Orange You a Diva!

With warm weather approaching, what better way to refresh than with a Carl's Jr. Orange Cream Shake? These shakes remind me of my favorite orange creamsicles popsicles as a kid.

To help celebrate this tasty treat, Weber Shandwick and Carl's Jr. are giving away an "Orange You a Diva?" gift crate valued at $150 to one lucky reader of So a Blonde Walks Into a Review.



The gift crate includes:

• Carl’s Jr Orange Cream Shake Coupons
• Citrus Bath & Body Works Lotion (8 oz), Shower Gel (10 oz)
• Citrus Fragrance Bulb
• DVD of the First Season of “The O.C.” TV Show
• Polaroid POGO Camera (sponsor has notified me that there is a change in camera...the gift crate will instead include a Flip Video Ultra F260 Orange 60-Minute Digital Camcorder)

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post letting me know why you'd love to win. Be sure that there is an email address for you that I can find, or your entry will have to be disqualified. By entering, you automatically agree to all the rules and disclaimers listed here.

You can receive additional entries by doing one or all of the following (one entry for each step):

~Twitter with a link to this post. Then leave a separate comment here with your Twitter link.

~Blog about this contest with a link to this post. Then leave a separate comment here with the link to your post.

~Follow this blog. Simply click on "Follow this blog" found near the top of the sidebar to the right (under "The Blonde"). Then, leave a separate comment letting me know you are following.

~Post the button below on your blog and then leave a separate comment here letting me know it's posted and where. Here's the code for the button:



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~~Add So a Blonde Walks Into a Review to your Technorati Favorites (just click the button below and follow the simple steps). Then, leave a separate comment here letting me know you've added this blog to your favorites:



Deadline to enter is 11:59 EST, Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Winner will be selected at random using Random.org. Good luck!

Su-Fine! Dane Cook's ISolated INcident Tour, 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, MD

Friday night, Dane Cook rocked the house hard with his ISolated INcident Global Thermo Comedy Tour at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, MD. I had the privilege of reviewing the show from amazing seats thanks to the wonderful people at 1st Mariner.

I have been a fan of Dane for a long time now and I am clearly not alone, as thousands of people filled the huge arena. Think Britney Spears' crowd level. It was that big.

Here's something you need to know about Dane and this particular tour. This is his first time touring since losing both of his parents. His mother passed away first from cancer and shortly thereafter, his father became ill with cancer as well and died within nine months of his mother.

So it would be hard for anyone to pick themselves up after such a loss, much less find laughter once again. But Dane performed with energy and zest in honor of his parents, who were his biggest fans, and even included them in his routine. He called the show his "therapy."

One of the best parts of the show in fact, was about how Dane's parents got to see the good part of his fame (such as the packed arenas) but not the bad. Which would include the haters that come along once you're a celebrity. Dane had me both laughing and cheering him on as he recounted stories on that issue (I won't give away any of the jokes).

And what he revealed, to me at least, was that he has a HUGE heart. This is a guy who can crack jokes about the most crude things in one breath, and then turn around and make you laugh about very profound, deep moments from his life. That not only takes talent. That takes guts. And the crowd loved him for it.

More proof of the big heart that lies beneath the animated, boyish exterior: directly in front of me were a group of Marines who yelled out "Oo-rah!" Dane heard them and knew right away they were Marines.

He stopped his act to acknowledge them, thanked them for their service to our country and promised he'd be back in Iraq to perform for the troops as he'd done before...despite having a dog take a chunk out of his arm the last time he was there, lol ("But then I thought, maybe there's a bomb in my arm!" Dane said. "Good dog!")

The jokes Dane tells for ISolated INcident lean heavily toward the sexual. There were less of the type of jokes I love best from him (car alarms and parking garage squeals, the friend nobody likes, don't get on the flight, pickles, etc.), but I was still laughing until I cried. I did hear others commenting on the same thing, though as we left the show so I wasn't the only one who noticed.

One thing that I found funny....the girl next to me visibly tensed up every time he cracked a crude, sexual joke and all I could think was, "What are you even doing here? Don't you know what Dane Cook is all about?!"

Seriously, if you're that easily offended you do not want to go to a Dane Cook show. Everyone else around me was in hysterics, though. I think the girl might have been brought to the show as a date by the guy she was with. Man did he read her wrong if that's the case!

If you're a Dane Cook fan, you know that nothing is too offensive and nothing is off limits for him - politics, racism, and even the death of his own parents were all part of his act. Which just proves that humor is what makes Dane tick and if you have an open mind and a good sense of humor, you will totally get him.

And if you get him, and you have the opportunity to see his show, you're going to have the time of your life:

*************************************************************

~Visit Dane Cook's official website here. You can also find him on Twitter here.

~Click here to see upcoming dates and to purchase tickets for Dane's ISolated INcident Global Thermo Comedy Tour.

~For more information on the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, click here.

~Follow Dane on tour with the VIP Pass iPhone app.

~Watch the "ISolated INcident" television special on Comedy Central, May 17.

~Purchase "ISolated INcident" on CD and DVD, in stores everywhere May 19.

The Perfect Pillow (Really!)

As someone who suffers from insomnia as well as allergies, finding the perfect pillow is extremely important...one that is both comfortable and protects against allergens.

