Purex Baby Detergent - A Review & Giveaway

There's my beautiful baby girl (I know I am a bit partial)!  I cannot believe she is 5 months old already.  Time is flying by so fast and I am trying to soak up all I can from this first year with her.  My boys are almost 7 and 4 years old, so I know how fast time goes when kids are growing. 

One of my absolute favorite things in the house when you have a baby are all the pleasant smells.  Now I know, you may be thinking of all the "unpleasant" smells, but I am thinking positively here!  These are some of my favorite baby scents:

• the scent of a brand new baby
• the scent of a freshly washed baby, I just love to smell her hair
• the scent of a favorite kind of diapers fresh out of the package (no I am not weird, I always smell diapers before I put it on her)!
• the scent of fresh clean baby laundry

Yes, I love the scent of fresh clean baby laundry and the kind of detergent you use does make a difference!

Recently  I had the chance to try Purex Baby detergent.  Purex Baby detergent delivers the same bright, white clean you've come to expect from Purex, yet is sensitive on baby's skin.  Plus, it has a gentler baby-inspired freshness that families love (that's what I am talking about)!

The dermatologist-tested formula guarantees to remove stubborn stains without hurting delicate clothes, like those adorable little bunny footie pajamas my daughter has.

Like all Purex detergents, Purex Baby is specially designed to ensure proper performance for all washers, from HE to traditional top-loader (like I have) washing machines.

We are a Purex family, which means that we do not spend a fortune on baby and kid safe detergents.  Diapers and formula cost us enough already, so we like to save money on Purex Baby detergent, which costs a fraction of the leading brand, without jeopardizing quality or that fresh baby laundry smell.

I love Purex Baby detergent!  My daughter's clothes come out stain free, smell amazing, and never irritate her gentle, cute, baby skin!  I also love the sound of drying baby clothes and all that clinking from snaps and zippers in the dryer!

Purex Baby is not available in every store, I did however find it in our local Marc's store for under $4 a bottle (currently only available in 50 oz with 100 oz bottle coming soon).  Try using the store locator here to find an outlet near you!

Want to win a free bottle of Purex Baby detergent to try on your little one's cute outfits?  To enter:

1.  Leave a comment on this post of the ages of your children.
2.  (Bonus Entry) Become a Facebook fan of Spend Less 2 Save More and leave a comment on this post.

Contest will end at midnight on 1/1/13!  Open to US residents only with a valid mailing address.  Winner must claim prize within 48 hours.

Purex provided me with a sample of Purex Baby detergent in exchange for a product review.  However, all the opinions expressed here, as always, are my own.

Dial Complete Foaming Hand Wash - Limited Edition Holiday

Dial Complete Foaming Hand Wash is all dressed up in limited edition holiday designs.  The Holiday collection features four cheerful designs:  Santa, Snowman, Candy Cane, and Holiday Scene.  Each design helps brighten up your sink with a bit of holiday cheer, both in your kitchen and the bathroom!

These decorative bottles contain Dial Complete's #1 doctor recommended antibacterial foaming hand wash.  This formula kills 99.99% of germs encountered in the household while still  being gentle on skin.

We got to try the Santa and the Holiday Scene.  I put one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom! 

I love foamy hand soap and I love the germ killing power!  With three kids and a husband who teaches college kids, germs are always abundant in our home.  My kids love to use these festive pumps to wash their hands.  The smell is also pleasant and leaves your hands soft! 

Dial provided a free sample of their Holiday Foaming Hand Soap for this post.  My participation is voluntary and my opinions, as always, are my own.

Purex Plus Oxi - A Review, Sweepstakes, and Giveaway!

I love being a Purex Insider, recently I got to try their new Purex plus Oxi.  Purex plus Oxi is the most powerful Purex detergent available.  It works against 101 different stains!  The 3 stain-fighting enzymes in Purex plus Oxi each work against different types of stains for the most Purex stain-fighting power you can get.

Now you cannot get a better house to try out Purex plus Oxi than one with 2 active young boys and a new baby!  I think we have stains covered in our house!  We have mud and grass from our soccer player, spaghetti stains from our 3 year old, and of course the lovely spit-up stains from a 3 month year old!  So this past weekend, I used Purex plus Oxi on all of our laundry!  The bonus is that it is a hypoallergenic formula with a light, fresh scent perfect for evreyday laundry or heavily soiled loads!

The results?  This detergent left our clothes clean, fresh, and stain-free!  I will defintely be using this detergent in the future for our laundry needs!

Sweepstakes
Purex is hosting a Sweepstakes with some great cash prizes!  One Grand Prize winner will receive $1,000 and 200 lucky 2nd place winners will receive $25,  Sounds good, right?  Go here to enter now!

Giveaway
Two lucky Spend Less 2 Save More readers will receive a coupon for a free bottle of Purex plus Oxi!  To enter:

1.  Leave a comment on this post on your toughest laundry stain.
2.  Like Spend Less 2 Save More on Facebook and leave a comment on this post.

