Wednesday, January 11, 2012
New Purex UltraPacks
The fine folks at Purex gave me the following info:
"What are Purex® UltraPacks™?
• New Purex UltraPacks are convenient pre-dosed liquid
detergent packs that make doing laundry easier than ever.
• Purex UltraPacks manage to squeeze all the performance
of our new Triple Action liquid formula into just one
powerful pack.
• Finally…No more mess. No more spills. No more heavy
jugs. It’s Laundry Simplified.®
• Each Purex UltraPack contains powerful 2x concentrated
liquid detergent, giving each UltraPack double
the cleaning power in every drop*.
• Purex UltraPacks dissolve quickly once the washer is
started—even in cold water.
• Purex UltraPacks are formulated and safe for all
machines, including high-efficiency (HE)."
They also sent me a free package of UltraPacks to try out myself. I found them to be a clever innovation; it saves time because you just toss it in, and there's nothing you can spill (the latter is especially important for when my husband does laundry). As always with Purex, you get clean clothes even though you don't pay a high price. If your life is as hectic as mine, give them a shot; you can learn more about this new laundry detergent here
New Purex UltraPacks
"What are Purex® UltraPacks™?
• New Purex UltraPacks are convenient pre-dosed liquid
detergent packs that make doing laundry easier than ever.
• Purex UltraPacks manage to squeeze all the performance
of our new Triple Action liquid formula into just one
powerful pack.
• Finally…No more mess. No more spills. No more heavy
jugs. It’s Laundry Simplified.®
• Each Purex UltraPack contains powerful 2x concentrated
liquid detergent, giving each UltraPack double
the cleaning power in every drop*.
• Purex UltraPacks dissolve quickly once the washer is
started—even in cold water.
• Purex UltraPacks are formulated and safe for all
machines, including high-efficiency (HE)."
They also sent me a free package of UltraPacks to try out myself. I found them to be a clever innovation; it saves time because you just toss it in, and there's nothing you can spill (the latter is especially important for when my husband does laundry). As always with Purex, you get clean clothes even though you don't pay a high price. If your life is as hectic as mine, give them a shot; you can learn more about this new laundry detergent here
New Purex UltraPacks
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Chore Chart at Goalforit.com
(NB: I am receiving compensation for my review of this service... but they haven't put any words in my mouth.)
The fine folks at BSM Media on behalf of Goalforit.com asked me to review the FREE Chore Chart service offered here
Chore Chart
The concept is a familiar one; make a chart to keep track of your child's chores. You create the chart online, and you can use it there (which is the greener option) or you can print the chart out if having it visible on the wall would help your child stay focused, which you'd probably need for a younger child... and for yourself as well, since YOU have to have the discipline to keep using the chart or you won't accomplish anything but causing battles over whether the child made her bed 3 days ago or not, and having it hitting you in the eye makes it harder to forget to do it.
There are many options for what your chart could look like... so many that it can be confusing to sort through, and someone who isn't tech-savvy might have a hard time. I'm a pretty serious geek and even *I* had some trouble; there are just too many settings and choices for a newbie user to have to sort through and no way that I could find to just generate a basic chart without all the extras or to use some sort of logical standard settings for your first attempt at a chart. I spent far too much time floundering around, not knowing where I was in the process or what that screen was that just popped up because there are too many things crowded close together and while trying to click away from one thing I accidentally clicked something else (at least that's what I assume happened-I'm honestly not even sure); had I been on the site to just try it out rather than to review it I would've given up in frustration before I got a usable chart created.
Be that as it may, if you can figure it out you certainly have a wide variety of chart options; you pick theme, color, what to name it, the chores, when they need to be done, point values and so on. On the down side, the setup includes requiring you to put in unnecessary info like the child's age and gender EVERY SINGLE TIME, even though these things have no possible impact on the design of the chart; hopefully they'll fix that. (And btw, I didn't appreciate having to enter my equally unnecessary birth date while registering for the site; I dislike having to enter more personal info than I need to on general principles, and REALLY dislike having a task take longer because they went overboard with the # of fields they require to be filled in to do anything.)
