tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43081942780013318462024-02-20T04:20:28.273-08:00The Joyful Chaos ReviewsGracie Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04926917406547565732noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308194278001331846.post-91686293510230138832010-09-21T07:13:00.000-07:002010-09-21T07:13:42.134-07:00Crystal Light Winner Announced!!Congratulations Denise! You were chosen using Random.org and were number 5! Woo hoo! Thanks everybody else and be looking for the next giveaway!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TJQ_zQniItI/AAAAAAAAAyc/OtGscozLDJ8/s1600/winner+number+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TJQ_zQniItI/AAAAAAAAAyc/OtGscozLDJ8/s640/winner+number+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Gracie Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04926917406547565732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308194278001331846.post-33008952361118440432010-09-01T08:56:00.000-07:002010-09-01T08:56:19.085-07:00Crystal Light Giveaway Update<a href="http://www.blogher.com/"><img alt="BlogHer Reviewer" src="http://blogher.com/files/BHReviewer.gif" /></a> <br />
<div><script language="javascript" src="http://ads.blogherads.com/reviews/crystal-light-base/16.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></div><div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.</div>This giveaway is now closed. I'll be randomly picking and announcing the winner in the next week. Be sure to check out <a href="http://www.blogher.com/crystal-light-rules-3">the official rules page</a> to see how all of this will work out. Thanks so much for participating and good luck!Gracie Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04926917406547565732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308194278001331846.post-36543387974799656532010-08-22T22:20:00.000-07:002010-09-01T08:56:59.444-07:00How My Emotional Health Affects My Physical Health<div><script language="javascript" src="http://ads.blogherads.com/reviews/crystal-light-base/16.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></div><div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">This giveaway is now closed - winner to be announced soon! <br />
This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TGyutrCCyNI/AAAAAAAAAyA/uJX_jWllEOQ/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TGyutrCCyNI/AAAAAAAAAyA/uJX_jWllEOQ/s320/me.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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And this week, let's go deeper, shall we? I've had some emotional issues over the years. I've talked about them from time to time. And one thing I've noticed in the midst of them is that my ups and downs show. And not just as tears on my shoulders, but outwardly. I gain weight. I get sluggish. I get sick more often. A friend and I recently were discussing just how much the emotional does affect the physical.<br />
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But here's the upside to all this. Your physical? It can directly affect your emotional as well. I know when I'm walking and exercising that I feel better. I know when I'm eating better and drinking more water that I feel better. I know that I don't have to be a victim of my circumstances, that I can take control and change the outcome.<br />
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I <i>can</i> feel better. I <i>can</i> look better. It's just a matter of deciding. And following through. I've done it before. I know I can do it again.<br />
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Want to win $100? Tell me in the comments here how your emotional health affects your physical health, at the end of the month we'll take all the comments from all 4 posts and randomly draw one winner from them. And then be sure to check out the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.blogher.com/crystal-light-6?Reviewer16%22%20target=%22_blank%22%20rel=%22nofollow%22%3E">BlogHer round-up page</a> for six more chances to win $100 or, even better, the $1,000 grand prize! That's right, I said $1,000.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogher.com/crystal-light-rules-3">Official contest rules are here</a>.<br />
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More information on <a href="http://www.kraftbrands.com/crystallight/Pages/default.aspx">Crystal Light products is here</a>.<br />
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<img border="0" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/pimp.ashx?name=WBP&p=1116271&d=blogher_&imp=3&CXNID=2000002.0NXC" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><object align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="250" id="blogherPoll" width="300"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false" /><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.blogher.com/pulse_poll/CL_B_Poll_300x250_1.swf?pID=3&cid=blogher_" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /><embed src="http://widgets.blogher.com/pulse_poll/CL_B_Poll_300x250_1.swf?pID=3&cid=blogher_" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="300" height="250" name="blogherPoll" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /></embed></object><br />
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<a href="http://www.blogher.com/"><img alt="BlogHer Reviewer" src="http://blogher.com/files/BHReviewer.gif" /></a>Gracie Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04926917406547565732noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308194278001331846.post-1975736817613936832010-08-16T06:12:00.000-07:002010-09-01T08:57:29.478-07:00The Image of My Body<div><script language="javascript" src="http://ads.blogherads.com/reviews/crystal-light-base/16.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></div><div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">This giveaway is now closed. Winner to be announced soon! <br />