Contest open to US residents and will end at 11:50 on October 31, 2012.  Winners will be notified by e-mail to claim their prize.

Purex provided me with a sample of Purex plus Oxi so I could review them.  However, as always, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

Van's & Plackers: A Review and Giveaway!

Recently, my family had the opportunity to try some products from Van's and Plackers! 

Plackers is a leading brand of consumer oral care products and a pioneer in dental flossers with the patent on the first disposable dental flosser.  My kids (ages 6 and 3) were able to try out the Plackers kids.  These flossers have fluoride, are mixed berry flavored and come in fun animal shapes.  They make flossing fun!  My six year old loved using them and he said they tasted great!

I got to try out Plackers also!  I love the Plackers Gentleslide!  I have some teeth in my mouth that are extremely close and it is difficult to get dental floss in between them.  The Gentleslide had no issues!  I love these convenient disposable flossers!  They are also great when you travel, just use then and throw them away!

Van's Natural Foods is the market leader in gluten-free and allergy-friendly, natural and organic frozen breakfast foods including waffles, pancakes, English muffins, muffin crowns and French toast sticks.  We tried the Wheat Gluten Free Blueberry Waffles in our house.  Now we do not have any gluten or wheat allergies in our house, but the waffles tasted really delicious.  I could not tell that they were gluten and wheat free.  The blueberry taste was great topped with some butter and syrup!

One Spend Less 2 Save More reader will receive the Plackers prize pack shown above and coupons for Vans products so you can try them out too!

To Enter:
1.  Tell me why you want to try Plackers or Van's products in the comments.
2.  Like Spend Less 2 Save More on Facebook and leave me a separate comment.

Contest will end at midnight on 10/30/12.  Winner must reside in the US and will be notified via e-mail.

I received the Plackers prize pack above as well as coupons to try Van's products.  My opnions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Make Learning "Greater Than" and "Less Than" Fun!

My oldest son is now a 1st grader!  I love his teacher and she has some very innovative homework assignments to make learning fun!  I just had to share our "homework assignment" on how to practice "greater than" and "less than".  Now I knew my son would have no issue because he loves to play War with a deck of cards!

All you need is a deck of cards and remove the face cards and aces.  Using an index card make a greater than sign.  Shuffle the deck and lay two cards out.  Have your child place the sign in the correct direction.   Remember that the open part of the sign goes to the larger number.  Once the sign is in place, have your child read from left to right.  For the one above, he or she would read "10 is greater than 6".  Now if the six were on the left and the ten was on the right, the sign would have to be turned the other way, and he or she would read as "6 is less than 10"!

Happy Learning!

Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil Salad

So our garden has been loaded with tomatoes this year!  I made this quick and easy Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil Salad for my daughter's Baptism a few weeks ago.  The best part is, you can make this up in the morning, and when the party begins, simply bring it out and serve!

Cut up Roma tomatoes in thin slices.  Slice mozzarella cheese into thin slices.  Cut fresh Basil in thin strips.  Place two tomatoes on serving dish, place a slice a mozzarella on top and then garnish with fresh basil.  Then use a Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing and place all over the salad.  (I used the Aldi brand and it tasted wonderful!)  Let sit in the refrigerator before serving for a few hours to soak up the flavors of the dressing.  Enjoy!  I received so many compliments on this light, tasty salad.  Plus it was a bonus when I said the tomatoes were fresh from my garden!

Soft Scrub Total All Purpose Cleaners - A Review & Giveaway!

Its seems like lately, all I've been blogging about are giveaways, well guess what I have another!

Recently, I am given the chance to try a new household cleaner from Soft Scrub.  Soft Scrub Total All Purpose Cleaner and Total Bath and Bowl.  Now I have been using Soft Scrub Total Bath and Bowl for well over a year now!  I love how one cleaner can clean the entire bathroom!  You have the choice to spray as a foam and liquid.  Plus the bottle works upside down!  So I spray the inside of the toilet as a foam, let it set, and scrub it.  It works great!  I then use liquid spray to clean the rest of the toilet, sink, shower and fixtures.  Works like a champ and leaves a fresh scent!  No more need to buy a separate toilet bowl cleaner and shower cleaner!

 

This was the first time I tried Soft Scrub Total All Purpose Cleaner with Bleach.  I tried it out on my appliances in the kitchen.  Now I have all white appliances, so you know how dirty they can get.  This cleaner did a wonderful job cleaning them up and leaving them looking new.  I think I am hooked on these new Soft Scrub Total All Purpose Cleaning products, I highly recommend my readers to try them out!

Lucky for you, two Spend Less 2 Save More readers will receive a coupon for a free bottle of Soft Scrub Total!  To enter:
1.  Leave a comment on this post, why you need to try Soft Scrub Total.
2 (Bonus) Like Spend Less 2 Save More on Facebook and leave a comment on this post.

Contest is open to US residents, 18 years old and older.  Contest will expire at midnight on 9/15/12.  Prize will be mailed to the winner, Spend Less 2 Save More is not responsible for lost mail.

