Get The Floors Clean Today with Swiffer Sweep & Trap #NewFromSwiffer

A new product is hitting the shelves at Walmart today and I got to test it before it was for sale. Guess what it is? Over the past few weeks, I have been reviewing the brand new Swiffer Sweep & Trap here at SusieQTpies Cafe. This was a fun and practical product review perfect for my kitchen. Thanks to SheSpeaks and Swiffer for sponsoring this post. My own opinions are expressed here. 

The Swiffer Sweep & Trap is practical and easy to use like all the other Swiffer products which I own. This one uses a dry pad to trap small particles, cat hair, dust, crumbs, and more. Besides the dry pad it has another function which is to trap and catch larger items like nuts and bolts, cat food, wood shavings, cereal and more! 

The product was tested to pick up nuts & bolts, cat food, large crumbs, cat hair, wood shavings, and dust. Guess what? It worked. Even the teens tried it and it worked for them, too! 

I don't know about you but I'm always looking for practical products for my kitchen. The Swiffer Sweep & Trap is just that. Pop on over to Walmart today and get yours, too! 

Check Twitter and follow:
@SusieQTpies, @SheSpeaksUp and @Walmart as well as the hashtag #NewFromSwiffer to find out what others are saying about the new Swiffer Sweet & Tray. 

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Get Uncommon iPhone Case Review and $50 GIveaway

How many cases do you own for your iPhone? Do you change it out seasonally or just keep with the first one you got? I've had my iPhone less than one year and I've had 6 cases! My favorite iPhone case is my newest because it was custom made! Enjoy my review of this new case.

Do you have a favorite piece of art that your little one created just for you? GetUncommon wants you to take this artwork and create your very own, unique iPhone case.

GetUncommon let's you take your kids artwork, their photo or even a photo of your pet and turn it into a beautiful, custom made iPhone case. If you see above, I didn't use anything kid related for my new case. Instead I used part of my blog header and turned it into a walking, talking business card for my blog! Pretty sweet? 

Check out this video-

The photo on my phone case is picture perfect! I am so impressed by how well it turned out that I plan on getting more! I couldn't decide quick enough which art piece to try first for my case review but plan to use the girls artwork and even pictures of them when they were tiny to make more cases!

Wouldn't this case make a wonderful, priceless and unique Mother's Day gift? I know that Mom, Grandma, Auntie, Nana or anyone else who you give to at Mother's Day would L-O-V-E this case.

Check out GetUncommon.com for yourself and you will see all of the Apple device products and case options. Come back here and tell me which iPhone case you want to try to be entered to win your own case ($50 value.) Giveaway ends Friday, May 3rd.

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How to enter (quick as this ends May 3rd)

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I was sent a case to review. My own tasty opinions and thoughts are used here for this review.

Baby Photography Tips by SanDisk

Do you need tips on Baby photography? Photographer Erin Manning has 3 tips on capturing better baby photos to make each memory last.

My girls are now 14 and 18. I look back and most of the photos of when there were a baby are awful! They pictures are out of focus, distracting and fading fast! Check out the below video on baby photography tips by SanDisk.

Photographer, author and educator Erin Manning provides her Top 3 Tips for capturing better baby photos. Erin gives you advice on setting the scene and getting close to the baby for those perfect images, as well as using a SanDisk Ultra SDHC card to make sure she never misses a shot. 

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for SanDisk. I received a product sample to thank me for participating”

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Healthier Lifestyle and the Genie Bra review

There is a downside to this healthier lifestyle journey. It is difficult keeping up with clothes to fit my changing body. I recently found the Genie Bra and it gave my body a new lift in this journey!

The Genie Bra is an As Seen On TV product and can be purchased online. When I took the bra out of the box it looked just like my sports bra. I was disappointed because I didn't need another sports bra. I really needed a form fit that would hold tight to my every changing body and that I could wear outside the gym. My current sports bras don't do that and I don't wear them outside of the gym. On first look, I thought that this bra isn't going to fit like my wire bras but just like my unsupportive sports bra.

I'm here to admit that I judged the Genie Bra before trying it on. That was my first and last mistake with this bra. The Genie Bra gave me the lift and support like my old wire bras without the uncomfortable wire. The bra has a wide band and each cup is separated and fitted to give a lift. Better yet, the bra keeps its shape and has given me the fit and shape I need as my size decreases. This is very important to me and will save me money until I get to my new weight. At first the bra looked like a sports bra but it is no where near a sports bra.

