Share Your Dream with Upromise & Win $10,000!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of UPromise. All opinions are 100% mine.

Upromise has offered its members over $600 million in college savings through the rewards program during the past ten years. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Upromise is hosting a fantastic contest and sweepstakes, through which $20,000 cash will be given away to parents who share their dream for their child and how they plan to realize that dream. To enter, simply visit www.upromisetodream.com and follow the instructions to submit your story in 500 words or less.

After sharing your own dream, you can go read stories from other participants and vote for your favorite by clicking on the "Like" icon under each entry. The story that receives the most votes by the end of the contest will win the author a Grand Prize of $10,000! Not into the voting game? Never mind. You could still be a weekly winner of $1,000 based on pure luck. A total of 10 weekly winners will be selected from random drawings. You may read the dream wall official rules for more details.

I just entered the sweepstakes by sharing my dream for my son's future. I don't have specific expectations about what career path he will pursue when he grows up. My only wish is that he will stay happy throughout his life. He will be able to follow the lifestyle of his choice, have a job that he feels passionate about, and be successful on his own terms. We as parents will support his own dream as much as we can and offer him advice and guidance when necessary,

What's your dream for you child? Share it with Upromise and you could win big, getting close to making your dream come true! But hurry! The promotion ends on September 29, 2011 at midnight. Feel free to post your story in the comment section below so that we could vote for you.

Celebrate National Good Neighbor Day with WhitePages Neighbors & $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Today (September 28, 2011) is National Good Neighbor Day! It’s the perfect time to socialize with those who live around you. Recognizing and appreciating your neighbors would help build a better and safer community. You may do simple things like a friendly smile and hello to a neighbor. How about a block party?

WhitePages Neighbors is a great FREE tool you can use to organize a block party, look up contact information for your neighbors, and to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood you live in. As I told you before, WhitePages Neighbors provides a neighborhood satellite aerial map of U.S. household contact information, including first and last name, mailing address, associated household members, and phone number to help neighbors get to know one another. Its Block Party Invite and RSVP system makes organizing a blog party a lot more easier by sending out personalized postcard invites via the U.S. Postal Service for free. Everyone is encouraged to use the free service to promote neighborhood safety and community partnership.


The video above may help refresh your memory about how to use WhitePages Neighbors. It's easy and intuitive, offering various options to customize your search, edit your own information, and to control privacy settings. Give it a try if you haven't already. Happy Good Neighbor Day!

The Giveaway

In honor of National Good Neighbor Day, WhitePages has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a $25 Amazon Gift Card! You may pay it forward to a good neighbor :)

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to submit your entries. A few things to note:

*You must enable JavaScript to see the widget and it may load a bit slower than the rest of the webpage. Thank you for your patience! Need help to enable JavaScript? Click here.

*Please make sure you fill in the "Extra info" field in the form as instructed. I moderate all entries and only valid ones will count in the drawing. If you submit an empty form by accident, you can note that in the comment and I'll correct the entry for you.

* Comments are for feedbacks, questions, etc. but NOT for entries unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for following the rules and making things easier for all of us!

The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD & Red John's Mole

One of Patrick Jane's major missions in Season 3 of The Mentalist was to find out Red John's mole within the CBI. After watching the season finale, we already knew that it was Craig O'Laughlin. But before the big reveal, had you ever suspected someone else as the mole?

Throughout Season 3, the show kept us guessing who the real mole was. Clues pointed to more than one suspects. Bertram, LaRoche and Rigsby all looked suspicious at some point in the show. But as a fan of suspense and mystery stories, I knew the correct answer wouldn't be given away easily (Like in Pretty Little Liars, we were proven wrong every time we thought we were getting close to finding out who "A" is). I wasn't very surprised that O'Laughlin turned out to be the bad guy, but I couldn't help feeling sad for Grace Van Pelt.

Had anyone of you thought O'Laughlin was the mole before everything became apparent? Any clues that I may have overlooked?

Order your copy of The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD here today: http://bit.ly/rcKZxk!

Disclosure: I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD.

Crest 3D White 2 Hour Express Whitestrips Review & Giveaway

I told you about the new Crest 3D White 2 Hour Express Whitestrips in an earlier post. Now it's time to show how they worked on my husband and what we think about the product.

Pre-treatment

Post-treatment

You may notice from the pictures that some of the stains on his front teeth disappeared after the 2-hour treatment. What the post picture doesn't fully show is that hubby's teeth got a smoother and shining look overall. We have to admit that the whitening effects weren't as dramatic as what we had expected, but we think they are sufficient for an express treatment.

This is the first time my husband has tried whitestrips (he usually receives professional treatments annually at our dentist's). He likes how easy it was to put on and remove the strips. It did take a few minutes for him to get used to the feeling of wearing something extra on his teeth. No irritation or sensitivity occurred. The whitestrips had no taste or aftertaste, and they stayed well in place throughout the 2-hour treatment, during which hubby was finalizing his slides for the presentation.

