Rave and Review

Boon Inc Potty Bench Review and Giveaway

When we were ready to start potty training, there was only one potty chair we considered.  Having seen it in a specialty boutique a few months before, my husband and I fell in love with the Boon Inc Potty Bench for a number of reasons and knew it would be perfect in the coming months as we introduced potty training to our daughter.  Packed with features and wonderfully free of any cartoon character’s likeness, the Potty Bench by Boon is the only chair I willingly invited into my bathroom for the next few years and the only one that met every single requirement we had in a seat.  

First off, it is a 3-in-1 design, which all of you by now know how much I love.  Instead of a traditional potty chair that is completely useless for anything else, the Boon Potty Bench becomes a step stool for toddlers or bench for parents to sit on while bathing kids, etc.  This means that instead of having to store some single purpose item in between potty training of each child, we now have a great looking potty chair/bench/stool that everyone in the family can find a use for, for years to come.  The bench can support up to 300 pounds, and is wide and low to the ground (7 1/8") to make it safe for even young kids to use without it tipping.  While it doesn’t add a ton of height, and might not make it so early potty trainers can wash their hands by themselves, I know it is going to be really useful for years to come helping the kids brush their teeth and learn to wash up by themselves.  

Secondly, it doesn’t look like a normal potty chair.  With the seat cover closed it looks like the bench/stool that it is, and is much easier to have in your bathroom than the typical eye sore chairs of our youth.  In fact, most people probably won’t even realize that it is anything more than a low step stool at first glance.  This design is also awesome for storing the seat after you are done training or for transporting the seat for travel or for ease of using away from home. 

Thirdly, it has two storage cubbies for all the wipes, toilet paper, extra diapers, or anything else you may need.  In fact, one side actually has a holder for the toilet paper roll built right in.  Now you can potty train wherever it is most convenient for you without having to worry about where those all important paper products are.  Better yet, the two storage sides are locked shut when the Potty Bench lid is down and it is in step stool mode, which means there is no risk of a little one accidentally stepping inside the cubbies and by far greater odds that the contents inside the cubbies will stay there between uses.

While we love the extra features of the Boon Potty Bench, it is the functionality of the main potty chair that I really fell in love with and why it is our top pick for potty chairs.  One requirement I had was that the potty chair have a seat separate from the inner bowl that you empty.  Irrational as it may be, I didn’t want our little one sitting on the dirty inner bowl each time she used the potty.  Yes, I know, that inner bowl should be cleaned in between each use and technically should be clean each time she sits down.  But, I also know that even with the best intentions that sometimes that’s not going to happen in the same way I know that sometimes my shoes end up in the toybox. 

Another feature we absolutely loved on the Potty Bench was the soft, removable splash guard that we took off when we found it unnecessary for training our daughter.  Used typically for training boys, it’s great that you can customize the seat for your child and not be forced to work around a deflector shield at each use.  Since the pee shield is one of the most hotly debated items on the Boon Potty Bench, we did leave it on for the first few weeks of use so we could try it out as well.  While it admittedly can be a bit awkward to push the shield down to remove and replace the inner bowl for cleaning purposed, I really didn’t find it to be a design flaw at all.  In fact, I liked both the design and the functionality of the shield, and only removed it once I realized it would be one less part for me to clean (and my daughter to try to touch) if we took it off. 

I really love that the seat on the Boon Potty Bench is wider than most potty chair seats so that kids who take longer to potty train still fit comfortably on the seat.  The hole of the seat is still comparable to other seats, which means there is no risk of smaller kids falling in, and means it fits a wide spectrum of children comfortably.  It is sturdy both in stool form and in toilet mode and sits low to the ground for young children to use on their own.  As an added bonus, the design is such that it is nearly impossible for a youngster to try to carry the potty chair or accidentally tip over.

Features:
• Measures 19 1/2" x 12 7/8" x 7 1/8"
• Potty bowl pulls out for easy cleaning
• Has convenient side storage compartments on each side
• Comes with removable splash shield for boys
• Easy-to-open lid that, when closed, allows the bench to double as a seat or step-stool
• Will support up to 300 pounds 

With a list of features nearly twice as long as those of our familiy’s built in toilets, and the classic good looks of minimalist design, the Boon Inc 3-in-1 Potty Bench just might be the perfect potty chair.  Our daughter certainly agrees, as sitting on the seat is one of her very favorite things to do.  And really, isn’t that all that matters?

Price: $34.99

http://www.booninc.com/

And now for the Giveaway...

One lucky Rave and Review reader will win a Potty Bench from Boon Inc!

To Enter: You must visit Boon Inc and comment below with another one of their products you would love to try!

And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review, top of right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Tweet about this Giveaway using @raveandreview and @BoonInc after following us both (daily Tweet, just post link here)

3) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage 

4) Place my button or logo in your sidebar on your blog or website (must have an active link)

5) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways (including the Boon Grass Countertop Drying Rack) or comment on any non-giveaway post!

6) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne (at)raveandreview (dot) com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

7) Vote for Rave and Review on Top Baby Blogs, logo in right sidebar (daily entry)

On March 28th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US residents.

Winners, Winners!  This giveaway is closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to MummaTutu who won the awesome Boon Potty Bench!

A huge thank you to Boon Inc for making potty training easier and offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers.  No type of monetary compensation was received for this Rave Review.

