Category Archives: FRN

Shandle Review


See the little thing sticking out on the toilet seat? That thing with the writing on the right side? That is a Shandle. I recently received a Shandle in order to review it in my home.

I have 4 little kids so this is quite a blessing. It serves as a handle to lift and put down the toilet seat to keep their hands (and mine) off the germs. They have styles that are imprinted with hand washing reminders, reminders to put the seat down or just designer prints. You can even get plain white to blend in.
The Shandle is made of an antimicrobial treated plastic. It is easy to install with just the included pressure sensitive adhesive. Just push it on! The only issue was that you need to make sure your kids don’t actual use the Shandle for 24 hours. And it is a long 24 hours;). I was very happy to see that even though it has a decal on it, the Shandle is very cleanable with bathroom cleaner!
I highly recommend the Shandle! At less than $7 it is a cheap and easy tool to keep your family healthy. There is even free shipping right now! It would also be great to add to a gift!

This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and The Shandle who provided the product for review.

Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah’s Umbrella

I recently received a copy of the brand new VeggieTales movie, Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah’s Umbrella! We loved it! Now, we here in the NerdFamily are huge VeggieTale fans to begin with. So we all snuggled in and watched it together. It was a huge hit!

This Minnesota Cuke story was great! It hit on so many issues that speak to all my children, regardless of their ages. It hit on the issue of not paying attention, friendship, and confidence. Even the Silly Song, Sippy Cup, spoke to the issue of spilling (we still have one in a sippy cup) and the whole family thought it was hilarious!
I would highly recommend this to anyone! It would make a great gift and a fun family night. So pop over to Big Idea and get this! They are even running a special right now!
This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program for Big Idea, who supplied the DVD for review.

Scrunch Bottle Bib

I recently received a Scrunch Bottle Bib to review and I have to say this is pretty great. As soon as I saw this product I have to admit that I was quite frustrated. It is one of those great ideas that I should have came up with! All babies dribble some while they drink from a bottle. You know how it gets in their neck crease and then smells like sour milk or worse, they get a rash? I was also plagued by the fact I had a couple spitters. So with all 4 of my kids I tucked a spit cloth or a washcloth under their chin. Then they would move and it would fall out of place.

The Scrunch Bottle Bib was created by an aunt who saw the need when she fed her nieces. It is a thick piece of gingham fabric that has velcro on it (so it fits any bottle) and attached to that you have a double layer of soft cloth that soaks up any liquid. It is really simple but brilliant.
As a mom of 4 I can say that this would be a delightful gift! They even sell multi-packs that are designed for baby showers. So go check it out and tell me what you think! I am also curious what baby inventions that you wish you had invented!
Deal Alert!!
You can get 10% off your entire order of Scrunch Bottle Bibs until August 1, 2009. Just use coupon code “BOSPR616”!
(This is a FRN Review)

Hint Cards and California Flowers!

Who doesn’t like flowers? If you said that you don’t, move along because this post isn’t for you;). I was pleased to get a box with a delightful bouqet! (You might remember the flower I posted a while ago)

Flowers are a delightful gift for all holidays. I have to say that I don’t give them as often as I should or even as often as I have an opportunity. Flowers are an awesome gitft for birthdays, baby showers and just as a congrats gift.
According to statistics from the California Cut Flower Comission 42% of women don’t recieve flowers as often as they would like. So the CCFC has come up with a solution. They have these adorable hint cards. They are little cards that you can slip into someone’s lunch bag, briefcase or pocket. They say things like “Don’t let all of my hard work go to waste! -Mr. Bumble Bee”. There is also one for when your favorite flower is in season.
So how would you like some of these hint cards? Better yet, how would you like an opportunity to win free flowers? I will give out 25 sets of hint cards and then those winners will get a survey. By completing the survey you get a chance for free flowers!
Leave a comment here telling me who you would give a hint card to and how;)! I will choose 25 people ramdomly June 24th! Make sure that you leave an email so I can contact you!
(This is an FRN review)

Celebrate Truffles


I recently got to try some truffles from Celebrate Life. These are not only good truffles they also help suppress your appetite. They work best if eaten 15-20 minutes before a meal or whenever you are hungry. These were really tasty! I am a huge snacker in the afternoon and, while a serving is actually 3, I ate 1 and was totally satisfied. They have a variety of flavors and styles. I got the classic sampler and the fruit/nut sampler. They have a great chocolate taste. If you don’t like real chocolate, ie lots of cocoa, they may not be for you. But most women, this will be right up our alley. Would you like to try these?

Win it!
How would you like to win some of your own of Celebrate Truffles? The winner will receive the same 2 packs that I got!
To enter:

* Go bookmark the Celebrate Life site and tell me 1 health fact you find!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on Jun 15th.
* The winner will then have 2 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Celebrate Truffles.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

This giveaway is open to addresses within the US and Canada. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday!

(This is a FRN review)

(A warning: the pictures on the Celebrate Life Nutrition site are a little racy, nothing beyond the pale but racy. I promise, all I see them selling is food)

Oliver’s Labels Review


I have lots of kids, which means I have lots of stuff that I have to keep track of so we don’t lose it all. So I was very excite to check out a sampling of labels from Oliver’s Labels. These are awesome!

