This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Tassimo.

In this house, the day does not and cannot begin without coffee. Our coffee system is my first stop each morning after hitting the alarm clock and becoming vertical. I have been a fan of the single-cup brewing systems for years now because on the scale of horrid severity, second only to no coffee is burned/old/bad coffee.

When asked to review the Tassimo brewer, I knew I could give it a good once over. Or twice. Okay…we fell in love. It was easy because I adore good coffee!

As I assembled the product, I was most impressed with the built in water filter. It’s like having a mini Brita filtration system on the back of your coffee maker. Very cool.

And then I made my very first cup of coffee…or cappuccino, rather. I felt like a barista as the machine steamed and my milk foamed. Mmmmm.



“A unique home brewing system, TASSIMO quickly makes a wide variety of hot beverages from signature brands with the push of a button.”



I soon found that the smell of fresh brewed cappuccino was like throwing popcorn to one seagull at the beach. Within minutes, everyone in my family descended on the machine and took turns making beverages of their choice.

Here are a few of the lessons I learned after having the Tassimo brewer open to all of my family and guests at Thanksgiving:

1. When the directions say to wait until the machine is finished brewing before you lift the lid, believe it. I’m still finding coffee grinds on my walls.

2. If you are sweet and make your teenage daughter a hot chai tea one morning before school, know that she will want it each and every morning. Soon (like now) she will request that you fill a thermos that she can take with her. Every day.

3. Nothing warms a 10 year old up after playing in the snow better than steamed, foamy, hot chocolate. Five times in one afternoon.

4. Cats like to lick coffee grinds out of kitchen corners and then magically become super-from-under-the-bed-pouncing-machines. It’s quite scary.

5. If you are a strong coffee fan, you have found your brewer. (Which is what my brother in law said when he asked if he could take it home with him.)

6. If you want to keep a delicious machine like this to yourself, plug it in inside of your closet. Like I did.

Official contest dates: 12/10-12/31
The prize: Your very own Tassimo brewer

The RULES:

To enter, leave a comment below telling me about YOUR favorite coffee or tea. You know, the kind that you buy from the coffee shop but would really like to to make at home. Or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 12/10/2009 and will end 12/31/2009. Please make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.
* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules

Don’t forget to visit BlogHer.com special offers page round-up page here and check out the other reviews. You have 8 chances to win!

Please visit the Official site for more information!

CONTEST CLOSED!

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No, I am not kidding you but let’s not put the cart before the horse. We need to talk about this. First and foremost, my animals have issues.

I have a 3yr old 150 pound Great Dane that squats when he goes out to pee. And when you let him back into the house, he wags his tail so hard that he breaks it open and leaves slashes of blood down my white hallways. Also? He poops on the driveway when the grass is wet. Have you seen a pile of Great Dane poop? This is a problem.



My other dog, Kasey, a 12 yr old rescued mutt, is well behaved for the most part. On bad days, she’ll try to dig holes in my leather couch and, oh yeah, she eats money as well as checks if you leave them out. She will forgo the bills and the magazine but eat your $20 birthday check from Nana…now that’s an evil streak.

I’m not sure that Cesar deals with cats but he’d probably have some wise words to share about mine as they are not exempt from acting out. Clyde has a “open” compulsion. If you open anything, a door, a box, a cabinet a washing machine…he HAS to jump in. He cannot help himself.



Max…Max is pretty chill. He is the equivalent to a real life Garfield. He really has a one track mind. FOOD. And because of that, at 18 months old, he weights 16 pounds.

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So, I’ve told you about mine and now it’s your turn.
To enter yourself into the drawing for a chance to win a Family Pack of 4 tickets to see Cesar Millan at the Patriot Center in Virginia on 12/6 tell me YOUR biggest pet issue.

Contest Rules:

The contest will begin at Sunday, November 1, 2009 and will end on Monday, November 30th, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

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Full disclosure: In return for this post, I have been given 4 tickets to see the show. If you win, I’ll see you there!

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WINNNER!!!!! #6

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This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Febreze NOTICEables

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I shower, use deodorant, love perfume, wash my clothes in a pleasingly scented laundry detergent, love body lotion and even hide dryer sheets under my car mats to keep the inside smelling fresh. Why? Because I adore good smells. More than that, I cringe at the opposite.

