Crystal® products will be on sale at Rite Aid and Walgreens at $1 off for the Stick and $.50 off for the Roll-Ons and Spray through October 23, 2010.
Crystal® is the world’s original and #1 mineral salt deodorant brand. Crystal® prevents body odor all day long – naturally – rather than mask it with unwanted chemicals. And get this! One stick lasts up to a full year of daily use!
How do Crystal® deodorants work?
Body odor happens when sweat combines with bacteria. Eliminate either one and your body won’t smell. The mineral salts in Crystal® deodorants create an invisible layer on the skin that makes it impossible for odor causing bacteria to grow. Goes on lightly and won’t stain clothes or leave a white residue.
Body 'Conscious'
• Crystal® deodorants are clinically tested and hypoallergenic
• Cruelty free and environmentally safe
• Contain NO aluminum chlorohydrate, NO aluminum zirconium, NO parabens NO phthalates, and NO dyes
• #1 in consumer safety by Environmental Working Group
• Endorsed by numerous US Cancer Treatment Centers
Crystal offers two lines of natural deodorants:
• Unscented Crystal Body Deodorant® Stick, Roll-On, Spray and original Rock (aka deodorant stone). Made with all natural mineral salts.
• Lightly scented Crystal® essence Pomegranate, Lavender & White Tea and Chamomile & Green Tea– Roll-On and Spray. All natural mineral salts infused with natural essential natural oils and extracts.
You can find Crystal Body Deodorant® and Crystal® essence in 28,000 stores worldwide, including Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and Whole Foods. Check out Crystal® on Facebook!
Disclosure: By writing this post, I will be eligible to win a gift card through my affiliation with One2One Network. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine. No other compensation was received.
Since becoming a parent, I'm always on the lookout for fun kid's music to play in the car on our way to the store or out of town to see the grandparents. I was given the opportunity to review a kid's music CD called "The Rattles."
"Parents, kids, and music lovers of all ages have been singing unanimous praises for ‘RATTLE ON’, the lively full-length debut from this furry musical menagerie – composed of life-long friends Gus, Sal, Hal, and Kitty.
See what others are saying about this music group:
"Acclaimed parenting author and ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ Editor, Susan Heim referred to the album as “unique”, “catchy”, and “awesome” while Blissful Bee Blog recommended it to “anyone who has children that love music.” The Clever Mommy Chronicles drew comparisons to The Beatles, They Might Be Giants, and Rilo Kiley, and raved, “Really, truly, the CD is fantastic. In fact, I was disappointed because it only has nine tracks. I found myself wanting more. That’s pretty big for a kids’ CD!”
To celebrate the album release, "The Rattles" have come out with a new website, http://www.rattlesrock.com/ where you can learn all about these fuzzy friends playing music together. This fully decked-out, colorful little corner of cyber-space allows The Rattles’ biggest fans to read up on the band’s back-story, listen to some groovy tunes, scope out a slew of tour photos, play interactive games, and shop for official band gear at the online store. There is even a special section for parents!
Here is the list of songs you will find on the CD:
1.Rattle On
2.Lucky Sam’s Banana Stand
3.Shipwreck in the Sky
4.Wavy Lane
5.Goodbye Yesterday
6.1-2-3 Count on Me
7.R-A-T-T-L-E-S
8.Monday Morning Drive
9.Apple of My Eye
Our whole family is music lovers. Even my two year old. When I put the CD in the car on our way to daycare, my son had a huge grin on his face when the music started. It's very catchy and family-friendly. The Rattles sound is a cross between The Beatles and Hanson. Before I knew it, the CD was over and I wanted to play it again! I think our favorite song was 1-2-3 Count on Me. My son seemed to like the lyrics to that one.
But wait! The Rattles has graciously provided one Texa$aver reader a chance to win their very own copy of their music CD!
Giveaway Prize: A copy of The Rattles CD.
Mandatory Entry: Tell me what kind of music your children like to listen to.
