I Propose a New Reality TV Show

 {GUEST POST}


I appreciate the guest post, Emerson Moses

First of all let me just say that I really like reality television. I will watch just about any reality show as long as it isn’t Bad Girl’s Club. That one is just too far over the line. Pretty much any other reality show is fair game. With that said I have a proposal for a new reality show that I have not seen. I have written blogs about how many wedding shows there are. Why not show the wedding from the photographer’s prospective? I say this in a knowing way because I know what it is like to be a photographer at a wedding. Photogging is my day job. Wedding photgrapher is my money maker. You should see the crazy rediculousness that goes on at a wedding behind the scenes. The guests are all sitting quietly in their seats waiting for the wedding to start and behind the curtain the bride is about to have a nervous breakdown because it is storming like crazy outside and her bride’s room has just flooded and everyone had to evacuate to another room. Or there was a time when the groom’s step mother tried to tell me how to do my job. That was fun… Do you think there is a producer out there reading this right now thinking what a brilliant idea this is? I hope so. Maybe you will see me on your direct tv channels lineup one day.



Disclaimer: This is a Guest post by Emerson Moses. It is also a paid post.  For more info on my disclosure and disclaimer click here: Disclaimer.  Readers should do their own research on products or services before paying for any kind of services mentioned in this post.  

BioKleen Promotion on Facebook

New Facebook Promotions Tab: Biokleen wants to help kick start the New Year by offering their Facebook fans the chance to win a FULL size laundry liquid. Enjoy 128 HE loads of complimentary laundry liquid simply by Liking their Facebook page and entering the contest.  BioKleen Laundry Liquid Giveaway

Purex Crystals and Jockey Sports Bra Review & Giveaway & Coupon

2012 Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra
This is a good sports bra.  Very supportive in the right places.  I did like that it was very comfortable to wear.  This Tech Terry Performance Sports is a bra that I like working my Yoga/Pilates excercises in.  I ordered an extra large, and found that it was snug, but I kind of like that extra snugness knowing that it will loosen up just a tad bit as I worked out in it.  I would recommend trying it on to find the right size and fit.



In wearing this sports bra, I found that I almost forgot I was wearing it.  I tried it on after washing it in Purex Crystals fabric softener.  The Tropical Splash scent was amazing!  I felt nice and fresh underneath.  Under normal circumstances one does not want to wash athletic wear in any kind of fabric softener, but the 2012 Purex Crystals are safe to use with athletic wear.  Purex Crystals does not contain oil that would ruin or prevent the wicking process of the athletic wear.
My Favorite facts about the Jopckey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra

• There is a convenient key pocket so you can store your car and house keys in while working out. I cannot tell you how many times I want to go out without a bag or purse or having to deal with a key chain!  I think this is kind of nice to have.  I can stick my house keys in there and enjoy a run/walk with my daughter without having to figure out where to put my key.

• Moisture-wicking sports bra helps keep you cool and dry.   I remember in middle school having an all cotton sports bra.  NOT FUN!  We would go outside in the heat for our Physical Education class, and poor us!  We would sweat the most in the bra area, and the cotton would just absorb everything and run through our clothes!  I remember learning that I needed to pack an extra bra so that I did not have to deal with a damp sports bra throughout the rest of my classes!
• Breathable mesh panels.  A very nice aspect when working out hard!  Again, I remember those middle school days when the sweat would just get absorbed into my bra and not feel breathable!  This Jockey sports bra--where were you when I was in middle school?  Now that I am an adult, I am glad to have the option of breathable mesh panels!
• Soft and Comfortable. The bands of this does not ride up while moving.  I love it.  It is also very comfortable overall.  I almost wore it to bed because I forgot I was wearing the bra.  I think that it fits nice and really supports me where I need the most support.  For working out in I would recommend this Jockey Sports Bra. 

2012 Purex Crystals
Alright, ever since I started using Purex Crystals for our non-cloth diapers I have been hooked.  The smell does get absorbed and just infuses our clothes and just smells great when pouring it out of the bottle.  Shopping for fabric softener is not usually something that can be easy for me.  I love trying out different brands and smells.  But I have found myself reaching out for Purex Crystals every time we run out of fabric softener!  I am clearly one for options and trying out new things, but have been hooked to Purex crystals for quite a while now. 

Here's some reasons I love using Purex Crystals.

