We have a new Julie to add to the Contribution Author list at SahmReviews! When I talked to Julie about whether she would be interested in reviewing California Baby Bubble Bath, she explained that her kids love bubble baths.  Seriously, what kid doesn't?  She was able to utilize it during the winter months when opportunities to have outdoor play were few and far between.  The following content was provided by Julie:

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I have to say I was excited to try out the bubble bath from California Baby. I love trying new things and I’m a sucker for cute packaging. California Baby does have cute packaging and with a promise of a bubble wand inside I was even more intrigued. More times than not, however, I’ve been burned by cute packaging and novelties.

This time was different. I really liked this product and what’s more, my kids LOVED it. The bubble wand sealed the deal for my kids. I don’t know why no one has ever thought of this before. It was like having a bit of California summertime fun in the middle of our mid-west winter. My kids (4yrs and 18 mos.) could have stayed in the bath for hours playing with the bubbles. And since it’s tear free, they really could have. It was probably the most fun I’ve had giving them a bath too.

I know what you’re thinking…that blowing bubbles in the bathroom would leave a sticky mess. But, it didn’t! Maybe it’s because the bubble bath is bio-degradable and not synthetic. Which is also a plus!

I really enjoyed the lavender smell. However, my 4 year old son thought the lavender smell was a bit overwhelming... but once the bubbles came out he got over it quickly.

I have to admit though, I was a bit sticker shocked at the price. At Target and California Baby's website, this product sells for about $13-$14 for a 13oz bottle. The price wouldn't be so bad if it lasted a long time, but unfortunately, it doesn’t. The bubble bath is a bit thin and if you like a lot of bubbles in your bath (what kid doesn’t) you have to use quite a bit. Then you use up a lot blowing bubbles with the wand.

I won’t say that I’ll never buy it again, but it also won’t be my everyday bubble bath for the kids despite the fact that it’s environmentally friendly and the added fun factor. For us, it will be a great special occasion bubble bath - or even a reward.

Overall, it’s a great product and I highly recommend it if you don’t mind the price-tag.  If your kids would enjoy some outdoor bubble fun while inside, then check out California Baby's website to see the variety of aromatherapy blends. They even sell it by the gallon! Not sold on the bubble bath but love the idea that their products are environmentally (and kid) friendly? California Baby carries a great selection of diaper, massage oils, hair, body and skin care products and more. Gear up for summer with some California Baby non-chemical, tear-free suncare products and bug spray. Be sure to check out their specials or find a store near you.

If you already love their products, you can even become a fan on Facebook.

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When Miss M was born in 2003, we were simultaneously thrilled and relieved following many years of fertility treatments and a high risk pregnancy. So each day for the first year of her life, I either photographed her or videotaped her (or captured a picture on the webcam that we had set up and fed to her webpage.) Never knowing whether there would be a second child, I wanted to make the best of it... even if I undertook a challenge that I would never be able to duplicate if a sibling ever came along.

Having a digital camera, a webcam and a video camera made it easy to capture even the tiniest of moments. Miss M went on a safari in the jungle, crossed the Delaware and served Pepsi from the fridge. But if I didn't post the pictures on her website, chances are that family didn't see them. Being a new mom, I was tired. Uh-huh. Had plenty of time and energy to create some really cute photos but I was honestly too... okay... lazy to email them to family. I mean, geez, emailing photos took forever and had to be divided between several emails. It was just a pain. I always provided the best on the website and promised to email them whichever they asked for. As for the rest, I would burn a CD when they came to visit.

Although I don't maintain their websites now, Miss M and Miss K both get their pictures taken plenty. Thanks to both SahmRamblings.com and SahmReviews.com, I enjoy sharing stories, photos and videos. Alas, I still don't do very well about emailing photos to family. Worse yet, moms of classmates send a photo here or there of my daughters yet I don't return the favor as often as I should. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I have soooo many photos from class parties, events and sports that I hate spending time sorting and emailing. It's just a pain.

So when I was introduced to Seagate's FreeAgent Dockstar network adapter that works in conjunction with the Seagate FreeAgent Go portable drive, I saw a solution. Like many portable drives, the FreeAgent Go is for people, well, on the go. People who want access to information while in different locations - work, relatives, school, client offices, etc. However, the FreeAgent Dockstar is the key player in this particular equation. While stationed in a single location, the portable drives that are hooked up to the Dockstar become network drives accessible from anywhere by the owner... or anyone the owner grants access to. The unit is a dock for the FreeAgent Go portable drive but has USB connections for three additional portable drives. Despite the clean, sleek appearance, we hooked ours up directly to the router that is stationed in our basement. Pictures, music, video and documents can all be accessed remotely without the need to tote along the actual drive. There are even applications for the iPhone, iTouch Droid and Blackberry.

It has many applications, but I don't work outside the home so there wasn't an immediate need to access information elsewhere. What worked well for me is the ability to just copy photos onto the Seagate FreeAgent Dockstar, which we had mapped as a standard network drive. Since I'm a little lacking in the process of actually sharing the tons of photos I have, I figured this would be a perfect testing opportunity.

The first time that I created the folder on the drive, I went to PogoPlug and sent invitations for friends and family to access the photos. Sure, I could have emailed the photos or uploaded them to Snapfish, Walgreens or Photobucket but as I already indicated, I have a bit of a follow-through issue with that. Utilizing the FreeAgent DockStar is the lazy way to share the photos, including an automatic notification option that sends an email to the authorized users (paraphrased, of course) "In case Nicole didn't email to tell you, she added more photos to the folder."

