Congratulations, Judy! Comment number 39 was the lucky one! Check your email!

Do you remember that crazy mud run I did last week? Not only was it a chance for me to step out of my comfort zone, but it was a perfect opportunity to play with my new toy – a LifeProof iPhone case.

When I heard Pauline talk about her new LifeProof iPhone case, I was floored. It’s waterproof, snowproof, shockproof, and dustproof. Oh, and mudproof. It’s not a sleeve that you put your phone in – it’s a case. And it’s a case that’s no bigger than the case I usually have on my phone.

LifeProof means BeccaProof. They should just rename the product. Somehow, I haven’t killed my iPhone yet – It’s a miracle, actually. I use my phone while cooking, exercising, walking, doing dishes, giving baths… you get it.

Now, I didn’t run the entire race with my phone in my hand. I alternated between holding it, taking photos, and clipping it to my shirt.

I had to wipe it clean quite a few times, too.

I wasn’t nervous about the phone at all during the run, because I knew the case was waterproof.

I knew that because I water tested it.

This is my LifeProof case before I put my phone in it. I assembled it and, as the LifeProof manufacturer tells you to do before you use it, I water tested it. It sat under the bowl (to weigh it down), under the water, for an hour. When I pulled it out and looked inside, I knew I could trust it with my life phone.

Knowing that the case had withstood water for an hour was a big part of me trusting it to protect my phone during the run.

It also had everything to do with me trusting it to protect my phone when Michael brought it in the pool.

That’s right.

In the pool.

That’s my little fish trying to take a photo underwater. I say trying because at that time, we didn’t know the magic secret to taking an underwater photo with the LifeProof case. We know it now.

The water acts like a big hand putting pressure on your phone screen, so it’s impossible to take a photo by pushing the shutter button. I found out (rather quickly after I tweeted about my issue the next morning) that when the camera is turned on, your volume buttons act as a shutter button. Also, you could take a video underwater and then take screenshots of your phone replaying the video. I’m dying to try both ways to take underwater photos. Unfortunately, we turned the pool heater off and I can’t talk the boys into going in again until the water warms up. I see this case getting a lot of use this summer!

The LifeProof case comes in 2 parts, and feels deceptively thin (which is a good thing!). It’s shown here with the clip (you can purchase that separately). There are covers for your charging port and headphone jack, making the case completely airtight. I talked on the phone with the LifeProof case on, and had absolutely no issue hearing or being heard. It amazes me that sound can get through clearly, but water can’t.

Can you see how slim the case is? The clip is the black part that adds a little bit of bulk.

I have to tell you – I’m amazed with this case and the customer service the company has provided thus far. They are active on facebook and twitter, and quickly answer any questions you may have. Also, their YouTube channel has plenty of videos to watch that will tell you about the product.

LifeProof was kind enough to offer a free case to one of you! Leave me a comment telling me:

1. What you would do with a LIfeProof case

and

2. Which color you would choose: pink, purple, white, or black

You can leave up to 2 comments, and I’ll count each one as an entry.

{psssttt… Pauline is giving away a LifeProof case, as well… go enter!}

;

If you feel inclined, I would love if you tweeted about this giveaway:

Enter to win a WATERPROOF @LifeProof iPhone case from @BeccasCrazyBoys : bit.ly/HnTjyK

Or shared it on facebook:

My friend Becca is giving away a @LifeProof waterproof iPhone case! Enter here: bit.ly/HnTjyK

The tiny print: I received a free LifeProof iPhone case to review, and one to give away to a reader. As always, I will never recommend a product that I wouldn’t recommend to my own mother. I am impressed by this case, and hope you will be too! Giveaway will close next Friday, April 13th (my lucky day!) whenever I can peel the boys off of the ceiling and get them into their beds – probably around 9pm.

And the winner is…

Comment #! Congrats, Ashley C! I’ll be emailing you.

If I don’t hear from the winner within 48 hours, I’ll choose an alternate :)

Thank you for entering, and don’t forget to go visit Allycakes Tutu Boutique!