This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.</div><br />
The other morning while I was trying to wake up, my 3 year old leaned over and blew a raspberry on my belly. He giggled and giggled. And then said, "Mama, you're Flarp!" Please tell me you know what that is. The squishy slimy "tooty putty"? That's good. Good, as in it makes for a good blog post. <br />
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Crystal Light asked me to blog about my "Body Image". Like it was no big deal. I don't want to think about the image of my body, much less talk about it for all the world to hear. Can I get an amen? I went to the doctor just after having my most recent baby and the nurse asked me how I felt about my body image. Really? I was 2 weeks post-partum with my FIFTH child and she was asking me how I feel about my body?! There might be a little room for improvement. Just a little bitty bit. Unless you're fond of "muffin tops" and being compared to squishy putty.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TGP0aEBaQzI/AAAAAAAAAx4/lvt2NPDT7eQ/s1600/squishy+mama+and+baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TGP0aEBaQzI/AAAAAAAAAx4/lvt2NPDT7eQ/s320/squishy+mama+and+baby.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because squishy baby is good. But squishy Mama-arms not so much.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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In all honesty I could stand to lose some pounds; firm up that weight I want to keep. Further, I could stand to make better decisions for my body. Like, put down the chocolate chips, step away from the biscuits and gravy, and make myself pick one of those ways out there to burn calories.<br />
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I have those aspirations. But sometimes thinking of all the changes I need to make I get overwhelmed. So until then, I'm going to like my squishiness, not get bogged down by how much I need to revamp, and change one thing at a time. <br />
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Like, pick up that water bottle.<br />
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Want to win $100? Tell me in the comments here what your body image is and how drinking water plays into that, at the end of the month we'll take all the comments from all 4 posts and randomly draw one winner from them. And then be sure to check out the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.blogher.com/crystal-light-6?Reviewer16%22%20target=%22_blank%22%20rel=%22nofollow%22%3E">BlogHer round-up page</a> for six more chances to win $100 or, even better, the $1,000 grand prize! That's right, I said $1,000.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogher.com/crystal-light-rules-3">Official contest rules are here</a>.<br />
<br />
More information on <a href="http://www.kraftbrands.com/crystallight/Pages/default.aspx">Crystal Light products is here</a>.<br />
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<img border="0" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/pimp.ashx?name=WBP&p=1116271&d=blogher_&imp=3&CXNID=2000002.0NXC" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><object align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="250" id="blogherPoll" width="300"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false" /><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.blogher.com/pulse_poll/CL_B_Poll_300x250_1.swf?pID=3&cid=blogher_" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /><embed src="http://widgets.blogher.com/pulse_poll/CL_B_Poll_300x250_1.swf?pID=3&cid=blogher_" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="300" height="250" name="blogherPoll" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /></embed></object><br />
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<a href="http://www.blogher.com/"><img alt="BlogHer Reviewer" src="http://blogher.com/files/BHReviewer.gif" /></a>Gracie Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04926917406547565732noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308194278001331846.post-23367215471959095142010-08-09T07:12:00.000-07:002010-09-17T19:59:43.630-07:00You Know What My Water Style Is?<div><script language="javascript" src="http://ads.blogherads.com/reviews/crystal-light-base/16.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></div><div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>This giveaway is now closed. Winner to be announced soon! </i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.</i></b></div>For this review we received topics that we're to talk about. The full topic for this week was "What’s your water style? What do you like about drinking water and staying hydrated?" You know what my response was? C'mon, sure you do. I laughed out loud. I have no water style. In the fashion world of water I'm the geek standing in the corner of the dance floor. Actually, I'm probably more like the Goth kid laughing at all the fashionistas. I hate water. Abhor it. I always have. It tastes terrible.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TFo14JIh9kI/AAAAAAAAAxo/Pw4-svksOP8/s1600/before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TFo14JIh9kI/AAAAAAAAAxo/Pw4-svksOP8/s320/before.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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But alas, it's a necessary evil. One that I must endure to stay alive and somewhat healthy.<br />
