You parents will know that kids can often be....rambunctious (to say the very least!) and this Father's Day was no exception.

In the morning we went out for breakfast and as always when we prepare to leave the house mayhem ensues. As I am herding the children into the proper seats my oldest Jake says:

“Don’t you wish we had an off button like the t-shirt you have says?” 

This in itself wasn't so odd, but the fact that I did not own such a shirt was.

My youngest son Luke was first to yell at Jake for outing one of my Fathers Day gifts, which turned out to be this Where is Your Off Button? t-shirt.

What the kids do not know is this:  I was thinking the exact same thing about power buttons on children the very moments before all this transpired . . .

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Air Wick. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

With multiple cats and other pets plus three children constantly leaving unrinsed dirty dishes (including milk glasses) in the sink, our house can possess a very "special" odor at times.  This is especially noticeable when one first enters our home.  When I was offered an opportunity to try some of the products from the new Air Wick National Parks Collection, all I could think of was which area of the home I should conquer first.  The upstairs is where the cats' litter box is located plus there is a bathroom.  The first floor, however, has the kitchen sink, cooking odors, the kitchen trash, the cat food (which gives off an especially unpleasant odor when the cats manage to get it wet by spilling their water bowl), and a bathroom.  The musty basement is a fight for another day.  The first floor of our home definitely won out.  Aside from the long list of odor-producers located on the first floor, it is the area responsible for making a great first impression.

Both my husband and myself have particular tastes when it comes to scents and they do not always match.  Our choices for the Air Wick National Parks Scented Oils were Hawai'i (Exotic Papaya & Hibiscus Flower), American Samoa (Sweet Coconut & Island Palms), Grand Canyon (Cactus Flower & Warm Breeze), and Denali (Soft Cotton Grass & Spring Air).  Visit airwick.us to see the full list of choices. We knew we would both like something with a light scent that was not too sweet, so we chose the Denali to try first.  It is interesting to read "The Craft of Fragrance" book online to learn what aspects of nature inspired each of the fragrance varieties.  For example, the Denali scented oils were inspired by layering the scents of the tangy green apple, the clean white wildflowers, and a hint of clean musk found at the Denali National Park.

When I first plugged in the scented oil warmer in the kitchen, I had turned the setting to medium.  When I came downstairs the next morning, I realized that the oil had scented the entire first floor fairly strongly, so I turned the dial to the lowest setting.  This was perfect for my preferences, which are to have a subtle scent throughout all the rooms, but to have it noticeable enough to make the other odors in the house not-so-noticeable.

We also received an Air Wick Scented Candle in the American Somoa.  This scent was my favorite among the four we received.  For this scent, the base note is coconut, which makes it the perfect scent for summertime to me.  The scented candle comes in a plain frosted glass holder, so it can really fit in with any decor.  Ours does not have a permanent home.  Since we have young children and cats in our home, I usually do not burn candles unless my husband or I are right there to keep an eye on it.  This candle goes where I go, whether it's in the kitchen, at my desk, or in the living room.

The Air Wick National Parks Collection also offers Reed Diffusers and a Freshmatic Spray, in addition to the Scented Oils and Candle we tried.  These products retail for approximately $2.99 to $5.99 and can be purchased at most retailers where Air Wick products are sold.

Thank you to Time Home Entertainment Inc. and TIME For Kids for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Time for Kids Big Book of Where is very similar to the other books in the Big Book series.  They all contain more than 100 facts about things.  Another way that they are similar is they all contain awesome photos.  The Big Book of Where is different because it has a section for each of the continents, oceans, space, and home.  My favorite section is about the oceans.

Two of my favorite facts are about the ocean . . . Where Did the Titanic Sink? and Where's the World's Newest Island?. Where Did the Titanic Sink? is one of my favorites because, after I read it, I learned a lot more about the Titanic and other shipwrecks.  The coolest thing I learned is that the Titanic was holding 2,200 passengers and only 700 survived.

Where's the World's Newest Island? is one of my favorites because I thought it was really cool that the Yemeni fishermen got to see a new island formation.  I learned that it formed from a volcanic eruption underwater and went above the surface when the lava started to cool.