I have a very busy daily routine and it feels great to rely on the Geni Bra to give me the a smooth, creaseless fit when I change out of my gym clothes and into my daily outfits. The bra also comes with pads which provide extra lift and coverage. I am not using them but in the future I might as I lose more weight. I'm totally satisfied and as I said in the beginning, the Genie Bra has given me a new lift in my healthier lifestyle journey!

This is my review of the Geni Bra but I do want you to check it out for yourself at the Genie Bra Website and on their Facebook page. I love the before and after pictures of the women trying on the bra. Yes, I'm a chicken or I would do before and after pictures of myself. For now, you'll have to check their site to actually see the difference. I have found the same result as these women. The Geni Bra is truly like wearing a regular under wire bra but it is so much more comfortable.

Ok this is crazy but I also tried the Slim and Tone Leggings for the same reason. I wanted something to give me a snug fit as my body is changing. These are wonderful for the midsection and legs. Since it is winter and I'm always freezing, I do wear these to bed for extra warmth under my pj's.

Want to know more about my healthier lifestyle journey? Check here for my healthier lifestyle journey and my 52 weeks of Inspiration-Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 and Week 5.

I wrote this review while participating in a Blog Tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Genie Bra and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Book release -The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society: A Novel by Darien Gee

Today is the book release of The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society: A Novel by author Darien Gee, who also writes under the name Mia King. Her first novel, Friendship Bread is a tasty fiction book full of Amish Friendship Bread recipes.

This is breaking news! For any author the release date has to be seen as giving birth day when your book is released into the public and from there it will truly have a chance to grow and be shared with many. So today is the birth day of  The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee. Will you help it grow? Check out some fo the early reviews on Amazon. It is already ranked and off to a great start. 

(I'm in the back 3rd from the right and Darien is next to me, 4th from the right)

I know the author personally and have been behind the scenes helping her since before the actual release of Friendship Bread 4/5/11. I'm excited to say that little old me is mentioned in both her books (my few seconds of fame ;). I am also the Friendship Bread Kitchen Assistant where I help her with the tasty website, Friendship Bread Kitchen. Stop over and check out the over 250 recipes made and tested in the Friendship Bread Kitchen by Darien and I as well as from Kitchen Friends all over the world. A few of my favorites and I included the link to the first recipe which will take you to the Friendship Bread Kitchen. The other ones are there too, but I will be posting those recipes on my blog this week in celebration of the release of her new book.

 Chocolate Caramel Amish Friendship Bread Brownies

Recipe is in her first book, Friendship Bread. I took the photo.

 Oreos and Cream Amish Friendship Bread made into muffins

 Amish Friendship Bread Basic Cookie

Amish Friendship Bread Mocha Chip Scones

The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society (ALSS) book is set in Avalon population 4,243 and is a small river town in Illinois. The book is about a group of women who form deep friendships and sharing together, bringing in other women into their circle by way of scrapbooking. The leader and founder of ALSS, Bettie shares her passion of scrapbooking and wants everyone to preserve their precious memories. Through this group, the women share their past and work together to help one another move into their future by dealing and working through their life issues. 

Just like Friendship Bread, ALSS is chocked full of carefully developed characters which Gee shares with us in this town of Avalon. The book made me laugh, shout for joy, shed tears of sadness as well as tears of joy. Gee crafts the novel to draw the reader into Avalon and be a part of the town which is why I felt all those emotions reading the book. I truly felt the emotions of the characters. Now this, friends, is a perfect example of a book full of developed characters. 

If you order the book today, on its release day 1/29/13 you can get free goodies from the author! Check out the DEAL on Friendship Bread Kitchen website.  In case you are wondering, yes you can read this book if you haven't read the first book, Friendship Bread and if you aren't into scrapbooking ;) Did I mention the book has recipes? I love fiction books with recipes which Darien Gee and Mia King books always include.

I'll leave you with a few quotes on early reviews of the book.

“In a gathering of women there will always be compelling stories. Throw in a love of craft and these stories take on a whole new dynamic. There are shared secrets, support, encouragement, and love as the Avalon Ladies come to terms with the past and boldly step forward into the future.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

“A three-hanky nod to It’s a Wonderful Life. Gee gets the unapologetically schmaltzy tone just right with the irresistible premise that we can love the impossible. A surefire book club hit.” Publisher’s Weekly

“Truly charming! You’ll want to read and then immediately share with your best friends (and then start a scrapbooking society of your own!). Darien Gee writes about friendship and family with depth, grace and heart.”—Sarah Jio, New York Times bestselling author of Blackberry Winter and The Violets of March

Cooking with a 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.0

The 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.0 is a fun device to use in the Kitchen. I didn't include my New Orleans Pralines with this post but I will add it later in the week to my blog. So stop back in! 

