Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Honest Company Organic Healing Balm Review and Uses

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Referral links may be included at no cost to you. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

I’ve been using the Honest Company’s Organic Healing Balm for over a year now, and I continue to be amazed at what an extremely versatile product this is.

organic healing balm

 

It’s important to note that a healing balm isn’t intended to be an exact substitution for lotion. It is very thick (think sort of like Vaseline) so it doesn’t spread all that far. But just because you can slather it all over your entire body, that doesn’t mean that this product isn’t crazy useful.

Here are some of the ways I use it.

1. Overdrive for your lotion

I actually will add a dollop of organic healing balm to the lotion I’m about to apply to my body and mix it together really well before applying it. That’s one way that I manage to get a bit of this product all over without having to use half the tube. I think it gives my lotion an extra boost of intense moisturing power, too.

2. Hair serum

Yep, you can take a tiny dab (like the size of a pea) and rub it vigorously between your hands and then run those hands through dry hair to help cut down on the frizz factor. This is such a great hack for those of us in humid climates.

3. Dry Patches

Do you have any areas of your skin that just seem to struggle? For me, it’s the heels of my feet and my elbows. I apply the organic healing balm to those areas on the regular and it makes a really huge difference.

4. Lip Balm

The ingredients in this balm are perfectly safe to apply to the lips, as well. I love when a product can do so many jobs at once, especially if I’m traveling so that I don’t have to carry as much with me.

5. Brow Gel

A very tiny amount of this product can also be used to help your eyebrows look nice and smooth and to keep everything right where it should be.

6. Hand Therapy

Before heading to bed, apply the balm to your cuticles, or even to the entirety of your hands. It provides amazing moisture and helps keep those hands looking and feeling soft.

7. Baby Balm

If you have a little one in the home, try this product out for diaper rash, or even just for a little hand or foot massage.

8. Eye Wrinkle Attack

I’m of the age where those fine lines around my eyes aren’t quite so “fine” anymore. I’ve been dabbing a tiny amount of this product right in that area (obviously not going close enough to get into my eyes) and I’ve been really pleased with the results. This is another hack to try right before bed.

Honest Organic Healing Balm contains sunflower, olive and coconut oils as well as shea butter. Those are all absolutely fabulous ingredients for skin health and happiness. There’s also Tamanu oil, which I have read is great at restoring skin’s moisture, as well as chamomile and calendula which are soothing agents. It is a certified organic product, as well.

Where to Buy Honest Company Products

If you’d rather not go through the Honest Company’s bundles, you can purchase this item at retail price through Amazon.  And if you’d like an option that’s a little easier on the wallet, definitely give Aquaphor a try.

Want to see more Honest Company reviews? I’ve got a huge list, so be sure to check them out!

The Secret to No Panty Line Underwear (and Other Style Discoveries)

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Affiliate links may be included. I only promote what I love! 

Earlier this week I shared about how much I am learning in the Adore Your Wardrobe course that my blogging friend Kelly has created. If you missed that post, be sure to check it out!

Anyone going through the course gets access to a really fun Facebook group full of other women who are going through or who have already gone through it. I’m reading so much great fashion advice, and I’m loving how positive the vibe is, over there. It’s not at all about feeling bad about what your body looks like, but instead it’s about fully embracing your shape and dressing to maximize what you are rocking, because every single body shape has benefits! 

In addition to the Rule of 4 video which gave me a huge transformation nearly instantly in how I dress (the video is FREE to watch through the end of the week, so be sure not to miss it!), one other lesson I learned that has ROCKED MY WORLD is about undergarments.

Adore Your Wardrobe has an entire lesson on having the right foundation. Thanks to my own work with Vanity Fair last year, I have invested in some great bras that fit correctly, so I feel savvy in that department. But I have the world’s most random assortment of underwear, and I just avoid shapewear altogether because frankly, I’m kind of scared of it.

no panty line underwear

Adore Your Wardrobe has shown me the light! Kelly does a fantastic job at helping you understand the types of undergarments you need to be looking for, and she does this all without pushing just one brand. It’s not about brand at all, but about fit and function, and she breaks down the secret to what to look for in underwear to get rid of that ugly panty line once and for all.

