Glade Candles Holiday Collection Giveaway

Glade has a wonderful collection of special Holiday scented candles to help celebrate the warmth of the season in your home! We were lucky enough to receive the limited edition Bayberry Spice Scented Oil Candle Tin in the Bayberry Spice fragrance. These unique candles melt into a large pool of scented oil wax, quickly releasing fragrance into the air. As the whole room fills with fragrance, you can relax and enjoy the shimmering candlelight.

The collection features new, refillable Glade Scented Oil Candles decorative glass holder; refillable Glade Scented Oil Candles tins; and Glade candles 4 oz. jars. The tins come with a customized vent on the lids, so you can enjoy the fragrance of the holiday candles anytime.

Glade® Scented Oil Candles holders and refills are also sold separately for you to customize your fragrance experience. And when you make a purchase from the Glade Holiday Collection online, you will get a free download of holiday music!

But, you can also enter my giveaway to win a Holiday Candle From Glade! Please Note: It will be a 'surprise' from Glade as to which candle(s)the winner will be receiving!

To Enter:

Visit the Glade Holiday Collection and Leave me a comment telling me which candle you would love to receive. This is a required entry.

Extra Entries:

1. Tweet this giveaway for 5 extra entries!!

2. Become a fan of Happy Healthy Families on Facebook for 5 extra entries.

3. Follow me on Twitter for two extra entries.

4. Blog about the giveaway for two extra entries.


Nuts and Bolts:
Open to U.S. Addresses only.
Giveaway ends December 10th at 11:59 EST.
Winner will have 3 days to confirm or new winner will be drawn.
Winner will be notified by email.
Winner must follow first entry requirement or be disqualified.
Winner must have valid email address in profile or in comments.

"This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and SC Johnson, who provided the product for review and giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product."

alt="MckLinky Blog Hop" longdesc="http://www.mcklinky.com" / />

target="_blank">Click here to see the entire Blog Hop List....




Review And Giveaway: Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products


Have you thought about "going green" with your cleaning supplies? Have you tossed around the idea of getting "natural" cleansers for your home? And have you (like me!) procrastinated and kept using the chemical-based cleaning products you already have?

Look at these disturbing facts about household products:
  • According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers accidental poisonings occur in the home every 30 seconds.
  • The National Safety Council has reported that more children under four die of from accidental poisoning than are killed by guns.
  • A report by the EPA to Congress determined household cleaners three times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air pollution. (wow!)
  • Women who work from home and are more frequently exposed to household toxins and poor air quality are 50% more likely to develop cancer. (YIKES!)
  • Newborn infants have trace levels of toxic chemicals in their bodies, passed on by their mother’s exposure. (sad. freaking sad!)
I did not know these facts before I read about them on the Ecostore USA website. After reading them, and learning more about what products are truly "green and safe" as compared to what those 'big name brands' will often tout as 'green' but are not really, I am upset. Not so much with the manufacturers of all those unsafe cleaning products, but with myself. How much have I exposed my kids to with the household products around my house??

So I am truly grateful to Eco store for asking me to review their products. I have learned so much, and have changed my ways! I just regret not being more proactive about "Green Cleaning" sooner!

No Nasty Chemicals™ is the foundation of the entire product line and philosophy of Eco -Store. Take a look at this video from their website-




I received the Citrus Spray Cleaner and the Creme Cleanser to review. The ingredients in the Citrus Spray Cleaner are:

  • D-Limonene (from citrus)
  • Palm and coconut based non-ionic and anionic surfactants
  • Fatty acid derivative
  • Ethanol
  • Filtered water
And the Creme Cleanser uses only plant-based ingredients:

  • Water
  • Calcium carbonate (chalk)
  • Plant based anionic surfactants
  • Plant based glycerine
  • Plant base thickener
  • Xanthum gum
  • Lemon verbena oil
I specifically wanted to review the cream cleanser because I have a glass stove top that is so hard to keep clean and not scratched! I am always trying to find a product for it, and had yet to find one that really worked well. can be used everywhere from the bathroom to the stovetop. I found the creme cleanser was not at all gritty (just as promised,) and was gentle on my stove top. And I am happy to say I am in love with this stuff. Really, in love!

