*I purchased the product being reviewed and was not compensated in any way for this review. I have Bissell's permission to write this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
As a mom and pet owner, I can honestly say that the Bissel SpotBot Per has become a vital cleaning tool in our household. This product has literally saved me hours of scrubbing. With 2 large dogs-one with a sensitive stomach-an 8 year old and a toddler, our household is no stranger to accidents and messes. We have had doggie diarhea, muddy foot prints, spilt beverages and heaven only knows what else, but no matter what the mess is, the Bissell Spot Bot is my go-to cleaner that has yet to let me down!
The Bissell SpotBot Pet has 3 cleaning options-surface stain, set in stain, and hose. The set in stain option by itself has been a life saver for cleaning up all our dog's "little" accidents-even if the stain isn't set in, it gives me piece of mind knowing that all the mess has been throughly cleaned. While the surface stain option is the perfect option for cleaning up after spilled drinks. The hose, however, is my favorite feature. With the hose, I can easily clean everything from a trail of muddy paw prints that would take forever to clean spot by spot to the entire couch! Rather than merely spraying a scented must into the couch and hoping it is really cleaning, I know my couch is clean after I've used the hose attachment on it. The hose attachment makes cleaning the couch fast and easy and gives me peace of mind that my kids are laying their heads on a clean couch.
This product has been worth it's weight in gold to our family. It is every bit as vital to our house as a vacuum. Without it I cannot even begin to guess how many times the dogs would have created stains that would be otherwise impossible to get out. A true must have item for any pet owning moms!
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Magic Bullet: BABY BULLET!
(Disclaimer: Mom's Gone Bronson received the following for review and all thoughts are her own. Your views may differ, thank you!)
I remember being pregnant and seeing the baby bullet on TV. These commercials were the inspiration behind my trying to make my own baby food. When it came time for us to make baby food, I opted instead to use the blender, and bought all the accessories seperate-the cook book, the storage containers, everything. If I could do it all again, I most definitely would have bought an all in one kit like the baby bullet that is already designed specifically for making baby food! See Mom Grow is excited to partner with Mom's Gone Bronson for this exciting give away for a product that would have made life 10x easier if I had gone that route.
A message from Mom's Gome Bronson:
Everybody! Gather around and meet the Magic Bullet: Baby Bullet - the simplest, easiest and most convenient way to make your own baby-food, from scratch, at home, just the way your baby is going to love it and with all the goodness and nutrition he or she is going to need!
For as long as I can remember, I have cooked from scratch and I love to feed my children good, healthier foods without any of the added sugars, sweetners or other products that just simply do not have to be there and I have always mashed and smashed and smoothed the hard way - though have managed to get the job done!
The Baby Bullet really takes out all of the stress that goes along with the baby-food-mashing olympics, though, with its 2 stainless steel blades, high-torque power base, 3 piece batch bowl and storage and mixing accessories!
To make life even easier, the Magic Bullet: Baby Bullet comes with a guide full of recipe ideas for baby and includes goodies from a simple fruit or veg for babies eating for the first time, through to those eating mixed, thicker or a little more complex varieties as they grow!
The Baby Bullet really does take you through the first stages of baby-feeding and lasts beyond! You can always make apple sauces, blends, smoothies, even ice lollies from fruit and veggies and none of the added stabalizers or unnecessary sugars! Great!
I personally LOVE apple and raspberry sauce and my children can never have enough! Making a soup is easy with the Baby Bullet and anything I am making for myself, I can put into the Baby Bullet and have it ready to go for little mouths with the push of a button!
I am actually thoroughlly impressed with this cute little contraption and you can't help but smile seeing that big grin staring back at you every time you whip up a batch of goodness for the kids!
The Baby Bullet actually comes with a storage tray and storage cups, which are just the perfect size for babies to toddlers and make a great way to treat yourself without going overboard, too!
Make a weeks worth of meals in less than 5 minutes, which is just what you want when planning with a house full! I know I can cook up some goodness, throw it in the Baby Bullet and freeze it down ready to go!
My children LOVE the cute cups and are happy to reach for an apple sauce in a smiley cup then something that isn't perhaps so great for them! I love that I can wash the entire set out and save on trash and recycling with this set and there are just so many bonuses to making your own food, period.
I really wish The Baby Bullet had been available when my older children were babies, but delighted that I have been able to try one out now! It is just the perfect size to make the perfect children's portions and will keep me going back for more as I learn new recipes and goodies that I still want to try!
