This Full House Reviews

STICKY POST: Please scroll down to see newer blog posts!!!

Want to help me raise $1,000 for OUR local food bank?  Excellent!!

Lunchables will donate $5.00 per comment (up to $1,000) to The Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean County, NJ -- go ahead and click for a good cause!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Judging by the new Folger's commercial that had my oldest daughter (she's 16) and me bawling, last night.

No, it's not the classic one with Peter (although, it still chokes me up...a little) but, it's close (guy comes home, greeted by sister, had us BAWLING) and I can't seem to find it online, anywhere, yet :(

Aaaanyway, some of you may know that I have a twin brother and, though his name is NOT Peter, he's going through a very difficult time (he's having surgery on Monday to remove some cancerous cells that have formed, AGAIN!) so, he and my SIL probably won't be able to join us for Thanksgiving and, well, the Folger's commercial really hits home, right now.

So, I'm taking the next couple of days...offline.

I'm leaving the keys on the table, though -- our Holiday Survival Guide 2009 goes live this Monday, November 23rd -- we're sharing some of our favorite stuff and tips on getting ready for the cuh-ray-zee that is the holidays!

So, be sure to stop by, EVERYDAY, Thanksgiving Week (November 23rd - November 29th) especially, on 11/29, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, if you, or someone you know, happens to have an Xbox 360...ahem...on their Christmas list, I'm just sayin' oh, and feel free to hit the snack closet!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while - subscribe to our feed or, if you really, really like me, then feel free to stop by my parenting blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Hot Links: HP TouchSmart 600 Giveaway

My friend Michelle (a.k.a. Scribbit) is hosting the most AWESOME giveaway, this week -- seriously, I got a chance to play with one of these puppies at BlogHer '08 and, well, they made me give it back :)

A little more info from Michelle:

The HP TouchSmart 600-1055 is a desktop PC where, as the name implies, you can touch the screen to manipulate information. It comes with all the stuff you desperately covet with the bonus of being able to pinch, rotate and drag things anywhere you want with your own little fingers. Is that not completely fun?

Want it?  Here's the link to the giveaway:

http://scribbit.blogspot.com/2009/11/hp-touchsmart-600-giveaway.html

Good luck!!!

 

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Open House Blog Tour - 36th 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 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!

I mean, who couldn't use a little linky love?

Okay, I'll start:

YOU CAN ALWAYS SHORTEN YOUR URL'S AT TINYURL.COM

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 in my archives and on my giveaways page.  So, if you happen to stop by, whenever, just go ahead and leave your link; I'm easy.

ALREADY SHOWING: OPEN HOUSE BLOG TOURS

Happy blog hunting!

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while - subscribe to our feed or, if you really, really like me, then feel free to visit my family blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Iams Home 4 The Holidays: WIN FREE FOOD FOR YOUR FAVORITE SHELTER

Since it began in 1999, Iams Home 4 the Holidays has helped place more than 3 million pets into happy homes.

Today there are 3,500 animal organizations in 17 countries around the world helping orphaned animals find loving homes.

We adopted Doofus-Dog from the Monmouth County Animal Shelter on November 28, 2004 and, other than dealing with rooting through the garbage issue, eating socks, or major anger issues with squirrels (seriously, he HATES them...me, too) he is still a member of our family -- it breaks my heart to think how Doofus was tied to a dumpster and left for dead.

Last year, the program’s goal of helping 1 million pets get adopted within three months was outdone when 1,202,701 pets were placed in homes.

Including Rumi, adopted by two-time Academy Award winner and this year’s IH4TH ambassador Hilary Swank.

According to IH4TH there are nearly 8 million homeless animals in the U.S. today, and almost half scheduled to be euthanized this year alone, our help is needed now more than ever. 

Not ready for a pet, yet?  Not a problem.

With the “Feed Pets in Need” program, you can help bring much needed food to your favorite IH4TH shelter by simply casting a vote at IH4TH.COM.

