The Magic Tap Blog Christmas Giveaway & Exclusive Deal

I discovered another great product this summer through the SwagSuite at the BlogHer conference.  I had never heard of the Magic Tap® before but have found it to be super useful. It is a wonderful little beverage dispenser!  If you have lots of thirsty kids or if you are just someone who likes to drink water or other beverages often you will love it too!  It is perfect for someone who has arthritis or limited hand or arm movement as well.  It just makes dispensing any beverage so easy.  No lifting, opening, maneuvering or anything like that.  I really love my Magic Tap® since it makes it easy when you have the kids running around. They can just reach into the refrigerator and get their own water without me worrying about spills. 

EXCLUSIVE OFFER!
Magic Tap is offering my readers and special promo you can get $15.00 buy 1 and get 1 FREE plus 15% off by buying it directly.  Here's the quick and dirty math: You will get 2 Magic Tap devices for just $12.75 +$8.99 shipping and handling. That’s a 15% SAVINGS and one for FREE too!  So each Magic Tap device ends up being just $10.87 shipped!  You can get an early start on those holiday gifts.  What a great little gadget for Christmas present or even for that Secret Santa gift. 

 

1   The Magic Tap® will dispense up to 28 gallons of your favorite beverage on two AA batteries. Wow--is that cool?  We used it for a week straight and drank right through 10 huge bottles of Poland Spring water when we were at the beach. It was so easy to pop it right on a new bottle too.  The little ones drank a ton of water just because it was so fun to use.  Shhh...lets not let the cat out of the bag and remind them how healthy it is to drink water too. It is still going strong with the same batteries two weeks later and we drink a lot. It can even be that early birthday present to yourself!

•    The Magic Tap® features a swiveling top which will allow you to easily turn the spout to the side when not in use, further ensuring that the trigger will not be accidentally activated.

•     There seems to be no limit to any large format beverage bottle that the patent-pending universal cap won’t fit.  Buy in bulk, save $$$ and stop all that  back breaking lifting and end those messy spills that come with trying to pour from those giant containers and bottles!

•    You can use The Magic Tap® to dispense your favorite non-carbonated beverages including milk, sports drinks, ice tea, Kool-Aid, water and any number of juices. Just remember, the Magic Tap® is not designed to dispense beverages containing heavy pulp but other than that you are good to go.  

Don't forget to check out and follow Magic Tap® on Facebook and Twitter too. You never know what special promotions they may have going.

THE GIVEAWAY:

One Glamamama's Goodies reader will win a Magic Tap Drink Dispenser! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lifeway Frozen Treats Kefir Blog Giveaway and Review

You can WIN this plus other Lifeway goodies!!!

I was so excited to see Lifeway as one of the companies at the BSM Media Suite during the BlogHer conference. It was such a hot day it was truly thrilling to sample some of their newer products including the Lifeway Frozen Kefir. I already was so familiar with the brand I knew I would love the newbies too! The have a grown-up Lifeway Frozen Kefir (just like ice cream but better for you!!) in fun flavors like Pomegranate, Dulce de Leche and Strawberry pints and they also have a ProBugs Frozen Kefir just for the kiddos in their own fun flavors!

I have tried alot of the Lifeway products over the past few years but the Lifeway ProBugs Frozen Kefir is a new product that they added to the ProBugs line that I had not seen before.  There are several yummy flavors including fun flavors like:

Goo-Berry Pie

 

Strawnana Split 

Orange Creamy Crawler

They sound yummy right?  They really are!  I loved the Orange Creamy Crawler.  It tasted just like a delicious Orange Creamsicle except that you, as a mom, know that it is better for you and the kiddos. All Lifeway products are all natural, probiotic and GMO-Free so you can feel good about giving them to your kids. We will just keep it our major, bank-safe deposit box double key little secret.

Lifeway carries a whole line of healthy products including frozen Kefir products and refrigerated Kefir drinks.  Another frozen item I love is the Lifeway Frozen Kefir in pints. I have a secret stash a container in the back of the extra freezer for emergencies.  I often buy alot of my Lifeway faves at ShopRite or at my local fruit and vegetable store when I am in a rush.  UPDATE:  I also found the ProBugs kids at Target by the yogurt!  I also found alot at Stop & Shop.  I recently found a stash of the low fat Strawberry and Blueberry Lifeway 8 oz "grab and go" Kefir drinks at Costco too! Boy, hubby and little one couldn't drink them fast enough!  Here is the Lifeway Store Locator to check them out in your own area.  I like to use the Lifeway Kefir as a basis for a fruit and veggie shake for myself or my little one.  I will add whatever fresh fruits and veggies I like and make it fun. Just know that Lifeway Kefir has 12 exclusive live and active probiotic cultures, is 99% lactose free and gluten free.  Lifeway Kefir is also an excellent source of calcium and protein. We all need more calcium and protein!