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I wish you really knew me and knew just how excited I was when I first discovered the handy little take with you packets of Crystal Light. It gave me something more-than-palatable when I was needing fluids.<br />
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The best of all worlds. Water for my body, flavor for my mouth, convenience for my handbag (or fourth meal after the kids are in bed, whatever). It's a beautiful thing.<br />
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Want to win $100? Tell me in the comments here what your water style is (you're the cool kid with the water bottle that everybody else wants to be, right?), at the end of the month we'll take all the comments from all 4 posts and randomly draw one winner from them. And then be sure to check out the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.blogher.com/crystal-light-6?Reviewer16%22%20target=%22_blank%22%20rel=%22nofollow%22%3E">BlogHer round-up page</a> for six more chances to win $100 or, even better, the $1,000 grand prize! That's right, I said $1,000.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogher.com/crystal-light-rules-3">Official contest rules are here</a>.<br />
<br />
More information on <a href="http://www.kraftbrands.com/crystallight/Pages/default.aspx">Crystal Light products is here</a>.<br />
<br />
<img border="0" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/pimp.ashx?name=WBP&p=1116271&d=blogher_&imp=3&CXNID=2000002.0NXC" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><object align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="250" id="blogherPoll" width="300"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false" /><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.blogher.com/pulse_poll/CL_B_Poll_300x250_1.swf?pID=3&cid=blogher_" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /><embed src="http://widgets.blogher.com/pulse_poll/CL_B_Poll_300x250_1.swf?pID=3&cid=blogher_" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="300" height="250" name="blogherPoll" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /></embed></object><br />
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<a href="http://www.blogher.com/"><img alt="BlogHer Reviewer" src="http://blogher.com/files/BHReviewer.gif" /></a>Gracie Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04926917406547565732noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308194278001331846.post-72426123643185098252010-08-02T05:37:00.000-07:002010-09-01T08:59:46.101-07:00How We Stay Healthy Away From Home (a review and giveaway, y'all!)<div><script language="javascript" src="http://ads.blogherads.com/reviews/crystal-light-base/16.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<script language="javascript" src="http://ads.blogherads.com/reviews/crystal-light-base/16.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></div><div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">This giveaway is now closed. Winner to be announced soon! This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.</div>When I heard about the chance to try out those little Crystal Light packets, I jumped at it. Y'all already know how much I hate water, but alas, it seems important to consume, right? <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Crystal Light sent me the Peach Mango Green Tea Metabolism + to try. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TE8jzja1WeI/AAAAAAAAAws/v7HXnbRpLfE/s1600/crystal+light+packets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TE8jzja1WeI/AAAAAAAAAws/v7HXnbRpLfE/s320/crystal+light+packets.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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One of my main concerns when I'm out on our Parker Adventure Days in the summertime is that we won't get enough to drink. My solution is simple, but bland. We buy bottled water and keep it in the back of the van all year round. Most of the time we don't do anything other than stash it in it's original packaging and throw bottles out to everybody to avoid buying drinks on the go. This time of year we get a little creative and we freeze them all.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TE8kdkZuGtI/AAAAAAAAAw0/hoQXb_NL0Qs/s1600/frozen+water+bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/TE8kdkZuGtI/AAAAAAAAAw0/hoQXb_NL0Qs/s320/frozen+water+bottles.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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We grab them on the way out the door and hopefully a few hours later you have completely melted, but marvelously cool drinks.<br />
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Simple? Yes. Healthy? Of course. But bland. And remember I hate water?<br />
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So given the opportunity to add flavor to my water as opposed to just plain old water, I was beside myself. <br />
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I love the little on-the-go packets (I usually take them out of the box and stick some in my bag and a few in the van console). We all stay hydrated and yet, I don't have to endure the bitter taste of water. (And yes, water <i>does too</i> have a taste!)<br />
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I liked the flavor of the Mango Peach Green Tea, but I need no extra caffeine as often as I want to down these, so I went and tried Raspberry Lemonade. If you're all about the pick-me-up, get you some Metabolism +, if you're like me, opt for the other decaf kinds - they're mahvelous.<br />
