Thank you to everyone who entered!

National Geographic Kids Weird But True features 300 wacky, wild, mind-blowing facts about everything on Earth and beyond. It’s all about animals, food, science, pop culture, outer space, geography, weather and more! Did you know that peanut butter can be converted into a diamond? That a sneeze travels 100 miles an hour? Or that a sheep, a duck and a rooster were the first passengers on a hot-air balloon?

This is such a fun book! My boys have requested that I read it to them over and over. Some of the facts are just plain funny! National Geographic Kids Weird But True features almost 200 full color pages of interesting facts and figures. It is available from National Geographic for $6.95.

GIVEAWAY!

Would you like to win a copy of this book to share with your family?

To Enter:

Go to National Geographic and tell me one other book or item that you would like to have.

Extra Entries:

~Subscribe

~Follow through Google Friend Connect

~Follow through Networked Blogs

~Tweet (unlimited)

~Add my button to your blog sidebar

This giveaway is open to US residents only please. It will end on March 24th at midnight CST. Good luck!

This post was written for Family Review Network as a part of a program for National Geographic who supplied the book for review.

What do you look for when choosing beauty products? I look for products that have natural ingredients and that are scientifically proven to work. In fact in a recent survey 77% of women felt the same way as I do. Mirra beauty products have both of these qualities – natural ingredients and scientifically proven results. What more could you ask for?

Mirra recently conducted a study of 500 women and their beauty preferences. 71% of women said that they don’t have a lot of time and only want to spend 10 minutes on their beauty routine. Their reasons for a bad hair day were split between flat (37%) and frizzy (35%) with fly-aways and oily hair coming in just last. Mirra has products that simplify your beauty routine while still delivering great results.

The mirra line of beauty products includes shampoos and conditioners; hair styling products; body washes and mists; facial and skin care lotions, cleansers and cleansing cloths; eye firming and age defying creams; and cosmetic brushes. Their products are made from natural ingredients such as olive oil, aloe leaf juice, and cranberry, bamboo, honey and chicory root extracts.  Proven technologies are used for many of the products too.  For example, the revolutionary oleosome emulsion technology is used in skin care products to deliver long lasting moisture that keeps protecting and nourishing skin long after application.

The natural and scientific ingredients in mirra products are tested for effectiveness.  For example, in mirra’s micro-remodeling cream, aloe and green tea team up with MATRIXL 3000 to reduce wrinkles, provide skin firmness, to sooth and deliver antioxidant properties.  A study of MATRIXL 3000 was shown, in just two months, to significantly reduce wrinkle depth and skin roughness and improve skin tone.

Mirra products can be found in the beauty care aisles exclusively at all stores that are part of the Kroger Co. family. For a limited time, mirra is offering $5 off when you purchase any two mirra products. To download the coupon visit www.kroger.com\coupons.

I had the opportunity to try out mirra shampoo, conditioner, facial cleanser, eye cream, face cream, lotion and makeup brushes. My favorite two products are the facial cleanser and the makeup brushes. The facial cleanser left my skin soft and smooth without overdrying my skin like other facial cleansers do. The makeup brushes are good quality and don’t lose their bristles like some brushes will. The shampoo and conditioner I received was for color treated hair and my hair is not color treated. I don’t normally use conditioner because I have fine, oily hair so I only used the conditioner once a week. I found that it is a bit heavy for my hair but I think it would be great for thicker or dry hair. The face cream is nice and left my skin soft and smooth. I haven’t noticed much difference in my wrinkles yet but I  have only been using it for a couple of weeks. Overall I would recommend mirra products to anyone who wants to use natural and effective products that are also affordable and easy to use.

GIVEAWAY!

Would you like to win a selection of mirra products for yourself?

To Enter:

Tell me one of your biggest beauty concerns. Wrinkles? Frizz? Acne?

Extra Entries:

~Subscribe

~Follow through Google Friend Connect

~Follow through Networked Blogs

~Tweet (unlimited)

~Add my button to your blog sidebar

This giveaway will end on March 24th at midnight CST. US residents only please. Good luck!

I received these products courtesy of The Kroger Company for review and giveaway as a part of the Global Influence Network.

