So last week I had mentioned my induction into the Tropicana Juicy Rewards Brand Ambassador program, and I thought I'd let you know that I have actually done something with the program! One of the disadvantages of living in a less populated location is that there are fewer opportunities to be had.  When perusing the Juicy Rewards, I didn't find anything local to use my points for, but that's what's so great about the internet, if you have a shipping address, well you can pretty much get anything!

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Had you heard about the recent lawsuit between Mead Johnson and PBM?  Perhaps if you don't have an infant in your home right now it may have been off your grid.  See, Mead Johnson produces baby formula, a well know brand, Enfamil LIPIL and PBM sued them for false advertising.

I formula fed Amber, and I did it by choice.  I never felt guilty about it, and never felt I was doing either of us a disservice by choosing formula over breast feeding.  Truth be told, I used the store-brand formula too!  Gasp!  However, that's what this lawsuit is all about.

PBM claimed that Mead Johnson's advertis

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I love bargain shopping, it's like a game to me, the best deals are like a huge rush of adrenaline.

 

 

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Klutz books has generously sponsored a couple of giveaways on my site, including the latest Draw Star Wars The Clone Wars book, which many of you were hoping to win!

But if you weren't one of the lucky winners, Klutz.com has a BIG HOLIDAY SALE – 25% off your entire order (no minimum!)
The coupon code is HOLIDAY25 and expires on 12/16

It's a onetime use per email address and cannot be combined with other offers
Valid only at Klutz.com

So if you are looking for some additional holiday gifts you may want to check it out!

I received no compensation for posting about this sale.

Here is a great holiday contest to participate in.  Twittermoms and Staples want moms around the blogosphere to share their Christmas shopping tips! You can find rules and other posts at the contest landing page.

My personal gifting tips start right after the holidays end actually. So many gifts for the next year can be bought when Christmas is over and right through the summer into the next autumn.

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When it comes to a holiday gift list, there is always somebody that you have to buy for that has everything, right?

So what is it that you get them?  Get them a gift that is personal to them, something from Things Remembered would fit the bill, and there are so many items available!
Things Remembered sent me a personalized gift, so I chose a  Push USB Drive for my Hubby.  This is a great gift for anyone, guys and gals alike.  Professionals, Students even Grandparents for storing all those holiday photos that will be taken this season.  I chose to put a unique saying on the keychain, as you can see below, since my Hubby is always giving me grief for using his flash drives for my data.

This 1 GB USB external hard drive is a compact size for easy storage and portability.  It is easy to carry since it has the added key ring.  There's no software installation required  and it's compatible with most computers and operating systems. You can also choose to have the back engraved as well, and it is available in silver, black (like I received), gunmetal, or you can even get a pen version.  The drives start at $25.00.

I know my Hubby is going to appreciate this gift! It is personal to him and is much classier than a standard flash drive.  And it's something he will be able to carry with him whenever he needs it. To give you an idea of the size it is about 4" long and about 1/2" thick.  It really is a nice gift, especially if there is someone in the business or professional field you need to purchase something for.

You can choose any quote (well any quote that fits!) that you want, Christmas 2009, a Company Name, or something personal like I chose.  This is one that is shown on their website.

That's what makes this a perfect gift, the chance to personalize it the way you want!

Things Remembered has other gift ideas that would be sure to fit others on your list too.  There is the

      *Sterling Birthstone Tree Necklaces with Free Keepsake Box
– Delicately-crafted necklace lets her keep those she loves close to herheart. Choose birthstones to symbolize her children or other familymembers and engrave the sterling silver pendant with her name or afavorite quote about family. She'll wear this heirloom often and keepit forever!

    * Leather Money Clip with Card Holder – the ultimate two-in-one accessory. A magnetic closure on the frontkeeps your cash safe and sound while three slots on the back give yourcredit and debit cards a home. Made with soft genuine leather, all thisgift needs is your personalized message!

* Make-A-Wish Angel Ornament - Exclusive, one-of-a-kind gift that she would have qualities thatlast-like crystal touches and elaborate detailing. And don'tforget-this is a gift that gives back. For every purchase of ourexclusive Make-A-Wish® collection, $2 of every purchase price will goto the Make-A-Wish Foundation®.
  
Things Remembered has gifts for more than just this holiday season.  Personalized items make great gifts for Weddings and Anniversaries too.  I wished we would have had something like these USB Push Drives to give to our attendants at our wedding!  For more gift ideas visit www.thingsremembered.com.

I was provided with a USB Push Drive from Things Remembered at no cost to myself for the purpose of this post.

I struggle with menu planning.  Sometimes I go armed to the grocery store with a list and coupons in hand, all ready to cook for the week.  Yet other times, I wander the aisles aimlessly, wondering if this is the week my family loses 5 pounds, because I can't decide what's for dinner.  Can you identify?

