Ten Little Things that Lead to a Happier, Healthier Me

TwitterMoms has partnered with Tropicana Trop50 on a "Spring Renewal" blogging program, calling for blog posts about the "10 Little Things that Lead to a Happier, Healthier You." One hundred qualified participants will receive a $30 AmEx gift card and 6 Tropicana Juicy Rewards points worth up to $30 in savings. As a valued reader of my blog, each of you are invited to use this exclusive code TWMOM-READR worth 1 Juicy Rewards point (This one-time use code is valid for new accounts ONLY. Must be entered within 6 hours of creating your account. Limit one new account bonus code per new account. All accounts must be created and all codes entered by May 7, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST.) New to the Tropicana Juicy Rewards program? Make sure you visit their website to find out what your reward points may turn into and to enter their monthly sweepstakes.

Here are the 10 little things that lead to a happier, healthier me:
1. Every morning, smile into the mirror and tell myself that I will be having a wonderful day. It's an effective way to boost my confidence and keep a light heart.

2. Start the day with a healthy breakfast. I prefer cereals that are high in fiber and low in sugar. Multigrain Cheerios are a great choice for kids.

3. Drink plenty of water and cut back on soda intake. I use a water bottle with clear measurements, so it's easier to monitor my water intake and stay hydrated.

4. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apple happens to be my favorite fruit. It's an excellent source of fiber and vitamins. I'm happily following the old saying.

5. Include veggies in every meals. Either as the main course or a side dish, vegetables are a must-have in my everyday diet.

6. Substitute sweet snacks with fresh fruits and yogurt. I take at least 1 cup of yogurt a day and 3-4 servings of fresh fruit.

7. Take a 30-minute walk outside every day. It makes me feel refreshed and energized. It also helps me lose weight at a steady pace.

8. Put aside at least one hour a day for leisure reading. It can be anything I like: fictions, essays, biographies, or even jokes. It feels so good to have some "ME" time.

9. Take a warm bath before bedtime to relax and rewind. And have some quality beauty sleep!

10. Last but not least, kiss and hug your beloved ones often ^_^!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Tropicana Trop50 blogging program to be eligible to win 6 free Juicy Rewards points and a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Seventh Generation Disinfecting Cleaning Kit Review and Giveaway

~~The giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats to hugger1979!~~

Seventh Generation has been known as an innovative brand dedicated to developing safe and eco-friendly products for a healthy home. This spring, a new line of botanical disinfectant cleaners were introduced by the company to help us keep our home clean in a non-toxic and environmentally responsible way. Leading the “responsible cleaning” charge for the past 20 years, Seventh Generation has tapped into the disinfecting power of the herb thyme, to bring us an EPA registered line of disinfecting sprays and wipes that kill 99.99% household germs*(*specific germs to kill vary by product) naturally! The disinfectants contain thymol, a component of the herb thyme, and can be used on hard surfaces including counter tops, plastic cutting boards, highchair trays as well as children’s toys.

Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I was among the first to try out this new line of cleaning products from Seventh Generation. I was sent a nice Disinfecting Cleaning Kit to review (as pictured below). The kit includes: a disinfecting multi-surface cleaner, bathroom cleaner, wipes , a copy of The Conscious Kitchen, a cleaning caddy made from recycled plastic, and two rolls of 100% recycled, unbleached paper towels.



The Seventh Generation Disinfecting Cleaning Kit turned out to be a great helper in my spring cleaning kit. I love the clean and refreshing look of the wipes and cleaners. I used them primarily in the kitchen and the bathrooms. Not only do they have a pleasant scent, but they also clean tough grease and stains fast and effectively! The cleaners foam easily and can be rinsed off easily. Disinfecting while cleaning, they are expected to kill such household germs as "Influenza A, H1N1, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli on hard, nonporous surfaces." The disinfecting wipes dry fast and leaves no residues. I'm now more convinced that green cleaners work equally well as conventional cleaners. They're in fact much better, having the job done with no nasty chemicals!