———-

Yes!!

Though I’m usually all about boys here, I realize that some of you have girls. My friend Colleen recently started her own business and after seeing how cute her products were, I decided that I had to share them with you!

Straight from Colleen:

Allycakes Tutu Boutique started by accident.

My daughter, Allyse, does boutique modeling and I was tired of getting items for her to model and then not having an outfit to match. I had seen many boutiques offering tutus and after buying one myself, I thought, “Hey! I can do this!”

I bought three rolls of tulle…and made my first tutu.

Ironically, it’s the only one I have made for Allyse! I started posting pictures on my Facebook page and within hours I had people asking me how they could get one. The next day, Allycakes Tutu Boutique came to life (Allycakes is what I call my daughter).

I specialize in making tutus for all ages and sizes (including dogs and dolls!) I hand make every single tutu and dress. I started with basic tutus, and then started branching off into dresses, and have recently started making some pageant dresses. A lot of my items have been modeled through boutique modeling like Allyse does.

Photo Credit: Sherri McCullagh

I strive to make high quality items at reasonable prices and nothing thrills me more than seeing my items worn and customers coming back for more! 

See? I told you they were cute!

Colleen runs Allyakes Tutu Boutique out of her home and takes orders at haight.colleen@gmail.com. You can see her boutique storefront on the Allycakes Tutu Boutique facebook page.

I’m happily giving away a $25 store credit to Allycakes Tutu Boutique to one of you!

Just leave a comment telling me which tutu is your favorite, and who will be wearing it. I’m sure Colleen would love a “like” on her facebook page, as well. She’s constantly adding new items, filling custom orders, and hosting contests.

I’ll close the giveaway next Monday, 3/26 at bedtime. Good luck!

And the winner is… Kate! Congrats, Kate! I’ll email you to get your mailing address!

Seriously.

Ask Lynn. I sent her some last year, and she’s the kettle corn expert.

If Steve gave me a bag of Angie’s Kettle Corn for Valentine’s Day, I’d be the happiest girl in Tucson.

Really.

Especially since cutting gluten out, I’m Angie’s biggest fan.

And guess what they just came out with?

Valentine’s packs.

You know, so you don’t have to be another one sending your kid to school with candy on Valentine’s day.

You can send your child to school with a gluten free, clean (only 4 ingredients!) snack.

Last week, Jack had a bag of Angie’s kettle corn on our way to soccer practice. I told him how this year we were going to give them out at school instead of valentines, because they came with cute name tag stickers. He said, “or we could keep them and eat them all..”

Great minds think alike, huh?

Michael even loves it:

…though I was instructed to not “fill out the stickers. Or even put the stickers on” his bags.

He won’t even let me put notes in his lunchbox anymore. :(

Anyway, I have a fun giveaway!! Angie’s is giving a Valentine’s pack away to one of you!

To enter…. (this is the fun part…)

I, for once, am making it all about the facebook – since most of you are on it.

1. “Like” Angie’s Kettle Corn. You’ll get fun updates from Angie, and you’ll be able to see the random fun photos I post on their wall :)

2. “Like” Our Crazy Boys. Where else can you get snippets about the boys, links to posts, updates about my Momtourage and DinnerTool articles, and random questions now and then?

Don’t have a facebook account? Well, ok. I won’t judge you. Leave me up to two comments and tell me something that you like to do for Valentine’s Day. I promise I won’t email you and try to get you to open a facebook account.

Leave a separate comment for each “like” because trust me, giveaways are much easier when everyone leaves separate comments.

Ready? Set? Goooooo!

Small-ish print: I was provided with a Valentine pack of Angie’s kettle corn. Then we ate it and I had to go buy more for Jack’s class. Even if I wasn’t provided with kettle corn, I would have posted a giveaway because I want you to all love Angie’s as much as I do. I will choose a winner via random.org on 1/30 and will notify via email. Good luck!  

