Saving

Clever Kitchen Switch Ups Using Viva® Vantage® Paper Towels

October 29, 2015 by Sandra 9 Comments

I’m excited to be working in collaboration with Viva® Towels on this sponsored blog post. I truly love the way
the Viva® Vantage® paper towel stretches to scrub everyday messes. 🙂

Paper towels are one of those must-have items in our home.

Why? Well, because my husband, kids, and I use them every single day to cleanup in so many different ways. I know that there are some families out there who can live without paper towels, and to them I’d say the same thing I’d say to families who keep their houses free of absolutely all clutter: more power to you. 🙂

That is not me. I’ve accepted this fact, and I’ve embraced my laid-back, paper-towel-loving, Type B personality in recent years. It’s who I am.

Plus, we’re a homeschooling family of seven, which means we spend a lot of time at home, and we need a good, reliable paper towel to take care of our everyday messes.

Viva® Vantage® Live Event

Now we’d been using a brand of paper towels that I thought worked just fine, but after attending a fun Viva® Vantage® live event last week, I decided to switch up our normal routine by trying Viva® Vantage® paper towels for seven days to see what I may have been missing with my regular brand of paper towels.

By the way, the event was amazing! I learned about Viva® Vantage®, tried them for myself, ate delicious food, and enjoyed a great time with blogging friends.

I vlogged my experience, and you can check out that video here:

The Great Scrubbing Power of Viva® Vantage®

One of the ways I found you can use Viva® Vantage® is as a fruit and vegetable scrubber. It does a fantastic job! At the event, I scrubbed my apple clean so that I could make a homemade caramel apple. 🙂

At home, we’re going to use Viva® Vantage® to scrub our carrots and other veggies. We’ve started juicing again and like to leave the skins on our veggies for added nutrition, so the stretchy-strength of Viva® Vantage® is going to come in handy on juicing days.

Here are more clever kitchen switch ups you can try using Viva® Vantage®:

Instead of a bulky colander, use a paper towel. Place fruits and veggies on a sheet of Viva® Vantage® paper towels and wash under running water. The Viva® Vantage® paper towel will function as a strainer, and the added bonus is that you won’t have to wash a colander afterward. 🙂
Keep refrigerated produce fresh longer by wrapping a paper towel around it to soak up excess moisture.
Hand wash and dry delicate glassware using the cloth-like texture of Viva® Vantage® paper towels. This is one of the ways I love using these paper towels, and they get the job done without leaving behind little fibers…unlike my old brand.
Chill drinks quickly using Viva® Vantage®. Simply wrap a damp paper towel around the drink and put in the freezer to chill faster.
Slip a damp paper towel under your cutting board to prevent it from shifting. The sponge-like absorbency of Viva® Vantage® will also be there to absorb excess water that runs off the cutting board from freshly washed fruits and veggies while you’re chopping.

Overall, I think Viva® Vantage® paper towels get the job done and beyond. They get a big ‘thumbs up’ from this mom. 🙂

You can experience the stretchy-strength and great scrubbing power of Viva® Vantage®, recently named a 2015 Product of the Year, by printing off a coupon and taking your own 7-Day Switch Up challenge with Viva® Vantage® here.

Then after experiencing Viva® Vantage®, you can revisit the website to talk about your switch and enter for a chance to instantly win a $100 gift card.

What’s your favorite way to use
paper towels?

This is a sponsored blog post written by me on behalf of Viva® Vantage®.

What I Learned at a Fun Sprint Event in Chicago and an LG G4 Smartphone Review

October 1, 2015 by Sandra 10 Comments

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Sprint. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation. #SprintMom #MoveForward

Today, I’m going to share about a few of my favorite things: Chicago, LG Smartphones, and Sprint phone plans.

