Mirra Beauty Products and Giveaway

A few weeks ago, I got the notification that I was chosen to review a new line of beauty products called Mirra,  from the Kroger Stores.  The notification told me that I’d be receiving my samples within the week.  When I received the box, I could not believe what they sent me!  Full size products, beautifully packaged!  I received shampoo, conditioner, moisturizing lotion, hydrating night treatment cream, wrinkle reduction eye cream, body wash and hydrating and detoxifying cleanser.  The first thing I noticed is that the shampoo and conditioner were paraben and fomaldehyde free, the second thing was that they smelled wonderful!  Very light and clean and slightly fruity.  Just yummy.  Aren’t you jealous?  Well there’s no need to be – Kroger has graciously offered to give one of my readers a package similar to the one that I received.  If you’re interested, leave a comment and I’ll choose a winner on Sunday evening, March, 14th.  Tweet the link to this post for an extra entry, but be sure to leave another comment including the link to your tweet!

What did I think of the products?  Well, I’ll tell you.

The shampoo and conditioner were light and clean and although I need a stronger conditioner for my dry, coarse, curly, damaged hair, it was perfect for my daughter’s medium coarse, wavy hair.  The lotion is nice and light, perfect for every day, normal skin care, the facial scrub was just the right amount of friction for a light exfoliant.  My favorite though were the face creams.  Thick, yet not greasy, ultra moisturizing and gentle enough to use every day.  I use them in the morning and at night and they are some of the best face creams I’ve ever used (and I’ve spent some serious money on face creams). I was quite pleased with the products and would definitely purchase them.

From the press release:

mirra products are made with natural ingredients, such as olive oil, aloe leaf juice, and cranberry, bamboo, honey and chicory root extracts.  Proven technologies are used for many of the products too.  For example, the revolutionary oleosome emulsion technology is used in skin care products to deliver long lasting moisture that keeps protecting and nourishing skin long after application.

Click here to read more about these products and to download a $5.00 off coupon and don’t forgot to enter to win your own!

Wait, What?

Is it March 3rd already?  How did that happen?

We’re finally starting to recover here, although we’ve still all got a nagging, hacking cough and we get tired pretty easy.  I’m fairly certain that this was the dreaded flu and while there’s no way to tell without the blood test, which I’m not paying for, I think we survived it pretty well. I do have to say that this is the longest we’ve ever  been sick except for the salmonella/chicken pox/ debacle of ‘07.  Have you been hanging around here long enough to remember that?  *shiver*  This wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t exactly fun either.

In the midst of the sickness we had to get ready for a major shift in our household.  Jim got an opportunity to work for a company out of state and we decided that in this economy, it wasn’t something we could turn down.  So while we were down with the flu, my husband was getting ready for a cross country move – he’s out there right now (I can’t speak too much about it), trying it on for size and if they’re a good fit, we’re going to be a two household family with us here in Florida and my husband in the deserts of Arizona.   This is not the first time my husband has gone on the road and quite honestly, the last time he did, the children were much smaller – this time should prove a whole lot easier.  I’m a self-sufficient kind of girl who can roll with the punches, so whatever’s good for the family,  you know?

The kids don’t really remember a lot of Jim being on the road last time, but with the 80 hour work weeks he was already throwing down with and the fact that everyone is Facebook/Twitter/Blog/IM/Skype connected, it shouldn’t be too bad.  A major upside is that we’ll get to travel to Arizona for visits!  I’ve never been off the east coast of the US, so I’m looking forward with more than a little wanderlust.

Down For the Count

I have not been this sick in years.  And it’s not only me – it’s my children too.

It started on Sunday night with my son and has gone through the three of us, knocking us out. Thankfully, my husband seems immune, but we are miserable!  Aches and pains, a dry hacking cough, a sore throat and a head ache, combined with total exhaustion makes for a very cranky crew!

Needless to say, we haven’t cooked anything or done anything or learned anything or read anything in a week.  We’re hoping that this goes away this weekend as we have some major life changes coming up and I’d really like us to be ready; physically and emotionally.  I can’t talk about it too much yet, but by next week you’ll all be privy to the latest happenings in the casa des Pink.

I also have some great ideas for new recipes and a book review as well as some product reviews coming so please bear with me and I’ll see you next week (hopefully!)

Keep us in your thoughts if your so inclined.  Thanks. xo 0

General Hospital

I’m so excited!  I have been chosen to be an official General Hospital Brand Ambassador!

I’ve been watching GH since before Luke met Laura and I have continued to watch all these years. There have been times that I’ve stopped watching, but honestly, I keep coming back to it, like comfort food; like macaroni and cheese, or a nice glass of wine, or a nice, soft blanket, General Hospital is a very comfortable place to go when I need a break from the real world.

For the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing some GH love with my readers and part of that love is letting you know about a sweepstakes that ABC is running right now in conjunction with Mom Central!  One lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive a trip to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital and have a walk-on role. The sweepstakes is open until February 28th. Enter to win here!

Full Disclosure: I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.

Madly In Love With Me!

Madly In Love With Me™ and necklace giveaway!

Last week the whole family was going out for my daughter’s birthday.  I took a shower, did my hair with no less than four products, a blow dryer and two brushes; then I carefully applied my makeup.  I decided on a pair of black pants, a black decorated tank with a pearl neckline and a gauzy white shirt/jacket.  I carefully chose a pair of coin, freshwater pearl, dangle earrings that were the exact color of the pearls on the tank.  I checked myself in the mirror and as I put on my shoes, my husband said, “You look nice.”  Instead of saying thank you, I made a face and said, “The mirror in my room tells me that I’m cute, but some reflection at some point today will tell me otherwise.”  Both my son and daughter rolled their eyes and my husband shook his head.  I realized that I say things like this all the time and that I say it in front of my son and daughter. As much as I pay lip service to Girl Power and healthy self-esteem, it was crystal clear to me in that moment that the message I’m sending to my children is not one of empowerment, but one of self loathing.

Not exactly my proudest mommy moment.

The very next morning I received an email concerning Self Love Day, Christine Arylo’s inspirational idea and I knew I had to participate! No coincidences, right? Anyway, I jumped on over to their site and downloaded the Madly in Love With ME™ kit.

Now I’m challenging you to do it too.

In addition, one lucky reader will receive the beautiful “me” necklace! The one requirement to participate is to download the free ME-Love kit from and leave a comment here telling me:
-    The self-love dare you took and why?
-    The self -love vow you took and why?
-    Both the dare and vows are in the Madly in Love with ME™ kit.

My Self Love Manifesta:

• I pay  attention to the things that I say to myself,  remembering that I need kindness and gentleness too.
• I say yes to the things that truly nurture me and no to the things that don’t
• I spend time with myself, just being present and enjoying my own company
• I nourish myself with the things that I put into my body and mind
• I spend time each day strengthening myself with exercise, dance, movement of some sort
• I always trust my intuition
• For everything I do for everyone else, I balance it with doing something for myself

Now how about you?

*Disclaimer – I am working with Christine Arylo as part of this blog campaign. I received the necklace in the give away from her to offer to my readers in this giveaway.

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