Gaga for Mama Babywear

Gifts can be so universal and interchangeable, who says “rules” have to be set for gifts, the way they are given and the way they are received. I personally enjoy gifts that can be given to multiple people which is why I want to share with you Gaga for Mama Babywear for babes and their mothers.

“Thank you, Mom.”

Have you ever wished that your baby could tell you just how much he or she appreciates everything that you do? Your wish has just come true with Gaga for Mama babywear!

“Thank you” is such a simple, yet powerful phrase. And, I bet you would agree with me when I say that as mothers we sure don’t hear it as often as we would like. Well, now you can! Gaga for Mama baby-wear features high quality bodysuits, printed with inspiring sayings, that will make you feel appreciated and loved every day. They also offer coordinating pants, bibs, and sun hats to make a complete outfit for your baby.

The Gaga for Mama baby-wear line is sold at http://www.DoubleUpBooks.com. Double Up Books is the only bookstore that specializes in books for and about twins, triplets, and multiples for parents and children. Double Up Books will be giving away 2 Gaga for Mama bodysuits to 1 lucky winner. [DoubleUpBooks.com, 2009] *The Five Fish did not receive any products in conjunction with this giveaway.

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Visit the babywear store within Double Up Books by going to http://bit.ly/3aXL7 and tell me which 2 bodysuits you would like if you were the winner (please include size and color info).

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Follow Double Up Books on Twitter and tell me you do
  • Sign up for the mailing list for awesome money saving deals, new arrivals and MORE!
  • Follow my blog, or tell me you do
  • Follow me on Twitter, or tell me you already do
  • Tweet this giveaway (daily RT’s available)-  I’m going Gaga for Mama with @DoubleUpBooks & @KariewithaK http://tiny.cc/RFnJz
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook, (widget to the right)
CONTEST ENDS  DECEMBER 10TH 
@ 11:59 ARIZONA TIME
Best of luck!
*Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency. Click HERE!

Did We Need to Go There

My blog has never been one for controversy. I leave controversy to many face-to-face communications. Body language can be read and understood, as can eye movement, facial expressions, tone. Tone is often hard to communicate in writing. One must be a skilled author to have the finesse to emit tone in the conversation. So controversy as I said is left to the true verbal arena so as not to encounter miscommunications or to misunderstand.

So my tone is about to go to a beaten path NEVER taken before. EVER. I will probably lose blog followers and I am deeply sorry. I will not yield nor apologize for my personal life, my personal decisions, something that completely affects me, with the exception of my husband as he was a very intricate part of my life in this decision.

Once upon a Thanksgiving in 2009 a young woman who spent two days prepping, cleaning, cooking and baking, not to mention caring for her three children. Might I add, two of which are twins in case you are just tuning into the Fish Film @ 11, and I work a full-time job, a real. full time job. Not just the job of mom, you see that is my first job, my real job is my third job, my second job is wife, and my fourth job is business owner. So you see I truly have FOUR FULL time jobs….ah hell five if you add all the housework. So back to it, I was cleaning up after a much enjoyed pie hole stuffing event. Family was gathered on my couch, every seat taken,  reading Black Friday ads, friends were conversing, laughs shared abound. As the crowd began to simmer and disperse I thought I need to call my dear friend who so lovingly called to share in her thanks and love on this day. But in addition to the love to be shared was the hate that this ugly world can bring. Not hate by my friend, the hate of strangers, the hate of those who put up a loving facade to avoid confrontation, the hate spewed behind anonymity to win out in some delusional war of words.

Please be advised that the images you are about to see are repulsive, obscene, disgusting, and horrid. All directed AT ME. I debated on posting these images and by rehashing information I so prayed to disappear, but the glutton in me took pictures of the proof of hate generated by people.

For privacy reasons the images were removed and can only be viewed by invitation only.

As I said. I apologize for any and ALL of you to read this ugliness. I was so physically ill on Thursday I could barely sleep. I was shaking, I was borderline inconsolable. My husband, bless his heart, reassured me to ignore this. It would go away. It did not. The pain did not go away. These people have NOT. GONE. AWAY! The Twitter account STILL EXISTS!!! I thought the account had been deleted, however, I was wrong and hatred breeds and multiplies and yet another account can be created in anonymity so as to further the cause of hatred.

