Scott Naturals Tube Free Toilet Paper Review & Giveaway

Toilet Paper is something that we all need and keep in stock in our households.  We are all familiar with the life cycle of a toilet paper roll.  Open package, install new roll, wipe, flush, wipe, flush, wipe flush, etc. Remove little cardboard tube and dispose of in the trash.  Repeat.  Well, did you realize that the little cardboard tube that you throw away at the end of the roll is actually responsible for 160 million pounds of trash annually?  That's right.  160 million pounds of trash.  In fact, U.S. households dispose of an estimated 17 billion bath tissue tubes annually.  In all honesty, I had never even considered the environmental impact of toilet paper tubes until I was contacted by a Scott Company representative asking if I'd like to try the new, innovative Scott Naturals Tube-Free toilet paper.

With tube-free you get the best of both worlds – help reduce waste with no price increase. That's right... no difference in price.  The same soft tissue that Scott is known for, and less waste filling our nation's landfills.  Currently, Scott has just rolled out a limited release of the Scott Naturals Tube-Free in the northeast U.S.  Scott Naturals Tube-Free is sold exclusively at select Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores in the northeast United States. Check out your nearest retailer here and the Scott-Naturals Tube-Free website to learn more.

After using just 1 roll, I'm already a fan of Scott Naturals Tube-Free.  At only $8.50/12 pack, I really think it's a great value for a high quality product.  The product itself is soft, absorbent, and reliable for even the toughest of jobs.  It still rolls around on the toilet paper holder just as if it had a tube, so you won't be left with too little or too much tissue for the job.  ;)

Are you interested in getting a sneak peak of this innovative new product?  Great!  2 lucky readers will each receive (2) 12 packs of the all new Scott Naturals Tube-Free.  Just leave a comment on this post to enter.  10 additional entries can be earned by doing some or all of the following:

 

• Become a follower of Thou Shall Not Whine (3 extra entries!) *Just click the little "follow" button on the right-hand sidebar, then leave me 3 additional comments stating, "follower #1, follower #2, etc."
• Follow my blog on Facebook (2 extra entries) *click on the networked blog button on the right-hand sidebar, then leave 2 additional comments stating that you did!*
• Grab my button and display it on your blog (2 extra entries!)
• Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back to it. (2 extra entries!)
• Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post. (leave an additional comment here to count as your entry!)

This giveaway starts now and will conclude on Wednesday, December 8th, at 11:59pm EST. Winners will be selected via Random.org and contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be chosen.

Disclosure Statement: Product, image, and information were sent to me by Scott for the purpose of this review.  All statements above are my own.

Late Winner Announcement

Wow.  Sorry for the 5 day delay in posting the very lucky winner of the Macaroni Grill & Wanchai Ferry Meal Kit Prize Pack.  I've had a whole lot going on including starting a new job, adjusting to life as a part-time working mom, hosting Thanksgiving, my 30th (agh!) birthday, etc. and I'm afraid that all of that has left me very little time to focus on my blog.

Enough about that though, I'm excited to announce that the winner of the Macaroni Grill & Wanchai Ferry Meal Kit Prize Pack is post #190, Jen, who said, "I blogged about your giveaway."  Well, thanks for the shout out on your blog, Jen, and I hope you enjoy your prize!

A big, gigantic thank you to Macaroni Grill, Wanchai Ferry, and MyBlogSpark for providing the great product and gift card!

Wanchai Ferry & Macaroni Grill Boxed Dinner Review and Giveaway

Who doesn't have trouble coming up with something to cook for dinner?  Seriously.  Is there anyone out there that finds making a family dinner easy and exciting day after day after day?  Nope.  I didn't think so.

I am most certainly guilty of the last-minute fast food run because I don't have anything planned for dinner.  And while we're coming clean I guess I should admit that cereal for dinner is a weekly event in my house.  That's why I was really excited when I was contacted by MyBlogSpark about trying out some delicious dinner kits.  Wanchai Ferry & Macaroni Grill have made it super easy to make a homecooked meal in a short amount of time without shopping for a million different ingredients that you can't even locate in the supermarket.