I was introduced to this great website called relish! last month, which has helped me overcome the cooking blahs.

This very simple to use site, allows you to chooses 5 healthy, delicious meals each week (and one dessert ☺).  You can pick from kid friendly, vegetarian, and crockpot dishes to name a few, and then a grocery list is generated fro you listing all the ingredients you need.

The meals are all budget friendly and quick to prepare as well.

The service does come with a cost, but not an exorbitant one if you typically go the grocery store without a list.  $7.00 a month gets you complete access tot eh site, which could be less than what you spend on impulse or ready made food purchases just because you're not sure what's on the menu for the week.

They also have neat features like a monthly freezer menu, seasonal goodies and a soon to be released iPhone app.

One of the recipes I chose to make was the Meatball Soup and it indeed turned out fantastic.  Amber has asked me to make it again!

A subscription to relish! would be a great holiday gift for the busy mom or a teacher on your list.

If you live gluten free, check out relish!'s sister site Gfree!

To enter visit relish! and view their sample menu.  Leave a comment telling me one recipe you would like to try.

For extra entries (the above must be done first) you can:

• Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway - leave a link to your tweet in the comments you can do this once per day.
• Subscribe to my feed
• Put my button on your site
• Blog about this giveaway including a link to this post - leave the url.

Thisgiveaway will end on December 2, 2009 at 11:59 pm cst and open worldwide ages 18+.  The winner will be chosen by random.org and will bee-mailed. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the e-mail or analternate winner will be chosen. By entering this giveaway you arestating that you have read my **About Reviews and Privacy/Rules declaration and agree to them.

I received a complimentary subscription to relish! to thank me for writing this post.

You've heard it about a million times I bet. "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".  But do you know the story behind the phrase?

It all started with a letter from Virgina O'Hanlon to the New York Sun Newspaper in 1897, in which she was seeking advice on whether Santa Claus truly existed.

The editor responded with that now well known phrase "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", and a whole lot more.  Visit the Macy's Believe website to see the rest of his answer.

This holiday season Macy’s BELIEVE campaign is inspired by Virginia's letter and the editor's response.  If you visit a Macy's location you will see letter-writing “Believe Stations” where children can send a note off to Santa.  For each letter received, Macy’s will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to $1 million.

On Friday, December 11th, Macy’s will celebrate the first National Believe Day to recognize and reward acts of kindness and generosity from coast to coast. Also that day, CBS will premiere a new original animated special called, “Yes, Virginia.” on that same day, at 8 p.m. ET.  Check out the trailer.

Macy's is also holding a contest.  Tell them why you Believe, and you could win a trip to the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  View the details HERE. You could also win a $500 Macy's gift card by voting for those already entered (once per day), so even if you don't want to submit an entry for the trip contest, in the spirit of the season, you could help someone who does.

So have your kids write their letters to Santa, bring the stamped letters to Macy's and drop them in Santa's special letterbox.  Then Macy's will take care of getting them to the post office to mail to the North Pole.  Just think that you can do something you may have been doing anyway (writing Santa letters), but by taking the extra step of dropping them off at Macy's you could be a part of raising up to $1 million dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation!  There is even a downloadable template for stationery to get you started.

To enter this giveaway tell me what your child(ren) will write on their letter to Santa that you are going to drop in a Macy's Santa letterbox to help raise money for Make-A-Wish Foundation.

For extra entries do any or all of the following leaving a separate comment for each entry. (the  main entry must be done first)

1. Subscribe by email or reader to Three Different Directions.
2. Blog about this giveaway with a link back.
3. Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway leaving your tweet link in the comments, Copy and paste: "Macy's will donate $1 to Make-a-Wish Foundation, for every letter to Santa mailed at their stores up to $1 million http://bit.ly/1MJvaw" (you can do this once a day!)
4. Become a fan of Three Different Directions on Facebook

Open to US residents, ages 13+,  ends November 28, 2009 at 11:59 pm cst. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Email must be in comment or available in profile.  By entering this giveaway you are stating that you have read my **About Reviews and my Privacy/Rules statements and agree to them.

I received no compensation from Macy's or M80 their media representatives to post about the Macy's Believe campaign or host the giveaway on my blog.

We just finished visiting my parents, and my Mom was telling me that my Dad has been faithfully taking a tablespoon of Olive Oil daily, and it has done wonders for his cholesterol level.

In addition to helping maintain good cholesterol levels and lowering the bad, many medical researchers and nutritionists agree that olive oil is a good source of vitamin E which may protect against cancer and heart disease.

So imagine something in your cupboard that not only tastes good, and can be used in many ways, but also is healthy! Olive Oil fits the bill.

