Enjoy Flameless Candles Review and Giveaway! CLOSED

I can't even express how super cool these candles are! I can list a million reasons why you've GOT to have a set of these candles (or ten sets)! These are some of the got-to-see-it-to-believe it concepts! As a candle lover, I was ultra excited to receive my set of candles from Enjoy Lighting. (They couldn't get here fast enough! The kids were excited, too - the poor box is now in little confetti pieces! Oh, yes, and after the excitement was over, the bubble wrap brought several hours of popping fun for the kids. LOL)

Inside these unbelievable candles, rather than a wick to light with a flame, there are 3 LED lights (the candles are battery operated) and these lights make a real-life flickering display, just like a candle!

When I pointed one out to my daughter ("See my new candle?), she nodded and started to walk off like, "What's the big deal?" Then, I literally took it down off of the shelf and showed her. She was absolutely astonished and intrigued. :)

ALL of the children were like, "Wow! Cool!" when they saw my new candles. My husband and I couldn't believe how realistic the "flame" looked when the candles were sitting on the shelf, how yummy they smelled (vanilla happens to be my favorite!) and although we thought that the wax might melt while the LED lights were on, the candles held for for the many hours that I kept them on. The 3 LED lights cast shadows, flicker, and create a true ambiance in a room, just like real candles! As a matter of fact, I LOVE these candles more than regular candles!

My list, as promised, will not be a million points long, but I have to share this with you:



* For parents with little children - there is NO FLAME to worry about! And, if you forget to "blow the candles out" frequently (like me), you will never have to worry about  fire!

* You won't have to worry about melted wax on your tables, counters and shelves.

* They smell so darn good!

* The led bulbs will last over 100,000 hours (according to their website - I haven't had them long enough to clock that many hours!)

* These would make AWESOME Christmas or Valentine's gifts for a candle lover!

* They offer an expansive selection: styles, colors, and fragrances, smooth textures, distressed, glacier, and mottled!

* You can put them anywhere and not have to worry about the flame!

* Take them outside on a breezy day...and they still work!

* You will save money...lots of money!

GIVEAWAY!

Of course, you know me by now! If a company sends me an item to review, I love the opportunity to give some away, too...

And, it seems that the fabulous people at EnjoyLighting are in the holiday giving spirit, too! They have offered to give away the same set of candles that they sent me to one VERY LUCKY Mommy Rantings follower! (I received two of the yummy vanilla tall candles)

(You know the routine, but just in case you don't...)

Here's what you will need to do to enter:

Mandatory (2 part): Go to the EnjoyLighting website (their holiday line) and check out their products and tell me which one you would like to try. Tell me why EnjoyLighting and Mommy Rantings rocks. :)

The winner MUST be a Mommy Rantings follower to win the giveaway.

Extra entries:

1) "Like" Mommy Rantings on Facebook. (2 entries) (right hand column of blog)

2) Follow QueenBMomma on Twitter. (2 entries) (left hand column of blog)

3) Blog about this giveaway - tell me your blog's URL (3 entries).

4) Tweet this giveaway (you can do this once per day!) (1 entry per tweet -leave twitter name)

5) Follow EnjoyLighting on Twitter and leave your Twitter name.

6) "Like" EnjoyLighting on Facebook

7) Update your Facebook status with this giveaway. (2 entries)

Winners will be chosen through Random.org and the winning entries will be validated (I will make sure that you did the mandatory entry and the entry # that is chosen. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN ONE OF YOUR ENTRIES. RUNNING AROUND THE INTERNET TRACKING DOWN WINNERS IS NO FUN!

Thank you to EnjoyLighting for sponsoring this review/giveaway! This giveaway will end on December 19th, 2010 at 12 pm EST. I will contact the winner by email and they will have 24 hours to respond before the runner up is chosen. Good luck!

I received a product for purposes of review. I did not receive monetary compensation. All opinions are expressly mine -and my children's and husband's. ;)

Sleep and Prayer

I actually got a really good night of sleep last night, which is good and bad because I planned to get some things accomplished after the kids went to bed. LOL No such luck!

