TFH Family Favorite Finds

Favorite Find of the Week: Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System

My kids have been tag-teaming each other and burning through their sick days at school, which means I've had someone home, every week, since Christmas.

What?  You, too?  I know.  Is it spring, yet?

We received a sample of the NEW Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System officially launched in January:  it's an automatic "hands-free" dispenser and multi-purpose cleaner.

Seeing as our dishwasher isn't working (service people coming out next week) that's a good thing -- that it cleans dishes, too -- not that our dishwasher is broken, but I bet you knew what I meant, right?

The Bagster Bag Blogger Challenge Update: When It Rains, It Pours!

 
Thanks to TheBagster.com for sponsoring my writing about our latest home improvement project and the Bagster Bag Blog Challenge.   

When I first told my husband about this challenge, he was all, like, I've seen these guys on HGTV (I missed that episode, dangit!) and, seeing as we can't afford to rent a dumpster, right now (or, probably never) he also thought The Bagster Bag was a perfect fit for us.

Unfortunately, our renovation plans have not gone...well, as planned...and here is why:

How about you?  Got any renovations coming up in the new year?  Have you had any home improvement projects go, you know, NOT as you quite planned?

FIND IT HERE:  TheBagster.com

The Bagster Bag on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/bagsterbag)

The Bagster Bag on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/bagsterbag)

© 2003 - 2011 This Full House

Disclosure:  Waste Management partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its The Bagster Bag Blogger Challenge.  As part of the program, I received compensation.  They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used for the The Bagster Bag Blogger Challenge. Waste Management believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Waste Management’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

Levaqua Digital Showerhead Review & Giveaway

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: So happy to be sharing this awesome prize with you, Kimberly B (comment #117) please check your email for further instructions, thanks!

CONFESSION:  I have a thing for bathrooms and, as a mom, raising 4 children, I feel it safe to describe it as a parent's personal place of refuge.

Especially, when checking into a hotel room, one of the first things I do is throw my suitcase in the corner and hit the bathroom.

For obvious reasons (that last flight to San Diego, from Jersey, was a REAL looooooong one!) and some hotels just have the coolest bathrooms, right?!?

Just like the one I had, while attending the Bloggers Retreat at The Congress Hall in Cape May, NJ.

With it's beach-y colors and spa-like feel, yep, I could live here!

I was contacted by the good folks representing Levaqua about their new digital showerheads and, well, did I mention how much I love taking showers, too?!?

What really caught my attention: the Levaqua OneTouch digital showerheads have automatic timer settings (5, ten10 and 15 minutes; depending on the model) to help parents to easily regulate and monitor kids’ showering time.

Did I mention, I have teenagers?!?  Want to see what one looks like (a digital showerhead, I mean, since teenagers can be real scary in the morning) check it out:

Encourage Kids to Clean - Or, Just Share Your Thoughts For a Chance to WIN a House Cleaner, Instead!

  You HAVE been warned!

Over the years, my husband and I have learned to expect less than favorable opinions from folks (most especially, other parents) upon learning that we have 4 children.

Then, they find out I have 3 daughters, who ALL share the same bedroom, the shock sets in and, well, yes, it is just as complicated and delicate of a situation as anyone can imagine.

If you've ever used a public ladies room...[shiver]...then, yes, you're safe to assume the girls' bedroom could probably use a really good cleaning, right about now, too.

Now that they are older (17, 15, 12 and 10) I'd be hard-pressed to convince my kids that singing the clean up song will make their chores go any faster, or easier, seeing as I don't view cleaning as very much fun, either.

Unless, it's the weekend, there's a really great Maroon 5 or LMFAO song playing on the radio and the kids need a ride, or something.

"Sure, I'll take you, AFTER you clean your room, FIRST!"

At our house, encouraging our kids to clean means that there will almost always be a compromise of some sort and, well, it's not easy being the parent, either, right?!?

Hopefully, we're helping our kids learn how to make choices and, ultimately, better use of their free time, give or take a few chores.

What about you?

Want to hand over cleaning to the experts? Leave a comment here (yes, that's it!) telling us how you have taught and encouraged your kids to clean and be entered to win one of two prizes:

Black & Decker Steam Mop: A Smart Mop? Yes, Please!

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: I am so, SO excited to be able to share this with you, Debra Ford (comment #295) please check your email for further details, thanks!!!

CONFESSION:  Although, I have been known to whip out my beloved Dyson vacuum and go dust bunny hunting, unprovoked (IMO: best anniversary present, ever!) I do NOT wash the floors in my house, every day, especially in the summertime.

Frankly, the kids spend more time swimming outdoors, or at someone else's house, and the  thought of dragging a bucket around, wringing out a nasty old smelly mop?

[shiver]

Well, let's just say that, by Friday, it's way passed time to wash the floors. 

So, when the good folks at Black & Decker learned of my love for multi-functional gadgets and contacted me about road-testing their new steam mop, of course, I was interested.