Update: Congrats to Jenn, Francine, and Molly!! I’ll be in touch to send you your code for 25 free Shutterfly photo cards!

The Christmas portrait time of year!

I will admit that I’m a little stumped this year.

We have done the cactus:

and the big smiles:

We have done the Christmas carol reference (with the boys faking sleep):

and the elves (there’s no way I’ll be able to do that again with a middle-schooler):

Last year, we almost used this card:

but after winning Amanda’s photo contest, we decided to use some of the winning pictures instead:

This year, I’m stuck.

Moody 6th grader meets hyperactive 1st grader?

Should I look to Diary of a Wimpy Kid for some ideas? The Heffley family is quite similar to ours lately.

One thing that has stayed consistent is that every year, we have ordered our Christmas cards through Shutterfly.

There are several designs that I have fallen in love with this year, but I’ll wait to share :)

Not only do we use Shutterfly for our holiday cards, but we also use them for photo gifts, such as our famous (in the family) cookbook. I *might* be getting a second volume together for this year. Funny, because our eating habits have changed a whole lot since the first edition!

After the pool fiasco of 2008 (oh, that’s another post all together) we heavily relied on friends to help us finish our pool. When it was complete, we wanted to thank everyone. Shutterfly’s photo cards were the best way for us to share the news (and photos!) with everyone who helped us.

Fun fact: These photos were taken in December over three days. One day the pool wasn’t heated!

Dying to order your holiday cards yet? I am giving away three sets of 25 personalized photo cards from Shutterfly.

To enter, leave me a comment and tell me your favorite holiday card story. Mine would have to be when we took photos near the cacti (I hate saying that – cactus as a plural sounds so much better, I think). Michael almost strangled Jack while trying to keep him sitting, and Jack was only concentrating on the fruit snacks that Michael was holding in his hand – which was closed tightly to avoid being in the picture. And what mother takes her 5 and 1 year old to a national park filled with sharp cacti?! Not my best Mom moment.

Go up and look at the photo now. I’ll wait a sec.

Moving on…

Three sets of 25 cards! I’ll choose three random winners next Friday evening, November 18th. You know the deal… whenever I pull the kids apart, get them safely tucked in their beds, and pull the ear plugs out of my ears. 8ish?

Good luck, friends!

I was provided with holiday photo cards in exchange for my post. If you’re a blogger and want in on this great deal, go visit Shutterfly and register here: http://goo.gl/DDw7Q

As always, all opinions are my own. I’ve been shopping at Shutterfly since the boys were little for a reason ;)

Here are the boys’ adorable twin cousins, which of course make them my adorable niece and nephew.

I thought a caption contest would be fun. The prize? Hmmm… How about a Twist & Pout. I just ordered a few and I’ll share!!

Contest will close next Wednesday, 10/26. Make me laugh!

—

This post is linked with my Wordless Wednesday friends Kristi, Amanda, and Angie. Go say hi!

Congratulation, Kendra!!

The toys are coming to Tucson!

One of our favorite movies, Toy Story, is coming to town next month with Disney On Ice.

Inspired by the #1 animated movie of all time, Toy Story 3, and memorable moments from Toy Story and Toy Story 2, everyone’s favorite characters are hitting the ice in this sensational live production coming to Tucson! Catch all the heroic action when Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and the Toy Story gang escape from the rambunctious tots of Sunnyside Daycare and race for home, in their most daring adventure ever. Plus a few new faces join the fun, including Barbie’s groovy bachelor Ken (my two favorite characters!) and Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear.  It’s the biggest Toy Story experience ever on ice, jam-packed with fast-paced adventure such as Buzz’s galactic battle with Emperor Zurg and a hoe-down on the set of  “Woody’s Roundup.”  Relive the humor, friendship and charm of Toy Story when Disney On Ice presents Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3 takes family fun to infinity and beyond!

The show is at the Tucson Convention Center from October 13 – 16, 2011. Tickets are on sale now and prices range from $15-50. Opening night tickets start at $10. The discount code MOM11 will save you $5 off each ticket bought through Ticket Master! (Valid for all shows, though not on Front Row or VIP seating)

I get to give away 4 tickets for the opening night! (Thursday October 13 at 7pm!)

