Purex Supports Make-A-Wish

**I will be receiving Purex detergent upon submission of this campaign as a Purex Insider**
I try to support charities whenever I can.  There are certain causes that truly move me.  I’m drawn to children’s charities often.  Make-A-Wish is one that I donate to or help with in some way when I can.  I also love working with companies that go beyond just putting a good product on the shelf.  When a company does more and gives back, that’s a company that makes me loyal to the brand.

Purex has teamed up with  Make-A-Wish for the “Bright Washes, Bright Wishes” campaign.  Purex is going to make a minimum $250,000 donation to Make-A-Wish but you can help them to do more, up to $400,000!  Every time you purchase a bottle of Purex liquid detergent or Purex liquid softener between February 1 to February 28, 2014 5 cents per bottle of liquid detergent for the first 4 million bottles sold then increase to 10 cents per bottle for every bottle sold over the first 4 million. For Purex liquid fabric softener classic and ulta lines in Mountain Breeze and Sweet Lavender scent, 8 cents per bottle will be donated for the first 620,000 bottles sold and increase to 10 cents per bottle donated after the first 620,000 are sold!

purex makeawish

 

Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy . Children that have been a part of the program say it gives them a renewed strength to keep fighting their illness and the experience is uplifting for the entire family.  This is why Purex supports Make-A-Wish.

This cause is close to home for me.  Years ago I had a cousin who was diagnosed with Leukemia around age 14.  He was very active in BMX and other sports.  He was granted a wish through Make-A-Wish and he chose a swimming pool.  The whole family was able to enjoy it, including myself.  Many a summer was spent together swimming at the pool.  You know what, my cousin beat Leukemia and is now married and has 3 children himself.  So for those out there with this burden on your shoulders, don’t give up, keep on fighting!

I was just sitting here wondering if I have pictures from any gatherings.  I’ll have to check.  If I do I’ll have to scan one and post it.  I think Make-A-Wish is a wonderful cause.  Giving family a brief time where they can almost forget about the burden for a minute and just enjoy a moment this wonderful charity can give them.  You can see the Purex Bright Washes Bright Wishes campaign page here: http://www.purex.com/make-a-wish

I look at my beautiful babies and just can’t imagine what it would be like to deal with something like that.  I hope I never have to find out.  All I know is I send my thoughts and positive thoughts to the families that are dealing with this situation and applaud Purex for doing more!

Christmas card 2013

GIVEAWAY

3 US Luv Saving Money readers will win

a coupon for a FREE bottle or Purex Mountain Breeze detergent

US only

Purex Crystals New Fresh Mountain Breeze Scent

**I received a sample of Purex Crystals New Mountain Fresh scent as part of the Purex Insiders.  Giveaway coupons are provided by Purex.  Any opinions expressed are my own**

I LOVE Purex Crystals. I mean seriously love them. It’s not something I’d say you NEED for your laundry but I think of it like fragrance for your laundry that also happens to soften them without ruining your laundry.  One of my favorite things to use Purex Crystals with is the bedding.  There is nothing like washing my bed sheets, comforter, and pillows with Purex Crystals and getting the lovely sent and softness to help you nod off to dreamland.  Now they’ve introduced a new scent, Purex Crystals New Fresh Mountain Breeze Scent.

Purex Crystals Mountain Breeze

 

I love this because if you didn’t already know, Purex also makes a Fresh Mountain Breeze laundry detergent.  Coupled together this is a really great pair.  Even if you don’t user the Mountain Breeze detergent though, you’re still getting a wonderful scent.

Purex Crystals are easy to use.  Just use the handy cap to measure the amount of fragrance you want, toss them in the wash with your laundry and that’s it.

Purex Crystals mountain breeze close up

 

Purex Crystals are a 90% natural softener.  They do not reduce the absorbency of towels like some fabric softeners do.  They also do not reduce the effectiveness of moisture wicking materials.