Now here is my beef. I have no problem with someone gossiping at or about me. Whatever, sticks and stones okay. But a FULL ON CHARACTER ASSASSINATION will make this Lionesses blood boil! My sweet little guppy fish exterior will molt into the full on lion bitch I am! What else….NO ONE. I do stress NO ONE has any of this information in the blogging community…oh wait. With the single exception of my sister.

YES. You know her. Brittany Greer. Brittany Hudson Greer over @ The Greer 5.

My flesh and blood. I had attempted to try to keep this between the family. A family feud that she clearly took too far in divulging my personal information to sheer strangers for their personal use to attack me. To belittle, to judge, to bring me shame, to destroy my character, to inflict pain, I can go on and on. Clearly a reprimandable offense correct? One might think considering that a third party went so far as to assassinate my good character, to attempt to destroy my friendships, my networkings, or maybe because the cretin who created this account thought it may be funny to bring pain to someone such as me. If you believe in this…..keep on being a subscriber to your community that is “generously” run and operated by Mom Dot. Because my information seems to have been so “generously” shared and detailed…although I will state that the details in these tweets are clearly misinformed, out of time line, and clearly NONE OF ANYONE’S FUCKING BUSINESS. I also encourage you to continue to be a member of a community that does love to breed controversy as my personal life so clearly became a hot topic in a forum for enjoyment. Or hell maybe just in an email but regardless, the two involved ARE members, very active members of that community. Which further suggests that the negative behavior of public humiliation, belittling and degradation is A FUCKING OKAY with these people. I would love to publicly humiliate…man…I would be such a big girl to do that.

To post pictures of random strangers and discuss their situations may they be unfortunate with other random strangers and call it “fun” or “comedic” hell albeit fucking hysterical right…just a joke.

FUCK YOU and you know who you are. Are those tweets a fucking joke to any of you? If so….I dare you to leave me your FULL NAME to leave up for public humiliation. I also dare…..no….I challenge the lowly individual who so PROUDLY created this account with the original intentions of bashing MY friend Kristin, whether you like her or not, who then decided to turn the object of their desire to me…I CHALLENGE you to come to my blog and apologize to me. Furthermore I CHALLENGE the cretin and or CRETINS who acted in such a distasteful, vulgar, unbecoming, and plebian manner to PUBLICLY APOLOGIZE to myself and Kristin on Twitter and on a blog post that shall stay posted for AN ENTIRE WEEK. To allow those who read it to show their disdain to you. To show you how much of an uncouthful coward you were and are for hiding behind anonymity, your keyboard, and indecency. I also challenge Miss “I am the Community and this is my blog” so shoot me an email…we’ll discuss the details like adults.

Supporting Toddlers Feet with Pediped

A few weeks ago I had a post about a great shoe company on a great mission for a great cause
with a great non-profit. You recall?
NO?! Where have you been hiding! Well here is that post again so you can refresh your memory.

That company was Pediped and I was unsure on how to react to their shoes. I mean kids shoes are kids shoes right? Why all the technology. Well I will tell you why all the technology, the specifications, the tweaks and modifications to standard shoes. Our kids need great shoes for healthy feet and an overall healthy stance.

I bought Big G new shoes at the beginning of the school year and he picked them out because they were “cool.” He grew out of those shoes like PRONTO and I was wondering why he A) ran funny and B) why he was walking funny. I figured out it was the shoes. All this unnecessary garbage in the construction of the shoe and flat out he outgrew the shoe. So while hunting down shoes I also came across Pediped for the Gift Guide and I was so happy they let me have a pair of shoes to review for Grant.

Pediped has this fabulous innovation of soft rubbery shoes that reduce the shock in children’s feet. Pediped also allows for an adjustment insert for growing feet so that the shoes last longer and the uppers are a sturdy leather to ensure even longer wear.

