Are you a Celebrity?

January 29, 2010 By

I was reading Facebook earlier this morning. It’s a great way to keep up with my friends from high school and my friends from across the country.

Two of my friends changed their profile images to pictures of celebrities. My one friend Lexi changed hers to Lisa Loeb (singer) and my other friend Megan changed hers to Meryl Streep. I guess there is something going around Facebook that is having you change your profile picture to that of a famous person you have been told you look like.

I don’t think I look like anyone famous. I did see a picture of a lady who could have passed as my fraternal twin sister years ago, but she was not famous. I have heard it said that everyone has a “twin” some where on this planet. I suppose it’s possible. There are only so many different features people can have so it’s highly probably that two people can look alike.

A couple of years ago a lady in the dentist office told me that I looked like Reese Witherspoon (sorry Reese…ha ha). NO WAY! Seriously… that is not possible. The lady went on to say that I had the same facial features and expressions that Reese does. I don’t see it at all, but I took it as a compliment. As least she didn’t say I looked like Ozzy Osborne or someone like that (ha ha).

Many years ago we were in the eye doctor’s office and an employee told my husband that he looked just like Andy Garcia. Now THAT I can believe. I don’t think they look identical, but my husband could pass as his brother. Of course this was back when my husband had hair too. He’s been sporting a buzz cut for about 8+ years now. He has the most beautiful thick black hair if only he wouldn’t get it shaved off.

Sadly my daughter is only a Bump-It, fake tan and big boobs away from looking like “Snookie” from that Mtv show “Jersey Shore”. My daughter is petite like her and can mimic her facial expressions. In fact the joke is that we can dress her up as Snookie for Halloween and not have to worry about a costume this year. Ha Ha.

What about YOU? Do YOU think you look like anyone famous? Has anyone ever told you that you resemble a famous person? I’d love to hear from my readers.

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National Puzzle Day – January 29, 2010

January 29, 2010 By

I am not one to post press releases, however I think this information about National Puzzle Day might be of some interest to my readers.

When was the last time you sat down to solve a puzzle? Now’s your chance! On Friday, January 29, also known as National Puzzle Day, puzzle-lovers across the country will solve puzzles of all shapes and sizes. While famous for board games and toys, Hasbro is also one of the world’s largest producers of puzzles, distributing more than eight million each year. Hasbro, which manufactures many puzzles locally in East Longmeadow, Mass., encourages families to join in the excitement of National Puzzle Day by kicking off their weekend with an affordable night of puzzling.

“Puzzling has been a favorite American pastime for many generations,” said Margaux Rossouw, Global Marketing Manager for puzzles at Hasbro. “Hasbro continues to introduce innovative designs to captivate a widespread audience. From nine pieces to 1,500 pieces, and with fresh scents, scenic views or favorite cartoon figures, we offer a fun challenge for puzzlers of all ages and capabilities.”

A beneficial practice for all ages, puzzling is a challenging and thought-provoking activity. Puzzles are a great way to reinforce concentration and reasoning skills, while also promoting teamwork. For adults, puzzles might help reduce stress and provide some “exercise” for the brain. For children, puzzling is an educational and enjoyable experience that promotes social interaction.

For those planning to celebrate National Puzzle Day, puzzling doesn’t have to be a short-lived activity around a quiet kitchen table. Incorporate puzzling throughout the day. To remind family members about the evening’s entertainment, Moms can write notes on puzzle pieces and include in lunch boxes or briefcases. Try spicing up the family dinner by using puzzle pieces as place cards or serving cookies in the shape of puzzle pieces. And to encourage as much Friday night entertainment as possible, solve a puzzle in front of a family movie or play some music that everyone enjoys. Challenge everyone in your family to just complete ONE piece of the puzzle – after that, they’ll be hooked.

When selecting a puzzle for National Puzzle Day, consider Hasbro’s best-selling BIG BEN collection. From landscapes to vibrant images of wildflowers, the 1,000-piece puzzles have been entertaining families for more than 65 years.