The spray cleaner was equally as impressive to me. I used it on my kitchen counters, bathroom counters, sinks and bathtub. I loved the shine it left (from the citrus, I'm guessing!), and the lack of "chemical" smell!!

I am so happy with these natural cleaning products, and I am so going to be buying more. Eco Store also offers baby products, hair products, pet products and bath and body products. Each of their over 100 products meets the most stringent environmental and sustainability standards. The guiding principle of every formulation is and will always be that the end product must not only be good for the user, but good for the planet.

And now is a perfect time to shop at Ecostore because they are having a

"Share the Love Holiday Sale"

and ALL of their plant and mineral based products are 40% off for the rest of the year. Plus there is free shipping on orders over $25.

THE GIVEAWAY!!

Win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Ecostore!
To enter (Mandatory Requirement), visit their website and leave me a comment telling me which product you'd be most interested in trying out.

EXTRA ENTRIES

1. Sign up for their No Nasty Chemicals Newsletter on the Ecostore blog at http://blog.ecostoreusa.com

2. Follow Ecostore on Twitter

3. Follow Ecostore on Facebook

4. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway (3 entries).

5, Favor HHF on Technorati.

6. Blog about this giveaway, and leave the url in a comment.

7. Join HHF on Facebook (3 entries)

8. Add HHF to your blogroll, or copy and paste the HHF badge to your sidebar.

And The details....

Open to U.S. Addresses.
The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to Ecostore via email. Winner will be drawn by Random.org and notified by email, and will have 36 hours to confirm. Please leave a valid email address with entry comment or link to active blog with valid email posted.

Giveaway will end December 12th at 11:59 EST.

A Family Christmas in Branson

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

Christmas is hands down my most favorite time of the year. I love everything about Christmas, from baking Christmas cookies, decorating the Christmas Tree, and watching Christmas movies. I always envision a perfect family Christmas (but with all the hustle and bustle, all my planning may not go so perfectly, LOL!), and with the Christmas packages that the Hilton Hotels of Branson are offering this year,I feel like they had me in mind!

For example, the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing is offering "It's A Wonderful Life" package starting at $329 per night that sounds wonderful! Not only does this package come with tantalizing discounts for all that holiday shopping and eating, there is also a spa treatment at the Aspire Medical Spa included (perfect for my daughter and I!) But I have to admit the package that really calls my name is the "Santa’s Coming to Town Package," starting at $189 per night. My kids would love Story Time with Mrs. Claus in the lobby of the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel and with Santa himself delivering presents, cookies and milk to guest’s rooms...the munchkin boys would be ecstatic! Both packages run from Nov 15 thru Dec 23,

It sounds picturesque and family inspired. Between carolers "decking the halls" with holiday music, and shops and restaurants decorated in festive Christmas lighting, visits with Mrs. Claus, spa treatments, and so much more, a Christmas in Branson sounds like a dream I would love to experience with my family!

SocialSpark Disclosure Badge

Review and Giveaway: The Mama Doni Band "Chanukah Fever" CD


Fun and silly, funky and happy are the best words to describe the music on Mama Doni's latest album, "Chanuka Fever: 12 Macca Beats for The Whole Family."

Mama Doni, aka Doni Zasloff Thomas, is a talented and hip mother of two young children, who has been immersed in Jewish life and music since she was a little girl. Sharing her passion with her preschool music students inspired Doni to start writing and recording her own songs, and in 2008 Mama Doni released her first album, "I Love Herring."

Winners of the Simcha Award at the 2008 International Jewish Music Festival, Amsterdam, The Mama Doni Band serves up happy joyful music in a wide variety of styles from reggae to rock with blends of Klezmer and even disco along with a few other genres mixed in.

My "review panel" (aka, my munchkin boys) and I were quite excited to listen to this cd. After all, who can resist some "good toe-tapping, hand clapping, all-out jumping and wiggling, goofy smiles ear to ear," music?? And that is exactly what Mama Doni has created, in my humble opinion (and my review panel's opinions!)

We had fun, sang along, giggled and grooved. That's what I love about this music....it makes my kids "happy in their tummies." And those words makes this mommy happy in her heart.

