Company: General Mills / Atari
Item Reviewed: Big G Retro Prize Pack
Item Given Away: Big G Retro Prize Pack
Start Date: February 22
End Date: March 8

It’s time to dust off your sweat bands, leg warmers and neon tees and head on over to your local Target to moon walk down the cereal aisle, as Big G cereals have brought back their “Retro” themed packaging, 80’s style. Big G cereals will be channeling their Retro roots and to help celebrate, they have partnered with Atari, bringing classic 80’s games like Asteroids, Missile Command and Centipede to your breakfast table.

Collect all 5 different packages that include totally radical Atari Activities on the back of each box; available exclusively at Target starting February through mid-March. Participating Big G cereals include: Cinnamon Toast Crunch (17 oz.), Lucky Charms (16 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios (17 oz.), Cheerios (18 oz.) and Cocoa Puffs (16.5 oz.)

Did we mention it was Atari’s 40th Anniversary this year? Be sure to check out GrocerySavvy.com and test your online Atari gaming skills at Asteroids while also entering in a sweepstakes for chance to win Target gift cards and Atari merchandise.

Let Big G cereals, Target and Atari make your breakfast tubular and something the entire family will enjoy!

I have been given the opportunity to host a giveaway where one lucky Dirty t Shirt reader can win the Retro prize pack below.

Prize Pack Includes:

• (2) boxes of participating Big G cereals
• $10 Target gift card
• A free download for “Atari 80 Classic Games In 1”

The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills, Atari and Target through MyBlogSpark.

Rules

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Oral care has been a growing challenge for my family and I, sadly we have all had some major dental work done at one time or another, but now that our mouths are 100% taking care of them the right way is an ongoing challenge, one that I am happy to say will be on the right track with our Family Oral Care Challenge. Before I get into the things we will do to make our mouths as healthy as we can is share some of the interesting facts, some that you may know and others you don’t, and help you get on the road to a healthier mouth.

Did you know that:

• Many people don’t realize that brushing alone misses more 75% of your mouth! And since there can be more germs in your mouth than there are people on Earth, it is more important than ever to make sure that you do everything you can to keep your mouths healthy, which includes brushing, flossing and rinsing every day.
• Just a few minutes a day for your mouth can help establish healthy habits for a lifetime – adding a 30-second rinse, like Listerine Antiseptic, twice a day, can help to provide 24-hour protection against germs that cause plaque and gingivitis*
• According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 50% of children between the ages of 5 and 9 have a cavity or filling – using Listerine Smart Rinse Anti-cavity Fluoride Rinse helps provide 12-hour cavity protection and strengthen teeth 99% better than brushing alone*
• Nearly 75% of American adults suffer from various forms of gum disease and don’t know it – brushing with the Reach Total Care Multi-Action Toothbrush removes up to 90% of plaque* for a superior whole-mouth clean to help you on your way to a healthier mouth
• And this one was a SHOCKER to me, 51 million school hours per year are lost due to dental issues in children!

*based on laboratory tests.

During a recent live chat I learned about the facts above and I can tell you that some of them left me speechless. No matter how many times I made my kids brush they really weren’t cleaning their mouths as they should be. Knowing some of these facts makes me want to educate my entire family on Oral Health Care. Brushing, flossing and rinsing is so very important and with this information we are armed and ready to start the Listerine Oral Care Challenge. It is more important than ever as the older members of the family have all their permanent teeth and the youngest still has a way to go until they come in, but we can teach her by example some of the ways to really take care of her mouth.

Stay tuned for my updates on how things are going with my family and I wanted to let you know that you can go to www.walmart.com/AHA/Listerine/Reach to access tips from leading dental experts and great values and prices on oral care products.

I received products and compensation from Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the Oral Care Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.

My guys are always happily fed, even more so on the days and nights that they all get together for a game, cards or just for the heck of it. For me, I always buy Ball Park franks in bulk, there are always two packages in the refrigerator and the rest are frozen until needed. That way if the guys stop by unexpectedly I have plenty of franks on hand, along with the onions and chili they love to pile on. Now, I have been stuck on one or two occasions where all I had on had were the franks and because I know my kids love it I chopped some up and threw it into a homemade mac and cheese recipe. I didn’t really know how the group of guys would think of it but I did not need to worry, it was inhaled, gone within four minutes! It made me happy to know that I had an alternate way to serve Ball Park franks.

