Dial Kids Body Wash Review & #Giveaway

April 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

At our house we go through a lot of bath products.  I-don’t-know & Nobody (don’t you just love those invisible people that are responsible for any naughtiness you don’t see firsthand) like to squirt shampoo & body wash along the entire bottom of the bathtub. So when Dial Kid sent us a bottle of Peachy Clean Body+Hair Wash, the twins & I were more than willing to try it out.

Dial Kids - Peachy Clean

I love the scent.  It’s not overpowering, but I can still smell it in their hair when they hop in the tub the next night. The twins have slightly sensitive skin & have been using this for about a week now.  Neither one has had a breakout so this is something I feel good using on them. Consistency is always another concern.  I can’t stand when their shampoo or body wash is too thin and just pours all over.  I really liked this because I was able to pour it easily, yet it stayed in my hand even when I angled it a little.

I was worried about washing their hair before taking any pictures, because if a drop of WATER touches their eyes we always have a major meltdown.  Needless to say, we aren’t a good judge of the tear-free aspect.  It did make a lot of bubbles, as you can see on Gavin’s arm below. Dial Kids definitely received the Double Trouble seal of approval.

For 65 years, the Dial® brand has been developing trusted personal care products for clean, healthy skin. Dial® is excited to announce its entry into the kids’ personal care segment with NEW Dial® Kids Body & Hair Wash that offers age-appropriate variants developed to address the specific skin needs of children. Dial® Kids Peachy Clean for ages 2+, and Dial® Kids Watery Melon for ages 6+.

Dial Kids - Peachy Clean

Because I don’t think they really like anything alike and I’m always told people think they are identical, I’m curious what you think.  Can you see a difference between Gavin & Garrett or do you think they are identical?

Buy It!
You can purchase Dial Kids at your local retailer.

Win It!
3 lucky winners will receive a coupon for a free bottle of Dial Kids Body+Hair Wash

Win a 1 of 3 coupons for FREE
Dial Kids Body+Hair Wash

I was provided with a bottle of Peachy Clean Dial Kids, free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own….with help from the cute & ornery Garrett & Gavin of course!
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Maty’s Cough Syrup Review

December 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Maty's - Get Better. Do Better.

Conventional cough syrups aren’t approved for children under 6. With 3 under age 6, this just doesn’t work for us.  We prefer to use natural products anyway and rely on the teas my mom makes at her wellness clinic to help relieve the boys’ suffering whenever they come down with some nasty bug.

All Natural Cough Syrup Recently, I was introduced to Maty’s line of health products. These all natural products are a safe alternative to toxic ingredients found in many OTC cold meds. Their line currently contains Baby Chest Rub, Kids Cough Syrup, Cough Syrup, Vapor Rub, and Breathe Better Nasal Ointment. We were asked to review the Kids Cough Syrup & adult Cough Syrup.

Of course, once we got them no one got sick for several weeks. Because the ingredients are all natural with no side effects, I did do a tiny taste test to see if I would even be able to get them to use it. 3 of the 4 were perfectly fine with it. My 5-year-old is on a GROSS kick though.  Everything is gross to him lately, except chocolate it seems. When my mother called & said she was coming done with a cold, I TRIED to not sound excited but I really wanted to know how well this worked! Of course, I didn’t want her to be sick but since she was, I was willing to take advantage & turn her into my test dummy.

After learning about the ingredients in Vick’s Vapor Rub, I threw out the ones we had on hand. Vick’s “works” by tricking the brain into thinking airflow is increased with the cool sensation caused by the menthol. Placing Vicks under the nose (doesn’t everyone do that?) can actually cause severe respiratory distress in some children as it increased mucus production, the last thing you want when dealing with inflamed airways! Maty’s baby chest rub is menthol & petroleum free, relying on herbs such as Dill, Eucalyptus, and Lavender to help your little one breathe better & feel comforted. I’m looking forward to trying the adult version for my husband & myself.  He seems to catch at least a couple colds every winter and is a bigger baby than our boys when it comes to being sick (Sorry honey, but its true!) so I like to keep him stocked with products that work well for him, especially since he’s normally at work & unable to grab things without spending a fortune.

While I was exploring their website a box with the following message popped up.  Not only do I feel great about using these on my family, I love supporting a company believes in helping others.

