FLOR Fabulous Fall Flooring For Your Home *review and giveaway*

I love being able to have versatility in the products that I have in my home. If you are anything like me, I get the urge to do something different in just about any room in my house. I love to do simple changes that help to rejuvenate a room and sometimes you can literally turn it into a completely different space.  When it comes to carpeting, carpet tiles or rugs are one way in which you can spruce up a dated area in your home.

I first laid eyes on the FLOR flooring system when I was watching an episode of Trading Spaces. There are a million different things you can do with flooring when you are using carpet tiles from FLOR. They offer every color and texture you can imagine and the possibilities are endless when it comes to decorating your space. Even though the floor is beneath your feet, it is something you notice when you walk into a room. You can bring color into the room, or tone it down based on the type of carpet tiles you use.

We aren’t new to FLOR in this house, but each new rug from FLOR is still just as exciting as the first. We currently have FLOR  in our kitchen and entry way. We have hardwood floors, and FLOR is great for protecting them and adding a great design element. When I saw their new Fall line of carpet, I had a hard time deciding what to pick. They have so many great patterns that are rich in color and textures. We had the chance to try the  All Bark No Bite in Meadow. This particular pattern is an over sized, slightly raised hounds tooth pattern.  The color matches beautifully with the greens that I have in my home and it instantly changed the look of the foyer. The kids wanted to do somersaults on it and the dog quickly claimed it as her own.

The best part about FLOR is how easy it is to put together. I must warn you, that this process is extremely addicting and can lead to a new obsession. My husband offered to help me put this one together, but I told him to go away because I have so much fun putting FLOR tiles together. Each square goes together snugly and is held together by what I call “a  little circle of genius,” the FLOR Dot. The first time I used a Flor Dot I was a bit skeptical about what I called a sticker, holding these tiles together, but I was amazed at how great they do hold. You can actually move the entire rug around after your FLOR Dots are in place.  All you have to do is line up your tiles, and place FLOR Dots to hold them in place.  Each FLOR Dot is center marked on all four sides which makes placement a breeze. The process took me all of about 15 minutes and I had a beautiful new rug in my foyer. I love the subtle pattern in the All Bark No Bite rug and how nice it feels to walk on.

The possibilities are virtually endless when it comes to FLOR. You can even make some pretty ambitious patterns from cutting and splicing various tiles together. So if you have a creative mind and floor to use it on, FLOR is ideal. It opens up so many more options than the same old boring flowery rugs in the store, or rugs that just don’t quite match. FLOR is one product that I absolutely stand behind because it is innovative, the designs are endless, and the prices are reasonable. Once you try it, you will never go back! Check out their newest additions for Fall.

**This product was provided to me by FLOR for review. The opinions expressed here are strictly that of my own.**

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

To celebrate FLOR’s New Fall line of flooring, they would like to offer one of DoubleBugs’ readers the chance to win a 5×7 FLOR rug (12 tiles) of choice (excluding Coir and Shaggy Sheep)!

Here’s What You Gotta Do

Do a little dance (just kidding!)  Visit FLOR and tell me what rug you would like to have and what room you would dress up with a new FLOR rug.

Additional Entries

Blog about this contest with one link to my site and one link to FLOR.com (5 additional entries gained.  Please leave a separate comment for each.

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Contest Begins September 28, 2009 and Ends October 31, 2009

Winners Chosen via Random.org

Winner must respond within 48 hours

Good Luck!

Wii Accessories By Performance Designed Products *Review and Giveaway*

I can remember when  my husband and I were on a quest to find a Wii gaming console and how difficult they were to attain.  On a visit to see my parents, we got wind of a shipment at a local store and he raced up there and got one of the only five that they had received.

I am not a huge gamer, although I was brought up playing Nintendo when I was a kid and I have been a fan of their games ever since.  I can remember getting the first ever Zelda game and playing it every day until I finished the game.  Now that I am a mom to two boys, I know there will probably be some gaming in their future but even though I am older now, I still enjoy playing.  We even have the Wii Fit, which I must say is a rather impressive piece of equipment.  The way games are played have come a long way in the past twenty years from Atari to Wii.

