Blendtec Designer Series Wildside Blender Giveaway! {Ends 7/9}

Welcome to the Blendtec Designer Series Wildside Blender giveaway!

I have teamed up with Kate n' Kaboodle to celebrate the final giveaway in her Funtastic Summer Event. The Funtastic Summer Event started June 10th with dozens of fun, summer themed giveaways! You can find all the giveaways here!

The Blendtec Designer Series Wildside Blender is the Swiss Army Knife of Blenders because it can do the job of many appliances. It’s a whole juicer, a meat grinder, a latte machine, a bread mixer, an ice cream maker, a grain mill, coffee grinder, milkshake mixer, and a blender all in one!

The sleek design features an illuminated, easy to read, touch screen with universal icons. This enables effortless selection of blend cycles. Blendtec created pre-programmed blending cycles to to produce optimum results for a wide range of blending tasks. Making a smoothie is as easy as a touch of a button! Just add your ingredients and press the "smoothie" icon!

 

Want total control? The revolutionary new slider interface gives you absolute control over your blender’s speed. Touch anywhere on the slider to jump right to any speed, and slide your finger up and down to fine tune your blend.

The Wildside Jar is BPA free and has a total volume of 90 fl oz. Clean up is a breeze with the flat, sealed, touch area and smooth motor base design. Just wipe it off with a damp cloth! No more messy buttons! The small, sleek design allows the Blendtec Designer Series Blender to fit under most cabinetry so it is easily accessible.

This blender is more than a pretty face! With over 1500 watts of power, the commercial grade motor is the most powerful motor available for home use. The Blendtec blender is build for speed and power! The precision-machined socket connects directly to the motor, resulting in a finely-balanced motor assembly. This reduces vibration and noise, which is critical at the motor speeds you will see with the Blendtec. The air-flow design keeps the blender cooler enabling the blender to have a longer life.

Want to see the Blendtec Blender in action? Check out all Kate n' Kaboodle's Blendtec reviews!

Make sure you also check out all the giveaways in Kate n' Kaboodle's Funtastic Summer Event!

Connect

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Buy It

The Blendtec Designer Series Wildside Blender can be purchased on the Blendtec site for $499.95.

Win It

One very lucky reader is going to win the Blendtec Designer Series Wildside Blender, a $500 value!

Open to U.S only.

Monthly Subscription Boxes :: Sprig Review & Coupon Code

Sprig is a subscription service that sends you a monthly tasting experience of healthy snacks and goodies. The people at Sprig are passionate about living a healthy lifestyle, so they like to focus on including artisanal, natural, organic, gluten-free, vegan and local foods from like-minded, small to medium size businesses. Just like other similar services offering healthy snacks sent to your door, this is a wonderful option for busy families seeking to still eat as healthy as possible at home and on the go.

What's Inside?
I received "The Snacker" Sprig box which includes 25-30 servings for $55.95. Here are all the goodies my box included!

