NeilMed Naspira Nasal-Oral Aspirator - Review and Giveaway

If you have ever suffered from a common cold and everything that it entails, then you know just how frustrating and torturous it can be to go about your daily routines while battling with congested noses, sore throats and watering eyes. On the other hand, if its your toddler or baby who is suffering from congestion, then it becomes even more difficult to provide them with relief until the cold runs its course.

We have used a neti pot with our older son when he was around 4 -5 years of age, successfully to an extent. The neti pot definitely helped in gently flushing the nasal passages with warm saline water and seemed to have helped in reducing congestion and helping our son breathe better. But a toddler or a baby cannot use neti pots and the suction bulb can only help so much. 

I recently hear about the NeilMed Naspira Nasal Oral aspirator and was struck by its unique design. The aspirator is designed to help suction a baby's or a toddler's nose safely, gently and effectively.

I was offered a chance to use a kit and review it and I decided to give it a try.

Unlike the ubiquitous blue suction bulb that is provided by the hospital after a baby is born, the NeilMed aspirator is transparent and has a 2 in 1 design. You can either use it as an aspirator or as a nasal / oral suction device. Parents can use this device to generate suction force through the mouth to alleviate nasal congestion in their little ones.

Although my youngest is now 5 and can blow his nose by himself to clear any mucus that might accumulate, he did allow me to try the aspirator on him when he had a slight cold earlier in the month. When I tried to insert the tip of the aspirator into his nose, it took us a few tries just because he kept getting tickled by it! But once he had the hang of it, it was easy enough to gently use the aspirator to clear his nose. I can see how easy it would have been to use this product if he had been a few years younger.

The aspirator is made of high grade silicone and can be easily pulled apart for thorough cleaning. It can also be sterilized and disinfected easily by using boiling water or in the microwave.
The product has a life time warranty and is made without latex, pthalates or BPA. It is also dishwasher safe!!

The NeilMed Naspira Nasal Oral aspirator kit also includes 7 in-line disposable filters to prevent any mucus from entering the tubing and reaching the user's mouth.

The retail price of this kit varies from $9.99 to $14.99. The kit can be easily found at retailers such as Walmart, Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Rite Aid , Target and amazon.com.

Giveaway !! - 
GreenMomsMeet and NeilMed have graciously provided me with a few kits so that I can share them with any readers who might be interested in trying this out. Please leave me a comment with your name, email address and why you think this product might be useful to you! Give away closes in a week!!

For more information about the kit and other products from NeilMed, visit the following websites: 

www.neilmed.com

www.facebook.com/neilmedbaby

www.twitter.com/neilmedbaby

Disclaimer:I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program (greenmomsmeet. com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of this product.

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze almond milk - Review and Giveaway

My family and I have been consuming non-dairy milk for a while now..Initially it was just soy milk on the market.This was a boon for vegans and lactose tolerant people alike..Currently on the market,
however, there is a plethora of non dairy milks available, with such a wide variety for everybody !
Almond milk is a widely available and quite popular non dairy alternative. We use almond milk quite frequently. My kids drink it straight up, my husband uses it in smoothies and I use it in baked goods in place of dairy milk.

When I got the opportunity to try out Blue Diamond Almond milk as a Mom Ambassador blogger, I looked forward to it because I had always enjoyed the various types of almond milks on the market.Almond Breeze almond milk measured up pretty well to the other almond milks on the market that we had tried.It has a pleasant taste with a slight hint of almonds. We used Almond Breeze almond milk with our cereal, our morning oatmeal and in our smoothies. I also tried it with my coffee one morning and decided that the almond milk gave my coffee a gourmet taste !
Both my kids liked the taste. I would definitely serve this to my friends and their kids. Since there is no strong taste or smell to this milk, I am sure most kids would enjoy this almond milk.

A few points about the Almond Breeze almond milks that caught my attention :
* Almond Breeze is calcium enriched, providing about 45% of the daily required value in a single cup of milk.
* Almond Almond Breeze is available in original, Vanilla and Chocolate flavors as well as the unsweetened varieties.
* There is also an almond milk - coconut milk blend available.
* The milk comes packed in Tetra Pak cartons, which do not need to be refrigerated until opened. These cartons are recyclable and have a low carbon footprint!
* Almond milk has a lower fat content as compared to dairy milk, with an astonishing 60 calories per cup in its original favor.
* The milk is also soy-free and lactose free.
* It should be noted that almond milk is low in protein, so consumers should make up by eating other protein rich foods.



