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CSN Stores take two

June 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Cinnamon Hollow has been given the honor to do another review for the ultra-fabulous CSN Stores. In case you don’t already know, I happen to be an UBER fan of CSN Stores. You can purchase pretty much anything you need for your home, family and outdoor area. With over 200+ stores, the carry everything from swimming pools to dining room tables. They have some of , literally, EVERYTHING!

I don’t yet know what new great item I will be reviewing or from which of their awesome stores it will be, but I do already know it will be great! You may remember our post a few weeks ago reviewing a Cuisinart Deep Fryer. It was a product from CSN Stores and that thing is awesome! They carry several name brand products in each of their stores, many with free shipping and all with competitive and reasonable pricing, so the hardest part of shopping with them is simply choosing which item you want to purchase!

Plus there are always great contests and giveaways going on  at their main site.

Who they are:

Based in Boston, CSN Stores LLC began in 2002 and has grown rapidly into a Top 3 online U.S. retailer of home and office goods with 400+ employees. See our Facts at a Glance and Industry Associations.

Beyond providing unparalleled customer service, selection, and savings to our U.S. customers, CSN Stores has opened its doors to online shoppers from Canada, the U.K., and Germany. Recently named to the Hot 100 List of online retailers for 2009, CSN Stores continues to grow.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you a little heads up about our CSN Stores Review take two! It will be up in a couple of weeks so be on the look out!


Filed Under: product reviews, website reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Pure Silk® Moisturizing Shave Cream Review

June 25, 2010 By 3 Comments

Melon Splash shave creamI have been testing the Melon Splash Pure Silk® shaving cream for women by Barbasol®. I’ve used shaving gel for women but not a cream. The Pure Silk contains aloe and is in a 100% aluminum can. There are NO seams, it is a solid rust-proof can. I have been using it in my shower for a few weeks now and it honestly has not rusted the least bit which is a huge plus in my opinion! I’m really liking the fact that it is seamless too. It is just a nice, smooth, easy to hold can.

The shaving cream is thick and does not run off when applied. It is creamy and covers really well and has an extremely light, pleasant scent. I have to say, I feel like I am getting the closest shave I’ve ever gotten and I’ve not had one nick or cut. I’ve been shaving  my legs every other day and they look and feel great. My legs are  left silky and smooth and hair free with no red bumps or stubble.  Hubby approves! ;)

Pure Silk® is available in 7 scents including:

  1. Raspberry Mist
  2. Melon Splash
  3. Citrus Zest
  4. Coconut and Oat Flour
  5. Plumeria
  6. Cherry Blossom
  7. Sensitive Skin

Pure Silk® Moisturizing Shave Cream is available in drugstores and mass market stores nationwide.

Retail: $1.79


Filed Under: Day-to-Day Tagged With: , , , , ,

Keeping Kids Busy on Summer Road Trips (Guest Post)

June 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Keeping Kids Busy on Summer Road Trips by Beth Feldman, Founder of RoleMommy.com

I’m sure you’ve been there before. You’ve packed snacks, shoved your luggage, roller blades and tennis rackets in the trunk, jerry rigged the bike rack to the car, gassed up and are finally ready to hit the open road. What you may fail to anticipate however, is the bumper to bumper traffic you’ll be sitting in while your kids pester you from the back seat with the dreaded question – Are We There Yet???

As a road trip warrior, I’ve got some great game and gadget options that’ll keep kids of varying ages entertained as you traverse the highways and byways of our glorious country. So what’s the secret behind a smooth summer road trip with your family? Here’s our Fave Five:

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1. Nintendo DSi XL – We received a complimentary DSi XL to review when it was first released this spring and my kids have been fighting over it ever since it arrived on our doorstep. So what’s so great about about the DSi XL? Well, the screen is way bigger than the traditional DSi, there’s also built-in educational software including Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: Arts Edition and a comprehensive dictionary – which my husband loves since he’s a walking thesaurus – but more on him later. There’s even an option to create your own digital short movies complete with audio…I’ve even created a few Peanuts movies of my own since I’m proficient at stick figures, Snoopy and Woodstock. As with the Lite, XL owners are also able to download games through the Nintendo DSi Shop and create and share photos – which my kids happen to love!!! Of course, there are also plenty of game options – including the brand new Mario Party 8 for DS , Atari Sandlot Sluggers, Style Savvy and one of my personal faves – Scribblenauts!