Thanks to her tips, I ordered this underwear from Vanity Fair (you can also find it at Macy’s and on Amazon). I only bought one to make sure that it was right for me. Friends, this underwear is LIKE BUTTER and I want to throw away every other pair of underwear that I own and order 20 more of these. Oh swoon! I didn’t know it could be this awesome friends. No panty lines, of course, and super comfy, too.

I give Adore Your Wardrobe all the credit for this revelation. And that was just ONE of SEVERAL things I learned in lesson #1 of 10. So all I’m saying is that if you would like to make some changes to how you dress and you’d like to stop wishing for the body you used to have and learn how to rock the body you’ve got, Adore Your Wardrobe is going to change your life, simple as that. 

FREEBIE!

Adore Your Wardrobe costs $69 (and I can say without hesitation that it’s very much worth it), but this week (and this week ONLY) you can get one of the lessons absolutely free so that you can get a sense for the kinds of things you will learn in this course. You have absolutely nothing to lose by checking out the free lesson so please do go check it out.

5 Fun Family Night Activities to Take Your Netflix Game Up a Notch

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I’m a member of the Netflix Stream team and enjoy free streaming service. I have been a happy Netflix customer for 11 years and am thrilled to share about my experience.

For most of the country, this time of year it’s just too darn cold to spend much time outside, so figuring out some indoor activities is a must. And if you are like me and my husband, you are doing AWESOME to have one date night every other month, so all those other weekend nights are family nights together.

Before you default to another family night of just Netflix, let me offer a few suggestions to up your game a little bit, have more family interaction together, and to build the excitement around whatever you might decide to watch together that evening. 

fun family night activities

1. Read the Book First

I think most people agree that when a book has been turned into a movie, you should read the book first. One great idea before movie night is to do exactly that, and read a book throughout the week and then watch the movie together on the weekend. Or you can read a book that inspired some other great shows. A perfect example would be to read Peter Pan together, and then to spend time over the weekend watching Hook and some of the Tinker Bell flicks (Neverbeast is my fave!).

2.  LEGO Building Competition

Oh man, the amount of AWESOME LEGO stuf on Netflix is simply amazing! And the perfect activity to go along with a few great episodes is a LEGO competition. You can find building ideas online to try to replicate, or you can let your imagination run wild and see who can build the most awesome thingamajig before it’s time to watch a show.

3. Art Time! 

Before you press play on The Octonauts and launch into the depths of the ocean, print some coloring pages first for a fun activity for the younger crowd (who am I kidding? I’m 35 and I love to color, too!). Use the time for your kids to fill you in on all the characters names if you don’t already know them. In fact, you can find printable coloring pages for almost any cartoon character on Netflix you can think of! You can also bust out some glitter glue, stickers and other embellishments if you want this part of the evening to go a bit longer (this is the PERFECT activity if you need to keep little ones entertained while you work on dinner, by the way!).

4. Enjoy a Laugh-Out-Loud Game Before a Comedy

Netflix offers a whole host of hilarious shows and movies that are family friendly. But before you get your laughs from the screen, first get them from a few fun family games. Pie Face makes me laugh so hard I cry every single time (for real) and we are also currently really enjoying Uno (even our 3 1/2 year old can play her own handwith only a little assistance from us).

5. Go With a Classic

fun family night activities

Fuller House is making its debut on Netflix, picking up the story 29 years after it first started way back in 1987. I’ve previewed the first 6 episodes and I was delighted to discover that it held the interest of my 6-year-old (and of course it held my interest! DJ, Stephanie and Kimmy are so much fun to watch!). This is a really gentle family comedy, and I really think everyone will enjoy it. So when this show premiers on 2/26, make some oven s’mores and settle in together on the couch for a little binge watching!

Our Favorite Kid Dress-Up Clothes: Play Silks Set

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Affiliate links  to these rockin’ pretend dress up clothes may be included at no cost to you.

