Celebrate Earth Month with Ziploc Brand {Prize Pack Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, s8r8l33!}

Of all of the names that have always had a place in my kitchen, Ziploc Brand products have been a staple. From prepping meals and keeping food fresh to conveniently storing and organizing just about everything, Ziploc Brand products are there in all shapes and sizes.

It just wouldn't be the same without them!

But now, just in time for Earth Month, we can feel even better about using Ziploc Brand products.

Ziploc is 100% committed to recycling and helping the environment and has partnered with Recyclebank, the leading sustainable action platform that motivates and enables individuals to make a collective impact on the environment. Together they are working to provide families special incentives to increase recycling, which in turn, will help keep our country’s landfills from growing.

How can you help? By visiting Recyclebank and pledging to recycle clean and dry Ziploc Brand bags - it's a simple way to incorporate earth-friendly habits into your daily routine as you prepare school lunches, family dinners or save leftovers!

Just bring your clean and dry Ziploc Brand Sandwich, Storage and Freezer Bags to in-store bins at approximately 18,000 participating retail locations that accept plastic shopping bags for recycling and you'll be helping do your part.

For more news on Ziploc and details on how you can get involved, visit Ziploc Sustainability. You can also share your family's earth-friendly tips on their Facebook page while keeping up to date with the variety of smart, quality solutions that they have to offer... like the great new Ziploc evolve Sandwich and Storage Bags. These ultra-light bags are made with 25% less plastic and are manufactured at a factory powered by up to 50 percent wind power!

And, thanks to the generosity of Ziploc Brand, one person will be able to enjoy their high quality products and feel good knowing that they are supporting the recycling and eco-friendly efforts of this company as well, because...

One lucky person will win a Ziploc Prize Pack containing Ziploc Brand Sandwich Bags, Ziploc evolve Storage Bags & Ziploc Brand Freezer Bags!

To enter to win: Visit Ziploc Sustainability and tell me something you learned or liked there.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).
1 Extra Entry if you Like Ziploc Brand on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

Celebrate Earth Month and WIN a Ziploc Prize Pack of high quality products! #thxmailcarrier http://bit.ly/mgg69i #giveaway #win

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me publicly with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook, or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on May 19th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to Ziploc for providing a Prize Pack for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.

Little Looster {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, Dawn!}

Of all of the baby and child gear that I don't really understand, potty chairs are high up on the list.

We tried one for a short time with Big Sister E and although she didn't seem to love it or hate it, I couldn't stand the thing. It was constantly being tripped over when not in use and, when it was actually being utilized, the whole dumping-and-cleaning process for it made my stomach turn.

Needless to say, it wasn't long before we switched to a potty seat insert on the regular toilet and found that we both preferred that option much better. Big Sister E was happy using the big potty like Mommy and Daddy and I was able to pack the little chair away in the basement for good.

The one problem that we encountered? Getting her actually up on the toilet when she had to use it. We tried a couple different stools in an attempt to find one that was light enough that she could move it into place when she needed it and then put it away when she didn't but that also was solid enough to be safe... and have never really been all that satisfied with what we found.

Until now. The best of all worlds is here in the form of the Little Looster, the Booster for the Loo.

Invented by a mother of 3, the Little Looster is the ultimate in potty stools. Instead of having to shuffle wobbly little benches around in the bathroom all the time, this U-shaped, strong, durable invention is more like an extension of the toilet itself. All that is necessary is to slide it neatly around the base once and it provides a large area for kids to climb up safely and securely.

Simple, right?

Right away I liked the fact that the 100% recyclable plastic Little Looster eliminated the constant wonders of, "Where's the stool?" from Big Sister E and that both she and Little Sister B were able to step up from any angle and have plenty of room for both of their feet to have room for balance.

When sitting, not only does the Little Looster enable both girls to have somewhere to comfortably rest their legs, but when they go to stand up we're all much happier that they won't have accidentally kicked over the stool or will have it tip when weight is placed on it.

