Reviews | She Scribes

This totally made my day! Check it out

May 15, 2012 By Kimberly 11 Comments

It’s not uncommon for me to receive random things delivered to my door. Mostly it’s books from publishers and authors hoping can do a review. Once in a while I receive a random product in the mail.

This afternoon I received something totally random an unexpected that literally made my day.

Dan from Gift Rapped sent me a RAP VIDEO created for my blog, She Scribes. It is so cool! Please take a moment to check it out (it’s only about a minute long). I know that not many people like rap music. This is not what I would call “cr*p rap”. This is someone rapping about my site (of course it’s family friendly too!).

If you are reading this via e-mail you can view the video here, http://bit.ly/J6GzPS.

I have a smile on my face from ear to ear. What a wonderful surprise. I love it! ♥!

Gift Rapped creates rap videos for any occasion (birthdays, weddings, anniversaries…) plus they can create videos for your business (or blog) too. They have several video options to choose from.

You can see more examples of their rap videos on their YouTube page, http://www.youtube.com/user/giftrapped?feature=BF. On their YouTube page you can see samples of birthday rap videos, an anniversary rap video and several others.

What I love about this is that it appears these are young guys who came up with a very creative and unique business idea.

I know my husband and his co-workers already saw the video and love it. I can’t wait to show it to my kids when they get home.

If you would like to check out Gift Rapped visit www.GiftRapped.com. They are also on Twitter (@GiftRapped) and Facebook (www.Facebook.com/GiftRapped).

!!!

Kimberly

*I was not compensated for this post. Gift Rapped was kind enough to make me a video for free. I was not asked to post about it. I am posting about it because I think it’s really cool and I think some of my readers might appreciate learning more about their services. Any opinion expressed is entirely my own.

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Filed Under: Entertainment, Gift Ideas, Humor, Music, Ramblings, Reviews

Dole Real Fruit Bites – Review & Givewaway (ends May 27, 2012)

May 15, 2012 By Kimberly 90 Comments

Here is an interesting litle fact – 77% of women cannot get through a normal day without at least one snack according to a Dole Real Bites Fruit Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,016 nationally representative American women, ages 18 and older. I’m one of that 77%. I need at least one snack per day. Sometimes I snack 2-3 times per day. Usually I feel like a need a snack mid-morning, mid-afternoon and in the evening.

Snacking is NOT a bad thing. In fact having snacks can help you stay on healthy diet or eating plan. Having a snack in between meals can help prevent you from over eating at meal time or eating the wrong things.

Snacks are not the problem – it’s what you choose to snack on that is. Snacks like fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and cheese are great. Snacks like chips, ice cream and candy are the wrong choice.

Dole has a new product that is great for snacking on. Not only do they satisfy your sweet tooth they are also low in calories. They are called Dole Real Fruit Bites. They are only 80-90 calories per individual package and come in three tasty flavors – Apple, Pineapple and Mango.

Dole sent me some samples to try out with my family. My husband wouldn’t entertain the idea of trying them. He doesn’t like dried fruit or yogurt. My kids on the other hand couldn’t get enough of them.

Dole Real Fruit Bites are made with real fruit (Apple, Pineapple or Mango). The fruit is cut into bite size portions. Each “bite” is dipped into yogurt and whole grain oats. They also contain Vitamin C.

The Dole Fruit Bites are different then other yogurt covered fruits I’ve tasted in the past. This yogurt is not as sweet, which to me is a good thing. Other yogurt covered fruits tend to have a candy-like yogurt coating.

You can’t taste the whole grains. If you are concerned your child won’t eat them because of the whole grain oats, there is nothing to worry about. Your child won’t ever taste them. They blend in with the sweetness of the fruit and the creaminess of the yogurt.

I enjoyed these snacks, that is when I was able to swipe a package or two from my kids and hide them. My kids went through the Dole Real Fruit Bites quickly. They have been asking me to get more but I haven’t seen them at my local grocery store as of yet. The Fruit Bites are available at retail locations across the country. My local grocery store takes forever to get in new products.

