Are you one of those people who utilizes as many bonus entries as possible when you enter a contest? Well, Danetta did a few of those bonus entries, including tweeting on Twitter about my Exergen Temporal Scanner giveaway.  It paid off!

Congrats Danetta!  Watch your email for details on how to claim your prize. 

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Don't forget to check out my other great giveaways, including an Exergen Temporal Scanner and Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream!

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When I was growing up, my dad wasn't much of a picky eater. My mom is a great cook and dad ate whatever she put in front of him. Before she started becoming more health conscious, she would whip up fun desserts and parfaits, even if they took hours. On special occasions, she would do the tilted jello and whipped cream dessert and I always thought that was cool. But through thick and thin, the one dessert that I remember my dad liking most was ice cream. Some things don't change because when my girls go to visit him, he still has ice cream for dessert.

When I was selected by Mom Central to participate in a Haagen-Dazs blog tour, I was very excited and it brought back a lot of memories of my childhood and ice cream with dad. The great part is that my husband likes to share it with our girls too so I'm sure they'll grow up with wonderful memories also.

The ice cream arrived last week - on my birthday of all days. (Hey Mom Central, did you plan it that way?) I opened the package to find four containers of Haagen-Dazs "Five" ice cream packaged in dry ice. Yippee! I didn't even have to go to the store to pick it up. Instant gratification at my doorstep.

It's called "Five" because there are only that many ingredients. Five. That's it. Basically each contains skim milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and one ingredient for the specified flavor.

"Five" Mint contains mint extract

"Five" Ginger contains, of course, ginger.

I've had other Haagen-Dazs ice creams and sorbets and honestly have not met one that I didn't like. But these are especially interesting because all the ingredients are things you would have in your home anyhow. No funky ingredients that you can't pronounce.

Now here are a few ways for you to enjoy Haagen-Dazs for free. First,   if you have a Haagen-Dazs near you, mark your calendar for May 12th. Check to see if your local store is participating in the "Try a flavor on us" promotion. "Come in for a FREE scoop of any Bee-built ice cream flavor at participating Häagen-Dazs® Shops between 4-8 pm"  Or you can enter my giveaway for a coupon for one complimentary 14 oz product. (Sorry, no dry ice packaged instant gratification delivered to your door.)

The Prize: Coupon for one free Haagen Dazs 14 oz product (2 winners!)

Participants -

...must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile. Winner has 72 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the second random selection.

Sometime on April 30, 2009, two winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) from all valid comments left.

How to enter:

(1) Visit the Haagen-Dazs website.

(2) Come back here and tell me which "Five" flavor you want to try most.

-- One Entry:  If you have a blog or website, add my button to your page. (Here's the code:)

-- One Entry:  Publish a blog post regarding this contest and link back to it.

-- One Entry:  Digg, Stumble or share on Facebook. (Be sure to leave your ID for that service.)

-- One Entry:  Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this contest with @SahmReviews referenced. Comment with your Twitter ID or leave a link.

-- One Entry: Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email.

-- One Entry:  Follow me using Google's Friend Connect feature.

-- One Entry (Daily): Read any of my non-giveaway reviews and leave an appropriate comment on that post. Come back here and leave a comment stating which product/post you left a comment on.

Thanks to Mom Central for providing the items for review as well as the prizes for this giveaway!  Mmmm... ice cream.

There are still a few days left to enter my other giveaways - a Yoplait Get Active Prize Pack and an Exergen Thermometer.  Watch for a Glade giveaway soon too!

118 comments

My husband and I are generally pretty frugal.  We emotionally and financially calculate whether we really want or need something before taking the plunge to buy it.  It's been a common practice of ours for many years and has worked well for us.

Back in October of 1997, when we purchased our first home, we made a lot of those decisions.  One of our biggest purchases was our washer and dryer.  The Maytag Neptune had recently hit the market and I was in love with it.  It was the first time I had seen a front-load residential washer and since I'm 5'3", the idea of not having to be on my tiptoes to get my laundry out was a big hit.  Supported by the fact that it used less water and was a high-efficiency unit was a bonus.  We weighed the pros and cons and bought the set for $1,550 when other units could have been purchased for a fraction of that cost.  I justified that it would save so much money in water and energy that it would eventually pay for itself. We purchased our high-efficiency washer and dryer long before being green was cool.  Although I didn't make the purchase solely for how green it was, the cost benefits were directly impacted by the amount of water and energy it saved.

We made our purchase when front-load and high efficiency washers were first hitting the market and that had some disadvantages we hadn't factored in.  The technology still had issues and the set I purchased was listed in a class action lawsuit.  My washer has gone through a few rounds of recall work as well as some expensive repairs.  Neither unit is as quiet as it was when I purchased it but it's also 12 years old.  So whenever I see fancy new washers and dryers announced, I can't help but take notice.  

