3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires: 7/1/10

Review: Costume Discounters Halloween Costumes for Couples

When you think of adult costumes for couples, you probably envision some of the most famous couples in history, such as Cleopatra and Marc Anthony, Romeo and Juliet, or even Fred and Wilma. So, you may not be prepared for what you are about to see.

Every year on Halloween, we take our children trick-or-treating at our local mall. And every year, my husband and I say that next year we should definitely do costumes for Halloween ourselves. After all this time, we finally have costumes this year. It will either be lots of fun for our children or they will be utterly embarrassed and will not want to walk next to their parents. Whichever it turns out to be, it will still be quite fun for my husband and myself.

Since neither of us are feeling confident enough to wear form-fitting costumes, we chose this Bacon & Eggs Couples Costume. Each costume pretty much covers everything for both of us and has ties in the back for an adjustable fit. There were a small number of wrinkles on the costumes because they come folded up together in one package. The instructions suggest hanging them up on plastic hangers and steaming the wrinkles out. Both costumes are filled with foam, so they keep their shape pretty well, but still remain flexible and comfortable. I do suggest that you wear a crew neck shirt beneath the Egg Costume because I found the top edge to be a little scratchy.

To view the full selection of couples costumes available from Costume Discounters, visit CostumeDiscounters.com . This retailer is so confident about their online prices that they offer a Low Price Guarantee. For a limited time, you can receive Free Ground Shipping on your order of $70 or more when you use Code: 70FREE1 at checkout. You can also learn more about Costume Discounters on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you to Costume Discounters for sending us a sample product free of charge to base this review upon. This article was written as part of a campaign for the Family Review Network.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Getting Ready for BlogHer: Colored My Hair in Nice 'n Easy's Dark Spice!

When my friend Louise from MomStart complimented me on how shiny my hair looked in a photo I had published in one of my recent Getting Ready for BlogHer articles, I joked with her that it must be the light reflecting off my gray hairs. Although, I said that in jest, there really is truth to that statement. If you look closely in the "before" photo below, you can see all the awful wiry gray hairs. I never realized how awful the problem was until I saw this picture . . . after all, I usually only have a frontal view.

Out of all the Clairol hair coloring products, Nice 'n Easy seems to work best on my gray hairs. I have thought about using the Gray Solution formula, but did not want to risk missing out on the depth of color Nice 'n Easy offers me, which really emphasizes my natural highlights.

Before and after . . .

It's hard to see because of the lighting, but the previous color was much more red. When I look at my hair in the mirror, it looks very dark and rich with no apparent grays.

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Visit Clairol.com to view their full line of hair products and to catch the Magic Mirror video of Angela Kinsey talking to women from inside a mirror in Grand Central Station. Click on the share button next to this video to prompt a $1 donation to Dress For Success from Clairol, who has agreed to donate up to $50,000 to this worthy cause.

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If you use Clairol's Natural Instincts, then you are invited to enter the Natural Instincts Hair Color Contest through August 30th, 2010. All you need to do is upload one before and one after photo of you along with a brief statement about how you feel after using Natural Instincts. The entry that receives the most votes will win a prize including a chance to star in a how-to video, receive a complete makeover, and $1000 to shop in New York City. Click here for complete contest rules.

Thank you to Clairol for providing the information shared in this post and for providing a sample product free of charge to base this review upon.

Friday, July 30, 2010

VTech’s Ultimate Tips for Encouraging Kids to Read

Do you remember the VTech V.Reader giveaway from last week where we asked you to give us your best tips for encouraging children to read? Well, with the help of all the VTech Voices Moms, VTech and TheMotherhood.com has sorted through all the best tips and have compiled an official list of top ten "Ultimate Tips for Encouraging Kids to Read" . . .

Integrate Reading into Real Life: Show children that reading can be both practical and fun. Try reading recipes and creating goodies together, or read a story and then re-enact a favorite scene for other family members, complete with props and basic sets.
Ask Your Pet to Lend an Ear: Encourage your children to read aloud to the family dog or a favorite stuffed animal. Your youngsters will get to practice their reading, and pets make great listeners.
Create an Intimate Space: Make reading exciting with indoor “campouts.” Use sheets and chairs to help your kids make tents, pile blankets and pillows inside, and bring snacks and a stack of books. Reading with a flashlight will add novelty to the activity.
Reward Reading Comprehension: Set aside one night each week for a “quiz night,” when you can read to your kids and give them rewards, such as money to set aside for more books, for answering comprehension questions correctly.
Throw a Book Party: Make reading a social activity. Invite a few of your child’s friends to your house and ask them to bring a favorite book. Provide snacks and games that incorporate reading.
Get Involved Locally: Check area libraries, bookstores and even bank branches. They will often host story hours or summer reading programs for kids, offering incentives for reading a certain number of books.
Think Outside the Box – or Book: You don’t need to use books alone to encourage kids to read. Ask your child to read things like street signs and menus when you are out and about, or put closed captioning on the TV so he can see as well as hear the words of his favorite shows.
Give Them a Choice: Set aside an hour or two of quiet time during the day, and tell your kids they can either read or take a nap during that period. Letting them choose to read will remind them that they can choose reading at other times, too.
Write Stories Together: Reading and writing go hand in hand. Write stories with your kids one word at a time – you write one word, they read it and write one word of their own – until you have a story you created together.
Play to Their Interests: Let your kids read about subjects they already enjoy. From Pokemon to ponies, if they are fascinated by a topic, they will love reading about it.

