So, Clorox gave me the awesome opportunity to attend a live screencast with Samantha Bee, star of The Daily Show, and let me tell you.. it was so much fun! I have to be honest… I usually am okay with the 5– well I consider it 3 second rule… as long as I have just recently… like earlier that morning, cleaned the floors. Then, I think back to  the ol’ Mythbusters episode where they really checked out this 5 second rule… and there was bacteria on everything. YUK! Clorox even funded a study just recently that found the same thing! So, now what do you think about that rule?? Huh? Huh? What???

Well, Clorox can help you put your mind to ease, at least a little bit, by helping you get rid of a good amount of that bacteria! Check out  simpleandsurprising.com to find out more information about some of the most common places that germs can be found, and how you can combat those germs with Clorox Bleach! If you’re like me, then you’ve probably always thought of bleach as “Bad for the environment”.. You should totally check out Clorox’s page about Bleach and the Environment.

There is just so much stuff to explore in SimpleandSurprising.com that you can spend a good while learning new things about bleach, disinfecting, and keeping your family healthy!

In keeping with simple and surprising, Clorox is offering a prize package to one of my readers! How cool is that? They want to help you keep your house germ free so you don’t have to worry so much about these nasty germs that could be just about anywhere!

All you have to do, is leave a comment answering one of the following questions.

Do you or someone in your family follow the 5-second rule?

Who’s more likely to follow the 5-second rule in your house?

What are the most popular items to 5-second rule?

Do you have a funny 5-second rule story? What is it?

You may gain additional entries by doing either or all of the following:

* Subscribe to Mommy Brain Reports via RSS or Email and leave me a comment telling me you did so! If you already do, leave me a comment!

* Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway by clicking the green Retweet button, or by copying the statement below:

Enter 2 win a Clorox Prize Package from @mommybrain & Clorox! http://bit.ly/doyBFN

Leave me a comment letting me know each time you tweet!

You may enter as many times via tweet as you wish, but:

* you must leave a comment each time for it to count.

* you must have a comment from someone else in between your comments

(To prevent SPAM, comment moderation is on, so your post *may not* be visible right away. I do check them frequently and will approve them asap!)

Entries will be accepted from February 5 – February 10 @ 5pm EST. Winner will be chosen at random. Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize. Winner must be a resident of the USA. Again, you must leave a comment for each option you choose to enter. *Rules subject to change without notice*

Good Luck!

Focusing to make bath time quality time not only fosters a positive relationship between child and parent, but could also help prevent accidents or injuries. More than 43,000 kids and teens are hurt in bathtubs or showers each year, and children under age four accounted for more than half of those incidents¹.

Suave Kids® has launched a new campaign, Wash Them Grow, to encourage parents to turn bath time into quality family time. Suave Kids encourages parents to teach, nurture and transition their child through the stages of growth and cleansing.

As part of the campaign, Suave Kids created www.washthemgrow.com an online forum for parents which includes a trivia game and tips generated by parents, for parents. The trivia game features a virtual child that you can literally watch grow with each correctly answered question. As an added bonus, each day parents play the trivia game they are entered into the Wash Them Grow Sweepstakes and are eligible for a weekly family e-Keepsake Kit, or the grand prize, a family vacation to Orlando!

Grand Prize:
An 8-day/7-night trip for four to Orlando, Florida. Grand Prize trip includes round-trip coach-class air transportation from the major United States airport in the 50 U.S. or D.C. nearest to Grand Prize Winner’s home, 7-nights hotel accommodations (based on quad occupancy), tickets to Sponsor-selected theme parks in Orlando for the length of stay and a $500 check.

Weekly Prizes (5 total, 1 per week):
A family e-Keepsake Kit, including: a Sponsor-selected laptop, a mini digital camcorder and a Sponsor-selected Digital Camera.

In conjunction with the campaign and sweepstakes, Suave Kids is launching a new body wash –Moisturizing Body Wash– that will leave kids’ skin baby soft and smooth. The suggested retail is $1.99 – $2.50, and it is scheduled to hit shelves in February. All Suave Kids Body Washes are hypoallergenic and have an ophthalmologist tested formula that makes bath time tear-free.

