review – Page 109 – Luv Saving Money

Holiday Quickie Giveaway: win a holiday classic on Bluray!

Warner Brothers wants to wish you and yours a happy holiday season. They’ve put together a fun holiday app for their 90th anniversary. Are you a holiday movie buff? Take the holiday movie challenge and see just how big of a fan you are. Or do the super fun Decode-a-Scene game where they show you a seen from a holiday movie and you see if you can guess which one it is.

If you’re not into the games that’s ok, check out the Holiday Survival Guide they put together. Or the Shopping Survival Guide below with Warner Brothers titles. I have to say I agree with the “For Her” suggestion hint hint lol.

That’s not all folks, 1 Luv Saving Money readers will have a chance to win a classic holiday BluRay. The winner will receive a random title from available titles of either Peanuts Deluxe Holiday Collection, Classic Christmas Favorites, or Dr. Seuss Deluxe Holiday Collection! Sorry you won’t be able to choose but I know I’d love to have any of them.

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money readers will win a title chosen by Warner Bros

from available holiday titles that include:

Peanuts Deluxe Holiday Collection

Classic Christmas Favorites

Dr Seuss Deluxe Holiday Collection

on Bluray

US ONLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***I wrote this post as a Partnershub blogger. I did not receive any compensation for this post. ***

Don’t Know What to Wear for the Holidays? Shabby Apple

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Shabby Apple. It is my go to place when I want a classy outfit to wear for an event or even just to go to church.

Shabby Apples has has a gorgeous selection of dresses that are feminine while still being modest. That’s what I love about it. I know anything I choose from Shabby Apple will be quality and I don’t have to worry if it’s too short or revealing.

This time around I wanted to find a nice dress to wear for Christmas. I had a few things in mind, It had to be warm and it had to accomodate my growing baby bump. Shabby Apple does have a maternity selection. They also have “maternity friendly” dresses which I think are a great option for us frugal folks since you can wear them post baby then too.

I’ll admit though when I was looking at those sections I didn’t see anything that looked particularly warm to me. I mean I live in Pennsylvania and Christmas in PA can get cold. So I found the “Ursa” dress from Shabby Apple. I though, hmmm that looks like it would cover my bump without making the dress fit to funny. Then I could wear it after too! Well thankfully I was right. Here I am in the Ursa dress I picked out from Shabby Apple.

It’s not too heavy but it’s a lovely knit that feels soft and warm on my skin. It has a belt that ties around it that kind of blends with the dress a bit. The cowl neck on the dress adds a little dimension to the top. I plan on accessorizing this dress for the holidays with red polish, red lipstick, and a red stone necklace. Possibly some red dress shoes too but not sure yet. I posted this pic on my facebook page and got a few very nice compliments already.

***I received this dress at no cost as part of the Shabby Apple blogger/affiliate program. I did not receive any other compensation for this post. Any opinions expressed are my own***

Shoplet review: Help make wrapping easier for the holidays

Shoplet.com offers a wide range of office supplies for your home or work office. It’s not just paper clips and pens but desks, coffee and breakroom supplies (even for your home), ink, usb adapters, and much much more.

It’s that time a year. We’re getting our holiday shopping done and it’s time to start wrapping. I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of wrapping the gifts after I bought them. I find it more of a necessity than anything. So anything to help make wrapping quicker and easier is ok in my book.

The Westcott Scissors Mouse is shaped similarly to a computer mouse. It has a small rolling blade that make it easier for cutting your wrapping paper, coupons, paper crafts, etc. You do not come in contact with the blade when you use it so it’s safe even for children to use and won’t harm your surfaces.

This is what the bottom of it looks like. The red, sort of tab looking thing at the bottom, is a the paper guide. The paper should slide between that and the mouse itself. You need to use this on a hard surface though like a table or hard floor. I tried to use it in my bedroom to wrap gifts where the kids couldn’t see me thinking my carpet was flat enough to use it but it wasn’t. I tried it with some paper while sitting on the hard wood floor and at the table and it worked fine. My 8 year old son tried it too and liked using it. He cut up a piece of paper into about 6 pieces in the matter of a few seconds.

Another product we got to try is the Westcott Kids Scissors with Microban Protection. They are made with stainless steel safety blades so no sharp edges for little fingers. The handle has microban protection prevent bacterial odor growth.

My youngest son likes to “help” mommy cut coupons. He can’t really cut on the lines so I usually give him an advertisment sheet or coupons I’m not going to use to let him try to cut. He’s not the best with using scissors yet but at least with the Westcott Kids Scissors I didn’t need to worry if he would cut himself or his clothes. Would also be good for little ones that might want to help wrap gifts or for Christmas craft activities.

Last but not least the Westcott Titanium Bonded 8″ Non-Stick Straight Scissors. The titanium bonded blades are 10 times stronger than steel blades. They are good for lefties or righties. I have been using the same pair of scissors I had since I was a kid. I can’t believe I still have them and they’re still usable but they are. I didn’t realize how dull my scissors were though until I tried these. I used these when I couldn’t use the scissors mouse in my bedroom. It sliced smoothly through the wrapping paper. The grip is very comfortable .

***I received the above mentioned products to review as part of the Shoplet blogger program. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Any opinions expressed are my own.***

Tuttorosso’s Ultimate Daily Giveaway and a review

Tuttorosso is a family owned company. They grow tomatoes that are some of the most sought after in the midwest. Grown in natural conditions, not hot houses.