Over 7 years ago my family went through a National Disaster (we were all fine as we evacuated before Hurricane Katrina stopped into New Orleans.) We had learned from previous evacuations to take family photos, scrapbooks, personal identification documents and a few days change of clothes. Never in my lifetime did I think we would never return to live in New Orleans and loose a majority part of our personal belongings. Why do I share this with you? Well I lost something really important to me. I loss all of my years of collecting recipes, cookbooks and handwritten recipe cards from family and friends. 

Since this happened, I have slowly rebuilt a wonderful recipe collection and now use my blog and other online resources so that no matter where I go my recipes will follow me. One tool that I have recently fallen in love with to use in the kitchen is the 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.0 . It has a 7 inch color screen which is also touch screen. The resolution is clean, picture perfect recipes can been seen on the screen and it comes with a 3.2-megapixel rear and front facing camera. 

This table is just the right size to have in the kitchen to view recipes, take pictures of food prep (I'm a foodie blogger so I take A LOT of food photos) and allows me to watch Netflix when I'm in my kitchen for several hours at a time.

Besides helping me to view my recipes, I love searching blogs, Pinterest and brand name website  for more recipe ideas. I have my Tab loaded with free foodie mobile apps of some of my favorite sites  to easily view recipes as well as add my own creations.

Here are some fo the sweet free foodie apps that I used on the 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.0:

Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List, AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner, Whole Foods Market Recipes, Simply Organic Recipes. They were all very easy to navigate and I found a lot of new meal ideas, recipes and more that I could easily save within each app. Do you have a Tablet? Do you use it exclusively in the kitchen? I love that I can use this in the kitchen as well as an easy to take item in case I have to evacuate my home again!  It is also just the right size to take to the store with my menu plan or the saved recipe in an app to pull up at the store. The 4G makes this Tablet super sweet and I love having internet no matter where I go! 

This Tablet worked great for taking pictures of my food prep to be used on my blog. It saved me a lot of time because it was an easy, point and shoot camera. My big Canon camera can now be replaces with Tablet photos. 

I'm hooked! I am totally in love with using this in the Kitchen. I have two suggestions for future product development. One would be to increase the resolution of the camera. Overall it worked fine for my blog foodie photos and you can easily edit them on the Tablet. I didn't try and print any off but that would be one reason to have a higher resolution. The other suggestion would that the Tablet have the ability to use it as a phone! I was testing it out to see how it would work as a phone. I think that I could get use to a phone this size :)

Is this something you would use in the Kitchen? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

I was provided a 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.0 to review. My own tasty opinions are expressed here.

Look and Lose- same calories, more food!

The Eat & Beat Diabetes 
by Dr. Howard M. Shapiro and Chef Franklin Becker


Look and Lose -- Same Calories, More Food!
Includes tips and healthy meals for kids at risk

The most delicious way you can imagine to lose weight and manage diabetes

• Overweight and at risk for diabetes?
• Diagnosed as diabetic or prediabetic?
• Worried about heart disease?
• Need to lower your blood pressure or cholesterol?
• Need to lose weight healthfully?
• Want to prevent your children from getting diabetes?

Follow the plan in this book and you'll be on the road to health. You'll lose weight -- one of the most important components of diabetes prevention and management -- and you won't feel deprived. It's not about what you can't eat anymore -- it's about all the foods that will leave you satisfied and help you fight disease.

• The latest research, revealing the four powerful nutrients that proactively beat back diabetes and its impact
• More than 100 color photos of picture-perfect food comparisons that help you make the right choices
• Tips for how to beat diabetes in any restaurant -- from fast food to haute cuisine
  

Beat diabetes and lose weight!

Ask any doctor or nutritionist who treats patients with diabetes: the first focus for controlling the disease is a healthy eating plan. But typical diabetic eating plans have been all about what you can't eat and what to do if you fall prey to a craving for foods you shouldn't have.