The only problem that I have with this method is that the users on the other end are limited by the upload speed of my ISP. I was sharing a mass amount of photos with the classroom photographer when she said it worked well just very slow. Since the data is stored directly on the drive located inside my own house and not on a network somewhere in cyberspace, each time someone wants to access or download the files, they have to wait for my cough 1mb/s upload. Personally, if I planned to share large files with a lot of people, I might be better suited to upload to a site like Photobucket where I endure the slow upload only once so nobody else has to. However, if you are fortunate enough to have decent upload speeds or if you're only uploading down-sampled photos or only sharing occasionally, then it isn't as much of an issue.

During my whole testing process, I realized this is the perfect tool for the kids' school yearbook editor. She currently utilizes Walgreens for acquiring photos from families. If the PTA invested in a FreeAgent Dockstar and hooked it up at the school, families would be able to easily upload photos, similar to the current system, but other families could easily download also. Yes, she would have to give authorization to participating families (just a matter of entering email address, which can be done in bulk) but she has to do that anyhow using Walgreens.

But the FreeAgent Dockstar isn't just about sharing and accessing photos, videos and documents remotely. Another cool feature is that it can be used as a media server to stream to your XBox360 and PS3 game consoles as well as the game consoles of people you grant drive access to. The unit also integrates with social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

The minor pitfalls (sort of): Other than the inconvenience of my slow upload, I had a few other small issues to contend with. After I had transferred a bunch to the mapped Seagate FreeAgent DockStar drive, I realized some were sideways... so I rotated them as I would on any other drive. Unfortunately, any photo that I rotated displayed as corrupted when accessed remotely. I deleted them, rotated them on a normal drive then copied them into the Seagate drive and experienced no problems at all. There also wasn't the ability to download an entire folder at once. However... and it's a BIG however... in the time that I first received the Dockstar and the time that I'm writing this post, both those issues have been resolved. Goes to show that Seagate has an ear to the ground listening for issues... and acting on them! As a result, the only complaint that I have is that when they updated the firmware, I lost my windows file sharing settings and had to set them back up.

Overall, I think the Seagate FreeAgent Dockstar is a great unit. It will give me the ability to access information when I'm not at home as well as make sharing much easier. If you already own a FreeAgent Go, this is a fantastic docking unit. Think you could make use of one of these?

Participants -

...must provide a US shipping address
...must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile.

Sometime on April 6, 2010, a winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) from all valid comments left. Winner has 72 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the next random selection.
(1) Log on to my Dockstar and check out the pictures. Pick ONE to use as your contest entry.
(2) Leave a comment on this post at SahmReviews.com with the following information from the picture: The photo description (Cables, Colors or Storage) and the answer to the question posed in the picture.

If you want to increase your chances of winning, here are some options to earn additional entries -
-- Three Entries: If you have a blog or website, add my button to your page. (Here's the code:)
<center><a href="http://www.sahmreviews.com" target="_blank"><img alt="SAHM Reviews" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v737/ia2ca/Sahm/SahmReviews125.jpg"/></a></center>
-- Two Entries: Publish a blog post regarding this contest and link back to it.
-- One Entry (Daily): Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this contest by clicking here or copying the following text:
"Need remote file access? Win a Seagate FreeAgent Go & FreeAgent Dockstar! http://bit.ly/9VECEZ @SahmReviews Please RT #giveaway @Seagate_Con". Comment with a link to your tweet.
-- One Entry: Become a fan of SAHM Reviews on Facebook. Of course, don't forget to leave a comment.
-- One Entry: Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email.
-- One Entry: Follow me using Google's Friend Connect feature.
-- One Entry each: While none of these are required to enter the contest, you can earn one additional entry for each of the following: subscribe to Seagate's YouTube page, become a fan on Facebook, follow on Twitter, subscribe to Seagate's FriendFeed or keep up to date by subscribing to the Seagate Media Center. When possible, would appreciate you letting them know that SahmReviews.com sent you. Come back here and leave a comment for each one you did.
-- One Entry (Daily): Read any of my non-giveaway reviews here at SahmReviews.com and leave an appropriate comment on that post. Come back here and leave a comment stating which product/post you left a comment on.

Now maybe I'll get around to sharing photos better. Thanks to Seagate's FreeAgent DockStar, at least it is easy! Also, thanks to Seagate for providing the prize for this giveaway.

For more information on Seagate products, visit their website or any of the social media connections noted above!

Disclosure: In order to facilitate this review, I received a Seagate FreeAgent Go and FreeAgent Dockstar. No other compensation was received.

161 comments

Despite enjoying to write, I'm actually a math geek by trade. Accountant to be specific. So my brain enjoys things relating to numbers - math in general, spreadsheets like Excel, money, calculations and puzzles. When I was a kid, I enjoyed jigsaw and logic puzzles. As I've gotten older, it's been enjoying things like Sudoku. When PC games came out, I gravitated to ones like 7th Guest and 11th Hour. Whenever I took on a new challenge, I would play the game endlessly until I had completed it. One puzzle after another. It was an addiction.

Yeah, I'm like that. I get engrossed in things. It's part of the whole accountant thing. Details are crucial in accounting, but in casual life often become my enemy. Games and puzzles are loaded with little details that keep me going back for more and more.

When I was first introduced to Max and the Magic Marker to review for the Game Review Network, I thought it would be a great game for the kids. With no disrespect to Max and the Magic Marker, it is basically new-age Line Rider. In a nutshell, using a magic marker, you draw your way through various obstacles. Come upon a cliff? Use the magic marker (controlled by your mouse) to draw yourself some stairs. Or maybe a stack of boxes. Or even a ladder. If there's enough ink in the marker and you want to go really high, draw a seesaw, stand on one side then drop a boulder on the other. There isn't really one right answer but rather a general principle required to move to continue on the journey. Although it is based on physics, I figured the kids would be able to solve the majority of the problems... it might just take them more time than an adult or older child.

