Kleenex Sample from Crowdtap

This was another great opportunity for my family (and our friends) to try something out thanks to Crowdtap, who teamed up with Kleenex this time. We were sent two boxes of tissues. One was with Lotion and the other was their Anti-Viral tissue. These couldn't have come at a better time!

The little one in the picture below was my first tester! Right after the tissues came, we ditched our regular box of Kleenex tissues to try out the new versions. Given the unhappiness of the sinus congestion, coughing, and just plain being miserable my little man was going through, we decided to start with the Anti-Viral tissues. We were pleased with how much thicker these were than the kind we normally use. I was able to have him blow, and my fingers stayed dry! That's always a huge bonus in this house. I honestly can't say if the anti-viral worked. I would guess any boogies that got in the tissue stayed there and kept their nasties with them, but all of the kids and hubby ended up sick.

I didn't get a picture of my husband using any of the tissues, because nobody really wants to see that, but he was also happy with both types. He noted the thickness and softness. He said he would prefer that I get one of these two types from now on. The general consensus all around was the Lotion was the favorite type. The only thing we did to improve upon our experience was add a couple drops of Young Living Eucalyptus oil to each box of tissues to help clear our sinuses. Being a distributor, I always have it on hand, and we are a very oily family, so it worked well for us.

Since we did get this sample right before Christmas, we decided to have some fun with them. I'm not big on boxes made just for holidays, because for some silly reason, I always feel like they won't get used. They always do. Regardless, I handed a box to each of my girls and asked them to go crazy making them Christmasy. I had to sneak this picture while the girls weren't looking, so please excuse the quality. We got an angel and a nativity scene!

By the end of the year, with all of the colds from our family and our visitors with runny noses, both boxes had been used up! We have had such a great experience, we will be picking up more of the Lotion Kleenex tissues next! Thank you again, Crowdtap and Kleenex, for letting us enjoy these new tissues.

Listerine Ultraclean Sample and Share from Crowdtap

When given the opportunity to try the new Listerine Ultraclean formula, I was excited to apply! Even more excited was being accepted.

When it came, it didn't look that much different.

 Then I tried it. The burn of Listerine was still there. Once I spit it out, my mouth felt fresh for quite a while.

We also had a couple of fun challenges to do along the way. Meet too cool Listerine!

Listerine and me. We even matched for this challenge!

And, just because I thought it would be fun to mix a couple of the challenges..

When all was said and done, I felt like my mouth minty longer with this Listerine than the Listerine I've purchased in the past. The only drawback is the burn. I am left to wonder if there will ever be a mouthwash my husband will use.

Again, this was a sample and share opportunity. It was sponsored by Crowdtap and Listerine.

Crowdtap Litter Genie Sampling Review

Let's face it. Nobody likes to scoop litter. We have tried several different products similar to this sampling, and none have worked for us. I'm pretty picky, so things as big as still smelling the waste to something as small as deciding I don't like the design could easily shelf the idea of keeping a system around. With that in mind, I took the challenge without much hope that it would really work for us.

Our Litter Genie system came just before my daughter's kitten went in for her spay surgery. Because her kitten is ridiculously active and loves to play with the dog, we put her in the puppy's kennel for a couple of days with her own litter box.

I was impressed with how quickly my six year old would go to the box and scoop. She enjoyed how easy it was. After I initially slipped the new package of bags in and tied the bottom, all she had to do was open the top, dump in the waste, pull the gray lever, close the top, and put the scoop back. There was no mess. There was no smell. It was quick and easy to do.

Within a couple of days, while her waste and the smell from it were well contained, UniKitty couldn't be. Even with her kitten doing well and allowed to be out and about, my daughter takes pride in using the Litter Genie system to care for her furbaby.

The only thing we had left to do was to personalize our pail to better fit our babies. Just as a tree best fits our climb-happy cats, the Litter Genie best fits our waste containment needs! Thanks Crowdtap and Litter Genie for giving us this system to try! We look forward to using it for years to come!