To enhance the atmosphere while puzzling, choose one of Hasbro’s Yankee Candle SCented Puzzles. The 300-piece puzzles feature scenes of apple orchards infused with a scent of MacIntosh® apples, a children’s tea party accompanied by the alluring fragrance of Clean Cotton®, and a scenic seaside town with the intriguing smell of Sage & Citrus®. These familiar Yankee Candle fragrances are subtly released while solving the puzzles.

And for the little ones, the canister puzzles feature larger puzzle pieces with toy figures from the kid-favorite Hasbro properties of Littlest Pet Shop and Transformers. TIME FOR US puzzles are perfect for parents and kids to solve together. These 300-piece puzzles, featuring images of puppies, teddy bears and dinosaurs, have large pieces for little hands and smaller pieces for big hands.

Even after National Puzzle Day is over, continue the fun by setting aside a regular night for puzzling as a family. Hasbro puzzles are available for an approximate retail price of $2.49 – $14.99 and many are made with sustainable materials such as soy-based ink and recyclable cardboard. For additional information about Hasbro puzzles or games, please visit www.hasbro.com

*I was not compensated in any way for this post. I posted this information for the benefit of my blog readers.
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OUCH! What a Crazy & Sad Day!

January 29, 2010 By

Today (Thursday) is my early day. My son has a Science, Math & Technologies club at school that meets early in the morning, so I have to get up before my husband leaves at 5:45 so that I can get the kids up early and out the door about an hour then they normally leave for school.

When I got up this morning there was an unexpected dusting of snow on the ground. My husband said that the weather people said it would stop and not accumulate. I am a nervous wreck driving in the snow after I had my car turn around in circles several times years ago when going down a steep hill.

By the time we had to leave to drive to school there was about an inch of snow and it was snowing HUGE snowflakes. I called school to make sure that they didn’t cancel. They didn’t although I secretly wished that they did.

I drove very slowly to school which is all the way across town.

After I dropped off my son I still had my daughter with me. She goes to the same school but there is no place for her to go in the AM (the library and gym are not open that early). Usually we end up going to Dunkin Donuts where I grab coffee and she gets a bagel or muffin so we can kill some time. Since it was snowing steadily at this point, and I needed things from the store, we went shopping at a local grocery store for a few things.

By the time I dropped my daughter back off at school the roads were better, thankfully.

On the way back home there must have been an accident or something because it took me almost a 1/2 hour to drive what normally takes me about 10 minutes.

When I got home I had to find a way of getting the groceries up six flights of stairs, three of which are outside in front of our building (steep steps going up the hill). The condo people didn’t shovel the snow or sand the stairs at that time so the stairs were slippery and dangerous. I had to make several trips up and down with just one or two bags in one hand so I can hold on to the railing with the other.

On the way down to fetch another bag from my car I fell! It was like going in slow motion. I was going down the stairs and felt my left leg slide. I tried to grab on to the railing but even that was slippery from the snow. Some how I managed to make myself fall backwards, not face first. It all happened so fast and I don’t know how I ended up on my back sideways on the stairs on one of the landings. I slipped down just four steps, but still, that was scary enough.

There I was, flat on my back on the stair landing. Thank goodness I didn’t hit my head! I don’t know if I was upset at what just happened or embarrassed (I hope no one saw me!). I got up as quickly as I could and stood there for a couple of minutes to shake it off. I was covered in snow and very cold. I wasn’t wearing gloves since I worried they would be too slippery on the railing.

I still had a couple of more bags in the car. Instead of going down the stairs I went down the hill in the grass. I fell again when I went in the grass, but at least it was on my butt.

I managed to s-l-0-w-l-y get the last two bags up the outside stairs. Then I had to get all the bags up to the top floor (inside the building). Ugh! I hate living on the top floor.

Once I got inside my home I quickly went to get out of my soaking wet clothes. I saw in the mirror that my skin was beet red from being cold and wet. I was shaken up and my heart was still racing a million miles per hour but I didn’t break anything, which was good.