Protect-A-Bed Premium Mattress Protector Giveaway

Having a really nice Mattress Protector really does make a huge difference in the life of a mattress.  As someone who finally owns my dream bed that I hope to own for years to come, a Premium Mattress Protector review couldn't have come at a better time.  So, when Protect-A-Bed contacted me and told me about their line of Mattress Pads and Protectors, I was thrilled to test one out.

It seems everything needs washed more often now that we have a little one in the house, but bedding is by far the most daunting.  Since our bed has become the Saturday Morning Cartoon bed, we've seen at least twice as many loads of bedding, which makes me extra grateful for Protect-A-Bed offering both protection and comfort, as well as minimizing the amount of loads of bedding that need laundered each week.

While I was searching through the Protect-A-Bed website, I found a fact that seriously made me feel ill: Every night the human body loses at least a pint of body fluids through skin pores and mouth, as well as millions of skin flakes.  I don’t know about you, but I find that absolutely disgusting.  That’s the kind of fact that makes you realize that waterproof mattress covers aren’t just for the very young or very old, but rather for anyone who wants to protect their mattress investment. 

What makes the Premium Mattress Protector by Protect-A-Bed so unique is the Miracle Membrane® material that is breathable and comfortable in addition to being waterproof.  I don’t know if anyone out there remembers the waterproof mattress pads of our youth, but growing up my best friend had one, and it felt and sounded like you were sleeping on a tarp.  After reading that the Protect-A-Bed offers superior waterproofing without the plastic feel and sound, I was more than intrigued.  But, once the Premium Mattress Protector arrived, I realized it absolutely was true.  In a size that is only a little bit bigger than a fitted sheet, Protect-A-Bed gives you the ultimate in piece of mind and still is remarkably soft and comfortable.   

In addition to waterproofness, Protect-A-Bed also is perfect for those with allergies and health concerns.  By creating a barrier over the mattress to protect against dust mites and allergens that can thrive in an unprotected mattress, Protect-A-Bed offers you and your family relief and a good night's sleep. 

Before this, I had always purchased premium pillow topped mattress pads, hoping to find one someday that was able to hold up longer than a year or two.  It seems like no matter how much I spent for it, or what the label on the package claimed, that they all were made of the cheapest fabrics known to man in the areas it really mattered and really didn’t offer much in the way of mattress protection.  Sure, the top may be 500 thread count suprema cotton, but it’s the poor sides of the pad that will cause you to replace it after just a few washings. 

Speaking of washing, another huge frustration with the big and bulky mattress pads I used to own was that they took up an entire washing machine load.  This meant that it literally doubled my laundry that needed to be done.  So, instead of having to run the washer and dryer both twice fully in order to make the bed again, we ended up getting an extra mattress pad as a spare and rotated them each time we did up the bed.  For those of you who haven’t seen a plush mattress pad any time recently, I will let you in on a little secret – these things are mammoth and require a frustratingly huge amount of space to store in between uses. 

Protect-A-Bed solved all of these problems and more with their Premium Mattress Protector, offering superior protection in an ultra small package.  I was finally able to reclaim a whole shelf of my linen closet that had previously stored a huge spare mattress pad.  No longer do we need to spend all day laundering our sheets and mattress pads, but now can throw the Protect-A-Bed Premium Mattress Protector in with the other bedding with space to spare.  But, even better than that was that facts like the one listed on the Protect-A-Bed website really didn’t bother me much anymore.  As long as I know that the pint of bodily fluids and skin cells is not making it into my beloved mattress, I am a happy girl.  

Protect-A-Bed® Premium Mattress Protectors Facts from the Protect-A-Bed website:
• Waterproof yet air vapor porous - acting the same way as human skin
• Effective in preventing bacteria and dust mites from breeding in your pillow and mattress
• Protects mattresses from stains (accidental spills, perspiration, bodily fluids)
• Machine washable on hot, tumble dry medium
• Ultra thin with four-way stretch does not detract from the comfort of the mattress
• Can be used on all visco elastic, inner spring and latex mattresses
• High Quality Fitted-sheet style
• Expandable skirt ensures mattress protector fits any depth of mattress (8" to 20")
• Wash durability rating: > 200 washes
• Soft and super absorbent
• Can be sterilized at 121° C/250° F
• Tested for harmful substances according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100
• 10 year warranty

Prices: King $99.99, Queen $79.99, Twin $59.99 or Crib $29.99

http://www.protectabed.com/

And now for the Giveaway...

One lucky Rave and Review reader will win a Protect-A-Bed Premium Mattress Protector in their choice of size (King, Queen, Full, Twin or Crib)!  To enter, just go to Protect-A-Bed's website and browse around, and then come back here and tell me something you learned or another product you would love to own (other than the item reviewed). 

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review - link in top right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Become a fan of Protect-A-Bed on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall.  Come back here and let me know you've commented on their page.

3) Tweet about this Giveaway using @raveandreview and @Protect_A_Bed after following us both (daily Tweet, just post link here)

4) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage 

5) Place my button or logo in your sidebar on your blog or website (must have an active link)

6) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways or comment on any non-giveaway post!

7) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne (at)raveandreview (dot) com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

8) Vote for Rave and Review on Top Baby Blogs, logo in right sidebar (daily entry)

On March 29th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email

This Giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to LV who said:

I became a fan of protect-a-bed on facebook and left them a comment. My name is Lisa Selmon Vance.

