HOP Reviews

A Sweaty Baby Is An Unhappy Baby. So Is a Cold One.

2010-02-07T19:07:00.001-08:00

I haven't put a small baby to bed in a long time, not since Brady was enormous seemingly moments after birth. However, when he and Kyle were infants and the nights were chilly, I never used blankets to keep them warmer. Instead I reached for the sleep sacks that were given to me as shower gifts.

Like overalls that end in a bag instead of pant legs, or like a miniature sleeveless Snuggie, the sleep sacks were the perfect solution to keep the babies warm without adding another risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). One might blow this risk off as minimal, but if you are the mother of a young baby you do not care how minimal a risk is, you just don't want to take it.

The CJ Foundation for SIDS has released a reminder about the risks of SIDS and a list of guidelines to follow when caring for your infant to reduce them.

* Consider the use of fans to increases ventilation
* Room temperature should be comfortable for a lightly-clothed adult, approximately 61-67 degree Fahrenheit
* Cribs should be totally free of all loose blankets, stuffed animals and crib bumpers
* Lay baby to sleep in an improved crib, on a firm mattress; do not let the baby sleep on soft things, like a couch, pillow, sheepskin, foam pad or waterbed
* No smoking when pregnant or near baby
* If possible, breastfeed baby
* Offer a pacifier at bedtime
* Co-sleeping should be in the same room but not the same bed or other sleep surface as parents

Even when it's cold, it is very important for babies to be dressed lightly and comfortably to avoid overheating. The muslin swaddling blankets by aden + anais® were not widely available when my kids were infants (do I sound so old already?) but now everyone has one and they even make the sleep sacks now too. Cuter than the sleep sacks that I used, these are really adorable and they help you keep the baby warm and safe at the same time.

Do you have a baby to keep warm and safe this spring? aden + anais® will give a cozy sleeping bag to one of my readers. Typical giveaway rules - leave a comment here with an obvious way to contact you and I'll use Randomizer to pick a winner by the end of the week.

Stay warm!

It's Not Too Late To "Whip It"

2010-02-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, when you're mired in the humdrum day-blending life of a suburban working mother, it helps to watch a bunch of bad-ass chicks beating the crap out of each other while traveling at high speeds around a rink wearing miniskirts. While the story of Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, "Whip It," turns out to be predictable, fitting right into the typical sports team-comes-from-behind-because-of-plucky-unlikely-hero format, not to mention the teen rebellion/coming of age format, the action and characters were satisfying to not just me but also my hard-to-impress husband and even my 2-year-old who couldn't sleep last night. "It's da race!" he exclaimed during the final sequence.

Ellen Page is just as adorable as she was in "Juno," although with considerably less script to chew on, and the supporting characters are all nice to look at and listen to. For me the standout was Barrymore herself, whose every appearance was the indulgent equivalent of punk rock mosh pit melee. It was fun to see her go balls out for once, gleefully partaking in a food fight, hurling her body at other skaters, tackling her character's fiance, and on and on.

This film appealed to my husband on the sports level, and I was just curious. I would definitely recommend this as a rental, and if you're into that sort of thing, purchase it for the bonus features, because any chance to get inside Drew Barrymore's head is pretty priceless. Also, Juliette Lewis, an actress I've always loved ("How sexy am I NOW?!") plays a 36-year-old menace. The scene in which she gives Page's character the older woman smackdown is just...awesome.

My review copy was provided by Fox, who has given me three copies for my readers. Leave a comment here and pass it on - comments will be open until Friday, February 12, 2010 at 8:00PM Pacific Time and winners will be chosen from them by Randomizer.

Elfing Around Winner

2009-12-01T21:11:00.001-08:00

The winner of the Elfing Around Giveaway has been chosen at random (see proof! below!) and it's Rebecca L. Congratulations, and thanks to all of you for entering the contest. Merry Christmas!You may notice that there were 39 comments and I only entered 38. That's because my mother is disqualified!

Mabel's Labels Cyber Monday Madness

2009-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

A while back I agreed to review and give away a set of Mabel's Labels. I mean, they gave me free panties at BlogHer. It was the least I could do.

But I totally flaked like the flakey flake I turned into this year, a thing that I am desperately trying to improve. Mostly I am just turning down new offers to review things because I simply do not want to be obligated to churn out more posts. Since I did accept free labels from Mabel, though, I really do want to tell you that a) I love them and b) they are having a big sale!

