Monthly Archives: March 2012

Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System Review with Video – A Soap Dispenser Moms and Kids Will Love!

March 30, 2012Cleaning & Cleaners, HealthLysolAlicia

If you are a regular reader or a friend of mine, you might know that am a little bit of a germaphobe. Ok, so maybe a lot. I taught my kids how to wash their hands as soon as they could rub them together. As our children get older and parents no longer go into the bathroom with their kids, they aren’t able to make sure that their child is washing her hands well or correctly. That’s why I usually have my kids wash their hands downstairs in the kitchen after they use the restroom at home. I want to watch them get the soap, wash.. and count to 20. I have used many techniques to keep them interested in and motivated to wash their hands but one of my favorites is the invention of no-touch soap dispensers which I will get into in just a moment. Meanwhile..

Did you know that..

Children are more susceptible to developing an infectious illness because their immune systems have not fully developed. Infections have a tendency to spread very quickly. Washing the hands is one of the simplest things that can be done to prevent the spread of infections. Children who are taught the importance of washing their hands will be less likely to contract an infectious illness.

Do your kids know how to wash their hands?

Children also need to be taught how to properly wash their hands. The hands should always be washed in warm water. Warm water kills more germs than cold water. It is also important to make sure that the hands are washed for at least 20 seconds. Singing the Happy Birthday song twice is a good way to ensure that one washes his hands for the recommended amount of time. Children should be supervised while they are washing their hands to make sure that they are washing properly. Parents, teachers and caregivers should make sure that the child washes the back and palm of his hand as well as his wrists, fingers and fingernails.

Children should be encouraged to turn off the faucet with a towel. Something interesting that I’ve been hearing quite a bit lately is that it’s actually better to dry your hands with a paper towel than to use an air dryer. Air dryers can have bacteria inside the air tunnels which is then shot right out onto our hands as we dry them. Yuck, huh?

The Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System makes it a lot easier for children to wash their hands. This hands-free dispenser gently cleanses the hands while killing bacteria. On average, kitchens are cleaned more than 400 times a year and studies have shown that the bottles used to clean the kitchen area may be soiled and heavily contaminated with germs, potentially causing cross contamination. The No-Touch Kitchen System will help prevent against that because of its no-touch feature and all-in-one solution. Now if only we had no-touch water faucets! Meanwhile we keep our faucets clean by using anti-bacterial wipes.

Besides cleaning hands the Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System is perfect for cleaning dirty dishes. The

Watch this video of my five year old daughter demonstrating the Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System. She LOVES the Tangerine scent!

Again, washing the hands is one of the simplest and most effective things that can be done to prevent the spread of infectious illnesses. Keep your kids motivated to wash their hands by making hand washing time easy and fun!

Disclosure: I received a Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System for review purposes. Lysol did not require that I write this post. I only write about products that I would by for my family.

PBS Kids’ Martha Speaks and Arthur Celebrate National Poetry Month

March 30, 2012New posts, TelevisionArthur, Martha Speaks, National Poetry Month, PBS KidsAlicia

We are huge fans of PBS. We’ve been watching PBS for 11 years and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without it. I’m not just talking about the kid’s shows. We watch PBS nature shows and concerts too.

PBS Kids children's television

The Poetry Foundation and WGBH are teaming up to invite kids to celebrate National Poetry Month with Martha Speaksand Arthur. Tune in to PBS KIDS Monday, April 2, 2012 (check local listings) to join former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins and inaugural Childrens Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky in episodes highlighting poetry. Kids also are invited to create and publish their own poetry online with an all-new game, Marthas Rhyme Time at pbskids.org/martha and Fern’s Poetry Club at pbskids.org/arthur.

Martha Speaks and Arthur share a focus on literacy and actively encourage creativity and love of words, says Carol Greenwald, Senior Executive Producer atWGBH. Through this partnership with the Poetry Foundation, we hope to encourage and inspire the next generation of poetry readers and writers.