I washed my comforter for my bed and all of my youngest son’s bed clothes with the crystals.  The scent was lovely.  I like to use a smaller amount just because I like a subtle scent when it comes to fabrics.  If you like a bolder scent go ahead and add a little more than I do.  I do like the Mountain Breeze Scent.  It is very similar to their laundry detergent of the same scent.  It’s not what I expected but it’s still really nice.

In true Purex fashion, they’re celebrating their new crystals scent with a sweepstakes.  You can enter their “Over the Mountain and Through the Woods Sweepstakes” where you can  win the grand prize of $500 or one of a hundred 2nd place prizes for a coupon for FREE Purex Crystals Fresh Mountain Breeze!   ENTER HERE!

GIVEAWAY

3 US Luv Saving Money readers will win 

a coupon for a FREE bottle of Purex Crystals Fresh Mountain Breeze

US ONLY

 

 

**review item received.  Regardless I only do honest reviews**

Baby Girl Dresses from Twirly Girl

**I received an outfit from TwirlyGirl to complete an honest review.  No other compensation has been received.  Opinions are mine**

I remember as a young girl myself, I used to  love to wear dresses.  I loved dressed that would twirl. I always thought if I had a baby girl I’d love to get her cute twirly baby girl dresses like these.   I remember watching the older movies where women would wear these knee length dresses or skirts.  They’d spin around and the dress would spin with them.  I remember seeing figure skaters with these looks skirts on their outfits and watch them spin as they skated and the skirts would cling to them as the did beautiful jumps, spins, and ice dances.  I definitely remember myself trying to make my dress spin when I had on a twirly skirt.

After 3 boys I finally had my daughter last spring.  I love my boys but I was so excited to buy girly things for a change.  The practical side of me wants her to be comfortable and dress for the weather but the girly side of me wants as much sequins, pink, and bows as I can find.  TwirlyGirlShop.com is a fun shop to combine all these in a dress for baby girl.  I received the Original Reversible Twirly Girl Baby Dress with Bloomers in the style Fairy Magical Wishes.  I did a short YouTube video to show you the dress.

 

As I stated in the video it’s a little big for my daughter right now.  She is currently 10 months old and is wearing size 12 months comfortably.  The dress I received is 18-24 month size.  I went ahead and put it on her though just so you could see how it might look. They have lots of styles of baby girl dresses though.

Twirly girl dress pink TwirlyGirl dress blueThe dress has a tie in the back that I showed in the video.  I assumed it would go in the back but they description actually says you can put that in the front of the back so there is really no right or wrong way to wear this dress.  As much as I love pink i really like the blue side on my daughter . Right now she has blue eyes so I think it brings it out a little bit.

Twirly Girl describes their clothing as wearable art.  I was interested to find out that this particular dress says that only 40 of them have been created.  Really that’s not much.  Think about it if one dress was sent to each state there would be 10 states where no one would have this dress at all.  So I’d say it’s pretty unique.  I love the reversible feature, especially with babies.  Maybe she spits up a little bit.  You do the wipe off with a baby wipe or whatever but the stain is still there.  No problem, you just turn the dress around and tada! good as new.  I think this is an excellent feature for dresses for baby girls.

The dress is so soft.  It’s made of 96% polyester and 4% spandex.  It’s stretchy and easy to slide on and off.  I love the fact that it’s machine washable.  To me, there’s no point in having a fun comfortable dress if it’s a hassle to clean.  I can just toss it in the wash with the rest of her clothes.  You get 2 outfits in 1 with Twirly Girl.  Yea the price is a little more than I would normally spend on a regular dress but the fact that it’s reversible and you really get two looks out of it, well that would make me change my mind.  The uniqueness of the dress would be another factor for me. Visit TwirlyGirl and see all they have to offer.

But of course this is Luv Saving Money so I have coupon code for you.  Luv Saving Money readers’ coupon for 15% off your entire purchase:  Fun57TG  at TwirlyGirlShop.com.  Just put the coupon code in the coupon code box at checkout! Just a note, the coupon code does not work for sale items, design your own dress, or gift certificates.

