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. 

Updates on the terrors of moving with kids...

Moving day is very fast approaching at less than 30 days out. If you saw my previous blog post, this has been an absolutely nerve-wracking experience, however the closer the deadline gets, the calmer I'm actually becoming.

My biggest fear was Bug being upset about moving. We've lived in this house for pretty much his whole life, and I was afraid leaving would be a terrible shock to him. And he didn't even find out the way I had planned. I had wanted to sit him down and talk to him about the changes, and was prepared for him to be very upset. What actually happened? I was on the phone with moving companies trying to get quotes. As the woman asked, "well, where are you moving to?", Bug burst in the door as I was saying "We're moving to Florida from New York." As soon as he heard me, his eyes lit up and he yelled, "We're moving to FLORIDA?!?! I'm gonna go pack my stuff!" And the rest is history. He's spent the last few weeks telling everyone about how we're getting a new house with new rooms and a playground. All I'm waiting for is to find out whether we actually GOT the house, which hopefully I'll know in a day or so.

So, that's one colossal obstacle down, only, oh..... a hundred or so more to go.

My kid likes Top Chef better than cartoons....

In a "haven't had my coffee yet" haze at 6:00 this morning, I plopped on the couch with my wide-awake five year old to wake up with a short burst of television while he played with his dinosaurs nearby. Giving up on finding any quality programming at the early hour, I started browsing our cable's On Demand listings to try to find something that, at best, just didn't suck as bad as being out of coffee.

When I failed to find something that was at least marginally interesting to me while still being family-friendly, I vacantly suggested watching a little Dora the Explorer to Bug. I was more than a little surprised when he answered, "No, I wanna watch the cooking show!" I momentarily racked my brain before realizing the only cooking show we really watch is Top Chef, which I did find is On Demand right now. I checked with him again before putting it on - "You're really sure this is what you want to watch?"

"Yup." he answered smartly. "I like when they make the amused butts!"

He was referring to the episode where they have to make an amuse bouche from a breakfast buffet. Either way, my kid is more of a culinary master than I will likely ever be.

I despise making really difficult decisons.

*Heaving a big sigh*

We are, inevitably, moving clear across the country in only a few weeks. We've spent the last several years living with my in-laws (more for their benefit than our own). Then, my husband's father passed about 5 years ago, so we continued to stay, helping along my mother in law, who was (with good reason) devastated by the loss.

But now, she is moving on and so shall we, with our best option being moving to Sunny Florida, as I have my own family there. I am excited to be, finally, out on our own, as our OWN FAMILY for the first time ever, just myself, my husband, and our son.

At the same time, I am terrified.

I am still waiting on confirmation as to whether or not my employer will relocate me, and even still that doesn't have the most positive outlook. So I am seeking out a new career, but playing the waiting game for a response is slow and painful, and does not leave me feeling all too hopeful. And I can't even begin applying for our apartment until my job is secure, so really I'm a total mess.

Add to this the fact that I have not yet explained to our son what is going on. I feel like it's still too soon, with so many things up in the air. I want to wait until I can show him pictures of where his new home, new school, playground, etc. will be, before making his life any harder than it already is. He's already worried about starting Kindergarten this year.

So, again I sigh, and turn back to my coffee and the sanctuary of my desk for an hour's peace and quiet, telling my husband I need to "unwind" even though I'm secretly actually still poring over pages and pages of online job searches, hoping that the next click will bring me some peace. At least, for now.

Mom Reviews: Step 2 Sand And Water Table

It is definitely the time of year to start thinking about how to keep the little ones fully occupied for the summer! Although my son is almost six now, I had to give a review of the Step2 Sand and Water table set that we've had for the last almost three years.

Step2 is known for making quality children's products, and this one is really no exception. And, apparently, it's currently on sale at Amazon (down from the almost $100 we paid for it back in the day). You can see my full review here at Epinions as well, but we give it 5 out of 5 stars.

If you have a child or grandchild ages 18 months to preschool age, this is a very worthy investment as you're bound to get several years of use from it, and I guarantee, it will keep the little ones busy -and outside- the whole season.

Mom's Internet Finds: Custom Boutique Pettiskirts and More by Magical Attic

Come on Moms, you all know you want one too! I became quite envious myself, when I stumbled across these adorable Custom Boutique Pettiskirts made by Magical Attic. She makes them in your choice of a wide variety of colors as well as specially made designs in prints as well. I originally found them on Bonanzle but when I contacted the designer she also provided her Etsy Store in which I found even MORE awesome treasures!

She offers these really cool custom Superhero Capes as well, suitable for your little boy OR girl and fully customizable with colors and themes. And they are a steal at under $20! If you're in the market for a sweet customized gift without being overindulgent, I definitely urge you to visit Magical Attic!

