BakeItFun Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat Review!

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I received an awesome product to review for this time of year. I bake so many cookies for the holidays and a BakeItFun Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat was exactly what I needed. Today I tried it out for the very first time and I am more than happy to report that it worked flawlessly! 

This handy mat is top rack dishwasher safe, microwave safe and so easy to clean. When they said non-stick they weren't kidding. The cookies slid right off with ease and no crumb residue was left behind. I baked six dozen sugar cookies and only needed to wipe the mat down with a warm wet rag afterwards. So nice! With five kids I go through so many dishes each day. One less difficult dish to wash and I am one happy Momma!

I decided to use a very simple sugar cookie dough for my test run. I rolled the dough into balls and dipped them each in a mix of cinnamon and sugar.

The mat comes with twelve circles printed on it. I baked the first batch with my two year old twin sons and it was so easy for them to place the dough balls. All I had to tell them was to put the dough in the circles and they did it. So adorable! There are also measurements on the edges of the mat for other baking needs, as you can use this versatile mat for so many other kinds of food, too.

The cookies slide right off the mat after cooling for just a couple minutes. As you can see there really is no mess left behind.

The cookies baked so evenly. This is a picture of the top of the cookie and following is a picture of the bottom of the cookie. No burnt edges or bottoms. just beautiful perfect cookies.

I had to decorate some for the holidays, of course. Here is my cute little sugar cookie snowman. My daughter was happy to see him when she got home from preschool.

I also posted a video review on my YouTube channel, in case you would like to swing by and check out the baking mat (or me, hee hee) in action.

Thank you so much for stopping by. This truly is a great product. Works above and beyond all of the other silicone baking mats I have tried in the past. If you try it out, please feel free to come back here and tell me how it works for you. Happy Holidays to you and yours! Bake away!

If you would like to order one for yourself, just click HERE for Amazon.com.

And don't forget to follow BakeItFun. Just click on the following links:

BakeItFun.com

Facebook

YouTube

Pinterest

Twitter

** I received this baking mat for free in order to do my review. I assure you, as always, that my opinions are genuine. **

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The Bouqs Review!

Lovely! No better word to describe the roses I was fortunate enough to be sent by The Bouqs for review. I was contacted not that long ago by The Bouqs and agreed to have their ad on my blog and in return I received a beautiful bouquet of my choice. I chose their 'Confetti' bouquet. I don't get roses all that often and this particular bouquet contained many different colors of roses so that is how I made my decision. It wasn't easy. All of their flowers are gorgeous and so vibrant. It wasn't a bad position to be in. Lol!

When my package arrived (from Ecuador!) the box was a little bit bent in the middle. I know that this is the fault of the shipping company and not The Bouqs themselves. No harm done. The flowers were packaged very well and made their journey intact.

I had to send myself a little card, of course! I really should send myself flowers more often ;-) What a treat!

Once inside the box I could already tell how lovely the were. As you can see, the packaging was nicely done to keep them safe on their long journey.

I wondered how they could travel so far and stay beautiful. The ends of the stems were covered in a jelly like substance to keep them hydrated for the ride.

I laid them all out and per the instructions, removed a few outer "guard petals" where necessary and then trimmed about an inch off of the bottom of each stem. I placed them in a vase with some water and the little packet of flower "food" that came along with it.

The pictures turned out wonderfully and I need you to know that in person these roses are even more spectacular.

The following picture was taken a week later and they were still doing great! They lasted almost two week and even after they started to wilt they were drying out beautifully.

In case you missed my previous post on why I chose to work with The Bouqs, here are a few clips from their website:

When comparing prices with other flower delivery services I was pleasantly surprised. When you sign up for an account with The Bouqs, a bouquet like this is only $40 with no additional shipping costs! Unreal. Comparable bouquets sell most places for $45 - $75 and even more plus you would pay delivery fees. The Bouqs is where I will be ordering all of my future flowers from, period.

