Mommies With Style

So I took this video back in January, just a few hours after the install guys left my house.  I had received a brand new refrigerator, dishwasher and stove with microwave from Frigidaire.

To read the rest of my posts in this series, you can check them all out on our Frigidaire Moms section.

I took this video while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and will be receiving a Frigidaire Refrigerator, Range/Microwave, Washer/Dryer set, and a Dishwasher to facilitate my review.

After my vacuum died recently, my research led me to BISSELL’s PROlite® MultiCyclonic Bagless Upright Vacuum ($199).  My requirements were that it had to be on the lighter-weight side (I’m pregnant and trying not to lift heavy things), it had to be bagless (who wants to deal with those yucky dirty vacuum bags), and it had to have a detachable hose (so I can reach under furniture).

Features of BISSELL’s PROlite include: a bendable wand attachment, expandable hose, a crevice tool, combination dusting brush/upholstery Tool, and a turbo-brush. It also has a HEPA media filter which captures over 99.9% of dust mites, ragweed and pollen. The vacuum has 12 AMPS of power and two motors – one for vacuum and one for the brush.

Putting it together was pretty simple. Attach the top handle using the two included screws – just make sure the handle is firmly connected.

The PROlite didn’t disappoint. It was easy to maneuver and I loved that it did as well on my wood floors as my carpets and rugs. The suction was fantastic and really cleaned my floors. The turbo-brush was the best attachment and sucked up every bit of dust under our furniture.  The canister is clear, so you can see how much dust and dirt that it sucks up. I found that the canister got full after vacuuming twice — but maybe it was just all the Cheerios on our floors! Cleaning the canister was pretty easy – just hit a button to detach it, then press another button (over a garbage) to open the bottom to empty it. I really like the PROlite — now if someone would come to my house to vacuum for me!

The company provided a sample vacuum for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Stu was so very sad

Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice – An Editor’s Note:  I was under the influence of a lot of happy people wearing sparkly dresses (vacationing in Disney and attending the Disney Social Media Moms Conference) when I wrote this review.

Once upon a time, there was a sad little dishwasher. For the sake of the story, we’ll call him Stu.

Stu was 8 years old.  Try as he might, he just couldn’t do what he was supposed to do.  Day after day, his family put dirty dishes into his racks and one very loud hour later, they still came out dirty.

His family was frustrated with his inefficiencies.  And Stu was frustrated that he just couldn’t get the job done, as any formerly virile appliance would be.

Stu frequently got stopped up (as old folks often do) and he’d often cause his family’s disposal to back up.

Ed & Curtis arrive

His family was disappointed, and Stu was sad because he was so very tired.  He longed to retire to a retirement community where he could claim social security, watch NCIS re-runs and wear Isotoner slippers every day.

For many years, this sad story continued:  Stu not getting the job done, dirty dishes, unhappy people.

Then one day, something magical happened.  The Frigidaire Fairies showed up.  (Their names were Ed and Curtis.)  They brought something shiny.  And pretty.  When it twirled, it sparkled.

The new dishwasher was perfect.  When it ran, it hummed so quietly, his family couldn’t hear him.  When they opened him up, they found clean dishes!

Prince Charming rides in on his (moving van) steed

The family named the new dishwasher Prince Charming.  He is a Frigidaire Professional Built-In Dishwasher.  He’s the quietest dishwasher in his class.  With the SpaceWise Organization System, his family can fit so many more dishes into one load than they ever could in Stu’s racks.

Stay tuned for more on Prince Charming’s wonderful qualities.

And in case you are wondering — just like every other fairy tale, this one has a happy ending too.  Stu ended up in the Junkyard Retirement Community where he plays bingo every Wednesday and will never again have to wash a dish.

I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and will be receiving a Frigidaire Refrigerator, Range/Microwave, Washer/Dryer set, and a Dishwasher to facilitate my review.

Before my family left for Disney World earlier this month, I had a small pile of products to sample on my office desk.  It was my “test in Disney” pile.  A journal from Rag & Bone Bindery sat at the top of the pile.  I didn’t bring it.

Why?  I couldn’t bring myself to use it in Disney.  And I didn’t reject this product from my trip because it wasn’t useful – I didn’t pack it because it was just too beautiful.  There was no way I was putting this gorgeous handmade bound book anywhere near my two dirty kids.

This book is all mine.  In fact, last night my husband asked, “is that your new day planner?”  He thought I had started using it as a new day planner (not knowing it was a blank journal) because I had been carrying it around so much.  It’s that nice.

Looking for something unique, handmade and gorgeous for your child’s baby book, a journal or wedding album?  Look no further than Rag & Bone Bindery.  My review can’t do the quality of this book justice – visit the site and check it out for yourself.