Truth be told, they had me at "easy–to-use, chemical free, germ killing" steam mop.

Okay...fine...good...but, what's so smart about it and, more importantly, does it work?

Frigidaire Test Drive Mom: Eco-Friendly Options Poll

Last year, I had the extreme privilege of partnering with the Frigidaire Test Drive program and, let me tell you, we gave their appliances a real work out!

This year, Frigidaire announced the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have named them as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for Appliances:

The award recognizes us for increasing our selection and delivery of environmentally-conscious ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and helping to educate consumers about the ENERGY STAR PROGRAM.

Want to help Frigidaire keep to their committment to help make the world a little greener?  EXCELLENT!!! 

In honor of Earth Month, please consider taking the Eco-Friendly Options Poll on Frigidaire’s Green Sweeps Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/frigidaire, and enter for a chance to win BIG.

Each week, they are giving away a different eco-friendly Frigidaire appliance.

Good luck and Happy Earth Month!!!

© 2003 - 2011 This Full House

Disclosure:  I am working in partnership with the Frigidaire Test Drive Program and received a $50 gift card from Frigidaire for my participation in helping to spread the word on their Eco-Friendly Options Poll.

You Mean, Some Folks Actually Enjoy Spring Cleaning?

I know, cleaning is a dirty word (in my house, anyway) but, I have to say, there is something very therapeutic about sitting back and enjoying the freshness of a clean home, after a good scrubbing.

Falling into my couch, in total exhaustion, not so much.

Still, according to this Consumer Reports article, 82% of Generation Y women AND men (18 - 29 year olds) actually look forward to spring cleaning.

My oldest turns 18 at the end of this year and, no, I can hardly bear to admit that she will be considered an adult, in the eyes of the law, to everyone and in everything, without gagging, a little.

Having to pick up after her, her sisters and her brother?  Same thing.

Speaking of gagging, Consumer Reports published test results on a bunch of cleaning products, traditional all-purpose type vs. greener versions, using a process I found very interesting, indeed:

In the Kitchen: With Lori Greiner And Ingrid Hoffmann's Simply Delicioso Cookware

As a self-professed lover of multi-functional gadgets and a longtime fan of QVC (helllllloooooo, Mike Rowe pre-Dirty Jobs!) I was excited to receive samples from the good folks representing Lori Greiner (she's been featured on QVC for the last 14 years) including, these funky little cooking utensils...with a twist.

Key features are:

• Made of stainless steel, the silicone covered handles are specially designed to hang on the side of a pot
• The handles also have a special nylon non stick blend that is highly heat resistant & dishwasher safe
• Set includes a spatula, large stirring spoon, small stirring spoon and slotted spoon
• Available Colors: Red & Black
• Price: $18.00

After turning it over in my hands, a few times, I tried to figure out just what makes them so, you know, special? 

Looks pretty served up with my homemade mac & cheese, right?

These utensils rest quite nicely on the side of a serving dish and won't slip, or slide around, either.  Also, they match nicely with my kitchen (at the moment!)

Just like this pretty 14" Hard Enamel Open Paella Pan from Ingrid Hoffmann’s Latin influenced Simply Delicioso cookware collection launched on HSN.com, recently.

Key features are:

• It has a wide, shallow design and is great for preparing paella dishes or braising meat.
• It is one of the only affordable, easy to clean Paella pans on the market that easily goes from stove top to oven.  
• The Paella Pan also features a unique Thermo-Spot indicator that turns solid red to let you know when the pan is preheated.
• Price $24.99 (Also available at Target and K-Mart stores)

My mother would be interested to learn that, along with gas burner stove tops, this pan also works with electric radiant ring and an electric ceramic/glass-top.

My parents moved into a retirement community a few years ago and she had to actually re-learn how to cook with an electric stove.  I have since inherited one of her stock pots, because it took FOREVER to heat.

Unfortunately, I haven't tried to cook paella (ever) however, I'm willing to give it a shot and, well, you know any good recipes?!?

© 2003 - 2011 This Full House

Disclosure:  No payment, or any other consideration, besides a sample of the product for review purposes, was received for this blog post.

Sharing a Red Envelope $100 Giveaway Just in Time for Valentines Day (No rhyme, intended, sorry!)

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: So happy to be sharing with you, Sarah (comment #225) Please check your email for further instructions!!!

My husband and I have been together for over 20 years and have pretty much run out of gift ideas, for each other, a long time ago.

We don't usually gift each other, or if it's a REALLY special occasion (like, finding money in our clothes dryer) we just pick up stuff we like...mostly, for the house...together.

Although, he would totally say that lingerie is really for the both of us (ahem!)

So, I was very excited to be contacted by some nice folks representing RedEnvelope.com and got the chance to do a little online shopping, too.

Want to see?

New Year, New Space Blogger Challenge - Recreating Mom's Workspace $100 American Express Giveaway

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED:So excited to be sharing with Kelly (comment #69) please check your email for further instructions !!

