Banish Eye Wrinkles with L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Deep-Set Wrinkle 24HR Eye Repair Duo!

Thanks to BzzAgent.com, I was given the opportunity to try out the L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Deep-Set Wrinkle 24HR Eye Repair Duo. I’m in my forties and live in Florida, where we’re always squinting into the sun, so it’s especially important that I do what I can to combat those crow’s feet that love to pop up around the eyes!

The Eye Repair Duo consists of two different creams. The AM Eye Cream helps to repair the intricate fibrous support around the eye area and protects the skin from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays with SPF 15 sunscreen. The PM Eye Cream is designed to boost the skin’s own natural night restoration process to rebuild broken skin fibers, which cause eye wrinkles and creping. The L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Deep-Set Wrinkle 24HR Eye Repair Duo is also:

- Fragrance-free
- Ophthalmologist-tested
- Safe for contact lens wearers
- Dermatologist-tested for gentleness
- Non-greasy
- Absorbs quickly into the skin and doesn’t make it sticky or greasy
- Goes on before applying makeup so makeup goes on smoothly

I’ve been very pleased with this product! I don’t like cosmetics with a strong perfume-y smell, so I loved that this is fragrance-free. I also tend to have breakouts from time to time, and I had no problem with that at all. A little bit of this cream goes a long way so it lasts a long time. And my makeup went on very smoothly after I applied the cream. Best of all, my eyes look good!

The Revitalift line, including the L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Deep-Set Wrinkle 24HR Eye Repair Duo, is available at most food, drug and mass retailers, such as CVS, Walgreens, RiteAid, Walmart and Target. If you’re ready to treat or even prevent deep-set eye wrinkles, give this product a try for 8 weeks.





DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary tube of L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Deep-Set Wrinkle 24HR Eye Repair Duo to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.

Kids Have a Blast with the Blast Pad from Growing Tree Toys!

Growing Tree Toys recently gave me the opportunity to try out one of their wonderful products. My twin boys received a Blast Pad, which is described as an “advanced missile launch system.” It’s called a Blast Pad because not only do you blast “missiles” in the air, but kids really have a blast playing with this toy! My boys absolutely loved it.

Growing Tree Toys specializes in educational toys. Their goal is to promote awareness about how essential play is to children’s healthy physical, emotional, and social well-being. Their toys inspire creativity, foster imagination, and are simply fun! And that’s what we got with the Blast Pad. My boys not only had a good time, but they were getting a good workout physically and using their brains mentally to figure out how to shoot the missiles as high as they could! They also used their imaginations to come up with various blasting games.

This is what the Blast Pad looks like:



Players jump on the spongy launch pad to see how high they can shoot ultra-lite missiles into the air. We were amazed at how high they went! We had to shake a few out of the palm trees, but the boys loved it. It worked fabulously. My only suggestion to improve this product would be to include more than three missiles. It makes it easier if there are many kids playing it, and sometimes the missiles get lost if you don’t watch them closely, or they get stuck on the roof if you shoot them too close to the house.

I noticed that Growing Tree Toys also offers Dueling Blast Pads, which would be great for kids to compete against each other.



I encourage you to visit Growing Tree Toys to check out the Blast Pad and all the other educational toys they carry. Check out their Deal of the Day and sign up for their newsletter.





DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary Blast Pad from Growing Tree Toys to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.

Are You an OXOniac? You Could Win Big in Their New Contest!

OXO is dedicated to creating innovative consumer products that make everyday living easier. And to put this mission into action, they are looking for the World’s Biggest OXOniacs! They’re developing a series of “how-to” videos to play on the web, and they want their fans to star in them. So, they’re holding a contest! Three Grand Prize Winners will win a trip to New York City, $1,000 worth of OXO tools, and a starring role in OXO’s how-to videos.

If you think you have what it takes, create a 30-90 second audition video to show off your demo skills. OXO is looking for fans who are comfortable in the kitchen, cool in front of the camera, and can clearly explain a product’s features and benefits. Creativity and enthusiasm count!

