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Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Review

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I have been eating cheerios for YEARS. As a child, my Nana would always have Cheerios in her pantry. She also had a container of sugar next to the coffee pot that I used to grab to add some in my bowl. One thing that I remember about Cheerios as a child was the neat surprises that I would sometimes find in the box. What kid doesn’t like finding a surprise in their cereal box? What I think is awesome is the FREE books that you can find in specially marked boxes of Cheerios. Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I received a Cheerios Prize Pack that included all these free books so that I could share them with my children.

My family is one that likes books. I am lucky that so far, my children have took a liking for books like I have. I remember ever since I was young, always collecting books and wanting to own my own bookstore. I LOVE these books that come in the Cheerios because they are PERFECT for my daughter Hannah. She is in first grade and we have to have her read at least 15 minutes per night. These short little stories come in handy for her reading homework assignments.

Cheerios is once again trying to encourage our children to read by inviting them to start their day off with a bowl of nutritious cereal and a new book. Cheerios has an ongoing commitment to nurturing young bodies and minds and helping families connect by fostering a shared love of reading. With that said,  Cheerios will be providing more than six million children’s books, FREE inside specially marked boxes of Cheerios, through their Spoonfuls of Stories program. It is amazing to find out that over the past nine years, Cheerios has distributed almost 50 million children’s books in their cereal boxes.

This year you will find the following books in these specially marked boxes of Cheerios (both in English and Spanish):

  • All the World, by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Marla Frazee, which discusses the many wonderful things a child can encounter in the world as well as the commonalities all the world shares.
  • Chaucer’s First Winter, by Stephen Krensky and illustrated by Henry Cole, follows a bear named Chaucer, who knows he is supposed to sleep through the winter but feels it’s much more fun to stay up and play.
  • Jump!, by Scott M. Fischer, chronicles the adventures of a bug, a frog, a cat, a hound, a crocodile, a shark, and a whale, who all love to jump!
  • No T. Rex in the Library, by Toni Buzzeo and illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa, is a story about a little girl named Tess and her adventures in the library with a boisterous T-Rex.
  • The Purple Kangaroo, by comedian Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Peter Brown, which is a vivid and humor-filled story that tricks the reader into thinking about a purple kangaroo.

You can learn more about the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program by visiting www.spoonfulsofstories.com.

Guess What Readers? The very nice people over at MyBlogSpark are offering one of my LUCKY readers a Cheerios Prize Pack that is pictured above in this post like I received that includes. a box of Cheerios, the 5 spoonfuls of Cheerios books and a $25.00 Gift Card for Barnes & Noble.

1) To enter this giveaway, please leave me a comment below telling me what your child’s favorite book is or tell me how often you read with your child.

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This giveaway will end on December 19, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and submitted. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to contact me with their mailing information before another winner is chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only ages 18 years or older.

I received the Cheerios Prize Pack  through MyBlogSpark to provide you with this review. I was not paid any monetary compensation to publish this review. This review is my personal opinion only and receiving the sample has no impact on my opinion of the product.

Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo Review – Part 2

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Earlier this week I told you about the new Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo that I have been using (read past post here). I am very impressed with this single serve coffee pot and so is my husband. We have been using it every single day so I wanted to share with you some additional information that I didn’t mention in my first post.

So you might know that the new Nescafe Dolce Gusto single serve machines come in four different designs. I like all 4 but preferred this machine because for one, it claims “I am the most stylish of the bunch”. Well I am a stylish mom, so I wanted this one. Now I admit, the others in this line are CUTE but this one has the award winning design.