Electrolux washers and dryers put my once top-of-the-line Neptune to shame.  I was touring the virtual laundry room and was amazed to see all the settings and capabilities of the new units.  Aside from the multiple 'normal' cycle options, some are programmable.  Ever have your favorite shirt come out of the dryer a bit smaller than normal?  Both the washer and dryer have 'My Favorites' settings that can be programmed with hubby-friendly terminology like "Kids sports" or "Mom work".  Not implying that I've ever had anything like that happen.

Remember my comment before about how we purchased our unit before being green became cool?  Well, Kelly Ripa exemplifies green and is cool because she's genuine about it.  She's a spokesperson for Electrolux and together they just announced a few promotions for their eco-friendly washer and dryer.  Get this... a limited edition "Kelly Green" eco-friendly laundry set.  Not only is it promoted by Kelly Ripa and is eco-friendly green but it is literally the color Kelly Green. 

From now until 5/31/09, Electrolux is giving away a set to one lucky winner.  You can enter daily at Kelly Confidential.  As a bonus, Electrolux is making a $1 donation to Global Green USA for each virtual flower planted in their virtual garden - up to $25,000!

It gets even better... as part of this blog tour by Mom Central, another set is being given away. Yes, in addition to the set you can win at Kelly Confidential, you can enter to win one at Mom Central.

Finally, if you're in the market for a new washer and dryer, be sure to check out the special offers and rebates at Electrolux.  There's a "Go Green with Electrolux" rebate valid until April 26, 2009 where you save 10% on energy-saving laundry appliances.

While I applaud Electrolux, Kelly Ripa and Mom Central for being eco-friendly as Earth Day approaches, I want to make sure that the economical end of green appliances doesn't get missed.  With our economy in a crunch and so many people watching their budgets, green appliances not only help the environment, but by their nature, also help your wallet.  Less water and energy spent translates to less money on the utility bills.  When you sit down to weigh your options for any new major purchase, keep that in mind.

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Picture yourself as a parent to an under-the-weather child who you think is running a fever.  Now, read the title of my post out loud pausing slightly between the words.  If you had an Exergen Temporal Scanner (Thermometer) in hand, you would already be done acquiring your child's temperature. 

I'm not kidding.  It is quick and easy and ridiculously non-evasive.  No tugging on ears and it can be done without waking the child.  Seriously.  And it's so easy, that my 6 and 4 year old are able to take their own temperature (and mine!)

Typically, I give you a nice story to go with my product reviews.  Well, back in August 2008, I posted a review of the Exergen Thermometer. I love the Exergen Thermometer, but please pop over to my prior review so I don't have to rehash what I've already posted.  When you're done reading, come back because I'm giving one away to a lucky reader! 

The Prize: Exergen Temporal Scanner Thermometer

Participants -

How to enter:

(1) Visit the Exergen website.

(2) Come back here and tell me why you want to own an Exergen Temporal Scanner.

-- One Entry:  If you have a blog or website, add my button to your page. (Here's the code so it's super easy to add!)

-- One Entry:  Publish a blog post regarding this contest and link back to it.

-- One Entry:  Digg, Stumble or share on Facebook. (Be sure to leave your ID for that service.)

-- One Entry:  Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this contest with @SahmReviews referenced. Comment with your Twitter ID or leave a link.

-- One Entry: Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email.

-- One Entry:  Follow me using Google's Friend Connect feature.

-- One Entry (Daily):  Visit one of my Family Review Network colleagues.  Read any of their non-giveaway reviews and leave an appropriate comment on that post.  Be sure to copy the following into the comment you leave on their post:
After you've done that, come back here and leave a link to the post you commented on.  You can repeat that once a day until the giveaway closes and the only requirement is that you need to visit a different site each day.

Thanks to the Family Review Network for coordinating this review and giveaway!  Stop by Family Review Network for links to participating blogs for this and other group giveaways!

Finally, don't forget to enter my giveaway for a Yoplait Get Active Prize Pack. Keep checking back because there's a Glade giveaway on it's way, too!

147 comments

It's not really my thing to do repeat reviews.  If I've talked about it already, chances are that I'm not going change my opinion of the item.  However, I currently have the opportunity to do giveaways for two products that I love (that I have already reviewed) so I can hardly turn it down.  Right?  One is for the Exergen Thermometer that I reviewed in August 2008 and the other is for Yoplait Kids Yogurt that I reviewed in September 2008.  By the way, the coupon link over on that other post should still work so be sure to print one out!

What our kids eat is a direct reflection of us.  I was absolutely amazed that both my girls wanted to try my hard boiled egg a few weeks ago and more surprised that they liked it.  It's become a new favorite snack for them - and it's healthy.  As I mentioned in my prior Yoplait review, they are big fans of yogurt.  By giving them the option for something healthy, they developed a taste for it before they were old enough to say "I don't like it" without even trying it.  When we started, we mostly purchased the kid varieties but the girls really like other flavors too, so I don't limit their choices.


What better way to encourage them than to have various outdoor toys such as Frisbees, beach balls, jump ropes and water bottles ready for outdoor play - and have a cooler of healthy snacks like yogurt for when they get hungry! So that's what MyBlogSpark put together and here it is...