Time to share another BIG winner from Christmas this year: the play silks set. play silks 1

Grammio gave the girls a gift that, at first glance, may not seem like something terribly special: a set of 14 silk squares (which she purchased from Magic Cabin). But these play silks serve as a foundation for some really incredible imaginative play. They can be transformed into a wide variety of outfits that the girls can fashion together themselves. They can also be turned into shelter, decorations, picnic blankets, and most anything else little minds can imagine.

play silks 2 I have a set of nieces who have owned these for over a year, and I saw how often they played with them, but I was a little stuck on the price. But let me tell you something interesting my mother-in-law learned, and that helped her feel confident about her purchase! She was explaining the concept of the play silks to a friend of hers who is a whiz at sewing. The woman was quick to say, “Oh goodness yes, those would be easy to make.” She then asked how much they cost on the website, and upon hearing the price said, “Oh wow. I couldn’t make them that inexpensively.” SOLD! 🙂

play silks 3 I can certainly vouch for the quality of these products, for the gorgeous, vibrant colors, and for the ease of use for young children to create fun things with them on their own and with a friend. I think they are worth every penny! You also save more if you buy more with the company (right now, for example, if you buy all 14, you save over $10 on your purchase).

I can’t personally vouch for the quality of products beyond what you’ll find at Magic Cabin, but Amazon does seem to have a nice selection of play silks if you’d like to browse what they have. Be sure to read product reviews, though!

New Frozen Toys Hit the Shelves!

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Frozen fever has been going strong in our house since Thanksgiving night, 2012, when we took our (at the time) 3-year-old to her first ever movie. Didn’t we pick a heck of a movie for her first?! 🙂

While we no longer watch the movie on repeat like we did a few years ago, my girls still love playing with their Frozen dolls and all their Frozen figures. Hasbro sent us some products that came out in the past year, as well as Frozen dolls that are brand new. Check them out!

frozen dolls set

I want to give you a comparison of this Anna doll with an Anna doll we already have. It’s easy to spot what a great job Hasbro has done of making the new dolls look more like the characters in the movie. My oldest noticed the difference right away, and said that she preferred the look of the new doll.

new frozen dolls

This was also our first experience trying out the Frozen Little Kingdom sets. My girls really love playing with miniature figures, and have SNAP-IN features, so certain elements (clothes, accessories) can be mixed and matched.

frozen little kingdom playset sleigh

You can see that the Frozen Sleigh Ride comes with quite a large number of accessories (it gave me a laugh to see a two-tiered tray of chocolate for a sleigh ride…but I suppose if you are royal you can rock that!).

frozen little kingdom friendship collection with marshmallow

The Frozen Friendship Collection got HUGE points from the girls, thanks to the inclusion of Marshmallow (my youngest’s favorite character from the movie…toys of him are really hard to find!) and they also particularly loved the look of Sven and Kristoff in this set.

frozen sets hasbro little kingdom

If you’ve got a little one who loves all things Frozen (and that would include pretty much every child on earth, let’s just be real), then definitely check out Hasbro’s selection of great Frozen toys. The new dolls are just gorgeous and the little kingdom sets are simply delightful. My girls have played with them for days on end! You can find them all at HasbroToyShop.com and at most major toy retailers nationwide.

The Science of Dressing Well: How I’m Learning to Adore My Wardrobe

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Affiliate links included at no cost to you. I am personally taking this course and I love promoting services that can truly chance your life, like this one!

A few weeks ago a blogging friend of mine reached out to me about something super cool. Kelly, of Redefined Mom, let me know that she had been working really hard on a 30-day educational series for women about the science behind putting together a Pinterest-worthy outfit. Kelly was a fellow Vanity Fair ambassador and I recall when I met her last July that she looked very well put together, but in a very realistic way, if that makes sense (she wasn’t rockin’ stilettos or crazy expensive clothes, in other words).

So I knew based on the way I have seen Kelly dress that she would be a great tutor for the rest of out there who are struggling to pull together looks that rock and who seem to have a closet jam-packed with NOTHING TO WEAR.

Adore Your Wardrobe is an eCourse (Ever tried one? They are fun!). It spans over 30 days with 9 different modules and one final master class. You receive videos, written overviews and worksheets (and those worksheets are WHERE IT’S AT…I’ve got a few of them printed and pinned to the wall in my closet now!).

