With having a five year old, I can say we’ve been through every sippy cup under the sun.  That being said, even though she’s in regular cups now, I can’t tell you how many times we have spills.  That is why I am impressed with the 100% spill- and leak-proof Contigo’s mug that uses AUTOSEAL® technology to prevent accidental spills.  Seriously, all you have to do is just press the button to sip and release the button to automatically seal the mug. Perfect for kids on-the-go, in the car, or in school lunches.  We used it to travel, and it’s great.  No more in the car spills!  The mugs are 100% BPA free, and Phthalate- and PVC-free too.  The lid is also one piece.  You don’t have to worry about several parts or having to reassemble after cleaning.  Speaking of cleaning, I also love that this is dishwasher safe!

Madison (and Will for that matter) had an easy time holding this mug and there are even non skid grips on the bottom.  I also love that it is actually a little to hard for Will (my 2 year old) to hit the button, so it makes my house a cleaner place!  The AUTOSEAL^® Kids Mug is the perfect mug for your 4 to 12 year old. They may outgrow their sippy cups, but they never outgrow spilling.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2

This giveaway is now over. The winner is Anne Y. Congrats!

With the flu and H1N1 rearing it’s ugly head, it is ever so important to keep your home clean and healthy.  Did you know that indoor air can be five times as polluted as the air outdoors according to EPA? With Madison’s health conditions, we are especially vigilant in our house, and I’m about trying things to help us out with that.  That is why we recently got a Oreck ProShield Air Purifier.  It removes and destroys 98% of airborne particulates including viruses, dust, pollen, bacteria, viruses, mold spores, fungi, pet dander, cigarette smoke and odors in the home.  Being allergic to life itself, I appreciate all the filtering it does.

You can literally take it out of the box and plug it in and have it working.  You can choose how strong you run the fan.  We keep it in silent mode, so you don’t even realize it’s on. It is so easy to use that you don’t have to even read the directions for it (though I do recommend you do). The air purifier cleans and recirculates the air in a 12′ x 18′ room twice every hour. The Truman Cell permanent filter never needs to be replaced — you just rinse clean, let dry, and re-insert. The permanent Helios Shield uses ultraviolet light (UV-A) to eliminate odors and VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and the six-stage purification system destroys particles as minute as 0.1 microns or one thousandth of a human hair. I do have to warn you thought. You will here crackling coming from the unit if an especially large particle tries to get through. Ours went nuts when Bill plugged it in, and I thought he was electrocuting itself. It’ll make you jump the first time you hear it, but it’s good to know it’s really working.

But does it really work? From what I can tell, yes. The easiest thing to test was if it was picking up dust. We used the TV screen as our test subject (as that seems to get covered weekly). We noticed a huge difference since using the purifier. There is also a deodorizer in it, so you room smells clean after running it.

I would highly recommend the Oreck ProShield Air Purifier (MRSP $399), and I have arranged to give one away to a lucky reader of mine!

To enter, check out the Oreck website and tell me what your favorite product is.

Each of these gives you one additional entry:
1. Twitter about this contest. Please leave me your username so I can verify. Or use something like this:

Win a Oreck ProShield Air Purifier from @blm03 Enter here: http://lisareviews.com/2009/09/22/oreck-proshield-air-purifier-review

2. Stumble this post and add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc. (1 entry for each social network).
Each of these gives you 5 additional entries:

1. Blog about this on your blog. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.

2. Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.

3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed

4. Add my badge to your sidebar (each blog gets your 5 additional entries):

<a href=”http://lisareviews.com”><img src=”http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad-1.png” border=”0″ alt=”Lisa Reviews” /></a><br />

If this isn’t working, please let me know. For some reason, Wordpress seems to be eating the code up when I post.

Each of these will give you 10 additional entries:

1. Join my Spark E Crew at Social Spark. Click here to find out how to sign up. If you are on my crew, please leave your social spark ID, so I can verify it.

2. Sign up for my free newsletter!

This contest will end October 6nd at noon CST! Good Luck!!

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2

This giveaway is now over. The winner is kathy dunaway. Congrats!

Did you know if every person lowered their use of paper towels by one roll, we would save 544,000 trees? Isn’t that crazy? When you are cooking out this summer, make sure you are lowering your carbon footprint by doing some easy things like using products from myEarth360.  They have some great products that will help save the world for your children.

First, they have their VerTerra Eco-Friendly Party-Ready Plates.  These are 6” x 6” disposable plates created from fallen palm leaves, gathered and pressed into distinctive shapes. They also use fair wage labor and sustainable production methods.  My kids were unable to break these, no matter how hard they tried (and they did).  I also think it is very cool that these are microwave, oven, and refrigerator safe.

To be honest, I have to admit that I am impressed with the Aspenware Biodegradable Wood Utensils.  Not only are they biodegradable, but they are made from birch and aspen (and if you watch enough Discovery channel, you will know that these are the hardwoods that are ordinarily burnt or left to rot during regular industrial logging).

Lastly, I tried out the SKOY Cloth.  This is an absorbent and biodegradable multi-use cloth.  The SKOY cloth will replace your sponge, wash cloth, and paper towels.  One of these clothes will save you 15 rolls of paper towel.  That’s a lot of money you’ll save (for my frugal readers!).  It is made from cotton and wood pulp cellulose.  Best of all, the SKOY cloth can be cleaned in either your dishwasher or your washer/dryer!    Another cool way to clean it is popping it in your microwave (wet, of course) for 1-2 minutes.  My cloth has definitely gotten a workout with messes Will and Madison makes.