What I like about my Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo:

  • I think its CUTE and makes a great addition to my counter in the kitchen
  • It is super easy to use
  • It has the Thermoblock technology that heats up fresh water in less than a minute!
  • It makes both hot and cold beverages (I LOVE cold/iced coffees)
  • You can buy some great coffee capsules to go with it

Below are some of the main features of the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo:

  • Your hot or cold beverage comes in easy to use disposable capsules. This means no messes!
  • Equipped with a Automatic Off Switch to save energy.
  • Designed with a neat blue LED light that illuminates your cup of coffee while its brewing.
  • It has an award winning design. It was the winner of the International Forum Design’s Product Design award & Red Dot Design honorable mention for its unique, futuristic style
  • It has a unique patented custom control lever which allows you to customize the strength of your coffee and mixture.
  • The coffee capsules are made with high quality ingredients. These capsules are made with only 100% Arabica, rich chocolate and foamy milk.
  • Uses advanced technology with the delicious high quality capsules that give it a professional level 15 bar pressure system that ensures that each cup of coffee is perfect!

I honestly LOVE this coffee machine. It is cute, stylish and simple. If you have someone on your shopping list that likes coffee, this might be a GREAT GIFT idea. If you don’t think the design is right, there are 3 other Nescafe Dolce Gusto styles to choose from.

To find out more about the Nescafe Dolce Gusto coffee machines, please visit: https://www.dolce-gusto.us/Public/Default.aspx

“I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto and received a coffee machine to facilitate my review.”

The Sharper Image Literati eReader Review

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I have been a fan of Sharper Image products ever since I was a kid. I remember my grandfather having a catalog for the store and they always had stuff that looked so neat that you didn’t see at any store I was ever at. To me, the name “The Sharper Image” meant really neat products.

For the last couple years I have wanted a eReader. I have always had a passion for both reading and writing and LOVE books. So know that I have been drooling over eReaders online for the last couple years. Thanks to Mom Central, I have had the opportunity to review the Literati eReader from The Sharper Image. I would have to say that this is one my favorite products that I have tried this year.

Okay, when I received the Literati eReader on my doorstep, it was in a box that was a little bigger than I expected. I can’t tell you that it felt like Christmas opening up this thing. I had been wanting an eReader for so long and for it to come from The Sharper Image, I was soooo excited! I immediately wanted to use it, but guess what? I had to charge it for at least 6 hours so away to the electrical outlet it went. I went to bed and when I woke up, I immediately started messing around with it and ordered a book from the Kobo bookstore that this eReader is connected to. My husband seeing that I was so amused with this gadget wanted to see what the Literati was all about. My husband ordered some books that he has been reading and has been hinting that he wants one of these eReaders too. So guess what, he might just be getting one for Christmas.

Since I opened my Literati, I have been using it every single day. I have been reading more than I have in years because it is so convenient. I like being able to touch a button or the side of the device to change the page. I think I actually prefer reading a book with an eReader rather and an actual book. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing like the scent of a fresh brand new book. I will always LOVE books, but there are some that I would just rather have in electronic format.

So are you wondering how these things work? I can tell you that I didn’t know how an eReader worked until I received this one. So if you are wondering, I will tell you quickly how it works. The Sharper Image eReader has been designed to work with the Kobo online bookstore. You setup an account with Kobo and are able to purchase and download ebooks to your Literati eReader. You can also download other Kobo applications such as their desktop application to read the books purchased through Kobo. The Literati also comes with a slot for a SD memory card. So if you have ebooks that you have already purchased, you just might be able to put them on the Literati beings that they are in the correct format. I have not tried this method, but have been happily purchasing and downloading some great ebooks that I have been reading.

I will admit that using my Literati has not been a perfect ride. I did encounter a problem while downloading a book. Somehow it didn’t get added to my eReader. I then downloaded the Kobo desktop application in hopes to be able to transfer it from the program to my eReader. For some reason, I can’t get the desktop program to sync it. It knows that the Literati is there, but when I hit sync, I get an error message. I was able to go back into the eReader and purchase another book. When it updated my library with the new book, the missing book from my prior purchase was added to my library. Without that problem, things have worked like a charm. I am happy with my eReader and recommend it for those bookworms on your shopping list.