So, about A. I ordered a variety pack of labels in honor of Kyle's first year in preschool. They have his initials and a star, and there are little dog tags, round labels, teeny tiny labels, and medium sized labels. I have stuck them on everything from clothing tags to the Tupperware (also received for free, back at Brooke Shield's fabulous beach party. Thanks, Brooke!) that I put strawberries in for his lunch. The labels go through the dishwasher with no sign of wear or tear. That kind of makes me wonder what they're made of, but not that much. And the best part is that Kyle's initials are the same as mine so I can use the labels for my own stuff too.

And now for the sale. Since tomorrow is "Cyber Monday," and Mabel does all their business online, it's only fitting that they run a crazazy sale for the holidays:

30% off Holiday Gift Tags and Return Address Labels - Regular Price: $18.50, sale price $12.95

And my favorite: 40% off Selected Write-On! Stationery, in choice of Bzzz (shown above) or Cowpoke designs, regular Price $34, sale price $20.40. This is a great gift for any paper loving letter writer.

If I were you, I'd surf on over there starting NOW and snap up a bunch of gifts and just cross them right off your lists. Boom!

Fresh and Easy Wine - Vine Yard Cabernet Franc

2009-11-26T10:09:00.001-08:00

Last night was Thanksgiving eve, and with a dinner of linguini and sausage we enjoyed the first of two wines Fresh and Easy sent me last week. I didn't have high hopes for it, expecting something tart and headache-inducing like two-buck Chuck, but I found it surprisingly pleasant. It's not a fancy wine that you'd give as a gift. It reminded me of the table wine that is poured so freely at our old haunt, the hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant Bruno's in Santa Monica.

The wine came with an information sheet that has all kinds of detail (13.3% alcohol) about the winemaking process that went into creating this wine, but really all I care about is how it tastes. I'm not a wine connoisseur, so all I can tell you is that I liked it. At the end of the evening the bottle was gone, and that's a good enough review, right?

For Kids on the Nice List

2009-11-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

Living so far away from any family members, my husband and kids and I have to create our own holiday traditions. For Christmas, these include driving around at night to look at holiday lights, leaving cookies out for Santa, and going to church on Christmas day. Yes, we are that family that our church friends see once a year. Where else are the kids going to wear their special outfits?

I'm hoping the creative little dolls from Elfing Around will help us create another fun Christmas tradition. The dolls are elves that come to visit children during the 12 days leading up to Christmas, and then travel back to the North Pole with Santa on Christmas day. During the 12 days, the elves get into elfin trouble at night. In the morning, the children wake up to discover the elves have been having magical adventures while they themselves were sleeping. For example, the dolls are found in front of the TV with a bucket of popcorn and a DVD case. They had an awesome movie night last night! Or as in the photo above, they spent the night reading books with a flashlight!

Here's what I love about this particular doll: it comes with a book of ideas. You can certainly take any old doll and stick it in weird places and say "Oooh! I wonder how that elf got stuck up in the Christmas tree!" but the Elfing Around dollmakers actually did that thinking for you, an extra step that I appreciate during this busy time of year. While your children are sleeping, you simply follow the plans that the included Parent Adventure Guidebook gives you, and voila. Magic happens every morning, 12 days in a row. You cap off the elves' visit with a note on Christmas day next to the empty cookie plate that tells the children that the elves will be back next year.

Despite my insistence that we only need one elf doll, the company sent me one for each of my children. Since the boys are prone to fighting over every scrap of plastic that enters the house, I am glad they had that foresight. The dolls are adorable and soft, and I have no doubt that my kids will love them. That doesn't even matter. I love them! And if I just keep doing the same thing every year, then it becomes a tradition by default.

One lucky commenter will be visited by an elf doll starting this year! Leave a comment here and include a working email address (if you don't your comment won't qualify, home pages don't count) to be entered into this giveaway - open until November 30, 2009 at 3:00PM Pacific Time. Winner will be chosen at random to receive one elf doll in time to make mischief during the 12 days of Christmas.

Please share, stumble, or tweet this post: http://bit.ly/7s8fFf

Video Sharing Software - Pixorial and FlipShare

2009-11-04T19:51:00.000-08:00

I agreed to review the services of Pixorial quite a long time ago. It was such a sweet offer: send us a bunch of your old home videos, we'll digitize them, upload them to a website, and you can edit and create movies with them. Bam! Considering that most of our home video footage is on mini DV and (cough cough) VHS-C, I loved this opportunity.

