Do you remember the hummingbird shots I got last year?  Let me refresh your memory.  So pretty!  You can see a couple of others on an old post of mine.

I’m hoping to get some great shots this year too so in the meantime, I thought it would be fun to show you my feeder and where I’m hanging it. So here are the supplies.  You’ve the food, the cleaner, the feeder that has the wide mouth top on it, which is fantastic.

See how it works? You screw it on the base, screw the top cap off so that you can easily pour the food in.

Here’s the food.  For ever 2 ounces of water, you use a heaping teaspoon of hummingbird food.  It turns the water red instantly.  Make sure the whole top is pushed down until ready to hang. Stir food well and pour into your feeder, screwing the top cap back on.

It’s read to hang outside!

From our back door, we chose to put it over the right of the house,hanging on the awning.  Right before hanging, we pulled the top half of the feeder up so that the food would flow to the flowers.  It’s a great idea so that you don’t spill it beforehand.

It looks good up there huh!  I think that I’ll be able to capture great photos of the hummingbirds from our back door and we’ll have a great shot of them through our living room window.

Now we just wait!  In the meantime, you can check out the other hummingbird feeders starting at $11..told ya they were budget friendly!  AND, while you’re in hummingbird mode, be sure to play the top-fill challenge and you could win your own feeder.

The Epson Artisan 810 Printer.  Isn’t it lovely?  I’ve been through a many printers in my day but this one by far takes the cake.  The print quality (Ultra HD) is exceptional and the touch screen is very cool.  One of my more favorite things about it is they Wi-Fi.  My boys can now print from their laptops, making homework reports much easier.  And because we create dvd’s for sports, family activities, and holiday occasions, being able to print directly onto a cd/dvd is AWESOME!  You can print from your iPhone, it uses the Smart Ink System, and even has an app.  Two thumbs up for this high quality, all-in-one printer!

Awww, you’ve seen it the Nintendo Wii, but have been waiting to see if it’s truly worth the money.  Well, let me tell you, it is!  After seeing this around for the past year and a half, and seeing the excitement surrounding it, I finally got one over a week ago.  It’s the coolest gaming system ever and the games to play on it, are endless and full of fun.  Whether you are using it to inspire yourself to do workouts, skateboarding with the RIDE, or racing at DK Mountain; there is something for everyone to enjoy.  What a great way to get those kids off the couch yes?  Maybe even yourself………..

This is probably one of my most favorite beauty products, the Clarisonic Mia Cleansing System.  It’s so dang cute because it’s a travel size so it is smaller than the original Clarisonic.  This is great for me to take with me to the conferences and events to make me feel refreshed, even after those long, crowded 4hr flights.  You can read my full review of it but in short, how it makes your face feel is amazing.  Can’t believe I ever went without it.

External hard drives are fine for weekly backups but when you need portability, they are not so handy.  That’s where the Picture Keeper Drive comes in.  Sitting at 8GB, I can store so many photos to carry with me while visiting family, plug in a digital frame, and even to take the store to get prints made.  It’s functional, small in size but big in storage.

The Sony Pocket Reader is another favorite, mostly because of it’s size. I can easily travel with it and stores up to 350 books on it.  It’s very easy to use, comes in several colors, and has a two week battery charge on a single use! Love it.

I saw the On-the-Go Organizer on Amy’s wishlist and knew that if she’s used every year to stay organized, then it’s sure to help me!  I bought it and got it the other day and I LOVE it! All the different sections and fun little stickers are perfect to help me stay organized.  At under $15 bucks, it’s a great way to start 2010.

I was asked to review and while I would normally decline a toilet cleaning product, I just had to say yes because I know how bad our toilets can get thanks to 4 fellas who think they rule the roost around here.   I’ve always wanted to try them but seem to forget every time I’m in town.

The head swivels, they kill 99.9% of germs, and they’re disposable.  What else is there to say folks.  I love them and have already tossed out my old, germ breeding toilet brush and holder for the toilet wand kit.

If you’ve never tried them, you should and if you’re cheap, print a $5 off coupon. In fact, print it twice ’cause that’s what you’re allowed to do.

If you’re a real cheapo, you can enter to win one of three that I’m giving away thanks to Clorox, where you can find other cool info about their products and even enter to win other cool grand prizes.

