Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday! Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life, I participate in Aloha Friday each Friday!

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question is:

What was the last movie you saw in the movie theater?

Just last night, George and I had the opportunity to see the premiere of “Our Family Wedding.” It was really funny and much better than I expected it to be! My parents were in town and watched the kids. We had an awesome time! P.S. Thanks Mom and Dad for doing that for us.

So what do women want when it comes to beauty products?  According to recent survey results, women believe that beauty products made with both natural ingredients and proven scientific technologies work best.  This is where mirra satisfies these wants!  On it’s own, mirra conducted it’s own survey of over 500 women and found some interesting results.  Results included the following:

- 77 percent said products that have both natural ingredients and proven technologies, work best.  Only nine percent said products with all natural ingredients, alone, were best; and 14 percent said the same of science only products.

- 71 percent chose “Take 10″ as the best description of their beauty style and routine.  They said they don’t have a lot of time and don’t spend a lot of time on their beauty routine – 10 minutes at most.  Other options included “soak and savor,” “60 minutes,” and “beat the clock.”

- Their description of a “bad hair day” was evenly split between “flat” (37 percent) and “frizzy” (35 percent).  (15 percent said fly-away and 13 percent said oily).

mirra products are launching now and include shampoos and conditioners; hair styling products; body washes and mists; facial and skin care lotions, cleansers, and cleansing cloths; eye firming and age defying creams; and cosmetic brushes.  These products are made with natural ingredients, such as olive oil, aloe leaf juice, and cranberry, bamboo, honey and chicory root extracts. 

You can find mirra products in the beauty care aisles exclusively at all stores that are part of the Kroger Co. family.  For a limited time, mirra is offering a $5 off coupon when you purchase any two mirra products. 

Why use mirra products you ask?  “Women tell us they want products that enhance who they are and their natural beauty.  They don’t want to disguise or cover up their true selves,” said Linda Severin, Vice President of Corporate Brands for the Kroger Co.  “mirra uses the best of nature and science to provide women a beauty regiment that is both easy and effective.”

I like that the natural and scientific ingredients in mirra products are tested for effectiveness.  An example is with mirra’s micro-remodeling cream, where aloe and green tea team up with MATRIXL 3000 to reduce wrinkles, provide skin firmness, to sooth, and to deliver antioxidant properties.  A study of MATRIXL 3000 was shown, in just two months, to significantly reduce wrinkle depth and skin roughness and improve skin tone.

MY THOUGHTS

I love the scent of the mirra products.  I also like that their products are made with natural ingredients and that you can find them in your local grocery store.  The shampoo and conditioner worked great and the lotion smelled good and really soaked in (versus leaving that oily, greasy feeling).  The gel wasn’t enough to hold the curls in my hair, but for small touch-ups or light hold, I’d say it would work well.  Overall, I like the mirra products.

GIVEAWAY

1 lucky reader on The Mommy-Files will win a mirra gift package with products including shampoo, condition, sculpting gel, facial cleanser, wrinkle reducing eye cream, body wash, and body lotion.

WIN IT

Tell me in a comment which mirra product you’d love to try out.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

- Vote for The Mommy-Files on Top Mommy Blogs (simply click on the button on the sidebar for a daily entry) – 1 ENTRY (daily)
- Vote for The Mommy-Files on the Web’s Top Giveaway Blog (click, select The Mommy-Files, and vote) – 1 ENTRY
- Follow The Mommy-Files on Twitter – 1 ENTRY
- Tweet about the giveaway – 1 ENTRY DAILY
- Become a Fan of The Mommy-Files on Facebook – 1 ENTRY
- Follow me through Google Connect (new on the right side of the blog) – 1 ENTRY
- Subscribe to my blog – 1 ENTRY
- Add my Mommy-Files button to your blog and include the URL – 1 ENTRY
- Comment on any Non-Giveaway post on The Mommy-Files – 1 ENTRY per post comment (no limit)
- Blog about this giveaway and include the URL – 5 ENTRIES

RULES:

- Contest will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, March 19th, 2010! Any entries after this time will be deleted!
- Contest open to U.S. residents only.

