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Trade in your old movies, cd’s and games with MusicMagpie!

August 13, 2013 By Amberlee Leave a Comment

One thing that I have an abundance of in my house is movies. I used to be a manager at BlockBuster and started a collection of all kinds of movies. At one point I owned over 300 movies which made me realize that they were really not worth the amount of space they were taking up.

Sure I love the fact that everyone wants to come to my house a borrow movies, but I hate the fact that a lot of them don’t come back, or even sometimes come back destroyed. Right now they are all just sitting next to the tv like a huge eye sore. My husband and I have been talking about selling them, but we don’t have the time to deal with sites like ebay, or craigslist. Especially with that many movies we would have to figure out if any are worth more than the other ones, or if maybe we should just sell them as a whole. This is where MusicMagpie comes in.

MusicMagpie gives you the chance to get rid of all of your unwanted lonely movies. They make it super easy to find out how much your movies are worth by just entering in the barcode from the back of the case. Of course you won’t be getting your money back on each DVD, but they do have good prices to buy back your movies. They also offer free shipping, which is great because all of the stores that offer to buy your stuff doesn’t give you free gas to drive to their store. I especially love this because we live at least 30 minutes from any of the stores that would buy them back and that’s if they will even take the movies that we have.

Another great thing about Music Magpie is that they also have an apps for your phone. Since working at BlockBuster I know how annoying it can be to sit at a computer and enter barcodes all day. Which if you have a ton of movies you might just have to do that. With the app you can take pictures of the barcodes instead of entering them in by hand. I love that they have thought of just about everything to make your experience with them pleasant.

What are you waiting for? Trade in your clutter for some cash!

Filed Under: electronics, home, movies

ToiletTree: Deluxe LED Fogless Shower Mirror: Review and Giveaway

August 7, 2013 By Amberlee 6 Comments

I can’t tell you the amount of times I have tried to do my makeup in the bathroom only to be disappointed because the mirror was foggy, the bathroom was too dark, or lately there is just not enough space in front of the sink. I have tried using the little makeup mirrors that I have but the lighting in my whole house is really not that great so no matter where I go I can barely see and I am always afraid that I will end up looking like a clown!

I recently received ToiletTree’s Deluxe LED Fogless Shower Mirror with Squeegee and I have been very impressed with both the quality and the design!

First off let me tell you about how the fogless technology works. The idea behind it is that if you keep the mirror itself the same temperature as the bathroom it won’t fog. So there is a reservoir behind the mirror that you are supposed to fill up before your shower. At first I found this to be a little strange, but after thinking about it I realized that this idea was genius. I just wish I had thought of it first!

As I said before, our house does not have very good lighting. One of my favorite features of this mirror is that you can take it off the mount and carry it around the house. I know this may sound lazy, but because of our horribly small bathroom I tend to do my makeup on the couch. I love how vibrant the light is! The light itself has two settings. You can push the button on the side once for the bright setting, twice for the low setting, and three times to turn it off again. Similar lighted mirrors that I have used in the past never seem to have enough light, so I was very impressed and happy that this one has the perfect amount of lighting!

Another thing that was great about this mirror was that it was super easy to install. It was already put together so all we had to do was add the soft silicon to the marked areas on back of the mount, press it against the wall, and after 24 hrs hang the mirror on the mount. It took about 5 minutes to get everything set up and place it on the wall. The hardest part was waiting for the soft silicon to dry.

Hubby putting it in our shower

I think that anyone who hates trying to use a foggy bathroom mirror, or with little to no light in their bathrooms should own one of these mirrors. I was truly impressed and would recommend this to anyone looking for a great mirror! ToiletTree also offers a smaller version of this mirror without the LED lights, as well as a small travel version. So they have something for everyone!

Make sure to check this and other great ToiletTree products on their website here.

Giveaway!

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**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here .

Filed Under: beauty, Giveaway, home

Architectural Mailboxes Floating House Numbers Giveaway Closed

July 26, 2013 By Amberlee 11 Comments

One of the first things that someone will see when they come to your house is the numbers that show your address. I always hate trying to find a friends house that doesn’t have the numbers printed somewhere clearly so that I can actually see when I have arrived! So why not show some style while making it easy for those friends to find you!

Architectural Mailboxes make many great things for your home, one of them being Floating House Numbers. At first I was very confused. It took a while to realize what they meant by floating. After doing some research on the matter I realized that I was just being a little slow and that by floating they mean that they are extended a little bit away from the wall so that they look like they are floating. They can also be mounted flush with the wall. Either way you decide to mount them the screws are meant to not be seen. I really like this idea as at times I can be very nit picky about what is on my house and how things must be even or I get upset. I think that these numbers would be a great addition to any home and can help your address “stand out” from everyone else.

