Rubbermaid + Sharpie= Perfect Gift 4 Teachers and Neighbors! Review + Giveaway

Every year I am faced with a similar problem. What do I get for the kids teachers?? This year both of them are in school, so it means I have two teachers, plus Abbie's class has an aide, so that's three. Funds are super tight, we're getting ready to move, the cars just had to be repaired, and well, it's a tough economy right now. Everyone seems to be feeling the pinch.

For Alex's pre-k, we made homemade sugar scrubs and put together a "spa" gift bag for his teachers,  in Kindergarten we made the teacher a picture frame and gave her an ornament, last year he gave his teacher an ornament and chocolate. This year.. well, I think we're going to take it a step further.

If you are looking for a unique, fun, creative, personalized gift to share with your friends and family, then Rubbermaid and Sharpie has the perfect solution. Simply make up a batch of your favorite cookies, fudge or other goodie and “wrap” them in a Rubbermaid TakeAlong decorated with some Sharpie Markers!

It is a great way to let your children be creative and be a part of the gift giving process. Plus, the TakeAlongs can be used again by the receiver so it is not another piece of clutter in their house.

Whether your Aunt is addicted to snowflakes or chocolate chip cookies, Sharpie has a marker for that. Your sweet granny loves your fudge and cannot get enough ornaments decorating every where- Sharpie has a marker for that too! Can't decide what to decorate each Rubbermaid Take Along with? Try different things on each side, like we did for my mom, (see some of our designs in the picture above.)

Rubbermaid Take Along containers are the perfect size to decorate and to pack holiday goodness in. Partner it with a festive design using your favorite Sharpies and you've just turned your gift of fresh baked delight into a personalized gift from the heart. The best part is that the Rubbermaid containers can be washed and reused again, and again. Attach your favorite recipe to the cover and not only does the recipient have a great piece of your kitchen and creativity, but they have something to add to their personal recipe collection. (I highly recommend washing the containers by hand once decorated, as we've given them rigorous testing, and unfortunately the colors won't last forever, but seem to last MUCH longer hand washing them without using a scrubby-sponge.)

Rubbermaid and Sharpie has teamed up to give one of our readers a 15 piece set of TakeAlongs, a Sharpie Stainless Steel Permanent Marker, set of 8 Sharpie Retractable Markers and a set of 3 Sharpie Pen Retractables, to have all of the tools needed to make splendid Holiday Goodies for your friends and family, teachers, neighbors or co-workers.

Here's How:
Check out the awesome designs some fans came up with at the Sharpie Flickr account, Sharpie Facebook Fan Page, and at Rubbermaid's Facebook Fan Page. Tell me which creation you think is the coolest, or the cutest!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER!!

This giveaway is open to residents of the US and CANADA. This giveaway will end on December 17, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org, and all winner information will be posted on our WINNERS PAGE and on this post. Please include a valid email address and your user id/name in your comment. If we cannot find a way to contact you, we will not, we will choose another winner. We do try to email all winners, but due to the volume of giveaways offered on our site, delays can be expected. If you catch your name before we email you, please feel free to contact us first. :) Any unclaimed prizes will be redrawn accordingly and at the discretion of 4BabyAndMom. Special thanks to Rubbermaid and Sharpie for sending me the same product assortment that is also being given away at no cost, for the sake of reviewing. As always, what you have read is strictly the opinion of 4BabyAndMom. Your opinions may differ.

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Rubbermaid Reveal- Reveals What Regular Mops Lack

This thing is seriously my new best friend and the number one item on my brag list, and back to school recommendations. What is it? It's the new Rubbermaid Reveal Mop, and it took all of the problems with "competitors" products and fixed them.

This mop has all of the features any mop should have- a large head that can clean a surface quickly and efficiently, a squirt handle- to distribute cleaner over soiled hard surfaces, and a handle height that was perfect for this 5'10" momma's back! Oh, did I mention that it's eco-friendly?

Now, although I try to be kind to my environment, I'm nowhere near a green mama. I do like products that save me oodles of money though, and with two very messy kids that seem to drop EVERYTHING on the floor, (and a house that is 99% tile or mop-able surfaces), I have tried almost every mop and mop system on the shelf.