I received products from mirra as part of a campaign for Global Influence facilitate this review. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

Some of the great brands participating in the event include Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Hamburger Helper, Yoplait, Progresso, Totino’s, Green Giant, Cascadian Farm, Tide, Charmin, Bounty, Pampers, Pantene, Crest, Iams, Febreze, Old Spice, and many more!  Be sure to check out the Kroger Cart Buster Event and stock up on your favorite items today!

GIVEAWAY

1 lucky reader on The Mommy-Files will win a $25 Gift Card valid at any of the Kroger Stores mentioned above!

WIN IT!

Tell me in a comment what you are going to stock up on in the Cart Buster Event!

EXTRA ENTRIES:

- Vote for The Mommy-Files on Top Mommy Blogs (simply click on the button on the sidebar for a daily entry) – 1 ENTRY (daily)
- Vote for The Mommy-Files on the Web’s Top Giveaway Blog (click, select The Mommy-Files, and vote) – 1 ENTRY
- Follow The Mommy-Files on Twitter – 1 ENTRY
- Tweet about the giveaway – 1 ENTRY DAILY
- Become a Fan of The Mommy-Files on Facebook – 1 ENTRY
- Follow me through Google Connect (new on the right side of the blog) – 1 ENTRY
- Subscribe to my blog – 1 ENTRY
- Add my Mommy-Files button to your blog and include the URL – 1 ENTRY
- Comment on any Non-Giveaway post on The Mommy-Files – 1 ENTRY per post comment (no limit)
- Blog about this giveaway and include the URL – 5 ENTRIES

RULES:

- Contest will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on Thursday, March 18th, 2010! Any entries after this time will be deleted!
- Contest open to U.S. residents only.

The information, gift card, and giveaway have all been provided by the Kroger Family of Stores and General Mills through MyBlogSpark to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

It’s that time of week again! Time to list what you are thankful for. This week we are doing things that start with the letter “I.”

Happy Thursday!

I’m thankful for the Internet, for my kids imagination, and for inspiration. What are you thankful for?

“I cannot even begin to tell you how grateful I am to have been the winner of this giveaway! This was the greatest thing to happen to me in a long while. Last year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30. Needless to say, what little money that I have goes towards medical expenses and caring for my daughter. I can no longer afford many luxuries that I was once able to and when I slipped on my new North Face jacket today, I actually felt normal. I want to extend my sincere thanks for that. You will never know how happy that you made me!!!

Thanks for all that you do..”

Congrats Darcie!  Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.  Thanks for being a special part of The Mommy-Files.  I hope The Mommy-Files is able to positively touch each person who visits in one way or another.

This morning, I was talking to another blogger online. She is a wonderful person who works really hard to promote her blog and make it the best that she can. She was telling me about a site that we both belong to – Top Mommy Blogs. As many of your know, I work really hard to promote my site on Top Mommy Blogs. Apparently, for the first time I am discovering that you can leave comments on the site you vote for.

She discovered that someone left her a comment saying she didn’t deserve the position she was in just because of her giveaways. First of all, that is rude to say to anybody. Secondly, that is really rude to say to a mom who is busting her hump and spending time, energy, and often times money to give you the opportunity to win something – free of charge!!!

I spent some time consoling her and then became curious as to who left comments on my site and how they rated it. I found one comment that gave me a 1/10 rating – what the heck? Here is the comment the person left, “I’m surprised that this blogger is #5! Not impressed at all with the way she runs her site.” I looked up the name on my comments for my blog and only one person matches this name – it’s not a name like John or Jennifer. This person has only left comments on my personal posts. So I’m not sure why they would have left a comment like this?

I tried to not be irritated by it, but now I’m blogging about it, so it must have irritated me enough. First of all, I work my rear end off on my blog. And yes, sometimes it takes a little while to get back to people via email.  I don’t always get to respond to personal comments, but I sure try to.  Ask many of my readers.  That is something I find important – to build a relationship with the people who visit my site.  If someone leaves a comment on a personal post, I try my best to respond.  I know how it feels to follow a blog you love, leave tons of comments, and never hear anything from the blogger.  I still get that with bloggers I know.  I try to be different though.  I work hard to create a site that is family friendly, personal, and has topics that others (hopefully) can relate to.