Not only does Architectural Mailboxes sell these Floating House Numbers, but they sell a whole lot of items to make your house gorgeous. Just the way we like it! Here are some other items that they sell:

This is my favorite of all of their products! It is called an Elephant Trunk. I love this because I am always getting packages and having issues with either neighbors messing with my things, or even having the delivery drivers placing my packages in random spots. I love that it locks and would keep all of my packages secure while I am away.

Like the Elephant Trunk the Saratoga Wall Mount Mailbox locks, but instead of holding packages it holds your mail safely. I love the elegant curves to both of these items and would love to have them at my house!

They also offer Post Mount Mailboxes both for single family homes, or multiple homes that I wish I could have at my house! I think they are absolutely beautiful!

You can find these and other great options on their website here. You can find at store near your here.

Giveaway!

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**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here .

Filed Under: Giveaway, home

Keep Your Home Squeaky Clean With Home Right! Review and Giveaway Closed

July 19, 2013 By Amberlee 6 Comments

I’m sure you have heard great things, or seen commercials about steam mops. If you are like me you were too afraid to invest the money into a steam mop just to find out that it didn’t work. I found a great company called Home Right that makes a product called a Steam Machine that is not only inexpensive compared to some other steam products, but has multiple functions as well!

What Home Right says about the Steam Machine:

Looking for a quick and easy way to remove wallpaper? The SteamMachine is the absolute fastest and easiest way to remove wallpaper, plus its chemical free! Simply use the steam plate to apply steam and peel the paper away. Get the most out of this multi-purpose steamer by using the attachments to sanitize and clean floors, stovetops, ovens, bathrooms and grills. The SteamMachine leaves behind no chemical residue and kills 99% of all germs and bacteria.

Use the steam mop to sanitize your hard floor surfaces; such as tile, vinyl and linoleum. The high pressurized steam blasts the surface clean and the cleaning pad wipes the surface clean. The canister comes equipped with two wheels to move with the attached floor steam mop as you clean.

The SteamMachine uses pressurized, high temperature, steam to loosen and dissolve dirt, grease, grime and kill bacteria. Its many uses include; kitchen counter tops, ovens, stovetops, bathroom fixtures and barbecue grills

What I think:

I love how much this machine can do! So far I have used it on our stove, our bathroom, our floors, and so much more! We have a lot of places in our house that have caked on dirt or grime that just will not come off! With the Steam Machine all I have to do is spray it down with the machine and wipe away the dirt. It makes cleaning those hard to reach places so much easier!

Before cleaning with the Steam Machine

After

My first plan of attack was my stove. It was never really cleaned before we moved in and for some reason the pieces don’t come off of the stove itself. So there is always oil and grime stuck around the burner. When we first moved in I scrubbed for hours trying to clean them and couldn’t get it all off. The Steam Machine helped remove the majority of the grime with ease! I was very impressed since I knew how hard it was to try to get the little bit that I did get off before by just scrubbing.

The Steam Machine is very easy to set up too! You just add your water, add the attachments you want, turn it on, and within about 8 minutes you are ready to clean! I also love that it has a storage compartment in the front so that you can keep all the little attachments safe and of course in a place you can find them! The only thing I do not enjoy about this machine is that since I clean my parents house on occasion I wanted to be able to use this machine to make the job a little easier. The Steam Machine, at least from what I can tell, does not have a way to wrap the electrical cord or hose around the machine. However, I am very thankful for the built in handle!

After how good it cleaned the stove I decided to take it to the bathroom. Our bathroom is very small so not only is it hard to reach certain areas, but if I am using chemicals I can only clean for so long before I feel like I am going to pass out from the fumes. The Steam Machine does not use chemical to clean! So I can clean the whole bathroom in one go and trust that it is clean and germ-free! and the machine itself is pretty small so I can fit it into the bathroom with me and not feel crowded while trying to clean.

After asking around, I found that some machines either have the spray button on the machine itself or in a very awkward place. This Steam Machine has a trigger button that makes it super easy to use with any of the included attachments. I especially like the trigger when I am using the Steam mop attachment, because it is at the perfect level so that I don’t have to bend down and hurt my back trying to use it.

Another great use for this product is to clean up after pets. Our new kitty can make a mess with his food and his litter box, and I want to make sure that any mess he makes is completely clean and sanitized so that my girls don’t get into it. I love that I can use this machine for those quick clean ups and know that it is actually clean before they get to it. It is nice to know that this machine is easy to turn on and can be used at any time!