Children who are exposed to the joys of poetry at a young age are most likely to become lifelong readers of poetry as adults, adds Stephanie Hlywak, Media Director of the Poetry Foundation. How better to create a new generation of poetry lovers than to enlist the help of Martha, Arthur, Billy Collins, and Jack Prelutsky?

Airing Monday, April 2, 2012, PBS KIDS will premiere the brand-new Martha Speaks episode Billy Collins Speaks (check local listings). In this episode, Billy Collins writes great poems about dogs, and Martha thinks she knows why. Obviously, the former poet laureate must be a canine himself! When Martha meets Billy Collins, shes in for a few surprises…as is he. Tune in to learn words like poem, poet, prose, imposter, and metaphor. Then in the classic Arthur episode Im a Poet, Arthur and his friends are challenged to write a poem for a contestto be judged by inaugural Childrens Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky. Though intimidated at first, everyone comes up with a poem that reflects his or her own unique approach.

Two new Martha Speaks episodes highlighting parts of speech and featuring a visit from the Bookbots air on PBS KIDS Tuesday and Wednesday, April 3-4, 2012 (check local listings). Additionally, past episodes of Arthur celebrating creative writing will air on PBS KIDS Tuesday-Friday, April 3-6, 2012 (check local listings).

New Games Highlight Poetry and Creative Writing Online at pbskids.org!

Kids are invited to read, write, and share poetry online with Marthas Rhyme Time at pbskids.org/martha and Fern’s Poetry Club at pbskids.org/arthur.

Martha’s Rhyme Time
In Marthas Rhyme Time, kids can create rhyming couplets for Martha to perform. Building each from six different sets of words, there aremathematically speakinga bazillion combinations to create. Kids also can customize the performance stage and create a printed version to color and stick on the fridge. And, of course, with Martha being Martha, she’ll introduce and explain many new vocabulary words along the way!

Fern’s Poetry Club
Ferns Poetry Club is a long-running, popular poetry feature on the Arthur website that encourages children to write and share their poems online. Fern’s Poetry Club contains information to help kids understand what poetry is, a description of different types of poems, and tips for kids on how to write their own poemsplus an archive of poems submitted to the site over the past 10 years. To celebrate National Poetry Month, new features will be added, including poetry-related video clips from Arthur. Kids will now see Fern, Arthur, and all their friends enjoying this wonderful form of expression!

Here is a cute video of Martha assuming that the real Billy Collins is a canine and causing some trouble.. as only Martha can.

Billy Collins writes great poems about dogs, and Martha thinks she knows why. Obviously, the former poet laureate must be a canine himself! When Martha meets Billy Collins she’s in for a few surprises…as is he. Don’t miss Martha Speaks, weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings). For more information, visit http://pbskids.org/martha.

Watch #HungerHitsHome, a New Documentary from @FoodNetwork

March 27, 2012Food and Drink, New postsAlicia

“We’re the richest country on the planet and we don’t have a single community that’s hunger free. We should be ashamed.”

– Jim McGovern, Congressman

You would never think that this statement would be spoken about our country. It should not be true but as heartbreaking as it is, it is true.

Hunger Hits Home — a new documentary about childhood hunger in America premiering April 14 at 8pm/7c on Food Network features real parents who you would not think were struggling to feed their family. Jeff Bridges, National Spokesperson for Share our Strength tells us that we can end child hunger by 2015.

Check out the trailer for Hunger Hits Home here.

The new documentary, “Hunger Hits Home,” takes a first-hand look at the crisis of childhood hunger in America through the eyes of the parents, children, anti-hunger activists, educators and politicians on the frontlines of the battle. The film is part of an ongoing partnership between Food Network and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign to end childhood hunger in America by 2015.

For information about hosting your own viewing party, visit Foodnetwork.com/hungry and click on DOWNLOAD GUIDE under “See it.”

Change begins with you. See it. Share it. Support it.

For more information visit Foodnetwork.com/hungry.

