Mars Needs Moms!

This past Saturday the kids and I had the opportunity to preview Disney's latest animated film Mars Needs Moms.

The movie, centers around 9 year old Milo (Seth Green) and his quest to save his mom (Joan Cusack) from martians who have kidnapped her in order to use her super mom skills for their own "nannybots". Along the way, Milo meets such colorful characters at Gribble (Dan Fogle) who endears himself with his sense of humor and casual "dude I got this" type attitude and rebel, spraypainting, hippy-esque martian Ki (Elizabeth Harnois), who although she has no nose is postively cute as a button.

Mars Needs Moms is really a pretty cute film replete with plenty of comedy and action that will keep you entertained. In fact, there might be some jokes that are more entertaining for the parents than the kids. The "animation" is phenomenal. The characters are so lifelike it's amazing.
It is important to note that this film is rated PG, and does have some material that could be scary for some very young viewers (aliens shooting, and allusion to death). That said,my family (which at the time was 7 year old twins and my 16 year old stepdaughter) and I got an absolute kick out of it and I feel pretty confident in saying yours will too.

Here check out a short preview for yourselves:


And because I want to share the love I offer to one lucky reader a Mars Needs Moms prize pack (1 Adult tshirt,1 youth tshirt and character tattoos)




















Simply leave a comment with your favorite Disney movie and you'll be entered to win. One winner will be chosen from all entries received by 3/18. The contest is open to US and canadian residents only.

And finally, you should also consider visiting the Mars Needs Moms Facebook page because there you can enter to win a Nissan Quest or a trip for 4 to Disneyland to see a movie premiere simply by liking the page. What could be more fabulous than that, right !?

Good luck!


Disclosure:I was invited to screen the movie for free to facilitate this review. Additionally, I attended a promotional party post screening.

EcoStore USA

My sincerest apologies to the folks at EcoStore as I was sent some products to review months ago and failed to post until now. I'll tell you as I told them I was hesitant to post anything at all as I really didn't care for these products as much as I thought I would.



But in the interest of full disclosure I'm posting now and you can take it for what it's worth.

First, I love what the company is doing. Their entire product line is EcoFriendly and free of harsh chemicals. I wanted to love these products and free myself of the toxic ones currently in my cabinet.

However, when it came right down to it their All Purpose cleaner, while incredibly pleasant to smell did not tackle the kind of stains my household generates. In terms of general after meal clean up /wiping down counters/stove and refrigerators it was ok. But when it came down to certain stains which unfortunately my 7 year olds tend to create plenty of I had to use another cleaner to fully tackle the stains (reddish juices, sauces, soups).

Additionally I tried the Automatic dishwasher powder and found that glasses were left with spots and remnants of the powder. And yes, I used the powder in several cycles just to be sure it wasn't a flukey , one timey kind of thing.

So ultimately, I have mixed feelings. These products wouldn't be the best bang for my buck if I were deciding what to purchase in store however the health benefits to my family tell me not to completely rule out other products in their line.


*Disclosure I received the All Purpose Cleaner and Dishwasher powder free of charge to facilitate this review.

Foster Farms - Great Bites Chicken Cheesburgers Review and Giveaway

Hey! Did you know this past September 18th was National Cheeseburger Day ? Yeah me neither.

But get this, Foster Farms the folks whom you know from the amazingly funny Foster Farms Chicken "No plumping" commercials did and introduced their latest in the Great Bites line, new mini flame-broiled chicken cheesburgers just in time for said "holiday".

Little bigger than a half dollar coin Great Bites really pack a punch in the flavor department. Great Bites come in two varieties: All-American BBQ burger with real smoky bacon and cheddar cheese, and, the Santa Fe burger with real creamy pepper jack cheese and chipotle sauce.

While they're both incredibly tasty , my family, preferred the BBQ burger (my daughter thought the Santa Fe burger was a little spicy). Thinking about it now is sending my belly into a frenzy of happiness. Great Bites would be perfect for afterschool (or anytime) snacks. The best part is that these burgers are very quickly and easily prepared in the microwave and frankly taste as good if not better than other varieties of microwave burgers. In fact, I'd go out on a limb and say these had more of the freshly prepared rather than the frozen to microwave vibe.

