Litter Genie Sample and Share

 

I have been eager to try the new Litter Genie ever since I saw this product on Crowdtap and I was very excited to be selected for the sample and share opportunity. I have two cats and while I love them dearly, I do not love their litter and the smell it leaves after they do their duty (doodie is more like it). I was excited to try anything that would make the task easier and help keep the smells in check. 

Before I get started sharing about the Litter Genie itself, I want to introduce the two bundles of joy that make all the stink my house.

Smokey

This is my first cat Smokey. She is enjoying a nice morning nap on a freshly cleaned blanket. Her pastimes are sleeping on our blankets and clothes, eating and smelling grass, and ensnaring my hands into her bear trap of claws and agony. I'm not kidding, she goes into the position showing me her belly to invite me in for a belly rub and then BAM....my hand is under attack! Look at those eyes and you know she has MURDER on her mind.

Bandit

My boy cat Bandit spends most of his hours in his special place.....the dirty clothes hamper. The hamper is in a dark closet and he was pretty upset that I had to turn the light on an interrupt his many hours of napping. When he is not napping he watches out the window patiently waiting for a bird or lizard to come by for him to attack. He forgets the window is there and comedy ensues. Watching that cat jump into the window just never gets old.

Litter Genie

So I was pretty happy when the package arrived so I immediately started work to get the genie setup.

I got a bit tripped up by the bag at first but with a little effort I got it setup and began scooping some of the fresh turds and pee into the genie....and there are always fresh turds and pee in our litter box!!! I get to scooping and then pulled on the trap door thingy and WHOOSH....the pee and turds were gone!!


I have two cats so there is no shortage of dirty litter to scoop, but I was kind of sad when a days worth of pee and poo filled up the bottom storage area. I was really hoping the genie would be a bit larger and store more than 1 days were of litter from my cats.

Despite this setback, I go on with my day running errands and 8 hours later I come home and notice NO pee or poo smell!!! This thing really works well to lock in the odors! We have purchases several of the larger dome litter pans to try to help with the smell issue and nothing has worked as well as the litter genie.....kudos for coming up with a way to truly lock in the odors. Call my impressed!

One last test.....does my cat approve of the litter genie. Smokey was curious but as you can see I think she approves of the genie. I may have cheated a bit by spraying cat nip nearby but we do what we have to do to please our kitties!!!
 

Final Thoughts
I was a little disappointed in the size and find that I would go through bags quickly with 2 cats. However, the genie truly does lock in the odors in a way that no litter box ever has so I am inclined to deal with changing bags often to improve the odor issue in our home.

To welcome the litter genie into the house we tagged with our kitties names so everyone knows that Smokey and Bandit's poo goes here!

Spread the Possibilities: A Hershey's Sampling

What is not to love about this sample and share. We are talking about CHOCOLATE and not just any chocolate, we are talking about a classic....Hershey's!! I was already a fan of chocolate and hazlenut spreads so I knew this would be a fun sample and share.

When my sample arrived a week ago the word share completely slipped my mind and I started digging into the pantry for some bread and other things to dip in this chocolate wonderfulness. I found some whole grain bread and stale tortilla chips and went to town. I waited patiently for my bread to toast and then spread the chocolate all over it and took my first bite. Oh yeah....that was YUMMY!!

The chips were not quite as good since they were a bit stale but that really did not stop me from eatin them and enjoying more of that chocolately, creamy goodness.

It would be a couple days before I would be ready to share my new favorite food with anyone else but in the meantime I came up with another fun way to use the spread. I added a spoonful to my oatmeal.....AMAZING!!

Now it is time to share!!


What better way to share the Hershey's Spread the Pairing Possibilities than a sweet party platter!! Check mine out....

I picked out my favorite items to dip in chocolate (bananas, strawberries, and apples), picked up some salty pretzels for something fun, and got a bit daring with the broccoli. I bet Hershey's spread will make even broccoli delicious! I put the platter out for my husband and brother to enjoy but unfortunately they are a bit camera shy. I, on the other hand, have no trouble taking lots of pictures of myself. Here are some pictures of me enjoying my awesome spread.....even the broccoli!!




The top row is the strawberry and that was really good. I decided to go for it and try the broccoli next. My face pretty much says it all.....not too bad! I would not eat it all the time or maybe not ever again but it was not as horrible as you might think. I tasted chocolate more than anything but the texture of the raw broccoli made it a bit tough to swallow. My favorite was the banana slices which you see on the bottom row. This was a unanimous winner for all 3 of us (my husband is taking pictures and my brother is hiding).