The 100% recycled, unbleached paper towels look a bit coarse, but they are strong and absorbent, a must-have for moms who have to frequently combat food spills. The Conscious Kitchen was a nice easy read written by Alexandra Zissu, eco-lifestyle consultant who works with Seventh Generation. It discusses what’s good for your health, what’s good for the planet and what tastes great, along with useful tips on maintaining a green and healthy kitchen.

The Giveaway

MyBlogSpark and Seventh Generation have generously offered to give one of my lucky readers the same Seventh Generation Disinfecting Cleaning Kit as I reviewed here.

Required Entry: Visit Seventh Generation, and tell me your favorite product in the entry form below.

Extra Entries (optional): please make sure you do the required entry first! And then tell me in the entry form each thing you did to gain an extra entry.

• Follow my blog publicly (1 extra entry)
• Subscribe to my feed via email and leave your email address (1 extra entry) .
• Become my fan on Facebook and leave your name (1 extra entry)
• Grab my button and tell me where to find it (1 extra entry)
• Add icefairy's Treasure Chest to your blogroll and leave the link (1 extra entry)
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post. (1 extra entry for mentioning this giveaway on your blog; 3 extra entries for a separate blog post).

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Central Time on 5/23/10
Open to US Residents Only.

Winner will be chosen using random.org and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.
Thanks for entering and good luck!

Winners

It's time to find out the winners of our recently closed giveaways.

Andrea (comment #31) won the Aller-Ease Spring Into Action giveaway and will be receiving an Aller-Ease Cotton Comfort bedding set soon. A big thank-you to all those who shared their useful tips for spring cleaning! There will be more winners to announce once the Best Tips List is out.

Luckyduck (comment #327) is indeed lucky because she just won a Plan Toys City Eco Town Play Set, with a retail value of $150! Thanks again to BabyCribsPlus for their generous sponsorship!

Congratulations to our winners! And thank you for responding to my notification emails so promptly. I have more giveaways in the planning and will post them soon.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Sping Into Action with Aller-Ease Giveaway

~~The giveaway is now CLOSED~~

Birds are chirping. Flowers are blossoming. Spring is in full force. And so are allergies. You know what that means if you have allergy or asthma sufferers in the house. You may have accumulated a good number of ways to combat allergens and alleviate allergy symptoms. Now it is the best time to share your tried and true spring cleaning tips with the rest of us and win some neat prizes!

The Motherhood and Aller-Ease, maker of the top selling brand of allergen protective bedding products, have once against joined forces to launch the "Spring Into Action" campaign, featuring premium allergy relief products and best spring cleaning tips from 15 mom bloggers and their readers. I'm so much honored to be a part of the Spring Into Action team, which consists of the following bloggers besides me:

Caryn @ http://www.rockinmama.net

Felicia @ http://www.gograhamgo.com

Stacie @ http://thedivinemissmommy.com

Tonya @ http://afamilycompleted.blogspot.com

Beth @ http://theplussizemommy.com

Diane @ http://somethingsnappee.blogspot.com

Becky @ http://blog.nickels-n-dimes.com

Piera @ http://www.jollymom.com

Angie @ http://MyFourMonkeys.com

Kimberly @ http://prettypinkmomma.blogspot.com

Shannon @ http://www.themommy-files.com

Stephanie @ http://andtwinsmake5.blogspot.com

Tammy @ http://tammystwocents-tammy.blogspot.com

Robyn @ http://www.RobynsOnlineWorld.com

Some of you may still remember the Flip for Fall challenge last year, when Aller-Ease provided me with one set of protective bedding products to try for free and another set to give away. The giveaway was quite a blast and we love all the products we received, especially the pillows. This year, Aller-Ease has generously sent us 2 Allergy Protection Pillow and 1 Queen Size Mattress Protector from their Cotton Comfort line, which fit our new mattress perfectly.


You're welcome to check out the short video, in which I show you the Aller-Ease products I received and some of my self-made spring cleaning tools (I've got a sore throat. Please excuse me for the low and coarse voice).