To enter, leave me a comment telling me who your favorite Toy Story character is. For a 2nd entry, “like” Disney on Ice’s facebook page. Please come back here and leave a separate comment for each entry. (I can’t count 2 entries left in one comment)

You can increase your chances for winning by visiting some other Tucson blogs who are also hosting Disney On Ice giveaways:

Karen at Chica Ramblings

Kelly at Eclectic Momsense

Nicole at The Pixel Boutique

Giveaway is valued at $60 and tickets are for the opening night performance. Entrants must be 18 years or older. I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-show events. Though I receive these benefits, I always give an opinion that is 100% mine. Giveaway will end on October 4th on or around 8 p.m. or whenever I wrangle my little cowboys into bed. 

*Updated: Congratulations, Alysa!! You won the hello there! house conference pass!*

If you live in or around Phoenix, there’s an awesome event coming up that’s all things home and garden. I actually won a ticket, but have a wedding the same weekend. I can’t tell you how bummed I am that I have to miss hello there! house, but it’s your lucky day because I get to give away my ticket!

hello there! house is a two-day, home & garden event unlike anything in the “conference” market. With beautiful Arizona setting the stage for the inaugural event, one will notice an array of differences from the typical demographic and education of most home & garden events. hello there! house has been designed to offer attendees a hands-on experience with everything from garden-to-table harvesting to finishing wood furniture to creating chic child spaces. Our venue host is The Center, located on Mill Avenue in bustling downtown Tempe; whose philosophy and lower-level bistro premise are based entirely on the same goals of the event: self-sustainability. The other key to fully capturing the spirit and knowledge of these types of conferences is class size. Limited to a mere 60 attendees, this event will offer the opportunity to build relationships with our experts & sponsors; as well as provide each with more accessible one-on-one attention with our teachers. Won’t you join us in revolutionizing the world of home and garden?

Some (just some!) of the hands-on classes being offered are:

Be Bold Not Beige with the ladies of Fancy House Road

Seriously. Fun!!

I’m super sad writing this post because I’m reminded of all the things I am missing!

This isn’t just a Home and Garden show… It’s a two day hands on conference!

There will be a boutique market, make and takes, some awesome speakers and presenters, and a big goodbye bash (with a DJ!) to close out the conference!

I am giving away one full event pass to anyone who will be around the Phoenix area on October 7-8. Whether you live within driving distance or plan to be vacationing there, enter by leaving me a comment and telling me why you would like to attend hello there! house. You can get an extra entry for “liking” the hello there! house facebook page. Please leave me a separate comment for each entry. I can’t count one comment twice.

Also, hello there! house is having a last minute sale on their tickets – $100 for the entire conference – just go to the hello there! house eventbrite page to buy yours now.

I’ll choose a winner this coming Friday, September 30th and they will be notified via email. Because the event is coming up quickly, I need to hear from the winner within 24 hours!

Ready? Set? GO!

Congratulations, Chris!! I’ll be emailing you tonight about claiming your prize!! 

It’s safe to say that everyone loves a deal, right?

I was contacted by Eversave recently, and I thought it would be a great giveaway for you guys – Eversave is all around the US!

Straight from Eversave:

Eversave works day and night to negotiate the very best deals for you on all the things you love.  From spas and restaurants to lift tickets and yoga classes – Eversave delivers these local discounts directly to your inbox, in the form of a Save.

In addition to their daily local deals, they also offer spectacular Saves from online merchants which allows their customers nationwide to get in on the fun!

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for Eversave to start receiving daily e-mails with details of the Saves happening in your neighborhood. Eversave will even give you $2 to use towards your next purchase just for creating an account!

And don’t forget to spread the word.  Eversave makes it easy and rewarding to share Saves with family and friends. Whether you tell them about a deal you love via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter, when someone you’ve referred to the site makes his or her first purchase, we’ll add $10 in Save Rewards to your account.