Shaklee Get Clean® Review & Giveaway {Winner Announced}

March 27, 2012Cleaning & Cleaners, Contests, Giveaways, New postscleaning, ShakleeAlicia

What’s something we do everyday but don’t necessarily enjoy? If you said cleaning, you and I are on the same page.
When all is said and done I spend at least 2 hours a day cleaning. I spend time everyday cleaning the kitchen, the bathrooms, living room, and den, and a few days a week I mop the dirt from the kid’s shoes off the floor. On a typical day I use 2-3 different cleaners without even really thinking about it. I use cleaning wipes, all-purpose cleaning spray, and glass cleaner most days. A few days a week I use laundry and dishwasher detergent. I use dishwasher detergent 4-6 times a week. Using so many different cleaning products is all the more reason to make sure that the cleaning products I use are safe for our kids and home.

When I was presented with the question “What’s lurking under your kitchen sink?” I thought it surely couldn’t be that bad under my sink. I was wrong. I didn’t realize that out of the eight square feet of space under my kitchen sink, over half of that space was occupied by cleaners with chemicals that I couldn’t pronounce and quite frankly scared me. I was surprised to learn just how harmful the cleaners I had under my sink were, for my family and the planet. Some frightening chemicals I found in my cleaning supplies included hydrochloric acid, ammonia, and sulfuric acid. These are just a few chemicals that are harmful and are found in most common household cleaners. Don’t forget to look at your toilet bowl cleaner when challenging yourself to find out what’s lurking under your sink!

What's Lurking Under My Sink Before Shaklee Get Clean®

What’s great about Shaklee products is what you won’t find in them. Shaklee products have been reviewed and endorsed for their safety by Healthy Child Healthy World. Health isn’t just about what you put in your body; it’s about everything around you. Shaklee offers consumers a full line of natural and nontoxic cleaning choices that are Safe for You, Your Home, and Your Planet® called Get Clean®. I am a mild germaphobe so I regularly clean with anti-bacterial wipes or sprays. I learned that a spray doesn’t have to contain a lot of chemical ingeredients in order to kill germs. Shaklee’s Germ Off Disinfecting Wipes, for example, kill 99.9 % of common household bacteria* and are free from toxic chemicals. Shaklee claims all of its cleaning products contain at least 80 percent ‘All Natural’ ingredients and that their products are “Non-Toxic”. Shaklee’s natural cleaners which are free of hazardous fumes so you can rest assured your family can breathe easy when you clean with Shaklee’s natural cleaners.

Shaklee Get Clean® products under my sink — What's Lurking Under My Sink Now? Shaklee Get Clean® products!

The Get Clean® starter kit I received for review contains the following products:

Basic H²® Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate, 16 oz. (1)
Germ Off Disinfecting Wipes, 35 Wipes (1)
Nature Bright® Laundry Booster and Stain Remover, 32 oz. (1)
Dish Wash Concentrate, 16 oz. (1)
Dish Washer Automatic Concentrate, 32 oz. (1)
Fresh Laundry Concentrate HE Compatible, Regular Scent 32 oz. (Liquid) (1)
Soft Fabric Dryer Sheets, 80 sheets (1)
Dish Washer Automatic Concentrate Dispenser (empty) (1)
Nature Bright® Dispenser (empty) (1)

And these accessories were sent:

Organizer Caddy (1)
Spray Bottles (3)
- Windows and Mirrors
- All-Purpose
- Degreasing
Dropper Pipette (1)
1/4 oz. Dispenser Pump for 32 oz. Bottle (1)
Laundry Measuring cup (1)
Dual Measuring Spoon (1)
Cleaning Accessories (4)
- Super Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
- Super Microfiber Window Cloth
- Super Microfiber Dish Sponge
- Miracle Scrubber Pad

I love the Basic H2® Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate. It is 99.95% natural and contains naturally derived cleaning agents (corn- and coconut-based surfactant), natural thickener, biodegradable preservative, and water. The concentrate goes a long way. I call it my multi-tasking cleaner. You use the same concentrate to fill your Shaklee Windows, All-Purpose, and Degreasing spray bottles. I honestly was expecting to feel residue on my counters or see streaks on my glass with this cleaner but I didn’t. This is impressive stuff! You literally put just a few drops of Basic H2® Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate in 16 ounces of water to make the Window cleaning solution.