Because we have been so blessed, with every purchase you make, a donation is made to Vitamin Angels, a vital organization committed to reducing child mortality by distributing crucial dietary to underprivileged children around the world.  At Maty’s we believe “you don’t pay love back; you pay it forward,” and we hold that tenet central to our mission.

Buy It

You can find Maty’s Cough Syrup & other great Maty’s products at Meijer’s, Giant Eagle, Walgreens, or a grocery store near you. You can also order Maty’s products online at Amazon.

I was provided with 2 bottles of Maty’s Cough Syrup free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own. I apologize for the stock photos. My computer decided to go on strike & I have yet to figure out how to retrieve anything from it :(

Filed Under: Going Green, reviews Tagged With:
This post may contain affiliate links. To read my disclosure policy, CLICK HERE.

WondaWedge & BookWedge Review

December 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Every night after the kids fall asleep, I take my laptop upstairs and spend the rest of the evening working from bed. I used to pile all the pillows behind me and still have to switch positions frequently to stay comfy. Needless to say, I was very excited when I was contacted by WondaWedge. It is an inflatable pillow that you can adjust depending on the angle you want to sit!

WondaWedge is an indoor/outdoor lounger enjoying worldwide success. An inflatable lounge pillow with attached mat, it’s perfect for the beach, picnics, outdoor concerts, or reading in bed. Designed by physiotherapists, the WondaWedge has great ergonomics and back-support function – better for the posture than many alternatives! Users set their own comfort levels. The pillow can be changed to different reclining angles. It is lightweight and inflatable, thus, space-saving, easy to carry, and easy to use. The sueded vinyl material is waterproof and comfortable even in the heat.

My WondaWedge is orange, but they come in many different colors. I love the little mat that it’s attached to it. Instead of having to reposition constantly, the mat uses your body to hold the WondaWedge in place perfectly. In the more upright position, I’m able to comfortably use the computer for a few hours.  In the more reclined position, I’ve fallen asleep watching a movie more than once. I think we will be getting these in a few more colors so each of the boys can have their own.

Green WondaWedge I also received a BookWedge that makes a great holder for my phone. I love to curl up with a good book, but have mainly switched to Kindle books in order to avoid putting up another bookshelf. I would say it’s to decrease my environmental footprint, but I’ll be honest; It’s mostly because I’m running out of room for bookshelves at this point. I also use my phone to watch videos on Netflix. The BookWedge works great whether I’m laying down or reclining on my WondaWedge. My Mother-In-Law has hinted that she would like one for Christmas and I’m thinking about getting one for my mother as well.

Most reading cushions are filled with beans, beads or stuffing, or made of hard plastic. The BookWedge weighs only 3.5 oz and folds flat when deflated. It reduces strain on the arms and neck by providing support at just the right angle. it also costs less than other book holders.

BookWedge Unfortunately, I went to use my WondaWedge the other day & realized it had gone a little flat.  Leaving it inflated within reach of my scratch happy cats was not a good idea. My husband will be finding the hole & patching it for me when he comes home for the holidays…although I haven’t informed him of that yet.

Buy It

WondaWedge is available direct for $24.00 and the BookWedge is $19.99!

I was provided with a WondaWedge & BookWedge free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own. I apologize for the stock photos. My computer decided to go on strike & I have yet to figure out how to retrieve anything from it :(

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, reviews Tagged With: , , ,
This post may contain affiliate links. To read my disclosure policy, CLICK HERE.

NatureBox Review

November 15, 2012 by 3 Comments

NatureBox

How it works:

Each month, your box will include 15 to 20 servings across 4 to 6 different NatureBox snacks. We take pride in picking the healthiest and most delicious snacks for you to enjoy. You can trust that our products will be made from the most wholesome ingredients and will be minimally processed, if at all. Everything you eat from us will abide by our strict quality standards.

In this box we received; granola, sesame sticks, pineapple rings, pistachio clusters and roasted nuts. I love giving my boys healthy snacks and they have enjoyed trying new things. Let me just say that we enjoyed this subscription box that we received to review so much, we signed up for a our very own subscription after trying everything. Of this mix of snacks, the granola was the favorite for my boys, followed by the sesame sticks for me. We had pineapple rings that were just like eating a fresh pineapple ring, not overly sweet like other dried ones I’ve dried.
I am so glad that the  boys liked the granola. It had cinnamon, tart apples, whole oats that were coated with agave and baked into a chewy granola. There is no way I could feel bad about my boys eating this entire bag. I’d actually encourage them to do just that. Snacks like these help you to beat that midday hunger pang, the one where you don’t want anything heavy because you’ll have supper soon. We can’t wait to see what we get in next month’s box.