I have no way to digitize VHS-C footage, so I appreciate Pixorial's mission. They'll take VHS, VHS-C, MiniDV, Hi8 cassette, 8mm cassette and (GASP) Betamax, all for different prices. Shipping is secure, as far as I have experienced, and you receive your media back once the digitizing is done.

Of course, then it took me almost six months to get my act together. I've had media sitting on their servers for quite a while. Tonight I finally played around with it, and here is one result:

The editing tools are rudimentary and clumsy, and there doesn't seem to be an option to add a music track. But if you want to take a long video tape and break it into shorter clips that you can then email to friends and family, this service is fantastic.

I was inspired to finally play around with Pixorial because today I got my Flip Video camcorder in the mail from Amazon (yes I actually paid for it). It was SO EASY to get it up and running. It even came with 2 AA batteries! Pop them in, turn the camera on, and you're off. Here's my test video:

Videos are loaded to your computer with the FlipShare software that comes in the camera. This, too, has rudimentary editing tools. Very rudimentary. The trim tool is not very intuitive and you have to open separate windows for each file to trim it, then if you want to edit clips together you drag them into another window blah blah blah and then 100 years later you have a movie. At least you get to add music, but after all that, why bother? It is easy, however, to upload videos to the internet. Just click on youtube and it loads right to your account.

The convenience of this pocket-sized camera (well, a large pocket) and the quality of the video is worth the splurge, I say. I used my birthday money towards the purchase. Happy birthday to me! For editing purposes, I will look elsewhere.

Like a Living Room on Wheels

2009-10-31T17:42:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago GM gave me a Yukon Denali Hybrid to drive from Los Angeles to the Venetian in Los Vegas for SITScation, a small conference for new bloggers. The conference was lovely, storming the party of Blog World Expo was fun and networky, and staying in the Venetian was indulgent. I learned how to place a bet at the sports book when I bet $10 on Notre Dame and I won even though they lost because they beat the spread. Ha!

But the true luxury of this roadtrip was the vehicle. I really wished I was using it for a family trip because the first thing I noticed (well, besides the sheer size of it) was the drop-down video screen, the DVD player, and the two sets of wireless headphones that came inside. We could plug our kids in and not have to hear from them the whole time. While roadtrips are great for family bonding, sometimes you just want some quiet already.

What I got instead was constant entertainment from my friend Katie, as we shared our life stories on the long drive. The size and cushiness of my seat, the smooth ride, the purring, sometimes soundless engine, all conspired to make me feel very comfortable. The hours passed quickly.

Once we got to Vegas, that's when I got nervous. The Denali's retail price was over $64,000. If I so much as dinged the thing, I have no idea what would happen. Did I mention that it's enormous? We were sitting up so high in comparison to our normal little cars that we actually ducked when driving up the ramp inside the Venetian's parking garage, because we were afraid we wouldn't make the vertical clearance.

Black leather seats. Onstar. GPS with a sassy voice that made me name the car "Supafly." I started to tell people it was like driving a home theater.

As far as gas mileage, here is what I can tell you. I failed to do the math. I guess I was tired or something because at the times when it would have been appropriate to write down the miles and the gas pumped, I did neither. The car itself told me that it averaged 18 mpg for the trip, but I have to say I feel like we did better. We started with a full tank, and only had to put 3/4 of a tank back in to make it home.

If I had a spare $60K hanging around, I probably would not spend it on this. If everything else was taken care of, however, and I had a family of hockey players, well, at least it's a hybrid.

Six Degrees of "A Very Brave Witch"

2009-10-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

This is one of those posts about a kids' DVD that started out as a quick review and giveaway but quickly devolved into the mad ramblings of a mother sidelined by a terrible headcold. I have been putting off this review for oh, about three months and I feel so bad about it that I am posting this anyway to purge myself of the demon guilt.

I work for a company that does behind-the-scenes stories about the making of movies. Much of what we do turns up on the movies' DVD's as bonus material featurettes. One of our proudest accomplishments are the DVD and Blu-Ray of the movie "Coraline," directed by Henry Selick and starring the voice of Dakota Fanning.