I was sent a set of the new Suave Kids Body Washes to try out with my girls, and I have to admit.. They smell so yummy! Especially the Strawberry and Berry ones! My girls love the scents, and really enjoy showering with them! We don’t typically have any issues with allergies here, but just knowing that the body washes are hypoallergenic puts my mind at ease when purchasing these products.

• Suave Kids Berry Body Wash – NEW LOOK! This hypoallergenic and ophthalmologist tested formula makes bath time tear-free.  The gentle formula cleanses effectively without drying out skin like a bar soap can and features a fun, fresh scent. ($1.99 – $2.50)
• Suave Kids Strawberry Body Wash – NEW LOOK! This hypoallergenic and ophthalmologist tested formula makes bath time tear-free.  The gentle formula cleanses effectively without drying out skin like a bar soap can and features a fun, fresh scent. ($1.99 – $2.50)
• Suave Kids Free and Gentle Body Wash – NEW LOOK! Suave Kids Free and Gentle Body Wash is specially formulated to be gentle on skin.  It is ophthalmologist tested and tear-free.  The formula contains no dyes and leaves skin clean and fresh. ($1.99 – $2.50)
• Suave Kids Moisturizing Body Wash – NEW PRODUCT IN STORES IN FEBRUARY! Suave Kids Moisturizing Body Wash gently cleanses and moisturizes, leaving kids’ skin feeling baby soft and smooth.  This product is tear-free, hypo-allergenic and gentle on kids’ delicate skin. ($1.99 – $2.50)

And you can win a set of Suave Kids Body Wash, including one of each of the products mentioned above! All you have to do is leave a comment! That’s it!

You may gain additional entries by doing either or all of the following:

* Subscribe to Mommy Brain Reports via RSS or Email and leave me a comment telling me you did so! If you already do, leave me a comment!

* Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway by clicking the green Retweet button, or by copying the statement below:

Enter 2 win a Wash Them Grow Suave Kids Pack from @mommybrain & Suave! http://bit.ly/aEtMYK

Leave me a comment letting me know each time you tweet!

You may enter as many times via tweet as you wish, but:

* you must leave a comment each time for it to count.

* you must have a comment from someone else in between your comments

(To prevent SPAM, comment moderation is on, so your post *may not* be visible right away. I do check them frequently and will approve them asap!)

Entries will be accepted from February 1 – February 15 @ 5pm EST. Winner will be chosen at random. Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize. Winner must be a resident of the USA. Again, you must leave a comment for each option you choose to enter. *Rules subject to change without notice*

Good Luck!

**As I mentioned earlier, Suave sent me 4 bottles of Kids Body Wash for this review, and are providing the same for the winner of this giveaway!

The following review is a guest post by Ryan Brady… my hubby. He has technical blog at RyanBrady.org, and will soon have a personal blog up as well. You can tweet him at @rjbrady.

Recently I was given the opportunity to test out a pair of shoes from Kurufootwear.com. I browsed the website for a bit and found a pair of lightweight hiking shoes I thought would be a good fit for daily use as well as a little off road use here and there.

The website was easy to navigate, a great layout with very nice images of the footwear. After taking a look at the selection of Mens Shoes, I finally settled on the Chicane. They looked like a good lightweight shoe that I could literally wear everywhere. My initial hunch was later confirmed!

The first pair I received was too small. I’ve always worn a 10R boot and the website said these shoes ran a 1/2 size small, so I ordered a 10.5. When the shoes arrived I tried them on and crunched my toes up into the end of the shoe. Kuru was very understanding and let me return the shoes for a 1/2 size larger. They have a policy posted on their website that allows you to return shoes up to 35 days, as long as they are in new condition. It would have taken a week, but I wanted them for a trip we were going on so we paid for expedited shipping. They sent the new pair immediately we sent the original shoes back using standard shipping.

Before we get into the shoes, we should talk about me and my feet. I’m one of those people that rotates their foot to the outside. I do it without thinking about it. My soles become worn very quickly towards the outside of the shoe and it causes me to lean even more. My feet spend most of the week in dress shoes and evenings they roam free. The weekends is when I need a good pair of shoes to fit my life style. I’m a father to two 4 year old twin daughters that make the Energizer Bunny look like a couch potato. I need a pair of shoes for chasing them around in the yard, working on projects in the garage, mild hiking and wearing around town. My wife and I are very different when it comes to shoes. Other than for work or running, I don’t need shoes for different occasions – I just need the one pair that does everything.