Daily deals offering out-of-this-world savings – it’s that simple. Visit Eversave today & learn more

I happen to know that some of you are in Eversave cities – and if you’re not (Grandma Teetsie), that’s ok. Didn’t you see their information up there? They have lots of online deals!

Here are some of the cities Eversave is in (oh, and I’m calling you out if you live there!):

Baltimore (Carolyn)

Buffalo (Andrea, Aunt Kate)

Boston (Jen)

Denver (Chris)

Ft. Meyers/Orlando (Nicole)

Grand Rapids (Denise)

Harrisburg (Kerry Ann’s family)

Hartford (Aunt Carol)

Indianapolis (Jen)

Minneapolis (Amy, Kellyn)

Phoenix (too many friends to name there!)

San Diego (Ludlum fam)

Washington DC (Lynn)

I expect all of you to enter!

I am giving away a $40 credit to Eversave this week! It can be spent on any of their great deals. Today the deal was a two year subscription to Parents magazine for $5!

Eversave also has a travel site. The deal that caught my eye last week was a $100 Travelocity hotel gift card for $50.

To enter:

1. Leave me a comment and tell me if you have used a daily deal site before, and what one of your best deals was (mine was a a $90 go-kart racing session for $25!).

2. For an additional entry, you can either “like” Eversave on facebook or tweet about the giveaway on Twitter ( I want to win free money from @EversavePHX & @beccascrazyboys! ). Please leave me a comment if you choose to gain an additional entry.

The winner will be chosen on Sunday, September 11 at 8 p.m.-ish, or whenever I can sit down long enough to close the giveaway without hearing Moooooooommmmmm…. can you bring me a drink? If you win, you have to be an Eversave member to redeem the credits.

Ready? Set? GO!

I was provided with $40 in Eversave credit to give away to my readers.

All opinions in this giveaway post are my own. 

*update- Lola Springer was the winner of the giveaway! Congrats, Lola!*

I’m going to tell you a funny story.

It has just recently become funny – you know how that goes, right?

14 years ago, this boy and girl were married. It was a very, very small (8 people, including the Justice of the Peace and us) ceremony.

We went home to our tiny apartment and slept on a used mattress, which was just fine with us since before we acquired the mattress, we were sleeping on a twin bed in the dorm on base.

Fast forward a few months. My Grandparents sent us money to buy a new mattress and bed frame.

A new mattress. A queen sized one.

I remember eating meals on that mattress, just because we were so excited.

After about two years, Steve we decided that the mattress wasn’t as comfortable as it used to be. I wasn’t too fond of buying another new mattress, so we decided on a mattress pad. $100 and it felt better.

Fast forward a few years {read: 5}.

Steve had a new job, and he traveled a lot.

He stayed at Hilton.

And they had “the nicest mattresses EVER.”

And we had to get one. A king sized one this time, because he liked sleeping on a big bed in the hotel.

The mattress.

And the pillows.

And the mattress pad.

All from Hilton.

He even wanted the bedding, but they didn’t sell it.

I may have huffed a little as I called Hilton and ordered him us a new mattress set. A king. Even though our mattress was only 5 years old.

Aren’t they supposed to last longer?

We have had this mattress, the Hilton one, for nine years now.

Do you have any idea about the conversations going on in our house?

Conversations about size (should we go Cal King next time?), firmness (he wants one where he can bounce a bowling ball on his side while I have a glass of wine rest uninterrupted on mine), and fluffiness (I want less, he wants more).

We have bought mattress pads about every year or two, and were coming due on our new mattress/new mattress pad conversation recently when I received an email from Sleep Number.

Which is funny because their mattresses amaze me (I can sleep on the same mattress as my hubby, but have a firmer mattress?!).

Would I like to review a Sleep Number In Balance™ layer and pillow protector?

A mattress pad and set of pillowcases that are cool on top and pull heat towards the bottom, reducing the temperature of the bed?