Once you have a chart created, you can click on its title to view it... except the entire month doesn't come up, just the line(s) for the week you're on, and presumably previous weeks, which is confusing because the chart has the name of the month on it and you expect to see a chart showing an entire month... or maybe that's just me, but I had another struggle while thinking that my entire chart wasn't loading before figuring out that that's what (again, presumably) was going on.
The system allows you to assign points for chore completion (aka "Moolah") that can then be redeemed for rewards of your choosing; this is a good idea in general, but there doesn't appear to be a way to subtract points for failure to comply, and I think kids need to see a penalty for disobedience rather than just not getting rewarded. I don't know about you, but when *I* was a kid if there weren't penalties for not doing what I was supposed to do I'd never have done a single task, and not getting a mark on a chart wouldn't have motivated me in the slightest, lol. Now, you could of course still penalize a child for not doing their chores, but that'd mean you're still battling over chores with them directly and then what has the chart accomplished?
Overall, I'd say that for those that want or need more structure in how they deal with their kids' chores, and have the time and patience to master the system, this site would be a valuable resource; once you have it set up correctly you could save a great deal of time compared to making physical charts by hand, and you can also edit the charts at will which would be clumsy to do with a handmade chart. Since the folks running the site have asked for this feedback, I'm guessing that they'll be streamlining and otherwise improving the creation process so that eventually there won't be such a sharp learning curve involved; they have a good basic premise and will very likely end up being a go-to site for plenty of stressed parents.
The fine folks at BSM Media on behalf of Goalforit.com asked me to review the FREE Chore Chart service offered here
Chore Chart
The concept is a familiar one; make a chart to keep track of your child's chores. You create the chart online, and you can use it there (which is the greener option) or you can print the chart out if having it visible on the wall would help your child stay focused, which you'd probably need for a younger child... and for yourself as well, since YOU have to have the discipline to keep using the chart or you won't accomplish anything but causing battles over whether the child made her bed 3 days ago or not, and having it hitting you in the eye makes it harder to forget to do it.
There are many options for what your chart could look like... so many that it can be confusing to sort through, and someone who isn't tech-savvy might have a hard time. I'm a pretty serious geek and even *I* had some trouble; there are just too many settings and choices for a newbie user to have to sort through and no way that I could find to just generate a basic chart without all the extras or to use some sort of logical standard settings for your first attempt at a chart. I spent far too much time floundering around, not knowing where I was in the process or what that screen was that just popped up because there are too many things crowded close together and while trying to click away from one thing I accidentally clicked something else (at least that's what I assume happened-I'm honestly not even sure); had I been on the site to just try it out rather than to review it I would've given up in frustration before I got a usable chart created.
Be that as it may, if you can figure it out you certainly have a wide variety of chart options; you pick theme, color, what to name it, the chores, when they need to be done, point values and so on. On the down side, the setup includes requiring you to put in unnecessary info like the child's age and gender EVERY SINGLE TIME, even though these things have no possible impact on the design of the chart; hopefully they'll fix that. (And btw, I didn't appreciate having to enter my equally unnecessary birth date while registering for the site; I dislike having to enter more personal info than I need to on general principles, and REALLY dislike having a task take longer because they went overboard with the # of fields they require to be filled in to do anything.)
Once you have a chart created, you can click on its title to view it... except the entire month doesn't come up, just the line(s) for the week you're on, and presumably previous weeks, which is confusing because the chart has the name of the month on it and you expect to see a chart showing an entire month... or maybe that's just me, but I had another struggle while thinking that my entire chart wasn't loading before figuring out that that's what (again, presumably) was going on.
The system allows you to assign points for chore completion (aka "Moolah") that can then be redeemed for rewards of your choosing; this is a good idea in general, but there doesn't appear to be a way to subtract points for failure to comply, and I think kids need to see a penalty for disobedience rather than just not getting rewarded. I don't know about you, but when *I* was a kid if there weren't penalties for not doing what I was supposed to do I'd never have done a single task, and not getting a mark on a chart wouldn't have motivated me in the slightest, lol. Now, you could of course still penalize a child for not doing their chores, but that'd mean you're still battling over chores with them directly and then what has the chart accomplished?
