Scrubbing Bubbles® Action Scrubber

Confession time. What would you rather do? Pay bills, write thank you notes, sit in traffic, change a stinky diaper or clean your bathroom? If you are like me (and especially if you have men or toddlers in the house - ha!), cleaning your bathroom ranks the absolute lowest on your list. Even below stinky diapers. Why? Well for me its not just the mess but the inconvenience (using a spray, letting it sit, grabbing a sponge, then what to do with the stinky sponge) and how hard it can be to get the soap scum up too. I dislike it so much that every time I clean the house (a 5 hour job), I ALWAYS do the bathrooms last.

Now I found a reason to clean them first. Scrubbing Bubbles has come out with a new Action Scrubber that works in the shower and tub. It is also the first replacement of a trigger and sponge, so instead of having to spray and scrub, you can just wet and go. And when you are done, you just toss the pad away and store the clean handle in the storage tub it came in. Easy peasy. And you can use the Action Scrubber for Tile, Tubs, Shower, Shower Curtains, and Shower Doors!

From their website: "New Scrubbing Bubbles® Action Scrubber™ has a specially designed handle that's easy to grip and attaches quickly to a disposable pad. Each pad contains tiny scrubbing fibers and concentrated Scrubbing Bubbles® formula. As you clean, the concentrated formula creates penetrating foam that loosens, dissolves and lifts away soap scum and grime in your tub and shower.

Remove the pad from the handle to clean tight spaces, like in corners and around shower fixtures. Action Scrubber™ cleans without gritty chemicals, so it rinses away easily, leaving a brilliant shine.

When you're finished cleaning, simply toss the pad in the trash along with the dirt and grime."

The Starter Kit Includes:
1 Flexible, durable handle
1 Reusable storage tub
4 Disposable cleaning pads with concentrated Scrubbing Bubbles cleaner - 3-7/8 x 4-7/8 inch

- Powerful cleaning with less scrubbing
- Concentrated cleaners rip through soap scum and grime
- Easy-grip handle flexes for curves and contours
- No more spraying or messy sponge to store
- Cleans without gritty chemicals so it rinses away easily, leaving a brilliant shine

Scrubbing Bubbles® Action Scrubber. What's not to love?

BONUS! Go to their website for coupon you can print for $2.75 off!!

This review was sponsored by Mom Central Consulting.

Note to Self

Note to Self: On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits

by Samara O'Shea (Author)
List Price: $19.95

Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Collins Living (July 22, 2008)

"I plan to observe, enjoy, criticize, taste, touch, and smell the world around me and document it all in notes to myself. I highly recommend you do the same." --Samara O'Shea

Product Description: Keeping a journal is easy. Keeping a life-altering, soul-enlightening journal, however, is not. At its best, journaling can be among the most transformative of experiences, but you can only get there by learning how to express yourself fully and openly. Enter Samara O'Shea.

O'Shea charmed readers with her elegant and witty For the Love of Letters. Now, in Note to Self, she's back to guide us through the fun, effective, and revelatory process of journaling. Along the way, selections from O'Shea's own journals demonstrate what a journal should be: a tool to access inner strengths, uncover unknown passions, face uncertain realities, and get to the center of self. To help create an effective journal, O'Shea provides multiple suggestions and exercises, including:

• Write in a stream of consciousness: Forget everything you ever learned about writing and just write. Let it all out: the good, bad, mad, angry, boring, and ugly.
• Ask yourself questions: What do I want to change about myself? What would I never change about myself?
• Copy quotes: Other people's words can help you figure out where you are in life, or where you'd like to be.
• It takes time: Don't lose faith if you don't imme­diately feel better after writing in your journal. Think of each entry as part of a collection that will eventually reveal its meaning to you.
  

O'Shea's own journal entries reveal alternately moving, edgy, and hilarious stories from throughout her life, as she hits the party scene in New York, poses naked as an aspiring model, stands by as her boyfriend discovers an infidelity by (you guessed it) reading her journal, and more. There are also fascinating journal entries of notorious diarists, such as John Wilkes Booth, Anaïs Nin, and Sylvia Plath.

A tribute to the healing and reflective power of the written word, Note to Self demonstrates that sometimes being completely honest with yourself is the most dangerous and rewarding pursuit of all.

When I was a young girl, of an age I've forgotten now, I began writing in a journal. I kept up with the practice through high school, never faithfully, but always attempting (resolving) to do so more regularly. I think I still have these journals tucked away in an attic corner. And if I went to pull them out, I'm sure I'd laugh now at all those days of hormonal angst and cry at all those days of dark depression. I was a completely different person then, one I wouldn't remember at all so I'm grateful I have those journals to look back on (one day, when I gather to courage to find them). These days, I journal with my private blog. At times it is simply a recitation of "a day in the life" of me and of my family. Other days, I waxed philosophically on issues that have great meaning to me and I hope, to my friends who read there. I've never considered myself a "writer" but I think now, after blogging these last few years, that there exists a "writer" in all of us and it is up to us to help her (or him!) emerge.

Samara O'Shea's book is an excellent starting point for anyone thinking of journaling - she has practical advice throughout on the technical ins and outs of writing a journal. But more importantly, for me anyway, she gives us the emotional wherewithal for journaling - and shows us how to be true to ourselves along the way. I highly recommend this book for everyone who reads - if you keep a journal now, in the past or in the future, or even not at all, this book should be required reading for everyone. And? She has a chapter on sex. Explicit sex. Thought that would grab your attention.

Note to Self is available at: Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Book Sense , Borders and Powell's .

See her book "trailer" (very funny!) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EonRzGojzAo

About the Author
Samara O'Shea is the author of For the Love of Letters: A 21st-Century Guide to the Art of Letter Writing as well as a blogger for The Huffington Post (where you can sign up to get email alerts when she posts...I did!) Samara's website: http://letterlover.net/ ; her Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=824404125

**WIN IT! I have a brand new copy of Notes to Self to give away - generously provided by the publisher. To win, leave me a comment here telling me if you keep a journal or a blog and the main reason why you do so. As usual, I'll pick a winner at random with random.org. LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WITH YOUR COMMENT OR YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. Giveaway is open until 11:59, EST, Tuesday, July 29, 2008. Good Luck!**

Womens Health: Poise Passion Award

The dictionary defines Poise as :

1. a state of balance or equilibrium, as from equality or equal distribution of weight; equipoise.
2. a dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession: to show poise in company.

How poised are you in everyday life? Poise is something that is hard to maintain if you are having health problems of any kind, not to mention ones associated with your pelvic floor. And so many women have these problems, particularly after having children. Too many women in my life have suffered, often silently, and so I wanted to help spread the word about the Poise Passion Award in their honor.

The simple fact that one in four of us Moms suffers from light bladder leakage (if you don't now, expect it the older you get - I know I can expect it - hello? I had a 10 lb. + baby!). Yet, we rarely talk about it - I certainly never saw any mention of it in my What to Expect When You Are Expecting type books! This condition is so common among women, yet it's still considered a taboo subject even with close friends and family. Recent research found that 80% of women who suffer from light bladder leakage are hesitant to talk to their peers about this sensitive topic for fear of embarrassment*.

I want to help change that. You too can help open a dialogue about pelvic health and reverse the stigma often associated with bladder and pelvic issues! How? Kimberly-Clark's Poise brand has joined hands with the Women's Health Foundation (WHF) to increase awareness of pelvic health and wellness. Recently, the Foundation held the "Below the Belt" benefit to raise awareness of the issues effecting women today and celebrate champions of the cause.

At the event, Poise presented the first-ever Passion Award to Linda Michael of Portage, Indiana because her story of personal triumph over pelvic pain and bladder control issues (only six minutes to watch and well worth your time) and her willingness to tell it - has inspired women and doctors alike to share their stories. Linda personally struggled with and overcame her own pelvic pain and bladder control issues after giving birth to her son and now works toward breaking down the stigma surrounding these and similar problems affecting many women.

Thank you Linda and thank you Poise and the Women's Health Foundation, for bringing a voice to this oft neglected and so important topic.

