Busy Mom Reviews

I am thrilled to have been selected as a Frigidaire Test Drive Mom from Mom Central! I'm on Team Dishwasher which is a really, really good thing as our dishwasher is nearing 20 years old, almost old enough to drink legally.

On Monday morning, we are getting a shiny new dishwasher from the good folks at Frigidaire to put through it's paces. We wash a lot of dishes around here, so stay tuned to see how it works out for us!

In the mean time, log on to www.maketimeforchange.com to play Spin & Win for a chance to win prizes including a Frigidaire Affinity washer/dryer.

Plus, every day you take a spin, Frigidaire donates $1 to Save the Children (who are doing so much good work in Haiti after the earthquake disaster) as part of their $250,000 commitment to this worthy cause.

I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Dishwasher to facilitate my review.

I seriously needed a new pair of glasses, so I was excited to try Airwear Lenses, courtesy of Mom Central.

Airwear lenses are polycarbonate that is not only lighter in weight and thinner than traditional plastic lenses, they also offers scratch-resistance, 100 % ultraviolet protection and they are very impact-resistant.

I received my glasses, and noticed right away how light they were. I'm also really, really hard on glasses (my kids are older, so I can't even blame them), so I need them to be scratch resistant, and so far, so good in that department. I haven't dropped them yet, (knock on something), so I can't attest to the impact resistance, but it seems like they'd hold up well. You can get anti-reflective treatment on them, but I didn't think to ask about that when I ordered them.

Airwear lenses are available for single vision and progressive prescriptions, and are compatible with the world's most trusted vision brands, such as Varilux®, Crizal®, Xperio®, DEFINITY® and Transitions®.

I know everyone and everything claims to be "green" these days, and some claims are more substantial than others, but Airwear seems to be doing their part.

Essilor, the makers of Airwear lenses, employs green manufacturing processes. Airwear lenses were the first Essilor lens material to "go green", significantly reducing its environmental footprint by implementing responsible manufacturing, including:

* Packaging: Essilor uses 100 percent recyclable cardboard made from 100 percent recyclable wooden fibers for Airwear lenses, helping to eliminate 570,000 pounds of plastic waste every year.

* Water Consumption: Essilor uses 100 percent recycled water for Airwear lenses, cutting consumption in half and conserving millions of gallons of water.

* Recycling Excess Material: Airwear re-purposes unused materials for other industries, such as automobiles and writing instruments.

* Donating Eyewear: Essilor supports Lions Club International's Recycle for Sight program, which accepts old, usable glasses and donates them to those in need. This is a great way to recycle your old prescriptions or the glasses your kids grow out of.

Ask your vision provider about Airwear Lenses, I've been very happy with mine!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Airwear and received a pair of Airwear eyeglass lenses to thank me for taking the time to participate. No other payment or compensation was received.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of HealthyTuna.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

The beginning of each year finds many of us (including me) promising to develop more healthy eating habits. I know I don't eat enough protein, and I'm forever looking for ways to get more since it's more filling than the carbohydrates I know and love so dearly.

Tuna is a great way to increase your protein intake and it can be a great quick meal. But, people are sometimes concerned about the safety of tuna, particularly with pregnant women.

While pregnant women should stay away from fish high in mercury, it's thought that tuna, which is low in mercury, may actually have some benefits when eaten during pregnancy and beyond.

I will be the first to tell you I'm not a big seafood fan, but I love tuna. My kids like tuna, and we typically eat it as a standard tuna salad with mayonnaise and relish. Occasionally, I'll make tuna melts on English muffins, or even a tuna casserole. But, other than that, we haven't been very adventurous. So, I tried a new (to me, anyway) twist on tuna salad from Starkist: Southwest Tuna Salad.

Southwest Tuna Salad (StarKist)

Ingredients:

1 (2.6-ounces) pouch of Chunk Light or Albacore Tuna (if using cans, drained and chunked)

½ cup black beans, drained and rinsed

¼ cup low-fat Ranch dressing

1/4 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded

2 ½ cups (4-ounces) lettuce, washed and torn

½ cup whole kernel corn

¼ cup salsa

Directions:

In a large salad bowl place lettuce, tuna, beans, corn and ranch dressing. Top with salsa and cheese. For two small salads, divide all ingredients in half.