Overall, I'd say that for those that want or need more structure in how they deal with their kids' chores, and have the time and patience to master the system, this site would be a valuable resource; once you have it set up correctly you could save a great deal of time compared to making physical charts by hand, and you can also edit the charts at will which would be clumsy to do with a handmade chart. Since the folks running the site have asked for this feedback, I'm guessing that they'll be streamlining and otherwise improving the creation process so that eventually there won't be such a sharp learning curve involved; they have a good basic premise and will very likely end up being a go-to site for plenty of stressed parents.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
New & Improved Formula Purex Triple Action
The fine folks at Purex provided me with the following info:
"New & Improved
Pureclean. Purevalue. Purex.
Purex is rolling out a new Triple Action formula across the entire
liquid detergent line. This new and improved Triple Action
formula delivers even better on Purex’s promise to leave your
clothes bright, white, and clean, and as always, for half the price
of the leading brand!
Over the past year our R&D; scientists have been working hard to
create an even better Purex formula. And not just a better
formula, but one that will continue to deliver the value that Purex
stands for. We’re mindful of our consumers’ pocketbooks, and
we’re committed to bringing them a great product at a great
value. The new Purex Triple Action formula is just that. It’s an
even better clean, for half the price of the leading brand.
New Purex Triple Action leverages the best parts of our current
formula, combined with new additions, to deliver great cleaning
plus improved brightening power. This new formula will be rolled
out across our liquid detergent line this fall, so you’ll soon find it
in your favorite variety!
Just like all of our current detergents, new
Purex Triple Action has been specifically
formulated to work in both traditional and
High E ciency (HE) washers. This ensures
that Purex is always available to our consumers,
no matter what kind of washer you have."
They also provided me with my very own FREE jug of Purex Triple Action. I've been using it, and I think it's pretty good stuff. As a lifelong penny-pincher, I greatly appreciate being able to get my clothes thoroughly clean at a lower price; if you're the same way, you might want to give it a shot.
To read more about this new laundry detergent, go here:
New & Improved Formula Purex Triple Action
"New & Improved
Pureclean. Purevalue. Purex.
Purex is rolling out a new Triple Action formula across the entire
liquid detergent line. This new and improved Triple Action
formula delivers even better on Purex’s promise to leave your
clothes bright, white, and clean, and as always, for half the price
of the leading brand!
Over the past year our R&D; scientists have been working hard to
create an even better Purex formula. And not just a better
formula, but one that will continue to deliver the value that Purex
stands for. We’re mindful of our consumers’ pocketbooks, and
we’re committed to bringing them a great product at a great
value. The new Purex Triple Action formula is just that. It’s an
even better clean, for half the price of the leading brand.
New Purex Triple Action leverages the best parts of our current
formula, combined with new additions, to deliver great cleaning
plus improved brightening power. This new formula will be rolled
out across our liquid detergent line this fall, so you’ll soon find it
in your favorite variety!
Just like all of our current detergents, new
Purex Triple Action has been specifically
formulated to work in both traditional and
High E ciency (HE) washers. This ensures
that Purex is always available to our consumers,
no matter what kind of washer you have."
They also provided me with my very own FREE jug of Purex Triple Action. I've been using it, and I think it's pretty good stuff. As a lifelong penny-pincher, I greatly appreciate being able to get my clothes thoroughly clean at a lower price; if you're the same way, you might want to give it a shot.
To read more about this new laundry detergent, go here:
New & Improved Formula Purex Triple Action
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Pam Cooking Spray
The fine folks at Pam and Smiley360 gave me the following info:
"PAM
The new and improved PAM® formula has been shown to be 70% better at attacking baked on food vs. bargain cooking sprays. Not only will every meal be picture-perfect, but you’ll have more time to enjoy your food and spend less time soaking, scrubbing and cleaning in the kitchen. Put your toughest recipes to the test and watch as PAM® comes to the rescue! No matter what meal you’re cooking, PAM® helps you pull it off. Even better.