Regardless, I got a great night of sleep, which rarely happens, so I am grateful on this Monday morning. I'm grateful for new friends and old friends and the blessings that God has brought me. And, speaking of blessings, we went to an awesome church yesterday with an unbelievable children's program, so I feel blessed about that, too.

I feel confident that it's true: God does put people in your path - this time it was my neighbor, who invited me to the church that she attends. We are new to the neighborhood and the area, so it's nice to find a church so quickly that we really like!

I will be posting up more review/giveaways all this week! So, don't forget to come back and show some love by entering! Spread the word...it's the giving season, people!


Thank you all so much for being loyal...you know who you are! Happy Monday...stay tuned!

Softlips Review and Giveaway! CLOSED

This holiday season is turning out to be fruitful for Mommy Rantings followers, as several companies have elected to sponsor review/giveaways and today's sponsor is Softlips!

Is there a mother out there who doesn't LOVE a flavored lip conditioning balm for the winter months? If you're anything like me, you carry a stick in your purse, another in your pocket, leave one on the dresser, another on the bathroom counter and one in the living room so that you have access to some lip therapy at any given moment when the weather turns cold and dry.

Softlips Limited Edition Winter Flavors Gift Pack

Here are some yummy "flavors" for you this year!

*Sugar & Spice
*Winter Mint
*Sugar Cookie
*Sugar Plum Berry
*Mint with a hint of Vanilla

Now, if those "flavors" don't make you want to lick your lips, I don't know what will! I immediately tried the Sugar Cookie. Very yummy. My next flavor test was the Mint with a hint of Vanilla...my daughter says it tastes like toothpaste with vanilla, while I thought it was a minty vanilla. LOL Sugar & Spice was the next test on my list. Another delicious choice!

Okay, I know I'm not supposed to be tasting the "flavors", but it's so tempting! I just noticed that I tried every flavor except the Sugar Plum Berry...yum! I'll have to try that one next...after I have licked the Sugar & Spice off.

I let the children try my Softlips, too. Normally, I would keep all of these types of products to myself, but I have noticed a few of my children developing dry lips lately, so I relented. Nicholas needed some pretty bad...he chose to try the Sugar & Spice and immediately said that it smelled just like Apples and Spice Oatmeal, one of his favorites. He said his lips felt better immediately.

Lucas said that the Sugar Cookie felt smooth and smells like the taste of Sugar Cookie Eggnog (we LOVE that stuff!).

Have we peaked your interest yet?

With SPF 20, conditioning and moisturizing properties and yummy flavors, it's hard to believe that you can get the whole entire Holiday 5-pack for only $9.99 at Softlips.com! Individual classic Softlips sticks can be purchased at a retail and drug stores in the cough and cold isles for $2.79 or you can buy the two-packs for $3.99.



Don't forget the stocking stuffers!


Softlips are just the right size for the stocking or adding in the ribbon on top of a present. It's the season for Softlips!

WHY YOU LOVE SOFTLIPS AND MOMMY RANTINGS:

The fabulous people at Softlips have offered to give away the Limited Edition Winter Flavors Gift Pack to one very lucky Mommy Rantings follower!!!

You will receive all 5 of the flavors listed above! Yummy yum! We're going to make sure that you can keep a stick in your purse, one in the bathroom, one in the living room, one in your pocket, and share another one with your kids. :)


Here's what you will need to do to enter:

Mandatory (2 part): Go to the Softlips website and check out their products and tell me which one you would like to try. Tell me why Softlips and Mommy Rantings rocks. :)

The winner MUST be a Mommy Rantings follower to win the giveaway.

Extra entries:

1) "Like" Mommy Rantings on Facebook. (2 entries) (right hand column of blog)

2) Follow QueenBMomma on Twitter. (2 entries) (left hand column of blog)

3) Blog about this giveaway - tell me your blog's URL (3 entries).

4) Tweet this giveaway (you can do this once per day!) (1 entry per tweet -leave twitter name)

5) Follow Softlips on Twitter and leave your Twitter name.