I was recently offered some fun new products from Performance Designed Products to try out with our Wii gaming console.  I was really excited to try them out.  The NERF Sports Pack, is a really cool way to play Wii Sports or any game that includes baseball, racketball/tennis, or golf.  I love Wii sports, but I was never exactly coordinated by using just the Wii remote to play and everyone is always kicking my butt.  Lets face it as an adult, I have become a bit clumsy and uncoordinated in the gaming department.  I am sure I am comical to watch.  But, with the cool NERF Sports pack, it was great to pop in my Wii remote into the tennis racket and feel like I had a better swing.  It made a huge difference in how I played rather that trying to coordinate moving like I had a racket in my hand, I actually had something like it to hold on too.  I managed to win a few games.  I think this is great for little hands too, the boys didn’t necessarily understand the game but they fared pretty well.  They come in four colors, red, green, blue and black.

Later, we got ready to race with the NERF Racing Wheel.  I was never a huge fan of racing games, but with a cool NERF racing wheel that all changed.  I felt like I was in the pits at Nascar and ready to take off.  As with any Wii game, you can of course just play with the remote but the racing wheel made it feel much more real.  My husband was laughing at how into the game I was, and that my tongue was hanging out of my mouth in concentration.  Even though I am not gaming on a regular basis, I do tend to get competitive.  My only beef with all this NERF stuff is that it has that funky new out of the box smell that lingers a little more than I would like.  Maybe they can invent one that smells like berries, or new car leather?  How cool would that be?

Then to top it off after giving your tired Wii remotes a workout, you can pop them in and bring them back to life in one of these two chargers!  There is the Wii 2X Induction Charger (sounds like a mouthful).  This charger specifically lets you charge two of your Wii remotes without having to fight to remove your silicone protection sleeve on your remote.  I like this idea because anything that saves me time and hassle is well worth it.  It also comes with 2 rechargeable battery packs, 2 battery covers and a UL-approved power cord. You can’t ask for more than that.

The other charger we received, the Energizer 4x Charger holds up to four Wii remotes (Wow!).  We only currently own two Wii remotes, but this great for when the family of gamers grows.  When the boys are a little older and more into gaming then, this will be great to have a place to put all of the remotes to charge and have them ready to go for the next round of fun.

These are great additions to your Wii gaming system and it makes a little less coordinated people like myself able to get in on the action.  It seems like the younger kids always pick up on how to use this stuff faster.  I love these PDP gaming accessories and it makes your game play a little more realistic.  The chargers are also useful in not having to replace batteries in your Wii remotes all the time.  These would make a great gift for any gamer, as well as fun Birthday or Holiday gifts.

**These products were provided by the company for me to review**

Would You Like to Win  A Set of These Accessories For Yourself???

DoubleBugs would like to give its readers the chance to win these fabulous accessories for your Wii gaming system!

Here’s What You Gotta Do

Visit Performance Designed Products (pdp.com) and tell me what other products that you like and what games you will play with your new gaming accessories and why you would like to win.

For Additional Entries (please leave a separate comment for each)

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Contest starts September 14, 2009 and Ends October 19, 2009

Good Luck!!!

Holiday Inn Make It A “State-cation”

With the economy the way it is lately, I can imagine that a lot of families have stayed close to home for the Summer.  I know that for us, it just wasn’t financially feasible to take a big family vacation.  Sometimes I think that we live in our own little bubble close to home and sometimes overlook the fact that there is more to do outside of a 10 mile radius in your home state.

For us it didn’t take us long to discover that there were things that, even after living here for the past 15 years, that we haven’t seen.  Since having the boys we are constantly on the look out for fun things to do with them.  So we decided to plan a little weekend getaway in our own state.  We decided to set it up and make the plans and look for our accommodations.  I can remember a favorite Holiday Inn that my husband I love to stay at in Miami Florida, so when we are looking for hotels in our area, we always look for a  Holiday Inn first.  Holiday Inn, currently has more than 2,500 locations in the US, offering a fun and easy getaway in every state.

We found a really fun family hiking area with a few local things for the kids and a Holiday Inn nearby with nice rooms and plenty of space for us as a family.  We made plans to do some nature discovery walks with the boys, go fishing, and then head to a local Amish community.  We took our first ever “state cation” and we plan to do some more exploring this Fall!  Not only that, it was a much needed trip that didn’t break the bank.

Take a look at your own state, get a plan and make it a “state-cation” with Holiday Inn!

**I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Holiday Inn. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate**

Pebble.com Make Shopping A Breeze

With having twins, I don’t get out all too often to shop.  With the modern conveniences of the internet nowadays, I can do a lot of shopping online.  In fact, I would prefer to sit in my pjs while the boys played and get what I need for the family.  Too bad, I actually have to go to the grocery store!

