between father and child when they play together.

Hailed by Time Magazine as “the superdad’s superdad,” Armin Brott, aka “Mr. Dad” has been building better fathers for more than a decade. As the author of six bestselling books on fatherhood, he has helped millions of men around the world become the fathers they want to be–and that their children need them to be. The Mr. Dad Seal of Approval and GreatDad Recommends awards recognize products and services that support our mission: giving men the resources, tools, and information they need to be the fathers they want to be and that their families need them to be. To earn the Mr. Dad Seal of Approval and the GreatDad Recommends award, a product or service must:
• Help dads get or stay involved with their children
• Improve the quality of the time fathers and children spend together
• Improve father-child relationships
• Help dads be better parents
• Helps dads be better partners
These are the items that won Mr. Dad awards, they would all make great Father’s Day gifts for the Dad who likes to get right down on the floor and play with this kids!
Briarpatch – I Spy Private Eye & Sea Monsters
Recommended Ages: 5 - 8
Price: $24.99 (I Spy Private Eye)
Price: $20.99 (Sea Monsters Game)
“I Spy Private Eye is a fun, educational way for dads to spend time with their child or children,sharpening their observation skills.”
“With the Sea Monsters Game, dad and child set sail with a fleet of ships from Old World Ports-England, France, Spain and Portugal and cross the uncharted waters of the Atlantic, where unseen Sea Monsters and other hazards lurk below the waves. Both are for ages 5-8.”
available at www.briarpatch.com
ee publishing and products, LLC - Nana Star doll and
book
Recommended Ages: 4 and up
Price: $15.95 (Nana Star Book)
Price: $21.99 (Nana Star Doll)
“Daughters will love the Nana Star doll, and dads will love cuddling up and reading the accompanying book, a sweet story about a girl in a blue princess dress with a twinkle in her eye. Ages 4 and up.”
available at www.nanastar.com
KidsGive – Karito Kids World Collection, “Piper” Doll
Recommended Ages: 5 and up
Price: $99.99, Piper Doll and Book
“Piper the Australian surfer girl is the latest addition to the Karito Kids line (which received our Winter 2008 Seal of Approval). A lot of dads feel kind of squeamish playing with dolls. But the book that comes with the doll, along with a host of interactive Internet activities, make it easier for dad to feel
welcome, while teaching his daughter about the environment and helping others. It’s a great teaching tool to help your daughter learn that there are others not as lucky as she. Piper and the other Karito Kids help other kids around the world and you are able to sit with your daughter to choose how by logging onto their website and directing 3% of the purchase price to one of 4 areas: food, home,
health or school. Ages 5 and up.”
available at www.karitokids.com
RSV Productions – Jishaku
Recommended Ages: 8 and up
Price: $19.95
“Jishaku is a combination of strategy game and science lesson. Played with a set of different-sized magnetic stones of varying strengths, it matters not only where you place each stone, but also how you place it. A fascinating way to spend some quality time with boys or girls 8 and up.”
available at www.playjishaku.com
Scootababy – Scootababy Baby Carrier
Recommended Ages: 5 months and up (to 40 pounds)
Price: $107.00
“The Scootababy is a functional, stylish, yet solidly masculine carrier
that promotes interaction between dad and baby.”
available at www.scootababy.com
The Magic School Bus - The Secrets of Space & Soaring Into Flight
Recommended Ages: 5 and up
Price: $19.99
“Perfect for dads who want to share their love of science with their child. These two wonderful kits are filled with fun, exciting tools to teach and explore science with a child, such as constructing a night-vision flashlight, designing a solar system mobile, building a balloon-jet, and creating the ultimate paper airplane.”
available at www.kidssciencekits.com

And there you have it, a jam-packed Gift Guide full of fabulous gift ideas!

ShareASale Confirmation Code: GDMNXVF18273981

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This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Val from Val’s Views who wins a box of Momager Calling Cards!

We Moms have many jobs, like Chief Family Officer, Head of Transportation, Chief of Security, Chief Medical Officer, Head Chef, and in the summertime, most importantly, Chief Playdate Maker. And it never fails that while we are at the playground keeping an eye on our kids and holding a cooler full of juice pouches and half-eaten granola bars, we will strike up a conversation with another Mom who we will really like. Inevitably one of us will say “gosh, we should get our kids together again some time!” We nod enthusiastically, we congratulate ourselves for making a good impression, and then what happens? We have to figure out how to give the other Mom our name and phone numbers and hope they remember who we are! Even if you exchange cell numbers, that other Mom is going to look in her speed dial list, see your name, think to herself “WHO is that again?”, and more than likely, not call you. Rats! There goes your chance to make a new Mom friend, I mean, a new friend for your kids!

UNLESS you get Momager Calling Cards from Paperlicious! Call ‘em what you want-playdate cards, Mom cards, whatever you call them, these ultra-hip business cards can be personalized with your name, your kids’ names, home and cell numbers, and you will be the talk of the playground when you hand them out. Momager cards have been written about in publications like Pregnancy Magazine and Parent’s Magazine as well as on the sites GoodyBlog.com and 5minutesformom.com. And I’ve got a box to give away to a lucky reader! You’ll choose your design, ink color, font style, and personalized text, and get a box of fifty cards totally FREE. Retail value is $22.95 plus shipping, open to U.S. only.

For One Entry-Visit the Paperlicious website. In the navigation bar at the top of the page, click Momager Calling Cards. Browse the choices, then come back here and leave me a comment telling me which style you will choose if you win. You must leave a valid email address as well.

For Two Entries-Visit the site and leave your comment, AND do one of the following:
-either subscribe to this blog’s feed by reader or email using the links in the sidebar
OR
-Stumble the Post by clicking I like it! in the Stumble toolbar or using the button at the end of the post

For Three Entries And A Big Virtual Smooch From Me-Visit the site and comment, subscribe or Stumble, AND mention this giveaway in a post on your blog, linking back to this URL.

Rules: Enter by Friday, June 20th, one entry per person. Open to U.S. only. The randomly chosen winner will be contacted by me to let them know they have won, and then contacted by Nikki at Paperlicious to get the personalization info. You’re going to love your Momager Cards! Good luck!

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