We know how kids blow through shoes in school, so the sturdy leather construction with the flexible rubber sole, not a hard rubber sole, allow kids to get full use out of their shoes and they last well past the time they were “assumed” to expire per normal shoe standards. Did I also mention how his gait is completely different in these shoes?

Grant has a tendency to walk on the balls of his feet and in these shoes he uses his entire foot which is healthy for posture and for your feet. Needless to say the Pediped Flex Fit shoes that we received to review are a big winner in our home and a must buy again since they have the flex fit system with the added insole to extend the life and wear of the shoes. Nowadays shoes are not cheap and the ones that are cheap, in my opinion, are not working for my kids for everyday walking, running, and being a kid.

I know Grant loves his shoes. He truly enjoys them and the style is fashionable, they are not the standard white, blend in shoes like everyone else, they have style, pizzaz, and go with just about everything the boy wears. He personally chose the Kyle in Navy and Orange and we like them because he can put them on everyday without a ton of hassle with the laces. He was really struggling and he likes that they are personal to him since he picked them out.

Pediped is a great choice for parents who are concerned with the development of their children’s feet and is approved by the American Pediatric Medical Association for healthy foot development. [Pediped, 2009]

So if you are looking for shoes this year for your tot, toddler, or small school aged child, checkout Pediped.

Sustainable Shoes with J-41 (Jambu) Shoes

What woman doesn’t love shoes….seriously women love shoes, jewelry, handbags. So the kids reviewed shoes and I thought…why can’t mama review some shoes. I sought out shoes and I wanted shoes that are rugged, functional, classy, comfortable. I stumbled upon J-41 (Jambu) shoes and the collection is phenomenal.

Here are all the features and benefits of this wonderful brand of shoes:

  • Outsoles are made with partially recycled rubber
  • Jeep Designed and trail rated outsoles
  • Quick drying and odor free sock lining
  • Jeep® Memory Foam Footbed Cradles Feet
  • Sizes Range from 6-11
  • ARV $119.00
  • Buy online @ Planetshoes.com

I could list the endless benefits of these shoes but the truth is these are the only shoes I have worn since I received them, they are truly like walking on air. These shoes are stable, light, and seriously the most comfortable shoes I have worn in a long time.

The fabulous feature of this line of shoes is that they are not just trail rated and for hiking. They are versatile from a wedge, sandals, boots. The line also comes in a vegan option for those who are looking for the environmentally friendly option. These shoes are great for the everyday. I reviewed the exact model and color of shoe shown above. Literally, I could die in these shoes. The insoles are probably my favorite part of the shoe.

In Arizona you basically wear shoes to keep you from getting burned by the concrete, if you talk to anyone and everyone who lives in the Phoenix metro area they are always barefoot. Just our “thang” and or we wear flip-flops, you know, Flo-Jo’s! So when I wear shoes I DESPISE wearing socks, I mean truly despise socks, they make my feet feel hot sweaty, nasty and like something is growing. I only wear socks when working out. I love to wear shoes with no socks or hose but the problem is that my shoes stink from wearing no socks with my feet in there. (Mind you…I think feet are the nastiest thing created on a human being) I am just ecstatic these shoes DO NOT stink. None! Nada. Love them and they are super soft. Seriously I could go on and on about how sporty, functional, funky and fun these shoes are, so I will spare you my enthusiasm.

I will let you show me your enthusiasm about shoes, and better yet, about this line of shoes!

If you don’t believe me well check them out for yourself, or better yet, enter to win a fabulous pair for yourself! You pick the pair. Here are your details:

MANDATORY ENTRY:  Go to J-41.com and or PlanetShoes and tell me which pair you would want for yourself and why? This is the pair you will win too!

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Fan J-41 on Facebook
  • Follow my blog, tell me you do
  • Follow me on Twitter, tell me you do
  • Tweet this giveaway! Be sure to add @KariewithaK so I can see you tweeting. (Once Daily tweets allowed)
  • Blog about this giveaway
  • Enter one of my other giveaways (for each giveaway entry come back and leave me a comment example: 3 giveaways, 3 comments)
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook
 CONTEST ENDS DECEMBER 1, @ 11:59 
ARIZONA TIME (MST)
Best of luck!
*Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency. Click HERE!  