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2. Bring Books to Life with Your iPhone, iTouch or iPad – Whenever my kids are completely bored, they ask me to hand over my iPhone so they can download apps to pass the time away. But thanks to the folks at MobiStories, I now have the upperhand! If you want to really knock your kids socks off, then try out the latest innovation in children’s book technology with the debut of The Marvelous Toy – a digital and musical children’s book now available on MobiStories on PC’s, iPhones, iTouch and the iPad. Your kids will be mesmerized as they touch the screen and the images are literally brought to life in front of their eyes. Plus, in addition to their latest release, Mobistories offers a host of downloadable picture book options for kids ages 2-10.

3. A DVD Double Feature – Turn your laptop into a movie screen or better yet, pick up an inexpensive DVD player you can strap to the back of your seat so that your kids can catch their favorite movies – incidentally, “Alice in Wonderland” was just released this week on DVD and in my house, “The Tooth Fairy” is a current must-see (at least a dozen times or more). And hopefully, if you’re not driving, you can grab a seat in the middle, whip out a bag of popcorn and watch right along with them. Another option, take the quiet time to read on your Kindle, iPad or crack open a good book…now that’s a novel idea!

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4. Mad Libs – If your kids are proficient at potty words (ie. poop, fart, etc), they will have an absolute blast filling in the blanks to the age old road trip conversation starter – Mad Libs. We actually gave these out at my daughter’s birthday party and they have taken up permanent residence in our car. Funny, but when I used to play with Mad Libs way back when, I thought my stories were hilarious too.

5. The License Plate Math Game – I have to give credit to my husband on this one. Whenever we’re in the car, he will encourage the kids to add the numbers in a license plate and whoever gets the answer quicker, wins the points. They do the same thing with the alphabet – they look for every letter in the alphabet and call it out as a car is whizzing by. Obviously, the driver should not participate in this game, but my hubby can’t help himself – he’s very competitive.

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One more week to win an iPod Touch! Visit this link, re-tweet the road trips post and then leave a comment offering your own road trip survival tips. We’ll share your tips with the team at MobiStories and they will ultimately decide the winner of an iPod Touch! The contest runs throughout the month of June and we’ll select a winner on July 5. Runners up will receive a $25 iTunes card as well as an autographed copy of The Marvelous Toy signed by Grammy award-winner Tom Paxton.

If you would like to receive two free digital PC downloads including a Summer puzzle book and Michelle Obama, please use give away code: RTW0710

If you are interested in purchasing the Summer puzzle app, go to the iTunes page (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/summer-puzzle-book/id360832653?mt=8).

The code should be redeemed at the mobistories.com website. Go to mobistories.com, click on Summer (in the Ages 2 – 4 category), Add to Cart and Michelle Obama (http://stillmotionmedia.com/ages-6-10/celebrating-michelle-obama/) then enter the code in the Coupon Code Box.

Here’s a How To video for reference as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z1pxE872OM

*This post was sponsored by the Role Mommy Writers Network. For more information visit www.rolemommy.com.

Filed Under: Guest Posts, Kids, Parenting Tagged With: , , ,

POMegranate Limeade is refreshing!

June 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

POMJune

I LOVE using and reviewing POM Wonderful pomegranate juice! We have been sampling some fun summery mocktails and cocktails created using POM Wonderful and they are delish! I will be sharing a few pomegranate recipes with you throughout the summer and the first is a great thirst quenching POMegranate Limeade that my kids and I decided to create from an adapted recipe.

Recipe: POMegranate Limeade

Summary: Recipe adapted from the POM Princess Mocktail at the POM Wonderful Community.