Gotta get some for yourself? Click HERE and see the magnificence for yourself! You can also click on the cute little add on all of my blog pages. Happy flower shopping!



Find The Bouqs on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheBouqs

And on Twitter https://twitter.com/TheBouqs

Don't forget about Instagram http://instagram.com/thebouqs

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like: What's That? A post on how and why I chose to work with The Bouqs!

Mega Mesh Premium Magnetic Screen Door Review

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So, my new fabulous house did not come with any screen doors. Sigh. When I came across the opportunity to try out one of these Easy Install magnetic screen doors I was very excited. After trying it out personally, I feel that this product is not for me but it is my own fault, if we are being honest here.

Easy Install's Mega Mesh Magnetic Screen door is a good product. It is sturdy and made well. The stitching is great and the adhesive Velcro strips work perfectly. It secures very nicely to the door frame. It can also be moved to another doorway quite easily. The adhesive Velcro strips stick very firmly but I had no problem removing them from the door frame with no residue left behind.

That being said, unfortunately for me, this particular model did not fit properly in any of my three doorways of choice. If you wish to try this product, I highly recommend measuring your doorways accurately for maximum performance. The magnetic closing feature works pretty well, although after my children and dog went in and out of it I did have to go over to the screen and manually close the magnets by hand sometimes. Also, if you have cats that should not go outside this may not be the right product for you. My cats could walk through it easily and my cats are strictly indoor cats.

Here is a picture of the product on my sliding glass doorway. I also tried it on the front door and the door coming in from the garage. None were a great fit.

Thank you to Hearne Unltd. for allowing me to try out this product. I enjoyed the experience and am sorry it didn't work out so well for me.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using <a href="http://www.tomoson.com/?code=BOTTOMe39884122da20770af3247bbc8f68073" rel="nofollow">Tomoson.com</a>. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Back-to-School Palooza Giveaway!

Welcome to the

Back-to-School Giveaway Palooza

Sponsored by: Failing Perfect, Dibsies Personalization Station, Zazzle, Fundanoodle, and Educational Insights

Another amazing group giveaway happening right here! As a mother of 5, I know that every little bit helps when sending the kiddos back to school each year. A huge thank you to my fellow mom bloggers and our fabulous sponsors for putting this together and allowing me to participate. Good luck to my readers and thank YOU so much for stopping by! Here's to a super duper end to our summer season. Peace! - Ginny

Hosted & Organized by: Failing Perfect

Co-hosted by: Here We Go Again, Ready?, Intelligent Domestications, Heartbeats ~ Soul Stains, Spaceships and Laser Beams, Peace and Chaos, and The More The Merrier

 I can't believe it's that time of year again! It's time to get those kids ready to go back to school. It seems like just yesterday when we were looking forward to the start of summer. Because we love our readers - and their kids - we want to help you get ready for back-to-school by helping one lucky reader get the year started with a bang. That is why we teamed up with our blogger friends and a few generous sponsors to bring you the chance to win this fantastic giveaway! One winner is going to receive a prize package worth over $430! This giveaway includes something for everyone in the family from preschoolers through college students. Here is what is included:

• Kindle Fire HD 7" Tablet, Wifi, 16 GB  & $100 Target Gift Card from Failing Perfect (Retail Value: $269.00)
• Personalized Lunch Box & Personalized Backpack from Dibsies Personalization Station (Retail Value: $78.00)
• $50 Zazzle Gift Code from Zazzle
• Hot Dots Laugh It Up! Math Vocabulary Cards for grades 1-3, Hot Dots Reading Informational Text for grades 4-6, Hot Dots Pen, & GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope for ages 3+ from Educational Insights(Retail Value: $79.95)
• The winner's choice of one activity kit:  I Can Bead, Lace, Rip, Trace!, I Can Pound!, I Can Build Uppercase! or I Can Build Lowercase! from Fundanoodle (Retail Value: $32.99) 

Back-to-School Palooza Giveaway: The Details

• Giveaway will begin on August 18th, 2014 and will end at 11:59 PM, Mountain Time (US) on September 2nd, 2014.
• Open to residents in the continental US, 18 years or older.
• One entrant per household.
• Void where prohibited by law.
• No purchase necessary to enter or win.
• Winner will have 24 Hours to respond to winner notification email, or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.
• Winner will be chosen via random.org.
• The winning entry will be verified.
• Sponsors will be individually responsible for prize fulfillment.