TO ENTER

Leave a comment telling me what you currently use to clean your toilet with and whether or not you’ve ever tried the toilet wand.

This ends on October 18th.  Good luck!

P.S. Be sure to check out the twitter party where you can win 3 Clorox Toilet Wand Kits and (1) $100 Visa GC for a Bathroom Makeover. It all happens on Oct 23rd from 10-11pm EST.

Anyways, it’s been a while now that I’ve had these two beauties and I must say, I never thought I’d fall in love with them like I have. There is just something about the look and usage of them that actually makes laundry more enjoyable. Seriously. Of course putting the clothes away is a whole nuther thing but washing and drying them is actually quite fun. Even my boys love them much more than the old ones and that’s sayin’ something.

I really like the front loading. It’s cool and reminds me of the days me and my mom washed clothes at the laundry-mat?? LOL Anyways, I loved when it was time to put them in the dryer or when we got to use the mega front loading one for our comforters.

I like the detergent tray. I love having one place to put the detergent, fabric softener and bleach. You just pull it out and bam, you’re done. Simple function that saves time and that’s important to me because the last thing I want is to spend extra time on laundry.

I like the buttons and knob. Maybe it’s the geek in me but I really like pushing buttons or better yet, just turning a knob and all the default, most used settings already be in place. Another time saver and makes me feel silly for loving it so much. I am a gadget girl at heart though.

These my friends, are the Affinity Washer and Dryer from Frigidaire, and I heart my two lovely helpers.

See my early post about it specs…they RAWK.

The cowpoke always goes crazy when packages arrive whether they’re for him or not. This time though, he got VERY excited and you know why? Not because of the horses and colors on the plate and placemat, but because he knew that was HIS name on both of those. He said, “Truett! my name there!”  He was so excited.  I can’t even tell you how tickled he was about it.  He went straight to the fridge, got some grapes and put them on his plate.  SOOOO ADORABLE!

The plate is a generous size, as well as the placemat and the only negative I can find, is that Truett now has to have that plate to eat. So if it’s dirty, I have to wash it and serve his food on it.  It livens up the table and what kid doesn’t love to have their name on things.  They have many different patterns; everything from tractors to tea party to butterflies to space rockets. This gets two thumbs up from me and Truett and will definitely be in the 2009 gift guide!

I’ve always been a fan of Olive Kids because of the cute designs they offer.  I know once you buy something from them, you’ll be hooked!  If you’re already a fan, I’d love to know what line you favor?

Wow, I NEVER thought I could love a vacuum cleaner like I love this Dyson.  I’ve had this beastful beauty for almost a month now. I waited because I wanted to give my honest opinion on it AFTER I’ve had it for a while.  It’s still as fabulous as it was the day it arrived.

I’ve been married over 16 years and have gone through at least 8 vacuum cleaners, none of which actually did a good job apparently.  When Dyson said they were sending me the Dyson DC28, I researched it quickly to see features.  This version, and they have many, includes “Airmuscle”.  That means:

• Powered Cam – Only lowers and raises the brush bar instead of the whole head for different floor types
• Pneumatic Actuator – Seals the cleaner head to the floor to create more suction
• High-torque clutch – More torque on the brush bar to jostle loose more dirt

Can’t you just hear Tim the Toolman grunting right here??

I don’t know what all the technical jargon means and I don’t care because IT WORKS!  I mean, it really really works.  I know this because I used my old crappy vacuum BEFORE using the Dyson, you know, to see what the Dyson would pick up, if anything.  The results? Wow, I was shocked at how much dirt the Dyson picked up that my old vacuum did not. In fact, it was half way full. Can you freakin’ believe that???  I vacuumed with my old one, then used the Dyson and it filled the canister half way full!!!