Crest 3D White 2 Hour Express Whitestrips are the right choice for you if you have an important occasion coming up in a few hours and need to have your teeth whitened promptly. They are available at mass retailers and drugstores nationwide. You may "like" Crest Whitestrips on Facebook and make a purchase right there.

The Giveaway

Crest has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers one box of Crest 3D White 2 Hour Express Whitestrips! A $55 value! The kit includes 4 treatments to keep your teeth white and shining for an entire year!

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to submit your entries. A few things to note:

*You must enable JavaScript to see the widget and it may load a bit slower than the rest of the webpage. Thank you for your patience! Need help to enable JavaScript? Click here.

*Please make sure you fill in the "Extra info" field in the form as instructed. I moderate all entries and only valid ones will count in the drawing. If you submit an empty form by accident, you can note that in the comment and I'll correct the entry for you.

* Comments are for feedbacks, questions, etc. but NOT for entries unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for following the rules and making things easier for all of us!

Win 1 of 4 $500 Express Gift Cards for a Suiting Makeover!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express. All opinions are 100% mine.

Whether you want to dress up for a professional conference or happy hour with your co-workers, Express has the right outfit for you! Express carries a vast selection of women's suits, with fashionable designs, vibrant colors, and premium quality.

My favorite among the variety of choices is the Women's Rouched Sleeve Jacket & Pants. The striped pattern of the fabric and the flare pants can make sure that you will work in style and look taller and slimmer. I would wear this suit for any work occasions including business presentations, job interviews, and networking events.

From now until the end of October, you can enter the Express sweepstakes for your chance to win a $500 Express Gift Card to put together your favorite outfit for work or other important occasions! Four prizes are up for grabs. You must be a fan of Express on Facebook to be eligible for the Work It Sweepstakes. To maximize your chance to win, enter once per day until 10/31. Open to both US & Canadian residents!

What's your favorite suit from Express? Enter the sweepstakes and you could win it free! What are you gonna use your suit for? Don't forget to share with us! Good luck!

Kidtoons Sid The Science Kid Prize Pack Giveaway

For the month of September, Kidtoons is featuring Sid The Science Kid: Get Up And Move! and Sid The Science Kid: Sleep? Who Needs It?!. Please use the theater locator to see if there's one near you playing the Kidtoons movies this weekend.

Here's the synopsis for Sid The Science Kid Sid The Science Kid: Get Up And Move!:
Sid is super excited, because teacher Susie announced that today is full of surprises-healthy surprises! First the class walks to a local park where they get to run around and play outside in the fresh air! Susie teaches the kids how to do yoga, and when it's snack time, the kids get another special surprise-they get to pick fresh vegetables from a community garden! Yum! Next, Susie teaches the kids her favorite childhood game-Red Light, Green Light! It's a great way to move your body, and it's fun! Back home, Sid tells his Mom about his amazing day, and Mom is inspired to plant a garden in the backyard. Sid then comes up with a new family tradition-taking a walk every day together! It's easy to do and it's a fun, healthy way to move your body!

And the synopsis for Sid The Science Kid: Sleep? Who Needs It?! is:
Sid is ready to stay up all night so he and his stuffed animals can pretend to fly into space on a rocket ship! When his Mom insists that he can't stay up, Sid ventures to school to investigate more. He and friends explore how the body needs sleep to properly function, and most important, we need sleep to grow and stay healthy! Understanding that sometimes we feel too excited to sleep (like before an adventure into space), Susie presents a special Super Fab Lab where the kids practice calming down, and preparing their bodies for sleep. Susie lowers the lights, turns off all the sounds in the room, and teaches the kids how to breathe slowly to relax...and sleep!

The Giveaway

Kidtoons has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a fun Sid The Science Kid Prize Pack! Here's what's inside the prize pack:
*1 Sid The Science Kid DVD
*1 Pocoyo DVD
*1 Theatrical Movie Poster
*Assorted Sid The Science Kid, Word World & Pocoyo Stickers

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to submit your entries. A few things to note:

*You must enable JavaScript to see the widget and it may load a bit slower than the rest of the webpage. Thank you for your patience! Need help to enable JavaScript? Click here.

*Please make sure you fill in the "Extra info" field in the form as instructed. I moderate all entries and only valid ones will count in the drawing. If you submit an empty form by accident, you can note that in the comment and I'll correct the entry for you.

* Comments are for feedbacks, questions, etc. but NOT for entries unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for following the rules and making things easier for all of us!

Crest 3D White 2 Hour Express Whitestrips Preview

Who wouldn't want to impress others with a bright and beautiful smile?! Do you need a little help whitening your teeth, but find professional treatments too expensive or home kits too time consuming? Crest provides a new option for you--Crest 3D White 2 Hour Express Whitestrips--to give you a brighter, whiter smile while saving you time and money!

