Reviewin’ It Up!

It’s Things I Love Thursday, and today I am going to tell you about my new favorite hair accessory for little girlie girls that Moms will also love - Bugalug!  The folks at Buglaug sent me some samples to try, so I tested them on my Sophie, whose favorite past time is to pull out hair clips.  They first thing I tried were the barrettes.  Right away I thought they were super-cute, and they looked very similar to others I had tried.  Turns out, they are very similar, but they stay in better!  Sophie has some of the Ribbies Clippies from Target, and I really like those, but the Bugalugs go them one better. They have a grippy silicon strip in the middle that has the most staying power of any clip I’ve tried. So kudos to them! Since they stay in so well, they can go anywhere.  Sophie wears hers to church, but also to play.  Here’s a photo of her in her Bugalug “Berry Delight Multistripe” barrette, playing at the river on our family vacation.

The other Bugalug product I tried was one of their headbands.  What I love about this is it is big enough for me and can be adjusted small enough for Sophie!  That’s right, she’s only 19 months old and  we are already sharing accessories!! What I like about the headbands is they are very easy to adjust, look great, and stay put really well.  They are also comfortable; when Sophie has hers in she never messes with it.  Here’s a picture of her rockin’ her headband:

I love that I can wear it too! It is ca-uute!!

There are a couple of other reasons to love Bugalug: All their products are handmade in Canada by stay-at-home moms and they have many, many designs to choose from which are hip, cool, and cute but not cutesy. Plus, their prices are VERY affordable!! As you all know, I am quite cheap. So a quality product at a reasonable price is important to me!

I love Bugalug! Go check ‘em out - I am sure you’ll love them too!  For more great Things I Love Thursday goodies, go see Jill at the Diaper Diaries!

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Since I’ve been couponing, I’ve tried out a lot of different household cleaners that I’ve gotten for (basically) free or FREE-99, as I like to say.  But there are a couple that really stand out, and I like them soo much that I wanted to tell you all about them.  No one even gave me a free sample or bribed me to tell you, I just WANT to!  So, here goes. 

Favorite product # 1: Dawn Direct Foam

 

This is the best dish soap EV-AH.  I never even really cared about dish soap until I met DDF.  This stuff foams out of the pump and it really works!  I love the foam because it’s not sticky or hard to rinse off like some dish soaps, but what I really love is this: if you squirt one pump into a crusty crock pot and leave it sit for an hour or two, it turns all the crustiness into easy-to-rinse-off mush!  It really is amazing!! So even though (thanks to my CVS shopping) I have enough dish soap to last a year, I’m going to give it all away and use my coupons and ExtraCare Bucks to buy Dawn Direct Foam!  It rocks!!

Favorite Product #2: Easy-Off Bam!

This was recommended to me by my friend and babysitter Krisha, who at the ripe old age of 14 is the chief bathroom cleaner in her household.  It was on the rebate program at Walgreens a couple of months ago so I got me some and it is GREAT!!  I ha-ate cleaning the tub and shower so when I get around to it, it’s generally a little, um, dirtier than it should be. And when I’m done, it’s usually still not as clean as I’d like!  Until now, that is! My shower and tub seriously sparkle now.  I have no idea what is in this stuff to make it dissove soap scum so well, but it is amazing.  My only caveat about this product is that it is pretty strong - the smell isn’t bad but the mist from the snap-crackle-popping foam bubbles is easy to breathe in, so I had to cover my nose and mouth with a cloth while I scrubbed. However, the clean was WELL WORTH IT!

So, if your house needs some clean, I recommend starting with these products!  Happy cleaning!

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The nice folks at Karen Neugurger sent Sammy a couple pairs of their new Plush Infant Socks to try, and let me tell you, they are awesome!    They are chenille “lounge socks” (because after a long, hard day, babies just need to relax!) and they are so cute.

Take a look:

They come in pearl and blue or pearl and pink, and they are designed to fit babies newborn to nine months.  They’re machine washable (thank goodness) and retail for $16 for two pair. 

The best part?  They actually stay on!!!  I know, it’s hard to believe, but they do.  Sammy’s been wearing them a lot, and it’s so nice not to have to constantly put them back on his feet.   AND, Sammy has a slight case of baby cankles, but since these socks are so soft, they don’t leave awful red rings around his ankles like some of his other socks do. 