Miss M, who is currently in 1st grade, took to it quickly. Took her no time at all to figure out how to draw different pictures. She tried a variety of things and caught on much quicker than I realized. I was amazed to see that she grasped the physics of many of the situations so well. For example, there's an area where you need to play whack-a-mole. The first time through, she dropped boulders on them as they popped up. The next time that I saw her do it, she had created a ball around herself and did a hamster roll across them... much faster, less drawing, more accurate. Very insightful.

Now here is the interesting part. Okay. Not interesting, more like pathetic.

I tried the game out and found it totally addictive. Like I would sit down to play under the guise that it is "research for a thorough review." And two hours later, I would find myself still... uh-huh... "researching."

Maybe it is because that game is not just about physics. It is about creatively thinking up a solution. As I said before, there are many answers to the same problem so your imagination is your best asset. One unique aspect of this game is that you can step out of the active mode into a story-board mode so you can create just the right shape without the environment effecting it. Trying to create a sled to cross a set of moving wheels is difficult if the sled leaves without you. So you transition into the storyboard (by pressing the space bar), then draw the sled around you. When you press space bar again, you return to the moving world and the sled... if drawn correctly... carries you along to the other side.

There have been a few situations where just jumping, clicking into the drawing mode, drawing a line to land on, returning to the game mode and repeating have been the easiest method for accomplishing the goal. Unconventional? Yes. Necessary? I don't know. Does it work? Yup. So I'll keep trying it.

Plus, there are several twists to the game. You work to acquire all the designated ink splotches. Bright orange splotches represent more ink for your marker. However the bad guy, Mustachio, regularly sucks the ink out leaving you searching for more splotches to have just enough marker to accomplish a specific goal. The game also includes some bad guys to avoid or drop a block on.

While the entire game is pretty fun, addictive and thought provoking, there are a few things that I find a little difficult. The main is the pure nature of the controls. In every game that I can think of that requires jumping, the space bar is the jump. Not in this one. It's the up arrow. The kids handled the keys pretty well but my husband and I both had trouble getting used to it. We would go to jump, press the space bar out of habit and find ourselves frozen in the drawing mode. It didn't cause our avatar any harm, it was just annoying.

The other thing that was a bit frustrating is that the game crashed on me a few times. I think I was just trying to run it in a window while running too many other things in the background.

Finally, when a new scene loads, a load screen displays game ideas/hints. Fast load time is good but it would be wonderful to be able to access those hint screens from another location.

My dislikes of the game are very trivial considering how much entertainment the game has rendered. I've played it for more than a few hours, as have the kids and DH yet we're only about 20% done with the game on each of our individual profiles. Which reminds me, there are three profile slots to allow for three different players. In our case, DH has one, I have one and the kids have the third.

Overall, the game is a lot of fun. If it sounds intriguing, stop by the website where you can read more or demo the game, check out the fan page on Facebook or find it on WiiWare by searching titles and typing in Max.

And if your kids want to draw with magic marker on your computer, make sure it's Max and the Magic Marker.

2 comments

I have a Guardian Angel. It's true. I'd call myself "crazy" except there was a witness. It was back in 1994 when I met her. A blustery snow storm in South Carolina on my way back to Florida after a visit with my mom. My toddler and infant in the back seat, my husband next to me as I drove the Honda Civic slowly along the Interstate very much aware of the road conditions.

Slowly, I turned the wheel to move into the lane that had more impressed tire tracks. It was a mistake. The car rebelled and we began to spin. I saw traffic behind me in the rear-view mirror as we rotated on the highway. Then I saw a concrete slab quickly approaching my side of the car as we slid sideways into the median. We spun several more times and then stopped. Resting on the shoulder of the Interstate, facing the direction we needed to go, with the engine still on.

My heart was pounding. We had spun with such force that the cassette tape we were listening to ejected itself from the player and was found UNDER my toddler's car seat. My husband and I got out to assess the damage to the car. There was NOTHING wrong. There were no scrapes, no scratches, no dents or dings. As we stood there on the shoulder, looking at the car with our jaws a jar, my husband said, "What happened to the traffic?"

We were one of many cars on that Interstate. There were MANY cars behind us when I elected to change lanes. We hadn't seen any of them and now the road was barren of vehicles. It was just us.

I glanced across the Interstate and a maroon Jeep Cherokee was stopped. The lights were on and a woman was standing behind the Jeep. The wind was blowing. Just like she was standing next to us she said, "You'll find a rest stop just past this overpass. Follow me and we'll stop there."

My husband said, "Let's get in the car and we'll follow that lady to the rest stop."

We blinked, literally, and she and the Jeep were gone!

My husband got behind the wheel and we passed under the overpass and saw the rest stop. We pulled in and calmed our nerves. We looked for the Jeep, the woman, but as quickly as she had appeared, they had disappeared!

That was the day I met my Guardian Angel. My husband saw her and heard her just like me.

Throughout my life there have been moments that have touched me. Too many instances where I've just "known" not to do something or "seen" something about to happen. I'm a believer.

Recently, I read the book, Spirited by Rebecca Rosen, published by Harper Collins, which talks exactly about the "things" I have experienced in my life. About the Guardian Angel, the "knowing", the gut feelings. She validated them all. She also gave me hope, helped me heal and gave me a direction to a better me.

You may have seen Rebecca Rosen on Dateline where she talked about being a "Psychic Medium" and how she's truly just a "normal" person. The interview really did a great job of projecting the youthful and down-to-earth Rosen that comes through the pages of her book. It was like sitting down to visit with a life-long girlfriend every time I sat down to read Spirited!

Throughout the book, Rosen shares her own life experiences. It really made me like her. My favorite story was how she met her husband. Her dead grandmother, Babe, foretold of her meeting with her future-husband. It was the sort of thing you find in fairy tales.