Yes, you read that right. Besides the Windy City and beautiful LG phones, I also love Sprint’s smartphone plans. And I’m not saying that because they’re giving me a special discount or anything. They’re not. My husband and I pay $105 per month for a plan that includes both of our smartphones and absolutely meets our needs. 🙂

The Sprint Chicago Event

As a long time Sprint customer, I was already familiar with their plans and how they work, but I got to learn even more about them, including their new plans, at a recent Sprint event in Chicago. Along with several other bloggers, I had the opportunity to visit Sprint’s Chicago office and talk to some very happy and knowledgeable Sprint team members. It was a lot of fun!

Of everything discussed, I think I enjoyed learning about Sprint’s prepaid plans the most. Maybe that’s because I have two teenagers who’ll need their own phones someday, and the Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile prepaid plans that Sprint offers sound like great options for when Nathan and Breanna finally need phones of their own.

Oh, and I also had no idea that Sprint offers a super convenient program called Direct 2 You. With Sprint Direct 2 You, a Sprint team member will bring your new or upgraded device right to your home, office, or wherever and set it up for you while you wait. Wow! 🙂

LG G4 Smartphone Review

Before we left the event, all the bloggers attending were given a brand new LG G4 smartphone to review. I was particularly excited about this because I love my current LG G2 smartphone (You can read my review of it here.), and I can’t wait to upgrade to the LG G4.

Before I knew I’d be attending the Sprint event, I’d watched a review of the LG G4 on YouTube and knew it was an amazing device. My husband, Ruben, occasionally watches a certain YouTuber that reviews different smartphones and electronics, and he had a lot of great things to say about the G4.

From the stunning display to the genuine leather back, this smartphone is fabulous.

The LG G4 is the first smartphone from Sprint with a total of 24 megapixels. It has a 16MP rear-facing camera and an 8MP front-facing selfie camera. While I’m definitely not a “selfie person,” I did take one with my 3-year-old daughter and was very impressed.

Here’s a picture I took of dinner one night. 🙂

And finally, here’s what the new LG G4 looks like next to my current LG G2 smartphone. As you can see, the G4 is larger and has a super sleek design. I love everything about it.

Making the Switch

The LG G4 smartphone was given to us with three months of free Sprint service, so I’m using it daily, and I can’t wait to try it out as a wireless hot spot during future drives to Chicago. While we live in the suburbs, we visit Chicago regularly. Just watch some of my vlogs, and you’ll see that’s true. 🙂

Then after the complimentary Sprint service is up, I’m looking forward to switching my current phone over to the LG G4 smartphone.

What kinds of features do you look for in a smartphone?

AUTOSEAL Gizmo Sip Kids Water Bottle Review and Giveaway! (2 Winners)

April 21, 2015 by Sandra 46 Comments

Thanks to Contigo for partnering with me on this review and giveaway. #SpillProofGizmo

Spills.

They happen. And in my fourteen years of motherhood, they’ve happened a lot. At home, in the car, at the restaurant, while taking a walk…spills everywhere! 😉

We’ve used sippy cups with our kids, but to be honest, they don’t always work. And sometimes, they were awkward to drink from and difficult for my kids to get the hang of using. Because of that, as soon as they were old enough to drink from a regular cup, we made the switch.

And that, of course, means that we deal with spills as they happen.

Gizmo Sip Kids Water Bottles

But now, we expect spills to interrupt life even less because we’re using the Gizmo Sip Kids Water Bottle with our little ones.

I love this water bottle because the AUTOSEAL technology built into the Gizmo Sip ensures that the water bottle is 100% spill-proof. 🙂

The AUTOSEAL technology automatically seals the water bottle in-between sips. And I love it because it truly works and doesn’t allow for even small leaks.

Because kids tend to grab water bottles or cups with both hands, the Gizmo Sip includes an extra-large AUTOSEAL button that has room for two fingers to press.

Cleanability

Cleaning the Gizmo Sip is easy. While I normally just wash it by hand, it’s also top-rack dishwasher safe.

