This Full House Reviews

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

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

Heart Health Month: American Heart Association Tells Teens and Tweens to, "Be the Beat!"

"Teardrops On My Guitar" by Taylor Swift performed at 100 beats per minute.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States:

"About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event."

My children are well aware of the terrible effects of heart disease, with a bird's eye view from their stroller(s), while seeing my father through one life-saving procedure after another.

Thanks to his doctors, surgeons and my mother's valiant attempts at maintaining a healthy lifestyle, by keeping his diabetes in check, as well, my father has been beating back the effects of heart disease for quite a few years, now.

[knocking on wood until knuckles bleed]

February is Heart Health Month and, in an effort to help spread awareness, I'm very proud to be partnering with the American Heart Association to tell you about their new "Be the Beat" initiative -- one of the key components of the life-saving resuscitation method involves chest compressions, which they say should be performed at 100 beats per minute -- and focus on fun ways to educate teens (and tweens) on the basics of CPR.

'Cawse, I got a couple of those...too...teens and tweens, I mean.

Upromise Utilizing Facebook to Drive Scholarship Funding - Now Accepting Applications

Looking for additional college funding or, perhaps you're like me and don't know of anyone who, you know, isn't sweating their kid's education, let alone, trying to figure out a way to pay for college, seriously?

Upromise is now accepting applications for its third annual scholarship program, which will award $2,500 to 100 deserving students for the 2010 – 2011 academic year.

This year, Upromise will utilize Facebook to help the company reach the million dollar mark -- for every new fan of Upromise on Facebook from now until February 15, $1.00, up to $25,000 will be contributed to the Upromise scholarship. 

Hey, every little bit helps...right?

FIND IT HERE:  http://www.upromise.com/welcome

Good luck and wake up when those teenage years end!

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT OR CONSIDERATION, OTHER THAN A CHANCE TO PERHAPS HELP MAKE OTHER FAMILIES' LIVES A LITTLE EASIER, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF MULLEN AND UPROMISE.COM

Black Friday, Everyday: Balsam Hill Christmas Tree Company Discount and Free Holiday eCard

Thanks to some really great deals and free shipping offers, I was able to get ALL of my holiday toy 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, or helpful links I find, while surfing the Internet this holiday season.

Aaaand, you're invited!!!

[chases dog out & puts on party hat]

Today, I had a very pretty-ful eCard waiting in my mailbox from Balsam Hill Christmas Tree Company and, well, did I mention it came with a pretty nice discount, too?

Become a Fan of FunnySpoon on Facebook and They'll Donate $1 to Toys for Tots!

FunnySpoon.com (it's a new recipe site I just found) is donating $1 to Toys for Tots for every new fan they receive on their Facebook page.

Why?

Why not?  In my opinion, paying it forward is a great way to introduce your brand.  Plus, they offer easy recipes that, like, maybe even I can cook.

[hides empty pizza boxes]

The challenge ends on December 31, 2009.  Join in the fun and help make the holiday season a little more special for some deserving children!

Linky Love Bytes:

You can become a Funny Spoon fan on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/FunnySpoon/52193828137?ref=ts#/pages/FunnySpoon/52193828137?ref=ts

Read more about the Funny Spoon Facebook Challenge:  http://www.funnyspoon.com/18/about-us/the-funnyspoon-toys-for-tots-facebook-challenge.php

Funny Spoon Blog:  http://funnyspoon.blogspot.com/

Funny Spoon on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/funnyspoon

Happy Everything!

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

DISCLOSURE:  No payment or any other consideration, besides a chance to share ways in which we can ALL "give it forward" for the holidays, was received for this blog post courtesy of FunnySpoon.com

General Mills Eat & Greet: Food for Thought and Their Simply Delicious Cookies!

Last week, I traveled to sunny Minneapolis, MN (seriously, who knew Jersey could be so, you know, rainy?) where I got the chance to eat with the good folks at General Mills and a few other bloggers, or 40!

It was a nice mix of coupon savers, frugalistas, deal-seeking folks, web-savvy publishers, a consumer king (yes, he's the dad and charming husband behind ConsumerQueen.com) and other parenting-types, like me -- only, with better hair, nicer phones, cool cameras that take the most awesome pictures and no, I am not jealous, much -- yet, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that we ALL seemed to share the same love/hate relationship with the food we feed our families, or not.

Want to see?

Omron Overstep Your Bounds Challenge: Aaaand the Winner Is...

I had the pleasure of introducing readers to the Omron Pocket Pedometer on National Start Walking Day (April 8th) and was very excited when Omron Heathlcare offered to send one of our readers their cool new pedometers to help people (like me) stay fit and, you know, get walking!