I diligently set out to do every exercise in this book, to experience "Spirit". I appreciated the fact that it wasn't centered on religion, but on the power within myself. As the mom to six kiddos, I found it challenging to sometimes find 5-minutes of quiet time to "let go" in the meditations. This was sometimes discouraging, but I kept at it.

By page 152, I was feeling like a champion, if only because by this point in the book, I was getting creative with my 5-minute meditation time. This page, this chapter "Tap the Source" talks about Guardian Angels.

"Our Spirit Guides come and go, but our Guardian Angel is with us for life...Angels respond to our calls for guidance, assistance, protection, and comfort."

Hey! That was JUST when MY Guardian Angel appeared." Like, Rosen, I've only seen mine once, but it was enough to make me believe!

Rosen also opens up to the trials in her life and how she has had to work diligently to overcome them and find herself. She talks about her struggle with her parent's divorce, how it spiraled her into eating while sleep-walking and a 40 pound weight gain. Her openness is admirable and made me feel like Rebecca Rosen was just like me and so many others.

As I read this book, I discovered it was truly a path to healing more than anything. It focused on forgiveness and setting goals and finding the path to make your life what you want it to be.

One of my favorite "A-ha!" moments in this book in on page 126. It's in a chapter titled "Put Your Past In Your Past". It's a letter from a client, who gave birth to twins...one born alive and one stillborn. The one born alive had poorly developed lungs and passed away, 30-minutes after birth in the mother's arms. I won't give away the entire story, but it was a touching moment that made me realize I harbor a lot of baggage and need to stop carrying it around and start living!

The book is grounded by Rosen's work and interactions with "spirits" (those who've passed on before us), but it is also a journey. She shares meditation exercises and provides a workbook throughout the chapters to "unload" the heavy things in life that weigh us down. I found these a valuable resource in helping me get started in my journey.

Some of the exercises are meditations, while other require thought and writing. The Chapter, "What's Your Damage?" was borderline brutal for me to complete. I had to be honest with myself. The exercise is the most extensive in the book. Your task is to "take inventory" of your life. Identify the difference between Healthy and Toxic People and Experiences in your life. Let's face it, we all have these. Now that I have identified the toxic in my life I can start the path to make my relationship healthy and discard the ones that are toxic to me.

There is another chapter dedicated to "Letting Go of Your Baggage". This one was written just for me. It was important to me to give each exercise my all. This chapter was very difficult for me and I realize I have a lot of baggage. It was detailed and caused me to search deep within me. I cried a lot over things in my past. Rosen stepped up to the plate again and comforted me through-out the chapter. She knew right where I was prepared to abandon the exercise. She encouraged me and said, 'Open your mind, drop your baggage at the door and invite in the new you." It wasn't easy, but once I did it, I felt much lighter.

This book was more of a self-help book for me. It really provided a tool box of how to put my past behind me, accept what lies ahead and live in the present. On page 134 Rosen explained it to perfectly when she wrote:

"Being present means fully embracing the right here, right now. When we stay focus on the now, our lives will unfold in perfect time."

Whether you believe in a higher entity or that spirits surround us, I recommend reading Rebecca Rosen's Spirited. I'm willing to bet the person who started the book, will be a much more awakened individual by the end of the book.

Are you ready to open your mind and meet the new you?

The Prize: "Spirited" book by Rebecca Rosen
(1) Check out the Harper Collins website.
(2) Leave a comment on this post at SahmReviews.com telling one New Release Harper Collins book that you would be interested in reading - other than one that has been reviewed here.

If you want to increase your chances of winning, here are some options to earn additional entries -
-- Three Entries: If you have a blog or website, add my button to your page. (Here's the code:)
<center><a href="http://www.sahmreviews.com" target="_blank"><img alt="SAHM Reviews" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v737/ia2ca/Sahm/SahmReviews125.jpg"/></a></center>
-- Two Entries: Publish a blog post regarding this contest and link back to it.
-- One Entry (Daily): Follow SahmReviews on Twitter and Tweet this contest by clicking here or copying the following text:
"Win a copy of Spirited by Rebecca Rosen http://bit.ly/aDzARU @SahmReviews @spiritedthebook Please RT #giveaway". Comment with a link to your tweet.
-- One Entry each: Follow Rebecca Rosen or Spirited the Book on Twitter
-- One Entry: Become a fan of SAHM Reviews on Facebook. Of course, don't forget to leave a comment.
-- One Entry: Subscribe to the SAHM Reviews feed via RSS or email.
-- One Entry: Follow SAHM Reviews using Google's Friend Connect feature.
-- One Entry (each): Become a fan of Rebecca Rosen or Spirited the Book on Facebook. Let them know I sent you!
-- One Entry (Daily): Read any non-giveaway review here at SahmReviews.com 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 Harper Collins for providing the review copy of this book, as well as additional copy for the giveaway. For more information about Rebecca Rosen or Spirited, check out the website including book tour dates.

Disclosure: I received this book from Harper Collins for the purpose of preparing this review. No additional compensation was received.

12 comments

In case you hadn't figured it out yet, I'm one of those people who has an opinion and loves to share it. I've been that way for as long as I can remember and I'm certain my parents would attest to that... as would my brothers. But as I've gotten older, I've come to better understand the word-of-mouth concept stating "If you have a good experience, you tell one person. If you have a bad one, you tell 10."

In 2003, I started working with BzzAgent and put a positive spin on the whole word-of-mouth thing. Why not encourage people to talk about their good product experiences? As part of the program, I would receive samples to try out as well as samples to share. During a BzzAgent campaign, I remember being introduced to Tropicana Pure Valencia... at which point, I confirmed the thought that not all orange juice is created equal.