These handy, affordable dinner kits allow anyone to enjoy an Asian escape with Wanchai Ferry restaurant-inspired dishes by simply adding your own protein to delicious entrees like Cashew Chicken, Spicy Garlic Chicken, Orange Chicken, and Kung Pao Chicken. Or perhaps you are more in the mood for a tasty Italian meal, in which case you might want to whip up one of the Macaroni Grill favorites such as Chicken Piccata and Angel Hair Pasta, Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken & Pasta, Chicken Alfredo with Linguine, Garlic & Herb Chicken Penne, and Chicken Marsala with Linguine.

These kits are a great way to have a special meal at home and create a "date night" atmosphere without going anywhere at all!  I've personally tried several of the kits and our favorites include Orange Chicken and the Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken & Pasta.

Want to try these to make an easy dinner for your family?  Great!  Wanchai Ferry & Macaroni Grill are giving away a prize pack containing 2 dinner kits and a $25 Visa Gift Card to one of my special readers!

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me which meal kit you would most like to try.  10 additional entries can be earned by doing some or all of the following: (leave an additional comment for each additional entry.)

• Become a follower of Thou Shall Not Whine (3 extra entries!) *Just click the little "follow" button on the right-hand sidebar, then leave me 3 additional comments stating, "follower #1, follower #2, etc."
• Follow my blog on Facebook (2 extra entries) *click on the networked blog button on the right-hand sidebar, then leave 2 additional comments stating that you did!*
• Grab my button and display it on your blog (2 extra entries!)
• Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back to it. (2 extra entries!)
• Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post. (leave an additional comment here to count as your entry!)

This giveaway starts now and will conclude on Friday, November 26th, at 11:59pm EST. Winners will be selected via Random.org and contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be chosen.

Disclosure Statement: Dinner kits and Gift Card were sent to me by Wanchai Ferry & Macaroni Grill through MyBlogSpark for the purpose of this review.  All statements above are my own.

Age Is Just a Number

Or is it?  It's hard to believe that in 16 short days I'll be leaving my 20s behind forever.  That's right, folks.  I'm turning the big 3-0 this month.  My husband was kind enough to remind me of that glorious fact last night as he stated that he was going to contact our Allstate agent to inquire about lowering our rate since I'll be over 30.  Over 30.  That just sounds so.... old. 

I know, I know.  Age is relative.  People who are reading this that are in their 40s, 50s, and beyond are probably like, "Whatever.  Get over yourself.  30 is so not old."   But each time we begin a new decade in our lifespan is significant.  20 sounds carefree, young, hip. (I am not any of those things, but we are talking about image here people...)  30 sounds mature, responsible, settled.  (words that probably describe me better.)  Looking at it that way shows that I'm ready.  I mean, I'm a mom of 3, have owned 3 houses, have things like cornstarch, paprika, and thyme in my pantry so I'm definitely ready to become a 30-something. 

And its a good thing I've got a great man who's always on the lookout for all of those Old Lady Discounts I'm now eligible for.

Socially Unacceptable

Lately Joey has displayed some less-than pleasant behaviors in public places and I'm wondering what can be done to make him more aware of what we can and can't say/do in the company of others. 

For example, while we were out to dinner last week, Joey said, "there's something wrong." We asked him what was wrong and while tugging at the backside of his pants, he announced loud and clear, "There's something wrong with my butt."  We all laughed of course, because it was so unexpected and candid of him, but inappropriate nevertheless.  Another example: Yesterday while I took my crazy train (3 kids in 1 cart) to Walmart, every 4 minutes or so Joey would shout out from the back of the cart, "I have a booger!" He yells this at me whenever he has the slightest bit of moisture in his nostril, and follows it up with, "Get it, get it Mom. Get my booger!"  I explained to him that he doesn't need to be shouting about boogers and he can just ask me for a tissue, but he obviously enjoys saying booger (don't we all?) and now just says it more often when we're home or not.

