Cook'n Software Review & Giveaway (and coupon code)

I have a recipe box full of all my recipes - which works okay.  However, it would be so nice to be able to have a digital copy of them, not only to use but so they don't get lost, dirty, etc.  Plus it would be so much easier than handwriting them all.

My grandma recently passed away and her recipes are something everyone in the family wants.  This would be such an easy way to enter them all and have a digital copy to email to family that lives further away or be able to easily print out for the family that is close by!

 I wondered if this software would be that great.....  it has great reviews but wouldn't something like Microsoft Word work just fine?  This software makes it SO EASY to enter your recipes and does so much more.  I loved that it has quick fill - if I type T as the unit it will have a drop down list with teaspoon, tablespoon, etc... so I can easily select what is needed.  Really this is all I was looking for was something to easily enter all my recipes.  However Cook'n Recipe Organizer software offers so much more. 

• Make menus and shopping list (by aisle) easily
• Enter the ingredients you have on had for recipe ideas
• Email Recipes or Print recipes on 3x5 or 4x6 cards or on an 8.5x11 sheet
• Sync with iPhone or Android for easy access in the kitchen
• Capture Internet Recipes with one-click and save to make later

Those are only a few of my favorite features, it has even more!  This software is exactly what I needed, I cannot imagine any software being more helpful and user friendly!

If you are looking for a recipe software make sure you check out Cook'n Recipe Organizer and use coupon code mb-dirtytruth for 50% off! You can also enter the giveaway below - one lucky reader will win their own copy of this great software!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure:  I was not paid for this review or giveaway.  I was given the above product to review and all opinions are my own. I am not responsible for the prize being delivered to the winner of the giveaway - I will forward your information to the sponsor whom is responsible for supplying the winner with the prize. 

Read more...

Bamboobies Reusable Nursing Pads Review & Giveaway ( and Coupon Code )

CLICK POST TITLE TO VIEW FULL POST & RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM 

Bamboobies are reusable nursing pads made from organic cotton and bamboo to make an ultra soft and comfortable nursing pad.  They also have a milk-proof outer layer to prevent leaks!

Read more...

Did you know Car Seats Expire? Make sure your child is Safe!

I have found a lot of people do not know car seats expire!  I did not know until we had our daughter, but thank goodness we had a new one with our son anyways.

Most car seats expire 5 to 6 years after the manufacture date, although some may not expire until even later than that.

Why do car seats expire?  With how often car seat regulations change and how the plastic can deteriorate it is very important not to use an expired car seat.  There is some debate on the subject and I agree that the car seat does not automatically become defective on the expiration date.  However, it is safe date to go by and out of all the things to splurge on what better than the safety of your child?  That is why car seats expire!!

Another important thing to remember is anytime a car seat is in a vehicle that  is in a moderate or severe crash the NHTSA recommends that it be replaced (your insurance may even cover the cost for a new seat).  There is no way to know how much damage was done or how effective it is after the crash without putting your child at risk.  They say if the wreck is a minor one it does not need to be replaced.  In order to quality as a minor crash it must meet ALL of the following criteria:

• The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site
• The vehicle door nearest the safety seat was undamaged
• There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants
• The air bags (if present) did not deploy
• AND There is no visible damage to the safety seat

It is recommended once your car seat expires or has been involved in an accident you should dispose of it properly so another child in not put in danger by using the car seat.  You can do this by cutting the straps, taking a sledgehammer to the shell, in other words damaging it beyond possible use.  You can also check your area for disposal sites or call your local Babies R Us to see if they have any recycling promotions.  Sometimes they will offer 20% off a new seat when you bring in your expired car seat so they can properly dispose of it.

Also, to ensure the safety of your little one make sure your car seat is installed correctly.  You can find a list of places in your state that can inspect your car seat to make sure it is installed correctly by doing a google search or going to the NHTSA site.  It is hard to know if it is installed just right with some car seats, and others make it much easier to ensure that it has been installed safely.  The extra features that show you it has been installed correctly may cost a little more but are worth it in my opinion.  If you don't want to spend the extra money then just go to a free inspection site and they will verify it is as safe as possible for your little one!

With how many car accidents there are and that being one of the most high risk places you put your child do all you can to ensure you are keeping your child safe!

Read more...

Erikamari Etsy Shop Review & Giveaway

CLICK POST TITLE TO VIEW FULL POST & RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM 

I am loving trying out all of these great Etsy Shops and am excited to tell you about Erikamari Etsy Shop!