One of the things I looks for the most when I am shopping for an item, especially a pricey one, is how other people have rated the item, their opinions, and most importantly the price.  A lot of the time, I find myself jumping from one site to another to find the cheapest and best option to get the most for my money.  My husband has taught me to “do my research” and with the internet, it makes it easy to look all the available options out there.

I was recently introduced to Pebble.com.  This is a comparative shopping site where you can find the item you are looking for and get the best available price.   For instance, I did a search on a Canon 50D (a girl can dream can’t she?), and it instantly pulled up all the places that carried the camera and their price.   You  can view a brief description of the item and underneath it will list where it can be found and for how much.

About Pebble (as quoted on the site)

Pebble.com is a new kind of comparative shopping website. Not only do we tout some of the best products from the world’s leading merchants, but we enhance that experience by providing a forum for users to ask and answer questions about those products – making it easier than ever to find exactly what you’re looking for.

When you buy a product in a store, you can ask the salesperson for more details about certain features or attributes that are important to you. Online, it’s nearly impossible to find that personalized service. Many website product descriptions fall short in some areas – they don’t mention a feature you’re looking for; they forget to list dimensions; they leave off information about compatibility. That’s where Pebble.com comes in. We offer a place for users to pose those questions to other shoppers, who can then provide answers based on their first-hand knowledge of the products.

The best and most valuable aspect of Pebble.com and a feature that I love, is the fact that you can ask questions and post them for other people or consumers to answer.  It puts answers and questions that people have asked just above the item you are searching for, so you have a complete overall view of all aspects of the particular item or items you are searching for.

Here is a screen shot of my search.

As you can see, Pebble.com is really easy to use.  If you are looking for a way to comparison shop and ask questions, it can be a great resource for you to go to.  I know that this will be one of the places that I will go to when it comes time for holiday shopping!  Why not make it enjoyable?  Thank you to Pebble.com for another valuable resource!

**This was a paid review although my opinion is strictly that of my own**

Zhu Zhu Pets *Review and Giveaway*

Hamsters are one of those pets that, I would never really want to have anywhere near my house.  They remind me a lot of a mouse and I don’t find them particularly cute either.   I can remember growing up and having friends that had hamsters and the horrendous smell that always came from them.  Even though those cedar chips are supposed to help, cedar doesn’t smell good either.

Now there is a great solution to your kids wanting a hamster!  Thanks to Mom Select, we were sent the cutest, most adorable, non smelly pets for the boys.  Let me introduce you to Zhu Zhu Pets.  They are fun interactive little hamsters that are sure to delight your child.  They have all sorts of fun things for your hamsters and a whole habitat that you can get, so they can scamper around in it.

After we set up the entire habitat, the boys were very excited, when I pressed the little hidden button on their hamsters’ backs and let them go to do their thing.  I was amazed at how well these things moved around, and the noises they make are so funny.  At one point when their noses bumped each other, I swore I heard a kissing sound, so cute!  They can drive off from the garage in a car, surf on a surf board, walk in their wheel, take a walk in their ball or take a nap.  This is better than any toy that I had as a kid!

The set up process was a little time consuming and takes up a considerable amount of floor space.  It isn’t something you would want to continually take apart and reassemble.  The garage was a little on the flimsy side and the doors didn’t stay in place so I just taped the sides of the garage and that seemed to work.  With all that being said I think in general is is a great toy and my boys have played with it almost every day.  A small word of warning, don’t get the hamster anywhere near your hair because it will get caught in the wheel.

Zhu Zhu pets will be hitting the shelves this Fall and would make a perfect Christmas gift for a special someone who asks for that pet hamster.  At least you know it will make them happy and no messy cages to clean out.

** Thank you to Mom Select for providing the entire Zhu Zhu Pets set up for review**

Would you like to win a lovable hamster and starter slide for your special little someone?  DoubleBugs would like to give its readers the chance to win it!

Here’s all you gotta do!

Visit the Zhu Zhu Pet site and tell me which hamster you love and what else you might like to have, and come back here and leave me a comment.

For Additional Entries You Can

(leave a separate comment for each)

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Contest Starts September 8. 2009 and Ends October 1, 2009

Good Luck!

MSN Homeroom

Education is something that I find important even in the early years before children officially start kindergarten.  It seems like each year the kids are expected to learn even more and the things we learned in first grade are now being taught in kindergarten.

As a mother to three year old twins, their education seems to be one of the things I am most anxious about.  You want to see your children succeed and you want them to be eager about learning.  At the same time I have fears about being able to help them along, is the school system going to be good enough, and are they going to learn the right things in the classroom.

