I swear I am at the store every day. No lie! Every. Single. Day. I make a list, try to remember to bring the list (I don’t always remember it), make sure I have everything on the list, you know, the list that I may have remembered to bring with me this time, before I check out, go home and then realize that I forgot to put items that we needed on the list and back I go!
Thank goodness Publix® is very close to where I live. They always have what I’m looking for and at great prices. I love their ‘Buy 1 Get 1 Free’ sales. They save us tons of money on groceries and household items and I don’t have to go to more than one store to get everything that I need.
I am so excited that right now Publix® is promoting the “Running Out? Run In.” event. My family and yours can take advantage of great savings on some of our favorite brands from General Mills, like Lucky Charms and Cheerios, Go-gurt, Charmin and Dawn and so many more that I can’t list them all! Plus, if you buy $30 of participating items from July 17-August 2, you can mail in to receive a $10 Publix® gift card to use on your next shopping trip!
What will you buy during the Publix Running Out? Run in. Sale?
For more details on participating products and how to get your rebate form, you can visit:
Trying to lose weight is easier said than done for most people. I know this because over the years I’ve struggled with trying to lose 10-20 pounds. I feel like I eat right and exercise the right way and the scale still doesn’t budge. Working hard and getting no return can be so aggravating and discouraging! I sometimes feel like I’m in this weight loss game alone.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Nutrisystem has been helping America lose weight for over 40 years. They deliver quality food and meal programs directly to customers’ doorsteps. Nutrisystem provides a convenient way to learn how to lose weight and live healthier. They have over 150 perfectly portioned® entrees and snacks on the menu, so you’re sure to find all of your favorites!
I did not realize that they also offer vitamins, supplements, cookbooks and many other tools created to help you maximize your weight loss success!
To enter the Nutrisystem Fuel A Better You Sweepstakes, users can visit the sweepstakes tab on the Nutrisystem Facebook Page, fill out the entry form and press the enter button to submit their entry.
Prizes for the Nutrisystem Fuel A Better You Sweepstakes:
•Four (4) Winners who will receive one Nutrisystem® Select® program with 28 days of food products delivered to their door.
•One (1) Grand Prize Winner who will receive one Nutrisystem® Select® program, with 28 days of food products delivered to their door and five hundred dollars ($500) cash.
My 13 year old does his own laundry and I am absolutely thrilled about that. I have decided however, not to push my daughter who is 7, into helping me with laundry until she’s a few years older, despite her desire to help. I am a believer that parents should not put their kids at risk just to learn something that they can just as easily learn when they are older and more capable of remembering the proper techniques. You wouldn’t teach a 1-year-old to ride a bike or an 11-year-old to drive would you? My personal belief is that you should consider waiting until your child is about 10 years old before you teach him how to do laundry and hand over laundry responsibilities to him or her.
It is important to make everyone aware of the need for safety when using, storing, and handling the new, concentrated packs of single-load liquid laundry packets. Single-load liquid laundry packets, when handled, used, and stored properly are a convenient, easy-to-use product to help get your laundry done more efficiently and effectively.
The convenience of these products is a boon to adults but it’s important to remember these packets contain highly concentrated detergent and need to be treated like any other household cleaning product, stored safely up and away – out of sight and reach According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), in 2012, poison centers received reports of 6,229 unintended exposures to highly-concentrated packets of laundry detergent by children 5 and younger..Thanks to ACI (American Cleaning Institute) there is now a safety education program aimed to equip consumers with the proper education and awareness on how to properly use, handle and store singleload liquid laundry packets. The name of this consumer program is the KEY Pledge Laundry Safety Campaign.
Parents should take the American Cleaning Institute’s KEY Pledge keypledge.com, because we all play a KEY role in laundry safety. Parents, caregivers and adults can all BE THE KEY to a safe laundry room and routine; we should all be aware of the simple, safety steps when it comes to properly using, storing and handling the new single-load liquid laundry packets to ensure our family’s safety.
And by taking the KEY Pledge, you will have access to the following:
Track KEY pledges and follow pledge progress across the nation and in your home on a heat map. Check out how your area is doing!