All photos borrowed with permission from the owner. :)

Mom Reviews: Bath and Body Works Anti-Bacterial Moisturizing Soap

A good soap for the whole family can be very hard to find! I'm a big fan of Bath & Body Works Wild Honeysuckle Anti-bacterial Moisturizing Hand Soap because it both moisturizes your skin as well as leaving you fresh and clean. All parents know, when you have kids, constant hand washing is inevitable - both your hands and theirs. You can read my full review here but we give it 4 out of 5 stars!

Mom's Internet Finds: Cute Custom Cupcake Outfit

I keep hoping some day I'll have a girl, so I can indulge in super-sweet finds like this Custom Pink Cupcake Skirt and Halter Top Set by lilbugclothing, available at Bonanzle. (If you're not yet familiar with Bonanzle, it's all the fun of shopping on a site like Ebay, without the auctions. You see an item you like from a seller, and you can buy it or make an offer. You should definitely check it out!)

lilbugclothing is offering this cute set on sale for $25 (and accepting offers, currently). It is custom made in your size choice from 12 months through size 6. I can see this being just the perfect birthday girl outfit! And the price is right too - I think $25 is more than reasonable to spend on a really special outfit. If you like the cupcake design but don't necessarily want a halter-style top, she offers other styles in a similar pattern/print as well.

Mom Review: Batman Band-Aids

If you have kids, you know that regular bandages sometimes just don't cut it when your child gets a scrape or cut. Sometimes the overwhelming reaction of ohmygodthere'sblood from your little one just can't be soothed by a kiss to make it all better. That's when you bring out the big guns - the fancy character bandages.

Moms and dads, you know which ones I mean - the marginally overpriced box of not nearly enough bandages to get you through a month that are right at your kids' eye level in the store. They have bright colors and fancy graphics and all their favorite characters, and are seemingly magic in their ability to calm any reaction to an injury. My five-year-old evil genius conned me into this box of Batman Band-Aids.

At least if I'm going to be talked into buying special bandages for just one person in our house, they're really cool. These are Band-Aid brand bandages (there's a mouthful!) by Johnson & Johnson, not a knock-off generic. They come packed 20 to a box in assorted sizes.

The box advertises these as being 100% waterproof and that they shield out dirt and germs. They are sterile unless the individually packaged bandage is opened or damaged. There is also a warning that this product contains natural rubber latex and should be avoided by those that are allergic.

Now, by "assorted sizes", closer inspection of the box reveals that this is apparently just two sizes. There are five square bandages measuring 1.5" x 1.5" and fifteen strip bandages measuring 1" x 2.5". It is extremely important to note that these measurements are the size of the entire Band-Aid, not the actual padded area that you would apply over the wound. The actual padded area is very small, only approximately 30% of the center of the adhesive area in total.

The one nice feature that I like, regardless of the size, is that the padded bandage area is completely surrounded by adhesive. You know how on regular bandages, you have a center padded area, with two adhesive strips on each side? And how no matter how you apply it, water or dirt always sneaks in that non-adhesive area? Well, not with these. Because the adhesive covers the entire surface, you get a nice protective seal around the bandaged area that keeps liquids and dirt out nicely. Therefore, you aren't replacing the bandage every hour because it's falling off.

The downside to so much adhesive area is that these are impossible to remove. Getting them off skin is moderately bad - if you soak it in warm water or rub the edges with baby oil it will begin to loosen. Do not, ever, try to yank one of these off with one quick pull - thy are stuck on skin strongly and are semi-painful to remove in this way. However, you do not, under any circumstances, want these to get stuck to something other than your skin. My son got a hold of a handful of these bandages and went wild, plastering them on his furnature, carpet, and the outfit he was wearing. Eight months later, I still cannot get them off! Even through multiple washings, the adhesive part of these bandages are clearly visible on the clothes he was wearing - which have since been relegated to permanent playclothes - and shredded remnants remain stuck into the carpet fibers. I eventually got the one on his bedframe off with some sticker remover.

My son enjoys these bandages because of the graphics, which show Batman in various "action" poses in several designs. I believe there are six total variant designs in this box, although the quantity of each design will vary. Rather than the "yucky" skin-tone shade of a regular bandage, these are printed on a clear background with vibrant colors.

Overall, I'll say these bandages are worth the purchase. Although slightly expensive at about $5 a box for only twenty, it's not so bad when you save them for only the truly traumatic injuries like removing a splinter, and not just every little bump or bruise. They make my son happy, and that, as a parent, makes me happy. Just don't let your kids use them as an alternative to stickers.

Recommended:
Yes

You can also check out this review at Epinions!

Back from a very long break!

The holidays are always an exceptionally difficult time of year. I work in retail, so I have a tendency to "disappear" for a few months between October and February while the calls of the 70-hour work week keep me pulled in another direction. I hate it. I get away from everything I love, and I don't just mean my family - my hobbies, writing, having a normal schedule....

Anyway, that doesn't matter. I am rededicating myself to my blog (among other things) so hopefully those of you that still follow along, desperately awaiting my next update (hey, I can pretend!) are happy that I'm back.

Promising new reviews, new stories, and more, soon. Glad to be back.