It wasn’t until a while later after sitting down snuggled up in a blanket for about an hour did I realize that OUCH! YES! I DID indeed hurt myself. My whole left side hurts. I feel like someone hit me with a car! Worst yet I have an odd, long, thin purple bruise going from the side of my butt cheek, diagonal across my outer thigh. It’s long and thin, like someone painted it there with a marker or something. It’s really weird! The only thing I can think of is that the stairs are cement and maybe I hit the edge of one of the stairs really hard. I bruise easily too.

After all this by the time I went to get the kids off the bus at 3:30 all the snow was GONE! It’s as if it never snowed except for a few patches here and there.

To make matters worst we were going to take the kids into NYC this evening to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center to “meet and greet” some former players for the New York Rangers (Ice Hockey). It was a special benefit for the Ronald McDonald House. This was the 16th annual “Skate with the Greats”**. The Skate with the Greats event has helped to raise more than $6 million for Ronald McDonald House New York, a facility that offers children with cancer and their family shelter and support while they undergo active treatment. Since its founding, more than 25,000 children have stayed at Ronald McDonald House New York. My son even wore his Rangers jersey AND Rangers hoodie in anticipation for tonight.

When we were going to head down to the city (around 5 PM) it was snowing again. Not only that it was bitterly cold. My husband didn’t think I should go anyway after taking such a fall but there was no way I would let that stop me from taking my kids to an event we might not be invited to again. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I wasn’t going to let soreness stop us from going. It wasn’t me who ultimately did… it was the bitterly code weather (not including the wind it’s about 14 degrees right now). My husband and I both worried about having our kids out in such cold weather, on an ice rink no less.

My son is BEYOND upset with me. He blames me for us not going. Sigh… I tried to convince him it was the weather, not me, that prevented us from going (my husband also worried about “black ice” on the parkway since we were driving in to the city). I don’t know if my son believes me or not but he barely uttered a word to either of us for the rest of the night and he was slamming doors and stomping around. It’s not like we can make it up to him either. It’s not like I can pick up the phone and call a few Rangers to come and meet us for coffee (if only it was that easy!).

Now I feel like a “bad Mommy”. I know he was super excited to go tonight. He LOVES NYC. He doesn’t need a reason to go into the city (our daughter doesn’t like the city – it makes her nervous). He also loves to play floor hockey. He wishes he could skate to play “real hockey” as he puts it. He adopted the Rangers as his favorite hockey team because it’s a New York team and because we’ve been to Madison Square Garden a few times where they play and he’s been begging us to take him to a hockey game there to see them play.

Our son also knows that the Rangers are very popular with the boys at school. Since our son doesn’t have any friends he was hoping to get a few autographs and his picture taken with a few of the players (Brian Leetch, Rod Gilbert, Adam Graves and other celebrated players). He thinks the other boys (classmates) would think he was “cool” for being able to mingle with such hockey greats. Ideally he was hoping it would help him to make a few friends, and that makes me incredibly sad.

My day started off “OK” enough. Now I am going to go to bed with a huge purple bruise on my butt/thigh and a bruise in my heart from breaking my son’s heart.

** Ronald McDonald House New York is supported in part by the Rangers through a partnership with the Garden of Dreams Foundation, a non-profit charity that works closely with the Rangers and all areas of Madison Square Garden to make dreams come true for kids in crisis. This event is generously sponsored by RBC Capital Markets, one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies and among the largest banks in the world.

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Exederm Ultra Sensitive Skin Care

January 28, 2010 By

Most people dislike the Winter for different reasons. Some don’t like the cold weather (Brrr…). Others don’t like the shoveling. Personally I don’t like trying to drive in the snow (more on that later…OUCH!). Another reason why I don’t like the Winter is because my Eczema is in full force when the weather gets cold.

I have had Eczema for years. I started on my right hand (just my right hand too) then eventually hit both hands and then moved it’s way up to my face and scalp. The Eczema on my face loves to hang out on my eye lids which makes using lotions and creams impossible because you don’t want these things getting in your eyes. I also have Eczema on my scalp. It’s embarrassing! It looks like I have dandruff but I don’t. It’s the Eczema. Did you know there is a special Eczema shampoo? It’s a teeny, tiny bottle that costs a whopping $40! Sigh…

Over the years I have tried everything and anything I could find to help the Eczema. Sadly my son suffers from it too. He gets it mostly on his back and abdomen. I get it in the above mentioned places as well as patches are my arms and back.

