This Full House Reviews

Open House Blog Tour - 48th Showing

My husband, Garth [not his real name] and I love attending open houses - especially, if it's a home that we've admired from the sidewalk, or wondered...you know...what the heck is going on in there? 

Welcome to the Open House Blog Tour- 48th Edition, where everyone (and anyone) is free to come and leave links (PG-13, please) telling us about your individual blogging events, fundraisers, giveaways, book tours, contests, or if you have a burning blog post and just need to shout out, go for it!

WHAT, IS YOUR LINK TOO LONG?  NO PROBLEM:  Shorten your links with http://bit.ly/ (it's easy AND free!)

Okay, I'll start:

Leave a link, or comment, if you'd like -- trust me, I know how busy you are -- and, don't worry if you forget, it'll be here, linked permanently on our Open House Page (24/7) so, if you happen to stop by, whenever, just go ahead and leave your link; I'm easy.

ALREADY SHOWING: OPEN HOUSE BLOG TOURS

Thanks SO MUCH for coming and don't hesitate to come back, next week -- we'll leave the porch light on for ya!

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while AND feel free to visit my personal blog and I'll love your forever!

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Celtic Woman: Songs from the Heart Review & Giveaway

I was watching PBS, while in the middle of a self-proclaimed "mommy needs a time out" (last year, I think) when I fell in love with Celtic Woman (figuratively speaking, of course) a 5 member Irish female ensemble, all of whom are extremely talented and awfully gosh-darned pretty, too, DAMMIT!

Then again, I'm a sucker for string instruments and a good set of pipes, not to mention, the modern movement that's recently hit Celtic music -- don't even get me started on the gorgeous that is Celtic Thunder -- so, when Child's Play Communications approached me about their latest Music Mom project (of which, I am also a proud member) I was more than happy to give Celtic Woman: Sounds of the Heart a listen and take them up on an offer to share some Celtic love, with you, too!

Wanna see?

Outback is Supporting our Troops and We Can, Too!

My twin brother (a.k.a. Uncle Bud) is full-time Army and a big part of his job, lately, is to help ready his troops for deployment.  

To me, "support our troops" is more than just a sound bite on a t-shirt or bumper sticker (my minivan sports a magnet, actually) personally, I understand the sacrifice, dedication and difficult decisions members of our military make, every day, and honor that commitment, by showing my support in little ways -- like, blogging about stuff like this.

From March 3rd to March 31st, Outback is offering a special, "Red, White and Bloomin" menu in its restaurants and donating proceeds to support the troops.

Customers can also donate directly to Operation Homefront by texting "HERO" to 50555.

Additionally, Time McGraw is helping to spread the news. A portion of the proceeds from a commemorative Tim McGraw T-shirt sold during his "Southern Voices" tour will be donated to support the cause.

It may NOT sound much to some folks (personally, I don't know of anyone who would say so) but, it's nice to know that even the smallest effort can truly make someone's day!

HOOAH!

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT WAS RECEIVED, OR CONSIDERATION GIVEN, OTHER THAN A CHANCE TO SHARE SOMETHING NICE WITH OTHER FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST

GoodNites Bedtime Theater: Iggy's Next Adventure Contest & Giveaway #2

I'm very proud to partner with the good folks at GoodNites in presenting to you Bedtime Theater, a free audio series about the magical adventures of Iggy and his Wiggy Bed, that transforms into a magical flying machine, taking Iggy on fantastical (yes, it's a word!) adventures, with themes of overcoming adversity.

Why?

Well, at our house, bedtime is the best time to talk about the stuff that perhaps is just too scary, or difficult to face, all by ourselves, even in the daylight.

In fact, I had the extreme honor of helping to write Iggy's next adventure (along with 8 other parent bloggers, like me) and now, so can you (yes, YOU!) and perhaps even win some pretty awesome prizes, too!

Just like Anne Gustke, the first (of three readers) to win a Bedtime Theater Prize Pack, because we roll like that!

Wanna see?

Family Game & Movie Night: Endless Ocean Blue World - Sequel to Endless Ocean for Nintendo Wii

My oldest girl (she's 16) loves the water -- good thing we live on the Jersey coast, right?  However, I don't think she's quite ready for scuba diving (she hears the water is a bit murky, here in Jersey) so, when Nintendo came out with Endless Ocean, she dipped into her babysitting money and headed to Game Stop -- a modern day Cheers, for teenagers -- where everybody knows our naaaaaaame.

[sound of crickets chirping]

Aaaaanyway, she swam, I watched her play (I'm a cocktails by the pool sort of gal) and it was good.

This time, my friends at Golin Harris were kind enough to send us a copy of Endless Ocean: Blue World, the squeakquel!

SQUEEE!

"Look, I get to scuba dive all over the world!"

What can I tell you -- the girl loves to swim -- wanna see?

Open House Blog Tour - 47th Showing

My husband, Garth [not his real name] and I love attending open houses - especially, if it's a home that we've admired from the sidewalk, or wondered...you know...what the heck is going on in there? 