I would definitely recommend giving one a try if cooking for your little one is something that you have been thinking about - I think the Baby Bullet is a really good start! It doesn't take up very much space in your kitchen, either and so you can always have it ready to go!
If you would like to find out more about The Baby Bullet, you can find them on Twitter, Facebook and over at their blog, with other outlets such as Pinterest and Instagram to keep you in touch, which you can also find in our giveaway form!
Speaking of giveaways...
***GIVEAWAY!!***
The good folk behind The Baby Bullet would love for you to try one out for youreslf and is letting us give away ONE Baby Bullet set to ONE lucky winner!!
All you have to do, to be eligible to participate in the give away is to reside in the U.S.A, be 18 years or older and enter via the rafflecopter, below!
This giveaway will run from 1/21/15 and end on 2/4/15!
The giveaway winner will be notified via email within 24 hours of giveaway ending and will have 48 hours to claim their prize! If no correspondence has been received by the deadline then all prizes are forfeit and a new winner is chosen until the prize is calimed!
Note: No participating bloggers are in any way, shape or form, responsible for this review or giveaway. Prize fulfillment falls to the company sponsoring the giveaway and all views within the review are those of the original reviewee, Mom's Gone Bronson. Your views may differ! Thank you!
What are you waiting for!?
GOOD LUCK!
When Parents Have Different Parenting Styles
There is no doubt about it, my husband and I have two very different parenting styles. I love baby (and now toddler) wearing, I experimented with making my own baby food, I jumped to her every cry and picked her up whenever she indicated she wanted up, rocked her to sleep, and I teach her baby sign language. I am a lot more concerned about trying to be a great parent and can get totally wrapped up in parenting. My husband always waited till he finished what he was doing to see why Pumpkin was crying, said he would never baby wear when she could just learn to be carried in the infant car seat, thought everyone would be better off if the bed time routine was simply putting her down in her crib, advocates for sleep training, and thought baby sign language was stupid. He is much more laid back than I am and way more creative at playing with Pumpkin than I am. So how did we survive parenting our daughter together for 15 months and counting? I'll admit it is not always easy, but it is definitely worth the effort.
I have always felt that a husband and wife are a team, and parenting is no different. Each of us have our own strengths and weaknesses, but together we can cover each other's faults and create an even better home than either of us could accomplish individually. Yes, we do things differently, but because we do things differently we can create a balance. Not only do we create a balance, but when one of us is out of ideas, the other is sure to have a new angle to attack the problem and eventually a solution is found that works for our family. Even though he hasn't always agreed with me in the beginning, eventually my bus and grew to see that some of my ideas aren't so bad after all! For example, he eventually ended up wearing Pumpkin-even as a toddler-and now works with me teaching her sign language. He saw that those things that I do really work, and are beneficial.
I have learned countless ways to play with Pumpkin from my husband. I've also learned to lighten up and not kill myself trying to be a perfect parent. Sugary cereals are ok sometimes when I'm trying to get work done and don't have time to make her anything else, I don't need to be her personal entertainment 24 hours a day, and actually it isn't good for her to have me entertain her constantly. Punpkin needs time to explore on her own and spread her wings. He reminds me that it is ok to take time away from Pumpkin for us to spend time as a couple (grandmas make great babysitters).
Naturally, we don't always "see the light" in each other's methods. That's ok too. Actually, it makes perfect sense that we would each have our own ways of interacting with Pumpkin-if kids weren't supposed to have a mom and a dad then nature would not have designed it that way. But as it is, it takes two people to make a baby, and children benefit from having two parents to raise them. On those things where we do not agree, we usually just do things out own way when we are taking care of Pumpkin-if I prefer desitin at diaper changes and hubby prefers talcum powder, Pumpkin will survive. If it is a bigger issue that cannot be solved by us simply respecting that the other does things differently, then perhaps we can meet somewhere in the middle.
When we disagree, it is because we both have different opinions of what is best for Pumpkin or the family. It is not because one of us wants what's best for her and the other wants to sabotage her-after all she is both of our child and we both love her! However, babies don't come with manuals, and there are many different lines of thought on what is the right way to raise a child, and to be honest, I doubt there is any one right way. Since no two kids are the same, what works for one kid or one family may not work for the other. If both parents work together, though, I truly think they can find the right way to raise their own child.