Each month, for the next 13 months, the shelter with the most votes gets a month’s supply of free food!

But why stop there?

Enter the Iams Life's Better Sweepstakes too and enter to win a FREE YEAR of food!

To learn more about how to make a difference in the life of a homeless pet — such as adopting, volunteering or donating — please visit IH4TH.COM and join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Doofus-dog thanks you!

Me, too!!!

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT, PRODUCT OR CONSIDERATION, BESIDES A CHANCE TO HELP FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) DO SOMETHING NICE, FOR SOMEONE ELSE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF AMERICAN POP AND IAMS.COM.

Black Friday, Everyday: Save Up to 75% on MSRP and FREE SHIPPING at 6pm.com

Thanks to some really great deals and free shopping offers, I got half of my holiday shopping done ONLINE (don't hate me, it's the Internet!) in my opinion, there's really no reason to fight the crowds, this year.

Unless, you like that sort of thing.

[cough...cough...weirdo...cough...cough]

Still, I've decided to celebrate Black Friday, everyday, by sharing and posting really great deals I find, while surfing the Internet this holiday season.

Aaaand, you're invited!!!

[chases dog out & puts on party hat]

Have you heard of 6pm.com?

Review Bloggers Monthly - November 15, 2009 Edition

It's no secret.  I like getting stuff.  I like writing about the stuff that we like and perhaps make my family's life a little easier. 

Especially, if it works!  Or, I haven't managed to break it...YET!

Clean off a chair and come on in - mi casa, y su casa - as we canvas the Internets and share together in the ultimate consumer experience....window shopping!

This month's edition is being hosted by my friend, Elizabeth (a.k.a. @table4five) at MomReviews.net!

 

Interested in hosting an edition on your blog?  EXCELLENT!  Feel free to check out the Review Bloggers Monthly guidelines, send a quick email to thisfullhouse [at] verizon [dot] net and (channeling Heidi Klum) you're in!

Oh and be sure to visit Elizabeth's blog to see this month's submissions!

Happy Reviewing!

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while - subscribe to our feed or, if you really, really like me, then feel free to stop by my parenting blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Kmart Bluelight Special Holiday Sweepstakes on Twitter

Blue Light Specials are back!  Remember, those little Saturday and Sunday specials when you were a kid? 

[blank stare]

Me, either. 

Okay, but here's the really cool part:

• Kmart will be giving shoppers on Twitter a chance to win a $50 gift card everyday!

• In addition to the chance to win daily, everyone following @KmartDealsnNews on Twitter (using the hashtag #KmartBLS) will be automatically entered for a chance to win a $500 Kmart shopping spree!

A little preview for this weekend’s (11/15 – 11/16) Specials:

• Essential Home Complete Bed set $29.99 (reg. $49.99) 

• All Trim-A-Home lights 50% off (reg $8.99-$29.99)

• 9 Piece Luggage Set $49.99 (reg $99.99)

• Juniors Leggings 50% off

The sweepstakes runs from November 12th until December 23rd. 

For more info on sweepstakes details, check out: http://tr.im/kmartBLS

For Official Rules: http://tr.im/kmartBLSrules

Good luck!

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT, PRODUCT OR CONSIDERATION, BESIDES A CHANCE TO HELP FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) SAVE A LITTLE MONEY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF AMERICAN POP AND KMART.COM.

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while - subscribe to our feed or, if you really, really like me, then feel free to stop by my parenting blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

 

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian on DVD

[COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: WE'LL BE SHARING SOME GOOD NEWS, WITH A COUPLE OF LUCKY DUCKS, SOON!!!]

I've got a confession to make.  Okay, so, I've been crushing on Ben Stiller since, well, forever.  There's just something about the characters he plays; average, every day guys who get mixed up in some really weird situations. 

No matter the movie, I empathize with his character's dorkiness (being a professional dork, my ownself) as he attempts to create some sense of order, out of total chaos (trust me, I know) that makes me think, you know, the man is NOTacting.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is being released onto DVD on December 1st (Holy Hannah Montana, December is NOT that far away, you know?) so, it's time to get your dork on.