Use coupon code MWS for 15% off all regularly priced items at Rag & Bone Bindery.

For him: My husband tells me a good pen not only looks the part, but feels the part. And he’ll look like a stud in the boardroom wtih a Faber-Castell Mondoro Pen. With a barrel made of polished precious resin and the cap and ends created of polished and chrome-plated metal, this masculine pen is a gift to write home about (and he will. With a pen.)

For the techie: The ridiculous amount of wires gathering around our charging station was overwhelming my kitchen, so it was a huge relief to get to test the Powermat, a mat that allows many electronics to charge wirelessly. The pad comes with attachements for cell phones (check yours on the list before buying), ipods, Nintendo DS’ and more. But if you want to lay your electronic device flat on the pad, you’ll need to buy additional attachments that will allow them to charge without a wire. Its a bit of an investment, but so worth it if the wires are making you batty. And for the traveling techie, Powermat released a travel item that folds up and takes up much less space. (By-the-way, you’ll still need to plug the mats in to an outlet.)

For your tween: If she has a DS, then run, run, run to the store and grab her one of the Style Lab games by Ubisoft. It is just so fun to apply and reapply make up with Makeover and to create jewelry in their Jewelry Design game. If she’d prefer a game a little less Diva, try out Ubisoft’s Imagine series which includes games like Zookeeper and Soccer Captain.

For your 5ish-year-old: While my 6-year-old still hasn’t lost a tooth, he’ll be prepared to lose one because he’s getting a pillow from The Wiggly Tooth Factory. Its an adorable mini-pillow-sized tooth with a pocket, available in fun fabrics with a so cute face. Someday (and likely, his dentist predicts, close to his 7th birthday) he’ll hide his tooth in the pocket to be replaced by a magical toothfairy (who already has a stack of golden dollars, hidden away.) Anyway, I know its a little close to Valentine’s Day, but this one is so cute that I had to mention it. So order now. Because even if you don’t gift on Valentine’s Day, you just never know when you’re going to need a Tooth Fairy Pillow, and you don’t want to be without!

For your Mother-in-Law: We gave my MIL a Reisenthel Shopper e2 bag for Christmas this year (and kept another for us.) She just melted over this bag. Its perfect for the weekend traveler, the shopper and, well, the bag lady. This bag expands, bottoms up, allowing for you to fill your bag more than you planned. Which you know your Mother-in-Law is likely to do.

For your Preschooler: My 4-year-old grabbed the Yubo lunchbox as soon as he saw it. He loves pretend-play and the box looks like a little piece of fancy luggage. So when he opened it and realized he could fit a sandwich and two snacks inside, he was in heaven. (It comes with containers). Plus, it comes with a freezer pack made to fit inside perfectly. All the pieces fit perfectly inside and the lid slides right on. The bonus feature: you can change the look with interchangable faceplates.

For baby: California Baby’s I Love You! Collection offers massage oil, spritzer and bubble bath made with all-natural, organic aromatherapeutic products specially blended to encourage relaxation and relieve tension. Baby will love the attention. And afterhours you and hubby may want to borrow it.

 We wish you all special time with your loved ones this Valentine’s Day!

Thanks to California Baby, Yubo, Reisenthel, Wiggly Tooth Factory, Ubisoft, Faber-Castell, Powermat and their agents for providing samples for Mommies with Style.

I really should have taken a picture of our tupperware  cabinet for the sake of this review.  But I decided not to because I try to only open that cabinet once a day since you never know what random piece of tupperware is going to come flying out and whack me in the face. We have different containers, different tops, and it’s chore every night to mix and match the right pieces together.

I have two kids I have to pack for.  One is in Kindergarten and he isn’t allowed to buy lunch.  Not only do I have to pack him 5 lunches each week, but I actually have to also pack him a snack in a separate container every day.  That’s 10 packings.

Then my 3-year-old goes to preschool 2x a week.  That’s two lunches, plus a third lunch on Fridays when I have lunch duty at my older son’s school and I bring him a long.

Got that all?  (There will be a quiz later so you guys better be paying attention.)

The total is 13 times I’m packing some sort of lunch or snack each week.  And that’s with just two kids, one of whom is part-time.  I can only imagine what those of you with more kids and older kids are dealing with each day.

Enter EasyLunchboxes.com.  You guys know the story – one Mom was sick of dealing with the same frustrations I outlined above, so she invented her own system.  Everything fits in this neat little system she’s come up with.

I highly recommend watching the video so you can get the visual.  It’s just an awesome little system so you aren’t scrounging to mix and match containers each day, plus it’s only one item to wash and it’s eco-friendly since it eliminates the need for plastic baggies.

Use coupon code Mama10 to receive 10% off your order on the EasyLunchboxes.com website.