A huge thank you to Protect-A-Bed for providing their Premium Mattress Protector at no charge and for offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers.  No monetary compensation was received for this Rave Review.

Hoover WindTunnel® T-Series™ WindTunnel® Rewind™ Bagless Upright Review and Giveaway

I know it’s a bit early to be talking about Spring Cleaning, but I always make an exception when we’re talking about the ultimate in cleaning machines made by one of the most trusted names in household cleaning.  Of course, we are talking about a vacuum, but not just any vacuum cleaner.  The Hoover WindTunnel® T-Series™ WindTunnel® Rewind™ Bagless Upright Vacuum has a list of features that are innovative and high tech as well as being easy to use.

As the name suggests, the Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Rewind is bagless, a feature that tops just about everyone’s vacuum wishlist.  Instead of utilizing bags like traditional vacuums, the Hoover WindTunnel sucks all the dirt and debris up into a clear plastic chamber that is easy to empty and keep clean.  I will admit I was a bit hesitant at first about a bagless upright, but that is because all of my experience with bagless vacs came from a decade old model that was well past its prime.  Although I loved the idea of never replacing bags or searching stores to find the one for my specific vacuum model, I was mostly concerned about containing all the dirt and gunk that I had just vacuumed and the air quality in my home while vacuuming. 

I found that I not only loved the fact that the Hoover WindTunnel was bagless, it is actually one of my favorite features.  By utilizing a long-life HEPA air filter, a carbon filter and an internal rinsable filter, the Hoover WindTunnel actually cleans the air as it works, leaving your house smelling fresh after you finish vacuuming.  Emptying the debris chamber was easy, especially with the clear instructions on the unit as well as the built-in carrying handle that allows you to carry the dirt cup safely into a different room to dump without having to drag the vacuum with you. 

The first time we used the vacuum, I had actually thought running the vacuum was rather unnecessary considering I had just cleaned the carpets the day before with our brush-roll stick vac and they still looked really nice.  But, since I can’t resist a shiny new cleaning tool, I couldn’t help myself and went about trying it out on my living room.  Shocked doesn’t even come close to how I felt when I saw that Hoover WindTunnel dirt cup fill up with just a 12x12 area of rug.  Considering everyone was laughing that I was cleaning… again, and kept insisting the carpets looked great, you can bet there were quite a few amazed looks when I produced a jam-packed dirt cup that looked like a small child’s sweater as I emptied it into the trash.  See picture to the left showing the vacuum after one room use.

Besides having amazing cleaning power, the Hoover WindTunnel comes with a long list of features that make this little cleaning machine irreplaceable.  With a long 27’ cord, an 8’ stretch hose that snaps securely to the vacuum as well as 4 on-board cleaning tools, the Hoover WindTunnel makes it easy to clean every nook and cranny of your home.  The best attachment by far is the powered upholstery brush attachment that gives you the ultimate in portable cleaning and allowed me to replace my little stair vacuum kept entirely for this purpose.  Speaking of stairs, the Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Bagless Upright makes it easy to clean stairs with its stair carrying handle and easy maneuverability, even using the main vacuum head instead of the included attachments. 

At 16.5 pounds, the Hoover WindTunnel easily goes from room to room, as well as having 5 different height settings so you can use it on various piles of carpeting as well as on bare floors.  The larger vacuum head gives you maximum coverage in large carpeted areas, as well as being surprisingly nimble and easy to maneuver in smaller spaces.  Fingertip controls make it easy to turn on and off, which is a mom’s dream come true when you are constantly dodging small toy parts as you clean and turning the unit off and on sometimes needs to be a split second decision.  A clear plastic bumper runs around the front of the vacuum and protects your furniture and walls should you have extra “help” from your smallest helpers.

But, one of the coolest features is the automatic cord rewind, which makes set up and clean up even easier and gets that alluring 27’ cord put away quicker so as not to tempt kiddos.  At first I thought the cord rewind was a tension retracted cord that had to be pulled to make it retract.  But, after I found the automatic rewind button located on the opposite side of the unit I was extremely excited when I realized I could merely press the rewind button with my foot.

Besides having all these awesome features that make daily cleaning easy and fun, there are some really cool maintenance features on the Hoover WindTunnel that make for easy upkeep.  With a system check indicator and a clear belt window, it makes it easy to make sure your vacuum is running at 100% with merely a glance.  If you were to snag a small scarf, for instance, the Hoover WindTunnel has easy brushroll access and belt change system to make it easy to save the scarf and keep your vacuum running in prime condition.  Add in the rinsable and easy to maintain filters and the Hoover WindTunnel T-Series WindTunnel Rewind Bagless Upright Vacuum has seriously taken all the hassle out of cleaning.  

Features, from the Hoover website:
o Only 16.5 pounds - light and easy to use with thorough cleaning power
o Cord Rewind with 27-Foot Cord - gently tap the pedal to activate the 27-Foot Cord Rewind and retract the cord to store neatly inside
o Intuitive Power Controls - conveniently positioned where they should be - right at your fingertips
o Fabulous Filtration - rinsable filter and high-quality HEPA filter
o 5 Position Carpet Height Adjustment - adjust as needed to clean all flooring types easily and efficiently
o System Check Indicator - indicates when the filter needs to be cleaned or checked
o Easy Belt Change System & Brushroll Access - simply flip two levers to change the belt or access the brushroll
o Limited 2-year warranty

The Hoover WindTunnel T-Series WindTunnel Rewind Bagless Upright Vacuum (Model UH70120) has an MSRP $129.99 with a limited 2-year warranty.  Since every other vacuum I have ever used has been twice this amount, if not more, I was absolutely shocked at the performance and features packed into this small price tag.

http://www.hoover.com/ Right now there is free shipping at Hoover.com on the WindTunnel series

 And now for the Giveaway...

