Personally, I’m a huge fan of UNO. It’s a standing joke in my family that I give my husband a deck of it at least every other year for Christmas. I’ve tried  a few times to get the oldest boy to play but it always seems like it’s just more than he can handle, or it overwhelms him in some way.

So when we got the MY FIRST UNO deck from Fundex Games I was pretty excited. It’s a smaller deck with bigger cards which are perfect for little hands. He’s a little big for the Yo Gabba Gabba characters (can we get some Power Rangers?) but still, he is familiar with the characters and it wasn’t boring to him.

The rules are slightly altered for little guys as well. Only five cards in your hand vs. seven and a couple of other very minor alterations that keep the game moving and keep things simple for the wee ones.

Fundex Games makes a large line of great family games including some oldies but goodies that I thought were gone forever - GNIP GNOP anyone? They also carry a large assortment of Yo Gabba Gabba merchandise if you have any big DJ Lance fans in your house.

Continue reading “My First UNO - Yo Gabba Gabba from Fundex Games”

If you crave the unusual such as butter lime corn on the cob or the latest in Tabasco goodness, I have the website for you. Food2.com is a website for food aficionados who have a sense of adventure and aren’t willing to settle for green bean salad the way your mother made it. The site includes a section on making drinks - watermelon margaritas anyone? as well as other delicious and modern drink concoctions using vegetables and other modern twists that you won’t find in mainstream drink menus.

One of my favorite areas are the desserts where you can find smores topped with Trix or Wasabi - depending on your sense of adventure. It’s a highly interactive site with readers being encouraged to participate in making the recipes and reporting on the success. There are also multiple challenges with fun themes such as the $12 Challenge and the No Cook Hook challenge both of which look enormously fun.

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If you’ve ever Googled information about a product you’ve likely come across a few websites offering to compare prices or reviews for you. One down side to internet shopping has been that there usually isn’t a “live” salesperson there who can answer your questions on the spot. Recently I came across Pebble which offers just that, plus a few extras.

The first advantage to Pebble is that it offers everything in one place. You can find the information you need about a specific product without scrolling through the dozens of comparisons that you really care nothing about.

Pebble’s layout is simple to navigate and not overloaded like so many product comparison sites. You type in what you are searching for and then you can ask your own specific question or look through previously answered questions. When you are ready to compare prices and stores, they’ll list those. So you aren’t sifting through all the listings before you’re ready to commit to buying.

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I can’t live without so many products from It’s A Family Affair. Da Bomb bath bombs are the perfect, natural addition to your tub and your child’s. Since my children were first able to sit up in the tub, they’ve enjoyed the au naturel fragrance & scent free bombs and I have loved every scent I’ve tried. With only eight completely pronounceable ingredients, you’ll be glad to have finally found an alternative to the toxic products available at the big box stores that they try to pass off as safe for kids.

I carry a bottle of their fabulous lotion in every bag I own, and keep one in every bathroom & bedroom in my house. It’s not at all greasy but is awesomely moisturizing. Made of only four ingredients (plus essential oils and/or fragrances) it’s one of the only things in my bathroom that I’m not afraid for my babies to get ahold of & chew on.

Callous Balm was my first love from It’s a Family Affair. My heels have never looked better than they have since I started using Callous Balm regularly. Even my pedicurist noticed and commented that I must have just come for the massage because my heels sure didn’t need her. I’ve moved on to the Peppermint Foot Scrub and Foot Mousse for regular foot days and now I save the callous balm for post-pedicure feet (they’ll stay that way for what seems like forever!).

If you’re looking to relax in the tub, the Fizzing Bath Salts are fabulous. Pumpkin lavender is a beautiful combination - far nicer than it sounds.

Continue reading “It’s a Family Affair Offers Non-Toxic Bath Care”

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.

I am certainly not an expert in the area of lipstick, but when I find a product that goes on more like lip gloss with a little extra color, I will usually buy several tubes in different colors. Why do I do this? Mainly because it seems like I can never find that exact color I’m looking for and have to try various shades before I’m satisfied. It seems like one day a light pink looks really dark on my lips and another day it looks light pink.

Recently I found the remedy to my issue with the Avon Spectra Color lipstick. This genius invention offers 7 colors in a single lipstick  You customize the color by turning a dial on the bottom of the tube. Although it is larger than the average single color lipstick you might carry, in some ways it will save you from packing several tubes when you travel.

