Awesome family meal deal this week at Winn Dixie supermarkets!

Whether you're stocking up for the big game this weekend or just stocking up for your family, I can't resist making mention of the awesome deal Winn Dixie supermarkets has going on from Feb. 2nd through Feb. 8th! Buy two Red Baron pizzas (I believe they're 12", so they're a good size) and get:

a Tyson Any'tizers side (my store had Honey BBQ chicken bites or Buffalo Chicken Bites) - a 10-13 oz. box

a New York Dip'N Sticks (Garlic or Cheese) frozen breadsticks - a 11-16 oz. box

a 2 liter bottle of any Pepsi product

AND

a 48-ounce Bryers ice cream, any flavor

ALL FREE.

So, spend $11.99 for the 2 pizzas (total) and get the other 4 items FREE - We saved over $16 with this deal, which is enough for I would say a good 2 full meals for a family of 4. You do need a Winn-Dixie card (free) to get the deal - if you don't have one they will let you sign up for one on the spot like we did, as we hadn't been in Winn-Dixie before - and you can have one of this offer per transaction with your card.

Happy shopping!!!

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Mom Tips: Do you know about Ebates?

Although I am definitely a bargain-hunter, I've never been big on reward sites when shopping online. I can't even begin to count how many I signed up for at some point or another, only to completely forget to use them, or find that they don't offer incentives for the retailers I like to shop from. And I don't want to even think about how many accounts I have that are just 5, or 10, or 100 "points" or "credits" or whatever random currency away from earning a $25 gift card, or cash back, simply because I've forgotten about them.

My no-rewards-shopping plan came to an end recently though, when one of my cousins told me about Ebates. Rather than earning some sort of proprietary points, you simply earn cash back when you visit your regular shopping sites through their websites. And they are supported by hundreds of retailers, including all the major ones. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it out since I was getting ready to do my holiday shopping anyway - plus they were offering a $15 sign up bonus as well. 

I have to say I actually REALLY like it. Most online stores offer about 2%-5% cash back when you shop through Ebates. Ebates keeps track, emails you when you've earned money, and the best best part - they automatically mail your check (quarterly) as long as you have at least $30 in earned money. If you have less than $30, it rolls over into the next quarter. Considering the $15 sign up bonus, I managed to get to the $30 fairly quickly by trying to specifically buy from stores with a higher cash back bonus - some at 10% and 15%. I definitely think Ebates is well worth a shot for any regular online shopper. It's proven to be far better than most of the competition.

Mom Reviews: Disney Pixar Color Changers Tex Dinoco

Apparently, once you start buying these Disney Cars toys, it becomes a sort of addiction. Sure, one water-color changing car is fun, but why not a whole raceway’s worth? Such as become the case with my son - we went from one starter car, Mater, whom I previously reviewed here, to about ten so far. In a moment of parenting weakness, they’ve become somewhat of an end-of-the-week bribe for my son who is struggling with starting Kindergarten and being away from home for nine hours a day. Hey, you gotta do what works sometimes! Tex Dinoco is our newest addition.

Recently, Mattel Toys released a line of these cool color changing cars based on the most popular characters of the series. When exposed to cold water and then warm water, they change colors.  After much searching, we were able to find Tex Dinoco, one of the more elusive and obscure cars from the movie. Boost, Sarge, and DJ also seem to be some of the hardest models to find.

As far as color changing goes, these are fairly simple to work with. You can use warm or cold water, of course, but also any other heat or cold source will work. My son has taken to putting his cars in the freezer when they aren’t changing color fast enough for his liking, and heat as simple as rubbing them in your hands for a moment will change them as well. There are only two colors possible - the “cold” one and the “hot” one, which on Tex Dinoco are brown and mustard yellow, respectively. There is no “neutral” color for room temperature - they will tend to stay in the “warm” color until exposed to cold again. A nice feature is that they are almost 100% plastic as far as I can tell without opening them.  The only metal on these cars are the two screws in the bottom that hold the base and body together, which leaves little to no room for rust over time from being exposed to water.

Tex Dinoco is one of the better of all the color changing cars we have tried. He changes from a deep yellow to a very dark brown. You can even use a paintbrush or cotton swab dipped in water to give him details like racing stripes or polka dots - my son’s favorite choice.

All of Tex Dinoco‘s, as well as the other cars in the series, key features such as the headlights, eyes, and decals are all painted on or are molded plastic and seem to be durable enough to withstand even rougher than average child play. Tex features a white top and white side accents - similar to an old wood-paneled station wagon - that lends to his “retro country” style.

The downside to these cars, of course, is that your child will likely want to constantly have water on hand to make the color change. I’ve started setting aside some “water time” for my son, with two containers of warm and icy water, for him to specifically play with them - otherwise, I hear the sink running at rather inconvenient times. They aren’t particularly ideal for bath time as well, unless you set aside a separate container for the cold water change.