Welcome to the Open House Blog Tour- 47th Edition, where everyone (and anyone) is free to come and leave links (PG-13, please) telling us about your individual blogging events, fundraisers, giveaways, book tours, contests, or if you have a burning blog post and just need to shout out, go for it!

WHAT, IS YOUR LINK TOO LONG?  NO PROBLEM:  Shorten your links with http://bit.ly/ (it's easy AND free!)

Okay, I'll start:

Leave a link, or comment, if you'd like -- trust me, I know how busy you are -- and, don't worry if you forget, it'll be here, linked permanently on our Open House Page (24/7) so, if you happen to stop by, whenever, just go ahead and leave your link; I'm easy.

ALREADY SHOWING: OPEN HOUSE BLOG TOURS

Thanks SO MUCH for coming and don't hesitate to come back, next week -- we'll leave the porch light on for ya!

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while AND if you really, really like me, then feel free to visit my personal blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Palm Pre Plus Blogger Review & Giveaway - The Grand Finale!

[COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: CONGRATULATIONS TAMI ALVESHERE -- COMMENT #125 -- PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!!!]

I am very excited to partner with my friends at TheMotherhood.com and participate in the Palm Pre Plus campaign on behalf of Verizon Wireless, by testing out the "multi-tasking made easy" apps featured on the Palm Pre Plus.

Oh, and these terrific ladies, too:

Busy Mom

Mom Trends

Tech for Mommies

Mom Generations

The Full Mommy

Rockin Mama

Musings of a Housewife

Manic Mommies

Quirky Fusion

For the last 4 weeks, I've be writing about my experiences (in very layman terms, of course) and sharing some great stuff, while I try really hard NOT to break their pretty new phone, too.

Week 1:  I simply tried to learn how to turn the darn thing on.

Week 2:  Went mobile with Facebook and Twitter.

Week 3:  I synced my computer's Media Player with the Palm Pre Plus music player.

Today, I'm posting a recap and am very excited for the opportunity to share a Palm Pre Plus, with one of you, too!

TLC Book Tour: Give Me, Get Me, Buy Me - Preventing (or Reversing) Entitlement in Your Child’s Attitude

[COMMENTS ARE CLOSED:  CONGRATULATIONS BADGER MOM -- COMMENT #16 -- AND DONNA HOLMBERG -- COMMENT #4 -- PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!]

Look, I know saying no can be real hard (trust me!) and anyone who's had to explain to a 2 year-old that, no, "real live" ponies do not sleep in big girl beds, would probably agree.

[cringe]

Then, my kids started getting older and, well, I seemed to have forgotten what it was like...making them happy, I mean.

"But, So-and-So goes to Disney every summer!"

From something as simple as buying clothes and video games, to being invited to elaborate birthday parties and watching our neighbors take out small loans, just so that their kids can have that dream wedding...er...I mean, sweet sixteen?

In my experience, walking that fine line between cheap and frugal, for quite a few years now, overindulgence isn't the problem.

"You NEVER let me do...go...get...anything I want!!!"

It's the guilt that beats down my parenting mojo, every time!

I have the extreme pleasure of being the 1st stop on the TLC Book Tour for March 2010, featuring Give Me, Get Me, Buy Me, by Donna Corwin.

So, who's in charge at your house?

GoodNites Bedtime Theater: Iggy's Next Adventure - Giveaway Winner #1

I'm very proud to partner with the good folks at GoodNites in presenting to you Bedtime Theater, a free audio series about the magical adventures of Iggy and his Wiggy Bed, that transforms into a magical flying machine, taking Iggy on fantastical (yes, it's a word!) adventures, with themes of overcoming adversity.

In fact, I had the extreme honor of helping to write Iggy's next adventure (along with 8 other parent bloggers, like me) and now, so can you (yes, YOU!) and perhaps even win some pretty awesome prizes, too!

Today, I am so EXCITED to be able to announce the first (of three) of our readers I'll be sharing this awesome prize pack with:

Oh Canada! Zappos.com Celebrates the Olympic Games

Rockport has launched the limited edition women’s Lorraine rain boot at retail in Canada. It is ALSO available online in both the United States and Canada on Zappos.com.

The stylish white rain boot has a fashionable platform wedge and sports the widely-known, red Canadian Maple leaf on the front. 

There will only be 2,000 pairs produced, 1,500 of which will be numbered. The Lorrain rain boot is now available at Zappos for $120.

[raises eyebrows]

I know, but this limited edition Rockport rain boot is exclusive to Zappos Canada and Zappos.com.

Go Canada!

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT WAS RECEIVED, OR CONSIDERATIONS, OTHER THAN A CHANCE TO SHARE INFO WITH OTHER FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF ZAPPOS.COM

American Baby Photo Contest - Ends March 31, 2010

Gosh, but I really do miss those early toddler years (sort of!) especially, tickling tiny baby feet and nibbling chubby little baby fingers.

[heavy sigh]

Do you have a cutie-puh-tootie(s) 3 to 24 months? 

Parents.com is holding a photo contest -- the grand prize winner will be featured on the cover of August issue of American Baby Magazine!