Compared to other snack options (chips, ice cream, candy…) I would much rather my kids enjoy a package of Dole Real Fruit Bites. Obviously I would prefer something like baby carrots or an apple, but we’re all only human and sometimes want something a bit more indulgent. I think the Dole Real Fruit Bites with yogurt and whole grain oats is a good alternative snack option.

Dole Real Fruit Bites also has a fun Facebook application called “3 Steps to True Bliss.” In just three simple steps, you have the opportunity to enjoy a moment of bliss by choosing a dream escape, packing a virtual bag and sharing a postcard with friends. You can also use the application to enter for a chance win a dream destination getaway, making your virtual plans a reality!

Head on over to www.Facebook.com/Dole to enter for the chance to win a dream destination getaway.

More more information about Dole Real Fruit Bites please visit www.Dole.com/RealFruitBites. Of course you can find them on Facebook (link above) and they are also on Twitter (@DoleFoods).

You can find Dole Real Fruit Bites in the dried fruit section of the grocery store. They retail for $3.29 for a package of 6 individual bags.

Dole would like to give a lucky winner a THREE MONTH SUPPLE of Dole Real Fruit Bite (actual product – not coupons). Thanks Dole!

This giveaway is open to US residents and will end on May 27, 2012 at 12:01 AM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Kimberly

*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced in any way. Dole will be providing the prize.

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Filed Under: Around the Web, Food & Beverages, Giveaways, Reviews

Review: PetSmart Grooming Center

May 15, 2012 By Kimberly 1 Comment

Our dog Espn will be six years old this year. Next month is his 6th birthday. It’s hard to believe that we’ve had him that long.

I still remember when we adopted Espn. Our daughter was at a birthday party so we took our son out because he wasn’t invited to the party (it was an all-girl party for my daugther’s classmate). My son is just as much of an animal lover as I am so we took him to our local animal shelter to talk to, and pet, the animals.

Our local shelter rarely has puppies. On this trip they actually had puppies. They were a Rat Terrier/Maltese mix (or so we were told). To me they looked like Rat Terriers, or some kind of a Terrier. All except one. One of the puppies looked different then the rest. He was small, white (the others were brown), and he had big black spots on him. He looked like a roly poly Panda.

We really wanted to have a dog so we asked our son if he wanted to adopt one of the puppies, and if so, which one did he want? Out of the entire litter he picked the “odd ball” – the white puppy with the big black spots. Oddly enough the employee at the shelter recommended that we NOT adopt him. He tried to encourage us to take one of the other puppies. He said if we adopted the one we wanted we would have to get him groomd a lot and that would cost a lot of money. Being practical and trying to keep to our budget we tried to sway our son into getting one of the other puppies, but he had his heart set on the white one. So we adopted him.

(In the above puppy picture Espn is wearing a Build-A-Bear football shirt – LOL)

And that is how Espn came to join our family. His name is pronounced “Es-pin”.

The man at the shelter was correct. Espn needed to be groomed. We take him 3-5 times a year (ideally every 2-3 months if we can swing it – $$$). All the photos in this post are Espn at various stages of “hairiness”.

Before we had him groomed for the first time we checked out a lot of places. We finally settled on the grooming center at our local PetSmart. We were there frequently to pick up wee-wee pads for his “accidents” as well as other supplies, so it made perfect sense. Plus they were a lot more affordable then other grooming locations we checked out. We also heard very good stories about PetSmart’s grooming center from others.

Espn has been getting groomd exclusively at our local PetSmart grooming center his entire life. We are always very pleased. They always do such a nice job.

I like the people who work at our local PetSmart grooming center. They actually LIKE what they do and love dogs. I’ve heard about other groomers who are mean to the dogs and act as if you are bothering them when you come in for an appointment. We have never experienced that at the PetSmart grooming center. I especially like how they are kind to Espn, especially since Espn hates going there and is always a nervous wreck. Instead of taking Espn from me and tossing him into a crate the groomer always talks to him and tries to make him feel at ease.

Before they even groom your dog the groomer will ask you what you want done with your dog. There are different packages you can choose from. There is a more basic wash and cut or you can add in additional services like teeth brushing and having their nails filed down instead of cut. I prefer Espn’s nails filed because they are much smoother and he has one nail that bleeds a lot when it’s cut, but Espn freaks out over the filing tool. So we can’t choose that option.

