There is a lot to love about Jones Soda, from their dedication to delicious candy-riffic flavors, to their use of pure cane sugar in their drinks. But when I was recently popping over to their site to see what yummy craziness they might be brewing up for the up coming holidays, imagine my surprise wehn I found that they are offering a limited edition DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS   SPELLCASTING set of flavors.

You can taste the delights of SNEAK ATTACK, or POTION OF HEALING. How about some DWARVEN DROUGHT,ILLITHID BRAIN JUICE,BIGBY’S CRUSHING THIRST DESTROYER or ELDRITCH BLAST?

Continue reading “Freaky Friday Finds: Dungeons and Dragons Soda from JONES Soda”

If you are like me, you joined various social networking websites when different groups of friends invited you. And at first it was manageable, keeping up with your work friends on Linkedin.com, your social friends on twitter, your mmorpg friends on Plurk, your high school friends on Facebook, but then you suddenly realize it’s become a task to post your updates. You want to share what is going on but good grief is it still fun when you have to log in here there and everywhere to repeat information? Thus Ping.fm enters the scene.

Ping brings the ability to update to more than 35 social networking websites including the big guns listed above, as well as Microblogging to WordPress and Blogger. You can post via SMS as well, texting info that then will shoot out to your designated update sites. I’m pretty addicted to using it for short bursts of info that I want/need to share. It converts info over 140 characters and links to a hyperlink that will take your viewers where they need to go to see the info.

Ping also offers apps for more robust mobile usage for a minimal fee but I’m good with my sturdy old SMS. It’s free to join so check out simplifying your social networking updates.

Continue reading “Wednesday Website - Ping.fm”

Props & Pans is giving one lucky reader a Philips Sonicare for Kids® toothbrush. We recently put this product to the test and found it to be a great brush for kids. You can read the review of the Sonicare for Kids toothbrush here.

To enter leave a comment on this giveaway post telling us what child in your life could really use this toothbrush. Entries will be accepted through October 5, 2009 at midnight (C.S.T.) and the winner will be selected using Random.org. Only residents living the U.S. or Canada may enter.

You can receive a second entry by blogging about the contest (linking to it) or becoming a fan of Props & Pans on Facebook. Just e-mail us with a live link or let us know you have it posted on your site.

You do not need a blog to enter, just leave us your e-mail address so that we may contact you. As always, it is Props & Pans policy NOT to distribute any information you give us (including your e-mail). Thanks for entering!

Once our 7 year old son, Ethan, began loosing teeth, the new adult teeth that began growing in seem to be harder to keep clean. I’m not sure exactly why, but there is a definite difference. So our son’s mediocre brushing wasn’t getting his new teeth clean. I bought him a new toothbrush and even new toothpaste thinking we could solve the issue by changing things a bit. Neither really showed up much improvement. Then the Sonicare for Kids^® toothbrush came along.

Philips created the power toothbrush for kids ages 4-10 and actually took into consideration the challenges parents face in getting kids to brush their teeth. Our son loved the design and that he could switch out the face plates which came with the brush to pick the design he liked best. The handle has two gripping locations and two age-appropriate brush heads - both accommodate different ages. It is rechargeable and sits on a small base. I like the size because it doesn’t take up a lot of room on your bathroom counter.

The best part is the KidPacer^® technology that provides music tones which indicate when the child should move on to brushing the next section of their mouth. In the past our son has had trouble remembering to brush in the back for more than one second. Now his toothbrush encourages him to brush for an appropriate amount of time and he finds it to be a fun game.

Continue reading “Philips Sonicare for Kids Toothbrush Makes Brushing Fun!”

Welcome to Must Have Monday’s. Every Monday our reviewers will let you have a sneak peak into what we use in our homes and our lives. Here we will tell you about the things we can’t live without. If you have a “must have” item to pass along please e-mail us. We welcome contributions from our readers and are always looking for new reviewers.

Ever have a really annoying smell that you just can’t seem to get rid of no matter what you try? I’ve spent a lot of time and money on room deodorizers and sprays to still have the smell linger after the scented cover-up disappears. At the suggestion of a friend I tried Smells Begone and all be if it really isn’t gone!

What I love about Smells Begone is that it doesn’t just mask the odor, it eliminates it completely. It is non-scented and can work on just about anything. And it’s also non-toxic so you don’t have to worry about children being around it. It is sold in a set that contains 12 ounce pump spray and 16 ounce jar that can be left open in a room for up to 90 days. We usually leave the jar in our garage and keep the spray in our house to use when we cook or something just lingers. The set is priced at $18.95 and is worth it.