Continue reading “Must Have Monday’s 52″

I refuse to use eco unfriendly detergents like Tide, but was having some trouble finding a good alternative. Dr. Bronner’s organic soap and vinegar is good, but doesn’t remove stains. Seventh Generation and Nature Clean make very safe cleaners but, again, no stain removal. At Costco a few months ago I found a huge bottle of Ecos Laundry Detergent.

It’s plant based, biodegradable, safe for septic systems, great for sensitive skin and is phosphate and petrochemical free. Ecos is scented with magnolia and lily - a combination which makes the scent-phobic in me think “blech” but it’s actually very pleasant both in use and in the clothing after it’s been folded or hung. They also offer lavender and lemongrass scents.

The price per load of Ecos is only a little bit higher than regular detergents at the grocery store but was actually cheaper at Costco with a $3 off coupon. With the built in soy-based fabric softener, you’d likely be saving money even at the more expensive grocery store.

The Ecos bottle suggests using 2 ounces of detergent for a full load and less for smaller loads. If you’re using a high efficiency (HE) washer, you only need 2 tablespoons. I’ve been using the same bottle in my front loader for a few months and am only now considering buying a new bottle.

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Who doesn’t love the smell of bacon? You can’t tell me a vegetarian doesn’t start to drool at the smell of pig fat being fried up! But even the biggest bacon lover can’t think having a bar of soap that smells like bacon is normal. That’s right someone actually makes Bacon Soap!

I guess if you can’t actually eat it, you can at least smell it in the shower. Maybe it’s the best of both worlds? The smell without the calories and fat.

Whatever the reason, it’s available to buy for $5.99 a bar from Perpetual Kids. It even comes in a fancy embossed tin can. In case you’re looking for other bacon related items - they also offer bacon mints, bacon band-aids, bacon floss and much more.

I admit I have a weakness for candles and air fresheners. Some people have their stash of hair products and make-up, but I prefer to spend my money on a good smelling wall plug-in. I just like our house to smell good.

My love of Febreze started with their fabric refreshers. In college it came in handy when I’d been at a bar the night before and my jeans weren’t dirty, but smelled smoke and alcohol. To get ready for class all I had to do was spray my jeans with a little Febreze and I was on my way. (My mom doesn’t need to know that part though.)

My other favorite Febreze item is their NOTICEable oil wall plug-in’s that alternate between two complementing scents. I’ve bought several plug-in’s from various brands and Febreze has lasted the longest by far. Plus the scents they offer aren’t obnoxious, but light and refreshing.

Febreze has a new line of products called the Home Collection that not only offer wonderful scents but design. Part of this line includes a flameless luminary that provides a dim flickering light. The base requires 2 AA batteries (that are not included) and the luminary shades are replaceable. Right now they offer 4 delicious scented shades each with a unique contemporary design. My personal favorite is the Cranberry Pear scent.

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Who couldn’t use a few extra dollars in their bank account these days? If you’ve ever searched the web for one place you can go and get coupons, money saving ideas and freebies, then we have the website for you!

Money Saving Mom is an upbeat and encouraging blog dedicated to helping you find great deals, stretch your hard-earned dollars and live on less than you make so you can save more and give more.

She alerts you to things like children’s book at Books-A-Million for $1.77 plus free shipping, coupons for a free can of Libby’s vegetables when you purchase 2 cans and how to get a bottle of International Delight Coffee Creamers for $0.15!

Go check it out, get something free and save a little money!

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I have one word for what I need most in an effective beauty product - efficiency. As the mother of three with a shred of vanity in tact I’m always looking for something I can use with minimal upkeep to maintain a semblance of style.

Enter Sally Hansen NO CHIP 10 Day Nail Color.

It goes on thick and my one complaint might be that it seems to take a bit longer to dry than other polishes. However, the extra ten minutes spent drying pays off huge dividends in the days worth of wear I get out of it.

If you buckle and unbuckle car seats on a regular basis you know exactly the sort of toll this can take on nails. Now add 50 hours of work plus a blogging habit and voila - you’ve wrecked your nails.

Where I shop they only carry an assortment of very basic, staple colors and I tend to opt for the girly pink of Steady Reddy - which isn’t “Reddy” at all.

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