Here's where my foggy brain splits off into weirdness. Henry Selick also directed "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and we went to a Halloween party last weekend hosted by our wonderful friends Dennis and Julie. Dennis happens to be a "NBC" fanatic, and the entire house was decorated with props and images from the movie. He turned the garage into a twisted funhouse, complete with a giant blowup figure of Oogie Boogie. Yikes.

...and Dakota Fanning's little sister Elle voices the title character in "A Very Brave Witch" by Scholastic which I agreed to review. It came quickly in the mail and I let it sit for weeks. And then I showed my children the DVD finally, prepared to log where they laughed and where they screamed.

What surprised me is this lovely little DVD is a collection of short videos that are story books come to life with animation and voice talent. The readings are paced like someone is reading you the story. The music is not overpowering. The animation is not complicated. In short, it is the opposite of sensory overload. And I loved it.

My children, who are accustomed to the slick CGI in Pixar films, were bored. When I showed it to them in the morning they were more engaged by it. And then I showed them "The Nightmare Before Christmas," which is a stop-motion animated film, quite unlike CGI in its way. They loved that, too. And then another showing of "A Very Brave Witch?" Absolutely entertaining. I had to desensitize the kids from the other stuff in order for them to enjoy the simpler things.

Watching this DVD with them made me want to sit and read them the stories the old fashioned way.

GIVEAWAY: Two readers who comment here WITH CONTACT INFO IN THE BODY OF THE COMMENT by the end of this week will receive this DVD as a gift from Scholastic. Comment away!

The GM Yukon Denali Hybrid, Act 1

2009-10-23T11:58:00.001-07:00

Well, if you count Katie from Overflowing Brain, then I guess I do have one. Now is a good time to visit her blog, because she has something of an "about me" post up in there.

We're headed to Vegas as soon as I finish this post, for SITScation, a tiny little blogger conference, kind of like the Cinderella to BlogWorldExpo's rich stepsisters. GM kicked down a Yukon Denali Hybrid, which can fit about 3,438 more people, but it's just the two of us. Good thing, more room for our evening gowns.

The car makes little chirping noises even before you turn it on. It comes with wireless headphones for two. It's a sweet ride. Now let's see if I can adjust to a hybrid. More from the road at Whrrl.com when I put up stories.

You can almost see the drool

Free Crap Santa Claus

2009-10-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

I have declared the Great Free Crap Giveaway a success. And here's why:

The enormous pile of free crap that was too good to throw away but not useful for me has been reduced to a small tote bag's size.

I may have brightened the days of a handful of people, even just a little bit.

It cost me less than $30.

Now, that $30 is not an amount that I toss around with no thought. I mean, I could have just trucked the whole mess to Good Will or Salvation Army.

This post was meant to be a quick update about what's left. But since I did this, I went to a few events and added three more bags of free crap to the pile. I hope you all know that when I say "crap" I mean it in a snarky, loving way. Some of the free crap I get is not crap at all, like the Hershey's Dark chocolate bar, for example. You can never go wrong with giving me free chocolate. Oh, unless it's made with ground herbs and cranberries and bark, like that one from Barney's I got at some event. Sorry, Barney's, but you cannot give a woman chocolate that tastes like that chocolate bar did. It tasted like SOAP. Even if it's "good for you," a substance does not deserve the name chocolate unless it tastes good.

So. Some people got fun little packages in the mail this week and some of them even tweeted about it. That's all I ask. Spread the word, people. Tell your friends about me. I like the attention. I even buy it with free crap.

Ho, ho, ho.

The Great Free Crap Giveaway

2009-10-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

You guys, seriously. With all the free stuff I have collected over the last few months, my organized desk is in critical disarray, and now is the moment when I surrender.

So.

I'm holding a huge giveaway, cluttercast or Freecycle style, in which I list the stuff that I have extra version of, and whoever claims dibs gets it. That means if you are from far away I will be paying the postage myself, so what's in it for me?

Well, all I ask is that you

A) Comment and tell me which free thing you want and leave a clear way to contact you , and that means an email address. If you are squeamish about leaving that here, email ME at ktphop@ gmail.com along with your comment.

B) Link to me somewhere, like on Twitter or Facebook or Stumble or something. Hits are like money.

C) Come back once in a while. Read me at Uptake or Roost or LA Moms Blog. Or follow me on Twitter. Every once in a while I write stuff that pleases the masses, so it must be slightly good.

