Palm Pre Plus Review

Palm Pre Plus, Palm Pre Plus Review, Karie Herring, thefivefish.com, verizon

Maybe you have seen all the UBER (yes, I said UBER) promotions for the Palm Pre Plus? I hadPalm Pre Plus, Palm Pre Plus Review, Karie Herring, thefivefish.com, verizon actually only heard of the Palm Pre before I actually received¹ my phone. Completely unaware of all the capabilities, functionality, fun, and the sheer ease of use with the Palm Pre Plus.

First and foremost the Palm Pre Plus is a smart phone. For those of you who are really unsure of what a “smart phone” may be (because really I had no idea until I bought a smart phone); a smart phone is a mobile phone with PC like operating capabilities. In a nut shell your phone is a pocket laptop.

Now as  a smart phone, or pocket PC owner, the first thing to be done other than allowing the battery to completely die and begin charging, is to check for updates.  While I should have known to update my phone and the OS installed on the phone, I made the “assumption” that the phone was current and up to date. I mean why roll out a BRAND NEW phone that you have to install updates to right? (*cough Microsoft) I found my phone needed an update thanks to Twitter. A quick conversation using my #verizonpalmpreplus hash-tag and VOILA! An angel of my friends swoops in to tell me to update my operating system to receive the newest capabilities.

Secondly your phone will have a set amount of storage, memory, etc. Be sure to check your total gig (if any) of storage to determine if your phone will have the capability to handle document storage, pictures, videos, the multiple functions you carry out on your phone. The Palm Pre Plus is a 16GB phone even with the installation of the operating system. The amount of storage allows me to take plenty of pictures, save documents (including PDF’s), and archive my email in the event I want ALL of my email saved to my phone.

Third, be sure that your phone is compatible with your PC or the PC you will be using to back up your information. Since many of us are on the go, we conduct a great deal of business, personal, and miscellaneous transactions on our phones. I personally have all my emails synced on my phone, my calendars, not to mention pictures and fun videos of my kids. Most phones do come with an installation disc for your PC while others simply require that drivers be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website. In the case of the Palm Pre Plus, I downloaded drivers and saved my photos, ring-tones, and videos in the unfortunate event my phone becomes inoperable. In addition to backing up your vital information, you can update and sync all your calendars together with Outlook, Google, Facebook and more!

Palm Pre Plus, Verizon WirelessWith your smart phone being a PC in your pocket, you want your phone to multi-task. I found with my Blackberry this was nearly IMPOSSIBLE! One. Thing. At. A. Time. Which is fine if I was not on the go, dealing with the kids, making dinner and trying to Tweet. Basically, this scenario was never fine!

The Palm Pre Plus allows for the multitasking like a PC. For example, I was talking with my mother the other day on the phone. We were discussing the Celtic Woman concert I am taking her to for Mother’s Day. While speaking with her I was able to minimize the touch screen dial pad on the phone, open my calendar and tell her exactly what time and the day the concert was held. Whereas if I were on my Blackberry I would have had to tell her I would call her back with the details.

The Palm Pre Plus from Verizon is very simple to use. No thick books or manuals to walk you through the functions. Much like a PC with a user friendly layout, operating system, and superior HELP capabilities the Palm Pre Plus is a great choice for any mom or adult on the go who needs multitasking capabilities.

¹ I received a Palm Pre Plus on behalf of Verizon Wireless as part of their campaign to promote the Palm Pre Plus. In no way was my opinion or view of the phone swayed by this factor, my opinion is purely informational as an opinion from a consumer and should be considered as such.

Empty Nest

Boy on beach, San Diego, thefivefish.com

We stepped out of the overcrowded room, onto the open walkway overlooking the pool and began our journey back to the car. Hand in hand with little people who could hold no more than a single digit we walked along the balcony style breezeway to the stairwell. Quiet. The only sound was the pitter patter of the small feet that struggled to keep up with our pace. As we all descended upon the stairwell the silence was finally broken, “I feel like we are forgetting something…someone. A feeling that just is not right.”