Soft Scrub provided a free sample of their Bath and Bowl and Total All Purpose Cleaner so I could review them.  However all of the opinions, as always, expressed here are my own.

The winner is...

xaritz@

for the Combat Source Kill Max Ant Gel Giveaway, an e-mail has been sent to you!

First Day of 1st Grade!

I cannot believe that my oldest son went off to 1st grade this morning!  It was bittersweet, I was ready for him to go back to school, but I already miss him like crazy!  We got to spend most of the summer together since I have been home from work since his sister was born.  It's going to be a quiet house today with only two kids at home!

So today was different then last year, he was Mr. Independent!  He wanted to get up on his own and get dressed on his own.  I guess he is growing up and Mommy has to let him do things by himself!  I am so proud of him, he is the kindest, incredibly thoughtful, most helpful son a Mom could ever ask for and I hope he has the best school year! 

Okay - I need to stop now, I'm making myself cry!

Happy first day of school to all the kids!

Combat Source Kill Max Ant Bait & Ant Gel - Review and Giveaway!

Got ants?  Its that time of year when ants invade your home!  Lucky for me I had the chance to try 2 great new products from Combat, Combat Source Kill Max Ant Bait and Combat Source Kill Max Ant Gel. 

We have a sun room off the back of our house that we are constantly battling ants!  They seem to be along an outside wall of this room.  With the Labor Day holiday approaching, we needed to find a way to get rid of the ants before our picnic guests are set to arrive!  Last Tuesday, my husband first used the Combat Source Kill Max Ant Gel.  He placed the gel near the ant trails along the outside facing wall in our sun room.  He also placed the Combat Source Kill Max Ant Bait station in the same area. 

Since using both of these new products, I have yet to see an ant in our sun room!  The gel is suppose to work up to 1 month, so it will continue to kill any other ants that want to invade our sun room before they ruin our picnic!  I was very happy with am both of these products and am glad we found something that works fast!  The best part is that the ant baits are child-resistant, so I have no need to worry about my boys  when they are in the sun room.

Combat Source Kill Max Ant Gel is formulated to effectively control ants.  That's because this product contains Fipronil, a fast-acting ingredient.  Its speed is still slow enough, however, for foraging ants to return to the colony and feed the bait to larvae and queens so that the entire colony is killed through the Domino Effect.

• First specially formulated ant gel
• Preferred food form for ants
• Fast killing formula
• Works within hours and up to 1 month
• Kills ants and the colony

Combat Source Kill Max Ant Bait contains an effective insecticide which kills most ants commonly found in homes.  This product is effective because ants carry bait back to where they live (the colony) to destroy the entire colony.  It even kills ants outside (adjacent to your home) to prevent more ants from coming inside.

• Kills ants without messy residue and insecticide odors.
• Quick kill formula
• Destroys the queen and the entire colony
• Provides long lasting ant killing power
• Child-resistant

Combat is holding a Bug-Free Backyard Bash Sweepstakes!  They want to give 1 lucky winner $1000 to hold their very own Bug Free Backyard Bash.  The winner will also receive an assortment of Combat brand products to ensure ants don't spoil their Bash.  All you need to do is click here to get rid of ants and watch a short 1:30 video and then sign up!

One lucky Spend Less 2 Save More reader will win a box of Combat Ant Gel*!  There are 3 ways to enter!
1.  Leave a comment on this post where you have ant problems!
2.  Like Spend Less 2 Save More on Facebook then leave a comment on this post that you are a fan!
3.  Share this post on Facebook with your friends and then leave a comment on this post that you did it!

*Contest is open to US residents and prize will be sent directly to winner from Combat, Spend Less 2 Save More is not responsible if you do not receive your prize.  Contest will close at midnight on 8/30/12 and winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be notified via e-mail.

Combat provided a free sample of their Ant Bait and Gel so I could review them.  However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

CiCi's PIzza Gears Up for "Race for the CiCi's Cup"

Even though school is gearing up and the days have started to get shorter,CiCi's Pizza wants to remind you it is still summer!  My family loves Cici's Pizza and we cannot wait to get in on these deals!

Known for its family friendly atmosphere, menu and pricing, CiCi’s Pizza is excited to be kicking off this promotion with the Race for the CiCi's Cup at participating locations.

CiCi's invites you to enjoy special "$5 Faves" and a limited edition Coca-Cola Racing Family beverage cup featuring a QR code linking to exclusive videos of the Coca-Cola Racing Family.

Going on now through Oct. 14, guests can race into CiCi’s for “$5 Faves” each Monday – Thursday.

‧     During Happy Hour from 2 – 4 p.m., guests can enjoy the adult buffet, featuring CiCi's endless selection of 28+ pizzas in rotation, pasta, soup, salad and desserts, for just $5,including a regular drink.
‧     Take home a large, one-topping To Go pizza for just $5 anytime Monday – Thursday- what a great way to treat new teachers this school year!
‧     The 32-ounce Racing Family cup is available with the purchase of a large beverage.

Go here to find the nearest CiCi's Pizza!

