Fisher Price House Party!

Our party was a HUGE success! We had 10 adults and 11 little ones show up! Can you believe that?! Our house was crawling with littles and laughter! It was wonderful 🙂 If you haven’t already checked out HouseParty.com, DO IT! I had two friends who recently got accepted for a party after signing up through my recommendation. You DO NOT have to be a blogger to join, they just base it on demographics, etc. For instance, I had two little boys who fit into the age range for this one 🙂 So, I wanted to share some photos with you all & let you know our House Party was a BLAST!!

We didn’t have a baby doll, so the girls decided to practice on “the twins”.

Our awesome table all set up and ready to gi!

I think she likes it!!

Best/Cutest photo bomb ever!!

Parker, so proud of his ice cream 🙂

Our spread! We also had cookie, juice and tea 🙂

Fisher Price Goodie Bags.

Nuby goodie bags!!

Chaotic fun 🙂

Sweet, happy babes.

Happy Friends 🙂

We had so much fun 🙂 A very special Thanks to Fisher Price & Nuby who sent stuff for our wonderful guests! I’m especially glad to have been able to share Nuby’s Wash or Toss Cups. I’ll be excited to hear what all our friends think of our favorite travel sippies 🙂

SPECIAL UPDATE!

I was a little behind on announcing some winners recently- man there were just a lot of giveaways!
But I urge EVERYONE to please check the Giveaway tab! The winners are listed under each photo!

I’ve got about 10 unclaimed prizes at the moment!

If you see your name, please email me at alisonrigsby@rocketmail.com with “I’m a Winner” in the subject!
Congrats to all the winners and STAY TUNED for more giveaways in the next few days 😉

Fisher Price House Party!!

I’ve been a member of several websites that send out items to everyday folks to try and help spread “word of mouth” advertising where you can share products with friends and family. Just to name a few, there’s Swaggable, Influenster, BzzAgent and HouseParty. I’ve often blogged products from the first three but I’ve been anxiously waiting to be chosen for a House Party! When I got an invitation to apply for the Fisher Price House Party I was STOKED at the opportunity and did all the things to “increase my chances”…

So, I’ll back up a little. What is House Party? It’s an online community where you apply to host parties that are sponsored by big name such as Fisher Price, Kleenex, Kmart, Keurig, Foster Farms…and those are just the ones happening right now. If you’re selected (based on demographic, etc) then you get a “Party Pack” full of items to share, enjoy and have a SUPER party with! Once you’ve applied there are things you can do to increase your chances, like make a video and upload photos 🙂

Long story, short. WE GOT PICKED FOR FISHER PRICE. And as excited as my boys are,
I’m WAY MORE EXCITED. Haha.
Our HUGE Party Pack showed up today so I snapped some photos to share with you all 🙂 I’ll be blogging our party and the whole experience. I will say that I had some crying little boys when I had to put this all away for the party, 15 more days little ones!

Parker’s initial reaction. I think he peed out of sheer joy.

Jack digging in once I got the box open. It was only about 6″ shy of being his height.

We got one dozen Wheelies to give to our friends when they come over for the party!!
These retail for $3 each.

There was a check-list that let us know that we wouldn’t be receiving Wheelies to keep BUT the track we received does have two inside, so the boys get one each- not complaining one bit!!

For our little lady friends we got the Little People Princess Songs Palace.
This castle retails for $50

To go with, we got two sets of Princesses (Ariel & Aurora). I secretly wish we had gotten Beauty & The Beast 😉
These retail for $7 each.

The biggest thing we got was this Servin’ Surprises Kitchen & Table. It does both 😉
This retails for $80 & I think the kids are going to really get into this one! It makes noises and does it all!

To go with the table/kitchen, we got ALL 5 of the “sets” that you can add on to it for more features!
This Barbecue set retails for $15

Ice Cream Party Set- this retails for $15

Birthday Set- retails for $15

Tea Party Set- retails for $20

And last was the High Chair Set that retails for $20. I love these sets and all their neat “surprise” parts!