If you are looking for some great high quality baby items this is another must to put on your list of Etsy Shops!  Burp cloths was still on my list of things I needed to get before this little one arrives.  I had a couple, but they were all the thin cheap ones you find over at Walmart or other chain stores.  I decided Etsy would be the perfect place to find something cute that was high quality as well. 

Read more...

Disney Cruise Giveaway (Valued at $3000)

CLICK POST TITLE TO VIEW FULL POST & RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

Here's the moment we've all been waiting for! Acadiana's Thrifty Mom has teamed up with American Family and an awesome group of bloggers to bring you our BIGGEST giveaway yet! One lucky fan will win a Disney Cruise for a family of 4 valued at $3000! That's right, a Disney Cruise ♥ This awesome giveaway is brought to you by American Family and Acadiana's Thrifty Mom, and hosted by Frugality For Less, and Debbie Does Coupons. GOOD LUCK!

Please note, This giveaway is opened to U.S. residents only. You must be 18 years of age to enter to win. The winner will be responsible for transportation to and from the port of departure. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook, Google, Pinterest, or Twitter in any way. Please read HERE for complete rules.

Read more...

Totsy - Great daily deal site

If you love Daily Deal Sites you may want to check out Totsy - they have some great deals on stuff for your little ones!

Read more...

DomesticDivaDesignz Etsy Shop - Review & Giveaway

CLICK POST TITLE TO VIEW FULL POST & RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM 

I love Etsy shops!  I love knowing I am supporting a small business when I make purchases off Etsy and that these items are handmade with love!

I received this Ultimate Sweet Treat Cupcakes & Candy Baby Diaper Cake Centerpiece- 3 Tier - Shower Decoration from Domestic Diva Designz Etsy shop and you could tell right off the bat how much care she puts in to her work.

This is what I saw when I opened the box....  first silver paper on top with her company logo, and under that was the diaper cake, along with some balloons. 

I just loved how cutely this was packaged and immediately thought how great it would be to send this as a gift to someone if you could not make it to their baby shower or to see them after the birth of their child.

Read more...

It's Me! Peter Pan Giveaway - Win a $200 Amazon Gift Card

Relive a classic fairy tale starring your child! Use your child’s face as Peter Pan and embark on an adventure with the lovable Tinker Bell, Wendy, John and Michael where they meet Peter Pan’s arch nemesis, Captain Hook. Can your child become the Hero of Neverland?

Download It’s Me! Peter Pan for FREE from the iTunes store here:

It's Me! Peter Pan

To celebrate, It’s Me! Peter Pan will be giving away a $200 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky reader! Giveaway is open worldwide and ends May 31st at 11:59 PM EST.

Just enter on the Rafflecopter form below and Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read more...

Neocell Beauty Serums and Mist - Review and Giveaway

CLICK POST TITLE TO VIEW FULL POST & RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM 

Neocell is a great company that provides some amazing anti-aging products.  I was excited to try their products as looking up the reviews on iHerb.com made these products sound truly wonderful.  I received 3 wonderful products and truly enjoyed them all.  You can read more about each individual product below.

The Neocell Collagen Radiance Serum was great.  As soon as you put it on you could feel it soaking into your skin and going to work.  It is amazing how little you need to get the job done as well.  I found that I would only push the pump half way down and this was a sufficient amount which means this 1 oz bottle will be lasting me a long time!
This product not only diminishes your wrinkles but helps protect your face against wind, sun, etc. to prevent more dry skin and wrinkles.

Read more...

Great Deal on Intex Easy Set Swimming Pool

Right now on Amazon you can score the EASY SET POOL 8FT x 30IN for under $50.00 with Free Shipping!  Hurry and get yours before they jack the price back up!

Read more...

Kindle Fire Giveaway!

CLICK POST TITLE TO VIEW FULL POST & RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM 

WE HAVE TEAMED UP WITH COUPONING4YOU AND A BUNCH OF OTHER AMAZING PAGE OWNERS TO BRING YOU A 5 DAY FLASH GIVEAWAY FOR A KINDLE FIRE.

THIS GIVEAWAY WILL RUN FROM MAY 15TH 12:01 AM EASTERN TIME AND CLOSE MAY 19TH 11:59 EASTERN TIME. SO MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR ENTRIES IN THIS GIVEAWAY WILL BE GONE IN A FLASH!

SO IF YOU WOULD LOVE TO OWN A NEW KINDLE FIRE JUST ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW!  GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU!!!

THIS GIVEAWAY WILL BE OPENED WORLDWIDE 

Read more...