The Literati eReader features:

  • Have instant access to millions of reasonably priced book titles through Kobo
  • Stores hundreds of your favorite ebooks
  • Portable and can be easily taken anywhere
  • Offers simple navigation
  • Customize text size and brightness
  • Portable Reader saves your page for you!
  • Access an unlimited, wireless book store
  • Tap into nearly 2 million free book titles
  • Literati Reader device will change the way you read
  • Portable Reader is perfect for travel

You can find out more about the Literati from The Sharper Image by visiting: https://www.sharperimage.com.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of The Sharper Image and received a Literati eReader to facilitate my review.”

Liane Fried Studio Wall Clock Review

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When it comes to things that I buy, I often buy things that are unique. The internet is a great way to find things that not everyone else has. When you walk into my home, you will most likely see a variety of unique treasures I have found throughout the years.

I recently came across the website and online store Liane Fried Studios and have been super excited to be able to review one of Liane’s adorable wall clocks. Liane Fried is an artist/designer from the NYC that loves to create whimsical pieces of home decor. I LOVE the Whimsy look, so I just happen to think all of these clocks are SUPER CUTE. Since I have a boy who likes trains, I knew the Train Clock would go perfect in his bedroom on the wall. This clock is definitely COLORFUL and brightens up his bedroom. Liane has for sale this Train Clock on her website, along with quite a few other clocks that I would not mind owning.

These clocks are great for kid’s rooms as well as anyone else like me who has a desire for the whimsy look. The clocks are 8 1/8 ” round and have one of Liane’s original illustrations hand printed on them. These clocks run on a AA battery and has a handy hook on the back that allows you to hook it to a wall. In addition to these wall clocks, you will also find other cute whimsical products on her site. You will find a variety of whimsical key chains, magnets, bookstrings, night lights, desk clocks and more products to come. Any of Liane’s products would make for a great gift for those on your list that enjoy the whimsical look like me!

You can visit the Liane Fried Studio by visiting: https://www.lianefriedstudio.com

Disclosure – The products featured above were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency. These opinions expressed are my own opinions and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo Review

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When it comes to coffee, it is a hit or miss with me. There are some coffees that are just not my Cup Of Joe and there are some that I really like. I think for me, I prefer “cold” coffees or say iced cappuccino with chocolate and whip cream. When I was approached with the opportunity to review one of the new Nescafe Dolce Gusto coffee machines, I was more than excited. Since there are days when we don’t need to make a whole pot of coffee, the single serve coffee machines really come in handy.

In the new Nescafe Dolce Gusto coffee line, you can find 4 different stylish single cup machines. We were LUCKY and have had the opportunity to review the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo. This is one of my favorites out of the four but I would have to say that I like the designs of all of them. Take a peek at all the four stylish machines below and you tell me which one is your favorite.

Don’t they all look so neat? I would have them all, but who really needs 4 single serve machines. When I first got the machine, I left it in the box for a few days. After waiting a few days of just staring at the box, we took it out and started making some coffees. What we did not do is read the directions before we got started. My husband does not have a whole lot of patience and started brewing a hot cup of coffee before readings and messed up the first cup. What he didn’t know is to make some of the flavored coffees we received to try, you must use two different kinds. So when he used only one cartridge for his coffee, the drink came out all white and did not taste good. Luckily I grabbed the directions and was able to tell my husband how to correctly make the drink he wanted.

With these new stylish machines, you can make a single cup of coffee in SECONDS. There is a whole variety of flavored pre-measured capsules of coffee that you buy to use with the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo. Some of the flavors include Cappuccino, Latté macchiato, Chococino and more. What I like is that you can also make COLD drinks. HELLO, this coffee pot is now my favorite. We have used another single serve coffee machine before in the past, but it didn’t have the option to make cold drinks. Nescafe has a flavor called the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Cappuccino Ice. You make this cold coffee beverage with two different coffee cartridges using the cold setting on the machine. This is now my MOST FAVORITE COFFEE ever. I will definitely be stocking up on these and hope Santa puts some of these in my stocking.

You can buy any of these new stylish Nescafe Dolce Gusto machines by visiting: https://www.dolce-gusto.us/Products/Where-To-Buy.aspx

I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto and received a coffee machine to facilitate my review.

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