6) "Like" Softlips on Facebook

7) Update your Facebook status with this giveaway. (2 entries)

Winners will be chosen through Random.org and the winning entries will be validated (I will make sure that you did the mandatory entry and the entry # that is chosen. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN ONE OF YOUR ENTRIES. RUNNING AROUND THE INTERNET TRACKING DOWN WINNERS IS NO FUN!

Thank you to Softlips for sponsoring this review/giveaway! This giveaway will end on December 19th, 2010 at 12 pm EST. I will contact the winner by email and they will have 24 hours to respond before the runner up is chosen. Good luck!

I received a product for purposes of review. I did not receive monetary compensation. All opinions are expressly mine -and my children's. ;)

Snikiddy Snacks Review and Giveaway! CLOSED

I received a box in the mail the other day that surprised me more than any other box I have received! It was some product samples from Snikiddy - all-natural snacks that taste like real junk food!

I have to admit that I am not one of those mothers who stocks their kitchen with only healthy food choices for their children. Health food nut I am not...but I do like to look into the different types of healthy snacks and I will make well-rounded meals for the children, don't get me wrong. The snack cabinet in my house is FULL of junk food, but I now have reason to buy healthy snacks for my kids, thanks to Snikiddy.

My initial thought was...okay, here's another tasteless, odorless snack that the kids will turn their nose up at...

But, I was wrong! 


I would like to also add that when we tested these Snikiddy snacks, the house was full of all kinds of sweets and treats that are not so healthy for the kids...but, once we started eating them...they were gone fast!

We tried the Grilled Cheese Puffs first. The kids wolfed them down! I mean WOLFED! I'm not exaggerating when I say that Snikiddy makes the best cheese puffs that I've ever tasted. I asked the kids, "Do these taste like regular cheese puffs?"

The response was an overwhelming: "No, they're better!"

Little Dakoda kept getting a couple from me, running off, eating them and then coming back for, "Mo!"The cheese puffs are perfect for the one year old who is learning to eat finger foods...this idea comes from me, not the company.



We had two bags of Cheddar Cheese Fries...OH MY GOODNESS! Even my husband thought that they tasted better than any of the other cheddar cheese fries on the market. We all tested them and the resounding assessment was that they were unbelievably yummy!


We saved the Original Baked Fries for last because, to be quite honest, I expected them to be bland and tasteless...

Boy, I hate to be wrong! The Snikiddy Original Baked Fries have a distinctive taste that reminded Nicholas of steak fries and me of a soft sour cream and onion taste.

All of the above Snikiddy products contain no corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, trans fat, preservatives, are gluten and wheat free, and are low in saturated fat! And they are finger-licking delicious! (According to our whole family!)

They have a handy-dandy store locator here.

Snikiddy offers a $1 off coupon to people who visit their website here and answer the quick survey. In addition to the coupon, the first 5 Mommy Rantings followers who click through to the survey and fill it out (you MUST remember to tell them Mommy Rantings sent you in the question/comment section) will receive an art kit!

GIVEAWAY! TEST SNIKIDDY SNACKS FOR YOURSELF!

The wonderful people at Snikiddy have also offered to provide one lucky Mommy Rantings follower a "gift basket" including 2 Snikiddy Sharing Packs! If you are a health food nut, you've got to try these...and, of course, if you struggle to get your kids to eat healthy snacks, I ASSURE YOU that you've got to try these! (Sorry, US only)

What you must do to enter:

Mandatory: Go to the Snikiddy website and check out their products and tell me which one you would like to try. Also, please tell me if you and your kids are health food nuts or junk food junkies. :)

The winner MUST be a Mommy Rantings follower to win the giveaway.

Extra entries:

1) "Like" Mommy Rantings on Facebook. (2 entries) (right hand column of blog)

2) Follow QueenBMomma on Twitter. (2 entries) (left hand column of blog)

3) Blog about this giveaway - tell me your blog's URL (3 entries).

4) Tweet this giveaway (you can do this once per day!) (1 entry per tweet -leave twitter name)

5) Follow Snikiddy on Twitter and leave your Twitter name.

6) "Like" Snikiddy on Facebook

7) Update your Facebook status with this giveaway. (2 entries)

Winners will be chosen through Random.org and the winning entries will be validated. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN ONE OF YOUR ENTRIES. RUNNING AROUND THE INTERNET TRACKING DOWN WINNERS IS NO FUN!