One lucky Rave and Review reader will win a Hoover WindTunnel T-Series WindTunnel Rewind Bagless Upright Vacuum!  To enter, just go to Hoover's site, browse around, and then come back here and tell me what Hoover product you would love to own (other than the model reviewed). 

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review - link in top right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Become a fan of Hoover on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall.  Come back here and let me know you've commented on their page.

3) Tweet about this Giveaway using @raveandreview after following (daily Tweet, just post link here)

4) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage 

5) Place my button or logo in your sidebar on your blog or website (must have an active link)

6) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways or comment on any non-giveaway post!

7) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne (at)raveandreview (dot) com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

8) Vote for Rave and Review on Top Baby Blogs, logo in right sidebar (daily entry)

On March 22th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email

Winners alert! This giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to Linda Lansford who won her dream vacuum!

A huge thank you to Hoover for sending this awesome little vacuum to be reviewed and for offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers.  No monetary compensation was received for this Rave Review.

Harlem Globetrotters 2010 Magical Memories Tour Giveaway

It’s a good year to be a Globetrotter.  If you think you've seen the Harlem Globetrotters everywhere these past few months, you are absolutely correct.  Appearing on all sorts of TV shows and getting tons of airtime for the causes and groups they support, the Harlem Globetrotters are back in a big way.

In their 84th season, the 2010 Magical Memories tour kicked off in late December and runs all the way through to May, making stops in 216 cities.  The unique mash up of theatre and sporting event is one that is truly captivating for all ages and what makes the Globetrotters as delightful today as they were in our youth.  Between slam dunks and difficult plays, the Globetrotters treat their audience to a show that is full of slapstick and silly, but also has skill and elegance to spare.  

Playing against their arch rivals, the Washington Generals, who are arguably the worst defensive ball players in the history of the world, my money will always go on the Harlem Globetrotters for the win.  In fact, it turns out their record is nearly perfect, with a winning streak that I’m guessing is unmatched in any other basketball team in history.  Let’s just say it’s not the Washington General’s year, or let’s just be honest and say that I certainly wouldn’t want to be the team playing the Globetrotters each night.  Which makes it all the more disappointing that the Harlem Globetrotters lost last night.  Just kidding.  

The Harlem Globetrotters descended on Seattle this past weekend and left our house looking like a meeting of their Fan Club had just passed through. Three official balls (two of them signed by members of the Globetrotters, minus Globie) are being bounced around our home by sweat band adorned youngsters who have limitless stories to tell.  In an event that was quite possibly “the best night ever” of my nephew’s life, the Harlem Globetrotters have managed to out-do all other acts of awesome aunt-ness that I have ever bestowed upon him. 

Part of what makes the Globetrotter experience so memorable is that more than most plays or sporting events, you feel like you are truly a part of the night.  With young fans being whisked to the court to participate in the show, the whole event seems really accessible.  In a far cry from other sporting and spectator events, the Harlem Globetrotters allow their show to spill into the stadium seats and encourage audience participation. 

After the game ended was a spectacle I have never before witnessed, where the entire arena audience was invited to meet the players and have their Globetrotters paraphernalia signed by their favorite stars.  And even in that crazy atmosphere of smiling kids and their proudly displayed merchandise snapping pictures and getting signatures, we had a good time.  The players were always gentlemen, calling my niece princess and even continuing to sign long after the autograph session had ended, and reaffirming in my mind what the Harlem Globetrotter name is all about. 

And for those of you who are wary of crowds, especially in an arena setting, you will be happy to note that even in a giant arena of both young and old, the entire audience seemed to remember that the fans were there for the magic of the event and were on their best crowd behavior.  Nicely waiting in line and even letting small kids through, it seems the whole group was making sure that kids stayed with their attending adults and adding to the feel of a wholesome family show.  

And, it’s hard to penalize a show for its popularity – I mean, who wouldn’t want to be part of a family tradition with so much history behind it?  The Harlem Globetrotters truly are the rare entertainment event that has managed to stay current and relevant while maintaining the feel of an old fashioned show.  Using the classic good vs. bad story line, with music and comedy to propel the evening, the Globetrotters’ show manages to transfix our young just as it has for generations of basketball fans. 

For those of you that are thinking about taking your children to see the Harlem Globetrotters, you can check out the cities remaining on the tour by clicking HERE.  And, to sweeten the deal, there is a $7 discount you can get for each ticket at www.harlemglobetrotters.com using the promotional code: HGMOM to redeem the coupon.  Not valid on VIP or courtside seats, online only and is valid until the day before the show. 

Official site: http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/  While there, you should explore a bit.  Kids can send email fan letters to the players (which Globetrotters players personally respond to) and see Globetrotter history, photos and news.

And now for the Giveaway...

One Rave and Review reader will win a Harlem Globetrotters gift bag filled with a mini-basketball, authentic Globetrotter wristbands, an autographed Harlem Globetrotter team photo and a 2010 game program!  To enter, just tell me a Harlem Globetrotter story, memory or bit of trivia about the team.  If you need help, you can visit their official site HERE. 

