Scrubbing Bubbles has done it again! Invented another product that us moms can’t live without! It is the One Step Toilet Cleaner – Just step and spray twice a day! I received my Starter Kit courtesy of SheSpeaks.com. I received the device, which includes the Base, Sprayer and Reusable Sleeve, and 1 refill can. It took seconds just to hook it up.

My thoughts: I have an elongated toilet and it seems that it doesn’t fit very well on there. Every so often when I walk into the bathroom the sprayer is in the floor. Also, when I spray it (even with the lid down) it sprays all over the lid and out the small space, between the seat and lid, a bit and gets all over the bathroom floor. I haven’t tried it on our other non-elongated toilet yet to see if it works better, but I’m guessig it will. I still really enjoy not digging in there with a pair of gloves to clean it, so I will keep using it.

It’s retail price for the starter kit is under $13.00. Well worth it in my opinion! So all you do is step on the foot pedal for 1 second, it sprays 360 degrees to cover the complete bowl (even under the rim) then you walk away!

Want to see it in action? Watch my video:

Like many of you I am always searching for ways to save money, my electric bill included. I’ve always heard that when you leave things plugged in that you’re not necessarily using, that it will add up to big bucks in a years time of money you could be saving! Things like cell phone chargers, laptops, gaming systems, sound machines, baby monitors and more.

I was sent a Kill-A-Watt from GeoThermal Genius to try out and share with you my thoughts. At first I thought that all you do was plug it in, plug a device into it and it would give you a cost…wrong.  It needs time to work to read the usage to relay it to you. I programmed in my kilowatt rate based on my utility bill, the instructions will guide you through what to look for and how to enter it into the Kill-A-Watt. Then you plug a device into that you want to know more about and let it go! I’ve had my laptop plugged in for 478 hours now. I don’t power down my laptop very often, maybe once every few days, and just overnight. I turn it right back on when I wake up.

What I’ve learned is that my laptop is costing me:

$7.84/year
$.64/month
$0.15/day
$0.02/day

I’m assuming that if I shut it off every night that I could cut that down maybe a dollar or two for the year. Not really that much in the grand scheme of things, but every little bit counts! However, imagine things like your clothes dryer. Something like that is going to cost a lot more with the amount of power it needs in order run. If you could line dry your clothes you may be able to save quite a bit over a 12 month period!

You know how to really cut your utility bill? Switch over to Geothermal heat and heat/cool your home with dirt instead of oil. I have a friend that is using geothermal heat in their house that is at least 3 times the size of my house. My power bill runs $200.00 a month and hers is about $60.00 a month. That is amazing! If you are building a new home, geothermal heat is the way to go.

To convert an existing property isn’t cheap, but it’s a good investment. I ran the calculator on the Geothermal Genius website and it estimates that it would cost me $13,020 to install that type of system. However, it estimates that I can save $54,608 over the next 15 years to heat/cool my home. Also, it will increase my property value by $9,200! Hmmm, something to think about isn’t it?

Want to learn more? Geothermal Genius is an amazing website that explains everything you would ever want to know about geothermal heat and it’s benefits. Check out the Geothermal Tax Credit page for some very useful information. Better yet…watch this video!

Disclosure: Geothermal Genius provided me the Kill-A-Watt for review, they do not sell the product. The Kill-A-Watt is a tool that will help you make better choices about your electricity usage that will in turn save you money.

I was sent the Edifier On The Go Encore to try out and see what I thought. I have to say that I was blown away! It’s so very compact, it has a rechargeable battery, great volume control, adaptable for non iPod mp3 players, radio ready, alarm clock, remote control and carrying sleeve! I already have an iHome and I have troubles with it all the time. It’s not reliable, the sound gets distorted if I really crank it up and it’s not portable!

Want to see how the Edifier rocks? Just check out my video!

Want to see all they have to offer? Check out Edifier.com. They have some really great videos on their YouTube channel so you may want to subscribe. Also check out their Facebook and Twitter pages. You wouldn’t want to miss a deal would you?

A while back I received a package of Cascade Action Pacs to use for my dishwasher. Needless to say I was over the moon! I do at least one load of dishes per day in my dishwasher. These don’t disappoint, then again Cascade never does. I found that it removed the tea stains off of our gallon jug we use for storing iced tea in the fridge. I honestly almost threw it out because I couldn’t stand the dingy look of it! I was so shocked, truly. It was stained ya’ll! Now it looks good as new!

Proctor & Gamble has been making strides to be more Future Friendly with one simple mission: to help people save water, waste and energy at home.

How do they do that you ask?

• Tide Coldwater saves electricity by not using hot water
• PUR saves litter by not using plastic water bottles
• Dawn Ultra uses very little to get the job done
• Duracell rechargeable instead of throwing batteries away  
• Cascade Action Pacs, no need to pre-rinse the dishes

P&G has so many products that are meeting this standard of going green and being future friendly, so how can you help? Check out their website to learn more! Be on the look out for P&G coupons to save money on the products you were going to buy already. Also, Like Future Friendly on Facebook and follow them on Twitter to stay in touch for new and exciting products added to their Future Friendly list!

Disclosure: I was provided the Cascade Action Pacs by SheSpeaks for review and to share the news about P&G’s Future Friendly Program. All opinions are my own.

My existing countertops.

I have the amazing opportunity to try out the Giani Granite Countertop Paint Kit! I’m so excited! You see, my countertops are so old and nasty! They are not smooth. They have grooves in them that I’m assuming are harboring some nasty germs. I’ve cleaned and cleaned them to no avail. Still nasty. My trusty Magic Eraser has removed the darkness from the grooves, which I’m assuming was years of caked in food particles, but it also removed some of the finish. Meaning my counters are no longer reflective. Not that they ever really were though.

Sicilian Sand Color

I selected Sicilian Sand. They have 6 colors to choose from so it really was difficult. I honestly considered the Sapphire Blue, just because I think it’s so pretty! Each kit is just $69.95 and will do 35 square feet or 16 running feet of 24″ standard counter.

Here’s some info directly from the site:

Sample countertop

• Unique blend of polymers and minerals create a   countertop that locks out moisture - while showing off the beautiful Sicilian granite of southern Italy!
• Great for upgrading Formica*laminate, Corian*ceramictile, butcher block, cultured marble and traditional granite countertops and vanities     
• Covers 35 square feet or 16 running feet of standard 24″ wide counters 
• Quick, fun and easy ’paint-by-number’ process  for beginning painters
• Project time – 4 hours of painting and 16 hours of drying
• Water-based safe and low odor 
• Hides any existing stains, scratches or burns
• Granite color is adjustable to your decor 
• Durable automotive grade clear polyurethane topcoat
• 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
• Complete Kit  -
      -12 Oz. of IronCore^TM Primer-Base Coat
       - 6 Oz. of Brown Feldspar Mineral
       - 6 Oz. of Inca Gold Mineral
       - 6 Oz. of White Limestone Mineral
       - 16 Oz. of Automotive Polyurethane Topcoat
       - 6″ GIANI^TM roller arm and two roller pads
       - 4″ GIANI^TM granite paint sponge
       - 2″ Foam Brush
       - Black Practice Poster Board
         - ‘Paint-by-Number’ DVD for beginners
       - Illustrated Instructions

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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.
Sponsored by Tomoson.com

Over the weekend it was crazy around here. My sister had her baby last week and we had her son on and off for the weekend. I am such a neat freak that the chaos was contributing to a crazy mess in my house. Drives me nuts!

It seemed like I found excuse after excuse to run errands. I was just not in the mood to clean! There was a visible layer of dust on everything. Doesn’t that drive you crazy?!? If I can write my name on the TV, then momma hasn’t been doing her job. I know I should cut myself some slack, but it’s hard. I’m a stay at home mom! I do work outside of the home, but only 3 hours a day, so that leaves me plenty of time to clean. I just don’t want to clean. Who does?

That and the kitchen floor. You could see dirt, tiny rocks and leaves in all the nooks and crannys. I was batty! I bailed again volunteering to go to town to pick up some chicken nuggets for the kids to eat. When I got back the house was dusted and the kitchen floor was cleaned!!! I love my husband when he “gets it”! He knows that having a clean tidy house is very important to me and took the time while I was away to help me keep it up. My love language is acts of service, and it’s things like that that mean so much.

So other than him doing the work for me, want to know what works for me? A little bit at a time. I have a cleaning schedule that (if I follow it) allows me to clean a little bit every day so I don’t have a whole lot to do at once. It’s not a detailed cleaning list, but I do the detailed items when I have time to kill. I don’t keep those items on a schedule because it would never get done. I’d always find an excuse not to do it. This basic schedule is just enough to keep my house clean at a moment’s notice. You can download the Microsoft Publisher File from my keep and share page if you’d like. 

What else helps are these screen cleaning wipes from Black Diamond. They get the makeup off my cell phone and the dust off my laptop. Our computers are on a table that is right over a floor vent, meaning the dust accumulates much faster on the computers then every where else in the house! These little cleaning wipes do wonders, really. They keep my screen and TV’s clean for longer than just wiping them with a cloth. Screen Wipes are available in New York at Duane Reade, Southern California at Ralphs, nationally available at Walgreens and Ace Hardware.

Want to win your very own set?!?

*Required: Follow them on Twitter and Like them on Facebook. Just leave me a comment stating that you completed the requirements (don’t forget your email address) and 1 lucky reader will receive 2 boxes! Giveaway ends 2/19/11 and ships out on 2/27/11.

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

Disclosure: 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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Just take a look at these jackets. My mom bought these jackets for my boys, I would have preferred red or black even, but they really wanted white! That has “ruined in weeks” written all over it.

So I decided it was as good a time as ever to break out my new Shout products (courtesy of Growing Tree Toys.com) and give them a whirl!

After one wash they look good as new! (Which was really hard to imagine.)

Voila! Looks so much better! What has Shout helped you with?