Local Giveaway: Win a Session with Virginia Photographer Nicole Pavey ($380 value) **closed**

*Update 2/17/10* Congratulations to our winner...... Stimey! (Be sure to post the fabulous family photos you have taken!) Plus, everyone remember that you can contact Nicole with code WINTERPHOTOS to get $50 off! __________________________

Get $50 off any session/package mention code: WINTERPHOTOS

We haven't had a professional family photo taken since the girls were a year and a half old. They cried just about the whole time. I don't even think we got a family photo. We go the girls with mommy, the girls with daddy, and the girls together.  So, we are due.

Real Photographer versus In-store Studio

When the Twofer were little we took them to various photography studios located in department stores or chains that you find in the mall. When they started preschool I stopped taking them to studios because the school photos always seemed to turn out really cute. Plus, I always thought a 'real' photographer would be way too expensive. Guess what? It's not. Not when you consider the frustration we ALWAYS experienced when some teenager couldn't get the camera to work, or my kid to relax.

Spending a little more to use a professional would have been the smart thing to do. So let's go back 4 years and remind THAT Janine to smarten up. Then, let's talk about the giveaway!

Nicole Pavey Photography Giveaway

Start browsing around the Nicole Pavey website and blog and you can see her knack for capturing kids and families at their best. I like the natural feel of the family photos. And the newborn images are simple but memorable. You can almost smell the baby shampoo...mmmm.

You can win a basic session valued at $380 from TwoferMom!

Enter to win a basic session from Nicole Pavey Photography which includes

• a photo session
• an in-studio ordering session to go over the photos
• 20-30 of the best photos edited on high res disc.

Please Note: This giveaway is for local DC Metro area folk...or anyone who is going to be traveling through Northern Virginia...wants to win a session with a professional photographer in her Fairfax County, VA studio.

4 ways to enter to win:

1. Leave a comment telling me who would be in your Nicole Pavey photo session if you win.

2. Tell your Facebook friends about this contest and tag me (use @JanineLaqueurNickel) in your post so I can see it. Then come back here and leave a second comment telling me.

3. Post a link to this giveaway on Twitter 3 times before the deadline and again, leave a separate comment with the tweet URLs (click on the time & date underneath the tweet).

4. Email your friends with a link to this giveaway and cc me (scarytwins [at] yahoo [dot] com

Contest open to US residents 18 and over and ends Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 11:00pm EST. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries, and contacted via email. Winner has 48 hours to respond and claim prize before I choose another winner.

Thanks for entering and for supporting TwoferMom's newest sponsor and supporter, Nicole Pavey Photography!

Janine

Disclosure: I am hosting this giveaway as part of a TwoferMom advertising package and giveaway product provided by Nicole Pavey at no cost.  All views are my own based on what I have seen of the portfolio and are not influenced, nor reviewed by the company prior to posting.

Review: L'Oreal Lash Boosting Technology - I think it's really working!

Recently I started using two L'Oreal las boosting products as part of a BzzAgent campaign.

L'Oreal Double Extend Lash Boosting Serum

The serum you swipe on your lashes and the lash line once or twice a day under mascara.  It's a clear serum and is not at all irritating to my eyes or skin.

L'Oreal Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara

The mascara has two parts: a Lash Boosting Primer on one end, and an ultra-lenghtening mascara on the other. The mascara is not too clumpy and I think the primer helps the mascara last longer.

My Results Using L'Oreal Lash Boosting Products

I have pale, short and weak lashes. Some people won't leave the house without lipstick, for me, IF I wear anything on my face, it's mascara. I have to be completely honest and tell you I have not been using either the serum or the mascara every single day. BUT...I have noticed a difference!

My lashes seem thicker, fuller, and stronger. 

According to the BzzAgent information I was given, 78%  if women who used the products for 4 weeks notices they had less lash loss (say that 10 times fast) during makeup removal. And it says 81% say their lashes seem to be in better condition.

I will continue to use the product and try harder to apply the serum before bed every night (if not in the morning under mascara as well). But so far I really like it!

Janine

Disclosure: I received the sample product as a BzzAgent. All views and opinions with regard to the product or company are my own and are not influenced, nor reviewed by BzzAgent or L'Oreal.

Review: The Ultimate Cloth just might be my ticket out of paper towels

When I was asked to review the Ultimate Cloth I jumped at the chance.

I've been looking for something to replace even some of the paper towels we use. I do use sponges and even wash them in the dishwaser but for things like wood cabinets or glass cooktops, a wet sponge just won't do.

Ultimate Cloth cleans windows with just water

According to the Ultimate Cloth..

The Ultimate Cloth is a brand new technology – in fact, it is the only cloth to receive a new patent in the last 25 years.  The Ultimate Cloth is a simple, green and effective one-step cleaning process.  The Ultimate Cloth cleans any hard surface – glass, wood, granite, stainless steel and many more – with just water!  No longer do you have to use harsh chemicals in your home, nor do you need spend hundreds of dollars per year buying them.  The Ultimate Cloth has been lab tested to remove 96% of bacteria, without the use of chemicals.  