This series of Cars toys is a little pricier than the normal ones at about $6.99 each. The regular plastic or die cast ones are typically about $3.49. We have been able to find them at WalMart, Target, and Toys R Us so far. Overall, I find that my son really enjoys them enough to make them a good value.


You can also see my review at Epinions.

Mom Reviews: Disney Pixar Color Changers Mater

What little boy (or girl) doesn’t love playing with cars, or playing with water? Disney / Pixar’s new Color Changer Cars - based off the hit movie - is a hit for playing with both at the same time.

Recently, Mattel Toys released a line of these cool color changing cars based on the most popular characters of the series. When exposed to cold water and then warm water, they change colors. We first picked one of the most popular characters - Tow Mater, the tow truck.

As far as color changing goes, these are fairly simple to work with. You can use warm or cold water, of course, but also any other heat or cold source will work. My son has taken to putting his cars in the freezer when they aren’t changing color fast enough for his liking, and heat as simple as rubbing them in your hands for a moment will change them as well. There are only two colors possible - the “cold” one and the “hot” one, which on Mater are green and turquoise, respectively. There is no “neutral” color for room temperature - they will tend to stay in the “warm” color until exposed to cold again. A nice feature is that they are 100% plastic as far as I can tell without opening them up - which means no rusting even after the constant in-and-out of water.

One of the disappointing features of Mater, to my son, was the color shade change. The normal color is turquoise, and you can hardly tell the difference to the bluish-green when he “changes” color. This happens with the other Cars from this series that are the same color combination as well. A dark green or just another color altogether would have been a better choice.

All of Mater’s other key features - like the headlights, eyes, and decals - are all painted on or are molded plastic and have been very durable on this particular car. Mater has taken a lot of falls and general kid abuse and he still looks great… for a tow truck, that is.

The downside to these cars, of course, is that your child will likely want to constantly have water on hand to make the color change. I’ve started setting aside some “water time” for my son, with two containers of warm and icy water, for him to specifically play with them - otherwise, I hear the sink running at rather inconvenient times. They aren’t particularly ideal for bath time as well, unless you set aside a separate container for the cold water change.

This series of Cars toys is a little pricier than the normal ones at about $6.99 each. The regular plastic or die cast ones are typically about $3.49. We have been able to find them at WalMart, Target, and Toys R Us so far. Overall, I find that my son really enjoys them enough to make them a good value.

You can also read our full review at Epinions!

Find us on GiveawayScout!

You will soon be able to find out about our giveaways and contests - and thousands more - via GiveawayScout.com. I invite all of our readers to stop by and check them out - I found tons of great offers there myself!

In other news, new posts, reviews, giveaways and more coming soon. We finally got settled in our new place and just managed to get some decent internet back, so thanks for your patience!

Let's Hear It for Amazing Customer Service!

If you've read my blog, well, ever, you'll know that I am always highly recommending the Skechers brand because of their durability vs. price. I've said a million times over that they are one of the few brands where I really feel like I'm getting excellent value for my spending money, as both my and the rest of my family's shoes are usually outgrown long before they are worn out. In fact, we've never in ten years had a problem with Skechers ever.

I was significantly surprised when a pair of Skechers Shape-Ups - their premium priced "fitness" shoe - split on me right down the side seam. I had only gotten them in December and I don't wear them on a daily basis. We have a Skechers store not far from our house, so when I stopped in there to pick up a casual summer sneaker, I figured I'd ask if there was any potential warranty at all. They were very nice about it and suggested I contact customer service to see if I could send them in. Of course, I promptly forgot to do this for another two weeks.

Eventually I did, in fact, remember to contact customer service. As usual, I remembered at around 3 am so I figured the easiest thing to do was send an email.  I received a prompt response the next morning with an address to mail the sneakers to, and instructions to include a short note explaining the problem, and that it could take 4-6 weeks for a response.

Now, my biggest problem was this: I received these shoes as a gift from my mom who lives in another state. I had no idea what date or from what store they were purchased, just that I received them in December. I contacted my mom to ask, but she said the receipt was long gone. I sincerely did NOT expect anything, realistically, back from Skechers at all. These were six month old shoes that I didn't know where or when they were purchased. But still, I figured taking a chance spending the $8 to ship them, on a small chance of replacement, was better than throwing away a $150 pair of shoes.

So, off they went, the first week of June. I sent a letter explaining the whole situation, and made notes of where the flaw was. I included an email address and contact number (as well as my mailing address) in case there were any questions. I gave specific instructions not to return them if they couldn't be fixed, as it wasn't going to be worth shipping both ways plus a fee to have them repaired locally. Weeks went by and I heard nothing, but again, this was as expected really.

You cannot imagine my complete shock when today, a brand new pair of Shape-Ups arrived from Skechers in the mail! An exact replacement of my originals, factory packed and just perfect. I sincerely feel that they went above and beyond for me, and I will say they definitely have a loyal customer for life now.