Entering is EASY. You have nothing to lose and a discount code to gain! Once you’ve read the rules and perfected your demo skills on camera, go to www.oxocontest.com to upload your video for a chance to win! Five finalists will be chosen by OXO judges, but the 3 winners will be chosen by OXO fans. Friends and family can rate your videos, so don’t forget to invite them to view your entry!

Do you have what it takes to be called the World’s Biggest OXOniac? If so, hurry to enter their contest, which ends on December 3, 2009, just 2 weeks away!

Design Your Inspiration -- and a Great Holiday Gift -- with Successories!

Do you have a favorite saying or quote that really guides your life? It might be a Bible verse, a quote from a famous author, or a life lesson from an inspirational person. When we’re going through tough times, or even just need a little pick-me-up, it often helps to revisit words of wisdom that inspire. And when we find a life-changing quote, it’s something we often want to share with others so they can also benefit from it. Now there’s a perfect way to do that:

“Design Your Inspiration” is a new concept being offered by Successories.com (a 25-year veteran in inspirational art). In just a few easy steps, you can create unique and inspiring personalized framed art that incorporates your favorite saying. You get complete creative control. I checked out their images, and so many of them are absolutely gorgeous! Many are by award-winning photographers. Check out some of these photos:





Or, if you’re more into cute and cuddly, they have images like this:





I can’t even begin to describe their huge selection of beautiful artwork. Sports, spiritual, nature, animals, business ... many topics are represented. You’re sure to find at least one that really touches you. If you’re like me, you’ll be awed by the stunning photography.

So, how does it work? It’s simple: just select your image, personalize it with a favorite quote or note of endearment, and finish by selecting a quality frame and mat board. You can have the artwork say anything you want it to! You’re not limited by pre-determined sayings or quotes. You can even make up your own!

Designs can be created and ordered at: www.dyi.successories.com. Framed wall size art is $119.00 and framed desk size art is just $45.00. All gifts will ship within three days of ordering and next day delivery is available anywhere in the U.S. Plenty of time for Christmas!

What a beautiful and unique gift this would make, especially for the person who has “everything.” Your parents? A boss? A dear friend? This is definitely a one-of-a-kind gift that will have a long-lasting impact!





DISCLOSURE: I received no products or compensation for this review.

This Weekend's Bluelight Specials at Kmart

Recently, I told you that Kmart is once again having Bluelight Specials! If you're going to be at Kmart this weekend, this is what you can look forward to:

11/21-11/22 Bluelight Specials!

* Home/All Frames 50% off (reg. range: $1-$29.99)

* Boys and Girls Basic Edition turtlenecks $2.99 (reg. $7.99)

* Home/All Cookware 40% off (reg. $6.99-$169.99)

If you're on Twitter, don’t forget to follow @KmartDealsnNews and use the #KmartBLS hashtag for a chance to win every day! For more info & rules: http://tr.im/KmartBLS.

4 Difficult Questions that Parents Face

NOTE FROM SUSAN: Today's guest post was written by Jennifer Johnson. If you've ever asked yourself if you're making the right decisions for your child, you're a normal parent! The truth is that we're all just learning on the job, and sometimes it's hard to know if we're doing the "right thing" for our kids. But that's all just part of the process in growing as a parent.

It’s a job that’s not really a job at all, but one that is definitely harder than the most complicated jobs in the world; it makes you delirious with joy one moment and mad with wanting to pull your hair out the next; and it certainly is very rewarding in spite of all the pitfalls and perils that all parents face today. Parenting is something that people learn on the job; no matter how much you think you’re prepared for it, there are regular curve balls that throw you for a loop. So if you’re a parent, you’re bound to ask yourself the following difficult questions more than once:

• Am I doing the right thing? What is the right thing to do when raising a child? There are no hard and fast rules, and with unsolicited advice coming from all quarters from both the self-proclaimed experts and the eager to help, you are always in a quandary as to whether you’re doing the right thing. Are you spoiling your children’s health by allowing them to eat a pizza once in a while? Are you keeping them safe by not allowing them to play outside where they are at the risk of being kidnapped or hurt or hindering their health by keeping them indoors all the time? No matter what your doubts are, you must do what you think is right for your child, because as a parent, you know them better than anyone else.