Did I mention I live in Arizona?

And that the mattress pad comes with a ten-year warranty?

Hmmm… I can test out a new mattress pad that will make it unnecessary to wake up every hour and turn the A/C down?

And it’ll last for 10 years?

Sold.

And Steve was too.

The mattress pad came about two weeks ago and since it didn’t come with an air compressor (you know, to act as an A/C unit and reduce the temperature of the bed), I wasn’t expecting much.

But I was pleasantly surprised.

I spent the first night lying in bed really still for 5 minutes, then moving my legs for a few seconds, then moving them back.

You know, to see if I made the mattress warm.

It made total sense to me, but you can giggle if you want to.

The mattress stayed cool. Not 100% as cool as it was where my legs weren’t, but the difference was significant. Like 80% significant.

This was actually a bad thing at first.

Steve must not have felt the heat from my side of the bed, so he was constantly moving to the middle of the bed, and pushing me off of my side.

Thankfully, that stopped after a few kicks sweet taps on the shoulder.

And the pillow? It doesn’t need to be flipped throughout the night. You know what I’m talking about, right? You wake up, try to fall back to sleep but it’s too warm. So you flip your pillow to the cooler side. You don’t need to do that with the In Balance pillowcases.

The fun part? I get to give one of you a mattress pad and set of pillowcases!

To enter, click HERE and fill out the entry form!

Good luck!

Sleep Number ® provided me with an In Balance Layer and pillow protector to review, and one to give away. My opinions are my own, and my review is honest.

You know what this is, right?

It’s the Spinning Circle Of Doom.

If you’re on a first name basis, you can call it SCOD.

I do.

I  unknowingly welcomed it when I downloaded Lion on my pretty little computer last week, and I don’t want it here anymore.

I think Apple should warn those who need to be protected from themselves people like me when they attempt to install a really, really big operating system onto a computer without a lot of memory. But since they didn’t, it seems that I have single-handedly rendered my computer almost inoperable.

I can’t upload photos.

I can’t access a web page in less than 1 minute.

Per page.

I can’t play with Picnik. That makes me sad.

So be patient with me, while my beloved UPS man brings more RAM to my house.

While we wait for the Man In Brown, I’d love for you to go visit the blogs I am reading right now :)

—

I have been feeling pretty awful for the past few months and as an experiment, I stopped eating gluten to see what would happen. Within a few days I felt almost 100% better, and I’m not planning on changing my eating habits back any time soon. Here are some helpful blogs I have found:

The Gluten Free Diet has been a great resource for all things gluten.

I found Mom Off Track because of her awesome gluten free post yesterday, and have been having fun poking around her blog.

I have made Jesse’s Stuffed Zucchini twice in the past week, and plan on making it again soon. Her blog, The Happy Go Lucky Vegan is full of great recipes. And even if you’re not vegan, go check it out. I add chicken to a lot of her recipes.

Udi’s Gluten Free foods is a great resource. They’re active on social networking sites and love to interact with their customers. My friend Jo-Lynne of Musings Of A Housewife, who has been a great resource to me, is also working with Udi’s to help people learn more about going Gluten-Free.

Life hasn’t been all about food here, though…

My friend Karen has started a new blog (in addition to her “old” blog, Desert Deals Diva) – it’s fun and lighthearted – take a look at Chica Ramblings.

My friend Val has been a blogger (at heart) for a while… she just didn’t have her blog started yet. Now she does! Go welcome her at Mom Gone Mad, please!

You have two days left to enter Vicarious Chelsea‘s Ice.com giveaway… Today is her birthday, too – so wish her a happy day when you enter.

I have been reading Jen’s blog, Our Daily Big Top, for almost as long as I have been blogging. Her oldest boy is Michael’s age, and we became instant blog friends. Though she lives right where the earthquake hit yesterday, her and her cuties didn’t feel a thing. You should go read about what they were doing when the earthquake hit.

That’s what I have for now. I promise to be much more talkative after the UPS man comes to visit me.