I heart Olive Oil is an online webstore that carries speciality olive oil based products from around the world.Fabulous gift packages are available for those like

The Connoisseur on your list.  And you will find other gifts for those on your holiday gift lists including soaps, candles and books.

If you are looking for a gift to make an impression you're likely to find something at I heart Olive Oil.  Your gift recipients will ♥ you this season too!

I heart Olive Oil is offering my readers a 10% discount on your first order.  Just use code "SAVE10".  Plus they have free ground shipping in the continental USA for orders over $75.00.

I was not compensated in any way to post about I heart Olive Oil or their discount offer.

Est. 2004
Founded by designer & artist Shanda Chiumento. Sugar Apple Design focuses on translating the fun and nature of the Caribbean onto wearable art...from
tees & tanks to plush bathrobes & beach towels.

I love the Caribbean.  Two out of our last three vacations we've visited St. Thomas USVI where Sugar Apple Design is located.  The items that Shanda has are so reflective of the islands and the nature surrounding it, and when I received my tee in the mail it did not disappoint.

I received the Palm Tree tee as pictured here. 

Now not only does this tee mean something to me because I have been to the islands and it reminds me of our great vacations whenever I wear it, but my name Tamara is a Hebrew name meaning Palm Tree.  Very fitting.

The shirt itself is cut slightly narrow especially in the shoulders. If you're a tiny one like me, you probably won't notice, but if you prefer your tees not quite as fitted order a size up.  The construction of this tee is quality.  The seams are sewn straight (you know how sometimes on tees with the type of knit they are they can tend to curl), and there were no loose threads and the serging is professional.  (That's important to me, since I have to roll all my sleeves up due to the very short length of my arms lol!).  The fabric is a nice weight, not too heavy to wear on a summer evening, but cozy for northern winters too.

It feels comfy when you wear it. This shirt is really perfect for everything: workouts or casual wear. What's extra nice about it is this is not something you'll find at your local chain store so you will be very unique when sporting it!

So if you are looking for something unique for yourself or for a gift check out Sugar Apple Design for products reflected from and made in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

I was provided a complimentary tee from Sugar Apple Design for the purpose of this review.

As most of you know we vacation with "The Mouse".  A lot.  

Surprise an aspiring photographer or princess with a starter camera before you leave, or if your trip is after Christmas, this would make a fun stocking stuffer.

This post was

One of the things I am most thankful for all year round is that the Lord has provided my husband with good health and a job that provides us with a salary, where buying groceries is never a struggle.

During this time of the year when the holiday's are approaching and food and festivities seem to be in sheer abundance for some of us, I am acutely aware that this is not the case for everyone. Much of what I see in the places that I partake food at gets wasted; and at the same time many families go to bed hungry at night.

Macy's is taking up the cause to help feed 10 million people suffering from hunger.  The number seems large, but if we all do our part the effect will be profound. 

COME TOGETHER invites the public to rally around the cause by hosting special dinners in their homes and asking their guests to pledge a donation to Feeding America. In return, Macy's will match these donations dollar-for-dollar until the total goal of 10 million meals is reached.

Perhaps that isn't an option for you and your family though.  Macy's has other ways for you to get involved also.

Rather than Host an event, stop by a Macy's in your city, you can Give at the checkout.  As little as a $1.00 donation will provide dinner for 7 people.

If you're a Shopper, this Saturday, October 17th, Macy's will host a "Shop for a Cause" day.  For $5.00 you can purchase an in store ticket for special savings on purchases.  A portion of that ticket price will benefit Feeding America.

Macy's is giving one of my reader's the chance to win a $20.00 Macy's gift card for helping the hungry and spreading the word about COME TOGETHER.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment letting me know what you could give up to donate at least $1.00 to feed 7 people dinner.

For instance, I can give up buying a package of cookies for my family which would free up $3.00 which will feed 21 people dinner!

For extra entries (these are little different this time folks, it's all about COME TOGETHER and feeding families, and not about my blog) you can:

1. Tweet about Come Together *2 entries - let people know they can feed 7 people dinner for $1.00 (leave the link to your tweet)
2. Share on another networking site *2 entries for each site you share it on - Facebook, Digg, Stumble whatever you're a part of, again let your friends and social communities know how they can partner with Macy's to help feed the hungry. (leave a link to where you shared)
3. Blog about it - *5 entries - share the way people can help partner with Macy's by Hosting, Giving or Shopping (leave the link to your blog post)

This giveaway will end on November 1, 2009 at 11:59 pm cst and is open to U.S. Residents ages 18+. The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be e-mailed. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the e-mail or an alternate winner will be chosen. By entering this giveaway you are stating that you have read my **About Reviews and my Privacy/Rules statements and agree to them.

I received no compensation from Macy's to share about their COME TOGETHER campaign.