Don’t forget to DOWNLOAD your Copy of the catalog

HERE and all the fabulous participants, savings, and giveaways!

Pillsbury Thanksgiving Fun Pack

Anyone ready for Thanksgiving? How about the holidays period? Not me! In fact I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house again this year and I am just at a loss. Totally unprepared. I am in the process of baking my pies (yes they are my signature…move over Martha!) and I know not everyone loves pie, especially the kids.

Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark provided me with a great holiday alternative, cookies! Plus they provided me with some fun Thanksgiving fun goodies.

Cookies you ask? Yes cookies. Wonderful sugar cookies. Kids love sugar cookies. And these wonderful delights (in moderation of course Mom) have a Turkey shaped right into them to celebrate the season. These cookies will help to celebrate and are a great alternative to pies. If your kids happen to object to pie.

Keep in mind these are the great Pillsbury® Ready to Bake!™ and they are for a limited time! Be sure to get them now before the holiday hits and you wish you bought some. Or if you want, you can win some here along with a great Thanksgiving gift pack to help relieve all your stress!

Thanksgiving Fun Pack:
Coupon for a free package of the Pillsbury Thanksgiving Shape® sugar cookies, as well as a turkey-shaped stress reliever, pencil, and finger puppet

MANDATORY ENTRY:  Tell me what stresses you out about the holidays that your stress Turkey will help to relieve….and of course the cookies or what is most fun about Thanksgiving to you! Comfort food…ahhhh.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Blog this giveaway
  • Follow my blog
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Tweet this giveaway (once daily entry, ONLY after the mandatory entry has been met)
 CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 25TH @ 
MIDNIGHT ARIZONA TIME
*Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency. Click HERE!  

Interactive Learning JumpStart Learn N’ Play

Can you see my kids theme yet? I know….more learning. But hey, learning is fun! Here is where learning is really fun and total play time for kids. All within moderation of course. I talked with the folks at JumpStart thanks to my fabulous friend Carissa Rogers (have you met her too? No…go check out her GoodN’Crazy Blog!) and they provided me with access to their online site. If you don’t know JumpStart…YOU SHOULD! Here is a little bit of background:

jumpstart.com, Karie Herring, thefivefish.com, learning games

JumpStart is about 3D interactive, adventure, learning games that stimulate the mind through critical thinking skills, math and reading, this allows your child to “get a real jumpstart in life (JumpStart, 2009).” 


Since 1991, Knowledge Adventure® has set the standard in kids’ software by creating the finest educational products for use in the home and the classroom. Today, Knowledge Adventure’s JumpStart® and MathBlaster® products invite kids to learn through endless gaming adventures in 3D virtual worlds. By blending learning and entertainment, Knowledge Adventure’s adventure-based learning inspires kids’ minds through immersed play. A subsidiary of Knowledge Holdings, Inc., the company is privately-held and based in Torrance, California. For more information, go to www.knowledgeadventure.com and www.jumpstart.com. (Jumpstart.com, 2009)

Now we were already a big JumpStart family as we bought Grant JumpStart software for the PC last year to help boost his kindergarten and first grade learning skills. The games are fabulous as they are created to be very age appropriate and allow your child to grow by leaps and bounds.

The online games are just as interactive and literally HOURS of fun. Grant asks each day to play his JumpStart game which is so good to hear from a mom’s perspective as I would rather he play his JumpStart game than the Wii. Nothing against the Wii, but his current Wii games do not push his brain, they basically allow him to veg out. When he first logged in he was required to create his own “Jumpee” where the character looks like him. From there he moves into the play area and he can choose the different areas to explore. Right now

Right now he is in the underwater adventure in Adventureland and loving it! Adventureland is aimed at kindergarten to second grade. He told me the other day, “Mom, Dad, I really like playing JumpStart. I love playing it over Lego StarWars.”

*GASP
   My Son?
Loves to learn over Lego Star Wars?
Mark the calendar!