Additional Entries:
1. Become a Public Follower through Google Friend Connect. If you are already a follower, leave a comment telling me so. (+1 Additional Entry) 2. "Like" Texa$aver on Facebook. If you already like Texa$aver on Facebook, leave a comment telling me so. (+1 Additional Entry) 3. "Like" The Rattles on Facebook. (+1 Additional Entry) 4. Become a Twitter follower of Texa$aver. If you already follower Texa$aver on twitter, leave a comment telling me so. (+1 Additional Entry) 5. Become a Twitter follower of The Rattles. (+1 Additional Entry) 6. Subscribe to the Texa$aver newsletter via email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry. If you're already a subscriber, leave a comment telling me so. (+2 Additional Entries)
Open to U.S. Only. Please leave a comment for each additional entry. Giveaway ends on November 9, 2010 at 11:59 CST. Winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be announced on the Giveaways page. Winner will also be contacted by email. Be sure that texasaver@yahoo is on your safe sender list as you don't want to miss the email if you are chosen as the winner. Winner will have 5 days to respond to me by email before another winner will be chosen. The prize will be provided to the winner directly from the sponsor.
Disclosure: I was provided a sample of the product to facilitate this review at no cost and was not compensated for reviewing this sample. The opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.
Don't think you can cook semi-homemade meals for your family most nights of the week? Well, I'm here to prove you wrong. As a busy mom with a full time career and a special needs son at home, I didn't think I would ever be at the point where I could cook a homecooked meal most nights of the week. I thought there was WAY too much preparation involved! But I have come up with a routine that has allowed me to provide healthy, easy and most importantly FRUGAL meals to the table.
Here's how I do it:
Step 1: Take Inventory. Look in your pantry, fridge and freezer and see what you have on hand. Got a jar of tomato sauce? Got some spagetti noodles? With just a few more ingredients this can turn into either a quick Lasagna or Chicken Tetrazzini.
Step 2: Create a Meal Plan. Since you now have an idea of what you have on hand already, browse through your favorite cookbooks to get inspiration on what you plan to make. I use a combination of online and hardcover cookbooks. Some of my online favorites is http://www.myrecipes.com/ and http://www.foodnetwork.com/. Some of my absolute favorite cookbooks is The $5 Dinner Mom, Pioneer Woman Cooks and Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats. A helpful tip when creating your meal plan is designate each day of the week as something different.
For example: Monday - Salad Day or Soup Day for Winter months Tuesday - Chicken Dish Day Wednesday - Turkey or Ham Dish Day Thursday - Beef Dish Friday - Take Night Off from Cooking (give yourself a break!) Saturday - Slow Cooker Day Sunday - Casserole Day
Step 3: Write a Grocery List. After you create your meal plan, write out all the ingredients you need to create these fabulous meals. To make my life easier, I write out everything in groups. I group the dairy items together, the frozen items together, the produce items together, etc. etc. That way, I'm not running around the store. Try out this fabulous form from $5 Dinner Mom to help you out.
Step 4: "Frugalize" your List. If you are a couponer, take out that coupon organizer and browse through it and pull out the coupons you can use with your list. Put them in an envelope so it's easy to organize when you check out. Some helpful internet coupon resources I use is http://www.redplum.com/, http://www.smartsource.com/ and http://www.coupons.com/. However, if you like the traditional coupons, get your Smart Source/Red Plum (and sometimes P&G) inserts from the newspaper on Sundays. Beef up your coupon stack even more and contact manufacturers about the products you use the most and most of the time you will receive coupons to use on your favorite products. Some of the companies I've contacted and received high dollar coupons are: Smuckers, Kraft Foods, Quilted Northern, Stonyfield Organic, Huggies, Campbell's Soup and Pepperidge Farm. Most importantly, check your grocery store's circular for sale items.
Step 5: Go Shopping! The items I take with me every time I go to the grocery store is my grocery list, a calculator, my coupon organizer and an envelope with the coupons I intend to use. My family is on a grocery budget of $60 a week for a family of three. That includes toiletries, food and diapers. Every time you put something in your basket, keep track of how much you are spending. Pay with cash and it will help you stick to your budget.