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review - link in top right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Tweet about this Giveaway using @raveandreview and @Globies (daily Tweet, just post link here)

3) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage 

4) Place my button or logo in your sidebar on your blog or website (must have an active link)

5) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways or comment on any non-giveaway post!

6) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne (at)raveandreview (dot) com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

7) Vote for Rave and Review on Top Baby Blogs, logo in right sidebar (daily entry)

On March 12th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email

This giveaway is closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to the lucky winner Gianna who said "They were once parodied on a Futurama episode :)"!

A huge thank you to the Globetrotters for inviting my family to see a game and for offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers.  No monetary compensation was received for this Rave Review.

Orient Automatic Watch Giveaway

I honestly never thought much about watches until I married a guy who actually owns a watch winding box.  He explained to me that watches are to men what jewelry is to women, and that a good watch is something you get to appreciate every day.  Fair enough, right?  Of course, the first time I went shopping alone for a watch to surprise him with, I was shocked at how much I really didn’t know about watches. 

I really wish I had found Orient Watches back then and could have done a little more research before I hit the stores looking for a watch within my price range.  When the watch salesmen started asking me questions about what kind of movement I wanted and what kind of case, I realized I was way out of my league.   If I had visited Orient Watches first, I would have realized I wanted a watch with automatic movement in a steel case.  I likely would have ended up with something similar to the CET05001B, an automatic Executive watch that is simple and elegant enough to go with just about anything but still eye catching enough for special events.  

I really liked that Orient Watches has a wide variety of both men’s and women’s watches that are in a wide range of prices.  If you are on a budget, you should check out the Orient deal of the day for some slashed prices on their classic styles.  Since my husband has a watch winding box to fill, I really love their exstensive collection of automatic movement watches, which is what Orient is known for.  While my husband’s favorites are admittedly in the higher end of the Orient Watch spectrum, he really liked the look of the whole site and probably could have spent hours on there if I hadn’t taken my laptop back.  I was, however, taking notes for our anniversary. 

And now for the Giveaway...

Guess what?  One lucky Rave and Review reader is going to walk away with an Orient Automatic Watch of their very own!  The watch we are giving away is pictured in the review above and features a stainless steel case, 21 jewel automatic movement as well as a date window.  To enter to win, please comment below with your favorite Orient Watch or something you learned on the Orient website.  Sorry, US residents only.

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review - link in top right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Tweet about this Giveaway using the following tweet: "Rave and Review is giving away an awesome Orient Automatic Watch! @raveandreview http://tinyurl.com/yz6gjvq" (daily tweet, just post link here)

3) Blog about this Automatic Watch Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage 

4) Place my button or logo in your sidebar on your blog or website (must have an active link)

On March 8th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email

This giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to Anthy who said "tweet! http://twitter.com/my_twitraccount/status/9426517368
anthy_stl [ATT] yahoo [DOTT] com"!

A huge thank you to Orient Watches for offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers.  No monetary compensation was received for this Rave Review.

Skin MD Natural SPF Lotion Giveaway

Back in December I wrote about the Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion and how it had replaced my old skin and hand cream as the perfect winter moisturizing lotion.  Now that the sun should be coming out any day now, I thought it would be a great time to profile my new favorite Skin MD product, the Skin MD Natural + SPF 15.

Since I am extremely pale skinned, I have to be very careful to apply SPF lotion even when the weather is overcast and grey, but during the Summer it is especially important that I cover up and reapply frequently.  Throughout the years, I’ve tried numerous SPF lotions and creams to find one that I can wear every day, but I have had a hard time finding one that doesn’t make my skin oily or break out.  Skin MD Natural +SPF 15 Lotion was the first one that not only felt good as I wore it, but didn’t cause breakouts, even with weeks of wear.

The Skin MD Natural + SPF has UVB protection of 15+ and UVA protection of 5+, which makes it perfect for daily sun exposure and the perfect base under heavy duty sunscreens for beach days.  As with all Skin MD products, it also is paraben free, non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic and dermatology tested. 

The Skin MD Natural + SPF 15 looks and feels thicker than the classic Skin MD Shielding Lotion, but still has all the great qualities of the Shielding Lotion.  The Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion with SPF 15 soaked into my skin almost immediately and left my hands, face and body feeling clean and fresh.  Like the original Shielding Lotion, the Skin MD with SPF 15 is also non-greasy and doesn’t leave your skin slippery or leave harsh smells behind.  In fact, this was the first SPF lotion I have tried that didn’t have a pungent smell of sunscreen.  My hubby absolutely despises lotions, especially sunscreen lotions, so I love that I can wear this daily without it bothering him at all and he even lets me put it on him when we're going out in the sun for the day.  

And, since I love it so much, this has become my every day face lotion.  I still wear the Natural Shielding Lotion by Skin MD at night, but if there’s even a chance we’ll catch some sun rays, I am wearing the Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion + SPF under makeup or alone, as is the rest of the family.  As the weather heats up, I will become even more diligent about my applications.  It's a small price to keep our skin healthy and sun damage-free for years to come. 

Price: $18 for a 4oz bottle, the very definition of a little goes a long way. 

http://www.skinmdnatural.com/

And now for the Giveaway...