Runners Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup rotini pasta, dry
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp light sour cream
2 Tbsp chicken broth
1 Tbsp + 1/4 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil
4 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
6 oz precooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, diced (optional)

Directions:
1.  Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse, set aside.
2.  Whisk together garlic, sour cream, broth, oil, vinegar, pepper, and basil in small bowl, set aside.
3.  In large bowl, combine pasta, lettuce, cheese, chicken, and onion, mix.
4.  Chill in refrigerator until serving time.  Toss salad with dressing just before serving.

Makes 6, 1 cup servings.

Our Birth Announcements!

Gingham Ribbon Girl Birth Announcement

Shutterfly has 100's of personalized baby announcements.

View the entire collection of cards.

Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen - 7/26/12

12 Cent Prints at CVS!

Enjoy 12 cent prints at CVS through tomorrow, 7/21/12!

Shutterfly - 50% Off Photo Books

One of my goals while on maternity leave is to catch up to the present time on organizing all of our photos.  I am about a year behind, this deal from Shutterfly should help me catch up! 

Purex Let's Be Honest Contest

It's time to come clean about life, laundry and whatever!  Whether it’s paying too much for “premium” detergent or uncovering the truth about skinny jeans, Purex is shedding some light on everyday absurdities.

Check out the Let's Be Honest videos here.  My favorite one is Lost and Found!

Giveaway - Three Spend Less 2 Save More readers will win a coupon for a FREE bottle of Purex Triple Action detergent!  You have three chances to enter:


1.  Watch the Let's Be Honest videos and report your favorite one in the comments section of this post.
2.  Like, Share, or Retweet your favorite Let's Be Honest video and leave a comment that you did so on this post.
3.  Become a Facebook Fan of Spend Less 2 Save More and leave a comment on this post that you are a fan!


Contest will end at midnight on 7/20/12!  Winners must reside in the U.S.

This contest is sponsored by Purex.  My opinions, as always, are my own.  I was not compensated in any way to write this post or hold this contest.

Our New Baby Girl!

Our family has been blessed with a new baby GIRL!!  We waited to find out until the birth, and it was the best surprise ever!  The nurses were cheering when she was born.  What a beautiful addition to our famiy and she now has 2 big brothers to take care of her!

36 Weeks and Counting Down!

We are all ready at our house!  The baby's room is all put together, clothes are in the dresser, diapers are in the stacker, sheets are on the crib.  The only thing we need now, is a baby!

Dry Idea AdvancedDry: A Review, Giveaway & Sweepstakes

Thanks to Purex Insiders, I recently received the opportunity to try and review Dry Idea AdvancedDry!  Boy did I pick a great time to review a new Antiperspirant & Deodorant.  First I am 36 weeks pregnant (and hot, hot, hot) and we have had an entire week of 90+ degree temperatures in June!

Dry Idea AdvancedDry provides superior all day protection from wetness & odor.  It is available in Roll-on, Clear Gel, and Invisible Solid.  It provided 24 hour wetness protection, and is hypo-allergenic!

I used it for one week and I really like the product.  It kept me dry and I did not notice any odor.  Plus I really liked the light powder scent of the Roll-on product.  The Roll-on is fast drying and contains vitamin E, keeping my skin soft.  I am definitely going to continue to use this product throughout the summer. 

Sweepstakes
Dry Idea is holding a Sweepstakes with $1000 in prizes!  There is a $500 1st place prize and 10 $50 2nd place prizes!  You can sign up by clicking the link here!  I just did, it was super easy!

Spend Less 2 Save More Contest
2 lucky Spend Less 2 Save More readers will receive a coupon for a FREE 3.25oz or smaller Dry Idea AdvancedDry!  To enter:


1. (Mandatory) Like Spend Less 2 Save More on Facebook and leave a comment on this post!
2. (Bonus) Enter the Sweepstakes here and come back to this post and leave a comment that you did!
2. (Bonus)  Like Dry Idea on Facebook and leave a comment on this post.
3. (Bonus)  Post on Dry Idea's Facebook page a link to this post and leave a comment on this post.


Contest will end on July 4th at midnight, I'll pick up winner when we return from fireworks!  Contest is open to US residents 18 and over only.

Dry Idea provided a free sample of their AdvancedDry Roll-On so I could review them.  However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own as always!

Purex June Promotions

Purex has a lot of great promotions going on right now, check them out and you can be a winner!

Pinterest
Pin It to Win It! This promotion asks Pinterest users to repin and image of a laundry hamper full of socks and guess how many socks are in the hamper. The 5 people who follow the rules and guess the closest the actual number of socks win a year supply of detergent! Here is where to find it http://pinterest.com/purex/purex-promotions/

Ladies Home Journal
LHJ is giving away free 1-year subscriptions!  Promotion ends on June 22nd. Sign up at Purex.com/promotions

Crystals Coupon
‘Like’ Purex on Facebook to get access to a $1 off Crystals coupon.