They even offer a scented spray you can have put on your dog. The only one I remember reminded me of jelly beans.

Occasionally the groomer will put a cute little bandanna around Espn’s neck as a “finishing touch”. There are a few photos in this post where you can see th bandanna. They tend to do that mostly with the younger dogs (pups). One time when Espn was little someone put bows in his hair which they do to female puppies. The bows were blue, which is a boy color, but he did look silly with bows. It was cute though. I wish I could find the pictures.

What I like about the groomers at PetSmart is that they will tell you how your dog did with that visit. I know when Espn has good days and bad days. They also keep a record of your preferences and dog’s “quirks” on file so in the event your regular groomer is unavailable another groomer knows what to do and what to expect from your dog.

Having your dog groomed at PetSmart can take anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on how busy they are. I have found that mid-week and early in the AM is the least busiest. When I took Espn last week (Wednesday, 9:30 AM) he was done in an hour and a half. If you wait until later in the day it can take up to 4 hours. The busier they are the longer the wait. So if you want the grooming to be “in and out” schedule it for early in the day, mid-week.

I’m not sure if all PetSmart stores are set up the same, but in our store you can watch your dog getting groomed too. They have huge windows that allow you to see inside. A word of warning – don’t let your dog see you or else he/she might get fidgety and not want to sit still for their grooming session.

Here are “before” and “after” photos of Espn from last week (before his grooming and after). In the first picture he was coming out of the CAT cube. It’s made for cats, but try telling that to Espn. He THINKS he’s a cat. LOL!

Espn ALWAYS gets a new toy (or toys) when he goes to get groomed. I do it out of guilt because I know he’s not happy going. He’s VERY attatched to my family so even when we are gone for the day he’s miserable until we get home. He’s the same way at the groomer. He’s not happy until he sees me pick him up to take him home. So out of guilt I tend to buy him a toy or two. I also have to pick up a little something for out cats too.

PetSmart is the only place we would have Espn groomed. He’s been going there for over 5 years (approx. 20+ grooming sessions). We are always very pleased with their service.

To find a PetSmart grooming center near you visit www.PetSmart.com. You can also find them on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/PetSmart) and on Twitter (@PetSmart).

Kimberly

*I received one free grooming session in exchange for this review. All other grooming sessions I have paid for myself. The opinions expressed are entirely my own and are not influenced in any way.

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Filed Under: Pets, Reviews Tagged With: PetSmart

Show Us Your Skin and you can see your photo in Times Square!

May 14, 2012 By Kimberly Leave a Comment

Last week I posted about Dove’s “Show Us Your Skin” campaign and a special event being held during Moms Night Out at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island. By any chance was anyone able to attend? If so please comment and tell me all about it. I’m curious to see how the night was. One day I hope to attend a Moms Night Out event.

I would have attended the event but it would have taken me at the very leaset two hours to get to the mall (each way), not factoring traffic. I wish they had a similar event at my local mall.

I would love to see how many women participated in the Show Us Your Skin campaign. During the event last week Dove was going to be taking photos of participants to include in their Show Us Your Skin campaign – including their photo up on a billboard in Times Square!

If you haven’t done so already you can still upload your photo and participate in the Show Us Your Skin campaign. Eligible photos will be shown on a special billboard in Times Square (NYC). I uploaded a photo. I hate to have my picture taken but I felt it was the right thing to do because I believe in this campaign.

Women are so beautiful. We come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. We should show off our beauty whenever possible. In order to do that you need to have confidence. When you look great you feel great.

One way to look your best is by taking care of your skin. Eating right, drinking plenty of water and using sunscreen every day is one way to care of your skin. Another way is to use products like Dove. Their body washes and beauty bars help women to have beautifully soft and smooth skin. That is because Dove’s body washes contain a special NutriumMoisture technology that goes beyond miniaturization to nourish skin deep down.

I very much wanted to participate in this campaign so I uploaded my photo. Now I’m just waiting for two e-mails. One to confirm my photo and the other to provide me with a snapshot of my photo as it appears on the Times Square billbard.

