Winners!

While all of my readers are winners, I have to take a minute to congratulate Agnes and Janice for being my most recent prize winners.  Agnes won the Carmex Prize Pack and Janice was the lucky recipient of the Hasbro & General Mills Giveaway!

Thanks to all for reading my rather sporadic posts!

Happy Monday!

Carmex - Pumpkin's Favorite Lotion

I keep finding myself in the middle of conversations related to dry skin, lotions, and lip balm.  While I attribute some of the conversations to the fact that I'm getting older.  (I've found that with age comes the desire to share details of all of your medical ailments.)  I think some of the conversations are purely organic.  With the lingering dry winter months, people are finding themselves frustrated with painful cracked hands and chapped lips.  Being a mom, my purse is packed with products that my kids need, want, or love to use.  So, if someone complains of dry skin, I always offer them a dab of my Carmex lotion.

Carmex lotion (and cream) are fairly new to the Carmex family.  When I pull them out of my purse to share with friends and family, they are often surprised.  "I didn't know Carmex made lotion." is one of the most common responses I hear.    Carmex does make lotion, and Pumpkin LOVES it.  Pumpkin has very dry skin.  It is easily irritated by dry weather, chlorine in the pool, and even fabrics that rub her the wrong way.  When she complains of dry or itchy skin, I always tell her to put on lotion.  Carmex is the first one she grabs.  She likes the scent, the way it soothes her irritated skin, and that fact that it absorbs fairly quickly.

More familiar to people is Carmex Lip Balm.  It has been in my purse for ages.  I've loved it since I was a teen.  The original Carmex Jar will always hold a special place in my heart, since it was the first Carmex I owned.  While I still love the jar, sometimes using my finger to apply the balm isn't the best option.  I now keep several varieties of lip balm on hand.

Did you know that Carmex made lotion and cream?  Do you want to win some?  Here's what you have to do:

Mandatory Entry:  What product/scent/flavor do you wish Carmex would come up with next?  Leave a comment below.  Be sure to include your email address in the comment if it is not available on your profile page.

Optional Extra Entries:

1. Follow me on Twitter.  Post your username in the comments.
2. Tweet about this giveaway using "Win a @Carmex Prize Pack! @rmgm http://melissa987654321.blogspot.com/"  Post a link to your tweet here.  This can be done once daily.  
3. Follow me publicly on Google Friend Connect and post a comment with your username.
4. Like me on Facebook.  Leave a comment with your Facebook name (or initials if you don't want to post your full name).
5. Post about this giveaway publicly on Facebook.  Make sure you include a link back here and @MomOnTheEdge so that I can see that I was mentioned.  Post the link to your post here in the comments.  This can also be done once daily.

Details:

• Leave a comment for each entry
• Only open to US residents
• Winner will be chosen using random.org
• Giveaway ends 11:59pm ET on April 17, 2013
• Include your email address in your mandatory comment if it is not available on your profile page.
• Winner will have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
•  Prizes will be sent by the sponsor.  I am not responsible for prizes that are lost or damaged in transit.

*Disclosure:  I received the same prize pack my winner will receive in exchange for my honest review.

What I Love Wednesday - Pretending to Sleep

Pumpkin likes her sleep.  She generally prefers to sleep about 11-12 hours each night.  However, sometimes it takes her a while to wind down from the day.  When I hear thumping coming from her room, it is usually a result of her tossing and turning (and kicking the wall in the process).  It makes me laugh when I go in to check on her after hearing her moving around and find her with her eyes closed, motionless, holding her breath, with the slightest hint of a smile on her lips.  She is always amazed that I can tell she's not really asleep.  I've not shared her "tells" with her yet.  Instead, I simply appreciate her innocence and probably fall asleep with a smile on my lips as well, amused and content with the family I'm blessed to call my own.

*Note - The picture is actually Peanut as a baby.  It is one of my favorite "sleep" pictures.  When I look at it, I can almost feel her sleeping on my chest and smell her baby smell.

General Mills and Hasbro Go Retro

When I hear the word "retro" I think of disco balls, bell bottoms, and a time when I was old enough to observe, but too young to participate fully in the world around me.   I also think of my parents' generation.  Pictures from a time before I was born.  Images that feel like a memory when in fact they're just a story heard many times over.  Retro means nostalgia for times past.

I never thought I'd be a "when I was a kid..." person.  But, alas, I am.  When I was a kid, I was able to walk into the corner store and buy a lottery ticket for my parents.  When I was a kid, neighbors would come to the house and knock on the door to see if I could come outside to play.  When I was a kid, I'd separate my bowl of Lucky Charms into oats and marshmallows.  I'd eat the oats with milk for breakfast and take the marshmallows in a bag in my pocket to school.  I'd snack on them at recess.  I loved that they were harder than regular marshmallows.  I liked the way they took a while to dissolve on my tongue.  

Imagine my excitement when I received a box of retro Lucky Charms (and Cheerios) from General Mills and MyBlogSpark.  Even though I rarely eat Lucky Charms anymore, I tore open the box.  I wanted to see if the marshmallows were retro too.  I was really hoping they'd be just like the ones I remembered.  While the marshmallows weren't the single color pink hearts, blue diamonds, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers that I'd hoped to see, they still have the same texture.  My taste buds have changed since the 80's, so I won't venture to guess if they taste the same, though they were good.  Peanut, Pumpkin and Doc will vouch for that.  :)

In addition to the cereal, I was also sent Parcheesi.  Since I already have Clue, Risk, and Scrabble (the other retro games available at Target through this limited time promotion), it was a perfect fit!  While we haven't had the opportunity to play it yet, I am definitely looking forward to our next family game night!

Now that I've taken my walk down memory lane, I know you want some retro cereal and games of your own.  If you do, be sure to head to Target to pick up a box or two of Big G Retro cereal.  Included inside the box is a coupon for $5 off the Vintage versions of Clue, Scrabble, Parcheesi or Risk.  Be sure not to dilly dally.  These products are only available for a short time.  

Would you like a chance to win a prize pack just like the one I received?  Here's what you have to do.

Mandatory Entry:  What was your favorite General Mills cereal when you were a kid?  Leave a comment below.  Be sure to include your email address in the comment if it is not available on your profile page.

Optional Extra Entries:

1. Follow me on Twitter.  Post your username in the comments.
2. Tweet about this giveaway using "Win a Retro Prize Pack! @rmgm #MyBlogSpark http://melissa987654321.blogspot.com/2013/04/general-mills-and-hasbro-go-retro.html."  Post a link to your tweet here.  This can be done once daily.  
3. Follow me publicly on Google Friend Connect and post a comment with your username.
4. Like me on Facebook.  Leave a comment with your Facebook name (or initials if you don't want to post your full name).
5. Post about this giveaway publicly on Facebook.  Make sure you include a link back here and @MomOnTheEdge so that I can see that I was mentioned.  Post the link to your post here in the comments.  This can also be done once daily.

Details:

• Leave a comment for each entry
• Only open to US residents
• Winner will be chosen using random.org
• Giveaway ends 11:59pm ET on April 17, 2013
• Include your email address in your mandatory comment if it is not available on your profile page.
• Winner will have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
•  Prizes will be sent by the sponsor.  I am not responsible for prizes that are lost or damaged in transit.

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.