• No waiting for the rinse cycle.  Ever since I can remember....14 years old?  I remember my job was to remember to put the softener in during the rinse cycle.  So many times I found myself running as fast as I could to stop the washing machine from the Final Spin Cycle.  Other times I found myself having to redo the spin cycle--not fun as mom always found out I had forgotten the softener.  Back then, who knew that water was not free?  Well, with Purex Crystals, I never have to wait for the rinse cycle to come.  Neither do I need to miss out on adding the softener!  With Purex Crystals Softener one can just add the softener in the beginning with your laundry detergent.  The Purex Crystals Dissolves into the wash and the good thing is that it infuses into the wash leaving your clothes smelling fresher and soft!  No more waiting for the rinse cycle!  Laundry is now less hectic for me.  
• Safe for towels, sports wear, children's clothes. Now when I started doing my own laundry in my own place, I learned that towels were not supposed to run through a Softener wash.  Why?  Well normal softener contains oil which causes problems in things like towels.  What happens is that the softener builds up in the towels causing them to be less absorbent overtime, and they tend to lose their fluffiness.  Purex Crystals do not contain oil, so it can safely be used on towels!  

Purex Crystals: Our WIN WIN situation
 Life is happy again for my husband since I have been introduced to Purex Crystals.  This is life before Purex Crystals: He loves his towels and everything smelling of softener.  We have had some debate over whether or not to add softener to our towels--there were times I gave in and gave him the joy of lovely smelling soft towels, and there were times I did not use any softener.  Haha he hated those times.  But now we don't have to compromise on good smelling towels or good absorbent towels.  We can have both!

Lastly I wanted to conclude with this about Purex Crystals!
The innovative Purex Crystals formula does not impact the sweat wicking of your new Jockey Sports Bra!

Jockey Sports Bra Coupon:  Sign up for a coupon at www.purex.com/jockey
Help me out by signing up for this coupon!  The ten bloggers who drive the most readers to sign up for this coupon will win a $100 gift card!  Our family could really  use the win! :)

Giveaway: One winner will be drawn at random to receive Purex Crystals and a Jockey Performance Sports Bra!  To enter, must fill out Rafflecopter form.  Winner will be drawn January 28th, 2012.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: Jockey and Purex provided free samples of their products so I could review them.  However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

It seems that we do finally get to see snow!  I was particularly excited because last year we were not able to get to play outside in the snow!  Our little one was way too young and little to be out in the cold--and the second reason was that I was a first time mom who was scared I would somehow slip in the snow and fall while holding Sophie!  Sophie was a September baby...so...still pretty brand new!

Ah...but that was last year, this year I am glad I don't have those first time jitters!
We had fun and hope to have the snow stay just a bit longer...

Walgreens-Express Script Dispute: Are you Affected?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Walgreens: Our Local Community Pharmacy

In light of reading press releases and news articles regarding Walgreens and Express Script, I have become a bit wiser and more knowledgeable about choosing a good pharmacy.  Walgreens has been serving our local community for a long time, and stores are located very conveniently for us as a family.  Walgreens also offers more 24-hour and drive thru pharmacies than any other pharmacy in the country! 

Our local Walgreens pharmacy is open till 10 pm on week days which is a life saver for us!  Too many times have we gone to a grocery pharmacy only to find it closed at 8pm!  So I am definitely thankful for the late night hours of our pharmacy.  With that, I am happy to say that Walgreens offers competitive pricing when it comes to prescriptions, additional saving by dispensing less expensive generic drugs more often than other pharmacies, and saving through 90-day supplies of medications instead of three, 30 day refills. 

Are you affected by Express Scripts?

Unfortunately as of January 1, 2012 those of you who are currently under the Express Scripts cannot fill prescriptions in your local Walgreens pharmacy.  Last year, there were negotiations going on between Walgreens and Express Scripts in order to renew a contract.  The negotiations fell through and were unsuccessful.  As a result Walgreens pharmacies nationwide and Duane Reade pharmacies in the New York City area are not a part of the Express Scripts' pharmacy provider network. 

To see if you are affected by this, you may check your prescription insurance card.  On the back if it has Express Scripts' name there, you may be affected.  If not, then you are not impacted.  To be certain please check with your local Walgreens pharmacist to find out if you are with or not with Express Scripts. 

Negatively speaking, for those of you under the Express Scripts’ plan will have to find an alternative pharmacist and pharmacy to fill your prescriptions!  This is not only such a hassle, but very inconvenient for those who might need to drive a little out of there way to find a pharmacy that Express Scripts covers.  With the loss of Walgreens as part of the provider network, one may see that the prices of their prescription will rise because Walgreens offers competitive pricing to their customers.  Without Walgreens prices may rise. 

What is Express Scripts?

