GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

There’s nothing more soothing than re-organising your pantry, fridge or anywhere else that needs serious re-organising. Honestly, there isn’t. To see the before and after effects, makes you weep, fall at your knees and swear that you’ll never ever get to that ‘stuff-everything-in-there-as-much-as-you-can’ stage ever again. I was given a wonderful wonderful opportunity to review Starmaid‘s latest range of containers, and they went straight to my pantry, fridge and garage.

I received the Starmaid “Clear Edge”, “Fresh Seal” and “Fridge Mate” range of containers and a huge 30L Storemate. What a blessing, I tell ya. I wish I could show you guys a deluge of photos, but you’ll have to content yourselves with just these…

I had just bought a huge lettuce, and was so glad that I could use the 4L ‘fridge mate” to store it, instead of leaving it in the bag. It has an aeroflow tray and vents that allows for longer life storage. I also used the ‘clear edge’ containers to store my Bolognaise Sauce (pre-made for school lunches). I put the second one in the freezer for another day.

I was just so glad to know that all of these containers… were BPA Free. I can’t tell you, how relieved I was to see that. Mums, BPA is bad bad bad for us. When BPA is leached onto our food, through repeated wear/tear/ and use of dishwashers and microwaves, it is known to promote human breast cancer cell growth amongst other effects (source). Ugh! No thanks!

Also… I was 100% surprised to see that all these were.. MADE IN AUSTRALIA. Happy? Yes. Very.

About Starmaid :

I know, I know, I’m sooooo late in posting this. Things have been pretty hectic lately and I’m so behind in lots of things. Please accept my apology for being late but better late than never

And our May 2011 email subscriber winners who have won a copy of Chicken Soup For The Soul : My Dog’s Life each, are:

1. Asha Marie Pena

2. Sheila Stroh

3. Pending for selected winner to email back (please check your mails – it may be you!)

Some of you have guessed correctly! This month, we’re giving away  three copies of Chicken Soup For The Soul : My Cat’s Life. Interested to read what it’s about? Here you go:

101 Stories about All the Ages and Stages of Our Feline Family Members

From kittenhood through the twilight years, our feline companions continually bring joy, love, and laughter to the lives of their “staff.” This collection of 101 new stories captures the experience of living through the natural life cycle with our cats — from the laugh-out-loud antics of kittens and tear-your-hair-out escapades of teenage cats to the more mature adult years and final stages of life. Stories cover each age and stage with all the fun, frustrations, special bonds and routines involved. The book also holds a special chapter about grieving and recovery when our feline friends leave us.

If we’ve piqued your interest, remember, it’s so easy to win. All you need to do is be an email subscriber and you’ll be entered into our monthly draw.

Disclosure : Giveaway copies of Chicken Soup For The Soul books are courtesy of www.chickensoup.com

Forget about Silly Bandz.  Zippies, “the pals that hang around,” are becoming the nation’s next kids’ craze. These round, flexible, characters save parents headaches by helping children to identify their things.

All you need to do is  simply clip them onto any belonging — water bottles, lunch boxes, luggage, backpacks, jackets, and even bicycles.  Each collectible Zippies ID tag features a different character on one side with a place for contact information on the other. This allows parents to rest assured that emergency contact information (last name and parent’s phone number) is with their child at all times.

Zippies, the solution to ending kids’ arguments about what belongs to whom, save parents aggravation and stress. Zippies can  even help prevent the spread of germs by identifying water bottles and teach children the importance of being responsible for personal belongings.

BUY IT : Available in 10 different characters, Zippies sell for $4.98 each or $29.95 for the entire limited-edition first series. They can be ordered online at www.zippiesfun.com and found at select retailers.

Our panel of reviewers were lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to test drive the Zippies. Let’s read what they had to say:

Liz Has A Life – My daughter fell in love with Kayla right away, sporting her on her coat and then wanting to have her on her pink water bottle! My son was in love with Tazmo, something about that tough tiger really appealed to a 4 year old! The kids even had me put one on my drink and of course I had to choose the cute bunny Flops!

Red Sox Mom – I think these Zippies are really fun. They look a little angry to me personally, even Chip who is “smiling,” but they’re still cute and my daughters like them. My daughter can’t wait to use them when she starts school again this Fall.

Pookie and The Boys – I know that my kids were excited to get a hold of these and wanted to put them on everything. I told them they could have one, but they were having too much trouble limiting themselves to just one. They said they “needed” more than that. I guess the new craze will be wearing Zippies and not those crazy rubber bands. I love the whole concept of these and definitely think that everyone can use them.

Tim and Angi’s Blog – This isn’t a new problem nor a new idea. There are lots of ways to identify your stuff. However, these are unique in their multiple options in one cute little bundle. On the back of Zippies, you can write your contact information. I discovered that our Oliver Labels clothing labels fit tightly in that spot as well. We received Tazmo (pictured), Faina, Flops, Kayla and Chip. The boys were excited to pick out their own. Drama King grabbed Tazmo, Little T took Chip, Grandma Deb got Kayla, Tim has Faina, and I was assigned Flops.

Reviews & Reflections – Zippies® make a great alternative to plain nametags and labels, and are fun for kids. They are bright and easy to see. They are easy to use – over and over again.