Parker’s favorite was the Wheelies Loops ‘n Swoops Amusement Park! This this is huge!
This retails for $45

This Party Pack is INSANE! I’m so excited that we got selected & we’re grateful for such a generous amount of toys! Parker is turning 3 next month so it’s like an early Birthday for him and early Christmas for them both 😉 Our Pack values $310 and we’re still expecting another box filled with goodies to give to friends! DVD’s, CDs, Coloring Books and Savings! We can’t wait to have our Party and I can’t wait to let you all know how it goes 🙂

Glass Dharma Review & Giveaway

So, confession: I LOVE to drink from straws. I know it will probably give me MASSIVE wrinkles when I’m older, but I don’t care. I love it. I don’t drink anything without a straw, it is my strange obsession. To the point where my husband gifted me one of those cute old-fashioned looking straw caddies where you pull up the middle and pick your straw- he must really love me! The thing is that all these plastic straws I sip and throw away are really adding up I was probably going through 2 plastic straws a day. Aside from the cost of my habit, fact is I’m just adding more plastic to the trash pile- not anymore 🙂

In comes Glass Dharma, the original glass straw. (proudly handmade in the US). Glass Dharma is not only the original creator of the glass straw but they are by far the most diverse. They have 4 diameters for everything from sipping wine to chugging that yogurt smoothie, 4 lengths and even 6 different color dot options- perfect for avoiding mid part drink confusion.

The first straw I tried was the Decorative Dots Sipper. This super small straw is ideal for sipping red wine (I prefer to use a straw to keep wine away from my teeth- is that odd?) It comes with a small, curable cleaner and with the adorable blue dots, I’m not going to mix up my wine with my hubbies 😉

Here is an up close of the detail of the decorative dots. It blows my mind a little that all of this is handmade. I’ve always been interested in glass blowing, but the details are so cool. There is not a single imperfection in any of the straws I got to try!

The next straw I opened was the smoothie straw. I haven’t gotten to try this with a smoothie yet (I know I’m bad!) but I start my 90 day weight loss challenge tomorrow so I see myself having a LOT of breakfast smoothies! This straw is flawless.

Aside from how wide this straw is, I also wanted to point out the amazingly smooth edges. Have you ever stabbed yourself in the roof of your mouth with a straw?! Well, I have and it’s TERRIBLY PAINFUL! With Dharma Straws, that can’t happen because the rounded glass is SO smooth. Speaking of painful accidents, I can’t imagine how upset I would be if one of these broke, but I’ve put them through the wash and even dropped on and it didn’t crack or anything- should you find some force of nature break one, they are covered for LIFE.

Speaking of life, I’ve found the straw I’m going to use even when I’m 90. Haha. These is the Beautiful Bents Ice Tea Straw. It’s got a slight bend in it just like a bendie straw! It’s my match made in glass straw Heaven 🙂

These are just a few of the exciting combinations you can find at Glass Dharma, the possibilities are endless and you can find something for any occasion. Aside from sending me these amazing straws to try out and share with you guys, they are also giving away a $25 Gift Card to their online store to one lucky reader!

HOW TO ENTER:

1. First of all, make sure you are subscribed to The Rosy Snail via email. I won’t be emailing the winner, you will see it here in a blog post!
2. Head over to the Glass Dharma on Facebook and hit “like”.
3. Comment with your favorite beverage to sip with a straw :

Want extra entries?!
5 extra entries if you head over to The Rosy Snail on Facebook and post a picture of your favorite drink!

Be SURE to leave a comment with ALL details needed to verify your entries!
(email address, Facebook name, twitter name, etc)
If you don’t, none of this will count!

Winner selected on September 8th.

Update: Nerium AD

So, time is almost up to enter to win your own 1 month supply of Nerium AD. I’ve been using it now for several weeks & really seeing a difference!  Click HERE to enter.

Like I mentioned in my first write up of Nerium AD, this age-defying treatment uses special extracts from the nerium oleander. I used this every night after washing my face in place of a night cream and or night time moisturizer. (you don’t want to use this with anything else on your face) I applied 4-5 pumps to a damp face- instantly you can feel this stuff working! You feel a pulling/tightening sensation. It feel really neat 🙂 Over the use of this I noticed two very wonderful things: my pores got smaller AND the wrinkles on my forehead got less noticeable. They don’t seem nearly as deep! I’ll continue to use this until I’m out. I am curious to see how long the results will last WITHOUT the treatment.

So, if you’d like to give Nerium AD a try don’t forget to sign up to win! Here is a shortcut to the raffltcopter 😉

Creative BioScience 90 Day Weight Loss Challenge

I heard about an exciting opportunity for blogger to try on of Creative Sciences exciting weight loss supplements in a 90 day trial. All you had to do was blog your experience. Before I get into it, I wanted to mention that if you’re a blogger and meet their requirements, you can still get in on this program! Just Click HERE and read the details. You can then fill out the application HERE.

