Review and a giveaway: Back to school with Seventh Generation

About a month ago, I received a kit in the mail with quite a few Seventh Generation products as a back to school kit. If you were to look on my cleaner shelf, you would find nothing but green cleaners, including Seventh Generation.

Keeping classrooms clean helps keep my girls out of the doctor offices. I aim to have my girls get the "Perfect Attendance" award at school but have yet to do it. It is no wonder though, so many kids end up sick from germs they get at school.

The products Seventh Generation sent are great to prevent the spread of germs in the school and home setting. Disinfecting wipes & disinfecting multi-surface spray (that smells incredibly 'clean') keeps the surfaces germ free while the facial tissue and paper towels help keep germs contained and where they belong.

While I have always loved Seventh Generation, I am even a bigger supporter now that I know they raise awareness about the germs found in school!

Would you like to win a Seventh Generation back to school set?
To enter, just leave me a comment here on this post. Anything goes! For up to five additional entries, click here. The winner will be chosen on Friday, September 3 and will receive a Seventh Generation backpack, two canisters of disinfecting wipes, a multi surface spray, a box of facial tissue and a roll of paper towels. Please leave your email address so I have a way of contacting you should you be chosen.

Three Ladies and a Dad Reviews Disclosure: This review is possible through My Blog Spark and Seventh Generation. My Blog Spark and/or Seventh Generation sponsored this post by providing me with a product pack and one to give away so that I may share this information with you. My post is an expression of my own honest opinion based on my experience and is not reviewed or edited by My Blog Spark and/or Seventh Generation. My Blog Spark and/or Seventh Generation does not compensate me in any other way for this post.

Five tips to keep healthy smiles!

Dentists can be darn expensive. Luckily, my kids have yet to have a cavity. I like to think it has something to do with our habits and what we eat. Here are five tips that we try to practice on a regular basis. Have they been the reason why our girls have had zero cavities? I do not know...but they are working for us so far!

1. Brush two times a day and make sure the kids brush right! This is an obvious one. We may have to remind the girls to brush, but we make sure they do, and when they do it, we make sure it's right.

2. Use a mouthwash. Another one we are pretty good with, but a lot of the reason we use it because the girls love it! We try to remember that all mouthwashes vary the time you should use it. Some suggest you swish before you brush and some suggest after you brush. Regardless, we try to use one.

3. Get those teeth cleaned professionally twice a year! Jeremy's insurance covers this. Come January, I am making the appointments for our yearly appointments - dentists, eye doctors...etc. I think if you schedule them every January you are more likely to remember to do it. At least, that is how my mind works.

4. Watch sugar intake at home. We all have a sweet tooth. But if you count the times we cave in to those cravings, you will realize they are few. Something we have found that helps is animal crackers...they satisfy the sweet tooth!

5. Teach kids why you do all of these things. Tell them what is going on when they brush, why you should watch sugars and the importance of getting teeth cleaned at the dentist, along with anything you do at your home for preventive measures. This helps them understand the importance of what we tell them to do instead of them just thinking we do it to 'nag'. Make sense, no?

I am sure many of you have many of your own tips for how you keep you and your families smiles pretty. I hope these tips may help you and if you have any suggestions you would like to share, feel free to do so! I would love to hear them...just leave me a comment below. I don't know about you, but I could use all the help I can get!

(Image via.)

Three Ladies and a Dad Review Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Trident blogging program, making me eligible to get a $25 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

The Gap: $50 gift card for $25

I love the Gap. I am actually waiting for a package from them with school clothes in it for the girls. I thought this might help someone else out so wanted to share this with you.

Groupon is offering a $50 Gap gift card for $25. Today is the only day that you will be able to get it at this price.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Register or log in to Groupon.
2. Look for your city. Since my closest city is St. Louis, I chose that.
3. Purchase the gift $50 gift card for $25.

This is limited to one per person and the gift card can only be used in store. The expiration is November 19,2010.

Gap clothes are great quality and one of the few brands that fit Macie really good so I am stoked about this one!

CSN Stores: A Review and a Giveaway

A while back, I had the chance to do a review of CSN Stores. With school back in and crazier than ever, I finally ordered the product of my choice. After looking and looking, I finally decided on a set of kitchen towels - more specifically the MUModern microfiber dishtowel in Crimson. I have been wanting microfiber towels for the kitchen but could not find them in my kitchen's accent color, red. CSN Stores carried these and I was excited to get them in!

One of CSN Stores lines on their opening page is they have "free shipping on just about everything". Everything I searched for myself did not have free shipping. I could not find a link that narrowed down results to just free shipping products. I was a bit disappointed that my towels were not shipped free but I went ahead and got them anyway.

While I love the towels, I have found that they bleed quite a bit. Hopefully once they are ran through the washing machine a few times, that will stop. One towel in particular started to pull away from the scrubber that is sewn into the towel but I think it may just be a bad towel since the other ones are holding up fine.

All in all, CSN Stores has fast shipping and hundreds of products, which would be great for one stop shopping.

Would you like to win a $25 gift card to CSN Stores?
Just leave a comment here telling me what you would use it on if you are chosen. For the fine print and details on more ways to enter, click here. The winner will be chosen on Friday, August 27. Please leave your email address so we can email you the gift card number if you are chosen.

Good luck!

Three Ladies and a Dad Reviews Disclosure: This review is possible through CSN Stores. CSN Stores sponsored this post by providing me with one $25 Gift Card to use as I choose and one to give away so that I may share this information with you. My post is an expression of my own honest opinion based on my experience and is not reviewed or edited by CSN Stores. CSN Stores does not compensate me in any other way for this post.