The new Crest 3D White 2 Hour Express Whitestrips contain a thicker ingredient layer, providing significantly more enamel safe whitening ingredient that whitens in just two hours. They feature the Advanced Seal Technology, which includes optimized notches that wrap and conform to teeth for improved wear and comfort. After one 2-hour treatment, tooth stains are removed below the tooth’s surface, allowing your pearly whites to be in their best shape for any of life’s spontaneous moments!

I was provided with a box of this new product for review. My husband is having a very important business presentation soon, so I gave him the chance to test out the whitestrips first. The above picture was taken before he started the 2-hour treatment. I'll show you the results in a later post.

For now, I'd like you to think about the question: What life event would you whiten for in just two hours? I would like to have whiter teeth for any occasion that matters to me, a family reunion, a house party, a wedding, a parent-teacher meeting, a job interview...the list can go on and on.

Here are a few great examples of when you need to get a brighter, whiter smile faster:
*You’ve received a last minute invite to a movie premiere, concert, or other fabulous event;
*Your boss notifies you he/she cannot make the meeting and you have to pinch hit;
*You have two hours to spare while cleaning the house, catching a film or shopping.

Crest 3D White 2 Hour Express Whitestrips retails for $54.99 per kit. Each kit contains strips enough for 4 treatments. As only one treatment is needed every 3 months, you have a full year's supply of whitestrips in just one box. You can save even more with this $7 off coupon and at online stores where the kit is on sale (e.g. amazon.com, drugstore.com)!

Disclosure: I received free product and compensation via One2One Network to facilitate my honest review. All views and opinions expressed are my own.

48-Hour Giveaway: Carmex Prize Pack (3 New Products & Picnic Blanket)

Lip balm is one of the few beauty must-haves I carry with me everywhere. No matter what season it is, my lips constantly needs to be nourished and moisturized. That's why I love to try out all kinds of lip balm to see which one works best.

Carmex recently invited me to review three new additions to their product line: Carmex Lime Twist click stick, Carmex Vanilla click stick and Carmex Moisture Plus® clear satin gloss finish. I love the fun flavors, smooth feel, moisturizing effect, and SPF 15 sun protection. My favorite of the three is the Lime Twist click stick because the flavor is so refreshing and delicious. The Moisture Plus clear satin gloss finish is a great companion to lip sticks of any color. It helps lock in moisture while adding a shiny finish to your look.

Want more chances to win free Carmex products? Enter their weekly giveaways on Facebook, Twitter, and Carmex.com. Good luck!

The Giveaway

Carmex has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a Carmex Prize Pack, including 1 Carmex Lime Twist click stick, 1 Carmex Vanilla click stick, 1 Carmex Moisture Plus® clear satin gloss finish & 1 beautiful striped picnic blanket! I'm sure that the winner will love it.

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to submit your entries. A few things to note:

*You must enable JavaScript to see the widget and it may load a bit slower than the rest of the webpage. Thank you for your patience! Need help to enable JavaScript? Click here.

*Please make sure you fill in the "Extra info" field in the form as instructed. I moderate all entries and only valid ones will count in the drawing. If you submit an empty form by accident, you can note that in the comment and I'll correct the entry for you.

* Comments are for feedbacks, questions, etc. but NOT for entries unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for following the rules and making things easier for all of us!

Eight O'Clock Coffee Back-to-School Tips & Parent Survival Pack Giveaway

As school starts and season changes, it’s time to adjust to the new schedules and daily routines. Eight O’Clock Coffee has prepared a few tips to help get parents and their kids through the craziness of back-to-school season.

Here are the “Back-to-School Survival Tips” from Eight O’Clock Coffee:

TIP 1: Become Your Own Brewista: Save time, money and gas this back-to-school season by brewing your morning coffee at home. You can even set your coffee maker’s timer the night before to wake up to great-smelling Eight O’Clock Coffee.

TIP 2: Preplan Lunch: A few days before school starts, sit down with your kids and create a grocery list of healthy snacks and lunches they would like for school. Rotate each of their selections throughout the week. Make Tuesday “Turkey Tuesday” or Wednesday “Wrap Wednesday” – adding variety to keep lunch exciting. When possible, pack their lunch the night before to reduce stress in the morning.

TIP 3: Assemble Weekly Wardrobes: Every Sunday check the upcoming weekly weather forecast with your kids. Then, have them pick out five outfits for the upcoming school week. Hang them in daily order in their closet to avoid the inevitable, “Mom, I can’t find my favorite blue shirt!”

TIP 4: Be Prepared for School Projects: Avoid late night rushing around to complete school projects by having art supplies on hand. Create an arts and craft bin that includes more than just crayons and colored paper. Collect items like pipe cleaners, stickers, figurines, beads – even coffee beans – and other creative finds, and put the fun back in school projects.

The Giveaway

In addition to the free tips, Eight O'Clock Coffee has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a Back-to-School Parent Survival Pack including a drawstring bag, travel mug and 2 bags of Eight O’Clock Coffee!