But now a typical day in the life of a diabetic might start with a smoked salmon-and-dill omelet, continue to a lunch of three-bean chili, salsa and guacamole, and finish with a dinner of grilled shrimp and shaved fennel, topped off by a dessert of chocolate terrine. It's a kind of eating that virtually guarantees not just control of the disease and a satisfying of the appetite, but an emphasis on specific nutrients that actually target diabetes, beating back its potential side effects and maintaining the healthy weight that is key to controlling the disease.

In Eat & Beat Diabetes with Picture Perfect Weight Loss, Dr. Howard Shapiro uses the same visual method of food comparisons that made his bestselling weight-loss books so popular and easy to use. Now he has teamed with top chef Franklin Becker, a diabetic himself, and together they reveal the secrets to a diet that can actually help you prevent and beat diabetes -- without depriving yourself of delicious food.

You'll find:

• Dr. Shapiro's Beat Diabetes Pyramid -- a simple way to understand the food groups that fight diabetes and help you lose weight
• 50 recipes from the nation's premier chefs, which range from simple to sophisticated, so anyone can make tasty meals regardless of time or skill
• A 7-day sample meal plan

MY TAKE ON THE BOOK:
This book is perfect for visual learners!  The photos are huge and glossy which makes healthy food and recipes look extremely appetizing!

I love how they compare foods to help you see the better choice:

For example:

 730 cal tuna on a baguette ( 3/4 c. tuna salad 330 cal., 5 oz baguette 400 cal)

vs.

470 cal  tuna salad on whole wheat and a bowl of chunky veggie soup (3/4 c. light mayo tuna salad  225 cal, 2 slices whole-wheat bread 140 cal, 2 slices of tomatoes 5 cal, Soup 100 cal)

Which would you choose? How about the choice with more food! The book visually shows over and over examples of food choices where you are eating more food, consuming less calories, and eating healthier.  Sometimes we just need to see what is good for us to eat vs. what we are already eating. 

The 50 recipes look unbelievable! The first one I'm trying is Red Snapper in Tomato-Saffron Broth (we have saffron left over from another meal that I've been wanting to use). How about an apple and peach crumble or citrus granita?

Here is your chance to take a quiz and see if you know which is the better food choice! Don't get tricked like I did on a few of them!

Did You Know That You Can Eat and Beat Diabetes?

View more presentations from FSB Associates.

 Thanks to FSB Associates for such a tasty book to review. The opinions on MY TAKE ON THE BOOK are all of my own tasty words!

Skookie Cookie Cast Iron Cookie Skillet

Camp Chef has the ideal solution for the perfect dessert! The Skookie Cast Iron Skillet puts a new twist on fresh baked brownies & cookies. This dessert is not only delicious, but it is also easy and fun to make!

 In addition to these tasty treats, this cast iron skillet is also great for personal pizzas, fajitas, and more. The Skookie Cast Iron Skillet is made with the highest quality cast iron and seasoned with natural oils that are baked directly into the iron. This creates a natural, non-stick finish which is also simple to clean. This great piece of cookware combines even heating, superior heat retention, and a natural stick-resistant finish to give the best tasting results possible!

My little teen chef made these with me. They are so yummy! Check out the steps below. The kit comes with a recipe book, too.

We plan on making mini pizzas next! 

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9 Benefits of Music for Kids

By Laura Yeh

Kids who learn to play a musical instrument gain an outlet for their creativity that can bring them a joy for a lifetime. They also reap tangible benefits that can help them as students and throughout their lives.

Through musical instruction, children learn discipline, patience, problem-solving skills, confidence and responsibility, to name just a few benefits. Let’s take a closer look at some of the advantages your child can gain from learning to play an instrument:

#1 Precision, discipline and focus: In addition to fostering the development of discipline, music enables children to learn precision and accuracy. I know of no other form of education that can help students learn this kind of focused precision at a young age. Students learn to pay close attention to exactly how a particular skill looks, sounds and feels. The brain learns to notice more detail.

#2 Patience: Students gain the valuable quality of patience, especially with a more complex instrument like violin or piano. Each skill requires hundreds of repetitions to become easy. Students must have the confidence that they will get it if they just keep practicing.

#3 Problem-solving and persistence: Practicing is always about problem-solving. Why do I make a mistake here or why does it sound squeaky? What solutions can I come up with to fix the mistake? Good practice techniques require creativity and patience to identify and solve the problem. From this, students learn persistence. No passage is impossible to play correctly. It’s just a matter of finding the right way of practicing.

