Reviews

My Family Makes Me Smile (And a #FABsmile Giveaway!)

July 15, 2013 by Sandra 6 Comments

A special thanks to BrushAndFloss.com for the products I received
to share with my readers and facilitate a giveaway as part of the Mom It Forward Blogger Network.

I love my beautiful, wonderful, crazy, goofy (at times) family.

They make me smile, because even though the seven of us are far from perfect…we are a family. We each have our own individual personalities that make us who we are and while sometimes that makes life crazy, a lot of times that makes life more fun. It certainly makes life more interesting!

This picture is a great representation of what I’m talking about, and it makes me smile.

We were at a park about to break open a pinata for Nathan’s birthday. I decided to snap a picture beforehand, and Isaac, my 6-year-old, let his personality shine through. He was bursting with excitement over finally getting to tear into that pinata. After some procrastination on my part, we were in reality breaking the pinata a whole month after Nathan actually turned 13. 😉

There were lots of smiles all around after the pinata was broken into and fun-size chocolates spilled out onto the floor.

FlossAndBrush.com
One way my family has been keeping our smiles looking great is with a super convenient program through FlossAndBrush.com.

FlossAndBrush.com is a helpful, time-saving program, because it makes it easy to always have new toothbrushes every three months. How? By paying just $1.00 per month, per person in your family, FlossAndBrush.com will ship a box of fresh, quality toothbrushes and floss to your home – one for each member of your family.

DID YOU KNOW? The American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush every three months.

FlossAndBrush.com’s toothbrushes are top quality, age-specific, and dentist approved. I love that the package of toothbrushes we received had some that were just the right size for kids. It’s not a one-size-fits-all service. They take care to send toothbrushes that work well for both the kids and adults in your family.

Now for the GIVEAWAY!

One very excited reader will win the following:

1 Free Annual FAB Membership (Every three months, a new toothbrush and 3 month supply of floss will be delivered to the winner’s home.)
1 Free Annual FAB + White4Life Membership (This includes not only a toothbrush and floss every three months, but each shipment will also include FAB’s professional grade whitening to be used in custom whitening trays. The trays are not included.)

How to Enter the Giveaway

Simply enter this giveaway using the Rafflecopter below. I’ve included options for extra entries, too!

This giveaway will run from July 15th-July 21st at 12:00am. The giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above. The winner will be randomly chosen. I will promptly send the winner an email notifying them that they’ve won, and the winner must respond within 48hrs. of the giveaway’s end, otherwise I will have to draw a new winner.

Enter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to stay current with FlossAndBrush.com? Then be sure to follow them on Twitter and Facebook for their latest updates.

Fun at-home Science Experiments (and a Giveaway!)

July 9, 2013 by Sandra 18 Comments

Sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.

Even though school is out, learning should still be in, right?

I say, “Absolutely!”

Learning should be going all on the time, especially during the summer months when most kids are not in school. But the difference between learning during the school year and learning during the summer months is that we can make things a lot more fun and relaxed when it’s hot outside.

Summer Brain Games
One way that we’ve kept the learning going in our home (*cough* besides making the kids do SOME school since we homeschool) is with the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry’s Summer Brain Games.

Summer Brain Games is a fun and free online science program that helps keep kids learning during the summer and prevents “summer brain drain.” You simply sign up for the program on the website, and then receive an email where you can download your FREE Summer Brain Games kit.

DIY Science Experiments
Each week’s online kit will feature an experiment or science challenge that can easily be performed at home with your kids. If you have teens, they can probably manage these experiments on their own.

My kids had a blast with the Balloon Racer that we made by following the instructions in the Summer Brain Games kit. It’s made out of simple materials you can find at home, and I honestly can not describe in words how much fun we had with this project.

The best part was the seeing the look on their faces each time the balloon’s air was released and it raced across the string hung across the dining room, flinging our LEGO mini-figure wildly in the air. Just thinking about the fun we had makes me smile.

Homemade Tetrahedral Kite
Besides the balloon racer, we made a homemade tetrahedral kite. And it turned out awesome!

Making the kite was more challenging than the balloon racer, but what an experience this was. The kids were proud of their accomplishment when it was finished, and we’re waiting for a windy day to take it out and fly! We’ve been dealing with rain and humidity lately, but I’m sure we’ll be able to better try it out later this week or the next.

To get the instructions on how to make the balloon racer and the tetrahedral kite, all you need to do is sign up for the Summer Brain Games program on the museum’s website.

Here’s what our homemade kite looked like:

Two pieces of advice, if you try out the Summer Brain Games program:

Read over the kit and make sure you have all the materials you need before starting an experiment. I had to make a trip to the store to grab a few small items.
Be patient, let your kids take charge (as much as possible depending upon their age), and have FUN!

Now for the GIVEAWAY!

ONE very excited reader will win a FAMILY FOUR PACK of tickets to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry! This four pack is valued at $76, and the tickets are valid until the end of 2013.

