Dial sent me sample bottles of both Dial® Baby Body & Hair Wash and Dial® Kids Foaming Hand Wash recently and while I always have hand soap on hand (no pun intended!), I didn't have any fun foaming hand wash so I thought this would be a fun treat for the bathroom. Of course, I also don't have any babies on hand, but since the boys' stepmom is due any day, she will, so I thought it might be fun for us to try out something that might help her out!

A couple of things about these products:

Dial® Baby Body + Hair Wash is gentle on babies’ and kids’ skin.

• Dial® Kids Foaming Hand Wash was developed with pediatric dermatologists and is gentle on hands and kids’ skin.

Around here you're probably used to reading book reviews and not much else. Well, today we have a surprise for you! The cats received a special box in the mail and they couldn't wait to try it out and to share their opinions with all of you.

Opening up the box, we discovered this cute toy and a pack of cat treats! The cats were all about just diving into the treats, but I held them off long enough to add some of them to the toy itself. Since the picture doesn't make it totally clear, the mouse's head unscrews and you pour the treats in. I do suggest that you cover the bottom holes as much as you can. Otherwise, you end up with a lap full of cat treats...and then cats... Once it's filled, simply put the head back on and place the toy on the floor. As the cats swat it around, it rolls about (think weeble people for those of you as old as I am) and dumps out a few treats at a time onto the floor. My cats mastered this quickly and after that, every time I entered the bathroom, they were requesting that I add more. The one night that I didn't, they decided to tear open the treat bag and eat all of the treats! So, overall, this fun little toy was a total success and one that the hoard here will enjoy for ages to come.

Now, since I rarely post pictures or even video of the kitties, Dorian insisted that I show off him demonstrating the toy to Mittens... Enjoy!







We received this toy/treat combination in exchange for this review.  All thoughts, comments, and opinions are my own....and the cats'....
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As much as I love book reviewing, I get super excited when I have the opportunity to check out something new that doesn't involve books! In this case, Purex Insiders sent me some new hand soap from Dial!

From the product page : With a creamy sweet scent inspired by fresh cut sugar cane, this premium formula with gentle micro scrubbers cleanses deeply while moisturizing and smoothing skin.

My take: After I got over the excitement of having water back to my bathroom sink, I put this right on the counter to try out. Turns out that I love it. Usually the fact that soap smells tend to linger bothers me, but not with this one! The scent is so pleasant (and didn't set my allergies off!) that it wasn't a tough decision at all to decide that this is a soap that I'm going to be picking up more off for future use. It's not just the scent though, after using this soap, my hands felt clean and the skin was soft. I won't go so far as to say that this might be the perfect hand soap, but it is certainly in the running!



I received this product in exchange for this review. All thoughts, comments, opinions, and clean hands are my own.
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Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. USED FOR:  LATTES | SMOOTHIES | BAKING

ALL DAY ENERGY WITH INCREASED FOCUS

Matcha provides 4 to 6 hours of mild steady energy as it acts as both a stimulant and a relaxant. This is ideal for focusing on whatever the day throws your way.

METABOLISM BOOST

Consuming matcha green tea can increase thermogenesis (the body's own rate of burning calories) from a normal 8%-10% of daily energy expenditure, to between 35% and 43% of daily energy expediture.

IMPROVED SKIN HEALTH

​Scientists have discovered that Matcha Green Tea helps protect the skin from harmful UVrays, while improving blood flow and oxygen levels lifting the overall quality of the skin.

137x THE ANTIOXIDANTS OF BREWED GREEN TEA

Antioxidants are essential as you age to boost your body's natural defenses against oxidation. Researchers have found that a high level of dietary antioxidants can prevent many age-related diseases.


As some of you know, I'm slowly easing my way into living a healthier lifestyle again. As part of that, I was thrilled the be chosen to review Organic Matcha- Green Tea Powder by KissMe Organics.

I have to say that this whole experience was a good one. The company is very personable and easy to work with! For someone who thinks excellent customer service should be something that all companies strive for, this was certainly a plus. On top of that, they gave out a free recipe book to help get us going! With any luck, I'll have that uploaded somewhere online soon and I'll be able to share that with you too!

I haven't had a ton of time to test this out, but everything that I've put it in has come out yummy! I'm really looking forward to having the time to try out making a green tea facial mask. After all, we all need to relax and take care of ourselves, right?