I'm not much of a food stylist (shut up), but you know what? This was really good, and we'll have it again.

HealthyTuna.com has a lot of information about tuna benefits and safety as well as some more great recipe ideas. Check it out!

healthy tuna

Pepto-Bismol is celebrating their new Instacool Peppermint chewable tablets that provide an instant cooling sensation that lets you know relief is on the way, with a cool sweepstakes!

Enter the Instacool Sweepstakes a chance to win a getaway to root for Team USA at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, BC. All you have to do is tell them about the last time you could have used new Pepto® with InstaCool™ (probably yesterday, if you've been eating your way throught the holidays like I have)

No payment or compensation was received for this post.

My middle child (boy, 13) is not a willing reader. However, there is one series that he loves and will read with excitement: Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz.

Alex Rider is a fourteen year old London boy who has some unique skills thanks to his late uncle who was a spy. Alex sometimes works with MI6, sort of like the CIA in England, in some James Bond-ish adventures. The 8th and newest book in the Alex Rider Series is Crocodile Tears.

In this installment, Alex is being chased by a hit man, the media is threatening to expose his secret identity and he is onto a prominent charity organizer who isn't so charitable and may be plotting to kill millions. All in a day's work.

This book was really exciting, but I will caution that it might not be for some younger readers. There is no bad language or romantic scenes, but there are some possibly scary moments.

No payment or compensation other than the product sample above was received for this post. We just really like the books.

I received a Flex compact cordless vacuum from the good folks at Black & Decker.

It's a powerful little vacuum with a 4 foot flexible hose. It has several cleaning tools (including a pet hair cleaning tool) and it even has a filtration system. At 3.8 pounds, it really is light and can go anywhere.

We have carpeted stairs and it's been really handy for the dust that inevitably gathers there. Since it has a flexible hose, it also handled the ceiling fan in the kitchen, and that thing can tough to clean. It was also good for cleaning the car since it can get into the little crevices.

The only thing I didn't like about the Flex, was the battery life. It's very short and it takes a while to recharge it. But, it really is a strong vacuum and is great for quick jobs and I have enjoyed it.

The Black & Decker Flex retails for around $70 and would make a great housewarming gift or pick one up to get you started on that New Year's resolution to get the house in order.

I received no payment or compensation for this post other than the product sample I mentioned above.

The moment you've been waiting for! After a careful analysis of the comments, I entered the parameters, and ye olde random number generator tells me that the winner of the Xbox is Flossip!

Thank you everyone for playing, Here's to a great 2010 and maybe I'll have some more fun giveaways soon!

I have 3 kids of different ages and interests. At this stage, 15,13 and 7, there's not a lot they can all do together that they truly enjoy, and when you do find something they all like, the cost tends to add up.

With the economy the way it is, families like ours are looking for fun things to do that won't break the bank. And, goodness knows, we all need more fun right about now.

Xbox can help with more fun time! At $299, it still seems expensive, but when you think about what you pay for family activities such as movies or bowling, an Xbox will pay for itself in no time.

You can even stream movies from your Netflix account though it (with Xbox LIVE) for even more time for fun. Pop your own popcorn and enjoy the fact you don't have to buy a $7 Coke because you're in the comfort of your own home.

I enjoy gaming, I grew up in the heyday of video arcades and I had one of the original Nintendos as an adult. We've had various gaming systems over the years, but I wasn't very familiar with the Xbox, and I was a little intimidated by it. But, there was no reason to be. I received one for review and it's great! The kids were already well versed in it, so I had/have some catching up to do.

It was pretty easy to get up and running and the graphics on the games are fabulous and there's lots of games to choose from. There's a ton of online stuff you can do with Xbox live. I'm still learning new things when I check it out, and it's definitely fun!

(Do you love Jane Lynch, or what?)

The Giveaway

Can you or someone you know use more fun time? I'm giving away an Xbox 360 console to help out with that.