Of course we did some gambling too. Blackjack was our favorite game and we won some money! We ended up coming home with more cash then we took out there! YAY! Our favorite casino was the Paris. It is just beautiful inside and out! When we go back to Vegas we will be staying there because we liked it so much.

the view from our room

the fountains of the Bellagio from our hotel room

Me with Elvis

Overall it was a wonderful vacation that we really needed. I am happy to be home but sad that it’s over already. I will be bringing you lots of great giveaways over the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

Lily has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond.

Thank you all for entering!!

But children who are hidden from the U.S. Census counts (taken only once every 10 years) are not a laughing matter. So, ready or not, here comes 2010 Census … and you have an important role to play!

Many parents may not realize the importance of accurately reporting the number of children in their family, including newborns. The truth is that the undercount of children means that we do not get a true picture of our nation and our communities do not get their rightful share of public funds.

Why Children Count Too
Children have been undercounted in every census since the first one in 1790. Local communities rely on census information in planning for schools, child care, health and other critical services. Babies need to be counted today, so they can benefit tomorrow from community services.

Census counts are used, in whole or in part, for more than 140 programs that distribute more than $400 billion of federal funds to states and localities, including such child-focused programs as:

• Special Education Grants to states ($10.8 billion)
• Head Start ($6.9 billion)
• State Children’s Health Insurance Program ($5.9 billion)
• Foster Care Title IV-E ($4.7 billion)
• Improving Teacher Quality State Grants ($2.9 billion)

Unlike adults, who may bear some responsibility for making sure they are counted in the Census, children are dependent on others to make sure they are included. Yet in 1980, 1990, and 2000, Census Bureau data show children, particularly young children, are one of the groups most likely to be missed in the Census. In fact, in the 2000 Census, there was a net undercount of more than 1 million children under age 10.

Global Influence is working with 2010 Census to help spread this important message for the next week to all of the parents who read our blogs. We need your help to make sure that every child is reported so they can receive the services they will need in the future.

When playing hide and seek your children have the opportunity to be found after ten seconds.

The Census only comes around every ten years. So when you receive your Census form in mid-March, make sure your child (no matter how old) is counted!

The Census Bureau has teamed up with Nickelodeon to create a toolkit with resources to help you spread the word to your readers or community. Please visit http://2010.census.gov/partners/toolkits/toolkits-dora.php to download the children’s fact sheet and web buttons.

I wish you a wonderful rest of the week and weekend!

~Andrea

The Flexi-8 comes in 5 sizes and hundreds of different styles. The size is determined by a unique locking mechanism that secures your hair in the barrette. The sizes available will fit any type of hair. I have fine hair and the small and XS work the best for me. The other sizes are too big and don’t hold my hair. The mini is the perfect size for just a small bit of hair and would be perfect for a little girl. The Flexi-8 comes in either gold or silver colors. Each style of barrette has different beads decorations. They are all so beautiful, it would be a hard choice to make!

I received one of each size Flexi-8 to review. As I said before the small and XS are perfect for my hair. I use the small to hold a ponytail or an updo. I use the XS for just pulling back part of my hair. The Flexi-8 barrettes are very simple to use once you practice a few times. There are some helpful videos on the Flexi-8 site to help you determine your size and also to show you some different styles.

My husband’s favorite style using the Flexi-8. I have the XS barrette in my hair below.

I love that the barrettes don’t tug on my hair or give me a headache like other barrettes do. The Flexi-8 is very comfortable to wear and I had it in my hair for over 8 hours. I like the fact that the size of the barrette is etched right on the side of the locking pin so you can remember which size you need to reorder.

Or Not…

~The barrettes are between $12-$20 which is a bit pricey in my opinion. However if you think about spending $3-$4 on each pack of claw clips that don’t last you will save money with the Flexi-8 because they are more durable. Mr Dorsey, the owner of Flexi-8 also wants you to no that they have a no hassle return policy for defective barrettes which includes free return shipping. Not many companies can offer that!

Here are some key tips to the Flexi-8:

• Watch the sizing videos before choosing your size.
• Most women overestimate the size they need.
• Keep your hair type in mind when choosing your size.
• Thin hair will normally need a smaller barrette in my opinion.

Would you like to win 3 Flexi-8 barrettes of your own to try? I promise you’ll love them!