Favorite Spread Pairings

1. Spread on Toast – This was honestly the first thing I tried when my box arrived! Why wait for friends or family! I toasted a slice of whole grain bread, spread that wonderful chocolate with almond spread, and I was in heaven. This is definitely the #1 pairing and the way I will use the spread the most in the future

2. Spread with bananas - I don't know why this combination is so wonderful but it is YUMMY! The bananas were the first thing to go on my sample platter so I am obviously not alone in loving this combo!

3. Spread with strawberries - another winner! Sweet plus sweet! The creaminess of the spread is a great combo for the sweetness of the fruit.

4. Spread with apples - you can probably see a trend that I like my sweets!! Apples were another great pairing idea and the spread just added to the great sweet flavor of the fruit.

5. Spread with pretzels - This is one I was most excited about mixing salty and sweet and it was definitely a yummy treat!! I don't think it beats the sweet combinations with banana and strawberry but will definitely be a regular dipping/spreading pairing in my house.

A Daring Pairing

Broccoli - I got inspired by the insert in the sample and share to go for broke and spread onto a vegetable. I figured broccoli might be fun so I included it on my sharing platter. I was the only one to try it (of course) but it was not as horrible as I thought. I don't think this will go onto my favorites list but glad I tried it.

Oatmeal – I was preparing my morning oatmeal the day after I received my sample and figured why not add some delicious spread! I don’t know if this is as daring as pickles or other vegetables suggested in the challenge pamphlet but it was not something I have seen done before and it turned out GREAT! That spread melted quickly into my oatmeal and gave a great creamy chocolate flavor. It complimented the pecans and cranberries perfectly!! This is definitely a pairing and will be having again….and again!

Greek Yogurt - For some of of us that are a bit more health conscious, dipping into hershey's is a bit more calories and fat that we want on a regular basis. I honestly consider these type of spreads a rare treat for that reason. However, I came up with the bright idea to mix some of the spread with greek yogurt for a creamy low cal chocolately treat.....SUCCESS!!

I mixed approximately 1 cup of 0% fat vanilla greek yogurt with 1 Tablespoon of the spread which equals approximately 300 calories for the entire thing. Compare this to 200 calories for only 2 Tablespoons of the spread by itself (which I could eat 2-3 servings of very easily). I enjoyed the chocolate yogurt dip over the next several days with my cut up fruit so I probably averaged only 100-150 calories per snack. I think it is a great way to fulfill the chocolate craving without completely blowing your calories for the day.

 With all said and done I am really glad I was chosen to be part of this sample and share and look forward to seeing Hershey's chocolate spreads in stores soon!!

Cottonelle Clean Care Routine

I have been a long time fan of the Cottonelle brand and have been using the Gentle Care with Aloe & E Toilet Paper (TP) for years now. I have never used moist wipes before so I was excited to add these to my bathroom cleanup routine.

Before I go any further, let's just get the awkward stuff out of the way. I know a lot of people will get all weird talking about bathroom activity but we all do it!! It is a fact of life so why not be as clean as possible after! Now that we have that out of the way I will proceed with my thoughts on the clean care routine.

Clean Care Toilet Paper

As I mentioned before, I was already a big fan of Cottonelle TP so I figured Clean Care line would be great. I have been using for 1 week now and I am definitely happy with the Clean Care TP! The TP feels sturdy and does not leave a bunch of "stuff" behind.....I just HATE that! The one thing I must admit is that the Clean Care is a bit more "rough" on my girly parts than the Gentle Care line. There is also something about that Aloe & E that is very soothing and I have been missing that while using the Clean Care line.

Final verdict - I felt super clean and would definitely buy Clean Care TP in the future if I could not find my favorite Aloe & E TP.

Now I have part 1 of the clean care line done, let's move on to the main event!  Time for some moist wipes!!!

Fresh Care Flushable Wipes

First thought.....WOW, I did not know what I have been missing! These definitely add to the cleanup process in a way I did not know I needed.  After using just the TP for a week, I notice an immediate difference adding the wipes. I can also see the difference. I know that is GROSS but I was shocked at what might have been left behind by just using TP. Now, don't get me wrong, that Clean Care is some tough stuff and does a great job even used alone. I just could not believe how much more clean I felt after using the wipes! I always thought of wipes as a novelty or a "nice to have" but I think these have just become a MUST HAVE in my bathroom.

Now to add a little more gross factor, let me add some of the comments from my girlfriend who I gave the other pack of wipes "These will be great for sex!" This is probably something else no one wants to talk about but getting fresh and clean before is important and these wipes help a girl feel fresh and clean when there is no time for a shower. Also, the equally important cleanup after the deed is cleaned up oh so nice with these awesome wipes. I'm not sure how Cottonelle can put this into a commercial but these wipes are very handy for before and after those intimate times with your mate.