For those who are unfamiliar with Express Scripts, Express Scripts is the go-between or the middle man, between pharmacies who provide the health care service and health plans who pay for the medications.  Their main focus is on their mail order prescription business instead of focusing on your local community pharmacy.  For our family, waiting for the mail to arrive can be quite inconvenient and not our first option. 

We would rather have a personable Walgreens pharmacist fill our prescription. The benefit of Walgreens is that we personally know the pharmacist and are able to ask any questions we may have upfront!  I think for those who do have Express Scripts may lose a pharmacist that they have seen or known for years.   way any questions we might have can be asked and answered right then and there!  Our family values our community pharmacy when we are unable to see the doctor for a simple flu shot or need some advice!

To help ease matters during this time, Walgreens is extending a Special Discount all through January to everyone including those under the Express Scripts plan.

Instead of having to switch pharmacists or having to find a pharmacy that is covered under the Express Scripts plan, one can take advantage of Walgreens' special discount for its Prescription Savings Club.

An individual can join during a special January promotion for only $5, or $10 for a family membership, and receive savings on a family membership, and receive savings on more than 8,000 brand name and all generic medications.  More than 400 generics are available with a three-month supply for less than $1 a week.  Regular annual membership is $20 for an individual and $35 for a family. 

For more information on their Savings Club click here: Walgreens Prescription Savings Club

Support Walgreens and stay updated by liking them on Facebook: Walgreens on Facebook and by following them @Walgreens Walgreens on Twitter

Minnesota Mama's Must Haves: Diono RadianRXT Car Seat Giveaway!

Enter to Win a Diono RadiantRXT Car Seat from Minnesota Mama's Must Haves Blog!

This car seat is not only beautiful to look at it but has some really amazing things about it! 

• Read all about it in the Review and be sure to
• Enter to Win this Diono RadiantRXT at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves Blog 
• Open to US only. Giveaway ends February 1st at 11:59pm

Purex Triple Action Review

Experience: Using Purex has always made me excited because in comparison to other laundry detergent, it is consistently lower priced and I have found that it works as a great detergent in our household. Purex Triple Action promises to be even better than before at leaving our clothes "bright, white and clean". So what did I do? Well, I simply put it to the test. We were sent a full size bottle of this New Purex Laundry Detergent: Free and Clear against our Dirty Laundry!

• My Favorite White Tee:  One thing I must say is that I have a favorite shirt that I know I should throw away because it has stains in the bad places "bra spots" I like to call them--and Purex saved them from the trash pile!  Well, I threw my favorite shirt in the wash along with my husband's socks and other miscellaneous white laundry.  When I pulled it out of the dryer I was pleasantly surprised that it actually looked white!  Not Dingy White, but white!  Some life long stains are still present, but some of the "Bra Spots" were gone!  

• Andrew's White Socks:  Also, my husband's dingy rust stained socks came out pretty good too!  They smelled horrible in the beginning, he works where rust and wetness prevail and let's just say that I plead with him to take them off and put them straight in the hamper.  So these came out nice and white and smelling nothing like they did prior washing.  No musty man smell was left on ANY of the clothes I washed in this single load! 

• Andrew's Work Clothes:  Another factor that I like testing out products on is my husband's work clothes.  For the most part men come home smelling of hard work, and pants are the best show of it all.  My job is to give him a fresh pair of pants that are clean and ready to go for another couple days' of hard work.   After washing once, the odor of hard work was washed away, and the overall jeans were pretty clean.  I think I might have to soak in a bit of Purex at the knees.  They kind of have some iron and metal smell there.  Overall, his pants looked and smelled free of sweat and grime.  

• Ammonia smells and Kitchen wet towels: One thing that I do really hate is the smell of ammonia and other wet towel smells.  My daughter has been using cloth diapers, and well night time seems to be the longest time she wears her diapers.  Occasionally we do get some wet bedding, and I am happy to say that  Purex Laundry Detergent does a great job for cleaning these ammonia smells out of her clothes and bedding.  Our cats is another matter.  We  have one cat unfixed as of date.  He happily marked up his territory on our towels.  I usually use soap nuts to take care of these matters, but with a nice hot cycle and a bit of Purex Triple Action we were in the clear with nice fresh towels.  

 
In Conclusion, I do like Purex.  I am satisfied with how well this works without breaking the bank.    I do believe that our clothes did come out with more brighter whites and clean.  I know that before trying Purex I was skeptical because in stores the prices were lower than that of other laundry detergent.  After trying it out for ourselves, Purex Laundry detergent has proved itself to work well at a decent price.   We have a top loader machine, and wash laundry about 3 times a week, and have been using Purex for our dirty laundry for the last month in order to review this.

