Giveaway - Copper-Infused SkinGlow Towel

The SkinGlow line, produced by London Luxury LLC, includes copper-infused towels that have natural deodorizing properties to reduce bacteria, fungus and microbes on your skin as well as mildew on your towels.  The patented Cupron™ copper technology is infused deep in the fibers, ensuring it can never wash out or fade as long as fabric softeners aren’t used.  SkinGlow towels includes wash, hand and bath sizes from $7.99-14.99 at select Bed Bath & Beyond stores and bedbathandbeyond.com.

The SkinGlow towel I tried was luxuriously thick and still smelled fresh after one week without washing.  Less laundry is good for a busy family!  The material is 85% cotton and 15% Cupron™ polyester, so it doesn't feel completely like 100% cotton towels, although it is pretty absorbent.  I was impressed with the quality and the thickness of the towel and even ordered another set from bedbathandbeyond.com!

*** If you'd like a SkinGlow towel sample, visit the SkinGlow towel page at Bed Bath & Beyond and leave a comment with your favorite feature or color. ***

For extra entries, promote this contest by tweet, blog, Stumble or other social media and leave an separate comment for each with the URL or username.  Up to five entries per person.

This giveaway ends September 10, 2009 at 11pm EDT and is open to residents of the US.

Giveaway - $25 Gift Certificate to Threadless

My previous Threadless giveaway was such a hit, it's back!  This time, in honor of the Threadless Kid's line.  Here my daughter is wearing the Animals with Eyepatches! Yes! shirt.  Aren't those piratous animals awesome?



Threadless recently launched  Threadless Loves Childhood, a new partnership with Baby Center. Readers are encouraged to design a tee shirt inspired by the fascinating journey of childhood for a chance to win $2,500 in cash and gift certificates. You can enter before August 20th.

 *** If you'd like a $25 Threadless gift certificate, visit the Threadless Kids page and leave a comment with your favorite design. You can use your gift certificate for any Threadless products of course.***

For extra entries, promote this contest by tweet, blog, Stumble or other social media and leave an separate comment for each with the URL or username.

This giveaway ends August 20, 2009 at 11pm EDT and is open to residents of US and Canada.

Review - Send an (oopdoo)gram

What is an (oopdoo)™gram? An (oopdoo)gram is a greeting card in the shape of a bandage - the international symbol of healing. You can send a variety of healing gifts in an (oopdoo)gram, including "smooshed" apples, chocolate, teas, foam bath, fun bandages, and even a CD with an uplifting song.  The (oopdoo) company also makes fleece hugs in the shape of bandages "because not all boo-boo's bleed".

I sent an (oopdoo)gram to a friend who was recovering from open heart surgery and he posted this message on my facebook wall, "Thanks for the huge band-aid card! I should wear it over my heart area."  It really works!

Giveaway - Chicken Soup for the Soul books

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Like Mother, Like Daughter: Stories about the Special Bond between Mothers and Daughters

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Moms & Sons: Stories by Mothers and Sons, in Appreciation of Each Other

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Twins and More: 101 Stories Celebrating Double Trouble and Multiple Blessings

Chicken Soup for the Soul is great for everyone, but especially for overwhelmed, exhausted parents.  Here are three books that will fit all families.  Chicken Soup for the Soul: Like Mother, Like Daughter and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Moms & Sons are compendiums of 101 of their best stories. And if you're blessed with multiple births, you'll definitely need Chicken Soup for the Soul: Twins and More: 101 Stories Celebrating Double Trouble and Multiple Blessings.

*** If you'd like one of these Chicken Soup for the Soul books, leave a comment with your choice(s) of book. ***

For extra entries, promote this contest by tweet, blog, Stumble or other social media and leave an separate comment for each with the URL or username.

This giveaway ends July 31, 2008 at 11pm EDT and is open to US residents.

