enter the giveaway through the widget below or through the one on the sidebar. You can enter once a day until mid November 15th 2009. If you are chosen as a winner from our widget, we will win an appliance too .

This giveaway is only open to residents of the contiguous 48 United States and District of Columbia 18 years of age or older!

Remember the used washer & dryer set we scored from Craiglist? Well, let me start by saying I am grateful for even having a washer and dryer set, but I don’t think it’s normal for a medium load to take 2hrs to dry and Greg doesn’t think the washer is aggressive enough. By participating in the activities over at Frigidaire’s My Motherload, I’m hoping to win a suite of NEW Frigidaire time-saving appliances or a NEW Frigidaire Affinity front-load washer and dryer. I don’t have to win the the entire suite, these beauties would be just fine. *drools*

For a chance to win some new Frigidaire lovelies, visit mymotherload.net. There, moms will be able to share 5 things that they would do if they had an extra hour. This will enter them in a sweepstakes to win a suite of Frigidaire appliances. For a chance to win the hawt red lovelies above, moms can take the Daily Dare each day.

Here are the 5 things that I would do if I had an extra hour:
1. Sit out on the balcony and enjoy the weather with with my 1yr old son.
2. Look for more freelance work.
3. Upload family videos to the internet.
4. Do some menu planning and cook more often.
5. Get romantic with the love of my life.

Shocking facts revealed by Frigidaire’s My Motherload:

• Moms spend 4 times as much time prepping meals than cuddling with her spouse. That’s an average of 52 hours a month on meal prep vs. just 12 hours a month cuddling!
• Moms spend 28 hour per month washing dishes compared to 7 hours a month showering. That’s 4 times more time spent on doing dishes!
• Moms spend an average of 18 hours a month doing laundry vs. just 9 hours a month exercising. That’s twice as much laundry lugging than weight lifting!

I just found out that I’m a Purex Insider so for me to be able to simplify laundry by using two brands dedicated to minimizing the time moms spend doing laundry, that would be awesome. I’m crossing my fingers.

I wrote this post for a chance to win a set of Frigidaire appliances. I don’t think I won. Darn.

More and more natural products are hitting the shelves of local groceries stores, making it easier to incorporate green products in to our lifestyle. We were sent some products from Ecostore USA to try, here are some that are growing on us.

Auto Dish Powder – This stuff cleans! We’ve been pulling our hair out trying to find a dish soap that will clean our dishes without us having to pre-wash them before loading them in to the dishwasher. Love it.

Vanilla Conditioner & Vanilla Shampoo – These products are recommended for dry and chemically treated hair. My dreadlocks are susceptible to dryness, so it is important to keep them moisturized. In addition, I just dyed my hair black for a new look. The Ecostore Vanilla Shampoo and Conditioner leaves my scalp feeling refreshed and my hair feeling soft, it smells good too!

We love Ecostore USA products and are looking forward to using them on a regular. Ecostore USA products are currently available at MEIJER stores. I’m hoping to see Ecostore USA products on the shelves of stores that we shop at on a regular. I’d love to try the Baby Body Wash, Baby Moisturizer, and Laundry Liquid next. I just may pay shipping.

How would you like to try some products from Ecostore USA? In the comments, let me know which products you’re interested in for a chance to win a $25 eGift Certificate! Comments must be received by March 18th, 2009 7PM CST.

We’ve had the chance to cuddle up with Protect-A-Bed‘s Premium Pillow Protectors and we love them. Actually anything that can make sleeping even more tranquil gets an A+ in my book! When I don’t get enough sleep, I’m such a grouch. I even resort to whining and crawling. So getting a good night’s rest is important!

Premium pillow protectors provide protection for all of us and our pillows. They keep all possible allergens and irritants inside away from your skin and any moisture away from your pillows! I can see these coming in handy during those hot summer nights. Protect-A-Bed pillow protectors are very soft to lay on without a pillow case and they are super easy to use. Simply slip Protect-A-Bed pillow protectors right on to your pillows and zip close. Protect-A-Bed pillow protectors are perfect for healthy, hygienic sleep at home or on the go!

For a chance to win a set of Premium Pillow Protectors, leave a comment stating what size you’d need for your pillows! This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will run until March 5th 2009 7PM CST.

We’ve been out all day today and I am pooped. First there was Boogie’s well visit. He’s doing great or as the doctor put it “above average” . Excuse me for taking a moment to toot my son’s horn. Who doesn’t? Then there was the bank, post office, Walmart and the encounter with the big juicy deer that we missed by 5 feet.

We usually keep our grocery and errands lists on notebook paper. We list errands first, then groceries by aisle and department. Problem is that the lists always seem to get misplaced or crunched. We always end up redoing the list at least 3 times before actually going to the store. Today we did something different, we used the SmartShopper to organize our errands and grocery list, excluding the run in with Bambi.