Buy It

Head over to NatureBox & get $5 off your first box!

I was provided with a NatureBox free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own & those of my family.

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Beyond the Shaker Review

November 14, 2012 by 3 Comments

Beyond the Shaker is more than your typical seasoning supply shop. They are a site that introduces consumers to  many of the immense variations of salt combinations and provides more information on salt than most people even knew existed. Information on site includes a history of salt and their expansive blog of salt application ideas. We were excited to try them. I love playing with new recipes. We chose to give Cyprus Black Lava, Bamboo Jade, Herb Garden Blend, French Herb Blend and the Chanterelle Vanilla a test run in our kitchen. Honestly, a few of the names alone made me a little skittish about trying them. Okay, its just the bamboo & vanilla parts that got me. Vanilla is something I bake with, so that one will push my boundaries a little & I cook and prepare food on bamboo – we’ve never eaten it in any way before.

beyond the shaker

My husband is one of those people who will just sprinkle seasonings on top of whatever he is eating, even after it has been cooked. With one of the salts, he tried that and it didn’t work out so well (especially since he tried to do it to my apple raisin stuffed pork chops), but I think that was operator-error, not the salt.

I feel like you get a better sampling of the flavor, if you allow it to marinate in the juices of the food you cook it with, so I sprinkled the Herb Garden Blend over the chicken when I threw it in the crockpot. It came out great and it wasn’t overly salty. I use very sparingly and was slightly afraid it would overpower the other flavors, but they have obviously formulated that one very well.

For me, I think that when I use the spices, I need to plan the meal around what I am going to use. We have been enjoying the Herb Garden Blend and have been making plans for the rest of the spices. The Chaterelle Vanilla will be next for us. We are going to try it on a leg of lamb. This will be a whole new experience for us as my boys have never had lamb & I’ve never made it myself before (any tips would be greatly appreciated).

Beyond the Shaker

The Cyprus Black Lava will be used on potatoes or breadsticks as the site suggests. I am planning to try out the Bamboo Jade  the next time I make white fish instead of our typical Sprite & lemon marinade.  My boys love hamburger night, so I think we’ll spice up the fries with the French Herb Blend next time.

This was a great site to browse. Each salt product page has recommended uses, a salt story, ingredients, and some even have a recipe or two. I highly recommend exploring the Salt Guide. There is so much information that I never knew in there, including why you shouldn’t buy iodized salt.

 

Buy It

Head over to Beyond the Shaker to add some unique flavors to your family’s menu today or treat the chef on your holiday list to one of their great gift sets!

I was provided with Beyond the Shaker free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own & those of my family.

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, reviews Tagged With: , ,
This post may contain affiliate links. To read my disclosure policy, CLICK HERE.

Palmolive Fresh Infusions Review

November 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

When it comes to washing dishes, I do whatever is easiest at the time. We run the dishwasher every day, but if I just need one or two things I just do them by hand really quick. Of course, the preferred method would always be the dishwasher, but there always seems to be one or two things that I forgot to put in there before I started the cycle. Plus, I have a lot of bamboo & other items that aren’t DW safe. This means I do quite a few dishes by hand every week, so I was happy to try Palmolive Fresh Infusions dish soap.

Palmolive Fresh Infusions Review

Of the three that I tried, the Lime Basil  is my favorite scent. It had a very unique smell, that I probably wouldn’t have associated with dish soap if I hadn’t seen the bottle. The Fresh Infusions line retails for $2.99 at Walmart and Target. One thing that I love about Palmolive is that they provide easy to understand information on their ingredients. I have also noticed that when compared to other dish soaps, it is not nearly as runny.

I often use dish soap to wipe down my table & counters, so now my kitchen & dining room smell great!

Pros:

  • Didn’t dry my hands out
  • Cuts through grease & kid messes quickly
  • Smells great
  • Affordable price
  • Attractive bottle
  • Lasts longer

Cons:

  • Last longer – reducing my ability to put off dishes for the night with the excuse I need to grab more dish soap!
From Palmolive:

You can freshen up your kitchen while cleaning with New Palmolive® Fresh InfusionsTM Dish Liquid. These sleek and stylish bottles will look great on any kitchen counter and are great gifts for moms, cleaning product lovers and families! They make great stocking stuffers too!