That's it! There may be lots of little things to remember and it's okay if you don't hit your goal right away but you'll get there. Not only will your wallet be happy with this process, your family will be happier and healthier!
Disclosure: This is a post written solely by me and all opinions in this post are 100% mine. This post was originally written as a guest post over at Feeding Four on July 23, 2010. I thought it was good enough to post again!
If you're like me, I try to use the best ingredients when making my kiddo's lunches. I always have a jar of Hellman's on hand to help me make a flavorful lunch for my family. Luckily, Hellmann's and Best Foods Mayonaise are putting the "fun" back into lunch with their virtual Sandwich Swap 'n' Share program.
One of my absolute favorite celebrity chefs, Bobby Flay and actress/mom, Lori Loughlin, are teaming up with Hellmann's to help re-launch the Hellmann's virtual Sandwich Swap 'n' Share on Facebook! This virtual version of the beloved school lunch ritual of swapping sandwiches will benefit Share Our Strength, the leading non-profit organization ending childhood hunger in America.
When you visit Hellmann's Facebook page, you will have the opportunity to create your own sandwich and for every sandwich created, Hellmann's will make a donation to Share Our Strength! When you share a sandwich with a friend, an additional donation will be made as part of Hellmann's $75,000 commitment to support Share Our Strength.
Disclosure: In exchange for writing this post, I will be entered for a chance to win a gift as part of the Hellmann's program and my affiliation with MomSelect.
Like Dingo for a $20 Coupon good at dingobrand.com!
If Dingo gets to 25,000 Likes then anyone between 5,001 and 25,000 will get a $20 coupon that they can redeem at dingobrand.com. If you already joined after 5,000 Likes, you will now be eligible to receive a $20 coupon if Dingo reaches 25,000 Likes.
VERY IMPORTANT: After liking the Dingo page at www.facebook.com/dingobones, please do the following to receive your coupon:
1) Click the "Join My List" Tab
2) Enter your e-mail
3) Click the Facebook e-mail list box so that we know you Liked Dingo and so that we know where to send the coupon
The coupon can be redeemed within 6 months of receiving the coupon code.
Please note, the coupon will be valid on all Dingo products on dingobrand.com except for the products that are on sale or on clearance.
READER NOTE: I was one of the first 5,000 likers on facebook and already received and used the $20 coupon at dingobrand.com. I was able to get two BIG bags of treats for my pups for FREE! It's totally worth it to do this.
Weekly Winners: Maternity clothing, gift cards, jewelry and more!
Enter for your chance to win and you could be on your way to a fabulous vacation, shopping for a new wardrobe or filling your baby's nursery with beautiful furniture! What would you do with your $2,500 gift card?
I got chosen to ge a party host for the Foldgers/Land O'Lakes "Everyday Special House Party" to be held on Oct. 23rd. So, I thought it would be a good time to tell you (again) about House Party!
Here are all the things that I will be receiving in my PARTY PACK:
(1) 10.3 oz can of Folgers Special Roast® coffee
$1.50 off coupons for Folgers Special Roast® coffee
(2) Free coupons for LAND O LAKES® Half & Half for sampling
50¢ off coupons for LAND O LAKES® Half & Half (pint or larger)
Additional party pack goodies!
"A House Party™ is thousands of parties across the country, hosted by people like you. Each event is sponsored by a leading brand and focuses on something cool that the sponsor wants its best fans to experience firsthand and share with their friends."
I've been chosen to do several house parties hosted by several major companies including DiGiorno, Nabisco, and Sandwich Thins. They were a lot of fun and you get a bunch of items just for hosting and inviting all your friends to come over!
Visit House Party to sign up today and see all the fun parties you can potentially host!
Are you like me and buy the generic holiday cards in the box every year? Since my son was born two years ago, I've just now gotten into personalizing my holiday cards. Since we are a family now, it just means that much more to me that they are a little more personalized. There are many ways that can help personalize your holiday cards.