Aerobie Aerospin Yo-Yo Review & Giveaway

CLICK POST TITLE TO VIEW FULL POST & RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

I have come to love when I hear from my contact at Aerobie to do reviews.  I get excited whenever I see an e-mail even before I know what the product is.  This is mainly because after reviewing quite a few of their products I know that whatever it is, it will be the best!  Every product I have reviewed for this company has been better than any other product I have tried like it and the Aerospin Yo-Yo was no exception!  I am not much of a Yo-Yo trickster but I loved using this, it made it so much easier to do any tricks at all and to just plain yo-yo.  I loved how smooth this yo-yo glides up and down!  The book of instructions and tricks makes for learning all sort of new and fun tricks to do with your yo-yo as well!  The Dirty Truth is the Aerospin is the most amazing Yo-Yo I have ever used, and being made by Aerobie that comes as no surprise to me!

Read more...

Earn Money Blogging

Escalate Network is currently accepting new bloggers and they have some great commission opportunities (such as Coupons.com and some other great ones!)  This is an especially great opportunity if you blog about weekly deals at local stores and link to coupons!  Even if you don't though they have some others you may want to check out!

Go here to sign up and start earning money on your blog now!

Read more...

P&G Giving away a Home Theater Package

P&G Has a new sweepstakes going on right now! Enter below for your chance to win!!

Read more...

Is Groupon Customer Service Going Downhill?

One of the main reasons I go to Groupon over other sites is I know they have great customer service.  I purchased a deal from them once about a year ago that I was not happy with because right after they came out with a better deal (more for less money) and so I called them and they gave me the new deal and refunded the old deal.

Has Groupon Customer Service policies changed though?  I have heard of a few people having issues with Groupon but my experience has been so great that I paid little attention.

Well I purchased their FTD Flowers deal to send my mother flowers for Mothers Day.  It stated you can use the certificate with any deal shown on their website - so I found a dozen roses for $19.99 (still about $50 with shipping fees).  However, my certificate would not work with this deal - when I tried to use the certificate it made the roses go up to $29.99.  I tried emailing FTD but that was quite a task and by the time I emailed Groupon and they got back to me it was too late for shipping at the lower rate so now it would be closer to $60 for my order.

I informed Groupon of the situation and asked for a refund.  They asked me to work it out with FTD.  I again explained to them I just want a refund and can't even order for the same price now, etc.... The return email asked me if I could just give the groupon certificate to someone as a gift.

Seriously????  I am not happy with my purchase and want a refund so you want me to give it to someone else - I don't think so!  I emailed them back and told them I do not want to give someone a gift I won't even use and I WOULD LIKE A REFUND.....  I mean here is what the Groupon Promise says (and I e-mailed them about 2 hours after purchase, not even the full 7 days)

Groupon Promise (Copied from Groupon site): 
We’re confident in the businesses we feature on Groupon

 and back them with the Groupon Promise. If the experience using your Groupon ever 
lets you down, we’ll make it right or return your purchase. Simple as that.

If you're ever having trouble redeeming your Groupon, we're here to help. If a business closes 
permanently, we will always honor returns for unredeemed Groupons. Unless a deal's 
Fine Print states otherwise, any unredeemed, unprinted Groupon may be returned within the 
first seven days after purchase. In other cases where a Groupon is not redeemed, returns are 
evaluated on a case-by-case basis. After the expiration date on a Groupon, it should 

still be used at the business for the amount paid, which never expires. 

Well I finally got them to issue a refund - but they didn't issue it back to the card I paid with.  2 days later and I just got an email that I now have $20 in Groupon Bucks, this is my refund.  I have emailed again asking if I can just get an actual refund put back on my card.  Either way I am starting to think Groupon's great customer service policies aren't what they use to be!

Have any of you had similar issues?  What has been your experience with Groupon?  Are their some daily deal sites left with great customer service???  Let us know which one's you shop at!

Update:  Thank you Groupon!  I just got my refund, glad they issued me one, still.....  quite a hassle to get it but glad it all worked out in the end.

Read more...

Hoohobbers Review & Giveaway

I recently got to do a review for Hoohobbers.com!  They are a company that have a huge variety of baby and children products and you can even get most of them personalized as well!  Plus, they are MADE IN THE USA!!!  So not only are you supporting our countries economy but you know you are getting high quality products!  They sell everything from furniture items to bibs and crib bedding!

I chose the Rocking Horse to review - my daughter seriously runs around the house with the broom pretending it is her "horsey" so I knew this would be perfect!