You can also participate! Every woman who submits a photo will appear in a Dove ad – including billboards, digital ads and more. Photos can be uploaded at www.Dove.com/ShowUsYourSkin. *Photos must meet all requirements outlined in program rules.

Once your photo is approved you can do a search for your photo, or perhaps your friend or family member, in Dove’s special photo gallery. You can view the gallery at the same link as above.

You can also participate by uploading your photo on Dove’s Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/Dove.

I hope you will take a moment to not only participate but encourage your daughter, granddaughter, grandmother, sister, aunt, mother, best friend and every other important woman in your life to do the same.

Speaking of Dove, I’m currently using Dove’s VisibleCare Toning Crème Body Wash. It contains Vitamin E which is suppose to help promote elasticity and strength in your skin. It can give women visibly more beautiful skin in just one week.

I love this body wash. It’s incredibly thick, rich and creamy. It washes wonderfully and rinses off clean.

I’m not sure if it’s started to tone my skin yet. I think I just have way too many “jiggly parts” that I might need more help (like Liposuction – ha ha, just kidding!).

I tend to have very dry skin. The VisibleCare Toning Crème Body Wash leaves my skin feeling oh-so-soft and moisturized. Normally I apply lotion after I get out of the shower. I don’t feel like I need to with this body wash. It feels like my skin already has lotion on it.

Look for Dove’s VisibleCare Toning Crème Body Wash where ever beauty products are sold. Also, please don’t forget to participate in the Show Us Your Skin campaign. If you participate let me know so I can look up your photo on the Dove site.

Kimberly

*I am being compensated for my participating in this campaign. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and are not influenced in any way. I also received a free product sample in order to do this review.

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Filed Under: Beauty, New York City (NYC), Ramblings, Reviews

New 2 box Cheerios now available (Giveaway ends 5/26/12)

May 14, 2012 By Kimberly 57 Comments

Cheerios have been a staple in my home for as long as I can remember. I ate Cheerios growing up, but not as much as I do now.

It all pretty much started when my daughter first started to eat solid foods. The pediatrician recommended Cheerios. Since then you will never not see a box of Cheerios or two (three, four…) in my pantry at any given time. From regular Cheerios, to Honey Nut Cheerios and all other Cheerio flavors, we always have a box or two on hand.

Because we go through so many boxes of Cheerios we always make sure to stock up and buy a couple of boxes whenever possible.

Cheerios now offers a special 2 box packaging now available at Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s nationwide.

The new 2 box packaging contains two individual Cheerios boxes, making it easier for them to store and pour.

My family wa shocked when they saw the huge package of Cheerios. They couldn’t wait to open up the package (even though we already had an opened box of Cheerios in the pantry).

This new packaging actually contains MORE Cheerios than regular boxes of Cheerios. They accomplished this by reducing the amount of air in each individual bag. These boxes contain 10% more cereal and less packaging.

And guess what? The new packaging is also more eco-friendly. Even though each box contains more cereal then other boxes, the new packaging has been reduced by over 200,000 pounds, saving upwards of 1,000 trees and taking 130 Cheerios trucks off the road, thus decreasing CO2 emissions.

Talk about a “win-win” situation! More cereal for us with more convenient packaging AND saving trees and reducing CO2 emissions.

If you would like to learn more please visit http://bit.ly/CheeriosNew2Box.

Here is a brief video about the new packaging too. If you are reading this via e-mail you can view the video here, http://bit.ly/CheeriosNew2Box.

Look for the new and improved 2 box Cheerios which are now available on the shelves of Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s nationwide.

I have TWO 2-box Cheerios to give to a lucky winner, compliments of General Mills and My Blog Spark.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on May 26, 2012 at 12:01 AM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries using a random number generator. The winner will be notified via e-mail.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kimberly

*I received free product samples from General Mills and My Blog Spark. Any opinion expressed is my own and not influenced in any way. General Mills and My Blog Spark will be providing the prize.

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Filed Under: Food & Beverages, Giveaways, Reviews

New gourmet jelly bean flavors from David Klein

May 14, 2012 By Kimberly 1 Comment

I ♥ jelly beans. I love trying out new flavors and flavor combinations. I rarely come across a flavor I don’t care for. Currently the only two jelly bean flavors I am not fond of are Toasted Marshmallow and Popcorn. I also think it’s fun to mix flavors and see what you can create.