"VTech’s electronic learning toys are innovative and offer educational benefits for baby, infant, toddler,preschool and grade school ages. VTech is delighted to introduce the V.Reader, the first kids animated e-book for 3-7 year olds."

Thank you to VTech for providing the information shared in this post. This article was published as part of a paid campaign for TheMotherhood.com .

Back to School 2010: Seagate FreeAgent Go Portable External Hard Drive

I recently had the opportunity to test out the ultra portable Seagate FreeAgent Go 500GB external hard drive. I was excited to get my hands on the FreeAgent Go as my old external drive is a beast. The idea of double my old drive's capacity at a mere 20% the size was enough to give me a geek coronary.

Before I get into the particulars, I want to pre-qualify myself as an expert. I have both my A+ and Network+ certifications and do supplemental teaching at an IT school. Sounds nerdy, doesn’t it? The point is I know how a hard drive should perform and what features a good one should have.

The moment you examine the package you can tell the Go 500 is sleek and a little sexy. It is about the size of a very thin men's wallet. When you open the package you see that two things are noticeably missing: an AC adapter and a power cord. Sounds like a bad thing, but this is one of the nicest features about the Go 500: It does not require external power! All you need to use the Go is a small USB cable (provided), that’s it! This hard drive is about as portable as you can make 500 gigabytes.

Laptops and netbooks have overwhelmingly replaced desktop computers as the students weapon of choice for their computing needs. With this portable revolution external storage needed to adapt and follow suit and the Go 500 has done so nicely. The Go 500 easily slides right in a small pocket in your laptop bag or sleeve. Not something an older external hard drive could do and certainly not one that requires external power.

As far as performance is concerned I was pleased. I was not able to perform any benchmarking, but I hardly needed to (or cared to). I need external storage for periodical back up and the Go 500 was as fast as I expected it to be. I copied the entire contents of my old external drive to the Go 500 in about an hour. Considering I transferred a few dozen gigabytes and my old drive uses the slow USB 1.0 standard, I thought it did well.

I love my FreeAgent Go 500 and I would recommend one to anybody in need to external storage. I would consider it mandatory for anybody who needs critical backup on the move like students and professionals. When you turn it on there are a few dozen little pin size lights that come on that let you know it is functioning, nice touch. The price per gigabyte is in tune with competing models, but few are as sleek and cool!

The FreeAgent Go portable hard drive is available in ten different colors and can range in capacity from 250Gb to 1TB. To learn more about this product, visit Seagate.com . You can order Seagate products right on the Seagate website or from other major retailers, such as Walmart, Staples, Target, Sears, and Tiger Direct.

Thank you to Seagate for sending us a sample product free of charge to base this review upon.

Back to School 2010 Giveaway: Personalized Hoodies for Girls & Boys [CLOSED]

Have you ever seen a piece of children's clothing and wished that the brand made the same thing in your size? Well, that's how I feel about the Angel Dear Classic Hoodie Jacket from Makaboo. It is so soft and cuddly. I would like to have all my clothing, bedding, and upholstery made out of the same material.

This personalized hoodie comes with free embroidery so you can add your child's first name or initials on the front. That's one less thing I'll be required to label when she starts preschool. Plus personalized items always make my children feel extra special.

This hoodie, which is available in a size 0-6mos up to a 4T, comes in six basic colors. Whether you are shopping for a boy or a girl, you should be able to find a color that would be suitable for your little one. The ordering process was very user-friendly and included the following . . .

Free embroidery
5 embroidery colors to choose from
5 fonts to choose from
A reminder to verify your spelling
A gift message option

This hoodie arrived quickly and nicely presented. It is ready to throw into a gift bag and is also presentable enough to ship directly to a gift recipient.

(Click any image to enlarge)

This Angel Dear hoodie is made of 100% polyester and is extremely plush. If it were any plusher, I think the embroidery would get hidden in the depths of the nubby fabric. I love how the jacket gently hugs my daughter at the wrists, the hem, and around the edge of the hood. The two front pockets are perfect to keep her little hands warm. She is wearing a 4T, which is her true size. I also love how the zipper matches the jacket exactly and is completely hidden when the jacket is zipped up.