Orange juice is one of those drinks that I've always gravitated to. As a kid, I remember mixing the frozen concentrate with water... all...the...time. If it went on sale, we would stock up. Now that I'm an adult, I buy the refrigerated stuff. It's easy and for the most part, they all quench the craving. However, if we want good orange juice, we look for the fine print that says "Not from concentrate". It's a little pricier, but well worth it. Every once in a while, I convince myself to buy the "from concentrate" but upon drinking the first glass, I remember why the fine print is so important.

It's not that I'm an orange juice aficionado, but I do love the stuff. Tropicana is my favorite brands with Simply Orange a close second. (FYI the Simply Orange is a slightly smaller container for about the same price as Tropicana so be sure to compare the price/unit if you're trying to get the best value!)

But it's that love of Tropicana that earned me the title "Juicy Insider". I am among a group of bloggers selected by Mom Central to spread the word about Tropicana and their new Juicy Rewards program. By purchasing Tropicana products, not only will you enjoy a quality product but you can also accumulate points (found inside the cap) toward non-juice purchases.

The program is currently in its infancy and the most universal coupons are for purchases made through partner stores such as Adidas, EA Sports Active and Coleman. The site touts 20,000 offers which includes area-specific discounts for water parks, batting cages, theme parks, museums and more. Unfortunately, those are very area specific. However, with Spring break and summer approaching and families starting to plan for vacations, it's worth researching those destinations to see what offers are available. If you're already planning a trip to say, Kennedy Space Center, it might be worth spending one point to get a $5 off general admission coupon that is valid for up to six people.

Keep in mind that the list and available offers will likely continue to grow - just as many affinity programs do.

I'm excited to be able to share this information with you and over the course of the coming months, will provide additional details.

If you're interested in signing up for Tropicana's Juicy Rewards program, do! It doesn't cost anything and if you're already buying the product (yum) then why not take advantage of the reward program? Immediately after you sign up, be sure to use the code MOMCE-NTRAL to receive 1 free point right from the start! Interested in more bonus codes? Consider becoming a fan of Tropicana on Facebook or follow Tropicana on Twitter because I've already found bonus codes posted there, too!

And the next time you're at the grocery store, remember to read the fine print to find Tropicana "never from concentrate" because not all orange juice is created equal.

1 COMMENT

Welcome aboard to Nyssa, the latest Contribution Author at SahmReviews! Nyssa is a long-time BzzAgent and word-of-mouth fanatic. The following content was provided by Nyssa:
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I read a *lot*, averaging more than one book a week, and close to half of what I read is non-fiction mostly spread across history, biography, autobiography, and memoirs. I actually prefer autobiographies and memoirs because it tends to bring a much more personal touch to events rather than a list of facts and figures. Is there anything more boring than reading about a battle that goes on and on with lists of commanders and numbers of men on the field in this position or that? Give me the observations of someone who was right there doing things and seeing things first hand then reporting them and his thoughts about it all in his own words instead any time.

In keeping with that, usually when you think of memoirs you think of famous retired generals or politicians or other people who were close to important, historical events writing about their recollections. Or they're written (or "as told to") by celebrities or "personalities" of the moment.

Corked is by none of the above, no one famous or even near-to-the-famous. It's the memoir of Kathryn, an ordinary twenty-something woman, relating a wine tasting trip to France she and her father, Phillipe, take together one fall. But it's not the squishy, sentimental feel-good story you might imagine. There's a history there, and some of it isn't very pretty. Interwoven with the wine tour are stories of her often stormy past relationships with her father and significant others.

Lurking in the background of this trip was a life-changing event that had sent Kathryn into a terrible depression. An automobile accident, in which she was the driver, occurred on a visit home from university several years ago and resulted in the death of an elderly pedestrian. Although ruled an accident by the authorities, Kathryn has not been able to shake off the effects of the incident. Making matters worse in her mind is her father's inability to relate to her or comfort her through this catastrophe. Jumbled up in all of this is Kathryn's heightened realization that her father could die without the two of them truly understanding or knowing each other.

Since Phillipe's greatest passion is his love of fine wines, Kathryn decides that the perfect way for the two of them to bond and share would be to travel to France for an intensive two week tour of famous winemaking regions and wine tastings. It's during this trip Kathryn hopes to both finally live up to her father's expectations of her and exhibit the knowledge of wines that Phillipe has attempted to impart to her over her lifetime while she, in turn, is learning more about him.

The trip does not go well. Beginning with Phillipe's food poisoning from airplane food and moving on to Kathryn's constant fear of not living up to her father's expectations during the wine tastings, all the way through the leftover dregs of Kathryn's breakup with her boyfriend back home. Bad food, bad service, and bad navigation as they drive across France add up to short tempers and many harsh words.

Not all of the tour is conflict, however; there are times when Phillipe opens up to Kathryn and tells her stories of his childhood in France during World War II, what prompted his family to emigrate to Canada, stories of his father, and of his early hardships in Canada. All of this is new to Kathryn. Perhaps there is hope for them after all.

I'll admit to not being a wine fancier. I know that if it comes with a screw-off top, it probably isn't gourmet quality. And I know it comes in shades of red and white and bubbly or non-bubbly. After reading this book, I have a much greater appreciation and knowledge of what goes into making a bottle of wine. I can now see the words "Grand Cru" on a bottle and know that that's the really good stuff plus all sorts of tidbits of information about varieties of grapes, naming conventions, and that sometimes a little fungus on the grapes is a Good Thing.