I have a steam mop (which I love), but I have to admit- in Florida, it's really hard to whip that baby out anytime the juice hits the floor, or I realize there's dried sauce under my sons chair. It makes it humid inside, which makes my job- as mom, maid, and fine detailer- more difficult. If it's more humid inside than outside, or about the same, and your a/c is on 74, there's a problem. So it seems that I can only use this mop in the cooler "winter" weather, (aka, "a little hot, and an occasional breeze"), which does nothing for summer months, aka, "hotter than Haiti on High Noon".


When I was asked to review this mop, I said yes, and honestly was expecting to be disappointed in the same way that I was with other spray-style mops. I was told it was "new and innovative, and eco-friendly", but I had no idea what that truly meant.

 I often find that most traditional mops and squirty mops have handles that are way too short for me. To mop efficiently I need to hunch over and scrub like nobody's business to achieve a minimal level of satisfactory cleanliness. I find myself in a grumpy, sore mood, and a ball of sweat like I was "Dancing to the Oldies" instead of spot mopping some trouble areas before guests arrive. The long, sleek handle is a breeze to put together- it's together in just a click, and with absolute ease. It takes NO BATTERIES, and does not need to be charged, it's totally user operated.

Thick, soft, reusable microfiber pads provide a huge surface that truly picks up all of the dirt and grime on your floors. I love cleaning with microfiber pads- it's like thousands of extra hands so you don't have to scrub super hard.. plus it always seems super absorbent. I love the size of the head, and the thickness of the pads themselves. No more running to the store because you are out of mop pads.. just pop them in the washer and reuse them. The starter pack comes with an extra pad, to make life a little easier for you to get started!

The spray trigger is a nice size, and the surface area that gets covered is ginormous compared to other brands I've used. Ok, maybe not ginormous, but seriously, other brands I've used halfway squirted, squirted sometimes, I had to squirt 22 times to get one square foot of tile clean- you get the picture. With the Rubbermaid Reveal, I was able to squirt and go, and only on a couple of really dried on areas (under the kitchen table) did I have to re-squirt. That's a record in this 4BabyAndMom house! I did not give this mop to Marissa to try even once, which is totally selfish and not usually my style, but Marissa is a huge fan of a competitor squirt-mop.. er, spray mop. In her house, it might work, but on my tiles it leaves a tacky residue. I have no idea why. I digress.. but I may bring it over for a supervised visitation to get her opinion on it at a later date, as long as she promises not to steal it! (Keep an ear out on our

Going back to the sticky residue.. the Rubbermaid Reveal does not come with expensive refill bottles of spray. It comes with a refillable bottle that you can mix your own cleaner, essential oils, or cleaning solution to keep your budget down, and your floors sparkling. The bottle just snaps into place quickly and easily, and you're ready to go. You will never run out of cleaner again! Need some help finding an eco-friendly cleaning solution? Choose your solution on the Rubbermaid Reveal website.

If you hate your mop, like the ease of spray mops, but hate the cost, I highly recommend this product. In fact, I would go all out and say that I feel that this is a product every home (with mop-able floors!) should own. *THAT* is how much I love this product!

Our friends at Rubbermaid have offered one lucky reader during our Back to School Bash their chance to score the greatest mop I've ever used!! (Ok, I'll stop gushing, and get to it..)

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER!!

Please refer to our WINNERS PAGE for more information on how to claim your prize.


This giveaway is open to residents of the US & Canada. This giveaway will end on August 14, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org, and all winner information will be posted on our WINNERS PAGE and on this post. Any unclaimed prizes will be redrawn accordingly and at the discretion of 4BabyAndMom. Disclosure: I received this product from Rubbermaid to review at no cost. This did not affect my opinion of the product and any opinions expressed are 100% that of 4BabyAndMom. Your experience with these products, website and companies may differ.

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Rubbermaid Junk Drawer Organizer Review + Giveaway

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to try to get more organized in 2010. I have what I like to call "organized chaos". From what my older female friends say, as the kids grow older I should grow out of it, and I can only hope that it's true.