So how did the Ultimate Cloth do?

It worked great on granite, the glass cooktop, windows, mirrors, and my wood floor.

It worked OK on stainless steel but according to the website that might be because I already used a stainless steel cleaner that 'stained' my fridge.

I have yet to try it on my wood cabinets but it seemed gentle on my wood floor so I will definitely try it.

Things I liked:

The fact that I did not spray one chemical or cleaner with the Ultimate Cloth (only water and ring it out well) is a plus.

The fact that this one simple cloth seemed to work well on all different surfaces is another plus.

Things I want to explore more:

If the Ultimate Cloth really removes 96% of bacteria.

How to wring out the Ultimate Cloth to get the water out and reduce drops or streaking.

The best way to use the Ultimate Cloth on stainless steel.

The Ultimate Cloth 3-pack

Have you tried the Ultimate Cloth or Shamwow? Tell me what your experience was like so I can compare.

Janine

Sample product provided by The Ultimate Cloth at no cost. All views and opinions with regard to the product or company are my own and are not influenced, nor reviewed by the company prior to posting.

Curious George Holds a Special Place in My Heart

Here's a little something you might not know...

My grandparents were quite fabulous New Yorkers in their day and hung out with all kinds of cool people including... H.A. and Margaret Rey - the creators of Curious George. I actually have a signed sketch of George that was given to my Dad when he was little.

H.A. Rey Signed Original: Curious George Looks at the Stars

I lost my dad when The Twofer were just 3 weeks old, so the fact that they share a love for Curious George makes me feel like a little bit of my dad is with them. Even now at six, they still laugh and enjoy Curious George. Most recently we were given a review copy of Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas and they loved it! Even if they grow out of George, I know it will be something they pass onto their children.

What you will love about Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas:

The whole gang from George to The Man with The Yellow Hat to Hundley and Bill are there to help George celebrate Christmas. No matter how much good George tries to do, something always goes wrong... and often that is the silliest part. The music in the movie is great too (a A Very Monkey Christmas CD is available as well).

You might not care for this if:

You have children who are too old to appreciate George and his antics.

You don't celebrate Christmas because there is the whole countdown, tree buying, etc.

For our family, this was a great DVD to have to get us in the mood for the holidays. We love the classics for sure, but having something new to watch was great. And, as Curious George fan, this one holds a special place in my heart.

What's your favorite holiday show?

Janine

Sample product provided at no cost. All views and opinions with regard to the product or company are my own and are not influenced, nor reviewed by the company prior to posting.

A grape SEED Review & Twitter party today at 2:00pm

SEED products are natural, and feel really good

It turns out that grape seeds are pretty powerful things. They can make your skin feel better. They can make your hair feel soft. And they can do this while being green. Take for example Graine de Vie's new SEED body care products. The lotion I've been sampling not only smells good, but doesn't leave a greasy feeling on my hands. And I use less lotion (I'm addicted to lotion in the winter) because the SEED lotion seems to work better.

Tonight I got to try the SEED body bar and shampoo bar. Wha, wha, what? Yes, a bar of shampoo that lathered up really well and cleaned my hair nicely too.  I even used it on the Twofer and I noticed a little goes a long way. I still had to use conditioner to get out the tangles, but I see this tiny 1.5 oz sample shampoo bar lasting, and lasting, and lasting. Plus, SEED products come unscented (great for kids and dads) and a yummy citrus lime (perfect for us ladies).

Shampoo bar comes in unscented and citrus thyme

The SEED story is one we moms can understand

Here's the story of Rebecca and Benjamin, the founders of Graine de Vie and SEED, in MY OWN words (I hope they are ok with that).  One day Rebecca and Benjamin decided to have a baby. Like many of us, bringing a child into this world meant that Rebecca and Benjamin started to think about all the terrible toxins we are exposed to every day. They started to think about the food they ate, the products they used to clean their home, and then the products they put on their body. They realized they didn't like what they were reading. So Rebecca and Benjamin decided to make a line of products that were natural, beneficial, and sustainable.

Want to learn more? Join us today for a Twitter chat about natural products and SEED

I'm participating in the Twitter chat today at 2:00pm (EST) with Grain de Vie and SEED founder Rebecca G., as are a number of other people who have had the opportunity to sample SEED products! We'll be talking about natural products, what motivates us to try and buy them, and our experiences with SEED.

Go here to RSVP with my friend and host ResourcefulMom.

Be sure to follow @SeedPower, @ResourcefulMom, and use #seedbodycare as the hastag! And let me know you'll be there so we can chat together! I'm @twincident on Twitter.

See you there!

Janine

Sample product provided by SEED at no cost and I represent SEED through Buzz Cooperative. All views and opinions with regard to the product or company are my own and are not influenced, nor reviewed by the company prior to posting.