As part of the "Spring Into Action" project, Aller-Ease is compiling a Best Spring Cleaning Tips of All Time List based on the spring cleaning tips and tricks collected on the 15 participating blogs as well as in the Spring Into Action Circle on The Motherhood. All tipsters are eligible to win 1 of 15 blog giveaways plus 1 of 3 Spring Cleaning Prize Baskets (consisting of 1 pillow, 1 queen cotton mattress protector, 2 queen cotton pillow protectors, Kleenex, Halls Cough drops, Clorox wipes, Various cleaning supplies, and Spring linens)!

In addition, Aller-Ease is hosting a Spring into Action contest now through April 30th. By telling Aller-Ease the most disgusting thing you found during your spring cleaning, you’ll be entered to win a grand prize of an Aller-Ease allergy-proofing bedroom makeover for your entire home (up to four beds). There are tons of chances to win if you enter all the amazing giveaways!

The Giveaway

Thanks to Aller-Ease and The Motherhood, one of my lucky readers will win an Aller-Ease Spring Into Action Prize Pack, including 1 Standard Allergen Barrier Pillows with Washable Cover, 2 Zippered Pillow Protectors and 1 Queen Size Mattress Protector! Be sure to visit the other 14 bloggers to increase your chance of winning.

Required Entry: Share your tried and true spring cleaning tips or tricks in a comment on this post (1 entry per tip, unlimited).

• Follow my blog publicly (1 extra entry)
• Subscribe to my feed via email and leave your email address (1 extra entry) .
• Tweet your tips to me (@luckytoddler) with hashtag #allerease and leave the link to your tweet (1 extra entry per tweet/tip, unlimited).
  
• Follow Aller-Ease AND Me on Twitter AND tweet the following message (1 extra entry per day) Yes! You may tweet once daily to increase your chances:

RT @luckytoddler Share you spring cleaning tips and win an @AllerEase prize pack! Ends 4/12 http://bit.ly/spita #giveaway #allerease
Please leave the link to your tweet in your comment.

• Become my fan on Facebook and leave your name (1 extra entry)
  
• Grab my button and tell me where to find it (1 extra entry)
  
• Add icefairy's Treasure Chest to your blogroll and leave the link (1 extra entry)
• Blog about this giveaway and link back this post, and leave the link in your comment (1 extra entry for mentioning this giveaway on your blog; 3 extra entries for a separate blog post).
  

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Central Time on 4/12/10
Open to US Residents Only.
Winner will be chosen using random.org and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.
Thanks for entering and good luck!

Dress Like A Princess Giveaway Ends Tuesday

To celebrate the newest Disney princess, Tiana from Disney's Princess and the Frog, Costume Inc. is offering 35% off all their Disney Licensed Princess and Fairytale Costumes. You may also enter their Dress like a Princess Giveaway hosted on That Costume Blog. The winner will receive The Deluxe edition of the newly released Princess and the Frog DVD/Blu Ray edition of the movie and a $25 Gift Certificate to Costumes Inc.

If you indicate in your comment/entry that you learn about the giveaway from icefairy's Treasure Chest and if my blog ends up driving the most entrants, I will be able to give away an additional $25 gift certificate to one of my readers. Ready to win a free new costume? Hop over to the contest page and follow the simple instructions. The deadline for entry is April 12th. Good luck!

BabyCribsPlus Giveaway: Plan Toys City Eco Town

~~The giveaway is now CLOSED~~

If you are in the market for baby cribs and nursery accessories, one place that is definitely worth checking out is BabyCribsPlus.com, where you can find everything you need for your baby's room. With over 40,000 items in the store, BabyCribsPlus boasts the best selection of baby furniture and baby gear on the web! It carries all the major brands at affordable prices.

Like its sister CSN stores, BabyCribsPlus guarantees a smooth shopping experience with its buyer friendly web interface and simple checkout process. You may easily browse the store using clearly marked tabs and drop-down menus. You may also refine your product search by price range, brand name, material, style, size, and many other product features. Each product page provides plenty of details to help you make a well-informed choice.