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to submit your entries. A few things to note:

*You must enable JavaScript to see the widget and it may load a bit slower than the rest of the webpage. Thank you for your patience! Need help to enable JavaScript? Click here.

*Please make sure you fill in the "Extra info" field in the form as instructed. I moderate all entries and only valid ones will count in the drawing. If you submit an empty form by accident, you can note that in the comment and I'll correct the entry for you.

* Comments are for feedbacks, questions, etc. but NOT for entries unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for following the rules and making things easier for all of us!

The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD & Red John

Red John, the master of mind games and serial killer who killed Patrick Jane's wife and daughter, strikes into the heart of the CBI in Season 3 of The Mentalist. In the season finale "Strawberries and Cream", after finding out Red John’s mole inside the CBI, Patrick unexpectedly confronts a man who claims to be Red John (Bradley Whitford) and shoots him with rage.

With so little information revealed about this self-claimed serial killer, I can't help wondering if the man is the true Red John, or just someone who poses as Red John. As the new season is about to start, I'm tempted to have more doubts about his real identity. On the other hand, I hope he is Red John--otherwise Patrick would have murdered the wrong person and be faced with harsh criminal charges. Is it possible that Red John was shot but not dead and Patrick needs to track him down again?

We'll need to find out more about this mystery in Season 4, which premieres on September 22, 2011.

Order your copy of The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD here today: http://bit.ly/rcKZxk!

Disclosure: I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD.

Master Lock Safe Space Review & Giveaway

To help students solve security problems during the new school year, Master Lock is hosting a fun video series on Facebook along with the Master Mind Back To School Sweepstakes. You can submit your own question on Master Lock Facebook wall and the Master Mind may answer it in a hilarious video.

For the sweepstakes, Master Lock is giving away some seriously nice prizes, including daily prizes ($50 Visa gift card, a Master Lock® Speed Dial™ Lock and a Master Lock® Precision Dial Lock), weekly prizes ($150 Visa gift card, a Master Lock® Speed Dial™ Lock and a Master Lock® Precision Dial Lock), and a grand prize (32GB Wi-Fi 3G iPad, 2 years of 2GB/month AT&T 3G data plan in the form of a $600 Visa Gift Card, iPad Case, iPad® dock, iPad® dock connector to VGA adapter, AppleCare® Protection Plan, a Master Lock® Speed Dial™ Lock and a Master Lock® Precision Dial Lock, a $500 USD Visa gift card, and a school messenger bag or backpack)! You can enter once per day until midnight September 19, 2011 for your chance to win. Don't miss it!

Plus, you could win a Master Lock Safe Space from my blog giveaway. Here are some neat features of the product:

• Ideal for recreation, campus, office, travel or leisure use.
• Lightweight & Portable. Protects MP3 players, cell phones, cameras, gaming devices, cash, credit cards, jewelry, keys, passports, sunglasses or other small valuables.
• Lock Up & Lock Down. Lock up valuables with the cable wrapped tightly to the safe or wrapped securely around a fixed object. Cable doubles as a carrying handle.
• Durable Water-Resistant Construction
• Set-Your-Own-Combination for locking convenience
• Ear Bud/Charging Cable Access Port
• Shock absorbing foam lines the interior storage area

I received a Safe Space to try out. It has a sturdy look, a modern design, and is great for keeping valuables like small electronics, spare keys, credit cards, checkbooks, and jewelry safely in place. You can order your own on MasterLock.com at $19.99 with free shipping.

The Giveaway

Master Lock has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a Safe Space Portable Storage Box!

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to submit your entries. A few things to note:

*You must enable JavaScript to see the widget and it may load a bit slower than the rest of the webpage. Thank you for your patience! Need help to enable JavaScript? Click here.

*Please make sure you fill in the "Extra info" field in the form as instructed. I moderate all entries and only valid ones will count in the drawing. If you submit an empty form by accident, you can note that in the comment and I'll correct the entry for you.

* Comments are for feedbacks, questions, etc. but NOT for entries unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for following the rules and making things easier for all of us!

Bounce It Off Millions Contest

Life is full of important but sometimes tough choices. Bounce invites you to join the Bounce It Off Millions Contest and have millions of Bounce Facebook fans help you decide on a choice of your own. To participate, simply click on the “Bounce it Off Millions” on the Bounce Facebook page, submit a question that you need help making a decision on. The decision can be big or small, from what to have for dinner to where to take your next vacation. Your question will be turned into a poll, on which other Bounce fans will be able to vote so that you can make the right choice!

Four lucky users will be chosen by Bounce to win a Grand Prize: the chance to turn their life’s great questions into a Facebook-wide advertisement, inviting Facebook’s 150+ million users to help you decide between your two options. It will be so much fun having that many people in your decision-making process!