Missy Lavender of the Women's Health Foundation, Linda Michael recipient of the Poise brand Passion Award, Amy Attenberger Poise brand manager:

*The National Women's Survey on Aging was commissioned by Poise Brand and fielded online by Alan Newman Research through its partnership with e-Rewards. The sample of 1,014 women ages 40 - 65 has a maximum statistical error of + 3.1 percent at the 95 percent level of confidence.

This review was sponsored by Mom Central Consulting.

Rock Your School with Box Tops for Education!

Box Tops for Education is a program dedicated to helping schools raise money to develop programs, purchase books, and buy school supplies. We've all seen them on our favorite store products. Me? I've been clipping box tops out for local schools for years - even before I had children of my own (I sent them in with nieces and nephews). Now that I have kids in school, I'm doubly devoted to clipping - so my own children's school can benefit from the technology, books and equipment that Box Tops can bring. So I find myself buying the brands at the store that have the box tops when I have a choice between brands. And I'm constantly surprised how many products have the box top on them now (like Kimberly-Clark brands Huggies, Cottonelle and Kleenex).

And now Kimberly-Clark has partnered with Box Tops for Education and to celebrate, they've launched a nationwide contest called "ROCK YOUR SCHOOL" - that offers us parents a chance to win 100,000 Bonus Box Tops, plus an exclusive concert featuring Radio Disney star Jordan Pruitt for our child's school!

100,000 Bonus Box Tops could go a long way at our school! Here is what 100,000 of them could mean to the average classroom:

• Technology Upgrades: A mobile cart complete with 20 laptops with wireless capabilities to allow travel from classroom to classroom.
• The Necessities: Enough No. 2 pencils that, laid pencil to eraser, would stretch across the length of more than 145 football fields.
• Hands-on Learning Outside the Classroom: A class trip for 20 students in Los Angeles, Calif. to visit Washington, D.C., including airfare, hotel accommodations and admission to the Smithsonian Institution.

In addition to the 100,000 Bonus Box Tops prize, the winning school will also receive a concert featuring pop singer Jordan Pruitt. Pruitt will perform songs from both her new album “Permission to Fly” (set for a July 15 release) as well as her debut album “No Ordinary Girl.” Pruitt, 16, is no stranger to the stage. In her three-year career, she’s opened for the Jonas Brothers, the Cheetah Girls and Vanessa Hudgens, and even performed at the White House’s annual Easter Egg Roll earlier this year.

How to Enter
Parents of students in grades K through 8 can enter the sweepstakes daily June 28 through Sept. 15 via tear pads in participating retail stores or online at http://www.rockbacktoschool.com/. More than 1,000 winners will enjoy prizes, including 1,000 Bonus Box Tops and autographed copies of one of Pruitt’s CDs. One grand prize winner will win a Jordan Pruitt concert at their child’s school and 100,000 Bonus Box Tops. Winners will be selected at random from all eligible entries on or around Sept. 22.

Look for Box Tops on Kimberly-Clark brands like Huggies diapers, Scott tissue, Viva paper towels and Poise pads, and stock up on these items to help live a happier, healthier and more fulfilling life. For fun ways to organize Box Tops collected over the summer, visit http://www.boxtops4education.com/.

For complete sweepstakes details and rules, or to enter the Rock Your School Sweepstakes, visit http://www.rockbacktoschool.com/.

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people -- nearly a quarter of the world's population -- trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 136-year history of innovation, visit http://www.kimberly-clark.com/.

About Box Tops for Education

The Box Tops for Education program began in 1996, as more and more schools struggled to make ends meet. Each year, all enrolled schools receive a complete program kit to help them build their own comprehensive fundraising campaign. Most schools designate a program coordinator to develop ways to encourage students, parents, school staff and community members to clip Box Tops from participating products and bring them to school.

After the collected Box Tops are sent in to General Mills, the school receives a check, equivalent to 10 cents for every Box Top redeemed. Schools can earn up to $60,000 per year, up to $20,000 respectively from the Clip, Shop and Book Club program components, to spend on anything they choose. Thousands of schools have used the money from Box Tops for Education to purchase items such as computers and computer software, library books, art supplies, and playground equipment.

“Schools are continually challenged to fund the technology, text books, equipment and many programs that students need,” said Laura Keely, Director of Kimberly-Clark’s Consumer Promotion Marketing. “As a proud partner with Box Tops for Education, Kimberly-Clark is committed to providing parents with effective tools to raise funds for our children’s classrooms. This promotion offers a chance to earn even more for their schools.”