Here is one of the great recipes from their Lifeway Community Blog. Check it out and see all the great suggestions they have there!

     Sweetheart Cookies Courtesy of Lifeway Recipes

 Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar - packed
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup Lifeway Nonfat Plain Kefir
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

Directions:  Beat sugars, margarine & shortening until light & fluffy. Add Lifeway Nonfat Plain Kefir & vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt & chips.
Drop on sheet sprayed with Pam.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 -12 min.
Cool 1 minute on sheet & then remove to racks.

Lifeway is always posting yummy recipes and promotions on their Facebook and Twitter pages so don't forget to follow them and let them know how much you enjoy their products. They are even on Pinterest too!

Don't forget to enter to win your free coupons for Lifeway products below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lifeway provided free coupons for this post. My participation is voluntary and my opinions, as always are my own.  

Gevalia Kaffee Coffee Fika with Friends Sweepstakes, Review and Recipe Ideas

I was excited to meet with the peeps from Gevalia Kaffee late this summer during the BlogHer conference in NYC.  I didn't realize that Gevalia has been around since 1853--that is a long time!  Gevalia used to be available online only but now the Top 10 varieties are available nationwide in the coffee aisles of supermarkets.  Check your local supermarket HERE for availability.  Gevalia believes everyone including busy moms like us deserve a second moment for themselves to savor a delicious cup of coffee!

  Gevalia was kind enough to send me several varieties of coffee to try at home.  Hubby was very excited as he loves premium coffee brands like Gevalia.  I received a Gevalia Traditional Roast and a Gevalia House Blend variety to try. 

The Traditional Roast comes in whole bean and ground for convenience.  This is a really balanced blend that tastes great.  We both loved it.  My mom was visiting for a week and this was a fave of hers as well!  It is made from choice, mountain-grown Arabica beans but it is not super heavy...it is a medium roast.

The Gevalia House Blend is a little more robust than the Traditional Roast.  It isn't bitter it just has that darker roast kind of flavor but not as dark as a French Roast if you know what I mean.  It has a great aroma and the flavor is nice and deep--good for when you need a little more than a nudge on those EARLY mornings.  Kind of like when school is starting....you all know exactly where I am going, right ladies?  I really enjoyed the House Blend too. 

Want to try a yummy Gevalia recipe?  This one is a little fancy....perfect for guests!


Frothy Mocha Seville

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 squares (2 oz.) semi-sweet baking chocolate, cut up
• 1 square (1 oz.) unsweetened chocolate, cut up
• 1 1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 cups freshly brewed double-strength Gevalia Espresso Roast Coffee
• 1/2 half-and-half or light cream, warmed
• Whipped Honey-Orange Topping

Directions

1. Place brown sugar, semi-sweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, orange peel and cinnamon in blender container; cover. Blend until chocolate is finely chopped.
2. Add hot coffee to blender container; cover and blend on medium speed until chocolate is melted.
3. Add half-and-half or light cream; cover and blend until frothy. Pour into 4 coffee mugs or cups.
4. Top each serving with a spoonful of Whipped Honey-Orange Topping and additional grated orange peel. Makes 4 servings.
5. Whipped Honey-Orange Topping
6. Mix 1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream, 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon orange liqueur or orange juice in chilled small bowl.
7. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Would you like to win $50,000?  Oh, come on....who wouldn't love that?  Gevalia has an exciting sweepstakes promotion right NOW where you can have the chance to win $50,000!  Even the 2nd place prize is fantastic....a trip to Hawaii!  What the heck....you have to be in it to win it so throw your name in the hat.  Mine is in there so we will cross our fingers!

Don't forget to follow Gevalia on Twitter and on Facebook for lots of other fun ideas with coffee.  

I received complimentary Gevalia products from Kraft as a part of this blog post.  All opinions are my own and include my personal experiences with the products. 

Review: Nice 'n Easy Non-Permanent Haircolor #FlirtWithHairColor

I was excited to be chosen to participate in a new blogger program with Vocalpoint.com  from Nice 'n Easy.  They just launched a great product for anyone that needs a little color pick me up for their hair.  New Non-Permanent Hair Color from Nice 'n Easy lets you kind of date a new hair color before you commit.  The color gradually washes out within 28 shampoos so you can sort of flirt with a pretty new shade of color before you get (hair) tied down.  Fun, especially if you are already married because you can still date and flirt LOL!