What Makes Our Marriage 'Easy'

Last night it was Jay's turn to have a bad dream. As I curled up close, listening to his heart beat, and as he derived comfort simply by being close,  I thought about how lucky I am to have somebody that loves me so much. A man that works so hard to provide for us, then comes home and truly enjoys spending time with us. That led me to thinking about people asking how our marriage is so happy and good. I used to laugh off that question, saying I didn't know, but I thanked God for it. I started to look for exactly what it is that makes us different from so many other couples.
First is being thankful. I thank God every single day, normally multiple times, for my husband, my life, and my family. Looking back at my choices before I met my husband, I know it's not a life I have earned. It is not something I take for granted. I make a point of thanking him for being wonderful, and letting our kids see and hear how much I appreciate what he does. He does the same. Neither of us expects the other to say thank you, but saying or doing little things to let the other person know they are appreciated is huge.
Second is not looking at what's in it for me, but looking what I can do for my husband and our family. Our marriage is not born of selfishness. Sure, there is give and take, but neither of us is looking for what our the other is doing for us. We are looking at what we can do for each other. When the day is through, I often ask myself if I did enough. Sure, the house isn't spotless, there are a dozen things left on my to do list, and my laundry room is bursting with loads waiting to be done. That's not what I'm asking, though. Did I do enough? Did I say I love you often enough, and did I show it in obvious ways? Are my kids tucked into bed, full of the knowledge that they are loved, since loving them goes hand in hand with loving my husband? Did I tell my husband how much I love him, and did I do enough to show him how much he means to me? Is there any chance any of them could question how much I care? If I don't wake up, did I give all of myself in a way that they will never have to doubt how I felt? If the answer to that is ever no, that will be the day I failed as a mother and a wife. I strive to fill their lives and hearts with joy, and I don't count their faults or what more they could have done. In turn, they do the same. In giving ourselves so fully, we also receive amazing love and happiness.
Third, we don't fight. Yes, we do have disagreements. We talk about it, if needed, we step away and revisit it. On occasion (especially when I'm pregnant,) I get mad, sometimes I yell, always he laughs, which makes me madder. He'll make me laugh, which will make me mad that I'm laughing, until finally, I just give in to the knowledge that he's right. Maybe not about the topic, but about it not being something worth fighting over. It really doesn't matter what the issue is. It is never worth fighting over. It is not worth hurting each other. It is not worth hard feelings. We compromise where we can and forgive when it is needed. Arguing and holding on something that steals our peace and joy is not worth it.
Probably the biggest thing is realizing we are not the only people in this marriage. From the start, it was my husband, me, and God. He has always been there, and we have always strived to serve Him. In loving each other in the way that God has planned, we are able to love fully and without reservation. We are able to keep perspective and continue to serve God and each other. Our marriage has added four people to it, and will have a fifth additional person in May. Marriage is not about one person, or even two. It encompasses so much more than that, and bringing all of the pieces into a marriage makes it whole.
Is our marriage perfect? No. We are by nature imperfect, but our marriage is perfectly suited to us. In serving and showing our love, it comes easily most of the time. In living our lives the way God means for us to, we are more easily able to follow the path, not only of a fulfilling life, but also of fulfilling and happy marriage.

Woo Hoo For New Clothes!

Crowdtap and Old Navy hooked me up again! This time around, they sent a coupon to go get an Activewear top and bottom free, as well as a coupon for a friend. For this awesome opportunity, I took Jennie. It's always fun to get away with her for a few hours! It's even more fun, when I know it will be for Old Navy Activewear. I don't think either of us will forget the way the epic Activewear shirt didn't fit her a couple years ago. She literally got stuck in it. We were both laughing so hard, we were crying. Want to know my guilty secret? I kind of hoped for a repeat. We also both LOVE Old Navy Activewear. She owned at least one outfit prior to this, and I already had one pair of pants and 4 or 5 shirts from last season. This was the first time either of us had gone back in for Activewear this season, and we were not disappointed!

Let's start with selection. Sometimes I'm disappointed by my Old Navy's selection, like with the tees last time, but this time... Our local Old Navy's Activewear selection ROCKS!

You can't even see all the tops in this picture! There were too many other choices in the way! There were at least double the colors you can see, plus other styles.

More of the sports bra type of person? They have that covered, too.

And bottoms? Tons! There were some hanging on the wall, plus racks of them. I was really excited to see everything from yoga pants, to compression capris, all the way down to biking shorts. The shorts had some super cute colors, too.

After going through everything in the section, Jennie ended up with two tops and a bottom to try on. I had three tops and four bottoms. There are a bunch more I liked, but they were on clearance, so didn't count for this particular coupon. Woah! Wait! Already on clearance! You'd better hurry if you see anything you like, because at least in our store, if you wait very long, that means you aren't getting any of these.

I always keep clothes I haven't tried on the middle hook of the dressing room. Since they have three hooks, I like to take advantage and keep organized. What I want to keep, I move to the left hook. What doesn't work for me, I move to the right. So, after shoving all of the clothes on the middle hook, I was ready to go!

My first outfit was a gray top and black pair of yoga pants. I really wasn't sure I would like the style of the shirt, because it's not my normal workout type of top. It was looser and styled very differently than anything I've tried before. At the same time, that's half the fun of getting to go shopping with Crowdtap and Old Navy. I always try to step out of my comfort zone and at least try something new.