• Where do I draw the line? Are you spoiling your children by buying them all that they demand? Or are you denying them material possessions that other children their age have and making them feel left out in the process? Where do you draw the line when it comes to their demands, especially for things that are not really necessary? One way to resolve this dilemma is to fix a budget for each child for each year and allow them to fix their demands within this amount. This way, you teach them to be responsible and realize the value of money even while giving in to their demands.

• Should I interfere or not? When your children are a little older and begin to wake up to the idea of the opposite sex and substances that boost your mood, you hesitate to probe into their lives although you badly want to do so. You fear losing them for good if you’re too nosy, and you fear that they will be affected badly if you don’t step in to protect them. The best way to resolve this quandary is to be friends with your children from a very early age. This way, they know they can come to you with any problem they may face or any questions they may have because you will not reprimand or judge, only understand and help.

• Why can’t I treat all my children equally? Parents with more than one child are always in this dilemma. The way they treat their younger one is different from the way they treated the older one at the same age. This bias or lack of it is not intentional; it’s just that your situation may have changed since your second or third child was born and you have adapted accordingly. So don’t worry about this too much and continue to be the best parents you can without worrying about the pitfalls this job involves. After all, you’re learning something new every day!

This guest article was written by Jennifer Johnson, who regularly writes on the topic of nurse practitioner schools. Jennifer welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: jennifer.johnson1@rediffmail.com.

The New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines

Coincidentally, the new recommendations for mammograms came out in the print newspapers on the very same day that I had my annual mammogram scheduled. I’m now 45, and have been having one every year since the age of 40. My doctor, like most, had advised me to have a mammogram each year, and I was encouraged to do self-exams the rest of the year. So, the new screening guidelines were quite a shock.

In case you’ve been away from the news, new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now say that routine mammograms are no longer necessary for women in their 40s who are of average cancer risk (i.e., no family history or genetic mutation). And women between the ages of 50 and 74 only need a mammogram every other year, they say. They also recommended that doctors no longer teach women about breast self-exams due to lack of evidence of their effectiveness.

My first gut reaction at hearing this news was “Yee-hah! I don’t have to get scared by this annual torture every year anymore.” I’m always on pins and needles until I hear that the results are fine. But then I thought about the possible scenarios if I didn’t undergo a yearly mammogram. The task force says that for each case of cancer death that is prevented among younger women, 1,900 women must be screened. But what if I was that one person in 1,900, and I hadn’t been screened?

During the month of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, my friend Stacey bravely wrote on this blog about her battle against breast cancer. With no family history of breast cancer and no genetic cause for it, Stacey was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35. Her little boy was four years old at the time. She was having no symptoms and no reason to believe she might have cancer. But she had her annual gynecological exam with what many people might call an “overly cautious” doctor who recommended that his patients start getting mammograms at age 35. Stacey hesitated, thinking it was probably ridiculous, but she decided to go ahead. If her doctor had been following the new guidelines, Stacey probably wouldn’t have been tested until she was 50—if she had lived that long.

So, yes, a lot of money is spent on testing women who are healthy. And a lot of women are put through unnecessary anxiety. I know that firsthand. One of my mammograms looked suspicious and I had to go in for further testing. It wasn’t easy at all. But Stacey owes her life to the doctor who decided that waiting until age 50 wasn’t good enough. And Stacey’s little boy will get to grow up with a mommy.

Enter to Win an Amazing Family Vacation to the Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Montana!

Mom Fuse just notified me of a great giveaway that is being offered by Challenge Dairy, the largest selling butter brand in the West! You can enter now for a chance to win A Taste of the West during a 7-day/6-night trip for 4 people to the incredible Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Montana’s Paradise Valley, just North of Yellowstone National Park.