The Prize: Yoplait Get Active Prize Pack (3 winners!)

Participants -

...must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile. Winner has 72 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the second random selection.

Sometime on April 19, 2009, three winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) from all valid comments left.

How to enter:

(1) Visit the Yoplait website.

(2) Come back here and tell me which Yoplait product the child in your life would like.

-- If you have a blog or website, add my button to your page. Come back here and leave a comment stating that you did so. (Here's the code so it's super easy to add!)

-- Earn an additional entry if you publish a blog post regarding this contest and link back to it. Come back here and leave a comments providing the link to your post.

-- Share this post via one of the following: Digg, Stumble or Facebook. Leave a comment with which ONE you did and your ID for that service.

-- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this contest with hashtag #SahmReviews. If you aren't familiar with hashtags, all you do is type #SahmReviews somewhere in your tweet. Comment with your Twitter ID or leave a link.

-- Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email... leave a comment.

-- Follow me using Google's Friend Connect feature.  Of course, don't forget to leave a comment.

-- Here's a new entry method: Read any of my non-giveaway reviews and leave an appropriate comment on that post. Come back here and leave a comment stating which product/post you left a comment on.  Guess what, you can repeat that once a day until the giveaway closes and the only requirement is that each entry has to be different.

Thanks to MyBlogSpark for providing the item for review as well as the prize for this giveaway!

As I mentioned earlier in the post, there's another giveaway coming for an Exergen Thermometer.  Watch for a Glade giveaway soon, too!

69 comments

Who doesn't love a good dessert?  I have the worst sweet tooth so I'm pretty open to trying anything that can be construed as a dessert.  Sometimes I'm in the mood for something chocolaty, other times something a little salty, sometimes something more fruity.  More often than not, I'm not sure what I want... which is why I have such a horrible time with snacking.  If I eat something and it wasn't exactly what I was looking for, I try something else.  It's a vicious cycle that I do until I'm either full or finally satisfied.

Recently, Mom Central was looking for bloggers to try out the new Eggo Bake Shop Twists.  Like I said, I'm game for anything sweet so I launched my cyber hand in the air to volunteer. 

I'll be honest, it's been a while since I had an Eggo of any kind.  I'm usually in too much of a hurry for breakfast to be able to sit down and enjoy one.  Since I've been out of the proverbial Eggo-loop, I didn't realize they had expanded their line to include so many different products.  They have Eggo Bake Shop Mini Muffin Tops, Flip Flop Brown Sugar Cinnamon Waffles, several varieties and sizes of pancakes and of course, the new Bake Shop Twists that I had agreed to try out for Mom Central.  I was actually very surprised to see so much variety!

Back to the Bake Shop Twists... They come in two flavors - apple and strawberry.  Each box contains four twists that are about the size of a standard egg role.  They are microwavable and very quick - under 30 seconds of cook time plus a few minutes of cooling time.   

Since I usually have yogurt or granola bars for breakfast, I figured I would take advantage of the Eggo Bake Shop Twists and have them for dessert after dinner.  There isn't anything on the package that says Eggos are only for breakfast.  I checked. (Like it mattered anyhow... reference above mentioned sweet tooth and snacking issues.)

In order to provide an accurate review, I needed to sample both of them.  I figured the best way to do that was a side by side comparison.  The taste of both was pleasant and despite having preconceived notions that I would like the apple better, I enjoyed them equally.  They remind me of a Danish but are not quite as messy.  My picture doesn't really do it justice but there is a good ratio of bread to fruit filling.  Too much filling would make them difficult to eat and too little would make them very dry.

My concerns are few but worth mentioning.  First, microwave them when you are ready to eat them.  I microwaved mine, then had to reheat it for another 20 seconds because it got cold before I got to it.  (Might have something to do with the fact that I was trying to get the kids to finish eating their dinner while I was making myself dessert.  So I really can't complain too much because it was my own fault.)  After reheating a second time, I didn't feel that the outside was warm enough but decided to test it out anyhow.  Once I opened it, I found the fruit filling to be piping hot.  Don't get me wrong, it tasted really good but would have been much better had I done it right the first time.  Second, the package is not resealable.  Either make all four that come in the package or plan to throw them into a zipper freezer bag.

I would love to say that the kids enjoyed them but I honestly couldn't get them to try one.  When I asked Miss M if she wanted to sample the apple Bake Shop Twist, she instead requested an apple.  I'm certainly not going to complain about her choosing fresh fruit over a pastry.  Miss K opted for a fruit cup when given the opportunity to test them out.  Despite showing them the package as well as the one I was eating, they just weren't interested. 

The Eggo Bake Shop Twists would be great for people who enjoy the donut experience with their morning coffee but also for people who are looking for something different to fill the dessert role.  If your kids are Eggo fans, then add this to the grocery list to try out.  At only $2 a box (at our local WalMart), they are worth having around for the sweet tooth cravings... no matter what time of day it is.

7 comments