And because cleaning this water bottle is a breeze, I use it often. And I take it (along with some of our other Contigo water bottles) outside with us, so that the kids can stay hydrated while they’re on-the-go riding their bikes and playing in the yard. 🙂

And now…an Opportunity to Win Gizmo Sip Water Bottles!

Now that you know more about Gizmo Sip Kids Water Bottles and how they can help your little ones avoid spills, how about the chance to win TWO of them? 🙂

That’s right! TWO of my fabulous readers will each win two Gizmo Sip Water Bottles of their own.

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 April 29, 2015 at 12:00am. The giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only, ages 18 years old and above. The winners will be randomly chosen. I will promptly send the winners an email notifying them that they’ve won, and the winners must respond within 48hrs. of the giveaway’s end. Otherwise, I will have to draw a new winner(s).

Enter Below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finally, save money on your Contigo Kids purchases at GoContigo.com.

Through May 31, 2015, readers of The Sensible Mom can get an extra 25% off their order at GoContigo.com with the coupon code: GIZMO25.

What do you like most about the Gizmo Sip Kids Water Bottle?

Family Fun at the Medieval Times Chicago Castle

June 14, 2014 by Sandra 4 Comments

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament took our weekly family day to another level.

We normally spend family day at home doing things like playing games, watching movies, enjoying special food, and planning for David’s Make-A-Wish Disney trip coming up later this year.

We think planning any Disney trip is exciting when we do it together. 🙂

But earlier this month, we decided to visit the Medieval Times Chicago Castle, which actually does resemble a real castle, for family day. I’d only been to Medieval Times on one other occasion with a group of local bloggers, so it was my second visit and Ruben and the kids’ first visit.

What to Expect

The whole Medieval Times experience is unforgettable. From the moment you walk into the castle, it feels like you’re stepping into another time in history. The walls and ceilings are beautifully decorated, and they definitely set the tone for what’s to come.

When you check in, you’re told which color knight you’ll be cheering for, and you’re then seated in a section matching your knight’s color(s).

We sat in the yellow and red section and cheered for the yellow and red knight. Sadly, he didn’t win in the end. 🙁

But he fought nobly and tried.

Food at Medieval Times

You’ve probably already heard. There are no utensils allowed during your Medieval Times meal which is made up of baby dragon (chicken), a spare rib, garlic bread, tomato bisque soup, roasted potato, and a pastry of the castle.

Well, I’m here to tell you that’s absolutely correct.

There are no forks allowed and you’ll get quite messy during your meal. You’ll without a doubt make use of the napkin, wet wipe, and warm wipe (that’s brought to you later on) as you eat of all the deliciousness that’s set before you.

Unless, of course…

You order the vegetarian meal. In that case, you’ll get a fork and appear quite clean and well-mannered while the others in your party eat with their hands. 🙂

DID YOU KNOW? It’s helpful to understand the definition of “Chivalry” before attending Medieval Times. According to Dictionary.com, Chivalry is the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, including courage, courtesy, generosity, honor, justice, dexterity in arms, and a readiness to help the weak. I think I like the idea of chivalry and what it stands for. Don’t you?

A Family-Friendly Place to Visit

Overall, everyone in my family had a fantastic time at Medieval Times. Elisabeth, my 2-year-old daughter, was a little startled at the beginning of the show, but once she realized it was all fun and entertainment, she enjoyed it.

I’d have to say her favorite parts were the roasted chicken (baby dragon) and being able to see horses gracefully run back and forth right in front of us. We happened to get seats in the front row of our section, and I think that made the experience even better.

We’re all looking forward to the next time we can visit this fun and exciting place. Isaac, my 7-year-old son, keeps asking if he can go again for his birthday next year.

I’m hoping we can make that happen. 😉

Have you ever been to Medieval Times? What was your favorite part?

P.S. You can use the coupon code: 3426CASTLE to get discounted rates at the Chicago (Schaumburg) Castle. This particular code is valid through September 30, 2014.