Sansa Fuze+ MP3 Player With VH1 Slot Radio *review*

We are a house that loves music.  One of my favorite things to do is to put on headphones, and do housework or go on a hike at our local parks.   Being able to have portable music via MP3 player has been one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread.  In fact I still have boxes of CDs in my closet wondering what on earth I will do with all of them.

For me when it comes to portable MP3 players, the smaller they are the better, because  it is easier to take with me on plane trips, on car rides, in my purse, and on walks.  I was recently given a really cool opportunity to check out the new Sansa Fuze+ and a VH1 slot radio card, and this thing is pretty cool.  I received a  red MP3 player  which just looks really sleek and compact, but I also love all the features.  The sound is really good, but the fact that I can listen to this pre-loaded VH1 slot radio card, is even better, or add additional music to a blank micro sd card.  I like being able to get a preloaded card that I don’t have to mess with hand picking and adding songs,  and it had a lot of the very popular  songs from the 80’s.  The screen on the Sansa Fuze+ was really crisp and clear which and I had no trouble navigating with the Sansa Fuze “invisible” capacitive touch control.  You simple just have to touch right, left, up, down, or in the middle to navigate through song lists, genres, and even settings.   You can also watch videos on the bright 2.4 inch LCD screen which is really cool.

At a $79.99-$119.00 price point, depending on the capacity, you can get this for just about anyone in the family for a gift for this holiday season.  The Sansa Fuze+ is available in five colors, red (my favorite), black, white, blue and purple.  Also available on the Sansa Fuze website are all sorts of preloaded slot radio cards that you can get to accompany your new MP3 player.  I am already eying the one with Health and Fitness to get ready for my New Years workout plan.

Specifications/Features:

• Capacities**: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB
• 2.4″ bright QVGA screen (320 x 240, 30 FPS) LCD screen
• Audio formats: MP3, WMA, Secure WMA, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, AAC, Audible, Podcasts
• Video formats: MPEG-4***, H.264, WMV and Flip Video™***
• Photo formats: JPEG and BMP; photo formats can be further extended with Sansa Media Converter PC software download?, enabling TIFF, GIF, and PNG formats
• Digital FM Tuner with record functions
• Rechargeable battery lasts up to 24 hours for audio playback and 5 hours of video playback†
• Hi-speed micro-USB 2.0 port
• Expandable microSDTM card slot and microSDHCTM card slot
• Ready for slotRadio™ & slotMusic™ memory cards
• Sleek industrial design with “invisible” capacitive touch control and highly intuitive graphical user interface

SanDisk® slotRadio™ Cards

Each SanDisk® slotRadio™ card includes 1,000 songs featuring artists from the Billboard® charts. Songs are preloaded onto a tiny card with handcrafted playlists that include hundreds of artists. Like a FM radio experience, you can lean back and let slotRadio do the heavy-lifting so you don’t have to download music song-by-song. Songs are played in sequence and are locked to the card. You can skip individual songs as many times as you like, or switch between playlists with a touch of a button. Simply insert a slotRadio™ card into the slotRadio player and enjoy music in an instant. It’s great music made effortless.

This is really a great little MP3 player for just about anyone with some really great features.  You can listen to your favorite radio stations, pop in a pre-loaded slot radio card with all your favorites, or add you own song line up.  You can even watch a video.  It would make a perfect gift, or stocking stuffer.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of SanDisk and received the SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ and VH1 slotRadio Card to facilitate my review.”

Bing Our School Needs Contest Voting Phase!

Education is one of the biggest and most important things that we can give our children so that they can be successful in their life.  It is the best gift that we give our children in hopes that they can flourish as individuals.

Bing is showing its commitment to education by helping teachers and students by providing them with the financial support needed to ensure their success in learning.  Bing will be giving away up to $1.1 million dollars through its Our School Needs contest.  In a bid to win $100,000 for their school, parents, students, and teachers around the country have been sending in essays, photos and videos to Bing to tell them what their school needs. The entry with the most votes wins $100k, and 3 others will each win $50k. The voting phase starts Friday, October 29 and runs through Sunday, November 7. America will be asked to vote on the 15 Our School Needs finalists as determined by the panel of judges. The winners will be announced Tuesday, November 9.  Be one of the first 30,000 to vote for your favorite finalists each day and receive a $3 donation code to redeem for the classroom project of your choice!
This hits so close to home, so do know that your votes matter!  I used to be an early development teacher and there were so many budget cuts that I found myself dipping into my own pocket to get the kids the books and material they needed for successful development.  There are so many great teachers, and sometimes there just aren’t enough resources.  In the schools near me, teachers and parents have set up classroom donation lists where parents bring in two of a particular item so their is a surplus of much needed supplies.