I looked back in his direction to see the same expression of sadness and relief. Relief we FINALLY got out of a hotel suite that clearly could not accompany three adults and eight children. The sadness as if we just left or abandoned our child. As we both spoke aloud saying, “He will have a good time….he will have fun” much as if we were trying to convince ourselves that letting our oldest child venture on a vacation without us is perfectly acceptable. The seven days that he will be gone, not to wake in our presence, ask incessantly to play his tauren on my WoW account, his sweet requests for dinner, are gut wrenching.

Boy on beach, San Diego, thefivefish.comMy air way closes off, the burning and blurring of my sight as tears well and I fight the urge to cry. Not even when I was in pre-term labor or when I delivered the twins was I ever away from Grant this long. While I know in my heart he is having fun and enjoying his spring break vacation with his grandmother and cousins he sees only on rare occasions, I cannot help to worry. I cannot fight my bit of empty feeling.  A somberness passes as I accept that my baby is getting older and he will want to spend less and less time with his father and I and his younger siblings.

I see the future that one day my boy will be a man and I can be thankful I spent the best years letting him spread his wings. Departing on small adventures on his own. Allowing him to find himself, his individuality, and finding happiness that we never held him back. The world is his playground and we are there to catch him if ever he should fall. We cannot wait for you to come home, we love you, miss you and hope you are having tons of fun on your vacation Grant!

Love,

Your Overprotective Mama and Encouraging Dad

Pom Wonderful

POM Wonderful

Have you heard of free radicals? In case you have not or are unsure, free radicals are molecules that float around until they bond to something. Free radicals are pollution, sun rays, anything in the air that cause premature aging, tissue damage, and some believe diseases are causes from free radicals.

Science and research are showing that many of our foods are POTENT in anti-oxidants and vitamin C which have been suggested to fight free radicals, improve skin and health. But I won’t bore you with all the great facts about POM Wonderful as a daily beverage to provide you with wonderful health benefits.

And….the beverage tastes WONDERFUL (really….it does), makes for great additions to food recipes, and as the research suggests, good for you.

Our family has been fans of POM for some time and they even have a hybrid tea/juice and is superb! My twins are hooked on POM, 100% pure Pomegranate juice. So much so that I had to restock the fridge as we drank all of our samples rather quickly.

POM WonderfulHowever, before we guzzled all the anti-oxidant goodness that is POM. I made a few spritzers for the kids with POM and Diet Sierra Mist. No caffeine, no sugary hype, and the kids loved it. I also made a wonderful POM reduction glaze for my fruit salad that we served over pound cake. Of course we drank POM Wonderful straight up too….why wouldn’t we?

POM Wonderful is a U.S. product, the orchards are located in California. Whereas other pomegranate juices are a mix of import products from pomegranates from Iran, Turkey, India and are mixed with fillers and other unhealthy additives. As a lot of you may know I am ALL about buying as much domestic and organic products as possible. I want my kids to enjoy every bit of “fruitful” benefits without all the fillers and harsh chemicals.

Not to mention that POM Wonderful pomegranates are like grape varieties, the breeds with wonderful health benefits and the other breeds that just have great flavor. To read more about how POM Wonderful can make a difference in your life and how your family can enjoy it’s many healthful qualities be sure to check out the website. There you can find lots of recipes and find out more information on health matters as well.

Beauty of Mirra

mirra, Kroger, thefivefish.com

Here lies Karie Noel Herring; beauty addict. Hi, my name is Karie and I am a beauty addict. Admittedly I love to try new beauty products and I have cabinets (and truly boxes) filled with tried and true and tried and failed products. I have invested in some of the finest products from France, Switzerland, and I have invested in some of the greatest bargain products available at your local grocer.

mirra, Kroger, thefivefish.com

I recently was presented with the opportunity to try a new beauty line exclusive to Kroger brand stores, Mirra. The goal of the Mirra beauty line is for the effortless beauty care for women which are: Daily – routine personal care; Renew – a rejuvenating time out; and Inspire – quick transformations for a night out. The Kroger Company, on behalf of the Global Influence Network, provided me with the following products to review and share:

  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body Wash
  • Body Lotion
  • Under Eye Wrinkle Cream
  • Daytime moisturizer and wrinkle reducer
  • Night time moisturizer and wrinkle reducer

Here is my take; I truly enjoyed the shampoo, conditioner and body wash. While they are Mirra, Kroger, thefivefish.comsulfate free products they are wonderful for cleansing and moisturizing. My skin and hair do not feel stripped or quenching for thirst like some sulfate products that I have used. Especially because the shampoo and conditioner are the “volumizing” option which tend to strip hair a bit more to give it oomph. The scent is very light and not loaded with perfumes. The body wash, however, is a bit overwhelming with scent. I felt like I was bathing in gardenias. While a very lovely scent, I am not a big “flower” girl.

The body lotion is wonderful! Very smooth and silky and quenching. A little goes a long way and I did not feel greasy, thick, or heavy. Whereas the facial creams cannot be described in the same fashion. The under eye cream is nice, blending well and seeming to absorb well into the skin. However, when I would apply my makeup the under eye cream would appear to cake up and pill off of my face. Almost as if dry skin flaking off.

The day and night creams I was excited to use as well. My skin is not as supple as it used to be, especially because I tended to abuse it in my 20s with smoking, tanning, and inconsiderate care. But the creams seem to do more harm than good. After application my face would feel greasy and as if I had just spent time working out. Furthermore, my face DID NOT react well to the creams and I began to have breakouts. Upon discontinuing use my face returned to a normal state. While the consistency was very nice the cream was NOT for me.

Even though the creams were not for me and the washes and lotion were, doesn’t mean they cannot be your complete and affordable, total beauty regimen. You can win a beauty pack very similar to the products I received myself and receive a coupon for $5 off the purchase of two Mirra products at Kroger and Kroger brand stores. Here is how you can win:

Tell me in a comment your peeve with beauty products or the WORST product you have ever tried.

Extra entries:

  • Follow this blog with Google Friend Connect (right hand side)
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Tweet this giveaway with unlimited tweets, no double entry: Win effortless beauty Mirra full size beauty prize pack with @KariewithaK  http://goo.gl/3wbt Ends 3/23
  • Subscribe to my feed (Worth 3 entries)

CONTEST ENDS MARCH 23RD @ 11:59PM

Judge and Jury

thefivefish.com, judgment

A conversation took place yesterday that really stirred a fire in me. Feelings of disappointment and frustration and general what the hell. The conversation was about how a judgment and rather several judgments have been made about me in many fashions. The verdict was clearly out by my family and the sad part is that I have to present proof otherwise, ALL. THE. DAMN. TIME. Sad really to have to present your own case to the ones in life who should know you best. Secondly I watched as some vicious idiot judged me publicly and without a conscience on the Internet. Bad move moron, and yes, that is my judgment of her.

But what I find more damning is that people claim to be “open minded” and “not judgmental” all the time, yet they make claims that clearly exhibit a form of judgment. More or less they have predetermined a person, situation, fuck it lets just say they assumed for the sake that the euphemism of assumption is fun. Mainly because we can say ASS and we are not referring to a buck toothed cousin of a horse.

What I am amazed by is not by the act of judgment, we all pre-judge to some degree in life, I am amazed by the wicked passing of judgment. The fact people will vomit malevolent statements based on their own ignorance. We were raised by a certain set of ethical standards and morals, or okay not WE, but a vast majority of people were raised in this fashion. These morals and ethical standards began to evolve as we grow through life. Sometimes the evolution means skewed lines or obtuse views or even the idea that these “rules” are tossed aside and ignored completely. However, others are so tightly gripped to their narrow guidelines that their worldly acceptance is so unswerving.

thefivefish.com, judgment

Yes that was my judgment that I think those people are ignorant. I pass judgment, we have all passed judgment, but to judge the PERSON is a separate act than to judge the situation, the person’s beliefs. Albeit judgment does NOT mean we have to destroy an individual, violate their boundaries, assassinate or crucify them in any fashion.