Here are some of the ways that I've personalized my holiday cards in the past:
1) Include a Family Photo: Every year, my family takes a photo around a beautiful landmark in the town that we live. We like to switch it up every year and take a picture outside but at different areas. One year we took a picture in a beautiful pasture with flowers all around us and another year we took it at a state park near a waterfall. That way, not only does our friends and family see an updated picture of us, they will see a beautiful local backdrop too.
2) Include a favorite holiday memory: We all have the those really memorable holiday moments, like when the dog ate the turkey when no one was looking or when Uncle Sam broke out in a song at the end of the meal. So, include a memory or two in your next holiday card. It will bring a little piece of your family out with your card to the other family and friends that you won't be able to visit with during the upcoming holiday season.
3) Have a new addition to the family? Include a baby, pet or new house announcement with the card. We are all super busy. If you have a new addition to the family, like a new baby boy or girl, new pet dog, or even moved into a new house, include it in your holiday card this year! Why not go ahead and announce the exciting news while you wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season? I'm sure everyone would love to hear the news!
4) Include a drawing that your child made: Have a favorite drawing the your child drew this year? Scan it in and create a photo out of it and include it in the design of your holiday card this year. Not only will your family and friends get to see such amazing artwork but your card will be unique and one-of-a-kind!
5) Send a favorite family recipe as your Holiday Card: You know all those recipes you keep stashed away just for special occasions? This would be a great way to pass on Great-Grandma's recipe for sweet potato pie or Aunt Susie's recipe for homemade yeast rolls. Choose a recipe that brings back great memories for you and continues to be a part of your family holiday. Your family and friends would be so honored to have it and it will help keep the recipes alive and create more memories for others.
I'm always on the look out for a company that will help me do just that.
This year, I'm thinking about using PurpleTrail's personalized holiday cards to help make my cards more special. Their Personalized Design Center allows you to personalize your cards by adding a special background, text, photos, embellishments, frames, shapes and special effects.
Some of the holiday designs that stood out to me were:
Disclosure: By writing this post, I will be eligible to receive a Purple Trail gift code through my affiliation with Mom Bloggers Club. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine. No other compensation was received. For more information on this contest, visit http://www.purpletrail.com/blogcontests.
Remember the hits "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" and "Suddenly I See" playing on the radio? Well, KT Tunstall is back with a new album called "Tiger Suit" and it's available for purchase in stores NOW.
I was given the chance to preview this album and the first word that comes to mind is "earthy." The first hit single off this album is called "Fade Like a Shadow" and is already a top 20 hit on the radio.
Overall, this album is very organic sounding, with soothing music and "nature inspired" vocals. The melody is very catchy and my favorite track on the album was actually the very first song called "Unnmannaq Song." For more information about Tiger Suit, go here.
Are you a fan of KT Tunstall, the grammy-nominated, multi-platinum, Scottish-born singer and songwriter? "Like" KT on facebook or follow her on twitter. Want even more of her? Visit her website to sign up for her fan mailing list. KT Tunstall will be on tour from October 31, 2010 - December 1, 2010.
Disclosure: I received a copy of KT Tunstall's CD, Tiger Suit to facilitate this review through my affiliation with One2One Network. The opinions expressed are 100% mine. In exchange for writing a review, I will be eligible to win a gift card.
For Week 40, there wasn't much shopping.
Mainly because it was my 5th wedding anniversary and we went out of town.
I'm gearing up to do more shopping this week and have a STACK of coupons to go through.
Should be some good savings coming my way.
Here's what I did save on this past week:
Toys R US Deal:
Bought 2 DVDs, 1 Toy and Pre-Ordered 2 more DVDs
Total Spent: $16.77
Total Saved: $58.99
Hyatt Regency Hotel:
2 night stay @ $149 $72/night*
Total Saved: $154
*we used hotwire.com to book which saved us a lot of money per night!
There is an amazing deal going on at Toys R Us right now!