I’m all for making the world a better place for my kids and the myEarth360 products definitely do that. I can only recommend you try some out for yourself which I have arranged for one lucky winner to do!  One lucky winner will get to try out one SKOY cloth, a4pc. set of cutlery, and dishes!  Here’s what you need to do:

Leave a comment on this post. Check out the myEarth360site and tell me what else you’d love to try off the site.

Each of these gives you one additional entry:

1. Twitter about this contest. Please leave me your username so I can verify. Or use something like this:

@blm03 is giving away a myEARTH360 products! http://lisareviews.com/2009/08/08/myearth360-review-and-giveaway

2. Stumble this post and add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc. (1 entry for each social network).

Each of these gives you 5 additional entries:

1. Blog about this on your blog. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.

2. Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.

3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed

4. Add my badge to your sidebar:

<a href=”http://lisareviews.com”><img src=”http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad-1.png” border=”0″ alt=”Lisa Reviews” /></a>

If this isn’t working, please let me know. For some reason, Wordpress seems to be eating the code up when I post. Each of these will give you 10 additional entries:

1. Join my Spark E Crew at Social Spark. Click here to find out how to sign up. If you are on my crew, please leave your social spark ID, so I can verify it.

2. Sign up for my free newsletter!

This contest will end August 22th at noon CST! Good Luck!!

This contest is now over. The winners are Terra Heck and Marianna! Congrats!

If you are worried about all the chemical you use in your home, then the Bright Green line of products is right up your alley.  Bright Green household cleaners are biodegradable and don’t have any phosphates, chemicals, or residual toxins that you have to worry about.  I recently tested out two of their products, and we definitely like them.

The first product that we tried was the All Purpose Cleaner.  Since it is dye free, it is a clear solution (which means you have to be careful where you leave it if you have little ones.  I swear Will thought it was water).  It is not tested on animals.  It is lemon scented.  However, when you use it, the scent doesn’t knock you over.  For me, I love the lemon scent, because you can smell that I actually did clean (see, stay at home moms don’t just sit and watch their soaps all day).

The concentrated Dish Washing Liquid was also a hit in our house.  Even though it is has no petroleum solvents, it was still tough on grease.  There was no elbow grease that had to be applied to get clean dishes.  It did all the hard work.  This too has a great lavander scent, so you’ll actually find yourself relaxing a bit while you are doing dishing.

I also was able to try out their reusable tote bags.  The totebag itself is made of 65% recycled bottles (which equals about 4 plastic bottles!).  It is machine washable, and it sure beats using the plastic bags that you get here.  It’s the little things that we can do that really make a difference, and Bright Green allows us to make those little changes.  We all want to save the world, but we have to do it one step at a time.

I have arranged for two of my lucky readers to get one of these fabulous tote bags.  Here’s what you need to do:

Leave a comment on this post.  Check out the Bright Green site and tell me what product you’d like to try.

Each of these gives you one additional entry:

1. Twitter about this contest.  Please leave me your username so I can verify.  Or use something like this:

RT @blm03 is giving away 2 Bright Green Tote Bags! http://lisareviews.com/2009/05/09/bright-green-review-and-giveaway/

2. Stumble this post.

3. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc. (1 entry for each social network).

Each of these gives you 5 additional entries:

1.  Blog about this on your blog.  Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2.  Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4.  Add my badge to your sidebar:

<a href="http://lisareviews.com"><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad-1.png" alt="Lisa Reviews" border="0"></a>

If this isn’t working, please let me know.  For some reason, Wordpress seems to be eating the code up when I post.

Each of these will give you 10 additional entries:

1.  Join my Spark E Crew at Social Spark.  Click here to find out how to sign up. If you are on my crew, please leave your social spark ID, so I can verify it.

2.  Sign up for my free newsletter!

This contest is for US residents and will end at May 22th at noon CST!  Good Luck!!!

This giveaway is over. Congrats to Kimberly and Janet F. I will be contacting your shortly!

I am quite use to living with hard water.  When I lived in Wisconsin and when we lived in Aurora, we had hard water.  Hard water is tough on a lot of things.  However, one of the places you can really see it is in your bathroom.  You will often find you have what looks like soap scum that you just can’t remove.  That is where CLR Bathroom and Kitchen Cleaner comes into play.  When we lived in Aurora, we used this cleaner every time we cleaned the tub.  It was the only thing that take the “scum” we had off.  I can only highly recommend it.  Now that we live in a suburb of Chicago, we don’t have that problem quite as much.  However, over the last couple of months, I have noticed that something is definitely going with our water.  When you get water out of the tap, it is very cloudy (not sure what is causing that).  I have also noticed that we are starting to get that “soap scum” again.  I decided to pull out our go to fix:  CLR Bathroom and Kitchen Cleaner.  Guess what?  It got rid of the mess in the tub yet again.  I love this product, and I can only give it high reviews.  Best of all, CLR has earned the EPA’s Designed for the Environment designation, so you know that it contains no phosphates, ammonia or bleach.

That being said,  I am giving away two Cleaning Bucket prize packs!  The Bucket will include CLR’s entire line of products and various tools to help you clean your house.  Here’s what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post. Check out their products here and tell me which ones you need in your house.
2. Twitter about this contest. Please leave me your username so I can verify.
3. Stumble this post. If you don’t know what Stumble Upon is, please read Lori’s post at Blogging Cents. She explains it extremely well.
4. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc. (1 entry for each social network).

For 5 additional entries,

1. Blog about this on your blog. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2. Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4. Add my badge to your sidebar:

<a href="http://lisareviews.com"><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad-1.png" border="0" alt="Lisa Reviews" /></a>

This giveaway will end on December 17 at 8:00 pm CST is available to US and Canada residents. Good luck!