Ultimate Blog Party 2010!

Hello and welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party 2010 by 5 Minutes for Mom.  This is the first year that I've participated in the UBP, but I'm excited to find some more great blogs to read.

My name is Sarah. I write reviews and host giveaways here at PS Mom Reviews.  I also blog at Mommy Daisy about my life and other things.  I've been blogging here for just over a year.  I was doing a few reviews for a company at my other site, and I started getting interested in doing more reviews and giveaway.

I am a married mother to one. My husband, Matt, is also a blogger. You can see him at Meandering Matt.  We will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary this summer.  We were high school sweethearts. Aww!  We have one beautiful son, Zachariah, who just turned 4 years old.  We are hoping to add to our family soon.

I have a degree in Elementary Education. I have done some substitute teaching, and I worked as a tutor for an after-school program for almost 5 years.  Now I'm happy to be a stay at home mom. It's the best job I've ever had, and I hope to continue it for a while.  It's very rewarding for me to be home to teach and take care of my son and family.

For the animal lovers out there, we do have one pet. Our dog, Chip, is a beautiful black and white cocker spaniel. He is 10 years old, and we adopted him when he was 1 1/2.


Hmm, what else would you like to know about me? Feel free to ask. This goes for regular readers or new people here for the blog party.  I can't wait to meet many of you. Make sure to leave a comment, and I'll come check out your website too.

If you're not part of the Ultimate Blog Party, be sure to go check it out.  There are lots of prizes up for grabs. Some of the favorite ones I'm interested are of course the grand prize laptop (I definitely need a new one), Netflix subscription, the $25 Disney store GC, the Tupperware Prize Pack, the $100 Restaurants.com gift certificate, and there are so many more I'll have to make my list up later.  Go check it out though.

And if you're going to stick around here for a while, be sure to sign up for my current giveaways.  I have a Personalized Children's book from YourPictureBook.com giveaway and a fun children's DVD called Dwizzle Dee giveaway right now.  So have some fun. I can't wait to go visit all of you too.

Swimsuit season is upon us

I know it's only April, but swimsuit season is coming soon.  Doesn't seem possible does it!  Are you swimsuit ready? I know I'm not.



If you've been thinking about doing something to lose weight, let Jenny Craig help.  If you sign up here, you'll get a no obligation consult.  They will ask you to enter your name and phone number.  You'll get a personal phone call from a Jenny Craig consultant right away. They are there to help, so maybe you're ready to get started.  There are no obligations with this. What do you have to lose?

*All words and opinions are my own. I'm not being paid to post this, but links used are affiliate links.*

Family Muve DVD Review

A family exercise DVD...disguised as dancing.  I don't even know if you can really call this an "exercise" video. It's really about the dancing.

I know, I know, but Sarah I am not a dancer. Well, let me let you in on a little secret, neither am I. At all. You can ask my husband. He'll tell you the truth, won't you honey?  And if we're being completely honest, I really don't like to exercise.

But as parents/grandparents/caregivers, we know how important it is to get our children moving. And they love when we join in and do something fun with them.

The creator of MUVE, Maggie Kunkel, is from Hawaii. That's where she developed this DVD.  This creative way of dance was made to cross gender and generation barriers.  She has been teaching this form of dance for over a decade and says:

"No memorization is required and you can't do it wrong. MUVE is versatile, you can do it nice and easy and you can do it tough and hard. We are not striving for perfection, but for energizing the body and giving our busy minds a break. There's magic in music, it can move you beyon shyness straight into physical and mental joy.  And when the dance is over, you'll suddenly realize: 'Oh, I just had a workout, and it didn't feel like work at all!'"

The DVD includes a short dance instruction that can help you understand the idea of the movements.  It also explains the animated graphics that go along with each dance.  The instructions in each dance are only these visual graphics.

One of the best parts is that the "moves" are not specific.  There are only general movements that you can follow to the beat of the music. This makes it easy for anyone to dance along. Nothing is right and nothing is wrong. It's all just very fun to move to the beat.