In addition to world-class fine dining, the guest ranch features cozy accommodations, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, rock climbing, clay shooting and much more. This luxury getaway package is worth $17,000!

Challenge Dairy is also giving away an $850 kitchen package from Spice Islands and OXO. What incredible prizes!

To enter, go to http://www.challengedairy.com/sweepstakes/index.html. Sweepstakes rules can be found at http://www.challengedairy.com/blogger-rules.

Good luck! And thanks to Mom Fuse for sharing this giveaway.





DISCLOSURE: As a thank-you for sharing this information, I received an entry into a giveaway for a chance to win one of five $100 gift cards.

Gaga for Mama Babywear Helps Mom Feel Appreciated! (Discount Code + Giveaway)

If you’re a mom, do you ever feel unappreciated? I do! Sometimes, it seems like I spend my whole day doing things for everyone else and rarely get a “thank you” or a pat on the back. Shelby Tutty, owner of the online store Gaga for Mama, decided to do something about this problem! She created an adorable line of babywear that lets Mom know how much she’s appreciated. Her high-quality baby bodysuits, printed with inspirational sayings like “Thanks, Mom, you’re the best!” and “Mom, you always make it all better!,” will make you feel loved every day! She also offers coordinating pants, bibs, and sun hats for your baby. [Hint to dads: This is a great gift for Mom. I promise you that her heart will melt when she reads the message on her baby’s bodysuit!]

DISCOUNT CODE

From now through December 31, 2009, Gaga for Mama is offering 10% off your total babywear order (not including shipping)! Just enter CUTEBABY at the checkout on their sister site, Double Up Books (click on "Shop for Babies"), where you can purchase the complete line of Gaga for Mama babywear to receive your discount. [Please note that this discount code does not work for books. They already offer at least 10% off on all their books!]

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner will receive an entire Gaga for Mama outfit consisting of a bodysuit, pants and bib of your choice! To enter, go to www.GagaforMama.com and decide which bodysuit, pants and bib you’d like. Leave a comment here with your selections. You must do this first step to enter the giveaway.

You can earn optional additional entries by:

- Sharing a saying that you’d like to see on a Gaga for Mama bodysuit that would make moms feel loved!

- Purchasing something at Gaga for Mama (5 entries; leave 5 separate comments).

- Following me and Shelby Tutty on Twitter (@ParentingAuthor and @DoubleUpBooks) and tweeting about this giveaway. Leave a comment with the URL of your tweet. You may tweet once a day. Please leave a separate comment for each tweet.

- Putting a button for Susan Heim on Parenting on your blog (the code is in the upper right-hand column of this site) and/or a text link on your blog roll. Post a comment with your blog’s URL.

- Posting this giveaway on your blog with a link to this page and www.GagaforMama.com (3 entries; leave 3 separate comments).

- Subscribing to Susan Heim on Parenting via email and/or RSS (see sign-up options on left sidebar). Leave a comment for each subscription method.

One winner will be randomly selected from the qualified comments received by Tuesday, December 1, 2009, at midnight ET. Please leave an email address on one of your comments if it’s not available on your Blogger profile. Winners must respond within 72 hours or another winner will be drawn.

Make Meal Planning Easier with Relish! (Giveaway)

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I am not a cook. In fact, I hate to cook! And one of the reasons is that the whole menu-planning process is intimidating to me. What should I make? What ingredients do I need? How do I get out of the rut of making the same things all the time? It’s just overwhelming to me. And then I heard about Relish!

Relish! is an online meal-planning service for busy parents. It is amazing! Here’s how it works: Every Thursday, they post a new selection of recipes. You get an email reminder to go to their site and pick five meals you like from a selection of 15, plus a dessert. You input how many people you’ll be serving, and they generate a complete shopping list for you along with the recipes. None of the recipes takes more than 30 minutes to prepare! (That’s definitely my kind of meal. The less time I spend in the kitchen, the better!)