Ball Park Angus Beef Frank Mac & Cheese Bake (typical homemade mac & cheese recipe I just added to it)

1 box Elbow Macaroni
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Mild or Sharp)
3 cups Milk
2 TBSP. Butter
8 Slices of Bacon
1 Package Ball Park Angus Beef Franks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook macaroni as directed on package
3. Slice Ball Park Angus Beef Franks, sizing varies on how you like it
4. While that is cooking, melt butter in saucepan, add cheese and milk, stirring constantly until melted and blended together well.
5. Put cooked macaroni in a large bowl, add the Ball Park Angus Beef Frank slices and cheese mix.
6. Stir together well.
7. Place in a 9×13 baking dish and crumble bacon over top
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until a golden brown.

This is an easy recipe that the guys really like, not to mention the leftovers are great for the kids, if there is anything left over! The guys in my life will eat Ball Park Franks in all sorts of ways, the Mac & Cheese Bake is one of the favorites, I have even made it for BBQs with family and friends.

This is a sponsored post. Ball Park product and additional incentives were provided to me. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

Company: Fairy Tales Hair Care
Item Reviewed: Items shown below

Fairy Tales Hair Care was created over 20 years ago in the Fairy Tales Salon in Hewlett, NY. For years, parents would ask the stylists what were these products that made their children’s hair so soft and manageable. But our stylists just smiled and said it was our secret recipe! The Fairy Tales Hair Care line was launched nationally in 1999 with great success!

This season, Fairy Tales Hair Care is offering kids and parents the perfect solution for winter hair troubles. Harsh winter weather makes hair brittle and dry, causing static, tangles and all around bad hair days.

Fairy Tales Hair Care, the leading children’s hair care line, has some great ways to keep kids’ hair healthy and shiny all season long.  With the following products at home, winter hair care becomes much less of a chore:

• Tear Free Conditioning Shampoo – Tear Free and so mild. Loaded with Vitamins E and B to restore shine and texture while gently cleansing the hair. Safe for babies and toddlers, too!
• Detangling Conditioner – A daily conditioner that cleans and moisturizes in just seconds – all with no greasy buildup. Extracts of rosemary, aloe vera, cherry bark and chamomile leave hair feeling like silk.
• Static Free Leave-in Detangling Spray – One of Our Best Sellers! Static electricity no more! Rehydrates the scalp with pure vitamins and no greasy buildup. Enhances luster and pliability with aloe, rose hips, sage and Vitamin B.

My Thoughts

Winter care never use to be a hassle for me and my girls when we lived in Florida but boy has that changed here in Montana. The static makes a giant knot in both my girls hair, especially while they sleep and toss and turn. When I received the Static Free Leave -in Detangling Spray that all changed. Now I spray their hair before bed and they wake up way less knotted than they use to. As far as the shampoo and conditioner there are two things that stood out right away to me. The products smell so good and they leave both of my girls hair soft, smooth and manageable. I am very happy with all three products and both my girls wanted me to add that they love the smell too. I have caught both of them wrapping their hair around to their nose and smelling. My toddler has made anyone who walks into the house smell her hair too, so I think she likes it We all love the Fairy Tales Hair Care Winter products!

Company: P&G
Item Reviewed: None at this time
Item Given Away: P&G Product Gift Bags – 2 Winners
Start Date: February 18
End Date: March 4

On Sunday, March 4th, a special edition of the P&G GIVE Health brandSAVER will be distributed in newspapers across the country, with discounts for P&G brands. For each brandSAVER coupon redeemed, a 2¢ donation from P&G will be split between the Feeding America National Produce Program and the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Fund. Don’t have a newspaper? For every “Like” on Facebook, P&G will split a $1 donation between the two charities.

Did you know that one in six Americans goes hungry? That’s why P&G has partnered with Feeding America®, our nation’s leading hunger-relief charity. Additionally, P&G is continuing its partnership with the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program to help make child deaths from dirty water a thing of the past.

I have been given the opportunity to host a giveaway for two Dirty t Shirt readers to win a P&G Product Gift Bags. Please see rules below to enter to win today!