This new product allows you to enhance your home and inspire freshness with the trusted Palmolive® dish liquid formula, now available in three scents – Lime Basil, Lemon Thyme, and Ginger White Tea.

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This post may contain affiliate links. To read my disclosure policy, CLICK HERE.

Toe Juice with DermaVine Review

November 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

 

With the Winter months approaching and it slowly getting more chilly outside, this is the time of year when my skin starts takes a turn for the worst.  No matter what lotions or moisturizers I use, nothing seems to help me feel better. My heels seem to be especially bad this Fall, cracking so deeply that they are painful and I’m afraid they are going to bleed. I recently had the chance to try out a product called “Toe Juice”.  The name threw me off at first, but after doing some reading on it I knew that this was a product I needed to try for my dry & cracked feet issue.  I started by massaging some Toe Juice onto my rough cracked heels at least twice a day.  By the fourth day, I noticed significant improvement.  Not only did Toe Juice help my cracked heals to start healing up, but my feet feel softer!

Toe Juice is an all Natural, Plant Based liquid that is not tested on animals ingredient called DermaVine. DermaVine is a blend of plant-based extracts that enhance the skin’s natural repairing ability. It contains willow bark, lemon peel, and Cinnamonum extracts.

I highly recommend using Toe Juice for all of your skin irritation needs.  Toe Juice is not only used for dry feet, but it’s also used for a plethora of other skin issues. If it doesn’t heal it, it will soothe it. People have claimed to use it for Acne, Ringworm, Eczema, Psoriasis, & more. Don’t just take my word for it, try it yourself for free! Just pay Shipping & Handling. Visit the Toe Juice Website for more details.


I was provided with Toe Juice free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Filed Under: reviews Tagged With:
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Mysterious Creatures From Education Outdoors Review

November 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Education outdoors believes it is their mission to help families in their interactions and to learn about the outdoors. I personally believe that is a wonderful mission. When I was growing up, we probably spent most of our time outdoors. We made up stories, built forts, fished and generally just ran ourselves ragged all day.

Mysterious Creatures from Education Outdoors

With so many kids not wanting to play outside, this is an excellent way to get them interested. Educational Outdoors has several board games, so it is almost a given that you will find something that your children will enjoy. There is CAMP the game, Snipe, Hit the Trail and Mysterious Creatures. CAMP the game, teaches children and even adults fun facts about the great outdoors. There are different levels, so that as your child’s knowledge grows, they move into higher level questions. The Snipe game is an indoor and outdoor game. You want to be the first person/team to find the other team’s snipe and return it to their nest. The object of Hit the Trail is to be the first person to “hike” 100 miles. It involves cards, dice and everything fits into the backpack that comes with the game.

Education Outdoors - Mysterious Creatures Game

The game that Cameron & Connor were the most interested in was the Mysterious Creatures game. Mysterious Creatures is a game meant to engage the players’ curiosities about nature’s mysteries that are found around the world. The first player to collect their 3 evidence cards and then makes it back to their creatures country of origin, wins the game. While this game is a little above my oldest son at the moment, it has given us some things to research while we wait to be able to use it. It is definitely giving us some interesting discussion material and more than one homeschool unit study.

The Snipe game will be appearing under our tree this year. I love that it is an indoor & outdoor toy, so they can use it inside until the weather is nice enough. The best part – the twins will each be able to play on a team with one of the older boys, making it a real family game.

 

 

 

You can find Education Outdoors on Facebook, Twitter and on YouTube.

NOTE: The website doesn’t have the ages clearly listed in the descriptions and I didn’t think to look at the photos before picking out the Mysterious Creatures game, therefore it isn’t a game we can utilize according to the directions at this time.

 

Buy It

Head over to Education Outdoors to grab a new game for your family today!

I was provided with Mysterious Creatures free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own & those of my children. Because the boys are still too young for this, we have put it up to play with later. 

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, reviews Tagged With: , , ,
This post may contain affiliate links. To read my disclosure policy, CLICK HERE.

Bare Fruit Snacks: Cinnamon Apple Chips Review & Recipe

November 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Cinnamon Apple Chips I was a little skeptical about how my children would feel about Bare Fruit, but I needn’t have worried. The bag was grabbed so fast that I was only able to get the one picture. The snacks are good for you and they taste great. Dried fruit is an easy way to get your daily fruit servings while on the go, which is a big deal with 4 active boys. I think this is the quietest that my boys have been in a long time, so I had to check on them. They were just sitting there enjoying the dried apples, with no complaints. They even shared it without me having to say anything to them. The dried apples were light and crisp. They also had plenty of apple flavor with a dash of cinnamon.

