wahl's massager a great gift for moms! (review w/giveaway link)

recently i had a conversation with some girlfriends about how much we love to get massages from our husbands if only it didn't always necessarily lead to...well, you know.

that's why i was so happy to volunteer to review one of a new line of massagers from wahl.  i received my "deep-tissue percussion therapeutic massager" on a day when i was lying on the hardwood floor doing a puzzle with the girls and wondering when i had gotten to be so old.  i had aching places all over my body while i tried to continue in my goal of spending quality time with the girls.

i have never been so happy to get a package in the mail!  the deep tissue massager's goal is to relieve pain and fatigue.  it has variable speeds that allows you to adjust the massage intensity from light to intense.  i have to say that i haven't really tried the massager at more than the "lightest" intensity because that seemed about as much as my body could handle.

the massager has four different attachments to customize your massage:  a four-finger flex attachment that is meant to mimic a human hand; a deep muscle attachment (i like this one the best); an accupoint attachment that can really pinpoint a knot or a specific achy spot; and a raised bump attachment.  to provide maximum power, the massager plugs into the wall.  i have found the cord is fairly long so i can still sit on the couch and relax while stretching the plug to our nearest outlet.

it is also very easy to use.  in fact, it is so easy that i have to keep retrieving it from my kids, who are enjoying it just as much as i am. to change attachments, you simply turn the first attachment counter-clockwise and then replace it with another attachment of your choosing by turning it clockwise. i also really like that the speed intensity changes with a variable wheel.  instead of choosing "low," "medium" or "high," you can simply rotate the wheel to any level that works for you. 

if you think you would benefit from a different type of massage, wahl also makes a deluxe heat therapy massager, a deluxe therapy massager and a flex therapy massager.

this is how happy i look when i'm using it:

now for the good news:   those who like wahl home on facebook can nominate a mom to win a mom relief package from wahl.  if you know someone who is deserving, a friend, neighbor, your own mother, grandmother, aunt or sister, or actually want to nominate yourself, you can simply post a comment explaining why the mom on your list deserves relief.

entries will be judged on their uniqueness and sincerity.  winners will be selected once the contest wraps up on may 13. stories must be submitted before then in order to be considered.

this is a mamabuzz review.  i received a free massager for the purpose of this review from wahl.  regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

chicago children's theatre presents three stories by eric carle (w/giveaway)

we love to go the theatre (of course, pronounced with a british accent)!

we are very excited that chicago children's theatre has a new production available for the month of may.  the internationally acclaimed mermaid theatre of nova scotia is now presenting:

a brown bear, a moon, and a caterpillar: 

treasured stories by eric carle   

i can't imagine anything better than the "theatre" and one of our favorite authors in one super fabulous package!  we love brown bear, brown bear, what do you see, and, of course, a very hungry caterpillar, but we are not familiar with the third story, papa get the moon for me.  i think this will be a great introduction to that story.

if, like me, you are wondering how some of these stories could possibly be brought to the stage, you should check out this video: 

as you can see, the production is an intriguing mix of amazing puppetry, delightful music and stunning visual effects.

performances are may 2-27, 2012 on the victory gardens biograph theater mainstage, 2433 n. lincoln avenue, chicago.  performances are tuesday through thursday at 10:15 am; friday at 10 am and noon; saturday at 10 am, noon and 3 pm; and sunday at 1 pm and 3 pm.  exceptions:  press opening is friday, may 4 at 7 pm.  (thus, no noon performance on may 4, and the morning matinee starts at 10:15 am.)

tickets, $15 - $41, are on sale now.  gor tickets and information, go to chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call the victory gardens box office, 773.871.3000.  for discounted rates for pre-schools, schools, day care facilities and play groups of eight or more, contact grouptix at 773.327.3778 or visit grouptix.net.

if you are available saturday, may 12, at 10 am, noon or 3 pm, and you have someone you would like to take to the show, leave a comment below telling me your favorite eric carle story.  i will choose a winner using random.org on friday, may 4.  make sure you can attend one of those performances because there are no exchanges.

land o' lakes

my kids love eggs.

 we have eggs with our sunday night pancake suppers. we have hard-boiled eggs in our salads. we have eggs in frittatas, skillet suppers and quiches.

we like eggs.

that is why i am so excited about the land o lakes farm-fresh, all natural eggs. the hens’ vegetarian diet consists primarily of whole ground corn and soybean meal, with no added hormones, antibiotics, animal fats or animal by-product.  eggs are gathered at the peak of the hens’ egg-laying cycles, which can make the eggs more delicious and nutritious.  doesn't that sound like a great product to feed your kids?

this year i'm hoping my kids will want to make me some delicious, eggy, breakfast in bed.  do you think it will be too obvious if i casually send them to the land o lakes website to take a look at some of these recipes?