We got to try the Family MUVE DVD and really enjoyed it.  My 4 year old son and I laughed and enjoyed trying the fun movements.  The only problem we had was Zachariah wanting to do the exact thing they were on the screen.  He had a hard time relaxing about that, but that's just part of his personality.  It was fun to have a "workout" video that we could do together.

Buy It: The MUVE DVDs are available at www.muve.com.  There are two DVDs available, Family MUVE and Mellow MUVE.

Do It Herself Club!

Have you always wanted to learn to do a few things around the house by yourself as a woman?  I know I like when I can lend a helping hand with certain things.  I do have to say, though, that I'm definitely the painter in the house.

Home Depot is offering a Do It Herself Club now.  On Thursday, April 15th from 7:00PM - 8:30PM there will be a workshop about Interior Painting featuring Martha Stewart Living.  Women can sign up for the Home Improver Club and also get from information about the new Do-It-Herself workshops.  Women will be able to receive hands-on learning for home improvement skills in a comfortable group environment.

This looks like a great thing that Home Depot is offering. What a great way to get women more involved and feel more hands-on with projects around the house. You can sign up here or by clicking the banner above.

Happy Easter Sunday everyone!

Whether you are celebrating the risen Christ on Easter 

or you are hunting Easter eggs with the kids, 

I wish you all a very Happy Easter!

Winner for the Barney Easter DVD

Hey all. I hope that you're having a fabulous Easter weekend.  I am going to draw a winner for the Barney: Egg-Cellent Adventures DVD.  Thanks to everyone who signed up. Be sure to check for the other giveaways on the right side here.

And the Barney DVD winner is...

     #22 - pixie13

It's your lucky week here at PS Mom Reviews!  I will be sending you an e-mail.

Winners for April 1, 2010

Thanks everyone for signing up for the recent giveaways.  I have two to draw winners for this time.


For the Colors Are Fun! DVD - 


     #51 - pixie13


And the Ear Cuffies go to - 


     #1 - Katrina




The following are giveaways still open:

Barney: Egg-Cellent Adventures DVD – Ends 4/2Dwizzle Dee DVD – Ends 4/12YourPictureBook.com personalized kid’s book – Ends 4/13

Come and enter as much as you can!  And good luck!

YourPictureBook.com review + {Giveaway}

Books! We love books!  There is only one child in our house, and we have many many books...enough for a much larger family.  I have always had a love for books.  And being a teacher, my love for children's books was renewed in college.  I have passed that along to my son with hopes that he'll love books all his life.

When I was given the opportunity to review a personalized children's book from YourPictureBook.com, I was very excited.  We were able to look through the selection of books for different ages to select something we would enjoy.  

The book I chose was Moon Dirt Milkshake or actually Zachariah's Moon Dirt Milkshake.  The story was very engaging, and my son loves telling us stories about it actually happening.  What a great imagination he has.  My son's name was used over and over within the story, not just in the title.  And his picture is on each page. I love that they use the child's picture and name and integrate it so well into the story. I know my son loves hearing the story about himself and even seeing himself in it. So much fun!

YourPictureBook.com also has other products on their website.  In addition to the book we received, _____'s Moon Dirt Milkshake, there are two other books, _____ Can Count and _____'s Adventure on Noah's Ark.  The books come in Hardcover and Softcover. And in addition to personalizing it with your child's name and photo, you can chose full photo of the child or partial photo (where they integrate your child into the page even more).  Other products the have are Personalized NFL Posters, Personalized DVDs, and Personalized Coloring Books.

I don't have one negative thing to say about YourPictureBook.com. The product I received truly exceeded my expectations.  And their service was great as well. The turn-around time for making the book was impressive.  I know you will love their books and other things as much as I do.