To Enter:

REQUIRED – Visit the Flexi-8 site and tell me the name of one clip you would choose and what size.

REQUIRED – Follow me through Google Friend Connect.

Optional:

~Subscribe

~Follow through Networked Blogs

~Tweet (unlimited)

@simplyandreah Win 3 of the hottest new hair barrettes around! Your choice! http://bit.ly/bstRjn

This giveaway is open to US Residents only. It will end on March 16th at midnight CST. Good luck!

This product review was made possible by the Double Duty Divas.  I was not compensated for this review other than a product sample provided by Flexi-8. All opinions are 100% mine.

]]> http://www.moodymamasays.com/flexi8/feed 96 http://www.moodymamasays.com/flexi8 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/moodymamasays/HWjB/~3/Xr7cNNBI-xQ/im-a-tropicana-juicy-insider http://www.moodymamasays.com/im-a-tropicana-juicy-insider#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:11:48 +0000 Andrea http://www.moodymamasays.com/?p=2698 I am excited to tell you that I have been chosen as one of the Tropicana Juicy Insiders. I am happy to have been chosen because my family loves orange juice. Tropicana has a new program called Tropicana Juicy Rewards. The program rewards you with points for every carton of Tropicana juice that you purchase. The points can then be redeemed for savings on a variety of things from outdoor activities such as visiting the zoo to purchasing new shoes for your family. You can also use your points to help save the rainforest through a partnership between Tropicana and Cool Earth. So far customers have helped save over 100 square feet of rainforest in Peru by donating their points!

One carton of Tropicana juice can save you $15 and three can save you up to $45! The Tropicana Juicy Rewards program offers you 20,000 ways to save on fun for the entire family! On the web page you can do a search of the offers in your area. I ran the search and came up with 14 different offers to save me money.

Signing up for the Tropicana Juicy Rewards program is quick and simple. You just enter your name, email, password and zip code in the form and you’re all set. Plus I have a special code that will give you one point just for signing up! The code is MOMCE-NTRAL and has to be used within 6 hours of registering.

I hope you’ll follow along on my journey as a Tropicana Juicy Insider!

I wrote this review while participating in the Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador program by Mom Central on behalf of Tropicana. I received 12 free Juicy Rewards points and a $50 Visa gift card to use in redemption of the points and to facilitate my review.

Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3 is a great tasting way to add DHA and calcium to my children’s diet. DHA Omega-3 is an important nutrient that helps support heart, brain and eye health. DHA belongs to a category of healthy fatty acids known as Omega-3’s. Found  in high concentrations in the tissues of the brain and eye, DHA Omega-3 is thought to help support healthy function in these areas. DHA has also been shown to help support heart health.

DHA provides a nutritional boost for children’s growing minds and bodies. Children’s brains grow incredibly fast. In fact, the brain nearly quadruples in the first five years of life.

DHA is a key structural component of the brain, yet many young children don’t get their recommended daily amount of DHA as it is found in a limited number of food sources. Horizon Organic Milk Plus DHA Omega-3 is fortified with a natural, 100 percent vegetarian and sustainable source of DHA – a safe, wholesome, delicious way to bring more of this important nutrient into your family’s diet.

Maybe I need to rethink the way I look at flavored milk. Because, flavored milk provides the same nine essential nutrients as unflavored milk (calcium, potassium, phosphorous, protein, vitamins A, D, B12, Riboflavin and niacin), and can help kids meet their calcium requirements.

Did you know that according to the FDA in 2005 66% of children chose flavored milk at school as opposed to plain white milk? I know my kids like the strawberry milk that is available at school. In face strawberry milk is also my favorite!

Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3 is a great healthy alternative to plain white milk. After learning all this information I have decided to make Horizon Chocolate Milk part of my boy’s diet.

GIVEAWAY!

Would you like to try the Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3 with your family?

I have 4 coupons to giveaway to 2 lucky Moody Mama Says readers!

To Enter:

Tell me your child’s favorite beverage.

Extra Entries:

~Subscribe

~Follow through Google Friend Connect

~Be a follower through Networked Blogs

~Tweet (unlimited)

This giveaway will end on March 15th at midnight CST. US Readers Only please. Good luck!

I received coupons for this product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are my own. You may have a different opinion about this product.