"Like" PAM® on Facebook http://on.fb.me/od4C5b
Visit the PAM® website http://bit.ly/ruwNvQ"
The also gave me the following goodies:
PAM® Cooking Spray – Full Value Voucher (1 full-size can of spray)
Hunt’s Tomatoes – Full Value Voucher (1 can of tomatoes)
Pyrex Glass Dish
Spatula
Recipes
The Pam really does what it's supposed to; it made it way easier to clean up even after greasy, cheesy foods. I'll be buying more when this can runs out. The Hunt’s Tomatoes made a tasty casserole, too; they're always good to have in the cupboard.
If you want to learn more, or sign up to get your own goodies, go here:
http://smiley360.com/220466.cfm
"PAM
The new and improved PAM® formula has been shown to be 70% better at attacking baked on food vs. bargain cooking sprays. Not only will every meal be picture-perfect, but you’ll have more time to enjoy your food and spend less time soaking, scrubbing and cleaning in the kitchen. Put your toughest recipes to the test and watch as PAM® comes to the rescue! No matter what meal you’re cooking, PAM® helps you pull it off. Even better.
"Like" PAM® on Facebook http://on.fb.me/od4C5b
Visit the PAM® website http://bit.ly/ruwNvQ"
The also gave me the following goodies:
PAM® Cooking Spray – Full Value Voucher (1 full-size can of spray)
Hunt’s Tomatoes – Full Value Voucher (1 can of tomatoes)
Pyrex Glass Dish
Spatula
Recipes
The Pam really does what it's supposed to; it made it way easier to clean up even after greasy, cheesy foods. I'll be buying more when this can runs out. The Hunt’s Tomatoes made a tasty casserole, too; they're always good to have in the cupboard.
If you want to learn more, or sign up to get your own goodies, go here:
http://smiley360.com/220466.cfm
Monday, November 14, 2011
And the winner is...
The winner of a free Xia-Xia is... Noelle M!! Stay tuned for more giveaways!! :-)
Friday, November 11, 2011
Xia-Xia
NB: All products discussed in this review were provided to me free of charge via MomSelect... but they did NOT put any words in my mouth.
Xia-Xia (pronounced Shah-Shah) are a new line of hermit crab toys that run around under battery power (they're NOT windups like you'd expect for a small toy of this type). Here's their official website that will be open in a few days:
http://www.xia-xiapets.com/
Here's what Toys 'r' Us has, which at least shows most of the stuff they've got:
http://www.toysrus.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=12167538
There are 4 different crabs: Bimini, Trinidad, Turks and Tobago. I think they're all pretty cute, but my daughter immediately divided them up into girls (the pink and purple) and boys (the orange and blue) and played them like Barbies... the boys mainly get sent off to Home Depot, lol, unless a boy is playing them with her and then he gets those.
You do something with their claws to make then run around; we can't quite get the hang of it (we're not too coordinated), but eventually they get going and are fun for the little ones to mess with. Their shells are interchangeable, and there are extra shells you can get too; my daughter switched from shell to shell to shell, but ended up with the original ones back in place and lost interest. Each shell comes with a "Little Friend" that's a little plastic something or other; my daughter calls them bugs and keeps trying to throw them out, so I've confiscated them until she's older and can appreciate them.
We were generously sent all 3 playsets: Confetti Cottage, Copacabana, and Rio de Trio Village. We can't quite figure out what to do with them; with the first 2 it seems like all you can do is set the crabs in a couple of bare spots and then take them back out, so my daughter just uses them for storage and display. For the 3rd set, because it's bigger you can actually get them moving and they can move through it if you aim them right... but it's a little too challenging and frustrating for my girl (heck, it's hard for ME), so I'll pack that one up with the "Little Friends" for now.