Box Tops for Education is open to any accredited public, private, or parochial schools for grades K-8 in the United States that have a 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt designation and to any United States military schools, for grades K-8, worldwide. The program is also available to accredited home school associations, K-8, in the United States that have a 501 (c)(3) or 509 (a)(1) tax-exempt designation and have 15 or more students.

This review was sponsored by Mom Central Consulting.

Jishaku™: The Game of Magnetic Action

Jishaku™'s tag line is "The Game of Magnetic Action." I have a suggestion for another tag line: "Jishaku™: bringing back family game night." Because this game will bring everyone back to the (game) table! Jishaku™ is not like your standard Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit or other family board games; this game is like nothing I've ever seen and at a recent family gathering, it was a blast to play and left us all laughing.

The inventor of Jishaku™, Steve Velte, has a degree in electrical engineering which he used to create this game, a game "aimed at tweens, teens and adults, where the power of magnets allows the force to be with you (or not!)."

“I think this is the first game to make people jump out of their chairs,” laughs the Florida-based game maker, “when two or three stone magnets attract, players literally jump with surprise.” Jishaku™ (jee-shah-koo) is "a patent-pending portable strategy game like chess or checkers that can be played anywhere – in the kitchen or at the beach. But unlike chess, the element of surprise is when the magnet jumps out of position, without warning. Surprise, then laughs, follow as two or more players try to beat the force fields with strategic thinking plus careful and precise handling of the game’s magnetic stones."

How does it work?

Jishaku™ (Japanese for magnet) uses 18 finely polished hematite magnets for playing pieces and a foam insert where "the force fields are teased to stay apart or jump together." There are several variations of the game (emptying your “hand” with “I’m Out!”, Roundup and Elimination) but the most popular is "I'm Out". While alternating turns with your opponent(s), the goal of the game is to place magnets onto the game base - without letting any magnets connect. If any magnets connect on your turn, you must collect those magnets and add them to your pile. The first person to run out of magnets wins. But there is a twist. All magnets have North and South poles. Jishaku™ magnets do too. They just aren't marked. So as you carefully place your magnet in a hole you can feel the tug of magnets all around the board. Skilled players learn to use magnetic force in their favor- repelling the magnets closest to them without forcing them into other magnets. “In Jishaku™ it matters not only where you place your stones but also how you place each one,” explains Velte. “All magnets have north and south poles and a magnetic field. Study the effect your magnet has on the stones around it. It will attract some and repel others. How you manage that interaction determines your fate.”

The game is designed for two or more players (ages 8 and up - "DO NOT play this game without adult supervision if you have small children in the house or if someone playing of any age is prone to placing things in their mouth.") and complete instructions are included (and are online as well). You can also go to their website to see a video clip of the game in action. The official launch was June 3, 2008 and the game has already won two awards!

• Jishaku™ wins "Major Fun Award" Click here to see the review
• Jishaku™ wins Prestigious Mr. Dad Seal of Approval Click here for the full Press Release

To order online or to find a store nearest you, visit Play Jishaku. Jishaku™ retails for $19.95 and you can use DIDUCTHAT for 10% off (expires 7/31/08).

OR

**WIN IT!! Win your very own Jishaku™ game for your family board night! To win, leave a comment here telling me your families favorite board game. That's it! Giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m. EST, Wednesday, July 23, 2008. Good Luck!**

Rock Daddy Rock

From the producer that brought you TeacherAndTheRockbots.com and TheBlankies.com (see my review for The Blankies here), comes a brand new album:

Rock Daddy Rock!

Silly Short Songs For Silly Short People

© 2008 Chris Bihuniak

$12.99 Music CD / $9.99 Download at iTunes

"Silly Short Songs For Silly Short People" is the Rock Daddy Rock debut CD featuring eighteen, 1-2 minute songs in a variety of styles. The fun increases with comments and back-up vocals by the artist's four sons.

From Chris: "This music CD is for people that are tired of cheesy children's music and have a sense of humor about raising kids...