None of this may seem unusual to you but I’ll bet I’ve got more violent nostril offenders, pound for pound, in my house than you do.

Meet the parolees:

Serving 5-10:



Serving a Life Sentence:

Add a husband, two kids and a love for cooking & eating spicy food to the mix and you’ve got one smelly house. But not if I can help it!

For years, I’ve used Frebreze spray in our home to keep furniture and the dog beds smelling fresh. Now they’ve come out with Febreze NOTICEables and I was only too happy to test them out on my gassy, panting brood. I wasn’t surprised in the least how wonderful these plug-in worked. They filled my house with pleasing aromas that even the biggest offenders weren’t able overpower.



Would you like to try Febreze NOTICEables out in your home too?
How about win a $100 Visa Gift Card?
Of course you would…

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Contest Rules:

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me what is the most important thing you do to maintain a clean, fresh home – or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below.
The prize is a $100 Visa gift card and a Febreze gift basket!

The contest will begin at Monday, September 28, 2009 and will end Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

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So tell me, what is the most important thing you do to maintain a clean, fresh home?

Remember to check out the rest of the BlogHer Reviews – you have 9 chances to win!

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CONTEST CLOSED

Comment #53 – Anita, you are my winner!!!

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It sounds like a perfectly harmless game but when the questions are coming from your child and are some of the following:

How do you know if you’re circumcised?

Is it normal for one breast to grow more or faster than the other?

If you’re not supposed to have sex until you’re an adult, why do we go through puberty so early?

…you’ll be glad you have this book on hand to turn to instead of turning red.

101 Questions Kids Really Ask…

…And The Answers They Need To Know

In it, author Mary H. Halter, guides parents, teachers and caregivers alike around the tough questions children ask about adolescence and sex that deserve a straight answer. While reading 101 Questions, I found myself wishing I’d had a copy available when my now 14 year old was approaching her teen years. I would say that most of the book is applicable to questions younger children, ages 8-12, would ask. Many useful explanations as well as advice on how to deliver the answers children ask about their changing bodies and natural sexual curiosity are thoughtfully outlined.

As a mother of two daughters, I especially appreciated the powerful chapter on sexual harassment and sexual assault. Looking back on my own adolescence , I shudder when I think of the situations I didn’t report because I thought they were perfectly normal. I’m thankful to have this book and dvd as a resource for my both 10 and 14 year old.

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The product above was provided to me free of charge for review purposes.

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This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Crystal Light Water Way Challenge

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If you know me, you know I love to exercise. Hiking, aerobics, walking, weight training, swimming, dancing, even spinning…name it and I’ll try it. A few years ago, I adored my workout so much that I decided to become a Jazzercise instructor and I’m still digging it to this day – sometimes 5 days a week. Due to that crush I have on exercise, getting moving has never been an issue. However, drinking my recommended 8 glasses of water a day has always been a challenge.

First of all, I don’t like cold water. I enjoy it room temperature or with bubbles or with some sort or flavor added. I don’t like plain old tap water…blech. Okay, maybe I am picky. Second, I am currently having a hot and heavy love affair with Coke Zero. Couple my diet soda addiction with my must have 3 cups of morning coffee and I’m a walking caffeine junkie.

I’m also a hypocrite because when my customers ask me the best way to lose weight or stick to a diet, I say, “Make sure you drink your 8 glasses of water a day!” There are so many health benefits to getting the proper daily water intake that I can’t even begin to mention them all which may be because I don’t really know what I’m talking about. I took the Test Your Water Wisdom Assessment and didn’t do too well. Actually, they said my “water wisdom was on the dry side.” Looks like I have my work cut out for me!

For one week, I’m going to keep a 2 gallon pitcher filled with Crystal Light in my refrigerator and actually DRINK it. I’m going to keep these handy packets of Crystal Light with me at all times so I can spruce up my water anywhere I go.



And I WILL drink my 8 glasses a day!!

You can follow my progress all week here and if you’d like to join me and others taking the challenge, you can become a member of the BlogHer Water Way Challenge group. If you join, you can enter a sweepstakes for $1000!!

Also, don’t forget to download this cool Water Way Challenge Widget to track your water intake.




Visit Crystal Light for more information.

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My Progress:
Day #1
Day #2
Day #3
Day #4
Day #5

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