If you happened to be watching my Tweets just before my trip to Walt Disney World with the Hanes Comfort Crew, you may have seen me asking folks on Twitter if they were heading to a certain store, and if they were, asking if they’d kindly look around for a certain product for me. “Why was I doing this?”,  you may be asking yourself? Because, I was looking for a second set of Griffin MyPhones! What are Griffin MyPhones??

Well, according to MyPhonesKids.com, MyPhones are fully adjustable, comfortably cushioned, and conveniently kid-sized. The MyPhones circuitry limits the volume of sounds & music to safe levels. Plus, MyPhones’ ear caps have decorative inserts that are easy to change out. MyPhones’ package comes with 3 pre-made ear caps and some blank templates to make your own. Coming from me, a mom, with two 4 year old girls, that LOVE music… that always seem to have their headphones in the car on WAY too loud, these are amazing. I’ve been trying to come up with a way to show you how they really do control the volume.. and well, this video will have to do until I can film my own!

We all know that there has been a lot of chatter about kids these days listening to their iPods, Zunes, and various other MP3 players way too loudly. Even though we don’t know exactly what a “safe max volume”would be for kids, why not keep it at a decent level?

The MyPhones website has a lot of great information about ear safety, and even has templates that parents can download so the kids can color their own templates for their MyPhones and/or the carrying case!

If you want to find out more about ear safety, and MyPhones, go to the MyPhones website!

* I received a pair of MyPhones to try out for this review.

I was sent a “You Have My Heart” necklace to review from Sentimental Silver a little while back, and was pleasantly surprised when I opened up the little pouch inside. This necklace was super cute and what it says is so very true to my life. It’s a perfect reminder that no matter how difficult things may be at times, you should always look at what you do have, and remember that you are blessed.

Sentimental Silver was created by Christi Farr Johnstone in 2005 and has been making beautifully handcrafted jewelry, now including a full line of pieces that are great for casual or formal occasions. Her charms are hand made from .999 Pure Silver, and can be personalized for any occasion.

I personally love the Sparkle Jewelry and would LOVE to get pendant with the girls’ names and birthstone on them. I think that would be a lot of fun to wear! The photo charm jewelry is also super cute! They do not seal your photos in, so you can change them over time, but I fear that I would ruin so many photos! I have a horrible habit of leaving my necklaces on and forgetting to take them off before I shower. They are awesome though!

Anyway… I have worn this a couple of times around town, and have received some great compliments! Oh, and did I mention that Sentimental Silver jewelry is worn by several celebrities???  Her taglilne is Recycled * Personalized * Modern…. Need I say more?

With Mother’s Day coming up, Sentimental Silver might be a great place to start! Check it out!

**Disclosure** I was sent the necklace pictured above to review.

Hubby bought me a steam mop from another company for Christmas, that I have really liked for cleaning our hardwood floors, and especially our bathrooms. The only problem with it is that it’s slightly too big for our downstairs 1/2 bathroom, and the little sectioned off portions of our bathrooms upstairs where the toilets sit. The downstairs bathroom is small, cramped, and the door doesn’t even open all the way (don’t ask, I didn’t plan/build the place) and getting behind toilets in general can be a chore. This is where the Shark Steam Pocket Mop should come in pretty handy.

First of all, it’s very easy to put together. It doesn’t require any tools, as everything just snaps together. Filling the water reservoir is pretty easy. It doesn’t detach from the mop, which is a little harder to deal with, but it comes with a little measuring cup, with a pretty good pour spout. There is not marking on it for a fill line, so be careful not to overfill the reservoir. I used about 3/4 of the measuring cup, and was fine.

The Shark Steam Pocket Mop comes with 2 different shaped mop heads, a triangle and a rectangle. It also included 2 of each size microfiber cloth, a microfiber duster, and a carpet slider for refreshing your carpets. I chose the triangle head for the bathroom, thinking that it would help me get into the corners a little easier than the rectangular mop head. I plugged it in, and after about 45 seconds, pumped the handle a few times to initiate the steam. After this, it was mopping as usual. Steam is made as you mop, so there are no buttons to push or switches to flip.

The triangle head was perfect for getting corners and behind the toilet. Oh, the other cool thing… Unlike some of the other steam mops, this one works upside down. I don’t mean steaming the ceiling. What I mean is that when one side of the mop cloth gets too dirty, you can flip the mop head over and keep on mopping! When you’re done, let the mop cool for a bit and remove the mop head! Take off the microfiber cloth and throw it in the washer! Not only is this chemical free sanitizing, but it’s also saving the landfills! There’s nothing to throw away!

It took me about 15 minutes, but I got the bathroom floor cleaned and dust free. I loved getting some of the stains off of the white tile. By the way- White tile and white grout is never a good choice… especially in bathrooms! YUCK!

I didn’t try it yet, but it does come with a carpet glider that you can use with the rectangle mop head. This will not clean your carpets, as it’s not using any solutions, nor is it sucking up the nasty stuff… It’s only to freshen the carpet up with some steam!

The girls saw me cleaning up and had to have a go at it too. The Shark Steam Pocket Mop is pretty light weight, so it was very easy for the girls to help clean up the floors with my supervision, of course! It produces some crazy hot steam, so the kids definitely need to be watched, but any help they can provide makes life just a little bit easier for me!

Another great thing about the Shark Steam Pocket Mop is that the cord is super long! This allows me to clean up the entire kitchen/living room area without having to unplug and move to a new outlet! Oh! And did I mention.. the handle length is adjustable? Yes it is! So even the tall people in the family can use it… ahem… hint hint…

All in all, I think this is a great steam mop. It cuts down on the time it takes to really clean those hard surfaces… If you have hard wood floors though, please  check with your floor manufacturer before using any type of steam mop! Just because it works for mine doesn’t mean it will work for yours!!!

The Shark Steam Pocket Mop retails for $119.95.

For more information about the Shark line of  products, check out SharkClean.com!

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.

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!