Overall I would recommend this product to anyone that would like to have a squeaky clean house without the use of harsh chemicals! I love being able to clean around my children without worrying about them inhaling the harsh chemicals I am using!

You can find Home Right’s Steam Machine on their website here.

Giveaway!!
Thanks to the wonderful people at Home Right, you have a chance to win your very own Steam Machine! Enter to win below! Please make sure to follow the wonderful bloggers helping keep this giveaway going!

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**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here .

Filed Under: Giveaway, home, Kitty

Give Your Cat Soft Claws!

July 12, 2013 By Amberlee 3 Comments

When we first got our kitten one of the first questions that we pondered was whether or not to get him declawed. Until recently I never truly knew what that meant. After doing some research about declawing I knew that there was no way I was going to put him through that.

Did you know that when a cat is declawed not only do they remove the nail, but because the nail is adhered to the bone they must remove the first joint attached to every nail. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t be very happy if I was missing my knuckle on my fingers either. Just the thought makes me cringe! Declawing in some countries is illegal because they believe that it is inhumane!

So what are we to do if we have a cat, and don’t want our kids or our furniture scratched? Luckily for us there is a safe alternative to declawing that not only makes your cats paws soft, but can make they have a little colored flare!

Soft Claws are little vinyl caps invented by a veterinarian that fit over your cat’s nails so that they cannot scratch you, your kids, or even your furniture! Of course the colors they offer are a major plus (and absolutely adorable!), but what they do is even more amazing. They are easy to put on too! All you do is cut the cap if needed to fit your cats nails, add the included glue, and press onto your cats nails. I did this while he was sleeping and he was perfectly happy! I received clear in the kitten size, and blue in the small size for when he gets bigger. Here is a picture of his paw with Soft Claws!

In my opinion the clear ones look like little LED bulbs. Since I put the Soft Claws on while our kitty was sleeping he didn’t really notice them. On their website they say that each set should last approximately 4-6 weeks, but they also state that it takes a while for some cats to get used to having them on and will pull them off at first. Carbon didn’t really start to pull them off until we went on a 2 day vacation without him, and when we came back he had pulled off 3 of them. Soft Claws says on their website that typically the second box of Soft Claws will last longer than the first as your cat will have gotten acclimated to the Soft Claws.

So what will your cat think of Soft Claws? Soft Claw are painless to your kitty, and are non-toxic! They can also extend and retract their nails like normal. Also when cats shed their nails the caps will just come off, so no extra work on your part to get them off, or worry about their normal shedding. Think of it this way, at least I do, they are very similar to fake nails which for most of us girls do not hurt but they take a little while to get used to. So yes, at first your cat may not be happy or understand why he has caps on his nails but will learn to love them!

I highly recommend Soft Claws to anyone that has cats or kittens, especially with kids around. They make your cats paws soft and gentle and it is amazing! My husband and I have decided that this is one of the few products that will be purchasing for the remainder of the cats life. They are an absolute must in my family!

You can find Soft Claws on their website here. Check them out! You won’t regret it!

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here .

Filed Under: cute, fun, home, Kitty

Keep your hands soft and your dishes clean with Palmolive Soft Touch Dish Soap

June 29, 2013 By Amberlee Leave a Comment

I was so excited to learn that I had finally gotten accepted into a new Influenster program. luckily for me, this program was for Palmolive Soft Touch Dish Soap. the reason I say I was lucky was because we had just run out of our large bottle of regular Palmolive Dish Soap that we got from Costco.

I have always been a fan of Palmolive. Ever since I was a teenager I have been obsessed with the smell and the quality of it. My family was always a fan of dawn, but I hated the plain scents and plain bottle designs. My first experience with Palmolive was in a hotel on one of my family vacations. The hotel had given us a travel bottle to use during our stay and I begged for more and told them that I didn’t want to do anymore dishes without it. I would have to say that this is what began my obsessions of Palmolive.

The one thing that I have always hated about the regular Palmolive is that it can really dry your hands out. I love doing my nails, so I hate having my nails look great my my hands look like death. As a mommy of two little girls and a husband that eats like a horse I always have dishes that need to be done. Because of this my manicures get ruined and I have to start all over. I use Sensationail’s Gel Polish that lasts longer than regular nail polish but takes some time (that I don’t have) to do them, so when they get ruined I get more than a little upset. With Palmolive Soft Touch I no longer have to worry about my manicure!