I do have a funny story for ya, well it wasn’t that funny at the time but you see that red push button thing on the clear handle part?  It’s the part that removes the canister from the vacuum.  It’s also what you push to empty the canister.  When pushed, the bottom part of the canister opens up.  Well I removed it and headed towards the trash can. I didn’t read the instructions first, and clearly I should have because not thinking, I pushed the red button again and guess what happened?  A FULL canister of dirt, spilled all over more floor.  Talk about easy to empty for sure..I just should have read the directions before using. I was winging it….but you know what?  That Dyson sucked up all that dirt I spilled with no problem.  Every bit of it in fact, which made me smile.  I was in awe of how well it worked, how easy it was to use, and felt silly at how much I loved it.  I can’t help but wonder why the heck I never bought it sooner.  Probably because of the hefty price tag of $599 but you know what they say, you get what you pay for and I believe that to be 100% true in this case.  You pay a hefty price for an exceptional vacuum that works and works well.

My dad always says there are two things you should spend good money on; shoes and a bed because you spend most of your life walking and sleeping.  I’m adding the Dyson to that list because if you have kids, pets or a busy household, you’ll want a kick a$$ vacuum cleaner to help make it easier and just a bit more fun to do those chores!

I tried to find a negative and I simply can’t. I love it that much.  I said it on Twitter and I’ll say here. The Dyson DC28 is the BEST vacuum cleaner I have ever seen.

Thank you Dyson for allowing me to review such a find product and understanding why it’s worth the price tag on it.

This particular Cowboy Pilloroo we got came with little Indians so when he unzipped the pillow, there was a set in there for him to play with. He was tickled to death with that. He kept putting them back in there, then taking them out, then putting his little cars in there, and taking them out. He did it over and over again. Of course when it was bedtime, the Pilloroo came with us, along with a few toys inside the pouch. I’d say he pretty happy with it.

My favorite thing though was carrying it with us to travel. Not only did he have a pillow to lean his head against, or even one of the older boys, but we were also able to put a few little toys in there and they were safe and not scattered everywhere. The only negative I could find is that the it was a little hard for my toddler to zip up. He’s 2 1/2 and was able to get it done with a little help. It’s such a fluffy pillow which makes it just slightly harder to zip…but, you can’t feel any of the toys when they are inside so the padding is a positive thing!

The Pilloroo comes in all sorts of designs and of course is accompanied by some sort of surprise in the pouch.  It would make for a fun gift for the younger ones.  Two thumbs up because my little guy got all excited over this thing!

If you want to purchase the Pilloroo, you can get a 20% discount by using the coupon code COWBOY.  They also have a blog, which I think is cool:)

WIN ONE!

Yep, I have one up for grabs!

TO ENTER

Head on over to the Pilloroo website and tell me which pillow you would think would be fun to give.  And if you want to share your fun design idea, please do so! Come back here to this post and tell me in the comments.

Additional ways to enter. Leave each one you in separate comment please or it won’t count.

• Tweet this giveaway including a link back to this post.
• Subscribe to my blog via reader or by email.

Giveaway ends on April 19th.  For more details on how my giveaways work, read the official rules.

As I struggle through my weight loss journey, I find that eating healthier is clearly my biggest problem.  I’m constantly on the prowl for recipes and snacks that will fill me up and that are tasty.  If you look around all over the internet, you’ll find a billion places that have gobs of information but I try to find sites that are strictly about a subject and are easy to navigate.   One place I’ve been introduced to is www.wellnessdaily.com.  It’s an online community that shares two common things, wellness and healthy living; something I definitely need to learn about and incorporate more into my life.

One of the first things that I did was check out the healthy recipes they had. I found Taco Salad and Turkey Puttanesca and so much more.  All looked delish and all looked healthy.  I think having a place that I can reference back to for ideas and tips really helps me out. I need my hand held sometimes and sites like this make that possible.

While I was there I also found some informational articles about various subjects like how your body handles sodium and bone density issues.  I was instantly intrigued and found myself reading through several articles.  The community seems to be active and full of information. I really like it.

I recommend you check it out for yourself.  Right now they are having a contest where you have the chance to win a WellnessDaily.com prize package which include coupons for a year-long supply of Jennie-O Turkey Store product and a one-year gym membership, valued at $1,250. WOOT! And to really make it easy, I’m including the tweet here for you so all you have to do is copy and paste into your tweet!

Enter to win $ towards a gym membership & JENNIE-O turkey products. Just follow @wellness_daily & RT this! http://bit.ly/9WAM8X

Twitter promotion runs 2/24 through 3/10

What do you look for in a site that’s about healthy living and wellness?