Here's what I got for $15.98 (+tax):
2 - Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition DVD Combos
2 - Toy Story 3 Reserves
1 - Bella Tea Cart
Here's how the deal works:
1) Buy Two Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition DVD Combos - $29.99 On Sale for $22.99. Hurry, because I think this DVD is on sale through 10/9 only and then it goes back to $29.99!
3) Pre-Order Two Toy Story 3 DVDs (do this at the register when checking out). This will cost $5 for each pre-order but will take off $10 at the register for each DVD over $19.99 you buy! Here is what the card will look like. The cards at my store were outside the checkout area near the exit door so make sure you ask for these when you walk in. Here is what they look like:
4) Pick up the Bella Tea Cart (pictured above) and take to checkout with your DVDs. Right now, if you purchase $40 in Disney Princess items, you get the Bella Tea Cart ($24.99 value) for FREE!.
Toy Story 3 Pre-Order - $5 (will take off $10 at register for buying the DVD Combo)
Toy Story 3 Pre-Order - $5 (will take off $10 at register for buying the DVD Combo)
Bella Tea Cart - $24.99 (will take off $24.99 at register for buying $40 worth of Disney Princess items)
= $15.98 (+tax)
That's a savings of $58.99!!!
There's also a $100 Disney Coupon Booklet available with any Disney DVD purchase but my store was out of them. They just told me to call in a few days to see if they've come in yet and bring back my reciept and they will give me one.
"We have extra inventory that we need to clear out before the holidays. This great offer makes it easy to start Fall off right!
Our Grab Bag is perfect for sampling, traveling or gifting to someone special. Order now and get four Burt’s Bees full-sized products including 3 lip balms and many of our favorites in travel-size. You’ll receive more than 15 Burt’s Bees items, including our polka dot cosmetics bag, replenishing lip balm with pomegranate oil and much more."
This assortment of Burt’s Bees natural products is $20, 60% off their retail value. Treat yourself or others in your life this Fall.
I saw this recipe posted last week somewhere and for the life of me, I can't remember where I saw it. So, forgive me if you've seen this recipe before and I apologize for not giving proper credit.
I call these the 24-hour chocolate chip cookies because they will only last at most 24 hours on your counter. They are that good. I love them best hot and gooey out of the oven but I can't eat four dozen of them by myself, so it takes about a full day for my family and friends to finish them off.
24-Hour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup Stick Butter, softened
1 Large Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2-1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 package (12 oz.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a Large Mixing Bowl, mix white and brown sugars, softened butter, egg and vanilla with hand mixer until smooth and fully incorporated.
Sift Flour, Baking Soda and Salt together in another Large Mixing Bowl.
Mix in flour mixture with butter/sugar mixture one cup at a time until fully incorporated. Fold in bag of chocolate chips.
Place Rounded Tablespoon Size cookie dough balls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Put at least 1 inch apart from each other.
Bake 7-8 minutes per batch. Cookies will be slightly golden on top but still pale in color. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet and remove to wire rack.
One of my absolute places to go eat is Chipotle because of their use of naturally raised ingredients. I was delighted to see on their website that they were doing their "Boorito" night again this year on Halloween! On October 31, 2010 (Halloween), go to your local Chipotle after 6pm and dress up like a HORRIFYING PROCESSED FOOD PRODUCT and Chipotle will give you a burrito, bowl, salad or tacos for just $2 bucks!
While you're there, take a photo of yourself all dressed up and enter the Chipotle Halloween Costume Contest for a chance to win $2,500!! All you have to do is submit the photo to chipotle.com/boorito. The contest closes on November 8th and a winner will be announced on November 15th.
The Prizes: Twenty Runner-Runner Ups: Burrito Party for 20 guests Five Runners Up: $1,000 Grand Prize Winner: $2,500
Good Luck!
Oh yeah, and the best part? Up to $1,000,000 of the proceeds from Chipotle’s Boorito promotion will be donated to Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution — a non-profit campaign (part of America Gives Back, a registered 501(c)(3) charity). I joined the food revolution, have you?