One Rave and Review reader will win Skin MD Natural SPF 15 Shielding Lotion to try out this Spring! To enter, just visit Skin MD and tell me something you like about the company or their products. 

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review - link in top right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Tweet about this Giveaway using @raveandreview (daily Tweet, just post link here)

3) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage 

4) Place my button or logo in your sidebar on your blog or website (must have an active link)

5) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways or comment on any non-giveaway post!

6) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne (at)raveandreview (dot) com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

7) Vote for Rave and Review on Top Baby Blogs, logo in right sidebar (daily entry)

This giveaway is closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to Colleen who won the SkinMD SPF Lotion just in time for Spring!

A huge thank you to Skin MD for sending the SPF 15 lotion to be reviewed and for offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers.  No monetary compensation was received for this Rave Review.

Germ Guardian Electrics for Healthy Home Review and Giveaway

Sometimes it feels like cold season lasts all year and there's nothing you can do to prevent it.  Then, before you know it, everyone's talking about flu season again.  Being prepared for an outbreak is great, but everyone knows that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Of course, I love it when I find products that really keep my home and family safe and even better if they also make my life easier.  With a full line-up of products that any germ-a-phobe would covet, Germ Guardian takes a lot of the worry out of the cleanliness of our home.  

For nearly 8 months of my daughter’s first year of life she was on a medication that weakened her immune system dramatically.  This made it so just about anything was a serious threat to her health and we became overly cautious about germs and bacteria on levels even new parents would giggle at.  Granted, her immune system has likely caught up by now, but all the research I did when she was little left me completely traumatized by what I learned about household germs.  So now, even though she’s a healthy 20-month-old, I tend to be extra careful about what she comes in contact with.  So, you can imagine that when I found the company Germ Guardian, I created a wish list that included just about their entire product line that I would love to keep my house and children’s areas clean and sanitized.

The first thing on that wish list was the Germ Guardian NS-2000 Dry Heat Nursery Sanitizer that can disinfect all my daughter’s small toys, pacifiers, and mouthpieces without chemicals so that I don’t have to wonder what’s going in her mouth while she sleeps, eats and plays.  Instead of being a steam or boiling sanitizer that uses moisture to get rid of germs and bacteria, the Germ Guardian Dry Heat Nursery Sanitizer uses a dry heat to kill germs while still cleaning to 170 degrees.  I loved the idea of this because a good portion of her toys are wood, plastic, fabric and rubber that is unable to be steamed or immersed in liquid and haven’t had a good way to clean them until now.  The Germ Guardian Nursery Sanitizer is completely safe for use on all of these surfaces and more and won’t warp, shrink, melt, or discolor items that are run through the sanitizing cycle.

The sanitizing tray is meant for mostly small items, which is why it has three divided compartments to help keep things organized while cleaning.  Unfortunately, that does mean that two full-size bottles won’t fit in the unit at one time, but a whole pile of pacifiers, nipples and more have plenty of room.  We even fit all of the contents of our Step2 kitchen refrigerator in the Nursery Sanitizer at one time and were very pleased with the results. 

My breast pump attachments and tubing all fit fine as well, but I know others have had problems fitting all their odds and ends in at once and are stuck doing two cycles on the Nursery Sanitizer, but I found that mine fit perfectly in one.  While we haven’t tried cleaning a stuffed animal yet, please bear in mind that the furry friend would have to be small in order to fit inside properly, so don’t be expecting to clean the entire toybox in an hour.  While I have my fingers crossed hoping for a bigger unit down the road for parents with multiple children, daycares and more, I really like the size of the Nursery Sanitizer for our family. 

Not only is the Nursery Sanitizer completely safe for a wide variety of items, the sanitizing process really couldn’t be any easier.  I was really hoping that the Germ Guardian Nursery Sanitizer wouldn’t require a whole lot of hands on time from me, and I absolutely got that wish.  To use, you simply dump in your items to be sanitized, place the lid on the sanitizing tray and press the one button on the unit.  A half hour or so later, the fan goes off and you know the items are dry, clean, and ready to be placed back in rotation.  While the fan on the unit is really quiet, the Nursery Sanitizer does have approximately the noise of a typical room fan.  I found the sound to be soothing, really, and not something I would take away points for, especially since it’s by far the quietest electronic in my kitchen. 

I would definitely recommend the Nursery Sanitizer to any new parents out there and would highly suggest registering for one of these if you have an online registry.  The Germ Guardian NS-2000 Dry Heat Nursery Sanitizer has a list price of $69.99

Another must-have item for any household is a good humidifier, and of course, Germ Guardian makes an awesome Ultrasonic Humidifier that is perfect for everyone in your family.  The Germ Guardian H1600 Digital Ultrasonic Midsize Humidifier isn’t your traditional drug store humidifier, this is a serious electronic with some really cool features.  With silver clean technology that prevents the growth of mold and bacteria in the water tank, the Germ Guardian Humidifier provides a healthier breathing environment by making sure the water it emits is clean and safe for your family.  With its super sleek design and options for both warm and cool mist as well as a variable mist control, it means you can use this humidifier in any room in your house. 

The humidifier has a 20 hour run time on its max setting with its large 1 gallon tank as well as a low water indicator so you know when to refill.  Whereas other units we’ve tried only had a few hours worth of water in the tank, I love that on a medium setting I can leave the humidifier on all day long, or use for a few nights in a row without refilling.  Speaking of using at night, the fact that the Germ Guardian Humidifier is Ultrasonic means that it is extremely quiet and you can run the unit at night and still sleep peacefully.  It even has a night light function that you can turn off and on, which is great if you find yourself up with a sick baby or trying to navigate around a child's room at night.