They sent a list of questions to ask my daughter... questions clearly written by someone with no experience with kids, lol. I didn't get anything useful in reply, but I want to give 'em all they asked for, so here's what I got:
"What do you like best about the Xia-Xia? What? The crabs!! Oh, they're funny. Which one's your favorite? The pink one. Why? 'Cause it's pink!! What's your favorite playset? That one. (points to Copacabana) Why? It's funny. Where do you like playing with the crabs? The hallway. Would your friends like them? I don't know. If you could change one thing about them, what would it be? Make them all pink. Which shell is your favorite? The glitter one. Why? Because it's glitter. Do you like the Little Friends? NO!! Do you like the story about the crabs? No."
Out of all the grandeur we were sent, my daughter basically just wants to play with the pink one; because of the way they run around, it's a little chaotic to try to use more than one at a time, and the playsets don't really do anything or allow the Xia-Xia to do anything different.
I think that these are cute toys, but I think they aren't for kids down to age 4 like they suggest; I'd say 6 at the youngest, and really 8 or more to be able to really use all the parts the way they've supposed to be used. That's just my opinion... but that's what they wanted.
If you want your child to try a Xia-Xia, send me an email telling me why your little angel deserves a free toy and the best one will get it!! I'll post a winner at the end of the weekend.
Xia-Xia (pronounced Shah-Shah) are a new line of hermit crab toys that run around under battery power (they're NOT windups like you'd expect for a small toy of this type). Here's their official website that will be open in a few days:
http://www.xia-xiapets.com/
Here's what Toys 'r' Us has, which at least shows most of the stuff they've got:
http://www.toysrus.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=12167538
There are 4 different crabs: Bimini, Trinidad, Turks and Tobago. I think they're all pretty cute, but my daughter immediately divided them up into girls (the pink and purple) and boys (the orange and blue) and played them like Barbies... the boys mainly get sent off to Home Depot, lol, unless a boy is playing them with her and then he gets those.
You do something with their claws to make then run around; we can't quite get the hang of it (we're not too coordinated), but eventually they get going and are fun for the little ones to mess with. Their shells are interchangeable, and there are extra shells you can get too; my daughter switched from shell to shell to shell, but ended up with the original ones back in place and lost interest. Each shell comes with a "Little Friend" that's a little plastic something or other; my daughter calls them bugs and keeps trying to throw them out, so I've confiscated them until she's older and can appreciate them.
We were generously sent all 3 playsets: Confetti Cottage, Copacabana, and Rio de Trio Village. We can't quite figure out what to do with them; with the first 2 it seems like all you can do is set the crabs in a couple of bare spots and then take them back out, so my daughter just uses them for storage and display. For the 3rd set, because it's bigger you can actually get them moving and they can move through it if you aim them right... but it's a little too challenging and frustrating for my girl (heck, it's hard for ME), so I'll pack that one up with the "Little Friends" for now.
They sent a list of questions to ask my daughter... questions clearly written by someone with no experience with kids, lol. I didn't get anything useful in reply, but I want to give 'em all they asked for, so here's what I got:
"What do you like best about the Xia-Xia? What? The crabs!! Oh, they're funny. Which one's your favorite? The pink one. Why? 'Cause it's pink!! What's your favorite playset? That one. (points to Copacabana) Why? It's funny. Where do you like playing with the crabs? The hallway. Would your friends like them? I don't know. If you could change one thing about them, what would it be? Make them all pink. Which shell is your favorite? The glitter one. Why? Because it's glitter. Do you like the Little Friends? NO!! Do you like the story about the crabs? No."
Out of all the grandeur we were sent, my daughter basically just wants to play with the pink one; because of the way they run around, it's a little chaotic to try to use more than one at a time, and the playsets don't really do anything or allow the Xia-Xia to do anything different.
I think that these are cute toys, but I think they aren't for kids down to age 4 like they suggest; I'd say 6 at the youngest, and really 8 or more to be able to really use all the parts the way they've supposed to be used. That's just my opinion... but that's what they wanted.