Another favorite fact of mine is Where Do Most Germs Hideout?, which is in the home section.  I learned that most germs hideout on items that many people touch, such as TV remotes, door knobs, kitchen faucets, and countertops.  How to fight the germs is by washing your hands with regular soap and warm water often.

I like this book compared to the other ones because it is more organized and it's easier for me to find facts with a table of contents.  I recommend this book to kids 7 years and older.  I look forward to getting more Time for Kids Big Books because I enjoy learning facts about the Earth and space.  I also think they should add the topic 'Where is the Solar System's Tallest Mountain?' to the space section because I think everyone would be interested in it.

To learn more about the Time for Kids Big Book series, visit www.timeforkids.com.

Thank you to Storck USA for providing a complimentary prize pack for us to base this review upon and for providing a second prize pack for our contest prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

June is National Candy Month and what better way to celebrate than with some guilt-free candy?  My family received a sampling of 4 varieties of Werther's Original Sugar Free Caramels, which only have 3g carbs and 8 calories per piece.  Two were classic flavors . . . the Original Hard Candies and the Caramel Coffee.  The others were two exciting new flavors . . . Caramel Cinnamon and Caramel Apple.  When I saw these two new varieties of Werther's, all I could think about was how perfect they would be for the fall holidays!

I have always loved Werther's Original caramels, but I have to be honest that I was skeptical about how good the sugar-free versions would taste.  I have found in the past that sugar-free candies usual have a strange aftertaste.  That is surprisingly not the case with these Werther's.  I could not tell the difference between the sugar-free Werther's from the original candy.  I was not alone in feeling this way.  My husband whole-heartedly agreed, as did our children, who would never have known these candies were sugar-free if they had not read the text on the wrappers.  780 out of 1,000 diabetics, who took part in a Sugar Free Satisfaction Survey, also found the Werther's Sugar Free Caramels to be enjoyable, after more than 500 respondents said they did not enjoy most sugar-free candies they've tried in the past.

Of the four flavors we tried, everyone's opinions differed about which variety was their favorite.  My husband and I both agree that the Original Sugar Free Caramel was our favorite.  Our 9 year old son seemed to just love the Sugar Free Caramel Coffee, while our 6 year old twins liked the Sugar Free Caramel Apple the most.  I had never tasted the flavor combination of cinnamon and caramel before.  It was surprisingly good and I would say that the Sugar Free Caramel Cinnamon was my second favorite of the bunch.

To learn more about Werther's and Werther's Original Sugar Free caramels, visit Werthers-Original.us and Werther's Original Sugar Free US on Facebook.


Our prize pack for this contest includes the following . . .

• 4 bags of Werther's Original Sugar Free Caramels
• 5 coupons each to save $.75 off Werther's Original Sugar Free candy
• $25 American Express gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

The first day of summer will soon be upon us.  What does that mean for us parents?  It means more frequent trips to the park, to the beach, to the mall, and to play dates.  In turn, what does this mean for our mobile phones, who have spent the last 3 seasons snug as a bug in our handbags and jacket pockets?  They will have to become accustomed to being moved from diaper bags to beach bags to back pockets to sitting on a park bench.  Worst of all, they will be constantly fought over by children who will be asking 10 times daily if they can use them to play their favorite games.  What's a parent to do?

Instead of holding your breath each time your child has your phone in their possession this summer, why not checkout the vast assortment of phone cases at Best Buy?  For iPhone cases alone, Best Buy offers over 1700 styles, which include some cool ones like the mophie Juice Pack Air Charging Case for the iPhone 5, the LifeProof Belt Clip for iPhone 5, and the Rocketfish Mobile Arm Band with Molded iPhone Case.  In addition to those popular brands, you will also find cases from Belkin to OtterBox to Case-Mate and everything in between.

To help you get your iPhone summer-ready, through June 28th, you can save an extra 10% off selected mophie iPhone cases.  To take advantage of this BestBuy.com exclusive offer, add one of the participating mophie iPhone cases to your shopping cart and checkout using Promo Code: mophie10.

Which iPhone case is your favorite?