Enter a sweepstakes** for a chance to win a $2,500 grand prize to help makeover your laundry room
Single-load Liquid Laundry Packets Safety Tips
Do not let children handle laundry packets
Do not puncture or pull packets apart
Store out of child’s sight and reach
Keep the packet’s package closed and in a dry place
Packets quickly dissolve upon contact with water, wet hands, or saliva so it is necessary to keep them dry
Here are a few additional safety tips to keep in mind when you have single-load liquid laundry packets in your household with children:
1. If there is a reason to believe a child may have been exposed to the contents of a single-load liquid laundry packet call the Poison Help Line immediately. The # is 1-800-222-1222.
2. Store these packets in the same safe manner as you would store any other household cleaning product such as drain cleaners, toilet bowl products and bleach.
3. You know that a child should wear a safety belt when riding in a car. Parents are also aware that they should teach children safety measures when they are crossing a street. Treat the handling and use of single-load liquid laundry packets with this same degree of concern and caution.
4. Take the time to carefully read the warning statement on laundry products. Even if you have been using one of these cleaning products for months (or years).
Be safe. Be careful. Be responsible. Education is the KEY to your family’s laundry safety.
All children are different; even your own children. You might think that because your first child didn’t try to get into the laundry detergent or other cleaning supplies, that your youngest will be the same and so you store cleaning supplies in a less safe place than you might if your first child did have issues with getting into things.
Don’t think that way. Just because your first child always looks twice before crossing a busy street, doesn’t mean that your second child will think the same way, right? You get what I’m saying.
Keep your home safe for you and your children. Visit keypledge.com and pledge to be the KEY to a safe laundry room and routine.
I was given the opportunity by Toyota to test drive a 2013 Toyota Sienna for a few days, during Reviewers Retreat conference at Callaway Gardens in Georgia. The roads at Callaway Gardens are what I consider to be some of the best roads for test driving a vehicle, at legal speeds, of course. 🙂
Anytime I test drive a vehicle for review, the following 5 things are on the top of my list to check out:
Exterior (aesthetics)
Comfort
Handling
Technology & Entertainment
Safety features
Here is an overview of those 5 aspects of the Toyota Sienna, as well as a couple of extra bits of information about the popular minivan.
The 2013 Toyota Sienna is stylishly designed and strongly built. In addition, it is an incredibly spacious seven or eight-passenger vehicle that features a long list of appealing standard and safety features. Plus, there are many optional features that car buyers will find attractive. Toyota gave the exterior distinct modern styling that is not chunky like many other minivans in its class. Plus, the body of the Sienna is reinforced with side impact beams as well as front and rear impact absorbing crumple zones.
Under the Hood
Under the hood, Toyota equipped the Sienna with a powerful 3.5 liter V6 engine that churns out 266 horsepower with 245 pound feet of torque. Front wheel drive and an automatic six-speed transmission come standard on all trim levels. On upper trim levels, all-wheel drive is optional. The gas mileage is pretty good for a vehicle this size, which is estimated at 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.
What We Love
What I love:
– Triple-zone air conditioning so everyone stays cool or warm
– Heated front seats – great for my back!
– Easy steering and great handling on windy roads
– Satellite radio and easy connection with iPhone
– Natural sounding GPS voice!
– USB port and A/C charger in the front cabin
– The large empty space in front of the front center console where my purse fits perfectly! 🙂
What my 7-year-old loves: – Lots of leg room in the middle row
– Comfortable, adjustable arm rests
– “You can pack more stuff in the Sienna than in our car”
– The DVD/entertainment system
What my 13-year-old loves: – Finding new places using the GPS/navigation
– The 12 cup holders. There’s apparently never enough cup holders!
– The sunroof
– The USB port and A/C chargers so all iPhones and iPads stay charged
What dad loves: – Ample head & leg room – he’s tall
– Fluid design of the front cabin area
– Additional storage space above the glove compartment
There are five available trims of the 2013 Toyota Sienna, which are base, LE, SE, XLE and Limited. The base and Limited models seats seven passengers. The LE, SE and XLE seats 8 passengers.
Interior
Inside the Sienna, the driver and passengers will enjoy plenty of leg and head room and a large amount of cargo space. If more space is desired, the second and third row seats easily fold down. Some of the most impressive interior features include the available rear entertainment center and optional elegant wood-grain trim. Other interior features include 12 cupholders, a GPS system and an available touchscreen navigation system with phone and streaming audio connectivity.
