Have you heard about SwagBucks.com?

If you're like me, you use websites like Google, Bing or Yahoo! for searching the Internet on a daily basis.  For instance, when we wanted to know if we could freeze applesauce, I headed to Google to find the answer.  (And in case you are wondering, you can! Which is a good thing because I don't know how a thing about canning!)

SwagBucks is different from other search engines because you randomly earn "Swag Bucks" as you search the web.  (Even while you are just surfing, you will periodically be rewarded!)  After entering your search words you'll be taken to a page with your results, very similar to any other search engine, with the difference being that there are "Sponsored" websites listed within your results.  (It's not difficult at all to scan over these listings.)  And since they pull information from Google or Ask, you still get great search results!  Swagbucks are then used toward various prizes in the Swag Store, including $5 Amazon.com gift cards (450 SB), $5 PayPal gift cards (700 SB) and MANY other prizes!

After I signed up, I made SwagBucks my home page and downloaded their toolbar.  Normally I'm not a big fan of toolbars on my web browser, but I knew this was another way to optimize my chances of winning "Swag Bucks".  I signed up around the beginning of August and have already earned 522 SB by not only searching, but taking daily polls and surveys too, which are linked on my SwagBucks Toolbar.

So when I decide I want to figure out the process of canning, I'll turn to SwagBucks to search for information!  If you are interested in signing up, I'd appreciate you using my referral link: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/MrsAlissaP.  You will earn 30 Swag Bucks just for signing up!  I'm still learning tricks to earning more SB and will share as I find them!

Wordless Wednesday - My Blue Ribbon!

I decided to give Open Class a try this year at the Wisconsin Vally Fair along with my mom.  This was my entry in the Handicrafts Department - Wall Hanging (Unframed).  I won a blue ribbon, which is first place, and a $2.50 premium too!  Wooohooo!  I had a lot of fun getting my projects together and participating in the fair, which is something I haven't done since my 4-H days.  (We won't say how many years that's been!)  I'm already looking forward to next year!

Toddler Tuesday: Tom Pease at the Woodson Art Museum

Last night was the final performer for the Concert in the Garden series at Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. Josh was at a movie with Nate and Todd from work so my mom came with the boys and me. We had never been to a Concert in the Garden and weren't sure what to expect. We packed up our chairs, a blanket, the stroller, grabbed some drive-thru and headed over to check out Tom Pease! Tom is a family entertainer who sings silly songs that also teach many different lessons as well as a little sign language. Tyler, Trevor and I saw him at the beginning of the summer at the library so Tyler was super excited to hear the Belly Button song! As always, Tom put on a great show - it's almost as fun to watch the audience as it is to watch him!

During intermission Tyler thought it was funny to run in circles and hit the cedar tree that we were sitting next to. After that we had a hard time settling him back into the show so we left a little bit early. While Tyler was running around, Trevor stole one of his chicken nuggets! It was hilarious!

Monkey Balls Wool Dryer Balls

I was one of the lucky moms to be chosen to be a product tester for Cutesy Tushies, an online cloth diaper store that is being built by an old friend of mine, Michelle. I can safely say that I had a hand in converting her to cloth diapers after I shared that I was making the switch to cloth on FaceBook. She bought a couple flowered Happy Heinys diapers from me that I had purchased in a lot on eBay and we stayed in touch after that. Being the talented mommy she is, she decided to make her own diapers, which has brought her to her new adventure of selling her adorable cloth diapers!

Along with her cloth diapers, she is also going to be making and selling wool dryer balls. Have you heard of these before? They are a great product and easy to use - you just throw them in your dryer! As they tumble, they separate your wet clothes to allow the hot air to distribute through the dryer, resulting in faster drying times. This saves energy AND money! Michelle surprised me with two to test out! Not only are they bright and fun, they smell great! The ones I tested were Smashed Pear scented...mmmm!




You may have seen the plastic dryer balls in stores or on TV, which is what I started with. As you can see in the picture below (when you're done staring at my adorable little helper!) the plastic dryer balls I had purchased left marks all over our dryer. Can you guess what color they are?! They didn't do any damage, but just make me wonder if that dye is all over our clothes too.


As for the Monkey Balls Wool Dryer Balls - I LOVE 'EM!! They have been in every load of laundry since Michelle dropped them off and I've had no problems at all with unravelling. I like them a lot better than the plastic ones because they are so much quieter. (I have enough noise in this house with 2 boys!) I also like that they are scented and our clothes smelly yummy when they come out of the dryer! As for drying time, I usually set the dryer for 70 minutes for our cloth diapers and everything is completely dry except for the hemp inserts for the Thirsties Duo Diaper and the snap in for the GroVia diapers since they take longer to dry. I usually put those on the drying rack in the laundry room to finish drying. With the wool dryer balls, I set the timer for 60 minutes and EVERYTHING was DRY!

The Cutesy Tushies site should be up and running TODAY! Michelle will be selling the Monkey Balls Dryer Balls for $5.95 each. There will also be several different types of handmade cloth diapers including diaper covers and pocket diapers, which I'm also currently testing! If you are interested in Michelle's products or would like to contact her, you can visit her website at http://www.cutesytushies.com/.


Cutesy Tushies provided me with Monkey Balls Wool Dryer Balls free of charge. Other than product, no compensation was given to me for this review. All statements are my own and are my honest to goodness opinion!

Wordless Wednesday - Getting his face wet!

Toddler Tuesday - Fun at the Fair!

Last week was the WI Valley Fair at Marathon Park. As far as I can remember, this was Tyler's first fair in Wausau. Since I exhibited in the open class I had a week long pass and the boys were free to get in, so we took advantage of it. We went to the fair every day - meeting friends, looking at exhibits, petting animals and learning about agriculture. Oh yeah, and going on rides too! Unfortunately I forgot my camera all except one of the days (so unlike me!) so there are no fun pictures of Tyler and his friend Wyatt on the rocket ship ride or playing in the corn, soybeans and cottonseed in the Ag Adventure Tent. Also no pictures of Tyler petting a cow, after which he promptly corrected me by saying, “It’s a CALF mom!”

However, there ARE pictures of Grammy taking Tyler on the ferris wheel!! This was Grammy’s first time on a ride in…we’ll just say quite some time. :-) She was a little nervous, but Tyler chose her so she “had” to do it! It was a blast watching from the ground with Trevor, almost as much fun as they had on the ride!

And what’s a trip to the fair with Grandma without a carnival game?!