1. Leave a comment (and a valid e-mail address) telling me who could use some more fun time.
2. (Optional) For an extra entry, Tweet about this giveaway and leave me a separate comment.
3. One winner will be picked randomly from the comments.
4. Winner has 24 hours to get back to me, otherwise another winner will be drawn.
5. Hurry! Contest ends Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 10pm CST.

I received no payment or compensation for this post other than the product sample I mentioned above. I'm pleased to give you an opportunity to win one, too.

The holidays can be a risky time with lights and trees and other safety concerns. I live in an old house, so I'm always worried about the lights and such, especially this time of year. Underwriter's Laboratory (UL), a pioneer in safety standards for over 115 years, presents Safety at Home, where you can learn how to have a safe and bright holiday season and protect your from common holiday risks.

The site has informative tips, articles, and a blog covering everything from picking out the right holiday lights, to fire safety escape plans to BPA concerns. Also, be sure to check out the Safety at Home Facebook page
.

UL is offering a chance to win a $10,000 prize pack including $5,000 family vacation and $5,000 in UL listed products! Enter the Bright Holiday Moments (has sound) contest and share your family's best holiday times.

How about a little UL safety giveaway?

Leave a comment telling us a good way to stay safe at home for a chance to win:

* A mini artificial wreath for home decoration
* A 50ct string of UL-certified mini holiday lights
* A package of tree ornaments (8 ct)
* A handy UL refrigerator magnet with some convenient safety tips

For an extra entry, Twitter about the contest and leave a separate comment linking your tweet.

One winner will be chosen randomly from the comments.

Contest ends Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 10pm CST so hurry!

No payment or compensation other than a wreath as above was given for this post.

On Thursday, December 17, 2009, Nashville-area shoppers are encouraged to rest their weary feet in one of several rooms at Netflix’s Watch Instantly Holiday House in the Opry Mills Mall.

The Netflix Watch Instantly Holiday House features all the comforts of home from comfy couches, recliners and beanbags, to hot cocoa, cookies and popcorn.

Lounge in the family room, a child’s bedroom, a teen’s hideaway, the media room or in the kitchen to instantly watch TV episodes and movies streamed from Netflix.

Each room is equipped with Netflix-ready devices including the X-Box 360, PlayStation3, TiVO HD DVR, Roku Digital Video Player and LG Network Blu-ray player so you can have the chance to try these gifts out before you buy them.

Don't forget, Netflix is not only the world's largest online movie rental service, but members can instantly watch unlimited movies and TV episodes streamed to TVs and computers.

So, if you're in the Nashville area on Thursday, come on out to Netflix’s Watch Instantly Holiday House at Opry Mills!

Giveaway

If you can't make it, you can still have some Netflix fun here at Busy Mom Reviews! Enter for a chance to win:

Netflix slippers, two luggage tags, one messenger bag, a business card holder, soccer jersey, and autographed CD’s from Julianne Hough and Jennifer Hudson.

Rules:

1. Visit Netflix and leave a comment telling me if they have your favorite movie.

2. For an extra entry, Twitter about this giveaway and leave me a separate comment

3. Contest ends Friday, December 18, 2009 at 10pm CST and winners will be chosen by random number generator.

No payment or compensation (although I think I'm going to a breakfast there that day) was received for this post, I'm one of the bloggers in the area and I agreed to do this giveaway.

I've said many a time that we are huge Lands' End fans. In fact, my mother was probably their number one customer, and I'm pretty sure she's running a Lands' End storefront somewhere in Heaven.

We have quite the collection of Squall jackets, in fact, the collection is something of a walk through Lands' End history. So, when I was asked to review the Kids' Sport Squall Parka, I was all over that.

The Sport Squall Parka has a windproof, nylon shell and is lined with fleece. It has a hood and reflective trim on it, important for those dark mornings waiting for the school bus. There are lots of pockets and it's generously sized and these coats last forever. We've been able to pass down older models through 3 kids several years apart.

My kids love these coats because they are warm, but not bulky (Or, "puffy" as they call it.) In fact, my 8th grader has proved you can get more than one of them in a school locker (see also: coats, learning to bring them home) and they are easy to maneuver with the car seat belt.

They're currently only $48.65, so now's a great time to pick some up for Christmas gifts.

No compensation other than the product sample as described about was received for this post. We think these jackets really are that good!