Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Santa Cruz Organic Products Review #MomsMeet #KeepOnCruzin

In season? Always.

Have you ever heard of or tried Santa Cruz products? If anything like me, you might not have heard of them.  I've been trying to find more affordable and healthy options for our family, when money is a factor you want to get the best bang for your buck.

Thanks to Moms Meet and Santa Cruz Organic we have been able give these products a try.

Here are a a few things that I have learned about.  Santa Cruz is a pioneer in the Organic Products field. They are the first company to have a wide selection of Organic juices.  As of today, they have more than 50 products in their line, including, but not limited to: juices, peanut butter, fruit spreads, apple sauces and chocolate syrups.

For my review I was sent the following products: two bottles of their beverage (Lemonade and Mango Passion Fruit), a pack of the Santa Cruz Organic Apple Sauce, tumbler and a coupon for a product of my choice. 



I will say that our favorite product of choice was the Lemonade.  That was actually gone, QUICKLY.  The kiddo absolutely loved it and it hit the spot after coming inside from being out in the heat.  Had a great flavor but not an overbearing lemon flavor and not sweet.   



But she also loved the apple sauce (as you can see from her face).  These types of treats are her favorite.



She was a very happy kiddo because they were products that she was able to participate in and to get to voice her opinion on.  She has already claimed the coupon so that she can pick out a new product to try from the Santa Cruz product line. 

Her least favorite product was the Passion Fruit juice.  She did try it, but I think she was surprised because she thought it was going to taste like the lemonade.  I liked it, but really prefer the lemonade over it, as the lemonade seemed to hit the right spot.  

As for the tumbler, she has pretty much claimed that to.  It is also well made, has a hard plastic straw and a cover (perfect for those cold drinks).  It was a nice bonus.

Overall, we really enjoyed the products.  As I mentioned, the lemonade was gone quickly and if I would have let her, she would have eaten all 4 packages of the applesauce in one sitting.  The flavors were excellent, nothing to strong, no after taste, and it is a product I can feel good about giving my family.  

Many many many thanks to Moms Meet and Santa Cruz Organics for allowing us to participate in this review and for also allowing us to host a giveaway for two bottles of their Santa Cruz Organic Agua Frescas

Follow Santa Cruz Organic on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/santacruzorganic
Follow Santa Cruz Organic on Twitter: https://twitter.com/santacruzjuice
Follow Santa Cruz Organic on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/santacruzjuice/

Disclaimer: I received no monetary compensation for this postings.  However, I did receive the products mentioned above, free of charge, for an honest review.  All of the above is our own opinion and was not influenced by any outside source. 

Giveaway Rules:

Giveaway is open to residents of the US only who are 18+
Please, only one entrant per household.
Must complete the mandatory entry for your entries to count.
Giveaway will end on June 12, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. est.

Winner will be notified by me within a day or two and will have 48 hours to respond with mailing address so that I can forward it to the sponsor. No PO Boxes please.

Good luck!!

Monday, May 30, 2016

Sophie's Squash Go To School By Pat Zietlow Miller

Book: Sophie's Squash Go To School
By: Pat Zietlow Miller and Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
On sale: Schwartz & Wade Books June 28, 2016
Ages 3-7
$17.99 USA

http://images.abovethetreeline.com/ea/RH/images/jacket_covers/original/9780553509441_93500.jpg?width=1000

I have to say that the kiddo is enjoying all these books from Random House Children's Books and I am as well.  When I was her age, I do not remember a whole lot of fun and colorful books like they have nowadays.  

What is Sophie's Squash Go to School about? First, this book is a sequel to Sophie's Squash. Do you have to read Sophie's Squash to follow along? Of course not.  This story is about a little girl named Sophie who is starting school and like most kiddos, Sophie has those wicked first day jitters. Sophie's only friends are Bonnie and Baxter (who are they? Well you will have to read the book to find out) and she isn't interested in making new friends.  But will she? Will she stay loyal to her two best friends? Will she make new friends? Will she learn any important lessons? I don't want to ruin it for you or your kiddos so you will have to check it out when it becomes available for purchase on June 28, 2016. 

I will tell you, my kiddo really enjoyed it.  She loves books with short paragraphs and big beautiful crisp pictures.  This book covers both of those requirements. She stumbled on a few words but was able to read the story and understand what was going on and understood all about Sophie. 


Third time through the book


Please check it out for your kiddo, you will be glad that you did.

If you are interested in any of the other titles by Pat Zietlow Miller: She is also the author of Wherever You Go and Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story.   You can visit with her online at: patzietlowmiller.com

Illustrator Anne Wilsdorf has been the illustrator for many books including: My Dog's a Chicken and Dogs on the Bed.  

Again, this book will be available for sale to the public on June 28, 2016 for $17.99 US and $23.99 Canada. You will also be able to purchase it on eBook for $10.99.

Check out Random House Children's Books at RandomHouseKids.com and visit on facebook at RandomHouseKids and @RandomHouseKids. 

We give our thanks to Ms. Cassie McGinty for allowing us to do this book review. Lollipops n' Ladybugs received no monetary compensation for this posting, however, we did receive an advanced readers copy of the book so that we could do a proper review. 

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Purex Plus Clorox 2 Detergent Review and Coupon Giveaway







I love being a member of the  #SocialInsiders, where we get to review products and even giveaway products to our readers.  Today, we are reviewing Purex Plus Clorox 2 Detergent with Stain Fighting Enzymes. I am putting it to the test on my husband's stained, dirty with who knows  what, work clothes.  