D) Choose only one item per comment, please. If there are multiple people who want something, I'll use my best judgement, and possibly favoritism. Hey, I'm spending my own money on this, so I get to do it how I want.

Here is the Great List of Free Stuff up for grabs:

1. A Got Milk? snazzy pack of two drinking glasses, an ice cream scooper, a magnet and a booklet of milkshake recipes.

2. Courtesy of Johnson and Johnson, a box of Splenda packets, 100 count

3. Also courtesy of the big J&J, a stick of Band-Aid Friction Block, which reduces blisters when you wear new shoes.

4. A YourZone 4X6 picture frame, purple, with a marker. This is a dry-erase picture frame perfect for a tween.

5. Two packs of o.b. tampons, each with a reusable carrying case that makes it look like retro-cool dental floss.

6. Wet brand couple's lubricant gift pack. Yes, it's as naughty as it sounds.

7. A 100% silk scarf, maroon and pink, with a barely perceptible product logo on it (Roseangel Hibiscus Tequila, I'll throw in the yummy drink recipe booklet too).

8. For Pasadena residents, a Gift Certificate for one scoop of...something, at POP Champagne and Dessert bar.

9. A set of cruelty-free hair products from David Babaii for Wildaid - Volcanic Ash Root Amplifier and Hair Polish.

10. For Los Angeles foodies, Hungry?Deck Los Angeles - a pack of 52 coupons for LA eateries.

11. A coupon for free admission for 2 to The Comedy Store on Sunset in Hollywood (2 drink minimum).

12. Coupons for free drinks at Border Grill Santa Monica and Ciudad

13. A discount coupon for Layers Cupcakes.

14. A free pass to The Viper Room.

15. A blue kitchen apron, full size, with the Zojirushi logo on it. (Incidentally, they also gave me a kick ass bento box, chopsticks, a kitchen timer, a takamura sushi maker, and a really nice cooking lesson, during which I actually made a California roll, and it was GOOD. But I'm keeping that stuff.)

16. Handstand Kids' Mexican Cookbook, which includes an oven mitt and is packaged to look like a sealed pack of tortillas.

17. A gorgeous diary illustrated with beautiful photos of Hawaii, a gift from Outrigger Hotels and Resorts. I'm grateful for the gift, but I'm a blogger. I don't use pens.

18. The Hawaii Farmers Market Cookbook, a guide to the fresh flavors of Hawaii.

19. A Buildabearville.com Scavenger Hunt gift pack with gift cards.

20. A ballet DVD: Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake featuring actual people, not just CGI characters.

21. A super snazzy ethernet extension cable with the BlogHer logo on it. It's retractable!

22. A lovely spring green polo shirt, women's size L, short sleeved, with Advanced Brands embroidered on the left sleeve.

23. A small pedometer with the Walmart logo on it.

24. Oh my God I just found my business card collection from BlogHer '09. That's not a giveaway. I'm just sayin'.

25. A mousepad which is also a NOTEPAD and a listmaker with days of the week on it. Liberty Mutual logo.

26. A momslikeme.com pack with post-its, a magnetic picture frame, and a plastic billfold for pictures of your kids, old-school style.

27. Five (5) USB storage devices with brand promo information. Reusable? You can have them. My dad freaked me out about corrupt files or viruses, but if you think you can wipe them and debug them, they're yours.

28. Another thing I'm keeping is the hideous sweater from Lands End that is a part of their FeelGood charity drive for Warming Families. For every sweater like this that they sell, they're donating yarn to make hats to warm the homeless and displaced. Because I support this movement, I will wear the sweater someday, and even take a photo and post it. Sorry, Lands End - the sweater is cozy and warm and feels good just like you said, but it's yellow and black with horizontal stripes. I put it on and my son said exactly what could be expected: that I look like a bumblebee in it.

29. I am also keeping the photoboothexpress.com print of the pictures of me and Ilina, Kim, and Darryle, because I heart them, and who else would want that anyway?

30. A highly coveted Queen of Spain #suckit bumper sticker. You can get one from her, she has lots, but I have more than one, so claim it here if you want it.

I also have several thousand tote bags. I might throw one in, just so you know how it feels.