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Be sure to tell me in the comments here how you stay healthy away from home and you'll be entered to win $100 - that's it!<br />
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Y'all be sure to check out the other bloggers' reviews - that gives you 6 other chances to win $100 as well as a $1000 sweepstakes on the round-up page. You can do all of that by going to the <a href="http://www.blogher.com/crystal-light-6?Reviewer16" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BlogHer.com CLB exclusive offers page</a>.<br />
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<div style="background-color: transparent; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Click <a href="http://www.blogher.com/crystal-light-eo-rules" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; color: #516bb3; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">here</a> to read the official rules.</div><br />
And here's <a href="http://www.kraftbrands.com/crystallight/Pages/default.aspx">Crystal Light's official home page</a>.<br />
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<img border="0" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/pimp.ashx?name=WBP&p=1116271&d=blogher_&imp=3&CXNID=2000002.0NXC" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><object align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="250" id="blogherPoll" width="300"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false" /><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.blogher.com/pulse_poll/CL_B_Poll_300x250_1.swf?pID=3&cid=blogher_" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /><embed src="http://widgets.blogher.com/pulse_poll/CL_B_Poll_300x250_1.swf?pID=3&cid=blogher_" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="300" height="250" name="blogherPoll" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /></embed></object><br />
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<a href="http://www.blogher.com/"><img alt="BlogHer Reviewer" src="http://blogher.com/files/BHReviewer.gif" /></a>Gracie Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04926917406547565732noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308194278001331846.post-18955855194056455342009-11-23T07:08:00.000-08:002009-11-23T07:09:27.790-08:00Sonicare Sweepstakes Winner!!Carmen, a non-blogger so I can't send you to her site, (what are ya thinkin'?! Oh, I'm SO just kidding) was the Blogher Sonicare winner!! <br />
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Yay, Carmen!<br />
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According to the <a href="http://www.blogher.com/sonicare-kids-sweepstakes-official-rules" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">official rules</a>, the winner was chosen using the <a href="http://www.random.org/integers/">Random Number Generator</a>.<br />
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Carmen, if you haven't been contacted by Blogher for your official prizing, you will be soon!<br />
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Thanks for playing everybody and come back soon, you never know, it may just be you next time!Gracie Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04926917406547565732noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308194278001331846.post-27306476577463877762009-11-17T05:44:00.000-08:002009-11-17T05:44:09.110-08:00Sonicare Review Update!The contest is now closed. Thanks so much for joining in the fun!! The winner to be contacted and announced shortly!Gracie Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04926917406547565732noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308194278001331846.post-74438020203257173692009-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:002009-11-17T05:42:07.915-08:00Sonicare Kids Review and Giveaway!<div align="center"><em>This giveaway now closed.</em><br />
<em>This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Sonicare for Kids</em><br />
<a href="http://oascentral.blogher.org/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/blogher.org/Philips_Review_7/1[randomNo]@x11" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://oascentral.blogher.org/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.ads/blogher.org/Philips_Review_7/1[randomNo]@x11" /></a><br />
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Seeing as this is my first review, let me say right up front it's still me and I'm getting paid to be honest. So, that I will be! <br />
</div>I saw the opportunity to do a review on the Sonicare Kids toothbrush and I jumped at it. These brushes are made for children ages 4 and up. Seeing as how I have three children in that age range, I was very excited. They accidentally sent the adult toothbrush first and my husband and I both tried it out. I have to say, I was hesitant about how the kids would take to theirs because it has a very distinct tickling sensation and I wasn't sure they would take to it well. My fears were soon laid to rest. <br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390248527492848946" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/Ss4CehxInTI/AAAAAAAAAtA/xW6Ix0NHNmo/s400/sonicare+package_lookWhatIDid+resized.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 224px;" /> When theirs came in the mail a few days later they were beyond excited. The bright colors and kid-friendly box sold them right away. Inside, more kid-friendly stuff like 3 different interchangeable plates for the front of the brush.<br />
