CSN.com + Cookware.com Review

I know I've talked about CSN.com before but I needed to remind you that they are the coolest site - they are the parent site to over 200 other sites geared to certain specific items (cribs, shoes, and more). I was lucky enough to get to review something from Cookware.com. What did I get to review? I'm glad you asked! I got to review this:



A waffle maker! YAY! I love waffles. Well, I love most breakfast foods, but waffles are especially good.

I really, really love this waffle maker. Why? Because it makes waffles. Seriously, that's what makes me the happiest. But I also love that it has options when it comes to the browning level of the waffles, because I really don't like my waffles super crunchy on the outside (just enough crunch to delay the fork from going through immediately). With this waffle maker, I can choose how light or dark I want them to be. Do you need a waffle maker? Or any other cooking device? If so, you should definitely head on over to Cookware.com and check out their selection.

I was provided with a free waffle maker for my review from CSN, but my opinions are not influenced by that factor. They are just mine.

I Looked Out The Window And What Did I See?

Dear Mother Nature,

I have a few things I need to discuss with you. Approximately 3" of things, to be specific. Meet me by the flagpole at 2:30, and don't tell the principal.

Sincerely,

Kendahl



I'm sorry, but it's MAY 24th!! NOT snow time anymore! Oh, and I totally didn't take this picture because I'm too mad to take any pictures - evidence of this disgusting act shall not be documented on my camera. I found it on KSL.com.

Tropical Traditions Review and Giveaway

Yes, it's true; I love Tropical Traditions. They just have so many good products! The most recent product I was able to try from them is their massage oil. Ohhhhh buddy, is it good! I got the lavender-scented one, and it makes me happy. As with pretty much everything Tropical Traditions sells, the massage oil is all natural and doesn't contain anything that's going to cause cancer in the state of California (not that I know of anyway, unless coconut causes cancer in California).


The massage oil smells really yummy, just like lavender, and it makes my skin feel super soft! It's definitely a good massage oil, you can use it for quite awhile before you have to get more. (If only it came with the ability to make someone *ahem Husband ahem* want to give me back rubs all the time, it would be perfect!)

Want to try it out? You can enter to win a bottle right here on my blog! Whodathunk? First entry - leave me a comment. Bonus entries?

--visit Tropical Traditions and tell me another of their products you would like to try
--sign up for their newsletter (3 entries! leave 3 comments, please)
--Follow this blog
--Follow me on Twitter, and tweet about this giveaway, with a link to the giveaway
--Add my button to your site
--Blog about the giveaway and leave me the link
--Leave a comment on one of my non-giveaway posts [tell me which you left your comment on... please?]

I'll pull a winner using random.org. All entries up until midnight MST on Sunday, June 6th will count, so be sure to comment before then so you can be eligible to win!

I was provided with a bottle of their massage oil for free, but that did not affect my opinions. The massage oil really is that good.

Uncle Ben's Blog Tour (+ Review and Giveaway!)

I was asked to participate in a Blog Tour for Uncle Ben's and there is no way I'd pass up the opportunity for rice! Especially a new type of rice. What's that? New rice? Yes, my friends. Uncle Ben's created a rice that looks and tastes like white rice, but in actuality is whole grain rice! Wicked cool. I definitely know what it's like for my child to look at something brown and absolutely refuse to try it. (And I must say, I was like that for some time when I was little too, so I can't blame her.) WIth this, they think they are eating the white stuff when really you are getting nutrition into their needy little bodies.

Uncle Ben's is even pairing up with Missy Chase Lapine, author of "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals". If you have issues getting your kids to eat healthy food, definitely check her out. She's got some great ideas!

Now, onto my review of this rice. It's honestly really good! It seriously does taste and look like white rice. I made my go-to favorite - Cheesy Mexican Rice - and it tastes just like it does when I make it with white Minute Rice. (Sorry, no pictures. I need to get better and remembering to take pictures with stuff like this!) And, it only takes ~10 minutes to make, which is great. And for the really good part... want to win some?! Of course you do!

Leave me a comment to enter to win 2 boxes of rice AND an Uncle Ben's apron! Any random comment will do. For extra entries:
**Please remember to leave a separate comment for each one, or you only get one entry

--Leave me your favorite recipe that includes rice
--Follow this blog
--Follow me on Twitter, and tweet about this giveaway, with a link to the giveaway
--Add my button to your site
--Blog about the giveaway and leave me the link
--Leave a comment on one of my non-giveaway posts [tell me which you left your comment on... please?]

I'll pull a winner using random.org. All entries up until midnight MST on Monday, May 31st will count, so be sure to comment before the cut-off.