Kelly wants you to have fun and to feel comfortable experimenting with your wardrobe, but she also wants you to know that it’s a common misconception that fashion is all about artistic choices. NOPE! According to Kelly, fashion is 80% science and math.  In the course, you will learn about the principles of proportion, balance and geometry, as well as determine your unique body type. Additionaly, you learn that if you can count to 4, then you can put together a really cute look in just a few minutes.

The Rule of Four (It’s FREE!)

how to look well-dressed

Making a time and financial commitment to a course like this requires careful consideration for most people, so Kelly wants to give you a sneak peek at what you’ll be getting with the course by letting you go ahead and see the video from module #8, called The Rule of Four. I started with this module and then gave myself 5 minutes to use the rules to put together something other than yoga pants and a ratty long-sleeved t-shirt, which is what I was sporting earlier this morning (and pretty much every day…I’m totally in that “work at home fashion” rut). Using Kelly’s Rule of 4, I put together a cute outfit in record time, and I noticed a boost in my confidence throughout the day because I looked so well dressed.

I’ve been using the Rule of 4 ever since I learned about it, and while I have identified some particular fashion needs that might require a little shopping (need a few statement necklaces….I completely didn’t understand them but I’m starting to, now!) I’m also happy to report that I’m realizing I have a lot more to work with in my wardrobe than I realized, now that I better understand how to put things together. I’ve been rockin’ some cuteness this week. Thanks, Kelly!

Try The Rule of 4

Don’t just take it from me, try the Rule of 4 for yourself and see if you don’t instantly transform your outfits with this one important tip. It’s totally free to check out, so you have nothing to lose and some really cute looks to gain, friend!

Try the Whole Course! 

If it makes as big of a difference for you as it did for me, then I hope to see you in the Facebook group for folks who have committed to the entire course. I’ll be hanging out over there sharing the insights I’m gaining, asking questions I have, and learning from other women who are ready to celebrate how they look RIGHT NOW by dressing in ways that flatter their shape rather than hiding in baggy clothes (guilty) and waiting for their bodies to magically look like they did 15 years ago.

I’m 4 modules in to the course right now and I’ve gleaned some seriously great tips that are going to make a world of difference in how I dress. I’m pretty blown away by how much Adore Your Wardrobe is helping me feel more confident and put-together, which is exactly why I knew I had to share it with all of you. I can tell you that the money spent on this course will come back to you in the form of no longer making bad fashion purchases the next time you go shopping. You are going to learn what looks you should be rocking and which ones are best left at the store. 🙂

Let me know what you think after watching The Rule of 4, and certainly say hi to me if you decide to take the course and join the Facebook group! 🙂


How to Coupon 101: Learning How to Coupon Effectively

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Friends I’m bringing back a great post that was originally published on 11/28/2010. I continue to credit this course with teaching me how to coupon effectively, and I thought some newer readers could benefit. Plus, the cost of the program is now less than half of what it was when I first tried it out! Affiliate links included at no cost to you.

Before Darah was born, I was a pretty good coupon user. I wouldn’t have ranked myself as one of the very best, not by a long shot. But weekly I would get some pretty sweet deals and keep our pantry and freezer rather stocked for cheap. Our toiletries were borderline out of control, because almost every week I could get toothpaste, shampoo, etc. for free or really close to free.

This, again, was all BEFORE Darah was born. Once she hit the scene, I just ran out of steam. Making a quick trip to one store became an act of Congress, so the idea of hitting up 3 or 4 different places was pretty much out of the question. So, I just stopped using coupons. They say that if you don’t have time, you’d better have money. This isn’t the case for online shopping, though. Nowadays, there are so many websites like Raise out there that help you to save money at shops like Kohls, it’s hard to avoid using them! I made the choice to just start spending more of our money on groceries and household items and spend that extra time with Darah. I don’t think it was a bad choice.

Fast forward to present-day. I’m staying at home, so I do have a little bit more time (although I’m most definitely BUSY!), and money is a more precious commodity now than it was when we had two incomes. I’ve known for a while that I needed to get back into couponing, but the thought really overwhelmed me. Where do I start? How do I do this on the terms that work for me? How do I learn about all the different ways to get good deals? All these questions were making me put off getting back into it, even though we really needed to be saving more money.