For example, many loved ones in my life CHOOSE to live a different lifestyle than me. More specifically, The Chad’s uncle is a gay man, openly gay. I commend him for his openness in a world that is so cruel and judgmental. His lifestyle is not for me, probably because I am a woman, however we do share a common penile infatuation. Ergo if I was a man, I would be gay. But I do not tell him that HE or his life is wrong, nor do I judge anything else about him or his lifestyle, because his life is not wrong, nor is his love. He is a helluva good man, and good cook might I add! Another example is my mother who has been together with her “spouse,” the man I refer to as my father (step-father for specifics people), they have been together for over 20 years and have not exchanged vows. Do I judge my mother for this, nope. Have I made a judgment regarding living together and marriage and all that “conservative” minutiae about traditional “marriage” and “living in sin?” Sure, but my view is, “Different strokes for different folks.” Considering I am married and have been married for 1o years I can see how my mother may not want to marry again, I can totally see and understand. So I do not judge her, I accept her decision and do not judge to be wrong.

Maybe the fact remains is that people judge so harshly based on his or her own fears, insecurities, bold jealousy, or the flat fact that they REFUSE to accept that other people have a way of life very different from his or her own. Thus they shove their opinion and “their way” down another’s throat, going as far as to violate boundaries, destroy relationships, exhibit public humiliation, and failing to find the even keel to say “I agree to disagree, your life, your decisions, not mine, no bearing.”

I know I have played judge and jury. I was young, still am if you ask me….my 30s are like my 20s only stronger, hotter, and way smarter. But I was very immature and made judgments about people and rather than making a judgment about a choice. I have since paid due to right my wrongs and display a level of neutrality and openness, hence my registered Republican voting card, choice of a democratic president, ALL FOR same sex marriage, and family values. Isn’t that a cluster fuck…

So I ask you, why judge so harshly?  What are we teaching our children with these actions? Have you ever judged so harshly and thought “Why be like the rest of the cattle?” or are you on the opposite spectrum “I am right and the way I know is right and so damn you and your (*insert actions, beliefs, etc)!” Why is agreeing to disagree about views, opinions, and a way of life so hard to do? Does judgment have to do with control? Trying to control others and their actions? What’s your verdict?

Palm Pre Touch

Palm Pre Plus, Verizon Wireless

Since the creation of the iPhone touch screen technology is EVERYWHERE. I had a second generation touch phone from Samsung and when I first got the phone I was thrilled, the touch was so exciting. But then the touch became an issue for me, I could not stand to use the phone. At times when I would be talking on the phone and I would rest on my shoulder the touch would have a life of it’s own. At my earliest opportunity I found a way to get a new phone, so I ran toward a Blackberry for the fact it was NOT a touch and has all the capabilities I needed as a busy woman and mom of three.

Palm Pre Plus, Verizon WirelessBut then I was introduced to the Palm Pre Plus from Verizon Wireless. I do admit I was very leery and hesitant of the phone because it is a touch. I told myself I would not get attached to the phone, I would not like the phone, I would avoid falling in love with the phone. Admittedly I lied to myself.

The touch of the Palm Pre Plus is very precise. Upon touching the screen, the touch response graphics resembles a water drop into a pond. No miss touches, no slips, no mistakes for the touch option. In the event you touch the screen to touch an application or option and you do not touch it dead center the correct application you are looking to operate in the PalmOS will open or nothing will happen. Now the “nothing will happen” is a HUGE plus to me.

I had a touch phone previously that when I touched the screen and it was not precise, it would just decide “Oh hey let’s open this application or option.” Which generally meant NOT the option or application I chose. I enjoy and completely appreciate the fact that Palm allows for a certain level of human error.

Furthermore the touch scroll is controllable. Again the problem with “traditional” touch is when scrolling, the screen would either creep at a snails pace or the screen would scroll so fast and out of hand you would have to creep at a snails pace to reach your destination. The Palm Pre Plus scrolls easily and in the event if the screen is scrolling a bit too fast you can grab it and slow it down allowing the user to find their destination and what they need.

What else is great about the Palm Pre Plus is that the screen goes into a sleep mode when speaking on the phone so that the user does not accidentally touch the screen and options sending the phone into an operating tizzy. The screen also reappears upon movement if removing phone from ear to allow for hangup or dial pad use. However, the screen does go right back into sleep mode again in the event the user is not finished with the call.