This hoodie would make a great jacket for early autumn. It also can be layered under a denim, fleece, or barn jacket for even brisker weather. The hood is not deep, but does cover my daughter's ears, which is what is important to me. I think a deeper hood might be too bulky in this thick material.

To view Makaboo's full selection of personalized baby, infant, and toddler gifts, visit Makaboo.com, where you can receive Free Ground Shipping on orders over $100. Join the Makaboo Mavens mailing list to receive 10% off your first purchase.

Thank you to Makaboo for sending us a sample hoodie free of charge to base this review upon and for providing a second hoodie for our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive an Angel Dear Classic Hoodie Jacket in their choice of size, color, and personalization (subject to availability).

Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:
Browse the selection of personalized gifts offered by Makaboo. Then leave a comment telling me the name of the item you would like most to give as a gift (aside from the item reviewed in this article). You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2)For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, sign up for the Makaboo Mavens Newsletter . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments telling me you did so. Please leave the email you used to sign up, if it is different than the one in your profile. I will be verifying these entries.

4)For 1 extra entry each, if you are a Friend of mine on Facebook and/or if you have "liked" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment here telling me so with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 1 extra entry each, follow MakabooGifts on Twitter and/or "Like" Makaboo on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment for each with the link to your Twitter or Facebook profile.

6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8)
Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9) Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.
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(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)

Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Monday, August 16th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Back to School 2010 Giveaway: Microscope Set from Constructive Playthings [CLOSED]

Since Constructive Playthings is known for its selection of educational and developmental toys, I am so happy to be able to share one of their best learning toys with 3G2S readers for back to school. Like with many children, our 6-1/2 year old son has developed a fascination with science, especially as it pertains to his world. That is why I was happy to help him take his understanding of science one step further by using this child's microscope set to show him what the naked eye cannot see. We also received a separate box of prepared insect slides to make using the microscope even more enjoyable for my son.

This microscope is a combination of metal and plastic, there for it is lighter weight than the metal microscopes I remembered using in grade school. I think it is perfect for a child's first microscope. It is heavy enough to remain upright, but not too heavy for a child to have trouble lifting it.

I am not sure shoppers realize how much they are getting with this microscope set since the product image does not show the carrying case or all the included accessories.

This Microscope Set retails for $39.99 and includes the following:

9" microscope
spare light bulb
3 collection vials with lids
pipette
graduated test tube with lid
petri dish
3 prepared slides
8 blank slides
14-slide storage case
16 slide covers
8 labels
tweezers
stirring rod
spatula
scalpel
plastic carrying case
instruction manual

Two AA batteries are required to use the microscope and they are not included.

Although this microscope is recommended for ages 8 and up, my son had no problems using it after I showed him three main things . . . how to clip on the slide and line it up in the right spot, how to change the magnification and focus, and how to adjust the light for the best results. I think the hardest part to master is lining up the specimen's slide right over the hole and adjusting the light, which has a mirror on the other side, to shine directly through the hole. By the way, there is no power switch for the light bulb. You need only turn it so that the light bulb is facing downward with the mirror facing up, which causes the light bulb to not have contact with the electrical current.

Since the set comes with just 3 prepared slides, I was very happy that Constructive Playthings also included a set of prepared insect slides. After a little more practice, we will be branching out into collecting our own specimens and looking at them under the microscope.

I do want to point out that you need to handle the prepared slides carefully . . . not because they will break, but because the labels start to peel off on the ends that are wrapped behind the slide all on their own.

Some upcoming activities I have planned will be to look at what is in our tap water and to look at a layer of onion. If my son wants to look at more insect parts, then that will be my husband's department.

To see what other great items Constructive Playthings has for back-to-school, visit ConstPlay.com . Don't forget to shop with your special reader's discount by clicking through the animated Constructive Moms button on my site. By doing so, you will save 15% off your Constructive Playthings purchase.

Thank you to Constructive Playthings for sending us sample products free of charge to base this review upon and for providing a second set of products for our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a Microscope Set plus a bonus box of Insect Slides.

Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:
Browse the selection of toys offered by Constructive Playthings. Then leave a comment telling me what toy you saw that would be great for back-to-school (aside from the toy reviewed in this article). You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2)For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND ConstPlay.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4)For 1 extra entry each, if you are a Friend of mine on Facebook and/or if you have "liked" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment here telling me so with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 1 extra entry each, follow ConstructiveMom on Twitter and/or "Like" Constructive Playthings on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment for each with the link to your Twitter or Facebook profile.

6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8)
Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9) Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.
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(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)

Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Monday, August 16th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!