The recipes are labeled with helpful symbols like KF for Kid Friendly, C for Crockpot and V for Vegetarian. This really helps in choosing the kind of recipe you want. If there’s a recipe that was a real hit with your family, you can put it in your Favorites Folder and add it into your weekly menu any time you want to make it again. You can also add in your own recipes, and they’ll automatically incorporate the ingredients into your grocery list whenever you select them. They also offer monthly freezer meals that you can make and freeze so you always have meals on hand.

This is such a cool site! They’re always adding something new, like extra recipes, cooking tips, and more. And they are so reasonable. If you sign up for three months, it’s just $21. Save 15% for a six-month subscription ($35.70) and save 30% for a year’s subscription ($58.80)! That’s only about $1.13 a week to plan your family’s meals, help them eat healthier, decrease your shopping anxiety, and save you money. Just go to www.relishrelish.com to sign up.

GIVEAWAY

Relish! is generously donating a one-year subscription (a $58.80 value) to one lucky reader! To enter, leave a comment below explaining why you think that Relish! is right for you! You must do this to enter the giveaway.

As always, you can earn optional, additional entries by doing any of the following and leaving a separate comment for each:

- Following Susan Heim on Parenting through Google Friend Connect. Click on the “Follow” button on the left sidebar.

- Following me on Twitter (@ParentingAuthor) and tweeting about this giveaway. Leave a comment with the URL of your tweet. You may tweet once a day. Please leave a separate comment for each tweet. You can use this phrase if you'd like:

RT @ParentingAuthor Susan Heim on Parenting: Enter to win a full year of meal-planning services with Relish! http://bit.ly/YJ5qW

- Putting a button for Susan Heim on Parenting on your blog (the code is in the upper right-hand column of this site) and/or a text link on your blog roll. Post a comment with your blog’s URL.

- Posting this giveaway on your blog with a link to this page. Leave a comment with a direct link to the post.

- Listing Susan Heim on Parenting as one of your Favorites on Technorati. (See “Add this Blog to My Technorati Favorites” banner on the left sidebar.) Leave a comment with your Technorati user name.

- Subscribing to Susan Heim on Parenting via email and/or RSS (see sign-up options on left sidebar). Leave a comment for each subscription method.

One winner will be randomly selected from the qualified comments received by Monday, November 30, 2009, at midnight ET. Please leave an email address on one of your comments if it’s not available on your Blogger profile. Winners must respond within 72 hours or another winner will be drawn.





DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary one-month subscription to Relish! to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.

Receive a Free Plush Panda with an Order from the Bear Buckets Club!

As their holiday gift to you, the Bear Buckets Club is offering a free 8” stuffed panda with every order!


Bear Bucket Club Friends are adorable 8” plush characters that come with their very own fun and educational interactive CD game. Both items arrive in a reusable container, which cuts down on waste and gives kids another place to store their “stuff”!


Bear Buckets Club Friends are only $9.99, plus $5.99 shipping, and now the additional panda is FREE! My boys love their Bear Buckets Club Friends and games. This makes a great affordable holiday gift! Visit http://www.bearbucketsclub.com/.

Small Talk Six: My Christmas Registries

This week’s topic on Small Talk Six is “6 stores at which you wish you could register for Christmas presents for yourself”! (What’s Small Talk Six? Click here to find out.) This sounds like fun! It could be tough to narrow it down to six…

1. Barnes and Noble: Everyone knows that I love books! If only there were enough time in the day to read all the books I want to read… I have a list to last a lifetime, and it keeps growing!

2. Costco: We spend a ton of money at Costco attempting to feed our four sons. I could find a lot of things to add to my registry here.

3. Hallmark: Their stores always have such great gift items. I’d buy puzzles, stationery, cards, wrapping paper, home decorations, and more.

4. Amazon: I have to admit that I’m a frequent Amazon shopper. They really do have good prices and a huge selection of items, both new and used.

5. Museum Gift Store: I just love all of the unusual specialty items you can usually find at museum gift stores. They’re usually a little pricey, though, so a gift certificate would enable me to splurge a bit.