Want a chance to try new Foster Farms Chicken Cheesburger Great Bites ? Simply leave a comment telling me which version you'd like to try and you'll be entered to win. Six lucky winners will receive a coupon for a free 6 pack of Great bites from all entries received by October 8th.

*No compensation was received for this post. I received samples of Great Bites and Great Bites coupons to facilitate this review and giveaway.

Support National Parks and enter to win a Prize pack from Nature Valley

***This contest is now closed. Commenter 24 - Tina Reynolds is the lucky winner

Since the dedication of Yellowstone as the world’s first national park in 1872, America’s parks have been visited by hundreds of millions of people who marveled at their beauty, found peace in their wildness and shared their experience with others.

However, these national treasures need care and support to help them flourish. Years of underfunding and environmental problems such as pollution and climate change are threatening our National Park system. To help preserve our national parks and ensure their existence for generations to come, join Nature Valley® and Patricia Shultz, internationally best-selling author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die and travel industry leader, to help support the National Parks Project. This year, the National Parks Project will focus on restorative work at Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Biscayne National Parks.

To get involved, simply purchase a box of specially marked Nature Valley Bars and mail in your wrappers to the address below:

National Parks Project
PO Box 450328
El Paso, TX 88545-0328


Nature Valley will not only recycle the wrappers, but will also contribute $0.10 to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) for every wrapper received (up to $600,000 in total). To learn more about the National Parks Project and how you can make a difference, check out PreservetheParks.com today. And don’t forget to visit Nature Valley on Facebook or Nature Valley on Twitter to “Like” or “Follow” the brand. Facebook fans can enter to win a trip, as well as share photos and videos of their summer vacations. All of these sites will also feature updates on the restoration projects, as well as videos and pictures from “National Parks Project” volunteers.

There are many other ways you can enjoy the natural beauty and diverse wildlife of our national parks this summer while supporting the cause. The easiest thing you can do to support the national parks is to experience them for yourself and share them with your family – remembering as always to “take only pictures and leave your footprints.” So grab your backpack, your boots and some granola bars and go soak in the scenery.

To help you get a jump start enter to win a A Nature Valley Prize Pack .

Your prize pack will include
a box of Nature Valley Granola bars
a mini backpack
a military grade compass
a solar-powered, key chain flash light
a reusable water bottle
and
a copy of Patricia Shultz’s 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List.

Simply leave a comment telling me which park you'd most like to visit and you'll be entered to win. For an extra entry you may tweet about this giveaway (please leave a seperate comment).One winner will be selected at random from all comments received by 11:59 p.m. pst August 25.

* Information contained in this post and giveaway are provided by Nature Valley through MyBlogSpark. I received a Nature Valley Bars prize pack to facilitate this post.

Standing Ovation Movie Giveaway

***contest closed (note that this contest was previously hosted on my personal blog) *******
From the moment I told my 7 year old daughter about the new movie Standing Ovation she's been over the moon. I kid you not. Of course this is a kid who's 7 going on 13, loves to sing and dance and is becoming quite the little social butterfly so I'm not sure what else I expected.

Admittedly, I'm just the tiniest big geeked too because as quiet as it's kept I like some "tween" programming. Sure, were it not for my kids I'd probably not have been exposed but the fact is I do have children and I'm happy to find something we (parents & children) all can enjoy watching (that's not your typical purple dinosaur singing the same song over and over until you want to gag).

Think Junior High School Musical...original music and dance delivered by a cast of "talented" newcomers for the tween set. 5 best friends ,despite various odds chase their dreams of winning a national music video contest. However they must face off against their rivals who will stop at nothing to win.

C'mon you know if you were a tween you'd be squee -ing like you've never squee'd before!

It's good clean family fun with a little sass added in. That's how I'm envisioning Standing Ovation. But take a look and decide for yourself.