There was one more instance in the past week where I found the wipes to be extra helpful and that was during my time of the month. Another taboo topic I'm sure but things get dirty in my girly area and why not have a way to keep things squeaky clean in between showers. I think I might have to get the travel size pouch for when I am on the go!

Final Verdict - I'm sold! Both me and my girlfriend found the wipes to be AWESOME! I think I will pick up a travel pouch today so I am never without this wonderful invention.

 

I have been really wracking my brain to come up with a way to show how awesomely clean I feel after the Clean Care Routine and ACTUAL pictures of me using are COMPLETELY out of the question. However, I thought a picture that expressed my feelings might do the trick. 

My feelings AFTER the Clean Care Routine

This picture reminded me of the nice and clean feeling I had after using the routine. Everyone should give it a try and find their own beautifully clean feeling!

Thank you to Cottonelle and Crowdtap for the sample and share. My friends and I are now big fans of the new Clean Care Routine!

I'll finish up my blog with my favorite part of Cottonelle......the Cottonelle Puppy!!! Who doesn't LOVE puppies!!!!

 

It’s Tee Time at Old Navy!

That's right! It's time for another Old Navy sample and share! I called up my partner in crime and we hit the local Old Navy for some fun new Tees.

Before I hit the store I did a little online research to see the Perfect Tee options. I was hoping to try one of each of the following styles.

Perfect Crew Tee	Perfect Henley
Perfect Ruched V-Neck Tee	Perfect Long Sleeve V-Neck Tee

 When we arrived at the store we saw a lot of t-shirts but nothing that said "Perfect" so we asked one of the sales people to point us in the right direction. We were both a little dissapointed to see that the Perfect Tee section was pretty limited and did not have all of the styles I was hoping to try on. They had none of the ruched v-neck or the long sleeve v-neck options but there was a decent selection of the henley and crew options. We grabbed a medium sized styles in a few colors of each and headed to the dressing room to try them on.

Perfect Crew Tee - Heather Gray

We both thought the fit and color were good.  The material was soft and stretchy but I was not too sure how I felt about the crew neckline. I don't feel that the crew is the most flattering cut for my body type although now that I am seeing the pictures this one is not that bad! I was also happy to see that this tee was long enough going down to the hips and not showing any belly....which I hate!

Moving on the the Henley's! The Henley is one of my favorite styles so we grabbed a few of this style of the limited colors available.

Perfect Henley Tee - Sea Turtle

My friend was not super enthusiastic about the color but I think we both agreed that the v neckline of the henley and the buttons make this style better than the crew style we just tried. I did not like the sea turtle green at first but it began to grow on me.

Perfect Henley Tee - Navy Blue

There's a smile! I think my friend and I both found a winner with this style and color! The medium fit great enhancing our assets, slimming our waists, and fit just at the hips. There is nothing worse when a shirt fits great on top but is too short or long on the bottom. This might just be the perfect Tee!

We both had one more color to try in on the Henley style....

Perfect Henley Tee - Off White

Like the other Henley's, this one fit great but there was one minor problem.....the shirt is pretty much see through!! I was really hoping to get a new white or off white tee shirt but this seems to always be an issue with Old Navy's white tee shirt options. Oh well.....good thing I found a couple other colors that I like.

So which did we choose......

The #1 Winner - Henley Dark Blue

Of course we had one more free tee to pick so I went back to my Sea Turtle green option and my friend went digging in the remaining stack of tees and found a perfect black henley......a girl can never have too many black tee shirts!

Like every other Old Navy Sample and share we tried on several other items. While my friend ended up with only her 2 free tees, I ended up with a sweet new hot pink bikini! Since I am not a model, you will not catch me posting a picture of me in the bikini but the model online looks just fine.

Thanks again to Old Navy and Crowdtap for another great sample and share experience! I hope to keep coming back for more!!

Sweat It Out in Old Navy Activewear!

I am a BIG fan of working out and the timing of this Crowdtap Sample and Share could not have been better. One might think the holidays are a terrible time to sample Activewear, but some fun new workout gear is just the motivation I needed to stay active during the holidays!  I am definitely a BIG Old Navy fan and already sport some of their great compression pants and workout shirts so I was excited to see the latest Activewear collection.

