Scrubbing Bubbles

If there is one thing I hate the most about cleaning, it would have to be scrubbing my shower. Hate. It.

I know I'm not alone. According to a Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubber Survey, 80% of women admit they dislike cleaning the shower and bathtub. (Ummm...who are the 20% who actually like cleaning them???) More than half of women (58%) clean their shower or bathtub at least once a week, and more than one in ten (14 percent) do so at least once daily (they must be part of that "love to clean my shower" group).

23% of women would rather pay household bills than clean their bathtubs, 11 percent would rather write thank you notes, and another 11% would rather sit in traffic.

Now for the top reasons why we despise cleaning our showers so much. From the 80% of women cited above, 34% can't stand chapped hands or chipped nails, 23% hate the muscle soreness and 38% hate how often it needs cleaning.

If you think you can skimp on cleaning, consider these juicy statistics: More than two in five women (44%) admit to having peeked around the bathroom when visiting someone else's home (most often looking inside medicine cabinets and drawers, but about 19% also admit to peeking around the shower curtain!!!!)

I have discovered a lifesaver for cleaning my shower and am amazed at how well it worked. New Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubber is an easy-to-use, and effective, shower scrubber that saves your hands and your energy.

The scrubber is made of foam and has a handle to grip that keeps you from having to touch the cleaner. You simply push the foam holder onto a cleaning pad and wet it slightly.



I was able to quickly scrub down my shower in five minutes! And it does an amazing job. With hardly any effort, my shower walls were actually sparkling (I'm totally serious) and I could see my reflection in the walls. I've gotten far less results with much more effort with traditional cleaners and brushes.

Click here to learn more about this fabulous product, here for a $2 coupon, and here for some really good cleaning tips.

Thank You to Dawn!

Many thanks to Dawn at Coming to a Nursery Near You! I was the lucky winner of a $25 gift card to Outback Steakhouse in her Father's Day giveaway.

The card arrived today and my family and I can't wait to use it. Thanks, Dawn!

Beauty Best With Suave Giveaway

As moms, we often take care of others before taking care of ourselves. Beauty becomes a low priority when you're chasing toddlers and are lucky to get a five minute shower in!

Suave understands this and has created a line of affordable products to help. As their site says, "Motherhood Isn't Always Pretty." Click here to see moms who used Suave to "get themselves back." You can see videos of which products were used and how they accomplished their makeovers.

I was able to test and review several Suave products myself and I cannot say enough good things about them. My favorite is Suave Skin Therapy Advanced Therapy Moisturizer. Not only does it make my skin silky smooth, it smells delicious! (I keep sniffing my hands after I put it on at bedtime because it smells so good).

Their shampoos and conditioners are just as wonderful. I use both the Suave Professionals Vibrant Shine shampoo and conditioner as well as the Suave Professionals Vibrant Blonde shampoo and conditioner (I alternate them on different days, which is really good for your hair).

My kids love Suave Kids 3 in 1 Shampoo-Conditioner-Body Wash in Splashing Apple Toss. And I love how economical it is. Plus, having three uses in one bottle is good for the earth (fewer bottles means less trash to dispose of).

Thanks to Suave and Weber Shandwick, I have a HUGE bundle of goodies to give to one lucky reader!

The winner will receive all of these fine Suave products:

• A copy of The Hot Mom’s Handbook by Jessica Denay
  
• Suave Professionals Vibrant Shine Shampoo & Conditioner
  
• Suave Skin Therapy Daily Exfoliating Body Wash
  
• Suave Skin Therapy Body Lotion in Cocoa Butter with Shea
  
• Suave Professionals Extra Hold Gel
  
• Suave Professionals Freeze Hold Hairspray
  
• Suave 24-Hour Protection Invisible Solid in Unscented
  
• Suave Kids 3 in 1 Shampoo-Conditioner-Body Wash in Splashing Apple Toss
  
• Suave Kids Double Dutch Apple Detangling Spray

To enter, simply leave a comment here letting me know what your favorite Suave product is, or which one you'd love to try. One entry per person, and please be sure that there is an email address that you can be reached at should you win.

Winner must claim prize within two weeks of notification or prize is forfeited. Deadline to enter is Tuesday, July 1 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Good luck!

MatchMaster Winner

Congratulations to Samantha who has won two MatchMaster hand-held, electronic games! Thanks to all who entered and for sharing your favorite physical activites.

Many thanks also to Rogers and Cowan for sponsoring this wonderful giveaway.

Stay tuned for more giveaways coming soon!

Stay-At-Home Survival Guide

There are plenty of books on the market that give advice on raising children. But what about you? Want to know how you can survive those child-raising years?

Melissa Stanton shares excellent advice on just that topic in her new self-help book The Stay-At-Home Survival Guide - Field-tested strategies for staying smart, sane, and connected while caring for your kids, published by Seal Press.

Stanton is a former editor of People (my dream job) and LIFE magazines who decided to leave the workforce to raise her children. She shares the lessons and skills she's learned along the way in the book, with advice on topics such as creating time for yourself, making friends, getting your partner more involved in child rearing, and more.

The book includes interviews with stay-at-home moms, discussions with experts and has checklists to help you make the most of your time and keep you balanced. Stanton also shares her own experiences on leaving a career to become a stay-at-home mom herself.

I am so happy to have found a book that not only understands the struggles stay-at-home moms go through, but that gives us a guide to surviving those struggles.

My absolute favorite part of the book is a little excerpt titled, "What Do You Say When You're Asked 'What Do You Do?'" Before I became a freelance writer, I would always answer that question with, "I'm a stay-at-home mom."

When I began writing and answered, "I'm a freelance writer," I was amazed at the difference in the responses I'd get! Their faces would light up and they would suddenly be so interested in what I had to say. As if being a mom isn't more important than putting words on a piece of paper.

In this particular excerpt in the book, Stanton shares responses from mothers across the country on how they handle this question. Reading these two responses made me grin from ear to ear:

"...I've realized that once most people figure out you stay home, they don't think you have anything important to say." -Jen

"I always give it to them straight and say I'm a homemaker. I tend not to say I'm a lawyer or a cellist unless it comes up. I watch their reactions. It's no loss to me to not spend time with a person who's so stupid as to actually think that because someone cares for the most important asset society has, she has nothing to offer the conversation." -Sandra

Wow! It felt SO good to read that!

I highly recommend this book to all stay-at-home moms, dads, or those who just want to understand what it's like to be in our shoes. You'll feel an instant camaraderie with Stanton and the moms who share their experiences in the book. And what stay-at-home mom couldn't use a little camaraderie?

Find The Stay-At-Home Survival Guide at Amazon by clicking here.