I do have prescription medication from the Dermatologist but it contains steroids and I really don’t want to put steroids on my body, most especially on my son.

When I was asked to review Exederm Ultra Sensitive Care products (www.Exederm.com), which are suitable for people with Eczema and other dermatitis issues, I jumped at the opportunity.

Exederm sent me the following products.

- Non Irritating Shampoo – This is a baby shampoo which sadly didn’t work well for me. I have extremely thick, coarse hair and I found it hard to get it on my scalp where my Eczema is (mostly on the crown of my head and the “side burn” area). I was disappointed because I was hoping it would work with my hair. I let my son use the shampoo instead. He has a crew cut. Although he doesn’t suffer from Eczema on his scalp I still thought it was a good idea that he use it. I didn’t start out with Eczema on my scalp either, it worked it’s way up to that. So maybe if my son uses this shampoo it will prevent him from having to deal with the same problem I have.

- Cleansing Baby Bath – I liked the baby bath product. Obviously me and my son are not “babies” but we do have Eczema on our bodies and regular soap doesn’t help matters any. I used the liquid soap on a wash cloth, then I washed the areas on my arms and as much as I could reach on my back. My son used it for his entire body. I think it really helped the patch of Eczema on my arms. They healed up rather quickly. I don’t know if it was a combination of the Exederm products or not but I’m sure it helped in some way.

- Soothing Baby Oil – Sadly I did not like this product at all. I found it very watery and runny. What I ended up doing was putting a little bit on a cotton pad and then dabbing it on to the dry patches on my skin. I didn’t have my son try the product because I was afraid it would run out too quickly and he’s make a huge mess.


- Flare Control Cream – This stuff rocks! It helps when you Eczema is itchy. There is nothing worst then the itch from Eczema. You can’t help but itch it and when you do that you aggravate it even more and make it worst. This rich, thick cream comes in a squeeze tube so you can squeeze out a tiny dab on your finger tip and put it on the spots that give you the “itchies”. It helps to sooth and relieve it and helps stop the itch. My son even loved this cream. He would asked me for the “itch cream” when his spots bothered him. I put this on him myself because I worried he would squeeze out too much. You really only need a pea size amount, unless you need to cover a large area. Most of our “patches” arou about the size of a dime to about the size of a quarter. This is one of my most favorite Exederm products.

- Hydrating Baby Lotion – I LOVE this product! We both use this one daily, myself something several times a day. It’s helped a lot. I rub some in to the Eczema patches on my skin. I also rub it into my hands. My hands are always dry which causes the Eczema to break out. I have been using the lotion on my hands several times a day and my hands are not dry and there are no signs of Eczema – thankfully! I also use this after the bath on the areas I know I tend to get Eczema. My son did the same thing.

- Intensive Baby Moisturizer – This is a cream, not a lotion. It’s not as thick as other creams I’ve used but a little of this goes a long way. My son took a huge scoop of this moisturizer to rub on his arms and belly and I never thought it was going to go away. He used way too much and he had to use a towel to wipe most of it off. I have been using this too. I have actually used dabs of it on my face. It has helped clear up or reduce some of the Eczema patches that I had. I have used it on my hands too. It takes a few minutes before it absorbs into the skin so you can’t touch anything for a couple of minutes but after that it’s fine.

Overall I was very pleased with the products, with the exception of the baby oil which I found to be too running for my personal preference.

Exederm skincare products contain NO Fragrance, Color or dyes, Parabens, Lanolin, SLS or SLES, Propylene Glycol, Formaldehyde or Phthalates. Most especially no steroids!

Exederm products are accepted by the National Eczema Association too.

Exederm offers 20% off when you purchase 3 or more products from their web site and offer FREE shipping on orders over $50 (US & Canada). They also have a money back guarantee.

To learn more about Exederm products visit www.Exederm.com. While you are there check out the great information about Eczema as well as childhood Eczema.