[sound of crickets chirping]

Want one?

Free Cookies from Cheryl&Co.

Family and friends have been sending us holiday gifts from Cheryl&Co. for years (I know, I'm keeping ALL of them, friends who send us gifts, I mean) and I can honestly say that we have never been disappointed by their cookies, DARNIT!

Guess what?  They are offering customers a chance to sample their cookies for FREE (you only pay for shipping) so, here's what you get:

• You will receive a gift box of 6 cookies, including their most popular flavors: chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar, snickerdoodle, chocolate chocolate chip, and their FAMOUS buttercream frosted cookie.
• PLUS, you’ll also receive a $10 Reward Card to use on their next purchase!
• The only thing you pay is shipping and handling charges of $6.95. (Total value is $21.99)
• There is a limit of 1 free sample per customer and this offer will only be good through November 20th.

You can go to www.cherylandco.com/free to buy the gift or go to www.cherylandco.com and search for free cookies.

DARNIT!

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT, PRODUCT OR CONSIDERATION, BESIDES A CHANCE TO HELP FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) SAVE A LITTLE MONEY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF CHERYLANDCO.COM.

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while - subscribe to our feed or, if you really, really like me, then feel free to stop by my parenting blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Coupon Code for School Uniforms from French Toast

I was first introduced to French Toast back when my two oldest girls were in elementary school -- yes, I am surprised to be able to remember THAT FAR back, too -- dressing our kids in school uniforms was followed on a voluntary basis.

Raising 4 children, having 1 set of school clothes -- khaki pants, skirts; white blouses, shirts and maroon polos -- made sense.

Unfortunately, it didn't last very long and, well, now that they're teens and tweens, I feel it safe to say that clothes shopping is NEVER easy...especially, for school!

The good folks at French Toast contacted me about sharing a special coupon code with my blog friends and, well, seeing as there are families with children who go to a school with a dress code (according to their email, that’s about 1 in 4 public schools and the vast majority of all private and charter schools) I said, SURE:

• The coupon code is: QPPR09

• The code will remain live until November 18, 2009.

• The coupon code will provide 25 percent off accessories (backpacks, belts, ties, socks, tights, hair accessories, etc.) and 10% off Polos.

Because, we roll like that.

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT, PRODUCT OR CONSIDERATION, BESIDES A CHANCE TO HELP FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) SAVE A LITTLE MONEY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF MONARCH COMMUNICATIONS AND FRENCHTOAST.COM.

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while - subscribe to our feed or, if you really, really like me, then feel free to stop by my parenting blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Holiday Survival Guide 2009: SNEAK PREVIEW

Welcome to a preview of our Holiday Survival Guide 2009 -- yep, in 2 weeks, I'm having a virtual open house (sort of) and invite each and everyone one of you to join me on Thanksgiving Week, November 23rd and...heck...stay the WHOLE week...until November 29th...if you'd like, I don't mind!

Why?

Well, some of my favorite and awesomely generous brands have graciously agreed to provide some really cool stuff for you (yes, YOU!) I mean, yours...um...okay, isn't it time we ALL put the WIN back into the winter holidays and made re-gifting a rule?!? 

Seriously. 

Raising 2 teens and 2 tweens (yikes, is right!) my husband, Garth (not his real name) and I try really hard to remember these 4 simple rules to surviving the holidays: 

1. Take care of yourself - seriously, the rest will follow. 
2. Keep expectations reasonably low - it can only get better, from here, right? 
3. Take back your calendar - limiting commitments only encourages downtime and that's a good thing. 
4. Celebrate with family and friends - oh, and there's no shame in including them in preparations, or asking for help, either. 

It doesn't always work. Sometimes, we score...BIG TIME. 

Just so you know -- my picks, product features and blog posts (as always) are advertorial free. No one is paying me, to talk about their product. It's just some really nice stuff that I thought you guys would like, too. 