Lastly, even if you aren’t going to buy, check out the EasyLunchboxes.com SmugMug photo folder with lunchbox ideas.  There are some creative and neat lunch ideas – so worth looking at if you’re in a rut for coming up with ideas to put in your kids lunchbox!

Having a baby and kids means a lot of scheduling and record keeping. Losing sight of those schedules can be cause for a rausous of a child, and, often, a stressed and frustrated spouse. Over a baby’s uncalmable screams, there’s nothing more frustraing than screaming “when was she last fed?” and receive the response: “I don’t know… maybe about an hour ago? or three?”

So its really helpful to find a recording system that will work for you, your spouse and your babysitter. One system that’s working well is Lullaboards, a dry erase board that can be posted on your refrigerator. It offers space for tracking feedings, diapers, naps and milestones. We’ve found that listing these accomplishments each day, and keeping it on the refrigerator in the same spot all the time, helps to keep everyone sane, and in the know at the loudest and most stressful times. Its also been so helpful to have when calling the pediatrician with questions and preparing for a babysitter.

Lullaboards are available for tracking newborns, babies, pumping and toddlers withcolorful border options. (I’d love to see a “sickie” Lullaboard for tracking fevers and medications in the future.) They can be personalized, which I imagine is perfect for daycares and twins.

Edited to add:  Julie received a sample of Lullaboards to assist in this review.

9 friends and bloggers came to my house Thursday night, where we had a fun evening of drinks, hair and make-up.

In my living room, we had Lauren, a local stylist, testing out Suave products in one room while we played with make up from E.L.F. in my dining room.  Officially, I was having a Suave Style Party as well as an E.L.F Make Up At Home party – these parties were basically an opportunity for my friends and fellow bloggers to try products from each line.

A fun time was had by all.  Local bloggers Colleen from Classy Mommy, Shannon & Sarah from ChescoMoms and Kelly from the Centsible Life came along with several non-blogger friends.

Lauren works on me with products from the Suave Professional line

with Kelly from A Centsible Life

my friend Jodi gets her hair styled

Chatting in front of the ELF makeup

So the local delivery guys brought all of my Frigidaire appliances last week [In case you missed it, check out last week's post about me being a Frigidaire Mom!].  I was like a kid on Christmas morning as they installed everything and hauled away my old appliances.

Here are some side by side comparisons of my old and new appliances – check out how shiny and new all of my Frigidaire appliances are!

This is my old fridge – we moved it to the basement for extra storage:

Here’s the one one during install, so shiny and new!:

The old dishwasher was barely running when they took it away – I wasn’t sorry to see it go!

Shiny, new and runs so quietly, we don’t even know it’s on:

My old stove was also having some issues.  Hopefully it’s happy in its new junkyard home:

I want to pull up a sleeping bag and sleep next to my new stove, it’s so beautiful:

It’s really amazing how having new stainless steel appliances just change the entire feel and face of my kitchen.  Friends have been commenting that it’s like a new room entirely without my old white appliances.  It’s true.  I can’t say how thrilled I am with my new appliances thus far.  Going forward, I’ll review each one independently completely with some videos of the new appliances in action!

And in case you missed it, some info on Frigidaire:  Frigidaire introduced more than 250 new appliances in 2009, all designed with the idea of creating more time for Moms. Standing behind its claim, Frigidaire offers a “More Me-Time Guarantee.” Moms will save a minimum of eight hours a month or their money back.

In addition, Frigidaire announced a new partnership in September with admired actress and philanthropist, Jennifer Garner.  The pair teamed up to launch the new Frigidaire line and to kick off the “Make Time for Change” campaign to support Save the Children.

Starting, January 18th, you can log  onto the Make Time for Change to play Spin & Win for a chance to win prizes including a new time-saving Frigidaire Affinity washer/dryer. Plus every day you take a spin, Frigidaire donates $1 to Save the Children as part of their $250,000 commitment to this worthy cause.

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I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and will be receiving a Frigidaire Refrigerator, Range/Microwave, Washer/Dryer set, and a Dishwasher to facilitate my review.

Your reusable bag can help the planet and also be seriously cute– we like June 15, Inc’s line of attractive reusable bags, made from cotton or jute, which is a natural sustainable fiber spun into coarse, strong threads.

We were sent a sample of their Cotton Black Bag ($14.49). It was sturdier than most of the other reusable bags I’ve seen. I liked the design and the long canvas straps. It held a lot of heavy groceries, plus I also was able to use it as a toy/snack tote/diaper bag for my children. It folds flat when not in use and the dimensions are 11H x 14W x 9D”.

Your children help you shop by sporting the adorable Eggplant Bag ($7.99), which converts into a backpack. All bags are washable and recyclable.

June 15, Inc. donates 1% of their profits to one percent for the planet.org.