#4 Fine motor skills: I have seen the development of fine motor skills in my violin students, particularly the ability to isolate certain muscles and joints as well as the independent use of each finger.

#5 Healthy habits: Learning a musical instrument requires good posture and the ability to keep muscles relaxed even while doing something challenging. Students also strengthen muscles and gain flexibility, both of which contribute to overall health.

#6 Memory: As music is memorized, the capabilities of memory are greatly enhanced. Education then becomes a matter of drawing conclusions and making connections between concepts rather than an exertion to merely memorize all the material. The younger a child can begin learning music, the greater the benefit for their short- and long-term memory.

#7 Creativity: The wonderful thing about music is that, although it requires precision and accuracy in terms of rhythms, notes and playing technique, when it comes to interpretation, there is so much room for individuality. The skill of improvisation allows even greater creativity. Students learn to think for themselves and make their own artistic choices rather than being told how to do everything.

#8 Cultural Understanding: Students are introduced to music of different cultures and from different times. This exposure is useful for kids to learn about and appreciate the differences and individuality of all people.

#9 Confidence and work ethic: Students learn that if they apply themselves intelligently, efficiently, and persistently they achieve the desired result.

So what is the best way to introduce children to music? Many children with encouragement can learn challenging instruments such as the violin and piano. But not all families can invest the money and time required for instruments and lessons. A wonderful instrument that I have found to help spur children’s interest in music is the ocarina.

These ancient little wind instruments were played by the Mayans, Aztecs and Incas of South and Central America and in ancient India and China. The ocarina was well known in the United States in the early part of the last century after being issued to troops in the two World Wars.

In 2004, I bought several ocarinas while on a visit to Taiwan. I was impressed by how easy the ocarina was to pick up and play. So we began teaching it at the St. Louis School of Music. It turned out to be a perfect fit.

The ocarina is pocket-sized, fun and intriguing to play. It’s portable, economical and has a pleasant sound even in the hands of a beginner. It offers a great way to teach children the lifelong joys of music and introduce them to skills that will help them excel in everything they do.

————————————————————————————————————

About the Author-guest article:

Laura Yeh is a performer and music educator trained in the Suzuki methods of instruction who teaches violin and ocarina at the St. Louis School of Music to children as young as 3 and adults. Laura and her husband Dennis have collaborated with ocarina makers around the world to produce new models of the ocarina. They have designed and produced many unique and innovative ocarinas sold by STL Ocarina (http://www.stlocarina.com).

101 Breakfast and Brunch Recipes with Gooseberry Patch

I'm a huge fan of anything Gooseberry Patch! Here is one of my favorite or I should say really it is my favorite, go-to breakfast cookbook ever! This book has 101 breakfast & brunch recipes that are so fresh and tasty. I know because I have cooked many of them and drooled over a lot of the photos! Read more below on the review and some of the tasty recipes we've tried. 

In case you are new here, check out some of their other cookbooks or recipes that I have reviewed like Almost Homemade,  Best Ever Cookies, Mom's Very Best Recipes and Kid's in the Kitchen.

Guess what time it is? Time to give you another Early Bird Review and giveaway of a brand new Gooseberry Patch Cookbook! This new book, 101 Breakfast and Brunch Recipes is bursting with tasty goodness! Are you surprised?

The 101 cookbook book series comes wire spiral bound. This series is my favorite because each recipe has a tasty photo. I'm a visual learner and when I see something that intrigues me, I will make it. Now I do admit that I don't need photos of recipes in all my cookbooks but I do enjoy this tasty series of cookbooks.

Here are the chapters in this book and some of the recipes I will be trying:

Rise & Dine: (no cook) Break-of-Day Berry Parfait, Kelly's Easy Caramel Rolls, Frosty Orange Juice, Slow-Cooker Breakfast Casserole, Huevos Rancheros to Go-Go (I'm making this in a few weeks for hubby's birthday breakfast), Breakfast Pizza (double yum)

Leisurely Weekend Mornings: Barbara's Open-House Waffles, Cranberry Hootycreek Pancakes, Texas Toads in the Hole, Bacon & Egg Potato Skins, Blueberry-Lemon Crepes, Sugar Plum Bacon, Eggs Benedict, Granny Ruth's Chocolate Gravy and Red Velvet Pancakes

Come to Brunch: Quick Strawberry Cream Danish, French Toast Casserole, Best-Ever Brunch Potatoes, Sweet & Easy Iced Coffee (from Jen at GBP), Hashbrown Quiche, Fiesta Corn Tortilla Quiche, Cranberry-Orange Warmer

Corner Bakery: Aunt Kornye's Cinnamon Rolls, Hot Chocolate Muffins, Cherry Turnovers (I'm making these for hubby's birthday, too but will use apples), Peanut Butter Crunch Coffee Cake, Banana Chocolate-Toffee Drop Scones, Sweet Twists, Spiced Zucchini Bars and Homemade Bagels.