Here's a preview of some of our favorite brands joining us:

• Build-a-Bear
• Campbell's Soup
• Disney Digital Books
• HABA Toys
• Jonas Brothers
• Pampered Chef
• Quiet-Time
• SKYPE Holiday Look Book
• Xbox

So, stay tuned as we continue to collect a few of our favorite things on the internet and share ways in which (hopefully) can help folks (like me) keep from going A LITTLE NUTS this holiday season.

In fact, let's start...RIGHT NOW!

Paperspring Friends and Family Discount: 25% Discount Plus Free Shipping

Note from our good friends at Paperspring.com:

• We have a special VIP Paperspring Friends and Family discount that we would like to share with you. For a very limited time, we are inviting Friends and Family to a special 25% discount (with free shipping included – as always).
• This special offer will NOT be posted on our Paperspring website, blog, Facebook, or Twitter accounts.

Because, we roll like that!

USE PROMO CODE:  psfriend (Offer Expires 11/15/09)

READ OUR REVIEW OF PAPERSPRING.COM:   (http://www.thisfullhouse.com/reviews/2009/09/paperspring-fresh-new-personalized-photo-greeting-cards.html)

Let the holiday crazy...uh...I mean, let the picture-taking begin!

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT, PRODUCT OR CONSIDERATION, BESIDES A CHANCE TO HELP FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) SAVE A LITTLE MONEY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF PAPERSPRING.COM.

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while - subscribe to our feed or, if you really, really like me, then feel free to stop by my parenting blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Printable Pillsbury Simply Peanut Butter Cookie Coupon

November is National Peanut Butter Lovers Month (who comes up with this stuff, anyways?) and, seeing as my youngest (she's 8) takes a PB&J sandwich to lunch, every day (except when they're serving Macho Nachos, I mean) I'm excited to tell you that Pillsbury is offering a printable coupon for one of our new favorite finds!

 

Why?  Well, they contain zero grams of trans fat; no high-fructose corn syrup; and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

Aaaand, they STILL taste good.

Seriously, I can't a chance to sample these puppies at the General Mills Eat & Greet event this passed summer and they ARE simply delicious!

FIND IT HERE:  Print your $1.50 off Simply Cookies here!

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT OR CONSIDERATION, BESIDES A CHANCE TO HELP FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) SAVE A LITTLE MONEY AT THE GROCERY STORE, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST.

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while - subscribe to our feed or, if you really, really like me, then feel free to stop by my parenting blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Open House Blog Tour - 35th 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 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!

I mean, who couldn't use a little linky love?

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 in my archives.  So, if you happen to stop by, whenever, just go ahead and leave your link; I'm easy.

ALREADY SHOWING: OPEN HOUSE BLOG TOURS

Happy blog hunting!

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while - subscribe to our feed or, if you really, really like me, then feel free to visit my family blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Featured Momprenuer: Sheila, Founder and CEO at Care.com

This week's featured Momprenuer is Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Founder and CEO at Care.com

"My husband, Ron, and I have two sons (Ryan and Adam) and two dogs (Blake and Sydney). Throughout the years, we've had to deal with many care issues, and in the spring of 2006 we had a crisis when trying to find reliable care for our family. It was a very painful experience. Luckily, through sheer chance and persistence, we found a wonderful nanny, Amanda, who joined our family and brought joy and peace to our lives."

Recently, I've accepted a job (yes, outside the home) and, though my children are in school full-time and I'll be working part-time (4 hours, 3 days per week) childcare STILL remains a big issue.

After 15 years of being a full-time mom raising 2 teens and 2 tweens (SAHM is an oxymoron) I quit seeking balance, a long time ago, and am focusing on perfecting a very successful juggling act, at the moment.

This coming weekend (November 6-8), Sheila is going to open up Care.com for a Free Weekend of access to raise awareness for National Family Caregiver Month while giving families the chance to meet great, local care providers and screen lists of backup caregivers.

How's it work?