You can find TwirlyGirl on these social media sites:

Twitter: @TwirlyGirlUSA

Facebook: facebook.com/TwirlyGirlShop

Instagram: instagram.com/twirlygirlshop/

Google+: plus.google.com/u/0/b/111344288586235005979/+Twirlygirlshop

Pinterest: pinterest.com/twirlygirlshop/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TwirlyGirlShopUSA

**product received for review.  Regardless I only post honest reviews**

Get a Deal Give to Charity with GiveandSave.com

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Valentines event 2014
Who doesn’t love a deal right?  We all have our budgets and limits when it comes to treating ourselves or gifting to someone else.  Sometimes there’s not enough room in our budget to donate to charity like some might like to do.  Or you might have that friend who says, “I don’t want a gift just make a donation to charity for me”.  But really, you’d like to give them an actual physical gift.  All this stuff I just rambled on about, there’s a site to help.  Get a deal give to charity with GiveandSave.com.

give and save please help

 

GiveandSave.com helps you find local deals up to 75% off and give up to 50% back to a charity that YOU choose.  GiveandSave.com is set up similarly to daily deal sites but of course, the idea is much different.  Register for a free account on GiveandSave.com.  When you do, you can select from a list of charities that you would like them to donate to when you do make a purchase.  A few of the charities available to choose from include: Humane Society of the United States, American Red Cross, City of Hope, and more.  I personally chose Relay for Life Goodyear but if I should change my mind down the road and want a different charity to benefit, I can do that.

give and save red cross

 

Right now some of the deals on their site would make nice Valentine Gifts.  I selected Pittsburgh for my area.  There are two piece of jewelry:  a stacked heart necklace and a linking heart necklace.  Each one is originally $40 but you can get them at 70% off for only $12 a piece with free shipping right now!  They also have armbands for both iphone and Samsung phones that are perfect for runners and walkers to keep your phone close but not in the way. Check out all the other deals available on GiveandSave.com now.  If you’re looking to save money on a date night, they have a $100 Restaurant.com gift certificate available for $30!

Most of the deals available have free shipping unless otherwise stated. Right now there’s not a ton of products to choose from but they’re a fairly new site.  Also I’d love to see more charities available.  If we can help this site grow perhaps they can grow their list too.

Which deal do you like on the site?  Which charity do you think you’ll support?
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Visit to Snapology in South Hills Pittsburgh

**I had the opportunity to review Snapology in South Hills Pittsburgh through the US Family Guide PittsburghKidsGuide.com.  The visit was my compensation.  Any opinions expressed are my own**

Snapology South Hills building

As a mom who had never been to any Snapology site before.  I did some reading before I went.  It’s a good idea to check the hours to see when they’re open.  We decided to go on Monday January 20 since the weather wasn’t too bad that day and the kids had off of school.  Mondays this particular site is open 10 am until 2 pm.  Tuesday 5:30-7:30 pm, well it’s different hours each day.  Checking out their website makes it easier to plan your trip.

Snapology has a lot of different opportunities for your children.  They host birthday parties, they have cool camps like the LEGO Minecraft camps, combat robot rumble tournament, and lots more.  My 10 yr old son is a LEGO fanatic and he told me he would have loved to do the LEGO Minecraft camp as he is also a Minecraft gamer as well.

We had a little trouble finding the building itself.  I called ahead to confirm hours, address, and get any tips from them as far as if we should bring anything.  There wasn’t.  She just told us to make sure we wear socks because there was a room with an interactive game on the floor that the kids would take their shoes off in.  She also told us that the GPS would tell us we were there when we weren’t quite there.  She told us to make sure we turned onto Highland Park Rd.   Just for anyone else trying to find it you turn left onto Highland Park Rd. from Washington Rd.  You’re turning left into the mall area.  There is a small plaza on your left. Stay in the left lane.  It’s the tan building with the striped awning that I have in the picture above.  I ended up not finding it right away but I called them and the girl was very sweet and stayed on the phone with me until I found it.  I don’t know a lot of places that will do that!