When I watched some of the videos and read some of the stories, all of them touched me in some way.  But Bear River Charter School, a K – 8 school in Logan, spoke to me because of the importance of books in my own children’s lives that I found getting them a new library is something that is like winning a million dollars.  Up to date books in every subject is great for little imaginations, and children who read are smarter, have better language skills and go far in their education.

If you want to help our schools out, casting your vote for a school in need is a wonderful start.  You never know the young minds you are helping to shape (maybe the next president or the one who finds the cure for cancer) just by clicking a button.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Bing and received a gift card and DonorsChoose.org giving code to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse Test Drive Final Take

About a month ago I mentioned that I was part of the Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse test drive.  I have been using the rinse for the past few weeks twice a day to see if I noticed a difference in my overall oral health.  I was excited to give it a try because most mouthwashes I try, are overly strong and tend to burn my mouth and I wind up rinsing with water immediately after, and that sort of defeats the purpose.

Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse gives you six benefits in one rinse, for a more complete way to get better dental checkups.*vs. brushing alone.  It is designed to:

• Rebuilds Teeth Enamel
• Helps Prevent Cavities
• Cleans Teeth & Gums
• Kills Bad Breath Germs
• Freshens Breath
• No Burn of Alcohol

After giving it a try, I actually looked forward to using it daily. My mouth has felt cleaner and fresher and the best part is, that I can tolerate swishing it around in my my mouth for longer than 2 seconds. A couple of times I goofed and ate something immediately after using it, because you are supposed to wait at least thirty minutes before eating anything after using the mouthwash.  I also didn’t notice any residue on my teeth.  Overall, I like it and will continue to make it an active part of my oral health care regimen. I like feeling like I am doing something extra, to make the visits in the dentist chair a little shorter. Crest Pro Health Complete Rinse, will help slay your dragon breath and not turn it into fire!

“I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Crest and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Staying Healthy With Healthy Choice

When it comes to eating and making healthier choices for myself, it isn’t always an easy task. As a mother to twins, I often find myself waiting till the much later in the evening to eat. I know that this isn’t the best practice, but there are days when I just don’t have time to make something that I even feel like eating.

I recently had the chance to try out Healthy Choice steaming entrées. I rarely buy frozen food meals in the store,because they never really taste all that great to me. And the word “healthy” on a label is something I am easily deterred from buying. I have found that many frozen dinners are overdone with a ton of sauce or flavoring and there isn’t anything really there other than a few poor quality pieces of meat. I was hesitant because many meals that are frozen just don’t taste the same as a good home cooked meal.

About Steaming Entrees from Healthy Choice

I tried the Roasted Chicken V and it was pretty good. I could definitely taste the cilantro in it and it had plenty of veggies and rice. It was a little on the spicy side for me, but that isn’t a negative thing if you love a little heat in your meals. Healthy Choice offers up 8 Steaming entrees and you can surely find something to satisfy your taste buds and keeping low in calories. Even though frozen meals don’t appeal to me, I can see me picking up a few of these to have on hand in the freezer, when I am tired and cooking something is the last thing on my mind.

Be sure to visit and “like” the Healthy Choice brand Facebook page so you can learn more about Healthy Choice and other great info to help keep you Healthy! www.Facebook.com/HealthyChoice

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Healthy Choice and received samples of their new steaming entrées to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Corn Refiners Association and High Fructose Corn Syrup

As a mother to growing young children, I typically try to balance the boys; diets and limit their sugar intake.  When I step into a grocery store, reading food labels can be almost overwhelming.  I usually try to make choices that have the least amount of sugar, but I also don’t deny them a few sweet treats.

There has been an ever growing debate on the effects of high fructose corn syrup in our diet and it’s relation to obesity.  If you haven’t read or heard the information, you can easily get clued in at your local grocery store.  In the bread aisle alone, every other loaf, is stamped with “no high fructose corn syrup!”  Having this on a label is a subconscious mental cue that HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is something that you want to avoid.