If you are not living in the Chicagoland area but will be visiting before the end of the year, be sure to enter! 🙂

How to enter the giveaway

Simply enter this giveaway using the Rafflecopter below. I’ve included options for extra entries, too!

This giveaway will run from now until MIDNIGHT TONIGHT (JULY 9TH). The giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above. The winner will be randomly chosen. I will promptly send the winner an email notifying them that they’ve won, and the winner must respond within 48hrs. of the giveaway’s end, otherwise I will have to draw a new winner.

Enter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is offering a fun and free online science program called Summer Brain Games. The eight-week program lasts from June 17, 2013-August 12, 2013 and features a weekly experiment or science challenge that can easily be performed at home with kids of all ages.

Visit msichicago.org/summerbrain now to register for Summer Brain Games and download your free Summer Brain Games kit. As an added bonus, registering automatically gets you a pass to come to the Museum for free this summer.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.

Naturally Sparkling Teeth with the Philips Sonicare PowerUp Toothbrush

July 8, 2013 by Sandra 6 Comments

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and their client. #powerupursmile

I’m the mother of a Type A firstborn son, and the Philips Sonicare PowerUp naturally fits his personality.

Nathan’s Routine
My conscientious firstborn literally brushes his teeth and showers every day around the same time — like clockwork. And if we’re not home during his normal routine time, I can almost guarantee you that the minute we walk through the door of our house, he’s going to jump right back into his routine. My husband and I will turn around and ask each other, “Where’s Nathan?” and then we’ll know because that’s usually followed by the familiar sound of him brushing his teeth in our upstairs bathroom.

Philips Sonicare PowerUp Toothbrush
Nathan has been brushing twice a day with the Sonicare PowerUp toothbrush, and as a result, his teeth are naturally more sparkling than before. I actually noticed that his teeth looked cleaner and shiner from the very first use.

The Sonicare PowerUp is a battery operated toothbrush that does all the work. You guide it over your teeth, and it vibrates and moves to get your teeth cleaner and brighter.

Like Your Dentist’s Office
One of the things I like best about the Sonicare PowerUp is that it deep cleans. It made my teeth look and feel like I’d had them professionally cleaned and the only way I can describe it is that it’s like going to get your teeth cleaned at your dentist’s office. Seriously.

Imagine being able to have that awesome clean feeling all the time and not just twice a year.

Repurposing Nathan’s Old Toothbrush
Since Nathan has made the switch to the PowerUp, he no longer needs his old toothbrush. And instead of tossing it right into the trash, I decided to repurpose it by using it to clean our white kitchen sink, which (as you can tell from the picture) was in desperate need of a cleaning.

Some baking soda, water, elbow grease, and Nathan’s old toothbrush, and we were able to get our brilliant white sink back.

We’ve come a long way when it comes to Toothbrushes
The Sonicare PowerUp is pretty amazing, and it happens to be the right toothbrush for my routine-driven, conscientious, Type A, firstborn son.

Trust me. He would tell me if it wasn’t. 😉

P.S. The Sonicare PowerUp is available at Walmart stores and on Walmart.com. It’s a totally brand new, battery operated toothbrush for under $20.

Want to stay current with Philips Sonicare? Then be sure to follow them on Twitter and Facebook for their latest updates. Oh, and there’s a cool video on their Facebook page showing the evolution of toothbrushes. It might be fun to watch that video with your kids. 🙂

Beauty Review: Fysiko Eyelash Growth Serum (Month 2 Results)

July 6, 2013 by Sandra 6 Comments

Thanks to Influenster for the fabulous Fysiko Eyelash Growth Serum that I received for review purposes.

After two months of using the Fysiko Eyelash Growth Serum, I can tell that my lashes are longer and stronger.

In particular, I recognize that I have noticeably longer lashes after applying mascara. I can tell that my lashes extend further than they did before, so the lash serum is definitely working. It’s pretty amazing, actually. I would’ve never imagined that I could grow longer lashes naturally, but with the Fysiko serum, it can be done.

In case you missed the ‘before picture’ in my previous update, here’s what my lashes looked like before I started using Fysiko:

Here’s what my lashes look like after using the eyelash serum for the past two months:

Fysiko has Exceeded My Expectations
I’m very happy with the results I’m getting while using the Fysiko lash serum, and I’m truly loving the look of my lashes now. They’re fuller, lengthier, and even healthier looking.

Side note: Please excuse the less than perfect lighting in these pictures. I shot them in the library, where I often go to get work done. Next time, I’ll be sure to shoot them at home in natural light. 🙂

3 Reasons I Enjoy using the Fysiko serum:

It’s easy to apply and takes only seconds.

You only have to apply it once a day for great results.

It works.

What’s Next
I’ll be posting two more updates before I finish up this beauty review series on the Fysiko eyelash serum, and in my next update (at the end of this month), I’ll be sharing a photo of what my eyes look like before and after mascara, so that you can see how long my lashes extend when I wear mascara. Stay tuned for that!

Have you ever tried a natural eyelash growth serum to achieve longer lashes? Would you be interested in trying a product like Fysiko?

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