Adventures In All Things Food – I love how versatile they are! I can put them on my children’s luggage, drinking bottles, toys, keys or just for my children to wear. On the back is a place to add your child’s name and contact info. My daughter would love to wear the whole collection at once

Bless Their Hearts Mom – I have to admit, the Zippies have held up pretty well to a WHOLE lot of of 4 year old abuse! I love their versatility and being able to switch to where we need them, but that Kiddo can recognize which item is hers at a glance! With the cousins all coming over during the Summer for play dates, they will definitely come in handy to keep everybody drinking out of their own water bottles.

Sewing Mom – Whenever we head out to the softball fields we tend to pack a lot of gear, and the hotter it is, the more gear we pack! Of course, my daughter’s bat bags and water jugs look just like every other players bat bags and water jugs. Imagine how happy I was when I was asked by Parent Reviewers to use & review a wonderfully cute and practicial product, Zippies, the pals that hang around to help kids (and moms) identify their personal belongings. There are so many every day uses for these adorable little tags. This is Kayla, the one I hung on my daughter’s water jug.

Jumpin Beans – Also, you can take the loop off and use it on your keys! Add it to your belt loop for a little “bling.”You can even add it to your book bag to spice it up a bit!!!On the Zippie site, they even have a little girl wearing the Zippie as a charm type on her necklace! The opportunities to show off your zippie seem to be endless!!!!

Momanthology – My kids are older but still really liked these. (Even my teen wanted one!) The girls liked that they could easily use these for their backpacks but then move them to be used on something else. This is great for school, scouts, althletics, traveling and other activities. We did have a couple arguments over the more popular colors/characters (in our house that was Flops, Faina and Kayla). We think Zippies are cute, fun and useful

One House Schoolroom – My children are in love with these little guys and have found so many places to clip their new pals. Considering that my children are notorious for losing their possessions these funny new friends have insured that those important items “accidentally” left out in the world will find their way home again!!

Just A Mom’s Take On Things – Overall, I’m very happy with the Zippies tags – they’re easy to use, quick to attach and detach (something I greatly appreciate as sometimes it’s so much harder to remove tags than to apply them!), and the girls love the cute animal faces. They’ve already divvied up the ones we received and there was quite the negotiation process to determine which animal would belong to whom.

Happy Healthy Families – What is so great about these ID tags is that kids love them, they are cool and trade-able (such a big plus!) and parents can feel better about knowing important information is within reach if needed. But also important is the fact that these cute little tags can help prevent kids from spreading colds and coughs as well. I personally like the idea of attaching Zippies to water bottles to help prevent germs from spreading around! Not to mention it helps prevent arguments between the kids too!

Mommy’s Minute – My hubby thought they were so neat that he snagged one for his laptop bag. They really are a neat product. Great for tagging your kid’s belongings at camp, day care, or school. I was really impressed. Put up that permanent marker and pick up some Zippies, the “Pals that Hang Around.”

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/2

My newest little one, Juliana (7 months) and I got to try out some Green Babies brand organic bath products this past week! The products we received included Energizing bubble bath, Calming bubble bath, Lotion Potion moisturizer, Baby Me shampoo and wash and Smooth Me Detangler.

The detangler I promptly gave to my friend (with 3 girls) because Juliana’s hair isn’t really long enough yet and I barely have time to brush my hair in the morning anyway! She said that it worked pretty well but it left a fragrant that didn’t go away.

I tried out the Calming bubble bath the other night and then used it on Jules tonight for her bath. It smells beautiful! Not at all strong, just enough scent and lots of bubbles! A little goes a long way with these soaps which is great because they will last awhile.

The lotion has a sweet baby scent according to the label and it’s so right. Again, not a strong scent but a nice scent and it made Juliana’s skin nice and soft.

Green Babies’ new body care line is plant and fruit derived, vegan, hypo-allergenic and tear-free. These products contains no SLS, no paraben, no petroleum by-products, no synthetic fragrances and no eye irritants and they are also completely not tested on animals.

I really loved the Green Babies bath products, and what’s even better is that they aren’t expensive!

Since 1994, Green Babies ® has offered an extensive line of natural and organic baby products, including certified organic cotton clothing, wooden toys and natural parenting books. On the frontlines of the organic movement, mom of three Lynda Fassa conceived Green Babies ® when she found a dearth of healthy baby products for her then newborn. A former Ford Model, Lynda wasn’t always the crunchy-granola type, but “greened up” her act while pregnant with her first daughter—veggies and organic smoothies replaced diet soda and cheap takeout.

BUY IT : You can find Green Babies products for sale at their website (http://www.greenbabies.com/catalogue/cat1.htm)

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/2

TO THE WINNERS OF

Wordlock Padlock & Bicycle Lock Giveaway

 Pauline M #61

 AND

Stepping Stones Together Membership Giveaway

 Catherine #3

The winners are required to do the following:

1. Submit your relevant info via the Winner’s Submission Form Below; AND
2. Leave a comment in this post to let us know you have submitted.
3. If any winner does not claim her prize by the 17th June 2011, we will do a second draw.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAD PARTICIPATED.

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