So each day that he has good days at school he is able to spend 30 minutes playing the JumpStart games online. We can already see the difference in his learning with the advanced reading, his critical thinking and he is overall excited about learning and keeping his mind engaged. Pretty soon he will be able to move up to Futureland which is designed for third to fifth graders. Have no fear, younger kids can get in on the fun too with Storyland for the preschool kiddos.

But the games are not limited to just online and the PC software that we have purchased in the past. JumpStart also offers two Wii games, Escape from Adventure Island and Pet Rescue for an even greater learning experience for children. Overall the games offered with JumpStart are focused on 3-10 year olds which, in my opinion, is the prime learning age to really spark imagination and push the learning envelope. JumpStart isn’t only for kids, parents can join in on the adventure fun as well, plus JumpStart offers a parents forum.

JumpStart offers the one year membership for $79.99 for unlimited playtime for the full year and here is the best deal you will hear all year JumpStart offers a LIFETIME membership of $149.99. Did you see that…A LIFETIME which is a steal of a deal considering the annual membership is $79.99.

But you my wonderful readers and learners extraordinaire have the opportunity to win a 3-month subscription to test drive and love the LearnN’Play as much as we have. Here are the details to enter:

MANDATORY ENTRY: Tell me how your kids would jump into adventure with learning.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Follow my blog and tell me you do
  • Follow me on Twitter, tell me you do, tweet this giveaway with @KariewithaK (daily tweet entry, ONLY after the mandatory entry has been met)
  • Follow JumpStart on Twitter
  • Fan JumpStart on Facebook
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook
  • Follow my blog on Networked blogs (to the right)
  • Enter one of my other giveaways (for each giveaway entry come back and leave me a comment, 3 giveaways, 3 comments)
 CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 30TH 
@ MIDNIGHT ARIZONA TIME.
Best of luck!
*Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency. 
Don’t forget to DOWNLOAD your Copy of the catalog
 HERE and all the fabulous participants, savings, and giveaways!

Engaging Toddler Toys Alex Toys First Pops First Snaps

Toys can be hit and miss with kids for the holidays. Many years DH and I have hunted for THE BEST toys for the kids only to have ONE be the singular toy they play with leaving us feeling defeated with having spent hours hunting for fabulous gifts. This year we opted to find great gifts that are functional and fun for the kids and not one to be thrown into a toy box.

The twins were a bit harder to shop for this year as they are not quite little kids, they are not babies any more, they are at the precocious toddler age where everything is fun and a learning experience. They also adore Grant’s Lego’s a bit too much that I am afraid of the choke factor. Too many times have I seen Lego Heads and Lego Darth Vader in someone’s mouth, NOT FUN.

I found the First Pops and the First Snaps with Alex Toys that I so graciously received to review for the gift guide. These are fabulous! They snap and of course pop together. Not to mention the fun bright colors which keep the twins’ attention. I also love these toys not because of their click together action and bright colors but for the learning. I know you are sick of me beating the learning term into you, but learning and education are high on my priority list.

The learning for the twins is so important because they were born premature. While they were full grown preemies born at 36weeks, they are still nonetheless premature kids who have the adjusted age and so some skills are slower to them than other children. Such as the fine motor skills.

The First Pops and First Snaps are perfect for this because they have to really concentrate on hooking the pieces together. The twins need to have a sharp eye and a steady hand to click them together to make their wonderful creation. The pieces are also perfect size for their little hands where the toys are not too big where they are fumbling and not too small where they could put them in their mouths and possibly choke. The material is also wonderful because it is a soft, rubbery plastic feel, very pliable but not too pliable and can withstand the beating any toddler can dish out.

Each package of First Snaps and First Pops also comes in a handy carry tote that I know my kids loved. They enjoy helping to put toys and things away in the house. So pickup time was a lot of fun, I think they emptied the bucket at least a half a dozen times while playing and picking up.

First Snaps and First Pops come in packages of 14-pieces and retail for $17.99. So they are not too overwhelming with the number of pieces and they fit right into the affordability range for those families on a budget this year for the holidays. But these are not the only toys that Alex Toys has to offer, they offer a wide variety of toys for infants and toddlers, painting, reading, craft and bath toys, and style such as beaded toys, watches, and jewelry.

*Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.

alextoys.com, Karie Herring, First Snaps, thefivefish.comalextoys.com, Karie Herring, First Pops, thefivefish.com
Don’t forget to DOWNLOAD your Copy of the catalog
 HERE and all the fabulous participants, savings, and giveaways!

Ad or Review, Sweep or Sham

The FTC has ruffled so many feathers lately among bloggers and advertisers. I find the ruckus to be rather amusing. The FTC is based on fair trade for consumers and vendors alike. My personal dealings with the FTC were brought to my attention over 10 years ago when working in the car business. You see that MSRP sticker…what we call the Maroney, is there because of the FTC. The “Buyer’s Guide” on all used cars is really a FTC disclosure that dealers were or are not implying nor stating that the vehicle you are purchasing used has any warranties implied or there within, but the vehicle is “As IS” if not otherwise stated.

Full disclosure is fun.

Now here is what is even more fun. When PR or a vendor asks for you to review their product they are basically asking for advertising, free advertising on your blog. Well I should not say FREE, because technically PR paid for the product and or “sample” to send to you for you to promote and you receive and keep said product for payment. But here is what is fun about bloggers. Some claim “cut and paste” of press releases, which is completely fine as LONG AS the press release adheres to the FTC guidelines of “deceptive, unfair advertising” [Source: FTC, 2009] and to be sure that the wording is not making specific “claims” expressed or otherwise.

Your opinion is one thing, the copy and paste….well no harm really in doing that UNLESS the press release falls into the aforementioned of “claims….deceptive and/or unfair advertising.” In which you and the advertiser will be fined. Plain and simple.

Now…..lets move past the already rehashed and regurgitated bullshit of ads, reviews, FTC, bloggers, blah blah blase and into Sweeps. Yes, giveaways, contests, swag for loot whores. We are all loot whores. Who does not want free goods. Who does not want anything free? Sweeps have been scrutinized heavily on the conduct, the integrity, the moral fiber in which they are threaded through the blogosphere and otherwise. All the rules are basically the same, Tweet, follow, comment, blah blase.

Did you know this is more than likely against the law? Yes. Just like the claim telling someone that their charitable contribution is unlawful for extra entries into a sweep, your blog sweep….MY BLOG SWEEPS are more than likely unlawful. While we are offering the “no purchase necessary” catch line, technically we are requiring people to visit our blog to enter. They have to enter that way right? Guess what…NOPE. In fact, we can offer postcards for entry. Don’t believe me….read more….then have fun bickering and creating rules amongst yourselves. Be advised….the FTC also has oversights into sweepstakes as well…..if you thought the FTC was crawling up asses before….maybe you should be more aware of your “compliance” and actually read up on the FTC, what they do, how they represent YOU, other consumers, etc.

 

This post has every intents and purposes to be informative.
In no way attacking, finger-pointing, accusatory, and should not be considered as such.

Are there any rules about ads for contests or sweepstakes?

Sweepstakes-type promotions that require a purchase by participants are illegal in the United States. Other agencies, including the United States Postal Service (USPS) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), also enforce federal laws governing contests and prize promotions. And each state has laws that may require promoters to make disclosures, seek licensing, or post a bond. Since state laws vary, check with the Attorney General’s Office in the state(s) in which you plan to advertise. If a contest or promotion involves telephone calls, the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule requires specific disclosures, such as the odds of winning a prize, how to participate without buying anything, and that no purchase or payment is required to win. If pay-per-call services are involved, the FTC’s 900 Number Rule requires certain disclosures. For more information, ask the FTC for the publications Complying with the Telemarketing Sales Rule and Complying with the 900 Number Rule. [Source: FTC, 2009]

Create a Healthier Soda Stream USA

thefivefish.com, Karie Herring, soda SteamDo you have a family or family members that have everything and you are stumped. Truly you are at the gift giving conundrum pass of what to give as the perfect gift for someone or for everyone who has everything?

I could bet you they do not have their very own fountain soda system. Seriously.