I'm not a huge health nut or anything, and those who know me know that I'm still not a grown up because I don't really love tea or coffee. However, from time to time, I do like green tea. Funny how sometimes you like something and other times you're just meh, whatever. In this case, I'm glad to have this on hand for when I am in the right mood!

Definitely a product worth checking out, if you're at all curious!



 I received this product in exchange for this review from Tomoson.com. Y'all know that my thoughts are my own. ;)
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
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For most of my adult life, I've had trouble finding hair clips that work with my hair. The problem is that I have thick hair and according to those who cut my hair, a lot of it. Normal clips just won't hold it. I've lost track of the number of clips and barrettes that I've broken in the attempts. In the end, I resorted to just using scrunchies and let's face it, those aren't the most glamorous of options in the hair fun world.

Then, out of the blue, I received an email from Elizabeth Williams. She wanted me to try out Lilla Rose flexi clips and tell y'all about them. I'll be honest. I was skeptical. I had tried other clips and no luck. However, I wanted to be fair, so I said sure! She sent me this gorgeous clip and that was it. I was in love. The clips come in a variety of sizes so they fit pretty much any hair type out there. Did I mention that they're gorgeous too? I have no idea how many styles there are but enough that you could practically have one for every day of the year without repeating!

These are going at the top of my Christmas list. I put one in my hair and it stayed not only all day, but all night  when I forgot to take it out before bed. Combine that with just being downright pretty and you can't honestly go wrong.



Plus, Elizabeth has been kind enough to let me give one away to one of you lucky folk! Simply fill out the form and we'll be choosing a winner in a couple of weeks. A quick note on the become a customer entry. You don't have to purchase anything to do this entry! Simply click Shop Now and then New Account. Fill out the information and click Create Account and you're done!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received product in exchange for this review. All thoughts, opinions, comments and crazy hair are 100% mine.
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If I've learned one thing while Roger has been playing football, it is the advantage of a good pair of sunglasses! It can get unbelievably bright out on the practice field and sometimes even worse out on the playing field.

That's where the awesome sunglasses over there on the left come in. When you combine those with a baseball cap, I can actually see the action and not lie to the kid when he says, "Hey mom, did you see me tackle that girl?" *

As you may have noticed, that fancy picture up there (my thanks go out to hellocotton.com for the image) says Firmoo.com on it. That's because that's just where I got these from! If you're not familiar with Firmoo, it's an online store for prescription and non-prescription, tinted and non-tinted glasses. Most of their sunglasses can even be made into prescription sunglasses! 

Wow, I really need better photos!

My experience ordering from them was really nice. The ordering process was very easy. They shipped quickly and when they came, they came with a hard case, soft case, cleaning cloth and a tool kit. All in all, I was very pleased and if I ever need a new pair of sunglasses, I think I'm going to skip the discount aisle and go straight to these guys. 

Sadly, the sunglasses that I have are being discontinued but go ahead and check out their other frames. It looks like they've added some new ones since I picked mine out. Plus, if you're a new customer, you can get your first pair free!**



*In their last game, a girl was on the opposing team and he tackled her twice. He doesn't just go around randomly tackling girls.
** Just pay shipping.

I received the pair of glasses in these pictures in exchange for this review. You can get a pair too! All thoughts, comments and bad pictures are 100% mine unless otherwise noted.

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One of the biggest challenges that I face when I go through a depressive period is making an attempt at keeping our home clean. For me, when I'm caught up in the mental chaos, my home quickly turns into physical chaos. That's why I'm so thankful that we live in a period where finding good cleaning products is as simple as walking to any store.

Recently, I received a bottle of Soft Scrub Total Bath & Bowl to try out. I have to say that I like this product. It works upside down, which is great for those tight areas. It can be used  not only on the counter tops and outside of the toilet, but also inside the toilet. Plus, it has a handy dandy flippy thing on the nozzle so that you can switch it from spray to foam.

Today has been a good day around here. I'm feeling mostly healthy and completing one project yesterday inspired me to start tackling my bathroom today. I won't get into the details of how icky it was..let's just say I have two boys and one of the cats had a field day knocking things over in there. Enter this product. Quite literally within about two minutes, I had my bathroom counter shining and happy again. The smell isn't overpowering and my lungs don't feel as if I spent ages inhaling chemicals. All in all, a happy counter makes for a smiling me. Up next....the toilet....