You can get more information about the brand and the product on the following sites :
www.almondbreeze.com
https://www.facebook.com/almondbreeze

All said and done, I really liked the Almond Breeze milk, because of its versatility, mild flavor and rich calcium content. That my family liked it as well was the icing on the cake !
Do try it with your family and let me know how you liked it !

To enable you to do just that, I am delighted to announce that I will be able to give away 3 vouchers to my readers, each voucher providing a free carton of Almond Breeze Almond milk (any variety)
Please leave a comment on this post telling me if you have tried non dairy alternatives before. Do include your email id. Please note that this giveaway will end on August 18th, 2012 at midnight and is available for US residents only.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetSM blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Annie's Homegrown Rising Crust Pizza - Review and Giveaway (3 winners!)

                                                This giveaway is now closed !
As a family, we are not big pizza enthusiasts. In a country, where the pizza industry is worth a whopping $30 billion and people eat around 350 slices of pizza every second, that might come as a big shock :-)
The biggest reason is because when I was growing up in India in the 80's and 90's, my parents were blissfully unaware of this pie. It was only after I started working in a software company that I got introduced to this Italian specialty.
After I came to the US, it was as if there was a pizza explosion ! There were pizzerias at every corner, lots of advertisements for various stores, pizza brought in for sustaining the software development teams during long hours at the office and even served at birthday parties ! Although I do enjoy an occasional slice of vegetarian pizza, I am not a very big fan. My son seems to enjoy pizza, however, so we either order in pizza or bake it at home so that we can control the ingredients that go on it.
The main reason that I am apprehensive about ordering in pizza is because I am not always certain about the cheese that is used. Specifically, the enzymes used to make the cheese - I am trying to avoid products containing rennet and its difficult to verify if a company uses cheese made using animal enzymes.
So when I got the opportunity to try out Annie's Homegrown Rising Crust pizza through Moms Meet, I decided to give it a try because I like most of Annie's Products. They are all natural, do not have any artificial flavors, colors or additives and the products specify that they use cheese made using vegetable rennet.
I picked up the 4 - cheese pizza from Whole Foods (The only other vegetarian option available was Spinach Mushroom and we are not that fond of mushrooms!)



I baked the pizza according to the instructions to get a crisper crust and 20 minutes later, my family and I
enjoyed piping hot pizza. My 5 year old really enjoyed his pizza dinner! We liked it as well. The crust was pretty crisp (I could have probably left it in the oven for a couple of minutes longer to get it even crisper !).
There was a sufficiently thick layer of cheese and the pizza was big enough for our family of 2 adults and a 5 year old. The one year old was sneaking in little bites of the crust after his own dinner ;-)

The overall taste was pretty comparable to pizzeria pizza, although I would have loved to have had more vegetarian options. I would definitely buy this when I wanted to appease my son's craving for pizza.
I liked that fact that all ingredients used were organic with 8gms of whole grain per serving and with 100% real cheese made from milk not treated with rBST. There are 4 different varieties available and these can be purchased in the freezer section of Whole Foods at a retain price of $9.99

For more information about Annie's and their products visit the following sites :
Annie's Homegrown website 
Annie's Facebook page

And now for the giveaway ! Three readers will get the opportunity to try out any one of Annie's Homegrown Rising Crust pizza for free. They will each win one voucher for a free pizza which they can redeem at Whole Foods ! This giveaway will run till Apr 19th, 2012. The giveaway is open to US residents only. Please leave a comment telling me what your favorite pizza topping is and dont forget to include your email id ! 



Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Yoplait Trix for kids and a Giveaway !

                               This giveaway is now closed ..Congrats to katychicks for winning the prize pack

My family loves yogurt, especially homemade. My 5 year old relishes it and even my one year old likes it. Thankfully, neither of them is lactose intolerant. I usually prefer to make yogurt at home and very rarely buy the flavored ones from stores, because they have so much added sugar and other unwanted ingredients.
Sometimes, though, my son likes to have them and then I look for the ones that have the least number of ingredients and those with low sugar contents.
When I got the opportunity to review the Yoplait Trix for Kids yogurt, I was in two minds. The brand had undergone a change and had reformulated their yogurts to remove artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and HFCS. That was encouraging news !
They are available in 4-cup packs, with two bright and natural colors that can be swirled or eaten at once in every cup. There are 5 interesting flavors to choose from, to suit every kid's taste.
My son certainly liked these and enjoyed them at snack time and in his lunch bag.



I liked that the ingredients are natural and free from artificial flavors and colors. The added sugar content is also not too high. Although the total sugar content in each serving is 14 grams, some unsweetened yogurts have 11 grams of natural sugars in them..The one factor that would prevent me from buying these is that these yogurts have gelatin added as a thickener...Since I am trying to move my family away from products containing these animal products, that would be a deterrent for me.