The SmartShopper is a pretty cool device that allows you to program and print your errands and grocery list using your voice. You simply hit the record button, say a product or errand, ans it’s added to the list. When you’re ready to print, hit print. It comes pre-programmed with 2,500 common errands and products. If there is something that hasn’t been pre-programed into the SmartShopper, you can add custom items to the library. There’s even an option to add a coupon reminder to an item so that you don’t forget to use your coupons.

The SmartShopper’s strong magnet allows it to be mounted to the refrigerator or any metal surface. We keep ours on the side of the fridge. I love how it organizes everything in their rightful categories, just as we were doing on notebook paper. And since the lists stay on the SmartShopper, we can use them over and over. There’s no ink involved because Smartshopper uses thermal paper. I haven’t had any major problems with it recognizing my voice. If it doesn’t recognize a product, either I didn’t enunciate or it needed to be programed into the system.

The Smartshopper does have room for improvement. Here’s my two cents: It’s a bit on the clunky side. At least half of it’s size can be reduced. The printer is kind of slow, and there needs to be some kind of ridges (think scotch tape) to tear the paper on. It’s kind of hard to rip the list out of the printer. The price of $49.99 (although marked down) scares me a bit. I’m hoping to see those changes made with SmartShopper 2.0.

I have a SmartShopper and 8 Free DOLE Fruit Parfait coupons to get one lucky Mommy Daddy Blog reader SmartShopping! Remember to program DOLE Fruit Parfait with a coupon reminder!

To win a SmartShopper and 8 Free DOLE Parfait coupons:
Leave a comment letting me know some things you’d add to your SmartShopper list! One winner in the United States will be chosen February 1st 2009 at 7PM CST.

For extra entries:
1 extra entry – Stumble the giveaway.
1 extra entry – Tweet the giveaway.

And before you go, don’t forget to check out the DOLE Fruit Parfait Sweet Retreat Contest! The following prizes can be won:

• The Grand Prize is a three day/ two night luxury Spa Retreat Getaway for two at the 27-acre Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ., set amidst flowering cactus and framed against the majestic McDowell Mountains. Here, breathtaking desert vistas blend with intriguing Native American culture and pampering amenities. The prize includes airfare, accommodations, $500 gift certificate to the Avania Spa, a one-of-a-kind, holistic, total-immersion experience that is synchronized with the body’s changing rhythms and requirements. Also included in the prize is a $750 VISA gift card to cover your meals and other hotel amenities you feel like taking advantage of including, championship golf, water playground or tennis.
• Five First Prize winners will receive a Homedics Personal Massage Lounger valued at $100 to have a relaxing moment anytime in their home.

Be sure to visit The Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Giveaway Carnival! There’s over 1,000 giveaways to be won!

We’ve both suffered the negative effects due to dry air. I (Sheena) would always wake up with a dry and “crunchy” nose, along with a throat that felt like I swallowed a collection furballs because the air was so dry in our home. I (Greg) had it even worse, as I was sometimes rudely awakened by a nosebleed. The fact that the season is transitioning into winter doesn’t make it any better, as we have the heat on all day to keep us warm. This change in indoor climate may possibly irritate Boogie’s eczema and also make it easier for bacteria to harvest in the mucus membranes of our throats and nasal passages. We don’t want any parts of sickness!

Having a humidifier is a MUST during the cold winter months. Our previous one was alright, but it had too many disadvantages to make it efficient. The water ran out too fast because the reservoir was small; the filter had to be replaced too frequently; and the temperature of the air being blown couldn’t be adjusted, so it ended up making our room really cold. In other words, it sucked, and we needed a better humidifier.

So when the Vornado Ultrasonic Humidfier arrived at our door, we were definitely excited to give it a go! The Vornado Ultrasonic is definitely not your average humidifier! It has many unique features that makes it stand apart from all other humidifiers.

The Vornado Ultrasonic Humidifier uses a high velocity fan to evenly circulate microscopic water droplets throughout the room. With our previous humidifier, we had to wipe up the moisture it left on the surface that it rested on. This seems to be a problem that a lot of humidifiers have, which is why they suggest putting it on a high surface. But since the Vornado Ultrasonic circulates the humidity, you can place it anywhere you’d like, including on the floor which is where we have ours now.

The Vornado Ultrasonic Humidifier has a 2 gallon water reservoir with a 3.5 gallon output in 24 hours. With our previous humidifier, it had to be refilled multiple times a day because the reservoir tank was so small. But with the Vornado Ultrasonic, we don’t have to refill the tank as frequently. We’ll typically run it for about 12 hours a day, so we’ll only have to change it once a day at the most.

The Vornado Ultrasonic has multiple settings that you can adjust to your liking, including a warm mist setting! Our previous humidifier always left our room feeling cold, as there was no way to adjust the temperature of the outputted air. Now we can finally enjoy crisp air without having to wear multiple layers of clothing or hide beneath blankets! The Vornado Ultrasonic settings include:

Mist Condition: With this setting, you can set the mist output to blow either warm mist or cold mist.
Humidity Level: This setting allows you to adjust the humidity level you wish to reach with 35% being lowest and 60% being highest.
Fan Speed: With this setting, you can set the fan to blow either high or low.