If you agree to the above terms, then enter using the Giveaway Form below. Good Luck!! 

Back-to-School Giveaway Palooza

Good Luck!

Disclosure:  This blog did not receive compensation and is not responsible for prize fulfillment. This post may contain affiliate links. By participating in the Sweepstakes, each entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these rules and the decisions of Failing Perfect ("Sponsor"), which shall be final and binding in all respects. Failing Perfect is responsible for the collection, submission or processing of Entries and the overall administration of the giveaway. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and/or any other social media. Please contact michelle@failingperfect.com with any questions, comments or problems related to the Sweepstakes. 

If you would like your product or service featured on a similar giveaway, contact michelle@failingperfect.com for more information.

Be sure to check out Failing Perfect's other current giveaways.

SmellyWasher Product Review

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We've all done it. Forgot clothes in the washer...again? Yeah, me too. Not to mention all of the disgusting items that make their way through my washing machine on a regular basis. Got teens? I do and they are boys that play sports and get all sweaty and dirty and gross. Have an elderly or poorly potty trained pet? Yup, sure do. My dog is eleven years old and with all of the excitement from our recent move and the added stress on her, she has had a few accidents lately. Potty training anyone? Why yes, I just finished potty training my daughter. I have had a few extra loads of soiled sheets and the like to do recently. Needless to say, my poor washing machine could use a good deep cleaning right about now. Plus, who knows what the previous owners of my home washed in it before we even got here. I don't really want to think about that. (Insert shudder here)

So this is where Smelly Washer comes in! One tablespoon in the washing machine or dishwasher eliminates the odors. A green clean way to get the job done. One jar of 24 treatments retails for $14.99 and you can find it at SmellyWasher.com.

Here is my first ever (and hopefully first of many) video review! Just ignore the part where my kid pops the door open at the end. LOL!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qS4B7xEKTE&list=UUp2N1puSXifPmS0otVsbIFA


I did receive on bottle in order to do my review but I assure you my views and opinions are always my own.

You can find Smelly Washer on Twitter https://twitter.com/smellywasher and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SmellyWasherCleaner or visit their website at http://smellywasher.com/

Happy cleaning, ya'll!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using <a href="http://www.tomoson.com/?code=BOTTOMc05feda4f5f8513f39c2643f3c091f02" rel="nofollow">Tomoson.com</a>. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Back to School in Style Sweepstakes!

Good afternoon everyone! I am happy to be part of another amazing group giveaway and offering you chances to enter here from my blog. I know that school shopping is right around the corner, with summer quickly coming to an end. (Insert sad face here) But wouldn't a $100 gift card help out a whole bunch with clothes shopping and what-not? Heck yes! So keep on reading and enter for your chance to win one of these ten great gift cards. Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to the Back to School in Style Sweepstakes!

Mom Powered Media wants to show you how much education means to us and the future of our wee ones and are personally sponsoring a Target and American Eagle Gift Card!

Aloetree is a brand new organic children’s clothing line with a mission to give back to kids and raise funds to prevent child trafficking. This clothing line is not only gorgeous and perfect for any little one in your life but it has special characters that tell a special story of a different eco-system and unique and positive quality.

Rachel Florio-Urso is the Founder of Celebrity Baby Trends, a Television Producer, On-Air Personality, CEO of Rachel Florio PR and a Mother of six as well as a humanitarian that loves to give back. Rachel is an expert in the Parenting industry and knows what's hot for tots and their family. We {HEART} Celebrity Baby Trends and you will too!