I got the product and although it was not assembled it was in one piece - you just had to move the bars and snap them together and velcro a few places - it took a total of 2 minutes to put this together!  I love how sturdy this horse is.  I wondered by the picture if it would really be sturdy enough but I think this is probably MORE sturdy than most of the rocking horses you would go buy at your local store.  Plus, I love that when it is not in use (or when the kids don't pick up their toys so I do and hide them for a few days) I can just fold this up so it can be put away easily.

The Dirty Truth is Hoohobbers offers top quality, fun, and personalized childrens products!  They would be great for your own kids or to give as a gift!  Make sure to enter the giveaway below - one lucky reader will win a $30 online gift certificate code to use on Hoohobbers.com!

Disclosure: I was not paid for this review or giveaway. I was given the above product to review and all opinions are my own. I am not responsible for the prize being delivered to the winner of the giveaway - I will forward your information to the sponsor whom is responsible for supplying the winner with the prize.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read more...

Free Baby Magazines

If you are expecting or have a little one you may want to sign up for these FREE Baby Magazines - American Baby & BabyTalk!  Both should have some great articles to help you and hey - they are free!  (You can click on either picture below to sign up for the corresponding magazine!)


and

Read more...

Bamboobino Review & Giveaway (and coupon code)

Bamboobino is an industry leader in bamboo childen's clothing, bed and bath, and accessories!  The bamboo in all of their products is certified organically grown bamboo and they also use organic cotton in the products.  Their products offer the softest and least damaging fabric for your children!

It took me a while to pick the product I wanted to try from Bamboobino.com with a new little one on the way they have so many products that I really thought would be perfect!  I ended up getting the item I knew I could not do with out -  a Fitted Crib Sheet.  I knew this may not be the most exciting product they offered but it would be something that would get plenty of use.

I received the crib sheet and for thinking it would not be that "exciting" of a product I was sure excited.  I don't know if I have tried Bamboo products before this but if I have I know they haven't felt like this, or I would remember.  These sheets are softer than any sheets I own - yes, my newborn baby is going to have higher quality sheets than Mom & Dad.  These sheets are thicker than most crib sheets you will find.  The softness is amazing though, I am definitely buying some of the Bamboo Nursing Pads - if they feel half as nice as these sheets then they are going to be a million times more comfortable to wear than those disposable nursing pads I have always used!

The Dirty Truth is if you are looking for a high quality baby or toddler item made with organic materials you should check out Bamboobino.  Not to mention if you want something sweet and soft for your little one I cannot think of anywhere better to try to find it!  The only down side to Bamboobino is they do not have products for adults (such as these crib sheets that I am dying to have on my bed!)

The prices are already fair on these products but if you want an even better deal take note their 5th Anniversary sale will be starting May 14th! 
For even more savings use Coupon Code DTRUTH10 for an additional 10% off (expires 06/08/12)

They have agreed to give one lucky Dirty Truth Reviews reader a $40 Gift Certificate to their store so make sure you enter the giveaway on the Rafflecopter form below!

Giveaway is open to US & Canada Residents

Disclosure:  I was not paid for this review or giveaway.  I was given the above product to review and all opinions are my own. I am not responsible for the prize being delivered to the winner of the giveaway - I will forward your information to the sponsor whom is responsible for supplying the winner with the prize.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read more...

Easiest Way to switch from Blogspot to your own Domain

I recently did the switch!  I have put this off forever because of paying for web-hosting, paying to have my blog design moved to work press, switching to word press, the complications of switching over, losing my alexa rating, my pr rank, etc.

Well what if I told you much of this can be avoided (unfortunately not all of it but most!)

I recently found a very simple way to switch over at a minimal cost and five minute set up!

Here is how to do it:

If you go to your blogger dashboard you will see all the different options on the left side, click on "Settings".  Just like pictured on the left!







Not far down (almost at the top) you will see a section labeled "Publishing" and it will show your blog address!  Underneath that it will have a button you can click "Add a custom domain" link pictured below.



Once you click on that it will show you the information below and you can enter the domain you want and check it's availability.  If it is available you will pay the $10 for the new domain name and this will include hosting - you keep your blogspot and it will redirect to your domain (may take a couple days).  The nice thing is you don't change anything on your end!  You keep the blogger dashboard/interface and put all your posts on that - it automatically publishes to your blog - so your .com will look just like your .blogspot.com from your end!


Sure you will still drop on Alexa, PR Rank, etc....  but having a domain will pay off in the end - plus if you just started you have the advantage of not really losing any of your rank - so do it now!!!

If you have any questions let me know!

Read more...