Bruegger's hosts Free Iced Coffee Day June 21 to benefit Children's Miracle Network

BURLINGTON, Vt.) June 14, 2012 -On Thursday, June 21, Bruegger’s Bagels will toast the first full day of summer with itsinaugural Free Iced Coffee Day. From openinguntil 4 p.m., guests can enjoy the coolest drink of the season at 300-plus locations while also helping outChildren's Miracle Network Hospitals® (CMNH) by donating at canisters located by the register.

To get a free iced coffee, guests can download the coupon from Bruegger’sFacebook page. Members of Bruegger’s “Fresh News” club will receive the coupon via email, and those who sign up for “Fresh News” at www.brueggers.com before June 19 will also receive a coupon.

“We want the families served by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to know their communities really care,” said Bruegger’s CMO Scott Colwell. “Special days like our Free Iced Coffee Day bring new and loyal guests together for a little fun and refreshment while also supporting a worthy cause.”   

Bruegger’s, known for its many bagel-inspired breakfast and lunch options, also offers a wide variety of iced drinks that are a perfect treat anytime of the day. In addition to a variety of iced coffee flavors, Bruegger’s offers mocha and regular-flavored Iced Coffee Coolers, a sweet, creamy option made with triple-brewed coffee.

Free Iced Coffee Day is the culmination of Bruegger’s Countdown to Summer fundraiser for CMNH, which began May 29 with a “Clicks for Kids” drive on Facebook. Additionally, while supplies last, guests can support children’s hospitals by purchasing a special coupon book created for the campaign. For a donation of just $1, guests will receive coupons valued at $10, with 100 percent of the donation benefiting the local Children’s Miracle Network-affiliated hospital. Bruegger’s and its guests have raised more than $100,000 to benefit the kids and families served by CMNH, as part of an ongoing partnership.

“Bruegger’s and its guests are helping us do good for millions of children and families across the nation,” said Clark Sweat, CMNH senior vice president. “That’s what we call a great summer.”

About Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc.
Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. (BEI), a leader in the fast casual restaurant segment, operates 305 Bruegger’s bakeries in North America. Renowned for its award-winning bagels, Bruegger's offers a wide variety of freshly prepared breakfast and lunch options made with high-quality, simple ingredients served with its unique brand of hospitality. Bruegger's is dedicated to the communities it serves and supports charitable causes locally and nationally. BEI’s parent company, Groupe Le Duff, SA, is the world’s second largest company in the bakery-café sector. Founded in 1983, BEI is headquartered in Burlington, Vt. For more information, please visit www.brueggers.com or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/brueggers.

About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals across North America, which, in turn, use the money where it’s needed the most. When a donation is given it stays in the community, ensuring that every dollar is helping local kids. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $4 billion, most of it $1 at a time. These donations have gone to support research and training, purchase equipment, and pay for uncompensated care, all in support of the mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Learn more atCMNHospitals.org.

Photo Book - Get an Extra $10 Off Today with 'SHARE10'

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Visit Shutterfly.com to create your own personalized photobook.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Here is my Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe.  This is a family favorite in our house and one of our staple winter meals!

Ingredients:
1 - 2# Beef Stew meat
2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup of carrots
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 can tomato soup
2 cans of water (from the soup can)
1 tsp Beef Boullion granules
1 tsp worcheshire sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp majoram
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
flour
oil

Directions:
1.  Heat oil in large skillet, coat stew meat with flour and then brown in oil.
2.  Combine all ingredients in a Crock Pot including browned meat.
3.  Cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Winners!

The winners of the Honey Bunches of Oats Giveaway are:

amanda.corley@
adametzb@

An e-mail has sent to you to claim your prize!  If you did not receive it, please e-mail me at spendless2savemore@gmail.com!

Thanks for all who entered, another giveaway coming up soon!

Win a Free Subscription to Ladies Home Journal!

Purex has teamed up with Ladies Home Journal to bring you and your readers to bring you an exciting offer. Purex will be giving away 1-year subscriptions to a lot of lucky winners!

Ladies’ Home Journal engages women with relevant conversations about health and relationships; beauty and style; food and finance. It’s for the women who recognize the importance of taking time for themselves. Ladies Home Journal has articles on health, beauty, relationships, and tons of other enticing topics.

You can sign up to win on the Purex website! Be sure to sign up soon, the promotion ends on June 22nd.

Last time Purex did this, I won a subscription to Better Homes & Gardens, so I highly recommend signing up!

Bruegger's Clicks for Kids

Bruegger’s is excited to announce its summer event called “Clicks for Kids.”  For all new fans that “like’ their Facebook page, Bruegger’s will donate $1 to Children’s Miracle Network. 

This fundraiser is leading up to Free Iced Coffee Day that will be held at all 300 Bruegger’s locations nationwide on June 21.  Guests can “jump start” the official start to summer by stopping in their local Bruegger’s and enjoy a refreshing free Iced Coffee.

To get a free iced coffee, guests can download the required coupon from Bruegger’s Facebook page. Members of Bruegger’s “Fresh News” email club will receive the coupon via email, and those who sign up for “Fresh News” atwww.brueggers.com before June 19 will also receive a coupon.