While you are hunting for the best deals at BabyCribsPlus.com, you may be eligible to win a luxurious Plan Toys City Eco Town Play Set as shown below:



The set includes:
* Eco Home
* Eco Train Station
* Eco Street Accessories
* Eco Play Mat

Features:
* City collection
* For ages 3 years and up
* Environmentally safe materials
* Create to encourage 'clean energy' playtime
* Helps children develop logical thinking and planning skills
* Essential for intellectual development

The Giveaway

The nice people at CSN Stores have generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a Plan Toys City Eco Town Play Set! That's a $150 value!!!

Required Entry: Visit BabyCribsPlus.com, and leave a comment telling me your favorite product on the site. (Please leave a valid email address in your comment or make sure one is visible in your blogger profile).

Extra Entries (optional): please make sure you do the required entry first! Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry, i.e. 1 comment=1 entry.

• Follow my blog publicly (1 extra entry)
• Subscribe to my feed via email and leave your email address (1 extra entry) .
• Follow Me on Twitter AND tweet the following message (1 extra entry per day) Yes! You may tweet once daily to increase your chances:

RT @luckytoddler Green #toy giveaway! Win a Plan Toys Eco Town Play Set! A $150 value! http://bit.ly/ptetp #giveaway
Please leave the link to your tweet in your comment.

• Become my fan on Facebook and leave your name (1 extra entry)
  
• Grab my button and tell me where to find it (1 extra entry)
  
• Add icefairy's Treasure Chest to your blogroll and leave the link (1 extra entry)
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to baby cribs and Me. Then leave the link in your comment (1 extra entry for mentioning this giveaway on your blog; 3 extra entries for a separate blog post).

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Central Time on 4/15/10
Open to US Residents Only.
Winner will be chosen using random.org and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.
Thanks for entering and good luck!

Yoplait YoPlus Yogurt Giveaway

More free treats from Yoplait! Isn't this sweet? If you're among the first 50 to sign up for the "FREE Yogurt!" offer through the widget in this post, you'll receive a coupon for a free 4-pack of YoPlus yogurt in the mail. Plus, you may download a coupon to get $1.00 off your next YoPlus yogurt purchase.




About Yoplait YoPlus yogurt:
The newly reformulated Yoplait YoPlus yogurt provides important health benefits in every cup, with the great taste consumers expect from Yoplait. Now, with 20 percent of the Daily Value of antioxidant vitamins A and E, a blend of special probiotic cultures and fiber for digestive health, as well as calcium and vitamin D for bone health, YoPlus offers a delicious way to get three steps closer to healthy, balanced living. YoPlus Flavors include Blackberry Pomegranate, Blueberry Acai, Strawberry, Vanilla, Peach and Cherry.

Many thanks to Yoplait for providing the product information and free coupons!

Yoplait Greek Yogurt Giveaway

Have you heard about Yoplait Greek, an exciting new addition to the Yoplait family? Now here's your chance to try Yoplait® Greek yogurt for free! Yoplait has generously offered to give away 50 free cups of Yoplait Greek yogurt to my dear readers. Simply click on the "TRY IT FREE" button on the widget and fill out the form with your mailing information. But you need to act fast. Only the first 50 who sign up will receive a coupon for free yogurt.

About Yoplait® Greek yogurt

Yoplait® Greek yogurt, the newest option from America’s number one yogurt brand, has a unique, thick & creamy texture with the great taste expected from Yoplait--the only leading brand of yogurt with vitamins A and D. Each cup contains 0 grams of fact and 12 grams of protein, 2 times that of the leading yogurt. It comes in 4 flavors: Strawberry, Blueberry, Honey Vanilla and Plain. At a suggested retail price of $1.19, Yoplait Greek is affordable, when compared to similar Greek yogurt products, and available at major grocery stores nationwide.

You're also invited to check out exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from “Clash of the Titans” available on the widget. Have fun!