VOXBOX Fun!

Hey everyone! I was lucky enough to be one of the many chosen by Influenster to receive March's Sugar 'n Spice VoxBox. YAY! I was so excited when I received the email and I'd been waiting impatiently for the box to arrive and last week, it finally did! I've been so busy with schoolwork and trying out these great products that I've only just now managed to grab a sec to sit down and post about it. I'm looking forward to continuing to test out these products they've sent and offer my own reviews on them, so keep a look out for my opinions on what they've sent me.

What have they sent me, you might ask? Well, here's a pic of all the goodies that showed up in the bright orange box.



As you can see, lots of good stuff! Here's a quick rundown:
+ Colgate Optic White toothpaste, mouthwash, and toothbrush.
+ belVita Breakfast Biscuits
+ Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer
+ Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel oil-controlling towelettes (and several coupons for more of their products - yay!!)
+ NCETRESSE all-natural sweetner.

I'll admit that I didn't know a lot about VoxBoxes prior to receiving one, I just knew that it seemed like an awesome opportunity. And I was right! What surprised me most was that all of the products I received to sample were full-sized! I was expecting a sample-sized/one-use sort of deal, so I was thrilled when everything came exactly as if I had purchased it at the store. I've busted into everything already and I'm loving it all. I'll be devoting a post per product in order to give them the highlights they deserve.

If you haven't yet joined in with Influenster, you really should! I've had a great time posting reviews and qualifying for various badges. You'll have to request an invite, but let me know if you're interested and I still have my 5 invites that I'd love to send out.

Dino Lingo - Language learning programs for kids

Gosh, it's been FOREVER since I've actually posted here. I don't really have an excuse other than the holidays coupled with the end of this semester has me super busy. I have some posts I want to get posted, but they just don't seem to be working with me. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things with this and just keep on keeping on.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope you're all enjoying the lead up to Christmas.

I'm going to make this post as an opportunity to talk about Dino Lingo.

Disclaimer: I viewed these clips complimentary via Influenster.

For a brief period of time, I considered a major in Linguistics when I was trying to decide what direction I wanted to go with my schooling. While I ultimately decided on History, prior to switching schools, I had a declared minor in Linguistics. I've always been fascinated by languages and I've got a pretty decent knack for them, too. So when I was pointed in the direction of Dino Lingo, I decided to take a look, even though it's a program for kids and I a) am not a kid, b) do not have kids, and c) have no plans for kids any time soon.

I viewed European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese (just to see the differences, because I think it's interesting).

Knowing what I know about language development a acquisition, I think the program has a solid concept. It combines audio and visual learning. There isn't any English spoken, which I think is helpful. It's a little cheesy and sporadic - but that's what keeps a kid's attention. If I have children, I'm a solid supporter of making certain they're bilingual at the least, so I would definitely use this sort of program to help broaden their minds and learn another language.

Pure Balance Dog Food

So, let me tell you about Ahab (again). He has a sensitive stomach and sensitive skin. He breaks out easily (certain grasses, flea bites) and certain foods (any dog food with corn meal, chicken, or wheat basically) upset his stomach. Basically... he's a pain in the butt to buy food for. We tried different foods - first Iam Sensitive Naturals Ocean Fish, Barley and Rice recipe.

To say Ahab didn't like it was an understatement.

Next, we tried Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Formula. This one was also made with fish and Ahab also hated it. He would just refuse to eat, period. Talk about frustrating.

So we tried Pro Plan Shredded Blend Lamb and Rice and, eureka! Ahab loved it. I even recently reviewed it on Influenster (sidenote! Influenster is a ton of fun. I joined up and have done a ton of reviews for all kinds of stuff) and gave it an A! The only problem? It was close to $16 for only 6lbs! There was no way we could afford to feed Ahab on our budget if we were going to be buying this. As much as Ahab loved it and as much as I loved that he was no longer itchy and rashy.

So it was back to the drawing board. We've been feeding him Purine One Beyond Lamb and Barley, but it's a little pricey too. Yeah... being on a super strict budget with a sensitive doggy? It's no fun.

But then Walmart came out with Pure Balance Lamb and Brown Rice.



It's their answer to the recent trend in better dog food and it's a little less expensive. They had a little chart out and it lined up with most of the stuff Blue Buffalo offers (which is skyscrapers above our budget). I was a bit wary to purchase it, because it's under their Ol Roy brand, which is generally terrible regularly (not to mention, it just tears Ahab's stomach up). But we decided to give it a try.

And Ahab loved it!

He's super stoked whenever meal time rolls around and so far - no upset stomach! We had to go back to cheaper dog food before I found this :( and so he'd broken out again, and his rashes and his itching are beginning to fade away, too.