Disclosure: Purex provided a free sample of their Triple Action laundry detergent so I could write a review.  However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

Swag Code Extravaganza--Friday January 13th!

I'm writing to let you know that Swagbucks is having their first Swag Code Extravaganza of 2012 on Friday, January 13th!   

 

What does that mean for us?

•  8 codes and a total of 60 Swag Bucks if you can get them all!
• Starts 7am Eastern Time 
• More opportunities to get reward points towards free stuff! 

Mark your Calendars!  It starts at 7am Eastern Time - throughout the day there will be 8 different Swag Codes!  

See you there!

So Easy Being Green Event: 2 Grand Prize Events!

Right now going on So Easy Being Green blog and Confessions of Second time Mom are some amazing New Mommy Prize Giveaways. I know that I was not at all ready for my first born, and this giveaway going on is getting me psyched for my second pregnancy! I know I am not pregnant with our second, but I know that I am excited and looking forward to expecting another baby! 

I think I have forgotten all those aches and pains of childbirth. Crazy that we sort of forget how much our bodies go through. I know that as I talk to my husband about when we should have our next baby, he often asks me, "Do you not remember how crazy and awful it was???" He looks at me incredibly and all I can remember is seeing our daughter for the first time and how incredible it was! Anyways, Go check these giveaways out! You will not regret it! 

The First Giveaway Grand Prize I am excited about is the Hot Mama Gown Giveaway!  It is something that I wish I had when in the hospital.  I had to wear a hospital gown, and well....nothing can quite compare to a Hot Mama Gown! Enter this Giveaway by clicking the Event Button Below!

 The Second Giveaway Grand Prize I am excited about is the Diva Diapers which is a $75 Gift Certificate to Diva Diapers! I think it would be great to be able to get some much needed diaper accessories and some newborn fitted diapers!  I know that with $75 one can get a whole lot of cloth diaper things for their newborn!  Enter to win by clicking the Event Button Below!

BioKleen Free and Clear Detergent Review

BioKleen--"Tough on Dirt, Gentle on the Earth"

Biokleen manufactures natural, non-toxic cleaning products for your home or business. Formulated with exceptional quality and value that will provide you with great results while not causing any negative effects to you or the environment. Biokleen products are biodegradable with no harsh fumes and is gentle enough for sensitive skin. 

My Experience: I have been using BioKleen for the past 4-5 months now for our laundry.  I am surprised at how long it has lasted us!  Generally when I buy detergent it is already gone by the 3rd month.  I still have 2 cups of the detergent left which I think will last us at least one more month.  I have been using this with a top loader but on the box it says it works great with HE machines as well!  :)


Great for Cloth Diapers: I have had success using BioKleen when it comes to cloth diaper washing.  One hot rinse, One hot wash with detergent, and a cold wash.  My cloth diapers have come out nice and clean and smelling free of ammonia.  A little bit of this detergent goes a long way.  I use about 2 Tbsp per load for about 18 cloth diapers, and a full scoop about 3 Tbsp for a regular load of laundry.

Location:  Availability was a key thing for me.  I was very happy to find this cloth diaper friendly detergent in my local QFC store for a decent price ~15.  It was a 10lb box that has lasted us quite a long time.  I am loving it!  I know that I tend to buy my detergent if it was something local to me, and readily available to use after purchase.  I hate waiting for the mail with this type of item.

One other thing I love about BioKleen's company is that they do offer other cleaning products that I would love to try out!  They offer other natural, friendly cleaners such as Chlorine Free Oxygen Bleach Plus, Produce Wash, and a Spray and Wipe All Purpose Cleaner. 

Buy it:  I found my box of BioKleen at a great price at my local QFC store, so check out your favorite store to see if they offer it!  Also I found a great deal online that offers free shipping!

• Laundry Powder, Free Shipping. I do say that I have never bought my BioKleen online, but just wanted to share this deal with you.  I am not responsible for this website's performance.  Although I have found raving reviews of them as a merchant on this website: Reviews on LuckyVitamin.com

• Offering Free Shipping is BioKleen's main site: BioKleen Official Website

Enter to Win one of BioKleen's amazing products!  

On BioKleen's Facebook page they are having a promotion--one winner will be chosen via Random.org.  To enter click the "Promotions" Tab on their facebook page.  Promotion will end 1/31/2012.

Welcoming the New Year

So these past few weeks have been super crazy and quite out of the ordinary. I am excited to begin this new year fresh and just live life to the fullest. I know that our family is going through hardships right now, but time to look up at those clouds and see the silver lining in them.

 God is good and faithful.  He stays the same no matter how hard the wind blows!  In the midst of the storm he is there.  He has never left nor forsaken us.