I was able to attend a live webinar  and learn a little more about the sugars we put into our mouth.  But prior to the meeting we had to do a hunt through our pantries and pick out five items we use on a regular basis and find out how much sugar was in each one of those items.  I was surprised at what I found.  You wouldn’t think that your tomatoes has any sugar in them, but they do.  If you want to know whats in your food, a good resource is (www.sugarstacks.com)  I am amazed at just how much sugar we consume.

Attending this webinar, put on by mom central and the corn refiners association was a fun and very educational hour, looking into HFCS and how all sugars are broken down in the body.  I was surprised to find out that the key differences in table sugar vs HFCS was that sucrose is fructose and glucose and HFCS is fructose and glucose that is bound together.  Both of them are broken down the same way by a particular enzyme in the body.

When you get down to brass tax, in my opinion, it isn’t the type of sugar we consume across the board but how much we are consuming.  Your daily intake of sugar should be 25% of your caloric intake.  I know that it is very easy to over indulge in sweet and sugary foods, and I think that moderation is probably the key.  I am sure that debates will continue, but the one thing that remains the same is that all experts agree that eating a balance diet is key to nutrition.  Pay attention to food labels, plan out menus that balance your sugar intake, and get your children involved.  Knowledge is key to teaching them healthy eating habits, high fructose corn syrup or not.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the Corn Refiners Association. I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Im Part Of The Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse Test Drive!

Going to the dentist is admittedly not one of my favorite things to do.  I will sheepishly admit that, I haven’t been in awhile because I am scared to death of all the poking and prodding that you inevitably go through in the dentist chair.  You would think that my rear end had legs because, I could scoot right out of the chair.  To avoid any additional length of time in the chair, I try my best to keep my mouth in somewhat good order.

I am a regular flosser and daily tooth brusher, but I rarely use any type of mouthwash or rinses unless maybe I have eaten an onion or my breath doesn’t feel so fresh.  In all honesty, I avoid mouthwash because most of them tend to feel like they are out to burn my mouth till it goes numb and kill my taste buds instead of my bad breath.  I have tried many a mouthwash and had to rinse with water right after, eliminating any effectiveness it may have had.

I was recently invited to participate in the Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse Test Drive.  As part of the campaign I will be using  Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse twice daily for the next month and sharing my overall experience with you!

Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse provides six benefits in one: re-builds enamel, helps prevent cavities, cleans teeth and gums, kills bad breath germs, and freshens breath  for a more complete way to get better dental checkups
vs. brushing alone.  And the most appealing aspect of  this new mouthwash is the fact that it doesn’t have that burn of the alcohol that most mouthwashes have.  I am most eager to try it out for that very reason.  Hopefully, I can share with you, that I can still feel my mouth after using it, and arm myself with another line of defense, to avoid any extended visits in the dentist chair.

“I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Crest and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Banquet Fruit Pies

I am a sucker for pie especially when it is fresh out of the oven and when someone else makes it for me.  Pie has to be one of those comfort foods that tastes good out of the fridge or warm.

I love to roll up my sleeves and make a fresh pie, but sometimes I just crave a slice of pie that doesn’t require me going through all the steps to make one.  Recently, I was given the opportunity to try Banquets new fruit pies, and I was excited, because who doesn’t love pie?  Banquet has been making  meals for more than 50 years, and now they are introducing new single-serving fruit pies.  Each Banquet fruit pie has a half serving of real fruit inside a flaky pastry shell that you can enjoy hot from the oven or microwave. The pies come in three delicious flavors: apple, peach, and cherry berry for a great low price.

I   popped one of the cherry berry pies in the oven because I like a crust that is more brown and a little crunchy, but you have the option of making them in your microwave. Then after pulling the pie out, I topped that baby with some whip cream and grabbed my fork. The crust was nice and flaky and the filling was pretty good and had just the right amount of sweetness and tart mixed together. Banquet’s new fruit pies are perfect if you have that late night sweet craving or if you want to treat the kids. And the fact that they only cost around a dollar makes it an even sweeter deal. I will definitely have a few of these on hand in the freezer from some late night indulgence and fun treats for the kids.

**I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Banquet and received free coupons to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate**

Breyers Smooth And Dreamy Ice Cream Bars *review and giveaway*

Who doesn’t love ice cream in the Summer time or just about any time for that matter.  For us moms, I am sure we break out a pint of of favorite ice cream when the day hasn’t gone so well and it makes all your trouble melt away.  July is National Ice Cream month and to help celebrate, I had the chance to try Breyers Smooth and Dreamy Ice cream bars. 