I received two bottles of Palmolive Soft Touch; Vitamin E (the pink bottle) and Coconut Butter (the beige color). My favorite is the Vitamin E! It smells amazing and leaves my hands super soft! I’m not a big fan of coconut, but the Coconut Butter soap does smell great and also leaves my hands soft. My biggest problem as of recently is that my 2 year old loves to “help” me do dishes and she has used most of the Vitamin E because she thinks that if something is pink it belongs to her. I’m just glad that she can use this soap and not hurt her baby soft skin!

Baby H with her new favorite soap

Helping do the dishes

Overall I would recommend this soap to anyone that has to wash their dishes by hand. It cleans dirt and grime with ease all while keeping your hands soft. You can find Palmolive at a Walmart near you!

Thank you again Influenster for letting me try this amazing product! You guys always know about the best things out there!

**Disclaimer** I received two bottles of Palmolive Soft Touch from Influenster to review. However, I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here .

Filed Under: home, influenster, nails, Voxbox

Get Ready, Get Set, Get Blast Zone!

June 8, 2013 By Amberlee 3 Comments

Having two toddlers can sometimes be very tiring. Anyone with a toddler would know how hard it is to keep them occupied for longer than five minutes without the typical “Mommy, Mommy!” and a tug on your shirt or pants. Luckily for us, it is summer and with summer comes all of the fun outdoor activities our children love. Of course we can rent some of these activities for parties or special occasions, or thanks to companies like Blast Zone we can now buy these great toys for great prices and use them all summer!

We received the Sidekick Castle Bounce House to review for you guys and could not be happier with this product! At first I was worried that it would be a major hassle to put up and take down. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it only took about 10 minutes (if not less) to unfold, stake down, and hook everything up. I was even more surprised to find that it blew up within a matter of a minute!

Somewhat patiently waiting for the new toy!

It was so easy, that I could put it up by myself! Taking it down was a little more tedious just because you have to push all of the air out before you can fold it up and put it in the bag. Even so, it still took less than 15 minutes to put it away and it still fits in the bag! While the bag may not be tiny, I still was amazed that the whole thing fit!

I was a little worried about my girls playing in this with bigger kids, but because of the design I feel more comfortable than ever! Normally my girls are afraid of being in small spaces with lots of kids, but because of the open design they were not afraid of being inside with others. I also noticed that since the material is a little different than a commercial bouncer that while it is bouncy, it does not transmit the bounce as much. Which I LOVE because you can have a big kid jump next to a toddler without knocking them over!

Both of my girls, as well as all of their friends love this bounce house! They will play with it until it’s dark outside and then will beg to play longer. All of the kids run back and forth between the ball pit, the slide, and of course jumping around. It has given them hours of entertainment and we are so happy to have it.

Having a blast in the ball pit!

We have a big family and always have tons of kids to play with. So I love that this is so simple to take out for whenever we need it. My youngest daughter (pictured above) just had her birthday, and it was so nice to be able to just set the bouncer up and let them play instead of dealing with a rental company and random people at my house. We have already saved so much money having this bounce house, and I’m sure it will continue to save us money!

We have only had one problem with this bouncer, when we go to take it down there is this really loud noise we can’t seen to get rid of. But it’s okay, the noise just comes from the kids being so upset that they can no longer play in the bounce house. Which eventually goes away until the next time we set it up.

I highly recommend this bouncer to anyone that has kids, or even anyone that has family with kids that stay at their house. It is so simple, and affordable that it’s perfect for everyone! You can find this and other great bounce houses on the Blast Zone website here.

Let us know which bounce house you would love from Blast Zone in the comments below!

Here are some more pictures of this wonderful toy!

Ball pit

Almost set up

About to go in for the first time!

Night-time play

Slide!

View from the porch

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here .

Filed Under: cute, favorite, home, kids, princess, toddler, toys

Abbie’s Birthday Bash Bounce House Giveaway! Closed

May 29, 2013 By Amberlee 119 Comments

It’s finally here! Your chance at winning an AMAZING bounce house from Blast Zone and Star Focal!

This Sidekick Castle Bounce house can hold up to 6 kids at a time! It comes with the bounce house, the blower, instructions, tote bag and even a repair kit! Your kids will have a blast playing in this thing for hours! Stay tuned for a review of this bounce house on Star Focal

Giveaway: One person will win a Sidekick castle by Blast Zone. Open to US only.

Giveaway Dates: May 29th- June 29th, 2013

Make sure to come back daily for the daily entries! Good luck guys!