One important piece of information that I didn't get directly from the book was the significance of the book's title. I got a clue that there was more to the term in the context of an incident related in the book, but it took an Internet search to grasp the meaning of the term "corked." It seems that "corked" refers to an impurity in either the cork or barrel that is imparted into some wines during their processing. More simply, it means that the bottle of wine is off, or ruined. (For a more detailed explanation of this phenomenon see CellarNotes) In keeping with that, it would seem that their wine trip was Corked, Kathryn's relationship with her father was Corked, and her relationship with her ex-boyfriend was Corked. Her life is a mess, and the book reports this mess in agonizing detail.

Oddly enough if this book had been fiction, I probably would have enjoyed it more. Reading this as the report of actual events occurring to actual people, I found myself feeling like a voyeur into these deeply personal events and their reactions to each other. The stories Phillipe tells of his father and wartime France are what I enjoyed most in the book, perhaps because it is part of the now distant past and the telling of these stories will not injure or embarrass anyone. The wine facts too were interesting and informative, again because they were impersonal facts rather than intimate details of real peoples' lives. As for the details of the arguments and issues between Kathryn and Phillipe and Kathryn and her ex-boyfriend, I felt as though they more properly belonged on "Dr. Phil" or "Jerry Springer." The book felt as though it was written as an attempt by the author at self-therapy; rather than spill out her thoughts and feelings about her life to a professional, it was as if she decided to write about it (or should I say whine about it) in embarrassing detail here to purge herself of her demons.

I hope she feels better now.

Whether you enjoy the drama of shows like Big Brother or Jerry Springer or are just a fan of memoirs, here's an opportunity for you to get your own copy of Corked!

Participants -

...must provide a US shipping address
...must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile.

Sometime on March 20, 2010, five winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) from all valid comments left. Winners have 72 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the next random selection.

How to enter:

23 comments

March 1st at 8:00 am. All I wanted was a small piece of the appliance rebate program to apply toward a new dishwasher. $200 was the allowable amount for a dishwasher. Is that so hard to ask for when the state of Iowa has (or should I say HAD) $2.7 million for the program?

Apparently so. Extremely difficult. No. Impossible.

The phone was busy... constantly.

and their internet site was down... yes, constantly.

By the time DH was finally able to get through to their website, which was in the afternoon, the funds were gone.

Then Kay Luna, a reporter for the Quad City Times, published an article Monday talking about other options - such as rebates offered through the utility companies and contests being conducted by various companies.

It got me thinking about some of the contests currently running that I hadn't taken the time to share. In the past, I've shared links to enter to win an Electrolux washer and dryer, an Electrolux French Door refrigerator and a Frigidaire double oven.

But there are three contests currently running that I haven't shared!

Stop by Kelly-Confidential for a chance to win an Electrolux Induction Range in Kelly's Cake Off for a Cause. Similar to contests they have run previously, for each virtual item (in this case a cake) you create and send, Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. This cake contest is a joint project between Kelly Rippa and Buddy Valastro, TLC's "Cake Boss". Contest rules are available and it ends March 31, 2010.

Don't need an induction range? How about a washer and dryer? Stop by Frigidaire's "Make Time for Change" website for a chance to win a Frigidaire Affinity washer and dryer in their Spin and Win contest. Each day you take a spin to win, they'll donate $1 to Save the Children. This contest offers a prize daily (see the rules) in the form of an American Express, Lowes, Sears or Best Buy gift card. Contest ends April 25, 2010.

Feel a little more ambitious about trying to win a washer and dryer? Ambitious as in you'll be happy to record a video if it means the chance to win an entire laundry room makeover? In the "Pimp My Laundry Room, Please" contest, entrants are required to submit a video of your plea, beg, whatever you want to call it in accordance with the rules. The video isn't lengthy though... it cannot exceed 3 minutes in length. So if you're a very creative person and can cram a lot of information into 3 minutes, it's worth checking out. The winner will receive a laundry room makeover and video shoot for "Designing Spaces" including a Whirlpool High Efficiency washer and dryer and a year's supply of Wisk HE laundry detergent. Entries are due by March 29, 2010.


Someone has to win so why not you? The Frigidaire and Kelly's Cake-Off for a Cause contests are easy to enter and literally only take a minute. The LaundryHE "Pimp My Laundry Room" contest takes a little more work, but ultimately that will mean better odds for those who put in the effort and creativity to enter. If you need new appliances, it doesn't hurt to enter. Actually... even if you don't need new appliances, it doesn't hurt to enter!

Disclosure: As a thank you for providing details of the Pimp My Laundry contest, MomSelect (BSM Media) will enter my name into a drawing for a year's supply of Wisk HE Laundry detergent. For posting about "Kelly's Cake-off for a Cause", I'll be entered to win an Electrolux Induction Range from MomSelect (BSM Media). And for posting about the Make Time for Change "Spin and Win" campaign, I get a nice pat on the back from MomSelect because the deadline to be entered into any incentive contest for posting the details expired already.

1 COMMENT

I don't proclaim to be the best cook in the world, but I don't believe I'm the worst, either. I can make some really wonderful meals if I plan for it. Cooking is something I enjoy and if I thought I had a good knack for it, would love to take cooking classes to get better.

Alas, I'm not confident about cooking. Even on days like today when I wake up with enthusiasm and a plan to make pancakes, not everything goes as expected.

Something happens and I get totally deflated.

"Honey... I'm going back to bed. Wake me up when it's tomorrow."

Well, not really. It's more like "Honey, if you make fun of my cooking this morning, you're going to be in big trouble."

Instead, he replies "I see a blog post coming."

Of course it's a blog post. I'm reviewing Bisquick. It just isn't going to be as pretty as I had planned.

...It started off great, with the girls helping to make the batter using Bisquick...