Website Research

I did not have a ton of time to go online to search but I had some ideas on what I was looking for before grabbing my fellow Old Navy fan (Megan) and heading out to the store. Here are a few that caught my eye on the Old Navy website:

GoDRY Tanks	GoDRY Tees

 I mainly wear tanks when I workout so I knew I would want to try one of the GoDRY tanks. The moisture wicking fabric is great and both the tank and the tee are more of a lose fit which I like in the mid-section (need to hide my little pooch belly!). I think either of these shirts would be great for total body workouts (like body pump), yoga, and even indoor cycling class (spin). I would probably use these for Zumba as well! Pretty much good all around workout options!
 

Color Block Compression Capri	Compression Capri

 Compression capris are pretty much my favorite! They flatten and flatter my mid-section really nice and hold in all my other jiggly parts. They are also super comfortable and I would wear them everywhere if I could.....my boss may not approve if I wore them to work :-)

I already have a couple capri length compression pants from Old Navy, Gap, and Target, but can you ever have enough workout pants?!?! Besides, the new Old Navy Activewear collection had some colors and patterns that I don't have so that is a good reason to pick up another pair.
  

Compression Pants	Compression Pants

As much as I want to love the compression pants, they usually do not fit me very well. The regular sizes are never long enough and they never carry tall sizes in the store. I am 5'8", which is not that tall, but can be frustrating to find pants that are long enough. My friend Megan is even taller so I know she will have the same issue. Nonetheless, I want to give the pants a try to see if the new options will work for us. 

 Now let's get to the store and see what Megan and I ended up trying on!

Active Shopping!

The Old Navy closest to us had a pretty good Activewear selection dedicating a big section of the woman's section. As usual, we grabbed as much as we could hold and headed to the dressing room to start trying our items on. We were able to find all the items I checked out online as well as some others that were in the store only.

Gray GoDRY tank with Black Compression Pant	Black Tank with Gray Compression Capri

 Megan's tank was a bit too lose fitting but the pants were actually great! My compression capris were VERY tight and the shirt was VERY tight as well. It kind of squeezed my small boobs out the sides and was not flattering at all. My outfit was a fail but Megan liked the pants to those go into the keeper pile.

Gray GoDRY tee with Black Compression Pant	Teal Active Tank with Black Compression Pants

Megan is looking good in the Gray GoDRY tee and Compression Pants! I picked out a semi-lose fitting Active tank that has a tie up waist. This shirt fits great and comes in a some great colors. This is definitely a keeper! I also try on the compression pants but unfortunately they do not fit me as well as they fit Megan. They are a bit short and sag a bit between the legs. This is a common problem I have with workout pants so I kind of expected it. Looks like the Compression pants are not going in my keeper pile. I have a feeling I will have better luck with Compression Capri.

Gray Active Tank with Black Compression Capri	Magenta Active Tank with Gray Compression Pants

Megan decided to try on the same Active tank that I picked out and it fits great on her as well. The compression capri also look good but she is leaning more toward the compression pant at this point. I try on the Magenta version of the Active tank but we both agree this is a bit too much color for us.

Gray Active Tank with Purple Compression Capri	Gray GoDRY Tank with Color Block Capri

 Still sporting the Gray Active tank Megan gives the purple Compression Capri a try. I think they look good but she is not feeling the color on these. I think she has her mind made up on the Gray Active tank and Black Compression pants! I still have the Gray GoDRY tank to try and have the same feeling that the fit is too lose for my taste. I also tried on the Color Block Capri in Ultraviolet and I think I found a winner! These fit great and I love the mesh on the side of the calf.
 

Gray Active Tank with Color Block Capri

 Lastly, I decide to try on my two favorite items to see if they work together. I think I found a winner!

Our final picks

Megan - Gray Active Tank with Black Compression Pants
Ginger - Gray Active Tank with Ultraviolet Color Block Compression Capri

Since the lighting was not the best in the Old Navy dressing room, I decided to have my husband take a picture of my new outfit when I got home. I think this gives a much better view of the colors in the Color Block capri.

As I mentioned earlier, a fun new workout outfit was just the motivation I needed to stay active during the holiday season. The next day I wore my new outfit to spin class and the pants were AWESOME! I love the mesh on the side of the legs and the material is quick drying so I never get that "wet" feeling while breaking a sweat.

I also plan to wear my new outfit during an upcoming YMCA 5K Resolution Race on December 28, 2012.

Surpise

Since I was at Old Navy I had to peruse the clearance section and that's where I saw a blast from the past.....

This was one of the fun dresses I tried on during the Spice up your Style in Old Navy Dresses this Fall! sample and share. It was on clearance for $8.99 so I had to buy it!! After I get my sweat on in my new Activewear, I will find a fun even to wear my super cool Old Navy dress!