Ibiley Uniforms & More celebrates the sense of community, education and progress through the development of refined dress codes for your organization! At Ibiley, you can find high quality, comfortable and easy to care uniforms, corporate wear, scrubs and more! Serving customers nationally make sure and check out their fantastic selection!

The Ultimate Green Store provides a collection of many of the finest environmentally friendly products for you, your home, office, kids and even your pets! The Ultimate Green Store carries products from many of the world’s leading manufacturers and designers of sustainable, natural, organic, recycled, eco-friendly goods- products that are made with your health and the health of our planet in mind.

Yala is about making simple, elegant clothes from the heart, for the planet. Living well is always in style. Proudly welcoming the dreamers, the believers and the seekers. Come stand with us. Facing the warm sunshine. True clothes you can live in. Elegant. Sustainable. Comfortable. It's that simple.

Forever21 is the authority on fashion & the go-to retailer for the latest trends, must-have styles & the hottest deals. Shop dresses, tops, tees, leggings & more. Now also carrying plus sizes!

Tea Collection carries the best modern, designer children's clothing for babies, girls and boys in sizes newborn to age 12. Kids and baby clothes for little citizens of the world. Shop their worldly collections today.

Gymboree has been dressing children since 1986. The brand's fashionable clothing and accessories are designed and crafted to withstand rugged play while letting kids be kids in outfits they love to wear. Gymboree currently operates more than 600 stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as an online store at www.gymboree.com.

This BTS event was organized by Mom Powered Media and special guest Conservamom. Stop by and say hello to our co-hosting bloggers: Monica's Rants, Raves & Reviews, My Mommy Brain, Finger Click Saver, Barbara's Beat, Memoirs of a Clueless Woman, A Medic's World and Iowa Mom.


* TEN winners will receive ONE of the following $100 Gift Cards: Aloe Tree, AMEX, Ibiley, The Ultimate Green Store, Yala Designs, Forever 21, Gymboree, Target or American Eagle.

Giveaway ends August 19 at 11:59pm, open to US and Canadian residents, ages 18+. Excludes Quebec. Only one entrant per household, per address. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Enter using the giveaway form below. Good luck!

Entry-Form

Disclaimer: The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. No purchase is necessary to enter. One entrant per household, per address. Void where prohibited by law. Winner(s) will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. The sponsor(s) will be responsible for product shipment to winner(s) of this sweepstakes. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. Contactteri@mompoweredmedia.com if you have any additional questions or comments. 

Kiddo Klips!

I took the twins out for haircuts this morning. Partly because they needed them badly and partly because I just had to get them all out of the house for a bit. I decided to try out a place I had not taken them before. I had driven by this place a million times over the years but after meeting the super sweet owner at my garage sale a couple months back, well, today was the day. As soon as my three little ones and I walked through the front door I knew this was the place for us. This is where they will get their haircuts from now on. Why didn't I ever stop in before? Ha!

** This is an unsolicited review. No one put me up to it. I know many moms around the Twin Cities area and just thought this place was too gosh darn cute not to share. So here we are.

Kiddo Klips is located in Champlin, MN, in a little strip mall on 169, right on that tight curve between Anoka and Champlin. You can check out their website here: Kiddo Klips. I have taken all of my kids to a couple different kid specific hair salons over the years but Kiddo Klips is now, by far, my favorite. The other places I had been each had their pros and cons; some were too cramped, some lacked in entertainment to keep the children occupied for long enough, some had stylists that didn't seem to really get kids in general and so on. Kiddo Klips was above and beyond what I expected. Here are some pictures I took this morning.

Awesome car chairs with buckles for the little ones to chill in while they get a new do.

Bigger chairs for the older kids, complete with video games and movies.

Super bright and colorful walls. Couches to lounge in. Plenty of room for all to have fun while the kids wait.

Playing nicely together while we wait our turns.

Giant chalkboard, basketball hoop, doll house, great big coloring table and so much more. We just walked in without an appointment today. There were two other kids ahead of us but I had absolutely no problem with my three littles because they were just having a blast the whole time. How refreshing! Honestly, I may just show up early every time since they all enjoyed it here so much.