Recently I was introduced to another great resource for moms.  Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats sponsored the development of the MSN Mom’s Homeroom site where Moms can connect and learn about various ways in which you can help your child and give them a boost in their education.  There is a wide range of topics such as reading, attentiveness, learning, and memory. The site features four Moms one a teacher, another a psychiatrist, a former marketing coordinator, and an obstetrician/gynecologist. The Moms participate in discussions and post unscripted videos of their views on helping kids succeed academically.

There was one particular article I ran across discussing how to help your preschooler with writing at home.  The boys are right at the age where we are trying to recognize the letters in the alphabet.  Although they can recite their abc’s we haven’t really gotten identifying them.  This article suggests ways in which you can encourage your child to write and ways in which to help them recognize them.  It is great to have these ideas on hand and guidance to give your child a leg up, so when they get into the classroom they have the tools to succeed.

As a mom, I think that having any amount of help and resources like these are a great way to help your child and give already stressed out parents different ideas to encourage your children.  Education is extremely important to your child and any help that you can give outside of the classroom, is just as valuable.

**I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.**

Umi Shoes Fall Fashion For Little Feet

With Summer winding down and Fall kicking in, it is time for back to school, cooler weather, and new wardrobes.  With kids shoes you have to buy them more frequently because their feet grow so quickly. I love buying shoes for little feet, and it seems like each and every pair has a little character all of their own.

Fall is my favorite time of the year to buy shoes for the boys, because I love all the rich earth tones and colors.  Besides the fashion statement, I like to look for shoes that I know will withstand the wear and tear of two rambunctious little boys and still look great after a hard day of play.

The difficult task in buying shoes for them, is I cannot try them on myself and sometimes young children can’t exactly verbalize whether or not a show is comfortable, so as a Mom I like to check the shoe out before I put them on their feet.  Umi shoes have been a long time favorite in our house because they are the ultimate in comfort for little feet.  Every shoe that we have ever gotten from Umi always wears beutifully, flexes and bends with the boys feet, and are lightweight, so they aren’t tripping over them.

Recently, we were sent two pairs of their newest shoe styles for this Fall, and I instantly fell in love.   We received the Aileron and Aviator and they are some of the most handsome shoes for their little feet.  The Aileron is a cute little half boot type shoe with leather and just enough mesh like detailing that makes the shoe stand out.  The Aviator comes in Black or Forrest which is my most favorite of the shoes we received.  Both pairs of shoes are versatile and are great for play and a night  on the town afterwards.  The boys love to put their Umi shoes on and you can tell that they feel good on their feet. I swear by Umi shoes and they are built to accommodate fast growing little feet with a little extra room to grow too!

Umi has a wide variety of new styles to choose from for boys and girls this Fall.  Your little guy or gal will be the talk of the town and you will be happy they are walking on clouds.  You can find Umi shoes online at their site www.umishoes.com or at www.endless.com.

**Thank you to Umi who provided me with these shoes for review**

Plan Toys Activity Bus

Around this house the toys take a beating and you can usually tell quality toys from ones that will break within the first hour your child plays with them.  As a mom to twins, I am often extremely selective about the toys that I buy for them.  I would much rather pay the extra money to get something that is going to last then spend ten dollars on one that, they only play with once. I think as a parent when searching for baby toys or learning toys for your child, you want toys that are going to hold up.

I buy a lot of  wooden toys for the boys, and surprise, they are the ones that they still have, that haven’t broken and are in the best shape.  If you know anything about boys, they love to crash and smash just about anything, and when they are using their little imaginations toys can take some abuse.    Recently, as part of a toy review through ebeanstalk, Plan Toys sent us the Activity Bus to try. I will admit, I love websites like ebeanstalk that offer advice on toys that are age specific.  The boys recently had their third birthday and I will admit that I was clueless, because they are at this in between age where they are too young for older toys and too old for baby toys.  Ebeanstalk is a really great site that breaks toys  down by age so it takes out the guesswork when you want to find something developmentally appropriate for your child.

My boys love anything with wheels, and their faces just lit up when they saw the bright yellow school bus.  Along with the bus it came with little wooden desks, a seat for the bus driver, a mock classroom set up with a chalkboard and two wooden figures, I’m guessing these are the student and teacher or bus driver.  I think that the whole idea behind the toy is to encourage your child to use their imagination.  The side of the bus opens up for even more imaginative play.