You can buy the Mama Doni's "Chanuks Fever" CD online  and put some smiles and "happy" in your families "tummies" too!

Or, WIN A COPY HERE!!

To Enter:
Visit the MamaDoni Website, and listen to the song selections from the Chanuka Fever CD. Leave me a comment telling me which is your favorite. (Ours, by unanimous agreement, was "Latke Man")


Extra Entries:

1. Join The Mama Doni Band Group Page on FaceBook (3 entries)


2. Tweet this contest and leave me a comment with url. ( get an extra entry for each day you tweet.)

3. Follow me on Twitter. (3 entries)

4. Become a fan of  Happy Healthy Families on FaceBook. (3 entries)

5. Follow my blog (widget  on left sidebar)


6. Paste the Happy Healthy Families Button on Your Sidebar or Add to Your Blog Roll.

7. Favorite Happy Healthy Families on Technorati.

8. Blog about this giveaway and leave me the url. (3 entries)

The Details:
Open to US addresses.
Contest ends December 9th at 11:59 est.
Winner will be drawn by Random.org, and notified by email.
Winner will have 3 days to confirm or new winner will be drawn.
Please leave valid email address or active blog link w/ valid email address.

I received a copy of the Mama Doni "Chanuka Fever CD" to review. I received no monetary compensation and all opinions expressed here are completely my own and my munchkin boys.

Make Money With Twitter!

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



Have you signed up for Sponsored Tweets with your Twitter account yet? I finally did, and I am excited to see what happens! I have been seeing the links and badges on other blogs, and have been curious for some time now. But alas, I am a certified procrastinator, and I put signing up on my list of "something to do tomorrow." Tomorrow finally came, hehe, and mow I am officially signed up!
 Picture-26-468x306
What I didn't know is that celebrities have signed up for this program, like  Kim Kardashian, Bob Vila, Sister Hazel and Leann Rimes. Also, Everything  is designed with ethics and safety in mind.They have a great   disclosure engine, referral program and API. (For which they are looking for twitter developers to use the API in new and unique ways.) Tweeters remain in complete control of their accounts at all times. They do not auto-inject ads; every tweet must be manually reviewed and approved by each tweeter, and there is  a strict Code of Ethics, which includes:

Mandatory Disclosure
Freedom of Authenticity,
Freedom of Choice
Transparency of Identity

It took me two minutes to sign up. All you need to do to sign up for sponsored tweets is to set your price, add a category and some keywords then wait for offers to from Advertisers. And when you receive offers, you always have the choice of accepting or rejecting them. Simple. I am so excited and can't wait to see how this goes!



SocialSpark Disclosure Badge

Let Go of Those Eggos!!



There is trouble a-brewing in frozen waffle land : There is an Eggo Waffle Shortage. Shocking, I know and maybe a tad frightening for all us mommies  who depend on those frozen miracles of breakfast entrees on crazy school mornings (and weekend mornings too.......so I'm not the "hot pancakes on the griddle type mom....what can I say??)

So if you have noticed an empty space in the freezer section at the market....where normally you would find the "Chocolate Chip Eggo Waffles, and The Blueberry Eggo Waffles," and such.....get used to it. And/or find a substitute for the toaster. Kelloggs has posted this statement at the top of their website:

"Some of your favorite Eggo products are out of stock nationally. We are working hard to fix this short-term issue." 

Will it really be short-term however?  I think not. Kelloggs also has a statement saying that this dreaded waffle shortage could last......ready?.......Eight Months! Ack.

So now you are probably feeling sad for my kids. Frozen waffles for breakfast? What kind of mother feeds her hungry children frozen waffles.

I have just this to say:

Sometimes I let my kids eat waffles for lunch too.,


Thankfully, Kelloggs  understands my angst, and have left these words of comfort as well:


"Eggo is working around the clock to bring everyone's favorite waffles back to store shelves as quickly as possible.  We hope to regain full distribution of Eggo products by the middle of 2010. This is a top priority for Kellogg Company."

I feel better. Top priority . Thank-you Kelloggs!

Tweet A Cause For Make A Wish!



