Hi, I’m Monica, and I wear glasses… Some of you may or may not know that about me… It’s not that big of a deal… is it??? Well, when it comes to comfort and actually helping me see better… It is!

I was given a chance to try out Airwear Eye Glass Lenses. I had to purchase my own frames and send them in, along with my single vision prescription. I chose some “Cover Girl” frames from Walmart, filled out the prescription form and sent them over to Airwear to get the lenses put in.

According to Airwear…. “Not only are these lenses 43% lighter and 10 times more impact resistant than standard plastic lenses, they offer complete UV protection and are virtually unbreakable”

Now, I did not try to break them, as I can’t even bear the thought of breaking glasses on purpose.. But they have accidentally been dropped, and they did not break. So far, they work out pretty well. Unfortunately, I can’t tell if they are any lighter than my previous pair of glasses. When I weighed them on the scale, the glasses & frames came out to be just a fraction of an ounce heavier, but I think that has a lot to do with the frames I have them in. There’s a lot of plastic in them.  They’re still cute and comfortable!
Airwear also offers their Essilor lenses that are made using environmentally conscious practices such as 100% recycled water, and 100% recyclable packaging. You can go green while keeping their comfort and performance at the top of their game. Check out www.LighterSaferGreener.com and join in the efforts to help make the world a little greener!

Check out the Airwear website to find out more information about the lenses.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Airwear and received a pair of Airwear eyeglass lenses to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Out of the blue a little while ago, I received a message on Facebook… You know I hardly ever use facebook, but this message just spoke to me. It was from Lindsay of Marcal Manufacturing LLC. asking me if I’d be interested in reviewing some of their products. I had heard of the name “Marcal” before, but I couldn’t put my finger on what their products exactly were, so I did some research. After finding out a little bit more about the company, I promptly replied with a “YES!”

If you aren’t familiar with Marcal.. Marcal Small Steps is a line of 100% percent recycled paper products which include toilet paper, towels, napkins and facial tissue. They have been making recycled product since the 50s (before it was the cool thing to do). Of course, I’m all about recycling, and trying to make the planet a better place for future generations. My girls LOVE telling me all about recycling and reusing things too… thanks to Disney Channel’s Friends for Change campaign! Who says marketing doesn’t work on kids? My girls really listen to those commercials!

Marcal Small Steps sent me a large box full of various items to try out.

Dinner Napkins, 180 ct Napkin Drawstring Bag, 80 ct Upright Facial Tissues, 144 ct Facial Tissues, Single Roll Giant Paper Towels, 1,000 ct Bath Tissue, 4 rolls of 1,000 ct bath tissue, and 3 rolls of Regular Kitchen Paper Towels.

We’ve tried them all… and here are the verdicts:

* Dinner Napkins: Love them! They look like the ones you’d use in a semi-fancy restaurant. They hold up pretty well to our dinners (which usually involve a lot of BBQ sauce)

* 180 ct Napkin Drawstring Bag: Great for daily use when not eating ribs! About the same thickness as the other (totally not recycled) napkins I’ve purchased in the past.

* Facial Tissues: A little rougher than the ones that I’m used to. Good to keep around the house, but not sure I can give up my lotion tissues when I need to blow my nose every couple of minutes! Luckily, we don’t get sick too often (knock on wood)… so these will be good to keep around in case of a random sneeze…

* Bathroom Tissue: Like the Facial Tissues, this is also a little rougher than the brand we usually buy. It is better than the stuff I typically run into in public bathrooms, but it would be hard for me to give up my regular brand. I know, I know, the environment is involved here… That is a a big factor, but my tooshie needs the extra softness!

* Kitchen Paper Towels: Similar in thickness to the brand I typically use, but not quite as absorbent. I did the Measuring cup test, and it took me a couple more towels to dry up a 1/4 cup of spilled water than my usual brand. It’s that catch 22. Do I do good by buying the recycled towels and have to use a little more, or do I buy the usual brand, and end up using less when I need to clean up a spill?? Oh decisions…

The Marcal Small Steps products are helping to save 1 million trees. They are green, and hard working, and they are safe for the home. Their 100% recycled paper products are hypoallergenic, virtually lint free, and whitened without chlorine bleaching.

Overall, I think it’s a great idea to buy recycled products whenever possible. Considering the cost of the Marcal vs some of the other brands isn’t much different, it doesn’t hurt to go for the recycled product to help save the planet.

For more information, you can check out the Marcal Small Steps website, follow @MarcalSmallSteps on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook.

**FTC Disclosure: The products mentioned in this review were sent to me to sample for the purpose of this review.

As part of their Holiday Promotion, WholesaleKeychain.com sent me one of their Photo Frame Keychains with my girls’ names and birthdate engraved on it. I’m always looking for cute keychains, and this is one that I can carry around and have my girls with me! The clip that is on the keychain is large, and seems to be pretty heavy duty. It has been on my car keychain for a couple of weeks now, and it’s holding up very well.
I’ve actually received a few compliments on it, especially once they see that it’s pretty much a big locket. I love showing off the pictures of my girls, and this makes it very easy to do! I almost always have my keys on me!

WholesaleKeychain.com is giving me a chance to giveaway 3 keychains to my lucky readers. All you have to do to win is leave a comment telling me which keychain you’d like if you win!

For an extra entry, tweet about this giveaway!
Win a cute keychain from @MommyBrain! Hurry, giveaway ends on 2/19! http://bit.ly/9rzy73

**Be sure to leave a comment telling me you tweeted!

The winners will be able to choose one of the following keychains!

Broken Heart Keychain
Photo Frame Keychain
Metal Heart Keychain
Crystal Heart Keychain
Heart Keychain Charm

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

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

(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 15 – February 19 @ 12pm EST. Winners will be chosen at random. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize. Winners 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!

Winner:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2010-02-17 00:58:06 UTC

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!

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!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

14

Timestamp: 2010-02-24 21:54:04 UTC

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.

(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!