When the package arrived, I opened it up right away to find this calculator, the extra snap in keyboard, software and lots of paperwork & manuals.  I have never messed with a calculator of this caliber so I was extremely shocked to see my 12yr old sitting there showing me how to do things on it.  Apparently this one is WAAAAY more fancy than the one he uses at school but with similar concepts.  We both were absolutely fascinated with it.

THE APPEARANCE

The size of the calculator is somewhat large but that seems normal to me considering it’s loaded with jaw dropping features.  The color of this Nspire calculator has come a long way from the black basic look.  Very nice blue & white colors give it a much more appealing look.  The  screen rocks.  It’s large in size the high resolution makes it super easy to read.  It has a slide-on cover that will slide on the back for safe keeping.  The highly innovative keypad allows for less used functions, like letters, to fit in between the primary buttons.  It’s very obvious what each buttons does which makes the keypads easy to read, even for a beginner.  So don’t worry, you won’t feel intimidated at all by this powerful gadget;)

THE FUNCTIONS

The new split-screen feature allows an equation to be viewed in its ordinary algebraic form, on a graph, in spreadsheet form, or with notes – simultaneously on the same screen.  There are some amazing graphing going on here people.  Your kids can play around with these graphs to give them an idea of how it will look on paper.

Since not every classroom has adapted to this new keypad, Nspire has created a keyboard that you can swap out with the primary one that features the TI-84. (like I mentioned earlier about my son using an older model in the room) .  It’s as easy as snapping it in.   I also finally discovered that dragging involves holding the center “Click button” while pressing the arrow keys on the “NavPad”.  This was a slight challenge for me at first but I figured it out quickly.  You can actually grab a point on a graph for example and move it down or wherever.  VERY cool.

Some other things that it can do that I haven’t had the chance to try are:

• * Presentation tools.  With the software, you can actually hook this up to a projector.
• * Interactivity Visualization with the Data Tools.
• * Accepted on several college entrance and advanced placement exams.
• * AND SOOOOOO MUCH MORE!

As a parent, my favorite function of course is being able to check my son’s answers.  I can type in the problem with his answer and it will say true or false.  LOVE IT!  Something that my husband found useful was being able to enter in sizes of boards and such and the size of what he wanted to build and it told him exactly how many boards he needed to build it.  I realize that I didn’t explain that too well but my man is not around right now for me to ask again but surely you get it a little right?..LOL

There really is so much more that I cannot fit here into this review.  It’s an amazing piece of equipment for both teachers and students. The only con I could find is the manual guide was difficult for me to understand.  I found that actually using it through trial and error, I easily picked up on how the different functions worked.

I love it, my kids love it, and I am very confident that with the help of this Texas Instruments Nspire Calculator, my son will pass Algebra and other math subject that comes his way!

Thanks so to Family Review Network for bringing this awesome opportunity to review it my way!

We tried Horizon’s Organic Vanilla Milk, Strawberry, Chocolate, and Plain.  We all took drinks from each one but I made sure that we sipped the plain flavor first so that our taste buds were not interfered by those other delicious flavors!  Me and both my oldest boys thought the organic milk was better.  My middle son who has extremely prejudice tastebuds, loved it and now insists that I buy organic milk only.  As you can see below, my youngest was partial to the Strawberry!..LOL  

I was really surprised to see that these were NOT refrigerated upon arrival.  I learned that they are shelf stable and have had that before a long time ago.  You can still stick in the fridge before using it if you prefer it to be cold but how handy would this have been during the current hurrican situation!  My mom and them lost a whole bunch of food because of having no power.  As avid milk drinkers, these would have been to darn handy!

I believe that it’s important to choose our family’s foods & fluid intake with more caution.  We still eat fatty foods but we do try to make small changes in our everyday eating habits & Horizon’s Organic Milk just makes that a bit more easier for us.

You really should go check out the website with your kiddos because they have some fun games and lots of tips on how to become a more organic family.  Most of us probably weren’t raised with such healthy eating habits so it’s our job as parents to teach the future generations ways so that we can become a more healthy society.

P.S.  They also have an array of other organic products like eggs, yogurt, cheese, and more so do go and read more!