Oh, and by the way, I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, my opinions are strictly my own and were not influenced by the free stuff. :)

The Infamous "Before" Picture

Before? Before what? Please tell me I'm not the only kid who did that when playing Bingo at family parties. C'mon, it's the best BAD joke ever!

Anyway, before Crest. Well, before Crest 3D White. I was given the opportunity to try the entire line of Crest 3D White, which includes the Oral-B Advantage 3D White Vivid Toothbrush, Crest 3D White Vivid Toothpaste, Crest 3D White MultiCare Whitening Rinse, and Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips with Advanced Seal Technology. They say that if you use all of these products together, you can start seeing a difference in the whiteness of your teeth in as little as one day. ONE DAY!? Plus, how do you pass up the chance at reviewing something that Michelle Trachtenberg is helping promote? I ♥ her, she is so cute!

Ayway again, let's see that "before" picture...



Check out the teeth (and ignore their crooked-ness). Keep that in mind for this little journey I'm forcing you all to take with me. I'll take a picture after 1 day, 5 days and 10 days so you can all see the difference in my teeth. Mmmkay?

Futuro Review

Futuro (by 3m) had this super cool idea to create pantyhose that actually help with your health when you wear them; they are called "compression stockings". Take something tons of women wear every day, and figure out a way to make it actually help them out? Definitely a good idea. They offer a few different products - there's energizing, restoring, therapeutic and anti-embolism. Each has a different purpose, but all are designed to make you feel a little better after wearing them all day.

I was able to try the energizing and the restoring Futuro stockings. Both are really great! The restoring are firm compression; the energizing are mild compression. The 'restoring' help improve circulation and relieve symptoms of moderate-to-severe varicose veins and swelling, all while providing a massaging motion while you move. The 'energizing' also help with circulation and help relieve symptoms of superficial spider and early vericose veins. They are designed for people who are on their feet or sitting in one place all day.

In both cases, they really do say what they say they are going to do. They are both a bit thicker than your typical pantyhose, and have a different texture. But, I thought both of those were good things! I actually didn't mind having them on all day. I would definitely recommend Futuro to anyone, like me, that sits at a desk all day.

I did get a few products to try for free, but that did not in any way effect my opinion. What I write are my own thoughts and opinions.

It'd Be A Whole Lot Easier If I Just Fell In Love With A Vampire

I reached a new milestone today. I was able to get my blood drawn AND watch them do it! It might not seem like a big deal, but for me it really is. I used to have such a fear of needles that when I was little, I needed stitches but freaked out so bad I ended up with butterfly bandages instead. But today? Today I got to watch them put the needle in my arm and pop on the little vacuum-packed tube thingy and watch the blood get sucked out of my arm. Sweet, right? Sorry if that was graphic. I was pretty enthralled with the entire process.

But seriously, if there were some super hot vampire to do the job instead of a needle I think things would go much more smoothly. And don't you even dare suggest that sparkly wannabe vampire from you-know-what-book or we can't be friends anymore. If they sparkle or shimmer or do anything remotely shiny, they are not real vampires. Mmmkay? I was thinking more along the lines of Angel... yep, that would work.

So guess what might be on its way to my house on or around June 20th? This little number...



Oh dear. I couldn't help myself anymore. After searching and looking and contemplating, one day I pulled up the Epiphanie website and they had it in black and my twist-the-situation-so-I-NEED-this-purse gear kicked into hyperdrive and before I knew it, my credit card information was entered and all was done. I swear, I couldn't help myself. Plus, I really need a camera bag that doubles as a purse! I mean, c'mon, you see my side, right? Right?

I still really love the red one though... if the black one gets here and it's as great as I feel like it's going to be, the red one may come next. I need help.

And Then It Happened

You know the biggest question I get about this blog? What if 'real mom' finds it? What if she reads the things I've written? To be completely honest, it was never a concern to me. At least that way she would know what I was feeling without there having to be a heated discussion, or a full-on fight, to bring it out.

Well, she found it. And I wasn't scared. It actually opened the door to a conversation we probably should have had years ago. She and I have never had the chance to sit down and just talk to each other - I was hurt by some of the things she had done in the past and was absolutely not interested in trying to be friends with someone that, without better words, made my relationship with Husband HELL through the first six months. I've never had to fight so hard for something to stay consistent in my life.

But it was really good. We got some things straightened out, and things have definitely been easier since. We found out that our sweet little girl might have a small lying problem, and it's been hurting both sides of the relationship. Things are a little different than what I've been told, and I'm pretty sure it's the same way on the other side as well. Hopefully us fixing this will help with the lying.