So, where to begin. I’ll be the first to admit that talking about “my body” or my weight on my blog isn’t exactly what I woke up thinking I would do today. It’s personal, but fact is, there are more people that you realize with the same hang ups you have about yourself! I knew that if I was blogging about my progress and sharing with all my amazing readers, you guys would be the motivation I needed to keep going! So here we are.

My name is Alison, I’m a stay-at-home mother of two and I about DIED when I hit (and stayed at) 200lbs. I want my old body back and I ‘m ready to do something about it! My long term goal is 50lbs. I’m hoping to be there by my birthday in early April.

For the purpose of the 90 Day Weight loss, I was allowed to pick through all of their products and choose which I thought was right for me. They have a bit of everything- even the new and extremely popular HcG (in several “varieties”). I read through the descriptions and as PUMPED as I am about loosing weight- I want to be realistic. Which is why I chose diet 1234. As much as I want to hit the gym and eat like a bird everyday, I know that may not always happen. With diet 1234- it combines many of the popular weight loss supplements I’ve been interested in like raspberry keytones and Green Tea Extract while “taking into account the hectic pace of modern lifestyles and human nature.” Now that sounds like what I need 🙂

I’m excited to be sharing with you all & I hope you’ll find this to be a place of sharing 🙂
What diets have you tried? Which worked for you and which were a huge waste?

Deodo Mom Review & GIVEAWAY

As much as I love the idea of a natural deodorant, (or at LEAST one that doesn’t contain aluminum, which is easily absorbed into the body) I admit I had given up on the ghost. The list of issues I’ve had with other natural/aluminum free deodorants I’ve tried is long, everything from a thick, chunky consistency to burning! (Yes, burning. Due to the presents of alcohol.) So when 30SomeWeeks contacted me about their all natural Deodo Mom deodorant, I was willing to try (nothing could be worse than burning arm pits!) but not sure what to expect.

 They first developed their deodorant to be safe and free of  aluminum, alcohol, fragrance, dye or parabens. It’s also Vegan. If something is deemed safe for a mommy with a baby on board, you can bet it’s good for the rest of us 🙂

They sent me both versions of their Deodo Mom Deodorant. The roller ball (seen above) which retails for $12 and their cream version which retails for $10 (seen below). I tried both out for several days and I found VERY different results from all the others I’ve tried. A smooth, soft application and NO burning, even on freshly shaved skin.

I found that not only did each of these help with any odor associated with sweat, but once they had dried, they also helped keep the sweat at bay. I did have a short period of holding my arms up and allowing the more “watery” roller ball formula to dry, but I’m talking maybe 25 seconds, then I was good to go. Which I was in a pinch, I stood under a fan or used a blow dryer on low/cool settings 🙂

I enjoyed the cream version as well! While putting your fingers into your arm pit may not sounds like the most exciting thing to do in the morning, it was worth it when I planned on going out into the heat or doing anything that would cause me to sweat more, i.e. working out or heavy house cleaning. Because the cream formula has less water than the roller ball version, it is more concentrated and I really could tell the difference!

So, want to win your own?!
30SomeWeeks was so kind to offer Rosy Snail readers an awesome giveaway!
They are giving away FIVE of their Deodo Mom deodorants (in your choice of Roll-on or Cream) to 5 lucky readers!

How to enter:
1. Make sure to go to 30SomeWeeks on Facebook, “like” them and leave a comment that The Rosy Snail sent you!
2. Make sure you are also a Facebook fan on The Rosy Snail AND that you are subscribed via email.
3. Leave a comment below letting me know which product you would like and your email/name on Facebook so I can verify your entry!

Winners will be announced on September 5th!

In addition to this AWESOME giveaway, all Rosy Snail Readers have been offered an exclusive discount!
CLICK HERE to do to our exclusive discount page to get 15-30% off their products.

Vegan Conscious Box Winner!!

 Congrats to Sarah A.!
Please email me at alisonrigsby@rocketmail.com within the next 72 hours to claim your prize 😀
Please be sure to include shipping information AND your Facebook name so I can verify your entry!