6. Furniture store: I’d love to be able to refurnish the house! I need a new bed, dining room table, living room chairs… I’m sure I could come up with more!

So, now it’s your turn! Leave a comment on this post describing some of the “stores at which you wish you could register for Christmas presents for yourself.” And then click HERE to find links to other bloggers’ Small Talk Six lists for the week.

It’s Time to Order Your Holiday Cards from Minted.com!

I send out at least 75 Christmas cards every year. Most of our extended family lives out-of-state and we rarely see them, so I like to include a picture so people can see how much the kids have grown and changed over the year. (My teens are now resisting this, but I still manage to get a picture taken of my five-year-old twins!) When Minted.com asked me to take a look at their cards, I checked out their website and was awed by the variety and creativity of their designs! Their exclusive designs are created by independent designers around the world just for Minted.com. I had a hard time settling on a pattern because I loved so many of them! For example, check out these beautiful cards:











Many of the cards come in a choice of colors, and you get to choose whether to use their message or write your own along with your family members’ names.

In addition to the traditional flat cards, they also have really cool cards called Yearlines and Minibooks, which are like little photo books that you can customize. Here’s a sample below:



When I ordered my Minted.com cards, I was so impressed with how easy it was to upload my photos and design my cards. After I submitted my order, they emailed a proof for me to check to be sure it was exactly what I wanted. I now have my cards in hand, and they are absolutely gorgeous. They’re printed on super-high-quality cardstock. It’s definitely not that flimsy paper that many photo shops use. These cards would be perfect for a business owner who really wants to impress her clientele!

Please visit www.minted.com/holiday-photo-cards to order your holiday photos today. They also carry Hanukkah cards, invitations, birth announcements, stationery, thank you cards, moving announcements, and much more. Start at their home page at www.minted.com to see their complete selection of items.





DISCLOSURE: I received 25 complimentary personalized flat cards to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.

Do Your Holiday Shopping -- and Do Some Good -- Through Oxfam America

I always have a really hard time buying gifts for the adults in my life. Let’s face it: We really don’t need any more stuff! How many more bottles of after shave or perfume can we use? This year, I’d like to feel really good about the gifts that I’m giving. If you’re feeling this way, too, you’ll be happy to know that Oxfam America has the solution.

Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. They are part of Oxfam International, a confederation of 13 Oxfams working in more than 100 countries. Together with individuals and local groups in these countries, they save lives, help people overcome poverty, and fight for social justice. What sets Oxfam apart is that they create partnerships. Rather than provide short-term aid, they work with local communities to create lasting solutions to poverty by helping people address the root causes themselves. They rely on the knowledge and insight of those affected.

They also rely on people like us to support their work. Here’s how you can help AND take care of the recipients on your gift list:

1. Browse their online catalog and find a gift for your friend or loved one. With over 60 items to choose from, you’re guaranteed to find the perfect gift.

2. You’ll receive a free card with the image of your specific gift. You can personalize the card online and have it sent directly to your friend or loved one. Or you can have the card delivered to you to write your own message. All Oxfam America donations are tax deductible, and you will get a receipt.

3. Your donation will go to the people who need it, and where it will have the greatest impact: to improve the lives of people living in poverty.


For instance, for just $20, you can provide farmers with a much-needed system to irrigate their land. With your support for two months, you’ll help farmers grow a bumper crop!

For just $18, you can get mosquito nets for a family, protecting them against malaria and other deadly insect-borne diseases.

Twenty-five dollars purchases a fuel-efficient cooking stove, which lessens the need for firewood, reduces deforestation, and cuts down the time spent by women gathering scarce firewood. For many women, this reduces the need to venture into areas where they are at risk of violence.

Some of the other valuable gifts are pictured on this page. Please go to OxfamAmericaUnwrapped.com to learn about Oxfam America’s amazing work and select some gifts that will have a lot more meaning than another tie or a pair of earrings. In fact, your generosity has the potential to truly change lives for the better.





DISCLOSURE: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Oxfam America Unwrapped and received a credit for a gift on the Oxfam site.