This is just a wonderful and truly awesome way to share the spirit of love and joy this holiday season!  LeapFish has joined forces with the Make-a-Wish Foundation to adopt an ill child’s dream and help make that dream come true. Tweet-a-Cause, a social media fundraising initiative, will give Twitter users the power to grant an ill child’s dream to go to Disneyland, one Tweet at a time. LeapFish will donate 5 cents per Tweet to the Make-A-Wish Foundation until $10,000 has been raised and the child and his family can go to Disneyland.

 

Meet Jacob!  Jacob, age 4, has a rare and life-threatening disease that has affected him since birth. He has one big wish in life –- to go to Disneyland with his family.  LeapFish and the Make-a-Wish Foundation have joined forces to help him achieve his wish through Twitter. With just a simple tweet, we can all the Greater Bay Area Make- A -Wish Foundation raise $10,000 to send Jacob and his family to Disneyland for a week!

All you have to do is go to tweet-a-cause,and click on the "Tweet Now" button. That's it. Your tweet will be sent and matched with a $.05 cent donation from LeapFish! And there is a "Progress Meter" on the tweet-a-cause page that you can check to see how close we are getting to the goal of $10,000 and sending Jacob to Disneyland!

The campaign will run from November 16 through November 27, 2009. LeapFish will match each Tweet with 5 cents to a target of $10,000 which will get Jacob and his family to Disneyland.

Let's all help Jacob get his wish. 

Post?slot_id=88382&url=http%3a%2f%2fsocialspark

Oxfam America Unwrapped




Christmas is an exciting time for most families, and it is definitely a time when my kiddos cannot wait to ask Santa for just about every toy they have seen on TV the last month. My daughter, who is 12, is just as anxious and excited to see what "goodies" she can get this Christmas as her two younger brothers. It does bother me, alot, to see such materialism around the holidays. And I always look for ways to help my children understand how fortunate they are and how we should all do what we can to help those less fortunate.
 Oxfam America Unwrapped has provided a way for my daughter and I to help another family or entire community this season, and for my daughter to experience the wonderful feeling of giving. When you buy a gift from OxfamGifts.com, your recipient gets a card with the image of your specific gift and the money goes toward providing lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice in over 100 countries.
It is simple. You select a gift from the 60 items they have. From a school meal program for one child for only $25.00 to rebuild a primary school for $1500, there is a gift for everyone that will be the perfect one.
After you select the gift, you’ll receive a free card with the image of your specific gift. You can personalize the card online and have it sent directly to your friend or loved one. Or you can have the card delivered to you to write your own message.

Your donation will go to the people who need it, and where it will have the greatest impact: to improve the lives of people living in poverty. Oxfam America is committed to creating lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and social injustice.
Our family has much to be grateful for. No, things are not perfect, and there are many problems we deal with daily. But I know in my heart we are very lucky and blessed, and all of us take so much granted everyday. I hope everyone can take a look at the Oxfam site, and help provide things, water, for instance, for those in need.
And to see  how your donation affects the lives of people around the world, log on to the Oxfam America Unwrapped website and click on the “How your donation helps” section.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Oxfam America Unwrapped and received a credit for a gift on the Oxfam site.

Kelloggs Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks With Fiber: Review


The kiddlets and I were recently recruited for a Kelloggs Taste Test between Kelloggs regular Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks, and their new fiber-added cereal versions. Tough as this assignment would be (yes, I am giggling here) on my family, they all courageously agreed to be involved.

Seriously, when the package of Kellogg Cereals was delivered to us, you would have thought Santa himself had made the delivery. My munchkin boys could not have had bigger smiles plastered on their faces. And my 5 year old knew...just knew...that he was going to be allowed to indulge in his favorite cereals, because after all, it had something to do with mommy's work. Smart kid.

Inside the big box, we found boxes of  Kelloggs cereals. We had the regular Fruit Loops, the regular Apple Jacks, and boxes of Apple Jacks with fiber, and  Fruit Loops with Fiber. Four big family- sized boxes of cereal. I believe I saw tears in my children's eyes for a minute. We normally are an oatmeal kind of breakfast family. We do get cereal, but not as an everyday breakfast option. I have found my boys to be so much more pleasant to be around when their sugar content is low. Very low. But they love "cereal mornings" when we have them! And they are in heaven when on occasion I let them have a snack with cereal.