I know what you’re thinking. Get Clean® must be more expensive than the cleaning products I buy at the store, right? It’s not. The Get Clean® starter kit is about $120. According to Shaklee, you would spend $3400 for ready to use cleaners to get the same amount of clean found in the Get Clean Starter Kit!

The cost savings are incredible! Shaklee uses packing waste saved from the landfills. Why is this important? Using packaging waste from landfills results in the elimination 108 pounds of packaging waste from landfills and 248 pounds of greenhouse gas with just One Get Clean Kit! Passing on one Get Clean kit to a friend is the equivalent of planting 10 trees!

* Based on comparing number of uses as set forth on product labels of conventional, ready-to-use cleaners.

Visit the Shaklee website to purchase non-toxic, natural Get Clean® products.

Win a Shaklee Mini Household Kit! – Congratulations to the winner, Kelly T.!

We are giving one lucky reader a Shaklee Mini Household Kit {$46.95 retail value}.

To enter the giveaway look under your kitchen sink to see if you find any of these ingredients in your cleaning products: kerosene, phenols, cresol, lye, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid, petroleum distillates, ammonia, sodium hydroxide, butyl cellosolve, phosphoric acid, formaldehyde, chlorine bleach, morpholine, and phthalates? Tell us which ingredients you found under your sink and why you need a green cleaning makeover, in the comments below then click the green “Do It” button to submit your entry and earn extra entries!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Official contest rules

Contest Rules:

Entries accepted through 11:59PM EST April 10th, 2012.
U.S. Residents only.
Ages 21+.
No P.O. Boxes
Winner must respond to our email within 24 hours to claim their prize.
Read The Mommy Insider’s Contest Rules here. By entering this contest you are agreeing to the rules.

Disclosure: This review and giveaway was made possible by the Shaklee Corporation & Mom Spark Media. Incentives, product and support were provided. Thoughts are my own.

Pepsi NEXT Taste Test and Review

March 26, 2012Film, Food and DrinkPepsi NEXTAlicia

Pepsi NEXT had its national U.S. launch today. Referred to as a “mid-calorie” soft drink, the latest PepsiCo beverage offers 60 percent less sugar and 60 percent fewer calories than regular Pepsi. I know a lot of busy moms who rely on soda, usually diet soda, to get them through the day. Myself included until recently when I decided to quit just to see if I could do it. I’m happy to tell you that I did quit and I’m fine.

My husband is a Pepsi fan. He drinks a few Mountain Dews a day and is still thin as could be. I’m not saying anything about his health but outward appearance would lead you to believe that he doesn’t touch sweets or high fat foods. Which is very far from fact I’ll have you know.

A few days ago I received a package in the mail. It was heavy for such a small box. I was surprised to find a six pack of Pepsi NEXT in a pretty cool looking clear case. My son has since commandeered the case and it using it for who knows what in his room.

My husband tried Pepsi NEXT since I am currently not drinking soda (we’ll see how long that lasts). The first thing he did after opening the can was smell it like he does wine. He works in the restaurant business and is very much into the aroma and presentation of food and drinks. He said it smells like regular Pepsi. Then he took a sip. And another. And another. He was apparently parched and was very happy to have a drink. His overall thought was that Pepsi NEXT has the same type of taste as Coke Zero, but that he prefers the flavor or Pepsi products. He said that Pepsi NEXT does not have a diet-y flavor. My husband is not one to eat or drink sugar free or fat free so for him to say that he enjoyed this lower calorie Pepsi is significant.

Want to know more?

Disclosure: I received a 6 pack of Pepsi NEXT free. I was not told to write a review. All opinions are my own (or my husband’s in this case).