Vocalpoint and Clairol were so sweet to send me a free coupon so I could really try it out myself. I have light brown hair that I like to keep a bit lighter than that so I chose  #91 Dark Blonde. 

 It was super easy to use and felt very gentle on my hair and skin.  The color came out very similar to what they showed on the Clairol Website HERE.   It even colored those pesky little gray hairs!  It was very easy to figure out the shade I wanted too.  I loved the easy to read directions that came with the package and on the website.  I would definitely recommend Clairol Nice 'n Easy if you are looking to change your shade but not commit too much or too long.  

Try one or even a few shades and take your time deciding on your fave color!   Remember, 28 shampoos and you are all done. No major commitment.  If you love it then do it again with the same Clairol Nice 'n Easy color too or you can switch to another beautiful Clairol more permanent color!  I bet you will love it.  

Don't forget to check out more fun new products and chat with others online and see what they think on Vocalpoint.com.   You can also see what is going on their Facebook page too.  You can go directly there with this link:  Facebook.com/vocalpoint.

You can also follow Clairol on Twitter.  Have fun!

I received a free coupon from Vocalpoint and Clairol in exchange for expressing my opinion.  All opinions and comments are my own.

Review & Giveaway: A Gem Creation Hair Decor

I recently was invited to the MomSelect Swag Suite event as part of a recent blog weekend.  I met a bunch of great brands including Ronit from A Gem Creation.  She had so many beautiful clips, barrettes and more I was stunned.  When I went on her EtsyA Gem Creation page I was totally wowed. You have to check it out.  The colors and designs were so creative too.  Every size you can imagine too!

I chose a Blue Flower Clip as my gift.  It is a beautiful sky blue and clips in my hair easily.  It really adds a lot of flair to any outfit. It is perfect for any occasion too.

You can really see the love and care that goes into each piece that Ronit creates.  She has been crafting for years and has always loved to create things. All AGC items are unique, handmade and rarely repeated which is exciting to me.  She uses a bunch of different fabrics and ribbons, embellishments and hardware which makes each hair item unique. I appreciate that all the clips are lead free and CPSIA compliant.  That makes all the moms comfortable with using them on children too.  She even uses totally non toxic glues and materials. She donates to many causes including families in need.  I really liked that and wanted to support her even more after I read about that.  

You can check out more of her beautiful creations on her Facebook page HERE. Don't forget to visit Etsy to buy any of her pretty pieces too!

Leave a comment about your thoughts on A Gem Creation's hair accessories or tweet about them and a way to contact you in order to be in to win a random piece from their collection!
 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  I received a product sample for review. As always, all opinions are my own.

Soft Scrub Blog Giveaway PLUS Tough & Gentle Sweepstakes and Giveaway

Soft Scrub has a new product line of household cleaners that has recently launched call Soft Scrub Total.   It seems like I never have enough household cleaning supplies so the timing was perfect that Soft Scrub kindly shared some free samples of Soft Scrub Total with me too!  There are three great products in the Soft Scrub Total family that all have a patented trigger that allows you to clean with your own choice of a fine mist or a thick foam.  Great right?  Just know that they clean AND deodorize all around your house!  Those handy little triggers even spray upside down so you can get into all those hard to reach places that the family gets dirty!  They are super tough on stains but very gentle to all kinds of surfaces.  The products are powerful and versatile enough to help you to clean your whole house. 

I have used the Soft Scrub Total to clean my kitchen and bathroom and it did a great job on sticky stains in the kitchen. It did equally well on the bathtub and sinks.  Everything looked and smelled super clean after my cleaning day.  I would definitely buy these again...I just saw them at Target too.  Good to know for next month when I am stocking up.... You can also enter here to win your own coupons for Soft Scrub to get your house super clean!
 a Rafflecopter giveaway


Don't forget to enter the Soft Scrub Tough & Gentle Sweepstakes with over $3,000 in prizes!  There is one grand prize and fifty 2nd place winners will also get $40 in gift cards!  Enter the Tough & Gentle Sweepstakes here.

Soft Scrub provided a free sample of their Total products to me so I could review them.  However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

Combat Source Kill Max Ant Bait and Gel Giveaway and Review

It is summer time and everybody is here for the picnics and yummy snacks....except we also sometimes get some unwanted visitors.  Our beach house is no stranger to this problem--year after year we see those nasty and pesky ants. I never really found anything that helped me to figure out how to kill ants.  How do you get rid of ants?  One year they even attacked birthday cupcakes.  That was the worst.  I knew that I really really need to figure out How to get rid of ants! This year I decided to get smart and, thanks to my friends at Purex Insiders and Combat, I was able to calm the situation down almost to nothing with a complimentary package of Combat Source Kill Max products including Ant Bait and Gel!