Buy It: The personalized books and other products from YourPictureBook.com can be ordered on their website. They are about $35.00 and under for the Hardcover books, which I think is a great price for these wonderful books! *Plus if you order now, use this special code to get FREE shipping: mommyshipfree!

Win It: YourPictureBook.com has graciously offered one (1) personalized hardback book to give to you lucky readers!  

To Enter: Go to the YourPictureBook.com website, and tell me which book you will choose when you win.  Be sure to include your e-mail address, so I can contact you when you win. (If I can't find an e-mail or don't already have it, I will draw a new number for the winner.)

Extra Entries: If you'd like to, you may earn extra entries for doing each of the following. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each. You must do the above (main) entry, then you can do these others.

*Post about the giveaway on your blog and leave the link here. (2 entries)

*Post about the giveaway on Twitter and leave the link here.

**You may do this once each day for unlimited entries until the contest ends.** Cut & Paste:

 Enter to win a personalized book for your child from YourPictureBook.com and @psmomreviews - 

http://tinyurl.com/ylatxhp

*Follow me on Twitter.

*Subscribe to this blog by a feed reader.

*Subscribe to this blog by e-mail.

*Become a follower (or you already are).

*Enter one of my other giveaways, then come back here and let me know which one you entered. You may do this for one extra entry.

This giveaway is open now through Tuesday, April 13th. I will post a winner on Wednesday, April 14th.

>Open to continental USA only!<

**Don't forget to sign up for these other giveaways:

Colors Are Fun! DVD - Ends 3/31

Barney: Egg-Cellent Adventures DVD - Ends 4/2

Dwizzle Dee DVD - Ends 4/12

*A product was received for the purpose of this review.*

Dwizzle Dee DVD Review +{Giveaway} (CLOSED)

We were recently introduced to a new DVD that we'd never heard about before. Dwizzle Dee is a fun interactive children's DVD made specifically with preschoolers in mind.  It teaches kids new songs, helps them use their imagination, and let's them learn in a fun, engaging way.


If you're like me and have never heard of this, you'll have to go check out their website.  It carries a great description of the DVD and also offers a great preview of the movie, fun pages to print for your kids, and more.


My 4 year old son had a great time viewing this DVD. Dwizzle Dee kept him engaged and he was learning without even knowing it. He loved the parts when he could "help" find the right colors and other things.


I like many things about this video. Mostly I love the teaching aspects it has for children. I would say that children older than preschool age will most likely be bored by it. It is really targeted at the younger aged children.

Buy It:The Dwizzle Dee 

DVD is available on their website and also at Amazon.

Win It: I have two (2) copies of Dwizzle Dee DVD to give to you lucky readers!

To Enter: Go to the Dwizzle Dee website, and tell me which character you like best.  Be sure to include your e-mail address, so I can contact you when you win. (If I can't find an e-mail or don't already have it, I will draw a new number for the winner.)

Extra Entries: If you'd like to, you may earn extra entries for doing each of the following. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each. You must do the above (main) entry, then you can do these others.

*Post about the giveaway on your blog and leave the link here. (2 entries)

*Post about the giveaway on Twitter and leave the link here.

**You may do this once each day for unlimited entries until the contest ends.** Cut & Paste:

 Enter to win Dwizzle Dee DVD from @psmomreviews - 

http://tinyurl.com/yjndvfy

*Follow me on Twitter.

*Subscribe to this blog by a feed reader.

*Subscribe to this blog by e-mail.

*Become a follower (or you already are).

*Enter one of my other giveaways, then come back here and let me know which one you entered. You may do this for one extra entry.

This giveaway is open now through Monday, April 12th. I will post a winner on Tuesday, April 13th.

>Open to USA and Canada only!<

**Don't forget to sign up for these other giveaways:

Colors Are Fun! DVD - Ends 3/31

Barney: Egg-Cellent Adventures DVD - Ends 4/2

*A product was received for the purpose of this review.*

Barney: Egg-Cellent Adventures DVD Review + {Giveaway} (CLOSED)

Easter is almost here. Kids will love celebrating with Barney in his new Barney: Egg-Cellent Adventures DVD! This will be a perfect gift for any child's Easter basket.