I love that the Germ Guardian Humidifier is quiet, efficient and economical with no pads, filter or wicks to clean or replace, but mostly I love that my family is getting clean and germ-free humidification without the use of chemicals and toxins.  The Germ Guardian H1600 Digital Ultrasonic Midsize Humidifier has a list price of $169.99

Germ Guardian makes having a clean and healthy home not only possible, but also efficient and easy.  The chemical-free solutions they offer make me feel good about using them for every member of the family and for every day use.  With some of the most innovative and technologically advanced cleaning products and electronics available, Germ Guardian has become one of my favorite household brands ever. 

http://www.germguardian.com/   

And now for the Giveaway...

One lucky Rave and Review reader will win a Germ Guardian H1600 Digital Ultrasonic Midsize Humidifier (ARV $169.99)!

To Enter: You must visit Germ Guardian and comment below with another one of their products you would love to try!

And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review, top of right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Become a Germ Guardian fan on Facebook and leave a comment on their page

3) Tweet about this Giveaway using @raveandreview and @GermGuardian after following us both (daily Tweet, just post link here)

4) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage 

5) Place my button or logo in your sidebar on your blog or website (must have an active link)

6) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways or comment on any non-giveaway post!

7) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne (at)raveandreview (dot) com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

8) Vote for Rave and Review on Top Baby Blogs, logo in right sidebar (daily entry)

On March 20th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US residents.

Winner, Winner!  This giveaway is closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to Melissa who said:

I would love to try the Touchless Soap and Liquid Dispenser we are germ a phobes here at my house lol

A huge thank you to Germ Guardian for sending us their Dry Heat Nursery Sanitizer for chemical-free solutions for a clean house and offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers.  No type of monetary compensation was received for this Rave Review.

We Are The Not-Its! Review and Giveaway!

Every parent knows that a lot of kid’s music is practically unlistenable, especially if you happen to be over the age of 5.  My daughter, who happens to fall in the under 5 category, is rather discerning about the music she listens to and even she would much rather groove to something with a more complex and varied composition than most kids songs.  So, what kids’ band does she choose when she’s in the mood to rock?  That would be The Not-Its!, a local Seattle band that’s breaking all the rules and making children’s music not only listenable, but enjoyable.

While we haven’t had a chance to catch the Not-Its! live yet, missing them by mere moments at Seattle’s Bumbershoot last year and again yesterday at their sold out show, we were really excited when their debut album We Are The Not-Its! arrived in the mail a few weeks back.  Since that day we’ve been rocking out to the CD in the car and blasting The Not-Its! tunes via their website when an impromptu dance party happens to break out.   

From sweet and slow to full-on rocking, The Not-Its! are the perfect soundtrack to a short car trip or afternoon playdate, as well as being the perfect go-to mix for kids parties and more.  Some of our favorite tracks include a ditty about camping that we are sure to be singing on our next hike and the much loved and over played “Come Play At Our House”.  The rocking and melodic “When I’m Five” may not make much sense yet to my little one, but she definitely understands a great beat when she hears it and this has quickly become her favorite on the album. 

From the opening theme song all the way to the last track, We Are The Not-Its! four part melodies and full band sounds confident and poised and never over-produced.  This can likely be credited to the years of rocking the Not-Its! have done as members of some of Seattle’s coolest and hippest offerings of the 90s, including Velocity Girl and Servo.  Now lending their talents to the kiddie rock genre, The Not-Its! definitely prove that kids’ music doesn’t all have to be simplistic, repetitive and mind-numbing. 

We found that We Are The Not-Its! is 160% more dance-able than the typical kid’s album, 120% more sing-able, and absolutely more relevant to kids and parents alike.  While we’re not math whizzes here at Rave Central, we do know a great album when we hear one and this is definitely going to be a hit at our house for years and years to come.   

http://www.wearethenot-its.com/

And now for the Giveaway...

One lucky Rave and Review reader will win a copy of The Not-Its! debut album We Are The Not-Its!

To Enter: You must visit The Not-Its! website and comment below with something you learned about the band, a song you liked, or something fun on their website!

And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review, top of right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Tweet about this Giveaway using @raveandreview and @The_Not_Its after following us both (daily Tweet, just post link here)

3) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage 

4) Place my button or logo in your sidebar on your blog or website (must have an active link)

5) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways or comment on any non-giveaway post!

6) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne (at)raveandreview (dot) com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

7) Vote for Rave and Review on Top Baby Blogs, logo in right sidebar (daily entry)

On March 9th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US residents.

This giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to Susan Varney who won the We Are The Not Its debut CD!

A huge thank you to The Not-Its! for making our dance parties awesome and offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers.  No type of monetary compensation was received for this Rave Review.

Boon Inc Grass Countertop Drying Rack Review and Giveaway

If you had your choice of a drying rack which has pre determined slots and spaces or one that was fully customizable and could hold all your oddly shaped baby accessories, which would you choose?  I don’t think anyone would choose to be limited by the drying rack’s pre designed configurations and just about every parent would opt for the drying rack with unlimited options to organize.  For any of you out there looking for the fully customizable drying rack, I will save you the time – there is only one and it’s the Grass Drying Rack from Boon Inc.