Patti Tang, owner of Chic Moderne.  is a lover of all things creative and is sociallyconscious.  Her store, Chic Moderne pairs style with sustainability. Chic Moderne's productsinclude Italian recycled leather business accessories, natural palm oil candlesfrom Austria,and French soap made from vegetable oil and shea butter. Chic Moderne alsooffers corporate gift orders for employee recognition, sales force incentives, client appreciation and/or special event favors. Chic and green!

 Patti was kind enough to send me one of the French soaps to try out and review.

The scent I received was a Lemon Grass one, and my nose was wiggling happily as soon as I took it out of the envelope.  Wrapped delightfully, the soap is triple milled which means that the soap passes through the milling process three times which pushes the glycerin byproduct back into the soap.  That results in a fragrance that is entirely through the soap (not just on the top layer) and makes the soap mild and last longer.

I typically wouldn't use a soap like this on my face, but I tried it out while I was in the shower, and it really is mild because my skin didn't feel any different than when I use my cleansers.  I also used it when shaving (I had always been told never to shave with soap, I don't know where that came from, but I've always adhered to it!), and did not find that it dried out my legs at all.  The soap lathered up well, and had a very energizing scent when combined with the steam.

Chic Moderne's "business line" (that's not its official name, but that's what I think of when I see briefcases and portfolios lol!), is gorgeous.  Just like their stores name - chic and modern.  The colors are eyecatching and are sure to make a statement.

The candles they sell are very unique and would be conversation starters when displayed or burned.

With Christmas coming up, Chic Moderne is a place that you could pick up a couple of items for different people.  A new briefcase or accessory, candles or soap for the stocking.  Standard shipping is only $5.50 up to a $50.00 purchase and while there is a shopping cart on the site, currently orders are taken by e-mailing info@chicmoderne.com.

I received a complimentary French Milled Soap from Chic Moderne prior to writing this post.

I wonder if we did the whole blindfold challenge, how many people would "truly" notice the taste difference between the name brand and the generic brand?

While some products one might notice a difference, I think a lot of it really is all about perception.

Wal-Mart recently re-packaged their Great Value brand, and along with that they have changed the formula of 750 items and added more than 80 new products, to continue offering families quality items at competitive prices.

So how does the Great Value brand stack up to the competition taste wise?  Wal-Mart sent our family a few items from more than their 5000+ branded items available, to taste test and here are the results --

*  Twist and Shout Chocolate Sandwich Cookies - Both Amber and I thought them equal to Oreos.  Hubby however, remains loyal to his Nabisco cookies.

*  Pecan Shortbread Cookies - I'm sorry little baking elves, but hands down we preferred the Great Value to the ones baked in a tree.

*  Cheese Crackers - I did not notice a difference from these to Cheez-Its, Amber said she liked Cheez-Its better, but the Great Value ones were okay.  She ate these straight out of the box though and I personally think it was a perception issue on her part.  I'm pretty sure that if I had put them in a plastic container, she wouldn't have noticed the difference.

Our family already buys the Great Value Instant Oatmeal which is comparable to any name brand, and is a better deal because you get more packages in the box for less money.  We also regularly buy the Great Value Macaroni & Cheese.

As for the new packaging, we note that the crisp white with identifiable photos and bold lettering makes it stand out better on the shelves than their prior packaging in the blue with yellow print.

You know clothes are going to be liked by your daughter when they have been designed by girls much like her. And that's exactly how Igloo Island came into existence.

Mom Sandra and her two pre-teen daughters Brittany and Cailin created Igloo Island when the girls complained they couldn't find any fun and stylish clothing. With their creative ideas and a circle of friends who test market each product, plenty of fun and stylish clothing options in sizes XS-XL (4-6x up to size 14) are to be had.

Amber and I were sent the Denim Lurex Jumper to review.

Truthfully I have found in the past the words denim and jumper combined together conjure up images of farmers, school marms or mechanics. None of which (thankfully!) describe this piece from Igloo Island.

This jumper is really cool, with its stand out gold threading and the 2 oversized pockets (which can store lots of treasures, change or candy!).

It is very well made in my opinion, and can span all the seasons with either a tanktop or long sleeved shirt to go underneath it. Pair it with an adorable pair of tights and you have an outfit for school. Add something with a bit of lace and additional "sparkle" and you have something fancier for a holiday or special event. I'm excited because this jumper will serve Amber well for both casual and dress up dinners on our next cruise.

The jumper is stylish yet modest, a definite plus for me. I want my daughter to be able to wear clothes that are fashionable, yet still have her look 13 not 18 when she walks out the door ☺.

Amber is about 4'10" and weighs about 90lbs and the XL size fits her.

I have not doubts that your child will get complimented on her outfit while wearing it!

The fall 2009 line has lots of variety. Here are a couple more favorite pieces.....

Igloo Island clothing is sold at MyTinyCloset.com, go and check them out!