Thank you to Snikiddy for sponsoring this review/giveaway! This giveaway will end on December 17th, 2010 at 12 pm EST. (Just in time for Christmas!) I will contact the winner by email and they will have 24 hours to respond before the runner up is chosen. Good luck!

I received a product for purposes of review. I did not receive monetary compensation. All opinions are expressly mine -and my children's and husband's. ;)

Bendaroos Glow In The Dark Review and Giveaway!!! CLOSED

Yesterday, we had a package arrive and, of course, the children were jumping all over the place and looking over my shoulder, trying to read the name on the front of the package. Who was it for??? Me. But, that didn't stop them, because they know that nine times out of ten, the packages that come for me are really for them...

This time it was Bendaroos and my commercial-influenced children started to cheer and jump around even more. "They're GLOW IN THE DARK!" one of them called out - it was too nuts to recognize the voice - I think it was a combination of a few of the kids simultaneously.

I slowly opened the package...they hate when I do that. Ideas were already forming in the minds of 5 children (Kodie-Bear is still too young to understand - but he was excited, too!).  We started twisting and swirling the wax covered string pieces together...

I wanted to make some candy canes...but there was no red...

"Hey, you can do it with pink!" Veronica suggested...and pink and white candy canes, it was for me.

Dylan made some kind of ball of string-looking thing, Lucas made a police car and a little man with a sword, Veronica, Nicholas and Wesley made several different things. I'm telling you, this one box kept 6 kids busy ALL NIGHT! We had spirals and clouds and little people and necklaces...

But there was a problem...the kids kept taking the Bendaroos into dark areas and they didn't glow...

Ah, but my ingenious husband (the biggest kid of them all) discovered that if you hold the Glow In The Dark Bendaroos near light (a light bulb), they absorb the light and then they glow like crazy! I highly advise this is only done with adult supervision!

I can see why Bendaroos are so popular! They leave everything up to the imagination and because children are so creative, just one box brings hours and hours and hours of fun! They can be reused over and over again, too! The best thing for us moms? There's no mess!!!

They also have the Bendaroos^®  SpongeBob SquarePants for the SpongeBob SquarePants fans.

From the email that I received: "For more information check the Bendaroos Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/bendaroos). On the Facebook page teachers can receive a $5.00 coupon towards any Bendaroos^®  purchase, and everyone else can receive a $3.00 off coupon."

Awards that Bendaroos has received:


*The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Star 
*The Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence
*The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval 


The box that I received included:

*300 (assorted colors) glow-in-the-dark Bendaroos sticks
*6 Traceable Templates
*Instructions with even more ideas

WHO WANTS BENDAROOS?

BENDAROOS IS GIVING ONE LUCKY MOMMY RANTINGS FOLLOWER Bendaroos, too!

In order to win the Bendaroos giveaway, you must be a follower of Mommy Rantings.

Mandatory entry: (you must do this)

Tell me what you would make with your BENDAROOS !

Additional entries:

1) "Like" Mommy Rantings on Facebook. (2 entries)

2) Follow QueenBMomma on Twitter. (2 entries)

3) Blog about this giveaway - tell me your blog's URL (3 entries).

4) Tweet this giveaway (you can do this once per day!) (1 entry per tweet -leave twitter name)

5) Follow Bendaroos on Twitter and leave your Twitter name.

6) "Like" Bendaroos on Facebook

7) Update your Facebook status with this giveaway. (2 entries)

Winners will be chosen through Random.org and the winning entries will be validated. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN ONE OF YOUR ENTRIES. RUNNING AROUND THE INTERNET TRACKING DOWN WINNERS IS NO FUN!

Thank you to Bendaroos for sponsoring this review/giveaway! This giveaway will end on December 17th, 2010 at 12 pm EST. (Just in time for Christmas!) I will contact the winner by email and they will have 24 hours to respond before the runner up is chosen.

I received a product for purposes of review. I did not receive monetary compensation. All opinions are expressly mine -and my children's. ;)