In the meantime, I find myself partaking in Parent Workshops at the local elementary school that teach all about the methods of The Fly Lady,and re-reading a book I read a few years ago, and drifting into a day dream where our cupboards have space for all of our "stuff".

I had the opportunity to condense my reusable container area during back to school with the Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids and that alone has helped tremendously, so when Rubbermaid contacted me to ask if I would be willing to review their new Junk Drawer Organizers. These new organizers are starting to pop up in stores this month, and are the perfect tool for any one looking to have a functional junk drawer.

From Rubbermaid:

The three keys to having a functional junk drawer are:

1. Giving junk drawer inhabitants a specific place to live in the drawer
2. Not throwing things that belong elsewhere in the drawer
3. Cleaning the drawer out every once in awhile

On top of this, Rubbermaid gives the advice that you should set aside an hour of time and clear off a working space that is large enough to hold all the items in your drawer. Then they suggest you "Take a deep breath". This for me, was the most important and useful advice. Very often times, I find myself overwhelmed at the thought of this gigantic pile (even if it's just some junk in the junk drawer), and get discouraged very easily. 

Anyway, after taking the advice off of the Junk Drawer Organization 101 sheet included with my organizer, I got to work.My junk drawer has never looked better.

WANT IT?
Visit Rubbermaid.com to get great organizational tips on all areas of your home, and to find a retailer near you that sells Rubbermaid products.

WIN IT!
Our friends at Rubbermaid want you to get YOUR junk drawer in tip-top shape, so, one lucky reader is going to win a Rubbermaid Junk Drawer Organizer!

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Please visit our WINNERS PAGE for more information on how to claim your prize!

This giveaway is open to residents of the US. The giveaway will end at 11:59pm EST on March 5, 2010. The winner will be chosen using Random.org, and all winner information will be posted on this post and our WINNERS PAGE. Any unclaimed prizes will be redrawn accordingly and at the discretion of 4BabyAndMom. The product above was sent to me at no cost, for the intentions of a product review only. No monetary compensation has been received for this review or post. All opinions expressed above are 100% mine, and your opinions may differ.

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Back to School with Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids! Review and Giveaway

Preparing for back to school in my family means making leftovers for lunch for myself and Abbie, healthy snack choices, and slicing fruit so it's ready to go as I'm packing lunchboxes and running out the door.

We were recently able to review the new Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids Food Storage Containers.

My plastic container cabinet looks like "who did it and ran". There's got to be about 20 different containers, and only about 7 lids, but oddly enough, none of those 7 match any of the individual containers! I hate digging through that cupboard, and every time I do, I end up aggravated and discouraged.

The Easy Find Lids collection is the solution to my annoying problem. The lids snap onto the bottom of the containers, which puts and end to searching through the depths of the cupboard a thing of the past! The Rubbermaid Lock-Its have four locking tabs to ensure a secure seal. (In my opinion, perfect for shoving in a backpack, lunch box, or baby bag!!) The Premier Collection is odor and stain resistant to stay clear for life. The shatterproof thicker plastic is microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe.

My big test was for the green produce saver containers. We go through fruit very quickly in our house, because we can never keep it long enough. The Fresh Vent allows produce to breathe, and the lower Crisp Tray separates produce from the moisture on the bottom of the container. The lids and trays snap together and to the base for easy storage, which eliminates wasted time hunting for missing lids or pieces. It did increase the longevity of our produce, so over all I was very happy.

I get to put it to another test with apples on Monday.

Want it?
Check out the Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids containers online, and print our your coupon for $1 off now!

WIN IT!
Our friends at Rubbermaid have offered one lucky winner their chance to win an All-in-One set of Rubbermaid® Easy Find Lids containers! Your box brand new Rubbermaid containers will contain a total of 20 pieces for you to sample for yourself. This All-in-One Set is perfect for college-bound students!

Here's How:
Head over to Rubbermaid and read more details about the Easy Find Lids containers. Come back here and tell me something you learned about them, and why you want to win.

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This giveaway is open to residents of US & Canada and will end on August 30th, at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Special thanks to Rubbermaid for sponsoring this review & giveaway and for joining our Back to School Bash!

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