Getting back to the review. The new shoes arrived in time to take on the trip. For the first couple of days they felt a little off, but I think it had more to do with getting used to actually having support in my shoes compared to the last pair I had. It seemed like an initial break-in period because after that they felt like they molded to my feet. They have become extremely comfortable and fit the bill for my general purpose shoe.

I’ve worn the shoes while hiking into the woods in Eastern North Carolina, and they kept my feet warm and dry. I had no traction issues on the different terrain (climbing over logs, etc) and found out they really are water resistant. Water beads off of them, although I have not submersed them yet. The shoes are a lot lighter in weight than I had thought, and I have appreciated that after walking around in them for 12 or so hours at a time.

For me, style is rarely a priority over finding a pair of comfortable shoes. Luckily, with the Chicanes I don’t feel like I have to sacrifice any style. The color is great and doesn’t stand out too much. The sole has an interesting foot pattern and the shoe seems to blend with the environment when I’m out in the woods as well as running around town.

I like these shoes. I think at just under a $100 they are a pretty good deal. I hope they come out with some styles closer to dress shoes so I can get away with wearing them to work.

* Thank you to Kuru Footwear for providing Ryan with a pair of shoes for this review!

The following review is a guest post by George G Smith Jr. He writes at No Sense Of Time, and can also be found on Twitter @GeorgeGSmithJr.

Hi – my name is George G Smith Jr. and I write for NoSenseofTime.org.  I’m not much of a product reviewer.  If I like something, I scream to the world about it.  If I don’t like it, I’m not much to trash things – I just keep quiet.  However, I saw the AirCurve in person and decided that I needed to try it out. So, Monica hooked me up with the Air Curve from Griffin.  So, after owning it for a few months, what do I think of it?

Let’s examine this in steps.  First of all, I’m a big fan of simple design and there is nothing that bothers me more than chords all tangled up around a desk.  (One of my goals is to achieve a workspace experience like Gina Trapani: http://lifehacker.com/software/cord-management/cordless-workspace-redux-the-gina-edition-239904.php )  The Aircurve – with it’s acoustic design – takes care of that easily.  You can have this on your desk and not even know it’s there.  The simplicity of design is really one of the biggest reasons that I wanted to have the Aircurve.

As for functionality, this little block packs quite the punch.  One of my biggest issues with the iPhone is that it’s speakers do very little on their own.  The distortion when you have it on maximum volume is disturbing and it makes being able to play music without headphones pretty much moot.  The Aircurve resolves this issue.  Even without it on the highest volume, I’m now able to listen to music from my iPhone without getting any of that distortion or having the annoyance that headphones can sometimes provide.  Ultimately though, since I’m always so close to my computer, I rarely use the AirCurve to listen to music.

I did discover a better use though!  The true power to the Aircurve is speakerphone.  As a very active businessman, I take a lot of my phone calls via speakerphone.  The amplification of the sound makes this perfect for those situations.  I bring it with me as I travel so that, when I’m in a hotel room, I can take conference calls on my phone with little to no trouble at all.

Overall – I give the Aircurve an A in design and a B in practical use.  At $20, it’s something I would recommend to travelers and others that spend a lot of time on their speakerphones.   For those that aren’t around their computers or only keep their music on the iPhone, than I would put that practical use grade up to a B+.

**FTC Disclosure:  I received a free AirCurve to write this review.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2010-02-06 22:18:46 UTC

Are you ready for the Big Game??? It’s coming up! Are you excited?

Who are you rooting for to win???

Me? I’m not sure… I just know that this is a great excuse to PAR-TAY!!!! I have always loved the Super Bowl, and throwing a party for the big game is just so much fun… but it can be expensive, especially after all those presents and meals you just bought for the holidays! Walmart knows that saving money is a big New Year’s Resolution for many people this year, and  Walmart can help you do just that, while planning an excellent Super Bowl party!!!

Walmart is offering shoppers excellent savings on game time snacks as well as full home entertainment installation packages ranging from $99-200. They want to make sure that your family’s HDTV set up s working perfectly for the big game!

Walmart is helping families pull off their Game Time Party for as low as $44 with these great items:

One package of Oscar Mayer Meat Hot Dogs (8 ct.)
One package of Johnsonville® Bratwursts (6 ct.)
Two packages of Great Value™ Hot Dog Buns
Two bags of T.G.I. Friday’s™ Frozen Appetizers
One Hormel™ Supreme Party Tray
12” Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Two boxes of Nabisco Wheat Thins or Triscuit Crackers (8 to 10 oz. box)

Talk about some great deals!

