LikeWear

Kids like clothes and sports and junk food and cars. So where can you find all those things wrapped up into one? At LikeWear! LikeWear is more than just a cool kids clothing company, it's also a business opportunity to help moms earn income. It works a lot like The Pampered Chef or Mary Kay. But instead of makeup and kitchen items you'll be promoting cute children's clothing featuring logos from some of kids' favorite brands. So whether you want to make some money or just buy some fun clothing for your children LikeWear is the place for you.

LikeWear sent a couple of items for my kids to enjoy. The first is a long sleeve thermal featuring the Franken Berry logo. It arrived at a perfect time since our weather has gotten awfully chilly recently. It's a nice soft semi-tight knit thermal. My daughter loves it! She was wearing it today at a church activity and couldn't wait to show it off. She went right up to one of the leaders and asked them what it said, then she proudly said, "just like my dad's cereal!" and marched off to play. Franken Berry isn't the only logo you can have on a LikeWear thermal, you can choose from many things like candy conversation hearts and Tootsie Roll Pops to Bikers or a Charms necklace.

The second item we received was a super cute pink tie-dyed Popcorn Double Ruffle Bottom Dress for my 2 year old. As you can see from her smile she's pretty darn happy with it. I think it's fun and it's perfect for a busy girl like mine who never stops moving. It looks so comfy, like wearing a nice soft t-shirt. And, just like the thermal, there are several different options of logos to place on the dress. If popcorn isn't your thing you can choose something like blue raspberry Tootsie Pops or an Eat Breakfast logo.

LikeWear wants to offer you all a discount of 10% off that's good from now through December 31, 2009. To get this discount just use the code REDSOXMOMMY (in all caps) in the Coupon or Discount Number section at checkout and then click the “Apply” button.

I think these are a great idea for a fun and unique Christmas gift. And if you're interested in learning more about how you can make some money selling LikeWear clothing please visit LikeWear's Opportunity page. And if you're interested in checking out their Fall/Winter '09/'10 catalog please click here. And don't forget to enjoy!

We received 2 LikeWear items to try out and enjoy for this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Thanksgiving dinner for 8 for $20 at Walmart *giveaway*

Let's face it, our current economy is less than stellar. I keep hearing of layoffs and cutbacks, which means there are a lot of people out there wondering just how they're going to pull off the holidays for their families. Walmart wants to make sure Thanksgiving dinner is affordable so more people can have this traditional festive feast. That's why they're making it possible to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for up to 8 people for as low as $20. What does this meal include? Just check this out from their website:

According to a survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation, last year’s average cost of a turkey was roughly $1.19 per pound. Select Grade A turkeys are available now for 40 cents per pound at Walmart.* These gobblers are part of Walmart’s $20 Thanksgiving menu guaranteeing family favorites will be on the dinner table this holiday season. Walmart’s $20 Thanksgiving feast includes:

* One 12-pound Grade A turkey*
* Three 11 to 15.5-ounce cans Green Giant vegetables
* Two 14-ounce cans Ocean Spray cranberry sauce
* Three 6-ounce boxes of Stove Top stuffing
* One 5-pound bag of red potatoes
* One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
* One 22-ounce pumpkin roll cake

*Prices and availability may vary in AK, HI, OK, NM, WI and at Walmart.com. Prices on select Grade A turkeys begin November 4; limit two turkeys per customer; weights and brands vary by store. Quantities are limited; no rain checks. All prices do not include tax.

That covers nearly all the bases for a nice meal that is sure to please any family. My musts for Thanksgiving include the turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy and rolls. The rest is nice, but that's what I look forward too. The past two years I've cooked our Thanksgiving dinner because we haven't been able to travel to see family. I found that making certain items the night before helps a lot when it comes to getting it all done in time. The mashed potatoes are easy to do the night before then heat up right before serving. I actually like pumpkin roll better than pumpkin pie and that's one dessert that's always better the next day after it's had lots of time to cool off and chill. The turkey, on the other hand, is something I like best fresh. My aunt made it early one year then heated it up for dinnertime and it just wasn't the same.

For more information on the Thanksgiving dinner for 8 for $20 visit Walmart.com's holiday meal page where you can also get yummy recipes from Food Network’s Melissa d’Arabians.

Mom Central and Walmart sent me a $30 gift card to help with my holiday shopping and they want to give two of you Red Sox Mommy readers each a $30 gift card to help with your own holiday shopping. Of course, there's not time to get it for Thanksgiving, but there's definitely time to get it for Christmas meal or gift shopping.