This month, the good folks at Omron Healthcare generously offered to sponsor This Full House in the Omron Overstep Your Bounds Challenge, held during BlogHer 2009 in Chicago, IL, where I competed against 5 awesome bloggers:

• Christine Young – Fromdatestodiapers.com
• Briana Carter – Bargainbriana.com
• Shannon Entin - PhatMommy.com
• Tanya Gordon – MommyGoggles.com
• Elizabeth Thielke – Busymom.net

Why?

Well, the woman with the MOST steps at the end of the 2-day challenge (7/24 - 7/25) wins and will be awarded $5,000 to the charity of her choice

Guess what?  I WON!!!

[squeeee]

Here's the REALLY REALLY GOOD PART:

Omron Overstep Your Bounds Challenge

I had the pleasure of introducing readers to the Omron Pocket Pedometer on National Start Walking Day (April 8th) and was very excited when Omron Heathlcare offered to send one of our readers their cool new pedometers to help people (like me) stay fit and, you know, get walking!

This month, the good folks at Omron Healthcare have generously offered to sponsor This Full House in the Omron Overstep Your Bounds Challenge, held during BlogHer 2009 in Chicago, IL, where I'll be competing against 5 very amazing bloggers:

• Christine Young – Fromdatestodiapers.com
• Briana Carter – Bargainbriana.com
• Shannon Entin - PhatMommy.com
• Tanya Gordon – MommyGoggles.com
• Elizabeth Thielke – Busymom.net

Here's the REALLY good part:

• I get to road test the Omron GOsmart Dual-Axis Pocket Pedometer HJ-720ITC with IT capabilities, which allows you to download your tracked steps so you can compare to how well you’ve done over time. 
• The woman with the MOST steps at the end of the 2-day challenge (7/24 - 7/25) wins and will be awarded $5,000 to the charity of her choice!

BOTTOM LINE:  I'm looking forward to this fun challenge.  Not only will the Omron Overstep Your Bounds Challenge get me walking (for sure!) my steps will potentially benefit the charity of my choice, which I have already determined to be our local Ronald McDonald House!

That is some healthy competition, right there, right?

[fingers crossed]

BRING IT ON - wish me luck!

[Omron Healthcare sponsored my trip to BlogHer 2009 for the Overstep Your Bounds Challenge, courtesy of Weber Shandwick]

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Introducing Alice.com: Never Run Out of Toilet Paper, AGAIN!

Let's be frank, shall we?  After 15 years of raising 4 kids and killer dust bunnies, I have become severely and irreversibly domestically challenged.  We run out of important household stuff, like toilet paper, all the time; sometimes I don't even notice, until I'm sitting on the toilet, or someone hollers:

"I need toilet paper!"

That's why I am very excited to introduce you to my new friends at Alice.com!

Share A Little Comfort: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese is Feeding America, One Box at a Time!

[CONGRATULATIONS, JAY F.:  YOUR COMMENT (#280) WAS SELECTED VIA RANDOM.ORG AND ANNOUNCED AS THE WINNING ENTRY ON MY GIVEAWAYS PAGE ON PRIZEY.NET - PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!!!]

 

My good friends at Weber Shandwick [waves to Caroline] asked us to participate and weigh in (figuratively speaking, of course!) in Americas Frank Feedback, knowing that we loves us some hot dogs.  Especially my 10-year-old son, with lots and lots of ketchup!  He puts ketchup on EVERYTHING and even eats his macaroni and cheese with lots and lots of ketchup.  Yes, it IS pretty gross and totally unappetizing as it sounds AND watch!

Oh, and Oscar Mayer was all sorts of AWESOME and offered to sponsor our Memorial Day backyard barbecue.  But, the kids and I got sick with the creeping crud.  ICK!  So, we postponed our family barbecue to yesterday and spent it with my parents at their place.  Our family had a great time (thank you, Oscar Mayer!) and even the sun decided to show up (about gosh-darned time!) just in time to help us celebrate my twin brother's 40-something-ish birthday party.  Oh, yeah and mine too.

It just warms my 40-something-ish heart when my children choose to take full advantage of a quiet moment to do something (ANYTHING!) together.  Kicking back during the summertime and hanging out in our backyard is perhaps the closest our family gets to, you know, roughing it and it's comforting to know that the good folks at Oscar Mayer are doing their best to help families (like mine) give a little something back, as well.

That's why I am THRILLED to tell you about this awesome new campaign sponsored by Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. 

I can't think of anything that goes better with a hot dog, than a big old honking bowl of macaroni and cheese. 

Can you? 