Ingredients

  • 3/8 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice 3/8 cup freshly squeezed OR refrigerated pre-made Limeade. (See note below)
  • 1- 1/2 oz. sparkling water (See note below)
  • Crushed Ice
  • Garnish (optional

Instructions

  1. Fill a tall tumbler glass a little more than halfway with crushed ice.
  2. Pour 3/8 cup Limeade into your glass.
  3. Slowly add pomegranate juice measuring equal parts limeade and pomegranate juice.
  4. Add sparkling water until desired fizz is reached. Stir with an iced-tea spoon or a swizzle stick.

Quick Notes

Garnish:

  • lime slice
  • pomegranate arils floated in beverage
  • mint sprig

Adapted note from: http://www.pomwonderful.com/recipes/pom-princess-non-alcoholic/
* This cocktail can be made with freshly squeezed juice from a large POM Wonderful Pomegranate or by using POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice. To juice the pomegranate, cut it in half (as you would a grapefruit) and juice using a citrus reamer or a juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. One large POM Wonderful Pomegranate will produce about 1/2 cup of juice.

** To make fresh limeade, roll six to eight limes on counter top or cutting board to loosen the juice from pulp. Juice limes using a hand held or electric citrus juicer.  Strain juice into a pitcher.  Add 3/4 cup sugar and equal parts water, mixing well with a spoon. Adjust sugar to taste.

Variations

* May use freshly squeezed lime juice or homemade limeade (directions above) as a substitution. We used Minute Maid Limeade.
++ May be substituted with lemon-lime soda or ginger ale. We created sparkling water using the Soda Stream.

Add a splash of your favorite alcohol to create an adult beverage!

Cooking time (duration): 5

Meal type: mocktail

Microformatting by hRecipe.

This limeade is very refreshing on a hot summer day. Use less water if you like a more tart flavor. My children and I love this limeade and will be enjoying it all summer long! Follow us all summer for more great recipes using POM Wonderful pomegranate juice!!!

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Bottles of POM Wonderful were supplied by POM Wonderful to facilitate in this recipe and review. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are strictly my own and those of my children.

Filed Under: Food Reviews, product reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Stay safe July 4th. Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving!

June 23, 2010 By 1 Comment

You may remember me posting about the pledge to stay safe and not drink and drive during New Year. Many people don’t realize that even driving with a buzz is still drunk driving and MANY accidents have occurred from Buzzed Driving. I am asking you to once again pledge to drive safely and think BEFORE you drink. Please don’t drive when you have had alcohol. Stay safe this 4th of July weekend and keep your loved ones safe as well.

Here is some info for you taken from the Global Influence Newsletter:

There are four steps you should take to protect your loved ones on the Fourth of July.

  1. Designate a sober driver before you leave for your Fourth of July events.
  2. Be ready to take alternate transportation such as a bus or taxi
  3. Have the phone number of a taxi service stored in your phone before you leave for the party.
  4. Call 9-1-1 if you see an impaired driver on the road.

Even if you will not be drinking alcoholic beverages this Fourth of July, keep in mind that over the course of 2008, 1,179 people in other vehicles were killed in crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers.  And there were a total of 491 motor vehicle traffic fatalities during the Fourth of July Holiday period (Thursday, July 3rd, 6 pm to Monday, July 7th, 5:59 am).  And for those who say they don’t plan on over-indulging . . . a buzzed driving crash looks the same as a drunk driving crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) and the Ad Council are asking everyone to drive smart this holiday season and to pledge not to drive buzzed.

I’d like to invite you to follow Buzzed Driving
Twitter (@buzzeddriving)
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/buzzeddrivingisdrunkdriving)
to get the latest updates and news.

You can also visit the Buzzed Driving website (http://buzzeddriving.adcouncil.org/) and  sign a pledge to not drive buzzed! Play an interactive game which demonstrates the difference between buzzed and drunk, and hear personal stories from people who have driven buzzed.

Please, please, please THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK & DON’T DRIVE DRUNK!

To learn more about the impact buzzed driving can have on a life, please watch this important video about the financial and personal repercussions of getting a DUI:http://buzzeddriving.adcouncil.org/sign.php#video

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This is a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ad Council campaign brought to you by Global Influence.

Filed Under: causes, Day-to-Day Tagged With: , , , ,
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