Standard & Upgrade Features
Standard features include a telescoping steering wheel, a CD player, 17-inch alloy wheels, triple-zone air conditioning, cruise control and power windows, locks and doors. Upgrade features include 18 or 19-inch wheels, leather seats, heated seats, Bluetooth, a DVD player, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, foglights, a power liftgate, keyless ignition, satellite radio, privacy glass and an iPod/USB interface.
Safety
An eight-way power driver seat and an auto-dimming rearview mirror are also offered as upgrade options. Toyota builds some of the safest cars on the road today, and the Sienna comes outfitted with many safety features such as various airbags, active front head restraints, anti-lock disc brakes, child safety locks, brake assist, a tire pressure monitor, daytime running lights and stability and traction control.
Optional safety features include hill assist, front and rear parking sensors and a blind spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert. Toyota also offers an available Safety Connect system. In addition, the 2013 Toyota Sienna received five out of five stars during side collision testing as well four out of five stars for overall crash protection.
The 2013 Toyota Sienna is a safe, spacious and family friendly minivan that has lots to offer for everyone in the family. I think you’ll love it!
I have two kids who like most kids make a huge mess in less than 5 minutes so you will never find me far from a cleaning product. I’m on constant alert, just waiting for the next mess to happen when I’ll need a dishcloth or paper towel, carpet cleaner, or stain remover, for a mess that someone has made.
I used dish cloths to clean up messes in our kitchen for years. I used reusable dish cloths because I didn’t like the idea of throwing away paper towel after paper towel.
My mom even made me about a dozen beautiful knit dish cloths and I used them to clean anything and everything in the kitchen. The knit dish cloths are soft and pretty. However, the knit didn’t help combat the dishcloth smell I experienced with ‘regular’ dish cloths.
To top it off, it seems that everyone in my family feels the need to use a new dishcloth every time we clean a surface.
Why do I use a new dishcloth almost every time I need one?
After just one day there can be millions of germs on a dishcloth. Read Prevention Magazine’s 10 Worst Germ Hot Spots for more on this.
Used dish cloths smell and I don’t purposely touch smelly things.
I have no idea what my husband or son used a dishcloth on, so why would I want to use it to clean my kitchen counters? They have been known to clean spills off the floor with a dishcloth and put it back on the sink to reuse later. Yuck!
Isn’t the idea of re-depositing something that you wiped off one surface, onto another surface gross? I think so. So when there was a dishcloth on the sink that I didn’t use in the past day, I put it in the dirty laundry and replaced it with a new clean dishcloth. Also, it’s a well-known fact that germs thrive on moistness so what do you think happens to a wet dishcloth as it’s hanging on the side of the sink? The germs on it multiply! Most people hang a used dishcloth on the edge of their kitchen sink which does not allow the dishcloth to completely dry. What do you use a dishcloth or paper towel for in the first place? To clean surfaces and get rid of germs!
I’m not suggesting that you use dozens of paper towels a day. I use paper towels sparingly. This week I tried Bounty’s new DuraTowel paper towel and like other Bounty paper towels I’ve used, 1 wet DuraTowel cleaned all of my kitchen counters. I used another to clean door knobs and handles.
DuraTowel paper towels are very absorbent and are soft enough to feel like a dishcloth.
Designed with more fibers that hold together even when wet, Bounty DuraTowel feels and cleans like a cloth to tackle the toughest projects. In a secure P&G lab demonstration, a black light revealed that even after rinsing a used dish cloth can still drag around old clean-ups. A fresh DuraTowel leaves surfaces three times cleaner than a used dishcloth.*
In a secure P&G lab demonstration, a black light reveals that even after rinsing, a used dishcloth can still drag old clean-ups around. However, when you start fresh with a Bounty DuraTowel, you can feel good about tackling tough jobs knowing your DuraTowel will leave surfaces three times cleaner than a used dishcloth.*
My Dishcloth Germ & Bacteria Test Results
The P&G Research & Development team conducted ATP (see below for explanation) testing on a dishcloth that I used for several days and the results were 18,262! As you can see, after only three day’s use, my dishcloth harbored millions of germs and bacteria.
The ATP test is a process of rapidly measuring actively growing microorganisms through detection of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. ATP is a molecule found in and around living cells, and as such it gives a direct measure of biological concentration and health. ATP is quantified by measuring the light produced through its reaction with the naturally occurring firefly enzyme luciferase using a luminometer. The amount of light produced is directly proportional to the amount of living organisms present in the sample.