Combat sent me an fantastic package of Combat Source Kill Max products that including the ant gel and the ant baits.  I set everything up at the beach house quickly since we already had a minor MAJOR ant problem.  The Combat Source Kill Max baits were very easy to set up and not messy at all. They separated very easily and I saw the ants going right in....heh, heh, heh!  Little did they know.  I also opened up the Combat Source Kill Max gel and got that going too since we had a MAJOR ant issue that needed work.  It had a cool and easy to work plunger and I got it into those cracks and crevices in the floor.   More laughing to myself (hee....hee...hee!)  Those ants were eating up that gel in about 20 minutes.  There were crowds of them eating it up all gathered together like a little ant picnic....I couldn't believe it. The next morning I only saw a few little ones.  By the next day it was down to one or two the whole day.  It has been great ever since with only one or two random ants here and there. Phewwww!  Nothing yucks me out more than ants all over the place!

This is what Combat tells you on their Combat website about the  line of products:

Benefits:

• One of the fastest active ingredients you can buy to kill ants
• Insect nerve poison kills ants by contact or ingestion.
• Starts killing ants in hours so you can see immediate results.
• High secondary colony kill. Kills ants in a domino effect, eliminating the source of the infestation.

They haven't been back since with the exception of the occasional one or two.  I make sure I keep the house very clean and tidy up any crumbs quickly as always.  I would definitely buy Combat Source Kill Max products again and they are going on my list.  

Don't forget to enter my giveaway below to resolve your own ant problem compliments of Combat.  You can also enter to win an even bigger contest and get $1,000 from Combat by going HERE!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Combat and Purex provided me with free Combat products to try them and provide my own opinions and experiences. All opinions are my own.

#Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell Party

This past week I got a bunch of my friends together at my house for some exclusive previews and the premiere of #TotallyBiased with W. Kamau Bell. It is a new show on FX but surprisingly, W. Kamau Bell is not a new comedian.  He has been popular for a number of years out west and was recently connected with Chris Rock who produces the new show.  I think Chris Rock saw one of his shows and realized how funny W. Kamau Bell was and thought they could partner to put together a great comedy show on tv. The get together and the exclusive content I received to share was a result of my membership in Crowdtap.  How lucky can a girl get, right?  I love comedy, especially edgy stuff so this was a perfect match for me.  It was also a great reason to cook up some yummy snacks and share some wine and beer with friends.

Homemade Chocolate Chip Rice Krispy Treats

Since the show It was called Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell so you had to figure the show was based on all our biases that we have as diverse Americans.  It was not quite what we expected but it was really funny.  I was really careful in my invitations because I figured it might be kind of crazy, especially since it was a late night show.  It was not as edgy as I thought--but still very funny. Definitely different.  We thought he was trying to be a little more conservative especially for the first show.  Don't get me wrong, it was really funny I think we just thought it toed the line more than we thought that it would.  We enjoyed the jokes and his comments a lot.   

We all took turns playing comedian as a little party game which was hilarious.  Let's just say that some of us are funnier than others.  It is all about timing and Stacy was the winner.  Her prize was a bottle of wine.

If you are interested in joining Crowdtap, it is a fun way to learn about new and existing brands and get rewards like giftcards and other goodies for sharing with friends.  I have been a member for about a year and I love it.  You can join here.

Gutzy Gear Party #GettingGutzy

The back to school shopping has started....ta da!  I can't believe how quickly the summer went by this year.  It is still so warm so it is hard to believe school starts in just about a month.  We have been slowly buying all our supplies and getting ourselves ready. 

Gutzy Gear arrived just in time to get us a bit LOT more excited to go back to school! What is Gutzy Gear you might ask?  Gutzy Gear is a popular new backpack decor strap with Gutzy patches for back to school 2012 that is for little kids and big kids.  Tweens included too!  Gutzies consist of a strap that goes over the backpack strap and stays on securely with velcro. The Gutzy Gear strap gets decorated with a variety of collectible AND tradeable patches that are appropriate for any age. There are tons of options to appeal to sporty Gutzies , fashionable Gutzies , studious or crazy Gutzies kids. Some of the kids were even saying they wanted to buy extra Gutzy Gear straps and patches for their luggage handles or their bikes....one friend plays the guitar and wanted to decorate his guitar handle too!