From a distance the Grass Countertop Drying Rack looks like ornamental grass popular in Mod stores and magazines, but don’t be fooled by its simple design and color scheme, this little rack is seriously awesome.  It has entirely replaced the 4 other drying racks we currently own and now proudly sits to the left of my kitchen sink and will continue to do so until long after the children are sippy cup weaned. 

Of course, the thing I love most about it is its unlimited configurations, but I think a close second is that this is not a “bottle drying rack” as my other racks are, but rather a drying rack for just about any small odds and ends that you can imagine.  Before, when all we owned was a bottle rack, we would typically have one or two bottles on the pegs provided, but then the rest of the rack would be empty or gear would be haphazardly hung from the bottle pegs.  Because the rack didn’t have space to drip dry the remainder of the baby gear, we decided to permanently keep a Tupperware container beside the rack to hold all the baby and toddler paraphernalia that didn’t have any other spot.  Over the months, that container became two and then three, and still we managed to always run out of room whenever we were washing or sterilizing and the counters perpetually looked messy.

With the Grass Modern Drying Rack from Boon, we finally have found a solution to the counter clutter.  We no longer have a big and bulky rack taking up precious space on our counter and not really working for us, but instead have a really slim profile rack (10” square and only 2.5” high) that can hold every little object our baby requires.  An added bonus is that it looks cute and modern on our counter and doesn’t look anything like the pink and blue atrocities we used to cover our counters with. 

Now, when we wash and sterilize bottles, we simply place them upside down on the rack and they stay upright over the blades of “grass” nicely.  To dry nipples, bottles and more, we basically just dump them on top of the prongs of the Boon Grass and let them drip dry over the course of a day or so.  The grass prongs keep the objects we are drying suspended over the water that drips off and collects in the tray below and our counters stay clean and organized.  If the Grass Drying Rack were to get dirty, it is nice to know that the rack and tray are both dishwasher safe and don’t take up much room inside the dishwasher. 

I love the Boon Grass Countertop Drying Rack so much that I would actually recommend it to households without children at all.  It currently does more than keep our pacifiers (see plug city, left), bottles, nipples, utensils, cups and lids off the counter, it also is perfect for non-baby items, too, like freshly hand washed utensils, knives, and kitchen electronic gadgets that are not dishwasher safe. 

For that reason alone, I don’t see this little drying rack going anywhere… ever.  However, if we did decide to store it, it would take up a very minimal amount of space, especially since it can be stored either flat or on its side and could either stand up next to the pots and pans or it could lay on the bottom of our plastics drawer.  But, don’t plan on seeing it in storage anytime soon, and sorry gals, Grass will not be part of the baby years hand-me-downs.

Price: $19.99

http://www.booninc.com/

 And now for the Giveaway...

One lucky Rave and Review reader will win a Grass Countertop Drying Rack from Boon Inc!

To Enter: You must visit Boon Inc and comment below with another one of their products you would love to try!

And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review, top of right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Tweet about this Giveaway using @raveandreview and @BoonInc after following us both (daily Tweet, just post link here)

3) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage 

4) Place my button or logo in your sidebar on your blog or website (must have an active link)

5) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways or comment on any non-giveaway post!

6) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne (at)raveandreview (dot) com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

7) Vote for Rave and Review on Top Baby Blogs, logo in right sidebar (daily entry)

On March 6th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US residents.

This giveaway is closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratualtions to Debbie who won the Boon Grass Drying Rack:

Debbie Gorlewski said...

Daily Tweet!
http://twitter.com/MSU_MOM_TO_2/status/9457016013

A huge thank you to Boon Inc for clearing off our counters and offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers.  No type of monetary compensation was received for this Rave Review.

bareMinerals Rethink What Matters Giveaway

Unless you’ve still got rabbit-ear antennas on your television and you’re still doing the aol dial up, my guess is that you’ve heard about bareMinerals makeup or maybe even had the chance to try it.  I’m not really huge into makeup or anything, but I have always thought the bareMinerals line looked like something that might work for me and the fact that they have really pale shades means I might even find one that matches my skin tone.

So, when I found out they were running a promotion that awarded applicants with instant win products and goodies, I emailed my girlfriends right away.  The Bare Escentuals Rethink What Matters is a campaign that invites women to rethink different aspects of our life in a five question quiz updated each week with a different topic.  This week’s topic is “Rethink The Need to Find Yourself” and has questions about growing up and figuring yourself out.  The best part is that you get to see how your answers stack up to others after the multiple choice survey is over. 

Once you complete the Rethink What Matters survey, you can find out if you’re an instant winner for that week.  This week’s prize is a bareMinerals SPF 15 foundation of your choice that would be great for the coming Spring.  And, because they know you love to share a good tip when you hear one, Bare Escentuals invites you to share the Rethink What Matters survey by email, Facebook and Twitter to give your friends a chance to win as well.

In addition to winning great products instantly, they are also awarding a grand prize to one lucky lady as well as a few runner-up prizes.  For those of you who would like yet another way to win, I’ve got a special giveaway just for you!

And now for the Giveaway...

 This giveaway is closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to Jennifer who said:

I'd love to try the bareMinerals Well rested for eyes as I find that I always have dark circles under my eyes (may have something to do with being a new mom :P)