I am always looking for a chocolate fix and I almost always like my chocolate cold.  Ice cream seems to be my latest craving and the more chocolate the better.  Breyers, has a new selection of ice cream bars that will satisfy those chocolate craving that come up in the heat of the Summer.  I tried the Triple Chocolate Chip Bars and I thought I died and went to heaven.   They have just the right amount of chocolate goodness with a hint of crunch from the mini chocolate chips and the chocolate shell coating.  Nothing was left out and it is the perfect combination.  Not only that, Breyers Smooth and Dreamy Bars have no artificial flavors or colors, 160 calories or less and 4-6g of fat per serving!  What can be better than felling like you are indulging without the guilt?  After trying them, I shoved the box into the back of the freezer to keep them well hidden, so I don’t have to share.  I will definitely be keeping a private stash in my freezer.  I can’t wait to try all of the different flavors.

To help me celebrate my love for chocolate, and for the sake of chocolate in general, Mom Central and Breyers is letting me giveaway some Breyers Smooth And Dreamy to five lucky readers!   You definitely want to get in on this one, and who can pass up free ice cream????

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Breyers and received products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Here’s What You Gotta Do

Tell me why you would like to try Breyers Smooth And Dreamy Bars, Or share a childhood memory about ice cream.

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Contest Starts July 30 and Ends August 2o, 2010

Good Luck!!!!

Winners are drawn at random, if winner does not respond within 24 hours the prize is forfeited

Contest open to US residents only.

Hunts Ketchup Gets Down To The Basics

We are huge ketchup fans in this house.   Both of my boys always ask for everything with dip (meaning ketchup).  They dip their french fries, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks, so we find ourselves going through bottles of the stuff on a regular basis.  I always try to read the labels, and often times you cannot pronounce what is in your food.

We were sent a bottle of Hunt’s Tomato Ketchup to try, which boasts no high fructose corn syrup.  As a Mom, you are always trying to make healthy and conscious food decisions for your family without compromising the taste.  High fructose corn syrup is something I try to avoid because it isn’t really a  natural sugar in our diet.  Hunt’s ketchup now features five simple ingredients. Hunt’s reformulated recipe includes no high fructose corn syrup, and no artificial ingredients or preservatives and we all loved the taste.  It tasted just as good without all the extra fake fluff in our food (as I call it).

And to celebrate Moms and the choices they have to make for their family,  starting July 2nd, Moms have a chance to win a family vacation (up to $5,000) through a photo contest. To enter, go to facebook.com/hunts, submit a photo of you and your family achieving a “simple victory” and you could win that summer vacation you’ve been longing for.

Having basic and simple ingredients in our foods, doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice the taste.  I am seeing more and more foods offered in local grocery stores that are getting back to basic ingredients, and I like having those choices for my family!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Hunt’s and received a ketchup sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Barilla Share The Table

Many families today are extremely busy, with having kids in sports, working. and schedules that are hard to line up.  Dinner isn’t the same these days, and is often eaten by everyone in the family at different times.  I know that we have a hard time sitting down to one meal together as a family through the week, with my husband working varying hours through the week.  We have made it a point to make dinner a meal that we could eat together, and catch up on how everyone’s day was.

Barilla has started a “Share the Table”  program to help families make the most out of their dinnertime together. Barilla has a Share the Table website,  that offers  recipes from chefs like Mario Batali and tips on how families can make meal times more meaningful in bringing families together.

To help families get started sharing the table, Barilla now offers “Pasta Friday Sweepstakes” with weekly winners of pasta and pasta sauce giveaways and has created the “Mealtime Moments Contest,” which gives families who commit to making a better mealtime experience,  the opportunity to share  stories and win select prizes throughout the summer. For everyone that becomes a fan of meaningful meals at ShareTheTable.com, Barilla will donate $1 to Meals on Wheels Association of America, helping seniors get the nutritious meals, that they often don’t get.

To help our family “Share The Table,”  we were sent a wonderful package full of all the things we needed to create a meal for the family.  We all love pasta in this house so it was easy to create something that we all loved.    Our favorite Barilla pasta is the Penne, and I mix it up with Barilla’s Garden Vegetable Sauce, hamburger, mushrooms, and sweet italian sausage.  It is rare that we have leftovers, and the whole family enjoys it.  There are so many great meals that you can create with pasta and Barilla makes it easy.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Barilla and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review..”

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