To enter just leave a comment sharing a favorite holiday memory or your favorite money saving tips.

If you'd like more chances to win you can do one or more of the following after doing the above requirement:

- Blog about this giveaway (5 entries, leave 5 comments).
- Follow me on Twitter (@RedSoxMommy) and tweet about this giveaway, you can do this one once per day, just leave a comment each time (1 entry each time). Mention @RedSoxMommy in your tweets please.
- Add my button to your blog (2 entries, leave 2 comments) or add my URL to your blogroll (1 entry) (Please note my URL recently changed to redsoxmom.com, the code for the button in my sidebar reflects this change if you want to switch to this new code).
- Become a follower or subscriber (1 entry).
- Enter any other current giveaways on Red Sox Mommy (look in left sidebar for links to giveaways) (1 entry).
- Fave this blog on Technorati (1 entry).

Disclaimer: You must have a US mailing address. You must leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. I will not use the addresses for any other purpose. You must follow the first entry requirement before any extra entries will be counted as valid. No "count me in" style comments will be qualified to win, please follow the directions. You have until December 5, 2009 at 11:59pm MT to enter. I will choose the winners at random soon after that time and they will have 72 hours to respond to the winning notification or a new winner(s) will be chosen by the same method.

Good luck!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Walmart. In addition, I received a Walmart gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate and two to offer as a giveaway.”

Two Months

I realized yesterday that it's been two months since we moved into this house. It seems like we've been here for a million years now. Sure, we're still not unpacked. BUT...we've been through so much here and have a lot more to fix, it feels like we've been doing this stuff forever!

But a more exciting milestone comes tomorrow. Eight years ago on November 21 my husband and I officially decided to be a couple, no more dating others, the whole thing. It's crazy how time flies...who would've thought that night that we'd be married with two kids and be living in Colorado eight years later?

Speaking of those two kids...I'm so unsure on what to get them for Christmas. My 4 year old asks for everything she sees on t.v. We'd be in bankruptcy if we got it all for her. But the one thing she keeps asking for is "Cinderella Makeup." I'm not sure what she's talking about, but she tells me she's seen it on t.v. I've got to figure out what toy she's referring to because I bet that's the one she wants most. My little one will probably be happy with anything, that's the good thing about having a 2 year old. Overall I guess I should be grateful, their wants are cheap in comparison to what they will be in a few years when they're asking for computers, digital cameras, MP3 players, stereos...well, you get the idea.

What are you getting your kids for Christmas/Hanukkah?

Busytown Mysteries

The other day a Busytown Mysteries dvd arrived in our mailbox. These 11 minute episodes are based on the Richard Scarry books that children have been enjoying for the last 40 years. And they're now airing weekend mornings on CBS during the Cookie Jar TV block of children's program for your kids to enjoy, just check your local listings for air times. In addition to watching these adventures on weekend mornings you can hop online anytime and enjoy the fun to be had at www.BusytownMysteries.com, including 14 games designed for preschoolers.

Things have been crazy busy around here and we didn't have a chance to watch our dvd until today. But today we settled down after lunch and popped in the dvd. My girls were enthralled and didn't budge during either episode. When the second one ended they were asking for more...looks like I'll need to remember to turn on CBS this Saturday morning for them.

What I liked is they're good wholesome shows so I don't have to worry about what my kids are watching. And I think it's great that they're only 11 minutes long, it's the perfect length for kids as young as mine. Thanks One2One Network for introducing this show to my kids!

I received, from One2One Network, two 11 minute episodes on dvd to watch in order to write this review. The opinion expressed is my own.

Ecostore USA *giveaway*

I was recently contacted by a representative for Ecostore USA. She asked if I wanted to try a couple of their products and share my thoughts with you. I'm all for trying new eco-friendly stuff so I said, "Sure!"

Ecostore USA is the US extension of the more than 15 year old New Zealand store (www.ecostore.co.nz) founded by Melanie and Malcolm Rands. They specialize in plant based, non-toxic products like household cleaners, baby and personal care items. It all came about when members of an eco village in New Zealand found the chemicals in traditional store brand products were becoming dangerous to their waterways. And now there's a whole line of products available for those looking to go green and those looking for a healthy alternative to chemical based products.