Standing Ovation will be relased in theatres on Friday, July 16th.

And Guess what Seattle ? I've got 3 pairs of tickets* to an advanced screening of the film on July 14th at Alderwood Mall. Wanna go ? Simply leave a comment telling me what you think you and/or your child would like about this movie. In addition, one of you lucky commenters will win a movie prize pack! 4 winners will be selected at random from all comments received by July 7th.

Disclosure - Opinions in this post are my own. Advanced screening "tickets" and prize pack courtesy of Kenilworth Films. I will receive passes to the advanced screening
*Winners will have their names placed on the guest list for the advanced screening.

Keeping My Ride Alive - Jiffy Lube Gift Card Giveaway

***Contest Closed. Winners (commenters 2 & 9) have been contacted***************


If you're like me, you want to get the most you can out of your vehicle. I'm fortunate enough to be car payment free and I intend to keep it that way by preserving the life of my current vehicle with regular maintenance.

According to Jiffy Lube International, more than half of U.S. drivers hope to hit more than 150,000 miles on their vehicle before replacing it. I'm at 147,000 miles and going strong and the car gods willing, I'll be driving my ride for another 147,000 miles!

A recent Jiffy Lube International survey reveals that though drivers universally acknowledge that regular maintenance can help extend the life of their vehicle, many are looking for more out of their maintenance experience.

Nearly one in five Americans believe the most important thing when having their oil changed is being able to have multiple services performed in a single visit, and more than half (59%) want to have their oil changed in 30 minutes or less.

Jiffy Lube offers the Jiffy Lube Signature Service® Oil Change to address these needs, providing drivers with much more than just an oil and filter change. The service includes changing, inspecting, checking/filling and cleaning key vehicle parts and fluids and offers drivers a quick and convenient way to maintain their vehicle. The Jiffy Lube Signature Service® Oil Change is a convenient solution that can help drivers preserve the value and longevity of their vehicle.

Jiffy Lube wants you to "Keep Your Ride Alive" and has generously offered two $35 gift cards good on any service Jiffy Lube offers

To enter:

Take a spin through the new Facebook community - Keeping My Ride Alive, “Like” it. Then come back and leave me a comment about which mileage category you fall into (must do this to be entered)

Consider sharing your story by uploading an image of yourself/your vehicle and information in the appropriate mileage category on the “Share Your Story” tab (2nd entry, please leave seperate comment)

Two winners will be selected at random from all comments received by 7/26.


Gift cards and information in this post provided by Jiffy Lube

Crystal Light Pure Fitness Review

I'm a horrible water drinker. Sure I understand the benefits of drinking water but sadly knowing those benefits has done little to get me past the fact that plain old water is flavorless and unexciting

I know,I know, before you mentally crucify me let me tell you how I've managed to get water in my diet. Flavors! Flavors! Flavors!

Crystal Light just a launched a cool new line called Pure Fitness which I was recently able to sample*. Having already been a fan of Crystal Light drinks, I was eager to check out the new line. What I loved was the absence of artificial sweetners! These single packets (which you mix with 16.9 oz of water) went down smoother than other varieties of Crystal Light and when mixing didn't have the "powder cloud" that I've encountered before in powdered drinks which I inevitably inhale and cough and sputter on. The taste was nice, light and refreshing.





The deets on the new drink:

Crystal Light Pure Fitness is the first nationally-available, low-calorie fitness beverage mix with no artificial flavors, preservatives or sweeteners and colored with natural ingredients. With only 15 calories per serving, it’s sweetened with evaporated cane juice and TruviaTM, an all-natural, calorie-free sweetener derived from the stevia plant, and it’s colored and flavored with natural ingredients. Pure Fitness also contains electrolytes to aid hydration during light physical activity, making it a great fitness partner.


It's available in Lemon Lime, Strawberry Kiwi or Grape (my fave). Check it out!




*I received a sample of Crystal Light Pure Fitness from Kraft Foods.