For the past 13 years, my husband has been working hard to make our lawn beautiful.  He has faithfully applied Scotts fertilizer and weed products since we bought our home.

The products have always worked really well, but we have two children and two dogs, all of whom have to stay off the grass after these products have been put down.  In my opinion, lawns are meant for bare feet, playing fetch and throwing balls.  I hated that my son and daughter couldn’t go outside to play after the yard had been treated.   Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened.

Enter Scotts Turf Builder.  Oh, I’m sorry…enter Scotts Turf Builder that is kid and pet friendly!

After applying this fertilizer, our lawn looks thick and lush and the weeds have been crowded out just as the package stated they would.  The grass is so strong and dense that there isn’t any room for the weeds.  The best part is that I know it’s safe for my family.

As for the results?  See for yourself.

I was sent a coupon for a package of Scotts Turf Builder as part of a promotion with One2One Network.  This post reflects my opinion of the product with which I was compensated.

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When I was 12 years old, my oldest sister told me that I should start taking care of my skin.  I had been washing my face with soap and trying my best to keep it clean, but puberty had other ideas for my face.  Soap didn’t quite cut it.

Ever since then, there has been a fine line between clean skin and breakouts for me.  About a year ago, after 28 years of trying to figure out what works, I finally found a face soap I love.  Only, it’s wasn’t a face soap, it’s was a body scrub, and it’s not cheap either.  Nevertheless, it worked pretty well with my skin type and, at close to 40 years old, I was finally settled on using this product for the foreseeable future.

About a month ago, I was contacted by Sibu Beauty. Founded by a philanthropist and the director of a humanitarian organization, Sibu Beauty products are made from the Sea Buckthorn Berry; a sustainable resource, rich in antioxidants and vitamin-packed.  They asked if I wanted to review their facial cream or their facial cleanser.  I told them that I would be happy to check out their cream, but that I was pretty set in my cleanser ways.

But, a funny thing happened on the way to delivering my product.  Someone sent me the wrong thing.  Instead of the cream, I received the Balancing Facial Cleanser and despite being certain that I would never use another face soap, I gave it a try.

Then something else funny happened.  I liked it.  It’s fine granules exfoliate my skin just as well as my pricey mall brand scrub and because this is a product meant for the face, it’s gentler on my skin.  Oh, and did I mention that it’s $7.00 cheaper?

Yeah, guess who’s set in whole new ways?

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I have mentioned before how much I hate to fly.  It takes a lot for me to commit to packing, removing my shoes, getting an x-ray, buying overpriced water, being crammed into a seat, sitting next to a man who smells like washer fluid for 4.5 hours, watching a bad English film and getting tossled about at 30,000 feet.

But, when Nintendo asked me to attend an event in Seattle surrounding the release of the Nintendo 3DS, I didn’t even stop to think about all of that when I told them to count me in.

It’s no secret that my family likes to play games.  All of us.  We have a well-used Wii, apps on our phones, Nintendo DS’s (my son is on his second one) and computer games galore.  We’re on our third Super Mario Bros. Wii game because we play it so much that we actually kill the disc.

There are very few reasons that I would be excited about getting on a plane, but the new Nintendo 3DS is one of them.

And, you know what?  Sitting on that plane was totally worth it.  This is no ordinary game system.  Remember how Wii technology wowed us when it first came out?  Yeah, well trump that.

After a brief presentation by Nintendo COO, Reggie Fils-Aime, in which he clearly stated the 3D technology is not for young children, I was escorted with my group (Team Toad!) to play the amazing AR Games.  I pointed the game system at a card laying on a table, slid the Depth Slider from 2D to 3D and watched as the card came to life.  Out of the table popped a box with a target inside.  Before I knew it, the target was enclosed in a dragon’s mouth and the dragon was coming out of the table.

Before I left for Seattle, I had read a lot of reviews about this particular game.  I didn’t really understand it and I know that if a nationally syndicated columnist can’t use words to describe how cool this is, I know I can’t.  You’re going to have to trust me.  It’s way cool.

After that, we toured Nintendo Headquarters.  A true gem in the scheme of all things green, with a roof covered in plants that help control the building’s temperature and a drainage system that collects rainwater.  The bamboo floors are a rapidly renewable resource and lights run on motion sensors and/or dim when sunshine fills the many windows.  It was interesting and made me proud to be a Nintendo Brand Ambassador.

But, I have to be honest, I couldn’t wait to get back to the games!

I spent the rest of the rainy afternoon trying out:

Pilotwings Resort (loved it, bought it)

Super Street Fighter (my personal favorite, going to buy it and hide it from the kids because I want it all for myself)

Nintendogs + Cats (loved it, bought it)

Steel Diver (saw lots of people buying this one)

Asphalt 3D (so fun and I was the high scorer!)

…and one more game which hasn’t even been released yet.

AR Games and the hilarious Face Raiders are built in to the system.  Did I mention there’s a 3D camera and that you can put yourself into a picture with the game characters, that you can watch 3D videos, create a Mii from a photo, exchange Mii data with your friends and more?  This little game system packs a great big punch.

I am nearly 40 and the Nintendo 3DS is as fun for me as it is for my kids (and when I showed my 76 year old mother a picture of herself playing Face Raiders, she laughed out loud).  This system is all kinds of fun and it will, undoubtedly, impress you with its incredible technology.

Thanks to Nintendo for a once-in-a-lifetime experience and especially for the giftbag with my very own Nintendo 3DS!  Now, if my kids would just give me a chance to play it.

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The day after the cooking class that I co-hosted, a friend approached me at the kids’ school and said, “I watched part of that cooking show last night.  I turned it on right when the woman said she was supposed to put beef broth in the crock pot, but she didn’t have any so she just used water.  That cracked me up!”

You know why she thought it was funny?  Because who hasn’t been there?  I once had to pick raisins out of cereal so I could use the bran flakes to make meatloaf.  I loved watching real people in their kitchens, succeeding in making a delicious dish for their families despite the hurdles that inevitably stand in the way.

The cooking class with Shannon (Mr. Lady) and Jim Lin (BusyDad) was three parts educational, two parts social and one BIG part hilarious!  I loved being part of it.  Thanks to The Motherhood and ConAgra for including me.

If you missed the show, or if you want to revisit some of the delicious ingredients or amazing techniques (did you see Jim chop that garlic or Shannon pour that Guinness?) you can find what ever you need right here.

Enjoy!

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