How to Coupon Effectively how to coupon 101

And then I heard about an audio series called Grocery University. It is described as, “a 2 hour 19 minute audio course that will teach you everything you need to know about making the most of your grocery budget – regardless of whether you’re new to bargain shopping or have been a super-shopper for years.” I thought this would be a good thing to try out, but I honestly didn’t think it could teach me anything I didn’t already know about saving money in the stores. But perhaps it would get me excited about getting back in the game.

Well, it did get me excited again, so that’s good. But I also learned a ton. I took notes as I listened to the series (each section is between 4-12 minutes, so you can really pace yourself with this course, which I love!). Now I have 9 pages of notes, and everything I wrote down was something I didn’t know before!

And, if you aren’t so much of a note taker, that’s no problem! Grocery University comes with a really detailed student workbook for you to look through while you listen and refer back to later. It also comes with a price sheet that can help you with that initially daunting task of finding rock bottom prices of items you frequently buy. If you just can’t bring yourself to do it, this has a general guide for several items, though do keep in mind that prices vary by region.

So after going through Grocery University, I had the motivation I needed to start my coupon binder (a task I’d been putting off for a year, seriously). I also had a specific game plan for how to slowly get back into couponing. If you try to go all out right at the beginning (as I’m inclined to do) you will burn out and give up. Grocery University shows you how to take it slow and focus on the most crucial things first.

I’m very glad I had the opportunity to review this product. I think it is absolutely worth the $9.97 price. Just this week I did my very first trip to CVS and I didn’t even go nuts with the couponing there, and I still walked away with $60 worth of products that I could use for $23. Not too bad for a first try! So you can see how very quickly you’ll recoup your investment (week 1 for almost everyone!).

Buy it!: Grocery University is bargain priced at just $9.97. You will most definitely not regret the purchase!

Chocolate Bar Maker: A Candy Bar DIY Your Kids Will Love

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Affiliate links to a chocolate bar maker included at no cost to you. We use and love this Candy Bar DIY kit!

Over the weekend my family finally got one of the Christmas items Darah got for Christmas out of the closet to use (anyone else out there put away some of the holiday gifts and bring them out slowing over the next handful of months?). The girls were SO pumped to get to use their chocolate candy bar molds that come in the Chocolate Bar Maker.

chocoate bar maker Here’s a closer look at the box for you.

candy bar kit

I want to point out that it doesn’t come with any chocolate, which I didn’t realize but which actually makes perfect sense, as food has a shelf life!

The main thing you need to purchase is some type of milk chocolate. We actually had some milk chocolate hearts leftover from our Christmas stockings that we simply melted, and that worked great. I wouldn’t recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips for this, but would instead go with milk chocolate chips.

If you want to make the bars with the fillings, you can get coconut, almonds, caramel, or really whatever you like. We used leftover mini-M&M’s because it’s what we had on hand.

The instructions also offer some ideas for making more involved creations. Our girls were perfectly content just getting to use the molds to fill with chocolate, add a bit of design, freeze (it only takes 10 minutes!) and devour.

candy making molds

This is absolutely PERFECT for a play date, or for an “indoor” day when your kids are bored and want to try something new. Why not try a DIY candy bar? It’s also a really fun and unexpected birthday gift idea (I think it is perfect for the 6-10 year old range).

I thought the chocolate bar kit was cute and offered many different options, while still keeping things as simple as melting and pouring chocolate. I found it on Amazon for under $19, but it’s a little cheaper at Target!

(Giveaway!) A New Family Pet and A New Litter Strategy

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I have news: my family has adopted a new cat! Fresh Step® with the power of Febreze™ heard our news and partnered with me today to share our story of overcoming the loss of a beloved pet and adopting a cat who needed a family.

For the past 1 1/2 years, we have had a very lovable cat. Her name was Rose and she was a petite little pile of fluff who loved nothing more than to curl up with a good human. She was a gem of a find from our local animal shelter, and we were so glad to be able to give her a loving, safe home, as she had come from a home where the owner hoarded animals (I believe they said they counted well over 30 cats in a small residence).