Check out the Game Time site on Walmart.com too! There are delicious and creative ways to get ready for the big game, including how to plan a party on a budget!

Want to win a $50 Walmart gift card??? Just leave me a comment telling me your favorite SuperBowl moment!

You may gain additional entries by doing either or all of the following:

* Subscribe to Mommy Brain Reports via RSS or Email and leave me a comment telling me you did so! If you already do, leave me a comment!

* Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway by clicking the green Retweet button, or by copying the statement below:

Save on your Big Game Party with Walmart & Enter 2 win a $50 Gift Card from @mommybrain! http://bit.ly/d2TK8v

Leave me a comment letting me know each time you tweet!

You may enter as many times via tweet as you wish, but:

* you must leave a comment each time for it to count.

* you must have a comment from someone else in between your comments

(To prevent SPAM, comment moderation is on, so your post *may not* be visible right away. I do check them frequently and will approve them asap!)

Entries will be accepted from January 29 – February 5 @ 5pm EST. Winner will be chosen at random. Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize. Winner must be a resident of the USA. Again, you must leave a comment for each option you choose to enter. *Rules subject to change without notice*

Good Luck!

My girls are having fun getting ready for the Big Game party!!!

**Walmart provided me with two $50 Walmart gift cards for my participation in this program. One I’m keeping to get some snacks for us, and the other I’m giving away!

I tend to do most of my shopping at Walmart though because I always find such great deals on my groceries and other items!

We have this “issue” in our house. One night, several months ago, Daddy told the girls “When you wake up in the morning, wake me up. Let’s let Mommy sleep in.” They actually listened to him.. It was amazing. What we didn’t know, was that they listened too well! From that day on, they have come into our room early in the morning and woken up Daddy. Most mornings, it’s ok, but there have been a few where we just wanted to sleep in a little. Really… just a little :).

Anyway, we came across this product called My Tot Clock, and I contacted them to see if they were interested in a review. They were! Thank goodness! So here I am, with two 4 year olds, a My Tot Clock, and well, a better idea that it’s going to take something a little stronger to keep my kids in bed longer. I’m KIDDING! (sorta)

The My Tot Clock is a really neat way to teach children:

a) How to tell time

b) How to tell when it’s time to get up, nap, study, go to bed, and yes… even the dreaded Time Out.

The front of the clock has a great analog clock, with a color changing background according to what time it is, and the designs on the front are interchangeable. We have the standard night time sky, and were also sent the super cute princess design as well. The girls LOVE it! The kids don’t know it, but the back of the clock is where all the magic happens. It has a digital time display, and all of the controls for each function. You can set the wake up alarm, bed time story, and durations for Time Out, Nap time, and Encouragement, or as I like to say… Quiet Activity Time! Each function changes the clock face to a different color. Yellow for wake time, light blue for nap, green for encouragement, red for time out, and dark blue for night time. I love it because it sets up some guide times for the girls. I can tell them that they need to work on their study books for 20 minutes, or take some time to read in their room so I can work on some  things around the house. The clock will turn green, and when that time is up, it will turn back to yellow and alert them.

The My Tot Clock also has a great alarm clock! It plays a song for them to wake up both in the morning and at nap time. The nap and bed time buttons can be set to play a story, play music, or play some “white noise” after the story. There is also separate volume buttons for each audible function, so you can set the story to be quieter than the wake up alarm. Oh.. and the stories can also be changed by purchasing the Tot Clock Treasures. They’re little cartridges that hold different stories like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Sleeping Beauty, The Hare and the Tortoise and many more.

The My Tot Clock retails for $49.95. Additional face plates are $9.95 and each of the Tot Clock Treasures cartridges are $9.95

It’s really a very cute way to teach your children how to tell time, and about the concept of time. It may also help you get them on a better sleep schedule since the bed time story starts automatically each night at the time you set it for!

Thank you to My Tot Clock for sending us a My Tot Clock, princess face plate and two additional cartridges for this review. My girls won’t go to sleep without their story each night! Now.. about getting them to actually stay in bed until the alarm goes off each morning… :)