Barney is always encouraging children to use their imaginations. In this new DVD Barney & Friends have a tee-rific time with Mother Goose, a nest full of eggs, and a mysterious, carrot-eating visitor. Come join them in a hopping good time!  The episodes include: "Rabbits", "Mother Goose", "Ducks and Fish".

We love having themed DVDs to enjoy each season. This is a great one for all young kids to enjoy around the Easter holiday and springtime.

The Barney: Egg-Cellent Adventures DVD runs about 42 minutes long. It is aimed at children ages 1-5.  The DVD also includes two fun games "Barney's Easter Egg Hunt" and "Gumdrops Matching Game" that your children can enjoy.

Buy It: The Barney: Egg-Cellent Adventures DVD is available in stores and online now.

Win It: I have one (1) copy of Barney: Egg-Cellent Adventures DVD to give to you lucky readers!

To Enter: Tell me what your child (or little one in your life) is most looking forward to for Easter.  Be sure to include your e-mail address, so I can contact you when you win. (If I can't find an e-mail or don't already have it, I will draw a new number for the winner.)

Extra Entries: If you'd like to, you may earn extra entries for doing each of the following. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each. You must do the above (main) entry, then you can do these others.

*Post about the giveaway on your blog and leave the link here. (2 entries)

*Post about the giveaway on Twitter and leave the link here.

**You may do this once each day for unlimited entries until the contest ends.** Cut & Paste:

 Enter to win Barney: Egg-Cellent Adventures DVD from @psmomreviews - http://tinyurl.com/yghkgfz 

*Follow me on Twitter.

*Subscribe to this blog by a feed reader.

*Subscribe to this blog by e-mail.

*Become a follower (or you already are).

*Enter one of my other giveaways, then come back here and let me know which one you entered. You may do this for one extra entry.

This giveaway is open now through Friday, April 2nd. I will post a winner on Saturday, April 3rd.

>Open to USA and Canada only!<

**Don't forget to sign up for these other giveaways:

Colors Are Fun! DVD - Ends 3/31

*A product was received for the purpose of this review.*

Tax Time

Tax time is just around the corner.  Have you finished your taxes? Ours are done, and we're trying to patiently wait for our return now.

If you need help completely your taxes, give Tax Act a try.  You can file your Federal tax return for FREE! Get done early this year with your taxes too.

Colors Are Fun DVD Review & {Giveaway} (CLOSED)

More preschool fun has come our way from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment. The new "Colors Are Fun!" DVD is vibrant and energetic with all the characters that your kids love. See the big stars like Barney, Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Fifi and the Flowertots and Kipper all on one exciting DVD.

The colorful adventures keep with the theme of these characters. They are all about helping one another, having friends, and using imagination to learn so many things.  The episodes are Barney - "Colors", Bob the Builder - "Scrambler and the Colorful Cave", Thomas & Friends - "Smoke and Mirrors", Fireman Sam - "Seeing Red", and Kipper - "Rainbow Puddle".  And the DVD includes a bonus episode of Fifi and the Flowertots - "Blueberry Surprise".

My son and I enjoyed this special DVD with all the characters that we can enjoy together. This is one that the younger ones will love to watch over and over again.

The Colors Are Fun! DVD runs about 53 minutes long. It is aimed at children ages 2-5.

Buy It: The Colors Are Fun! DVD is available in stores and online now.

Win It: I have one (1) copy of Colors Are Fun! DVD to give to you lucky readers!

To Enter: Tell me what your child (or little one in your life) says his or her favorite color is.  Be sure to include your e-mail address, so I can contact you when you win. (If I can't find an e-mail or don't already have it, I will draw a new number for the winner.)

Extra Entries: If you'd like to, you may earn extra entries for doing each of the following. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each. You must do the above (main) entry, then you can do these others.