Due to the well-placed cutouts and indents along the edges of the Little Looster, this stool has the added bonus of being able to stay in place and not be in the way for adults in the bathroom. My husband and I found that it did take a little getting used to in terms of placing our feet around it, but it was a huge improvement over constantly shoving the previous stool out of the way all the time.

All in all, we love it! The solid construction, easily cleanable surface, and large amount of space that the Little Looster provides for kids are great, no matter which stage of potty training they are in. From boosting the confidence of beginners and helping encourage them to succeed to reinforcing the I-can-do-it feeling of older children, this is one product that I want in all of our bathrooms.

Retailing for $34.99, the Little Looster is available directly from their website or at retail and online locations and will be a staple in our house for years to come! And, thanks to their generosity, one person will be able to have a great potty training aid for the child in their life as well, because...

One lucky person will win a Little Looster: Booster for the Loo!

To enter to win: Visit Little Looster and tell me something you learned there or how this would help in your home.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).
1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow Little Looster on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

WIN a Little Looster: Booster for the Loo, the ultimate potty stool for all kids! #thxmailcarrier http://bit.ly/jbltxh #giveaway #win

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me publicly with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook, or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on May 5th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to Little Looster for providing a Little Looster for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.

Dora’s Bath Time Playset from Mega Bloks {Review}

When it comes to companies and brands that we know and love, there are some that can be depended on for one standard product time and time again... while others seem to continually impress us with their innovative and new ideas.

A prime example? Mega Bloks. Best known for their large, colorful, easy to manipulate building blocks, they also have taken things to a new level time and time again by introducing new ways to play with them. Their sets have expanded to include trucks, farms, trains, recognizable characters, games (we love Domino Build!), and much more to encourage imaginative play.

So, when the new Mega Bloks Dora's Bath Time buildable playset arrived, I knew both of my girls would have a great time going on endless adventures with Dora and her bathtub.
Arriving with everything we needed to build Dora's cute bathroom, Big Sister E and Little Sister B were smiling already as we unpacked Dora and each of her cute accessories.

As we began to admire the bathtub, clothes hangers, rubber ducky, hair dryer, and more, we also noticed the extra skirt for Dora and realized that she is a Build & Dress character. Right away we had to try out her different outfits as we put together her bathroom!
As we put together all of the Mega Bloks pieces on the included platform, it was fun to see the bathroom come together and just how many different ways that we could configure the vanity, daisy, brush, and more.

Due to the way that everything can be constructed exactly as each child imagines, we have been able to play with this in so many different ways and never get tired of it. One day Dora will have a bath and dry her hair, the next day she is changing clothes to get ready to go meet her friends, and the following day she is brushing the duck to "make him pretty." The options and scenarios are endless!

With all of the customizable possibilities and the way that this playset can be combined with other Mega Bloks for more fun, Dora's Bath Time is a great gift for any young Dora fans. Little hands won't have any trouble with the pieces (it is recommended for ages 3+ due to the small size of many of the accessories) and the quality is nothing less than what we expect from MEGA Brands.

Retailing for around $14.99, Mega Bloks Dora's Bath Time can be purchased at a variety of retailers such as Kmart, Target, and Walmart, as well as online at Amazon. MEGA Brands can be found on Twitter and Facebook and, for big fans, the Mega Bloks Family Club is the place to find offers, contests, promotions, a free email newsletter, an educational and informative blog, and even a printable coupon for $5 off any $30 or more Mega Bloks purchase.

(Other than the Dora's Bath Time buildable playset that I was sent in conjunction with my membership to Team Mom, I was not provided with anything or enticed to do this review in any way. This review is solely my opinion of this company and their products.)

Body Magic By Ardyss {Review}

I've always hated the phrase, "There's no magic solution to weight loss." Always.