I have always felt that a husband and wife are a team, and parenting is no different. Each of us have our own strengths and weaknesses, but together we can cover each other's faults and create an even better home than either of us could accomplish individually. Yes, we do things differently, but because we do things differently we can create a balance. Not only do we create a balance, but when one of us is out of ideas, the other is sure to have a new angle to attack the problem and eventually a solution is found that works for our family. Even though he hasn't always agreed with me in the beginning, eventually my bus and grew to see that some of my ideas aren't so bad after all! For example, he eventually ended up wearing Pumpkin-even as a toddler-and now works with me teaching her sign language. He saw that those things that I do really work, and are beneficial.
I have learned countless ways to play with Pumpkin from my husband. I've also learned to lighten up and not kill myself trying to be a perfect parent. Sugary cereals are ok sometimes when I'm trying to get work done and don't have time to make her anything else, I don't need to be her personal entertainment 24 hours a day, and actually it isn't good for her to have me entertain her constantly. Punpkin needs time to explore on her own and spread her wings. He reminds me that it is ok to take time away from Pumpkin for us to spend time as a couple (grandmas make great babysitters).
Naturally, we don't always "see the light" in each other's methods. That's ok too. Actually, it makes perfect sense that we would each have our own ways of interacting with Pumpkin-if kids weren't supposed to have a mom and a dad then nature would not have designed it that way. But as it is, it takes two people to make a baby, and children benefit from having two parents to raise them. On those things where we do not agree, we usually just do things out own way when we are taking care of Pumpkin-if I prefer desitin at diaper changes and hubby prefers talcum powder, Pumpkin will survive. If it is a bigger issue that cannot be solved by us simply respecting that the other does things differently, then perhaps we can meet somewhere in the middle.
When we disagree, it is because we both have different opinions of what is best for Pumpkin or the family. It is not because one of us wants what's best for her and the other wants to sabotage her-after all she is both of our child and we both love her! However, babies don't come with manuals, and there are many different lines of thought on what is the right way to raise a child, and to be honest, I doubt there is any one right way. Since no two kids are the same, what works for one kid or one family may not work for the other. If both parents work together, though, I truly think they can find the right way to raise their own child.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Disney World On New Years and More!
My husband and I have been trying to plan a Disney World vacation with my step daughter since we first moved in together (about 4 years ago). I'm pleased to announce we finally made it happen-and on New Year's Eve and Day on top of it! Unfortunately, our funds only allowed us to stay the two days, but we had a blast during those days and are hoping to return in a couple of years (for a longer stay).
We arrived in Oralndo on Dec 30, and began our Disney experience in Downtown Disney to pick up our tickets. Downtown Disney is a GREAT place to start the magic of the parks. Honestly it felt like a party. Everywhere we went music was playing, souvenier shops were easy to find, and restaurants were all around. It really set the mood for a fun, exciting vacation!
The next day was New Year's Eve and we spent the day in Magic Kingdom! It sounds really exciting, but in retrospect I wish we had come a different day only because it was soooo crowded. Usually I am one that loves being a part of a big crowd, but Disney is something we don't get the opportunity to do much, and the large crowd really put a damper on how much we were able to accomplish. There was a LOT of waiting in line and when all is said and done we rode the tea cups, space mountain, met 2 of the 4 princesses in the princess castle (Elsa and Anna), Mickey, Tinkerbell, and Merida. That was all we could fit in in about 12 hours. Our plan was to stay and count in the new year, but as evening wore on, they had many events planned and they typically involved closing a large portion of the streets so that no one could get anywhere. We ended up frustrated and left early.
In spite of the large crowds, however, there were definitely a fair share of magical moments. The lines were long but the prizes were worth it. Upon entering the park there was a little welcome to the park show on Main Street USA featuring Mickey and his pals as well as many other disney heros, villains and princesses. I will never forget the look on Pumpkin's face (14 months) when she saw her favorite characters in the stage. Her face absolutely lot up as she pointed and looked at me with huge smiles in her face. She was awe struck! It also was Pumpkin's first time riding a ride (teacups) and all the characters we met were VERY well cast. They truly embodied the characters they were playing and did great with both my step daughter and Pumpkin.
The next day we hit the Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom was a great way to rap up our stay and everyone in our group enjoyed it. Here we went on an African Safari that was much more exciting than any zoo we have ever visited, but perhaps the most memorable part was seeing a giraffe chilling by the edge of the trail. He was lying down in the shade and as we passed someone could literally reach out and pet the giraffe (if it were allowed, which it is not). Animal Kingdom did a great job putting together the various "countries" you could visit. They really felt authentic! I also really liked that one of the stands served items like fruit, crackers and cheese-a perfect snack/light breakfast for a 1 year old. While there (among many other things-lines were not really an issue in this park) we also come to my step daughter's favorite part of the trip-a ride called Dinosaur. The basic gyst was that you must travel back in time and bring a Dino back with you. My step daughter was absolutely delighted.