Am I breaking any rules here? I don't think so, I mean, "free crap" is right there in the post title. It was all FREE. And this is the tip of the iceberg. I didn't mention ALL the free stuff that I actually use and appreciate. I like the All Laundry Detergent samples, the Lands End computer backpack (best swag EVER), the Bounce fabric softener dryer bar, my New Balance running shoes, the Springpad mini notebooks, all the other stickers I got from clever bloggers including Liz Rizzo, my Bing t-shirt, the bamboo bathrobe the The SmartMama snagged for me, my Nintendo DSi which I haven't yet actually played (is that bad?), my Chris Mann CD which is really good, and ohmygodsomanymoreIcan'tevenfinish. I have written about lots of the free products here and on other blogs where I contribute content. I have tweeted about it, Whrrled about it, and talked about it on Facebook and with my actually voice to people in real life. I've done my job promoting your products, or badmouthing them if they suck. This post alone has taken me an hour. Free isn't exactly free, although my checking account appreciates the break.

So anyway, I really mean it when I say I'm giving the above list away at my own expense. Consider it an experiment.

Pass it on! Here's the link to tweet, retweet, share on Facebook, etc.

http://stuffofprince.blogspot.com/2009/10/free-crap-roundup.html

I'll keep this open as long as I see necessary. I will try to not take another 6 months to mail the stuff out if you want it but I'm not going to run right out right now.

Enjoy!

EcoSmart Giveaway Winner and Take Home Message

2009-10-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

Hello dear readers. I want to say something. I want to say thank you to all of you who entered the EcoSmart giveaway, that contest who's winner I am so late in announcing. I want to say, also, that I'm not sure how much clearer I could have been about the rules, but out of 15 comments, only three entries actually qualified for the drawing, which gave those lucky entrants very good odds of winning.

The winner is Adrienne of her eponymous Adrienne's House, another lovely House blog. May she be successful in keeping away the ants this year. Cheers!

If Organic Ant Killer Doesn't Do the Job, Your Kids Will

2009-09-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago a horrible thing happened. It was a hot Sunday afternoon, and I went to Costco. No, that wasn't the horrible thing, although a Sunday a Costco is pretty bad. When I got home and started putting the groceries away in the pantry, I noticed a bunch of little brown crumbs on one of the shelves. I went to wipe them out, and one of them crawled away.

And so I felt it in the pit of my belly, that same kind of dread that you feel when you accidentally hit the gas too hard and you run over a metal sign in the parking lot near the valet station, not like I know what that feels like: we had bugs.

Weevils. Lots of them. I mean LOTS OF THEM. I opened every box, bag, and jar and found the little evil things in most of them. I threw out so much food, it was shameful. My dad was here to witness my pathetic attempts to NOT dissolve in to a colossal meltdown. Boxes and bags and pots and pans and utensils had to be removed from their storage places and strewn about the house on one of the hottest mother effing days of the century. Despite the air conditioner, I sweated through it all.

Stewart was charged with the task of finding a chemical that would kill them dead without giving us cancer or lung disease. He went off to Target to buy some bug killer and some plastic sealable bins for the new food that would go back into the pantry. Hours later he returned with EcoSmart Organic Ant Killer. He proudly said "This is safe to use around the kids!" Okay, I know it didn't say Weevil Killer, but I was willing to trade specificity for non-toxicity.

I read the ingredient list, and it reads like a recipe for a nice cup of hot herbal tea. Rosemary oil. Cinnamon oil. Wintergreen oil. Etc. How bad could it be?

It is not bad at all. Stewart used the whole can in the pantry, which was overkill probably, but that's how he rolls. In the morning, the kitchen had to be wiped down, so I walked the kids down the street to Burger King for their very first fast-food breakfast, at which they proceeded to act like hellions and Kyle peed his pants. Awesome! If the bug poison doesn't get us, the children will.

Eventually we made it back home and the kitchen was clean and reassembled (in Stewart's words, "A leaner, meaner kitchen.) and there are no bugs. I dare them to come back. Okay, no I don't.

The only downside is that the entire house smells like Ben Gay now. I'll take that over the weevils, though.

EcoSmart and I are so delighted that we are giving you some. If you have troubles with ants or roaches, leave a comment here and tell me why a green product like this is important to you, and I will pick a winner by random after next Wednesday night (September 23, only one week before my birthday!) at 11:59. Your comment MUST INCLUDE SOMETHING ABOUT THE GREEN BUG KILLER and a clear path to your email if I don't already know you, to qualify. So comment away, crazy bug paranoid readers!

