I love having cats. I *hate* having cat boxes.  It doesn’t matter how much you clean them – unless you do it every time they use it, it’s gonna stink.

We have 2 cats. That means we have TWICE the stink.  So when I was offered the chance to review a product that promised to take the stink away, well – I was dubious to say the least.  Nothing short of sending someone over to change the box every hour or so would help, I thought.

In walked Clean+Green Litter Box Refresher into my life.  Ok, another spray. True.  But one day, after complaining to my son – WHOSE JOB IT IS TO CHANGE THE BOX – to go CHANGE THE BOX, I walked out into the kitchen and there was no stink.  So I said “Thank you for changing the box”, and he replied “I didn’t. I used that stuff”.

Seriously – I’m not making this up.  No more stinky cat.  No more smelly catbox.  I looked in the box.  Sure enough, HE HAD NOT CHANGED IT (grrr) – but there was no stink.  I was sold.   Designed to work on contact, it is fragrance free (thankfully), and cleans and eliminates odors in the litter and litter box.  But here’s the best part.  It uses ALL NATURAL ingredients in doing so.  In a household where I have 3 children and 2 pets, all natural is what appealed to me most of all.   

• Works Instantly and Easily
• All Natural Ingredients
• Powerful and Effective
• Safe for Pets, People and the Planet

There was another product, though, that I was sent to review along with Clean+Green Litter Box – CLEAN+GREEN – Carpet & Upholstery for Cats.

This one promised to take care of stains.  Every rug in our house is this cream/tan color.  Therefore, every rug has one stain or another, either from the cats or the kids.   Sure enough, after a rather unfortunate incident involving cats and well… a stain on the floor, I grabbed the can of and, following the directions, sprayed as though the cats lives depended on it – and in a way, it did) – by the time hubby came home, the stain was gone.

So that was pretty cool  – but here’s an even cooler – nay- AWESOMER example of it’s cleaning power.

One morning, my youngest (who was 2 at the time) had wandered into the kitchen before coming in to say hi to me when he got up.  He came in to say hi to me CARRYING A CONTAINER OF SPAGHETTI SAUCE.  You guessed it.  It fell. On. the. rug.  The rug that carries a very hefty damage deposit on it.  I was beside myself, because obviously we can NOT afford to lose that security deposit because I wasn’t paying attention to my toddler!

I had made this sauce from scratch, so I knew there was also hamburger fat in there from the meatballs, along with the very heavy tomato sauce.  I was in trouble.  BIG trouble.

First, I grabbed a warm towel and some dish washing liquid.  That didn’t work.  Then I grabbed the scrub brush.  That didn’t work.  Finally, I grabbed the Clean+Green Carpet & Upholstery cleaner and sprayed as my last hope.  It took some of the stain out, but by then, I was resigned to being out another thousand dollars.

It wasn’t until later – when hubby came home and the stain, although lighter, was still there that I realized I really was in trouble.

A few days later, I walked into my room.  I walked back out and back in, trying to figure out what was different. 

Then I yelled for my oldest son.  HE couldn’t believe it.  I couldn’t believe it.  The stain – there was actually 4 or 5 different spots where the sauce had literally BOUNCED out of the container – they were all gone.  G O N E.  Talk about a lifesaver!  Talk about AMAZING.  I’d even considered taking pictures of the stain to blog about it, but after I saw that it wasn’t working, I didn’t want to be reminded.  Now I’m sorry I didn’t because it was a great example of a product in action.

As far as I’m concerned, Clean+Green products will be in my arsenal for years to come.  Being an all natural solution to just a few of life’s sticky, stinky problems is what got it in the door – but being an EFFECTIVE solution is what will keep it in my cupboard.

You can find Clean+Green products – of which there are actually 6, formulated for different problems and pets, here – and also at retailers.  Right now, they have a $5 rebate on the website just for trying it!  You can’t lose!

 

Disclosure:

My special thanks to Kel & Partners for this opportunity.  I received 1 can each of Clean & Green Litter Box Refresher and Clean & Green Carpet & Upholstery cleaner to review. 

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alvin and the Chipmunks. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

When I was growing up, we owned the Alvin & the Chipmunks LPs. We sang with them every Christmas about our missing two front teef.  My brother & I LOVED Alvin, Theodore and even Simon, the geek. 

When my kids and I first watched the updated Alvin & The Chipmunks, I figured I wouldn’t be too thrilled because.. why do we need NEW ones – but OH did I LOVE it!  They’re just too cute, lovable, FUNNY and well… chipmunky.

Now, Alvin & The Chipmunks, The Squeakquel has come to DVD and we can’t wait to see it.  We don’t do movie theaters much because of the 3 yr old Zachary’s limited attention span, so we’ve been anxiously awaiting the DVD, and wow, it looks like it’s been worth the wait!