If you were like me and have lost faith in the touch screen; have a little faith in the Palm Pre Plus with the responsive, error buffer, and ease of use for operation.

Care4Hire

care4hire.com, nannies4hire.com, thefivefish.com

Do you recall your last date night OUT of the house? Do you know the last time you actually HIRED someone to watch your children? Pets while on vacation? Or maybe even hire a housekeeper to take a stay-cation from housework?

As a mother I have a hard time finding a sitter for my kids. Even when our kids were just THE kid (Grant) finding a sitter to keep up with his high energy and could be responsible was rather difficult. We have a pool and even though the pool is locked and no one can access but The Chad and I we would carry a heavy conscience with “strangers” watching our children with a pool. I relied heavily on my mother and to some degree I still do rely heavily on her to watch my children when I ask. I trust her fully. She is ACLS certified so CPR has got nothing on her, not to mention she is grandma, so the kids love when Grandma Sandy comes over.

Now that the twins are not infants and I am not breastfeeding The Chad and I would like to do a lot more as a couple. Date night, a movie, shopping, or just a break from the kids to gather our sanity. We tried an online sitter service before and the process was awful. Interviewing children (13+ year olds) basically to watch my children. Children should not be watching other children. PERIOD! A hormonal teenager does not have their wits or right mind about them to watch a toddler and a six year old.

Enter Care4Hire.com.

Care4Hire.com is a caregiver service that meets your various needs such as a quality babysitter, housekeeper, tutor, companion/eldercare, pet sitter and Miscellaneous care such as a personal assistant, gardener, party planner, whatever your needs may be. The service provides you with the tools you need to hire the right individual in your home. You can search the expansive database 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by zip code.

Care4Hire.com has been in the industry since 1987 which means they have been time tested and understand the needs of families as they have evolved. The organization also shares affiliations with Nannies4Hire.com a nanny service for families looking to hire a full-time, part-time, summer, or night nanny, or to meet the needs of the family. Both organizations service Canada and the United States.

In addition to sharing the information of this wonderful service I am able to offer ONE (1) lucky reader a one year membership to Care4Hire.com. To enter leave me a comment and tell me what you need Care4Hire.com for in your life? Housekeeper, babysitter, pet sitter?

Extra entries:

  • Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect or tell me you do
  • Subscribe to my feed
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Tweet this giveaway with unlimited tweets, no double comments: Win a 1-year membership to @Care4Hire from @KariewithaK for babysitter, pet-sitter, housekeeper. Ends 3/25
  • Follow Care4Hire on Twitter, Fan them on Facebook

CONTEST ENDS MARCH 25 @ 11:59PM

Get Some Satisfaction

Fragrance

I am channeling Mick Jagger right now…some Keith Richards…because ladies and gentleman. For the first time in over a DECADE. Yes I said 10 years people, big news okay. The first time in over a decade JOVAN has released a new fragrance and the name of the fragrance, so aptly named: SATISFACTION (For Her and For Him).

The Chad and I received a sample bottle to try each and while I was hesitant to try the fragrance, I thought to myself, DO IT. The smell is tantalizing. Reminds me of a warm summer night. The men’s fragrance…I am very particular on men’s fragrances and this one gave me a tingle. The Chad said reminded him of high school….should I be worried? He did have a fondness for high school and drove a motor-home to school, okay enough of that, moving on.

Fragrance

JOVAN Satisfaction for her contains the sweet smells of mango, lotus flower and warm vanilla while the scent for him contains cedarwood, cardamom, grapefruit, and amber. RAWR! These fragrances just hit the shelves at your favorite retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, CVS) last month and are available in a 1.0 ounce Eau de Toillete spray for $18 or $12 for the 0.5 ounce bottle.

But if you want…and I know you really want to, you can enter to win the set of fragrances in the 0.5 ounce bottle size right here. On this blog. Here is your first entry:

Tell me your satisfactions, could be anything, everything, let’s hear it!