I would ask help for choosing between Florida and Hawaii for our Christmas getaway. What question would you like to ask? Why not share your idea with Bounce for your chance to win?

In addition, Bounce fans can enter the special sweepstakes for a chance to win two Bounce Dryer Bars—one to keep, and one for a friend. 5,000 winners will be chosen during the promotion.

Disclosure: I participated in this campaign as a member of One2One Network and am eligible for a prize drawing. All opinions stated in the post are my own.

Guest Post by by Jenna McCarthy: 7 Steps to a Happy Marriage

IMHO, it takes more than love to keep a healthy marriage. You've got to run your relationship with care, patience, endurance and even tactics. In her new book, If it Was Easy They'd Call the Whole Damn Thing a Honeymoon: Living with and Loving the TV-Addicted, Sex-Obsessed, Not-So-Handy Man You Married (Berkley Books, October 2011), Jenna McCarthy explores tips and tricks for coping with problems and challenges in a marriage. Please read her post below and find out the 7 steps to a happy marriage.

I have a remarkably happy marriage, and people ask me all the time how I got so lucky. (Not as often as they ask me about autism, vaccines and Jim Carrey, so let’s get something straight before we go any further: Not. Her.) I used to wonder if it had something to do with pheromones or having relatively low expectations, but after eleven years of wedded bliss I am pretty sure the key is some combination of kindness, respect and my ability to read a road map upside down divided by my husband’s skill at tuning out my nagging.

Okay, fine. We got lucky.

Busloads of studies have attempted to figure out why roughly every other marriage fails miserably. Turns out, the success stories share a few similarities beyond the obvious stuff like “they don’t have sex with other people”. Here, then, are seven scientifically proven* steps to marital ecstasy.

1. Be thinner and better looking than your husband. I have no idea why this works to create nuptial delight but I’m guessing it’s because if you’re fat and ugly you probably never want to have sex, which makes him grumpy and mean because sex was the one and only reason he got married in the first place. (Well, that and pie. Think about it: Most guys will never bake a pie in their lifetimes and from what I’ve seen, they really like pie.) Of course, I don’t know many women who are dying to have sex with fat, ugly men, so this one remains a bit of a mystery.

2. Make sure he does more chores than you do (well, duh) and try to talk less than he does. I have to admit, if you asked my husband the top three things I could do to make him happier, “shut the hell up for five lousy minutes” would probably be on the list. (But not at the tippy-top. Ahem.)

3. Don’t watch a lot of chick flicks. Seems that after sitting through Gnomio and Juliet (or any other rom-com) relationship dissatisfaction tends to skyrocket. Apparently this is because maybe it could happen to you but you realize that it hasn’t and it probably won’t and that fat bastard never sprinkled rose petals on your bed, dammit. At least you’re thinner and better looking than he is.

4. Don’t win a best-actress Oscar. I included this one because unlike getting hotter or having your jaw wired shut, it’s actually pretty painless and doable. Personally, I am going to make this a priority in my marriage.

5. Limit your booze consumption (both of you). No comment.

6. Become or urge your partner to become a farmer, nuclear engineer or optometrist. Evidently every career choice has its own unique divorce-risk profile, with these three being on the lowest end. Dancers and choreographers are pretty much screwed. You can’t make this stuff up.

7. Prefer having the car windows down. I haven’t technically seen a study on this, but do you not fight about this every single time you ride in a vehicle together? And doesn’t he get all pissed when you want them up and accuse you of being more concerned about your hair than his precious need for non-recirculated air? If anyone bothered to study this, I’m confident the results would back me up.

So there you have it. I do not suggest trying to master all seven steps at once. For instance, if you stop doing housework altogether (to try to tilt his portion of the ratio toward more), you’ll have a lot of extra time on your hands which you may want to spend drinking alcohol. Remember, there’s no rush here. Till death do us part is a really long time**.


*I may have bastardized the language a bit in some cases but the facts are mostly accurate.

**I stole that line from If It Was Easy They’d Call the Whole Damn Thing a Honeymoon: Living with and Loving the TV-Addicted, Sex-Obsessed, Not-So-Handy Man You Married, which I wrote (and please note that it says the blah-blah-blah man you married, not the one I married. My husband likes it when I point that out). You can find out more about me, my books and how I survived tanorexia on my website.

Watch the trailer for the book and have a good laugh!

Don’t forget to google Zestra after you watch it... or better yet, check out the link on Jenna’s homepage.

Disclosure: I was compensated for my time by Role Mommy for helping promote the book.

Heelys Review

Have you ever tried skating on the wheel in your heels? We have a name for this increasingly popular sports--Heelys. Heelys are in fact two-in-one athletic shoes with removable wheels in the heels. I told you before that my husband is a pretty sporty guy. He's good at inline skating, roller skating and ice skating, but hadn't really tried Heelys until I ordered him a pair for review.