Unfortunately, it seems that Rose contracted a fatal disease called FIP while living in those bad conditions, but it didn’t make itself known until late November of last year. Even then, the vet thought she had contracted a (common) upper respiratory infection. Only a few weeks later did we realize that something severe was occurring and that our beloved Rose would not survive.

It is so sad to lose a pet because they do become members of your family. My precious little Layah cried and asked through her tears if Rose would be joining the force, just like Obi-Wan (we spent the fall slowly working through Star Wars episodes IV-VI with the girls). We spent a lot of time over the following weeks sharing memories of Rose.

We were also preparing our hearts for a new addition, and about a month after Rose’s passing, we went back to the animal shelter as a family to see if there might be another cat who was awesome around kids, and who wanted cuddles.

When we told the volunteer at the shelter what we were looking for, she immediately took us into the back room and pointed to this cage.

Inside was a rather humongous cat named Gus. At first glance, I didn’t think he could possibly be the right choice for us (I imagined getting another tiny cat). But my husband reminded me to have an open mind, and so I agreed to get him out of the cage and play with him for a bit.

Well you know where this story is going, I bet!

This big boy melted our hearts with his loving personality and his ease around our girls. He reached his paws up to my face (very gently) and asked not just for pets, but also hugs! And he showed absolutely zero apprehension around our girls. He eagerly accepted pets from every member of the family and then gave us a look that said, “So, family, when are we going home?”

We went out for lunch so that we could all discuss what we wanted to do. And over chicken nuggets and waffle fries we concluded that while he wasn’t what we were expecting, he was everything we were looking for, all the same. And just like that, we headed back to the shelter and adopted Gus.

Two Cats, One Litter Box

But I will tell you something we weren’t quite prepared for: how the litter box struggles with two large cats. Gus was also recently neutered, so he still has some hormones working out of his system, and until they are gone, his litter box odors are quite strong, indeed. I knew after the first 24 hours at home that we needed a new strategy, because our whole house smelled like a giant, used litter box. Gross!

Since my family isn’t into spraying chemicals in our house or trying to mask odors, I knew we would need to do something that would actually eliminate the odors. We now do 2 things that work really well to keep the odors to an absolute minimum:

1. We scoop the litter box twice a day. I know this sounds like overkill, but we’ve been really surprised by what a big difference it makes to clean out the litter box in the morning, and once again just before bed. Our cats both seem to like to play during the night, so they are awake and definitely make use of their box while we are sleeping. I can tell that they are both happier with a cleaner box to use.

2. We are using . This is a new product from a brand I have always trusted because it creates its products with the health and happiness of the cats in mind, first and foremost. This particular formula has a lower dust formula to keep the air and surrounding surfaces cleaner. And with the power of Febreze™ added, you can expect the odors not to be masked, but rather to be eliminated. What’s left behind after a litter box session is actually a fresh, clean scent. Imagine that! It’s awesome, friends.

Our two strategies have yielded excellent results. That litter box smell lingering throughout my house is totally gone (thank goodness!) and the act of cleaning out the litter box isn’t overwhelming or as gross as it used to be.

If you don’t think scooping the litter box as often as we do is going to work for you, no worries! Fresh Step with the power of Febreze offers a 10-day odor control guarantee. I wouldn’t personally recommend going 10 days without scooping the litter box (you will have grumpy kitties on your hands if you do that!), but it’s good to know that Fresh Step with the power of Febreze will keep the odors under control if you need to stretch your cleaning sessions a bit.

If your family might need a feline member to feel complete, you can find a list of your nearest animal shelters here. And if you’d like to get more information about Fresh Step with the power of Febreze (including coupon offers!) head over to the Fresh Step Facebook and pages.

Win it!

Here’s your chance to win something super fun! Twenty lucky people will each win a February subscription box from CatLadyBox, which will include exclusive cat items for you and your cat as well as a coupon for a free box of Fresh Step® with the Power of Febreze™ (approximate retail value of $39.99 each)! To enter, complete the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the right sidebar of the page.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Fresh Step® with the Power of Febreze™.