But, before I go and tackle that, I want to share a couple of things with you! Soft Scrub is currently holding a sweepstakes with $3000 in prizes. First place gets a lovely $1000 plus they're giving away 50 other prizes where the winners will receive $40 each. If you'd like to enter The Tough & Gentle Sweepstakes, simply click this link and fill out the form.

But wait, there's more! (Haven't y'all always wanted to say that like a cool infomercial person?) Not only are they doing a sweepstakes, but I'm doing a giveaway! That's right! Two lucky readers will receive a coupon that will allow them to get their own Soft Scrub product for free!

To enter, simply check out the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Soft Scrub provided me with a bottle of their Total Bath & Bowl for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are 100% mine.
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I have a secret. I'm not sure I should tell anyone since I have this reputation of being all Little Miss DIY, not girly girl...Oh, who am I kidding? Nobody believes that anymore. They used to. I used to have guys tell me that I was the least girly girl they knew. Now, I still love DIY but I'm also into nail polish and *gasp* shoes. I know..I know...how cliche, right?

But, have you tried out a pair of Kalso Earth Shoes? I have and man, they are awesome! Truth be told, I practically begged to be allowed to review a pair for them. Luckily, the lovely lady who handles it was probably amused by my eagerness and hooked me up with the pair of shoes you see to your left there. Those are The Link Too and yes, they really are that cute in person too! The first day I wore them out, I received compliments.

If you know me, you know I have a very hard time wearing shoes all day long. In fact, when I walk in the door at night, the first thing to happen is I kick my shoes off. Not these! I found myself wearing them all day long and I was home for a good 30 minutes before I realized I hadn't taken them off. They're just plain comfy as well as cute! I confess that for the first bit of time I kept finding myself stepping out of them when I walked. That's all on me though. I'm just not used to wearing this type of shoe.

So, what makes these so awesome other than cute and comfy? It's all about "Negative Heel Technology." What is this craziness you speak of? I heard you say it...It means that your heel is actually slightly lower in the shoe than your toes. Think about walking in sand. It's that same effect. Pretty cool, huh? If you look over to your left, there's a pretty snazzy graphic that shoes what this does for your body. I have to tell you that it was wearing a pair of shoes like this back in the spring that totally saved my knee when I sprained it.

Now, since I know you want to see these shoes "in person", I have 2 things for you. The first thing...a picture of me wearing said cute shoes:


See? Super cute and I have to say they look good against the Fall leaves. I wish we had more colorful ones in our yard but sadly, we just didn't this year. It's probably because we only have one walnut tree in the front yard.

Right. You don't care about the leaves in my yard. You want to know how you can see these shoes for yourself. After all, I did say there were two ways..Ok, nobody squeal too loud but Kalso Earth Shoes is letting me give one of you lucky readers a pair of shoes! Now, I can't promise that they'll be the same ones I received. The pair that they send you will totally be based upon your size and their stock. Want to know how to win? Here are the rules:

The giveaway will run from today (10/19) until October 31st at 11:59pm. Any entries received after that point will not be counted. On November 1st, I will draw a winner and that winner will be contacted via email. If I can't find the winner's email address, I will draw a new winner. The winner has 72 hours to email me back with their shipping information. If I don't hear back, a new winner will be chosen. Contest open to residents of the USA. Got all that? Ok, now on to how to enter:

Please leave a separate comment for each entry:
1. Publicly follow me on either Networked Blogs and/or Google Friend Connect. (1 entry - Maximum 2 entries.)
2. Post this giveaway to Facebook. (1 entry - Maximum 1 entry per day.)
3. Head on over to the Kalso Earth Shoe Facebook Page and leave a comment there telling them which of their shoes is your favorite. (1 entry.)
4. Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)
5. Follow Kalso Earth Shoes on Twitter (1 entry)
6. Tweet out this message (up to 5x a day - Maximum 5 entries per day.):

"I just entered to win a pair of @KalsoEarthShoes from @craftsbykatie ! Enter today for your chance to win: http://www.lifewithkatie.com/2011/10/review-giveaway-kalso-earth-shoes.html"

Spread the word!



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Look what we got! Yep, that's a Chex Mix Muddy Buddy package! I've never seen the boys so excited about a product review in my life. When I opened the box and they saw what was inside, they insisted I open the bag then and there. Luckily for them, I'm a nice mom so I opened the bag and poured it into the lidded container. Then, I handed over the container and sat back. The boys loved it! I have to say that when I snagged the container back, I thought it was pretty tasty myself. What I loved most was that it was one of those snacks that I could have a small handful and it totally satisfied my sweet tooth as well as that desire to have something crunchy. I'll confess that the kids loved it more than me, but I'm getting old, you know. I just don't love sweet as much as I did when I was their ages.