Who does not just love that fresh mixed taste of a cool refreshing soft drink? Like the one from soda fountains from years of old. The bubbly beverage calling your thirst, quenching your every desire. Yes I am still talking about Soda, Pop, Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, 7-Up, whatever you may call it.

Karie Herring, Thefivefish.com, Soda Stream USA

My family is not big soda drinkers anymore, but we love to have a soda every now and again. But the cost effectiveness of buying a whole package makes better economic sense as opposed to the cost of just the single soda  (Yeah do the math). However, the environmental issues also weigh in with all the packaging and waste. Imagine no more useless bottles, cans, and or cases. Imagine fresh, straight from the fountain style soda right in your home. Or better yet, sparkling water. Ever heard of Perrier?

Soda Stream USA would be the best fit for the family who enjoys soft drinks on all levels. From sparkling water, to Red-Bull type drinks, cola and diet cola, and who could forget the family favorite of root beer (and root beer floats!).

Want to know how it works, just watch.
Soda Stream USA from Karie Herring on Vimeo.

Easy peasy right?! So you are wondering what other flavors are there? How hard is it really to make? No electricity? Bottles? Where is the catch?

Nutritional info straight from the website:

As you can see….the Soda Stream sodas have LESS sugar, sodium, caffeine, and calories than commercial sodas, well at least the two flavors listed that are comparable. Speaking of flavors.

FLAVORS:

Karie Herring, thefivefish.com, Soda Stream USA review

  • Cola
  • Cranberry Raspberry
  • Cream Soda
  • Fountain Mist
  • Ginger Ale
  • Lemon Lime
  • Orange
  • Pete’s Choice
  • Root Beer
  • Tonic

FLAVORS to come:

  • Cherry Cola
  • Peach Iced Tea
  • Lemon Iced Tea
  • Lemonade
  • Orange Mango
  • Grape
  • Zero Cola
  • Diet Peach Iced Tea
  • Diet Lemon Iced Tea
  • Diet Lemonade
  • Diet Energy Drink

As you can see by the video….not hard at all to make. Follow the easy peasy instructions and you have yourself some super fountain drinks. Oh the issue of electricity, yeah, none needed since the whole operation is based on the CO2 (carbon dioxide) canister where the CO2 is shot right into the soda bottle. Oh right, and the package comes with a One Litre bottle that is BPA free. The whole system is completely environmentally friendly. The CO2 you ask? Well you buy those from Soda Stream, send them back your old ones to recycle when you order your new ones. Much like printer cartridges.

Are you ready to add one to your kitchen appliances? You are? Or maybe for a loved one who LURVES a nice cool, bubbly fountain drink but hates to keep running to the store for more?

Here is what you are entering to win: Fountain Jet Soda Lover’s Start-Up Kit (approx. $100 retail value.) It includes the winner’s choice of black/silver, white or red/silver Fountain Jet, CO2 to make over 100 liters of soda, 2 reusable carbonating bottles, a sample pack of flavors, and 3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice

MANDATORY ENTRY: Check out Soda Stream and tell me the system you would want and your top three flavors, new coming or otherwise. (Be sure to leave your email or make your blogger profile public, no email, no entry, sorry.)

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Follow my blog or tell me you do
  • Follow me on Twitter or tell me you do
  • Follow SodaClub and tell me you do
  • Daily Tweet option “Better than soda in a can giveaway from @SodaClub @KariewithaK http://tiny.cc/cE2g0 “
  • Blog about this giveaway in 25-100 words (not that hard…..for 5 extra entries)
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook
  • Enter one of the other giveaways for an extra entry
Don’t forget to DOWNLOAD your Copy of the catalog HERE and all the fabulous participants, savings, and giveaways!
CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 23RD @ MIDNIGHT
Best of luck!
 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.

Travel Business Class with High Sierra Sport Giveaway

luggage, high sierraDo you find your husband travels quite a bit for business? (Maybe even you do as a working mom.) I know my husband travels quite a bit for work and he is constantly complaining of the amount of luggage he has to take with him which usually consists of his overnight bag, laptop bag, and sometimes literature for meetings (which maybe consists of another bag as well). All his gear bogs him down that he decided  he needed a bag that would double as an overnight bag and a laptop bag, but supply enough room for his paperwork, gear, everything you need when traveling on a business trip.