The editors have put together some photo tips to help moms and dads create the winning photo:

1. Remember how professionals get all those gorgeous shots? They take lots and lots of shots to get that one good one, so take a ton of photos.

2. Photo judges don’t really take to cranky babies, so capture your child in a happy moment – not too posed – so it reflects your baby’s personality.

3. Don’t cover up the beautiful little one – no big hats or towels, just the cute baby will do fine!

4. Simple backgrounds are best. Try to remove clutter so that the focus of the picture is your adorable baby.

5. Often times the best shots are taken spontaneously, so keep your camera handy during this period.

Have fun and good luck!

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT WAS RECEIVED, OR CONSIDERATIONS, OTHER THAN A CHANCE TO SHARE SOMETHING NICE WITH OTHER FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF PARENTS.COM

Frigidaire Test Drive: Week 4 - Microwave Me Baby, One More Time!

I am very excited (okay, I know, SHOCKED would probably have been a better descriptive word to use) to have partnered with Mom Central as one of their Fridgidaire Test Drive Moms - Team Everything!

Why?

Well, as I mentioned in my inaugural post, 'cawse nobody breaks stuff, like I do!  We survived THE BIG INSTALL and my attempts at burning down the house, not to mention, nearly snapping the wheels off the dishwasher!

Seriously, if there was an Olympic event specifically for "breaking and/or making appliances smoke" well, our walls would be covered with gold, instead of fingerprints and dog snot (you're welcome!)

This is the brand new Frigidaire over-the-range microwave we got.

This is where the Frigidaire over-the-range microwave SHOULD go, really, but we ARE talking about my house and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, stuff just doesn't go right, right?

NOTE:  Oh, the microwave would have fit -- in the space originally planned for, over the range -- however, the installer and I agreed that there wasn't enough of "comfortable" or "usable" clearance IN-BETWEEN the range top and the bottom of the microwave.

What now?

Well, my friends, based on passed experience, the best thing to do is, go to plan J and...you know...just make it work, DAMMIT!

Palm Pre Plus Blogger Review & Giveaway - Week 3

[CONGRATULATIONS, MICHELE -- COMMENT #32 -- SO HAPPY TO BE SHARING THIS WITH YOU, SO PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!]

I am very excited to partner with my friends at TheMotherhood.com and participate in the Palm Pre Plus campaign on behalf of Verizon Wireless, by testing out the "multi-tasking made easy" apps featured on the Palm Pre Plus.

Oh, and these terrific ladies, too:

Busy Mom

Mom Trends

Tech for Mommies

Mom Generations

The Full Mommy

Rockin Mama

Musings of a Housewife

Manic Mommies

Quirky Fusion

For the next 4 weeks, I'll be writing about my experiences (in very layman terms, of course) and sharing some great stuff (yep, I've got a Palm Pre Plus phone to giveaway, at the end of the program, too) while I try really hard NOT to break their pretty new phone, too.

Week 1:  I simply tried to learn how to turn the darn thing on.

Week 2:  Went mobile with Facebook and Twitter.

Today, I'm going to try and sync my computer's Media Player with the Palm Pre Plus music player -- without losing my patience OR breaking anything -- wanna see?

Open House Blog Tour - 46th Showing

My husband, Garth [not his real name] and I love attending open houses - especially, if it's a home that we've admired from the sidewalk, or wondered...you know...what the heck is going on in there? 

Welcome to the Open House Blog Tour- 46th Edition, where everyone (and anyone) is free to come and leave links (PG-13, please) telling us about your individual blogging events, fundraisers, giveaways, book tours, contests, or if you have a burning blog post and just need to shout out, go for it!

WHAT, IS YOUR LINK TOO LONG?  NO PROBLEM:  Shorten your links with http://bit.ly/ (it's easy AND free!)

Okay, I'll start:

Leave a link, or comment, if you'd like -- trust me, I know how busy you are -- and, don't worry if you forget, it'll be here, linked permanently on our Open House Page (24/7) so, if you happen to stop by, whenever, just go ahead and leave your link; I'm easy.

ALREADY SHOWING: OPEN HOUSE BLOG TOURS

Thanks SO MUCH for coming and don't hesitate to come back, next week -- we'll leave the porch light on for ya!

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while AND if you really, really like me, then feel free to visit my personal blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

IHOP National Pancake Day: February 23, 2010 - Free Pancakes With Donation to Children's Miracle Network

Mmmmm, pancakes...it's what's for dinner, at our house (a lot!) especially, when supporting of a really great cause!

Join IHOP to celebrate National Pancake Day, TODAY -- Tuesday, February 23, 2010. from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., IHOP will give you one free short stack (three) buttermilk pancakes.

GREAT -- but, what's the catch?

All IHOP asks is that you consider making a donation to support local children's hospitals through Children's Miracle Network, or other local charities.

Now, feel free to go and share some pancake love!

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT WAS RECEIVED, OR CONSIDERATIONS, OTHER THAN A CHANCE TO SHARE SOMETHING NICE WITH OTHER FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF IHOP.COM