The pants felt awesome! The shirt felt nice, but I just wasn't really thrilled with the way it looked on me. The pants went to the left, the shirt to the right, and I moved on to the next outfit.

This time around, I grabbed the blue top, which was the same style as the gray, and a pair of compression pants. I really like compression pants for working out, because they hold in problem areas. There's nothing worse than really getting into a workout, and having a stretch or move not work, because 'mommy apron' slaps you in the face. I really liked the fit of the shirt, and the color worked for me! The pants didn't. They don't look bad in the pictures, but believe me, they did in the store! They also hugged weird in a few places. That may well have to do with the weight I've put on recently, but for this trip, they went on the right hook.

Moving on, I came to this really cute pair of capris. I'm not normally a fan, because they're never the right length on me. I'm just short of 5'5", and normally, they come too low. This pair came to a great length for me! Unfortunately, I wasn't fond of the way they accentuated my 'spare tire.' They went to the right, and I managed to convince myself to take off the top, since I did have another one to try on, and put it on the right.

I'm not going to lie. I had a ton of fun with this last outfit. I loved the fit, and when I was going all ninja in the dressing room and checking myself out, I kept hearing a tune in my head. 'She's a brick... house.' I'm really glad they don't have cameras in the dressing room, because that would have been really embarrassing. After posing my heart out, I put the whole outfit on the left hook.

Before leaving the dressing room to go to the register, I pulled out my coupon and wallet. That's when it hit me, I had forgotten to put my new Old Navy credit card in my wallet, after the old one stopped working. I had to try really hard to narrow it down to one outfit. It was made a bit easier with the knowledge I would be going back for the other. The final winner?

I ended up with the blue top and the first pair of pants. I will go get my ninja outfit very soon, because I would be heartbroken if it sold out before I got it!

What about Jennie? Where was she during all of this? Well, she wouldn't come out with her first top. She was not a fan of the way it looked on her, but she did like the bottoms and second shirt she picked out. The rest of the time, she explored the store with her boyfriend, who is visiting from the UK. He found a pair of men's Activewear shorts he really liked.

All in all, we had a great trip. There was a big selection to choose from, and the company was great! The cashier wasn't as excited as some are, but he was friendly enough, as well. Thank you again, Old Navy and Crowdtap! We both love our new outfits! And Old Navy, Jennie's boyfriend loves his new shorts!

I have a really bad habit of disappearing for long periods of time, don't I? Well, it's about time for a blogging streak again! Of course, I never know where the day is going to take me, and I never know what I'm going to blog about until I sit down and do it. Today, you get toilet paper and wet wipes.

I know what you're thinking. Why in the world would I want to talk about how you wipe yourself? Well, there are two reasons today. First, Crowdtap and Cottonelle were kind enough to send me very generous samples of Cottonelle's 'Clean Routine' products. Have you seen the commercials? The ones that ask how things like washing your car without water is different than wiping without wet wipes? They sent me an 18 pack of toilet paper and a little container of wet wipes for me, plus 4 packs of toilet paper and small packs of wipes for two friends. I'd like to tell you what I think about the samples.

Reason two is facebook doesn't like me very much. I originally wrote my review on a picture there, and it disappeared. I wrote it and reposted the picture, and it disappeared again. Now I'm going to share here instead! Really, it's kind of cool, because I love to write, and on this blog, I have a better opportunity to write as much as I want.

So, what did I think? Let me explain in pictures.

First, how does the roll start? With four kids now, three of which are no longer in diapers, this is really important, because if it starts hard, we end up with even more waste. Considering my 3 year old, JJ, went through a phase, where he would take a roll off the holder, wipe, and throw the entire thing in, we wasted more than enough for this lifetime...

Yes... I do have four brands of toilet paper in my house right now. I'm a bargain shopper, ok? So, what did it come down to? Cottonelle, Charmin Ultra Soft, and Quilted Nothern Ultra Plush all started at least pretty easily. Scott Extra Soft... By about layer 2 or 3, you'll get it going.
Durability was also put to the test, as I wrote on the rolls, so I didn't remember which was which. Charmin Ultra Soft and Quilted Nothern Ultra Plush both tore like crazy. Scott didn't, but it's also super thin, so you need more to keep from plunging through, especially if you're wiping a little bum. The Cottonelle held up best for the durability test. It's not as soft as the Charmin or Quilted Northern, but we found it comfortable.