Review and a Giveaway: CSN Stores

A few days ago, I received an email from CSN Stores offering to provide me with a $25 Gift Card for me and one to give away. After browsing their 200+ stores, I just could not make up my mind.

This nightlight from their selection of lights is adorable and could be used for the girls...or...

I need bar stools for my kitchen....or...

Jeremy and I could also use a few things from their health and fitness selection to improve our P90X routine....

What did I choose? Stay tuned for the answer and your chance to win a $25 gift card!

Build-A-Bear Part 2

To read the first post on our Build-A-Bear trip, click here.

After breakfast, the fun really started. Over the course of the two days at the Bearquarters, I learned so many things about the company. I honestly can not say one bad thing about my experience. We were all treated like royalty, our families included!

Maxine Clark has a wonderful team. I would imagine that the founder of BAB would be friendly, but she is so much more than that. Kind, generous, down-to-earth, welcoming and warm are just a few words and only the beginning of what describes her.

Maxine Clark, CEB of Build-A-Bear Worshop

The company is very involved in volunteering and honoring those who go above and beyond to make an impact in our world. The have created a program to do just that - Huggable Heroes. We had the pleasure of meeting Zach Bonner and his mom, Laurie. Zach is currently walking across the United States to raise awareness about his platform, youth homelessness. He is also the founder of the Little Red Wagon Foundation. In 2011, there will also be a feature film based on him and his works, March Across America. Did I mention he is only 12? Zach is on Twitter and I am positive that he would love your support as he walks!

Laurie and Zach Bonner

We had the pleasure of listening to many speakers - Andrienne Weiss, Mary Heston, Jill Saunders and many, many others. After we had a few speakers, we were able to take of tour of the Bearquarters. This place is amazing! Obviously, it has Build-A-Bears everywhere. It is painted the classic yellow that is found in their stores and the walls are covered with 'Bearisms'.

Our fun tour guide, Sarah Terrill

Just one of many Bearisms.

Some of the offices

Just of few of the Build-A-Bears

A 'holding room' for many Build-A-Bear items

The bear hospital where bears are healed and lost
bears are returned to their owners.

The set where they photograph everything.

Maxine Clark really knows how to treat her employees like family - you need to bring your child to work? No, problem. You want off on Friday? They schedule that in bi-weekly. You want to bring your dog to work? We have gates and will play with your dog while they all work.

A dog that was at the office

This bed belongs to Mildred, who is the office dog. She also has
her own email address and business card!

Maxine Clark and her husband also invited all 25 or so moms and their families to her home for a BBQ. Her home is beautiful and she is such a gracious host. The kids had a magician and a balloon animal maker. Adults had the chance to socialize and relax. The food was consisted of hot dogs and mini hamburgers with all the sides but they were exceptionally yummy!

Bob and Maxine's lovely home

Macie waiting for her balloon

Zoa checking out the grounds

I just love this picture!

Zoa with her balloon, Ariel

Maxine would naturally be with the kids!

All of us moms also had the chance to chime in on several different ideas that BAB is coming out with.

My favorite, the "Smallfrys", hitting stores soon!

We also learned a lot of BAB Birthday Parties. After learning about what the parties consists of, we had the chance to have our own party at the Build-A-Workshop. It was such a fun time!

Laurie and Zach Bonner waiting for our party to start!

After the party was over and we all said our goodbyes, Jeremy and the girls joined me as the girls got to make there bears. This is something that never gets old in our family.

Macie waiting for her leopard, Spots

Zoa getting ready to put the heart in her puppy, Paws.

This will be a lifetime memory for my family and I. Jeremy loves the company as much as I do now and I learned so many things while I was there. It gave me a spark to dive back into blogging after losing it for a while. I am eternally grateful to Maxine, Bob and her family at Build-A-Bear.

Three Ladies and a Dad Disclosure: This post is possible through Build-A-Bear. Build-A-Bear provided me with a hotel room for two nights for my family and I, as well as gift cards and products as a thank you for attending their event. My post is an expression of my own honest opinion based on my experience and is not reviewed or edited by Build-A-Bear.

Build-A-Bear Part 1

A few weeks ago, I received an email inviting me to a Brand Building Conference at Build-A-Bear in St. Louis. After switching Jeremy's vacation around, I responded with an "yes!".

We headed to St. Louis last Tuesday and hit up a local water park. It was so hot! After soaking up the rays all day, we went to our hotel and went to Target. Exciting, I know.

Wednesday, we went to Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags and was soaked all day. One thing I have found is the older I get, the more I love summer. Bring me heat, humidity, sweat...I don't care! But just give me some water to dip my feet in! That evening, we checked into our new hotel, which was amazing by the way, and went to Target number 2. We seriously live on the edge, people.

Thursday I was up bright and early. Myself and several other bloggers arrived at Build-A-Bear
Bearquarters at 8:00 a.m. and sat down to a wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, bagels and orange juice.

But that was just the beginning. The things I learned about branding in general and the Build-A-Bear company, including the generous founder of BAB, Maxine Clark, will stay with me forever.

Stay tuned for more posts about this event!

Three Ladies and a Dad Disclosure: This post is possible through Build-A-Bear. Build-A-Bear provided me with a hotel room for two nights for my family and I, as well as gift cards and products as a thank you for attending their event. My post is an expression of my own honest opinion based on my experience and is not reviewed or edited by Build-A-Bear.