Want to know the best part of this? Chex Mix has provided me with a 2nd gift pack to send out to one of you! It will look just like what's in the picture and if you're like me, you're going to love the air tight storage container. I'm in love with it! Want to know how to enter? Well, let me tell you!

Required Entry:
 -- Leave a comment telling me your favorite type of Chex Mix and what you're most excited about in this giveaway.(1 entry)

Bonus Entries:
-- Tweet about this giveaway. Make sure that you include @craftsbykatie in the message. Then come back here and link to your tweet. (Maximum 5 entries)
-- Blog about this giveaway. Come back here and link to your post. (3 entries)
-- Follow Life With Katie using Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs (must be a public follower). (1 entry)

Giveaway will end June 26th at 11:59pm EST. All entries after that time will not be accepted. Maximum 10 entries per person.

I received the gift pack shown from Chex Mix via MyBlogSpark for the purpose of this review & giveaway. All comments, thoughts and views are 100% mine because we all know I hate to be told what to say. ;) 



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Hi all! It's been ages since I've posted here and I can only explain it by telling you that I've been swamped! I'm going into town 5 days a week plus for the past two weeks, I've been helping out with the elementary school swim program. On Tuesdays, I'm in the pool from about 9:50am-3pm. I love it! I so wish we had a pool closer to me so I could be swimming a few days a week.

Luckily, life will be settling down some soon. School will be out in just a few weeks and that will end my driving into town 5 days a week. It's also going to give me the chance to dive more fully into the house and really putting our mark on it. The boys don't know it yet, but we're going to surprise them by taking their sunshiney yellow bedroom and repainting it into a color that they both want.

It's also going to allow me to spend more time working on writing here. I'm going to work on bringing back the Tuesday organizational challenges. If things go well, I'll also be bringing back Save the Planet Saturday. For now though, I'm going to introduce you to a fantastic product that we're "enjoying" here. I put that in quotes because while I like doing laundry, not everyone does.

This is Purex Complete with Zout. Zout is a triple enzyme stain fighter. Recently, the lovely folks at Purex sent me a bottle of their free & clear formula to try out and so far, we are loving it! It works just as well and maybe better than any other laundry detergent that I've tried out. I love that they offer this in a scented and non-scented version. Personally, I don't like perfumey smelling laundry soaps (plus they often set off my allergies), so the free & clear version is perfect for our family.

I know you're wondering when I'm going to get to the giveaway...right now! I have a coupon here for one of you to try out this fantastic product for yourself!

How to enter:

1. Leave me a comment telling me your least favorite household chore and why you don't love it.
2. Tweet about this giveaway. Make sure that you leave a link to your tweet in your comment.

Quick  Edit: No more than 5 tweets per person, please.

That's it! I'll draw a winner for this on Friday, May 13th. Yep, Friday the 13th will be a lucky day for someone!




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I'm weird. I think my favorite room in the house to clean is the bathroom. I can't think of another person who has ever shared that with me. In my case, it's probably because the bathroom is the easiest room to clean. Granted, I have a bathtub that I don't think a nuclear explosion could make look clean. It was badly stained when we moved in and no scrubbing has changed that.

However, recently I was sent a bottle of Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-A-Clean Power Sprayer. I'll be honest. I wasn't sure how I felt like it. I'm one of those girls that once I find something I like, I rarely want to switch. Well, this actually may have changed my mind.

First, let me describe it to you. The top looks like a standard spray bottle, except it has a battery compartment. The top screws right onto bottles. The great thing is that you can get refills for it and just keep using the same top. As an eco-friendly type person, I like this because it actually means less waste.

The battery compartment makes it so you don't have to continually squirt the product. You just hold the trigger down and spray. The sprayer causes the liquid to create a foam and then all you do is rub it and rinse! It can't be much easier than that. Plus, it's s'posed to repel soap scum for up to 4 days and it did it! Not to mention it made my sink faucet shine like it never has before! Woohoo! Did I mention that it actually smelled good? Not like some horrible chemical! Yay!

Ok, I just wanted to be sure I told you all about it. If you're interested, check out this link for a chance to win a $100 gift card by playing the Power Sprayer Showdown. There's also a $5 coupon  there, too!


As part of the BzzAgent program, I received a sample of this product to review as part of a BzzAgent Campaign.