Heelys carries a stylish line of shoes for both men and women, kids and adults. Slide is the style hubby and I picked together. The ordering process was super easy and the package arrived in 2 days. I asked hubby to try them on right away. His Heelys were very comfortable and fit his feet perfectly. We watched the instructional video first. It didn't take long for hubby to grasp the art of skating on his Heelys. He's totally in love with his new sports.

Our favorite feature of Heelys is that the wheels are very easy to install and remove. They just feel like regular sneakers when the wheels are out. There's quite a distance between the parking lot and hubby's office, he now saves time by skating through... and has fun! When he arrives in office, he simply removes the wheels and puts them in his desk. Unlike other forms of skating, Heelys save you from the trouble of having to carry any specialized gear like a skateboard, or shoes that can't function like regular shoes.

Heelys are affordable too. The majority of current designs are in the price range of $55-$65. You can order them either online at Heelys.com or at a B&M store near you.

Before you decide which Heelys are best for yourself or your kiddo, watch the video below to see how Heelys work.

A fan of Heelys already? Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I received free product for review through Business2Bloggers. No monetary exchange took place. All views and opinions expressed are my own.

4 Days Only! Win 1 of 2 $1000 Visa Gift Cards! #DFW

Who wouldn't want any extra cash? Now Deals in DFW is giving you the chance to win 1 of 2 $1,000 Visa gift cards! To enter, simply “Like” Deals in DFW on Facebook and fill out the entry form. Or stop by their booth this weekend at the Plano Balloon Festival and Addison Ocktoberfest. The giveaway lasts only 96 hours between 9/15 and 9/18. Hurry and enter today!

Deals in DFW is a new daily deal site brought to you by the Dallas Morning News. They offer exclusive deals for the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex for 50 - 80% off!

Fine Print:
Limit one registration per person, not valid for previous registrants of DealsinDFW.com. Offer valid for Dallas/Fort Worth residents only. You must "Like" Deals in DFW on Facebook before Midnight CDT on September 18, 2011 to be eligible for this offer. Two winners will be selected and notified by email no later than September 19, 2011.

Since the giveaway is locally based, the odds of winning are considerably higher than other sweepstakes. Don't miss your chance to win if you live in the DFW area!

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season on DVD/Blu-Ray--Special Features

The 5-disc DVD set of The Vampire Diaries Season 2 comes with quite a few special features including "Her Own Worst Enemy...Elena, Katerine and Nina!", "The Perfect Love Triangle: Vampires, Werewolves, Witches", "Pages of the Wolf (including 3 featurettes: The Myth and the Mystery, Building the Beasts and Howling at the Moon)", unaired scenes and the gag reel.

I was provided with a DVD set for review and had a chance to watch the special features. All of them are fun to watch and reveal something interesting about the cast. My favorite feature is "Her Own Worst Enemy...Elena, Katherine and Nina!", in which the cast talks about the challenges of having one actress (Nina Dobrev) playing two characters with vastly different personalities (Elena and Katherine), and the strategies that Nina, along with the stylists and film editor, has used to overcome those challenges. I agree with everyone in the feature that Nina has done an amazing job playing Elena, Katherine at different points in time, and Katherine pretending to be Elena!

In "The Perfect Love Triangle: Vampires, Werewolves, Witches", the cast tries to disentangle the highly complicated love triangles and relationships among the characters. It's funny as well as confusing, and makes my head spin. The gag reel seems to suggest that Ian's lines often got him tongue-tied while the props became pretty naughty when Nina was on site.

Wanna get access to these exclusive contents? Order your copy of The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season on DVD/Blu-Ray here today: http://bit.ly/mkiZtx!

Disclosure: I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season on DVD/Blu-Ray.

The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD & Jane's Unusual Skills

Patrick Jane is known for his unorthodox approach to homicide investigations in the The Mentalist. In Season 3 of the show, Patrick appears to be able to communicate with horses as a "horse whisperer", charm guilty culprits into spilling their secrets and help a hired burglar out of a holding cell in less than 24 hours.

If I were a police officer or a consultant like Patrick, I would really like to have the ability to "charm guilty culprits into spilling their secrets". This unusual skill would not only make my job a lot easier, but also help find out the truth and achieve justice.

What do you think? If you had the chance to posses one of Patrick's skills, which one would you choose?

Pre-order your copy of The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD here today: http://bit.ly/rcKZxk!

Disclosure: I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD.

Mompact Blog Hop: Easy Lunchboxes Review & Giveaway

Welcome to the Mompact Blog Hop!

Mompact, the newly launched online community dedicated to supporting moms in business, has organized this huge blog hop involving 122 blogs giving away over 150 prizes--all invented by moms! You're going to be amazed by what moms are capable of doing! Be sure to visit Mompact for a complete list of all blogs participating in the hop and enter as many giveaways as you like. Happy hopping and good luck!