Thanks to Apartment Guide for sponsoring my writing about finding inspiration in the smallest of spaces. Add your comment below to be entered for a chance to win a $100.00 gift card to help with your reorganization needs, too.

I am a full-time mom, but I also write part-time from home, which -- taking into consideration, there's 6 people, living in our 7 room house --  is no easy feat, trust me!

I’ve claimed a small corner in our living room and recently shared how finding inspiration in the smallest of places is relatively easy, on Mom Blog Magazine.

Living up to those words, not so much.

I was thrilled to be contacted by the good folks representing Apartment Guide, an online moving center featuring tips for decorating, cleaning, organizing and making the most of your space, in other words, offering helpful information no matter where you live.

I accepted their challenge to create a new space in my home and, hopefully, inspire other families (like mine) who have very little extra and literally, no room, or time to spare.

Biggest challenge for me?  Choosing just one project.

Our house has been under renovation for the last, um, 17 years -- it WAS supposed to be our "starter home!" -- however, short of moving, recreating my workspace into an area conducive to inspiration and perhaps tapping into some latent organizational gene, seemed like a perfect fit!

Aaaand, I managed to get it ALL done in just one week -- wanna see?

Good Causes: Buy One, Give One Campaign

It's cold here in Jersey.  What?  You, too?  I know, right?  Even my kids have taken to wearing their winter coats...for real...I mean, it was 7 degrees last night, which, by Chicago standards, sounds downright balmy, I guess.

"Thank goodness, we have a warm house to come home to, right Momma?"

1 in every 50 kids in the U.S. is homeless and even my 9 year-old is aware that homelessness is a brutal fact...especially, in the wintertime.

I recently learned about a campaign launched by The Company Store and CompanyKids to help make these children’s lives a little bit warmer:

Sharing: New Yankee Candle QuickScent - A Cool Winter Escape for Under $10

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: So happy to be able to share this with you, Rebecca (comment #124) please, check your email for further instructions!!!

I love burning candles -- they always seem to add a nice warm glow to the house -- especially, on a long winter's night and the lights go out, which pretty much happens with each significant (i.e. more than 6 inches, here in Jersey) snowfall.

Yankee Candle is one of my favorite brands (they have a GREAT store at the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets) and I was very happy to be offered the opportunity to try a new candle launching this month, as well as the chance to share it with you (yes, maybe even YOU!) before it hits the stores on January 18th.

Want to check it out?

ARM & HAMMER: Odor Eliminating Vacuum Filters - Eureka AirSpeed Bagless Vacuum Giveaway!

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: I am SO HAPPY for the chance to share with Diane Baum (comment #327) please check your email for further instructions!

I am a loyal ARM & HAMMER customer and a HUGE consumer of their line of laundry products.

[see picture above]

In fact, I am considering a new tagline:  This FULL House - where EVERY DAY is Laundry Day!!! 

What do you think?

[sound of crickets chirping]

Aaaanyway, when the good folks representing the brand reached out to me about the HEPA vacuum filters also by ARM & HAMMER (they must have read Doofus-Dawg's review) of course, it seemed like a REAL good fit at the time.

Unfortunately, turns out they do not have a filter that fits my beloved Dyson :( but, offered to send me the Eureka AirSpeed Upright Bagless Vacuum along with additional ARM & HAMMER accessories.

I really love and have had great luck with ARM & HAMMER products!

[see picture above]

However, I do NOT need another vacuum and would really rather share it with someone who, you know, could use an extra helping hand, or twenty.

Tassimo T20 Single Serve Coffee Brewer from Bosch Review & Giveaway

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: I am SO EXCITED to be able to share this with you, Nadine L. (comment #92) please check your email for further instructions!!!

 TFH Holiday Pick 2010

I often joke about how I can't make a decent pot of coffee to save my life, literally.

I don't know what it is.

Besides, the fact that I am mechanically deficient in situations that require anything more than pressing a button...I mean.

Even my own mother insists, "No, that's okay, you just sit, relax and I WILL MAKE THE COFFEE!!!"

So, when the good folks representing Bosch (the makers of the cool new ¹Tassimo T20 Single Serve Coffee Brewer) offered to help build on my coffee making cred (heh) it took me less than 60 seconds to make a BANGIN' cup of coffee...every time!

Want to see?

Pledge Multi-Surface: In the Fight Against the Household Chore That Shall NOT Be Named!

Thanks to Pledge for sponsoring my writing about cleaning.

I know, I know, housecleaning is a SUCH a dirty word (sorry!) but, raising 2 teens, 2 tweens and 2 pets, while waging war on a 7 room house (notice how I refer to it as a battle and NOT cleaning, you're welcome!) my friends at One2One Network asked if I'd be interested in testing out Pledge multi-surface capabilities.

Why?

Because, they know that, you know, I am also a lover of multi-functional stuff!

All of the Pledge aerosol (Natural Beauty, Clean & Shine, Dust & Allergen, Protection Plus and Extra Moisturizing) family of formulas can be used to clean following surfaces: