Product Review: Immortal Sleep

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Sleep has never come easily to me. My mom says that I had difficulty sleeping even as a child and that has certainly not changed over time. I'm often in bed for at least a couple of hours just thinking before I fall asleep and then I'm lucky if the remainder of the night is spent in a good, restful sleep.

I have tried a variety of sleep aids from lavender scented anything to melatonin to prescription sleeping pills. I try not to take anything for too long because I don't want to become dependent on it and my body adjusts quickly so nothing works consistently. I'm pretty sure the doctor and I tried at least three different sleeping pills before we even found one that would get me to sleep!

In what feels like my never ending quest for sleep, I'm always happy to try a sample of something to see if it might work. I received enough immortal sleep for three nights. I did not use it for three nights in a row.

Immortal Sleep claims that it may:

• improve quality of sleep
• create deep relaxation of the mind and body
• increase alpha waves in the brain associated with feeling calm and peaceful
• promote your body's ability to produce GABA, a substance that is your brain's own tranquilizer
• alleviate depression

Unfortunately, I was disappointed to not see the majority of these benefits. The first night that I took Immortal Sleep I fell asleep very quickly and was in a very deep sleep for several hours. Unfortunately, I woke up around 3 am and was unable to get back to sleep which was very frustrating. The second and third nights I had difficulty falling asleep and once I did I woke up after only a few hours. I feel like the sleep that I did get was deeper than normal but I still wasn't getting enough of it.

Immortal Sleep, as well as other herbal supplements, may be purchased at Immortal Herbs. They do offer a 90 day Money Back Guarantee. Immortal Sleep may also be purchased on Amazon (affiliate).

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.

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New Luvs Super Absorbent Diapers #TheClueIsInTheBlue

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks & Luvs diapers. The opinion expressed here is based on our experience with the product.

Let's face it diapers are expensive. Unless you go the cloth diaper route, diapers may be one of the largest baby expenses over time. When SheSpeaks and Luvs offered to send me a package of the new Luvs Super Absorbent diapers with Night Lock (look for that blue label), I was happy to give them a try.

The claims on the back of the package:

• Helps Lock Wetness Away - Even Overnight
• Cottony Soft on Baby's Skin
• Leak Barrier Leg Gathers
• Refastenable Stretch Tabs
• Great Fitting Contoured Shape

Here is our experience:

The Luvs diapers fit Victoria well. She is currently on the edge of moving from a size 3 up to size 4 based more on height than weight. I think the Luvs diapers are slightly longer than the brand we are currently using which gives her a bit more time to grow. The diapers fastened well and were easy to adjust if her wiggling prevented me from getting them fastened securely on the first attempt. Victoria seemed to be comfortable and the diapers didn't appear to hamper her climbing in any way.

I think the outside layer of the diaper feels a bit more like plastic than the brand we currently use. I didn't notice a plastic scent when opening the package however. Victoria's skin is quite sensitive and she still occasionally breaks out in an eczema rash. We did not experience any irritation from switching the diapers to Luvs.

Although we didn't have any leaks down the legs, Victoria is an extremely heavy sleeper and we did have wet sheets on a few mornings. This happens with our current brand of diapers as well and I don't think we had any more wet mornings with Luvs than we were already having. The only solution for this appears to be limiting Victoria's liquids after dinner. The new Luvs Super Absorbent diapers (sold exclusively at Wal-Mart) claim to be 15% more absorbent than regular Luvs.

The Verdict:

Luvs Super Absorbent diapers are definitely worth a try! Especially since Luvs offers a money back guarantee if you contact them within 60 days of purchase. Remember the clue is in the blue on the label so you know you are getting Luvs most absorbent diaper.

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion.

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Closed: Yumz Gourmet Frozen Yogurt - A Tasty Family Treat

Unfortunately, this Yumz has closed for good.

This post is sponsored by Yumz Gourmet Frozen Yogurt.

Several weeks ago (yes, I'm just finally writing about it) Crystal from Mom For Less invited my family to join her and some other friends to check out the new Yumz Gourmet Frozen Yogurt store that had recently opened on the south side of Indianapolis (5335 E Southport Rd #700 to be exact).

I haven't had frozen yogurt in a long time and this definitely wasn't the frozen yogurt I remember from my childhood. It was SO much better! We were able to chat with the store owner, Donna Laker, and one of the founders of Yumz, John Barns. One of the the things that John really emphasized was that when they considered going in to the frozen yogurt business they decided from the onset that they weren't even going to attempt it if they couldn't find a way to make the frozen yogurt taste fantastic. My entire family thinks that they succeeded but you are going to want to taste it for yourself.

Another difference from the frozen yogurt store of my childhood is the number of choices to make! I remember the yogurt options were always chocolate, vanilla, and two other flavors that changed often. Yumz offers so much more than that! The yogurt stations are self-serve and you have a large variety of flavors to choose from. There is always a "no added sugar" flavor, a tart flavor, and two dairy-free sorbet options. You can mix and match flavors to your heart's content to get your perfect cup of frozen yogurt. My favorite flavor on our first visit was the Tart Georgia Peach. It had so much flavor it didn't even need toppings!

Only a Small Portion of the Topping Bar!

The next step is choosing your toppings. Yumz offers a huge variety of toppings from fruit to candy to cookies to cereal. There are options to keep your snack healthy (the yogurt itself has no fat or cholesterol) or you can make it as indulgent as you wish. Overwhelmed by the choices? Use the computer on the wall to look up the Coolest Combos created by other customers. Maybe you will find a new favorite! You can also submit your creations on the Yumz website (and have a chance at winning free yogurt).

The staff at Yumz is incredibly welcoming and helpful. Want to sample a flavor of yogurt before filling your cup? No problem, they have little sample cups! They are also very aware of food allergies. Yogurt flavors that contain nut oils are always placed in the same machines to avoid cross-contamination. You can also ask for toppings out of their original containers to avoid cross-contamination at the topping bar.

If you live in the Indianapolis area you definitely want to follow YUMZ Frozen Yogurt - Indianapolis on Facebook to find out about the current flavors and any special deals.

Elizabeth liked Blueberry

My family has already been back to Yumz since our initial visit and we picked up our Frequent Filler Card so we can earn points toward free frozen yogurt with every purchase. That is going to come in handy since I can tell this is going to be a favorite family treat.

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion.

OTL: L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream #MagicBBCream

I am not a big makeup girl. I tend to prefer a very natural look and I want it to take as little time as possible. So when L'Oreal Paris and SheSpeaks.com offered to send me the Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream to try I was intrigued. The claim is that this one cream will perform 4 different beautifying actions: Prime, Perfects, Hydrates, and Corrects. That sounded perfect for my quick morning routine. I received one tube of the Fair shade to review.

The cream looks white with little grains when first squeezed from the tube. Those grains are the Beautifying Beads, the pigments that actually blend in to your skin tone to add just enough color. I think the fair shade was just right for my skin tone. It was enough color to reduce the redness in my face without leaving me looking like I was wearing a colored mask. The "Flawless Bare Skin Finish: description is very accurate. You aren't going to look like you are wearing foundation with this cream but it gives you a great natural look.

Bare Skin - No Product

With L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

While I like the way the BB Cream took the redness out of my face, I don't really like the way it feels. Although it claims to hydrate for all day moisture, it feels dry to me when I put it on. It also doesn't contain any sunscreen which is an issue on days when I am going to be outside with the kids a lot. I feel like I need to put a moisturizer with sunscreen on first which defeats the purpose of having one cream to do everything. I don't want my skin to feel oily throughout the day but with this my skin felt like it had a dry, almost powdery, finish that I didn't enjoy.

I'm glad that I got to try the L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream but for right now I will probably stick with my combination foundation/moisturizer. It gives me more moisture with just a touch more color.

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Amazon and Book Depository links are affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

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OTL: Fashion Fun with No nonsense Leggings & Tights

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of No nonsense for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am not generally interested in the latest fashions and styles. I live in jeans and t-shirts or sweatshirts depending on the weather. I'm home alone with two small kids most days and no one sees me so I don't feel the need to dress up (or even put on makeup) most of the time. So when No nonsese offered to send me a pair of tights and a pair of leggings to try I really wondered what I was going to do with them. Could I actually come up with an oufit for each of them that would look good? Well, I'll show you what I came up with and you can be the judge.

I received Dark Denim leggings (size Small) and had a lot of fun playing with different looks. These actually look exactly like jeans. In fact, I wish I could find jeans that looked like this with the dark, solid color instead of the two-tone washed out jeans that are so common right now. These denim leggings paired well with almost anything. I decided that I did like the slightly longer shirtts with them because they didn't fit perfectly at the top for me. I'm also on the short side so I had trouble with the leggings bunching up a bit at the bottom because they were too long. In this photo, I paired the leggings with a top my mom gave me for Christmas. I like this look because it is more dressed up than I usually am but still very comfortable. These also looked great with a black turtleneck and purple sweater but those photos didn't turn out well at all.

The tights I received were Black Rose Floral (size S/M). These fit really well but I was a little afraid I was going to rip the beautiful lace work when I was putting them on. I think these dress up this jean dress more than plain nylons or tights. These would have been great to wear with a holiday party dress if I had gone to any dress up parties this year.

No nonsense has partnered with Jill Martin, New York Correspondant for Access Hollywood, to get the word out about these leggings and tights. Jill is a fashion expert who likes to show off the latest looks without breaking the bank. She will be active on social media, including Facebook and Twitter, providing fashion tips and ideas on incorporating the leggings and tights in to any wardrobe.

No nonsense leggings and tights are affordable and easy to find at large retailers and food and drug stores. Find out where you can get No nonsense tights and leggings

Connect with No nonsense on Facebook and Twitter

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OTL: Add Some Flavor with Torani Syrups

Last year, I participate in a program from SheSpeaks and Torani and shared my experience with the Peppermint syrup. This year, I was once again selected to participate in the holiday program and I received full-size bottles of Salted Caramel and Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pie Syrup. Some lucky person at my husband's work got to try the Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pie syrup since we try to stay away from artificial sweeteners but I really enjoyed trying the Salted Caramel flavor.

The first thing I tried with the Salted Caramel syrup was simply adding it to my coffee along with a little bit of milk. I wasn't super crazy about it this way. I got a sweetness from the syrup with a bit of the caramel flavor but the saltiness was lost entirely. I also tried it without the milk (we ran out) and had the same issue. When you get a drip of the pure syrup on your finger, you can definitely taste both the salty and sweet but the coffee seemed to overpower some of the flavor.

Next I tried making a caramel mocha using brewed coffee and hot chocolate mix. (Yep, we are fancy around here.) That was a little better but the salt was still overpowered. Caramel hot chocolate was next and that was definitely a step in the right direction. The chocolate and caramel flavors combined well without creating an overly sweet drink and the salt from the syrup came though as well.

My favorite use for the Salted Caramel Syrup wasn't in a drink though. I took vanilla ice cream and crumbled a brownie on top. Then I used the Salted Caramel Syrup over that. YUM! The syrup soaked in to the brownie a bit and flavored the vanilla ice cream. The flavor was the perfect combination of salty and sweet. The Torani syrup is much thinner in consistency than traditional caramel ice cream topping though so you want to make sure you stir the ice cream around a bit or it tends to pool on the bottom of the bowl.

Torani flavored syrups are great for the holidays or any time of year. Some flavors go well in coffee or other hot beverages and then there are lighter fruit flavors that make fantastic cold drinks. You can even cook or bake with the Torani syrups. Be sure to check out Torani.com for recipes and inspiration.

What is your favorite flavor and how do you use it?

Full-Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of SheSpeaks and Torani. I was provided with two full-size bottles of Torani syrup and some $1 off coupons. The opinion presented in this post is my own and this post was not edited by SheSpeaks or Torani in any way.

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Amazon and Book Depository links are affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

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OTL: Green Mountain Coffee

Are you a coffee drinker? I didn't used to be. For the longest time I loved the smell of coffee and even coffee treats like coffee ice cream but I didn't drink coffee. Then a friend introduced me to Starbucks White Mocha and I was hooked. Unfortunately, that is a pretty expensive habit to get in to! I didn't have a coffee pot at home but decided to get a small one when we moved close enough for my parents to start visiting more often. At first, my mom brought her own coffee but I got some when I started drinking a little bit of coffee in the mornings when she was here. Now it has progressed to where I have coffee at home almost every morning. I still can't drink it black though - I really like flavored creamers!

I like it when I can support socially responsible companies with my purchases and coffee seems to be one area where it really does make a difference. Green Mountain Coffee offers a variety of Fair Trade Certified coffees. So what does Fair Trade Certified mean? It means farmers get a fair price for the coffee beans, better working conditions, and protection for the environment. It is really easy to see which Green Mountain coffees are Fair Trade Certified on their website because you can use that as one of the factors when sorting their coffees. Green Mountain Coffee also offers their Fair Trade Certified Coffees in multiple forms - ground, whole bean, and K-Cups.

I received three packets of ground Green Mountain House blend coffee from BzzAgent to try plus several coupons to share. Since I always add flavored creamers to my coffee I am no judge of actual coffee taste so I shared this with my mom on her last visit. She really enjoyed the coffee and said she liked it much better than a different brand that she recently bought for her house. She also shared that Green Mountain Coffee is the official coffee of Heifer International because of its Fair Trade Certification.

To find out more about Fair Trade Certified coffees check out the Green Mountain Coffee Facebook page. There are music videos from Grace Potter and Michael Franti plus behind the scenes videos as they take tours of farming communities in Colombia and Sumatra. You can also connect with Green Mountain Coffee on Twitter.

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Amazon and Book Depository links are affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

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OTL: Smartfood Selects

BzzAgent and Smartfood Selects sent me three bags of snacks to try. I received a full sized bag of Sour Cream Onion Puffed Corn and snack sized bags of Garlic Tomato Basil Hummus Popped Chips and Cinnamon Brown Sugar Multigrain Popped Chips. Smartfood is best known for its awesome tasting White Cheddar Cheese Poppcorn which is completely addictive and easy to eat an entire bag in one sitting. Now they are offering a larger variety of snacks with their Selects line. This line of popcorn, popped chips, and puffed corn highlights the flavor combinations of herbs and spices. Just as important as what has gone in to these snacks though is what has been left out. There are no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, 0 grams of trans fats, and no MSG. The snacks are Kosher and the bags are resealable.

Now that I've given you the facts, how do the snacks taste? Well, unfortunately, this review will be slightly biased simply based on the flavors I received. While I know it is unrealistic to expect a company to be able to send everyone their first choice in snack flavors, I do with there had been some way to indicate a preference when signing up for this event. I am not a fan of Sour Cream Onion flavored anything so I would not have chosen this product to try. My husband did try the Puffed Corn but he was not a fan. I think this was in part due to come confusion on what to expect. I'm pretty sure he thought he was getting a pop corn snack and the puffed corn texture was not at all to his liking. He said the flavor itself was fine but he associates it more with a potato chip and a crisp texture.

My favorite was the Garlic Tomato Basil Hummus Popped Chips. I loved the flavor and the chip texture was light yet crunchy at the same time. My only issue was that since I received a snack size bag, it was gone in very little time. I didn't find the amount I received to be very filling even though it was exactly a serving size for that product. The Cinnamon Brown Sugar Multigrain Popped Chips had the same texture as the hummus chips which was pleasing. I'm not sure about the flavor combination for this one though as the multigrain chip did not work as well with a sweet coating in my opinion. I think I would have preferred the Italian Herb Multigrain Popped Chip.

Overall, I like the Smartfood Selects concept but I would stick to the savory popped chips. I think I will use my $1 off coupon on the Parmesan Herb Popcorn because that sounds like a flavor I will really enjoy.

Have you tried any of the Smartfood Selects snacks? What do you think of them?

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Amazon and Book Depository links are affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

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OTL: Unreal Candy

Thanks to BzzAgent I had a chance to try out Unreal candy. Unreal candy is available in varieties similar to your favorite chocolate bars but with fewer calories, less sugar, and more protein. Essentially the claim is that because it has no artificial ingredients the candy will taste better while being better for you than regular candy. Notice that I didn't say the candy will be good for you. It is still candy after all.

BzzAgent and Unreal candy sent me a coupon for a free candy bar plus several buy one, get one free coupons. We used these some of these coupons to purchase Unreal 5 (similar to Milky Way), Unreal 8 (similar to Snickers), and Unreal 77 (Similar to Reese's). We did not try Unreal 41 or Unreal 54 (similar to M&Ms and Peanut M&Ms).

Out of the varieties that we tried the Unreal 8 was by far my favorite. I think it tastes the most similar to the candy it is supposed to mimic. Unreal 77 did not have enough of a peanut butter flavor to satisfy me and Unreal 5 just tasted a bit off somehow. All of the candy bars are less sweet than their traditional counterparts due to the reduction in sugar. The serving sizes for these candy bars are smaller as well which can account for the calorie reduction. Any time something has added protein I'm skeptical about the taste because I usually notice an aftertaste with these products. I had the same experience with this candy. There is that distinct protein taste that seems to be in protein shakes and bars.

While the taste of the Unreal candy didn't "Wow" me, I think it is something that I could get used to as an occasional candy treat. My husband liked the candy well enough and didn't notice the differences in taste that I did.

I do have to say that I HATE the packaging!! I think using numbers for the candy names is really annoying. The name itself doesn't give you any indication of what type of candy you will be getting. I find the super-shiny wrappers hard to read and it is only just now as I sit here writing this blog post that I finally noticed the brightly colored areas actually spell out Unreal in the logo. Considering how long I've been looking at these wrappers for various BzzAgent activities that tells you how difficult it is to read.

We purchased Unreal candy at CVS and have seen it at Kroger as well. The price was the same as other candy bars.

Have you tried Unreal or another brand of "better for you" candy? What did you think of it? What is your favorite type of candy?

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

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OTL: Graco RoomFor2 Stand & Ride Stroller

My three year old, Elizabeth, is a walker. We rented a stroller when we went to Disney World last fall thinking that she might need to take a break from walking because it is such a large place but we barely used it. Now that Victoria is here though and she rides in the stroller, Elizabeth is wanting to ride in the stroller again too. So I was completely thrilled to receive a Graco RoomFor2 Stand and Ride Stroller, Metropolis from the Amazon Vine program for the purpose of providing an honest review.

I really wanted to love this stroller and was a little disappointed withe the number of little things that I don't like about it. None of them are major but when added all together I can see how much better the stroller could have been.

Pros:

• This easily holds both my daughters. My three year old loves that she can sit or stand and thinks getting to ride in the stroller with her little sister is a lot of fun.
• The stroller collapses easily and is just as small as our single travel stroller when collapsed.
• The stroller is light enough to move easily when collapsed.
• The stroller steers easily even with both kids in there.
• There are lots of cup holders and places for snacks.
• The basket underneath is a good size.

Cons:

• My husband said the instructions for putting the stroller together were not great and when he pushed down (as instructed) to attach the foot rest one of the clips to hold it on broke easily.
• The stroller fully collapses to the ground which means you have to pick it up to move it which is not easy when holding on to the younger child. (My other stroller collapses to a standing position and can then be moved on the rear wheels.)
• When the front seat is in the reclined position, my three year old really needs to stand to have enough room. If she wants to sit, she ends up leaning forward because the other seat is in her back.
• The five-point harness for the front seat is not easy to use - pieces are all separate and must be fitted and held together while trying to buckle the child in.
• The sun/rain cover for the front seat is stiff and not easy to adjust.
• The way the seats are positioned makes it difficult to get anything large into the bottom basket even though the basket is large enough to hold it. I'm not sure I could fit our diaper bag in there.
• The rear wheels have separate brakes so you have to push on each of them.
• The child in back can also easily reach the brakes with their feet and push on the while you are moving. (I have no idea how this one could be avoided though!)

Right now this stroller doesn't work for us because the infant car seat we have is a different brand and does not attach to this stroller. I think we will definitely be using this stroller when we go places outdoors that require a lot of walking when Victoria can sit up in the front seat on her own. The Graco RoomFor2 Stand and Ride Stroller, Metropolis is a good stroller that could have been made even better with a few small adjustments.

Do you have a double stroller for your kids? What do you like and dislike about it?

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.