These socks rock.  They are a great purchase to make for your own kids, or would come in super handy if you’re trying to buy a gift for the baby who has everything :)  Visit www.karenneuburger.com to order.

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It’s official, thanks to the good folks at Sony, I am now fully obsessed with taking pictures and I am a wannabe/aspiring photographer!  I am having so much fun with my new cameras and I have literally taken hundreds of photos of my kids in the past four days.  Thanks to some instruction from Me Ra Koh, I have taken some really beautiful photos with my Sony Alpha DSLR 300K. 

Photos like this:

And this:

And this:

This camera truly makes it easier than I could have thought to get great photos.  And thanks to Me Ra, I am now beginning to understand things like aperature, ISO and shutter speed so I can take my camera off of “AUTO” mode.  (None of these shots were taken in auto!!) 

The features I like best about the Alpha DSLR-300k are the incredibly high picture quality - it takes 10 megapixel pictures!  I had to size the above photos way, way down to get them to fit on the blog, because the original files are huge and the quality amazing.  Also, it has a large tiltable live preview LCD screen which is fabulous!  You can view the pictues immediately as you take them.  Finally, I love that it allows you to continuously take pictures really quickly - at up to 2 frames per second - so you don’t miss any action shots!  That is very important when you have active kiddos running around and constantly fidgeting.

This camera retails for around $700, but if you can swing it, it is well worth the money because the pics it produces are the shizzle and it really is EASY TO USE!!  Of course I had some instruction on it but I have - gasp! - actually consulted the manual a couple of times and it has been - double gasp!! - helpful!

So that’s my opinion on the Alpha.  For more photos I’ve taken with this camera, check out my Flickr photostream!

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 First of all, I would like to say, for the record, that there was absolutely no pressure put on me or any of the other  bloggers by the folks at Sony to blog about this event or their products. It was neither mentioned nor inferred.  But they were SO GREAT, there is no way I wouldn’t blog about the trip, the products, or the people I met.

When I first got the email inviting me to an all-expenses paid trip to California courtesy of the Sony Corporation, I was both shocked and dubious. I mean, things like this just do not happen to me!  Plus, they were offering spa treatments and free gifts!  Crazy!  What really got me hooked on going, though, is that it would a) give me a much-needed break from my daily life and b) we were going to test cameras!  I love taking pictures but wish I was a lot, lot, better at it.  They had booked a professional photographer to give us lessons (more on her later) and I was very excited about that!  But really - free trip?  They had me at “free”.

The flights there were long but uneventful, and I was tickled to see a driver with my name on a sign at the airport when I got there. Again - a surreal experience! I wish I would have gotten a picture of that!  When we got to the hotel, we were given a voucher for spa service and for dinner.  I ate a fancy dinner with Kim and Christina, had a great time, took some pics, and went to bed. I was very jet laggy.  Since I went to bed at 9 p.m. Cali time, I woke up at 5:30 a.m. Cali time!  I was still on my Ohio schedule!  Our sessions with Sony didn’t start until 9 a.m. Ha! I had puh-lenty of time to get ready, since I only had myself to worry about!  It was weird just having to take care of me, but great.  I mean I got a shower without the kids being in the bathroom with me! That’s luxury, baby.

There were 14 other Mommy Bloggers at the event, and when we all walked into the conference room, we were greeted with a very special treat: three of Sony’s cameras, the ones we were going to be testing, at our seats, waiting for us, but also given to us. FOR KEEPS!  I could hardly believe it!  We were not only testing the products we got to take them home!  We got the Cybershot DSC-T2, the Alpha DSLR-A200K, and the Handycam HDR-SR11. I was floored. Give me a free trip and a couple grand in free products?  Did I have to sign over my firstborn child? Join a harem? Was there a catch?

Believe it or not, there really was no catch.  Just a room full of Sony folk legitimately wanting to know what moms think about their products.  It was so refreshing.  All the presenters with Sony told us the different reasons how and why they wanted to market to women, and moms in particular.  I must say this is a first for a technology company.  I think it goes without saying that most technology products are produced for and marketed to the male consumer.  But Sony is looking to change that. And dangit if they weren’t so nice about it.  I kept thanking each Sony rep I’d meet for bringing us to La Jolla and for all the great treatment we were getting.  The response was always the same: “Thank you so much for coming and giving your valuable time to give us this important feedback.”  They were as grateful to  have me there as I was to be there!