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**Bloggers sharing this giveaway are in no way responsible for shipment, or for any problems you may have with the entry form. For any problems contact Amberlee at love@www.dreampilot.net **

Filed Under: cute, favorite, fun, Giveaway, home, princess, toddler, toys

Vinyl Disorder Review

December 31, 2012 By Amberlee Leave a Comment

I love seeing those little family stickers that I swear just about everyone has on their car but me. It’s really cool seeing the different personalities shine through. Of course when you finally find a place that sells them they are either way overpriced, or they don’t have something that fits your personality. That is why I love this next company.

Vinyl Disorder - Custom Car & Wall Vinyl Graphics

Vinyl Disorder has tons of family kits for everyone at really great prices! They also have tons of other decals to choose from as well as plenty of wall decals!

This is the Family Kit that I received. I love that it is not your traditional family set, but is still cute. They have tons of designs so you can pick out what fits your personality best.

Their graphics are super easy to apply too:

1. Preparation

To make sure the layers all adhere correctly, lay the decal on a flat surface and rub it down with a hard squeegee or credit card. Your decal is made of 3 layers: (1) the top layer or transfer tape (2) the vinyl sticker middle layer (3) the bottom layer or the wax paper.

2. Position Your Letters

Clean and dry the desired areas. Stickers will stick best to clean smooth surfaces. Position your decal on your object, centering the letters, and securing it with masking tape or painters tape. Apple the tape to the middle section and to the top of each corner. The tape will act as a hinge for the project.

3. Remove the backing

Remove the paper backing slowly at 45 degrees making sure the sticker stays adhered to the top layer transfer tape. If it wants to stick to the paper backing, slowly manipulate the backing or use your squeegee again on the image to help the vinyl stick to the top layer.

4. Apply to Surface

Use a hard edged object like a Squeegee or credit card to make sure the entire sticker is fully adhered to the surface. Work from the center out on both sides until you have gone over the entire surface. If your surface has a heavy texture, use your finger tips to really get the material in the grooves.

5. Peel Off Transfer Tape

Slowly remove the transfer tape again at a 45 degree angle. Making sure no part of the sticker remains on the transfer tape. if it does take your squeegee and rub that part back down. Keep your hand close to where the transfer tape is coming off the surface to keep appropriate tension.

These decals make it really easy to apply yourself, and are great for just about any surface. I would highly recommend Vinyl Disorder for all your decal needs! They have great prices, and a great selection! Make sure to check out there website here for their latest decals!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Filed Under: auto, cars, decorations, home

NetZero 4G Hotspot Review and Giveaway!

December 21, 2012 By Amberlee 15 Comments

I don’t know what I would do without my computer, or without access to Internet. That to me would be the real end of the world. We live in a place that often has power outages, whether it be the faulty wiring of this very old house, someone hitting a power line (happens WAY too often around here), or even just mother nature saying “Hello.” When our power goes out I am completely cut off from the world! No I am not exaggerating either! Everything is run through our Internet connection. Our phone is through the NetTALK Duo, we watch Hulu on our Playstation instead of cable, and I use my computer for texting online along with Facebook. It really has become a pain which is why I was so exited about reviewing this next product!

We received NetZero’s 4G Hotspot to review. I love this little device! You can carry it around in your pocket, or in your purse and can use it anywhere that there is service. It is very easy to set up so within a matter of minutes you could be on your way to your own WiFi! Of course you can use the offered WiFi at various locations like Starbucks, or McDonald’s but I know that I am always worried about what others can access from my computer by using these. With NetZero you can use your own WiFi so that you don’t have to worry about other people hacking into your computer via a shared connection. You could also use it for going on company trips, or really any occasion and with a 6 hour battery life there are endless possibilities!

Like I said before, I connect everything to my internet. I alone have my laptop, my tablet, my smartphone (that I use just for internet), and my Playstation. Luckily for me and all of you with large families and multiple devices, you can connect up to 8 devices to this hotspot!

As you can see, they have a rate plan for just about everyone. I just wish that they went higher in data allowance or even had an unlimited plan. Even so this is great for those of us that are on the go.

My main use for this product is when I go shopping. My phone is not currently connected, but can connect to WiFi. So I use it to send texts through an app, but if I cannot find a WiFi hotspot it is pretty much useless. Luckily when I have my NetZero Hotspot with me I can connect to it where ever there is service. I love how fast it is, and how easy it is to connect to. The Hotspot offers speeds of up to 10 Mbps for downloads and 1.5 Mbps for uploads

So whether you are looking for internet for your home, or internet while you are away from home you should really consider getting a NetZero Hotspot. Right now NetZero has a special for the holidays that gives you not only 50% off the device, but they are also offering your first month free! You can check out the details on their website here.

Want to win this device with service included? Enter our giveaway below!

Happy Holidays!

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**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here.

Filed Under: home, office