Giveaway - Sport-Brella Beach and Sports Umbrella

If you're headed to the beach this summer, check out the SKLZ Sport-Brella umbrella for beach or sporting events. The Sport-Brella gives you instant portable protection from the sun, rain, and wind and UPF 50+ quick shade protection. It sets up in just three seconds and opens to 7' wide for plenty of sun shade for the whole family.

We had the opportunity to try the Sport-Brella and found that it was well made and had excellent design details. The inner tube didn't descend immediately so the latch didn't catch well in the beginning, but as soon as we coaxed the tube down, it worked perfectly. The Sport-Brella can be used in the upright position as well as sideways as shown above.  It works better than a standard beach umbrella because of the ground stakes provided.

You can purchase the Sport-Brella from the SKLZ website for $69.99 with free shipping.

 *** If you'd like your very own SLKZ Sport-Brella, visit the Sport-Brella page and leave a comment with your favorite feature. ***

For extra entries, promote this contest by tweet, blog, Stumble or other social media and leave an separate comment for each with the URL or username.

This giveaway ends July 31, 2008 at 11pm EDT and is open to US residents.

Review - Vroom Solo

What would you think of a device which you could pull out any second and clean up life's little messes? The Vroom Quick-Clean Appliance is installed in a kitchen or bathroom cabinet and is instantly accessible. It has been a lifesaver in our kitchen! Our son Adam routinely spills Cheerios on the floor and instead of hounding him to sweep them up everyday, he simply whips out the Vroom and whoosh, they are gone. We've vacuumed crumbs off the counter and even vacuumed our kitchen drawers for the first time in years. The Vroom is available in a freestanding unit (shown) and also as a central vacuum add-on.

The Vroom is NOT a glorified DustBuster. It is a full-powered vacuum with a collection bag. It is fairly loud during operation, so I wouldn't recommend it for prolonged use without hearing protection. The Vroom hose reaches 24 feet, although it is stretched pretty tight at that length. It comfortably reaches a 10 to 15 foot radius. It also comes with an adjustable wand and a floor/rug tool (a smaller crevice tool would be nice...)

The Vroom Solo is a real appliance that requires installation into your cabinet. Here are some photographs of our adventures installing the Vroom Solo.



Since I'm pretty handy, I got out the drill and performed the mechanical installation.The Vroom Solo comes with a wired plug for power, but we don't have an electrical outlet under the sink. The easiest way for us to connect it was to tap into the power for our dishwasher. I got the expert (my husband) to wire it up.



Afterwards, our cat examined the installation.

The top shelf of the vacuum unit comes with a non-skid pad which is handy for smaller items. It really didn't take up that much space and I was able to fit almost everything back into the cabinet.

Finally, here is my son using the Vroom for his darn Cheerios!

If you register on the Vroom website, you can enter to win your own Vroom. You can also follow them on Twitter @VroomVac.

Giveaway - Dance Me Daddy books

Dance Me, Daddy Cindy Morgan, Philomena O'Neill

Dance Me, Daddy by singer/songwriter/author Cindy Morgan is a delightful glimpse into the love between father and daughter. You can view a video of the book narrated by the author at www.dancemedaddy.com. My daughter was mesmerized by the video and then mesmerized by the book when we received it. The story is based on Cindy Morgan's song King of the World for Point of Grace. The story reminds me of the book Love You Forever, where the love between a mother and son is explored throughout their lifetime, but without the slightly creepy scene of mom crawling into her grown son's apartment at night. Although Point of Grace is a Christian group, the book has only a slight reference to God, and would be appropriate for religious and non-religious alike.

The book includes a CD of the narration and the song and is a perfect gift for Father's Day.

In addition, Zonderkidz is currently hosting a contest where you can enter to win a Sony BRAVIA on Father’s Day. Simply tell a story about a special man in your life who is a father figure for you, your children or a child you know. Check out this contest at www.dancemedaddy.com.

*** If you'd like to win one of three copies of Dance Me, Daddy, leave a comment below.***

For extra entries, promote this contest by tweet, blog, Stumble or other social media and leave an separate comment for each with the URL or username.

This giveaway ends June 21, 2008 at 11pm EDT and is open internationally.