The product I received for review is Easy Lunchboxes, a brilliantly designed lunchbox system consisting of one set of 4 compartmentalized containers and one lunch bag cooler. The containers are BPA free, phthalate-free, and non-toxic. They are also microwaveable, freezer and dishwasher safe. I really love that each lunchbox includes 3 compartments of different sizes. The biggest one is perfect for an entree while the smaller ones are great for side dishes like salad, fresh fruit, and mixed veggies.

The unique design of the lunchboxes has made packing lunch for my husband a lot easier. He used to have to carry at least two separate food containers for lunch at work. But now one lunchbox is all that he needs. It also helps him with portion control! The compartmentalized lunchboxes are great space savers for storing leftovers without having to worry about mixing different foods together.

The insulated cooler bag that comes with the containers are spacious, with enough room for 3 containers. As no one normally needs 3 containers for one meal, you can easily fit in other stuff in the lunch bag, such as water bottle, yogurt, fruit, small snacks, and ice cubes of course.

I think moms of multiple school-age kids would really need an Easy Lunchbox System like this. It will significantly simplify the process of lunch packing and save time for cleanup.

You can order your own Easy Lunchboxes on Easylunchboxes.com or Amazon.com. The container set retails for $13.95. The cooler bag costs $7.95 and you can choose from 7 vibrant colors!

The Giveaway

Kelly, the mom behind Easy Lunchboxes, has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a complete Easy Lunchboxes System! It's a $21.90 value! After you've entered my giveaway, please hop on to the next Mompact giveaway!

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to submit your entries. A few things to note:

*You must enable JavaScript to see the widget and it may load a bit slower than the rest of the webpage. Thank you for your patience!

*Please make sure you fill in the "Extra info" field in the form as instructed. I moderate all entries and only valid ones will count in the drawing. If you submit an empty form by accident, you can note that in the comment and I'll correct the entry for you.

* Comments are for feedbacks, questions, etc. but NOT for entries unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for following the rules and making things easier for all of us!

Gossip Girl: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD with Bonus Features

Watching your favorite TV show on DVD not only allows you to enjoy the show at your own pace, but also gives you access to exclusive contents that are typically of great interest to real fans. For instance, the complete fourth season of Gossip Girl DVD contains never-before-seen features such as unaired scenes and gag reels, in addition to the 22 episodes filled with love, betrayal, friendship and scandal!

One of the things that keep me attached to the show is my favorite character Blair. She is not perfect, but that makes her more like a real person. Despite all her weaknesses, she is kind at heart. Plus, she has a sense of fashion that I strongly identify with. No matter who your favorite character is from Season 4, you are going to love these enhanced features included in the DVD set: Bisoux a Paris (an inside look at Serene and Blair's summer in the City of Lights), The Art of Making an Episode (an in-depth look at how Gossip Girl stories build from page to screen), and unaired scenes!

Order your copy of Gossip Girl: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD today http://bit.ly/r4GTe8! Don't forget to tune in CW on September 26, 2011 for the Season 5 premiere!

Disclosure: I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote Gossip Girl Season Four on DVD.

The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD

CBS hit TV series The Mentalist, follows the story of Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) as he works as an independent consultant for California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and uses unconventional methods to crack murder cases. In season 3 of the show, Patrick continues his hunt for the serial killer that murdered his family. After a homicide suspect is set ablaze in his jail cell and a CBI agent is later framed as Red John, the former faux-psychic realizes that his adversary is closer than he imagined. This season combines crime-solving twists with wry humor that celebrate mind over matter.

Season 3 finds Patrick solving mysteries at locations including a racetrack, driving range, gold country and a mixed martial arts match. While none of the locations are easy for homicide investigations, I think race track is the most challenging of all. As seen in episode 5 "The Red Ponies", Patrick is pulled deep inside the unfamiliar world of horse racing. He has to sort through a number of suspects until he figures out the secret about the twin horses Castor's Folly and Pollock's Dream.

Pre-order your copy of The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD here today: http://bit.ly/rcKZxk!

Disclosure: I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season on DVD.

Mat Kearney's New Album Young Love Review

Young Love, the third album of singer-songwriter Mat Kearney was released on August 2nd, 2011. Centering around the theme of "young love", the new album produces "a pastiche of honest, heartfelt, and hypnotic stories that'll make you move your feet and put a smile on your face."

The album's first single "Hey Mama", initially released in May as a digital download, was quite a hit on the US Chart. The song describes the first meeting between Kearney and his new wife at the Anthropologie store in Tennessee where she was working.

Here's a list of the tracks:
1. Hey Mama
2. Ships In The Night
3. Count On Me
4. Sooner Or Later
5. Chasing The Light
6. Learning To Love Again
7. Down
8. She Got The Honey
9. Young Dumb And In Love
10. Rochester




I was provided with a free copy of Young Love CD for review. I'm not familiar with Mat Kearney's music, but I really enjoy listening to the songs in this album. All written by Mat, the tracks present a unique blend of various genres of music, such as hip hop, soft rock, rap, and pop. Most of the tunes are rhythmic and exciting while Mat's voice sounds laid-back and distant. The last single "Rochester" has a flavor of folk music that's distinct from the rest of the album. It's gentle, slow-paced, and a nice conclusion of the album. Love it!