Miss M and Miss K took turns adding the ingredients then proceeded to stir the batter to get rid of all the lumps. When they were done, I heated up the cast-iron skillet provided in the review pack and poured out the mix. The pancakes looked really pretty until I tried to flip them. I had seasoned the skillet when it arrived but I forgot that until a cast-iron skillet is well seasoned, which takes many uses, it needs something to keep the food from sticking. I've become accustomed to my Calphalon griddle and didn't even think about it until the pancakes stuck to the pan... then continued to cook while I attempted to clean the pan and start over.

I'm not sure whether I was upset about them burning or the fact that it went so awry on a day when I wanted it all to be perfect. At least I can't complain about slaving away to prepare the mix - making pancakes with Bisquick is so easy you can make another batch pretty quickly if you feel like it.

Thankfully, DH made light of the situation by making fun of me just enough to help me see the humor in it. Of course, I deserved it for making such a basic cooking mistake.

But this post isn't about my lame cooking skills. I was making pancakes because I received a package from MyBlogSpark to promote the Bisquick Pancake Nation. Most of us know that charitable/non-profit organizations often coordinate pancake breakfasts as a fundraiser. To help organizations prepare for the event, communicate the details and even fund their pancake breakfast, Bisquick established Bisquick Pancake Nation. The site provides information for participating organizations including location details, date and time.

If you are a member of a non-profit organization and are considering a pancake breakfast fundraiser, be sure to check out the toolkit for planning the event, including invitations, signs and more. There are also details on applying for a $250 grant (from now until May 31st) to help host the event.

In the meantime, if you just love Bisquick or are a fan of pancakes, here's your chance to win a Bisquick Pancake Nation prize pack for your own home.

The Prize: Bisquick Pancake Nation Prize Pack (includes Bisquick, a batter bowl, a cast-iron skillet and a pancake spatula)

Participants -

...must provide a US shipping address
...must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile.

Sometime on March 18, 2010, a winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) from all valid comments left. Winner has 72 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the next random selection.

How to enter:

(1) Visit Bisquick Pancake Nation.
(2) Find the Pancake Nation event nearest to you and leave a comment on this post at SahmReviews.com with the name of the organization who is presenting the event. If there isn't one near you, then stop by Bisquick.com and leave a comment with your favorite recipe.
If you want to increase your chances of winning, here are some options to earn additional entries -
-- Three Entries: If you have a blog or website, add my button to your page. (Here's the code:)
<center><a href="http://www.sahmreviews.com" target="_blank"><img alt="SAHM Reviews" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v737/ia2ca/Sahm/SahmReviews125.jpg"/></a></center>
-- Two Entries: Publish a blog post regarding this contest by March 16th and link back to it.
-- One Entry: Share on Facebook. Come back and leave a comment.
-- One Entry (Daily): Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this contest by clicking here or copying the following text:
"Love pancakes? Bisquick fan? Giveaway for a Bisquick Pancake Nation Prize Pack http://tinyurl.com/yfcjy4f @SahmReviews Please RT #giveaway". Provide one comment with a link to your tweet. (From your link, I'll be able to see if you're following or not.)
-- One Entry: Become a fan of SAHM Reviews on Facebook. Of course, don't forget to leave a comment.
-- 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 here at SahmReviews.com and leave an appropriate comment on that post. Come back here and leave a comment stating which product/post you left a comment on.

In case you didn't realize it, Bisquick participates in the Box Tops for Education program so don't forget to clip them before recycling the box!

I want to point out that while the package I received included regular Bisquick, I opted to use the Heart Smart Bisquick that I already had (open) in the cabinet. When I switched to using it, I didn't even notice a difference in consistency or taste.

150 comments

My youngest child is four and has learned to lie. It drives me bonkers! Usually his lies are about things that aren't really that important. He has an issue with getting into my things. He climbs up shelves in the closet and pantry and just helps himself. When I confront him about "Did you get into the candy?" he'll lie and say, "No." I know it's a lie because I have a handful of wrappers. I tell him, "one day your nose will grow just like Pinocchio!"

He also marches to his own drummer and tends to do what he wants, rather than what I ask of him. He knows the rules, he just doesn't feel he needs to follow them.

I'm always seeking ways to get the point across that "telling the truth is always the best way to go" and that "following the rules makes everyone happier". When I was given the opportunity to review Veggie Tales' Pistachio: The Little Boy Who Woodn't" I was delighted.

We love to watch movies together, the kiddos and I. Today was just such a day. There was no school. Mother Nature brought wet, cold snow. It was the perfect day to just be with my children. Most of the time, my husband and I watch the movie before the children are allowed to view it--just to be sure it meets the values of our home.

Today we sat down to watch Veggie Tales' Pistachio: The Little Boy that Woodn’t. I am familiar with Veggie Tales--I have three SUPER fans so, without previewing it with my husband, the kiddos and I just pushed it in the DVD and hit "play". I appreciate Big Idea Entertainment creating wholesome DVDs and Pistachio: The Little Boy that Woodn't exceeded my expectations.

Like other Veggie Tales, Pistachio is the same story line as the 1883 story of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. I was immediately captivated by this movie with the fun opening song--which has been updated but still holds true to the same sequence-- and the familiar faces of Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber!

My children were laughing right away and were excited to see Qwerty the Computer. He is more modern in this video and my children "ah-ed" and "oh-ed" at the "letter from a child" being a video instead of a letter being read.

I had to smile at the "spin" of "Extreme Home Make-over" with a great duplicate of Ty Pennington appearing after a "Counter-Top Make-Over"!

Veggie Tales take the story of Pinocchio and creates a wonderful storyline complete with a lonely toy maker, his "caterpillar" assistant, three ducks and a toy made from pistachio wood. The toy, aptly named, "Pistachio" encounters temptations, breaks the rules and lies--just like Collodi's Pinocchio.

My six year old was laughing hysterically at the town in which Gelato lived, "Bologna-Salami"!