Families with a sense of humor will love the Rock Daddy Rock songs about everyday life. They were inspired by my four sons and their funny, gross and wonderful behaviors. Catchy 1-2 minutes songs keep the entertainment flowing and life lessons give each song a happy ending... or the chance to "ponder behavioral issues without sounding moralistic," as one mom put it.

In 2004, after quiting my corporate job, I co-produced albums for Teacher and the Rockbots and The Blankies. The success of these award-winning educational songs gave me the opportunity to do the Rock Daddy Rock solo project. This time, the inspiration came from my kids.

'Silly Short Songs For Silly Short People' combines an assortment of styles ranging from Rock, Pop, Blues, Rap, Reggae and Adult Contemporary with the goal of appealing to adults too. The fun increases with comments and back-up vocals by my boys."

Just like the Blankies, my kids and I loved this CD, particularly when Chris' sons chimed in. Rock Daddy Rock is a great way to sneak in some life manners while having fun (since apparently, hearing me tell them not to hit each other for the millionth time just isn't cutting it, maybe this will work!). Just this morning, my 3 year old daughter asked me to play the songs over again and again on our way to school - "turn that song on again mommy!" And as her mom, I was only too happy to play the music again - you can't beat music for kids that is fun, educational and not just another rendition of traditional nursery rhymes!

Check out the titles on these funny songs:

Boogers...use a tissue
Don't Hit, Don't Spit...you better get over it
Wart...one day it will go away
When You Grow Up...who will you be?
Biter...two wrongs don't make a right
The Lecture...a hug and a kiss or two
Where is the Bathroom?...don't keep it in
Your Room's A Mess...clean it up
Don't Pass The Gas...go outside
Dirty Nails...where have they been?
Diaper...a good dad helps out
Do The Burp...don't do the burp
Green...your diet should be healthy
Tears of Joy...happy birthday mommy
Time for Bed...without nightmares
Because I Care...I just want you to be safe
Gun (Peace Sign)...the peace sign
Turn it Off...make your own reality

**WIN IT!! Chris has generously offered to give away FIVE copies of this CD to FIVE LUCKY WINNERS!!! To win, email me at cpamomva [at] hotmail [dot] com and tell me "At what age did Chris write his first song?" Giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, July 21, 2008. Good Luck!**

A Summer Affair

A Summer Affair
By Elin Hildebrand

(link for Amazon.com)

Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (July 1, 2008)

List Price: $24.99

Description from the publisher: "Sheila Crispin Cook, mother of four young children and nationally renowned glassblower, bites off more than she can chew when she agrees to co-chair the Nantucket's Children Summer Gala. Sheila is asked to chair the benefit, in part, because she is the former high school sweetheart of rock star Max West. Max agrees to play the gala and it looks like smooth sailing for Sheila-until she promises a "museum-quality" piece of glass for the auction, offers her best friend the catering job, goes nose-to-nose with her Manhattan socialite co-chair, and begins a "good-hearted" affair with the charity's Executive Director, Lockhart Dixon. Hearts break and emotions are pushed to the limit in this riveting story of one woman's attempt to deal with loves past and present, family, business, and high-powered social pressures. Elin Hilderbrand's unique understanding of the joys and longings that animate women's lives will make this her newest summer bestseller."

The Great Escape. That is the kind of book I'm looking for when I'm looking for a good, summer beach read. And A Summer Affair fits the bill perfectly. Short on plot or character development, reading this book requires little thought to get through. But it does not skimp on emotion! I'll be honest, when I read that the main character was going to have an affair, I was ready to absolutely hate her. I've been cheated on and I've seen other good marriages torn apart by a spouse's infidelity. I've seen their spouses, good people, doubt their own self worth after being cheated on. And that? Makes me absolutely, stone cold furious. So I was astonished to find that I did not hate Sheila like I expected to. Granted, I think she made the absolute WORST choice in trying to find some escape of her own from her own life (where she works hard and is unappreciated for her efforts) but I did find myself emphasizing with her plight. Which given my preconceptions, is nothing short of astonishing. Ms. Hilderbrand has crafted a fine novel for summer escapism. I give it 4 out of 5 binkies.

About the Author: Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her six previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa. Read an interview with the author by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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