• Sweet Curry Sprouted Sunflower Seeds by Kaia Foods - Interesting to say the least! I tasted more of the cumin and cayenne in these than the curry, but overall they are a nice snack. They have a bit of spicy heat to them so I was able to stop short of eating too many and was actually share these. :)
• Original Caveman Cookies - Soft, ooey goodness! Most gluten-free cookies I've tried are hard and crunchy, but I prefer chewy cookies like this! Although not your normal oatmeal raisin style cookie, for being gluten-free and with very few ingredients, these are excellent.
• Kopali Organics, Organic Dark Chocolate Covered Cacao Nibs & Organic Dark Chocolate Cover Banana - Oh wow. Satisfied my chocolate cravings real quick! Chocolate and banana is one of my favorite combos of all time, so of course that was my favorite of the two. But I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the cacao nibs were not too bitter, although I'm sure the yummy chocolate covering helped!
• 479 Popcorn, Fluer de Sel Caramel & Black Truffle + White Cheddar - We're big popcorn lovers in this house! 479 Popcorn is quite gourmet and gives the added bonus of being gluten-free, and containing no GMO's. Loved the rich buttery caramel flavor of the Fluer de Sel and the Black Tuffle + White Cheddar is a more savory mix that is flavorful but nice and light.
• Sticks & Twigs Pretzels by Mary's Gone Crackers (two bags) - Yay for gluten-free pretzels! Phew, I feel like I can make this lifestyle work with all these options. I'm very happy with how these taste, the crunchy texture, and even Buddy loves them.
• Peeled Snacks, 1 bag each of Banan-a-peel, Apple-2-the-core, much-ado-about-Mango, and pine-4-Pineapple - Peeled Snacks is a tried and true company that never disappoints. You really can't go wrong with organic dried fruit!
• Hail Merry, 2 each of Vanilla Maple Almonds & Orange Rosemary Pecans - Sweet and heavenly. That's how I'd describe the Vanilla Maple Almonds! The Orange Rosemary Pecans have a hint of sweet but are a bit more savory and are great as a mid-morning snack.
• Somersaults, 1 bag each of Dutch Cocoa, Santa Fe Salsa, Cinnamon Crunch & Pacific Sea Salt - 100% natural, sunflower seed snacks. Unfortunately these contain gluten so Buddy has been eating these for me! Heck, if a 3 1/2 year old will eat them, they must be good!
• Bumble Bar, 1 each of Chocolate Crisp, Amazing Almond, and Original Peanut -I've always wanted to try these! The Chocolate Crisp was nice and mild but flavorful. The Amazing Almond tasted like a bunch of brown sugar? But is was still delicious. The Original Peanut has a hint of brown sugar with a nice peanut finish. I like them all for different reasons, and really can't choose a favorite! They're a great gluten-free snack on the go.

Can you tell we enjoyed our Sprig box?! Excellent box and certainly a positive experience as Sprig intends. I really enjoyed being able to sample multiple flavors and varieties of the same product or brand too. I just started eating gluten-free since I appear to have a gluten intolerance (time will tell), so I was unable to try the Somesaults. However, the rest of the snacks were gluten-free which is extremely exciting for me personally!

I have actually seen every single brand that was in my box, although I haven't tried all of them before. I would have liked to see some much smaller, lesser known companies that I've never heard of before, but I still really enjoyed the variety of snacks. Sprig definitely has a handle on providing a good mix of sweet and savory, different textures and types of snacks. 


As far as value goes I don't think the product values add up quite to $55.95, but it's not that far off and you are paying for a service to get these yummy curated snack boxes organized and sent to you. I definitely got a little more than 30 servings though! Some services boast major savings like $50 value for just $20 etc, and that doesn't need to be the case for every monthly subscription service. It's not all about getting a deal but more about receiving high quality products that were promised and healthy ones at that. For me, Sprig is completely worth trying out and I don't have to run to the health food store and randomly pick out something I might not enjoy. The products you receive will change each month, but my box is a great example of what Sprig has to offer. I loved my Sprig box and will definitely be buying a lot of these snacks again!

Subscription Options: 3 options to choose from as seen below. Free shipping on all options, a 100% Money Back Guarantee and cancel at anytime. Boxes ship out on the 10th of each month.

A "Mini Snacker" box option with 17-20 servings is coming out in July!

Sprig is working on their e-commerce site which will allow customers to purchase the snacks in their boxes directly!

Exclusive Coupon Code: Take 15% off with code SAVE15! Offer expires 8/31/12
 

Connect with Sprig on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

 

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product(s) to facilitate this review for free. No other compensation was received. This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

FREDS SWIM ACADEMY SWIMTRAINER :: Now Available at ThanksMama.com! Review & Giveaway {Ends 7/6}

Teaching your child to swim can often be frustrating for parents, and many times it's a scary experience for young children too. Lucky for me it won't be either of those this summer because I have the SWIMTRAINER "Classic" from FREDS SWIM ACADEMY.

FREDS SWIM ACADEMY makes Germany's number one swim training tool, the SWIMTRAINER "Classic". It's now available in the USA from ThanksMama.com, an online cloth diaper and natural parenting store that I recently reviewed some cloth trainers from. I'm really excited that they found the SWIMTRAINER and started offering it in their store! It's definitely a product that every parent should try! The SWIMTRAINER is a three stage learning system that starts with infants as early as 3 months! The SWIMTRAINER offers babies and children:

• Ideal swimming position in the water
• Fast and easy to put on with clip fastener
• Inflatable pads to prevent slipping through
• Adjustable safety belt to prevent tipping forwards

I was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to review the SWIMTRAINER. When we go to the pool I end up holding Buddy and trying to get him to use his "kickers" and "scoopers" as we go. It's no fun for him, or me. And quite frankly, my back doesn't enjoy holding an almost-40-pounder in the water! The SWIMTRAINER "Classic" in Orange that we received is the second stage of the SWIMTRAINER learning system and is best for approximately 33-65 lbs. At this stage it helps teach correct arm and leg movements while providing an ideal swimming position in the water. It took only a minute to blow up each air chamber by mouth and we were ready to hop in the pool!