Our main reason for planning our trip in spite of the lack of days was our desire to make it to Disney before my step daughter became too old to be excited about things like meeting the princesses, and I'm afraid we just missed that age with her. Looking back, I should have treated the whole experience as I did the Dinosaur ride. On Dinosaur, I made the experience real, even though we both new it was just a ride. If I could go back I would have treated the entire trip that way because it really brought the experience alive for her. The big surprise though was Pumpkin. I think of everyone that went, she enjoyed herself the most, and we all thought she would be too young to "get" any of it. Boy were we wrong! She danced, drank juice, and def recognized her favorite characters. The magic of Disney was completely real and alive in her, and it made the magic real for me too.
I'm excited to announce that the magic of our disney experience is not quite over yet, however. I returned from our vacation to discover that I have been selected to host a #disneyside @ home party! Perfect timing!
*I have received a free Disney Side @ home party kit. All views and opinions expressed are my own.
We arrived in Oralndo on Dec 30, and began our Disney experience in Downtown Disney to pick up our tickets. Downtown Disney is a GREAT place to start the magic of the parks. Honestly it felt like a party. Everywhere we went music was playing, souvenier shops were easy to find, and restaurants were all around. It really set the mood for a fun, exciting vacation!
The next day was New Year's Eve and we spent the day in Magic Kingdom! It sounds really exciting, but in retrospect I wish we had come a different day only because it was soooo crowded. Usually I am one that loves being a part of a big crowd, but Disney is something we don't get the opportunity to do much, and the large crowd really put a damper on how much we were able to accomplish. There was a LOT of waiting in line and when all is said and done we rode the tea cups, space mountain, met 2 of the 4 princesses in the princess castle (Elsa and Anna), Mickey, Tinkerbell, and Merida. That was all we could fit in in about 12 hours. Our plan was to stay and count in the new year, but as evening wore on, they had many events planned and they typically involved closing a large portion of the streets so that no one could get anywhere. We ended up frustrated and left early.
In spite of the large crowds, however, there were definitely a fair share of magical moments. The lines were long but the prizes were worth it. Upon entering the park there was a little welcome to the park show on Main Street USA featuring Mickey and his pals as well as many other disney heros, villains and princesses. I will never forget the look on Pumpkin's face (14 months) when she saw her favorite characters in the stage. Her face absolutely lot up as she pointed and looked at me with huge smiles in her face. She was awe struck! It also was Pumpkin's first time riding a ride (teacups) and all the characters we met were VERY well cast. They truly embodied the characters they were playing and did great with both my step daughter and Pumpkin.
The next day we hit the Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom was a great way to rap up our stay and everyone in our group enjoyed it. Here we went on an African Safari that was much more exciting than any zoo we have ever visited, but perhaps the most memorable part was seeing a giraffe chilling by the edge of the trail. He was lying down in the shade and as we passed someone could literally reach out and pet the giraffe (if it were allowed, which it is not). Animal Kingdom did a great job putting together the various "countries" you could visit. They really felt authentic! I also really liked that one of the stands served items like fruit, crackers and cheese-a perfect snack/light breakfast for a 1 year old. While there (among many other things-lines were not really an issue in this park) we also come to my step daughter's favorite part of the trip-a ride called Dinosaur. The basic gyst was that you must travel back in time and bring a Dino back with you. My step daughter was absolutely delighted.
Our main reason for planning our trip in spite of the lack of days was our desire to make it to Disney before my step daughter became too old to be excited about things like meeting the princesses, and I'm afraid we just missed that age with her. Looking back, I should have treated the whole experience as I did the Dinosaur ride. On Dinosaur, I made the experience real, even though we both new it was just a ride. If I could go back I would have treated the entire trip that way because it really brought the experience alive for her. The big surprise though was Pumpkin. I think of everyone that went, she enjoyed herself the most, and we all thought she would be too young to "get" any of it. Boy were we wrong! She danced, drank juice, and def recognized her favorite characters. The magic of Disney was completely real and alive in her, and it made the magic real for me too.
I'm excited to announce that the magic of our disney experience is not quite over yet, however. I returned from our vacation to discover that I have been selected to host a #disneyside @ home party! Perfect timing!
*I have received a free Disney Side @ home party kit. All views and opinions expressed are my own.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)