Bruegger’s hopes guests will make a donation to CMN in the canisters located at the register.  All funds raised will be donated to that market’s local Children’s Hospital.

Post Honey Bunches of Oats Review & Giveaway!

I love being a Purex Insider!  Not only do I get to try and promote great laundry products, but other companies allow me to try their products also!  My whole family got to try Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast this week!

Now we are big cereal eaters in our house.  I think we have about 5 different boxes on top of the refrigerator at any time.  During the week, I always eat a bowl of cereal with my 6 year old son before school.  Its our time together, just the two of us in the morning enjoying our cereal before the hustle of getting to school and work begin!  This week we ate Honey Bunches of Oats! 

Now I have eaten Honey Bunches of Oats before and I love the flavor of them.  My son has not.  I was a little shocked when he said he wanted to try them.  He did and he loved them!  Best part is?  Honey Bunches of Oats are a lot better for him then some of the other cereals he wants to eat!

• 10 grams of Whole Grain - Honey Bunches of Oats Honey Roasted contains 10g of whole grain per serving!
• 6 grams of sugar - compares to Honey Nut Cheerios at 9 grams.
• Honey Bunches of Oats Honey Roasted provides 9 essential vitamins and minerals.
• Brings together 4 nutritious grains into crispy flakes and even more crunchy granola bites.
• Heart Healthy!

You can find out all you want to know about Honey Bunches of Oats on Facebook!

I am giving away a coupon for a free box of Honey Bunches of Oats to 2 Spend Less 2 Save More readers!  To enter, complete the following:


1.  (MANDATORY) Become a fan of Spend Less 2 Save More on Facebook and leave a comment on this blog post.
2. (BONUS) Become a fan of Honey Bunches of Oats on Facebook and leave a comment on this blog post.
3.  (BONUS) Post on Honey Bunches of Oats Facebook page and mention this blog url sent you then leave a comment on this blog post.


Contest ends at midnight EST on May 31, 2012.

Post provided a free sample of their Honey Bunches of Oats - Honey Roasted for this post.  My participation is voluntary and my opinions, as always, are my own.

Mom & Sons’ Day Out

Recently my oldest son had the day off of school so I scheduled the day off of work so that we could spend the day together. Turns out it was a beautiful May day with highs in the upper 60’s! We started our day off with breakfast at Bob Evan’s with my parents (aka Grandma & Papa). It’s always nice to go out to breakfast since we rarely get to unless we are traveling or celebrating an event. I am always amazed though, how many people are actually out for breakfast on a weekday. We had to wait about 10 minutes for a table!

Our next stop was the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center. My kids love this place and I love it too! The best part is that it is FREE! The kids get to see all kinds of animals, turtles, snakes, lizards, and fish in the indoor exhibits. The outdoor exhibits include ducks, geese, skunks, hawks, bunnies, deer, turkeys, and a fox. The place is not huge, but a great place to spend about 2 hours. This is perfect, in my book! It is definitely geared towards little kids, so once mine get a little older, they probably won’t want to go here anymore.

Our adventure continued with a picnic by the lake. We were less than a mile from Lake Erie, so we found a nice picnic table at the Huntington Reservation and had a picnic lunch. It was more of a picnic snack since we had such a big breakfast, but it was an amazing day to enjoy outside. After we finished eating we ventured down to the lake. They wanted to swim and play in the sand, but it was a bit cold for that (although there were some sun bathers when we were there). They were fine with climbing on the rocks and throwing rocks and sticks in the water. 

Our day ended by taking the long way home (aka no highways). We had to make a stop at a meat market to pick up some baby back ribs and then took a quick look at the house I grew up in as a kid. My oldest son loves to see things like that. He was really interested in what that house looks like since my parents no longer live there.

All in all a great day to spend with my boys!

Happy Mother's Day!

I am incredibly blessed to be able to me called "Mommy" by 2 of the best kids in the world!  Soon there will be three kids in our house and I cannot be more excited!  Being a Mom is the hardest, yet most rewarding job in the world.  Seeing my boys grow, learn, and explore this world is an amazing process to watch. 

For all mothers, out there I wish you a very Happy Mother's Day, and I hope you enjoy your day.  I am very blessed to be able to celebrate our day with my amazing Mom and sister (who is also a Mother of 2). 

Purex and O Magazine

I love being a Purex Insider!  I get to share some amazing deals, new products, and giveaways with my readers!
Purex has teamed up with Oprah Magazine to bring you a fantastic deal:
1-year subscriptions to O Magazine for only $10!   If you would like to take advantage of this deal, go here to sign-up!

The promotion ends May 25th at 5pm PST, so hurry and cash in on this deal.  May even be a great Mother's Day present!

Free Cookbook for Mom at Ruby Tuesday's!