*Post about the giveaway on your blog and leave the link here. (2 entries)

*Post about the giveaway on Twitter and leave the link here.

**You may do this once each day for unlimited entries until the contest ends.** Cut & Paste:

 Enter to win Colors are Fun! DVD from @psmomreviews - http://tinyurl.com/yjh8gux 

*Follow me on Twitter.

*Subscribe to this blog by a feed reader.

*Subscribe to this blog by e-mail.

*Become a follower (or you already are).

*Enter one of my other giveaways, then come back here and let me know which one you entered. You may do this for one extra entry.

This giveaway is open now through Wednesday, March 31st. I will post a winner on Thursday, April 1st.

>Open to USA and Canada only!<

**Don't forget to sign up for these other giveaways:

Ear Cuffies - Ends 3/25

*A product was received for the purpose of this review.*

Home Depot Savings Newsletter

If you shop at Home Depot, you might be interested in this offer here.  They have an e-mail newsletter that will send you special offers, coupons, and promotions going on now at Home Depot.  What are you waiting for? Sign up to start saving today!

Help for people with diabetes

Do you or a loved one have diabetes? If you could use a FREE Diabetes One Touch Meter, all you have to do is fill out a short survey to make sure you qualify.  Or if this is something you know someone else could use, please pass this along.

Lands' End Habour Island Promotion

You won't want to miss this!  Lands' End and reps from Island Of The Bahamas and iexplore.com are having a Twitter Event today to celebrate the Lands' End's Bahama Adventure to Harbour Island Promotion at The Hub.   This is a site with informaiton about traveling through the summer. There is also a chance to win a trip for four to the pink-sand beaches of Harbour Island.

What:  A Lands' End Harbour Island Twitter Event
When: Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Time: 7:00PM - 9:00PM CST
Where: Twitter- #landsend
How: Be on Twitter and follow @LEprMichele, @LEprMolly, @LEprLibby, @VisitTheBahamas, 
@iexplore and @iexplore_Amanda



Sounds like a fun time! Maybe I'll see you there tonight!




*This post is part of my participation in the Lands' End Harbour Island blog promotion.*

The Well-Behaved Child Book Review

What every parent wants most is a well behaved child. In his new book, The Well-Behaved Child: Discipline That Really Works!, John Rosemond looks to help parents do just that.

Going back a few generations and using techniques and ideas that are not entirely new, Rosemond hits a chord with me as a parent. The ideas may not be totally unique, and that's OK. The way to make it work for each family is about the way that discipline is presented to your children.  In The Well-Behaved Child, Rosemond gives lots of great suggestions for children of all ages. He gives helpful advice about how to parent.

I have learned many things from this book, and I have even reread it.  One of the biggest things for me is finding my voice as a parent. I know that I am in charge and I must portray that to my child at all times.  There were a few ideas in the book that I thought were a little extreme. They may not be for me or my family, but still I can see how they would work.

So if you're looking for new ideas or just a refresher, The Well-Behaved Child is a great book to pick up. Anyone who is a parent of a child age 3 and up will get some great things from this.

Buy It: The Well-Behaved Child by John Rosemond is available from Thomas Nelson Publishers in stores everywhere and online from Amazon as well.


*A product was provided for the purpose of this review.*

General Mills reduces sugar in cereal

Cereal lovers everywhere have great news coming their way! General Mills has made a commitment to reduce sugar in their cereals advertised to kids under 12 years of age to single digit grams of sugar per serving. They have been working already on increasing calcium, vitamin D, and whole grains while decreasing sugar.

People who eat cereal already consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber that non-cereal eaters. And cereals can deliver vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients that are important in a child's diet.

Other cereal benefits:

• Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.


• Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today.


• More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.

If you'd like to read more information about children and cereals, go visit Cereal Health and Wellness. And you can print a $1 off coupon for General Mills cereals for your family to try for themselves.

*General Mills provided me with free product and information through MyBlogSpark.*