David Klein, is the man who created Jelly Belly back in 1976. It’s hard to believe they have been around that long. Sadly David lost the company in 1980 because of corporate strong-arming.

There was actually a movie created based on David Klein’s story. It’s called Candyman: The David Klein Story. You can find it on Netflix.

David has created some new jelly bean flavors as well as “tweaked” some of the classics giving them more of a “grown up” appeal.

Currently these new jelly beans are sold on Amazon and Ebay. They will also be in retail stores the country in the near future.

You can find the gourmet sampler here, http://www.amazon.com/Davids-Signature-Beyond-Gourmet-Sampler/dp/B007JBO41E/.

I was sent one of the samplers to review. There are some interesting flavors in this collection – flavors you would never expect to find in jelly beans.

Bacon – That’s right – BACON! One of the flavors in the sampler box is bacon. I was a bit reluctant to try this flavor. I’m not much of a bacon eater to begin with. This jelly bean DOES taste like bacon, but more like a candied bacon. I wasn’t very fond of the flavor.

Black Cherry – This flavor tastes close to the real thing. When I eat this flavor jelly bean I can picture myself enjoying fresh cherries from the farmers market.

Blueberry – It does taste like Blueberry, but it has more of an artificial taste to it, unlike the Black Cherry which tastes close to the real thing.

Coconut – If you love Coconut you will LOVE this jelly bean. It tastes just like the real thing. Yummy!

Cranberry – This has a “berry” taste to it but my first thought is not Cranberry. None the less it’s a sweet and delicious flavor.

Ginger – I wasn’t sure that I liked this one at first but once I tried it the second time I was hooked. It has a bit of a spiciness to it. For some reason I think about the holidays when I am enjoying one of these jelly beans. This is one of my favorite flavors in this collection.

Grape – I normally love the flavor of Grapes, but this flavor was disappointing. It was very mild and I could hardly taste the Grape.

Green Apple – This flavor does taste like apple, but it’s not tart like you would normally expect from a Green Apple flavor. This one was just “OK”.

Himalayan Sea Salt – Yes…SALT! And guess what. It tastes like salt. For the life of me I can’t figure out why salt would ever be considered a flavor for a jelly bean. I guess if you mix it with another flavor it might taste better.

Lemon – This flavor packs a punch! This is a true lemon flavor. It’s very flavorful. It almost makes you want to pucker up because it’s so tart and sour. This one is really good.

Orange Punch – I LOVE this flavor too. You can taste the orange. It tastes just like an orange soda. Yummy!

Peach – This is another flavor that is almost true to life. It tastes just like you took a bite out of big and juicy peach picked right off the tree.

Pomegranate – VERY flavorful. Sweet and “juicy”. One of my favorites. Tastes just like the real fruit.

Root Beer – I LOVE! LOVE! LOVE this flavor. This is THE BEST flavor out of the entire collection. It tastes EXACTLY like Root Beer. Real Root Beer too, not the artificial kind. I could eat an entire box of just this flavor. I NEED MORE!

Strawberry – Mmmm… this is another tasty flavor. It does taste like Strawberry, but not a real Strawberry. Even so I enjoyed this flavor.

Vanilla Bean – I like Vanilla Bean. This flavor does taste just like Vanilla, but I wouldn’t say it’s Vanilla Bean. Its was just “OK” for me but my husband loved this flavor.

Aside from a few flavors that I just didn’t like or left me feeling like it needed something “more”, I was impressed with this collection. The Root Beer, Ginger, Pomegranate, Lemon, Peach and Orange Punch were REALLY good.

I would purchase this collection for myself and my family, regardless of the few flavors I didn’t like.

The great thing about these elly beans is that you don’t need a lot of them to experience the flavor. Just a single jelly bean is all you need to give your mouth a lot of yummy flavor. I tried explaining that to my kids. They have been known to take handfuls of jelly beans when all you need to get the full flavor effect is just one or two at the most.

If you love flavord jelly beans, or would like to give them as a gift, you should check out the new assortment from David Klein.