I had never tried their brand of tomato products before but I had the opportunity recently.

They sent me a few recipes that I could use to try out some of the products they sent me. This momma likes easy but I also want it to taste good. I decided to try the Savory Skillet Chicken recipe using the Tuttorosso’s Peeled Plum Shaped Tomatoes.

This recipe couldn’t have been easier. It actually called for mushrooms too but since the kids and I aren’t big mushroom fans I omitted those.

It’s super simple you just cut a few chicken breasts up into bits size pieces, add the can of Tuttorosso’s Peeled Plum Shaped Tomatoes, crush the tomatoes in the pan, a can of Tuttorosso’s tomato paste and heat it until sauce thickens. You can then put this over pasta. We chose to put it over rice though which was just as good.

Everyone enjoyed it. The Tuttorosso tomatoes had so much flavor. I didn’t even need to add an spices to the dish.

Tuttorosso’s has the Ultimate Daily Giveaway going on on their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/tuttorossotomato Head over and like their page then register daily to win prizes! They have Tuttorosso Tuesdays and Thursdays where you can win a gift basket with Tuttorosso products. Some of the other prizes for this week include things like a Paula Deen 12 qt Stockpot, a Microplane herb mill, and more. Enter everyday until Dec. 22, 2012. You can read their official rules here: http://www.redgold.com/docs/pdf-documents/tuttorosso-ultimate-daily-giveaway-rules.pdf?sfvrsn=6

***I was provided with a Tuttorosso review kit in order to complete this post. I did not receive any other compensation for this post. Any opinions expressed are my own.***

LEGO Kidsfest 2012 in Pittsburgh

If you ever get the opportunity to go to a LEGO Kidsfest, I highly recommend it. My family and I were so excited to see that LEGO Kidsfest was coming to Pittsburgh again this year. As a member of the USFamilyGuide.com blogger program, my boys and I had the opportunity to go and review this year’s LEGO Kidsfest. We had gone the last time they were in Pittsburgh so it was neat to see what was different and what favorites were still there.

We went on Friday, Nov 30, 2012. Yep opening day session from 4:00 – 8:30. Last year we had gone to the 2nd Saturday session. Not sure if it was because it was a Friday this year or if they really streamlined things this year but we got right in, no waiting in line. Granted we got there about 10 minutes after 4 too but we were practically able to walk right in. The staff that checked out tickets was very professional and polite. Every staff member we encountered was very enthusiastic and helpful.

One of the first things I noticed walking in was a yellow tent at the entrance with a sign that said “Lost parents tent” which I thought was kinda cute. If you and your child get separated, it’s a meeting place and they can make an announcement to reunite you. They also had the LEGO club tent. My 8 yr old is a LEGO club member. He had remembered his post card and got a free prize for bringing it in. There was a lot of related vendors there too with cool things to show the kids.

Just about anywhere you walk in the Kidsfest you’ll see the giant LEGO models built by LEGO’s master builders. The boys got their pictures taken by a few of their favorites, but there was so many.

Another thing you’ll find placed throughout the LEGO Kidsfest is the monochrome builds. The kids were invited to make their own monochrome creations and put them on display.

There is something for everyone at LEGO Kidsfest from the littlest to the biggest LEGO fans. If you get tired you can sit and watch LEGO shows at the theater which was new this year. They added lost of tables and chairs by the eateries so there was plenty of room to relax and enjoy and quick meal before you run off and discover more LEGO fun.

There was a LEGO Duplo area for the little ones. My youngest liked this part. They had little building tables set up as well as a big Duplo pile for them to build and crawl through. Certain times during the Kidsfest there was also story time and activities geared towards the littlest fans.

They had a few LEGO models that the little ones could climb in and touch.

I had each of my older boys write up their own short paragraph on LEGO Kidsfest. Here is my 8 year old’s version (his words)

“We went to LEGO Kidsfest on Friday. My mom was given some tickets and I’m a LEGO club member. My favorite thing that I did was play the Wii U. My favorite thing I saw was the giant LEGO statues. That was half the stuff I did there”

Now for my 10 year old’s version

“Where I live it’s a long drive to Pittsburgh, but it was worth it when I got to LEGO Kidsfest. It is great. My favorite part was the building competition. I came in 3rd out of 5. Buy tickets next time.”

My boys participated in a bridge building competition. They were put in a group of 6 total. They had to try to make a bridge that would hold the most weight against other teams. It was a good team work experience. Even though they didn’t win that competition. They still had fun.

There were so many other things too like the LEGO racer area where kids could build their own racers then race them down ramps. They had the map of the US where kids could build a piece to add to the map. There was a LEGO mural they could contribute to, and so much more. We actually didn’t have time to do everything but thanks to the handy map they gave us when we went in, we were able to plan and make sure they got to do the major things on their list.

In my opinion Friday seemed to be a lot less busy than the Saturday we went last year. But regardless we had fun both times.

Check out LEGOKidsfest.com to see an upcoming schedule for 2013. Also don’t forget to check out USFamilyGuide.com for your guide to fun things in your area and discounts!

***I received free tickets to review LEGO Kidsfest as part of the US Family Guide blogger program. No other compensation has been received.***