If you want your child to try a Xia-Xia, send me an email telling me why your little angel deserves a free toy and the best one will get it!! I'll post a winner at the end of the weekend.
Monday, October 24, 2011
As I've been saying all along...
I ran across a quote from the Bible that says what I've been trying to tell people my entire life:
James 4:17
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
It's not enough to refrain from taking harmful action. It's not enough to follow Asimov's Laws of Robotics and not cause harm by failing to take action. To be a good person, you MUST take virtuous actions. To be a good person, you MUST take ALL virtuous actions that you know perfectly well that you SHOULD be doing.
By that definition, 99% of people are NOT good. What about YOU, are you in the 99% or the 1%? And if the former... what are you going to do about it?
James 4:17
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
It's not enough to refrain from taking harmful action. It's not enough to follow Asimov's Laws of Robotics and not cause harm by failing to take action. To be a good person, you MUST take virtuous actions. To be a good person, you MUST take ALL virtuous actions that you know perfectly well that you SHOULD be doing.
By that definition, 99% of people are NOT good. What about YOU, are you in the 99% or the 1%? And if the former... what are you going to do about it?
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Dr. Scholl's Custom Fit Orthotic Inserts
The nice folks at Smiley and Dr. Scholl's sent me a free pair of these to try out. Here's the info they provided:
"Dr. Scholl’s® Custom Fit Orthotic Inserts
Dr. Scholl’s® Custom Fit Orthotic Inserts are designed to put your feet into a more supported position and disperse foot pressure levels more evenly. They provide all-day relief of tired, achy feet and eliminate foot discomfort immediately! Customized via FootMapping® Technology, the orthotics are a perfect blend of support and cushioning that you can't find anywhere else.
For more information use the links below:
To learn more about Dr. Scholl's® Custom Fit Orthotics go here http://bit.ly/dr_scholls
To find a Dr. Scholl's® Custom Fit Orthotic Center near you go here http://bit.ly/dr_scholls_footmapping
To print your $7.50 rebate go here http://bit.ly/FootmappingRebate"
They are big, bulky inserts; they made my shoes feel tight and are sort of uncomfortable, with no more benefit in any way than a regular insert, that would feel much better and cost much less. Maybe if I had a foot problem that needed correcting they'd do something for me, but as it is I'll give them a pass. To find out more or to get your own goodies to review, go here:
http://smiley360.com/130256.cfm
"Dr. Scholl’s® Custom Fit Orthotic Inserts
Dr. Scholl’s® Custom Fit Orthotic Inserts are designed to put your feet into a more supported position and disperse foot pressure levels more evenly. They provide all-day relief of tired, achy feet and eliminate foot discomfort immediately! Customized via FootMapping® Technology, the orthotics are a perfect blend of support and cushioning that you can't find anywhere else.
For more information use the links below:
To learn more about Dr. Scholl's® Custom Fit Orthotics go here http://bit.ly/dr_scholls
To find a Dr. Scholl's® Custom Fit Orthotic Center near you go here http://bit.ly/dr_scholls_footmapping
To print your $7.50 rebate go here http://bit.ly/FootmappingRebate"
They are big, bulky inserts; they made my shoes feel tight and are sort of uncomfortable, with no more benefit in any way than a regular insert, that would feel much better and cost much less. Maybe if I had a foot problem that needed correcting they'd do something for me, but as it is I'll give them a pass. To find out more or to get your own goodies to review, go here:
http://smiley360.com/130256.cfm
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Sensitive skin
Yes, I have sensitive skin; it's a bummer, as many of you know. How to clean it? How to moisturize it? So many products cause irritation. Burt's Bees, always a source of great beauty products, now has a line for sensitive skin; sounds promising, right? I'm hoping to get a chance to try them out and report back to you... got that, BzzAgent, HOPING FOR A CHANCE!! {lol} Yes, BzzAgent might send me these products... or, they might not. Jono, you big tease, come on now, show me some LOVE!!
Monday, August 29, 2011
And the winner is...
The winner of the Carmex gift pack is... Denise K!! Stay tuned for more goodies!! :-)
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