I have tried many expensive pillows in my life, but have never been completely satisfied. Thanks to Fleischman-Hillard, I was given the opportunity to try out a customized Select Comfort pillow and I can honestly say that I have finally found the perfect pillow.

The key, in my opinion, is the fact that the pillow is customized to my liking. I selected my pillow options by phone, but the usual method is via online or in-store.

I really recommend you go through the in-store process since an expert can guide you to the right fit for you based on your personal preferences. The experts I spoke to by phone were so friendly and asked me all the right questions to help me make the right choices.



You have three different steps to finding your perfect pillow: outer comfort, inner support and pillow protector. And within each of those steps, there are lots of choices.

I told the experts that I sleep mostly on my side, prefer a semi-firm pillow (I do not like memory foam pillows...those are too firm), and that I suffer from allergies. They talked me through each step with all of this in mind and we were able to create a pillow customized to my liking.

For the first step, I selected the Silver Outer Core which is a shapeable, naturally antimicrobial, high-quality down alternative with 5% silver fiber. The fact that it's shapeable means it won't be too firm, and the antimicrobial properties help protect against allergens.

The inner core is what really gives my pillow its balance. Although I do not like memory foam pillows, I selected the Classic Memory Foam for this part (the inner core is placed inside of the outer core). By combining the shapeable nature of the Silver Outer Core and the firmness of the Classic Memory Foam, my pillow is now the perfect firmness for me. It contours to my head and neck but it also bounces back. I have honestly never had a pillow this comfortable before!

I selected the In Balance Pillow Protector for the final step. I had mentioned that I prefer a cool pillow when I go to sleep and this particular protector provides temperature balancing to minimize temperature swings and makes for a cooler pillow. It's also hypoallergenic so it is free of dust and allergens.

While this pillow is the most comfortable one I've ever owned, it's also done wonders for my allergies and that is my favorite aspect of it.

I used to take Benadryl around-the-clock for my allergies. Shortly after I received the pillow and began using it, I noticed that I wasn't needing my Benadryl as much. I didn't put two and two together right away, but one day, I realized that my allergies had improved right after I changed to the Select Comfort pillow.

So in addition to its comfort, it's actually improved my health. It truly is the PERFECT pillow! I will never go back to using any other brand than Select Comfort from now on.

Click here to learn more and to select YOUR most perfect pillow from Select Comfort.

It Starts with a Playground

And it also starts with you! Having a safe place for our children to play is so important and those spaces are harder and harder to find these days.



KaBOOM!, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding and creating play spaces within walking distance for every child, has started a nationwide campaign to help communities across America find and build those spaces. This campaign is so crucial for children who live in neighborhoods that lack playspaces, or are forced to use rundown or unsafe playgrounds.

KaBOOM! believes that play has a purpose and unstructured play in particular helps make children happier, fitter, smarter, more socially adept and creative. So how can you help make this a reality for kids everywhere?



KaBOOM!! needs YOU to help them map online 100,000 playspaces in 100 days. Here's what counts as a playspace: a playground, field, a skate park, roller hockey rink, lake, dog park, community center, basketball court or ice rink - any place where kids can engage in unstructured play for free or a nominal fee. A playspace listing on KaBOOM! consists of an address or cross street and a description, one photo and one rating.

KaBOOM! has made creating this playspace listing easy: either a quick fill-in on their website or even easier - a twitpic from your cellphone.

For every play space entered into the KaBOOM! database on behalf of the Mom Central team, $1 will be donated to Jumpstart, a non-profit that brings at-risk preschool children and caring adults together to improve literacy. So you're efforts will help in more ways than one!

In addition, having these playspaces marked with photos and ratings will be helpful to us parents if we are traveling to see relatives, vacation, etc. You can go online and find cool places to take your kids to play- near Grandma's, the hotel, or off the highway to break up a long drive. So really, everyone benefits from this wonderful campaign!

Country Crock Calcium with Vitamin D

Getting your kids to drink their milk and eat the proper foods can be a challenge. In fact, my kids do not like milk, so ensuring that they have enough Vitamin D and calcium is that much harder for me.

9 out of 10 girls, and 3 out of 4 boys, don't get enough calcium, and a recent study indicates that there has been a decline in Vitamin D levels among Americans, both children and adults, over the past 10 years. Calcium is an integral part in the development of strong bones and teeth, while Vitamin D is needed to help the body absorb calcium, although very few foods are natural sources.

Now, Shedd's Spread Country Crock has made it easier for us moms to ensure that our children get these vital nutrients by sneaking calcium and Vitamin D into their spread. Isn't that so clever?!

Each serving of Shedd's Spread Country Crock with Calcium and Vitamin D provides 100 mg of calcium, (10% of the Daily Value) and 80 IU of vitamin D (20% of the Daily Value). And the taste is the same, so your kids won't even notice the difference.

Visit CountryCrock.com for a coupon, recipe ideas, nutrition information and tips for simple ways to get more calcium and vitamin D into your family's diet.

There's also a fun Shedd's Spread Country Crock® Calcium quiz. Take the quiz and you could win a $25 Visa® gift card and a family vacation for five to Yellowstone National Park. Good luck!