Washing his jeans, caked with mud, grease, dirt, probably a little manure to see if Purex can get that mixture out and maybe even make the blue of the jeans stand out a little more.

This was his jeans before, they aren't totally horrible and disgusting, manure spots on legs, and the upper leg area where he wipes his hands when they are covered with dirt/grime/oil:






If you know me, you know that I am a #Purex fan anyway. I love the cleaning power it has. It is quite the stain fighter that is safe for colors.  Not to mention that it is a good bang for your buck and is a smart value. There are stores in my area that run a Buy 1 Get 2 Free #Purex product deal every now and again and I hope that they do in your area.

So, anywho, I used the product to get the grime out of his jeans and also the smell.  I can't even describe what his work clothes smell like when he comes home. It is a mixture of everything.  






So, did the grime come out his jeans?



Yes, as good as I would expect it to.  One thing to remember with his work clothes, he wears them until they pretty much fall apart.  So when stains get set in, they get set in. They fade out (as you can tell) so stains are really noticeable. But since he wears them just for work that is okay.  I just try to do my best to keep them as clean as I can.

So . . . would you like to try your win your own coupon for a bottle of Purex Plus Clorox 2 Detergent (ARV up to $7)? Just check out the rafflecopter form below to enter. 

Rules:

Giveaway will end on May 25th at 11:59 p.m. est.
Open to residents of the US 18+
Just one entrant per household please.
You must do the mandatory entry or your entry will be void.
Winner will be contacted by me when giveaway ends and have 72 hours to respond with requested info. 
Please make sure you read the rules. I try to make these as easy as possible to enter.
Good luck.

Disclaimer: The Purex brand provided me with a sample of the Purex plus Clorox 2 detergent so that we could do a proper product review.  No monetary compensation was given, all opinions express within are my own. 


Wolf Camp by Andrea Zuill

Title: Wolf Camp
Author: Andrea Zuill
ISBN: 978-0-553-50912-0
US $16.99/Canada $21.99

Available for sale starting May 3, 2016



Let us introduce you to Homer (who was inspired by the author, who has a pup of the same name).

Homer is happy in his life, but he also has a wild side and dreams of being able to run with the pack and howl at the moon.

One day . . . he gets his wish.




But is it what it is all cracked up to be? Does Homer love running with the pack? Eating what the pack does? Howling at the moon? 




You will have to grab the book for your kiddo and find out. 

Review: Except for a word here and there, this is a pretty easy book for kids to read and follow along with the story. My girl loved it. She loved finding out what Homer would do and if he would make friends and fit in. She said she really "loved the pictures that go with the story." She has actually read it 3 times now and other times she just grabs it to look at the pictures. We think that your young readers will enjoy it as much as she did and I'd be fibbing if I said that I didn't enjoy it as well. We lover Homer and he is lovable. 

This would make a great gift for someone special in your life. It was available for sale staring May 3rd, so you can run out and get your copy. 

The kiddo asked me if this is what our dog thinks about . . . . .I'm not sure he would want to give up the option of sleeping on the couch, with his legs in the air, to run with the pack, so I tell her that he is quite content being part of our family.  That we are his pack. 

Disclaimer: Many thanks to Ms. McGinty at Random House Children's Books for allowing our blog to participate in this review. I received no compensation for this posting, however, I did receive an advanced readers copy so that the kiddo and I could do a review of the story. 

Thursday, May 5, 2016

The Perfect Dog by Kevin O'Malley

Title: The Perfect Dog
Author: Kevin O'Malley
ISBN: 978-1-101-93441-8
US: $17.99/Canada $23.99

Book will be available for sale on May 31, 2016.

What is your idea of "the perfect dog?" Asking my kiddo this question, who response was: "a dog that has long hair that goes to his feet, a dog that plays fetch, a dog that is happy to see me and greets me at the door, a dog that loves to play." 

I think with our pup, she got all that and more. 

If you ask a hundred different people what their idea of a "perfect dog" and each one would probably have a different answer for you.  That is somewhat of the basis of "The Perfect Dog" by Kevin O'Malley, everyone has different ideas on what their perfect dog is.  





This is a perfect read for your beginning+ readers. There are a few big words that you will have to help them with, but it will be a fun read for them and there isn't a whole lot of reading. Sentences are short and sweet. The illustrations are bright and jump right out at the reader. They are crisp and well-done.



So, have you decided what your idea of the perfect dog is yet?  Is it one of these?




A different one?

How about ones of these? We have one of these? He slobbers, drools and generally makes a mess, especially if he gets excited about seeing another dog in his area.  He has been a drooler since the beginning.




BUT, do you know what my idea of a perfect dog is? Doesn't have to be a specific breed, doesn't have to be a big dog or a little dog, a fast dog, a slow dog, I just want a dog that is HAPPY!  And, I know that we have that with our boy.  He is one of the family. He goes where we go, sleeps pretty much where he wants and gets plenty of play time with the kiddo.  


If you are interested, check out the book. Its a fun read for your young readers. A nice addition to add to their growing library.

Disclaimer: Many thanks to Ms. McGinty at Random House Children's Books. I received no compensation for this posting, however, I did receive an advanced readers copy so that the kiddo and I could do a review of the story.