One of my current BzzAgent campaigns is for Ziploc Twist 'n Loc Containers. The BzzKit came at a bad time and I put it in the cabinet and honestly forgot about it until today when I was telling my MIL about my various BzzCampaigns.

So I pulled the kit out of the cabinet and handed her one of the samples provided while I surveyed the other. It's a medium round (1 Quart) Twist 'n Loc container. The sides are clearly marked with cup and ml measurements. Considering it is dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe - it would make a perfect container for leftovers. It would also be very useful for 'sack' lunches brought to an office. The locking lid relieves any worries about it spilling en route to work! My MIL thought it was the perfect size for soup for two which made me think that it would be great for picnics!

As we were talking, 3 year old Miss K woke up from her nap and was anxious to get busy opening her new Polly Pockets that Grammy gave to her before her nap. I stopped my Ziploc conversation and started opening Polly Pockets. Anyone that has opened one of these multi-piece-vacuum-cleaner-chaos sets knows how you end up with all the scraps of packaging and rubber bands that hold it all together - mixed together with umpteen little bitty pieces of toy. Since I had my Ziploc sitting next to me, I carefully put all the Polly Pocket jewelry, shoes, purses and clothes inside the Ziploc container and all the garbage in a separate pile. Heaven forbid that I misplace a miniature piece of anything and it end up in the garbage. When I was done, I threw away the trash and carried the Ziploc container over to Miss K. Her response "Mom! What a great idea!" Then she promptly confiscated my Twist 'n Loc and added all her other Polly Pocket stuff to it.

Alright, so it's really just a nice Ziploc container that locks. Not really any frills to it so I'm not going to fluff it up. Here's the overview:

Pros:
Ziploc Twist 'n Loc containers are available in 2 cup and 4 cup varieties
Dishwasher/Microwave/Freezer safe

Locking lid prevents spills
Visible measuring labels (Appear to be part of the mold so they won't disappear over time)

Durable enough for a potluck but not so expensive that you freak out if you leave it behind

Cons:
My MIL said the lid was large and might be a concern for people with arthritis.

Overview:

These containers are great for scrapbookers or crafters - for storing all that stuff!
Useful for repackaging snacks to keep the pantry organized.
I could keep listing things but that sure seems ridiculous, doesn't it?

As I said, it's a container so how much help do you really need figuring out what to use it for? If you want reliable, inexpensive, locking containers - check out Ziploc Twist 'n Loc containers!

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Yesterday, as I stood in front of the house working on my new garden beds, I saw the UPS truck turn into our subdivision. I jumped up and down like a kid at Christmas yelling "He's coming! He's coming!" Alright, I didn't know for sure if he was coming to my house, but he was in the neighborhood and that was enough to make my heart beat faster. But when he finally turned onto my street and stopped in front of my house, I knew my long-awaited package had finally arrived. I couldn't stop giggling as I opened up my new Wii Fit.

DH and my MIL were both watching as I hogged the unit for it's maiden voyage. I tried almost every activity and watched my piggy bank of time increase and new games open up. Yes, I called them games because that's exactly what it felt like. It was fitness, it was exercise, I was sweating and had an increased heart rate... but I was having so much fun that I lost track of the time. I racked up an entire hour of activity which doesn't count the down time for reading the menus, deciding what to try and watching demos....and to top it off, my legs are sore today!

The Price:

It's currently in the neighborhood of $90... if you can find it.

Overview:

When I first fired up the Wii Fit, I was asked to do a general fitness test. It asked some personal information, weighed me and calculated my body mass index (BMI). After doing a few balance activities, it determined that I'm fat, out of shape and operating at the capacity of a 52 year old. It took my cute little Mii character and plumped it up. At about that time, I weighed my options and calculated how far my pudgy 52 year old body could toss the thing across the room. If you haven't checked my profile lately, I just turned 38. Maybe this was an okay investment after all. If it is going to help me get in shape, how bad can it be? I selected a personal trainer, marked my starting point on a calendar and got to work.

As a reference, I work out regularly at the gym. I'm well aware of the fact that I have some balance deficiencies. I constantly battle that weakness during my Cardio class at the gym. I even know which of my legs is more reliable and the Wii Fit confirmed it. Thankfully, it also acknowledged that strength training is my strong point.

Activities:

There are four training modes - Yoga, Strength, Aerobics and Balance.
Each starts with a small number of available poses, games or activities. As your Mii logs time on the system, you are rewarded with new ones.

Some examples of where you can start are:
Yoga - Deep Breathing, Tree pose and Warrior
Strength - Push ups with side plank, Lunges, Single Leg Extensions

Aerobics - Hula Hoop, Basic Step, Basic Run and 2-person run

Balance - Soccer Heading, Ski Slalom, Ski Jump and some funky labyrinth thing called Table Tilt.

The Wii Fit is comical though - When I logged on around 10pm, it said something to the effect of "It's late. Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?" And when it decided I had poor balance, it asked "Do you find yourself tripping when you walk?"

At the risk of making this any longer, I'll refrain from detailed babble with respect to the activities. Feel free to ask any questions you may have and I'll be happy to respond either in the comments or in another post.