We were very happy that we were chosen to hold a Gutzy Gear party.  We have tons of friends from camp and school that were excited to attend so the timing couldn't have been more perfect either.   We had great weather this weekend so it worked out well with all the Gutzy games, the pool activities and the PIZZA!  Everyone was excited to create their own personalized backpack.  Gutzy Gear is THE popular back to school item for 2012!  I was amazed at the selection of Gutzies available...check out Series 1 here.  There is also a Series 2 on their website.  There are Gutzy patches for boys and for girls so everyone can have a really cool backpack.  Perfect back to school gift for those tweens too!

Gutzy Gear is available nationwide and online.   I saw a ton at my local Kmart and ToysRUS.  You can find it at Walmart, ToysRUs, Kmart, Office Depot, Target and even some local specialty stores. Go HERE to find a location near you.

Thanks so much to Gutzy Gear and MomSelect for this super fun home party!

Frigidaire Adventure in Clean Contest plus Stain Fighting Tips

Visit Facebook.com/Frigidaire and share you own personal Adventures in Clean, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children, as part of its $750,000 commitment to the cause. It’s simple to share your Adventures in Clean – just upload a photo and the online app turns it into your very own movie poster!  Kind of cool, right?  Plus, to help spread the word, everyone who participates will be entered for a chance to win a new Frigidaire Affinity® washer and dryer featuring Ready Steam™. If you want to get more information on all the great products Frigidaire has don't forget to check out their site here.

10 Steps to Cleaner Clothes for Frigidaire by Tara Aronson

1. Immediately rinse or blot away spills on your clothes with cool water to prevent stains from setting.
2. Read fabric care labels before you wash. Your clothes will last longer if you know how to treat them.
3. Sort laundry by color, wash cycle needed, and water temperature required. The Frigidaire Affinity’s Permanent Press cycle washes with warm water and less agitation, resulting in less wear and tear on your sturdy jeans, khakis, and sweaters; the Delicates cycle uses cold water and light agitation to gently clean swimsuits, workout clothes, and lingerie.
4. Before washing stained garments, pretreat or prewash the spot using the Affinity’s Rinse & Spin cycle. If at first you don’t succeed, wash, wash again.
5. To keep snags and lint to a minimum, zip zippers, button buttons, empty pockets, and brush away lint before tossing duds in the hamper.
6. If your clothing is heavily soiled, your load large, or the water cold, add extra laundry detergent. Use the Affinity’s Heavy Duty cycle for sturdy but really dirty items like jeans and towels; choose the Sanitize setting to use the hottest water available to get rid of germs and grime as thoroughly as possible.
7. Check wet garments for remaining stains, and re-treat as needed before drying. Heat will set stains.
8. Dry only full loads. Tumbling a handful of garments prolongs the drying time by reducing the tumbling.
9. Fold shirts and T-shirts to prevent wrinkling. If the shirt has buttons, button it at top, middle and bottom. Lay facedown. Fold both sides of the shirt so they meet in the back, with the sleeves aligned with the side folds. Fold the tail up to the cuffs, making a straight line at the bottom. Then fold in thirds crosswise. For T-shirts: a child’s T-shirt needs only one crosswise fold in half; an adult’s should be folded into thirds.
10. Fold shorts and pants by aligning the inseams and outer seams of the legs and fold so that a crease forms at the front center of the legs. Fold in half or in thirds, depending on the size of the garment.

Disclosure : By posting this informaiton, I am eligible for a drawing. Regardless,  all of my opinions are my own.

Fiber One® 90 Calorie Brownies Contest and Review #myblogspark

If you have been possibly dreaming of a brownie that will satisfy your sweet tooth craving to help you stay on track--I actually have something for you!   New Chocolate Chip Cookie flavor Fiber One® 90 Calorie Brownies, combine your absolute fave  dessert flavors: chocolate chip cookie AND brownie!  When you´ve got brownies dancing through your head, but don´t want to over-indulge, this moist and chewy chocolate chip cookie brownie is the perfectly portioned 90-calorie snack and it won't ruin your bikini body that you worked so hard to get this summer!

Each serving provides 20 percent of the Daily Value of fiber (5g)* Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie flavor features semisweet chocolate chips in a cookie-batter brownie topped with a dark chocolaty flavored drizzle  3g of total fat per brownie-not a lot at all!  Chocolate Chip Cookie flavor Fiber One® 90 Calorie Brownies make a great afternoon snack with a cup of coffee or a light latte.  It really satisfies those chocolate cravings whether you are at work, at home or even on the go. I stash five one in my purse--you never know! While you are at it check out Fiber One® on Facebook here and let them know what you think. Would you like to try them yourself?  Don't forget to enter my contest below to win this great survival kit with lots of goodies too! a Rafflecopter giveaway  Disclosure:  The product, gift pack, information, and additional sample have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.”