***Updated to add: PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU OR YOUR ENTRY WILL NOT QUALIFY. Thanks.

The One About Maxi Pads

2009-09-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

So, this is a weird one. Well, I guess it's not weird, exactly, in the way that reviewing an alien life form would be weird, or reviewing something totally unrelated to my life, like guitar picks, would be weird. Because I don't need, want, or ever have occasion to use guitar picks, so if someone sent me a bunch of guitar picks and I had to use them to review them, I would probably use them to scrape the goop from around my faucets, or maybe I'd use them to pick my teeth, or perhaps I'd make a lovely mosaic with them. You know, if I was crafty. Which I am not. So guitar picks would be a weird thing to send me.

Always Infinity pads are not weird things to send me, although it feels weird to be writing about them online, which is what I meant when I said "This is a weird one." Essentially, telling you that I reviewed them is saying "Hey, world! I had my PERIOD! And it I used this PAD! And it worked!" I mean, ick. You don't want to know any more than that, right? RIGHT? If you do, that is just gross. I suppose I could tell you that I got some of that blue liquid to pour into them and see if any moisture comes out, like they do in the commercials, but that would be too science-experimenty for me, and everyone knows I barely have enough time to sneeze these days, so I'm not going to be staging any product use demonstrations.

I will say that ever since I started choosing and buying my own pads I have been buying the Always brand, until Target came out with a generic that is the same exact thing but cheaper, so I've been buying those.

This pack of Always Infinity pads is different than I remember the Always dri-weave pad. It's more papery, less plasticky, and there are little hole-like depressions in it ("microdots"), and there are contours ("channels") that are supposed to prevent leakage. So far, I say, so good.

Lucky you that you made it to the end of this review, because Always is offering a giveaway to my readers. Leave a comment here (and make sure I have your email address) by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Sunday, September 13. I will choose a winner using random.org and the winner will receive a year's supply of Always Infinity (24 boxes of 18 count regular flow). Not a bad deal, right?

Camping Coffee

2009-08-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

When I first started camping with Stewart, our styles meshed with each other and we had a good old time. Simple, easy food to cook and eat. Then we started camping with a group of lesbians. The first night, when we broke out our hot dogs and baked beans, we were ridiculed by the fresh catfish, cilantro, and minced garlic we were seeing prepared on the next picnic table over. "Would you like a piece of papaya?" asked one of our friends, holding out a tray of just sliced fruit.

And then there was the coffee. You could not bring a jar of Sanka anywhere near these people. They had battery-powered coffee bean grinders (no battery-powered jokes here, please) and fresh beans and elaborate coffee brewers. Eventually we gave in to the pressure and got a Bodum coffee press but damn if I was going to be grinding beans at a campsite.

Once we had our kids our camping days were over. Or were they? Two little boys are the perfect mascots for a camping trip, so we finally ventured out with them last weekend. Let me tell you, coffee is a necessity now more than ever. And it must be made quickly and with minimal mess.

So thank goodness Jennifer Miner pressed a small box into my hand at BlogHer '09 a week before my camping trip. I didn't even think about it at the time, because of all the other freebies I got that weekend. But! Back at home when I unpacked I found...

Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee Packets. Oh yes, people. It's true. They exist, and they are Mommy's Little Camping Helper.

Not Just An Exercise Mat

2009-07-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

I have this friend, Auntie Lisa, who went through hell after being diagnosed with cancer in her foot. When she got back from hell, she had to work really hard to overcome the damage that the treatment had done to her foot and by domino effect, the rest of her body. Years after her surgery, she is in fantastic shape and takes very good care of her body. Besides working out like a fiend and eating well, she stretches every morning. Every morning. Her stretch routine has become part of her day, just like morning coffee and playing with her dog.

I have often felt inspired when Lisa mentions her stretch routine in passing, and I think it would be good for me to have a morning stretch routine, too, since as I get older ("so much older, I long for those young boy days") my body is stiffer and more prone to extreme acts of failure without warning. As if inspiration from Lisa wasn't enough, Stewart has taken to doing calisthenics with the boys every morning in an effort to stretch and strengthen his bad back. And by "calisthenics" I mean trying to stretch or do jumping jacks or sit-ups while the boys hop around and sort of count and say "strrrrrretch!" and shove him out of the way. Someday I will video tape it and post it here. It's very cute in a frustrating way.