Especially, since I am a big supporter of Feeding America (via Community Food Bank of New Jersey) I would love to be able to share the gift of a little comfort with you, too!

Why?

To quote one of our favorite Aesop's Fables, The Lion and the Mouse:

"No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted!"

Aaaaand it's how we roll, really.

Suave Hair Tips, Day After Mother's Day Giveaway & My Mommy Makeover With Lukaro Beverly Hills

[THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED: WE HAVE A WINNER - CONGRATULATIONS, RONDA GARNETT 5/13 - PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!!!]

I had the pleasure of being invited by Suave to attend the 2008 Glamour Reel Moments film festival, hosted by Glamour Magazine -- where readers submit their stories and then famous actresses pick their favorite idea and make it into a short film -- and I was very excited to meet Suave Celebrity Hairstylist Luke O'Connor, who gave me (and my mom blogging friends) a fun makeover, using Suave products.

I have been a loyal customer, ever since -- Suave is truly one of my favorite brands and totally #getit that motherhood isn't always, you know, pretty -- and it's not because they sent me to Hollywood, either.

Nope.  Although, that trip WAS a once-in-a-lifetime-experience and I will NEVER forget it, Suave has been very generous to the blogging community (i.e., sponsoring blogger giveaways, reader discounts and coupons) in keeping with their bold attempts at helping mothers (like me) feel pretty, all over again!

I'm excited to tell you that, even though it's the day after Mother's Day, today is no different.

Super Weekend Giveaway: Wet Ones Wants to Clean Up Your School With a Healthy Supply of Antibacterial Wipes!

[THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED: CONGRATULATIONS, STACEY MOORE 5/8 -- PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!!!]

Last week, my kids were coming home with all kinds of "scary stories" they'd heard in school about "the pig virus" and gave my husband Garth [not is real name] daily reports of who's sick, from which class, I forget.  Whatever.  I just reminded them ALL to wash their hands and hoped for the best.

Did I mention, I have 4 kids attending 4 different schools?

I guess my lackadaisical outlook comes from 15 years of trying to figure out the difference between a virus and a bacterial infection and how, in the end, it really doesn't matter.  It's all "creeping crud," to me.

Then, I was contacted by a Wet Ones representative with a pretty awesome pitch:

"In response to recent swine flu outbreaks, Energizer Personal Care announced today it will donate 500,000 packages of Wet Ones® Antibacterial Wipes to schools in communities hardest hit by the swine flu, to help them stay healthy by sanitizing and cleaning their hands when soap and water are not readily available."

Aaaand, Wet Ones offered to supply one of my kids' schools with antibacterial wipes by providing 2 canisters per classroom!  How awesome is that?

Want to hear something even MORE AWESOME?

Stop & Shop New Jersey Mom Blogger Event & Giveaway: When Moms Get Together, Good Things Start to Happen!!!

[THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED: WE HAVE ANNOUNCED OUR WINNER ON PRIZEY.NET - CONGRATULATIONS, ERMA!!!]

Last week, I had the extreme honor of co-hosting the Stop and Shop New Jersey Mom Blogger Event on April 15th held at the Frog & Peach Restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

I had the opportunity to lunch with my friends Deborah, Monica and Vanessa [who, I come to find out, is moving to Ohio...DARNIT!!!] as well as having had the pleasure of meeting terrific bloggers Kate, Hilary, Bay and Cecile!

My friends at 360 PR [waves to Victoria, Caitlin and Stephanie] really know how to pull a party together and I was very happy to be able revisit with Andrea Astrachan, Peg Merzbacher and Faith Weiner -- the very, very smart women behind Stop and Shop -- since, our last meeting at Sara Beth's Restaurant in New York City!

I know what you're thinking.  Boy, these ladies really do get around, right?  Well, yeah and you know why?

It's like my friend Monica said in her blog post about the event, these ladies really do  #getit and not only are they talking to bloggers (like me) their speaking with moms (also, like me) because, Stop and Shop really wants to hear what their customers (ditto) have to say.

Did I mention, they invited our kids, gave us gifts, made a HUGE donation to one of my favorite charities and even have a little something for you, too?

Encourage Children to Save the Environment and Enter for a Chance to Win $5,000.00!

Do you teach and encourage your children to do things to save the environment such as recycle, turn off the lights when not being used, use canvas bags rather than plastic bags, use eco-friendly cleaning products and such?

If so, than pick your video camera or video phone and take a 3-minute video of your family (or, a family) doing their part to save our environment and enter a chance to win a cash prize of $5,000.00!

Not a bad incentive, if you ask me, wanna learn more?