MiraBest

Product Review: SoapTime

Recently, I had the opportunity to review a new product called SoapTime. It's a patented system that provides "Edutainment" to make washing hands fun for kids. 

It's perfect for kids from 2 1/2 to 7 yrs old who are learning about proper bathroom hygiene. Basically, when they push down on the dispenser it activates a sensor in the base which initiates 20 seconds of lights, music and educational content. 

We have the elephant bottle which has a wild kingdom theme. The other bottles are ABC and Earth themes. The music was written, produced and recorded by Brian Vander Ark of the Verve Pipe. 

So far, my kids love it...and when kids come over for playdates they always are impressed by the "talking elephant." It's currently available at select Bed, Bath, and Beyond locations. In our area it's available at the Paramus location. 

You can learn more about the product here: http://www.mysoaptime.com/

AND....They've given me one set to give away to a lucky reader!

To enter the giveaway, answer this question: How do you make cleaning (either themselves or the house/rooms) fun for your kids? Or, what's a tip that you can share that gets your kids to clean up?

I'll pick the winner on Friday, September 24th. Good Luck!

Dyson Air MultiplierT Fan & Digital Slim

Last week I had a chance to check out a cool new fan from Dyson at their Dyson Technology Experience tour which stopped at Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City. (a great mall, by the way, except for the fact that they make you pay for parking!)

This ingenious fan has blades in the base and the round "O" at the top draws air from behind and "multiplies" it forward, creating a wind tunnel effect. It was quite powerful! 

It's great for families because there are no blades to be worried about--so you don't have to keep kids away (unless you want to keep them from breaking it!). It's a great way to keep cool in the summer and rely less on your AC to keep cool (thus, saving you from a high electric bill!). 

While I was there I was also able to see this beauty in action: the Dyson Digital Slim. It was a powerful stick vacuum that converts into a great handheld vacuum which can be used in the car or under seat cushions or on stairs. It's super easy to clean (just dump over the trash can by opening a container). I've seen commercials for it but in person it's truly impressive!

Do you own a Dyson product? Are you happy with it? 

Free and Cheap Things to do this Summer in NJ--Part I

For me, summer is a great time to relax the rigid schedules during the year. We can wake up late and decide that day what we want to do. So, I thought I would compile a list for myself of places that we can go "on a whim" that aren't too expensive and yet kills a few hours. Some of these I haven't checked out yet but have heard about through friends. Please add your suggestions, too, on the comments section or on my Facebook page. I'll have a Part II and include your suggestions!

1. Chuck E. Cheese in North Bergen. 8101 Tonnelle Avenue. If the weather gets too hot this is a great indoor option. The location in Paramus has closed (not sure why), but the North Bergen location is so much less crowded and crazy. I just went today and it was almost empty. I think because it's located underground people don't know about it. I heard during the weekend it gets very crowded, though. The games are perfect entertainment for my 3yo and 20 tokens cost only $5. You can even bring your own food and just use the play area--supposedly they don't care. 

2. Bounce U Summer Passport. 70 Eisenhower Drive, Paramus. They have open bounce times usually at 10am to 11:30 or 4:10 to 5:25. It depends, though if they have a party so it's best to check out their event calendar, there you can also reserve your spot. Their summer passport program is something you can sign up in person and is good for a month from that date. For only $30 for the whole family (great for us with 3+ kids) you get unlimited access to open bounce times for a month (or $60 for two months). 

3. Ikea. Paramus. While you are in the Paramus area, you can do some shopping while the kids enjoy Smalland. They have to be 36-54" tall and only stay for about an hour. Kids must be potty trained--no pullups allowed. 

4. Cutie Patooties. Englewood. You have one more day to take advantage of this North Jersey Groupon offer: 

• For $15, you get two open-play admissions (a $30 value in the summer, a $40 value in the fall). Open-play times are Monday–Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• For $97, you get a summer membership valid until August 31, 2011 (a $195 value).

Use this link for more information and to snag this awesome offer! Link here.  I love that kids can quietly play using their imagination with costumes, a stage, and farmer's house. 

5. Swimming. If you have a hankering for some water fun, there are plenty of low cost options! I've heard great things about the sprayground and pool at Firefighter's Memorial Park in Union City. Mommy Poppins NJ covered the spraygrounds in Hudson County here. She made a note that they are restricting it to Union City residents now so will have to do more research on that to see if it's available to us. 

There is also a playground in Cliffside Park behind the School #6 on 440 Oakdene Ave. There is a one foot deep pool that's perfect for my kids. In the morning there is a town rec program but after 12pm it's open to anyone. The only thing I dislike about this park is limited parking on the street and ants. 

The Palisades Park town pool (275 Broad Avenue) allows out of town residents to pay a day rate. I believe it was $10 during the week and $15 on weekends last year. There is a nice large kiddie pool about one foot deep and two larger adult swimming pools. 

Or, travel south for one hour to Dorbrook Park. I reviewed it last year and it's a great sprayground to take the kids to (or, better yet, go after you visit Long Branch beach in the morning and get them sand-free before you return home!) Link here. 

6. Bowling. AMF Wallington Lanes. 299 Paterson Avenue, Wallington. Register your children online and get 2 free games per child per day all summer long! Technically, you can go every day :) Register online, here. 

Couponing in NJ

One of the popular shows these days on TLC is Extreme Couponing (Wednesdays at 9pm). It has definitely drawn me in with the jaw-dropping "discounts" these women (and sometimes men!) walk away with from the store. It seems almost like modern day highway robbery for them to walk out of the store with three carts full of food and only have paid like $5.00 for $300 to $1,000 worth of food! 