The Vornado Ultrasonic alerts you with maintenance notifications. It will let you know when you have to refill the reservoir tank, when it has to be cleaned (after 400 hours of use), and when the mineral cartridge needs to be replaced (after 800 hours of use). This helps to keep the humidifier running efficiently so it’ll last longer.

The Vornado Ultrasonic is incognito! We love the appearance of the Vornado Ultrasonic because it has a sleek look to it as if it’s a freshly waxed car! It’s also not very tall or wide, so it can fit snuggly into a corner of a room without conflicting with other furniture. It’s also not very loud at all; sometimes we forget it’s even on. The fan speed can be set to low for nighttime quietness, but the high setting isn’t much louder than the low setting. The Vornado Ultrasonic can humidify up to 1,250 square feet, so there’s no need to put a humidifier in every room. Depending on how big your home is, just one Vornado Ultrasonic should do the trick!

The Vornado Ultrasonic Humidifier has definitely been a life saver to us! Breathing in moisturized air feels more refreshing. We no longer wake up to unpleasant surprises and we can rest knowing that our boogie’s skin isn’t worsening and we are actually fighting off germs! Click here to see the Vornado Ultrasonic demo!

Special thanks to Vornado for making this review possible!

This review is part of our Three Gs For The Holidays event. Visit the announcement post to get more holiday shopping ideas from our Gift Guide, get involved in fun giveaways, and learn how you can help children in need this holiday season!

Growing up, I’ve always wanted to share a Christmas with a fresh tree. I have never seen a Christmas movie where an artificial tree has been used. Going out to get the fresh Christmas tree has always been seen as a joyous tradition. I wanted to experience that. What movies don’t show is the extra cleanup involved. It wasn’t until I saw how much my mother’s friend’s tree “shed”, that I decided that I’d pass on the extra cleanup brought on by a fresh tree.

Wreaths Direct has allowed me to enjoy a fresh Christmas tree in the form of a wreath! They sent us a gorgeous 24 inch Evergreen wreath which has found a home on our front door. It smells so wonderful! Fresh wreaths are just enough for those who don’t want to deal with the maintenance of a fresh tree. Any pieces that fall off can be swept out the door (if your front door leads outside). It’s the piece of fresh Christmas tree I never had!

The wreath resting on our front door!

How beautiful is this wreath? You know you want one! They make such great gifts. If you are in the giving mood, feel free to browse around Wreaths Direct. The fifth generation family owned business specializes in more than just 24 inch wreaths. They offer centerpieces, and specialty wreaths in fun shapes such as candy canes, garland, and crosses. They even offer a “teeny” wreath that can fit inside a coffee mug! Oh and before you order, enter code W0834 to receive free UPS Ground shipping in the USA!

We’d like to help out those who are less fortunate this holiday season, so we’ll be donating some toys to Toys For Tots! But, since there’s only so much we can do, we encourage you to make a donation also. You can donate toys or cash to Toys For Tots, at your nearest Toys For Tots drop-off location. You can also donate a cash gift, online via credit/debit card by visiting the Toys For Tots Online Donation page, or by texting “TOY” to 90999 using your cell phone. With your help, there’s no limit to the amount of smiles we can put on childrens’ faces this year!

Green Works has created 30 Days to Natural, a website devoted to providing practical tips for households at all stages of greenness. For a course of 30 days, 30 Days to Natural will offer green tips via email, mobile text message, and pdf print outs. Ten days ago, I signed up to receive the green tips to my cellphone. I can’t always be in front of the computer to check my email. Yes my cellphone downloads my email, but it’s easier to access the tips from texts since not that many people send me text messages! Whether I’m relaxing, playing with Boogie, or out and about, I’ll be able to receive and have green tips right at my reach.

Today’s tip said to Detox your kids’ toys! Look for eco wood toys that are unfinished or coated with natural colorants and materials such as beeswax. If scented, check to make sure natural essential oils were used.

You may have already known to do some of the tips that Green Works provides, but if you haven’t done them yet, let them be your nudge. Get 30 steps closer to being green or 1 step closer to tranquility (turn up your speakers) by visiting 30daystonatural.com! Be sure to follow what happens when 3 busy moms trade their traditional cleaners for Green Works cleaners on You Tube as well!

We’ve recently added another green product to our collection, Clorox Green Works dishwashing liquid. Green Works dishwashing liquid was released earlier this month and it is the newest product of the Clorox Green Works line. We use this dish soap to clean our dishes as well as Boogie’s toys. A little goes a long way. I love the fact that even though it is made with natural ingredients, it still cuts through grease and icky smells (think salmon). It really peeves me when pots and pans still smell like food. Green Works dishwashing liquid is available in Original, Water Lily, Tangerine, Free & Clear, and Simply Lemon scents. We are currently using the Original scent which has a pleasant citrusy smell. If you’re looking for a dishwashing liquid that’s mean BUT green, give this stuff a try!