  • Made with organic cinnamon
  • Grown in Washington state
  • 100% organic and kosher
  • Gluten and Fat free
  • No added sugar, preservatives or additives
  • Come in 14 oz, 2.2 oz and 0.64 oz  sizes
There are also recipes on the site (like the BBQ Chicken Salad below) that give you great ideas to incorporate the dried fruit into. You could even take the easy way out and just add the dried fruit to cereal or oatmeal. Create your own recipe for Bare Fruit & if they publish it, you get a free case of Bare Fruit!

BBQ Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

  • Mixed lettuce greens
  • Red onion, diced
  • Tomatoes, quartered
  • Bare Fruit apple chips
  • Extra sharp cheddar cheese
  • Sliced chicken, coated in BBQ sauce (hot or cold but cold is fabulous)
  • Italian dressing (optional)

Directions:

  1. Spread lettuce over a plate & then evenly spread red onion over the lettuce.
  2. Add the tomatoes to the sides of the plate, BBQ chicken in the middle and then cheese on the sides.
  3. Top with the Bare Fruit apple chips
  4. Add an optional splash of Italian dressing

I was provided with one bag of Cinnamon Apple Chips in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own and those of my children based off my observation of how quickly they scarfed down the bag.

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This post may contain affiliate links. To read my disclosure policy, CLICK HERE.

John Paul Pet Review

November 2, 2012 by 1 Comment

John Paul Pet You may have noticed that our pets are part of our family and I tend to spoil them almost as much as the human children, so I was absolutely ecstatic when John Paul Pet sent us their Grooming Pack, Awapoochi Shampoo & Conditioner, and a Tearless Puppy & Kitten Shampoo.

The Grooming Pack consists of their waterless foam shampoo, oatmeal conditional spray, and a custom grooming brush. My favorite product was by far the grooming brush.  With 2 cats & 2 dogs that need regular grooming, I like having something that works well for all four. Many dog brushes are too rough to go near the cats with. This brush works well for daily brushing and for helping to distribute the foam shampoo.

Our cats do a very good job keeping themselves groomed, but Cali went through a phase when she wouldn’t groom her left side at all.  Because she is a long-haired calico, she quickly matted up and I had to spend more time than normal grooming her.  Not only did she need brushed, she needed a bath. Unfortunately she is not a fan of water at all! The waterless shampoo worked great.  I “petted” it onto her and then brushed her for a few minutes.  It dried quickly and left her smelling great.  It also works wonders between baths for Jinger (our Boxer/German Shepherd puppy), who seems to enjoy rolling around in the nastiest things she can find. A quick wipe-down on the porch, followed by a little foam shampoo, and she’s good to come into the house without offending anyone’s nose.

Neither of our dogs like me to bathe them, so that chore falls to my husband when he’s home (okay, I just don’t enjoy being sprayed with water when they shake off).  Normally, he takes them to the puppy wash, but I had to make him try out the Awapoochi shampoo & conditioner. Their coats both felt softer and had a health shine.  The fragrance wasn’t overpowering, but pleasant and lasted longer for Jack (since he doesn’t roll in gross things). Hubby prefers the pet wash, so we gifted the Awapoochi set to a friend with four dogs.  She was very pleased with the results.  I wasn’t brave enough to try the tearless puppy & kitten shampoo, so my brother tried it on his puppy.  She smelled amazing and it didn’t irritate her skin or eyes.

 For a complete overview of John Paul Pet products, please watch the video below.

 

Buy It

You can find these & other great John Paul Pet products at Petco and online from Amazon

Social Media

Follow John Paul Pet on Twitter and Facebook for the latest promotions. You can also subscribe to their YouTube channel for other great videos.

Win It

One lucky Savvy Shopper Central reader will win a canister of John Paul Pet Full Body & Paw Wipes.

I was provided with John Paul Pet products free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own. I apologize for the stock photos. My computer decided to go on strike & I have yet to figure out how to retrieve anything from it :(

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, reviews Tagged With: , ,
This post may contain affiliate links. To read my disclosure policy, CLICK HERE.
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