A couple other bad habits that my kid displays in public includes but is not limited to: butt scratching, telling me he's going to spank me if I say that to him one more time (where the heck would he learn that?!?!), "tooting" followed by an announcement that he did, and removing his socks and shoes while demanding that we "pell his stinky feet."

I know that this is normal, and there are probably many other mothers out there who go through mortifying moments while shopping or dining with a loud, energetic 3-year old boy.  What are we supposed to do though?  Keep them cooped up in the house until they grow out of it?  Wait a sec.  They're boys.  They will never grow out of it.  I have a feeling the inappropriate language will just get more foul, and the gestures and bad habits will just get worse.  I mean, what man doesn't think that farts are funny, and scratching or "adjusting" as we call it in my house, is completely fine to be done in the presence of others?  So I guess at 3, the apple doesn't fall far from the socially unacceptable tree.

Shutterfly Winners

Congratulations to post numbers 23, 11, and 5, Sharon, Abi, and Alyssa, respectively.  Thanks for entering and following ladies!  Hope ya'll enjoy your free cards from Shutterfly!

Thanks to the folks over at Shutterfly who were nice enough to pass along these codes for myself and my readers!

A Lesson Learned

This is a warning to all the other mothers out there with a pair of fabric scissors, a spray bottle, and a fine toothed comb: Leave the hair-cutting to the professionals.  I feel so strongly about this that I shall rephrase for clarification:  Do not assume that because you have scissors you are qualified to be a hair stylist.  Kinda like how you may own a light bulb but are in no position to call yourself an electrician.

This picture may explain better than my words can:

I'm pretty sure it is time for me to hang up my scissors.  Or just put them back where they belong: in a craft drawer limited to cutting fabric, ribbon, paper, and other things that are not attached to the bodies of my children.  It was only 1 month ago that I came to terms with the fact that Olivia's inheritance of my ridiculously tall forehead had already made her predisposed for a life of having bangs.  I assisted my mother in cutting her hair that day, watching carefully so that I could follow up with the necessary bang-trims in the days, months, and years to come.

Obviously bored and feeling restless from this rainy weather we're experiencing, I decided it was time to get out the old spray bottle and scissors.  BAD decision.  I repeat: VERY BAD decision.  I couldn't get an even line so the bangs just got shorter and shorter and shorter until I realized they were like halfway up her forehead.  I didn't know what to do at that point, and there is a spot right in the middle of her head that is shorter than the rest but I knew if I didn't stop there I'd be in even more trouble.  More trouble?  As if that's possible.  But I did (thankfully) stop.  They are now an uneven hot mess of too-short bangs that don't even transition well to the longer hair in the back.  The picture actually makes my styling look good. (sorry for the low-quality, my camera battery needs recharging so I had to go with my ancient cell phone...)

It should have been Katelyn.  She is the one who's hair I was combing this morning thinking it was really time for a cut and style. However, she's never had her hair cut before, and I'm not so good with starting from scratch.  I figured Olivia was a safer choice considering the groundwork had already been laid for me.  Apparently I was wrong.  There is no safe choice when it comes to me cutting my children's hair.  With the right equipment (scissors, spray bottle, comb) I'm a danger to myself and those around me.  Actually just those around me.  I would NEVER attempt to cut my own hair.  It's just theirs that I like to ruin.

Guess that holiday picture I was hoping to capture in the next few weeks will have to wait.  Anyone know of any vitamins or supplements I can give this kid to make her hair grow faster? (maybe that eyelash growing stuff will do the trick?) I was really hoping to be early with the Christmas card this year...

Frito-Lay Giveaway Winner

First of all, I want to send out a HUGE thank you to all who entered the Frito-Lay Giveaway!  I was pleasantly surprised by the number of entries I received, and I wish I had a prize pack for each of you.  That being said, I only have 1 prize pack and the lucky winner of that is post #194, Naynays1 who said, "follower #3."  Congratulations Naynays1, and thanks for following!  And a special thanks to Frito-Lay for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!

Not a winner?  Don't fret... I have lots more giveaways coming, including this one for some Free holiday cards from Shutterfly!