Gift Bags Include:

• 1 – 10 pack Tide Stain Release In-Wash Booster
• 1- Tide To-Go Instant Stain Remover
• 1 – 4 pack Duracell AA Batteries
• 1 – 50 pack Bounty Quilted Napkins
• 1 – 25.4 oz. Pantene 2in1 Shampoo & Conditioner
• 1 – 4 oz. Olay Complete All Day UV moisturizer
• 1 – 12 pack Puffs Tissues
• 1 – 1.22 oz. Crest Pro-Health Oral Rinse
• 1 – Reusable P&G Tote Bag Made from 100% Plastic Bottles

Rules

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Larry the Cable Guy Stars in the Hilarious All-New Family Comedy On Blu-ray and DVD March 6

Larry Guthrie (Larry the Cable Guy) is a fun-loving dreamer with a serious mission: win back the love of his life before she makes a terrible mistake and marries the wrong man!  In his attempt to get back on his long lost love’s good side, Larry visits the school where she works and make’s a horrible mistake…  He accidentally tells a child that the Tooth Fairy is just a myth.  Crushing the child’s dreams sets off a chain of events that are far more than Larry bargained for including being  “sentenced” to become a Tooth Fairy or face  having his memories erased for good…PLUS losing any chance of getting back the girl of his dreams!  Larry is brought before a 500-year-old Tooth Fairy stuck in a 10-year-old girl’s body (played by newcomer Brady Reiter) for sentencing.  The Tooth Fairy demands that Larry make retribution by temporarily serving as a Tooth Fairy and proving that Tooth Fairies really do exist. His mission?  Larry must collect 20 teeth in 20 days. With his orders in hand, Larry embarks on a journey to prove the existence of Tooth Fairies and to win back the love of his life.

It’s tutu times the laughs watching Larry strut his stuff in pink tights and ballet shoes as he tries to prove he can git-r-done!

Filed with tons of heartwarming laughs for the entire family, the TOOTH FAIRY 2 Blu-ray and DVD includes five fun featurettes you and your family will not want to miss including the following:

Tooth Fairy 2 Special Features:

• Why Do I Lose My Baby Teeth?
• Return to Fairyland – Making Tooth Fairy 2
• Larry the Hairy Fairy
• Tooth Fairy 2 introduces – Crusher the Pig
• A Memory to Remember

Special exclusive still for The Dirty t Shirt

Company: Master Lock
Item Reviewed: Locking File Box & Combination Padlock
Item Given Away: Locking File Box & Combination Padlock
Start Date: February 17
End Date: March 2

To help consumers stay on track with their New Year’s Resolutions, Master Lock is celebrating National Random Acts of Kindness Week (February 13 – 19) by offering a variety of tips and products that are sure to help Americans lock-up their resolutions. Throughout the week, visitors to the brand’s Facebook page can enter daily for a chance to win free Master Lock products through a national sweepstakes. The company also will inspire gym-goers in select cities to stick to their fitness plans by handing out free 1534D Set-Your-Own Combination Password locks.

Must-Have Workout Gear

My must have items for working out are very minimal as I do it inside my own home. When I get set up to do Zumba I of course need comfortable work out clothes, my favorite pair of yoga pants and a sports bra type top. I keep a small towel nearby and a water bottle to rehydrate. That is about it, but those items get me through my work-out period with ease. My husband pretty much has the same set up (minus the sports bra top ) but he also has a more rigorous routine than I do and uses weights as well.

What about you? Do you have a work-out regime? What are your must-have workout items?

We are in the middle of the Master Lock giveaways for my readers and I am only too happy to share these during this important week. Please see rules below to enter to win the two Master Lock products shown above: Locking File Box & 1 Combination Padlock. Also, please note that during this week long giveaway you can only win once, if your name is drawn a second time I will need to re-draw.

Rules

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Company: Publix
Item Reviewed: $25 Publix Gift Card
Item Given Away: $25 Publix Gift Card
Start Date: February 16
End Date: March 2

Al dente pasta, savory sauces, hearty meatballs, these are just a few of the delicious ingredients that can be featured in authentic Italian cuisine. When it comes to cooking traditional Italian dishes the possibilities are endless, and you don’t have to travel all the way to Italy to taste the tradition! With Italian Days, available exclusively at Publix, you can find great prices and coupon savings on some of your favorite brands including Progresso, Green Giant, and Muir Glen and purchase everything you need for great Italian recipes like, Meatballs and Twisters.

While visiting Italian Days at Publix from February 16th through February 29th, you can also enter the Taste the Tradition Italian Days Sweepstakes for a chance to be 1 of 500 shoppers that will win a $100 Publix® gift card, sponsored by General Mills.