After some introduction and training on the cameras, as well as a great lunch, we got into our photo tips session with photographer Me Ra Koh.  (Pronounce it “Meera” like it’s all one word.)  She is amazing.  Not just as a photographer, but as a woman, a mom, and a  blogger. We had the best time with her.  I encourage you to check out her photography site and her blog.  She has also recently produced a set of DVDs that I’m going to be reviewing and giving away soon, so stay tuned for that!  After some practice shooting with our SLRs, we had a little free time, and I got a wonderful massage. THANK YOU SONY!  That was the best hour I’ve had in a looong time.  Oh my gosh. It was awesome!  Although I did get into a small non-relaxing debate with the masseuse about whether or not  it was ok to give Sophie whole milk while I was gone. (I was of the opinon that it was fine. The massage therapist…not so much.) Yeah…we had to drop that subject.  I’ll have to blog on that later.  After that, I left feeling all relaxed and happy, and we all went to a fancy-schmancy dinner at a restaurant called Azul’s. It was sooo good. I had a great time!  I got to sit next to the fabulous Me Ra and she was so nice.  We had a great talk and a lot of laughs!

Then it was off to bed…the next morning was early and busy.  We had just a couple of hours of sessions before it was time to go home!! We made prints of some of the photos we had taken the day before and Me Ra and her husband Brian critiqued them for us.  It was really fun to see the shots everyone had gotten!  Then, it was  over and I was whisked off to the airport by a uniformed driver (who, me??).  In all the rush I somehow lost my laptop power adapter. :(  Very sad indeed! I am not sure if I left it at the hotel (called, haven’t heard back) or in the airport…I had to unpack my laptop bag to get thru security, and again when I was pumping my breasts in the airport bathroom. So, that was kind of a bummer, but considering all I gained on the trip, not so bad! 

Let me share a few pictures I took with my CyberShot. Sony is shipping my other two cameras to me and I am going to do a full review of all three cameras once I have tested them thoroughly!  I am even going to try and do my first VIDEO review of the CyberShot. Exciting stuff! In the meantime, here are some shots:

This is the first pic I took with my CyberShot. I call it “Jenny likey free camera.” I thought this one looked kind cool.  Watch out, Me Ra Koh!This was the view from the meeting roomThis is a view of the meeting room - the veranda was off of our meeting room, the garden below is where we had lunch!Of course I had to get some practice in with the CyberShot when I got home, on my two little favorite subjects!
They were a sight for sore eyes indeed!So to recap: The time away was great, the fancy schmancy treatments rocked, the free cameras were amazing, Me Ra Koh is inspiring, and Sony is the technology company that gives a crap what YOU as a MOM thinks. Who knew??Stay tuned for my reviews coming in the next couple weeks of the CyberShot, the Handycam, and the Alpha DSLR!

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I made it to California!  Even though I text messaged Emily frantically several times assuring her that I was bound to miss a flight, my neuroses had it all wrong on this one, and I arrives safe and sound, with not even any interesting travel tales!  Well, actually, I was dying to take a picture of one of our stewardesses on my first flight. She was a COUGAR, meee-owww!  She was model-thin, probably 60 but looked 50, had on a Delta uniform bright red wrap-dress, TONS of makeup, and super-sexy stilletos.  She was like something on a TV show. I watched her with great fascination during my flight, and noticed with some satisfaction when she changed into fugly black granny shoes to push the beverage cart.  I didn’t get a picture cause it would have been a SMIDGE obvious. SO you will all just have to trust me.

When I landed in San Diego, Sony had sent a driver in uniform and he had a sign with my name on it!  It was crazy!  I wished I had some really awesome Paris Hilton sunglasses to reflect my super-star status.  Cause apparently I am all that and a bag of chips!

But anyhoo…I am blogging here at La Valencia Hotel in the world’s most comfortable bed…

I mean, it was a wonderful night’s sleep!  Perhaps aided by the fact that I had a terrible travel headache and I went to bed at 9pm California time, which is midnight my time.  But man, this baby is sooo comfortable! I wanna take it home!! Of course due to the time change, I was wide awake at 5:30 California time!  So I got up early and got re-acquainted with my breast pump. I pumped so much I overflowed it and got it all over my nice PJs! Dang!! So I’ve hung those out to dry here in the room.  I miss my kids a lot already, and my boobs really miss Sophie! I wasn’t very uncomfortable last night though until during dinner,(filet mignon at the fancy hotel restaurant- THANKS SONY!) so I rushed back to my room and pumped before bed.  So, all in all, my boobs are doing better than expected. We have a really long day of training today on some of Sony’s cameras so I plan to pump again before I leave for the session.