High Sierra Sport Company, Luggage, Thefivefish.comI searched HIGH and LOW on the internet for a bag to meet his needs. Believe me I searched. I finally came across High Sierra Sport Company and I was IN LOVE! I knew I found the bag the hubs could use as a laptop bag and an overnight bag allowing for enough room to pack all his gear. The bag I found with High Sierra Sport Company is the AT505 Carry-On Wheeled Backpack (MSRP $300, found in stores for $149.99). This piece of luggage is a BEAUTY and I have yet to see anyone make anything like it yet. The backpack on the front of the wheeled carry-on, zippers on and off as a day-pack or in his case doubles as a laptop, briefcase type bag. The luggage also makes for a smooth transition through the security checkpoints, where he is not fumbling through a couple of bags or having to check any of his bags. While we were also looking at all the features, the entire piece has backpack handles! You got it, the entire thing doubles as a backpack if you are not wheeling it through airports and or hotels.

Weight must be an issue right? With the fact it has the day pack, its a roller bag, the weight must be atrocious. WRONG! I thought that too until I started throwing it around. We even loaded up both bags to see how heavy they are. Not a problem! The features are totally, can I just flashback to the 80s, RAD!

  • Duraweave and Metallic mini-weave: Not your average luggage, the material is rough and tough.
  • Corner-mounted sport wheels: Inline skate-style wheels have corner-mounted housings with a unique integrated bridge to keep the bag rolling true.[High Sierra Sport Co, 2009] Which this bag does! Most wheels tend to bind or they drag like you are pulling luggage with a body in it. I mean what more could you ask for in a luggage and bag company that is the official supplier of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard teams. HOLLA!!
  • Aircraft aluminum pull-up handle: This feature equates to a sturdy handle that is not flimsy.
  • Custom-molded zipper pulls: Do you not hate those stupid metal zippers that are cold, your hands slip off, and they are heavy. These are designed to reduce the weight of the bag and make for an easier grip.


What else I love about this beautiful piece of luggage? Well two things, the colors are GORGEOUS! Stunning bright and fashionable colors and I plan on snagging this beauty to take with me to BlogHer2010. I will be able to stash my laptop, my swag (oh yeah….did I tell you….this is a THREE part giveaway, this is Piece ONE!), and all my clothes! I could not be more stoked!

Oh the giveaway part….right! Yes, you my faithful readers can win one of these wonderful pieces of luggage to add to your traveling needs.

RULES:

MANDATORY: Leave me a comment telling me what your biggest peeve is with traveling and how High Sierra would be a fabulous piece of luggage to ease your traveling woes. You have to check out their site and tell me which piece besides this one would be fabulous! (Be sure to leave me your email address, no email address, I cannot tell you that you won! How crap-tastic would that be!)

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Fan High Sierra on Facebook, by doing so….you can enter to win a piece of luggage EVERY WEEK with them! How fabulous is that!
  • Follow them on Twitter! Lots of info of when the giveaways are happening and all their awesome product updates!
  • Follow my blog and tell me you did
  • Follow me on Twitter and tell me you did
  • Tweet this giveaway “Innovative luggage giveaway for your lifestyle from @KariewithaK and @HighSierraSport http://bit.ly/1sx6Ov” Tweet this at least once a day and tell me you did
  • Fan the Fish On Facebook (to your right) and tell me you did
  • Blog about this giveaway in 50-100 words (Worth 5 entries!)
  • Subscribe to my feed in a reader or email ( I do verify by the way)
  • Enter one of the other MANY giveaways! (Worth an entry for each giveaway you enter! LOADS)
DOWNLOAD your Copy of the catalog HERE to see what other great products will be featured with awesome money savings for the holidays and of course giveaways!
CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 13TH @ MIDNIGHT
Best of luck! Be Fair and as always tip your servers.
*Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.