*I received these products free to do this review from Exederm and the Family Review Network. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.
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Easy Lunch Boxes – One of my most favorite products!

January 28, 2010 By

I do a lot of product reviews, as many of my readers well know. Rarely do I come across a product I’m not overly keen on. I do however find a few products that I can’t rave enough about because I think they are the greatest thing since “sliced bread”, so to speak. Easy Lunch Boxes is one of my most favorite products that I have reviewed to date.

Easy Lunch Boxes (http://www.easylunchboxes.com/) has literally changed the way I make lunches for my children. I have actually been having fun thinking of what creative things I could send them to school with.

Easy Lunch Boxes is a plastic food storage unit that has three separate compartments. One compartment (the largest) is big enough to house a sandwich, roll, bagel, salad or anything else you would consider the “main” part the lunch.

There are two smaller compartments. One is big enough for crackers, cookies, veggies, or a hard boiled egg (to give you a few ideas). The smallest compartment is useful for dips, hummus, raisins…even a fortune cookie!

Here are a few lunches that I have made for my kids over the past two weeks. You’ll note that they sandwiches are in bags. I don’t feel that they need bags but my kids worry about the sandwiches getting stale. I am trying to “wean” them off relying on the sandwich bags. With the Easy Lunch Boxes system they don’t need any sandwich bags at all.


Turkey sandwich on a hard roll, Oreo cookies, cut cucumbers.


Tuna on a hard roll with baby carrots and crackers.


Bologna and cheese sandwiches (one on white, the other on Potato bread), cucumbers and baby carrots (mixed) and a fortune cookie.

There are many more lunch ideas found on the Easy Lunch Boxes web site to inspire you. If only my kids weren’t overly picky. Ha Ha. CLICK HERE to see a gallery of lunch ideas to inspire you. I’m very impressed by the lunches. I think these are better then any lunch I have seen outside of a restaurant.

What I love about the Easy Lunch Boxes is that they are reusable and eco-friendly. When my kids come home from school they know to put the entire box into the sink so it can be washed, dried, and used again the next day. There is no need for any baggies either (except my kids have to get over the sandwich bag “issue”). This is an excellent way to be kind to our Earth by not having to waste extra bags or containers. You don’t even need those 100 calorie packs or pudding/Jello cups because you can make up a big container at home and just spoon some into the compartment in the lunch box.

The Easy Lunch Boxes are sold in packages of four (four bottom and four tops). There are four different colored tops so that you know which lunch belongs to which person. My daughter’s lunch is the one with the orange lid, my son’s is the one with the blue lid. My husband uses the one with the red lid and I have the set with the green lid because green is my favorite color. The four pack is only $13.95 and can be purchased from the web site, www.EasyLunchBoxes.com.

Also available from Easy Lunch Boxes are lunch box totes that fit the Easy Lunch Boxes like a glove. Not only do they fit in the tote perfectly but there is also more then enough room for a reusable water bottle, thermos, apple or any other goodies you wish to pack. The lunch box totes come in a variety of colors (my daughter has purple and my son has black). They do have a short handle. My daughter wishes the strap was a bit longer so she could hold it from her shoulder like a pocketbook.

So far, so good with the totes. A few times the kids have accidentally left crumbs and other lunch remnants inside the lunch tote. It was easy to wipe out with a damp cloth.

The tote is also available on the site for $7.95. We purchased similar totes for our kids at the start of the school year for about the same price and our daughter’s had to be tossed out because the lining on the inside ripped and became such a mess.

It is not necessary to purchase the tote with the Easy Lunch Box system. The Easy Lunch Box container will fit in most lunch totes. I tried to fit it in my son’s other tote and it does fit, it just lies at an angle which is not that terrible. There was still room for his water bottle. I just happen to prefer the tote from Easy Lunch Boxes because it’s a lot more roomy inside.