I've tried in the past to do the whole coupons bit and it never worked for me. It just took too much time and created alot of clutter. I also stopped my newspaper subscription (also because of clutter). And, you can tell from the show that it becomes a very time-consuming endeavor--though it helps if you have (like one of the moms) 7 kids to help out! 

But, it seems if one is to have a hobby it might be nice to have one that saves you thousands of dollars a year. So, I've been doing research and came across two local NJ women who have excellent blogs that really take the sting out of couponing. 

The first one I came across was Georgine Saves. Georgine is an older woman who has been couponing her entire life. She lives right here in Ridgefield, NJ and writes short, quick posts about great deals she comes across from all over--it can be department stores, restaurants, DVD sets, deodorant, etc. She is similar to Mama Cheaps in that they are great sites to check out daily for deals that are "here today, gone tomorrow." 

The second blog I came across was Living Rich with Coupons. Cindy Livesey lives in NJ and her family of 5 has saved over $8,000 a year in groceries. I love that you can go to "Store Deals" and find the store you frequent and create a shopping list from the deals. And, she has a wonderful "beginners" section that walks you through everything. 

One of the tips I got from the show and these sites is the use of Double Coupons. You can print coupons from Red Plum and other inserts right from your computer: Link here. I called my local Shoprite and found out that they double coupons every day but only to $.99. It is virtually impossible to find a store that will fully double your coupon around here...if anyone finds one--please let me know!

Now, what if you shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's? There's a blog for that too! Just not in Jersey, though. Jennifer from St. Louis has a great blog called Healthy Life Deals. I love that she also goes the extra step and provides some meal plans for the week. And, most of the coupons she features are printable ones. Time to stock up on that printer ink! 

Other sites: Trent Hamm, who blogs at The Simple Dollar also has his own system that pays him around $57.27/hour. It's a very easy system and easily replicated. E-Mealz gives you meal plans based on deals. I haven't tried this site but if anyone has a favorite site that gives you meal plans based on grocery deals, let us know! That seems like the ultimate time-saver!

Good luck and please share your couponing tips or favorite sites in Comments or on Facebook. 

Momma's Night Out

One of my favorite group buying sites is Suburbanmomma.com. If you haven’t already joined this site then I’m sorry to say that you’ve missed some great local deals! But don’t fret, there are still plenty of deals to come. I look forward to the email I get everyday from them from great local businesses, many of which I’ve never heard of! 

Since I’ve joined I’ve been very happy with the deals I’ve bought. Whether it was 50% off play passes to Cutie Patooties, $15 for $30 worth of food at Darla’s Porch (already used that one up in two visits, yum yum!), or $210 for 14 awesome art classes at the Art Place that my daughter just loves, the deals were so easy to purchase and redeem.

As if saving you money wasn’t enough, they are committed to momma’s having a good time too. This winter was dreadful and we’ve put in enough car pool miles to earn us some girl’s night out points, right?

Well, I’m so excited to party with over 200 women next Wednesday thanks to the ladies over at Suburbanmomma. I’m gonna kick up my heels and chat up some girlfriends with a cocktail in hand. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Well, here are the details:

Momma’s Night Out

When: Wed., March 23^rd.

Where: 201 Supper Club, 90 W. Palisades Avenue, Englewood

What: Food, Open Bar, Valet Parking, Raffle Tickets*, Music, Ice Cream and Gift Bags!

Cost: $25 Early Bird (hurry, discount ends soon) and $30 at door. You can buy tickets online here. 

*There are some really exciting prizes to be given out that night, from Salon Luba, ETC Steakhouse, Nisi Estatorio, Cutie Patooties, bergenPac, Venture Photography, and many more! Grand prize is a gold and diamond necklace from Brilliance Fine Jewelry by Suzanne.

Hope to see you there!

 

Have You Joined Amazon Mom?

I have to credit my friend, S.Y. for this awesome tip. She told me about a new program on Amazon.com that gives discounts on diapers and 2 day shipping. I finally signed up last night and am so excited to try it out. 

It's called Amazon Mom and you get:

• 30% off Diapers and Wipes
• Free Amazon Prime membership for 3 months. I already paid for Amazon Prime but as long as you haven't used it since it renewed you can get a full refund. Even if you have used it you can get a prorated refund. Once you try Amazon Prime you won't want to go back! Free 2 day shipping on eligible items is addictive.

Even if your kids are out of diapers it's worth it to try the shipping deal. I love it for sending gifts to family/friends. And, if you spend $25 on products in the Baby Store in a single order you get an additional month of Prime up to a year. 

They also have a Subscribe & Save program that I have to investigate further. Basically, you get household items you use regularly at 15% off and free shipping. Whether pet supplies, household supplies or snacks--you can avoid those last minute dashes to the store (when you end up paying full price!). 

Join Amazon Mom now!

(note: I do not benefit in any way for your signing up. Unfortunately, they do not have an affiliate program for this!)

Dunkin' Donuts Holiday Giveaway

 

Dunkin' Donuts is kind to MiraBest again with another promotional giveaway that includes two “10 for $10” coupons books (10 medium hot coffee’s for $10),  one 1 lb. of Dunkin’ Donuts packaged coffee, and two of the in-demand Dunkin’ Donuts winter fleece hats that made their debut at this year’s NY ING Marathon. The coupons hold no expiration date.

The coupon books are valued at $30 retail price and you get all of the above for FREE! You can give those 20 coupons as stocking stuffers/gifts or keep them to use throughout the year! Dunkin’ Donuts is also promoting their “4 for $19.99” packaged coffee deal in stores, and with this giveaway a lucky reader will get to sample the great taste of Dunkin’ Donuts at home with 1 lb. of their own.

To ENTER, please share a favorite holiday tradition in your household and/or how you make the holidays a special time for your kids. 

I will pick the winner randomly on December 17th at 9am.