Ok so that is just a few of the recipes that I want to try. Honestly most of them are on my to-do list.  I love to cook breakfast and this books has some new, creative food combinations that I cant wait to try. If you are looking for some fresh ideas then pick up this book as soon as it is for sale. Keep an eye out for it on the Gooseberry Patch Website.

Barbara's Open House Waffles

3 c. biscuit baking mix
1 c. millet flour
1/8 t. baking soda
1/4 c canola oil
3 eggs, beaten
3 c. buttermilk
2 T. water
Garnish with maple syrup, fresh strawberries, whipped cream or any fruit

In a bowl, whisk together baking mix, flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients except garnish and mix well. Drop batter by 1/2 cupfuls onto a heated waffle iron; cook according to manufacturer's directions. Top with maple syrup, strawberries and whipped cream. Serves 6-8.

French Toast Casserole

1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. butter
2 c. corn syrup
1 loaf French bread, sliced
5 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla extract
Garnish: powdered sugar, maple syrup
(We added 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans to our recipe)

Melt together brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in a saucepan over low heat; pour into a greased 13" x 9" baking pan. Arrange bread slices over mixture and set aside. Whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla; pour over bread, coating all slices. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Sprinkle with powered sugar; serve with warm syrup. Makes 6-8 servings.

Break-of-Day Berry Parfait

1 c. strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 c. raspberries
1/4 c. blackberries
1 c. bran & raisin cereal
6 oz container strawberry yogurt
(I used bananas)

In a bowl, combine berries; divide into 2 small bowls. Top each with cereal. spoon yogurt over top. Serves 2.

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Want to win a copy of 101 Breakfast and Brunch Recipes? Enter below in the very easy Rafflecopter form. Giveaway ends August 6th 2012. 

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I'm an early bird reviewer for Gooseberry Patch. They sent me a copy of this cookbook in exchange for my tasty & honest review. 

DIY Homemade Cleaner Recipe and Bathroom Cleaning Tools

Easy DIY homemade bathroom cleaner recipe cleans like nothing else I have ever purchased. This is my cleaner of choice! 

Raise your hand if you like to clean your bathroom? Like it or not it has to be kept clean and someone has to do it! I love having a clean bathroom and do lightly clean it daily. I only do a good deep clean once a week. There are a few things that are really important to me in the cleaning process. One is to have the right cleaning tools and the other is the right cleaning solution.

On Pinterest a few months back I saw an easy, homemade cleaning solution that I wanted to try. It is now the ONLY cleaning solution that I will use for the sink, tub and shower. We call it Baby Blue because of its color.

Baby Blue Bathroom Cleaner

Recipe:

Cleaning Vinegar (or regular white vinegar)

Blue Dawn

1 spray bottle

Directions

Pour equal ingredients of vinegar and Dawn in a spray bottle and lightly shake.

For tough areas let the mixture soak for 30 minutes and then scrub or wipe off the grime. 

For regular, on-going cleaning just spray and wipe or scrub.

Now on to the cleaning tools. Do you look at the tools in the store and wonder which ones to purchase? There are always new ones to look at and try. Just recently I was asked to participate in the Rubbermaid product blog tour with 9 other bloggers. Once you read my post check out their post, too! We are all sharing our experiences with select Rubbermaid bathroom cleaning tools. 

Extendable Scrubber- The Extendable Scrubber has a pole reach of 24-40 inches. I was impressed as to how sturdy the poll was when I extended it the full 40 inches to reach the upper corners of my shower. The poll stayed locked into place and didn't bend with pressure. I can see this as a very helpful tool, especially for people who can't get down and scrub the tub or reach high to wash down the walls. This is also handy to get behind and around the toilet without having to get your face in the bowl. The scrubber can be detached from the poll for close up jobs and has Switchable Pads.