I have enjoyed many products that I have reviewed. Easy Lunch Boxes are by far one of my most favorite products. As a mom it has made making lunches in the morning so much easier. I don’t have to worry about bags or trying to find lids to other containers to put their lunches in. I just take off the lids and put them underneath the container and go down the line and drop in whatever I want to send my kids to school with then put the lid on and keep it in the fridge until it’s time for them to leave for school then I just place it in the tote with their water bottles and a piece of fruit and they are all set.

I’m giving Easy Lunch Boxes a two thumbs up, perfect 10 and five stars…and any other grade that shows how excellent I think this product is.

To learn more please visit www.EasyLunchBoxes.com.


*I received a set of Easy Lunch Boxes and two totes free to do this review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

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Magic Bullet to Go Super Bowl Giveaway!

January 27, 2010 By

I know this sounds silly but I LOVE to watch infomercials. To be honest with you I have ordered and purchased (locally) products that I have seen on TV and most of the time I’m pretty impressed with them. One or two might not have been worth it, but over all I have been happy with my purchases.

One product I have had my eye on for YEARS has been the Magic Bullet. It looks pretty cool. I have a blender but my little old blender can’t do half the stuff the Magic Bullet can. If I had a Magic Bullet I would use it to grind coffee, chop nuts, chop ice and make my own homemade Salsa, just to name a few.

Do you know that they now have a Magic Bullet to Go (www.BullettoGo.com). It’s the same exact Magic Bullet that has been sold for years but now you can literally take it anywhere with you. The Magic Bullet to Go is cordless. To charge it all you need to do is plug in the adaptor and in only about two hours you’ve got a fully charged battery that gets up to 50 uses. WOW!

Think of what you could do with a Magic Bullet to Go? You could take it with you when you travel, Tail Gate Parties, backyard BBQ’s, the office and even when you go camping. There is even an optional car charger you can purchase separately so you can charge your Magic Bullet to Go in your car or camper.

The Magic Bullet to Go comes complete with the following…

- Battery
- blender and lid unit
- shaker and steamer tops (grade cheese to sprinkle on your food)
- color coded comfort grip rings
- charger & adapter
- recipe book
- cross blade & flat blade
- 3 resealable lids
- power base
- tall cup and short cup
- 4 party cups (mix party drinks at your next tail gating party)

To learn more about the Magic Bullet to Go please visit www.BullettoGo.com. They even have a Facebook Fan page you should check out (CLICK HERE).

I’m excited about the Magic Bullet to Go and it’s tops on my “Wish List”. However some lucky She Scribes readers won’t have to add the Magic Bullet to their wish list because the awesome folks over at Magic Bullet would like to give THREE lucky winners their own Magic Bullet to Go. WOW!

To enter you must answer this specific question, “What would you make with a Magic Bullet To Go for the Superbowl?” in the comment section (below).

For extra entries you can do any or all of the following. Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each that you have done. Extra entries are optional.

- Subscribe and/or Follow She Scribes so that you never miss out on these great opportunities. Both options are found about 1/2 way down on the right side bar.

- Blog about the Magic Bullet to Go and this awesome giveaway. Please link back to BOTH this post and Magic Bullet to Go (www.BullettoGo.com). Please provide the URL of the post.

- Tweet about this awesome giveaway on Twitter and please include @She_Scribes in the tweet so I may see it too. There can be an unlimited number of tweets for this giveaway.

- Promote this giveaway in other ways, for example, Stumble Upon, Technorati or Digg. There are other ways too. Please tell me what you did and if possible provide a URL or name.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end promptly on January 31, 2010 at 10:00 PM (EST). The units will ship out on Tuesday (Feb. 2, 2010) so please make sure to check your e-mail to see if you are a winner and reply promptly or a new winner will have to be chosen.

The winners will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries (you must answer the question asked). The winners will be contacted by e-mail and need to reply promptly or a new winner will be chosen. No PO Boxes.

To check out all the Magic Bullet products, visit: http://www.buythebullet.com/
Be sure to check out the other great giveaways currently available on the right side bar under “Win It”.

CONGRATULATIONS to Cindy S., Faythe A. and Randy B.

*I did not receive anything for review, nor was I compensated in any way for this post. I posted this for the benefit and enjoyment of my blog readers.
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