• bacon topped deviled eggs - you had me at "bacon"...
• breakfast biscuit bakes - i'm pretty sure i'd have to share these with the whole family...
• mini mexi bites - these might be too spicy for me, but bill and lilianna would love them!

if thinking about these recipes has you in an eggy frame of mind, you will definitely want to try the land o lakes farm fresh, all natural eggs.  and to help you try out these recipes, i am giving away a prize package with a small skillet, just right for omelets; a plastic tray perfect for serving deviled eggs, a mini muffin tin for the breakfast biscuit bakes and a vip coupon for one package of land o lakes eggs.

just leave a comment below telling me your favorite way to eat eggs.  i will choose a winner on may 1, 2012 using random.org (usa residents only; must be 18 to enter).

i received the coupons, information, a gift pack and a gift pack to giveaway from land o lakes through myblogspark. regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

general mills encourages kids to drink more milk (w/giveaway)

you know i'm a "mean mom" because i make my kids...

...eat the crusts on their bread.

...eat the peels on their apples.

...drink the last of their milk after they finish their cereal.

i'm starting to feel a little bit better about my "meanness" after learning from general mills that when kids drink their leftover milk from cereal bowls, they are closer to fulfilling their body's daily diary, calcium, and vitamin d needs.

to help kids feel better about finishing up those last drops of milk, certain "big g" cereals now include fun colorful straws that feature favorite big g cereal characters.  these straws are collectable, connectable and curvy!  while they have fun using the straws to drink their milk, you can feel better about helping your kids work toward stronger bones and muscles due to their calcium intake.

here are a few fun facts that general mills wants you to know...

• there are six different colorful straws you can collect.
• participating big g cereals include:  dinnamon toast crunch® (17 oz.), lucky charms®(16 oz.), reese’s® puffs (18 oz.), honey nut cheerios® (17 oz.), trix®(14.8 oz)  and cocoa puffs® (16.5 oz).
• big g cereals are made with more whole grain than any other ingredient.  combined with a ½ cup of milk, these big g cereals can provide a great start to your children's day.

still not convinced?  you can get a coupon here for $1.25 off two (2) boxes of big g cereal...

...and you know how i love to offer you all something fun for your day.  i have a package to send to someone with a box of big g cereal, a "spilled milk" shaped bowl (so fun!), two glowing cups, two tangle toys and (of course) a curvy straw.

just leave a comment below telling me your tricks for getting your kids (or maybe yourself!) to drink more milk.  i will choose a winner using random.org on may 1, 2012.  (usa residents only; must be 18 to enter.)


i received this information, a prize pack and a giveaway by general mills through myblogspark.  regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

winner...

i have to say that i am still absolutely in love with the toydozer.  the toy room was an absolute mess last weekend, and we had company coming.  tessa and tate cleaned the whole things with (very little) complaining thanks to our beloved toydozer.  they did argue over who got to use it, so i can see the advantage of having more than one.  i know that $18.99 might seem a little pricey for something that you use to clean up, but i feel like, at this point, i can honestly say it is worth it.  i can foresee a lot of usage from this item in our future.

now for the winner of the one i have to give away.  the winner is...

...janie williams!  i hope your boys really enjoy using the toydozer and that your life is easier as a result!

(i have a couple other giveaways coming up, so please come back soon...)

toydozer literally cleans house! (w/giveaway)

about once a week, i don protective clothing, assume a safety position and then tell my kids they have to clean the toy room.

it isn't exactly their favorite chore.

last week i had a completely different experience.  after opening our new "toydozer," tate and tessa could hardly wait to clean up the gigantic pile of toy animals and fisher-price people that they had made earlier in the day.  i knew that they would be happy to try the new product, but i honestly had no idea that they would show much enthusiasm for cleaning up.

the tagline for the toydozer is "less cleaning. more playing!" and, for our family, this has really proven true.  this was the first time in my experience that the time spent cleaning was relatively equal to the time it took to make the mess (basically dumping out the box of toys).  tate and lilianna were both able to manipulate the two parts of the product and cleaned up very quickly with little complaining.  i should say that we used this on our hardwood floors; i'm not sure if picking up toys from carpet would be harder or not. 

the toydozer is composed of two parts.  toys are gathered with a piece that is modeled after the blade of a bulldozer.  the "scoop" is modeled after a bulldozer scoop and easily allows toys to be poured back into a container.  the concept is similar to sweeping a pile with a broom into a dustpan.  we have actually used a broom to collect toys before, but this usually collects a lot of dust and debris with the toys (of course i would appreciate your restraint in leaping to judgment about my housecleaning!).  the toydozer works a lot better for collecting toys without all the debris.  when we are done cleaning, the "gatherer" attaches with velcro to the "scoop" so they always stay together.

the toydozer is made of sturdy plastic and comes in blue, yellow or purple.  it retails for $18.99 and, at this time is only available on their website.  you can also learn more by following them on twitter  or checking out their facebook page.  you can use the code BLOGGER20 to get 20% off of your order.

i am very excited to be able to offer a toydozer to one of you readers.  just leave me a comment below telling me which of your kids' toys you would love to clean up (or, even better, have them clean up) with a toydozer.  i will choose a winner using random.org on april 23.  must be 18 to enter; usa residents only.

this post is part of a toydozer blogger outreach campaign. participating bloggers (including myself) have been provided with a complimentary toydozer to review and have been compensated for their time. regardless, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.