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I'm quite sure I was supposed to review this for one child that falls into the appropriate ages. But since germs don't scare us and it's equal opportunity around here - they've all had their turns!<br />
The first time we used the brush it was just an introductory "How does this feel? What do you think?" try out. They all 3 giggled like crazy the whole time. The four year old girl said afterwards, "It was tickly!" The 6 year old boy said, "It was vibratey!" The 8 year old boy said, "That was AWESOME!" The 2 year old just giggled. (I know you're technically not supposed to use it on children under 4, but this kid just can't be left out.)<br />
Let me tell you some of the cool stuff about this brush. As I've already mentioned, it has 3 changeable front plates (the kids love this feature). It has 2 different sized heads - one smaller for 4-6 year olds and one larger for children 7 and up. <br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390255091026010674" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/Ss4Ick1YojI/AAAAAAAAAtI/CyVb-3KSuaw/s400/sonicare+inside+resized.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 267px;" /> It has a KidPacer feature which uses a little musical tone to tell the kiddos how long to brush each section of their mouth. All they have to do is move the brush around the four sections of their mouth (that you show them). The pictures in the instruction manual tell you to teach them to brush the outside upper, inside upper, outside lower, and inside lower parts of their mouth. The music chimes 4 times, then gives you a "congratulatory" tone and the brush automatically shuts off. The second time we used the brush all of them giggled the whole time again. The three older kids saw it as a complete challenge to make it the whole time until the brush chimed and shut off. They were so proud when they accomplished it. While I'm sure the novelty of this challenge will wear off quickly, it was definitely a bonus at the outset. And speaking of how long they brush... there is an Easy-start ramp-up feature. The length of time the brush is on initially is 1 minute. Over the course of 14 brushings it slowly increases the time that the brush is on to 2 minutes. This allows the kids to get used to the "tickly" feeling slowly (though, mine didn't really have a problem with the tickly - my girl does have to be reminded to not bite down on it when it tickles!) and yet, reach the dentist recommended amount of brushing time. I like the idea of this. I don't have to tell them how long to brush, they just brush until the toothbrush turns off. Beautiful.<br />
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This is what it looks like on it's charger (with the 2 changeable plates in front). It has a storage space and covers for both the heads and a little green light that lets you know when it's fully charged. It has two power modes - a low mode for children 4+ and a high power mode for children 7+.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/Ss4Ji7pakMI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/fHL-E52exfs/s1600-h/sonicare+components+resized.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390256299740664002" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5b9Jqx47jWk/Ss4Ji7pakMI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/fHL-E52exfs/s400/sonicare+components+resized.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 246px;" /></a><br />
So, the wrap up? We all loved it. The kids each want their own now (what is the world coming to when they don't share a toothbrush?! So kidding.) And actually ask to use it at random times through the day. Amazing.<br />
For more information about the Sonicare Kids toothbrush visit their <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.sonicare.com/brushes/SonicareForKids.asp%22%20target=%22_blank%22%20rel=%22nofollow%22%3EOfficial%20site%3C/a%3E">official site</a>.<br />
Now here's your chance to join the fun and win a $100 Visa Gift Card!! First of all, to enter, leave me a comment below and tell me <span style="font-size: 130%;">How do you handle your kids' dental hygiene?</span> - <span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">or</span> you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below</span>. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) 10/15/2009 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) 11/15/2009.. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct. <br />
Check out what the other BlogHer Reviewers had to say about their Sonicare Kids toothbrushes. <a href="http://www.blogher.com/sonicare-kids-review-sweepstakes?Reviewer7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">You have a total of 10 chances to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer Reviewers, plus the chance to win a Sonicare prize pack on the BlogHer.com special offers page!</a><br />
And now for the legalities:<br />
No duplicate comments.<br />
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.<br />
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.<br />
This giveaway is open to US-residents, 18 years of age or older<br />
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.<br />
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.<br />
Please see the official rules here: <a href="http://www.blogher.com/sonicare-kids-sweepstakes-official-rules" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Official rules</a><br />
Winners are chosen using the <a href="http://www.random.org/integers/">Random Number Generator</a>.Gracie Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04926917406547565732noreply@blogger.com68