Extra Entries:

  • Follow on Google Friend Connect (Worth 3 entries if you don’t already follow…and if you already do….what the heck 3 entries for you too because I love you!)
  • Subscribe to my feed
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Tweet this giveaway with unlimited tweets as long as a  different comment separates your last comment: Get some satisfaction, JOVAN Satisfaction fragrance that is with @KariewithaK Ends 3/20 http://goo.gl/SHlz

CONTEST ENDS MARCH 20 @ 11:59PM

Legoland Adventure

Spring break starts for so many families right about this time of year. Our family wanted and needed to take a vacation. BADLY! We wanted to go somewhere within driving distance, preferably near the ocean, and definitely not any place cold. Clearly the only choice is and was sunny Southern California. The next option was what theme park or entertainment would we arrange for the kids so they could lose their silly minds? We thought about the “traditional” theme park and were dissatisfied with the fact that the entire family would not be able to enjoy the fun.

Until I researched Legoland. Can I tell you that Legoland is THE best choice for kids ages two(2) to oh let’s say probably 13. I scouted the park out virtually through their interactive website and saw all the activities directed specifically for kids. Shows, rides, characters to take photos, play areas with splash pads (water play), playground areas for tots, and let us not forget the almighty roller coaster!

I think that was the best part of the park for myself, The Chad, and Grant was that we could all ride the coasters. He was tall enough to ride by himself and even if he wasn’t, as long as he had a friend or adult tall enough to ride they could go together allowing him to enjoy all the fun. How super cool is that idea? The twins were much the same as well for the rides. Because they are 36 inches tall they could ride a good majority of the rides, but some, and definitely not the coasters, they could ride with The Chad or myself. The first traditional fun ride that Grant went on with The Chad was Aqua Zone and it is THE very first ride you see when you head into Imagination Zone from the entrance.

I personally LOVED this ride because of the spectator involvement. On the platform that overlooks the ride you see six colorful posts with buttons. Little did I know those buttons control air cannons that spout off water in a high powered blast to the wave riders of Aqua Zone. So another mother and I were watching our boys and we decided to gang up on them and fire off as many cannons as fast as we could and as fast as they would recharge. Needless to say we soaked our families and a few others and I was laughing so hard my ribs hurt.

What we really enjoyed about the rides and the entire park is that Legoland reminded us of the biggest carnival that merged with a super cool theme park, minus all the ugly creepy carnies seen at a carnival.

Also do not think that Legoland is just for “boys” because this theme park is a hidden treasure for girls. After taking Grant on his very first roller coaster which was the Lego Technic, which was awesome as he cried in fear and The Chad had to calm him. AWESOME! We headed up the hill from The Imagination Zone into Castle Hill and I started to lose my mind with Sara as we saw princess dresses and face painting. Now this is NOT your typical face painting, imagine your entire face as a canvas of beautiful, girly, glittery color.

More coasters awaited as Grant and The Chad went on The Dragon coaster and I took the twins over to Explore Village and Playtown as they were getting fairly antsy to play themselves. We went on the Legoland Express…SEVERAL times, raced down the slides, played with the Duplo blocks and raced down the slides again. The two of them were having such a ball that I did not think that taking them on any more rides would top the fun they were having at Playtown. I could not stop snapping pictures of them playing with all the fun they were having. Because really this trip and the park is made for kids the same age as my kids. The age where everything is new and full of imagination. After about the 100th time on the Legoland Express and I noticed that the sky began to grow a bit darker we moseyed our way back to the entrance of the park where we enjoyed some quiet fun and relaxation.

Legoland has the Sea Life Aquarium attached to the park and can I tell you…AWESOME! The perfect way to end an exciting fun filled day of rides and running around is by walking through the dimly lit aquatic paths where you feel like you are actually swimming with the fish.