Anyhoo. Back to the taste test. I decided to do this test over a few days time instead of all at once. So the first day I gave the boys the regular Fruit Loops and the regular Apple Jacks. No surprises here. They were very happy and gobbled up their cereal, making sure to drink up the milk at the bottom of their bowls. (Which I might add, is one of the perks in serving cereal to my kids....it can be difficult to get them to drink milk these days.)

 The next morning I substituted the Fiber added cereals for the regular cereals without mentioning this fact to the taste testers, of course. Again, no surprises. All was bliss as the kids munched contentedly on their cereals, and again, the milk was slurped up. Hmm. I next decided to pour two bowls of cereal for the hubby. One was Fruit Loops regular, the other with Froot Loops with Fiber. I had him take bites of each without telling him which was which. He enjoyed both bowls, and could not say which bowl had the fiber and which didn't. Hmmm. So I then had the hubby pour me two bowls. I tasted both bowls, and while it was more a guess than a "know for sure" thing, I did pick out which bowl had the fiber-added cereal. But both bowls of cereal were yummy as usual.

The following morning I gave my kids the regular Apple Jacks (did I mention how happy my kids were during the test tasting days???). All smiles and empty bowls. Next day was the fiber-added Apple Jacks. Again.....happiness and milky chins prevailed at the breakfast table. No complaints. No left-over cereal in the bowls. Nada. Just kids asking for rmore. Which they did not get.

Again my hubby and I did our part. And again the hubby had no clue. And this time I could not tell any difference. Both bowls of Apple Jacks tasted the same to me.

So as a mom, I appreciate the added fiber Kelloggs added to the cereals. While I still will limit how much and how often my kids eat cereal, I can honestly say that when I buy Kelloggs cereals, I will have no problem picking the Fiber Added cereal over the regular.

Read more about the importance of fiber in our diets, and Kelloggs' nutrition, here.



"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Kellogg’s and received boxes of Froot Loops and Apple Jacks and a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate."

My Christmas Registry: Small Talk Six


I am doing Mom Dot's "Small Talk Six" Meme this Saturday, and the topic this week  is to name “6 stores at which you wish you could register for Christmas presents for yourself.”

Hmm.

Trisha says this should be so easy.

Not so for me. Why? Because I never seem to shop by myself anymore and I really am not sure where the cool stuff is anymore. Motherhood.

Anyway, I picked my brain and this is what I came up with (no laughing, please):

1. Target

2. Pottery Barn

3. Barnes and Noble 

4. Nordstoms

5. Macys

6. A reputable plastic surgeon's office. ( I have some crow's feet and assorted other wrinkles I could do without. And I have always wanted some lips. Real lips, not so much Angelina Jolie lips, but something more than these thin pretend lips of mine!)

So there you have it. My Christmas store wish list. Where would you like your presents to come from this year? Head over to Trisha's place and share in the fun!

Winners of Soup Plantation/Sweet Tomatoes Giveaway


Congratulations to the three winners of the Souplantation/Sweet Tomates Giveaway!

The Demille's said... I follow you on Twitter (#5)

amweeks said... I tweeted! http://twitter.com/amweeks/status (#25)

annalene said... following on twitter (#18)

Look for confirmation emails from me!!

Thanks to all who entered!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

18
25
5
Timestamp: 2009-11-13 17:33:16 UTC

Christmas Countdown.....Already??


Oh my. We still have Halloween decor (shh...) up around our house, trick or treat candy about, and I'm thinking about turkeys, pumpkin pies, and doing some much needed house cleaning for Thanksgiving....but yet that is not enough . Nope. I am reminded with every commercial, every store I enter, and even by my kids with their constant, "oooh...I want that for Christmas!", that I need to be on Christmas countdown already!

That was a long run-on sentence, wasn't it? Oh Well. I'm stressed, so I'll allow it!

Anyhoo-back to counting down the days til Old St. Nick arrivees (the good thing about all this holiday stuff is that I get to bribe, blackmail and otherwise coerce my munchkin boys to behave themselves or deal with the possibility of Santa not coming to our house. I can be mean. Yes I can!)