I appreciate all of the positive and uplifting comments left. Word to the wise. Realize that your comments are read by somebody and most likely will affect that person in one way or another. I’ve talked to bloggers whose feelings were hurt by mean comments, sometimes leading to tears. If you can’t say anything nice, you have 2 options. (1) Stop visiting the blog or (2) don’t say anything at all!

“Scarecrow and Mrs King: The Complete First Season” was released today, March 9th 2010 by Warner Home Video.  The DVD features all 21 episodes from the show’s debut season in a five-disc Collector’s Set.  The set retails for $39.98.  This Emmy Award-winning popular action series first aired in 1983 on CBS and lasted for four successful seasons! 

“Fans have been asking for Scarecrow & Mrs. King to be released on DVD for several years,” said Rosemary Markson, WHV Vice President, TV and Special Interest Marketing. “We are delighted to finally bring this wonderful series to consumers. Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as Amanda and Lee are one of television’s most charming and memorable couples, and we know fans will be thrilled to own this complete season one release.”

Format: Full Screen, Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 5
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: March 9, 2010
Run Time: 966 minutes

I received a copy of “Scarecrow and Mrs. King: The Complete First Season” on DVD to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

P.S. Brian is in the first row towards the left.  Can you see which one he is?

This morning, Brian woke up on his own (early), got dressed, and made his own lunch.  I was so impressed with my little man!  He sliced his own cheese for his sandwich, dressed it up with mustard, and put together his lunch.  He is getting so big!  Where did the time go?

I recently reviewed the Ore-Ida Steam n’ Mash Potatoes and they were so easy to prepare and tasted so good. We love garlic in our household, so we tried the Garlic Seasoned Steam n’ Mash Potatoes. They are really yummy with steak, meatloaf, pork chops, chicken…you name it. Not to mention they are so easy to prepare.  The Steam n’ Mash Potatoes take less than 15 minutes to cook and in four simple steps, you’ll have a yummy dish that leaves everyone wanting more!   You simply steam the specially-designed bag in the microwave for 10-12 minutes, pour the steamed potatoes into a bowl, add milk and butter, and mash them to your heart’s content.

Ore-Ida recently introduced a new variety of the Steam n’ Mash Potatoes – Cut Red Potatoes.  These are a creamier, skin-on mashed potato variety with a restaurant feel to them.  The Steam n’ Mash Cut Red Potatoes will serve 7 people at only 70 calories per serving.  Plus, there are no calories from fat as packaged.  Steam n’ Mash Potatoes are available in four different flavors, including Cut Russet Potatoes, Cut Red Potatoes, Cut Sweet Potatoes, and Garlic Seasoned Potatoes.

Ore-Ida is also famous for their French Fries, Tater Tots (perfect for Tater Tot Casserole), Hashed Browns, and Roasted Potatoes. You can find Ore-Ida products in the frozen section of your grocery store. Products typically retail for $3.59 each (however, I’ve found some pretty good sales on them from time to time).

GIVEAWAY

1 lucky reader on The Mommy-Files will win a coupon for a FREE Bag of Ore-Ida Steam n’ Mash Potatoes!

WIN IT

- Tell me in a comment what flavor you’d love to try if you won.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

- Vote for The Mommy-Files on Top Mommy Blogs (simply click on the button on the sidebar for a daily entry) – 1 ENTRY (daily)
- Vote for The Mommy-Files on the Web’s Top Giveaway Blog (click, select The Mommy-Files, and vote) – 1 ENTRY
- Follow The Mommy-Files on Twitter – 1 ENTRY
- Tweet about the giveaway – 1 ENTRY DAILY
- Become a Fan of The Mommy-Files on Facebook – 1 ENTRY
- Follow me through Google Connect (new on the right side of the blog) – 1 ENTRY
- Subscribe to my blog – 1 ENTRY
- Add my Mommy-Files button to your blog and include the URL – 1 ENTRY
- Comment on any Non-Giveaway post on The Mommy-Files – 1 ENTRY per post comment (no limit)
- Blog about this giveaway and include the URL – 5 ENTRIES

RULES:

- Contest will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010! Any entries after this time will be deleted!
- Contest open to U.S. residents only.

I received a coupon for a complimentary Steam n’ Mash product from Ore-Ida to facilitate a review. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.