It's just so annoying that there is a magic solution to other things - a cream that you can rub on to regrow hair on your bald spot or a cleaning tool that will eliminate the marks off of your carpet or plastic container that can organize your papers better than ever before - but losing weight is so darn hard.

Finding the time, energy, and motivation to work out while watching every last thing you eat is something that doesn't just happen with the snap of your fingers. But I know that I'm like millions of other women out there who would love to be able to hide our love handles and mom pooches effectively and easily. Who wouldn't enjoy the boost of confidence that could provide?

Well, let me tell you that my confidence has probably never been higher as when I'm wearing Body Magic By Ardyss, because really, it is as close to a magic solution as I have ever encountered.

I'm not new to the idea of shapewear and have tried out a variety of styles and brands in the past to mixed results... so hearing the claims that Body Magic can flatten your belly and slim your waist so much that you drop one to three sizes immediately left me feeling pretty skeptical.

As their product line is developed to not only give you a slimmer appearance but actually restore the shape of the body and help you lose weight, when the Ardyss Body Magic arrived, I could immediately tell that this is one garment that means business.
Actually made to move the fatty tissue in the body from one place to another, I took one look at the Body Magic and wondered if wearing it was going to be as complicated as it looked.

Turns out, it wasn't.

Due to the well-placed and very easy to use clasps down the front and on the straps, I simply slid into the bottom portion like pants, adjusted the straps, and closed up the front.

The breathable fabric and comfortable cuffs on the legs made wearing the Body Magic feel light and not at all hot, which was in contrast to the way that the strong midsection and stiff boning held my stomach and hips in more than I have ever experienced before.

As Ardyss has a sizing system based on various measurements from your body, they did a great job ensuring that I had the correct one for my body and, when I turned and looked in the mirror, I have to admit that I was pretty shocked at the transformation. Whereas in the past the Before and After photos on shapewear websites make me scoff, ones like these from the Ardyss website truly are real:

Visit the Body Magic pictures page for more amazing Before and After pictures like this!

There were definitely multiple inches gone from my waist (my jeans were much too loose) and those love handles? Completely sucked in and hidden. I felt like it took me a time or two of wearing the Body Magic to be used to the feeling of having my body held tightly, but it wasn't in an uncomfortable way at all.

The first time I wore this garment out, I received multiple compliments as to how much weight I've lost and how good I look, which pretty much sealed my appreciation for this product. I am not one to normally wear fitted shirts or tighter dresses, but with this I have already been re-evaluating my wardrobe and pulling out items that I wouldn't have felt like I could have worn... not to mention that I'll need to purchase smaller pants so that they don't slide down!

I can't vouch for the Body Magic actually helping me lose weight, as that seems like something difficult to measure, but I really couldn't be happier with the results that I've encountered from wearing it. Unlike shapewear that ends somewhere around your ribs and slouches down throughout the day, this stays securely in place from the time you put it on due to the strong (and adjustable) straps.

I do find that although there are clasps on the legs, in order to go to the bathroom I end up taking the entire thing off (which, combined with having to then reconnect the clasps to put it all back on, takes a bit of time) but the way that my problem areas have disappeared makes it worth it. This doesn't just smooth bulges, it really does eliminate them!

I haven't once felt like I'm suffocating or too hot and whether it is the Body Magic or the way that I feel in it, I find myself standing taller and actually smiling more when I glance in the mirror. All in all, this is one innovative product that I feel really does live up to the claim that it is a state of the art body shaping garment that helps women lose 2-3 dress sizes from the moment they put it on - no pills, surgery, diet, or exercise required!

Often retailing for $150, the Ardyss Body Magic is currently running a 40% off sale and is now $89.99. For much more information, including FAQs, celebrity fans, media coverage and more or to place an order for any of the entire line of Ardyss products, visit the Body Magic By Ardyss Store today!

(Other than the Body Magic that I received from Ardyss to facilitate my review, I was not provided with anything or enticed to do this review in any way. This review is solely my opinion of this product and its results.)