The third sign from the universe came when I logged onto my Sitemeter account a few weeks ago and saw an ad for G2 Stretch Mats. Normally I don't pay attention to banner ads, but this caught my eye because the idea of stretching has been on my mind. Not because of the half-naked, peacefully reclining man. No.

What struck me were the graphics printed on the mat that show you which stretches to do and how to do them. My biggest problem with sitting down to stretch out every morning has been running out of ideas. When I'm in yoga class, I don't have to think - the instructor just tells me what to do. That's how I prefer to exercise, quite frankly. When I think about it too much I get self-conscious and I don't enjoy it as much. I thought this mat with its helpful guide might help me stick with it, and so I contacted the company and volunteered to test the mat for a week and write about my experience.

G2 sent us a men's back stretch mat and a women's general stretch mat. I learned that - bonus! - the mats are "eco-friendly" and come with instructional videos. The women's mat comes in a plastic tube, so I guess you have to get past that to get to the eco-friendly part: the mat itself, which the site says is made of "Thermoplastic Elastomer," which isn't quite plastic and isn't quite rubber, so it keeps the properties of rubber but can be recycled. Despite what the website says, the smell of the material is pretty strong, especially if you store it in the plastic tube, which I have stopped doing, and that is making the new-rubbery smell go away. In the end, the tube itself can be used for other things.

Stewart and I both started whipping out our mats every morning. We followed the graphics, which are pretty clear, and the poses seem fairly obvious. Each one tells you how many seconds to hold it, or how many repetitions to do.

Inevitably, one or both of our children will join in, either enhancing or inhibiting the experience. It's hard to do a lunge stretch with a 35-pound toddler on your knee. Then again, he increases the resistance.

A few poses on the women's mat confounded me, however, so I went to the special secret website to which you are given access when you purchase a mat. (Paula Abdul greets you with a smile! Another bonus!) Instructional videos have been uploaded to demonstrate some of the poses - they only feature a man but the men's routine is the same as the women's. I remain confused about how to do a few of neck stretches, so I just skip them now. I'm happy to have added the "slide glide" to my routine, an exercise in which you stand a few inches from a wall, and lean on it with your shoulder. You dip your hips to the wall and then back again for 15 repetitions. It feels good, like I'm doing work, but it's not hard.

On a daily basis, Stewart says "I really like my mat." This is a big deal because he rarely says such things about a product. He has gotten into a great routine and loves having the kids hop all over him. He tells me that he sticks to the stretches he likes and holds the poses for his own preferred length of time. The graphics inspire him to continue, even if he ignores some of them, and he manages to get a 15-minute session in every morning.

Overall I am very happy with my mat because it inspires me to keep my body moving and I can actually see results from just a week or of daily use. Going through the full routine in the illustrations takes about the same amount of time as one episode of "Go, Diego, Go!" so it's a family activity, not something for which you have to sneak away and use up precious alone time. Plus, the mat rolls up nicely and comes with a Velcro strap to keep it secure, so I can throw it in the car to bring with us on road trips. The men's mat is more manly, folding up and stored in a fabric bag. Each mat retails for about $50 which is reasonable considering that you get so much more than just a mat - you get motivation, too.

You know you want to try one. Which brings me to my next trick. I'm giving away your choice of of a mat from the G2 Fitness website! (Shipping to US address only.) Just leave a comment here with your contact info (if you're really fussy about not publishing your email address, I understand, you can email me with the button at the top of this page, but YOU STILL HAVE TO LEAVE A COMMENT) by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on July 1. I will choose the winner FROM THE COMMENTS at random and announce it on Thursday, July 2. I won't make you tweet the contest but if you do I will be grateful. ( @houseofprince is giving away Not Just an Exercise Mat http://tinyurl.com/mmfvtf)

While this post is still in keeping with the "mommy blog" mentality of my overall content, I have partnered with Girl Get Strong, a kicky website community that has more of a wellness focus. It's run by three fantastic women who got my attention - where else - on Twitter, and provided a topical place to feature this product. This week they are featuring my G2 stretch mat experience and their own giveaway - squee! another chance to win one!

Now If I could have typed this post while stretching, watching "Go, Diego, Go!" and holding my kid, now THAT would be some serious multi-tasking.

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED: From 58 qualifying entries, Elise's was chosen by Randomizer.org as the winner. For what it's worth, she chose the green and pink yoga stretch mat. Thanks to all for entering!