Living a Sunshine Life

Not only is he super sexy, but he has a voice that is smooth like nothing I’ve ever heard before.  Honestly, I have a crush on Michael Bublé.  I’ve never been one of those girls to swoon at the very sight of a celebrity, but with Mr. Bublé, I feel my heart go a flutter and I feel like the ladies going crazy over the dreamy heart throb, much like the old cartoons.

Now that you know this dirty little secret of mine about the man who has such and enchanting voice, you can only imagine the excitement I had when I found out the One2One Network was sending me Michael Bublé’s new album To Be Loved for free!  That’s right, they sent me To Be Loved for free asking only in return that I write up a review for them of my own opinion of his album, nothing more.  Are you serious!  Of course I’ll review Michael Bublé’s album!

So here we are. Me absolutely giddy because I just listened to a fantastic compilation of original songs by Michael Bublé and some oldies, but goodies that he’s remade.  In case you’re wondering, he didn’t just remake some old random songs, he had quite a bit of variety with artists such as Frank Sinatra, the Bee Gees, Jackson 5, Elvis Presley, Van Morrison, and more.

My favorite song on the album was It’s a Beautiful Day.  I loved singing along and I couldn’t help but get up and dance.  I tried dancing with my cat, but she didn’t approve.  What does she know anyway.  I also found myself singing a long to You’ve Got a Friend in Me, but what stay at home mom with a treasure trove of Disney movies wouldn’t.

I loved that Michael teamed up with some other amazing artists to add some variety to the album.  After All with Bryan Adams was my favorite of the songs he collaborated on and probably my second favorite on the entire album.  Something Stupid which featured Reese Witherspoon was my least favorite song; there was something about their voice combination that didn’t work for me, I just can’t pinpoint what it was.  I’m sure many of you will disagree, that’s why I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments below.  I love hearing different perspectives on things, and who knows you might make a point that will change my mind.

Speaking of getting your opinion, you can pick up your own copy of To Be Loved by Michael Bublé on iTunes!  I highly recommend this album, especially if you love the charming stylings of Sinatra.

I’m still thrilled that I own this album, and can’t wait to drive my husband crazy by listening to it over and over again.  I know my kids will love to hear it repeatedly, that just means more opportunities for them to dance the night away.

I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received a free copy of the album to facilitate my review. By posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions stated are my own.

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Welcome to the May iPad/Surface Giveaway! An awesome group of bloggers have teamed up to bring you this equally awesome giveaway for an iPad (RV: $499) or a Microsoft Surface Tablet (RV: $499)! Winner’s choice! You know you would love to win this!  Who wouldn’t?  What would you use a new iPad for?  Work?  Personal? Organization? Games?  There are so many things you could do with this, why not all of the above!  Let it help you get your work done, relax with some games or reading, then let the kids play an educational game or two while you get dinner ready, or relax with a nice bubble bath.  Get entered in this contest now, you’ll thank yourself later.

Hosted by Bay Area Mommy, The WiC Project, Life’s Cheap Thrills, Simply Stacie, Spaceships and Laser Beams, Capri’s Coupons, and 3 Boys and a Dog.

This giveaway starts on May 15, 2013 at 12:01am EST and ends on June 16, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Open worldwide. Must be 18 years or older. Winner may opt for the cash equivalent if not in the US or Canada. To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: No compensation was received for this post. This blog is not responsible for prize fulfillment. For questions regarding this giveaway, please email Bay Area Mommy at isis@bayareamommy.net.

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A couple of months ago I was greeted at the door by something a little sweet and something a little spicy.  It was my very first Vox Box from Influenster.com.  They sent it to me for free to check out the products and share my thoughts on them.  Wasn’t that nice of them!  To share the love I thought I’d tell you a bit about some of the products that came to me in the Vox Box.

When I opened my Vox Box the first thing I thought was, “Wow, full sized products and name brand stuff!”  Seriously, I thought I was going to get some off brand products that would be mediocre quality, but these were good quality products.  I was already starting to turn up the dial on my thumbs up for this set of products.  In the box I received Colgate Optic White toothbrush, mouthwash and toothpaste.  I received a container of Nectresse from Splendia, a belVita bar, Dickinson’s Witch Hazel towelettes, and Vaseline Spray and Go. Here are my thoughts on each of these products.