Julep Mystery Box for August (Bombshell)

I got my box a little while back but I chose Bombshell (my normal selection) for my mystery box this time around. I did get a small or “average” box but I’m SO happy with the colors inside!!

Remember, if you aren’t already a Maven,
you can get your first Julep Maven box for only ONE PENNY. Just click here and use the color COLOR2012.

So, it came in this smaller than average box. I’ve noticed that all mystery boxes are white. I’m sure that costs less to make, but other than that, it’s just simple and it doesn’t give away too much on what’s inside 🙂

I got an orange bag (containing polishes of course) and one product. It included crinkle paper like normal 🙂

My “product” in my mystery box was a Lip Gloss in Peony. I didn’t think about how choosing Bombshell would likely mean repeats for me and this is a repeat for sure. I got this just the last month (July) but I did really like this color, so absolutely no complaints there.

I got three colors, all of which I love, I got Demi, Gloria and Vanessa- which has been my go too glitter ever since! Vanessa did come with a funky brush but they sent out a replacement right away!

The value of my mystery box was exactly $60 and I paid $19.99. Worth every penny!!

Slice Products- Designed to Perfection

If you haven’t heard of Slice, I have to tell you, you are very much missing out!
SliceProducts.com is home to some of the most amazingly designed and easy to use tools that I have ever seen.
They recently launched a line of beauty tools and that was when I first heard about them- and fell in love.

I’ve got four Slice products to share with you all today.

The first product is the Slice Ceramic Box Cutter. They make a Auto Retractable version (the one I received) and a regular version that does not have the same build in spring action. That version comes in Red 🙂

The Ceramic Box Cutter was a bit bigger than I had expected but still feels great in your hand. You have all of the control you could want when dealing with a sharp object. This box cutter was the first in the world designed with a ceramic cutting blade. Aside from last 10 times longer than traditional steel blades, ceramic blades are also considered safer (I bounced this blade on the tip of my finger and felt a million times more comfortable with doing that than I would have had it been a steel/metal blade. It did not cut me, thought I’m sure where there is a will, there is a way!)
The inside lining (the green portion) is slightly soft and easy to grip.

This box cutter retails for $19.99 which is on the high end of box cutters but as far as safety and design (This cutter was a red dot design winner last year!) I don’t think you can get any better for the price. This isn’t something you’ll need to repurchase- it will last you a very long time. The blades are double sided and easy to replace (and turn over as well).

This next beauty is called the Precision Cutter. This was meant to be used for crafting in the same way you might use an x-acto or another small precision crafting knife. As a paper craft lover, I’ve got a small collection of such knives/cutters lying around. I’ve paid anywhere from $3-$22 on them. I want to throw them all away! This one is only $7.99 and it puts them all to shame.

I’ve cut through standard paper, magazine paper and even heavy card stock with ease. The only drawback I would see is if you wanted to cut through something thicker than the blade is long- in that case, I might pull out my box cutter or scissors 🙂 the design for this is both left and right hand friendly and the whole thing is coated in a special material that is easy to grip. This little guy also won a Good Design award 🙂

I have to be honest and say, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this product.
This is their Safety Cutter. This cute little guy ended up being a life saver.

If you look REALLY close, you can see the tiniest little cutter on this thing. It doesn’t look like it would do much, but I attached this to my fridge (with the handy dandy magnet you can’t see located inside) and find myself reaching for it day after day! To open children’s toys, take the plastic wrap off of a product, I even used it to remove a tag from a t-shirt. Because this blade is also made of ceramic: it will never rust and will remain sharp and useable for a very, very long time.
This handy-dandy cutter is only $5.99

Home, Sweet Home on our fridge 🙂

Lastly, the product that started it all! Slanted Soft Touch Tweezers. This is the only item I tried from the Slice Products line that did not feature a ceramic blade or cutter. At $19.99 these are slightly cheaper than my current tweezers (I love me some tweezers.) and work even better. If you haven’t yet, you should invest in a good pair of tweezers- it’s worth it. With the wide handle, these were so easy to control and I didn’t worry I was going to drop them (which, I have done with my current pair which are slim and slippery when wet). This pair also features a soft touch rubberized finish that feels great in your hand. The hand filed tip on these fit perfect together and grab each hair with no problem.

Overall, I really LOVED all these products. It’s SO hard to choose a favorite because they are all ideal for their intended purposes. Not a single one underperformed.

I cannot wait to try more products from this line.