Hope you'll get a chance to listen to the new album on CD or on iTunes. I think Mat's music is perfect for our road trip on Labor Day weekend.

Starting September 14, Mat is embarking on his concert tour with nearly 40 shows in US and Canada. Tickets are available for purchase through various online agents. Find out more about Mat Kearney on this official website or Facebook page.

Disclosure: I received free product to facilitate my review via One2One Network. No monetary exchange took place. All views and opinions expressed are my own.

Rite Aid All Things Beauty Giveaway & Free Coupon Offer

The new SHINE fragrance from Heidi Klum is hitting Rite Aid stores nationwide in September. To encourage beauty bargainistas to try the new product, Rite Aid is hosting an exclusive giveaway to their Facebook fans. From now through September 9, 2011, log on to Rite Aid Facebook page, click on the "All Things Beauty" tab for your chance to win 1 of 20 bottles of SHINE fragrance autographed by Heidi Klum! There will also be a $1 off coupon for the fragrance in coming weeks, so check back often.

More on the new fragrance: it encapsulates the radiance and joy of Heidi Klum, a top model, TV presenter and businesswoman, and was designed to be a sensual fragrance that accents a woman’s natural beauty.

Today, Rite Aid released a new $1 off coupon for Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner on the "All Things Beauty" tab. The coupon is available for only a limited time and is valid at any of 4,700 Rite Aid stores.

Did you know that you can also get money saving coupons offered through Rite Aid's Video Values program? Check it out and happy shopping.

Disclosure: I received free product sample and information to facilitate writing of this post. No monetary exchange took place.

MotherKnows Review & One Year Premium Membership Giveaway (A $98 Value)!

Managing my child's medical records has been a real challenge for me. We had to switch doctors for my son several times since his birth due to a variety of reasons--relocation, change of insurance plan, dissatisfaction with current service, etc. I felt extremely embarrassed when I didn't know how to answer questions about his immunization records, medications taken in the past, or even date of last annual checkup. I keep copies of all his health records from different doctors in our file cabinet, but have to search through them to get to a specific piece of information I need. Now with MotherKnows, I can have all my child's medical records collected and updated by a professional, and access them wherever and whenever I want! That's a brilliant service designed to make a busy mom's life easier.

MotherKnows is a secure online data management system that allows parents to gain easy access and safely share their child’s medical records, including immunizations, prescriptions, weight and height chart, diagnosed allergies and conditions, and PDF and images of all documents on file. You may choose to subscribe to their service with an annual plan ($49 annual fee plus $49 one-time setup fee) or a monthly plan ($5 monthly fee plus $49 one-time fee). With a yearly subscription, you can enjoy online and mobile access to health tracking tools, multiple providers, ability to schedule four record collections a year, and full full service health record entry for one child. Both plans offer a 60-day money back guarantee, which means you can try it free for two months and then decide if you want to keep your subscription or not.

There is also a free version of the service known as MotherKnows Lite. It grants access to online health tracking tools provided by MotherKnows, but you will need to collect or update your child's health records all by yourself, instead of having it done automatically under the paid plans.

I was provided with a free yearly subscription for review. It takes a few steps to set things up. After activating your membership, you will need to provide some basic information about your children (name, date of birth, gender, and picture), their providers, and yourself. You will receive an email in the next day, which contains a medical release form authorizing MotherKnows to collect information from your child's doctor on your behalf. You will then need to “sign” it online and email it back to MotherKnows. It takes up to two weeks for the records to be updated in your account. Once this process is complete, you will be able to relax and enjoy all your child's health records at your fingertips. I love that you can also add any upcoming doctor appointments you have scheduled.

All data on MotherKnows is secure, encrypted, and never shared with any third parties. Should you decide to cancel your membership anytime, you would be able to download PDFs of your child’s health records and save them for future use. MotherKnows is about to launch mobile apps for iPhone and Android phone soon.

To celebrate their launch, MotherKnows is giving away a Free Child Fingerprint ID Kit plus a 60-day free trial to the first 500 registrants. Simply go to MotherKnows.com, enter promo code MK6 to claim your free gift.

The Giveaway

MotherKnows has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a free one year subscription to MotherKnows with full access! It's a $98 value!

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to submit your entries. A few things to note:

*You must enable JavaScript to see the widget and it may load a bit slower than the rest of the webpage. Thank you for your patience! Need help to enable JavaScript? Click here.

*Please make sure you fill in the "Extra info" field in the form as instructed. I moderate all entries and only valid ones will count in the drawing. If you submit an empty form by accident, you can note that in the comment and I'll correct the entry for you.

* Comments are for feedbacks, questions, etc. but NOT for entries unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for following the rules and making things easier for all of us!