On the left you can see the white thin air chamber on his belly. This helps lift his body up so he's lying more on his stomach in the water instead of just up and down. It also helps get him in the right position for real swimming. The straps can be adjusted in the back so that they keep your child from putting too much weight in the front which can make them tip over. The white air chambers on each side of him as seen on the right help keep Buddy from slipping through. The orange tube is open in the back so his little bottom can get up high on top of the water. 

Now, Buddy is usually quite timid about the pool. He loves the water and has been asking every day to swim, but, for example, he doesn't like it when we try to teach him how to hold on to the side and we let go for a second. It's completely understandable for him to feel like that, but it's also not creating a positive experience that fosters learning. But, the SWIMTRAINER holds him securely, giving him a positive experience, and the freedom to move around and figure out how it feels to swim without being held up by mom or dad. Watch this little clip I took just 5 minutes after we got in the pool with the SWIMTRAINER for the first time.

 This is the first time WE as parents have had a little more independence while in the pool with our son! No more holding required! Of course the SWIMTRAINER is no substitute for watching your child closely, we just didn't need to have our hands on him at all times. That means more freedom for everyone for a more enjoyable time at the pool! It also means Buddy is learning how to swim in a more effective way (and mom won't have to stress about it anymore!). 

Be sure to check out the entire selection of natural parenting and baby products from Thanks Mama. This family owned store offers budget- and eco-friendly products for cloth diapering, potty training, swim diapers, natural baby care, baby carriers, bibs, toys, nursery furniture and bedding, strollers and much more. With a price and safe guarantee, free shipping on orders over $60 within the USA, 90-day easy returns, frequents promotions and sales, and a rewards program, this is a wonderful online source for natural-preferring mamas everywhere.

Connect with Thanks Mama :: Facebook and Twitter

Connect with SWIMTRAINER :: Facebook

Price: SWIMTRAINER "Classic" - $24.90

Buy It: Check out ThanksMama.com or click HERE to purchase today!

Win It!

One winner will receive a SWIMTRAINER "Classic"!

7 Simple Tips for Traveling With Little Ones This Summer {Giveaway - Ends 7/5}

It's officially summer! I know it was hard for me to do much of anything when Buddy came along, but I quickly learned that your travel plans shouldn’t be forgotten just because you’ve become a parent! Sure, there are a few more things to pack and plan for, but with this little checklist of “mom-on-the-go essentials,” you'll be ready for your vacation in no time. It also gets easier each time you do travel, so don't hold back! Here are some strategies and simple packing tips (complete with product recommendations!) that will make traveling with your little one a success and maybe even something you can do again AND even enjoy!

1. Carry a functional and chic diaper bag that holds it all. The Amore Tote from Ty Lucas Baby has all of the features a busy mom needs, making traveling easy with two oversized, front-flap pockets with magnetic closures, numerous zipper compartments and ample storage. The lining material and the fold-up changing pad contain Agion technology, keeping everything clean and bacteria-free, perfect for mom and baby. www.tylucasbaby.com
 


2. Have an extra blanket or swaddle to help your child sleep comfortably. aden+anais swaddles are made of 100 percent breathable muslin cotton, which creates plenty of warmth for the baby without overheating. The blanket is 47” by 47” and its generous size allows them to easily be used as a lightweight blanket, a swaddling wrap, a stroller or nursing cover, a car seat liner, and a burp cloth. Great for cold airplanes and stuffy cars. www.adenandanais.com
 