Mother's Day is just around the corner!  If you have not made plans with your Mom yet, how about taking her to one of my favorite restaurants, Ruby Tuesday!  On Mother's Day, May 13th, every Mom will receive a free copy of Ruby Tuesday Simply Fresh Cookbook while supplies last!  Best part is?  They take reservations, so no waiting, make yours here!

Need a Vacation??

A “Tropical Splash“ for you and your laundry!

This is your chance at a once in a lifetime vacation to Hawaii for free! Purex has teamed up with Outrigger Hotels and Resorts and want to send 1 lucky winner and guest to Outrigger Reef – Hotel on the Beach for 4 days and 3 nights! Let’s not forget the winner will receive a 2 year supply of Tropical Splash Purex Crystals!

Plus, there will be 500 other winners that will receive a coupon for a free bottle of Purex Crystals!  Go here to enter!

Free Mother's Day Card!

Now through May 6th, you can get a free Mother's Day card at Cardstore.com!  Just enter promo code LUVMOM at check-out.  I made one for Grandma (my Mom) above which was originally $2.99!  It also ships free!  What a great way to send your favorite Mom and Grandma a personalized card!

Cleaning a Kitchen Cupboard

So I took the Money Saving Mom's Organized Home Assignment today and tackled a cupboard in my kitchen.  Luckily, I have enough cupboards that this one is sort of my miscellaneous cupboard.  Unfortunately, it is normally the place where "junk" accumulates.  When I need to clean my counters, yep this is where the stuff often piles up!  Here is the before picture:

Yikes!  What a mess!  This is the what it looks like now, nice and clean!

I should really get rid of the margarita glasses since we have not used them BK (before kids), but I am not ready to part with them yet.  Plus I need to keep the sippy cup collection for baby #3 (which I think is helping me clean and nest) on the way.  I keep opening it up to admire, look how nice it is, I wonder how long I can keep it that way!

Cleaning Out the Junk Drawer

I think we all have one, a Junk Drawer!   Ours is in the kitchen and the sad part was, I was running out of space in my junk drawer to put more junk!  So I for some reason everyone in my house was up at 7 am this morning.  A few of them forgot to get the memo, that said "It is Saturday"!  Once kids are up, I cannot sleep anymore.  I also had some motivation to clean (early nesting??), so I tackled the junk drawer.  This is the before picture:

Now this is the after:

Much better!  Believe it or not I pulled all of these toys our of this drawer including 4 (yes FOUR) old cell phones!

So I guess my Earth Day project is to find where I can recycle old cell phones!

Happy Birthday to My Honey!

Today my husband turns 35th!  Its hard to believe we met when he was 18 and I was only 17.  It certainly does not feel like we have known each other for 17 years, been married for 9 1/2 years, have two children who are 6 and 3 and another one on the way.  Time sure flies when you are spending your life with the love of your life and your best friend!

He is the most amazing husband and father.  He always puts his wife and family first!  He will stop at nothing to make sure we are happy and living life to the fullest!

Happy 35th Birthday!

Planning a Beach Vacation on a Budget

So its been almost 2 years since we took a beach vacation.  We went to the Outer Banks, NC in July, 2010.  By far the best beach vacation ever!  Last May we headed to Disney World, which was wonderful, but the boys wanted to go back to the beach this year and so did I!  So for spring break we are heading to the Florida Gulf Coast!  Here are some tips we use to keep the costs down:

1.  We drive instead of flying.  For a family of 4 it would cost us about $2,000 to fly.  With driving we estimate about $500 in gas and $200 for hotel rooms.  A lot cheaper.  Plus we have the extra time to drive and enjoy the scenery!

2.  Think Condo instead of hotel.  We always rent houses or condos when we go on vacations.  There are some great deals to be had and you have so much more space!  I am not a fan of cramming 4 people in a hotel room for a week, not my idea of a vacation.  My husband and I like our own bedroom so we can enjoy our vacation too!  Two great resources we have used in the past are Homeaway and VRBO.

3.  Pack non-perishable items from home.  We always pack everything we can from home.  It is a lot cheaper since you probably got some deals on those items anyways.  Plus you do not have to pay the inflated food costs at the grocery stores in tourist towns!  Typical items we pack include:  cereal, peanut butter, chips, dip, condiments, snacks, spaghetti, coffee, canned fruit, juice boxes, bottled water, pop, pancake mix, syrup, etc.

4.  Eat Breakfast & Lunch in your condo.  It is so nice to wake up and make breakfast and not have to worry about where to take everyone for breakfast!  Everyone can eat at their own pace and when you are ready head out to the beach!  It is also nice, to just come back to your condo and make a quick lunch and get back to enjoying the beach.  Save your eating out for dinner!

5.  Eat some dinners in your condo.  We usually find a condo that has a grill.  Who wants to take cranky kids out dinner after a long day?  If we find we have a day where we just want to eat at "home", we grill up some burgers, hot dogs, or steaks.  Eat it on your balcony and enjoy the sunset!  We also normally buy a frozen pizza or two for a really "quick" dinner!

6.  Pack all of your toiletries that you will need.  Again, no need to go shopping for items such as toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, hand soap, napkins, etc.  Pack these items from home and bring them along.  Another perk of driving, you can put all of these items in the car!