One reader of this blog will win a prize pack containing all the things pictured above.
Just leave a comment telling me how your kids would enjoy their Yoplait Trix yogurts!
Please leave your email addresses so that I can contact you if you win !
The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S only and will end on Mar 31st 2012.

Please visit the following links for more information about Yoplait Trix Yogurt

• Yoplait Products Website http://my.yoplait.com/TrixYog
• Yoplait on Facebook http://on.fb.me/YoplaitFacebook
• Yoplait on Twitter http://bit.ly/YoplaitTwitter

Disclosure:  The Yoplait Trix Yogurt prize pack, information and coupon have been provided by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark.

Yoplait Chocolate Banana Smoothie Review and Giveaway

Update : This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations Springbird ! You should receive your prize pack soon !  

I find that Smoothies are a very convenient way to get your nutrients - combine all your main ingredients , give them a whiz ,  add in any toppings or flavorings and you have a portable, delicious and nutritious meal in a glass (or a cup or however you choose to drink it!) They are customizable, enjoyed by all age groups and pretty easy to make at home.

I love smoothies and I make them at home all the time...so when I was sent the Yoplait Chocolate Banana smoothie to try and review, I was curious..to say the least..
The prize pack that I received contained the following:
* A VIP coupon for a sample of Yoplait Chocolate Banana Smoothie
* A neck pillow
* A Smoothie tumbler
* Lavender eye mask

Each smoothie pack contains enough frozen fruit and yogurt to make 2 8oz servings...You still need a blender to make the smoothie. I used the smoothie pack along with a cup of 2 % milk to make 2 servings of smoothie which I then gave to my husband and 5 year old son to try...Since anything with chocolate is met with no resistance at my home, I gathered that the taste was good enough! I could see that the smoothie was pretty thick and chocolate-y.
The smoothies have live and active cultures and provide 50% of the daily recommended calcium values. They are available in your grocer's freezer in several different flavors.

That said, I couldnt really see the value of this product. Anybody with a blender at home can easily whip up any kind of smoothie themselves at a lesser price and with the added satisfaction of using fresh ingredients.
The smoothie packs might be useful to have as backups in the freezer for those occasions when you are out of yogurt or fruits and have a hankering for a smoothie.

One of you can win the exact same prize pack that I reviewed and try the smoothie yourself !  All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what flavor of Yoplait Smoothie you would like to see in the markets next. The giveaway will be open until December 13 11.59 pm CST . Please include your email ids so that I can inform you if you win !
You can also download a coupon for the Yoplait Smoothie here

If you are interested in learning more about the product, check out the following links:
Yoplait Frozen Fruit and Yogurt Smoothie Website
Yoplait Smoothie's Facebook page
Yoplait Smoothie's Twitter Handle


Disclosure: The Yoplait VIP Coupon, information and the giveaway have been provided by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark. The opinions, however are all mine!

Seventh Generation Diapers - A review and a giveaway

                                          This giveaway is now closed
When my first son was born, I was new to the US and even newer to parenting and parenting styles and options.I just went ahead with the diapers and wipes and other baby products that were available in the stores, happy with the convenience of all these products and blissfully unaware of the materials and methods used to manufacture the products. All I cared about was that my baby had no problems, he thrived and that kept me happy!
The second time around, having read a lot of blogs and news articles, I knew that I had a lot more options regarding the diapering needs of my baby and that I didn't necessarily need to depend on many of the advertised products in order to effectively care for my little one.I decided to include cloth diapers and cloth wipes in my diapering arsenal and then slowly increase the number of cloth diapers that I use throughout the day. I would still use disposable diapers when out of the house and at night times.So far its working well for me. That meant that I would have a little more leeway in terms of the kind of disposable diapers that I could keep on hand. Thankfully my little one isn't showing any kind of sensitivity towards any of the diapers that I tried (Huggies, Pampers,Luvs and even the Walgreen brand)

So when MyBlogSpark offered me a pack of Seventh Generation Chlorine free diapers to try, I was thrilled.I had seen Seventh Generation products at several stores where I shopped, but had never tried them before.
When I first opened the pack, I was really surprised at how unassuming these diapers looked.There were no fancy designs on them and no fragrance added.
When I used the diapers, they felt no different than the other diapers that I used and worked beautifully.My baby had no rashes and other than a little redness around the waist when I left the diaper on too long, the diaper did what it was supposed to do ! It held in all the messes and kept the baby's skin quite dry.
Added to that are the following facts about these Free and Clear diapers:
* These diapers do not include any chlorine processing, fragrances, latex or petroleum based lotions   
* They have a lighter weight core
* They have chlorine free wood pulp.
* Seventh Generation has also reduced the overall size of their diaper' plastic packages
All this ensures that no chlorine is released into the atmosphere and they contribute less to the overall landfill.