Snapology in the South Hills is located on the 2nd floor.  Go in the entrance I have pictured above. You can take the steps or the elevator to the 2nd floor.  When you get there is’s a very big open room.  You can see LEGO…well lots of LEGO stuff as well as other building materials.  The kids were anxious to get in there and check everything out. They registered us making sure they took info for each kid so they could make sure everyone left together as well.

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Bright colors and obvious stations were placed throughout the big room.  There were a couple of other rooms for the classes and camps.  There was also the room with the game on the floor I mentioned earlier.

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The area closest to the registration desk is a toddler section that has LEGO Duplo tables and bricks on the floor.  There were soft cubes for parents to sit on in this area.  There were small baskets with more Duplos in them.   There were other small activities nestled in other ares.  I didn’t do a good job of getting it in this hot but there is a red base on the wall in the back with a trough attached. It had letter bricks in it that the kids could attach to the base and spell words or whatever they like.

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This was right next to the toddler section.  These large pieces were foam.  There was a ball you could use to make a ball maze of sorts with ramps and tunnels.  My youngest son tried this out.  Actually on my instagram you’ll see my daughter enjoyed playing around with some of these pieces too.

There were things there for each age, skill level, and motor abilities.  My oldest boys are 11 and 10 yrs old. They had fun with a number of things throughout.

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The race track was pretty cool.  It was actually a little bigger than what this picture makes it seem.  My boys had fun racing other kids that were at Snapology as well.  They also enjoyed the K’nex coaster that’s pictured in the top pic here.

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My daughter is 10 months old.  I initially wasn’t sure how much there was going to be for her to do safely.  We found plenty. This wall in the picture above is metal and has lots of magnets on it.  I sat with her on the floor and she enjoyed pulling the magnets off the wall.  Some  of them moved and spun and she was very interested in those.  She also found a big pile of foam LEGO bricks on the floor as well.

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She did also find the small regular LEGO bricks on the floor as she explored so yes, you definitely have to keep an eye on the small ones while you’re there.  They actually have a sign up that if your child is under 5 you must be present with them. If your children are over 5 they actually have a drop off and pick up service.  So let’s say you want to head over to that mall I mentioned you could register your kids, drop them off, go shopping by yourself and come back and pick them up.  You wouldn’t even have to feel guilty because your kids would be having a blast there and there is a pick up and drop off process as I mentioned earlier in this post.  If I had one of  these closer  I could see me using that service when I have a dentist appt. or if I wanted to get some Christmas shopping done around the holidays!

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There were other things other than LEGO bricks.  Like this wall race track, the other race track I mentioned, and the room with the game I pictured below.

Blog 003This was my youngest son’s favorite feature.  The game on the floor is projected and changes every so many minutes.  They only allow up to 4 kids in at a time.  In the game pictured my son was playing a sort of whack-a-mole game by stepping on the mice as they popped out of the cheese.  There are lots of games that cycle through though including a bubble popping game and a game where they stop on animated cockroaches…yuck!

Another instagram pic because this one shows the baby getting into the game too.  This particular one was a hockey game and he had to try too kick the puck into the goal.

If you live near the South Hills Pittsburgh, this Snapology site would be a great activity to break up some of the winter cabin fever.  Hands on, encourages creativity, mechanical reasoning, gross and fine motor activities, something for every age.

For a limited time, you can use this coupon from the US Family Guide to try out Snapology for yourself  Limited offer – receive a FREE hour of play at Snapology  http://www.pittsburghkidsguide.com/coupon.php?bid=9405&lid=10202&dealid=439®ionid=58

You can check out my instagram for a few more pics from our visit to Snapology in the South Hills Pittsburgh : instagram.com/angwith4

**Review completed as part of the US Family Guide blogger program.**