7.  Make sure you enjoy your vacation!  You are after all on vacation.  Have your money set aside on what you will spend and enjoy yourself!  These are the times to make memories with your kids!  Make sure you enjoy it yourself!

Let Your Kids Take the Pictures!

I just read this great article on Life as Mom on How to Improve Your Family Photos.  The first guideline that is presented is to teach your kids how to take photos! I know as a Mom (and a bit of a control freak) I often think my kids are too young or can’t handle this task. But we do not need perfection! My 6 year old loves to take pictures and we have a great camera that is easy for him to use! He was able to get some great shots of my husband and I at Disney with some of the characters. Now we have some great memories too! I am sure to hand over the camera to him when we head to the beach. He will capture some great shots for us!

See what my 6 year old took of us at Disney, pretty good uh?  Note:  Ignore my bad hair day, we had spent 12 hours the previous day at The Magic Kingdom and we had to be at breakfast the next morning at Chef Mickey's at 9:30, so no time to shower before leaving!

Change is Coming…

I apologize for being MIA. Life has been crazy busy for us lately. I’ve been busy at work, my husband has taken on a new part-time job, my oldest is active in Karate, and my youngest (now 3) has become a very energetic, independent child! Something had to give to continue to focus on our family first, which is what is most important in life anyways! 

Another event that has left me with less energy than normal is the exciting news that we are expecting our 3^rd child! We are so excited and cannot wait for this new arrival this summer. It has been awhile since we have had a baby in our house and I cannot wait to hold and snuggle with a newborn! We’ve been out of diapers for a while now, thanks to the easy, early potty training of #2. So it will be strange to get back into the diaper mode of life, but I am ready and well stocked on diapers thanks to all the recent diaper deals!

We are also taking a family “Spring Break Beach Vacation on a Budget”, which I hope to share with all of you once we return. My 6 year old says I get to rest by the pool, while they play. I hope that comes true!

I hope life is treating you fairly lately and you are enjoying your time with your family. No matter what life throws at you, know your priorities and stick to them. Don’t ever sway from your values and stay strong in your faith. This will be you’re rock in life!

Baked Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients: 4-6 thick cut boneless pork chops
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp seasoning salt
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup flour
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
Oil
1 can of cream of chicken soup
½ cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Rinse pork chops and pat dry. Season both sides with garlic powder and seasoning salt.
3. Place flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in 3 separate bowls.
4. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat.
5. Coat pork chops in flour, then eggs, and finally bread crumbs. Fry on both sides until brown (about 5 minutes per side)
6. Transfer pork chops to a 9x13 baking dish and cover with foil.
7. Cook in oven for 60 minutes.
8. Combine soup and milk.
9. Pour soup mixture over pork chops and re-cover with foil. Cook an additional 30 minutes.

Enjoy! My family loved these pork chops. The taste is very similar to my City Chicken Recipe, but takes less time!  Sorry no picture, we ate them up!

Freschetta - Rally for Real Pizza

Are you ready to Boycott Blah, Fight for Flavor, and pledge to serve only the freshest frozen pizza - FRESCHETTA® pizza?! "Rally for Real Pizza" launched on February 27th!,                         
           
Event Details:           

Date - February 27, 2012 - March 30, 2012

What - Rally for Real Pizza

Where - From the comfort of your own home

Details - www.Facebook.com/Freschettapizza

The makers of FRESCHETTA® products are asking fans to take a stand for FRESCH® pizza! Fans are able to submit a photo to a Rally Mosaic on their Facebook Fan Page for a chance to win FRESCHETTA® pizza. Each week, 100 winners will receive 5 FRESCHETTA® pizzas. On March 30, 10 winners who will receive a year supply of FRESCHETTA® pizza.

Buying a Cow

Thinking back when my husband and I were first married (almost 10 years ago), we didn't eat much meat.  I never made a roast and mashed potatoes on Sundays like I do now.  It wasn't practical for us, too many leftovers.  Plus, we were in a stage of our lives with dual incomes, we probably ate out way too much!

Fast forward 10 years and 2 hungry sons later, we eat a lot of meat!  We go through a lot of groceries!  I never thought I would be such a loyal Costco shopper.  Bulk is for us, otherwise we would be at the store everyday to refill the stock! 

Lately, I have really wanted to try to buy part of a cow for our meat.  About 2 months ago, my brother-in-law came to us asking us if we would like to split a 1/2  cow with him.  Turns out, his best friend lives on a farm and was going to slaughter a cow and can only take half the meat!  We were instantly interested!

We ended up paying only about $3/lb for our meat.  My husband brought home about 116 lbs of beef.  We got a lot of packs of ground meat, several different kinds of roasts, lots of varieties of steaks, some ribs, and miscellaneous pieces.  The 1/4 of a cow filled up our deep freezer in the basement.  I am anxious to see how long our cow lasts us!  It will definitely be a great budget helper this year, now that we do not have to buy any beef!