'Real mom' and me are two very different people. I don't know that we'll ever be BFF's or whatever, but I do know it's a lot easier now than it was before. A lot of my resentment aimed at her is gone. All in all, it was good for us but ultimately really good for Punk. And that makes me happy.

On a somewhat unrelated note, 'real mom' got Punk a cell phone. And it scares me. I know the reasons and I know it was needed and I'm not upset about her having a phone, but knowing that she has one means that she's growing up. And that's what scares me! I don't want her to know how to text, because it means she's getting older. And smarter. And more mature. And more of her own person. (And closer to being a teenager... but that's an entirely different issue.) When did she get so big? We went to her dance recital last night, and she's such a good dancer. It made me so proud of her. She's going to be 9 in a few weeks! When did that happen? How did it happen so fast? Where did the time go? Is it always like this? Do you always lose the years so quickly? How do you make it slow down, or just stop entirely?

Crest Pro-Health Winner!

Alright, I get it. I'm a slacker. I know you've all been dying (what with your sensitive teeth and all) to find out the winner of the Crest Pro-Health package. Am I right or what? Anyway, the winner is...

Here are your random numbers:
21
Timestamp: 2010-05-07 16:54:38 UTC

Belinda M

Yay you! I've e-mailed you; make sure you respond before Sunday at midnight or I'll have to pick a new winner. Thanks to all that entered!

Things Remembered Review

Speaking of Mother's Day gifts...

MOM - if you are reading this, GO AWAY! I mean, not that this is what you're getting for Mother's Day, but seriously. Go away. Until next Monday. K love you!

Anyway, do you remember my review of Things Remembered? They sent me a gorgeous bracelet for review, and I loved it. I still love it. So, fast forward to a couple of weeks ago - Things Remembered contacted me to see if I wanted to do a review for Mother's Day. Heck yes! Take the hard part out of my hands any day! I chose to get this gorgeous Miracle of Life sterling silver necklace. (I wish I could post a picture of mine IRL but for some reason my computer gave up on life and won't let me pull pictures off of my camera. LAME!) I had them engrave "I'll love you forever..." on the back of the heart, because that's one of my Mom's favorite books and I thought it was fitting.



The necklace is super pretty and really high quality, and I know my Mom is going to love it. I think this would make the perfect gift for any Mother in your life, or even for a birthday or just as an amazing 'Thanks for being such a great Mom' gift anytime of the year. Things Remembered also has some other gorgeous pieces that would be perfect for Mom (check them out here)! And get shopping now, you're cutting it close! (Don't forget - Mother's Day is this Sunday!)

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother's Day is coming up - it's on May 9th - which is only a week away! AAAAH!!! If any of you are like me, you always wonder what to get your Mom for Mother's Day. I never know what she wants or needs, and sometimes I feel like just making a card and calling it done because I get frustrated.



Mom Central has taken the time to put together a really great gift guide full of some awesome ideas for all the Moms in your life. Not only that, but they are doing a whole bunch of giveaways, too! Just in time; what's better than getting Mom a great gift? Getting it for free. :) So, head on over and enter to win some great stuff for a Mom you know (even if that Mom is yourself... or me :) .)

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central. Mom Central entered my name in a random drawing to win a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate. (But I would have posted it anyway; I love the idea of a gift guide.)

The Princess and the Frog Review

Okay, so you should all totally get that I LOVE The Princess and the Frog! Not that I've already talked about it three times or anything...

Anyway, I did love this movie. It's already become one of my favorite Disney movies, and that's saying something since I've seen almost every Disney animated movie ever. (For reals, ever.) The music is great, the story is great; it's all pretty fantastic. It takes the ages-old story of the Princess kissing the frog and turning him into a Prince, places them in New Orleans, and makes it magic. (As if kissing a frog and turning him into a Prince wasn't already magic, but still.)

But, instead of him automatically turning into a Prince, she turns into a frog instead! Then they have to go together to find someone that can help them both become human again. They hate each other at the beginning, but may or may not end up in a different situation at the end (you know, without giving too much of the story away).

There are so many cute characters in this movie and it all ties together so well. Tiana is an amazing young lady who teaches kids that you should go for your dreams, even it takes a lot of hard work and time. Charlotte maybe doesn't teach anything, but she sure is funny! And Ray, the firefly - he was so freaking hilarious. Long story short? Please go buy this movie, if not for your kids, for yourself! It's super cute and very entertaining. It's kind of a Princess movie, but I think it strays from the typical Princess storyline enough for boys to love it, too. So get it.

And so you know, I was provided a review and a giveaway copy (already given away; go Tina!) by Click Communications. But that did not in any way effect my views or opinions! They are all my own and genuinely mine.