The only thing that I don’t particularly like about the wooden figures is that their legs don’t exactly bend and it is difficult to make them sit in the desk or in the driver’s seat.  This is one thing that I think is important if little hands are trying to manipulate the figures to sit.  One of my sons instantly got frustrated when the little figure wouldn’t sit and stay.  Outside of that, we love the Activity Bus and the boys play with it daily.  They love to put their lego guys in there and take them for a drive too. They push the bus all over the house and say “Mommy, they are going to school!”

The Plan Toys Activity Bus retails for $34.99 This is a perfect toy for little imaginations and if you are in the market for safe and eco-friendly toys for your child.  We have several Plan Toys in out house and the boys love them and I love the fact that they are still together and not broken.  In this case quality is so much better than quantity.

**The Plan Toys Activity Bus was provided to me for review and this is my own personal opinion about the product.  Thank you to Plan Toys and Ebeanstalk for providing the toy for review**

Yoplait Makes For A Great Frozen Anytime Treat

My kids are huge Yoplait Yogurt fans and ask for it just about anytime of the day.  I have almost always bought the Yoplait brand yogurt because it offers a variety for the whole family.  My husband doesn’t like yogurt that has chunks of fruit so he gets the smooth and creamy and I love Yoplait’s regular and whipped yogurt.

It wasn’t until I was visiting Costco that I had actually tried it frozen.  They were passing out Yoplait yogurt that had been frozen and to my surprise it tasted really good and the boys loved it too.  So thanks to My Blog Spark, I was able to try Yoplait Whips and I decided to try them frozen.  They were really yummy and the boys couldn’t get enough.  The best part about them is that they are low in fat and are actually a healthier treat than ice cream.

Yoplait Whips! are currently available in a variety  flavors like Strawberry Mist, Chocolate, Key Lime Pie, Orange Crème, Chocolate Raspberry, Lemon Burst, Peaches ‘N Cream and Raspberry Mousse. As well as their  newest flavor Vanilla Creme which just came out.

If you want to offer a healthier alternative to other frozen novelties, I would suggest giving frozen Yoplait a try and I think y ou could freeze just about any kind of Yoplait yogurt and it would taste just as good.  And even  better, you can make your kids think they are getting something really special yet it is a much helathier alternative.

If you would like to try out frozen Yoplait whips, you can visit here and print a coupon for .60 off of three Yoplait Whips.  Additionally, right now, new members who sign-up to become subscribers of Betty Crocker’s newsletter, will receive a free coupon for Yoplait Whips!

Would you like to win a fun gift pack from My Blog Spark and Yoplait? The Summer Cool Down” gift bag includes two free coupons for Yoplait Whips!, cooler tote, Popsicle molds and a set of 12 color-changing spoons.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED

Here’s What You Gotta Do

Tell me you favorite way to enjoy Yoplait Whips and what flavor you like

Additional Entries

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Blog about it

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Contest Starts August 31, 2009 and Ends September 21, 2009

Good Luck!

**Thank you to My Blog Spark who provided me with free samples of yogurt and a gift pack to try for review**

Oscar Mayer Lunchables Lunch Combinations *review*

Making lunches and finding different ways to make the ordinary interesting for kids is often a task that us moms dread at times.  You often hear about how kids are bartering away their lunches in the school cafeteria in exchange for something they find more exciting.

I was recently given the opportunity to try out Oscar Mayer’s new Lunchable Lunch Combinations.  My husband is a huge fan of the smaller Lunchable packets and he takes them for a snack at work or in the morning.  Even though my boys aren’t in school yet, I can see that this would be a perfect alternative to brown bagging it.

In comparison to an unhealthier choice of fast food or cafeteria foods, this at least offers a source of more rounded nutritional value.  We tried the Ham and American Sub combination and I was surprised at how much was actually in the package.  Included in the package was ham, american cheese, sub bun, mayo,sugar free jello, chewy chips ahoy cookies, water and kool aid drink mix packet.  The only thing that I personally would have liked is that there just be plain water in the meal, regular jello since I am not one to give the kids artificial sweetener, and maybe apple slices in place of the jello or the cookies.  I think it is a great idea especially on days where you are running behind and it makes for a hearty meal.  I think if I were a kid this would be a real treat and you wouldn’t find me trading a single morsel.

You can find Oscar Mayer Lunchables Lunch Combinations in your grocer’s refrigerated section next to the packaged lunch meats.  There are six new varieties that include: Turkey + Cheddar Sub Sandwich, Ham + American Sub Sandwich, Turkey + Cheddar Cracker Combos, Ham +American Cracker Combos, Deep Dish Cheese Pizza and Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza.

**I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central on behalf of Oscar Mayer Lunchables and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.**

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