Summer Cleaning with Baking Soda!

I received Arm and Hammer Baking Soda from Smiley 360 to try and clean the house in different ways. Here are some different ways you can use it this summer:

• Sprinkle it in your running shoes, tap out the excess before you wear them. They won't smell funky anymore!
• Run an empty dishwasher cycle with some baking soda and it'll clean out the machine.
• Sprinkle some on your carpets, wait 15 minutes, then vacuum!
• Put a small amount in the bottom of your kitty's litter box, put the litter on top. It can help reduce the smell.
• Use 1/4 cup baking soda and scrub your toilet with it.

Do you have any other ways you use baking soda around your house to keep it clean? Let me know!

Thanks Smiley360 for the free Arm and Hammer baking soda!

Blossom Vox Box

I received a Blossom VoxBox from Influenster! It's probably my best one so far, I was really excited to qualify for and receive this one.

Inside was:

• two bags of Beanitos chips: chipotle bbq and sea salt. Made with beans, not corn or wheat. 4g of protein and 6g of fiber.
• Hair Food Root Cleansing Shampoo: this was the thing I was most excited about. The smell is fantastic, almost spicy. And the size was huge.
• Bear Naked Granola, two bags: coconut almond curry and sea salt caramel apple. I might try mixing these with yogurt?
• Nasoya Pasta Zero Noodles: I'm also pretty excited to try this, we are huge into pasta in my house but this is so much healthier than regular pasta.
• NYC New York Color City Proof 24HR Eye Shadow, in Brooklyn Mocha: I've worn this twice already, it's a great shimmery bronze color.
• Australian Gold Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30: this will be good for the summer, definitely. We enjoy camping, and I'm pretty fair skinned, so I'm prone to burning.
• Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs in medium: this has me a little nervous to try. I like the Neutrogena version of this a lot, and this Sally Hansen looks pretty dark. I'll have to give it a shot.

Overall, this was an amazing box. Great variety, wonderful product sizes. Thanks, Influenster!

Influenster

NYC New York City Color Proof 24HR Eye Shadow

(Full disclosure: I received this product free to try through Influenster)

I ended up with the NYC New York City Color Proof 24HR Eye Shadow in a great shade: Brooklyn Mocha. It's a fantastic shimmery, bronze color (I refuse to outgrow shimmer).

I have a horrible habit: I am an eye rubber. Without even thinking, I'm pushing my palms into my eyes and messing everything up. But I caught myself doing that a few times today, and even though it happened, the color lasted. I did not use primer on my lids, and even without, it lasted and had great color.

The packaging is pretty convenient: I'm a sucker for makeup that has that chunky, crayon feel. It makes it seem 'dummy proof', and sometimes I'm a makeup dummy. So, overall, love it! Kept my eyes bright and shimmery through the day, even with my bad habits.

facebook.com/NYCNewYorkColor

New York Color

SweeTARTS Soft and Chewy Ropes

Got a package from Smiley360 in the mail today! Free SweeTARTS Soft and Chewy Ropes. I guess these used to be called Kazoozles? I had never had them before, but I immediately opened the package for myself and finished them off. They were the Cherry Punch flavor, and they were so tasty.

The texture is fantastic, way better than Twizzlers. 3 ropes is 140 calories, which for candy is not bad AT ALL. What's nice is Nestle puts on the back of the package a bubble that says, "Know Your Portion!" and it tells you that one rope is 45 calories.  It's got a clear list of ingredients, nutrition information, love it. It also doesn't have any artificial flavors or colors, which is something I can't say I've ever seen from a candy.

I definitely recommend these, I plan on going and getting myself some more! Thanks, Smiley360!

SleepIQ Technology

I visited the Sleep Number store yesterday and was really impressed right off the bat by the customer service. The employees helped me out right away and knew immediately what to do with me since I was there through the Smiley360 program. The first step was to test out a bed and find my Sleep Number. Timothy helped me find my number (35), and showed me on the computer screen how the alignment changes from a setting of 100 to my setting. Also, he showed me how the bed can help me out since I'm a stomach sleeper. He even helped me find the right kind of pillow for me! I had no idea I'd been sleeping all wrong.

After that, he walked me through the SleepIQ app on an Ipad (even though you don't have to have an Ipad to use it). It tracks your sleep patterns on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. It also lets you input things like your exercise or caffeine usage to see how that impacts your sleep.

Right now they're running a Veteran's Day sale, so get in now if you're a member of the military or a previous member of the military. It's a great discount!

Overall it was a great experience, and definitely has me thinking more seriously about a SleepNumber bed.

(Disclosure: I was chosen through Smiley360 to go and test this technology in return for a free pillow from the SleepNumber store. My opinions have not been impacted by this free gift.)