To enter to win the Taste the Tradition Italian Days Sweepstakes and download great coupon savings and delicious recipes, look in-store or follow the instructions below:

•  Click – Stay up to date with the latest General Mills promotions happening at Publix, by visiting ClickCallMail.com. Once you’re registered and logged in, you can participate in any the current promotions.
•  Call – If you’d prefer to enter the sweepstakes and participate in other promotions via telephone, feel free to call the General Mills hotline, at 1.800.627.6059, and be sure to say that you want to enter the 2012 Italian Days Sweepstakes.  Please be sure to provide your complete contact information (Full name/address/zip code/phone #).
• Mail – If you prefer to participate via mail-in entry, print and mail your complete contact information   (Full Name/address/zip code/phone #) to 2012 Italian Days Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 44257, Atlanta, Georgia 30336.

Publix is my top choice for grocery stores and I have made many Italian meals from General Mills products that can be found on the stores shelves. I love Publix and  recommend everyone checking out not only the shopping there but the sweepstakes as well!

I have been given the opportunity to host a giveaway where one lucky Dirty t Shirt reader can win a $25 Publix Gift Card. Please see rules below to enter to win today!

The Publix Club gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Rules

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Company: Master Lock
Item Reviewed: Locking File Box & Combination Padlock
Item Given Away: Locking File Box & Combination Padlock
Start Date: February 16
End Date: March 1

To help consumers stay on track with their New Year’s Resolutions, Master Lock is celebrating National Random Acts of Kindness Week (February 13 – 19) by offering a variety of tips and products that are sure to help Americans lock-up their resolutions. Throughout the week, visitors to the brand’s Facebook page can enter daily for a chance to win free Master Lock products through a national sweepstakes. The company also will inspire gym-goers in select cities to stick to their fitness plans by handing out free 1534D Set-Your-Own Combination Password locks.

Healthy and Safe New Year

I talked a little bit about weight loss and exercise in yesterday’s post and it is an important part of my family’s and my life. I am happy when the kids are active, my husband is exercising and learning to ski so I know they are set. I need to worry about me! My weight loss has been great, with a total loss of 35 pounds in 7 months but it seems to have reached a plateau, where I can’t seem to loose any more, and I still have 20 pounds to my goal weight. So, my focus has shifted to exercise. I have just started Zumba and I am loving it, I love dancing and to me there is no better way to get my exercise in. I have a few other ways to exercise as well and it is very important to me that I stay on this track.

As far as my family as a whole, we have started eating healthier, we cut out the sugar drinks, snack foods and have started eating more vegetables and better meals. One thing that has been a plus about moving to Montana is that where i am there is no fast food places, so temptation is removed completely. So far this year we have been able to stick to our resolutions to lose weight and get fit, individually and as a whole family and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

How are you having a healthy New Year?

We are in the middle of the Master Lock giveaways for my readers and I am only too happy to share these during this important week. Please see rules below to enter to win the two Master Lock products shown above: Locking File Box & 1 Combination Padlock. Also, please note that during this week long giveaway you can only win once, if your name is drawn a second time I will need to re-draw.

Rules

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Company: Master Lock
Item Reviewed: Locking File Box & Combination Padlock
Item Given Away: Locking File Box & Combination Padlock
Start Date: February 15
End Date: February 29

To help consumers stay on track with their New Year’s Resolutions, Master Lock is celebrating National Random Acts of Kindness Week (February 13 – 19) by offering a variety of tips and products that are sure to help Americans lock-up their resolutions. Throughout the week, visitors to the brand’s Facebook page can enter daily for a chance to win free Master Lock products through a national sweepstakes. The company also will inspire gym-goers in select cities to stick to their fitness plans by handing out free 1534D Set-Your-Own Combination Password locks.

Sticking To Your Resolutions

My New Year’s Resolution consisted of a few things. The typical lose some weight and exercise more, gear up emotionally for the long wait on our upcoming cross country move back home and to spend more time with my family. I have pretty much kept up with all of that with a good weight loss (just need to not slack on the exercise part) and quality family time. The one area I struggle with is being patient when all I want is to be back home. As of now, we have 4 1/2 months to wait, I hate waiting, but I have gotten better about not dwelling on it all day every day.

For me to stay on track with my resolutions I just remind myself every day of what I need to be doing, either by mantra in my head or by leaving myself emails the night before telling myself to be strong and keep going. And trust me when I tell you that I have most definitely failed to keep resolutions in the past, and when that has happened I pick myself back up and start again. What about you? Have you been able to stick to your resolutions this year?

We are in the middle of the Master Lock giveaways for my readers and I am only too happy to share these during this important week. Please see rules below to enter to win the two Master Lock products shown above: Locking File Box & 1 Combination Padlock. Also, please note that during this week long giveaway you can only win once, if your name is drawn a second time I will need to re-draw.

Rules

a Rafflecopter giveaway