3. Make your life easier with a functional baby seat. This month, bloom introduced the coco go™, a 3-in-1 lounger, rocker/bouncer and fixed upright seat adjustable to three easy-to-activate recline positions (fully reclined lie-flat, semi-reclined and fixed--upright). Coco go's removable and machine washable soft-touch seat pads come in three warm, organic tones and cleverly conceal a two-speed vibration unit. Front and rear retractable feat are concealed in the formed birch wood base allowing for a fixed base in all three recline modes if desired. Coco go effortlessly folds completely flat to 4.5in/12cm and, weighing in at just 7.5lbs/3.4kg it fits perfectly into the included high-quality custom bloom coco go carry bag making coco go perfect for life on the move. www.bloombaby.com

 

4. Pack plenty of extras in case of messy accidents. An extra change of clothes is a must, so your baby might as well be cute and cool in a PAIGELAUREN Baby romper, which comes in amazing colors like turquoise and passion. www.paigelaurenbaby.com Another great item to always have on hand is an aden+anais burpy bib. They are extremely absorbent and keep everything clean.

 

5. Protect your skin and be prepared for weather changes. Traveling can make skin extra sensitive and very dry so we always recommend using chapstick and sunscreen, but there are times when you might need a little bit more relief. exederm makes a flare control cream that creates fast soothing relief of itchy, dry skin. Great for babies and toddlers and free of parabens, fragrance and dyes. www.exederm.com

 


6. You always need to have diapers and wipes of course! The Honest Co. makes great plant-based diapers and wipes that are biodegradable and disposable making them great for traveling and good for the environment as well.

7. Keep your children entertained and educated throughout summer trips because this will help you stay sane as well! School Zone Publishing offers Little Busy Books which are designed to keep little minds and hands productive, these tablet-sized, travel-friendly books have tear-off pages filled with activities that sharpen essential skills, such as recognizing color words, identifying basic shapes, completing picture patterns, identifying words and new vocabulary, and understanding letter sounds and more.  www.schoolzone.com

Win It!

One winner will receive an aden+anais single swaddle and exederm Flare Control Cream!

Winners Announcement!!

The winner of the Paper Hat Press Custom-Made book giveaway is...
  
Rafflecopter Entry #635 Aimee L.!

The winner of the Lakeshore Learning $25 GC giveaway is...
  
Rafflecopter Entry #44 Fawn H.!

The winners have been contacted by email! Congratulations to you both!

 

Monthly Subscription Boxes :: Goodebox Review

Goodebox is a monthly subscription service that sends you healthy, sustainable beauty products to your door each month. Recognizing the concerns and preferences of many consumers today, this company curates a box of products that are non-toxic, innovative, effective beauty and personal care products, and wellness goods. They appear to prefer eco-friendly, vegan, and fragrance free products too. June's box was even expertly curated by natural beauty expert and professional "natural" make-up artist, Jessa Blades.

What's Inside?

Each month your Goodebox will include 6-7 (sometimes more) trial-size products and also exclusive discounts from each included brand so you can purchase full size products if you choose. There is a tri-fold card inside with full details of each included product, and even a bio of the boxes' curator.

• Cleansing Milk & Make-up Remover by Dr. Hauschka - I didn't even open the box after reading the ingredients. This one includes fragrance, an ingredient I do not want on my skin and was very surprised to see.
• 100% Organic Argan Oil by Kahina - I've never tried Argan Oil before, so this was definitely a new type of product for me. It's rich in Vitamin E and antioxidants and actually absorbed pretty well into my skin after washing my face.
• Antioxidant Mask by Kahina - I love a good, gritty mask and this is definitely an effective one! My skin was very soft and refreshed after using this. I also love that many ingredients are organic and overall it's quite natural. Smells great too!
• Petal Fresh Original Aburatorigami by Tatcha - These oil-absorbing little sheets are AMAZING and worked like a charm! I tend to get a bit of a greasy face by the end of the day. Rather than putting on some finishing powder to absorb it this is a much better option for my skin and I'm not adding any more make-up. Made with 100% Abaca Leaf and gold flakes, these are completely natural and even handmade in Japan!
• Solar Translucent Bronzer by Vapour Organic Beauty - This moist bronzer feels similar to a lip balm as you apply to your face. It didn't look fake or orange-y like many bronzers I have tried before. Since I have very fair skin, it's hard for me to find a bronzer shade that looks natural, but this one was quite close despite how dark it looks in the photo below (the middle one)!
• Eyeliner Pencil by Zosimos Botanicals - This full size pencil came in Larkspur Blue, a very deep, dark blue shade (apparently). I have tried and tried to see the blue, but it looks almost black to me! This is good since blue is a color I'd never even consider wearing, so I can enjoy this one! It's vegan, pretty natural, and goes on smooth.
  