The only drawback that I see is the price. These diapers are slightly expensive as compared to the leading diaper brands on the market.But if you take advantage of sites like Amazon and the Amazon Mom program, you can get these diapers for quite a bargain.I think I am going to keep a few packs handy by doing just that so that I can use them along with my stash of cloth diapers to keep my baby free and clear of chemicals! 

If you have babies with sensitive skin (or even otherwise!), then these diapers are worth taking a look at.MyBlogSpark, along with Seventh Generation is making it easier for one of my readers to do just that by offering a full sized pack of free diapers!
All you have to do is leave a comment on the post sharing your opinion about eco-conscious baby products.Also please let me know what size diapers you would like.Please include your email address and note that the giveaway will run until July 31st 2011.
Have you tried the Seventh Generation Free and Clear diapers? What did you think about them ?

You can also download a 2$ off any one Seventh Generation Baby Product coupon by visiting this site.
http://bit.ly/seventhgendcoupon

You can also visit the following sites for more information about diaper whitening and the role of pigments.
http://bit.ly/TCFProcess
http://bit.ly/DiaperPigments

The free product, information and the giveaway were sponsored by Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark.The opinions, however are completely mine :)

Yoplait Kids Yogurt Giveaway

                                                    This Giveaway is now closed.
Being vegetarians, my family and I rely on dairy products to provide us some of the daily required protein. The fact that dairy also provides us with a substantial amount of calcium is a bonus. My 5 year old son loves yogurt and has it at every meal.So I make it a point to always keep yogurt at home, preferably home-made. If I do not have home-made yogurt, then I get some from the store.
We prefer to eat plain, unsweetened yogurt. This cuts down on the extra sugar and additives that we would consume by eating flavored , sweetened yogurt. That said, I do not mind buying yogurt that has been naturally sweetened, for my son.

Yogurt is a great snack for kids and adults alike, suitable for any time and if properly packed, for any place!
* Every 6 oz serving of yogurt has 350 mgs of calcium, which is essential for strong teeth and bones.
* Yogurt contains live cultures, which are nothing but bacteria that are beneficial for your intestines.These also help in regulating the digestive system and strengthening the immune system.
* Yogurt is loaded with potassium, iodine, phosphorus, zinc, Vit. V5 and Vit. B12
* Yogurt also contains a significant amount of protein in each serving, which increases the absorption of water in the intestines.

So, When I got the opportunity to review yogurt by Yoplait Kids, I readily accepted.
Yoplait Kids is an excellent source of calcium and Vit. D and also contains 25% less sugar than the other leading kids' yogurt brands. It contains no high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners.
We received a prize pack containing a coupon for a free pack of Yoplait Kids and several gifts for kids including a ball, a set of 4 cute multicolored ice cream spoons, silly bands, a magnetic calendar and an insulated bag to carry yogurt !! 
Unfortunately, I found out that the yogurt contained gelatin. Since we try and avoid products with gelatin as much as possible, we were not able to actually try the yogurt.
However, I shared the coupon with a friend and I am sure her kids enjoyed the yogurt !
My son, however, was delighted with the remaining items in the prize pack!
So I would like to offer the same prize pack to one of my readers.
Do you face opposition from your kids when it comes to healthy snacks ? Would you try adding yogurt as a snack option ?
Leave a comment here until April 10th, 11.59 pm and I will choose a random winner !

The winner , as determined by the random number generator is commenter number 3, Springbird.

Congratulations !!

Disclaimer : The information, prize pack and the gift pack were all provided to me by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark for the purposes of a review.

A Date Night to plan and a giveaway

 
This giveaway is now closed. The winner is commenter No. 3 , Springbird. The winner has been contacted.Thanks to everybody who participated !

 

It would be fair to say that since the birth of my son about 4 years ago,
TH and I have had very few opportunities to have some alone time. 
Add to the fact that we come from a culture where dating was traditionally not prevalent and that we do not have family here to babysit our child - that makes planning for a date night even more difficult.But both of us agree that it is imperative to be able to spend time together, without any distractions, such as TV or attention hogging kids (no matter how well behaved your kids are , if they are 4 years old,they will definitely want to be the center of attention ! ) So to that end, we have been making efforts to free up time such that we can at least sit together and spend time,either watching a movie together or discussing favorite topics or even planning for the immediate future. We either let P watch his favorite show for 30 minutes, or made sure that he was engaged in an activity that would keep him engrossed for at least half an hour. We still couldn't go out together, since we both work and we haven't really found any babysitter that I would want to leave my child with.