If you have a Wii already, this is an excellent addition to the console. It's entertaining and a great way to exercise. If you are looking to change gaming consoles and are weighing your options between systems, be sure to look into the Wii Fit. It may sway your decision.

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First and foremost, who is SAHM? SAHM isn't a person, it is simply an acronym for Stay-At-Home-Mom.

SAHM Reviews is a blog that focuses on story-based reviews of family-friendly products and services. What started as an opportunity to share a few thoughts and ideas regarding products has grown into so much more! We review anything from food products to family vacation destinations - and everything in between. While originally, the goal was to have only stay-at-home-moms as authors, I found other people who were well-versed in products that moms could use - even though they weren't moms themselves.


About the authors:
Publisher:
Nicole: I'm mom of two adorable, rambunctious, beautiful, wonderful girls. Miss M is currently in 4th grade while Miss K is in 3rd grade. As a family, we love diversity. Board games, electronic games, sporting events, cultural events, auto events, festivals, music, travel and more. I'm an accountant by trade but when Miss M was born, I decided that I wanted to be the person to raise my kids - not a nanny, not a daycare. If you're curious what inspired me to start blogging, I encourage you to read about it. And why I started SAHM Reviews? Well, it evolved naturally when my love of blogging crashed head-on with the enjoyment I was having as a BzzAgent!

Contributing Authors:
Max Power - Stay-at-home-dad of two spirited daughters.

Sonie - Stay-at-home-mom to a brilliant young daughter and rapidly growing infant son.

Trish - Stay-at-home mom who has children ranging from 24 to 7, with a grandson in the mix. While the three oldest kids are no longer living at home, the two youngest - both boys (ages 9 and 7) are!

Mel: Mel is 32, a gamer chick who currently works in for an electronics store.  Having lived in Northern Ireland for 15 months and loves traveling, she's finally making the move away from the Midwest.

Julee: Stay at home with my six kiddos. Her passions include writing, traveling, cooking and a better way of doing the ordinary.



Disclosures:
Some reviews are independently published articles resulting from purchases and uses made by the authors of SAHM Reviews. Other reviews are generated when a product or service was provided to SAHM Reviews by a corporation, a blog network or a public relations firm. Disclosure is made within the review if the review was the result of an outside influence. Items used for giveaways are generally provided by an outside company at no expense to SAHM Reviews.

Regardless of how SAHM Reviews received the product or service, the review is always honest and fair.

Please contact us for details if you are interested in having your product reviewed by SAHM Reviews!

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Does your company have a product or service that a typical (or not so typical) family would use?  Request a review by sending an email to:
Nicole at SAHM Reviews

Why SAHM Reviews? While some review bloggers may regurgitate information that can be found on the client’s website, we put a more personal spin on our reviews. Instead of just talking about what our families thought of a product or service, we create a story about it. We're very selective with the products/services that we choose to review because we want our readers to feel like they are reading a story - not a sales pitch.

We prepare our reviews very professionally and carefully – quality over quantity. If our review style would be a good match for providing reviews for your company or clients, send an email to Nicole at SAHM Reviews!

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Being opinionated has it's advantages. For one, once I make up my mind, it will take a bit of a debate to get me change it. I enjoy a good debate... or maybe I just like to argue. Same thing, I guess. But I think it's my personality that makes it so easy for me to voice my opinions or concerns - and for the most part, people aren't offended.

Reviews:
I tried out programs like epinions.com and even some other review aggregator sites. Unfortunately, I wasn't really emotionally invested in any of them so I didn't really stick with it. I do reviews here or there, but much prefer to have them all in one dedicated space.

Marketing and Product Testing:
Several years ago, I started volunteering as a BzzAgent. If I meet their demographics for a particular campaign, I can sign up to participate in it. They send me a kit of supplies for the designated product and I try it out. Then I talk about it - good or bad - and relay back to BzzAgent any responses and reactions that people give me. It's an interesting marketing plan and I love it. Word of Mouth (WoM) marketing is what we've all been doing all our lives... talking about things we love and hate. I've received cleaners, beauty products, housewares and electronics, books, beverages, snacks and other food products.

BzzAgent isn't the only program I participate in, it just happens to be my favorite. Really, any chance to test and talk about a new product and I'm happy.

I've done both confidential and WoM product testing for quite a while and love every aspect of it. Trying something new, being the first person I know to try it, talking about it (if allowed). Trying it for free is the icing on the cake. One of my favorite product tests was Beta testing a new HP printer - but I've only been selected by HP once. I would gladly beta any of their products any day!

About my blogs:
I created a blog, SAHM Ramblings, and thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about products, do reviews, have some giveaways - whether through BzzAgent or some other program. But once I started talking about other things, reviews and all that just didn't seem to fit in. I didn't want any of it to be unnatural or out of place.

So here we are... blog #2. Designed especially for all my favorites word of mouth marketing efforts and product reviews. I'll even give stuff away if I have it. Guess we'll see where this takes us.

Thanks for joining me! Input and opinions encouraged!

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