Now one of the things motherhood has taught me is that the kids can lose everything. Shoes because they all took them off to run through the grass, Cubby vests because they get hot at Awana, not to mention backpacks and the such. Previously my strategy has been a black permanent marker on tags and that hasn’t worn so well. It doesn’t take long for the writing to get blurry between washing, sweating and being dragged on the ground. That is why I love these labels! They are clear and tough, extremely tough. They are even pretty water resistant so they work for water bottles and beach towels. I really love the shoe labels because they don’t slip and are clear to ready! I also love the fact you aren’t force to be cutesy, you can get you labels done in all kinds of cool fashion prints.

I really like the Found It Code. This is a free feature that Oliver’s Labels offers everyone. They print a code on each label and a website. If someone finds 1 of your things they just go to the website and input your code. Oliver’s Labels then sends you an email. I love that for security’s because walking around with a fob that has your name, address, and phone number makes me nervous.

Now I admit that I am a cheapskate. I have seen these before but never bought them. Part of the reason why is that I never saw the prices. It is not nearly as pricey I would have once thought. It would also make a great present. You can get a mixed pack for less than $30. And to sweeten the pot, Oliver’s Labels has provided a coupon code for 10% off! Just use “LABELEVERYTHING” before June 31, 2009 (when it expires;).

So go, check it out and let me know what you think!

(This is a FRN Review)

Pledge Multi-Surface Cleaner Review and Giveaway!

I have a new cleaning love. It is Pledge Multi Surface in the Lavendar Scent. I got a bottle of this to review and I thought it was going to be fine but not impressive. Well, I was shocked. I went from the piano to the tv to the bookshelf quickly and without having to change cleaners (which I love). This isn’t just a polish but actually a cleaner that really gets the dirt and residue off surfaces. It also has an anti-static ingredient that really seems to help keep surfaces, especially like the tv screen, from getting dirty again. And I love anything that means I don’t have to clean as much. I really liked the lid too. You have to twist it to line up before you can spray it so there aren’t any accidental dispersments and since I have little munchings about and I tend to put things in my pocket to go from one room to another that is very good.

I highly recommend this product to clean all your surfaces. The Pledge site also has a coupon you can go get. So go try or ….
Win it!
How would you like to win your own of Pledge Multi Surface Cleaner?
To enter:

* Go leave a comment saying what you would clean with it!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on Jun 10th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed.
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

This giveaway is open to addresses within the US and Canada. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday!

(This is a FRN review)

LemonHead Kidz Review

I have a lot of hair. I also have 2 daughters: 1 has thin baby hair and 1 has thick hair. That is a lot of hair to try to wrangle in 1 household and a lot of different types of hair. So I am always searching for the perfect hair clips that will hold all of our hair and (hope against hope) will stay in the baby’s hair. So you can imagine how excited I was when I received products from LemonHead Kidz!

They sent me a great clipeez with a beautiful yellow flower on it. This I really liked! The clip had a rubber block in it that made sure it didn’t slip out of anyone’s hair. I was able to use this in all 3 of our hair and it looked adorable! They have all different types of flowers, bows and butterflies to choose from for really great clips.
I also received a bandeez hairband. This was a beautiful piece of ribbon that gathered in the back to help secure it in your hair. One of the key parts of the bandeez is a strip that grips on your hair to prevent it from falling out. I can say it stayed in the 5 year olds but didn’t work that well in mine. The strip grabbed little pices of hair so it wouldn’t fall out but it didn’t hold very much of my hair back at all.
So I have to say that while the bandeez didn’t work great for me, the clipeez were great. So go over to LemonHead Kidz and check them out!
(An FRN Review)

Side-Yard Superhero Review

I recently received a copy of The Side-Yard Superhero (Life in Degraff: An Automythography) by Rick Niece and it was delightful. The author calls this an Automythography. It is the first time I heard that term but I think it is sweet. This is the tale of his childhood exploits as a paper boy in a small town. It was a book of innocent anecdotes about the various personalities on his route and in his life. I really enjoyed this book. This is the first of a series and I can’t wait to read more. I think that my 8 year old will also be enoying this book. So if you are looking for a sweet, innocent book that leaves you feeling good this is the book for you. So go order it and give it to others!

(This is an FRN review)

Dirty Bow Wow Review and Giveaway

Have you seen a little kid dragging about their sweet, ratty stuffed animal? I have say that the only thing that can even compare on the cuteness level is watching dogs and their toys. That is why I was so excited to receive a copy of Dirty Bow Wow: a Tribute to Dogs and the Objects of Their Affection to review. This is an adorable book that pairs great pictures with sweet anecdotes about these sweet dogs and their things they love. There is also a great academic angle to this book. It tell you the breed of dog in every picture so if you are trying to learn them it is a great tool!

The authors of this sweet book (Chery and Jeffrey Katz) have a heart for all dogs and especially those that are in shelters. Because of that there is a Dirty Bow Wow Toy Drive! You just get a dog toy and take it to a participating location to drop it off!

Win it!
How would you like to win your own copy of the Dirty Bow Wow?
To enter:

* Go visit the Dirty Bow Wow’s Google Map and tell me where your closest drop location is for the Toy Drive.
* A random winner will be selected and notified on May 20th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed.
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

This giveaway is open to addresses within the US. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday!

(This is a FRN review)