Yes....back to the countdown. Ah. Christmas cards. I am going to mail Christmas cards this year. I promise myself this every year, but alas, do not always put a stamp where my mouth is. You know what I'm saying here, right?? But I am going to order my cards now...today....from Tiny Prints, whom I am happy to share with you, is having a christmas card sale going on right now. Yes. Now. A November sale on cards so that you can get them ordered, delivered, and mailed out by early December. Like me.

So yes, while I pack away cobwebs, spiders, and scary scarecrows, while I mentally prepare my Thanksgiving day menu, while I put out all those orange and brown turkey bathroom towels, I am also on Christmas countdown.

Did I mention I am stressed today????

Oh. One more thing. There are 45 days till Christmas.

VeggieTales Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving


My munchkin boys are always ready willing and eager to watch a VeggieTales video, and when it is a Christmas one to boot...well, they were excited as could be when this DVD arrived at our house! Mom too, I admit it.

In Veggie Tales Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving, the Veggies discover the true joy of giving to others -- at Christmas time and throughout the year! As a mom to three kids that all are very enamored with the idea of receiving more than of giving, I so appreciated the lesson in this Veggie Tales movie. With Christmas fast approaching and the stores filling up with "must have" toys and computers and such, it is so nice to be able to share some moments with my children helping them to remember the true spirit of Christmas.

A quick synopsis of the movie:

Laura Carrot's Christmas stocking might be empty this year because her dad is in danger of losing his job. While Larry thinks a letter to the North Pole should fix the problem, Bob knows what will really help ... and tells the story of a little boy named Nicholas who made a discovery in Bethlehem that changed Christmas forever. But what did Nick learn and how can it possibly help Laura and her family?!

Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving is the first new holiday DVD title to be released in seven years. It debuted on October 6th to the general market and features favorite characters such as Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber. This DVD also introduced the first new VeggieTales character in five years, Nicky the Pepper.

As a very special holiday bonus, when you purchase the Saint Nicholas DVD, you will receive a FREE VeggieTales DVD to give to a friend in need! Through this offer inside the DVD, consumers can log onto a special website and select the free VeggieTales DVD they would like to send to a friend with only $2.99 shipping and handling. You can buy the DVD along with some great Saint Nicholas stocking stuffers at Big Idea’s website.

Thanks to Family Review Network as part of a program for Big Idea,for providing the DVD for review. This was not a paid post and the opinions stated within are my own.

Winner of My Yoga 2 Go!!


Here are your random numbers:

15

Timestamp: 2009-11-08 22:36:22 UTC


Amy said... I favorited your blog on Technorati.

Congratulations Amy! Watch for an email coming shortly.
Thanks to everyone who entered!

The Suburban Outlaw: Tales from the Edge


Pam Sherman is The Suburban Outlaw. What is a "Suburban Outlaw?" In Pam's own words, she (or he) is someone willing to live her life fully both for her family and for herself. A Suburban Outlaw has a city vibe, while living a suburban life, and a drive and an energy that goes a little faster. She has an edge in the best possible way: the ability to explore, dream, grow and excite.

I love how Pam shares all in her book, The Suburban Outlaw: Tales from the Edge. I admire how she packed up and left New York...her very ideal of comfort, and ended up in suburbia, complete with picket fences and snow. I envy Pam the adventures she fully embraces in life; I wonder if I would do the same and if so, with as much humor and grace?

In 2005, Pam began writing a regular bi-monthly column, "The Suburban Outlaw", for Rochester Magazine. Her book is a compilation of all the published columns. In a way, reading her book is somewhat like reading a blog that is is just so funny, heart-warming and real that you can't wait to read the next entry.

Pam relates her everyday life as she deals with the chaos of marriage, parenthood and family that made me feel like she was talking about my life at times. I think that is one of the best parts of this book: we as moms and wives can see so much of ourselves in Pam's narratives, and laugh and cry as we read along. It is hysterical to read about Pam's hairdresser woes, and poignant when she shares about losing a fellow Suburban Outlaw, Cherie, to cancer. I really found this book impossible to let go of once I started reading it.