Flexible Scrub Brush- I have NEVER used a flexible bathroom scrub brush that was actually flexible. This brush has a 3 inch flexible tip with bristles that are actually firm and bendable. The brush has a lock which lets you control how much you want the brush to bend. What a handy tool to get into those hard to reach areas and it curves with the contours of your cleaning space. I love how this brush fits in my hand. 

2-in-1 Scrubber- This is a double duty brush. I'm totally loving it. Not only can this brush use all of the Switchable Pads but it comes with its own detachable detail brush. No more taking your husbands tooth brush to get into those hard-to-reach areas. This detailed brush is perfect for small areas such as the tight crevasses of the shower track doors, around the faucets, above and below the grout, around the bottom of the toilet and all those nasty hard-to-reach areas. This brush is sturdy and has been built to last.

Switchable Pads- My bathroom, as well as yours, is full of different surfaces that need to be cleaned. With these new bathroom cleaning tools you can purchase a variety of cleaning pads. I tried the Scouring Pad, Sponge, Bristle Brush and the Disposable Pads. All but the Disposable Pads will last for a long time. They are all durable and made of high quality materials. If you ever have one of those disgusting cleaning jobs in your bathroom, use the Disposable Pads. They are meant to be used once and tossed. 

Rubbermaid designers did a great job coming up with these Bathroom Cleaning Tools. I am super impressed with the quality of material in all of the products. The tools were made to fit in the hands of a woman or a man. For some reason that thought popped into my head when I was cleaning my bathroom. So how many of you let your husband clean the bathroom? Maybe you should get these new tools and let him give them a try, too! 

I was asked to participate in this Rubbermaid Bathroom Products blog tour. I was sent 

Rubbermaid products for free. My own tasty words and opinions are used in this post.  Feel free to check my full disclosure statement tab for more information.

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My Pro-Health® Clinical Plaque Control Test Drive Results #CrestSponsored

Last month I took on the Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Test Drive. I was sent the Crest Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Toothpaste, Crest Pro-Health Clinical Rinse, Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Pro-Flex Toothbrush and Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Clinical Protection Floss. When you get a chance, check out the Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical website.

Here are a few things that I have learned and enjoyed about each product:

1. Crest Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Toothpaste-Helps remove plaque and keeps it from coming back! It is a fluoride toothpaste that fights and protects against cavities, gingivitis and sensitive teeth! It is also a teeth whitener and freshens breath. I personally LOVED how clean and fresh my mouth felt until the next tooth brushing. I wanted to see how long that I could go in-between brushing but the thought of it grossed me out! It truly kept my mouth clean-just like I felt after leaving the dentist office.
2. Crest Pro-Health Clinical Rinse-This is the most advanced rinse ever. The clinical rinse reduces plaque and prevents plaque regrowth (gross!) The package also states that it can reverse gingivitis in two weeks. I don't have this issue but my gums seem so healthy since using this. The rinse is alcohol free (yeah!) and kills 99% of germs to improve breath. 
3. Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Pro-Flex Toothbrush-I love the "Pro-Flex" of the brush. It worked with my mouth and teeth instead of being too stiff and intrusive. The function is to help remove more plaque unlike other toothbrushes. The brush works together with the toothpaste and rinse to remove plaque and gingivitis. The only problem that I had with the toothbrush was that it wouldn't sit on the counter without tipping over. Sometimes I put my brush down with the toothpaste on it but I couldn't with this brush. 
4. Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Clinical Protection Floss-The floss was perfect for my teeth. I need something to get in-between my really tight teeth. I have a cap on one of my teeth so I'm very careful when I floss. I didn't have to worry about it catching because it just glided through. The floss also works to prevent cavities because it gets deep in between the teeth to remove unwanted food.

I am 100% in love with these new products. The toothpaste is by far my favorite because it removes plaque and prevents plaque growth. I'm also very pleased that it is for sensitive teeth. I had actually forgotten about that benefit until I was writing up my review. I do have a few sensitive teeth that react to extreme cold or heat but now that I think back on it, I haven't had a problem. Thank you, Crest Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Toothpaste! 

It was refreshing to try products that actual do what it states on the package. I'm a picky reviewer, just so you know. I want a product to perform like the package states. As I sit here and type, I'm running my tongue all over my teeth. I do this all the time now because I can't get over how fresh and clean my mouth feels hours after brushing and eating. Thanks for reading about my test drive. Time to go brush my teeth!

I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Crest and Oral-B and received product samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central Consulting sent me a promotional gift to thank me for taking the time to participate.