•  Acai Berry tea by Zhena's Gypsy Tea - Healthy bodies make healthy skin, so antioxidant rich teas such as this are a wonderful way to start the day. Rich flavor and 100% biodegradable couture corn silk sachets.
  
• UpCycled Bear Naked Pouch by TerraCycle - Very cute little makeup bag! It zips at the top and is made from Bear Naked Granola wrappers. With this bag they are kicking off their Beauty Packaging Recycling program. You can earn points for sending in your cosmetics and beauty packaging and when you accrue enough you will earn an extra bonus sample in your next Goodebox!

My box actually had 8 items inside, and to my surprise, not all were just trial-size! The Petal Fresh Original Aburatorigami oil-absorbing sheets came in a full-size package of 30, which is a $12 retail value. The Eyeliner Pencil was also full size and retails for $15! These two are definitely products I will use to the very end, and if I continue to see the same results I've seen so far, will buy from the companies when these are gone.

As far as the healthy aspect of Goodebox, I love the concept. I'm all about natural, safe, eco-conscious beauty and skincare. But I also feel that the Cleansing Milk & Make-up Remover by Dr. Hauschka that I received did not belong in the box. As I mentioned above, this product contained "fragrance" as an ingredient, something that I try to stay away from completely. I don't find synthetic fragrances to ever be healthy and don't feel this was a wise choice for Goodebox at all. I'm also surprised to see this product in here because even on the Goodebox site it says "fragrance free for my sensitive skin" under the Expertly Curated & Customized For You area. I'm hoping that Goodebox will be more diligent about ensuring nothing with fragrance makes it into their boxes in the future.

Goodebox members are entered to win full sized products each month. The exclusive discount was 20% off regular-priced items from these brands on the little card in the box. This is a clever way to really help these brands gain some new customers and I appreciate the chance to purchase anything I received at a decent discount! The tri-fold card describing the products and how to use them really created a thorough experience and a wonderful representation of each brand and product.

 For $16 I feel that this box was an awesome value. Although I didn't enjoy all the items I received, there were plenty that I did like and just the 2 full size products together far exceeded the cost of the box. If you enjoy beauty products that are on the more natural end of the spectrum, I'd consider Goodebox a good choice.

Subscription Options: $16/month, Month-to-month, no long term obligation

Connect with GoodeBox on Facebook and Twitter

 

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product(s) to facilitate this review for free. No other compensation was received. This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

The 2012 US Olympic Trials - Gymnastics are coming to San Jose, CA June 28 - July 1! Get up to $10 off tickets NOW!

I LOVED watching the Olympics as a little girl. Gymnastics was always my favorite and still is today! I'm so excited that the 2012 US Olympic Trials - Gymnastics will be held next week in San Jose, CA. I've always wanted to watch the best of the best in person. You too? Here's your chance!

2012 US all-around champions John Orozco and Jordyn Wieber headline the field of 15 men and 15 women at the 2012 US Olympic Trials - June 28 - July 1 at the HP Pavilion at San Jose, CA.  

This summer San Jose, Calif., becomes Gymnastics City USA when the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials – Gymnastics come to town the week of June 25. The U.S. Olympic Trials for gymnastics is one of the sport's most prestigious events and brings with it unprecedented city-wide exposure, fanfare, and festivities.

To celebrate this amazing event in San Jose and the entire the Bay Area, a variety of community activities and fan activities will be scheduled leading up to the Trials and during competition week for both ticket-holders and local citizens. This is the best place to learn about the Trials and all of the ancillary activities.

Check back frequently for updates, new activities and initiatives, community events and the latest news on the Trials and other activities. Updates on the competition and all fan-related activities for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials – Gymnastics will also be shared on Twitter and Facebook, and a mobile website is already available for easy access to all of the news and activities!

Want to save up to $10 off on tickets to the 2012 US Olympic Trials -Gymnastics in San Jose, Ca??

CLICK HERE for instructions on how to get your exclusive discount on tickets, courtesy of US Family Guide!

 

Disclosure: I will receive free tickets to the US Olympic Trials for sharing this information. No other compensation was received. This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.