It was hard to choose exactly which products I wanted to try. I've reviewed many cleaners, but not too many haircare products so I opted to try the Vanilla Shampoo and Vanilla Conditioner. They definitely worked when it came to getting my hair clean. I was a little disappointed that the shampoo's scent was so faint, but the conditioner made up for it by having a bit stronger scent. And one thing I was really excited about is their lack of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, they don't have any. Some of you may be scratching your head wondering why I care about that, right? Well, recently I read an online friend's blog and she disclosed that she has thinning hair and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in shampoo worsens her condition. Ever since reading that I've been a little nervous about using a shampoo that contains it.

And guess what? Ecostore USA isn't just being generous to me, but they're being generous to one of you Red Sox Mommy readers as well! That's right, one of you will win a $25 gift certificate to Ecostore USA.

For the first (mandatory) entry just visit the Ecostore USA blog and sign up for the No Nasty Chemicals newsletter (in the right sidebar). Then come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did so.

If you'd like more chances to win you can do one or more of the following after doing the above requirement:

- Blog about this giveaway (5 entries, leave 5 comments).
- Visit Ecostore USA and leave a comment letting me know one product you're interested in trying. (1 entry)
- Follow @ecostoreusa on Twitter (1 entry)
- Follow me on Twitter (@RedSoxMommy) and tweet about this giveaway, you can do this one once per day, just leave a comment each time (1 entry each time). Mention @RedSoxMommy & @ecostoreusa in your tweets please.
- Add my button to your blog (2 entries, leave 2 comments) or add my URL to your blogroll (1 entry) (Please note my URL recently changed to redsoxmom.com, the code for the button in my sidebar reflects this change if you want to switch to this new code).
- Become a follower or subscriber (1 entry).
- Enter any other current giveaways on Red Sox Mommy (look in left sidebar for links to giveaways) (1 entry).
- Fave this blog on Technorati (1 entry).

Disclaimer: You must have a US mailing address. You must leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. I will not use the addresses for any other purpose. You must follow the first entry requirement before any extra entries will be counted as valid. No "count me in" style comments will be qualified to win, please follow the directions. You have until December 3, 2009 at 11:59pm MT to enter. I will choose the winner at random soon after that time and s/he will have 72 hours to respond to the winning notification or a new winner will be chosen by the same method. The winner will receive their gift certificate via email.

Good luck!

I received a bottle of each the Vanilla Shampoo and Vanilla Conditioner from Ecostore USA to use so I could write this review. The opinion expressed is my own.

Apparently I've been living under a rock

Seriously, where have I been?!?!?!

I was just checking out the blogs of some of my friends and family and stumbled upon a certain cousin's blog. She's pregnant, and not just barely pregnant either...like 10 weeksish pregnant and I HAD NO IDEA!!! I kept reading older posts and she apparently announced it awhile ago. I could swear I'd checked it more recently...but nope, the last post I'd seen was the one before she announced it.

I feel like such a nub. That'll teach me to go so long between checking up on family.

Apple Jacks and Fruit Loops now pack a fiber punch!

Mom Central recently sent me a few boxes of Kellogg's Froot Loops and Apple Jacks with new added fiber and one box without. Growing up I loved Froot Loops and this new version with added fiber definitely still tastes delicious! As I opened the box the scent of those colorful little rings came floating out of the box and I was reminded of growing up and eating them at my grandparents house. I honestly didn't grow up eating Apple Jacks, I'm not sure why. But my girls certainly seem to like it, so I guess they'll be able to say they grew up eating it.

Kellogg's knows how important nutrition is to moms. And it's true, moms, like me, want to feed their children healthy, nutritious foods. But sometimes it's just so hard. Kids, especially my 2 year old, are stubborn and headstrong. They want what THEY want to eat and not what YOU want them to eat. So I think it's wonderful that Kellogg's has added fiber to some of their kid friendly cereals. The first time my 2 year old tested the Froot Loops she was asking for seconds.

So, how much fiber is there in these cereals? Each 1/2 cup serving contains 3 grams of fiber from sources like whole-grain corn flour, whole-grain oat flour, oat fiber and soluble corn fiber. That sounds good to me...and my girls are none the wiser! ;)

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Kellogg’s and received boxes of Froot Loops and Apple Jacks and a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Image from Kellogg's website.

WW - Missing my Sox

The season barely ended and I'm already dying for Spring Training to begin...it's gonna be a loooooong off season!

For more Wordless Wednesday participants check out the Wordless Wednesday headquarters.