Not only is it available on DVD, it’s also on Blu-ray and Digital Download!  Boy, have times changed! What’s even more fun is that it also comes with a whole “Squeak Along” dvd complete with singalongs and lots more mayhem. LOL  It’s two for the price of one Chipmunk fun!

You can buy it now and get down with your munk self!  Visit   Munk Yourself to make your own chipmunk, an activity I’ll BET you can’t do without giggling.

Visit More Munk Mayhem for more Chipmunk fun too!

 

 

 

I have worn glasses for exactly 1/2 of my life.  21 (ahem) years, to be exact.  I’ve tried to go the contact lens route, but we didn’t really get along, and so it’s been my old, faithful glasses. 

I’d never really given much thought to where and what were with me every waking minute of the day, though.  I mean sure, they’re pretty expensive, even though with our previous medical benefits, I could only get the bottom of the line versions, with no frills like UV protection or those cool transitional lenses that would actually PROTECT my eyes.  They’re expensive nonetheless.

“”

So that would, of course, predispose my youngest child to an absolute obsession with them.  Particularly the FUN ways that they stretch s t r e t c h  S T R E T CH apart.  Yah, he’s evil.

I’d taken to wearing my glasses taped where he had most recently broken them, and resigned myself to another pair of cheapo glasses that would be broken and scratched soon after I plunked down another chunk of money (no more benefits) to replace them.

But then!  Like a beacon in the night, I received an email from Mom Central about a new blog tour.  AirWear Lenses, to be precise.  To say that I JUMPED on that email would be an understatement.  After all, the lenses are the most costly part of a pair of eyeglasses, and of course, being that they’re so integral, they’re the part that takes the most abuse from me/my kid.

I  learned, though, that AirWear lenses were more than just another lens.   Airwear eyeglass lenses by Essilor present a solution for active moms like me; they’re lighter, and more impact- and scratch- resistant than standard plastic lenses – AND offer UV protection! In addition to increased durability, the lenses are made using environmentally conscious practices such as 100 percent recycled water, 100 percent recyclable packaging, and the company re-purposes unused materials in other industries. With these new, green practices Airwear conserves millions of gallons of water and eliminates 570,000 pounds of plastic waste every year! 

Just knowing that made me feel great about them!  Plus, the whole “scratch-resistant” thing had me at hello.

I quickly went off to buy the frames – at the time, I didn’t have a whole lot of money to spend even on the frames, so the ones I got were very similar to the low-end ones I had, but that was OK cuz they were PINK! 

Then, I sent my frames off to Essilor to do their magic.

The day I received my new glasses in the mail, I’d just retaped my glasses for the ‘nth time and was about to throw them out the window.  I excitedly opened my package and put them on and immediately felt the difference in the weight of the glasses.  They were much lighter than my previous glasses!  I hardly even notice them now, and there’s been more than once where I’ve actually thought I’d forgotten to put my glasses ON.  They’re incredible.  PLUS, knowing I’m helping to save the earth by supporting the green practices that Airwear & Essilor observe, truly does make me SO glad that I jumped on my keyboard on that email to be included in such an awesome blog tour.

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“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Airwear and received a pair of Airwear eyeglass lenses to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Although we’re nearly through with Winter, we’re still fully engulfed in cold and flu season.  I know that our family has been lucky to avoid anything too serious, but have recently suffered a bout of the stomach flu.  Once everyone was healthy again, one of the first things I did was replace everyone’s toothbrushes.  Did you know that that’s one vital step to after the flu to keeping your teeth and yourself healthy?  Flu germs can remain behind on your brush, just waiting for the opportunity to jump right back in where they left off! Yuck!

Dentists recommend changing your toothbrush every three months or sooner, as a worn toothbrush is less effective at cleaning your teeth.

Of course, it’s better to not get sick at all.  There are a variety of recommended steps that we can take to try to remain healthy such as washing your hands with soap for 20 seconds, exercising regularly and drinking plenty of fluids.  If, by chance, you are unable to avoid getting the flu, there are “after the flu” steps that you can take to help keep you healthy.

Consider the new Colgate® 360°® ActiFlex toothbrush, a new innovative brush designed to help clean your whole mouth.  Its flexible bridge cleans in all directions – in and around teeth – to remove plaque for a healthier whole mouth clean*.  

For me personally, I have terribly sensitive teeth, and the new Colgate® 360°® ActiFlex SonicPower is my absolute FAVORITE toothbrush.  It cleans my teeth without making me cringe and is gentle enough to make me WANT to brush them regularly.  For someone with a lifetime of teeth problems, that’s really saying something.

In fact, if you were to maybe google “colgate 360 coupons”, a little bird tells me you might just find a nice one out there!  Check it out!

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As part of my review, I received 2 Colgate 360 toothbrushes.  Take THAT, FTC