The aquarium is all indoor and truly amazing. The sea life is plentiful and many of the exhibits are right out of the California landscape and they are replicated in a way to mimic the movement of the tides and water at the shore and sea level. Truly fascinating. We wound our way around to a room where we were completely surrounded by fish! The kids were in awe. We were in awe. Again the experience was breathtaking and relaxing. We walked some more where we came upon an area that resembled what would look like an above ground tide pool and a wonderful gentleman who urged us to touch and play with the sea life. Well I could not resist the temptation and began my sea exploration of touching starfish, sea stars, sea cucumbers, which are the COOLEST to touch based on how they look. Grant, the chicken that he is, we coaxed (forced his hand really) into the water to touch and feel as well. Just a really neat experience and very educational.

Legoland in our “fishy” opinion is GRADE A the best for kids. The park is eco-friendly (lots of recycling), far from crowded, has a really great atmosphere, no waiting in lines, the staff is exceptionally easy breezy. Considering that our kids almost got us removed from the park. Just look at them…failing to follow the rules:


Yes all three of the kids…going head first down the slides. In fact Grant was chased by the staff for failing to sit on his behind while going on the Dune Raiders slide.

Way to go guys!

Needless to say if we lived in California we would definitely invest in the yearly membership for our kids to visit Legoland as often as possible. Now that we also know how much fun they had we will be sure to plan more trips and include Legoland in our fun. Thank you so much to the staff of Legoland for a wonderful experience.

*The Five Fish received complimentary media passes to Legoland which were a one day park hopper that included admission for four to Legoland and the Sea Life Aquarium.

Dove for Men

Body Bar

Ladies have you been victim to the disappearing health and beauty products and you do not have daughters or a daughter old enough to enjoy such pleasures? The wonderful shower gel or body sugar you have to pamper yourself for those measly 15 minutes before venturing back into the big bad world of motherhood or even the working world for that matter. Well I know one year I splurged and got the ENTIRE Victoria’s Secret Body by Victoria spa set that included a body shower gel, body sugar (scrub), after shower lotion spritz and body moisturizer. Heaven in a few bottles I tell you.

Until I noticed that slowly but surely my products began to dwindle. My bottles of heaven were not as full as they once were and I KNOW that I was NOT using the products that often. They were my special treat to myself after a long day or to feel ever so feminine that morning. One day the man finally fessed up. He whole heartedly admitted to using MY products. At that time I knew he needed some TLC just as I did.

Body BarFabulously enough the folks at Dove have realized what my husband and I have realized. Men are comfortable with themselves and want to be comfortable in their own skin as well. The new line by Dove is the Dove Men + Care and the soaps and body washes are truly amazing. The technology in the soap process helps to combat dryness, provide gentle yet thorough cleansing that your man (or you men) desire.

The Chad received a package to review of the Dove Men + Care line and when I opened the package I did not want to stop taking in the wonderful aroma of the product. Truly a wonderful and invigorating smell. Strong and musky like a man, but aromatic and a light citrus, almost dare I say floral scent, wonderfully complimentary to any man. While I urged him to use it (like at that moment) he said that night he would try out the new product.

Well my patience could not wait…so I tried the soaps out for myself. What the heck right? He slathered up in Victoria’s Secret why not suds up myself in his body wash? So I tried the body bar and I was pleasantly surprised! I enjoy the Dove brands but I have to say that the men’s bar is MUCH more moisturizing than the standard Dove bars of soap. The scent was light as well, not a heavy perfume as some other mens and standard soap brands. So what did The Chad have to say, “I really like it…nice, not drying, its cool.” Man approved ladies!

Even more, men can share their unsung moments to where they finally reached this comfortable point in their lives from childhood to manhood to fatherhood. Share all your men’s unsung moments with Dove and enjoy the “Manthem.” But the fun does not stop there, enter to win your very own Dove Men + Care body wash and body bar. Here is how:

Tell me your man’s unsung moments or the moment when you knew or when he showed he was comfortable in his own skin. (You must do this before ANY other entries are accepted)

Extra Entries:

  • Tweet this giveaway with unlimited tweets as long as the comment is separated by another entrants comment: Win a Dove Men + Care body wash and bar from @KariewithaK  Ends 3/18 http://goo.gl/miBR
  • Subscribe to my feed ( 3 extra entries if you subscribe, my feed changed with the move)

CONTEST ENDS MARCH 18 @ 11:59PM

Best of luck!