Did I mention as I am writing this I am watching the world’s largest tv?

and I’m wearing my comfy free La Valencia slippers?

I wanna live here forever!  Well, maybe not forever I haven’t touched the mini-fridge in my room cause they charge FOUR DOLLARS for a can of Coke. FOUR DOLLARS!! Come on! That’s like 500% profit I am SURE. Geeez!

But I digress. I am having a great time on my adventure thus far! I had dinner with some very cool ladies last night, Kim and Christina. You gotta check them out!

I am really excited for today’s session. It’s going to be photography lessons all day long from Me Ra Koh, who is an amazing photographer and a mom of two little ones!  I can’t wait to learn how to take bnetter pictures of the kids. Maybe I’ll take some really good ones from now on and actually get some PRINTS made for once!

I am also really excited that at 6 pm today I have a massage booked….oh heaven….I can hardly wait!  I am sure since I will have been awake over 12 hours by that time, that I will be comatose but it will still be blissful.

Well, that’s all I got for now. I made it! I ‘m a big girl! And so far, Bobby and the kids are surviving.  Woohoo!

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Well, they are as close to packed as they can be, anyways, without including those necessities I’ll need to use in the morning.  And man, am I FREAKED!  I am so excited, really, really, really excited to go on this trip!  The prospect of two days to myself is like a delicious Hot Fudge Cake just waiting to be eaten.  No one pulling on me, sitting on me, rubbing snot on me, whining at me…a big, comfy bed all to myself…a couple of nights of uninterrupted sleep!  Who can fathom that??  Not to mention the intelligent conversation with other moms and the photography lessons, the free meals I don’t have to cook, and having my bed made for me every day! I am really looking forward to all that!

But darn it I am gonna miss my family.  And I am gonna worry my head off about that nursing-addict, Sophie. 

And I don’t really wanna fly to La Jolla, I just wanna click my heels and BE there! 

 But I will be, before I know it.  And chances are, we are all gonna survive.  But if the kids don’t give Bobby at least a little taste of what they give me every day, I might be a little pissed. :) 

I’m just kidding. No I’m not. I’m Dead Serious.

Fo’ Sheezy! Talk to y’all tomorrow when I am in CALIFORNIA!

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First of all, welcome to Reviewin’ It Up!  (For those of you who have been with us from the beginning, do you like the OLD SCHOOL blog theme?) I started this blog just to tell you about the trip I am going on next week to beautiful La Jolla, California.  Thanks to the Sony Corporation, I’ll be here with 14 other Mommy Bloggers playing with three of Sony’s newest cameras!  And all this - all expenses paid  because I have a blog!  Is that crazy or WHAT??  Too bad Emily just popped out a kid or she and I would have soooo much fun together!  Sorry cousin, I guess I will just have to replace you with a new bloggy BFF.  I’ll just pretend one of the other bloggers is you.  Maybe one of them will even be named Emily!  One can only hope!

I have to blog about this trip over here at Reviewin’ It Up because of restrictions that come with running BlogHerAds on our Mommin’ It Up.  We love BlogHerAds, and we want to play by the rules.  So I started this blog to chronicle my trip and to make sure I am able to tell you about the cameras I test out for Sony. Emily and I may or may not use it for future reviews - that remains to be seen!

Anyways, I am so excited to go on this trip!! I am going to miss my kids like crazy, but I really need the break.  I am very afraid that Sophie, the extreme mama’s girl, might self-destruct or kill my poor husband.  But I just can’t pass this up! California! Fancy Hotel! Spa treatments! Beach! Other Mommy Bloggers! Yes, please!

So, that’s my big secret.  I leave on Wednesday the 16th and I’ll be back about midnight Friday night.  A whirlwind, but hopefully an amazing experience. I’ll let you all know how it goes!  Right now I’m in a panic about packing, what to wear, etc.  I haven’t flown in five years so I’ve got to get up on all the new rules for that, too.  I’m a big girl now but I feel like a baby…yet Emily assures me I can do this!  We shall see!

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Hola, faithful readers!  I started this blog so Emily and I can write reviews and blog about things that we may be restricted on our main site. So, if need be, I will direct you all from Mommin’ It Up over here from time to time.  Thanks for checking in!

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