• Colgate Optic White Toothbrush:  I have a love/hate relationship with this toothbrush.  My biggest love was the tongue/cheek brush on the back of the head of the toothbrush.  Just turn the brush over and there is a gentler brush to help keep your tongue and cheeks clean.  I love this because sometimes the bristles on the toothbrush are either too hard or too soft for tongue/cheek cleaning.  I didn’t care for the build of the handle.  I don’t know if it was too short or if it was too slick, but if my hand was just a little wet it slipped right off the toothbrush making different angles tough to maneuver.  I also didn’t care much for the shape of the toothbrush head.  It did great on the front  teeth and front side of  my teeth, but when it came to reaching the back teeth and the backs of my teeth I had a little trouble.  Another thing I loved about this toothbrush was the little circular bristle pockets.  These pockets helped to keep the toothpaste centralized so it could do the most whitening and cleaning action.  I did notice my teeth were visibly whiter after a month of using this product. That makes me smile.
  
• Colgate Optic White Mouthwash: I’ll be honest and tell you I didn’t like the taste of this product.  I can’t give an accurate review because the flavor didn’t agree with me to the point that I just gave up trying to use it.  I don’t know if it would have helped to improve the whitening of my teeth, but in my opinion a different flavor would be much appreciated.  This one was too strong and had a horrible aftertaste.
• Colgate Optic White Toothpaste:  At first I didn’t care for the flavor of this toothpaste, but that’s mainly because I’ve been using a different brand for several years.  After using this toothpaste for a week or so I finally got to the point where I didn’t mind the flavor and it did keep my mouth feeling fresh and clean for several hours.  I used this toothpaste with the toothbrush I mentioned above and I did notice a whitening or brightening of my teeth.  It was gentle and didn’t feel harsh on my teeth or gums. I give this product a big thumbs up!
• Nectreese: This was a hard product for me to review because I don’t add much sugar to things when I cook.  I did a taste test of the Nectreese on it’s own and I did have a preconceived notion that all artificial sweeteners taste horribly bad, but Nectreese was good.  It had a much better flavor then other sugar substitutes had.  I ended up using it on some grapefruit halves and it drew out the flavor of the fruit nicely.  I added it to a bowl of cut strawberries and found that it didn’t draw the juices out as well as sugar does, so I added just a bit of real sugar with it to help it along.  I also added some of the Nectreese to my morning coffee and I tried it in my iced tea.  Both methods tasted great.  Next time I make some instant coffee mixes I think I’ll use some Nectreese in place of the sugar.
• belVita bar: This was the only product I didn’t try on my own.  I gave it to my husband to try because I don’t like cinnamon.  I’m sure I would have loved the blueberry variety they offer though.  Here is his report on them.  They have great flavor and they are more filling then other brands of granola and energy bars.  However, despite the more filling feeling, he would want to eat them with other things because they are not enough on their own.  He liked the texture and said this is a product he would recommend us getting more of for breakfasts and snacks.
• Dickinson’s Witch Hazel:  I have mixed feelings on this product.  My initial reaction was that the witch hazel was too drying on my face and I had to stop using it because of the dry patches it was leaving.  I also didn’t care for the smell, but that is something I can get past since the smell goes away quickly.  I stopped using the witch hazel for awhile, then after I read more and more positive reviews I decided I needed to give it a second try.  I’ve been using it again daily for a couple of weeks now and I’m not getting the same drying that I was.  I haven’t done anything differently, so it was either my body chemistry at the time or maybe even the weather which has been extremely weird lately.  I’m enjoying this product and I’ve noticed it is helping to reduce the appearance of my pores and my blemishes are healing faster.
• Vaseline Spray and Go: Last but not least is my favorite product from the Vox Box.  This moisturizer is easy to use, less mess and my kids love it.  The smell of the moisturizer is pleasant and my skin doesn’t feel greasy or sticky like it does with some other brands.  My skin stays moisturized longer then other brands and I can safely say this is a product I will buy again.

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It’s finally spring!  Well, it’s been spring for a month, but it finally stopped snowing and it’s starting to warm up here so I’m ready to get my spring activities going.  Two of those activities are home remodels and finding a nice comfy spot to read next to an open window.  I love listening to the birds and getting some fresh air.  Anyway, to help celebrate the coming of spring and warmer weather here is a chance for you to win a free book or a $300 Home Depot Gift Card!  Check out the details below! [Read more...]

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