This is a must have item to keep in your home. I wish we’d known about this when our son was a baby and we always had the smell of dirty diapers no matter how often we took out the trash.

by Emily

Do your kids love strawberries? Do your kids hate the stems? Are you tired of trying to cut out the stem and wasting perfectly good strawberry? Then this a must have for you! OXO makes the perfect Strawberry Huller that makes easier than ever to prepare salads or for your child’s snack time.

This simple gadget is easy to use and mess free. Just pierce the strawberry and scoop to remove the leaves and stem. Then push the button to release what you’ve removed and move on to the next. The plunger is removable and dishwasher safe.

With this handy kitchen tool you’ll be able to preserve the best part of the berry. For under $6 you can have one of these in your utensil drawer.

by Lisa

Ever wondered who comes up with some inventions you see? I do. Especially when I run across something that combines a useful product and mixes in something off the wall. For example look at the Talking Moo Mixer from Hog Wild Idea Kitchen.

I’m sure you can guess what it does just by the title and looking at it. The Moo Mixer moos every time you mix your chocolate milk of course. There is a trigger button that activates the internal whisk that runs on 2 AA batteries (which are not included). One plus is that the tumbler is dishwasher safe.

This would be a cute gift for young kids who love chocolate milk or that crazy aunt who’s obsessed with collecting cows. Either way you can give the gift of a bellowing moo for under $13!

Being 40 and having had over 12 years of fertility issues, knowing when the magic days are coming is my #1 priority as the husband and I are trying again. I’ve searched ovulation calendar after ovulation calender online, reading different methods and printing them out etc. I’ve got a calendar that hangs on my fridge but I’ll confess that I look at it so often that I rarely see it

I was intrigued and a bit tickled when I found BabyCenter’s featured service “Booty Caller.” The booty caller allows you to input your cell phone number and it will text you a message (3 per cycle for a total of 18) to let you know that it’s time! You get a message the day before you “fertile window” opens, one during and one right before your best chances end. I laugh every time I get the text and it has helped keep me on track - so to speak.

Continue reading “Wednesday Website - Booty Caller Service”

When I was first diagnosed with Plantar’s Fasciitis in my feet a while back, I was perplexed at what I was supposed to do to fix it - short of surgery. I received painful injections of cortisone into my feet repeatedly but the agony in my feet never stayed away for long.

So I started looking around at various orthotics which were advertised to help relieve my pain.

There are truly a dizzying number of options on the internet and catalogs, but I opted, just as a trial, to pick up some Dr. Scholl’s heel pain relief inserts for a few dollars at my local mega mart.

To my surprise, the pain nearly completely abated. It’s not perfect and I still have an occasional day of discomfort but nothing like the misery I was in before. I wear the inserts in all of my shoes including sneakers to make sure my arches are supported and my heels are cushioned.

Continue reading “Dr. Scholl’s Heel Pain Relief Inserts Cushioning”

Welcome to Must Have Monday’s. Every Monday our reviewers will let you have a sneak peak into what we use in our homes and our lives. Here we will tell you about the things we can’t live without. If you have a “must have” item to pass along please e-mail us. We welcome contributions from our readers and are always looking for new reviewers.

As a busy mom always looking for the latest deals, I thought you might like to know about a special discounted coupon available at Near East. You can save $1.00 on any two Neat East offerings, including the new Pearled Couscous flavors that run at about $2.70 per box. Near East products are available at Whole Foods and other grocery stores nationwide.

New Near East Pearled Couscous brings the elegance of Mediterranean cuisine straight to the kitchen. Made with all-natural ingredients, it’s a quick, healthy side dish that kids love – perfect for the beginning of the school year as schedules become full of new activities.

Continue reading “Must Have Monday’s 53″

It’s almost hard to imagine anything grosser than carrying around a Snot Nose Key Chain from Gag Works, but I’m sure there is.

None the less, you and your friends can share a laugh over this freaky item.

For under $2 you can purchase enough for all your friends. The snot looks pretty realistic coming out of the nostrils. the goop almost passes for the real thing.

It would be almost impossible to lose your keys when you’re carrying around a snotty nose. Just be sure to carry a kleenex too!

Check out the other funny gifts at Gag Works like the Gummy Maggots, Toast Wallet and the Baldman’s Comb!