What a fantastic present this book would make a for any mom on your holiday gift list. But first, give yourself a treat and buy a copy. Enjoy on a night when the kiddos are tucked in bed, and you have a warm cup of hot chocolate, and the hubbs is well-occupied with football or some such thing. It is seriously a read that you will love, become a part of, and probably even dream about and chuckle in your sleep over!!

You can read more about Pam (including her own blog) at http://www.suburbanoutlaw.com or follow her on Twitter. The Suburban Outlaw is available at Amazon for $19.95.

Thank-you to Pam Sherman and Parent Reviewers for providing this book for review.

Mythbusters Weird World of Water

Science has always intimidated me. It's true. But thankfully my munchkin boys seem to have inherited their dad's penchant for experimenting, questioning and general inquisitiveness overall. Especially my five year old. He wonders about everything, and questions everything non stop.

We were recently sent the awesome Mythbusters Weird World of Water Kit from the Mythbusters Science Exploration Kit series, brought to you by the makers of Elmer’s Glue, to review. I was really excited when I knew this kit was on its' way to us, because I had little doubt that this was going to be as exciting for my hubby as it would be for my sons. So I kept this review a secret until the day the kit arrived. The timing could not have been better actually, because my five year old had been sick with the flu and bored as could be. (We have all been since bitten with the flu bug, one after the next...hence my lateness with this review post and general absence from my blog as well. Sigh.)

But back to the review. My son was so excited when he saw this kit. He is only 5, but he loves experiments of all kinds already, and he and his dad are forever making things and testing them out. I let him open the kit and check out the items in it,but meany mom that I am (hehe), I did have him wait for his dad to come home from work before actually trying anything out. Believe me, that would have been one pouty man had I not waited for him!

About the kit itself:

With the Elmer's Mythbusters Weird World of Water Science Exploration Kit, kids will uncover the mysteries of water. It freezes and boils and turns into gas. Is there anything it can't do? Can it suck a ship down the drain? Can it blast a rocket into space? This kit can help you solve these questions and many more.

So when the two "men" got their heads together to decide which experiment to try out first, hands down the water rocket was the winner. Oh my gosh, did the two of them have fun. And of course my three year old got in on the action too. When it came time to launch their rocket, my 5 year old could hardly contain himself - he was beyond excited to see what would happen. When my crew took their water rocket outside to try it out, we had neighboring dads and kids joining in the fun. Then when it actually worked, the high fives and smiles were enough to think that a space launch had occurred! And perhaps the best part of all is the that the rocket launch can be done again and again and again!! Which, believe me, it has!

This is a great idea for kids of all ages. As long as younger ones have adult supervision, the activities and experiments are a fantastic way to encourage kids to get involved in science and to use their imagination as they guess potential outcomes. I loved how it my husband and my five year old engaged in discussing and speculating as they worked. I can understand (and agree!) how The Weird World of Water Science Kit recently became the winner of the FamilyFun Magazine 2009 T.O.Y. Award!

The Weird World of Water Kit includes:
  • 15 yellow beads
  • 3 pieces of balsa wood
  • 2 soda bottles and caps
  • 1 clear cylinder
  • 1 clear straw
  • 1 clear tube
  • 1 fin holder
  • 1 funnel
  • 1 nose cone
  • 1 pipette
  • Glitter
  • Red food coloring
  • Yellow food coloring
  • Stopper assembly
  • Votex connector
Almost everything needed to do the various water projects. For the water rocket, we needed to supply the baking soda and vinegar, but that was it. And for the fun and learning this one project alone provided, it is well worth providing the vinegar and baking soda! I think this is a wonderful gift for kids and I am very intrigued now with their other kits available--- Mythbusters Force of Flight Science Kit and Mythbusters Power of Air Pressure Science Kit. Each kit is available for $19.95 at the Discovery Store, or all 3 sets can be purchased together for $49.99.

When learning is fun, and gets parents and kids involved together, that is priceless. And that is exactly what our science kit did.


This kit was send to me free of charge from Team Mom, no monetary compensation was given. The thoughts and opinions are based on our experience with the product and were not influenced by any other source.

@2023 HappyHealthyFamilies.com. All Rights Reserved.

@2023 HappyHealthyFamilies.com. All Rights Reserved.