So, the next thing. How much do you get on the roll? The Charmin and Scott were disqualified from this example, because they were triple rolls. Here's a comparison of the Cottonelle v the Quilted Nothern. I think the Cottonelle actually has a little more.

Back to the whole waste thing. I go nuts when I get to the bottom of a roll, and a round or two sticks to the cardboard in the center. It wastes toilet paper, and it's annoying to get off, so I can use the cardboard for crafts with the kids. I was excited to see the Cottonelle cardboard totally clean at the end. No comparison here, because I didn't have rolls for all of them.

We also had the child-friendliness test.  This is my adorable four year old, who has recently decided she WILL wipe on her own, and nobody can even be in the bathroom with her. By her age, one would expect them to pretty much have the wiping thing down. She does a pretty good job, but once in a while, she misses some. Wet wipes were a big thing to try with her, but would they be easy enough? My concern was how most wipes stick together, and it's hard to use them one-handed. These weren't. They were easy to separate with just a one-handed tug.

So, what is the overall review? Besides what I posted above, the system was actually really nice. Since we've been using the whole system, I haven't noticed streaky underwear. Personally, I feel cleaner after using wet wipes, too. We have already purchased more of the wipes, while on sale and with coupons, of course! The toilet paper that was given to us wasn't quite as soft as others we've tried, but it wasn't scratchy either. We liked it, but it's not something I'll go out of the way to pay more for. The whole system is well worth trying, especially if you can get a deal on it! Regardless of which toilet paper you find fits with your family, I would really recommend the wet wipes above any other brand.

Left in the Dust

It's been a while since I last posted, and so much has happened, yet so much has stayed the same. A new baby on the way, the addition of SWAT to my husband's job title, and now the potential addition of another title. Yet, here I am, still a stay at home mother of three kids. I am still facing the same struggles with making ends meet, still having the same fights over nap times, still with the same dreams for a brighter future. It's amazing how life can go so fast in some aspects, leaving me feeling like I'm being left behind in a trail of dust, while other aspects make me feel like it's going so slow, I can see each spec of dust's every movement as it swirls almost non-movingly in front of my face.

Adjusting to my husband's previously non-existent SWAT team being formed and going live in only months left my head spinning. His schedule has never really been set, but knowing he can be called away from anything we're doing at any time isn't easy to get used to. It's unnerving and unsettling to say the least at times. My brain hasn't fully wrapped around everything that position entails. Luckily, so far, I haven't had to really worry about it either.

Then about a week ago, my husband came home and told me a new position opened up in his department. It is a detective position. There's only one in his department, but it is part of a much bigger team. A team that expands through several departments, big and small. He said he didn't really know if he was interested, but he'd like to talk to some people. Days went by, and I asked a few times. His interest didn't seem to go above bored observation.

Then he came home and his entire outlook had changed. His face lit up as he talked about the position. Another officer, one my husband respects very much, had talked with him about what the job was. Suddenly, my head was reeling again. From bored indifference to submitting his statement of interest in only a few short hours. I almost felt blindsided. He had answers for every question I asked, but still, I couldn't help having doubts. This would be another big change for our family.

One of my biggest concerns was overtime. We need it to make bills. The detective position doesn't offer a raise. It's a lateral promotion. My husband's answer was simple, but not nearly as comforting as I had hoped it would be. There would still be the same opportunities for overtime, plus some. There would be an extra hour in the morning if he so desired, and there would be one full week out of every five that he would be on call in addition to his 40 hour work week. He said the last guy that held the position sometimes got 50 hours of overtime in that week. Other weeks he could still get called out if more than the on-call detective was needed.

My concern began to shift. 90 hours away in a single week. Sometimes having to travel over three hours away to autopsies and spending the night away from our family. The on call for SWAT on top of that. This could kill our family. Our children need their father, but if he's working 90 hour weeks, sometimes they're not going to have him.

And what about my needs? I need a break too. I love my kids dearly, but a full week every few weeks with little to no help might just drive me over the edge. I also need to cuddle and talk with my husband. This job could take away my best friend for significant amounts of time. With a new baby on the way, that could be additionally hard.

Then there's my husband. What about him? Obviously he matters too. He doesn't want to be stuck in the same place for years to come. He wants and deserves to move up. This is a great opportunity for him to further expand and explore the part of his job that he loves the most. The investigation. The ability to put away the worst of the worst criminals. He already works hours and hours of overtime only to be frustrated when his suspects get little or no time in jail. The promotion could make his job more fulfilling.

So then, what is the answer? I have yet to even begin to wrap my head around it. I'm still way back here in the swirling pile of dust. Watching each particle as it slowly swirls around me, holding a mystery best left to the future.