When MyBlogSpark sent me a kit that would make Date Night In easier , I was excited..I made simple plans to send P to bed earlier and cook a meal using the Wanchai Ferry and Macaroni Grill kits that came with the prize pack. I was going to use the 30$ visa card that came with the kit to purchase some nice place mats and candles to make a romantic table setting. (So what if we couldn't go out by ourselves to a nice restaurant..) The dinner kits looked easy to prepare ...the instructions are easy to follow and you need to add just a few everyday ingredients to make a complete meal for two. Although the kits are intended to be made with meat, it would be easy to substitute vegetarian/vegan options like tofu or seitan or tempeh.

Well, all planning aside, hectic work schedules, pregnancy and an active preschooler made it difficult to bring this about.But I haven't given up my attempts to make this happen.We have found a babysitter with whom we are all comfortable. Its now a matter of carving out the time so that I can cook and set the table and have a nice relaxed meal with TH !
I will update this post once I do get to have that date night !!

MyBlogSpark ,Wanchai Ferry and Macaroni Grill want to give one of my readers a prize pack of their own, containing two dry dinner kits and a $25 visa card. All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment saying how you would plan for a date night with your significant other.
The giveaway ends on 01/07/2011 at 11.59 pm.  I will use a random generator to pick the winner.
Please note that the giveaway is open to US residents only.
Also, do enter your email address when you leave a comment. Otherwise I am left with no way to contact you in case you win !

(Disclaimer: The products, prize pack and the information was given to me from Wanchai Ferry and Macaroni Grill through MyBlogSpark.The opinions and post content are all my own ! )

Leisurely Sunday Mornings and My First Giveaway!

                  This giveaway is now closed ! The winner is Janie ! Congratulations Janie !! 

Please leave a comment with your contact details (email address and mailing address so that I can have your prize pack mailed to you ...Your details will not be published on the blog )

Growing up, in India, Sunday mornings were special.
Not in an spectacular kind of way, just in a kind of quiet, relaxing with your family kind of a way..
With no school to worry about, my brother and I had the entire day to do as we wished..
We didnt have a host of TV channels to choose from ..it was just one National channel and then too we had very select TV programmes that were actually interesting !
After breakfast, we would curl up on the living room couch, watch TV and then run off to play, read or whatever caught our fancy that day. Speaking of breakfasts, Sunday morning breakfasts would be quite elaborate. They would usually be savoury,  like lentil crepes (dosas) with a spicy potato mixture and a coconut chutney, or soft rice and lentil cakes served with chutney and a spicy lentil stew.
Sweet items would be reserved for special occasions only.
We would look forward to Sunday morning breakfasts, the whole family sitting around the breakfast table ,
talking and chatting about what each of us wanted to do for the rest of the day.
Now, almost 15 years later, I try to follow a similar pattern here in the US, with my own family.
Admittedly, it doesnt work out that way every single Sunday, what with weekends sometimes being even more hectic than weekdays..Some weekends, breakfast fare tends to be traditional and at other times, we enjoy pancakes and cereal and sandwiches !

Recently, I got the opportunity to try some Pillsbury sweet rolls courtesy Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark.

They also sent me scrapbooking supplies that I am pretty excited about !!
It will be a fun activity to do with my 4 year old on cold winter mornings  :)

Enjoying the rolls is as easy as opening the can, seperating the pieces and then baking according to instructions.The icing is also included in the can.
Now, if you are the bake from scratch type of a person, then you would probably scoff at anything that comes from a can. But if you dont mind giving into the convenience of baking out of a can and you enjoy sweet treats, then you can indulge in this once in a while.

Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark would like to give my readers the opportunity to try out the Pillsbury sweet rolls.
To win, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me how you like to make Sunday mornings special for your family !
I will use a random generator to pick out the winning comment amongst the ones left till Dec 13th, 12pm CST Happy Sundays !!

P.S. I was not compensated by either Pillsbury or MyBlogSpark for this post. The opinions are entirely mine.
I did receive a pack containing a free coupon for Pillsbury rolls and scrapbooking supplies.
Click on the link below to save $0.70 on one can of Pillsbury Flaky Cinnamon Rolls with Butter Cream Icing today!
http://www.myblogspark.com/uc/main/42b1/