The characters names are different - the Toy Maker, Geppetto becomes "Gelato" and I was laughing out loud when I saw Gelato's brothers...they're giving The Godfather a "good" image! Gelato's assistant is a caterpillar named, "Cricket". Pinocchi is played by "Pistachio". I thought these were clever adjustments to the story line. They appealed to my "big kid" humor. The name changes, however, didn't fool my children, they knew this was the story line of Pinocchio.

Another thing about Veggie Tales I appreciate is that they are centered around Bible Stories. Pistachio: The Little Boy Who Woodn't is also the story of the parable where the shepherd left his 99 sheep to retrieve the one sheep that had gone astray (Matthew 18:15-20). Pistachio meets up with a "fox" named Confetti and a "cat" named "Purina" and is at a Carnival when he realizes he should have listened to his father.

We were having so much fun that I couldn't believe when we reached the intermission. This is something every Veggie Tales movie features. It breaks things up just when the kiddos start to possibly become antsy. It is something we look forward to in Veggie Tales DVDs. We love the change of pace and the opportunity to get up and dance! This video's intermission is "Obscure Broadway Show Tunes". It is based off of an imaginary hit show "Office Supplies: Where Have all the Staplers Gone?" It was packed with fun and my children were singing along. One caution here is there is a stapler in this scene, at the end, where the staples protrude like fangs. My four year old yelled, "he's a vampire." It could be frightening for some children.

When the movie was over the kiddos and I talked about what the movie was about and the message it was sharing with them. I have smart kiddos! My four year old said, "I should listen to you because I don't know things."


My children really enjoyed this DVD. We've watched it twice and they are begging to view it again! I even enjoyed this movie. The movie runs 50-minutes, which just zips by with its action packed animation, clever characters, delightful songs and a message that fits into my family's values.

The only disappointed we experienced in this DVD is that when it was over my kiddos were excited to access the "Bonus Features". They enjoy playing the Veggie Tales games. Sadly, this video does not contain this "bonus" and my kiddos were bummed.

We're so glad to have added Pistachio: The Little Boy Who Woodn't to our movie collection. It's a movie I'm sure we'll keep in our rotation for a very long time.

The fun continues with a very well put together Family Fun Time addition to compliment this DVD. It has some great activities centered around family and the importance of listening to parents. It's a great follow up to this awesome movie.

If you have VeggieTales fanatics in your house, be sure to become a Veggie Tales fan on Facebook for news, specials and even behind-the-scenes videos! There's even a VeggieTales iPhone App. For a chance to win a VeggieTales cruise on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas, check out the contest on Big Idea's website.

Disclosure: A copy of Pistachio: The Little Boy Who Woodn't was provided by Big Idea for the purpose of preparing this review. No additional compensation was received.

2 comments

During the past month, I’ve been learning how to play Call of Duty Modern Warfare. One of the things I asked for when I had my birthday earlier this month, was to play COD MW on the XBox 360. Well I got my wish! After everyone but my friend Brian left, I played until early in the morning hours. I have been wanting to learn how to play first person shooter games because they are so different and require different skills.

So when I was asked by the Game Review Network to try out Rise of the Triad app for the iPhone/iPod Touch I was up for the challenge. I admit I feel like I failed this challenge though since I struggled to get through any more than 4 minutes of this game without dying. That, however, is an 'I am not the best first person shooter game player' problem. I'm still working on the learning curve. Seems I have a habit of rushing so close to the buildings that all I am able to see are the buildings. See, that’s my problem in Call of Duty as well; I run to the wall and then have to back up. I just tend to go too fast through the games that are set up like this. Guess that is probably why my friends laugh at me when I try first person shooter games.

I should tell you that the best part of the game is the ease of control. You use both your index fingers, one to move your person as well as looking around and one to shoot. If you look at the screenshot I took of the game, you can see the red X which is where you tap or tap and hold to shoot. The circle on the left is for vantage point - a scrolling pad that you use to walk around and look up and down.

Another great feature is that you can choose from multiple characters who each have different abilities. I chose to be Lorelei Ni, who seems to have the ability to run fast! Maybe I need to pick a character that doesn't like walls so much.

I hope even with my difficulties of first person shooter games you will try this game and let me know how you did! I can’t wait to beat my personal best of 4 minutes before dying! This game is available at the App Store for $4.99.

For more information on this game, including news, screenshots, features and more - go to Mobila Interactive's site and have a read. There is also a really awesome video of someone playing the game so you can see how it works.

1 COMMENT

One of my favorite things to do when I’m in the car, not driving of course, or lying in bed before I go to sleep is to play different games on my iPhone. I always play at least one game if not a few before falling asleep. It’s a part of my winding down ritual and helps me quiet my mind. The past week, thanks to a campaign from Game Review Network, I have been trying out a new app called Hellkid. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a great game that is easy to learn and fun to play.

The basic strategy in this game involves just tapping your fingers. For a simple jump, you just tap the screen. But when you're trying to hook and swing across ravines, you tap it once then tap and hold your finger down quickly to grab onto a ledge. I loved that the game only took me a few times of playing to understand. I started playing it when I was bored while I was on break at work and even at a fundraiser I was at last night.

And since I was playing it, my friend Brian tried it, too. He seemed to enjoy playing it even when he kept dying because he wasn’t jumping at the right time across the ravines. We had fun trying to beat each other’s scores. I’m definitely going to continue challenging myself and others with this game. I've included screenshots that I took on my iPhone to show you the opening screen as well as a part where I was playing. I hope you will try it out as well!

Stop by the website to check out a video and other screenshots. Hopefully, I have you curious enough to try this game out so head over to the App Store and purchase it for $.99 or try to win one on the website.

1 COMMENT