Zayne gets his haircut.

Taya, our stylist, did an amazing job. She was cool, calm, informative and so sweet. The kids were all at ease with her. I will ask for her again, definitely. <3

Eddie watches the kids play while he gets his haircut.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience. Please check their website for details but I did learn a few things while I was there. Kiddo Klips is open Tuesday through Saturday. Haircuts are $17.50 but they offer a happy hour special on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM when haircuts are $13.50. They offer many other services, too. One that caught my eye in particular is the "Princess Package." I am going to have to do this with Daphne for one of our one-on-one dates soon. This package includes a hairstyle, fingernail polish and glittery make-up. She would be tickled to get to do this and it is currently only $22.00. Love it!

Thank you June Trnka, for randomly stopping by my garage sale and sharing about your wonderful shop with me.

So there's my 2 cents. If you get a chance to visit them, please let me know how it goes. I would love to hear from you. And if you would do me a huge favor and let them know that Virginia Louden referred you. You get a little towards your next visit if you refer people!

LIKE them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kiddoklipschamplin

PetGroomer DeShedding & Grooming Tool Review

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Time for my latest product review. I found this opportunity through Tomoson.com and was selected to receive and review this PetGroomer Deshedding & Grooming Tool on my beautiful blue merle Border Collie, Lucy! I did receive this product for free but I assure you my opinions will be honest ones. Here is a picture of Miss Lucy before we began. Isn't she adorable?

A little nappy but still cute. We recently moved to a bigger (and more expensive) house and I have been looking for ways we can cut costs around here. Lucy has been going to the groomers twice a year for a very long time now and I think by doing more of her beautification myself, we could cut a little of this expense from our budget. Also, she is 11 years old now and the older she gets, the less patient she is becoming at the groomers. Maybe she will be more comfortable with me.

You can find this wonderful brush by clicking on Amazon.com and it is currently available with free shipping for Amazon prime members. This tool also comes with an Un-Breakable Guarantee (see Amazon link for details).

The brush comes with a protective plastic slip cover for the comb between uses. This is the only part of the product I had a hard time with. It was tight fitting and took me a little while to get back onto the brush. Other than that, it was all good.

There is a handy button for your thumb on the brush. When pressed, it pushes the fur right off the end of the comb.

So why did I think that I needed to try out a brush like this? Ever since Lucy's second Fall season, she has experienced the worst allergies and shedding every single August/September. She sheds so much fur and itches so badly the we have to give her Benadryl regularly around that time. Sometimes I swear that I could build a whole other dog out of the fur she sheds each year. When I saw this tool I thought I would try it out and get a jump start on her coat before her allergies start acting up this year.

Here is a picture of the blanket on the back of my living room couch. Lucy is not allowed on our furniture but at our new house she keeps jumping up on it in order to watch the kids run around outside and this happened in just one afternoon. Ugh.

If you are a dog owner, you probably have little gifts like this left around your house, too. This hairball is what happened within about 36 hours after a thorough sweeping and it isn't even August yet. (And this is just one corner of the room!)

So I gave it a go :-)

This product is super easy to hold and grip.

It combs through her fur with ease.

 For a dog who isn't super crazy about grooming time, she took it amazingly well.

Love my Lucy. She is so sweet and pretty!

Every once in a while you get a good amount of fur built up on the brush.

Just press the handy thumb button and the fur pops right off.

This is the pile of fur I collected in just 5 minutes! I truly feel like this season is going to be so much more comfortable for Lucy Goosey if I keep up with her coat using this great tool.

Look! She's smiling ;-) Her coat looks much softer, too.

Thank you JLP Beauty for giving me a shot at this product review. Lucy enjoyed it most of all!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using <a href="http://www.tomoson.com/?code=BOTTOMf7107498887ce37b4bde35cd770ed234" rel="nofollow">Tomoson.com</a>. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.